Here is where you will find our bi-monthly newsletters, workshops and special events. As it is pleasurable to give so it is also pleasurable to receive, we hope! We would like to hear from you, please feel free to share your thoughts, comments, experiences and ideas.
If we cannot love and accept ourselves just as we are, we will find it difficult to truly love anyone else in such a limitless, unconditional way. And, perhaps even more unsettling to contemplate, if we are fortunate enough to find someone who accepts and loves us unconditionally, how can we be open to receiving that love from someone else if we haven’t fully accepted ourselves? Being able to extend full unconditional love to others is only possible when we already love ourselves. If we don’t have the same love for ourselves, we are simply projecting our need and desire to love onto the people in our lives and our love then becomes filled with restrictions. Through self discovery in our yoga exploration we begin to cultivate compassion, love, and tolerance for our own imperfections first, which makes it easier to then broaden our range of self-love to encompass others. By learning how to give yourself love first, your love for others will be pure, honest, and unconditional.
Practice
Maybe you can do a loving-kindness meditation to further develop your loving nature. In loving-kindness meditation, you take a few minutes to first focus on yourself by wishing yourself love, peace, and happiness. Picturing your body becoming filled with love each time you inhale may increase your feelings of self-acceptance and well-being. As your love for yourself expands, you can then repeat the same process for the people in your life. Through this form of meditation you may notice that your ability to understand and love others grows.
Process
Aim for non-harming thoughts, deeds and words. It’s a valiant thing to do! It’s hard to be calm unless you’re a monk in a cave. When we interact with people, we tend to get our buttons pushed. What we need to do is accept that and learn to deal with the resulting emotions calmly. If we can do that, we start to achieve self-mastery.
Purpose
Forgiveness frees up space inside of you so that there is room for hope and optimism. In forgiving others, you sever an unhealthy connection that has bonded you together. If you desire, you can create a healthier bond together. Your willingness to forgive others can help you achieve emotional freedom. In forgiving others we heal ourselves
My Love Letter to You
Gently, softly, quietly, carefully. Oh! That sounds almost like a song. Let’s have more? Discreetly, diplomatically, sensitively, subtly. Well, maybe not a song. Maybe not even a poem, because it doesn’t rhyme, but there is something soothing in all those descriptive words. There is a comforting touch. There is a feeling of being put at ease, handled with care, shown some respect, protected from conflict. That’s nice. That’s how we all want to feel. Extend that courtesy and it will be returned. Try a little tenderness!
Happy Valentine’s Day
Om Shanti,
…M
“Even when love isn’t enough…somehow it is.” ~ Stephen King
What you think about you bring about
Because optimism attracts opportunity, maintaining a hopeful outlook can help you draw positive prospects into your life. People tend to focus on worst-case scenarios to prepare themselves for what the future may bring. Thoughts are the seeds from which our lives grow and take shape and optimistic thoughts will lead you to seek out the people and activities that will become the building blocks of the life you desire. When you’re focused on the eventual realization of a bright and fulfilling future, you’ll be more apt to recognize the steps to take to create such a future. A hopeful attitude can serve as an everlasting source of encouragement. The optimism that has taken root in your soul will help you craft the life of your dreams.
Reach
As we ask the universe for help and affirm that a solution is on the way, we lend incredible power to our intentions and shift our circumstances in a more positive direction. We often resist asking for help because we believe that a situation is out of our control, but it may seem out of our control simply because we believe it to be so. By choosing to be proactive in asking for a solution from the universe and affirming with gratitude that the problem is already solved, we put forth the precise frequency of energy needed to shift our circumstances and make our new intention a physical reality. Releasing your perception of being trapped can be as simple as asking for a solution and believing it’s on the way. By continuously reaching for more in life, we affirm to the universe that we welcome more growth, success, and abundance. Understanding that we can create more than what we have at any given moment is the most important aspect of enhancing our life experience. Instead of feeling like we are stuck where we are, we can empower ourselves to understand that we can always reach for what we desire.
