By Laura Mills

    “Mama—sit!”

    I turned around at the sink and locked eyes with my two-year-old. She sat straight up at the kitchen table, pointing to my empty chair, glaring at me. It was one of those mornings where I had hustled her out of bed and down to breakfast, my plan being to grocery shop and run a few additional errands and then make it home in time to take advantage of her naptime window. I had eaten my breakfast and now, while she scooped the last pieces of cereal up from her bowl, buzzed around the kitchen washing dirty dishes and sorting clean ones. 

    “Mama—SIT!”

    That morning she had told me to sit a few times before, but not quite so emphatically. Each previous time I had answered her with something like, “I can’t right now, I have to finish cleaning the kitchen.” This time, though, I just stopped. Manners, Honey. We don’t talk to other people like that, I thought, and the words were nearly on my lips when I stopped again….

    How many times while teaching yoga had I instructed my students to slow down, to pause, to just breathe? How many times had I preached that what seems important in a frazzled moment may not really matter? How many times had I reminded my students to cherish the blessings of everyday life, to tune in to what’s right in front of them, to remember the spaces between the lines on their to-do lists?

    Holding my daughter’s eyes another moment, now I took a deep breath. I took my teacup from the counter, pulled out my chair, and sat next to her at the table. She held her sippy cup out to me, and I clinked my teacup against it in salute. Never having trained to teach yoga, never having even attended one yoga class…she still knew, still possessed the inherent wisdom I had lost with the years.

    “You’re right, Honey,” I said. “Thank you for reminding me.”  

  By Laura Mills

   The other day, while driving to an appointment for which I was nearly late, I found myself coasting behind a car traveling way under the speed limit. While I normally would have switched lanes and passed, on this day a police car traveled immediately behind me...so I stayed in my lane, squeezing the wheel, gritting my teeth and watching the clock.

  Something that surprises people—including me, when I first began my practice—is that yogis still get stressed. And we get stressed about more than only life’s greatest challenges. The simplest, everyday things like running late, needing to drive more slowly than desired, misplacing keys, realizing the cat avoided the litter box again…no matter how advanced in yoga our practice, by virtue of our humanness we still experience stressful moments. And for me, such moments include the rise in blood pressure and quickening of the heart that I used to believe I practiced yoga to eliminate. In fact, in the wake of such moments I used to think, “What kind of yogi am I? What’s going on?”

   Thankfully, today I know a lot more about what yoga really is…most definitely not a collection of poses and breathing exercises that automatically fortifies one against stress. Rather, yoga is a method of opening body and mind, both on the mat and off, to make space within for the present. Yoga won’t keep me from experiencing stressful moments, but the space yoga creates frees up my awareness and reveals that I will survive regardless of them. Processing stress is, I believe, a practice as much as taking any series of asanas. And while even the most physically capable yogi can always go deeper, so can even the most stressed-out.

  Remembering that—eventually—I relax my grip and enjoy the ride.    

 

 

   By Laura Mills  

 

  A common theme in yoga classes is moving forward, how we need to open ourselves to new paths if we want to grow. But even in the smallest, day-to-day sense, and even as a serious yogi, I have always been one who struggles whenever my routine changes. Whether it occurs by necessity or the suggestion of my husband or a friend—even if it’s a tiny, pleasant deviation like foregoing laundry for hiking on a Saturday afternoon or reading a good book for an extra half-hour before bed—I experience aggravation at whatever remains unfinished, which at some level prohibits me from totally enjoying myself. 

   Thankfully, little by little I am still moving forward. IF I breathe; IF I take a moment to reassure myself that the world won’t end if I don’t finish the laundry (for example) in the next two hours; IF I recall a moment on my mat when I felt my practice deepen because I stayed present…. If I take these actions, I find much more ease in balancing the new with the “same old.” Trying alternate paths, such as getting to that extra yoga class, accompanying my husband on a surprise lunch out, or joining a friend for a last-minute conversation, not only makes the present more pleasant, but it also adds to my store of happy times to treasure as I grow.  

    Have a wonderful, flexible day today.

March 11, 2011.  There is this spiritual alchemy where we move beyond wanting life to be different and begin to feel the surrender that allows what is being offered.  We practice ishvara pranidhana as we trust the universal intelligence that hugs us from all directions to know what it's doing.  And once we find this trust we begin to believe that beauty and goodness are within us flowing nonstop and there is no reason to stop this flow for its natural current is to align with the current of grace that is everywhere outside us.  

Beauty becomes our way of life.  Happiness becomes our natural spiritual alchemy when we practice ishvara pranidhana. 

You see when we come to the mat we are like the Alchemist in his laboratory mixing ingredients.  For us as yogis our laboratory is our mat and the ingredents are our bodies, our poses, our breath, our thoughts and the mixing it all together creates a result every time.  For me the hardest practice is 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.  And when we are not living in the present there is No trust for other people or the universal energies that support us.  This really messes with my people relationships and so I come to the mat to get beyond this.

 "Sometimes in order to be happy in the present moment you have to be willing to give up all hope for a better past."

Can we practice our life in a way that if something doesn’t work out the way you want it to we don’t fall apart? Can you endeavor to life your best life without attachment to the outcome but instead a trust for what is?  Or as Judith Lasater puts it, “The best practice is that that asks us to believe without proof of the future, without confirmation that the outcome will be what we want it to be. It just is, it is a state of being. A place of being present and allowing the next thing to unfold. Yoga teaches us that place of not knowing.”

This is the idea that we can practice experiencing each moment not needing it to be different but to trust what is unfolding and enjoying it fully in that state of trusting a greater energy, Ishvara Pranidhana. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

Join me on a yoga retreat www.alchemytours.com stay connected on facebook friend ME! 

JANUARY 5, 2011.   PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BREATH.  That's it.  This is yoga!  And this yoga can be practiced anytime, without any warm-up, anywhere, with anyone or by yourself.  I know you were probably thinking it would be harder or more complicated?  But nah, Yoga teaches us that when we are not present our minds become totally distracted and our thoughts are all over the place, starting stopping, wandering from one thing to the other at often break neck speed.  If we pay attention we harness the power of our thoughts.  As a human being this is what distinguishes us from other creatures and is our GREATEST STRENGTH.

 Forgetting to pay attention happens to the best of us. 

The Yoga Sutras say “enjoyment is the sweetness of noticing your life right now – smell, taste, feeling, sensation”  You see in times of doubt the key thing to know is that there is a point to it all. Even when we don’t understand why things are happening in our life we can rest assured as Sadie Nardini says, “alongside positive change, challenge appears.” This is why the greater point to spiritual practice is simply to drop in, tune in and PAY ATTENTION.  

 My teacher Shiva Rea says, "All beings have their yoga. This insight comes from a profound contemplation by Abhinavagupta. [He was] a prolific 12th-century scholar. He has this great axiom about yoga which is “tuning ourselves into our essential vibration.” We are learning how to tune ourselves into being present.  This is why we go a yoga class. We feel out of tune. We start to feel in tune after the practice. I think only human beings distort ourselves to be something that we already are, our essential selves. For instance, a tiger essentially knows its nature; where as human beings have this incredible capacity to forget who we are and then have to search for ourselves."

 I know from my own practice that the most powerful thing we can do is just be present to whatever is happening, tune in and trust that ability to focus one's thoughts will be enough to bring the clarity you need for the next moment. And we only live one breath, one moment at a time without needing to change anything. Today practice Anapana-Sati breathing and notice how this impacts the best of your day.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

ANAPANA-SATI BREATHING TECHNIQUE

Watch for the judgmental mind that discounts small movements as insignificant or unimportant
or the ambitious mind that jumps in to tell you to make your breath bigger or deeper,
or labels your perceptions as good or bad in order to arrive at a conclusion.
- Donna Farhi

 

DEFINITION: Anapana means breathing.  The full name of this technique is anapanasati or mindfulness breathing.

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this breathing concept is to gather more specific information about one's breathing patterns, rhythm, and intelligence. Simply observing the natural breath, do not breathe in a certain way or make your breath imposing. It is helpful to enter this inquiry with curiosity and inquisitiveness rather than a desire to get it right. This technique will calm your mind and keep you in the present preventing thoughts from stimulating stress. Be watchful. Thoughts will sneak up on you. When you catch yourself drifting toward thoughts, you must bring yourself back to natural breathing.

TECHNIQUE: Lay on your back or sit in any comfortable position, place one hand on the belly and the other on the chest or place both hands on the belly with the fingertips below the navel. After observing the location of the breath, you may move the arms to the side with the palms facing up.

Location of the Breath: Where is the movement of the breath most noticeable? In the lower part of my body or in the upper part?

Origin of the Breath: Where does the movement of the breath begin? Just as an earthquake has an epicenter that scientists can locate, your breath has an epicenter.

Frequency of the Breath: Is your breath fast or slow or somewhere in between? Count the number of breaths per minute or if possible have a friend count them for you. Twelve to fourteen breaths per minute is consdidered a normal rate.

Phrasing of the Breath: Is there a noticeable difference between the length of your inhalation and exhalation? Are they equal?

Texture of the Breath: Is the textyrue of your breath smooth and even or is it jerky and uneven?

Depth of the Breath: Does the breath feel deep or shallow?

Quality of the Breath: If you could describe the quality of your breath what word or words would you use? Is it pneumatic, labored, billowing?...Let descriptive worlds or images arise without latering them in any way. Do you have any images that you associate with your breathing?

Reference: Donni Farhi, The Breathing Book

"I like Anapana because there is no judgment involved. It is refreshing to just feel the breath without trying, or feeling the need to change it. It creates a kind of self acceptance for me. I am where I am." - Shannon Barker

Being Mighty

By Julia Jonson Cohn

12/9/10

 Sure yoga’s a “feel good” kind of discipline, but anyone who practices regularly will tell you it goes so much deeper than that. As I go through teacher training I feel as if am drinking yoga by the gallon-ful… gulping down more classes and home practice, pouring over books, exploring places to observe classes and consuming web casts and DVD’s about yoga. I can best describe my current state of studentship by declaring I feel mighty!

