Every day, the truth about what you believe about life and how it’s showing up for you is challenged. You are offered circumstances every day not to “learn a lesson,” but to instead rearrange your life according to your evolving truth and what you believe about yourself.
During this time of “monumental shifts,” every area of your thinking is challenged. What you think about the world around you, about love, about finances, about spiritual connection, and about your ability to navigate from a soul perspective shifts.
While you are busy walking this very thin line, balancing between truth and illusion, your life may seem chaotic. It may seem like you are witnessing circumstances that represent your truth and your illusion. “Random circumstances” happen “to” you, displaying the unsupportive stance of your blurred way of thinking.
Because of this, you become even more confused about your own truth and illusion. You know you feel a shift within you, but you feel a little immobilized about how to truly live it. It’s a little foreign to you. Keep in mind that all the while, your soul is screaming at you through dreams, through unconscious thoughts, through angels that show up as “coincidental meetings,” that THIS IS IT! The time is NOW! You KNOW your truth and all you have to do is believe in yourself.
The challenging part of this huge step toward growth is that you have never been here before. The ground beneath your new truth seems so far away… what if you fall? It’s all so confusing, but it’s only confusing because YOU keep vacillating between the old and the new versions of you. YOU are not accepting who you are becoming—most likely out of fear.
Remember that you are here to grow, evolve, and develop. You are here to bring yourself to a point in your life where you realize that Universal support is part of your everyday thinking. You know it, you feel it, you embody it, and you are able to live your life from a place of service and connectedness.
In order to live the life you dream of, and at some points of your day “feel” to be true and real, at some point you are going to have to fall into the new paradigm of what you believe to be true. You are going to have to fall off that tightrope and trust that the Universal net is going to catch you. You can do this without even looking down.
By Dana Damara
“My passion on the mat is proper alignment, powerful breath and effortless flow so you feel that off your mat. Your practice becomes sacred space where you arrive to find more meaning, depth, authenticity and integrity in your life. “
- Dana Damara: mother, author, yoga instructor, speaker and yogini. Visit www.danadamara.com
Enjoy! Please leave check out our website at consciouscleanse.com for more recipes, and feel free to leave comments in the box below.
By Julie Peláez and Jo Schaalman
Jo Schaalman and Julie Peláez are co-authors of the book The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body, and Transform Your Life in 14 Days, a best-selling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life. Together they’ve lead thousands of people through their online supported cleanse through their accessible and light-hearted approach. They’ve been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show. To learn more about “Jo and Jules” and to download a free e-cookbook for a sampling of the delicious food served up on the Conscious Cleanse, please visit consciouscleanse.com.
Download a class from Jo and Jules today!
Connect to Core - Jo Schaalman
Hot Yoga Detox Class - Julie Peláez
By Rosslyn Kemerer
Rosslyn Kemerer is a yoga-lover, instructor and entrepreneur via Wholehearter Yoga in Pittsburg, PA. With a love of nature and music, Rosslyn teaches lots of outdoor classes and creates custom Indie rock-inspired playlists. Outside of the studio, you might find Rosslyn experimenting with a dicey DIY project, reading, playing drums, gardening, running or blogging. Check out her blog for more inspiration!
By Celest Pereira
Celest is a trained dancer and martial artist with a BS in Physiotherapy and over 10 years yoga practice. Celest completed her Yoga Teacher Training in India in 2009 and has been teaching full time since then. Witnessing her classes really begin to buzz with increasing numbers of regular students she founded CITYOGI, a website aimed to make yoga more accessible to the city professional. Celest's greatest passion is to teach Vinyasa Flow Yoga. She has classes in top yoga centers in London, such as Triyoga and Evolve and regularly takes groups to exotic locations for yoga retreats.
In short, we do not support YogaGlo's actions, or their reasoning. We believe that the patent application is frivolous, attempts to set a terrible precedent, and is not in alignment with the fundamental principles of yoga. We believe that everyone should have unfettered access to yoga. Our belief that yoga should be accessible to everyone is why we started YogaDownload in the first place, and it continues to be our guiding principle to this day.
