Yoga at CHOSUN "Beginner's Mind"

"Beginner's Mind"

It's a New Year and time for New Year's resolutions...but did you know that only 10% are actually kept? What if instead of attempting to make major changes on the outside, we just made a shift in our thinking? Buddhist teachings emphasize living with a "beginner's mind." In other words, having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and freedom from preconceptions when approaching anything in life. Sometimes, the smallest change in our outlook will have the most powerful outcome and possibilities for personal growth abound... small shifts equal big changes!

Join us for a fresh start...

Chosun Taekwondo Academy & Hatha Yoga Center

62 Main Street Warwick, NY

Class Schedule:

Tuesdays 9:30am

Wednesdays 6:30pm

Saturdays 9:30am

First Class is Free

$15 per class / $130 for 10 classes

 

Breathe through it...

by Patty Cook
Article published in the November, 2015 issue of Dirt Magazine

Living in the land of plenty where anything from minimalist fitness to pole dancing exists, there is no excuse for not being physically fit. No time to work out? Not any more with the proliferation of 24-hour gyms. Even with the plethora of opportunities to stay in shape, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Health and Sports, more than 80 percent of American adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening

activity.

So why is it so easy to find a fitness regime that seems to satisfy our desires, but so difficult to stay the course? Part of the answer may be lurking in the lament, “The mind is willing but the body is weak.” We might gain some insight into this self-defeating phenomenon by turning the phrase around.

Unless we are disabled or injured, we all possess the strength, stamina and energy in our physical bodies to persevere and accomplish great things. But how many times have you heard that voice in the back of your head saying, “No, you just don’t have what it takes”? How do we quiet the mind and trust our body’s innate wisdom?

Sometimes it is as easy as taking one (or maybe two) more breaths. Breathing is the universal language of the body and goes hand in hand with any form of physical activity. When we find ourselves in doubt and can’t seem to move past a barrier in our physical practice, it might be worthwhile to pause, breathe, and reflect on our intentions. For instance, try taking in a very deep, full breath, pause for a moment then deliberately slow down the exhalation. In addition to focusing the mind, this ratio breathing technique has an overall calming effect on the body. Afterwards, when we return to our routine, we are fortified by our renewed sense of vitality and can stand strong and confident in our own true center. It is here that we find a wellspring of physical and spiritual stamina.

Any good fitness program will present challenges to the practitioner; that is what makes it valuable. How you approach and potentially overcome these mental obstacles will, in the end, say more about you than the routine itself. As they say, “A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step” – and maybe one or two more breaths.

Yoga at CHOSUN "Hold that Pose"

September 16, 2015 Chosun Taekwondo Academy & Hatha Yoga Center 62 Main St. Warwick NY   www.chosuntkd.com

"Hold That Pose" I like to tell my yoga students about one of my first yoga classes and the pose that did it for me! Seated on the floor, the instructor asked us to bring our legs together and extend  them forward making a right angle with the torso using our arms for support at our sides.  This common yoga posture is Dandasana or staff pose. At first I thought, "This is easy... after all I have been dancing and exercising all my life..." Well, after a few moments, my ego balloon burst and all I could think of was "when is she going to tell us to stop!" Holding any yoga pose is not easy but a valuable experience. It is here that you confront yourself, train your body and mind to stay present and cultivate compassion and mindfulness. These are the intangibles that with consistent practice we carry forward in our everyday lives. Join us to find strength in stillness... Chosun Taekwondo Academy & Hatha Yoga Center 62 Main Street Warwick, NY Class Schedule: Tuesdays     9:30 am Wednesdays     6:30 pm Saturdays     9:30 am First Class is Free $15 per class / $130 for 10 classes