May 31, 2009:

The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”

It is a Fundamental spiritual belief yogic or otherwise that we are meant to enjoy ourselves in this lifetime, right now.  Our natural state is to love and be loved. 

So ask yourself what attitude do you have about your life?  What does this attitude say about you?  I think we all understand that without stop we have a running commentary in our head. This mindstuff reveals what beliefs we have about who we are, our attitudes about life.  My friend Sadie Nardinin says “The biggest mistake we make as humans is to look at our destructive thought patterns and think we cannot choose again.”  I’ve known that feeling of being stuck.  The thing is you guys YOU are not stuck.  Choose again. Take back your attitude. Give yourself permission to get back to your natural state.

We do this by having POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS for a POSITIVE OUTCOME. 

Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event.” Brian Tracy

We can check in with our attitude all day long:  Are you focused on your limitations right now or on your dreams?  Are you expecting the worst of best from life? Simply put, are your expectations positive or negative? 

Through yoga learn how to live like life is not being done to you but for you.  This is a gift with a limited shelf life so enjoy it! Transform your life by expecting the best.  If you are in a downward spiral or just feeling “ok” there is no need for you accept a flat lined life.  Your attitude is your POWER TO HEAL yourself.  Our best feature as human beings is our super hero power of positive expectation:  determination, living with integrity, strength of character, compassion in the face of suffering, creativity, growth, renewal.  You create your life and no one else does it for you.  Start today, start now.  Life is fleeting don’t miss the pretty colors.  Love your day, Silvia

“When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form. If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations.” Shakti Gawain

May 28, 2009:

 

Dear Friends in the Flow,

 

Have you ever thought about it?  I have. 

Will practicing Yoga make you rich?

 

And if yoga as is written in ancient texts shows us how “Living from your authentic truth releases your vital energy in the world so you are the fertile expression of yourSelf - not an illusion - which has no real energy to grow.”

 

Well then will HAPPINESS MAKE YOU RICH?

Think about it if you are happier then you are more creative and productive at work, at home, in life.  And the feedback loop works pretty well here, there is a causal relationship between how happy we are at home with how we perform in our work place.  And if something is out of sync we get in our own way. Spiritual practice teaches us that Life is always evolving in the direction of happiness if we can learn how to stop sabotaging ourselves.  Yoga provides us that opportunity to REBOOT.  We get on the mat to cleanse the mind so we can see more clearly and be the most fertile expression of ourselves in the world.  Through this practice energy slumps or stuckness or stagnation is cleared and the flow of more creative loving energy expands.  When we are our happiest our energy flows and abundance in the form of currency, love, and peace increase. 

 

So tonight surround yourself with positive vibration, meet other friends in the flow and as John de Kadt from his CD “This Rhythm is Not Mine” sings “Feet fingers tapping toes...move your bones where the rhythm goes...dance your dreams...discover what your body knows"  Join me this evening at 7:30pm Level 1, let’s all Get Rich in Love and Life!  Yours with blessings, Silvia

 

 

  

Namaste Dear Friends!

Last week we added Video titled "Stress Management 101"  and today we have added another new Video titled "Are you a Serious or Casual Student of Life?"  Check them out and send them to your friends, spread the good vibes you guys.  I am so proud of these and think they are getting better and better! 

Would love to hear from you what key messages you'd like me to speak to happy to include those in next Video shoot.  And of course this couldn't be done without Ned Miller, Scott Fell and Vicki Frank. I humbly offer 108 deep bows to them from my heart! Love the day, Silvia

MAY 27, 2009:  Change is happening all around us.  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 with the inner knowing we can’t control people or situations outside ourselves.   So we practice gratitude for all that we have. Try it now:

INHALE THE GIFT OF THE UNIVERSE, YOUR LIFE ITSELF

EXHALE WITH GRATITUDE

Now with a more clear mind really feel that the changes you seek, which I call “dreams” are all around you like ghosts waiting to be seen.  So through this yogic practice love the gentle flow and let it lead you back to yourself.  Use your thoughts to keep your energy on positive changes while knowing we are always moving so there is no rush. Slow down, SHANI.  I understand more than you know how attached we can get to despairing thoughts that we want to run from. It only slows us down to be running from our suffering so take it easy, remain with your breath and let the river help you flow away from past pains.  And know this, you are not a prisoner. Everything is change, all is impermanent even the pain so keep flowing my friends.  This will keep your heart open and clear.  In the Alchemist its written,

“Continue in the direction of the Pyramids”, said the alchemist. “And continue to pay heed to the omens. Your heart is still capable of showing you where the treasure is.” 

“Is that the one thing I still need to know?”

“No”, the alchemist answered. “What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream.”

