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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!

The Heart is the Sun of the Soul - Shine out!

 November 14, 2010 

 The definition of self-conscious is "to be Conscious of one's self as an object of the observation of others."  There are good things and interesting things about this in that every day the way we live our lives we either serve as a positive example or a warning to other people.  We are under some scrutiny whether we like it or not. As Sally Field says,  "It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes." It is only when we allow the good opinion of other people to be more important than our own, that this self-consciousness becomes deeply detrimental to our happiness.  

 As a result of coming to the yoga mat I have grown both more aware of others judgments and less self-conscious all at the same time.  We step into the poses and we are alert to the presence of others but instead choose to focus on ourselves. We do the practice to be more conscious of our innate happiness and go beyond self-limiting belief.  We move and breath with the freedom that only comes from the light within: our hearts dancing with joy, long-held inhibitions vanishing until all self-doubt is erased!

To be honest this process may take more than just one class.

"We live in the most self-conscious society in the history of mankind.  There are good things in that, but there are also terrible things.  The worst of it is, that we find it hard to give ourselves to the process." - Larry Harvey says.  I agree.  The day I knew this enemy of love, self consciousness was no longer driving my life was when I felt the FLOW of the yoga poses and let the breath move me.  I gave myself to the process.  And everything changed.  I started to drop self-criticism along with being critical of others.  The judgment I feared from others no longer had power over me.  And in this video you can see how this translates into movement. 

http://totalbodyyoga.smugmug.com/Other/Yoga-Video/14626334_ctxSf#1088205682_EJPLo-A-LB

The choices I make I now honor as my own. And with every day I get more expert at doing the hardest yoga pose of all....Being Myself.  This is the pose I want you to learn more than any other too.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia       

AUGUST 14, 2010: I love the "SELF" words! Self-Love, Self-Confidence, Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem and on and on. I know I love these and intend for myself all of these because of the experience I've had with that other self word. Self-Sabotage. New York Times #1 best selling author Debbie Ford writes, "Overcoming self-sabotage and finding the wisdom inside the wounds you've endured is one of the most important conversations you'll ever have with yourself. Honor it and know that it will change your life." The time on the mat where we see our true selves allows us the choice to be with what is holding us back. Only once you acknowledge the old pattern can we change that paradigm and create something more life affirming for ourselves. That's part one. Believe it or not Part 2 is harder. That's where you know what you want for your life and you have to stand up for what your intentions are. Allowing yourself to be sabotaged by others is a repeatable pattern that one can get stuck in forever. So today embrace the positive self words in your life. Say to yourself for five minutes of breathing or for the duration of an entire yoga class the self word you need the most of in your life right now. By repeating the mantra you make its energy stronger and that conversation with yourself gets louder until you are living your best life ever, no holding back. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

FEBRUARY 22, 2010 "True giving radiant giving comes from the same inner place as deep happiness.  It's having the self-esteem to feel that what we have to offer is valuable - our advice, wisdom, expertise, skills, physical labor.  The manner in which we give these gifts is a reflection of who we are."   

Philosopher Maimonides pictured giving on 8 spiritual levels. The top two are these here that Yoga really gets to the heart of right away.  

1.  "The motivation for real giving finds its source in the internal self, not in the expectations of others."  

2.  "Anonymous giving - happy people don't expect a return. They give because it comes from the heart and they believe that joy and happiness are abundant. They aren't going to run out."   

In yogic philosophy the opposite of taking or stealing is giving and sharing (Asteya).  And we are either living from a viewpoint of abundance or one of mental scarcity where you are hoarding or rationing for fear you are going to run out. You see these concepts are mutually exclusive.  You either are practicing living life from one or the other.  This idea that giving comes from a place of deep self-love and happiness has been one of the greatest lessons I take into my everday from this practice.  The yoga has strengthened my confidence and instead of contracting when times are challenging I am able to maintain a self-generating self-esteem that reminds me to give with all my heart be it wisdom, love, affection or friendship.  Everyday I practice yoga makes me want to open my heart up bigger to do more good in the world, to be a better friend, a more generous partner, a kinder sister, a more loving daughter.   

My sincere wish is that you stay with this practice long enough to experience this for yourself.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! XXOO Silvia

JUNE 29, 2009:  I once read somewhere; I can’t remember where, 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^rd chakra, 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 and our capacity to succeed in relationships (both personal and professional).  For instance, do you believe that you deserve to be loved well by others?  This is demonstrated by the self-love you are able to generate for your own heart.

 

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

 

JANUARY 6^TH, 2009:  We all get tired right?  But why?  Interesting enough when we are tired we are stagnant, it is not that we have expended too much energy but we have not been actively moving our bodies enough.  The yoga of moving and breathing moves our energy and flushes the body to remove the stuckness.  A key way to look at Yoga for being less tired is to focus on the 3^rd Chakra.  This chakra often called the solar plexus, is our personal power center.  The magnetic core of our personality which wants to bubble up and radiate out.

 

When the 3^rd charka is in balance we have strong Self-esteem, self respect, and self discipline.  When out of balance we get stagnant and run down as a result of fear of rejection, criticism, whether we’ll look foolish and worried about whether other people think we are meeting our responsibilities.  This drains us of energy.

 

How we feel about ourselves, whether we respect ourselves, determines the quality of our life, our capacity to succeed in business, and relationships. Self understanding and acceptance, the bond we form with ourselves, is in many ways the most critical spiritual challenge we face. This is really then the entry from spiritual babyhood or adolescence into spiritual adulthood.  Managing our energies is a big part of this.  From a spiritual perspective, in fact, the entire physical world is nothing more than our classroom, but the challenge to each of us in this classroom is: Given your particular body, environment, job, family, and beliefs, will you make choices that enhance your spirit or those that drain your spirit?  Will you be able to maintain your energy boundaries and sense of identity as part of your tribe but not based only upon it. 

 

A favorite meditation I have from my friend Constance Hart is this:   DRAW YOUR ENERGY BACK TO YOU - imagine that you are gathering your straying thoughts and energies back into yourself. Or visualize yourself casting a net and pulling all the disparate parts of yourself back to the center of your being, creating a sense of balanced energy. From this place of centeredness, we can begin again, directing ourselves outward in a more intentional way.

 

Life life on purpose, with purpose, maintaining the energy necessary to propel yourself towards your dreams!  Think big! Silvia

 

 "Time in life is short. Robert Bucco, Professor Colorado University says, "don’t spend it tired, spend it energized to live more fully, joy is healthy, happiness is yours to behold.  YOU DESERVE IT!"