Spring cleaning has a whole new meaning

Namaste Yogis and Yoginis !

what a beautiful day - I'm about to do a walking meditation by walking Andiamo, my weight challenged Boston Terrier. 

My message for today is just to keep going - be mindful in every moment and allow the moments to come one after the next after the next after then next. 

When the wave of life comes up on you there are choices and the decisions you make how you will handle the wave will be the stepping stone for tomorrow.  When I used to go to the beach and a wave came I would try to ride it - you know body surf.  As I got tired or older (or both) some waves I chose to just go under water for and feel the force of the wave going over me.  I was protected from the break by staying under it.  And when I chose to ride it - it was fun and sometimes at the risk of losing some bathing suit parts or at least having them fill with sand. 

I find myself busy in waves of life and energy  these days.  The same approach applies - sometimes its fun to ride it and get all full of sand and other times its nice to duck into the safety below.

Its all good.  Ride or Duck its all good.  So if you choose to mix it up - be sure to have friends with you, some really good music and lights -  and maybe some sudds on hand for good clean fun !!! 

Foam Tastic !  Foam Party - I like the sound of it ! 

bodykneadsyoga............give your body what it needs

The time is drawing near - not only has Spring sprung (hey all the snow has already melted like the wicked witch of the west)

Soft opening of body kneads yoga is planned for Monday April 11'th ! 

Grand Opening celebration Party scheduled for Saturday April 30th from 10 AM to 2 PM

Free refreshments and prizes and giveaways and music and yoga demos and ....and....and....

lots of details to follow but for now I'm just getting the buzzzzz out there.
go ahead and get excited with us - its already lots of fun

I want to reaname your yoga - YOUGA

come practice youga with us - check us out

We have a great vibe going, phenominal teachers, cool goodies to satisfy your retail therapy
Classes for all levels every day early morning and evening and weekends
Free meditation hour
Thai Massage

If you have never tried yoga, now is the time (well April 11th really)
If you tried it and got away from it, come back and start up with us !

www.bodykneadsyoga.com  

 anticipation is a powerful thing.......

Full Moon and Spring Forth

I want to share these pictures of the super moon - i grabbed them from a link on matt drudges site and the magnificence of this same planet on the same night can allow a glipse into perspective - same moon many different perspectives - all beautiful !

this red view was available in the east sky right here in Cranston - as well as DC

and in manhatten

and at a soccer game

and everywhere in nature.

walk barefoot in the grass very soon !
Great Day - Namaste!

two wrongs don't make a right

It has been a bit longer than I would have liked to be posting.  Over the past week I have written two different blogs and decided to keep them in the draft bin.  Why?  Not because I needed to fact check or come up with a topic.  The 'why" is becasue I allowed myself to question my motive.  The message was biting and clear - even though I left out names and specific details of who and what.  I keep my message more universal, even though it came from a personal experience.

I felt like people close to me would know exactly who and what I was blogging about - and the message would get out without me having to say any more.  Then, I paused.  I paused and struggled - and asked myself the question - isn't this a way to shrug off the responsibility of owning up to my words and my message however universal I tried to make it?  Wouldn't that be drawing people in to my mess and baiting them to figure it out?  Like using my message as a weapon.  For what?  To what end? 

If yoga has taught me anything it is response - ability - responsibility - the ability to respond appropriately.  I asked myself what was the true intention behind my message?  Was it to promote a positive vibe or a negative vibe?  I decided it wasn't positive and so there it sits.....in the draft bin soon to be deleted.

I heard recently - though I am hard pressed to put my finger on the source (maybe Jon Kabat Zinn) that it is easier to keep your word 100% of the time than it is to keep your word 99% of the time.  The reason is once you fold/give in/reason away that 1% ........it will be exponentially easier to give in again and again.  Once you get out of the fog of maya (illusion) and get past that critical point and you found you have done the right thing - the feeling is nirvana - it is wholesome - it nourishes all that is good in you.  And it gives you power.  It does not make you weak. 

Mark (my fiancee) and I have been pescatarian (no meat - only fish) for some time now.  I started in December and he in January after attending a Dharma Mittra at a lecture in San Fran.  I chose pescatarian over vegetarian so I would have a better chance of succeeding.  I stick to scallops, and shrimp and salmon for the Omega 3s.  Recently I realized my body wasn't getting enough protein and people were saying - maybe its not for you.  It isn't for everyone.  And I agree that is true.  But for me - I decided instead of giving up on something very important to me, I would change the story.  I would readdress my non meat food choices - get more protein (through shakes) and beef up my vitamin intake - no pun intended.  Thanks to the help of Mark and Raphael its working and I feel better.  Most importantly I did not break my promise to myself.

