Natural Bridge Yoga

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

Best wishes to everyone for the coming year. This is a time to reflect on where we've been, and where we'd like to be going. Perhaps a time for setting goals, maybe a time to let go. Whatever your wish for the new year, I hope your heart's desire is fulfilled.

2011-10-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have completed my training to be a certified yoga therapist, and am constantly in a process of learning how to be a better therapist as well as teacher. My students have taught me probably as much as I’ve taught them.More and more articles about the benefits of yoga are appearing in the popular press. And yoga is helpful to many people in many ways. But most yoga classes are offered to people whose general health is good. It doesn’t have to be perfect – most yoga teachers are conscious of physical conditions that would contraindicate certain asanas (poses). However, people who have a serious medical condition would do well to err on the side of safety and seek out a yoga therapist instead of a yoga class.

Yoga therapy is usually taught one-on-one or in small groups. It tends to be gentle and nurturing, although it can be challenging. There is a strong focus on bodily awareness and postural alignment. Yoga therapists are trained in Pranayama, or breath awareness, and also are able to teach basic meditation techniques so your mind and spirit can assist your body in returning to wholeness.

Yoga as Medicine by Timothy McCall, M.D., lists conditions that are improved by yoga, including anxiety, arthritis, back disorders, and also reviews scientific studies that have been carried out on the effectiveness of yoga as a therapy.

Yoga is never offered as a substitute for medical care. Usually yoga therapy is offered as part of a treatment regime, with the support of a physician, chiropractor, physical therapist and/or other medical personnel.

If you'd like to learn more, please feel free to contact me.

Your Heart's Desire

2011-01-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

What is your heart’s desire? Why are you here? What is your purpose in life?

We get so busy doing that sometimes we forget why we’re doing what we do. Do our busy activities make our lives healthier or happier? Are they creating more happiness or blessings for others?

The new year is a good time to look at our activities and ask ourselves these and other questions. It’s a time to go off “automatic pilot” and maybe do some re-setting.

Here’s a lovely poem by David Whyte, sent by my teacher Mary Paffard, that has helped me think about what needs to be re-set – and stopped, and started – in my life.

START CLOSE IN

Start close in,

don't take the second step

or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step you don't want to take.

Start with

the ground

you know,

the pale ground

beneath your feet,

your own

way of starting

the conversation.

Start with your own

question,

give up on other

people's questions,

don't let them

smother something

simple.

To find

another's voice

your own voice,

wait until

that voice

becomes a

private ear

listening

to another.

Start right now

take a small step

you can call your own

don't follow

someone else's

heroics, be humble

and focused,

start close in,

don't mistake

that other

for your own.

Start close in,

don't take the second step

or the third,

start with the first

thing

close in,

the step you don't want to take.

David Whyte

The Power of Silence

2010-04-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

During a week-long Presence in Yoga retreat, I spoke very little – a big change for me. I joined other students and teachers from Oregon, California, Utah, Nebraska, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee at Gray Bear Retreat Center in Hohenwald for a week of yoga, meditation, great food, spring flowers – and silence.

I’m not used to silence. There is usually some background noise in my life – and too often it’s people talking on TV or radio. In silence, I get to hear the radio in my own head – and what a show it is.

Sometimes it’s more bloviated than Rush Limbaugh, more paranoid than Glen Beck, more judgmental than Pat Robertson. Often it reminds me of my many shortcomings and wrongdoings. Occasionally the radio in my head sings my praises. At times my mind's thoughts are angry, proud, envious, slothful, lustful, gluttonous – you name the negativity, it has run through the radio in my head.

My emotions follow my thoughts, and they’re expressed in my body. So my stomach may be tight with rage, aching with guilt, tender with sorrow. My throat and jaw stiffen with judgment – of others or of myself. My heart may feel closed and hard, or open and vulnerable.

So naturally, I prefer to avoid my own thought-producing, anxiety-producing radio. I’d rather be distracted.

It’s not easy to just listen – to the radio in my head, to the birds singing, to my teacher. I want to talk back. Being silent is hard!

But being silent was a way to know myself in new ways. Being silent was a way to do yoga in more expanded, more open ways. It was a way to hear the wonder of the woods with fresh ears and heart.

Thank you to our teacher Mary Paffard, whose words and poetry offered so much in the silence. Thank you, Diann and Adam and the staff at Gray Bear, my fellow yogis who give me so much, my wonderful husband, delightful students, and our own peaceful, blooming woods.

