A View from the Mat of Blogger Sally Murphy

Hot, Crowded, and Awesome

by Sally Murphy, Blogger at ihidemychocolate

(I Almost Didn’t Go)
To celebrate the Summer Solstice and support the Mental Health Association, our community has an outdoor yoga extravaganza (which was indoors this year).  I wasn’t going to go.  It would be hot and crowded.  I’d have to leave work early.  I wouldn’t be home to fulfill my dinner-making duties with my family.  Besides, it promised to be awesome.  That is my cue to stay away.  I have honed my scorn for awesome, crowded events over many, many years.  Indeed, this scorn has been passed down from generation to generation.  I come from a family of introverts, where anything too popular or too crowded is to be avoided.  Join in with whole-hearted enthusiasm?  Nah ah!  Better to stay home and be safe and do one’s duty.
One of my yoga friends and teachers, who happens to embrace – joyfully – all things awesome with wholehearted enthusiasm, reminded me that Matthew Sanford would be the guest teacher at this event.  Oh!  Hmmm.  The author of the amazing memoir, Waking, that heightened my devotion to yoga?!  Oh well.  That’s okay.  I don’t need to take a hot, crowded, awesome class with a yoga teacher who happens to be a paraplegic and has written eloquently and with great insight about the mind-body connection…or lack thereof.  Besides, I am too busy.  Busy, busy, busy.  That mind of mine is going off in a million directions with Very Important Thoughts.
But this quiet voice in my gut said, “Sally.  What are you doing?  You have been profoundly and forever affected by yoga.  Matt Sanford’s book had a huge impact on you.  You know you want to meet him and take class with him.  Embrace this opportunity with whole-hearted enthusiasm!”  I decided to listen to the quiet, intuitive voice in my gut instead of the busy, analytical voice in my head.  I invited my friend Gina, the one who enthusiastically accepts my most spontaneous invitations with touching appreciation, kindness, enthusiasm, and support.  My friend Gina who thinks the best of me, who thinks I am better than I am.  Dear Gina said yes.  Off we went.
We arrived and there was an assortment of sponsors advertising their wares.  Marketing, I scoffed.  (Full disclosure, I make my living by marketing.)  Gina left me at the registration table in a hurry to get to the first table to chat up the sponsor and see what they were offering.  Within 10 minutes, she had gotten valuable tips from a nutritionist and found a photographer who did beautiful yoga stationery.  I, on the other hand, was wondering how quickly I could dump the goody bag and all the flyers.  Then, we entered the hot and crowded space where the class would be.  Music was playing.  I saw many, many yoga friends.  I smiled.  Aware that I was in this funny space where my mind kept me at a distance from the experience, from other people, from whole-heartedly and enthusiastically being All In, I decided to be there.  All In.  With my friend.  With my yoga community, those I knew and those I didn’t know.  We found a space in the middle of the hot crowd and became part of the hot crowd.
Matt Sanford was introduced.  He began.   Speaking, teaching, in his wheelchair, about the mind-body connection.  He was simply profound.   And he was an ordinary guy who was impatient with the uncooperative sound system and with the shortness of time.  Determined to convey the messages he felt were most urgent to deliver to this hot, crowded group of devotees who wanted to soak in every word he said in one short class.  He had us feel our breath behind our hearts, notice that we felt better when our bodies were energetically in alignment, and appreciate the touch and support of a partner.  Some of my paraphrasing of his words of wisdom include:

• The body is driven to live.
• The body is the best home for the mind (to rest).
• Take up space with your body.
• The distraction of the mind prevents us from feeling and being present.
• The silence of his paralyzed body is like the silence we will all experience as we age.
• Notice the humming of energy through your body.
• Feel your body.  Feel connected.  Feel.
• Life is a gift – enjoy it!

After the class, everyone in this hot, crowded space held hands and sang and chanted and felt connected.  It was truly awe-some.
And to think I almost didn’t go.  I would have missed so much.

Me with Matt.  He is inscribing my copy of Waking:  A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence.
Photos:  Gina took these photos.

NEWSFLASH: Yoga Event VENUE CHANGE!

MHA’s Get On Your Mat for Mental Health 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 @ 5:30PM

NEWSFLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Change of Venue due to inclement weather

The location of this year’s mega yoga event is changed to:

Woodlands High School GYM in Hartsdale

Located at 475 West Hartsdale Avenue, Hartsdale, NY 10530

FOLLOW SIGNS TO THE HIGH SCHOOL GYM. (Please note it is a bit of a distance from the main road)

There are parking lots near the gym and all throughout the school complex.

Sheltered, we will enjoy an extraordinary evening together -- the teaching of Matthew Sanford, the music of Answer the Muse and the extraordinary impact of breath and yoga and community on well-being. See you in Hartsdale!

Directions:

From Central Avenue, turn onto West Hartsdale Avenue. Continue 1.2 miles to the school entrance, on your right, which will be marked by balloons. Follow signs to the high school gym.

