First Class Free

As the weather transitions at this time of year, I start to droop much like the potted flowers on my doorstep. I hunch over, cross my arms, bundle up as much as I can, curl up into the smallest space possible at every opportunity, and desire more than anything to stay indoors until the next warm, sunny day.

So when Nature blesses us with that once-in-a-while Golden Day, I rejoice. We've had a few recently: fall days when the sun highlights everything with an extra glow and the slightly-more-comfortable-than-usual air hugs us like an old friend when we step outdoors. They're days when we almost donít mind heading to the yard to rake the lawn. Such days enliven me, and it seems many others, for I truly feel an all-around happy vibe as with sudden enthusiasm I go about my usual activities. I think at some level, on these days most of us feel some sense of having received a special gift.

At least for the time being, which is, I think, the most crucial aspect of Golden Days. Itís what makes them so precious. Like so many wonders in our lives, theyíre here and then gone. Today might be golden, but tomorrow might easily be gray. If we miss our opportunity to relish what Nature gives us at the moment of the gift.

Every day, golden or not, take note of the ìtime beingî and really live it. Never just watch from indoors as it passes.

Calendar Caution

  By Laura Mills

   With regards to the passage of time, in my experience two categories of people exist: those who dread it, and those who welcome it. I’ve known people who refuse to discuss “next month” or “next year” for fear of what the future may bring, people who view the world as an inherently dangerous place in which nothing ever goes right. On the other hand, I’ve known people who anticipate the future as an opportunity for further fullness of life, people whose “What if…?” questions end with positive words, hopeful smiles and playful laughs.
   The most interesting thing to me, here, is that in one way or another both categories of people believe anything is possible. We all consider the unknown ahead and sense that it’s loaded with possibilities; at some level, we all have that openness that allows practices like yoga to change our lives. But if we automatically dread those possibilities, I think we close doors that just might present us with the path we’ve been looking for all along.
   As we continue to move forward through days, months and years, none of us will succeed at keeping all doors always open. But we are capable of considering the unknown ahead one day at a time, breathing, and remembering we at least always have a choice.    

April 5, 2011.  'We must Namaste everyone."  My parents had us traveling from the time we were newborns to places all over the world. From that I learned through experience that everyone is fundamentally the same.  People everywhere want the same things.  We want to be happy and loved and peaceful.   I know this and constantly work at "living my namaste".  This requires recognizing that all people deserve respect.   So in effect if we are living our NAMASTE we are unlocking the love and respect in our own hearts to include everyone. To see not that which divides us but that which brings us together.  This is the whole point of yoga.

So what does Namaste mean? Well, "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."  It is a gesture of pure compassion and recognition. That we bow to the true self inside each one of us. Of course there are many interpretations of Namaste including: I see and celebrate the Love that you are.; The Light in me recognizes the Light in You; I honor the light and love within you; I greet that place where you and I are one.; I see and honor in you the place where the universe resides.; When you are at that place in you, and I am at that place in me, we are One. 

If we are to come together united in this world during our lifetime we must Live Our Namaste. We can do that by seeing the good in ALL people whether they are difficult or easeful.  Look for something to appreciate.  Namaste it EVERYONE and you'll change the world!  Voltaire said, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”  SEE SOMETHING GOOD IN SOMEONE ELSE

So we focus on Namaste, Nama, Namaha and all its variations to honor.  To me Namaha is appreciation, a blessing and a remembrance.  

Namaste is a blessing.  It strikes the perfect chord.  Having grown up in a musical family and having played piano and clarinet for 13 years I have always felt music was a blessing.  Yoga like being in a chorus or a band or any sort of tribe helps us to work together as a beautiful symphony.  We feel this symphony of the body when we practice poses (asanas).  And just like playing a musical instrument the more yoga you practice the more efficient you get.  Over time you feel the harmonies.  No single player more important but everyone equally important. This is a nondualistic view of life.  Where we acknowledge that everyone is valuable in their own way, that we all contribute to make wonderful music.  This is why I always say in class you are like family to me.  I see us as co-creating something amazing each time we come together.  Just like in scriptures, “The diversity of the family should be a cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.”

Namaste is a remembrance.  Wolfgang Von Goethe writes, “Remembrance of what is good keeps us high in spirit. Remembrance of what is beautiful is the salvation of the mortal man. Remembrance of what is dear will be happiness, if it remains alive.”  So today in class or even by yourself when you unite your hands palms toughing think to yourself Namaste and remember how amazing life is.  It is a respect for our breath, for life itself.  When we share this with another we are saying that WE ARE ONE. That we are all love and truth, freedom and strength, light and peace.  So to each of you from my heart, Namaste!  Love and serve all ways, all days, Silvia

Namaste - The ancient Sanskrit blessing defined 

From Wikipedia, freely adapted and editedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namaste

We can perceive the unique thread that connects us all with the Universe, and all its Beings along with the source of that interconnection. Accepting Oneness, we are accordingly receptive to knowledge that comes to us in the form of examples, advice, and direct teaching. One may awake to the wisdom that opens our eyes to new worlds of possibilities.

