Upcoming Events
YOGA & POETRY
Friday, January 27
at Haleybird Studios, Wauwatosa
YOGA AND MENOPAUSE
Saturday, February 4, 2012
3:00 - 5:00 PM
YOGA AND OSTEOPOROS
Sunday, February 19, 2012
2:00 - 4:00 PM
(see website for details)
Yoga Therapy
Simply stated, Yoga Therapy applies Yoga techniques in the treatment of health conditions.
Most people don’t even know about Yoga as therapy, but the National Institute of Health recognizes yoga as one of the top ten Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities used in the United States. More and more of the top health institutes, including Duke University’s Integrative Medicine program, incorporate yoga in their treatment for a wide range of chronic conditions including back pain, hypertension, asthma, depression, carpal tunnel syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder.
So how is Yoga Therapy different from Yoga? Most yoga practices have the potential to be therapeutic. Students may sign up for a yoga class to increase flexibility and strength or to help reduce stress in their life. However, Yoga Therapy differs from a Yoga class in several ways.
Yoga Therapy focuses on the individual needs of clients. Instead of the student modifying to fit the class, the class is modified to benefit the needs of students Health issues ranging from chronic pain and injury, to cancer, depression, digestive issues, heart conditions and stress related symptoms can be affectively addressed using yoga techniques, and each of these classes would be significantly different in its composition, based on student needs. Many times yoga therapy is offered one-on-one to address individual needs more directly in a private environment.
Yoga Therapy places equal emphasis on the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the practice. Although many Yoga classes include some reference to psychological issues like reducing stress, the physical practice is the primary focus. In a Yoga Therapy session, one third of the time is spent in the body, one third working with the mind, and one third connecting with spirit. By placing equal emphasis on quiet meditation, breath techniques and movement, students find more balance on the mat that they can then bring with them off the mat and into their life.
Yoga Therapy sees healing as a process of bringing the entire being into wholeness, not just relieving symptoms. Western or allopathic medicine diagnoses and then treats the symptoms of disease but often ignores the root cause which may be physical (due to lack of movement or injury), emotional (brought on by stress or negative mind chatter), or spiritual (expressed in feelings of despondency, depression or failure to thrive). The broader approach of Yoga Therapy reminds clients that they are not defined by their diagnosis and symptoms. Relief from symptoms is just one aspect of the healing process, a multifaceted journey focused on mobilizing the individual’s progress toward greater health and well being. Yoga Therapy is not intended to be a substitute for modern medicine, but is a complimentary and alternative method that enhances the healing process.
A typical Yoga Therapy class begins with body scanning, a technique that involves simply being present with the body and really “feeling” what is going on instead of telling a story about it. Next is breath exploration. Yoga offers many unique breath techniques that cool or warm the body and help the mind focus in the present moment. Warm-ups and postures are chosen to increase awareness and connection with the body in its present physical state. Some classes are completely experienced in a chair, while others can be more physical, lying on the earth, bending, arching, standing, or balancing. Experienced practitioners can incorporate complicated poses into their therapeutic practice, like head stand to reduce depression or deep twists to stimulate fatigued kidneys and adrenals. Mudras, meditation, relaxation, intention, and imagery are intertwined to help clients release destructive patterns in body and mind as they open their consciousness to more healthy ways of being.
There are many different schools and philosophies of Yoga Therapy, but my teacher, Joseph LePage, defines Yoga Therapy in this way:
"Yoga therapy is that facet of the ancient science of Yoga that focuses on health and wellness at all levels of the person: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Yoga therapy focuses on the path of Yoga as a healing journey that brings balance to the body and mind through an experiential understanding of the primary intention of Yoga: awakening of Spirit, our essential nature.”
Yoga Therapy: A complimentary and alternative method of healing that enhances the journey to wholeness.
~ Namaste
MOVE THE BODY. CALM THE MIND. RECONNECT WITH YOUR SPIRIT.
THE HEALING POWER OF YOGA
By Tina Romenesko R.Y.T. / P.Y.T.
It’s nearly impossible these days to open a magazine, from Good Housekeeping to Runners World or GQ, without reading an article about the benefits of yoga. Yoga seems to be the new buzz word. The cure-all for everything from depression to tight hamstrings. But how does yoga heal? Why? What makes yoga different from other work-outs like pilates, dance, running and kick boxing?