From Route 119, turn onto Knollwood Road/NY-100A and continue 1.1 miles. Turn onto West Hartsdale Avenue (you’ll see the Benjamin Steak House) and continue .5 miles to the school on your left.

Yoga Teacher, Matthew Sanford, Chosen for 2014 Mega-Yoga Event

Presenting yoga teacher, Matthew Sanford 

in his first appearance in Westchester on June 18, 2014!

We are so thrilled to welcome Matthew to our community.

Matthew is the author of the book, Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence about a devastating car accident in which he was paralyzed from the chest down and his subsequent waking of both mind and body through yoga.

 

Matthew has inspired thousands through speaking and teaching and sharing what he has learned about realizing opportunity in the face of change. His 18 years as a paralyzed yoga practitioner have given him an unprecedented perspective--challenging what yoga looks like and what it can be.

Matthew teaches at studios, yoga conferences, universities and institutions all over the county and we are so fortunate that he has chosen to spend the summer solstice with us.

 

Matt Sanford: "When we deepen the quality of where and how our minds interact with our bodies, our consciousness shifts. We get more connected to our lives, to each other and to the planet. We all live on a continuum of abilities and disabilities. The principles of yoga apply to all people to all bodies."

 

 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at 6pm on Court Street in White Plains, New York at 5:30 pm

                    Come take your first stretch of summer under the open sky.

 

Q and A with Sadie Nardini

MHA: Are there yoga postures you feel are particularly recommended to reduce stress?
Sadie: All yoga poses help to balance the body and breath, and therefore, the central nervous system. In my opinion, it's not the poses that matter most, it's the level of intensity. If a class is too hard, even yoga can trigger stress. Too passive and it can promote lethargy. Yoga as internal medicine is a personal thing. Some people find that more movement, or more of an exercise form of yoga is what best brings them to center. Some require a more gentle or restorative form. Many students find that incorporating both stronger and softer poses helps them feel fit, grounded and clear. People should try them both and see which style brings them the most benefits.

MHA: What about breathing techniques?
Sadie: One of the best breaths I've found for calming the mind and body is simple, and fast-acting. I call it the Double-Down Breath.  Sit somewhere quiet, and begin to breathe through the nose. Inhale for 3 seconds, and exhale for 6. Do this for one minute, then do one more minute of 4 second inhales and 8 second exhales. Then breathe normally through the nose for one more minute. In just 3 minutes total, people usually experience a soothing, yet aware sensation that means the nervous system is now in equilibrium.

MHA: What is the best way for a beginner to start a yoga practice?
Sadie: The best way is to just start. So many people wait because they don't know what it will be like, and when they finally get there, they find it's an amazingly helpful tool they can always have access to. I would suggest that someone who wants to try yoga head to a local studio, and take a Basic or Beginner-level class. These are usually strengthening classes that get the body moving in a supportive environment with lots of variations and adaptations. Gentle and Restorative will be less movement but are great for those who want a more soothing practice and not as much of a workout.

MHA:Is posture connected to mood? What do you recommend to help improve posture?
Sadie: Posture is absolutely connected to mood. People with poor posture are usually cut off from their full breathing capacity. Breath is intimately connected to healing, brain function and central nervous system balancing. Along with poor posture usually comes a lack of belly tone or movement. Without the inner massage that belly and pelvic breathing and toning provides, serotonin production (the majority of which is produced in the gut, not the brain), less self-soothing and stress-busting is available.  Simply standing up straighter--something that regular yoga practice causes naturally--and inhaling to expand the belly, exhaling to hug the low belly in and up can cause a major shift in mood...and health in general.

MHA: How do you recommend beginning?
Sadie: It's hard to start something new if one is feeling depressed, fatigued or isolated. But yoga is a magic practice, one that not only transforms the body, mind and way of living in the world, but it also provides an instant community of like-minded people ready to encourage and support your journey into unimaginable health and wellness. You just have to take the first step--onto the yoga mat.

Join us for Get On Your Mat For Mental Health with Sadie Nardini!

Wednesday, June 19 at 6pm on Court Street in White Plains

Register at www.mhawestchester.org

Announcing CENTERING SUNDAY: Practice with a good karma twist!

 

On MHA’s Centering Sunday, May 19th, you can practice yoga, take pilates or book a massage, all with a good karma twist.

In honor of May's Mental Health Awareness Month, yoga studios and wellness centers across the Hudson Valley are offering classes in support of the Mental Health Association of Westchester’s mental health programs and services. 

Through these events, MHA hopes to increase understanding and reduce stigma, which causes needless shame and is the biggest obstacle to seeking help.  With good treatment, people can and do recover and lead healthy, productive lives in the community.

 

Join us!

