First Class Free

March 30, 2011

“Yoga is the practice of creating the conditions for opening to occur.  We learn to relax and open up to more feelings than just those that are comfortable or familiar.  This kind of opening allows us to being to make friends with the variety of our own human repertoire of experiences.” This explanation from Cindy Lee of Om Yoga really hits home. 

I have learned through this practice that I create my reality from the inside out.  Or as James Allen writes "The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs." I come to the mat to purposefully create the conditions that I want to experience in my life.  If I want more ease then I practice the poses in an easeful way. If I want more enthusiasm then I perform the asanas joyfully! If I need more courage then I face my fears going upside down and stoke my courage.  Whatever I want my world to be more of I try out on the mat so it is reflected back to me when I go out into the world. 

And I have learned that the conditions I create in my mind relate not just to the next moment of my life but sequentially to the moments that follow.  Or as the Buddha says, “All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.” 

Today take responsibility for your life! Create the conditions that serve you best and renew your commitment that this is the day we no longer blame situations or people or things for our happiness but we see the world from the inside out.  I wish you all your own best courage, gentleness and clarity.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

YOGA PLAYLIST

Yellow, Jem, Sweetheart

River Flows In You, Yiruma, First Love (Yiruma Piano Collection)

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists, Yoga Living Series - Temple Spa

Ardes Bhaee, Mirabai Ceiba, Jamtse - Love & Compassion (An Offering for the Tibet Fund)

Song for You, Alexi Murdoch, Away We Go Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

New People {Empire Remix}, Blue Scholars, New People {Empire Remix}

Hate It Or Love It, 50 Cent & G Unit, The Massacre

Morning Mr Magpie, Radiohead, The King Of Limbs

Karaoke, Drake, Thank Me Later

Still, Wade Imre Morissette, Strong As Diamonds

Gayatri Mantra, Bruce Becvar & Nada Shakti, Samadhi

Chandra (The Moon), Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer, Anjali

River Flows In You, Yiruma, First Love (Yiruma Piano Collection)

 

March 10, 2011.  Dedicated to all those finding their best courage in connecting to each other in a time of serious challenge.  And love to those digging out from the incredible Earthquake in Japan. Einstein said it like this, “A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. But he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us. Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

So today as we offer support around the world we also recognize internally how important it is for each of us to feel supported.  It is as Earon Davis says, “It takes community to maintain a human.”  Community, communion, compassion all of these and more that the practice teaches us through the vehicle of ourselves and trying to experience democracy and connection there first before taking it into relationship with others.  One of my personal meditations I use is where I ask myself as much as I reach out to others, “can I be reached?”  

So I ask you, “CAN YOU BE REACHED?”   How easily do you accept support from your breath, from the earth, from your friends, from those that are trying to make your life easier?  If its not so easy then come to the mat even more until you feel it possible within your body and heart and this will ignite the trust to connect with others. 

Quite frankly it's easy to disconnect from ourselves and what we are feeling. Yoga brings us back into a state of connection.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."

So today, know the more you connect to yourself the more you are able to connect to others. The more you share compassion with yourself, the more you have compassion for others.  And once you find this communion with life then everything becomes about love.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS Join me on a yoga retreat www.alchemytours.com and stay in touch www.silviamordini.com

February 18, 2011.  The choice to be FREE requires an enormous amount of inner strength.  It asks that we be courageous and believe in our own right to be free.  Yoga Sutras Chapter 2.26 talks about how if we believe we are limited, you will be limited; if you believe you are free, you are FREE.  In yogic terms Freedom is known as Jivamukti.  For whatever reason or reasons you feel trapped in your life know you have a choice to free your mind and heart.  It is always there.

Yoga teaches us that we are sovereign over the democracy of ourselves.  Living in a democracy we all can appreciate a thing or two about Freedom.  So ask yourself what kind of freedoms do you encourage in your life?  Are you afraid to stand up for your rights?  Do you promote shared responsibility amongst the constituents of your limbs, breath, mind and heart?  Do you keep yourself shackled to workaholism or do you imprison yourself with worry or self-doubt or critical self-dialogue, do you allow someone outside yourself to run your life?

In my personal work the greatest prisons I've experienced have been those of my own making.  It has been through the yogic practice that I started to place more daily importance on liberation. With time I embraced how crucial it is to find peace and happiness from the inside.  As we study ourselves the yoga helps us explore through movement a freedom in our bodies and a kind of flowing meditation where we can find peace and tranquility in our minds.   

So right now, sit in a way that elongates your spine and let’s your breath travel more freely.  As you free your breath you liberate your mind.  As the mind opens the heart opens.  You being to realize that you can choose to draw upon your own fortitude to free your heart from pain, to free your body from long held tension and to free yourself of unhealthy mindless habits (samskaras).  It is going to look different for everyone.  And it is a constant practice to remind ourselves that we alone are the most responsible in keeping the peace and joy within the democracy of self.  "You see the wider practice of yoga is not about arranging our life so that it is perfect and easy and non-challenging. Rather it is about using the discipline we find in asana practice to be able to remain “easy” in the midst of difficulty. That is the true measure of freedom. When we learn this then everything we do and everything we say becomes an “asana”, a position of body, mind and soul which requires the attention that brings us into the present."  I know what it’s like to feel imprisoned. I also can tell you I know what is it like to break free.  It’s not easy but I believe all of us can do it. So here I leave you with a final poem to inspire you to free yourself, love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

"May you listen to your longing to be free.
May the frames of your belonging be large enough for the dreams of your soul.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart
...something good is going to happen to you.
May you find harmony between your soul and your life.
May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place.
May you know the eternal longing that lies at the heart of time.
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May you be set free from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment and despair.
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, 
mind you, and embrace you in belonging."    
-  John O'Donahoe

TODAY'S PLAYLIST:

Flow, Sade

Outta Control, 50 Cent

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Au Pays De Gandhi, MC Solaar

Groovejet (If This Ain't Love), Spiller

15 to 20 (Den Haan Remix), The Phenomenal Handclap Band

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, KT Tunstall

Every Breath You Take, The Police

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Revelation Dub, Kabanjak

Twin Blue, Millions & Millions

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

Have you ever had a hangnail?  What about a pimple?  A splinter? 

This weekend I broke a nail. Tragic!!  Oooh the pain, the challenge, the distraction! Yeah, I know its not that big a deal. But at the time it hurt.  But to add insult to injury as life has a sense of humor, long past being a teenager I still get pimples.  Terrible stuff. And that too, if I let it, creates a little drama inside my head.  But enough about me, what about you?   Do you lets little things like pimples, broken nails, splinters fully absorb all your attention?