We understand that in this age of booming technology, and at a time when more and more people are choosing to practice yoga, competition in the arena of online yoga instruction is bound to be fierce. We continually strive to offer a wide variety of high quality yoga videos, teachers, and styles as a means to stay competitive. At the end of the day, having so many choices for affordable, high quality online yoga instruction is a beautiful thing because more people doing yoga translates to a better world for all.
We are yoga students and teachers, not attorneys. Nonetheless, we do not view the class configuration and correlating camera position that YogaGlo is attempting to patent, as an invention. Teachers have been organizing their classes this way long before the advent of online yoga. This configuration is neither novel or unique, and we doubt that it has anything to do with YogaGlo's popularity or success
In Yoga International's official response to the Cease & Desist Order they said, "The value a teacher brings to her students is not from where they stand in the room, or the colors of the mats they provide, it is from the life they spent studying this thousands-year-old tradition. This needs no protection, because it cannot be copied."
We could not agree more.
Can you relate?
Wayne Dyer says: “All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy. ”
I am a yoga instructor who practices yoga almost daily. When on my mat, there’s an incredible sense of ownership and accountability that I embrace in each posture. I know that if I feel anxious or upset in a certain posture, that I am meeting myself where I am at. No one else is doing this to me - I own it and see it through. Off the mat though, it is easy to forget to own your actions and to own your response.
Recently a friend shared with me a troubling situation where she finished it by saying “well, whatever doesn’t serve you must be let go, right?” And this is true, but that doesn’t mean you get out of the pose. It may mean that you STAY in the pose and figure out what it is that you’re doing to contribute to your own angst. How can you see the situation differently? Are you doing anything to contribute to the situation? Are you blaming? If you’re blaming, why? Is there something you are avoiding?
I got myself out of the habit of blaming others by turning off my mind, and paying attention to the cues in my body, just as I do on the yoga mat. I notice that every time something happens where my first impulse is to blame, I feel trapped - tight in the jaw, shoulders and chest, and stomach region. My body physically responds negatively to the negative emotion. Because I want to feel as good as I do at the end of my yoga practice and all day long, I recognize that the contraction I feel in my body as a result of my blaming, is not in alignment with my goal to feel great! I can bring back the yoga bliss by putting a stop to the blaming thought pattern, and asking myself two simple questions: “what is the lesson for me in this situation?” and “How can I let go?” Literally, as soon as I turn this around, my body softens again. And I grow. I feel liberated and light because I see again that it all comes back to me, and has nothing to do with the other person. I am in charge of me.
By Timarie Mikolasek
Timarie Mikolasek is a yoga instructor and wellness coach. Her practice of yoga has led her to better understand her relationships with others, her relationship to herself, and an ongoing study in nutrition. She is the founder of an internet-based Wellness Warrior Challenge, and hosts many Yoga and Wellness retreats and workshops throughout the year through www.realgreendaily.com
Alex Cordoba - Infinite Freedom Do it Yourself - Roger Martin Pressman
Commonly this jovial magic wanes the older we get. Studies have shown that 80% of all 3 year olds are creative, but by the age of 12 this has declined to a heart breaking 20%. What happens to these children? Well, my attention cautiously turns to the generations that are leading by example. I’m not sure if this is you, but most people I know wake up, go to work, eat and sleep. They repeat this process over and over and seem to be caught in the fishing net of life. You see, you now have responsibilities, and these have dictated that you can’t just go out into the world to explore and create. Who will pay the bills? Well I can relate to a certain degree to that. I can’t just up and leave my life in the hope that my rent will be paid and my hunger satisfied by well meaning neighbors. But one thing I do do (hahahaha, I said do do) is keep a certain level of wonder in my life. Here are 6 things I do regularly to keep the magic alive and make life a new and exciting discovery: Take Up Yoga Or anything new for that matter. Anything that challenges you to discover your body in a new way. Because I’ve done yoga for so long I recently decided to take up CrossFit. This was a massive step outside of my comfort zone as I had to learn how to do things I’ve never done like use weights, run, and do pull ups. I found everything challenging, but