First Class Free

JANUARY 22, 2011:  I was hanging out today before I taught class at a cool coffee shop called Twirl Cafe in my neighborhood (http://www.twirlcafe.com/Welcome.html). I was there with my favorite 2 year old Willem and my friend Anne.  The neat thing about this cafe is that it is child friendly with organized play areas, kids classes and great latte's.  As I watched the kids play you can see the purest form of imagination at work, total flow yoga.  One moment of play leading spontaneously into the next moment followed by another.  Children innately understand that the only time we can be really happy is NOW.  Like is written in the Alchemist, “Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If I can concentrate always on the present, I'll be happy!” Kids love to be in the flow!

As adults, Yoga helps us to reconnect to the spontaneous FUN available in life!  We’re moving and breathing and trying our best to put ourselves in funny looking shapes without being self-conscious. It reminds us what it was like to be a kid and if you think about it, we really are all just kids in grown up bodies.

Yoga is an adventure whereby we engage in SACRED FUN.  Remembering it is not how or when we accomplish something it is that sense of enthusiasm during the process in just trying. This speaks directly to a favorite quote from the Alchemist, “There was a language in the world that everyone understood. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love. We are riding the wave when what we think and what we do are done from love with great enthusiasm and vigor.  This happens when we are living in “the present.”  And you have to be present and easeful to tap into the joy of spontaneous, sacred fun. In yogic teachings you can think of this as Lila Tandava, “The Playful Dance of Life.”  

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

Today thank yourself for practicing yoga and connecting to Lila Tandava as you danced with your breath, choosing not to be a spectator of life but as the Adventure Seeker yourself! As Willfred Peterson in the Art of Living puts it,“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. When he is unafraid of new ideas, new theories and new philosophies (new poses or sun salutations). When he has the curiosity to experiment. When he breaks the chain of routine. 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...staying vitally alive every day of his life.”

Take action get on the mat for the most Sacred Fun you can possibly imagine!  Don’t wait.  Do it now.  Life is too short not to celebrate it full on everyday!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS - Thank you Yogi Students for trying out a new sun salutation which I've included below. Keep it playful!

Mandala Namaskar I (From Shiva Rea)

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE – Anjaneyasana (Lunge)

INHALE – Parsva Anjaneyasana (Side Lunge)

EXHALE – Skandasana (Transverse Lunge)

INHALE – Ardha Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

EXHALE – hands down

INHALE – Ardha Plank (1 legged Plank)

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Plank

EXHALE -- Adho Mukha Svanasana

(To create circular pattern, Mandala, go through series right foot, right foot, left, left)

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

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

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010.  I am talking tonight in class about "radical affirmation of the fullness of experience" and how growth results from challenge and makes our hearts grow.  This has everything to do with the law of attraction which simply states that like attracts like.  This means what you think about your challenges is either an opportunity to grow positive energy which attracts more positive energy or negative energy which builds inertia.  The challenge is not the problem, the way we think about it is.  (The resistance to the disturbance is the disturbance.)

When you think about it, there is never any reason compelling enough to hold onto a single negative thought.  Not even one.  Why? Because we don't have time to waste our energy on negativity which only produces more negative energy.  Life is too short to live like that.  We will all experience challenge, it comes in countless forms just this week I have friends and students who have received a diagnosis, lost their jobs, are separated from their partner, kids acting out, are being harassed at work and the list goes on.  However, we only get to live today once.  And to focus on anger, fear or disappointment will only cause you to leak energy, the very energy you long for to make each moment count and help you meet the challenge with grace.

The key things to know about the LAW OF ATTRACTION are:

1.  you don't focus your thoughts they will end up scattered in all directions.  They will be circus like ping pong's stopping and starting and running about.

