Breathing Yoga

Yoga off the Mat

Hello,

I am using my yoga and meditation everyday as I walk the halls at school, meet with parents and interview for teaching positions. Everyone's telling me I have a calming effect. I'm grateful for the practice and all of my teachers.

Namaste´

Barbara

Awareness and Concentration in Teaching-Garrison Institute-www.garrisoninstitute.org

I am deeply grateful to my teachers, Tish Jennings and David Rome, from the Contemplation and Education Initiative at the Garrison Institute, for providing me useful tools to bring more awareness and concentration into my teaching.

As a yogi, I maintain a daily practice, however "seasoning the day" with grounding and centering practices has been a challenge for me. Now, I find myself aware of me feet as I walk and stand, and, I am more aware of my breathing.

When I left school today, it was with a realization that I do not have to get caught up in the scattered or angry nature of others. I can hold my ground and be steady and still bend gently with the breeze.

I'm still here.

Love to all of you,

Barbara

Asana, Pranayama, Meditation-Designing a Holistic Yoga Routine June 2007

See how yoga makes you smile? All the smiles were the result of the yoga practice and teachings that Ramaswami so generously delivered at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Would you like to smile? Check out his events at http://www.vinyasakrama.com

Thank you Ramaswami-we are all grateful,
Barbara

Please enjoy one of my favorite poems....Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye, a Palestinian poet

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the
Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept
him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow
as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day
to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

"What we depend on as continuing day to day is really illusory, at any moment our lives can change." Sylvia Boorstein

I have to admit I used to resist the day to day and moment to moment changes in my life. My life was planned days, weeks and even months in advance and when events did not unfold smoothly I resisted. What helped me relax? Yoga, mindfulness, meditation and meaningful connections with others such as my beloved teachers, family, students and friends have transformed my life. Here are a few yogic terms and quotes from my teachers that have helped me during challenging moments.

"Whatever you are feeling right now, someone else is experiencing the same thing." Tarika Diana Damelio

"So hum" which means I am not my thoughts, I am not my feelings, I am not my emotions-I am that I am.

"Everything that arises passes." Sylvia Boorstein

As Thich Nhat Hahn teaches mentally repeating, "Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out."

Mark Whitwell states, "You are the wonder of life. The power of life surges through every fiber and cell of your being. Stop your searching and enjoy your life."

Tao Te Ching

When rich speculators prosper
while farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn–
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not in keeping with the Tao.

With Ramaswami at Esalen-March 2007

I am blessed to be able to receive the extraordinary teachings of the renowned yoga master, Srivatsa Ramaswami. He enjoyed a 33 year relationship (1955-1988) with his teacher, the legendary Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989). Please visit vinyasakrama.com for more information about Ramaswami and a list of his workshops around the United States.
In yoga,
Barbara

Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation

Dear Friends,

This past September I was blessed to be able to attend a 7 day Mindful Yoga and Meditation Retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Seven days of silence, present moment awareness, asana, pranayama and lots of meditation. Here's a short poem that was a result of a few days of opening my heart to my experience.

I fill my mind with
metta
mantra
prayer
to eliminate worry
here I am forced to
open to emotion
sensation
and face what's inside

For more information on the Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program go to www.spiritrock.org and click on the link for "Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program".

May all beings be happy at heart,
Barbara

Yoga for Your Back-Mindfully

All levels of experience are welcome to attend this ongoing class, Thursday mornings from 9-10:30 am, that provides a relaxing yet energizing way to begin your day.

Learn yoga postures and breathing techniques to release tension, give life to the spine and support your body. The increase in flexibility and strength will energize and revitalize your entire body, quiet your mind and give you a deep sense of relaxation.

This class will:
• Stretch, strengthen and tone your neck, shoulders, arms, back, abdomen, buttocks, hips and legs
• Increase flexibility of your spine, neck, shoulders, back and legs
• Hydrate spinal discs
• Balance and recharge your nervous system strengthening your immune system
• Align, tone, lengthen and extend the entire spinal column
• Increase circulation to your entire skeletal muscular system
• Firm and trim your waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks and thighs
• Improve circulation and respiration
• Remove stiffness from shoulders and neck
• Develop balance, concentration coordination and strength

“Practice transforms us. A different life begins and the body expresses a happiness never felt before.” - Vanda Scaravelli

$20 check or $18 cash per class - Register early by e-mail or phone in advance to reserve your spot - The class is held on a first come, first served basis. There are no refunds but exceptions will be considered for special situations such as medical. Space is limited - I have minimum and maximum class sizes -minimum class size is two-classes with two students will run for one hour and cost $20 – contact me at 949.338.3793 or barbara@breathingyoga.com Mats and props are provided.

