FORCE OF SHIVA - ALL CLASSES CANCELLED FEB 2ND, 2011
Namaste Yogi Friends,
In yogic mythology NATARAJA, literally the King of the Dance of Existence represents the power of Destruction, Shiva, and yet in it's hands it holds in one the power to destroy but in the other the power of Creation. All of us are dancing between endings and beginnings.
Some say this Cosmic Dance of destruction and creation creates this vibration which is the sound of OM (AUM), movement, stillness and then something beyond that.
So when we see Nature, which is always one of our best teachers, dance a dance of destruction with Snow (or anything else) we are reminded to appreciate endings as much as we do beginnings. This is too why we practice savasana at the end of class, we let die a little our petty dramas, our real challenges and well all the rest. And upon rising up, we BEGIN AGAIN. We are creating a new life!
So let's follow the example of nature - we see it is making us pause. ALL CLASSES CANCELED FEBRUARY 2ND, 2011 (our first time ever) Enjoy your families, your friends, yourself and remember you have been born in this body, this heart, this soul to CREATE something beautiful for your life.
And this opportunity won't last forever. Let's all give birth to our best lives ever once the blizzard ends. Make a new beginning! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia
PS - I would love to have 5 more Yogi Friends come to sunny Paradise with me! See www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com or email me at info@totalbodyyoga.com. Photos at http://www.xinalaniretreat.com/
PLEASE SUPPORT MY INTENTIONS TO MAKE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
Super Namaste!
Happy National Yoga Month! What a perfect time as we head into Fall and re-establish healthy routines of school, work, family and daily yoga to recommit ourselves to living our best lives ever.
So to celebrate guess what I‚m doing? You guessed right! I'm doing a whole lot of yoga. And great news is that at TBY we have more classes and more awesome events than ever before!
Here's my personal yoga schedule of fun yoga stuff I am signed up for and hope we can enjoy together (PS I need a partner for partner yoga if you‚re thinking of coming but wondered if you should come on your own)
9/11/2010 (Saturday) 2:00PM Healing Crystal Bowls Concert
9/17/2010 (Friday) 6:30 PM Eat, Pray, Love Workshop
9/18/2010 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Partner Yoga Workshop
9/19/2010 (Sunday) 6:30 PM The LifeLine Technique
9/25/2010 (Saturday) 2:00 PM Yoga For Runners
10/2/2010 (Saturday) 1:00 PM Teaching Yoga to Kids
10/2/2010 (Saturday) 4:30 PM David Romanelli Yoga for Overcoming Fear
10/2/2010 (Saturday) 11:00 AM Mommy and Baby Yoga
10/3/2010 (Sunday) 12:15 PM David Romanelli Yoga for Social Network Slaves
10/25/10 (Sunday) Tuscany Yoga & Cycling Retreat
11/4/2010 (Thursday) Moab Yoga & Mountain Biking Adventure
And of course I am gearing up for Teacher Training starting October 13th! And the more Yoga I do the more clear I become on what my intentions are for the Best Life ever. A fundamental intention I am rededicating myself to this Fall is participating more directly in making the world a better place. As such I am donating part of the proceeds from all my classes this week to an event I am participating in virtually, Bike MS, sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. They remind me that it takes only 1 person to inspire hundreds!
Every hour of every day, someone hears the words "you have multiple sclerosis." So for many personal reasons this is something very close to my heart. And my Team Mile'n for Myelin is working hard to meet our fund raising goals so no one else ever has to hear the words, "You have MS." If you'd like to donate $5 to me directly please visit here http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/WASBikeEvents?px=8721783&pg=personal&fr_id=13100
This Fall as you set up your intentions as part of your Spiritual Routine (lose weight, sleep better, decrease stress, exercise more, be more patient, gossip less, love more) I encourage you to think about being more involved with your community because to me the most important thing you can collect at TBY is friends, not poses. Please take a moment to check out all the great stuff we are offering to help you connect with yourself and with others. May this earth be blessed with your peaceful contribution! With lovingkindess, Silvia
YOGA IS SPRING BREAK FOR ADULTS!
