Diary of a Yogi

Trying to fit chores and Yoga into one practice? Here's how:

2011-11-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

I have always been a list-maker; For trips, for groceries and even from my day to day activities and things ALWAYS get done with what's on the list.

Taking that same concept, making a list of what you want to achieve and get done with your chores and incorporating that into your yoga practice is an awesome tool to help you succeed. Here's how it's done.

Taking the knowledge of what you want to get done and using it make a short list or even a chart to look something similar to this:

*Day:                      *Chore:                                                  *Exercise:
_________________________________________________________________________

• Monday                • Kitchen Counter/Dishes                        • Walking/Yoga

• Tuesday                • Laundry Room/Clothes                         • Leg and Arm Lifts/Meditation

• Wednesday           • Kitchen Floor                                       • Core Work

• Thursday               • Bathroom (Floor, Toilet, Shower)         • Walking/Yoga

• Friday                   • Bedroom (Bed sheets, Floor, Dresser)  • Leg and Arm Lifts/Meditation

• Saturday               • Child's Bedroom (Sheets, Floor)           • Bike Ride or Swift Outdoors Walk

• Sunday                 • Living/Front Room (Dusting, Floor)       • Power Yoga
_________________________________________________________________________

Of course, this is a rough outline, revise it to fit your home and your needs. Making a list of what you would like to get done along side what you need to get done will help you succeed on both aspects. Hope this helps you get into shape while tackling the chaos in your home.

Namasté!

September is Yoga Month

2011-09-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

The month of September is known as Yoga Month and through National Yoga Month site you can take advantage of many free yoga classes nationwide.

Free Week passes are available at over 1,200 yoga studios nationwide! Find yoga near you with the Yoga Studio Finder and Event Finder. Join the global community yoga practice during The Time for Yoga on September 30, 2011.

Pick up your free week of yoga here and enjoy yoga for a lifetime!

Yoga Books to add to your bookshelf

2011-06-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Mastery of Love By: Don Miguel Ruiz

Your Body Speaks your Mind
By: Deb Sharpiro

Mindful Living
By: Thich Nhat Hanh

Conscious Business (Audio)
By: Fred Kofman

Nonviolent Communication
By: Marshall Rosenberg

The Four Agreements By: Don Miguel Ruiz

Grab your Yoga T-shirt today

2011-05-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yoga Live Today Side-Tie t-shirt

Finding Strength within when you don't want to be Strong

2011-04-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

We all deal with loss, on some level, whether it's the loss of a pet, a job or even a family member. Being strong through these times is sometimes a bit more than we can handle. It's a long and painful journey back from this deep, down, hurt we feel. Sometimes it's more than we can bare and we feel like the pain will never get better.

I have recently been hit with a great loss. A family member passed away unexpectedly and I had a hard time grasping onto strength within myself. Through yoga I have learned to make peace with my past and learn to hold onto myself and be strong, even in the middle of grief when I didn't want to. It felt like a wound that would not heal and I had to pull myself up to grasp hold of what was really going on and learn to hold myself up through the pain.

Through yoga we can learn to help ourselves. It may seem selfish, but we all need to help ourselves more than anyone else around us. If you continue to just push the hurt down and not deal with it directly, it will pile up on you and cause you to break, eventually.

The best poses for dealing with these pains are ones that bust open the door to the emotional healing powers through yoga but not in a straining way or through a strenuous practice. The best ones to cope with what's inside you and try to pull out the strength within your own self are ones that are gradual and not involving your muscles or mental thinking too much. The poses below can help you tap into what's inside you to help deal with the grief you are currently feeling. And remember meditation is always a great way to help in this process, as well. Breathing is the main wonder drug of the body; The more we take in long, deep breaths the more we can bring our bodies back to center.

Any of the following spine stretching poses will help you deal with grief, but ultimately, the grief process is slow going and only time can heal completely.

• Salambhasana (Locust Pose)

• Sphinx Pose (Passive Approach)

• Upward-Facing Dog Pose:

I hope with these poses you find comfort in your grief. Time heals all and with yoga you can help ease the pain that time helps heal.

Namasté!

Triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana) -Supported

2010-12-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Standing in mountain (Tadasana) pose and step or jump your feet wide. With thumbs facing the ceiling raise your arms to your side and inhale. Turn your left foot in just a little to gain support of that back leg and to take pressure off your knee. Turn your right foot out completely and align your knee over your right foot.

With a support block placed beside your right foot, bend at the waist and drop your right hand to the support block. Stretch your left hand up as you bend your torso to the right. Turn your head up to the ceiling and breathe.

Get one week free yoga

2010-09-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

September is national yoga month and currently, during the entire month, you can get one week of free yoga at a participating studio.

Yoga can become a daily tradition for you and if you have been putting off wanting to give it a try, now is your chance to act on those wants.

Click here to find a participating studio near you.

Click here to download you free week of yoga card.

Relate plants to your yoga practice and life

2010-09-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

We all love plants, even more when our plants we are taking care of look their best enough for others to compliment us on our achievements in making these plants look their very best.

Observing a plant before you water it and then after it has been watered is a great way to connect with the living things around you and your life. If you have recently felt disconnected from all those around you and even with your own self, buy a small plant and connect its life with your own. You will soon relate the benefits to your own body and brain and with this practice each time you water this living creature on a daily basis you will soon see reconnection occur with other living things slowly.

Namasté

Yoga Books to Add to your Collection

2010-08-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Personal Healing by Caroline Myss.