It will not only get better but as we progress mindfully towards positive changes, dreams we have for our lives we learn many lessons along the way. These are gifts as well, so slow down and be in the process.  With heartfelt love to all beautiful minds & hearts, Silvia

Do your practice and all is coming.” -- Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

As I mentioned yesterday I had this idea that with spiritual seeking I was meant to “figure it all out then practice it.”  The yoga world was greatly influenced and saddened by the passing away of Pattabhi Jois this week through his teachings like “Do your practice and all is coming.”  If we get on the mat day in and day out and simply practice (Abhyasa) we will experience the knowledge we are seeking.  We are not going to get all the answers we seek about the challenges of life but we will gain the discipline (vairagyam) to help us keep going and stay present to all of it.  The practice is then the opportunity to BE PRESENT.

It is only in the present that all the grace and beauty of the world find union (yoga) with us. 

In the ancient writings one of which is known as the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali teaches us that a practice will have a strong foundation if it’s supported by these 4 qualities:

1.       practice for a long time – dirgha kala

2.       continuous practice  – nairantarya

3.       positive attitude (faith) – satkara

4.       enthusiasm (we want to do it) – adara

We can apply these to learning how to be present to the details of our lives.  My friend David Romanelli once said something like, “if you jump in and out of the shower you get wet but not clean, if you jump in and out of the present moment you have a moment of clarity but not long term peace”  So for us on the mat we practice and practice to not just jump in and out of the present moment but to be there for a long time, with enthusiasm and as a result of our faith it is possible.  That’s what I hope for us all. End the mental torture, the disease of worry and join me in practicing being present.  Be strong! Silvia

At times I have felt defeated by life.

All I ever wanted was to be peaceful, happy and free.  But I had this idea even with spiritual seeking “let me figure it all out then I’ll practice it.”  But that’s not the way it works.  We are not going to get all the answers we seek about the challenges of life.  This procrastination could be applied to any part of our lives. Today I am examining it in relation to happiness.  So here’s the thing, if we think something has to happen before we can be happier then we’re always waiting to be happy as opposed to being happy right now.  If you fool yourself to believe that you have to understand all the reasons for WHY you are not happy you get stuck in the unhappiness.  There is something to be said for forgive and move on from past to present. 

Stop procrastinating the time you have by coming up with reasons not to be happy.  This is not only self-defeating to you but does a disservice to the world, to your family, to your community, to fellow human beings.

So learn from my trials and errors:  Don’t lose any more time trying to figure out or solve the mystery of unhappiness just live more right now.  How?  First thing, just feel more. Anything – sadness, anger, love, joy, frustration.  All of it.  The more you feel the less you fight against the feeling and the greater the capacity to accept yourself.  So this is the second thing, love yourself as you are without apology.  Please stop putting prerequisites on your own acceptance (if I lose 10 pounds, get a new job, finish a marathon, etc).  Spiritual growth is not about self-improvement otherwise as we all know we’ll never be good enough (just like we’re never quite done with the work on improving our homes). Instead spiritual maturity is unconditional love towards our lives as they are offered. 

I used to be a destination junky.  Then I read Jon Kabat Zinn’s book titled ‘Wherever you go there you are”.  I woke up to the fact that waiting to be happy until I was somewhere far away never really worked.  I still had me and how I felt about me no matter how exotic the location or distance from my office.  I had to face myself honestly and say, “I am hungry for love.”  Just as Mother Teresa spoke, “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”  I felt that hunger. 

The hunger cannot be quenched by buying stuff, or by other people loving you, or going to cool places it has to be some internal shift of self-recognition that moves us to self-acceptance.  As soon as I started loving myself I wasn’t starving anymore.  I knew I had plenty.  That was the first day I made a commitment to my own healing.

So I ask you, how much do you want to live a healing lifestyle?  Only you can make the choice to choose love and happiness moment by moment.

Of course in my heart I want you all to find that this practice saves your life TODAY as it does mine daily. I want you to love yourself more and in turn feel how loved you are by the universe herself.  As Sutra 11.42 reads “when at peace and content with oneself and others (santosha) supreme joy is celebrated.” You hold the key to your own happiness.  Question is do you have the courage to take time today without delay to fall in love with yourself more deeply. Are you ready to celebrate?   You are everything, you have all you need to be happy.  Let’s not waste another moment!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

MAY 22, 2009:  Some of us cannot afford to travel far away places for spiritual retreat but yoga class provides us the same benefits right here in our backyard.  So travel with me to a place where we can refresh from the events of this week. Ok?  So what does it mean to find renewal?  To better understand this we must first ask ourselves how do we define Health?  Do you have health? Do your work colleagues or family members have health?  If you know what Health is then what is WELLNESS?  Are they the same? 

The WHO (World Health Organization of the UN) defines health as “not only the lack of disease, but also the physical, social, spiritual, and mental well-being of the human.”  So to me this sense of renewal we realize from yoga is to move us not from disease only but toward radiant well-being. There is a continuum of wellness.  And it is on-going and in process.  We don’t just get it and stop because we’re done. 

