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April 5, 2011. Ah Spring! A great reminder that it is "never too late, or too early, to consider sequencing your life today for a healthier tomorrow." As anyone that has practiced with me has experienced I think of sequencing as both an art and a science. This practice of Vinyasa Krama is one which anyone can do because we start where we are. All you need is the desire and attention to stay focused from the beginning to the end of how you want to sequence your life.   Western science proves that the best form of exercise involves learning complex movement, including balance and coordination and that this type of MOVEMENT provides physiological release that we need to bring our body back into balance while at the SAME time it is also good for our brain because coordinated sequences of movement help form more connections between the neurons in our brain.  Other benefits of learning coordinated movements which in yoga we call Vinyasa include: improved mental well-being; increased neurotransmitters; mood regulation; anxiety control; ability to handle stress better; better socialization; ability to better process more information; enhanced attentiveness and improved ability to choose appropriate responses.   I believe learning new routines (sequences) of yoga poses helps us learn how to adapt to new routines in life. As our yoga poses change we become more open to seeing new potentials and possibilities in our work, family, diet, and even in our travel adventures. This Spring spend more time on the mat to help you learn to sequence your best life ever! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

January 9, 2011.  I have often been asked "who was my first yoga teacher".  Well that's easy, it was my Father.  And as he really was a professor that makes sense and doesn't. My father was teaching me the Yoga of Life.  Yoga of Adventure. Yoga of Experiencing the world!

You see my Father, Enrico, was at heart a pure adventurer and my Mother's parents were serious spiritual seekers.  I grew up traveling all over the world with my brother and parents from the time I was an infant.  I guess the fact that I love to show other people the beauty of the world through Yoga Retreats and Active Vacations shouldn't surprise anyone since I was born in Ecuador, South America and my Father is from Northern Italy near Modena, and English was my third language.  One could say being a citizen of the world is in my blood.  And I learned from my Father, this spirit of Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, to dream the impossible.  I saw with my own eyes, touched and tasted new flavors, experienced new landscapes and as a result I learned about myself.  Every time I traveled somewhere I came back different, I was changed and knew that anything was possible.  

As  teacher of yoga and as a guide for international yoga trips: I want to inspire in you what my family inspired in me: To see with the eyes of my heart by transforming the ecology of mind that happens naturally when you change the routine pattern of daily life.  And to not apologize for being different and wanting to learn more about how big the universe is.  You see, I am not fearless, I haven't climbed Mount Everest or even Mount Rainer or cycled 100 miles in one day (my co-guide Jacob Young has though!) but I am willing to try anything.  I practice yoga every day to go on an internal adventure, to meet new people and push the boundaries of learning others ideas.  Yoga stokes my Rebel Spirit.  

It's funny (not haha, but funny weird) how yoga revealed itself to me. Yoga has been my faithful companion since a car ran me over more than a decade ago. My doctor prescribed yoga as part of my recovery routine, and my body and spirit began to transform. From my first class, I dedicated myself to live more fully. My loving Anusara-inspired Vinyasa Flow teaching style is influenced by more than 10 years of Hatha yoga study and I am gratefully committed to my three primary teachers: Shiva Rea, John Friend, and my students.

 My teaching style is upbeat and fun, serious and informative, supportive and authentic. I use my own intuition and demonstrations along with people's questions and past experiences to deepen the learning process.  My teaching intention is that while connected to their breath, students might feel each pose with an open heart and a quiet mind. Yoga then becomes a means to explore oneself more deeply in order to better face life’s challenges and open to the endless possibilities that exist for all of us.

 Less interesting but somewhat important: While in the corporate world, I worked as the HR Director for both Inc 500 and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in Training & Development. This parlayed well into opening my own Yoga studio in 2002 and teaching full-time. With over 7,500 hours of yoga teaching experience and the founder of a nationally recognized RYT 200 Yoga Certified Teacher Training Program in it's 10th cycle, I bring inspiration, enthusiasm and playfulness through creative, flowing sequencing and a delightful combination of yoga philosophy and healthy physical alignment all supported by inspiring music.  My life has a soundtrack, my yoga does too.

Just like music nurtures my spirit I want to support you to be more curious about your life.  One things for sure, going on a trip together will stoke the fire of creativity inside you, you will regain trust like what the Alchemist says "the universe is on your side" and you will learn to embrace uncertainty. You will become part of our tribe of Alchemy Adventure Seekers, or at the very least, you won't be afraid to try new stuff. To send me a personal email, write alchemytours@gmail.com. I'd LOVE to hear from you.

 

WWW.SILVIAMORDINI.COM OR WWW.ALCHEMYTOURS.COM

December 31, 2010.  As I reflect on this past year, which was one of intense personal change one of the things I am most proud of is making a pilgrimage to Moab, Utah twice.  Both times to help nourish my spirit and connect to the quiet sense of adventure that exists for all that visit Moab.  For a while I forgot what it was like to make adventure.  This was the year I remembered again.

And that is really at the heart of yoga.  This practice helps us remember to remember.  We all sometimes experience spiritual amnesia.  Getting on the mat is that reminder of celebrating life and enjoying this time in this body on this earth right now. 

Edward Abbey writes in one of my favorite books about Moab titled Desert Solitaire "Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards." 

I will never again put my heart in a safe deposit box, I'd rather take chances in love, in life, in traveling and even in my poses so I can be a more active participant in driving my best life forward rather than sitting in the backseat waiting for it to happen.  I will until my last breath run and cycle and yoga and explore and discover the small victories that exist in taking pleasure in life! And I hope if you have learned anything from your yoga that you will find this true for yourself as well.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Happy New Year, Silvia

PS Join me on an adventure with Alchemy Tours www.alchemytours.com or visit my website to keep up with upcoming retreats www.silviamordini.com

Namaste Yogis, 

I am back from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon  with a new spark to live life to the fullest, and to bring a sense of adventure into every moment. Adventure is the willingness to commit to an uncertain outcome with an open heart & open mind.  It's the ability to take a leap into the unknown with mindfulness and grace.  It's the ability to think big about who you are, how you live, and what you can do in the world, whether it's  climbing to the ridge of the Grand Canyon, putting all your $ on red, or flowing through asanas. Please come on an adventure with me tomorrow at 9:15 am.  I will have a new playlist from The Beatles  to Barry Manilow :)

Life is uncertain! Being adventurous means seeing that uncertainty as the gift of possibility!

Peace & Namaste,

Christine

*Don't forget this month refer a friend and they get 30 days unlimited yoga for $30!! And you get entered to win 2 FREE months of yoga

FEBRUARY 7, 2010:  So here's what is at the heart of yoga: Yoga is the practice of revealing yourself to yourself.  Our time on the mat is an experience of pure self-exploration.  And although we often begin the practice with familiar poses or sequences from there we expand and create something unique and never before experienced.  As much as we think we know exactly where we are going, as Martin Buber says, All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. 

I just got a Mac. I’ve been a PC girl up until this point in my life. I have been very afraid of exploring new territory in this way.  I knew it could be better but the mediocrity of how my PC worked was fine.  What’s weird is that I’m not like this anywhere else in my life.  I will happily travel to new places, try new foods, experiment with creative flow of poses, I’ll seek out the next spiritual adventure! But not when it comes to my laptop.  Then I think of RD Laing’s words, “Creative people who can't help but explore other mental territories are at greater risk, just as someone who climbs a mountain is more at risk than someone who just walks along a village lane.”

Life is too short to just keep walking on the beaten path. I know I could see more if I opened my eyes to being at the top of the mountain.  Yoga inspires us to reveal our fears or hesitations so we can grow beyond them into new uncharted potential.  The way yoga has changed my life is that it made me realize the briefness of our life as human creatures.  There is not time to waste.  We must keep exploring!

“After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?” – Richard Dawkins

I believe as Neale Donald Walsch writes, “Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do.” I came here to make a difference and trying out new poses on the mat during yoga class gives me the opportunity to explore myself more deeply.  From there I’ve realized anything is possible.

This combined with the support of dear friends, one of whom in particular was vitally important in encouraging me to adventure away from the PC world into Mac land.  They saw before I did my ability to enhance my ways of working, my way of being.  And the decision I made to take this risk is a reflection of who I am in the world, just like trying new or challenging poses in class offers me the same opportunity.  So don’t hold back don’t get stuck in the SMART goals (specific measurable achievable realistic) break free of that crap.  As is written in the book How We Choose to be Happy, “When you step away from the confines of realistic you become an artist painting your own masterpiece, an explorer charting new territories. You are creating new ways of looking at situations; you innovate at work and at home..  It’s impossible to be bored with your life.”  Love your life! Silvia

Namaste Beautiful Friends,

To be happy is DEEP WORK, it is not surface stuff.  And the reality of  yoga is that it helps us explore ourselves to find out as Anthony DeMello writes, "there is not a single moment in our life when we do not have everything we need to be happy."  As we study ourselves the yoga helps us explore through movement a freedom in our bodies and a kind of flowing meditation where we can find peace and tranquility in our minds. This in turn allows our hearts to open to our own best adventure. 

