Recent posts
Reflection from the American Museum of Natural History · 10 February 2011
This past Sunday, a few of us SCA folks took a field trip to The American Museum of Natural History to check out the super cool Tibetan medical paintings on display. The paintings, which were the medical texts of their time, depicted the causes of disease, possible treatments and remedies, and maps of the body. The causes of disease in Tibetan medicine are mind- body afflictions, caused by craving (symbolized as the cock, or rooster), ignorance (pig) and hatred (snake). These mind poisons manifest as all kinds of different physical ailments involving: phlegm- believed to be caused by ignorance, bile- linked to hatred, and wind- desire.The ailments were often depicted as branches and leaves of a tree, grouped together according to their common cause and symptoms- each little leaf showing us a scene where a person is acting out the symptom in question, such as suffering from loose stool. Poor fellow.
Among hundreds and hundreds of possible treatments I recall herbal remedies, elixirs of butter and cow’s urine, and dietary changes. The maps and charts included aspects of both the gross and subtle bodies, with the beautifully illustrated organs, the heart sometimes shown as a flower, nestled up next to the central channel.
After taking in our fill of the richly colored, elaborate paintings, we had a few minutes to peruse the Hall of Biodiversity- my personal favorite. The array of shells, mosses, crustaceans and plant life breathed new life into me, as I was reminded that there is more out there on our earth than the frozen winter and concrete of NYC.
-Britta
News From the DOME Project · 9 February 2011
From: Christina Rufin
As an introduction to the yoga and meditation class today with the Alternative-to-Incarceration (At-risk youth) kids, I asked the students why we practice yoga and meditation.
The answers came fast and easy: “to be healthy”, “to relax”, “to help anger”, “it helps my dunking”. I loved the last input because the young man who said this went on to say that “yes, it helps with my dunking, don’t you know that?” I was thrilled to hear the kids appreciating the benefits of yoga and meditation in the At-risk youth programs.
The kids in the at-risk program are now ‘demanding’ the meditation. They appreciate it even more after they have practiced some yoga asanas because they can really go within themselves.
Another young man played the singing bowl for over 5 minutes, for the benefit of his own happiness and for the well-being of the other at-risk youth yoga and meditation listeners.Three of the alternative to incarceration youth thanked me after class for making them feel good. I answered that it was them themselves who made themselves feel good, that they did the work.(But I was secretely very happy to have witnessed this!)
From Helping Hangovers to Helping Others · 26 January 2011
From: Dana Makover
I started practising yoga to get rid of the hangovers and post party bloats. I remember watching the droplets of sweat drip onto the mat and thinking “I’m going to feel so thin when this is over. Twist me!” My manic, compulsive nature drew me to the repetitive, vigor of the vinyasa style. My laziness drew me to the fact that I could do it from my living room. I knew pain. My bi-polar disorder had taken a turn and my mind ruled over the rest of me like a tyrant.
I wish I could say that yoga acted as a kind of “great rebellion” against the “evil” chemical imbalance in my brain; but alas! This would be dishonest. And yet, I have time and again encountered some very well meaning individuals in the yoga world who say things such as “This posture heals depression” or “This stables moods.” Perhaps I simply was not desperate enough, but I figured out rather quickly that practising inversions and back-bends on a daily basis was not going to cure my mental illness, no matter how much I willed it.
I practise yoga. I sit. It helps! So maybe heart openers won’t eliminate my mania or my melancholy. Here’s the thing. They are not supposed to! We are not healers; but we are giving people the tools to make themselves feel just a little bit better.
A lesson learned the hard way: · 26 January 2011
From Christina Rufin at the Dome Project:
When a young girl says she cannot do a pose because it hurts her belly, it means she is pregnant. Yesterday, during the class at Dome, I had a challenging time with a young girl who said she was unable to lay on her belly from downward dog (or better called “upside down V” pose for the youth) and I couldn’t understand why. I encouraged her to press her hands and tops of her feet
into the floor for extra lift but to no avail. If I knew her condition, I would have encouraged her to come into table top. Coming into a squat also proved challenging. The supervisor informed me of her pregnancy towards the end of the class and I immediately adjusted the ensuing twists and forward bends. The young student was a good sport throughout the class and told the supervisor after class that she felt relaxed. I certainly learned something very important!
