Yoga Article

Yoga & Happiness Share :          By Bianca Omena Maximiano Become a fan of Bianca

Please share a favorite quote of yours.  This can be a favorite phrase of yours, or something meaningful from someone else.

“You are what your deep, driving desire is.

As your desire is, so is your will.

As your will is, so is your deed.

As your deed is, so is your destiny.”

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV 4.5

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Bianca Omena Maximiano. I’m from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I came to San Francisco in 2008 to live and teach for 6 months in a ashram called Yoga Society of San Francisco. In that time, I was studying and assisting Clayton Horton (an ashtanga yoga teacher). In one of the sanskrit classes I was taking I met my husband Thomas Hughes (Ayurveda Practitioner) who also introduced me to Shadow Yoga. In 2010 we got married and I moved to Berkeley. 

How would you describe your style of teaching?  What is one thing you bring to your class that is uniquely you?

I really appreciate the pure and simple kind of yoga. My classes are influenced by Classical Hatha, Ashtanga Vinyasa, and Shadow yoga methods. I like to let my students know that Hatha Yoga is the foundation for more advanced  practices of Raja Yoga. Hatha Yoga requires effort and through the postures you can gain emotional stability.

I think what is unique about my classes is that I like to let  practitioners know that they can be responsible to unblock and recharge the body’s energy through their own effort without depending on a teacher to guide them all the time. I don’t want to have students who are dependent on the teacher to take care of their own health. I like to inspire people to be more independent regarding their yoga practices.

Why did you start practicing yoga?

I always liked to treat my body as an important gift that I was greatful for.

I remember I took a yoga class about 11 years ago in a gym because the spinning classes was canceled. In that first class I could realize I found the method I was looking for to better understand my patterns and where I was holding my emotions. It was so strong and inspiring that the teacher and I became really close friends. 

How is yoga meaningful to you nowadays?

Yoga has taught me to be persistent, not greedy, and to value important aspects of life. Yoga teaches me that happiness is to be simple, light, and to not take things personally. It is also helping me to become more mature and secure about myself.

What is your vision for how you would like your yoga practice to evolve in the future?

I would like to emphasize the inner yogic meditation upon reality, combining skilful means and wisdom.

You teach a style called Shadow Yoga.  What is Shadow Yoga and what kind of student tends to be attracted to this style? 

I want to be clear that I do not teach Shadow Yoga. I won’t teach Shadow Yoga unless I am certified by my teacher Zhander Remete. Zhander made me undesrtand that you really need to work on things to deserve it.  In my classes I teach basic standing postures and asasnas the way i have learned from him. Shadow yoga students tend to understand that the path of yoga takes great time and dedication. Students of shadow yoga know that yoga requires an experienced teacher and the will to suceed. 

Name one significant way in which your life has changed after becoming a yoga instructor. 

Nowadays I have a lot of freedom and I study what I really love.

If you could have a yoga class with any teacher, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

I guess I am lucky because I would choose my living teachers Zhander Remete and Emma Balnaves. But If I could choose one that has passed on it would be Swami Devanad Saraswati Jhi Maharaj and Swaimi Kuvalayananda. 

SCHEDULE

BRIDGES ROCK GYM

MONDAY - VINYASA FLOW: 12:00-1:00PM
WEDNESDAY - VINYASA FLOW: 7:15 - 8:30PM

THURSDAY - HATHA FLOW: 7:00-8:15PM
SUNDAY- HATHA FLOW: 5:00-6:30PM

YOGA SHALA EAST BAY

FOUNDATIONS OF SAHDOW YOGA

SUNDAY:  FROM 9:00-10:00AM

TUESDAY: FROM 7:30-8:30PM


ADRESSES:
BRIDGES ROCK GYM
5635 San Diego Street
El Cerrito, CA 94530.
YOGA SHALA EAST BAY
2050 4th Street
 Berkeley, CA 94710

About the Author

Bianca Omena Maximiano has been studying yoga for over ten years. She was initiated in Mantra Yoga Meditation from Swami Devanad Jhi Maharaj and has studied classical Hatha and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Since 2008 she has been studying Shadow Yoga with Scott Blossom, Zhander Remete ,Emma Balnaves and Mark Horner. Bianca believes that yoga is a path to learn about patterns, attachments, and fears; and through a continuous practice anyone can take responsibility for their own growth and self-realization. Bianca’s classes are focused on fundamental principals of Hatha Yoga. She likes to bring awareness to the movement of vinyasa and to the energy flow of the body.

THE YOGA OF EATING

11 tips for better health by Thomas Hughes.

1. Create rhythms

Nature moves in steady rhythms. Just as plants animals on daily and seasonal cycles to thrive so does human physiology. When we create rhythms around meal time the body has time to prepare and ready it self fro the complex process of digestion

2. Eat so that you may eat again

Overeating is a common way to create problems for our selves. The stomach is a container that needs room to work. By overeating foods cannot be churned properly and food stagnation and toxins will be the result.

3. Ice is not nice

Our digestion functions in a warm environment.  When considering a cold drink think of your digestive fire. Also think of your self stepping into a cold shower- on a cold day! Cold water constricts the stomach. Ice water and other cold foods will put out the fire that our life depends on.

4. Eat slow and chew

Help stomach and intestines digest your food. The stomach has no teeth. If we do not chew enough then we stress the stomach and intestines. Eating too fast also may cause indigestion.

5. Eat cooked foods

Our digestive fire must "cook" the food the food we consume in order for their assimilation. When we cook our foods in a stove we are decreasing our body's workload. Raw foods are also considered cold on the digestion, which works against our digestive fire. As a wise man once said, "it is not what you eat, it's what you digest that counts. If you like raw foods use them in a small quantities as supplements to a main course.

6. " Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a princess, and dinner like a pauper".

This bit of wisdom ties back to another aspect of daily rhythms. If we sleep in the night and work in the day this system will suit you well.  Dinner, a.k.a super, is a word derived from soup. Soup, or light fare, is a great choice at night. rest well!

7. Simply eat

The nervous system is intimately tied to digestive system. If we become excited or in any way stimulated when we are eating we disrupt the stomach actions of our digestive process. When we multitask while eating we divert precious resources away from our digestive organs to our other faculties in use. Multitasking also refers to too much conversation. Find time to eat peaceful and quiet.

8. Creating a meal

Find those combinations that work fro you. The more types of foods we consume at the same meal the more our digestive system has to prioritize its activities. This may result in some foods not being digested for the sake of another. Simple and bland foods are great now and the to rest a weary body

9. Eat local and fresh foods

When we eat local and fresh foods we eat seasonal foods. This approach gives us the best chance to stay in harmony with the seasons as well insure  our foods are nutritious. The farmers market is a great place to start. Fresh foods also include foods that have been recently prepared. Foods loose their vital energy when stored for too long. Try to eat foods within 24 hours of cooking.

10. Make your kitchen the center of your home

Practice what you have learned in cooking class. Get together with friends to cook a meal. Cooking is a very human occupation and it connects us to ourselves our health and the world around us. When we cook our own foods we eat better quality foods then those found in restaurants. the cook also plays a role in the energetics of the foods. Consuming your own foods insures you know exactly what you are eating.

11. Enjoy!