First Class Free

  By Laura Mills 

 

  This past weekend my husband swam in another meet. He’s been swimming his whole life—club team, high school, college, and now Masters. He’s also been running and core strengthening to help balance his training and keep him all-over fit. But he only recently began practicing yoga.

  I’ve met many people skeptical about yoga as a complement to an exercise program. Most commonly, they cite the fact that yoga’s “not active enough” or “not really a workout” as the reason they’re just not interested. And I’ve found it’s nearly impossible to convince a non-believer of yoga’s benefits if that non-believer doesn’t at first see beyond stationary pretzel poses and chanted “Ohms.”

  With regards to swimming, my husband—who started out as a curious half-believer—says yoga’s greatest help has been in enabling him to calm himself before a race, to better control rapid breathing into something that serves, and to guide him into a focused mindset for the mental and physical efforts ahead. But he also now understands that yoga’s benefits reach far beyond the starting block. Stronger shoulders, hips and ankles; greater flexibility; higher confidence…with time, little by little the effects of his yoga practice have positively revealed themselves in the nuances of his other activities.

  My hope is that at least some of the non-believers out there will glimpse yoga’s positive effects in others. And whether or not that encourages them to venture a little further into the practice, they might at least embrace the process of opening their minds, the first step in ANY program that leads us closer to where we want to be.

     By Laura Mills

   Sometimes, we just itch to pull out our mats. Like when sitting in the middle of a less-than-productive meeting; or driving a carpool of chattering, wriggling kids; or sorting a deep pile of dirty laundry. And the mat is definitely the place we’d rather be instead of at the kitchen table paying bills, the pharmacy picking up a prescription, or the yard cleaning after our pets. But yoga cravings also occur at other less -stressful moments. Many of us have felt the urge to breathe and flow, for example, while in the grocery store cereal aisle, the stands at a little league game, or the stylist’s chair. 

   And of course, we yogis know that yoga also calls at our more profound moments. After a hike, perhaps, as we look down through fog at a winding river…or early in the morning as we gaze at our still-sleeping child…or on the road home from work as we listen to an inspirational song. Yes, yoga calls at pretty much all those moments in which we have difficulty finding words, when all we know is feeling. 

   So let’s remember, Yogis, that every place and time is a perfectly yogic opportunity. Whether circumstances actually do permit us to pull out our mats, or the most we can do is savor a deep breath or two, we’re practicing. And every time we do, no matter how short or small the practice, through our yoga we bless ourselves and the world.  

By Laura Mills

Twice a year I try to wash my windows, at least the ones most spotted with water marks, dirt, cat nose prints or anything else. And afterwards, I am always amazed at the difference a newly-cleaned window makes to my view.

I've heard several teachers mention it, but I agree that cleaning is a powerful metaphor for yoga as well as many other positive methods we employ to release inner build-up. We accumulate grime all the time: emotions, stress, attachments, and other residues of life. And in order to restore our optimal views, we require elbow grease in the form of a physical practice that focuses our minds. We practice asana on a yoga mat, compose words on a page, play music on an instrument, run miles on a trail, or any of a million combinations of those and many other pursuits. And our ultimate goal in pursuing any of them, I believe, is clarity.

But like windows, we accumulate grime again and again. It's humanly normal, and it calls us back to our practices over and over yogis to their mats, writers to the page, artists to the easel, and so on. The scenery changes with the seasons, of course, but any time we see clearly the view is spectacular and definitely worth the effort.

Why Restore?

 

By Laura Mills

 

Earlier this week I attended one of TBY's Restorative Yoga classes. I don't often practice Restorative, but this particular day I happened to be at the studio at just the right time. I love how I feel after a Restorative class, and I know I would definitely benefit from more frequent practice of it. But given a choice between Restorative Yoga and a more-quickly-moving Vinyasa flow, I opt for Vinyasa most of the time. As someone who can barely sit still even when tired, the thought of holding any pose longer than a few breaths doesn't thrill me and the thought of practicing supported, long-held poses for an hour or more actually intimidates me quite a bit.

But I suppose this is just where an opportunity for real yoga arises, since Restorative Yoga invites me to nudge myself just outside my well-established comfort zone. It asks me to open a little bit more than usual, both physically and mentally, and to balance my own practice with a style that soothes in an entirely different way. Yoga as whole is, after all, all about openness and balance, and the way I feel after a Restorative class shows me Iím on the right track.

 

Putting the Party Away

 

By Laura Mills

 

So TBYís Grand Re-opening is coming up on Sunday, September 18, and certainly it will be an amazing day that we long remember. But what will happen after that? We all know the expression, ìThe honeymoonís over; we've all experienced the day after our birthday or favorite holiday. And each one of us has at one time or another helped a friend clean up after a celebration, wistfully remarking at some point, Well, that was fun. Now what?î

Happily, the day after let-down shouldn't affect any of us here at TBY (students, staff and teachers) too badly. We share a unique perspective on life, for our practice of yoga includes celebrating every moment of every day. And while, somehow, celebrating every moment seems more difficult than handling difficulties as they arise, we remember that the purpose of yoga isn't to make life easy but rather to teach us appropriate strength and softness so that, when tested, we don't break.

So on the morning of Monday, September 19, be glad for the fun of the day before and more than excited to inhale and exhale, stretch, eventually set your feet on the ground and stand. Regardless of what the day holds for you, itís party time.

 

To Plan or Not To Plan

  By Laura Mills

  This Labor Day weekend I tested the effects of spontaneity on stress. I usually plan my days in great detail, sometimes an entire week in advance, believing for some unproven reason that planning keeps me organized. My extra-calm husband, Jamie, has long encouraged me to schedule less and flow more; when we discussed this particular weekend’s agenda, he suggested we “just see” what happened.
  I awoke Saturday morning already jittery. My first thought was, “I have to do laundry, and I can’t forget to buy cat litter.” But Jamie suggested the 7:45 yoga class first thing, so we left behind laundry piles and litter boxes and set out. We followed yoga with an on-a-whim breakfast stop, then kayaked on a local lake. Sometime during the day I did throw in laundry and stop at the pet store, but by dinnertime (for which we decided to order pizza and save the intended grilling for Sunday) I hardly remembered a Saturday that I had enjoyed so much. And by the end of the weekend—the rest of which we passed the same way—we had finished the really necessary chores anyway, virtually stress-free.    
  Planning surely has its place, and I’m far from ready to abandon planning and start flowing freely every day. But this weekend I reminded myself that shuffling my to-do list need not be an obstacle. On the contrary, occasional spontaneity, moments when I agree to “just see” what happens, might wind up the best moments of any given day, the moments really worth remembering.

Cherish This

  By Laura Mills

  Right now I am sitting at my kitchen table in front of my computer, having just finished my cereal, drinking coffee, listening to classical music. The patio door is open and I’m looking into my yard, and I’m hearing the chirps of crickets and birds. Of course, not every moment of my life is this easily sweet; just this morning before breakfast I dusted the living room, swept the kitchen, and fed and cleaned up after my cats. Soon enough, I’ll head back upstairs to get ready for work. But right now, in this moment, I am exactly where I want to be.
  We all experience snippets of life like this in which the immediate circumstances just seem right. We are content to breathe and feel and be without immediately moving on to something else. We think, “Ah, so THIS is happiness.” Our challenge, I believe, as I discuss so often with other yogis, is to nurture the contentment of these moments and apply it to the times when life isn’t so accommodating. Our yoga practices help; with yoga, we encourage our bodies, minds and spirits towards lasting and perfectly balanced peace.
  But in the meantime, we relish the peace that comes easily. We sigh, take a deep breath, and give thanks.     

Calendar Caution

  By Laura Mills

   With regards to the passage of time, in my experience two categories of people exist: those who dread it, and those who welcome it. I’ve known people who refuse to discuss “next month” or “next year” for fear of what the future may bring, people who view the world as an inherently dangerous place in which nothing ever goes right. On the other hand, I’ve known people who anticipate the future as an opportunity for further fullness of life, people whose “What if…?” questions end with positive words, hopeful smiles and playful laughs.
   The most interesting thing to me, here, is that in one way or another both categories of people believe anything is possible. We all consider the unknown ahead and sense that it’s loaded with possibilities; at some level, we all have that openness that allows practices like yoga to change our lives. But if we automatically dread those possibilities, I think we close doors that just might present us with the path we’ve been looking for all along.
   As we continue to move forward through days, months and years, none of us will succeed at keeping all doors always open. But we are capable of considering the unknown ahead one day at a time, breathing, and remembering we at least always have a choice.    

All-Over Adjustment

  By Laura Mills

   My adulthood so far has consisted of two phases: “Before Yoga” and “With Yoga.” In the first phase I worked a fine job and maintained my home life and body in the way I thought best for me. The plan worked, for a while, but by my late-twenties I had wedged myself into a meltdown between grief and confusion. In its midst, yoga seemed like something worth trying…and thus began the second phase. Since then, I’ve learned what changes to make and how to make them, as well as how to coexist with all aspects of my life (even those that didn’t turn out the way I originally wanted). I’ve also learned to honor myself ALWAYS as a unique and beautiful being. 
   Whether or not a yogi’s story involves major life alterations, at some level the practice changes all of us. Even if we only try yoga because it looks fun, or we want to someday balance on our hands, the practice leaves us in a place different from the one in which we began. I consider all the yogi stories I’ve heard since I started my own practice: among many others, stories involving stress reduction and recovery from tragedy or illness; stories of yoga as a hobby, as cross-training for other sports, as a component of an overall fitness program; stories about yoga feeling good, teaching people about themselves, and enabling them to meet their spirituality. I love yogi stories. To me they represent the tremendous spectrum of human experience and the fact that, no matter who we are or where we come from, we all revolve around the same amazing center. 

Password: EffortEase
 
  By Laura Mills

   Technology-loving friends chuckle at my techno-phobia. I present a classic case: I understand next to nothing about finer online search strategies and the fancy ins-and-outs of social networking. I longingly remember my box of cherished cassette tapes whenever I attempt to download a new song. As time has passed I’ve found myself farther behind, and I’ve struggled with balancing adaptation to technology with acceptance of my jitters. On one hand I want to keep up with the world, but on the other I’m frustrated that as soon I acclimate to one technological marvel a new, more advanced one appears. (As I type this, my computer is downloading automatic updates and my security software is scanning. Yikes!)  
   Happily, though, I find encouragement in the yogic idea of combining effort with ease. On our mats as well as off, we are called to find the point at which we have strength and softness, the place at which we can strive as well as let go. The gurus teach us to breathe through sensations until we reach our edge, but then we relax and open to the reality of what exists for us in the pose—or, off our mats, the reality of what exists for us in the circumstance. Easier said than done, I know, but we learn from our yoga practices with time. And with time, just like in our yoga practices, we travel deeper.
   We already know the way.   

 By Laura Mills

 

I hadn’t noticed it coming on, but suddenly one day after breakfast I felt “icky”—and within the next few hours I realized I had a bit of summer stomach flu. Physically miserable and mentally frustrated, I had no energy with which to do my typical weekend activities like laundry and housecleaning. And, of course, with which to practice asanas…which particularly irked me. With TBY closed for renovation, I had intended to practice at home. But since the stomach flu is a poor companion to asana practice, I opted begrudgingly to curl up on the couch in what felt like a sloth-like stupor.

Amid my thoughts of how far behind I was falling with my chores and tasks, it also occurred to me that yoga at its simplest is taking care of the self. And I realized that in the state I was in, even though I wanted more than anything to jump off the couch into some vinyasas, the best thing for me at that time was rest. Sure enough, within three days my health and energy returned. I came back to my mat happy because I was once again practicing asanas, but happy also because I knew that even while sick I never really stopped practicing yoga.

 

by: Laura Mills

 

Last Wednesday morning as I drove home from an early appointment, I played one of my recently-purchased songs: “Kyrie,” by Mr. Mister (as many of my students have heard in my classes, I’m a shameless child of the 80s). I bopped my head, then added steering wheel drumming, and by the time I arrived at my garage door I was dancing as much as is safely possible in the drivers’ seat of a moving car.

Knowing that chores and another appointment awaited me in the afternoon, I hadn’t planned on practicing yoga when I got home. But I knew I couldn’t avoid yoga now; my body needed to move, and for some reason it needed to move to that song…almost like the song was stuck in my body the way songs sometimes get stuck in my head. I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else until I had done something about it. And so, in my limited time that afternoon—the duration of the song twice through—I took myself through a fast-moving combination of Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 variations, including lots of Vinyasas. I repeated the same sequence over and over to the beat of the music and my breath, and before I knew it I was in Child’s Pose feeling exhilarated.

What a great way to start my afternoon: remembering, among other things, to always keep my ears open for inspiration!

 

The eyes of some of my non-yogi friends widen when they see me order a turkey sandwich for lunch or take a diet soda from my fridge, reminding me that many people maintain a preconceived notion of what a “yogi” is or should be.

I do consider myself a yogi. But I don’t grow my own anything or regularly buy organic. I forget to bring reusable grocery bags to the store. I know nothing about herbs or essential oils. I am ridiculously impatient (just tell a hungry me I have to wait 20 minutes for a restaurant table…). And yes, I occasionally eat meat and have a one-diet-soda-a-day habit.

When the questions come—the ones I ask myself as well as the ones others ask—they also remind me that being a yogi entails much, much more than any one aspect of life. It’s a person’s openness to love of self and universe. Yoga involves caring for ourselves and others and the Earth, the practice of physical poses as well as breath, and ever-deepening meditation; however, we don’t begin our practice incorporating everything at once. We explore, we integrate, and little by little we add the elements that bring better balance to our lives…our amazing, beautiful, unique lives. And we don’t do it all overnight. We may not even do it all in a lifetime.

Perhaps the next time a non-yogi friend asks me to explain yoga, then, I should begin with, “It’s a process by which I continuously learn about my true self….”

 

Yogic Thank-you Note

 

By Laura Mills

 

 

I recently learned I need to replace a water spigot in my garage. It’s never worked correctly, really—instead of ejecting a smooth stream of water, it has hiss and spit at me for the last 12 years. This year, though, the condensation from the old pipe is causing a particular mess in the garage and, from there, the basement…a mess I discovered when I arrived home Monday evening.

It’s at these moments I am most grateful for yoga, these stomach-churning, heart-quickening, mouth-drying moments. While in the past I would immediately fret about what to do or whom to call, now my first action is to breathe. And seriously, the breath carries me over that first panic impulse. I’m calmer, my mind is clearer, and from that place I am better able to see a way forward.

On the mat I frequently experience gratitude for yoga. Practicing Sun Salutations, for example, or working my way into Headstand little by little, or unfolding myself into Savasana, has always made me happy that yoga is an integral part of my life. But I first came to yoga because I needed a healthy way of handling stress. I can honestly say I found what I was looking for, for yoga does me its greatest service by changing my instinctive “ARAAAAHGGGHHH!!!!!” into a grounding “Ohm,” over and over again.

 

 

 

Trying Something New

By Laura Mills 

   I love Sunday afternoon yoga. It’s one of my favorite times to practice. It’s like my mental breakfast for the week; if I don’t get to a class on Sunday afternoon, I feel somewhat off kilter as I move ahead.
  Usually occupied by social commitments or chores, Sunday afternoon hadn’t occurred to me as an optimal practice time until recently, one particular Sunday when I felt so stressed (I had been trying to set up a new computer) that I decided, “That’s it. I’m going to yoga.” This was a first; even after years of practice, I had never stopped mid-task and attended a yoga class on a whim.  
  I realized later that going to yoga was the best thing for me that day at that time. I returned mentally soothed and physically exhilarated. And looking at my “problem,” I no longer saw it as an obstacle. In fact, in my more settled state, and with the humility and gratitude to ask for assistance, the computer got set up just fine.
  Since then I’ve paid greater attention to ways of optimizing my practice based on my mental and physical state any given day. Like other needs with which we nourish ourselves, to receive the most from our yoga I believe we require combinations—different times of day; different types of asanas, pranayamas, and meditations; different genres of music (or even, sometimes, no music at all). Tremendous joy, and I believe better health and greater peace, exist in exploring “recipes” that work

OPENING:

Supine Cobbler

Supine Cobbler abs: Double pulse, single pulse

Bridge Prep: Single then double pulse

Bridge Prep Bike Twist: Knee, head, hold, twist

Apanasana: Supine lunge, Supine twist

Double Lunge (happy baby)

Double twist

 

WAVE 1:

Twist 

Bharavajrasana side bend lift up

Arda matsyendrasana

Lounge lizard

Malasana

Lounge Lizard

Arda matsy

Bharavajrasana

Twisting Dog

 

WAVE 2:

sun salutation c

pyramid

revolved triangle

cow

seated cow

bharavajrasana

 

 

WAVE 3:

baby cradle

Sundial

double pigeon

arm balance - twisted crow etc.

supine double balance - pigeon abs

 

CLOSING:

supine cobbler

supine cobbler abs

supine twist

apanasana

Savasana

 

April 20, 2011.  Theme: Facing our Fears, Hanuman Salutation.

 

Twin Blue, Millions & Millions

Dreamcatcher, Bahramji And Maneesh De Moor

Those To Come, The Shins

Johnny B Goode, Peter Tosh

Track 11, Keiner+Carl

High Grade, Richie Spice

What a Feeling, Collie Buddz

Track 09, Keiner+Carl

Lively Up Yourself, Bob Marley

Stay Human, Michael Franti

Om Namah Shivaya, Govindas

Incense, Erykah Badu

 

April 17, 2011. Epic day of mountain biking with the most amazing friends.  So many meaningful conversations as we cycled our yoga! Peace in all ways, Silvia

 

AM MORNING YOGA PRACTICE DAY 2

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

I Know Places, Lykke Li

No Jive, De-Phazz

Lebanese Blonde, Thievery Corporation

Heart Skipped A Beat, Xx

Crystalised, Xx

Dolly Parton Vs Jay Z - Jolene Is Mine (KMT Mix), KMT

Blue Monday, Flunk

Black Eyed Dog, Nick Drake

Infinity, Xx

Afterlife, Glorybox

 

April 13, 2011.  You know when you come upon the "perfect" playlist?  I had that moment today.  I love this.  It's sweet to start and then plays up in a sweet sexy way. Loving Dolly Parton/Jay Z mashup! And yes no problem going old school too.  This is a great mix for Springtime! Love and light, Silvia

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea, Yoga Sol

I Know Places, Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes

No Jive, De-Phazz Detunized Gravity

Lebanese Blonde, Thievery Corporation, Garden State

Heart Skipped A Beat, Xx, xx

Crystalised, Xx, xx

Rolling In the Deep, ADELE, 21

Dolly Parton Vs Jay Z - Jolene Is Mine (KMT Mix), KMT, Waterproof London

Rapper's Delight, The Sugarhill Gang, The Sugarhill Gang Vs. Grandmaster Flash - The Greatest Hits

The Next Episode, Snoop Dogg

Till I Get There, Lupe Fiasco, Lasers

Jettin', Digable Planets, Blowout Comb

Blue Monday, Flunk, For Sleepyheads Only

Ardes Bhaee, Mirabai Ceiba, Jamtse - Love & Compassion (An Offering for the Tibet Fund)

Black Eyed Dog, Nick Drake, Way To Blue (An Introduction To Nick Drake)

Infinity, Xx, xx

Beatiful People, Rusted Root, When I Woke

Afterlife, Glorybox, Coffeeshop - Finest Selection

 

 

April 11, 2011. Change is happening all around us.  And it’s easy to convince ourselves to go faster and do more, collect more in order to feel like we can control the changes happening.  But at the end of the day, end of class, end of our life: the person with the most poses doesn’t win anything more than anyone else.  The same can be said of life. If we insist on speeding up and collecting more work hours like we collect poses or we focus on doing more and faster we won’t get anything in particular for our super human efforts.  We need not push or shove or pull at change but learn how to get along with it keeping our hand on the tiller so to speak but without it letting it speed us up into hysteria or confusion.

Slowing down in sanskrit is SHANI. 

And science tells us straight out that our brains function at a faster frequency than our bodies. It’s like being in the same car with two radio stations dialed.  The noise of listening to two different types of music simultaneously can give anyone a headache. This is what is made more obvious the more stressed out we are.  Our minds get faster and faster, our bodies more tired and slow.

Yoga is that practice of bringing things into balance and tuning our dials.  Chapter 2.46 in the yoga sutras talks about this as sthira and sukha this balance between effort and letting go, doing and being, stability and freedom, steadiness and sweetness.  If the mind is spinning wildly then we come to the mat to slow it down, shani dude.  And if the body needs to energize we learn to move through poses.  Yoga dials us into the same radio station and the breath is that link to slow down the mind and encourage the body away from inertia.  Mindful moving helps us leave in a sweet state of SHANI. 

Today we used balancing poses to help us focus the mind more quickly and get our bodies going straight from the start.  And by the end you could feel the effect of the practice.  Savasana was sweeter than ever. Ah yes! Mind and Heart and Body as one again.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

TODAY’S PLAYLIST

Chandra (The Moon), Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer

Child's Eyes (Jenny's Song), scott Cossu

The Hill, Markéta Irglová

Big Medicine, Mari Boine

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Nungabunda, Ganga Giri

Grid Lok'd, Govindas

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

Pitchblack Darkness (feat. Reazun, Paradox), Kyteman

One Moment More, Mindy Smith

Wonderwall, Ryan Adams

Wash Away, Joe Purdy

Samba Sadashiva, Donna De Lory

 

APRIL 11, 2011.  This one hour playlist is perfect for a purposeful, peaceful class focused on elegant effort. Enjoy! Love, Silvia

 

Chandra (The Moon), Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer

Child's Eyes (Jenny's Song), scott Cossu

The Hill, Markéta Irglová

Big Medicine, Mari Boine

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Nungabunda, Ganga Giri

Grid Lok'd, Govindas

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

Pitchblack Darkness (feat. Reazun, Paradox), Kyteman

One Moment More, Mindy Smith

Wonderwall, Ryan Adams

Wash Away, Joe Purdy

Samba Sadashiva, Donna De Lory

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

Hard Sun (Main)	Eddie Vedder
Nogo	Issa Bagayogo
Hope	Shaggy
Temperature	Sean Paul
Vamos A Bailar	Gipsy Kings
Minute By Minute	Girl Talk
Bhangra Fever	MIDIval PunditZ
Jumelles	MC Solaar
Soon The New Day	Talib Kweli Feat. Norah Jones
aint feel nothing	zino & tommy

 

 

April 5, 2011. Ah Spring! A great reminder that it is "never too late, or too early, to consider sequencing your life today for a healthier tomorrow." As anyone that has practiced with me has experienced I think of sequencing as both an art and a science. This practice of Vinyasa Krama is one which anyone can do because we start where we are. All you need is the desire and attention to stay focused from the beginning to the end of how you want to sequence your life.   Western science proves that the best form of exercise involves learning complex movement, including balance and coordination and that this type of MOVEMENT provides physiological release that we need to bring our body back into balance while at the SAME time it is also good for our brain because coordinated sequences of movement help form more connections between the neurons in our brain.  Other benefits of learning coordinated movements which in yoga we call Vinyasa include: improved mental well-being; increased neurotransmitters; mood regulation; anxiety control; ability to handle stress better; better socialization; ability to better process more information; enhanced attentiveness and improved ability to choose appropriate responses.   I believe learning new routines (sequences) of yoga poses helps us learn how to adapt to new routines in life. As our yoga poses change we become more open to seeing new potentials and possibilities in our work, family, diet, and even in our travel adventures. This Spring spend more time on the mat to help you learn to sequence your best life ever! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

April 4, 2011.  As an adult I started yoga because I got hit by a car. It was part of my physical therapy.  I love the physical part of yoga. And for a long long time that was all I knew.  And I'll tell you I still love sweating and moving and breathing.  I have never gotten "past that" nor do I want to evolve to a point where I can't enjoy the movement.  

As a more experienced yogi I eventually found out from my teacher Shiva Rea that Yoga is for the Mind.  Who knew? (Well ok if you did, I didn't)

So how does this work exactly if the practice is so physical? Well scientists agree that the best form of exercise is that which involves learning complex movement, including balance and coordination.  That sounds like yoga.  Western science also goes on to say that MOVEMENT provides physiological release that we need to bring our body back into balance while at the SAME time it is also good for our brain where moving helps form more connections between the neurons in our brain.  Other benefits of learning coordinated movements which in yoga we call Vinyasa Krama include: improved mental well-being; increased neurotransmitters; mood regulation; anxiety control; ability to handle stress better; better socialization; ability to better process more information; enhanced attentiveness and improved ability to choose appropriate responses. 

Of all those benefits and ways yoga helps the mind I like appropriateness the best.  I struggled for a long time as an overly sensitive person in appreciating how not to over-react to what others did or said.  Yoga calms my mind and makes me better able to not take things personally (Rule #2 in Miguel Ruiz book The Four Agreements).  I make better decisions when the noise in my brain quiets after practicing yoga.  I need the yoga to impact the ventromedial portion of the frontal lobe of my brain!

Studies show we have too much brain power.  We easily catastrophize and react rather than respond.  When I am on the mat learning, following, trying out a sequence of physical poses and coordinating my breath into that movement I somehow learn how to sequence the thoughts in my mind when not in a pose.  And it's true the primary motor cortex and cerebellum which coordinate physical movement also coordinate movement of thought.  In yogic practice we have then 3 movements:  physical movement (and inside that isometric movement as well as action) and pranic movement (breathing on purpose) and also thought movement.  One impacts the other and managing one fluidly teaches us how to sequence the other.  So that's the scoop, just as we order physical movements in something like Sun Salutation A or Dancing Warrior 1 (which we practiced tonight) we learn how to best order the sequence of our thoughts for thinking our best lives ever. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia 

Sun Salutation Series A – Overview

Start standing at attention, bringing awareness to your body and posture.  Feet rooting down, inner edges of feet together, lift sternum upward, pull belly in (abdominal lock called uddiyana banda), tilt pelvis pointing tailbone down slightly, knee caps pulling up, inner thigh spinning outward, engage quads and press leg bones down, pull shoulders back relax them away from ears sliding shoulder blades down the back, head centered, ears over shoulders, neck neutral, gaze soft and relaxed

# In Flow	English Name	Sanskrit	Breath
1	Mountain Pose	Tadasana
2	Upward Salute	Urdhva Hastasana	Inhale
3	Forward Bend	Uttanasana	Exhale
4	Monkey	Urdhva Mukha Uttanasana	Inhale
5	Plank	Dandasana	Exhale
6	Four Limbed Staff Pose	Chaturanga Dandasana
7	Cobra or Upward Dog	Bhujangasana or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana	Inhale
8	Downward Dog	Adho Mukha Svanasana	Exhale
9	Walk or Jump Forward		Hold Exhale
10	Monkey	Urdhva Mukha Uttanasana	Inhale
11	Forward Bend	Uttanasana	Exhale
12	Mountain Pose	Tadasana	Inhale
13	Close the Pose	Samastithi	Exhale

Dancing Warrior 1

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE -- Place foot down, prepare foundation for Vira I

INHALE -- Virabhadrasana I (Warrior 1)

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)

EXHALE -- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) (Repeat #1-5, left side)

*DW courtesy of my teacher Shiva Rea

April 4, 2011. Really great flow. You'll love the new and old school mixed and the theme for class is movement and why movement benefits our mental health.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

Playlist timed at 75 minutes.

Lakshmi, Girish, Donna Delory, Greg Leisz & Georges Lamman

Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)

Quiet Dog, Mos Def

Rapper's Delight, The Sugarhill Gang

Friday Night, Girl Talk

Alors On Danse, Stromae

Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband

The Next Episode, Snoop Dogg

In Da Club, 50 Cent

Minute By Minute, Girl Talk

No Pause, Girl Talk

Mushaboom, Feist

Trapped In My Mind, Kid Cudi

I Will Be Light, Matisyahu

One Of These Mornings, Moby

Beyond Time, Blank & Jones

Simple Song, Lyle Lovett

While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beatles

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

 

*Join me in class or on retreat check my schedule at www.silviamordini.com

April 2, 2011.  Count how many times you’ve set an expectation in the last 24 hours?  About the weather, your job, your partner, your children, your family? And then compare that to how many times the reality matched your expectation.

How did that make you feel?

When we have decided in advance how someone else is going to act or how a situation is going to be we open ourselves up to suffering when the reality doesn’t match our expectation.  In yogic philosophy this attachment to expectation is a root cause of human suffering.  

Focused inward another name for expectation is Self-Judgment. This critical prism of judging ourselves in advance of the outcome and again with the result only brings more disappointment.

We would do well to heed the advice of Eckhart Tolle in the Power of Now who writes, “When you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power.  The realm of Being, which has been obscured by the mind, then opens up.  Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you, and an unfathomable sense of peace.  And within that peace, there is great joy.  And within that joy, there is love.”  This practice on and off the mat helps us to see clearly without making happiness dependent upon our expectations.  This acceptance for sure brings about inner peace, joy and love.

So that no matter what the world presents we know we can manage remaining quiet and centered at our center.  "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." (Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth)

Who goes on to write “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly.”  Try it for a week or even a day where you surrender your heavy expectations of yourself and others and live with less resistance to this isness of now and then decide if its worth going back to again living with the burden of expectation for even a day longer.  Love yourself, love your day, love your ilfe, Silvia

 

TODAY’S SWEET PLAYLIST

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists

In Another Time, Sade

Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband

Allah Hoo, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Yara Seeli Seeli, Lata Mangeshkar

Express Yourself, Mocean Worker, Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street

Mr Big Stuff, Jean Knight

In The Colors, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

Blind to You, Collie Buddz           

Jet Lag, Joss Stone

Butterflyz, Alicia Keys

In A Sentimental Mood, Nancy Wilson with Hank Jones

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

 

HIP HOP YOGA WORKSHOP PLAYLIST APRIL 2, 2011.  Ok seriously ch, check this out. Some old school along with what's up this week. Peace! Silvia  (times out @2 hrs)

I Do It For Hip Hop (Co-Starring Nas and Jay-Z), Ludacris, Theater Of The Mind

Thought Process, Goodie Mob, Soul Food

Mojo So Dope, Kid Cudi, Man On the Moon, Vol. II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Love Lockdown, Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak

The Show Goes On, Lupe Fiasco, Lasers

Let Me Know, Collie Buddz, Collie Buddz

POWER, Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Not Afraid, Eminem, Not Afraid - Single

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit, The Massacre

Life's A Bitch, Nas, Illmatic

Evening Chai, Blue Scholars, Blue Scholars

Gangsta Nation, Nate Dogg           

Don't Feel Right, The Roots, Game Theory

New People {Empire Remix}, Blue Scholars, New People

Motion Movement, Blue Scholars, Blue Scholars

My Chick Bad, Ludacris Feat. Nicki Minaj, Battle Of The Sexes

The Donque Song (Ft. Snoop Dogg), will.i.am, Songs About Girls

Rapper's Delight, The Sugarhill Gang, The Sugarhill Gang Vs. Grandmaster Flash

In Da Club, 50 Cent, Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

Set It Off, Girl Talk, Feed The Animals

Minute By Minute, Girl Talk, Night Ripper

No Pause, Girl Talk, Feed The Animals

Coming Up (feat. MDMA), Lupe Fiasco, Lasers

Summer Smoke, Girl Talk, Night Ripper

Friday Night, Girl Talk, Night Ripper

Hands In The Air, Girl Talk, Feed The Animals

Little Bit, Drake, So Far Gone

I Used To Love H.E.R., Common, Resurrection

Jumelles, MC Solaar, Mach 6

Soon The New Day, Talib Kweli Feat. Norah Jones, Ear Drum

 

April 1, 2011. You know how sometimes you create something that captures the essence of the day, the moment perfectly? Well that's this playlist. It is one of my all time favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did in putting it together.  Love yourself, love your day, love your ilfe! Silvia  

 

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu, Chandra Om, Be Receptive

Soon The New Day, Talib Kweli Feat. Norah Jones, Ear Drum

Southbound, Blue Scholars, Joe Metro

Man On The Moon (The Anthem), Kid Cudi, Plain Pat & Emile Presents a Kid Name Cudi

Hey Baby, Stephen Marley featuring Mos Def, Mind Control

Escaping Arkham, Common Market, The Winter's End EP

Khalgi Stomp, Transglobal Underground, Thievery Corporation - Versions

Paris, Tokyo, Lupe Fiasco, The Cool

Hey World (Don't Give Up Version), Michael Franti & Spearhead, All Rebel Rockers

Just Breath, Pearl Jam           

Let Me Know, Collie Buddz, Collie Buddz

Rolling In the Deep, ADELE, 21

Second to Numb, Kings of Convenience, Declaration of Dependence

Tenuousness, Andrew Bird, Noble Beast

Wash Away, Joe Purdy, Julie Blue

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea, Yoga Sol

 

www.silviamordini.com

April 1, 2011. As promised I wanted you to have a copy of this Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutation) that I taught in class on Friday.  It has such an amazing inward feeling and paired perfectly with our theme of Self-Talk as Self-Study.  Enjoy at home when you need to feel more centered.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

Moon Salutation - Traditional

Moon Salutation (Chandra Namaskar) consists of 20 steps starting and ending with the prayer pose. 

Step 1: Prayer Pose 

Step 2: Half Moon Pose to the Right

Step 3: Half moon Pose to the Left

Step 4: Standing Backward-Bending Pose

Step 5: Transition Pose 1      Exhale as you return to vertical position. Inhale as you sidestep to the right, bringing straight arms down to shoulder level, parallel to the floor. 

Step 6: Standing Legs-Apart Hands-to-Feet Pose     Prasarita Paddatonasana

Step 7: Transition Pose 2     Inhale as you return to a vertical position, with straight arms over your head, palms pressed together, thumbs crossed, at the same time turning your torso & feet to the right (left foot slightly less). 

Step 8: Standing Head-to-Knee Pose to the Right     Pyramid

Step 9: Standing Head-to-Knee Pose to the Left 

Exhale as you bend forward and down, right knee locked, directing your forehead toward your left knee. At the same time, try to touch the floor with your fingertips as far ahead of your left foot as you can. Gradually straighten your left leg, keeping your arms and fingers extended. Feel the stretch in your legs, back, shoulders, and arms. 

Note: If this is too difficult, you might support yourself with your fingertips resting on the ground on either side of your foot.

Step 10: Standing Hands-to-Feet Pose        Forward Bend

Step 11: Crescent Moon Pose on Right Leg – Lunge Knee Down

Inhale as you place your fingertips or palms on the floor beside your feet. At the same time take a big step back with your right, raising your torso and head, briefly assuming the Lunge Pose. Still inhaling, if you wish bring your hands over head 

Step 12: Squatting Pose with Forward Bending    Inhale as you place your fingertips or palms on the floor and bring your right leg forward equal with your left. Your weight is supported by your toes and fingertips. Your thighs are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you bend forward, bringing your chest as close to your thighs as possible, fully stretching your back. 

Step 13: Crescent Moon Pose on Left Leg 

Step 14: Downward Dog Pose

Step 15: Downward Dog Pose with Right-Leg Raise      Inhale-exhale as you raise your right leg as high as you can, keeping your knee locked and pointing your foot. Inhale-exhale as you lower your leg & resume the Downward Dog Pose.

Step 16: Downward Dog Pose with Left-Leg Raise 

Step 17: Cobra Pose     Inhale as you roll forward, supporting yourself on your legs, belly and palms.

Step 18: Squatting Pose   Inhale as you roll back onto your toes with help from your arms. Exhale as you lift your knees from the ground, still supporting yourself with your fingertips. 

Step 19: Squatting Pose with Arms over the Head    

Inhale-exhale as you raise your arms over your head, palms together, thumbs crossed. Your back straight, and your thighs parallel to the floor. Feel the stretch in your torso, shoulders, and arms. 

Step 20: Prayer Pose    Inhale as you stand up, simultaneously bringing your hands to your chest resuming Prayer Pose. 

 

Mysterious Remedy, Powerful Role By Laura Mills

Too many times I’ve attended a yoga class and exited feeling I received just what I needed. Yes, when in the mood for a yogic “butt kicking” I’ve purposely chosen a class that would especially challenge me, or when craving an easeful flow I’ve found a restorative or beginners’ class. But even when I’ve gone to a class without any idea of what I needed, most of the time I’ve still left with humility and gratitude, feeling as if the teacher had tailored the class to me.    

When training to teach yoga, short of paying attention to weather, time of year, and events in the news, or else asking students before class, I didn’t learn any mystical secret for determining students’ practice needs. Yet after nearly every class—regardless of day, time or level—at least one student tells me, “That was great, just what I needed today,” or something like that. My amazement never fails; somehow, whatever I plan for a particular class finds at least one person in the right place at the right time. I don’t understand and can’t explain how it happens, but the fact that it does happen assures me I don’t need to understand something in order to experience positivity in it.   

And, it humbles me to know I help make such positivity possible for others.    

Oh, I knew of yoga’s ability to humble long before I started teaching. Time and again I’ve struggled in my own practice, tiring long before the ends of classes, sweating through head- and handstand preparations and other—to me—scary asana work, struggling through a hamstring injury. The further my practice developed the more help I realized I needed. I asked more questions, accepted more instruction, and with my teachers’ guidance eventually discovered a yoga practice all my own. 

But now, as a teacher myself, my humility exists in a whole new dimension. When I look out into the studio before class I see students whom I know are working through physical pain or emotional turmoil or both, and many of whom are daily building deeper practices and incorporating yoga further into their lives. I can’t help but feel tremendous respect for my students, choosing yoga as their means of healing and enrichment, putting their trust into something so powerful and mysterious. And I can’t help but feel small and even a bit scared by the knowledge that, if my own experience as a student indicates anything, as their practices deepen students look to me more and more as their guide. Yes, I’ve trained 200+ hours to teach yoga, but I’m still a student myself, still feel I need yoga for my own ongoing healing and enrichment, still haven’t approached understanding what yoga is and can be in my life’s big picture. Yet in the classes I teach, when I see a student close his or her eyes during meditation, smile during Surya Namaskar, or cry in Savasana, I realize that somehow what I’ve planned for that day is doing just what it’s supposed to do….

No yoga teacher should underestimate his or her impact on students. We consciously write classes to the best of our ability, but somehow a deeper guidance takes place that leads individual, unique students into individual, unique practices where they find whatever they need at a particular moment. This is why all of us have chosen yoga, I think; we can’t explain exactly how it works, but it works, and this ultimately brings comfort and peace to teachers and students alike because it confirms our membership in something greater than ourselves. The contentment I see when I look out into the studio during Savasana confirms this for me, every class…and reaffirms what a tremendous privilege, what an incredible experience, what an utter joy it is to teach.   

MARCH 19, 2011: This time of year as we transition from Winter to Spring our To Do Lists seem overstuffed. While we have more ways to make our lives easier through technology we insist on overwhelming ourselves on purpose by engineering these massive lists of stuff “we have to do” this Spring.  

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 most important decision anyone can make. There is a serious paradigm shift that must take place especially if you’ve been used to trying to be who everyone else wants you to be.  And as a result you will temporarily disappoint some people. Especially if you have been consumed on making your To Be Lists to prove your self-worth to other people. 

To me the motivation for moving away from To Do Lists towards To Be is that it returns us to place where we can make peace with ourselves.  That space of radical self-acceptance that demonstrates unconditional self-love.  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. 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."

This is isness of now is where we allow ourselves to surrender into being: no fighting, no resisting, no arguments.  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. And where I felt safe to laugh or cry or both at the same time.  And the more we accept ourselves in this state of beingness the more we know how to accept others being themselves.  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, if you don't know how To Be you won't allow others To Be either.  

So today practice making a To Be List. And the first thing on that to be list is BE YOU!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS If you need time off to help your To Be List then come on retreat with Alchemy Tours. Allow us to support you unconditionally. It will transform your life!  www.alchemytours.com

 

March 30, 2011

“Yoga is the practice of creating the conditions for opening to occur.  We learn to relax and open up to more feelings than just those that are comfortable or familiar.  This kind of opening allows us to being to make friends with the variety of our own human repertoire of experiences.” This explanation from Cindy Lee of Om Yoga really hits home. 

I have learned through this practice that I create my reality from the inside out.  Or as James Allen writes "The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs." I come to the mat to purposefully create the conditions that I want to experience in my life.  If I want more ease then I practice the poses in an easeful way. If I want more enthusiasm then I perform the asanas joyfully! If I need more courage then I face my fears going upside down and stoke my courage.  Whatever I want my world to be more of I try out on the mat so it is reflected back to me when I go out into the world. 

And I have learned that the conditions I create in my mind relate not just to the next moment of my life but sequentially to the moments that follow.  Or as the Buddha says, “All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.” 

Today take responsibility for your life! Create the conditions that serve you best and renew your commitment that this is the day we no longer blame situations or people or things for our happiness but we see the world from the inside out.  I wish you all your own best courage, gentleness and clarity.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

YOGA PLAYLIST

Yellow, Jem, Sweetheart

River Flows In You, Yiruma, First Love (Yiruma Piano Collection)

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists, Yoga Living Series - Temple Spa

Ardes Bhaee, Mirabai Ceiba, Jamtse - Love & Compassion (An Offering for the Tibet Fund)

Song for You, Alexi Murdoch, Away We Go Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

New People {Empire Remix}, Blue Scholars, New People {Empire Remix}

Hate It Or Love It, 50 Cent & G Unit, The Massacre

Morning Mr Magpie, Radiohead, The King Of Limbs

Karaoke, Drake, Thank Me Later

Still, Wade Imre Morissette, Strong As Diamonds

Gayatri Mantra, Bruce Becvar & Nada Shakti, Samadhi

Chandra (The Moon), Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer, Anjali

River Flows In You, Yiruma, First Love (Yiruma Piano Collection)

 

March 29, 2011.  The practice of yoga is not about doing more or asserting more effort it is actually an experience where we try to make the smartest least effort or effortless effort.  There is this space in a pose where we find that sweet space of "doing nothing." That is something I know well from my Father who was born in Italy and the Italian people have a deep respect for the philosophy of enjoyment. This is the idea of IL BEL FAI NIENTE which means "the beauty of doing nothing."  Remember this passage from Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love "Generally speaking, Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure.  Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.  Americans spend billions to keep themselves amused but that's not exactly the same thing as quiet enjoyment.  Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today.  Of course we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure.) Americans don't really know how to do nothing. But against the backdrop of hard work, il bel fai niente, has always been a cherished Italian ideal. The beauty of doing nothing is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated. Anyone with a talent for happiness can do this."

"My own ambition, my deepest and truest ambition, is to find within myself someday, somehow, the ability to do likewise, to do NOTHING - and find it enough."  Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Another way I personally experience this doing of nothing is going to Moab. Utah.  When I am there I understand what Edward Abbey is writing about since that is where he wrote the book Desert Solitaire.  There is a quiet in the desert unlike anything I have found elsewhere in the world.  And the joy of mountain biking or practicing yoga there feels so in the flow of this effortless effort that you come away from any excursion with more energy and calm.  I can't wait to return April 16-19 to introduce a new tribe to the beauty of Il Bel Fait Niente!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

*To join us in April or in October in Moab visit www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com or facebook Alchemy Tours

March 25, 2011.  The Buddha says we should “practice as if your hair was on fire.”  This is such an amazing metaphor to remind us to wake up to our lives.  This metaphor in no way implies panic or alarm.  It encourages us stop treating life as a rehearsal for the future or ruminating over the past all the while not awake to present experience.  

No better reason to come to the mat than to stoke our wakeful energy through movement and breath and by taking risks in experience new poses (like handstand).  And what do we use to wake up? Our hearts first and foremost.  For in the wards of Annie Dillliard “If we listened only to our intellect we’d never have a love affair, we’d never have a friendship, we’d never go into business, because we’d be too cynical. Well that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs ALL the time and build your wings on the way down.”  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

PLAYLIST: 

Day-O (Banana Boat Song), Harry Belafonte

Tangled Up In Blue, Bob Dylan

Good Day Sunshine, Beatles

Down on the Corner, Creedance Clearwater Revival

I Want You, Bob Dylan

I'm Outta Love, Anastacia

Rolling In the Deep, ADELE

Gangsta Nation, Nate Dogg

Sita Ram, Girish

Stir It Up, Bob Marley & The Wailers

Simple Twist of Fate, The Format

Ripple, Grateful Dead

Teach Your Children (live), Steve Acho

I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy Feat. Faith Evans & 112

Every Breath You Take, Carol Welsman

Peace, George Winston

March 23, 2011.  Wishing you a day of effortless effort where you are not feeling pulled or pushed. And a day where you aren't the one doing the pushing or pulling. I know from experience every time you push your partner, he or she will pull back and when we try to pull at them to stay longer they will then push away. It's the win-lose scenario of dualism.  Imagine how strong a person has to be that when you push them they don't react to your pushing while at the same time being careful not to overcompensate for the initial push all in effort to come back into balance.  Whew! That's not fun. 

But when we follow the lead of our breath and stop pushing and pulling at the people in our lives it all makes for living a life of delight.  It is fun.   

We practice on the mat to recognize Pushing and Pulling, Dvesa and Raga, so we can live better off the mat.  Take to heart the words of Judith Lasater who writes, “in life we are pulled between trying to get what you want and trying to avoid what you don’t want.  Pulling and Pushing away both limit our freedom.”  What is freedom? To me is about learning to BE happy with the playful side of life. It's so simple, if you want FUN in your practice you have to put FUN into it. If you want FUN in your life you have to stop pushing and pulling. We learned it in kindergarten and it all still applies.

This concept is from the Yoga Sutras: 

Yoga Sutras Chapter 2, Verse 7

Excessive fondness for pleasant experiences causes longing.  Attachment (Raga) which is PULLING

Yoga Sutras Chapter 2, Verse 8

Excessive avoidance of unpleasant experiences causes disdain.  Aversion (Dvesa) which is PUSHING

On and off the mat we can be aware of what we are thinking:

Where are your thoughts PUSH energy.  Push thoughts are things like “I don’t want to hold this pose, I don’t want to try this new or difficult variation”.

Where are your thoughts PULL energy.  And pull thoughts might be things like “I want another Sun Salutation, I should be able to do 35 vinyasas per class no matter what. Bring on side 2, I'll take it on.”

Maybe that's why I appreciate the website www.thefuntheory.com The site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as FUN is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better. Fun Theory asks us to think about why don't we do more of the things that we know are good for us?  And suggests that if we make those things fun can we get change our behavior. (You should know this initiative is sponsored by Volkswagen.) Go to their website to see how they got folks to take the stairs instead of the escalator and other playfully brilliant examples! Caution this site will make you SMILE. 

When we aren't pushing away positive change our pulling at it either we remain on easy speed and Fun Theory works in our favor which is always Win-Win.  Life is Win-Win (at least when we stop pushing and pulling). Try it and see!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia 

 

TODAY’S PLAYLIST

Rainbow Connection, Muppets

Korean Dogwood, Devendra Banhart

Cold Wind, Arcade Frie

Queen Bee, Devendra Banhart

Days Go By (Acoustic), Dirty Vegas

Rise, Eddie Vedder

Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones

Just Can't Get Enough, Depeche Mode

Stuck in the Middle with You, Stealers Wheel

Say You Love Me, Fleetwood Mac

Fix, Jack Johnson

Come Out To Play, UB40

Pass the Dutchie, Musical Youth

Lively Up Yourself, Bob Marley

Freedom, George Michael

No Rest for the Weary, Blue Scholars

Lakshmi, Girish, Donna Delory, Greg Leisz & Georges Lamman

Faust Arp, Radiohead

Ocean Breathes Salty, Sun Kil Moon

Sitara Dreams, Rasa

Ahimsa, Baird Hersey & Prana

 

March 20, 2011.  I often ask myself what is the true test of my Spiritual Growth? Or more simply put I meditate on the question "Am I still growing?"  When I was little my Mom measured us (me and my brother) against the door in our house and marked the little lines proving I was actually growing physically.  You did that too, right? Well, I loved that.  I was sad the day she stopped doing it and I stopped growing.

Well that's speaking to physical growth.  I am as tall as I'm going to be (although to be honest by practicing yoga I've gotten a little taller, just a quarter inch but that's pretty cool).

However what I'm speaking about is emotional and spiritual growth.  My aspiration continues to be that I grow into the BEST version of myself.  And that's what I hope for you too. 

Or as True Nobility is defined: it is not about being better than anyone else, it is about being better than you used to be, much better.  This is the barometer of our ability to raise our spiritual energy. Are you better than you used to be?  Are you growing?

"The only difference between a flower that is alive and one that is dead is that the live flower is still growing."  - Dr Wayne Dyer

For me I received so much nourishment, like a flower, from my daily yoga practice that I wanted more. That's when I started taking yoga workshops: first they were the 2 hour kind, then the half day, then the full day, finally entire weekends both locally and eventually I started traveling all over the U.S to attend 2-3 day trainings and workshops until I went all the way by signing up for a one week yoga retreat in Italy with Sadie Nardini.  Well that did it for me. I could experience for myself that to keep growing I had to keep investing in myself and more time dedicated to evolving my consciousness was required to do that.  And traveling to new places and exploring new territories externally matched the growth I was making internally.  They went hand in hand.

And that's when I made the commitment to start leading yoga retreats combined with other ways to express one's yoga and vitality like cycling and hiking. I want to give everyone a chance to really invest in your own growth and raise your energy by visiting places that support your evolution.

