live fully

Here's something to think about as you go through your day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmjcKqXHJSM

Namaste'
Yogadiva

satya

"Let's tell the truth to the people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. You must know, however, that people will start avoiding you because they, too, have knees that pain them and heads that hurt and they don't want to know about yours. But think of it this way: if people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly afflicts you.'" --Maya Angelou in Letter to My Daughter

I found this excerpt in my Oct. issue of O Magazine to be somewhat amusing. I realize in our culture it's the norm to ask people how they are, and I've actually spent quite a bit of time thinking about this somewhat strange way we communicate. Truly, most of the time when I am asked this question, I can tell the person really doesn't want to know the actual answer, as I've noticed too often he or she is already walking away or on to another task before I've even answered. I've also felt slight discomfort when I've answered the standard, expected response of, "Fine," when that was actually not the case at all. Lately, I do tend to answer, "fabulous" or "great" when I'm feeling that way, and I often get a funny look of surprise from the person as if she was thinking, "What on earth is going on with you that you'd be fabulous?" Due to my discomfort with this somewhat odd exhange of words, I find I rarely ask people how they are in casual passing--unless I'm really wanting to know and have the time to listen to their truthful response. I also feel like every time we answer, "Fine" when that isn't the case, we aren't really speaking our truth. I know this seems like a little thing, but sometimes the little things can add up.

In yoga philosophy, the term "satya" means truth. It is so important that we use words, thoughts, and actions mindfully and are honest with ourselves and other people.

Here is your yoga thought for the day:

May we know truth.
May we speak truth.
May we live in truth.

Namaste'
Yogadiva

grace

To start your weekend, here's one of my favorite affirmations/prayers from Cheryl Richardson's book The Unmistakable Touch of Grace (I have it hanging on my fridge for a daily reminder):

"I am open and receptive to the power of grace in my life now. I ask to be shown clear examples of how this energy is operating in my life."

Have a beautiful day.

Namaste'
Yogadiva

weekend of yoga and pretty toes

This weekend I am retraining Yogafit Level 2. Although, I've completed this training before, anytime Yogafit training comes my way, I try to go since I can save on travel and hotel money. I always take some new ideas and inspiration from teacher trainings. I do wish we had more of these in the mid-west. Who knows...perhaps some day I'll start a mid-west based yoga teacher training of my own.

Since my bare feet will be spending 16 hours with a group of yogis this weekend, I decided to treat myself to a pedicure this afternoon. Throughout the summer, when I had more time and in an effort to save a little money, I gave myself pedicures. This is the first pedi I've had in months from someone else. It was heavenly! I went to the local cosmetology school to get the pedi because it is less than half the price of a regular salon...so I still was able to save a little money, too. It's so important to find ways to pamper yourself frequently...you are worth it!

Here's a yogathought for your day:

"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."
--Somerset Maugham

Namaste'
Yogadiva

coffee shop blogging and not so mean girls

I am very excited to say I am blogging from a coffee shop this morning on our new HP Pavilion dv5-1000us Entertainment Notebook. Yes, little events like the capability of blogging from a coffee shop excite me which is probably one of the reasons I tend to be a happy, contented person in this life. My hubby and I have been discussing purchasing a new laptop computer for a while now, and this week we went ahead and made the buy. Our old laptop was one I purchased over 5 years ago when I began graduate school. In computer years, it was a dinosaur. It also weighed way too much for me to comfortably lug it to a coffee shop to enjoy.

So now, what to write about? How about mean girls? This is something that's been on my mind for the past few weeks due to counseling high school girls who are caught up in mean girl drama. With the advancements in technology and the creation of myspace it seems that there is a whole new venue for female bullying. It makes me sad.

This morning I was reading Body + Soul magazine and there was a short article on gossip. It stated all people gossip and one of the reasons we gossip is in order to create a bond with the person we are sharing the information. I agree with this to some degree; however, I feel it's important to share information that is truthful and with no intention to harm. This is why it is so important when communicating with others we do so from an ego-free place of presence--a place I believe can only come from maturity, introspection, and a commitment to living a spirit-filled life.

Since my intention with this blog is to create a positive, thought-provoking, spirit-filled venue to write and be read, I don't want to focus on the mean girl phenomena, but instead on the wonderful women I have found through the blogging world who support one another, uplift one another, and are about empowering women to be the best we can be by building each other up. My hope is for all of my sophomore gals, as well as myself and all other lovely ladies out there, to find our own power and use it in positive and healthy ways.

Here are my 3 favorite blogs to read that do exactly this:

http://www.kimberlywilson.com/blog/
http://pink-heels.blogspot.com/
http://thezeninyou.blogspot.com/

Here is your yogathought for the day (I think I've used it before, but it's one of my all-time favorites--not sure where it came from though.)

Before you speak, ask yourself:
Is it kind?
Is it neccessary?
Is it true?

Namaste'
Yogadiva

yoga thought

"Without exception, begin every day of your life with an expression of gratitude. As you look in the mirror, say, 'Thank you, God, for life, for my body, for my family and loved ones, for this day, and for the opportunity to be of service. Thank You, thank You, thank You!" --Wayne Dyer

Namaste'
Yogadiva

going with the flow

This afternoon I subbed a yoga class. The energy is always interesting at the beginning of classes when I sub. I can feel the participants thinking:

Where is the regular instructor?

Who is this person?

What am I in for today?

Darn it, maybe I shouldn't have come.

(I must confess these are all thoughts I myself have had when finding my regular beloved instructor isn't teaching that day.)

However, by mid-hour, I can feel everyone starting to relax, loosen up, and go with the flow. By the end of class, all the participant are right there with me in yummy yoga land. And, after class people are asking where I teach regularly, thanking me, and telling me they enjoyed class today.

I truly cannot describe how satisfying a feeling it is to know I've been able to assist some fellow yogis in becoming present, relieving stress, surrendering to the flow, and refueling themselves for all of life's joys and challenges. It is a blessed feeling, I am grateful for always.

Here is your yogathought for the day:

"Man is not free to refuse to do the thing which gives him more pleasure than any other conceivable action." --Stendhal

Namaste'

Yogadiva

laughter's good for the soul

"I meditate, I do yoga, I chant,

and I still want to smack someone!"

I found this on Nadine Fawell's blog: http://nadinefawell.wordpress.com/ and had to post it on mine. I know all of us who practice yoga regularly have times when we feel exactly this way.

Enjoy!

Namaste'

Yogadiva

sick day & no guilt

I am at home sick today. Early this week, I noticed my energy level was at an all time low, and I felt very sleepy. I did take it pretty easy and tried not to push myself too hard, but by Wednesday night I could tell I had a cold. Yesterday I was stuffed up and tired but still felt well enough to go to work. Last night I went to bed at 7:00 p.m. and early this morning I could tell I definitely needed to rest some more, so I took a sick day from work. I pretty much slept all morning. I just got out of the shower. I do find when I'm sick with a cold, after I sleep for a long period of time, if I shower and put on a little make-up, I do feel a bit better.

There was a time in my life when I felt guilty about staying home from work when I was sick. This mind-set has changed primarily due to an incident a few years ago. At that time, I knew I had a bad cold and continued to go to work (because the world cannot go on without me in it, right?) only to have that cold turn into walking pneumonia--which forced me to be in bed and miserable for an entire week--there was no way I could work with pneumonia. If I had rested when the cold initially started, I do not think I would have gotten pnemonia. It's interesting how if we do not listen to what our body is telling us, it will eventually force us to listen. Now when I am feeling sick, I rest and don't feel a bit guilty about it.

Guilt is an interesting, and most of the times worthless, needless feeling. In Sanskrit, the language of yoga, there isn't a word for guilt. The concept simply doesn't exist. I have tried to embrace the idea of living my life guilt-free (as I've mentioned in an earlier post, I'm still working on saying no and not feeling a tad bit guilty). It's a very freeing feeling to know that as long as we live our truth and are compassionate with ourselves and others, there is not one reason we should need to feel guilty. And, even if we aren't always living our truth or being as compassionate as we can, we still don't need to feel guilty about it or beat ourselves up about it, we just need to step up and make changes for the better.

As Maya Angelou states, "We do what we know. When we know better, we do better."

Have a guilt-free, happy, healthy weekend!

Namaste'

Yogadiva

fabulous fall

Fall is arriving, and I am so excited about it. I have the windows open, apple scented oil burning, and can feel the cool breeze and hear the wind blowing the trees. I'm looking forward to buying some mums to plant and pumpkins to carve. With each change of the season, I am once again reminded of the importance of embracing change, surrending to the flow, and trusting life.

Namaste'
Yogadiva

yoga inspiration from Seane Corn

Yesterday I posted about some of my personal sources of yoga inspiration. Seane Corn is one of my all time favorites. You can check her out on youtube by clicking the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peBNUkSTvi0

Namaste'

Yogadiva

seek inspiration

Typically we think of young children and teenagers needing positive role-models. I think it is important to have role-models no matter what your age. Finding human beings who inspire you to be the brave, creative, wonderful person you were meant to be is essential in creating your fullest life.

This picture is me with one of my all-time favorite sources of yoga inspiration--Bryan Kest. He was one of thes first teachers I studied when beginning to learn about instructing yoga. He probably doesn't know what a positive role he has played in the course of my life. It's interesting how you might not ever know who you've inspired and made a positive impact on. I just try to trust that if I am working on myself, living life from a place of truth and integrity, and being compssionate with others then surely I'm making a positive impact.

Here are some of my other yoga inspirations:

Beryl Bender Birch

Baron Baptiste

Kimberly Wilson

Seane Corn (love, love, love her!)

Instead of a yoga thought, how about a few yoga questions to ponder:

Who inspires you? How can you live a life that inspires others?

Wishing you inspiration and peace.

Namaste'

Yogadiva

fabulous friday

Wishing you a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Here is your yoga thought for the day:

"Play is the exultation of the possible." --Martin Buber

Don't forget to schedule some play time!

Namaste'

Yogadiva

conscious eating

Since reading Kathy Freston's book, Quantum Wellness, I have started what she calls "leaning" into a more conscious way of eating. I have always considered myself a person who intentionally strives to be a spiritual being, but for some reason, until reading her book, I had never really thought of eating as a spiritual activity. Since finishing her book, I have started to eat primarily whole, non-processed, organic food. I gave up caffeine (I still have my decaf cup of coffee in the morning with a little sugar--I haven't been able to give it up totally--and soy milk). I also have greatly reduced my meat intake. As far as meat goes, I have pretty much only been eating seafood and farm raised animals, occasionally. For me, at this point I'm making the conscious choice to focus on the fact that I don't want to put anything in my body that is associated with violence or cruelty. For some reason, until this book I hadn't really wanted to think about or recognize the cruelty some animals suffer--she forced me to open my eyes. I'm hopeful I will keep up this approach to eating. Since making the change, I definitely feel much more healthy, alive, and well.

With this being said, I am very aware of how people react when talking with them about my new more conscious way of eating. I would never want to sound preachy or try to push my views on other people. I also think everyone has a right to make choices and create the life they want to live. I don't judge others for their personal choices, just as I hope others don't judge me for mine.

If you are at all interested in exploring this idea of conscious eating more, I'd recommend you check out Kathy Freston's book. I found it to be informative and reader friendly. It made me think and make some conscious changes. I'd also recommend checking out the following website: www.farmsanctuary.org

"Farm Sanctuary works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy. We envision a world where the violence that animal agriculture inflicts upon people, animals and the environment has ended, and where instead we exercise values of compassion."

I just finished watching the "It doesn't have to be this way" video under Farm Clips on this website, and I felt compelled to write this post. If you chose to watch, please know that it is graphic.

Here is your yoga thought for the day:

"One of the key points that I've been trying to make in this book is the need for conscious living. Meditation, cleansing, self analysis, exercise--it's ll focused on one goal: living your life in a fully conscious way." --Kathy Freston

Namaste'
Yogadiva

yummy yoga

I attended a 90 minute yoga class last night. It was divine. I believe fully that yoga could change the world one person at a time.

Here is your yoga thought for the day:

"Expect your every need to be met,
expect the answer to every problem,
expect abundance on every level,
expect to grow spiritually."
--Eileen Caddy

Namaste'
Yogadiva

creative affirmations

I just finished reading week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety of The Artist's Way and can already tell I'm going to gain a lot from working through this book. Today, I will be purchasing a writer's notebook to write my morning pages--what Cameron calls stream of consciousness writing. She states it's necessary to write 3 pages of morning pages every morning. Afterwards, she encourages writing creative affirmations (a girl after my own heart!).

Here are a few creative affirmations from her list:

My dreams come from God and God has the power to accomplish them.

Creativity is the creator's will for me.

I am allowed to nurture my artist.

Through the use of my creativity, I serve God.

My creativity always leads me to truth and love.

I am willing to learn to let myself create.

There is divine plan of goodness for me.

As I listen to the creator within, I am led.

I am willing to experience my creative energy.

I am willing to use my creative talents.

Here is your yoga thought for the day:

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." --Pablo Picasso

Namaste'
Yogadiva