Identity Yoga

09/24/2024

Round two! Ready to quit chronic back pain?

I get it. Back pain sucks. I’ve certainly had my fair share of it.

It was only after I finally stopped outsourcing for help with pain that I started to find relief. Cue: deep dive into the yogic practice.

Nope. It wasn’t a light switch and fixed in one day. It was a search into how both the physical AND mental can have be a part of our pain. Cue: YES. Our emotions can add fuel to the fire as much as a physical imbalance. And YES. The pain is real either way.

The essence of the yoga we all say we love, truly means a marriage of these things. The mind and body and are absolutely attached.

And when patterns of habitual ways of holding ourselves physically that are out of whack meet a mind that doesn’t know how to let go of stress and trauma- meet back pain.

My own personal experience with back pain has given me invaluable tools on how to heal. This is what this next series is all about.

6 weeks to breakdown the parts to break through the series of chronic back pain. A simple, meat-n-bones practice to help us find overdue relief.

Includes one on one time and 6 extra classes from the regular schedule to practice the techniques learned. Yup. That’s 12 classes total for 20 bucks or less per class. 👀

There are two of these Back Shop series that begin next Wednesday October 2nd. 9:30am & 6pm.

Hey, and if you know someone who could use some help finding relief, please pass along.

09/09/2024

Sooooo many people talk to me about back pain. Whether it be students, people I might meet an event, or my local barrister, it seems more people have had bouts with back pain than not.

It's a subject that I have had lots of personal experience with and although it sucked to have so many back problems, I'm strangely thankful for it because it taught me a lot. It drove me to dive deep into the study of both the physical and mental behind our back pain.

After all, it's both that can cause quite a bit of back talk. After years of study, practice and dealing with all sorts of doctors, I've discovered that much of our chronic back pain is something we can heal.

We can help ourselves.

I can only say this because I have done it for myself. And yes, it's true, both my doctor and chiro recommended surgery for my herniated, degenerating discs as I could not find relief for four years.

Luckily, I'm stubborn and traveled a different path (sorry mom) which led me to the Iyengar practice as well as some extended study trips India.

Here's what I know:

If we are willing to look at how we hold ourselves mentally and physically within different situations, we are able to catch how we feed our back pain.

Yes! The pain is real! Yes! There might be some herniation and compression. But the more we 'fix' the pain without understanding where we might be causing it, we will continually end up in the same place.

Listen friends, some actually might need surgery. I am no doctor. But most of us are overworking somewhere and underworking in another place that feeds instability.

One physical example is posture. One mental one is uncertainty and instability.

This recipe habitual, physcial imbalances and emotional roller coaster rides create the perfect storm for back talk. And loves, the more we don't listen to our back talk, the louder the back can become. Trust me, I know.

Mine was screaming.

Know what I mean? There's also the flip side of when we first notice a twinge, chronic pain can also induce reactionary pain because it is what we have come to expect.

When we stop outsourcing for relief and get down and dirty with our details, we just might be able finally feel free of dreaded back pain.

Ready?

There's three - 4 week series- One starts this Wednesday. See here to find more options both in person and online:

Wednesdays 9:30 am
https://momence.com/s/104810095

Mondays 6pm:
https://momence.com/Identity-Yoga/THE-BACK-SHOP-(IN-PERSON)/106331198

06/17/2024

Yes, it’s true. She couldn’t put on her shoes or sleep without pain for four years.

Yes, it’s true that she got some much relief from chiropractors and acupuncturists for a herniated L4/5.

Ah and yes it’s true that the pain always returned.

The World Health Organization reports that globally, 619 miliion people have lower back pain. Although that’s a pretty staggering number, It means we are not alone and that back pain is more common than not.

After years of struggling with back issues and searching for relief, Julie dove deep into the study of yoga and anatomy to try and help herself. And yes, it’s true. She ignored recommendations for surgery.

Through this long and continuing personal journey, the Back Shop came to life.

A 4 Week Series to understand the why's our backs might be hurting and how to help ourselves. Every person has a different way of carrying themselves. This is the habit. And this habit is often the root cause of where back pain begins. These sessions include restorative yoga and will break down the foundations of how we stand, walk, sit, work and create awareness that facilitates relief. Core, posture, stress, strength, stability, flexibility and breathing techniques are incorporated to give us the tools we need to feel better. Sleep better.