FEBRUARY 20, 2010
Dear Friends,
During the Winter we are simply more in our heads than in our bodies (if you live in colder climates). I remember when I was working an office job during the Winter I'd end up working longer hours. If for no other reason then it felt like it was too cold to be outside. I'd literally run from my car to the Metra station to wait inside or run to the bus to go to my office. In an effort to avoid being in the cold I'd eat more lunches at my desk. At some point (about now) I'd start to feel the Stress growing bigger and bigger. I'd get more tired, more stressed from working extra and go home and crash. My balance would get lost.
Thank goodness yoga offered me a healthy solution. In our Chicagoland Winter's we NEED yoga more than ever. Otherwise we get stuck in our head's working too much & thinking too hard when we need some play time too. Yoga is like recess for Adults.
Hey you don't have to wait for Spring Break (like we did when we were kids). YOGA CLASS IS SPRING BREAK!
So get back to moving and breathing your body. Come have some fun, take a break from work, home, and all the seriousness of life. Instead be a serious student of FUN for 2-3 hours per week. Yes, you heard me right, I'm proposing you give yourself more than one yoga class per week in the Winter. Come warm times then by all means, walk from Union station to your office, stand outside the Metra station and do jumping jacks, hike, cycle, run outside. But for the next couple more months of colder weather don't just lose your balance accepting you'll just feel lousy and cranky when the solution is right here. Do something! Come spiritualize every aspect of your life by staying tuned into to the blessing it is to be alive. And then plan to join me for your summer vacation for the Spiritual & Cultural Adventure of a Lifetime in Tuscany June 20th-26th!! But in the meantime, play more now! Love your life, Silvia
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO BE GOOD TO OURSELVES: LIFE IS INCONVENIENT
OCTOBER 23, 2009:
Namaste Friends on the Path,
Why is it so hard to stay on the path of wellness and optimal health? For instance, why is it so hard to keep a regular yoga practice?
Seriously life is so inconvenient.
"Life is simple not easy" says Jon Kabat Zinn. Nothing is promised to us as easy. Life requires effort and discipline mostly because we have a lot working against us in keeping us mindful and present, more all the time to be honest. So a certain amount of work is required. And this is what inspired me today. When Pema Chodran says Life is so inconvenient I said to myself YES! that’s true. I just never heard it said so straightforward like that before. The word inconvenient is very different than something like saying life is hard. And what I’ve also found to be true is that following our hearts, love itself is inconvenient.
Pema Chodran writes, “when you hear some teachings that ring true to you and feel some trust in its being a worthwhile way to live then you’re in for a lot inconvenience. From an everyday perspective it seems good to do things that are kind of convenient; there is no problem with that. It’s just that when you really start to take the warrior’s journey – which is to say, when you start to want to live your LIFE FULLY, when you begin to feel this passion for life and for growth, when discovery and exploration and curiosity become your path – then basically, it you follow your heart, you’re going to find that it’s often extremely inconvenient.”
This single teaching continues to resonate with me, not just the first time but every day. To read more check out her book The Wisdom of No Escape. Hey I know it's hard to keep doing things that are healthy for ourselves because "we're just so busy." Ok but what I really think that means is code for "It's inconvenient to make time for myself on the mat." Once we give up the yoga then we don't feel like our best selves: the insomnia comes back, the GI issues return, we feel tired but anxious, we get impatient with our partners or family members and on and on. If you stop loving yourself (even if its inconvenient) you give the world permission to treat you the same way. So stop making war with reality: Life is Inconvenient. Follow your heart anyway. It is simple, just not always easy and that's what makes it all an adventure! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia
PS: Take time to enjoy some of our FREE events: October 23rd 7:30pm FREE Sun Salutation Workshop with Silvia; November 1st 2pm-4pm FREE Acupuncture Happy Hour with Carrie Wilhelm, November 13th 7:30pm FREE Yoga & Journaling Workshop with Silvia
YOGA ECONOMICS FREE STUFF WEALTH AND HAPPINESS
Namaste Beautiful Friends,
In class recently I was sharing the story of what things were like at TBY when we first opened: without apology I begged my neighbors and friends to be in class for free so it would look like we had clients but really we didn't have any money coming in for many months; I was working two full-time jobs both a ridiculous number of hours each week; almost every waking moment was poured into fanning the flame of the studio to keep it alive another day, week, let alone month or year. Well that was 6 years ago. To say I often thought about giving up would be an understatement.
