“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

Billy Joel, Leonardo da Vinci, and Kirtans?

So….what do Billy Joel, Leonardo da Vinci and Kirtans have in common, you ask?  Read on…

"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by."

-  Billy Joel

"Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony?"

- Leonardo da Vinci

“Chanting is a way of getting in touch with yourself.  It’s an opening of the heart and letting go of the mind and thoughts.” 

- Krishna Das

There you have it.  It’s a belief that music heals and touches your soul.  That it can light up your heart, bring a smile to your face, or send chills down your spine.  If you love music—and we know you do--come check out our Kirtan this Saturday, Oct 23 from 8-9 pm at Yoga Haven.  Led by teachers Denise Madden (vocals and harmonium), and Ann Casapini (vocals), as well as by three professional jazz musicians – Arthur Rotfeld (who composes many of the numbers, sings and plays the guitar), Alan Eicher or Stefynie Rosenfeild (keyboards), and Steve Mansfield (drums), the evening promises to be an uplifting and joyful experience.

If you’ve never attended a Kirtan, you may have some questions.  Maybe you don’t know what it’s all about.  Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be forced to sing in public.  Maybe you think it’s just not your thing.  Well, we sat down with Denise, Ann, and Arthur to find out just what a Kirtan is and why Yoga Haven offers this musical event for its students and the greater community.

What is a Kirtan?

Ann: To put it simply, at a Kirtan we’re sitting around singing and making music together. For me, it’s pure joy.  I love to sing.  But, you don’t have to be a good singer.  It’s not about that.  It’s a joyful thing. We sing.  We make good music.  We uplift our mood because it’s fun.  It’s all about sound and sound vibration. We’re raising our vibration level which can actually heal the body and raise our spirits. 

  

Denise: It’s a celebration of the community and a chance for us all to come together in a joyful way.  Simply by being at a Kirtan you open up to an opportunity for the mind to settle and become focused and then the heart is able to recognize its true nature of joy and freedom.  Chanting creates a space of such support and you become absorbed in the universal language which is simply love! 

Is there a cost?

Denise: We ask for a $10 donation which the musicians generously accept as their payment for the evening. But if that’s a hardship, you can donate whatever you’re able.

What are you singing?

Ann: We’re singing chants. If you’ve taken yoga classes, you may have heard some of these tunes before.  We sing music by Krishna Das and Jai Uttal, and by our own Arthur.   We sing in a call and response style.  I sing a short phrase.  You sing a short phrase.  And it’s repeating back and forth between you and me.  So it creates this flow of vibration and a sense of community.

What do you mean by vibration?

Denise: There is a particular back and forth, call and response rythmn to chanting. This rythmn holds the vibration of everyone in the room and when you have a lot of people in the same room, energetically offering their voices it is powerful!  The chants are sung in Sanskrit and we sing it in this language because of the vibrational quality of the words. It’s the juxtaposition of the vowels and the consonants within the Sanskrit words that hold the vibrational resonance which makes it intensified.  And then we use instruments like the harmonium, guitar, drums, keyboard and our voices to elevate and maximize that vibration.  It’s that vibration that moves through us and opens our hearts. This is the kind of music that can move you into a deeper understanding of your heart.

What’s the music like?

Ann: Some of it is melodic, some of it’s upbeat -- there’s a range.  There are quiet numbers, numbers that sound almost romantic, numbers that sound like you could dance to them, and some with a Latin feel. And Arthur writes these beautiful pieces that brings something more contemporary to it.

How do the Kirtans at Yoga Haven compare to the larger venues in NYC?

Ann: There is something to the intimacy we have -- kind of like being in the front row of a concert as opposed to being way in the back.  There’s an immediacy to the exchange of energy.  You feel it in your bones when you’re that close.  It’s a pretty cool thing.  It’s not like the audience is in the dark and we’re in the bright lights.  It’s a shared experience and it builds community.  Friendship is built on shared experience and fun and that’s what this is – FUN.

How long have the Kirtans been going on at YH?

Denise: We started in 2006.  I had been chanting on my own for a while and I had been inspired to buy a harmonium.  I wanted to bring the Kirtan here as a part of building the community of Yoga Haven. It started with Antonia and me.  She had chants she liked, I had some I liked and we took it from there. Then Ann and I came together. Her voice is so beautiful--she adds an element of beauty.  But the big shift came in 2008 when Arthur came on because it opened our repertoire so much more.  He could hear the music and play it and then he started creating music for us which just blew us away.  When you start creating music together there’s a coming together of the hearts that’s very powerful.

Arthur, how did you become involved in the Kirtan?

Arthur: A couple of years ago, Denise asked me to do it.  I accepted because I’m the kind of guy who does what the teacher asks (he chuckles).  She was all smiley, so I said sure.

Denise, laughing:  He was in my class a good year before I found out he was a guitarist and composer which is why I asked him if he would play the guitar for the Kirtan.  I told him the names of a couple of my favorite songs and when he came back and played them so beautifully for me, I thought ‘Wow, this is the guy we need.’ 

What’s your background?

Arthur: I’m a musician, teacher, and writer.  I teach guitar, piano and composition.  I went to college for jazz and music education and then to graduate school for classical composition. 

How did Steve and Alan become involved?

Arthur: I’ve worked with Steve since 1988, since we were freshmen in college.  Alan and I met on the scene gigging…it’s been at least 10 years.  We play jazz and instrumental music at clubs and private functions.  I just asked them if they were interested and they said yes.  And Stefynie is a great musician who fills in when Alan can’t make it.

Before signing on, did you know anything about Kirtans or the music?