Take it Outside
In our daily lives we often find ourselves isolated from other people. This can drain us of the enchantment of the world around us. But by being in nature, we can realize the depth of our interconnectedness with one another. The outside world teems with energy that relieves our stress and revitalizes our spirit. Learning to understand the gifts we have to offer means that we understand our own significance in the lives of others. We might, for example, use helping other people as a way to boost our own self confidence.
Turn Inward
Developing a strong belief in our self-worth strengthens our self-acceptance and allows us to feel more confident. While approval and acceptance from others is always appreciated, it is too unpredictable to rely upon for our sense of self-worth. If we can instead learn to turn inward and develop self-acceptance, we will develop the courage and confidence to believe more deeply in our own abilities. We are then able to interact with others in healthier ways because we no longer need their approval. Surrender to the knowing!
Be Still
You live and breathe amid the miracle of life. But for it to touch your heart, you need to be present. The precious moments of calm and stillness your heart longs for are born of your willingness to live the moment you are in. Life can be filled with countless lost moments. In the haste of juggling the demands of family, work, friends and the needs of your own body and mind, or just living life in these stressful times, your connection with the present is often replaced by preoccupation with the future. Lost in thought and busyness, your attention is prone to simply slide over the surface of life. Settle down, settle in.
Rebound
Occasionally slowing down in order to take care of yourself allows you to maintain a productive pace without becoming overworked and overwhelmed. Our lives are so rich and full that we can easily overlook our own personal needs when managing the intricacies of day-to-day existence. When you slow down and see to your well-being, you are afforded a natural respite in which you can relax and unwind from worldly pressures. Even a short break represents a period in which you can concentrate wholly on your own needs. Any stress or fatigue you feel will soon melt away, leaving you ready to tackle your next round of responsibilities with a refreshed mind and body. It’s possible to be selfish and selfless at the same time it’s just a question of balance.
It’s oh so easy to miss the simple moments that make your heart sing: a child’s laughter, a crisp snowflake resting on the windshield, the beat of your own heart, the sound of your breath. Create space now for tiny miracles.
Blessings,
…M
“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” ~ Albert Einstein
Joy is a permanent aspect of our inner selves and is not separate from us at any point. We do not have to travel to find it or imagine that it resides only in the body of another. It is something we already possess.
This world makes it easy to forget this great love, which is part of why we are here. We are here to remember and when we forget to remember again and to always choose love.
Wishing you a graceful and joyful 2012!
With love,
…M
“Life is meant to be a celebration! It shouldn’t be necessary to set aside special times to remind us of this fact. Wise is the person who finds a reason to make every day a special one.” ~ Leo Buscaglia
Process
Digging deeper into our issues related to abundance provides us with a picture of how we view our life situation, since it is not only when we feel that we are lacking in something that we tend to be more conservative in our approach to our material life. For many of us carefulness is more deeply related to our fear of trusting completely in the universe, since it is common for us to think that we are taken care of solely because of our actions and not our intentions. As you come to a greater understanding of how your needs and wants manifest themselves in your life you will find that abundance is within reach if you learn to trust in something greater than yourself. Rather than focusing on lack, we focus on plenty, and that is what we experience..
Practice
Sink into the feeling of well-being you may notice that every aspect of your life has a purpose and function. Make a list of all that you are grateful for and hold on to it then watch it expand… as the end of year approaches, also list what changes to your daily life would make 2012 easier.
Purpose
Tomorrow is not just ‘another day’. Tomorrow is something far bigger and broader. Another world, another life, another way of being. When we look to the future we see infinite possibility. We realize we can take nothing for granted. This excites us and unnerves us. It makes us yearn for the adventure, which only change will bring. You stand on the threshold of a bright future. Do you want to run to it or from it? You can do either but you cannot do both choose whether you are going to be led by fear or faith, the rest will take care of itself.
