WE MUST NAMASTE EVERYONE!
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 |
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Hope |
Shaggy |
|
Temperature |
Sean Paul |
|
Vamos A Bailar |
Gipsy Kings |
|
Minute By Minute |
Girl Talk |
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Bhangra Fever |
MIDIval PunditZ |
|
Jumelles |
MC Solaar |
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Soon The New Day |
Talib Kweli Feat. Norah Jones |
|
aint feel nothing |
zino & tommy |
ACCEPTING TO BE INSTEAD OF MAKING A TO DO LIST
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
YOU ARE SPECIAL
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
PHILOSOPHY & CLASS THEMES WHILE ON RETREAT
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 4th 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
$499 COLORADO 4 DAY YOGA RETREAT APRIL 7-10, 2011
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.
BEACH THERAPY PUERTO VALLARTA YOGA RETREAT WITH SILVIA MORDINI
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
BE A DREAMER
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
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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
HUGGING AND INTENTION
December 10, 2010. As you breath and enjoy this holiday season make time to set an expectation for your life this next year. Are you on the right path so far? And whatever you decide just know we are all evolving in the direction of happiness. It is our right. Freedom and the pursuit of happiness is your destiny! It is like what’s written in the Alchemist,“Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” And when you need time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to go get on the mat where you’ll always discover you have the power, the heart and the energy to achieve anything you want!
This is what we mean by hugging in. This practice of yoga helps us practice strengthening our connection to what we want and who we really are as authentic human beings. And just like a hug between two people takes trust, so does meeting yourself and making the healthy decisions that will propel your life forward. Love yourself, love the day, love your life! Silvia
Visit my website to learn more about my retreats classes and workshops www.silviamordini.com www.alchemytours.com
THERE IS NO FAKING IT
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
WAKE UP TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE
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
BE YOURSELF, HOW YOGA ERASES SELF-DOUBT
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
THE CRUCIAL STEP BY GUEST BLOGGER LAURA MILLS
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
LIVE AN HONORABLE LIFE
OCTOBER 31, 2010. During some Yoga class you will hear these words from your teacher, "honor your body" or "honor yourself." But what does that mean exactly? When I went to military school during high school years I had a very well-defined idea of honor because of the honor code that was part of the school's commitments. Then in college I was in a sorority and we too made a serious pledge to an honor code of sisterhood.
As we mature no one is giving us a written honor code and we have to define and refine it for ourselves. Time on the mat is where I practice honoring what I think and feel and how my actions are a result of that. Do I make sensitive adjustments? Am I respectful of myself when I'm tired? How do I appreciate and thank myself for trying my best? Am I consistent in integrating the practice in my body? Am I reverential towards the blessing it is to move and breath? Come to think of it, isn't to honor part of what Namaste means? So when it comes down to it, am I living my Namaste? And in honoring myself and do I honor, respect, appreciate all those I meet? If you are practicing yoga you are holding yourself gently and aspiring to live an honorable life. You are Dignified and Noble. Bring that today as you love yourself, love your day, love your life, Silvia
"Though it may be difficult to find the words for what you feel,
May you find ease in that awkwardness until gradually from beneath the gravel of stuttered sounds the pure flow of you emerges.
Be gentle with yourself,
Learn to integrate the negative,
Harnessing its force
To cross the boundaries
That would confine you.
Love the life of your mind
Furnishing it ever with new thought
So that your countenance glows
With the joy of being alive.
Be vigilant
And true to an inner honor
That will not allow
Anger or resentment
To make you captive
Always have the courage
To change, welcoming those voices
That call you beyond yourself
Beyond your work and action
Remain faithful to your heart,
For you to deepen and grow
Into a person of dignity and nobility."
By John Donohue
ECO ADVENTURE YOGA RETREAT - 1ST 6 PEOPLE SAVE $250!