Pictures of the retreat are at http://picasaweb.google.com/nbyoga/PresenceInYogaRetreat#

Thank you for silence.

Tis Easier to Be Critical than Corect

2010-02-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

One of my ex-father-in-law's favorite sayings came from Benjamin Disraeli: "Tis Easier to Be Critical than Correct."

His clever son made the saying even better in a sign he made for his father:

"Tis Easier to be Critical than Corect."

It really is easier to criticize others - and ourselves - than to present alternatives or work on improving our own yoga.

It's hard to put our ideas forward - it's easier to criticize ideas that others have.

It's hard to work on having firm abs - it's easier to criticize our less-than-perfect bellies.

As we look forward to spring, let's tend to our own garden - not critically, but with loving attention and appreciation for our mistakes as well as our triumphs.

Yoga for the New Year

2010-01-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

January is a time of new beginnings - and my favorite newbie is right here - Keiya Grace Kino Harris, born to my son Jake and his wife Mariko in Portland, Oregon on January 11 at 7:35 a.m., 9 pounds 2 ounces! I was in Portland from Jan 5 and left on the red-eye the 11th, so only got a brief visit with the new baby. The real joy of this trip was seeing all the other grandchildren, and spending a couple of days taking care of precious Aiden while his parents were in the hospital. What a joy to be a grandparent!

Gentle beginning yoga classes start again on Tuesday, January 19th (delayed a week due to snow days) at the Wayne County Technology Center. Classes begin at 5 p.m. and go to 6:30. They're free, so if you've been curious about yoga, give us a try!

Wear comfortable clothing and bring a blanket. If you have questions, give me a call at 931 722-5096. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

We're headed to Texas for Christmas, and school is out, so there won't be any classes until 2010. Free beginning yoga classes start again on Tuesday, January 12 at 5 p.m. at the Wayne County Technology Center. Have a great holiday, everyone!

Pressing Your Points with Yoga

2009-09-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a really bad headache? Or a leg cramp that takes your breath away? If you held your head in your hands, or grabbed your leg when you felt the cramp, you were practicing acupressure.

I just returned from four days in Berkeley at the Acupressure Institute, where I studied with Michael Reed Gach and Alice Hiatt. Here's a picture with me and Michael, who has written numerous books about using acupressure for optimal health.

Michael taught a seminar on Acu-Yoga, which is a system he developed to use yoga poses and breath to activate acupressure points. Alice's seminar was on basic acupressure.

What a gift to be able to learn from these masters. I'm looking forward to sharing some of what I've learned with my upcoming classes!

Balance Training for Seniors

2009-08-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

A Matter of Balance is an 8 week course for people over 50 to help you prevent falls and gain confidence in your balance.

The classes will be offered at the Wayne County Assisted Living beginning on Wednesday, September 2 at 2 p.m. for eight weeks through October 21st.

We will learn exercises and ways to stay safe at home and while you're out partying. If you have any questions please feel free to call Karen at 931 722-5096.

Classes are free but the size is limited, so please sign up in advance at the Assisted Living Facility, 931 722-2000.

YOGA DURING YOUR PREGNANCY

2009-08-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

My lovely daughter in law (shown here during her first pregnancy with Aiden, now three) enjoyed prenatal yoga classes in Portland, Oregon.

We have a couple of pregnant moms interested in a prenatal yoga class, but need to have at least one more to make it affordable (and more fun!).

We'll have a four-week series and the times are flexible, depending on your schedule. Yoga has many benefits during pregnancy and it was what got me through labor.

Practicing yoga increases circulation and reduces swelling associated with water retention, providing more blood flow and oxygen to the baby.

When we breathe into our belly, ribs and back, we're able to maintain deep and even breathing, thus reducing stress and anxiety.

Yoga elongates the spine, stretches and strengthens the spine, and in prenatal yoga classes we prepare for childbirth by opening the pelvic area.

Proper posture is important in helping to alleviate the discomforts of the changing body. Yoga alleviates mood swings, helps control weight gain, decreases anxiety and stress, insomnia, constipation and fatigue.

Yoga helps still the mind. Breathing exercises help to calm the mind and body. They help you develop a greater sense of inner focus and peace.

Yoga helps with physical balance and can stretch and strengthen the body, keeping muscles strong, yet flexible.

If you are new to yoga and are looking for a meaningful, low-impact form of exercise and stress reduction, yoga may be for you.

If you are an experienced yogi, you may want to slow down a bit. This is the time when it helps to attend prenatal classes which are more suited to your changing body.

