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February 19, 2011.  I make the time for important stuff like googling LOVE MUSCLE.  Interestingly enough here is the best advice I found in looking after your Love Muscle:

1. Locate the love muscle

2. Remember to breath

3. Don't overdo it

4. Results should show in 8-12 weeks

 That's pretty good advice that could easily apply to yoga as well.  In yoga we always work our Love Muscle.  The love muscle is our mind.  We work our mind muscle by focusing our thoughts on positive expectations. Shakti Gawain says it like this, “When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form. If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations.” The more we practice using our muscles the stronger we get.  In yoga class we move and breath practicing making our minds stronger.  Brian Tracy says, "Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event.

I understand maintaining a positive expectation is not easy.  Yoga stretches our mind muscle, it teaches us how to connect with ourselves and accept the sense things make or make sense of things as they are.To me this is the ultimate definition of yoga: anything that wakes you up to who you really are, that makes you more aware of your life, that which works our love muscle. Love yourself, Love your day, Love your life! Silvia

 

PS Here is the salutation we practiced to stretch our mind through our body. 

7th Chakra Namaskar

*Start standing in Mountain with HASTA VINYASA – “Conductor arms” 

INHALE – Reach arms down and out lift left knee Crane

EXHALE – Arms to sides and reach forward Flying Lunge

INHALE – Low Lunge circle arms out and up

EXHALE – Half Splits circle arms down and out

INHALE – High Lunge circle arms forward and up

EXHALE – Prepare

INHALE – Warrior 3 circle arms down and out

EXHALE – Crane circle arms forward and up, lower foot to Mountain

Side 2 begins

DECEMBER 24TH, 2009: Yoga can provide us the prescription we need no matter what we are feeling. Each family of poses imparts a different lesson. Here is what we practiced and I spoke about in class. My gift to you on this Christmas Eve 2009! Love and more love, Silvia

SUN SALUTATIONS. Energizing for your emotional body and can help lift you out of lethargy, depression, mental fatigue.
STANDING POSES. These are very grounding as well as energizing. They immediately engage your body-mind connection and bring you into the present moment. They are good to do when worried, distracted or agitated.
BACKBENDS. These are energizing, uplifting poses. They create more energy when you are tired. If you are already nervous they can make you over stimulated if they are difficult so you can also practice passive backbends. These poses also open you up emotionally which may cause strong emotions to arise.
TWISTS. Cleansing and balancing. They help release stress from your body-mind.
FORWARD FOLDS. These are calming, quieting in their impact. They are restful poses to calm you down when you feel agitated or hyper and restful when you are fatigued.
HIP OPENERS. These are very grounding and balancing. They help release tension and bring you into the present moment.
INVERSIONS. These are soothing, balancing and centering.

MARCH 19th, 2009:   Today we focused on BALANCE.  Because as Thomas Kincade says, "Balance, Peace and Joy are the fruit of a successful life."  We began our practice with a quiet assessment by asking ourselves, "How do I feel, What is My Mood Right Now, Where is my life not feeling balanced?"  To compliment this we practiced alternate nostril breathing to demonstrate to ourselves whether we were flowing the breath evenly through both sides of our brain or not. 

Yoga is all about Management.  This is different than saying control which seems punitive. We are loving managers of our lives, our moods, our relationships both inward and outward and through this we can bring ourselves back into balance when we need to.  Life will offer us challenges that take us off our path.  But we keep moving forward.  Einstein says, "Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving."

How out of balance are we?  Statistically, 80% of Americans have adrenal fatigue, we suffer from higher rates of anxiety, hypersensitivity, nutritional deficiencies, eye strain, constipation, insomnia than anywhere else in the world.  The way yoga fits in is that it restores BALANCE.  Yoga makes our whole metabolic system function better, improves our immunity, offers us better digestion, better sleep, it bring more energy and is the great equalizer.  Each family of poses can be used to customize what we need more of.  So enjoy the handout below.  Love your life today!  Peace, Silvia

SUN SALUTATIONS. Energizing for your emotional body and can help lift you out of lethargy, depression, mental fatigue.

STANDING POSES.  These are very grounding as well as energizing.  They immediately engage your body-mind connection and bring you into the present moment.  They are good to do when worried, distracted or agitated.

BACKBENDS.  These are energizing, uplifting poses.  They create more energy when you are tired.  If you are already nervous they can make you over stimulated if they are difficult so you can also practice passive backbends.  These poses also open you up emotionally which may cause strong emotions to arise.

TWISTS.  Cleansing and balancing.  They help release stress from your body-mind. 

FORWARD FOLDS.  These are calming, quieting in their impact.  They are restful poses to calm you down when you feel agitated or hyper and restful when you are fatigued. 

HIP OPENERS.  These are very grounding and balancing.  They help release tension and bring you into the present moment. 

INVERSIONS.  These are soothing, balancing and centering.