What yoga is, what yoga is not.

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By Grace Hildebrand.

Yoga is  pretty popular these days. On one hand, this is awesome — the more people practicing and reaping all of the mind/body/spirit benefits, the better. On the other hand (like most things that get Westernized and become mainstream), the original roots of Yoga can get twisted and lost in translation.

This is something I have never spent loads of time thinking about — I am normally on my mat deep in my own practice. However, after a seriously sprained wrist, I was given six weeks to sit on the sidelines and just observe.

This brought up some less than comfortable emotions and I could honestly compare it to the longest roller coaster ride of my life. Who would have guessed? I am finally off the ride, and grateful for having been on it because all of that observing has given me a deeper and fiercer love and understanding of what Yoga is.

Before reaching that bright, illuminating clarity on what something is, it is often easier to start with what something is not:

Yoga is not a purely physical practice. It is not 100 chaturangas. It is not pressing crow into handstand. It is not getting your foot behind your head. It is not a one-armed handstand lotus balancing on your pinky, nor is it holding boat pose for 10 minutes.

Yoga is not about killing yourself to perform the most advanced postures and running your body to a point of insane exhaustion and injury. Yoga is not competition, comparison, or jealousy. Yoga is not about what is the trendy, newest way to get the flattest abs and ‘hottest’ body. Yoga is not drinking Chai lattes or making green smoothies in your Vitamix.

Yoga is not about mala beads, wrap bracelets, and it definitely is not about f*&@$%! Lululemon.

Phew. OK, now that we got that out of our way, we can see what is left.

What Yoga is about is bringing your mind, body and spirit in sync.

It is about surrendering. Surrendering to whatever lesson your mat has for you that day. Surrendering to life. Surrendering to your body. Surrendering to living from a place of love. It is about feeling and learning how perfect you are in your imperfections — how there are no imperfections at all. It is about burning through the story your Ego has told you, and being able to see clearly again.

Yoga is about knowing and trusting with all of your being that you are exactly where you need to be. Where you are supposed to be, with all your injuries and strengths (they are all lessons, I assure you). Where you are supposed to be, during light and darkness. Chaos and bliss. Challenges and peace.

Yoga is letting go of attachment; embracing the present moment, the adventure of the unknown, and your own perfection. Let go of attachment to the outcome of a pose, and love the journey of getting there. Love where your body is right now.

Let go of the attachment to how happy you will be when you can balance on a handstand, when you can fit back into your size four jeans, or when you buy those sweet new yoga pants — because when you get all of those things, you will still be the exact same person with the exact same struggles and issues!

Yoga helps you keep your cool when life challenges you. It is about seeing your challenges as something you get the chance to overcome. Seeing them as an exciting chance to learn from, grow, and build your strength, faith, and courage.

It is about staring your challenges in the eyes calmly, with a smirk — saying “Thank you for all you are about to teach me!” It is about learning to enjoy every part of the ride: twists, turns, bumps, sudden stops, and gracefully reaching the destination.

Yoga is about learning how to live from a place of love and compassion. A place where you are your authentic self, where you do not let fear drive you, where you can infuse faith, passion, honesty, and gratitude into every breath.

Stop making your practice into a competition with your neighbor, an unhealthy obsession, or what you think you ‘should’ be as a yogi.

Allow your Yoga to be what it truly is.

Allow your sacred practice to teach and nurture you, guide and love you.

Original post here

By Anjana Duff

What Is A Yogi?

What does a yogi look like? How does a yogi act? What are the rules and commandments of “fitting in” with the yoga crowd?

Are yogis the people with perfectly toned yoga bodies wearing Lululemon, adorned in mala beads and “om” tattoos? Are they compassionate, vegetarian saints, shopping at Whole Foods with a cart full of kale and quinoa (never any cookies or booze)?

What Defines A Yogi?

I am someone that strongly dislikes being defined or being forced to conform. I am a “rebel”. I want nothing more than to be free, to be myself, to be authentic.

I was first introduced to yoga around age nine. Instead of going to church on Sundays, I would practice yoga, read from the Bhagavad Gita and chant sanskrit mantras with my mother. Soon I realized that was odd and different from everyone else, and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Somehow drawn back to yoga in my late teens, I’ve been practicing consistently ever since. There have been times when I have wanted to give up and get out of this “yoga thing”. But I am still here, still practicing, still dedicated – now more than ever. This is my path. This is who I am.

What Does A Yogi Do?

I wear mala beads and use them to meditate. I am named after Hanuman’s mother and I am a vegetarian. I am kind, compassionate and selfish at times. I am moody and messy. I suffer, I laugh, I get fearful and ashamed. I like to look good and feel good. I love kombucha. Malbec and Stella Artois. I rock yoga pants, Ganesh t-shirts, short dresses and heels. Depending on the day, I practice yoga in silence, listening to Rihanna or jamming to Krishna Das. I like to chant and I like to party. I am spiritual, I am human.

I love yoga. Yoga can’t really be pinned down and defined, and neither can I.

So what’s a yogi to do when that concept or idea starts to become another stereotype or image to fit into?

Yoga is living, breathing and ever-changing. There are no rules. There are no exclusions. There is no conformity. You don’t have to look like anything in particular. You don’t have to act a certain way. Your Warrior II doesn’t have to look perfectly like mine. You are free to be who you are. Yoga is all accepting, all encompassing, all unifying.

Vegetarians drinking green juice, all their chakras aligned, standing on their hands in yoga pants have become an image of what yogis are. It is no more than an image and concept in people’s minds. Those things don’t define anyone.

Those practicing yoga for spiritual, mental and emotional reasons are no better or worse than those practicing for chaturanga arms, a yoga booty and six pack abs. Eventually, people practicing for the purpose of an ass-kicking workout will inevitably go deeper. Yoga does the work. It does the magic.

Yoga is about you, the practitioner. Whoever you are. It’s about knowing your true self and evolving to your fullest potential. It’s about awareness. It is about connection of all the fragmented parts of yourself, connection between yourself and others, connection of mind and body.

15 Things That Make Me A Yogi

There are no rules or definitions, but I do know some things that undoubtedly make me a yogi.

1. I practice… and practice more. It is my space, my freedom, my devotion and inspiration.
2. I am aware. I am aware of all parts of myself, all the layers. I am aware of the thoughts, emotions, aches, pains, judgements and everything in between. I am aware of the space that holds all of that.
3. I am centered and grounded.
4. I am present. I am with my breath. I am at home in my body.
5. I know myself, love myself and accept myself. And there are plenty of times when I don’t. But I know how to come out of self-judgement and self-loathing.
6. I go with the flow. I ride the waves of life and find the ease.
7. I have an ego. I remind myself that I am not my ego.
8. I see the light in everyone. I appreciate everyone as they are. I love.
9. I breathe deep and live from my heart.
10. I am flexible and supple in body and mind.
11. I am a student of life. I am always learning and evolving.
12. I don’t follow rules. I am who I am. I will never fit into any category, definition, image or concept.
13. I am authentic and honest. On and off my mat.
14. I am not all these things, all the time. But the awareness remains no matter what comes and goes on the surface. I know how to return to my center, to my most true and pure self, unified and whole.

What makes YOU a yogi?

original post here

Combine Fire and Water in Yoga

Combine Fire and Water in Yoga

MyYogaPro - A revolutionary way to learn and practice yoga

MyYogaPro is an an online yoga program that combines 16 in-depth yoga video courses with a cool way to track your progress, earn rewards for your achievements and interact with other yogis on your journey. MyYogaPro puts YOU in control of your practice, wherever your are.

Did you enjoy the 30 Day Yoga Challenge? Then, BIG news for you. Yesterday the Kickstarter campaign  was launched to give you much, much more!

MyYogaPro is not a reality yet! Not all of you have the possibility to back MYP on Kickstarter. However, if you liked the 30-Day Yoga Challenge and believe in what we do, then please back the project. 

They've taken the 30 Day Yoga Challenge to the next level!

The guys at DoYouYoga and I spent the past couple of months developing a revolutionary yoga platform, that will help you grow your practice like nothing you've ever seen before. MyYogaPro gives you more yoga videos, more challenges and a completely new yoga experience that focuses on your personal needs!

Join the yoga revolution. Your support makes a huge difference!

The just launched campaign at Kickstarter is not just talking. MyYogaPro is completely different. It's packed with over 200 yoga video classes and 16 targeted courses. And YOU can help us make the yoga revolution possible. Check out the Kickstarter campaign below and get a crazy discounted early bird offer (limited time).

"I do not expect anything from others, so their actions cannot be in opposition to wishes of mine. I would not use you for my own ends; I am happy only in your own true happiness.”

check it out here

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Sage Patanjali

The meaning of Yoga

The word yoga means to join or unite. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali described yoga as the means by which our mind can be made still, quiet and free from all distractions. 