I dusted off my circa 1985, three-inch thick, Webster’s Dictionary and looked up the word. It defines mighty as “great and powerful.” Another definition I found read “having or showing great power, skill, strength, or force.” Yes! I feel all of these things. But I’ve discovered that it is okay to feel weak and have obstacles that need to be conquered in order to keep feeling strong.

Our teacher Silvia had big things planned for last weekend‘s training. On Friday we would tackle handstands and Saturday would be all about arm balances. The sessions were challenging, fun and -- at for me at times -- frustrating. In my own practice, I had shied away from such poses… yet, I found I was being hard on myself for not being able to execute them. As I struggled to pull my feet off the ground in Astavakrasana (Eight Angle Pose) and sweat dripped from my brow, I muttered under my breath in irritation. My fellow classmate LeAnn Lockhart says she also experienced self doubt, but “(I learned to) just let go and realize some things take time, that I just needed to love myself for trying.”

As I scanned the room watching my classmates in, what seemed to be, slow motion -- it hit me that my inner strife had the potential to bring them down. Another reminder of how yoga reveals the effects our actions can have on one another. Then I watched in amazement at other students flying and felt exhilarated to watch them soar. Especially Ric Saguil who says “Through Silvia’s guidance I was able to reach a spiritual and physical place I only envisioned previously.”

So for me, being mighty means always remembering that every challenge I face represents a choice to either shine or wilt. I choose to shine and in doing so, have a subtly good impact on others by diligently practicing what scares me. For now I am taking baby steps by working on Bakasana (Crow or Crane), Parsva Bakasana and Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance). Guess what? I’m almost there. And I really do love myself for trying.

 

Right Here, Right Now

By Julia Jonson Cohn

11/26/10 

Remember the lyrics to that 90‘s tune by Jesus Jones? “Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be.” That has been my mantra lately as I’m experiencing an abundance of “now” moments. I’m certain that delving deeper into yoga through teacher training has everything to do with helping me to remain present. I am consistently able to fully accept every moment as fulfilling -- and neither cling to the past nor stress about the future -- even when my “now” seems unsatisfying. I guess you could say I’ve become more accepting of whatever the Universe dishes out.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m certainly not exempt from having days when I feel bad, down or angry. I’m just constantly reminded that spending more time practicing and learning about yoga gives me what I need to pull out of a slump -- or, more importantly, to accept those slumps in life and learn from them. God knows I’ve had my fair share!

A recent physical slump involved a major bout with lower back pain. And if I wasn’t already a firm believer in the power of yoga to awaken the body’s own healing process, I certainly am after last weekend’s training with our guru, Silvia. We spent the better part of a day perfecting Ustrasana (camel), Dhanurasana (bow), Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel) and other backbends. My back pain is not only gone, but I feel freer to experience even deeper backbends.

 The physical openness I’ve been experiencing has led me to a greater understanding of the spiritual benefits of the heart-opening backbends and many other poses we‘ve been studying. I guess my “right here, right now” mantra comes from aligning with Grace and experiencing my True Nature. Author Tim Hansel says it best: “Life becomes precious and more special to us when we look for the little everyday miracles and get excited about the privileges of simply being human.”

NOVEMBER 11, 2010.   Sit down, DROP IN, TUNE IN, BE PRESENT.  That's it.  This is yoga!  And this yoga can be practiced anytime, without any warm-up, anywhere, with anyone or by yourself.  I know you were probably thinking it would be harder or more complicated?  But nah, Yoga teaches us that when we are not present our minds become totally distracted and our thoughts are all over the place, starting stopping, wandering from one thing to the other at often break neck speed.  If we pay attention we harness the power of our thoughts.  As a human being this is what distinguishes us from other creatures and is our GREATEST STRENGTH.

Forgetting to pay attention happens to the best of us. 

The Yoga Sutras say “enjoyment is the sweetness of noticing your life right now – smell, taste, feeling, sensation”  You see in times of doubt the key thing to know is that there is a point to it all. Even when we don’t understand why things are happening in our life we can rest assured as Sadie Nardini says, “alongside positive change, challenge appears.” This is why the greater point to spiritual practice is simply to drop in, tune in and PAY ATTENTION.  

My teacher Shiva Rea says, "All beings have their yoga. This insight comes from a profound contemplation by Abhinavagupta. [He was] a prolific 12th-century scholar. He has this great axiom about yoga which is “tuning ourselves into our essential vibration.” We are learning how to tune ourselves into being present.  This is why we go a yoga class. We feel out of tune. We start to feel in tune after the practice. I think only human beings distort ourselves to be something that we already are, our essential selves. For instance, a tiger essentially knows its nature; where as human beings have this incredible capacity to forget who we are and then have to search for ourselves."

Or as one of my favorite quotes reads "When you come to the edge and are about to drop off into the unknown, one of two things will happen:  There will be something solide to stand on or You will be taught to fly."  

I know from my own practice that the most powerful thing we can do is just be present to whatever is happening, tune in and trust that ability to focus one's thoughts will be enough to bring the clarity you need for the next moment. And we only live one breath, one moment at a time.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS Join me on a Yoga retreat with Alchemy Tours and without distraction really tune in to what you want for your life!

OCTOBER 14, 2010.  The breath accepts us unconditionally. It is always all forgiving and accepting.  Think about it, we ignore our breath, treat it with total disregard, prevent it from entering our body by holding our breath out when stressed, we behave casually towards it making little to no commitment.  If we were a lover and the breath was our boyfriend, he'd leave us!  

But not our breath. It lovingly accepts our human imperfection and gives us another chance, and another, and a million and more.  There is a lesson here: when we breath we have another chance to try our best, We are not practicing to be perfect.  We are practicing to make real, to realize the beauty of our humanness.  Yoga philosophy helps us to see that we are perfectly imperfect.  Eventually the more you practice becoming enamored with your breath you allow it to become your best teacher.  And a shift happens.

As the breath accepts you, you start to accept yourself.  Then as you practice this advanced yoga of self-acceptance you become more compassionate and forgiving of others, just as you are towards yourself.  If you love yourself, you know how to love others unconditionally.  And even when other people in your life make mistakes, you appreciate their imperfections and give them a second, third, millionth chance.  

 "You see the wider practice of yoga is not about arranging our life so that it is perfect and easy and non-challenging. Rather it is about using the discipline we find in asana practice (and in the other practices of yoga as well) to be able to remain “easy” in the midst of difficulty. That is the true measure of freedom. When we learn this then everything we do and everything we say becomes an “asana”, a position of body, mind and soul which requires the attention that brings us into the present." And in that present moment there is perfect presence.

Practice breathing on purpose today.  But pranayama is not about belittling the breath or forcing or making it perfect.  The literal translation is below.  And it doesn't say anything about perfect.  It says conscious, deliberate. So we try.

Tasmin sati svasa prasvasaho gati-viccheda pranayama

Pranayama is the conscious, deliberate regulation of the incoming and outgoing flow of breath replacing unconscious patterns of breathing. It is possible only after a reasonable mastery of asana practice.
- Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.49

Our key breath learning in this practice was about chest breathing.  I have included a quick summary for you below.  The greater take away is how the breath accepts your imperfections, it knows you will forget and will welcome you back to try and in that trying may you be PRESENT.  Love yourself, Love your day, Love your life!  Silvia

 

CHEST BREATHING
This is probably the most common breathing pattern in today's stress-filled society. Also known as paradoxical breathing, it is a natural reflex when we are suddenly startled or frightened. We gasp, pull the abdomen in and breathe high into the chest. The lift of the abdomen and pelvic floor prevents the diaphragm from descending completely as we inhale. Chest breathers restrict breath movement in the abdomen, forcing it higher up into the chest, while shoulders move up and down.

Effect on mind/body
Chest breathers rely on weak upper body muscles. Thereby developing chronic tension in thoracic spine, shoulders and neck. Moreover, this tension is resistant to massage or any other relaxation therapy as it recapitulates the moment the person resumes chest breathing, which is an incredible 22,000 times a day! Since we can't breathe in fully, we can't breathe out fully also. So we resort to breathing more quickly to make up for lack of oxygen. Scarier still is the fact that it sets the stage for an even more serious breathing problem: hyperventilation. Chest breathers normally sit on the edge of their seats and exude anticipation in their entire bearing. They never seem to have enough time to do all the tasks they set out on and often experience a chronic, free-floating state of anxiety. Scientific evidence now points to the connection between chest breathing, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Identify it
Place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest. Observe the movement of both. If both your shoulders and chest are rising, you are probably not a chest breather. A chest breather suppresses breath in the lower abdomen, forcing it to move higher up into the body.

How to let go
Relax your shoulders and upper back. Consciously follow normal breathing pattern. Mentally assess yourself without judgement.  Ground yourself in the present.

(If you want to explore deeper learnings join me on retreat, yoga vacation www.silviamordini.com or www.alchemytours.com)

September 25, 2010.  Vairagya is the sanskrit for letting go. Or relinquishing attachment to what actions we've already taken directly or indirectly.  It is by letting go of the past that we create space for right now our our future intentions.  This time of year is an excellent reminder because nature shows us that everything changes and comes to its natural end.  The leaves are falling, nights are getting longer, days shorter.  It is a unique time where we look back at the year and recognize all that we got done and all that we didn't and have to decide what we want to let go of.  

I was speaking to a friend who is moving and since I did so in June she asked my advice how to prepare.  I advised (1) pack the things you absolutely love and want to take with you first in your best boxes and (2) choose those things that you know won't serve you in your next home and let them go (don't deliberate, just decide with heart).  Try not to grip at all of it for that will make the process more difficult and by releasing some things you create space for what you really want that fits your situation today.

This is an art form.  This is yoga, knowing your heart well enough to choose wisely.

This practices goes on to challenge us to let go of the emotions associated with those things that didn't go the way you wanted them to.  As Teitur says, all my mistakes have become masterpieces.  Everything actually becomes the fertilizer for your best life.  Instead of replaying old stories or reacting to past issues find a way to let go of attachment and create the space for your best life! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

SEPTEMBER 19, 2010.   

Losing the Past Opens the Future.  It is such a simple statement and rolls up yogic philosophy so easily....and yet not always that easy to put into practice.  Our humanness boasts to us in little mental self talk that of course we can rewrite the past! Why wouldn't we be able to?  But we intellectually know we cannot.  And until we surrender to our own letting go known as vairagya we cannot fully welcome the best future of ourselves.