This is why renewing our spirits, our sense of hope on the mat is vitally important. 

If we eat dinner on clean dishes and then tomorrow try to eat on those dirty dishes it wouldn’t make sense. We would understand that we have to wash them and we’re not done there, if we use them we’ll have to wash them again and again.  Same goes with keeping our spirit refreshed.  We have to work at it.  Each day we find ourselves making withdrawals from our spiritual reserves so each day it is crucial we make deposits and renew our commitments to our improved wellness.  So join me on the mat day in and day out for your own Spiritual Renewal so you can feel renewed enough to think more clearly and figure out the right course of actions to take next.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

“Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.” Dale Turner

Happy Day Beautiful Friends,

A Meditation on Letting Go

If you let go a little

You will have a little happiness.

If you let go a lot

You will have a  lot of happiness.

If you let go completely

You will be free. 

I meditate often on the words of Danna Faulds,  She writes, “Let go of the ways you though life would unfold; the holding of plans or dreams or expectations — Let it go.  Save your strength to swim with the tide.   The choice to fight what is here before you now will only result in struggle, fear, and desperate attempts to flee from the very energy you long for.  Let it all go and flow with the grace that washes through your days whether you receive it gently or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders.  Take this on faith:  the mind may never find the explanations that it seeks, but you will move forward nonetheless. Let it all go and find the place of rest and peace, and certain transformation.”

I thought for a long time that Spiritual Seeking meant looking for answers.  It does not.  It is the experience of life that fulfills the spiritual seekers mission.  That experience of the unfolding.  On the mat we put this into practice time and again. Each day so different, no reason to be upset with what we can do with our bodies today that is different than yesterday – there is likely exact explanation anyway.  Instead enjoy the experience of your soul self as you are. Let that be enough.  Love in all ways, Silvia

PS When you forget just say this mantra to yourself:

I won’t wear my effort on my face

I don’t let my effort overwhelm my breath

I pace myself to enjoy my life

Now we have a choice. We can stay in the “comfort” zone a little apathetic or not totally turned on by life. What a friend once had described to him as “flat lining” one’s life.  You know how this feels. Everything is just OK.  Spiritual practice implores us to live life more than OK.  That we need not give up when we meet uncomfortable situations for that’s exactly when we are about to break free.  The author Jaimal Yogis says, “the story you’ve been telling, you know the one, about the way you have to compromise that dream.  Bend that rule. Cut the cornerstone of logic for breakfast. That story is old and tired. Do you see how FREE you are without it?

Please don’t compromise your life, this one life any longer.  Be uncomfortable. Face the fear, the discomfort to live your life heroically.  It is really the only way.  As I wish myself my own best strength I offer you the same.  Let’s all just go for living the adventure of life! Love to you, Silvia

“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 and to step boldly forth to explore strange horizons. When he is unafraid of new ideas, new theories and new philosophies. When he has the curiosity to experiment--to test and try new ways of living and thinking. When he has the flexibility to adjust and adapt himself to the changing patterns of life. When he refuses to seek safe places and easy tasks and has, instead, the courage to wrestle with the toughest problems. When he has the moral stamina to be steadfast in the support of those men in whom he has faith and those causes in which he believes. When he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints. 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. When he concludes that a rut is only another name for the grave and that the only way to stay out of the ruts is by living adventurously and staying vitally alive every day of his life.  By Wilfred Peterson. Source: The art of living, Albert W. Daw Collection

Monday May 18 How to Accept Support

Tuesday May 19 7:30pm Bump & Grind: Arm Balance Extravaganza!

Wednesday May 20 Letting Go

Thursday May 21 Decisiveness

Friday May 22 Resistance and Renewal

Sunday May 24 Waking Up to our Potential!!!

This support group we form for one another was made even more profound this afternoon.  You may or may not know that the world lost a great peaceful warrior today.  Sri Pattabhi Jois or Guruji as he was known to his students passed from his earthly body today.  His life demonstrated to all what an amazing difference just a single person can make on mankind.  The key message that I have taken from his teachings is: practice more.  And if we practice more, we love more.  (More about this Master Yogi, “Guruji, as he was fondly know all over the world, was one of Sri T Krishnamacharya's earlier students in Mysore. He has been instrumental in spreading one of Krishnamcharya's methods, which is now popularly known as Astanga Vinyasa Yoga. He has been one of the most influential teachers of our time. It is our great privilege to have shared this earth with a master of his caliber. Kausthub Desikachar, Krishnamcharya Healing & Yoga Foundation”)

So today as we offer support around the world to the family of Sri Pattabhi Jois, 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.”  YES! 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 healthy 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 accept support from others.  Make Rumi’s words come to life! “Stay with friends who support you. Talk with them about sacred texts, and how you are doing, and how they are doing, and keep your practices together.”

