First Class Free

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste - The ancient Sanskrit blessing defined 

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

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

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

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

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

PLAYLIST TODAY

February 11, 2011. 

Set your life on fire.

Seek those who fan your flames. - RUMI

I read somewhere that “no one is born with healthy self-esteem” we must learn this quality as we face our challenges.  In the energy system this is the work of the 3^rdchakra, the solar plexus, or Manipura.  The energies of this chakra have at their heart the intention to help us mature in our self-understanding like how we feel and take care of ourselves. This spiritual quality is about self-respect.  How we feel about ourselves, whether we have a strong sense of self-esteem determines our quality of life, our capacity to succeed in relationships, and our overall vitality.  

The spiritual truth here is that if we don’t like ourselves our energy sags.  And the lower our energy the less able we are to attract healthy relationships and job situations. To know if your 3^rd Chakra is in balance take a moment and honestly ask yourself: are you choosing situations, people, & things that drain your energy or grow your energy? 

For meditation ask yourself these questions:

·         Where were you last February 2010?

·         Where are you now?

·         Do you have more energy today?

·         Where do you see yourself February 2012?

From this practice of yoga I want us all to keep stoking the fire! I want for you to feel energized and excited about your life. And if you aren't feeling that way then the time is now to set an expectation for yourself – to your own growth and evolution – and surround yourself with those that seek to fan your flames. You are all amazing and as we continue paying attention to the health of our 3^rdchakra please know you have all come a very long way already and let's take it to that next level.  SET YOUR LIFE ON FIRE!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Silvia

*Join me with Alchemy Tours www.alchemytours.com to set the fire ablaze full blast!

JANUARY 10, 2011.  "We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us.” -Virginia Satir

Newsweek last December 9th did a story that spoke to how research shows Blaming Others is Contagious.  Yes, I think we've all seen that for ourselves as some point whether it was on the playground or around a conference room table with fellow managers.  This learned human behavior is one of the first things I remember when I started the practice of Yoga.  I'd get on the mat and if class was hard for me I'd blame the teacher (clearly they made it too hard, it wasn't me).  If I couldn't balance I'd blame the students around me for falling out of the pose and distracting me, it wasn't me.  If I had difficulty holding downward dog or plank pose I'd blame the teacher for keeping us there too long, it wasn't about my upper body strength or tendency to give up too soon.  And if I got confused by the instructions of a teacher it for sure wasn't about me not listening, the teacher was unclear.

We live in a victimized society.  

And as many of you know my story I have on three very distinct occasions been victimized whether it was being run over by a car as a pedestrian or losing my Father when he was a young 59 years old due to negligence at the hospital.  I have struggled with what it means to be a victim and what is meant by victim rights and for while there I got really good at blaming others for the quality of my life.  

Then I realized the more I blamed others the more judgmental I became of everyone and everything.  I stopped thinking about the intention and effort others were putting in.  Or as Jen Gray Blackburn writes,  ‎"You will find life a whole lot easier if you can keep in mind that most people are just trying to do the best they can..." And now every time I step on my yoga mat I remember to take responsibility for myself and my breath and my poses.  No one else is to blame.

Yoga is the anti-victim mentality.

And as a teacher of yoga and for those aspiring teachers you have to know that most if not all students will go through this same evolution and not to take it personally.  You will be the person in front of them causing the friction (or at least that's what they'll think) until they take over responsibility for themselves and transform their lives.  Jackie Robinson puts it like this, “I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

Really what spiritual practice is teaching is nicely summarized by Stacey Charter, “Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad.”  Through the time we make for ourselves on the mat we begin to realize this whether slowly or quickly but at some point a shift happens and you stop blaming others and instead take full responsibility saying to yourself as a constant inner mantra I am loving myself, I am loving my day and I am loving my life! Now I'd love for you to imagine a world where the contagion of blame has disappeared forever! When blame disappears only love will remain. Big love in all ways, Silvia

*Dedicated to all those yoga teachers out there teaching their hearts out and serving as the catalyst for change in the world!

OCTOBER 31, 2010.  During some Yoga class you will hear these words from your teacher, "honor your body" or "honor yourself." But what does that mean exactly? When I went to military school during high school years I had a very well-defined idea of honor because of the honor code that was part of the school's commitments. Then in college I was in a sorority and we too made a serious pledge to an honor code of sisterhood.

As we mature no one is giving us a written honor code and we have to define and refine it for ourselves. Time on the mat is where I practice honoring what I think and feel and how my actions are a result of that. Do I make sensitive adjustments? Am I respectful of myself when I'm tired? How do I appreciate and thank myself for trying my best? Am I consistent in integrating the practice in my body? Am I reverential towards the blessing it is to move and breath? Come to think of it, isn't to honor part of what Namaste means? So when it comes down to it, am I living my Namaste? And in honoring myself and do I honor, respect, appreciate all those I meet? If you are practicing yoga you are holding yourself gently and aspiring to live an honorable life. You are Dignified and Noble. Bring that today as you love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

"Though it may be difficult to find the words for what you feel,

May you find ease in that awkwardness until gradually from beneath the gravel of stuttered sounds the pure flow of you emerges.

Be gentle with yourself,

Learn to integrate the negative,

Harnessing its force

To cross the boundaries

That would confine you.

Love the life of your mind

Furnishing it ever with new thought

So that your countenance glows

With the joy of being alive.

Be vigilant

And true to an inner honor

That will not allow

Anger or resentment

To make you captive

Always have the courage

To change, welcoming those voices

That call you beyond yourself

Beyond your work and action

Remain faithful to your heart,

For you to deepen and grow

Into a person of dignity and nobility."