If you're interested in participating in a prenatal class, please call Karen at 931 722 5096 by August 18th. Leave a message (with your phone number - we don't have caller ID!) if I'm not home and I'll get back to you!

Stay Cool in the Summer

2009-07-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

In the yogic tradition, summer is said to have a pitta dosha. Pitta is associated with the element of fire, and its qualities are hot, penetrating, moist, bright and sharp – kind of like a sunny, humid summer afternoon in Tennessee.

Summer is a time to laze around like our smart kitty. According to the ancients who studied yoga, it's a time for a diet which emphasizes sweet tastes and has a lot of cool liquids.

Avoid too much exercise. (My husband says you should move only enough to assure that all sides of your body are reached by the fan.) (But you don’t have to go that far – he sure doesn’t!)

Enjoy forests, gardens, flowers and cool water. Drink more liquids. Eat cooling foods like cucumber, peas, carrots, watermelon and other melons, blueberries and coconut. Eat less citrus, olives, spicy and greasy foods, red wine and sweets.

When you drink a cool drink, don’t use too much ice – too much can slow metabolism.

You can practice cooling breaths like the lunar breath or sitali.

Keep your eyes cool, wear sunglasses, and avoid too much computer use. If your eyes are tired, soak a cotton pad in rose water and place over your closed eyes, or “palm” the eyes.

Wear hats to keep your head cool. Wear loose, cotton clothing in light colors.

If you have a place to swim, enjoy that. You can also mist your face or take a cool shower to cool off your skin.

Slow down. Walk slower, drive slower, rest on your porch. Stay cool!

Thanks to Kellen Brugman of Fair Havens Yoga in Nashville for information in this article. Her more complete article is in the summer issue of “Salutation,” a publication of the Yoga Society of Nashville, www.yogasocietynashville.org.

Happy Spring

2009-05-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

With all the trouble in the world, it's heartening to know that nature, Mother Earth, keeps revolving and changing seasons. The woods that surround our home are becoming greener and greener - you can almost see the changes from morning til evening. The daffodils have come and gone, the irises are up, and my fingernails are dirty from gardening.

Our own nature is very much like the nature we see around us. Always changing on the outside, but remaining centered and calm within.

This adorable little boy is my grandson, Aiden Harris, picking hyacinths at their home in Portland, Oregon.

In the midst of all of life's frenzy, remember this simple yoga technique: close your eyes, inhale through your nose, exhale through your nose. Do one or more times, then open your eyes. Remember your center.

Improving Your Immune System

2009-02-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Nobody likes a cold or flu, and people who are already weakened by chronic illnesses like diabetes, arthritis or COPD (to name a few) are especially vulnerable to being attacked by the nasty bugs that circulate around us, especially in cold weather.

Some things you can do to increase your chances of avoiding illness are:

Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other natural foods. There are some studies that show that highly processed foods actually have a negative impact on your immune system.
Drink more tea, especially green tea
Get plenty of sleep – if you can, sleep in a cool, dark room
Eat less sugar
Exercise – get out in the fresh air. But be attentive to how you feel, because too much exercise – for example, running a marathon when you feel slightly unwell – can be bad for you!
To stimulate the thymus, an important gland in the immune system, you can try Bhramari Breathing: Sit with your spine straight (if you are very weak, you can lie down for this, but seated is preferable). Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. After a few breaths, inhale fully (but don’t force or strain your breathing) and as you exhale, make a gentle buzzing sound. This sound should come from deep in your throat, through the roof of your mouth, and up into your brain. Just keep relaxing into this sound as you exhale for as long as possible, always without straining or forcing your breath. You can continue this for several breaths – start for about a minute and don’t go longer than five minutes. If you feel out of breath at any time, return to your normal breathing pattern.
Practice yoga! Yoga stimulates your lymphatic system, which fights infection, kills rogue cancer cells, and disposes of some toxic waste products of cellular functioning. When you stretch and move your muscles around coming in and out of yoga postures, the lymph flow improves. Yoga and meditation also reduce stress, which has a negative effect on the immune system.
Meditate or pray – studies have shown positive effects of meditation and prayer on health and immunity to disease.

Enjoy the last of winter's season, stay warm and watch for the coming spring!

To Weigh Less, Add More to Your Life

2009-01-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Being Americans, we don’t really like depriving ourselves of stuff. We’d rather add something to our lives than take something away.

Maybe this is one reason that diets don’t work – we can suffer for a while, but after we’ve lost the weight we wanted to lose (or maybe before then…), we return to our old habits and the pounds creep back on.

