Jul 30, 2012 |
I’ve always been a big fan of the goddesses. A picture of Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity, and courage is hanging on the wall by my desk both in reverence and to remind me to be grateful for all the goddesses that came before me and paved the way for women’s rights. It also serves as a reminder of the importance to lift up and support all the mortal female goddesses who fill my life each and every day.
When I started my first blog, MariaMedia, that was my mission—to tell incredible stories about women and create a sense of sisterhood. My mantra was a quote from Wilhelmina Cole Holladay:
“When women help women, they help themselves.”
Imagine my delight last week when I was introduced to filmmakers Holli Thomas and Sara Landas, the geniuses behind The Goddess Project. Holli and Sara embarked on a cross-country trip a few months ago in a vegetable oil-powered bus to document the stories of extraordinary women living out their dreams.
The Goddess Project visits Vermilion, Ohio!
The impetus that sparked this journey was a lack of positive messages about women in mainstream media. Recognizing the imbalance of the media’s portrayal and the fact that there are far too many women in the universe realizing their potential, overcoming fears, being excellent role models for younger women, and spreading peace, Sara and Holli decided they must do something to spread the positive messages of these mortal goddesses that live amongst us. They made the brave decision to live on the road and use their talents to tell the stories of women who are propelling the world into new states of consciousness. Along the way, I’m positive that they are having a life-changing experience of their own.
“We have experienced the most profound and transformative moments of our lives. We wake up each day not knowing what adventures will unfold, but we set the intention to being open to whatever comes our way.”
– Sara Landas and Holli Thomas
What an awesome intention to set!
Last Sunday, a Daily Downward Dog beach yoga class came their way, and Sara and Holli got to meet a group of beautiful yogini goddesses that showed up to practice yoga with me on a gorgeous sunny morning on the shores of Lake Erie in Vermilion, Ohio. The theme of my class was about having the courage to let go of your limitations, to stop judging yourself, and to instead start breathing into the goodness that you are (which was inspired by a blog post from another yogini goddess, Lissa Bliss). Holli and Sara are following their dreams, so I encouraged the class to start seeing their dreams as reachable and to go for all they want out of life. We chanted this mantra throughout the class:
I am worthy.
I am abundance.
I am limitless.
I got choked up once or twice in class, partially because of the fact that I was nervous about being filmed, but mostly because of the incredible women who showed up for my class with very little notice. I was also humbled by the fact that Sara and Holli would show up and include me in their project.
The Goddesses that showed up for Sunday AM Beach Yoga!
I am so honored that I got to spend time with these two goddesses over pancakes and coffee after my class, hearing the stories of the goddesses they’ve met and getting the inside scoop on what it’s really like to take a road trip across America doing what you love. If you would like a sneak peak of their adventures and some footage they’ve captured, please take a few minutes to watch the video below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqKhKXrNyZc[/youtube]
As soon as I saw the paintings of women in downward dog emblazed on the side of their bus, I knew I was going to love these yogini goddesses. If you believe in the work they are doing and want to help fund more time on the road for them to interview even more goddesses – and also to help them get back home safely – please consider making a donation to their campaign by clicking this link.
For a generous donation of $20, they will send you a digital download of The Goddess Project documentary when the film is complete. You will get to see the lives of over 100 inspiring women living out their bliss in various ways across America.
You can also support The Goddess Project by following them on Facebook and Twitter or by visiting the project’s official website.
Sending a big shout out and hug to fellow yoga teacher and blogger Heather Church of Namaste*Heather for introducing me to The Goddess Project. Please stop by her lovely blog, say hello, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Following My Bliss...Teaching Yoga on the Beach!
Want to learn more about the beautiful artwork that adorns The Goddess Project bus? Watch this video…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFbYPNjb2fA[/youtube]
Jul 9, 2012 |
I often marvel about the number of things I encounter in an average day that relate to my yoga practice and can bring a spark of inspiration for a class theme.
The other morning said inspiration came from a sixty-second radio commercial for insurance. I was driving up to Vermilion to teach a beach yoga class and was listening to the announcer explain the importance of slowing down when you make the important decision of selecting an insurance carrier. She ended the spot with the following tagline:
Slow down – there’s plenty of fast out there.
I’m borrowing that line from Liberty Mutual, because this is one mantra that bears repeating.
