Diving In.

yogaprivatelessons:

Mind is a wonderful force inherent in the Self. That which arises in this body as ‘I’ is the mind. When the subtle mind emerges through the brain and the senses, the gross names and forms are cognized. When it remains in the Heart, names and forms disappear. If the mind remains in the Heart, the…

     If you have found something that you are truly passionate about then a part of you becomes ingrained in that thing, whatever or whomever it may be. And as caught up as you may get in the material world that passion will always be there when you are ready to come back to it. Or maybe it’s that when you find passion in something you have discovered a part of yourself. Today when I was feeling particularly entwined and weighted down by the material world the only solution I could think of was, yoga….

cactuspillow asked: you actually had a good thing going, not quite sure why you stopped.

I became very busy and I guess I let my blog go. Thank you for saying something. If I would have not gotten your response in my e-mail inbox I probably would not have revisited my blog for quite a while. Once I get some time between classes I will try to clear the rust and get the wheels turning again. I have a lot of new yoga experiences to share and questions to ask.

How will I know the when, where, what, and who of yoga teacher training? Will I ever be able to choose, or know which is right for me?!

   The word yoga comes from a Sanskrit word that literally means “to yolk”. The different styles of yoga apply different meanings and metaphors to the word, it is pretty interesting. But yoga comes down to the individual it doesn’t mean or represent the same thing to any two people it is very broad. I definitely encourage you to take a class. You have to go into yoga being completely yourself and that decides what you take out of it, whether you love it for its physical properties or mental, or relaxation, or spirituality or whatever. Another thing is that no two yoga classes are the same. Usually what happens is you keep going to different classes until you find a yoga teacher who best syncs with what you want to draw from the practice…so if you go to a class and don’t like it, don’t write off yoga…just realize that that was not the right style, or teacher.

The thing about yoga is you have to find your niche, and once you do it is totally worth it. Some people have to work really hard, try really hard and do a lot of searching to even realize that they like yoga, others fall right into it. I know I’m ranting but you wrote me a message asking about yoga, this is what you get. haha. Just remember go in to it with no expectations, no judgment (!!). This is really important, its not about your physical strength or flexibility, its about being in the moment with yourself, your mind your breath, your body, and accepting yourself in that moment, and strengthening with every practice. If you go into yoga with a completely open mind, and open acceptance you will love it. Keep me updated and if you ever want to talk about it I would love to. (Obviously). I would start with a beginning hatha, ashtanga, or vinyassa class.

Rumi (via yogaprivatelessons)

(via yogaprivatelessons)

Finally the sun is starting to show itself! It has been a long, cold, gray, wet, winter. Northwest winters can be killer and a hard term at school tops it off. The sun can be so healing, after about five minutes in the sun I already start to feel more relaxed and healthy. This winter has been especially hard on my yoga practice. With a full schedule at school and the cold weather, I have not had much time to do yoga at home. Another factor is the fact that we never turn on the heat in our house. Yoga with numb toes is never fun!

It is spring break now, my best friend and I just got home from a six day road trip down the coast of California. We saw some of the most beautiful sights and ate amazing food and spent so much time in the sun. It was a well deserved vacation. The best part is we could sleep in and do whatever we wanted without having the constant stream of guilt for not studying in the backs of our minds. 

Now I am back in Portland. I plan to go to the Bhaktishop as much as possible. I can’t remember if I have written about the Bhaktishop or not, but if anyone lives in Portland and loves the center of yoga. It is a beautiful studio and everyone there is always so happy and welcoming. Just walking in there the energy and the smells hit you and they are reminder of why I love yoga. 

laplumeabelle:

Chakra is a Sanskrit term meaning circle or wheel. There is a wide literature on chakra models, philosophy, and lore that underpin many philosophical systems and spiritual energy practices, religious observance, and personal discipline. Theories on chakras fit within systems that link the human body and mind into a single unit, sometimes called the ‘bodymind’ (Sanskrit: namarupa). The philosophical theories and models of chakras as centers of energy were first codified in Ancient India.

chakra is a center of activity that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy. The word chakra literally translates as wheel or disk and refers to a spinning sphere of bioenergetic activity emanating from the major nerve ganglia branching forward from the spinal column. There are six of these wheels stacked in a column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the middle of the forehead. And the seventh which is beyond the physical region. It is the six major chakras that correlate with basic states of consciousness…

Chakra are commonly described, as above, as energy centers in the spine located at major branchings of the human nervous system, beginning at the base of the spinal column and moving upward to the top of the skull. Chakras are considered to be a point or nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy of the human body.

The following primary chakras are commonly described:

Muladhara (Sanskrit: मूलाधार, Mūlādhāra) lower body 
Swadhisthana (Sanskrit: स्वाधिष्ठान, Svādhiṣṭhāna) reproductive parts 
Manipura (Sanskrit: मणिपूर, Maṇipūra) navel 
Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत, Anāhata) heart 
Ajna (Sanskrit: आज्ञा, Ājñā) eyebrow or forehead 
Sahasrara (Sanskrit: सहस्रार, Sahasrāra) top of head 
Chakras in the head from lowest to highest are: golata, talu/talana/lalana, ajna, lalata, manas, soma, sri (inside sahasrara) and sahasrara.

The concept of Chakra are often treated in different ways, depending on the cultural context. In Chinese medicine, traditional chakra locations correspond to acupuncture points. In some Eastern thought, chakras are considered to be gradations of consciousness and reflect states of the soul—these systems rely less on proof than on experience (under the assumption that ‘proving’ the existence of chakras is asking to ‘prove’ the existence of the thought process). A mystic may deal with chakra as a model for their internal and external experience, and when talking about ‘energy centers’, may be talking about subtle forces which connect to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of a person

(via cybelle73)

(Source: takecomfort)