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/
POSSIBILITIES FOR YOUR LIFE
SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. "The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. The possibility is always there. ~Monica Baldwin
Nothing has expanded, bloomed or grown from contemplating the impossibility of things. If you tell yourself something is impossible the law of attraction will deliver this to you. This practice reminds us to be careful for what we ask for in our thoughts and even more fundamentally that you are responsible for the quality of your life, the quality of your intentions. This currency of believing in the impossibility of things sets humans apart from other creatures. And the fact that all in all we don't have that long in this earthly body is a pretty solid boundary. Robert Braul says it like this, "Life is short, God's way of encouraging a bit of focus."
"Waste not the smallest thing created, for grains of sand make mountains, and atomies infinity. Waste not the smallest time in imbecile infirmity, for well thou knowest that seconds form eternity." ~E. Knight
When we practice breathing and moving through the poses we start from small and simple movement to larger and more complex recognizing how we can create art, movement, sensation, and emotion by our own efforts. And the more heart and practice we put in the more we expand and we see the changes within us. The back of our eyes start to see the external world as filled with potential. For how we experience the world is based on how we see it on the inside first. And then all of our breaths become yoga whether on the mat or off. And then from there the eyes of our hearts open slowing and we proudly stand up in the world with heart wide open to the possibilities that exist to "make a new happy ending."
I used to say I could never bend my knee parallel to the ground in Warrior poses. Then the universal intelligence that is embracing us had me see that I was doing it. And just like that my disbelief vanished!
“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” -Frank Lloyd Wright
I stopped backing off from life and realized how precious it is to have this one chance. And that being human like this, right now may never come again. And every time I step on the mat I am reminded of this gift. 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 kiss more, I hug more, I enjoy the beauty of food more, I explore more and I say I love you more. I keep expanding....and the thing is I want that for you too. So what are you waiting for? Start now. Believe in the endless possibilities for living the life of your dreams! It is possible. Anything is. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia (PS Read the book A Year to Live by Stephen Levine)
DOING YOUR OWN YOGA
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
BACK TO SCHOOL YOGA TIME!
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!
THE JOY OF BEING A STUDENT OF YOGA
"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
WHAT YOGA BOOKS SHOULD I READ?
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!)
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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
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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
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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
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ALCHEMY TOURS ACTIVE YOGA VACATIONS
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
ACCOUNTABILITY
MARCH 27, 2010: Your life is the way it is because of YOU. Can you imagine a world in which everyone holds themselves accountable for the quality of their life? I dreamed of a place where no one places blame on anyone else for the circumstances of their life. There is no longer a victim mentality or as Rusty Wells said, Yoga is the anti-victim mentality. Your life is the way it is because of you.
When I first figured this out as part of yogic teachings the thing I was most blown away by was that this meant I had to work at my own development, happiness and spiritual growth. This in yoga we know as Sadhana, we work daily as a practice on our own inner evolution. This evolution is where we take responsibility moment by moment for what we say, how we act, how we breath, what we think.
This active living of life or as a best dear friend always says, “Try Life. Live it.” Makes it clear that we are living and learning from the experience of life moment to moment. And that this is true living of life is only taking place in the present. We can too easily fall prey to lamenting the past and pushing blame on things that have expired or forecasting some neurotic tendency towards the future. If we are taking full responsibility then we are living on purpose right now. Everything we do is on purpose or with conscious intent. Even something like kindness, where I go to sleep each night and say to myself “tomorrow I am going to be 11% kinder” requires me to stay present to each situation, person or thing that I encounter and see the best in it.
Kindness takes work. Taking responsibility for one’s life takes work. But the good news is that then we get all the credit too.
Every time we come together in yoga class I realize that my dream has come true. What we do person to person on the mat is hold ourselves accountable pose to pose and at the end we celebrate by resting in quiet meditation known as savasana. Well deserved too! So join me on the mat, become part of my dream…more importantly become part of my reality of making this world the best place possible. Love! Silvia
HOW TO SAY THANK YOU 60 WAYS UPDATED!
Thank you to all who this week contributed to making my list of ways to say thank you longer and better. Much love to you all! Silvia
- Afrikaans (Africa) - Dankie
- Albanian - Faleminderit
- Armenian - shur-nur-ah-gah-lem
- Australian - Thoinks, Moite!
