Princeton Yoga

What about those New Year's Resolutions?

2008-12-24T23:33:00Z

Sure, this is a ritual time of the year for goal setting, but, can you also trust that perhaps it’s simply OK to let ideas sort themselves out in your mind so that you can get started on something that will truly serve you or allow you to proceed more fruitfully?

What is the true motivation behind that New Year’s resolution?

It is something that comes from your inner knowing and commitment to yourself or something imposed from the outside – and thus, does it become just another ‘have to’ to put on your ‘To Do’ list - yet something else to stress about?

I invite you to take some time in this next week or so to sit quietly and focus on your heart’s desire for yourself in the coming year. Is there something that you need to let go – or something that you need to welcome and embrace?

And, how might you go about doing that?

{Try this now! Take some time to get quiet – take a ‘breathing space’ (we teach this technique in our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy program for Depression at PCYH – drop me an email if you’d like me to send you a more in depth description of the technique – pcyh@mindspring.com) and get in touch with the thoughts flowing through your mind, without trying to change or distract from them. Take a short mental inventory of what you notice in this moment. Then drop into a gentle focus on the breath for a minute or so. Expand your awareness from your breath to the rest of your body – it may be revealing to note where you are holding tension, what parts of your body you notice when certain thoughts come to mind. The body is our best barometer for getting felt sense of what your inner wisdom might be telling you about choices, direction, best ways to proceed with any decision. You might get a felt sense in a particular part of your body, noticing what feelings represent an inner YES and which tell you to put on the brakes…And then come back to the thoughts you started with and notice what might have changed for you. { It does require practice, though, for you to learn to listen to your true inner voice.}

Don’t worry - don’t’ be concerned that you don’t come up with something right away – sometimes it’s just about “living with the question” (see Rilke quote at the end of this post) – until “the right action arises of itself”!

From Lao Tsu – (though I usually use this wisdom quote in my classes in welcoming spring, here it helps to illustrate the point…)

“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud

settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

till the right action arises by itself?”

- Lao-Tsu, Tao-te-Ching

Perhaps what others (or you) label procrastination (and becomes yet another “something” to beat yourself up about) might be a signal of something wrong in the situation or how you've been approaching a task. Perhaps your unconscious mind holds you back so you can regroup and find new ways to approach the problem. If you pay attention to this mental glitch and change your approach, what you or others label “procrastination” actually can help you find the “right action”.

I suggest taking your time – giving yourself permission not to come up with anything at all!

In our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs at PCYH, we trust and cultivate the knowing that we already have the answers we need inside of us. It is not some outside authority who can tell us what is best for us – though the so-called self-help industry – where the hottest new expert tells us how do to our lives better (in 10 easy steps!) - thrives in our culture… In developing Mindfulness, or moment-to-moment awareness, you connect more fully with the present moment, the fullness of life, and your own deep inner resources for healing, coping, growing, and taking charge in new ways in your life.

Of course, just because you have the inner wisdom and resources to contend differently with your life and all its aspects, does not mean that you routinely use them. Most of us are on “auto-pilot” much of the day and tend to react (in a habitual and stress filled way) much more than we respond (skillfully act based on the reality of the circumstance) to the decisions and situations we face. MBSR is about developing the innate ability to cultivate mindfulness over “mindlessness”, with which we are all familiar. Think about those moments when we are unaware of where we are, what we are feeling and why we are doing what we are doing and how those moments might contribute most to our suffering. Some examples might be: eating foods that we know we would be better off not eating; spending time with people that cause us great difficulty, emotional pain or drain us; or engaging in activities that are stressful, harmful or unnecessarily distracting.

So, if you want to gear up to take better care of yourself, find more quiet time with your family, learn something new and get the OK from your true inner knowing – go for it!

AND, if you ARE ready to try a whole new way of approaching your life and be supported in that intention - we at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health (PCYH) offer many opportunities for you to try things on for size in the New Year!

