Jan 10, 2011 |
I forgot how much I love being a student and have really enjoyed these past few weeks, as I’ve been taking a deep dive into my yoga-teacher training. I’ve got less than a month to go before graduation and lots of studying and assignments to complete. This focus on learning has caused me to be a little absent on Twitter and less prolific on this blog. I really miss all my Twitter yoga peeps, but now is the time to buckle down and focus on graduating summa cum yogini.
I still take the time each day to check out a few of my favorite blogs and have read in awe as so many of my tweeps (@MeredithLeBlanc, @CieChange, @Emmainbxl, @yoga_mydrishti to name a few) have been bravely posting their New Year’s resolutions and goals for all to read—and (gasp) to keep you accountable. I wasn’t so brave. I’m still a little new to blogging and wasn’t ready to put that 2011 goal sheet up on the blog for public consumption. Why am I kidding myself? I still haven’t even started to write down my goals for 2011.
But I am going to put two firm feet on the ground, standing tall in mountain pose, hands at heart center, and proudly proclaim one goal for 2011. I am going to get into the practice of daily meditation. I am going to fall in love with it and spread the word about my experiences. If it is the only goal I work on and achieve this year, I will have accomplished something pretty damn amazing.
I just finished reading chapter one of Meditation and Its Practice by Swami Rama and can’t wait to finish this book. This book is on my required reading list for yoga-teacher training, and I plan to use it as my road map for my journey into the wonderful world of meditation this year.
So, why am I so fired up about meditation? Here’s a list of benefits Swami Rama provides in Chapter 1:
- Meditation helps relax muscular tension and the autonomic nervous system and provides freedom from mental stress. I am a major stress queen. Meditation, take me away… I am so ready to be free of mental stress!
- Meditation is a systematic way of enhancing our innate talents in daily life. Or, in other words, the practice will help develop my creativity, intuition, and ability to write and think more expressively. I’m not going to look at the time I spend each day meditating as something frivolous, but rather as professional enrichment, something I need to do each day to produce better, more productive work.
- Meditating is a process that is restful for the mind. I don’t know about you, but we all beat the hell out of our mind on a daily basis. This year I’m giving back and letting my mind enjoy the breaks it deserves: the chance to let all those stressful thoughts—such as worrying, planning, thinking, and reasoning—just melt away.
Swami Rama claims that “the highest of all joys that can ever be experienced by a human being can be attained through meditation.” Now, that piqued my interest. Sign me up! I’m setting a goal of finding that highest joy!
So, there; I’ve done it. Put that goal out for all to read. Please hold me accountable in the coming year! Ask me how my meditation is going, and tell me about your experiences. I’m hoping some of my yoga buddies (like @yisforyogini) will continue to put out 30-day kriyas, and maybe I’ll start a few fun group activities to keep us all motivated to meditate!
Wishing you a year of delightful meditation in the quest for the highest of all joys!
Dec 31, 2010 |
It’s New Year’s Eve, a time to reflect on the past year—maybe with happiness, maybe with regret, or maybe with gratitude for all we received. It is also a day to look forward to the New Year, maybe fearful of what is to come or perhaps hoping for a fresh start. That’s a lot of emotion swirling around, so I thought it might be helpful to hear what some famous and historical figures had to say about New Year’s Day.
“Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.” —Oprah Winfrey
“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.” —Henry Ward Beecher
“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” —Ellen Goodman
As part of my yoga-teacher training, I got to spend a lot of time studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. These ancient techniques are basically the operating manual for the study and practice of yoga, and, thankfully, Sri Swami Satchidananda has lovingly translated them into practical down-to-earth advice. I’d like to share with you a small portion of the translation on asteya (Sutra #37), which is the practice of nonstealing. I am taking it a bit out of its original context, because I feel the message is apropos for New Year’s Eve.
“Richness has nothing to do with monetary wealth. The richest person is the one with a cool mind, free of tension and anxiety. Changing all the current situations in our world is not in our hands. We are not going to stop all these things. But what is in our hands is the ability to find joy and peace right here and now. If we live in the present, even though the whole world might blow up in a minute, it won’t bother us. We can be happy in situations of tension. If we have decided to be happy, nobody can make us unhappy. Anything might happen. An earthquake might decimate the entire world, but we need not bother about the future. Nor should we worry about the past. It has already gone. To be happy this minute is in our hands.
“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?
“But a carefree life is possible only with a well-controlled mind, one that is free of anxiety, one without personal desires or possessions.” —Sri Swami Satchidanananda from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
So, what are my key takeaways from all these quotes?
- We should not worry about the past; 2010 is done—put a fork in it.
- We all have the power to find joy and peace right now. I don’t know about you, but I’m choosing to be happy in 2011, to have the time of my life, and look for the potential in all things.
- I’m going to smile a lot and make myself and others laugh, and, hopefully, it will be contagious enough to start a plague of joy!
Wishing you a year filled with serenity, laughter, joy, and lots of yoga!
Start the New Year with a Gift of a Yoga Retreat
Join Maria & Dr Sharon Stills in Sedona – Feb 5-8, 2018
Dec 20, 2010 |
What are you doin’ New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve?
I’m going to be teaching yoga!
I have to admit that has a nice ring to it.
