By Michelle Ploog

I woke up yesterday morning feeling as though I woke up from a bad dream of my past.  Suddenly the person I was being was no longer the person I am today.  I saw how caught up I had been in the melodramas of life and how I wasn’t really being real to myself and my path.  I was caught up in a social and psychological soap opera that was ruling the decisions I made and were not necessarily in alignment with my truth.  I was not clear on why I was working at the job I was or living in this city.  I was always telling myself to just get through until something better in the future comes along.  In this moment it was like I was facing this whole other person that was very lost. I didn’t know or understand how this mess had taken over me.  This continuous chain of unconscious acts was the key ingredient for why my life was stuck.

This seemed so familiar to what my yoga teachers had spoken of in so many ways “give up your old way of being” “let go of the past” and especially “burn through your samskaras”.  Samskaras are the impressions of the subconscious; beyond that they are the ideas, actions, and behaviors that make up our conditioned way of being.  This conditioning shows up everywhere- on the yoga mat, in traffic, at work- because it is our comfort zone.  Each time we repeat the pattern it gets deeper ingrained into us and starts to look more and more like ”who you are” or your personality.

Samskaras are not necessarily bad or good they are just the ingredients creating the meal of your reality.  For example a person that moves to a new city in hopes of discovering a new life but instead finds their self in similar situations just with different faces and names.  The famous quote I believe by Buckaroo Banzai “where ever you go there you are” points out how we recreate the same reality because we are stuck in our samskaras, or ways of being. Perhaps there are certain samskaras that are no longer serving you such as the mental patterning of low self-esteem or behaviors that are self-destructive- those are the ones we can “cleanse” or “burn” away.   Others you may feel continue to build a positive Karma and create happiness in your life.

Cleanse or burn away samskaras: how? There is no foolproof recipe to follow, but I can share the process that unfolded for me.

It starts with a mixing bowl made of trust! Trust that you are safe to see the darker areas of yourself and still be loved, accepted and honored.   To make a shift at a deep level of yourself is an act of courage and a leap of faith.  There must be trust in the process of revelation to even begin to tread a new path and follow your hearts cry for something bigger, more fulfilling and inspiring. Trust that you are ok to look at the patterns, thoughts and behaviors that are unsupportive in your life and further more trust that you can shift them.

Once you see the samskara or patterns not working for you, you can start with your main ingredient- an intention! For your new creation of the reactions and responses you have now you will need an intention.  An intention is “a determination to act in a certain way” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  Whenever I set an intention I make it as simple as possible; I break it down to one word (love, truth, inspiration, balance, clarity, abundance, joy). I pick the one word that feels in alignment with what I want to create, generally it’s what is missing from the current creation of my life.

Now you will need 2 cups of commitment and patience. Give yourself space to see when you are coming from old patterning and when you are coming from your new intention.  This is a moment to moment practice. Our samskaras are impulsive at times and happen in the bat of an eyelash. Although you are dedicated to your intention it is important to take yourself lightly and strengthen your muscle of patience.  We are all human and this is a practice.

Let yourself rise up with some space- Especially when you are faced with a heated situation.  Your samskaras will want to creep in and take over so it is important to pause.  If you feel reactivity bubbling up pause, take a deep breath, and speak from your one word intention.

Sprinkle a dash of fearlessness into the mix!  Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway is the title of a book written by Susan Jeffers- the truth is fear is something that happens in our lives especially when it comes to becoming our greatest self.  For a lot of us there seems to be this deep seeded fear of failure or of finding out that we really aren’t “good enough” or we really “can’t do it”.  Look that fear right in the face and decide that today I will do it anyway!

Enjoy the process! This is a life long process of creation and evolution of self.  That means in every moment you have the opportunity to enjoy exactly where you are at in the process.  This right now- reading this article- is your life!  Enjoy where you are at now!

What a delicious new meal we can make!  I can now look at things from a different vantage point and for the first time I see the past as just that- the past; I see my past behaviors as old and outdated and see how they truly no longer serve me.  I see how being caught up in my samskaras can take the joy of living out my life!

“My handicap has improved over the past couple of years, and after this class I’ve made the connection that perhaps that has a lot to do with all the yoga I’ve done,” said Jenah Victor, who attended a recent preview golf yoga class at Bala Vinyasa Yoga in Naples.

Angie Ferraro, a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) level two golf fitness instructor and certified personal trainer, led that class. Ferraro is now offering a special two-hour yoga workshop for golfers on Sunday, April 25, at the Bala Vinyasa studio.

An avid golfer herself, Ferraro understands well the correlation between yoga and golf. Many of the poses Ferraro teaches in her yoga classes resemble positions a golfer may expect during a typical round of golf.

“Through the yoga postures, I can get a feel for a golfer’s mobility, strength and balance,” said Ferraro. “Yoga is a specific training tool, so golfers who practice yoga can expect multiple benefits.” A few of those benefits can include improved core strength which can lead to hitting the ball father. Yoga also helps open up different areas of the body and enhances the muscle strength golfers need to swing the club with better focus and aim.

Using individual assessments, Ferraro makes suggestions. Each assessment is the key to a tailored program that can help the golfer improve the attributes that power his or her game.

“The buttocks are the king of the golf swing and transfer the power of the lower body to the upper body and to the club,” said Ferraro, who has participants bring a five-iron to class.

Both beginners and experts attend Ferraro’s golf yoga classes and she expects a similar mix at her upcoming golf-focused yoga workshop.

