Yoga Blog

Dear Earth,

Happy Earth Week! It’s hard to believe it’s that time again, I know…the one week we celebrate you and during which all life seems a little “greener.” My yard is sure greener these days, with all the rain. I’m really looking forward to the flowers finally blooming once you warm up for the season!

Anyway, enough small talk. I know you haven’t been feeling that great, but I hope you are managing well enough. I’ve been thinking about you, especially this week. Actually, I’ve been thinking about you a lot more overall these last few years—funny how practicing yoga and becoming a parent have totally increased my concern for you! I am so sorry you’ve had to deal with the stress we’ve put upon you. We’ve added toxins to your air and water while we’ve removed trees and other resources; we’ve ruined much of what we’ve touched and wasted a good part of the rest…no wonder you’ve been out-of-sorts lately. I don’t blame you at all. Like so many others I’ve taken you for granted most of my life. And even though I’ve recently tried to make a little difference, like using mostly CFL bulbs, buying more organic, recycling everything I can, so much more needs to be done.

I know it hurts, Earth, but please don’t give up. Hang on as long as you can. True, the situation is bleak now and no one knows how or even if things will shift. But know that you are loved. Know that you are needed. We don’t tell you or show you often enough, I know—one week a year?—but the fact is, of course, that none of us would be here without you.

Your strength inspires me.

Namaste, Laura Mills

4/24/2013 Tags: Laura Mills, Earth Day, climate change, environment, pollution, deforestation, recycling Direct Link

That August Feeling

By Laura Mills

No matter how much I complained about school any given year, I always adored the first few days. Early on, I loved entering my classroom, finding my desk and greeting my friends; later, I was always excited to receive each class’s syllabus and meet teachers and professors. Then as a schoolteacher, I eagerly anticipated getting to know new students and parents as well as diving in to fresh material.

I know I’m not alone in my thoughts about August’s end. Whether we ourselves go back to school, or we have kids that do, or we just nostalgically observe the busses lumbering through our neighborhoods, this time of year is abuzz with starting over. Wouldn’t it be great if we could cultivate that positivity—that “first day of school” excitement—for other, more every-day moments?

This year, as the last few days of August pass, I invite all of us to make this our intention. Perhaps it’s far-fetched, the idea of awakening daily as excited as a kindergartener with a new box of crayons, but I don’t think it’s impossible. True…thoughts of work, chores, obligations, appointments, and everything else often dishearten. And yes: it’s usually difficult to be excited about traffic, bills and grocery shopping. But we can start simply. We can consider each day as a whole, at first, and practice seeing each as a chance to start over. With time, positivity may flow more smoothly into a greater number of moments; eventually, the most seemingly insignificant moments may resonate with newness. And from there, our entire perspective may change….

8/23/2012 Tags: Laura Mills, starting over, positivity, intention, perspective Direct Link

Putting the Party Away

By Laura Mills

So TBYís Grand Re-opening is coming up on Sunday, September 18, and certainly it will be an amazing day that we long remember. But what will happen after that? We all know the expression, ìThe honeymoonís over; we've all experienced the day after our birthday or favorite holiday. And each one of us has at one time or another helped a friend clean up after a celebration, wistfully remarking at some point, Well, that was fun. Now what?î

Happily, the day after let-down shouldn't affect any of us here at TBY (students, staff and teachers) too badly. We share a unique perspective on life, for our practice of yoga includes celebrating every moment of every day. And while, somehow, celebrating every moment seems more difficult than handling difficulties as they arise, we remember that the purpose of yoga isn't to make life easy but rather to teach us appropriate strength and softness so that, when tested, we don't break.

So on the morning of Monday, September 19, be glad for the fun of the day before and more than excited to inhale and exhale, stretch, eventually set your feet on the ground and stand. Regardless of what the day holds for you, itís party time.

9/16/2011 Tags: Grand re-opening, party, celebration, holiday, day after, yoga, purpose Direct Link

TRUST, UNCONDITIONAL GRATITUDE AND LETTING LOVE IN

April 9, 2011. ‎"If I knew that everything I believed and more was true-I'd wake up and let life take me as its own." 9:30am and 12pm at hauteyoga Queen Anne focused on Trust, Unconditional Gratitude and Letting Love in. Danna Faulds goes on to write, "I'd welcome whatever came next and know that love could change me forever if I let it." I have a confession to make, I have trust issues. One example started when I was run over by a car as a pedestrian over 10 years ago. Since that point whenever I'm walking I still feel my breath tighten and my skin constrict as I get ready to walk across the street. The fact of the matter is that when I was involved in this hit and run accident (as the one that was hit) I was a step away from the curb on the other side of the street. I saw the car coming on a sunny Sunday morning. And I didn't feel afraid because there was no way they would drive on the WRONG side of the street and hit me. I was so close.

Anyhow, the reality of the matter is that the car did cross over. And ever since I work on trusting that even if I have the right away as a pedestrian that the car will stop for me. Living in Seattle has brought me great healing towards rebuilding my trust because the law and the culture here are pedestrian, cyclist friendly. Even if a car has been stopped at a stop sign and you start walking they still give you the right to walk safely. And everyday I heal this trust issue I have between cars and people a little bit more. But its not easy and I still have to remember to keep breathing through the mental inconvenience of changing my thought patterns and old belief. In any spiritual practice we all have to make the choice to trust in what is important to us and believing in something doesn't make it easy.

Pema Chodran writes, “when you hear some teachings that ring true to you and feel some trust in its being a worthwhile way to live then you’re in for a lot inconvenience. From an everyday perspective it seems good to do things that are kind of convenient; there is no problem with that. It’s just that when you really start to take the warrior’s journey – which is to say, when you start to want to live your LIFE FULLY, when you begin to feel this passion for life and for growth – then basically, it you follow your heart, you’re going to find that it’s often extremely inconvenient.”

"If I knew that everything I believed and more was true...." So what it is that you trust as true? If you've had your heart broken will you take the steps to try again even though putting yourself out there is inconvenient? If you've attempted an arm balance and it didn't work the way you thought it would can you reestablish trust in the Earth to hold you up? Today find something you trust, even if it as fundamental as air and earth and from there keep expanding your circle of trust. "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too." - GOETHE

When trust is difficult I practice Unconditional Gratitude inspired by the book BE HAPPY by William Holden who defines Unconditional Gratitude as follows:

"Gratitude based on a faith that everything that happens or doesn’t happen in your life is for your own best interests. That we live in a purposeful universe. Life is always for you; it is never against you. It is a fact that blessings sometimes come wrapped in fear, pain, and tears. In choosing to practice unconditional gratitude you are choosing to trust the process, to honor your feelings and to place your faith in an outcome of inevitable grace."

And why bother healing the trust issues we develop in life? Because if keep constricting through mistrust then love can't come in. Either we trust everyone and everything that happens to us whether difficult or easy or we don't trust anything. We either trust the process and believe the universe knows what it's doing or we trust nothing. Learning to trust and when necessary rebuilding trust opens our hearts and allows love in. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

4/9/2011 Tags: trust, process, be happy, gratitude, inconvenient, pema chodran, danna faulds, william holden, faith, silvia mordini, honor, truth, earth, unconditional love, unconditional gratitude, love, Direct Link

SURRENDER YOUR EXPECTATIONS

April 2, 2011. Count how many times you’ve set an expectation in the last 24 hours? About the weather, your job, your partner, your children, your family? And then compare that to how many times the reality matched your expectation.

How did that make you feel?

When we have decided in advance how someone else is going to act or how a situation is going to be we open ourselves up to suffering when the reality doesn’t match our expectation. In yogic philosophy this attachment to expectation is a root cause of human suffering.

Focused inward another name for expectation is Self-Judgment. This critical prism of judging ourselves in advance of the outcome and again with the result only brings more disappointment.

We would do well to heed the advice of Eckhart Tolle in the Power of Now who writes, “When you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power. The realm of Being, which has been obscured by the mind, then opens up. Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you, and an unfathomable sense of peace. And within that peace, there is great joy. And within that joy, there is love.” This practice on and off the mat helps us to see clearly without making happiness dependent upon our expectations. This acceptance for sure brings about inner peace, joy and love.

So that no matter what the world presents we know we can manage remaining quiet and centered at our center. "Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment. It is part of the isness of the Now. You can't argue with what is. Well, you can, but if you do, you suffer." (Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth)

Who goes on to write “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly.” Try it for a week or even a day where you surrender your heavy expectations of yourself and others and live with less resistance to this isness of now and then decide if its worth going back to again living with the burden of expectation for even a day longer. Love yourself, love your day, love your ilfe, Silvia

TODAY’S SWEET PLAYLIST

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists

In Another Time, Sade

Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband

Allah Hoo, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Yara Seeli Seeli, Lata Mangeshkar

Express Yourself, Mocean Worker, Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street

Mr Big Stuff, Jean Knight

In The Colors, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

Blind to You, Collie Buddz

Jet Lag, Joss Stone

Butterflyz, Alicia Keys

In A Sentimental Mood, Nancy Wilson with Hank Jones

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

4/3/2011 Tags: EXPECTATIONS, YOGA PLAYLIST, YOGA MUSIC, VINYASA FLOW, SURRENDER, LETTING GO, SELF-JUDGMENT, SUFFERING, ECKHART TOLLE, ISNESS OF NOW, LOVE Direct Link

ACCEPTING TO BE INSTEAD OF MAKING A TO DO LIST

MARCH 19, 2011: This time of year as we transition from Winter to Spring our To Do Lists seem overstuffed. While we have more ways to make our lives easier through technology we insist on overwhelming ourselves on purpose by engineering these massive lists of stuff “we have to do” this Spring.

So today I invite you to create a TO BE list.

Say to yourself “how am I going TO BE no matter what gets done, or the outcome of this situation.”

When we focus on a TO BE List it is giving ourselves permission to do the hardest pose of all which is TO BE YOURSELF. And I can promise you that being yourself is the most important decision anyone can make. There is a serious paradigm shift that must take place especially if you’ve been used to trying to be who everyone else wants you to be. And as a result you will temporarily disappoint some people. Especially if you have been consumed on making your To Be Lists to prove your self-worth to other people.

To me the motivation for moving away from To Do Lists towards To Be is that it returns us to place where we can make peace with ourselves. That space of radical self-acceptance that demonstrates unconditional self-love. We are all a work in progress but that awareness of letting ourselves be who we are is vital to positive mental, emotional and spiritual health. Eckhart Tolle in the book A New Earth says it like this on page 184: "Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment. It is part of the isness of the Now. You can't argue with what is. Well, you can, but if you do, you suffer."

This is isness of now is where we allow ourselves to surrender into being: no fighting, no resisting, no arguments. I can tell you during times of challenge the mat was the only place I felt like I could BE myself. And I mean my real self. And where I felt safe to laugh or cry or both at the same time. And the more we accept ourselves in this state of beingness the more we know how to accept others being themselves. It is a straightforward spiritual law. You cannot offer to others what you don’t practice for yourself. If you don’t have peace you can’t make peace, if you don’t love yourself you can’t really love someone else, if you don’t fully accept how amazing you are, you WILL NEVER accept others, if you don't know how To Be you won't allow others To Be either.

So today practice making a To Be List. And the first thing on that to be list is BE YOU! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS If you need time off to help your To Be List then come on retreat with Alchemy Tours. Allow us to support you unconditionally. It will transform your life! www.alchemytours.com

3/31/2011 Tags: to be, to do, self-acceptance, self-love, love, you, peace, be yourself, acceptance, isness of now, eckhart tolle, alchemy tours, yoga retreats, Direct Link

SENSORIUM OF EXPERIENCE

March 26, 2011. "When we understand sensations perfectly, we will see beyond this conditioned world." - Samyutta Nikaya

Do you know which grows first in the human body? Your heart or your brain? Answer is: Your heart.

That is a pretty good indication that the energies greater than us want our heart energy to be more predominant than our intellectual capacity to analyze. And at the very least something within our DNA is saying to us pay attention to both. You may also find it interesting to know that your heart & brain maintain a constant and conscious 2-way dialogue. And in this conversation the heart sends far more information to the brain, than the brain to the heart. The heart also generates the strongest rhythmic electromagnetic field in the body & this actually can be measured in the brain waves of people around us.

So then why do we so often try to rationalize the emotional space of the heart? Why do we try to over direct our lives with only our brains? And then wonder why this doesn't feel right?

When we come to the yoga mat we are dialing back into our heart's intelligence. And the gateway into the heart is the breath. The first breathing technique we learn is Anapanasati, awareness of breath: its duration, it's orgination, its temperature, its cadence, its rhythm, is it rough or smooth, easy or labored, where do you feel it and where don't you feel your breath? This renewed sensitivity to our life energy transfers into everything else we do. And as a result we begin feeling more.

"The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist." Lord Byron

And of course the asana are on purpose to help us feel both Sensitive and Fierce sensations. We want to feel the full spectrum of emotion and sensation. Yoga helps us unite our hearts intelligence and intellectual understanding together. “These two teachings, the supremacy of the heart and the uniqueness of each human being are very important to me. They give me the fullest understanding of my membership in the human family.” Robert Muller

The more we feel the more we become expert in our own human experience and then as a result the more expert we are in the overall human experience. We learn to feel what other people feel. And when the constant dialogue of our hearts with one another becomes a way of life then the more gently we live with one another sharing this beautiful planet without war, without fighting, without aggression. Then and only then will peace prevail. So please use your yoga to connect to your sensorium of experience and bring peace on earth. Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

"Different winds come from all directions. Some are clear, some carry dusts, some are cold or hot, fierce gales or gentle breezes. In the same way sensations arise in the body - pleasant or unpleasant or neutral. When we see sensations as we do the winds, coming and going, clear or dust laden, fierce or gentle, we will fully understand them and be free from dependence on them." - Samyutta Nikaya

3/26/2011 Tags: SENSATION, UNPLEASANT, PLEASANT, NEUTRAL, BRAIN, HEART, COMMUNICATION, HEART INTELIGENCE, BREATH, ART OF LIFE, PEACE, SENSORIUM OF EXPERIENCE, BUDDHISM Direct Link

SECOND AGREEMENT DON'T TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY

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February 25, 2011: The second agreement is not to take anything personally. Don Miguel Ruiz explains this, "Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. If someone gives you an opinion don't take it personally, because the truth is that this person is dealing with his or her own feelings, beliefs and opinions. If you do not take it anything personally, you are immune to it."

This is one level of understanding so on the mat we let everyone do their own yoga. We don't worry about whether someone next to us can do a deeper variation of a pose, it's not about us. They are practicing their own yoga and we should focus on our own yoga. Now the other level of this experience is as Ruiz says so well, "even the opinions you have about yourself are not necessarily truth; therefore, you don't need to take whatever you hear in your own mind personally. We have a CHOICE whether or not to believe the voices we hear within our minds. The mind can also talk and listen to itself." So be careful and choosy about what you listen to in your own mind. Let go of the old stories that don't serve you that hurt you that keep you from being more of your potential.

What we experience if we Don't Take Things Personally is, "you avoid many upsets in your life. Your anger, jealousy, and envy will disappear, and even your sadness will simply disappear if you don't take things personally. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering."

And of course it always comes back to LOVE. "If you keep this agreement, you can travel around the world with your HEART completely OPEN and no one can hurt you. You can say, "I love you." without fear of being ridiculed or rejected. You can ask for what you need. You can say yes without guilt or self-judgement. You can choose to follow your heart always!" I love all of you and hope you can embrace this agreement to love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

2/25/2011 Tags: LOVE, heart, choice, 2nd agreement, don miguel ruiz, 21 days of love blog, listening, immunity, self-love, truth Direct Link

$499 COLORADO 4 DAY YOGA RETREAT APRIL 7-10, 2011

February 23, 2011. We'd love to have you join us for some well deserved quiet time. We are offering a 2 for 1 which means each person only pays $499! Register today www.alchemytours.com or email hello@alchemytours.com

WHERE IS PAGOSA SPRINGS/WOLF CREEK SKI AREA?
Pagosa Springs is located in the Four-Corners region of southwestern Colorado which offers an abundance of interesting activities and attractions. The region is known for its access to archeological sites, unmatched mountains, beautiful rivers, canyon lands and a wealth of cultural history. The town of Pagosa Springs is nestled in a beautiful valley on the banks of the San Juan River, surrounded by the 3 million acre San Juan Forest and adjacent to the largest contiguous wilderness area in the nation, the Weminuche Wilderness. "Pagosah" means healing waters in Ute and Pagosa Springs is home of the world's largest mineral hot springs.

