Archives: Shira Turkl-Rubin

Partner Yoga Class

Need a new date night idea? How about coming to partner yoga? You’ll sample some delicious chocolates then you can float off to a romantic dinner. If you want to come to partner yoga with a friend – it’s a fantastic way to get in some great quality time together. What’s better then laughing, loving, massaging, breathing, supporting and having fun together?! It’s open to all levels – so even if you’ve never practiced before – now’s your chance to dive in. Join us! Our next one is March 22^nd 4:30pm-6:00pm $25 per person. I’ll be your teacher, and Chad (my husband) will be my demo partner. Class will be held at Union Arts Center in Sparkill, NY. You won’t want to miss this. Read about our last class HERE. Sign up by contacting me HERE.

Hu Kitchen Contest

Do you know about the dirty dozen list of fruits and vegetables? It’s a list that shows which foods should be bought organic due to the harmful pesticides that seep into the food. If you don’t know about this list then I highly suggest you do some research because these foods are the most effected by pesticides and should be bought organic every single time. Hu Kitchen – one of my favorite restaurants in NYC – is doing a fantastic challenge. If you memorize the list of dirty dozen fruits and veggies and recite it back to them they will give you 15% off your entire purchase for 1 entire month! That’s genius! If you already know the list then you should just go to Hu, recite it and get your 15%. If not, then learn it and enjoy your discount. What a great way to get people in the know about what should be organic.

Apples – celery – cucumber – spinach – strawberries – cherry tomatoes – grapes – hot pepper – nectarines – peaches, white potatoes – sweet bell pepper

Antigravity Yoga Teacher Training NYC!

I just returned home after a 4-day antigravity yoga teacher training. It was absolutely incredible. WOW! Antigravity yoga is all about taking flight in a silk hammock. This morning when I woke up, I felt as though I were swaying in cocoon, which is shivasana in yogic terms, but then I had to remind myself that I was just in bed! I can’t help but think it’s some kind of sign that I’d rather be flying! Not only does my body feel incredible – and that’s pretty amazing considering the fact that I was in class from 9-5 for the last 4 days. My abs feel great, my neck and even my back are NOT hurting! I haven’t felt this good in a while… Now the next steps are to buy a hammock for my house and then start teaching of course. I’m so excited to share this incredible practice with you all. Flying high really is for everyone – you don’t have to be fit or athletic to fly. You just have to be able to trust, let go, be free and have fun!! Antigravity yoga is all about having fun – so if you’re into being serious all the time then you definitely won’t like it! I am beyond excited to be a part of this incredible team that I know will change lives forever. Thanks to my teachers Shelly Bomb and Christopher Harrison for teaching me the way – I am forever grateful.

Restorative Yoga with Shira

This Thursday 2/27 from 10:45am-12pm I’m teaching a restorative yoga class at Nyack Yoga at 42 Main street in Nyack. Petrina Plecko typically teaches a therapeutic class at that time, but she’s away and asked me to sub. This class will be filled with delicious, relaxing, supportive, nourishing poses to help soothe and heal your body, mind and soul. If you’re having any symptoms of disease, this class will give you helpful tools to relax on a daily basis. I can’t think of a better way to spend your Thursday morning. Make your way over to Nyack Yoga at 42 main street in Nyack, NY. Let’s breathe together!

Love over fear bumper sticker

Through the seven years that I’ve been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I’ve learned some pretty valuable information. One thing that I’ve learned is: in order to feel my very best I’ve got to break the pattern.  When you’re struggling with any particular disease, it’s because your body has gotten into a certain pattern that’s not working – yep, you heard me – it’s time to change it up. Sometimes I’ll start taking a certain supplement that I feel is helping me for a while, but then all of a sudden it’s not working anymore and I’m standing there scratching my head wondering what I’m doing wrong. You have to take a stand back and look at everything that you’re doing to see if something can be changed.

If you’re in a flare up that’s your body’s way of telling you that something’s got to change.  If you’ve been practicing a certain set of breathing exercises, stop and try something different. If you’re drinking raw green juice everyday, stop and try something else. Some of the efforts that you’re doing, even though they are healthy for some, might just be toxic for you. Every body is different so make sure to listen loud and clear to hear what yours has to say – eventually, you’ll break the pattern.

Start with your feet on the ground and stable

Stretch over the ball to release pressure and tension in the whole body

It’s important to move your body especially when you’re having a colitis or crohns flare up. Here’s a photo of an exercise that’s fantastic to get you moving. Use one of those large bouncy balls either at home or at the gym to stretch your entire body. Make sure you have something to hold onto behind you so that you don’t fall! The more you roll back, the more of an inversion you will get, the better it is for your belly and the more you will move your body. I mention another exercise in a previous post here that is also helpful when combating a flare up. The more tools in your toolbox, the better. It’s all about trial and error – see what works and stick to it. Enjoy!

