Woo Hoo – eight years ago today the Daily Downward Dog blog was launched (that’s the original logo above)! It started out as quick little musings about my budding yoga practice and then blossomed into a place to share my yoga inspiration and details about the yoga classes, teacher training, and retreats that I am blessed to share.
Today’s post marks my 400th published blog post!
The second official Daily Downward Dog masthead.
My yoga journey has taken me so far over the years and now teaching and practicing yoga takes up so much of my time that I have not had as much time as I would like to take the inspiration I bring to my classes to this website. I want to change that and today seems like the perfect day, so I’m really excited to announce a few new projects. Watch the video below for an exciting announcement!
Daily Downward Dog Videos – many of you have asked me to post videos of my yoga classes online and I am finally ready to make this dream a reality. Hit the arrow button in the video below to watch the first video that I shot in Sedona earlier this year.
I’ve also got a new video class I recorded in Panama that will be posted soon as well. So stay tuned for that and also weekly yoga class video content that I’m shooting to have ready when I return from my yoga retreats in Tuscany and Santorini this Fall. You can bet I’ll be shooting videos on location in Italy and Greece while I’m there as well!
Best of The Daily Downward Dog Reposts – over the next few months I’ll be reposting some of my favorite vintage DDD posts and also a few new ones. There is a lot of inspirational content in the archives and I hope you will enjoy reading it again or discovering it for the first time.
With Love & Gratitude!
Thank you so much for continuing to support my yoga classes, retreats, and dreams.
My mission is to spread JOY and I hope you leave each session feeling lighter and more full of peace and joy.
Your feedback is important and I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment below.
Anytime one travels there is an opportunity for growth and transformation, to get out of a comfort zone and learn from the people and the culture of the region you are blessed to visit. My hope is that the yogis who attend my retreats take a journey that not only brings new travel adventures, but also deepens their yoga practice, and allows time to journey inward to learn more about themselves. The cool thing is that I get to learn right along with them.
The week in Panama taught me so much, but I have to say that the most important things I learned in Panama came from Kenny, one of the surf instructors at Sansara. On the last night of the retreat, I shared a list of 6 things I learned from Kenny with the retreat yogis, and I’d like to share them with you as well!
Everything you need to take away from this week in Panama I learned from Kenny.
1. Honk, Smile, Wave, and Shine Your Light
I’m prone to motion sickness, so whenever I go out on an excursion that involves riding in a car I call ‘shotgun’, so I get the front seat. On this retreat that meant I got to sit up-front with the driver Kenny. The front seat provides an eyewitness view of the local scenery and opportunity to see Kenny, who is a native of Cambutal in action. Along the way to surfing or a waterfall hike, he taps the horn at everyone he sees to say hello, his hand goes out the window to wave or to shout out an endearing call to the passerby, and he does all of this with a highly contagious smile. The first time I went out with him I just watched it all play out and marveled at how connected he was to his community. The second trip with him I decided to get in on the fun and started waving and smiling at everyone I saw too. When I did this, something magical happened. I saw the person light up, smile, and wave back at me. There was an exchange of energy, of light, and love. As soon as the person I waved at realized they didn’t know me but still lit up their face with a smile, my heart and smile got brighter and bigger. It felt so good and it made me realize how closed off I can be at times when I’m back at home. I couldn’t wait for the ride home, so I could get supercharged with the energy of sharing and receiving smiles. So, lesson #1 from Kenny – share your light with others! Walk through the day with a smile. You get what you give – so give smiles and love and that is what you will receive. Smiling and kindness are a super power we all possess, we just forget at times to harness our power, so be a yogi who is shining their light, love, and compassion in the world.
2) When you let go of FEAR and become FEARLESS it brings SWEET rewards!
When Kenny would drive us to surfing lessons or other adventure excursions he was extremely present. That is one of the things they taught us about surfing, keep your eyes open and watch what is happening around you. Kenny’s eyes were always on the road to keep us safe, but also to have a lookout for monkeys, sloths, and mangoes. When he spotted any of these he pulled over, so we could get a closer look.