The past and the future energies cannot fully occupy the same exact space.  How or what happened yesterday is done.  All we have now is this moment and the intentions for the next moments.  Replaying things past only clutters our minds, leaks our energies and prevents us from engaging life right now.  Through physical practice we let go of the old stories stored in the tissues of hurts, frustrations, disappointments and clear the way for our best experiences.  And yoga works all day long mentally and emotionally to help remind us to lose the past, whether pleasant or unpleasant, so the world opens us up to the most magnificent future.

it is up to us not to hold ourselves back, to not remain stuck, but to create the space by letting go that opens the future.

I work on this everyday and I've experienced amazing results. it is still often very hard and sometimes easier but nevertheless always really powerful in letting grace and love flow towards my open heart.  I wish for all us to find the courage to lose the past, and open to your future.  Your best life.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS If you feel like you would benefit from more dedicated time to do the serious work of letting go then join me on an upcoming yoga retreat in Moab, Italy, Oregon, California, Colorado, and more!   www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com

May 16, 2010 Finally after 3-4 years of procrastinating I set out to finish up a project yesterday and I did! It took all of an hour. Yup. That’s right. I spent years worrying about, putting it off, debating it, starting and stopping it but when all was said and done it took one hour. Spiritual practice has taught me that procrastinating is a perfectionist tendancy. And as one psychologist I read years ago put it, “perfectionism is the worst form of self-abuse.” So I am back on track and went back to basics asking myself “what are my goals: personal, professional and health related”? What are your’s? In class we wrote them out for ourselves. I would love for you to do this now in 5 minutes. 

Then consider what is it that prevents you from going for your goals more fully and making them and keeping them important enough to check in on week to week? I would hazard to guess that the traitors of self-doubt and fear influence us to procrastinate.  The antidote is to stay actively involved in your life yet slowing down enough to remember to wake up to what improves the quality of your life.  What if everything you ever wanted came true? Yogic practice stands up to say of course that is not only possible it is your birthright to co-create with the universe the life of your deepest dreams, to tap into your greatest potential. So why not start today? 

To help us take a moment to write in your Accomplishment Journal about all the things you’ve accomplished this week. Use this in tandem with your goals and intentions to see how far you’ve already come and to provide yourself the validation you need to know you can do this! Don’t put anything off a moment longer that holds meaning to you.  Heed the words of Danna Falds and FALL AWAKE to your life!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

Soul Prayer by Danna Falds

“Lord, grant that I may fall awake, and not miss a moment of the mystery.

Dancing with the dawn, may I draw this day to my breast like a lover.

 

Rocked with laughter, let me lay waste the fields of doubt and fear,

finding there nor more substance than dandelion seeds flying weightless on the breeze.”

 

April 11th, 2010:  This week's book I am basing my classes on is called "In the Face of Fear".  This book is described as showing us how to *remain open, joyful and caring, even when life is stressful; *avoid old behavior patterns that only make things worse; *turn difficult time into opportunities for spiritual development; *discover that our true nature is always awake, wise and good - no matter what is happening.

April 11th Theme: How to Keep Ourselves Present (Ezra Bayda)

April 12th Theme: Happiness Training - Joy and Happiness are born out of concentration (Thich Nhat Hahn)

April 13th Theme: Getting the Bottom of Our Stress (John Loori)

April 14th Theme: It would be a pity to waste a good Crisis (John Tarrant)

April 15-18: I'll be conducting a Yoga and Mountain Biking Retreat in Moab, Utah! 

MARCH 3, 2010:  What does CENTERED mean to you?  To me it means balance, peace, happiness, patience, a oneness with others instead of a tug of war, and most of all BEING PRESENT.  It is that “isness” of now that Echkart Tolle writes of in A New Earth. When we practice yoga we are actively seeking to make the adjustments necessary to be more present to keep returning to our center by studying ourselves or as Socrates says, "To know thyself."

The third chakra, often called the solar plexus, is our personal power centre, the magnetic core of the personality and ego. The Sacred Truth of the third chakra is ~Honor One-self~. The energies that come together in this chakra have but one spiritual goal; to help us mature in our self understanding - the relationship we have with others, and where we stand on our own and take care of ourselves. The spiritual quality is self-respect. We have all faced or will face an experience that reveals to us our own internal strengths and weaknesses and hence is what throws us OFF balance.  Here below is a beautiful summary of 3rd Chakra key learning points we went over in class together. And one of my FAVORITE TED CLIPS about the 9 life lessons rock climbing (which is so much like yoga!).  Enjoy!! Love and light,

Silvia

 

Primary strengths – IN BALANCE:  Self-esteem, self respect, and self discipline, ambition, the ability to generate action, and the ability to handle a crisis; the courage to take risks, generosity, ethics and strength of character.

  

Primary Fears – OUT OF BALANCE:  Fears of rejection, criticism, looking foolish and failing to meet ones responsibilities, all fears relating to physical appearance, such as fear of obesity, baldness or ageing, fears that others will discover our secrets.

 

How we feel about ourselves, whether we respect ourselves, determines the quality of our life, our capacity to succeed in business, relationships, healing and intuitive skills. Self understanding and acceptance, the bond we form with ourselves, is in many ways the most critical spiritual challenge we face. In truth, if we do not like ourselves, we will be incapable of making healthy decisions. Instead, we will direct all of our personal the hands of someone else; someone whom we want to impress, or someone before whom we think we must weaken ourselves to gain physical security. People who have a low sense of self esteem attract relationships and occupational situations that reflect and reinforce this weakness. Nobody is born with healthy self esteem. We must earn this quality in the process of living as we face our challenges one at a time.

 

Key points about the Third Chakra:

• When our thoughts are scattered in several directions at once and we are no longer conscious of what we are doing or why, it is time to center ourselves.
• When we center ourselves, we begin by acknowledging that we have become spread too thin and we are no longer unified inside.
• Our thoughts might be out of sync with our feelings, and our actions may be out of sync with both. The main signs that we need to center ourselves are scattered thoughts and a feeling of disconnection or numbness, as if we are no longer able to take anything in. In addition, we may feel unfocused and not present in our bodies. Centering ourselves is a way of coming to terms with all the different energies within us and drawing them back into ourselves.
• Centering yourself means that you are working from or being aware of the core of your being in the solar plexus area of your body. We naturally know how to center ourselves when we take a deep breath, for example, before making a big announcement or doing something big. Another way to center ourselves is to sit down and engage in breath meditation. We can start by simply getting into a comfortable upright position and noticing as our breath enters and leaves our bodies. Our breath flows into our center and out from our center, and this process can serve as a template for all of our interactions in the world. In conversations, we can take what our friends are saying into the center of our beings and respond from the center. Our whole lives mirror this ebb and flow of energy that begins and ends at the center of ourselves. If we follow this ebb and flow, we are in harmony with the universe, and when we find we are out of harmony, we can always come back into balance by sitting down and observing our breath. 
• When we center ourselves we can imagine that we are gathering our straying thoughts and energies back into ourselves, the way a mother duck gathers her babies around her. We can also visualize ourselves casting a net and pulling all the disparate parts of ourselves back to the center of our being, creating a sense of fluid integration. From this place of centeredness, we can begin again, directing ourselves outward in a more intentional way.

 

Matthew Childs' 9 life lessons from rock climbing (6 minutes)

1. Don't let go  (you think about letting go way before your body does, hang in there, watch for creative solutions)
2. Hesitation is bad
3. Have a plan  (plan ahead to get to the top but you can't forget you have to complete each individual move)
4. The move is the end
5. Know how to rest (best climbers know to to get themselves into a position where they can regroup, calm themselves)
6. Fear sucks (you are focusing not on what you're doing but on the consequences of FAILING at what you're doing, anything effective requires you focus on what you're doing)
7. Opposites are good
8. Strength doesn't always equal success (pull up example guys and girls)
9. Know how to let go (once you get to that point where you know its going to happen, think about how you are going to fall, that's how you won't get hurt, fall in a way that you can control the fall, don't just hang on until the bitter end)

  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/matthew_childs_9_rules_of_rock_climbing.html

JANUARY 27, 2010:  I was re-reading a favorite writing from George Carlin and want to share it with you.  Tonight we are focusing on building a home practice. I will teach some slow flows you can memorize and use at home so when we lose track of what's important you can practice yoga for 7 minutes and regain clarity and positive perspective.  This life we have is a blessing!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.  

• We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
• We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
• We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
• We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.
• These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion.

 
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your loved ones, but most of all mean it.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment.
Give time to love! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

JANUARY 26^TH, 2010:  To learn to be intimately present to oneself is at the heart of yoga for this practice is a study of oneself.  Kornfield writes, “to learn intimacy is not an easy thing. Growing up in a culture marked by our wounds and longing it is hard to be present.” This is repeatedly true on a day to day basis.  To just stay awake to one’s life and be present is difficult.  In this practice we did a million poses just once to see if we could be totally present in that one time shot to the best of ourselves.  No repetition, just one time, that’s it. Then on to the next pose.  This is the actual pace of life. We don’t get to do any moment over again. We only get once chance to live to our fullest in that singular moment.  It is living to our fullest potential that yoga inspires within us.  And maybe, just maybe we realize through this practice that life is how we spend our dash.  And quite honestly, as the loss of two beautiful yogi friends reminds me….it goes all too fast.  So wake up! Create the reality of your life right now and then really enjoy it….love your day, love yourself, love your life! Silvia

Here is the poem given to me by a loving student that I read at the end of class. It is by Linda Ellis, titled THE DASH:

 

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

NOVEMBER 26TH, 2009: This time of year there seems to be a bit of a craze in creating even more over stuffed To Do Lists. As we eat more, exercise less, stress more, relax less we overwhelm ourselves on purpose by engineering these massive lists of stuff “we have to do” before the end of the year. Now I know a lot of that stuff is super sincere and I have no doubt putting these lists together takes great courage. However, the fact is we really have very little control over what gets done. We like to think we have more control than we do.

