tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53812333244076997362024-03-13T17:24:44.849-07:00LauraNidra's BlogLauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-70781885014146074182013-09-09T15:03:00.000-07:002013-09-09T15:03:06.963-07:00Pranayama: Breath Extension<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fourth limb of Patanjali’s eight-fold path is pranayama.
Prana is often more simple translated at breath or energy. Richard Freeman, is his book The Mirror
of Yoga, states that prana can be more thoroughly understood to be “the
substratum of all sensation, feeling, and thought, the medium through which all
experience within the body presents itself.” The word, ayama, means to not restrict or control – ‘a’
being a negation in the Sanskrit language and yama meaning restraint, as in the
first limb of yoga. Together these words have come to be known as the set of
breath extension techniques that affect the nervous system and subtle body in
various way in order to prepare the body and mind for the inner limbs of the yoga practice. Rather that
elaborate on these varied breath practices and their effects, I’d like to focus
on the breath as it relates to asana or posture practice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are many subdivisions of prana that describe the wide
range of its movements and patterns inside the body, but two are the most
important for our yoga practice, prana and apana. Prana is the physical pattern of rising up, blossoming and
spreading out. The prana pattern is associated with the inhalation and is said
to dwell at the core of the heart, or the anahata chakra. Note that the word
prana is used to describe both the pattern of the inhaling breath as well as
the general idea of the breath.
Prana’s direct opposite is apana, the pattern of downward, inward and
rooting movement in the body. The
apana pattern is said to live in the muladhara chakra, which is located in the
center of the pelvic floor. If you
imagine a tree you can envision the joining of an expansive pattern with a
grounding pattern. As with the
tree, these patterns are intimately linked – without the stability and
nourishment the roots provide the expansion at the top of the tree would not be
possible, and without this expansion there is not point in rooting. They are like two lovers – yin and yang
in the Chinese Taoist system – each in the heart of the other. We may separate them in our minds in
order to think about and experience them, but ultimately they can never truly
be separated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These patterns initiate and inform the movement and
alignment of the body in asana in such subtle and obvious ways that the entire
practice can come to be seen as one continuous pranayama practice. The breath is constantly providing a
ripple of sensation for the mind to observe to the extent that it becomes the
internal organizing principal of asana, the foundational form of practice
within hatha yoga. For example,
the transition into the first position of the sun salutation when arms sweep
upward and outward mirrors the prana pattern while the second position
expresses the apana pattern by moving down and into a standing forward
fold. On a deeper and more complex
level, these patterns of breath inform the positioning of each and every one of
the body’s joints in each and every posture. Further, each joint continually
combines a different degree of prana and apana thereby balancing primary action
with counteraction and making it non-static, constantly changing and dynamic
experience. Freeman defines the underlying process of hatha yoga is to explore
the relationship of the inhale and the exhale; to discover the root of apana in
the prana, and the expansion of prana in the apana. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We do this initially by
uniting the ends of the breath through observing and cultivating opposite
physiological patterns.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we
inhale and the blossoming pattern naturally dominates we allow the mind to drop
down to the roots of the body and the breath. To use the example above, when
inhaling into the first form of the sun salutation we concentrate on the
perineum and beyond into the legs and feet, which our extensions of the pelvic
floor.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this way we remain
connected to the earth rather than floating off into the mental projections
inherent to the stimulation at the top of the inhale.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then when we exhale into the second form of the sun salutation
and the rooting pattern is naturally dominant, we allow our mind to remain in
the center of the heart. In this way our heart stays open and we are not
overwhelmed by the seriousness of the exhalation that quite naturally brings
sensations of fear, anxiety, dissolution and death.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The breaths relationship to the movement of the shoulder
join in reverse namaste (hands folded behind the heart in prayer position) is
such that we may use the primary action of internal rotation (apana patern) to
enter into the basic form of the upper arm bone but then the counteraction
(external rotation) is applied to keep the heart open as we fold into
parsvottanasna or pyramid pose. The learning curve is such that we may first
discover and cling to one extreme end of the prana-apana continuum, then, in
compensation we may grasp onto its opposite.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In time, though this back and forth continues, it lessens
and brings about a sense of integration and balance.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through consistent practice we may eventually experience
physically how the intertwining of the two breathing patterns affect the entire
structure of the body and mind.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the opening of the “yogic body” in asana practice we
learn to consciously join the prana and apana patterns. We are able to draw the essence of the
apana pattern up through the central axis of the body while simultaneously
pressing down on the prana pattern causing them to ignite in the roots of the
navel. The movement of breath can be imagined as bright tubes opening up from
one central channel into many branches that then return into a single tube
within the core of the body. In
hatha yoga these tubes are referred to as nadis. Nadi means “little
river.” For most of us, our small
rivers of breath and energy are all out of balnace. Some flow a little, some
not at all and still others are flooding the system all the time. Different
classical yogic texts refer to different numbers of nadis but all give special
attention to the ida, pingala and sushusmna nadis. The ida nadi is considered to be the moon channel, which is
said to be cooling and calming and is accessible through the left nostril. The pingala nadi is considered to be
the sun channel, which is heating and energizing and is accessible through the
right nostril. These two “side channels” are also associated with different
states of mind and it is said that when you stimulate one of these two primary
channels you experience characteristic moods or modes of thinking associated
with the temperament of that side.
The sushumna nadi is the empty channel right in the center of the core
of the body and can be accessed through the root of the palate. Anatomically,
the root of the palate begins in the soft palate in the back of the roof of the
mouth where the uvula hangs down.
He root is like a cup immediately underneath the pituitary gland. Yogic texts describe a nendlessly
extending flower called the sahasrara chakra, or the thousand-petaled lotus,
originating at the root of the palate and opening through the crown of the
head. From the base of the
sahasrara is the gateway to the central channel. Here the three nadis, the central staff of the sushumna, the
ida and the pingala from a caduceus.
Just like the wand of Hermes in Greek mythology, the two side channels
wrap around the central staff so the two opposing qualities of the breath find
their resolution and balance in the central axis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The practice of yoga asana and pranayama prepare the body
and mind for this resolution. If
you even have a glimpse of the uniting of the complementary principles of sun
and moon, prana and apana, inhale and exhale, something begins to occur in the
pelvic floor. According to yoga
theory, the two streams of breath are allowed to unite when the blockage, or
kundalini, between them is removed.
The root of the word kunda is “coil” thus leading to the image of a
coiled serpent lying asleep at the base of the spine where prana and apana are
attempting to unite. To again
quote Richard Freeman, “pranayama could be explained as various techniques for
breathing that consciously join prana and apana as a means for freeing the
inner breath so that it can unfold into its true liberated state.” When the goddess of prana is freed the
inner breath, the kundalini, uncoils and stands up straight along the central
channel. In other words, the
breath becomes still and is concentrated in the central channel, allowing the
normal world-constructing and world-interpreting activities of the mind to
temporarily suspended and the mind enters a state of pure awareness. Recall
Yoga Sutra I.3 – yoga is the suspension of the fluctuations of consciousness
(yogas-citta-vrtti-nirodhah). In
the context of asana practice we skillfully extend the length and smoothness of
the inhale and exhale as we churn and wring out the body in order to allow the
prana and apana to unite, flow easily into an unobstructed central channel so
that deep levels of meditation or samadhi can arise. Because the image of the
goddess standing upright in the base of the pelvis is so vivid and colorful it
is important to remember that the process of yoga is really about the
observation of what <i>is </i>and not the
reduction of it to our theories or images of what we’d like it to be. Internal imagery may help us to observe
and experience the subtle and blatant effects of the breath but if we hold onto
them too tightly we may miss the experience we are seeking all together. So as a final metaphor for the breath,
through our practice we must cultivate the razor’s edge of intelligence that
occurs in the balance of discriminative awareness (inhalation) and complete
non-attachment (exhalation) in order to see everything, just as it is, without
the mind’s overlay of theories, preconceptions and expectations. This is the yoga of action – on and off
the mat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>This brief, and albeit superficial, description of pranayama
is based primarily on my experience at Richard Freeman’s 2012 Teacher’s
Intensive and my own personal experiences with asana and pranyama over the last
ten years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richard’s book “The
Mirror of Yoga” is highly recommended to anyone seeking a deeper understanding
of the concepts presented above. </i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-70129321883693141452013-03-31T16:30:00.000-07:002013-04-01T09:22:15.203-07:00Santosha: Contentment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you are
busy making other plans.” A
culture raised on the grass-is-greener principal, in a country indoctrinated in
the church of hard work dogma, is it any wonder that while we hurriedly prepare
for life’s next big event and advertisers magnify this sense of longing in us,
the second <i>niyama</i>, <i>santosha</i> or contentment, is constantly just out of reach.
Yoga reveals the path to the innate calm and abiding stillness that we are.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Patanjali states in Sutra 2.5, “Lacking self-awareness, one
mistakes that which is impermanent, impure, distressing and empty of self for
permanence, purity, happiness, and self.”
This ignorance weds us to a perpetual wheel of suffering. We think we are free but in truth, we
spend vast amounts of energy clinging to that which gives us pleasure and
avoiding that which puts our pleasure at risk or we see as repulsive. Further, we expect our preferences to
be a source of eternal bliss yet their achievement is often anti-climatic or
disappointing and, without much ado, we are off striving after the next “if
only” key to supreme happiness. Yoga philosophy tells us that all things are
inherently neutral. The
full spectrum of sensation, energy, emotion and thought are simply exquisite
feedback mechanisms aiding us in our journey to become sensitive and effective
caretakers of our being. It is our
personalized labels that color experiences in a way that makes them appealing
or repulsive and keeps us spinning.
All this maneuvering between pleasure and avoidance shows up as the
physically feeling of gripping in the body. The first nine months of my relationship was long
distance. Each time my boyfriend
and I would have the chance to see each other there was a simultaneous clinging
to the joy of being together and a tense defense against the unpleasantness of
our inevitable parting. Seeking
and avoiding are expensive uses of our energy that result in a failure to
appreciate the moment. Yoga Nidra
teacher, Richard Miller, offers that in order to set energy free to experience
the moment, we not only agree to ride life’s waves but we actively welcome
them. As Bob Marley put it, “Some
people feel the rain. Others just
get wet.” We can always trace our
emotional disturbances back to ourselves and thus, we keep ourselves out of the contentment we so desperately seek.
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The 13<sup>th</sup> century mystic poet Jelaluddin Rumi
expresses this coalescence of extremes: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a
field. I’ll meet you there. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When the soul lies down in that grass, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The world is too full to talk about.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Ideas, language, even the phrase each other </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">doesn’t make any sense.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finding and remaining in this place of equanimity is simple
but not easy. As with most things,
it takes consistent practice over a long period of time. Each time we step onto
the yoga mat we have an opportunity to cultivate contentment by genuinely
listening to the many cues our body/mind offers and choosing to honor that
feedback by modifying or intensifying the pose as appropriate. This is done without comparison to what
the pose looked like yesterday or in anticipation of what it will look like
tomorrow. The balance of effort and ease in any given yoga posture is a
constantly changing dance with the breath. Quoting the late master teacher
Pattabhi Jois, “Yoga is an internal practice. The rest is just a circus.” An advanced practitioner hovers on the cusp of his or her
intelligent edge of sensation - a place that is neither too much nor too little.
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Contentment also requires a healthy dose of surrendering to
the great many things in life that we cannot control. There is a paradox to contentment: the more we seek it or
need it to look a certain way, the more it eludes us. It is easy to feel happy when life is going our way but what
about when chaos abounds?
Discontentment is the illusion that there can be something else in the
moment. There isn’t. The moment is complete exactly as it
is. The paradox of contentment
allows us to appreciate what we have and to fall in love with our life. Next time you are feeling bored,
depressed or overwhelmed consider making a gratitude list. Whether mental or hand-written, list
everything for which you are grateful. From
the moon and stars to the shoes on your feet nothing is too small. I have a gratitude jar. In it are little reminders of life’s
fullness that I will review at the year’s end. Practicing gratitude cultivates the fertile soil for
contentment to take root by keeping us centered in the joy and abundance of our
life. Contentment is like a tall tree so rooted in the Earth no storm can
topple it. </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-73344572305583318712013-03-08T15:44:00.000-08:002013-03-08T15:44:14.483-08:00Saucha: Cleanliness & Purity<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we begin our study of the second limb of yoga, <i>niyama</i>
(personal observances), let us review the five facets of the first limb of
yoga, <i>yama</i> (universal observances). The yamas acknowledge that we are social
creatures living in a world full of other life forms. The five <i>yamas</i> invite us
to see past our individual needs in order to consider the needs of the
collective. <i>Ahmisa</i> (non-violence) turns us from harming self and others through
the cultivation of kindness and compassion. <i>Satya</i> (truthfulness) turns us from lies and half-truths to
expressing our individuality and authenticity. <i>Asteya</i> (non-stealing) turns us from theft to developing new
skills and abilities. <i>Brahmacharya</i>
(non-excess) turns us from greed to a balanced appreciation of pleasure and joy. <i>Aparigraha</i> (non-hoarding) turns us from
attachment to intimacy without possession. These five universal disciplines
form an inner compass that guides us into harmony and right relationship with
the universe and its inhabitants.
The <i>niyamas</i> on the other hand develops our relationship with ourselves
by shifting attention from a social focus to an internal focus through the
study of five personal observances.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first <i>niyama</i>, is <i>saucha</i>. The <i>saucha</i> is a twofold process
that includes cleanliness and purity.
Cleanliness is a process of external scrubbing that affects our outer
appearance. Purification cleanses our insides and affects our internal essence.
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Often external cleanliness is defined by environment. Soil outside the yoga studio is Mother
Earth’s magic; inside the studio its just plain dirt! The four walls of the studio create a boundary that defines
it as safe and sacred space devoted to self-inquiry and study. Cleanliness might manifest as studio
etiquette that includes anything from a pre-practice hygiene regimen to
“propasana,” the mindful replacement of props after class. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yogic philosophy places great emphasis on both external
cleanliness and internal purification. <i>Saucha</i> is important in the yoga
tradition because a great energy lies, mostly dormant, within each one
of us. This is the energy of
consciousness or True Self. We
have all felt glimpses of this energy and long to linger in the residue of its
movement. I call them “ah-ha”
moments. My teacher, Richard
Freeman, refers to them as aesthetic experiences: moments when beauty captures
us in wonder; moments when love and gratitude fills our eyes with tears;
moments when a deep sense of knowing guides us from within; moments when
life-force electrifies the body; moments when contentment fills us with ease
and well-being. Yoga students
spend a lifetime searching for enlightenment when in fact it is always here
waiting, slightly obscured, and just beneath the surface of a very dusty awareness.
Making ourselves available for these moments of Truth, is the work of
<i>saucha</i>. As we cleanse ourselves
from the heaviness and clutter of physical and mental toxins we gain clarity
and increase our ability to meet each moment with integrity and freshness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yogis have developed many elaborate purification practices
many of which seem bizarre and uncomfortable by today’s standards. Fortunately other, more approachable,
purification practices exist. Yoga <i>asana</i> (posture), </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>pranayama</i> (</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">breath techniques), </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>dhyana</i> (</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">meditation) and the following of an ethical system such as
the <i>yamas</i> and niyamas purify our vessel physically, mentally, emotionally and
energetically. Cleansing need not be weird and extreme.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It can be as simple as drinking more
water and setting aside quite time to process unfinished business. Cleansing
also means being transparent with ourselves.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It means we neither hide nor cling to our thoughts and
feelings so we are able to witness the fullness of the moment by allowing it to
be as it is.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In her book "The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice," </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deborah Adele offers,
“ (<i>saucha</i>) asks us to subtract the illusions we impose on the moment, it also
asks us to gather ourselves together so that our whole Self shows up.” Ultimately, s<i>aucha</i>
invites us to make full and honest contact with the moment so there is nothing
lost and no regrets.</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-64064695572897647232013-01-05T11:19:00.002-08:002013-01-05T11:19:45.075-08:00Brahmacharya: Non-Excess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brahmacharya: Non-Excess</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Yamas & the Niyamas are the foundational principles of all Yogic thought. Yoga is a philosophy of existence that extends beyond the physical postures that have facilitated its rise in mainstream repute. Yama is the first limb of Patanjali’s Eight Fold Path of Yoga. The Sanskrit word Yama literally translates as “restraints.” In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali details five universal Yamas: non-violence (ahmisa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), non-excess (brahmacharya) and non-possessiveness (aparigraha). Over the course of the last three months Mountain Yoga has explored three of the five Yamas. This brings us to the fourth jewel, brahmacharya. Brahma is the Sanskrit word for Creative Force or God. Charya means, “to follow.” Though brahmacharya is classically interpreted to mean celibacy or abstinence, it has been secularized for today’s modern practitioner and is often understood as moderation. Yet the practice of non-excess can also be seen in an expansive light that invites us to welcome the sacredness of all life through a careful attendance to each moment as holy, and this dear ones, includes our sexuality.<br /> <br />We live in a culture of excess. We overdo food, work, sex, entertainment, material possessions and exercise. Not to call anyone lazy but some of us even overdo relaxatio. Why do we continually move beyond the place of contentment into excess? Yogic thought tells us that it is because our mind has an emotional investment in certain foods or activities. As we begin to become more aware of the ways in which we indulge in excess, it is important to discern the difference between what the body truly needs and the story the mind is telling us. In her book “The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice,” Deborah Adele shares:<br /> <br />“We are on this world, in part, to feel enjoyment and pleasure. If we are in pleasure and not addiction, we are practicing brahmacharya. If we are feeding our mental stories and have moved past bodily comfort, we are in addiction and out of harmony with this guideline….Non-excess is not about non-enjoyment. The questions before us are: Are you eating the food, or is the food eating you? Are you doing the activity, or is the activity doing you?” <br /> <br />A discussion of brahmacharya wouldn’t be complete without some mention of its implications on sexual energy. Someone once shared a definition of brahmacharya that stuck with me, though the person’s name did not. This person said that in practicing the first three Yamas – non-violence, truthfulness and non-stealing - within our sexual relations we, by default, practice brahmacharya. This definition is particularly relevant when considered within the framework of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The Yoga Sutras are a series of 196 terse aphorisms that define the method and ultimate aims of Yoga. Sutra means thread. The Yoga Sutra is a carefully woven and masterful tapestry in which no word is superfluous and each thread relies upon the previous. The order in which the Yamas appear in the Yoga Sutra therefore holds significance just as kleshas (afflictions) appear in geniuses order; ignorance (adviya) being the field in which all other root obstructions grow. I digress but I hope you will humor me and give this idea some consideration.<br /> <br />If we find ourselves living in the throws of addiction in any facet of our life, a period of fasting or celibacy can be very useful in returning to a place of balance. These practices are powerful tools that pull in the reins, cultivate contentment and help us to regain our center. We have all, at some point or another, moved beyond the line of bodily satisfaction and discovered lethargy. That’s the thing about overindulgence; it smothers our life force like too many logs on a fire. Practicing non-excess preserves the life force within us so we may live with clarity and purity.<br /> <br />Brahmacharya beckons us to acknowledge the sanctity of all life and the interconnectedness of all beings. It invites us to open to the magic and fullness of each and every moment. When every task, no matter how mundane or familiar, becomes an opportunity to be amazed an avenue for gratitude is created. With an attitude of gratitude, there is no need for excess. At times, I struggle with a nagging sense of dullness that leaves me feeling sad and afraid. Deborah Adele suggests that this is a result of maintaining too fast a pace for too long. I concur. In my world this pace eventually results in living life on autopilot. She also states that we wear our busyness like a badge and go to bed with a sense of accomplishment because we checked a lot of things off our task list. “The ego likes to feel important, and it doesn’t feel very important when I am resting.” Deborah has me pegged. The desire to get comfortable in the uncomfortable place of stillness was one of the promises that first drew me to Yoga. Though I have learned to sit in silence, honor my limits and make time for the spaciousness of Mother Nature, I am still a recovering Type-A Personality. As I write these words, I can’t help but be amused and honored by how the process of Yoga continues to stealthily grant me opportunities (i.e. writing about non-excess) for self-inquiry and growth.<br /> <br />Brahmacharya reminds us that we are embodied to serve the world with our passion and that that vitality is best cultivated through moderation, not excess. In the words of Howard Thurman, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”<br />
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<!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment--><!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-31720181375530730912013-01-04T18:32:00.001-08:002013-01-04T18:32:37.296-08:002012 Body Prayer Playlist<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2012 Body Prayer Playlist</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> 1). Om ~ Jane Winther ~ Mantra</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2). Prana (Sahana Vavatu) ~ Shiva Rea Yoga Rhythms </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3). Invocation ~ Ty Burhoe, Krishna Das, Manorama, John Friend & Amy Ippoliti </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4). Guide My Way (Om Asatoma) ~ Steve Gold ~ Let Your Heart Be Known </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5). Somewhere Over the Rainbow ~ Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ~ Alone in IZ World </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6). Imagine ~ Eva Cassidy ~ Imagine </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7). Orange Sky ~ Alexi Murdoch ~ Time Without Consqeuence </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8). Beloved Rafe Pearlman ~ Live From "Church"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9). Long Time Sun ~ Snatam Kaur ~ Grace </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10). Be the Change (Niraj Chag's Swaraj Mix) ~ MC Yogi ~ Elephant Power </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">11). Om Namah Shivaya (feat. Bhagavan Das) ~ MC Yogi ~ Elephant Power</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">12). Across the Universe ~ Rafe Pearlman ~ Live From "Church" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">13.) Om Namah Shivaya (Bigger Mix) ~ Steve Gold ~ So Much Magnificence </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">14). Night Mantra ~ Renee & Jeremy ~ It's a Big </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">World </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">15). Exploded into Love ~ Bob Schneider ~ Lonelyland </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">16). All is Full of Love (strings) ~ Bjork ~ All is Full of Love </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">17). </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sea of Love ~ Cat Power ~ The Covers Record </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">18). Ganesh Under Moonlight ~ David Newman ~ Stars </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">19). Bija Mantras: Watering the Seeds ~ Ben Leinbach & Jai Uttal ~ Loveland </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">20). Balance ~ Benjy Wertheimer ~ Voice of the Esraj</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> 21) Shanti (Peace Out) ~ MC Yogi ~ Elephant Power </span></div>
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LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-32267034873604701042013-01-04T18:18:00.002-08:002013-01-04T18:19:59.135-08:001/1/2012 Body Prayer Themes & Readings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. OPENING TO GRACE </span></div>
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<b>The Opening of Eyes by David Whyte </b></div>
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That day I saw beneath dark clouds </div>
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The passing light over the water, </div>
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And I knew then, as I had before, </div>
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Life is no passing memory of what has been </div>
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Nor the remaining pages of a great book </div>
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Waiting to be read. </div>
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It is the opening of eyes long closed </div>
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It is the vision of far off things seen for the silence they hold </div>
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It is the heart speaking out loud </div>
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Into the clear air </div>
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After years of secret conversing. </div>
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It is Moses in the desert, </div>
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Fallen to his knees before the lit bush. </div>
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It is the man </div>
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Throwing off his shoes as if to enter heaven </div>
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Finding himself astonished - </div>
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Opened at last, </div>
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Fallen in love with solid ground. </div>
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<b>Buoyancy by Rumi </b></div>
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Love has taken away my practices </div>
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and filled me with poetry. </div>
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I tried to keep quietly repeating, </div>
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“No strength but yours,”</div>
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but I couldn't. </div>
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I had to clap and sing. </div>
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I used to be respectable and chaste and stable, </div>
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but who can stand in this strong wind </div>
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and remember those things? </div>
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A mountain keeps an echo deep inside itself. </div>
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That's how I hold your voice. </div>
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I am scrap wood thrown in your fire, </div>
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and quickly reduced to smoke. </div>
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I saw you and became empty. </div>
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This emptiness, more beautiful than existence, </div>
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it obliterates existence, and yet when it comes, </div>
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existence thrives and creates more existence! </div>
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The sky is blue. The world is a blind man </div>
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squatting on the road. </div>
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But whoever sees your emptiness </div>
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sees beyond blue and beyond the blind man. </div>
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A great soul hides like Muhammad, or Jesus, </div>
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moving through a crowd in a city </div>
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where no one knows him. </div>
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To praise is to praise </div>
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how one surrenders </div>
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to the emptiness. </div>
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To praise the sun is to praise your own eyes. </div>
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Praise, the ocean. What we say, a little ship. </div>
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So the sea-journey goes on, and who knows where! </div>
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Just to be held by the ocean is the best luck </div>
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we could have. It's a total waking up! </div>
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Why should we grieve that we've been sleeping? </div>
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It doesn't matter how long we've been unconscious. </div>
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We're groggy, but let the guilt go. </div>
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Feel the motions of tenderness </div>
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around you, the buoyancy.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. FORGIVENESS/UNFINISHED BUSINESS </span></div>
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<b>The Wild Geese by Mary Oliver </b></div>
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You do not have to be good.</div>
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You do not have to walk on your knees</div>
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for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.</div>
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You only have to let the soft animal of your body</div>
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love what it loves.</div>
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Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. </div>
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Meanwhile the world goes on.</div>
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Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain</div>
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are moving across the landscapes,</div>
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over the prairies and the deep trees,</div>
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the mountains and the rivers.</div>
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Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,</div>
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are heading home again. </div>
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Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,</div>
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the world offers itself to your imagination,</div>
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calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –</div>
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over and over announcing your place</div>
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in the family of things. </div>
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<b>Swim With The Tide</b></div>
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<i>Except from ‘Go In and In’ by Danna Faulds </i></div>
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Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold;</div>
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the holding of plans, or dreams or expectations – let it all go.</div>
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Save your strength to swim with the tide.</div>
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The Choice to fight what is here before you now will only result in struggle, fear, and desperate attempts to flee from the very energy you long for.</div>
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Let go.</div>
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Let it all go and flow with grace that washes through your days whether you receive it gently or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders.</div>
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Take this on faith: The mind may never find the explanations that it seeks, but you will move forward nonetheless.</div>
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Let go, and the wave’s crest will carry you to unknown shores, beyond your wildest dreams or destinations.</div>
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Let it all go and find the place of rest, and peace and certain transformation. </div>
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<b>Let Your Heart Open Gently </b></div>
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<i>Excerpt from 'Journey into the Heart’ by Melody Beattie </i></div>
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Let your heart open – gently, safely, surely and certainly.</div>
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Do not let others decide when or even if you will open your heart, when or if you will embrace love. Those choices are too big, too important to let others make for you. Only you can decide when and how. There was a time when it wasn’t safe to open your heart. Pain was all around you. You were not equipped to be that open. That time is passed. You have learned. You have grown. You have learned that you are a loving being. You know now that your love comes from within you. It is safe to open your heart. The universe awaits, ready, willing, delighted to be able to help you open, the same way it aids the opening of a flower with the sun, the rain, the earth. To deny your power and ability to love is to deny joy. To deny your loving essence is to deny yourself, and the Divine within you. Look around. It is not your location that makes you safe. It’s where you are in your soul, mind and your heart. That place is good. That place is safe. Open your heart. Embrace life. Go joyfully on your way. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. SELF LOVE </span></div>
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<b>Love Is Who You Are </b></div>
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<i>Excerpt from Until Today by Iyanla Vanzant</i> </div>
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Love is who you are. How you see yourself, how you treat yourself, how you express yourself is a direct reflection of your true beliefs about love. When you can be gentle and compassionate with yourself, you will feel love. When you can be non-judgmental about yourself, you will experience love. When you can trust yourself and tell yourself the truth, you will express love. When you can see and celebrate your worth, value, and your beauty as a divine expression of life, you will be love. </div>
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Love is the cooperative, harmonizing, accepting, forgiving, essence of your soul. Love does not give up. Love does not demand what it does not have. Love doesn’t force itself on others in order to feel better about itself. Love doesn’t attack to avenge itself. Love does not withhold itself. When we learn to see ourselves as love and to be present with others in loving ways, love will be anchored in our consciousness and on the planet. </div>
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Until today, you may have been trying to figure out what love is and how to find it in your life. Just for today, be aware and accept yourself as an expression and example of the love you are seeking. </div>
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<b>Recognize Your Strengths</b></div>
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<i>Author Unkown</i><b> </b></div>
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A water bearer in China had two large pots hung on the ends of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it; the other was perfect. </div>
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At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the perfect pot would always be full of water, but the cracked pot would arrive only half full. For two and a half years this went on every day, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. </div>
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After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to the house.” </div>
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The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always know about your flaw, so I planted seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. JOYFULNESS </span></div>
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<b>Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson</b> </div>
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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.</div>
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Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.</div>
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It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. </div>
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We ask ourselves, who am I</div>
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to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?</div>
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Actually, who are you not to be? </div>
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You are a child of God.</div>
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Your playing small does not serve the world.</div>
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There is nothing enlightened</div>
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about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure</div>
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around you.</div>
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We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is</div>
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within us. </div>
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It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone.</div>
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And as we let our light shine,</div>
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we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. </div>
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As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence</div>
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automatically liberates others. </div>
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<b>Life Loves You</b> </div>
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<i>Excerpt from the book, ‘Until Today’ by Iyanla Vanzant</i></div>
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Listen Carefully, as if someone were whispering into your soul. There is something you must know. It is very important, no, imperative that you receive these words into the core of your being. These words are essential to your very existence. They will feed, nurture, and nourish you. They will support, assist and guide you. When all else fails, these words will give you the strength and courage you need to weather the storm and walk through the fire. These are simple words, yet they are powerful, if you can accept them in the spirit in which they are given, you will be blessed. Receive these words— LIFE LOVES YOU!</div>
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Life loves you enough to live as you, to breathe through you, to express itself as you. Life loves you so much, it does everything in its power to stay in you, to be with you and to allow you to depend on it. Life is, at this very moment, totally and absolutely in love with you! Life wants to look like you, be like you, live as you because it respects and honors all that you are.</div>
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When life sees you coming, it gets excited! It can hardly contain itself! Life is ready to fill you up, spill over through you and experience the best it has to offer you, as you. If you were to ask life what it is about you that makes you so lovable the answer would be simple. You are alive! That is all it takes to make you loved, loving, lovable. Now isn’t that good to know that you are loved?</div>
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Until today, you may not have realized just how much life loves you. You may have believed that life was not on your side. Just for today, be devoted to honoring, cherishing and enjoying life’s love for you. Sit silently and ask life to fill you with its love. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. STRENGTH FOR SOMEONE ELSE or YOURSELF </span></div>
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<b><b>Giving Up Is Not An Option </b></b></div>
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<i>Excerpt ‘Journey into the Heart’ by Melody Beattie </i></div>
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Somehow, in the midst of what seems to be the worst possible thing that could happen, you must find the strength that you need to persevere. You must develop the courage that will be required to take the next step. You must face the challenge eyeball-to-eyeball in order to realize that challenge comes to make you, not break you. Losing a job, home loved one can be a devastating experience. Your challenge may be a child or family member who has gone astray. You could be faced with an unexpected change like a divorce or an illness. Whatever the challenge may be, it could rock you to the core. Somehow you must remember that you are up for the task. remember that you do have the strength. remember that you can trust life to give you the courage that is required to do anything or face anything. As painful or frightening as the difficulty may be, you will do what needs to be done because you have no other choice. Giving up in not an option. Give yourself a moment to take a breath. Allow everything that you are feeling and thinking to move through your body. The moment that you feel that you can’t take it or you won’t make it, reach down into the essence of your being. From that place pull out a scream. Then pull on your power, your strength, the divinity of life within you. Tell yourself, THIS IS GOING TO MAKE ME STRONGER. THIS IS GOING TO MAKE YOU WISER! This challenge, no mater what it is, have come to make you bigger, brighter, stronger, more loving and compassionate. It will not break you! Trust yourself. Trust life. You will make it through this. Until today, you may have been feeling as if you were about to break down. Just for today, call forth the strength, courage, wisdom, insight, power and love of the spirit of life. As that you be guided through the next minute, hour or day to a place of peace.</div>
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<b>Be A Lighthouse </b></div>
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<i>Excerpt from ‘Until Today’ by Iyanla Vanzant </i></div>
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At night, the ocean can be a huge, dark & scary place. When riding on the seas, you can never know for sure if the water will be calm or turbulent. You never know if you will drift off course, or run aground. That is why there are lighthouses. When ships lose their way, they are guided by the lighthouse. When there is trouble or danger at sea, you can seek refuge by the light of the lighthouse. In the midst of a storm the lighthouse will always guide the ships safely to shore. Best of all, there is always someone in the lighthouse. </div>
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Be a lighthouse. Let your life be a shining symbol for others. Let everything you do be in service to someone. Stand tall in the knowledge of who you are. Stand proudly in the midst of difficult times. Be aware that who you are and what you have to offer can be a beacon to some lost soul. </div>
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Be a lighthouse keeper. Be on the lookout for lost souls. Be alert to those who may be in need and have nowhere to go or no way to get there. Be a lighthouse to a child. Guide a child. Protect a child. You don’t have to say much. Just let the child know that you are there should a need arise. Be a lighthouse to an elder, someone who has traveled the sea of life, but now needs a little warmth and comfort –perhaps a cup of tea or some interesting conversation. Be a lighthouse to a young man or woman who has lost their footing or may be losing their direction in life. Remember, no matter what condition a wind-blown sailor reaches the lighthouse in, the keeper is always welcoming. The keeper always encourages. The keeper always has something on hand or knows what to do to get you up and sailing again. </div>
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Until today, you may have been wondering how you can be of greater service to your family, your community or the world. Just for today, be the keeper of the lighthouse. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. GRATITUDE</span> </div>
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<b>Gratitude</b> </div>
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<i>Excerpt ‘Journey into the Heart’ by Melody Beattie </i></div>
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Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. </div>
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If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank you,” that would be enough. </div>
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~ Meister Eckhart </div>
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The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see. ~ Dr Robert Holden </div>
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At times our light goes out and it is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer </div>
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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ John F Kennedy </div>
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Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. ~ Kahlil Gibran </div>
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Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, ‘you owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky. ~ Hafiz </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. CLOSING </span></div>
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<b>The Journey</b> </div>
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<i>Excerpt from “Journey into the Heart” by Melody Beattie </i></div>
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You are opening up more and more. You are becoming clearer each day. Embrace the changes taking place. They are good. They will last. They will take you and your life to someplace you can’t fully imagine now because it’s so different from where you have been.</div>
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All will be changes. Your love, your life, your friends, your work. Your quiet moments and your times of sharing. Your playtime, Your rest time. Your attitude will change. Your ability to fully and joyfully experience your life will change. </div>
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Things that used to bother you, hold you down, hold you back will easily roll off you. Problems that used to plague and pester you, making you feel weighted down, will be lifted easily. You will know and trust that the answers you need will come to you.</div>
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Your powers will increase. You will find yourself doing, knowing and feeling things that you thought only certain others could do. You will find yourself gliding through life in a way that brings you joy, and touches and heals others. </div>
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You will laugh a lot. And yes, you will cry a lot too, because an open heart feels all it needs to feel. But you will not think twice about your emotions. You will feel them with the purity of a child and the wisdom of a sage. You will see, touch, taste, and feel life’s magic in a way you never imagined. You will love, and you will be loved and you will learn that it is all the same.</div>
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You are open now; more open than you’ve ever been. Trust the process and trust your heart. The journey is not in vain. Its purpose is to lead you to love. </div>
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LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-39224927297593343932011-10-22T09:51:00.000-07:002011-10-22T09:56:19.185-07:00Yoga Safari: May 2- 12, 2012<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkUYCn2Zmuo_jSeckk4y3ihqn1O8VOY2UJPLoKdBkJtoYBZGlHOt8kUxjUzmU_QmOHjJ2taxuCiwhWb7vnxJk0QHISAwquwiX5igX5PyAQJOBn9b57mPvvWtbSw2UQgrTPj_4TEFpd4ss/s1600/lion.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkUYCn2Zmuo_jSeckk4y3ihqn1O8VOY2UJPLoKdBkJtoYBZGlHOt8kUxjUzmU_QmOHjJ2taxuCiwhWb7vnxJk0QHISAwquwiX5igX5PyAQJOBn9b57mPvvWtbSw2UQgrTPj_4TEFpd4ss/s320/lion.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666360506209679666" /></a><br /><br /><br />Join professional photographer and biologist Gregory Sweeney and <a href="http://ww.lauranidrayoga.com">LauraNidra Yoga</a> on a <a href="http://www.yogasafariafrica.com">Yoga Safari</a> in the wild bushveld of South Africa!!<br /><br />Guests will stay in a <a href="http://www.africawildsafaris.net/lodge.php">Bona Ntaba Tree House Lodge </a>on a wildlife reserve among free roaming zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, and plains game. Twice daily activities are a discovery of lions, elephants, rhino, cheetah, and antelope as your guide takes you into the wilds on game drives, into Kruger National Park, on a canyon boat ride, or a wildlife rehabilitation center. Encounters are up close and at a relaxed pace, with your expert guide sharing their knowledge and stories. Many surprises are in-store during your stay.<br /><br />Early afternoon Yoga and Yoga Nidra practice will bring balance and open your mind to the wild spirit of this special place. No yoga experience is required - classes will be geared to all levels of fitness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Retreat Cost:</span> <br />$3,800 (shared) - $4,400 (single)<br /><br />Retreat is limited to 8 guest to ensure a personal experience. <br /><br />Learn more and reserve your space at: <a href="http://www.yogasafariafrica.com">www.yogasafariafrica.com</a>. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Retreat Includes:<br /></span>Transfers to/from Johannesburg airport (JNB - Tambo airport), 8 nights & 9 days lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner served at the lodge, coffee & tea, safari activities and daily yoga sessions, admission to parks and reserves, transportation to safari activities, professional wildlife guide and yoga instruction.LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-21820576510237966242011-10-22T09:42:00.000-07:002011-10-22T09:57:31.223-07:00Yoga Nidra Private Instruction with LauraNidra at Elevate Wellness Center<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODPag9ccp6LJZTZuwVH8WFJog-yajZz2QjB7QxTltn5sQ-hXu1rt4_-nGzZg03Uw-KDvEum8IDA-Vnx9yfmmbL_NZldEQJ7vq70NiE36h7rCd_nS8Vi-g_J3YkqiAcVkNdzjBvKXjI2gw/s1600/Infusion.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODPag9ccp6LJZTZuwVH8WFJog-yajZz2QjB7QxTltn5sQ-hXu1rt4_-nGzZg03Uw-KDvEum8IDA-Vnx9yfmmbL_NZldEQJ7vq70NiE36h7rCd_nS8Vi-g_J3YkqiAcVkNdzjBvKXjI2gw/s320/Infusion.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666358988691898914" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Yoga Nidra: The Art of Relaxation</span><br /> <br /><blockquote></blockquote>Yoga Nidra is a means of contacting the source of self-knowledge & inspiration that lies within each person. It is a technique of ‘self-induced dreaming’ in which the treasure house of your own consciousness is systematically illumined, explored & utilized to enrich your daily life<blockquote></blockquote> ~ Swami Satyananda Saraswati ~<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is Yoga Nidra?</span><br /><br />The word yoga stems from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” which means to harness or yoke. Yoga is the practice of harnessing one’s energies and directing them in an intentional way through asana (postures), pranayama (breathwork), and/or dhyana (meditation). Yoga is union – the practice of bringing consciousness to all parts of your life thereby making it whole. Yoga is more than the action of awakening; it is a description of one’s True Nature and its inherent qualities of light, love, wisdom and truth. <br /><br />Nidra is the Sanskrit word for sleep. Yoga Nidra is conscious sleep, a play on words implying that most individuals are ‘asleep’ to their True Nature. Yoga Nidra is often translated as conscious relaxation, because although the practitioner achieves a deep state of relaxation that approximates sleep, they remain awake and aware. Yoga Nidra is a transformative practice that is equivalent to 4 hours of regular, unconscious sleep. It is a systematic method of complete relaxation, not only for the physical body, but also for the deeper emotional and mental layers of the being; it works at the root of stresses, allowing the release of subconscious tensions and tendencies that inhibit us from living to our fullest potential. Through Yoga Nidra a new and total experience of yourself and life blossoms allowing areas of your being that have been forgotten or left unnoticed to be reintegrated and restored<br /><br />Yoga Nidra is appropriate for anyone who is over-worked, sleep-deprived, stressed-out or simply craves more relaxation and stillness in their life. This practice may also bring relief to those struggling with anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain or emotional trauma and/or transition. No previous yoga or meditation experience is required. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Your Brain On Yoga Nidra</span><br /><br />Relaxation is a state. It is best achieved using a technique that triggers it. Many people believe that all they need to do to relax is sit in a chair, put their feet up, and close their eyes, yet, blood pressure readings and electroencephalographs show that true relaxation has not been achieved. During genuine relaxation the blood pressure is normalized and the brain relaxes. The organs and senses of the body are rested in a way that sleep seldom provides. Yoga Nidra provides a scientific method of systematic relaxation for the entire body-mind. <br /><br />Yoga Nidra occurs at this threshold of the waking and dreaming states of consciousness. Between these states lies a distinct band of awareness that psychologists have termed the “hypnagogic state.” This state is characterized by alpha brain waves. Though the hypnagogic state rarely lasts more than a few minutes, it is extremely important in the rejuvenation that sleep provides. In this state a deep and progressive release of muscular and postural tensions occurs throughout the physical body. Yoga Nidra is an extension of the hypnagogic state. During the practice of Yoga Nidra, periodic bursts of alpha waves are interspersed between alternating periods of beta wave (wakeful state) and theta wave (dream state) predominance. By remaining aware and alert in the alpha wave, state a profound experience of total relaxation is gained. This experience is not only far more beneficial than conventional sleep, it is the doorway to higher states of consciousness. <br /><br />Through Yoga Nidra one experiences the potentials and abilities that already exist in the body- mind. These dimensions of your being do not need to be created; we simply restore an awareness of what has always been present, albeit hidden, just beneath the surface. Yoga Nidra integrates the psyche and restores the sense of harmony that is our True Nature.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is involved in a Yoga Nidra session?</span><br /><br />1-Hour Session: A 1-hour session begins with gentle movement with breath sequences that prepare the body for a 30 - 40 minute Yoga Nidra practice. Yoga Nidra is traditionally practiced in relaxation pose (i.e. savasana – lying on the back) but can also be practiced in other restorative poses or from the seated position. While resting the client will be lead through progressive states of relaxation, self-inquiry and meditation while remaining alert. Physical sensation, breath awareness and images become tools in clearing away obstacles that prevent us from feeling physically and psychologically relaxed and receptive. Obstacles include beliefs, misperceptions, thoughts and other residues in our body-mind from past experiences. These residues are messengers calling us back to prior life circumstances so that we may resolve what has been left incomplete. Yoga Nidra can be used to achieve deep relaxation throughout the body and mind, eliminate stress, solve personal problems, resolve trauma and overcome powerful emotions such as fear, anger and depression. When we recognize these messengers and dis-identify with them we can engage authentic action rather than continue reactive patterns that no longer serve us. With consistent practice clients develop the ability to stay focused for extended periods of time and experience a greater sense of joy and presence. <br /><br />1.5-Hour Session: A 1.5-hour session will begin with a 45-minute yoga class tailored to the needs and goals of the individual client. Many find yoga and/or general exercise tremendously beneficial in their ability to settle-in and receive the Yoga Nidra practice. No previous yoga experience is required. This yoga class is followed by a 40 – 50 minutes Yoga Nidra practice. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pricing:</span><br /><br />Introductory Offer: $55, 1.5-Hour initial consultation & first session ($100 value).<br /><br />1-Hour Session = $75<br /><br />1.5-Hour Session = $100<br /><br />Package of 5: 1-Hr Sessions = $325 I 1.5-Hr Sessions = $425 <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Location: </span> <br /><br />Elevate Wellness Center<br />www.elevate-wellness.com<br />South Lake Tahoe, CALauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-60637838003576210062011-06-10T14:55:00.000-07:002011-06-10T15:04:35.922-07:00Transition<div>This morning I took a class at my new home studio, <a href="http://www.mountain-yoga.com/">Mountain Yoga</a>. The teacher encouraged us to move through the transitions between postures with awareness and intention in order to liberate the body/mind from the dullness of habit and momentum. She offered this theme as a metaphor for life's constantly changing set of circumstances. Having recently relocated from Seattle, WA to South Lake Tahoe,CA, I met this metaphor with curiosity and willingness.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>This major life/work transition has been an opportunity to strip away the many filters through which I see the world and to examine the various external influences through which I find relevance, purpose and meaning in life. This self-reflexivity, in conjunction with the total absence of routine inherent in a change of scenery, resulted in a loss of momentum accompanied, and perhaps fed, by a nagging sense of grief and loss surrounding my move. This genuine longing is not tainted with regret or resent yet, inertia has a certain gravity and I found myself grappling with existential questions like, "Who am I?" and "What is my purpose?" </div><div>
<br /></div><div>In times like this, I am grateful for the Yoga practice and philosophy. Through this morning's practice of mindful transitions, I was reminded of the unchanging truth, light and wisdom of the Self. My faith renewed, a deep sense of knowing spontaneously usurped the wheel of suffering and I was able to ask myself the question, "What does the Seer see?" This question is the cornerstone of the Yoga tradition. When the Seer sees clearly one realizes that much of what we think we know is actually mired with misperception, fantasy, opinion, ignorance and projection. This is not a judgement, it is merely how humans are hardwired. Practice, active surrender and a heavy dose of recognition that there is actually very little that we can control is one way to re-wire the system. Non-attachment is often confused with apathy. On the contrary, when properly understood and cultivated, it is the ability to plan and set goals free of the chains of expectation. Simple, but not easy, it has the ring of a nightmare in which I stand naked, vulnerable and scared in the front of a grade school classroom of old. But, the invaluable rewards provide tools that skillfully enable one to negotiate life's ripples, waves and tsunamis. </div><meta charset="utf-8"><div>
<br /></div><div>Ultimately this is why I practice: to see each moment clearly, to be with what is just as it is, and to be comfortable with the discomfort of not knowing. I recognized that a great many of my students, peers and mentors over the years have come to yoga in a period of transition. Others, have weathered still more challenging situations with grace through dedicated practice. Yoga is the perfect microcosm, the ideal research platform and the richest soil in which to nurture and develop the truths that will eventually blend seamlessly into the space beyond the mat. </div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-52608084114090506282010-06-16T11:18:00.000-07:002010-06-16T11:25:26.592-07:00Intention<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am very much looking forward to the 108 Sun Salutation Workshop this weekend at </span></span><a href="http://www.tajyoga.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Taj Yoga</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As I mentioned in the workshop description, your intention is far more important than the sheer number of salutations you complete. You will no doubt hit physical and emotional walls and I encourage you to modify and rest whenever necessary. Let us follow the first tenant of yoga, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ahimsa</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, non-violence. Because the intention is so important, I thought I'd share a bit more about how to go about creating or setting an intention. Even if you are not participating in the workshop, this information sheds light on the subject and applies to intentions set in regular classes as well as special events such as a yoga mala.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Your intention can address whatever you are feeling in the moment, the moment we begin our journey toward 108. For example, the other day, after sitting and welcoming what was present for my practice I decided my intention would be, "I am patient and gentle (with myself)." Your intention can be that specific and relate to the particular practice at hand or it can be more overarching and general. For example, "I am love" or "I am love itself." I like to use present tense language that expresses intention as an already occurring phenomenon. As my teacher states, in this way, "We don't hold our wishes for the future, but express them as truth." Overall, an intention is a short and positive statement or affirmation about something you are whole-heartedly dedicated to manifesting, living and be-ing. It can even be one word. You might show up Saturday with this intention already determined.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Your intention can also be in the form of a dedication. Perhaps there is someone or something in your life that would benefit from the energy and awareness your practice will cultivate?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lastly, your intention may involve the 'healing' or 'transforming' of a particular relationship you have with someone else. In my experience, in these types of situations, it has been best to focus on my own personal healing around the relationship. This is the only piece of the puzzle that I have even the slightest bit of control over anyway. The intention could be an inquiry into how this might best be done? Or, if you know what needs to be done, if anything, your intention could center around to be-ing the strength/compassion/forgiveness/etc. to honor your heart's desire? </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states "You are what your deep driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will, so is your deed. As your deed, so is your destiny." The trick with all intentions is not to be attached to the outcome. Often times things 'heal' or manifest in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. I choose to trust, however, that through the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">tapas (fire, heat or intensity) </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">of committed and regular practice, transformation occurs in subtle and obvious ways. We label these results as pleasant and unpleasant, good and bad and therein lies the root of suffering. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We will certainly generate a large amount of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">tapas </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">through the practice of 108 Sun Salutations. I think perhaps my intention will to become aware of what comes from the ash of the fire......</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you are moved to bring a small token, photography or clipping to place in front of your mat as a symbol or reminder of your intention, please do =) </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Please let me know if you have any questions.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Namaste</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-62080727845492942612010-05-23T14:52:00.000-07:002010-05-23T15:15:33.922-07:00Where There's a Yin There's a Yang<p class="MsoNormal">To define Yin Yoga one must first have an understanding of Yang Yoga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s usually how it goes; two opposites come together like perfectly matched puzzle pieces to create a seamless and well balanced whole.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A Yang Yoga practice is characterized by vigorous heat building sequences and a strong focal point, usually the sensation of the breath and body moving together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are many other words used to define this approach including, vinyasa, flow, power and hot yoga. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The majority of the classes I offer at <a href="http://www.tajyoga.com">Taj Yoga</a> in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington fall into the yang category.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com">LauraNidra Yoga</a> marries the Ashtanga and Universal traditions of Yoga to generate heat or intensity (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas_(Sanskrit)">tapas</a>) in body and mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Though I do offer weekly <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/schedule.html">Yin Yoga</a> and <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/yoganidra.html">Yoga Nidra</a> classes, it makes sense that majority of the classes follow the yang model; we spend so much time in our head that it can take a physically challenging class to bring awareness to the body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The body is an excellent place to start, however, as it is lovely window to the more subtle layers of our being, energetic, emotional and intellectual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When practicing Yoga of any form there is always an opportunity to notice the subtle and sometimes obvious ways in which the body embodies all of our experiences, physical, mental, emotional, energetic and even chemical (i.e. what you put in the body).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Have you ever been practicing a pose, say pigeon, and suddenly been overwhelmed with the urge to cry right then and there in the middle of class for no apparent reason?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is what I’m talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A teacher that graced my study of Yoga for a short period once shared that the physical body is in the shape of the energetic body.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The energetic body is not limited to the breath but is a coalescence of every experience you have ever had right up until the eternal moment of now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The physical body is a living map of this history and we each vibrate, or AUM if you will, at a unique frequency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In a perfect world we would have ample time to process and integrate each experience physically, energetically and often emotionally. Unfortunately, we don’t often have or make the time for this important work and the body, in effort to compensate and perhaps protect, forges alliances that don’t always serve us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For example, long after the physical body has healed from a particular trauma it may still hold onto the past in a way that manifests as physical guarding, stiffness or pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Note that physical injury not required and this can happen with the occurrence of emotional or psychological trauma alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Left unattended for several years this can start to interfere with the life we desire to live, physically and energetically, and can create serious dis-ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m not criticizing. We haven’t the built in ‘shake it off’ system discussed by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Tiger-Transform-Overwhelming-Experiences/dp/155643233X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274651711&sr=1-1">Peter Levine</a> in his book ‘Waking the Tiger;’ an animal instinct literally hardwired into a dear, for example, after narrowly escaping the hypnotizing spell of headlights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Seattle/Tips-for-Inner-Brilliance-making-the-most-of-what-youve-got/118836631479611?ref=mf">Dr. Holly Hochstadt</a> of Inner Brilliance Chiropractic once shared that these areas of discomfort are stored potential, energy and brilliance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I agree and this knowing encourages me to safely inquire into the parts of my body that whisper and sometimes yell at me for attention. The body is wise and the light that lives within in it shines brighter when we listen and welcome it just as it is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I digress. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If Yang Yoga helps us to establish an awareness of the multidimensionality of our physical presence, Yin Yoga helps us to reinforce it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In my practice I have found that Yin Yoga can be just as intense as its more dynamic counterpart, if not more so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have also found that constant movement, like music, can be a distraction or a tool for avoiding the proverbial skeletons in our hips, shoulders, bellies and jaws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yin Yoga is a quite and contemplative practice done low to the ground using a receptive field of awareness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Holding poses for an extended period of time is one of the signature characteristics of a yin practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What starts out as a juicy and delightful stretch can quickly turn into an agitating and anxiety-provoking trap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My Ashtanga and Yin teacher, <a href="http://www.troylucero.com">Troy Lucero</a>, is always careful to note the difference between agitation and true-violence or suffering and injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Usually, if I am honest with myself, my desire to leap out of the pose, screaming, crying or sometimes both, is a result of the former.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so with no other choice, I go deep into the heart of the sensation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Remember the lyrics to the childhood song, ‘Going on a Lion Hunt?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Going on a lion hunt. I’m not afraid. Look, what’s ahead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i><u>Yikes, fill in the blank!</u></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Can’t go over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Can’t go under it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Can’t go around it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Gotta go through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is the passive-active process my Yoga Nidra teacher <a href="http://www.irest.us">Richard Miller </a>calls welcoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Richard also shares that every sensation, emotion, thought and belief points in the direction of our True Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So, it seems, that it is in our best interest to welcome the full spectrum of sensation in order to meet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi">Rumi</a> in his non-dualistic field beyond right-doing and wrong-doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you’ve read this far and you’re still looking for hard facts regarding the physical benefits of a Yin Yoga practice, I suggest you read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yin-Yoga-Paul-Grilley/dp/1883991439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274652308&sr=1-1">Paul Grilley’s</a> “Yin Yoga.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Grilley shares that Yang Yoga focus on the muscles through rhythmic movements while Yin Yoga focus on the connective tissue through slow moderate stretching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Muscles are filled with fluids, mostly water, and become soft and elastic during all forms of yang exercise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Connective tissue (truly all pervasive in the body but for Grilley’s purposes refer to ligaments and fascia), on the other hand, lack the fluidity of muscles and, as a result, are naturally stiff and inelastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Grilley states, “Connective tissue doesn’t respond to rhythmical stretches the way muscles do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Connective tissues are tough and fibrous and stretch best when pulled like taffy (i.e. slow and steady)…Further, in order to stretch the connective tissue, the muscles must be relaxed.” Grilley continues, “As important as it is to our physical and mental well-being to be strong it is not muscular strength that gives us the feeling of ease and lightness in the body, it is the flexibility of the joints, of the connective tissue.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He cites that it is joint pain not muscular injury that causes old people to hobble around and professional athletes to retire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the end, Yin and Yang Yoga compliment each other as well as the ancient symbol but Yin Yoga specifically, through gentle stretching, rehabilitates the connective tissues that form our joints and leave us feeling an incredible lightness of being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If nothing more, practices such as Yoga Nidra and Yin Yoga are excellent opportunities to rest in stillness and restore the nervous system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know I am constantly going, teaching, working, organizing and doing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I spend a lot of time in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathetic_nervous_system">sympathetic nervous system</a> and, as a result, in a perpetual shade of flight or flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The one or two times a week that I intentionally come to a full stop are rich and rewarding on so many levels. Taking time to surrender and let go is vital if we are to be able to harness the full power of our sympathetic nervous system in times of true emergency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We all know what happens to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf">Shepard boy</a> who cried wolf.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Quite practices such as these move the body deep into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasympathetic_nervous_system">parasympathetic nervous system</a> allowing the adrenaline and cortisol valves to turn off and the feel good, healing hormones such as serotonin to flood the body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This immediately lowers stress, reduces heart rate and blood pressure, strengthens the immune system and lifts overall mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is the post-savasana bliss we all know and love!!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Finally, an addiction we can feel good about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After an hour of sympathetic nervous system based Yang Yoga the body is primed and ready to sink deep into relaxation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Conversely, an hour of Yin Yoga can prepare the mental and energetic bodies for an even more profoundly present moving meditation or Yang style class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Yin and the Yang are truly inseparable; where there’s a Yin there’s always a Yang. </p> <!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-18141515039229940052010-05-05T11:16:00.000-07:002010-05-07T11:14:37.452-07:00Support LauraNidra Yoga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_vRaO4Gm-PdfRzytoJdMyp9kM0utIChQsXqL8tU3ZYk3B9j1jp-K0VOQwHeAiVS4r_yHl7hUU62aER4-m0H6BsN1LNCLU3AYHaqKttYXFK113tloZaHkjrrOOXA4Og0BdWBSPclDSUxx/s1600/lauranidrayoga.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 53px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_vRaO4Gm-PdfRzytoJdMyp9kM0utIChQsXqL8tU3ZYk3B9j1jp-K0VOQwHeAiVS4r_yHl7hUU62aER4-m0H6BsN1LNCLU3AYHaqKttYXFK113tloZaHkjrrOOXA4Og0BdWBSPclDSUxx/s320/lauranidrayoga.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467852427383972674" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0); ">Namaste,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">I have the good fortune to see many of you on a regular basis. Others I am grateful to bump into from time to time. There are several of you, however, that I have not connected with in an embarrassingly long period of time. This email is two-fold in its intention: 1) to re-establish and nourish a sense of community 2) to update you on my professional doings. I believe in the power of community and acknowledge that I wouldn't be doing what I feel is my personal calling without the support and encouragement of those of you who keep showing up in a myriad of ways to affirm my life's path. Further, I believe that a balance of giving and receiving is integral to the health and success of the community at large. I invite you to consider sharing with me your doings as well as what I can do to support you in the resolution of your goals and aspirations. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">Just over a year ago I stepped out of a very comfortable and rewarding role as a free-lance yoga instructor at several prominent yoga studios in Seattle in order to establish myself as an independent yoga professional and the owner of LauraNidra Yoga. Needless to say, the past year has had its fair share of personal and professional ups and downs. The experience has been quite humbling. I have had to dig deep into my reserves of strength, perseverance and trust in order to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I am reassured by the knowledge that my experience is not unique and that thousands of small business owner's are faced with similar issues on a daily basis. I am not one to look back with regret so, when I reflect on the unfolding of events that have brought me to this moment, I see a great deal of positives. I see how my teaching has grown. I also see how students have been affected by this evolution. I see a beautiful community of practitioners that express mutual agreement about the value of yoga through their presence alone and in the small gestures of kindness that range from a smile to a supportive email. I recognize the growing pains my teaching has undergone and sense the clarity of voice that is emerging like wings from the chrysalis. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">LauraNidra Yoga offers an Ashtanga and Universal inspired practice that marries classic form with contemporary creativity. Of course, LauraNidra Yoga wouldn't be complete without the influence of <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/yoganidra.html">Yoga Nidra</a> which is woven into each class. LauraNidra Yoga's signature style MOVES you into STILLNESS. I currently offer 7 ongoing classes a week at <a href="http://www.tajyoga.com/">Taj Yoga </a> in Crown Hill/North Ballard. Yoga Nidra Meditation continues to be offered the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month at 7:00 p.m. My events schedule is full of exciting events that will provide opportunities to deepen your practice, play in mother nature and experience yoga in the context of a new and different culture. Please consider visiting my </span><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">website</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"> for more information or subscribe to </span><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/news/subscribe.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">LauraNidra News</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"> for monthly email updates. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">Yoga offers an array of wellness benefits. With regular practice Yoga can reduce stress, bolster the immune system, increase strength, endurance and flexibility, balance energy levels and promote clarity of thought and communication. Yoga can also enhance other areas of your life be it gardening, biking, academics or other creative endeavors and leave you feeling comfortable and confident in your body. No matter your exposure to yoga or your reason for practicing, it is my intention to encourage you to reach beyond perceived limitations to experience the innate ease of being that is your True Nature. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">The business piece of being an independent yoga professional has also grown. I have learned that it requires a lot more than being a good yoga teacher to run a successful yoga business. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel that inspired me to aspire to such a vision. I feel momentum beneath my wings but teeter at the edge of the nest wondering if they are strong enough to carry me. If you are inclined, you can help keep me afloat by mentioning me and my business when interacting with your community and professional network. I appreciate your word of mouth referrals tremendously. To make your job a little easier I am now offering 2 weeks of UNLIMITED YOGA for $20. This is primarily a new member special, but as a thank you, I would like to extend this one time incentive to you as well. Lastly, if you have a website and are interested in a link exchange to increase search engine visibility, please let me know as I have recently added a </span><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/community.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">Community Page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"> to my website and would be happy to list your business or service and feature you in my newsletter. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">In gratitude,</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330000;">LauraNidra </span></span></span></div></div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-57926654313503055532009-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:002009-10-08T11:32:01.639-07:00A Common Thread<div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">A little over a year ago I returned from three months of travel in <a href="http://lauranidra.blogspot.com/2008/08/selemat-datang.html">Bali</a> and <a href="http://lauranidra.blogspot.com/2008/07/silence-is-golden.html">Australia</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The time spent outside of my ‘yogasphere’ proved rich and rewarding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I put a few of the nuggets I dredged out of the stream of my consciousness into my pocket to be worked smooth like my great grandmother’s worry stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>While some are still jagged with neglect, repression and hard-wired tendencies, others are showing glimmers of their True Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am simultaneously the mineral and the process revealing it, distinct but not separate, layered with the mud of identification and attachment, yet essentially and irreversibly super shinny and bright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Heat (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas_(Sanskrit)">tapas</a></i><span style="font-style:normal">), the physical and mental discipline exerted in the practice of yoga, is the seat of the alchemical fire that converts base metal into gold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">Sometimes I </span>reel from all the hot pokers I have in the coals; my practice, my community and my family keep me putting one foot in front of the other.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve stopped looking for the end of the proverbial path because it’s really all about the here and now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t imagine that I’ll ever stop shedding my skin and, if I do, I can trust one of you will get me with a hot poker of my own design. I am grateful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This article was to be focused on yoga for climbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Clearly I digress, but there truly is a connection, albeit tenuous, that led me down the above rabbit hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mainly, that one of the gems I took from my time Down Under was the desire to remain connected to the Earth upon my return to Seattle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oddly enough, my re-entry was marked by a house-sitting job worlds away from the little caravan in a Eucalyptus grove outside of Gympie Australia - an ultra modern condominium on the corner of 5<sup>th</sup> & Mercer, complete with a view of the Space Needle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t have much Earth in my astrological chart, I am steamy combination of fire and water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I realize now that this is why a sense of place and home has always been so important to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even when halfway around the world, I seek comfort in routine and foundation in the familiar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The <a href="http://www.wwoof.org/">WOOFing</a> (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) experience took this recognition a step further into the literal; a heartfelt longing to feel the place we all call home between my toes and to revel in the majesty of Her greatness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This intention has manifested several opportunities to do so via the support of my community and a willingness to say YES to the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Of course, whether it be the Whitewater Rafting & Yoga Trip with <a href="http://www.windingwatersrafting.com/yogaraftingretreat.php">Winding Waters Rafting</a>, the Yoga Day Hike with <a href="http://mickpearson.com/">KAF Adventures</a> or the upcoming <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/teachingschedule.html">Cycling & Yoga Tour</a> with <a href="http://www.bicycleadventures.com/where/hawaii/hawaii-budget.php">Bicycle Adventures</a>, yoga is the common thread running through each meeting with the Mother Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The list of yoga’s benefits have been well know and understood by yogis across the centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In the last decade, however, yoga’s merit has captured the attention of the general public giving it a prominence in nearly every Seattle neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yoga’s notoriety has also caught the attention of several Olympic athletes such as Olympic Freestyle Skier <a href="mailto:http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaenthusiast/p/emilycook.htm">Emily Cook</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As a retired gymnast, and even as a retired waitress, I am acutely aware of the numerous ways that yoga complements, counters and enhances the physical demands of any form repetitive movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The harmony of yoga with other disciplines, be it computer engineering, gardening or dancing, extend beyond the physical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In mind and spirit, yoga is especially suited for outdoor activities like backpacking, rock climbing, surfing and cycling. </p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZM4NxKZUNo-jQY0kKTQCIK37cyCBJiS2MEa_Ohr5n9MwSfW8rm3J_N4ckduO_vqMKQVHNyKDv4AfO7GFRpgbv-60kSgGIb4Hgxfn1pYZEYeiRMh2bMNHId6iktOHtuDQ4l59T7QrLjhQI/s1600-h/DSC03814.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZM4NxKZUNo-jQY0kKTQCIK37cyCBJiS2MEa_Ohr5n9MwSfW8rm3J_N4ckduO_vqMKQVHNyKDv4AfO7GFRpgbv-60kSgGIb4Hgxfn1pYZEYeiRMh2bMNHId6iktOHtuDQ4l59T7QrLjhQI/s320/DSC03814.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389964272167096034" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">oga Day Hike with </span></i><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LauraNidra Yoga</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> & </span></i><a href="http://www.mickpearson.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">KAF Adventures</span></i></a></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">On September 12, 2009 I co-led a Yoga Day Hike with Mick Pearson of KAF Adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our group trekked up Mt Rainier, beyond Comet Falls, to Van Trump Park in silence allowing a natural heightening of the senses to take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Breath by breath, step by step, we enjoyed the journey and learned of one another through subtle body and energetic language.</p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Za8EqW2DKoiwi9YUrl9G3NgtAOjACNizZjsG-Zup_7iEIKGIhyQTedkNmpa6PVIRbs1Af9Yl1affMCwXeTbEV-P-8K7nZjeXFI2wF1kqaqB0-K4c_lql-t2AXDZl-LBwEs1mANLTLgFH/s1600-h/DSC03781.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Za8EqW2DKoiwi9YUrl9G3NgtAOjACNizZjsG-Zup_7iEIKGIhyQTedkNmpa6PVIRbs1Af9Yl1affMCwXeTbEV-P-8K7nZjeXFI2wF1kqaqB0-K4c_lql-t2AXDZl-LBwEs1mANLTLgFH/s320/DSC03781.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389963706417054914" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Trekking in Silence - Yoga Day Hike</span></i></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Attentive to how our presence affected the natural landscape, the backdrop for our yoga practice was Mt. Rainier, larger than life, piercing the clear blue sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With Mt. Adams to the North we took our seats and began our yoga practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Practicing on uneven ground with small eight-legged creatures paying visits to your mat adds another layer to the moving meditation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our practice focused on countering the heat and strength generated in the legs on the uphill climb with deep outer hip, hip flexor and quadriceps stretches and countered the weight of the backpack with twists, chest and shoulder openers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As always, this class can be modified to suite the needs of individual practitioners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvtPv1F0rWuvZqqYJNwEwsjUQm5f-Kxep8md0JHkPjDqMMFEMTCFd-_lUqyCzGFw8vUodXBX5sr7YlK8xLwVUx_E9IdEOJMSJLcsU62lcLX1pItYy-_wpR7SD66oslgjlZc8Qxd31fFIo/s1600-h/P1000281.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvtPv1F0rWuvZqqYJNwEwsjUQm5f-Kxep8md0JHkPjDqMMFEMTCFd-_lUqyCzGFw8vUodXBX5sr7YlK8xLwVUx_E9IdEOJMSJLcsU62lcLX1pItYy-_wpR7SD66oslgjlZc8Qxd31fFIo/s320/P1000281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389963309549821746" /></a><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Reclined Bound Angle Pose - Supta Baddha Konasana</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">Our practice began on the back in Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) to give the body-mind time to transition and open to the effects of both the hike and the ensuing yoga practice.<span> </span>Our warm up included the old standbys, Lounge Pigeon and Reclined Leg-Stretch Pose (Supta Padangusthasana).<span> </span>We then made our way to all fours for Cat/Cow, Thread the Needle and a chest/shoulder opener I know as Anahata Vishuddasana (referring to the energy centers/areas of the body it stimulates, the heart and throat respectively).<span> </span>After a long pause in Cobra (Bhujangasana) to breathe space into the hip flexors we moved into Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), an excellent pose for simultaneously strengthening and stretching the entire body.<span></span></p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyR5sWHfSFy4_RDt4QxtLyqI4fcj2JO1gLNtI9QaOoCrg512RL707W7ZmYgUwYfCJiYrv-ttLsBjax6-iY4k2A-xr_MX4iZUB5HE4y9XQr96g-3tgUSC5Jc2WUHgtHFdcaD2LoTKcVLNV/s1600-h/BBollay-LDeFreitas010.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyR5sWHfSFy4_RDt4QxtLyqI4fcj2JO1gLNtI9QaOoCrg512RL707W7ZmYgUwYfCJiYrv-ttLsBjax6-iY4k2A-xr_MX4iZUB5HE4y9XQr96g-3tgUSC5Jc2WUHgtHFdcaD2LoTKcVLNV/s320/BBollay-LDeFreitas010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389961765710346002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana. Photo Credit: </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tzofia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Britney Bollay Bush</span></a></span></div></span><div><p class="MsoNormal">A short standing sequence followed, including Crescent Lunge (Chandrasana), Revolved Crescent Lunge (Parivrtta Chandrasana), Wide Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana) Side Lunge (Skandasana).</p></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dpSJ2dYI1ZhpE_x9sVH22WwgFwrakgCgLH2r55oINLKRWYKtMzdmDqL9doWZU0TwbAUKVdI7rYUvMMAiAWvfeql0JLmdv-W7g_1LKQEJh_fRay2rpFF8VmLNePfM6-AI0hJ0E6kqiRR0/s1600-h/DSC03794.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dpSJ2dYI1ZhpE_x9sVH22WwgFwrakgCgLH2r55oINLKRWYKtMzdmDqL9doWZU0TwbAUKVdI7rYUvMMAiAWvfeql0JLmdv-W7g_1LKQEJh_fRay2rpFF8VmLNePfM6-AI0hJ0E6kqiRR0/s320/DSC03794.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389962933435718818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Standing Sequence - Yoga Day Hike to Van Trump Park, Mt. Rainier, WA.</span></i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_00RRYO9tkUQ-G4MXMSb1nbYaGoSY1oRdUAvPe6Oh4f2DLuwVqdyDRukBzHwKcWooeIlzgxcu2kkRajFF5Vso2AgwdZXGzjd3khY32IPx8VOLW2pVkoM6Cg4jDqsU4jvD-GtMW5vH_pq/s1600-h/DSC_0087+-+Version+2.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_00RRYO9tkUQ-G4MXMSb1nbYaGoSY1oRdUAvPe6Oh4f2DLuwVqdyDRukBzHwKcWooeIlzgxcu2kkRajFF5Vso2AgwdZXGzjd3khY32IPx8VOLW2pVkoM6Cg4jDqsU4jvD-GtMW5vH_pq/s320/DSC_0087+-+Version+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389960729932771346" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Crescent Lunge - Chandrasana. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/">Cameron Karsten Photograph</a></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/">y</a></span></i></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_hkfSllt6fePsbUMxE1Py8x2bXLpNbW2-gIVDtac0WwC8HYb7ie5FtbyUqA0_84lHLXyaZw2bpG7a1c8sGjFJjY8AIY74EZHjWGxuasUjCefY3XZyxg9AHs1dKnb5iFReWt7rZpf8ZKb/s1600-h/Wings+of+Skandasana.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_hkfSllt6fePsbUMxE1Py8x2bXLpNbW2-gIVDtac0WwC8HYb7ie5FtbyUqA0_84lHLXyaZw2bpG7a1c8sGjFJjY8AIY74EZHjWGxuasUjCefY3XZyxg9AHs1dKnb5iFReWt7rZpf8ZKb/s320/Wings+of+Skandasana.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389960721267498290" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Side Lunge - Skandasana (Advanced Variation). Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/">Cameron Karsten Photography</a></span></div></i><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">At the top of the mat we took Standing Bound Forward Bend (Baddha Uttanasana) then countered the deep forward bend with Upward Facing Plank variation or Half Backbend (Ardha Urdhva Danurasana).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We countered the counter with Downward Facing Frog (Ahdo Mukha Bhekasana).</p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfFIzTq2PzXX8m-QMrQYHI9T5CmwT1SsBqRLoxfVmZ7WScUVq4-aCMfjOjQsIXobCf5BD7pB4tYZzZiUodZtDOhgTDiOg6mu6R9E0EE8AFh4ntztqCIiI_yt2ssecP_vkTLUaBDmcZ3ks/s1600-h/To+Dance+With+the+Other.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfFIzTq2PzXX8m-QMrQYHI9T5CmwT1SsBqRLoxfVmZ7WScUVq4-aCMfjOjQsIXobCf5BD7pB4tYZzZiUodZtDOhgTDiOg6mu6R9E0EE8AFh4ntztqCIiI_yt2ssecP_vkTLUaBDmcZ3ks/s400/To+Dance+With+the+Other.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389959941068989138" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Half Backbend - Ardha Urdhva Danurasana. Photo Credit: </span></i><a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Cameron Karsten Photography</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></i> </div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">I rarely teach a class that doesn’t include Reclined Pigeon (Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana), an often intense outer hip (rotator) opener.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Pigeon morphed into Seated Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirasana) on both sides and, with a jump through to our seat, we glided into Bound Angle (Baddha Konasana).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We finished on our backs with a gentle Supine Twist (Jatara Parivartanasana) and took a long rest in Final Relaxation Pose (Savasana).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7zR4nKpvGkhffxliO_yo8YViw1C4NLWx00G6aH-mIGMGA9mQQBOy-vuspINVAMmBkZWbs63OcJcgoY_wClwqm9yC93_mg1vXdzW4kaJXnqLGmQuUGs3u-JhgaM-46YtS7OXcAUt3JFQz/s1600-h/P1000280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7zR4nKpvGkhffxliO_yo8YViw1C4NLWx00G6aH-mIGMGA9mQQBOy-vuspINVAMmBkZWbs63OcJcgoY_wClwqm9yC93_mg1vXdzW4kaJXnqLGmQuUGs3u-JhgaM-46YtS7OXcAUt3JFQz/s320/P1000280.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389959411419059906" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><i>Final Relaxation Pose - Savasana</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">The sound of three OMs melding with the hum of the waterfall behind us and natural vibration of our spectacular setting broke our collective silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Together we journeyed back down the Mountain, full of life and vigor, I myself, keenly aware that we are where we are because of where we’ve been.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Look for more Outdoor Yoga Excursions with <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/">LauraNidra Yoga</a> and friends including <a href="mailto:http://www.windingwatersrafting.com">Winding Waters Rafting</a>, <a href="mailto:http://www.mickpearson.com">KAF Adventures</a> and <a href="mailto:http://www.bicycleadventures.com">Bicycle Adventures</a> by subscribing to <a href="mailto:http://www.lauranidra.com/news/subscribe.html">LauraNidra News</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div></div></div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-43783044633125656282009-09-01T11:03:00.000-07:002009-09-01T11:25:37.750-07:00Trip Notes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpAP9A9LeDZ2SGaDpF2CQesTSREQgm0iuW2EvfbnUCjGXN2_el_Or-tC0Zx8WON5sPkGO5FdM7q2vXfEiK9Kk-4IbhXniWPVFFbjBr1LLyUFDoU-S0dn0OXgpPLgfgPAVGPgfFCHHSfc_/s1600-h/Yoga.8.09+116.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpAP9A9LeDZ2SGaDpF2CQesTSREQgm0iuW2EvfbnUCjGXN2_el_Or-tC0Zx8WON5sPkGO5FdM7q2vXfEiK9Kk-4IbhXniWPVFFbjBr1LLyUFDoU-S0dn0OXgpPLgfgPAVGPgfFCHHSfc_/s400/Yoga.8.09+116.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376563008291494514" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.windingwatersrafting.com/yogaraftingretreat.php">Winding Waters Rafting</a> & <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com">Yoga Retreat</a> on the Salmon River, Idaho</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>August 17th - 21st 2009</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Notes and recollections recorded by Rob Brooks (no dates or times<span> </span>- we’re on river time):</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Day 1 – Fear, doubts, new experiences… </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Put in at Pine Bar and get wet…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Matt did his first set of rapids… he was jostled, drenched, and wondered if the guide knew what he was doing</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Elizabeth was petrified and exhilarated after riding the first rapid on a raft… her infectious laugh made everyone smile</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Penny, the geologist, was a font of river knowledge and lore… her mantra for handling the raft is ‘face my danger and be ready to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>back away with my strong pull stroke</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gail let the yellow jackets eat her grape, called them her environmental friends, and enjoyed shared spirit with natural creatures, especially the mating dragonflies</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Scott enjoyed watching Craig’s challenge of getting back into his kayak after the first time he fell out, and seeing a million stars in the sky at night</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Christy enjoyed falling asleep and waking up under the stars</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rob (Frisbee Boy) hit the wall in the rapids and managed to push off and stay in his kayak (upright)… brought out a Frisbee and managed to get hit on the nose with it… Craig (Mother Theresa of the trip) applied bacitracin ointment for the rest of the week</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shannon had a perfect Pine Bar Rapid run, and enjoyed naming Rob ‘Frisbee Boy’</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Craig had fun helping everyone do handstands on a chair and sharing his supply of Monvie with anyone who would let him pour it down their throat</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Putting up tents for the first time was amusing… how does this pole go through and over there?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">James did a perfect job of cooking the wild Alaskan salmon</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yvonne enjoyed the fabulous dinner and making new friends</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Laura enjoy singing around the campfire (everyone knew one verse – but only one - of dozens of songs), geology lesson, and petroglyphs… she didn’t enjoy getting stung by a wasp, whose sting troubled her for the rest of the week (environmental friends???)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Penny enjoyed watching everyone get into ‘relax mode’</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Day 2 - Gaining Confidence and Skill</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Laura fell out of her kayak in Lorna’s Lulu rapid headed for a big wall… in less than 5 seconds, she was back in the kayak, skirted disaster with deft paddle strokes, avoided the wall, and shot on down the rapid (which was renamed ‘Laura’s Lulu’)… she celebrated by doing Upward Facing Plank on her duckie… the best Craig could do to match that was Lounge Pigeon</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Elizabeth enjoyed the feeling of power on her first duckie kayak ride… like everyone, she really liked the yoga circle that Todd and Paul made, especially the rock pile at the center with seven stones representing the seven chakras</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Piloting raft #1 alone while Paul and Scott were swimming a rapid, Rob lost an oar… Matt came to the rescue and retrieved the oar and Rob was able to row the raft out of a big eddy…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We spotted a beaver on a rock by the edge of the river</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Day 3 - Getting Into the Groove (or out of it)</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rob’s Eveready Battery ran down and he really started to relax… always the first one up, he enjoyed watching the sun coming up over the east canyon wall, as the shadows of the night disappeared down the west canyon wall… then solo yoga on a rock above camp and by the river’s edge… there’s something special about yoga in the wild… you see the world differently… the river is always there, ever present, ever changing… the valley is the vessel that holds it, just as I am the vessel that holds my ever changing life… there are rapids and eddies, deep currents and shallow bars, and it flows on until it reaches the ocean, to be reincarnated as clouds, rain, snow, a creek, a river, a spring… it is a ‘magic carpet’day… meditating alone by the river, I fly out over the river on my magic carpet… lying in savasana after yoga, I fly down a rapid on the energy that flows from the river… </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the river it is a ‘big water’ day… class 4 rapids</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gail is the mermaid… kayaking and swimming all day… sitting on a rock in the river she is the incarnation of the mermaid statue that grace Copenhagen’s harbor</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Christy has a ball in the kayak… has a class 4 rapid ‘out of boat experience’ but manages to hang onto her paddle; with help from Craig and Scott, she is back in her kayak and ready for the next rapid</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nathan discovered a new form of pranayama practice… when your kayak turns over, you stick your head up into it and breathe… ‘sub-duckie pranayama’</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The weather got warmer and everyone enjoyed the ‘marination station’ at lunch… </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Laura’s wasp sting got bigger</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Matt spent the whole day in a kayak… it was ‘bodacious’,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and Yvonne swam, swam, swam</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Craig joined Todd and James on the gear boat and rowed it all morning… awesome fun, even backwards</p> <p class="MsoNormal">By evening everyone was pretty worn out… we even skipped evening yoga… enjoyed solar showers and Shannon pulled out the cutest ‘little black dress’, yes, even on a river rafting trip…we enjoyed margaritas (aka riveritas) and fajitas, and especially peach cobbler out of the dutch oven… by 9PM everyone fell asleep to the roar of the river and the twinkling of the stars…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b>Day 4 – Old Hands on the River</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">James joins yoga practice for the first time… he does incredibly well for a yoga newbie…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Special breakfast… eggs benedict… mmmm…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Laura and Elizabeth set out to bring sleeping pads down to the beach to load up on the rafts, but end up making a slide down the steep sandy bank… playful otters…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Warm weather, so it’s another marination station lunch…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rob and Matt shared the day on the Good n’ Plenty with Shannon… learned about raft housekeeping (no sand on this raft), doing the jaguar in the rapids to keep the bow of the light raft down (and have fun in the spray)… Shannon manages her raft remarkably with short efficient oar strokes… being a dancer gives her great propriocentation…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but not quite enough to keep her from toppling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>over helping Rob get back into the raft after a swim in a rapid… the Eveready Battery showed signs of life and he flew into the raft as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>if the river had ejected him… then it was Rob’s turn to pull Matt in… he made sure that Matt got all the way in, and then some, and poor Matt was afraid he was going to be shoved through the bottom of the raft…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Everyone enjoyed jumping from a 30’ cliff into the river, hearts racing… even cool, calm, gymnast Laura had to step back from the edge for a moment to regain her composure before she could jump…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>this was the first time Shannon got to do the jump…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Craig was getting dehydrated by the end of the day, and we reached campsite just in time… Elizabeth found a little rattlesnake in the rocks by the swimming hole…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This was a special evening… <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>great campsite at the entrance to Blue Canyon…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>we all started with a hike to a hilltop nearby and a great view of the canyon… hilltop was a little too small and rocky for yoga… James impressed everyone by hiking the hill barefoot… later waxed eloquent on the benefits of running barefoot…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dinner was extra good… vegetable curry and good wine… toasts all around (great wines from Matt and Yvonne) and dutch oven brownies for dessert… finished off with shots of Jaegermeister courtesy of Nathan…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Those who stayed up late enough enjoy Todd’s late show…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>adult light show shadow puppets on the latrine screen… Elizabeth laughed until tears were running down her face…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Everyone slept out of tents… lots of shooting starts and the milky way was extra bright…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Day 5 – Confluence and Farewell</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An early start, and the whole crew in a good mood… almost everyone has been in the water so much that they feel like they’re rocking to the waves even when they’re sitting still… the narrow canyon and rapid river flow bring on vertigo, and a sense that the river is standing still and the canyon walls are moving…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A few more fast rapids, and then the confluence with the Snake… lash the rafts together, deflate the duckies, and motor down the big river… actually, there were a few more rapids, and Paul again demonstrated his superb river skills navigating the ‘barge’ through them…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Just past the confluence with the Grand Ronde, we return to civilization… hop in the van for and back to Clarkston… quick farewells and the experience is over… or is it?</p><p class="MsoNormal">Pictures of this Retreat will be posted at <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/photogallery.html">LauraNidra Yoga</a> shortly...</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-31665307841028716802009-09-01T09:12:00.000-07:002009-09-01T11:01:45.139-07:00Underwater Love<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000FF;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgUmP7JatRHDtCAQ_prkgwt8Qkl_dYEiD184SpmZLzDf81aNantsKWTCJ92JnFaagH-H9J8xyiAgHEbSqziPIDKzdPFDtvAhWl-s0WP5GDzoHTA9LorDK8BH5XLdI_vlnxo-gq3jgwpJ1/s1600-h/CIMG2800.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgUmP7JatRHDtCAQ_prkgwt8Qkl_dYEiD184SpmZLzDf81aNantsKWTCJ92JnFaagH-H9J8xyiAgHEbSqziPIDKzdPFDtvAhWl-s0WP5GDzoHTA9LorDK8BH5XLdI_vlnxo-gq3jgwpJ1/s320/CIMG2800.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376557231259234994" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Stepping back into life after a nourishing and transformative retreat can parallel navigating a class four rapid; scouting the run prior to putting-in is recommended.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When genuinely open to the retreat experience, the ‘to-do’ lists that clutter and fill my fast- paced urban lifestyle, fade away.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Attention is now free to explore the moment-to-moment unfolding of my existence.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In the beats between I am succinctly aware of the awesomeness of my perfectly unique experience while humbled to the omnipotence of Mother Nature.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And so it was with the </span></span><a href="http://www.windingwatersrafting.com/yogaraftingretreat.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rafting & Yoga Retreat</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> I co-lead with </span></span><a href="http://www.windingwatersrafting.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Winding Waters Rafting</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> of Joseph, Oregon.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A teachers once said that energy follows attention and that attention, at its core, is Love.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So hard did I fall for the majesty of the Salmon River that upon my return to Seattle I felt a stranger to my self-identified city girl reality – naked and disoriented.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On the massage table a few days later I realized that I had essentially left a piece of my Self on the river.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The image of a piece of my heart quite literally flying out of my body to commune in the wilderness sent ripples down my spine.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And what of the vacancy sign flashing in my chest?</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lyrics from the Postal Service song titled “Such Great Heights” chime in:</span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am thinking it’s a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they perfectly align. And I have to speculate that God himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay.</span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Is that what love is?</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A Donnie Darko style worm flowing from my chest toward a reciprocal sized portal in another?</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Is that why after a break-up the clichéd, “I’ll always carry a piece of you in my heart” is universally understood, even by the cynic.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One Valentine’s Day a lover sent me an anonymous story chronicling the valor of the heart’s trials and tribulations:</span></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--></i></p><i><p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One day a young man was stood in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered to admired his heart, for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.</span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The people stared. “How can he say that his heart is more beautiful?”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The young man looked at the state of the old man's heart and laughed. “You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges . . . giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting.</span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“So now do you see what true beauty is?"</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his scarred heart and placed it in the wound of the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">How sad it must be to go through life with a whole heart.</span></span></i></span></p></i><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As a romantic, I have been know to wax poetically key lines from Baz Lurhman’s Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge but my idea of love has evolved beyond Cameron Crowe’s “You complete me.”</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I prefer the image of two neighboring trees, strong and rooted in and of themselves, creating a intricate canopy of multi-colored leaves and curvaceous limbs overhead. And in between, where the sky breaks through, the eternal dance of offering and receiving, the microcosm and the macrocosm and all the shades of blue along the way.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The River, a consistent and generous lover, always gives back.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I would argue the same is true of all relationships of any label if we are willing to see beyond the duality of positive and negative experience and welcome what is.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is a matter of trust.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Faith that we are right where we need to be and life, like scars and wrinkles, give us character.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_(classical_element)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Greek</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> philosophy and science water is commonly associated with emotion and intuition.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wiccan</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> tradition water represents wisdom, the soul and femininity.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And then there is the Moon.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Its no small wonder the retreat so powerfully touched my soul, honed my intuition and resulted in these ruminations on love.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In the dream realm rivers can symbolize a journey; either physical, emotional or spiritual.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On the last day of our distinct, but not separate, journey down the Salmon River we eddied out at the confluence of the Snake & Salmon Rivers. Twenty plus flotilla miles later the retreat would come to an end but for the time being we were together moved to offer and give back to the River.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Honoring the interconnectedness of all things we harmonized our voices and let the wind and the current take its vibration out into the universe. Our bodies and our hearts close to follow we fell back into the river, cool and cleansing, and like the swan in Rilke’s poem, content to be carried.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The laboring through what is still undone, as though, legs bound, we hobbled along the way, is like the awkward walking of the swan.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And to die - which is the letting go of the ground we stand on and cling to every day, is like the swan, when he nervously lets himself down into the water, which receives him gaily and which flows joyfully under and after him,</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">wave after wave,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">while the swan, unmoving and marvelously calm,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">is pleased to carried, each moment more fully grown,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">more like a king, further and further on. </span></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ll keep floating on with a therapist of the both the physical and emotional leaning in tow to help me ground and integrate my experience and put it into these words.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Photos of this Retreat will be posted to </b><b><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/photogallery.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">LauraNidra Yoga</span></a> </b><b>shortly....</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-6436707533653165052009-06-17T09:14:00.000-07:002009-09-27T20:59:11.293-07:00Cameron Karsten Photography<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnZ25YQ2_51LpQrbaC-YuywTPEeiCgg8xA595gwf9ilVFbfUFZFa0TAJ6-eEXfIxO_uhJCSPI1ZWTriaiDoCUYs7cIGJdWU3Cr-mbrnbddf4pWq4cmvK9GTfesVLfk-72vRWLQu3QDLyz/s1600-h/Cameron.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnZ25YQ2_51LpQrbaC-YuywTPEeiCgg8xA595gwf9ilVFbfUFZFa0TAJ6-eEXfIxO_uhJCSPI1ZWTriaiDoCUYs7cIGJdWU3Cr-mbrnbddf4pWq4cmvK9GTfesVLfk-72vRWLQu3QDLyz/s320/Cameron.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348331731061235522" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><br /><a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/"></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Cameron Karsten Professional Photography of You and Your Business</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;">Ever wonder where I get the exquisitely beautiful imagery used in my promotional materials - flyers, business cards, website, blog and newsletter? Cameron Karsten is my man!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Cameron Karsten Photograph</a></span>y offers professional imagery in commercial marketing photography. With a unique eye for composition and lighting, Cameron draws excellence into any industry, specialized to help make your business shine in the light of infinite creativity. Whether updating old image archives for your website or looking to spark your new product with eye-catching advertisement, utilize Cameron Karsten Photography to professionalize your business, product or marketing material. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;">To view his various styles in yoga portfolios, jewlery design and Seattle's wellness community, please visit the <i><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/photogallery.html">LauraNidra Galleries</a></i>, his personal <i><a href="http://www.cam2yogi.com/">website</a></i>, and his updated <i><a href="http://www.cameronkarsten.blogspot.com/">Eye of the Photo Blo</a>g</i>. For rates and scheduling, contact Cameron at <a href="mailto:cam2yogi@gmail.com">cam2yogi@gmail.com</a> or 206.799.9318.</span><br /></div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-36485125399448334262009-06-17T09:11:00.001-07:002009-06-17T09:14:53.488-07:00Private Yoga & Yoga Nidra Instruction<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi019N-WUuYeuME-DYCHl2QSU2P5n1vmpAJts-mdy7oCzBkybCbydQ5VqJ1FtTvrnqOIsxXhPVGeIe6jo0ZSctbYDg-GyEY16Sx9Gh7ErwRa_stnmMQyK7cLCcEtm-ba93y6l8uDSFcsU59/s1600-h/Instructing1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi019N-WUuYeuME-DYCHl2QSU2P5n1vmpAJts-mdy7oCzBkybCbydQ5VqJ1FtTvrnqOIsxXhPVGeIe6jo0ZSctbYDg-GyEY16Sx9Gh7ErwRa_stnmMQyK7cLCcEtm-ba93y6l8uDSFcsU59/s320/Instructing1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348330548074841426" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><p id="om.edit.p:1226099205187.54" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">Private instruction with <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/">Laura DeFreitas</a> is an opportunity to nurture and develop your practice. It is appropriate for the beginner seeking to understandyoga fundamentals as well seasoned practitioners hoping to deepen their practice. Each lesson is tailored to the individual's lifestyle, schedule and intention. In addition to yoga postures, a session may include breath work, meditation and/or Yoga Nidra. Instruction can take place in the comfort of your own home or at a Taj Yoga.</p><p id="om.edit.p:1226099205187.55" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; "><b>Rates</b></p><p id="om.edit.p:1226099205187.56" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">1 hour - $70 | 1.5 hours - $95</p><p id="om.edit.p:1226099205187.57" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">5 - 1 hour sessions - $325 | 10 class pass - $625<br /></p><p id="om.edit.p:1228716517907.390" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">Contact Laura to set up your personalized private instruction package via phone: 206.240.9254 or email: yogini@lauranidra.com.</p></span>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-20527586483744904322009-06-17T09:08:00.000-07:002009-06-17T09:11:03.447-07:00Yoga & Chocolate Workshop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieSN1lLMa-tuYCYedR-cpMnZ06xxi6fLwzaiTEukSnQplR0uJba5Si0nNoUCDMHFsfWdevisM8SRyXW2jTH1TKwY94uWqG_eytK27JAsDFB0tGf7FFghyphenhyphenyzYrYBQoLHaa2-P5sbNfFeZb/s1600-h/theochocolate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgieSN1lLMa-tuYCYedR-cpMnZ06xxi6fLwzaiTEukSnQplR0uJba5Si0nNoUCDMHFsfWdevisM8SRyXW2jTH1TKwY94uWqG_eytK27JAsDFB0tGf7FFghyphenhyphenyzYrYBQoLHaa2-P5sbNfFeZb/s320/theochocolate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348329608891203906" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><p id="om.edit.p:1241413573516.415" style="text-align: center;font-weight: bold; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">Yoga & Chocolate at <a href="http://www.theochocolate.com/" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); text-decoration: underline; ">Theo Chocolate</a>. June 28th from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.</p><p id="om.edit.p:1241413573516.451" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">Join Laura and <a href="http://www.theochocolate.com/" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); text-decoration: underline; ">Theo Chocolate</a> for an energizing morning pairing of Yoga and Chocolate. The All Levels Hatha Flow Yoga class will develop balance, build strength and increase flexibility through Laura's signature sequencing. The Chocolate Factory Tour that follows will focus on the health benefits of chocolate that facilitate the body's ability to rejuvenate and restore after any form of physical activity. No previous yoga experience required. Please bring your own yoga mat and come prepared with an empty stomach and an open mind!<br /><br />$18. Space limited to 25. Contact <a href="http://www.theochocolate.com/" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); text-decoration: underline; ">Theo Chocolate</a> at 206.632.5100 to reserve your space.</p></span>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-89466342950580586182009-06-17T08:39:00.000-07:002009-06-17T09:08:44.920-07:00Sunset Yoga Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMz12hOP71vAZY0SGOdKANTsidOZqZPecb1wYSdhbDbkqiozrTEPJGYVghXye69GknrefmlKmk-LCSCbl9aQF7iBriXW0XmQGCup72zukkHAClXYugXfeyUFOd8B_dKvSXHvgCoL5r7hX/s1600-h/Closer+Than+The+Sun.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMz12hOP71vAZY0SGOdKANTsidOZqZPecb1wYSdhbDbkqiozrTEPJGYVghXye69GknrefmlKmk-LCSCbl9aQF7iBriXW0XmQGCup72zukkHAClXYugXfeyUFOd8B_dKvSXHvgCoL5r7hX/s320/Closer+Than+The+Sun.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348328946031567826" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><p id="om.edit.p:1242942487861.428" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; "></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Sunset Yoga Series. Mondays, June 15th - September 28th.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">(No Class Labor Day)<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7:30 - 8:45 p.m.</span><br /></div><p></p><p id="om.edit.p:1242942487861.556" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; ">Join <a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); text-decoration: underline; ">LauraNidra Yoga</a> and<a href="http://http//www.customsmoothie.com" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); text-decoration: underline; ">Custom Smoothie</a> for a Sunset Yoga Series. Sunset and sunrise are traditionally thought of as the most auspicious time for practice and reflection. Rain or shine, Laura will lead a 75-minute outdoor yoga and meditation class choreographed to end with the setting of the sun. These All-Level Flow Yoga classes will be structured around breath-directed movement sequences that build strength, increase flexibility and develop balance and focus. Students can expect to leave feeling centered and prepared for the week ahead. Post moving meditation enjoy a refreshing Custom Smoothie that will help replenish and restore the body. <br /><br />No yoga experience required. Please bring your own yoga mat. Classes will meet at Custom Smoothie Fremont and proceed to outdoor practice area along the Fremont cut. In the event of rain we will practice inside Custom Smoothie. <br /><br />$15 ($10 yoga/$5 smoothie) per person per class or $200 for 15 class series. Receive 10% off supplements at <a href="http://www.customsmoothie.com/" style="color: rgb(79, 34, 13); text-decoration: underline; ">Custom Smoothie</a> when you purchase full series. Payment for yoga portion ($10) in cash or check only.<br /><br />Pre-Registration Required. 25 maximum participants. Contact Laura at yogini@lauranidra.com to reserve your space today!</p></span>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-24110041721818054952009-06-05T19:53:00.000-07:002009-06-05T23:29:37.892-07:00Laura + Nidra + Yoga = LauraNidra Yoga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC14D6zyRZthMTYgBv8wL9fawvfo5rKdpgCf4ONld26rKXrwRgJVOiNN0TXzDPAd_6tUHbQhe5-DeP4ckFF6VmB4gbL-CL6vp-0YL-JgdhOMRnOCjeAUN42gEmWtThkbN3WmSxet2x6BCf/s1600-h/Blue+Nez.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC14D6zyRZthMTYgBv8wL9fawvfo5rKdpgCf4ONld26rKXrwRgJVOiNN0TXzDPAd_6tUHbQhe5-DeP4ckFF6VmB4gbL-CL6vp-0YL-JgdhOMRnOCjeAUN42gEmWtThkbN3WmSxet2x6BCf/s400/Blue+Nez.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344097806913175714" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIHQMwyrSLwmCxZIcwQ_UJ_l-OInANDggSAotTAUbPAJLVLJM0UnPvLOaCZajDjgpbpp81U8UV4o4vrnp8kAMyufEKI11rl-ptyIauPZqyBUOYku1X0cuFTpXfTql7GM6e3j4qdkSnYmm/s1600-h/In+The+Details+of+Thought.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I recently gave a presentation about </span></span><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LauraNidra Yoga</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> to a group of business owners who knew very little about yoga. A question that came up in nearly every prior conversation with these group members was: "What type of yoga do you teach?" One answer to that question is the biography that appears on my website. Much of that biography means nothing to your average non-yoga teacher and even more of it is there to impress the masses with a list of fancy terms and qualifications. About a year ago the short answer to this question became: "I teach LauraNidra Yoga: Laura + Nidra + Yoga = LauraNidra Yoga." Suddenly my frustration with this commonly asked question was replaced by a desire to share why I'm passionate about teaching yoga and what inspires me in my practice. LauraNidra Yoga is best experienced first-hand, but you can read on and get the long answer.... </span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Laura</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">: I won't belabor the point by sharing my entire life story but will say that I came to yoga after 15 years of competitive gymnastic training. My body was batter and bruised but I was somehow able to ignore the pain and when denial didn't work four Advil usually did the trick. Yoga and Yoga Nidra brought me back home to my body and helped me to soften around the long held view of my body as an external object to be manipulated in space and denied at all costs, a view that was clearly no longer serving me. Learning to recognize the voice of my body and to acknowledge all of its messengers as valid certainly didn't happen over night. In fact, I maintained a gymnast mentality throughout my first years of yoga practice. I was drawn to acrobatic and challenging styles of yoga, I was secretly competitive and, looking back, yoga was still more of a performance than a meditation on body and breath. In 2005 Yoga Nidra stopped me in my tracks. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Nidra: </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yoga Nidra is conscious sleep. The word </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">yoga</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> loosely translates as consciousness and the word </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">nidra</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> literally translates as sleep. It is said that one 45 minute Yoga Nidra practice is equivalent to 4 hours of regular sleep. Yoga Nidra is an approachable form of mediation that is extremely effective in alleviating stress, resolving emotional trauma and promotes physical healing. It is a voice directed practice practice that takes students through a step-by-step progressive relaxation of physical, energetic, emotional and mental bodies or </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">koshas</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Normally, in yoga meditation one remains in the waking state and gradually allows awareness to expand into other states that are usually unconscious. In Yoga Nidra, one leaves the waking state, descends into deep sleep, and brings waking consciousness along. In this way we access the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">prajna</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> level of consciousness. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Prajna, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">translates as supreme knowledge and contains our inherent wisdom as well as the roots of behavioral and emotional patterns that are the driving force behind actions. Yoga Nidra is a practice that allows us to experience mental and emotional patterns directly in order to be albe to reduce their power to play out due to conditioning and habit. Now energy is free to mindfully choose new patterns. The power of the practice rests in the the ability to attenuate the root causes of self-limiting patterns rather than simply cover old ones with a layer of new ones. After some years of practice, enough energy is freed for awareness to turn into itself. Often referred to as "The Sleep of the Yogi," Yoga Nidra is a play on words that reminds us that a true yogi is aware of True Nature through all states of consciousness, even sleep. The ultimate aim of Yoga and Yoga Nidra is to restore awareness to True Nature. True Nature's essential qualities are that of light, wisdom, discernment, all- sufficiency and unconditional love. This is not something that we create but something that we are and always have been. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I first experienced Yoga Nidra at the </span></span><a href="http://www.8limbsyoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">8 Limbs Yoga Advanced Teacher Training</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. At the time, as far as I was concerned, it lived in a realm on the opposite side of my world of yoga. Nonetheless, it spoke to me and my initial experience changed the trajectory of my yoga practice. I am currently in the process of becoming a Certified Integrative Restoration (iRest) or Yoga Nidra Instructor under the tutelage of Richer Miller and the </span></span><a href="http://www.nondual.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Center for Timeless Being</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. I am one of the few working toward this certification in the greater Seattle area. The discovery of Yoga Nidra was a great blessing. On a gross level it offered a very real sense of balance to my often over zealous and extroverted schedule. On a subtler level it revealed a sense of Presence and Knowing and offered guidance in the art of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">being</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> rather than doing. This in turn </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">softened my competitive, perfectionist tendencies and allowed me to welcome the fullness of my being into the proverbial room. Fortunately, they call it yoga practice and not yoga perfection. I still swivel back and forth on the teeter totter of life but at least now, most of the time, through mindful welcoming and listening, the Seer can See that the feared hot lava below my perch is just bark.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yoga: </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I teach 6 weekly yoga asana classes and bi-monthly Yoga Nidra classes at </span></span><a href="http://www.tajyoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Taj Yoga</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> on Crown Hill. Taj Yoga is run differently than most yoga studios in Seattle in that it is the home to five independent yoga professionals each operating their individual businesses. Long-time Seattle yoga teacher Theresa Elliott directs and maintains this community yoga space. This 'co-op' model, if you will, allows me to focus on the quality of my instruction in two ways: limiting the number of classes I teach each week and small class-sizes. Minimizing the number of classes I teach ensures that I can give 100% in each and every class I offer. Small class-sizes means students enjoy abundant personal attention. Since completing the </span></span><a href="http://www.pacificyoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pacific Yoga Teacher Training</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> in 2003 I have been heavily influenced by the </span></span><a href="http://www.troylucero.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ashtanga</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span></span><a href="http://www.universal-yoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Universal</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Styles of Yoga. These are dynamic styles of vinyasa or flow yoga that I modify to teach adults of all ages and abilities. My classes combine the strength and accuracy of held postures with the grace of breath-directed movement sequences. Classes are structured around the sun salutation and breath awareness to build strength, increase flexibility and develop balance and focus. Each class begins and ends with a chant and brief meditation practice.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LauraNidra Yoga: </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My life experience coupled with my study of Yoga and Yoga Nidra create an unique classroom experience I call </span></span><a href="http://www.lauranidrayoga.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LauraNidra Yoga</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Yoga Nidra infuses all of my ongoing yoga asana classes. These classes use the body as the medium to connect with emotional and mental layers of being. I encourage students to listen to the body's intuition and to trust in it's innate healing potential. Yoga means something different to everyone. For some it is a form of physical exercise, for some it is a time for introspection and meditation, for others it is a spiritual practice and for still others it is a lifestyle. I welcome them all. I was first drawn to yoga for its obvious physical benefits but at this point in my practice it is all of the things listed and so much more. It is my intention to meet students where they are and to support them in practicing deeply wherever they are. It is my intention to be a conduit through which the teachings of yoga may reveal the fullest expression of Light and Wisdom that lives within each and every one of us. It is my intention to allow the Presence in Motion felt in asana practice to transition seamlessly into the daily happenings of life. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:arial;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 24px; white-space: normal; font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size:12px;"> </span></span></span></span></div><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-68252288995504882522009-04-25T17:50:00.000-07:002009-06-05T19:53:10.600-07:00Salutations to the Sun Workshop. Sunday, June 21st 2009.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFzmYTkO1hqgr3vGzG6ZGP9XAFgcPxBmtP_pOUQNqk2-NADdY52xzDXQ0bQY3YYPOd5MsnqgM_98QmGu8_NmCljudEQoNlnN-ph6V0_vtwOP_7MF_c8hY8YXrRoXbNtIyeHh5VAG4-DRY/s1600-h/SunSets.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFzmYTkO1hqgr3vGzG6ZGP9XAFgcPxBmtP_pOUQNqk2-NADdY52xzDXQ0bQY3YYPOd5MsnqgM_98QmGu8_NmCljudEQoNlnN-ph6V0_vtwOP_7MF_c8hY8YXrRoXbNtIyeHh5VAG4-DRY/s400/SunSets.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328801760276759682" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Heliotropes unite! Join Laura in her annual celebration of the longest day of the year. Honor the life-giving energy of the sun in this ancient form of body prayer. Surrender to the rhythm of 12 sets of 9 Sun Salutations and leave feeling cleansed, clear and ready for some sunshine. This is a form of Bhakti Yoga or the yoga of devotion. Your intention and dedication in this practice is much more important than the number of sun salutations you complete. Do as little or as much of the movement as you feel right for your body and spirit. Modify, sit, breath, be present. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;">Details: Sunday, June 21st from 9:30am - 12pm.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;">Location: <a href="http://www.tajyoga.com/">Taj Yoga</a> in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;">Cost: $35 Space is limited to 20 participants. Pre-pay <a href="http://www.lauranidra.com/classinformation.html">online</a> with Pay Pal and contact Laura at yogini@lauranidra.com prior to June 14th 2009 to register for this workshop and reserve your space.</span></div></div></div></div></div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-23766227304546111692009-04-25T17:43:00.001-07:002009-04-25T18:14:13.105-07:00Whitewater Rafting & Yoga Retreat on the Salmon River, Idaho.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQfPonTCj_AqNDbFGydr6yKWeBh0TnTHcDrG62WaQ3dgWWVDaa85hOY82NkATvZlCHnTrWnFIxl5fzOl4gwVmYlMdmsB3e5aUMwZSPSZqiwm-3TEBVChz_WU82ZZv6VHJYYTye9Ojj-YK/s1600-h/Trip+2008+085.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQfPonTCj_AqNDbFGydr6yKWeBh0TnTHcDrG62WaQ3dgWWVDaa85hOY82NkATvZlCHnTrWnFIxl5fzOl4gwVmYlMdmsB3e5aUMwZSPSZqiwm-3TEBVChz_WU82ZZv6VHJYYTye9Ojj-YK/s400/Trip+2008+085.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328802092949992242" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;">Whitewater Rafting & Yoga Retreat on the Salmon River, Idaho. </span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><div style="text-align: center;">August 16th - 21st 2009.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Join <a href="http://www.windingwatersrafting.com/">Winding Waters Rafting</a> & <a href="http://www.lauranidra.com/">Laura DeFreitas </a>in a very special opportunity to practice yoga on the beautiful white sand beaches of the Salmon River, Idaho. The Salmon River offers a perfect setting for reconnecting with Self, Mother Nature, friends and family. Experience the calm pools, exhilarating rapids, magnificent Pacific Northwest scenery and the rich cultural history of this incredible river canyon. Daily yoga classes on this retreat will bring balance and relief to key areas involved in this outdoor adventure while cultivating the mindfulness needed to successfully and safely negotiate the river. No previous yoga or rafting experience required.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Retreat Cost: Space is limited to 12 people. $1100 if paid prior to June 1st 2009. $1250 adults/$1086 youth thereafter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Retreat Includes: 1st night lodging in Clarkston, WA at Quality Inn, all food (vegetarian option available) beginning with breakfast at hotel and ending with lunch on last day, experienced river guides, all river equipment, tents, sleeping pads, dry bags, ground transport to and from the river, 1 or 2 yoga sessions daily.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Space is limited to 12 participants. Email Paul Arensten to register and reserve your space - paul@windwatersrafting.com. Visit <a href="http://www.windingwatersrafting.com/">Winding Waters Rafting</a> For More Information.<br /></div></span>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-55071510513080578472009-04-25T17:28:00.000-07:002009-04-25T18:16:15.868-07:00Yoga & Balinese Culture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. March 4th - 17th, 2010.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlHMGqDdBoaVKBdTafQowaucD1rDzLiafByuwaawLE5jvi498pv7dyKgCdCYT8wxIPKbwEwhxuR0ueLeIpPMXx-fQqYDbVBklrFdGiwwV8pv4GUkcEHPVhTfVLTrsFBvIkYSitl6erFfj/s1600-h/DesiresofBhwah.jpg"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlHMGqDdBoaVKBdTafQowaucD1rDzLiafByuwaawLE5jvi498pv7dyKgCdCYT8wxIPKbwEwhxuR0ueLeIpPMXx-fQqYDbVBklrFdGiwwV8pv4GUkcEHPVhTfVLTrsFBvIkYSitl6erFfj/s320/DesiresofBhwah.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328802626644735506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV48h3G7b0mrYMJEba3y4bXTv7C6G2Sy2iB3lBgVuqrCLoOiIgTQy8xBnS-DqsyITQVt_XTZOUq6nY-g36OM9ivadaFllby9QG6_WU3TdU0fg4uz1XGbCrMR2GZu1noeQADI-yj66bZO5B/s1600-h/Petals.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV48h3G7b0mrYMJEba3y4bXTv7C6G2Sy2iB3lBgVuqrCLoOiIgTQy8xBnS-DqsyITQVt_XTZOUq6nY-g36OM9ivadaFllby9QG6_WU3TdU0fg4uz1XGbCrMR2GZu1noeQADI-yj66bZO5B/s320/Petals.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328802627948305618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LgG4SzEKrYj9dTeG8FUvj3yOmkmOkl1XVju_uZW5L57DnB1DiMynvC656pHjWilVrGLhZP_9pduCs7q8iSfoGM0cink-7v7MayLw17FFe278ouZUe14poT6I4y7HAfJ1IxxS0RIBRRyZ/s1600-h/FlightofDewiSri.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LgG4SzEKrYj9dTeG8FUvj3yOmkmOkl1XVju_uZW5L57DnB1DiMynvC656pHjWilVrGLhZP_9pduCs7q8iSfoGM0cink-7v7MayLw17FFe278ouZUe14poT6I4y7HAfJ1IxxS0RIBRRyZ/s320/FlightofDewiSri.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328802626823793122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct_5PSBuKPBgMj1AC1CDMSpUIk90pLmxGRS0Adf3a_qxRNuApvIaCTDtiiutXd6ufZA4Cvo71KDshxpx7IUcx0XJ_5Mbc0GSlnHl-IunZLjO4VUIxpgUqRttyfbQNNwS44Yqi7_WLV9EA/s1600-h/Sarong.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct_5PSBuKPBgMj1AC1CDMSpUIk90pLmxGRS0Adf3a_qxRNuApvIaCTDtiiutXd6ufZA4Cvo71KDshxpx7IUcx0XJ_5Mbc0GSlnHl-IunZLjO4VUIxpgUqRttyfbQNNwS44Yqi7_WLV9EA/s320/Sarong.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328802621183373186" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yoga & Balinese Culture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. March 4th - 17th, 2010.</span></span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Join Danu Tours & Laura DeFreitas in an excursion into the Balinese culture through the eyes of the Balinese. This retreat is designed for those who wish to observe and appreciate such an experience while enhancing their own well being with nurturing and invigorating daily yoga classes with Laura. We begin on the coast in Candi Dasa where you will have time to relax, get your bearings, stretch out and revitalize. The trip proceeds to Ubud, the cultural and artistic heart of Bali, where you have a taste of traditional performances, local arts, crafts and shopping. This retreat encompasses one of the most important holidays on the Bali-Hindu calendar year, Nyepi, the New Year, when the entire island celebrates a ritual purification. The festivities involved with Neypi include performance, procession, meditation, and in some cases, trance dance.<br /></div></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Retreat Includes: *Two yoga & meditation classes most days with Laura. *A traditional massage and a body revitalization experience. *Attendance at 2 traditional dance performances. *Island tours include visits to Tenganan aboriginal village,Tampaksiring Temple, Tirtagangga Water Palace, Royal Palace of Amlapura, Kerta Gosa Hall of Justice, Petulu village heron preserve. *Visit to artists and craftspeople in their home-studios. *Volcano climb (optional). *Purification ritual at sacred springs. *Two snorkeling excursions. *Breakfast each day, lunch at Gandi Ashram Candi Dasa, dinner at Surya's family home and happy hour at the home of your guides (Note not all meals included). *Seminars on rites of passage, bargaining, history and politics, trance and sacred masks, local customs and culture, language, Hindu religion & caste system, rites of passage. *Special excursion to attned the Melasti ceremony in Sanur and the Mercaru procession in Denpasar. *Airport transfers. *Services of Madé Surya or Judy Slattum, professional guides. *5 nights at Candi Dasa Beach. *7 nights in Ubud. *Round-trip airfare via Seattle, SFO, LAX, or NYC.<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Retreat Cost: $3,100 US. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Space is limited to 15 participants. $350 non-refundable deposit due by September 1st 2009 to reserve your space for this retreat. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Contact </span></span><a href="http://www.lauranidra.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">LauraNidra</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> at yogini@lauranidra.com or visit </span></span><a href="http://www.danutours.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Danu Tours </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> for more information. To view photographs and daily descriptions of the 2008 Bali Retreat visit </span></span><a href="http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Bali/blog-370450.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Cameron Karsten Photography Travel Blog. </span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div></div>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-67389883957010273062009-03-09T16:30:00.000-07:002009-03-09T16:38:10.625-07:00The Meaning of AUM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWDQ4OI7Z6iVoJNkmzDJ-Y1jfEgDiVKDUy3uTy-dkiLyH7Jj3Qk-IkpYQ1DkUFgVIZivqDZ5Ovh06a-giFWPRn3Knb7NsMmy8N1M_cgICs9IIRVq_Jv_oFy3TLuQW_buHGokJh0XwmGfJ/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWDQ4OI7Z6iVoJNkmzDJ-Y1jfEgDiVKDUy3uTy-dkiLyH7Jj3Qk-IkpYQ1DkUFgVIZivqDZ5Ovh06a-giFWPRn3Knb7NsMmy8N1M_cgICs9IIRVq_Jv_oFy3TLuQW_buHGokJh0XwmGfJ/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311335745573856754" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">I initiate the start and end of my practice time with the sound of AUM.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">What is the significance of this mantra?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">What gems of meaning lie within its vibration?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The AUM mantra is said to be a direct path on the road of spiritual practice.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Chanting the AUM mantra, along with a deep feeling for the meaning of what it represents, brings both the realization of the individual Self and the removal of obstacles that normally block that realization.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">One way to understand this sacred sound is to think of it as the voice and creative source (</span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">isvara</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">) of the entire universe (I.27).</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The study of physics teaches us that everything, without exception, vibrates and that that vibration has a certain frequency or sound.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">AUM is the coalescence of all the sounds in the universe.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the AUM mantra is a direct path to </span></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">samadhi</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> – the eighth limb of the eight-limbed path to Yoga (I.29).</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Samadhi is the culmination of the Yoga practice whereby one experiences a total absorption of attention in an object.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">In the state of samadhi everything in the field of consciousness falls away except the object in which the attention is absorbed (III.3).</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Repetition of AUM is a direct path to samadhi because it leads to the experience of its meaning (I.28) and is away of achieving </span></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">nirodaha</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> the “cessation of the turnings or fluctuations of consciousness (I.2).”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">A more specific way to practice and understand the AUM mantra is contained in the twelve terse verses of the Mandukya Upanishad, which outlines the philosophy and practices of the mantra.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">It has been said that the wisdom of the ancient sages is in the four Vedas, that the juice of the Vedas is in the Upanishads, and the juice of the Upanishads is in the Mandukya Upanishad.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The statement that if one understands its teachings, no other teachings are needed is a clear comment on the strength and wisdom of this practice.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">There are four main levels of consciousness outlined in the AUM mantra.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Each of these are experienced on the inner journey of meditation and contemplation.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">These levels of consciousness exist universally, regardless of whether the practitioner chants the mantra or uses its visual symbol.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">In either case, the underlying principles are extremely beneficial for all seekers in purifying and clearing the mind.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">When chanting AUM the yogi strives to remember the four parts of the mantra, one after the other, along with their meanings.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Over time this practice brings increasing insight and eventually leads to the ultimate realization of this path – direct experience with Absolute Reality (</span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">turiya</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">)– the state of Self Realization.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Each of the three sounds of the AUM mantra (A-U-M) symbolizes a specific state of consciousness.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">After these three sounds, there is a distinct silence.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The silence symbolizes the fourth state of consciousness – consciousness or awareness itself.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Not only does the sound vibration of the mantra represent the four levels of consciousness, so too does the visual symbol.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">lower</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">curve</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> of the AUM symbol represents the gross, conscious, waking state called </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Vaishvaanara</span></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> and is the “A” of the AUM mantra.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">This state is experienced as actions, speech and thoughts of which we are “consciously” aware.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The unconscious processes of deeper states are also present here but generally go unnoticed.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">central</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">curve</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> of the AUM symbol represents the subtle, unconscious, dreaming state called </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Taijasa</span></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> and is the “U” of the AUM mantra.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">This is the state in which dreaming occurs.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">It is the level where the mind can work out the unfulfilled desires, attractions and aversions not allowed to be played out in the waking, conscious state.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">upper</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">curve</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> of the AUM represents the causal, subconscious, deep sleep state called </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Prajna</span></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> and is the “M” of the AUM mantra.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The deep sleep state is where life impressions are stored in their latent form.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">It contains the roots of our behavioral and emotional patterns (</span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">samskaras</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">) that are the driving force behind actions (</span></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">karma</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">).</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The desires, attractions and aversions that play themselves out in dreams or turn into action and speech originate in this level.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">These latent impressions are seeds, waiting for water and fertilizer so they may grow in the field of dreams or waking life.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The Sanskrit word for the third level of consciousness, </span></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">prajna</span></span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">, translates as supreme knowledge.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Thus, this level of consciousness harbors our inherent supreme knowledge.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">It is this level we access in the practice of Yoga Nidra, conscious “yogic” sleep.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Normally, in yoga meditation one remains in the waking state and gradually allows awareness to expand into other states that are usually unconscious.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">In Yoga Nidra, one leaves the waking state, descends into deep sleep, and brings waking consciousness along.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Yoga Nidra is a way in which to experience the part of the Self that has never slept a day in its life – the Presence that bears witness to all fluctuating states and levels of consciousness.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Yoga Nidra is also a practice that allows one to experience thought patterns directly and thus be able to reduce their power to play out due to conditioning and habit.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Now energy is freed to mindfully choose new habit patterns.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The power of the practice lies in the ability to burn and attenuate the route causes of self-limiting patterns and in the planting of new seeds.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">This is more effective than simply pasting another layer of habits over the top of old ones.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The practice of which only creates inner conflicts and leads to “a fall from the wagon” despite the strongest of intentions.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">dot</span></span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> represents the fourth state, </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">turiya, </span></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">which encompasses, permeates and is all the other three states.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">This is the silence that follows the “A,” “M,” and “U” of the AUM mantra.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">The arc below the dot symbolizes the distinction of the fourth state.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Turiya literally means “the fourth” and stands above, though ever a part of the other three states.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Turiya is technically a non-state as it always bears witness to the other states.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Throughout each day we move in and out of the other three states yet turiya remains.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Turiya is like to standing on the top of a three-story building.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">From each of the three levels one can only see out through a window, whereas from the roof you can see panoramic view.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">References:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.americansanskrit.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Yoga Sutra Workbook: The Certainty of Freedom by Vyaas Houston, MA</span></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://swamij.com/om.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Mandukya Upanishad and Yoga: Twelve Verses on OM Mantra</span></span></a></p> <!--EndFragment-->LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381233324407699736.post-4414360920914787822008-12-05T09:01:00.000-08:002008-12-05T09:20:30.753-08:00Home for the Holidays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCk3YiCV9gMNYxYKO8oj125kz9LYaKB0UNPbblW7nPIib77yrgg1IlqrHUqV6uwX-CaT5nBoET1ZY47JIHBpXFVgn5yb_06tNPY6YLD_fqDyag557IUfmxQj4EePvaR4qG_1EJ8IKR4nPr/s1600-h/No+Ladies,+No+Feast.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCk3YiCV9gMNYxYKO8oj125kz9LYaKB0UNPbblW7nPIib77yrgg1IlqrHUqV6uwX-CaT5nBoET1ZY47JIHBpXFVgn5yb_06tNPY6YLD_fqDyag557IUfmxQj4EePvaR4qG_1EJ8IKR4nPr/s400/No+Ladies,+No+Feast.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276355693984833026" /></a><div>My Aunt Debbie made each of the ladies a custom apron for the Holiday Cooking Event! We're missing a few ladies but I think we held the kitchen down well. Two turkeys and twenty hungry hippos later we were spent!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF26S8bPkPM1qfkO8W9PoI73HASmFDUpl0j-jEotHFpOBJCZKLYpxI8fdQB74wft9MciI04BzFhJ2jNdiAS-AEdtQEWJqvafcO-JQAQtoKk_zx5cI6KzdxyWfDw0uXbp0qyvTjGGVzTEMx/s1600-h/Shine+Thru+The+Night.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF26S8bPkPM1qfkO8W9PoI73HASmFDUpl0j-jEotHFpOBJCZKLYpxI8fdQB74wft9MciI04BzFhJ2jNdiAS-AEdtQEWJqvafcO-JQAQtoKk_zx5cI6KzdxyWfDw0uXbp0qyvTjGGVzTEMx/s400/Shine+Thru+The+Night.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276355014715124930" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Sheltie Puppy Love! </div><div style="text-align: center;">Getting both to stay inside their respective stocking was a fun challenge.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIDu19toqpBcpER3X_P4clfaajJ2E7UlXNZ_qPH9nuljBbPB85M5eekJ5I_hS5KFw9A7h2dDfY-auf2TOKQsPF2MRniPeAVH-AmTwdulTNfZCZliq1aNO1DDgV9ySdtzY0sig8MYM3wKj/s1600-h/Snowmen+%26+Shelties.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIDu19toqpBcpER3X_P4clfaajJ2E7UlXNZ_qPH9nuljBbPB85M5eekJ5I_hS5KFw9A7h2dDfY-auf2TOKQsPF2MRniPeAVH-AmTwdulTNfZCZliq1aNO1DDgV9ySdtzY0sig8MYM3wKj/s320/Snowmen+%26+Shelties.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276354075927475282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJjeQTyhYciiiGzeYPfDxT7fFewffT4nGIgipzd6K0jzeI688_EFW-XyEXgjLgd1WIExtwIr6JjKf7BwmjI-EDbCiVcDmoFMj8UT3J2TKxjYyk0k2HlQFz0ctbzDo0SvMomVlUvPe8bvz/s1600-h/Sheltie+Festivities.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJjeQTyhYciiiGzeYPfDxT7fFewffT4nGIgipzd6K0jzeI688_EFW-XyEXgjLgd1WIExtwIr6JjKf7BwmjI-EDbCiVcDmoFMj8UT3J2TKxjYyk0k2HlQFz0ctbzDo0SvMomVlUvPe8bvz/s320/Sheltie+Festivities.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276354071773765554" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Spikey the Spruce - Our LIVE Christmas Tree - Decorated with LOVE! </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBQABgkECPQOcBfIwYbZqsxCfHL8liual4Re10jK4L4eu7AX6H6w6UocBec_8Eli42nzQ1xiX9CIduyqNj4-dyza6SL3jT87xGInUkc_fVr2JdjfA3Zrdbyg49Ys3nwwd5_qywFaK6OhP/s1600-h/Pagan+Love,+Blue+Lights+%26+Silver+Balls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBQABgkECPQOcBfIwYbZqsxCfHL8liual4Re10jK4L4eu7AX6H6w6UocBec_8Eli42nzQ1xiX9CIduyqNj4-dyza6SL3jT87xGInUkc_fVr2JdjfA3Zrdbyg49Ys3nwwd5_qywFaK6OhP/s400/Pagan+Love,+Blue+Lights+%26+Silver+Balls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276353299243123554" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PCWPNl19goGyUDY5tl_CDkkOsB0WQ99DDyge-f6qCiukSfly0gP-67Sdd_XSwZ5alxQf_8nIfFVFWpUI5es4EMZ7rwtckiF7i6htpjC3fIhH5sORW3RzFbVRXdkE7qAlTCbofqMGFouL/s1600-h/Pagan+Love,+Blue+Lights+%26+Silver+Balls.jpg"><br /></a>LauraNidra Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01533260951682734321noreply@blogger.com0