This is for You if you are someone:

-With chronic low back pain. (and yup, this affects the shoulders and neck too.) Friends with acute pain or injury are recommended to see a doctor or better yet your favorite acupuncturist or chiro.They are lifesavers when pain is acute and great for tune-ups. See masters Callie Brown in New Paltz or AAmber Milanovichin Kingston!

-Who is looking for sustainable pain relief and not just a temporary fix.

-Who is looking for better posture and stress relief. p.s.: these two things have a large impact on how we move and feel.

-Who is looking to understand where they might be over or under working parts of the body that might add to their back issues.

-Who is ready to be open, learn and commit to learning new skills that help create new habits for happy backs and increased flexibility.

Why Julie? She doesn’t have the answers friends, but what she does know is how to ask the right questions. Along with her own personal journey through hell with back pain and a pretty hefty load of knowledge and experience under her belt, she’s also extremely passionate about helping people feel better.

THE BACK SHOP: 4 weekly sessions to build strong foundations and skills to relieve chronic low back pain.

Mondays at Headstone gallery 6-8PM (sessions 90 minutes with extra time for individual questions & assistance.)

June 24th, July 1st, July 8th, July 15th

Make-up session to be announced.

Sliding scale $150-$199 (price is sliding scale to make it more affordable for those that don’t have the funds)

Price includes one on one assistance and complimentary Back Shop classes at Identity Yoga Wednesdays 6PM-7:05PM for the duration of series. *Spaces limited.

01/17/2024

I hear lots of folks say yoga isn't for them. In fact, I was one of them at some point. I wanted to like the yoga but didn't. Honestly, I kinda hated it and thought it was torture.
Well, obviously, something changed and here I am with a Space to share this practice that heals. I can say that because it has healed me both physically and mentally.
Many of us out there feel we are not flexible. Me neither.
Many feel yoga hurts or is too hard. Agree. It can hurt if not done properly. Agree again that it can be challenging. But then I remember it's a practice and if it were easy, well, it wouldn't really be practice? How do we learn how to do anything?
Many of us feel it's just not for them. Yup. That was me too. A gym rat and runner for twenty years, I just didn't see the point. There's the obvious part again that something shifted.
The practice is one that is transforming. I don't say this lightly as I was someone who struggled with depression, weight, and back pain. I can say this because I have walked the steps and the internal shifts are life altering.
What I don't want to do is persuade anyone of anything. What I do want to do is help people reveal their potential in all ways physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Why? Because it's like discovering treasure. And yup, as we know, treasure is not usually found lounging around on the couch. But hey, nothin wrong with that.
There's a special offering to make this healing work of yoga both physically and financially accessible. Starting this weekend, there will be an intro workshop to cover some basics, chat about injuries to get the ball rolling. $65 for first timers and Includes 3 weeks of unlimited yoga and assistance. And of course this is open to our members as well.
Love to meet you and see you there. Saturday January 20th 12pm. Identity Yoga 451 Main Street Rosendale Happeningshttps://momence.com/Identity-Yoga/BEGINNERS-%26-FOUNDATIONS/98244948

12/01/2023

Gathering. Connecting. More important than ever. Hope you’ll swing by and say hi this Sunday!

🤍If you want a present (and who doesn’t) wrap up your fave book and you’ll receive one back.

🤍there’s a raffle to benefit those near-n-dear to my heart in Nakuru Kenya. Lots to win: acupuncture sessions with masters Callie Brown & Amber Milanovich, $100 Gitt card from Health & Nutrition, Counseling session with the one and only Harrison Barritt and a month membership & private session with yours truly.

🩶gifts avail from local ceramic artists, textiles & jewelers.

🤍ooooh and there’s a special…a gift that gives presence. $199 for TWO. You and a friend get TWO months unlimited nourishment & classes NOW until January 31st.

🤍Bubbles, chocolate, laugh, dance a little, shake things off, gather, connect, give & receive. Put on your party dress or pajamas and come on over.
Looooooove to see you❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

05/22/2023

This woman. Mara.