"Exploration really is the essence of the human spirit!"

There is this great story in the book "How We Choose to Be Happy" and the individual being studied for why they are happier than everyone else says this, "I tried my hand at a lot of things. Some of these I liked, some I didn't.  And I have no regrets. The point is, I kept moving. Any one of these choices was far less important than the fact that I just kept choosing. 

I have a philosophy: Any choice can be reversed, but not choosing at all is irreversible."  So this Winter please keep choosing to make time to explore yourself more deeply.  And if you can take a break join me for the Spiritual Adventure of a Lifetime in Moab April 15th (here I am at Arches National Park) or in Tuscany June 20th!! It would be so awesome to take this road trip together.  But no matter what keep finding your own best adventure! Big love in all ways, Silvia

"It's better to have traveled and gotten lost than to never have traveled at all."  -George Santayana

 

DECEMBER 5TH, 2009: Yoga requires that part of the mind be trained as an observer, known as the Witness, the other, or the higher self. Once you see yourself in the role of the observer everything takes a different look. This point of reference is sometimes called getting a cosmic perspective. Although watching ourselves is often pretty comic too!

Last night I finally went rock climbing! I almost can’t believe it, after so many years of just talking about it I did it. There is a wonderful place right here in Crystal Lake. Anyhow what I found interesting is the similarity to yoga: You are moving in a fluid way smarter and not harder. You can’t think too far ahead but instead you must be present to just what is in front of you in order to make the wisest next move of hand or foot, you can’t get “mad” at your options you just have to work with them managing your mental energy and remaining positive.

This is why yoga works. It helps us practice being. Scoop Nisker writes, “We habitually try to analyze and adjust our environment, as thought it were never quite right. Meditation practice is the antidote to our fears and worries, a way to allow ourselves to be in the world as it is.” You see there is no need to rearrange the outside stuff instead we should focus on the inner world of our thoughts, slowing down and observing ourselves before we take that next move. This helps us step outside ourselves in order to get some distance on our own little dramas. This process helps us understand the personas we wear as the masks that they are. Yoga helps us evolve from seeing ourselves in the third person to the first person.

Well on my climbing adventure this observation game works on two levels: you can learn tons from watching others move up the climb and if you stay calm and clear headed you can actually watch yourself as you are taking the actions to move. Each move reminds you to stay really present to your heart. As Chade Meng says, “A life-time is not what's between, The moments of birth and death. A life-time is one moment, Between my two little breaths. The present, the here, the now, That's all the life I get, I live each moment in full, In kindness, in peace, without regret.”

I hope with all my heart that this practice of yoga helps us all to be more present to the miracle of living life one moment at a time and as we watch ourselves we see how happy we are. I leave you with these words from Dhammavadaka “Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. Your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown. Speak quietly and kindly nurture love within you and strive to be a friend to all. Treasure silence when you find it, and while being mindful of your duties, set time aside, to be alone with yourself. Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really are. Your essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall, let not remorse nor dark foreboding cast you down. Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on.”

Love to you, Silvia

OCTOBER 26, 2009:  “Exploring life through movement and stillness brings us to our true center!”  Once you make a commitment to yourself this yoga practice keeps us coming back no matter what: rain or shine.  Quite frankly since its been raining so much why not go inside and practice more yoga?  There must be a reason why the universe wants us to go inwards.  As Martin Buber says, All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. 

 

So as much as you do the actions of the poses think of yourself as much a witness of life as you are a participant.  This great journey of life gives us the opportunity to see from both views.  If you think of the practice as taking a photo, we look through the lens and see the details we might not otherwise see.  Through that we hopefully become re-inspired!

 

I was at a Kundalini Workshop with Moses last weekend and he said of the 8,000 kriyas only one is approved to practice at home by oneself. The rest, the other 7,999 are meant to be performed within the love of group practice.  As much as I love home practice every day gosh nothing replaces coming together into a community of yogis and I take classes 6 days per week. I love it!  In the group you experience what Elise Larimer says “I am re-annointed into the diversity and similarity of humanity.  Inspired through these interactions to the planet on all levels, I am refreshed and replenished.”