- Bengali - Dhannyabad
- Bulgarian - Blagodaria
- Bosnia - Hvala
- Burma(Myanmar) - Jae Zu Din Pa De (Thank you)
- Cameroon (Duala) - Na som (thanks)
- Catalonia (catalan) - moltes gràcies [many thanks]
- Cherokee Nation - Wado (Thank you)
- Cherokee (Eastern) - Skee (Thank you)
- Chinese (Mandarin) - Xie_Xie (shieh shieh)
- Croatia - Hvala
- Czech – Dekuji (deh'-ku-yih)
- Danish - tak (tahg)
- Dutch - dank U wel (dahnk you well) (formal: thank you very much)
- Estonia - Aitäh
- French - merci (mehr-see')
- French - Merci Madame - Thanks (to a woman)
- German - Danke schoen (literally: nicely thank you, outdated)
- Greek - Efharisto (ef-har-ris-tou')
- Hawaiian - Mahalo
- Hebrew - Toda raba (thank you very much)
- Hindi (India National Language) - Dhanyavaad
- Hindi - Shukriyaa
- Hungarian - Köszönöm (kuh'-suh-nuhm)
- Icelandic - Takk (informal)
- Indonesian - Terima kasih (teh-ri-mah kah-sih)
- Irish (Northern) - Nice one bro'r, or Cheers mucker!
- Irish Gaelic is "míle buíochas" Mike Lawler
- Italian - Mille Grazie (a thousand thanks)
- Japanese - Domo arrigato
- Lithuanian – Achu
- Luganda (Uganda) - Waybale (Thank you)
- Yá'át'ééh (Navajo) for Thank You for all you do.
- Paraguay (Guarani) - Aguije (ah-we-JAY)
- Philippines - Maraming Salamat (thank you very much)
- Polish - Dziekuje (dsyehn-koo-yeh)
- Portuguese - Muito Obrigado (Thank you very much)
- Qatar - Shakkran
- Romanian - Va multumim frumos (great thanks)
- Russian - Spasibo balshoye (big thanks)
- Scottish - Cheers
- Slovakia – Dakujem (deh'-ku-yem)
- South Africa - Dankie ("Dung-Key")
- Spanish - Muchisimas gracias (thank you VERY much) - to someone who was useful to you.
- Sundanese - Nuhun
- Swahili - Ahsante (ah-sahn'-teh)
- Swedish - Tack (tahkk)
- Tahitian - Maururu
- Thai - Khop Khun Mak (Thank you very much)
- Tibetan - Thuk Ji Chhe
- Turkish - Tesekkurler ( teh-sheh-keur eh-deh-rim)
- U.S. & Canada - Thank You
- Ukranian - Dyakuyu
- Vietnamese - Kam ouen
- Wales/Cymru - Diloch yn fawr (thank you very much)
- Yugoslavia - Hvala
- Zulu - Ngiyabonga
TO DO LIST REPLACES TO BE LIST
What we can control is showing up to our lives. The outcome however is still beyond our jurisdiction. So let’s focus on what we can control and that is HOW WE ARE BEING. How we are being is the only that we can do something about.
So today I invite you to create a TO BE list.
Say to yourself “how am I going TO BE no matter what gets done, or the outcome of this situation.”
When we focus on a TO BE List it is giving ourselves permission to do the hardest pose of all which is TO BE YOURSELF. And I can promise you that being yourself is the coolest decision anyone can make. However if you’ve been used to trying to be who everyone else wants you to be there is a paradigm shift there and sometimes being ourselves means we will temporarily disappoint those people. Especially if they are used to us focusing all our time and energy on To Be Lists as a way to prove our self-worth.
You are wonderful the way you are. And when in a state of being present, where we are being ourselves we slow down and get quiet enough To Be more human. This place of quiet helps us be with the opportunities and love surrounding us or as the poet writes, “When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, its sound is often no louder than the beating of your heart and it is very easy to miss it.”