The word yoga means union. The union of body, mind, and spirit. A full yoga practice seamlessly combines these 3 elements through movement, breath and meditation, bringing all 3 entities into a state of balance that supports physical, emotional and spiritual wellness. In order to understand the interplay of body, mind, and spirit, let’s look at each entity individually, investigating how they mobilize the individual’s potential for transformation and wholeness.
BODY. The physical practice.
No other exercise works the entire body like yoga. Forward bends, back bends, twists, balancing, standing postures, inverted postures. A full practice includes all of these physical elements, strengthening and stretching each major muscle group and bringing fluidity and movement to the joints of the body. Yoga also benefits the internal organs, physically squeezing out toxins and opening up the energy around the organs. Pranayama (breath control) increases lung capacity, teaching the student how to take a full breath, bringing more oxygen into the blood stream and more energy and health into the physical body. The awareness cultivated in a yoga class, works the body from the inside out. Not just using the outer body to hold the poses, but opening up new places inside the body with awareness and movement, encouraging you to break patterns of holding and tension. Yoga presents a physical repertoire that will keep you healthy and mobile for life.
MIND. The mental, emotional, and psychological benefits.
Breath and meditation combine on the yoga mat, by encouraging the mind to reside in the fullness of now, with complete acceptance of body, mind, and spirit. How does this intangible aspect of yoga work?
It is the nature of the mind to be scattered. To flit back and forth between the past and the future. Ruminating. Problem solving. Obsessing. Fantasizing. Remembering. Yoga offers two anchors for the mind in the present moment. The body and the breath. When you are present in a posture, noticing the details of the shoulder blades, the location of the tongue or the connection of your feet to the earth, you are grounded in the present moment in your body. When you are present in a posture, noticing the movement of the breath, you are grounded in the present moment, breathing in and breathing out. This practice of returning again and again to the present moment in body and breath, trains and stabilizes the mind, allowing you to step away from your mind chatter, your grocery list, the injustices of the past, or plans for the future. When you can stand in the middle of a situation and know that it “is”, without reacting, without labeling, you are sitting in your wholeness. Not denying the stress or agitation in your life, in your body, but accepting it without identifying with it. Practicing the yoga of attention.
The concept of presence is simple, but anyone who has sat on a meditation cushion or rolled out their yoga mat in the living room with the intention of relieving stress, and “being here now”, understands that it is a very challenging practice. One that requires patience, commitment and complete acceptance in order to jump out of the craziness of the world and jump into the stillness that lies beneath the surface, if only you can be quiet enough to listen.
SPIRIT. The unifying consciousness.
For many students, the spiritual benefits of yoga are the biggest surprise of all. Yoga isn’t a religion. Yoga doesn’t have a set of rules you have to follow or a set dogma. It’s a philosophy. It’s a framework. Practitioners from any spiritual tradition can do yoga. You just show up on the mat, with an open heart and an open mind, and it happens.
Once the physical body has been addressed through the asanas or postures, and the mind has been calmed by the breath and meditation, our spirit naturally connects with the universal consciousness. And whether we interpret that universal consciousness as Jesus, or Buddha or Mohammed or bliss or internal connection with all that is, it happens. And it feels great.
Our spiritual beliefs are as unique and diverse as the human race. Yoga removes all of the external barriers between us and allows us to connect with each other and the universe on a heart level. It allows us to forgive ourselves and others, inspiring us to be the best that we can be.
BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT The full practice.
Because yoga integrates physical movement with mental control and breath, it integrates body and mind, the nervous system and the respiratory system. The brain and the heart. It helps the body find a sense of balance, or homeostasis, encouraging the student to accept the condition of their body, the condition of their life, instead of resenting it, moving from the stress response to the relaxation response, one breath at a time.
The Sufi mystic Rumi, speaks to this balance in the following poem.
Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If you were always a fist or always stretched open
You would be paralyzed.
Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding
The two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings.
Balance. Coordination. Presence. The essence of yoga lies in the awareness of contraction and expansion. Move the body. Calm the mind. Reconnect with your spirit and begin the journey to wholeness. The healing path of yoga.
Namaste
YOGA NIDRA:PRESCRIPTION FOR RELAXATION AND WHOLENESS.
