States of Mindfulness and Focus During a Yoga Practice Part 1: Centering and Asana

By Betsy Kase, Owner/Director of Yoga Haven

Every yoga class at the studio begins with 5-10 minutes of “centering”.  This time is devoted to everyone in the room; including the teacher. Taking these moments to sit in a comfortable position on the floor, and start to focus and quiet the mind.  Many of us rush in from a very busy day.  All sorts of things have just happened (i.e: quick trip to the supermarket, dropped one of the kids off at school, last minute phone call, the traffic getting there was horrendous, and the Bronx River Parkway was closed and you are going to be late!).

The process of taking a seat and sitting as comfortably as possible is a necessary step in the process of a yoga practice.  The teacher leads us to “check in with the body”.  She says, “Sit up tall, stretch your spine through to the top of the head, relax your belly and close your eyes.” She continues with something like “Notice how the body feels right now, what is happening inside of you?”  As the student, I say to myself, “Why can’t I take a deep breath or why do my eyes keep fluttering? Why doesn’t my body respond quickly to the calmness within the yoga studio?”  As encouragement, the teacher continues, “Watch your body inhale and exhale without any effort.  Notice how the breath moves in the body.  Try not to pass judgement on yourself regarding what is happening right now.”  I think to myself  “How did she know I can’t take a deep breath. And I am the owner of this yoga studio?”  How CRAZY is this!

The teacher knows this because we all have these experiences.  She is going to lead us through this class encouraging us to keep focus throughout it.   As we progress, the directions from the teacher become more interactive. We are instructed to take deep breaths into our body. “Consciously, take a deeper breath in and allow for the breath to move to all parts of your torso. As you exhale, consciously, allow the breath to leave. Squeezing out the last bit, by drawing your belly button back towards your spine.”   She continues with something like, “allow the thoughts and things of the day to pass through you. Start the practice of coming to the present moment.”  In my head, the voice is saying “Don’t do that!  You have to keep thinking about what already happened today and how are you going to continue to obsess about it!”

The teacher here is the guide and her prompts and suggestions slowly quiet me a bit.  But now, I have to move.  Sitting is too hard, my body is getting achy and I am tired.  So the warm-ups begin.  Thank God!

As the class moves through the warm up, directions are given; when to breath, monitor your body, etc.  My brain says something like, “Wow are you stiff, when was the last time you did yoga?  Can’t you get to class more often?  After all these years, why does it still feel like we keep starting at the beginning again?”  I then say to myself “This is a serious mind-trip!”  Gratefully, the teacher reminds me to breath in and then out, and I allow myself to close my eyes and experience the sensation of the stretch.  Ok, now I am out of my crazy thoughts and into it. “This is finally feeling good.” 

In yoga, the physical postures are called ASANAS.  They consist of standing and balancing poses, backbend and forward bends, twists, hip-openers, and inversion. This part of class last about 45 minutes.  Throughout the whole class the teacher continues to remind me where we are moving to, how to do it, what parts of my body to focus on….and don’t forget to breath throughout the whole thing.  During these 45 minutes, my mind probably goes on vacation 20-30 times.  I can’t even recall where I go, but the body moves and the mind has no idea how this is happening.  You know, it is like driving a car somewhere and you have no idea how you got there, but you did!  Between those 20-30 vacations, there are glimpses of time, when I am focusing on my big toe, stretching my fingers, opening up the back of my knees, allowing my head to hang heavy along with 1000 other instructions that are said to keep me focused.  

Some days are easier. Some days are just plain hard.  But, more and more, I find long stretches of time, where I sense my whole body, completely integrated. No pain, no stiffness, a great ability to breath, a sense of easy moves and I feel I might even be able to hold this pose forever.  A lightness comes into my mind, and everything integrates…mind, body, breath.   Was that a little bit of full consciousness I might have been feeling?  Some may call it a connection with everything in the universe, or a total and complete awareness that brings every cell of your body into full alignment. Some even say, a palpable feeling of energy pulsing through the body. Who knows?  But I must say, I have a full experience reaching out to my fingers and toes and all of a sudden thoughts stop moving through the mind. I am absolutely content, and there is a brief sense of perfection?  Could it be?  Is this what my teachers from many moons ago spoke about?  I watched it on their faces as they practiced in front of me.  Teaching me not with their words, but with an intimate display of the essence of what practicing yoga is for them.  And that is…pure joy.

