Student Spotlight

Anthony M. D'Alessandro, M.D.
Professor of Surgery

"I started yoga a little over one year ago as a way to improve my fitness and flexibility for triathlons. For me, I was initially interested only in the physical benefits of yoga. However, with time I have learned that the physical nature of yoga paves the path to the mental and spiritual benefits of yoga. What I have also come to appreciate about yoga is the special community of diverse yoga instructors and students who all participate in teaching and learning from one another. By giving of ourselves and being open to receive, we can all learn to lead healthier and happier lives. While I do believe I have improved both my fitness and flexibility over the past year, the studio mirrors don't lie. So I am glad I have the automatic monthly renewal plan since it looks like I have a life long yoga journey ahead of me."

Community Spotlight

Jill Yeck - Harvest Moon Herb Farm

The miracle of a germinating basil seed reminds me why I believe in yoga. Rooting, connecting with breath, and remembering that joy comes from within, draw me to my practice. Inner Fire Yoga helps me see that, like a tiny seed, I have so much within myself when I take the opportunity to explore what lies under my outer shell. The moment I step into the warm room, I feel calmness and excitement all at once, like a seed in sun-warmed soil ready to burst. This may sound like an oxymoron, yet within inner peace, inspiration abounds. Passion excites life.

During the spring, I plant many seeds for my business, Harvest Moon Herb Farm. The seeds seem to grow like magic and, with time, each variety of herb reveals it' s own texture, smell, flavor, flower...beauty. Not only do I get the enjoyment of growing the plants, I also get to vend the herbs at the farmers markets where I can connect with people talking about everything from the pleasures of herb growing to the meaning of life.

Gardening, yoga, and connecting with others all bring me back to my core. I feel gratitude for how the Inner Fire classes help me to get quiet and remember my essence. I am one little seed on this planet. However, with loving care, I uniquely grow and contribute to our united cosmic celebration. Wow wee! I feel like practicing yoga or getting my hands dirty. It' s time to ground myself...again!

You can check out Jill' s potted herbs on Saturdays, April through June, at the Dane County Farmer' s Market or the Westside Community Market. Look for the purple signs and talking plants. For more information write to jillsfarm@yahoo.com.

Yin Aroma Yoga
Be prepared to bliss out!
with Darlene Vander Hoop and Joan Bliefernicht

The practice of Yin Yoga facilitates understanding the value of acceptance at a deep cellular level. By holding postures without trying to change things one travels to the present moment, allowing joy and authenticity to arise. Combining yoga postures with the absorption of pure therapeutic grade essential oils enhances the process and renders it magical. Be prepared to bliss out with senior teachers Dar and Joan, listening to ambient world music, stretching deeply, yin poses, experiencing the profound scents of life. Beginners welcome. Must bring your own strap and blanket.

Friday, May 20 · 6:30-9:30pm · $35 by May 17 · $40 May 18-20

Santosha (contentment,) is one of the five disciplines (Niyamas) of "inner ethical observance" as described in Pantanjalis Yoga Sutras. Simply to contemplate "what is contentment?" is a powerful yogic teaching.
Feeling content... sounds simple... but is it really?

We all begin a yoga practice and quickly discover things about ourselves; a myriad of things actually; which have remained mostly glossed over and unconscious until that daily, sweaty, intense look at the body, mind and soul in asana practice. These observations can be troublesome, a real insult to our egotistic self-view. At some stage of practice we finally begin to reclaim our true identity and toss off many of the monsters (fear, jealously, depression, anger, etc.) Contentment might be out of reach at this stage as the so-called monsters of our imperfect selves are exaggerated by our aches and pains, or that glaring light on our repetitive thoughts, the bulging thighs, stiff back, or lack of balance. Yet, somehow it is in these moments of great discontent and free floating anxiety, opportunity arises which distinguishes qualities that keep contentment out of our reach. A continuing yoga practice begins to create a state of mind for all of this "passing phenomena" and allows us to be in simple "space" with some degree of contentment, through breath, patience and an acceptance of what is moment to moment.

I think once I simply accepted things aren't perfect and I am not perfect, there is no place to be, go, become, achieve; and there is nothing that my clinging can prevent from losing anyway, I began to experience a lot of contentment. When it occurred to me that no amount of practice, change in teacher, style, diet, retreat, Yoga Journal Conference, or increase in discipline offered any immunity of bad thing/moods happening, I suddenly find myself living in the corner of radical self-acceptance and, more importantly, radical surrender to what is. Practicing contentment means finding happiness in what you have and who you are. We find that there is a direct relationship with honesty with others and our own contentment.

"Oh if only I could do that scissors arm balance, or a hand stand, and attend 7 classes a week, find a soul-mate, buy my dream home." Sometimes when I find myself obsessing on these thoughts I stop and breathe and realize I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this time. Where else can you live except where you are? If we mold our practice into some idealized form based on an external standard that is irrelevant to our own destiny, our Yoga practice will only enforce a false sense of self. False self equals discontent, striving, desiring more, better, larger; you fill in the blanks_

Lumbering around my laundry room, bending and measuring the detergent; or simply clipping a leash to my dog and opening the front door to inhale the first breezes of the morning brings contentment. It's all in how you apply your yoga to the world.

Often, at the end of my classes while the students are in final dead body pose, I say, "Don't let anyone or anything steal your peace." Cultivating contentment is a powerful lesson of yoga. Namaste, Dar

Yoga Medical News

Yoga Reduces Atrial Fibrillation Risk Considerably

Excerpt:

"People who regularly practice yoga have a significantly lower risk of having episodes of atrial fibrillation - abnormal heart rhythm (irregular heartbeat) caused by unusual generation of electrical signals in the heart. Atrial fibrillation is a major cause of stroke among elderly individuals."

1. From Warrior I, open the arms out, bringing the right arm in front of you and the left arm behind.
2. Open the left hip back.
3. Keep the right knee bent and the right thigh parallel to the floor.
4. Draw the belly in slightly.
5. Find the shoulders directly over the hips.
6. Reach out through both finger tips.
7. The gaze is forward over the right hand.
8. Engage the triceps to support the arms, and the quadriceps to support the legs.
9. Repeat on the left side.