Classes this week

I'm going away for the weekend, heading to Cape Cod with some of my favorite people of all time. Nevertheless, I am subbing out Friday and Sunday at Quick Fitness and Monday at Go Yoga. Tricia Napor is subbing for me at QF, and Jessica Crow is at Go.

Have a great week!

Leading your practice with your heart

Asana practice needs to be approached via the heart, both physically and spiritually.  

To approach your practice with an open heart spiritually can mean so many things.  One of them is to approach your practice as a means to stay present.  When one enters a room to practice, any judgements and emotions should be shed, thus opening your heart to an experience that will allow you to remain present and allow you to focus in the now.  This is why it is important not to look around the room to see what others are wearing, what the teacher looks like, etc this way you can stop the judgments and opinions.  When you enter a room to practice, immediately sit down and close your eyes on your mat.  Bring your focus on your breath and allow the emotions from the day to melt away.  This prepares you for a compassionate and personal experience, free of judgments and attachments.    

To approach the practice with an open heart anatomically means to lead the practice with your heart lifted and the chest and collarbones open, shoulders melting toward the center of your back.  On a daily basis, we slouch in front of our computers, on the train, as we eat, etc etc. This causes our pectoralis muscles to tighten and our upper back muscles to over stretch, resulting in bad posture and back pain.  A steady yoga practice can help release the chest so that the upper back can get properly aligned and get strong, thus making posture improve and back aches stop.  

Overall, we should think of having an open heart ALL the time. BE compassionate in and out of the mat. 

Love.

Patricia 

Summer Yoga Retreat, continued

My little sis and her boyfriend just returned from a vacation in Panama.  She loved it and said I'd probably love it too. And since I've been looking for a place to go spend the summer, I started to research Panama.  Panama looks so beautiful!    So in addition of spending June and July there, I am now thinking of doing a yoga retreat there (in addition to the Italian retreat).  I've gotten in touch with the owners of that hotel and they seem really open to it.  If the price is right, then its on.

I am excited, for by the time of the retreat, I will (hopefully) be certified to teach Conquering Lion Yoga.  May be some of my lovely classmates will come with and teach as well.   I may also teach surfing, or bring along someone that can teach surfing full time, we'll see.

P.S.  I am teaching tomorrow at Crunch in Park Slope 6:30 class and permanently have the Friday 10:00 am at Viva Vinyasa in midtown.  This is all in addition to my other classes at Quick Fitness, Viva and Sangha Yoga Shala.  Hope to see you!