What we can control is showing up to our lives. The outcome however is still beyond our jurisdiction. So let’s focus on what we can control and that is HOW WE ARE BEING. How we are being is the only that we can do something about.

So today I invite you to create a TO BE list.

Say to yourself “how am I going TO BE no matter what gets done, or the outcome of this situation.”

When we focus on a TO BE List it is giving ourselves permission to do the hardest pose of all which is TO BE YOURSELF. And I can promise you that being yourself is the coolest decision anyone can make. However if you’ve been used to trying to be who everyone else wants you to be there is a paradigm shift there and sometimes being ourselves means we will temporarily disappoint those people. Especially if they are used to us focusing all our time and energy on To Be Lists as a way to prove our self-worth.

You are wonderful the way you are. And when in a state of being present, where we are being ourselves we slow down and get quiet enough To Be more human. This place of quiet helps us be with the opportunities and love surrounding us or as the poet writes, “When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, its sound is often no louder than the beating of your heart and it is very easy to miss it.”

So today practice making a To Be List. And don’t forget on it to include a moment of gratitude for Mother Earth herself, who always serves as our best example of being still and present. Love yourself, love your day! Silvia


“Let us bless the imagination of the Earth. That knew early the patience to harness the mind of time, waited for the seas to warm, ready to welcome the emergence of things dreaming of voyaging among the stillness of land. And how light knew to nurse the growth until the face of the earth brightened beneath a vision of color. Let us thank the earth that offers ground for home and holds our feet firm to walk in space open to infinite galaxies. Let us salute the silence and certainty of mountains their sublime stillness their dream-filled hearts. The humility of earth that transfigures all that has fallen of outlived growth. The kindness of earth, opening to receive our forms into the final stillness.”

NOVEMBER 18, 2009: Today my theme was Patience. From yogic teachings this means that we find equanimity towards all objects, situations or things - be they joyful or sorrowful or easy or hard, rainy or sunny. The when we find our yoga we enter a state of calmness and clarity that reflects perfect presence. We feel in sync with what is going on and don’t feel compelled to fight our own reality.

I used the rain today as an example, that we can lose patience even with the rain! But if we get present we realize the rain is just water and has no agenda for or against us and even if it did we could still feel connected to whatever is happening whether things are going well or not. Yoga teaches us that the ANTIDOTE to impatience is "going with the flow". To be in sync with the way things are happening remembering that whatever the present situation we know "it will change."

Patience really depends on feeling at home and relaxed in the middle of the tension or chaos, discovering each moment of experience is related to the previous one, each one contingent upon the last so peace is possible no matter what.

This basically means there is no reason to get mad at the rain or the pose or the person or difficult situation. The ugly is good. And to practice this is peace. So today remain patient with your breath and with time itself. Stay present to your life and you too will find a quiet serenity. Love and peace in all ways, Silvia

NOVEMBER 5^TH,2009: Life gives us many opportunities to get stuck in the ills and discomforts of the past whether we are still upset with the guy who cut us off in traffic an hour ago or the crazy email from a colleague who threw us under the bus with our boss this morning or a lover who lied to us or we can even get upset with the weather.  It doesn’t matter how long ago we harbor a grudge the point is that this type of thing sucks us dry of love energy and pulls us out of the present moment.  So in the words of Piero Ferrarucci in his book titled Kindness “Imagine we wake up and find that everyone has forgiven everything there was to forgive and instead of recycling the past, we could at last live FULLY in the present? We would all breath a sigh of relief. The atmosphere would be happier and many people would discover the wonder of living in the present moment instead of constantly investing huge parts of themselves in reliving events that are long past.  Forgiveness is possible. It is NOT the same as condoning. It means not feeding anger for a wrong or slander. Forgiveness is the inner act of making peace with the past and of finally closing accounts.”

 

I understand this thing about accounts because this week I was interviewing banks to see about moving my business elsewhere. The main reason for moving would be because of poor service. Hey I forgive the last 7 years but it is now time to move forward.  And the funny thing is that in order to open my bank account elsewhere I have to close it out where I’m at.  It is the same with forgiveness otherwise we create suffering (a type of hell) for ourselves. As John Milton author of Paradise Lost says “The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.”  Or consider this beautiful story sent to me by a dear sweet friend from the book Saltwater Buddha:

 

A burly samurai once came to a Zen master and asked the master, "Sensei, please teach me the difference between heaven and hell."

   "Why would I give an uncouth cretin like you such a high teaching," 

the Zen master said, in apparent disgust. "You're a worm. You're less than a worm. You're a stupid samurai."

   Samurai were never treated this way in ancient Japan and the samurai grew instantly enraged. His eyes bulged and he raised his shiny sword, ready to slice the monk in two.

   But the Zen master didn't flinch. (They never do.) He said to the samurai, calmly, "That, Samurai, is hell."

   Suddenly, understanding the teaching, realizing that he was about to kill a holy man because of his own pride, the samurai's eyes filled with tears. He put his sword down and his palms together in reverence.

He bowed deeply.

   "And that," said the master, "is heaven."

So today forgive a grievance, let go of a grudge and choose heaven right now.  As Robert Holden says in the book Be Happy, “Forgiveness is the biggie when it comes to emotional well-being.  Forgiveness is the awareness that nothing has happened to the essence of who you are. Sure, your self-image may have taken a battering, but that is not you. The past is over."  Close the accounts my friends.  It is that simple, just not that easy.  I just want you to try.  Love, Silvia

 

NOVEMBER  1, 2009:  “If you want to know the past, to know what has caused you, look at yourself in the present, for that is the past’s effect. If you want to know your future, then look at yourself in the present, for that is the ause of the future.”  Majihima Nikaya

 

What I would love for you to do today is just Pay Attention.  Start by paying attention to your breath.  When’s the last time you really thought about the power of your own breath?  Consider this prose from Pieree Teilhard De Chardin to help inspire you “The inhale and the exhale. Breathing out carbon dioxide to the trees and breathing in their fresh exudations. Oxygen kissing each cell awake, atoms dancing in orderly metabolism, interpenetrating. That dance of the air cycle, breathing the universe in and out again, is what you are, is what I am.”  Wow!  All he is talking about is the breath. 

 

Keeping the breath in mind helps us to focus our attention. It is an anchor to the present moment and if you use it the breath will always guide you back to yourself when your mind wanders.  The breath helps us remember that we can only live one moment at a time and that is right here, right now so we might as well be alert to whatever is actually happening.  If we stop paying attention to the moment before we know it we stop paying attention to our life and years or decades slip by.  Jon Kabat Zinn says, too often our lives cease working because we cease working at life.

 

Yoga teaches us that when we are not present our minds become totally distracted and our thoughts are all over the place, starting stopping, wandering from one thing to the other at often break neck speed.  If we pay attention we harness the power of our thoughts.  This is a human being what distinguishes us from other creatures and is our GREATEST STRENGTH.  I don’t care how much money you make or have in the bank, the value of the currency of your thoughts is worth more than anything! 

 

Probably the coolest thing I come back to time and again is that we get to choose on purpose our own thoughts!  Our thoughts then are like a magnet that attract similar energy (positive attracts positive, negative attracts negative).  So why would we waste time paying attention to negative thoughts over and over again?  Why wouldn’t we choose to pay attention to what makes us stronger.

 

Ultimately, when we are present and paying attention we can through practice have a meaningful dialogue with ourselves asking “WHO AM I” and as Swami Vivekananda says, “We are responsible for what we are and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves.”  And from there we are so focused that we can ask ourselves “WHY AM I HERE?”  You’ll be amazed that this naturally evolves simply from paying attention.  But if your mind is disturbed its like rough waters on a lake you can throw a pebble in and you won’t be able to see the ripple effect because the water is too choppy…but if your mind is calm from paying attention you can throw a little pebble and watch it ripple.  When you practice yoga, you see these ripples of possibility every moment!

 

Today just say to yourself “My life is precious and glorious and I will pay attention.”  Love to you, 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

 

 

OCTOBER 23, 2009: It is a Spiritual Truth that TRUE HAPPINESS REQUIRES HONEST SELF-REFLECTION. THE MORE HONEST YOU ARE WITH YOURSELF, THE GREATER HAPPINESS YOU WILL EXPERIENCE. So let’s start by simply blessing ourselves for being present enough to give thanks for the opportunity to be ourselves. Enjoy these words of John O’Donohue.

I give thanks for arriving
Safely to a new dawn,
For the gift of eyes
To see the world
The gift of mind
To feel at home
In my life

I often say in class the hardest pose we do is being ourselves. The body does not lie so in a pose on the mat its just us, we have no one to point fingers at we can’t make excuses there is nowhere to run. We have to come home to our lives in that moment. And whether its hard or easy is irrelevant. The greater purpose is through the breathing and postures are you learning how to be honest with what you are feeling instead of denying it. The sooner we are courageous enough to be our TRUE SELVES then this inherently is being our BEST SELVES. And the more we are ourselves the greater happiness we will experience. Start today, love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

A great exercise I offer you from Robert Holden who wrote Be Happy is this:

1. Self-Awareness. You will always feel like something is missing, you will always feel inadequate until you learn to know yourself better. Life isn’t about getting more it is about being more of who you really are. Authenticity is the perfect antidote to split desires and to negative comparison. And the more real you are with yourself, the more you will realize what you really want. This is important because as Eric Hoofer put it “You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy.”
2. Self-Acceptance. For as long as you do not accept yourself, you will always want more than you have. If you will not accept that happiness is your true nature, you will search for happiness for the rest of your days. And if by chance you discover some happiness, you will not let yourself enjoy it unless you have learned to accept yourself. The fact is, more of anything or everything will not be enough until you choose to be happy.
3. Self-Accountability. If you think something is missing from your life, it is probably you. The idea that something is missing in your life, in your relationships, in your work is a projection. This projection is based on the fact that you are not fully present. True happiness requires you to participate fully in your life now. Do a self-inventory based on three questions: 1.) What am I not being? 2.) What am I not giving? 3.) What am I not receiving?