Heart Monitors Make Us a Believer in Yoga

By Betsy Kase, Owner/Director of Yoga Haven

this blog was also posted on http://bronxville.patch.com/

As yoga teachers, during class we teach students about the benefits of yoga.   Many times these benefits are more obvious, “stretches the hamstrings, squeezes and massages the internal organs” but at other times we go on the assumption of what we have read and what has been passed down from teacher to student over years and years. 

One big one that I use all the time is “this pose lowers your heart rate,” but I have never actually seen it happen.  I have felt it, but what proof is that?!!!

Last week I was working in the home of one of my private clients who happens to be over 50, a big athlete and a surgeon.  We are always talking or arguing about the benefits of yoga, and the changes that are actually happening to his body and state of mind.  It is really quite entertaining.  That day he left his heart monitor on with his corresponding watch that shows, moment by moment his heart rate. 

We started out with a baseline of 60 beats per minute resting.  This is pretty good, remember he is an athlete, runs and plays tennis a lot.  As we started to move through the sun salutation at the beginning of class, the movements got bigger and more coordination was needed to keep the breath calm and even.  He tends to hold his breath like many students do.  I am continually reminding him when to inhale and exhale throughout the whole series of poses, but still he forgets.  As the lack of breathing takes place, I glance down at his watch and see that his heart rate is up over 85 beats per minute pretty quickly.  I see him struggle with many of the poses, and with his focus and attention on trying to swing the correct foot forward or back, which is making him totally forget to breathe.  I stop him for a moment, either in standing forward bend or mountain pose and cue him to inhale and exhale evenly, calmly and gently…we need to slow the breath down, and become conscious of the transitions between the inhale and the exhale and the exhale and the inhale.   “What was that you said?”,  he asks, I try to explain again that he holds his breath at the top, and when it is time to inhale he allows the breath to come tumbling out without any sense of control and evenness.  The exhale, becomes very short, and then he holds his breath out at the bottom forgetting to inhale again.  He starts to understand what I am talking about.  His breathing becomes more even and calmer.  As soon as he starts to remember how to breathe his heart rate drops back down to 60-65 beats immediately.   “WOW”, I said, “it really works!!”

But 30 seconds later he is back to his old habits again and his heart rate is going back up again!  The process of breaking the old habits is a big lesson in yoga, every week I cue his breath the same way over and over again.  This is the big lesson for him - the patience to allow himself to breath more fully and evenly translates back into his fast paced, busy life. 

We move through the rest of the session much the same, going through this process over and over again, heart rate up, and heart rate down.  Over time the rate doesn’t go up as high, he is getting calmer, the poses are getting less strenuous and we are moving from the more vigorous standing poses and sun salutations to the slower poses on the floor. 

The sequence of poses in a yoga session, have a direct impact on the nervous system.  We start off with poses that are more energizing and move toward poses that are calmer and more relaxing.  At the end of class it all culminates with meditation and deep relaxation. 

The best part of our session is coming up now… I get my client ready for deep relaxation.  His body is propped appropriately to make him as comfortable as possible.  There is a rolled blanket under his knees, a pillow under his head, and an eye pillow over his eyes and a blanket over his body.  There is a shift to the quiet and calm music and we begin the process! 

We keep his hand out from under the blanket so I can watch the heart monitor on his watch.  Immediately he is at about 60 beats per minute.  I verbally direct him to start relaxing parts of his body starting with his feet and moving slowly up to his head.  The heart rate is dropping fast.  I now direct him to bring his awareness to his breathing and notice how light, slow and even it has become.  His heart rate is now at about 45 beats in less then 3 – 4 minutes.  Oops - now he starts to fall asleep (he does every week, many students do) and his heart rate starts to go up!!!  There is more action in his eyelids, and his breathing shifts to a more stilted inhale and exhale.  I continue to direct him verbally, to consciously taking his awareness to a place inside of himself where he feels a sense of peace, calm and tranquilly…AH, the heart rate drops back down again (he can hear me!).   He is in that space between being awake and sleeping, a meditative state.  Then I stop talking and allow for a good 8-10 minutes of silence.  I continue to watch the heart rate fluctuate a little up and down, he might be dreaming, little twitches take place in his hands when that happens. 