The Bigger Picture
Living is a fine balance of letting go and hanging on. Creating a life of abundance and fulfillment begins by choosing positive thoughts. Because we tend to attract what we focus on the most in life, guarding the quality of our thoughts is a wise choice. If we begin to realize that we are thinking thoughts of lack or inadequacy we can choose to turn these thoughts around and focus on abundance. As we affirm our abundance, we automatically begin to draw more of it to ourselves.
When the lines get too long, the crowds get too loud, you’re just too tired, or the person in front of you won’t put the cell phone down and just drive, remember the reason for the season is about peace and joy …family and friends…and love…breath in, breath out. Or just laugh at the human condition.
Perfect peace, comfort and joy!
…M
“The quality of our lives is about treating each other well in every situation. We are all the trustees of one another’s happiness and well-being in life.” “We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace.” ~ Dr. P.M. Forni – Johns Hopkins University
Here are 5 ways to express gratitude through yoga.
1. Let your intention be to appreciate every moment. Savor the breath in your lungs, the air on your skin, and the stretching sensation in your hamstrings.
2. Make your movements an offering. I remember how thankful I am whenever my hands are pressed together at my heart in Anjali Mudra and when I come to standing at the end of a Sun Salute.
3. Count your blessings instead of your breaths. It’s nearly impossible to do this for an entire practice session, but I love to spend one long held pose (Pigeon is a good one) thinking of one thing I’m grateful for with each breath.
4. Focus on the positive. It’s easy to get frazzled by what you perceive as shortcomings on the mat–maybe you’re not as flexible as you used to be or an injury is inhibiting movement. Make a commitment to use your yoga practice to observe all the amazing things you CAN do instead and gratitude will spill over into other areas of your life as well.
5. Never skip Savasana. Nothing makes me thankful like a nice, long Corpse Pose after an intense yoga class. All the gratitude meditations in the world can’t match the experience that comes when tired muscles finally get to melt into the floor. That’s gratitude at its best.
Posted by Erica Rodefer on November 22, 2011 8:17 AM | Permalink |
As we breathe in the invigorating air of this late-fall month and embrace the approaching winter, it’s a good time to also turn our attention to our vitality and overall well-being. With the sometimes-hectic holiday season on the horizon, it’s tempting to loosen our grip on our health-promoting self-care routines.
During this month of Thanksgiving, we can take stock of all that we have to be grateful for and fully recommit to ourselves.
Process
Cultivating gratitude is less an act of creating something that isn’t there and more of a practice of realizing what is. It’s about reminding yourself of the miracles embedded in every second of every day—from the largest blessings to the smallest moments. By practicing shifting your attention to what is real (and not clinging to an idea of what you think should happen), you become more appreciative of even the most mundane moments in life, and for the richness all around.
Practice
Practicing mindfulness of gratitude consistently leads to a direct experience of being connected to life and the realization that there is a larger context in which your personal story is unfolding. Being relieved of the endless wants and worries of your life’s drama, even temporarily, is liberating. Cultivating thankfulness for being part of life blossoms into a feeling of being blessed, not in the sense of winning the lottery, but in a more refined appreciation for the interdependent nature of life. Gratitude can soften a heart that has become too guarded, and it builds the capacity for forgiveness, which creates the clarity of mind that is ideal for spiritual development.
Purpose – by request
You, with all your flaws, have been chosen for this opportunity to consciously taste life, to know it for what it is, and to make of it what you are able. This gift of a conscious life is grace, even when your life is filled with great difficulty and it may not feel like a gift at all. It is important to remember that learning to understand yourself and your world is an ongoing and active process where the journey is more important than the destination.
That gratitude, for the grace of conscious embodiment, evolves into the practice of selfless gratitude, in which your concerns slowly but surely shift from being mostly about yourself and those close to you to being about all living beings. As this occurs, you need less and less in the way of good fortune. It becomes enough that there are those who are happy, who are receiving love, who are safe, and who have a promising future. You and your life are beautiful works in progress.
