I've recently edited my yoga teaching schedule to reflect the current situation of our family. I'm a mama to 3 and 1 is in college. I'm a special education teacher back to the full time teaching gig after mostly blissful 18 years stay at home mom-ing. So lots less space for public yoga classes and lots more space for my own practice which has blossomed and bloomed and nourished me in a time of transition. The pressures of balancing it all and in addition to that, doing it all well (type A yogi confession) have eaten away at my heart. I keep coming back to the meditations that drew me in to the soul of yoga, a practice of meditation and gift of mantra. Desikachar says "It (mantra) is not a Hindu symbol but rather something much more universal: it is something that can bring a person's mind to a higher plane. In our Indian tradition we use Sanskrit words, but your language has sounds too...we can always work within an individual's tradition."
In this moment I am breathing in a healthy does of this mantra, "Every little thing will be all right." It is based on my tradition of Christian faith and rooted in true wisdom from Matthew 6. You don't have to understand all the references to scripture or words like righteous to get this mantra right. The beauty and simplicity and nurture that we see evidenced in nature is proof that we are simply beautiful and cared for and that every.little.thing.is.going.to.be.allright. "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Gentle Yoga classes forming now--
Connect to the power to think, be, feel empowered, steady, strong. #yogaforeveryone One of the things I love about yoga is the constant journey into deeper self-awareness, not to be puffed up and overly sure of yourself, but to be thoughtfully attuned to your unique set of skills, flaws, and the intersection of your passion and your giftedness. I am diving into an ancient tool for understanding oneself called the enneagram in a daily email discussion from a favorite author, Fr. Richard Rohr; and I'm learning more about my own fit in the enneagram through The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Riso and Hudson.
A little truth telling from yesterday's reflection led to a sweet and accessible meditation--a pure breath in and breath out can remind you to settle into the present moment and Presence. Just breathe! "True love of self entails a profound acceptance of ourselves-returning to Presence and settling into ourselves as we actually are without attempting to change our experience." --Don Richard Richard Riso and Russ Hudson The Wisdom of the Enneagram Know Your Type. A guide to understanding yourself, physically, mentally, spiritually.
Ayurveda, literally the art of knowledge and life, offers guidance for modern individuals. Healthy weight, vitality, balance and overall wellness mark the path of the Ayurvedic practitioner. Join Julie and Stacy for a 4 week gentle yoga movement and discussion group to a) know your type (dosha) b) develop habits to support your own goals for weight, nutrition, meditation, and movement within your dosha ( I.e., exercise this way for this amount of time. Eat this meal at this time. Go to bed at this time. Do this meditation at bedtime.) c) find support with others along the path toward holistic health and fitness! Sunday evenings from 5-7pm. 4/24, 5/1, 5/15 and 5/22. Located at The Center, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Mt. Airy, MD $80 for 4 week session. Includes take home yoga sequence, essential oil blend, and guided meditation. Space is limited to 6 to ensure quality and connective community. Taught my first KidPower Yoga class today and it was the best and funnest moment. My youngest, Levi, was one of my students (this is a big achievement--he wanted to be the teacher). Favorite moment in our class was Levi demo-ing child's pose perfectly. I said, "show us child's pose." And he did. Because kids catch on to what they see modeled. We have a wonderful and modest house. My yoga practice is literally in my kids' faces. And they have apparently picked it up. I never taught Levi child's pose. He caught it from my own practice. This is profound to me. What are you putting out into the world? Someone is watching and catching on. So more yoga and more peace and more perfect amazing love. Trust me. They will catch on.
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Romans 12:12 This New Testament scripture serves as a beautiful reminder, no matter your faith background, that the message of Easter is a universal message of hope moving through trials and difficulty through faith. No matter how you are celebrating Spring or if you celebrate Easter, I hope you are reminded--as the weather warms and the daffodils bloom and the trees leaf out--of the triumph of hope and life. That is the message of Easter and the message of springtime moving in after winter. I'm so excited about new spring offerings with yoga and Pilates! Check out my current schedule and the offerings tab! I look forward to connecting with you along the path! Happy Easter!! let them learn and let them lead the way... Can you hear Whitney sweetly singing those lyrics? I miss her.
And I do believe that bringing yoga to kids is essential. ADD/ADHD is an over diagnosed and over medicated phenomenon of our generation of parenting. Video games don't help. But attention and awareness and presence are skills. We can practice these and get better at them. It doesn't mean your extroverted energetic girl becomes perfectly still and the "perfect" student. But yoga with kids, done right, produces a calmer mind and a steadier focus and a quieter voice. (Sometimes). I graduated with a BA in elementary ed from one of the finest education universities around--FU. Ok, that was to be funny. Furman University. And this weekend I felt a deep, steadying sense of peace as I completed KidPowerYoga teacher training, bringing my schoolroom savvy to the yoga mat. I cannot wait to teach kids' yoga classes. This is the greatest love of all. Busy week in the life of this mom first, yoga practicing, God loving girl. I reached a crazy fun milestone as a yoga instructor--1000 hours of teaching! I coached core based conditioning with my daughter's sweet soccer team, capping the workout off with yoga. ❤️ Refueled my soul meeting with ladies who root me into my true north, Christ's amazing love. And Sunday is truly Sun-day, reflecting the bright and shining vitality that lights us up. I hope you do something fun today and connect to that source of happiness and warmth and radiance. Happy Sunday!
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AuthorHYoga practice as connection to the truest self, empowering, authentic, strengthening Archives
March 2018
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