In addition to yoga, her passion is Deep Ecology. Roughly, this is the study of our soul connection to the environment and the beautiful planet that we live on. We spoke of the issue of connection and disconnection; a “disconnect” (from the body, emotions and spirit) is what we are trying to heal through yoga practice.

Disconnection, it seems, is the primary symptom of human suffering that is so beautifully addressed and healed through yoga and meditation; healing this disconnect is an intention I hold in leading and teaching Gentle Yoga and meditation.  Connection is the quality that yoga, or union, is referring to.  Our connection to this planet is no less a soul journey than our connection to our experience in the moment, in the body; connection to the planet, no less healing than connection to spirit through the meditative witness.

In this era of the rapidly growing popularity of yoga, classes are springing up everywhere. As one shops around for a satisfying yoga class, the class names and descriptions may offer little help to the novice who really wants to know whether they are going to fit in or be okay in a given class.  Words that are intended to be descriptive can still be broad and vague.

Gentle Yoga is one term used by many to mean many things. Gentle Yoga can refer to a variety of types of yoga classes taught by teachers from various styles of yoga.

Generally speaking, gentle-style yoga classes attempt to serve a variety of distinct needs: people with movement limitations, or profound stiffness due to lack of activity; relief from disabilities and chronic conditions e.g., arthritis, back pain and other musculo-skeletal issues; recovery from surgery, illness or injury; for seniors, new practitioners, women who are pregnant and those seeking stress-reduction or weight management. A gentle yoga approach has even been found to be an important compliment in programs to reverse heart disease or provide relief from the challenging conditions of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, as well as mood disorders.

Gentle yoga classes are typically described as appropriate for those who want a softer, nurturing, slow-paced, well-supported and relaxing practice. The approach hopefully includes carefully orchestrated movements, controlled pressure, and well-measured stretches, including range of motion exercises. Postures may be approached in gradual steps, with plenty of time to focus on breathing and repetition so that the practice is simple to do and easy to remember. A gentle yoga style encourages a highly individualized approach to practice with on-going encouragement to make moment-to-moment adjustments.

Gentle Yoga is often considered easier, less intense, non-strenuous, minimalistic, quiet, meditative, or restorative.

I came up in the Kripalu tradition of yoga in the seventies and eighties, certified in 1983, long before yoga hit the mainstream. Since the late 1980s, as a teacher trainer, I helped pioneer a shift at Kripalu Center from simply offering beginner and intermediate classes to offering three levels, based on the intensity of the class rather than length of experience alone. Since about 1991, the three levels of classes at Kripalu have been called gentle, moderate and vigorous.

The practice of yoga in America has evolved dramatically over the last twenty years. There has simultaneously been an increase in yoga classes specifically called Gentle Yoga. Though this distinction is somewhat broadly defined, there are even Gentle Yoga Teacher Trainings and Gentle Yoga training modules now being offered in 500-hour advanced curriculums.

These classes intend to be inclusive rather than exclusive, an approach that has birthed the term accessible yoga. This is a style for people who don’t have the flexibility, coordination and strength which photos of yoga poses typically portray.

In fact, many people find the so-called beginning practices of yoga way too advanced for them.They get discouraged, scared off, or never begin. Many people really think that they can’t do yoga.

In response, accessible yoga classes attempt to meet yoga students “where they are.”

An effective Gentle Yoga class then, provides a compassionate, non-competitive environment that is welcoming to all.

Come to the March 10, 2012 workshop in Rye, NY to learn the other essential elements of a Gentle Yoga class or sign up for Rudy’s email list to be notified of other training opportunities with Rudy.

]]> http://rudypeirce.com/what-is-gentle-yoga/feed/ 0 http://rudypeirce.com/to-stretch-or-not-to-stretch-that-is-the-question/ http://rudypeirce.com/to-stretch-or-not-to-stretch-that-is-the-question/#comments Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:29:55 +0000 Rudy http://rudypeirce.com/?p=660 My wife, Joyce and I were talking about travel this morning and my mind flashed on a little experience I had many years ago when I was waiting for a ride after my arrival at the airport in San Francisco.  I was standing out at the curb with my bags wondering what was holding up my friend (no cell phones back then).  But it was a beautiful day (the kind of thing that happens a lot in California), so I didn’t mind waiting.  At first I was just chillin’, hangin’ loose and people-watching.  But my body was having a different experience; some definite tightness had developed over the 5+ hour flight out from Boston.