Maybe it would work better if we added some things. Try adding:

A glass of water before you eat anything (every time!)
To the number of times you chew your food before swallowing it (try chewing 20 times per bite)
To the number of times you rest your fork between bites
An apple a day
A salad to every meal – a salad with leafy greens, spinach, carrots, celery and other veggies (not a few leaves of lettuce topped with lots of croutons, cheese and fat-laden dressing!)
More veggies to your day
More steps to your day – when you have to go upstairs for something you forgot, be glad! You’ll be burning more calories
A yoga class!
More ups and downs - stand up more, move around more!

Enjoy life, consume good stuff and you’ll wonder where the weight went to!

2009-01-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

Join us for a

YOGA DAY OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, January 24

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

First Christian Church

308 South Main Street (Hwy 13) in Waynesboro

We will have refreshments and a few short classes and answer your questions about yoga. Stop in for a few minutes or longer.

Questions? Phone Karen at 931 722-5096.

Happy Yoga Day!

2008-12-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

New Year Classes

At this time, I am offering yoga classes on a donation basis.

These are hard times, and nobody needs to miss out on yoga because you can’t pay the full class fee. Suggested donation is $10 per class, but please just pay what you can with a thankful heart. If you have questions, please feel free to phone me at 722-5096.

Always check with your physician if you have physical limitations, to see if yoga is appropriate for you.

Here is the class schedule for January:

Free Beginning Yoga Classes
Tuesdays
5 – 6:30 p.m. at Wayne County Technology Center
The Wayne County Technology Center continues to graciously offer these free classes to the community. They are beginning classes. Class size is limited, but at this time there is space. These classes are held every Tuesday that school is in session, and will begin January 6. You can contact me at 722-5096 or the Technology Center at 722-5495 if you have questions.

Very Very Gentle Yoga
Wednesdays
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Begins January 7
First Christian Church, 308 South Main St (Hwy 13), Waynesboro
This is a class for people who would rather do yoga from a chair. We will do exercises from a seated position, with a few standing poses using the chair. People interested in this class should be able to stand, and if you have medical issues, it’s especially important to check with your doctor and to let me know before starting class.

Absolute Beginners Yoga
Saturdays
9:30 – 11 a.m.
Four week series January 3, 10, 17 and 31
First Christian Church, 308 South Main St (Hwy 13), Waynesboro
A four week series to introduce complete beginners to yoga. You will learn the basics of starting a safe yoga practice.

Experienced Beginner Classes

Saturdays

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

First Christian Church in Waynesboro

For people who have had yoga experience and would like a little more challenge. You don’t need to be advanced or extremely experienced, just have an understanding of the basics.

Saturday, January 24 is YOGA DAY
We will have an Open House
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
First Christian Church, 308 South Main St (Hwy 13), Waynesboro
Stop by for some refreshments and free 15-minute classes at
11:30, 1:00 and 2:30.

Our Many Gifts

2008-12-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

As Christmas approaches, with its season of parties, gifts, and abundant food, many of us find that we’re too busy, too stressed, just plain too overwhelmed to enjoy the fellowship, bright lights, and many gifts of the season.

When we were kids, it seemed like Christmas took FOREVER to arrive. Now, most of us have lost that child-like excitement, and Christmas seems to come too soon.

Look at the last post for a simple stress-relieving exercise you can do just about any time of day or night.

And here’s another stress-relieving tip: Throughout this holiday season, practice santosha, which is usually translated as contentment. Young children have a natural santosha about them – they are easily brought back to the present moment, and almost always quite content to be right there.

Practicing santosha means finding happiness with what you have, who you are, and what you can get done right now. It doesn’t mean “don’t try to improve”! It does mean that you can be content with where you are right now – even as you’re working on a degree, a better job or relationship, or your yoga.

Santosha means joyfully accepting whatever life provides and not wanting more than is at hand. When we are content, our mind is steady and we can be truly happy – in spite of external circumstances.

During this busy season, may we all pause, take a calming breath, and be grateful for what life gives us today.

Merry Christmas, and enjoy the new gifts – and new challenges – that come in 2009!

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, January 24 is
INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY
Watch for Special Activities in Waynesboro

Breathe Your Way Through the Holidays

2008-11-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

Holidays are a joyous time, but they can also be stressful as we do extra shopping, cleaning, cooking, visiting - and continue with everything else going on in our busy lives!