in the process I learned about my body and made new friends. The most exciting part was seeing improvements in my body week after week, not just in my CrossFit training but my yoga too. Try New Foods Finding new things to add to a healthy diet, or new recipes to impress your friends with are both brilliant ways to keep your mind active and excited. When you find something you really like share it with the people you love you begin to activate a part of your brain that is always on the look out for new things to enjoy. Food is miraculous because the variety is endless. Whenever I’m in a new country I go to the markets in search of fruits I’ve never seen before to try out. It’s amazing how many new varieties of foods I’ve come to discover this way. My favorite was discovering Dragon Fruit in Cambodia. If you haven’t tried it before I really recommend it. If you have trouble trying new foods buy a scented candle. Smells are important too. Talk To Someone You Don’t Know In survey's done on happiness, surprisingly people rated meeting new people as a factor that keeps their happiness levels topped up. I found this somewhat surprising. I live in a city, and in general I find people avoid each other. But the more I pondered this the more I began to see patterns. The people I know that are extremely happy and fun were much more willing to step outside of the their comfort zone and talk to people they didn’t know. Whereas the boring, depressing people stuck to their little cliques and never made an effort with anyone they didn’t know. I also realized (talking separately to these two groups) that the happier people are, the more they want to know about the people they are talking to. They ask lots of questions and ultimately end up finding common ground quickly which they can build on. The unhappy bunch waited for other people to ask them questions and would usually respond with one word answers. Visit New Places Visiting new places lends itself to so many new discoveries. In addition to being forced to try new things and speak to new people, it makes you see the world around you. In a monotonous life our eyes tend to be glued to phones, iPads, computers, books, and television. No wonder so many people need glasses to see. When you visit new places the eyes have to take in lots of new images, and visiting nature can be especially incredible for the soul. Gratitude This one is easy, and it’s a bit like a muscle. The more you use it, the easier it becomes to spot things. The trick to gratitude is to start realising how lucky you are for the things that are “invisible”. For example, when I was reading the the book, The Kite Runner, I was struck by how the author described Afghanistan before the Taliban took over. He speaks about how people were just going about their business - children going to school, people buying groceries and their parents going to work. It dawned on me that the thing I am extremely grateful for is that when going to bed at night I have no fear that someone will burst in my front door and threaten my life. Similarly when I walk through the park and I notice all the little families and groups of friends peacefully spending time together, none of us have our basic security needs threatened. This is something that was largely invisible to me, but now I feel grateful for it all the time. Meditate with Mindfulness All of these suggestions are even more powerful at making your life a discovery when you are fully present in the moment, when you can absorb every second with all of your senses without the past and future coming in to ruin the magic. You can learn this skill easily by doing a short sitting meditation where you do nothing but follow your breath. You might notice your mind goes off. That’s ok and that’s natural. Just keep reminding yourself to go back to your breath. Even just doing this for a few minutes a day works wonders for the mind. Meditation has also been proven to make you a more happy and balanced individual. So it makes sense to add it into your routine.
By Jessi Andricks Jessi Andricks is a Health Coach, Yoga teacher, and Mind-Body Fitness Professional. She specializes in helping people overcome fears and struggles that show up in their diet, exercise, and daily habits so they can live the happy, healthy lives they deserve. Read more about Jessie at thehouseofhealthy.com.
It is such a peaceful, still and intimate time. Almost as if people need a moment to remember how they got to the mat they are sitting on. Their mind is now quiet as they rest in their bodies. It is a pause in our lives, a peaceful moment of stillness in our day. If we approached our lives day by day, moment by moment from this still, relaxed internal state I have a feeling we would all be living somewhat different lives. And I think we would all be somewhat different people. We might react less and appreciate more. We might talk less and listen more. We might see our problems more objectively, letting go and letting life sort some of it out. So why don’t we just live from that place where we are so connected to breath and body?
