Archive for July, 2009

Summertime in New York City has never been my favorite time.  I do not enjoy those hot, humid sticky city days and my level of serenity can become effected.  The best channel for my contempt of the summer heat is through the numerous outdoor yoga & meditation programs that are offered throughout New York City.  Practicing yoga & meditation outdoors brings me a sense of calmness and enlightenment, as well as relaxing my body and mind.  Most of the classes are scheduled either first thing in the morning, or around sunset (7pm-8pm).  The temperature is cooler at those times and allows me to enjoy the outdoors, which I always have, and not resent the heat.  I will post as many outdoor classes and events that I come across and if you know of any please let me know.  Thanks.

FREE YOGA
IN BRYANT PARK THIS SUMMER

 Tuesday, July 14   10-11am
 Tuesday, July 21   10-11am
 Tuesday, Aug 11   10-11am
 Thursday, Aug 13   6-7pm
 Tuesday, Aug 18   10-11am
 Thursday, Aug 20  6-7pm
 Thursday, Aug 27  6-7pm

Related Reading:

Opening to Meditation: A Gentle, Guided Approach (Book & CD)

8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.

The eternal message: [a collection of thirty immortal letters written by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to Ma Yoga Bhakti, New York, U.S.A., now Ma Ananda Pratima, ... president of Neo-Sannyas International]

Meditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated

Hatha Yoga Illustrated

Making cancer bearable: Yoga group links survivors with free classes to rebuild strength & wellness

BY Sarah Armaghan DAILY NEWS WRITER Monday, June 1st 2009

  Yoga instructor Tara Stiles helps her student and cancer survivor Stephanie Adams, 28, stretch out at her studio Strala Yoga.

Stephanie Adams‘ active life came to a screeching halt last year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27.

Two surgeries, including a mastectomy, and endless chemotherapy treatments later, her once sky-high energy level and athleticism were gone.

“It was very hard for me to do my everyday normal activities, yet alone go out running and snowboarding like I used to,” said Adams, who lives on the upper East Side.

That’s where Yoga Bear stepped in.

The nonprofit links cancer survivors with free memberships to local yoga studios. The goal is to help build and maintain active and healthy lifestyles post-treatment.

More than 140 yoga studios participate in the nationwide program, including 21 in the New York area.

Adams and another cancer patient have scored free memberships at Strala Yoga in the Flatiron District for the past few months.

“It’s an easy way to give back,” said Tara Stiles, owner of Strala Yoga. “It’s not hard to give up one spot in a class to make sure someone who has gone through so much regains their strength and wellness.”

After finishing chemotherapy in March, Adams was looking for a way to return to her normal self.

Yoga classes can run up to $200 a month, way out of reach for Adams, who is studying for her Ph.D. at Weill Cornell Medical College.

“It was so easy to get set up with a place,” Adams said. “I thought it would take months, but I had my membership within three weeks.”

Now cancer free, Adams is slowly regaining her strength through athletic yoga classes.

“I can’t go out and do pushups, I can’t go out and run and work out my upper body like I used to,” she said. “[But] yoga allows me to slowly work my strength back up to where my body used to be.”

Adams held back tears as she thought about the days before cancer sidetracked her life.

“Yoga has gotten me out of cancer land,” she said. “Just having something to come to – and it not being about cancer but it’s about building yourself and getting well – is really nice.”

What a great organization to be involved with.  I am so glad that I found them and I can’t wait to start working with them and building a relationship with the yoga studios that support their cause.  There are over 20 yoga studios in the greater New York Area that are in partnership with yogabear.org and the full list can be found at http://www.yogabear.org/page/partner-yoga-studios.  After reading some of the posts on their blog I feel grateful and filled with hope, whereas a few hours ago I was not in such a thankful mood.  That is why I try to surround myself with people who are trying to better themselves and help others and I have found the yoga and meditation community to be a great starting place.

For more information, visit www.yogabear.org.