May 10th at The Yoga Sanctuary in Mamaroneck - 6pm


May 16th at Premier Pilates & Yoga in New Rochelle - 6:15 PM

Sunday, May 19:

Athleta (Scarsdale) – 10:00 AM

Bikram Yoga (Yorktown Heights) - 3:00 PM

Bronxville Wellness Sanctuary (Bronxville) - Massage 2:00 - 5:00 PM

Devoted Yoga (Yorktown Heights) - 10:00 AM

Energy Movement Center (Peekskill) - 11:00 AM

Hudson Yoga (Croton-on-Hudson) - 11:00 AM

Pilates on Hudson (Peekskill) - 9 AM Yoga for Anxiety & Depression

Quest Yoga Arts  (Mt. Kisco) -11:45 AM

Riverstone Yoga (Tarrytown) - 9 AM

Sage Yoga (Armonk) - 4:00 PM

Santhigram Wellness & Ayurveda Center (White Plains) - 11:00 AM

Scarsdale Yoga Studio (Scarsdale) - 11:45 AM

Skinny Buddha (Mount Kisco) - 10:00 AM

Soulauras Wisdom & Wellness Center (Briarcliff Manor) - 2 PM

SPACE/Pilates Yoga & Beyond (Bedford Hills)  - 11:00 AM

The Ajna Center for Wellness & Community (Croton-on-Hudson) - 1:00 PM

The Yoga Room (Pelham) - 12:30 PM

Yoga Haven (Scarsdale) --3PM

Yoga on Lake Rippowam (South Salem) - 5:00 PM

Yoga Spark (Mamaroneck) - 12 noon

Thank you to these generous studios and studio owners for partnering with MHA. Together, we can do so much. Together, we will!

For a map and directions to all locations, visit http://www.mhawestchester.org/onyourmat/Centering_Sunday/Find_a_Studio/find_a_studio.html

www.mhawestchester.org

Feeling alone? Disconnected? Try This Breathing Practice

By Amy Weintraub

MHA Westchester is so happy to welcome Amy back as we begin the countdown to this year's mega yoga event, Get On Your Mat For Mental Health,  Wednesday, June 19th on Court Street in White Plains. To register, visit www.mhawestchester.org
I know of no better way to sense our interconnectedness than to begin a breathing practice.  Aside from the well-documented health benefits, we can stop a ruminative chain of thoughts or a negative mood state in its tracks with one of many simple yogic breathing exercises called pranayama.  Trauma, loss and the everyday hassles of daily life can create constriction in the physical and emotional body.  As we constrict, we begin to close off from others.  Some of us carry this sense of separation throughout our lives in the form of depression.  Yogic breathing can begin to break through that wall of separation, perhaps just a chink at first, through which we begin to feel less separate and alone.  A simple breath can give us a felt sense of our connection to the energy of the cosmos.  Einstein once said that we are operating under the optical delusion of our separateness and that our separateness is lethal.* When we breathe mindfully, that delusion dissolves and we begin to see clearly again that we are intimately and eternally connected to the energy of the universe and to each other.  What is authentic within us is given voice. 
 
Practice:
When we breathe consciously, we may quiet the clatter of thoughts so that mindfulness naturally arises. Try this simple breath when the busy mind needs a respite.  Let it be the portal into your seated meditation practice.
Ocean-Sounding Victory Breath (Ujjayi)
This breath, jokingly referred to as Darth Vader Breath, is soothing to the central nervous system, even as it calms the mind and supports greater focus for meditation.
1. To begin, inhale through the nostrils to the count of four with a slight constriction at the back of the throat, so that the breath is audible, like a light snoring sound.
2. Exhale through the nostrils for four counts, maintaining the snoring sound.
3. The breath is slow, and deep.  Feel the breath expanding the belly, the ribcage, and then the upper chest.
4. On the exhalation, pull the abdomen in and up to empty the lungs completely.
5. Sense the breath at the back of the throat.
6. Listen to your breath.  Does it sound like a wave gently rolling across pebbles?  Imagine your favorite pebbly beach.  Does it sound like an infant’s snore?  Let it be like a lullaby to yourself—perhaps a younger you.

*Calaprice, A. (2005). The new quotable Einstein. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, p. 109

Amy Weintraub, director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute, author of the bestselling Yoga for Depression and the ground-breaking Yoga Skills for Therapists, has been a pioneer in the field of yoga and mental health for over 20 years. She trains health and yoga professionals and offers workshops for every day practitioners.  The LifeForce Yoga protocol is being used in residential treatment centers, hospitals and by health care providers around the world. She is involved in ongoing research on the effects of yoga on mood, and has produced an award-winning library of evidence-based yoga and meditation CDs and DVDs for mood management.  Find Amy at www.yogafordepression.com.,

Sadie Nardini and Tao Porchon-Lynch to Headline Mega-Yoga Event

MHA is thrilled to announce the 2013 Get On Your Mat For Mental Health lineup. The one-hour class will be taught by Yoga superstar, Sadi Nardini  and yoga legend and Athleta's Athlete of the Year, Tao Porchon-Lynch will be leading the opening meditation.

We could not be more pleased to have these two extraordinary souls take us to our mats on June 19, 2013 on Court Street in White Plains.