But not all colleges are created equal when it comes to providing access to yoga or mindfulness programs. So we made a list. We scoured the college reviews, student forums and too many syllabuses to name, and put together for you a rather unscientific list of the best traditional 4-year colleges and universities that would make a yogi feel at home. Drumroll please, presenting… The Top 10 Colleges for Yogis 10. Ball State University, Muncie, IN: often quoted in Yoga Journal, home to an annual wellness summit that includes Laughter Yoga, and blocks from Lotus Alternative Pain Center. Well played, Muncie. 9. Pratt, Brooklyn, NY: more than just an elective PE credit or fitness program, Pratt sees yoga as part of a holistic approach to healthy learning. Namaste to that. 8. SUNY Purchase: they keep a Kundalini lecturer on staff at this artsy campus, and if you need the counseling center to work on your dosha, they’re down with Ayurveda. 7. Reed College, Portland, OR: situated in a super green, creative nexus with an entire curriculum dedicated to ‘inquiry and self-inquiry,’ with a populist approach to yoga. 6. Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT: in addition to the campus’ attitude of radical acceptance, they offer a course in AcroYoga. For credit. Seriously. 5. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO: the faculty is in the middle of a study on the benefits of Bikram and the students are winning Yoga Asana Championships. Go Rams! 4. University of New Mexico at Taos: in addition to the Holistic & Healing Arts degree program, UNM-Taos offers accredited yoga teacher training on campus. 3. Oberlin College, OH: consistently rated one of the healthiest, most liberal, most veggie-friendly and best colleges for “Birkenstock-wearing hippies.” Case in point: Yoga for Singing? 2. University of Vermont: the word ‘yoga’ appears on nearly 1,700 pages of the UVM website, which sounds about right on a campus with a Mind-Body Wellness Department and local yoga/meditation center directory. 1. University of California at Santa Cruz: 7 faculty mind/body teachers, dozens of weekly classes from meditation hikes to warrior yoga, in a city with possibly the most yoga studios per capita and a sunny, healthy disposition year round. They even claim to be the birthplace of organic farming!
This week, to dive deeper into the inquiry and invitation of Ishvara Pranidhana
On the Mat
Reflect
“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control. Thus your practice is a process of surrender, never one of control.” Julia Cameron
Off the Mat
Reflect Identify an area of your life currently in process to which you have dedicated much effort and will, where you are struggling with control and a need to see or have a desired result. Or, perhaps, identify an area of your life where you are feeling powerless. Take Action Make a conscious decision to practice “turning it over” to a power greater than yourself. You’ve done YOUR work. Now allow yourself to simply be in the process and trust that all will unfold when it is suppose to and as it is suppose to. Easier said than done? Yes, I know. But possible? Indeed!
“The essential surrender happens within you, it has nothing to do with anybody outside you. The basic surrender is a relaxation, a trust — so don’t be misguided by the word. Linguistically, surrender means to surrender to somebody, but spiritually, surrender simply means trust, relaxing. It is an attitude rather than an act: you live through trust.” Osho
“When you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power. The realm of being, which had been obscured by the mind, then opens up. Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you, an unfathomable sense of peace. And within that peace, there is great joy. And within that joy, there is love. And at the innermost core, there is the sacred, the immeasurable. That which cannot be named.” Eckhart Tolle
Just Maybe
Create a surrender box/a surrender journal/a surrender altar. Each morning, write down on a slip of paper whatever needs to be surrendered or turned over to Spirit. At the end of the week or month, take the slips of paper and burn them, allowing the transformational element of fire to send all that you are releasing, letting go of, surrendering out into the Universe.
Enough. These few words are enough. If not these words, this breath. If not this breath, this sitting here. This opening to the life we have refused again and again until now. Until now.