You see, until the last breath, I don't buy into wellness as defined by the AMA as the "absence of illness". I believe in the potential for radiant health (shakti) as the World Health Organization defines wellness.  I am growing! And I am learning. And the higher my vibration the softer I get on the outside. I am kinder, more patient, nicer and easily more loving.  I think we all are when we're growing.  So make that commitment to yourself keep affirming your life! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

 

In the words of Lao Tzu, 

"At birth all people are soft and yielding

At death they are hard and stiff

All green plants are tender and yielding

At death they are brittle and dry

When hard and rigid we consort with death

When soft and flexible we Affirm Greater Life."

CHILL PLAYLIST: equally uplifting but easily so and just easy.

Om Padme Om, Wah!

Shri Krishna Govinda, Jai Uttal

Beautiful Boy, John Lennon

Sexxy Bicycle, Mad Rad

Nogo, Issa Bagayogo

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

Must Must,

It's a New Day, will.i.am

You And I, Wilco

How I Got Over, The Roots Feat. Dice Raw

Down on the Corner, Creedance Clearwater Revival

What a Feeling, Collie Buddz

Karaoke, Drake

Hawa Dolo, Ali Farka Toure

Rero, Ismael Lo

Hors d'œuvre, M?DE::IN::HEIGHTS::

Mahadeva Shambo, Wade Imre Morissette

Peace, George Winston

March 17, 2011.  Wonderful most blessed day!  And our most fun playlist ever.  So grateful to all the yogis that have shared time with me.  Love you all! Silvia

PLAYLIST:

River Flows In You, Yiruma, First Love (Yiruma Piano Collection)

Black Eyed Dog, Nick Drake, Way To Blue (An Introduction To Nick Drake)

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit, The Massacre

Gangsta Nation, Nate Dogg           

Catacombs, Poi Dog Pondering, Liquid White Light [Live] [Disc1]

The Donque Song (Ft. Snoop Dogg), will.i.am, Songs About Girls

Buttons, The Pussycat Dolls           

Quiet Dog, Mos Def, The Ecstatic

So Doggone Lonesome, Johnny Cash, I Walk The Line - 16 Great Performances

California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg), Katy Perry, California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)

Police Dogs Bonfire, Lazyboy, Ibiza The Sunset Sessions

Till I Get There, Lupe Fiasco, Lasers 

Jumelles, MC Solaar, Mach 6

Soon The New Day, Talib Kweli Feat. Norah Jones, Ear Drum

aint feel nothing, zino & tommy, Tears From The Moon

POST SAVASANA

Praan, Garry Schyman, Praan - Single

 

PS Join me on retreat www.alchemytours.com or in class www.silviamordini.com

 

March 16, 2011.  Yoga is a journey into our own uniqueness.  It is a story of rediscovery for most of us.  What with all the noise, busyness and stress of daily life we often lose track of what is most special about us.  Fundamentally, when we practice I try to share that there is a difference between fitting the pose to the person or the person to the pose.  I want you to feel like your best self, not trying to look like anyone else in the asana.  For this reason I teach in a way that always emphasizes the person in the pose, whereby we Feel rather than worry about what we look like.  Yes our bodies are our instrument to help us navigate more internally. However that journey into our essence (rasa) will look differently person by person on the outside.

We may share the same intentions related to turning on to the beauty and power within our hearts but how we get there is unique.

In fact everything about you is unique, not just your finger prints.  The way you breath is part of your specialness, your nuances, your quirks and your individual expression create an alchemy that make you an Individual.  You are different so why not celebrate that?  Like the song goes, God made us funky.  Be that. Be you. Be your best.

In this way yoga is non competitive (yeah we hear that yoga cliche a lot) but more importantly yoga is noncomparitive.

No one has your unique features, your exact background, your personality.  Your essence is your most valuable gift. And my greatest teaching intention is that you rediscover or discover this sweetness of you and bring it forth into the other 23 hours off the mat day in and day out.  It is in giving ourselves our own permission to be who we are that we by example give permission to everyone else to be themselves.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

March 14, 2011. Today's incredible playlist! Theme is focused on our Perspective and how if we change the way you look at things then the things you look at change. You create your own reality.  Love in all ways, Silvia

Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin, Mothership (Remastered)

House of Cards, Radiohead, In Rainbows

Every Breath You Take, UB40, 50 First Dates (Love Songs from the Original Motion Picture)

Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha, Trio, Da Da Da

No Rain, Blind Melon           

Run-Around, Blues Traveler, Four

Jai Ho, A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahalaxmi Iyer, Slumdog Millionaire (Music from the Motion Picture)

Push It, Salt-N-Pepa

Flip Ya Lid, Nightmares On Wax, In a Space Outta Sound

Mast Kalander, Rehan Khan, Sajid Khan, Salim Shehzada & Shankar Mahadevan, Heyy Babyy

Ela Mia Nichta, Theodosia Stiga, Greece: A Musical Odyssey

Saï, Kanda Bongo Man, Kwassa Kwassa

New Slang, The Shins, Garden State

Jesus, Etc., Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

You Know I'm No Good, Amy Winehouse, Back to Black

This Years Love, David Gray           

Mere Guru Dev, Krishna Das, Greatest Hits Of The Kali Yuga

Ohpa-Me, Dechen Shak-Dagsay, Jamtse - Love & Compassion (An Offering for the Tibet Fund)

 

PS Join me in class www.silviamordini.com

March 13, 2011.  Dedicated today's 80's inspired playlist to my best friend who celebrate's his Birthday this Tuesday!  Big love to all, Silvia

Only You, Yaz, Upstairs At Eric's, 1982

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon, Negotiations And Love Songs, 1988

Shock The Monkey, Peter Gabriel, Shaking The Tree, 1982

Saving Grace , Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers                       

Just Can't Get Enough, Depeche Mode, Catching Up With Depeche Mode, 1987

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson, Off the Wall, 1983

Don't Go, Yaz, Upstairs At Eric's, 1982                       

Some Kind of Wonderful, Grand Funk Railroad                       

Walkin' Boss, Jerry Garcia & David Grisman, Jerry Garcia & David Grisman           

Midnight Rider, Brandi Carlile                       

Baby did a bad bad thing, Chris Isaak                       

Mama Told Me (Not to Come), Three Dog Night, The Best of Three Dog Night, 1986

Ananda, Solar Quest, Namaste Experience Ibiza

Java Shiva Shankara, namasté , Magical Healing Mantras           

Be the Change (Niraj Chag's Swaraj Mix), MC Yogi, Elephant Power           

Still, Wade Imre Morissette, Strong As Diamonds        

 

Join me for regular weekly classes see www.silviamordini.com

 

March 12, 2011.  Noon class.  Theme was Showing Up for Your Life as the CEO.  Some great French Hip Hop. And the first song really spoke to me.  Really best class ever! Love you all, Silvia

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Bree Sharp, Live At the Fez

Prayer In Passing, Anoushka Shankar, Rise

Ganga River, Wade Imre Morissette, Sargam Scales Of Music

Assaisin's Tango, John Powell, Mr and Mrs Smith Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Allah Hoo, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Monsoon Wedding

Jumpin' Jumpin', Destiny's Child           

Suerte (Whenever, Wherever), Shakira, Laundry Service

Use Me, Bill Withers, Lean On Me: The Best Of Bill Withers

Drive. Ziggy Marley, 50 First Dates (Love Songs from the Original Motion Picture)

Jumelles, MC Solaar, Mach 6

Soon The New Day, Talib Kweli Feat. Norah Jones, Ear Drum

Dreamsome, Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne

Misty, Ella Fitzgerald, Compact Jazz

I May Know The Word, Natalie Merchant, Tigerlily

 

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! 

Playlist March 11, 2011, 60 minute flow, easeful. Theme Trust and Surrender.

Helplessly Hoping, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, So Far

Fire And Rain, Jonatha Brooke, Back In the Circus

For All Mankind, George Fenton; Ravi Shankar; The Wren Orchestra, Ghandi Movie

Allah Hoo, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Monsoon Wedding

Anand (Bliss), Snatam Kaur, Jamtse - Love & Compassion (An Offering for the Tibet Fund)

Long Nights, Eddie Vedder, Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild

Dust in the Wind, Kansas, Point of Know Return

Buckets of Rain, Bob Dylan, Blood On the Tracks

Old Fashion Morphine, Jolie Holland, Escondida

Dawg's Waltz, Jerry Garcia & David Grisman, Jerry Garcia & David Grisman

 

March 10, 2011.  Dedicated to all those finding their best courage in connecting to each other in a time of serious challenge.  And love to those digging out from the incredible Earthquake in Japan. Einstein said it like this, “A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. But he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us. Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

So today as we offer support around the world we also recognize internally how important it is for each of us to feel supported.  It is as Earon Davis says, “It takes community to maintain a human.”  Community, communion, compassion all of these and more that the practice teaches us through the vehicle of ourselves and trying to experience democracy and connection there first before taking it into relationship with others.  One of my personal meditations I use is where I ask myself as much as I reach out to others, “can I be reached?”  

So I ask you, “CAN YOU BE REACHED?”   How easily do you accept support from your breath, from the earth, from your friends, from those that are trying to make your life easier?  If its not so easy then come to the mat even more until you feel it possible within your body and heart and this will ignite the trust to connect with others. 

Quite frankly it's easy to disconnect from ourselves and what we are feeling. Yoga brings us back into a state of connection.On the mat we begin the pose with the mind first and then the breath and body follow.  This is why the sophistication in cuing is so remarkable as a way to "work out" our mind muscle and make it less flabby.  How can we even begin to see the connections between ourselves and the world if our mind muscle isn't strong enough to see the communion or connection within our own body?  And really what are we talking about here?  Why bother at all?  Because a strong mind muscle is what keeps us living lovingly and fully!  It is always about LOVE.  Jack Kornfield says it like this:

"Love creates a communion with life. Love expands us, connects us, sweetens us, ennobles us. Love springs up in tender concern, it blossoms into caring action.  It makes beauty out of all we touch.  In any moment we can step beyond our small self and embrace each other as beloved parts of the whole."

So today, know the more you connect to yourself the more you are able to connect to others. The more you share compassion with yourself, the more you have compassion for others.  And once you find this communion with life then everything becomes about love.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS Join me on a yoga retreat www.alchemytours.com and stay in touch www.silviamordini.com

March 5th, 2011. Our playlists for Xinalani Mexico Yoga Retreat. Enjoy! Love, Silvia 

 

ALCHEMY TOURS XINALANI RETREAT FEB 26-MAR 5, 2011 MUSICAL INSPIRATION: PLAYLIST SUMMARY 

DAY 1 MORNING

Gobinday Mukunday	Spirit Voyage Artists	Yoga Living Series - Temple Spa
Hope (Live for the art of peace)	Rush	Songs for Tibet - The Art of Peace
Hard Sun (Main)	Eddie Vedder	Music for the MOtion Picture Into the Wild
Escucha Me	Gipsy Kings	Best Of The Gipsy Kings
Nogo	Issa Bagayogo	Timbuktu
Xoxoxo	The Black Eyed Peas	The Beginning (Deluxe Version) [+digital booklet]
Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra	Reema Datta	NuTONE Music to Inspire: Sampler - Fall 2008
High Low (feat. Zap Mama) [Acoustic Mix] {Bonus Track}	Michael Franti & Spearhead	All Rebel Rockers (Bonus Track Version)
Escaping Arkham	Common Market	The Winter's End EP
No Rest for the Weary	Blue Scholars	Blue Scholars
Queen Bee	Devendra Banhart	Cripple Crow
Faust Arp	Radiohead	In Rainbows
While My Guitar Gently Weeps	The Beatles	Anthology 3 (Disc 1)
Guru Mari	Shri Anandi Ma	Yoga Rhythms compiled by Shiva Rea
Shavasana/Deep Relaxation	Shiva Rea	Yoga Sol

 

DAY 1 EVENING 

Earth	Uwe Neumann	Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea
Helplessly Hoping	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	So Far
Fire And Rain	Jonatha Brooke	Back In the Circus
Track 01 Raga Indian music Ghandi Fave		Movie Music
Allah Hoo	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Monsoon Wedding
Anand (Bliss)	Snatam Kaur	Jamtse - Love & Compassion (An Offering for the Tibet Fund)
Long Nights	Eddie Vedder	Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild
Dust in the Wind	Kansas	Point of Know Return
Buckets of Rain	Bob Dylan	Blood On the Tracks
Old Fashion Morphine	Jolie Holland	Escondida
Dawg's Waltz	Jerry Garcia & David Grisman	Jerry Garcia & David Grisman

 

DAY 2 MORNING

Om Namaha Shiva	Sheila Chandra	Weaving My Ancestors' Voices
Assaisin's Tango	John Powell	Mr and Mrs Smith Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Mustt Mustt (Lost in His Work)	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Mustt Mustt
Lumière [MAIN]	Blue Scholars	Fixxie Riddim
Dream Machine (Down Tempo Mix)	Mark Farina & Sean Hayes	Hôtel Costes: Vol. 8 by Stéphane Pompougnac
Boda Boda Rap	Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper, with Lawi One	The Bike Rapper
Boee (Come to Me)	The Idan Raichel Project	The Idan Raichel Project
Quelqu’un M’a Dit	Carla Bruni	Quelqu’un M’a Dit
Hope	Shaggy	Hot Shot
Govinda Fly	Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)	Sharanam
Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I)	Kid Cudi	Man On The Moon: The End Of Day
Hey Baby	Stephen Marley featuring Mos Def	Mind Control
Just Breath	Pearl Jam
Yellow	Emily Asen	Proof LP
Second to Numb	Kings of Convenience	Declaration of Dependence
Yellow	Jem	Sweetheart
This Years Love	David Gray
Bayaty	Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos	Chants, Hymns And Dances
Conga Jog	Al Gromer Khan	Yoga Rhythms compiled by Shiva Rea

 

DAY 2 EVENING

AMAZING GRACE
Om Ram Ramaya	Deva Premal	Embrace
Amen Omen	Ben Harper	Diamonds On The Inside
For What It's Worth	Buffalo Springfield	Retrospective - The Best of Buffalo Springfield
Queen Bee	Devendra Banhart	Cripple Crow
Tenfold	Layne Redmond	Shakti Rhythms With Shiva Rea
Everlasting Love	Lifescapes	Inner Peace
Sitara Dreams	Rasa	Saffron Blue

 

DAY 3 MORNING 

Om Namah Shivaya	Wade Imre Morissette	Sargam Scales Of Music
The City of New Orleans	Arlo Guthrie	Hobo's Lullaby (Remastered)
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)	George Harrison	Best Of George Harrison
Helplessly Hoping	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	So Far
Shiva Shambho	namasté	Magical Healing Mantras
Ananda	Solar Quest	Namaste Experience Ibiza
Hara Hara Mahaadeva	Krishna Das	One Track Heart
Govinda Jaya Jaya	Dave Stringer	Mala
Sita Ram	Girish	Shiva Machine
Hanumana	Wade Imre Morissette	Strong As Diamonds
Maintenant	Rupa & The April Fishes	Extraordinary Rendition
Madrugada 8	Twinkle Engine	Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea
Seen It All Before	Amos Lee	Amos Lee
Trois morceaux après des hymnes byzantins I	Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos	Chants, Hymns And Dances
River Flows In You	Yiruma	First Love (Yiruma Piano Collection)
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot	Jane Siberry	Hush
Guru Brahma	Shaman's Dream	Kerala Dream

 

DAY 4 MORNING

 

Time In a Bottle	Jim Croce	You Don't Mess Around With Jim
Operator	Toby Lightman
Time After Time	Matt Ketteman & Cameron Mizell	Follow Through
The Times They Are A-Changin'	Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits
Tiny Dancer	Elton John	Classic Elton John
Tajabone	Ismaël Lo	Ismael Lo
Time Of Your Song	Matisyahu	Youth
Matadjem Yinmixan	Tinariwen	Aman Iman: Water Is Life
I Ka Barra (Your Work)	Habib Koite and Bamada	Muso Ko
They	Jem	Finally Woken
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right	Bob Dylan	The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
I'd Rather Be With You	Joshua Radin	Simple Times
Stand By Me	Various Artist
He got game	Public Enemy	He Got Game by Spike Lee
Talk to You	Tracy Chapman
I'll Be	Edwin McCain	Misguided Roses
Time After Time	Tuck & Patti	The Best Of Tuck & Patti
What's Been Going On	Amos Lee	Last Days At the Lodge
Solo Para Ti	Armik
Still	Wade Imre Morissette	Strong As Diamonds

 

DAY 5  MORNING

Incense	Erykah Badu	New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh
La Niña De Fuego	Concha Buika	La Niña De Fuego
The Only One	The Black Keys	Brothers
Mamacita	Collie Buddz	Collie Buddz
Hey Girl	Damian Marley, Rovleta Fraser & Stephen Marley	Welcome to Jamrock
Movement song awesome
Sabura (Desert Delight Remix Reconstructed By Max Psahm)	Ekova	Arabian Travels
Paper Aeroplane-Angus & Julia Stone	Hotel Costes X	Hotel Costes X
Io	Gianna Nannini	Grazie
Where I'm From	Digable Planets	Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time & Space)
Window Seat	Erykah Badu	New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh
The Sweetest Thing	Lauryn Hill	Ms Hill
It's Okay	Land of Talk	Some Are Lakes
Sterne	Martinek & C-Deluxe	Fruit Lemon
Afterlife	Glorybox	Coffeeshop - Finest Selection
Dreamcatcher	Bahramji And Maneesh De Moor	Tandava
Conga Jog	Al Gromer Khan	Yoga Rhythms compiled by Shiva Rea
Prayer	Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos	Chants, Hymns And Dances
Longing	Ty Burhoe	Invocation

 

DAY 6 

Dream	Priscilla Ahn	A Good Day
Tesegu	Danone O'Sow	African Lullaby
Land Of Anaka	Geoffrey Oryema/Brian Eno	Pure Moods III
Blue Indian	Widespread Panic
Nogo	Issa Bagayogo	Timbuktu
Stars All Seem to Weep	Beth Orton	Central Reservation
Promised Land	Grateful Dead
Friend Of The Devil	Jerry Garcia & David Grisman	Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
Cat's In The Cradle	Johnny Cash	20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection
What's Been Going On	Amos Lee	Last Days At the Lodge
American Tune	Simon & Garfunkel
Stay Human	Michael Franti	Songs from the Front Porch - An Acoustic Collection
Madrugada 8	Twinkle Engine	Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea
Infusion (Bombay Mix)	Adham Shaikh	Jala: Compiled by Shiva Rea
Chão de Estrelas	Baden Powell	Personalidade - The Best of Brazil: Baden Powell
Ganashyama	Dave Stringer	Planet Yoga: Music for Yoga, Meditation and Peace
Pascal's Waltz	Gary DeMichele	Big Night
Consciousnesss Unfolding	Saggio	The Thunder Of Silence

 

DAY 7

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu	Chandra Om	Be Receptive
Song for You	Alexi Murdoch	Away We Go Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Escaping Arkham	Common Market	The Winter's End EP
Evening Chai	Blue Scholars	Blue Scholars
Boda Boda Rap	Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper, with Lawi One	The Bike Rapper
Now That We Found Love	Heavy D and the Boyz
Paris, Tokyo	Lupe Fiasco	The Cool
Hey World (Don't Give Up Version)	Michael Franti & Spearhead	All Rebel Rockers (Bonus Track Version)
Just Breath	Pearl Jam
Yellow	Emily Asen	Proof LP
Second to Numb	Kings of Convenience	Declaration of Dependence
Breathe	Alexi Murdoch	Time Without Consequence
Yellow	Jem	Sweetheart
Have a Little Faith In Me	Solveig Slettahjell	Pixiedust
Shavasana/Deep Relaxation	Shiva Rea	Yoga Sol
Stand By Me	Various Artist	Dave to Jen

 

February 26, 2011.  I am so excited to lead another Yoga Retreat February 26 through March 5th at Xinalani in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  To be with a small group sharing and growing and relaxing together on our own private island is like a dream come true!  Some of my teaching themes next week will include:

Themes for this upcoming week Feb 26 – March 5

M*Engagement, Observation, Participation:  How to apply for the best life ever!

M*Staying Curious – Telling our story

T*The Art of Enjoying Life: Hanging out as an art form in Italy "il bel fai niente"

W*What does MATURITY mean?(Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual)

W*The Healing Cycle: How to get out of victim mode/hurt mode and move on

TH*Your true nature is happiness! How to elevate the grumbling mind Pratipaksha Bhavana

TH*The 4^th Agreement: Do your Best to Enjoy life

F*Doing Our Best – Full responsibility in becoming our best selves: Shedding the old, becoming something new from the inside

F*Simple but Amazing: Using this as life philosophy

S*Sustaining a Life of Beauty

 

PS Join me on retreat in 2011 www.alchemytours.com

February 23, 2011. We'd love to have you join us for some well deserved quiet time.  We are offering a 2 for 1 which means each person only pays $499!  Register today www.alchemytours.com or email hello@alchemytours.com

WHERE IS PAGOSA SPRINGS/WOLF CREEK SKI AREA? 
Pagosa Springs is located in the Four-Corners region of southwestern Colorado which offers an abundance of interesting activities and attractions. The region is known for its access to archeological sites, unmatched mountains, beautiful rivers, canyon lands and a wealth of cultural history. The town of Pagosa Springs is nestled in a beautiful valley on the banks of the San Juan River, surrounded by the 3 million acre San Juan Forest and adjacent to the largest contiguous wilderness area in the nation, the Weminuche Wilderness. "Pagosah" means healing waters in Ute and Pagosa Springs is home of the world's largest mineral hot springs. 

Wolf Creek, thirty minutes from Pagosa Springs, is a mom and pop ski resort in the Southern San Juan Mountains of Colorado, mountains where some serious soul is to be found. Expect sun as this area averages 300 days of sun a year. 

TRIP COST: $999 

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE FOR 4 DAYS?
• 3 nights of accommodation at The Springs Resort and Spa
• 24 hour unlimited hot springs soaking access
• Daily breakfast, three lunches, two dinners and all snacks and drinks for each day’s activities 
• Transportation to and from the airport to Pagosa Springs, in private coach 
• 6 Yoga classes 
• Private Dharma and wilderness talks facilitated by your Guides 
• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals. 
• A special gift 

NOT INCLUDED?
Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides, spa services at the Springs Resort and Spa, other activities not listed and personal items purchased during your trip. Some meals are not included during this trip to allow you the opportunity to explore the cuisine on your own. 

ABOUT YOUR GUIDES:
You will be guided by Kendra Charts, Jacob Young and Silvia Mordini. 

Kendra is a soul rider. She adores nature, yoga, snowboarding, rock climbing, surfing, people with adventurous spirits and playing in the mountains, desert and beautiful bodies of water.  Kendra is Avalanche I certified, and has her CPR/First Aid and Outdoor Emergency Care certifications. Her love for snowboarding, powder and mountains has led her to the mountains of the West and South America. You’ll find her passion for the mountains and her wonder for nature contagious. 

Jacob is an avid cyclist, runner, and lover of all things outdoors, involving people. With over 10 years of guiding experience, beginning on Mt. Rainier, he has broadened his horizons by transitioning to guiding cycling trips around the world. He has been living in, and exploring the Olympic & Cascade mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest for the past 11 years, and can often be found cycling, trail running, hiking and skiing in the greater Seattle area when not practicing yoga indoors. Jacob is a Certified Carmichael Training Systems coach and is CPR/First Aid certified, but his real experience comes from his passion for showing people new places and exploring along with them. 

Your Yoga will be taught by Silvia Mordini whose loving Anusara-inspired Vinyasa Flow teaching style is influenced by more than 10 years of Hatha yoga study. With over 7,500 hours of yoga teaching experience, as a nationally recognized Experienced Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT) she is dedicated to making yoga upbeat and fun, serious and informative, supportive and authentic. She brings inspiration enthusiasm and playfulness into each class through creative, flowing sequencing and a delightful combination of yoga philosophy and healthy physical alignment. 
TRIP ITINERARY:
Day 1 – Thursday, April 7, 2011 
Afternoon: 
1:00 Meet in the lobby of the Durango- La Plata County Airport in Durango, shuttle to Pagosa Springs 
2:00 Arrive at Pagosa Springs, The Springs Resort and Spa, check in and brief logistics 
3:00 Water yoga practice 
4:00 Free time

Evening:
7:00 Microbrew tasting at Pagosa Brewery and dinner
9:00 Orientation, Dharma Talk 

Day 2 – Friday, April 8, 2011
Morning:
8:00 Morning yoga practice
9:00 Breakfast 
10:00 Depart for Wolf Creek Ski Area 

Afternoon:
10:30 Boarding/Skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area: Tutorial and skills clinic for boarding and free ski, boxed lunch and snacks provided
Evening: 
5:00 Restorative yoga practice 
7:00 Après ski at Kip's Cantina followed by dinner at place of your choosing and free time

Day 3 – Saturday, April 9, 2011
Morning:
8:00 Yoga
9:00 Breakfast 
10:00 Depart for Wolf Creek Ski Area

Afternoon:
10:30 Boarding/Skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area: Tutorial and skills clinic for boarding and free ski, boxed lunch and snacks provided
Evening:
5:00 Special evening yoga restorative practice with live music by Native American Flute Player Charles Martinez
8:00 Après ski and dinner at Ole Miner’s Steakhouse

Day 4 – Sunday, April 10, 2011
Morning:
8:00 Closing yoga practice
9:00 Breakfast 
10:30 Check out and local snowshoe tour provided by Pagosa Nordic

Afternoon:
1:00 Arrive in downtown Durango and lunch 
2:30 Arrive at airport

**Please note that scheduled itinerary is subject to change due to the ebb and flow of life!

WHEN WILL I NEED TO ARRIVE AND WHEN DO I LEAVE? 
Arrival Location: 
You will need to arrive by 1 p.m. in the lobby of the Durango- La Plata County Airport (DRO) in Durango,Colorado on Thursday, December 9.

Departure Location: 
At the end of your trip, you will be shuttled back to Durango. The shuttle will arrive at the Durango-La Plata County airport by 2:30pm. Please do not schedule a flight before 3:30pm. (There are 3:43pm and 5:04pm redeye Flight options from DRO to CHI). 

HOW DO I GET TO PAGOSA SPRINGS IF I FLY? 
You can fly into the Durango-La Plata County Airport in Durango and drive to Pagosa Springs (about 1.5 hours away). If you plan on doing some site seeing on your free time, or if you plan on staying a day or two before or after our trip, then we suggest renting a car either way. Due to winter conditions and mountain passes it is advised to rent a vehicle with four wheel drive.

HOW DO I GET TO PAGOSA SPRINGS IF I DRIVE? 
Pagosa Springs is located 61 miles (about 1.5 hours) east of Durango. If you choose to drive to the trip start, to get there, take CO 172 north from the Durango Airport to the intersection with Hwy 160. Turn right and follow Hwy 160 east to Pagosa Springs.The final directions to our location will be emailed to you before our trip start. 

PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 21, 2011

*New Radiohead! And almost new Black Eyed Peas!

 

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists

Ardes Bhaee, Mirabai Ceiba

Song for You, Alexi Murdoch

New People {Empire Remix}, Blue Scholars

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit

Sexxy Bicycle, Mad Rad

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Morning Mr Magpie, Radiohead

Karaoke, Drake

Mahadeva Shambo, Wade Imre Morissette

Yellow, Jem

River Flows In You, Yiruma

 

Awesome great vibe! 63 minute playlist to rock your practice!

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists

Paul Valery, Blue Scholars

It Takes a Muscle, M.I.A.

I'm Outta Love, Anastacia

Outta Control, 50 Cent

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)

Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I), Kid Cudi

Enjoy, Janet Jackson

Inna di Red, Stephen Marley featuring Ben Harper

Lively Up Yourself, Bob Marley

Stay Human, Michael Franti

Yellow, Jem

River Flows In You, Yiruma

There is So Much Magnificence, Shiva Rea

 

www.silviamordini.com

February 18, 2011.  The choice to be FREE requires an enormous amount of inner strength.  It asks that we be courageous and believe in our own right to be free.  Yoga Sutras Chapter 2.26 talks about how if we believe we are limited, you will be limited; if you believe you are free, you are FREE.  In yogic terms Freedom is known as Jivamukti.  For whatever reason or reasons you feel trapped in your life know you have a choice to free your mind and heart.  It is always there.

Yoga teaches us that we are sovereign over the democracy of ourselves.  Living in a democracy we all can appreciate a thing or two about Freedom.  So ask yourself what kind of freedoms do you encourage in your life?  Are you afraid to stand up for your rights?  Do you promote shared responsibility amongst the constituents of your limbs, breath, mind and heart?  Do you keep yourself shackled to workaholism or do you imprison yourself with worry or self-doubt or critical self-dialogue, do you allow someone outside yourself to run your life?

In my personal work the greatest prisons I've experienced have been those of my own making.  It has been through the yogic practice that I started to place more daily importance on liberation. With time I embraced how crucial it is to find peace and happiness from the inside.  As we study ourselves the yoga helps us explore through movement a freedom in our bodies and a kind of flowing meditation where we can find peace and tranquility in our minds.   

So right now, sit in a way that elongates your spine and let’s your breath travel more freely.  As you free your breath you liberate your mind.  As the mind opens the heart opens.  You being to realize that you can choose to draw upon your own fortitude to free your heart from pain, to free your body from long held tension and to free yourself of unhealthy mindless habits (samskaras).  It is going to look different for everyone.  And it is a constant practice to remind ourselves that we alone are the most responsible in keeping the peace and joy within the democracy of self.  "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 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."  I know what it’s like to feel imprisoned. I also can tell you I know what is it like to break free.  It’s not easy but I believe all of us can do it. So here I leave you with a final poem to inspire you to free yourself, love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

"May you listen to your longing to be free.
May the frames of your belonging be large enough for the dreams of your soul.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart
...something good is going to happen to you.
May you find harmony between your soul and your life.
May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place.
May you know the eternal longing that lies at the heart of time.
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May you be set free from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment and despair.
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, 
mind you, and embrace you in belonging."    
-  John O'Donahoe

TODAY'S PLAYLIST:

Flow, Sade

Outta Control, 50 Cent

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Au Pays De Gandhi, MC Solaar

Groovejet (If This Ain't Love), Spiller

15 to 20 (Den Haan Remix), The Phenomenal Handclap Band

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, KT Tunstall

Every Breath You Take, The Police

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Revelation Dub, Kabanjak

Twin Blue, Millions & Millions

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

February 16, 2011.  We have a CHOICE: As you think so shall you be.  What we tell ourselves is reflected back to us by the world.  How we see ourselves in term of the quality of our thoughts and healthy choices determines how others see us and how the world responds.  We actually are a sum of our choices. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves.  The process never ends until we die.  And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."  Or in the song BIG BANK HANK by the Blue Scholars "Whatchya gonna do today?"

The yogic teachings on the mat remind us that within every moment we are faced with making loving choices in how we breath, how we stand, how we act (or react) to a new pose or sequence or teacher. We can walk in the path of darkness or choose the path of LIGHT. We can choose negative thoughts or positive thoughts. We can choose Fear or LOVE. And if we can practice CHOOSING LOVE in every pose then we'll stay with it off the mat. This is the yoga of knowing your heart well enough to choose wisely and from love.  And the fact is that all in all we don't have that long in this earthly body to choose the happiest life ever or as Robert Braul puts it, "Life is short, God's way of encouraging a bit of focus."

And every time I step on the mat I am reminded of this gift of asking myself "whatchya gonna do today", what am I choosing.  I hold to the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." And how do I translate this yoga into the yoga of life? I have been driving what is commonly referred to in Seattle as "the Mercer Weave" and moving across 3-4 lanes of traffic in 2 minutes to get to my exit into the city has been a practice of either choosing loving, positive thoughts (that on-coming traffic will let me cross over) or of expecting the worst and seeing those other cars as out to get me.  The more I consciously choose loving thoughts the better and smoother it goes.  But that's only one small example. We have opportunities every day and in every moment to choose love and happiness.  

The point being that we allow ourselves to keep making our own choices. Sadie Nardini wrote in her book Road Trip Guide to the Soul "Our biggest mistake as humans is to look at our destructive, habitual patterns and think we cannot choose again, because we have fallen prey to the illusion that what we have chosen repeatedly is how we are stuck with being.  You ALWAYS have the POWER - and the RIGHT - to CHOOSE again."  This is why today after some Sun Salutation A (the gold standard) we moved into variations of poses to feel that we can always keep experiencing other choices.  

You might wonder what suggestions I might have for choosing love?  Good news is that the Yoga Sutras tell us.  They actually give us the 4 keys to happiness - how to choose love.  The way to live with an open happy heart is nurture these attitudes in choosing "whatchya going to do today?":

1. Kindness and friendliness to those who are happy
2. Compassion for those that are suffering or less fortunate
3. Respect for those that who embody noble qualities and inspire us
4. Equanimity for those whose actions oppose our values

At first these attitudes that enable us to choose love in all circumstances seem easy.  But applying these in day-to-day life is more challenging than we think.  But all we can do is take responsibility for co-creating our life saying to ourselves "I choose to be happy. I choose love” and let the rest unfold.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

 PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 16, 2011

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists

Cafe Noir, Akmusique

Song for You, Alexi Murdoch

It Iz What It Iz            , M.I.A.

New People {Empire Remix}, Blue Scholars

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit

It Takes a Muscle, M.I.A.

The Fire, The Roots Feat. John Legend

BIG BANK HANK, Blue Scholars

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Waka Waka (Time For Africa), Shakira/Freshlyground

I Know What I Know, Paul Simon

Walk Like an Egyptian, Buckley

Don't Rock My Boat, Bob Marley

Redemption Song, Richard Bona and Michael Brecker

Ganapati, Girish

Don't Give Up, Peter Gabriel/Kate Bush

I Shall Be Released, Buckley

Guru Mari, Shri Anandi Ma

 

DAY  6 BLOGGING 21 IN 2011 ABOUT LOVE.

CLASS PLAN FEBRUARY 16, 2011

WAVE 1 - Purpose: Safely warm-up spine and strengthen core to protect low back); Learning Points: Understand how your pelvis and ribcage can be used as levers to affect your vertebral column

 

Begin on back - Savasana (3 part breath dirga pranayama hand on belly, hand on heart)

Inhale arms wide like a T and alternate apanasana (1 knee to chest at a time), Exhale return leg to start

Twist Right, center, Twist Left (Jathara parivatanasana)

Bridge (Sethubandasana) 

Core cultivation:  Pigeon abs to Single Leg Raises 

Waterfall abs (hands protecting lower back, lumbar area of spine)

 

WAVE 2

Roll up to Dandasana (optional Pascimotanasana)

Parsva Janu Sirsasana twist (then lift hips option to next pose_

Vasistasana variation kneeling

Janu sirsana forward fold 

Cobbler (twist both sides); Side 2 Parsva Janu Sirsasana begins

Upward Facing plank with knees bent (Modified version) --- pull backs to hover, activate core optional (warm up shoulder girdle complimentary muscle groups to prepare for plank, dog, chatarunga)

Malasana 

Standing Forward Fold 

 

WAVE 3

Sun Salutation A (traditional)

*Include Half Moon A 

 

WAVE 4 (These waves will go easy on shoulders and weight bearing on hands to focus on hips)

I leg dog lift right leg, open hip (Teaching external rotation) 

Downward Dog

Step left foot forward High Lunge to Leaning Lunge to Half Moon B (right hip open in external rotation)

Standing splits (internal rotation of hip) to baby eagle 3 x's, hold last one strong adduction

Step lifted right leg back to high lunge prep

1 leg dog lift left leg, open hip (teaching external rotation) this begins Side 2

 

WAVE 5 Easy Mandala Salutation

Begin wave 4 series, add on.  1 leg dog external rotation to downward dog, Step other foot forward High Lunge, Leaning Lunge and OPTIONAL Tumbling Tree

High Lunge to Half Moon B, Standing Splits, Baby Eagle

Step back to high lunge prep into Revolved Lunge to Transverse Lunge

Face back of mat (OPTIONAL basic vinyasa)

Begin same leg twice to go in circle

Add OPTIONAL half crow from transverse lunge, prasarita paddotanasana, finish Mandala

Begin Side 2

 

WAVE 6 

Pigeon Right leg: first gentle twisting kriya then forward fold

I leg downward dog right hip external rotation (OPTIONAL flipped dog)

Left foot forward: High Lunge, Leaning Lunge, Crane, 1 leg standing pigeon with right leg in same shape as we just did on the floor

OPTIONAL Eka Pada Galavasana (flying pigeon arm balance) - break down into small steps

Forward Fold to Malasana (Squat pose)

Cobbler

Crow

Begin Side 2 (After side 2 move into partner series)

 

KEY LEARNING POINTS: OPENING AND CLOSING YOUR HIP JOINT

Two very basic movements for the hip joint include stabilizing the connection between the thigh bone and pelvis and creating space within that connection. 

You can also think of these movements as compressing the joint and decompressing it. (I would like to use the word "extend" in place of decompress, but in anatomy terminology, "Extending the hip joint" usually means moving the thigh bone back relative to the pelvis.) Another pair of terms that you can use are "Closing" the hip and "Opening" it.

 

Both of these actions involve activating muscle tissue. In one case you use muscles to pull your thigh bone away from your pelvis. In the other case you pull the thigh bones in towards the hip socket. A third action, or non-action, is relaxing the hip joint completely.

 

WAVE 7 PARTNER PRACTICE TO HELP WITH KEY LEARNING POINTS

A.  Cobbler person 1 - Pascimotanasana Person 2: hold wrists and apply muscle energy to work with one another in moving forward or back in these poses (Here we have one open hip position, one closed hip)

*Switch and the other person does the complimentary pose they did not already do*

 

B.  Upavista Konasana (Seated wide angle pose). Each person sits with wide legs facing one another. Person 1 feet inside the other persons ankles and hold wrists and move forward or back.  The compressing or decompressing is as a result of squeezing legs closed if feet are on the outside or conversely pressing feet out if they are inside partner's ankles.

 

C.  Cobbler person 1 holds onto the ankles of standing person 2 while that person helps lengthen their spine and ground the sit bones. Secondly the standing partner walks around behind them (after they release their ankles) and helps apply gentle weight to the hip creases to ground the head of the femur bone.  Once done we let person 1 just stay there until they want to come up. Then switch.

 

CLOSING WAVE 8

Cooling postures: Supine cobbler; Plow to OPTIONAL Shoulderstand

Savasana

 

February 13, 2011.  Day 4 of Love Blogging 21 days in 2011.  Here is a super simple fact about energy: It is attracted to the same kind of energy.  Like energy attracts like energy.  When we breath, feel, live from our heart energy we attract more of the same. And I can prove it.  (Science supports this too.) This is otherwise known as the law of attraction.  And interesting enough when you feel good you are more attractive. Yoga teaches us that our natural state is one of happiness.  We are born that way and meant to live that way.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying life!

A great way to test this out for yourself is to practice SMILING MORE.  This was #11 on my list of 11 Things to Say Yes to in 2011 (an earlier blog posting).  Develyn Steele says, "Smiling changes your attitude, raises your confidence, and makes you more attractive."  Whether you believe it or not smiling changes how you feel.  If you doubt this then start smiling and thinking positive thoughts and see what develops.  You will find that you can't help but have a more elevated attitude (Pratipaksha Bhavana) when you smile or even think about when you were last smiling.  Today we practiced a guided visualization with our left side to experience what it feels like physically to smile with each part of our body. Then we could sense for ourselves how the right and left sides of our bodies felt differently from one another.  From there we used different types of movement (both jala water influenced flow and fire agni) to see what impact both had on our feeling state as well as how planting a smile here in there influenced the poses like plank.

You see smiling affects our emotions because of a body-brain connection.  It triggers scientifically measurable activity in the left frontal cortex of the brain where happiness is registered.  And what is even more fascinating to support this theory of the law of attraction or how we attract similar energy is that of the 44 muscles of the face that allow us to create more than 5000 different types of expressions, each of those expressions will have a unique affect on the way you feel and how OTHERS feel about you.  

When you smile with your heart and with your thoughts you cultivate a naturalness towards positive thinking at the same time. Here's a real life example: I didn't always believe in green lights.  Then I practiced smiling more both on the mat and off.  All of a sudden I started to believe in the possibility of green lights.  From there through the power of positive thinking I started to believe I should receive Green Lights everyday, not just sometimes.  And eventually I grew even more confident and started putting out to the universe that I deserved to Green Light my LIFE.  

That is how profound an impact this practice can have on your life.  I know because it's had this amazing impact on changing my life for the better and best.  I smile more and I laugh all the time and truly I do get green lights. And you can too! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS Join me on retreat this year www.alchemytours.com

PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 14, 2011. Theme Balance of Love.

Hey World (Don't Give Up Version), Michael Franti & Spearhead

Pink Moon, Nick Drake

Ananda, Solar Quest

Deep South, Layo Paskin & Matthew Bushwacka

Nogo, Issa Bagayogo

Gate To The Silkroad, Mokhira

Free Tibet, Hilight Tribe

Rero, Ismael Lo

Hard Sun (Main), Eddie Vedder

Yellow ,Coldplay

Grace, U2

Savasana

 

HIP HOP YOGA PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 12, 2011

Fire, Coco De Mer

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit

No Rest for the Weary, Blue Scholars

The Fire, The Roots Feat. John Legend

BIG BANK HANK [Main], Blue Scholars

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Just You & I, Dzihan & Kamien

Free Tibet, Hilight Tribe

Strong Will Continue, Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Coming Home, Diddy - Dirty Money & Skylar Grey

I Will Be Light, Matisyahu

One Of These Mornings, Moby

Lakshmi, Girish, Donna Delory, Greg Leisz & Georges Lamman

Beyond Time [ambient edit], Blank & Jones

BONUS: I’m Too Sexy, Right Said Fred

 

February 12, 2011 Day 3 of Love Blogging 21 days in 2011.  Does yoga make you sexy?  Yes it can: when we feel peaceful our faces do look prettier.  And when we are kinder we are more approachable. And when we move more gracefully we are more attractive.  

Practicing yoga also helps us remember to celebrate life. During class we burn off, sweat off, twist off the spiritual amnesia (forgetting what fires you up!) In a nutshell it reminds us about what we love about our life: Dancing, hiking, playing piano, running, cycling, painting, traveling.  Forgetting what you love to do is a form of self-sabotage. If you can forget about your dreams, then you never have to risk failure. But just because you've decided to ignore your passions doesn't mean they no longer exist. Besides life is too short to stop doing what you love.

So today we invoked the Fire Element. Fire in Sanskrit is AGNI. 

“Fire is not seen until one firestick rubs against another, though the fire remains hidden in the firestick. Let your body be the lower firestick; Let the heart be the upper. Rub them against each other in yoga and meditation.”  (ancient writing)

Fire is the energy of transformation or change.  If you think about the power (Shakti) of fire it can take metal and change it into a beautiful gold ring. Fire is also symbolic of rebirth.  It cleanses, burns off the negative and energizes one to light the path forward. Then we move confidently in the direction of what we love with great PASSION. And that enthusiasm and confidence is SEXY!

It is visible to everyone. You can see it.  For instance if Leonardo DaVinci would paint your portrait would he see that fire of passion in your eyes?  Are you living life with enthusiasm? In the words of Philosopher Hebbel, “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” And no one else can tell you what fires you up, only you can decide “how to set your life on fire” (Rumi).

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs;?ask yourself what makes you come alive.

And then go and do that.

Because what the?world needs is people who have come alive."~ Harold Whitman

Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it and hold true to your biggest dreams! "Let no doubt into your dreams and intentions. The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Be one of those dreamers." (Dr Wayne Dyer)

This is the time to empower yourself towards transforming your life! Let's make today THE BEST DAY EVER!  Now that's sexy….Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

HIP HOP INSPIRED YOGA PLAYLIST
Fire, Coco De Mer

Hate It Or Love It (Remix), 50 Cent & G Unit

No Rest for the Weary, Blue Scholars

The Fire, The Roots Feat. John Legend

BIG BANK HANK [Main], Blue Scholars

Xoxoxo, The Black Eyed Peas

Just You & I, Dzihan & Kamien

Free Tibet, Hilight Tribe

Strong Will Continue, Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Coming Home, Diddy - Dirty Money & Skylar Grey

I Will Be Light, Matisyahu

One Of These Mornings, Moby

Lakshmi, Girish, Donna Delory, Greg Leisz & Georges Lamman

Beyond Time [ambient edit], Blank & Jones

BONUS: I’m Too Sexy, Right Said Fred

 

WARNING ADULT LANGUAGE: If you are still reading. I came upon this quote today from Bikram “With this one you are fucking until you are 90! You have seven orgasms in a row!” – referring to eagle pose, which he considers the best pose for good sex.  (Yeah we did that one in class 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!

February 11, 2011.  Here on Day 2 of blogging about love for 21 days in 2011 I guess I should explain why I am embracing the Year of the Rabbit.  I met someone.  And when you meet someone you really want to spend time with in one place then the quiet concept of "Love is Patient" takes on a whole new meaning.  My yoga on the mat has served to make me strong enough now so that I want to practice the Yoga of Home and Yoga of Relationship more than ever.  To me after the hardest pose of being ourselves then the next hardest yoga pose is making a relationship with another human being that is calm and content.  What the ancient yogis call Santosha.  Not the New Years Eve fireworks crazy amped up experience but the gentle force of kindness. "Love is Kind" in action. I recently did a cyber interview for Xinalani Resort where I'll be leading a yoga retreat February 26-March 5th.  Part of that interview is here: 

Xinalani: How did the two of you meet?

Jacob: We met on a train in Italy...yes, it was one of those romantic things you read about in books, and yes, we get asked every trip about it. Perhaps that is one of the incentives for coming on one of our trips?

Silvia: The way Jacob tells the story makes everyone cry every single time. It was exactly as Rumi writes, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” In that moment of meeting I was returning from a Yoga Retreat in Tuscany where I had found much healing and growth. I had ever more fully let go of the barriers to loving myself. I was truly awake and more openhearted than ever before.  And that is when Jacob found me.

Through this yogic practice I have been able to get stronger on the inside so I didn't feel like I had to maintain the walls and barriers up on the outside. As a result I got softer on the outside.  In that softness love felt more welcomed.  Although I hesitate I feel I should caution you a bit here: When you arrive at that place where you are willing to be open to grace and be more gentle outwardly you will get hurt.  Some will take advantage of you.  You might wonder so how many times has my heart been broken? Well, more than most.  But would I trade this letting go of barriers to have it any other way? No I would not.  Once you start the practice of yoga the process takes over and what you thought was important before evolves to a whole new level.  You put your energy on creating and deepening the poses of your life and away from holding back or closing off.  It is in that receptivity that the yoga of relationship love will find you as it did me.  So today sweat off the old hardness, knock down the walls and welcome LOVE! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

*Join me on a yoga retreat www.alchemytours.com

February 9, 2011. Wendell Barry said, “The earth is what we have in common.” I’d add that our ability to lose our balance and allow over-worrying to make us feel ungrounded is also what we have in common.  You know, that feeling of being disconnected and just off center. 

So we devoted today’s practice to getting grounded into the earth, our common ground. Grounding serves us as a simplifying force, one which helps us plug back into ourselves and allows us to be fully present and balanced. Once centered we feel empowered and stable to see the circumstances of our lives with increased clarity.  We no longer over-respond or over-worry.

Just like building a yoga pose from the ground up, we need stability to form a strong foundation for our lives. On the yoga mat we used a long series of standing poses to help us achieve the security that comes from connecting our nervous system to the earth. In Sanskrit this is known as Sthira. As a result we all left the practice with our inner stillness intact once more ready to be the rooted influence amongst our families and friends. May you stay grounded and keep coming home to balance.

And if you are looking to do even more in depth work on balance and grounding join me for the two places in the world that always make me feel more centered: Moab, Utah and Tuscany Italy. Check out www.alchemytours.com to join me April, June, or October 2011.  In the meantime let’s stay in touch, the earth is what we have in common.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 9, 2011

Very balanced chill 60 minutes to invoke the earth element and promote grounding, trust and calm.  Perfect for those times you need to quiet the anxious mind or impatient heart.

Shiva Invocation, Shantala

Assyrian Women Mourners, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Realms, Sigal Brier

Duduki, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Pluznick, Raphael & Steve Kindler

Kerala Dream, Shaman's Dream

Trois morceaux après des hymnes byzantins I, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Trois morceaux après des hymnes byzantins III, Anja Lechner & Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Night Song, Bill Dougrlas / Ty Burhoe / Kai Eckhardt / Steve Smith

Purnamadah, Shantala

Stars (Instrumental), John De Kadt

 

JANUARY 31, 2011.  MORE YES! Here we are in the beginning of the year. Eleven months more to go which means there is still plenty of time to set the foundation of YES in your life in 2011.  Let's start by saying YES to a little quiz. First question to ask yourself is (1) are you conscious and alert to your Yes choices?  (2) Do you say Yes more than you say No?  (3) What do you say YES to? 

In Tantric philosophy we start with "yes".  It is our first choice.  We say yes to opening, softening, receiving and lay the way in understanding that YES IS DOING! Or as is written in the Alchemist, "There is only one way to learn, it's through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey." You see Yoga is learning to align with nature rather than resisting it or trying to over control it by saying No all the time.  This spiritual practice is about saying YES as the immediate response to life.  Wayne Gretzky is so right on "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."  Yes means taking the chance, risking it all for love, for a happier life, for a happier YOU.  Will you get hurt? Maybe. Is it worth it? YES! So join me in aligning 11 INTENTIONS to 2011, in these eleven remaining months of the year.

So here are 11 things to say YES to in 2011 

1. Yoga, Cycling, Culture and Wine in Tuscany, Italy June 19-26, 2011 or October 16-22, 2011
2. 10 minutes of meditation 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening
3. Practicing patience with the one person you love 
4. Walk or ride a bike for 15 min a day
5. Yoga, Mountain Biking and Adventure in Moab, Utah April 16-19, 2011 or Oct 27-30, 2011
6. Take a Private Yoga Session 
7. Taking a few deep breaths before sending an email, text, or phone call. What is your intention for communication and does it come from love?
8. Start reading the Yoga Sutras (Secret Power of Yoga is one of my favorites!)
9. Get some Beach Therapy. Yoga in Xinalani Mexico Feb 26-March 5, 2011 or Big Island Hawaii Dec 18-23, 2011
10. Practice gratitude daily. Write or think of 3 things you are grateful for each morning or before bed.
11. SMILE more!

Take to heart that doing something is the Yes. And when you decide you are clear on what you say YES to, then everything is there to support you.  It is as is written in the Alchemist "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." At the end of the day what you say YES to isn't even as important as just doing it!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia 

 

PS - Join me on retreat www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com

February 5, 2011. Just a year ago I used GPS for the first time. I get the idea. You plug in where you want to go and it helps guide you there. The key point being you KNOW where you want to go. Yoga to me has been that which helps us ask the question “who am I” and eventually we get to the “why am I here” and even further down the path “WHERE THE HELL AM I GOING?” So this concept of GPS is pretty vibrant.

If you can get to the point that you know where you want to go then you know your spiritual maturity is evolving in the right direction. Until I finally decide to go to Tuscany on a Yoga Retreat one year I just played at entering a real GPS for my life. Then from that point forward I got clear. I want that for you. Get on the mat, do the practice, get your destination in gear and watch what happens. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PART OF MY PLAYLIST TODAY 2/5/11

Hard Sun (Main), Eddie Vedder
Nogo, Issa Bagayogo
Break Your Heart, Taio Cruz Feat. Ludacris
Vamos A Bailar, Gipsy Kings
Tighten Up ,The Black Keys
Express Yourself, Mocean Worker Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street
Mr Big Stuff, Jean Knight
Dedication, Kirby Shelstad
AMAZING GRACE

Join us on an amazing spiritual adventure www.alchemytours.com or come take class with me www.silviamordini.com

PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 4, 2011.

 

Hope (Live for the art of peace), Rush

Hard Sun (Main), Eddie Vedder

Escucha Me, Gipsy Kings

Nogo, Issa Bagayogo

Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra, Reema Datta

High Low (feat. Zap Mama) [Acoustic Mix], Michael Franti & Spearhead

Escaping Arkham, Common Market

No Rest for the Weary, Blue Scholars

Queen Bee, Devendra Banhart

Jesus etc., Wilco

Faust Arp, Radiohead

While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beatles

 

Join me for wonderful yoga retreat www.alchemytours.com

 

PLAYLIST FEBRUARY 2, 2011.  Theme was about Shiva/Shakti and we talked about appreciating endings as much as we do beginnings.  And in those endings we are completing cycles nothing more or less. In that way we can tap into the Power of Creativity, Creation and make the best lives ever!

 

Om Ram Ramaya, Deva Premal

Every Breath You Take, The Police

Believer, M.I.A.

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Dream Machine (Down Tempo Mix), Mark Farina & Sean Hayes

Groovejet (If This Ain't Love), Spiller

Freestyler, Bomfunk MC's

Now That We Found Love, Heavy D and the Boyz

Let Me Know, Collie Buddz

I Ka Barra (Your Work), Habib Koite and Bamada

What a Feeling,            Collie Buddz

High Low (feat. Zap Mama) [Acoustic Mix], Michael Franti & Spearhead

(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Bree Sharp

Mahadeva Shambo, Wade Imre Morissette

Infusion (Bombay Mix), Adham Shaikh

Thanksgiving, George Winston

Shine On, Wade Imre Morissette (POST SAVASANA!)

 

Join me on retreat www.alchemytours.com 

PLAYLIST JANUARY 31, 2011

The power of YES was our theme for class tonight. Thank you kindly and whole heartedly to JL for letting me sub this evening.  And love to all yogis who rocked with me in this class or any other class.  You inspire me! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia  (Join me on an active vacation this year www.alchemytours.com)

 

Eminence Front, The Who

Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones

The Time (Dirty Bit), The Black Eyed Peas

Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)

Ancient People, Nas, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley & Jr. Reid

POWER, Kanye West

Lamaset (Miami Mix), Jef Stott

Lost In The World [feat. Bon Iver], Kanye West

Bhagavate

Just Can’t Get Enough, The Black Eyed Peas

Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I), Kid Cudi

Rofiki (DNA Remix), Zap Mama

Paris, Tokyo, Lupe Fiasco

Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Thievery Corporation Feat. Gunjan

Postales, Federico Aubele

I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy Feat. Faith Evans & 112

Oh My God, Michael Franti & Spearhead

Infusion (Bombay Mix), Adham Shaikh

Down Slow, Moby

 

www.silviamordini.com

 

PLAYLIST JANUARY 31, 2011

What a beautiful way to start the week! Here is the engaging, world influenced playlist from today 12pm-1pm yogalife.  Love your day! Silvia (And join me at yogalife 12pm-1pm M/W/F every week) 

Stir It Up, Bob Marley & The Wailers

A Well Respected Man, The Kinks

On the Hudson, SHAKE YOUR PEACE!

On the Dub-ble, DJ Krush

Liberate Your Mind, The Ginger Ninjas

Letting Go (Gaurav Raina Breakz Mix), Various Artists

Lamaset (Miami Mix), Jef Stott

Sita Ram, Girish

I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy Feat. Faith Evans & 112

Cold wind blowing           

Dreamsome, Shelby Lynne

Rain, Jill Knight

In My Solitude, Billy Holiday

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

 

**Join me and www.alchemytours.com this year for the best active vacation of your life!  And keep checking my schedule www.silviamordini.com

PLAYLIST JANUARY 29, 2011

Tajabone, Ismaël Lo

Matadjem Yinmixan, Tinariwen

I Ka Barra (Your Work), Habib Koite and Bamada

Everything (...Is Never Quite Enough), Wasis Diop

Good Thing , The BoDeans

They, Jem

All Of The Lights, Kanye West

Mr. Rager, Kid Cudi

Stand By Me            Various Artist

Patience, Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Hey World (Don't Give Up Version), Michael Franti & Spearhead

Talk to You, Tracy Chapman

Rain, Jill Knight

Solo Para Ti, Armik

Still, Wade Imre Morissette

 

*Shared at www.hauteyogaqueenanne.com 12pm-1pm. Join me weekly! www.silviamordini.com

 

PUERTO VALLARTS XINALANI YOGA RETREATS USEFUL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FEB 26-MAR 5, 2011

XINALANI BEACH?
Is the beach swimmable? Is it safe to swim??
Yes the beach is swimmable and safe most of the time. ??

Is the beach sandy or rocky??
We are very fortunate at Xinalani because we have immediate access to two wonderful beaches. The one in front of the resort has both sand and great inspiring animal-shaped rocks. It also has private natural coves.? The other beach on the left-hand side when facing the ocean is pure sand. That beach gets a very nice surf break in the winter, surfers enjoy that beach a lot.??

Are there long chairs and umbrellas on the beach??
Yes, Xinalani has a nice beach club with long chairs, and umbrellas. Ask our waiters for the Bar Menu, and enjoy our special cocktails, while relaxing.

YOGA FACILITIES?

Where is the yoga space?
The yoga space is a 1,300 sq ft palm thatched room set on top of the hill. A short rejuvenating walk in the jungle will take you there, and warm you up before practice. ??

How many people fit in the Yoga Studio??
The Yoga Studio can host comfortably up to 40 people.??

Is the yoga space totally open??
The Jungle Yoga Studio has 4 walls built for handstand and headstand asana practice. The corners of the room are open to the elements, to enjoy the beauty of the jungle and the ocean while practicing. However, no risk of falling thanks to the wooden railing.??

Do you have mats, props, etc??
The Yoga studio has a wide array of sticky yoga mats, as well as blankets, blocks, stripes, meditation cushions, and chairs.

Do I need to bring my yoga mat?
It is up to you, mats will be available. 

FOOD & BEVERAGES?
We need animal protein; we like to eat meat, is that possible at Xinalani??
Yes, if advised with enough anticipation, we can include chicken in your menu, as well as fresh fish, and seafood, or even red meat if you like. Please note that there might be a supplement.??

We are vegan, raw foodist, etc? How’s your menu??
Although we try to cater to mainstream yogis (vegetarian, vegan, raw, live superfoods), the food is totally adaptable to our guest's needs, please send us your specifics at least two weeks before your arrival.?Ask us for a sample of our Menu to have an idea of what we cook.??

I’m allergic to gluten, mushrooms, peanuts, etc..?
We can help you, let us know of your food allergy 2 weeks at least before your arrival to the retreat, and we’ll make sure your diet restrictions will be catered to.?

Is there electricity in the rooms??
Yes, all rooms have very low consumption LED spots that give a nice dim ambar lighting at night time, there’s also a reading area.?There are two 110 V outlets to plug cameras, cell phones and battery chargers. Xinalani does not allow the use of hair dryers or other high intensity electric devices that could damage the electric installation.??

Do rooms all have their own bathroom??
Yes, all rooms have their own bathroom, the Big Palapa (dorm) has two bathrooms.??

Is there hot water in the rooms??
Yes.??

Can I use my own soap and shampoo??
In an eco-friendly effort, we recycle all water for irrigation so we kindly ask you to use only biodegradable soaps and shampoos. The ones we provide you with are all organic and biodegradable.

ACCOMMODATION?
How many rooms do you have??
There are fourteen rooms in total, 2 Eco-chic suites, 7 Eco-Premium suites, 5 Petite Suites and 1 Big Palapa.??

Which rooms have king size beds??
Suites 2, 4, 6, 14 and 15 have king size beds.

WEATHER?

What’s the weather like??
If you wish to know the average temperatures and rain statistics, please visit this page:http://www.puertovallarta.net/weather/index.php Or run a Google search with the words Weather+Puerto+Vallarta??But in general in February expect of high between 77-80 degrees and a low of 60-65.

What about bugs and mosquitoes??
There are very little bugs and mosquitoes (except during the rain season which is July to September). If you are worried about bugs, rest assured that you will feel protected at night by the splendid veils on top of the beds. Most public areas at night are lighten by lemongrass candles that repel bugs, and if you need an extra protection, you can purchase eco-friendly mosquito repellent from our boutique.

SPA & OTHER ACTIVITIES
What is the cost of massages?
From $70 to $130

What other activities are available at the resort and what are their costs?
There’s a wide array of activities available from the resort, surfing, snorkeling, horse back riding, eco-discovery boat excursions to remote beaches and islands, or simply lying on the beach. The prices for activities are around $50 per person.

Do you have wine on the property or do we have to bring our own?
Yes, we serve wine, beer, and a selection of delicious fresh hand shaken, stirred or mixed cocktails. 

How’s the surf?
Quimixto is a very nice left surf break, perfect for intermediate riders.
To get frequently updated surf reports and swell statistics, please visit www.buoyweather.com or any other qualified swell forecast website.

What else do I need to bring?
We recommend you bring a camera, a journal, toiletries, an extra pair of contacts if you wear them, sunglasses and sunscreen. For hiking, be sure to have a lightweight backpack to carry your personal belongings. 

HOW DO I GET TO XINALANI RETREAT?
Upon arriving at Puerto Vallarta International airport we have organized group transportation to and from the resort. If you choose to you can also get to the resort on your own.

When will I need to arrive and when do I leave?
You will need to arrive by 4pm on February 26 at Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) where we will meet you and bring you to the resort. We will have transportation first to a little fisherman town called Boca de Tomatlán south of Puerto Vallarta Airport (PVR) where we will take a boat from there to Xinalani

Departure Location: 
At the end of your trip, you will be shuttled back to Puerto Vallarta International Airport. We will arrive at the airport by 2pm on March 5th.
www.alchemytours.com

Dear Yogi Friends, 

Imagine a week of.....

relaxation, spa treatments, lounging on the beach, taking long naps, reading a good book, eating fresh, healthy gourmet food, doing yoga by the ocean twice a day, exploring waterfalls, watching the sunset, hiking in the jungle, whale watching, shopping, meeting new friends, unplugging from your cell phones and computers, fully living life and returning home amazingly renewed.

I would love to share this experience with you. It promises to be a vacation like no other.  You will come home feeling like a million bucks!

To register to join me Feb 26-March 5 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico staying at Xinalani Resort please call me at 847-772-9642 or www.alchemytours.com or visit www.silviamordini.com or email me at info@totalbodyyoga.com. 

And let's say your passion is yoga but your spouse is new to it,no worries. They could still try as little or as much yoga as they want, go golfing in Puerto Vallarta, whale watching, get a massage, nap in a hammock or take a 10 min boat taxi to Yelapa Island and relax on the beach. Retreats are a great time to bond with a friend, family member or come alone and rediscover yourself. 

Don't miss this amazing experience!!

Going to Yoga class is like a mini-one-hour-retreat! It works because fundamentally Yoga is the science of happiness.  We walk in stressed out, upset, negative and we leave the practice renewed, refreshed, more positive, and in a nutshell, happier!  I can't say that even after all these years, over 7,500 hours of teaching, and gosh who knows how many hours of practice that I fully understand the alchemy.  It's like magic. And I love it!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia   

PS - Would love to have just 5 more Yogi Friends come get out of the snow and into the SUN in Puerto Vallarta! (only 12 total in group for more personal attention) See photos at http://www.xinalaniretreat.com/

PSS - If someone you refer comes on the trip you get another $100 OFF!

 

Practice Never Perfect…Thank Goodness By Laura Mills 

  My first yoga teacher suggested I practice balance daily, even if only to lift one foot an inch at a time. But at the beginning of my yoga life, I barely practiced anything outside my once-a-week class. I tried to fit in a little balance here and there, but only after many random and frustrating foot-lifts did I successfully incorporate it into every day. Eventually, as my yoga life progressed, I understood that balance isn’t something to be learned once and then mastered, like tying a shoe, but instead is a process that continues throughout one’s life. As is yoga itself, so much more than a “thing to do” on a daily basis. I still get frustrated on occasion—with balance as well as other aspects of yoga—but now I recognize those frustrations as merely steps along the way on which I travel.   

  When I consider my own yogic frustrations, my heart goes out to my students, both beginners and seasoned yogis alike. Occasionally I notice a look cross a face; I know the look well, and I wonder what particular frustration causes it. Perhaps it’s frustration with a constantly-chattering mind or a certain pose. Speaking from my own experience: very likely. 

  On such occasions I wish I could tell the student my own yoga story, but in a 60- or 75-minute class those details have little place. If time allowed, though, I would share how I’ve always struggled to quiet my mind, and that even now both on and off the mat I often can’t do it. I would share how I couldn’t always touch the floor in Forward Fold or bend my knee 90 degrees in Warrior 2, and how even now on some days doing either of those seems impossible. And, while many students have already heard about my tight hamstrings, here I would add how last year those hamstrings forced me to pull back from my practice and learn modified techniques while they healed from an injury. I would also divulge that I haven’t taught Handstand yet, since I just did my first one less than a year ago, as well as that no student should expect to learn Headstand from me since in anything beyond Tripod I have yet to lift my feet off the ground.

  But still, while frustrations occur, the difference between me at the beginning of my yoga life and me now is I understand that no end point or final level exists, and as a result today I am much more content in my practice. Though I continue to struggle with certain aspects of yoga, I realize that doors open and roads unfold constantly—as long as I keep practicing.  

  I’ve been wondering, then, how best to teach the yogic process to my students. We already convey the idea when we teach preparatory poses before full or more challenging versions, for example, or when we focus on one particular sutra or limb out of many as a class theme. And we always encourage students to “begin where they’re at” and move forward from there. Little by little, even as frustrations occur, all dedicated students grow in their practices. But in the midst of chattering minds and challenging poses, do they realize they are growing? I didn’t realize it, at least not right away.

  But, thanks to my first teacher, I started to learn.

  And I’m still practicing…balance, and everything else besides.  

  My best teaching method might then be to continue being myself—as I believe my first teacher was, and as I believe most of my teachers since have been. Like them, I am someone who adores sharing yoga with others and someone whose life yoga has changed. I have faith in yoga, and its process, with my entire being. And with this faith I practice; alongside my students, I grow while doors open and roads unfold.

Physical Focus:  Backbends

 WAVE 1

On back bricks supported backbend with Cobbler (thanks Jenny for inspiring this pose!)

Cobbler Abs

Half Bridge Abs

Supine Pigeon Ab Twists to Pigeon Twist (side 2)

Bridge

Upward Facing Plank

Malasana twist

Forward Fold - with bind, release open arms to twist, side 2 (prep stage of bird of paradise)

 

WAVE 2

Step back 

Half lunge left leg back with Yoga Mudra hold 

Half Spinal balance with Scorpian Leg

Inhale prepare: Exhale Dip down chest down - Inhale Half Cat knee to chest (Dynamic repeat)

Sunbird reach back for foot opposite hand hold

Full Spinal Balance

Half Plank to core plank

I leg dog left leg in air

Step forward left foot forward

Half Lunge with Yoga Mudra hold (finish all of side 2)

 

WAVE 3

I leg down dog from previous wave transition

Inhale High Lunge reach up

Exhale Flying Lunge reach back

Inhale High Lunge Reach up

Exhale High Lunge back knee dips (juice up quad and palms touch and bend back behind head like handstand as knee drops)

Inhale High Lunge Reach Up (repeat 3-8 times)

Basic Vinyasa with COBRA

 

WAVE 4 Repeat above and add on

High Lunge Upper Body Twist

High Lunge 1 armed backbend like half camel hold

Dynamic - 1 armed high lunge backbend to Revolved Lunge 3 times

Last time Revolved Half Moon B hold

Ardha Matsyendrasana twist

Pigeon - quad stretch (left leg forward)

1 leg down dog

Cow Downward Dog

Cow pose with pose of heart arms outstretched

Seated Cow pose twist

Cow pose with cow arms fold

Pigeon top leg forward Right Leg pigeon

I leg downward dog

Scorpian vinyasa (option Scorpian balance or Dancer Dog hold)

Basic Vinyasa with Cobra hold

Side 2 (left foot forward)

*Add stage two Pigeon to Mermaid to King Pigeon

 

WAVE 5

Pigeon Quad opener twist opposite hand

Pigeon Hold back foot both hands

Four Leaf Clover pose lift hips into back bend

Half Virasana

Lie Back

From supine half virasana bend extended leg and lift to 1 Legged Wheel (Pigeon variation if you wish)

Half virasana back to seated

Standing Splits

Half Lunge King Pigeon 2

Half Spinal Balance Scorpian leg, now extend bottom leg as crutch, or straighten or stage 3 full pose

FULL LOCUST feet in sky

To belly pause

Side 2

 

WAVE 6

Closing poses: include Malasana, Cobbler, Supine Cobbler

 

PS Join me on yoga retreat www.silviamordini.com or visit www.alchemytours.com

PLAYLIST BACKBENDING CLASS JANUARY 26, 2011

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

Comfortably Numb, Dar Williams

Kind and Generous, Natalie Merchant

Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Rod Stewart

Chaiyya Chaiyya, Sapna Awasti & Sukhvinder Singh

Ya Rayah (Sonar Remix), Dahmane El Harrachi

Nogo, Issa Bagayogo

Tajabone, Ismaël Lo

Joy, George Winston

Jesus etc., Wilco

Something In The Way She Moves, James Taylor

Yellow, Jem

Heart And Soul, Mel Tormé

Light My Fire, Patricia Barber

Thanksgiving, George Winston

Guru Brahma, Shaman's Dream

Samba Sadashiva, Donna De Lory

 

<p><strong>FROM XINALANI RESORT WHERE OUR YOGA RETREAT FEB 26-MAR 5 WILL BE HELD.</strong></p><p>xinalaniretreat.com/</p><p><strong>Alchemy Tours: Interview with Silvia Mordini and Jacob Young</strong></p><p>Silvia Mordini and Jacob Young, owners of Alchemy Tours, are busy getting ready to escape the wintry Chicago-land area for a luscious tropical escape to Xinalani Retreat in sunny Mexico.In between planning workshops, classes, and music play-lists, we were able to conduct a cyber-interview with them so you can learn more about this world traveling couple and the amazing upcoming retreat they have planned.<br /> <br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Where did the idea and name for Alchemy Tours come from?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;It really branched from two things. 1) One of our favorite books is&nbsp;The Alchemist. With that as the somewhat obvious backdrop, it made sense that the alchemy of Silvia's and my background would blend to create a sort of super trip for people unlike others out there. The yoga and active travel vacation being the alchemy that turns to gold.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How did the two of you meet?<br /> <br /> Jacob:We met on a train in Italy...yes, it was one of those romantic things you read about in books, and yes, we get asked every trip about it. Perhaps that is one of the incentives for coming on one of our trips?<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;The way Jacob tells the story makes everyone cry every single time. It was exactly as Rumi writes, Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.&rdquo; In that moment of meeting I was returning from a Yoga Retreat in Tuscany where I had found much healing and growth. I had ever more fully let go of the barriers to loving myself. I was truly awake and more openhearted than ever before.&nbsp; And that is when Jacob found me.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;What came first your love of travel or movement (yoga, cycling, hiking)?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Certainly, for me, it was the movement that came first. Growing up in small-town New Hampshire was not confining to me, because it was all I knew. But from the moment I learned to ride on two wheels, I was gone. I stretched my boundaries constantly, and when I moved across the country my senior year of High School, I became aware of a bigger place around me. Living in Europe the past 8 years (Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain) and guiding in those regions really expanded upon that.<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;For me it would be travel although from an early age my parents tell me I could ski before I could walk, I danced formally and for the pleasure of it, and I was always doing something active Tennis, Swimteam, Biking, Hiking, Running. But even so travel was my greater influence and first love. My Father, Enrico, was at heart a pure adventurer and my Mother's parents were serious spiritual seekers.<br /> <br /> I grew up traveling all over the world with my brother and parents from the time I was an infant. I guess the fact that I love to show other people the beauty of the world through Yoga Retreats and Active Vacations shouldn&rsquo;t surprise anyone since I was born in Ecuador, South America and my Father is from Northern Italy near Modena, and English was my third language.<br /> <br /> One could say being a citizen of the world is in my blood. And I learned from my Father, this spirit of Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, to dream the impossible. I saw with my own eyes, touched and tasted new flavors, experienced new landscapes and as a result I learned about myself. Every time I traveled somewhere I came back different, I was changed and knew that anything was possible.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;What is your favorite part about going on retreat?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Getting past the small talk and really getting to know people. Then, sharing with them the best parts of this new region they are visiting is fulfilling in a very unique way.<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;I am always humbled by the ways our small tribes of Alchemy Tours grow fond of one another and unconditionally supportive of each other&rsquo;s growth. In the corporate world we used to talk about teaming together, but you wouldn&rsquo;t often really see it. Experiencing the loving group dynamic gives me great hope that little by little all people everywhere will one day be able to share this same yoga, or union of spirit and respect.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Describe one of the funniest adventures you've had on one of your trips?<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;You will find us always laughing on our trips. When people feel safe and nurtured they are their funniest selves!<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How do you see people changed by going on retreat?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Without fail, people change after our retreats. &nbsp;Mark Twain sums it up when he says, "The enemy of prejudice is travel." People learn more about themselves, and the yoga that Silvia teaches while on retreat is her to the max. If you have never experienced a Silvia class, you are in for a treat.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Describe a perfect day at home and then on retreat?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;A perfect day at home is waking up and enjoying a neighborhood run or a group ride. Coming home to relish in a relaxing brunch. Heading down to the farmer's market to dream up an elaborate dinner, then going home to cook and enjoy quality time with those I love. On retreat, my perfect day is showing a group of people my favorite place in a given region...I am blessed to do this regularly.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;When did you last have the most fun?<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;Today. Without a doubt, I wake up and say to myself and all those around me &ldquo;this is the best day ever&rdquo;. And it is. I can make fun out of anything and anywhere, even chair pose or going up a crazy steep climb on two wheels.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;What do you do when not guiding or leading a retreat?<br /> <br /> Silvia:I own a successful yoga studio in Chicagoland Total Body Yoga, named the best Yoga Studio of 2010. We have over 50 weekly classes and a team of 15 teachers in 3,900 square feet of wellness space and have happily welcomed over 8,000 students in 8 years. And as a studio owner I have always been a full-time yoga teacher as well.&nbsp; And most of all, when not on retreat I dive deep into being the best student of yoga. I take daily classes and live by the words of Michelangelo when he was in his nineties, &ldquo;Ancora Imparo&rdquo; (I am still learning.)&nbsp; However my greatest joy when not guiding others comes from being a good friend, partner, lover, daughter, sister and one day a mom too.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How important is music in your life? What music do you play in yoga class?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Music for me is life. I love music because it can not only infuse emotion to a situation but can also be a very powerful tool and motivator.<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;My life is constantly flowing with a soundtrack. My yoga has a soundtrack too.&nbsp; I take great pride in putting together a gourmet experience of sound in creating a new and unique play-list for every class to complement the mood, the time of year, day, bhava (feeling) of the experience. And I love receiving and sharing new music with friends!<br /> <br /> Here are two play-lists I just created for our Xinalani Retreat.<br /> PLAYLIST:<br /> Om Shreem Shriyei, Steve Gold<br /> Count Your Blessings, Nas &amp; Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley<br /> The Ave, Blue Scholars<br /> POWER, Kanye West<br /> Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband<br /> Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)<br /> Alors On Danse, Stromae<br /> Trapped In My Mind, Kid Cudi<br /> Motion Movement, Blue Scholars<br /> What a Feeling, Collie Buddz<br /> Meditate, (feat. Gabriel Teodros &amp; Khingz) Suntonio Bandanaz<br /> Hey Baby, Stephen Marley featuring Mos Def<br /> Afterlife, Glorybox<br /> <br /> PLAYLIST:<br /> Flip Ya Lid, Nightmares On Wax<br /> Under Pressure, Queen &amp; David Bowie<br /> Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo<br /> Mamacita, Collie Buddz<br /> Clothes Drop, Shaggy<br /> Breathe, Stretch, Shake, Mase<br /> Breathe, Alexi Murdoch<br /> Twist, Xavier Rudd<br /> Jamaican In New York, Shinehead<br /> The End, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis<br /> Drive, Ziggy Marley<br /> Enchantment, Corinne Bailey Rae<br /> Something So Right, Paul Simon<br /> Purnamadah, Shantala<br /> Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How did you first hear about&nbsp;Xinalani Retreat in Mexico, and why did you choose&nbsp;<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;I have been traveling to Puerto Vallarta with my parents and brother since I was a little girl.&nbsp; I love it there! I find the energy of the people and the place so deeply generous that when Yoga Journal named Xinalani one of the top 10 yoga retreat centers in the world I knew I had to bring folks there.&nbsp; I saw myself doing something like this in Puerto Vallarta in a dream many years ago.&nbsp; And now the dream is coming true!<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Where do you go next? What comes next for Alchemy Tours?<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;&nbsp;We have 11 retreats planned for this year.&nbsp; Our schedule is:<br /> April 2-5, 2011 Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Yoga, Skiing and Snowboarding<br /> April 16, -19, 2011 Moab, Utah - Arches National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking<br /> June 19-25, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure<br /> July 2-9, 2011 Dolomites, Italy (Sellaronda Bike Day is 7/3/2011) Yoga, Hiking and Cycling<br /> August 4-7, 2011 Seattle, Washington Wallace Lodge - Yoga, Beers and Bikes<br /> Oct 16-22, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure<br /> Oct 28-31, 2011 Moab, Utah - Canyonland National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking<br /> Sept 2-5, 2011 Sonoma, California - Yoga, Wine &amp; Cycling<br /> Nov 24-28, 2011 Sayulita, Mexico Yoga &amp; Surfing Retreat at Haramara Resort<br /> Dec 18-23, 2011 Big Island, Hawaii, Yoga, Kayaking and Cycling<br /> <br /> We hope to meet new friends at one of our upcoming retreats!</p>

<p><strong>FROM XINALANI RESORT WHERE OUR YOGA RETREAT FEB 26-MAR 5 WILL BE HELD.</strong></p><p>xinalaniretreat.com/</p><p><strong>Alchemy Tours: Interview with Silvia Mordini and Jacob Young</strong></p><p>Silvia Mordini and Jacob Young, owners of Alchemy Tours, are busy getting ready to escape the wintry Chicago-land area for a luscious tropical escape to Xinalani Retreat in sunny Mexico.In between planning workshops, classes, and music play-lists, we were able to conduct a cyber-interview with them so you can learn more about this world traveling couple and the amazing upcoming retreat they have planned.<br /> <br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Where did the idea and name for Alchemy Tours come from?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;It really branched from two things. 1) One of our favorite books is&nbsp;The Alchemist. With that as the somewhat obvious backdrop, it made sense that the alchemy of Silvia's and my background would blend to create a sort of super trip for people unlike others out there. The yoga and active travel vacation being the alchemy that turns to gold.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How did the two of you meet?<br /> <br /> Jacob:We met on a train in Italy...yes, it was one of those romantic things you read about in books, and yes, we get asked every trip about it. Perhaps that is one of the incentives for coming on one of our trips?<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;The way Jacob tells the story makes everyone cry every single time. It was exactly as Rumi writes, Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.&rdquo; In that moment of meeting I was returning from a Yoga Retreat in Tuscany where I had found much healing and growth. I had ever more fully let go of the barriers to loving myself. I was truly awake and more openhearted than ever before.&nbsp; And that is when Jacob found me.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;What came first your love of travel or movement (yoga, cycling, hiking)?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Certainly, for me, it was the movement that came first. Growing up in small-town New Hampshire was not confining to me, because it was all I knew. But from the moment I learned to ride on two wheels, I was gone. I stretched my boundaries constantly, and when I moved across the country my senior year of High School, I became aware of a bigger place around me. Living in Europe the past 8 years (Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain) and guiding in those regions really expanded upon that.<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;For me it would be travel although from an early age my parents tell me I could ski before I could walk, I danced formally and for the pleasure of it, and I was always doing something active Tennis, Swimteam, Biking, Hiking, Running. But even so travel was my greater influence and first love. My Father, Enrico, was at heart a pure adventurer and my Mother's parents were serious spiritual seekers.<br /> <br /> I grew up traveling all over the world with my brother and parents from the time I was an infant. I guess the fact that I love to show other people the beauty of the world through Yoga Retreats and Active Vacations shouldn&rsquo;t surprise anyone since I was born in Ecuador, South America and my Father is from Northern Italy near Modena, and English was my third language.<br /> <br /> One could say being a citizen of the world is in my blood. And I learned from my Father, this spirit of Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, to dream the impossible. I saw with my own eyes, touched and tasted new flavors, experienced new landscapes and as a result I learned about myself. Every time I traveled somewhere I came back different, I was changed and knew that anything was possible.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;What is your favorite part about going on retreat?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Getting past the small talk and really getting to know people. Then, sharing with them the best parts of this new region they are visiting is fulfilling in a very unique way.<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;I am always humbled by the ways our small tribes of Alchemy Tours grow fond of one another and unconditionally supportive of each other&rsquo;s growth. In the corporate world we used to talk about teaming together, but you wouldn&rsquo;t often really see it. Experiencing the loving group dynamic gives me great hope that little by little all people everywhere will one day be able to share this same yoga, or union of spirit and respect.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Describe one of the funniest adventures you've had on one of your trips?<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;You will find us always laughing on our trips. When people feel safe and nurtured they are their funniest selves!<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How do you see people changed by going on retreat?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Without fail, people change after our retreats. &nbsp;Mark Twain sums it up when he says, "The enemy of prejudice is travel." People learn more about themselves, and the yoga that Silvia teaches while on retreat is her to the max. If you have never experienced a Silvia class, you are in for a treat.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Describe a perfect day at home and then on retreat?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;A perfect day at home is waking up and enjoying a neighborhood run or a group ride. Coming home to relish in a relaxing brunch. Heading down to the farmer's market to dream up an elaborate dinner, then going home to cook and enjoy quality time with those I love. On retreat, my perfect day is showing a group of people my favorite place in a given region...I am blessed to do this regularly.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;When did you last have the most fun?<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;Today. Without a doubt, I wake up and say to myself and all those around me &ldquo;this is the best day ever&rdquo;. And it is. I can make fun out of anything and anywhere, even chair pose or going up a crazy steep climb on two wheels.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;What do you do when not guiding or leading a retreat?<br /> <br /> Silvia:I own a successful yoga studio in Chicagoland Total Body Yoga, named the best Yoga Studio of 2010. We have over 50 weekly classes and a team of 15 teachers in 3,900 square feet of wellness space and have happily welcomed over 8,000 students in 8 years. And as a studio owner I have always been a full-time yoga teacher as well.&nbsp; And most of all, when not on retreat I dive deep into being the best student of yoga. I take daily classes and live by the words of Michelangelo when he was in his nineties, &ldquo;Ancora Imparo&rdquo; (I am still learning.)&nbsp; However my greatest joy when not guiding others comes from being a good friend, partner, lover, daughter, sister and one day a mom too.<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How important is music in your life? What music do you play in yoga class?<br /> <br /> Jacob:&nbsp;Music for me is life. I love music because it can not only infuse emotion to a situation but can also be a very powerful tool and motivator.<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;My life is constantly flowing with a soundtrack. My yoga has a soundtrack too.&nbsp; I take great pride in putting together a gourmet experience of sound in creating a new and unique play-list for every class to complement the mood, the time of year, day, bhava (feeling) of the experience. And I love receiving and sharing new music with friends!<br /> <br /> Here are two play-lists I just created for our Xinalani Retreat.<br /> PLAYLIST:<br /> Om Shreem Shriyei, Steve Gold<br /> Count Your Blessings, Nas &amp; Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley<br /> The Ave, Blue Scholars<br /> POWER, Kanye West<br /> Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband<br /> Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)<br /> Alors On Danse, Stromae<br /> Trapped In My Mind, Kid Cudi<br /> Motion Movement, Blue Scholars<br /> What a Feeling, Collie Buddz<br /> Meditate, (feat. Gabriel Teodros &amp; Khingz) Suntonio Bandanaz<br /> Hey Baby, Stephen Marley featuring Mos Def<br /> Afterlife, Glorybox<br /> <br /> PLAYLIST:<br /> Flip Ya Lid, Nightmares On Wax<br /> Under Pressure, Queen &amp; David Bowie<br /> Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo<br /> Mamacita, Collie Buddz<br /> Clothes Drop, Shaggy<br /> Breathe, Stretch, Shake, Mase<br /> Breathe, Alexi Murdoch<br /> Twist, Xavier Rudd<br /> Jamaican In New York, Shinehead<br /> The End, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis<br /> Drive, Ziggy Marley<br /> Enchantment, Corinne Bailey Rae<br /> Something So Right, Paul Simon<br /> Purnamadah, Shantala<br /> Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;How did you first hear about&nbsp;Xinalani Retreat in Mexico, and why did you choose&nbsp;<br /> Silvia:&nbsp;I have been traveling to Puerto Vallarta with my parents and brother since I was a little girl.&nbsp; I love it there! I find the energy of the people and the place so deeply generous that when Yoga Journal named Xinalani one of the top 10 yoga retreat centers in the world I knew I had to bring folks there.&nbsp; I saw myself doing something like this in Puerto Vallarta in a dream many years ago.&nbsp; And now the dream is coming true!<br /> <br /> Xinalani:&nbsp;Where do you go next? What comes next for Alchemy Tours?<br /> <br /> Silvia:&nbsp;&nbsp;We have 11 retreats planned for this year.&nbsp; Our schedule is:<br /> April 2-5, 2011 Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Yoga, Skiing and Snowboarding<br /> April 16, -19, 2011 Moab, Utah - Arches National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking<br /> June 19-25, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure<br /> July 2-9, 2011 Dolomites, Italy (Sellaronda Bike Day is 7/3/2011) Yoga, Hiking and Cycling<br /> August 4-7, 2011 Seattle, Washington Wallace Lodge - Yoga, Beers and Bikes<br /> Oct 16-22, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure<br /> Oct 28-31, 2011 Moab, Utah - Canyonland National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking<br /> Sept 2-5, 2011 Sonoma, California - Yoga, Wine &amp; Cycling<br /> Nov 24-28, 2011 Sayulita, Mexico Yoga &amp; Surfing Retreat at Haramara Resort<br /> Dec 18-23, 2011 Big Island, Hawaii, Yoga, Kayaking and Cycling<br /> <br /> We hope to meet new friends at one of our upcoming retreats!</p>

January 24, 2011.  Here is today’s playlist 60 minutes long. And supporting the philosophical theme of Peace.  When is all is said and done what I aspire to most in this life is being peaceful.  With lovingkindness, Silvia

PLAYLIST 

Dream, Priscilla Ahn

Tesegu, Danone O'Sow

Land Of Anaka, Geoffrey Oryema/Brian Eno

Blue Indian, Widespread Panic

Promised Land, Grateful Dead

Friend Of The Devil, Jerry Garcia & David Grisman

What's Been Going On, Amos Lee

American Tune, Simon & Garfunkel

Stay Human, Michael Franti

Chão de Estrelas, Baden Powell

Ganashyama, Dave Stringer

Pascal's Waltz, Gary DeMichele

Consciousnesss Unfolding, Saggio

 

Living, Loving & (most importantly) Laughing

By Julia Jonson Cohn

1/16/11

Our recent weekend of studies delved into The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which are the ancient texts that are more about life philosophy than physical poses. Deep stuff, right? Yes, for sure…  yet, we students spent the better part of the weekend laughing.

One of my many takes on why yoga = happiness is this: Yoga makes me feel great in my physical body, loved and accepted by the people who teach me and practice with me. Add learning life lessons that are “in your face,” but that totally make sense and you have solved another happiness equation. It is a major shift in perception that makes me feel good and able to laugh at some of the silliness in life. Our teacher, Silvia, compared the racing thoughts in our head to a washing machine. How funny, but how true! The washing machine spins and agitates, much like the human mind, until we find stillness and see the quiet inside that already exists.

Fellow student Rachelle Green (btw, one of the oldest souls I’ve ever met and she just graduated from high school) puts it like this: “Yoga has changed my outlook on so many simple things (accepting things the way they are, being happy and grateful for whatever comes my way). If I heard someone say that a few years ago I'd want to punch them in the face, but over the last year I've grown so much as a person and am truly happy. Yoga helps you create the ease that you've always desired in your life.”

By day three we were giddy. Fellow classmate Ric Saquil observed that we were much like old friends at a high school class reunion… and we were.

Laughing is not just fun, it’s important. You have to be able to laugh at some of the garbage that life dishes out and turn it into something, well, better than garbage. I think that happiness turns up wherever you let it emerge. After one of the most awesome weekends I’ve had in a long time, the trickle down effect is amazing… since then, it’s been one great day after another (even with the garbage).

Wishing you immense peace and never ending laughter!

p.s. One of my favorite Sutras is I 33, The Four Keys to Happiness

 

JANUARY 22, 2011:  I was hanging out today before I taught class at a cool coffee shop called Twirl Cafe in my neighborhood (http://www.twirlcafe.com/Welcome.html). I was there with my favorite 2 year old Willem and my friend Anne.  The neat thing about this cafe is that it is child friendly with organized play areas, kids classes and great latte's.  As I watched the kids play you can see the purest form of imagination at work, total flow yoga.  One moment of play leading spontaneously into the next moment followed by another.  Children innately understand that the only time we can be really happy is NOW.  Like is written in the Alchemist, “Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If I can concentrate always on the present, I'll be happy!” Kids love to be in the flow!

As adults, Yoga helps us to reconnect to the spontaneous FUN available in life!  We’re moving and breathing and trying our best to put ourselves in funny looking shapes without being self-conscious. It reminds us what it was like to be a kid and if you think about it, we really are all just kids in grown up bodies.

Yoga is an adventure whereby we engage in SACRED FUN.  Remembering it is not how or when we accomplish something it is that sense of enthusiasm during the process in just trying. 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. 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.”  And you have to be present and easeful to tap into the joy of spontaneous, sacred fun. In yogic teachings you can think of this as Lila Tandava, “The Playful Dance of Life.”  

So if today you walk into class and don’t feel very playful the yoga is still going to work to help you soften your edges and be a little less serious. Make no mistake, Yoga has serious benefits but we don’t have to practice in a way that is overly hard or serious.  I wish for all of us that the yoga we do makes us feel lighter and more spontaneous. And that when we leave class we spread sacred fun into the whole of the world.  And quite frankly, the world could use a lot more Sacred Fun, now more than ever.  

Today thank yourself for practicing yoga and connecting to Lila Tandava as you danced with your breath, choosing not to be a spectator of life but as the Adventure Seeker yourself! As Willfred Peterson in the Art of Living puts it,“A man practices the art of adventure when he heroically faces up to life; When he has the daring to open doors to new experiences. When he is unafraid of new ideas, new theories and new philosophies (new poses or sun salutations). When he has the curiosity to experiment. When he breaks the chain of routine. When he has the nerve to move out of life's shallows and venture forth into the deep. When he keeps his heart young, his expectations high and never allows his dreams to die...staying vitally alive every day of his life.”

Take action get on the mat for the most Sacred Fun you can possibly imagine!  Don’t wait.  Do it now.  Life is too short not to celebrate it full on everyday!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS - Thank you Yogi Students for trying out a new sun salutation which I've included below. Keep it playful!

 

Mandala Namaskar I (From Shiva Rea)

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE – Anjaneyasana (Lunge)

INHALE – Parsva Anjaneyasana (Side Lunge)

EXHALE – Skandasana (Transverse Lunge)

INHALE – Ardha Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

EXHALE – hands down

INHALE – Ardha Plank (1 legged Plank)

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Plank

EXHALE -- Adho Mukha Svanasana

(To create circular pattern, Mandala, go through series right foot, right foot, left, left)

 

January 22, 2011.  I was so happy to hear that there are other Grateful Dead lovers! Whew! So right on. One song today, more to come. And BTW China Cat/Sunflower is one of my all time favorites. Hope you enjoyed the flow and sweetness of songs by Lyle Lovett and Bree Sharp.  Love the day! Silvia

PLAYLIST 

Simple Song, Lyle Lovett

China Cat/Sunflower, Grateful Dead (Europe 72 Disc 1)

15 to 20 (Den Haan Remix), The Phenomenal Handclap Band

Heyy Babyy, Loy, Neeraj Sridhar, Pervez Quadir & Raman

POWER, Kanye West

Rotolando verso sud, Negrita

Ka, Patchwork

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

These Boots Are Made for Walkin', Nancy Sinatra

Yardie Bone (feat. Wayne Marshall), Sean Paul

Say Something, Mariah Carey Feat Snoop Dogg

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Bree Sharp

Arms of Mary, Leo Kottke

Savasana Singing Bowls

 

*Join me on a yoga retreat in 2011 and enjoy a new playlist for our twice daily yoga classes* www.silviamordini.com and www.alchemytours.com 

 

January 19, 2011. Physical focus today was shoulders, philosophical focus was Sutra 1.2 and how we make a big deal out of the small stuff and as a result over-respond. Yoga helps us to choose what's important.  And as always love to include something either French, Italian, Spanish. Enjoy the flow! Silvia

PLAYLIST

Child's Eyes (Jenny's Song), Scott Cossu

The Hill, Markéta Irglová

Big Medicine, Mari Boine

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Nungabunda, Ganga Giri

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

Just You & I, Dzihan & Kamien

You’re The One, Paul Simon

Grid Lok'd, Govindas

Revofev, Kid Cudi

Pitchblack Darkness (feat. Reazun, Paradox), Kyteman

Maintenant, Rupa & The April Fishes

City Is Burning (feat. Reazun, Paradox), Kyteman

One Moment More, Mindy Smith

Wonderwall, Ryan Adams

Wash Away, Joe Purdy

Into Dust, Mazzy Star

Samba Sadashiva, Donna De Lory

 

**Join me and Alchemy Tours in Puerto Vallarta Feb 26th-Mar 5th early bird until January 31, 2011!**

 

January 17, 2011.  Here is my playlist from class on MLK Day.  Focusing on freeing up our intentions as the best way to show gratitude for all those like MLK that sacrificed so much in order for us to do our hardest pose of all: be ourselves.  That is the ultimate freedom! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia www.silviamordini.com

PLAYLIST

Big Medicine, Mari Boine

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Nungabunda, Ganga Giri

Grid Lok'd, Govindas

Just You & I, Dzihan & Kamien

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

Pitchblack Darkness (feat. Reazun, Paradox), Kyteman

One Moment More, Mindy Smith

Wonderwall, Ryan Adams

Wash Away, Joe Purdy

Child's Eyes (Jenny's Song), Scott Cossu

The Hill, Markéta Irglová

Samba Sadashiva, Donna De Lory

 

***Still time and room to join me in Puerto Vallarta Feb 26- Mar 5! www.alchemytours.com

JANUARY 15, 2011. Would love to have you join me on a Yoga Retreat in one of my favorite places in the world. Lots of great early bird pricing. And still time to get out of the cold and into the Sunshines of Puerto Vallarta, Xinalani Resort! As little as $699 for 7 nights/8 days all food, luxury lodging, 14 yoga classes included.  See you on the mat, near or far! Love, Silvia

ALCHEMY TOURS SCHEDULE 2011

Feb 26-March 5, 2011 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Yoga at Xinalani Eco-chic-spa Resort

April 2-5, 2011 Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Yoga, Skiing and Snowboarding

April 16, -19, 2011 Moab, Utah - Arches National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking 

June 19-25, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure

July 2-9, 2011 Dolomites, Italy (Sellaronda Bike Day is 7/3/2011) Yoga, Hiking and Cycling

August 4-7, 2011 Seattle, Washington Wallace Lodge - Yoga, Beers and Bike 

Oct 16-22, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure

Oct 28-31, 2011 Moab, Utah -  Canyonland National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking

Sept 2-5, 2011 Sonoma, California - Yoga, Wine & Cycling 

Nov 23-28, 2011 Sayulita, Mexico Yoga & Surfing Retreat at Haramara Resort

Dec 18-23, 2011 Big Island, Hawaii, Yoga, Kayaking and Cycling 

ABOUT US

Alchemy Tours are specialized small-group adventures designed for no more than 10-16 participants, including your two guides, and venues are selected to result in a very personal and unique experience of the places visited. We choose where we stay based on charm, design and location, so they are never large international style hotels. All food is carefully picked for the best quality of culinary experience. And our itineraries are planned for the authenticity of the experience offered. Some of the "not-to be missed" well known sites are included, of course, but special lesser known venues are always selected as well. Register today at www.alchemytours.com and make a trip of a lifetime a dream come true!

 

January 13, 2011.  Seriously an amazing playlist.  Very few spoken songs but when they were included like old school Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin or new Kid Cudi, Benni Chawes they were powerful.  And the flow was easy to allow for lots of more in depth verbal cuing on alignment.  Enjoy! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

PLAYLIST - 90 minute class

The Host of Seraphim, Dead Can Dance

Another Brick in the Wall, Pt 1, Pink Floyd

Beyond Time [ambient edit], Blank & Jones

Sterne, Martinek & C-Deluxe

Afterlife, Glorybox

All My Love            , Led Zeppelin

Trapped In My Mind, Kid Cudi

Om Namah Shivaya, Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band

Boee (Come to Me), The Idan Raichel Project

Darbari NYC, Prem Joshua

Have a Little Faith In Me, Benni Chawes

Meditate (feat. Gabriel Teodros & Khingz), Suntonio Bandanaz

Elusinian Blue, Gabrielle Roth

Conga Jog, Al Gromer Khan

Chandra (The Moon), Michael Mandrell and Benjy Wertheimer

PS – If you want to really delve deep into the living your yoga join me on Yoga Retreat in Puerto Vallarta Feb 26-Mar 5, Xinalani resort (all suites, all beach front, all gourmet food included and transfers too along with 14 yoga classes with me!) www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com

(Thank you Ginger for letting me guest teach tonight!)

 

Peeling Back the Layers By Julia Jonson Cohn (RYT PENDING, CLASS #9 TBY TEACHER TRAINING)

I always cry when I peel onions… the more I peel and chop, the more tears that flow. This has been the case for me more often than not lately each time I lie in Savasana. I feel as if I’m peeling back layer after layer of ego and really getting to the core of who I am -- an infinite being who is already perfect and whole. I guess you could call them tears of joy for an incredible discovery made through deepening both my yoga practice and meditating more often. 

My fellow teacher trainees and I spent a recent day of training delving deep into meditation. We started our day with a yoga class led by our teacher, Rachel Dewan. She encouraged us to practice the principle of Ahimsa (or non-harming) both in class and in our lives. After our yoga practice wrapped up, we took that theme a step further as we sat in a group and meditated for 30 minutes. Rachel guided us into stillness and at the end, the feeling seemed unanimous… time flew and we had all gone to ‘the other place,’ as yoga teacher Andrea Harris calls it. Andrea says, "when we spend every waking moment of our day cognizant of only the external portion of our existence, we miss out on something truly important. When we close our eyes with awareness and acknowledge our internal existence, each and every quiet breath lifts away a layer of distraction. Underneath those layers lie your true light, your true spirit, and it is beautifully, wonderfully divine."