Guided Meditation by Jack Kornfield.

Yoga Shakti by Shiva Rea.

Ayurveda by Dr. Vasant Lad.

True Happiness by Peme Chodron.

Supta Padangusthasana

2010-07-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

(Reclining Hand-to-Big Toe Pose)

Lie on your back and draw your right knee into your chest. Make sure your left leg is stretched out in front of you.

With a yoga strap wrapped around the ball of your right foot, stretch your right foot to the ceiling and hold. Making sure your left leg and foot stay firmly, but not pressed to the floor.

Hold this pose for 30 breaths and then switch legs.

This pose will open your hand strings and in the process won't put any pressure on your lower back.

Breath and the power behind air-flow

2010-06-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Breathing meditation is one of the very few meditations that is practiced on a daily basis. Breathing should be practiced regularly and the breath should be deep and focused.

Sit with your spine upright and close your eyes. Begin Ujjayi breathing, following your breath until it stills other thoughts within your head and makes your mind feel as spacious as the sea.

After a few moments of complete clearing of mind, return to normal breathing and open your eyes. Try to retain that same awareness and calm as you go about your day-to-day activities. Return to that spacious and calm when you feel as though your mind is straying to other thoughts or when others make you feel agitated or disturbed.

Namasté!

Easy flow-workouts to fit into your day

2009-07-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

1. Upon waking up:

Grab some 3-5 lbs. weights and take a walk through your house when you first wake up. Do small bicep curls while you walk to help get the muscles in the arms engaged and to help get the circulation flowing through your body as well.

2. Mid morning:

Do the old standing, against the wall sit. Keep your back straight and against the wall while you look over some paperwork or even talk to a client on the phone, etc. Keep your knees bent in a 90 degree angle and raise your arms to shoulder height. Hold each post for 1 minutes and rest for 30 seconds. Repeat as many times has you can or as time allows.

3. Lunch or Noon:

Tone your lower body before digging into your food at lunch. With your hands on your hips, step with your right foot out and bend both keens into a squatting position. Return to center and step with the left and squat. Repeat 15 times on each leg.

4. Mid afternoon:

Get rid of back pain that comes from working or sitting for long periods. Stand with feet about hip-width apart and fold over till you are hanging over toward the floor in front of you. Bend your right knee and swing the torso to the right then return to the center and swing the torso to the left. Roll up to standing and repeat as many times as needed.

5. After Work is done:

Run with the vacuum, dust mop or mop through your home. Do jumping jacks in between the rooms and bend under furniture. Vacuum every day is a great way to keep the home clean and a great calorie blaster as well. So go at it.

6. Evening or After Dinner:

When the kitchen is cleared of dinner plates, turn on the tunes and bust-a-move with the kiddos. A five-minute song can really help boost your mood, and give you quality, fun time with your kids. It even will help burn off a bit of the dinner calories as well.

The ultimate five minute workouts you can do throughout your day

2009-05-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

• Start Your Day: Jogging in place is a great way to start your day. It can help get your blood flowing and help increase your circulation. Jog in place till you work up a sweat. For a more advanced workout, try bringing your heels to touch your butt.

• After Your Commute to Work: Try the horse press. This will help tone your legs and butt and can be done anywhere in the office. Place your hands on your hips and spread your legs and squat. If you have knee injuries, don't go down till it hurts; go down to where you can comfortably bend the knees. Squeeze your butt as you come back up to a standing position. Repeat this motion for five minutes.

•At Lunch Time: Take the stairs in your office or anywhere for that matter. Take them one at a time at first then head back down and take them two at a time to increase your cardio workout. Repeat this process till five minutes has passed.

• Before you Head Home: Do simple jumping jacks for five minutes. If you haven't done jumping jacks in ages, you will be surprised at how sore your muscles really are after only five minutes worth.

• After Work: Squeeze that butt in and out for five minutes. This will help tighten your backend.

• Two Hours Before Bed: Roll your spine. Start with a straight back, roll your shoulders to ensure you are properly aligned and reach forward to touch your toes. Make a C-shape with your body as your lean forward. Repeat for five minutes.

It's really easy to get in the proper amount of workout time daily. It's all a matter of doing it and sticking with it.

Do you sit for long periods? Try these yoga workouts

2009-05-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

#1: Lay flat on the ground in corpse position and place hands behind your neck just above the clavicle bone. Breathe in and hold then out for three seconds. Repeat with hands on the chest above the breast then once more on the navel. Think about your breathing and if there is any struggle during your inhales or your exhales.

#2: Sitting up straight (roll your shoulders to ensure your ribs are lined up correctly) and with feet flat on the floor, bring one leg up over the other leg. Not legs crossed but where they for a triangle in the middle of each other. lean forward and attempt to reach as far as you can as if you are trying to grab something extended out in front of you with your arms. Repeat with the other leg and repeat this exercise three times.

#3: When sitting for long periods, such as traveling by air, place your carry-on bag on the floor in front of you and place on foot on the bag. This will help displace the way you sit and can help your torso better align when it comes time to stand and walk once more.

The Sitted Twist to Reduce Stress

2009-05-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sit with legs crossed and a blanket or bolster under your hips to help with support. Inhale for four counts and exhale for four counts. On the next inhale reach up to the ceiling and when you bring your arms down, exhale and slowly rotate your spine without moving your legs to the left. Grab your left knee with your right hand and pull yourself around until you are looking over your left shoulder. Breathe in for five breaths than slowly come back to center and look forward. Repeat with the right side and come back to center.

