As we are settling into a New Year I want to extend best wishes to all. Let this be a year of renewal, self-care, empowerment, exploration, discovery, joy, resilency, and peace.
News: I'm excited to share that on Wednesday February 8th, from 8:00-10:00 am I will be joining Frederike Butler, of Butler Communication and mindfulness advocate Martha Brettschneider of Damselwings LLC in a triad workshop: Cultivating Organizational Well-Being: Why a Balanced Mind, Body and Soul is Good for Business. Find out how true well-being can be achieved through mindfulness, physical health, and inner grounding and what that can that look like in a business setting using simple yet powerful tools.. For more information and to register see www.eventbrite.com/e/cultivating-organizational-well-being-tickets-28511891836. Also, save the date of February 11th and stay tuned for details on another therapeutic yoga workshop! Finally, I am booking private sessions now for February and March! I'd love to support you with your personal goals this year for mind-body-spirit growth. Find your best self this year!. Reach out to schedule-I look forward to hearing from you! With light, Carolyn
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We’ve reached December. The last month of our year-long exploratory journey of yoga’s ethical principles. Let’s review where we have been after this month’s News!
NEWS: It was great this past month to pair up with mindfulness advocate and author Martha Brettschneider on a joint workshop on managing holiday stress. We loved sharing tips for how to listen within and capture healing and peace through mindfulness and self-care practices. There is so much that can be done to bring healing to yourself throughout your day. You don't need huge chunks of time to manage stress! Next up is an exciting collaboration again with Martha, as well as Frederike Butler of Butler Communication. On February 8th our trio will be offering a great workshop on Organizational Well-Being. More details coming soon! I've been getting inquiries about whether yoga therapy sessions can be gifted to others. YES! This is a great way to offer a gift of support to a family member or a friend who is looking to enhance their self-care and well-being. Particularly as we approach the New Year and its opportunity to begin a process of self-renewal. Plus, I am offering a great special on a 5-session series through December 31st! Reach out now to give a gift of empowerment, awareness, self-compassion and support to someone you love (or to yourself!). May your holiday season be filled with health and peace. December: An Ending and a Beginning For the past 12 months we have explored of the ethical principles of yoga: the ‘Yamas’ and ‘Niyamas’. The Yamas being the “restraints” within our yoga (& life) practice and Niyamas being the “observances”. These ethical principles were set forth by the ancient yoga teachings of Pantanjali in his Yoga Sutras, and we have examined them through the lense provided to us by Deborah Adele in her book The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice. The principles essentially guide our yoga practice and the intersection of where yoga meets life, both on and off the mat. Yamas Ahimsa – nonviolence Satya – truthfulness Asteya – non-stealing Brahmacharya – non-excess Aparigraha – non-possessiveness Niyamas Saucha – purity Santosha – contentment Tapas – self-disciple Svadhyaya – self-study Ishvara Pranidhana – surrender So why is this both an ending and a beginning?
This is where our journey has taken us this past year. It is also where we are still going--because like life, our journey is constantly unfolding with each moment. Yoga, like life, is a continuous practice. Our muscles stay strong with a continuous practice. Our ability to be present in the moment and treat ourselves with compassion is also a practice that only works if we keep working at it. How can you support your journey in the coming year? How might you cultivate and nurture your ability to listen within and develop your inner witness? How can you embrace a new beginning rooted in self-compassion? These are marvelous questions to contemplate as part of your personal self-care looking forward. During this time of year we are wrapping up holiday gifts. We also tend to be wrapping up yearly reflections. As 2016 draws to a close, I hope you will spend time reflecting on your inner gifts--those unique and special aspects of yourself that you can own, honor, and share to the fullest in the coming year as you continue the beautiful journey of unfolding your life. You are all such beautiful beings. With light and love, Carolyn It’s November, bringing us to the final Niyama, or ethnical observance of yoga: Ishvara Pranidhana. Surrender. Discover its truth below after this month’s News!
NEWS: October was a great month. As always, it was lovely returning to Yogaville. I thank Amy Weintraub for the opportunity to assist her and share how yoga can provide support and make a difference in helping individuals balance mood and address symptoms of depression and anxiety. This past month I also delivered another corporate workshop on how to include self-care throughout your day to relieve and manage stress. Finally, I'm particularly excited to share that this past month I was up on Wellness Hub with a Q & A guest blog post about the functional movement yoga therapy I do. Wellness Hub provides a terrific resource for NoVA in finding holistic. Check out the blog post out here! What’s up next? Two great workshops are on the calendar in November! Find out details below--hope to see you there!
