January 2018 Newsletter

The Yoga Teachers Association Proudly Presents

A Breath-Centered Approach to the

Art of Joy and Inspiration

with Patty Holmes

Saturday, January 13, 2018
1:30–4:30 p.m.

The Yoga Studio at Club Fit
584 North State Road
Briarcliff Manor, NY

Pain is our body’s best means of getting attention. Once it has our attention, how we respond deeply affects the outcome of our story. Let’s choose joy! Let Patty show you how to connect to life force to appreciate anything that comes your way. Play with the elements of sukha and sthira (steadiness and ease) during pranayama, asana, and meditation to create space and let prana flow more freely, allowing gratitude in. Gratitude in its expanded state is pure joy. Come be inspired!

Patty’s personal journey with a painful autoimmune condition is the inspiration for this workshop, which is especially useful for (but not limited to) anyone who has physical, mental, or emotional pain.

Patty Holmes (E-RYT 500) has been teaching yoga for 19 years and continues to be an active student as well. Her study with Leslie Kaminoff at the Breathing Project in New York City led her to discover a breath-centered, individualized approach to teaching. Now the clinic coordinator for the Breathing Project, Patty teaches yoga to share the impact yoga has had on her life and to “spark [her] students in that same significant way.”

To register for Patty’s workshop, click here.

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Today Is a Good Day to
Have a Good Day

by Patty Holmes

So what do you think, can we decide to have a good day? What if stuff is really not that great in your life? To be human is to experience pain—that we cannot avoid. The good news is we also have the ability to create joy. And joy, as differentiated from pleasure, is something that arises from within, and it can be nurtured and encouraged. Mindful breath-centered yoga plays a sustaining role in that endeavor.

If you've taken a class with me recently, there's a very good chance you've heard me say, "Where you place your attention is where your energy goes."

Why has this phrase become so important to me?

A painful autoimmune condition has been challenging me for a couple of years. And if you’ve ever experienced intense, unexpected hits of pain, you know that there’s nothing quite like it to grab your attention. If that pain is frequent or sustained, it can become a potent catalyzer for change.

After months of denial, and lots of alternative approaches such as acupuncture, chiropractics, vitamins, and diet, the increasing bouts of pain led me, dragging and kicking, into the Western medical world. (Only took me two years to take my dear husband’s advice.) And as a result, I am eternally grateful for what traditional medicine provided me. It truly gave my body back to me (the magic of steroids … wow!).

But—and it’s a big but—I ended up on more meds in the first half of this year than I had been on in my entire 64 years prior to this. After eight months of meds and a future that held more meds, I knew I needed to investigate other possible solutions.

So I became very interested in research on the placebo effect and the emerging sciences exploring how our thoughts affect our body chemistry, our brain function, and overall health. I read a lot, watched a lot of Youtube videos, and even took a three-day intensive weekend course.

Result? This past June I took myself off all meds (except for one anti-inflammatory that I take on an as-needed basis). Warning: I do not advocate this approach for anyone! It happened to me in a way that seemed appropriate. I am still regularly seen and tested by my doctor.

So what am I doing?

I’ve become a super advocate of healthy space and boundaries, choosing as wisely as I can where I allocate my time, because “where you place your attention is where your energy goes.” Yes, you can read into that: reducing or eliminating commercial news, Facebook, or energy-draining people or places.
I work really hard at keeping a healthy diet.

And this is very important:

I challenge myself to be a vigilant gatekeeper of my thoughts.
I invest a good amount of time and energy with a healing meditation (45–60 minutes every day).

And critically important for me:

I feel gratitude and appreciation as often as possible. Believe it or not, I am incredibly grateful for having been given this challenge, for it has changed my life for the better.

To repeat: To be human is to experience pain—that we cannot avoid. The good news is we also have the ability to create joy. And joy, as differentiated from pleasure, is something that arises from within, and it can be nurtured and encouraged. Mindful breath-centered yoga plays a sustaining role in that endeavor.

Your beliefs become your thoughts.

