Yoga Poster

Rest & Renew Workshop | Feb. 2, 2013

Rest & Renew at Take Root

Feb. 2, 12-2pm

Restore, renew, and nurture your internal being in this two-hour restorative workshop.  We will luxuriate in long held poses using bolsters, blocks and blankets allowing stress to dissolve and bound connective tissue to release.  Restorative yoga allows for deliberate stillness and healing from within.  Your body will rest, the mind will relax and the breath will center, leaving you graciously at ease.  In order to preserve spaciousness, class size is limited.  Please reserve a space by completing this form.

"Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelenting threatening environment.  Those over forty may call it old age.  And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that is has been ignored.  They are off balance.  They are at war with gravity."

                        Dr. Ida Rolf

Patanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga (Infographic)

Amazing Yoga Infographics by: Alison Hinks

Paul Grilley : Urdhva Dhanurasana

What is the angle of your humerus in Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose)?  Paul Grilley describes why it's okay that your entire arm may not be completely straight as you come up in wheel pose.

Lumbar-Thoracic Joint

                                                                                                                  diagram by srs.org

Leslie Kaminoff educates yoga teachers in New York City about breathing, anatomy and movement.  His class offerings can be found at the Breathing Project.  Often times, injured students will seek his expertise in rehabilitating back to health and to learn how to move more mindfully.  This week's clinic featured two yoga students injured during practice.  One injury was from a deep back bend (Urdhva Dhanarusana) and the other from plough pose (Halasana).  To prevent injury, Kaminoff described that one needs "a little bit of movement from a lot of areas in the body."  We are looking to distribute movement evenly throughout the length of the spine rather than yanking or hinging backwards from the lumbar-thoracic joint which is more fluid than other parts of the spine.  

Plant Proteins

Astoria!  I am rediscovering the neighborhood of Astoria in Queens as the mecca of international foods in the city. Take the N train to Broadway. Walk along 31st and you will delight in authentic international cuisine at every block.  Last Sunday, I indulged on authentic Greek cuisine with some friends.  Fish, lemon potatoes and beet salad.  Yum.  The topic of protein in foods surfaced as we (nutritionist, personal trainer, and marathon runner) all shared our insight.  Does the body need protein from meat? Can plant proteins suffice?  I found some great information in this article and this list of plant proteins.  Go to Astoria. :)

TED Talk: Andy Puddicombe on Meditation

Andy Puddicombe was a monk in the Himalayas practicing meditation for ten years and now helps others understand the benefits and techniques of meditation.  You don't need a seat cushion, mala beads, incense or to even sit on the floor. Meditation is "more about stepping back, seeing the thought clearly --- witnessing it coming and going --- without judgement, but with a relaxed, focused mind."

Yoga for Wine Lovers

Cute :)

Creative Mornings : Ping Fu

This morning, I attended my first Creative Mornings event at the Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo, Brooklyn and listened to the personal story of Ping Fu. The story of a young girl kidnapped in her childhood during Mao's revolution, gang-raped, and expelled from her native China will shock and inspire you at the same time.  She arrived in the United States knowing three English words: Hello, Thank you, and Help.  From there, she went onto build a technology company, Geomagic that services a variety of industries with 3D technology.  Her personal story is documented in her book, Bend not Break. 

Meryl Streep : Barnard Commencement 2010

I love this commencement speech by Meryl Streep.  She shares some golden points of inspiration.  I particularly enjoyed the point that acting allowed her to "study the world feelingly with empathy." Can we feel more? And will that help us live more?

Yoga Retreat May 11-18, 2013 in Crete, Greece

Hello Friends,

This May 2013, I will join Kalliope Mamais in leading a yoga retreat in Crete, Greece.  Please read the details below.

