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"A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part." - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj


Recently, finally, I checked my blog stats and was shocked to learn that my post regarding the Blue Lagoon is the top post of ALL time. Not only that, but it's the most visited post for every single week thus far. So much for my brilliant blogs about yoga! Hahaha, only kidding. Blue Lagoon you ask? Well, it's this magical place in the fascinating country of Iceland. I had the pleasure of teaching yoga there over a year ago and visiting the Blue Lagoon was part of my experience. It seems just mentioning the place peaks the interest of many out in cyber space. It's like, wow! I had no idea it would be such a draw. No less, the main reason for most of the traffic to this site. Sigh. This is really motivating me to get cracking, posting more regularly. This can't continue to be my most popular blog post ever! No. Although, my life isn't too exciting at the moment. Which, to tell you the truth, I'm happy with. I'm loving my routine.

We're already over 6 months in since starting our Mysore program. It's been great, and mostly the reason why I've been absent. I'm working with a tight schedule, especially after teaching for nearly four hours and doing my own practice before hand it's already nearly a full day. When putting in and then giving out, I've had to re-establish a balance for myself.

In the beginning it takes a substantial amount of energy and now things are beginning to take shape in a way that's really astounding. All it takes is commitment. Students want to know you'll be there. A relationship is born. A beautiful give and take and growth begins to take shape. There is no better formula then consistency. When working in this way it still blows me away how amazing this practice is. It works, truly, with the right amount of attention and care. Building slowly. Breath centered.

It's important for me to keep an open dialogue with students as they develop through their practices. I'm the type of teacher who enjoys listening to feedback when practitioners start to gain insights and attune to their bodies and minds. In that, I trust the practice in a way that I don't have to say too much because I know in time it will be there for them. Keeping them on track within the practice has a way of already removing the barriers. I am fascinated by it. I know other forms of yoga rely on an abundance of dialogue which can be beneficial from time to time. However, more often then none, I feel there really isn't anything new, so to speak. The yogis of old knew what needed to be uncovered through experience and the practical methods to take us there. Sometimes I feel we have complicated what is unnecessary to complicate. It's all so clear, is it not? Reveling in the mystery. I realize this being a recent phenomenon, in that yoga has become a billion dollar business globally. This motivates me to continue to peel back the layers and remove the exterior packaging and get down to the root. Namasté.

Ashtanga Yoga Unlimited

(source)

“The quickest way to still the mind is to move the body”  (Gabrielle Roth)


It's already been a challenge keeping up with blog posts lately, so naturally I started another blog, hahaha. Naturally. Why? Well, as you know I've started a new Mysore program from scratch here in Stockholm. This being the third Mysore program I've been a part of. Going in, I new it would be an undertaking that would take a fair amount of work and energy. The good kind of hard work. Teaching at this level can be harder on the body, especially when keeping up my own daily practice. With more physicality to endure the first few months have felt like some type of high level athletic training, and really it's all mental. Getting up extra early adds to the whole meaning of tapas. My word. Another form of mental training, really. I don't use it as a badge of honor. It only highlights what discipline can add to life. With discipline comes freedom. Crazy? Yes, at times it feels like that. But on a simpler level it's just a new habit being formed. Nothing is being taken anything away, it's adding to.  


So, the other blog. Well, I've launched another blog centered around the practice of Ashtanga yoga and the Mysore program I am facilitating at Yogayama. This blog, Peaceloveyoga, will continue. I'll be carrying forward posting on yoga per usual on a personal level regarding my own experiences with practice, insights, and thoughts. You know, things I debate and contemplate. I've got an active mind. if you couldn't tell already. It's like a mine field, haha. Stay tuned. 


The new blog, Ashtanga Yoga Unlimited, will be centered around Ashtanga yoga, practice, teaching, philosophy, and theory, all supporting the community of Mysore practitioners in Stockholm and extending out worldwide. Interested? Please visit if you feel so inclined. We have some interesting projects and ideas in the pipeline for the future. When the creative juices start to flow it's best go with it. Fun. Fun. Sharing this practice has been beyond rewarding. It's all about community at the end of the day. Already I've started to see people transform. Shed. Come alive. I can't say it enough how powerful this practice is. So in that way as we connect to ourselves, I'd like to put energy toward connecting together, as people, as practitioners, to all on the path of discovery. 


Namasté

Hooray! It's a Blog Anniversary!

"If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive."     — Audre Lorde


Yep! Today is the 4th Anniversary of Peaceloveyoga! Hard to believe I've been entering posts for this amount of time. It's so funny, because when I started I hardly knew what a blog was, or how it worked. I was never a reader of blogs, and didn't spend much time on the internet. But then, I bought my first Macbook, and well, the rest was history . . .

I've had the pleasure of meeting amazing people through blogging! It's been a pleasant surprise I wasn't expecting to come about since taking it on. It's been interesting being in contact with readers who have told me when they started visiting my blog, even telling me what I was going through in my life at the time they started. Meeting one of my very best friends through this outlet has been such a blessing, as well. For that I'm extremely thankful. Hey Yogini's Quest!

In the past four years there have been milestones, many changes - many ups, as well as downs. Pretty typical. It's what we call life. No surprise there. In the meantime, I'm committed to continuing on with blogging - offering up experiences on the path. It's all wide open. When I think about it, I never would have thought I'd be where I am at this moment. Hopefully, I can continue being open for whatever life brings for the following four years.

XOXOX