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May 2009
| Focus of the Month for May Tapas: Re-ignite your practice / Hanumanasana & variations Several months ago, we chose the niyamas as the philosophical focus of the month. This month, we zero in on one of them – tapas – as a way for you to tap into the energy to re-ignite your practice. Recently one of the newspapers had an article about an 80-something--year-old woman who had been teaching yoga for decades and is still practicing asana. Such an inspiring image of a woman in her eighties doing peacock pose! What does it take to do that? Tapas – dedicated, persistent, benevolent efforts. Writer, teacher, Jaya Yoga student Sean O'Hanlon has written an inspiring essay about rededicating oneself to practice (click to read). "Tapas is ultimately measured in the consistent willingness to begin practice again and again, over and over again to bring awareness to this very moment. Ultimately nothing is more difficult than consistency." Yoga Teacher Judith H. Lasater Physically, we are going to harness all that energy and dig into hanumanasana, a.k.a. split. Loads of variations here, including half split, twisted, and inverted in head- and handstands. This will give us an opportunity to identify and open the groins, hip flexors, and hamstrings. As we did last month, we will start with the basic components of the posture and by month's end, we'll have fun with some of those more advanced variations in the open level classes and find a good supported hanuman in the basic classes. Special Offering by Sara Bethall MELT Hand and Foot Classes Fridays, 5 - 5:45 pm, May 1, May 8 Learn easy self-treatment techniques you can use to improve balance and flexibility and ease pain and discomfort throughout the body. Stay for an evening yoga class and discover the difference! Drop in $10 DEEP REST Class Sunday, 7:45 - 9:00 pm May 3, and May 17 Restorative Yoga, also called Deep Relaxation, focuses on how the yin (receptive) qualities of the poses can be tapped into to induce deeper states of rest and relaxation. This class has one sole aim: deep mindful rest. You will be exposed to a combination of restorative yoga poses and be guided to hold these poses for an extended period of time, using props to provide physical support. Explore breath observation and guided meditation exercises. Taken as a whole, these techniques are used to usher your mind, body, and spirit into a state of deep internal awareness where we may let go of our hardened and habitual daily reactions in the body (samskaras). This is a great class if you wish to reduce stress in your daily life. Please take advantage of this class before the end of may. "The deep rest that comes when you lay down your burden." P. Doobinin Om Yoga Women Cancer Survivor Class Taught By Stacey Sperling Every Wednesday 11:15 - 12:45 Begins May 27th Class will include gentle movements, healing yoga sequences, restorative postures, breathing exercises, and balancing work appropriate for women during and after cancer treatment. Whether you are new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, you are welcome to come. This class is part of a program started by Tari Prinster, a yoga teacher and cancer survivor, at OM Yoga in Manhattan. Stacey Sperling feels it is an honor to teach this special class. Please email Stacey if you have specific questions regarding this class. The class is by donation of $5-$15. BEGINNERS ONLY 6- Week Beginner Series taught by Carla Stangenberg, the Director of Jaya May 31 - June , from 2 - 3:15 pm Our last beginner series before the summer. This class is tailored for the newcomer to yoga. You will be eased into the practice by the skillful attention of your teacher. You will learn basic body awareness exercises, basic asanas (yoga poses) that stretch, lengthen and strengthen your body and a handful of techniques to help reduce stress in your daily life. At the end of your six classes you will be ready to join any of our basic level classes. $85 for the series or $17 to drop in. Sign up now email. BEGINNERS ONLY 4-Week Beginner Series: YOGA FOR MEN taught by Michael Gates Sunday, May 31 - June 21, 7:45 - 9:15 pm The primary content of the course will be fundamental alignments for a basic set of asana, with a focus on physiological patterns common among men. Students will also be introduced to techniques for meditation and pranayama and the health benefits of a regular practice. At the end of the course, students will be ready to join any of our basic level classes. Michael's bio. $60 for the series - preregistration required. Sign up now email. Plan Ahead!! Great gift for Father's Day (June 21). BEGINNERS NIGHT AT JAYA Beginners / Basic Class every Thursday, 7:45 pm with Ramit Kreitner This is a slow-paced class where you can build an intelligent foundation for your yoga practice. Learning standing poses and sun salutations, forward bending with ease, back bends without fear, hip openers and twists. All while learning how to use props to assist in creating a personalized practice for your own body. See you then. ON GOING KIDS CLASSES Little Lotuses with Lauren Maples Mondays through June 8, 11:30 - 12:15 pm (crawling - 3 yrs) This class is our "mommy and me" yoga class. Children from crawling to 3 years can practice yoga along with their parent or guardian. $17 to drop in (please note series skips Memorial Day) Down Dog for Kids with Lauren Maples Wednesdays through June 3, 3:30 - 4:15 pm From 3:30 - 4:15 pm for ages 4- 7 yrs. Down Dog for Kids classes introduce children to the practice of yoga. Yoga poses and principles are explored in a variety of fun ways. Nature, basic anatomy and imagination are all key aspects of the class. Children are encouraged to explore the way their bodies move through creative projects, collaboration, story time and songs. Chanting, breathing exercises and simple meditation practices relax and calm the mind. Each classes finishes with relaxation - something the little yogis come to look forward to! No prior yoga experience required. $17 to drop in LOOKING FORWARD TO JUNE Advanced Workshop with Carla Stangenberg June 6, 5:45 - 8:15 pm Please join us for this adventurous ride into advanced asana, pranayama, and meditation practices, as well as philosophy. Focus of the class to be determined. If you have a request, please email Carla. $25 - pre-registration required Jaya Yoga BOOK CLUB Our next book is In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan. Pick it up and start reading. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 2:15 pm. We are taking the club outdoors! This meeting will be in the park, so bring a blanket to sit on. We will meet at the southwest entrance to the park at Bartell-Pritchard Square. (If it is raining, the meeting will be held the following week.) Everyone is welcome, even if you have not attended the book club before. Join us!. KIRTAN with Nina and Friends Coming back in June more information soon! TWO WEEKS OF YOGA SUMMER CAMP Summer Camp with Lauren Maples June 29 - July 3, 12:30 - 3 pm and August 24 - 28 Join Jaya and Bija for a weeklong children's yoga workshop! Each daily session will include an hour of yoga at the studio (including age-appropriate yoga poses, games, breathing techniques, story time, and more) and then an exploration of the natural world in nearby Prospect Park. On rainy days, we will stay inside and do yoga-based art projects (think sand mandalas and life-size yoga portraits). Sign up by the week or the day. For kids ages 3 - 10 years (must be potty-trained and able to separate without transition time). No yoga experience necessary. Register today. Space is limited to 15 participants. $200/week or $45/day sign up for both weeks and save 10% save 10% off a sibling registration Parents are responsible for providing a healthy snack to be eaten after yoga. Water will be provided. JULY Fourth Annual Sweat it Out Summer Immersion with Carla Stangenberg July 6, 7, 9 and 10 7 - 9 am Here is your chance to embrace the heat, further your practice, and transform. Join us for this adventurous four day immersion. $80 pre-registration required email. VERMONT Yoga Retreat with Carla Stangenberg Friday July 24 - Monday July 26 This is going to be loads of fun. Our location is the bucolic village of Jamaica, Vermont. Our accommodations will be fun, rustic, and community-oriented. We will have a lot of time to practice, be quiet, eat vegetarian foods, get to know each other, and discover a little piece of the gem of the Green Mountains. We will have a little meeting on Saturday, May 9, at 11:30 am, where you can ask questions about the retreat. There is a limited number of spaces available; if you would like to reserve your place now, you can do so with a $50 non-refundable deposit. Accommodations will range from private to semi-private to camping (between $325 and $425 for each individual). Email for more information. PLEASE WELCOME Leslie Kraus While Pascale is on leave having her second child Leslie will fill in for her Wednesday 7:45 open / restorative and Saturday 8:30 am basic class. She is a wonderful teacher and as well as a professional dancer. Find her full bio here. Michael Gates Will be teaching for Danika while she is on sabbatical for the next couple of months. Find his full bio here. New Classes to Choose From In order for you to have more of an option in practicing, we have introduced two new classes. You asked for them and here they are! Friday All Levels 7 - 8:15 am with Stacey Sperling Stacey's bio. Monday Intermediate Level 12:30 - 1:55 pm with Ruthie Streiter Ruthie's bio. IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE: As announced in the April newsletter as of May 1, prices will be: $10 (first class) $15 (single) $125 (10 classes in 6 weeks) $145 (10 classes in 12 weeks) $235 (20 classes in 12 weeks) $160 (30-day unlimited)** new class card option $385 (3-month unlimited) $685 (6-month unlimited) You can freeze a class card for injury (not vacation). Also Important Keeping Track of Your Card It's easy for you to keep track of how many classes you have left and when they expire. Just look it up on our website. Go to the home page, click on class schedule, then pick a login name and password. The directions are easy to follow. Also, we are going to implement an automatic email to be sent out as the expiration date for your class card nears. It will be sent to your email address 1 week before your expiration date. We encourage you to make sure we have the most up-to-date email address for you in our system. You can check this at the front desk or by contacting namaste@jayayogacenter.com with the best one for this purpose. Please note that the newsletter email list is not on the same computer system as the class card list, so if you get the newsletter it doesn't mean your correct address is in the other system. It's best to check. It is our sincere hope that these features will be helpful in keeping track of your class cards. Keeping Track of Your Bicycle Recently, a bicycle was stolen right in front of the studio while class was going on. These brazen thieves cut right through a cable lock and took the bike. This is the second time this has happened outside the studio (and with the same type of lock). Get yourself not just a good lock but a great lock. Police have said that bike thefts are up, so you know the bandits are cruising around 11215 and other similar areas looking for a weak link. The U-locks are also breakable. If you at all like your bike, I encourage you to get one of the totally cumbersome New York Kryptonite locks. It is heavy but it works. Thank you for your practice, patience and good humor -Jaya News Department |
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