Big exhale. 

Know that most of us are doing the very best we can at any given time.

namaste
lisa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satya

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa

Far be it for me to be humble - bound or not....

I've recently uncovered yet another yoga misnomer - Humbly Bound Warrior Pose.  I have used the term - many times.  You might know the pose I mean - virabhadrasana (warrior) baddha hasta (bound hands behind the back) adho mukha (downward facing) - or described another way - adho mukha anahatasana (downward facing heart opening pose).  Its the one that comes out of warrior one- you bend your torso toward the floor with your hands interlaced behind you and they come up overhead to get a front shoulder stretch.

Well Virabhadra, the warrior, should never be described as humble.  As Cheryl Hall Oliver states, there is no stiuation where these two words should be paired together.  sort of like an oxymoron - I'm going out on a limb and making the connection that exhaulted warrior likely isn't accurate either - I've used that as the counter pose - virabhadrasana one with hands interlaced behind and leaning back toward upper back - back bend.

so now i have to rid myself of this samskara - ingrained habit - of denigrating the fierceness of Virabharda - warrior by calling him humble.  OK.  Done. 

On with the day - letting that set into my consciousness. 

One last tidbit - many times the obvious escapes me - so presuming I'm not the only one - have you wondered what Yogini means ???  It is the female variation of Yogi.  and the last 'i' is two beats long.  sounds like yogeneee.   Yogini - Female form of yogi.  Can a female warrior be humble ?  No - haven't we learned anything ?!  Humble and warrior not to be paired.

Namaste
Yogini Lisa

OMG - is that George W?  thats just plain wrong !!!!!    

 

The Devil is in the Details ~

I've just come back from a two day Sanskrit workshop with one of the coutry's foremost scholars of Sanskrit and Eastern Studies, Nicloai Bachman.  You can check him out on sanskritsounds.com.  Oh and he is also an Ayurvedic expert.  It was very very cool.  I met some great people who are working on their yoga teacher training.  I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who travels across the country to train - shout out to Kori from Seattle. 

I learned how to read and write in Sanskrit - I've had some experience with it already but this 12 hour workshop really wrapped things up for me.  More ways than one - it officially put me over the top for hours on my RYT 500!!!!  Sooo excited yet sooo much to learn.  I am really looking forward to teaching more, getting in front of all you yogis and yoginis and sharing all the good stuff I learnt.

I had my mala beads - not to be confused with my mala beads.  Unfortunately I don't have the font on this blog to accurately mark the vowels as long and long.  But know this- if you say phoenitically maaahlaaah beads - you are good to go.  Prayer beads.  If you say mala (short a's) you are saying human waste beads.  What ?  Human waste?  Yes - sweat, urine, poops, anything having to do with apana vayu - downward bodily excretions- -OK enough of that. 

So much of the language has been tweaked in the western society - and unknowingly in some cases completely changing the meaning of many things.  Its refreshing to have a source such as Nicolai to not only correct, but to explain in unquestioning detail why it is that way.  Fascinating.

Last one before I go.  And this one really gets people fired up and defensive - the energy centers are pronounced Chakra - not pronounced Shakra.  Period.  Cha like Chocolate.  Not Sha like Shakira.  You will get resisitance on this but stand your ground !  I had someone once put her hands on her hips and give me the side to side head shake - "Oh no - it depends on what part of India you are from!"  No - not true.  Its just plain wrong.  And by the way - we call it India - people who live there refer to their country as Mahabharata.

 Namaste !
Shanti Shanti Shanti

Its OK to fit in - just don't lose yourself !

In a world ever changing - fast paced - keeping up - twitting - information overload - where do I fit in?  Am I being swept by the current or am I part of the wave? 
We are all part of the wave and don't let anyone tell you or let you think otherwise (they are just trying to hog the wave)
All my  life I have felt part of the wave and have never been shy about embracing my individuality-not always an easy thing to do - but most things worthwhile are worth a struggle !

I recently purchased some wall art with a message that really hits the mark.....

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you is the greatest accomplishment"
 Ralph Waldo Emerson

And if you are more visual person - these awesome pics from my friend Maru in Mexico might help you see it..... yes that is a baby pig fitting in yet being himself....