By John Donohue

SEPTEMBER 5, 2010.  Newsweek last December 9th did a story that spoke to how research shows Blaming Others is Contagious.  Yes, I think we've all seen that for ourselves as some point whether it was on the playground or around a conference room table with fellow managers.  This learned human behaviour is one of the first things I remember when I started the practice of Yoga.  I'd get on the mat and if class was hard for me I'd blame the teacher (clearly they made it too hard, it wasn't me).  If I couldn't balance I'd blame the students around me for falling out of the pose and distracting me, it wasn't me.  If I had difficulty holding downward dog or plank pose I'd blame the teacher for keeping us there too long, it wasn't about my upper body strength or tendency to give up too soon.  And if I got confused by the instructions of a teacher it for sure wasn't about me not listening, the teacher was unclear.

We live in a victimized society.  

And as many of you know my story I have on three very distinct occasions been victimized whether it was being run over by a car as a pedestrian or losing my Father when he was a young 59 years old due to negligence at the hospital.  I have struggled with what it means to be a victim and what it meant by victim rights and for while there I got really good at blaming others for the quality of my life.  

Then I realized the more I blamed others the more judgmental I became of everyone and everything.  I stopped thinking about the intention and effort others were putting in.  Or as Jen Gray Blackburn writes,  ‎"You will find life a whole lot easier if you can keep in mind that most people are just trying to do the best they can..." And now every time I step on my yoga mat I remember to take responsibility for myself and my breath and my poses.  No one else is to blame.

Yoga is the anti-victim mentality.

And as a teacher of yoga and for those aspiring teachers you have to know that most if not all students will go through this same evolution and not to take it personally.  You will be the person in front of them causing the friction (or at least that's what they'll think) until they take over responsibility for themselves and transform their lives.  Jackie Robinson puts it like this, “I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

Really what spiritual practice is teaching is nicely summarized by Stacey Charter, “Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit - not because you think someone else wants you to be different.”  Through the time we make for ourselves on the mat we begin to realize this slowly, quickly but at some point a shift happens and you stop blaming others and instead take full responsibility saying to yourself as a constant inner mantra I am loving myself, I am loving my day and I am loving my life!  Imagine a world where the contagion of blame has disappeared forever!  Peace to the world, Silvia

JULY 21ST, 2009:  This class tonight is dedicated to our friend John Palmer whose participation in sailing team Intangible contributed greatly to their first place finish this weekend!

So we focus on Namaste, Nama, Namaha and all its variations to honor John’s accomplishment and use of yogic breathing and meditation as handy tools when needed most.  To me Namaha is a remembrance and appreciation first and foremost.  Voltaire said, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”  So John’s success is our success.  Instead of seeking separation Namaste brings us into Yoga or union as one world, one people. We honor the sacredness of all. 

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

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

Namaste - The ancient Sanskrit blessing defined

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

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

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

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

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

The spiritual truth here is that if we don’t like ourselves we won’t make healthy decisions about our lives.  People with low self-esteem attract relationships and job situations that mirror and reinforce this.  So if you don’t like YOU others will walk all over you, taking advantage and bullying.  Your physical and emotional strength to set healthy boundaries are from this chakra, your personal power center.  To know if your 3^rd Chakra is in balance take a moment and honestly ask yourself: are you choosing situations, people, & things that drain you or empower you? 

During class we used poses to build physical strength and core awareness to help all of us strengthen our Third Chakra.

The other aspect that we spoke about in class was how a balanced third chakra aids our ability to feel more centered. When our 3^rd chakra is out of balance our thoughts are all over the place.  And if our thoughts are unfocused then it is more difficult to handle the crisis that life might put in our path.  We used the centering breath to return our minds to that place of peaceful balance, sama breathing, no matter what pose or discomfort we faced in a hip opening sequence.  We also learned the solar plexus Mudra called Rudra Mudra with the tips of our thumb and index finger and ring fingers together while extending the other fingers out in a relaxed way.  Our mantra was “I rest at my center and draw joy from my center, I love myself.”

For meditation we asked ourselves these questions as part of our practice:

·         Where were you last June 2008?

·         Where are you now?

·         Are you able to see how much you’ve grown and give yourself credit?

·         Are you on the right path?

·         Where do you see yourself June 2010?

I promise I will check in with everyone June 29, 2010 and hold everyone accountable for deepening their commitment to give birth to the life they really want. That this practice reminded us to set an expectation for ourselves – to our own growth and evolution – and remain centered enough to meet our ambitions.  You are all amazing and as we continue paying attention to the health of our 3^rd chakra please know you have all come a very long way already and with a courageous sense of self-respect and self-esteem little by little we will travel very far by this time next year! May your thoughts, feelings and actions find alignment.

Love yourself, love your life!  Silvia

JULY 23RD, 2008:  So on Tuesday night I was watching a show called "Shear Genius" on Bravo.  The deal is that hairstylists compete for a grand prize survivor style.  The main challenge on this night was teaching regular women how to style their own hair.  The woman who self-styled her own hair the worst lost - her stylist then was out of the competition. Bummer that we have so little confidence in ourselves that we don't even believe we can style our own hair, you know?  We don't know how to be as we are.

Dr. Wayne Dyer writes, "the greatest mistake we make, which causes a loss of self-respect, is making the opinions of others MORE IMPORTANT than our own opinion of ourselves."  Even the word self-respect pretty much says it all, it originates from the self. Yogis have always recognized all we need is within us.  These days it takes a great deal of courage to DO YOU (as Russell Simmons writes in the book of the same name which encourages "staying true to who you are.")

I hope your yoga helps you learn to make sensitive adjustments in your thoughts, in your actions and that this helps you take responsibility for doing YOU.  Ultimately I wish that you no longer doubt yourself and stop withholding self-love.  I leave you the words of Mark Twain, "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."  Give it to yourself now, as you are.  LOVE YOU! Silvia