Repeat this for a total of three counts. Reaching up to the ceiling before each turn.

Do this routine at the end of your busy day. It will help reduce tension in your back, which will reduce tension and stress in your mind as well.

Looking for the Perfect Yoga Mat?

2009-03-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Look to Lotus Pad. The Lotus Pads are 100% eco-friendly and come from a company that knows a thing or two about environmentally friendly and eco-conscious choices. They are lightweight and also biodegradable.

The pads come in an array of colors that are two-toned and also come in organic patterns to help you find the perfect one that suits your yogic and exercise needs.

The company carries the straps the help carry the mat with ease instead of it becoming a burden and they also carry mats for kids as well.

Order a yoga mat from Lotus Pads today for under $40.

Sun Salutation

2009-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

1. Namaskar - salute. Stand erect with feet together and join the palms in the center of the chest in the style of Indian salute and inhale. Then exhale and push the hands down straightening and lowering the arms until the elbows touch the sides. This standing pose is also known as tadaasana.

2. Chandraasan - crescent moon pose. Inhale and raise the arms above the head and extend the spine backwards arching the back from the waist and moving the hips forward. Let the eyes follow the hands while relaxing your neck.

3. Hastapadaasan - bending pose. Begin to exhale bending forward from the waist and place the hands on the floor besides each foot. Relax with your head and neck in a bending pose.

4. Surya darshan - sun gaze. Inhale and putting your weight on the hands stretch the right leg behind like a stick resting on the toes. Bend the knee and place it on the floor with your weight on the left foot and arch the spine backward. Lift the head and neck first up and then back. Roll the eyes up. The left foot remains between the hands.

5. Himalayan - mountain pose. Exhale and bring the left foot back in line with the right. Lift the hips up high like a mountain. Push the heels and head down and look at the toes with the head down between the arms.

6. Sashtang dandawat - lie down. Put the knees down first and then bring the chest down. See that eight parts of the body are touching the floor including two feet, two knees, two hands, the chest and the chin or forehead. Sashtang means eight limbs and dandawat means paying homage by touching the floor. Make sure the hips are slightly raised above the ground. Inhale and exhale in this position. Keep the feet together.

7. Bhujangaasan - cobra pose. Lower the pelvis and abdomen to the floor. Inhale and stretch the toes on the floor. Raise your head slowly up, arch the spine and neck and look up. Keep your legs together and the elbows alongside the body slightly bent and keep the shoulders down.

8. Himalaya aasan. Exhale and wiggle your toes forward allowing your feet to rest on the soles while your raise the hips as your did in number 5.

9. Surya darshan. Inhale and bring the right foot forward and assume pose number 4 exactly as before.

10. Hastapadaasan. Exhale and bring the right foot forward and assume pose number 3.

11. Chandraasan. Inhale and stretch up in a standing pose with your arms up and bend backwards like in pose number

12. Namaskar. Exhale and stand erect bringing the hands back to the center of the chest with palms together as in pose number 1.

Making some Changes

2009-02-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Diary of a Yogi has been mostly about changing your life for the knowing of yoga better, but Diary of a Yogi is changing. Instead of just being about Yoga, we will tip the scales in changing your life as a whole. We will have more contributing writers and even more stories on how you can change your life in every way, shape, fashion and form. Hope you follow along for the journey and help us all achieve whole body happiness!

Family Maintenance through the Art of Zen

2009-01-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

To be a Zen Parent, calm, tranquil and at peace with those in the house around you in never an easy task. Never has anything been so difficult to just....be. Slowing down and taking on one task at a time, one issue at a time and even one person at a time can at times take a toll on even the most positive person under the sun.

To maintain a great, functional and ever-so-loving family setting you must first slow down and focus or pay attention to the "big picture". The Solid picture if you will. Forming bonds with each other and not what is around us as far as objects that we can do without, may be difficult to children, but can be easy to teach.

Devotion in the path of revulsion when a bump happens in your family's way of doing things. Your family will become more healthy and Zen-ful through the art of listening, looking, and doing. Other's family ways are different from yours and will be forever, no matter what. Do not ever try to create a family style through someone else's eyes. Even if the mother-in-law is telling you one thing and the grandmother saying another, stand your ground firm for your family’s Zen maintenance. The family you had then isn't as important as the family you have now. Be happy with what you have not what you could have.

Not all family bonds are perfect and trust me yours won’t be either. Work through the challenges and in the end YOU will be happier through the art of Zen. Buddha tells us, "Everything dear to us causes pain". Working through that pain and struggle is what keeps your family solid. Families who play together do ultimately stand strong together!

Work through the trials and tribulations and breathe through the stress. Then laugh why your son drops ice cream on the couch cushions.

Namasté!

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Create your own Mandala for Healing

2009-01-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

Mandalas are geometrical shapes that allow you to see the clearer side of stress, hurt, anger, etc. Through shapes and colors it help to direct your mental thinking to focus on something else while you see the "clear" picture of what is bothering you. If you would like to learn more about healing mandalas I suggest this following book.

Without the book pictured above you can create your own mandalas with a bit of creativity and patience. Here's how.

What you will need to get started:

*Sharpened pencil that is of medium weight
*Clear ruler with grid lines
*Compass
*Colored pencils
*Sketch paper that has a rough surface

Begin drawing something similar as above, but use your own mind and draw what you see in your head and heart. Keep the following mandala directions in mind while you draw.