As the validity of using meditation and relaxation techniques to treat stress related diseases becomes more and more recognized as an important aspect of treatment in the Western world, buzz words like yoga nidra tend to pop up in the media. But what exactly is Yoga Nidra? Since it contains the word, yoga, most people associate this practice with the photos they see of fit, beautiful young people moving through complicated postures with grace, strength and stamina. However, Yoga Nidra is the antithesis of this stereotype. In Yoga Nidra, the participant lies on the floor, completely supported by blankets, sometimes wearing a light eye pillow. Anyone can practice yoga nidra. In bed. In a wheel chair. Or after a physical workout at your local yoga studio. Yoga Nidra holds great potential for healing many human ailments, from heart disease and depression to chronic fatigue syndrome and endocrine imbalances. But what exactly is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra is sometimes referred to as “psychic sleep”, however the patient doesn’t really fall asleep. One appears to be asleep, but the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level of awareness. The entire process takes between 20 and 30 minutes to complete. Yoga Nidra is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, emotional. and mental relaxation while maintaining consciousness. This 10 step practice involves body and breath awareness, meditation, relaxation, affirmation, witnessing of mind, emotions and feelings, and visualization. Practicing Yoga Nidra depersonalizes thought patterns, resulting in less fragmented awareness. When a patient understands that they are not defined by their feelings but are limited by them, they begin to awaken the potential to view themselves as whole. Healthy. They are less stressed out. More accepting of their life as it is. Not denying mind chatter and emotions such as fear and abandonment, but realizing that these deep impressions condition our behaviors and create stress in our lives that is self induced and perpetuated. Practiced on a regular basis, Yoga Nidra teaches the patient to recognize these negative behaviors and feelings, step away from them, and move toward a healthier lifestyle.
THE 10 STEPS OF YOGA NIDRA
RELAXATION: In this first stage, the student mindfully relaxes the body, inducing the relaxation response. There are many different techniques that can be used including relaxing the body, part by part, or imagining the body becoming heavier and heavier with each exhalation.
AFFIRMATION (SAMKOLPA): Setting a resolve is a key part of the Yoga Nidra process. Stated in positive language in the first person present tense, this affirmation gets embedded in the unconscious where it can motivate changes in behavior, lifestyle and awareness. Try not to ask for something too specific like a new job. Let it be something deeper, like “I am open to finding my authentic path”, addressing the larger picture. The more relaxed, the more effective the affirmation, so try to allow it to arise from within.
ROTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: By moving through each part of the body, with special focus on the hands, face and mouth, the body is able to be observed objectively. The student will listen to the body part, say it silently to themselves, visualize the body part and feel it proprioceptively.
AWARENESS OF PERCEPTION: In this step, sense perception mechanisms in the skin and within the body are awakened. The student is asked to perceive opposite sensations including comfort and discomfort, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, heavy and light, etc. experiencing the memory of these feelings, comparing and contrasting them, and moving on.
BREATH: Breath and energy are the same word in Sanskrit, the language of yoga. Prana. Awareness of breath and specific breath techniques called pranayama are included in this part of yoga nidra, depending on the student’s experience and expertise.
CHAKRAS: Chakras are simply energy centers that are associated with major nerve plexus in the body. Each chakra relates to a particular point in the spine and influences a particular zone in the body. Chakras are the road map for our life journey as we evolve from basic needs toward more subtle and spiritual aspirations. In yoga nidra, we move through the chakras quite rapidly to avoid long thought patterns, simply dropping into the energy, feeling of each center and moving on.
WORKING WITH MIND AND EMOTIONS: Here students are encouraged to feel both positive feelings and their negative counterparts. Sometimes they are encouraged to associated colors or symbols with these feelings and then let them go. This reminds us that we are not defined by our feelings and emotions. That they come and go as easily as our breath flows in and out of the body.
IMAGES FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS: The main technique is to present images related to the unconscious. Archetypal images, symbols from early civilizations and religions, and the four elements of earth, fire, water and space are presented randomly to represent our common humanity.
GUIDED JOURNEY: Sometimes called visualization or imagery, students are brought into a sacred place where they connect with the deepest part of their truth, which is the seat of wholeness in yoga philosophy. Each journey is open ended, allowing the student to add the details that make their visualization pertinent to their life experience.
THE RETURN: Here the student integrates the journey of Yoga Nidra, repeats the samkolpa from the beginning of practice and prepares to return from the state of complete relaxation, refreshed and renewed.
Yoga Nidra is an effective and simple technique that encourages students to recognize stress inducing thoughts, feelings and patterns that bring imbalance to body, mind, and spirit. Practicing Yoga Nidra reminds us we can choose to be relaxed and present. That we have unlimited potential. It shines the light of consciousness on worn out habits of being in the world, opening us up to wholeness, health and well-being.