I invite you to have a look at some of the wonderful offerings we have at PCYH for 2009 – a warm, safe and welcoming environment in which you can explore new ways of being with yourself, be supported in the company of like minded people, or for just plain fun! And, to give you a little incentive, we offer Free Classes for New Visitors week from January 5 – 11, and free intro sessions for MBCT and MBSR, January 11 and 12. (See details below my signature or visit www.princetonyoga.com ).

Just make a commitment to yourself — with a little help from your friends at PCYH!

And, as a special thank you for reading through to the end, I share this quote from Rilke:

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

In peace, health and new beginnings,

Deborah Metzger, Director

Princeton Center for Yoga & Health

www.princetonyoga.com pcyh@mindspring.com

609-924-7294

About Deborah Metzger:

Founder and director of the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health, Deborah Metzger, is a certified advanced Kripalu Yoga teacher and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist, 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT)with the Yoga Alliance, a licensed social worker and holds an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed the Yoga of the Heart: Cardiac and Cancer Certification Training, and additional courses in Structural Yoga Therapy and Reiki. In addition, she has completed Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training programs with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli and other senior teachers at the UMass Center for Mind Body Medicine and co-leads MBSR and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy programs at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health. She is currently enrolled in the 2 year Hakomi mindfulness based psychotherapy training program.

In addition to teaching throughout the area and at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health, Deborah has led related workshops in corporate settings such as Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch, L’Oreal, Merck, Summit Bank, Devry Institute, Princeton University, and State agencies, as well as local community groups, and has assisted programs at the Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA.

FREE CLASSES FOR NEW VISITORS WEEK

From January 5 - 11, new visitors may sample from over 45 regularly scheduled classes for free. Participants can learn which classes most suit every body's unique needs. Individualized attention offered in making best class choices to suit busy schedules. Returning students are welcome to sample the classes for the typical drop in fee or for free if they bring a new friend to the Center. Schedule can be found on the website, www.princetonyoga.com or by calling 609-924-7294. Special new $99 one month unlimited "Megapass" for new visitors!

The free week of classes includes Power Yoga, Hot Yoga, Hatha or Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, Yoga for Health, Gentle Yoga, Pre-and Post-Natal Yoga and Core Muscles Toning, as well as Yoga for Beginners, Yoga for Stress Reduction, Yoga for Kids, Teen Yoga, among some 45 classes offered. For a complete schedule, including many new healing workshops, concerts and drum circles, or directions to the Center, visit the website, www.princetonyoga.com, or call (609) 924-7294.

AND, here is but a selection of the upcoming programs which might inspire - from our MBSR and MBCT programs, Gentle Yoga Practice and Study Group, Caring for the Back, Chair Yoga, Hot and Power Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Shamanic Journey, Attracting Love in Your Life, Unlock Your Potential and Gain More Out of Life, Partner Yoga, Reiki Healing, to our monthly Concerts, Drum Circles, and Kirtan – we offer something for EVERY body. There are free monthly Insight Meditation Open Houses, next on January 17, February 21, March 21, 1:30 pm.

Our next Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program at PCYH begins January 26, with a free intro session January 12. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression begins January 23, with a free intro session on January 11.

Website visitors can download a free 20-minute guided relaxation in mp3 format to help ease the holiday stresses. www.princetonyoga.com

“How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterwards”

2008-12-01T03:24:00Z

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.

If it were always a fist or always stretched open,

you would be paralyzed.

Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding

the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated

as birdwings.

- Jalaluddin Rumi

Ah, it’s that time of the year again, when all we really yearn to do is curl up in front of a warm fire out of the cold and sip something warm….and yet, we are called upon (or call upon ourselves) to be in full swing, getting ready for the holidays - readying the house for company, finding and wrapping the “perfect” scores of gifts…

We believe that we can’t slow down for a minute or we won’t get it all done, or that we are lazy.

Is it any wonder we are so stressed that it is difficult to enjoy the holidays for which we have been so feverishly preparing and anticipating – and that we drop in exhaustion when they are over?

In our culture, it’s difficult to stop and just be….busyness of life surrounds us.

Taking time out is not a valued option. We somehow believe we need to constantly do more, bigger, better…

And yet, in our own bodies lie the lessons of balance and equanimity. What can we learn from our own heart?

