Yoga Nuggets

I feel compelled to share a beautiful speech made by our ancestors of Indian descent. They not only talked the talk, they walked the walk. May I, me and many others learn to understand and follow these simple directions of life. Chief Blackfoot is one of the "giants", in my mind, that has shoulders we should stand on to see further so we can be more, live more and love more.... "Believe   in the beauty and strength of your own being. Forget the foolish belief that you and your fellow human beings were born evil. Those who would control you all the days of your life on earth perpetuate the belief The Source of Life made things to have a bad spirit. Live a life of truth and honesty. This makes you a person of quality and dignity. Truth and honesty are the kind of leadership qualities that attracts others. Give honor and respect to others regardless of age and situation in life. This quality makes you and others worthy of honor and respect, which makes others, feel ...

What you're about to read was written by Patsy Hart Bailey upon the death of her life-long friend. It could not express more beautifully one of the "facts of life". I re-read it from time to time to come back to what matters. "Ready or not, someday life as you know it will come to an end. There will be no more sunrises; no minutes, hours or days left. All of the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned, what you owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and 'to-do' lists will have expired. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter from where you came, or on which side of the tracks you lived. At the end of your road, it won't matter whether you were beautiful, or brilliant; even your gender and ...

Yoga, like religion, has been around a very long time. The two are not linked; therefore, do not assume a connection. This is a comparison of two practices with deep roots in the history of mankind. A tree is the perfect image to compare them to. Both have a beginning somewhere; however, along the way, branches have extended in numerous directions. The common invisible thread shared is that all branches reach for the Ultimate Source that nourishes them. Each branch names itself and declares what makes it different and possibly better than the branch right next to it. Thus, the emergence of conflict within a united entity appears. In the yoga "tree", a lot of different styles of practice have and continue to emerge. Each yoga branch has a slightly or significant difference from the others; however, each is still a practice. The beauty of the tree is that it gives choices for the "leaves" (individuals) to grow from. In the relatively short time that I have practiced y...

I have been practicing yoga for six years and teaching for three of them. It is a journey of learning a new way to do a pose, seeing things from a different perspective and many other assortment of changes. When I teach my students, I read quotes, stories, or do sequences that generate the energy I sense is needed. Ironically, what I sense they need, I need too. Definitely a win-win situation. I recently learned that my calmness and approach to teaching gives the illusion that I am in a constant state of peace. After talking to a long term student and friend about some issues that were bothering me, she shocked me with the statement..."I can't believe you ever get angry"! I immediately purged a bunch of stuff that has been bothering me and saw the relief in her face that I get pissed off just like anyone else. I'm a yogi, not a saint. Whew...feels good to get that off my chest! Here's my revelation for this week: Unless you have become "enlightened", yo...

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. Albert Einstein Some of us have actually met each other in person; however, the majority of us have simply shared our energies in the cyber space of the internet. My passion is yoga…not just the physical aspect of it, but the true purpose of it…to unite. We are aware of the negativity that is exacerbated by the media, governments and certain groups. We are aware of the conflicts between countries. We are aware of the endless adversities that so many people face, either as a group or as individuals. And, I believe we are collectively growing weary of the increased intensity of violence and quest for control. It is and has been time to collectively evolve to the next level. It is time to evolve our higher consciousness. Physically, we have evolved; mentally, we have evolved. Emotionally, we have evolved. Each trait has its benefits, but without the power of the fourth…they will remain imbalanced. ...