By Alex Cordoba
Start Practicing Ishvara Pranidhana with the following YogaDownload Classes:
The Place in the Middle - Roger Martin Pressman
How Breathing Can Change Your Life - Slow breathing helps your stressed-out nervous system rest and regenerate. - Focused deep breathing can help your heart to function with more ease. - Deep breathing oxygenates your cells and organs, which may be deprived of vitality due to shallow, stressed breathing. - Spending just a few minutes a day in conscious breathing is an opportunity to connect with yourself, something we often forget to do or lose sight of in our busy lives.
After a moment of quiet breathing, you’ll feel more grounded, which will make facing the day’s challenges or busy-ness that much easier. With practice, a few minutes of deep slow breathing a day can lead to longer stretches of time when you can breathe consciously with patience, and this can lead to feelings of peacefulness, relaxation, and centeredness. Slow down, notice your breath, and discover how a few conscious breaths a day can start to change your life. “Inhale, and Life approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and Life remains with you. Exhale, and you approach Life.” ~Krishnamacharya
By Anitra Lahiri
Anitra Lahiri is an avid Yogi, Yoga Instructor, mother, and writer who strives (and often fails!) to infuse all aspects of her life with Yoga philosophy and practice. Her Yoga blog, Under the Lotus Tree, is for anyone who simply wants to live a healthier, more meaningful life. Read more from Anitra at her blog - underthelotustree.com.
It’s the every day occurrences we don’t even realize we are practicing that become habits. So why not add something positive in your life, like eating healthy, journaling, exercising, yoga or meditation? I am a big believer in practicing something positive every day to create and maintain a positive habit. Here’s why:
• We are more successful in following through when things are structured and scheduled. Every day is every day, and there is no waiting until tomorrow, or when you feel like it, or when you can’t think of a great excuse, because it is already determined it is every day.
• The results of a good habit are cumulative. When you start to really feel good as a result of practicing it (for example yoga, even for 15 minutes) you get positive reinforcement.
• Creating a Habit takes 28 days. You may have already heard it takes 21 days to make a habit, but a study NASA did on space orientation in the sixties found it actually took 28 days for the astronauts to rewire their brains and become reoriented. This of course was 28 days, every day.
• Do you want to feel good every day or just some of your days? Why wouldn’t you practice something every day to feel the benefit every day? Even if it’s only 5 minutes, the frequency of a daily practice is much more important than how long you do it for.
• There is great power in doing something daily. It gives you a measurement of your commitment, and every day you get to check in with yourself on a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level to remember what is most important.
What are you practicing every day?
By Diane Sieg
With a career that has taken her from the chaos of the emergency room to the calm of her yoga mat, Diane Sieg first discovered yoga as a great source of physical and emotional healing during a personal crisis and has been practicing ever since. Today, as an Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher, professional speaker, published author, retreat facilitator and life-saving coach, Diane empowers people to live their most authentic life, both on and off the mat. Her teaching style is a calm intensity with strong alignment based principles. Diane is the creator of 30 Days to Grace: A Daily Practice to Achieve Your Ultimate Goals, both in CD and book format. Read more about Diane at dianesieg.com.
Start creating a positive daily habit today with a YogaDownload class!
Empowerment Flow - Hayley Hobson
The Power of Your Intention - Nancy Nielsen
You see life has a tricky way of convincing us that we need to do certain things to be happy or look a certain way to find our other half, or accomplish that yoga pose to be a true ‘yogi’ (whatever that means) or make a certain amount of money to live the life we have been waiting for.
However, what life has been continuing to teach me and what I truly have faith in, is that we offer and receive the most from this life when we step into the current and believe in the worthiness of our own gifts and our own talents; the ones we were born with, the ones we were meant to share with the world.
In the end, though, it all comes down to one thing: our willingness to claim our space in this life as humans on this planet at this time. When we accept our divinity, we no longer question whether we are worthy, because we know that we are meant to be here to fulfill a particular purpose, a purpose that no one other than us can fulfill.