Though our heart is working all the time, expanding and contracting, it has to rest between contractions. And, think about it - if it were only to expand, we would die! Likewise, if we only inhaled all the time, expanding our lungs, we would die! If our hand were always a fist or always stretched open, we would be paralyzed.

Isn’t it time to pause and re-collect your self - whether taking a breather or going for a walk, giving yourself a time to renew, if only for a few minutes?

Whether we slow down by watching our breath, meditating, visualizing, taking a nap or having a quiet lunch, we need to find opportunities to take a break!

There’s no time like NOW! Breath deeply, take a moment to focus on sounds and smells, textures, colors, or simply stop and put your feet up for a few minutes (In our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression programs at PCYH, we teach a specific and effective technique called The Breathing Space. Contact me at pcyh@mindspring.com and I’ll email you this simple exercise).

Notice how just a few minutes of self awareness might be enough to restore your energy.

Here’s a simply delicious nourishing activity that only takes a few minutes: The yoga Legs Up the Wall (or Viparita Karani) pose. It’s considered a “restorative pose” (at PCYH, we consider this practice so important, we offer a once a month Restorative Yoga workshop - last Sunday of each month) and also helpful for insomnia!

Sit with your side next to the wall, knees bent; swing your torso around, raise your legs, and rest your feet on the wall and let your head and spine rest on the floor. Alternatively, you can rest your legs on a chair (shins parallel to the floor) or on cushions. Rest with arms out to the sides at a gentle angle to the body. Place a folded towel under the head or rolled towel under the neck if the chin is not parallel to the floor and to relieve any neck compression. If there is any strain in the back of the legs or back, bend the knees. You can hold this pose for 5 – 10 minutes (1 – 2 minutes for those new to the practice). To release the pose, bend your knees, roll to one side for a few moments and then rest in savasana, or corpse pose (lying on your back, arms out to the sides, palms facing up) before moving on. Take time to enjoy the “fruits” of your practice. It’s part of the pose!

What if you wake up 10 minutes earlier and enjoy your morning shower and a few luxurious stretches without rushing?

Dare you take time for a short afternoon nap? Recent research has shown the benefits of a daily nap produce the same boost as a good night’s sleep

Next time you feel yourself in a panic with too much to do, open the window and take a few deep breaths – take a moment to slow down before tackling the next task, wrapping that next gift…

“How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterwards”. (Spanish proverb)

In peace, health, and ease of being,

Deborah Metzger, Director

Deborah Metzger, Director

Princeton Center for Yoga & Health
Montgomery Professional Center
50 Vreeland Drive, Suite 506
Skillman, New Jersey 08558
609-924-7294 www.princetonyoga.com pcyh@mindspring.com

Princeton Center for Yoga & Health is a Kripalu Affiliated Studio

AND - to support you in finding a quiet haven and 'time out', PCYH is offering its holiday season special:

7 Bucks for 7 Days! Priceless yoga instruction nearly free!

For new visitors to the Center - now through December 20, pay just $7 and take as many classes as you choose for 7 consecutive days. It’s a great way to begin what you’ve wanted to try for oh-so-long: yoga taught by the best instructors, in the right environment. Naturally, we hope you’ll stick around long after you’ve experienced 7 days of nearly free bliss!

Restorative Yoga Workshop

Sunday, December 30, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

What better way to regroup, letting out the old and welcoming in the new year!?

Come restore, refresh, renew. Give yourself and/or a loved one the gift of deep relaxation this winter season. Get centered, bringing attention deep inside practicing gentle movement with breath, supported poses, meditation and yoga nidra (yogic sleep). No previous yoga experience necessary. $35/$30 for each session if paid by December 20

For our complete listings of nourishing programs, link to PCYH Online - Workshops like Singing for Your Soul, Introduction to ThetaHealing (December 6), Restorative Yoga, Live Kirtan with Wynne Paris (December 13), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Begins January 26), Concerts, Insight Meditation Open Houses, Care for the Back, Yoga for Healing, and so much more!

Link for details and to Sign up Now! (or link to webscheduler from the www.princetonyoga.com home page).