When we assume everyone we meet is special and unique in its essence we should always show to all people the same generous level of kindness, care, compassion, and understanding without any thoughts of self-interest or ulterior motives above paying respects wholeheartedly, the way we live our daily lives has an enormous impact on those around us.

Instead of clinging to what separates us, Practicing Namaste enables us to feel less alone in the world. We begin to understand that we must treat all people for what they are, family. We are one with the cosmos whether we realize it or not. Practicing ONENESS we gain consciousness of the more subtle aspects of our being, with the ultimate outcome being a complete identification with the light body.

May all beings find and hold happiness. May they all be free from suffering and sickness. May we all look in the mirror see all others reflecting back. May we be all with one, living in oneness, one family, one heart, a glowing heart of the brightest light of compassion. NAMASTE

PLAYLIST TODAY

March 20, 2011.  I often ask myself what is the true test of my Spiritual Growth? Or more simply put I meditate on the question "Am I still growing?"  When I was little my Mom measured us (me and my brother) against the door in our house and marked the little lines proving I was actually growing physically.  You did that too, right? Well, I loved that.  I was sad the day she stopped doing it and I stopped growing.

Well that's speaking to physical growth.  I am as tall as I'm going to be (although to be honest by practicing yoga I've gotten a little taller, just a quarter inch but that's pretty cool).

However what I'm speaking about is emotional and spiritual growth.  My aspiration continues to be that I grow into the BEST version of myself.  And that's what I hope for you too. 

Or as True Nobility is defined: it is not about being better than anyone else, it is about being better than you used to be, much better.  This is the barometer of our ability to raise our spiritual energy. Are you better than you used to be?  Are you growing?

"The only difference between a flower that is alive and one that is dead is that the live flower is still growing."  - Dr Wayne Dyer

For me I received so much nourishment, like a flower, from my daily yoga practice that I wanted more. That's when I started taking yoga workshops: first they were the 2 hour kind, then the half day, then the full day, finally entire weekends both locally and eventually I started traveling all over the U.S to attend 2-3 day trainings and workshops until I went all the way by signing up for a one week yoga retreat in Italy with Sadie Nardini.  Well that did it for me. I could experience for myself that to keep growing I had to keep investing in myself and more time dedicated to evolving my consciousness was required to do that.  And traveling to new places and exploring new territories externally matched the growth I was making internally.  They went hand in hand.

And that's when I made the commitment to start leading yoga retreats combined with other ways to express one's yoga and vitality like cycling and hiking. I want to give everyone a chance to really invest in your own growth and raise your energy by visiting places that support your evolution.

You see, until the last breath, I don't buy into wellness as defined by the AMA as the "absence of illness". I believe in the potential for radiant health (shakti) as the World Health Organization defines wellness.  I am growing! And I am learning. And the higher my vibration the softer I get on the outside. I am kinder, more patient, nicer and easily more loving.  I think we all are when we're growing.  So make that commitment to yourself keep affirming your life! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

In the words of Lao Tzu, 

"At birth all people are soft and yielding

At death they are hard and stiff

All green plants are tender and yielding

At death they are brittle and dry

When hard and rigid we consort with death

When soft and flexible we Affirm Greater Life."

OCTOBER 18, 2010.  The Universe has a great sense of humor!  The humor is often wacky, weird, unexpected.  And our human being job as the divine manages making things funny, is to laugh.  

I just spent weekend laughing with our most amazing new teacher trainees!  And we talked about the importance of elevating our attitude to unlock our happiness in yoga.  And even how laughing relaxes your diaphragm.  

Laughing for 3 days straight reminds me I find humor everywhere.  In college my favorite thing to teach was ab work during group fitness classes.  Working our abs makes me giggle! So we did some seriously unserious core cultivation and I got to play some awesome hip hop tunes, which makes me feel great that anything that wakes us up to who we are is yoga.  Yea for Michael Franti and Blue Scholars!

In this performance of life there are plenty of scripts (almost on a daily basis) that are humorous (sometimes a bit dark comedy) but still funny nonetheless.  And as we go out on stage we can shine out recognizing the choice we have in every moment to see the good, the funny, the beauty or to contract.  We can either light up or lessen the energy of our own aliveness.  This is something of the inside. Yoga teaches us that how we see the world is from the inside out.  We look for humor and it is there.  It is always there beneath the surface.  And as Jeff Brown writes, "below the surface we are all sacred dynamite."

