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Words of Welcome
Dear All,
The month of June has its own namesake, the Roman Goddess Juno, as did the month of May honoring Maia. Juno is the patroness of marriage and oversees the well-being of women, as well as “young” people and juveniles. The name is derived from the Latin word juvenis.
This month clearly shows the growth plan of Mother Nature for the planet as the seedlings grow, mature, and become purposeful in their presumptive design.
In the calendar lineup, it is the sixth month. In our yoga practice, six is an exalted number. The number is arrived at when the three parts of our being—body, mind, and spirit—are recognized and allocated to the right (male) and left (female) hemispheres of the brain, and the ambit of the parasympathetic and autonomic nervous system. The physical practice and prayerful salutations to the Sun and Moon are urged by the masters to be repeated, respectfully, six times.
This arrangement allows us to be open to expansiveness, consciousness, and sagaciousness, urging us to use these qualities for the greatest good
for all. This is the basic premise and promise of our yoga practice, the way to betterment for self and all the planetary life forms, the visible end results of the integration of body, mind, and spirit.
Our group, the YTA, is going through an emergence process of regrowth and regeneration after the Pandemic and is more ambitious and zealous than ever before to share the gifts of yoga. As you unfold your nervous system to the light and growth, exemplified by June, join us in person or check us out online to learn more about our commitment and our community, strengths, and goals. Be part of it! There is always a workshop the second Saturday of each month offered by experienced instructors, highlighting different aspects and techniques to nurture, support, and cultivate the whole being.
Light and Love,
Paula Renuka Heitzner
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Saturday, June 8
1:30–4:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
Quiet Channels Creating a Steady Postural Base for Tranquil Asana
with aasia Lewis
In this workshop, we will explore the quieting of the inner groins and thighs during standing and seated postures to experience the effects of a soft abdomen and a widened base (specifically the glutes and backs of the thighs). The groins connect the pelvis to the legs and due to their intimate, subtle nature, have the capacity to inconspicuously disrupt the orientation of the pelvis, which inadvertently impacts the core of standing poses and the foundation of seated ones.
When we focus on quieting the groins, we gain better access to the base of postures (eg, feet and sitz bones), length in the sides and front of the body, even distribution of attention, energy, and weight in the limbs, and an overall feeling of tranquility in the presence of demanding asanas. The grip deep in our abdomen releases when our groins regain their elasticity, allowing us to discover the strength and power of the lower body.
This grounding in the lower body gives freedom to the upper body and a clarified access to deep, resourcing, stabilizing, and regulating breaths. The quiet channels of the groins bring us into a state of ease, equilibrium, and equanimity, supporting us far beyond the asana practice.
A recording will be made available to all participants for two weeks following the workshop.
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Recommended props: 2 blocks; strap; 2–3 blankets
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aasia Lewis works with other humans as a clinical speech-language pathologist (SLP), yoga educator, and certified somatic coach, based in Morocco. Her journey of yoga studentship and teachership began in the vinyasa yoga sphere, fortuitously discovering a unique fusion of Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga lineages at Kula Yoga Project in New York City, where she completed her 200-hour hatha and vinyasa yoga teacher training. With time, the precision and stability of Iyengar yoga became the foundation for her teachings, coupled with the deeply enriching learnings she explored through continuing education on human consciousness, body mapping, emotional anatomy, nonviolent communication, organic intelligence, and somatics. The evolution of her practice and teaching maintains the fundamentals of physical alignment, with the intentional coalescing of the biological, social, and cognitive layers of our being.
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Coming in YTA's 2024–25 Season
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Yoga for Osteoporosis, Scoliosis, and Rotator Cuff Syndromewith Loren Fishman and Liz Larson
Merging Movement with Meditation with Betsy Ceva of Nyack's Shamani Yoga
Yoga to Train the Body and Mind for Athletes with Karen Young
The Yoga of 12-Step Recovery with Nikki Myers, founder of Y12
Sound Bath: Explore the Origins and Science Behind and Experience This Healing Practice with Aura Soleil
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Unless
otherwise stated, workshops are $45 members / $65 nonmembers in advance
($55 / $75 day of) and count toward Yoga Alliance certification
requirements. Preregistration 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. |
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My Entry Point into the World of Centering by aasia Lewis |
I remember my fascination with yoga began with arm- balancing and inversions: something about integrating the parts of one’s body and consciousness to move as a unit and defy gravity, while remaining tranquil, hooked me into the subject. So I went to my first yoga class at a yoga/spinning studio in Toronto, Canada, called Spynga. I know: what??? We would vigorously spin for 45 minutes and do “yoga” at the end for 15 minutes on the bike, with the occasional instructor moving us to the mat. I quickly realized that this class style was not going to satisfy my curiosity and transitioned to a classic yoga studio (Yoga Tree) a few weeks later and began my dedicated, almost 6 days a week, yoga practice. My teacher at that time, Karin, showed us the transition from sirsasana (headstand) to pincha mayurasana (forearm stand) to vrischikasana (scorpion), and I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Just the idea of performing that sequencing was laughable. I wrote myself off, as my body had no clue, no reference point on how to even begin “training” to perform such a sequence. That was 12 years ago.