Related Reading:

Hatha Yoga Illustrated

Yoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards)

Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit

Meditation for Beginners

Yoga Philosophy; Lectures Delivered in New York, Winter of 1895-6

SUNSET YOGA & BOLLYWOOD IN DUMBO

A Free Outdoor Mind & Body Event Under The Summer Sky                   

Saturday 7:30-8:30pm on August 15th

Wednesdays 7:30-8:30pm on July 1st, 15th & 29th  August 19th

WHERE: the Boardwalk at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park

26 New Dock St Brooklyn, NY –near the F train, York Street Stop

Sunset Yoga

Date/Time:Every week Wednesday from Wed., June 10 until Wed., August 12, 6:45pm

Price: FREE

Contact Info: (212) 795-1388 | Event Website

The no-cost class, led by certified instructors, welcomes individuals of all skill levels to enjoy a yoga session as the sun goes down. Fort Tryon Park- Riverside Drive to Broadway, W 196th St. to Dyckman St., Manhattan.

Related Reading:

Karma Yoga : Eight Lectures by the Swami Vivekananda on Karma Yoga (The Secret of Work), Delivered in New York, Winter 1895-6

Yoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards)

Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

The Spiritual Guide to New York: Yoga, Buddhism, Wicca, Kabbalah and Beyond

Meditations

I have started practicing the technique of transcendental meditation as it is outlined on the official website www.tm.org and I find that my level of concentration at work has really improved.  I was a little bit skeptical because I thought that the way I had been meditating for the last few years incorporated some of the transcendental technique already.  I did not think that there would be any significant difference when I practiced  meditation in a more formal and specific way, but I was wrong.  I still enjoy meditating in my own way, which I have adapted from many styles and teachings throughout the years, but I have found a place in my regimen for transcendental meditation as well.  Meditation has brought a new sense of awareness and enlightenment into my being.  I am a changed woman because of my practice and find the deep breathing techniques in my meditation routine to invigorate my mind, body and spirit – leaving me refreshed after each routine.

There is a free lecture offered for beginners to transcendental meditation in the New York City area:

Office Hours: 11 AM–4 PM Monday–Saturday

Directions

We are located at 70 Broad St at the corner of Beaver St., 2 blocks south of the NY Stock Exchange and Wall St. Click here to view a map

Subway: Nearest: 2 or 3 to Wall St., 4 or 5 to Bowling Green, R or W to Whitehall St. or J, M or Z to Broad St.
Parking: 8 Stone St (between Whitehall St and Broad St, enter from Whitehall St).
Some street parking is available on weekends and weekdays after 7 pm

Other Centers in the NY Region

Long Island | 516-345-2634 | LongIsland@TM.org
Westchester & Vicinity | 914-328-0265 | Westchester@TM.org
Northern New Jersey | 908-522-0820 | Summit@TM.org
Fairfield County, CT | 203-286-8531 | FairfieldCounty@TM.org
Other Areas:1-888 LearnTM

Related Reading:

Tranquility without pills (all about transcendental meditation); the complete how-to guide to the famous TM method of total relaxation

Meditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated

The Science of Being and the Art of Living: Transcendental Meditation

8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.

Meditations

Original Hot Yoga Poses

Hot Yoga strengthens and deeply cleanses the body adding intensity to the work out that you would normally get in practice and raises the level of purification that your body receives.  Doing the same basic practice that you would in a regular temperature room, you will work harder in a room that has been heated and has added humidity.  Your body will get stronger, and remove far more toxins from the system.

If people who have trouble with the heat take their time getting used to practicing in a heated room, they will begin to find that they have less trouble.  On hot summer days, when they might have been suffering, they will probably be able to maintain normal activity levels and some may even become able to perform at peak activity levels.  This is because the heart works harder.  The organs are also challenged.  As the body gets used to practicing in a heated environment, the system learns what to do to keep itself from overheating in this unique circumstance.

Hot Yoga has become very popular in the last few years and many yoga studios in the New York City area offer classes.  I am sure that Planet Hope, a great new website launching in the fall, will have a plethora of information on Hot Yoga.  You can find the site at www.planethopetv.com and be sure to look for them in the coming months as the website will have articles and videos on all types of yoga and meditation.  Planet Hope will also contain stories on mindful eating, green living and all areas of conscious living.  I can’t wait to explore their site!

