Om Sweet Om Yoga

Namaste or Prayer Mudra

Gail — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:59:16 +0000

Sit in a comfortable seat, sukhasana, ardha padmasana or padmasana, spine erect, head in line with the spine. (Of course this mudra can be practiced in other positions) Place the palms of the hands together, elbows to the sides, thumbs at the heart center. Hands line up in a prayer position. This hand gesture symbolizes the oneness; the bringing together of duality and fragmentation. This oneness is recognized within (body, mind and spirit) and without (the connection to all living things). This mudra also brings focus to the heart center, anahata chakra, the seat of emotion, love, compassion and turns the mind to this.

Physical benefits: The palms of the hands, like the soles of the feet, have numerous points of energy corresponding lines of energy like the meridian system in oriental medicine. Prayer mudra or Namaste mudra neutralizes the positive (right /male) and negative (left/female) sides of the body. It neutralizes or balances the nadis including Ida, Pingala, and Shushumna nadi.

Spiritual benefits: It is said that this mudra meditation will bring the knowledge of all the past, present and future teachers to you. It is an opportunity to experience mudra, mantra and breath as meditation.

Utthita Parsvokonasana/Extended Right Angle Pose

Gail — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:14:12 +0000

From warrior II with the right foot forward, heel to heel alignment and the feet a legs distance apart. Place your right hand palm to the floor or a block on the pinky toe side of your foot, fingers face forward like the right toes. Drop the left arm down and bring it around and up so that the arm extends over the head and the left ear and bicep are approaching each other. Rotate the chest to the left and feel a long diagonal line from the outer edge of your back foot through your left finger tips keeping the spine and back leg and top arm in one line. Relax your left shoulder away from your left ear. Keep a deep bend in the right knee forming a right angle so the knee is directly over the ankle. Send energy into the back leg so that you are not collapsing into the front leg. Keep the torso lifting and opening preventing it from resting on the front leg. There is so much going on physically in this pose it is important to remain focused and to breath deeply exploring the all of the mini movements and adjustments created by breath. This adds a deeper understanding of the pose.

Physical benefits- This posture works the hamstrings and the quadriceps of the front leg and in so doing it strengthens the knees and ankles. Utthita Parsvakonasana also provides a nice stretch in the groin. The muscles of the torso are also working to rotate, extend and hold the pose .This helps to tone the waist and hips. BKS Iyengar says that this pose relieves sciatic and arthritic pains and also increases peristaltic activity and aids elimination.

Spiritual benefits- Utthita Parsvakonasana is a standing posture, which primarily works the 1st chakra and then the 2nd chakra. The effect is grounding. Leaving one feeling a sense of steadiness and connection to the earth, the body.

Marina

Gail — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:13:51 +0000

Marina remembers taking her first yoga class at a gym ten years ago and feeling inexplicably drawn. Though at first she was drawn to the physical benefits of the practice, she soon discovered that yoga could reward her in other ways, by bringing focus, clarity, balance, and mental calm into her life. There was no turning back. She felt compelled to share her newfound joy with everyone she met, so in 2009 she completed a 200-hour teacher training certification here at Om Sweet Om Yoga. Forever a student of yoga, Marina enjoys many different styles of the practice, including Ashtanga and Iyengar. Using influences from these different schools of yoga, she teaches vinyasa, focusing on fluidity of movement, breath work, and alignment. Marina cultivates her playful side by teaching children and has been lucky to be able to share her love of yoga with her own daughters. She continues to learn and draw inspiration from her teachers, students, and fellow yogis and is forever grateful to Gail and Lisa for showing her the way.

Sylvia Silberger

Gail — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:22:10 +0000

Silvia Silberger is a mathematician. She is in fact the chair of the mathematics department of Hofstra University. She is a “brainy” person who never considered herself very athletic. As an environmentalist, Sylvia walked and biked as a means of transportation and that fortunately resulted in keeping her in pretty good shape.
Sylvia was first introduced to yoga as a child by her mom who thought it would be a good thing for them to learn together. Sylvia’s mother had a book from which they practiced regularly. She enjoyed this time with Mom. It was a good introduction but once it stopped that was it for yoga for a long time.
It was not until her colleague and Om Sweet Om Teacher Training graduate (Spring 08), Marysia Weiss, then the chair of mathematics at Hofstra, began teaching a group at the math department during her OSO training, that Sylvia began practicing again. She enjoyed it immensely. Then Marysia gave her a gift of the $40 “new student“ special/unlimited yoga for one month. That was it she was hooked. She began to commute from her home in Hempstead to Om Sweet Om on a regular basis and cultivated a beautiful yoga practice.
Two years later, Sylvia cannot imagine her life without yoga. She admits proudly that when she can’t get to the studio she will do her own practice at home!
Over all yoga has given her many gifts. She feels empowered by the sense of athleticism in her body. The mental focus and peace that she has gained through regular practice are of great importance to her and the quality of her life. Sylvia enjoys the sense of community and connection that Om Sweet Om offers unlike any other studio that she has experienced. She feels nurtured and a part of something here. She also loves yoga philosophy and plans to complete the teacher training at Om Sweet Om Yoga one day.