When it is time for our session to begin to end, I start to verbally coax him out of his sleep and bring his awareness “up to the surface” again.  Here it is again, his heart rate drops lower when I am talking then when he is sleeping and possibly dreaming.   If I keep him awake but relaxed and conscious, that strong and complex muscle in his chest beats slower and more even.  As he moves out of his deep relaxation, and we find a person who is quiet, calmer, even dreamy.  He takes a moment to feel his body, pauses, enjoying the transformation that has taken place.  He takes more time soaking up  this perfect moment, before he opens his eyes.

After the session is over, (as the doctor and techi that he is), he can up-load the report from the monitor onto his MAC and we can see the graph-like image of the whole session.  It basically looks like a Geiger counter during an earthquake, quick peaks, small valleys, with lots of big after shocks, and then eventually it all quiets down and evens out at approximately 45 beats per minute!!! 

We are both really impressed…another point on my side for the enormous benefit yoga has on your physiological system.  He gets this…but anytime we can measure a “before and after” is when his “doctor brain” really accepts that benefit, and that improvement might actually be happening!

As for me, this just reinforces why I teach yoga, practice yoga and teach others to teach yoga.  I have experienced this state between full consciousness and sleep. This state is sometimes experienced as a meditative state and sometimes trance like. 

I hope to help those I teach to have the full experience of surrender, peace, and perfection in this incredibly frenetic imperfect world we live in for just a couple of minutes in their day.

The Book Shelf What We’re Reading… Yoga Haven Staff Picks

What We’re Reading…

Yoga Haven Staff Picks

       Looking for a great spring read?  Yoga Haven instructor, Kate Vantucci has just the book for you.  The Wisdom of Yoga: a Seekers Guide to Extraordinary Living  by Stephen Cope. “It's such a good book, I don't feel like I can say enough wonderful things about it,” says Kate. “I was initially drawn to it because of the title--I mean, who doesn’t want to live an extraordinary life, right?  But once I started reading it, I was hooked on his writing. It reads like a novel.”

      “In the Wisdom of Yoga,” continues Kate, “Cope demystifies and sheds light on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He introduces us to people he knows and allows us access to their own personal journeys.  Through their (and his own) struggles and triumphs, he shows us how we can all integrate the teachings of Patanjali and take the next step toward living an extraordinary life. He makes Patanjali’s teachings feel like they really are within our grasp. In the book’s intro, Cope says, ‘Struggle and liberation live side-by-side in the life of a practitioner of yoga.  My hope is that the stories of struggle and liberation that follow will inspire the reader to look carefully into the possibilities of transmuting ordinary struggle into a quietly extraordinary life.  And that our gaze backward into the discoveries of the ancient yogis will also be a gaze inward-a gaze that will unlock our own authentic possibilities for living.’  Yummy.  Whenever I’m in need of some easily digested and transferable wisdom, I know I have to look no further than this book!”

This book is available in the Yoga Haven office/store.

“Yoga? At the church? Really?”

By Cari Pattison Riley

Blame it on the church.  I became a yoga-lover, and it’s all your fault.  Newly married and seminary-educated, I moved to New York four years ago, started in full-time ministry, and a year into it, I barely knew which end was up.  Dawn Ravella said to the staff, “I know what we need—yoga!”  The only yoga I’d ever done was with the relatively uninspiring “chair yoga” DVD that we used with nursing home residents.  So when Dawn called up Yoga Haven and asked them to send us a teacher in June 2008, I thought, “Why not?”

Instructor Kate Vantucci arrived on the 4^th floor, wandering the halls with her yoga mat and props, looking every bit the part—lithe, limber, and laughing.  It was a time of transitions in our church, to put it mildly, and when her hour-long class was over, my colleagues and I looked at each other with a sigh of relief we hadn’t exhaled in months.  It was the first hour I could remember in a while, that felt burden-free.  I was hooked.  I started taking regular classes at Yoga Haven, and had the unmistakable sense that I’d stumbled upon something brilliant and life-altering.  Something that made me wonder, “Where has this been all my life?!”  It felt a little like magic, a bit like prayer, and a lot like child’s play.  I twisted and rolled and jumped and stood on my head, and entered a mysterious realm where wonderful new words were spoken, while new space in my body and mind opened up.  Every class unfolded like a surprise package: I sometimes cried, sometimes cheered, often grimaced, occasionally had a revelation.   All I knew was that when I floated out of class I. felt. better.