Info gathered from teaching at Dome and CCA for the last few months · 31 December 2010
Favorite yoga poses for teenage boys (in order of preference and number 1 is a winner by far):
2) Plank/chaturanga dhandasana = push-ups (5 to 15 of them): to show their strength
3) Tree: for balance
4) Boat: they feel their abdominals working
Favorite meditation for teenage boys (in order of preference)
1) Sound Meditation
2) Metta
Loving the yoga and meditation feedback! · 28 November 2010
Last week, Tanya and I participated in the Anger Management class at Dome and the theme revolved around the cycle of violence.
When we all checked in at first, one young man said he had cut school that day and that he wished that he could have spent the day at home, ‘doing yoga and meditation and feeling good’, ‘I would like to do this all day’, he said and sat back and placed his fingers in the Vishnu mudra pose. This mudra alone brings on the effects of calm so, of course, I love seeing anyone practicing that!
As usual, most of the other kids wanted to share their opinions. They started by saying that they were frustrated about constantly having to talk about violence because they felt the subject perpetuated their feelings and reinforced their negative attitudes. They wished they could talk and work on other subjects, which would teach them something new, respectfully assuring the leaders of the class that ‘no offense’ was meant.
All of us, including the teachers, adults and youth, offered solutions for ending this cycle of violence. Some individuals suggested a hard-nosed approach like sucking it up and taking responsibility; others suggested breathing and yoga. A few people discussed reflecting on the long-term consequences of their actions, while some individuals shared their opinion that human nature is as such and will never change.
The fact that some kids have started realizing that meditation and yoga are effective tools in calming oneself is all we ask for.
Christina Rufin
Upcoming Workshops November 13th and November 14th! · 7 November 2010
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE AND SHARING YOUR PRACTICE WITH THE SCA? THIS COMING WEEKEND, THE SCHOOL FOR COMPASSIONATE ACTION WILL BE HOSTING TWO WORKSHOPS:
November 13, 10:00 -5:00
Freedom from Habitual Patterns in Mind and Body with Robin Boudette, PhD.
In this workshop Dr. Robin Boudette will explore of principles and practices from both cognitive therapy and Buddhist psychology aimed at understanding and working with habitual patterns. When we experience the present moment and connect to our true intentions, we have the freedom of choice. With the power of mindfulness, our actions can be aligned with our intentions rather then a reflection of our impulses. This workshop is appropriate for healthcare professionals and yoga teachers interested in expanding their knowledge and incorporating a mindfulness-based approach in their work with habitual patterns. Through lecture, discussion, interactive exercises, and mediations participants will experience how the mind works, identify common obstacles to changing habitual patterns.
The power of awareness offers us the opportunity to find freedom in the present moment.
Robin Boudette, Ph.D. is licensed psychologist, yoga instructor and meditation practitioner with more then two decades of experience working as a psychotherapist in a variety of settings. Using her personal practice of yoga and meditation, she has developed an unique approach to overcoming self-defeating habits and embracing a balanced path to mind/body awareness. She facilitates mindfulness groups and trainings for therapists. She currently works at Princeton University Health Services and in private practice in Princeton, NJ.
$135 ( student discount 10 % with valid I.D.)
November 14, 10:00 -5:00
Teaching the practices: Freedom from Habitual Patterns in Mind and Body with Jill Satterfield
For anyone wishing to teach body/mind practices for finding freedom from habitual patterns – pre-requisite is Saturdays workshop with Dr. Boudette.
$ 135 ( student discount 10% with valid I.D.)
Workshops are being co-presented by and held at the Tibet House, 22 West 15th Street ( 5th and 6th Aves)
Register online at http://www.schoolforcompassionateaction.org/calendar.htm
Yoga, what does it do? How can it help? · 6 November 2010
As the School for Compassionate Action continues to reach out to communities and spread the teachings of yoga and meditation practices, it is important to consider the value of these practices and understand how they can play a role in our general health and happiness. Recent research has started to focus on exploring the benefits of ‘Complementary and Alternative’ therapies like yoga and meditation, and I wanted to take the time to share one of the articles discussing how a regular yoga practice can serve as an invaluable tool towards a more grounded and balanced you:
SEVEN PROVEN HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA:
Can yoga help you live a healthier life? You better believe it! Medical studies are beginning to prove the many constructive benefits of yoga that experienced practitioners have long heralded. “All of yoga’s medical benefits are a result of a heightened sense of self-awareness,” says David Lurey, certified yoga teacher, trainer, and cofounder of the Green Yoga Association. “They all require discipline and dedication to reach them.”