It's funny that way isn't it?  Here are these small inconveniences and yet we can get totally distracted where everything else seems to lose significance. All we think about is that one small thing!

One of my favorite writings puts it like this, "Negative emotions are like splinters. They pierce our consciousness grab hold of our minds and consume our thoughts to the point that we can lose sight of our desire for contentment compassion and deeper awareness. Most of us can recall the times we have felt hurt or angered by harsh words or actions of others and how we have held on to our pain processing it over and over in our minds like a never ending one sided argument.  We often hold on to these emotional splinters for weeks months and even years.  Holding onto negative thoughts always increases our pain, causing us to be distracted, dysfunctional and even depressed."

So what are your emotional broken nails? Do you have emotional splinters overriding your life right now?  I'll tell you day 1 of broken nail my mind kept going back to it, I saw this was a problem and by day 2 I was already able to retrain my mind to be more present, by day 3 I only thought about my broken nail 4 times, by day 4 I only let it absorb my attention twice.  You see yoga is for the mind.  There is an answer to our emotional hangnails.  Just like getting a splinter out of the body, once we decide we don't want to replay the negative or hurtful thoughts over and over can we begin to heal.  

And yoga does heal.  It has healed me, it has healed hundreds of students I've seen through the years, it has healed the teacher trainees I've had the privilege of working with for 9 sessions.  Yoga can offer you healing too.  This philosophy comes from the Yoga Sutras, Chapter 2.33 Pratipaksha Bhavana.  Where when we are faced with something hurtful we cultivate an elevated attitude, we move our mind away from the petty distraction and dramas. In other words WE DO NOT FREAK OUT.  Do not Panic.  All the stuff that is flying around outside us we call life is just external agitation.  Yoga helps us to quiet the mind through concentrated focus on breath, movement, sensation to move away from the external pimples and to the place deep inside our hearts where peace always exists.  Where there is no drama.

This comes as a result in great part simply by bringing awareness to the small stuff and often just laughing at ourselves and our humanness and what silly creatures we are.  We learn to shift from a splinter to the important experiences of loving ourselves, loving others, living honestly and with total commitment to our overall happiness.  

"Any of us in deep hurt know that shifting our feelings is much easier said than done. We actually become pyschologically and nuerologically habituated to sharp toxic emotions to that point we we often find ourselves over-responding making the tiniest splinter of perceived negative experience feel like shrapnel piercing our hearts. As we perpetuate this response it becomes such an ingrained habit that we often feel unable to control our behavior."  So  the firs step to healing your emotional broken nails is to know it is possible to change the habits of your mind.  Every yoga class you experience will help you do that.  And through this process of practice "we can transform our splinters to salve, anger into compassion, hate into love, fear into courage and yes even pain into joy!" Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Silvia

Join me with alchemy tours in 2011 www.alchemytours.com

"Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new." -- OG MANDINO

AUGUST 3RD, 2010  This practice of yoga has taught me above all else how to be a better Student of Life.  No matter how you might judge me as a "yoga teacher" or "life coach" I can honestly say that my best skill set is of being an amazing student.

I AM TEACHABLE.

I never for a moment assume I know too much. Actually ever year of this practice I learn more and realize how little I actually understand. My time on the mat reminds me to stay thirsty for knowledge.  It inspires me to get off my mat and apply this "TEACHABILITY" off the mat.  And I do.  Of course not without some lifted eye brows and sometimes harsh criticism from some folks.  

I take great honor in saying every year I take time off from teaching and go to study with my teachers.  I sit in the SEAT OF THE STUDENT an open vessel soaking in the open hearted wisdom of my teacher.  This last week has been an amazing experience studying Vinyasa Yoga with a great teacher of yoga and life.

I have been inspired, and challenged and prodded and supported in new ways.  I want to say thank you first to all those that would judge me for making time for myself to be a student.  You too have been some of my greatest teachers. For without your friction I would not have had to dig deep to still do what I knew was best for me.  And to all my students, friends, clients who have kindly supported me every year to keep learning I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my root chakra when it would get shaken and I'd wonder should I make time for me or not?  

There are wisdom teachers everywhere and as Students of Life the point is to be open to seeing the teachings that surround us every day of our lives both formally and informally.  Sometimes our most difficult teachers are our best teachers.  And that's ok: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral.  It's all good.

And finally what I hope everyone learns no matter your opinion is to step outside your comfort zone and KEEP LEARNING. Do not atrophy.  REMAIN TEACHABLE.  

Teachabiilty and being lovable are intimately linked as sweethearts.

May you all find the courage to expand your knowledge!  With compassion and peace to you all, Silvia

PS - Join me for my certified yoga teacher training program starting October 15th, 2010 at total body yoga

JUNE 7, 2010.  Who is the most Courageous person you know?  How do they inspire you to be more courageous?  When was the time in your life you were MOST courageous?

All these self-observations and contemplations were the focus of or practice today.  And who doesn’t need more courage.  When I come to the mat to teach my intention for each student is that this practice helps them rise with courage to meet the challenges of their life.  And yes we all face challenges.  Judith Lasater a national yoga teacher, author and a personal hero of mine says, “Courage is the second most important quality to cultivate in life. (Right after love).”   

It is easy to fall into believing the old stories about ourselves and getting stuck.  Or as my friend Sadie Nardini says in her book Roadtrip Guide to the Soul, “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.”

This much I know for sure, that to live life to its fullest means to risk being hurt.  We cannot numb out or check out.  Oh for certain comfortably numb will keep us from pain but we’ll never get to experience the joys of love and passion and excitement and happiness that are our birthright.  Having the courage to really action the secrets of your heart will bring you to your fullest potential.  It doesn’t make it less scary but isn’t the scariest thing not about having the courage to try and fall but more so not beginning to live at all?

Hey I get it.  In April I finally took the risk and mustered up the courage to begin teaching Yoga Retreats.  Does it take me away from the studio I love a little bit (well like 3-4 weeks a year)? Is that scary for me? YOU BET IT IS! But I know that by doing 3-4 retreats per year I not only help sustain the studio but I give myself the chance to try something I’ve always wanted to do.  And that is to change the ecology of heart and mind for my beloved yoga students. 

I come back a better teacher and I have more to offer everyone.  So it’s a choice.  You can use this practice to connect to your own best courage, open your heart and ride the biggest wave of your life or you can stay on shore and risk nothing.  It’s up to you.  May you rise up to meet the courage of your heart! Love the day, Silvia  (I want to honor and humbly thank my teacher Shiva Rea for sharing with me the Agni Namaskar Fire practice we did today that I shared with you, pay if forward...)

 

 

March 11, 2010:

"Be water my friend" says Bruce Lee http://www.wimp.com/brucelee/  

With all the rain we've had we allowed water and the flow of surrender to inspire our practice today.  When we have the courage to surrender we find our highest potential reveals itself.  Like water cleanses us, and washes away the dirt we wash away through breath and asana the outer labels of limitation. We put aside the self limiting beliefs and go beyond limiting perceptions and old stories.  

Chapter 2 Verse 1 of the Yoga Sutras: Tapas svadhaya isvara pranidanah kriyah yogah.  

The translation of this sutra means: "This letting go focuses us on the process of practice rather than the goals of practice."  

May this practice help you practice how you want to live your life.  If you aspire to live a life of beauty, graceful and courageous then your life becomes that. Like the Bruce Lee clip suggests that water takes the form of the container it is in.  If you want the container of yourself to be beauty you then embody beauty. If you want to live in love then move like love, breath like love, flow like love.  Be like water my friend! Become that which you want and the process of experiencing yourself courageously is the life practice.  Love yourself, your your day, love your life! Silvia

OCTOBER 21, 2009:  Just like you my every day provides endless opportunities to make healthy choices.  Recently I have been trying to decide whether I should sell my house or not and I could see myself weigh out the options in a growing dualistic way of “This or That”.  My thoughts started to overdramatize my reaction to this potential change.  I was seeing the change as an All or Nothing scenario where selling my house was going to mean something was taken away from me and I’d end up with nothing. 

 

Well as a result of my yoga practice I came to the realization that LIFE IS ABOUT ADDITION, NOT ABOUT SUBTRACTION.

 

Every change we encounter whether difficult or easy ADDS to what we already know and we get progressively smarter. Thank goodness for our humanness whereby each day, each moment adds to our life’s blessings and our story gets richer.  We see this in class in how we grow our knowledge of a pose, even something as fundamental as Downward Facing Dog.  Yes Dog pose is challenging yes it does get easier but the real blessing is how precious the learning is as we evolve our consciousness in this pose.  And to think every pose is like that.

 

You see I was getting stuck thinking I have to keep subtracting stuff from my life when making decisions and the concept of “All or Nothing” was weighing heavy on me. But every experience every choice we make just adds to the All.  So in reality, it is not All or Nothing….in a nondualistic way it is always ALL or ALL.

 

I shared this epiphany this increased awareness with a friend and they said this to me in response, “I think you are making progress in your thinking regarding adding things to life...I mean, it is not about complicating so much as enabling more growth.”  It is about having the courage to face our lives directly and not make it all this or that but embrace more.  That practice of saying to ourselves I will be 10% kinder today or 10% more peaceful or 10% more loving or 10% better Downward Dog.  As my friend reminded me “at some point, one would think that you would hit the maximum limitation for kindness, but no, you can keep expanding, growing, increasing.”

 

So today with warrior spirit face your choices, make your decisions seeing that they will only ADD to your life. Even our pains, our limitations and those things that scare us are opening us up to more possibilities.  So keep adding, keeping living, keep breathing bigger! Big love in ALL ways, Silvia

 

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

 

 

 

OCTOBER 6, 2009:  Gosh you guys it takes time to build a life! Good thing there are a million ways to practice being human.  And part of our humanness is our perfect imperfection.  There is immense courage in accepting that life is messy that no matter how much we try to control the outcome of a situation, we just don’t know what comes next.  Life is funny that way, it is full of trail and error, falling and picking ourselves up again.  The important part is not to get paralyzed in the fear of not trying stuff because we’re afraid of the imperfection. 

 

Instead DO one thing everyday that scares you:  Favorite line from this utube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI

 

There is neither a reason to try to change the past or over rehearse the future because it only makes the present miserable. That’s a shame because we only have this one chance to live today.  There are no do overs so we might as well spill coffee, try to balance on one leg, wear a red dress, go to a midnight movie, travel across the country to make a new friend or whatever else seems a bit of a stretch.

 

Life is messy already so we might as well live with what life is offering us. Today we talked about the Vata derangement and full moon and mercury retrograde influences going on. Well that’s what we have to work with so we can elevate our attitudes and act our way into feeling better about our lives.  Lama Yeshe said, "A human has a positive and a negative side. We have an ignorant side, but we also have a beautiful potential."  Let’s allow for that beauty to shine out in all its messy, often inconvenient glory!  Love and courage to really live in love, do what you love, and be with whomever you love!  Silvia

 

 

LEVEL 2 CLASS PLAYLIST:

Sunrise	Norah Jones
Saving Grace	Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
End of the Line	Traveling Wilburys
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)	Natalie Cole
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe	Barry White
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)	Marvin Gaye
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)	Four Tops
Woop there it is
Save Me	Aretha Franklin
So Flute	St Germain
Sadeness- Part 1 (Extended Dance Mix)	Enigma
Hung Up	Madonna
Buttons	The Pussycat Dolls
Crazy in Love	Beyonce
Mahadeva Shambo	Wade Imre Morissette
Track 10	Jolie Holland
Sitara Dreams	Rasa
Still	Wade Imre Morissette
Samba Sadashiva	Donna De Lory

 

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

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER 3, 2009:  Grounding into 1st Chakra

I dedicate this class to all those friends, students and unknown hearts that are feeling uprooted or ungrounded in life right now.  To you I say, “I know” I’ve been there.  And by learning more about the power of the Root Chakra, which is our foundation for life, we can regain our sense of security, internal power and stability.  You can believe in your choices with greater conviction once more.  Most of all to me the root chakra reminds us to accept the TRUTH of who we are.  This truth of our own specialness and uniqueness keeps us connected to the present moment.  Otherwise when we lose our center it is so often because we are trying to be what someone else wants us to be and as a result we feel unstable. 

 

We used a series of poses to till the soil of our bodies warming them up so we could be in our own skin. Inside ourselves we find an inner security and stillness. A quiet peace that is unrelated to circumstance or others opinions. I mentioned how I love photography and collect cameras.  That the 1^st chakra when balanced brings us clarity no different than holding a camera, setting up the angle, moving yourself or the subject around and then refining the focus of the picture by growing still.  This crystal clear clarity on our decisions is based in strongly rooted self-worth.  If you know who you truly are then taking action on your personal pilgrimage towards what’s important to you is a whole lot easier. 

 

I guess all that I want any of us to do is be present to the loveliness of our lives and claim our place in the world.  Through yoga you can regain your stable center and assert yourself with lovingkindess: strong get gentle.  Join me on the mat to experience more of the root chakra.  Wishing you your best courage! Silvia

 

AUGUST 22, 2009:  In the sharing circle thank you to all the yogis today that shared what you are passionate about. I loved getting to learn about each of you!  We used that as a jumping off point for today we invoked the Fire Element in practice on the mat.  Fire in Sanskrit is AGNI.  Fire is the energy of transformation or change.  If you think about the power (Shakti) of fire it can take metal and change it into a beautiful gold ring.  Yesterday when I was at the pirates exhibit in Chicago I saw the form metal took as cups, bowls, eating utensils. Now there are changes that are not in our realm to control but also there are the positive changes we want to promote in our life. Invoking the fire element that governs our metabolism might mean we want to use it to help us lose 5 pounds or the fire of digestion (converting food into energy) might mean we want to increase our energy and improve a sluggish metabolism. Or it could mean more far reaching emotional or sensory changes.

 

The most difficult thing about change is that we meet our fear.  So we fire up the third chakra to promote feelings of courage and self-determination that help us be with the dynamic dance of change in our lives. Now we could just avoid it all. There is that.  But as Jon Kabat Zinn says about life, it’s like the lottery, you got play to have a chance at winning. Each day we have a choice to show up or not.  We have a constant opportunity to make decisions that guide our lives.  When we avoid what scares us then we turn over all our power to someone else.  They control our lives. And it’s hard to be enthusiastic about life when you’re avoiding making decisions or lack the fire in your belly to run your own race.

 

I know this is not easy. There is friction in making our own choices since we might make mistakes or fall down.  But at least we know we had the courage or Tapas to try.  This is no different than rubbing two sticks together to great friction, heat, or fire.  To bring this home we hatched a dream we’ve had for ourselves and took time to really give it life. Then was talked about sharing that dream out loud with another person. That by talking to someone about an intention we have for ourselves that’s like the two firesticks rubbing together to create fire. 

 

“Fire is not seen until one firestick rubs against another, though the fire remains hidden in the firestick. 

Let your body be the lower firestick; Let the heart be the upper. 

Rub them against each other in yoga and meditation.”  (ancient writing)

 

Fire is often symbolic of rebirth.  Fire cleanses, burns off the negative and energizes one to light the path forward.  This is the time to empower yourself towards transforming your life!  I wish you the courage of your heart, Silvia

 

MAY 12, 2009:  I had this illuminating conversation with an old returning client this morning.  They had been away from yoga for 6 months and were coming back today to take one class.  I bow to their quiet courage to begin again. The first step towards changing your life is the most difficult. I know this.

 

At the same time you guys I asked why not make a bolder decision and see themselves of deserving of one hour per week from this day forward, whether it’s yoga class or a cup of tea or reading a book. From my heart I tried to encourage them to see that they are deserving of at least this I am sure they didn’t believe me (yet).  Because the gosh honest truth is that if you want to STOP THE NOISE in your head and find clarity, more importantly MAINTAIN mental and emotional clarity well you need to make a commitment of more than one hour every 6 months. 

 

It does take courage to change your life.  And no matter how badly I want it for you. You have to do it yourself. You must take action.  This is karma.

 

You must stand up for your rights as Bob & Ziggy Marley sing. If there is anything worth committing to it is your right to be peaceful and happy.  It is your choice.  Rascal Flats in this utube clip below puts it like this, “I hope the day comes easy and the moments pass slow and each road leads you to where you want to go and if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_zi4OxJpY0&feature=related

 

The key thing here is to make the commitment to yourself to turn inside so you can stop all the EXTERNAL NOISE long enough to realize what changes we want, which choices, which roads mean the most to us.  I truly hope we can all find the courage within ourselves to heed the advice of the Yoga Sutras that ask us to observe within our hearts are we  “running away from the life we’re afraid of or are we running towards the changes that bring about the peace and health we want instead.”  STOP THE NOISE, get on the mat. Make healthier choices through your courage to change! Love yourself, Silvia

**Rumi says STOP THE NOISE**

APRIL 16TH, 2009:  Lately the dreams I have in meditation are getting BIGGER and BOLDER all the time.  Many things I've put off thinking about doing I am going for and doing them this year.  I feel this amazing YES inside that I want you to feel the vibration of so you too can say yes to life and DREAM WITHOUT LIMITS.  Yup that's what the theme is tonight.  A very special class from my heart.

And just so you know, next Thursday through Sunday April 23-26 I am out of town on a Spiritual Adventure pursuing one of my dreams. So if we don't have our regular Thurday night date together I won't see you for two weeks.   

In preparation for tonight's class please watch this clip below (3 minutes long).  I want to thank Ned Miller for sharing this clip with me yesterday and changing my life with the creation of our own inspiring video collection called "Loving Your Day".  It helped me shift even more brightly towards dreaming without limits, it is NEVER TOO LATE.  I know it will inspire you, make you laugh, make you cry, make you clap your hands like it did me!  What we can take away from this clip is that it is never too late.  You deserve to materialize your dreams. So "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going." - Rainer Maria Rilke.  Do not let the Kleshas, the veils that hide our true potential and beauty yoga tells us from speaking your dreams to yourself!  Love you all, Silvia Mordini 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&feature=haxa_popt00us00

 

MARCH 31, 2009:  I have often asked myself the simple but powerful question, "Am I more afraid of being happy or more afraid of Fear itself?"  How would you respond?

I can tell you that for many years of my life I have been more afraid of being truly happy.  Why? Becaues really being happy day in and day out requires COURAGE, PERSEVERANCE, HOPE, INNER STRENGTH and most of all SELF-LOVE. The messages of "I'm not really worthy" or "I don't have time" or "I'm afraid of being hurt again" can show up at any time even in the most spiritually mature person.  It's easier to give in to the conditioned response of Fear than face ourselves and change our mental habits.

Yoga offers us a safe place to get strong, mentally and physically.  It can help us view our habits and make the change from within so that we choose happiness over fear.  And then it is a continuous practice.  If you really want to be happy it requires your committment from this day forward.  In a way it is like deciding that we want to "Marry ourselves".  And part of the vow we take is to promise to at least try to be happy each and every day. 

Believe me, its not always easy but lasting happiness is only found a day at a time anyway.  So I know you can do it.  Face your fears and let LOVE make you strong!  Wishing you your own best strength and courage, Silvia

 

MARCH 18TH, 2009:  We sat in Vajrasana, rubbed our hands together like to two sticks of wood to create friction/heat and then cupped our eyes. We used this as an opporturnity to open our eyes and look at our hands which acted as a mirror.  Asking ourselves in our outward reflection what did we see? Who is the person staring back at us?  Then we closed our eyes in the warmth of our hands and turned our gaze inwards to view the inner reflection and ask what is our purpose?  Who are we?