 

I always hope you feel that the Kula keeps you safe to explore your own adventure and yet the alchemy of being with others also sparks new adventures we haven’t yet thought of by ourselves.  This connection works on so many levels! And truthfully if you make friends with someone in class and you know they are going to show up no matter what, it inspires you to show up too.  We have this unwritten contract with one another as students when we attend regular classes.  We promise to keep the dialogue of our hearts open to one another and somehow no matter what, say to ourselves “I am going on this adventure again today, my friends are waiting for me, come rain or shine.”  So please know I will always be here holding your spot waiting for you to show up and be your most radiant self.  So until I see you on the mat breath and smile!  Love your day, Silvia

 

It’s better to have traveled and gotten lost than to never have traveled at all.”

-George Santayana

 

OCTOBER 2ND, 2009:  Yoga helps us to reconnect to the blatant FUN available in life!  We’re moving and breathing and trying our best to put ourselves in funny looking shapes without any competition….when did we last do this?  Oh yeah, as kids we did it all the time.

 

Each class can be a grand adventure!  Willfred Peterson in the Art of Living says, “A man practices the art of adventure when he heroically faces up to life; When he has the daring to open doors to new experiences and to step boldly forth to explore strange horizons. When he is unafraid of new ideas, new theories and new philosophies. When he has the curiosity to experiment--to test and try new ways of living and thinking. When he has the flexibility to adjust and adapt himself to the changing patterns of life. When he refuses to seek safe places and easy tasks. When he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints. When he has the nerve to move out of life's shallows and venture forth into the deep. When he keeps his heart young, his expectations high and never allows his dreams to die. When he concludes that a rut is only another name for the grave and that the only way to stay out of the ruts is by living adventurously and staying vitally alive every day of his life.”

 

In yogic teachings you can think of this as Lila Tandava, “The Playful Dance of Life.”  We don’t have to travel to exotic places to have adventures we can stand on a sticky mat and explore the radiance and playfulness of life within the playground of ourselves.  But first we have to SHOW UP.  This showing up is known as Tapas.  Taking the action to walk onto the mat for the most Sacred Fun you can possibly imagine!

 

So if today you walk into class and don’t feel very playful the yoga is still going to work to help you soften your edges and be a little less serious. Make no mistake, Yoga has serious benefits but we don’t have to practice in a way that is overly hard or serious.  I wish for all of us that the yoga we do makes us feel lighter and more radiant.  This you take with you and spread sacred fun into the whole of the world.  And quite frankly, the world could use a lot more Sacred Fun, now more than ever.  BIG LOVE! Silvia

 

JULY 11TH, 2009:  Are you doing things because you love to do them or because you feel like you have to do them.  What percentage of the time would you say?  Well if you are spending more of your time doing stuff because you feel like you have to instead of wanting to then this is a formula for misery.

 

Trust yourself create the kind of life you will be happy to live with all your life.  Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into the flames of achievement. – Foster McClellan

 

The purpose of life is a life with purpose.  This is one of my most favorite quotes from the Monk Who Sold his Ferrari.  So to honor this.  We took time tonight as you could right now wherever you are when you read this to write out what you’re passionate or excited about.  Why write it if we can just think about it?  Well science tells us that by writing out your desires and goals on a piece of paper you send a red flag to your subconscious mind that these thoughts are more important than the other 59,999 ones you’ll have today!

This helps us to filter out what is unimportant and focus only on the important.  We will enjoy life more fully if we stop focusing on the minor stuff and figure out what we want to major in life.  And the greatest thing is that we can have fun while we’re progressing along our path.  We can reclaim the joy of waking up each day excited about our life!  Don’t you want to wake up filled with energy and enthusiasm?

 

I was thinking as I was preparing my class about having a passion for adventure and facing one’s fears about the movie Into the Wild. You may remember it  was the true life story of Chris McCandless. McCandless graduated from Emory University in 1990, gave away his savings, burned the rest of his money, and stripped down to the bare essentials before winding up in the extreme wilderness of Alaska. His was an inspiring journey on many levels and regardless of how it turned out for him I think one of his greatest lessons was about living an inspired life.  McCandless wrote, “It is the experiences, the memories, the greatest triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found.” 

 

Even when it’s scary the unknown in life is what makes it an adventure!

 

So ask yourself right now: Where are you going, what path are you on, is this the right direction for you, if I could choose any path which direction would you go?

 

Or as Pantanjali says in the Yoga Sutras, "When you are inspired by some great purpose all of your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world!"  Be the cause of your own future happiness! I hope this next half of the summer is a wonderful adventure for you doing what you love!

 

And take to heart, what’s written in the Alchemist, “Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” 

 

Here’s to first steps!  Love you all, Silvia