The benefits of meditation are extensive. Rachel taught us that a person’s physical health can improve tremendously, if not transform, with regular stillness. Many scientists and doctors are now finding proof of meditation’s direct impact on the way the brain is wired. Clinical research is being done in the areas of depression, anxiety, asthma, cancer and other diseases that shows how patients can reduce symptoms and often times even cure what ails them through a regular meditation practice. Just last week the Wall Street Journal ran an article about the mental health benefits of mindfulness. Psychologists are using new cognitive behavior therapies to help people combat self doubt through a) accepting their thoughts and b) remaining present in the moment. Hey, that’s yoga!

I am officially sold. Not that I needed to be, but it is exciting to see a personal transformation as I meditate more frequently and to know that I will have something invaluable to share with my students. Yet another way to help them increase their level of happiness and see the world more clearly. In the book, “Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness,” (a required read for our teacher training) author and yoga instructor Erich Shiffman reminds us that “it is not arrogant or egotistical to feel good inside. You had nothing to do with it. It’s simply the honest response to clearly perceived Reality.” For me, it just feels so great to feel good most of the time. Reason enough to find time for stillness.

JANUARY 12, 2011.  Here is a really beautiful, fluid playlist aligned with this snowy winter's day. Enjoy!

PLAYLIST:  

Beautiful Friend, Light Rain

Gate To The Silkroad, Mokhira

Ananda, Solar Quest

Deep South, Layo Paskin & Matthew Bushwacka

Nogo, Issa Bagayogo

I Ka Barra (Your Work), Habib Koite and Bamada

Do U Wanna Partner, Clington, Shaan, Suzi Q, Udit Narayan & Wajid

Everything (...Is Never Quite Enough), Wasis Diop

Ganapati, Girish

One Step Closer to You, Michael Franti & Spearhead

This is How I Feel, Finley Quaye

 

January 9, 2011.  I have often been asked "who was my first yoga teacher".  Well that's easy, it was my Father.  And as he really was a professor that makes sense and doesn't. My father was teaching me the Yoga of Life.  Yoga of Adventure. Yoga of Experiencing the world!

You see my Father, Enrico, was at heart a pure adventurer and my Mother's parents were serious spiritual seekers.  I grew up traveling all over the world with my brother and parents from the time I was an infant.  I guess the fact that I love to show other people the beauty of the world through Yoga Retreats and Active Vacations shouldn't surprise anyone since I was born in Ecuador, South America and my Father is from Northern Italy near Modena, and English was my third language.  One could say being a citizen of the world is in my blood.  And I learned from my Father, this spirit of Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, to dream the impossible.  I saw with my own eyes, touched and tasted new flavors, experienced new landscapes and as a result I learned about myself.  Every time I traveled somewhere I came back different, I was changed and knew that anything was possible.  

As  teacher of yoga and as a guide for international yoga trips: I want to inspire in you what my family inspired in me: To see with the eyes of my heart by transforming the ecology of mind that happens naturally when you change the routine pattern of daily life.  And to not apologize for being different and wanting to learn more about how big the universe is.  You see, I am not fearless, I haven't climbed Mount Everest or even Mount Rainer or cycled 100 miles in one day (my co-guide Jacob Young has though!) but I am willing to try anything.  I practice yoga every day to go on an internal adventure, to meet new people and push the boundaries of learning others ideas.  Yoga stokes my Rebel Spirit.  

It's funny (not haha, but funny weird) how yoga revealed itself to me. Yoga has been my faithful companion since a car ran me over more than a decade ago. My doctor prescribed yoga as part of my recovery routine, and my body and spirit began to transform. From my first class, I dedicated myself to live more fully. My loving Anusara-inspired Vinyasa Flow teaching style is influenced by more than 10 years of Hatha yoga study and I am gratefully committed to my three primary teachers: Shiva Rea, John Friend, and my students.

 My teaching style is upbeat and fun, serious and informative, supportive and authentic. I use my own intuition and demonstrations along with people's questions and past experiences to deepen the learning process.  My teaching intention is that while connected to their breath, students might feel each pose with an open heart and a quiet mind. Yoga then becomes a means to explore oneself more deeply in order to better face life’s challenges and open to the endless possibilities that exist for all of us.

 Less interesting but somewhat important: While in the corporate world, I worked as the HR Director for both Inc 500 and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in Training & Development. This parlayed well into opening my own Yoga studio in 2002 and teaching full-time. With over 7,500 hours of yoga teaching experience and the founder of a nationally recognized RYT 200 Yoga Certified Teacher Training Program in it's 10th cycle, I bring inspiration, enthusiasm and playfulness through creative, flowing sequencing and a delightful combination of yoga philosophy and healthy physical alignment all supported by inspiring music.  My life has a soundtrack, my yoga does too.

Just like music nurtures my spirit I want to support you to be more curious about your life.  One things for sure, going on a trip together will stoke the fire of creativity inside you, you will regain trust like what the Alchemist says "the universe is on your side" and you will learn to embrace uncertainty. You will become part of our tribe of Alchemy Adventure Seekers, or at the very least, you won't be afraid to try new stuff. To send me a personal email, write alchemytours@gmail.com. I'd LOVE to hear from you.

 

WWW.SILVIAMORDINI.COM OR WWW.ALCHEMYTOURS.COM

January 9, 2011. My life has a sound track.  My yoga does too!  Some great influence of reggae for a Winter's Day.  What amazing energy from some really fun yogis today at 4:30pm!  Here is my playlist you guys. Thank you so much for making me feel so welcome and for laughing at my jokes!  Can't wait to see more of you.  And feel free anytime to ask me anything at all.  Happy to sweat, flow and breath together. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia www.silviamordini.com

 PLAYLIST JANUARY 9, 2011:

Flip Ya Lid, Nightmares On Wax

Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie

Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo

Mamacita, Collie Buddz

Clothes Drop, Shaggy

Breathe, Stretch, Shake, Mase

Breathe, Alexi Murdoch

Twist, Xavier Rudd

Jamaican In New York, Shinehead

The End, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Drive, Ziggy Marley

Enchantment, Corinne Bailey Rae

Something So Right, Paul Simon

Purnamadah, Shantala

Shavasana/Deep Relaxation, Shiva Rea

 

 

January 8, 2011.  My playlist today for an awesome vinyasa flow class with highlights of asana including: creative core with eagle arms; road runner switch ups; crow pose; eka pada galavasana arm balance; and variations on pigeon. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PLAYLIST JANUARY 8, 2011

Om Shreem Shriyei, Steve Gold

Count Your Blessings, Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

The Ave, Blue Scholars

POWER, Kanye West

Miss Teardrops, Felix Laband

Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)

Alors On Danse, Stromae

Trapped In My Mind, Kid Cudi

Motion Movement, Blue Scholars

What a Feeling, Collie Buddz

Meditate, (feat. Gabriel Teodros & Khingz)Suntonio Bandanaz

Hey Baby, Stephen Marley featuring Mos Def

Afterlife, Glorybox

 

Visit my website to get more ideas for Yoga Music www.silviamordini.com 

WHY GO WITH ALCHEMY TOURS LED BY SILVIA MORDINI AND JACOB YOUNG? 

We stand apart in being able to help clients plan their best future.  Use our tours as weekend long or week long creativity sessions to help you manifest  your ideal future. How? Because our retreats give the coaching, time and support to design the next chapter in your life. Alchemy Tours are specialized small-group adventures designed for no more than 10-16 participants, including your two guides, and venues are selected to result in a very personal and unique experience of the places visited. We choose where we stay based on charm, design and location, so they are never large international style hotels. All food is carefully picked for the best quality of culinary experience. And our itineraries are planned for the authenticity of the experience offered. Some of the "not-to be missed" well known sites are included, of course, but special lesser known venues are always selected as well. Register today at www.alchemytours.com and make a trip of a lifetime a dream come true!

 

ALCHEMY TOURS SCHEDULE 2011

Feb 26-March 5, 2011 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Yoga at Xinalani Eco-chic-spa Resort

April 2-5, 2011 Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Yoga, Skiing and Snowboarding

April 16, -19, 2011 Moab, Utah - Arches National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking 

June 19-25, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure

July 2-9, 2011 Dolomites, Italy (Sellaronda Bike Day is 7/3/2011) Yoga, Hiking and Cycling

August 4-7, 2011 Seattle, Washington Wallace Lodge - Yoga, Beers and Bike 

Oct 16-22, 2011 Tuscany, Italy - Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure

Oct 28-31, 2011 Moab, Utah -  Canyonland National Park Yoga and Mountain Biking

Sept 2-5, 2011 Sonoma, California - Yoga, Wine & Cycling 

Nov 24-28, 2011 Sayulita, Mexico Yoga & Surfing Retreat at Haramara Resort

Dec 18-23, 2011 Big Island, Hawaii, Yoga, Kayaking and Cycling 

 

AT ALCHEMY TOURS WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO?

When we think about why we want to take folks on retreat to various places in the world a great part of that reason is because we want to help people regain what we call “The Innocence of Hope”.  Innocence, wonder, curiosity are such loving human characteristics that require an incredible amount of strength to maintain throughout our lives for its easy to get jaded, or scared or cynical.  When we lose the innocence of hope we stop living our dreams whether it be about offering our hearts to another person or building a business or quitting a job we hate.  We know that by visiting a new place and achieving something physical this innocence and hope for the unknown are rekindled and transportable.  We believe what we offer could change someone’s life.

“The better you feel physically the easier it is to be happy.”  –Martin Rush, Partner Yoga

Hey guys here is my playlist today, the first day after the new moon!  Enjoy and super namaste to all. Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

VINYASA YOGA PLAYLIST JANUARY 6, 2011

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Artists

Just Breath, Pearl Jam

Escaping Arkham, Common Market

Lumière [MAIN], Blue Scholars

Dream Machine (Down Tempo Mix), Mark Farina & Sean Hayes

Evening Chai, Blue Scholars

Boda Boda Rap, Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper, with Lawi One

Now That We Found Love, Heavy D and the Boyz

Govinda Fly, Sharon Gannon (Mixed By Mike D)

POWER, Kanye West

Paris, Tokyo, Lupe Fiasco

Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie

Motion Movement, Blue Scholars

The Traffic Jam, Stephen Marley featuring Damian Marley

Second to Numb, Kings of Convenience

In Another Time, Sade

Twin Blue, Millions & Millions

Dreamcatcher, Bahramji And Maneesh De Moor

 

Join me on an amazing yoga retreat www.silviamordini.com with Alchemy Tours

 

JOIN ME IN PARADISE FEB 26-MAR 5, 2011: YOGA RETREAT IN MEXICO!

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Xinalani is a brand new resort center accessed only by boat. It is in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 10 acres of unspoiled jungle with a beautiful pristine beach, only 12 miles south of Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Xinalani Retreat is about discovery, admiration, love for nature, magic, conscious travel, eco-adventure, wellness, serenity and mindful living. Come enjoy the 1,302 square foot yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation that can comfortable fit 40 students. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, group practices here are a fascinating experience. Accomodations are ALL beach front with a choices of various private suites and a shared house if you are looking to save money. Xinalani Retreat features its own beach club where you will enjoy a relaxing break between your classes. Where you want to go swimming, snorkeling, or just sunbathe while sipping a natural fruit smoothie, this is the place to be. Take a walk in the soft sand, discover the hidden secrets of the naturally sculpted rocks scattered along the shore and explore the small private coves as you explore yourself. 

DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

ABOUT XINALANI
We have chosen for this retreat to stay at a one of its kind eco-resort named Xinalani because we fully believe Xinalani supports our guests on their search for mind-body balance better allows us to facilitate the setting of intentions so each person leaves more focused and open hearted to realize their full human potential. The name Xinalani comes from the Nauatl Xinaloani that means «seed». It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the shared vision that this world could be better if everybody planted and grew a seed inside themselves and let love blossom around it. We look forward to your registration! You are in excellent hands!

INVESTMENT:

OCCUPANCY                 SINGLE    DOUBLE
Eco-chic Suites           $2500     $1,999.00
Eco-Premium Suites $2100      $1,699.00
Petite Suite                 $1800      $1,399.00
Big Palapa                    $1,100      NA

PAYMENT POLICIES: 
Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space.

Register by December 31, 2010 Get $250 OFF
Register by January 15, 2011 Get $200 OFF
Register by January 31, 2011 Get $150 OFF

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE?

• 7 nights of accommodation at Xinalani Retreat
• 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day. Chef is expert in ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics.
• A social hour on select evenings
• All transportation during the trip, including to and from the airport to Xinalani Retreat
• 14 Yoga classes with Silvia Mordini
• Yoga clinics and mini workshops with Silvia Mordini
• Sunset Yoga Ceremonies
• Guided Jungle Hiking
• Private Dharma talks facilitated by your Guides
• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals.
• A special goodie bag with loving gifts

NOT INCLUDED?

Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides

WWW.ALCHEMYTOURS.COM

Do Over By Laura Mills 

   Whether writing a yoga class or an essay, I never erase. Not that I don’t make mistakes, but when I do I scratch them out, content with the messier route in my urgency to shape what I feel is better work. People who glimpse my notes and journals don’t believe I make sense of them, littered as they are with scribbles and swirls. But somehow I do, moving forward after difficult moments to produce something that satisfies me.  

   I wish moving forward were that easy for me off-paper.

   In eight months of teaching yoga, I’ve frequently finished a class feeling less-than-100%. Maybe the sequence didn’t flow as smoothly as I intended, maybe I left too little time for Savasana, maybe the music didn’t compliment the flow, maybe I philosophized too much. And immediately after such a class, I‘ve struggled not to say to my students, “No, wait! Come back! I can do better!” I want to try again, to produce a better version, and I want to do it right away—but of course, I can only hope the same students attend my next class and see me in what I vow will be better form.

   I don’t believe this feeling is unique to new yoga teachers, but I do hope it occurs less frequently with time. I wonder how long I will teach before I rarely second-guess myself. I wonder how long I will teach before the chance is excellent that at the end of my next class I’ll be satisfied. For now, while I grapple with my confidence, I remind myself that when challenged on the mat we slow down, breathe and re-center. It's a familiar, easier-said-than-done practice, one that my own yoga teachers have taught me over and over and one that I now teach my students. Instead of pushing ahead in a hurry, we pause and tune back in, return to our natural rhythm, and then move forward refreshed. This lesson impacted me hugely when I first started practicing, a few years ago at a time when I was urgently—and unsuccessfully—attempting to push my way through the effects of a personal tragedy. Like so many yogis before me, the patience and self-care I met on the mat flowed into the rest of my life, and with time and practice, eventually I was able to gently start again and progress towards the future with a newly-centered spirit.  

   Now, in my role as yoga teacher, after any less-than-100% class I experience that same initial urgency. I want so badly to serve my students in the best way possible, to live up to the credentials I now possess. When I feel a class falls short, I want to go back and improve it immediately…but instead, like I do on the mat, I know I must remember to slow down and re-center, tapping into that patience and self-care that has served me so well in yoga practice and elsewhere.  

   I know I have everything I need to teach yoga well; I also know I judge myself more critically than anyone else ever could. As 2011 begins, I will work on tending my confidence and encouraging it to thrive. I will also remind myself with love that every yoga teacher, new or otherwise, experiences difficult moments now and then. Unlike in writing, we can’t erase those moments even if we want to—but if we slow down and re-center we can, at least in a way, scratch them out and make them not matter so much. Then we can move forward, refreshed, into our next class, onto a fresh page.

Greetings Friends! 

January 1, 2011  Yesterday I posted my last blog of 2010. I have included it at the bottom of this final newsletter of the year in hopes it inspires your own dreams. And really that is my invitation to you: "dream a dream with me." Time on the mat helps us stay connected to what inspires us.  So here are some of my favorite quotes from a book given to me by my sweet friend Anne titled Dream by Susan Bosak.  May they connect you to spirit so you can awaken your greatest dreams ever in 2011!

 Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia    

 "Whoever would one day learn to fly must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." - Nietzsche

 "The Possible's slow fuse is lit by the Imagination." - Emily Dickinson

"A hundred million miracles are happening every day." - Oscar Hammerstein

"The difficulty in life is the choice." - George Moore

"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." -Langston Hughes

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity." - Marie Curie

 

New Years Day Schedule:

5am-7am Sadhana Kundalini (FREE)

10am Level 1 with Wendy

11:30am Level 1-2 with Wendy

1:30pm Restorative Yoga with Samantha

 

PS - Join me January 14-15 Living Your Yoga Workshops

 

**********************************

December 31, 2010 Blog by Silvia Mordini: Adventure, Remembrance, Victory!

As I reflect on this past year, which was one of intense personal change one of the things I am most proud of is making a pilgrimage to Moab, Utah twice.  Both times to help nourish my spirit and connect to the quiet sense of adventure that exists for all that visit Moab.  For a while I forgot what it was like to make adventure.  This was the year I remembered again.

And that is really at the heart of yoga.  This practice helps us remember to remember.  We all sometimes experience spiritual amnesia.  Getting on the mat is that reminder of celebrating life and enjoying this time in this body on this earth right now. 

Edward Abbey writes in one of my favorite books about Moab titled Desert Solitaire "Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards." 

I will never again put my heart in a safe deposit box, I'd rather take chances in love, in life, in traveling and even in my poses so I can be a more active participant in driving my best life forward rather than sitting in the backseat waiting for it to happen.  I will until my last breath run and cycle and yoga and explore and discover the small victories that exist in taking pleasure in life! And I hope if you have learned anything from your yoga that you will find this true for yourself as well.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Happy New Year, Silvia

PS Join me on an adventure with Alchemy Tours www.alchemytours.com or visit my website to keep up with upcoming retreats www.silviamordini.com

December 31, 2010.  As I reflect on this past year, which was one of intense personal change one of the things I am most proud of is making a pilgrimage to Moab, Utah twice.  Both times to help nourish my spirit and connect to the quiet sense of adventure that exists for all that visit Moab.  For a while I forgot what it was like to make adventure.  This was the year I remembered again.

And that is really at the heart of yoga.  This practice helps us remember to remember.  We all sometimes experience spiritual amnesia.  Getting on the mat is that reminder of celebrating life and enjoying this time in this body on this earth right now. 

Edward Abbey writes in one of my favorite books about Moab titled Desert Solitaire "Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards." 

I will never again put my heart in a safe deposit box, I'd rather take chances in love, in life, in traveling and even in my poses so I can be a more active participant in driving my best life forward rather than sitting in the backseat waiting for it to happen.  I will until my last breath run and cycle and yoga and explore and discover the small victories that exist in taking pleasure in life! And I hope if you have learned anything from your yoga that you will find this true for yourself as well.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Happy New Year, Silvia

PS Join me on an adventure with Alchemy Tours www.alchemytours.com or visit my website to keep up with upcoming retreats www.silviamordini.com

December 24, 2010.  Doing yoga together in community is one of my favorite forms of yoga: we are all giving and receiving and I promise to be as generous as I can in sharing my lifetime if experience with you. And thank you for sharing in this experience of practicing yoga with me today.

To begin please take 5 centering breaths and just listen to the most generous teacher of all, your HEART.  

Then ask yourself "Where in my breath can I be more generous, where am I giving and where do I need to receive more?"

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."  - John Wesley

Generosity in yoga is really an interesting learning.  It means the opposite of taking (asteya) whereby we give and share.  And yogically to be generous asks that we be open but with a really focused effort.  In our Western world we get caught up with the idea of doing MORE for the sake of more, this more is better idea (even if quality perishes) often leads to exhaustion.  In the corporate world I used to rage against the machine when it came to an ever increasing aspiration towards mediocrity instead of excellence like when I first entered the workforce 15 years ago.  Energetically this can make us feel totally run down not only because of how much we’re doing but more with the fact in our hearts we’d rather be doing something else.  

"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 first two get to the heart of yoga 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."   

To emphasize generosity here is one of my favorite stories to enjoy! And in the spirit of sharing here is my class plan from Christmas Eve 2010.  Love your day, love yourself, love your life, Silvia

 A Story of Generosity:  Stone Soup (From Daily Om)

There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We can share generously of our ideas, love, and energy. The traveler was able to see that the villagers had so much to offer each other and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to SHARE, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone. Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same!I 

 

CLASS PLAN

WAVE 1

Seated side bend, twist right, combo, eagle arms, neck stretch each side, circle up, hands namaste, side 2

Childs pose, twist it

Puppy to Dog

 

WAVE 2

Childs pose K1- vajrasana side bend, twist, circle up, hands namaste, puppy, dog

Childs pose K2 - camel side bend, twist, circle up, hands namaste, puppy, child's pose, side 2

Minne Vinne K3  - camel repeat above cobra, child's pose repeat repeat

Dog

1 leg dog core plank 3 times knee down, half spinal balance, dip down, open to half side plank

Plank, core plank, begin side 2

Walk forward

 

WAVE 3

Mountain Side bend, Twist high chair, Forward Fold

Sun Salute C

Half Lunge side bend, twist high

2 rounds

 

WAVE 4

Half Lunge transition to Half warrior 2, circle arm around 3 x's

Gate to Side plank facing back of room, plank, core plank, dog

Step left forward, side 2

Facing front again

 

WAVE 5

Mandala Namaskar: 1 leg dog, half lunge, warrior 2, side angle, side warrior, warrior 2, star, pose of shiva, other side warrior 2, side warrior, basic vinyasa

Repeat right leg

Left, left

 

WAVE 6

Begin Mandala but with pigeon hold

Warrior 2, add eagle arms, neck stretch

Prasarita

Warrior 2 other side, side warrior basic vinyasa

Side 2 left pigeon

exit Warrior 2 right leg, side warrior basic vinyasa

 

WAVE 7

Pigeon right as transition

to Cobbler

Supine Cobbler

Supine sequence

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.

 

Have you ever had a hangnail?  What about a pimple?  A splinter? 

This weekend I broke a nail. Tragic!!  Oooh the pain, the challenge, the distraction! Yeah, I know its not that big a deal. But at the time it hurt.  But to add insult to injury as life has a sense of humor, long past being a teenager I still get pimples.  Terrible stuff. And that too, if I let it, creates a little drama inside my head.  But enough about me, what about you?   Do you lets little things like pimples, broken nails, splinters fully absorb all your attention?

It's funny that way isn't it?  Here are these small inconveniences and yet we can get totally distracted where everything else seems to lose significance. All we think about is that one small thing!

One of my favorite writings puts it like this, "Negative emotions are like splinters. They pierce our consciousness grab hold of our minds and consume our thoughts to the point that we can lose sight of our desire for contentment compassion and deeper awareness. Most of us can recall the times we have felt hurt or angered by harsh words or actions of others and how we have held on to our pain processing it over and over in our minds like a never ending one sided argument.  We often hold on to these emotional splinters for weeks months and even years.  Holding onto negative thoughts always increases our pain, causing us to be distracted, dysfunctional and even depressed."

So what are your emotional broken nails? Do you have emotional splinters overriding your life right now?  I'll tell you day 1 of broken nail my mind kept going back to it, I saw this was a problem and by day 2 I was already able to retrain my mind to be more present, by day 3 I only thought about my broken nail 4 times, by day 4 I only let it absorb my attention twice.  You see yoga is for the mind.  There is an answer to our emotional hangnails.  Just like getting a splinter out of the body, once we decide we don't want to replay the negative or hurtful thoughts over and over can we begin to heal.  

And yoga does heal.  It has healed me, it has healed hundreds of students I've seen through the years, it has healed the teacher trainees I've had the privilege of working with for 9 sessions.  Yoga can offer you healing too.  This philosophy comes from the Yoga Sutras, Chapter 2.33 Pratipaksha Bhavana.  Where when we are faced with something hurtful we cultivate an elevated attitude, we move our mind away from the petty distraction and dramas. In other words WE DO NOT FREAK OUT.  Do not Panic.  All the stuff that is flying around outside us we call life is just external agitation.  Yoga helps us to quiet the mind through concentrated focus on breath, movement, sensation to move away from the external pimples and to the place deep inside our hearts where peace always exists.  Where there is no drama.

This comes as a result in great part simply by bringing awareness to the small stuff and often just laughing at ourselves and our humanness and what silly creatures we are.  We learn to shift from a splinter to the important experiences of loving ourselves, loving others, living honestly and with total commitment to our overall happiness.  

"Any of us in deep hurt know that shifting our feelings is much easier said than done. We actually become pyschologically and nuerologically habituated to sharp toxic emotions to that point we we often find ourselves over-responding making the tiniest splinter of perceived negative experience feel like shrapnel piercing our hearts. As we perpetuate this response it becomes such an ingrained habit that we often feel unable to control our behavior."  So  the firs step to healing your emotional broken nails is to know it is possible to change the habits of your mind.  Every yoga class you experience will help you do that.  And through this process of practice "we can transform our splinters to salve, anger into compassion, hate into love, fear into courage and yes even pain into joy!" Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Silvia

Join me with alchemy tours in 2011 www.alchemytours.com

How Can You Be Generous?

As a result of practicing yoga I have changed the way I think about generosity. I have learned to give without expectation and to always remain mindful of the quality of my generosity.  It's one thing to give away those things you don't like or have tired of but what about giving what you value you most? 

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."  - John Wesley

And the thing that we all value is "time".  So in this season of holiday giving take a moment to think of ways you can be more generous with your time. What good can you do that doesn't mean fancy/expensive?  Can you start by being generous with yourself? Can you gift yourself the gift of a yoga class every week, every day this month so you feel the goodness of your own heart. 

Once you start practicing generosity with yourself (just like how your legs support your body in a pose or your breath supports your spirit in life) you'll find it easier to share your goodness with everyone.  Yoga is community. Sharing time with one another makes the best gift. It's not fancy, but it sure is special.

This week I'll be sharing my time at a fundraiser with all proceeds going to benefit Bikes To Rwanda, an Oregon-based nonprofit organization that provides specially designed "coffee bikes" to Rwandan coffee growers, helping them transport their beans to market and create a sustainable economy. Let's come together in union (yoga) and open our hearts to all the ways we can be more generous with something that is more valuable than currency - our spirit, our positive energy, our kind thoughts, our love, our time.

Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia   

 

*Join me on a Yoga retreat in 2011! www.silviamordini.com or www.alchemytours.com to stay in touch

DECEMBER 4, 2010.  We have lots of new friends in yoga class which I'm totally stoked about! And one of the greatest things about new students is how they teach us to really think about Why we practice yoga?  Taking a step back lets just explain how cool it is that yoga is something we "practice".   We are not trying to conquer it or complete it or perfect the crap out of it, we just show up and practice. That's all.  And what is yoga really? Donna Farhi, Master yoga teacher and author says, “In its broadest sense yoga is a return to wholeness. There is an uncompromising belief in yoga philosophy that wholeness is our implicit birthright.  But most of us forget our wholeness, or in yogic terms we forget our true nature, and we live in a kind of illusion that we are alone."   

As a result we end up suffering from a kind of SPIRITUAL AMNESIA that makes us feel separate from our authentic selves, separate from others, separate from feeling better. Yoga is any practice that restores this original wholeness and sense of connection with the world.” And really the reason you practice or I practice is both the same and different. On the one hand we all practice yoga to feel better.  

And how we go about it is unique and special to each of us.  It could be we practice today for physical reasons (to lose 10 pounds), to relieve physical pain, to alleviate mental stress, to process our emotions or even to practice being more spiritual.  All reasons are welcomed and all are good.  Yoga is exactly what you need it to be for you.  It's like taking a field trip to the ocean and we will all focus on one aspect more than another (the sun, the heat, the sand, the sound, the smell, the water).

My all time favorite definition of yoga that I take on as my own as well is by David Frawley, Yoga and Ayurveda:

“Yoga is one of the most extraordinary spiritual sciences that mankind has discovered.  It is like a gem of great proportions, containing many facets whose light can illume the whole of our lives with great meaning. Yogic methods cover the entire field of our existence – from the physical, sensory, emotional, mental, and spiritual to the highest Self-realization.  It includes all methods of higher evolution in humanity – physical postures, ethical postures, breath control, sensory methods, affirmations and visualizations, prayer and mantra, and complex meditative disciplines.  Yoga understands the nature and interrelationships of the physical, subtle and formless universes into the boundless infinite beyond time and space, and shows us how these also exist within each human individual.” 

So why you show up to practice is yours to cherish and my hope is that by the end of class everyone feels better.  That the yoga works to helps us all feel more comfortable being ourselves.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

Join me on a spiritual adventure www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com

December 1, 2101 My "Best" Practice? By Laura Mills, in the words of a New Yoga Teacher

  When I was little, someone I admired advised me to achieve two objectives with my future: first, I must choose an endeavor that brings me happiness; and second, no matter what the endeavor, I must be my very best at it. Very shortly after I began teaching yoga, I knew this particular role model would be proud, for no endeavor of my past had shown me so much joy. But even now, more than six months into my teaching experience, the second objective trails a question mark.... Am I truly the best yoga teacher I can be at this point? And if not, how can I become so?

  It's not a question of spending more time on class preparation. A yoga teacher can literally spend every moment sequencing poses and developing themes. Realistically, of course, that can't happen--and at this point, I believe I've found a place at which I reasonably weave together yoga teaching and practice with the other strands that together form my complete life, including the eating and sleeping, errands and chores, writing and reading, and other pursuits with which I enrich my time.

  If I'm already reading, then, perhaps I should read more about yoga and yoga-related topics. Material abounds, for sure; one of the first things that struck me about teacher training, in fact, was the amount of reading material. Books about the fundamentals of yoga poses and the teaching of them, books on yogic philosophy, books on human anatomy, books on how to incorporate yoga into life off the mat...I confess that even now, six months after teacher training's end, I have yet to make my way through every last page. But even after I complete my first pass through this resource library, much more will remain to be read. Not long ago, for example, at a local bookstore I spotted shelf after shelf of translations of the Yoga Sutras (all different from the three I already own), the Upanisads, and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as books on different styles of yoga, yoga for various ailments and ages, and others. Yes, keeping the pages moving will always be an option.

  But really, even while a stack of still-unread yoga books is never far away, I know that yoga-in-writing is really only a small part of what's left for me to learn. The more yoga I practice and the more yoga I teach, the more I feel as if I stand only at the beginning of a path that stretches infinitely ahead. Just connecting with other teachers and students teaches me new lessons all the time, like there's always one more way to sequence a class, one more way to incorporate a theme, one more reason why people come to yoga in the first place, and one more inspiration that brings them back class after class. In six months of teaching I have yet to leave the studio with the same mind with which I entered; at the very least, after every class I am strengthened in my knowledge that I don't know all that exists to know about yoga. And that I never will.

  And actually, now that I think about it, perhaps keeping this very point at heart--with the greatest humility and the firmest commitment to yoga as a lifelong practice--is the essence of truly being my very best at this endeavor. Yes, I can continue putting my efforts into preparing classes, and I can pursue yoga-related reading whenever time allows. But I can also reaffirm my intention again and again to embrace my own studentship, letting myself just BE TAUGHT as life as a yoga teacher and everything else that I am unfolds. I can keep my heart open to the practice with the faith that, no matter how long I've been teaching, yoga will always have something left to teach me.

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 25, 2010.  

Beautiful Namaste Friends, 

I learned early on in my yoga practice that you have to decide whether you want to go about faking your life or whether you really want to live Your life FULL BLAST. A Yoga teacher friend said to me "REMEMBER TO HOLD THIS TRUTH: YOU CAN NOT FAKE PRANA, FAUX PRANA IS VANITY WHICH LEADS TO INSANITY."

Either you are breathing for real with total consciousness, or you are trying to fake it, doing your life (even your breath) based on what it looks like to other people.  So look for all the ways you are faking your life: do you dress differently from how you want to; do you fake your talk; do you fake the music you tell people you like; do you fake your political opinions; do you fake your love, in yoga class do you fake savasana (final relaxation)?  I can tell you from personal experience that it's not worth it. Pretending to live life will lead to insanity because it is not natural. Remember you can only ever be the 2nd best at trying to be someone else; you are always #1 being YOU.

Either you are kind, loving, real or you're not.  You can't fake it.  So today stop faking it with your friends, family, colleagues.  And you'll find your truth.  Folks ask me "how can you do that pose" like the one pictured above and I tell them the answer is I'm just being me full hearted, open and real and then all of the poses are yours to experience as you.  The poses are like truth serum, the body never fakes it.  The heart always knows!

Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia  

 

**For active life coaching join me and Alchemy Tours on retreat.  Make the change to be YOU in 2011, no more waiting, no more faking it.  Visit www.alchemytours.com or my personal website www.silviamordini.com

HERE IS A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM MY FRIEND RACHEL DEWAN INVITING YOU AND YOU AND YOU TOO TO THANKSGIVING DAY YOGA AT TOTAL BODY YOGA!  GET ON THE MAT, BREATH, LOVE, PEACE TO ALL, LOVE TO ALL! SILVIA 

Dear Grateful Yogis,

My teacher John Friend says that there are 2 main reasons to practice yoga: 

Remembrance - when we forgot our divinity and we come to the mat to reconnect and to remember our connection to something bigger than ourselves 

Celebration - when we already remember our connection and simply want to celebrate being alive and part of this grand universe

Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season, which should be about celebration but for many of us holds a mixed bag of emotions.  Whether you need help remembering or just want to celebrate I hope you can join me for a special class Thanksgiving Day morning from 9:15 - 10:30am to set our collective and personal intentions to celebrating our lives to the fullest, through the holidays and beyond.   And if that wasn't enough to get you there, as an additional incentive I will come bearing gifts!  

I hope to see you next Thursday for a joyful, devotional practice to remind us of our own awesome-ness, and to celebrate it the best way we know how!   I guarantee it will be a holistic preparation for the holiday season: set the tone for interactions with family & friends, prepare the body for some well-deserved indulging, and open your heart to the real gift of the season - YOU, just as you are.   See you there!

Infinite love & gratitude,

Rachel

Anusara Inspired RYT Teacher

OPENING

Face long edge of mat swing arms into twisting kriya

Then knee to arm up, let it go step out left (elbow to knee)

than transverse lunge side to side

Then knee to arm up, let it go step out right

Pose of shiva twists

Low transverse lunge

Walk to right foot front of mat

 

 

WAVE 1

Standing splits, then knee to chest yoga ball 3 x's

Pyramid

Standing splits

Half virasana, lift hips 3 x's hold

Low lunge alternate arms

swing alternate arms

Revolved lunge

Transverse lunge

Frame back foot

I leg dog, flip dog, core plank, twisted plank, parsva vasci 2

I leg chatarunga, up dog, down dog

Same leg again

K2 low lunge, circle arms, revolved lunge, transverse lunge front of mat

I leg dog, flip dog, core plank, twisted plank, parva vasci 2

SIDE 2

 

WAVE 2

From dog jump into malasana

Boat, twist boat dynamic - to half boat

Pocahontas abs from boat prep

Crow - tripod - Crow jump back

 

WAVE 3

Standing splits, baby eagle

High Lunge, alternate arms until it opens to Warrior 2, Reverse Warrior, Revolved Lunge, Transverse Lunge

I leg dog open hip feel twist to opposite elbow core plank

to twisted plank parva vasci

Sit to upavista konasana - twist it

Half hero forward fold

Four leaf clover - lift hips back bend

Pigeon, twist

I leg dog, flip dog, core plank, twisted plank, parva vasci 2 - FULL wheel option

Side 2

 

WAVE 4

Jump to chair, twisted chair each side

Right side twisted chair to low version to side crow

Jump length of mat sideways

Half Moon B

Half hero, lift hips and now extend leg 1 legged upward facing plank

Marychasana C

Open to other side Parva Vasci 1

Core plank

Twisted plank

Fallen warrior rest

Forearm side plank

Forearm plank to sphinx rest

Dog

Side 2

 

WAVE 5

Dolphin partner - kick up

Child's pose

 

CLOSING

Supine downward facing savasana

Turn over, closing sequence

Savasana

 

 

 

Silvia Mordini

info@totalbodyyoga.com

www.silviamordini.com

www.alchemytours.com

www.totalbodyyoga.com

NOVEMBER 19, 2010.  Yoga has without a doubt made me more patient.  Don't get me wrong sometimes it's still hard but for sure I'm better at it.  What's changed? Well I don't want to feel that TUG-O-WAR with myself or with anyone else.  Impatience doesn't feel good and yoga teaches the antidote to impatience is, yes you can guess, patience.  Patience feels good.  It feels like a return to center no matter the chaos or what other people do or don't do. It feels like compassion, peacefulness and a constant return to balance. When I am patient I feel like I can attempt anything and be my most funky self without attachment to the result.  Yoga always teaches that detaching from the outcome through patience will bring peace of mind.

So rather than procrastinating what we really want to try we just do it accepting that the trying is the yummy fun part.  Patience feels like unconditional love and acceptance.  There are no ego issues when we are patient. You know what I mean, that feeling that if something doesn't happen right now in just the way we want it then it's not good enough. When Patient our minds stop playing the old games of pushing, pulling, creating anxiety, distrust, stress or simple heavy expectations.

 

Gosh if we could just take a lesson from the Moon.  Do you know that that moon's trajectory follows the Sun's trajectory, only 6 months later;  the full moon in winter comes as high as the Sun in the Summer.  And it takes the Moon 18.6 YEARS TO FULFILL ONE COMPLETE ORBIT! I love this!  If it takes the moon 18.6 years to complete 1 cycle well then in downward facing dog we really have 18.6 years to attempt it completely for one full time don't you think?  If the moon requires 18.6 years to process its orbit then we can try anything new we want to and give ourselves 18.6 years to really refine it.  

Yoga is NOT a quick fix.  Yoga is like the cycle of the moon.  It takes a long time, consistent practice and a whole lot of patience is developed while trying.  So today through infinite patience may we all demonstrate unconditional love and excitement for life! Be your FUNKY Self! No need to pressure ourselves, give yourself at least 18.6 years on attempting any one thing.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia 

 

PS would love to work with you while on retreat through active life coaching and inspiration. Join me with Alchemy Tours visit my website at www.silviamordini.com

 

 

WAKE UP AND TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE!
Join us for a rejuvenating retreat in paradise. The experience will be grounded, playful, and fortifying as we refine our intentions for the best year ever! Our journey will include two energizing yoga classes each day, as well as open air accommodations and vibrant local cuisine. There will be ample space for rest, reflection, adventure and community connection. Explore the land and culture through surfing, watersports, jungle hikes, horseback riding, bird/whale watching and much, much more. The name Xinalani comes from the Nahuatl Xinaloani that means seed. It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the vision of transformation from the experiences and teachings from our past into the great potential of our future. 

Xinalani Retreat Center is an eco-chic spa hotel, hidden on a pristine beach surrounded by a luxuriant jungle on the south shore of Banderas Bay, near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Conceived as a tropical haven to host group wellness retreats, Xinalani is a place filled with serenity that shelters individuals in their search for a more balanced life style. It is a small private all suites hotel where each guest can feel the intimate closeness to the natural elements, and receive a well-deserved personal attention.

Join us in paradise for experience of awakening a renewal of the body, mind and soul.

DURING THIS 6-DAY YOGA RETREAT YOU WILL: 
• Integrate Spirit and Nature as you practice yoga, and experience truly stunning eco-discoveries, play and meditate with a group dedicated to doing the same. 
• Fully discover (or rediscover!) the Joy of Yoga. 
• Experience a place filled with serenity that shelters individuals looking to establish a more balanced lifestyle.
• Enjoy becoming an active conscious traveler.
• Enjoy exceptional yoga, hiking, eco-adventures and camaraderie, connecting with pristine beaches, organic food, relaxing jungle spa treatments, all designed to help you spiritualize every aspect of your life!
• Recharge, refresh and renew, leaving totally more inspired about your life! 

INVESTMENT: 
OCCUPANCY SINGLE DOUBLE
Eco-chic Suites $2500 $1,999.00
Eco-Premium Suites $2100 $1,699.00
Petite Suite $1800 $1,399.00
Big Palapa $1,100 NA

PAYMENT POLICIES: 
Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space. 
egister by November 30, 2010 Get $400 OFF
Register by December 15, 2010 Get $350 OFF
Register by December 31, 2010 Get $250 OFF
Register by January 15, 2011 Get $150 OFF

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE?
• 6 nights of accommodation at Xinalani Retreat 
• 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day. Chef is expert in ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics.
• A social hour on select evenings
• All transportation during the trip, including to and from the airport to Xinalani Retreat 
• Full transportation by water taxi from Puerto Vallarta to our cliff-side beach paradise
• 9 Yoga classes with Silvia Mordini
• Yoga clinics and mini workshops with Silvia Mordini
• Sunset Yoga Ceremonies
• Guided Jungle Hiking 
• Private Dharma talks facilitated by your Guides 
• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals. 
• A special goodie bag with loving gifts

NOT INCLUDED?
Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides, spa services, other activities not listed such as whale watching, surfing, bird watching.

TIPS AND GRATUITIES
Gratuities for your guides may be given at your discretion in response to their leadership and professionalism throughout the trip. We suggest 5-10% of the trip price per individual to be divided between the guiding team as an industry standard. Gratuities for all restaurants, hotels, transportation and local events are paid for by the retreat organizers.

TO REGISTER AND SAVE YOUR SPOT: 
You can pay with check, direct bank deposit, or credit card or Paypal on line but we most prefer checks. Please send checks to Alchemy Tours c/o Total Body Yoga, 210 Terrace Drive, Mundelein, IL 60061. Contact us at info@alchemytours.com or call if we can answer any questions.


WHERE IS XINALANI, PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO? 

Xinalani is a brand new resort center accessed only by boat. It is in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 10 acres of unspoiled jungle with a beautiful pristine beach, only 12 miles south of Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Xinalani Retreat is about discovery, admiration, love for nature, magic, conscious travel, eco-adventure, wellness, serenity and mindful living. Come enjoy the 1,302 square foot yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation that can comfortable fit 40 students. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, group practices here are a fascinating experience. Accomodations are ALL beach front with a choices of various private suites and a shared house if you are looking to save money. Xinalani Retreat features its own beach club where you will enjoy a relaxing break between your classes. Where you want to go swimming, snorkeling, or just sunbathe while sipping a natural fruit smoothie, this is the place to be. Take a walk in the soft sand, discover the hidden secrets of the naturally sculpted rocks scattered along the shore and explore the small private coves as you explore yourself. Visit http://www.xinalaniretreat.com/ and fall in love!

DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 
LIVING XINALANI
We have chosen for this retreat to stay at a one of its kind eco-resort named Xinalani because we fully believe Xinalani supports our guests on their search for mind-body balance better allows us to facilitate the setting of intentions so each person leaves more focused and open hearted to realize their full human potential. The name Xinalani comes from the Nauatl Xinaloani that means «seed». It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the shared vision that this world could be better if everybody planted and grew a seed inside themselves and let love blossom around it. We look forward to your registration! You are in excellent hands!

LOW IMPACT LIVING
All guests accomodations have low consumption lights (LEDS) and are equipped with two outlets to reload cell phones and camera batteries. Our construction method was extremely organic. No concrete, no land modification. We never cut a single tree and hardly pruned any branches. We promote an intelligent use of resources. All guests are provided with high-end eco-friendly soaps and shampoo. Toilets are low-flow, and all water is recycled and used to irrigate our gardens. We use natural and biodegradable cleaning products, we recycle and compost wherever possible in an attempt to minimize our environmental impact. 

YOGA STUDIO
Come and enjoy our unique 1,302 sq ft (121 m2) yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation. It can comfortably hold up to 40 students. Practicing and learning in Xinalani Retreat is a truly enriching experience, the awe-inspiring Yoga Center was tastefully designed to infuse peace and serenity. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, ideal for group practices.

HEALTHY NATURAL CUISINE
Xinalani cuisine is gourmet vegetarian and may or may not include fresh fish and seafood. The chef is well versed into principles of raw food, ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics if you need special adaptations. You will be served 3 complete meals per day in the dining room following this schedule:

Breakfast: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM - Buffet Style 
Lunch: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Buffet Style
Dinner: 7:00PM - 9:30 PM – Chic

SPA
An array of treatments, massages and facials will help you relax, detox, heal, and reach a greater sense of mind- body balance through your stay. 

TYPES OF ACCOMODATION
All the accommodations are beachfront, spacious, palm-thatched cabins floating on stilts. They were designed with refined elegance and built and furnished by local artisans. Their cozy interiors inspire feelings of calm and serenity. You will enjoy the closeness of the natural elements, the stimulation of the open-air private showers and the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from your terrace.

Xinalani offers 2 different types of accommodation: private suites or a shared house. All suites have private bathrooms. The suites are classified into 3 categories depending on their size, location and view. Also offered is a collective accommodation in a big palapa with up to 8 single beds and 2 complete bathrooms.

TRIP ITINERARY:
XINALANI PUERTO VALLARTA DAILY AGENDA
8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast
9:30am - 11am Vinyasa flow yoga
11am – 12pm Yoga clinics, mini workshops
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch
1:30pm - 5:30pm Daytime Fun (Beach, Spa, Hiking, & More)
6:00pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa flow yoga and meditation
8:00pm Dinner
9:00pm Dharma talks

NOVEMBER 19, 2010.  Dreams do come true!!  Kathy Harold just told me on TBY facebook that TBY was featured (briefly) on Oprah's Favorite Things show today. When she showed the Groupon site TBY coupon was on it! I am just stunned and amazed! I always wanted to be on Oprah. I love her and of all the things we've done this made it! Yup only 1,040 TBY Groupons SOLD, and sold out!

Why did we do it? Well, really after giving away $141,000 of free classes in 8 years we thought what else can we do?  All of us at TBY want everyone to practice yoga. No kidding. Everyone.  And this was our contribution to helping make the yoga more accessible for every "body"  And once you start changing someone's life with yoga it never stops.  

Thank you all for your love and energy!  Stay stoked! Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

The philosophical theme today is Patience and this playlist I created felt to support the physical focus of backbends and practicing patience as we take a step by step approach to our own development.  Enjoy!  Peace in all ways, Silvia

Shine, John Legend & The Roots       

Gayatri Mantra, Bruce Becvar & Nada Shakti       

Easier, Grizzly Bear       

Dance Me to the End of Love, Madeleine Peyroux       

Come Let Go, Xavier Rudd       

The Ave, Blue Scholars       

We No Speak Americano (Original mix), Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup        

Ka, Patchwork       

Haterade (feat. Nicki Minaj & Pharrell), Gucci Mane       

Georgia's Most Wanted

Serenity, Arthur Lee Land       

Things I Cannot Recall, Blind Pilot       

Birds And Ships, Billy Bragg & Wilco       

Hymn (For Ishaja), John Consemulder       

Consciousnesss Unfolding, Saggio       

 

Enjoy today's playlist.  Great vibe, easy, fun then chill and sweet. Love, Silvia

Inna di Red, Mind Control               

Dream Machine (Down Tempo Mix), Hôtel Costes: Vol. 8 by Stéphane Pompougnac,

Cruz, Oof! EP               

Yardie Bone (feat. Wayne Marshall), The Trinity               

Karaoke, Thank Me Later       

Om Shakti Om, This Is Blue               

Friend Of The Devil, Jerry Garcia & David Grisman

Purnamadah, The Love Window - Sacred Chants of Devotion

Chão de Estrelas, Personalidade - The Best of Brazil: Baden Powell

Cuidándote, Pafuera Telarañas (Edición especial)

Cedar Flute Love Song, Native Healing        

EVERYTHING SEEMS NEW

By Julia Jonson Cohn

 Cobrahhh! A collective spark of enlightenment beamed across the yoga studio as our teacher Rachel guided us into the best Bhujangasana some of us had ever experienced. We yoga teacher trainees rose up simultaneously with wide eyes and let out a resounding “ahhhh!” as we achieved near perfect alignment. It was like the grand finale of teacher training that day. Executing a pose that we had all likely done hundreds of times before yet this time it felt brand new because of what we had learned.

 Rachel’s enthusiasm throughout the day reverberated through me as she talked about ankle, thigh and shoulder loops. I was increasingly aware that I was much like a child learning a task for the first time. Yoga has been a trusty companion for almost half my life yet lately I feel like I’m just trying it for the first time. I suppose it is a renewed sense of wonderment about how many elements and layers of this ancient practice exist.

We began our day by taking class with our guru Silvia who challenged us to face our fears. This meant not just taking risks, but paying close to attention to everything around us so that we may be fully present as students of our own life. Silvia explained the worst part of fear is that feeling you get before you do something that scares you. She reassured us that the act itself is rarely as scary as the anticipation. We prepared, learned, watched and sometimes, in very human fashion, got distracted. The class hit a crescendo with Ahdo Mukha Vrksasana or handstand. How liberating to face my fears on the mat! As I supported the weight of my body on my hands (with a little assistance) my fear of heights, of illness and not accomplishing my goals didn‘t feel quite as daunting.

Back in the classroom we talked about opening to Grace at the beginning of practice. I cannot imagine practicing yoga without the life philosophy that our teachers so eloquently ooze. It is helping me to find the “realer” version of me and for that I am thankful. Albert Einstein said “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” For me, a greater understanding of life and yoga is emerging as I examine my own inner nature.

 Namaste to my amazing teachers for guiding me and inspiring me on this journey.

 

Philosophical Focus:  Opening up as the antidote to contraction. Happiness is the antidote to unhappiness. 

Physical Focus:  Backbends

Mantra: I am opening into

 

WAVE 1

On back bricks supported backbend with Cobbler (thanks Jenny for inspiring this pose!)

Cobbler Abs

Half Bridge Abs

Supine Pigeon Ab Twists to Pigeon Twist (side 2)

Bridge

Upward Facing Plank

Malasana twist

Forward Fold - with bind, release open arms to twist, side 2 (prep stage of bird of paradise)

 

WAVE 2

Step back 

Half lunge left leg back with Yoga Mudra hold 

Half Spinal balance with Scorpian Leg

Inhale prepare: Exhale Dip down chest down - Inhale Half Cat knee to chest (Dynamic repeat)

Sunbird reach back for foot opposite hand hold

Full Spinal Balance

Half Plank to core plank

I leg dog left leg in air

Step forward left foot forward

Half Lunge with Yoga Mudra hold (finish all of side 2)

 

WAVE 3

I leg down dog from previous wave transition

Inhale High Lunge reach up

Exhale Flying Lunge reach back

Inhale High Lunge Reach up

Exhale High Lunge back knee dips (juice up quad and palms touch and bend back behind head like handstand as knee drops)

Inhale High Lunge Reach Up (repeat 3-8 times)

Basic Vinyasa with COBRA

 

WAVE 4 Repeat above and add on

High Lunge Upper Body Twist

High Lunge 1 armed backbend like half camel hold

Dynamic - 1 armed high lunge backbend to Revolved Lunge 3 times

Last time Revolved Half Moon B hold

Ardha Matsyendrasana twist

Pigeon - quad stretch (left leg forward)

1 leg down dog

Cow Downward Dog

Cow pose with pose of heart arms outstretched

Seated Cow pose twist

Cow pose with cow arms fold

Pigeon top leg forward Right Leg pigeon

I leg downward dog

Scorpian vinyasa (option Scorpian balance or Dancer Dog hold)

Basic Vinyasa with Cobra hold

Side 2 (left foot forward)

*Add stage two Pigeon to Mermaid to King Pigeon

 

WAVE 5

Pigeon Quad opener twist opposite hand

Pigeon Hold back foot both hands

Four Leaf Clover pose lift hips into back bend

Half Virasana

Lie Back

From supine half virasana bend extended leg and lift to 1 Legged Wheel (Pigeon variation if you wish)

Half virasana back to seated

Standing Splits

Half Lunge King Pigeon 2

Half Spinal Balance Scorpian leg, now extend bottom leg as crutch, or straighten or stage 3 full pose

FULL LOCUST feet in sky

To belly pause

Side 2

 

WAVE 6

Closing poses: include Malasana, Cobbler, Supine Cobbler

 

INTERMEDIATE VINYASA - PEAK POSE VISMAMISTRASANA - NOVEMBER 14, 2010

One wave taught and practiced from my video. Philosophical theme is not judging, letting go of self-consciousness

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

 

WAVE 1

Childs pose

Wrist Stretches: Finger tip table floss shoulders, turn one hand around face knee, switch, turn back of hand around to face knee, switch

Half Thread the Needle

Thread the Needle:  Hold then dynamic keeping shoulder quiet-  all core action obliques

Half Thread the Needle dynamic

Thread the Needle side 2: hold then dynamic

Downward Dog

 

WAVE 2

Half Spinal balance to child's pose dynamic alternating each side

Full Spinal balance hold, 

Kneeling Side Plank

Gate Pose

Half Warrior B

Half Triangle then unsupported niralamba

Kneeling Side Plank

Flow 3 x's

Hold Kneeling Side Plank to Full Side Plank

Plank - basic vinyasa

Side 2

 

WAVE 3

Reverse Half Vinyasa: Upward facing plank to Dog pose repeat and flow (add optional chatarunga, plank)

Walk the dog to Uttanasana (forward fold)

Lift right leg - standing splits, lower

Stand up - lift left knee to crane

Warrior 3

Crane to Standing Pigeon Chair arms open, twist arms wide

Step forward Pyramid

Side 2: stand on left leg crane, warrior 3, crane to Standing Pigeon chair, twist, step back Pyramid

Standing splits left leg is up

 

WAVE 4 - Sun Salutation C with variation

Step back Half Lunge knee down circle arms up, lower

Step forward half way Pyramid inhale/exhale

Lift chest prepare jump or step back basic vinyasa

Step Left foot forward Half Lunge, pyramid, basic vinyasa

Flow and repeat 5-7 times

 

WAVE 5

Last time from Pyramid hold

Revolved Triangle

Revolved Half Moon B

Standing Splits

Warrior A with yoga mudra

Humble Warrior

Side Angle 

Warrior B

Dynamic Reverse Warrior to Side Angle Pose - a few times

Basic vinyasa

Side 2 repeat above

 

WAVE 6

Step to Low Lunge - Quad stretch

Half Warrior 2 prep

Half Splits

Half Vismamitrasana

Koundinyasana 

Basic Vinyasa

Side 2

 

WAVE 7 - LIKE MY VIDEO

Malasana front of mat

Cobbler (optional Supine Vismamitrasana)

Seated Forward Fold

Marychasana C twist

Janu Sirsasana twist

Kneeling Side Plank

Parsva Vasistasana 1 (variation of side plank legs split)

Sit to Upavista Konasana twist away then towards other leg

Wear leg on shoulder Seated Sundial pose (Seated Vismamistrasana)

Elephant arm balance - thread leg under

Half Vismamistrasana or Full Vismamistrasana

Koundinyasana 

Basic Vinyasa

Side 2

 

 

CLOSING WAVE

Malasana

Cobbler

Supine Cobbler

Finishing poses

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       

NOVEMBER 12, 2010.  So great to have our Groupon friends CHOOSE US for the deal today and tomorrow!  Tell your friends $30 for 11 classes, 70% OFF regular price.  Or if you have been away from the practice then take advantage of this deal and come back.

I know the the world has been full of financial CONTRACTION.  Well this is our way of putting energy into the world of ABUNDANCE!  We want everyone to practice yoga, we want this in our way to contribute to the world's greater happiness.  Love to all! Silvia

GROUPON LINK: Or go to our facebook page to click therehttp://www.groupon.com/chicago/deals/total-body-yoga?utm_campaign=total-body-yoga&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&c=ednb&addx=skirider@gmail.com&utm_content=standard

PS - Great Holiday, Christmas Gift!!!

JOIN ME DECEMBER 8-12, 2010 FOR A 5-DAY YOGA RETREAT DESIGNED TO HELP YOU REDISCOVER YOUR BLISS.  JUST YOGA, YOU, ME, BEACH, LUXURY, PRIVACY, TIME.  

TAKE $250 OFF!! AS MY STUDENT.

• Integrate Spirit and Nature as you practice yoga, hike, swim, lounge at Haramara private beach, enjoy meditation beach walks with a group dedicated to doing the same.
• Fully discover (or rediscover!) the Joy of Yoga.
• Experience a place filled with serenity for those looking to reestablish balance.
• Enjoy exceptional yoga, hiking, eco-adventures and camaraderie, connecting with pristine beaches, gourmet vegetarian meals, relaxing jungle spa treatments.
• Take advantage of opportunities to experience epic surfing, fun zip lining, horseback riding, whale watching, snorkeling and more!
• Recharge, refresh and renew, leaving totally more inspired about your life!

WHERE IS HARAMARA?

Haramara (a sacred Huichol word for "Grandmother Sea") is located amid the mountains in the most beautiful coastal region of the state of Nayarit in Mexico. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre mountains, perched on a pristine natural beach, Haramara is an idyllic retreat offering outstanding serenity, stunning beaches and awe-inspiring scenery. The surroundings are marked by volcanic highlands, lakes and rivers, as well as innumerable beaches, many of which still remain untouched. The Pacific breeze keeps the climate deliciously mild.

ACCOMODATIONS AT HARAMARA

 

Breathtaking views and untouched tropical vegetation embrace the charming and cozy palm-thatched "cabañas" (bungalows). There are some beautiful photos on the resort’s website Each cabaña has been carefully designed to subtly merge the internal and external environments while meeting strict ecological standards. The cabañas feature comfortable beds, with hand woven sheets, and carefully designed bathrooms. The folks at the retreat center have graciously arranged for two lodging choices. All lodging choices are inclusive of tax, gratuity, meals and use of the facilities.

HEALTHY NATURAL CUISINE

 

Enjoy delicious gourmet meals served in a spacious open air palapa roofed restaurant overlooking the jungle and ocean.  Meals are tastefully prepared and served with beautiful and artistic presentations.  Our wait staff is friendly, well trained, and attentive to your needs.Haramara acknowledges that good nutrition and well balanced meals are an integral part of yoga, meditation, a good mind-body learning experience, and overall health and well being. You will be served 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day.

YOGA STUDIO

Come and enjoy the beautiful 1,300 sq ft yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation. It can comfortably hold up to 40 students. Practice and learn with a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, ideal for group practices.

SPA

An array of treatments, massages and facials will help you relax, detox, heal, and reach a greater sense of mind- body balance through your stay.

INVESTMENT: 

$700 for Dorm shared
$850 for a double room
$1200 for a single room

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR INVESTMENT?

• 4 nights of accommodationat Haramara Retreat
• 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day.
• A social hour on select evenings
• 8Yoga classes with Silvia Mordini
• Yoga clinics and mini workshops with Silvia Mordini
• Sunset Yoga Ceremonies
• Private Dharma talks facilitated by your Guides
• A special goodie bag with loving gifts

NOT INCLUDED?

Airfare to and from the trip, transfers, gratuities for your guides, and spa services.

PAYMENT POLICIES:

Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space. Balance must be received by TBD

TIPS AND GRATUITIES

Gratuities for your guides may be given at your discretion in response to their leadership and professionalism throughout the trip. We suggest 5-10% of the trip price per individual to be divided between the guiding team as an industry standard.

TO REGISTER AND SAVE YOUR SPOT:

You can pay with check, direct bank deposit, or credit card or Paypal on line but we most prefer checks. Please send checks to Alchemy Tours c/o Total Body Yoga, 210 Terrace Drive, Mundelein, IL 60061.

CONTACT US

For more information contact: retreats@totalbodyyoga.com or visithttp://silviamordini.com/yoga-retreats.asp (530) 408-6877.

TRIP ITINERARY:

REDISCOVER YOUR BLISS HARAMARA DAILY AGENDA
8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast
9:30am - 11am Vinyasa flow yoga
11am – 12pm Yoga clinics, mini workshops
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch
1:30pm - 5:30pm Daytime Fun (Beach, Spa, Hiking, & More)
6:00pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa flow yoga and meditation
8:00pm Dinner
9:00pm Dharma talks

 

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!

NOVEMBER 8, 2010.  As I returned from Moab Sunday evening with Carol and Rich we left behind the undistracted energy of the rocks and desert and mountains and as soon as we got off the plane in Denver were hit with the reality of distraction once again.  The lights! The noise! The volume of people! The buzz in the air!  It hit me with such force I felt a little sick to my stomach for a moment.  And a lot confused.  I thought hmmmm so that's what we live in day in and day out?  

Sometimes we don't know what we don't know until we know something different.  To be in Moab on a Yoga retreat with Alchemy Tours (www.alchemytours.com) mountain biking, hiking, bouldering is to be in a new world devoid of all distractions apart from our little tribe.  The spiritual progress we make in this situation far surpasses what is allowable on most "normal" days when surrounded by noise, people, business, worry, speed, and anxiety.  There in Moab on the rocks, there is quiet and we can all finish the conversations we start with ourselves but never seem to finish while at home because something comes up and distracts us.

"I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." --Hilaire Belloc

Going on a yoga retreat is an experience of fulfillment.  It is done with purpose and the guidance we offer is focused whether on a mountain bike or hike or practicing yoga.  Whereas distraction is that feeling of being lost.  And we've all felt lost before.  Using this practice to help concentrate allows us to organize the energies around us, inside us and turn them into undistracted energy which is quite powerful.  We need that laser like focus to accomplish our intentions.  On the mat we take one part, one stage (krama) at a time to help achieve amazing experiences.  We place our hands, lay our foundation in a downward dog, direct our energy from the focal point of our hearts to our legs and arms, feet and hands.  It is bringing the macro of our life into the micro of full detailed attention. 

While in Moab Geology Joel, our personal friend and ranger, guided us in Arches National Park Fiery Furnace.  He had us at the end stop and look at the vista of beauty before us and passionately implored us to not just see the bigness but to get down there and touch feel be part of the detail. And that in and of itself will help us be less distracted or overwhelmed.

Today, do something that draws your energy back to you. Take time to calm the chaos and move from distraction to center. And in that center is love.  So love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia 

FOR FUTURE TRIPS TO MOAB WITH ALCHEMY TOURS PLEASE VISIT www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com save the date of April 16-19 2011 Moab, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Yoga Adventure or Oct 27-30, 2011 Moab Mountain Biking, Hiking, Yoga Adventure

OCTOBER 24, 2010.  With more and more yoga options all the time.  And I am not talking about types of yoga I am simply talking about the temperature of which a yoga room is heated for your practice. You have to make the best choice for yourself 120 degrees?  95 degrees or 80 degrees?  The bigger question is not about the temperature of the air but how does it make you feel?  If you are practicing in a cold room and you leave the practice a Hot headed yogi well that's a problem.  If you are practicing in a super duper hot room and you leave a cold hearted yogi that's a problem.

 My hope is you find what you need in the world and you leave the practice warm hearted with a cool clear mind.  That's all.  And whatever you have to do to get there is all good.  The world needs less hot yogis or cold yogis and simply needs loving warm yogis.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

HARAMARA MEXICO YOGA BEACH RETREAT WITH SILVIA MORDINI DECEMBER 8-12, 2010 

WHY SHOULD YOU GO ON RETREAT WITH ME IN MEXICO BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR?  Because by the time we get to December it feels like we've exhausted ourselves from the race to the finish line of the year. Then we get too tired to devote ourselves to our 2011 Intentions. I can't think of anything I'd like to do more to keep back the Winter Blues and rediscover BLISS than going to a gorgeous, tropical place on the beach with beautiful accommodations, sunny days and yummy food. If you are a regular yoga student who wants a vacation with lots of yoga, complete relaxation and transformation then keep reading... this is for you!

Think of this as a deeply transformative retreat for those who love the beach or like to surf and also want lots of yoga to strengthen the body, tame the mind and open your heart! And this whole experience can be fun and funny and joyful along the path to finding our bliss. 

 

COST:

$700 for Dorm shared with 6

$850 for a double room

$1200 for a single room

$150 OFF FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO SIGN UP!

 

FIND OUT MORE:

http://www.haramararetreat.com

http://silviamordini.com/yoga-retreats-reservations.asp

 

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Everything luxury rooming, gourmet organic cuisine

 

NOT INCLUDED: airfare, transfers and gratuities 

On the Mat and in Life

By Julia Jonson Cohn

10/27/10

I felt like I was packing for vacation. Snacks, check. More snacks, check. Oh yeah, magazines, drinks and a few odds and ends to share with my classmates. Wow, can‘t wait to see them again! Lip balm, yoga mat, travel tea mug and a couple of pens. OK, everything’s here. For two days, I piled stuff onto my kitchen counter in anticipation of one day of yoga teacher training.

Our group showed up ready to continue our yogic studies. Many of us talked about subtle and awesome changes we’d been experiencing in our daily lives since embarking on this journey. After just four days of learning, many of us were eating better, smiling more and arguing less. Maybe that’s why I was so eager for more -- I’m just feeling plain good.

We started our day with a yoga class taught by Rachel, another expert yoga instructor who will be guiding us through training.  She had us practicing kapalabhati breathing and we worked on two Rasas. Shringara, or love and shanta, or peace. We engaged our shins and our thighs. I felt spectacular, balanced and ready to learn.

Back in the classroom, we spent our day learning about asana and the benefits of the different categories of poses. We talked less about life this time and more about proper alignment in our bodies. Funny thing is, it was obvious the lessons about postures mirror daily living.

Rachel taught us the importance of a good foundation - if your feet are where they should be, if you have a strong foundation, everything else falls into place in standing poses.  I thought that’s the same with me. When my inner foundation is strong, life is mostly good. Then we talked about how groups of poses in class get students ready for the pinnacle, which is the most challenging pose of the practice. Rachel says it’s important to choose the proper tools (or poses) to help achieve the more challenging poses. Once again, yoga practice mimicking real life. I couldn’t help but think of daily difficulties, or even some of the biggest obstacles I’ve faced in my own life. Wouldn’t Oprah call this an ah-ha moment?! As I looked at the peaceful faces around the room and watched our leader Rachel sharing her knowledge, I took great comfort in knowing I’d chosen to be here.

In two weeks our group will meet again for several days of study. And I’m certain I’ll be packing up again.

I unrolled my mat and made sure the music I wanted was ready to go. Greatly anticipated, it was to be a quiet hour of yoga with a friend at my home, and thus I took great care in creating the perfect atmosphere and space. As I waited for my friend to arrive, I sat down with a jotted sequence of poses; reading over it, somewhere between Tadasana and Uttanasana the words "I love yoga" floated through my mind. I paused, struck by the words' abrupt appearance, their simplicity, and the fact that my thinking them didn't surprise me at all.

  Indeed, as my practice has deepened, but most especially in the last six months as I've embraced the role of yoga teacher, such incidents have occurred more and more often--not always in the form of an unbidden thought, but definitely in a way that integrates seamlessly with the flow of the moment. One evening, for example, while mentally reviewing a class I was to teach the next day, I found myself suddenly up on my feet, moving from Virabhadrasana I to Humble Warrior to Virabhadrasana I to Plank...with joy, I had sprung out of my chair and into the sequence. With nothing in my mind except the love of the practice, my body had just started flowing.

  And this tendency, for lack of a better description, hasn't restricted itself to acute incidents, either, but sometimes occurs in the form of a new pattern. One of them I notice during my early-morning home practices.... Without fail, every practice, my body and mind fight the 5:30 am clock chime, the first glow of candlelight and hint of incense, the extra effort coupled with the creaks and cracks of those initial stretches. But by the end of the first wave, my body and mind pulse with peace, content with the flow and happy in the practice. And by the end of the 60 or 75 minutes, I don't want to stop.

  Another new pattern occurs each evening, when I attempt to fall asleep. Whereas I used to try to take deep breaths while I replayed the day's events and convinced myself not to let anything bother me, now I settle myself by releasing one long, deep exhale and opening myself to a rush of gratitude. No matter what occurred during the day, I truly believe I am blessed with the privilege of just breathing, of having had another day to live...no mater what. The day's events, whatever they were, don't matter nearly as much.

  I definitely didn't feel this way before.

  When I first started practicing yoga, it was something I set out to do on a regular schedule--go to class, then go home, then pick up the day where I left off. And though I enjoyed yoga from the beginning, knowing I did something so, so good for me in so, so many ways, with time I began to actually feel yoga: the unbidden thoughts, the joy in the practice, the peace in knowing I am, as yoga teaches, only a small part of something much greater. Feeling yoga like this is what, for me, especially since I began teaching, has distinguished between yoga as a hobby and yoga as a defining quality of who I am. And significantly, because of the yoga I love so much, little by little I've learned to love myself so much better. I hope that now, in the role of yoga teacher, I might inspire others to learn the same for themselves.

  May you feel your yoga, too...  Laura 

October 23, 2010.  Today painting a picture with the words:

Deliberate 

Self-study 

Practice 

Intention

We all had other places we could be today but we chose to be on the mat. This was a deliberate choice. Just like what we say or eat or do or think is deliberate.  In yoga we make a deliberate choice to show up and take responsibility for our actions where we place our hands, our self-talk and we study ourselves Svadhaya to learn about ourselves.  This may be a huge paradigm shift as most of us go about life studying what everyone is doing to learn about ourselves.  Or we are more interested in what everyone else has to think about us than we are of our own opinion.

The practice of yoga is defined in the yoga sutras is something that is practiced over a long time, repeated without break (consistent) and practiced in earnestness.  A sort of serous studentship.  And behind that practice is the power of intention.  Intention is on purpose.  It is in other words deliberate.  

So you see how this creates a healthy feedback loop and helps to give us the means to end our suffering and come into our true nature which is joy and ever expanding happiness! You have the ingredients in deliberate self-study practiced with intention.  Now all it takes is you.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

OCTOBER 22, 2010.

A quick summary of the highlights about Pushing and Pulling, Dvesa and Raga.  Take to heart the words of Judith Lasater who writes, “in life we are pulled between trying to get what you want and trying to avoid what you don’t want.  Pulling and Pushing away both limit our freedom.”  What is freedom? To me is about learning to BE. The aspiration is towards beingness.

Yoga Sutras Chapter 2, Verse 7

Excessive fondness for pleasant experiences causes longing.  Attachment (Raga) which is PULLING

Yoga Sutras Chapter 2, Verse 8

Excessive avoidance of unpleasant experiences causes disdain.  Aversion (Dvesa) which is PUSHING

 

On and off the mat we can be aware of what we are thinking:

Where are your thoughts PUSH energy.  Push thoughts are things like “I don’t want to hold this pose, I don’t want to try this new or difficult variation”.

Where are your thoughts PULL energy.  And pull thoughts might be things like “I want another Sun Salutation, I should be able to do 35 vinyasas per class no matter what. Bring on side 2, I'll take it on.”

And the way this travels with you into your life is how you treat your family, your friends, you partner.

Every time you push your partner, he or she must pull back, and the pressure is now on them to not only react to your pushing, but to do so with accuracy, without overcompensating for the initial push, in order to come back into balance. Think if you just stopped pushing or pulling at your partner how the beingness would be so much easier.

Peace out, Silvia

Happy Day Friends!

So thankful for all of you who shared your practice with me this morning and can't wait to see you Friday 9:15am Level 1-2 and 6pm Level 1; Saturday 9:15am Basics or Sunday 7:45a Level 1-2 before my flow takes me to Europe and back.  

The meditation in my heart is about why some pull or push in life when the experience of just "being" is so much easier.  And so I went back to the source, before I learned about the yoga sutras, I learned really great rules about not pushing or pulling in Kindergarten.  I share these inspiring words from Robert Fulghum and hope you can join me for loving, easeful practices where we do it together because really "when we go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia   (Hey don't forget to friend me on facebook, like me under Alchemy Tours or Alchemy of Yoga)

 

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

[Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum.  See his web site at http://www.robertfulghum.com/  ]

www.silviamordini.com

www.alchemytours.com and www.alchemyofyoga.com

OCTOBER 20, 2010.   Our hearts are like a safe in the energy bank of our bodies.  We each have our own personal energy field that protects us and determines how we feel, think and function and oversees this safe of our hearts.  And since there is energy everywhere we have to be aware of how to keep making deposits into our bank and not just withdrawals.  Everything is energy!

And there is both good energy and bad energy.

The first time I was introduced to the work of Dr. Judith Orloff something just clicked!  I had never heard the term "Energy Vampire" prior to working with an energy healer.  But throughout my life I remember how sometimes just talking to a particular person would drain me so severely I'd need to rest and recover while interacting with most other people had an energizing effect.  Why would one person deplete me and 25 other people in the same day would fire me up and inspire me?  The volume of interaction wasn't making intellectual sense.  Then I began to study and learn about the Alchemy of Yoga: the energy we have as people exists on physical, emotional and spiritual levels.  

Even today I have two primary energy vampires: one a person who by email, voice, person or even just thinking about them causes my breath to shorten my chest to get heavy and an immediate anxiety come over me and the other main energy  vampire in my life is technology.  It sucks me in and if I'm not careful can push me to the other side of energizing to draining.  I have to be careful with both and this practice has helped find ways to restore my own energy and set stronger, healthier boundaries.  My heart is too valuable to allow to be influenced by even a single moment of negative energy.  I love myself too much to let this happen.  And I hope you see your heart as this precious jewel in a beautiful safe in the bank of your body and you too learn from yoga how to set energy boundaries, recharge and make at least as many deposits as withdrawals for a happier more balanced life!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia  (See below some excerpts from various articles you can find on the internet searching Energy Vampires, especially the works, writings, books by Dr Orloff are highly recommended)

 

"The real harm in a psychic attack is that is not a fair exchange of energy in that the vampire (predator) gets energized and the victim (host) gets depleted of their energy....

..Another way vampires operate is to always play the victim and voice complaints. You will play right into their hands when you give an optimistic response time and time again. The vampire uses this positive energy you are giving them as an energy source. The person giving the sound resourceful advice may think they are just being a good friend but if this person makes it a habit to complain they are using you as their victim and getting the energy boost leaving you not only emotionally drained but physically as well.

..Many people are not consciously aware of what they are doing but it does not render the attack any less harmless to the victim. You are actually creating an energetic opening and have made yourself vulnerable to the vampire attack once they get you to release some sort of energy by means of rage or sympathy. 

..There are some key things that most vampires have in common. The vampire is unbalanced (1) emotionally, (2) physically and (3) spiritually. They have to use others to derive strength and energy from. Their system is highly deficient in all three areas. If you do not limit or discontinue contact with these energy reducers you could become imbalanced as well.  You could find yourself drained of physical and emotional energy you need to thrive.

 

POSITIVE ENERGY BOOSTS- Dr Judith Orloff (she's the best!)

Clear your energy. Positive energy is the most powerful antidote to negativity. 

"When dealing with energy vampires, your positivity, certainty, and vision have to be greater than their doubt," says Gordon. 

Create a mantra that tunes out negativity, and repeat it to yourself during an attack. 

Or take a cue from The Sound of Music: Remember your favorite things, particularly times of triumph or joy. 

"Thinking about a great moment in your life builds a force field around you and blocks out negative energy," adds Gordon. Picturing your energy can offer protection, too. "Visualize your energy as a beautiful, golden light, and send that light through your body," suggests Reiki master Carolyn Agosta. "Tell yourself, 'My energy is only valuable to me,' and disconnect your energy from the other person's."

My Tribe

By Julia Jonson Cohn

10/17/10

I hugged them, said goodbye and actually got misty-eyed at the thought of not seeing them again for ten days. Thing is, I only met them last week! My new tribe, as our leader calls us. My fellow yoga teacher trainees, who I will be learning and growing with for the next several months, made an imprint on my heart.

We are a diverse bunch. Our ages span 50 years. Our occupations range from dog groomer to doctor and the tribe has an array of talents and interests -- we have musicians and runners, one who has a green thumb and another who has studied to be a monk.  Some of us are parents and there are group members who were born in other countries and we all share a love of yoga. Over the course of 4 days we shared what makes us awesome, finessed each other’s poses and literally sat on each other’s lap (while tweaking Utkatasana or chair pose). We laughed a ton and some of us even cried a little, but mostly we grew.

Each training session began with taking a yoga class. Then we’d come back to our classroom, sit in a circle and talk about our practice.  The bulk of early learning for our tribe, as teacher Silvia calls it, came in the form of self-work. Silvia told us she wanted to build us up and she did. 

She taught us that yoga and meditation will help us clear away the chitti vritta, or chatter in the mind.  We were encouraged to feel deeply, live fully and love completely. Our foundation is one of self-love and how you are the lover of yourself as well as the beloved.  Silvia used tons of humor and amazing analogies to drive home the point that the more open and seeking you are the more potential you have to recognize your greatness (because we are already great she told us!).

 I witnessed myself and my tribe transforming -- we went from being a group of acquaintances to trusted comrades sharing a common mission in life… the desire to help humanity through yoga. Author Jane Howard says “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”

Ultimately, the most profound lesson I learned in my first four days of training is that I am already perfect and whole and that my path as both a teacher and student will be more joyful and fulfilling if I am kind to myself and others. I think my tribe would agree.

Namaste!

 

OCTOBER 17, 2010.  "People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."  The Alchemist

This is about Fear.  That we limit ourselves mentally, emotionally as a result and unless we can see the fear as illusion, just a mental game we are playing it will paralyze us, stiffen us, make us brittle.  As the Alchemist also goes on to talk about how the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering.  It is NOT about whether or not we are afraid. Of course! We all are afraid of something.  But instead how we either allow this fear to stop our experiences of life or let it fuel the bouncing back.  We try, we experiment, we get a result, maybe not the one we wanted but still a result a karma and we bounce back to try again.

 

What is your bounce back factor?

 

Do you allow things to scare you so much that you ignore them, freeze, run away, fight them?  Today the family of poses we used to help us move beyond the illusion of fear was arm balances.  Learning to concentrate regardless of what was physically achievable.  Learning how to attempt the impossible to see that this opinion was only a thought...nothing more or less. And just as easily we can change that thought to believe in the impossibility of things.  You can by facing your fears learn to talk to yourself differently.  So here below was our class plan (not as cleaned up as usual but for sake of time I wanted to share it with you as is).  I hope you enjoyed the practice and that you see how deserving you are of living life FULL BLAST, get past the veil of fear and try for your most important dreams!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

Theme: Solving the "mystery" of arm balances. If this family of asana have you spooked or scared let's face that fear together and see what's really going on.

CLASS PLAN

 WAVE 1

Twist

Supine Bridge to Waterfall abs with brick

Core cultivation:  

Brick in inner thighs

cobbler abs, two bricks

step on brick get the twist

Pigeon abs

(Side 2)

Bridge

 

WAVE 2

Upward Facing plank, hands on bricks

--- pull backs

Janu sirsana forward, parsva janu sirsana

Vasistasana variation kneeling

Parsva Vasistasana other wise

Marichyasana C

Pascimotanasana

Side 2

Upward facing on bricks

Malasana (move bricks forward)

 

WAVE 3

Sun Sal A variations hands on bricks (3-4 times)

Half Moon A - different each time

 

 

WAVE 4

I leg dog

High Lunge to transverse lunge back foot

Standing splits, baby eagle once

High lunge, lunge push up, up fold in half repeat 3 x's

Revolved Lunge

Transverse lunge: bind, sit inside like parsva janu sirsasana

Face back

Basic vinyasa

Jump forward finish like Sun Sal A all the way to Down Dog

Right leg up again

High Lunge to transverse lunge

Standing Splits

HIgh Lunge, lunge push up to hands to ground standing splits 3's

Last time transition from standing splits

Pyramid

Revolved Triangle

Revolved Prasarita

Jump to prasarita

Exit back to front, right foot

Standing Splits

Crane to 1 leg pigeon chair (hands on bricks - prep for arm balance)

Plank, basic vinyasa with bricks all the way to down dog

Begin mandala side 2

 

WAVE 5

Frog

Malasana

Bakasana with head on brick, lift head

Downward Dog

I leg dog, hip open

Pigeon - twist and hold back foot for backbend

Swing back leg forward Janu sirsasana

Seated Pigeon

-- twist it

Stand from tip toe balance to Eka Pada Galavasana

Plank, basic vinyasa

Side 2

 

WAVE 6

Bhujaphidasana

Tittibasana with partner to crow or crow jump back

 

CLOSING WAVE

Cooling postures

Savasana

Meditation

 

PS CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW FALL TEACHER TRAINEES WHO ARE FACING FEARS AND CHALLENGING THEMSELVES TO LOOK WITHIN!

OCTOBER 16, 2010.  I along with my partner named our company Alchemy Tours because of the combined influence of the book The Alchemist and the practice of Yoga.  Really Yoga is about taking the personal growth we experience on the mat as a result of this unique alchemy of yoga into making the changes we want in our lives, in our bodies, in our minds, in our hearts.  Anytime you want to transform and move beyond your limitations to me this is the Alchemy of Yoga.  And this what I call the life coaching work I do through yoga.  

Chapter 2 verse 1 of the Yoga Sutras sets forth how the Alchemy of Yoga actually works.  "Tapas svadhyaya ishvara pranidhana kriya yoga."  Translated to mean that yoga helps us transforms ourselves on three levels:

1. Physical Alchemy - Tapas 

2. Mental Alchemy - Svadhaya

3. Spiritual Alchemy - ishvara pranidahana

 

PHYSICAL ALCHEMY

Tapas helps us ignite the changes we want to make in our lives.  It is about the getting fired up, literally heating the body through moving and breathing in the vinyasa

 

MENTAL ALCHEMY

While we are following the discipline of tapas and engaging in physical practice to help move our stuck energy we are watching ourselves.  In yoga we study the self to learn about the self.  (Different than studying what other people to do to try to learn about you, which many of us have tried in other modalities).  Here the mental alchemy is through self-observation.  We witness what is going on in our thoughts, what are we thinking, why are we thinking that (but without over analysis) more like an older brother would look after a little sister.  In this way we are the actor on the stage starring in our life story as well as sitting front row center as the audience.  

 

SPIRITUAL ALCHEMY

As we are doing and watching we let go of the ego of judgment.  We move beyond wanting life to be different and begin to feel the surrender that allows what is being offered to mix together and marinate.  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 outisde us.  Beauty becomes our way of life.  Happiness becomes our natural alchemy.

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 ingredients are our bodies, our poses, our breath, our thoughts and the mixing it all together creates a result every time.  We are always different from the beginning of class to the end.  Whether we want to be or not, we are changed, we are free.  In that freedom is love. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

PS This is why and what lies at the heart of leading Yoga Retreats around the world. I want to help facilitate the Alchemy of Yoga, the changes that YOU want in your life.  And I am convinced we can make amazing transformations in a long weekend, a week with the right facilitation and life coaching.  Join me! Facebook Alchemy Tours.  Set intention for 2011 this December 8-12 Haramara Retreat Mexico.

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)

October 12, 2010  This Place of Mine....  (Thoughts of a Beginning Yoga Teacher) By Laura Mills

  The need to put things in their place is what initially drew me to yoga. After some difficult years during which my life's flow drastically changed course, yoga proved itself a paddle with which I continued sailing forward. Yoga felt right; it made ME feel right, or at least more right than before...which made pursuing my teaching credentials feel especially right, so I could ultimately help others do the same.

  And so, eager to teach others about re-establishing life's peace--about putting things in their place--I immersed myself in a teacher training program. And then, sooner than expected, a teaching opportunity arose, and into my first class I jumped. I'm glad it all happened quickly; if I had had more time to think before I accepted the commitment, I likely would have talked myself out of it. And true to my nature, after I accepted I struggled daily with the thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" Terrified, I wrote my first class, then practiced it at least once a day for an entire week. I mentally rehearsed it again and again. I even took the class plan to bed with me.

  Was this what "right" should feel like?

  The morning of the class I woke up sick-to-my-stomach nervous, and throughout the early hours I forced myself to stay busy at the risk of otherwise panicking. In fact, up to the moment the class began I focused so intently on NOT panicking that I can't explain too much else of what happened that day--all I know is that after the class I felt a surge of relief. And exhilaration, for it had gone well...which surprised me, because again true to my nature I had expected something to go wrong. Still, even with my initial happiness, afterwards I mentally replayed the class: did I cue everything correctly? Did I make eye contact? Did I speak clearly? Was my music too loud? What's landscape vision again? Was this really the right course for my life?

  As my second, third, fourth and subsequent classes passed with the same anxieties and the same questions, something else emerged: a new dimension to the respect I held for my own yoga teachers. The effort in sequencing a class, the thought in developing a theme, the creativity in compiling a playlist...the amount of work involved, which I now undertook myself, revealed my teachers' love of and dedication to the practice. The thought of all they had done for me as their student humbled me. But even more than that, my realization of their faith inspired me anew...faith that, at some point, a teacher just has to let go of each class and trust that she or he has prepared enough and the rest will somehow come together.

  The anxieties and the questions began to diminish...a little.

  And then, a bit further along, an old feeling arose within me--a really, really good feeling that felt stronger with each class. I hadn't felt it in a long time, but here it was, back again. I recognized it when I realized I felt more excitement than nervousness before class; I recognized it when I realized I greatly looked forward to interacting with my students, many of whom I now knew by name. I recognized it when I realized I wasn't just another yoga teacher working with just another group of students, but part of a unique and beautiful yoga studio family.

  And, I recognized it when I realized I was totally overwhelmed with blessings. With my attention lately so focused on yoga, my yoga-related blessings in particular were in mind.... My yoga teachers who enriched my practice and inspired me; my fellow trainees who shared so many of their gifts; my students who put their faith in me to guide them through each practice, each class; my husband who supported me in every possible way on my yoga journey. And God, the Universe, the Divine Being, who made certain that yoga and yoga teaching found me, and thus put me in my place...which is, in light of all this I am growing more certain, the right one.

  Wishing you peace in recognizing your place, Laura 

OCTOBER 8, 2010.Yes we are in the season of Change.&amp;nbsp; Everthing around is us evolving from one thing to another and yoga philosophy reminds us that change is an inherant part of life. Life will move forward nonetheless so for us it is a choice as to how we align with that forward momentum or fight what is here now.&amp;nbsp; This transition, as all transitions in life, is more challenging than actually arriving at one's destination. And during times of transition a more easeful yoga practice is helpful.&amp;nbsp; This is when amadhurya, the "sweetness" of universal intelligence, is calling to us to take our experiences and churn them in the beehive of our hearts.&amp;nbsp; While your heart and mind churn the honey in the beehive you can be more gentle with yourself, allowing the practice to nourish you as things change around you and within you.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</p>
<p>&lt;p&gt;I hope to see you return to your yoga practice to nourish the parched places inside and to help you be as elegant as you are in navigating the currents of grace and change herself! Please bring a friend and they will &lt;strong&gt;receive 30 days UNLIMITED yoga for $30 &lt;/strong&gt;and YOU get entered to win 2 months UNLIMITED yoga.&amp;nbsp; The more friends you bring, the more lives you change, and the more times you get entered to win!&amp;nbsp; Help us share more yoga this month.&amp;nbsp; Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia&lt;/p&gt;</p>
<p>&lt;p&gt;*And don't forget $350 off trip to Moab November 4-7, 2010, Alchemy Tours&lt;/p&gt;</p>

OCTOBER 5, 2010.  On October 13th we start our 9th teacher training study group! I know I can't believe it either.  Wow! I've seen so many amazing breakthroughs and incredible growth as a result of facilitating these trainings.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of previous trainees and send them love and gratitude for they have served as my teachers as much as I have been their teacher. And I have been deeply honored to see them all grow in discovering their Dharma, their purpose.  

It's such a simple question: Why are you here? Or let me put it like this, What do you want to be when you grow up? 

If you want to study yourself, then our program is for you. Enjoy this perspective from one of our 2009-2010 Graduates.  Love in all ways, Silvia  

How Teacher Training Helped me Find my Purpose By Guest Blogger Janeen Heinman

Last fall I took the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Total Body Yoga.  I had only been a student of yoga for 2 ½ years when I signed up for the program, so I was a virtual beginner.  But for me, yoga had opened up so much.  My health was better, my attitude and anxiety improved, and I was more relaxed.  I felt like I had found something totally real.  I spent time reading books about yoga, taking workshops and classes, but there was still so much I didn’t know.  I enrolled in Silvia’s program to expand my knowledge, but I didn’t have a solid idea of what I wanted to do when I finished.

We learned a lot right away in the training, including asanas and how to teach them, yoga history and philosophy and some basics of Ayurveda.  I learned a lot for myself, but even more so, I wanted to share what I was learning.  After all, who couldn’t benefit from practices like a full three-part breath, or viparita karani?  I tend to get anxious when speaking in front of groups, but the training program was a really safe place to practice.  I worked on finding my voice, which in turn led me to discover my purpose.

Through the Yoga Teacher Training, I was able to look honestly at some dissatisfaction I had with my career in psychiatry.  I realized I was not offering my patients enough, in my mind, to truly become well.  Yoga was the next step.  My goal now is to incorporate yoga into my career by offering people tools to help themselves .  The training helped me open to possibility and realize I don’t have to follow the beaten path, but I can chart a new course!

I am only in the early stages of developing my new job description, but I believe the teacher training started me on this path.  The practice itself keeps me open to grace, and I have enjoyed unbelievable support from my colleagues and peers so far.  I was stagnant, knowing I was not fulfilling my true purpose professionally, but fear held me back for a long time.  The teacher training program forced me to look inward, and that practice of self-study has led me to something totally new.  I don’t believe I would have come to this turning point without the support and guidance of my teacher, Silvia, and my fellow trainees.

Namaste!

Namaste Yogis, 

I am back from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon  with a new spark to live life to the fullest, and to bring a sense of adventure into every moment. Adventure is the willingness to commit to an uncertain outcome with an open heart & open mind.  It's the ability to take a leap into the unknown with mindfulness and grace.  It's the ability to think big about who you are, how you live, and what you can do in the world, whether it's  climbing to the ridge of the Grand Canyon, putting all your $ on red, or flowing through asanas. Please come on an adventure with me tomorrow at 9:15 am.  I will have a new playlist from The Beatles  to Barry Manilow :)

Life is uncertain! Being adventurous means seeing that uncertainty as the gift of possibility!

Peace & Namaste,

Christine

*Don't forget this month refer a friend and they get 30 days unlimited yoga for $30!! And you get entered to win 2 FREE months of yoga

October 3, 2010:

What is your most common knee-jerk reaction?  Is it impatience, anger, gossip, worry, self-cricism? Well through the mindfulness practice of yoga I want to help you replace all that by choosing happiness as your automatic reaction, response to all things, situations and people.  How do we do this?  The Yoga Sutras tell us.  They actually give us the keys to happiness.  The Yogic model proposes that the four keys to an open happy heart are to nurture these attitudes:

1. Kindness and friendliness to those who are happy
2. Compassion for those that are suffering or less fortunate
3. Respect and honor for those that who embody noble qualities
4. Equanimity for those whose actions oppose our values

At first these four keys to help enable us to retain our inner peace in all circumstances seem easy.  But applying these in day to day life is more challenging than we think. We often fool ourselves into believing we are kinder than we really are and can use this practice to really see where our actions are not aligned with what we believe ourselves to be.  Most of all this teaches us that we are responsible for co-creating our life. We have the four keys to our happiness.  Love in all ways, Silvia

So first step is to create some space. Here at the start of a new month let's just empty and let go of all the grievances, grudges we kept up with throughout September.  As the bible says Love keeps no records of wrongs.

You have a choice.  You can say to yourself "I intend to allow more joy into my life" or "I choose to be happy."  Just five words if you want to keep it really simple!  And notice the power of intention is not placing prerequisites or conditions but just doing it right now.  I know these four keys to happiness seem easy, but applying them to day to day life is pretty challenging because of that knee-jerk reaction, the old way of thinking and doing things.  But you have a choice and can change.  You are happiest when you think yourself happy.  And ultimately you are responsible for co-creating your life.  You have just this one lifetime and there are no do overs. So why not choose happiness starting right now?  I know you can do it!    Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 PS - We practice Mandala Namaskar 1 (Salutation) to help us see the power of our own choices!

Mandala Namaskar I 

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE – Anjaneyasana (Lunge)

INHALE – Parsva Anjaneyasana (Side Lunge)

EXHALE – Skandasana (Transverse Lunge)

INHALE – Ardha Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

EXHALE – hands down

INHALE – Ardha Plank (1 legged Plank)

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Plank

EXHALE -- Adho Mukha Svanasana 

 (To create circular pattern, Mandala, go through series right foot, right foot, left, left)

 

Namaste Yogis, 

Have you ever thought in class or in life, "no I can't do this...this is too hard.. I am too old...my hamstrings are too tight..etc?" I know I have, especially when a yoga teacher makes something look so easy when I find it so hard. But my thoughts can either hinder or help my ability to move forward in my practice. I've realized the worst thing I can do is to not try. Please join me tomorrow when we will dive into ourselves to uncover our own power and potential through some core cultivation. Oh no, I just lost some of you...no this doesn't mean crunches...it means cultivating a connection to our source, enjoying our power all the while with a calm mind and open heart. It is through the trying, the laughing, and the believing in ourselves that our practice deepens in our bodies, minds and hearts. 

In specific, we'll talk about Yoga Sutra 11.33: When presented with disquieting thoughts or feelings, cultivate an opposite, elevated attitude. I think about this sutra often when I find myself experiencing frustration, irritation and anxiety, on and off the mat. No longer can I tell myself that it is the situation at hand that is causing me to feel the way I feel. I now know that it is my reactions to life that are creating my experience. This sutra is telling us to cultivate feelings and actions that fill our hearts to combat the times we feel off. So when we experience frustration, this sutra is suggesting we try to focus on ease. If we are tied up in fear, we can elicit courage. And if we are filled with anger, the answer is always to fill with love. This is not to deny our feelings but to remember that we have the ability to change our attitude. This is what tantra philosophy is all about: EMPOWERMENT!

So whether you feel fantastic and want to celebrate your power or if you need a little action and empowerment to remember your own unlimited potential, please come join me for class tomorrow. Level 1 at 11:00 and Basics at 12:30. Also wonderful David Romanelli is back for a weekend of yoga fun at 4:30 on Saturday, all levels.

Namaste! Mara

www.totalbodyyoga.com 

**Don't forget your October Special:  Refer anyone new to TBY and they can receive 30 days unlimited yoga for $30 and YOU get entered into raffle for 2 months of Unlimited Yoga!

OCTOBER 1, 2010

The resistance to the disturbance IS THE disturbance.  ~ Siddiqui Ray

We all have that feeling of living inside a snow globe and having it shaken up resulting in utter chaos, stuff flying everywhere!  Yeah.  That happens.  Yoga philosophy helps us to see that the stuff flying around is not the problem.  The resistance to the disturbance IS THE disturbance.  We may not be able to control situations or people but we are responsible for how we think about the situation, person or thing.  And if our minds choose to fight which is resistance then we are in effect creating the disturbance.  Does that make sense?

So how do we know if we are resisting life?  Just ask yourself a real, simple question:  “Are you happier today than you were yesterday, last week, last month?” Well, are you? And if you're not then you are producing resistance in your life because the Yoga Sutras say that our lives are constantly evolving towards greater experiences of happiness (if we get out of our own way).  Let me put it like this.  In Seattle in August I was driving my best friends stick shift Element on hilly, steep streets. I was so afraid at times I was going to roll backwards into the person behind me that once I got going I'd be driving around wondering why I wasn't going faster or smoother and then realize I was driving with my brakes on.  (Ok don't tell him ok?)

But the question of resistance is one of whether or not WE ARE LIVING LIFE WITH OUR BRAKES ON.  I know at times I have found this to be the case for me.  Instead of a full blast effort something less because of fear, worry about what others might think or some other equally old story.  And then this practice of yoga wakes me up and I realize that I am holding back and only making it harder.  At that point everything changes and the flow returns and I feel grace carrying me once more on her easy current rather than fighting my way upstream.  So today, take a good look at yourself, where are you living with the brakes on?  And get out of your own way and try easier. It is what you think about your life that either creates the disturbance or lets you move forward gently.  Love yourself, Love your day, Love your life! Silvia

The resistance to the disturbance IS THE disturbance.  ~ Siddiqui Ray

 

*Spaces still left for Moab Nov 4-7, $250 OFF, hope you can join me and Alchemy Tours now or on one of our 10 retreats next year! Friend us on facebook and learn more.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010.  I am so excited to announce our February Puerto Vallarta Mexico retreat at Xinalani Retreat.  This is a new eco conscious yoga resort that I am sure you will all love.  So save the date and here's a cool way to save money doing it too! Big Love, Silvia, total body yoga, Alchemy Tours  www.alchemytours.com

FIRST 6 PEOPLE TO REGISTER GET $250 OFF Puerto Vallarta, Eco Adventure Yoga Retreat Feb 26- March 4tH, 2011!!! Plan your sunny holiday now and save some cash....what's not to love?

We stand apart in being able to help clients plan their best future. Our retreats give the coaching, time and support to design the next chapter in your life and manifest what you really want for yourself. Join us to take time to align with your purpose. Start living your dreams! Leave here ready to offer your heart to another person, build a business, quit a job you hate, but get clear on your potential to celebrate your best life ever!

WHERE IS XINALANI, PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO? 

Xinalani is a brand new resort center accessed only by boat. It is in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 10 acres of unspoiled jungle with a beautiful pristine beach, only 12 miles south of Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Xinalani Retreat is about discovery, admiration, love for nature, magic, conscious travel, eco-adventure, wellness, serenity and mindful living. Come enjoy the 1,302 square foot yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation that can comfortable fit 40 students. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, group practices here are a fascinating experience. Accomodations are ALL beach front with a choices of various private suites and a shared house if you are looking to save money. Xinalani Retreat features its own beach club where you will enjoy a relaxing break between your classes. Where you want to go swimming, snorkeling, or just sunbathe while sipping a natural fruit smoothie, this is the place to be. Take a walk in the soft sand, discover the hidden secrets of the naturally sculpted rocks scattered along the shore and explore the small private coves as you explore yourself. Visithttp://www.xinalaniretreat.com/ and fall in love!

 

DURING THIS 6-DAY YOGA RETREAT YOU WILL: 

• Integrate Spirit and Nature as you practice yoga, and experience truly stunning eco-discoveries, play and meditate with a group dedicated to doing the same. 

• Fully discover (or rediscover!) the Joy of Yoga. 

• Experience a place filled with serenity that shelters individuals looking to establish a more balanced lifestyle.

• Enjoy becoming an active conscious traveler.

• Enjoy exceptional yoga, hiking, eco-adventures and camaraderie, connecting with pristine beaches, organic food, relaxing jungle spa treatments, all designed to help you spiritualize every aspect of your life! 

• Recharge, refresh and renew, leaving totally more inspired about your life! 

 

DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

LIVING XINALANI

We have chosen for this retreat to stay at a one of its kind eco-resort named Xinalani because we fully believe Xinalani supports our guests on their search for mind-body balance better allows us to facilitate the setting of intentions so each person leaves more focused and open hearted to realize their full human potential. The name Xinalani comes from the Nauatl Xinaloani that means «seed». It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the shared vision that this world could be better if everybody planted and grew a seed inside themselves and let love blossom around it. We look forward to your registration! You are in excellent hands!