One day on the way home from surfing he spotted a mango tree that was bursting with fresh mango fruit and pulled over. After further surveying the tree, Kenny realized the ripest mangoes were at the top of this gigantic tree, but that didn’t stop him. Fear pushed aside, Kenny began to climb the tree like Spiderman. Once he reached the top he started throwing down fresh, ripe mangoes to us.
After that first throw in the video above, we didn’t miss catching any more of those tasty mangoes. They were absolutely the best and sweetest mangoes I’ve ever eaten. As I enjoyed my tropical treat it made me think about the fact that if you really want something, and can let go of the fear of climbing up a tree, or onto a surfboard (or mountain, or any obstacle), the fruits of fearless action in order to fulfill a dream can bring sweet rewards.
3) Practice Seva – Selfless Service
One day on the way to surfing Kenny and I both reacted alarmingly when another car approaching us was driving down the wrong side of the road. Thankfully the car got out of our way and as we turned the corner we realized it had swerved off center because there was a fallen tree tangled in a utility wire that was blocking the road. The tree had fallen in a way that a car could still drive under it on one side of the road. As we slowly approached the tree I thought Kenny was slowing down to drive under it, but instead, he pulled over and jumped out of the car and went into action. He waved down the truck with the rest of our group to stop, pulled out warning flares to place in the road on both sides to alert those driving down the street that there was an upcoming obstacle, cleared away what he could, and contacted the authorities to get the road cleared.
Kenny could have kept driving. He did have an obligation to get all of us to the beach for our surf lesson, but instead, he chose to do the right thing, to be of service to others.
It made me really think about where in my life are my eyes closed? Am I driving right by a problem and not offering any help or assistance? How can I be more of service? In my studies of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali it says time and time again that we are here to give and give and give. When we are of service to others without any expectation of reward for this service, that is when we are the happiest.
Beach Clean Up Day – Seva Project in Cambutal
“Forget your selfishness, make others happy, and you will be the happiest person.” By seeing others happy, you can’t be unhappy. But by making everybody unhappy, you can never be happy yourself. So, at least for your happiness, bring happiness to others.” – Sri Swami Satchidanada from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
4) If you want to learn to surf you have to be able to let go of control, let go of your ego, be OK with failure, slow down, and be Present!
Ummm does that sound just a little bit familiar? Sounds like the teachings of yoga to me.
The surf instruction at Sansara is stellar! Each one of the instructors was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Stay tuned, I’m going to write a whole separate blog post about this experience!
5) Add more PLAY into your DAY!
One of the yogis on my retreat who took surf lessons every day told me this story about the best lesson she learned about surfing. One morning she was having trouble staying balanced after standing up on her board. Each of the instructors that day gave her a tip that helped her, but the one piece of advice that finally did the trick came from Kenny. His advice – make it fun, put more play into what you are doing! As soon as she did this she was riding the waves!
When is the last time you played? We are part of a stressed out, overworked society, so how could we possibly have a routine infused with fun? Do you feel there is simply no time for that? Change your story, let go of the struggle, and focus on making the task at hand more fun!
6) Corazón Grande (Big Heart)!
On one of the surfing trips, Kenny told one of the retreat yogis about his Father and went into detail about how he had a Corazón Grande, which translates to a big heart.
I hope that Kenny knows that his heart is just as grand.
Kenny was a great reminder that we should walk around in this word with a big heart, sharing kindness and compassion with all who we meet. That is what it means to live like a yogi – doing everything with your heart, from a place of love.
It was an epic week in Panama in so many ways – being in a remote part of the world enjoying the beauty of the jungle meeting the beach, the opportunity to set new intentions with the New Moon, experiencing the magical sights and sound of the ocean while practicing yoga, learning to surf, remembering how great it feels to disconnect from technology and reconnect with nature and myself, and the even sweeter connections made between all the yogis on the retreat, eating delicious, healthy food, offering sunrise salutations on the beach, getting yogis excited about chanting and meditating, seeing my very first sloth, and the team at Sansara who all have hearts just as big as Kenny’s. I could go on, but I’ll save that for another post. I want you to know that I left Panama with an expanded heart, ready to share my Corazone Grande with all beings.
Did you set new goals or resolutions for 2018, or are you starting the new year with a big project in mind? Does it seem daunting or overwhelming? Are you letting fear keep you from even starting? The struggle to keep those resolutions is real, and I have to admit that some of my dream projects this year are so big and daunting that I’m struggling to take the first step.