And this means it is something more than the role we play at work, the labels we wear like son, daughter, partner, parent.  As a human creatures who are you?  As Stephen Covey writes, “We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.” So as a human being what is your Lifes Purpose or Dharma?

 

For its more than what job title we have on our business card or the label people know us by.  Woodrow Wilson, the 28^th President of the United States said it like this, “You are not here merely to make a living.  You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”  So how do we do this?  We get to work on the mat, anchored in our body to try to peal back the layers to look inside where all the answers already exist.  As the Buddha says, “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” 

For that’s the practice knowing our Dharma and contributing in a positive way to the world.  So we partnered in handstand tonight to help us experience this directly.  We also used a variety of flowing poses to help us face our fears such as balance poses and hip openers.  Because that is the harder practice to keep coming back to our purpose and living our Dharma not just for one day, or one week or even one year but forever, in spite of the fear we sometimes face.

Best said is motivational speaker Earl Nightingale who says, “Don’t let fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”  So go inside, see your dreams, believe me when I tell you that you already have all the time, money and energy you need to make these dreams a reality and shine out your Dharma to the world!  Love to all, Peace to All, Courage to all! Silvia

 

  

MARCH 17TH, 2009:  “The trick to juggling is determining which balls are made of rubber and which ones are made of glass.”

I love folks that have jovial, bright attitudes about life. No matter how down things get they are able to see the uplift in any situation.  I am one of those people. Well, let me say it like this, Yoga has helped me become one of those people who have this “bounce back factor”. 

 

So I ask you today what is your BOUNCE BACK FACTOR?  Do you look for the uplift in situations or get pulled into negativity and stay there?  Do you bounce back, reregulate, recalibrate quickly or not so much?  How long do you stay mad? How long do you stay upset or sad?  Do you let something unexpected ruin your week, or your weekend, your anniversary, your vacation?  If you are not yet a bounce back person, the answer could be as easy as practice more yoga! 

 

Why does this work?  It’s the big MO.  Each small victory in not freaking out or getting out of whack for less time is exciting and lets us take larger steps to our highest best self.  Each little victory creates momentum.  When you throw a ball you need momentum to make it go farther right? Well its like that.  More bounces, less effort.  As I always say WE GROW GREAT BY DEGREES.

 

Now the bounce back factor also requires that we see ourselves as co-creating with the universe as well as recognizing that true happiness is an inside job.  Basically its like this what we say to ourselves on the inside is what we see on the outside. The world is not created out there and then experienced inside us. It's the other way around. What you see on the outside is the reflection of what you've created on the inside through your thoughts. what we say to ourselves on the inside is what we see on the outside. The world is not created out there and then experienced inside us.

 

Especially essential in promoting a stronger bounce back factor is accepting that there is NO SUCH THING AS FAILURE.  There is only experience and observation of our experience.  We just can’t get bogged down in fear or negativity. "Don't move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move."  Thit Nhat Hanh says, “People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong.  Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?”

 

Ultimately bouncing back is like the practice of contentment not for wimps.  We have to engage some tapas and put some effort into it, just like throwing a ball.  So together, let’s practice and you will get stronger, more steady, and your ability to bounce back will improve exponentially!  GO BIG, LOVE BIG, DREAM BIG!  Silvia

MARCH 16TH, 2009:  The first week of the year I passed out raffle tickets and during meditation I asked what single word came to mind.  That would be the focus of our practice and our intention for the year.  So tonight we checked back into this.  How are we doing? 

For me the word on my life ticket was FREEDOM.  This means a number of things to me such as:

• 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

So as you close your eyes and turn inside to your most loving self what sense of freedom to you experience in your breath right now?  The breath, the air element that of the fourth chakra. This is the heart chakra and perhaps that’s why one of my favorites quotes from the book Immunity to Change is “Happiness is really freedom from unhappiness.”  What does FREEDOM mean to you?         

 

Ultimately freedom means that we are living on purpose or as Robin Sharma writes, THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS A LIFE OF PURPOSE.  Everytime we come to the mat we have the right and freedom to explore ourselves more deeply.  This cultivates an intimate connection with who we really are and can we live with what life is offering us right now.  For its about whether life gave us what we wanted today but the fact we have the freedom to respond rather than react. We don’t have to struggle, fight or become disappointed.  We can empower ourselves to make the experience (even if it is painful).  In the book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, Robin Sharma writes, “People who study others are wise but those who study themselves are enlightened.  Those we are truly enlightened know what they want out of life, emotionally, materially, physically and spiritually.  Clearly defined priorities and goals for every aspect of your life gives you direction.  The real source of happiness is stated in the word Achievement – lasting happiness comes from steadily working to accomplish your goals and advancing confidentily in the direction of your lifes purpose.

 

Here’s the coolest part!  You get to choose your life’s purpose.  And you can readjust as your intentions evolve.  So take to heart the words of John Wood from another all time favorite book “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” who writes, “If you are thinking about making some adjustments in your life my heartfelt recommendation is not to spend too much time thinking about it. Just dive in. I know that all kinds of practical considerations make this advice difficult to embrace. The need for advice from friends and family, and the desire to write a business plan. I am not saying you should not do any of these things – just that you should not spend too much time on them or you will lose momentum.  The biggest risk is that a lot of people will try to talk you out of your dream.  The world has too many people who are happy to discuss why something might not work, and too few who will cheer you on and say, “I’m there for you.”  The more time you spend navel gazing, the longer you give those negative gravitational forces to keep you in their tether.  So sometimes, it’s really important to just dive in.  If there is something out there that you want to do, don’t focus on the obstacles. Don’t ask for permission.  Just dive in.”   FREEDOM MEANS YOU CAN DIVE IN TODAY! Wishing you courage to do so, Silvia

 

 

FEBRUARY 26TH, 2008: 

 

FEBRUARY 21, 2009:  Our foundation both physical and spiritual provides us the opportunity to be ourselves. The stronger our foundation then less inclined we are to be pulled away from our center when we face obstacles.  The objective of yoga as is written in the Yoga Sutras is to remove the divisions within yourself so that you can immerse yourself in the beauty and goodness that is you.  This is the spirit of sutra chapter 2, verse 46.  In the Bhagavad Ghita chapter 3 it is is said, "it is better to fail at yourself that it is to succeed at being someone else."

Thing is, it is a whole lot easier to be ourselves than it is to be who everyone else wants us to be. 

So ask yourself, how do you see yourself right now?  How can you be more you today? 

I truly intend that this practice helps you build such a strong self-esteem and sense of self that you will be able to make all future decisions independently.  That you will do what is most right for you in the face of life's obstacles.  Sending you your best courage and wishing you your own best strength! Peace out, Silvia

 

FEBRUARY 19, 2009:  As you know I worked for a well-respected consultancy for many years, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and part of the firm was auditing. You might know of PwC as they are the auditors of the Academy Awards Show this Sunday. So this morning I was reflecting on my time at the firm and what it means to audit.  In business this is good, in terms of living life not so good.

Put simply: are you Auditing life or are you a full-time active player. 

There are really only two teams:  WHICH TEAM ARE YOU PLAYING FOR?

Yoga teaches that LIFE requires active participation. Instead of watching folks dance on tv, why not dance? Instead of watching folks on TV sing, why not start singing or playing guitar yourself.  Instead of watching folks take great adventures in the amazing race, why not have an adventure of your own? That's the inspiration I hope you find from tonight's class at 7:30pm, Level 1.  That you show up and participate more fully in your life, that you don't just audit it watching others live.  When we do this, I see it as a WIN for life itself.  This is a true victory of spirit!  This is a victory for life itself! 

Take to heart the words of Jon Kabat Zinn, "When you quit working at life, life stops working for you."  Yup.  So engage your life right now, get in the game!  Love and courage to you all, Silvia

FEBRUARY 14TH, 2009: 

FEBRUARY 4TH, 2009: 

William Shakespeare wrote, "Learning to trust ourselves is a worthy practice, the practice of authenticity.  This is the work of aligning with our deepest passions and dreams.  It's the work of making promises to ourselves and keeping them.  It's the work of knowing who we are without judgement."

Take a moment and think about what holds you back from taking custody of your life. Not just temporary custody but really owning your life, your entire life, not just the work life but your heart and soul too.  Is it enough to tell yourself that fear of the outcome will prevent you from living more fully?  The thing is if you are waiting for a guarantee, 100% certainty of the result you are never going to get it.  Life is uncertain. 

All we can do is be present to what is in front of us right now and set our intentions for the kind of energy we wish to attract but ultimately we will never know the outcome until its present.  We can simply manage our reactions to the details or our lives and just keep paying attention.  Best advice I can give is take time every day to BE STILL, BE PRESENT, Silvia

 

FEBRUARY 3, 2009:  We have a gazillion opportunites to practice courage each and every day.  Not the big splashy front page sort of courage but the quiet courage of daily life.  While on the slopes my ski instructor Patrick Vaughn's favorite word was "quiet".  He encouraged me to keep the movement quiet no matter what the external forces were around me (other skiers, the sunlight, the shadows, verticality of the run).  I am deeply inspired by his kindness and want to dedicate this lesson to him.

This quietness in skiing keeps you nonreactive and calm.  The splashy courage may help us initiate action in our lives but in order to "run the whole race" we have to maintain enough quiet courage that we can get to the bottom of the hill so to speak.  This peaceful courage is sustainable, and certainly there is an aspect of endurance to it.

The best practice of courage is to believe without what Judith Lasater calls "proof of the future, without confirmation that the outcome will be what we want it to be."  So it is easy to see that Faith is just another name for courage.  A way without conditions, prerequisites or judgement to be present allowing the next thing to unfold.  Living from this courageous place (which always comes from the heart the source of love and inner strength) is that state of non knowing that yoga teaches us. 

Today I encourage you all to run your own race, don't just get started or think about it but find the deep resorvoir of quiet courage that helps you get to the to bottom of the hill.  I wish you peace, Silvia   

FEBRUARY 2ND:  My Dear Yogi Friends, as you know I was away this weekend for four days in Colorado.  I was totally getting that Rocky Mountain High:  breathing, skiing, yogaing, enjoying the sunshine!  I benefited from many life lessons as a result of this trip that I will share in classes this week related to yoga philosophy.  As always the most important of which is to wake up, pay attention and BE PRESENT in order to live life more fully in each moment. A fave quote that speaks to this is:

“Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.” -Anonymous 

Some other topics that came up during this weekend:  AHIMSA - a fundamental principle of yoga often known as non-harming, kindness and safety. Every day we are fighting for our lives but how do we do so without hurting others.  How do we create a safe situation for ourselves where we aren't driven by fear but by the desire to be kind?  COURAGE - not the front page stuff but the quiet courage that requires trust, faith and a really brave heart.  HABITS - those habits with attachments that prevent us from growing spiritually. You know those one's that give us a false of sense of ease because we grow dull doing the same thing over and over again.   OPENING UP - When we close down we are like fish moving towards dry land, when we open up and even allow vulnerability we flow with grace towards the ocean.  The mountains helped me remain open even though all I wanted to do was contract during challenging moments.  BE PRESENT -  It is easy to see everything as flat and "ok" but that means we really aren't paying attention. This is when we are not awake for if we were living in the moment (where true happiness lies) then we'd see the depth, like the mountain ranges I experienced this weekend.

Ok, many other lessons learned over the weekend like Managing Doubt, Simplicity, Facing Our Fears, Body Prayer, Spirtual Seeking, Peace of Mind, but I'll save those for my book.  Please join me this week to learn more about these key one's above.  I look forward to being with you on the mat! And remember today is not a rehearsal - this is IT! Love to all, Silvia 

JANUARY 8, 2009:  I dedicate this day, this practice to one of my dear girlfriends, you know who you are!  I am deeply honored you consider me your friend and I hope this year brings the fulfillment of your most authentic self.  Namaste from my heart to yours: "the beauty in me recognizes and revels in the beauty of you and we are one!" 

 

Yoga helps us to appreciate endings and beginnings with equal enthusiasm.  Really every ending signifies a new beginning and even inside the breath there exists a beginning, middle and end.  For most of us we are better at initiating new stuff or completing tasks, there aren’t many of us that without trying are equally balanced in doing both.  So that’s where the yoga comes in handy.  If you have a million new ideas and new projects for the year but you look around you at home and have the million things from last year started but never finished then focus a little bit more on the compliment or completion phase this year. Or for those of us that are afraid of making new starts, trying new things then this is the year to boldly set our course for uncharted waters. 

 

Start where you are and commit to the new beginning you wish to experience in your life.  I want to thank our Thursday night Level 1 friends for honestly sharing what they would like to begin this year:  fly fishing, rock climbing, making breakfast for a partner, hip hop dancing, guitar lessons, snow shoeing, making new friends, working less, stripping class (and more!)  That’s awesome! 

 

Whatever you decide you need more of in your life I implore you not to just stand at the shore looking out onto the ocean but dive into the water, surf water, sail the water but get involved with your life. As Jon Kabat Zinn says, “when you cease working at life it ceases working for you.”  Aspire to live life more FULLY!  Big Love to each of you! Silvia

 

Rumi says, "Very little grows on jagged rock, be ground, be crumbled, so wild flowers will come up where you are. You've been stony for too many years.  Try something different."