 

LOW IMPACT LIVING

All guests accomodations have low consumption lights (LEDS) and are equipped with two outlets to reload cell phones and camera batteries. Our construction method was extremely organic. No concrete, no land modification. We never cut a single tree and hardly pruned any branches. We promote an intelligent use of resources. All guests are provided with high-end eco-friendly soaps and shampoo. Toilets are low-flow, and all water is recycled and used to irrigate our gardens. We use natural and biodegradable cleaning products, we recycle and compost wherever possible in an attempt to minimize our environmental impact. 

YOGA STUDIO

Come and enjoy our unique 1,302 sq ft (121 m2) yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation. It can comfortably hold up to 40 students. Practicing and learning in Xinalani Retreat is a truly enriching experience, the awe-inspiring Yoga Center was tastefully designed to infuse peace and serenity. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, ideal for group practices.

HEALTHY NATURAL CUISINE

Xinalani cuisine is gourmet vegetarian and may or may not include fresh fish and seafood. The chef is well versed into principles of raw food, ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics if you need special adaptations. You will be served 3 complete meals per day in the dining room following this schedule:

 

Breakfast: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM - Buffet Style 

Lunch: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Buffet Style

Dinner: 7:00PM - 9:30 PM – Chic

SPA

An array of treatments, massages and facials will help you relax, detox, heal, and reach a greater sense of mind- body balance through your stay. 

TYPES OF ACCOMODATION

All the accommodations are beachfront, spacious, palm-thatched cabins floating on stilts. They were designed with refined elegance and built and furnished by local artisans. Their cozy interiors inspire feelings of calm and serenity. You will enjoy the closeness of the natural elements, the stimulation of the open-air private showers and the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from your terrace.

Xinalani offers 2 different types of accommodation: private suites or a shared house. All suites have private bathrooms. The suites are classified into 3 categories depending on their size, location and view. Also offered is a collective accommodation in a big palapa with up to 8 single beds and 2 complete bathrooms.

 

INVESTMENT: 

Shared house: $1,600

Petite Suite: $1,825

Eco-Premium: $2,000

Eco-chic: $2,300

All the prices are per person. The prices of the suites are based on double occupancy. There is an option for triple occupancy (15% discount) and quadruple occupancy (25% discount) and those would comprise people doubling up in double beds.

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE?

• 6 nights of accommodation at Xinalani Retreat 

• 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day. Chef is expert in ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics.

• A social hour on select evenings

• All transportation during the trip, including to and from the airport to Xinalani Retreat 

• 9 Yoga classes with Silvia Mordini

• Yoga clinics and mini workshops with Silvia Mordini

• Sunset Yoga Ceremonies

• Guided Jungle Hiking 

• Private Dharma talks facilitated by your Guides 

• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals. 

• A special goodie bag with loving gifts

 

NOT INCLUDED?

Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides, spa services, other activities not listed such as whale watching, surfing, bird watching.

 

TIPS AND GRATUITIES

Gratuities for your guides may be given at your discretion in response to their leadership and professionalism throughout the trip. We suggest 5-10% of the trip price per individual to be divided between the guiding team as an industry standard. Gratuities for all restaurants, hotels, transportation and local events are paid for by the retreat organizers.

TO REGISTER AND SAVE YOUR SPOT: 

You can pay with check, direct bank deposit, or credit card or Paypal on line but we most prefer checks. Please send checks to Alchemy Tours c/o Total Body Yoga, 210 Terrace Drive, Mundelein, IL 60061. Contact us at info@alchemytours.com or call if we can answer any questions.

 

PAYMENT POLICIES: 

Early-bird discount: $200 discount if you register by December 31st, 2010 

Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space. 

 

TRIP ITINERARY:

 

XINALANI PUERTO VALLARTA DAILY AGENDA

8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast

9:30am - 11am Vinyasa flow yoga

11am – 12pm Yoga clinics, mini workshops

12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch

1:30pm - 5:30pm Daytime Fun (Beach, Spa, Hiking, & More)

6:00pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa flow yoga and meditation

8:00pm Dinner

9:00pm Dharma talks

 

FAQ

When will I need to arrive and when do I leave?

Arrival Location:

You will need to arrive by 2pm on February 26 at Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) where we will meet you and bring you to the resort.

 

Departure Location: 

At the end of your trip, you will be shuttled back to Puerto Vallarta International Airport. We will arrive at the airport between 1pm-2pm on March 4th.

 

How do I get to Xinalani Retreat Center?

Upon arriving at Puerto Vallarta International airport we have organized group transportation to and from the resort. If you choose to you can get to the resort on your own. Just be sure to download their destination map from the Xinalani website.http://www.xinalaniretreat.com/

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010.  I am talking tonight in class about "radical affirmation of the fullness of experience" and how growth results from challenge and makes our hearts grow.  This has everything to do with the law of attraction which simply states that like attracts like.  This means what you think about your challenges is either an opportunity to grow positive energy which attracts more positive energy or negative energy which builds inertia.  The challenge is not the problem, the way we think about it is.  (The resistance to the disturbance is the disturbance.)

When you think about it, there is never any reason compelling enough to hold onto a single negative thought.  Not even one.  Why? Because we don't have time to waste our energy on negativity which only produces more negative energy.  Life is too short to live like that.  We will all experience challenge, it comes in countless forms just this week I have friends and students who have received a diagnosis, lost their jobs, are separated from their partner, kids acting out, are being harassed at work and the list goes on.  However, we only get to live today once.  And to focus on anger, fear or disappointment will only cause you to leak energy, the very energy you long for to make each moment count and help you meet the challenge with grace.

The key things to know about the LAW OF ATTRACTION are:

1.  you don't focus your thoughts they will end up scattered in all directions.  They will be circus like ping pong's stopping and starting and running about.

2.  if you make no effort in directing your thoughts towards something positive they will tend towards the negative and catastrophic (known as our hard wiring the "catastrophic brain") 

We practice yoga to focus our thoughts.  We practice these poses and breathing to see our habitual pattern of thinking and where we tend to be auto pilot negative.  We practice yoga to apply the law of attraction on the mat so we know how all day long.  What you say to yourself holding a poses is either positive or negative, rarely is it neutral.  And if you can direct your thoughts to be positive in an uncomfortable or difficult pose then you can certainly do that when you encounter challenges in your life. 

Finally, what I'd love for you to commit to memory about the law of attraction and keep forever and share with someone you love is the following:

1. The energy of your thoughts are like a magnet.  The more focused your thoughts are then the bigger your magnet and the more powerful they become at attracting similar thoughts. 

2.  The longer you are able to hold a positive thought in your mind, the more powerful the positive energy becomes around you.  

And brain science proves that eventually by holding positive thoughts longer and longer we don't need to try so hard and control so much of what we are thinking because we are constantly surrounded by the positive vibrations that draws more of what we want to us.  With positive energy hugging us in we find an easeful effort to remain positive. It becomes our way, in spite of life's challenges.  So today love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia, ERYT and ANUSARA INSPIRED teacher

(For more yoga inspiration, life coaching while on yoga retreat or teacher trainings please visit my website www.silviamordini.com or friend me on Alchemy Tours facebook)

TODAY'S PLAYLIST:  Les Enfants Qui S'aiment,  Amoureux De Paris, La Serenissima, Loreena McKennitt, Fire, Coco De Mer, Elusinian Blue, Gabrielle Roth, Believer, M.I.A. MAYA, Nobody's Perfect, Madonna, Il Pescivendolo, Matteo Salvatore, I'm Outta Love, Anastacia, Prayer to Rudra, Krishna Das, That I Would Be Good, Alanis Morissette, Dedication, Kirby Shelstad, Silent Wings, Lifescapes

 

*1008 humble bows to the opening quote from John Friend at the Anusara Grand Gathering 2010

SEPTEMBER 28, 2010.  My favorite class to teach is where we start by meditating on our open hand.  That in this simple gesture we have the paradox of yoga: to open and to surrender, at the same time.  If we close our fist we are not able to let go of the mental agitations that heavy us.  If we close our fist we are clearly not opening to a greater force beyond ourselves.  

“Grace wakes us up when we are asleep, brings light to where there is darkness and removes obstacles from our path”. -Krishna Das

To Open to Grace, is the first principle in Anusara Yoga, but it applies to all spiritual practice.  To open requires the courage to not remain closed or tight hearted or asleep to our lives.  It is an awakening!  To open to the light of grace and love that exists everywhere as universal support.  I especially like this expression of "Opening to Grace" from Marianne Williamson's book, A Return to Love. "To open to Grace is to ask that only loving, helpful thoughts remain in our minds, and all the rest be let go".   

The concept of Surrender in yoga is really in two parts.  

1.  When we surrender to Grace we surrender to something bigger than ourselves.  Ok that seems to make sense for just about anybody. But the next part is harder for the cynical mind...

2.   When we surrender we do so to a universe that knows what it is doing. 

To trust that what I AM OPENING INTO will love me without conditions and has my best interests at heart is a larger leap of faith.  But it is exactly when we stop trying to over control events when they fall into a natural order, an order that works. At that moment where we allow a power much greater than our own to take over we begin to trust that the power that holds galaxies together can certainly handle the circumstances of our relatively little lives".

So the practice today is to peel back the layers, let the light in, OPEN UP to the truth of who you are and how you want to be living your life.  This requires that you surrender and let go of the past, of the hurt and create space for what comes next.  Even though none of us really knows exactly what comes next.  We must just believe as we co-create our lives with the universal intelligence of love that spirit has our best interests at heart.  We are loved, we are love.  So today take comfort in loving yourself, loving your day, loving your life! Silvia, Anusara Inspired Yoga Teacher, ERYT

 

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."  - GOETHE

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010  Yoga is one of my most important Rituals.  Actually the first time I understood what the word "practice" really meant the lightbulb went off and I realized oh yeah, "something I practice repeatedly over a long period of time".  Well that is a ritual too.

Within my yoga life the ritual I have especially on Monday's is to do a balancing of my energies related to the elements.  Before I believed in Chakras, I did believe in Earth, Water, Air, Fire.  Then eventually I started to understand that all of the elements are within and outside us. And even beyond that the concept of Doshas and Chakras. And all of it got less intimidating. Two easy ways for me to stay connected to the elements and through that discover where I am excessive or deficient and do something about it are:

1.  Each finger represents an element so I pray, meditate, focus on bringing my thumb to each finger.

2.  I sing a song to the elements (I know lots of them but this one was the focus tonight).  And in Spanish to my Latin roots (my Mom's side as my Dad's side is the Italian part)

Tierra mi Cuerpo
Agua mi Sangre
Aire mi Viento
Y Fuego mi Espiritu.

Hey even if you don't understand Spanish you might pick up a word here or there.  So this is translated as: Earth my Body, Water my Blood, Air my Breath, and Fire my Spirit.

What does this have to do with Rituals?  Well when we disconnect from our rituals we lose touch with what Louise Hay calls our "inner ding" or intuition or good old fashion gut feel.  So this practice was meant to bring our awareness to the four elements and feel that connection of each to ourselves, the micro experience, and to the world at large, our macro experience.  All of this reminds us that we are in Yoga at every moment of our lives. There is this primordial power or universal intelligence that draws us together in balance, in union.  And this goes beyond us to our ancestors and to the legacy we leave beyond this earthly body.  Perhaps this inspires you to create your own Ritual around the elements, or even a single element, and I hope so.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

PS For the full blog, part of which I shared in class, of Dr. Enrique Saguil, TBY Teacher Trainee, click here: http://herbal411.blogspot.com/2010/09/lack-of-disease-doesnt-equal-good.html

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

Dear Beautiful Friends,

Why is it so hard to get to yoga class this Fall? No really I'm asking... I've had a harder time than ever building a routine, a regular yoga schedule for myself. 

Every day has been so different and unexpected. And if I was really honest with myself the real culprit to consistently getting to group classes is staying at the computer (aka work). Now I had a great summer yoga schedule, really I did! But now? It is all over the board.  And doing two classes in one day is no replacement for spreading those out in different days. 

Making ourselves a priority is the Yoga of real life.  And as a real person first thing I recognize is how much I need yoga.  We all need yoga.  And the beauty is that it is a practice, we do what we can in any given class and there are never any pre-requisites to be met.  Yoga loves us unconditionally. So fire up your Yoga, get the calendar out and make yourself some "yoga dates" and as always I am happy to be your yoga buddy. Invite me along to take a class and I'll be there because I'm first and foremost a student. And if you go I'll go. Heck even Oprah talks about having workout buddies.  So why not have a Spiritual Workout Buddy?

Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

PS. And I love learning from all our teachers at TBY!

SEPTEMBER 24, 2010.  As we began class on our backs, breathing, quieting and just coming to be present I offered the story of the lotus blossom and how it grows in murky, dark, hard-to-grow waters, and has to reach for the light and rise above challenges in order to grow.  WE are the lotus blossom; always reaching and rising through the difficulties and challenges of our lives to get to the light, which is our true happiness.  

And the driver of what moves us in spite of the challenges to grow towards the light is our hearts. But our hearts get dirtied up with all our mental clutter.  On Friday's it seems to often be at its worst.  Our minds are just overly polluted with the worries of the week.  So to practice on Friday gives us that opportunity to free our minds and clean the clutter.

When you think about it our hearts are like a diamond, and the light is happiness, shining through the diamond/our hearts.  The diamond is like our own potential, multi-faceted, shiny, so the light shines through it.    And just like a diamond, this practice is meant to restore our real brilliance. The diamond equals our happiness, and if we can get clean the polluted mind light can shine through us, just like a diamond.   So today, give your heart a break and allow it to let go of whatever you are facing for even just a little bit.  Restore your brilliance and the clarity you need to make better decisions will be revealed!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

PS If you feel like you need more time to devote to cleaning the  mental clutter then join me in Moab November 4-7, 2010 or in 2011 on a Yoga retreat in Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Italy and more! Like Alchemy Tours to keep up to date on great trips!

Naked Yoga on Thursday's!!

Okay, now pick your jaw up off the floor and get your head out of the gutter!  We should all come to class fully clothed as usual.  What I'd like us to shed before we come into the studio are the labels, the roles, the responsibilities, or anything else that we let define us.  These things, these unnecessary garments, hide the true spirit inside each of us.

We often let the labels weigh us down, and because of them we may experience guilt, the feeling of not being good enough.  We make excuses for not being able to live up to some impossible stantards based on who we, or someone else thinks we should be.  In the real world, excuses are generally unacceptable.  In the studio, they are not even necessary!  We don't have to be anything other than who we are-perfect in our imperfections, and loved deeply for what lies beneath our bodies, beyond the roles we play.

When I as you to show up "naked", it means show up as the true you.  Come tired, come sad, come sore, elated, complacent, excited, bored, angry, or whatever.  Just show up as whoever you are in the moment.  We'll work on peeling off our metaphorical clothes in a sweet, self-loving flow that allows our light to shine bigger and brighter than ever.  See you guys soon!

Love in all ways,

Andrea Harris

SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 (the night the lights went out)

“In a plain piece of metal, all the molecules are in chaos facing every which way.  A magnet is a similar piece of metal in which all the molecules are perfectly aligned – the north pol,es facing one way, and the south poles facing in the opposite direction.  Because of this alignment, the magnet gains the power to attract and hold other objects.  If you stroke the ordinary metal and the magnet together in one direction only, the magnet will align all the molecules in the plain metal with itself, causing a second magnet to emerge.  The power to attract and hold has been transmitted from one to the other, while amazingly enough the initial magnet retains its full strength.  As we align our energies this way through regulating our breath we maintain calm through the ordinary emotional rollercoaster rides we encounter each day.  We find that when we are upset, everything around us reflects the same disturbance, as if it is somehow contagious.  When tranquility prevails, it magnetizes everything with the same sense of calmness.” (Story from The Secret Power Of Yoga.) 

I teach yoga to be a magnet for all my students.  I pass on to them what has been shared with me by my teachers who served as my magnet.  I want all that come to my classes to feel the power they hold within themselves to attract their best life ever.  We accomplish this by organizing our breathing, our thoughts in a way that designs the future that serves our truest potential.  In my classes you do NOT hide from who you really are or your untapped strength, courage or visions for your life.  I don't teach a physically challenging class I teach a mentally and emotionally challenging coaching experience.   

Is this for everyone? No, not everyone is ready. Some people in our lives will never be ready and will leave this earthly body thinking it was all just some rehearsal.  Those are not my students.  You are my student if something I say resonates with your most authentic self from my most authentic self.  And you leave inspired to gain back your power to do good in this world, to live kindly, to be your most extraordinary self on even the most ordinary days.  Yoga helps us harness the power of intention.  Infinite love and gratitude as Dr Darren Weissman speaks about is universal energy.  In other words as is written in the Alchemist, the universe is on our side.  So as the wind blew a mighty storm this night and we practiced in candlelight, me and my 30 yogi friends tapped into what it means to be driving along in life and see up ahead of you a stop light and intend it to be green, then to drive further and see that one is green, and by golly if every single stop light you approach is green.  

You know you are a magnet when you "green light" your life.  

And no one wants that more for you than me.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia  

SEPTEMBER 21, 2010. If you plan your social life around your yoga, have a mat in your car, talk about yoga to friends and strangers then it is a really good bet that Yoga is important to you. And you're thinking "how can I bring more yoga into my life?" Super Duper Namaste, If this sounds familiar then spending time in our In-Depth Studies Program known as Yoga Teacher Training starting either Fall October 13, 2010 with Rachel and Silvia or Winter January 28, 2011 with Mara and Silvia is a fantastic idea!  The program is not about how physically ready you are for the poses but how emotionally and mentally ready are you to gain deeper insight into who you are.   Do you want to know why Yoga makes you feel better not for just one hour but all day long, why when you practice yoga do you grow more patient with the annoyances of your life, why do you feel happier from doing yoga? This program helps give you the answers to those questions.  It gives you time to become more aware of why you treat others better and why you want to treat yourself better:  learning how to love who you are and refining what it is you are supposed to be doing in this life.  This program is about doing yoga from the inside out and really studying how much heart you are putting into designing your BEST life ever. To be honest, in my perfect world every Yoga Student would attend a Teacher Training Program.  Why? Because we are all models for living our yoga and making the world a more peaceful place. We'd love to help you celebrate you! Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia       (Yes, payment plans always available)

SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 FROM GUEST BLOGGER RACHEL DEWAN

Dear Peaceful Yoga Warriors,

It's Ganesh's birthday, so I hope you can join me on the mat this week to celebrate.  Ganesh is the sweet, gentle elephant-headed deity of Hindu mythology.   He is the bearer of auspicious beginnings, and he has much to teach us.  Generally referred to as the "remover of obstacles" (join me in class to find out WHY...and how he got his elephant head!), the Tantric twist on the teaching is that he represents the obstacle itself.  He is the reminder that challenges come up, that life is often hard, but that WE have the power to transcend and grow.  When we actively engage with the challenges we face, rather than looking for someone (real or myth) to take them away, we live an awakened life of intention.

Join me 4:00pm Tuesday or 10:45am Friday for an empowering practice, facing our challenges head on with a little wisdom from our elephant-headed friend.  Learn the story of Ganesh, delve into the iconography, do a little chanting (kind of like "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" in sanskrit :-), and have an all around rockin' birthday party!

Kisses & blessings,

Rachel Dewan, ERYT and Anusara Inspired

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

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Super Duper Namaste,

During the month of August I devoted myself to Adhikira.  Adhikara translates as studentship. So this means I made a full-hearted effort to be a student of yoga.  Martha McQuid says, “In Sanskrit, adhikara refers to being spiritually open, or ready, for spiritual study (in Sanskrit, Sadhana). It also implies a level of ownership and willingness to take responsibility, as well as dedication, for the subject that is being studied.  (*More on adhikara below)

During that month I explored a wide variety of studios and tried over 20 teachers!  I know we say that yoga is non-comparative, that on the mat we don’t compare ourselves to others, but how do we know without trying different teachers what we like a little bit better or what suits our tastes or personality. The point is to keep trying and give everyone a shot. Being a student of yoga means that you are open, dedicated and willing to try other teachers.  It doesn’t mean that everyone’s style or personality is going to suit you. You might find some teachers more to your liking. But don’t stop trying, don’t refuse to have the pleasure of learning from someone new.

That’s the most important part. To be a student of yoga means to embrace everyone and be open to the holistic experience of what is possible.  And to me it also means that each of us as students is responsible for making that class the best one of our lives!  Being a great student of yoga is co-creating right along with your teacher the most delicious alchemy where we become yoga (yoked, in union).  It is then when we are living our Namaste: the light of what is good in me sees and celebrates the light and goodness in you, and together we celebrate the beauty and love that exists within us and outside us!  From my heart thank you to all the teachers at TBY that subbed for me, and special maholo, love and respect to all the students at TBY who opened their hearts to new teachers.  I NAMASTE YOU!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

 

*ADHIKARA CONTINUED  “Thus, a student that is brand new to yoga wouldn’t begin a practice in an advanced level class, despite excellent physical conditioning, or a background in dance or gymnastics. There is a linear rhythm to learning anything - music, mathematics, language. We always begin with simple ideas and then move forward into the complex. For example, when you learn a musical instrument, you don’t start by trying to play a Mozart concerto. We begin by learning the notes and where they fall in the musical staff, then fingerings, then scales, then simple tunes and over time with dedicated practice, Mozart! A newer student who pushes too hard can get an overload of this energy and not understand it or be able to contain it. In order to prepare the body to receive this energy, we take a methodical approach to practice. In yoga philosophy, this idea is supported in The Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali 1:14 which is translated as ‘steady practice over a long period of time.”  Now apply this to a new yoga instructor.  They are trying their best, and the only way they can get better is if you allow them to practice and grow. I promise you they will exceed your expectations if you just give them even just a little while to evolve. 

 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010. If you want to get to the root cause of what is stressful in your life, what is holding you back, what is it that you really want for your life then our certified training program (that by the way qualifies you to teach yoga) is for you!  I encourage you to fill out the application, and then read it to yourself and see if this reveals to you whether you should apply or not.  This is not about teaching Yoga to other people. THIS IS ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT YOU.
http://silviamordini.com/teacher-training-certification.asp

CYT – Certified Yoga Teacher Application (YA 200 hour)

APPLICATION

Send completed application and materials via email to:

trainings@silviamordini.com

BACKGROUND

Please include: name, emergency contact, address, city/state, zip, day/night phone, cell phone, and e- mail address.

STEP 1: PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR YOGA PRACTICE

-How long have you been taking yoga classes and/or practicing? -Who have been your most influential teachers and why? -List any trainings, intensives or retreats attended and why? -What style(s) of yoga do you practice?

-How often and how long do you practice?

STEP 2: WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS PROGRAM?

-Why do you want to be a certified yoga teacher? -What are your expectations for the training? What do you hope to gain, learn, or improve? -Do you teach yoga now? If so, please describe in detail. -If you plan on teaching after completing the program, why do you want to teach yoga?

STEP 3: WHAT DOES YOGA MEAN TO YOU?

-Describe how your life has been impacted by practicing yoga. -Tell us about your hobbies, interests, community service, etc. -Describe your physical health (major illnesses, surgeries, physical conditions). -Tell us about your emotional and mental health. -Do you have a support network of friends or therapist? -Does your family support this journey you've decided to take? -This program requires a significant time commitment. Do you have any other major commitments (grad school, 2 jobs, etc) that would prevent you from participating fully?

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010.  As I sit here sweating and itching discovering new mosquito bites by the minute, I cannot help but slip away to the idea of the snow.  Don't be fooled - I adore the summer.  But something about the winter, the glittering snow on the trees, sitting in warm hot springs on a cold night, the mountain peaks, and snowboarding with friends pulls at my heartstrings.

I love snowboarding equally as much as I love yoga (and that is a whole lotta love).  This is my story of snowboarding, a practice that is now one of my greatest forms of meditation and prayer.  A friend of mine likes to say, "Snowboarding is my prayer and the mountains are my chapel".  This I wholeheartedly agree with. This has not always been the case, not even close.  Just like when you first tried handstand perhaps you were extremely afraid to go upside down, couldn't get your legs up or just all over the place and toppled over in a big pile.  I was like that when it came to snowboarding.  Years ago, I decided to go with my brother and his friends to Upper Michigan to learn to board-I figured I was with a bunch of guys with no fear who knew what they were doing.  They would help me out and it would be awesome.  Wrong!  The first time I did not get it at all.   I'd go an inch and then crash, go another inch and then crash again and best of all my brother's friend (on accident) hit me in the head with the snowboard edge which resulted in a lovely gash on my forehead to bring home as my souvenir (I still have the scar - ask me about it and I'll be glad to show you).

Do not be deterred by this story.   With practice I was finally able to link turns.  And the feeling was like nothing I had ever experienced.  It changed my perspective and I was hooked. It was not until I truly made the commitment, relaxed, slowed down, checked my ego at the chair lift that II was able to connect with the board and surf the mountains.  Or in yoga terms that I was able to do that handstand with grace, ease and control.  Believe me I have put my whole heart and soul into this love of mine but not until I surrendered did I find the pure joy of this meditation.  Frederick Lenz in his book Snowboarding to Nirvana puts it like this:  "When you snowboard...your thoughts stop and you rise above time.  You enter into a timeless dimension where you experience great joy.  When you rise above ego, you experience the pure joy and ecstasy of the web of life."

I have many other stories like the first time I learned to board but I have even more stories of the true awesomeness snowboarding allows.  I've come a long way since that first day.   I've lived the dream in Aspen, CO; I've competed; I've trained; I've done ski patrol on a snowboard; I've traveled the world; I've taught; I've visualized; I've taken gnarly falls and gotten back up again; I've ridden backcountry; I've connected with mountains; I’ve driven for hours all night long to be able to ride; I’ve ridden powder and ice and the list goes on and on.   But above all, the mountains and the board continue to teach and humble me, and it’s with great respect for both that I write this.  

Yoga has truly enhanced my snowboarding and life as it yokes my mind, body and spirit.  How you may be wondering?  Yoga conditions your body to be strong and flexible allowing better form and technique so you can ski or board with grace and flow with the mountain rather than resist and attack it.   It can be scary out on the snow covered mountains when you are first learning or if you’re a veteran when you are pushing the edge.  The breathing techniques you learn in yoga allow you to relax the muscles and mind when you face a situation where you need to be calm.  And one of my personal favorites, yoga lessens the risk of injury and quickens your recovery time.  This means you can get out on the mountain day after day feeling good each time.  So as I sit here on this hot summer day I am quietly preparing full of excitement for the snowboarding season that lies ahead.

Keep exploring and living your dreams,
Kendra Charts

If you have always wanted to learn to snowboard or ski or already know from experience what I am talking about please consider these amazing adventure Yoga and Snowboarding retreats with Silvia, Jacob and myself.  We’ll combine yoga, hot springs and boarding/skiing in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, December 9 - 12, 2010 or Banff, Canada, February 23 - 27, 2011.  Visit www.alchemytours.com for more information.  And if you can’t wait until then please join me for the pre-season Yoga for Snowboarding and Skiing workshop at Total Body Yoga, October 24, 2010.  You may contact me at kendra.charts@gmail.com.  

SEPTEMBER 2010.  The theme tonight was LOST & FOUND. Really this gets to the heart of what nondualism means in seeing the world holistically, its challenges, and its ease.  In yoga can we be sthira and sukhum at the same time instead of pitting strength and flexibility, effort and happiness against one another.  We can apply this to all aspects of our lives: for instance how do we forgive when we are hurt, how do we balance strength and flexibility in the poses, how do we stand bravely but with heart? 

It’s as Einstein said:  “The rational mind is a faithful servant. The intuitive mind is a sacred gift. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”  

In this example even Einstein is saying to us that we shouldn't be all or nothing, a dualistic philosophy.  Instead as much as you engage your rational mind stop being mindful of the gift of your own intuition. Tap into both at the same time and realize one is not better than the other and we need not pick only one.  The same then can be applied to what happens we get lost.  And if you're honest with yourself we ALL get lost sometimes.  We lose track of where we are in our lives and why we are doing the things we do.  This is also what Elizabeth Gilbert comes to play out in her book Eat, Pray, Love.  She has everything she could want and is lost within herself.  The difference between those of us practicing yoga, meditation, mindfulness is that we are seekers.  We see we are lost and want to be found.  We don't punish or judge ourselves when we get lost we simply do the work for reconnecting to who we really are.  

You see being lost is not bad in and of itself.  It is just part of the whole spectrum of who we are. Perfectly imperfect and simply amazing human beings!  So take the time on the mat to help you find your own balance - more ease, more playfulness, more discipline, more strength....find both.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

Music tonight 6:15pm Yoga included: Dream Machine by Mark Farina, Ancient People by Nas, Damian Marley, In Another Time by Sade, Outre by M.Ward, Salsoul Nugget, even some Blue Scholars and Trevor Hall. 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2010 NEWSLETTER

Salutations Friends on the Path!

This week the hot yoga topic in some circles has been about the marketing of yoga to make you slim and sexy. My first concern as a yoga instructor is not so much about sexiness as it is teaching folks that yoga is really about the Science of Happiness. I know that with consistent, regular practice you will reconnect with what you're feeling, learn healthy stress-reducing techniques (like breathing on purpose), appreciate your life more and generally engage the world in a kinder way. 

As yoga teacher Donna Farhi says, "What the world needs are kinder, more compassionate, generous people." The time on the mat is our opportunity to cleanse the mind of all its distractions that make us less attractive.  And as I often say in class, the biggest obstacle to a happier life is our own busy mind, and yoga is for the mind (which we access through the vehicle of the body). 

Does yoga make you sexy?  Well I guess so.  When we are feeling peaceful and centered our faces do look prettier.  And when we are kinder and move more fluidly we are more attractive.  And the yoga does slow us down to make more heartfelt connections to other people. So if you come to yoga for the mental or physical reasons it doesn't matter you are a complete package as a human being and you will receive ALL the benefits: happiness, sexiness, calm.  And most importantly you will naturally engage more unconditional love into your life!  So love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia   

PS Don't forget sign up now for Moab Nov 4-7th, get $500 OFF and next person who registers gets FREE Private with me1

Super Duper Namaste! I hope you can join me October 2 and 3 for some wonderful inspiration from my friend David Romanelli, author, yogi, all around good guy.  He brings new topics and chocolate.  What's not to like. Can't wait to see you next to me in class.  Peace! Silvia

Yoga for Overcoming Fear (with special guests: chocolate by Vosges, and tunes by Sinatra) 

"Think of life as a terminal illness, because, if you do, you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived." -- Anna Quindlen 

Would you rather 100 bland bites of mediocre chocolate or 1 deliciously amazing bite of an exotic truffle? Would you rather live for 80 years of so-so happiness or 57 years of ecstatic joy? Would you rather 10 so-so Savasanas or 1 deep, yummy, soul-scintillating Savasana that stays with you for weeks to come? This workshop will encourage you to stop stroking yourself with promises about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Pack all of your flavor and all of your love into one tiny little moment. This one. As goes the Chinese proverb, "Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think." David's vinyasa flow yoga class set to great music (from Sinatra to Sublime) will be followed by a tasting of exotic Vosges Haut-Chocolat truffles. You will finish meditating on the gentle reminder: life is short...we best slow down and savor it. 

Pre-registration is required by email help@totalbodyyoga.com or call 847-266-9642 (YOGA) 

TIME: 4:30 - 6:30pm

COST: $40 

In this workshop you and your partner will support each through a simple sequence of postures focused on breathing and gentle stretching while cultivating a deeper connection with your loved one through the give and take of partner yoga. We will also spend time learning some basic techniques from the Ancient Art of Traditional Thai Massage, including palm pressure, rhythmic rocking, and passive stretching, to relax and restore balance to the body. 

This light-hearted practice will help us to be present and focus on each other. We will listen quietly, tuning into our partner as we give the compassion and healing energy that we ourselves would like to receive.

Help to strengthen your connection while having fun together at the same time. There is absolutely no experience necessary. 

ABOUT LIZ: 
Liz Leffert has been an avid student of yoga since 2003. Her interest in natural therapies led her to a career as Registered Yoga Instructor and Massage therapist. She has studied various western massage modalities and has in addition, over 220 hours of study at the Thai Bodywork School in Evanston with Chuck Duff. Liz recently realized a longtime dream of going to Thailand, where she spent two months, including one month of study with various Thai Massage teachers in the Northern Province of Chiang Mai. 

TIME: 2:00-4:00pm 
COST: $25/person 

Pre-registration is required by email help@totalbodyyoga.com or call 847-266-9642 

EAT PRAY LOVE at Total Body Yoga!
Embark on a 2 1/2 hour "Restorative Reading" Yoga Workshop based on the best seller Eat, Pray, Love! 

EAT! Discussion of the 1st portion of the book and the savoring of organic chocolates with vinyasa mixed in! 

PRAY! Discussing the "Pray" section, we will learn mantras and chants using our new mala beads. 

LOVE! We will exemplify "Love" as we practice restorative yoga during book discussion and finish with a special svasana. 

About Sandra Coyner: 
I received my 200 hr teacher certification through Silvia Mordini at TBY and am Yoga Alliance certified. I currently teach at three locations but teach the majority of my classes at Living Yoga in Aurora. I teach theme-oriented Vinyasa, Gentle, Restorative and Kid's Yoga classes. I am a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner and enjoy incorporating essential oils into my yoga classes. For more information, please visit my website at www.inspiredbyearth.com. 

TIME: 6:30-9pm 

COST $45/person

Pre-registration is required by email help@totalbodyyoga.com or call 847-266-9642 (YOGA) Price includes workshop, mala beads and organic chocolates!

‘In the ancient lands of Atlantis and Egypt the healers believed that the way to facilitate healing is by opening the ‘high heart’ that connects all things together. This is represented by the musical note F# or commonly referred to as the Thymus Gland or the center for the immunity system.’ 

I incorporate sound, vibration, sound-infused aromatherapy mists, and healing color light therapy to bring this healing/meditation experience to a deeper and more profound level. Experience the Song of The Angels and learn the 3 Sacred tonal keys created in the Temples of King Solomon. Dolphin Spirit also brings forth a rebirthing of the magic. 

ABOUT JAY SCHWERD: Jay Schwed, MsT, CHT, was born in Chicago, IL and was raised in Los Angeles, CA. In 1979 he got his degree in Agriculture and followed with a career with the USDA as an inspector, followed by years of work as a plant breeder’s assistant. In 1983 he took his first workshop in massage therapy at Esalen Institute. Immediately after the workshop he enrolled in a massage school in Carmel, CA. Jay has been a pioneer in this field and has worked in a variety of settings. In 1994, inspired by another Esalen workshop, he bought his first set of 'singing' Crystal Bowls. In the following years he has taught himself how to play. In 1995 Jay was trained as a Reiki Master and has been training many in this technique. In 1997 Jay added to his skills by attending a 750- hour training program in hypnotherapy. During the last 5 years Jay has been travelling throughout the United States giving performances, leading workshops and giving private sessions at nursing homes, healing centers, New Thought churches, yoga studios, recovery centers and a variety of other locations as he assists in raising the planets vibrational frequencies. He has performed at such notable places as The Deepok Chopra Center, The Edgar Cayce Center, A.R.E. , The Agape Cultural Center, and The Believe Center. 

Pre-registration is required by email at help@totalbodyyoga.com or call 847-266-9642 (YOGA) 

TIME: 2:00pm-4:00pm 

COST: $20.00

Super Namaste!

Happy National Yoga Month! What a perfect time as we head into Fall and re-establish healthy routines of school, work, family and daily yoga to recommit ourselves to living our best lives ever.

So to celebrate guess what I‚m doing?  You guessed right! I'm doing a whole lot of yoga. And great news is that at TBY we have more classes and more awesome events than ever before!

Here's my personal yoga schedule of fun yoga stuff I am signed up for and hope we can enjoy together (PS I need a partner for partner yoga if you‚re thinking of coming but wondered if you should come on your own)

 9/11/2010      (Saturday)    2:00PM   Healing Crystal Bowls Concert

9/17/2010 (Friday)           6:30 PM      Eat, Pray, Love Workshop

9/18/2010 (Saturday)      2:00 PM      Partner Yoga Workshop

9/19/2010 (Sunday)        6:30 PM      The LifeLine Technique

9/25/2010 (Saturday)      2:00 PM      Yoga For Runners

10/2/2010 (Saturday)      1:00 PM      Teaching Yoga to Kids

10/2/2010 (Saturday)      4:30 PM      David Romanelli Yoga for Overcoming Fear

10/2/2010 (Saturday)      11:00 AM   Mommy and Baby Yoga

10/3/2010 (Sunday)        12:15 PM   David Romanelli Yoga for Social Network Slaves

10/25/10   (Sunday)                         Tuscany Yoga & Cycling Retreat

11/4/2010 (Thursday)                       Moab Yoga & Mountain Biking Adventure

And of course I am gearing up for Teacher Training starting October 13th! And the more Yoga I do the more clear I become on what my intentions are for the Best Life ever. A fundamental intention I am rededicating myself to this Fall is participating more directly in making the world a better place.  As such I am donating part of the proceeds from all my classes this week to an event I am participating in virtually, Bike MS, sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. They remind me that it takes only 1 person to inspire hundreds!

Every hour of every day, someone hears the words "you have multiple sclerosis." So for many personal reasons this is something very close to my heart.  And my Team Mile'n for Myelin is working hard to meet our fund raising goals so no one else ever has to hear the words, "You have MS." If you'd like to donate $5 to me directly please visit here http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/WASBikeEvents?px=8721783&pg=personal&fr_id=13100

This Fall as you set up your intentions as part of your Spiritual Routine (lose weight, sleep better, decrease stress, exercise more, be more patient, gossip less, love more) I encourage you to think about being more involved with your community because to me the most important thing you can collect at TBY is friends, not poses. Please take a moment to check out all the great stuff we are offering to help you connect with yourself and with others. May this earth be blessed with your peaceful contribution!  With lovingkindess, Silvia  

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010.  Why do we do the things we do?  Why do you think the things you do?  Why do you feel the way you feel?  All of these most essential human questions.  Yet to be honest, before stepping fully into spiritual practice I had either not thought about these questions or I certainly didn't spend much time thinking about them on a day to day basis.  Through the cognitive behavioural therapy that is Yoga that all changed.  Even if you don't want to at some point while breathing on purpose and practicing the poses these questions get so loud that you have to address them heart first.  

Senior Yoga Teacher and a personal hero of mine Donna Farhi  has said  “In truth, it matters less what we do in practice than how we do it and why we do it. The same posture, the same sequence, the same meditation with a different intention takes on an entirely new meaning and will have entirely different outcomes.”

Whatever habits of the mind, that lead to actions, that establish our feeling state bubble to the surface of our consciousness during yogic practice and only then can we start to be honest with ourselves about why we are doing the things we are doing.  This is what is behind then the idea of INTENTION.  

So right now ask yourself, WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF YOUR INTENT?

It doesn't matter if you are eating, drinking, reading, kissing, working, breathing what is the quality of your intention behind doing what you are doing?

Thurgood Marshall said, "Certain people have a way os saying things that shake us at the core.  Even when the words do not seem harsh or offensive, the impact is shattering.  What we could be experiencing is the INTENT behind the words.  When we intend to do good, we do.  When we intend to do harm, it happens.  What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through.  We cannot sugarcoat the feelings in our heart of hearts.  The emotion is the energy that motivates.  We cannot ignore what we really want to create.  We should be honest and do it the way we feel it.  What we owe to ourselves and everyone around is to examine the reasons of our true intent.  My intent will be evident in the results."  Renew your commitment this Fall to pay attention of the quality of your intent (is it honest, is it authentic, how does it feel) and stay mindful of your intent in all you do!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010.  Can you imagine a world where everyone does their own yoga?  It is something I say in class all, all the time.  Just let everyone be themselves.  Or as Leo Buscaglia says, “The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.”

In a warrior pose for instance this means shorten or widen your stance, bend your knee a lot or a little, hold your arms up in any position or relax your harms by your sides look up, look straight or close your eyes.  And the list goes on and on and that's just one pose.  Seriously, what if we allowed others to be who they are instead of wanting them to be something different? How would their life be different? What would your quality of life be like? Let me put in perspective like this with a story told to a teacher, repeated by a teacher, told to me and I share with you... imagine the vastness of the ocean and there in the distance you see a single life preserver, just one for the whole ocean. Then imagine under the sea there is a dolphin swimming about trying to come up for air in the exact same spot as there exists the single life preserver.  The chances of the dolphin arising out of the water at the one place the life preserver awaits is said to be the chance we have at being born Human.  

When you think of how dramatic our winning the lotto of life is by being a human being it is remarkable that we would waste a moment forcing others to be what they are not or gossiping about what they are or doing anything besides just BEING OURSELVES.  From a buddhist perspective what distinguishes humans from other beings is that we can realize our own suffering and address it. We can in effect by being ourselves, save ourselves from remaining in a state of suffering and instead enjoying constant ordinary happiness.  To me this is the Peace in the world that most of us are aspiring to for our children, and for our children's children.  

“Among individuals as among nations, the respect to other people's rights is peace”  Benito Juarez

The single hardest yoga pose to practice is "being oneself."  So next time you start talking about what someone in your life (your boss, your colleague, your partner, your kids, your parents) are doing life wrong step back and allow them to be who they are.  We can only be second best at trying to be someone else.  We can only be best at practicing living life as unique and wonderful as we are.  Imperfectly perfect.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

For more about me visit www.silviamordini.com or my spiritual travel company www.alchemytours.com

Silence is an ocean.

Speech is a river.

When the ocean is searching for you,

don't walk into the language-river.

Listen to the ocean,

and bring your talky business to an end -RUMI

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010.  Are you talking too much?  I'm just now coming out of a more silent period and one of the greatest learnings I've discovered is that most of us TALK TOO MUCH.  And what happens when we are talking too much is that the subtle enemy of love, Talking too much about OTHER people, seeps into our life practice.  This much I know, no one has gained personal insight or spiritual growth spending too much time talking about other people and what they are doing or not doing or how they are doing it.  The antidote to healing this malady is to spend time in SILENCE which is why yoga, any yoga, is a form of silent meditation.  When your mind is running rampant with over talking you know you are stuck in the language river and are at risk of drowning.  So as Rumi writes, bring your talky business to an end.  Go inside.  Be Silent. Stop Talking.  Realign with your attitudinal alignment.  One of the vital elements of the elegant system of Anusara Yoga.  

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”  -James Swindoll

You are in charge of your attitude and what you are feeling and thinking inside is where truth lies.  Where ultimate Santosha, happiness exist all the time.Now what if you know you are the subject of other people's talky business and they are stuck in the river of speech talking about you, then what? How do you get them to stop? Again, all you control are your attitudes you cannot change what others say or do.  They must want to for themselves.  Follow the advice of Virginia Satir who says "We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us.”  Go beyond what others say about you and make time for silence in order to remain true to who you are.  As Emerson says, "Stay at home in your mind. Don't recite other people's opinions.  

Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

"I am so happy, I cannot be contained in the world; If the foot of the trees were not tied to earth, they would be pursuing me;But like a spirit, I am hidden from the eyes of the world.  For I have blossomed so much, I am the envy of the gardens." RUMI as translated by Keshavarz

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010.  More than ever I aspire to this feeling of spirit day in and day out. I've tried looking outside myself for this experience, and through my yoga practice I've made time to look within.   As you know, this last month I took it to a new level.  I've had regular yoga teachers that took a month out for their own development every year whether it meant traveling to Thailand to be with their teacher or going on month long silent retreat or just taking a time out from teaching to more deeply commit themselves to the Yoga of Relationship.  So I did all of that this last 31 days.  And I am so happy I did!  I attended an awesome yoga teacher training and practiced many styles of yoga with many, many teachers, I spent time in quiet contemplation/meditation in nature and most importantly I consistently practiced unconditional love for my best friend. I learned how to expand my capacity to be more fearless in loving someone and allowing myself to be loved in return.  This is the trinurti (3-fold) nature of yogic practice like a tripod that needs all three legs to remain standing: study, practice, teach.

I have blossomed so much.

I went into this personal sabbatical with many questions and in some way as a spiritual seeker I was looking for answers.  I return with more questions than I did when I took time off.   What I do know is "I am so happy"!  Making ourselves important and setting aside time to design our intentions is not easy.  It is hard work to still the mind in order to get to that point of asking the questions, it is what Elizabeth Gilbert writes about in her book Eat, Pray, Love, "You cannot see your reflection in running water, only still water."  I can see better who I am, what I want in my life and I am asking better harder questions of myself. 

Why would I put myself through this? Because I want to keep evolving my happiness. A little happiness is not enough for me, I want a lot of happiness and I deserve that today be the best day of my life and I take this to a new edge tomorrow, just like we do in bending our knee in a warrior pose.  And I realized my happiness would remain stunted if I kept repeating old patterns or ignoring what those patterns in my mind or actions are.  As Miss Gilbert writes, "Take care of the problems now, or else you'll just have to suffer again later when you scew everything up the next time.  And that repetition of suffering - that's hell.  Moving out of that endless repetition to a new level of understand - there's where you'll find heaven."  Fundamentally this is where Yoga holds our hands and encourages us to be happier than we ever thought we could be by quieting our minds, helping us see the old problems and moving beyond them to our best lives ever.  So thank you dear students, friends, teachers for understanding my desire for personal growth and evolution and as you support me, please know with great passion and simple love I support you in your journey's as well.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Silvia

If you need a break consider joining me on Yoga Retreat in Tuscany October 24-30 or Moab November 4-7, or in December either Pagosa Springs or Hawaii

“The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mood of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change, for happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up”  - Unknown author

AUGUST 30TH, 2010.  Today my meditation focused on what combination it takes of Directing and Allowing in your life to achieve ordinary happiness.  To me it is like Alternate Nostril breathing.  The inhale is a directed effort but then we allow the exhale to empty and there is that pause at the end of the out breath that purifies that allowing.  You must wait for it to occur for extraordinary change is within that pause.  Now at the same time we surrender to the changes that are outside our control we exert effort in directing our lives.  This is a nondualistic happening: one not more important than the other.  Directing and allowing, allowing and directing.  Inhale, exhale.

"One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular."  -Tony Robbins 

The challenge is the constant sensitive adjustment necessary to manage especially the directing side of life.  It is too easy to let life be done to us and give up all control of plans for the best life ever.  I know this, we get on the treadmill of daily life (work, home, sleep, work, home, sleep) and convince ourselves to not make time to focus our attention.  The time on the mat in yoga class or going on retreat is that period of directing our thoughts and processing what we are allowing for in our lives.  So today engage more directly with yourself. You are the audience and the actor on the stage of your life and this is on a daily basis the performance of your life!  "In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently." -Tony Robbins 

And just like we learn to refine our awareness of breathing we can refine the consistency of how we direct our lives.  Go big, dig deep and go for it!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Silvia

AUGUST 28, 2010.  My friend Sadie Nardini Omega Fall retreat named on of the best by Well+Good New York City.  See link here 

And if you are looking for other Yoga retreats consider joining me in Tuscany Oct 24-30, 2010. $500 OFF early bird pricing if you join with a friend. Or Moab, Utah Nov 4-7, 2010. Pagosa Springs, Colorado Dec 9-12, 2010 and Hawaii Big Island Dec 14-19, 2010.  
Get back to yourself!  

AUGUST 24, 2010.  Yoga Teachers talk a lot about sequencing.  Sometimes they speak about it with awe and reverence and go to workshops to learn more and more.  And if you get even two yoga teachers together they will undoubtedly start whispering excitedly about a new sequence or someone's class they went to that had a totally rad sequence they'd never done before until they end up gigglng like little children.  Yoga teachers are stoked about smart sequencing! And that is one of the definitions of Vinyasa.  To place the order of poses in a special way and with intelligence.  A great teacher makes the practice easier and more accessible to all students when they treat sequencing like a gourmet chef would treat the creation of a meal.  It is easy to make the physical practice of yoga hard, just do it without intention and order and there you go!

The greater lesson here is the Vinyasa of life.  There is a smart sequencing to the order of how things are evolving in your life.  There is a beginning, middle and end to all cycles.  And if we allow this then the currents of grace more easily carry us moment to beautiful moment.  These are also referred to as Kramas (stages or waves). However, what happens is that we try to push or pull things out of order in life and sometimes as yoga students on the mat.  Back to school time means many yogis who took the summer off return to their practice and try to advance too far too fast rather than going with the step by step progression which is vinyasa.  We respect the start of where we are in this moment and then based on how we are feeling we move from there.  You will avoid injury in class and in life when this spiritual recipe is followed.

I have appreciated this teaching from my teachers Shiva Rea and John Friend for many years.  It doesn't mean I always apply it to my life.  I do however consistently apply it to the yoga on the mat as both a student and as a teacher until one day it seeps into everything I do.  Too many times I still get stuck in the past replaying how I could have done things better when the step I'm in is right now and going backwards is not intelligent vinyasa.  Neither does rehearsing and worrying about 10 steps from now make for smart sequencing in life.  But those pulls and pushes of past and too far into the future continue to challenge the sequence of my life practice.  The good thing is at least I see and know why there exists a wisdom to sequencing.  

So is sequencing the Holy Grail? Well yes it can be defined that way as long as you let go of that part of the legend that says you have to "prove" yourself before achieving it or finding it.  In Yoga come as you are, figure out what you're starting point is and build the intelligent sequence of your life from there.  Keep in mind this one suggested definition of the Holy Grail that Grail means "a derivative of cratis, a name for a type of woven basket that came to refer to a dish, or a derivative of Latin gradus meaning "'by degree', 'by stages', applied to a dish brought to the table in different stages or services during a meal"  Life is happening in stages, stay tuned in to where you are at right now and do your best not to go backwards or too far forwards but savor the yummy and delicious nature of where you are in this moment. Love yourself, love your day, love your life!  Silvia

 

**And if I might, Happiest Birthday to my brother Federico!!!

AUGUST 15, 2010.  One of my favorite workshops to teach is the Chakra Salutation Workshop each year.  One of the key take aways from this self-time is understanding the Chakras related to the "Self".  I hope that connecting the dots so to speak of how each chakra can be either deficient or excessive through this lens of "self" helps you to more easily identify where you need to focus.  The ultimate intention is we achieve as state where all of this "self" intention is balanced and tuned in.  Enjoy!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia

Here is the high level summary:

CHAKRA	SELF WORK
MULADHARA – ROOT	Self-Preservation Right to be here
SVADHISTANA – SACRAL	Self-Gratification Right to feel
MANIPURA – SOLAR PLEXUS	Self-Definition Right to act
ANAHATA – HEART	Self-Love Right to love and be loved
VISHUDDHA – THROAT	Self-Expression Right to speak and hear the truth
AJNA – BROW	Self-Reflection Right to see
SAHASRARA -  CROWN	Self-Knowledge Right to know

AUGUST 12, 2010.  I have a full library of books on communication.  As a love anthropologist I am fascinated by why people use certain words versus others to convey the same thing.  And this interest in words has grown ever more engaging as face to face communication has decreased.  And quite frankly my desire to understand has increased as I receive really harsh sometimes downright mean emails on an almost daily basis.  The proverbial "why" is there lingering in the background.(as in "why would someone say that and be so nasty for no reason?")

What I have realized through yogic and spiritual awakefulness is that much of what is behind the angry words chosen is a disconnect to their impact.  I believe that when someone is intentionally hurtful in words they are not completely in tune with the long term impact of what that energy does to the world.

"If we are unconscious of the power of words, we run the risk of creating a noisy disturbance."  - Unknown Author

Getting on the mat makes us more mindful of what we think, say and do.  And when what we are thinking is in alignment with our actions we are in a state of natural happiness.  So today, before you send an email reread it, take a lap, pause and be awake to what you are saying and how you are saying it.  Yup the concern is whether this will take up more time?  YES it will. But that extra 60 seconds will change the world.  And its up to you.

Love yourself, love your day, love your ilfe!  Silvia

AUGUST 10, 2010.  Have you ever wanted to experience Italy like a true local?  Have you wanted to live in the land of Elizabeth Gilberts Eat, Pray, Love?  Well here is your chance, join Silvia Mordini and Jacob Young to learn why Tuscany is a life-changing place for many. This Chianti region of beautiful vine-filled countryside is nestled between Florence and Siena and is the setting for this Yoga, Cycling and Cultural Adventure of a lifetime!

We will be guests at an 800 year old classic Tuscan farmhouse converted into a stylish yoga retreat. Looking out one of the many windows of the different accommodations in Ebbio, you will be captivated by the undulating hills swept with thriving vineyards, olive trees and enchanting evergreen forests. The amazing part of Ebbio is that it is still a working organic Tuscan Farm with its own Chianti wine production to create the exquisite fine foods we'll be served. Located in the breathtaking countryside of Tuscany, it is close to Florence, Siena, Castellina in Chianti and Monteriggioni, a little medieval castle. Activities include yoga, cycling, hiking, and of course visiting art cities like San Gimignano, Volterra, Montalcino, and Siena along with a trip to the natural hot springs of Petriolo and a day at the beach (the Mediterranean!), private wine tastings and Tuscan cooking class.Investing in yourself is the best investment!!

SPECIAL TUSCAN CULTURAL PROGRAMS DURING OUR 7 DAYS:
Day 1, Oct. 24, 2010: Arrivals, Deplane Yoga, Farm Hike, Welcome Dinner
Day 2, Oct. 25, 2010: Monteriggioni castle morning, Siena afternoon 
Day 3, Oct. 26, 2010: Cycling Morning, Radda in Chianti Wine Tasting and private walking tour afternoon
Day 4, Oct. 27, 2010: Morning drive to the Meditteranean relax on the beach, afternoon lunch and visit to Petriolo Natural Hot Springs, Tuscan Cooking evening 
Day 5, Oct. 28, 2010: Morning free time or bike trip, San Gimignano and Volterra afternoon and evening 
Day 6, Oct. 29, 2010: Morning free time or bike trip, Montalcino afternoon Wine Tastings and tour, evening closing dinner party 
Day 7, Oct. 30, 2010: Final Yoga, Breakfast and Departures

RESERVATIONS:

$500 deposit to hold your spot.
Early birds by September 1st, $1,900. 
Regular price $2,050

BOOK NOW: Visit www.alchemytours.com

INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE: 
-7 days and 6 nights accommodations 
-Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-Airport transfers
-All day trips and walking tours 
-Private wine tours and tastings 
-Traditional Tuscan cooking class 
-Soaking in the healing crystal waters of the Rapolano hot springs
-Visits to the art cities of Italy
-Two Daily Yoga Classes and Evening Group Activities
-Spa Treatments are available upon request
-A quality bicycle and an experienced cycling guide with knowledge of the greatest rides in the region
-Entrance fees to all group events and activities
-All transportation during the trip 
-Comprehensive trip literature
-All gratuities for special events, lodging and restaurants

NOT INCLUDED IN TRIP PRICE: 
Airfare to and from the trip and gratuities for your guides.

Download Tuscany Yoga Retreat Brochure Here

Click for all details on the Tuscany Yoga Retreat

AUGUST 9, 2010.  MY ODE TO WHY I LOVE TUSCANY.  And remember if you email us retreats@totalbodyyoga.com or post why you would love to visit Tuscany you are entered to win $500 OFF our Tuscany trip October 24-30, 2010.  Just go to Facebook Alchemy Tours to post your response or email us through facebook or at above address.  www.silviamordini.com for more information.

"Tuscany has been a life-changing place for me. From the moment I arrive and smell the air I feel washed in the rich sights, sounds and smells of this beautiful place. The energy here has brought me great healing and love. The love is a beautiful story whereby I met by chance on a train and fell in love with the most amazing man.  Ahhhh yes just like in the movies such as Eat, Pray, Love but it was my real life (as it was for Elizabeth Gilbert too) and it is as my Italian grandmother, Nonna, used to say "tutto e destino". Everything is destiny.  I am so grateful to appreciate the endless vistas, the serene vineyards of the Tuscan countryside, to marvel at the imposing fairy-tale architecture, or ride through the rolling hills that never end. Of course I also enjoy making time to shop, eat and sample a Chianti Classico or perhaps a little known SuperTuscan. Perhaps what I find most peaceful is the gentle pace and rhythm which I try my best to bottle up and bring back with me, holding these memories forever close to my heart.”

This is why I love Tuscany and will continue to bring friends to experience firstand this mystical place forever!  Love your life! Silvia

"Whilst on a lonely beach in Tasmania, three days hike away from any form of civilization, alone,Brent Morton had an epiphany: “No matter where I travel, however far away I get from civilization, how high of mountains I climb, one thing always remains the same: Me.” This began a 180 degree shift from exploring the physical world to a deep systematic journey into the inner world, which has continued intensively to the present day." - Brent Morton

AUGUST 8TH, 2010.  These are the words of a lovely teacher I have just met.  It speaks to so much of what I hope this practice brings to light for you sooner rather than later.  However, the difficult part of exploring the inner world and taking this inward journey of self-exploration is making time.  And when we are in our day to day world of grocery shopping, laundry, working, oil changes it's hard to make that time.  Yes, it is hard.  So for me the catalyst for inner change has often come as a result of traveling somewhere (maybe not as far as Tasmania!) but someplace where I could feel time as BIG.  And in that space, the changes in my outer world would almost force me, encourage me to go inside.  So here I am writing this from far away as each day I have my ecology of mind refreshed and look at ME.  No excuses, nothing more to do but see who I am and why I am.  

The longer my days, the more I find myself wanting to help others to do this too.  To facilitate inner healing and self knowledge by traveling away from the old paradigms even if for just 4 days or a week.  Join me in Tuscany October 24-30 or Moab November 4-7 or Pagosa Springs or Hawaii in December.  Love yourself, Know thyself.  

Peace out, Silvia  (Facebook Alchemy Tours or visit www.silviamordini.com)

"Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new." -- OG MANDINO

AUGUST 3RD, 2010  This practice of yoga has taught me above all else how to be a better Student of Life.  No matter how you might judge me as a "yoga teacher" or "life coach" I can honestly say that my best skill set is of being an amazing student.

I AM TEACHABLE.

I never for a moment assume I know too much. Actually ever year of this practice I learn more and realize how little I actually understand. My time on the mat reminds me to stay thirsty for knowledge.  It inspires me to get off my mat and apply this "TEACHABILITY" off the mat.  And I do.  Of course not without some lifted eye brows and sometimes harsh criticism from some folks.  

I take great honor in saying every year I take time off from teaching and go to study with my teachers.  I sit in the SEAT OF THE STUDENT an open vessel soaking in the open hearted wisdom of my teacher.  This last week has been an amazing experience studying Vinyasa Yoga with a great teacher of yoga and life.

I have been inspired, and challenged and prodded and supported in new ways.  I want to say thank you first to all those that would judge me for making time for myself to be a student.  You too have been some of my greatest teachers. For without your friction I would not have had to dig deep to still do what I knew was best for me.  And to all my students, friends, clients who have kindly supported me every year to keep learning I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my root chakra when it would get shaken and I'd wonder should I make time for me or not?  

There are wisdom teachers everywhere and as Students of Life the point is to be open to seeing the teachings that surround us every day of our lives both formally and informally.  Sometimes our most difficult teachers are our best teachers.  And that's ok: pleasant, unpleasant, neutral.  It's all good.

And finally what I hope everyone learns no matter your opinion is to step outside your comfort zone and KEEP LEARNING. Do not atrophy.  REMAIN TEACHABLE.  

Teachabiilty and being lovable are intimately linked as sweethearts.

May you all find the courage to expand your knowledge!  With compassion and peace to you all, Silvia

PS - Join me for my certified yoga teacher training program starting October 15th, 2010 at total body yoga

SAVE THESE DATES FOR UPCOMING FUN AT TBY!

Call 847 266 9642 or help@totalbodyyoga.com to register

 

Date-Time-Event

7/28/2010 (Wednesday)-5:30 PM-Third Eye Threads Trunk Show

7/31/2010 (Saturday)-11:00 AM-Reiki I - Learn to Heal Yourself

8/9/2010 (Monday)-Morning-Kids Yoga Camp with Mary Scudella

8/13/2010 (Friday)-7:15 PM-Hula Hoop Dance, Yoga, Fun!

8/14/2010 (Saturday)-11:00 AM-Reiki I - Learn to Heal Yourself

9/4/2010 (Saturday)-12:30 PM-Mommy and Baby Yoga with Rachel Dewan

9/11/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Yoga For Runners with Rachel Dewan

9/12/2010 (Sunday)-2:00 PM-TBY Intro Workshop with Mara Campbell

9/17/2010 (Friday)-6:30 PM-Eat, Pray, Love Workshop with Sandra Coyner

9/18/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Partner Yoga Workshop with Liz Leffert

9/25/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Anusara Yoga 101 with Mara Campbell

10/2/2010 (Saturday)-4:30 PM-David Romanelli Yoga, Miracles and WINE

10/2/2010 (Saturday)-12:30 PM-Mommy and Baby Yoga with Rachel Dewan

10/2/2010 (Saturday)-1:00 PM-Teaching Yoga to Kids with Mary Scudella

10/3/2010 (Sunday)-12:15 PM-David Romanelli Chocolate Covered Happiness

10/17/2010 (Sunday)-2:00 PM-Family Yoga with Mary Scudella

10/24/2010 (Sunday)-7:00 AM-TUSCANY YOGA & CULTURAL RETREAT

10/24/2010 (Sunday)-2:00 PM-Yoga for Skiers and Snowboarders with Kendra Charts

11/4/2010 (Thursday)-12:00 PM-Moab Yoga, Hiking and Mountain Biking Retreat

11/6/2010 (Saturday)-12:30 PM-Mommy and Baby Yoga with Rachel Dewan

11/13/2010 (Saturday)-12:00 PM-Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Rachel Dewan

11/14/2010 (Sunday)-12:00 PM-Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Rachel Dewan

12/4/2010 (Saturday)-2:00 PM-Pranayama (Breathing) and Meditation Workshop

12/9/2010 (Thursday)-9:00 AM-Colorado Skiing, Snowboarding, Yoga Retreat

SEE DETAILS AT WWW.TOTALBODYYOGA.COM/SPECIAL-EVENTS.ASP

TELL ME MORE ABOUT CERTIFIED YOGA TEACHER TRAINING AT TOTAL BODY YOGA PLEASE? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE FALL PROGRAM AND IF THERE IS STILL ROOM.  YES!! THERE IS AND READ ON TO LEARN MORE AND APPLY.  PEACE AND LOVE! SILVIA

total body yoga certified teacher training October 2010 - March 2011
This over 200 hour program is recognized by Yoga Alliance as a REGISTERED 200 HOUR YOGA SCHOOL and offers you a unique opportunity to make a deep commitment to learning more about yourself.  The entire total body yoga community offers you honest, loving support from day one as we pride ourselves on being completely inclusive.  This program is a safe haven: a nurturing sanctuary to engage in open minded self-exploration.  We are devoted to offering you an atmosphere in which freedom of expression, creativity and passion for life are "totally" encouraged!  Our program covers the foundations of the 8 Limbed path of Yoga and how to effectively teach using your most authentic voice.  The emphasis will be on teaching to the heart of the student in a dynamic yet unpretentious way through a marriage of creative vinyasa techniques, disciplined asana and life philosophy.  This is yoga as a life-long truthful celebration of ourselves, our students and our world!  This program requires a significant, honest commitment of time and energy.  We would love to receive your application!

SCHEDULE OF TRAINING DATES OCTOBER 13, 2010 - MARCH 31, 2011:

Every other Wednesday 9am - 3pm from October 13 through March 31
*Dates are Oct 13, 27, Nov 10, 24, Dec 1, Jan 12, 26, Feb 9, 23, Mar 9, 23, 31 

 

WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE:

Practice Class: 9:00am - 3pm with Lunch Break 1-1:30pm

1 WEEKEND PER MONTH:

Dates are: Oct. 16,17-18, 2010; Nov. 19, 20-21, 2010; Dec. 3, 4-5, 2010; Jan 14, 15-16, 2011; Feb 19-20, 2011; Mar 19-20, 2011, Celebration Dinner TBD

SATURDAY SCHEDULE:

Training Class: 8:00am-5:00pm with Lunch Break: 1:00pm-2:00pm

SUNDAY SCHEDULE:

Training Class: 8:00pm-3:00pm with Lunch Break: 12pm-1pm

Program is ideal for those working regular weekday work schedules (requires use of just 2 vacation days per month or flexible schedule arrangements with employer.)

 

COST: $2,900 *Deposit of $300 towards tuition required prior to first day.
***If paid in full by October 15th only $2,500***SAVE $400! 

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Send completed application and materials via email to:

trainings@silviamordini.com

BACKGROUND

Please include: name, emergency contact, address, city/state, zip, day/night phone, cell phone, and e-mail address.

STEP 1: PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR YOGA PRACTICE
-How long have you been taking yoga classes and/or practicing?

-Who have been your most influential teachers and why?

-List any trainings, intensives or retreats attended and why?

-What style(s) of yoga do you practice?

-How often and how long do you practice?

STEP 2: WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS PROGRAM?
-Why do you want to be a certified yoga teacher?

-What are your expectations for the training? What do you hope to gain, learn, or improve? 
-Do you teach yoga now? If so, please describe in detail. 
-If you plan on teaching after completing the program, why do you want to teach yoga? 

STEP 3: WHAT DOES YOGA MEAN TO YOU?
-Describe how your life has been impacted by practicing yoga.

-Tell us about your hobbies, interests, community service, etc.

-Describe your physical health (major illnesses, surgeries, physical conditions). 
-Tell us about your emotional and mental health. 

-Do you have a support network of friends or therapist?

-Does your family support this journey you've decided to take? 
-This program requires a significant time commitment. Do you have any other major commitments (grad school, 2 jobs, etc) that would prevent you from participating fully?

 

"It is by teaching that we teach ourselves, by relating that we observe, by affirming that we examine, by showing that we look, by writing that we think, by pumping that we draw water into the well."  --  Henri Frederic Amiel

 

JULY 19, 2010.  I want to take a moment to congratulate and thank the 2010 teacher training graduates. These unbelievably inspiring teachers have spent over 200 hours enthusiastically studying a Syllabus that Includes:

• Techniques 100 Contact Hours/15 Non Contact Hours: Includes asanas, pranayamas and meditation. These hours include both training in the techniques and the practice of them.
• Teaching Methodology 25 Contact Hours/6 Non Contact Hours: Principles of demonstration, observation, assisting/correcting, instruction, teaching styles, qualities of a teacher, and the student's process of learning.
• Anatomy and Physiology 14 Contact Hours/6 Non Contact Hours: We will incorporate awareness of physical and subtle anatomy throughout training.
• Philosophy, Ethics, & Lifestyle 20 Contact Hours/10 Non Contact Hours: Study of Yoga Philosophy (Yamas, Niyamas), Yoga Scriptures (Yoga Sutras), ethics for yoga teachers, 'living the life of the yogi'
• Practicum 10 Contact Hours: Includes observing and assisting (both adjusting and enhancing students) in classes taught by others. 5 hours of assistant teaching, 5 hours of observing classes
• Independent Study 10 Contact Hours/5 Non Contact Hours: these hours will include assigned reading, asana sheets of 60 poses, workshops, and 5 hours of Karma Yoga Student Teaching for free to your community.

To see this level of dedication or studentship known as adhikara was deeply profound. I thank you all for bringing your Best Selves!  You are already amazing teachers, for the BEST teachers of yoga or of life are those that remain lifelong STUDENTS!  Big love to you all, Silvia

2010 TRAINEES (RYT PENDING)

1.       Laura Mills

2.       Janeen Paul

3.       Laura Zavala

4.       Kendra Charts

5.       Nikki Jewell

6.       Deidre Person

7.       Carrie Wilhelm

8.       Sherri Browdy

9.       Alexandra Mlynarczyk

10.     Christine Bjorkquist

11.      Eileen Estrem

12.      Jaime Foss

13.      Jen Fabri

14.      Karin DeCicco

15.      Linda Benton

16.      Nadine LaPointe

17.      Susan Cartwright

 

JULY 18, 2010:  So if you are interested in becoming a CYT 200 Certified Yoga Teacher recognized by the Yoga Alliance you much complete a CYT program that they approve at the 200 or 500 hour level.  See www.yogaalliance.com for the complete list.  We have finished our fifth year of training and are starting our 6th.  TO APPLY PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING:

Send completed application and materials via email to:

trainings@silviamordini.com

 BACKGROUND

Please include: name, emergency contact, address, city/state, zip, day/night phone, cell phone, and e-mail address.

STEP 1:  PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR YOGA PRACTICE
-How long have you been taking yoga classes and/or practicing?

-Who have been your most influential teachers and why?

-List any trainings, intensives or retreats attended and why?

-What style(s) of yoga do you practice?

-How often and how long do you practice?

STEP 2:  WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS PROGRAM?
-Why do you want to be a certified yoga teacher?

-What are your expectations for the training? What do you hope to gain, learn, or improve? 
-Do you teach yoga now? If so, please describe in detail. 
-If you plan on teaching after completing the program, why do you want to teach yoga? 

STEP 3: WHAT DOES YOGA MEAN TO YOU?
-Describe how your life has been impacted by practicing yoga.

-Tell us about your hobbies, interests, community service, etc.

-Describe your physical health (major illnesses, surgeries, physical conditions). 
-Tell us about your emotional and mental health. 

-Do you have a support network of friends or therapist?

-Does your family support this journey you've decided to take? 
-This program requires a significant time commitment. Do you have any other major commitments (grad school, 2 jobs, etc) that would prevent you from participating fully?

JULY 17, 2010:  I get asked all the time what books I recommend for students of yoga. Well the list I personally suggest is as follows:

Yoga History: 
1. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,Swami Satchitananda or Secret Power of Yoga, Nichala Joy Devi (ALL TIME FAVE!)
<br>
Practice: 
2. Yoga The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness, Eric Schiffman 
3. Jivamukti By Shannon Gannon and David Life 
4. Yoga for Wellness, Gary Kraftsow, Penquin, 1999 
<br>
Professional Ethics/Connecting the Heart of the Student: 
5. Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship, Donna Farhi
6. Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Manual, John Friend 
7. Living Your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life, Judith Lasater 
<Br>
Anatomy/Physiology: 
8. Anatomy of Movement, Blandine Calais-Germain 
9. The Anatomy Coloring Book - Kapit & Elson 
<Br>
Pranayama and Breath: 
10. The Heart of Yoga: Developing A Personal Practice, Desikachar
<Br>
Recommended Books: 
Yogi Bare by Philip Self 
The Language of Yoga by Nicolai Bachman (to learn how to pronounce stuff)
Yoga from the Inside Out by Christina Sell 
A Path With Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life & Wherever You Go There You Are by Jack Kornfield
<br>

JULY 11, 2010:  The summer is that time of year where it is so easy to get overloaded with solar energy we try to do too much. The hazard here is that we can easily burn out and loose track of what is relevant.  And without that we get ungrounded and our Root Chakra weakens.

To me this is yet another way Yoga saves us.

There is not a week that goes by that YOGA DOESN'T SAVE MY LIFE.  It saves my soul from hurting for too long it saves my heart from getting stuck in its longing it saves my mind from replaying things that have happened or rehearse the future. This practice saves my life and gives it back to me.

Here you go!  No strings attached, no questions asked.  And no conditions to be met.  

That's pretty marvelous.  So be really awake to what you are saying yes to this summer and reground yourself on the mat so you too can return to your center. Because busy and hyper active physically does not mean our souls, hearts or minds are feeling good. They need the care that only comes from slowing down and giving thanks for the breath.

Join me to breath with me, to breath yourself back to groundedness and STAY ROOTED IN LIFE!  Love to you in all ways, Silvia

WHY DO A SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE:

What are you waiting for? In these chaotic times, it is imperative to slow down more than ever so that we can again find our center and realize what is most important to us. A spiritual adventure help you heal your soul and learn how to make healthy choices for your greater happiness. Each retreat provides loving accommodations, inspirational talks, expert instruction, and healthy, delicious meals.

Remember that you don’t need anyone else’s permission but your own to sign up. You will be part of an intimate group of people just like you who are looking for a “time out.” The prerequisites for attending have nothing to do with athletic ability or experience, and everything to do with an open heart, a playful curiosity, an inquisitive mind. And a desire to Design Your Best Life ever!  

When we think about why we want to take folks on retreat to various places in the world a great part of that reason is because we want to help people regain what we call “The Innocence of Hope”. Innocence, wonder, curiosity are such loving human characteristics that require an incredible amount of strength to maintain throughout our lives for its easy to get jaded, or scared or cynical. When we lose the innocence of hope we stop living our dreams whether it be about offering our hearts to another person or building a business or quitting a job we hate. We know that by achieving something physical this innocence and hope for the unknown are transportable and could change someone’s life.  Save these Early Bird dates below and save money too! 
Keep it real, stoke the fire, Love in all ways, Silvia

“The better you feel physically the easier it is to be happy.” –Martin Rush, Partner Yoga

EARLY BIRD SAVINGS:
Tuscany Oct 24-30, 2010 Early Bird by Sept 1st $1900Regular $2,050
Moab Nov 4-7, 2010 Early Bird by July 15th $899Regular $999
Pagosa Springs CO Dec 9-12, 2010 Early Bird Sept 9th $1195Regular $1300
Big Island, Hawaii Dec 14-19, 2010 Early Bird by Sept 14th $2400Regular $2580
Moab April 16-19, 2011 Early birds by December 21st $899Regular $999

QUICK CALENDAR 2010 - 2011

October 24-30, 2010: Tuscany, Italy

November 4-7, 2010: Moab, Utah

December 9-12, 2010: Pagosa Springs/Wolf Creek, Colorado

December 14-19, 2010: Big Island, Hawaii

April 16-19, 2011: Moab, Utah

June 2011: Tuscany, Italy

June/July 2011: Dolomiti, Italy

JULY PROMOTIONS:
Buy 1 month unlimited $80!!
36% OFF, SAVE $45! Must buy by July 31st, Good for 30 days!
Alchemy Tours on Facebook "Like Us" by 7/31 to enter to win $200 Gift Certificate (Good on any retreat in 2010!)

SUPER DUPER NAMASTE!
We are having a heat wave, gosh when we devoted the month of May to stoking the fire of designing our Best Lives Ever who knew it would create so much heat you guys!  Well, I love it. 

Keep doing the yoga on the mat so you can explore and experiment with how transportable yoga is off the mat. Quite frankly that's why I love to go on retreat. I get to see first hand how the courage, freedom, guts we cultivate on that mat impacts every other area of our lives.  I see YOU changing every time you come to class from beginning to end. I see the miracle of YOU realizing how powerful you really are in living the life of your dreams. 
And because of YOU everyday I am inspired to keep dreaming even bigger for myself and for the world.  With immense gratitude and love, Silvia

PS Thank you everybody for voting us Best Yoga Studio as part of Mindful Metropolis 2010 Readers Choice.

Super Namaste and Happy 8 Year Birthday to TBY Today!

8 is my lucky number! I am delighted to be celebrating this milestone birthday together and am so grateful to see so many of your smiling faces in class this week!  What an amazing month: to receive your visible support by way of choosing TBY Best Yoga Studio and now our birthday. WOW, WOW! Blessings are dropping like blossoms everywhere (to paraphrase Rumi).

And the greatest blessing is you!  We needed every single student to ignite the flame, to stoke the fire and to sustain the amazing energy at TBY all this time.  We've grown up together, we've seen many of you make some tremendous life changes and how great to know the best is yet to come!  To make it 8 years is a visible demonstration that YOGA WORKS! Yoga is love, love is always the answer, love unites, love inspires, love is fierce, love is real, love is the way.  

So dear students, thank you for bringing your best selves and creating such a loving environment for us to teach in.  On behalf of all the teachers and supervisors and team at TBY.  Gosh, we are deeply grateful and can't wait to begin another awesome year starting tomorrow!
Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

www.totalbodyyoga.com www.silviamordini.com

PS: I'll be guiding the Tuscany Yoga Retreat June 16th-July 1st with alchemytours.com, teaching pretty much until the moment I get on a plane.  :-)

June 7, 2010: Courage
June 8, 2010: Discipline
June 9, 2010: Persistence and Perseverance, TBY B-day!
June 9, 2010: Mind Body Integration
June 10, 2010: Compassion (Slowing Down)

CLASS PLAN BASICS: May 29, 2010

Theme: Trust, Trust is spiritual maturity, Trust is Healing

Focus: Hips, Hamstrings

OPENING

On Back with blanket under legs

Bridge tilts

Pigeon Twist to Supine Pigeon to Pigeon Abs

Savasana

Side 2

 

WAVE 1

Roll up to seated left leg in front

Cat/Cow seated

*Fists of Fire pulsation option to lift feet off ground modified boat

Seated Twist, other side

Twist/Side Bend

Boat to Twisted Boat

Lie down

Cobbler Abs, Supine Twist

Side 2 right leg in front seated

 

WAVE 2

Supine Lunge (half happy baby

Supine Cobbler, Cobbler Abs

 

WAVE 3

Roll up

Boat variations (Twist it this time)

Malasana

Forward Fold

Half Salutes (optional)

 

WAVE 4

Warrior A

Pyramid Flow together with half salute arms

Prasarita

Side 2

 

CLOSING

From Prasarita

Forward Fold

Squat, Garland Pose knees together

Transition to Supine: Sideways childs pose curled into ball

Supine Twist arms at T, both sides

Supine child’s pose

Savasana (with blanket under legs as an option)

OPENING

Handstand at wall

 

WAVE 1 – Mandala Namaskar

Mountain
hallf Moon A

Yoga Mudra FF

Chair arms up

FF

Standing Splits

Revolved Lunge

Prasarita (hold leg feel twist)

Standing Splits left leg

Forward Fold

K2 Mountain, Half Moon A hand behind head, Yoga Mudra FF, Chair, FF, Standing Splits

Pyramid

Revolved Triangle

Pose of Shiva K1 Twists, K2 side bends hand behind head, Breath of Fire, Fire Mudra

Prasarita

1 leg downward dog, external rotation

Basic vinyasa

Dog

Walk to FF

Begin side 2

 

WAVE 2

From 1 leg downward dog, external rotation right leg

Core Plank, 2 times

High Lunge

Arms high, bend knee headrest arms

Flying lunge

Hands to heart

High twist

Open arms

Cartwheel down

Inhale plank prep

Exhale core plank

Inhale 1 leg plank

1 leg basic vinyasa

Side 2

 

WAVE 3

Lunge

Quad stretch

Sunbird

Cow

Pigeon

Dolphin

Pose of the Heart

Bow

 

WAVE 4:

Closing practice

 

Class plan Level 1 May 26, 2010

 

THEME: Member of Human Family, Connection, Relationship, Yoga of Humanity

 

OPENING:

Supported Bridge Pose with blanket under pelvis and strap around legs

 

WAVE 1

Vajrasana on block

Sankalpa all the way up

Cow face arms, side bend

Neck stretch                                                                          

Side 2

Dog

 

WAVE 2

Plank belly Plank Dog 3-5 x’s

Plank progressive Chatarunga

Locust with Yoga Mudra

Locust with hands on ground

Cobra

Basic vinyasa

Dog

Forward Fold

 

WAVE 3

Sun Salute A

Half Moon A with cowface arms

Sun Salute B with variation: Half Lunge, cow arms, half moon B while in half lunge

 

WAVE 4

Sun Sal B with variation: Warrior A cow arms

WA to Pyramid flow

Prasarita Fold

Prasarita twist

Transverse lunge tick tock side to side hands in sankalpa mudra

Side 2

Return Side 1

 

WAVE 5

Sunbird hold foot

Cobra

Half Frog

Forearm plank

Dolphin

Dog

Dancer Dog hold foot like half bow

Side 2

 

CLOSING

Wide forward fold mid mat

Malasana

Cobbler

Supine Cobbler

Knees to chest

Savasana

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 2:  May 25, 2010

Peak Poses: Bow Pose, Wheel, Tripod Headstand to Half Moon B, Downward Facing Bow to King Dancer, King Dancer

Key Points: Shins in Thighs Out with Arms, Backbend focus

Theme: Power of Intention, I FEEL GOOD, Video of Jessica

 

OPENING

Vajrasana on block

Sankalpa all the way up

Cow face arms, side bend

Neck stretch                                                                          

Side 2

Dog

 

WAVE 1

Plank belly Plank Dog 3-5 x’s

1 leg dog core plank to half plank Chatarunga

Kneeling side plank dip to Chatarunga

Open to Kneeling half bow

Core plank, 3 part plank

Basic vinyasa

 

WAVE 2

Half (Low) Lunge

Revolved Lunge to Parsva (side) lunge

Transverse lunge

Prasarita

Basic vinyasa

 

WAVE 3 – Mandala Namaskar I from Shiva Rea

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE – Anjaneyasana (Lunge)

INHALE – Parsva Anjaneyasana (Side Lunge)

EXHALE – Skandasana (Transverse Lunge)

INHALE – Ardha Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

EXHALE – hands down

INHALE – Ardha Plank (1 legged Plank)

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

EXHALE -- Chaturanga Dandasana

INHALE -- Plank

EXHALE -- Adho Mukha Svanasana

 

WAVE 4

1 Leg Dog left leg

With Right leg step into Half Moon B

Half Bow variation to King Dancer to Downward Facing Bow to Standing Splits

Basic Vinyasa

Dog Pose

Jump to Malasana

PEAK – Tripod Headstand to Half moon B

Jump Back basic vinyasa

Side 2

 

WAVE 5

Pigeon

Quad stretch

Half Frog on belly

Quad stretch

Side 2

Bow

Bridge then Wheel

 

CLOSING

Supine twist, Apanasana, Supine Cobbler, Savasana

Theme: CELEBRATION!

WAVE 1

On Belly, Gecko

Child’s pose

Vajrasana

Flow1: Vajrasana Mudra high, exhale child’s pose, inhale table, exhale dog, inhale table, exhale child pose

Flow2: Vajrasana Mudra high, exhale child’s pose, inhale cobra, exhale dog, inhale table, exhale child pose

Flow3: Camel Mudra high, exhale child’s pose, inhale cobra, exhale dog, inhale table, exhale child pose

From Dog pose, inhale plank, exhale 1 leg dog, inhale plank, exhale 1 leg dog, inhale plank, exhale basic vinyasa

Inhale prepare, exhale jump Forward Fold

 

 

WAVE 2

Half Moon A

Half Sun Salute A

Jump basic vinyasa

1 leg dog

Low lunge half moon A, Yoga Mudra

Basic vinyasa

 

WAVE 3

Repeat above high lunge from Yoga Mudra Warrior 3, standing splits, forward fold, inhale repeat half moon A and as above

 

WAVE 4

Lizard

Side Angle

Shiva Pose with Eagle arms

Humble Warrior with Eagle arms

Warrior 3 Eagle arms

Forward Fold

 

WAVE 5

Seated half cow half forward fold

Standing cow

Eagle

Forward Fold

 

CLOSING

Malasana

Seated Cobbler with Eagle Arms

Supine Pigeon

Supine Pigeon Abs with Eagle Arms

Supine Child’s Pose

Savasana

 

May 18, 2010, I have this conversation with someone or many folks quite frankly every week without fail.  Is Yoga Spiritual?  And the first thing I do when I receive this question is ask (as I am doing here with you), What does it mean to you to be Spiritual?

What yoga is and what it isn’t is often hotly debated.  My best friend just sent me a link to a movie called Yoga, Inc which also includes this topic.  Our 6^th chakra Ajna sensibility is really about perception. The encyclopedia of events in your life influence how you define the circumstances and attitudes of your life.  To me the key point is that you get to decide what your thoughts are and you are responsible for managing your view of your life.  It’s that old saying:

“Watch your thoughts for they become words

Watch your words for they become actions

Watch your actions for they become habits

Watch your habits for they become character

Watch your character for it becomes your destiny!”

 

My all time favorite definition of yoga that I take on as my own as well is by David Frawley, Yoga and Ayurveda:

“Yoga is one of the most extraordinary spiritual sciences that mankind has discovered.  It is like a gem of great proportions, containing many facets whose light can illume the whole of our lives with great meaning. Yogic methods cover the entire field of our existence – from the physical, sensory, emotional, mental, and spiritual to the highest Self-realization.  It includes all methods of higher evolution in humanity – physical postures, ethical postures, breath control, sensory methods, affirmations and visualizations, prayer and mantra, and complex meditative disciplines.  Yoga understands the nature and interrelationships of the physical, subtle and formless universes into the boundless infinite beyond time and space, and shows us how these also exist within each human individual.” 

So I guess there you have it. You now know for sure I believe this is a spiritual practice, or at least it is for me, and can be for you if you want to make it such.  And if you don’t believe yoga is spiritual you gain all these amazing benefits anyway.  So I say, let everyone do their own yoga. And if it makes us all nicer and kinder than regardless of anything more, we have succeeded in making the world a better place right now.  Love to you all, Silvia

FOCUS:
Physical – Twists

Philosophical – No more procrastinating, take action now

 

OPENING
On back supine cobbler

Cobbler abs

Jathara partivatanasana twist

Pigeon abs

Pigeon twist

More Pigeon abs

Roll up to Forward Fold

 

WAVE 1

Inhale Mountain

Exhale backbned

Inhale Mountain

Exhale Forward Fold

Inhale Monkey

Exhale Ball Pose

Inhale Mountain begin again

 

WAVE 2

Sun Salute A

 

WAVE 3

Chair Tip Toe Chair

Basic Vinyasa

1 Legged Downward Dog

Inhale High Lunge

Exhale Flying Lunge

Inhale Prayer Lunge

Exhale High Lunge Twist Hands in Prayer

Inhale High Lunge Twist Arms in T

Exhale Warrior B

Inhale Reverse Warrior B

Exhale through Basic Vinyasa

Chair Tip Toe Chair Twist

 

WAVE 4

Chair Tip Toe Twist
Side Crow

Crow

Jump Back

Basic Vinyasa

Jump to Seated, lie down more ABS

Roll up Forward Fold

 

WAVE 5

Chair to Crane

Pigeon Chair Twist

Crane to Warrior 3

Wave 2 flow with K2 Full Prayer Twist

Basic Vinyasa

Side 2

 

WAVE 6

Jump to seated

Seated Pigeon, twist it

Double Pigeon or supine

Arm balance Yogi Dandasana

Double Pigeon

Cobbler

Upavista Parsva variation

 

CLOSING

Supine Cobbler

Bridge or shoulderstand

Savasana

6^th Chakra Theme: Tree Cards

 

OPENING:

Supine pigeon tree

Supine pigeon

Supine pigeon twist

Side 2

Supine Cobbler

Apanasana (supine Child’s Pose)

Roll up to Forward Fold

 

WAVE 1

Plank: Hip Hikers

Dog: Hip Hikers

Basic Vinyasa

Dog to 1 Legged Down Dog

Dog to Forward Fold

 

WAVE 2:

Sun Salutation B (with 1 leg dog included as modification)

K1:  Walk the Dog: Forward Fold Hasta Pada K1 to Mountain, Half Moon A, Tree, Tree with Half Moon A

 

WAVE 3:

1 Legged Down Dog to 3 part plank (optional push up)

Warrior B: eagle arms

Side Warrior: eagle arms

Side Warrior: niralamba hold wrist, relax bottom arm

Side Warrior Straight Leg

Triangle

(Level 1-2: Parsva Vasci exit to twisted plank to one leg dog, optional basic vinyasa)

 

TRANSITION: K2: Walk Dog Chair, Eagle arms with Chair, Eagle, Warrior 3 with Eagle arms, Standing splits, Walk to 1 Legged Down Dog

 

Side 2 of Wave 3 begins straightaway

 

WAVE 4:

1 Leg Dog step Forward to Standing Splits

Revolved Lunge (stay or Side Plank with Tree Leg)

Transverse Lunge

K1: in middle

K2: sit to side hold big toe and reach

K3: like Parsva janu Sirsasana

Prasarita (optional tri-pod)

Half Lunge transition into Half Splits or Full Splits

Half Virasana

(In Level 1-2: Koundinasana 1, jump back option)

Garland

Chair with eagle arms

Tree with eagle arms

Forward Fold

(In Level 1-2 Warrior 3 with Eagle arms to Warrior 1 with Eagle arms, Basic Vinyasa)

Side 2

WAVE 5: CLOSING

Malasana

Cobbler

Supine Cobbler (2 trees together!)

Savasana

 

May 10, 2010 Nischala Joy Devi puts it like this, “We miss life if we allow others to dictate the direction of our thoughts and feelings.  But when our heart guides the focus of our consciousness, love is ever present in our life.” So whatever the question you are struggling with is in your life the answer yoga teaches us is simple. LOVE IS THE ANSWER. 

If you can accept and embrace that our true nature is joy beyond the ups and downs and complexities of our humanity we are meant to live in love.  In yoga Bhakti means love.  Bhakti is love in ACTION.  Love is active. 

Right now you could be living more in love with your life.  There is no reason to wait for your life to be better when it can be better right now. So why delay? Well what often happens is we start to identify with our grumpy selves or sad or angry or critical selves and even come to believe that it us.  It is not us.  Those are just some fluctuations. To get back to our true nature we have to do something. Love is active.  (Chapter 1 Verse 4)

The Yoga Sutra this is based on is Chapter 1 Verse 3 United in the heart, consciousness is steadied, then we abide in our true nature, joy. The expansion of this joy is infinite LOVE, which encompasses and then transforms everything it touches.  Everywhere we look, we see the reflection of our joyful nature.

Make the practice of Bhakti of actively living in love your experience this week and see what happens, I know what happens…for that’s how I’ve chosen to live every day I have in this earthly body. I don’t want to waste a moment and hope you won’t any longer either. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

May 10, 2010, Gosh when you think about the biggest obstacle to feeling happy is letting our minds get all dirty with worry, stress, fear (basically all the unhappy thoughts).  If you think of your mind like a load of laundry and yoga is the washing machine we come into the practice to engage our breath which is like the detergent that cleans us on the inside.  Today, how big a load of laundry do you have to do?

Start there.

Then we have a better idea of how much work we have to do in order to Yoga citta vritti nirodhah, to calm the disturbances or dirtiness of our minds.  This is Yoga Sutra chapter 1 verse 2.  If you can engage in mindful movement connected to your breath you slow down and help your mind from being so agitated.  Otherwise, the mind stays in this cycle of obsessive churning and never actually let’s you get clean and easeful in your thoughts. And our thoughts are the predecesors to all our actions as Einstein says.

The biggest obstacle to a happier life is our own busy mind.  Once we access that contented, peaceful state that yoga brings where we no longer struggle in our thoughts then we can actually remember we have the key to our happiness and joy.  Or as Danna Faulds puts it so poetically,

“Within us lie the answers to our deepest questions and the antidote for all our fears.

The divine is not an abstraction – it’s as clear and intimate as a heartbeat or a whisper.

 

No matter how identified we’ve become with mind and body,

we can release the thoughts that blind us to the truth. 

Seek the still point where the words “you” and “I” lose meaning,

where we meet and merge as One.” 

 

Love Is Yogic

By Dylan Barmmer on May 7, 2010

I have always been deeply and madly in love with Love.

I was named after a romantic poet. I was raised by a would-be Priest and heart-on-his-hairy-sleeve hero of a father. I started falling in love with girls when most boys were pulling their pigtails and screaming about “Cooties”. I listened and felt and sometimes cried to The Cure, The Smiths, REM and U2. I thought John Lennon was the baddest rebel lover ever – even if my Catholic Programming suggested I should condemn him for “imagining there’s no Heaven.”

An ex-girlfriend of nearly four years even told me I was too in love with Love – after insisting to her other lover and I that we had never made love. But that’s Another Story for Another Day (!).

I’m listening to Enigma while writing this. And chatting with a friend about the beauty of Unconditional Love. And hoping and dreaming I catch a good case of The Cooties soon.

What can I say? I’m a Hopeful Romantic. I’m a Leo. I’m a poet.

I guess it’s like Osho says so beautifully in “Emotional Wellness”:

“If you are rational, really rational, you will become a scientist. If you are really emotional, you will become a poet.”

But I wasn’t always so good at loving myself. In fact, sometimes I was downright terrible at it.

Yoga changed all that. And continues to do so.

I’ve tried a lot of different things to patch that hole in my Old Soul through close to 36 years of living this life on this beautiful earth, and I can’t say I’ve ever found anything that makes me as happy or alive or truly in love – not just with the idea or feeling of love, but with life and truth and beauty and others – as my yoga practice.

But most importantly, yoga has taught me to love myself. Unconditionally. Without judgment. Without fear. Without reason. Without boundaries or borders or limitations. All ways.

Always.

And it’s not just because it’s honed and toned and sculpted my 30-something body into the best it’s ever looked (though that doesn’t hurt). No, it’s way beyond that. It’s more about how I feel inside. How present I am. How aware. How passionate. How compassionate.

I’ve always been highly passionate, tactile, affectionate and sexual (I am a Leo Man, after all). And I’ve always been fascinated with living and loving at the intersection of The Sacred and The Profane. The link between The Divine and sexual passion has also always fascinated me (consider the use of bedroom talk like “Oh God that feels good!” or “Jesus, that’s it right there!”). The one Truly Tantric sexual experience I’ve had (thus far) literally rocked my world, and opened me up to a whole new dimension of Love and Freedom and Expression.

Anyway, my mom might be reading this (if so, Happy Mother’s Day. I love you!). So I’ll stop there. The point of all this is that yoga, at its very core and elemental essence, is really all about Love. Love of The Divine. Love of all other beings. Love of life. Love of service. And, most of all, love of self. Because it all starts from within – and radiates outward. You know, kind of like the sun.

So I wrote this poem – after a yoga + poetry class I had the honor to help create and facilitate with my amazing friend Cindy Sitara Lee at my beloved Yoga Swami – called “Love Is Yogic.” And I’ve been performing it more and more lately.

You might even say I’ve fallen in love with it.

Following are both the written form of the poem, as well as a link to a videotaped performance prior to a class in the Yoga Swami yurt (home to a true Abundance of Love). Enjoy. And tell your mother you love her on Sunday – and beyond!

Love Is Yogic

Love is an asana
it comes and goes, ebbs and flows
how long can you hold it?

Love is a sutra
it binds and holds, folds and unfolds
connecting at The Source

Love is a mantra
it is O! O! Ommmmmmmmm…
waves of bliss, an endless kiss

Love is a journey
it starts within and where it ends
is entirely up to you

 

  May 7, 2010:  When I started this studio many years ago I built it upon Shri.  I would look for the good in every student, celebrate my teaching team and find the best about myself.  Well today is the last day to vote for TBY as best yoga studio and so much more! And I have to say I think the Shri, this celebration of inner beauty and goodness has worked out amazingly well!   

To think that we are even nominated for Best Yoga Studio by Mindful Metropolis is such a true honor. It shows the power of Shri, that it is contagious beauty and by its nature abundant, ever expanding and growing!  This outward expansion inspires, vibes with others so they begin to feel and express Shri from the inside out too. So today think of your most powerful intentions, those things that you want to see blossom and grow (even the most unbelievable!) and dedicate yourself to them.  I promise if you in the words of John O'Donohue allow "the breath of light to awaken color, the dawn will anoint your eyes with wonder."  

Believe in the impossibility of things, look for the good in you, in your potential, in others and the viral expression of Shri will help you manifest the best life ever. It has for me and I love all of you for voting for us.  We will find out May 21st if we won but we have already won in celebrating the coming together in a community of the heart. Love to you all in all ways, Silvia

April 13, 2010:  Yoga is funny in that it is a great paradox. We feel this in the physical sense in the juncture point of the waistline where pelvic loop and kidney loops originate. Both draw back the side bodies but the the energy splits up. The pelvic loop draws waist back and DOWN and kidney loop draws the waist back and UP.  Yoga helps us to explore how to live with what the world is offering us and receive it gracefully while at the same time figuring out how to turn what is being offered into an empowered experience.  But this isn't the cliché of lemons into lemonade which is just plain annoying isn't it?   

Nope this is about staying centered within ourselves to a place of great depth and tranquility and remain steady no matter what life has served you today - when you most want to shut down, to remain open hearted by holding onto to that calm center.  And at the same time this is in no way apathetic. We are meant to action our lives and keep evolving towards greater and greater happiness.  

So we have to create an alignment between our desires and aspirations and what's really possible for us today, in this moment.  If what we want and what we do and what we think are out of alignment then suffering ensues.  This life of ours is asking that we learn how to hold and release and reach and expand all at the same time.  

Today, how are you doing? Can you live with what the world is offering you?  Peace in all ways, Silvia

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! 

APRIL 9, 2010:  The fourth agreement is ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST.  Don Miguel Ruiz says, "Under any circumstance, always do your best, no more and no less. But keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next.  Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality and other times it will not be as good.  When you wake up refreshed and energized in the morning , your best will be better than when you are tired.  Regardless of the quality keep doing your best."   

That's the part I love the most that our best requires a constant sensitive adjustment.  That it is different moment to moment.  This also correlates to yoga sutra of:  

Sthira Sukum Asanam.  (Effortless effort)  

This fundamental Yoga Sutra of Pantanjali has many interpretations one of which is that the asana/poses should be steady and comfortable. That we find an effortless in life whereby the pose we take (walking, talking, sitting, driving) be so elegant that the body is made more easy and attractive to the flow of prana/breath.  This practice of graceful effort means that some days it might be more difficult and some days it's easy, just like life is filled with joyousness and setbacks.  But the point is to keep going.  Ruiz puts it like this, "If you try too hard to do more than your best, you will spend more energy than is needed and in the end your best will not be enough.  When you overdo, you deplete your body and go against yourself and it will take longer to accomplish your goal. But if you do less than your best, you subject yourself to frustrations, self-judgement, guilt and regret."  

Remember the Story of guy that goes to a Master asks about how long must he meditate to "transcend" or become happier, more enlightened. The most important lesson from this was when Ruiz writes, "You are not here to sacrifice your joy or your life. You are here to live, to be happy and to love. If you can do your best in two hours of meditation, but you spend 8 instead you will grow tired miss the point and won't enjoy your life."  

You see how yogic this is, that we manage our energies all to cultivate our own best happiness right now, right here in the present moment. And as part of this we go easy on ourselves never to a point of exhaustion whereby we might "miss the point" of life.  Some say the highest practice of yoga is this form of radical self-acceptance, "When you do your best you learn to accept yourself. Learning from your mistakes means you practice, look honestly at the results and keep practicing."  

"The best way to say thank you God is be letting go of the past and living in the present moment, right here and now. When you let go of the past you allow yourself to be fully alive in the present moment.  Letting go of the past means you can enjoy the dream that is happening right now." Embrace your life. Let yoga help you learn how to surrender to the happiest life ever!   

"You were born with the right to be happy. You were born with the right to love, to enjoy and to share your love. You are alive, so take your life and enjoy it. We don't need to know or prove anything. Just to be, to take a risk and enjoy your life, is all that matters."   Love to you all. Courage to you all to JUST BE, Silvia  

OPENING Mountain Chair arms up MOuntain wiht prana hasta mudra (flow this) WAVE 1 Hridaya Namaskar with same Prana Hasta Mudra arm flow WAVE 2 Chair with eagle arm flow Crane Warrior 1 with eagle arm flow 3 times with prana mudra hold Star Prasarita with yoga mudra Warrior 2 to Reverse Warrior 2 Revolved Lunge Half Splits Low Lunge Sun bird to 1 leg cat to hold Sunbird Table pose of heart Dolphin Dolphin plank to 1 leg Frog Dog 1 leg dog Standing splits Pyramid to revolved to revolved half moon hold foot WAVE 3 Sun Salutation C WAVE 4 Twist chair to Sun Salutation C Tiwst lunge WAVE 5: Drop Back Fun Techniques Standing Cobra with partner Walk down wall from standing Use bricks under hands to lift to wheel Walk up wall from bricks Feet at wall, walk over from wheel into Forward Fold WAVE 6 Downdog FF Turn around 360 Down Dog Standing split with wall Quad breather with wall Pigeon full expression Standing splits with wall Handstand with wall Side 2 CLOSING Pigeon Janu Sirsasana wide legged Ardha matsyendrasana Bharavajrasana Side 2 Supine twist, twist other side Apanasana Savasana

OPENING
Sphinx - Cat/Puppy tilt Child's pose  

WAVE 1

Vajrasana or Camel with eagle arm flow open and close then pulse up and down flossing shoulders

Table Thread Needle dynamic then hold

Side 2 Vajrasana/Camel with eagle arm flow  

WAVE 2

Chair to Mountain with Eagle arm flow (open arms t in chair, eagle arms mountain backbend) Urdva Hastasana arms up over head Crane Warrior A with eagle arms Flow: 3 x's up and over with eagle arms to tap knee fold; Star pose; Prasarita with yoga mudra, Warrior B with eagle arms (other arm under) to Pose of Shiva hold Half moon A with leg lift progressive side to side Eagle pose full expression hold (first time right foot, second time stand on left foot) Step to front of mat Side 2  

TRANSITION Tip Toe Pose Squat  

WAVE 3 Broken Toe Pose

Table

Bharavajrasana

Ardha Matysendrasana Right

Bharavajrsana Twist

Side 2 Bharavajrasana Ardha Matysendrasana Left Bharavajrsana Twist  

TRANSITION Lie on side  

WAVE 4

Open to Supine upward facing twist

Supine Cow Face pose (like eagle legs)

Core Cultivation Eagle legs with Eagle arms

Eagle Twist Side 2  

CLOSING

Apanasana (Supine Child's Pose)

APRIL 5, 2010:  Each first Monday of the month our 10:45am and 7:30pm Basics classes are Restorative Yoga.  The ultimate goal of Yoga is liberation, freedom from pain, stress, suffering. In the Hatha Yoga Pradpika it’s written, “Breath is the key to ultimate emancipation.”  We use the breath while holding poses in a supported way in Restorative Yoga to help our brain’s relax.  Our normal breathing pattern is brain initiated which creates tension. It’s a lot of work! But in conscious breathing our brains become more passive and relaxed.  Here is more about the specific type of yoga known as Restorative Yoga.  Love to you, Silvia

Restorative Yoga

Yoga can work for many different types of bodies, many different stages in life, and for each person's many different moods. All yoga is healing.  The restorative effects of yoga should never be over-looked, no matter what age, and sometimes slowing down the practice, going deeper in poses, and just feeling the restorative power of them does wonders for the body.

Benefits of Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga focuses on relaxing the body in restful postures. Rest provides the body an opportunity to renew and heal. Countless studies have proven the physical and emotional benefits of this.

Restorative yoga, as well as other forms of yoga, help to trigger the Parasympathetic nervous system also known as the PNS. The PNS is responsible for balancing the body and bringing its response system back into equalibrium. Stimulating the PNS helps to lower heart rate, blood pressure; it helps to healthily stimulate the immune system and keep the endocrine system operating healthily. When this system gets out of whack, or when the Sympathetic nervous system, SNS gets over-stimulated, the PNS helps to bring all back in balance. It is believed that is the PNS is tapped out or under-active, illness pervades. Thus, forms of relaxation, such as yoga and meditation, that help to stimulate the PNS are generally beneficial for overall body health.

David Spiegel, M.D., author of Living Beyond Limits, reports, "In medicine, we are learning that physical problems, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, can be influenced by psychological interventions, such as relaxation training. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report recommending these non-drug approaches as the treatment of choice for milder forms of hypertension. Mind and body are connected and must work together, and this should be a powerful asset in treating medical illness."

MARCH 28, 2010:  It wasn't so long ago that I was resistant to all the avenues of social networking. Then once I started I learned I loved it! I read an article about the Yoga of Facebook a couple days ago and something clicked. The way yoga has changed my life is that I now see yoga in everything.  There is a yoga of facebook, the yoga of ordering Starbucks, the yoga of being in line at Target, the yoga of friendship, the yoga is what reminds us about what it means to live in alignment with what truly allows you to be your best self while at the same time serving others as a positive contributing member of humanity.   And from being friends on facebook one of our clients asked if they could have a few minutes of time after class on Sunday to interview TBY students about how the yoga has changed their lives.  Of course I said, that's great! As a result they inspired me to bring this as the theme for class. So during the course of yoga practice I "interviewed" each student, their answers were silent for themselves.  I hope you take a moment if you couldn't join me Sunday and interview yourself about how your yoga has impacted your life.  And if you too have figured out, "it's all yoga."  And to my facebook friends, I love you guys!! Stay human, stay connected. Love, Silvia 

YOGA INTERVIEW:

For how long have you been practicing yoga?

And what kind of yoga do you like the most?

What drew you to the practice?

And what has kept you in the practice? 

What now inspires your current practice?

What changes have you noticed in your life since beginning and/or maintaining your practice?

Have you noticed any changes in your personal relationships (e.g. familial, work, friendships, romantic, random people on the street, pets, etc.)?

When you first commenced your practice did you notice any aspect of your life fluctuating—in good, bad, or ambiguous ways?

Please describe a circumstance in which the presence of yoga in your life has clearly demonstrated how you may handle situations differently.  

 

OPENING WAVE

Lie on mat roll long to long Roll to side Bharavajrasana sit right hip: sidebend, twist

Pigeon right inhale/exhale 5 breath hold

Plank to basic vinyasa

Down Dog

Bharavajrasana sit left hip (side 2 begins)  

WAVE 1 Repeat above and add on Pigeon 1 breath I leg dog to core plank Pigeon hold 4 breaths Same as above side 2  

WAVE 2 Repeat above and add on, variety Pigeon 1 breath 1 leg dog to twisted plank Parsva vascistasana 2 Pigeon hold 3 breaths Basic Vinyasa, side 2  

TRANSITION Malasana Forward Fold tick tock back and forth Crow Basic Vinyasa  

WAVE 3 MANDALA

I leg dog Open Hip 1 leg dog Close Hip 1 leg dog Twisted Plank Parsva Vascistasana 2 1 Leg Dog Low lunge to Side Lunge Transverse Lunge pulse side to side Quarter turn to Left foot 1 leg dog, jump switch 1 leg plank, basic vinyasa 1 leg dog, jump switch to core plank to hops 3-7 times Mandala Namaskar same leg again flow through  

TRANSITION

Krama 1:  Jump FF Mountain Half Moon A Prana mudra arms (last time lift leg up sideways)

Krama 2: Hold wrist half Moon A, step foot behind like cow legs, to crane to eagle to eagle chair twist Then side 2 left leg begins  

WAVE 4 1 leg dog, flipped dog, twisted plank, parsva vascistasana 2 Upavista Konasana Twisted upavista konasana Parsva upavista konasana Janu sirsasana Marychasana A Marychasana C Twisted Plank 1 leg dog, hop switches  

CLOSING:

Malasana

Cobbler

Pascimotanasana

Bridge with brick

Supported Shoulderstand

Savasana

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1 MARCH 24, 2010

OPENING WAVE

Sukhasana Seated: Buddha mudra in stages

• Right hand - accomplishments
• Left hand - goals
• Both, energy ball, sankalpa mudra

Change cross of legs - lie down in sukhasana  

 

WAVE 1

Cobbler Supine Bridge prep:  inhale lift arms, exhale lower arms, inhale lift hips, exhale lower hips (flow)

Bridge hold: 1 legged bridge to pigeon bridge 5 breaths

Pigeon twist

Pigeon on back

Pigeon abs

Pigeon bridge,

1 legged bridge,

Bridge Side 2  

 

WAVE 2

Spinal rolls to forward fold

Rotate foot to right, walk hands out, back to center Rotate foot to left, walk hands out, back to center

Step back left leg into Prasarita Paddotanasana Ardha Prasarita hold (stand up)  

 

WAVE 3

Inhale Star, Exhale Warrior 2 Right (warm up ankles) Inhale Star, Exhale Warrior 2 Left (flow)

Second stage: Star, Warrior 2, Reverse Warrior 2, Warrior 2

Third stage: Star, Warrior 2, Straight leg Reverse Warrior 2, Triangle, Prasarita Twist (heart helicopter, 1 hand on ground)

Prasarita forearms down  

 

WAVE 4

Jump in and out (handstand prep)

Forward Fold, turn right foot out, lift into Ardha Chandrasana B

Standing Splits

Pyramid

Standing Cow

Jump in and out (handstand prep)

Side 2 (turn left foot out, begin above)

From Prasarita walk hands forward and 1 leg downward dog  

 

WAVE 5 Dancing Warrior 2 (Warrior A, Warrior B, Reverse Warrior B, Side Angle, Warrior B) Basic Vinyasa  

 

WAVE 6

Cow dog (cross left leg behind right)

Walk dog standing cow

Seated Cow pose (buddha mudra)

Cow pose twist (optional koundinasana 2 legs bound)

Baby Cradle leg to Sundial pose

Double Pigeon

Seated Pigeon (optional koundinasana 2)

Seated Pigeon twist to open side straight arm inside instep of foot (arm balance option)

Upward facing plank with pigeon leg, then straight up with leg (like 1 legged bridge)

Upward facing plank

Malasana

Baby Crow

Crow

Basic vinyasa to Dog Side 2  

 

CLOSING

From upward facing plank Bridge prep

Supported Bridge with block

Eagle twist (legs like cow face pose)

Savasana

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1-2 FRIDAY MORNING MARCH 19, 2010 OPENING Supine Cobbler: breath Supine Cobber Abs: Double Pulse then single pulse Bridge Prep (knees bent) Single pulse then Double pulse Bridge Prep bring one knee above hip: lift head/shoulders singles then hold and twist Apanasana (alternate one knee to chest inhale extend supine mountain, exhale knee in) Single Leg Spinal Twist (hold) Supine Mountain Supine Child's Pose Abs with Block: arms and legs in "L" shape, give brick to feet lower, bring back up into pike position, give brick to hands lower (a few cycles) Supine Cobbler WAVE 1 Roll to the right Bharavajrasana (Mermaid): inhale side bend, exhale center, inhale kneeling Vasisthasana, exhale center (a few cycles) From the side mini Chatarunga: double pulse, then single Roll through center to do left Roll back to center for upward facing plank hold Upward Plank variations: 1 leg straight up and pulse like tricep dips, then extend from hip forward and hold 5 lower inhale/exhale, side 2 Malasana Forward Fold WAVE 2 Sun Salutation C (variation) Mountain hands inside out to Half Moon A extend leg in air for supported warrior 3, hold 5 Half Lunge arms up inside out hands to Half Moon A 3 times each side I Leg Dog Plank, Belly, Cobra, Lower Prep: turn toes under of right foot, left foot points, inhale to plank, exhale down dog splits left leg is now up Half Lunge arms up inside out hands to Half Moon A 3 times each side I Leg Dog Plank, Belly, Cobra, Lower Prep: turn toes under of left foot, right foot points, inhale to plank, exhale down dog splits right leg is now up WAVE 3 Down dog splits (1 legged dog) to 1 legged plank to Chatarunga to cobra to belly, toes under one leg, 1 leg plank other leg, down dog splits (5 x's) Table Thread the Needle dynamic (8-10 times from the core) then hold shoulder down to floor, come up Extend 1 leg back half spinal balance, extend opposite arm forward full spinal balance Flow: Spinal balance forward and back inhale, Lateral side to side spinal balance exhale (8-10 x's) Both hands down: Core Plank, Twisted Plank hold 5, 1 leg downward dog, open hip Flipped dog Side plank Plank Forearm plank Forearm plank thread the needle (8-10 x's) Sphinx Updog Downward Dog (side 2) WAVE 4 - DANCING WARRIOR 1008 VARIATION EXHALE–Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog) EXHALE – Core plank INHALE – Revolved Lunge EXHALE -Parsva Anjaneyasana (Half lunge sideways facing) INHALE/EXHALE - Transverse Lunge INHALE – Half Lunge EXHALE – Half Splits INHALE - Half Lunge EXHALE - Revolved Lunge side 2 Begin side 2, go back and forth in half Mandala 3-5 x's End Salutation flows into next Half Lunge, Half Splits right Jump switch Half Lunge, Half Splits left Jump switch (3-5 x's) Dog **Catch up on basic vinyasa**3-5 x's 1. Reverse Vinyasa (Updog, Chatarunga, plank, dog) 2. Regular basic vinyasa WAVE 5 Walk to forward fold Malasana Upward Facing plank, circular flow into full Wheel Side to side or all the way around) End in Wheel (or bridge) Pause Wheel refinements (or supported bridge) CLOSING Bridge prep: Wrist, shoulder stretch (lift up, half cow face arm under body, lower on top, reach other arm over head, let knees twist away from center from arm being stretched) return, side 2 Supine child's pose Savasana

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1 FRIDAY EVENING MARCH 19, 2010  CORE CULTIVATION FOCUS

OPENING

Child's Pose

Table Cat/Puppy Cat lift knees core cultivation

Dog pose

Plank: knee dips find core

Lower to belly locust with yoga mudra

Cobra Plank Dog

Child's Pose

Krama 2:  Table on forearms; forearm plank, knee dips, sphinx, cobra, plank, dog  

 

WAVE 1

Forward Fold

Half moon A

Forward Fold with Yoga mudra

Sun Salutation A 3 x's  

 

WAVE 2

Chair

Half chair

Half chair twist arms long

Chair

Forward fold

Basic vinyasa

INHALE -- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (1 Leg Downward Dog)

EXHALE - Core plank

INHALE - 1 legged plank

EXHALE - step forward

INHALE - High Lunge

EXHALE through basic vinyasa or one legged version

 

WAVE 3 Repeat above in Wave 2 Add the twist in High lunge  

 

WAVE 4 Repeat above in Wave 2 Replace High Lunge with Warrior A  

 

WAVE 5 Repeat above in Wave 2 Replace Warrior A with Low Lunge Option: twist fully, high lunge twist  

 

WAVE 6

1 Leg Dog

Low Lunge High Lunge option to Warrior 3 High Lunge back to Low Lunge (or have been waiting in Low Lunge)

Revolved Lunge Flying Warrior 2 Warrior 2 add eagle arms Reverse Warrior 2

Half Splits

Basic Vinyasa Side 2  

 

WAVE 7

1 leg dog, step forward Standing splits Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated twist) Twist to open side

Lizard (Parsva Vascistasana 1)  

 

CLOSING Meditation, pranayama Savasana    

Dear Yogis Hey I know a lot of you are getting ready for Spring Break, that's cool.  So I thought I'd try an experiment this week and really focus on what I call Yoga Lite.  

As you know for lots of years I've taught ALL 8 limbs of the philosophical "8 Limbed Path of Yoga" whereby I'd contexualize the yogic philosophy as part of our moving meditation with unique and clever sequencing of poses each class. Hey I know the spiritual stuff is not for everyone and bringing the full spectrum of the practice might be more than what you're looking for. Although we might enjoy a "gourmet" feast every now and again maybe there are times we just want sloppy joes and mac & cheese.  

So this week I will not have any philosophy in the classes I teach and instead let's just focus on a SUPER GREAT WORKOUT to get you ready for Spring Break or Springtime in general.  If you've been away from the practice because you just want stronger abs, more toned arms, weight loss but not the philosophy then come back and at least try it again (without all that spiritualization).  Join me to get some exercise and just think of me as your personal trainer for a week of Yoga Lite!

Thank you for giving us another go I really appreciate it.  Kindest regards, Silvia

MY PHILOSOPHY OF HAMSTRINGS & PATIENCE

Working with our hamstrings teaches us about patience. The hamstrings are layered with lots of tough connective tissue—the gristly fibers that help hold the muscles' structure together. So you can't rush or hurry the hamstrings into flexibility; they need time to change their length—time in the sense that longer stretches (90 to 120 seconds) seem most effective with connective tissue. And time in the sense that it can take months, if not years, for tight hamstrings to loosen their grip and become flexible. So take your time and relax, the goal is the process even more so than the end result.

 

WHAT DO THEY DO?
The hamstrings have two primary actions: (1) knee flexion (bending the knee) and (2) hip extension.

• When you're squatting, your hips are flexed; you bring them into extension when you stand upright, placing the thighbones in line with the torso.
• When you stand on your right leg in Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III) and lift your left leg to hold it parallel to the floor, your left hamstrings are creating hip extension. When you lie on your stomach, bend your knees, and lift your feet so you can grab your ankles for Dhanurasana (Bow Pose), the hamstrings are creating knee flexion. (The hamstrings also assist in rotational actions at the hip and knee.)
• To stretch your hamstrings, you need to keep your knee straight and flex your hip (in other words, fold the front of the thigh and the abdomen toward each other). One of yoga's classic hamstring stretches is Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), in which the knees are straight, the torso hangs down, and the abdomen eventually rests on the front of the thighs.

WHAT DOES THE QUAD DO?

• Contract your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs) in forward bends by simple actions like lifting your toes. If your hamstrings are tight, this is an excellent way to help them loosen up. The quads will stabilize your knees and hold them straight in forward bends. By contracting your quads, you'll be taking advantage of a kinesiological law called "reciprocal inhibition," in which your nervous system tells a muscle to let go of its contraction when the opposing muscle has work to do. In forward bends, contracting your quads facilitates the release of the hamstrings.

WHAT AND WHERE IS THE HAMSTRING MUSCLE?

• The hamstrings are the large group of three muscles that fill the back of the thigh.
• The hamstrings insert below the knee on the two lower leg bones, the tibia and fibula.
• Two of the muscles, the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus, are in the medial (inner) section of the thigh. The third, the biceps femoris, is in the lateral (outer) portion of the back of the thigh.
• All three muscles originate on the ischial tuberosity—the bony protuberance at the bottom of the pelvis that is commonly called the sitting bone—and the biceps femoris has an additional attachment on the back of the femur, or thighbone.

 

SUGGESTED POSES TO RELEASE HAMSTRINGS:

COBBLER (BADDHAKONASANA)

• Both hips are externally rotated
• This is abduction of both hips
• This is outer spiral
• How to perform:  Hold feet and press elbows into the lower leg while firmely pressing up wiht the legs, hold for a few breaths then release slowly and press kneeds down with elbows.  Repeat this process then squeeze outer buttock muscles and press lower and upper leg together

 

SEATED FORWARD BEND (PASCHIMOTTANASANA)

• Internal rotation of both legs
• This is adduction of both legs
• This is inner spiral
• How to perform:  place hands at a point on thighs with bent knees and push into it breath in and then exhale relax deeper into the pose with legs more straight, Repeat this process a little at a time.
• Why this works:  this small amount of pressure to trigger muscle spindles that helps release

 

HALF SPLITS (ARDHA HANUMANASANA)

• Contract front psoas muscle to go deeper by titling pelvis
• To stabilize hips one psoas is moving one way the other is moving in opposite direction.  Try to drag back knee to front leg, drag front heel backwards to feel this.
• Contract back leg buttock and front leg quad strongly.
• Apply shins in manually with brick under calf.

March 14, 2010: Our physical focus was the shoulders today.  We applied the principles of alignment and concentrated on Shoulder Loop energy using a variety of techniques like unplugging and plugging in which we performed in a variety of poses.  I hope you enjoyed the sweaty fun and that it provided a great work out for you. Peaceful blessings, Silvia  

SHOULDER LOOP:  One of the seven energy loops within the body. This loop originates in the upper palate and flows backward to the base of the skull and down the back of the body to the bottom of the shoulder blades. When you engage Shoulder Loop, the head moves back slightly and the shoulder blades move down the back. At the bottom of the shoulder blades, the loop begins arcing forward and upward as it draws the bottom tips of the shoulder blades in and upward, toward the heart. The loop continues forward and up to the palate again as it lifts the chest and opens the throat. 

  

The Universal Principles of Alignment 

OPENING TO GRACE Having the intention to place oneself—body, mind, and heart—in alignment with the flow of supreme consciousness. This involves approaching asana practice with an attitude of softhearted devotion.

MUSCULAR ENERGY A drawing of energy from the periphery of the body into the Focal Point (see below), which increases stability, strength, and physical integration in the pose.

INNER SPIRAL An ever-expanding energy spiral that moves outward from the core; it runs from the feet up through the pelvis into the waistline area. Inner Spiral rotates the legs inward, moves the thighs backward, and widens the thighs and pelvis.

OUTER SPIRAL An ever-narrowing spiral that moves inward toward the core; it runs from the waistline area down through the tailbone and out through the legs and feet. Outer Spiral rotates the legs outward, moves the tailbone and thighs forward, and draws the pelvis and thighs closer together.

ORGANIC ENERGY An outward extension of energy from the Focal Point through the core lines of the body to the body's periphery, which increases expansion, flexibility, and freedom in the pose.

BASICS CLASS 9:15AM MARCH 13, 2010 WITH SILVIA

Philosophical Theme: Acceptance  

OPEN WAVE

Sphinx cat/cow Spinx look rt, left, lift center

Table  

WAVE 1 Cat/Cow Cat 1 legged to plank to core plank other leg, alt once each side

Dog pose From Dog Kneeling vastistasana hold

Cat/Cow Child's pose, circle wrists Vajrasana kundalini mudra center, circle wrists down, 1 arm up side bend, other side, both up

Table, puppy, cat 1 legged (side two)  

WAVE 2

Dolphin table twist alternating

Thread the needle Leg extends behind like kneeling side plank

Table to Child's pose Cat/Cow (side 2)

Dog Basic vinyasa

Cobra lifts look rt, look left  

WAVE 3

Sphinx

Dolphin plank

Dolphin  

WAVE 4

FF

Lunge back to Revolved lunge

Prasarita

Transverse lunge

Extended superman warrior 2

Warrior 2 Extended angle Warrior 2 Exit other side, do side 2  

CLOSING

Dog

Child

Dolphin Dolphin Plank, Sphinx

Gecko

Spinal Twist

Savasana

March 12, 2010:  In the book The Five Love Languages Dr Chapman talks about figuring out your primary way of expressing and interpreting love.  Cool concept. I was told about this NYT best seller 2 years ago or more. Finally yesterday I read the book.  What really came through to me from a Yogic perspective is this understanding of how we communicate is the practice of Svadhaya or self-study/self-observation.  If you don't know who you are or what language you're speaking gosh it's going to be a bit more difficult to ask someone else (whether it be a friend or family member or partner) to speak your same language.  And from becoming more expert in your own humanity you learn about other humans.  

In the corporate world I used to tell my staff to apply a variation of the Golden Rule. I said to them don't communicate and treat them the way you want to be spoken to but communicate with them the way THEY want and need to be related to.  This was at the heart of my efforts to teach/coach or otherwise inspire my staff to build relationships with both clients and fellow staff.  Many times they'd come back to tell me a story of how they applied this to home life too and it worked!  

When we come to the mat we have a chance to figure ourselves out a bit and ultimately refine the primary language we speak and practicing in a group we can look around and see maybe the people around us have their own yoga, speak another language.  It is not enough to come from love. We are all hopefully doing that.  We have to take that next step and learn the love languages of our friends and loved one's too.  If I keep speaking Italian and don't ever attempt to learn Japanese which my partner speaks then likely we are not going to be able to connect on a deeper level.  So enjoy this 7th Chakra Namaskar (Salutation) which asks us to unify our energies from 1st through 7th chakras.  And some of the great flow music I choose today I've included below too.  I will offer a second posting about this book all on its own for your non yoga friends to share in if you want to pass it along.  Here's to all of us speaking the languages of Love!  Blessings, Silvia  

 

LOVE LANGUAGE PLAYLIST

Gobinday Mukunday, Spirit Voyage Om Padme Om, Wah!, Ananda, Solar Quest Diarabi, Issa Bagayogo Nogo, Issa Bagayogo High Low, Michael Franti, Spearhead feat. Zap Mama Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong, Michael Franti Aja Uttama, Dave Stringer Ganesha Windmix, Jai Uttal Guru Ram, Mirabai Ceiba Ahimsa, Baird Hersey & Prana    

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

INHALE – Tip Toe Pose

EXHALE – Forward Fold arms sweep back and up

INHALE – Tip Toe Pose

EXHALE – Plow

INHALE – Tip Toe Pose

EXHALE – Forward Fold arms sweep back and up

INHALE – Jump to Vajrasana

EXHALE – Camel (Flow circular arms)

INHALE - Plank

EXHALE - Chatarunga

INHALE - Up Dog

EXHALE - Down Dog

March 11, 2010:

"Be water my friend" says Bruce Lee http://www.wimp.com/brucelee/  

With all the rain we've had we allowed water and the flow of surrender to inspire our practice today.  When we have the courage to surrender we find our highest potential reveals itself.  Like water cleanses us, and washes away the dirt we wash away through breath and asana the outer labels of limitation. We put aside the self limiting beliefs and go beyond limiting perceptions and old stories.  

Chapter 2 Verse 1 of the Yoga Sutras: Tapas svadhaya isvara pranidanah kriyah yogah.  

The translation of this sutra means: "This letting go focuses us on the process of practice rather than the goals of practice."  

May this practice help you practice how you want to live your life.  If you aspire to live a life of beauty, graceful and courageous then your life becomes that. Like the Bruce Lee clip suggests that water takes the form of the container it is in.  If you want the container of yourself to be beauty you then embody beauty. If you want to live in love then move like love, breath like love, flow like love.  Be like water my friend! Become that which you want and the process of experiencing yourself courageously is the life practice.  Love yourself, your your day, love your life! Silvia

TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER: CLASS PLAN LEVEL 2 MARCH 9, 2010 OPENING WAVE Child's Pose WAVE 1 Table Half Spinal Balance to Chatarunga once Open Kneeling Vasisthasana, Close Core Plank I leg down dog I leg basic vinyasa Puppy Child Puppy, Cat Dog Table Side 2 WAVE 2 Same as above this time Half Spinal balance to 3 times Chatarunga I leg dog to 3 variations of core plank including twist Side 2 WAVE 3 Table Half spinal balance to twist to lateral knee to elbow Dip once to Chatarunga leg remain up like Half moon B, Bow variation Core Plank 3 part core plank to twisted plank to Parsva Vasisthasana 2 Lizard Half splits Low Lunge Revolved Lunge Transverse Lunge I leg dog basic vinyasa Puppy, Child Side 2 WAVE 4 I leg dog right leg to basic vinyasa I leg dog left leg to basic vinyasa Alternate 3-5 times each Step left foot forward, jump switch DWI 3/4 Warrior A right leg is forward, humble warrior WAVE 5 Warrior A right yoga Mudra Prasarita yoga Mudra, eagle arms Transverse lunge Low lunge half splits low lunge twist High lunge twist, chair twist Chair Chair twist other direction, high lunge twist other side, low lunge twist Half splits Standing Splits Send leg forward, sit Marychasana C Janu Sirsasana Parsva Upavista Konasana Pigeon Dolphin plank - knee to shoulder Dolphin Child's pose Side 2: begin Warrior A left yoga Mudra CLOSING Headstand Seated meditation Savasana

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 1: MARCH 8, 2010  EARTHY ENERGY, CALMING BHAVA

OPENING

Vajrasana

Table with toes under wrist stretch

Vajrasana toes under (broken toe pose)

FF Malasana FF  

WAVE 1

Supported W3 Lunge back low Lizard, variations

Triangle to side angle flow (inhale tri/exhale side angle)

Half Splits Low Lunge

FF Malasana (Side 2 begins)   

WAVE 2

Lunge back Lizard variation toes out

Quad breather Twist

Half Splits Low Lunge

High Lunge Warrior 2 (W2 for short) Rev Warrior 2 straight leg Triangle Prasarita twist

W2 to reverse W2 straight leg Side 2  

WAVE 3

FLOW Namaskar from Wave 2 in between Sun Sal A  

WAVE 4

Malasana to Crow

Cobbler

Marychasana C

Janu Sirsasana

Twisted Upavista Konasana to Parsva Upavista Konasana (side bend)

Pigeon Quad breather

Pigeon again  

WAVE 5

Wall Vinyasa for Quad Breather with the wall

King pigeon prep  

CLOSING      

TUSCANY, ITALY YOGA & CULTURAL ADVENTURE JUNE 20-26, 2010:

EARLY BIRDS ONLY $1825 ALL INCLUSIVE!!!   

QUESTIONS? retreats@totalbodyyoga.com or 847-772-9642

 

Tuscany is a life-changing place for many, including myself! Explore the dimensions of your yoga practic e while exploring the rich Italian culture by biking, hiking and walking tours. Jointly led by Vinyasa Flow Yoga teacher Silvia Mordini and International Travel Guide Jacob Young, this spiritual and cultural gem is found in the heart of the Tuscan food and wine country.

We will be guests at an 800 year old classic Tuscan farmhouse converted into a stylish yoga retreat. Looking out one of the many windows of the different accommodations in Ebbio, you will be captivated by the undulating hills swept with thriving vineyards, olive trees and enchanting evergreen forests. The amazing part of Ebbio is that it is still a working organic Tuscan Farm with its own Chianti wine production and uses only garden-fresh produce or goods from open aired markets to create exquisite fine food for our meals prepared by our private host Franz.

 DAILY AGENDA
8:00am - 9:30am Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Meditation
9:30am - 10:30am Breakfast
10:30am - 12:30pm Daytime Excursion or Free Time
12:30pm - 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm - 5:30pm Afternoon Excursion or Free Time
5:30pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa Flow Yoga
7:30pm - 11pm Dinner, Group Fun and Relaxation

 

SPECIAL CULTURAL PROGRAMS (ALL INCLUDED!)

• Day 1, June 20, 2010: Arrivals, Deplane Yoga, Farm Hike, Welcome Dinner

• Day 2, June 21, 2010: Monteriggioni morning, Siena afternoon

• Day 3, June 22, 2010: San Gimignano morning, Chianti tour afternoon

• Day 4, June 23, 2010: Morning drive to Rapolano Hot Springs, afternoon wine tasting at Castelnuovo Berardanga

• Day 5, June 24, 2010: Morning free time or bike trip, Volterra afternoon

• Day 6, June 25, 2010: Morning free time or bike trip, Montalcino afternoon

• Day 7, June 26, 2010: Departures

ALL IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE

• 7 days and 6 nights accommodations

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Airport transfers

• All day trips and walking tours

• Private wine tours and tastings

• Traditional Tuscan cooking class

• Soaking in the healing crystal waters of the Rapolano hot springs

• Visits to the art cities of Italy

• Two Daily Yoga Classes and Evening Group Activities

• Spa Treatments are available upon request

• A quality bicycle and an experienced cycling guide with knowledge of the greatest rides in the region

• Entrance fees to all group events/activities organized TBY Travel Adventure

• All transportation during the trip

• Comprehensive trip literature

• All gratuities for special events, lodging and restaurants

PRICE $1950 (Early birds only $1825 by April 1st!)

You can pay with check, direct bank deposit, or credit card or Paypal on line but we most prefer checks. Please send checks to Total Body Yoga Retreats, 210 Terrace Drive, Mundelein, IL 60061.

Early-bird discount: $100 OFF before April 1st! Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space. Balance must be received by May 20th, 30 days prior to retreat.

 

NOT INCLUDED:

Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides, and personal items purchased during the trip.

MARCH 7, 2010:  Make up your mind right now about the kind of day you want to have. As Robert Frost writes, "First thing I do in the morning is make up my bed, then I make up my mind."  So we begin every yoga practice and our daily life practice resolute and determined about our intentions.  Now the reality is that when we wake up our minds like our beds might be a bit rumpled up.  So we have to go about the work of tidying up our minds. We do this by conscious breathing, the breath combs our energy just like combing our hair in the same direction brings order to it. And inherent to the breath we are reminded that every inhale we get to begin again, so if we forget what we want, lose track of it or simply stop trying we can persevere and simply BEGIN AGAIN.  

What determination is NOT is it is not anger. We cannot SUSTAIN a determined effort if we are in a state of fear or contraction or isolation. We can only maintain a quiet courage and determination when we open up, we have faith and allow our actions to demonstrate trust in the good of the universe.  You can't be motivated by fear or darkness and expect good things to come of it.  Determination has this quality of perseverance that is that long term practice.   

This is why during the course of our yoga class we practice conscious breathing the whole time until Savasana, to practice staying with and sustaining interest in something (our breath, our life seems to be a good choice).  And then this we apply to our greater intentions.  What do you believe in?  Do you really believe peace is possible? As Eckert Tolle says, "if peace really mattered to you, if it was really important, you would find peace." Imagine if the whole world could maintain its interest in world peace not just for an hour, a day, a week, a year but forever?! And if we forgot we'd just remember how important it was to us and our determination to persevere would continue to ignite our spirit. Like an unknown author writes, "Our I CAN is more important than our IQ."  

So stay with it.  Whatever it is that you've determined is important.  And do not hesitate. Cast away the doubts of whether you're doing the right thing, just stay with it. Too often we give up in our heads way too soon.  Or we allow our hesitations to steal our energy.  Or we let our energy get pulled apart by trying too many different things, at some point the Yoga Sutras advise in facing our obstacles we have to develop a mastery of something. And put your whole heart into that.  

During class we experienced a 3 minute Salutation, an easy Dancing Warrior 1 (from downward dog, 1 leg dog to Warrior A to basic vinyasa) that taught us how to stay with it and persevere. We also practiced an arm balance or two which are poses of concentration, single mindedness (not about actually getting our feet off the ground, just about the trying.) And we did a long series on one side of the body to teach ourselves something about sustaining interest.  Just like the power of this little French girl in this clip to stay with a single story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM35grvNkss  

I've included our class plan (modified up or down depending on level of class) and the key take always from yesterday's epic practice are this: 1. Make up your mind

2. When you forget, get lost, stop trying then Begin Again is your mantra

3. Stay with it (Determination is perseverance, the ability to sustain interest/action over a long period of time)

4. Don't hesitate.  

So today engage yourself in your life and really go for it!  No more waiting or making excuses. Determine what you want and let's get started. Big love! Silvia    

 

OPENING Supine Cobbler Cobbler abs Frog abs Happy Baby k1 and supine 1 legged twist each side Happy Baby k2 rock and roll to cobbler Cobbler to Upward Plank flow  

WAVE 1 Malasana to Boat 3-5 times Malasana to Forward Flow pulsation Tip Toe Pose (Krama 2 arms up Kalabhati breathing) Hold Crow Tripod 1 legged tripod Half Moon B Standing Splits Pyramid I legged dog, basic vinyasa Jump to Malasana  

WAVE 2 Dancing Warrior 1 Salutation DW1 (Warrior A to Pyramid flow)  

WAVE 3 (Mandala Salutation) Low lunge to Half splits (or full splits) to Low Lunge twist, High Lunge twist, Low Lunge  Revolve lunge Transverse lunge (optional half crow) Low Lunge to Half Splits to Half virasana Low lunge Basic vinyasa (or 1 legged version)  

WAVE 3A - Second Half of Salutation Standing Splits to 1 legged squat 3 x's hold standing splits Bring back foot through to front and sit after balancing in another variation of tip toe pose Right knee is bent/left leg is straight becomes Marychasana C: inhale up, exhale twist Level 1:  Janu Sirsasana to Pigeon to Downward Dog (Optional basic vinyasa) Level 1-2: Marychasana C stand up to Crane to Eka Pada Galavasana to Basic vinyasa  

WAVE 4 Dog Child's Pose Cobbler Seated Cobbler Supine Savasana

MARCH 4TH, 2010:

Dear Chicagoland Yogi Friends,

I have the perfect way to warm up this weekend! Join us at TBY to be inspired through laughter, awesome music, wine and chocolate with my good friend David Romanelli, recently written up in the New York Times.  So I've been asked a ton of questions about this weekend so here's the inside scoop:

1. If you're dying to learn how to balance on one finger in a pretzel like position then know we are NOT doing that this weekend.  No super funky poses so that means it is open to ALL Yogis of all abilities. The only prerequisite is a sense of humor.

2. If you want to learn 25 new seriously strict alignment principles then this weekend isn't it.

3.  If Yoga makes you happy, (or for that matter wine or chocolate) and you really just want to have a great time laughing out loud with a bunch of easy going yogis.  Then YES! this weekend is perfect!

Ultimately why I love having David here each year is that he helps create an atmosphere of friendship.  When you get on the ride with David its going to be a good time and we can all use more fun in our lives just like last week where I said Yoga is like recess for Adults. 

My greatest intention for TBY is that it be a place where strangers become friends.  I DON'T WANT YOU TO COLLECT POSES.  I'D RATHER HAVE YOU COLLECT FRIENDS THROUGH YOGA.

So come have some fun, peel off a layer or two of seriousness. I promise, it's good for you! Love, Silvia

 

Yoga + Miracles: Friday, March 5th Time 7:30pm

With Wine, Anything is Possible

This event is perfect for:

--people whose health is always a bit off 
--people who love amazing stories about human potential to beat the odds, overcome adversity, take the bull by the horns, and kick ass!
--people who have been soured by the bad economy and could use a shot of faith and hope

 

Yoga + Eternal Youth: Saturday, March 6th Time 12:30PM

Who Needs Botox when We've Got Chocolate

This is just the right workshop for people who:
--want to embrace aging with grace...not to mention great chocolate
--might have a wrinkle or two on the outside but feel like 32 on the inside (if not 25)
--love to have fun and think serious yoga is for the dogs

Yoga + The Grateful Dead: Saturday, March 6th Time 4:00PM

Living each day as if it could be your last

This event is perfect for people who:
--love THE GRATEFUL DEAD b/c rockin' Dead tunes will play throughout
--need to slow down and savor the moment before life slips through your fingertips
--are squeezing too tight and stressing too much

 

Chocolate- Covered Happiness:  Sunday, March 7th Time: 2:00PM

--Do you feel like you could use more laughter?
--Do you sometimes wanna just say WTF, kick back, and enjoy?!
--Why is it that people in the most primitive and extreme conditions can find happiness while us Westerners struggle to crack a smile?
--Do you just wanna eat more chocolate and everything will be ok? This is a perfect workshop for you!

CLASS PLAN LEVEL 2: MARCH 2, 2010 Theme: Yoga is not boring    

WAVE 1 (3 times) Dog pose Plank hold 5 Table Child Modified plank Cobra low Up dog Dog Walk dog  

WAVE 2 FF to malasana Up to half moon a each side Malasana to Crow hold 5 (Perform 3 times, 2nd krama tripod) Walk dog out  

WAVE 3 I leg dog hips closed inhale, hips open exhale, hips closed inhale (mini vinnie) 3 part plank (mini vinnie) High lunge, high twist DW2 (Dancing Warrior 2: Warrior A, Warrior B, Reverse Warrior B, Side Angle, Warrior B) Basic vinyasa, side 2  

WAVE 4 Jump forward fold Monkey, mountain, chair Half moon a hold wrist, cross legs Eagle Eagle to high lunge to high lunge twist DW 2 1 leg dog to plank 1 legged Core plank to 1 leg chatarunga 3 times Basic vinyasa 1 leg dog right leg again 3 part plank (koundi 1) Twisted plank to parsva vascistasana 2 - hold 5 Pigeon Ardha matsyendrasana Standing splits Forward fold, side 2  

WAVE 5 Chair to half moon A to eagle to pigeon chair agni mudra kalabhati breathing Eka pada galavasana to jump basic vinyasa Jump to half moon B Standing splits Arhda matys Cow side and twist Pigeon Twisted plank Upavista konasana side bend Marichyasana C 1/2 cow 1/2 seated forward fold Side plank exit,  Side 2  

CLOSING Shoulderstand eagle legs Eagle twist Supine Child's Pose Savasana!  

FEBRUARY 6, 2010:  As Americans we spend a lot of time thinking about physical digestion (what we eat, when we eat, what we're not going to eat, how many calories stuff has) but what about Mental Digestion.  When we have poor mental digestion we experience stuff like poor sleep, obsessive worry, lethargy, impatience, fatigue, anger and an annoying degree of anxiety.  How does this happen?   

1. Being too sedentary keeps us in our heads, leading to overall mental stuckness. We need to move and breath, like we do in yoga.

2. Watching others move like on dancing with the stars doesn't help our mental constipation.  We still need to move and breath.  

Two articles that support this:

(1) Well, health experts say that sitting is deadly.  "Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods - even if you exercise regularly - could be bad for your health. ANd it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place - just the overall number of hours it occurs.  Several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die. After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals says Elin Elblom Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences as reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.  

(2) In the January 29th, 2010 issue of the The Week, page 23 an article suggests "TV can kill you.  Watching too much television may shorten your life by years. Australian researchesrs tracked the medical conditions of 8,800 healhty adults for several years; the more television the participants watched, the more likely they were to have died during hte years examined.  On average, for every hour per day spent watching TV, a subject was 18% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, 9% more likely to succumb to cancer, and 11% more likely to die of any cause.  The culprit is the inactivity TV promotes.  Prolonged watching of TV equals a lot of sitting, which invariablly means there's an absence of muscle movement, study author David Dunstan tells CNN.com.  Long, unnatural periods of doing nothing physically, he says, clearly lead to premature death.  The antidote is to just get up and move, he adds. The more you move, the greater the health benefits likely to be."  

Our mental digestion is relieved by using the breath led poses in vinyasa yoga to help us circulate our energies, both physically and mentally.  Otherwise our minds feel both WIRED and TIRED.  We have this need to burn off excess energy that's pent up from sitting too much and we also need to breath and refresh our brains.  Remember as John Doulillard, Director of LifeSpa School of Ayurveda in Boulder, Colorado says, "everyone thinkgs that when you can't sleep, you have too much energy, but usually people have too little energy: they are TOO exhausted to get to sleep."   Please stay with your commitment to yoga and let your life be free of all constipation, mental or otherwise!  Peace and light, Silvia  

FEBRUARY 24TH, 2010:  Good morning friends! I am subbing for Mara at 10:45am Basics and will teach a class focused on something I know personally all too well....Back pain. When I was hit by the car this was the biggest souvenir I had.  I tried everything to feel better! I would have paid any amount of money, gone anywhere in the world, done anything if you could help me make my back pain be less loud! Finally, I found yoga.  And happily as I practice yoga every day in all these years since the accident I am back pain free. This is not a short term fix. This is a lifestyle choice where you have to make the commitment to work harder than your pain and try some yoga poses and breathing for every day of freedom.  Join me to learn more! Here is a great article to read...Love the day, Silvia

 

Back pain is an on-going problem for the majority of adults in most industrialized countries.  Low back injuries usually heal within weeks, but long term healing is often more difficult to achieve.  Rehabilitative exercise is often the key to developing a strong healthy back.  And, according to a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, yoga is more effective for the treatment of back pain than traditional exercise. 

 

Why is Yoga an Effective Way to Treat Back Pain?

 

1) Yoga helps increase strength in very specific muscle groups and works to strengthen all major muscle groups that support the spine.

 

2) The stretching postures in yoga increase blood flow to the tissues that support the spine, improving the health of the intervertebral discs and muscles along the spine.

 

3) Yoga increases flexibility in your shoulders and hips, which decreases demands on your back, and yoga increases flexibility of the muscles in your back and along your spine, allowing your spine to rotate properly.

 

4) Yoga's focus on breathing and connecting breath with movement improves body awareness, making you more conscious of movements that may contribute to back pain.

 

5) The "spine lengthening" poses in yoga promote good posture and proper alignment of the vertebrae.  When the spine lengthens, it naturally moves towards correct alignment.  Having proper posture ensures that you are not placing undue stress upon your back.

 

Understanding Your Back

To take care of your back or to heal it, you must understand it.  Back problems do not occur in a vacuum.  The spine is not an isolated body part. 

The mechanical function of your spine is affected by the alignment, flexibility & strength of many parts of your body including:

• Foot, knee, leg alignment
• Muscle strength of legs, buttocks, back and abdominal wall
• Abdominal protrusion (as with pregnancy, or a beer belly)
• Hip flexibility
• Position of the pelvis (tilted forward, back or to the side)
• Shape and flexibility of the lumbar (lower back) spinal curve
• Shape and flexibility of the thoracic (upper back) spinal curve
• Shape of the cervical (neck) spinal curve
• Shoulder carriage and mobility
• Position of the head in relation to the shoulders

The state of your back is also influenced by:

• Your genetic heritage, Your home, work, transportation, play, community, Your emotional state
• Nutrition, body weight and fat distribution, Prescription and recreational drugs

 

Key Poses That Heal:

1. 1.       Standing Hip Circles - Loosens low back and hips, Strengthens back
2. 2.       Squatting – Opens the pelvis, Stretches hips and lower back, Tones abs, Stretches feet
3. 3.       Kneeling Low Lunge –Stretches hip flexors, Relieves low back pain, Stretches thigh muscles
4. 4.       Cat/Puppy – Increases suppleness of spine, Stretches muscles of the back & neck, Improves posture
5. 5.       Child’s Pose - Relaxes the back & neck, Stretches the spine, Provides a gentle massage to abdominal organs
6. 6.       Cobra – Strengthens the back, Tones the buttocks, Stretches the chest and abdomen, Increases circulation
7. 7.       Knee to Chest – Stretches Lower Back
8. 8.       Spinal Twist – Strengthens abdominal muscles, stretches hips
9. 9.       Bridge (And Pelvic Tilts) - Looses muscles of the low back, Strengthens abs

Spinal Anatomy and Function

The spine is a series of interlocking spool-shaped bones called vertebrae, supported by a complex system of muscles and ligaments.  The hollow spinal canal protects the nerve tissue of the spinal cord.

The arms, legs, chest all attach to the spine, via the shoulder girdle, pelvis and ribs.  The weight of the head is perched on the end of the spine.  Therefore, the spine affects and is affected by every movement your body makes.  For example, if your head is not properly balanced, the natural curve of the neck becomes distorted.  If the arms or legs don’t have full range of motion, the spine must compensate by extra bending and twisting.

Inter-vertebral discs are thick pads of cartilage that separate adjacent vertebrae.  The discs serve as shock absorbers and allow for greater motion between vertebrae, and they distribute weight over a large surface when the spine bends.  When discs degenerate, this weight becomes concentrated on the edges of the vertebrae, resulting in bone spurs.  Discs have no blood supply of their own and are dependent on sponge action for attracting and absorbing nutrients from adjacent tissues.  During non-weight bearing rest, discs expand as they soak up fluid.  In weight-bearing activity, this fluid is squeezed back into the adjacent soft tissue, to be replaced by fresh fluid during the next rest period.  If these normal healing mechanisms are inhibited by poor posture and loss of flexibility, the discs become thin, brittle and easily injured.  This condition, called degenerative disc disease, can lead to bulging or herniated discs.  The movement principles of yoga – “spreading” (creating space in an area), “soaking” (deep breathing during the stretch) and “squeezing” (compressing fluids out of an area) – use the physiology of the disc to help in healing.

Muscles that Act on the Spine

Running parallel to your spine are the erector spinae muscles, deep muscles of the back that support the spine in the upright position.  The erector spinae rotate the spine, bend it backward and sideways, and influence posture by helping create and maintain the proper spinal curves.  If the erector spinae are too tight, they contribute to swayback.  If they are too stretched out, they contribute to a flat back.  If they are overworked, they can go into painful spasms.  Yoga helps maintain back health by both stretching and strengthening the erector spinae.

The lower back is also significantly influenced by three sets of muscles that attach to the pelvis or the lumbar vertebrae: the hip flexors (which raise the thigh toward the chest), the abdominals, and the hamstrings (long muscles on the back of the thigh).  These muscles can create a forward or backward tilt to the pelvis, leading to an increase or decrease in the lumbar curve.  For example, because hip flexors attach to the front of the pelvis, tight hip flexors will tilt the pelvis forward, creating sway back.  Tight hamstrings will tilt it backwards, creating a flat back.  Weak abdominal muscles will allow the pelvis to drop forward and will fail to support the lumbar spine from the front.

Each of your joints is controlled by at least two sets of muscles: the flexors (which bend the joint) and the extensors, which straighten it.  In addition, a number of joints have rotator muscles that twist, turn, or rotate the bones.  Good posture can only exist when the flexors, extensors and rotators are in proper balance.  But often the muscles acting upon a joint are out of balance.  For example, the flexors may be tighter or shorter than the extensors, so that the joint can not be fully straightened; or the muscles that rotate the joint in one direction may be stronger than those that rotate it the other way.  These unequal forces make the joint weaker and more vulnerable.

Many people with back or neck pain suffer from imbalances of the flexors, extensors and rotators of the spine, arms and legs.  With an intelligent program of stretching and strengthening (as with yoga) the muscle groups can be brought back into balance.