Your thoughts become your words.

Your words become your actions.

Your actions become your habits.

Your habits become your values.

Your values become your destiny.

― Mahatma Gandhi

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2018 Workshops

Mark your calendar!

Patty Holmes
A Breath-Centered Approach to the Art of Joy and Inspiration
January 13, 2018
Details and registration info in this newsletter and at ytayoga.com

Deirdre Breen
Ayurveda and Yoga: Integrating the Twin Sciences on the Mat and in Our Lives
February 10
As yogis, it is our responsibility to value and express balance as a way of life. In this workshop, ISHTA master teacher Deirdre Breen will explore how pranayama, asana, and meditative practices affect the doshas (kapha, pitta, and vata) and the qualities of sattva (balance), rajas (action), and tamas (inertia). Discover tools to reestablish sattva both on and off the mat.

Shari Friedrichsen
Yoga and the Heart
March 10
Discover a unique approach to unfolding the secrets held in the heart center. With the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita as guides, we will learn how asana, pranayama, focus, and meditation can strengthen and nourish this sacred space in our bodies. This practice uses the tools of yoga to enhance our relationship to the more sublime nature of our heart and strengthens our heart’s deep commitment to the world.

Vandita Kate Marchesiello
Transform, Relax, & Rejuvenate: A Brief Retreat with Lasting Results
April 14
Be held and soothed in the arms of a safe and sacred space to untangle your body and mind and come to rest in spirit, light, and love. Experience asana, pranayama, and yoga nidra from your deepest place of intuition and knowing. Enhance your passion and joy of doing yoga and touch upon the magical and mystical side of a gentle yet profound practice. For all students and teachers. Time for discussion and Q&A will be included.

Priti Robyn Ross
Magical Mystery Tour of Yoga Through the Koshas
May 12
Join a seasoned guide on this experiential journey into your yoga asana practice through the lens of the ancient koshas, the five layers or bodies that map our whole being. With practical yet profound tools, learn to utilize the map of the koshas to navigate the odyssey of yoga—entering through asana and the physical body and journeying to the realm of ananda (bliss).

Tao Porchon-Lynch
Celebrating Life at Nearly 100
June 30
Experience 99-years-young Tao Porchon-Lynch’s unique and accessible teachings firsthand. Use the four pillars of yoga—pranayama (breath work), mudras (gestures), bandhas (energetic locks), and chakras (energy centers)—to explore the rich potential of the body to renew, heal, and revitalize. Walk away inspired, strengthened, and renewed—ready to energize your practice and life.

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Words of Wisdom

from Paula Renuka Heitzner

Dear All,

At this time, most of us are experiencing the aftermath of the most indulgent season. January will hopefully bring back a quietude to help us restore a sense of calming peace to balance the collapsing rush of activity we've experienced.

As we enter the new year with all the possibilities of beginnings, we are inevitably faced with the questions they provoke, the questions that are persistent at every juncture of one's life, and just as often get waylaid by life's obligations:

"What is the meaning of life?"
"What am I doing with my life?"
"Why does it matter?"
"What is my purpose?"

Through the ages, sages and philosophers have pondered along these very lines of thought and query. Henry David Thoreau wrote about "leading lives of quiet desperation." Mahatma Gandhi offered words of wisdom about the processing of "thoughts-words-actions-habits-values in becoming our destiny." Pablo Picasso said, "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

Our yoga practice can prove to be very relevant at this time of enforced quietude with the clean slate it brings to us. As we embrace the paradoxes that life presents, we can use the wisdom we gain from introspection to become more effective and efficient outwardly. We become more aware of the myth of perfection that is all consuming.

Yoga teaches us that "a purposeful practice can perfect," allowing us to feel satisfaction and empowerment in our sincere and realistic efforts. Fulfillment comes in ways that are often very surprising and unexpected because the heart can create the magic and joy in our lives that the mind is always challenging and negating. We begin to hear and learn to trust our inner voice, our intuition, and our insight. We build personal courage, enabling us to be more receptive to and accepting of the unseen gifts of the spiritual aspect of our being so often overlooked as irrelevant, always under suspicion by the mind.