Stay the course, love in all ways! Silvia

MAY 17, 2009:

There is that tendency we have to want things to be different than what they are but spiritual maturity impresses upon us to learn how to find a way to be content with what is in the present for it is a gift.  To help with this growth simply listen to your heart as you watch your thoughts.  This study of oneself will open up channels of stuckness in both the physical body and channels to deep reservoirs of clarity and wisdom within our minds.  This cultivates appreciation.  And there is an inherent gentleness when we practice appreciation for who we are.  Please make your observations not from a place of judgement but of understanding, compassion and self-love.  Know that you dissolve negativity through appreciation for this is the real enemy of love.  Practice appreciation and love triumphs!

So today take time to appreciate your breath, to appreciate your feelings (whatever they may be – joy, sadness, peace, frustration, love), appreciate being in your own skin.  I know this is not easy.  Just like the poses we practice on the mat are not easy.  They are often very uncomfortable. 

So I’m asking you to be uncomfortable. To actually stay with the discomfort of your reactivity until you can turn it into a loving response.  With time you’ll find the action of appreciation gets easier and this is the answer to dissolving the negative from all areas of your life.  And as luck has it life is going to keep giving us opportunities to evolve this practice.  From one perspective what we are talking about here is Santosha, to be with what is and find the good, experiencing contentment within the situation, with the person instead of getting angry or having to change the thing, situation, weather or person.  Now that’s the advancing of our spiritual selves.  Let the door of appreciation open the way.  Love you, love serving you! Silvia

If we view our lives not as this experience of obligation (not so much I should do this which feels like we’re in trouble for not doing it already) but instead what appointments are you keeping for your life that are the most valuable and life affirming it makes it all easier.  All hard edges seem to soften. 

Thich Nhat Hanh says it like this:  “We have an appointment with life, and that appointment takes place in the present moment. If we miss the present moment, we miss our appointment with life, which is serious.”

While we’re busy coming up with reasons not to keep our appointments, spin your perspective and make real (realize) that they are moving you in the direction of your best life.  So time on the mat gives us that opportunity to check in with ourselves and take stock of how we’re doing for the sake of our health and over all well-being.  But it begins by acknowledging which Life Appointments are the most vital.  What are they for you?  How are you doing keeping your appointments?  Is YOGA a life appointment you want to keep? If yes, then join me on the mat. I will always support you!  Love and light, Silvia

*You'll be happy to know I do make time for my dentist appointments because it matters to me.

MAY 14TH, 2009: When you think about it doing what feels good should be pretty easy.  Two of my friends at dinner last night were sharing stories of their kids: 1) her son was on stage in second grade and front and center put his hands down his pants until he caught his Mom’s eye and realized I probably shouldn’t do that here. But he had a point, it felt good to him so why resist. 2) Another friend’s daughter as a tiny tot at dance recitals liked to lift her dress all the way up over her head. No fear, no doubt, just felt good to do it so why resist. 

Yet as adults if feeling good is natural then why do we stay in hurtful relationships, jobs we hate, drive commutes that make us nuts, live where we don’t like the weather, edit who we really are for the sake of our neighbors?  Why do we resist life’s natural inclination to move us towards happiness?

Can you imagine the energy you’d have if you stopped resisting life and lived without apology, without any embarrassment whatsoever?  So when you come to the yoga mat I urge you to stop over thinking and begin feeling more.  For if we are to live more authentic lives and begin to realize how Futile Resistance really is it has to happen from the inside out.  Have the courage to acknowledge the person standing in our way is ourselves. 

A friend recently gave me the book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield and the author starts off by talking about those activities that elicit Resistance including but not limited to: “Any health regimen; any program of spiritual advancement; any program designed to overcome an unwholesome habit; Any act of ethical courage – including the decision to change for the better some unworthy patter of thought or conduct in ourselves; any act that entails commitment of the heart.” Well, if you look at the list that’s pretty much what yoga touches upon in every class. 

So for me the question is then what is resistance?  Sadie Nardini writes “Resistance happens any time we stand in the way of our own forward momentum. We block ourselves from real happiness, love and fulfillment in countless ways.  There are the obvious ones, such as self-doubt, but also the more covert, including procrastinating, rationalizing and engaging in drama.  Resistance is the destroyer of dreams. And we must weaken its power over us or it will paralyze us.” 

How do we address our resistance?  It is the first principle of Anusara yoga, to open to grace.  We soften, we say Yes, we expand into the flow of love.  Otherwise when we resist or fight life we stop ourselves from LOVE, we stop the flow of all good things coming into our lives and instead build up walls.  This spiritual practice takes down the walls so we can align again with love.  Through love each and every one of us has the power to TRIUMPH over resistance!

What is resistance?