The goal of Yoga

Patanjali explained that when the mind is kept calm and quiet for a long time in dhyanna (meditation), we become united with god and attain salvation. When a person attains salvation he reaches the goal of Yoga. This goal is called samadhi or kaivalya. 

Requirements for Yoga 

Patanjali taught that we must practice Yoga very diligently and watchfully. Try to keep an even mind, in success and failure. He also taught us to live simply and avoid temptation.He further advised thad we must cultivate good character traits. To be friendly and compassionate, to be cheerful and to not look for faults in others and always try to improve ourselves. 

Problems on the path of Yoga 

Wise Patanjali was careful to point out the obstacles that we may face while following the path of Yoga. He warned us to beware of ignorance, self importance, anger, hatred and excessive attachement. He explained that sickness, laiziness, doubt and lack of concentration are all hurdles on this path. 

The path of Yoga  

To enable us to cultivate the good qualities, and overcome the hurdles, Patanjali laid down an eight-fold path. This unique path is known as the Ashtanga-Yoga of Patanjali. A person who follows this path is called a yogi.

 

Spread the word! It's starting soon!
Like Andy, Erin and all the people involved in this amazing project I too believe that  Yoga Should Be For Everyone
The kickstarter project My Yoga Pro will be launched onMonday the 21st October 2013.
As it states in the website:
"We Believe Yoga Should Be For Everyone
That is why this October we will be launching a Kickstarter project together with the incredible Erin Motz. MyYogaPro is an an online yoga program that combines 16 in-depth yoga video courses with a cool way to track your progress, earn rewards for your achievements and interact with other yogis on your journey. MyYogaPro puts YOU in control of your practice, wherever your are."

If you believe in what you do, it is no effort to pass on the message.

photo by André Novais

Food matters a really cool and informative website published this article which I found very informative so I'm sharing it with you.

WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU PUTTING ON YOUR SKIN

Is your bathroom cabinet bulging with toxins? Is your make-up or toiletries bag a cocktail of chemicals that could do you harm? Yes is probably the answer to both questions. Check out the ingredients list on your bottles and jars: the higher up the list these 15 come, the greater the concentration.

Formaldehyde - Combined with water, this toxic gas is used as a disinfectant, fixative, germicide and preservative in deodorants, liquid soaps, nail varnish and shampoos. Also known as formalin, formal and methyl aldehyde, it is a suspected human carcinogen and has caused lung cancer in rats. It can damage DNA, irritate the eyes, upper respiratory tract and mucous membrane, and may cause asthma and headaches. It is banned in Japan and Sweden.

Phthalates hit the headlines last year for being "gender benders". They are a family of industrial plasticisers already banned in the EU from being used in plastic toys, but are still in hairsprays, top-selling perfumes and nail varnishes. They can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled as fumes and ingested from contaminated food or breastfeeding. Animal studies have shown they can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system -especially developing testes.

Parabens are listed as alkyl parahydroxy benzoates -butyll methyl/ethyl/ propyllisobutyl paraben on some toothpastes, moisturisers and deodorants. They are used as a preservative, but are oestrogen mimics. Research suggests that parabens in antiperspirant deodorants can cause breast cancer. Oestrogen-type chemicals have also been linked to testicular cancer and a reduction in sperm count.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) is one of the major ingredients in nearly every shampoo, bubble bath, liquid soap etc. Why, when it is a known skin irritant, stops hair growth, can cause cataracts in adults, damage children's eye development and cause urinary tract infection?

Toluene is a common solvent found in nail enamels, hair gels, hair spray, and perfumes. It is a neurotoxin and can damage the liver, disrupt the endocrine system and cause asthma.

Propylene Glycol is a cosmetic form of mineral oil (refined crude oil) used in industrial antifreeze. People handling it are warned by the manufacturer to avoid skin contact and wear respirators and rubber gloves etc, and yet this is a major ingredient in most moisturisers, skin creams, baby wipes and sun screens. Why? It's cheap and gives the "glide" factor in body lotions - but is in fact robbing lower layers of skin of moisture. Lanolin and collagen also clog pores and cause skin to age faster than if nothing was used.

Talc is recognised as carcinogenic and has been linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer and general urinary tract disorders. So don't dust it on your baby's, or anyone else's, bottom!

Parfum/perfume A typical cosmetic can contain up to 100 chemicals in the perfume alone! 95 per cent of these chemicals are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum -26 of which are on an EU hit list. Fragrances have been linked to allergies and breathing difficulties and they penetrate the skin.

Xylene is listed as xytol or dimethylbenzene on nail varnish bottles. It can damage your liver, is narcotic in high concentrations and causes skin and respiratory tract irritation.

