Quote of the day...

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."
~ Woodrow Wilson

Inspiration...

Tao Porchon-Lynch is a 91 year old yoga instructor and ballroom dancer in White Plains, New York

Tao Porchon-Lynch learned yoga while growing up in India, in the former French colony of Pondicherry, but she didn't become an instructor until half a century later.

For much of her career, she danced, modeled and acted in India, France, England and California. She appeared in Hollywood movies and on television before landing a job with UniTel in the 1960s, establishing TV stations in India. "I was playing with life," she says. "There was so much to do and so little time to do it."

Porchon-Lynch has taught yoga since the 1970s and certified 400 other teachers. Until recently, she was able to suspend herself by her hands in the full-lotus and peacock positions before she broke her wrist. She's still a competitive ballroom dancer, despite undergoing hip replacement five years ago. "I'm not going to give up," Porchon-Lynch says. "I'm going to dance and do yoga for as long as I live."

By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer

Click here to view the video of this remarkable woman:
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/12/n_cmr_92_year_old_yoga.cnnmoney/

Love Unlimited...

How would you like to be unconditionally loved, just as you are, without having to be or do anything special? What would it be like to feel truly, completely, radically accepted, with out feeling as though you had to hide or deny or apologize for any aspect of yourself?

All of us crave this kind of love and acceptance, but few can honestly say we offer ourselves such unconditional regard. The trouble is, if we cannot love and accept ourselves just as we are, we will find it difficult to truly love anyone else in such a limitless, unconditional way. And, perhaps even more unsettling to contemplate, if we are fortunate enough to find someone who accepts and loves us unconditionally, how can we be open to receiving that love from someone else if we haven't fully accepted ourselves?
Unconditional love becomes possible when you practice cultivating the four states of mind known as the brahmaviharas. Collectively, these four qualities of friendliness or lovingkindness (metta), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha) are the qualities of true, authentic, and unconditional love. Both Patanjali, the Indian sage who compiled the Yoga Sutras in the second century BCE, and the Buddha taught the importance of cultivating these four states of mind.

"By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness." ~ Swami Satchidanada (1914-2002) (translation of Yoga Sutra 1.33)

"Consciousness settles as one radiates friendliness, compassion, delight, and equanimity toward all things, whether pleasant, unpleasant, good or bad." ~ Chip Hartranft (translation of Yoga Sutra 1.33)

Stachidananda says that these qualities are the four keys to establishing the mind in serenity.

Cultivating these states of mind is a way of restraining or reversing what Patanjali calls vikshepa, the tendency of the mind to be distracted and outwardly directed. Patanjali tells us that when we react haphazardly or callously to what people do around us, inner disturbance is the result. These four attitudes combat that disturbance and bring us closer to a state of balanced equilibrium.

For example, in everyday life when we see happy people, cultivating a friendly attitude toward them will help forestall feelings of jealousy and envy. When we encounter those who are suffering, we should compassionately do what we can to help - for our own sake as much as for the person who is suffering. And finally, when we are faced with those we deem non-virtuous, the classical yoga tradition teaches that we should strive to have an indifferent attitude towards them. Often, we indulge in judging and criticizing those who we feel are misguided. This hardly helps keep a serene state of mind! Commentators in the classical yoga tradition point out that the yogi should not divert attention from his or her own practice in order to try to reform those who are unlikely to heed advice. As Satchidananda points out, "If you try to advise them, you will loose your peace."



Reference: Yoga Journal 2010

Quote of the day...

"Only from the heart can you touch the sky."
~Rumi

Let life happen....

This may be an easy thing to say when you're happy, life is easy and going your way... but what about when what's happening isn't what you planned?

I'm in this "in-between" phase in my life where I'm ready to be finished with school and get on with my life but life is giving me little fires to put out along the way. So what do I do now? What is my mantra?... Let life happen.

Life is the path we take.

What happens on the road to our destination is our life's story.

So many of us want to rush through life and get to our destination that we forget that life is the path. If we all jumped into this world in our "perfect" career or our "perfect" relationship how vain would we be? We would have no life experience, no wisdom, no scars. Our past makes us who we are, our present is our path and shapes our future, and our future is open for endless possibilities. No one knows exactly how your life is going to turn out. You may think you know what you want, but there could be something far better out there for you. You just have to leave your heart open and let life happen.

"It is better to do your own duty badly, than to perfectly do another's; you are safe from harm when you do what you should be doing" ~The Bhagavad Gita

Quote of the day...

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."
~Buddha

Class on Easter Sunday...

Yes! I will be leading the 5:00 class at 1st Avenue Rocks on Easter Sunday (April 4th).