How often do you find yourself in a yoga class, rushing from pose to pose? Anticipating the teacher’s next instruction so that—before you’ve allowed yourself to find your breath in one asana—your mind has already jumped off to the next one. We’re so hardwired to rush through our day that sometimes it can be hard to shake off the frenzy in yoga class.
Slow down – there’s plenty of fast out there.
Do yourself a favor and consciously work on slowing down when you practice yoga. Take a moment to settle into an asana, listen to the cues, check to ensure you’re in proper alignment, slow down enough to really notice how you feel, and deliberately move through the postures to the pace of slower breathing that comes naturally when you focus on ujjayi pranayma. Aahhhh, slowing down in yoga class can be a beautiful thing.
Most of our day is spent rushing, so what a refreshing concept it is that in yoga our goal should be to slow down. Yoga is the antithesis to the rest of your stressful day. It gives you an hour of pure bliss and, more importantly, that much-needed time to give your mind the break it deserves.
Don’t worry – there’s plenty of fast out there when you need it. And hopefully the practice of slowing down on your yoga mat is something you can learn to do off the yoga mat as well.
Jul 3, 2012 |
I’m too old for yoga.
I’m too inflexible for yoga.
I’m too overweight for yoga.
I’m too [fill in the blank] for yoga.
Need a little inspiration to get you off your ass?
Watch the video below. It will only take 4:55 minutes of your time, and I guarantee you will be moved. Even if this video doesn’t inspire you to give yoga a try, it can give you hope that just about anything you think might be unattainable in your life is possible if you just believe in yourself.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448 [/youtube]
You might have already seen this video. It’s got over five million hits and is the personal yoga journey of Arthur Boorman, who for 15 years of his life was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War. He received his injuries as a paratrooper and was told by doctors that he would never walk on his own again without assistance.
For a while, Arthur gave up and turned to food to console him, bringing his weight up to 297 pounds.
Arthur happened to catch a video of former pro-wrestler Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) and decided to give DDP’s brand of yoga a try. He reached out to DDP as well and received personal encouragement from him while he went on his yoga journey.
Don’t give up, keep going, and know that anything is possible.
How many times do we all face personal challenges like this? They might not be as extreme as Arthur’s situation, but we all have projects that at first seem daunting. But if taken in small steps, with patience and a lot of self-love, eventually we can accomplish what initially seemed impossible.
Arthur fell many times, but he got back up. He continued to tell himself that “just because I can’t do it today doesn’t mean I can’t do it someday.” And you will see in the video that Arthur experiences many yoga victories, including losing weight, rocking a headstand, and then coming down from the headstand into crow and jumping back into plank. I can’t even do that – so WOOHOO, Arthur!
I wanted to share this video for anyone out there that might be afraid to try yoga or has given up after just one class. I know yoga is not for everyone. But it’s not something that is going to be easy at first, especially if you have not been exercising regularly. It takes time, determination, and courage. You won’t be able to do everything at first, and the results will not come overnight. But gradually you will start to experience a transformation. Each time you come to your mat, there is an opportunity to make new discoveries, each one taking the body and the mind a little further.
You have to come into yoga with an open mind. When you first start, you might think you’ll never be able to move and stretch the way some of the other students do. The fact is that we are all so much stronger and capable than we allow ourselves credit. And yes, I’m guilty of this too. When I first started, I thought there was no way I’d ever be able to do a headstand or crow pose, and today I can do both of these poses. I can only imagine how much further I’ll take my yoga practice – if Bette Calman can do peacock pose at 93, so can I!
Over the course of one year, Arthur Boorman lost a total of 140 pounds, and more importantly, he was able to prove the doctors wrong. He is walking, practicing yoga, running, and sprinting without any assistance.
Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you believe in yourself.
Never Give Up.
That’s Arthur Boorman’s yoga story. Watch the video, decide what you want to get out there and accomplish in your life, and then set your sights on never giving up!
If you have a personal victory that you would like to share, please leave a comment below. I’d also love to hear from anyone who has tried DDP yoga.
Jun 28, 2012 |
I’ll never forget the first time I was in a yoga class and a rap song came on the playlist. It wasn’t your standard fare hip-hop or rap song full of tough street lyrics. Nope, this rap song was praising the freshness of Ganesh! Thank you, Deb Kistner, of Nirvana Yoga for turning me on to the sheer delight of flowing through a vinyasa accompanied by the awesome vocal-rap stylings of MC Yogi (aka Nicholas Giocomini).