When I laugh that's exactly how I feel.  Dynamite! Fantastic! Energized! Bright! Light! Strong.  It is from and to that inner strength of our own unlimited potential that this practice taps into. So pratipaksha bhavana dudes.  Cultivate that spiritual dynamite and show up to your life with a full blast effort!  We don't get to do today over again, so we might as well find it funny (funny weird, funny wacky, or just plain funny!)  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS you know what's funny? Doing yoga in you swimsuit December 8-12 with me in Haramara Resort (well swimsuit part is optional...I mean you can wear your normal yoga clothes too!) Friend me Alchemy Tours www.silviamordini.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2009:  If the first yoga pose you did you felt uncomfortable would you give up?  It’s like saying if the first person you ever dated you felt a little uncomfortable with would you never date again?

We are really dating the poses, we try them out, some are good fits right away and others take a while to warm up and coax out of their shell.  Just like people.

A friend told me this story of when they were in school studying psychology and an assignment was to write out the description of the ideal partner.  Well one guy wrote out a serious paper of 100 various requirements in their ideal mate.  Then fast forward 20 years and they are at a reunion and this guy is there and his class mates have to ask, “So did you find a person with all 100 things you were looking for?”  And he said yes, he did. So guess what did he marry her? Nope, he didn’t feel a fit, even though they had all the qualities…there wasn’t an energetic connection. 

Ok well it’s the same with these poses.  You might think you know what you want and then come to realize there is a greater benefit to what you didn’t even know you were looking for but felt right.  So give it time dudes.

We will build our practice tonight in a progressive way.  This is like how we might meet or date people in our life that we learn from, might not be our life partner but we take lessons from them and apply to the next relationship. It’s like that with yoga: class to class, pose to pose.  Enjoy it all and learn from each relationship, each pose and embrace your life more fully!  Love in all ways, Silvia

OCTOBER 25, 2009:  "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think...WOW I can't believe I'm here. This is so wonderful!" (Leslie Darin, Historian) Thank you to all those that are young at heart that share this attitude.  I want to bow humbly to 57 year old nurse yogi that had a brilliant conversation with me after class yesterday afternoon. She had broken her neck in freak running accident but 10 years later was on the yoga mat, young in spirit, beautiful in her energy. Thank you for inspiring me!

 

“To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, it’s all a miracle. I have adapted the technique of living life from miracle to miracle.” (Artur Rubinstein) Seriously isn’t it amazing we all woke up today breathing and

When I started practicing what I had heard was that Yoga was said to be the fountain of youth. That we are only as old as our spine is flexible. I was completely intrigued thinking how could this be?  Well on our birthday’s different yoga traditions actually celebrate by moving the spine. Some lineages do as many Sun Salutations as the years you are old, other traditions do the same number of backbends as you are old.  Well to cover all my bases, I do both.

PART 1:  How does this practice help you stay young, LIVE YOUNG?

Take a moment to write down 3 times in your life when you have felt the most alive.  Skiing, exploring a new city, quiet of nature, being with another person… Why is that you felt so alive? Were you completely focused? YES! You were completely engaged in the experience, you were in the flow which means you were in the present moment.  You could fully appreciate all that was taking place without being totally distracted by past or future.

PART 2:  How do I LIVE YOUNG every moment?
Answer:  Is to practice active appreciation.  The Dalai Lama says “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.”  Find something amazing about what is happening right now.  Take what is ordinary and turn into something extraordinary whether it is your Downward Dog or drinking a cup of tea.  I fully believe every day can be turned into something special.  Recently I celebrated Christmas in October.  Why not?  Why do we have to wait for December why not bring the feeling of the holiday spirit a little sooner into the year?  You see we can take any situation and find something to appreciate.  Happy people are aware of this and put it into practice.  Happy people really aren’t any different that the rest of us, they just live in the present and have gratitude for whatever is being offered.

Yogic teachings tell us that our natural state is one of happiness.  So when we talk about yoga as the fountain of youth it is maybe because happiness feels lighter, brighter and more youthful. There appears from the inside out a radiance or inner body brightness that glows outwardly.  It is true, we are as young as we feel.  Why not feel happy?  It is never too late, we are never too old to believe in the possibility of things.

For a long time I wanted life to be different than what it is.  This put me in a state of stuckness asking repeatedly “why did that have to happen, why are things like this” or it made me fast forward life trying to get away from what is and put it behind me.  Either way I started missing years of my life. I was missing the moments.  In the book “How to Choose to be Happy” it is written “It’s a physical fact that no matter what happened an hour ago, a week ago or what might happen in a year happiness can ONLY be felt now in this moment.”  Or as the Buddha says “The secret of health for both the mind and body is not to mourn the past, not to worry about the future nor to anticipate troubles but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” 

Once I figured that out my face softened and I felt lighter, younger and more ALIVE.  I made a conscious choice from that point to LIVE YOUNG. Why not?  Love to you, Silvia