OCTOBER 24, 2009:  “Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.” (John O’Donohue)  What an amazing practice and I thank each of you from 9:15am for your honest beautiful sharing related to how you see the world and what you are grateful for right now.  I mentioned how in talking to a friend I had said to them “gosh I am so lucky, then they responded that they felt lucky too. And together we then created this feeling of gratitude for each others friendship.  Our perspective was that we were fortunate to know each other in this moment and by recognizing and seeing the other we were both totally present.

 

This yogic practice discussed in Chapter 2:26 “The means of attaining cessation is the unceasing vision of discernment” challenges each of us to SEE what is HERE right now in front of us and INSIDE us.  However, we often go so fast speeding up life or making unimportant things important that we can’t hear the secrets of our own hearts from the inside and as a result are blind the blessings in front of us. 

 

We can even have a perspective of majoring in minor stuff!

 

When we do this it means we are clinging to a singular view and we end up limiting ourselves from seeing what is before us.  Judith Lasater in her book Living Your Yoga says it like this “Enlightenment in fact is nothing more and nothing less than a radical change in perspective.  Life will continually challenge us. If we pay attention those challenges can broaden our perspective.”  So this means that if our perspective is one where there is only one “right answer” or one singular outcome and then this doesn’t happen we feel like a failure.  The reality is that none of us can control the outcome of any situation and whatever happens happens and if its hard well then use that challenge to broaden your perspective.

 

On the mat that’s why we move and breath and then we pause to step back and reevaluate.  As much as I love being in the water, swimming around we all have to come up for air.  Funny thing is that when you are the bottom of a pool looking up through the water it is a totally different perspective than when you are floating on top of the water looking up at the heavens.  So your life is as it is, how you feel about your life is up to you, no matter what life is serving you for dinner tonight.

 

“May all that is unlived in you blossom into a future graced with love!”  Own your perspective live in love, Silvia

 

OCTOBER 8^TH, 2009:  Steve Jobs gave this commencement address talking about connecting the dots.  It is a long time favorite.  He gave this address in 2005 if you google it there is more to the speech but this is what I want to share with you today.  On the mat there is a point to everything we do.  It is on purpose.  Robin Sharma says a life of purpose is one lived on purpose.  Yup I keep figuring that out. So the alignment both energetic and physical is with great intent.  It’s not haphazard.  It also works as part of an evolutionary experience or what we might call kramas or waves. That by laying the foundation of a pose we build upon that.  We learn through yoga to educate ourselves about our bodies and minds and each class grows this awareness from the previous class.  Now of course things happen in life that we don’t see or understand why they are happening, like when I lost my dad when he was only 59 years old.  But at some point I had to say ok enough already there must be a greater purpose behind this experience of being fatherless. 

 

You see in times of doubt the key thing to know is that there is a point to it all.  Even when we don’t understand why things are happening in our life we can rest assured as Sadie Nardini says, “alongside positive change, challenge appears.”  Yes.  So what is the greater point to spiritual practice?  To help us PAY ATTENTION.

 

“The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”  (Steve Jobs)

 

OCTOBER 7, 2009:  We start with a sweet exercise called “The 10 Blessings” by Dr William Holden.  It goes like this, look over the last week of your life and write down 10 blessings you experienced in the last seven days.  It’s not much to ask because all we need to do is find one blessing per 16.8 hours of life.  And if you think about 10 ways you blessed others lives that’s consciously thinking of goodness every 8.4 hours. Now do the math and consider if you could somehow multiply that by 2 so you think of 40 things every week: 20 blessings received and 20 blessings offered that’s something every 2.1 hours. 

 

This helps us keep the focus on the important questions like:  How can you enjoy the miracle of existence today?  How can I enjoy this moment more? 

 

The more you are willing to enjoy the moment the more beautiful each moment of your life will be.  Essentially it means you are choosing life. And life only happens one moment at a time.  The more you give yourself to each moment, the more each moment gives something back to you! Please starting now don’t miss a thing! Think about waking up to your life and start naming your day something beautiful!  Love and light, Silvia

 

 

 Blessing For Presence by John O’Donohue (To Bless the Space Between Us)

“Awaken to the mystery of being here

And eneter the quiet immensity of your own presence.

Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.

 

Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.

 

Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to

follow it’s path.

 

May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.

May anxiety never linger about you.

May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of

Soul.

 

Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek

No attention.

 

May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven

Around the heart of wonder.”

 

 

Navajo prayer to enjoy

“Happily may I walk.

May it be beautiful before me.

May it be beautiful behind me.

May it be beautiful below me.

May it be beautiful above me.

May it be beautiful all around me.

It beauty, it is finished.”

 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2009:   I don’t remember the exact day that I learned through spiritual practice that the world is not created outside of us but that we create the world first on the inside.  WOW!  I had no idea that what we think is reflected back to us through what we see.  The fact that we have 60,000 thoughts that are “trainable” and that by managing the energy of these thoughts multiplied by 7 days/per week and the days in the month we influence the quality of our lives blew my mind.  I really believed that other people or situations put thoughts in my head and I had no control of that.  You can apply this knowledge to all aspects of your life.  The learning on the mat is transportable.  Maybe it’s something little like the fact today was a bit overcast does not mean it is a bad day. It is all in our perspective.  I CREATE MY REALITY.

Keep this mantra or affirmation in mind as an all time favorite!  One of the most inspiring things I keep going back to are the words of Jack Kornfield, "in the beginning of our spiritual journey, we become aware that much of what we do is a way of seeking to love and to be loved. Perhaps the enlightenment of intimacy is the same as love.” To me this is speaking to the fact that if we are loving creatures then we CREATE THE REALITY OF A LOVING WORLD, within us and then this becomes our experience.   

Love is mysterious. 

“We don't know what it is, but we know when it is present. If we seek love, we must ask where it is to be found. It is here only in THIS MOMENT. To love in the past is simply a memory. To love in the future is a fantasy. There is only one place where love can be found, where intimacy and awakening can be found, and that is in the PRESENT." (Kornfield)

The most difficult part of being responsible for ourselves and our thoughts is to remain present. To let go of the way we wanted things to be in the past and instead focus on the beauty that is here now in front of us. Equal to that is the pitfall of trying to get all the answers about what we want for the future before we love fully so as not to get hurt.  But we will never know the future outcome all we can do is influence it by staying true and loving now, planting seeds for then but surrendering to something greater.  This is a challenging degree of intimacy to have with oneself (let alone another person) but totally necessary to in order to awaken to the depth of love available to us.  WE CREATE OUR REALITY but this means now, not yesterday.

"To learn intimacy is not an easy thing. Growing up in a divided culture, marked by our wounds and longing, it is hard to be present." (Kornfield)  Use this practice to love yourself more, to stop holding back. Through this we learn how not to hold back our love from others and the more we wake up to all that is being offered to us the more it grows!  Rumi writes, "Today is like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don't open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down the dulcimer. Let the beauty we love be what we do."

May yoga wake you up to the beauty of your love so you love yourself more, you love your day more, you love your life more!  Create your reality.  Love in all ways, Silvia

 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009:   It has been my personal experience that when we grow up under the paradigm that we are "born imperfect, flawed" then we create this mistaken belief that we must earn happiness.  That we have to do, achieve, complete something (everything) before we can BE happy.  The doing of stuff comes before the being happy. We can convince ourselves this just means we have a strong work ethic or we are really helpful to our friends. But it doesn't matter because happiness becomes a by product of our effort.  It is essentially saying that we don't deserve happiness unless we can prove we are worthy of it.

This makes happiness unnatural, and certainly not democratic (only for the elite that can work themselves to death).  It is really saying that we have to EARN happiness just like a PAYCHECK.  No pain no gain mentality.  The biggest application is that we have to postpone being happy until we've put in 60+ years or working and can retire...then we finally have proven our value and can get the reward of happiness. 

HAPPINESS IS NOT A PAYCHECK. 

Once the reality of this sinks in, your life is transformed forever!  May you be happy as you want to be, as happy as you are!  Love and light, Silvia

 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009: 

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   

 

AUGUST 19th, 2009:  Hi Total Body Yoga friends, I want to share my theme with you from class yesterday in case you weren't able to join us. I was inspired by the cyclical nature of life. In nature, we see the cycles of the seasons, as we now feel the height of summer beginning to crest and fall into autumn. The moon, the earth, the stars, the tides are all in their own cycles of life. I always loved being a school teacher since you are engaged in a yearly cycle with the students and staff and perhaps you are a parent or teacher about to make a turn into your own school year cycle.

The thing that inspires me about this succession of life is that it never ends. After every ending, there is a new beginning. For instance, when a bone breaks, some of the cells will die but the bone will quickly start regenerating and will actually seek out similar cells to mend. Then the place where it was broken but has come together now becomes the strongest part of the bone! It is the death, that allows the rebirth of a stronger, transformed body. Another example is the prairie, where the burning of fire is necessary to release the seeds that are captured in strong shells.

Shiva, the destroyer is celebrated in Hindu mythology as much as Bhrama, the creator, or Vishnu, the sustainer, since they are connected in a constant loop of life and death and rebirth. A study on longevity found a common thread among those who live long is their ability to endure loss. This shows me it is not the losses that define us but rather how quickly we recover our emotional equilibrium after difficulties and allow the healing cycle to take place.

The inspiration for me comes when we remember this succession of life as we live our yoga. When we are in a challenging situation in life, do we cling to the drama, rehashing it over and over, staying stuck in past and future? We can actually get in the way of nature's cycle by not loosening our grip on our difficulties. I know I do this as I over analyze my life, trying to figure out my next steps or trying to understand the why things happened the way they did. Yet, the gift of the present moment is constantly moving, with or without my connection with it. 

So we practice this on the mat; we present each other with challenges to learn about ourselves and practice the art of staying calm, centered and connected to the present moment. Our breath is there to help us on this journey and we practiced 4-part breath. We moved in circles to remind the brain that life is not a linear race but rather a series of cycles that expand and contract as we live our days.

As Rolf Gates states, We wake up, we are stiff, we are fatigued, our minds wander, we come to the mat, we forget, we loosen up, we relax, we have energy, we remember, we live, we sleep, we wake up, we are stiff, etc.

I hope to see you soon on the mat where we will continue to connect with our unique current moments within the cycles of life.  Much peace, Mara

AUGUST 15th, 2009: 

“Happiness Prayer”  (From the book Be Happy by Robert Holden)

Dear God,

So far today I’ve done all right.