Wolf Creek, thirty minutes from Pagosa Springs, is a mom and pop ski resort in the Southern San Juan Mountains of Colorado, mountains where some serious soul is to be found. Expect sun as this area averages 300 days of sun a year.

TRIP COST: $999

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE FOR 4 DAYS?
• 3 nights of accommodation at The Springs Resort and Spa
• 24 hour unlimited hot springs soaking access
• Daily breakfast, three lunches, two dinners and all snacks and drinks for each day’s activities
• Transportation to and from the airport to Pagosa Springs, in private coach
• 6 Yoga classes
• Private Dharma and wilderness talks facilitated by your Guides
• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals.
• A special gift

NOT INCLUDED?
Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides, spa services at the Springs Resort and Spa, other activities not listed and personal items purchased during your trip. Some meals are not included during this trip to allow you the opportunity to explore the cuisine on your own.

ABOUT YOUR GUIDES:
You will be guided by Kendra Charts, Jacob Young and Silvia Mordini.

Kendra is a soul rider. She adores nature, yoga, snowboarding, rock climbing, surfing, people with adventurous spirits and playing in the mountains, desert and beautiful bodies of water. Kendra is Avalanche I certified, and has her CPR/First Aid and Outdoor Emergency Care certifications. Her love for snowboarding, powder and mountains has led her to the mountains of the West and South America. You’ll find her passion for the mountains and her wonder for nature contagious.

Jacob is an avid cyclist, runner, and lover of all things outdoors, involving people. With over 10 years of guiding experience, beginning on Mt. Rainier, he has broadened his horizons by transitioning to guiding cycling trips around the world. He has been living in, and exploring the Olympic & Cascade mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest for the past 11 years, and can often be found cycling, trail running, hiking and skiing in the greater Seattle area when not practicing yoga indoors. Jacob is a Certified Carmichael Training Systems coach and is CPR/First Aid certified, but his real experience comes from his passion for showing people new places and exploring along with them.

Your Yoga will be taught by Silvia Mordini whose loving Anusara-inspired Vinyasa Flow teaching style is influenced by more than 10 years of Hatha yoga study. With over 7,500 hours of yoga teaching experience, as a nationally recognized Experienced Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT) she is dedicated to making yoga upbeat and fun, serious and informative, supportive and authentic. She brings inspiration enthusiasm and playfulness into each class through creative, flowing sequencing and a delightful combination of yoga philosophy and healthy physical alignment.
TRIP ITINERARY:
Day 1 – Thursday, April 7, 2011
Afternoon:
1:00 Meet in the lobby of the Durango- La Plata County Airport in Durango, shuttle to Pagosa Springs
2:00 Arrive at Pagosa Springs, The Springs Resort and Spa, check in and brief logistics
3:00 Water yoga practice
4:00 Free time

Evening:
7:00 Microbrew tasting at Pagosa Brewery and dinner
9:00 Orientation, Dharma Talk

Day 2 – Friday, April 8, 2011
Morning:
8:00 Morning yoga practice
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Depart for Wolf Creek Ski Area

Afternoon:
10:30 Boarding/Skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area: Tutorial and skills clinic for boarding and free ski, boxed lunch and snacks provided
Evening:
5:00 Restorative yoga practice
7:00 Après ski at Kip's Cantina followed by dinner at place of your choosing and free time

Day 3 – Saturday, April 9, 2011
Morning:
8:00 Yoga
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Depart for Wolf Creek Ski Area

Afternoon:
10:30 Boarding/Skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area: Tutorial and skills clinic for boarding and free ski, boxed lunch and snacks provided
Evening:
5:00 Special evening yoga restorative practice with live music by Native American Flute Player Charles Martinez
8:00 Après ski and dinner at Ole Miner’s Steakhouse

Day 4 – Sunday, April 10, 2011
Morning:
8:00 Closing yoga practice
9:00 Breakfast
10:30 Check out and local snowshoe tour provided by Pagosa Nordic

Afternoon:
1:00 Arrive in downtown Durango and lunch
2:30 Arrive at airport

**Please note that scheduled itinerary is subject to change due to the ebb and flow of life!

WHEN WILL I NEED TO ARRIVE AND WHEN DO I LEAVE?
Arrival Location:
You will need to arrive by 1 p.m. in the lobby of the Durango- La Plata County Airport (DRO) in Durango,Colorado on Thursday, December 9.

Departure Location:
At the end of your trip, you will be shuttled back to Durango. The shuttle will arrive at the Durango-La Plata County airport by 2:30pm. Please do not schedule a flight before 3:30pm. (There are 3:43pm and 5:04pm redeye Flight options from DRO to CHI).

HOW DO I GET TO PAGOSA SPRINGS IF I FLY?
You can fly into the Durango-La Plata County Airport in Durango and drive to Pagosa Springs (about 1.5 hours away). If you plan on doing some site seeing on your free time, or if you plan on staying a day or two before or after our trip, then we suggest renting a car either way. Due to winter conditions and mountain passes it is advised to rent a vehicle with four wheel drive.

HOW DO I GET TO PAGOSA SPRINGS IF I DRIVE?
Pagosa Springs is located 61 miles (about 1.5 hours) east of Durango. If you choose to drive to the trip start, to get there, take CO 172 north from the Durango Airport to the intersection with Hwy 160. Turn right and follow Hwy 160 east to Pagosa Springs.The final directions to our location will be emailed to you before our trip start.

2/23/2011 Tags: Alchemy Tours, yoga vacations, Colorado Yoga, kendra charts, jacob young, yoga and skiing, yoga retreats Direct Link

SILVIA CLASS PLAN FEB 16, 2011 HIPS OPEN AND CLOSING

CLASS PLAN FEBRUARY 16, 2011

WAVE 1 - Purpose: Safely warm-up spine and strengthen core to protect low back); Learning Points: Understand how your pelvis and ribcage can be used as levers to affect your vertebral column

Begin on back - Savasana (3 part breath dirga pranayama hand on belly, hand on heart)

Inhale arms wide like a T and alternate apanasana (1 knee to chest at a time), Exhale return leg to start

Twist Right, center, Twist Left (Jathara parivatanasana)

Bridge (Sethubandasana)

Core cultivation: Pigeon abs to Single Leg Raises

Waterfall abs (hands protecting lower back, lumbar area of spine)

WAVE 2

Roll up to Dandasana (optional Pascimotanasana)

Parsva Janu Sirsasana twist (then lift hips option to next pose_

Vasistasana variation kneeling

Janu sirsana forward fold

Cobbler (twist both sides); Side 2 Parsva Janu Sirsasana begins

Upward Facing plank with knees bent (Modified version) --- pull backs to hover, activate core optional (warm up shoulder girdle complimentary muscle groups to prepare for plank, dog, chatarunga)

Malasana

Standing Forward Fold

WAVE 3

Sun Salutation A (traditional)

*Include Half Moon A

WAVE 4 (These waves will go easy on shoulders and weight bearing on hands to focus on hips)

I leg dog lift right leg, open hip (Teaching external rotation)

Downward Dog

Step left foot forward High Lunge to Leaning Lunge to Half Moon B (right hip open in external rotation)

Standing splits (internal rotation of hip) to baby eagle 3 x's, hold last one strong adduction

Step lifted right leg back to high lunge prep

1 leg dog lift left leg, open hip (teaching external rotation) this begins Side 2

WAVE 5 Easy Mandala Salutation

Begin wave 4 series, add on. 1 leg dog external rotation to downward dog, Step other foot forward High Lunge, Leaning Lunge and OPTIONAL Tumbling Tree

High Lunge to Half Moon B, Standing Splits, Baby Eagle

Step back to high lunge prep into Revolved Lunge to Transverse Lunge

Face back of mat (OPTIONAL basic vinyasa)

Begin same leg twice to go in circle

Add OPTIONAL half crow from transverse lunge, prasarita paddotanasana, finish Mandala

Begin Side 2

WAVE 6

Pigeon Right leg: first gentle twisting kriya then forward fold

I leg downward dog right hip external rotation (OPTIONAL flipped dog)

Left foot forward: High Lunge, Leaning Lunge, Crane, 1 leg standing pigeon with right leg in same shape as we just did on the floor

OPTIONAL Eka Pada Galavasana (flying pigeon arm balance) - break down into small steps

Forward Fold to Malasana (Squat pose)

Cobbler

Crow

Begin Side 2 (After side 2 move into partner series)

KEY LEARNING POINTS: OPENING AND CLOSING YOUR HIP JOINT

Two very basic movements for the hip joint include stabilizing the connection between the thigh bone and pelvis and creating space within that connection.

You can also think of these movements as compressing the joint and decompressing it. (I would like to use the word "extend" in place of decompress, but in anatomy terminology, "Extending the hip joint" usually means moving the thigh bone back relative to the pelvis.) Another pair of terms that you can use are "Closing" the hip and "Opening" it.

Both of these actions involve activating muscle tissue. In one case you use muscles to pull your thigh bone away from your pelvis. In the other case you pull the thigh bones in towards the hip socket. A third action, or non-action, is relaxing the hip joint completely.

WAVE 7 PARTNER PRACTICE TO HELP WITH KEY LEARNING POINTS

A. Cobbler person 1 - Pascimotanasana Person 2: hold wrists and apply muscle energy to work with one another in moving forward or back in these poses (Here we have one open hip position, one closed hip)

*Switch and the other person does the complimentary pose they did not already do*

B. Upavista Konasana (Seated wide angle pose). Each person sits with wide legs facing one another. Person 1 feet inside the other persons ankles and hold wrists and move forward or back. The compressing or decompressing is as a result of squeezing legs closed if feet are on the outside or conversely pressing feet out if they are inside partner's ankles.

C. Cobbler person 1 holds onto the ankles of standing person 2 while that person helps lengthen their spine and ground the sit bones. Secondly the standing partner walks around behind them (after they release their ankles) and helps apply gentle weight to the hip creases to ground the head of the femur bone. Once done we let person 1 just stay there until they want to come up. Then switch.

CLOSING WAVE 8

Cooling postures: Supine cobbler; Plow to OPTIONAL Shoulderstand

Savasana

2/16/2011 Tags: class plan, vinyasa yoga, vinyasa flow, hip hop yoga, hips, partner yoga Direct Link

BALANCED LIVING IS NOT PERFECTION

February 14, 2011. Day 5 of Love Blogging 21 days in 2011. Each chakra relates to specific spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical aspects of ourselves. These can become blocked and as a result a chakra can become either deficient or excessive and therefore imbalanced. Practicing poses that correspond to each chakra can release these blocks and clear the path to more balanced living. Today our focus is on balance and we practiced balance poses like tree, warrior 3, crane and even nurtured the balanced point in a Warrior 2 pose so neither foot is bearing more or less weight that the other.

From this we discovered that Balance is not hard to find. But it is certainly challenging to maintain. “We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves.” Francis J. Braceland. The work of balance is that of the 4th chakra (in the middle of the 7 chakras). This is our heart chakra that when healthy and in balance helps us to maintain balance between our role as the lover and the beloved. For in yogic practice we are the one doing the loving and the one receiving the loving. If one doesn't know how to love oneself then it is impossible to love another person. We have to know the giving/receiving within our own hearts before experiencing it in relationship with the world. The key thing to know about balance is that it is NOT perfection. Love is messy, and falling out of a balance pose is just like losing our balance in life. We have the choice to get back up and try again and again. So on this Valentine's Day please do yourself a favor stop asking perfection of yourself or another person. Instead wake up to how great life is right now and how wonderful you are!

"Why wait for your awakening?

The moment your eyes are open,

sieze the day. Would you hold

back when the Beloved beckons?

"No, I can't step across the

threshold." you say, eyes

downcast. "I'm not worthy.

I'm afraid. I'm not perfect,

and surely I haven't practiced

nearly enough. My meditation

isn't deep. I still chew

my fingernails and the refrigerator

isn't clean." Do you value your

reasons for staying small more

than the light shining through

the open door? Forgive yourself.

Now is the only time you have

to be whole. Now is the sole

moment that exists to live in

the light of the true Self.

Perfection is not a prerequisite

for anything but pain. Please,

oh please, don't continue to

believe in your disbelief. This is

the day of your awakening."

--Danna Faulds, Go In and In

The most advanced yoga pose is loving yourselves. In this lies our ultimate resource for making the sensitive adjustments necessary to maintain balance in life. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS Join me on retreat www.alchemytours.com

2/14/2011 Tags: balance, chakras, 4th chakra, heart, love, self-love, awakening, forgiveness, adjustments, valentines day Direct Link

NEED BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE?

February 9, 2011. Wendell Barry said, “The earth is what we have in common.” I’d add that our ability to lose our balance and allow over-worrying to make us feel ungrounded is also what we have in common. You know, that feeling of being disconnected and just off center.

So we devoted today’s practice to getting grounded into the earth, our common ground. Grounding serves us as a simplifying force, one which helps us plug back into ourselves and allows us to be fully present and balanced. Once centered we feel empowered and stable to see the circumstances of our lives with increased clarity. We no longer over-respond or over-worry.

Just like building a yoga pose from the ground up, we need stability to form a strong foundation for our lives. On the yoga mat we used a long series of standing poses to help us achieve the security that comes from connecting our nervous system to the earth. In Sanskrit this is known as Sthira. As a result we all left the practice with our inner stillness intact once more ready to be the rooted influence amongst our families and friends. May you stay grounded and keep coming home to balance.

And if you are looking to do even more in depth work on balance and grounding join me for the two places in the world that always make me feel more centered: Moab, Utah and Tuscany Italy. Check out www.alchemytours.com to join me April, June, or October 2011. In the meantime let’s stay in touch, the earth is what we have in common. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 9, 2011

Very balanced chill 60 minutes to invoke the earth element and promote grounding, trust and calm. Perfect for those times you need to quiet the anxious mind or impatient heart.

Shiva Invocation, Shantala

Assyrian Women Mourners, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Realms, Sigal Brier

Duduki, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Pluznick, Raphael & Steve Kindler

Kerala Dream, Shaman's Dream

Trois morceaux après des hymnes byzantins I, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Trois morceaux après des hymnes byzantins III, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Night Song, Bill Dougrlas / Ty Burhoe / Kai Eckhardt / Steve Smith

Purnamadah, Shantala

Stars (Instrumental), John De Kadt

2/9/2011 Tags: balance, grounded, centered, earth, wendell barry, yoga playlist, yoga music, clarity, stress reduction, empowered, sthira, shantala, shaman's dream, anxiety Direct Link

DOES THIS PATH HAVE HEART?

February 7, 2011. Carlos Casteneda in his book The Teachings of Don Juan offers a great suggestion for considering what choices to make. To me this is speaking to the heart of the yogic definition of HAPPINESS. “You must always keep in mind that a PATH is only a path; if you feel you must not follow it, you must not stay with it under any circumstances…any path is only a path, there is not affront to yourself or others in dropping it if that is what your head tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and you alone, One question…it is this…DOES THIS PATH HAVE A HEART? Does this path have a heart is the question. If it does, then the path is GOOD; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere, but one has heart and the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it you will be one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong, the other weakens you.”

Each individual can judge for himself which path has heart for him and invite happiness every step of the way. Today I am thinking of Yoga as the Science of Happiness. This has me thinking about ancient Yogic writings like that of the Bhagavad Ghita where it talks about “the only real happiness in life is living with an open, loving heart.” “It explains the nature of happiness, emphasizing that all those things that are obtained in the world are transitory and if we define success by material stuff we limit ourselves and miss out on life because there is not substitute for peace, love and happiness. At the same time it’s not the stuff that’s the problem the problem is the belief that stuff is the solution to the aching soul.” (Judith Lasater, Living Your Yoga)

This science of happiness we call yoga makes space so we can is let go of what is negative and stay tuned in to our own contentment. And the person responsible for being happy is YOU. Yoga teaches self-responsibilty, non-judgment and seriously radical self-acceptance by accepting the full spectrum of who we are (anger, worry, fear). The mat is a truth serum that helps us realize the truth and allows us to clear the space for living a more joyful life.

"Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing" — W. B. Yeats

Yoga moves us on only those paths with heart and then we can't help but grow and evolve. And we leave the mat remembering how happy we really are and even more joy is yet come. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

2/7/2011 Tags: Carlos Casateneda, Happiness, path, heart, joy, happiness, contentment, love, bhagavad ghita, open heart, science of happiness, truth, growth Direct Link

PUERTO VALLARTA TRIP FAQ - BEACH, SPA, WEATHER AND MORE

PUERTO VALLARTS XINALANI YOGA RETREATS USEFUL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FEB 26-MAR 5, 2011

XINALANI BEACH?
Is the beach swimmable? Is it safe to swim??
Yes the beach is swimmable and safe most of the time. ??

Is the beach sandy or rocky??
We are very fortunate at Xinalani because we have immediate access to two wonderful beaches. The one in front of the resort has both sand and great inspiring animal-shaped rocks. It also has private natural coves.? The other beach on the left-hand side when facing the ocean is pure sand. That beach gets a very nice surf break in the winter, surfers enjoy that beach a lot.??

Are there long chairs and umbrellas on the beach??
Yes, Xinalani has a nice beach club with long chairs, and umbrellas. Ask our waiters for the Bar Menu, and enjoy our special cocktails, while relaxing.

YOGA FACILITIES?

Where is the yoga space?
The yoga space is a 1,300 sq ft palm thatched room set on top of the hill. A short rejuvenating walk in the jungle will take you there, and warm you up before practice. ??

How many people fit in the Yoga Studio??
The Yoga Studio can host comfortably up to 40 people.??

Is the yoga space totally open??
The Jungle Yoga Studio has 4 walls built for handstand and headstand asana practice. The corners of the room are open to the elements, to enjoy the beauty of the jungle and the ocean while practicing. However, no risk of falling thanks to the wooden railing.??

Do you have mats, props, etc??
The Yoga studio has a wide array of sticky yoga mats, as well as blankets, blocks, stripes, meditation cushions, and chairs.

Do I need to bring my yoga mat?
It is up to you, mats will be available.

FOOD & BEVERAGES?
We need animal protein; we like to eat meat, is that possible at Xinalani??
Yes, if advised with enough anticipation, we can include chicken in your menu, as well as fresh fish, and seafood, or even red meat if you like. Please note that there might be a supplement.??

We are vegan, raw foodist, etc? How’s your menu??
Although we try to cater to mainstream yogis (vegetarian, vegan, raw, live superfoods), the food is totally adaptable to our guest's needs, please send us your specifics at least two weeks before your arrival.?Ask us for a sample of our Menu to have an idea of what we cook.??

I’m allergic to gluten, mushrooms, peanuts, etc..?
We can help you, let us know of your food allergy 2 weeks at least before your arrival to the retreat, and we’ll make sure your diet restrictions will be catered to.?

Is there electricity in the rooms??
Yes, all rooms have very low consumption LED spots that give a nice dim ambar lighting at night time, there’s also a reading area.?There are two 110 V outlets to plug cameras, cell phones and battery chargers. Xinalani does not allow the use of hair dryers or other high intensity electric devices that could damage the electric installation.??

Do rooms all have their own bathroom??
Yes, all rooms have their own bathroom, the Big Palapa (dorm) has two bathrooms.??

Is there hot water in the rooms??
Yes.??

Can I use my own soap and shampoo??
In an eco-friendly effort, we recycle all water for irrigation so we kindly ask you to use only biodegradable soaps and shampoos. The ones we provide you with are all organic and biodegradable.

ACCOMMODATION?
How many rooms do you have??
There are fourteen rooms in total, 2 Eco-chic suites, 7 Eco-Premium suites, 5 Petite Suites and 1 Big Palapa.??

Which rooms have king size beds??
Suites 2, 4, 6, 14 and 15 have king size beds.

WEATHER?

What’s the weather like??
If you wish to know the average temperatures and rain statistics, please visit this page:http://www.puertovallarta.net/weather/index.php Or run a Google search with the words Weather+Puerto+Vallarta??But in general in February expect of high between 77-80 degrees and a low of 60-65.

What about bugs and mosquitoes??
There are very little bugs and mosquitoes (except during the rain season which is July to September). If you are worried about bugs, rest assured that you will feel protected at night by the splendid veils on top of the beds. Most public areas at night are lighten by lemongrass candles that repel bugs, and if you need an extra protection, you can purchase eco-friendly mosquito repellent from our boutique.

SPA & OTHER ACTIVITIES
What is the cost of massages?
From $70 to $130

What other activities are available at the resort and what are their costs?
There’s a wide array of activities available from the resort, surfing, snorkeling, horse back riding, eco-discovery boat excursions to remote beaches and islands, or simply lying on the beach. The prices for activities are around $50 per person.

Do you have wine on the property or do we have to bring our own?
Yes, we serve wine, beer, and a selection of delicious fresh hand shaken, stirred or mixed cocktails.

How’s the surf?
Quimixto is a very nice left surf break, perfect for intermediate riders.
To get frequently updated surf reports and swell statistics, please visit www.buoyweather.com or any other qualified swell forecast website.

What else do I need to bring?
We recommend you bring a camera, a journal, toiletries, an extra pair of contacts if you wear them, sunglasses and sunscreen. For hiking, be sure to have a lightweight backpack to carry your personal belongings.

HOW DO I GET TO XINALANI RETREAT?
Upon arriving at Puerto Vallarta International airport we have organized group transportation to and from the resort. If you choose to you can also get to the resort on your own.

When will I need to arrive and when do I leave?
You will need to arrive by 4pm on February 26 at Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) where we will meet you and bring you to the resort. We will have transportation first to a little fisherman town called Boca de Tomatlán south of Puerto Vallarta Airport (PVR) where we will take a boat from there to Xinalani

Departure Location:
At the end of your trip, you will be shuttled back to Puerto Vallarta International Airport. We will arrive at the airport by 2pm on March 5th.
www.alchemytours.com

1/28/2011 Tags: Alchemy Tours, relaxation, xinalani resort, xinalani, yoga vacations, Mexico, Mexico Yoga, intention, puerto vallarta vacations Direct Link

IMAGINE OF WEEK OF RELAXATION: YOGA IS THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS THAT RENEWS AND REJUVENATES US

Dear Yogi Friends,

Imagine a week of.....

relaxation, spa treatments, lounging on the beach, taking long naps, reading a good book, eating fresh, healthy gourmet food, doing yoga by the ocean twice a day, exploring waterfalls, watching the sunset, hiking in the jungle, whale watching, shopping, meeting new friends, unplugging from your cell phones and computers, fully living life and returning home amazingly renewed.

I would love to share this experience with you. It promises to be a vacation like no other. You will come home feeling like a million bucks!

To register to join me Feb 26-March 5 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico staying at Xinalani Resort please call me at 847-772-9642 or www.alchemytours.com or visit www.silviamordini.com or email me at info@totalbodyyoga.com.

And let's say your passion is yoga but your spouse is new to it,no worries. They could still try as little or as much yoga as they want, go golfing in Puerto Vallarta, whale watching, get a massage, nap in a hammock or take a 10 min boat taxi to Yelapa Island and relax on the beach. Retreats are a great time to bond with a friend, family member or come alone and rediscover yourself.

Don't miss this amazing experience!!

Going to Yoga class is like a mini-one-hour-retreat! It works because fundamentally Yoga is the science of happiness. We walk in stressed out, upset, negative and we leave the practice renewed, refreshed, more positive, and in a nutshell, happier! I can't say that even after all these years, over 7,500 hours of teaching, and gosh who knows how many hours of practice that I fully understand the alchemy. It's like magic. And I love it! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

PS - Would love to have just 5 more Yogi Friends come get out of the snow and into the SUN in Puerto Vallarta! (only 12 total in group for more personal attention) See photos at http://www.xinalaniretreat.com/

PSS - If someone you refer comes on the trip you get another $100 OFF!

1/27/2011 Tags: Alchemy Tours, relaxation, xinalani resort, xinalani, yoga vacations, Mexico, Mexico Yoga, intention, puerto vallarta vacations Direct Link

CYBER INTERVIEW WITH WORLD TRAVELLING COUPLE SILVIA MORDINI AND JACOB YOUNG ALCHEMY TOURS

FROM XINALANI RESORT WHERE OUR YOGA RETREAT FEB 26-MAR 5 WILL BE HELD.xinalaniretreat.com/Alchemy Tours: Interview with Silvia Mordini and Jacob YoungSilvia Mordini and Jacob Young, owners of Alchemy Tours, are busy getting ready to escape the wintry Chicago-land area for a luscious tropical escape to Xinalani Retreat in sunny Mexico.In between planning workshops, classes, and music play-lists, we were able to conduct a cyber-interview with them so you can learn more about this world traveling couple and the amazing upcoming retreat they have planned. Xinalani: Where did the idea and name for Alchemy Tours come from? Jacob: It really branched from two things. 1) One of our favorite books is The Alchemist. With that as the somewhat obvious backdrop, it made sense that the alchemy of Silvia's and my background would blend to create a sort of super trip for people unlike others out there. The yoga and active travel vacation being the alchemy that turns to gold. Xinalani: How did the two of you meet? Jacob:We met on a train in Italy...yes, it was one of those romantic things you read about in books, and yes, we get asked every trip about it. Perhaps that is one of the incentives for coming on one of our trips? Silvia: The way Jacob tells the story makes everyone cry every single time. It was exactly as Rumi writes, Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” In that moment of meeting I was returning from a Yoga Retreat in Tuscany where I had found much healing and growth. I had ever more fully let go of the barriers to loving myself. I was truly awake and more openhearted than ever before.  And that is when Jacob found me.  Xinalani: What came first your love of travel or movement (yoga, cycling, hiking)? Jacob: Certainly, for me, it was the movement that came first. Growing up in small-town New Hampshire was not confining to me, because it was all I knew. But from the moment I learned to ride on two wheels, I was gone. I stretched my boundaries constantly, and when I moved across the country my senior year of High School, I became aware of a bigger place around me. Living in Europe the past 8 years (Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain) and guiding in those regions really expanded upon that. Silvia: For me it would be travel although from an early age my parents tell me I could ski before I could walk, I danced formally and for the pleasure of it, and I was always doing something active Tennis, Swimteam, Biking, Hiking, Running. But even so travel was my greater influence and first love. 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. Xinalani: What is your favorite part about going on retreat? Jacob: Getting past the small talk and really getting to know people. Then, sharing with them the best parts of this new region they are visiting is fulfilling in a very unique way. Silvia: I am always humbled by the ways our small tribes of Alchemy Tours grow fond of one another and unconditionally supportive of each other’s growth. In the corporate world we used to talk about teaming together, but you wouldn’t often really see it. Experiencing the loving group dynamic gives me great hope that little by little all people everywhere will one day be able to share this same yoga, or union of spirit and respect. Xinalani: Describe one of the funniest adventures you've had on one of your trips? Silvia: You will find us always laughing on our trips. When people feel safe and nurtured they are their funniest selves! Xinalani: How do you see people changed by going on retreat? Jacob: Without fail, people change after our retreats.  Mark Twain sums it up when he says, "The enemy of prejudice is travel." People learn more about themselves, and the yoga that Silvia teaches while on retreat is her to the max. If you have never experienced a Silvia class, you are in for a treat. Xinalani: Describe a perfect day at home and then on retreat? Jacob: A perfect day at home is waking up and enjoying a neighborhood run or a group ride. Coming home to relish in a relaxing brunch. Heading down to the farmer's market to dream up an elaborate dinner, then going home to cook and enjoy quality time with those I love. On retreat, my perfect day is showing a group of people my favorite place in a given region...I am blessed to do this regularly. Xinalani: When did you last have the most fun? Silvia: Today. Without a doubt, I wake up and say to myself and all those around me “this is the best day ever”. And it is. I can make fun out of anything and anywhere, even chair pose or going up a crazy steep climb on two wheels. Xinalani: What do you do when not guiding or leading a retreat? Silvia:I own a successful yoga studio in Chicagoland Total Body Yoga, named the best Yoga Studio of 2010. We have over 50 weekly classes and a team of 15 teachers in 3,900 square feet of wellness space and have happily welcomed over 8,000 students in 8 years. And as a studio owner I have always been a full-time yoga teacher as well.  And most of all, when not on retreat I dive deep into being the best student of yoga. I take daily classes and live by the words of Michelangelo when he was in his nineties, “Ancora Imparo” (I am still learning.)  However my greatest joy when not guiding others comes from being a good friend, partner, lover, daughter, sister and one day a mom too. Xinalani: How important is music in your life? What music do you play in yoga class? Jacob: Music for me is life. I love music because it can not only infuse emotion to a situation but can also be a very powerful tool and motivator. Silvia: My life is constantly flowing with a soundtrack. My yoga has a soundtrack too.  I take great pride in putting together a gourmet experience of sound in creating a new and unique play-list for every class to complement the mood, the time of year, day, bhava (feeling) of the experience. And I love receiving and sharing new music with friends! Here are two play-lists I just created for our Xinalani Retreat. PLAYLIST: Om Shreem Shriyei, Steve Gold Count Your Blessings, Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley The Ave, Blue Scholars POWER, Kanye West Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D) Alors On Danse, Stromae Trapped In My Mind, Kid Cudi Motion Movement, Blue Scholars What a Feeling, Collie Buddz Meditate, (feat. Gabriel Teodros & Khingz) Suntonio Bandanaz Hey Baby, Stephen Marley featuring Mos Def Afterlife, Glorybox PLAYLIST: Flip Ya Lid, Nightmares On Wax Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo Mamacita, Collie Buddz Clothes Drop, Shaggy Breathe, Stretch, Shake, Mase Breathe, Alexi Murdoch Twist, Xavier Rudd Jamaican In New York, Shinehead The End, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Drive, Ziggy Marley Enchantment, Corinne Bailey Rae Something So Right, Paul Simon Purnamadah, Shantala Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea Xinalani: How did you first hear about Xinalani Retreat in Mexico, and why did you choose  Silvia: I have been traveling to Puerto Vallarta with my parents and brother since I was a little girl.  I love it there! I find the energy of the people and the place so deeply generous that when Yoga Journal named Xinalani one of the top 10 yoga retreat centers in the world I knew I had to bring folks there.  I saw myself doing something like this in Puerto Vallarta in a dream many years ago.  And now the dream is coming true! Xinalani: Where do you go next? What comes next for Alchemy Tours? Silvia:  We have 11 retreats planned for this year.  Our schedule is: April 2-5, 2011 Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Yoga, Skiing and Snowboarding April 16, -19, 2011 Moab, Utah - Arches National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking June 19-25, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure July 2-9, 2011 Dolomites, Italy (Sellaronda Bike Day is 7/3/2011) Yoga, Hiking and Cycling August 4-7, 2011 Seattle, Washington Wallace Lodge - Yoga, Beers and Bikes Oct 16-22, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure Oct 28-31, 2011 Moab, Utah - Canyonland National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking Sept 2-5, 2011 Sonoma, California - Yoga, Wine & Cycling Nov 24-28, 2011 Sayulita, Mexico Yoga & Surfing Retreat at Haramara Resort Dec 18-23, 2011 Big Island, Hawaii, Yoga, Kayaking and Cycling We hope to meet new friends at one of our upcoming retreats!

1/25/2011 Tags: Alchemy Tours, xinalani resort, xinalani, yoga vacations, Mexico, Mexico Yoga, intention, puerto vallarta vacations Direct Link

CYBER INTERVIEW WITH WORLD TRAVELLING COUPLE SILVIA MORDINI AND JACOB YOUNG ALCHEMY TOURS

1/25/2011 Tags: Alchemy Tours, xinalani resort, xinalani, yoga vacations, Mexico, Mexico Yoga, intention, puerto vallarta vacations Direct Link

ARE YOU A HOT, WARM, OR COLD YOGI?

OCTOBER 24, 2010. With more and more yoga options all the time. And I am not talking about types of yoga I am simply talking about the temperature of which a yoga room is heated for your practice. You have to make the best choice for yourself 120 degrees? 95 degrees or 80 degrees? The bigger question is not about the temperature of the air but how does it make you feel? If you are practicing in a cold room and you leave the practice a Hot headed yogi well that's a problem. If you are practicing in a super duper hot room and you leave a cold hearted yogi that's a problem.

My hope is you find what you need in the world and you leave the practice warm hearted with a cool clear mind. That's all. And whatever you have to do to get there is all good. The world needs less hot yogis or cold yogis and simply needs loving warm yogis. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

11/5/2010 Tags: hot yoga, heated vinyasa, vinyasa flow, ahimsa, clarity, heart, flow yoga, hot vinyasa yoga, Direct Link

REDISCOVER YOUR BLISS KEEP BACK WINTER BLUES

HARAMARA MEXICO YOGA BEACH RETREAT WITH SILVIA MORDINI DECEMBER 8-12, 2010

WHY SHOULD YOU GO ON RETREAT WITH ME IN MEXICO BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR? Because by the time we get to December it feels like we've exhausted ourselves from the race to the finish line of the year. Then we get too tired to devote ourselves to our 2011 Intentions. I can't think of anything I'd like to do more to keep back the Winter Blues and rediscover BLISS than going to a gorgeous, tropical place on the beach with beautiful accommodations, sunny days and yummy food. If you are a regular yoga student who wants a vacation with lots of yoga, complete relaxation and transformation then keep reading... this is for you!

Think of this as a deeply transformative retreat for those who love the beach or like to surf and also want lots of yoga to strengthen the body, tame the mind and open your heart! And this whole experience can be fun and funny and joyful along the path to finding our bliss.

COST:

$700 for Dorm shared with 6

$850 for a double room

$1200 for a single room

$150 OFF FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO SIGN UP!

FIND OUT MORE:

http://www.haramararetreat.com

http://silviamordini.com/yoga-retreats-reservations.asp

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Everything luxury rooming, gourmet organic cuisine

NOT INCLUDED: airfare, transfers and gratuities

11/3/2010 Tags: Alchemy Tours, yoga vacations, Mexico, Mexico Yoga, intention, puerto vallarta vacations Direct Link

GOOD ENERGY BAD ENERGY AND ENERGY VAMPIRES

OCTOBER 20, 2010. Our hearts are like a safe in the energy bank of our bodies. We each have our own personal energy field that protects us and determines how we feel, think and function and oversees this safe of our hearts. And since there is energy everywhere we have to be aware of how to keep making deposits into our bank and not just withdrawals. Everything is energy!

And there is both good energy and bad energy.

The first time I was introduced to the work of Dr. Judith Orloff something just clicked! I had never heard the term "Energy Vampire" prior to working with an energy healer. But throughout my life I remember how sometimes just talking to a particular person would drain me so severely I'd need to rest and recover while interacting with most other people had an energizing effect. Why would one person deplete me and 25 other people in the same day would fire me up and inspire me? The volume of interaction wasn't making intellectual sense. Then I began to study and learn about the Alchemy of Yoga: the energy we have as people exists on physical, emotional and spiritual levels.

Even today I have two primary energy vampires: one a person who by email, voice, person or even just thinking about them causes my breath to shorten my chest to get heavy and an immediate anxiety come over me and the other main energy vampire in my life is technology. It sucks me in and if I'm not careful can push me to the other side of energizing to draining. I have to be careful with both and this practice has helped find ways to restore my own energy and set stronger, healthier boundaries. My heart is too valuable to allow to be influenced by even a single moment of negative energy. I love myself too much to let this happen. And I hope you see your heart as this precious jewel in a beautiful safe in the bank of your body and you too learn from yoga how to set energy boundaries, recharge and make at least as many deposits as withdrawals for a happier more balanced life! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia (See below some excerpts from various articles you can find on the internet searching Energy Vampires, especially the works, writings, books by Dr Orloff are highly recommended)

"The real harm in a psychic attack is that is not a fair exchange of energy in that the vampire (predator) gets energized and the victim (host) gets depleted of their energy....

..Another way vampires operate is to always play the victim and voice complaints. You will play right into their hands when you give an optimistic response time and time again. The vampire uses this positive energy you are giving them as an energy source. The person giving the sound resourceful advice may think they are just being a good friend but if this person makes it a habit to complain they are using you as their victim and getting the energy boost leaving you not only emotionally drained but physically as well.

..Many people are not consciously aware of what they are doing but it does not render the attack any less harmless to the victim. You are actually creating an energetic opening and have made yourself vulnerable to the vampire attack once they get you to release some sort of energy by means of rage or sympathy.

..There are some key things that most vampires have in common. The vampire is unbalanced (1) emotionally, (2) physically and (3) spiritually. They have to use others to derive strength and energy from. Their system is highly deficient in all three areas. If you do not limit or discontinue contact with these energy reducers you could become imbalanced as well. You could find yourself drained of physical and emotional energy you need to thrive.

POSITIVE ENERGY BOOSTS- Dr Judith Orloff (she's the best!)

Clear your energy. Positive energy is the most powerful antidote to negativity.

"When dealing with energy vampires, your positivity, certainty, and vision have to be greater than their doubt," says Gordon.

Create a mantra that tunes out negativity, and repeat it to yourself during an attack.

Or take a cue from The Sound of Music: Remember your favorite things, particularly times of triumph or joy.

"Thinking about a great moment in your life builds a force field around you and blocks out negative energy," adds Gordon. Picturing your energy can offer protection, too. "Visualize your energy as a beautiful, golden light, and send that light through your body," suggests Reiki master Carolyn Agosta. "Tell yourself, 'My energy is only valuable to me,' and disconnect your energy from the other person's."

10/20/2010 Tags: energy vampires, energy, dr judith orloff, hearts, self-love, alchemy of yoga, protection, boundaries, positive energy, Direct Link

THE IMPORTANCE OF RITUALS

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 Yoga is one of my most important Rituals. Actually the first time I understood what the word "practice" really meant the lightbulb went off and I realized oh yeah, "something I practice repeatedly over a long period of time". Well that is a ritual too.

Within my yoga life the ritual I have especially on Monday's is to do a balancing of my energies related to the elements. Before I believed in Chakras, I did believe in Earth, Water, Air, Fire. Then eventually I started to understand that all of the elements are within and outside us. And even beyond that the concept of Doshas and Chakras. And all of it got less intimidating. Two easy ways for me to stay connected to the elements and through that discover where I am excessive or deficient and do something about it are:

1. Each finger represents an element so I pray, meditate, focus on bringing my thumb to each finger.

2. I sing a song to the elements (I know lots of them but this one was the focus tonight). And in Spanish to my Latin roots (my Mom's side as my Dad's side is the Italian part)

Tierra mi Cuerpo
Agua mi Sangre
Aire mi Viento
Y Fuego mi Espiritu.

Hey even if you don't understand Spanish you might pick up a word here or there. So this is translated as: Earth my Body, Water my Blood, Air my Breath, and Fire my Spirit.

What does this have to do with Rituals? Well when we disconnect from our rituals we lose touch with what Louise Hay calls our "inner ding" or intuition or good old fashion gut feel. So this practice was meant to bring our awareness to the four elements and feel that connection of each to ourselves, the micro experience, and to the world at large, our macro experience. All of this reminds us that we are in Yoga at every moment of our lives. There is this primordial power or universal intelligence that draws us together in balance, in union. And this goes beyond us to our ancestors and to the legacy we leave beyond this earthly body. Perhaps this inspires you to create your own Ritual around the elements, or even a single element, and I hope so. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS For the full blog, part of which I shared in class, of Dr. Enrique Saguil, TBY Teacher Trainee, click here: http://herbal411.blogspot.com/2010/09/lack-of-disease-doesnt-equal-good.html

9/27/2010 Tags: earth, air, water, fire, doshas, balance, mantra, rituals, practice, chakras, ayurveda, enrique saguil, total body yoga teacher training, gut feel, silvia mordini, Direct Link

FREE YOUR MIND MAKE YOUR HEART A DIAMOND

SEPTEMBER 24, 2010. As we began class on our backs, breathing, quieting and just coming to be present I offered the story of the lotus blossom and how it grows in murky, dark, hard-to-grow waters, and has to reach for the light and rise above challenges in order to grow. WE are the lotus blossom; always reaching and rising through the difficulties and challenges of our lives to get to the light, which is our true happiness.

And the driver of what moves us in spite of the challenges to grow towards the light is our hearts. But our hearts get dirtied up with all our mental clutter. On Friday's it seems to often be at its worst. Our minds are just overly polluted with the worries of the week. So to practice on Friday gives us that opportunity to free our minds and clean the clutter.

When you think about it our hearts are like a diamond, and the light is happiness, shining through the diamond/our hearts. The diamond is like our own potential, multi-faceted, shiny, so the light shines through it. And just like a diamond, this practice is meant to restore our real brilliance. The diamond equals our happiness, and if we can get clean the polluted mind light can shine through us, just like a diamond. So today, give your heart a break and allow it to let go of whatever you are facing for even just a little bit. Restore your brilliance and the clarity you need to make better decisions will be revealed! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

PS If you feel like you need more time to devote to cleaning the mental clutter then join me in Moab November 4-7, 2010 or in 2011 on a Yoga retreat in Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Italy and more! Like Alchemy Tours to keep up to date on great trips!

9/24/2010 Tags: happiness, lotus blossom, adversity, diamond, heart, alchemy tours, moab yoga, yoga and mountain biking, Direct Link

POSSIBILITIES FOR YOUR LIFE

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. "The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. The possibility is always there. ~Monica Baldwin

Nothing has expanded, bloomed or grown from contemplating the impossibility of things. If you tell yourself something is impossible the law of attraction will deliver this to you. This practice reminds us to be careful for what we ask for in our thoughts and even more fundamentally that you are responsible for the quality of your life, the quality of your intentions. This currency of believing in the impossibility of things sets humans apart from other creatures. And the fact that all in all we don't have that long in this earthly body is a pretty solid boundary. Robert Braul says it like this, "Life is short, God's way of encouraging a bit of focus."

"Waste not the smallest thing created, for grains of sand make mountains, and atomies infinity. Waste not the smallest time in imbecile infirmity, for well thou knowest that seconds form eternity." ~E. Knight

When we practice breathing and moving through the poses we start from small and simple movement to larger and more complex recognizing how we can create art, movement, sensation, and emotion by our own efforts. And the more heart and practice we put in the more we expand and we see the changes within us. The back of our eyes start to see the external world as filled with potential. For how we experience the world is based on how we see it on the inside first. And then all of our breaths become yoga whether on the mat or off. And then from there the eyes of our hearts open slowing and we proudly stand up in the world with heart wide open to the possibilities that exist to "make a new happy ending."

I used to say I could never bend my knee parallel to the ground in Warrior poses. Then the universal intelligence that is embracing us had me see that I was doing it. And just like that my disbelief vanished!

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” -Frank Lloyd Wright

I stopped backing off from life and realized how precious it is to have this one chance. And that being human like this, right now may never come again. And every time I step on the mat I am reminded of this gift. I hold to the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." And how do I translate this yoga into the yoga of life? I kiss more, I hug more, I enjoy the beauty of food more, I explore more and I say I love you more. I keep expanding....and the thing is I want that for you too. So what are you waiting for? Start now. Believe in the endless possibilities for living the life of your dreams! It is possible. Anything is. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia (PS Read the book A Year to Live by Stephen Levine)

9/14/2010 Tags: possibilities, beauty, love, choices, intention, mortality, focus, potential, disbelief, heart, loving your day videos, Direct Link

SNOWBOARDING AND YOGA BY KENDRA CHARTS GUEST BLOGGER

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010. As I sit here sweating and itching discovering new mosquito bites by the minute, I cannot help but slip away to the idea of the snow. Don't be fooled - I adore the summer. But something about the winter, the glittering snow on the trees, sitting in warm hot springs on a cold night, the mountain peaks, and snowboarding with friends pulls at my heartstrings.

I love snowboarding equally as much as I love yoga (and that is a whole lotta love). This is my story of snowboarding, a practice that is now one of my greatest forms of meditation and prayer. A friend of mine likes to say, "Snowboarding is my prayer and the mountains are my chapel". This I wholeheartedly agree with. This has not always been the case, not even close. Just like when you first tried handstand perhaps you were extremely afraid to go upside down, couldn't get your legs up or just all over the place and toppled over in a big pile. I was like that when it came to snowboarding. Years ago, I decided to go with my brother and his friends to Upper Michigan to learn to board-I figured I was with a bunch of guys with no fear who knew what they were doing. They would help me out and it would be awesome. Wrong! The first time I did not get it at all.   I'd go an inch and then crash, go another inch and then crash again and best of all my brother's friend (on accident) hit me in the head with the snowboard edge which resulted in a lovely gash on my forehead to bring home as my souvenir (I still have the scar - ask me about it and I'll be glad to show you).

Do not be deterred by this story.   With practice I was finally able to link turns. And the feeling was like nothing I had ever experienced. It changed my perspective and I was hooked. It was not until I truly made the commitment, relaxed, slowed down, checked my ego at the chair lift that II was able to connect with the board and surf the mountains. Or in yoga terms that I was able to do that handstand with grace, ease and control. Believe me I have put my whole heart and soul into this love of mine but not until I surrendered did I find the pure joy of this meditation. Frederick Lenz in his book Snowboarding to Nirvana puts it like this: "When you snowboard...your thoughts stop and you rise above time. You enter into a timeless dimension where you experience great joy. When you rise above ego, you experience the pure joy and ecstasy of the web of life."

I have many other stories like the first time I learned to board but I have even more stories of the true awesomeness snowboarding allows. I've come a long way since that first day.   I've lived the dream in Aspen, CO; I've competed; I've trained; I've done ski patrol on a snowboard; I've traveled the world; I've taught; I've visualized; I've taken gnarly falls and gotten back up again; I've ridden backcountry; I've connected with mountains; I’ve driven for hours all night long to be able to ride; I’ve ridden powder and ice and the list goes on and on.   But above all, the mountains and the board continue to teach and humble me, and it’s with great respect for both that I write this.

Yoga has truly enhanced my snowboarding and life as it yokes my mind, body and spirit. How you may be wondering? Yoga conditions your body to be strong and flexible allowing better form and technique so you can ski or board with grace and flow with the mountain rather than resist and attack it.   It can be scary out on the snow covered mountains when you are first learning or if you’re a veteran when you are pushing the edge. The breathing techniques you learn in yoga allow you to relax the muscles and mind when you face a situation where you need to be calm. And one of my personal favorites, yoga lessens the risk of injury and quickens your recovery time. This means you can get out on the mountain day after day feeling good each time. So as I sit here on this hot summer day I am quietly preparing full of excitement for the snowboarding season that lies ahead.

Keep exploring and living your dreams,
Kendra Charts

If you have always wanted to learn to snowboard or ski or already know from experience what I am talking about please consider these amazing adventure Yoga and Snowboarding retreats with Silvia, Jacob and myself. We’ll combine yoga, hot springs and boarding/skiing in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, December 9 - 12, 2010 or Banff, Canada, February 23 - 27, 2011. Visit www.alchemytours.com for more information. And if you can’t wait until then please join me for the pre-season Yoga for Snowboarding and Skiing workshop at Total Body Yoga, October 24, 2010. You may contact me at kendra.charts@gmail.com.

9/13/2010 Tags: kendra charts, alchemy tours, snowboarding to nirvana, joy, meditation, dreams, fear, snowboarding and yoga, yoga retreats, exploration, Colorado Yoga Direct Link

SEPT 18, 2-4PM PARTNER YOGA WITH LIZ LEFFERT

In this workshop you and your partner will support each through a simple sequence of postures focused on breathing and gentle stretching while cultivating a deeper connection with your loved one through the give and take of partner yoga. We will also spend time learning some basic techniques from the Ancient Art of Traditional Thai Massage, including palm pressure, rhythmic rocking, and passive stretching, to relax and restore balance to the body.

This light-hearted practice will help us to be present and focus on each other. We will listen quietly, tuning into our partner as we give the compassion and healing energy that we ourselves would like to receive.

Help to strengthen your connection while having fun together at the same time. There is absolutely no experience necessary.

ABOUT LIZ:
Liz Leffert has been an avid student of yoga since 2003. Her interest in natural therapies led her to a career as Registered Yoga Instructor and Massage therapist. She has studied various western massage modalities and has in addition, over 220 hours of study at the Thai Bodywork School in Evanston with Chuck Duff. Liz recently realized a longtime dream of going to Thailand, where she spent two months, including one month of study with various Thai Massage teachers in the Northern Province of Chiang Mai.