Already a classic, MC Yogi’s first album Elephant Power has been hanging out at the top of the iTunes World Music charts since early 2010. I’m really excited to tell you that MC Yogi just released a new album called Pilgrimage (yeah, I’m old skool and still call them albums), and I’m going to proclaim right now that it is the new gold standard, must-have album for yoga music-lover aficionados.
I’m here to tell you that, quite simply, the 19 cuts on Pilgrimage ROCK! To quote Dj Drez, it will appeal to yogis who dig “bumping beats and desire uplifting music that isn’t too soft.”
The musical styles vary from song to song, moving from hip-hop, rap, and reggae to tribal-dance and dub. There is an incredible horn section as well as Indian sounds and influence due to the fact that Pilgrimage was recorded there. Watch this video to get a glimpse into MC’s trip to India that inspired the music and you’ll also get to hear a few of the songs.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_74_qL8ErE[/youtube]
“Yoga and meditation helps to draw you back into yourself, and music and art helps to express and share that which you discovered inside yourself.” – MC Yogi
It’s hard for me to pick my favorite cuts, but I know that my yoga class playlists are going to include some of the following:
“Breath Control” – MC Yogi raps over a funky drum beat and even funkier flute, providing the perfect verbal cues for students…
“Breath control, steady breath control, take a deep breath now let it all go.
Breathe in,
Breathe out,
Release the stress; just let it all out…
Receiving inspiration with every inhalation.”
“Sun Light” – I love a good power anthem, and “Sun Light” does not disappoint. With triumphant horn riffs and soaring vocals, this song is perfect for flowing through sun salutations.
“Born to Fly” – This reggae-infused piece reminds you to spread your wings and fly so high.
“Ganesha (Sound the Horn)” – With a Bollywood-style riff mashed up with kick-ass horn sections, this one is sure to get students shaking their hips to the groovy beat…and maybe even singing along. Rise Up!
“Give Love” – For the longest time, the only place you could find this song was through a free download at Yogafriends.com, so I was super pleased that MC included this bonus track on Pilgrimage. Another yoga class playlist megahit that will just make you happy!
If you want to get love, you got to give love away.
If you are looking for a little Hindu Mythology 101, check out MC Yogi’s smart and funny take on the classic story of Hanuman (I don’t know how he can remember all these words, but it is brilliant). You can download it for free right now courtesy of Black Swan records or right on the home page of MCYogi.com.
MC Yogi serving up some yoga at Tadasana Festival
As if I wasn’t already a huge MC Yogi fan, I got the opportunity to attend a yoga class taught by him and his wife, Amanda Giacomini, when I attended Tadasana Festival. And no, they weren’t providing the music (the awesome tunes were spun by DJ Drez). Amanda and Nicholas are both experienced yoga teachers. Every good teacher knows that students learn from stories, so these two turned the two-hour class into an incredible storytelling opportunity, rich with the story of the battle between Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu (told in a super cool, demystified way), and tales of MC Yogi’s experiences in India while recording this album.
The Storytellers – Amanda and MC Yogi with DJ Drez at Tadasana Festival
If you ever get to take a yoga class with MC Yogi, it can’t be missed; his dharma talk is just as real and moving as his song lyrics.
Hanging out with MC and Amanda at Tadasana Festival
I also got to catch them live and in person later that night at a Tadasana After Dark concert where they previewed a few of the cuts from Pilgrimage.
If you’re a yoga teacher that puts together playlists, you must add Pilgrimage to your yoga music library. You can pick up Pilgrimage on Amazon, iTunes, and through White Swan Records.
Join the MC Yogi fan club and follow him on Twitter and Facebook or on the official MC Yogi website.
MC Yogi says that when he gives a live performance it’s all about giving love. When I took his yoga class and heard him live, I definitely felt the love and you will too when you listen to Pilgrimage.
Rise Up, Give Love, Sound the Horn, and do a little dance on your yoga mat!
May 10, 2012 |
Yikes, it’s been a few months since I posted a Daily Downward Dog yoga class playlist. Sorry about that!
