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April 20, 2011 “People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."  The Alchemist

 I have faced more than my share of fears.  The biggest one is of losing love, of being happy and then losing that happiness. As the Alchemist also goes on to talk about how the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering.  It is NOT about whether or not we are afraid. Of course we are all afraid of something.  But the question is do we allow fear to stop our experiences of life or let it inspire us?  Do you allow things to scare you so much that you ignore them, freeze, run away, fight them?  

Learning how to attempt the impossible to see that our fears are mere opinions nothing more or less is at the heart of the practice. And just as easily we can change that thought to believe in the impossibility of things.  You can by facing your fears learn to talk to yourself differently.  So here below was our playlist I hope you enjoyed the practice and that you see how deserving you are of living life FULL BLAST, inspire of your fear and try for your most important dreams!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

Twin Blue, Millions & Millions

Dreamcatcher, Bahramji And Maneesh De Moor

Those To Come, The Shins

Johnny B Goode, Peter Tosh

Track 11, Keiner+Carl

High Grade, Richie Spice

What a Feeling, Collie Buddz

Track 09, Keiner+Carl

Lively Up Yourself, Bob Marley

Stay Human, Michael Franti

Om Namah Shivaya, Govindas

Incense, Erykah Badu

 

February 12, 2011 Day 3 of Love Blogging 21 days in 2011.  Does yoga make you sexy?  Yes it can: when we feel peaceful our faces do look prettier.  And when we are kinder we are more approachable. And when we move more gracefully we are more attractive.  

Practicing yoga also helps us remember to celebrate life. During class we burn off, sweat off, twist off the spiritual amnesia (forgetting what fires you up!) In a nutshell it reminds us about what we love about our life: Dancing, hiking, playing piano, running, cycling, painting, traveling.  Forgetting what you love to do is a form of self-sabotage. If you can forget about your dreams, then you never have to risk failure. But just because you've decided to ignore your passions doesn't mean they no longer exist. Besides life is too short to stop doing what you love.

So today we invoked the Fire Element. Fire in Sanskrit is AGNI. 

“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 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. Fire is also symbolic of rebirth.  It cleanses, burns off the negative and energizes one to light the path forward. Then we move confidently in the direction of what we love with great PASSION. And that enthusiasm and confidence is SEXY!

It is visible to everyone. You can see it.  For instance if Leonardo DaVinci would paint your portrait would he see that fire of passion in your eyes?  Are you living life with enthusiasm? In the words of Philosopher Hebbel, “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” And no one else can tell you what fires you up, only you can decide “how to set your life on fire” (Rumi).

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs;?ask yourself what makes you come alive.

And then go and do that.

Because what the?world needs is people who have come alive."~ Harold Whitman

Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it and hold true to your biggest dreams! "Let no doubt into your dreams and intentions. The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Be one of those dreamers." (Dr Wayne Dyer)

This is the time to empower yourself towards transforming your life! Let's make today THE BEST DAY EVER!  Now that's sexy….Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

HIP HOP INSPIRED YOGA PLAYLIST
Fire, Coco De Mer

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit

No Rest for the Weary, Blue Scholars

The Fire, The Roots Feat. John Legend

BIG BANK HANK [Main], Blue Scholars

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Just You & I, Dzihan & Kamien

Free Tibet, Hilight Tribe

Strong Will Continue, Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Coming Home, Diddy - Dirty Money & Skylar Grey

I Will Be Light, Matisyahu

One Of These Mornings, Moby

Lakshmi, Girish, Donna Delory, Greg Leisz & Georges Lamman

Beyond Time [ambient edit], Blank & Jones

BONUS: I’m Too Sexy, Right Said Fred

 

WARNING ADULT LANGUAGE: If you are still reading. I came upon this quote today from Bikram “With this one you are fucking until you are 90! You have seven orgasms in a row!” – referring to eagle pose, which he considers the best pose for good sex.  (Yeah we did that one in class today)

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

 

February 9, 2011.  I don't mean this to be dramatic or morbid but if I died today could I say that I've lived well.  And more importantly could I say that I've loved well.  You see today is the anniversary of my Father's death. Enrico Mordini died on this day many years ago, too many to even begin to want to count.  And yet the hardest day of my life is also a day of inspiration.  It is a reminder every year to ask myself am I loving enough?  Am I Creating more love in the world, not just following love but leading the way for love as a Love Warrior so to speak.  

For it's not enough to think about it or follow the leader in love it is also our responsibility to make more love in the world.  Today more than ever!  And yes for me this is also tied up in wondering on this date every year "is my Papa proud of me and how I'm loving my life." Would he think that I respect love enough to salute it every day (like a sun salutation)?  I have to believe he is proud of how valiant my attempts are regardless of the results which are sometimes messy and pretty often imperfect.

Funny thing about death is that the anniversary keeps coming back every year and reminds us that we don't know how long we have on this earth. So if you are thinking about getting started in loving more, creating more love, talking to love, talking about love then you should get started NOW.  Yesterday, in meditation I decided to turn up the volume of love in my life, mostly because I don't feel like I'm yet "doing" enough to promote love.  If I am a Love Ambassador (kind of like a Lululemon Ambassador) I have to get out there and keep the "brand image" of LOVE on the forefront.  I have to take more responsibility.  So I have pledged to write/blog/meditate about love for 21 days in a row (the length of time some scientists agree it takes to build a healthy habit).

Those of you who know me might think this will be an easy love assignment for me, but being actively pledged to love is not easy. It is simple.  Just not easy. That's a long time to be in love with love and maintain a fruitful, spiritually mature dialogue.  I say this because when my Father passed away the first person I was angry with was Love. I screamed and cried and shouted at love in my thoughts and out loud, because I couldn't understand why love would take away the first person on this planet who loved me (along with my Mama too).  Love seemed so unfair to me then.  So you see I haven't always been on good terms with Love, we've argued before and sometimes it's not been pretty.

But here I am, ready to really try to be the Love Ambassador that I want to be and that will make my Papa proud.  You see Love is a skill.  If you practice love, move like love, think love, behave in a loving way then we're bound to get good at it, just like anything else we practice (sadhana) repeatedly over time.

Eknath Easwaren says it like this “Love is a skill, a precious skill that can be learned. There are many other skills that are useful, even necessary, but in the end, nothing less than learning to love will satisfy us. The saints and mystics tell us that life has only one overriding purpose: to discover the source of infinite love and then to express this love in daily living. Without love, life is empty; without love, life is meaningless. The only purpose which can satisfy us completely, fulfill all our desires, and then make our life a gift to the whole world, is the gradual realization of the Self (LOVE) within, which throws open the gates of love. We cannot dream what depth and breadth of love we are capable of until we make the discovery that this divine spark lives in every creature.” 

And today as I dream of love I am just so grateful to breath and welcome a way that promotes living the biggest love possible. So happy am I to have another chance to love more! It comes down to a simple choice (here I really should tell you that my "not so secret" ulterior motive is to build an army of Love Ambassadors worldwide) and I'd like to recruit each of you.  The oath is easy.  You just say to yourself and then to everyone: I CHOOSE LOVE.

May you love yourself more, love your day more, love your life more! Silvia 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

WWW.SILVIAMORDINI.COM OR WWW.ALCHEMYTOURS.COM

Greetings Friends! 

January 1, 2011  Yesterday I posted my last blog of 2010. I have included it at the bottom of this final newsletter of the year in hopes it inspires your own dreams. And really that is my invitation to you: "dream a dream with me." Time on the mat helps us stay connected to what inspires us.  So here are some of my favorite quotes from a book given to me by my sweet friend Anne titled Dream by Susan Bosak.  May they connect you to spirit so you can awaken your greatest dreams ever in 2011!

 Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia    

 "Whoever would one day learn to fly must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." - Nietzsche

 "The Possible's slow fuse is lit by the Imagination." - Emily Dickinson

"A hundred million miracles are happening every day." - Oscar Hammerstein

"The difficulty in life is the choice." - George Moore

"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." -Langston Hughes

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity." - Marie Curie

 

New Years Day Schedule:

5am-7am Sadhana Kundalini (FREE)

10am Level 1 with Wendy

11:30am Level 1-2 with Wendy

1:30pm Restorative Yoga with Samantha

 

PS - Join me January 14-15 Living Your Yoga Workshops

 

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December 31, 2010 Blog by Silvia Mordini: Adventure, Remembrance, Victory!

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

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

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

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

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

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.  

APRIL 5, 2110: This is according to the author the most important one and most difficult to honor. It is to be impeccable with your word.  He writes, "through the word you express your creative power. It is through the word you manifest everything. Regardless of what language you speech, your intent manifests through the word.  What you dream, what you feel and what you really are, will all be manifested through the word."  

What I want to point out is that we are not talking about just verbal language here. Although it is curious that of all animals on earth we are the only one who speaks.  But think of internal dialogue that becomes external expression. 