JOIN US! :)

Photo Gallery of Yoga Retreat Center, Agios Pavlos

Photos from Crete Retreat 2012

DATES: May 11 - May 18, 2013

INCLUDED:

* Shared or Private room
* Yummy Breakfast + Dinner (Yes, there is coffee!)
* Morning + Evening yoga class - (Mon-Fri)
* Beautiful Beach and Island gazing

NOT INCLUDED: ( but happy to help with)

* Round trip flight to Crete, Greece
* Car Rental/Bus to Retreat Center - 2Hr. from airport (Bus info)
* Nearby Excursions
* Reiki/Massage

COST:

$1,050 - Triple
$1,250 - Double
$1,450 - Single

RETREAT INFO:

Join Kalliope Mamais and Tina Paul for a week-long retreat filled with daily morning and evening yoga, meditation, body work, swimming, sunsets, hiking and yummy food!  Explore south Crete, a remote and beautiful destination located south of Rethymno.  This secret paradise is the most breathtaking part of Crete.  Goats live in the mountains that slope down into the turquoise Libyan Sea and sand dunes lead you to secluded beaches.  There will be live music, dance, kirtans and bhajans.  There are endless trails for hiking in the mountains, swimming and snorkeling, local taverns, ancient cities and nearby traditional villages to visit.  One archaeological site you need to visit is Phaestos.  Phaestos was one of the most important centers of Minoan civilization, and the most wealthy and powerful city in southern Crete.  In Agios Pavlos, your truly experience the filoxenia (hospitality) of the Greek people.

ABOUT AGIOS PAVLOS:

Remotely located, Agios Pavlos is not overrun by tourists and is the Yoga mecca of Greece since the 1970's.  From May until November there is an echo of meditation, stillness, mindfulness, yogis, dancers, in all forms of the arts.  With miles of almost empty beaches and only a short walk away, Agios Pavlos Hotel is a very special place for relaxation and renewal.

FLIGHT INFO:

You may fly into Athens and connect into Heraklion airport. It's a 50 minute flight from Athens. OR you can fly directly to Heraklion airport via Amsterdam, UK,or other cities.  Agios Pavlos is approximately 2 hr. drive from both Heraklion or Chania airports.

Airlines we suggest:

Olympic Airways, www.olympicairlines.com
Aegean Airlines, www.aegeanair.com
Turkish Airlines, www.turkishairlines.com
Cheapo Air for Tickets, www.cheapoair.com

Ferries from the port of Piraeus, Athens, leave daily from Heraklion.  More information and reservations can be made on the the website, www.greekferries.gr.  Another good website covering all aspects of travel to and from Crete is: www.cretetravel.com.

We can arrange a taxi pick-up from the airport or ferry port, please call or email Dimitri to make arrangements, Tel:0030 28320 71104/ Email: info@agiospavloshotel.gr.

There is no direct bus to Agios Pavlos.  If you are travelling by bust, take the bus to Agia Galini, and then a taxi to Agios Pavlos Hotel.  Please visit this site for more info. on bus reservations :  http://bus-service-crete-ktel.com.

RESERVATIONS:

To reserve a spot, $500 non-refundable
deposit due by March 15.

You may also choose to pay in 3
installments for March/April/May

For more information and reservations
email Tina at : digyoga@gmail.com

Thoughts from Maurice Sendak

Life is fragile.

Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

After recently meeting up with some old friends and learning that one had been diagnosed with MS, I realized that was the third person in the past year that had been diagnosed with this inflammatory disease in my life. Sadness. Each person's experience with MS is unique.  One friend shared that low Vitamin D levels were linked to a litany of health diseases.  Living in the northeast, we may not be getting enough Vitamin D.  Katherine Leonard, a San Diego based nutritionist shares advice on Vitamin D levels here.

Amazing Facts

How does effort relate to learning meditation?

Aethos Sound Meditation - 5 min.

Aethos Sound Meditation - 30 min.

By: Tom Kenyon

Another Year And I'm Still Here: A New Year's Meditation

By: Robert Krulwich