Volume 2, Issue 1
Table of Contents
Happy New Year Everyone!
May the practice of yoga here at BodyWorks bring insight, query, understanding, clearer perception and deeper sensitivity to our body, mind and spirits.
May our practice be dedicated to serving the well being of ourselves, others and our world.
It’s been sooo cold so far this year, but clear and bright sunshine to keep our spirits up.
Here’s some things to consider seriously in the coming months-
Yin/Yang Yoga and Meditation with Chandra Easton will be great. Sunday. Feb 4th from 1-5pm, sign up early and get $10 off.
**Delivering Hard to Hear messages with Ike Lasater will be very valuable for all your relationships. Saturday, Feb. 17th 1-5pm .
Also Raizelah will be sharing her expertise in Acupressure and yoga for Energy on Saturday Feb 10th from 2-5.
And Melanies favorite Partner Yoga is back by popular demand Sunday Feb 11th from 11:30-1:30pm
I’m happy to be getting to know Saniel Bonder , he generously showed up to hold space for meditation the week of Jan.15-19th. I was very happy to have that time to sit and start the day. Hope he’ll do more of that. He’ll be here monthly for his HEART Gatherings , you can check the schedule for dates and times.
Lot's of love and light
Jean
The Retreat in Westerbeke
Practicing Yoga in a peaceful, serene setting happens every year in September. Email Bodyworks for more information.
Yoga Humor 
This fellow was climbing a tree when suddenly he slipped. He grabbed a branch and was hanging there. After an hour or so passed, he was feeling exhausted. He looked up to the heavens and cried out: "God, help me, please, help me."
Suddenly the clouds parted and a deep voice resounded, "Let Go!"
The guy paused and looked up at heaven once more, and said: "Is there anyone else up there?"
Is it time for you to bring Yoga to your life to support your health and well-being?
I think that yoga has finally made it to our contemporary world for good reason. The wonderful healing benefits derived from the practice give us the inner strength and resiliency that we need to manage the complexities and speed of life in the 21st century. The ancient science of Yoga not only carries timeless wisdom, moral principles, universal truths, and ethics (that are important to be living and learning so we can to do our part in helping our planets evolution.) but its impact on our physiology is well researched.
Did you know there are 60,00miles of blood vessels in your circulatory system or that the complete cycle for a blood cell from the heart through the body back to the heart takes less than one minute? A well balanced yoga class will provide moderate exercise for the heart muscle during the active part of the class and complete relaxation at the end of class. This balance of moderate work and complete rest is an ideal program for a healthy heart.
Yoga has a wonderful effect on our Endocrine system. The endocrine system regulates the secretion of important chemicals into your body’s blood stream. The chemicals have important functions like regulating the fight or flight response. Like all of the systems of the body, the endocrine system is designed to have periods of activity and rest. It is when this system is operating on red alert status all of the time the glands can be affected. The thyroid can loose its ability to secrete sufficient amounts of thyroxin. The adrenal glands can loose their ability to secrete adequate amounts of adrenaline and the pancreas can loose its ability to secrete adequate amounts of insulin. Yoga balances the endocrine system as a whole by balancing the mind which then sends a message of balance to the pituitary, the master gland of the endocrine system. The yoga postures have a direct massaging and balancing effect on all the different endocrine glands.
The musculo-skeletal system of the body is designed to provide strong support and free
movement to our frame. Chronic stress and tension can limit the body’s natural movement. It is when the muscles are chronically contracted through physical or emotional trauma and poor posture, that the skeleton also looses its natural alignment. This may cause wear and tear and conditions such as osteo-arthritis. As the muscular system comes back into balance through yoga, healthy alignment of the skeleton also occurs. I was so pleased to hear from one of my older students that her bone density test was improved over last year. She credited it to the fact that she chose to step up her attendance in her yoga class. She came regularly three times a week.
This is just a scratch on the surface to all the many benefits derived from a consistent yoga practice. I didn’t mention the positive results on our digestive, nervous, immune and respiratory systems.
Remember yoga looks at our human beingness from the perspective that we are multifaceted. Its essential teaching is Unity. Bringing things together, joining all of are parts into balance.
An added facet to the positive aspects of Yoga is the way it helps us reconnect to the sacred in everyday life. As our awareness grows in its capability to stay present from moment to moment we can truly delight in the joy of being alive. We have to admit there is probably no better place to be living, breathing and sharing in life than here in Sonoma County .
My hope for this year is that we all take the steps we can in our own lives to include doing things that help support first our own health and wellbeing and realize that will spread out to our planet and species as a whole.
"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything."
--Thich Nhat Hanh
A human being can survive without food for 40 days or more; can survive without water for up to a week, but we die if we do not have air for more than 5-10 minutes!
In today's society we do not take the time to breathe properly: I mean, we REALLY do not take much time to notice IF we are breathing, let alone take the time to observe the quality of our breath. We rush from here to there; grab fast lunches on the fly and rush to the next task, panting in our hurry to get to our destination. When we do breathe it is often a shallow breath, concentrated in the upper chest- more closely resembling the breathing pattern of panic or flight.
Often, the tensions of the day's activities leave us with a tight chest, strained, constricted breathing, and equally constrained and tight thoughts. In addition to asana practice, pranayama (Yoga of the Breath) is an excellent way to bring calm clarity into your day; it takes only a few minutes and can bring fresh perspective whenever needed. Many people take a few minutes to pause and breathe or meditate before a meeting, presentation, performance, or as a study break; pranayama is useful any time you need to detach from your mind and rest.
The breath is the wave upon which yoga postures flow one into the other and is one of the most important aspects of yoga. When we take a moment to notice and improve the quality of our breath we have more oxygen moving to the brain, the muscles around the rib cage and upper back relax more, our stress levels reduce and we are able to achieve greater perspective in our day. With full and proper breathing we find our bodies and minds are more open and clear; thus yoga practice deepens in both posture and observance.
Yogayak offers a variety of breathing exercises designed to improve and enhance your yoga practice; we invite you to join our instructors in Pranayama and experience the Yoga of the Breath.
by
Bendyjenn Ryan
yogayak@yogayak.com
Yin/Yang Yoga and Meditation
Sunday, February 4th
1:00-5:00pm
Building Your Energy with Acupressure and Yoga
Saturday, February 10th
2:00-5:00pm
Partner Yoga
Sunday, February 11th
11:30am-1:30pm
HEART Gatherings
Sunday, Feb. 11th
2:15-4:45pm
Delivering Hard to Hear Messages
Saturday, February 17th
1:00-5:00pm
Tantra Yoga: Tandava, The Dance of Shakti Shiva and Psychospiritual Inquiry
Saturday February 24th
2:00-5:00pm
Anusara Yoga
Three Sunday Afternoons, 2:00-5:00pm
February 25, March 25, April 1
Go to BodyWorks Yoga for details
Bodyworks Integrative Yoga and Stress Management Center
490 Second St. Petaluma | 769-9933 | www.bodyworksyoga.com