Pressfield says its invisible yet it has the power to distract us, prevent us from doing our life’s work. He calls it the enemy within. You know the one that is obsessive, constantly worried, filled with anxiety, overthinking. It is fueled by fear and we feed it the more afraid we are of admitting our fears. I believe it is most often fear of being really happy that is at the heart of resistance – at least this is what I’ve found in my life.  Ask yourself, if everything you ever wanted came true tomorrow, how would your life be different?  How would you live?  Resistance is felt as UNHAPPINESS. This is why it is the enemy of love. If you are honest with yourself are you standing in your own way today of being happier, more peaceful more in love with life? 

To overcome resistance in the body we have to stop forcing, fighting or holding ourselves back.  Instead practice from softness, desire, gentle courage and resistance is futile in the face of you Being Love, Being Beauty, Being Happy! What am I suggesting?  At a minimum I am promoting you get RADICAL! That you start a revolution from inside to overthrow the invader of resistance because it is NOT YOU.  Will this be scary? Yes. Is that reason enough not to do it? You have to decide the life you want to live. For me the answer is easy, I want to be peaceful.  And by facing what scares me I am starting a revolution I’d like you to join within yourself.  Love to you all, Silvia

MAY 12, 2009:  I had this illuminating conversation with an old returning client this morning.  They had been away from yoga for 6 months and were coming back today to take one class.  I bow to their quiet courage to begin again. The first step towards changing your life is the most difficult. I know this.

At the same time you guys I asked why not make a bolder decision and see themselves of deserving of one hour per week from this day forward, whether it’s yoga class or a cup of tea or reading a book. From my heart I tried to encourage them to see that they are deserving of at least this I am sure they didn’t believe me (yet).  Because the gosh honest truth is that if you want to STOP THE NOISE in your head and find clarity, more importantly MAINTAIN mental and emotional clarity well you need to make a commitment of more than one hour every 6 months. 

It does take courage to change your life.  And no matter how badly I want it for you. You have to do it yourself. You must take action.  This is karma.

You must stand up for your rights as Bob & Ziggy Marley sing. If there is anything worth committing to it is your right to be peaceful and happy.  It is your choice.  Rascal Flats in this utube clip below puts it like this, “I hope the day comes easy and the moments pass slow and each road leads you to where you want to go and if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_zi4OxJpY0&feature=related

The key thing here is to make the commitment to yourself to turn inside so you can stop all the EXTERNAL NOISE long enough to realize what changes we want, which choices, which roads mean the most to us.  I truly hope we can all find the courage within ourselves to heed the advice of the Yoga Sutras that ask us to observe within our hearts are we  “running away from the life we’re afraid of or are we running towards the changes that bring about the peace and health we want instead.”  STOP THE NOISE, get on the mat. Make healthier choices through your courage to change! Love yourself, Silvia

**Rumi says STOP THE NOISE**

MONDAY, MAY 11TH: ARE YOU GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARDS IN LIFE?

TUESDAY, MAY 12TH:  STOP THE NOISE - COURAGE TO CHANGE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH:  GREEN LIGHT YOUR LIFE

THURSDAY, MAY 14TH: RESISTANCE IS FUTILE (ALSO STAR TREK JUST OPENED THIS WEEK)

FRIDAY, MAY 15TH:  KEEPING YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH LIFE

SATURDAY, MAY 16^TH:  APPRECIATION MEDITATION -  BOOST YOUR GOOD ENERGY

SUNDAY, MAY 17^TH: VOICE YOUR DHARMA CHOICE

MAY 11th, 2009:  I want to thank a new friend who shared inspiring conversation to help me take this meditation into a more formed perspective. This is what I'll share with you tonight.

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT WE ARE AND WHATEVER WE WISH OURSELVES TO BE, WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE OURSELVES – SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

MAY 10TH, 2009:  I remember when I was a kid my family and I visited Iceland during the period of the year when they experience 24 hour daylight!  Very cool.  You could hear folks partying all night long because you get lost in the activity of the daylight.  This is too much Rajas.  Then of course other time of the year they have 24 hour darkness, too much tamas.  During the course of the class you will be served a whole experience – Some rajas and some tamas. I liken this to being served a whole meal. Now it’s for you to know yourself enough to figure out how much of each course you should take and when to pull back a little bit.  This is like life itself. We can’t control what is offered to us any given day (the weather, the choices others make) but we can manage our responses and what we need to do to stay balanced.

If we honor who we truly are then love, peace and clarity is ours! During class I spoke to what variations of each pose were more Tamasic and which were more Rajasic so you could choose appropriately.  This is spoken of in the yoga sutras comprised by Pantanjali as follows:

Chap 1.16 When consciousness unites it remains clear and unaffected by the external changes of nature and things that happen around us, the Gunas.  This is the ultimate freedom.  Freedom is love.

