DOES YOGA MAKE YOU SEXY? PASSION & PEACE MAKE YOU BEAUTIFUL!
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)
EMPOWERMENT BY GUEST BLOGGER MARA CAMPBELL
Namaste Yogis,
Have you ever thought in class or in life, "no I can't do this...this is too hard.. I am too old...my hamstrings are too tight..etc?" I know I have, especially when a yoga teacher makes something look so easy when I find it so hard. But my thoughts can either hinder or help my ability to move forward in my practice. I've realized the worst thing I can do is to not try. Please join me tomorrow when we will dive into ourselves to uncover our own power and potential through some core cultivation. Oh no, I just lost some of you...no this doesn't mean crunches...it means cultivating a connection to our source, enjoying our power all the while with a calm mind and open heart. It is through the trying, the laughing, and the believing in ourselves that our practice deepens in our bodies, minds and hearts.
In specific, we'll talk about Yoga Sutra 11.33: When presented with disquieting thoughts or feelings, cultivate an opposite, elevated attitude. I think about this sutra often when I find myself experiencing frustration, irritation and anxiety, on and off the mat. No longer can I tell myself that it is the situation at hand that is causing me to feel the way I feel. I now know that it is my reactions to life that are creating my experience. This sutra is telling us to cultivate feelings and actions that fill our hearts to combat the times we feel off. So when we experience frustration, this sutra is suggesting we try to focus on ease. If we are tied up in fear, we can elicit courage. And if we are filled with anger, the answer is always to fill with love. This is not to deny our feelings but to remember that we have the ability to change our attitude. This is what tantra philosophy is all about: EMPOWERMENT!
So whether you feel fantastic and want to celebrate your power or if you need a little action and empowerment to remember your own unlimited potential, please come join me for class tomorrow. Level 1 at 11:00 and Basics at 12:30. Also wonderful David Romanelli is back for a weekend of yoga fun at 4:30 on Saturday, all levels.
Namaste! Mara
**Don't forget your October Special: Refer anyone new to TBY and they can receive 30 days unlimited yoga for $30 and YOU get entered into raffle for 2 months of Unlimited Yoga!
FEAR OF GETTING WHAT YOU WANT
JULY 14, 2010: What if everything you wanted came true? Could you handle it, would you accept it, how would you know it's real. Are you still skeptical in your spiritual life so much so that when what you want is being handed to you, you still don't know how to be with so much grace?
The greatest fear is not of what we don't have or of suffering or of pain but of actually being happy. Of getting what we want as a result of living a spiritual life. It is not easy to grow into spiritual adulthood and live the life of our dreams for then what will we have to complain about?
If addicted to drama and the voices of complaint or seeing the world as lacking abundance and then one day the results of your efforts of living life as a good person get rewarded then what? Are you so stuck in the old mental habit of seeing what you don't have that when you get what you want and need you still don't know it and contract? Only you can grow up. No one else can do this for you. Only you can handle the truth (Satya) and know and receive the gifts the universe is offering you. It is all right here, right now.
I AM EMPOWERED TO APPRECIATE MY LIFE!
Enjoy this mantra and see what is. Be your beauty today. Love, Silvia
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
JANUARY 19, 2010: This is dedicated to Todd Bauschke, who suddenly passed away at the age of 56 years old on January 18th, 2010. Todd was a dedicated student at TBY and because he applied himself to the practice he got really good. In recent times he had to step off of the mat and do his yoga without the benefit of group classes because this last two years his health was suffering and he couldn't even breath. "He finally got his diagnosis in early November 2009. It’s a rare disease called Amyloidosis. It can attack different organs. It attacked Todds heart. The irony is that he was scheduled to have his stem cells harvested and transplanted next week. It was to be a three week hospital stay."
Yoga helps us all remember that our time here is brief even in the best of scenarios....and all to short for Yogi brother Todd. Please stop any all excuses for why you aren't living your best life. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Get to the mat, and free your heart so you can embrace the life you are meant to be living, right now.
"Your body is free but your heart is in prison. To release your heart, you simply reverse the process which locked it up. First you begin to listen for messages from your heart—messages you may have been ignoring since childhood. Next you must take the daring, risky step of expressing your heart in the outside world. . . . As you learn to live by heart, every choice you make will become another way of telling your story. . . . It is the way you were meant to exist. If you stop to listen, you’ll realize that your heart has been telling you so all along. (Martha Beck, "Finding Your Own North Star")
What do you plan to do with your one precious life?
If you can't hear your heart talking to you then consider your time on the mat a mini-retreat. A time to refresh your spirit, rekindle your passions, and cultivate balance in what you think, what you say and what you do with your life. This practice peels back the layers to help us move from self-doubt and uncertainty to a feeling of empowerment and a willingness to at least try at our lives. Like Todd, if we stay with it and practice moving in and out of these poses or shapes we create with our bodies you will achieve things you thought were impossible. This encourages us to see past our self-limiting beliefs and discover the power within us to realize that nothing is impossible!
But no one can do this for you, you have to take time for yourself. And if a yoga class isn't enough then do what I do go on a Spiritual Retreat. Take a time out for 4-7 days where you don't feel so rushed and you can step off the tread mill of your life to really feel and open up to the changes you want to make in your life. If you don't even know how to start then plan to join me in Moab in April or Tuscany in June or find enough space where you can tap into how to express your feelings and reconnect to your own inner wisdom. The insights are there and self-expression evolves to self-understanding. But really, DON'T WAIT. This is the year we have all run out of excuses. All you need to live the life of your dreams is a willingness to grow an open heart and a playful curiosity wouldn't hurt either. What do YOU plan to do with your precious life? Love in all ways, Silvia
EMPOWERMENT AND SELF RELIANCE
This being human is a guesthouse.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight …
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
EMPOWER YOURSELF! SELF RELIANCE
SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2008: Why do you practice yoga? Really everything we do brings us back to our own true nature which the yoga sutras says is joy! This is chapter 1 verse 3, United in the heart, consciousness is steadied, then we abide in our own true nature, joy.
In practical terms it means that we do the practice to help ourselves heal and come back into our own strength. This feeling of SELF RELIANCE. Anything is possible. It all really relates to self-empowerment. Four sweet quotes that are favorites of mine along this theme I share here for you to enjoy:
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Empowering is achieved by encouraging self-reliance and providing education, discipline, and learning opportunities for the child. You are empowered to try, therefore to make mistakes and still be fully accepted. Your interests are met with enthusiasm; the importance and joy of hard work are recognized and encouraged. Failure is treated lightly, while curiosity and integrity are held in high regard.
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God loves to help him who strives to help himself.
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If it is to be, it is up to me.