So as I waited, I did what came naturally to me at that time.  I inhaled my arms up and did a lazy Half-Moon side-to-side stretch.  Boy, did that feel good.  I did a second round and then noticed that my hamstrings were calling for some TLC.  Now I was really getting into it, eyes closed, ujjayi breathing, completely losing myself in the moment.  I was in the midst of a delicious forward bend when my friend pulled up to the curb.  I “came to” and stood up as he stepped out of the car leaving it running for our quick-hug-throw-the-bags-in-the-car-get-in-the-car transition.  After our initial hello he looked at me curiously and somewhat sheepishly and asked if I was okay.  I said “yeah, why?”  He replied, “Well you were all kind of all bent over when I pulled up.”

I was as startled at my own naivete as I was at his; I had been completely oblivious that my little stretching break would have been noticed and thought odd.  It was the mid 80’s and I was on my first real vacation since becoming a resident in a yoga community where the culture was such that you could stretch during a meeting (everyone was sitting on the floor) and no one thought anything of it.  Due to my unbridled enthusiasm, whenever I left the community, my friends and family received a crash course in yoga philosophy, holistic health, and “conscious communications”, some of key elements of the lifestyle at the Kripalu Yoga Ashram (now the Kripalu Center), where I lived from 1982 -1995.  I’m sure I must have been pretty obnoxious and arrogant with my newfound “wisdom”.

The concern of my friend who picked me up at the airport that day, upon seeing me do something that had become second nature to me, provided a bit of a revelation about how unusual it was at that time for people in the general population to use stress-reduction or tension release activities.  These days, it’s more common, but not commonplace. Self-consciousness holds some people back.  Then there’s the resistance many of us feel to trying something new and unfamiliar. Add to that the effects of our fast-paced culture and its encouragement of a heady lifestyle and the result is that we all bear some degree of disconnection between body and mind.   I am grateful to have found yoga (or perhaps it found me) early in my life such that it is second nature to me to stretch and that simply stretching brings my mind back into my body where I have the opportunity for integration and a sense of wholeness.

Although we each have a unique story, it is some sense of disconnection and its attendant suffering which likely led us to the yoga mat.  The practice of yoga is where we can learn to transport ourselves across what is sometimes mysterious terrain, using the sensations produced during stretching to bridge the separation that causes all human suffering.   We all have the possibility of sharing the benefits of a little stretching here and there with others we encounter in life.  And for those of us who are teachers, we have the amazing opportunity of creating community wherein stretching is not only normal and understood, but brings contentment and peace into common, everyday moments of our lives.

Throughout the highs and lows of life, whether bad times or good, whether living in darkness or light, untruth or truth, sugar always tastes sweet.  So too can the sweet remembrance of the union called Yoga be ever tasted.                    Swami Jnaneshvara

It is our habit to shorten the breath when sensation increases. This is a coping mechanism. A wonderful defense of the human organism to ward off the shock of traumas large and small.  In yoga practice the possibility is to feel more. Yoga helps us increase sensitivity and awareness. Ultimately this helps us make more skillful, conscious choices and allows us to create greater fulfillment in life.  And it all starts with the breath. Inhalations help us feel. Exhalations help us relax. There are a number of powerful yogic breathing techniques. The basic ones are useful in everyday life as well.

The initial yogic breathing technique is Dirgha pranayama (pronounced Deer-guh). This is also called the Complete Breath or Three-part Breath. It is fully inflating the lungs in the three regions of the abdomen, thorax and cavicle or belly, ribs and upper chest. The full inhalation is followed by fully relaxing, allowing the breath to spill out. A simple approach is to experiment with lengthening the inhalation and exhalation. Let it be an exploration. Notice how it feels. Avoid creating tension. Notice the effect. Practice regularly. Remember inhalations help us feel. Exhalations help us relax.

Stay tuned for more occasional posts of The Principles of Gentle Yoga.

Gentle Yoga is:

a dynamic practice involving active stretching, restoring comfort and control to breathing, physical strengthening, enhancing balance, building concentration, stress relief and anxiety reduction, depression lifting, deep relaxation, integrating life and reconnecting with yourself.

The emphasis is on fluid movement and feeling over form within a safe encouraging environment, affirming that at your core you are whole and complete.

Excellent for:

back care

expanding pain-free range of motion

heart disease

pulmonary disease

sleep disorders

mental health, anxiety and depression

pain management

arthritis

high blood pressure

recovery from injury and surgery

recovery from sedentary lifestyle

Here’s wishing that 2011 is the year you get healthier, stronger and feel younger, with Gentle Yoga.