"The word is not just a sound or a written symbol. The words is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think and thereby to create the events of your life."   "The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is a tool of magic.  But like a sword with two edges your word can create the most beautiful dream or your word can destroy everything around you.  Being impeccable with your word is not using the word against yourself. If I love myself I will express that love in my interactions with you, and then I am being impeccable with the word, because that action will produce a like reaction. If I love you, then you will love me.  If I have gratitude for you, you will have gratitude for me."   

"Being impeccable with your word is the correct use of your energy; it means to use your energy in the direction of TRUTH and LOVE for yourself."  

In yoga this concept is known as Satya.  When we are able to live with integrity always speaking with loving truth to ourselves and to others we will immediately realize an experience of lightness and ease. Every pose on the mat is a chance to practice being honest with ourselves. The power to live in truth is the same as the power to live in love.  So may you be happy, may you be peaceful, may you be loved! Sat Nam, Silvia (In Truth and Light)

JANUARY 3, 2010: So today we started in Vajrasana where after some initial acknowledge of where we are in this moment, like looking at a chalkboard in front of us we rubbed our hands together like two sticks of wood to create friction/heat and then cupped our eyes. We used this as an opportunity to open our eyes and imagine our hands 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, our Dharma? WHO AM I?

And this means it is something more than the role we play at work, the labels we wear like son, daughter, partner, parent. When we get onto the mat it is a special time to rediscover ourselves. Or for many of us, to discover ourselves for the first time. Through these poses and conscious breathing we learn to gain control of our emotions and harness the power of our mind to direct our 60,000 daily thoughts towards our great purpose. But first we have to know WHO WE ARE before we are able to give direction. It’s like using the GPS on the car, you have to know the destination. This practice breaths life back into us or as Rumi writes, “I was dead, then alive, weeping then laughing. The power of love came into me!” With every physical sensation we feel our humanity. As Stephen Covey puts it, “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 Life’s Purpose or Dharma?

So right now say to yourself, “I AM THE CREATOR OF MY LIFE. I will listen with total attention to my experience, I will relish each sensation, I will love every minute of being with myself today.” You see the poses are the QUESTIONS. They are not the answers. They help us to be aware of our attitudinal alignment. For instance they ask us the fundamental question of whether or not we are focusing on our limitations or on our DREAMS, are we expecting the worst from life or the best from life? To co-create with the universe means we are taking responsibility to know who we are and are actively sharing our unique contribution with the world. Woodrow Wilson, the 28th 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.” 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.”

It is not always easy. But we have to work harder than our fear, we have to work harder than our pain to make the truest discovery of WHO AM I. And the answer only comes from within, no one else can tell us who we are and why we are here. I know it’s sometimes scary (like doing a handstand against the wall) but through the poses we break down the self-doubt and grow more determined to live as who we really are. Eventually by the end of the practice we meet ourselves or as Derek Walcott puts it, “The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile at the others welcome, and say, sit here. You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life.”

So this year face your fears, do not let them stand in the way of discovering the answer to WHO AM I. Best put by 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.” Love to all, Peace to All, Courage to all! Silvia

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009:  I am inspired by this beautiful poem called The Awakening.  It fits in perfectly with our dedication this week to the importance of dreaming and envisioning our lives as we really want them. All we have to do is stay the course with this amazing practice of yoga so we can see through the Kleshas or veils that build up and stop us from dreaming as big or bold as we did when we were in love with life with less complications. It can be that way again.  May this time on the mat help you “remember everything!”  Love and light, Silvia

 

 

The Awakening

"In the early dawn of happiness

You gave me three kisses

So that I would wake up

To this moment of love

 

I tried to remember in my heart

What I'd dreamt about

During the night

Before I became aware

Of this moving

Of life

 

I found my dreams

I saw how my heart had fallen

On your path

Singing a song

 

Between my love and my heart

Things were happening which

slowly slowly

Made me recall everything"

 

JULY 23RD, 2009:  I have been meditating on the word RESOLVE this week.  Like what does that mean exactly?  In yogic terms it is Tapas. What is Tapas? I would in practical terms define it as relaxed sustainable determination with consistent undertones of passion.  Or simply put it means SHOWING UP.  It may so seem easy to show up for our life but how often do we get so busy, worried or afraid that we aren’t really attending the life story where we are the star.  When I did theatre in High School and College there were moments in a couple shows that by the end of the run I would be acting on stage but sort of on autopilot (not really aware that I was totally there).  I’ve found that to be true in regular life early in spiritual practice.  Like we are the actor on the stage we are also the audience but neither as actor or viewer would I be tuned in. 