So today practice making a To Be List. And don’t forget on it to include a moment of gratitude for Mother Earth herself, who always serves as our best example of being still and present. Love yourself, love your day! Silvia
“Let us bless the imagination of the Earth. That knew early the patience to harness the mind of time, waited for the seas to warm, ready to welcome the emergence of things dreaming of voyaging among the stillness of land. And how light knew to nurse the growth until the face of the earth brightened beneath a vision of color. Let us thank the earth that offers ground for home and holds our feet firm to walk in space open to infinite galaxies. Let us salute the silence and certainty of mountains their sublime stillness their dream-filled hearts. The humility of earth that transfigures all that has fallen of outlived growth. The kindness of earth, opening to receive our forms into the final stillness.”
FEARING NOTHING DURGA BABY!
NOVEMBER 20, 2009: I know this much, Life is a celebration and it is our responsibility to enjoy it to its fullest! But I also know to enjoy life you must renounce your fear and anxiety. I spent a good portion of time being terribly afraid (afraid of not being perfect, afraid of what others might think, afraid of failing, afraid someone I loved would leave me if I didn’t do my life right according to them, afraid perhaps of really being fully happy, afraid of being myself). I don’t want that for you. I really don’t. Life is happening right now so stop waiting, stop wasting time, stop being afraid of living it on your terms because life is already here.
Next month I am learning how to surf. I have been doing my homework, reading up, talking to everyone I know that has surfed, watching DVD’s. It both energizes me and sometimes I get a little nervous. However because I feel free in my choices I am not frightened. In February I went skiing for the first time in ages and here at the end of the year I am again in water…why not? These are my soft spots. (Stay tuned next I go rock climbing!)
Rinpoche talked about how we all have a soft spot and that fear and fear like responses such as worry or resentment occur because we are trying to cover up that soft spot. We tend to hurry past pain but this hurrying causes more tension instead of healing. If we spend more time with what we fear we can look into that pain and release some of the tension. We practice vinyasa flow and enjoy the repetition to feel relationship between poses, we feel power of flow, becoming more confident, growing more fearless. Use this to heal and release fear.
When folks ask me how did I get past a way of fearful living I tell them I practiced a ton of yoga. I came to the mat, going upside down, trying holding a pose into sensation like bending my knee deeper in Warriors or balancing on one leg and by facing me fear on the mat I then was able to recognize that fear off the mat and do something about it. The Buddha says, if a person is struck by an arrow and is in a lot of pain there is that but what if a 2nd arrow hit the person in the same spot the pain would be 100 times more intense because he/she was already wounded. If you recognize pain and fear or worry then you can help STOP another arrow of fear or worry hitting you in that same spot.
The time on the mat helps me to prevent the 2nd arrow. I have slowly grown more confident and now I “practice with elegance and openness so as to open the body in a resplendent expression of my hearts inner luminosity.” You see you guys when we cultivate fearlessness we experience our hearts as more open. I also repeat this mantra to myself
I AM FREE
I AM NOT FRIGHTENED
I AM NOT HUMILITATED BY GUILT OR WORRY
I AM IN LOVE WITH THE MY LIFE!
So may we use today to notice our lives right now, facing them as they are, learning how to stop avoiding ourselves but instead BEING OURSELVES. This may be the most courageous challenge we can possible accept. Free yourself, be your own knight in shining armor. You need not be afraid of anything. Love and light, Silvia
LIVE YOUNG!
OCTOBER 25, 2009: "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think...WOW I can't believe I'm here. This is so wonderful!" (Leslie Darin, Historian) Thank you to all those that are young at heart that share this attitude. I want to bow humbly to 57 year old nurse yogi that had a brilliant conversation with me after class yesterday afternoon. She had broken her neck in freak running accident but 10 years later was on the yoga mat, young in spirit, beautiful in her energy. Thank you for inspiring me!