Related Reading:

Yoga Philosophy: Lectures Delivered in New York, Winter of 1895-6 By the Swami Vivekananda on Raja Yoga

Hot Yoga: Energising, Rejuvenating, Healing

8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.

The Key Muscles of Yoga: Scientific Keys, Volume I

Bikram Yoga: The Guru Behind Hot Yoga Shows the Way to Radiant Health and Personal Fulfillment

I have a number of friends who live on the west coast in both the San Fransisco  and Los Angelos areas, all of whom have been raving about Yoga Works.  This didn’t interest me until I recently found out that they have a location in midtown Manhattan 3 blocks away from where I work.   They have a very impressive website where you can sign up for yoga classes, as well as, other activities at the center.  They host many types of yoga, meditation, acupuncture and healing  retreats.  Right now they are offering some nice discounts and incentives for those looking for a new yoga studio.  They offer a wide range of skill level classes and with 4 different locations in New York City finding a class at a convenient time should not be a problem.

Related Reading:

Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition

8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.

Meditations

Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika

Karma Yoga : Eight Lectures by the Swami Vivekananda on Karma Yoga (The Secret of Work), Delivered in New York, Winter 1895-6

A new film called ”Dhamma Brothers”, which was recently released in New York City and Los Angeles, has many debating if meditation can help offenders find peace and purpose.

Why have prison inmates meditate?  Some ask this especially with inmates who have no hope of returning to mainstream society, some of whom are even on death row.

 These men are the subject of a recently released movie titled “The Dhamma Brothers.” A documentary which was the result of a project started by cultural anthropologist Jenny Phillips. Phillips wanted to see what meditation could do for hardened criminals at one of the nation’s toughest prisons.

The training consisted of an intensive 10-day meditation retreat in which silence is expected and there are long hours of sitting still and looking within.  The program was a great success, and the men responded to their training in very positive ways.  Dr. Ron Cavanaugh, who worked with Phillips to develop the meditation program at the prison, told reporters, “We were finding that after this 10-day course, inmates were better able to control their anger and better able to conduct themselves.  The initial group had about a 20 percent reduction in their disciplinary histories.”

However, the prison chaplain complained to the administration that he was losing his Christians to another faith, something not looked upon lightly in the Deep South. The men were then forbidden to meditate.

While still committed to making her movie, Phillips felt that there was no way to turn the movie away from having a sense of defeat,  since the men were now prevented from their practice.

But they had deeper faith than she thought. For four years, the men who had participated in the meditation  sessions wrote letters to Phillips, and finally the prison administration changed, and she was allowed to return to Donaldson Prison to complete her film.

 Prison officials are noticing that their meditation practitioners are not returning to jail on new charges nearly as often as others.

What they are also noticing is that  meditation is proving to be an excellent tool for combating drug and alcohol abuse, which are often linked to crimes, especially those involving impulsive actions.

 For a more long term prisoner, who may have no hope of returning to the outside world, meditation can still offer something-the hope of being able to know oneself, make an internal connection and heal deep wounds.

Related Reading:

Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief

Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

Healing the Shame that Binds You (Recovery Classics)

8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.

Opening to Meditation: A Gentle, Guided Approach (Book & CD)

While researching transcendental meditation this afternoon I came across this amazing video clip- it is one of my all-time favorite directors, David Lynch, talking about his life and his love for transcendental meditation. It is a must see!

If you are interested in seeing more celebrities speak about their experiences with meditation follow this link www.tm.org. On the left hand side under the main banner is a video clip with many well known musicians, artists and other celebrities.  They all seem to be speaking from the heart and seem to have a real connection with transcendental meditation.
Deep breathing is a main component of this type of meditation which definitely improves concentration and memory. Transcendental meditation is also proven to reduce stress and help with relaxation. This technique helps live a conscious life and leads to spiritual awakening.

Related Reading:

Meditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated

Sexuality Connecting Mind Body and Spirit

Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness

Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit

Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition