Roma!

Roma! A few days before and after our retreat we spent time in Rome. It stole my heart. Filled with beauty and history, Rome takes the cake. David and I simply enjoyed exploring the city streets. We'd walked down one street and awe how beautiful it was and then turn the corner down another, and say the same. Then there was the gelato. We indulged, consuming the best in town. Somehow my aversion to dairy took a back seat. I just had to try, and that I did, on more than one occasion. Made me breakout like crazy afterward, but somehow it was worth it, hahaha.

Being the fashion buff that I am I couldn't resist perusing the various high end boutiques. The house of Prada brought a tear to my eye. Yes, this yoga girl can still appreciate things of a material nature. It's simply an appreciation of things well made. The Italians have a special knack for this when it comes to fashion. It is undeniable.

I'm already looking forward to my next trip! Roma! I love you!

Symbolic Substitutes

Here's something to chew on . . . 

Symbolic Substitutes 

By now you are probably aware of this fundamental paradox in human nature: A part of us wants inner peace and transcendence, and another part of us actively fights against it. Each of us instinctively intuits our prior wholeness, the spiritual source that lies hidden within. We are born with an evolutionary implies that drives us towards the fulfillment of our greatest potential. If you have ever felt a "calling," an inner urge to be something more, it is the evolutionary implies sparking you toward unfoldment. This drive is as real and as demanding as the inborn drive to eat, drink, or procreate. At the same time, however, the ego seeks to maintain its condition of separateness and aloneness. It fears its own annihilation because true fulfillment entails the healing of our separation, the integration of the ego into its original function - the health maintenance of our unique sense of "I." 

Because of this basic dichotomy, we seek transcendence in ways that actually prevent it. When we desire something too difficult to attain, we reach for the closest approximation, a symbolic substitute. If we lack personal power, we may seek money and influence as a substitute for this quality. If we lack stability and roots, we may build a lavish home to overcome our sense of insecurity. If we feel a lack of meaning or excitement in life, we may turn to food as the best available substitute. It is a brilliant strategy of the mind to reach for substitutes when we cannot acquire what we really want. Why not reach for food when we are feeling lonely, or search through the refrigerator when life is a little dull? Substitutes can serve as a useful purpose in our day-to-day existence. Yet they work against us when we hold them exclusively as a means for true fulfillment. 

Nourishing Wisdom, by Marc David.

What do you think?

Lecce, Italy

Ahhhh, Lecce, Italy. Such a beautiful place that has stood the test of time and then some. Embarrassingly, I've been late updating in that we held our retreat in early September. When you see a place like this, including many other beautiful areas in Italy, it leaves you thinking, wow, they just don't make'em how they used to. The texture, beauty and solidity of the structures are timeless. Weathered, slightly broken, yet still stunning.

Italy Retreat - Yoga in Salento - Next Year!

I had the pleasure of holding our first yoga retreat at Yoga in Salento in Southern Italy, and I have to say, it exceeded our every expectation. We had an amazing time. It went so well that we have two retreats booked for next year! Ashtanga yoga combined with the beauty and culture of Italy makes for a remarkable combination. With a multitude of beach locations to travel to, and the beauty of Lecce not to far away, there is an abundance to take in and experience. Join us! More details will arrive soon. Until then, these are the dates! 

May 18 - 25, 2013

August 31 - September 7, 2013

For more information and bookings email: info@yogainsalento.com

The beaches in the Salento area are some of the most beautiful in all of Europe. 

Yoga Transforming Lives

AYNY

Workshops and Events - Remainder of 2012

Four Day Ashtanga Yoga Workshop - Warsaw, Poland 

Dates: 5-8 October 2012

Location: Yoga Republic

Phone: +48 22 790 805 853

Email: yogarepublicpl@gmail.com

Website: www.yogarepublic.pl

Ashtanga Yoga Weekend Workshop - Athens, Greece 

Dates: 12-14 October 2012

Location: House of Yoga

Phone: +30 69 741 90910

Email: sgiantsis@hotmail.com

Website: www.houseofyoga.gr

Ashtanga Yoga Weekend Workshop and One Day Primary Series Workshop - Toronto, Canada

Dates: 19-22 October 2012

Location: Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto

Phone: +1 647 342 6550

Email: info@ashtangatoronto.com

Website: www.ashtangatoronto.com

Ashtanga Yoga Workshop for Ongoing Students - Stockholm, Sweden 

Dates: 27-28 October 2012

Location: Yogayama

Phone: +46 73 663 63 35

Email: info@yogayama.se

Website: www.yogayama.se

Stockholm Yoga and Dance Festival - Stockholm, Sweden

Dates: 2-4 November 2012

Location: Academy of Ballet

Website: www.yodafestival.se

Ashtanga Weekend Workshop - Cologne, Germany

Dates: 16-18 November 2012

Location: Ashtanga-Yoga in Köln Mitte

Phone: +49 160 90 308 506

Email: ashtangayogamitte-koeln@hotmail.com

Website: www.ashtangayogamitte-koeln.de

I Heart . . .