• Radiance (Sun): East
• Nourishment (Moon): Northwest
• Passion (Mars): South
• Intellect (Mercury): North
• Expansion (Jupiter): Northwest
• Bliss (Venus): Southeast
• Organization (Saturn): West
• Uniqueness (Rahu): Southwest
• Spirituality (Ketu): Southwest

Is your Heart Broken? Heal with Yoga

2009-01-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

Heartbroken feelings are some of the hardest to over come, but a simple step by step yoga breathing technique can help you see clearer moods ahead. Here's how.

1. First step is to recognize the emotions that come with the hurt or the sadness or even the anger at times. Breath through them as you let them out. There is no one able to control your body's emotions but you. Let go of the feelings and if this means crying them out then do so. Breathe these emotions in and out through your heart. Sense the heart breathing in and out as you come into your feelings.

2. Next, place a color for your feelings. Understand that we all have hurt but yours is yours and others are theirs. If yours is a deep orange then place that color around you for that sense of hurt. Now begin to breathe your hurt out and into the color around you. Continue this step for about 20 minutes until the feeling of hurt begins to fade into the room of color around you.

3. Now place the sadness in your head and move it into your heart. Take in all the sadness you are aware of, past experiences of your own and even experiences of others. Take them into your head then into your heart and breathe them into the color around you. The sky and the air around you as you release them into the air. This exercise will only get better through time and through practice. Over time you will come to see more love and compassion in others and in yourself. Work through heartbreak in a better light and a better approach.

Yoga Day U.S.A.

2008-12-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

YogaDay USA is coming up. It falls on January 24, 2009 and is created by Yoga Alliance, Yoga Day USA and is an annual nationwide celebration where yoga teaches and schools host low-cost to you workshops. They are also fundraisers and charities. There are many areas that are having events in your own area in the name of yoga. To find one and be apart of this amazing, Zen day, visit the Yoga Alliance Website.

Heal with Lotus Visualization

2008-12-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

You can heal most anything troubling you in your life through the image of the lotus flower.

Place a picture of a lotus flower, or an actual lotus flower on a table near your yoga practice. Starring at the lotus, concentrate on the flower till you can close your eyes and still see the flower.

Image your life as the flower. The flower reaches to survive toward the light. Instead of negativity in your life strive to see the light of any situation you are dealing with in your current life. The lotus stands in water, just as you do stand in your life, but the flower is not the water, it's just the water is around it. Image your life in the same manner. The problems are around you, but they are not you.

Mediate on this and any negativity that comes through your mind during this time let them fade away and think of them as around you, but they do not define you. Problem people are around you, but they do not define you. Those who anger us control us. Don't let what is around you control you. Before you open you eyes say to yourself. "I am me, whom and what is around me does not define me." Remember this during problem situations and dealing with problem people that can not accept you for you. And you will come out smelling like a beautiful flower.

Using Yoga for Patient Care

2008-12-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

Yoga is more than just for the healthy at heart it can also help with cancer and other illnesses within the hospital setting. Yoga therapist are those who integrate breathing techniques as well as relaxation techniques. It seems to benefit those who are especially in need of some sort of outlet with their illnesses and help the ill stay grounded to what lies ahead. It helps with pain and relaxation that is needed with many illness related pains. And it may even help speed recovery in some patients.

If you are interested in becoming a yoga therapist, visit this link to get started.

Get your yoga mat at Yoga Matic. These mats are made of biodegradable latex-rubber and are totally toxic-free. The best part about them is you can upload your own photo of your children, your family, your pet or even you in your most difficult pose and that's what will be the center of your focus during your yoga practice. Pick one up for under $90 and 5% of your purchase will go to benefit Global Green.

Transitioning into Dog Stretches

2008-11-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

Moving from Chaturanga Dandasana (four-Limbed Staff Pose) to Up Dog and then back into Down Dog is a step by step progression sort of like linking your body together. This pose transition is know as vinyasa.

Vinyasa is an important transition to practice within your yoga practice because when it is mastered it tends to enhance and reinforce alignment within the body and the legs and arms as well.

Move from Chanturanga to Up Dog by pushing your toes back toward the back of your yoga mat as you roll over them. This requires you to use some serious effort in your legs as to not hurt yourself during this transition.

As you slide your toes back, pull your hands in. Only you hands and feet touch the floor in this transition and by using the strength in your arms, pull your core forward and your legs will be used to push your toes up and back.

Practicing this vinyasas makes it a better transition for your body over time and makes you stronger mentally and physically as well.

Mantra to Celebrate the Combining of Sita and Ram

2008-11-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

Sita Ram Sita Ram
Jay Jay Sita Ram

This is a mantra in Hindi language that is sung throughout India by devotees of God in the form of Lord Rama and his wife Sita joining together. Rama and Sita embody the idea that our capacity for right action helps us to feel more uplifting in our life. Singing their names helps to celebrate the beauty and power of acts of uplifting happiness with God and Goddess, which is expressed through human form within everyone.

Ease Muscle Cramps & Stomach Upset through Yoga

2008-11-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

Stomach upset hits many of us at the most inconvenient times. Try these yoga moves to help relieve the upset in a more calm and natural way.

• Wind-Relieving Pose (Pavanamuktasana): Lie on your back and slowly bring your knees into your chest. Rest your hands, clasped on your knees. Pull your knees inward and hold for 10-30 breaths.

