Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

The theme courage came flying to me the moment I heard that the New Moon was in Aries and that Pluto had went into retrograde. Huh?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this week’s theme … transmutation. It’s divinely perfect as always. And in meditation all week, I’ve reviewed these last few years. You see transmutation is a change in form, appearance, structure or nature of something. It can be an alchemical shift of who you are and how you show up in the world energetically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And in that alchemical shift that begins on the inside, we eventually take on a different form on the outside.

I totally believe in magic. I do. There is no explanation for every single thing on this planet; there just isn’t. Although, if you think there is, I am open to hearing your answers. I bet you will be exhausted by the time you finish though.

“You are ending a recent and significant underground-type of journey but the good news is that it ends with Friday’s solar eclipse/new moon. Above ground you go!

So with this New Moon, New Season, New Astrological calendar and a Solar Eclipse upon us, I have to say that EPIC TRANSITIONS is the only theme that can encapsulate this week. I’m offering up this blog a few days early so you can all buckle up and get ready. This is a big one!

A lot has been happening on this side of the screen and honestly, I’ve had to have a lot of patience with myself while I traverse, once again, into some new skin.

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”― Pema Chödrön, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

How can we possibly discern what is true for us and beneficial for the evolution of our soul when we are bombarded by life? And by bombarded I don’t mean that we’ve lost control some how. I just mean … sometimes life moves at the speed of light and honestly, we start to move at that speed without knowing it, and that’s not always the best thing.

I’ve done a lot of work and training around this word “manifest”. It continues to intrigue me and excite me for sure. I mean it’s such a simple word right? Manifest… “to make clear or evident to the eye or understanding.”

Just three simple words, that’s all it takes to seed your life and set it into motion. But what happens is we are bombarded by so much, much more than three little words each day.

Our theme for this week has been “who are you”. Beneath the labels, the job titles, the busyiness, the ambitious attitude, the resolutions, the sweat on your mat … who the hell are you and what do you stand for?

Whew … courage, what a word. I was told by one of my amazing teachers once that the word courage actually radiates the highest vibration when it comes to connecting with the Divine. That blew me away. It is one of the most powerful virtues, she said. Because it creates. It creates the next thing based on your decision to make a decision that best suits your development, if you are present that is.

Resonance as defined by Webster is: the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.

I’m sitting here writing my schedule for the next three to six months and I realize again, how fortunate I am. The last four years have been a whirlwind while I gather myself up and “re-align and re-design” my life. It’s such a wonderful place to be, in this life… contributing, dancing, working, laughing and BEing.

I’m not sure how alchemy landed in my lap this week as the theme, but it landed and it landed hard!

Devotion is defined as “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause."

When I first came to yoga, I thought it was about body movement. Sweating, moving, breathing, standing on your hands, you know, the usual.

If you know me, you hear me say all the time, “I love my life. I GET to do this every single day. How flippin’ amazing is that? I get to connect with phenomenal people, invite DJs and musicians to my class, move my body, educate myself, work one-on-one with people, write for magazines and online publications, and travel to fun places if I’m lucky.

It’s amazing to me … this life, this body we walk around in, our thoughts, our dreams. This entire existence we call life. I slept through a good portion of mine, mainly because I was in pain and didn’t really know how to deal with it. Had no tools at all! I kept running into pain and after falling down over and over again, I began to numb, to stuff and ignore my pain. Traversing through life above my pain was my coping mechanism. Putting it away for another time was easier.

Want to change the world? “Be the change you wish to see.” Mahatma Ghandi said that. Don’t try to change the world, just change yourself. Sounds familiar right? I’m sure you’ve seen quotes like this everywhere. Seems easy enough right?

Think you have an open heart? Can you backbend like there’s no tomorrow? See the row of yogis behind you in Ustrasana? Fabulous … now dig deeper. Can you talk about emotions? I mean really be vulnerable with someone you love – not knowing if they love you back. Or say it like it is when your feelings are hurt and there is an obvious injustice. Can you honestly say that you do not project any old hurt in any new relationship? That you have let go of it all (including your issues with your mom, dad, teachers and old lovers), and have created all new patterns in every relationship that comes across your radar? If so ... fabulous. I bow deeply to you.

This thing called a yoga practice is not about the postures or even the sequencing. It could be about the playlist, but even that is questionable.

Sometimes I sit back and look at my life and I think, wow, I created this. This is a far cry from where I used to be which was, how did I get here? The difference between the two thoughts is simple. One comes from a highly awakened state and the other is from a very deep sleep.

I’ve had thousands of New Year’s wishes and “anthems” come into my awareness these last few days leading up to today. So many, it’s almost overwhelming. This whole instant access to information can be daunting and too much for one person to navigate honestly.

I love to eat. I was raised in an Italian family in the Midwest who ate three hearty meals a day with a side of pasta at dinner each night. My family owned a chain of banquet halls and at five years old I was scooping lasagna and garlic bread onto the plates of family, friends and strangers.