The Gunas are the three universal attributes of nature that inhabit and influence the essence of all beings and material objects. Although one of the gunas may predominate, these three forces are in constant flux and interplay. The three gunas are:

Tamas: the energy of stability, solidity, inertia, darkness, confusion.  Tamas inactivity – manifests as inability to make decisions, immobilizes us through fear or fatigue – if healthy, allows us to draw inwards and sleep deeply

Rajas: the energy of activity, dynamism, vibrancy, change, passion, excitement.  Rajas overactivity – manifests as good to help us explore many things but too much we burn out

Sattva: the energy of luminosity, light, clarity, balance, contentment.  Sattva balance means dynamic stillness

The world and everything in it play between these 3.  If we can remember who we are, what we want from life then these are not able to influence us and throw us off our game. As long as we promote balance we can observe the changes but transcend them. However if we identify with the gunas rather than with ourselves the mind and our emotions are like a constantly changing rainbow (feeling blue, seeing red, turning green with envy)

We need all three gunas in nature. Tamas is the inert energy needed for sleep, rest, and stability. We need tamas for strong, dense bones. We use the energy of tamas in our asana practice for grounding and stability. Rajas is the energy of motion. It helps us move from a dull, lethargic state to a place of clarity and intelligence. In asana and pranayama, we use rajas to move and breathe with full awareness - channeling energy to develop and expand our consciousness. We need rajas to quickly adapt to new situations and to act rapidly in emergencies. Rajas is also the force of creativity and vitality. Sattva is the energy of light, when it shines we can see with clarity and we enlighten our true Self. We are sattvic when the body and mind are clear, alert, tranquil and spacious, whether this happens in meditation, a focused asana practice or in our daily life. In yoga and ayurveda, we always want to move toward increasing sattva, as this state of balance provides the space necessary for healing to occur and for the true knowledge of the Self to be revealed.

The gunas can also have negative aspects. When tamas is out of balance we may become dull, dense of mind and unable to see or remove obstacles. We become ignorant, pessimistic and doubtful. Tamas predominates when a person is depressed. They have no energy to work or to get out of bed. When rajas is out of balance we are hyperactive, turbulent, and agitated. We act without awareness, such as, an angry outburst at the slightest infraction by others. We can be overly rajasic when we overschedule our lives so much that we have no time for reflection. This can also be a way to avoid or deny our issues, which can only lose their power once they have been embraced. Sattva does not have a negative aspect as it is the healthy energy of a balanced state.

So the question is, how did you do today? Did you make choices that bring balance to your life?  And are you prepared to make the active sensitive adjustments to keep your personal sense of balance?  I hope the answer is YES! and more YES!  It is this way that you find love in yourself, your day, your life!  Peaceful courage abounds! Silvia

MAY 9, 2009:  Today is the New Moon. Energetically it is a day of contemplation, inward focus and meditation.   This is the perfect experience of renewal and hope. Giving time to thinking about the bad habits we want to let go of, the qualities that are not part of the person we want to be. 

And we begin with a sense of NEWNESS to make positive changes in our lives.  So join me today for a series of shoulder openers and forward folds to give time and make space to let out the old and welcome the good!  Love your day and the next chapter of your life! Silvia

MAY 8th, 2009:  On this beautiful Mother's Day weekend, where we honor the power of creation itself, I feel deeply inspired by all of the Mom's that practice yoga with us at TBY.  I see their strength and quiet courage in making time for their own nourishment on the yoga mat so that they have more to give their children and partners.  You are all amazing in that you are modeling such healthy choices for your families! Keep shining out for you are making the world better not only for your kids but for the children of your children.  This ripple of self-love lasts forever!

And I'd like to especially recognize all the current pregnant goddesses practicing with us in almost every single class.  What a humbling expression of love to be in the practice with such a powerful being growing inside.  

Finally I bow in gratitude to one of the most powerful women I know, my mentor Shiva Rea, who inspires me with such infinite goddess energy to be a better person and teacher each and every day.  Yesterday she wrote these words that I totally embrace and want to share with you, "All praises to the men who love women and the women who love men...Ah Shiva-Shakti!" 

You see this practice is one of finding the balance and honoring the power of creation and the action required to direct that energy into new realms.  We are Shiva Shakti, we are sun, moon, Zeus and Athena, Sita and Ram.  Through spiritual practice we can find that perfect harmony within ourselves.  We discover our potential for more and greater things!  Even if the way we are doing life now is good, it can evolve more as our nature is one of expansion and creativity.  So today let’s harness our own creative power to give birth to the next stage of our lives, to our best self ever!  Listen to your heart, Silvia

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Suess

Namaste Dear Friends!

MAY 7TH, 2009:  When life is its most challenging we can feel darkness even on the sunniest of days.  What spiritual practice teaches us is that there is really no bad experience, it is all just experience.  So in a real sense there are NO DISASTERS.

Now don't get me wrong, is life sometimes dreadfully painful. Do we have those moments where we feel like we are surrounded by smooth sailing sailboats while we're treading water in a beat up, holded up dinghy? YES.  Even then we can see that we are becoming experts in the human condition which will help us be more compassionate and kind when we see someone that is a few steps behind us on the spiritual path, tripping and falling.