When I start to get overwhelmed at the start of a project or when it is not moving along at the pace I would like, I take a look at the picture above which is hanging in front of my desk. It is a traditional Balinese Keliki painting that shows each step of bringing a beautiful painting of the Goddess Saraswati to the finished product. Starting at the very beginning and seeing the rough outline of the painting and being able to see each step and all the fine detail work that goes towards the finished product is representative of what it’s like to complete any project or task.
If you look at the beginning panel of this piece you see the artist’s original vision in a simple but rough line drawing. In each progressive panel more detail, color, and creativity are added until the last panel shows the final painting. Looking at this reminds me to take each big project and break it down into small steps. I just have to roll up my sleeves and make that initial outline. Nothing great happens overnight and so I remember to keep bringing color, creativity, and attention to detail to my projects each step of the way. Eventually, if I keep working hard, I’ll see the fruits of my labor and will have a product to be proud of. This picture beautifully reminds me to not get overwhelmed by the task at hand, to not freak out, to let go of my fears, my drive for perfectionism, and take the first steps of a project, and then keep pushing forward.
On my yoga retreat in Bali last year, we visited the I Wayan Gama Painting School which teaches children the form of traditional Balinese art called Keliki painting that is both beautiful and has significant meaning in the tradition of the culture. It is the goal of this school to bring in school-age children to train them in order to keep the tradition alive. As I was viewing the paintings they had for sale at the school, I fell in love with the drawing above and had to bring it home with me. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom, and nature. Her energy is so empowering and helps me raise my vibration every time I see the piece by my desk.
One of my favorite parts of the entire Bali yoga retreat experience was taking in the Balinese culture and traditions, meeting the people who live there, and seeing the beauty that surrounds you everywhere you turn. The video above captures the beauty of Bali and some of my favorite experiences of the 2017 Shanti, Shanti, Bali Yoga Retreat.
Always remember that no matter how far off your goal seems, each step you take in the process is one step closer to your goal. You never know. You might create something that could be a beautiful piece of art!
I never thought I would be the “type of person” who would go on a yoga retreat. I thought that sort of thing was for people with way too much time on their hands, people with lots of money to spare, or lots of problems to run from.
But, there I was in the tropical heat of Bali with 20 other women, getting up at 6 a.m. for sunrise yoga, tapping into my goddess nature, wearing sarongs, going without makeup. Thinking. Not thinking. Praying. Listening. Questioning. Thanking. Hating myself. Loving myself. Loving myself some more like it was my job.
How I arrived at the decision to go is not nearly as interesting or important as the experience itself, or the way it changed me afterward. What I did not realize when I put down my deposit, almost a full year before, is how much I would need it when the time came, and how it would fill a void in my life I could not have predicted.
Twenty people, mostly strangers, meeting halfway around the world to practice yoga…is fantastic and special and, yeah, a little uncertain and uncomfortable. And you are the perfect person to go, just as you are, complete with your baggage, sadness, questions and fears.
Everyone is there for a different reason—most come for spiritual growth, reflection, or healing. Some come to deepen their physical practice. Me? I was there for the adventure—I craved a life shake up. I was feeling aimless and unsettled. I wanted to be somewhere that looked and felt so different than home. I wanted to see if I missed my life and the people I loved. I wanted to get to know me again. For reasons I can’t really explain, I sensed that I needed to be far away from the familiar so that I could stake a claim for my future self.
Don’t worry if people around you don’t understand. You can go if you are highly experienced or you haven’t advanced beyond beginner slow flow. You don’t have to be a mystical yogi and no, you don’t have to be a practicing Hindu or Buddhist. I don’t identify with those and I still found value in channeling my own understanding of the Divine through yoga and meditation. I think the key to those things is quiet and listening—something that is easier to accomplish far away from all the things I am called to do and be on a daily basis.
I saw the other side of the world—somewhere I’d never thought about— and met happy people living in simplicity and devotion untainted by our distinctly American ideas about abundance. I washed away my own discomfort and self-consciousness in a remote temple pool as part of a centuries-old purification ritual with hundreds of other religious pilgrims and seekers.