• Child's Pose with support (Balasana): Sit on your knees and place one foot over the other. Not your ankles, just your toes and upper foot. Have two thick blankets near by. Pull the blankets near your knees and rest your upper body on the blankets with your head to one side and arms off to the side of the blanket. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

• Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana): Sit on your bottom with your legs stretched out in front of you. Bend at the waist with your back straight and fold your body over into a comfortable position and hold for about 30 seconds.

• Reclining Bound Angle Pose with support (Supta Baddha Konasana): Sit on your bottom and have a thick blanket and two towels and a yoga strap near by. Place the yoga strap over your head and around your waist once then around your waist a second time. With your thick blanket and while sitting on your bottom, place the blanket behind you back and sit in a relaxed leg crossed pose. If you can't fully cross your legs, pull them in to the most comfortable position. Wrap the yoga strap around your feet and place one towel under each thigh close to your knees. Lie back onto the blanket and rest your head on the blanket as well. Lay in this pose for about 30 seconds, or as long as you please.

• Head-of-the-knee pose with support (Janu Sirsasana): Sit on your bottom with one leg pulled into your body. Stretch the other leg out in front of you and with a bolster, rest it on your lower shin and bring your body forward, while keeping your knee where the bolster rests, straight. Place your head into your crossed arms and hold the pose for about 30 seconds, or as long as needed.

• Revolved Abdomen Pose (Jathara Parivartanasana): Laying on your back, bring your knees up and straight your arms out to the side in the shape of a "T". Bring your arms together, out stretched to one side and follow this movement with your knees. Your body should be in a loose fetal position with your arms stretched out. Leaving your knees in this position rotate your body while following with your eye your arm back to the "T" position. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat with the other side doing the exact same motion.

Improve your Posture with these Yoga/Pilates Poses

2008-11-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

1. Spine Stretch Forward: Sit on your bottom on the floor and roll your shoulders back to create a straight back. Straighten you legs out in front of you and press your knees into the floor. Stretch you arms out parallel with your legs and lead forward, as your back is straight. Drop your chin to your chest as far as you can without hurting you neck. Imagine there is a ball in your chest and you have to stretch over it in either direction. Let your arms fall where they land and rest in this position for about 45 seconds. Roll back up the main position and repeat for 10 more stretches.

2. See/Saw: Start in the same position as above and extend your arms out to your side in the shape of a "T". Press your knees into the floor and roll your shoulders back to straighten your spine. Bring your arms around and touch your opposite foot with your opposite hand. Try to keep your back and arms straight as you do this move. Bend at the waist as you place your hand on your toe. Move your hand to the outside of the foot that you are touching. Hold pose for 10 seconds as you breathe in and out in a relaxed manner. Repeat 10 times.

3. Double-Leg Up: Lie on your back and draw your knees in to your core and stretch your legs up to the sky. Follow this with your arms and form a "V" with your body. Or modify this move by having your arms the same direction as your legs. Lift your head and upper shoulders up off the floor and hold this position with your abs tight for about 10 seconds. Release and rest for 5 seconds and start again. Repeat this move for 30 reps.

Silence Your Inner Critic

2008-11-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

We all have an inner critic that cuts into our self esteem, no matter if it's during our exercise routine, yoga practice or even while we are getting ready for work in the morning. The discipline is silencing this inner critic and changing it for the good.

Instead of looking for flaws within our bodies and mind, look for the greater aspect, such as thanking your body for what it is able to do. You can achieve this before bed in the evenings, or sitting in a cross-legged position after your workout or exercise routine and thanking your body for what you have accomplished.

Thank you brain for the ability to communicate with the rest of your body. If you unhappy with any part of your body, why not change those thoughts to be grateful for what's behind that difficult part of your body that make you self conscience. Be grateful for your lungs, your heart which powers your love feelings, and be grateful your have full use of all of your bodies parts. If you lack the use of one limb, two or even all, be grateful for what you have that does work and what you are able to have. Be grateful, above all that you are alive.

You can't change certain things about your body that are permanent, but you can change the way you look at your body.

Namasté!

Feeling the Experience

2008-11-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

There are many types of feelings that one will experience throughout a day or even a lifetime. Look at your own life and notice that your emotional energy tends to flow between four or five different emotions or rasas as they are known in Ayurveda, which is the ancient system of Indian medicine. The motions or rasas only occasionally touch one another at the same time as well.

At times you may get stuck in one or the other and eventually they work themselves out. It becomes a problem when you can not move from the stuck emotion. But, overall most of us move in and out of the different rasas. It's common to engage these rasas in an unconscious state and any rasa can become problematic if you tend to overemphasize it.

However, when you engage rasas consciously, moving in and out of different ones you tend to create more aliveness and more balance in your life and in other areas as well. See if you can relate your emotion to any of these rasas below. It's okay to have connection with one, or two or even three of the different rasas at one time.

• Erotic: Love

• Comic: Laughter

• Pathetic: Sorrow

• Furious: Anger

• Heroic: Courageous Ardor

• Terrible: Being Scared

• Odious: Being Repulsed

• Marvelous: Amazement

• Peaceful: Serenity

Yoga Mats for the Aspiring Yogi

2008-10-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

I recently had a woman in my yoga class ask me which yoga mat I thought would be the best for her to spend her money on. Of course, I knew right off my head which one was the best. The same one I use everyday. I purchased it from an online dealer named Gaiam and it's made from eco-friendly material called jute. You can pick up one of these yoga mats here for under $40. This same online company is the same place I purchased my support block as well as my bolster as well. Request their catalog here.

Of course there are other mats in which you can purchase that are made just as well. Here are a few that I recommend.

1. Gaiam Eco Yoga Mat $49

2. Barefoot Yoga Co. (The Original Eco Yoga Mat) $72

3. Gaiam's Stay Put Mat $50

The Yoga Approach to your Money

2008-10-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

If money is a big issue in your relationship, it may be time to have a heart to heart discussion about mine being "ours". Here are a few steps to help you achieve proper Chi with your $$$.

1. If you feel it is time for the money discussion then make sure you are eye to eye with your converser. You can dim the lights and light a candle or even have just a lamp on. Bright light tends to bring in too much.

2. Ask each other the following questions: How and where do we see us in a relationship with our money? How do we expect our financial future will differ from our financial future? Are we willing to change our spending habits in order to build a good financial foundation?

3. Sit down with your financial papers to get a clear picture of where you stand this year compared to last year. Gather up bank statements, credit card, and investment statements and even pay stubs. Figure out how you spend you money and how you can change certain spending habits for the two of you.

4. Realized that once you strengthen your finances between each other the bond will be stronger between both of you. Make this a habit of talking through problem spending areas. Never come at someone with "YOU this" and "YOU that", those phrases are very accusatory and can lead to an argument in the long run. Trust your true heart and follow where it leads. And bring your partner along with you.

Guru Mantra

2008-10-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu
Gurur Devo Maheshvarah
Guruh Sakshat Param Brahmna
Tasmai Shra Gurave Namaha

The teach is the creative and divine power
The teach is the sustainable power within
The teacher is the all-encompassing Divine power
The teach is the Supreme Manifest
Salutations to the Teacher.

A guru is anyone you have around you currently that is offering your teachings. Anything and anyone that offers lessons learned can be your very on guru. Look for the Guru in all things, and then you can constantly have manifests that uplift you and teach you.

Better Sleep the Yoga Way

2008-10-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

If you toss and turn, try these yoga poses to help you get those much needed ZZZs. Yoga is a great way to help relax the mind's thoughts and slow the heart. Try to do these poses at least three hours before you hit the hay.

Sukhasana (Easy Pose): Sit on your bottom on a few folded thin blankets with your feet and lower legs hanging off the edge of the blankets. Cross your feet and roll your shoulders back to reset your rib cage. Place your hands on your knees and breath in and out to relax the mind. Once you are relaxed hold this pose for 10 to 15 minutes.

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend, with Support): Sitting on the same blankets as before stretch out your legs in front of you, bend at the waist and rest your head in your arms on the sit of a chair. Hold this pose for 10-15 minutes.

Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand, with Support): On the same blankets as before, rest your head off the blankets on the floor in front of them with your shoulders on the blankets. Stretch your arms out behind you so that they are parallel with your back. Have the chair close to you and raise your legs so that your feet hit the seat of the chair first. Once you gain your balance, use your arms and bring the chair closer as you stretch you legs out on top of the chair and they end up resting on the back of the chair on top. Hold this pose for 10 to 15 minutes.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose with Support): With a few more blankets on top of the ones you are already using sit with your bottom on top if the pile. Bend you knees and lay back onto your back. The only thing that should be on the blankets is your bottom. Stretch you arms out in a relaxed manor with the knees still bent and hold for 10 to 15 minutes.

Adho Mukha Svansana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose, with support): With a support block under your forehead bend at the waits and come down into Down Dog pose. Raise your arms up over your head and rest them on the floor in front of you. Straiten your legs and try not to bend at the knees. Hold this pose for about 2 minutes.

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose, with support): Using a bolster pillow, place it under your lower back region. Lie back onto the bolster and raise you legs and use the wall in front of you for support. Rest your legs on the wall as straight as you can and your arms out to your side in a relaxed manor. Hold this pose for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Speak to Yourself and be Mindful and Aware

2008-10-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

In a meditation spot, such as a quiet place away from distractions and any interruptions. Sit in an upright posture form; roll your shoulders back to reset your ribs. Next speak along "I am mindful". Then pause and feel that you are mindful in everyway.

Are there any boundaries to your awareness? Is there anything outside your awareness of being mindful? Is God there, the universe? Find what it is and speak to this awareness that is mindful and know it has no boundaries.

Make it to where there are no boundaries, there is just space. Not empty space but space alone. Then ask, out loud, "Is there anything I should fear or that I do fear?" The open, no boundary awareness has no fears, no suffering and can not be hurt or even destroyed or torn down or apart.

Create this space within your mind and when you speak make it aware to others as well. It is normal to fear and to hurt, but when you do feel the fear and the hurt, in your mind ask to speak to this mindful awareness and tell it what you fear or why you hurt. As long as you need it, it will be there for you.

Your Yoga Fortune

2008-10-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

On a visit from my brother last year around June, along with the rest of my immediate family, we took a tour of the beach front at Newport, Oregon. Along the walkway there was a fortune machine that we, of course, had to pop our 50¢ in the machine just to see what would come out. My brother, Will, was the first to try the machine and as expected his fortune was ejected in the shape of a movie ticket. I never got to read his fortune, I did however hear the mechanical head play a recording that stated, "Zultar foresees you putting in more money." As if it was by cue, we all started laughing. So of course I had to pop in my 50¢ just to hear that once more. And of course, without fail, I hear the same phrase. Being satisfied that we had a good laugh, we proceeded to find a lunch location and I thought nothing more of what the machine had given me.

