y.o.g.a.

What will be your great achievement for the coming year? Why not have something you hope to accomplish, something you can pay attention too, something different from the norm so that your mind can open and grow and you can learn new things about the world but most importantly, learn new things about YOU. Maybe there is no really figuring it all out but taking the adventure into you, what makes you tick, what makes you shine, your santosha or contentment, what a journey that would be.

Can we have the strength to dream of our destiny, our calling, and the santosha we will find when our dreams become reality? We really are the only ones that can make our dreams come true because we are the only one to know what our real dreams are inside of us.

Your own great acceptance of self. What if that is your ultimate dream? In the Gita it states, "Unless one see oneself as an adequate being, life will always be a problem." I came across this months ago and had marked it in my book, then put it to the side, I am guessing it wasn't the right time for it. A few days ago I was down, the holidays aren't always my fave time of year, I did a few sun salutation postures, hung in ahdo mukha svanasa for a few and then looked to my side and out of all my books, I pulled out the teachings of the Gita and in the forward I read that sentence that I had previously marked and at that moment it was exactly what I needed to read. So I read it over and over again and I wrote it down and I shared it with my yoga people and I have been trying to say it to myself everyday because that statement is one of the truest things I have ever read.

Life is rough sometimes, the ebbs the flows, and since I was young, I have felt like in my life I have always been struggling with who and what I am. Feeling so different all the time be it my looks or my mind and because of those feeling of difference developing so early, it was more of a burden to me to be me. I know I still have those feelings lingering in me and that is why that statement rung so deep with me. How can I feel like I am a burden to myself because of who or what I am? how rude is that? Because you are this or that, because you like this or that, because you believe this or that that is different than this person over here, there is something WRONG with you? But really who am I to say anything about me is wrong, even if someone else does.

When teaching yoga, when doing yoga, it is always a space for me to pay attention to me and what I bring to my practice and in turn what I want people to take away from practicing with me. After finding the above statement and teaching a few days later, I had an opportunity to apply it in the midst of trying to balance. My student got really upset with herself because she was falling over and I  stopped practicing and watched her efforts and I could notice there wasn't a lot of effort but there was a lot of frustration. We stopped the posture and just took a step back to see what was going on in her mind. The conversation that then took place was one of enlightenment for both of us. What the physical yoga brings to the mind is extraordinary sometimes, most times. We can not expect to succeed in anything if we can't see ourselves as enough right where we are and in yoga it meets you where you are and shows you who you are and how important what you think of yourself is in living in your santosha.

2015

now 53 minutes into this new year, this arbitrary end or beginning that is really just today, another day, Thursday, but different for some reason. once the clock strikes 12, we go back to or we become someone that we couldn't just be yesterday, because it just wasn't the right time, we just weren't quite ready to somewhat commit to not really committing to conform to who we have conditioned ourselves to believe we need to become to be who we need to be to be someone in this LIFE.

now 59 minutes in, I am doing something new, being someone different than I was yesterday,  I am writing to publish and I have hopes to do this more often. I write because what I write helps me figure out who I am. when the words are in line I understand more than I could ever say to anyone and in reality, I don't need to be understood by anyone as much as I need to understand myself, so I write, and I will do more from now on, or really , I have been for a few months now, bringing back my essence, my creative nature that sets me apart. my mind, my soul. not my skin, not my hair, others are this shade with these curls, but no others words can take the curve of these ones...

it's been one hour and ten minutes...1:11am...ano Nuevo

ano Nuevo

feliz ano nuevo

Daily Mantra

I am safe
I trust more; I fear less
I am centered and grounded

I feel my emotions and my pain
I reawaken my passion
I surrender to this moment

I am courageous
I am whole
I stand in my power

I am loved; I let love in
I am kind to myself
I live in peace and gratitude

I play in my imagination
I create my reality
I know and share my truth

I honor my intuition
I accept my path
I am healing body, mind, spirit

I connect with spirit
I invite sacred transformation
I embrace the unity of all beings

Namaste Babes!

I have been given this opportunity that keeps changing for me. It evolves from work, to inspiration, to education,  to meditation, to appreciation and that can be all in one day.

Since finishing up yoga school and getting back to the real world, I have this ongoing thought of what should I do with the things that I learned, where is it going to take me...? For a while I was like well if it's not happening now it never will, but as I got into actually teaching established yogis, I have come to see that that is not the direction I want my yoga to go, my physical practice isn't at the level of that kind of teaching. I need to get back to basics to be able to share and teach with integrity. I want to be the light that someone goes towards to show them the way into yoga without the large intense environment that some yoga studios can be to newcomers, I will call them yogi babes.

I have had many conversation with people who think they can't do yoga because of this or that and that is who I want to work with. I want to shed some light on the practice in a way that is comfortable for the individual not the group. Learning at a pace that is made for you eliminates the intimidation of the practice. I feel when you teach in the way someone can learn, they will learn more and retain more and be more likely to integrate the practice both mentally and physically into their everyday.

I spend my time with 1 year olds and they learn by example. When doing my practice in their presence they learn. They do things step by step. Starting with simply looking at the floor when on hands and knees. Next step, and maybe that is weeks later, will be straightening the legs when looking at the ground. Little by little has brought me back to the basics. Teaching is not always received when it is forced. Yoga finds you when you need it.  I am lucky to be able to introduce yoga to these little ones and learn through them. I will be posting updates on the progress of this cute and fun chain of events.

Namaste Babes!
 
 
 



 

<3

Love is all you need. To love you is all you need. You are the most important factor in the love that you have in your life. If you don't love you, it's hard to understand why anyone else would. It's when you love you, the rest is a bonus. Appreciation of self, valuing your place in this world inspires others to do the same, love at it's truest is when your love is all you need.