Somehow I’d missed the memo, that this was what yoga was all about!  As a Christian, I’d been skeptical about the implications of eastern spirituality.  As a dancer and aerobics instructor, I’d been certain it would be boring.  Hmm, getting into difficult poses, and then… holding them?  And I knew I couldn’t get through any attempt at chanting without chuckling.  Singing ancient Sanskrit hymns with my legs crossed?  No thanks. I was pretty sure yoga wasn’t my gig.

But what I’ve encountered of God and myself and others in yoga has been nothing short of transforming.  For many Christians, yoga serves to expand our practice of prayer, meditation, and centering.  I’ve become more aware of my posture, body language, and ways I unconsciously hold tension.  Yes, I feel stronger and more flexible physically, but even more—yoga has given me resources of breathing, calming and confidence that have served me well in airplanes, doctor’s offices, dicey conversations, public speaking, and falling asleep. 

For someone who struggled with the matter-vs.-spirit dichotomy in her 20s, assuming that “real” Christians paid attention to the Bible, not their bodies—yoga has brought me back to God’s original design for creation: that we, bodies included, were lovingly fashioned in the image of God, and declared good!  That we honor God when we care for our bodies as beautiful and functional instruments. A favorite instructor of mine always ends class by saying, “Gently bow your chin to your chest, gaze into your heart, and see the goodness that’s there.”  The Calvinist in me initially resisted and thought, “Wait—I’m a sinner in need of forgiveness, right?”  Yes, but in yoga, I’m reminded that at the very core of my being, God’s Spirit breathes life in me, and that is abundantly good.  I’ve learned to accept myself more fully, my strengths and limitations, and to trust the intuition that yoga cultivates.  The Reformed tradition so often emphasizes the word—written and spoken, and centers most of its worship on cognitive processing.  The danger is we can forget the fact that God put us in bodies!  We need to balance the word with meaningful ways of moving in our skin and muscles and bones.  Paul says the Holy Spirit “prays for us with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8). 

As I’ve moved through yoga “asanas,” or poses, I’ve found the exhilaration of doing things I didn’t think I could do, things I was afraid of: being upside down, balancing in precarious postures, and working at things that at first seemed impossible.  Kate asked us, in one of the first classes I had with her, “What great things would you attempt, if you knew you could not fail?”  The fearlessness that yoga fosters carries over into other parts of my life and vocation as a minister. 

Part of why I enlisted in Yoga Haven’s 9-month teacher-training, was so that I could integrate the joy I’d found in yoga—what Erich Schiffman calls “the art and practice of moving into stillness”—into Christian community.  There are specific ways to incorporate The Lord’s Prayer into sun salutations, and I like to weave Bible verses and themes through my teaching.  But sometimes the contentment I feel during yoga is beyond any overt mention of Christian words.  Practicing the asanas together with others creates connection among the people doing it, and I have made true friends both at Yoga Haven and in the church classes.

The movement keeps spreading: over twenty-five people, church members and otherwise, are regularly involved in our two weekly yoga classes.  So don’t take my word for it—here’s what some of them have to say:

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“Having three kids under the age of two-and-a-half, I have found a sense of calm, peacefulness and community that has been a true blessing for me, in the Friday yoga classes. It gives me the opportunity to stop and find balance and steadiness in my very busy world.” - Lisa Bond

“The two yoga classes I attend here provide an oasis of calm in a busy week. I love the combination of physical exercise and spiritual reflection.”

- Jean Yankus

                    

“Yoga stretches my mind and body and gives me a sense of peace.” – Cheryne McBride

“Yoga has given me a new way to connect to God in the stillness and center of my being.  Now I find myself automatically going into yogic breathing when I become anxious or stressed about something.  Physically, I feel stronger and more flexible.  When I am able to do a pose well or with new strength, it gives me confidence and a feeling of accomplishment!” – Alexis Mastromarino

“I go twice a week here, and it's getting better and better!  So relaxing and stimulating—mentally and emotionally—and of course, learning the positions for a flexible body. You may proceed at your own pace, within your comfort zone, in a wonderful non-judgmental atmosphere, with expert leadership.” - Louise Scribner