Have you ever felt that you get so stuck replaying the disaster that has just happened or rehearsing the what if this happens in my life to me that you get paralyzed and can't move from the catastrophe?  I have.  You know that the car has flipped over and you have to get out but you just can't move.  You don't want to stay in pain but you can't muster the energy or courage to GO TO YOGA CLASS. Even though you know it will help you, help yourself.  Ultimately yoga teaches us to save ourselves. We are the knight in shining armor.  And we have to save ourselves first before we can even possible help others. 

I think of this all like a Bruce Willis or Arnold movie where stuff just keeps blowing up all around. 

MAY 5th, 2009:  I dedicate today's class to my Father Enrico's whose birthday is today even though he is not of this earth any longer.  I also wish happiest birthday's to Judy, Janet, Reid, Lisa.

Set your life on fire.
Seek those who fan your flames. - RUMI

We’re almost to that time of year that we soon will start to gather at our fire pits in the backyard like small tribes of suburbanites going back into our old ancestral collective.  To me this gathering together ritual over fire seems so natural.  In the philosophies of yoga it is said that the root cause of our suffering is aloneness, the feeling of being separated from others. This aloneness can lead to a buzz where as Sadie Nardini says, “being alone made the past too loud, my fears to amplified.”  

It is through uniting (yoga) together that we see this is not the case.  We are not alone. There are others on this same trip as us.  We are all gathered around a larger FIRE of humanity sharing everything in common.  So today we INVOKE the FIRE element to make room to IGNITE more LOVE.  Fire purifies, detoxifies turns so we meditate on what we can “surrender to the fire” that no longer serves the kind of life we want to live.  So say to yourself in this breath “I surrender to the fire….” And then let go of any destructive, negative beliefs, throw into the fire your emotional baggage, free your life of what you want to see burned away.  Offer even a forgiveness.

Now with greater confidence and space created we can use the burning off of past negativity as a bonfire to ignite bigger Love.  Love is this feeling of inner brightness that no matter what challenges have been met, lessons learned we use them as the kindling to build more loving, happier lives.  I you were to write a love letter to yourself right now what would it say?  I might write something like, “I love you because you are kind and generous. Your are gentle and want good things for all people. I love you because I like being with you during quiet moments as well as during great adventures! I love you and want you to be happy and peaceful.”  I encourage you to take 2 minutes and write a letter to yourself now.    

Just as the poets write about the passion of love there is heat to that experience.  It is the LOVEFIRE!  When we are in love with ourselves and our lives, doing what we love we spark greater and greater passion for life itself!  So use today to do your own fire ceremony in an effort to let go of the negative and do what interests you today. Do what makes you feel excited and inspired!  And then keep the spark lit up by remaining true to your passions.  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia

The day will come when we shall harness the energies of love. And, on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, the human being will have discovered fire. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 - 1955)

Donald Walters says, “There are realities we all share, regardless of our nationality, language, or individual tastes. As we need food, so do we need emotional nourishment: love, kindness, appreciation. We need to understand our environment and our relationship to it. We need to fulfill certain inner hungers: the need for happiness, for peace of mind for wisdom.”

We all need to be nurtured. If you look up Nurture in Webster’s dictionary it defines it as a “form of nourishment” and to “educate”.  These are both spot on with the philosophies of yoga.  In class teacher to student we are educating you on techniques you might use how to self-comfort yourself.  The flow of this self comforting is love.  Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself- if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself- it is very difficult to take care of another person. “In the Buddhist teaching, it's clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is truly a practice.” [Shambhala Sun March 2006]

We all deserve to love and be loved. 

Love is a form of nourishment. It requires action in thought in words and movement. 

So we meditated together on how we might nourish our spirits through our inner dialogue, how to speak words of kindness to nurture others, how to take actions in honoring our bodies as sacred, nourishing their health.  For a healthy heart lives in a healthy body.  We spoke of the junk food of life things like gossip or complaining and that these do not nourish us but leave us empty and drained.

I so want you to appreciate the forms of nourishment: Breath, Thoughts, Words, Actions, Sleep all of which make for a sweeter life!  Please let your time on the mat be that opportunity where you learn how to nourish yourself with bigger breaths, poses and self-observation. All of this leading to greater and greater self-growth!  Happy National Sleep Better Month!  Love you all, Silvia

May 3, 2009: 

Ok you guys, I’m a little embarrassed to admit I used to be one of those people that would take forever to order food at dinner. I’d be at the table waiting for everyone else to order first because I didn’t have the confidence in the truth of my first instinct in what to order for myself.  Now this may not be a big deal at dinner but it’s a tough way to go through life being indecisive or confused to the TRUTH of who we are (starting with what we want to eat).  Why didn’t I order what I wanted to?  I was too afraid of disappointing someone at the table because they wanted me to order something different than what I wanted or I felt guilty ordering something too expensive.  Really in all honesty I was just afraid of standing up and being myself, declaring to the world “Yes, this is what I want based on who I am.”  This is me remaining true to my truth.