Diethanolamine Also Tri and Mono (DEA, TEA and MEA) are absorbed through skin where they accumulate in products also containing nitrates, they react and form nitrosamines which are carcigonemic.

Aluminium is found in most deodorants and has been linked to Alzheimer's. If you want to stay alert, and still smell fresh and clean switch to a safer one.

Triclosan sometimes listed as 5-chloro-2 (2,4-dichlorophenoxy) phenol, is in deodorants, toothpastes, vaginal washes and mouthwashes. Toxic dioxins are produced during its manufacture or incineration. It is stored in breast milk and in fish, and can break down in water to create a member of the dioxin family.

I am reading a book called " Autobiography of a yogi" and I'm really enjoying it and because of that I want to share it with you!

The book is available online here 

I admit that sometimes the English is a bit challenging but keep in mind that this was written in 1946...

The other thing I wanted to share is something called 30 Days Yoga Challenge created by Erin Motz you can access it here

One of the nice things about it is the amount of time of each class, which is about 20min so if you don't have the time for 1.30hr of practice you can start slowly getting into it! Of course it will only work if you like her, but I think she's pretty down to earth and has a great energy, so why not give it a try?

If you don't really like her style you can also take it as a challenge to get over it ;) and try to really go into yourself and connect to your body and enjoy. 

It is such a good feeling when we can let go of our pre-conceived ideas and judgments and truly enjoy what is around it.

Namaste

ps. You can find more about the meaning of this word here 

"yoga provokes in us a deep transformation"

When I was little my parents took me to a couple of yoga lessons, I still remember them but it was only until few months ago that I connected the images to the practice.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine invited me to practice yoga with her, after a couple sessions she beautifully draw me the sequence of the sun salutation and I was on my on to keep the practice. When I felt it was not enough I went on a search for "my" type of yoga. 

There are so many styles and teachers and from the very beginning I felt that finding the yoga style that  was fit for me was like finding "my" GP or therapist...It is, at least for me, a very personal choice.

I feel that it had to be someone I trusted and in a style that suited my body and my rhythm. In my search I ended up finding great teachers that thought me a lot and got acquainted  with several yoga styles or methods.

One of those, and the one that inspired me to deepen my practice was Sivananda hata yoga. I had a wonderful and inspiring teacher and trough her classes I became more and more engaged with yoga both physically and spiritually.

Yoga had already been part of my life for five or so years but after I started Sivananda I feel that my practice progressed and I allowed my self to go to the next level. 

Yoga is something that inspires me everyday either it being in my own practice or the practice with my students. 

Yoga changed my life and continues to do it. It inspires me to be a better person and to share what I have learned with others.

Goddess of Disappointment

By Sally Kempton

A couple of weeks ago, I was in London preparing to teach a workshop on Goddesses called “Dancing with the Divine Feminine.” At dinner one night, I asked a friend which goddess he most wanted to hear about. “I’d love you to talk about the goddess of disappointment,” he said.

The table went silent. “You’re kidding, right?” someone said. This guy is one of the more successful people I know, the author of more books than I hope to write in several lifetimes, married to a beautiful woman he loves. Why, we wondered, did he want to investigate disappointment?

I shouldn’t have been surprised. In the years since I started teaching the yoga of the Indian goddesses, I’ve noticed that many people with enviably successful lives feel a strange kinship with Dhumavati, the crone goddess whose name is synonymous with disappointment, despair, and difficulty. One reason, perhaps, is that even people who mostly succeed at life also know the taste of failure. Even those of us who desperately fear disappointment, know at some level that there is no real success without coming to terms with our fear of failing, and with the hidden gifts that failure offers.

Still, Dhumavati—her name means ‘the smoky one’ –is not at first glance a goddess you’d want to invoke. Skinny, poor, elderly, she is the very opposite of the auspicious goddesses like Lakshmi. One verse describes her as wearing dirty clothes, and riding in a chariot decorated with a crow banner. (In India, crows are birds of ill omen.) Another verse says, “Her complexion is like the black clouds that form at the time of cosmic dissolution… Her face is very wrinkled, she has disheveled hair, and her breasts are dry and withered.” Dhumavati, in short, is that familiar figure from both Eastern and Western mythology—the crone, the eternal bag lady, the witch. Moreover, Dhumavati personifies the feelings you might experience when your luck runs out, when your business tanks or your lover leaves you, when you get sick or injured or get rejected by your first choice college. In short, she’s everything that most people do their best to avoid.

