Sitar music returns to my class July 7th!

Live Sitar Music by Egemen Sanli in my Yoga class!
Saturday July 7th 4:30
Jai Yoga Arts
L train to Morgan Ave

Come learn about Chakras at Jai!

Chakras! YAY!

I have been doing guided chakra meditations and also our monthly focus at Jai is now Chakras! The chakras and poses that I think connect with each.

1- Root -what grounds us. Earth energy. Its home base, basic needs for survival. Creating rooting or foundation. Practicing mulabhanda, pachimotanasana, tadasana.
2- Sacral -I like that sacral is sacred. The sacrum and hip bones surround and protect our reproductive organs. Sexual energy. But to me this is a lot about developing boundaries and what we keep protected. Bridge pose
3- Solar Plexus -Digestion and fire energy. Stomach and intestines. This is about differentiation. How we build our identity and ego. How we label ourselves. Side angle twist, any twists!
4- Heart -After differentiation we arrive at compassion. Oneness. This is how we start to become different from other animals. Upward facing dog, back bending
5- Throat -Communication, speech. This is what really makes us different from other animals. Also its how our internal body starts to have connection to the outside. Shoulderstand, bridge pose, camel
6- Ajna/third eye -Where we do our Yoga and meditation. Its our inward journey and our thinking mind. Balancing poses -tree, utitha hasta padagustasana. Or seated meditation, tratak.
7- Crown -Above the actual crown of the head, our spiritual connection. What connects us to the cosmic universe. Warrior 3, plank. Meditation.

I find a connection to this system with the nervous system. They align along with the spine and the brain. Our Yoga practice really opens up these chakras, especially because the stresses in life tend to cause us to create blockages.

Lots of classes this week at Jai!

I will be teaching this week:
Wed
12-1:45pm
Thur
6:45-7:45am +
6:45-8pm

Sat
4:30-5:45pm

Stay tuned...Live Sitar music coming to a Saturday class very soon!

Mermen

Thinking of doing more about the Yoga in your life?

I never thought I would teach Yoga. I did a teacher training for the sole purpose of being able to teach myself Yoga. I wanted to find more of what I liked in Yoga and reconcile my issues with it. Also to deepen my practice physically and gain some understanding about certain poses. I did all of that and more. Now to tell you about Jai Yoga Arts, the place where I teach Yoga. It is a really awesome community. One of the main purposes of the studio is to do just that...build community. Ella is an amazing teacher and mentor. She has a way of teaching Yoga that makes it accessible to everyone. Beginners and long time practitioners. Jai is such an awesome place to teach Yoga but also to take Yoga classes. Everyone in the community is warm and friendly. The best part of class, having tea together afterwards. You really get to know the people at the studio and they all get to know each other. Jai is really such a true manifestation of the idea of Yoga as "union".

Do your teacher training here!

Dear Ten Ren's

I am really wanting some Ju Hua bubble tea today

Fear drives focus

This weekend I found myself in a scary situation that I could not get out of. Ok let's not be dramatic. It was something that lasted somewhere between 4-8 minutes. I don't remember, but I do remember realizing how bad of a situation I was in that I was really forced to stay focused in order to stay safe and then just get through it. I think these are situations in which you can step back, be an observer -organize your thoughts and then choose. Panic or stay centered? Staying centered is what gets you through.

Samadhi at 6:45am

Studying Chinese medicine, I spend a lot of time thinking about how our emotions play a part in our ailments, sicknesses, diseases. As a society and as a culture, this is huge. In TCM, meditating is a part of daily life in order to maintain health. Think of it like taking your vitamins or eating healthy. So why don't we think of Yoga in this way? I do. Staying calmer and happier will keep you healthier. Even if you look at this in a Western Bio Medical kind of way. Our bodies are more alkaline...stress and anger create more acidity in our bodies, what do you think the physiological effects are? What about our nervous systems and our endocrine systems. Emotions effect these systems, which effect our hormones....doesn't it just make sense?

Samadhi is awesome for our health and immune system. It brings lightness and easiness to our minds and bodies. I like the idea that Samadhi is so available to us. I know that some people may argue that what we think we experience isn't "really Samadhi". But really...come on...why does it have to be so special? We know it when we feel it. I think its like child's pose. Sometimes we're so busy in life we forget to enjoy simply resting. When we do it it feels so lovely, no? This is what I taught to my 6:45am class today and whether or not they connected to it, I felt they did! They breathed an amazing energy this morning that kept me going all day.

Thank you, 6:45-am-ers!

P.S. I wrote this post a few weeks ago and looking back on it now...it sounds like I was writing about Samadhi....

For the Mini Nak Muays

academyfivepoints.com