Times have been very busy since summer 2008.In August 2008, I had the honor of co-leading a monthlong 200-Hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher Certification program with the brilliant Priti Robyn Ross. The following November, I co-led a second monthlong Certification program with my long-time delightful colleague Megha Buttenheim of Let Your Yoga Dance. In both cases it was gratifying to see a diverse group of individuals grow, develop, and find their voices and confidence as Kripalu yoga teachers.Everyone ended the month with the confidence to bring the experience of yoga, so dear to their hearts, to their communities, their friends, and their families.

In between each monthlong 200-Hour Certification program, I held my first 2-day weekend Gentle Yoga program. I generally lean towards holding 3- and 5-day programs, however this 2-day program surprised me with its success and impact. The 2-day program offered individuals who would otherwise be unable to access Gentle Yoga a chance to get their feet wet. More experienced individuals mixed well with the group too. Both groups—beginners and more advanced—had just enough time to revitalize their practices during this two-day intensive. The program was such a success that I have scheduled a second two-day retreat for next October 30^th, Halloween weekend.

My wife Joyce and I traveled to Italy again for our second annual Gentle Yoga in Tuscany program, a yoga-vacation combination.We have hosted this program for two years and find that each group brings its own adventures and joys.This once-in-a-life-time sort of experience was had by our charmed and charming group of 12. You can call it a success when everyone is singing Beatles’ songs during the van-ride back to the villa at the end of yet another adventure.

We explored an ancient hilltop and trunded through the rolling Tuscan scenery singing song after song.It is those moments we sustainably create again and again in our Gentle Yoga in Tuscany program. We’ve fallen in love with Italy and plan to explore it and create new day-trips each year.If you have suggestions or ideas for our Tuscany program, please email me.

In 2008 I produced two new Gentle Yoga CDs.  One is a fourth in the Gentle Yoga Series and thus aptly titled Gentle IV. Gentle IV covers a sequence that has evolved over the last couple of years into the quintessential gentle yoga morning practice.I lead this sequence every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday morning at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

The second CD begins a new series titled Invigoration.This series will be in the gentle style of mindful, methodical yoga with options for all levels. The first of the Invigoration series is called Fanning The Fire for the abdominal pumping practice, Agni Sera Dhauti, which stimulates vitality in the digestive fire, tones the abdominal muscles and massages all the organs in the belly including the heart, lungs, kidneys. It also includes a standing sequence with the Eagle Arms routine that releases tensions from the shoulders, neck and upper back. The Invigoration series has led me in an exciting, new direction. It constitutes what I am calling Intermediate Gentle Yoga and helped bring forth the first Intermediate Gentle Yoga program “Fanning The Fire,” to be offered at Kripalu the weekend of April 10-12, 2009.

Two CDs in one year, a trip to Tuscany, and more marked 2008 as a successful year full of thriving.The year came to a close with our annual New Year’s Joy of Gentle program held at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts.It was a wonderful way to close the year.

In January 2009 I ventured down to the beach resort town of Lewes, Delaware, to offer my first program, Men’s Yoga, at Eddie and Wendy Harrold’s Center for Whole Self Healing. They are developing a phenomenal program center offering weekend and weeklong programs with a fascinating list of teachers such as Larissa Carlson, Ken Nelson, Terrel Broussard and Kim Larson.Lewes, Delaware is an easy drive from anywhere in the mid-Atlantic region and is nestled along the eastern seashore.

Our Men’s Yoga program was a success with men from all over the region.The magic of men coming together and dropping their protective armoring continues to inspire me.As such, we’ve scheduled a 3-day Men’s Yoga Immersion for the July 30th weekend to be held at the Whole Self Healing.

If you have any thoughts or questions, please post your comment.

It is our habit to shorten the breath when sensation increases. This is a coping mechanism. A wonderful defense of the human organism to ward off the shock of traumas large and small.

In yoga practice the possibility is to feel more. Yoga helps us increase sensitivity and awareness. Ultimately this helps us make more skillful, conscious choices and allows us to create greater fulfillment in life.

And it all starts with the breath. Inhalations help us feel. Exhalations help us relax. There are a number of powerful yogic breathing techniques. The basic ones are useful in everyday life as well.

The initial yogic breathing technique is Dirgha pranayama (pronounced Deer-guh). This is also called the Complete Breath or Three-part Breath. It is fully inflating the lungs in the three regions of the abdomen, thorax and cavicle or belly, ribs and upper chest. The full inhalation is followed by fully relaxing, allowing the breath to spill out. A simple approach is to experiment with lengthening the inhalation and exhalation. Let it be an exploration. Notice how it feels. Avoid creating tension. Notice the effect. Practice regularly. Remember inhalations help us feel. Exhalations help us relax.

Stay tuned for more occasional posts of The Principles of Gentle Yoga.