Yoga teaches and enables us to find the truth, strength, and power of authenticity, the valuable purposeful practice for living our lives. As we become more empowered from within, we are better able to cope with fear and to journey "outside the box" for greater meaning and understanding of the life we are living. Yoga can be a powerful influence on how we utilize this gift of life.

On the clean slate of the year 2018, write down that on the second Saturday of every month you have a date to join the yoga community at the YTA-sponsored workshops. Your attendance will give you back an affirmation of the path you're on, and the journey gets more exciting because it's joined by others who appreciate the cutting-edge teachings of the presenting instructors.

Yours in Yoga,
Paula Renuka Heitzner

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Your Thoughts:

Are itchy hands and feet during yoga due to toxins leaving the body?

The practice of yoga is a powerful resource for cleansing and clearing toxins trapped in the physiology of the body. Mental and emotional toxins present fear-based symptoms, and spiritual toxins create the weakening states of mistrust and distrust. The physical toxins show up in many examples of dis-ease. Thus itchiness, rashes, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, sweating, teariness, and other sensations of discomfort (aka pain) are ways the body moves to balance itself, if we pay attention and give it breath to support the releasing process, and to surrender the will so as not to override the healing wisdom of our yoga legacy.

This section is dedicated to answering your questions about yoga, as a student or as a teacher. Questions? Comments? Send them to yta editor @gmail.com or go to our Facebook page. We would love to hear from you.

Paula Heitzner, ERYT–500, is a Master Yoga Teacher. She has taught yoga for over 50 years and has trained others to teach the time-honored principles, practices, and philosophy of yoga. The “teacher of teachers,” as she is called by her students, teaches at the New Age Center in Nyack.

Learn more about Paula at nyackyogacenter.com.

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From the December YTA workshop with Rudy Peirce

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Member Events

YTA members (individuals & studios) are invited to include their events here. Send details to ytaeditor@gmail.com by the 15th of the month to be included in the following month’s newsletter. Member events are also posted in the YTA's online directory, the source for information about yoga teachers, studios, and yoga teacher trainings throughout the Hudson Valley. To be included, individual and studio members may send their information to ytadirectory@gmail.com.

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Riverstone Yoga

Contact: Stefanie
2 Hudson View Way
Tarrytown, NY 10591
914-332-YOGA (9642)
info@riverstoneyoga.com
www.riverstoneyoga.com

Teacher Training Info Session with Shannon
Jan 7 (Sun, 11:30 am-12 noon); Jan 9 (Tues, 7:30-8 pm)
Join us for an information session regarding our upcoming teacher training starting March 1, 2018. This will be an opportunity for you to learn more about our methodology and teaching style, and answer any questions you may have. gratis

Family Yoga Series with Leslie
Jan 8 (Mon, 12:15-1 pm)
8-class series. Students become familiar with breath and feelings and focus on awareness within poses, games, and experimental movement. Mini yogi's will strengthen their mind-body connection through physical practice, attention to breath, and restorative exercises. Adults and children, ages 2-5. $120

Yoga for Preschoolers with Leslie
Jan 8 (Mon, 1:15-2 pm)
8-class series. Young-yogi's will become familiar with their feelings and breath through poses, games, and experimental movement. Practice restorative poses and attention to breath to strengthen the mind-body connection and step away from the mat stronger and happier. Ages 3.5 to 5. $120

Yoga for Kids with Leslie
Jan 11 (Thurs, 4-4:45 pm)
5-class series. Young-yogi's will become familiar with their feelings and breath through poses, games and experimental movement. Practice restorative poses and attention to breath to strengthen the mind-body connection and step away from the mat stronger and happier. Adults and children, ages 5-9. $100

Live Your Own Story with Phoebe
Jan 13 &14 (Sat & Sun, 2-4 pm)
Take a brief look at the year we leave behind, gather perspective, and step into the possibilities ahead. With the tools of meditation, writing, and asana, go deeper into your practice...witness our own desires and discover what holds us back. $37 members; $42 nonmembers

