No one talk to me!

We can all use a little more

Ji Xue Teng, Spatholobi Caulis. Still studying herbs...

Destroy the Ego

Being a "beginner" in yoga vs. "experienced" is not about going into binds, inversions or whatever you might think is the deepest variation of a pose. Its not doing every chattarunga or being able be in a headstand for 9 breaths. The difference is being able to let go and know when your body needs child's pose or to skip a vinyasa. Its being able to know what is available and appropriate at any given time. Just because you can bind in side angle pose doesn't mean its appropriate to do that version every single time you do it! This is a time in our practice when are challenged by our ego. Sometimes as simple as tree pose might seem...we have that day where its just not happening and you just can't get into it. This is when we have to give ourselves permission to not be perfect and not be as "advanced" as we thought we were. Sometimes we're faced with challenges in life. Those days that go completely wrong...when things don't happen how we expect and we're suddenly late for everything or missing the bus or losing our jobs or whatever it is that life throws at us. It is so important to allow ourselves this concept that...life is not easy. It is a challenge every day. And that being the case, we cannot allow it to hold us back! Let go, move on...destroy the ego!

The current

As the season of fall works its way through us...we should consider following the flow of the current. Make space for lightness and rake away the leaves!

Mantra Meditation. Oct 21 at Jai Yoga Arts

Mantra Meditation
with Gadadhara Pandit Dasa

Pandit is back by popular demand to give a very special workshop on Mantra Meditation. Come experience the calm sense of empowerment mantra meditation can provide you.  Beginners welcome!
Click here for details! $9

Sunday, October 21st
4:30pm-5:30pm

YAY...3 months of awesomeness in Muay Thai!

Met by Master Cheetah in San Francisco, Arjan Jud arrived in the US this evening! On October 8th Arjan Jud arrives at Five Points for 3 months as trainer-in-residence. Want to learn from the trainer of such legends as Buakaw, Namsaknoi, Chok Dee and many more? He’s as close as Canal and Broadway in Manhattan:)

Team Brenda is on for Saturday...Hamburg, PA...watch out!!

Head in the clouds

The fog really helps you draw inward and find a little bit of peace in quiet before the city wakes up.

The working of change

"Shiva Energy" is what one of my Yoga teachers refers to as the energy of destruction. There is this natural movement of things towards destruction in order for change and rebirth. We can look at the ideas of death and destruction as negative but they are a way of wiping the slate clean for us. We can start all over again. And change cannot truly happen without the actions of leveling and letting go completely. This is an important concept because in order for life to go on we have to have change. If things stay the same they are motionless and stagnant -the opposite of life. There is this idea we talk about in Yoga a lot about "surrendering" and "trusting the universe". The season of fall brings about this strong energy of change and if we don't surrender to it, or go with the flow...it only makes things more difficult. If we become rigid and fight it, we start to find that we're tiring ourselves out, fighting the inevitable. Its important to trust the decisions that we've made that are now coming into play. At the same time the Fall is metal energy which is also has to do with refining. Its the working of change. It is deciding what is absolutely necessary and what is absolutely unneeded and getting rid of it. It is being strong and decisive and cutting off the waste and only keep what is pure.

In celebration of Mid-Autumn Moon Festival