Leader of the band. Leader of the soul. She and Good Time Honey rocked the house this weekend and helped us celebrate our 1st Birthday. I don't know about you, but I can't wait til the next show! Huge thank you to Mara & the Fabulous Band.

HUGE thank YOU for supporting the Space. It is not possible without YOU.

The party continues...don't worry if you missed the chance to WIN a THREE MONTH SUMMER PASS. The raffle continues through June 1st. Help make a difference! All proceeds go to Springs of Hope Kenya- an orphanage that's near-n-dear to my heart.

As we swim towards a shift in seasons and a brand new year, please do reach out and lemme know any questions & suggestions. Class time requests? Injuries? Want a complimentary 15 minute consult?

Love to hear what you need for support.

Cheers and LOVE

05/20/2023

We are one.

Well, almost one year 🎈but definitely one. We all have different things going on but our hopes and needs are similar if not the same.

I love that the Space keeps making room to explore. Room to uncover and appreciate that we have what we need to manage any external circumstance. That we are more than sufficient. That we have more in common than uncommon. I love that the Space is a safe place to be who we really are. Most of all I love that there’s a lot of laughter (and some tears) and that this community is familiar, like family.

THANK YOU for being a part of it! And if you aren’t yet, we would love to meet you. Swing by and say hi for tonight’s celebration. And it’s sure to be since they are playin.

Oooooh and make a difference and dive into win a summer pass. Raffle to benefit - an orphanage near and dear to my ❤️

530-830pm🎈

05/16/2023

Hey Friends, YOU are invited!

We are turning One and could not do it without YOU.

The Space at Identity Yoga is a place to fully expand, to be fully ourselves. This means different things for different people. It takes a willingness to look inside and take a peek at what's possible.

And nope, it has nothing to do with how well we can do a pose- or anything- it's how well we can practice the current shape or situation. It's how well we can show UP.

And you have been showing up! For this, I cannot thank you enough. Truly, it is a dream coming true and I feel incredible amounts of gratitude for the community that is being created.

If you haven't come yet, please do come by and say hello. It's sure to be a good time with special guest GOOD TIME HONEY.
Feel free to bring a friend and something to nibble or drink and share if you like.

This Saturday May 20th 5:30-8:30PM. Ooooooh and there's a raffle to benefit SPRINGS OF HOPE KENYA. Winner gets a three month Summer Pass at Identity Yoga!

http://www.identity-yoga.com/

04/03/2023

Almost daily, you can find me and the Sun walkin along the Hudson to the dog park. And every time I see this uprooted tree, I pause and stare. It's wonderously beautiful and always makes me think of how many of us feel ungrounded these days. Uncertain.

Ya know, pre-pandemic, uncertainty was kind of a way of life for me as I have forever been an independent contractor. Being freelance in any business, in my case, the fickle film world can be quite a rollercoaster ride.

One week flush with work, one month dry as toast. One never knew. Would I be able to pay the forever-rising rent?

Way, waaaaaaaaaaay back in my late twenties-(yes, that's quite a waze back:)- I used to be terrorized by the dreaded 'what if' worry monster. To this day, I remember (still) a conversation with my younger brother. He listened through my blathering blubber and asked:

"Can you afford to buy a coffee and a donut today?"

While not a huge fan of donuts, (gimme a chocolate chip cookie any day), I paused and realized, why yes, I can afford that. Today.
And somehow a few decades later, I still can go get some cookies and coffee If I want. Oh, and I never did become homeless. Not yet anyway.

What I hear out there from numerous friends and folks is that we are worried. The "what if" monster is alive and well. Many have shared about losing their jobs, or that they might be losing their job, relationships are rocky, and stability is nowhere to be found.

And I might add that many also add guilt to the overflowing plate since none of us live in Ukraine. Or Afghanistan. Or Syria. Who are we to wallow in our problems when we have electricity? Or shoes?

Guilt and worry are quite the pair to make us feel impaired. Add on the overwhelming amount of choices out there for anything- cereal, milk, yoga classes, fitness classes, streaming services, yadadada.

How to choose with all these fu***ng choices? Please pardon my French.