Thank you all for letting yoga and my humble expression of it into your lives. Because of you I am blessed.
Jai Bhagwan, Namaste…
Happy Thanksgiving!
…M
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light. Give thanks for your life and your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. And if you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured that the fault is in yourself. ~ Chief Tecumseh
With its shorter days and cooler weather, November brings an invitation to look within and take stock of our lives and the bounty of the harvest season. Take a breather before the bustling holidays to ponder what you are truly grateful for and what you’re hoping to cultivate in your inner and outer lives as winter approaches.
Process
Moving in… Engaging in projects that improve the flow of energy in our home allows us to create a more positive and healthy environment around us. Because much of our lives are spend outside of our home, it can be easy to overlook the importance of cultivating our own space where we can be at peace either with ourselves or our loved ones. When we organize, we clear away not only our physical, but also our mental clutter and gain clarity as a result. When we work with our families, we nurture a culture of love and respect for each other. By spending time improving your home your surroundings will become a place of peace, love, and healing.
Moving Inward…Don’t be afraid to meet resistance in meditation or in your practice. Make the commitment to sit and meditate regularly. A willingness to stay present with the resistance that surfaces during meditation will help you cope with those complex emotions that continually arise in daily life. While meditating the mind starts to open; there’s an expansion of awareness. Allow yourself to melt into that spaciousness. Sit slightly longer and meet the resistance that often stems from fear—fear of your emotions, fear of the unknown, and, lastly, fear of your own essence, your own magnificence.
Practice
Patience…If today, you do 20 sit-ups, you will make no difference to the shape of your body. If you do them again tomorrow there will still be no change. But continue every day for the next 30 days and you will see an impressive alteration. No matter how much we yearn for instant transformation, the only real way to attain it involves effort and commitment. We are surrounded by shining examples of what can be accomplished with dedication. You want a lot and you can have most of it. But not all in one week.
Uttanasana: “Forward bends teach patience. It takes a long time to enter them deeply. Enlightenment does not necessarily occur when the head reaches the legs, so there is no need to get it there soon, if ever. The realization of yoga is to be fully conscious, present, and content at whatever stage of the practice you have attained. Paradoxically, when you are truly satisfied right where you are, your pose often opens up and you can easily move forward. If you are in good physical condition and your alignment is good, one way to progress in forward bends is to vigorously practice standing postures, with a strong Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) between each posture.” YJ
Purpose
By continuously striving to reach for more in life, we affirm to the universe that we welcome more growth, success, and abundance. Understanding that we can create more than what we have at any given moment is the most important aspect of enhancing our lives. Rather than feeling like we are stuck where we are, we can empower ourselves to understand that we can always reach for what we want. Even when we are satisfied with our circumstances, there are always areas where we can create more abundance or success. When we stay conscious, as we strive for more, what we create in life tends to serve not just our personal needs but our life’s purpose (dharma.)
Off the Mat
Every moment is wondrous, every gust of wind. Every ripple on the surface of every lake. Every bird, every plant, every creature. What do we do in the midst of all this magic? We take it for granted! We find fault. We take issue. We see room for improvement (which is very right and very human) or we persuade ourselves that a situation is hopeless and can never improve (which is very human but very wrong). Giving yourself unconditional love makes it possible to extend compassion to those around you. Your very existence is miraculous and the hope in your heart is your greatest gift, cherish it.
Love and Light,
…M
“Your task is not to search for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it”. ~ Rumi
Thought this was worth sharing. If you have anything you would like to share blog on!
Here is a quick guide to a lifetime of practice:
Adolescence. Start off with a dynamic sequence to release energy, then quiet the body and mind with seated poses and forward bends.