My playlists have morphed into a mix of mellower music with fewer words in the songs mashed up with some more lively tunes for the flowing sequences of class. I’ve really been into Chinmaya Dunster and am also using some of the tracks I picked up at Tadasana Festival. And, I didn’t realize it until I put this playlist on paper, but it’s really heavy on covers of classic rock and reggae songs.
The list of songs below represents a playlist I used last week and also includes a few additional favorites from playlists earlier this year.
Opening Breath Meditation and Warm Up
“Ong So Hung” – The Guru Singh Experience
This track is a whopping 22:15 minutes of blissful ong so hung-ing from Guru Singh. I actually started this track before class began to provide a peaceful zen-like mood for the students to settle into and then used it as the backdrop for the opening breath meditation.
Ong means creative consciousness, and so hung means “I am Thou.” Chanting the word “hung” stimulates and opens the heart chakra.
Guru Singh Performing Live at Tadasana Festival
I was lucky to attend Guru Singh’s Heart Centered Living yoga class at Tadasana Festival, and it was awesome to hear him sing live as he took us through an insightful and calming practice that taught me a lot about compassion (more on that to come in a future post).
“Manipuri Megh” – Chinmaya Dunster & The Celtic Ragas Band – Fragrance of the East: Live in India
Mellow, mystical, flowing flute music is perfect to move through warm-up asanas. I am in love with Chinmaya Dunster’s music for yoga classes, and my favorite track of his is used below for savasana.
Standing Asanas and Flow
“Never Know” – Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRZ0CsqVY4U[/youtube]
“The Sound of Sunshine” – Michael Franti & Spearhead – The Sound of Sunshine
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqgHosrqJ8o[/youtube]
This is my prerequisite reggae song (because every yoga class needs one), and “The Sound of Sunshine” is the perfect theme song to accompany sun salutations. Watch this video and I guarantee you’ll get happy!
“Daniel” – Fisher & Friends – Acoustic Café 2
Kathleen Fisher’s sultry vocals and stripped down instrumentals make this Elton John classic perfect for class. This CD came out in 2007 and has quite a few more keepers (including “Imagine” and “Landslide”) that I’ll be using in future playlists.
“Opportunity” – Pete Murray – See the Sun
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9TlDXSQfs0[/youtube]
Great message in this song:
Your coffee’s warm but your milk is sour
Life is short but you’re here to flower
Dream yourself along another day
Never miss opportunity
Don’t be scared of what you cannot see
Your only fear is possibility
Never wonder what the hell went wrong
Your second chance may never come along
“Redemption Song” – Michael McDonald – Soul Speak
More reggae, but this time the classic Bob Marley song is expertly covered by Michael McDonald. It’s hard to describe Michael’s voice – raspy, soulful, and truly unique. I’ve been a long-time fan, and this is not the first time he’s graced one of my playlists.
Floor – Back Bends, Heart Openers, Hip Openers, Abdominals, and Twists
“Hey Jude” – Roberta Flack – Let It Be Roberta: Roberta Flack Sings The Beatles
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIGw6W6iIMU[/youtube]
Two words: Roberta, The Beatles (ok, technically that’s three). That’s all you need to know. Singing goddess Roberta’s take on this Beatles classic is stellar, and the rest of the tracks on this album kick ass too. I’ll be using her versions of “Here, There, and Everywhere” and “Let it Be” on future playlists.
“Breathe Me” – Sia Furler – Colour the Small One
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSH7fblcGWM[/youtube]
“Guru Sloka” – Masood Ali Khan
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGsmRGoxPEs[/youtube]
I love the little dancing girl in this video!
Check out this article and the pictures of Masood from the May edition of LA Yoga (he’s not hard on the eyes!). I got to hear him play at Tadasana Festival, loved him, and you will too!
Masood (2nd from left) performing live with Wah! at Tadasana Festival in a class led by Sara Ivanhoe
Savasana
“On Sacred Ground (Fourth or Heart Chakra)” – Chinmaya Dunster – Yoga On Sacred Ground
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPLaCv3Hgk4[/youtube]
Every yoga teacher needs to have this CD. Every song is perfect for the more mellow parts of class. This by far is my favorite cut.
I’m digging the vibe this playlist sets, and I hope you do too. As always, I would love your feedback or to hear about any great songs you’ve recently used for yoga class playlists.