I think one of the coolest yoga classes I took in 2009 was on New Year’s Eve. The class was at 10 a.m. and the only one my studio offered that day. I thought the class would be empty, with everyone getting ready for their holiday celebrations, so imagine my delight when I walked into a packed class. All these yoga dorks were just like me and wanted to sneak in one last yoga high for the year. I snorkeled my way into a spot in the middle, and the yoga instructor took us through a vigorous vinyasa flow. We all breathed out anything from 2009 that didn’t serve us and breathed in all the hope and possibilities for 2010. We got the room so hot, the mirrors started to fog up. There was such an incredible prana flowing through the room that, at one point, we all broke out in dance. I felt blissful and exhilarated when I left the studio that day, ready to take on the world and whatever the new year was going to throw at me.
I would never have dreamed on January 1, 2010, that by the end of this year, I would be teaching my very own New Year’s Eve yoga class! What a transformation my life has taken this year. I went from being a stressed-out workaholic to a meditating, yoga blogging, pranaholic. I should be the poster child for how to make a 180-degree life change and live to tell about it.
So, I’m in the midst of planning my New Year’s Eve class, and I want it to be just as special as the one I attended last year (although it will be hard to beat, thanks to Elizabeth Clay). I’m going to throw in a Simhasana (lion pose) so we can growl out the parts of the year we want to leave behind and bring in some heart openers to let love and goodwill come into our hearts for the coming year. A little laughter yoga will be in the mix to remind us to laugh every day in the coming year. I’m also planning a kick-ass playlist, with my ultimate goal to get that class dancing!
I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year than a little booty shaking from my yoga mat.
If you live anywhere near the Akron, Ohio, area, I would love for you to join me on New Year’s Eve. My class is an all-levels hatha-style yoga that is suitable for beginners to more advanced students.
I’m also teaching a special class on Christmas Eve. If you want to get away from the holiday madness and give yourself the gift of your breath and a relaxing yoga class, then please join me this coming Friday at 10:00 a.m. as well. I promise to only put a few cheesy holiday songs on the Christmas Eve playlist.
Yeah, 2010 was an amazing year for me, and I am thrilled that I get to wear black stretchy pants to work instead of a black power suit.
If you can’t make it to Ohio, give yourself a gift and find a local yoga class near you or dial into a class at MyYogaOnline (they are open everyday 24/7!).
Om shanti, shanti, shanti…wishing you peace and love today and throughout the coming year.
P.S. Thanks to @yogabrooks for this awesome headline idea and her awesome yoga blog.
P.S.S. Shanti means peace!
Dec 2, 2010 |
Don’t you just love when you learn a new word? I recently heard someone use the term yogalicious, and I knew immediately that it would become a part of my yoga lexicon.
With every new word I learn, I typically go to the urban dictionary to make sure I really understand what it means before I use it (believe me, I’ve been burned before). I was surprised to find that yogalicious was not yet defined on the urban dictionary, so guess who submitted it as an official urban term? I felt it was my civic duty.
It took a few days, but I’m happy to say that the awesome editors over at UD have approved my entry and now I am a published contributor on the urban dictionary. How cool is that?! You can check it out at Urban Dictionary or see the definition below:
yogalicious
Any aspect of the practice of yoga that provides great pleasure or delight.
That new yoga pose we learned today is yogalicious.
by Downward Dog on Nov 28, 2010
So, in honor of my new favorite word, here are a few ways to bring yogaliciousness into your life:
1) Try a new asana you have been afraid to try. It’s time to go for it and challenge yourself on that yoga mat. Every time I try a new pose—even if I don’t get it right the first time—I always get a little surge of yogaliciousness for making the effort.
2) Tell your yoga instructor how much you enjoyed his or her class. I guarantee you will make them feel yogalicious.
3) If your mat is getting a little tattered or smelly, recycle it and buy yourself a pretty, new yogalicious yoga mat.
4) Grab a friend who has never tried yoga, and bring him or her to yoga class with you. It’s time to share the yogaliciousness with the special people in your life.
5) Next time you see a yoga classmate in exceptionally nice yoga togs, tell him or her that his or her outfit is yogalicious.
6) Instead of saying you are blissed out or have a yoga high, try saying, “I’m feeling yogalicious today.”
Got any yogalicious experiences or fun, new yoga words you would like to share? Please leave a comment below.
The yoga products store has been updated with lots of great deals and excellent holiday gifts for yoga lovers.
Nov 29, 2010 |
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about the Messages of Light cards from Mario Duguay. We pass these cards out occasionally at the beginning of my yoga-teacher training classes as a grounding exercise and I look forward to them the way a kid looks forward to the treat in a Cracker Jack box. Apparently, a person that asks for guidance will select the card that speaks to them, and the card I got last week definitely spoke to me!
When I read the card aloud to the rest of my yoga class, everyone was nodding their heads and loving the message it conveyed. So, I had to share the message, because it is just so fitting during this hectic holiday season.
Attain Serenity
I no longer let myself be swept into the turmoil of my mind and emotions.
From now on I let go of all stress, tension, and worry so I may attain harmony and serenity.
I will do one thing at a time and savor each moment.
I am guilty of being a multitasker, of taking on too much, and stressing about things out of my control. But thanks to Mario’s super cool cards, I now have a new mantra: “I will do one thing at a time and savor each moment.” Come on, say it with me: “During this busy holiday season, I will do one thing at a time and savor each and every moment.”
I’m using this as my mantra for the next 30 days and I’m going to do my best to be fully present in all of my actions, letting go of the crazy holiday stress and focusing on the beauty of the season.
I really feel like we get pushed too hard into the holiday season. In fact, I feel a little robbed of the Thanksgiving season by all the press and hype over Black Friday. In protest, I’m going to refuse to do any holiday activities until I have fully savored all of the leftovers and given proper thanks and gratitude for all the wonderful things in my life.
Image: Billy Alexander