I haven’t gossiped.  I haven’t lost my temper.

I haven’t been greedy, moody, nasty, selfish or narcissistic.

And I’m really glad about that.

But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed,

And from then on I’m going to need a lot more help.

Thank you.

Amen

We have another 24 brand new hours before us says Thich Nhat Hanh!  And again a choice to choose happiness.  The more you choose happiness the more you see the potential for happiness that is all around you.  You find happiness because you choose happiness.  Emerson said words to the effect that everyday when we make our bed we have a choice to make up our minds about the kind of day we’re going to have. 

 

Yes, in every moment there is a choice, sometimes our choice is to choose happiness other times our choices block happiness. The good news is that the more you choose happiness the easier it gets.  But how?

 

BE PRESENT

 

Could it be that easy?  Yesssss!  Begin now by asking yourself:  How can I enjoy this moment?

The more you are wiling to enjoy the moment the more beautiful each moment of your life will be.  Essentially you are choosing life. And Jon Kabat Zinn says that the more you say yes to life, the more life will say yes to you!  And if you think about it life only happens one little moment at a time. So put yourself into the smallest things you do.

 

The bigger goal is simply to SHOW UP and BE PRESENT.  Be authentic.  Be you! (Or as Russell Simmons puts it in the title of his yoga inspired book “DO YOU”)

 

So starting in this moment remember to enjoy the miracle of existence today, appreciate your breath and in that breath choose happiness.  Love you all, Silvia

 

JULY 24TH, 2009: 

 

Relaxing effort and fixing the mind on the infinite (asana is perfected).  Yoga Sutras 2.47

 

To me this sutra is about how we relate to the questions and answers seeking in our lives.  In class it is that opportunity to stop working so hard at finding answers for life (why things happened in the past as well as reassurances for what is going tO happen in the future) and just be in a state of now. Some psychologists call this “easy speed” This is that place of just pure awareness of the questions of our lives instead of the constant striving for the answers.  This is the advanced practice.

 

A right effort an effective effort and why the poses need not be exotic to effective.  I want the poses to be familiar enough that we can find the ease and all the technique becomes effortless so we can be here right now on all levels (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual).  So let the poses be the questions, be the breath and unite your focus to breath and move. This then allows us to love the questions as poet Maria Rilke says in her poem: 

From "Letters to a Young Poet" by Maria Rilke

I want to beg of you much as I can to be patient
toward all that's unsolved in your heart,
and learn to love the questions themselves,
like locked rooms, or like books that are
written in a very foreign tongue.

Do not seek the answers, which cannot be given you,
because you would not be able to live them,
and the point is to live everything.

Live the question now,
perhaps you will then, gradually, without noticing it,
live along some distant day into the answer.

 

When we find this infinite state then the unknown becomes less scary.  We are in the isness of now (as Eckhart Tolle puts it so well).  So let yourself feel your emotions around the unknown.  Remember all of us are wondering about the future (it’s a trick and delusion of the human psyche). The thing is none of us know the outcome of any given day, the future is an illusion.  Einstein said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious…” The way to avoid suffering is to learn to be present in the isness and be less afraid of the unknown so we can relax our effort and simply enjoy being here and seeing what is real and beautiful!  I love you all, Silvia

 

JULY 22ND, 2009: 

Let go of it all. Just remain in the center

Watching, and then forget you are there.” 

-Baba Hari Dass

 

I’ve been meditating on what it means to be “centered” and as much as I often think about this in terms of finding one’s center for me its become more a matter of keeping to my center.  When I first started yoga I didn’t quite know what it meant to be centered quite frankly I hadn’t ever even thought about it. I just got on the treadmill of life and just kept pushing myself to achieve and move on from stage one to stage two, excellence in High School, transferred into excellence in College and then trying to keep this going in the corporate world as well.  I was just going going going, almost like I was running around center but never pausing long enough to really be there.  Asleep or working a million hours per week (or playing hard) were the only two speeds I knew. 

 

Then through yoga and quiet time of self observation (svadhaya) on the mat I started “To Know Thyself” as Socrates put it.

 

It started as all spiritual practice does, not looking for answers but simply trying to ask better questions.  So I ask you take 3 minutes write down what does CENTERED mean to you?  To me it means balance, peace, happiness, a oneness with others instead of a tug of war, compassion, patience and most of all BEING PRESENT.

 

It is that “isness” of now that Echkart Tolle writes of in A New Earth.  Or in the Yoga Sutras the hope for all beings to find and hold happiness knowing this is only possible in the moment.  So meditate on the words of Jack Kerouac:

 

Not with thoughts of your mind, but in the believing

sweetness of your heart, you snap the link and open the

golden door and disappear into the bright room, the

Everlasting ecstasy, eternal Now.” 

 

Take time on the mat to be here now, to find and hold onto your center that place of sweetness where we feel the sacredness of living in oneness, one family, one heart, one love, one soul all in the light of center.  Hold fast my friends and keep making those sensitive adjustments to keep returning to center moment by moment.  Love you all! Silvia

 

JULY 20TH, 2009:  Why do I come to the mat each and every day?  I return because I want to make and keep peace with who I am.  I practice in the safety of class radical self-acceptance.  Through that practice I stay present to life and what it is offering me breath to breath, email by email, thought to action to observation. We are all a work in progress but that awareness of letting ourselves be who we are is vital to positive mental, emotional and spiritual health.

 

Think about it you can come to class at any time without having to meet any single prerequisite.  You just come as you are and the power and beauty of yoga embraces you.  I can tell you during times of challenge the mat was the only place I felt like I could be myself. And I mean my real self (not the pretending we do for our neighbors, colleagues, even sometime our family members).  Eckhart Tolle in the book A New Earth says it like this on page 184:

 

"Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment. It is part of the isness of the Now. You can't argue with what is. Well, you can, but if you do, you suffer."

 

Finding peace inside through compassionate self-acceptance is not that easy, but the thing is only when we find peace within can we become the kind of people who can live at peace with others.  It is a straightforward spiritual law.  You cannot offer to others what you don’t practice for yourself.  If you don’t have peace you can’t make peace, if you don’t love yourself you can’t really love someone else, if you don’t fully accept how amazing you are, you WILL NEVER accept others.  This is why when I’ve encountered the most critical or judgmental person I feel compassion for them because I know they are only treating me like that because they are first criticizing and belittling themselves.  I don’t want that to be the way of energy exchange for any of us. This is why I want the world to practice yoga.

 

“Some people confuse acceptance with apathy, but there`s all the difference in the world. Apathy fails to distinguish between what can and what cannot be helped; acceptance makes that distinction. Apathy paralyzes the will-to-action; acceptance frees it.” Says Anne Covey

 

And perhaps the greatest misunderstanding of acceptance is that it is apathetic. This is not the case.  Yoga is at its core learning how to accept ourselves in this moment not staying stuck in apologizing who were in the past or hyperventilating about who we might be in the future. As Fulton Oursler puts it, ‘Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.”  When we are allowing ourselves to accept our innate goodness we can learn how to ask ourselves better questions and to listen to the answers (i.e., What do I want? What do I feel? What do I need? How can I give myself what I need right now?) In other words we aren’t trying to fix ourselves as if we were broken we nourish ourselves with self-love.  This leads to a sense of feeling light, freer and healthier.  So today make the choice not to keep yourself in a prison of your own making through self-criticism and harsh self-judgement but instead as Rumi says, “only from the heart can you touch the sky!”  Accept yourself, lover your day, love your life! Silvia

 

 

"You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness." - Page 13 Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

 

JULY 13TH, 2009: 

 

“We no longer have a choice about including practices in our daily lives that create health and spiritual growth. If we want a world worth living in today, as well as one worth leaving to future generations, we must take responsibility to create health in our lives, as well as to support others as they choose healthier lives for themselves. It is up to each of each of us to lovingly transform the world simply by first transforming ourselves.” (Judith Lasater)

 

Tonight at 7:30pm Basics we practiced the Art and Skill of Relaxation.

 

How did we do it?  The answer is to be present.

 

It all starts with the breath.  Even right now take a few moments and feel your entire body as you breath.  Ask yourself what is your experience of yourself right now, right here?  Keep paying attention to the breath to tune you into the present moment.  Inhale, pause, exhale pause.  As you breath remember no force, no over effort, think of your body as a glass and the base of the glass is your hips, the top of the glass is your collarbones.  Just fill up smooth and easy.

 

Through the meditation of breathing we learn to be more present.  This helps us connect to a quiet grounded sense of peace when our lives are filled with stress and messiness.  But I’ll be honest with you, RELAXATION takes practice.  So that’s where yoga comes in handy.  Our time on the mat is the classroom in which we can practice how to relax.  And once we take time to practice our yoga it can support us in our real life. Yoga can help us stay present and calm even in the most chaotic times.  How?  It reminds us that our natural state is one of love.  From love all good things flow.  And in a state of self-love we grow more relaxed no matter what is facing us outside ourselves.  I wish you your own best love. Please hold your heart gently.  Love in all ways, Silvia

 

“The present moment is always full of inifinite treasure.  It contains far more than you can possibly grasp.  Faith is the measure of its riches: what you find in the present moment is according to the measure of your faith.  Love also is the measure: the more the heart loves, the more it rejoices in what God provides.  The will of spirit presents itself at each moment like an immense ocean that the desire of your heart cannot empty; yet you will drink from that ocean according to your faith and love.”  --Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751) France

 

MAY 24, 2009 

Do your practice and all is coming.” -- Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

 

As I mentioned yesterday I had this idea that with spiritual seeking I was meant to “figure it all out then practice it.”  The yoga world was greatly influenced and saddened by the passing away of Pattabhi Jois this week through his teachings like “Do your practice and all is coming.”  If we get on the mat day in and day out and simply practice (Abhyasa) we will experience the knowledge we are seeking.  We are not going to get all the answers we seek about the challenges of life but we will gain the discipline (vairagyam) to help us keep going and stay present to all of it.  The practice is then the opportunity to BE PRESENT.

 

It is only in the present that all the grace and beauty of the world find union (yoga) with us. 