Learn more and sign up at PCYH Online - Workshops .

p.s. Our classes, programs, gift certificates, essential oils, and gift shop items make great and unique anniversary, birthday, Valentine's Day, graduation, wedding party, or any day gifts of health... or organize a spirit or pampering party! Click here to get started now! Go to our online registration system for more info and to order gift certificates now!

Our new ayurveda 'marma beauty face lifts' with Jim Pace make great gifts or pamper yourself! For an appointment, please contact me at ayurvedaconsults@aol.com or call 732 235 1446.

Finding peace within... there's no time like NOW!

2008-11-08T15:46:00Z

Finding peace within is no small task on a good day, and it is all the more elusive in the midst of turmoil. Yet, calming the mind and strengthening the body can help us avoid much of the buffeting that occurs with every piece of news. Peace within self is also a step toward positively influencing the larger community around us.

As the leaves change color and begin to fall, we know the introspective time of winter is coming. It is a time of reflection and inner transformation.

Each season has a natural rhythm and energy for us to draw upon. The autumn through early winter period is a time for pruning back and turning inward as the light outdoors diminishes. In the plant world, this time is essential for nourishing root systems so that growth and flowering can follow in the spring. For us, this can be time of inner reflection. Paradoxically, in our culture, this has become a time of peak performance and outward focus, as the holiday season approaches. Is it any wonder, then, that many of us feel tense and worn out? So what better time to make a commitment to nourish yourself through yoga and meditation? Or, as in my previous post, Fall into something wonderful, find your unique nourishing activities – calling a friend, sipping some tea with no television or other distractions, taking a walk in nature, volunteering your time – and schedule them into your day.

At PCYH, we know that movement and meditation make us stronger on many levels of being and awareness. Here we can embrace the many different ways to practice loving kindness toward our bodies. Yoga, meditation and movement often work as an elixir for restoring energy. Yoga offers you a time for inner reflection while toning and strengthening your physical body. Yoga and meditation practices also remind us that all things change - that this time of darkness will pass as naturally as the seasons, if we honor our own inner rhythms.

Nature, indeed, has much to teach us. Let us grow and look deeply within our roots and be supported in the company of like minded people and a nurturing environment.

There’s no time like NOW!

I leave you with a poem we discuss in our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program at PCYH:

The Journey

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life you could save.

- Mary Oliver

Deborah Metzger

To inspire you to see the benefits of yoga for yourself, at PCYH we are offering a new special for new visitors to the Center:

7 Bucks for 7 Days! Priceless yoga instruction nearly free!

Now through December 20, pay just $7 and take as many classes as you choose for 7 consecutive days. It’s a great way to begin what you’ve wanted to try for oh-so-long: yoga taught by the best instructors, in the right environment. Naturally, we hope you’ll stick around long after you’ve experienced 7 days of nearly free bliss!

For long term changes in your life and to ease into the holiday season, we offer our Holiday Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program, beginning November 17.

Replace holiday stress! Learn new strategies to enjoy the season and a new sense of calm.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Programs, based on the work of by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Center for Mind Body Medicine have been shown to assist with pain management and chronic conditions as well as stress reduction, insomnia and other stress related conditions. Often, when we have a nagging pain, we can't really seem to get over it as our mind is preoccupied with a constant focus on it. In our culture, we put so much emphasis on our minds that we believe the mind will figure out how to get us out of pain. Yet, paradoxically, it seems the more we try to tell the mind NOT to think of PAIN, the more it dwells upon it! MBSR teaches effective tools to be with the pain and research has shown its effectiveness with painful management. We offer these programs at The Princeton Center for Yoga & Health throughout the year. Our new Holiday Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, beginning November 17, incorporates a very gentle and mindful yoga practice and practice CDs which includes guided meditation, breathing practices and yoga.

We offer Princeton Living Well members $45 off the price of this program. Register online by November 14 and use Promotion Code: Princeton Living Well 101

Our next MBSR program begins January 26, with a free introductory session on Monday, January, 12, 7:30 pm.

