Yoga Tips: November Issue

Dear Yogis, Winter has always symbolized a movement toward silence for me. Perhaps this is from growing up in Canada, where the snow absorbs sound from the empty streets. It is a time of retreat and moving inward. In the following story, the spiritual teacher Osho explains the significance of the Zen philosophy behind the famous koan 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?'And the importance of moving toward stillness. Osho : If you have heard about Zen masters... they go on telling their disciples to go and meditate, meditate on the sound of one hand clapping. We can create a sound by clapping two hands. Zen masters say to their disciples, "Go and find out that sound which comes out of only one hand: the clapping of one hand, not with anything else." We know this is absurd. A sound can come only with conflict, with two things clashing. Two hands can create sound, not one hand. Zen masters also know that, but still they have been giving this meditation for centuries. From Buddha up to now, Zen masters go on giving it. They know, their disciples know, that this is absurd. Then what is the significance? One has to watch, meditate, and move towards a sound which is already there, which is not created. That is the meaning of the sound of one hand. *http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Stor /Zen/Sound_of_one_Hand_Clapping.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Pre-holiday class! Saturday, November 14th from 1:00-2:15pm Come to the Farm at UNC to experience an extra hour of breathing and stretching to prepare for the holiday hubbub!!!! We will leave plenty of time at the end for a longer relaxation and Savasana! To register please call or text me at 919 923 4144, or e-mail me at genevieve@genevieveyoga.com. $13 per person --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Blog! And Facebook page! In order to keep in touch with you and update you on class cancellations, subs, and fun yoga tid-bits I have created a blog at : http://genevieveyoga.blogspot.com/ Click on: Genevieve Yoga and become a fan on Facebook for updates and schedule changes! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From a recent study published by the American Physiological Society: A Simple Way for Middle Aged and Older Adults to Assess How Stiff their Arteries Are: Reach for their Toes BETHESDA, Md. (Oct. 6, 2009) - How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position - normally used to define the flexibility of a person's body - may be an indicator of how stiff your arteries are. A study in the American Journal of Physiology has found that, among people 40 years old and older, performance on the sit-and-reach test could be used to assess the flexibility of the arteries. Because arterial stiffness often precedes cardiovascular disease, the results suggest that this simple test could become a quick measure of an individual's risk for early mortality from heart attack or stroke. "Our findings have potentially important clinical implications because trunk flexibility can be easily evaluated," said one of the authors, Kenta Yamamoto. "This simple test might help to prevent age-related arterial stiffening." It is not known why arterial flexibility would be related to the flexibility of the body in middle age and older people. But the authors say that one possibility is that stretching exercises may set into motion physiological reactions that slow down age-related arterial stiffening. Click here and read the rest on MY BLOG

Issue: 11 In This Issue November Sub list HERE! New blog and Facebook for updates! Stretching and your ARTERIES: New Study Schedule! Monday Alignment-based yoga The Farm UNC 6:30-7:30 pm please register in advance Tuesday Alignment-based yoga 8:45-9:45 am The Farm UNC Friday Alignment-based yoga Carrboro Yoga Company 9:15-10:15 Saturday Alignment-based yoga UNC Wellness Center (Meadowmont) 8:45-9:45 & 10-11:00 -------------- Contact info: www.genevieveyoga.com 919 923 4144 -------------------- TRY A PRIVATE LESSON Spend an hour focusing on your alignment and begin to shape your home practice! $50/hour .