MUDRA SCHMOODRA
HOW HAND GESTURES CAN INCREASE AWARENESS, BREATH, AND ALIGNMENT
IN YOGA AND MEDITATION
I will always remember the first time I was introduced to the science of mudra (pronounced moo-dra). I was two days into a yoga therapy teacher training in California. My teacher, Joseph LePage of Integrative Yoga Therapy, had just enthusiastically announced that our morning practice would be focused on the use of hand gestures. He assured us we would be able to sense and feel the difference between touching the tips of the index fingers to the thumbs versus the ring fingers to the thumbs. “Mudra Schmoodra”, was my mind chatter as I listened carefully to his instructions, trying to remember if pointer was the index finger or the ring finger and where in the world was the second knuckle of my thumb? By the end of the hour long session, I was completely enamored with mudras. The effect of the hand gestures on my yoga practice was noticeable and very positive. My meditation was deeper, my breathing more open, and the alignment in my yoga postures was almost effortless. Since then, I have continued to study the mudras in depth, through a variety of sources, and continue to be amazed by the results. So what exactly are mudras and how do they influence body, mind, and spirit?
The word “mudra” is derived from two Sanskrit roots: “mud” which means pleasure or delight and “dru” which means to bring forth. So the word mudra means “to bring forth pleasure or delight”. Isn’t that amazing? The mudras are all about positive energy. In this climate of fear and economic depression, it is empowering to realize that we can bring more positive energy into the world with our fingers!
Think about it. In everyday life, we often use our hands to communicate feelings, wishes, and intent. We cross our fingers for good luck. Turn the thumbs up - approval. Thumbs down – disapproval. Actually, all of these gestures are mudras that portray a strong, and wordless message to those around us and also elicit an intentional feeling within us.
The effects of mudras can be divided into five categories, based on their intention and effect: Breath, Alignment, Relaxation, Intuition and Insight, and Therapeutics.
BREATH: The position of the hands can change the speed, focus, and quality of the breath. For example, Vajrapradama mudra awakens the breath in the back of the lungs, and Kali mudra opens the upper lungs. This affect is subtle, but noticeable and can help practitioners develop deeper awareness and volume of breath. There’s even a mudra for asthma.
ALIGNMENT: Used in active physical practice, mudras redirect energy in the pose, aiding the yogi in finding correct alignment. Prana mudra (fingers forming a peace sign) balances the energy in a pose like Triangle, expanding awareness into all parts of the body, from the groundedness of the feet to the extension of the arms.
RELAXATION: Some mudras directly affect the nervous system by stimulating the para-sympathetic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that “slows things down”. Many people spend their entire day in fight or flight mode. Mudras, like Apana mudra, aid in initiating the relaxation response and can effectively lower blood pressure.
INTUITION AND INSIGHT: When used during meditation, certain mudras can deepen awareness, allowing students to drop into a meditative state more easily, encouraging a connection with each individual’s definition of spirit, God, or all that is.
THERAPEUTIC: The therapeutic use of mudras is broad and fascinating, as each mudra affects a different system of the body. For example, Masahirs mudra can effectively reduce migraines with daily practice. I have used mudras with clients suffering with cancer, colitis, depression, and eating disorders. To be effective therapeutically, a mudra must be practiced for 5 – 15 minutes daily, along with meditation and breath. The results are subtle, but noticeable with time and patience.
Best of all, we all have hands, so the mudra practice is available to everyone, anywhere, any time of day. Mudra Schmoodra? Give it a try! Invite more positive energy into your body, mind, and spirit with this month’s mudra: SURYA mudra.
Ti n a R o m e n e s k o - RYT / PYT
"I drew on what I learned from Tina
constantly throughout the 18 months since my diagnosis with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. I truly felt the connection between body, mind, and spirit, and I'm convinced there is no better guide and mentor than Tina for a journey such as this. "
(Carol S. Appleton, WI)
Tina Romenesko PYT/RYT is a Professional Yoga Therapist and Teacher, and has been studying and practicing yoga for over 30 years. Her focus is on the therapeutic potential of yoga to heal body, mind, and spirit.
Tina is a certified YogaMotion instructor (200 hour) and completed her second 200-hour certification with Tias Little at Prajna Yoga, in Santa Fe New Mexico in 2006. Both of these trainings, along with a strong and dedicated personal practice, have provided a deep foundational study of yoga alignment, philosophy, meditation, and breath technique that are the basis for Tina’s classes.
