Breath and feel the present moment!

Our minds tend to regret or put too much emphasis on the past and/or create anxiety about the future. Our breath helps us to stay in the present. Being aware of our thinking/mental patterns helps us to not get caught up in them. Take a breath in and feel the present moment. Feel connected to the universe and truly feel connected to the people in your life.

Change and Changeless

One cannot exist without the other. They are constantly pulling and pushing each other and we are constantly trying to get them to balance out. Just like in our Asana practice we always feel a force forwards and backwards. Pressing down and lifting up. Things unchanged are what help us to ground, be stable and strong. It gives a foundation for everything to build upon. Our changes are what helps us to move forward in life and find new things, new beginnings and take away what we don't need anymore.

Life gives us the unexpected all the time. The way nature flows is unpredictable. There can be storms and waves but we can also have peace and stillness at any given time. When changes comes about we sometimes want to resist or fight it, because we want to stay in our unchanged comfort. What we don't realize is that struggling and staying stagnant is also causing another kind of discomfort. And our tendancy to cling to what is comfort is just an unreal attachment. If we can align with nature and follow the flow, let go of our need to control, this is where we find peace and comfort. Knowing the unpredictable nature of the world we can stand stronger our ground and be able to take what is given to us. As Yogi's our sensitivity to changes are there, we just have to trust ourself and notices the subtle shifts in energy, this will tell us where to go, how much to change and how much we remain unchanged.

In the beginning there was Yoga

Yogas Citta Vritti Nirodhah

Trying not to let all of the junk that goes on in your head take over. Turning off the mental conversations that you have with yourself can help you have clarity and better focus!

We can't control the world around us

BUT we can control our breath, and with that, we can control ourselves. Is it interesting how we try to control things that are simply out of our reach. We try to control others to do what we want them to, we try to make things in our life go OUR way. It becomes a struggle at work, in our relationships, at home, with our friends, in any situation in which we want things to be easier for us. But when it doesn't work out we feel disappointed and frustrated. And this is because we were going about it in the wrong manner. We simply cannot control things that are so huge, we cannot control the universe or the world around us. We also cannot control people and/or our relationships! But in trying to do all of this control we easily forget about ourselves. We can control our own breath, we can retain it, we can elongate it, we can make it smoother -can we not? So with controlling the breath, we can notice that we can control our heart rate to some extent as well, we breath deeper and slower -the heart rate goes down. We can also control our bodies and our minds, instead of getting worried and preoccupied we can easily come back to our breath and keep ourselves from getting caught up in the emotions. Experiencing emotions is great but when it begins to hold us down its a whole different ball game.

Mantras

I didn't used to like chanting mantras...mostly because they are rarely explained and broken down. I felt like someone was forcing me into "church" when I just wanted to do yoga...at a gym, no less! I still have mixed feelings about that kind of thing, BUT I have learned to like mantras!

Mantra in sanskrit means manas -mind or consciousness; tra or trayate -to free. So, transcending the mind or creating transformation.

Another aspect of chanting mantras that I have come to like is that the sanskrit words and sounds activate and vibrate the chakras. We have all experienced this from chanting Om at the beginning and ending of Yoga class and though we may not always pay attention to it, we've all noticed its affects.

Favorite mantras:

Om namah shivaya
The chant for Shiva. Giving recognition to your true nature, and the true nature of the universe. 

Om gam ganapataye namaha
The chant for Ganesha. Removing obstacles from our path. 

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
May all beings be happy and free

Come to my class at Jai and get your chakras going! Jai Yoga Arts -Bushwick!

Ganesha, Guay Yin Temple in Koh Samui, Thailand

Its September again!

I felt the need to shut it down for a whole month -not just because I was away for most of it, but I just needed to take a little break. And now I'm back!

And because its Ganesh Chaturthi Mahotsav

Flying down the stairs=not Ahimsa

I had so many things on my to-do list today. And now instead, I am doing nothing. I was rushing to get everything done this morning that I literally jumped-ran down the stairs and sprained my ankle. Landed on my butt at the bottom of the stars and everything! Luckily it doesn't seem like a bad sprain and I was able to hobble around to finish the most important errand as well as make it to the acupuncture clinic. But here comes my lesson on Ahimsa...

I was so angry this morning because I had all these errands to run before 2pm. Things were taking longer than I expected, I had to make an extra trip to fix something that was over looked and ultimately I was annoyed, frustrating and running back and forth all over the city. Ok running and biking. When I was biking I was being so super careful, when I was flying down the stairs, not so much. So in the rush, I forgot to be kind and not violent towards my ankle. Now I'm laying down with it elevated and wrapped in smelly Chinese liniments. That's what I get!

UP, Up and Away!

Get as many balloons as you can and try to fly away!

Too late to Rupaulogize Part II

Tonight I am deciding to let go

I get pretty caught up every once in awhile in other people's business -meaning my friends. Not because I'm a nosy mf, but more because I make excessive efforts to protect them -and its unnecessary. It's a source of energy suckage for me and in real life my friends don't need this so called "help". Today I am actively telling myself to just let go of it. Letting go of the responsibility that is not even mine. Letting go of the people who don't feel responsible, and letting go of situations that might require too much of this attention. The universe is going to play out what it wants to play out and my friends will either do something about it when it affects them, or not.