Come join us!

Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of Your Life...

Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of Your Life Workshop is soon approaching!

David will be in Birmingham May 13-16, 2010

Here is a run-down of the workshop schedule:

Thursday: 5:30-8:00pm ($60)
Discussion of how David thinks Ashtanga Yoga should be taught and practiced based on his 39 years of daily practice and teaching. This class is the foundation for all students, and particularly teachers, who want a greater depth of understanding of the "big picture" of the most beneficial way to practice and teach Ashtanga Yoga.

Friday: 5:30-8:00pm ($70)
1st series in depth with thorough explanations of every step.

Saturday: 10:00am- 12:00pm ($70)
1st series completed with the less interruption by David's commentary, except for postures not covered the day before.

Saturday 4:00pm-7:00pm ($70)
History of yoga, description and the history of Ashtanga yoga, David's travels and adventures in Yoga, and his bringing Ashtanga Yoga to America and it's eventual spread to the entire world.

Sunday 4:00pm-7:00pm ($70)
An introduction to 2nd series in a way that everyone at all levels can try and enjoy.

Full workshop: $300
Early registration (by April 13): $250

Click here to register: http://www.birminghamyoga.com/BirminghamYogaWorkshops/news_nd1244482600767.aspx

See my previous post for more info on David Williams...
http://yogaticlynds.blogspot.com/2009/12/ashtanga-yoga-with-david-williams.html

Light & Love!

My Wish for You...

I heard this song on the radio the other day and thought the lyrics were so in-tune with what we should all wish for one another. Such beautiful words that we should all try to follow...

I hope that days come easy and moments pass slow,

And each road leads you to where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens and another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile.

More than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams to stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

This is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but you never forget,

All the ones who love you in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

You find God's grace in every mistake,

And always give more than you take.

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams to stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
This is my wish.

Rascal Flatts

My wish for you

Quote of the Day...

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day..."
~ Audrey Hepburn

New class...

It's official! I will be teaching a Vinyasa Flow class at the Birmingham Yoga studio (inside First Ave Rocks)!

Here is the info:

Starting March 24th
Every Wednesday @ 5:00pm

Class description: Vinyasa Flow

$13 drop in

$10 for students

Members of First Ave Rocks gym: 1st class free, discounted rates after 1st class.

I will continue to teach the free class on Sunday's at 5pm! The class has really begun to grow. Thank you to everyone that comes!

(picture is of my fellow Teacher Trainee's and Laura Tyree in handstand inside the B'ham Yoga Studio at First Avenue Rocks)

Quote of the day...

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting."
~Buddha

Learning to exhale...

What is the importance of deep breathing and why do yogis so faithfully believe in it?

Breathing is life, the very source of movement.

Breath is more important to us than either food or water. We can go weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without oxygen. But we know this, right? We know how to breathe. It is something that occurs automatically, spontaneously, naturally. So why do we need to be taught how to breathe?

Our breathing is too shallow and too quick. We are not taking in sufficient oxygen and we are not eliminating sufficient carbon dioxide. As a result, our bodies are oxygen starved, and a toxic build-up occurs. One major reason for our shallow breathing is the stress of everyday modern life and work. Certainly, yoga is not the only way to cope with the stress and the resultant drop in oxygen supply to the brain brought on my constricted breathing. A coffee break, a trip to the restroom or a good laugh may all result in some readjustment of constricted breathing patterns. We can all benefit from seeking more breaks, a walk outside, a deep breath, let it be your "work day yoga".

Animals which breathe slowly live the longest; the elephant is a good example.

The benefits of deep breathing include:
Increase in digestive fire
Oxygen purifies the blood stream
Improvement in the health of the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord
Rejuvenation of the skin
Reduces the work load of the heart
Weight control
And finally, relaxation of the mind and body

In yogic terms, breath increases our prana or life force.
(See my blog 'Positively Prana' for more understanding on Prana: http://yogaticlynds.blogspot.com/2010/01/positively-prana.html)

And lastly, it is important to breathe through your nose. This may seem obvious, but many people breathe principally through the mouth. Put simply, the nose is a natural filter that prevents impurities from entering the body. This keeps your lungs clean and free of small debris that may come in through your mouth without your knowing.

So I leave you with an experiment: Try to be aware of your breathing when you are excited, angry, stressed, and relaxed and notice how it changes. Be aware of your breath and try to use your full lung capacity. When you breathe deeply the air is brought down to the bottom of the lungs, where the richest blood supply is. Think of all the benefits of deep breathing, why wouldn't you want to take a nice deep breath?


(photo by Ashes and Snow)

Quote of the day...

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him."

~Buddha

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