JANUARY 7^TH, 2009:  The hardest pose we do is being ourselves.  So we started practice with partner shoulder openers but swapped out 3-4 times so we could get the feeling of as Jon Kabat Zinn says, “Wherever you go, there you are.”  We had to be nothing but ourselves with each different partner.  So right now as you read this, close your eyes and turn inside. Breath in a way that feels like you today.  Begin to see how during this week you have been true to yourself, reflect on how many times you have chosen to act in a way that serves you fully.  

 

In the Bhagavad Ghita, Chapter 3 it talks about being AUTHENTIC: “It is better to fail at yourself than it is to succeed at being someone else.”  It is essential to our health and well-being not to live our lives according to the outline demanded by other people (even those that love us) but to make our OWN opinion the most important.  I know this. I lived for a long time worried more about what other people thought, what looked good, how to appear successful than actually living my own life.  Now I lost time but I don’t want you to.  When you come to the mat, whatever you are feeling as Benjamin Disraeli says, “Never apologize for showing feeling.  When you do so, you apologize for the truth. “

 

Own your truth, embrace your funkiness, fly your freak flag this year! We have been given the gift of life the only real tragedy would be not to life in a way that enhances our spirit or stays true to our dreams.  Take to heart the words of William Shakespeare who wrote: “Learning to trust ourselves is a worthy practice, the practice of authenticity. This is the work of aligning the standards we have for ourselves with our deepest passions and dreams. It’s the work of making promises to ourselves and keeping them. It’s the work of knowing who we are without judgment.”

 

Ultimately, the more each of us practices being ourselves the more we give permission to everyone else to just be themselves too.  So I make that promise to you, I will be me more than ever before and I hope that let’s each of you know that it’s more than ok for you to show up and just BE YOU!  With hands up in the air, JAI! Love, Silvia

JANUARY 2^ND, 2009:  Yoga is after all not an escape from life but a way of really feeling the pulse.  This pulse is found at the beating of your heart.  My Father and my whole Mordini family have heart disease and my brother is a Cardiologist so I have been tuned into heart health my entire life.  Maybe it some ways it has made me more sensitive to it and a little bit more vulnerable.

 

But that’s the point of yoga it will lead you eventually to your own vulnerability whether you want it to or not.  For some this means they walk away from the practice as soon as it gets hard (I’m not talking physically but emotionally raw).  It took me a long time and a ton of resistance (some anger too) to realize that being vulnerable opens up greater pathways to love and healing.  Vulnerability, being soft on the inside is linked to our capacity for intimacy and love.  Especially the kind of unconditional love that doesn’t sit in judgment of others.  Being your soft self takes guts and a ton of courage. Being vulnerable and open hearted is not for wimps.  It is the most advanced practice of yoga.

 

The fourth chakra is that of the heart center.  And in a favorite book of mine, Wheels of Light, the author writes “LOVE IS A UNIFYING FORCE: it draws things together and keeps them in relationship.  And there is no greater way to invite love than to offer it first.”

 

I personally have experimented with this.  Putting yourself out there and offering love first and I can tell you it is scary. It’s a whole lot harder than driving a speed boat super fast, skiing down black diamond slopes, going to a nude beach, giving a presentation to hundreds of people.  But here’s the thing.  If you do offer it first you know you are living in the moment and by making yourself vulnerable you will live without regret. 

 

So if you ever need that extra support to put yourself out there call me, email me, stop by.  I’ve done it, I’ve lived to write about it and I have found a joyous sense of acceptance that I never even knew existed.  I am here for you! Love Big In All Ways, Silvia

 

 

DECEMBER 21ST, 2008:  Congratulations you’ve all been promoted!  You are now officially the CEO of your life.  First step we set about creating a plan to take care of our employees and make this a successful endeavor.  Your employees are your thoughts, your breath, you’re spirit and your body parts, some small some big, all equally important to forwarding your personal enterprise towards success.  Let’s take inspiration from Dr Seuss,

                                       "Congratulations!  Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

 

ABOUT CHOICES

We all have choices to make.  Being CEO of our life means we accept responsibility for making the best most wise choices.  What is wisdom?  WISDOM is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you.  Each thought you have can be assessed in terms of whether it strengthens you or weakens you.  So it is your call on whether your thoughts are making the organization of yourself stronger and happier.  Think of it like this, your heart is a muscle that’s weakened by thoughts that disempower you.  Your kidneys, liver, lungs are all surrounded by muscles that are affected by your thoughts.  First thing to ask is are my thoughts showing love for the person I am always alone with, ME?

 

Dr Deepak Chopra says it like this, “Happy thoughts create happy molecules.” Or Dr Wayne Dyer says, “Your health is determined largely by the thoughts you have.  Passionately think that you won’t get a cold, and your body will react to your thoughts. Refuse to entertain thoughts of fatigue, jet lag, headaches and your body responds to your thoughts.  Your mind tells your body to produce the drugs it needs to keep you healthy.”

 

Healthy, empowering thoughts are those of peace, joy, love, acceptance and willingness. I hold dear the words of Rabindranath Tagore, "Ecstasy is our very nature; not to be ecstatic is simply unnecessary. To be ecstatic is natural, spontaneous. It needs no effort to be ecstatic, it needs great effort to be miserable. That's why you look to tired, because misery is really hard work; to maintain it is really difficult, because you are doing something against nature.  Existence is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived. And you should be perfectly aware what the difference is between a mystery and a problem. A problem is something created by the mind; a mystery is something which is there, not created by the mind. A problem has an ugliness in it, like disease. A mystery is beautiful. With a problem, immediately a fight arises. You have to solve it; something is wrong, you have to put it right; something is missing, you have to supply the missing link. With a mystery there is no question like that. The moon arises in the night.... It is not a problem, it is a mystery. You have to live with it. You have to dance with it. You have to sing with it, or you can be just silent with it. Something mysterious surrounds you."

 

So as CEO of your life I wish you to see your life as a wonderful mystery, not a problem and to see your essential nature as one of joy!  Live life as big and delicious as you can!  Silvia

DECEMBER 19TH, 2008: Have you ever felt like you were running away from something?  I have.  My friend David Romanelli inspired this contemplation as did something a conversation with another friend who shared the following with me this week.  They basically said to me, I think you've always done what was most expected of you, except they used the word "conform".  Yuck, a big yuck.  I don't like that word or any variation of it, conformist, conforming, to conform. 