I know that many of you are impacted directly by the financial contraction in the world. I get that. Your team of TBY teachers understands that personally too well. We've had a number of teachers whose partners have lost their jobs, some have faced hardship in losing their home, having to sell their home but not being able to, underselling their home and more. We yoga teachers are just like you.
Mary was sharing a Sufi teaching in a beautiful class this Monday that spoke to my heart: "we don't look in the light because its easy; we must also look in the darkness to find the answer." You guys when we contract in our relationship to money every part of our life suffers. So think about this: "It is interesting that happiness is a state of inner wealth, and the word WEALTH originally meant happiness (although we have to go back to 1250 for that definition). Your money should be a source of bliss, not stress. A good rule of thumb is: if your money is stressing you out, it's diverting the flow of ALL other goods things to you as well. Money can't buy happiness, but happiness attracts money. Find ways to become happier first, and you'll dissolve some of your strongest financial blocks. Begin to develop a strong state of inner okayness and worth inside of yourself, even if you've still got bills to pay. When you do this, you will open the door for a better financial situation." - Sadie Nardini, Road Trip Guide To The Soul (friend and yoga teacher)
This is simple Yoga Economics. Feel great first and financial abundance will reveal itself. If you stay feeling like crap you block the good flow. How do you feel better? Practice yoga! Get on the mat to find that always present sense of calm, quiet inner joy. Let our teachers inspire you back to your best self and your true nature which is to be happy as a human being. We want to help. How? well 6 months ago I started offering FREE unlimited yoga for anyone you know that has lost their full-time job and said if you are struggling financially please contact me so we can work with you.
If you stop doing the yoga that reminds you to be happy the life energy draining worry about money will only get stronger. "Happiness attracts money." Take time to enjoy some of our FREE events: October 23rd 7:30pm FREE Sun Salutation Workshop with Silvia; November 13th 7:30pm FREE Yoga and Journaling Workshop with Silvia; FREE Acupuncture Happy Hours with Carrie Wilhelm (many dates to choose from); and of course, always First class for new students is FREE which we've given away now over $120,000 of classes to the community and want to do more. If you know of someone that could benefit from rediscovering reasons to be happy tell them to stop by. We will take great care of them. In our lifetime how cool would it be if Wealth again meant Happiness? And more importantly how great would it be if we were all wealthy in happiness and love?! Wishing you more love, Silvia
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Shared on October 14, 2009
FULL MOON, FRESH START, FOR HAPPINESS SAKE
Dear Friends on the Path,
This Friday, September 4th is the Full Moon. This is the time when the moon's energy is the strongest. It is considered an ideal time to start up a new endeavor, to begin again our most honest spiritual adventure. To make space for what comes next I've been working on letting go. Two key areas the practice points out that I need to focus on are: (1) offering forgiveness and (2) letting go of wanting to rewrite the past. Now I understand the teachings: that forgiveness is a form of self-compassion and by forgiving we are making the decision to be happy. Forgiveness helps the ego stop over-exaggerating the pain or tiredness of the past. As Robert Holden says, "Happiness is letting go. Forgiveness is letting go. When you choose one you choose the other."
What makes it hard for me is that I get stuck in wanting to rewrite the past instead of just letting it go. I waste time wishing things had been different which pulls me out of the present. Partly I do this so my legacy looks better on paper, but that's about what everyone else thinks instead of about how I am actually experiencing joy in my life.
"Sometimes in order to be happy in the present moment you have to be willing to give up all hope for a better past."
So this full moon I dedicate to a happy today and a happy future. Yoga teaches us that happiness is our true nature so I am realigning my heart to change the way I think about the past. I am trying to forgive more and make happiness more important today. What's done is done.
Basically this comes down to whether or not we choose the past or the present, the upset or happiness, fear or love. And with immense gratitude for my yoga practice I find the strength to say to myself each day, I CHOOSE LOVE. I choose to be present and enjoy each moment so as of now I don't miss a thing. With lovingkindess, Silvia