You're always welcome to join us for the free Tuesday evening classes at Wayne County Technology Center, but even if you can't attend a class, here's something you can do to be more at peace as the pace of your life picks up:

Sit up straight.
Close your eyes.
Inhale through your nose.
Exhale through your nose.
Open your eyes.

Easy? You bet! The hard part is remembering to do it! The more you do it, the better - you can't overdose on this wonderful easy breath.

May your holidays be joyous and peaceful.

Fall - A Time for Balance

2008-10-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

The season of autumn begins with the fall equinox in late September. During that 24 hours, the day and night are equal - balanced.

As the leaves turn and the temperature drops, I'm tempted to just lay around snuggling at home by the wood stove with the kitty on my lap, a cup of hot tea nearby, pondering what would be delicious to bake.

I need to balance those lazy hours with some walks in the woods - and of course, my wonderful yoga practice!

Balance has been an issue for me as I grow older, so almost every day I practice a balancing pose. I'm very right-handed, so I have to be aware of trying to use my left side more - reach for something with my left hand, change the clasp of my hands, bring awareness to both sides of my body in asymmetrical stretches.

When I take off my clothes at night, it's been a challenge to change the way I hold my arms. When I get up off the floor, I have to think about starting on my right side instead of the left. How am I sitting? Is my head leaning one way or the other? Is only one arm on the arm rest of the chair? Can I feel both of my sit bones on the mat or the chair?

Asanas like Tree (Vrksasana), Dancer (Natarajasana) and Headstand (Sirsasana) are helping my body realign itself after years of unbalanced living. Just standing on one foot while I watch TV is a good practice.

Perhaps the most important thing I can do to improve my balance, though, is practicing awareness - being mindful of how I move and bringing attention to using both sides of my body as evenly as possible.

Yoga is such a wonderful way to balance our bodies, minds and spirits. Best wishes for a beautiful, healthy, mindful autumn.

TRY YOGA FREE

2008-09-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Now - you can try yoga at no cost to you!

Thanks again to the wonderful folks at Wayne County Technology Center, you can try yoga for free on Tuesday evenings, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the Technology Center (next to the high school).

Why might you want to try yoga?

Here are the Top Ten Reasons, according to Yoga Alliance:

Top 10 Reasons to Try Yoga

1. STRESS RELIEF: Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system, as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.

2. PAIN RELIEF: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation, or a combination of the two reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases, and hypertension – as well as arthritis, back and neck pain, and other chronic conditions.

3. BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body’s relaxation response, and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.

4. FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. Many people can’t touch their toes during their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use those muscles, and over time, more poses become possible. Yoga also improves body alignment, resulting in better posture.

5. INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas use every muscle in the body, helping increase strength – literally from head to toe.

6. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even the less strenuous styles) can aid weight control efforts by reducing cortisol levels, burning excess calories, and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well-being and self-esteem.

7. IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps improve circulation and moves oxygenated blood more efficiently to the body’s cells.

8. CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even a gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance, and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

9. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware with better mind-body health. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time, and memory.

10. INNER PEACE: The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach a deeper, more spiritual, and more satisfying place in their lives.

Yoga in Wayne County, Tennessee

2008-08-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Yoga is for everyone! Natural Bridge Yoga offers beginning yoga to everyone interested in:

♦ Improved posture
♦ Better balance
♦ Increased natural energy level and vitality
♦ Better sleep
♦ Greater flexibility, strength and stamina
♦ Stronger immune system
♦ Increased cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency
♦ Weight regulation
♦ Cleansing and regulating of all the body’s systems

☼ Being more calm
☼ Having greater confidence
☼ An improved ability to concentrate
☼ Increased awareness of body and movement

Weight Management

In addition to burning calories, yoga has poses that stimulate sluggish glands. The thyroid gland, especially, has a big effect on our weight because it affects body metabolism. Fat metabolism is also increased, so fat is converted to muscle and energy. So you lose fat and have better muscle tone and more vitality.

Also, yoga’s deep breathing increases oxygen intake to the body cells, including fat cells. This causes increased oxidation or burning up of fat cells. Yogic exercises induce more continuous and deeper breathing which gradually burns many of the calories already ingested. And yoga practices that reduce anxiety tend to reduce anxious eating. When we’re nervous, we tend to gulp our food without much satisfaction. If, on the other hand, we approach our meals with calmness, whether produced by habits which have calmed our life (like a pause for prayer before a meal), or by yoga, we tend to be less likely to overeat.

See the class schedule on this page, or contact Karen, a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance, at nbyoga@gmail.com. You can also phone her at 931 722-5096.