So, as I had mentioned in an earlier post, I worked up the courage to go to the
Dharma Yoga Centre here in NYC, only to be delightfully enlightened. While, I have enjoyed classes with Amitai and Marvin because it worked with my schedule, I decided I wanted to take class with
Sri Dharma Mittra. The wonderful people of
Bamboomoves were kind enough to allow me to have a sub teach the evening class, while I took class with Sri Dharma Mittra himself. Ironically, while I took class at Dharma Mittra, there was a Dharma trained Yoga Instructor covering my class at Bamboomoves. The same day, my old wrist injury pain started to creep up in the worst way, I wrapped it up, and I told myself that it could be
psychosomatic.
So it's Wednesday night, after teaching two
Yogi Bean classes, I took a cab to the Dharma Yoga Centre. Luckily, as per Adams advice, I had registered the night before, and made it just in time. I quickly changed and noticed the sea of eager (obviously regular yogis) had filled up the carpeted area of the studio, facing the entrance way. This meant that with my sore, wrapped wrist, I would have to lay my mat in the direction facing them, and surrender to my breath. There were maybe four other people in the section I was in.
Class begins, with incredible Sun Salutations, and after what seemed to be 10 sweaty sun salutes, Sri Dharma Says "Let's Race and see who finishes first". Most everyone was damp and feeling it. As I was in plank pose, I peeked up, only to see that this nearly 80 year old Yogi, Sri Dharma, was pretty much done, and he did the salute with full extension of each pose. WOW!
We proceed, into twists, and he adjusts me into a pigeon variation that I haven't done in a year only to realize that sometimes when I teach a lot of beginners, I avoid allowing my body to go to full extension. From then on, I closed my eyes, concentrated on God's love and abundance in my life, surrendered my injured wrist, and my every breath as an offering to deepen my practice and grow closer in faith. IT WAS DEEP! I went into poses that I haven't done in a long time, and maintained closed eyes throughout class. The biggest challenge was the Side Plank on the side where my wrist was injured, but I did my best. Towards the end of class, I placed my legs over my head with ease, peeked my eyes open, and met eyes with Sri Dharma. He nodded his head, which gave me great comfort, and I closed my eyes and focused on my breath again. It was so profound to be a student in this class. Twice he adjusted me deeper into poses. Thankfully, we did not do headstand (which is a pose I need to work on), however, being in Shoulder Stand for as long as we were, FELT GREAT!
I had the best Savasana experience I have had in years. I saw Chakra related lights, felt tremendous love, and my wrist no longer hurt as it did all day, so I experienced a healing. I left class feeling light and free, knowing that any areas of my life that I needed to find forgiveness were made pure. I knew that this was the Spiritual experience I was yearning for. I decided to stay for the Psychic Development Course after the Yoga class, which was so wonderful!
While many yoga centers in NYC offer a great workout, with asana focused practice, and former dancers/performers as teachers (myself included), my spiritual upbringing longed for this experience. With every possible excuse not to go (the fact that I had to teach a yoga class, my sore wrist, my need to improve my headstand, and the fact that I had my mat facing the entire class), I am so thrilled I left my ego at the door and experienced a deepening of my yoga practice. I recommend everyone take a class at the center with Sri Dharma Mittra. The experience was truly life changing, so much so that I actually submitted my application for 500Hr teacher training with Sri Dharma Mittra the next day. Regardless, if I get accepted into the teacher training or not, this Yogi Guru has inspired my yoga practice tremendously, and words cannot express my gratitude for being able to take part in yoga class led by Sri Dharma Mittra. ~ Peace & hugs, Ambria
The first ever "Yogi of the Month" at Bamboomoves is Milta!!! This lovely young lady has had perfect attendance since the very first class. She is a shining example of enthusiasm, support/kindness to her classmates, and discipline in yoga class. She has done a "one on one" private session, and reminded me how much she loves to do yoga. This amazing young lady is a true star. No matter if we have a class of 4 or a class of 20, Milta is always there to help the other kids and me make class go smooth and peaceful. I am very proud to have Milta as the first "Yogi of the Month" Along with her talents in Yoga, Milta is also a talented student, the recent star of her school play, and an orange belt in Karate. Go Milta!!!!
Eat Your Greens Workshop is coming up, Saturday April 1oth, 6pm at Bamboomoves. The workshop promises to provide insight on the foods that we eat, Ayurveda (the yogic science of life) approaches to nutrition and wellness, and helpful insights to avoid some nasty growing health concerns (like cancer, diabetes, etc) with diet. Cooking and discovering new things to create with food is a favorite thing for me to do, probably because I love to eat. While I am vegetarian, it is important that I get the best source of nutrients to replenish my body after hours of yoga. One of my favorite veggies is Kale. Kale is high in Vitamin K, beta carotene, vitamin A & D, lutein, and rich in calcium. While I usually do a light steaming of my Kale, with a sprinkle of Bragg's Amino Acids (Vegan Soy Sauce), Nutritional Yeast, and Hemp Seeds....recently I came across a Kale/Banana Burrito. Just take a leaf of Dino Kale and wrap it around a Banana! The taste contrast is AMAZING!!! It is a easy to make, great, silly, healthy snack for people who want to get their best of Greens, and some sweet potassium from Bananas. Eat Your Greens!
A while back, I had posted a Rock Star Yogini post highlighting the efforts of a lovely Yogini who subbed my PreNatal class, Jessie. This post is to honor and recognize another Rock Star Yogini, Carissa. As a Yoga Instructor, I understand how we give our Mind, Body & Spirit to every breath of our classes in order to have our students feel the utmost benefits of the practice. It is so important when we uplift, appreciate, and shine light on the generous contributions to the yoga community by our instructors. Bamboomoves in Pelham Bay, BX is a fantastic growing Yoga community and I am thrilled to be part of it. Miss Carissa is not only a manager at the studio, she teaches both Yoga and Zumba. Her bright smile and kind heart are a joy to everyone. I want to recognize her especially, because, for a short time, she has been taking my Level 1 class, inspiring all the other students with her fluid practice, and towards the end of class she shares a "Oneness Blessing" As Carissa's schedule is very busy at the studio, the students in this class have been very spoiled with this amazing pre Savasana treat. Carissa has done the "Oneness" training along with Michael Baez (Owner of Bamboo), and she has so graciously shared this lovely gift with the students at the end of my classes. Along with Carissa's shinning contributions to the Yoga community, she is also a gifted Actress. Thank you Carissa for sharing your heart and your gifts. We love you! ~ Peace & hugs, Ambria
While on my 30 day fast, I was to avoid using most beauty products as the chemicals absorbed into the skin. For some time I have been aware of the parabens and other dangerous chemicals in shampoos etc, but did not realize that nail polish was the same. With the summer months are approaching, so comes flip flop season, aka, mani pedi time ladies. It is safe to say, a good majority of people who practice yoga embrace a healthy lifestyle, with a regular yoga practice, healthy eating habits, and even avoidance of harsh chemicals in household and beauty products. As I spend much of my time, reading recipe books and health books related to Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw and other diets in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle for both myself and students, I came across some information regarding the much beloved Mani Pedi. Research has shown that most of the toxic chemicals found in popular nail polishes in North America, are in fact banned in Europe and other parts of the world. These toxic chemicals are said to be cancer causing. Just by entering a nail salon, it is easy to smell the toxic chemicals in the air, but are we aware that these chemicals found in many beauty products are getting absorbed into not only our lungs, but our skin. Some yogis avoid nail polish because they say it blocks our energy. While that may be true, for some of us, we enjoy a little polish on our toes. This Saturday I happily modeled my non toxic mani pedi to the class. With most major salon brands like Essie & OPI charging close to $7 a bottle, I came across this great Brand called NoMiss for $7.49 at Whole Foods. The actual polish itself comes in an array of gorgeous colors, doesn't chip fast, has good shine, no smell, and most importantly no toxic chemicals!!! Hooray for the Yogi friendly mani pedi!!!
Kids gain so much from a Yoga practice. They improve focus, flexibility, and HAVE FUN!!!! At Bamboomoves, Kids explore the Sun Salutation, Warrior Poses, Pranayama (breathing exercises), Meditation, Sing Yoga related songs, and play various yoga games. One of the favorites is the "Dog Tunnel" where we line up our mats, get into downward dog pose, and one by one crawl through, to the lovely sounds of our own dog barking. They especially love when I crawl though. On Halloween, we made our Down Dogs into Down Wolves, and howled.