As the family visit came to an end, I sat down about 3 months later to add to my scrapbook. I dug through my collections and treasures; there was the ticket from the fortune machine. I still didn't read it at that time, just laughed at what the machine had recited to us and enjoyed the moment once more.

Not long ago, after an accident I had with a neighbor’s dog, I had a friend bring me some tomato soup and help out around my house. As she was picking up some clothing to do some laundry, she came across my scrapbook and asked to look through it. As she was looking through the many pages she came across the coast trip with my family and said, "Oh wow, how true is that?" I asked her what she was referring to and she pointed to the fortune ticket. I started laughing and told her the story and how it made us all chuckle. She said, "Yea, but the fortune is so right on at this moment in your life." At that point I read it and for once in my life, believed in a fortune.

Even though it is a paper fortune from a silly machine, it touched me in a way that made me feel ten times better about my injuries and my state of mind at that present time. And because of that accident I have learned a lot. About people around me that I am not as close to, about my friends, about animals and even about how important my husband and my son are to me. All three of us have learned a lot about each other that we never knew existed. So ultimately, I am thankful for the outcome of my accident for being a positive one and thankful for the lesson it has taught me and others around me as well.

The fortune reads:

Your time will come when you feel out of sorts
In the future it is true, you will hurt
You will fall to the dirt with great pain
But, don't fear, with this hurt, knowledge you will gain
Above all you will heal in more ways than one
In a year physical scars you will bare
And at that time your learning will be done

It has really made me see the joy in such little things and think there is hope no matter how bad the situation is. Incorporating simple happy thoughts into your yoga practice can being you more than just a great yoga practice for that day, but it can also have a great impact on the rest of your day and into your evening. Your happiness will be forecasted onto others as well.

Let's Dance it out, Shall we?

2008-10-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Learning to move more spontaneously can help with our yoga practices in such a great way. Start by chanting Om repeatedly for several minutes. Then get onto all fours in the Cat-Cow Pose and move your hear toward your rear and your rear toward your head.

Move freely. Follow the Cat-Cow Pose, go into Down Dog Pose and bend at your knees one at a time and let your hips sway freeing. Now you are prepared.

Get up and dance. Move free, and don't worry about how silly you may look. As long as your body is free of movement in every way. Don't really do steps, move naturally where ever your body takes you.

Incorporate this with your regular yoga practice and it will help you feel more joyful all around.

All Hail to the Rama

2008-10-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

All hail to Rama, all hail to Rama,
Rama Rama, we hail thee again and again
All hail to Krishna, all hail to Krishna
Krishna Krishna, we hail thee again and again

Rama and Krishna are avatars of Lord Vishnu, which is the preserver of the world in which he protects. If you repeat the name it is said to clear any obstacles within your sight and your future. Chanting the Rama mantra it helps with karmic difficulties and helps to break through them. Chanting it as well will help gather bliss, immortality and closeness to Krishna and other divine spirits and beings.

*Practice together with your own soul mate or your own husband or life partner will help you gather your own focus and balance in your relationship. If can build more trust and help you both through difficult times as well.

Your Mind is Glad and You are Happy

2008-10-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Begin the mind gladdening meditation by sit comfortably on the floor on a cushion or mat, with your spine straight by rolling your shoulders back and resetting your rib cage, take three deep breaths, inhaling fully through your nose and relax your belly. Begin to balance your head and keep your thoughts focused on pleasant thoughts all around you and beyond what you know.

As you feel happiness envelope your mind and body, reflect on everything good in your life, then reflect on your sense of worth through your parents, your family, your friends, your teachers and anyone else that is worthy of your own self worth. Think of many ways in which you have taken delight in your own body and your own mind. Think of the ways your heart has been touched and the ways you have touched others in the same way.

As you become more happy in your mind with these passing thoughts, your ability to focus becomes stronger and this will indeed enhance your feeling of complete well-being. Keep and continue this feeling as your mediation time comes to an end.

If you do your meditation of this happiness and mind gladdening thoughts, your whole day will become brighter and you will see positive change with consistency.

Doing and Practicing....Part of Life.....Yes

2008-10-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Practicing the Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chanturanga Dandasana) plays a role in the Sun Salutation pose and vinyasa flow yoga as well. They strengthen and tone the entire body and prepare you for many other positions to follow, here are poses that you can practice everyday to help strength the areas in which the pose engages.

1. For Arm Balance: Crane Pose (Bakasana); Flying Pigeon Pose (Galavasana); Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana) helps give core consciousness and helps in strengthening and toning the arm muscles.

2. For Inversions: Headstand (Sirsasana); Forearm Balance (Pincha Mayurasana); Headstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana) helps with giving attention and awareness to the spine and neck, as well as the core.

3. Backbends: Upward-Facing Dog (Urhva Mukha Svanasana); Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasasa); Upward Bow Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasasa) helps give the legs awareness and strengthen the spine and back muscles.

Prana and Apana and how They Releate to Yoga

2008-10-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

Prana is what your body takes in. You take in prana (nourishment of liquid and solid) at the top of your body, it enters the alimentary canal and goes through the body and out. It has to get down to get out, mostly because your exit is located at the bottom below where you took it in at. And with the force of apana, has to move down to get out.

You also take in prana through your breathing and with the act of apana you breathe out. Because air comes in at the top and goes out through the top apana works in both up and down manners depending on what waste it needs to get out. If you attempt to stop apana with your breathing it will result in an incomplete breath.