In 2007, Tina completed her Yoga Therapy certification (500 hour), with Joseph and Lillian LePage of Integrative Yoga Therapy (IYT). She has assisted at IYT Teacher Trainings and specializes in the study of mudras, or hand gestures, used in meditation and practice.
Tina owned and was the primary instructor at Trillium Yoga Studio in Appleton, Wisconsin for the past 7 years and has recently moved to Milwaukee to deepen her commitment to the value of Yoga Therapy as a Complimentary and Alternative Healing Modality. She looks forward to working with individuals and groups, helping clients look past their diagnosis and symptoms, by learning to release stress and open to relaxation, acceptance, and balance in their lives.
Yoga Therapy Classes
Tina teaches several weekly classes at two yoga studios in the Milwaukee area - Invivo Fitness and Haleybird Studios and offers private one-on-one yoga therapy sessions at either of the studios mentioned above or at her home studio.
INVIVO FITNESS
2060 North Humboldt Avenue - Milwaukee, WI
www.invivofitness.com
CLASS SCHEDULE - SPRING 2011
TUESDAYS:
12:00 - 1:00 P.M. YOGA FOR BODY, MIND, & SPIRIT
7:40 - 8:40 P.M. YOGA FOR BODY, MIND & SPIRIT
WEDNESDAYS:
9:00 - 10:30 A.M. YOGA THERAPY - Active Practice
Haleybird Studios
9201 W. Center Street - Wauwatosa, WI
www.haleybirdstudios.com
6:00 - 7:15 P.M. YOGA & GUIDED MEDITATION (level one)
THURSDAYS:
10:30 - 11:30 A.M. REJUVA-FLOW YOGA (level one)
SUNDAYS: Alternating With Biz Casmer
11:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. YOGA & GUIDED MEDITATION
SMALL GROUP PRIVATE YOGA:
2 CLIENTS - $60
3 CLIENTS - $75
4 CLIENTS - $80
EMAIL TINA TO SCHEDULE A SESSION: A great way to learn proper alignment and work individual issues in body, mind,
and spirit.
Tina offers PRIVATE YOGA THERAPY sessions at both Invivo Fitness ( www.invivofitness.com ) and Haleybird Studio ( www.haleybirdstudios.com ).
Tina also offers Private Yoga Therapy sessions at her home studio.
A private session is a great way to jump start your yoga practice or work with individual issues. Tina specializes in working with cancer patients, immune issues - including fibromyalgia and R.A., emotional issues including depression and eating disorders, and more. Her personal specialty is mudras - gestures of the hands used in active practice, breath pracitice, and meditation.
Contact either studio to schedule an appointment, or email Tina directly at yogatina.com_me.com
Workshops & Events
YOGA FOR MENOPAUSE
Menopause is NOT a hormone deficiency disease but a vital developmental stage, and the biggest opportunity for growth and empowerment since adolescence Christian Northrup MD
The focus in this class will be deep relaxation and restoration on all levels of being using yoga as a tool to help you pay attention to what your body and its changes have to tell you. Tina will also present poses and breathwork designed to ease many of the symptoms of menopause. Seated forward bends to calm the mind. Supported back bends to balance mood swings and awaken self compassion. And breath techniques to cool hot flashes and balance hormones.
Transitioning through menopause is an important event in every womans life. Whether you are preparing for menopause or already experiencing it, knowledge and a healthy attitude about who you are and what youre feeling can make a huge difference.
YOGA FOR OSTEOPOROSIS
Its not aging that causes bones to thin, its the fact that too many women slow down and stop using their muscles. Christian Northrup MD
This informative and experiential workshop will focus on improving bone quality to maintain strong bones, strong muscles, and fluid joints. Through gentle, supported, and active movement, breathwork, and deep relaxation, Tina will teach you how to bring your skeletal system into alignment, use pulsation to build bone density, and balance the hormonal and nervous systems which can also affect bone loss. The class will end with a yoga nidra and visualization journey called the golden bones, designed to harness the power of the mind, an effective tool for maintaining strength and vibrancy in the skeletal system.
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STAY TUNED FOR POSSIBLE UPCOMING WORKSHOPS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS
(for Summer and Fall 2011)
Yoga Therapy for Cancer Patients and Survivors
Yoga Therapy for Hypo-Thyroidism.
Yoga Therapy for Low Back Issues
Yoga Therapy for Depression and Anxiety
Yoga Therapy for Hypertension
Yoga Therapy for Well Being and Balance
