7 Wheels of Light-Chakra Study at Ramapo College of NJ

Muladhara Chakra/the Root Chakra is the 1st wheel of light. It is found at the base of the spine and is the grounding chakra energy center. The bija mantra/sound is LAM and its color is red.

   I will be leading a very special class called 7 Wheels of Light-Chakra Study Friday October 6th 6-9pm at Ramapo College of New Jersey within the Krame Center. This class is part of Ramapo College's 200hour Yoga Teacher Training. Drop in students are welcome to join us.

   This class is half lecture and half meditation mixed with easy to follow yoga flow postures. Please wear comfortable clothes to move, relax and heal in.

   Please visit www.ramapo.edu for more details.

   Coming soon I'll post 7 Wheels of Light-Chakra Study art and notes to further ease and expand your understanding about the chakras.

What's next for your Yoga Studies? 300hr Advanced Yoga Teacher Training at Birchwood Center Nyack, NY

 

    There's a fantastic 300hr Advanced Yoga Teacher Training starting September 6th at Birchwood Center of Yoga and Massage in Nyack, New York. I will be teaching along with several professional teachers from Birchwood Center's enthusiastic and excellent faculty.

    This 300hr training is designed for 200hr certified yoga instructors to complete their 500hr Yoga Teacher Certification. What I love about this training is it includes everything I intuitively sought out after I completed my 200hr yoga teacher training. When I graduated 300hr trainings did not exist. I had to travel on planes, trains and automobiles for over a decade to find the teachers who taught the topics I craved to understand after my 200hr yoga teacher training. Fortunately Birchwood Center's 300hr offering takes place in one location-85 S. Broadway Nyack, NY starting September 6th through April 28th.


Here's an overview of what the 300hr training includes:


Asana

   Advanced Asana Techniques

   Applying Asana Techniques to All Levels

   Alignment Clinics- For foundational through advanced postures

   Class Structure and Sequencing- Planning for all levels

   Case Studies- Teaching one-on-one and special needs

   Vinyasa- Finding the thread of flow in transitions



Pranayama Techniques

    Pranayama and Shat Kriyas for Health and Healing

    Pranayama for Meditation and Inner Awareness

    Pranayama to Sustain and Enrich Asana

    Pranayama and Movement



Mantra Chanting, Mudra and Meditation


    
Practical Yoga Philosophy

     Vital Concepts

     Yoga Sutras

     Bhagavad-Gita

     Hatha Yoga Pradipika

     Ayurveda



Power of Word

     Developing Clarity in Communication



Anatomy

     Posture Anatomy

     Anatomy for Injury and Special Needs

     Anatomy of the Energy Body



Specialization Project

     Development of an independent project based on a chosen teaching specialization



Please visit www.birchwoodcenter.com to learn more and to register.

Touching the Earth with Gratitude and Forgiveness: Lammas

     The sun is in Leo and nature is at its peak. You can feel, see and even taste what has ripened on the vine for you. Today August 1st, the harvest celebrations begin. The ancients call this time Lammas, the first of three harvest celebrations. It is a time of gratitude where we appreciate the fruits of our labors. When we slow down and notice all we have created, nurtured and protected.

      This time is also about forgiving what we have worked for and lost since the new year. The time and efforts spent in foreseeing, planting, taking care of and protecting our creations makes it easy to be attached to what could have been. Letting go and doing so with love keeps our heart soft so new seeds can take shape for the next cycle.

      During these first days of August make some time to touch the earth. You can touch the dirt, grass or sand. Touch it and reflect on gratitude and forgiveness for all you have grown this year be it big or small. Seeing with thankful rather than resentful eyes is a pure and deep emotional state. One that is free from ego. These are the eyes that can witness when the harvest's magic appears.

      On a personal note I find August 1st's ancient Lammas sentiment of reflecting on gratitude and forgiveness to be perfectly synchronistic with the birthday wishes of my Father in Law's Guru, Dada J. P. Vaswani from the Sadhu Vaswani Mission in Pune, India. Dada is celebrating 99 years of life on August 2nd. His birthday wish is at 2 pm wherever you are to take 2 minutes to forgive and experience the calmness within. To read more about A Moment of Calm please visit www.momentofcalm.org


"Hearts at peace will create world peace."  -J. P. Vaswani

A Post Summer Solstice Ritual

    Every year I miss out on writing about the Summer Solstice for the same reason, there's so much of everything going on. Between school endings and new summer beginnings for my boys and work schedule, parties, playtime at the pool, park or beach, there's an overload of what to experience and be all at once.

    Handling an overabundance of what's fun to do as the sun shines brightly while doing what has to be done everyday can't always be handled with ease. Feelings of frustration and exhaustion have been a part of my summer vibe so far and this makes me wonder what's got to go for a simpler and well balanced life.

    What's comforting to realize is both Yoga and Ayurveda's wisdom suggests the elements of nature- fire, water, air and earth are found within us. During these sun filled days as nature is brightly buzzing, chirping and growing in full speed around us, it is also doing the same within us.

    The ancients, our ancestors were so in synch with the universe's rhythm and saw this period of peak light as sacred. It was and still is a time to seek refuge and ritual to remedy any dis ease that comes from an overload of energy. It is a time of assessments. A time to recognize what you're truly passionate about. A period of the year to decide where you wish to throw your ball of energy towards and/or let go of for the second half of the year.

    If any of this resonates with you, take the time to sit with yourself and notice what you're now wishing to grow within and around you. Practicing a post Summer Solstice self reflection ritual can assist in balancing what was mayhem into embracing the sweet fullness of summer life.

Happy Fourth of July! Class Schedule

Happy Fourth of July!


I'll be back on the mat and leading two classes Wednesday July 5th:  


9:30am   1hr 30min   Level 2/3   at www.birchwoodcenter.com   in Nyack, New York


11:45am   11:45am   1hr 15min   Gentle Plus   at www.birchwoodcenter.com   in Nyack,  New York

Transformative Tuesdays/A Meditation Class at the Graf Center for Integrative Medicine at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

   Transformative Tuesdays started last Tuesday June 6th and is meeting for 3 more Tuesdays in June at 6pm for 1 hour. This very special June meditation program welcomes drop in students to any of the 3 remaining classes. This meditation class is perfect for the brand new beginner or for any level practitioner who wants to slow down and tune into a quieter mind and more relaxed body.

    Last Tuesday we began class with a super relaxing restorative yoga posture followed by breath work and easy to follow yoga postures to find flexibility and strength to support your seated meditation practice. After sitting in meditation we practiced a few grounding postures and ended class with a final relaxation pose.

    Doctors, staff, patients and the community joined last week's class. If you are interested in learning to meditate, getting back into it or enjoy meditating with others please join us. I'm looking forward to sharing more this coming Tuesday evening 6pm at the Graf Center of Integrative Medicine at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.


When:

Tuesdays June 6, 13, 20 and 27 2017
6-7pm



Where:

Graf Center for Integrative Medicine
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
350 Engle Street, Englewood, NJ

FREE Valet Parking



To Register:

201-608-2377 or grafcenter@ehmchealth.org

$10 per class

Full Moon Friday

This moon cycle is about navigating your journey with a little more precision. If you've been feeling this way for the past two weeks or so, pay attention to how today's Full Moon in Sagittarius is beaming out plenty of messages to remember to steer by the compass of your soul. Stay with it.