“I'm not a part of your parish, but when I was lamenting to a friend about how hard it is to find a Yoga class that also has childcare, she told me about your program. Not only is the class wonderful, but it is so comforting to know that my baby girl is a door away and being cared for by a lovely woman.  From a more practical standpoint, the cost of a class + childcare cannot be beat!” – Kelly Dwyer

“I have been studying yoga for many years.  With the recent addition of yoga classes, the church has become a more complete ‘hub’ for the things that are most precious to me.  I can find what I really care about, all under one roof!” – Gretchen Pingel

“After a class of Yoga, my body feels more limber and stretched. When you commit to something, you try to come every week and you make new friends.  Come and try it, and don't give up right away, because sometimes it takes awhile before your body gets used to this type of exercise. - Christine Schimmeck

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1 John 4:16 says “God is love, and those who abide in love, abide in God, and God abides in them.”  When I come to the yoga mat, it becomes a sacred space to abide in this love.  In my classes I often end with a quote by Schiffman: “Love is what’s left, when you let go of everything you don’t need.”

So there it is, Church. You introduced me to yoga, and now I want to give it back to more of you.  No matter what your age, physical fitness level, or experience with yoga, we welcome you to join us on Mondays and Fridays, for a time of embodied prayer—a chance to let go of everything you don’t need, and simply abide in love.

Cari Pattison Riley is an Associate Pastor (Minister of Education) at The Reformed Church of Bronxville, where she enjoys teaching classes, training lay leaders, and sharing in the pastoral ministries of preaching, sacraments, visitation, and worship.  Originally from Kansas City, Cari went to college in Michigan, taught 8th grade public school for a couple years in Kansas and Missouri, and sensed a call toward ministry when she studied and worked in Kenya for two years.  While always a dancer and now a Jazzercise aerobics instructor, she was initially skeptical of yoga, until Kate Vantucci (who taught a class at her church) and the Yoga Haven crew introduced her to the wonders of yoga, starting in 2008.  An unabashed enthusiast now, though still finding her way into a steady practice, Cari (mostly) completed the Yoga Haven Teacher Training program last year, and loved it.  Her joy is to share yoga with people of all ages, shapes, backgrounds, and faiths, inviting others to enrich their lives through the yogic benefits of breathing, balance, flexibility, strength, and kindness.

The Book Shelf What We’re Reading… Yoga Haven Staff Picks

As we enter this season of New Year’s resolutions, why not resolve to dive into “The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book” by Don Miguel Ruiz?  Yoga Haven instructor, Deirdre O’Connor credits this “great little book” with guiding her on a journey of self-discovery. “It’s helped me to deal with stress and work on my personal goals.  It’s brought me closer to all of the love in my life, while allowing me to let go of fear and all the negative fall-out from that.  And, it’s given me a greater sense of personal freedom.”

       According to Deirdre, the book is based on a knowledge said to be held by the ancient Toltecs of Mexico, who taught that the path to happiness, love, and a deeper sense of self is attained through a commitment to the 'Four Agreements.’   The agreements, which are a template for personal behavior and development, are straightforward:  Be impeccable with your word; Don't take anything personally; Don’t make assumptions; and Always do your best.  “Their pearls of wisdom are hidden in plain sight,” says Deirdre.  “This book has definitely inspired me to be more patient, more accepting, and more understanding of our differences as individuals.  I’m a happier person because of this book.”

Copies of The Four Agreements are available for sale in the Yoga Haven shop.

Please stop by and check it out.

Breathing ain’t easy, but it can be taught

By Nikki Dowling
The Riverdale Press

High school history teacher, Harvard graduate and active volunteer Dominique Padurano knows a thing or two about stress. That would explain why she practices breathing exercises with students during class, teaches yoga after school and plans to volunteer her services on weekends.

The 39-year-old has taught at Horace Mann’s upper division for four years and has lived locally for just as long.  She  said she noticed the school’s rigorous academic requirements wore students thin. So she began practicing yoga breathing and stretching exercises at the beginning of class to enliven or calm students, depending on what they needed. 

“In the beginning they’ll think I’m crazy, I’m sure ... but I think that they realize the benefits,” Ms. Padurano said, adding that she gives students stretching ideas to reduce back pain and sleeplessness.
Current and former students said the short practice period makes a big difference.