Arthur: It was new to me.  I started learning by listening to CDs by Shantala, then Krishna Das and Jai Uttal.  I got a book of traditional chants.  So we play some recognizable tunes and a good amount of original ones.

If they’re set chants how can yours be any different than say, Krishna Das?

Arthur:  You’re really taking the text and putting it to music.  So if you take something like Om Nama Shivaya, there are probably thousands of melodies for it. I’ve set them with melodies and harmonies that feel right for the mood of the text, with my musical conception.  The meaning and rhythm of the words matters most and that often serves as my initial inspiration.

Denise: They’re all chants based on original Sanskrit text.  All the different melodies come from what moves that particular individual’s creative heart. And wow, we are so fortunate to have such a creative heart here in Arthur!

Are you glad you signed on?

Arthur: Yes. The real thrill comes from making music for an appreciative audience.  I’m looking to create a meaningful experience for everyone in the room.  It’s very rewarding.

What can people expect to get out of it?

Ann: It’s kind of like a yoga class.  You can take yoga on so many levels.  You can take it for your back pain, to de-stress, or to go deeper inside yourself.  It’s the same with Kirtan.  It can be a concert, a mood lifter, or a spiritual journey.  It’s what you bring to it.  You get out of it what you need to get out of it.  And, you may go not expecting to get anything out of it –and then find it surprises you.

Denise: It really gives participants a deeper connection to their hearts and to the hearts of those around them.  The chanting is really a vehicle in.  It’s a way for us to all join as one. We all want to be happy and chanting does bring a sense of true joy to our being.  You just can’t help but feel moved and happy by coming together with others in this way.  It makes you happy in the heart, open to be touched, moved, and inspired.

What do you personally get out of it?

Ann: I’m there because I really like that I can participate with other people. I love music and it makes me happy.  With so many other things in life you can intellectualize it-- plan it, but I don’t with this.  I just do it for the pure joy.  Think about children.  When they play, they play for the pure joy of it.  And for me, that’s what chanting is.  It’s for the pure joy of it.

Arthur: We (Arthur and the other musicians) like coming to a place where it’s a listening and supportive environment – where people aren’t talking over the music, where you’re not competing with distractions.  I also get the same thing that other participants get of it – the spiritual benefits, the meditative benefits, the community benefits.

Denise: For me chanting is like sipping a sweet divine elixir and the more I sip in the energy of the room, the more intoxicating the experience, until I am totally blissed out!  The energy in the room itself transforms and it is the sweetest experience when we can make deeper connections to one another in this way.  The experience is made more powerful by all of us just sharing heart space.  The power is in the sharing of the experience for sure.

Any last thoughts?

Ann: Even if you aren’t in the mood to sing, you’re still going to feel the sound.  It’s like going to a concert.  If you go to hear music you like, it usually shifts your mood.  So if you’ve never been, check it out.  You don’t have to stay for the whole thing, but checking it out is a good thing to do.

The Book Shelf

What We’re Reading… 

Yoga Haven Staff Picks

Our newest Book Shelf selection The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer, comes from Yoga Haven teacher Alex von Bidder (who by the way is an author himself.  If you haven’t seen his adorable children’s book Wiggins Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons, be sure to peek at it in the YH shop).  Here’s what Alex had to say about his book choice:

“Yoga is an art and science that enables us to go beyond our traditionally narrow way of experiencing life.  This beautifully written book by Michael Singer, describes the process of self-discovery in an easy, effortless and enjoyable way. The Untethered Soul is a brilliant step-by-step path to discovering your very best Self and how to express it in the world.  In it Singer reminds us of the unlimited positive energy available to us.  He teaches us how to identify and transform anything blocking that energy, so that we can successfully access and use it.  I found this book to be a life-changing read.  I hope that you will too.”  

Copies of The Untethered Soul are available for sale in the Yoga Haven shop.

Private Thoughts - Yoga Teacher Trainees Journal Entry 9/26/2010

"Interesting thought that occurred to me today as I was getting ready this morning. I have been hesitating writing the “weekly journal” part of my required Yoga teacher training homework because in the back of my mind I am not sure where I should write. Should I write in my huge spiral journal notebook that I already started journaling in years ago but hardly ever write in? Should I use loose leaf paper so I can put it in my Yoga manual? Should I use a new, thinner spiral notebook that I dedicate to Yoga thoughts and class notes? Should I buy a beautiful journal to chronicle my thoughts and have as a keepsake for the future? Should I write in the computer? Perhaps even start a blog about my contemplations and jumpstart my formal writing aspirations with my yogic journey thereby killing two birds with one stone?

Apparently there are quite a few options.

Can you believe this? I am debating internally where to best collect my thoughts about this yoga journey when I should just be writing the damn thing.

Is there a cosmic lesson here? Could it be that I am learning something about myself? Could it be that I am sometimes paralyzed by form? Is the how taking up more importance and time than the why and the what?

The bottom line is that it needs to be done, for practical reasons as well as esoteric ones. I need to hand in something at the end of class detailing my journey, and I assume that the reason it is required is that the act of thinking about it and writing will chronicle the emotions and changes we experience while learning about Yoga philosophy and trying to incorporate it into our physical and mental lives.

I am doing this teacher training in part to learn how to correctly do and teach the poses. And yes, although form in Yoga is important, certainly we should not become slaves to the how and realize that the practice itself is enough. Sloppy handwriting does not diminish the power of the words.

Still not sure whether to print this or keep it in a computer file."

Nancy Rodriquez, 2010 Yoga Teacher Trainee

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