If you have less fear, then you will have more love.

There is a way to tell how much love you have for others.  

Sit down quietly and calmly examine your fears.  

The more fear you have, the less love you have.  

If you have less fear, then you will have more love.  

Your fear will tell how much love you are capable of.  

So learn to live in love and not in fear. 

 Always be cheerful, compassionate and giving. 

 Let Providence work, and trust that you will receive what you need.

~Swami Rama~

If only I could put into words exactly what I am feeling and make it feel profound and quotable, that's what I would say.  I have had times in my life when I have had so much fear, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of harm......that I couldn't open my heart and all my fears came true.  With experience and maturity (age) I have learned that the only thing I have to fear is fear itself.  Okay, so I used another profound and quotable moment from someone else, but it was so perfect.  Open up your heart and let the sun shine in...(you're welcome for the ear worm)  

Pulling The Weeds Out of Your Practice

When you begin to practice, you may fell very bound in your body and mind, not unlike the densely woven crabgrass of my garden.  You can choose to fight with yourself, pulling and tugging on yourself as a way to force your own metamorphosis. If you've ever encountered a weed with deep roots, you know the futility of pulling at the stem knowing full well some digging is in order?  There's a moment when you can cheerfully accept the task and set to it with full vigor, or turn sour and miserable in the face of such work.. Theres' a moment when you can resign yourself to the patient work ahead or give in to the impulse to pull at the stem before the ground has been dug deep enough. The first step is accepting that some deep work needs to be done and deciding to make this a positive, uplifting experience. - Donna Farhi


We have all over done practice at least one time.  I have done it ALOT.  I have learned over the years, the more I surrender and let the practice the better I feel physically and emotionally.  Remember the deepest expression of a posture is not always the most effective.  Your body and mind are different everyday and what you did yesterday or last month is not a measurement for where you are to day.

I see it mostly in beginners pressing themselves through a practice and pushing beyond breath.  If you can't breathe in a posture you are too far, release a little, find the breath and learn to soften into the space.  Begin to find the wonder of the practice not just the pain and ability to touch your toes.

Adapting Yoga for Disabilities Workshop Recap

As my mind races to process and absorb all the information that was presented at this amazing workshop, I can only think of words like Hope, Inspiration, Need, Awe, Humbleness, Renewal, Gratitude....  The list could continue but I'm assuming you get the idea.

Thank you to Matthew, Andy, Julie, Pat, Jeff, Tiffany, Joe, Tom, LizAnne and all the other teachers that opened my eyes and my heart to so much hope for a better life and unity of spirit among us all.  There were so many times I felt as if I was the person with the disability because there were times I didn't know how to move properly and couldn't draw in all the information.

Only a quarter of the class was from Minnesota, the rest were from all over the country to learn and bring back the information to their communities. There is great need.

Yoga is truly the union of body, mind and soul and guiding ALL of us to find that connection will unite us all.  If we begin to look past the exterior of a person and take a peek into their heart we are all striving to move in the same direction to find inner peace, connection and lightness.  We may call it something different and arrive in different cars and take different routes, but the destination is the same.

Take a little time to browse the Mind, Body Solutions website and learn how yoga is changing the lives of so many.  We are all students and all teachers, listen for the lesson.

Namaste,

Sigrid

(Not So) Random Thoughts

Yoga means union.  The union of the individual soul with the Universal Spirit is yoga.  But this is too abstract a notion to be easily understood, so for our level of understanding I say that yoga is the union body with the mind and of mind with the soul. - B.K.S. Inyengar


What changes would you make in your life to begin if you truly began to move forward with mind, body and soul united?

(Not So) Random Thoughts

Yoga is not a paint-by-numbers affair.  Nor does yoga require blind faith in an outside authority or dogma. Nor is it a religion, although the practice of its central precepts inevitably draws each individual to the direct experience of those truths on which religion rests.  Rather, yoga is a way of living and being that makes real happiness possible.  Yoga is also a science that incorporates a broad range of practices and techniques that can be tailored and adapted to best suit your personal constitution and personality. - Yoga, Mind, Body & Spirit ~ Donna Farhi

Donna Farhi is one of my favorite authors.  She is constantly writing about ways to integrate Yoga into your life everyday.  It's not all about the physical practice but also how you go about your day.  How do you bring Yoga into your life and share it with those around you?

(Not So) Random Thoughts

No knowledge is gained instantly.  In fact knowledge has a beginning but no end.  This is all the more true of Yoga.  One's progress in this field depends entirely on one's inner strength and endurance.  One need not feel disheartened if progress is slow.  -  Yoga a Gem for Women ~ Geeta Iyengar

In the fast paced world we live in we want instant results.  It's called a practice for a reason.

(Not So) Random Thoughts

When complimented, a sincere "thank you" is the only response required. - Life's Little Instruction Book

I've seen it and done more times than I care to think, someone pays a compliment and it's immediately discounted.  This weekend try to accept every compliment with a sincere "thank you" and nothing else.