What do students receive from their practice of Ujjayi pranayama? (breathing practice)
"The Ujjayi breath helps me to focus my busy mind into one very peaceful, relaxed place." Elizabeth
"I feel more calm and slowed down. I'm also more aware of my body." Sandy
"I look forward to this practice. It makes me feel refreshed. At the end of my practice my prioities are straightened out. I see what is important." Ellen
"The Ujjayi practices gives me stillness inside. I feel calmer and quiet. It helps me feel less anxious to do public speaking." Mary
"It relaxes all my muscles and smooths out my energy. I feel peaceful and quiet. It rejuvenates me. My priorities get clarified. I feel like a new person." Jackie
"I feel calm and centered, relaxed and clear." Kathy
"With Ujjayi breathing I get total relaxation. I can feel muscles releasing. I feel soothed. My eyes feel refreshed, sometimes more so than sleeping. I get mental clarity and I feel more positive. I feel connected to myself and I have a sense of presence." Pam
"I have found the Ujjayi/ Shavasana (yoga's relaxation pose) practice to be of significant benefit. I believe my practice accelerated healing after foot surgery. My surgeon said my surgery healed a week earlier than he thought possible! Then I contracted a cold and it resolved in 3 days rather than running the usual week course.
The practice provides me with significant spiritual benefits as well. A few Ujjayi breaths help to dispel the fog of ego that periodically creeps in, especially in work situations. Ujjayi is also helpful for centering and reducing stress. I am grateful for being introduced to this practice. The more I do it, the more I learn." Linda D.
"The Ujjayi practice calms my mind and helps to relax my body. (When I practice at home) it sets me up for a better start of the day. It also helps me to really get into the yoga class." Lynne
"I get more focused but also slowed down and able to prioritize." Louise
"I'm slowing down, letting go and deeply relaxing. I'm being in the present moment." Joan
"The practice is calming. It's also healing for my pain. It feels like falling into deep sleep." Madhu
What do students say who do a daily yoga practice?
"I have a condition called Plantar Fasciitis which causes severe pain in the heel of my foot, making it very painful to walk. After completing two sessions of yoga and doing the Magic Four poses I saw remarkable results. My pain level before the yoga was a strong 8 and after the poses it amazingly came down to a 1.
Each pose made me aware of how tight my muscles were in my back, legs, hips and buttocks. After each pose, the gentle stretches gave these areas such relief. I find consistency is key in making yoga apart of my every day routine. It is now wonderful being able to complete necessary daily activities as well as taking a simple walk on the beach without being in pain.
I totally recommend yoga and the Magic 4 poses as a form of both mental and physical healing." Joanne L
"Yoga has helped me to feel more open, especially with my breathing and postural awareness. I have also felt more relaxed at the end of the day by doing yoga at bed time." Andrea
"Because of my daily yoga practice my life is more organized." Carol
"A mid-afternoon yoga practice gives me 100% relaxation and rejuvenation. I can count on it. It has made a big difference in my life. I feel so much lighter. Letting go of knots in my body is helping me let go of negative input in my mind. I'm also becoming more aware of that bubble inside that will never be broken." Beth
"A daily yoga practice helps me go through my day with no back pain." Peggy
"My morning yoga practice is better than a cup of coffee. When I do A.M. bed yoga, my eyes are open as I start. After my yoga practice, my body is open." Sandy
"My daily yoga practice helps to relieve tension through my hips and keep them more open." Darla??
"I practice an hour or more in the morning and in the evening when I can. I can track the release in my mind and see myself 'dropping in'. It's like dropping down in an elevator. I am dropping into myself. I'm aware of being conscious at deeper levels within myself and not going unconscious as I go deeper inside." Tina
"Gee, I'm feeling like a young kid! I like experimenting with my body to see what the results might be." Linda
"I feel more open before my morning workout." Catherine
"A daily practice helps make my life easier, in a cumulative way. It helped me settle down after 2 weeks of non-stop activity." Jane
What do students say who do private sessions?
"After a course of PT that brought my back and leg pain from 'bad' to 'better' I decided to try yoga. My hope was that yoga would help sustain the progress that I had achieved at PT and maybe even allow a bit more improvement. When I look back at my 2 years of yoga with Addie at Light of the Heart Yoga I can honestly say that my back is in the BEST condition it has been in the thirty plus years that I have been dealing with this issue. At age 68 I am able to lead an active life (hiking, walking/jogging, snow shoeing) with no concern about back pain getting in my way. And at those rare times that I do something that brings on back pain I use the yoga principles to quickly and effectively reduce my discomfort. My only regret is that I did not start yoga 30 years ago." Joan S.