2.  if you make no effort in directing your thoughts towards something positive they will tend towards the negative and catastrophic (known as our hard wiring the "catastrophic brain") 

We practice yoga to focus our thoughts.  We practice these poses and breathing to see our habitual pattern of thinking and where we tend to be auto pilot negative.  We practice yoga to apply the law of attraction on the mat so we know how all day long.  What you say to yourself holding a poses is either positive or negative, rarely is it neutral.  And if you can direct your thoughts to be positive in an uncomfortable or difficult pose then you can certainly do that when you encounter challenges in your life. 

Finally, what I'd love for you to commit to memory about the law of attraction and keep forever and share with someone you love is the following:

1. The energy of your thoughts are like a magnet.  The more focused your thoughts are then the bigger your magnet and the more powerful they become at attracting similar thoughts. 

2.  The longer you are able to hold a positive thought in your mind, the more powerful the positive energy becomes around you.  

And brain science proves that eventually by holding positive thoughts longer and longer we don't need to try so hard and control so much of what we are thinking because we are constantly surrounded by the positive vibrations that draws more of what we want to us.  With positive energy hugging us in we find an easeful effort to remain positive. It becomes our way, in spite of life's challenges.  So today love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia, ERYT and ANUSARA INSPIRED teacher

(For more yoga inspiration, life coaching while on yoga retreat or teacher trainings please visit my website www.silviamordini.com or friend me on Alchemy Tours facebook)

TODAY'S PLAYLIST:  Les Enfants Qui S'aiment,  Amoureux De Paris, La Serenissima, Loreena McKennitt, Fire, Coco De Mer, Elusinian Blue, Gabrielle Roth, Believer, M.I.A. MAYA, Nobody's Perfect, Madonna, Il Pescivendolo, Matteo Salvatore, I'm Outta Love, Anastacia, Prayer to Rudra, Krishna Das, That I Would Be Good, Alanis Morissette, Dedication, Kirby Shelstad, Silent Wings, Lifescapes

*1008 humble bows to the opening quote from John Friend at the Anusara Grand Gathering 2010

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1 MARCH 24, 2010

OPENING WAVE

Sukhasana Seated: Buddha mudra in stages

• Right hand - accomplishments
• Left hand - goals
• Both, energy ball, sankalpa mudra

Change cross of legs - lie down in sukhasana  

WAVE 1

Cobbler Supine Bridge prep:  inhale lift arms, exhale lower arms, inhale lift hips, exhale lower hips (flow)

Bridge hold: 1 legged bridge to pigeon bridge 5 breaths

Pigeon twist

Pigeon on back

Pigeon abs

Pigeon bridge,

1 legged bridge,

Bridge Side 2  

WAVE 2

Spinal rolls to forward fold

Rotate foot to right, walk hands out, back to center Rotate foot to left, walk hands out, back to center

Step back left leg into Prasarita Paddotanasana Ardha Prasarita hold (stand up)  

WAVE 3

Inhale Star, Exhale Warrior 2 Right (warm up ankles) Inhale Star, Exhale Warrior 2 Left (flow)

Second stage: Star, Warrior 2, Reverse Warrior 2, Warrior 2

Third stage: Star, Warrior 2, Straight leg Reverse Warrior 2, Triangle, Prasarita Twist (heart helicopter, 1 hand on ground)

Prasarita forearms down  

WAVE 4

Jump in and out (handstand prep)

Forward Fold, turn right foot out, lift into Ardha Chandrasana B

Standing Splits

Pyramid

Standing Cow

Jump in and out (handstand prep)

Side 2 (turn left foot out, begin above)

From Prasarita walk hands forward and 1 leg downward dog  

WAVE 5 Dancing Warrior 2 (Warrior A, Warrior B, Reverse Warrior B, Side Angle, Warrior B) Basic Vinyasa  

WAVE 6

Cow dog (cross left leg behind right)

Walk dog standing cow

Seated Cow pose (buddha mudra)

Cow pose twist (optional koundinasana 2 legs bound)

Baby Cradle leg to Sundial pose

Double Pigeon

Seated Pigeon (optional koundinasana 2)

Seated Pigeon twist to open side straight arm inside instep of foot (arm balance option)

Upward facing plank with pigeon leg, then straight up with leg (like 1 legged bridge)

Upward facing plank

Malasana

Baby Crow

Crow

Basic vinyasa to Dog Side 2  

CLOSING

From upward facing plank Bridge prep

Supported Bridge with block

Eagle twist (legs like cow face pose)

Savasana

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1 FRIDAY EVENING MARCH 19, 2010  CORE CULTIVATION FOCUS

OPENING

Child's Pose

Table Cat/Puppy Cat lift knees core cultivation

Dog pose

Plank: knee dips find core

Lower to belly locust with yoga mudra

Cobra Plank Dog

Child's Pose

Krama 2:  Table on forearms; forearm plank, knee dips, sphinx, cobra, plank, dog  

WAVE 1

Forward Fold

Half moon A

Forward Fold with Yoga mudra

Sun Salutation A 3 x's  

WAVE 2

Chair

Half chair

Half chair twist arms long

Chair

Forward fold

Basic vinyasa

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE - Core plank

INHALE - 1 legged plank

EXHALE - step forward

INHALE - High Lunge

EXHALE through basic vinyasa or one legged version

WAVE 3 Repeat above in Wave 2 Add the twist in High lunge  

WAVE 4 Repeat above in Wave 2 Replace High Lunge with Warrior A  

WAVE 5 Repeat above in Wave 2 Replace Warrior A with Low Lunge Option: twist fully, high lunge twist  

WAVE 6

1 Leg Dog

Low Lunge High Lunge option to Warrior 3 High Lunge back to Low Lunge (or have been waiting in Low Lunge)

Revolved Lunge Flying Warrior 2 Warrior 2 add eagle arms Reverse Warrior 2

Half Splits

Basic Vinyasa Side 2  

WAVE 7

1 leg dog, step forward Standing splits Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated twist) Twist to open side

Lizard (Parsva Vascistasana 1)  

CLOSING Meditation, pranayama Savasana    

March 12, 2010:  In the book The Five Love Languages Dr Chapman talks about figuring out your primary way of expressing and interpreting love.  Cool concept. I was told about this NYT best seller 2 years ago or more. Finally yesterday I read the book.  What really came through to me from a Yogic perspective is this understanding of how we communicate is the practice of Svadhaya or self-study/self-observation.  If you don't know who you are or what language you're speaking gosh it's going to be a bit more difficult to ask someone else (whether it be a friend or family member or partner) to speak your same language.  And from becoming more expert in your own humanity you learn about other humans.  

In the corporate world I used to tell my staff to apply a variation of the Golden Rule. I said to them don't communicate and treat them the way you want to be spoken to but communicate with them the way THEY want and need to be related to.  This was at the heart of my efforts to teach/coach or otherwise inspire my staff to build relationships with both clients and fellow staff.  Many times they'd come back to tell me a story of how they applied this to home life too and it worked!  

When we come to the mat we have a chance to figure ourselves out a bit and ultimately refine the primary language we speak and practicing in a group we can look around and see maybe the people around us have their own yoga, speak another language.  It is not enough to come from love. We are all hopefully doing that.  We have to take that next step and learn the love languages of our friends and loved one's too.  If I keep speaking Italian and don't ever attempt to learn Japanese which my partner speaks then likely we are not going to be able to connect on a deeper level.  So enjoy this 7th Chakra Namaskar (Salutation) which asks us to unify our energies from 1st through 7th chakras.  And some of the great flow music I choose today I've included below too.  I will offer a second posting about this book all on its own for your non yoga friends to share in if you want to pass it along.  Here's to all of us speaking the languages of Love!  Blessings, Silvia  

LOVE LANGUAGE PLAYLIST

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Om Padme Om, Wah!, Ananda, Solar Quest Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo Nogo, Issa Bagayogo High Low, Michael Franti, Spearhead feat. Zap Mama Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong, Michael Franti Aja Uttama, Dave Stringer Ganesha Windmix, Jai Uttal Guru Ram, Mirabai Ceiba Ahimsa, Baird Hersey & Prana    

7th Chakra Namaskar

Start standing in Mountain with HASTA VINYASA – “Conductor arms”

INHALE – Reach arms down and out lift left knee Crane

EXHALE – Arms to sides and reach forward Flying Lunge

INHALE – Low Lunge circle arms out and up

EXHALE – Half Splits circle arms down and out

INHALE – High Lunge circle arms forward and up

EXHALE – Prepare

INHALE – Warrior 3 circle arms down and out

EXHALE – Crane circle arms forward and up, lower foot to Mountain

Side 2 begins

INHALE – Tip Toe Pose

EXHALE – Forward Fold arms sweep back and up

INHALE – Tip Toe Pose

EXHALE – Plow

INHALE – Tip Toe Pose

EXHALE – Forward Fold arms sweep back and up

INHALE – Jump to Vajrasana

EXHALE – Camel (Flow circular arms)

INHALE - Plank

EXHALE - Chatarunga

INHALE - Up Dog

EXHALE - Down Dog

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1: MARCH 8, 2010  EARTHY ENERGY, CALMING BHAVA

OPENING

Vajrasana

Table with toes under wrist stretch

Vajrasana toes under (broken toe pose)

FF Malasana FF  

WAVE 1

Supported W3 Lunge back low Lizard, variations

Triangle to side angle flow (inhale tri/exhale side angle)

Half Splits Low Lunge

FF Malasana (Side 2 begins)   

WAVE 2

Lunge back Lizard variation toes out

Quad breather Twist

Half Splits Low Lunge

High Lunge Warrior 2 (W2 for short) Rev Warrior 2 straight leg Triangle Prasarita twist

W2 to reverse W2 straight leg Side 2  

WAVE 3

FLOW Namaskar from Wave 2 in between Sun Sal A  

WAVE 4

Malasana to Crow

Cobbler

Marychasana C

Janu Sirsasana

Twisted Upavista Konasana to Parsva Upavista Konasana (side bend)

Pigeon Quad breather

Pigeon again  

WAVE 5

Wall Vinyasa for Quad Breather with the wall

King pigeon prep  

CLOSING      

WAVE 1

Seated pranayama Sun Salutation A  

WAVE 2

Forward Fold (FF) Mountain to Half Moon A FF with yoga mudra

Chair to half chair

Crane W3 to standing splits Baby eagle 2 times

Revolved lunge Low Lunge Standing Splits FF Side 2  

WAVE 3

Chair to half chair

Crane to W3 pulse up and down knee conditioning standing leg

Standing splits

Revolved Lunge High lunge to twist to Revolved Lunge back to high lunge 3x's

From last revolved lunge to Side plank

Basic Vinyasa I leg Dog right, standing splits Side 2  

WAVE 4

FF Mountain Chair, Chair Twist

Eagle pose and eagle arms up and down like ab crunches

Warrior 3 with eagle arms

Warrior A landing backbend with eagle arms

Warrior 2 Reverse Warrior 2 with half cow face arms Prasarita with full cow face arms

Headstand with eagle legs to seated eagle transition (or jump cross legs and sit)

Cow pose side bend, twist

Janu sirsasana side bend Bharavajrasana Pigeon I leg dog vinyasa Side 2  

WAVE 5

1 leg dog right Warrior A with cow arms

Humble Warrior A - fold in half

Warrior 3 with cow arms to Pyramid cow arms

Revolved Triangle

Standing Splits

Standing crane leg extension (Uthita Hasta Padagustasana)

Warrior 3

Low lunge to spinal balance to Sunbird

1 leg dog left Side 2 begins now  

CLOSING WAVE

That includes cooling poses, meditation, Savasana