So I continued to probe, “What do you think your dharma is?”
“My dharma?” she asked. “Your purpose,” I clarified. After a few moments of pause, she replied, ”I don’t know! It makes me want to cry that I’m 32 and I still don’t know…I’ve been searching for my purpose and …” (Pause) “Honestly, Al, I know it sounds ridiculous but I think maybe, maybe it might just be to be a mom.” (Pause) And then she told me, “I love you!” And I responded that I loved her too. After in so little words we exchanged our mutual affection for the other I responded, “being a mom…that is a start and if you ask me, it’s not ridiculous, it’s a beautiful purpose."
Remember, it’s not about evaluating ourselves or our purpose as worthy or unworthy, so much as it’s about accepting that we have been called here to serve and taking the steps required to listen and respond to what our lives are asking us to do.
Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.
Awaken to your svadharma with the following YogaDownload classes:
The Fearless Heart - Michelle Marchildon
YUCK!
Are you still breathing? Yes. Of course you are. So that’s one step in the right direction.
Now, let’s get honest. Is that story you were telling yourself even true or has it been holding you captive all of this time? It’s easy to get sucked into the belief that you are your story.
Step away. Take a look. Couldn’t that story change? Of course it can! You are the author! Now, don’t get angry with yourself. Remember, there is no one to blame. It’s just time to for the next scene to take place. Here we go: Have A Sense of Direction and Purpose. What do you want and why? Are your efforts worth the investment of time, finances and emotional energy? I new mine were. I didn’t like my character anymore. She was stuck. She was BORING! It was definitely time to move on and the investment of my time and energy was of no consequence. Know What You Value in Life. What you value should be of utmost importace to you. If you align yourself, relationships, friends and career with our values, you will always be living in truth. Get Organized. Often times, the hardest part about moving forward is getting organized. There is SO much to do, it’s easy to feel scattered. Don’t stress. One step at a time. One day at a time. Come up with a plan. Write it down. Stick to it. Take Action. I knew I was ready to take action because I felt suffocated. There was no other option. It was time for me to take a deep breath and open the new door to my life. It was time to come alive again. Don’t let your excuses hold you back. If you’re ready to participate in you’re life, let’s go. I have given you some great insight into overcoming what holds you back. I’d love to hear from you. What do you think holds you back? What would it take for you to take action and make what you want a reality? Please let your comments in the box below.
This article was originally featured in Positively Positive, and Hayley's Blog.
By Hayley Hobson
With her unique specialization in the combination and complement of pilates, nutrition and yoga, Hayley offers a cocktail of lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results. Hayley is a columnist for Elephant Journal and has been featured in Pilates Style Magazine, Natural Health Magazine and Triathlete Magazine. She currently lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, former world-ranked triathlete, Wes Hobson and their two beautiful daughters, Makenna and Madeline. Read more about Hayley and check out her new book at HayleyHobson.com
Empowerment Flow
Tighten Your Core
By Alan Finger
Download a guided meditation to start practicing letting go today:
The Power of Your Intention - Nancy Neilsen
Embrace Your Inner Calm - Channing Grivas
As a child, the simple things in life make you happy and fill your life with harmony. Life is a continuous adventure. There is always something to be discovered. The mystery of life alone keeps you bedazzled and curious. You can go outside with friends to make forts, tree houses, ride bikes and have fun in the sun. That’s all you need as a kid. Life is good enough. Then you grow up. And life begins to get complicated. I don’t know when it happened but at some point, I stopped looking through the world through my little eyes of wonder. I had to begin to navigate who I was and who I was going to be. And often times decisions are made, not because they feel right, but because they have to be made. Or at least so you you think. I invite you to re-think your decisions. Make them because they feel right to you. Live out your fantasies. Don’t compromise your beliefs. If it feels fantastic to shout out “I love Elmo!” like a child, do it. If it feels right to stay in bed until 10am because you’re worn out and your body needs a rest, do it. If it feels right to pack your bags and get out of town for a few days just because you need it, figure out a way. It’s easy to be happy now. All you have to do is live in the moment.
