First Class Free

Now you should know my Father was born in Italy so I know firsthand that the Italian people have a deep respect for the philosophy of enjoyment. This is the idea of IL BEL FAI NIENTE which means "the beauty of doing nothing."  Remember this passage from Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love "Generally speaking, Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure.  Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.  Americans spend billions to keep themselves amused but that's not exactly the same thing as quiet enjoyment.  Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today.  Of course we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure.) Americans don't really know how to do nothing. 

But against the backdrop of hard work, il bel fai niente, has always been a cherished Italian ideal. The beauty of doing nothing is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated. You don't necessarily have to be rich in order to experience this, either.  Anyone with a talent for happiness can do this, not only the rich."

So ask yourself how do you define pleasure? Enjoyment? Joy?  Are you living life “self-specific” or still making everyone elses opinions more important than your own?  For when you live life on your terms you find the flow. You step into the currents of grace.  Rumi says, “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”  For many of us Savasana is that first experience of il bel fai niente.  It is as Sarah Powers described her first savasana, “naptime, that she experienced an unusual peace, which she pinpointed to an absence of longing, it was clarity with joy underneath, and she decided she had to come back to yoga, that it would be hard but hard didn’t mean bad.”  So I hope you join me on the mat to find the clarity of heart that will move your spirit to enjoying your life more!  Love in all ways, Silvia

FEBRUARY 18TH, 2009: I am a poet, dancer, singer, artist and musician.  I have been since I was a child.  So when I read Thich Nhat Hanh's words, "Each minute of our life is a work of art. Everything we do is an act of poetry or a painting if we do it with mindfulness."  I got it. 

More importantly what this means to me is that as an artist there is pleasure in creating one's life.  You can ask anyone that dances, sings, writes about the joy that comes from their art and they will tell you what great pleasure they get from it.  The thing is that we are all the artists of our own lives. I just hope that you use this practice to find pleasure in experiencing your life. 

I don't want you to worry about doing the poses perfectly or trying to do them like me or a dvd or someone else. There is no pleasure in that. Instead I want this practice to be about being yourself, your most beautiful self and taking pleasure in that.  Why? Because the real yoga is what you CAN'T SEE, IT IS INVISIBLE.  So know that when you join me I am looking for what is most amazing about each and everyone of you, I see your beauty and want to inspire you to dream big!  In the words of Dr Wayne Dyer, "Let no doubt into your dreams and intentions. The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Just as visible world is sustained by the invisible, so too do the manifestations of man find nourishment in the visions of dreamers.  BE ONE OF THOSE DREAMERS!"

Rock on! Love, Silvia

NOVEMBER 30TH, 2008:  When I think about the main message I want to give folks about yoga it's this: JUST HAVE FUN.  Find pleasure in the practice.  ENJOY IT!  I don't want you to get all worked about about what you look like, how you practice and whether you're doing it perfectly.  I really don't want your yoga to be another opportunity to practice the self-abuse of perfectionism.   

Just be YOURSELF. This means if you want to cry or laugh or both at the same time, that's just you being you without conditions.  Just like your breath is unconditional.  It will breath us no matter what.  I remember a time in my life where I was not given permission to breath or to be myself, flaws and all, and it felt like I was a prisoner.  YOGA SET ME FREE.  I want it to do that for you too.

Remember REAL YOGA IS WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE.  IT IS INVISIBLE.

So while I know you will find deep benefits from the practice including  greater clarity and a more peaceful demeanor I hope this is achieved while you are enjoying your time on the mat.  That it becomes for you what it is for me, FREEDOM, LIGHTNESS, RECESS FOR ADULTS.    Let the yoga work for you, takes its lessons to heart but msot of all HAVE FUN!  Wishing you all great joy! Silvia

NOVEMBER 30TH, 2008:  When I think about the main message I want to give folks about yoga it's this: JUST HAVE FUN.  Find pleasure in the practice.  ENJOY IT!  I don't want you to get all worked about about what you look like, how you practice and whether you're doing it perfectly.  I really don't want your yoga to be another opportunity to practice the self-abuse of perfectionism.   

Just be YOURSELF. This means if you want to cry or laugh or both at the same time, that's just you being you without conditions.  Just like your breath is unconditional.  It will breath us no matter what.  I remember a time in my life where I was not given permission to breath or to be myself, flaws and all, and it felt like I was a prisoner.  YOGA SET ME FREE.  I want it to do that for you too.

Remember REAL YOGA IS WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE.  IT IS INVISIBLE.

So while I know you will find deep benefits from the practice including  greater clarity and a more peaceful demeanor I hope this is achieved while you are enjoying your time on the mat.  That it becomes for you what it is for me, FREEDOM, LIGHTNESS, RECESS FOR ADULTS.    Let the yoga work for you, takes its lessons to heart but msot of all HAVE FUN!  Wishing you all great joy! Silvia