I have witnessed miracle after miracle every week!

Picture of leaf depicting life and renewal
What an unexpected gift the yoga of recovery has been. Almost 2 years ago, I attended a weekend intensive out of curiosity and had no idea how this would bring such a profound healing into my life. At the time, I had 13 years of recovery under my belt and had been doing yoga off and on again for a few years. I was content in my life but thankfully, I was not complacent. Showing up for this weekend opened me up to places within me that I didn’t even know existed. Some were painful, ugly and scary and some were grace-filled, magnificent and nourishing. All of these wondrous experiences have served me well and I have kept showing up, trusting that shifts would occur, more would be revealed, and barriers that I am not even conscious of will dissolve.

I can remember when Nikki led us in a partnering practice where she had us stand as we would normally stand. We picked up our partners and our partners picked us up. Standing as we would normally stand, it was easy to pick each other up. Then, she led us through rooting into Mountain Pose, inviting us to draw from the energy of Gaia, to plug into the earth, to grow roots that extended throughout the earth. Then, we tried to pick up our partners and our partners tried to pick us up but this wasn’t possible. All of us were astonished – truly in disbelief at the miracle that happened when we physically tapped into a power greater than ourselves. I wept because I fully understood with every fiber of my being what embodiment is and the difference between intellectually knowing the concept “we root to rise” and embodying this truth. I along with many in our group have shared time and again how we remember to come back to this space and hold our center in the midst of life’s chaos, understanding that alone in our limitations, we will easily be knocked over and overwhelmed but tapping into this limitless power, we are held in a strength greater than the mind can fathom.

I have witnessed miracle after miracle every week! I have seen people with various addictions come for the first time – most have never been on the mat and most have never checked in to see how they are feeling in their bodies. Many enter closed off out of nervousness and vulnerability, skeptical of this hokey thing called yoga, yet they show up. Something brings them to the yoga of recovery and it is a privilege to watch them experience healing that they cannot express in language. They are moved to tears from places unknown and they hug Nikki in gratitude for this healing. Nikki takes no credit, she simply reminds them that they did the work and to keep showing up. They leave the studio more alive in their bodies with new energy that cleanses and restores them.

We don’t have to study yoga or fully understand the yoga principles to benefit. All we must do is show up on the mat, where we are in that moment – cynical, hopeful, defeated, pissed off, tired, content – and begin to breathe and move. The weekly gatherings that I now attend are truly sacred time in a sacred space, and even when I am traveling, I consciously connect with this beloved community.

This is an essay written by a participant of the Y12SR program by CITYOGA, the yoga program of a 12 step recovery, offered to those recovering from substance abuse. The name of the participant has been kept anonymous.

Posted in stories | Leave a comment

Once we heal our inside, everything else will heal!

Picture of 13 Grandmothers
Had an inkling that this would be a very good idea, an evening with the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers at Urban Zen, and that it would be an even better idea to bring Jonah, my almost 5-year old son. To see his face, full of awe, watching these women speak; to see his body move when the music and blessings commenced, was affirmation enough. The 13 Grandmothers, a Council of women from all over the world who descend every six months on one of their homelands, sink into every culture, honour it fully, and encourage the preservation of its wisdom. These women stand for our future, for the environment, for our children. They urge us to harvest good relations, so that we can experience love for our Creator and love for the beauty all around us.

Bernadette Ribenot, a grandmother from Gabon, said “Once we heal our inside, everything else will heal; I remain optimistic. Even when I think of the difficulties, I just face them. We speak for the cause of our children and grandchildren who are born into a world very different from the one we were once born into.”

Maria Alice Campos Freire, one of two grandmothers speaking remotely from the Brazilian Amazon, said “The prophecy of the 13 grandmothers is to shake the world awake. We might be late, but we are here. My hope is that a seed has been planted in everyone here tonight, watered and cultivated, ready to fight for something.”

Speaking of what she hoped people would take away from the event, Jyoti, a traveling ambassador for the Grandmothers and a co-founder of the Council, said, “I am always relieved to see people attending these events and learning from these women. I hope people take with them what the grandmothers are trying to tell us:

“We need to wake up and stand up for ourselves.”

For more details on the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers click here.

This article was originally posted by Elena Brower here. Reposted with permission.

Posted in articles | Leave a comment

Delicious Cycle

Delicious Cycle

http://xkcd.com/140/

Posted in stress-busters | Leave a comment

You Are Free!