With the super bowl only 6 days away I thought I’d share some awesome yoga tips for anyone looking to get a little stretch in while they watch. You already know that if you spend too much time sitting it’s not good for your entire body! So take a stretch break and try these sun salutations that I’ve video taped. Follow along and feel fantastic through out the entire super bowl. Who knew that the super bowl and yoga go together?! You can practice one sun salutation on every commercial break! Get the whole party involved and before you know it you’ll be a yoga-teaching master!

If you live in or around Rockland County, come take a yoga or meditation class with me. You’ll need a boost after watching hours of football on Sunday.

Cheers to the super bowl and yoga 2014!

Recently I’ve been teaching meditation to many students all around NYC, Rockland and Bergen Counties and I love it! As much as my students all enjoy coming to class, when it comes to practicing on their own I continue to hear the same thing over and over again: no time or, I continuously forget to practice.

Meditation only works if you actually practice it – not just in class but on your own too. Meditation isn’t just about sitting on a cushion and watching your breath. Meditation is about being mindful and aware of your body, your surroundings and allowing yourself to be fully present. You can do this while taking a shower, walking down the street, sitting at your desk, etc.! I’ve found meditation to be extremely helpful when dealing with colitis, crohns, ibs & any other belly issues.

Here are some helpful tips to get you going:

1)   As soon as you wake up do some light stretching in bed such as, gentle twists, forward folds and maybe even a childs pose. Once you’ve gently moved the body then prop yourself up on some pillows so that you can sit cross legged comfortably. Practice meditation for a minimum of 5 minutes. There’s no excuse not to practice this one since it’s in bed!

2)   When you’re on the go I suggest downloading some kirtan music to listen to. Kirtan is a form of bhakti yoga, which is the yoga of love, song and devotion. There are many soothing artists you can listen to that can help get you in a meditative zone. Here are a few that I love:

Snatam Kaur

Krishna Das

David Newman

Deva Premal

Jai Uttal

Donna De Lory

Girish

Karunesh

Ravi Shankar

3)   If you’re having a hard time scheduling meditation into your life then just like you would do with any other appointment – put it on your calendar.

4)   Set your alarm to wake up 10 minutes earlier so that you can have sufficient amount of time to breathe, meditate and move gently.I know that if you adapt at least one of these tips you will already be well on your way to cultivating a life long meditation practice. Meditation has the ability to change your life forever – so let’s go, get in on it. Everyone can do it, there’s no excuse.

Good luck & let me know how it goes.

With lots of love & support,

Shira

Ready to roll!

Yesterday was my colonoscopy test that I typically get every 2-3 years. No, I’m not a 50 year old – however I do have ulcerative colitis and in that case I have to get checked out more often then the typical 28 year old.

How did it go? Well…. It was pretty shitty… KIDDING! It was actually fine. I mean it’s pretty uncomfortable and not fun at all BUT the results were that nothing has changed, gotten worse or better – which in my eyes is great news. I always hope that it’s gotten smaller and that one-day it will completely vanish, but not this year. Maybe in the next 3 years I’ll have accomplished that – I’m focusing on the glass half full here. I’m healthy, I feel good and that’s what matters.

Having the test done gives me some serious peace of mind. Instead of stressing about whether it’s gotten worse or if I have something more serious etc… it feels great to know that all is still good down there and I can continue down my path to health. I suggest knowing opposed to not knowing. Get your tests done, go to the Doctor and find out what’s going on. After you know what’s happening, then you can work on alternative ways to help yourself heal. When we release the anxiety about what’s going on in our bodies it’s pretty magical – a weight lifts, you feel free. Take it from me!

Flowers over fear.

This quote keeps popping into my head out of nowhere…

My vision board. Notice the words, colors and photos. This = ME!

The power of words… it’s almost indescribable. I was at a workshop this past week for people who want to start a yoga studio. This is what I thought my path was at this moment in time. After sitting with myself and listening to the very inspirational words of wisdom and advice from Joan Dwyer and Janis Bowersox I’ve changed my current path. We spoke about strengths, vision boards, mission statements, visions, numbers (oh the numbers…!!) and much, much more. I’ve realized that since moving to Rockland county, I need to work on cultivating and creating my yoga community here. I need to dive into giving incredible workshops, teaching more and spreading my healing love to Rockland County and beyond. Then maybe, once I’ve done all of that, which may take me quite some time, I might possibly be ready to open a yoga studio. I realize that for me – baby steps, community and feeling ready is really important. I do commend all of you who dive into things head first, but for me I think the process of cultivating myself and branding myself as a yoga teacher is a really important step that I can’t skip over.

With that being said: in the near future you’ll be hearing about fun workshops that I’ll be teaching, retreats that I’ll be holding and new classes on my schedule. If you’re ready to find your true self, let go of disease, live healthfully, naturally and with peace – then look for my posts! I want you to be there! I can’t create community on my own – and I’m really looking forward to meeting all of the incredible yogis and yogis to be in Rockland County, Bergen County and maybe even Westchester County. Stay tuned for awesomeness coming your way.

By the way, I just created a Pinterest and it’s SO MUCH FUN! It’s like digital collaging. Find me, follow me and I’ll follow you back!

Find out more about Joan Dwyer HERE

Find out more about Janis Bowersox HERE