By Mia Velez

Last Sunday October 27th marked the first day of Diwali, the festival of lights celebrating the light overcoming darkness. When a Hindu friend was explaining the holiday, I noticed a joyful warmth come over her as she recalled her stories of the celebration. As the days become shorter, we weather the darkness with celebrations. This Thursday is Halloween, dressing up in costume knocking from door to door collecting candies – it’s a childhood dream! In a month, we will be gathering family around a well-stocked dinner table giving thanks for the many blessings. Before we know it, we will be preparing for the end of year holidays. While these gatherings are meant to bring joy and connection in the winter months, why do they bring on such stress and anxiety instead?

Our lives are highlighted by celebratory events such as holidays, parties, festivals, concerts, and such. I have learned, living in San Francisco, of the concept “fear of missing out” (FOMO for short). The idea that there is something more fun happening somewhere and one hopes not to miss it. I have witnessed friends scramble from one party to the next making sure to keep up with all the events in the city. But for every significant moment, there are millions of mundane ones in between. The thousands of times we put on our socks and shoes and then take them off. The billions of steps it takes to get to our destination. While not exciting, these events are important to the balance of life. The insignificant times that fill the backdrop of our lives are what make life possible and hold the memorable ones in place. However, it seems much of our awareness is pulled towards the more remarkable events. Perhaps the anxiety that arises during the holiday season is the lack of attention towards the mundane aspects of life. One of the ways a Yoga practice becomes useful is by bringing light into darkness. Darkness defined as those in-between times where we check out so either boredom or anxiety sets in.

I find Yoga practice simply as a rehearsal to my life. It is sharpening the tools to notice ourselves living our lives. To clear away the distractions so we can know ourselves at all times and give meaning to the mundane. In a Sun Salutation for example, instead of attending to the poses themselves, we can shift our attention to the in-between process. From standing to forward bend, there are hundreds of micro adjustments in our legs to accommodate the movement. Stepping the leg back to lunge, we notice how much the back and abdominals accommodate the leg floating as it searches the ground behind. With this type of attentiveness, Surya Namaskar becomes a full body meditation. When we link the breath to the movements, we cultivate complete awareness. The poses are no longer isolated points that gather all of our attention, rather it becomes part of a continuum.

With awareness sharpened from Yoga practice, I can then use it in daily living. I can notice the many ways my body shifts while waiting in line, the thoughts that come and go sitting in rush hour traffic, I can even notice how the air touches my feet once I remove my socks. With the holiday season approaching, the preparations become part of the celebration. The effort to host others is not a burden but an offering and a way to nurture my relationships. And when the event is at hand, it doesn’t become an explosion of chaos, rather it becomes a cultivation of the effort to make my loved ones feel loved. That’s what I saw in my friend’s eyes. It wasn’t the sweets or the fireworks that filled her eyes. It was the warmth of the family she had close in her heart way after the celebration was over. It was the effort her elders had put forth that she carried with her in her story. So this Diwali, and in preparation for the upcoming year end holidays, we celebrated light in the form of attention. With attentiveness, we gain clarity and we become liberated from the entanglements of anxiety and stress. We are left with the gathering of our community that brings warmth not only in the winter months, but in the years to come. This warmth will bring the light in their eyes as they recall the holidays they’ve shared with you.

By Sarani Beth Fedman

The prenatal class at the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute has been held on a weekly basis for over five years. It meets Wednesday evenings from 6:00-7:30. Many of you are not pregnant or have never taken a prenatal class, but you may have walked past the classroom on Wednesday evenings and seen the pregnant mamas arriving or departing. You may have seen us listed on the schedule or on the website, and perhaps you would enjoy knowing more about the class and how it works.

Gentle Poses and Breath as a Foundation: We usually begin class with a check-in to see how everyone is doing and if there are any issues or areas that need to be addressed. In general we use a gentle approach to strengthening and toning the physical body. We work on strengthening the core (it is doing extra duty with the changing body), the lower back (it is also having to make constant adjustments to the weight it is supporting), and the upper body (in preparation for lifting, carrying and holding the new being that will soon arrive). Gentle warm ups and asana are offered. Everyone is encouraged to find their own expression of each pose and own it! Asanas are presented as tools to use in everyday life, as a way to address extended time at a desk, and to offset our more sedentary lifestyle. Yoga is also a wonderful way to appreciate and savor the miraculous changes of the pregnant body.

As in regular yoga classes, breath is key. We attend to the breath through the entire class. We especially work with a breathing technique that can be used during labor and delivery. The breath’s restorative, calming, and focusing effects are all explored.

Posture is also emphasized. Something as simple as coming into Mountain Pose (easeful, stable standing posture) with adjustments to the changing form of the pregnant body can be a great relief and support. Balancing poses are especially beneficial to help the pregnant student navigate her day with ease and grace.
Taking asana poses and techniques learned in class into daily life is always supported. Specific suggestions are made in each class about how to use yoga tools to address such issues as tiredness, nausea, edema, insomnia or other common discomforts of pregnancy. We explore techniques such as massage, acupressure, and visualizations throughout the class as a way of addressing physical discomfort and as tools to use in daily life and in labor and delivery.

Emotional and Spiritual Connection: The emotional and spiritual needs of pregnant women are explored and supported through the sharing of thoughts and information. A Deep Relaxation with a Body Scan is offered in the last half hour of class. Hormones released in abundance during pregnancy can lead to emotional ups and downs. Relaxation techniques, breathing practices, poses, and meditation can all help the body and brain to release stress and anxiety. The pregnant mama can find calm and move into a more easeful attitude towards her changing landscape. Sharing the class with other women who are having similar experiences can be reassuring and helps form bonds of friendship and community. We often work with partners in class and encourage sharing of experiences and resources, and bonding through open discussions at the beginning and end of class to develop community and friendships.
We also explore meditation towards the end of each class. A variety of guided meditations are offered. Body, mind, and spirit are invited to connect with self, baby, loved ones, all beings, and the universal.

Invite a Friend to Join Us: Of course we are always looking for new students because each student “graduates” when she gives birth. Please consider letting any newly pregnant moms in your group of friends, family and acquaintances know about our classes. You can send them a link to this blog article to give them a clear picture about what the class looks like and our approach. Invite them to come benefit from the many ways yoga can be of support during their pregnancy. It is an amazing experience that comes through sharing and savoring this time of life with community.
A separate Labor and Delivery Workshop is offered every 4-6 months, depending on the due dates of the students. In it we explore yoga poses, breathing techniques, massage and acupressure, and relaxation and visualization tools that can be used during labor and delivery. Partners are invited to participate and their supporting role is explored.

Sarani Beth Fedman has studied, practiced and taught yoga for over 20 years. Most of her teacher training was completed at Yogaville, Virginia, the home of Satchidananda Ashram. These teacher trainings through Integral Yoga include Basic and Intermediate Hatha, Prenatal and Postnatal, Meditation, Raja (Philosophy), Children’s and Special Needs Yoga, Restorative, Reducing Anxiety, Accessible and Therapeutic Yoga. She has also studied Mindfulness Yoga with Frank Jude Boccio and Buddhist Meditation with Thich Nhat Hanh, Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein. Her approach is inclusive and adaptive with the understanding that everyone can benefit from the practices and teachings of the ancient wisdom of yoga. Each of her therapeutic students receives support through an individualized practice plan with the goal to reduce stress and discomfort and promote healing and a deep sense of well being. She has received her yoga teacher certification from Yoga Alliance at the RYT500 level and is a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists.