Yoga With Spirit

Are you seeking change in your life? The advice to quit trying so hard might surprise you: "How does an apple ripen? It sits in the sun." Patience and persistence can be far more effective agents of change than the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears. Keep showing up. Trust the process. But recognize that you don't need to be in control. Leave some space for unimaginable possibilities, surprising twists and turns, and miracles too great to even hope for. Life won't let you do...wn. https://yogawithspirit.com/the-powers-of-patience-and-pers/

I know. I know. It’s a busy time of year. But please take a second to read this. Regular rest is a fundamental part of success, health, and happiness. It helps us exist as human beings rather than "humans doing." Practicing silence, mindfulness, and breathing are three ways to rest that create deep healing, inspire bursts of creativity, and offer clarity. https://yogawithspirit.com/regular-rest-is-really-good-for/

One of the hardest aspects to grapple with within yoga philosophy and spirituality in general is the idea of the Authentic Self and the false self. A relationship with a student finally brought my understanding of this concept to life - who we are and what we do can be wildly different things. https://yogawithspirit.com/you-are-much-more-than-you-thin/

You and I are human beings. As long as we live and breathe, we are going to experience reactions. We are not practicing yoga to eliminate reactions. We are practicing to weaken or (maybe one day ) even eliminate the power our reactions have to dictate our responses to life. When this happens, we receive tastes of the freedom and clarity that yoga offers which can massively improve the way we experience the moments of our lives. https://yogawithspirit.com/reactions-dont-mean-you-have-to/

If you, like me, like to feel in control, this one's for you. Here are three ways to practice letting go of your need to control. When we step back and redirect all that energy toward ourselves controlling our desire to be in control instead of trying to control the world around us we feel 1,000 times better. https://yogawithspirit.com/3-ways-to-depower-your-inner-co/

If you are experiencing a sneezy spring, the broader practice of yoga can help. Yoga and its sister-science, Ayurveda, offer many practices beyond the moving and breathing we do on a yoga mat. In fact, the postures we do on our yoga mats are only one of many components that make up a complete practice. There are practices that are recommended to be done before we unroll our mats. Neti (which is translates as nasal cleansing) is one these purificatory practices and is particularly helpful this time of year. https://yogawithspirit.com/an-extra-yoga-practice-for-a-sn/

Without some type of contemplative practice, when life bites most of us will bite back. Our knee-jerk reaction is to get defensive. We allow the initial, totally natural, wave of feelings to dictate our response to whatever is upsetting us. This doesn’t make us bad people. It makes us human people. In other words, this is simply the way we are hard-wired. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Regular contemplation re-wires us. https://yogawithspirit.com/why-do-we-practice/

Happy New Year! Instead of thinking in terms of typical resolutions as we welcome this new year, why not consider maintaining a way of living that you may not even realize 2020 taught you? Living with Beginner’s Mind has the power to make every day (even every experience in every day) as brand-new as January 1. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could discover and celebrate the joy, energy, and freedom of being a beginner at this thing called life all year long? https://yogawithspirit.com/resolve-to-be-a-beginner/

I learned a new phrase this week that captures the essence of 2020 for me: ambiguous gifts. Ambiguous gifts are true gifts for which we are deeply grateful, but that we would never have chosen. While I never (ever) would have chosen any of what’s happened during this year that will certainly go down in infamy, I am able, with open heart and open hands, to say thank you 2020 for all of your ambiguous gifts. Want to know more about these gifts? Here’s the link to my last blog ...essay of 2020. Happy holidays to you and cheers to a bright new year! https://yogawithspirit.com/a-season-to-celebrate-ambiguous/

Life inevitably brings challenges our way. When it does, you and I have the choice to take a hopeful stance. We can take a breath and actively (acceptingly, mindfully, and hopefully) WAIT. Trusting as we wait that, one day, we will feel a little quiver of inspiration to once again begin to stretch and grow. https://yogawithspirit.com/active-waiting-can-get-you-thro/

It’s been a long time since I’ve sat at my keyboard to share a bit of my yoga journey with you. In some ways, it feels like a lifetime. During the last months I’ve been wandering deep in uncharted territory grief over my brother’s sudden and shocking death in late June. Here is an excerpt of an essay I wrote about the practice of grieving, which for me has involved many of the lessons I’ve learned on my mat - self-study, compassion, acceptance, surrender, and curiosity. You ...can read it in full via the link below. ... Within the darkness of my grief I have begun to sense some light. I feel certain that this journey will be fruitful; that meaning and purpose will return to my life in entirely new ways. My certainty is anchored in my practice. Yoga draws me back (again and again) to my center where I connect with the light within. It is the glow of this light that softly illuminates this dark, uncharted path so that I can walk on into my life. https://yogawithspirit.com/grieving-is-both-a-practice-and/

Rather than hopping on a plane or packing up the car, our main mode of travel these days is our sneakers.But my husband and I have maintained our passion for seeing as much of this world of ours as we can. By deciding to approach our little outings as travel or exploration, that is what they have become. If you, like us, will be staying closer to home this summer, remember that this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your travels. It’s a great big, beautiful world out there even in your own backyard. Stay curious and keep your eyes open. See as much of it as you can. https://yogawithspirit.com/travel-is-a-state-of-mind/

Yoga teaches us that a practice of change that starts with ourselves alone on a little rectangular mat is never, ever contained to that mat or to ourselves. It always spreads to the world around us because that is where we live and love.

When we are generous, we are both giver and receiver.

We can all change the world a little bit today.

Happy First Monday Morning of the Summer! What if this week you let go of the shoulds?

The little things in life that make you smile can slip by unnoticed if you're not paying attention. Practicing mindfulness can help. Mindfulness practices such as yoga teach us that, with practice, we can develop the ability to choose our focus, to choose what our mind is thinking or focusing on in any given moment. Pay attention! You don’t want to miss a single thing!... https://yogawithspirit.com/pay-attention-or-you-might-miss/

Whether the change you’re working towards is internal or external, keep at it.

Remember, it’s about practice not perfection. Be inspired by all the chances you have today to be a positive force in the world.

Changing our minds sometimes means that we learn new things and sometimes that we unlearn old things. Both require a willingness to see ourselves objectively, which does not always feel great. But both also lead to growth, which does.

Happy Monday Morning! Would you like to join me this week paying keen attention to the little joys that fill your days? It’s a powerful way to refocus on the light no matter how dark the world around you feels.

You find yoga philosophy in the darnedest corners of life! Housekeeping is good for you. In yoga philosophy the first of five practices that support our intention to live a spiritual life (niyamas) is purity (sauca). Even 2500 years ago when these practices were codified, our ancient yoga teachers knew something profound when you take care of the world around you, keeping it clean and orderly, you are also taking care of your inner landscape. https://yogawithspirit.com/housekeeping-yoga-style/