Why then, would you want to get to know Dhumavati?

Perhaps because you intuit that there are certain gifts we can only attain if we’re willing to navigate disappointment. There are boons in difficulty, profound empowerments that come to us when we face into the inevitable disillusionment that exists in every human life. And Dhumavati, with her wizened, ugly face, is literally the guardian of those gifts. Her Shakti, her divine energy, is the primal guide along the path that can turn disappointment into enlightenment.

We need her. Without Dhumavati’s grace, we can remain trapped by our images of success and our fear of loss, especially the losses that come with age and sickness. When we have her grace, she empowers us to mine the exquisite wisdom hidden in the heart of life’s most difficult moments. On a worldly level, Dhumavati often shows up in your life to remind you of your fundamental human vulnerability. A friend of mine met Dhumavati when her back went out so badly that she couldn’t get out of bed for two months. Another discovered her when his business partner ran away with all the money in the company account. One of the most profound teachers I know has spent the last 15 years in daily, grinding pain from nerve damage brought on by an accident—and learned to walk through it with a grace that inspires everyone who meets her. Dhumavati has been her teacher.

One way Dhumavati teaches us is by asking the question, “Can you keep your equilibrium when everything collapses? Can you find your yogic groove when everything falls away?” This, of course, is one of the questions that yogic practice is meant to answer. And, in my experience, when we walk through a Dhumavati moment with full awareness of her presence, she carries with her the key to some very potent yogic secrets.

Dhumavati is one of the Ten Wisdom Goddesses, who each represent a stage of enlightened consciousness. Dhumavati represents that stage of the inner journey where the spiritual goals we started out with become empty of meaning, and we have no choice but to let go of our agendas. As such, she bestows the inner gifts of detachment and freedom, the power to soar beyond circumstances. In other words, she is not only the goddess of disappointment; she’s the goddess who shows us that within disappointment is the secret boon of true freedom. (Remember the old Kris Kristofferson line, “Freedom’s just another name for nothing left to lose.”)

Esoterically, Dhumavati represents the void state of meditation. This stage, which we might experience as an inner blackness, or as a pervasive feeling of dryness and disinterest in practice, is sometimes called the ‘dark night of the soul.’ However, according to the tantric teacher Ganapati Muni, this is actually the precursor to Samadhi, one of the highest forms of meditative immersion.

When you sit with the intention of going into a deep meditation, you have to let go of egoic concerns, of thoughts, of all of your various agendas. Without letting all this go, it’s very hard to experience the vastness of your unlimited awareness. Most of us, even when we want spiritual experience, deeply resist this level of letting go—in meditation and in life. That’s why we so often have to discover Dhumavati’s gifts by having something taken away from us.

And here’s the secret: when you can allow yourself, instead of resisting disappointment, to see it as a lesson in letting go, Dhumavati can help you discover the profound wisdom of non-attachment. Dhumavati doesn’t empower us in obvious ways, like Durga. She isn’t dramatic, like Kali, or beautiful, like Lakshmi or Parvati. Her gift is the strength that comes from letting ourselves empty out, and the profound freedom and peace that we achieve only when we’re willing to renounce something we wanted. Who knew–-especially in our success and beauty-worshipping culture–that not getting what we wanted could be liberating? Yet when we are willing to be fully present to our moments of disappointment and failure, Dhumavati’s Shakti can free your heart of worry, fear, and grievance—making room for possibilities far beyond anything you could imagine.

So, the next time things aren’t going the way you think they should, stop resisting for a moment. Embrace the feeling of disappointment. Whisper to yourself Dhumavati’s mantra, “Let go.” And notice how, if you allow her in, she will fill your heart not only with peace, not only with compassion, but also with her own flavor of intense love. The kind of love that only the Goddess can give you.

in Yoga journal 

July 19, 2013

Thoughts From Within - Woody Harrelson

"You alone are the author of your future- experience teaches you that. Your behavior is not an unchangeable law of nature. At every moment, you have the opportunity to change- to alter your thoughts, your speech, your actions. If you train yourself to be mindful of what you do, and ask yourself whether it is likely to lead to positive results or negative, you'll be guiding yourself in the right direction. Repeated good intentions can generate a powerful inner voice that will keep you on track. It will remind you- whenever you trap yourself in a cycle of unhappiness- that you can get out of that trap. Periodically you will have glimpses of what it is to like to be free. You make this vision a reality by acting in positive ways and letting go of misery."

 in Eight mindful steps to happiness: walking the buddha's path
by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana