First Class Free

December 24, 2010.  Doing yoga together in community is one of my favorite forms of yoga: we are all giving and receiving and I promise to be as generous as I can in sharing my lifetime if experience with you. And thank you for sharing in this experience of practicing yoga with me today.

To begin please take 5 centering breaths and just listen to the most generous teacher of all, your HEART.  

Then ask yourself "Where in my breath can I be more generous, where am I giving and where do I need to receive more?"

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."  - John Wesley

Generosity in yoga is really an interesting learning.  It means the opposite of taking (asteya) whereby we give and share.  And yogically to be generous asks that we be open but with a really focused effort.  In our Western world we get caught up with the idea of doing MORE for the sake of more, this more is better idea (even if quality perishes) often leads to exhaustion.  In the corporate world I used to rage against the machine when it came to an ever increasing aspiration towards mediocrity instead of excellence like when I first entered the workforce 15 years ago.  Energetically this can make us feel totally run down not only because of how much we’re doing but more with the fact in our hearts we’d rather be doing something else.  

"True giving radiant giving comes from the same inner place as deep happiness.  It's having the self-esteem to feel that what we have to offer is valuable - our advice, wisdom, expertise, skills, physical labor.  The manner in which we give these gifts is a reflection of who we are."   

Philosopher Maimonides pictured giving on 8 spiritual levels. The first two get to the heart of yoga right away.  

1.  "The motivation for real giving finds its source in the internal self, not in the expectations of others."  

2.  "Anonymous giving - happy people don't expect a return. They give because it comes from the heart and they believe that joy and happiness are abundant. They aren't going to run out."   

To emphasize generosity here is one of my favorite stories to enjoy! And in the spirit of sharing here is my class plan from Christmas Eve 2010.  Love your day, love yourself, love your life, Silvia

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

There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We can share generously of our ideas, love, and energy. The traveler was able to see that the villagers had so much to offer each other and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to SHARE, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone. Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same!I 

CLASS PLAN

WAVE 1

Seated side bend, twist right, combo, eagle arms, neck stretch each side, circle up, hands namaste, side 2

Childs pose, twist it

Puppy to Dog

WAVE 2

Childs pose K1- vajrasana side bend, twist, circle up, hands namaste, puppy, dog

Childs pose K2 - camel side bend, twist, circle up, hands namaste, puppy, child's pose, side 2

Minne Vinne K3  - camel repeat above cobra, child's pose repeat repeat

Dog

1 leg dog core plank 3 times knee down, half spinal balance, dip down, open to half side plank

Plank, core plank, begin side 2

Walk forward

WAVE 3

Mountain Side bend, Twist high chair, Forward Fold

Sun Salute C

Half Lunge side bend, twist high

2 rounds

WAVE 4

Half Lunge transition to Half warrior 2, circle arm around 3 x's

Gate to Side plank facing back of room, plank, core plank, dog

Step left forward, side 2

Facing front again

WAVE 5

Mandala Namaskar: 1 leg dog, half lunge, warrior 2, side angle, side warrior, warrior 2, star, pose of shiva, other side warrior 2, side warrior, basic vinyasa

Repeat right leg

Left, left

WAVE 6

Begin Mandala but with pigeon hold

Warrior 2, add eagle arms, neck stretch

Prasarita

Warrior 2 other side, side warrior basic vinyasa

Side 2 left pigeon

exit Warrior 2 right leg, side warrior basic vinyasa

WAVE 7

Pigeon right as transition

to Cobbler

Supine Cobbler

Supine sequence

How Can You Be Generous?

As a result of practicing yoga I have changed the way I think about generosity. I have learned to give without expectation and to always remain mindful of the quality of my generosity.  It's one thing to give away those things you don't like or have tired of but what about giving what you value you most? 

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."  - John Wesley

And the thing that we all value is "time".  So in this season of holiday giving take a moment to think of ways you can be more generous with your time. What good can you do that doesn't mean fancy/expensive?  Can you start by being generous with yourself? Can you gift yourself the gift of a yoga class every week, every day this month so you feel the goodness of your own heart. 

Once you start practicing generosity with yourself (just like how your legs support your body in a pose or your breath supports your spirit in life) you'll find it easier to share your goodness with everyone.  Yoga is community. Sharing time with one another makes the best gift. It's not fancy, but it sure is special.

This week I'll be sharing my time at a fundraiser with all proceeds going to benefit Bikes To Rwanda, an Oregon-based nonprofit organization that provides specially designed "coffee bikes" to Rwandan coffee growers, helping them transport their beans to market and create a sustainable economy. Let's come together in union (yoga) and open our hearts to all the ways we can be more generous with something that is more valuable than currency - our spirit, our positive energy, our kind thoughts, our love, our time.

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

*Join me on a Yoga retreat in 2011! www.silviamordini.com or www.alchemytours.com to stay in touch

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

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

There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.

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

SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2008:  We started class going around and sharing why we are here in class today.  It was inspiring to say the least!  It also set the tone for how important it is to learn to give this time of yoga to ourselves. There is a balance between giving and taking.  We all know there are 2 kinds of folks: Givers and Takers.  We have been both.  We see this pattern in nature.  The lungs of the earth are the trees around us.  When we breath out we give trees life.  Trees then clean the air and provide us the air we breath in.  Giving and Taking.  When it works like this in balance all is good! 

Krishnamacharya said, "Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God."

However, the hardest part of our practice is not to find this balance between giving and taking but to maintain it.  Consider if at this point in time are we as human creatures giving back to the Earth as much as we are taking from her?  Our lives really depend on the health of Mother Earth you know?  Where in your life are you doing too much giving – how do you know?  Well are you feeling depleted?  Where are you taking too much? How can you feel how each breath guides you back to your center between the give and take?  Peace to all beings everywhere!  Love, Silvia

AUGUST 7TH, 2008:  Generosity in yoga is really an interesting learning.  To be generous asks that we be open but with a really focused effort.  In our Western world we get caught up with the idea of doing more for the sake of more, this more is better idea (even if quality perishes).  In the corporate world I used to rage against the machine when it came to an ever increasing aspiration towards mediocrity instead of excellence like when I first entered the workforce 15+ years ago.

However in yoga if felt like I was coming home, how generosity meant a conscious action of doing more but in the RIGHT WAY.  QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY, you know?  Giving what is needed when it is needed rather than just what makes us feel good.  We recently had our community give to the Iowa Anusara studio that flooded out and I honor the studio owner that set forth for us what they actually needed most so we could then be the MOST generous.  I love that!  Thank you for setting the example.  May we all find ways to take that first step.  How can you be more generous with yourself today?  As I often say at the end of class:  as much as I want this practice to be everything you want it to be I hope more that it be everything you NEEDED it to be.  Peace. Silvia