Excuse me. I have to run upstairs and let my 3 year old put me to bed because she is the mommy today. ;-)
I’ve given you a few things to reconsider so that you can change the name of your game. What makes you happy? And what are you going to do today, even if it feels crazy just because you want to? I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment in the box below.
Quinoa Watercress Salad
Download Jo's class on YogaDownload today. Stay tuned for more classes from Jo, and a Hot Yoga Class from Julie!
1. Heightened positive emotions such as love, compassion, clarity, warmth, generosity
2. Increased capacity to understand and connect with others
3. Improved coping skills to deal with upset, grief, and fear
4. Broader comprehension and improved ability to focus
5. Increased creativity
6. Deeper level of relaxation
7. Improved perception and memory
8. Increased self-actualization
9. Increased productivity
10. Improved relations at work
Give meditation a try today, and reap the rewards!
Download a guided meditation to start enjoying the benefits today:
Ahimsa is the practice of non-violence…not necessarily tree-hugging, anti-war, protest-joining, vegan, guilt-inducing non-violence, but rather a compassionate attempt to purposely do no violence to others, including yourself. You may not be running around flailing a sharp knife at your enemies, and that’s great, but ahimsa challenges us to consider the less obvious ways in which we may be unknowingly, subtly violent. Ahimsa simply encourages us to be more aware and more compassionate. Where does ahimsa start? At the core of all we know: with ourselves.
At a very young age, I felt a collective consciousness hard-wired into my DNA, yoking me on some fundamental level to my Indian heritage. Although my father gave up his vegetarianism at sixteen and I had been raised to eat meat, I had an epiphany at the age of seven when I realized that the meat I had been eating once had a soul, a will to be free, and a right to live, just as I had. I realized that it was with violence that these animals lived and through violence that they died. I could no longer eat chicken and say I loved animals. I could no longer eat pig meat and say I didn’t like violence. I could no longer eat cow meat and then hug my dogs, whose depth of love and compassion surpassed that of most humans I knew growing up. I am not perfect in my convictions or practices. Nor is my diet necessarily the right way for everyone. Nor do I feel I’m better than anyone else. But refraining from eating meat is one way of alleviating the suffering and violence in this world just a little, and it is what works for me. Ahimsa and You Is there a place in your life, whether it be in the way you speak to yourself or someone else, the way you treat the people you encounter on a daily basis, the way you view your reflection in the mirror, or the food you choose to eat, where you can more mindfully foster ahimsa?
More and more classes are starting to incorporate an integral or full-spectrum yoga experience. The integral yoga class includes asana (postures), pranayama (breath work), and meditation. Classes are challenging and include a mix of twists, inversions, and back bends within a vigorous flow. Keeping in mind your own personal yoga practice, these inversions and back bends do not have to be advanced postures. They only need to be challenging to your body.
Meditation serves all human beings by slowing down our brains and allowing us to get in touch with our subtle energy systems. It is a method to still the mind and become more aware of our true identity as a spiritual being that ‘wears’ a physical body.
What you can expect out of meditation is a calmer existence, a less reactive response to life. Meditation literally helps you deal with the ups and downs of your day with more equanimity—more stability in the moments of ups and downs. We begin to understand that ups and downs are normal, continuing and ever shifting; we soon realize they are impermanent and do not warrant our mental angst. Meditation is something that must be experienced to understand. Just as T.S. Elliot teaches, information does not equal knowledge. You need to do the work to gain the knowledge.
Big Backbends
Chakra Awareness Meditation
Ingredients: 1 ripe banana 1 cucumber (peel on) juice of 1 small lemon 1/2-1 cup of fresh blueberries 1/2 cup acai berry juice 1 single serving of coconut water 3 scoops of *Nutrimeal protein powder, or another healthy protein powder 6-8 ice cubes
Directions: I put everything in the blender and gradually worked to high speed. I left on high for about 2 minutes for a really well blended almost juice like smoothie. It made enough to fill my glass twice, but I felt perfectly satisfied with this post yoga smoothie.
