Building Community

Yesterday afternoon   - so much fun bowling with the awesome teachers of Eternal Health Yoga! I am so grateful and filled with joy that I have these beautiful, smart, funny, incredible women in my life! We brought yummy food, bowled a few games, laughed at and with the kids, and shared time with one another and our families as the love-filled community that we are. It is a challenge to find those wonderful people who uplift you and always bring a smile to your face!  I have nine: D’Arci, Marie, Liz, Jodie, Carrie, Amy, Jen, Tiffany, and Anna! Nine women, who work together, hang out together, enjoy one another’s company, and respect one another as equals. I am so fortunate; I am aware of how fortunate I am. Thank you, amazing EHY women! You make my heart sing!

What are you waiting for? Step into the next part of your journey!

Every time I watch this video I remember the tranquility, expansiveness and density of the rainforest, the kindness of everyone at Luna Lodge, and the community of participants that made up an awesome retreat. I remember how exotic and tropical and beckoning I found this beautiful place and the wonder that each of us felt as we landed in the Osa Peninsula! I remember the fear that many had prior to making the decision to go on retreat, the hesitancy that nearly kept some from buying that plane ticket. But they did it, we all did it together, and it was a life-changing experience! If you have ever considered a retreat and want to know what it feels like to overcome your fear, to get out of your normal everyday life, to be with like-minded individuals, and to immerse yourself in the wonder of nature - this is the time and the place. You deserve this experience – take it!

We often feel fear, resistance, and hesitancy when making a decision to do something for ourselves, especially something that is so out of the ordinary.  But it is through overcoming challenges that growth, learning, and ansformation happen. There are many reasons and excuses for not doing things for ourselves, not doing the things that will bring about change; mostly it is fear, under many different labels ( I don’t have time, money, anyone to go with me … ) that keeps us from stepping outside of our comfort zone and into a place of learning and growth. We feel that we don’t deserve it, we think that someone else should be out there on adventure, traveling to exotic places, deepening their self-awareness, and building their self-confidence; someone else should be taking the break that they worked so hard for! But when you are able to find it in yourself to say, “I am doing this and I deserve it!” you will find that the fear begins to diminish, and a whole new you begins to emerge. Give yourself permission to take a step into the unknown; amazing things will happen!

I am so excited to be going on retreat; I am so looking forward to sharing this experience with others. I know how it feels to be afraid to do something so different from the norm. But the joy that comes from doing it anyway is indescribable! The growth and exhilaration from knowing that you did something really special for yourself is truly a gift. So, if you feel that something is calling you to take this step, that it is time to do something really wonderful for you – listen! That voice you are hearing is you. And when you take the cue and experience that wonderful feeling of, “Wow! I did this, I really did this!” you will be forever changed. Do this for you. Reconnect with your aliveness, with your vibrancy, with that smile that comes for no apparent reason – it is amazing what retreat can do for us as human beings, as spiritual beings, as friends, lovers, parents, siblings, etc. The process is rigorous, and a whole lot of fun! And the results from the work, the relaxation, the time you take for YOU, linger for quite some time. What are you waiting for? Step into the next part of your journey; we will do it together and it will be awesome! Namaste ♥

I feel devoted, rather than committed to this practice.

Kirtan … bhakti yoga … kirtan … bhakti yoga … kirtan … bhakti yoga …

My intention is to write what I feel following a kirtan session – I feel light, airy , uplifted, softened … I feel a desire to begin singing again and again, and I am hearing the mantras in my head, as though they are surrounding me with love and drawing me in.

I hear Jai’s voice, beckoning … Jaya Jaya Ram, Bolo Jaya Jaya Ram … Sri Ram Jaya Ram, Jai, Jai, Jaya Ram!Kirtan is so unlike any other yoga practice, yet it is familiar, as all yoga practice. It creates a feeling of desire to experience it again, and again, and again.  

I feel devoted rather than committed, to this practice. Kirtan is joy. I cannot think of a better definition.

I feel joy, love, and intense gratitude for all that is yoga - living it, learning it, breathing it, and for Eternal Health Yoga, our special sacred place in which to practice; I am grateful for the devoted students who have created this loving community, and for the amazing teachers who share so much of their time and energy and support, without whom there could never be Eternal Health Yoga! I feel love, joy, and gratitude for the continuous flow of growth and healing that takes place here. I am grateful and filled with joy for my health and that of my family members and friends. I am grateful for my teachers from whom I have learned so much! For Jai Uttal and Nubia, Doug and Anna, Wah!, Sharon and David – I am grateful for Kirtan! I am grateful for having found Bhakti Yoga!

I am grateful for being filled with love, and for the opportunities to share Yoga, Kirtan, and Bhakti with others. I am humbled and so grateful to be here at this time in this place with these beings; and for the awareness that there is something special about being human, with all of our flaws and imperfections,

I am grateful for the wonder that I still feel each day when I step into the world.

Community, transformation, and connection were found in unexpected places ...