I do . . . 

Taking Flight, Part 1: "Develop the Root"

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”  

- Henry David Thoreau 

In order to take flight, first develop the root. 

Lightness is cultivated from grounding. Start here. With a number of opportunities to establish roots in the practice, when learning to ground, move the energy downward through the limbs. The rebounding energy, in turn, surges upward, allowing the subtle channels of the body to flow and energize, arising first from a place of stability. 

Look in nature. The tallest trees in the world, the redwoods, have a vast intricate network of roots supporting their skyward stretch. I like to think of it the same way in practice. Whenever my hands or feet are touching the floor I consciously ground my awareness and energy down toward the earth. This is where I gather my strength. It's an offering. 

Primary Series, among other things, is designed in a manner to ground and center, attaining an intimate relationship with our bodies. Starting from the gross level of awareness, then through time and practice, slowly, moving upward into the subtle reaches. It's intelligently designed. Often I feel gathering strength originates from focus and awareness. Even if it hasn't physically manifested yet, it doesn't matter. We are working the most challenging muscle of all in between the ears. If we work with internal guidance the outward manifestation will start to form. It really isn't the goal, think of it more as the byproduct of consistent, devotional practice. Practice is the goal. Then we taste the true experience.

Grounding doesn't always correlate into working with the downward flow of the body, even though this is an important step. It is also about fully inhabiting the body from root to tip. Every inch, every layer, ALIVE. Every part of our bodies integrated with the greater whole. This doesn't mean tensing, grasping or holding. This simply means awakening every cell of the body through the breath. If we can't feel it, we can't transform it. Equally stated, we can't let it go either. Truly, what we are aligning to is the conscious awakening of the parts of ourselves that lie dormant or inert. We already encompass everything. Think of it as an excavation. Some may have to dig deeper than others, however in the larger of scope of things it doesn't matter. Our body, our lesson.

There's a pulsation. Feel it. Through the breath our sensitivity toward this pulsation arises as we channel the energy. Grace begins to take form. Join with it. It onsets by inherently listening, feeling the natural flow of the body emanating from the center, radiating outward. This too is grounding. The center is the area of Mula bandha up toward Uddhiya bandha. The entire area. Encompass this area. Even if it feels dead, it doesn't matter, send your awareness there. Like I said, before it initiates in the mind, then in time, the body follows. We are creators, it takes consistent effort and patience. The refinement of the bandhas happen over a duration of continual practice. Don't get too wrapped up into it if it doesn't make sense, because it's still a mystery, even to me. All I know is connecting toward center brings the energy down into the body where the intelligence resides. Ever had a gut feeling? It never lies. Does it?

"Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  - St. Francis of Assisi

As cliché as it sounds, the power is within. I like to say, in an Ashtanga yoga practice, it's about having an in-body experience. We begin with what is tangible, and accessible, our bodies, and often before we have considered entering into daily practice we haven't become intimately connected with what houses our souls. I remember when I first began yoga practice I was amazed at what took place as I settled into the body. Through the power of the breath and the conscious connection centered on each movement the synergy created was a revelation. Ah-ha. The gateway to greater liberation is through the body revitalized by conscious breath. Of course there isn't only one way to freedom. However, from this realization the power of practice started to unfold. Layer upon layer we lighten up, whether it manifests in our body, or better yet, in our hearts and minds, never forgetting the added element bringing in a sense of discovery and curiosity in the process. 

Lightening up isn't only about fancy entries and exists out of postures. It entails bringing a sense of devotional wonder into our hearts through the experience of yoga. Each conscious step we take to dive inside through this physically demanding practice will begin to shed the unnecessary. What holds us down, what blocks our light, through observation comes clarity. "Mind medicine," as Guruji would say. 

"We don't use the body to get into the posture we use the posture to get into the body."  - Bernie Clark

Yup.

What are you waiting for? There is no criteria to start practicing yoga. None.