Use the comments below to tell me what is the most random smoothie concoction you’ve made, and ended up loving!
* If you are interested in purchasing or learning more about Nutrimeal protein powder, email me at jessica@jessicawymanwellness.com.
By Jessica Wyman
Solar Flow 2 - Lisa Richards
4.) Stay calm when you trip, stumble or fall on your face. To reiterate #2 and #3, everyone is focused on their own practice, and mistakes are part of learning, so don't be embarrassed or frustrated! Sighing in frustration, shaking your head or throwing a quiet mini-tantrum is only going to distract others and make it harder for you to stay present in your practice. Just chill out, take a few focused breaths and slowly try again or take a break in Child's Pose until the class moves on. 5.) Don't worry about advanced poses. It might be tempting to turn your yoga into something it's not: a platform to show-off your athletic prowess. It's okay to have a goal pose and be proud of your achievements, but you must learn to totally accept wherever you are right now. Never be ashamed to rest or skip any posture you're not comfortable with. Your practice will naturally build over time. 6.) Take a few minutes a day for yoga. Just a little each day (a few of your favorite poses or just some breathing practice) will help your mind and body more than 1 long class once or twice a week. Give yourself peace and quiet to just tune in to your body, mind and emotions for the day. Every little bit counts.
7.) Leave the baggy clothes out. There is a fine line between yoga clothes and pajamas, so it might be tempting to wear that big loose t-shirt or a comfy baggy shirt that makes you feel like a trendy yogi. But trust me, as soon as you try your first Forward Fold or Downward Facing Dog, that not-so-awesome baggy shirt will flip up over your head, blinding, smothering and annoying you for the duration of class. Stick with fitted tops. 8.) Clean and dry your mat. Don't suddenly be ashamed if you haven't thought of it yet, but yes, yoga mats get dirty and yes, they should be cleaned every once in a while. Be careful what you use to clean your mat, and keep in mind that full drying time can vary from 24 hours to 3 days depending on the type of mat. Sometimes a mat might feel dry to the touch until you get into your practice, so if your mat ever feels damp or slippery, please don't hesitate to ask for a spare for a safe and comfortable practice. 9.) No judging. You might hear gentle reminders in your yoga class to "leave the ego at the door," "stay present in your own practice" or reassurance that "no one is judging you." In yoga philosophy, ahimsa—often translated as "non-violence" or "non-harming"—is a very important practice of cultivating an attitude of loving kindness, contentment, or non-judgment. We use this to create a welcoming atmosphere when practicing in the studio for ourselves and others. So no one has to wear that "newbie" sign around their neck. 10.) Ask questions and make requests! Your yoga teacher really loves yoga and only serves to suggest poses and facilitate your learning. If something doesn't feel right, you have an idea or you're curious about why we do certain things we do, please let your teacher know so that he/she can help you improve your practice! If you do not practice with a teacher, I would encourage you to seek one out in your area that gets you excited about yoga. If you are practicing with an online teacher, leave a review of the class or contact them via email with your questions. There are many types of yoga and teachers of all kinds, but it's important to have someone to correct your mistakes, help you in your journey and guide your practice. 10.5) Always respect regular class etiquette and your fellow students. This tip only applies if you are practicing in a studio, and didn't deserve to be a full #11 tip because it's only common courtesy. Arrive early or on time for class, do not bathe in overbearing perfumes, be quiet and turn off your cell phone. Duh!
Hopefully these tips are encouraging for your yoga practice. Use them to deepen your understanding of real acceptance among the yoga culture. Save them, pin them, think about them or meditate on any that challenge you. We could all use occasional little reminders for the simple things sometimes, so don't forget these basics! Namaste.