 

In the ancient writings one of which is known as the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali teaches us that a practice will have a strong foundation if it’s supported by these 4 qualities:

1.       practice for a long time – dirgha kala

2.       continuous practice  – nairantarya

3.       positive attitude (faith) – satkara

4.       enthusiasm (we want to do it) – adara

 

We can apply these to learning how to be present to the details of our lives.  My friend David Romanelli once said something like, “if you jump in and out of the shower you get wet but not clean, if you jump in and out of the present moment you have a moment of clarity but not long term peace”  So for us on the mat we practice and practice to not just jump in and out of the present moment but to be there for a long time, with enthusiasm and as a result of our faith it is possible.  That’s what I hope for us all. End the mental torture, the disease of worry and join me in practicing being present.  Be strong! Silvia

 

 

April 11th, 2009:  Everywhere around us we are seeing Spring return to us again.  And yet although we've seen it before, we understand the seasonal change to take place it is still unique and different each and every year.  The older I get the more I appreciate this and just now, half way through my life I am just starting to have some understanding of this as well.  We don't get to see this Spring emerge ever again.  You can have all the money in the world and you won't be able to choose to REDO or REPLAY this Spring 2009.  Each moment happens just once.  This is not a rehearsal for your life. It is your life right now. 

 

Once the reality of this really sinks in your life is transformed forever.  Today you have choices to say kind things, to breath bigger, to love more, to learn something new, to make an adventure, to book a trip to another part of the world, to enjoy each moment more fully.  Will you accept this responsibility as yours?  Yoga offers us that time on the mat to study ourselves to go inside and observe what our desires are and to tune into each precious second we have as we're living it. 

 

How do we do this better? In class I offered 5 key things to help us enjoy each moment.  I emailed this out to all those I saw on Saturday.  If you want a copy just email me at silvia@totalbodyyoga.com happy to share these suggestions with you. And as always ask me anything. I will always honestly share the challenges of my own life and how I've learned to experience each moment just once with improved awareness.  Love your day!  Silvia

 

A life-time is not what's between

The moments of birth and death.
A life-time is one moment,
Between my two little breaths.

The present, the here, the now,
That's all the life I get,

I live each moment in full,
In kindness, in peace, without regret.   ~Chade Meng, One Moment

 

 

APRIL 1, 2009:  Ok the answer to relaxation is being present.  But how do we do it?  How can we connect to a quiet grounded sense of peace when our lives are filled with stress and messiness?  Good news is that relaxation is a skill and art we can learn.  Relaxation takes practice.  Time on the yoga mat is the classroom in which we can practice.  We have the entire curriculum of our lives with us already so we don’t need anything more.  Once we take time to practice our yoga can support us in our real life. It can help us stay grounded and present in even the most stressful times we can maintain clarity and mental balance.  From a physical perspective we used a series of hip openers and standing poses to further the energetic grounding into the present during class today.  So be present to all of it.  Love your day, Silvia

Some suggestions we talked about include: (They come from an article I found years ago and can’t recall the source, blessings to who shared this with me)

Exhale. One of the best ways to bring yourself back down to earth is to lengthen your exhalations. This form of breathing-encourages the nervous system to become calm and quiet, moving the body into a more restful state of being.

Focus your mind. Sometimes when the world sends us spinning, we want to do nothing more than drop into an easy chair and stare into space. But this approach often gives the brain free rein to continue its obsessive and agitated thinking. Instead, try focusing your mind in a constructive and engaging way by practicing poses and breathing techniques.

Substitute positive thoughts for negative ones. Yoga teaches that when we are disturbed by negative thought patterns, we can recover our balance by inviting peaceful thoughts into our minds. So the next time you find yourself reeling with an agonizing fear or a depressing thought, notice the negative habit, toss it out, and replace it to develop a more positive outlook .

Practice, practice, practice. Like fine wine, relaxation improves over time. Even if you don't happen to feel completely blissed-out in Savasana today, you are priming the body for quiet and ease tomorrow. Repeatedly practicing restful postures greases the wheel of relaxation, so you will be able to quickly and easily drop into a deep state of ease someday in the future

 

  

MARCH 28TH, 2009: 

For yesterday I hold no apologies,

For tomorrow I hold no answers,

Today is a gift and I will honor it by fully living in it."

 

My Healer at Holessence says “If you don’t take time for wellness now, you’ll have to make time for illness later.”

 

We always have opportunities to be kind to ourselves.  When we refuse to take the time to treat our bodies, emotions, and minds with reverence and love, they will often remind us – not so kindly – by failing to respond when we need them.  Our ability to think clearly recedes when we aren’t looking after ourselves.  It’s weird how we can be super tired and have a really busy mind all at the same time. To bring the frequency of our bodies and the frequency of our thoughts in sync we are obligated to take time for ourselves without apology.  In yogic philosophy we call this Ahimsa.  The idea of loving ourselves is a way to demonstrate love for all people.  But we must start with ourselves.  (SUTRA 2.35 EMBRACING REVERENCE AND LOVE FOR ALL (AHIMSA) WE EXPERIENCE ONENESS)

 

The Buddha put it like this, “The object of your practice should first of all be yourself.  Your ability to love another person, depends on your ability to love yourself.” 

 

WHAT DON’T WE MAKE TIME FOR OURSELVES?  I’ve come to think that the main reason is that we are worried about what other people think.  We actually make  the opinions of others even MORE IMPORTANT than our own opinion of ourselves.  And when you think about it there will never be a shortage of opinions about us form other people.  Yoga teaches us that we are sovereign over ourselves, we can’t be responsible for how others see us all we can do is have the authority of leading our own peaceful life. Why because life itself is a gift!  MARK TWAIN says “ A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval”

 

WE ARE PRETTY AMAZING!

Think about this formula proposed by John Maxwell in his book Talent is Never Enough. Maxwell says that “every person is capable of doing something better than the next 10,000 people.” That something is called your STRENGTH ZONE.  From the yogic view we are capable of far greater things than what we often deem possible.  We realize our potential only when we see that we are worthy of making time for ourselves and that each breath is another opportunity to dream even bigger dreams. 

 

FEBRUARY 23, 2009:  My teacher Shiva Rea says, "The teachings of yoga include a view called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is an inherent part of life.  Therefore, to proceed skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today; we can’t assume we are quite the same person we were yesterday."  So when we step into the current of grace how can we manage to do our best – no more, no less, keeping in mind that doing our best is never going to be the same like our breath.  The Yoga Sutras suggest each pose be Sthira Sukham Asanam, steady and pleasant. More importantly in the incessant changing stream of life can we just keep trying?  The more you practice yoga the more you will respond YES!

 

The great thing is that when we DO OUR BEST then we give no reason for self-judgement, blame, guilt, negative self talk of any kind.  There are no regrets. 

 

To me doing our best is kind of scary.  From a western view it pulls us into that “no pain, no gain” mentality that life must hurt.  But that’s not it at all.  Doing our best means we are living our lives fully, in the present moment with enormous intensity because we want to be good to ourselves.  We want to make life all it can be aspiring to co-create with the universe for our optimal productivity.  Doing our best makes us connect to our innate happiness!  Why? Because it demonstrates our LOVE for life!

 

LOVE IS ACTIVE,

YES IS ACTIVE

DOING OUR BEST IS ACTIVE (INACTION IS THE WAY WE DENY LIFE)

Today we keep making the soil of our souls more fertile by contexualizing through asana practice the theme of "Always Doing Our Best.”  I hope this inspires you to make sensitive adjustments as you enjoy each and every breath.  All of this to make the space for the dreams you wish to hatch come the first day of Spring, March 20th!  My dear friends you were born with the right to be happy and as Deepok Chopra suggests why not then make Happiness the Goal of ALL other goals, and just do our best with this.  Please love your life, don’t let another breath pass without making it your best breath.  Love to you all, Silvia

FEBRUARY 10TH, 2009:  It is interesting that we just had the full moon yesterday and on December 31st of this year it will also be a full moon.  Is this the year that you no longer sleep walk through life and just make it ok?  Do we commit to waking up and being present, taking back our thoughts and owning our life?

YES!  Even Winston Churchill speaks to this when he said, "The price of greatness is responsibility over each of our thoughts."  Everyday yoga tells us that we move our mind state from one of "nidra" sleep to "Buddhana" awakening.  The practice encourages us to be MORE than aware, but really awake.  So you have from today until December 31st, same full moon to do something more than just using 20% of your mind as a rest station of awareness but instead really engaging 60-80% of your mind to wake up to the blessings of life.  Remember:  Your I CAN is more important than your IQ.

So what is your intention, what makes you wake up and roar?  Go inside and figure it out. Take time right now for five minutes.  Follow the advice of Carl Jung, "your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.  Who looks outside: dreams; Who looks inside: awakens."

Or as Pantanjali says in the Yoga Sutras, "When you are inspired by some great purpose all of your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world!"  Be the cause of your own future my firends. Wake up and start living!  Love, Silvia

FEBRUARY 7TH, 2009:  BE HERE NOW is not new and it is really quite simple in theory isn’t it?  We all know we can only live one moment at time yet I really didn’t put this into practice for more than half of my life.  There were various traumatic events, including losing my Dad suddenly when he was only 59 years old, that served as “wake up” calls for me.  My intention in teaching the life philosophy of yoga is that it doesn’t really have to take tragedy or health crisis or emotional crisis to figure this out.  I don’t want you to have to learn this simple lesson the hard way as I did.  So I write and teach to “exhaust every little moment” (Gwendolyn Brooks) to help others realize life is GLORIOUS!

 

The words of Thich Nhat Hanh spoke to me, he says it like this:  “We have an appointment with life, and that appointment takes place in the present moment. If we miss the present moment, we miss our appointment with life, which is serious.”

 

I get it.  If we put more value on our oil change appointments, dental appointments, business appointments, hair appointments than we do on our life appointment something is amiss. We aren’t really living life.  John Lennon says, Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans.  Dude that’s it.  So a favorite inspiration I handed out in class this morning is below so you can all enjoy and remember. Life is now.  Keep your appointment!  From my heart, Silvia

 

 

From A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, 2000

You are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life.  Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at your desk, or your life in the car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your HEART.  Not just your bank account, but your soul. 