About Deborah Metzger:

Yoga and Back Pain: Yoga for a Healthy Back

2008-10-09T16:11:00Z

Yoga can be a great way to address back pain. It is a system which balances strength and flexibility and addresses the whole body. Most people are tight in key areas affecting the spine, for example in the hips and shoulders, hamstrings and psoas. The spine may be compresses and back muscles tight or weak. For these considerations, yoga can be ideal for back pain sufferers.

Many of the postures in yoga gently strengthen the muscles in the back, as well as the abdominal muscles.. When these muscles are well conditioned, back pain can be greatly reduced or avoided.

I hesitate to promote yoga as a way to relieve back pain. I have written before on the Yoga fad of the day (see my July, 2007 post on this blog: Yoga for Bad Hair). Yoga practice addresses the whole body and I feel strongly that benefits such as relief of back pain, stress reduction, improved sleep and digestion are merely its "side effects". Yet they are great motivators for us to begin and continue our practice.

A study in the Dec. 20, 2005 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that yoga may be more likely to improve back function, ease chronic back pain, and reduce the need for pain medication than conventional exercise or reading a self-care book.

The researchers say that "Yoga may be beneficial for back pain because it involves physical movement, but it may also exert benefits through its effects on mental focus," they write. This focus could help patients "increase their awareness of how they had been moving and positioning their body in maladaptive ways, to relax tense muscles, and to relieve mental stress."

Yoga asks you to listen to your body. This is the nature of this ancient system - to learn to discern the messages of our body and mind; to listen to our own inner knowing vs. any external authority telling us where to place our foot or how far to go in a pose. We often ignore what we know to be true for our bodies – need for sleep, ways of eating, pushing beyond our limits. No wonder we are stressed and often don’t realize it until the body signals us with symptoms of pain or illness.

Symptoms of pain are signs to back off. Feeling pain after class, “wrung out” or jumpy at the end of a practice are signs to back off or find another class/teacher. The key is to listen to your body and respect the limits your body tells you by your pain. Do let the instructor know what is happening with your body. He/she may be able to offer some suggestions on different options available to you during the practice.

Yoga is a whole body system. It develops body awareness and places emphasis on alignment (In my classes, I place particular emphasis on awareness of neutral spine and no heightened sensation in the joints). Yoga incorporates breathing techniques and emphasis on the breath which can lead to stress relief and slowing down movements in the poses which can help avoid injury, deepen a safe and healthy stretch. Slow, mindful movements into and out of the poses will help you learn what movements feel safe, which might cause pain, which are contraindicated for you, where to “back off”.

Back pain could be the result of serious problem, so please consult your physician to see if yoga is appropriate for you. For example, it is important to find out if there is serious damage to any of the discs in your spine. If there is damage to these discs you'll usually have numbness or tingling sensations in your legs and feet or sharp, immobilizing pains in your back. The wrong practice can actually worsen your condition. Ask your doctor for any specific movement contraindications, safety modifications needed, any interactions between your medication and exercise.

For information about yoga poses, www.yogajournal.com is a great resource. I’ve built one suggested sequence on that site –

link to: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/sequence_builder/?new=1&action=custom&yj=sequence_view&id=13529

If you only have a short time for your practice, pick some of the poses. Do contact me if you have any questions or need for guidance. pcyh@mindspring.com. I welcome your comments.

Once again, I recommend consulting with a certified, experienced yoga instructor who is able to offer different options in the poses to suit your unique body and its needs on any given day.

I also recommend Mukunda Style’s Structural Yoga Therapy practice, particularly his simple and very effective Joint Freeing Series. http://www.cmebyplaza.com/YOGA/registrants/SYTAR2007/SYTAR%202007%20Course%20Companion%20Practice%20Session%20PDF/PS%202%20Structural%20Yoga%20Therapy-%20Stiles3.pdf

See information below my signature about a workshop Yoga for Back Pain October 11 at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health led by Bonnie Pariser, a teacher certified by Mukunda Stiles. For a gentle, restorative practice, (and a little 'mini-retreat'!) treat yourself to one of our monthly Restorative Yoga workshops, last Sunday each month, next on October 26. A great way to nourish yourself or a loved one during these colder months. In addition, see below for information about Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program at PCYH, which has been proved to help with pain management.