1. Asthma: The American College of Sports Medicine found a 43% improvement in patients’ symptoms after ten weeks of yoga practice. Yoga’s emphasis on posture and deep, lengthened breaths improves lung capacity, efficiency, and overall airflow, which can reduce the frequency and severity of asthmatic attacks.
2. Arthritis: The slow, controlled movements of a yoga practice have been shown to decrease chronic pain and joint swelling in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers at Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.
3. Back pain: A study at the West Virginia University School of Medicine found that, after practicing yoga for three months, people reported 70% less lower-back pain, and 88% of them reduced or stopped taking pain medication. Alignment and body awareness during yoga practice has been shown to reduce numerous types of acute and chronic back pain, including scoliosis, sciatica, and herniated discs.
4. Blood pressure: Yale School of Medicine found “significantly reduced” systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in hypertension patients who practiced yoga and meditation therapies—results that were comparable to drug therapy. Increased circulation and oxygenation of the blood are important outcomes of a continuous yoga practice.
5. Depression and anxiety: Boston University’s School of Medicine discovered a 27% increase of the neurotransmitter GABA within the brain after just one sixty-minute yoga practice. Low levels of GABA have been tied to anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s. Yoga’s mood-enhancing benefits are similar to those for asthma—slowing the breath and heart rate to reduce the body’s stress response.
6. Insomnia: Regular physical activity has been proven to improve sleep, and yoga is no exception. Calming for both the body and the mind, restorative yoga poses are often recommended for those finding it difficult to fall or stay asleep. A small study on yoga practitioners at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital found “statistically significant improvements” in all aspects of falling, staying, and awaking from sleep.
7. Nutrition: The Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported a unique connection between a regular yoga practice and eating healthier. Yoga is believed to increase mindful eating: being aware of why you eat and when to stop. Curiously, no other type of physical activity produced the same mindful eating effects.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. No matter your physical or mental capacities, there is surely a benefit to adding a yoga practice into your life. “The greatest benefit yoga can offer is how to live a full, rich, joy-filled, compassionate life in the face of reality,” says Frank Jude Boccio, certified yoga teacher and author of Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of the Breath, Body, and Mind. “Yoga offers freedom from fear.”
Excerpted from 27 Things to Know About Yoga by Victoria Klein ©2010 by Victoria Klein.
Gratitudes, Hannah
More Positive Feedback from Teenagers at the Dome Project · 6 November 2010
yoga in the news: finding joy · 31 October 2010
What brings you to yoga or meditation? Is it the desire to find calm amidst an endlessly full schedule? Or could it be a way of healing former injuries, internal or external? Whatever the reason, the sacred space of a studio does not discriminate and welcomes all individuals. Isn’t that what keeps us coming back? For me, I never cease to be amazed at how safe and cared for I feel whenever I enter a classroom, whether that classroom be an ornate nyc studio or a converted room of a house. It’s the people who make the space a place for learning and experiencing a mind-body practice. You don’t need to go to a spa to experience ‘real’ yoga and meditation.
All around the world, people enter classes with the hopes and fears that they carry with them in their lives. For a brief period in time, people can leave their fears at the door and embrace their hopes while taking a class. People come in with their own histories, and their stories should be allowed to unfold safely and slowly as their practices allow them to develop. An article in Women’s E-News describes one teacher’s experiences teaching yoga to a group of over 250 in Rwanda who have survived assault or abuse. These remarkable women, many of whom believed themselves to be too weak or old, found a spark re-ignited inside themselves after starting yoga classes. Here’s the link:
http://www.womensenews.org/story/athleticssports/100224/yoga-stretches-terrain-sex-trauma-therapy?page=0,1
This article gives a brief but important insight into the importance of recapturing the sparkle inside of ourselves that so many of us lose hold of. What yoga and meditation offer is an opportunity to mute the extraneous factors, albeit briefly, and recalibrate our focus on rediscovering that sparkle that fills us with life. Does this mean yoga and meditation cure and eliminate all that is wrong? No, unfortunately, no. I wish it could. But it does offer individuals a chance to reconnect with themselves. A chance to know yourself. A chance to appreciate yourself. A chance to feel safe with yourself, so you can carry that strength with you wherever you go. I admire the strength of all those who take the time to get to know themselves and hold on to that spark we are all born with. I encourage you to take the time to read about these courageous yoginis in Rwanda. And I also encourage you to give yourself the opportunity to find and hold onto your own spark.
Glowing Gratitudes,
Hannah