Ananda Balasana/Happy Baby or Yoganidrasana/Yogi’s Sleep Pose

Gail — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:56:44 +0000

Lie down on your back take a deep breath in and let it all out. Inhale and bend your knees into your chest and take hold of the outer edges of your feet with your knees at your armpits. Pull the feet down so that the knees come closer to the floor. Relax the shoulders and head on the floor. This is Happy Baby/ Ananda Balasana.
If you want to move deeper you may try to bring your arms behind your lower back , your knees will go behind your arms/shoulders and you may bring the palms together at the heart center in prayer position or eventually clasp your hands together behind your back. Keep working to expand the chest and open the hips at the same time.
Eventually you may cross the legs behind the head (right foot first) and extend the arms over the thighs and clasp the hands behind the back. This pose is called Yogi’s Sleep or Yoganidrasana. The pillow that you rest your head upon here is the leg or foot behind your head. The face should be relaxed as should be the rest of you as if you were dreaming as David Swenson and Guruji would say.
Physical benefits: Happy baby is a gentle but deep hip opener. It stretches the hamstrings and low back and groin muscles. It also helps to massage the organs, the spine and the muscles of the back.
Spiritual Benefits: This is a pose of surrender and release. It is prone and yet held. Learning to trust and go with the breath will bring deeper release. The more relaxed you can be in this pose deeper you will go.

Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon

Gail — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:01:13 +0000

Begin standing in Mountain pose. Step your right foot forward. Place your right hand to the floor (or block) out in front of your right foot about a foot and over to the right a bit so that your hand and foot are not in line with each other. Lift your left leg up and rotate your hip and chest up and to the left. Flex your left foot and lengthen out from the heel through the crown of your head. Begin with your gaze down. Find your balance by working with the oppositional forces within your body. Keep the standing leg strong and straight with the energy moving up by lifting the arch of your foot and the quad as well. At the same time feel the energy move down by rooting into the right foot pressing down through the ball and heel. Then feel the long line of energy from the lifted (left) leg, pressing out through the flexed foot and straight through the crown of your head. Lift your left arm up so that the energy runs from one hand through the other in a long straight line. When you feel balanced you may move your drishti or gaze up so that you are looking out and then eventually up to toward your lifted hand.

Physical benefits: Ardha Chandrasana strengthens the leg muscles and knees. It tones the lower spine and the core muscles and tones the organs. It helps with gastric problems.

Spiritual benefits: One must focus on many things at once in this asana. By such strong focus on all of the opposing forces working simultaneously one finds balance and a certain sense of liberation. Freedom and focus.

Lauren

Gail — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:12:28 +0000

Lauren Petricca began her yoga journey from a fitness background. As a personal trainer and aerobics instructor, she enjoyed helping people reach their fitness and health goals. Yoga began as another way to exercise but soon began to mean so much more. The peace, stillness and spirituality began to make such a difference in all aspects of life, especially in relationships like parenting. Lauren was eager to share this special physical, mental and emotional practice with others. She completed her 200 hour teacher training at Om Sweet Om in Port Washington and was blessed to have such nurturing, knowledgeable and inspiring teachers as Gail Grossman, Lisa Bondy, Jean Aronoff and Tina Conroy. She has also benefited from the wisdom of Gabriel Halpern’s teaching. Lauren enjoys being a student as well as an instructor and is very excited to continue her learning journey and share it all with as many others as possible.

Ustrasana/Camel

Gail — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:04:35 +0000

Ustrasana is a backbending posture that offers an intense heart opening resulting in a feeling of uplift and exhilaration. Begin on your knees with your knees hips distance apart and your feet in line with your knees keeping your toes curled into the mat. Bring your hips and thighs in line with your knees and keep them there using your quads. Bring your palms onto your lower back or sacrum pressing it forward. Lift your chest and sternum up toward the sky and let the heads drop back as you bring your hands to your heels pressing into your feet to further lift your chest.

