LEE HANCOCK
"Confidence, optimism, and vitality-That's what Yoga can provide," said Robert, my teacher. An average looking, lean, 40-ish man with intense dark eyes, Robert has been studying Yoga for over 20 years, in India and elsewhere, under a great master teacher with an unpronounceable name. It all sounds so against the grain for the athletic American mind set. I guess that's why I like it. I was never a jock and I would rather read a book than exercise. But I don't mind doing Yoga, because it isn't competitive, just me vs. my last workout. I have learned to practice breathing (pranayama), to do poses (asana) I thought impossible. and learned when to rest and comfort myself. Doing Yoga lifts my spirits, puts me in touch with some universal force-I know not what-that makes me feel the world is good and so am I. In spite of many responsibilities, difficulties in my life, Yoga makes them not easy but manageable. And for the first time, I feel comfortable with the body I have. Not the one I wished I had, but the one I have. My "extra 10 pounds" or sagging flab becomes okay, which is a marvelous feeling. After years of hating my form, I now feel proud of it, in whatever shape it takes this week. If I miss doing Yoga Practice for a day or so, a malaise settles over me and I wonder, "What's wrong?" Then I begin a personal practice, some deep breathing, some reflection--and feel better, always. Yoga is the only exercise I enjoy doing. Walking and hiking are okay, but Yoga is wonderful.
Lee Hancock .



ANNE SCHWARTZ
I've been taking private study with Robert Birnberg for about 9 months, and it's one of the best things I'm doing in my life. Sitting in a car and behind a desk all day, I tend to store up stress and tension in my body and become somewhat disconnected from my physical self, so my goal has been to feel more connected with and attentive to my body. I have a lesson with Robert once a week, I have a continually evolving practice consisting of asana (movement) and pranayama (breathing), which I do on my own during the rest of the week. We spend a typical lesson going over and refining or modifying the practice, and learning about the principles of yoga, so there's a connection between the physical work and the mental and emotional processes that go with it.
So far the physical benefits have been increased strength, flexibility,balance
(I really feel it!) and most of all, the depth and lengthening of my breathing, which is something I can draw on in any situation. Some of the practice is strenuous, but I enjoy the exertion and we always stay in a range that's comfortable for me, so everything I do is within my ability.
The times I feel best doing yoga are when I feel I'm doing one thing - the breath, the movement and the emotion all become one gesture. That's the connection to my physical self that I've been looking for. It's not difficult - I think anybody can do it.
Robert emphasizes the importance of having a relationship with a teacher, and for me that's meant being treated as an individual and being given a practice which meets my needs and goals. He teaches me principles and concepts from yoga, but they're not just a set of platitudes, we spend time talking about how they fit into my life. I think I started out very self-conscious, but now I feel more confident because I can see how far I've come with some of the poses, and Robert gives me a lot of encouragement and reinforces what I'm doing.
I feel I can recommend Community Yoga to anybody because the practice you develop will be geared toward your needs, your goals and your abilities.
That's been my experience.
ANNE SCHWARTZ


BARBARA ROMAINE
It's been almost a year since I began taking instruction from Robert Birnberg. A friend recommended his classes. Because I am legally blind, I was concerned about my ability to follow instructions in a class. Robert suggested that we meet periodically on a one-on-one basis, while I would continue a daily practice by myself at home. This program has worked well for me. From the start, I've experienced profound and far-reaching benefits in many areas of my life.
Starting the day with my Yoga practice wakes me up (I'm not a morning person) and fills me with energy for the day. It provides me with a calm, steady sense of what to do next.

Physically, I've gained endurance and an incredible amount of flexibility. When I began doing Yoga, I could barely sit on the floor because of pain and stiffness in my right hip. Now I can sit on the floor cross-legged for some time with no problem. I recently had a visit from my brother, a jazz musician from out-of -town who stays up all night. I was able to "hang out" with him for three nights running, and needed only one day to recover! For a middle-aged women, I thought that was pretty good.
In the past, I've suffered from severe episodes of back, neck, shoulder and hip pain. Now, when I feel a twinge somewhere, I breathe and/or bend in a relieving posture, and the twinge goes away. I've been virtually pain free since beginning my Yoga practice.
People have commented to me over the past few months that I look "better, fresher, more rested, younger", and my favorite, "thinner".

Emotionally, I feel more "in tune" with myself. I feel more capable of handling myself and others. I think this is a result of Yoga practice. I've experienced a definite increase in my level of confidence in all areas.

This confidence has "fine-tuned" my relationships with family and friends. I can work more effectively. As a painter I feel a more powerful flow of creativity. As a teacher I experience a greater ability to communicate with my students.

In the past few months, several opportunities have opened up for me as an artist. Although I can't positively guarantee that this is because of Yoga practice, instinctively I feel that I've opened some energy channels in the universe that have allowed these good things to happen.

I feel more prepared and receptive to these new challenges. Robert is a knowledgeable, patient and generous teacher, who is sensitive to his students' needs. In his monthly Sutra study sessions, we discuss the principles and philosophy of Yoga. What makes Yoga so attractive to me is that it seems free of dogma, but full of wisdom in teaching us to break our self-defeating patterns and emerge powerful, focused and free. This is what I am gaining spiritually.

The experience of Yoga practice has been a completely positive one for me. I recommend it to everyone at any stage in life.
Barbara Romain.
Echo Park, Los Angeles


SYLVIE'S STORY
Studying yoga with Robert has been an amazing transformative experience. I had been doing hatha and kundalini yoga off and on for ten years. At the point I sought out Robert I hadn't been practicing for a year and a half. In fact, I was physically and emotionally drained, had just quit a stressful job of 12-hour days as an editor. I was tortured by nightmares, all kinds of surreal thoughts, panic attacks, and the weirdest sensation of not being able to breathe. I don't mean just hyperventilating, which is common with panics. No, I mean a feeling of suffocating in life, of having somehow "unlearned" how to breathe properly, of lying awake at night, forcing myself to breathe while fearing that I might suffocate in my sleep. Robert explained that there are six aspects to yoga: relationships, lifestyle, breath, body, mind and senses and also that there is a definite link between body, breath and mind. This was an eye opener. If I couldn't alter my mind cognitively I could instead do so by simply breathing. Breathing, however was one of my problems! Through regular yoga with Robert and my wonderful fellow 'yogis' I have learned to take deep, lush breaths. Not only that, I am starting to find that my mind is clearer, more focused and, most importantly, less tortured by anxious thoughts. I feel free, calm and centered in my life. Also, and this is the greatest gift, my mind, which since early childhood had been over stimulated, overactive, hyper and thinking a hundred thoughts per second has finally found an occupation. My whole life I had a sense that something crucial was missing. Something simple that just needed to click. I have found it. Studying to be a yoga teacher with Robert, reading and applying the Sutras has given my mind something it can wholly wrap itself around. It's almost as if I had found my missing other half. It's hard to explain. I feel more whole.
Thank you, Robert.
Sylvie Griel