Enjoy November! November: Ishvara Pranidhana We have reached the last niyama, or ethical observance of yoga: Ishvara Pranidhana. In Sanskrit this means Surrender. Surrender? At times the very idea of surrender can be uncomfortable to contemplate, especially coming from a “never give up” cultural society. Yet Deborah Adele helps clarify things in The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice. She explains that “surrender invites us to be participants in our life, totally present and fluid in each movement, while appreciating the magnitude and mystery of what we are participating in.” I’ve always called this “walking into the mystery”. It comes back to that process of letting go, doesn’t it? When I first began my journey of pursuing yoga therapy by studying with my teacher Susi Hately, I had a conversation with someone who would eventually become my mentor in the certification program. At the time, I was attending a kinesiology/therapeutic intensive in Canada; it was August 2015. The conversation was about how my mentor had experienced the challenges of her own certification journey with Hately; how she had found her way and met the demands of her own practicum. I was truly taken back and surprised at her answer. She told me is was mostly a process of “getting out of her own way.” Huh? I’ve been working to try to make sense of this ever since. October. Our first full month of Fall. On our exploratory journey we now reach Svadhyaya, the fourth Niyama, or ethical observance of yoga. Self-study. Please see below after this month's News!
NEWS: This month by invitation I will be assisting Amy Weintraub when she returns to Yogaville to offer a weekend workshop: LifeForce Yoga to Manage Your Mood: Depression and Anxiety. The workshop will take place from October 14-16 and will be held at the Yogaville Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, VA. I’m really excited to be returning to Yogaville! It is a peaceful place nestled on the banks of the James River--each time I visit I feel recharged and renewed. For more information on how you can join this training, click here. A few weeks ago I also launched my first issue of a quarterly newsletter. You can find it on the blog sidebar here if you didn't get a chance to check it out! In the first issue I reflected on the transformational power of healing & my own path of discovery in yoga that has drawn me to yoga therapy. I'm looking forward to exploring themes of contentment, space, and self-care in future issues. I'd love this quarterly newsletter to prompt reflection and offer support for your own personal journey; if there are topics you would enjoy or features you would like to see, please let me know! October: Svadhyaya We have reached Svadhyaya – the fourth niyama or ethical observance yoga. In Sanskrit its meaning is self-study. In many respects it is the discovery of who we truly are. And it is a path to healing. If we trace our exploratory journey together back to February, we found ourselves exploring what makes up our truth. We examined how in yoga there is a belief that we are made of several layers or sheaths that include our physical, emotional/energetic,and mental "selves," as well as two additional layers. These additional layers are where the wisdom of our intellect resides--as an objective witness within--as well as a layer of bliss, which is unlocked in the silence and where we can connect to the essence of who we really are. Essentially, Svadhyaya is opening ourselves to the observations of our inner witness. Just what sort of observations are we talking about? Well . . . Welcome to September! On our exploratory journey we now reach Tapas, the third Niyama, or ethical observance of yoga. Tapas is Sanskit for heat. Please see below after this month's News!
NEWS: In August I returned again to Calgary, Canada to began the accredited yoga therapy certification program that has been my dream for the past 18 months. This program offers a path to health and healing that I wholeheartedly believe in--one that goes more deeply than a typical ‘treat the condition’ therapeutic approach, and instead starts with seeing and uncovering the unique movement and holding patterns in each individual - with recognizing bracing, gripping, tensing in the body or holding of the breath - and helping peel back those patterns to begin the strengthen where there is ease and build stability without pain. There are no templates to follow. There is simply serving each person in their own personal journey to greater wellbeing and ease and supporting their own life practice and transformation. I couldn’t be more grateful to have been accepted into this exclusive program and to be training alongside an inspiring group of gifted fellow teachers. Let me know how I can help support your own practice and journey towards healing. September brings some exciting new announcements: --Therapeutic Yoga Group and Private Session Package: This is a ‘best of both worlds’ blended yoga package to advance your personal health and healing: two therapeutic group classes to guide you in moving in a way that is pain-free and connected to your natural breath, coupled with two private yoga therapy sessions to address your unique needs and progress toward your desired goals. Group class dates are September 17th and October 1st from 2:30-3:45 pm, held at Body Grace Fitness and Yoga in Vienna, VA; private sessions scheduled to meet your needs, held in the privacy of your own home. All props provided. This package limited to just 6 participants and is filling quickly. Reserve your class spot with Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net. ------------------ Great news! I can come offer a customized workshop or interactive presentation to your group, office or organization. See below for examples of such offerings coming up in September, and contact me to schedule something for you. --Featured speaker: This month I am sharing with a local church women’s group ways to bring greater balance to mood using breath, movement and stillness. --Corporate luncheon workshop series. I will also be starting a monthly luncheon corporate workshop series on relieving stress and improving mental focus, using "mini-break" yoga tools for self-care in the office. Looking forward to October: Amy Weintraub has invited to me again to assist her when she returns to Yogaville to offer a weekend workshop: LifeForce Yoga to Manage Your Mood: Depression and Anxiety. The workshop will take place from October 14-16 and will be held at the Yogaville Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, VA. Learn more here. September: Tapas At first glance, an ethical yoga observance called "heat" might seem odd. No, this is not an ancient and subtle instruction to practice hot yoga. Thankfully again we can find clarity in guidance offered from Deborah Adele’s work The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice. Tapas, or “heat", Adele tells us, “can be translated as catharsis, austerities, self-discipline, spiritual effort, change, tolerance, or transformation. Tapas then has the sense of “cooking” ourselves in the fire of discipline to transform ourselves into something else. Folks, basically to me is sounds like where the rubber meets the road. Welcome to August. This month our study of yoga’s ethical principles --the Yamas and Niyamas -- brings us to Santosha --Sanskrit for contentment. Please see below after this month's News!
