A small, friendly yoga studio in the Upper Monroe neighborhood,

beneath the wooded slopes of Pinnacle Hill

pinnacleyoga@hotmail.com      www.pinnacle-yoga.com      (585) 747-2718

99 Crosman Terrace   Rochester NY 14620

Mindfulness yoga

Mindfulness yoga is an approach to yoga practice that invites us to explore the deeper aspects of ourselves through the application of mindfulness principles.  It includes both seated meditation and asanas.   

 

According to classic yoga philosophy, the purposes of yoga are to reduce suffering and to promote self-knowledge and mental calm, and, ultimately, “liberation.”  Hatha yoga as practiced in the West is often said to promote these goals through relaxation, flexibility, and general bodily health.  Often, however, we don’t get beyond improving the pose (or, in flow-oriented systems, in refining the movements), as though performing a perfect pose were the goal. 

 

Mindfulness yoga certainly recognizes the important physical benefits of asana.  It also includes a method for internal observation and reflection during both meditation and physical practice. 

 

The approach is based on the book Mindfulness Yoga by Frank Jude Boccio.  The general framework of the internal investigation is provided by the “four foundations of mindfulness”: body, feeling, mind, and objects of mind. 

 

It is accurate but over-simplified to say that mindfulness yoga is about paying attention.  As our practice becomes more mindful, we discover ever more things to pay attention to, and develop an ever-deeper understanding of what “paying attention” means.

 

frank Jude Boccio

Poep Sa Frank Jude Boccio is a certified Yoga Teacher, Interfaith Minister, member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, and Zen Buddhist Dharma Teacher ordained by Korean Zen Master, Samu Sunim.