To learn more please visit SivaSakti

Here's to a Better You-----------NOW! (A Yoga Approach)

2008-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

• Find your own space: Never approach things with a negative outlook. It has been said many times too many people throughout many troubles; "Always think positive". But, do more than that, take slow deep breaths before approaching a difficult situation. If anything, you want face the situation in an irritated state of mind.

• Find time for a rest: Learn to know you are tired. With yoga, comes knowing your own body and knowing it very well. Take mental break as well as physical breaks when you need to from time to time. Spend at least 15 minutes a day in the "Leg up the wall" pose at the end of your busy and mentally challenging day.

• Find time for gratitude: Always reflect at the end of the day on the things you are grateful for. Even if it is something simple that had a big impact on your during the day. Something simple, such as a strangers smile, a firm handshake that gave you the feeling of appreciating and be grateful for your own health and wellbeing everyday of your life.

NAMASTE!

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Think Outside Your Yoga Mat Entirely

2008-10-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Look at the world with yoga in mind. Try taking your practice outside the mat indoors and head outside on a pretty, clear day or even practice on a covered porch in the pouring rain. You can even take your practice on the sand near a beach or a lake bed. Or how about a local park that has swings and you can even use the swing as a support for your backbends as well as embrace the day's surroundings.

• Falling down-does it equal failing?
It's important to learn to fail. No matter whom you are. The bottom line is, learning to fail means learning to fall. Gather all the pillows you have in your home and cover the floor around you with them. Make it about three pillows deep, and then try difficult yoga moves. Don't be worried if you fall. Do this in a wide open area so your leg won't smack the coffee table or the antique lamp your grandma gave you either. Try moves like the Handstand or the Forearm Balance pose and continue to fall as many times as it take to get the pose down and stay in the pose for about 30 seconds or longer.

Opening Your Heart

2008-10-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

• Bhujangasana (boo-jang-GAHS-anna) (Cobra Pose): Lay flat on the floor in prone position, bringing your arms, with elbows bend up beside your head. Push up with your palms as if doing a push up, but leaving your thighs and lower waist against the floor. Push up with your upper body and keep your head straight. Hold for 30 seconds.

Benefits: Improves flexibility in the spine; Opens the chest area

• Dhanurasna (don-your-AHS-anna) dhanu = bow (Bow Pose): Lay flat on the floor in prone position, bringing your legs up, bending at the knee and grabbing your ankles with your hands into a "bow" position, leaving you belly on the floor. Hold for 30 seconds.

Benefits: Opens the chest; Relieves back pain; Strengthens the back

• Matsyasana (mot-see-AHS-anna) matsya = fish (Fish Pose): Lying in supine position, place your hands just under your buttocks. Lift your chest up off the ground with your hands and your head on the floor. Hold for 30 seconds.

Benefits: Opens up the chest; Relieves stiffness in the neck

•Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (SET-too BAHN-dah) setu = bridge (Bridge Pose): Lying in supine position place your hands and arms at your side, bend your knees and push your pelvis to the sky. Bring your hands together underneath your raised pelvis. Leave your head on the floor and make sure you keep your neck and head straight. Hold for 30 seconds.

Benefits: Opens the chest; strengthens the spine; relieves tension in the neck

•Ustrasana (oosh-TRAHS-anna) ustra = camel (Camel Pose): While on your knees, leaving your shines straight and parallel to the floor lean backwards and tilt your head as if doing a half backbend and grab your ankles and pull into your back. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds depending on your yoga level.

Benefits: Opens the chest; strengthens your back

•Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose): Once you have achieved the camel pose and strengthened your back you can attempt to complete the Upward Bow Pose. With your feet hip-width apart, lean backward with your arms raised and above your head the entire leaning process. Lean back until your eye sight is in line with the floor and place your palms on the floor over your head until your balance is gained. Hold this position for 30 seconds. You can even start on the floor and come up into the Upward Bow Position until your back is strengthened enough to handle the full over bending while standing.

Benefits: Opens the chest; strengthens the back; strengthens the legs and arms

Om Namah Shivaya (Om Nuh0muh Shee-vah-yuh)

2008-10-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Mantra for honoring the divine: "I bow to the Divine within" or "I honor my innermost Self" or even "Reverence to your own God."

Om namah is a very popular and sacred mantra in the Indian tradition of honor. Its basic meaning is "Om, Reverence to Shiva."

Shiva refers to a divine power of Consciousness, which as we all know, is the basis of all our reality. Shiva is equated to our innermost self. So Om can be that you bow to the Divine within. You bow to yourself and the one that is divine to you.

Welcome your body and yourself as they are. Welcome yourself as part of the whole being that you are. Breathing in you become aware of your body and self, breathing out you smile and accept who you are, who you have become and who you will become. With that acceptance and honoring of you, real changes do take place. Accept them all as a whole. With this, you accept yourself.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

2008-09-25T21:34:00.001-07:00

(Handstand)

Benefits: Helps to create strength in the shoulders and the back. Also helps strengthen the abdomen.

Place a yoga mat or a nonskid mat near the wall and place your hands on the floor with your hands a bit distanced from the wall. Go down into the Downward Facing Dog Pose and bring on foot forward while keeping your other foot back. Raise your head slightly and push off from the floor with your leg and foot that are still back behind you. Keep your head raised until you feet hit the wall. Press against the floor to gain balance and your entire body is lifted. Hold this pose for 3 to 6 breaths and come down and do again. When you have gained enough strength to get up every time you try then switch legs and continue. Doing this pose once a week or even every time you practice yoga. It will greatly help you build confidence within yourself.