NEWS: Several announcements for August! This July I recorded a guided relaxation meditation- Yoga Nidra for Stress Reduction, which is available for free here. I hope that sharing this resource--which can be practiced seated or lying down--will help you find some ease and relaxation in your day. This month I will be traveling back to Canada to continue my studies with Susi Hately in functional movement therapy as part of her yoga therapy certification program. It is going to be an enriching time and I can’t wait to share about my experiences when I return! So upon my return, look for more announcements of classes in therapeutic yoga for shoulders and hips and other opportunities to find greater ease in body and mind through functional yoga. Stay tuned! Finally, looking ahead, I’m so honored to share that Amy Weintraub has invited me again to assist her--this time in October when she returns to Yogaville to offer a weekend workshop: LifeForce Yoga to Manage Your Mood: Depression and Anxiety. The workshop will take place from October 14-16 and will be held at the Yogaville Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, VA. To learn more, click here. August: Santosha Ah, Santosha. The second niyama, or ethical observance of yoga. Contentment. As I type this, I’m sitting in our traditional family vacationing spot, looking over the channel on Chincoteague Island. The birds fly above. Earlier today was spent on the beach, listening to the waves, watching my boys play in the surf and throw a football around. Contentment was definitely present. And yet, deep down as I write this, I know this observance is meant to mean so much more than just being in a relaxed state in . . .well . . .a very relaxing place. Continuing our Yamas and Niyamas Yoga Exploratory Journey
Hello all! Back in January we launched our year-long exploration of the ‘Yamas’ and ‘Niyamas’ of yoga—essentially, the ethical principles that can guide our yoga practice and the intersection of where yoga meets life, both on and off the mat. We’ve spent the first half of 2016 studying the yamas - yoga’s ethical restraints. It is now time to turn our attention to the niyamas - yoga’s ethical observances - as set forth by the ancient yoga teachings of Pantanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Pantanjali gives the niyamas to us as: Saucha – purity Santosha – contentment Tapas – self-disciple Svadhyaya – self-study Ishvara Pranidhana – surrender Please join me as we continue this learning journey together. First, this month's news! News: June offered some special opportunities! I was honored to assist at Amy Weintraub’s LifeForce Yoga® sponsor exhibition space at the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research, held in Reston, VA. Her work with yoga for depression and anxiety is always an inspiration to people looking for ways to find greater balance in energy and mood. My functional movement teacher Susi Hately presented at the symposium as well! It was a joy to see her. I’m thrilled to return to Calgary, Canada this August to begin her IAYT-accredited yoga therapy certification program and continue my studies on how functional movement can bring greater ease to life and enhance our body-mind connection. June also brought:
This coming September I will again be offering more group classes of therapeutic yoga for shoulders and hips. Stay tuned! As we fully embark into this summer season I hope you will find your own presence in the everyday moments of life. July: Saucha Like you I’m sure, I wear many hats. I’m also a mom. I’m also a teacher. No doubt for you too, whatever your circumstance, the many hats we wear means that life is busy and often feels demanding. For me, it means that the 10-month school year sometimes feels like a long haul and usually by June, I feel ‘fully cooked’. I’m ready for a shift. I’m ready for a change. I feel a little worn out and tired. I usually feel like I need to take a step back and regroup. So it was with great gratitude that I began the study of Saucha - Sanskrit for purity. The first yoga niyama - or yoga ethical observance. There is nothing quite like just-in-time advice. Welcome to June! The halfway mark in our year. A time to reflect on where we have been so far in our pathway of self-care, as we are guided along by yoga's ethical principles--teachings that can serve us even 'off' our mat into our daily lives. First, our June specialty class announcement! Mark your calendars!