This is how I was living life at the time.  I felt constant guilt over what everyone else wanted me to be.  So I tried desparertly to be who they wanted me to be by wearing that costume.  I never felt like myself inside the costume and the longer I wore it the more itchy and uncomfortable it became until I just couldn’t deny any more that the costume was NOT ME.  My soul was sweating and dying inside from not revealing the true me.  So my spiritual practice evolved and I stopped trying so hard to be who other people wanted me to be. 

I realized that I was trying to be a photocopy of someone else and as we all know photocopies are never as good as the originals.  I would only ever be the second best someone else.  The only person I could be the best at being was ME.  In Yoga that’s known as Satya, “Truth and authenticity” of acknowledging our unique humanness.  I don’t to want to be a PHOTOCOPY PERSON.  Do you?  Because take it from me, you don’t have to be.

In yoga we peel of these outer layers or costumes, masks we wear to rediscover our TRUE selves.  It’s not always easy work, there are tears, laughter, sweating, sometimes even a bit of pain.  But overall it’s a whole lot easier than trying to wear an ill fitting costume the rest of our lives.  And it makes ordering dinner much easier too!

So how do we maintain it?  Well what we are talking about here is a daily spiritual practice (known as Sadhana) where you make time to stay connected to your own truth otherwise the resistance monsters of fear, doubt, guilt come back.  And it is achieved through self-love, seeing who we are is just perfect (without condition) we are each vitally important to the world as we are true.  This is where we found ultimate freedom from mental torture and stress.

Does this seem a little self-centered? Of course, it should.  As Sadie Nardini says, “spiritual disciplines like yoga are built around this concept of moving into and from our center.”  The cool thing is by being more authentic we give everyone else around us permission to be themselves.  There is no pretending and relationships deepen.  It’s a neat way to live, really the only way to live.

The alternative it seems is to keep wearing the costumes, building really great “Life Resumes” as if you were trying to apply for the job of your own life.  I did that.  I put together a Silvia Resume (didn’t really feel totally like me because I was trying to impress everyone else).  Then through yoga funny thing happened.  As the true me was allowed to shine out I realized I already had the job of being Silvia.  And I was only going to get this one chance, this one lifetime to enjoy remaining true to my own truth. 

Today, even for a little while take off the costume, be your funky self!  So you’ll love yourself more, love your day more, love your life more! Silvia

Sunday May 3rd - Discover the Truth of Who You Are

Monday May 4th - How to Nourish Yourself

Tuesday May 5th - LoveFire:  Burn off negative emotional baggage - ignite a love letter to yourself

Wednesday May 6th - Release, Remember, Recycle

Thursday May 7th - There are no Disasters

Friday May 8th - Potentiality: More than 1 Right Way in Life

MAY 2, 2009: 

What do we put in our cars to make them run?

What about ourselves?  Oxygen, chi, Qi, laughter, life force, love, hope, passion, vitality, prana, food, water

What is energy?

What kind of things drain you of energy?  Fear, Negativity, Worry, Doubt

What kinds of things can you do to give you energy?

·         Practice breathing

·         Practice yoga

·         Listen to great music

·         Be out in nature

·         Do something you really enjoy – try something new

·         Say something nice to strangers.

·         Send thank you note once per day

·         Journal

·         Love more

So the question is do you take more time to recharge your car and keep its energy strong or yourself? What can you do to limit the things that drain you of energy and do more of the things that recharge your spirit?  Sending you love to boost the positive flow of energy into your life! Silvia

"Like a bee seeking nectar, seek teachings everywhere.  Like a deer, seek a quiet place to digest all that you have gathered."  -Dzogchen Tantra

How do we open up?  We start by saying to ourselves I choose LOVE.  From there everything softens.  Then say to yourself, I AM OPENING INTO ______.

“We all have unknown territory in our lives.  It’s one thing when the unknown territory is the forest, the mountains or even the craziness of the city. But in our world of constant distraction, I wonder if the present moment is becoming a kind of unknown mysterious forest teeming with life, treasures and visions. For those who view the moment as exotic, unknown territory, let’s step back and chart the lay of the land.” Says David Romanelli in his new book Livin the Moment.  I like everyone have wrestled with fear of the unknown of what comes next.  And the more new and fresh the experience to me used to be the most scary.  Then funny thing, the more I practiced yoga, tried new poses that were just crazy to think I could ever form I became more confident in trying new things in life.  I opened up to the multitude of fresh discoveries just waiting out there.  We are, as the sutras say, all evolving in the direction of happiness, that happiness includes trying new things. Having the experience and delighting in it rather than conquering it is what expands our happiness too.  So open up, open out, take a risk and move into the unknown! You’ll be glad you did!  Wishing you bold courage, Silvia