Chakra Journey with Shawna
Jan 14 (Sun, 1:30-3:30 pm)
Journey through an exploration of chakras. What and where are they? How might they affect life's journey? How can we harness their power for good? Discover asanas, subtle energies, mental layers and spiritual entities. RYTs receive YA credit. $35 members; $45 nonmembers

Yoga Conditioning with Brian
Jan 21 (Sun, 11:30-1:30 pm)
Yoga conditioning is not just about getting stronger, but also about increasing range of motion. This workshop is posture-focused with breaks to investigate technique and alignment. The class will work the entire body: arms, shoulders, core, back, hips, and legs. $35 members; $45 nonmembers

Beginner’s Series with Shannon R.
Jan 28 (Sat & Sun, 11:30-1 pm)
Learn the foundations of yoga and leave your worries at the door. Build your foundation, focusing on breath and learning a set of postures; learn their ins and outs and how to best come into each pose in your body. $95 for 4-class series

Yoga Your Way

Stephanie Harding
914-274-0007
Stephanie@yogoyourway.com
www.yogayourway.com

Viniyoga at WESTMED/Purchase with Stephanie Harding
Jan 2-Feb 13 (Tues, 5:45-6:45 pm)
Beginner/Gentle Yoga. $80 for the series; $135 ($120 for seniors) for 10-class card (good for 3 months at all locations), $16 drop-in

Viniyoga at WESTMED/Purchase with Stephanie Harding
Jan 2-Feb 13 (Tues, 7-8 pm)
Level 2. $135 ($120 for seniors) for 10-class card (good for 3 months at all locations), $16 drop-in

Viniyoga at WESTMED/Ridge Hill (Yonkers) with Stephanie Harding
Jan 8-Feb 12 (Mon, 4:15- 5:15 pm)
Beginner/Gentle Yoga. $70 for the series; $135 ($120 for seniors) for 10-class card (good for 3 months at all locations), $16 drop-in

Viniyoga at WESTMED/Ridge Hill (Yonkers) with Stephanie Harding
Jan 8-Feb 12 (Mon, 5:30-6:30 pm)
Level 1/2. $70 for the series; $135 ($120 for seniors) for 10-class card (good for 3 months at all locations), $16 drop-in

Viniyoga at Irvington Presbyterian Church with Stephanie Harding
Jan 4 (Thurs, ongoing, 3:55- 4:55 pm)
Yoga for Everyone. $135 ($120 for seniors) for 10-class card (good for 3 months at all locations), $16 drop-in

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~ Final Thoughts ~

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JANUARY 2018

Newsletter design and layout: Lisa Sloane

Editorial team: Terry Fiore Lavery, Paula Heitzner, Audrey Brooks

Yoga Teachers Association was created by a small group of pioneering yoga teachers in 1979 who saw the need for affordable and continuing education. Today, YTA continues as a 5013c nonprofit dedicated to expanding learning opportunities for teachers and committed students.

ANNUAL DUES & WORKSHOP COSTS

$50 annual dues for individual YTA membership
$75 for studio membership

Workshop Fees

$45 members / $65 nonmembers in advance
($55 and $75 at the door)

Pre-registration is highly recommended in order to guarantee a space in the workshop.

Cancellation within 24 hours of a workshop may result in forfeiture of the registration fee.

Find out about and register for upcoming workshops at ytayoga.com/Events.

Like YTA on Facebook!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President
Audrey Brooks

Vice President
Lorraine Burton

Treasurer
Steven Cownie

Secretary
Susan Edwards Colson

Board Member-At-Large
Paula Heitzner, ERYT

Program Coordinator
Robin Laufer, MS Ed, RYT 500

Special Events
Gina Callender

Editor
Terry Fiore Lavery, RYT

Newsletter Design & Layout
Lisa Sloane, MA, ERYT

President Emeritus
Tao Porchon-Lynch, ERYT, IAYT