Enjoy!

Deborah

Princeton Center for Yoga & Health is hosting special guest, Bonnie Pariser, of Yoga Loka Center in Frenchtown for

YOGA for BACK PAIN.

Saturday, October 11,

1:30 – 4:30 pm.

$45 - $40 if you register, mentioning this blog and Promotion Code 103.

Find relief from your back pain. Studies have shown Yoga to be effective in alleviating back pain through the structural changes it can effect and the fact that the practice helps to deal with stress. Learn to let go of stress, strengthen the muscles that support your back, and loosen up your hips and spine. Bonnie will also show you ways of moving safely through your life. No prior yoga experience is necessary. The class will be based on Structural Yoga Therapy and Bonnie’s research on back pain, its causes and the most efficient ways to manage it.

Pre-registration is required.

http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=-174&stype=-8&sTG=8&sTrn=100000073

Restorative Yoga with Kathy Russo

Sunday, October 26 ( Also November 30, December 28)

2:00 - 4:00 pm

http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=-174&stype=-8&sTG=8&sTrn=100000057

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Programs, based on the work of by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Center for Mind Body Medicine have been shown to assist with pain management and chronic conditions. Often, when we have a nagging pain, we can't really seem to get over it as our mind is preoccupied with a constant focus on it. In our culture, we put so much emphasis on our minds that we believe the mind will figure out how to get us out of pain. Yet, paradoxically, it seems the more we try to tell the mind NOT to think of PAIN, the more it dwells upon it! MBSR teaches effective tools to be with the pain and research has shown its effectiveness with painful management. We offer these programs at The Princeton Center for Yoga & Health throughout the year. Our new Holiday Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, beginning November 17, incorporates a very gentle and mindful yoga practice and practice CDs which includes guided meditation, breathing practices and yoga.

Next session begins January 26. Free Introductory Session January 12.

Fall into something wonderful!

2008-09-23T17:46:00Z

It’s now officially Autumn. This week marked the day when there is equal light and darkness. Can you feel the change in the air?

The seasons are changing, and we are challenged with major transitions in our lives. There is major turmoil in our nation and globally - and changes in our own lives as we transition from summer hiatus to the rush of return to daily routines. How can we stay balanced and centered in the midst of personal transitions and external changes?

This is a good time to find nourishing activities. In our Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression program at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health, we ask participants to create a list of activities that are nourishing and those that are depleting and to pay special attention to creating opportunities to put more nourishing activities into their lives. People are surprised to find how many activities in their daily lives are depleting and how they can begin to choose to do less of these over time once see how they are done on “automatic pilot”. And, they tend to be amazed at how simple it can be to draw from a list of things that nourish them, without great expenditure of time, resources, or effort.

It is surprising that when we feel most stressed and pressed for time, we tend to let go of those nourishing activities that we need the most to sustain us.

So, why not take some time and consider what things nourish you most? Make a list, do it now! Perhaps something as simple as a walk in nature? Cleaning out closets and drawers and donating items you haven’t used for years? Volunteering your time? Taking a warm bath; curling up with a good book? Spending time in good company? (and, can't resist - taking a yoga class!)

In days past, this was a time for preparation for the cold months ahead. So, how might you take special time to prepare – to care for and nurture yourself? Find the best ways to support the body at a time when it is adjusting to shorter days and cooler temperatures.

You might just “fall” into something wonderful?!

I invite you to share your favorite fall nourishing activities here.

Deborah Metzger, Director

Princeton Center for Yoga & Health

www.princetonyoga.com pcyh@mindspring.com

p.s. At PCYH, we offer simple, effective tools for everyday life, tools that will allow you to find your “center” no matter where you are or what situation you find yourself having to confront. We teach you how to create inner equanimity that will help you to remember who you are wherever you are. Check our website, www.princetonyoga.com for an array of programs to nurture and delight – from Belly Dance and Drumming Circles, to Yoga for Digestion, Yoga for Back Pain, Restorative Yoga workshops.

Join us in good company and meet yourself smiling. Harvest what you need and shed the rest. There’s no time like now!