Using Your Yoga Practice To Move From Spirit

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Using Your Yoga Practice To Move From Spirit  is seeing practice as meditation in motion, mindful movement. Sometimes life is full of challenges, and we have to call upon some inner grace to get through it. Relaxation is the antidote to stress, it will help you find that grace..

The lotus flower grows from the bottom of streams and muddy ponds to rise above the water and bloom. At night, it closes and sinks below the water, just to resurface again, untouched the next day, Fully grounded in earth, yet aspiring towards the divine, the lotus flower lives in the muddy water, yet remains unsoiled.

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Time on the yoga mat is meditation in motion, mindful movement.

The “P” in practice can either be “push push push” or “patience patience patience”. Generally I like to tell students to go gradually and navigate a pose, considering where they are at in the present moment, what the cues from their breathing indicate, and what the general physical feedback is telling them. There is a skill to using yoga props that not only makes the asana approachable and possible but also, increases the benefits and your ability to learn how to be peaceful in a challenging situation because you aren’t fighting so hard to maintain alignment etc. If you have never tried Restorative Yoga therapy wow, here too is a most intelligent and awesome way to cultivate safe flexibility and the rest and digest attitude that the nervous system so needs

 

Yoga = Union

Working together, the breath, body, mind in unison, that is Yoga. The feelings generated make one feel more peaceful and less disconnected, just like a light plugged into a power source. It can be very self-validating. I like to end my yoga classes with “AUM, shanty,shanty,shanty” ( shanty = peace )… create space for peace in your life, interesting things will unfold

 

peace, unity, love

 

Good Vibes

The state of Sattva, of balance is unveiled in peacefulness; some days we need to be extra vigilant. Two tracks you can try from my Yoga Mind cd are the Breathe For Balance and Keep Your Cool.

My Teacher always said “honor and accept” what is going on, but more as the Witness with a little objectivity. Sometimes we have a great yoga session and then once we are off the mat, get right back into the stress of it all. So practice going back to good vibes only during the day – even if you get off track, at least you know the direction you are heading. If you need a little help, I am available for private yoga classes – great way to maintain that calm, refreshed energy!

good vibes

An affirmation to keep in mind on your Yoga Mat

This is an affirmation to keep in mind when you are on your yoga mat.

Sometimes as a yoga teacher we give adjustments and it is important to remember that these are meant in the spirit that you are perfect as you are; perhaps you might use them as you would a GPS – to navigate a path that needs a little direction so as to keep you safe in your range of motion and reach, or to help light up the path so your body can find its way.

Comparison robs us of joy and peace of mind. It is far better to just be the most excellent variation of our own self that we can. So today in your practice, tune into the rhythm of your breath, focus on your inner self – the light body – and repeat: I am perfect the way I am

You do not need to compare and or contrast yourself to anyone or any notion of what practice is

I am perfect as I am

Fighting the Mind

Who do you identify with?

If you plan to sit with your breath, I give full details on how to set up on the Yoga Mind cd; there should be no anxiety or discomfort in your posture, so use a few yoga props to ensure the spine is straight. My curiosity goes to the man on the left – he needs to sit on at least one(or two!) folded blanket(s) so his knees are not higher than the hips and bolsters fit under the outer hips is always welcome relief. Sukhasana = happy seated pose…

Also just know that meditation is a process and involves practice, patience, and replacing old patterns of thinking with a relaxed focus. You are undoing tension to uncover the calm that predates the anxiety..but just coexisting rather than resisting – honouring and accepting and gaining some distance from the busyness of the mind.

Once you are comfortable in your posture, and you are ok with touching base with your witness self, there is no need to force anything. Just bring yourself to the feeling of the breath touching the inside of your nostrils and focus on this sensation.

We can replace panic with peace as a destination  🙂 just stop fighting the mind long enough to practice taming it

thinking:notthinking

Yoga Practice Word of the Day: Acceptance

Very yogic lesson; Open to Grace…

According to the Yoga sutras 1.12-1.16: there are 2 concepts ~

practice/persistance (ABHYASA) and non-attachment/letting go (VAIRAGYA) 

Practice leads you in the ‘right’ direction, while non-attachment allows you to continue the inner journey without getting sidetracked into the pains and/or pleasures along the way…

We tend towards thinking it is all about the body whereas the ‘goal’ of yoga is sattva/balance/peace…and cultivation of our innermost truest highest self…

acceptance

Let Peace Begin With me

This is beautiful. I led a class yesterday and found myself reflecting, as I talked students through the transition from savasana to the end of class, about how peace is our innermost self, beyond the masks we wear during daily life. Easy to doubt that, for sure. Life can be a frickin’ roller coaster. So it is definitely a choice to live completely stressed out or at least have a way to neutralize and re-balance. I believe my yoga practice does that for me and I am grateful for each day of insight and intentional movement.

I have seen some classes here which include 3-5 minutes of relaxation – in fact it does take around 15 minutes to really get to that altered state. You can give it a whirl any time. I have a few longer practices on my Yoga Mind Cd. Click here for some easy steps to build a home practice. I am available for private yoga classes as well. Let Peace Begin With Me.

let peace begin with me