News: I'm pleased to say that I will be assisting with spreading the word about LifeForce Yoga® at the International Association of Yoga Therapists Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research that is being held in Reston, VA this month. My teacher Amy Weintraub will be leading a plenary session at the symposium and I have been invited to assist at the LFY exhibition space. I'm honored to share how Amy's protocol for balancing mood can help those dealing with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Also exciting is that my functional movement teacher, and founder of my 1000-hour yoga therapy certification program, Susi Hately, will be also leading a community session at the conference! It is such an privilege to have the opportunity to study with Susi and learn about how her principles of therapeutic movement can contribute to greater ease and stability in the body. So it is SUPER COOL that I will get to see both of my teachers this month! Now for specialty class news: Functional Movement: The June Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips is scheduled for Saturday, June 11th, 2:30-4:00 pm, at Body Grace Fitness and Yoga in Vienna, VA. This class is a terrific way to become more deeply attuned to your body's inner messages, particularly if you tend to experience limitation through your shoulders and hips. Through small, mindful and gentle yoga-inspired therapeutic movements (seated, standing and supine) and a connection to natural breath, participants can quiet tension and nurture calm in both muscle and mind as they explore their optimal range of motion and then apply this knowledge to yoga poses. Reserve your spot this month by contacting Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net. June: Staying Present - Let the Yamas Help Welcome to June! After a cool, rainy May in Northern VA, temperatures have finally begun to shift, and the sense of summer is approaching. Anticipation is high for all that summer brings--school’s release, summer evenings, cookouts and pool time, family vacations, and camps for kids. Summer brings excitement and a sense of new adventure. At the same time it often uproots us from our normal routines. As we focus on a calendar of scheduling and preparing for summer pastimes, we can be drawn away from feeling grounded. We are flying high with expectation and this can feel elating at times. I, it can also upend feelings of balance and continuity in our lives, allowing stress to seep inwards. How can yoga help? Even ‘off’ our mat? At Heart Tree Yoga we have reached the mid-point of our year-long exploration of yoga’s ethical principles, guided by Deborah Adele's The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice. Tying together what we have discovered these past 5 months about yoga’s ethical restraints--the Yamas-- can help provide the guidance we need to stay grounded and rooted even as expectation abounds around us. Here is what we’ve discovered: Welcome to May. This month our study of the yoga’s ethical principles --the Yamas and Niyamas -- brings us to Aparigraha --Sanskrit for nonpossessiveness. Please see below after this month's News!
News: Several announcements for May! I am absolutely thrilled to share some personal news: after an application process I have been invited into the Functional Synergy IAYT Accredited Yoga Therapy Certification Program! This is an 1000-hour program that has been recognized by the International Association of Yoga Therapists as meeting the standards for yoga therapists that were updated in 2012. It is an exciting honor and privilege to continue the study I began last year under Susi Hately - and continue to help students and clients learn to move better, feel better in their bodies, release bodily tension and get out of pain. If you’d like to experience this yourself, reach out to book a customized private session with me and we’ll get started! Class Announcements for May! Functional Movement: This month we’ve got another Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips scheduled for Saturday, May 14th, 2:30-4:00 pm, at Body Grace Fitness and Yoga in Vienna, VA. This class is a terrific way to become more deeply attuned to your body's inner messages, particularly if you tend to experience limitation through your shoulders and hips. Through small, mindful and gentle yoga-inspired therapeutic movements (seated, standing and supine) and a connection to natural breath, participants can quiet tension and nurture calm in both muscle and mind as they explore their optimal range of motion and then apply this knowledge to yoga poses. Please note that last month this class proved very popular and filled quickly! Reserve your spot early for the May class by contacting Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net. Group Class Announcement: New Time for Sunrise Class! Beginning Thursday, May 5, the sunrise class at Body Grace will have a later start time. Class will now run from 6:30-7:30 am! A much more civilized time - and totally doable! What a way to start your day. Come out and see! May: Aparigraha May. This month our study of the yoga’s ethical principles --the Yamas and Niyamas -- brings us to Aparigraha --Sanskrit for nonpossessiveness. What does nonpossessiveness mean? Deborah Adele, in her book on the Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, defines it for us as “nonattachment, nongreed, nonclinging, nongrasphing, and noncoveting.“ She tells us we can “simply think of it as being able to ‘let go.’” Ah. Letting go. |
Blog Archives including Heart Tree Yoga's Yamas and Niyamas Study from January-December 2016 and seasonal newsletters.
August 2020
HTY FALL Newsletter 2017 by Carolyn Black Bagdoyan on Scribd
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