Picture of Sophie Herbert

Sophie Herbert


Your smile proves that you are not a colony, that you have sovereignty over yourself, that you are doing your best… Events carry us away, and we lose ourselves. Walking meditation helps us regain our sovereignty, our liberty as a human being. We walk with grace and dignity, like an emperor, like a lion. Each step is life. —Thich Nhat Hanh

Every few days, I share a favorite quote on my Facebook page. Recently, I posted a quote about the gift of sitting in stillness by Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Soon after, a friend recommended his book The Long Road Turns to Joy. Ironically, this beautiful little book had been sitting on my shelf unread for years. It resurfaced during my recent move only days before. While this brilliant work is a guide to walking meditation, much of it’s content can be applied to almost all aspects of life.

I rediscovered this book at a perfect time. Over the past month, I’ve been moving forward after having to end a long-term relationship that meant very much to me. Throughout this transition, I’ve been actively contemplating personal sovereignty.

How can I continue to work towards this centered, autonomous state where one is less dependent on external factors for happiness (people/relationships, objects, substances, you name it!)? How do we maintain this independent place where we become more effective and fulfilled by grasping less and less? How do we remember our self-worth and infinite source of inner satisfaction? How do we find the strength to say, “This soon will pass” when things don’t go according to plan?

I know! These are big questions! What we must remind ourselves of, however, is that great change and growth comes slowly but surely, through working in gradual yet consistent increments. Here are a few simple techniques that everyone can do to begin to work towards greater personal sovereignty.

Daily seated meditation or walking meditation help us tap into our inner wisdom bit by bit. All that takes is a few minutes, commitment, and enthusiasm. A simple gratitude practice each morning can also be transformative. Give thanks for your breath, body, mind, and social/physical opportunity. You can even do this as your make your morning cup of joe or tea…

Something else that has been invaluable to me? Smiling… even just a tiny bit, anywhere, at anytime. To share one more quote of Thich Nhat Hanh’s, “As you make the effort to let go of your worries and anxieties, please smile. It may be just the beginning of a smile, but keep it there on your lips… The half-smile is the fruit of your awareness that you are here, alive, walking. At the same time, it nurtures more peace and joy within you.”

Remember, there is no overnight metamorphosis. Likewise, the path towards self-investigation is far from level. We must embrace the challenges and remember, to the best of our advantage, that clarity and happiness will ensue.

I hope Thich Nhat Hanh’s wise quotes help shape your day!

Sophie Herbert is an alignment focused yoga teacher (and perpetual student), a singer-songwriter, and a visual artist. She has lived, studied, and volunteered extensively in India; teaches yoga in Brooklyn and Manhattan; and recently released her first full-length album, “Take a Clear Look.” Please visit her website at SophieHerbert.com.

Reposted with permission. This is the original post.

Posted in articles | Leave a comment

Yoga gives substance abusers a way to reconnect with their bodies

Nikki Meyer

Nikki Meyer


For many local yoga enthusiasts, Nikki Myers is the woman who helps them live balanced, more fulfilled lives. Life for Myers, however, hasn’t always been so harmonious.

The fast life, including drugs, alcohol and mismatched relationships with men, kept her from finding the balance that yoga now provides for a significant portion of her life.

Myers, 57, owner and executive director of CITYOGA, believes that yoga — the union between mind, body and spirit — was a miracle that kept waiting to happen for her.

She recently shared details of her personal journey to peace and prosperity. (The original interview is reposted below with permission.)

You’re very passionate about yoga. Where does that come from?

I was first attracted to yoga in the early ’70s when it was going through one of the first waves of popularity, and I immediately fell in love with it. (Then) I became distracted with men, alcohol and drugs, and I lived an at-risk (lifestyle) from the ages of 16 to 34.

I’ve been married multiple times, first when I very young (at 17). There was abuse and domestic violence and ultimately, I ended up raising my children as a single mother.

I was drawn back to yoga in the early ’90s during a battle with . . . sciatica, which affects your back and mobility. My physician treated the illness with pain-relieving drugs, but she recommended that I practice yoga as a long-term solution. From there, I found a good yoga teacher and class (when I lived in) Boston, and I’ve been able to manage the pain ever since.

I wanted to learn more about the spiritual and philosophical parts of yoga. And my teacher, who taught yoga in inner-city schools, used to go to India to study, and I would sub her classes while she was gone. The students were of the at-risk population, and yoga made them relaxed and attentive.When I saw the effects that yoga had on the kids, I got really into it and wanted to share yoga with more minorities.

What is CITYOGA? Continue reading

Posted in articles | 1 Comment