“To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, it’s all a miracle. I have adapted the technique of living life from miracle to miracle.” (Artur Rubinstein) Seriously isn’t it amazing we all woke up today breathing and
When I started practicing what I had heard was that Yoga was said to be the fountain of youth. That we are only as old as our spine is flexible. I was completely intrigued thinking how could this be? Well on our birthday’s different yoga traditions actually celebrate by moving the spine. Some lineages do as many Sun Salutations as the years you are old, other traditions do the same number of backbends as you are old. Well to cover all my bases, I do both.
PART 1: How does this practice help you stay young, LIVE YOUNG?
Take a moment to write down 3 times in your life when you have felt the most alive. Skiing, exploring a new city
PART 2: How do I LIVE YOUNG every moment?
Answer: Is to practice active appreciation. The Dalai Lama says “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” Find something amazing about what is happening right now. Take what is ordinary and turn into something extraordinary whether it is your Downward Dog or drinking a cup of tea. I fully believe every day can be turned into something special. Recently I celebrated Christmas in October. Why not? Why do we have to wait for December why not bring the feeling of the holiday spirit a little sooner into the year? You see we can take any situation and find something to appreciate. Happy people are aware of this and put it into practice. Happy people really aren’t any different that the rest of us, they just live in the present and have gratitude for whatever is being offered.
Yogic teachings tell us that our natural state is one of happiness. So when we talk about yoga as the fountain of youth it is maybe because happiness feels lighter, brighter and more youthful. There appears from the inside out a radiance or inner body brightness that glows outwardly. It is true, we are as young as we feel. Why not feel happy? It is never too late, we are never too old to believe in the possibility of things.
For a long time I wanted life to be different than what it is. This put me in a state of stuckness asking repeatedly “why did that have to happen, why are things like this” or it made me fast forward life trying to get away from what is and put it behind me. Either way I started missing years of my life. I was missing the moments. In the book “How to Choose to be Happy” it is written “It’s a physical fact that no matter what happened an hour ago, a week ago or what might happen in a year happiness can ONLY be felt now in this moment.” Or as the Buddha says “The secret of health for both the mind and body is not to mourn the past, not to worry about the future nor to anticipate troubles but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
Once I figured that out my face softened and I felt lighter, younger and more ALIVE. I made a conscious choice from that point to LIVE YOUNG. Why not? Love to you, Silvia
WAKE UP FROM LIVING HALF UNBORN
Yoga kisses us awake one way or the other.
Stephen Levine in the book Be Happy puts it like this: “Most of us live life half unborn” It is an in your face way to phrase this concept of what we call in the yoga sutras “remembering the self” Vairagya (Chapter 1.15 for reference). Remembering is waking up to who we really are and how we want to live our lives. And quite frankly you have to ask yourself don’t you want to complete your birth before this ride is over? As Gabrielle Roth writes about in the book Sweat Your Prayers we are giving birth to ourselves. YESSS! To see some folks that are totally awake check out this clip that inspired me today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpacvA_ZQQc
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So right now in this moment what will it take to free up your life?
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On a scale of 1-10 how resistance are you to life?
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Are you afraid of what others will think of you if you start to live life on your terms?
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Are you afraid of being happy?
Well it is not too late, as long as we are breathing to begin to remember it can be better. Even the Buddha said, “it doesn’t matter how long you have forgotten only how soon you remember.” And for how much you’ve forgotten well let the poses tell you that. As it says on page 26 in the book Secret Power of Yoga (a translation of the Yoga Sutras, “We are all in a constant state of grace, yet how often do we remember?”
Starting today let’s be more awake to every moment. You have the power to change your life! Love yourself, your life, you day! Silvia
DREAM WITHOUT LIMITS!
APRIL 16TH, 2009: Lately the dreams I have in meditation are getting BIGGER and BOLDER all the time. Many things I've put off thinking about doing I am going for and doing them this year. I feel this amazing YES inside that I want you to feel the vibration of so you too can say yes to life and DREAM WITHOUT LIMITS. Yup that's what the theme is tonight. A very special class from my heart.
And just so you know, next Thursday through Sunday April 23-26 I am out of town on a Spiritual Adventure pursuing one of my dreams. So if we don't have our regular Thurday night date together I won't see you for two weeks.
In preparation for tonight's class please watch this clip below (3 minutes long). I want to thank Ned Miller for sharing this clip with me yesterday and changing my life with the creation of our own inspiring video collection called "Loving Your Day". It helped me shift even more brightly towards dreaming without limits, it is NEVER TOO LATE. I know it will inspire you, make you laugh, make you cry, make you clap your hands like it did me! What we can take away from this clip is that it is never too late. You deserve to materialize your dreams. So "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going." - Rainer Maria Rilke. Do not let the Kleshas, the veils that hide our true potential and beauty yoga tells us from speaking your dreams to yourself! Love you all, Silvia Mordini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&feature=haxa_popt00us00
THE HARDEST YOGA: BEING YOURSELF
JANUARY 7TH, 2009: The hardest pose we do is being ourselves. So we started practice with partner shoulder openers but swapped out 3-4 times so we could get the feeling of as Jon Kabat Zinn says, “Wherever you go, there you are.” We had to be nothing but ourselves with each different partner. So right now as you read this, close your eyes and turn inside. Breath in a way that feels like you today. Begin to see how during this week you have been true to yourself, reflect on how many times you have chosen to act in a way that serves you fully.
In the Bhagavad Ghita, Chapter 3 it talks about being AUTHENTIC: “It is better to fail at yourself than it is to succeed at being someone else.” It is essential to our health and well-being not to live our lives according to the outline demanded by other people (even those that love us) but to make our OWN opinion the most important. I know this. I lived for a long time worried more about what other people thought, what looked good, how to appear successful than actually living my own life. Now I lost time but I don’t want you to. When you come to the mat, whatever you are feeling as Benjamin Disraeli says, “Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth. “
Own your truth, embrace your funkiness, fly your freak flag this year! We have been given the gift of life the only real tragedy would be not to life in a way that enhances our spirit or stays true to our dreams. Take to heart the words of William Shakespeare who wrote: “Learning to trust ourselves is a worthy practice, the practice of authenticity. This is the work of aligning the standards we have for ourselves with our deepest passions and dreams. It’s the work of making promises to ourselves and keeping them. It’s the work of knowing who we are without judgment.”
Ultimately, the more each of us practices being ourselves the more we give permission to everyone else to just be themselves too. So I make that promise to you, I will be me more than ever before and I hope that let’s each of you know that it’s more than ok for you to show up and just BE YOU! With hands up in the air, JAI! Love, Silvia
NAMASTE
Namaste - The ancient Sanskrit blessing defined for you
• The life in me sees and honours the life in you
• Namaste” is the beautiful spark in one person recognizing the beautiful spark in another
• This is an especially deep expression of respect
• Namaste recognizes the duality that has ever existed in this world and suggests an effort on our part to bring these two forces together
• Ultimately leading to a higher unity and non-dual state of Oneness
• In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honour to the sacredness of all.
• The whole action of Namaste unfolds itself at three levels; mental, physical, and verbal.
• I honour the place in you where Spirit lives. The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you.
• I greet that place where you and I, WE ARE ONE.
• I honour the place in you which is of LOVE; I receive the free spirit in you.
• I salute the place in you which is Truth, may the life within you be strong.
• I receive the place in you which is of Light
• I recognize the place in you which is of Peace, within each of us is a place where peace dwells
• I recognize that we are all equal. I acknowledge that everyone is valuable in their own way and capable of expanding my horizons.
• When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, then we are ONE.
• We are able to recognize the goodness of others
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.
May all beings find and hold happiness.
May they all be free from suffering and sickness.
May we all look in the mirror see all others reflecting back.
May we be all with one, living in oneness, one family, one heart, a glowing heart of the brightest light of compassion. NAMASTE
From Wikipedia, freely adapted and edited
YOGA STRENGTHENS SELF-ESTEEM
AUGUST 18TH, 2008: Two key readings from the ancient writings of yoga inspired me today for our practice.
“It is better to fail at yourself than it is to succeed at being someone else.”