TIME: 2:00-4:00pm
COST: $25/person

Pre-registration is required by email help@totalbodyyoga.com or call 847-266-9642

9/9/2010 Tags: LIZ LEFFERT, PARTNER YOGA, THAI YOGA, BALANCE, YOGA THERAPY, TOTAL BODY YOGA, YOGA WORKSHOPS, Direct Link

PLAN YOUR YOGA AUGUST THRU DECEMBER 2010

SAVE THESE DATES FOR UPCOMING FUN AT TBY!

Call 847 266 9642 or help@totalbodyyoga.com to register

Date-Time-Event

7/28/2010 (Wednesday)-5:30 PM-Third Eye Threads Trunk Show

7/31/2010 (Saturday)-11:00 AM-Reiki I - Learn to Heal Yourself

8/9/2010 (Monday)-Morning-Kids Yoga Camp with Mary Scudella

8/13/2010 (Friday)-7:15 PM-Hula Hoop Dance, Yoga, Fun!

8/14/2010 (Saturday)-11:00 AM-Reiki I - Learn to Heal Yourself

9/4/2010 (Saturday)-12:30 PM-Mommy and Baby Yoga with Rachel Dewan

9/11/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Yoga For Runners with Rachel Dewan

9/12/2010 (Sunday)-2:00 PM-TBY Intro Workshop with Mara Campbell

9/17/2010 (Friday)-6:30 PM-Eat, Pray, Love Workshop with Sandra Coyner

9/18/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Partner Yoga Workshop with Liz Leffert

9/25/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Anusara Yoga 101 with Mara Campbell

10/2/2010 (Saturday)-4:30 PM-David Romanelli Yoga, Miracles and WINE

10/2/2010 (Saturday)-12:30 PM-Mommy and Baby Yoga with Rachel Dewan

10/2/2010 (Saturday)-1:00 PM-Teaching Yoga to Kids with Mary Scudella

10/3/2010 (Sunday)-12:15 PM-David Romanelli Chocolate Covered Happiness

10/17/2010 (Sunday)-2:00 PM-Family Yoga with Mary Scudella

10/24/2010 (Sunday)-7:00 AM-TUSCANY YOGA & CULTURAL RETREAT

10/24/2010 (Sunday)-2:00 PM-Yoga for Skiers and Snowboarders with Kendra Charts

11/4/2010 (Thursday)-12:00 PM-Moab Yoga, Hiking and Mountain Biking Retreat

11/6/2010 (Saturday)-12:30 PM-Mommy and Baby Yoga with Rachel Dewan

11/13/2010 (Saturday)-12:00 PM-Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Rachel Dewan

11/14/2010 (Sunday)-12:00 PM-Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Rachel Dewan

12/4/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Pranayama (Breathing) and Meditation Workshop

12/9/2010 (Thursday)-9:00 AM-Colorado Skiing, Snowboarding, Yoga Retreat

SEE DETAILS AT WWW.TOTALBODYYOGA.COM/SPECIAL-EVENTS.ASP

7/28/2010 Tags: kids yoga, italy yoga, yoga retreats, david romanelli, prenatal yoga, yoga vacations, partner yoga, reiki, Direct Link

INNER STRENGTH

May 19, 2010, Tonight we focused on hugging in to our center. To cultivate that awareness of our own best strength. And what is inner strength really? Well it is love, that’s all. "We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas....As we begin to clear away this clutter, the energy of divine light and love begins to flow through our beings." -Thomas Keating

We experienced this return to ourselves through a series of poses and mantras flowing through the elements such as:

Earth: I am grounded

Fire: I am rising

Air: I am free

When our minds and hearts are scattered in their energy we lose track of self-love and it always starts there in laying the foundation for a healthy life. So we come to the mat to rebuild. Beginning with the earth element and drawing nutrients and support from the earth to help us return to stillness. The healing then expands and as we return to our center by engaging principals of alignment such as hugging to the midline and muscular energy we return to our most powerful selves. We feel the confidence and enthusiasm of the third chakra. There is an aliveness and energy that expands out and up! And from there we connect to the air element of the fourth chakra feeling the lightness and freedom that are our true nature. We are once more in the home of our hearts, we are in love with ourselves and with our lives. You see inner strength is love…that’s all. With metta, Silvia

5/19/2010 Tags: inner strength, love, mantra, fire, earth, air, muscular energy, principals of alignment, chakras, self-love, self-confidence Direct Link

LOVE IS THE ANSWER

May 10, 2010 Nischala Joy Devi puts it like this, “We miss life if we allow others to dictate the direction of our thoughts and feelings. But when our heart guides the focus of our consciousness, love is ever present in our life.” So whatever the question you are struggling with is in your life the answer yoga teaches us is simple. LOVE IS THE ANSWER.

If you can accept and embrace that our true nature is joy beyond the ups and downs and complexities of our humanity we are meant to live in love. In yoga Bhakti means love. Bhakti is love in ACTION. Love is active.

Right now you could be living more in love with your life. There is no reason to wait for your life to be better when it can be better right now. So why delay? Well what often happens is we start to identify with our grumpy selves or sad or angry or critical selves and even come to believe that it us. It is not us. Those are just some fluctuations. To get back to our true nature we have to do something. Love is active. (Chapter 1 Verse 4)

The Yoga Sutra this is based on is Chapter 1 Verse 3 United in the heart, consciousness is steadied, then we abide in our true nature, joy. The expansion of this joy is infinite LOVE, which encompasses and then transforms everything it touches. Everywhere we look, we see the reflection of our joyful nature.

Make the practice of Bhakti of actively living in love your experience this week and see what happens, I know what happens…for that’s how I’ve chosen to live every day I have in this earthly body. I don’t want to waste a moment and hope you won’t any longer either. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

5/10/2010 Tags: Love, Bhakti, yoga, action, yoga sutras, heart, consciousness, joy Direct Link

SECOND AGREEMENT DON'T TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY

APRIL 6, 2010: The second agreement is not to take anything personally. Don Miguel Ruiz explains this, "Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. If someone gives you an opinion don't take it personally, because the truth is that this person is dealing with his or her own feelings, beliefs and opinions. That person tried to send poison to you and if you take it personally, then you take that poison and it becomes yours. Taking things personally makes you easy prey for these predators. They can hook you easily with one little opinion and feed you whatever poison they want, and because you take it personally, you eat it up. You eat all their emotional garbage, and not it becomes your garbage. But if you do not take it personally, you are immune to it."

4/6/2010 Tags: LOVE, FEELINGS, OPINIONS, HEART, OPEN, ANGER Direct Link

OUR BRAINS ARE TOO BIG

February 12, 2010: “The more critical reason dominates, the more impoverished life becomes.” Carl Jung

How can we learn to use our brains better? To shut it off when appropriate, to turn the volume down when healthy, to stop the endless repetition all so we can stop tiring ourselves out, stop hurting ourselves and stop annoying other people. When you think about it seriously Our Brains Are Just TOO BIG!

For what we have to accomplish each day we have way too much brain power. Think of the constant state of mental diarrhea that takes place in any given hour and you have your proof. Combine this with how easily we regurgitate all this brain stuff into constant verbal chatter and the case is made. Our brains really are more than we need and certainly Yoga is necessary to help us manage them better.

Kurt Vonnegut claims that thinking is ineffective not because it is obsolete but because it is OVERDEVELOPED and possibly too advanced. In Galapagos, he looks back from the future to find:

“The mass of men was quietly desperate a million years ago because the internal computers inside their skulls were incapable of restraint or idleness; were forever demanding more serious problems….”

Do you do that? Do you let your brain come up with another problem, another drama especially when you find things getting too “quiet” or happy? Why would we do this…In Wampeteres Foma, and Granfaloons Vonnegut also writes, “the human brain is too high powered to have many practical uses in this particular universe. There was no end to the evil schemes that a thought machine that oversized couldn’t imagine and execute.”

I know you know that ever powerful ability we have to form evil schemes, that somebody is mad at us, or the universe is out to get us, that everyone else has it easier. We learn from Yoga how to manage our thoughts, all 60,000 per day, and focus them on something productive. No longer giving away so much energy on the made up problems but actually time on the mat is that opportunity to listen and feel more. So today, practice some yoga…take back your thought machine and open your heart. Peace in all ways, Silvia

2/12/2010 Tags: brain, stress, behavior, heart, power, talking, listening, brain too big Direct Link

BELIEVE WITH YOUR HEART: LET YOUR MIND REST

JANUARY 22, 2010: At those times in my life where things haven’t made much sense whether it be the passing away of my Dad at a young 59 years old, or seeing the beloved grandmother of a friend ill with cancer or the injustice of nature made disasters like in Haiti. The torture of trying to understand such things with the limitations of our human mind are not the answer. Consciousness is united in the heart say the Yoga Sutras in the first chapter! Our minds yoga teacher/poet Danna Faulds says “may never find the answers they seek so save your energy to swim with the tide.” If we attempt to solve the incomprehensible with our mind we will simply go in circles maybe into madness. The way to keep flowing, to keep living is to let the mind rest and listen with your heart.

“Go to the truth beyond the mind.

Love is the bridge” (Stephen Levine)

The challenge of our humanity is so often we again forget the heart consciousness and go back to trying to make sense of why things happen with our mind. Here for a moment imagine your mind like a lake. The heart under the surface of the water wants your mind to remain like a quiet lake. But we allow our minds to get highly disturbed and the waters grow so rough that we lose clarity. A smooth surface of water can reflect the outer world clearly (like trees or birds or clouds reflected in the mirror like surface of water). However if the surface is chopped up we cannot reflect the sky nor can we see under the surface deeper within ourselves. The yoga will help you as does all meditation to quiet the water and dive into the heart. That way you can understand not with your mind but with your heart. Then the heart’s wisdom is viewed as the quiet on the surface of the lake in our mind.

Emotional upheaval just churns up the water. But even in the washing machine at some point the machine stops and the clothes get to rest. So my friends come to yoga class and rest your mind. Try not to over understand the why of things happening around you nor trouble the mind by over thinking the decisions you are making for yourself. Instead just listen to your heart.

And remember that all is eternal. We are all but waves…and change is constant. Love in all ways, Silvia

“Not with thoughts of your mind, but in the believing

Sweetness of your heart, you snap the link and open the

Golden door and disappear into the bright room, the

Everlasting ecstasy, eternal Now. (Jack Kerouac)

1/22/2010 Tags: Yoga sutras, rest, water, change, jack kerouac, meditation, heart, understanding Direct Link

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

JANUARY 19, 2010: �This is dedicated to Todd Bauschke, who suddenly passed away at the age of 56 years old on January 18th, 2010.� Todd was a dedicated student at TBY and because he applied himself to the practice he got really good.� In recent times he had to step off of the mat and do his yoga without the benefit of group classes because this last two years his health was suffering and he couldn't even breath.� "He finally got his diagnosis in early November 2009. It�s a rare disease called Amyloidosis. It can attack different organs. It attacked Todds heart.� The irony is that he was scheduled to have his stem cells harvested and transplanted next week. It was to be a three week hospital stay."

Yoga helps us all remember that our time here is brief even in the best of scenarios....and all to short for Yogi brother Todd.� Please stop any all excuses for why you aren't living your best life. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?� Get to the mat, and free your heart so you can embrace the life you are meant to be living, right now.

"Your body is free but your heart is in prison. To release your heart, you simply reverse the process which locked it up. First you begin to listen for messages from your heart�messages you may have been ignoring since childhood. Next you must take the daring, risky step of expressing your heart in the outside world. . . . As you learn to live by heart, every choice you make will become another way of telling your story. . . . It is the way you were meant to exist. If you stop to listen, you�ll realize that your heart has been telling you so all along.��(Martha Beck, "Finding Your Own North Star")

What do you plan to do with your one�precious life?

If you can't hear your heart talking to you then consider your time on the mat a mini-retreat. A time to�refresh your spirit, rekindle your passions, and cultivate balance in what you think, what you say and what you do with�your life.�This practice peels back the layers to help us move from self-doubt and uncertainty to a feeling of empowerment and a willingness to at least try at our lives.� Like Todd, if we stay with it and practice�moving in and out of these poses or shapes we create with our bodies you will achieve things you thought were impossible. This encourages us to see past our self-limiting beliefs and discover the power within us to realize that nothing is impossible!�

But no one can do this for you, you have to take time for yourself.� And if a yoga class isn't enough then do what I do go on a Spiritual Retreat.� Take a time out for 4-7 days where you don't feel so rushed and you can step off the tread mill of your life to really feel and open up to the changes you want to make in your life. If you don't even know how to start then plan to join me in Moab in April or Tuscany in June or find enough space where you can tap into how to express your feelings and reconnect to your own inner wisdom. The insights are there and self-expression evolves to self-understanding.� But really, DON'T WAIT.� This is the year we have all run out of excuses. All you need to live the life of your dreams is a willingness to grow an open heart and a playful curiosity wouldn't hurt either.� What do YOU plan to do with your precious life?� Love in all ways, Silvia

1/19/2010 Tags: action, heart, freedom, no excuses, rebel spirit, empowerment, self-doubt, uncertainty, passion Direct Link

TO DO LIST REPLACES TO BE LIST

NOVEMBER 26TH, 2009: This time of year there seems to be a bit of a craze in creating even more over stuffed To Do Lists. As we eat more, exercise less, stress more, relax less we overwhelm ourselves on purpose by engineering these massive lists of stuff �we have to do� before the end of the year. Now I know a lot of that stuff is super sincere and I have no doubt putting these lists together takes great courage. However, the fact is we really have very little control over what gets done. We like to think we have more control than we do.

What we can control is showing up to our lives. The outcome however is still beyond our jurisdiction. So let�s focus on what we can control and that is HOW WE ARE BEING. How we are being is the only that we can do something about.

So today I invite you to create a TO BE list.

Say to yourself �how am I going TO BE no matter what gets done, or the outcome of this situation.�

When we focus on a TO BE List it is giving ourselves permission to do the hardest pose of all which is TO BE YOURSELF. And I can promise you that being yourself is the coolest decision anyone can make. However if you�ve been used to trying to be who everyone else wants you to be there is a paradigm shift there and sometimes being ourselves means we will temporarily disappoint those people. Especially if they are used to us focusing all our time and energy on To Be Lists as a way to prove our self-worth.

You are wonderful the way you are. And when in a state of being present, where we are being ourselves we slow down and get quiet enough To Be more human. This place of quiet helps us be with the opportunities and love surrounding us or as the poet writes, �When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, its sound is often no louder than the beating of your heart and it is very easy to miss it.�

So today practice making a To Be List. And don�t forget on it to include a moment of gratitude for Mother Earth herself, who always serves as our best example of being still and present. Love yourself, love your day! Silvia

�Let us bless the imagination of the Earth. That knew early the patience to harness the mind of time, waited for the seas to warm, ready to welcome the emergence of things dreaming of voyaging among the stillness of land. And how light knew to nurse the growth until the face of the earth brightened beneath a vision of color. Let us thank the earth that offers ground for home and holds our feet firm to walk in space open to infinite galaxies. Let us salute the silence and certainty of mountains their sublime stillness their dream-filled hearts. The humility of earth that transfigures all that has fallen of outlived growth. The kindness of earth, opening to receive our forms into the final stillness.�

11/26/2009 Tags: thanksgiving, to be, be present, poetry, earth, slow down, be yourself, self-love Direct Link

HEALING HAPPENS ONLY WHEN RELAXED

NOVEMBER 19, 2009: For sure a spiritual truth I have learned the hard way is that healing only happens when relaxed. There is no way around this fact. It is as it is. Yoga addresses all aspects of our lives. It gets us back into our bodies that today�s society tends to divorce us from. It gives us this opprunity to slow down, breath and get into our physical selves so we regain confidence in who we are and at the same time it helps us rest deeply when we need it most. All yoga is therapeutic. It is all restorative in nature.

Think about this, 90% of all doctors visits are related to stress. Dude, that�s too much. We need yoga more now than ever. Take 5 minutes to feel this mantra and being your healing journey now. Love in all ways, Silvia

Healing is embracing what is most feared Healing is opening to what has been closed Softening to what has been hardened Healing is learning to trust life To experience healing we must relax.