My personal experience with Kripalu yoga in Richard Faulds new book, "Kripalu Yoga".

I used to spend most of my waking hours planning the next day, week, or month. Although I was driven and passionate about life, I was never satisfied with myself or my family. I read self-help books and listened to tapes, but something was missing. Then Kripalu Yoga taught me how to breathe into life, feel its wonder, and watch it unfold with all its power and miracles. As a result, my relationship with my husband and daughter has deepened. I honestly love myself, the work I perform, and the people I reach out and touch. Kripalu Yoga has given me a new lease on life.

Barbara Templeton

Do you notice your breathing? from Andrew Weil Practical Tips to bring into your day

"Today, make it a point to pay attention to your breathing. This simple observation can tell you a lot about the state of your nervous system, and by learning to control your breathing, you can influence the regulation of your heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, and digestion. Since you have more control over exhalations, focusing on this part of your breathing is a good way of learning how to breathe deeper. Use the muscles between your ribs to squeeze air out of your lungs - when you move more air out, you will automatically take more air in. As you breathe in and out, think of the cycle as having no beginning or end. Practice this exercise as often as you like, but I recommend doing it at least once each day."

Practicing Breath Work-A Tip from Andrew Weil

In Buddhist and yogic traditions, people claim to have reached an enlightened state by doing nothing more than paying attention to the rising and falling of their breath. What easier way could there be to reach such a state? Especially since breathing - following the ebb and flow of your breath - is an intrinsic part of meditation. By paying attention to your breath, you will rapidly change your state of consciousness, begin to relax, and slowly detach from ordinary awareness. Try to focus on the point between your in-breath and out-breath that is dimensionless, and glimpse the elements of enlightenment in that space.

Want to know more? Read Breathing Basic How-To's on DrWeil.com

Annica: Impermanence

"Annica is the truth of impermanence, of the constantly changing nature of all experience. Of course we all know that things change, that nothing endures. No one I know likes to go to the dentist, but everyone goes, more or less relaxed, even for complicated procedures. No one would go at all if appointments were open-ended, with no expectations of when, or even if, we would emerge. We remember things change when we go to the dentist, but we forget when we are confused. Grief confuses us, and loss and sadness frightens us. If we can keep at least a bit of the mind clear about temporality, we can manage complicated , even difficult, times with grace."

Taken from "It's Easier Than You Think-The Buddhist Way to Happiness" by Sylvia Boorstein

"Having admirable people as friends, companions, and colleagues is actually the whole of the holy life." The Buddha

Becoming part of a sangha or community of practitioners brings great comfort in our lives. Perhaps one or more of these opportunities may help in handling changes.

My Yoga Class Schedule

Mondays 4:25-5:55 pm Level 1-2
Yogaworks, Newport Beach

Wednesdays 7:30-9:00 am Yoga for Your Back-Level 1
Yogaworks, Laguna Beach

Wednesdays 4:25-5:55 pm Level 1-2
Yogaworks, Newport Beach

Thursdays 10:30 A.M.-12:00 pm Yoga for Your Back- Level 1
Yogaworks

Yoga Nidra Series

Mark your calendars for my next Yoga Nidra Series, Enjoy Your Life...with Yoga Nidra, Saturdays, September 24th, October 15th, and November 5th, 2-4:30 pm, $75 for series - $80 day of first class - $30 single class - $35 day of event at Yogaworks, 230 Newport Center Dr., #230 Newport Beach, CA 92660

To register call Yogaworks at 949-640-9642 - for more information call me at 949-338 -3793 or e-mail me at barbara@breathingyoga.com

Another tip from Dr. Weil-Back pain? Try Yoga

Chronic back pain - often due to poor posture, injuries, or muscle tension - can profoundly impact your quality of life. One way to help prevent further injury and lessen the symptoms of current back pain is through yoga:

It engages your body, mind and spirit, which may lead to a feeling of self-reliance and control over your pain.
It provides long-term preventive relief, through improved posture, breathing techniques, and stress reduction.
It can make you more aware of your body - balance, posture and proper alignment will be a renewed focus in your life.
It strengthens your abdominal and leg muscles and increases blood flow - all of which can be beneficial for the back.
It can soothe your mind, which in turn can produce a relaxed, calm and meditative state that can lessen pain.

Come to my Yoga for the Back Class as my guest. Send me a message and I will send you a guest pass.

Love,

Barbara