Bhagavad Ghita Chapter 3 that the yoga is about being true to who you are. It talks about being authentic.
“Objective of yoga is to remove the divisions within yourself so that you can immerse yourself in the infinity that is you. sthira, sukham, asanam”
Yoga Sutras Chapter 2 Verse 46
We started by doing our Favorite Pose. Then we all did our Least Favorite Pose. Then we paused to contemplate: HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF RIGHT NOW?
Key Learning Points From This Practice:
· We always have opportunities to be true to ourselves
· You don’t have to do anything heroic
· THE GOAL IS AWARENESS!
· Sometimes we end up not being true to ourselves in our work, in our relationships but when you want to shift YOGA WILL HELP YOU FIND YOUR STRENGTH to be authentic. And then life gets a lot better and a whole lot easier.
· The shift is towards who we really are were we can let go of self-imposed limitations and negative self-talk:
1. I’M NOT STRONG ENOUGH
2. I LOOK RIDICULOUS
3. I FEEL CLUMSY
4. I CAN’T DO THIS
5. EVEN DELUSIONAL THOUGHTS, I’M GOING TO DIE, THIS POSE IS GOING TO KILL ME
So you see it is vitally important to be who you are fully because there is not failure in being you. (We could only ever be the second best anyone else anyway). And when you are not being true to yourself and try to hard to please others it takes you away from your heart. Which isn’t worth it as the words of Hafiz remind us, “It is all just a love contest and there are no losers.” I hope you stay the course and allow the practice to help you build your self-esteem in ways you never thought possible! Love, Silvia
DO YOU! NO LONGER DOUBT YOURSELF
JULY 23RD, 2008: So on Tuesday night I was watching a show called "Shear Genius" on Bravo. The deal is that hairstylists compete for a grand prize survivor style. The main challenge on this night was teaching regular women how to style their own hair. The woman who self-styled her own hair the worst lost - her stylist then was out of the competition. Bummer that we have so little confidence in ourselves that we don't even believe we can style our own hair, you know? We don't know how to be as we are.
Dr. Wayne Dyer writes, "the greatest mistake we make, which causes a loss of self-respect, is making the opinions of others MORE IMPORTANT than our own opinion of ourselves." Even the word self-respect pretty much says it all, it originates from the self. Yogis have always recognized all we need is within us. These days it takes a great deal of courage to DO YOU (as Russell Simmons writes in the book of the same name which encourages "staying true to who you are.")
I hope your yoga helps you learn to make sensitive adjustments in your thoughts, in your actions and that this helps you take responsibility for doing YOU. Ultimately I wish that you no longer doubt yourself and stop withholding self-love. I leave you the words of Mark Twain, "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." Give it to yourself now, as you are. LOVE YOU! Silvia
YOU ARE VITALLY IMPORTANT - YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
JULY 17TH, 2008: I love movies! A new movie releasing August 1st called SWING VOTE with Kevin Costner talks about how a presidential election comes down to one person's vote. So that got me thinking...I really want you to enjoy your practice and feel that every single pose, every breath, every vinyasa on the mat is deeply meaningful. It is easy to get caught up in the cyncism of today convincing ourselves that what we think and what we do doesn't matter. This couldn't be further from the TRUTH.
Today more than ever before every single breath, every gesture in a pose makes a world of difference. So do your best to make everything count. Your contributions are vitally important!
For take home practice think about all those that contribute to the sweetness of your life: the truck drivers bringing food to the Jewel/Dominicks; the urban planners who organized our stop lights and roadways for ease of travel; the Policmen & Policewomen and Firefighters that keep us safe, the Farmers that grow our food, your employer who provides a place to earn a living and most of all your Family & Friends.
Now think about all the things you did today to make the life of another person a little easier or more peaceful: a kind compliment; an email; a phone call; giving up your parking space; a small gift; a card, just a loving thought. When you reflect on the importance of others in your life and how much of a blessing you are to others it is easy to appreciate our connection to one another...Remember LIFE IS NOT A GAME OF SOLITAIRE.