And an open heart holds the key to our healing as an old Agni teaching says, �until we see with the eyes of the heart, listen to the roar of the world through the ears of the heart, and peer into the future with the comprehension of the heart, we can never know a thing, nor will we ever be whole. The Heart unites us all, regardless of our differences, in this common understanding, and brings compassion to our troubled world.�

��to free the body to experience the power of being�your body is the ground metaphor of your life, the expression of your existence. It is your Bible, your encyclopedia, your lifestory. Everything that happens to you is stored and reflected in your body. Your body knows, your body tells. The relationship to your self to your body is indivisible, inescapable, unavoidable. In the marriage of flesh and spirit, divorce is IMPOSSIBLE, but that doesn�t mean That marriage is necessarily happy or successful. Only when you in truly inhabit your body can you begin the healing journey.�

11/19/2009 Tags: healing, relaxing, stress, opening, heart, trust, resting Direct Link

HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE

OCTOBER 22, 2009: Today I am thinking of what does it mean to SUCCEED IN LIFE? This has me thinking about ancient Yogic writings like that of the Bhagavad Ghita where it talks about Success saying that �the only real success in life is living with an open, loving heart.� �It explains the nature of success, emphasizing that all those things that are obtained in the world are transitory and not ultimately success. If we define success by material stuff we limit ourselves and miss out on life because there is not substitute for peace and love. At the same time it�s not the stuff that�s the problem the problem is the belief that stuff is the solution to the aching soul.� (Judith Lasater, Living Your Yoga)

So the question is how do we enjoy our worldly success and yet not identify with it. How do we make healthy choices that are not �only� influenced by our material desires from our head but also from our hearts? On the mat the yoga is our teacher revealing our mental habits. Do we try to �acquire� as many poses as possible like new shoes? Do we get more enamored with a fancy pose, like a fancy car or can we be really happy with the specialness of fundamental poses? As you make choices in the poses you can judge for yourself your own decision making process and how it applies off the mat.

Carlos Casteneda in his book The Teachings of Don Juan offers a great suggestion for considering what choices to make. To me this is speaking to the heart of the yogic definition of success. �You must always keep in mind that a PATH is only a path; if you feel you must not follow it, you must not stay with it under any circumstances�any path is only a path, there is not affront to yourself or others in dropping it if that is what your head tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and you alone, One question�it is this�DOES THIS PATH HAVE A HEART? All paths are the same; they lead nowhere. Does this path have a heart is the question. If it does, then the path is GOOD; if it doesn�t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere, but one has heart and the other doesn�t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it you will be one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong, the other weakens you.�

Each individual can judge for himself which path has heart for him. Where paths cross there is union; where they run parallel there is peace, provided that each path loves and honors the other. Man must be free to make his own mistakes and learn from them what he can. Love is his guide. Love listens to its own needs. Society is replete with rules, regulations and guidelines to finding love and social acceptance. Often man is so taken up with what others believe or will think or say, that he stops listening to what HE believes, thinks or says. Love listens to its own needs and appreciates its own uniqueness. It abhors the fact that men are becoming more and more the same, so that it will not be long before the only way he will be identifiable as an individual will be through his social security number.� (Leo Buscaglia)

How easily do we share our energies in class with fellow students, sharing in our success in a pose by encouraging everyone else too? Or sharing our ease or the sound of our breath to inspire others breathing? In the book Love by Leo Buscaglia he talks about sharing like this. �Love shares with others. What purpose of knowledge if it isn�t offered? What good is love that isn�t freely given? Love is always active sharing. If one has love to give, he may impart it to all the world and he will still have the same love he started with. We never lose anything by sharing it, for nothing is ever solely ours to start with. In fact, love acquires meaning only as it�s shared.�

So no matter what we acquire Success is living in a state of such graceful openness we want to share and celebrate that which comes from our hearts! And the abundance we grow in our hearts comes from choosing those paths with heart. It�s not about money. Ultimately success is our willingness to enjoy life and life in balance and love. Or as Judith Lasater says � LOVE, NOT WEALTH, IS SUCCESS. A big embrace to you all! Silvia

10/22/2009 Tags: success, love, heart, leo buscaglia, judith lasater, carlos castenada, happiness, yoga Direct Link

EXPECTATIONS SPACE TO RECEIVE WHAT�S BEST

OCTOBER 20, 2009: �You can�t run after contentment it has to find you, all you can do is try to create the space for it. Pay attention to what you can let go of� to create that space. What I think Judith Lasater is talking about as is interpreted by the Yoga Sutras is to drop our heavy expectations. You know those expectations that weigh us down because they are so unrealistic and not even about what we personally want. What is our own truth.

So you guys we can begin right now paying attention to our own enjoyment or CAPACITY to enjoy life: The Yoga Sutras say �enjoyment is the sweetness of noticing your life right now � smell, taste, feeling, sensation� What do you want that is meaningful to you? Well ok then can you simply put that out there as a gentle intention allowing it to come to you instead of pulling at it. Also can you receive it if when it does find you it doesn�t exactly look like what you expected?

I put out to the universe what I wanted in my life a little over a year ago. I thought I was ready to receive it no matter what especially since I consider myself pretty open-hearted and open-minded. But then when what I dreamed was finally offered to me I had that initial moment of �hey that�s not exactly as I wanted it because there is too much distance and some aura of complexity involved.� Come on! But the thing is I�ve learned it is exactly in the way I needed to receive it. The universe totally knew what was best for me and delivered to me the situation that was the healthiest. And I�ve never been happier. If I had turned my back on what was right in front of me because it didn�t totally match my strict expectations I would have missed out on maybe the best experience of my life. How sad would that have been? And how often have you done that?

Equally we learn what letting go of expectations is not: which Sean Corne says so well, �Well what it isn�t is trying to rewrite the past, we can learn something (even from those that have hurt you or things that didn�t go the way you wanted them to) and move on.� So today really use the practice to quiet your mind by paying attention to what extremes of your expectations you can let go of. And most importantly can you try to release your mind from constantly wanting your situation to be different. There is no reason to make war with what you feel, see or experience. You have the freedom to open your heart to what you might be missing by relaxing some of the armor like expectations that can form around you

In closing here is one of my favorites quotes from the book Immunity to Change is �Happiness is really freedom from unhappiness.� So join me in softening our expectations so we can find the:

� Freedom to be happier than ever before

� Freedom to try new things

� Freedom to meet new people

� Freedom to make happy failures

� Freedom to not play it all so safe

� Freedom to do the unexpected

� Freedom to just see what happens

Love to you all, Silvia

10/20/2009 Tags: expectations, freedom, happiness, contentment, pay attention, open-hearted Direct Link

COURAGE TO KEEP GOING

OCTOBER 13, 2009: We have a gazillion opportunities to practice courage each and every day. Not the land a plane safely, pick a car off a trapped person sort of courage but the quiet courage of daily life. There is nothing more heroic than not stopping the ride we�re on and just keep going. We don�t know what the outcome of our actions will be and likely it may not be the outcome we want it to be. Courage is saying Yes I don�t know what comes of this and Yes I will try none the less.

Courage in this practice comes from the heart. And our hearts are more resilient than sometimes we give them credit for being. �It is not easy to keep your heart open in the face of the trials of being human. Life can so often be difficult, disappointing. When we finally stop struggling with life, stop wanting it to be anything but what it is now � not giving up � then our heart will indeed fall open, and we shall know beyond all doubt that, however dark the night, all is already well.� (unknown author)

Fellow yoga teacher Sadie Nardini says �Alongside positive change, challenge appears. You will confront old fears, old ways of being, as you drive through to your soul. Along the road to your best life possible, be prepared for delays. There will be potholes, irritating construction, and long stretches of open space where nothing seems to be happening. That�s life, imperfectly perfect. The lag times and frustrations are necessary to hone your discipline and commitment to your path.� Yes having the courage to keep driving, not pull over and stop the car is like being in a pose in class and just staying with it or doing the same pose more than once in the same class, or practicing that pose over months of time where it still may be hard or nothing seems to be happening but nonetheless we keep showing up. When we have the courage to keep going we are really embracing our humanness and by doing so we embrace the perfectly imperfect nature of all people. We are doing the best we can, it simply is the doing the process itself that matters the most. Wishing you your own best courage! Sat Nam, Silvia

10/13/2009 Tags: courage, heart, positive change, change, challenge Direct Link

RUNNING FOR LIFE OR AWAY FROM LIFE

SEPTEMBER 22, 2009:

I AM GROUNDED IN ACCEPTANCE.

Today is the Autumn Equinox. It is a highly auspicious day and there is an amazing energy available to us three days before today and three days after. But today the peak is at its highest. �To open deeply we need tremendous courage and strength. A kind of WARRIOR SPIRIT. But the place for this warrior strength is in the heart.� These are the words of Jack Kornfield from a favorite book titled A Path with Heart. That warrior spirit is always there as are all the most wonderful qualities of the heart. We need our most inner strength to learn the truth about ourselves.

Taking this literally I am thinking about starting to take up running again. I haven�t run for some years every since my Father, Papa passed away suddenly at the age of 59 years old. It is something that we did as a family growing up. He was my first running �coach�. And I�ve had this fear of the sadness I�d experience by going back to running. Now over the years I�ve still bought really great running shoes, just in case I just haven�t used them. But it has come time as I grow up and become more honest with myself and ground myself in my own acceptance that I see the situation for what it is. I am running away from the strong feelings I associate with my Dad, the sense of loss and hurt not having him here on earth. I have to face this.

�We need energy, commitment and courage not to run from our life nor to cover it over with any philosophical � material or spiritual. We need a Warrior�s Heart that lets us face our lives directly. Our pains and limitations, our joys and possibilities.� (Jack Kornfield)

So as I face myself I asked a sweet friend who is making their own expansion this question: ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR LIFE OR RUNNING TOWARDS WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUR LIFE? There is a difference.

I am seeking my own Warrior courage to put those running shoes on and get out there face my grief and get on with it. I don�t want to run away from anything, I�ve tried that you guys and it doesn�t help. So I encourage you to do the same in some aspect of your life. The reason why I think this is good is that we can�t choose to close down just one part of our life and expect everything else to open. Energies are not mutually exclusive, if we are opening to love and peace we must do so in all parts of our life. Jack Kornfield goes on to encourage us,

�To live in love:

� Look at every path closely and deliberately and ask yourself does this path have heart? If it does the path is GOOD, if it doesn�t it is of no use.

� Where do we put your time, strength, creativity and love?

� Does what we are choosing reflect what we deeply value?

� What might lead me to create openness, honesty and a deeper capacity to love?

We must have the courage to face whatever is present � our pain, our desires, our grief, our loss, our secret hopes, our love, everything that moves us deeply. Each of us will find something from which we have been running � our loneliness, our unworthiness, our boredom, our shame, our unfulfilled desires. We must face these parts of ourselves as well because to live in the present demands an on-going and unwavering commitment. Just as it is a courageous act to face all the difficulties from which we have always run, it is also an act of compassion. And compassion is the �quivering of the pure heart. With greatness of heart we can OPEN to the people around us.�

I want for us all to choose wisely and decide to no longer run away from life but instead to run towards it. Accept where you are and begin again from there. I will keep you posted on my progress putting on those running shoes and stepping onto the pavement. As I wish the best for myself I wish you the same and more! Love and courage to us all, Silvia

9/22/2009 Tags: courage, heart, running away, jack kornfield, mantra, warrior Direct Link

NEW BEGINNINGS

AUGUST 9TH, 2009:

�The bud

stands for all things,

even for those things that don�t flower,

for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;

though sometimes it is necessary

to reteach a thing its loveliness,

to put a hand on the brow

of the flower

and retell it in words and in touch

it is lovely

until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing� (By Galway Kinnell)

I always keep close to my heart the words of Thich Nhat Hanh who says �each minute of our life is a work of art.� Through yoga and daily time spent on the mat this is exactly how I came to see my life as this beautiful canvas, each pose and each life experience: good, difficult, interesting, all adding colors to the artwork of my story. If you say to yourself the first two lines of this poem you get that same feeling or as Roger Housden puts it �you may find, as I have, that they give you the feeling of wanting to live large again on the canvas of your life. For we, too, are buds, you and I, full of life unfolding into flower.�

We all have this amazing opportunity in each minute to step onto our own spiritual path moved by an inner sense to find greatness of heart to choose our own path, or as Robert Frost says �take the road less traveled�. I also really love how this poem speaks to everyone no matter what, �even those that don�t flower externally can do so from within.� We all want to endeavor to fill the canvas of our lives with bold colors, the way is to look at our own hearts and see that everything we need to make a new beginning to give birth to some new venture lies within us already. Housden says �the flower of our life is already in bud even now.� Yes it is. Join me on the mat tomorrow at 7:45am Level 1-2 or 9:15am Level 1 or 4:30pm Level 1-2 to as Swami Vivekananda says to experience that �we are responsible for what we are and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves!�

See you in the flow! Love in all ways, Silvia

8/9/2009 Tags: beginnings, Art, Life, Robert Frost, Thich Nhat Hanh, self-love, power Direct Link

FAITH

AUGUST 8, 2009: What I meditate about today is FAITH. Faith in the unknown and what comes next, a hopeful positive expectation for life. Life is funny, it offers us a constant stream of challenges so we have an endless opportunity to demonstrate Faith in the flow of grace. Fundamentally the truism is that change is inevitable so that even the greatest challenges won�t last forever. As Sharon Salzburg says, �No matter what is happening, whenever we see the inevitability of change, the ordinary, or even oppressive, facts of our lives can become alive with prospect. We see that a self-image we�ve been holding doesn�t need to define us forever, the next step is not the last step, what life was is not what it is now, and certainly not what it might yet be.�

�It is not easy to keep your heart open in the face of the trials of being human. Life can so often be difficult, disappointing; our dreams are so easily broken. How precious, then, those shafts of sunlight that sometimes break through our daily preoccupations, our anxieties, and reveal the beauty that was there all along.� - Roger Housden

The next step is not the last step�

�When we finally stop struggling with life, stop wanting it to be anything but what it is now � not giving up but giving it over � then our heart will indeed fall open, and we shall know beyond all doubt that, however dark the night, all is already well.� � Roger Housden

And the moment we let go of fear or the darkness of lost hope or peace of mind the sooner we find ourselves immersed in the journey of Faith once more. She will always take us back all we have to do is say �I choose life, I align myself with the potential inherent in life, I give myself over to that potential.� It means being present. That is what Sharon Salzberg in her book titled Faith speaks to when she writes, �With faith we can draw near to the truth of the present moment, which is dissolving into the unknown even as we meet it. We open up to what is happening right now in all its mutability and evanescence. A pain in our body, a heartache, and unjust treatment may seem inert, impermeable, unchanging. It may appear to be all that is, all that ever will be. But when we look closely, instead of solidity, we see porousness, fluidity, motion. We begin to see gaps between the moments of suffering. We see the small changes that are happening all the time in the texture, the intensity, the contours of our pain.�

During the course of our practice on the mat we flow and breath to remind us that faith in change is right there all the time inside our breath. One inhale leads us to the exhale and on into the next breath. Faith in our own breath reconnects us to trust in our lives.

�No matter what is happening, whenever we see the inevitability of change, the ordinary, or even oppressive, facts of our lives can become alive with prospect. We see that a self-image we�ve been holding doesn�t need to define us forever, the next step is not the last step, what life was is not what it is now, and certainly not what it might yet be. Without faith in change we would be compelled to repeat patterns of suffering at least reassured by being able to predict mortification and pain. Without a sense of possibility, we would be stuck�isolated, hopeless, and unspeakably sad. No matter what is happening, whenever we see the inevitability of change, the ordinary, or even oppressive, facts of our lives can become alive with prospect. We see that a self-image we�ve been holding doesn�t need to define us forever, the next step is not the last step, what life was is not what it is now, and certainly not what it might yet be. Without faith in change we would be compelled to repeat patterns of suffering at least reassured by being able to predict mortification and pain. Without a sense of possibility, we would be stuck�isolated, hopeless, and unspeakably sad.�

So I hope this inspires you all to step into the flow of grace. Believe that grace is always there the current gentle to swoop us up in our most challenging moments or as Rumi writes, Be helpless, dumbfounded, unable to say yes or no. Then a stretcher will come from grace and gather us up.

Hope you can join me at 9:15am this morning for a sweet quiet practice of Faith. Love, Light, Peace and Hope, Silvia

8/8/2009 Tags: faith, trust, rumi, suffering, hope, grace, choice, change, heart Direct Link

ACCEPTING OURSELVES

JULY 20TH, 2009: Why do I come to the mat each and every day? I return because I want to make and keep peace with who I am. I practice in the safety of class radical self-acceptance. Through that practice I stay present to life and what it is offering me breath to breath, email by email, thought to action to observation. We are all a work in progress but that awareness of letting ourselves be who we are is vital to positive mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Think about it you can come to class at any time without having to meet any single prerequisite. You just come as you are and the power and beauty of yoga embraces you. I can tell you during times of challenge the mat was the only place I felt like I could be myself. And I mean my real self (not the pretending we do for our neighbors, colleagues, even sometime our family members). Eckhart Tolle in the book A New Earth says it like this on page 184:

"Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment. It is part of the isness of the Now. You can't argue with what is. Well, you can, but if you do, you suffer."

Finding peace inside through compassionate self-acceptance is not that easy, but the thing is only when we find peace within can we become the kind of people who can live at peace with others. It is a straightforward spiritual law. You cannot offer to others what you don�t practice for yourself. If you don�t have peace you can�t make peace, if you don�t love yourself you can�t really love someone else, if you don�t fully accept how amazing you are, you WILL NEVER accept others. This is why when I�ve encountered the most critical or judgmental person I feel compassion for them because I know they are only treating me like that because they are first criticizing and belittling themselves. I don�t want that to be the way of energy exchange for any of us. This is why I want the world to practice yoga.

�Some people confuse acceptance with apathy, but there`s all the difference in the world. Apathy fails to distinguish between what can and what cannot be helped; acceptance makes that distinction. Apathy paralyzes the will-to-action; acceptance frees it.� Says Anne Covey

And perhaps the greatest misunderstanding of acceptance is that it is apathetic. This is not the case. Yoga is at its core learning how to accept ourselves in this moment not staying stuck in apologizing who were in the past or hyperventilating about who we might be in the future. As Fulton Oursler puts it, �Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.� When we are allowing ourselves to accept our innate goodness we can learn how to ask ourselves better questions and to listen to the answers (i.e., What do I want? What do I feel? What do I need? How can I give myself what I need right now?) In other words we aren�t trying to fix ourselves as if we were broken we nourish ourselves with self-love. This leads to a sense of feeling light, freer and healthier. So today make the choice not to keep yourself in a prison of your own making through self-criticism and harsh self-judgement but instead as Rumi says, �only from the heart can you touch the sky!� Accept yourself, lover your day, love your life! Silvia

"You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness." - Page 13 Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

7/20/2009 Tags: Accepting, Self-Acceptance, Self-Love, A New Earth, Be Present, Peace, Compassion, Rumi Direct Link

PRECISION AND GENTLENESS FOR BACK PAIN

JULY 18TH, 2009:� Good morning!� So today I passed out a handout with the suggested foot alignment for all standing poses.� We started by really talking about the detail and precision as well as precise modifications for all fundamental standing poses like Pyramid, Lunge, Warrior B, Triangle pose and Wide Standing Pose.� With that said I wanted to make the point that if we only emphasize technical precision we can get overly self-critical, perfectionistic and even downright militant. �The yoga practice can be used in an unhealthy way becoming way too constrictive and goal-oriented.� So as we focus on the elegant principles of alignment we also emphasize gentleness. �Otherwise the yoga can be a means to create more stress in our already stressful lives.

�

Our physical focus today was the psychological triggers of back pain.� In the book The Mind Body Connection by Dr John Sarno he argues the cause of back pain is usually entirely psychological.� He says back muscles go into spasm and cause pain because of mental tension and that if you can get to the root cause of the tension the pain will disappear. With yoga we can heal back pain by calming down our overactive stress response system.� The greatest tool we have to do this is the breath which is why we link breath with movement leading to muscle relaxation and mental quiet. A personal favorite breathing mantra to practice in and out of class is this:

Breathing in, I am aware I am breathing in

Breathing out, I am aware I am breathing out

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I calm my mind.

�

Practicing slow deep breaths triggers the "relaxation response" the antidote to flight or flight response. The focus on all three parts of the lungs (especially deep abdominal focus on exhalations) helps bring in more oxygen.� And the wave like undulation of deep inhales and exhales gently massage the spinal column which brings nutrients to our spinal disks.

�

The poses we practice today were specific to stretch all major muscle groups around the hip joints including adductors, quads, rotators, and hamstrings. What happens is that when our Hip rotators are tight they hold the pelvis too much and the force of movement transfers up to the low back putting strain from there on up the spine.� It hurts!� We held poses working on precision but then we also put a simple routine together you could practice at home for 5 minutes per day at a one breath per movement ratio, letting go of perfection.� This way we improved overall circulation that brings nutrients to the intervertebral disks while removing toxins.� The thing is that disks don't have an independent blood supply therefore they depend on movement of the surrounding structure to aid in the delivery of nutrients.� Movement causes the disks to be compressed which squeezes out stale disk fluid and then to expand bringing in fresh supply.� Judith Lasater says, �In the majority of cases back pain can be prevented.� The majority have to do with how we use our bodies."� We don�t hurt anymore!

�

Altogether we used this practice to learn how to manage addressing our mental and physical tensions so we could find stillness and gentleness by the end. The whole class intended to help us get to the final pose of Savasana where in the words of Eckhart Tolle in his power Practicing the Power of Now we experienced a feeling of letting go.� I hope you find this background on healing back pain helpful and healing. Love the day! Silvia

�

When you surrender to what is

and so become fully present,

the past ceases to have any power.

Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you,

An unfathomable sense of peace.

And within that peace, there is great joy.

And within that joy, there is love.

�

7/18/2009 Tags: Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle, peace, joy, healing, back pain, breath, meditation, gentleness, precision Direct Link

FREEDOM FOR ALL

JUNE 28, 2009: Martin Luther King said, �In every age and every generation, men have envisioned a promised land. Some may have envisioned it with the wrong ideology, with the wrong philosophical presupposition. But men in every generation thought in terms of some promised land.� This promised land is freedom and yoga teaches us that it is here right now inside us. All that is necessary to FIND IT is to choose love, to allow yourself to feel more and think less.

Get on the mat, feel the breath, feel the sensations and let your mind unwind.

So today have the courage to set yourself free! For Stress paralyzes life; love releases it. Worry confuses life; love harmonizes it. Anger darkens life; love illuminates it. As Augustus William Hare writes, �The feeling is often the deeper truth.� Embrace your truth, embrace what you feel and free your soul for love and peace!

Lokaha Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu (May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts words and actions of my life contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all!)

With lovingkindness,

Silvia

6/28/2009 Tags: freedom, martin luther king, truth, breath, meditation Direct Link

GENEROSITY AND HUMILITY

JUNE 22, 2009:� Generosity in yoga is really an interesting learning.� To be generous asks that we be open but with a really focused effort.� In our Western world we get caught up with the idea of doing more for the sake of more, this more is better idea�(even if quality perishes) often leads to exhaustion.� In the corporate world I used to rage against the machine when it came to an ever increasing aspiration towards mediocrity instead of excellence like when I first entered the workforce 15 years ago.� Energetically this can make us feel totally run down not only because of how much we�re doing but more with the fact in our hearts we�d rather be doing something else.� That�s the humility part.� Do you take time to listen to your heart and bow humbly to its lessons, heeding its advice?� Even just a single moment of silence can help you gain the clarity you need.� Take 5 centering breaths right now and just listen to the greatest teacher of all, your intuition.

However in yoga I felt like I was coming home, how generosity meant a conscious action of doing more but in the RIGHT WAY.� QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY, you know?� Giving what is needed when it is needed rather than just giving what makes us feel good.� So ask: How can you be more generous with yourself today?� As I often say at the end of class:� as much as I want this practice to be everything you want it to be I hope more that it�be everything you NEEDED it to be.� Peace. Silvia��

A Story of Generosity:� Stone Soup (From Daily Om)

There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there�s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn�t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets�indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.

This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves, when in truth we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone. Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same!

�

6/22/2009 Tags: generosity, sharing, giving, receiving, quality, meditation, heart Direct Link

DECISIVENESS

MAY 21, 2009: Where do we make decisions from? The heart put the mind down tonight, let it rest. Don�t think but feel. If we convince ourselves to decide only with our minds we will talk ourselves out of the best experiences of life. It is possible to over analyze any situation or decision all the way into procrastination. However, if we let our heart consciousness take an active role we�ll find we become more decisive and present. Vanna Bonta puts it like this, she says �heart needs only its own voice to do what is right.�

I know this is scary. Feeling is always more vulnerable than thinking. But making decisions from the inside is the only way. Rumi says �If you want to find the greatest treasure, don't look outside, Look within, and SEEK THAT." We can collect opinions from others but they will always be only opinions. No one can decide for us what actions to take in our lives. We can try to give up our choices to others but this will only lead to frustration in the end. No one else knows our hearts the way we do, not even our partners. So be afraid but be real. Susan Jeffers writes, �Feel the fear and do it anyway!�

Most of all BE DECISIVE! In the fortune 200 corporate world the greatest push back I would receive having come from an entrepreneurial background (worked for two Inc 500 companies) was about making decisions. I would advise we do something and if it didn�t work, we could always make a different decision. The �we�ve always done it this way� but it�s not working didn�t play with me. If it is not working then change it. Try something, for goodness sake try anything!

Do this practice on the mat. Practice here so you can be more decisive in your life decisions.

Another area where we lose ground in being decisive is obsessing about why others make decisions the way they do. We cannot control the choices others make so analyzing it to pieces won�t help. All we can do is make decisions for ourselves in spite of what others do or don�t do. You are the only one that decides your actions! What I am invoking here is that we see ourselves as INVENTORS, CREATORS. Creative in how we choose to live life. Being in charge of our lives is the ultimate form of creative expression! So embody the TBY Rebel Spirit Manifesto. Own your own life - start today, be decisive. Love life and it will love you back! Silvia

TBY Rebel Spirit Manifesto:

Be FREE

Break out of the box

LOVE Fiercely

Throw OUT the rules

Take a RISK

Say I CAN

Say I WILL

5/21/2009 Tags: DECISIVENESS, fear, rumi, love, rebel spirit, heart Direct Link

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE: LOVE INSTEAD OF FEAR

MAY 14TH, 2009: When you think about it doing what feels good should be pretty easy. Two of my friends at dinner last night were sharing stories of their kids: 1) her son was on stage in second grade and front and center put his hands down his pants until he caught his Mom�s eye and realized I probably shouldn�t do that here. But he had a point, it felt good to him so why resist. 2) Another friend�s daughter as a tiny tot at dance recitals liked to lift her dress all the way up over her head. No fear, no doubt, just felt good to do it so why resist.

Yet as adults if feeling good is natural then why do we stay in hurtful relationships, jobs we hate, drive commutes that make us nuts, live where we don�t like the weather, edit who we really are for the sake of our neighbors? Why do we resist life�s natural inclination to move us towards happiness?

Can you imagine the energy you�d have if you stopped resisting life and lived without apology, without any embarrassment whatsoever? So when you come to the yoga mat I urge you to stop over thinking and begin feeling more. For if we are to live more authentic lives and begin to realize how Futile Resistance really is it has to happen from the inside out. Have the courage to acknowledge the person standing in our way is ourselves.

A friend recently gave me the book �The War of Art� by Steven Pressfield and the author starts off by talking about those activities that elicit Resistance including but not limited to: �Any health regimen; any program of spiritual advancement; any program designed to overcome an unwholesome habit; Any act of ethical courage � including the decision to change for the better some unworthy patter of thought or conduct in ourselves; any act that entails commitment of the heart.� Well, if you look at the list that�s pretty much what yoga touches upon in every class.

So for me the question is then what is resistance? Sadie Nardini writes �Resistance happens any time we stand in the way of our own forward momentum. We block ourselves from real happiness, love and fulfillment in countless ways. There are the obvious ones, such as self-doubt, but also the more covert, including procrastinating, rationalizing and engaging in drama. Resistance is the destroyer of dreams. And we must weaken its power over us or it will paralyze us.�

How do we address our resistance? It is the first principle of Anusara yoga, to open to grace. We soften, we say Yes, we expand into the flow of love. Otherwise when we resist or fight life we stop ourselves from LOVE, we stop the flow of all good things coming into our lives and instead build up walls. This spiritual practice takes down the walls so we can align again with love. Through love each and every one of us has the power to TRIUMPH over resistance!

What is resistance?

Pressfield says its invisible yet it has the power to distract us, prevent us from doing our life�s work. He calls it the enemy within. You know the one that is obsessive, constantly worried, filled with anxiety, overthinking. It is fueled by fear and we feed it the more afraid we are of admitting our fears. I believe it is most often fear of being really happy that is at the heart of resistance � at least this is what I�ve found in my life. Ask yourself, if everything you ever wanted came true tomorrow, how would your life be different? How would you live? Resistance is felt as UNHAPPINESS. This is why it is the enemy of love. If you are honest with yourself are you standing in your own way today of being happier, more peaceful more in love with life?

To overcome resistance in the body we have to stop forcing, fighting or holding ourselves back. Instead practice from softness, desire, gentle courage and resistance is futile in the face of you Being Love, Being Beauty, Being Happy! What am I suggesting? At a minimum I am promoting you get RADICAL! That you start a revolution from inside to overthrow the invader of resistance because it is NOT YOU. Will this be scary? Yes. Is that reason enough not to do it? You have to decide the life you want to live. For me the answer is easy, I want to be peaceful. And by facing what scares me I am starting a revolution I�d like you to join within yourself. Love to you all, Silvia

5/14/2009 Tags: RESISTANCE, FEAR, HAPPINESS, LOVE, WAR OF ART, SADIE NARDINI, BEAUTY, TRUTH Direct Link

EARTH DAY MEDITATION

APRIL 22, 2009: How to Go About Decharging Negative Energy

Negative energy is blocked or excess energy that needs to flow. Negative energy can be stress, frustration, anxiety or anger for instance. Depression is feeling negativity but being unable to decharge that. Nature makes you feel closer to Universal Source Energy, because Source energy is flowing in nature. Nature can heal you!

Once you've learned how to feel the energy during meditation, you can begin using the Earth element to decharge. A good way of decharging using the Earth element is to use a plant for decharging excess energy. Take a plant, point your fingers near it and say the mantra, "Oh Spirit, my heart is open to you, please come. I know you are in this plant. Please use this plant to decharge my negative energy. Thanks". Do this for about 15 minutes.

Depression, anxiety and stress will flow out of your fingertips into the Earth. As you do this and repeat the mantra a lifetimes worth of negativity may flow out. You have a second chakra in each fingertip for giving or sending out energy. Don't worry about the plant. The plant takes this energy and uses it in a positive way. It's not bad for the plant in any way. Having a channel to the Earth brings huge peace and happiness. Although you may have problems you no longer care about them. The Earth also helps open your heart. It allows you to live on Earth happily. The Earth radiates huge energy and can magnify any type of emotion. When you purify the Earth element in you, the magnetism of the Earth will automatically suck out your negative energy.

4/22/2009 Tags: meditation, earth, letting go, negative energy Direct Link

PUT SOMETHING DOWN: REMOVING OBSTACLES TO LOVE

APRIL 21, 2009: The heart is a bit foolish you know? Overall, life is really lovely. Each day brings its own charm and delights (even as the shadows of fear and self-doubt add flavor). Yet we often catch ourselves up trying to �carry too much� in our arms. And then funny thing we ask ourselves why can�t I invite anything else in? Why is this stuff all in the way? Well the easy answer is that we have to put something down in order to pick something else up. So today�s class is from a Western view �STRESS MANAGEMENT 101�. From a yogic view we are focusing on Chapter 2, verse 10 and 11.

We begin with a moving meditation: Imagining that as we stand tall, shoulders back, palms together that as we inhale and separate our hands we are pulling back the curtains of Fear, Self Doubt, Worry. This curtain is paperlight, see through and by observing it as such we can essentially dissolve it away. This reminds us that the Obstacles we have to face are really of our own mental creation. They are not insurmountable. They are just like a veiled curtain waiting to be pulled open so we can see to the other side. We know this as we held our arms out to our sides thumbs inside peaceful fists for 2 minutes imagining a 4 oz cup of water in each hand. It is not the absolute weight of the water that matters. It is about how long will we force ourselves to hold on and carry around the mental obstructions? If we hold our arms out 2 minutes that won�t hurt us, but an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, years? Then even though the water is light in weight the duration of carrying the burden of the water will do us harm. So it is with our thoughts. Replaying disastrous thoughts over and over for 2 minutes won�t kill us, but doing this day after day will create the stress that destroys our lives.