If your hands do not come to your heels your may use blocks on the highest height in line with the ankles, or if you need more height you may take a bolster underneath your feet or shins to lift the feet higher to meet your hands. Stay and breathe for at least 5 breaths breathing into the throat and heart chakras (energy centers of communication and emotion respectively). Coming out of this pose bring your hands back to your low back for support and use your inner thighs to lift back up. You may repeat the same pose or go deeper as you like, being certain not to strain your back here.

If you feel comfortable in the pose you may try the full posture, which is having the tops of the feet on the mat with your hands resting on the heels and soles of the feet.

This posture energizes and uplifts the body/mind and spirit!

*Remember this is a posture that does require a good amount of warmth in the body before attempting. It is best practiced toward middle/end of practice.

Physical benefits: Ustrasana extends the spine and stretches the front body. It firms the legs and the glutes.

Spiritual benefits: Ustrasana is an intense backbend which opens the throat and heart centers. It is uplifting and energizing and as such is a great way to battle the blues.

Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana/ Standing half lotus (bound) forward bend

Gail — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:09:06 +0000

Begin this pose in standing in tadasana. Transfer weight to left side, find your dristi, connect to your bandhas, lift your right leg and bend at the knee and open the hip to the right. Place your right foot in the crease of your right leg and thigh. (IF this bothers your knee bring your foot over your thigh by the knee or come into tree pose). For more advanced students you may bind the right hand around your back and hold onto your right big tow in yogic toe-lock. If the bind is not to be leave the arm at your side. You may begin to fold forward bringing the unbound hand or both hands to the floor or a block for balance. You may also bring you hands to a wall folding at your waist body parallel to the floor arms straight, if folding to the floor feels precarious. Breath five or so long and deep breaths and then come back up to stand. Release your right foot to the floor and repeat on the other side.

Physical benefits: This is a balancing posture that is also a hip opener and in it’s advanced form a shoulder opener. It stretches the groin muscles in the bent leg and the hamstrings in the standing leg. It also builds strength in the core and the standing leg.

Spiritual benefits: Ardha Badha Padmottanasana is a balancing pose and as such helps to ground you and build focus (dharana). By challenging the mind/body to become still as the body bends and twists we learn to readily locate the inner focus.

Phyllis Sickerman

Gail — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:13:52 +0000

Phyllis Sickerman teaches visually impaired and blind high school students in NYC. She just turned sixty and has been practicing yoga at Om Sweet Om since the first week we opened our doors 5 ½ years ago.

She initially got into yoga in the 70’s but then for no reason stopped. About ten years ago she really started to miss it. She felt that she was losing “the power of being” she was not feeling “present in the moment” and knew it was time to begin again. She found a gentle class locally that suited her for a while, but in time she felt she wanted more. Then one day Phyllis happened upon an ad in a local paper for Om Sweet Om Yoga. That’s when it all began.

She walked in and loved it from the start. Although she found her Thursday afternoon class with Lisa very challenging, she also felt empowered and inspired. In the beginning she felt the classes to be very long and wondered if she could make it through. But after about a year of practice she was surprised when class was over! She had built so much strength and endurance. In fact, as of last summer Phyllis has come to enjoy Ashtanga yoga.

Yoga has become a guiding force in Phyllis’ life. She feels the grace in every part of her life.

In her own teaching this year the theme for her students comes from the yoga sutras, 100% effort (abhyasa) doing your best and being satisfied with that (vairagya). Her students really like it.

Emotionally Phyllis finds herself far more grounded. She related this scenario: Two years ago she had both parents in separate hospitals in Florida. Her mother in rehab after hip surgery and her father with brain cancer. Phyllis says her yoga practice kept her sane. Her time on her mat offered her validation, comfort and renewed faith that things would again be okay. Her yoga also gave her the opportunity to release the pain of situation and let the tears flow. It was a beautiful gift.

Another gift Phyllis found from practicing at Om Sweet Om Yoga is the gift of community. She has made many friends at the studio and looks forward to seeing them in class. She loves it here and feels very honored and grateful to call this her yoga home. Phyllis plans to do the teacher training at Om Sweet Om Yoga after she retires in a year. She hopes to bring yoga to the senior and special needs community.