I stood at the base of the tallest waterfall I’d ever seen up close and soaked it all in, literally, letting my doubts and fears wash away down a mountain stream in a jungle.
As a steamy dawn prepared to arise from beyond the nearby rice paddies, I witnessed an annual religious procession of thousands of people dressed in white, chanting and playing music. I learned from our hosts at Floating Leaf this was a Melasti Pilgrimage and these “parades” precede Nyepi Day, a New Year celebration. It was breathtaking and I felt very small and insignificant and, at the same time, connected to something large and amazing.
I came back home with eyes wide open to the beauty of other another culture. I was more confident, at ease, and tolerant of myself and of others. I looked fear in the eye and left it in the dust. I bonded with other strong, capable women and learned that they, like me, had their own unique, painful, and beautiful journeys and things to confront and reconcile. I learned from them and they are part of me.
So if a little voice is whispering to you and you have an unexplained stirring for something you can’t name, you may be wondering what it is you really need. If you need to break free from expectations, to shout out and wildly proclaim your truth, or if you need to get really quiet and inside yourself, and let a big ugly cry happen, then yeah, a yoga retreat is for you.
Don’t wait. Do it. You’re worth it.
THANK YOU Lisa – I absolutely love this and you and all the Goddesses who journeyed to Bali with me in 2017!
If you are ready to say YES to a yoga retreat, please join me in 2018 as I head back to Floating Leaf Resort for another Shanti, Shanti, Bali Yoga Retreat from March 12 – 18, 2018. We’ll be there during Nyepi, the Balinese New Year festivities so it will be a magical time to be on the island. I’m offering a special NEW YEAR’S Offer on the Bali Yoga Retreat and bringing back the early bird retreat pricing through January 7, so clickhere for more details about the 2018 Shanti, Shanti, Bali Yoga Retreat.
If you think or imagine that the energy in Sedona is amazing, wait until this February when two redheads and an amazing yogini Goddess, and an incredible Yoga Festival descend upon the Red Rocks!
Women of Wisdom Red Rocks Vortex Yoga Retreat – Feb 5-8, 2018
I’m super excited to announce that fellow redhead Dr Sharon Stills and I are teaming up for another Women of Wisdom Yoga Retreat at the gorgeous Mago Sedona Retreat Center this coming February 5-8, 2018. It is going to be a gathering of Goddesses practicing yoga and meditation together, learning about healthy practices that will bring you vitality and joy, hiking through vortexes, hot tub soaking under the stars, and finding time for much needed peaceful relaxation and rejuvenation. There are still a few spots left and one female roommate needed – so head on over to my retreat page to get more details about this inspirational retreat.
Dr Sharon Stills getting her Om on!
2018 Sedona Yoga Festival – February 8-11, 2018
After the retreat, I’m heading right to the Sedona Yoga Festivaland I’m beyond thrilled to practice with my teacher the OMazing 99-years young Yogini Goddess Tao Porchon Lynch who is one of the headlining presenters at the 2018 Sedona Yoga Festival.
Maria & Tao
I will be presenting two workshops at the Festival this year and it would totally geek me out if Tao came to my workshop! I’m going to put that wish out to the universe and I’ll keep you posted!
The Sedona Yoga Festival is three days of pure awesOMeness with yoga, music, and energy work set in intimate locations throughout Sedona. There will be 77 presenters that include yogis, healers, artists, authors, musicians, shamans, scientists, philosophers, and performers.
Sharing the Embrace Your Inner Goddess Workshop at the 2016 Sedona Yoga Festival
At the Festival you’re encouraged to set aside time to embrace your surroundings, which include some of the most breathtaking high desert landscapes in the world in a variety of Sedona’s vibrant neighborhoods.
If you want to get a feel for what the festival is like, watch this video…
Ready to head to the Red Rocks with me? Use the offer code below and you will save 11% on an All-Access Pass to the Sedona Yoga Festival. I highly encourage to purchase your pass now so when the schedule is announced you’ll be notified first and can start signing up for the sessions you want to attend, and believe me it will be a difficult decision because there will be so much to choose from.
Offer Code: DailyDownDog
Come experience the inspiring and regenerative power of the vortex energy for yourself. Sedona is absolutely an ideal place to kick of 2018! I hope to see you there!