So really take 5 minutes to ask yourself what is it that needs to be released from my life? What mental obstacles can you put down right now? What can you clear out that is detrimental to living happier, lighter? Are there old habits you can release that don�t reflect your current needs and desires?

Then once relaxed and refreshed from the burden of carrying so much, ask yourself what is ready to be born in my life? What do you want to pick up?

And remember that only you can welcome the positive changes that transform your life. But don�t make it such a big deal. Remember as Sharon Salzberg writes in Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, �The next step is not the last step.� In order to take the step, we have to put something down, in order to pick up something else. So let down the obstacles, and pick up LOVE. Let love heal. Love your day, love your life! Silvia

4/21/2009 Tags: love, stress management, obstacles, meditation, heart, fear, worry Direct Link

HEART HEALTH WITH YOGA: STRENGTHEN YOUR MIND MUSCLE

JANUARY 13, 2009: The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing. ~Larry Dossey

It's easy to disconnect from what we are feeling. Yoga brings us back into a state of connection. Life surprises us sometimes with interesting challenges and this is when we need a strong MIND MUSCLE the most! And just like working out a bicep you have to do it more than once to see results. How is the mind muscle related to a Healthy Heart? We begin with what we are thinking and then our breath and our body follow. Our disposition and how we manage our mental muscle in dealing with life impacts our health and it is nowhere more evident than with our heart.

From personal experience in losing my Dad at the early age of 59 I know firsthand that heart disease is the number one killer in the modern world (and its not just men that are affected). It is the leading cause of death in both sexes. According to the book Yoga as Medicine it says, �In predicting heart attacks, science has uncovered strong evidence for possible contributing factors such as type A behaviors, a sense of urgency about time, job dissatisfaction, loneliness and an unhappy marriage. There appears to be an unhealthy synergy involving risk factors for heart disease. They don�t add up � they multiply.�

How does yoga fit in? �Because the stress response affects the heart in a number of harmful ways, yoga�s proven ability to fight stress is a big part of the explanation for how yoga benefits people with heart ailments.�

On the mat we begin the pose with the mind first and then the breath and body follow. This is why the sophistication in cuing is so remarkable as a way to "work out" our mind muscle and make it less flabby. How can we even begin to see the connections between ourselves and the world if our mind muscle isn't strong enough to see the communion or connection within our own body? And really what are we talking about here? Why bother at all? Because a strong mind muscle is what keeps us living lovingly and fully! It is always about LOVE. Jack Kornfield says it like this:

"Love creates a communion with life. Love expands us, connects us, sweetens us, ennobles us. Love springs up in tender concern, it blossoms into caring action. It makes beauty out of all we touch. In any moment we can step beyond our small self and embrace each other as beloved parts of the whole."

In the end, when we look at our life, the questions will be simple: Did I live fully? Did I love well?

I can say that I believe my Father, Enrico Mordini, could respond YES to both these questions. And maybe its not the length of time we have on this earth and in this body that makes the difference but what we have done with this time that counts. Please, strengthen your mind and open your heart. Love, Silvia

1/13/2009 Tags: Community, Connection, Love, Heart, 4th Chakra, Mind Direct Link

INNER NET

DECEMBER 10TH, 2008: We live in a brain oriented world focused on the external. What we wear, what we look like, what kind of car we have, house, shoes�all of it. We learn from yoga that the way we see the world is a reflection of what we feel about ourselves. It is like we come into the world planted in a foreign country and we only use external signs to communicate when all the time the way to learn the language (which is always the language of love) is to look inside. Then the outside will make sense. It is the same with the poses, we do them from the inside out, not the other way around. This all brings us more inward, to our inner net. Enjoy the words to a favorite song of mine, �RECEIVING CHANT� by Karen Drucker.

LET THE SPIRITS GATHER 'ROUND ME
LET THE SILENCE SHOW ME WHERE TO START
LET ME FIND THE COURAGE THAT WILL GUIDE ME
TO THE CENTER OF MY HEART

LET THE LIGHTNESS LIFT EACH SHADOW
LET EACH TRACE OF DARKNESS WITHER AND DEPART
LET THIS LONGING BE A BEACON AS I JOURNEY
TO THE CENTER OF MY HEART

RELEASE ME TO WONDER UNAFRAID
YOU TEACH ME TO BEND
SO IF THE JOURNEY FALLS APART
I'LL FIND THE CENTER OF MY HEART

FILL MY HEART WITH ONE DEVOTION
ONE INTENTION UNDIVIDED AND ASSURED
THAN I'LL KNOW THE PRESENCE OF A GUIDE
TO THE PATH THAT WILL....

RELEASE ME TO WONDER UNAFRAID
YOU TEACH ME TO BEND
SO IF THE JOURNEY FALLS APART
I'LL FIND THE CENTER OF MY HEART

HELP ME FIND THE CENTER OF MY HEART

12/10/2008 Tags: INNER NET, heart, strength, brain Direct Link

AT HOME IN OUR BODIES

DECEMBER 5TH, 2008: If you�ve ever visited a topless beach there is a period of time where you get really self-conscious like folks are looking at you. Eventually you realize no one is looking at you and then you chill out. Doing yoga with other people is a little like that. At first you are totally self-conscious thinking it�s all about you and that everybody is checking you out: your hair, your body, your pose. Reality is, not really. What I want you to realize about yoga is that the hardest part is it asks us to BE OURSELVES, without reservation, without conditions.

This means it really is helping us be at home in our bodies and honest in our emotions. And until we get in contact with our true feelings � fear, upsetness, grief, joy, silliness we won�t be able to build healthy relationships. I�ve tried it the other way, it doesn�t work. So today I hope to inspire you to be true to yourself by really getting totally fascinated with your body, your sexiness, your playfulness, your heart and see what happens next in your relationships. I know they will blossom! Love in all ways, Silvia

12/5/2008 Tags: Sexy, Self-Love, Truth, Heart, Body Direct Link

RECHARGING ONE'S BATTERIES: RETURNING TO ALIGNMENT

DECEMBER 3, 2008: This time of year it�s easy to get run down. This is why yoga is excellent as a means of strengthening our Immune Function. Our natural state of being is vibrant, happy to be alive! Yet, there can be times when we feel run down and worn out. This means that we need to recharge our batteries and find a way of keeping them charged. The practice of yoga can help by giving us time to take an honest look at how we have been thinking, feeling and acting. This recognition of how our heart is responding will give us the key to bringing ourselves back into ALIGNMENT. This is the recognition of adhikara, meaning: "authority" literally it connotes the act of alignment. And YOU are the authority on YOU!

Yoga essentially shows us our best selves and each time we come to the mat we rediscover who we really are. You know that feeling of coming home, like in our first down dog of the practice. So when we come back home to ourselves we are aligning to our spiritual hearts. The flow within and outside us feels easeful once more. This is different than saying �easy� life is not always going to be easy, just like poses are not always easy either. But if we are aligned with our greatest good we can face any challenge without letting it get the best of us, burning us out, making us sick or tired. So join me in taking an honest look at whether you are in or out of alignment and from there I wish you all the courage to do something about it. This is the same wish I have for myself. I want for you, your own best strength! Love in all ways, Silvia

12/3/2008 Tags: ALIGNMENT, ENERGY, courage, strength, heart Direct Link

COLD OUTSIDE: SUNNY ON THE INSIDE

DECEMBER 1, 2008: As you close your eyes you turn into the darkness to see that inner light within the untouched place known as maja. It is a place unblemished by sadness or meanness or anger. It is the seat of wisdom known as our spiritual heart. The yogis believe that each of us replicates the world at large, embodying "rivers, seas, mountains, fields...stars and planets...the sun and moon" (Shiva Samhita, II.1-3). The outer sun, they asserted, is in reality a token of our own "inner sun," which corresponds to our subtle, or spiritual, heart.

So when we practice Surya Namaskar, which is a humble adoration of the insight of the self it namaskar stems from namas, which means "to adore." (The familiar phrase we use to close our yoga classes, namaste�te means "you"�also comes from this root.) Each Sun Salutation begins and ends with the joined-hands mudra (gesture) touched to the heart with the intention behind it of �I adore myself�.

So today no matter the cold, snow or emotional challenges outside you see it is always sunny and sweet deep inside. Amidst the chaos of life there is an inner calm. Or as the poet writes, If the sun were not in love, he would have no brightness, the side of the hill no grass on it.

You light the fire of love
in earth and sky
in heart and soul
of every being.

Through your love
existence and nonexistence merge.
All opposites unite.
All that is profane
becomes sacred again.

Keep stirring the sunny side my friends! Love Big, Silvia

12/1/2008 Tags: MAJA, SURYA, HEART, RUMI, Inspiration, courage Direct Link

THANKSGIVING 2008: HEART EXPANSION!

NOVEMBER 28, 2008: I know we are a super brain focused society. I get that, having spent many years in the corporate world I lived that way too. But I also remember having my brain feel overworked all the time. Today (well maybe even a little bit every day) join me in focusing on expanding the heart, allow your brain to relax, put it on vacation.

My teacher Shiva said once, "our hearts emit an electromagnetic field of energy, which can be measured by scientists. Intererstingly enough, the heart's electromagnetic field measure much higher than the brain's." Pretty cool huh?

So on this special Thanksgiving we moved and breathed as a community of the heart which we call a KULA. We all showed up ready to give our personal best and taking to heart the words of Rumi,

"Wake up lovers, it is time to start the Journey!
Let us kiss the ground and flow like a river towards the Ocean.
It is best to travel with Companions on this Jouney.
Only love can lead the way."

11/27/2008 Tags: Rumi, Heart, Love, Brain Down Direct Link

PLEASE VOTE

NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008: Please vote today: show up, participate, share responsibility. It's just like being on the mat - the more you put in the more you get out of it. Thank you. (And for inspiration a Poem sent to me by one of our TBY yogis)

Election Promises

I hear the polls
are going to be open on Tuesday.
All day.
Good. I certainly intend to go to them.
I certainly invite you to go go them and vote too.
But today I say the polls
are not just open on Tuesday.
I say they are open every day.
Every hour. Even here. Even now.
Right now I am going to vote
for the robin's egg sky,
the vanilla clouds,
the purple shadow spreading
under the ginkgo tree,
I am going to vote for tulips and redbuds.
I am going to vote for love
that does not have
to run in someone else's circles
in order to be love.
I'm going to vote the homeless into homes.
I'm going to vote the uneducated into classrooms
that teach them in the way they learn best,
not the way that would be most convenient.
I'm going to vote the sick into healing.
I'm going to vote the lost into belonging.
I'm going to vote, right now,
for the right to dream of a world
where the word politics
doesn't stop me in my tracks,
and where the word honor still
has a few good meanings left.
I'm going to vote right now
for the power of free people
to actually be free,
no matter who they are,
no matter who has abandoned them,
no matter who hates them.
I actually am going to vote for love,
I am going to vote for truthfulness as the norm,
not the exception .
I'm going to vote for a world
that doesn't vote for killing, control and swagger,
I'm going to vote for you.
I'm going to vote for me.
Right now. Right here. Silently. But for real.

-by Mark Belletini

11/4/2008 Tags: participation, responsibility, choices Direct Link

LIGHTHEARTEDNESS

OCTOBER 20TH, 2008: Two key influences into our practice tonight were the following quotes. Enjoy!

No matter how beautiful on the outside, a body full of tension is a difficult vehicle to drive. A body liberated of tension is a luxurious driving machine...maybe a few extra curves here and there but smooth around the corners. As Yogananda says, "You must first feel harmony on the inside in order to see it on the outside."

Letting Go

If you let go a little

You will have a little happiness.

If you let go a lot

You will have a lot of happiness.

If you let go completely

You will be free. - Ajahn Chah

10/20/2008 Tags: Let go, open hearted Direct Link

SURRENDER: ISHVARA PRANIDHANA

AUGUST 26TH, 2008: I am going on holiday tomorrow. There are so many things out of my control on this trip so I have been meditating a lot about surrender. I want it to all go perfectly for my partner, even more than for me. Yet it really can only be what it will be and nothing more. So I have been repeating this mantra: �I feel my heart opening as the weight of my life lifts off my shoulders.�

On the mat we can really treat challenging yoga poses as microcosms of life's difficulties, and therefore really great opportunities to practice the art of surrender. The cool thing is that the more we practice the more we become able to recognize tension in a pose as a sign; holding and gripping are signs that our connection with our own hearts is lessening. When we see this early warning sign we can then offer our tension back to the Source, emptying and surrendering again. Realizing we don�t have to do this by ourselves you know.

As a result we experience a shift�A deepening of our breath and expansion of our inner strength in even the most difficult of situations. I hope through the power, beauty and truth of this practice you open your heart to grace in every moment, no matter what enters your path! BE COURAGE. BE PRESENT. -Silvia

When you surrender to what is

and so become fully present,

the past ceases to have any power.

The realm of being, which had been obscured

by the mind, then opens up.

Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you,

An unfathomable sense of peace.

And within that peace, there is great joy.

And within that joy, there is love.

And at the innermost core, there is the sacred,

The immeasurable. That which cannot be named.

--Eckhart Tolle, Practicing the Power of Now

AUGUST 26TH, 2008:

8/26/2008 Tags: SURRENDER, ISHVARA PRANIDHANA, eckhart Tolle Direct Link

FAVORITE QUOTES A NEW EARTH

From A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
"If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace. If peace mattered to you more than anything else and if you truly knew yourself to be spirit rather than a little me, you would remain nonreactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people or situations. You would immediately accept the situation and thus become one with it rather than separate yourself from it. Then out of your alertness would come a response. Who you are (consciousness), not who you think you are (a small me), would be responding. It would be powerful and effective and would make no person or situation into an enemy."

8/13/2008 Tags: Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth Direct Link

YOUR HEART'S INTENTION

JULY 14TH, 2008: Coming to the mat is an opportunity for us to open up space to really feel: sensations, breath, emotions - all of it. This is the doorway to asking ourselves:

"How do I want to engage my life?" "Am I aligning with my heart's innermost intentions?"

Once reconnected to your intention the practice of poses and breath allows you time to focus on the details. You get to ground in your physical body and try out how much you really want your intention to become the reality of your life. You learn quite quickly how to expand your vision to ever expanding levels of worthiness, happiness and peace! I hope this practice facilitates the most nurturing, supporting and uplifting relationship with YOURSELF. Peace to all people everywhere! Silvia

7/16/2008 10:01:02 PM Tags: healing, hearts intention, joy, tolerance, peace Direct Link

TOPIC: SELF-REFLECTION LEADS TO HEALTHY SELF-EXPRESSION

�Your teacher can open the door, but you must enter by yourself.� --Chinese proverb

JULY 6, 2008: Fourth of July weekend brings with it lots of noise and for my Vata and Pitta friends these loud sounds of fire crackers, ramped up music, and extra time with the TV can provoke anxiety & unease. So the remedy today was a Sound DETOXIFICATION along with a super grounding practice to promote self-healing and meditation.

The time on the mat was dedicated to self reflection which let's us deeply consider what we find meaningful. This practice is about fully stepping into ourselves and my hope as a teacher is to inspire you to live from your heart and simply open as many doors as possible. Then you must courageously decide when and which doors to walk through. While contemplating making sensitive and heartfelt decisions the cool thing is that you discover more of who you really are. As a result your self-expression becomes healthy and true.

Right now, please take time you guys to bring your hands together at your heart in Anjali Mudra, appreciate your breath and renew your promise and commitment to live from your heart. From looking inwards we bring the best of ourselves into the world!

By stilling your mind your heart becomes clear and reflects purely to all those who you come in contact with so they see themselves more vibrantly too. Remember the yoga needs us to work through - so please keep sharing your light with the world! Love in all ways, Silvia

SELF-REFLECTION = HEALTHY SELF-EXPRESSION

7/8/2008 12:59:29 PM Tags: Self-reflection, Self-Expression, Guru, Heart, Teacher Direct Link