“I’ve never done yoga or really breathing before. It relaxes you,” 11th grader Spencer Reiss, who is currently taking Ms. Padurano’s class, said. He added that his Spanish teacher recently imitated the routine.

Senior Tucker Caploe said Ms. Padurano “made sure we were de-stressed and ready to work.”
Last year, Ms. Padurano revived the after-school yoga program to help with further stress-busting. Once every week in the school’s Black Box Theater, she teaches a small group of students how to bend, breath and pose until they fall into relaxation.

“Horace Mann is a pretty intense place and I think that teachers and students can use the tools that yoga can give us for dealing with stress,” Ms. Padurano said, adding that she offered a course for faculty and staff last year and is receiving requests to continue it.

Wearing black leggings, silver jewelry and a black tank top, Ms. Padurano performed some poses during an interview last month. Diving gracefully into an effortless plank, the 13-year yoga veteran didn’t look like she needed any more instruction. Yet, she said she was currently getting her teaching certification from Yoga Haven in Tuckahoe, N.Y.


Ms. Padurano is also finishing up a four-week course with the Good Dog Foundation, a nonprofit that trains dogs and their owners to work in animal-assisted therapy and was started for families and victims following the Sept. 11 attack.

Ms. Padurano and her white German Shepard, Blanca, will be a “Good Dog Team” that goes into nursing homes, hospitals or other institution to provide company and companionship to those who want it.

“Given that Riverdale’s got a lot of nursing homes I might wind up in a senior citizen center,” she said
Ms. Padurano  taught at Rutgers University, University of Texas at El Paso and at public schools in Long Island. She has a Ph.D from Rutgers in U.S. history, a master’s in education from Dowling College and a bachelor’s in art history from Harvard.

“To teach at a school like Horace Mann is a dream because the students are smart and engaged,” she said. “At Horace Mann if you’re a teacher you can really be a teacher.”
And a yoga instructor.

Yoga in Scarsdale Elementary School

Yoga in the School

Scarsdale’s Heathcote Elementary School implemented a new “Mindfullness Program” in November.  Part of the program consisted of each class participating in three yoga classes during the 4 weeks.  Yoga Haven’s awesome staff of six kid’s yoga teachers taught 58 classes during that month!  The program was a great success.  

Following are a couple of poems written by the students. 

Yoga Helps, 

by Maya

Yoga finds inner peace

In your mind on your body

Find a pose that’s for you

Your body will love it

You will too

Yoga is a tree

A mountain, a turtle

Yoga can be anything

As long as you look at it from the right way

Yoga Day, 

by Nicia

Yoga is a calming way

If you’re a tree it let’s you calmly sway

The lotus lets you calmly stay

All these poses have a way

In the yoga time of day

Yoga, 

by Stephan

Yoga is not for me

Sometimes it makes me crazy

The frog and the tree

Are all hard for me

So whenever I do those poses

I fall down

Yoga , 

by Caleigh

Cat dog, cow and tree

As you breathe count to three

Calm yourself and feel free

Yoga helps me be me

The Tree, 

by Ariel

The tree is calming

I have to stay very still

So I do not fall

Yoga, 

by Miles

Yoga is here everyday

It is new

Not for play

You stay still

Don’t walk away

Blend in with a tree any day

Poses, 

by Jocelyn

Cobra

Airplane

Warrior 1

Warrior 2

Those are some poses you can do

Cow

Tree

Cat

Downward

Dog

Please don’t forget the frog

Yoga is good for me,

by Axel

Yoga is good for me

It helps me to relax

I can stretch up and become a tree

Or bend down and meditate

I can breathe well when I ice skate

And make a figure eight

Or I can go down town to make a touchdown

Yoga is good for me

Yoga,

by Sarah Kazan

There are many poses in yoga

People know the tree and downward dog

But not really the frog

It may seem very silly

But really it’s good for you

Movie stars and athletes do it

Before they perform

So they can have a good form

Yoga,

by Rachel

Although the trees do not move

When in wind or a storm

You have to stay still

Have good posture

Have good form

Lotus, cobra warrior 2

These poses keep me calm

What about you?

Yoga helps me get rid of

Any bad thoughts in my head

I won’t just sit and relax

I’ll do yoga instead