I find myself emotional as I write this: the way I dismissed my physical capacity because my mind couldn’t comprehend the mechanics. So much of my life and the life of those I’m fortunate to serve have been filtered through a mind that is dismissive, doubting, and defeating. As someone who now practices sirsasana daily, transitions into pincha mayurasana joyfully, and occasionally can stick a vrischikasana, it saddens me to notice that if I listened to my mind all those years ago, I may have never come to the strength, integration, and equanimity that I now know and feel in my life and yoga practice. And it’s something I often have to remind myself and others about in my yoga and coaching sessions. The idea of nonattachment: not being concerned with the outcomes and committing to practice daily. “Practice and all is coming” as per Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
One of my most impactful teachers would often say “the practice will meet you where you are.” For a while, I was at the asana. I wanted to gain space, range, and dimensionality in my physical body. I wanted to inhabit every fiber, cell, and square inch of my human husk. This desire led to increased sensitivity in my being and naturally, my practice developed more subtle streams. I never quite fully delved into the other limbs of the eight-limb path as much as I did asana, and, knowing those petals existed made them an accessible support when needed. Pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses, has especially allowed me to discover and open myself up to greater Inspiration in unparalleled ways, including fleeting experiences of Samadhi (absorption). It also had begun to meet me in philosophical ways, although rather than feeding the socially conditioned split between mind and body, my life experiences led me to the practice of somatics, bridging the gap between sutra and asana. It was always my style to speak about the spirit while teaching asana, and in the last year, I feel I have shed a distinct covering on my soul, a layer of myself that was hidden beneath the voices of other educators and social constructs. I’ve come into my own, walking in a truth that needs no external validation, acknowledgement, or praise to be valuable and meaningful.
Yoga, alongside many, many other disciplines and practices, was one of my first entry points into the world of centering, integration, and harmony. It gave me a tangible practice that anchored my soul into my body. It gave me a sensitivity from pores to cells, mind to muscle. It gave me a resource for resilience, enduring life in a body that has experienced external diminishing since its inception. And as a teacher, it gave me an opportunity to witness other bodies, other beings, yearning for liberation via space, introspection, and proprioception.
It gave me a gift of a fullness of life. And I’m so honored to be a conduit in offering this gift to others. Learn more about aasia Lewis at siaontheotherside.com. |
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Yoga Q & A
Is there a bond between yoga and chiropractic therapy?
Yes, most definitely. Chiropractic care works to bring the body into its best alignment while tending to its pain. This is an outside physical approach to relieve painful subluxations of the spine, pinched nerves, and muscles that are blocking the systems of the body that repair, support, and maintain wellness. A yoga practice can do the same work to bring health benefits back to the body by balancing the body, breath, and brain. It also inspires autonomy, awareness, and appropriateness (no forcing or competition).
This section is dedicated to answering your questions about yoga—as a student or as a teacher. Questions? Comments? Send them to yta_editor@ytayoga.com or go to our Facebook page to share your thoughts! |
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Paula Heitzner, ERYT500, is a master yoga teacher. She has taught yoga for over 50 years and has trained many others in the time-honored principles, practices, and philosophy of yoga. The “teacher of teachers,” as she is called by her students, can be found at her studio, the Nyack Yoga Center, in its new location at the American Legion Hall.
Learn more about Paula at nyackyogacenter.com. |
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In an asana, the mind has to reach inside the body to find a quiet space until a point comes where perfect balance is felt. If the mind is wandering while practicing, then one is not fully present, and there can be no union. Involvement, interpenetration and insight are the required qualities for the practitioner. ~Geeta Iyengar
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Yoga Teachers Association was created in 1979 by a small group of pioneering yoga teachers who saw the need for affordable and continuing education. Today, YTA continues as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to expanding learning opportunities for teachers and committed students in the Hudson Valley. We offer monthly workshops presented by the leading yoga teachers of our time for the benefit of the community. All are invited. Membership dues and additional contributions are deductible to the extent allowable by law.
ANNUAL DUES
$50 for individual membership
$75 for studio membership
WORKSHOP FEES
$45 members / $65 nonmembers in advance
($55 / $75 day of) |
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President
Gina Callender, ERYT 200, RYT 500, CEP Vice President
Lorraine Burton Treasurer
Tony Salmon Secretary Open
Programming
Sylvia Samilton-Baker, MA, ERYT |
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Communications
Terry Fiore Lavery, RYT (Editor)
Cassie Cartaginese, RYT (Designer)
Social Media
Chantale Bourdages
Membership Victoria Moya
Board Member at Large
Paula Heitzner, ERYT |
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ytayoga.com
 
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Yoga Teachers Association • 18 Derby Lane • Ossining, NY 10562 • USA |
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