Childbearing years. Now’s the time to take up meditation. Studies show that 20 minutes of meditation twice a day lowers blood pressure, decreases anxiety, and improves both sleep and memory.
Perimenopause. Inversions can relieve stress and insomnia; twists can relieve fatigue and depression; forward bends help ease irritability and anxiety.
Postmenopause. Weight-bearing poses may help keep your bones strong and improve joint function. And a consistent asana practice can help maintain your range of motion and flexibility.
Daily Insight
Yogajournal.com Newsletter
Process
By choosing to develop a peaceful, detached state of mind, we can remain centered and balanced regardless of what is happening around us. Just like we have the ability to choose our physical actions, we can also choose our emotional responses. It’s natural to get frustrated from time to time, but we can minimize the possibility of becoming overwhelmed and upsetting our peaceful state of mind. By considering the situation mentally before reacting, we can remember that we have the power to choose what we want to internalize and what we want to release.
Affirmations are wonderful tools to help us cope with the glitches life throws our way. Not only do they remind us that our situation is not permanent but they also enable us to train our minds to take a more positive perspective about what is happening to us. Affirmations such as “This is only temporary” or “Everything has its purpose” might help you realize that whatever you experience, no matter how uncomfortable, has meaning and can be opportunities for growth. As we keep our minds busy with our words or phrases, we free ourselves from our worries and are then able to use our energy to remain steadfast and patient with everything that arises. We begin to see everything as a process instead of a series of isolated events.
Practice
Almost everyone who does yoga will tell you that their “energy” feels different after they’ve practiced. This is no doubt one of the main reasons why we practice to change our experience of how energy moves in the body. We want more energy; smoother, more even energy; or energy that is quieter and less agitated. One way to think of a yoga practice has to do with consciously manipulating two of the main energies in the body, prana and apana. In the ancient teachings of India, prana is believed to exist above the diaphragm and to have a tendency to move upward; it is “masculine energy” and controls the heart and the respiration. Apana, it is said, exists below the diaphragm and has a tendency to move downward; it is “feminine energy” and controls the organs of the abdomen, pelvis, and legs.
Something you might want to try – before starting your practice try to determine which energy to increase and then practice the appropriate poses. For example, inversions increase apana; standing poses stimulate prana. Forward bends quiet both apana and prana, as do supine poses. If you are feeling scattered and fatigued, you may want your practice to increase apana; if you are dull and unenthusiastic, you may want to increase prana.
Purpose
What does it mean to live authentically? My interpretation is that it’s when you let your strong beliefs guide you through life then you can be sure that you are living in accordance with your values. It’s easy to become complacent about the direction our lives are taking, especially when we choose not to live by our beliefs. Living by your convictions (authentically) gives you a compass that you can use as a guide when making choices. You are also less likely to be swayed by others when you know what matters to you. Letting your beliefs guide you will help you create a life that is in alignment with who you are. What do you think it means? I’d love to hear your voice….
Off the Mat
It is during the times that we are quiet that we can hear our deepest wisdom. Inner reflection and spiritual growth are ongoing processes that take place with or without our awareness, and we can increase their impact on our lives when we consciously work with them. The process of spiritual growth can be very potent when we allow our spirituality to inform the rest of life. The more we allow our spirit to grow, the more our beings need to expand. By focusing your mind on the continuance of your spiritual journey you can lend a new air of purpose and power to your life. Moving your body, focusing your mind and opening your soul on the yoga mat transforms your life off the mat.
Forgive the past, trust the future and live freely in the present.
Jai Bhagwan
…M
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.
~ Henry Miller
To soften and open your heart to others is to lead a truly fulfilling life. In this excerpt from her book Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, leading meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg provides 10 simple tips for cultivating a loving-kindness meditation practice.
By Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg is one of today’s leading meditation teachers and authors. A student of Buddhism since 1971, she has led meditation retreats worldwide for more than 35 years. She is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. www.sharonsalzberg.com