 

So TAPAS helps us to be awake to our lives and articulate our intentions.  In practice the determination to hold true to our dreams or visions for ourselves is Tapas in yoga.  It is like this poem below:

 

"Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be."
-Karen Ravn

 

So today challenge yourself to show up.  Whether this means showing up for yoga class or just showing up for what makes you excited about your life.  What is your vision for your life?  Not just the idea but what can you resolve to make happen, to be with day after day until you see the fruition of your dream. Leonardo Da Vinci once said, "A good painter has two main objects to paint, man and the intention of his soul. The former is easy, the latter hard."

 

Ask yourself:  If he would paint your portrait would DaVinci see that fire in your eyes?

 

Resolve starting now to find the inner strength and quiet determination to hold true to your biggest dreams.  Big Love! Silvia

 

 

"Let no doubt into your dreams and intentions. The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Be one of those dreamers." (Dr Wayne Dyer)

MAY 19, 2009:  Without apology I hope this practice bumps you into your limitations!  I really want that it pushes your buttons and makes you uncomfortable at times. What are examples of discomfort? Frustration, risks, the unknown, adventure! It is through that we meet our real selves. Once you see yourself as you truly are then you remove the veils, kleshas and you dream your best dreams.  You start living life on your terms.  So through this practice use your discomfort open the door more widely so you can DREAM WILDLY!  Let the poses show you what you are capable of becoming! Don’t focus so much on what you are now but more so let this spark within you something greater, your potentiality for beauty, for love, for amazement!  Time in life is short.  Dr Wayne Dyer says, "Let no doubt into your dreams and intentions. The dreamers are the saviors of the world.” 

 

Now we have a choice. We can stay in the “comfort” zone a little apathetic or not totally turned on by life. What a friend once had described to him as “flat lining” one’s life.  You know how this feels. Everything is just OK.  Spiritual practice implores us to live life more than OK.  That we need not give up when we meet uncomfortable situations for that’s exactly when we are about to break free.  The author Jaimal Yogis says, “the story you’ve been telling, you know the one, about the way you have to compromise that dream.  Bend that rule. Cut the cornerstone of logic for breakfast. That story is old and tired. Do you see how FREE you are without it?

 

Please don’t compromise your life, this one life any longer.  Be uncomfortable. Face the fear, the discomfort to live your life heroically.  It is really the only way.  As I wish myself my own best strength I offer you the same.  Let’s all just go for living the adventure of life! Love to you, Silvia

“A man practices the art of adventure when he heroically faces up to life; When he has the daring to open doors to new experiences and to step boldly forth to explore strange horizons. When he is unafraid of new ideas, new theories and new philosophies. When he has the curiosity to experiment--to test and try new ways of living and thinking. When he has the flexibility to adjust and adapt himself to the changing patterns of life. When he refuses to seek safe places and easy tasks and has, instead, the courage to wrestle with the toughest problems. When he has the moral stamina to be steadfast in the support of those men in whom he has faith and those causes in which he believes. When he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints. When he has the nerve to move out of life's shallows and venture forth into the deep. When he keeps his heart young, his expectations high and never allows his dreams to die. When he concludes that a rut is only another name for the grave and that the only way to stay out of the ruts is by living adventurously and staying vitally alive every day of his life.  By Wilfred Peterson. Source: The art of living, Albert W. Daw Collection

 

APRIL 17TH, 2009:  The most challenging way to live is in love. Talk about taking courageous action!  Karma is the Sanskrit for action.  The idea being this is that we have a choice about the actions we take each and every moment.  Behind the action is what we call Tapas or determination.  Something has to fuel the action, especially when choosing love over hate, or peace over anger, or flow over inertia.  If we take action we are spiritually taking responsibility for our lives.  The cool thing is that as we consciously look for opportunities to feel excited about life it answers back.  This is a spiritual truth.

We can bring to life and make manifest our intentions if we do the work.  One of my favorite African proverbs says, "When you pray, move your feet".  YES! We can easily get bogged down in the heaviness of life and deaden out.  This is no way to live.  When we need to move and pray for the life we want then we just gotta do it!

 

So through this practice may you find your own strength to be a lover of life.

 

As Leo Buscaglia says, “to be a lover will require that you continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of a child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the dedicated, the knowledge of the scholar, and the fortitude of the certain.  All these qualities will grow in him who choose love for these are already part of his potential and will be realized through loving.”  So that’s the boomerang effect of Karmic seeds that we action.  If we love life, it will love us back!  It’s just that easy, it “becomes then a matter of loving your way to love!”

 

So start now, without delay, get up stand up for your right to love and be loved!  In truth and light, Silvia

 

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

 

APRIL 13TH, 2009: This week join me in class to focus on a philosophy of living life BIG & BRIGHT, without limitations.  Now of course we can't control everything that happens around us or the choices that others make but this need not limit us. You have in a sense a "magic wand' that can transmute even the greatest challenge into an opportunity for greatness. Ghandi said, "be the change you wish to see in the world." Through the energy of your thoughts, which demonstrates your perspective, you can experience your limitless potential for happiness, peace and most of all love. 

The thing is you are already choosing moment by moment what you want your life to feel like, be like, look like. No one else is choosing your thoughts for you.  Consider it like this, (1) your heart and mind create your reality so you must be able to create other views, (2) if you can create different perspectives (victim, martyr, champion, lover) then you must have more than just one choice so that means you can choose which perspective you want. Well then why not accept responsibility to see your life as limitless in passion, prosperity, and Love?

There are two simple universal laws to better appreciate this: The law of abundance simply put says you can't be resentful and receive abundance at the same time. They can't co-exist, you have to choose one or the other.  You either think you're running out of stuff & are being picked on, victimized by the universe or you are grateful for your blessings. You either focus on what you don't have or acknowledge all that you do have.  You see and say YES to opportunities surrounding you everywhere or you force limitations on yourself and say no to life at every turn. These are mutually exclusive.  The law of attraction says Like attracts like. Positivity draws in more things that are positive. Negativity draws in more things that are negative.

What you put out there to the world comes back to you amplified. You can't look to someone else to manage your dreams or to highlight your potential to the world. You must do it yourself.  A boss I had at PwC once said to me, "no one wants to see you promoted more than you do yourself". We can engage in negative self-talk, self-doubt and obsessive worry but these will only create negative energy and won't get you promoted or loved or anything else good. Instead, if you think of yourself as your own "brand" and everyday you have a choice to promote your brand to the world as amazing & brilliant you will attract to you the best life possible.  

The world will give you back what you're sending out. So make this Spring a fresh start shift your perspective to one of INFINITE potential so you love yourself more, so you love your day more, so your love your life more! 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

AUGUST 6TH, 2008:  Every time you come to class, send me an email, or call me, you make my dream come true.  My greatest aspiration is to help you articulate your dream and encourage you to go for it!  I wholeheartedly believe in the words of Don Miguel Ruiz, “Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story.” 

VOICE YOUR DREAM – YOU HAVE CHOICES!

In every pose we have choices to make…how we breath, how we unite breath with movement into a happy marriage, how we place the body, how much effort we make, how efficient the effort, how much we let go at the same time we make the effort. We constantly get to choose for ourselves.  Are you making the most of your options?  Are you open to choosing what might be deemed by some as "mission impossible."

 

Today do me this favor:  Create a list of one or more dream projects that you would love to complete. Then take the first step in your own great adventure – BEGIN.  In Yoga we call this your "intention" or Sankalpa.  As sweet motivation take to heart the inspiring words of Louisa May Alcott “We all have our own life to pursue, Our own kind of dream to be weaving, And we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”   So my friends I hope the time on the mat gives you each the opportunity to further refine your dreams and strengthen from within your resolve to become immune to the opinions of others so that you never, never, never give up!  BIG LOVE! 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!    

JULY 29TH, 2008:  I love Dr Seuss.  Loved him when I was little and love him now as an adult.  Countless times I have gained inspiration from this beloved author.  One of my morning meditation favorites is "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way."  Really this is a call for CARPE DIEM.  Too many times while we're getting ready to live, to really enjoy life then it runs out.  Take to heart as Dr Wayne Dyer says, "Go for it now. The future is promised to no one."

As you know I've been planning a vacation.  That got me thinking about Dorothy Danfield Fishers words, "If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days."  So if what we want out of vacation is to enjoy life, to relax and be happy then each day is our time to PLAY!

Make this mental shift:  try to see everyday as a play date because each day has qualities of vacation just like every pose is SAVASANA.  In every pose, and in every way we have an opportunity to write a happily ever after.  So what are you waiting for, take to heart final encouragement from Dr Seuss:  "If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good."