goodnight february

It's hard to believe February is almost over. I must admit...I am very happy about this. With the arrival of March, I know longer days with more sunlight are coming, flowers will be starting to peek through the ground, grass will soon be greener, and spring will be arriving in full bloom soon!

The yama of the month for March is satya (truthfulness). On the right, you will find a brief description, action, and mantra to help you focus on satya this month. If one can have a favorite yama, I think satya would be mine. More than simply not telling lies, satya is about living authentically. I believe much human suffering comes from living a life that isn't based in one's own personal truth. We all have a personal responsibility to live our lives truthfully and authentically...this is our biggest act of service and gift to the world.

May we know truth.

May we speak truth.

May we live in truth.

Namaste'

Yogadiva

music for the soul

I'm listening to a new cd my husband purchased for us from ebay: Brian Eno's Ambient 1 Music for Airports. (I've thought this title was a little odd since hearing it, but then I read the information from Wikipedia about how it got it's name--see below). The music on this cd is just what I've needed. I've been feeling very rushed and tired this week. It's so nice to have a few minutes to sit, relax, and listen to music that is soothing to my mind and soul.

Here is the background information about this beautiful cd:

"This was the first of four albums released on Eno's own, then new, Ambient label to actually carry the name "ambient" - a term which he coined to differentiate his minimalistic approach to the album's material and "the products of the various purveyors of canned music"[2]...
The music was designed to be continuously looped as a sound installation, with the intent to defuse the tense, anxious atmosphere of an airport terminal. Eno conceived this idea while being stuck at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany in the mid 70s. He had to spend several hours there and was extremely annoyed by the uninspired sound atmosphere.[3]
It was installed at the Marine Air Terminal of New York’s LaGuardia Airport."

Namaste'
Yogadiva

innate goodness and beauty

Here is a yogathought for the day from Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates:

"Either we believe in our innate goodness and beauty or we do not; it is up to each of us to decide. We may spend our entire lives believing a lie about our true nature, or we may put our trust in our own grace. Either way, most of us have to choose what we believe about ourselves each day, each hour, each moment of our lives."

Namaste'
Yogadiva

self-care

The topic of self-care is one of my favorites. I fully believe that without filling ourselves up regularly, we end up with very little to give. This morning, I was reading The Life Organizer by Jennifer Louden, and she suggests creating a list of minimum requirements for self-care:

"Between surviving and leading a fully humming creative life lies the middle ground of determining your minimum requirements for self-care, a duded-up way of saying what you absolutely must have to stay in touch with your center. Basic needs, or minimum requirements, are different for each woman, although getting enough sleep, moving our bodies, eating fresh food, being touched, and connecting to something larger than ourselves show up pretty consistently on women's lists--but again, not on everybody's. It can be easy to discount the importance of these basics, because getting enough alone time or napping when you are tired just doesn't sound as sexy as realizing some fabulous dream. Yet without these basics, the dreams don't come true, or you can't sustain them when they do, or most tragically, it turns out that you are following not your dreams but rather a script about what you should do. But when you reach a certain stage of commitment to your self, you find that you are willing to give the amout of attention and energy needed to these basics, because without them, it isn't your life. You discover that you have less leeway to stray from what is essential."

To get you thinking about your minimum self-care requirements, Louden suggests filling in the blanks on the following statements:

"Without __________, I lose myself."
"When I feel most connected to my center, I am _________."
"When I feel most connected to something larger than myself and my agenda, I am __________."
"My body helps be me connected when it has __________."
"I could live without __________ but not for long."

So today, I will be using these ideas to create my own minimum self-care list including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly categories. Spring will be arriving shortly and I think it's the perfect time to reflect and focus on renewing ourselves in order to blossom fully!

Namaste'
Yogadiva

something to think about

Here is your yogathought for the day. I found it on http://kbethiep.blogspot.com/ and felt compelled to share it here:

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." --Martha Graham

Namaste'
Yogadiva

action

This morning as I read my daily excerpt from Meditation from the Mat by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison, I was reminded again of one of the reasons the 2009 word of the year I chose for myself is ACTION.

"The eight-limb path [of astanga yoga] is all about behavior. It's about our actions, not our good intentions. If we want self-esteem, we must do estimable things. The emphasis is on the doing. Hafez, a fourteenth-century Sufi poet, suggests that we act great all the time. He doesn't suggest that we wait around until we feel good and then, with the neccessary "feeling-good" momentum, begin acting great. He urges us to act great whether we feel good or not. And short of that ideal, we ought to fake it until we make it."

Here is your yogathought for the day from Hafez:

What is the key to untie the knot of your mind's suffering?

Act great. My dear, always act great.

Namaste'

Yogadiva

grateful day

On my way to work Friday, I was reflecting on a conversation a teacher and I had with a student earlier this week. I was thinking about how cool it was to have a job where I could potentially have a positive impact on so many lives. I was hoping and praying that this particular student would take to heart what was said in the meeting and begin making choices that would result in her having a wonderful, full life ahead of her rather than another much more challenging, sad path.

Once I arrived at work, right before my 8:00 a.m. parent meeting, my co-workers surprised me with flowers and cheering and told me I had gotten the School Counselor of the Year Award for the central portion of the state. The fact that my co-workers nominated me was a huge honor. Then, to be chosen, well, like I titled this post, I'm just very grateful. It definitely feels good to be recognized and appreciated for the challenging, yet rewarding work I do.

I find it so interesting how life can go when one expects great things to happen!

Namaste'
Yogadiva

self love

On this Valentine's day I feel compelled to mention how important it is to show love to others as much as possible throughout the year--rather than on just one specific day. Truly, if people made sure that at least once a week, they were celebrating Valentine's day there would probably be many more happy marriages and relationships out there.

And, just as important, if not more, as showing love to others is making sure to love and accept ourselves. It's interesting as I counsel teenagers, especially the girls, to see their struggles with fully embracing and accepting who they are. I know for me personally, I didn't really come to a full acceptance of myself until my mid-to late 20's, and yoga has definitely been a huge help along this journey! I will admit there are still times even now when I have to remind myself I am a fabulous woman worthy of abundance, joy, and love.

When one fully learns self-love--not just in the head, but in the heart--the world becomes a very different place. It's a place to learn, and grow, and accept and spread love. That's my Valentine's day wish to you:

Love yourself: Learn, grow, and spread your love.

Namaste'
Yogadiva

Wed. yogathought

Here is your yogathoought for the day:

"Supporting others without nurturing ourselves depletes energy necessary for developing creativity." --C. Diane Ealy

Namaste'
Yogadiva

yummy yamas and niyamas

say that five times fast... :)

I recently decided to add a "Yama of the Month" to my blog. Don't worry if you're not a yogi or yogini; as I've mentioned before, yoga is much more than just a physical practice: it is a way of life. And, the practice of the yamas and niyamas are a very good way to focus your intentions and live in a fully compassionate, ethical, loving way. For those wondering exactly what a yama or niyama is, I will attempt to break it down in a user-friendly sort of way:

There are eight limbs in the astanga yoga path. These eight limbs help us live our lives to the fullest and move towards a blissfully divine existance. The first two limbs of the eight are the yamas and the niyamas. The yamas and niyamas are universal guidelines for all: They extend beyond age, race, class, religion, time, or circumstances.

There are five yamas, or restraints, and each of them help us focus on being compassionate and living a life of dignity and respect for self, the world, and each other. Here are the five yamas:

1. Ahimsa (nonviolence)
2. Satya (truth)
3. Asteya (nonstealing)
4. Brahmacharya (moderation)
5. Aparigraha (greedlessness)

There are also five niyamas and these guidelines focus more on our own internal regulation. They outline how we interact with ourselves and the focus is on our internal world. Here are the five niyamas:

1. Saucha (purity)
2. Santosha (contentment)
3. Tapas (austerity)
4. Swadhyaya (self education and study)
5. ishvara pranidhana (surrender to the divine)

The yamas and niyamas are not about right or wrong. They are about living authentically by learning to manage our energy, balancing our lives, making conscious decisions, and connecting our inner growth with outer restraint and compassion. No matter who we are, most of us could use a little more yama and niyama focus in our lives!

Here is your yogathought for the day:

"I change myself, I change the world." --Gloria Anzoldua

Namaste'
Yogadiva

yogathought

Here is your yogathought for the day from my Wayne Dyer daily calendar:

"Before speaking, consult your inner-truth barometer, and resist the temptation to tell people onlywhat they want to hear."

Namaste'
Yogadiva

new addition--Yama of the Month

I've decided I will be adding a "Yama of the Month" and then "Niyama of the Month" section to my blog. If you look to your right, you will see February's Yama of the Month: Ahimsa--Nonviolence. My hope is that all those interested will join me in my intention to focus energy on one particular yama or niyama each month during the year of 2009.

If you're not familiar with Yamas and Niyamas, I will be posting more about them in the next week or two.

Hope you enjoy!

Namaste'
Yogadiva

plannerpad in pink please

Recently I listened to an entire podcast by the fabulous Kimberly Wilson at Tranquility du jour titled "Planner Pad Persuits" You can find it here:

http://www.kimberlywilson.com/webplayer/webplayer.html

When I first saw that this particular podcast was going to be all about a planner, I thought: Are you kidding? How much is there to say about that? Well, let me tell you ladies and gentleman, there is A LOT to say!

And, this podcast got me so excited about using a planner again (I do use one at work, but don't have a personal one), that I decided to order one. I pride myself in being a very organized person, but I've been keeping a lot of information either on my iphone, in a notebook, or in my head, and I need a centralized place to keep it all. I can't wait until my new plannerpad arrives. If interested, you can check out the plannerpad at http://www.plannerpads.com/ It is unique from other planners as it has 3 different categories for all your lists, to do's, and reminders.

Of course, I cannot just have a boring black plannerpad, so I also ordered the great hot pink croc planner cover shown above. If you're interested, you can find it at http://www.getpinked.com/product_p/022227413463.htm

So, who get's so excited about such mundane things as planner pads and covers? Well, I do, and I think that's one reason I have such a full life...when the ordinary things make you happy and grateful, life is always good! :)

Now, off to go internet shopping for a mala beads. Any recommendations out there where I can find nice ones that are relatively inexpensive?

Here is your yogathought for the day:

"My yoga practice was teaching me how to pay attention to my everyday life in a way that was beneficial to myself and those around me. I was getting a glipmse of the hugeness of the ordinary, the sacred beauty of the everyday. I felt I could spend a hundred lifetimes just refining my own ability to have a good day." --Rolf Gates

Namaste'

Yogadiva