Current Public Class Schedule

Chelsea currently teaches drop-in classes

Tuesdays
2-3:30 pm
Vinyasa II
Chelsea

Saturdays
5-6:30 pm
Vinyasa I

at East West Yoga
78 5th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10011

Tel: 212.243.5995
http://www.eastwestnyc.com/yogaschedule.html

*

Tuesdays
6-7:30pm
Basic Hatha

at Henry Street Settlement
Abrons Art Center
466 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002

(212) 598-0400
http://www.henrystreet.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aac_CAW_dance_yoga

*

All other classes are preregistered by semester or private.
Drop-in classes open to the public are being added, so check back!

Yoga for the Artist Workshop

YOGA for the Artist: Merging Ancient Scripture with Modern Practice

In this 2 hour workshop we will look
at all aspects of our lives as artists
using the Yoga Sutras of Master Patanjali
as a springboard for exploration.

-why making art is a "yogic" practice
-the nature of the mind
-the importance of physical health
-the cultivation of good habits
-using art as a means for postive thought
and personal change


We will reflect on the ill habits we cultivate
as artists (eating dinner at 2am, or standing
for 8 hours at an eisel without break, self doubt,
worry . . ) and how we can use the guidance of
yoga and our art to bring our lives back into balance.

Whether art is your profession or past time,
this workshop is applicable to all.
Please come with a journal and a sense of humor!

Classes will being with some mild stretching and breathing

For cost and booking please contact
chelseayoga@yahoo.com

Why Yoga?

Yoga is therapy for the body, mind and spirit. It is an ancient science developed in India to keep the body clean, flexible and easeful. It is a tool to develop intimacy with life, and to help restore balance in all that you experience.

Often the first basic lesson of a yoga class is deep, rhythmic breathing, which practitioners say can help to relieve respiratory complaints including asthma, as well as feeding more oxygen to the muscles to boost their strength.

It also helps to improve posture by teaching relaxation of the neck, shoulders and upper back, easing tension that can trigger aches and pains in the back.

Yoga practitioners also claim that specific postures such as abdominal twists gently massage internal organs including the kidneys to improve their efficiency while forward bends can stimulate the digestive processes to help ease indigestion problems.

The inverted postures such as the head and shoulder stands, boost blood circulation and therefore improve skin tone.

The deep relaxation exercises normally practised at the end of a class can also relieve stress and anxiety, they claim.

Course Class: Yoga for Empowerment of the Self

This course introduces the ancient discipline of yoga and how it can be directly applied to our present, modern day lives. While yoga is mostly known for its physical practice, there are additional limbs in its system that can be practiced to cultivate a strong mind, positive relationships and a purpose filled life.

The science of yoga, put into practice, has the power to deepen and enhance the awareness of ourselves. In this course we will use ancient yoga texts to cultivate right relationships with our bodies, attitude, habits, and thought patterns.

We will use the tools of yoga for stress management, relaxation, self-knowledge, and clarity in our actions and contributions.

We will discuss the importanc of health and why it is needed as a foundation for all aspect of success.

This course is designed to PRACTICE Yoga as it is experiential not theoretical. We will do Hatha Yoga class every session, spend time journaling, have group discussion on how to apply Yoga Psychology in our lives and partake in collaborative skits and creative projects. We will also spend time with breathing practices (pranayama), meditation, nutrition and highlight key figures in history from all backgrounds who have LIVED the universal teachings of yoga.

Materials: Journal, selected reading
Course classes are taught once or twice a week for two hours.

Meditation

____________________________________painting by Chelsea

Meditation is the state achieved from intense concentration on a single object until all other thoughts vanish and all that is left is an intense awareness of the object.

For some traditions, that's all there is to it. In yoga, however, the ultimate goal is a bit more ambitious. Meditation is one of the Eight Limbs of yoga outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Called dhyana, meditation is considered the highest practice and is the final step before bliss. James Hewitt, in The Complete Book of Yoga defines the goal of yoga meditation like this: "…meditation means sense withdrawl (pratyahara) and concentration (dharana), sustained into contemplation (dhyana), with the aim of triggering a super-conscious state (samadhi), which is one of intuitive realization of the identity of the individual soul or spirit and the cosmic soul or spirit."

Of course, samadhi may be a long time coming. Frankly, it doesn't matter because there are lots of other benefits to be had along the way. For example, meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, and improve concentration, clarity and creativity. Or, to paraphrase Patanjali's classic comment about yoga, yogaschittavrittinirodhah -- meditation calms the fluctuations of the mind.

However, meditation is not always easy. The "fluctuations of the mind" do not like to be calmed. It's amazing how many thoughts, how many stories, how many little movies can run through your head in the space between two breaths -- especially when you're trying to meditate. Anne Cushman, a writer for Yoga Journal, once described meditation as being locked in a closet with a lunatic with a megaphone. Fortunately, it's usually not that bad. Usually.

Whether your goal is enlightenment, revelation, relaxation, simple clarity or low blood pressure, the process of mediation puts you in touch with something good and quietly profound.

Pranayama (Yogic Breathing)

Breathing is so simple and so obvious we often take it for granted, ignoring the power it has to affect body, mind and spirit. With each inhale we bring oxygen into the body and spark the transformation of nutrients into fuel. Each exhale purges the body of carbon dioxide, a toxic waste. Breathing also affects our state of mind. It can make us excited or calm, tense or relaxed. It can make our thinking confused or clear. What's more, in the yogic tradition, air is the primary source of prana or life force, a psycho-physio-spiritual force that permeates the universe.

Pranayama is loosely translated as prana or breath control. The ancient yogis developed many breathing techniques to maximize the benefits of prana. Pranayama is used in yoga as a separate practice to help clear and cleanse the body and mind. It is also used in preparation for meditation, and in asana,the practice of postures, to help maximize the benefits of the practice, and focus the mind.