Me?  Come on.  But they did say that they could see that I had been breaking out of that conformist box by leaving the corporate world and living life doing what I love most, teaching yoga.  YES! That's much better.   

So I ask you, are you running from life or for life right now?  When I looked up conform in the thesaurus it said stuff like: be conventional, kow tow, measure up.  Yup, that's why I did run away in the past - thought it would help me be more accepted and I wanted to know from others that I measured up.  It all looked good on paper but wasn't making me very happy. 

Here then is inspiration from Osho to think about: Osho said that when you are seeking freedom from life, you are always on the run, being chased by your finances, fears, and worries.  He said that when you are seeking freedom for life, you are diving headlong into the journey.  Chasing your dreams. Pursuing your passions.  So join me, but know it’s not always easy, and really run for life, not from it.  If I can do it, anyone can do it.  And I know YOU can do it.  Peace! Silvia 

 

Cold weather can throw our health off balance. The cold, dry air can aggravate conditions that can weaken you immune system so it is essential to take good care of ourselves. Says Catherine Guthrie, Yoga Journal 2008

KEY CONTRIBUTORS TO COLDS & FLU:
Winter s cold, dry air creates the perfect host environment for germs. The drier the air, the longer germs stay airborne. Energy ebbs in the winter when there is less sunlight. To charge up with caffeine stresses the adrenals, the glands that sit atop the kidneys and support the body s immunity and energy. Cold weather already compromises the kidneys, the source of our energy and vitality, says herbalist Madelon Hope. Stress is the immune system s worst enemy. Your body s ability to fight germs is compromised by physical and mental tension.

So my friends what do we do In a nutshell, the prescription is use yoga to decrease stress by practicing poses and breathing techniques that help trigger the relaxation response. Stay healthy this season do more yoga it s just that simple. Here s courage to keep making yourself important in your own life! Peace,
Silvia

DECEMBER 16, 2008:  Being really fully human asks that we not shrink away from life or its challenges.  I understand it can be a bumpy road at times. I myself have had a really wild (sometimes horrific, sometimes blissfull) ride to get to this point.  But what keeps me going is the opportunity I have, you have, we all have to muster up the COURAGE TO TRY.  Or as Poonjali says, "Wake up and Roar!"

So in class we’ll repeat the same sequence (“flow of poses linked together with breath”) or during the course of a practice session we’ll repeat the same pose at different times.  We do this to help us remain persistent.  Or as Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

 

Right on.  When we set our intentions for the class, for the year or for our life we have to revisit them time and again.  It is not just a matter of wishing once and then keeping our fingers crossed. Just like progressing in a pose, better understanding its application in your body means doing it more than once, more than hundreds of times!  Fred Rogers says, “What makes the difference between wishing and realizing our wishes? Lots of things, and it may take months or years for wish to come true, but it's far more likely to happen when you care so much about a wish that you'll do all you can to make it happen.”

 

So today and every day, wake up and roar, endeavor to have the courage to try.  And when things go well, celebrate, when things fall apart, pick yourself up and keep going.  Perhaps one of my favorite quotes of all time that I keep dear to me is this:   “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  I am here, I will support you and I will encourage you to keep trying! Jai Ma, Silvia

 

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

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

 

 

NOVEMBER 10^TH, 2008:  Last month after Todd Norian was with us for a weekend intensive he sent a thank you note with these words, “May you rise with courage to meet the challenges of this current time. May you do yoga to strengthen your core and nourish the source of your being. May you stay in your heart and give away love, kindness, and compassion to those in need. Yoga and giving are two of the best ways to weather the storm. Dedicating yourself to a deeper purpose will absolutely guide you through to success and freedom. – Todd Norian Workshop 08”

 

This has served as a wonderful reminder of how Courage is a quality that comes from the heart.  Judith Lasater a personal hero of mine says, “Courage is the second most important quality to cultivate in life. (Right after love).”  Winston Churchill goes as far to say, “ Courage is the first of the human qualities because it is a quality which guarantees all others.”  For me the way I’ve come to understand courage day to day is that it is not really about undersatnding what is right or wrong but it is the strenght within us to choose the right course of action in any circumstance.  Now recently a public figure had a mantra of Yes, I Can.  I would like to suggest a modification to practice at home of, “CAN I? YES!”.  So keep asking yourself today, What is possible for me? And then courageously listen to your heart to take action.  Wishing you all your own best courage!  Sat Nam, Silvia

 

AUGUST 2ND, 2008:  How cool is this from my Yogitoes Friends which inspired my meditation today?  Solar eclipses occur when the orbital paths of the moon and the earth align precisely enough for the moon to block the light of the Sun. For a few moments, the normal flow of solar radiation is interrupted... Energetic matrices are opened, reorganized, and reconfigured, creating new patterns and pathways.

New Moon - 5:12 AM CST 

 

Total Solar ECLIPSE - 5:21 AM CST

 

Because of this total eclipse of the sun the new moon in LEO this month will be exceptionally POWERFUL.  As you may know the ruler of Leo is the SUN...

The star at the center of the universe that encourages our creativity, self expression, and authentic heart felt desires!

 

So, this new moon time is an amazing opportunity to CREATE our hearts desire!  But it takes courage, willpower and heart (just like the lion in the wizard of oz) to walk our own unique path to our ultimate destiny! So this month is a great time to fiercely claim your dreams, creative inspirations, and soul intentions... and the universal power of the eclipse will move you forward at quantum speed!    

AUGUST 1ST, 2008:  So I was talking to a student last evening and they shared how much of a difference TBY had made in their life.  And they gave me one of the nicest compliments they said I was a very INTEGRATED indvidual.  I was truly touched and grateful and humbled all at the same time.

Then I went home to look up what this means....Just kidding (kind of), I did go to my old journals to see what I've written in the past about Integration and to see what it means to me today.  Here is what I found:

INTEGRATION = global effort; = democracy; = yoga; = it represents the community of the body, how we use all parts of the body to support each pose just like all parts of our lives should support our personal intentions. (If we just dare to be ourselves and admit what we want out of life)

So what does this mean?  I think to be integrated (or in a STATE OF YOGA) we are REAL (scholastically, professionally, and in relationships with others). We stop hiding behind masks, we stop pretending to be less than we are or more perfect than we are.  My greatest teacher in this respect was my Papa, who until he passed away at 59 years old was always himself: eccentricities and all.

When we practice YOGA we have the opportunity in a sweet, safe environment to take off our masks and really be ourselves physically and emotionally and embrace who we are.  So what is it be integrated?  Well you guys it means what we do, what we say, what we think and how we act is in ALIGNMENT.   I wish you all the courage to make this discovery.  May You Live Strong and Align with your highest intentions!  Peace, Silvia