“I belong to the Bala Vinyasa Yoga community but this was my first time being able to attend a golf yoga workshop with Ms. Ferraro,” said Victor, an intermediate level yoga student who played golf for Naples High School. “I love yoga, but I had never made the connection between golf and yoga until Ms. Ferraro pointed it out in her class. Anything that can shave a few numbers off your golf score is wonderful.”

Yoga beginner Roxanne Becken had never tried yoga. Her mother, Liz Snyder, who winters in Naples, had attended yoga more than 40 years ago. Snyder recently began taking Ferraro’s yoga class to improve her golf game. Both mother and daughter are golfers, so during Becken’s visit to Naples from their home state of Minnesota they attended one of Ferraro’s golf yoga classes.

“I feel like going and swinging a golf club now, because I feel so limber,” said Becken, who says she at first felt intimidated by yoga. “I was concerned about the inability to do the different poses. However, the way it was broken down and how Ms. Ferraro made minor adjustments, I didn’t feel tense at all. I feel so open and energized.”

The average golfer can achieve the poses Ferraro teaches, regardless of their age or skill level. Ferraro helps students work at their own pace and fitness level. Some poses, like the crescent lunge with a twist, bear a strong resemblance to how the upper body is positioned for a golf swing. Other yoga positions require a sense of humor to execute. It’s hard to imagine how a serious golfer could complete the “happy baby” pose with their dignity intact, but the golfers in Ferraro’s yoga class pull it off.

“Yoga is a smooth process, as opposed to the strenuous nature of getting on machines, and you get so much out of it,” said Snyder. “And yet yoga doesn’t make you feel like you’re extending yourself to the point of it not being enjoyable.”

Besides the golf yoga workshop, Kiersten Mooney, who owns the Bala Vinyasa Yoga studio, will soon welcome master yoga practitioner Baron Baptiste for a different workshop, which is already sold out. Yoga instructors like Baptiste and Mooney say yoga is so much more than working the physical body.

“Yoga has been clinically proven to reduce mild depression and anxiety and is a known stress reliever,” said Mooney. Ferraro’s golf yoga classes also focus on stress reduction through breathing, something that also helps golfers better handle the mental side of the game.

“Sometimes in my own golf game, I arrive at the tee box and begin to stress about the group behind me,” Ferraro shared in one of her classes. “But I use my breath to help me stay present, calm and centered.”

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Article by Lee Walker, Natural Awakenings Magazine, Sept2009

After living with chronic pain caused by bursitis for 13 years, Maryann Duvall had given up in finding freedom from the suffering.  But a visit to her daughter’s yoga studio changed that.

Bursitis affects any of the 150 bursae, or fluid-filled sacs, which lubricate and cushion the pressure points between bones, tendons, and muscles near joints.  While bursae normally help joints move with ease, inflamed sacs can cause excruciating pain like that which plagued this Naples resident.  Incapable of performing the simplest of day-to-day activities, like shutting the trunk of her car, Duvall became frustrated after anti-inflammatory steroids provided no relief.

“I felt powerless,” says Duvall, who experienced significant loss of muscle tone and developed a limp as a result of inhibited mobility and lack of exercise.  “I felt like I was in a black hole, with no way out, and every time I tried to get back on track by doing something physical, I suffered a set back.” sighs Duvall.

On Duvall’s 60th birthday, her daughter, Kiersten Mooney, opened the Bala Vinyasa yoga studio in Naples.  Mooney issued her mother a friendly, “Come to the mat,” invitation and assured her that even a little time there could help.  In retrospect, Duvall admits, “I felt hopeless that anything would change.”

Only four months later, Duvall’s progress led Mooney to suggest that her mother enroll in a Baptiste level-one teacher training.  Duvall’s hesitation was met by her daughter’s compassion and wisdom. “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I think you can’t do, mom,” remarked Mooney.  After a week of intense Baptiste training, Duvall experienced a total release in her left hip, which also freed her of lower back pain and sciatica problems, side effects of the bursitis.

Elated with her progress, Duvall continued to show up on the mat and later enrolled in a four-day assistant-teacher training.  Today, she not only assists the studio’s teachers during classes, but also teaches.  “The practice of yoga gave me my life back,” notes Duvall.  “When people call the studio and tell me that they are 55 and can’t do anything, I encourage them to show up on the mat and do whatever they can.”

Duvall and Mooney will offer a “55 Plus” yoga workshop in December. For more info, 239-598-1938 and BVYoga.com

pg40, Natural Awakenings Magazine, Sept2009

Sept2009

“Bala Vinyasa Yoga is about centering through the Baron Baptiste method- it’s one of 24 Baron Baptiste Power Yoga Affiliate Studios worldwide. The Naples studio offers daily and evening classes, workshops, and private sessions for all levels, massage therapy, Thai massage and Reiki. To promote energy and physical well-being, the studio has a specialized chakra color lighting system. Workshops include children’s sessions, Boot Camp, two-and-a-half-hour Renew and Restore sessions, and other specialized workshops. In January, Wade Imre Morissette, alternative rock star Alainis Morissette’s twin brother, will run a weekend full of workshops that combine yoga and music.”

pg49, Naples Illustrated Magazine, Sept2009

Warm up with a vigorous vinyasa flow and then challenge yourself with arm balances and backbends. Ninety minute class taught live by Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa teacher Kiersten Mooney. For individual use only.

An hour of Power with Hanna Riley. For individual use only.