 

People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit.  But a resume is a cold comfort on a winter night, or when you’re sad, or broken, or lonely, or when you’ve gotten back the check X ray and it doesn’t look so good. 

 

Take a moment: Think about your resume, your resume of heart.

 

So I suppose the best piece of advice I could give anyone is pretty simple: GET A LIFE.  A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.  Get a life where you pay attention. Keep still. Be Present.

 

Get a life in which you are not alone.  Find people you love, and who love you.  And remember that love is not leisure, it is work.  Each time I look at my diploma, I remember that I am still a student, still learning every day how to be human. 

FEBRUARY 6TH, 2009:   When I traveled as part of my life on a regular basis I had amazing “travel karma”.  I’d get upgraded, flights would be on time, free stuff would come my way, rental cars would be easily available, really everything would always be smooth.  I knew through the 15 years in the corporate world that I influenced this.  If I traveled with an enthusiastic attitude and demeanor good things would open up.  This is the first principle of alignment, opening to grace and stepping into the flow.   

Flow is good!

 

Excitement for life is great!

 

Life is precious!

 

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 and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired."  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.”

 

So make today a party!  Find the flow of grace.  Heed the advice of the Alchemist, “Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. .... Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now.”  I wish you bright sunshine, amazing energy and vitality to live life fueled by your passion for life!  BIG LOVE!! Silvia  

 

*Hope you enjoyed today's 70's and 80's inspired love songs!!!

FEBRUARY 5TH, 2009:  It is easy to see everything as flat and "ok" but that means we really aren't paying attention. This is when we aren’t really awake for if we were living in the moment (where true happiness lies) then we'd see the depth, like the mountain ranges I experienced last weekend.  It really is just that SIMPLE.  As is written in the Alchemist, “It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.” 

When we are present, our minds become clear and still.  This is a fundamental truth from the ancient writings of yoga.  From the Bhagavad Gita 6:19-22, translated by Eknath Easwaran: The mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place. In the still mind, the Self reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, we know the joy and peace of complete fulfillment. Having attained that abiding joy beyond the senses, revealed in the stilled mind, he never swerves from the eternal truth. He desires nothing else, and cannot be shaken by the heaviest burden.  Two of my favorite writings about being present are offered below.  Enjoy!  BE PRESENT. LOVE LIFE.  PEACE TO YOU, Silvia

 

Look to this Day! - an inspirational poem -

Look to this day!

For it is life, the very life of life.

 

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:

 

The bliss of growth;

The glory of action;

The splendor of achievement;

 

For yesterday is but a dream,

And tomorrow only a vision;

But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream

of happiness,

 

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day!       - Kalidasa - 5th century Sanskrit Poet

 

By Thich Nhat Hanh titled Twenty Four Brand-New Hours from Peace in Every Step:

"Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty four brand new hours to live. What a precious gift!  We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy and happiness to ourselves and others.

 

Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it.  We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky.  Even the air we breath can be a source of joy.

 

We can smile, breath, walk and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available.  We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living.  We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house and so on.  But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.  Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.  We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.  This is an invitation to come back to the present moment and find peace and joy.  Peace is every step. We shall walk hand in hand.  Bon voyage."

 

 

FEBRUARY 2ND:  My Dear Yogi Friends, as you know I was away this weekend for four days in Colorado.  I was totally getting that Rocky Mountain High:  breathing, skiing, yogaing, enjoying the sunshine!  I benefited from many life lessons as a result of this trip that I will share in classes this week related to yoga philosophy.  As always the most important of which is to wake up, pay attention and BE PRESENT in order to live life more fully in each moment. A fave quote that speaks to this is:

“Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.” -Anonymous 

Some other topics that came up during this weekend:  AHIMSA - a fundamental principle of yoga often known as non-harming, kindness and safety. Every day we are fighting for our lives but how do we do so without hurting others.  How do we create a safe situation for ourselves where we aren't driven by fear but by the desire to be kind?  COURAGE - not the front page stuff but the quiet courage that requires trust, faith and a really brave heart.  HABITS - those habits with attachments that prevent us from growing spiritually. You know those one's that give us a false of sense of ease because we grow dull doing the same thing over and over again.   OPENING UP - When we close down we are like fish moving towards dry land, when we open up and even allow vulnerability we flow with grace towards the ocean.  The mountains helped me remain open even though all I wanted to do was contract during challenging moments.  BE PRESENT -  It is easy to see everything as flat and "ok" but that means we really aren't paying attention. This is when we are not awake for if we were living in the moment (where true happiness lies) then we'd see the depth, like the mountain ranges I experienced this weekend.

Ok, many other lessons learned over the weekend like Managing Doubt, Simplicity, Facing Our Fears, Body Prayer, Spirtual Seeking, Peace of Mind, but I'll save those for my book.  Please join me this week to learn more about these key one's above.  I look forward to being with you on the mat! And remember today is not a rehearsal - this is IT! Love to all, Silvia 

JANUARY 3RD, 2009:  So this morning I was engaged in my regular ritual of making chai tea but as I was doing so I was also preparing my practice, finding smarties for class, you know I fell into that trap of multi tasking.  As I was going about this I forgot for just a moment to pay attention to my tea and it spilled over.  Forgetting to pay attention happens to the best of us. 

WHY PAY ATTENTION?  Because we aren’t going to get to do TODAY over again.

 

That’s why its important to be here NOW, right HERE, right NOW.

 

THERE IS NO WAITING.

We can begin right now paying attention to our own enjoyment or capacity to enjoy life:  The Yoga Sutras say “enjoyment is the sweetness of noticing your life right now – smell, taste, feeling, sensation”

 

In class we each had 3 smarties to experience for ourselves how paying attention is a bit of a skill and we can improve it.  This comes as a result of using the science of yoga breathing to train the mind in concentration while radically improving our ability to use the energy we receive from the air we breath. Equally we learn what paying attention is not:  which Sean Corne says so well,  *Well what it isn’t is trying to rewrite the past, we can learn something (even from those that have hurt you or things that didn’t go the way you wanted them to) and move on.”

 

So today really use the practice to quiet your mind by paying attention to what you can let go of. (Judith Lasater)  And most importantly releasing your mind from constantly wanting your situation to be different.  There is no reason to make war with what you feel, see or experience.  Just open your heart to what you might be missing and repeat this mantra:  My life is precious and glorious!  Love to you all, Silvia

 

JULY 30TH, 2008:  It never ceases to amaze me how good we all are (and I mean gold medal good) at making the questions of life super complicated.  The good news is that regardless of how complex we make the questions, the answers are simple.  So I pulled together a simple list of 5 of these answers based on my lifetime of yogic readings and experience to share with you.

 1. CHANGE IS CONSTANT – GROOVE WITH THE FLOW

The teachings of yoga include a view called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is an inherent part of life.  Therefore, to proceed skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today; we can’t assume we are quite the same person we were yesterday.   Emerson says it like this, “There are no fixtures in nature. The universe is fluid.”
In life, change is constant. Things are always beginning, dissolving, dying.  And we are usually most aware of life’s ever-changing nature in the gut-wrenching moments…loss, death, heartbreak. In a nutshell we can respond to change in 2 ways.

1. One response is to race against time in an effort to accomplish as much as possible. When you realize “life is short” and no marriage, no person, nothing lasts forever, you want to squeeze it all in. This response is fun and exhilarating but ultimately can wear you out. “Time--when pursued like a bandit--will behave like one. Always remaining one county or one room ahead of you…slipping out the back door just as you’re banging thru the lobby with your newest search warrant.” (Elizabeth Gilbert)
2. The yogis prescribe another approach to best ride life’s ever-charging flow. By learning to relax, surrender, and let go, you realize that stillness is a magnet for contentment. As the German author Frank Kafka said, “..be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
    

2.  IT’S OK TO ADMIT WE DON'T KNOW 

In reality, we DON’T KNOW WHAT COMES NEXT.  Just like there are poses in this practice we don’t understand, can’t yet do, may never be able to do or if we can perform have no idea why or how… 

·         When we practice Yoga we are really acknowledging that we are on the ROAD OF LIFE.  The path unfolds in this moment and in every moment while we are alive. And we don’t know what comes next. 

·         This means in part, even at most crucial times, acknowledging that we really have NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE GOING OR EVEN WHERE THE PATH LIES. 

·         We are not meant to understand why all things happen, we may never understand.  All we can do is keep flowing forward…

 

3. BE PRESENT

"We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow."  -Fulton Oursler

What’s so important about being in the moment? Yoga teaches us that the present moment is the source of healing, love, inspiration, passion, creativity. In fact, the purest form of strength is that which is found in the present moment. The yogis call this power of presence shakti.  But to reap these benefits, one can’t just have fleeting moments of presence. We have to stay long enough in the present moment that we can really soak in its cleansing, healing, loving energy.

 

4.  LIVE FULLY NOW

“You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted.”  ~Ruth E. Renkl
Steve Ross, LA Yogi and Author puts it like this:  "You are always already happy. The reason you don't experience it is that it's covered up by layers of suppressed emotions and negative thoughts. Shift your attention and your inherent happiness flashes forth."

 

5.  GET ALONG – SEEK HARMONY

A human being consists of 75 trillion cells each with a very specific task necessary to sustain one's life. Scientists and doctors are likening the 75 trillion cells to musicians in a giant symphony. The conscious human being could never possibly conduct this symphony, but the conscious human being is absolutely responsible for providing a harmonious environment in which the symphony can play without interruption. The paradigm for health is already shifting.  We can see it moving its priority from "fit body" to "open heart." The truly great workout of the future will not be "How far can I run" but "How best can I serve?"

 

My favorite advice is from Sri Swami Satchidananda

"Whatever you do, let it be a perfect act. What is a perfect act? It harms nobody, it brings at least some benefit to somebody. If you have control, you can use anything and everything to achieve some good purpose. Keep that in mind as your goal. Whatever you think, whatever you say or do, ask yourself: 'Will it harm anybody?' The answer should be, 'Absolutely no.' The next point is, 'Will it at least benefit somebody.' The answer should be 'Yes.' If it is not benefiting anybody, it is a waste. So, no harm to anybody, at least some benefit to somebody."