Friends, there's a heavy load happening out there. Is it more than it ever has been or is it because we are overly connected thanks to our supposedly smart phones?

We know about everything, everywhere, all at once, all the time. Great movie btw.

Are we surprised that many of us are struggling out there? The guilt, worry, and 24-7 availability with all access choices are a pretty strong burnout-breakdown cocktail.

Here's what I know: I can buy a donut and coffee today. Probably tomorrow too. I have goals and dreams but also know that when I let these monsters run amock, I create my suffering. Mostly, I know that struggles tend to lead to light. If I let them. The more I push against things, the bigger the struggle party there is.

This is hard and yet so simple. It takes practice to tame the mind monkeys and to remind ourselves to come back and remember what is here now.

And yes. The struggles are real. They are valid. But we got the goods to make'em or break'em.

Suggestions: Dump loads of gratitude for something every day. Pause when the monsters want to play ball. Listen to it. Write it out. Get on the mat. Laugh whenever possible. Cry when you need. Call-don't text a friend. Better yet, meet for that donut and share a hug.

Maybe most of all. Remember that whatever we are feeling is a feeling. It does not define us (well, unless we allow it to) and it's temporary.

Maria Popova nails it: There are times in life when the firmament of our being seems to collapse, taking all the light with it, swallowing all color and sound into a silent scream of darkness. It rarely looks that way from the inside, but these are always times of profound transformation and recalibration — the darkness is not terminal but primordial; in it, a new self is being born, not with a Big Bang but with a whisper. Our task, then, is only to listen. What we hear becomes new light. Thank you Colleen for sharing this!

Primordial: constituting a beginning. Hmmmmm. Sounds like possibility to me.

What do you think? ​

Friends, please note schedule changes this week. NOW:
Tuesdays 930AM Wednesdays 530PM
Happy Backs are now once a month on Tuesdays 6PM. (4/11)
Stay tuned for Monday Meds: Restorative meets Meditation.

03/14/2023

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real, you don't mind being hurt.

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once" said the Skin Horse. You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real, you can't be ugly, except to the people who don't understand."

This little nugget of a quote from The Velveteen Rabbit was tucked into one of my birthday cards last week. I suppose as wisdom is trying to creep in the cracks at fifty seven, Real is certainly in process.

Oh, and my eyes have not dropped out yet, but something is happening to them. And I will be honest, (as I'm like the Skin Horse and always truthful), I see all kinds of loose and scary, shabby things happening to my face and body. The strange thing is, I feel prettier.

Is this the process of becoming Real?

Pause for plug: If you want to hear Real and a fabulously inspiring story- LISTEN to John Burton's interview with Merritt Minnemeyer. She is a force to be reckoned with. Wowowowowow.

Oddly, Mr. Burton had contacted me a while back about also being a guest on his show Home From Here. Although I was honored to be invited, I was a bit wishy-washy with my response.

Why you ask? Because was/am nervous in front of a camera, crowd, or microphone. Every once in a blue moon, something poetic might spill out of my pie-hole, but more often I stutter around like Elmer Fudd. No offense Elmer. Because who am I and what would I say? And never mind, how on earth could I go on especially after the Honey Badger. Sorry. Inside joke.

And yes. This is exactly why I reached out to see if the invitation was still open. Because. I know REAL is not comfortable. It means going towards what strums our heart strings.

You know what that is? It's the thing we dream about inside- yes that thing. The one that we have all kinds of reasons why it might not work. Or why it might. It's the one that scares us a bit. Or a lot.

Pretty sure you have heard me say that I could not get one peep out during my first teacher training. No really. Not one. The only thing that did come out was tears and crushing fear. Obviously, I somehow managed to get a few words out and landed here.

Here, is where I am interested in revealing my own truth and how I may assist others with that process. Mr. Burton had said in an email that he does a lot by vibe, and that he got the sense that I approached yoga to heal myself and that I am trying to incubuate goodness in the Space.

I'd say he nailed it. Stay tuned.
Love to hear your ideas and where you are practicing to be REAL

John spends an hour with the inspirational Merritt Minnemeyer, gets her last name right, and is moved by stories of adoption, foster care, death, and a glorious rebuilding of a life by a courageous woman.