Earlier today, I was looking at pictures from the various Eternal Health Yoga retreats that I have led over the past 6 years. Wow, those were some amazing times! The out-of-the-ordinary specialness of being on retreat is deeply sacred; because we are outside of our normal space it feels as though all of time and space has been changed and created to accommodate our individual needs. As I recall the different retreat groups, I remember that sweet feeling of arriving as individuals, from different places with lots of different life experiences, and from this, forming a spiritual community. Within the sacred space of your spiritual community, you can safely process whatever it is you need to process, learn what you need to learn and transform into the next awesome phase of your life! 

Over the past six years I have led a variety of retreats, some for just a weekend, and others longer (seven to ten days). Regardless of the length of the retreat, we created community. Individuals, who arrive with their own expectations, come to a deep realization of their connection with one another. It happens every time; it is quite beautiful! I remember the first retreat I led; it was in Maya Tulum, Mexico. There was a small group of yoga students with me who did not all know each other and didn’t quite know what to expect. But the ocean, the sand, the amazing moon, and the beautiful yoga space all worked together to allow us to be extremely present with ourselves and one another. We snorkeled, sunbathed, meditated, and enjoyed amazing meals together. It was a fantastic trip for everyone :  )
The Yoga Holiday to England was also quite incredible! We travelled the country, stopping at various places to explore, practice, and connect. We found sacred space even amidst the bustle of city happenings in London, Canterbury, Edinburgh, York, and others. Yoga practice outside on the green of Canterbury Cathedral, at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, Stonehenge, and Edinburgh; mmmm … yoga really is for everyone everywhere! Practicing among ruins and ancient sacred spaces added an element of serenity. I remember feeling very humbled as we chanted outside the Cathedral and walked around sacred stones. Again, community, transformation, and connection were found in unexpected places.

Each retreat is different from the one before and the one after; each has its own unique flavor that is reflective of the group that creates it. By getting away from day to day living you have an opportunity to focus on your practice and on your experiences while they are happening. Sharing those experiences brings an intensity of joy and delight.  We have rock climbed at Red River Gorge, walked the labyrinth in New Harmony Indiana, dripped in the sweat lodge, and chanted Kirtan around a campfire. All retreats are infused with life-affirming rituals, deepening asana practice, pranayama and meditation. But it is the nuanced setting, the temporary community, and the safety that it represents that allows positive change to occur.  For those who dare to retreat, you will be changed; the community allows you a safe space in which to work, learn, and grow with and alongside other who are as fearless, (and fearful), as you.

I am feeling the urge to create “retreat” again; many students have been asking lately and I look forward to the manifestation of my hope to share this experience with some of you this year. I know it is true that yoga is yoga no matter when or where you practice, but based on my experience, the powerful process of being away from your everyday life, allows a deepening that is difficult to achieve in so little time while still at home. I look forward to sharing this experience soon. Namaste

Learning to surrender ... Bhakti, Kirtan, Devotion

Leading Kirtan this past Sunday was an extraordinary experience for me.  The voices of our group and the expression of love infused within the sound of the chanted names, was pure joy. We were transported to a space of perfect peace and I long for the next opportunity to share that group experience. Bhakti Yoga, of which I am a new student, has allowed me to open to higher levels of self-understanding. It serves as a tool with which to work through fear, insecurity, and yes, those bits of self-loathing that we all seem to hold in a deep pocket.  Chanting the names of Sita, Ram, Hanuman and others, brings to the forefront, our highest sense of self, opening us up to the memory that we are pure and gentle beings. When we chant with a group, we feel the connection we have with one another, with all things good, and peaceful, and true.

Since discovering Bhakti Yoga and consciously trying my best to live each moment as a devotional practice (all things for a higher purpose), I have been less inclined to put energy into negatively charged feelings and ideas. What works best for me?  When I sense a bit of negative self-talk coming, I instantly bring mantra to the conversation, “Sita Ram, Sita Ram, Sita Ram …" chanting internally or out loud if need be, until I get to the to the point where I feel, physically, the loving presence of the deities in me, around me, all-encompassing. It has become easier and easier. The calmness, the awareness of peace, the knowledge that spiritual assistance IS there is so reassuring.
By allowing myself to open to this practice, what have I come to notice above all? I am learning to surrender. 

What keeps you from living your truth?

Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah  
The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Book 1 Sutra 2

What keeps you from living in a state of spiritual awareness?
What keeps you from being in yoga (union)?

The Yoga Sutras explain that, as humans, we experience modifications (vrttis) to our mind-stuff (our connection to the universal truth) in order that we may live within the society into which we have been born. Unfortunately, we develop a lot of attachment to these vrttis; and they interfere with our ability to live consistently in a state of yoga. Therefore, we must learn to restrain, control, and/or govern, these vrttis. There are five basic vrttis with which all of us will contend as part of being human. They can be perceived as good or bad, painful or painless (Yoga Sutras 1.5), but they occur as part of our human experience.

They are: Right Knowledge, misconception, verbal delusion, sleep, and memory (Yoga Sutras 1.6).

We all experience these vrttis. If you want yoga, you need to learn to control your attachment to them.

Yoga is the restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff.

Now, the learning of yoga begins for you!

Atha Yoganusasanam – NOW the Instruction of Yoga begins. Book 1 Sutra I of, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Atha yoganusasanam
NOW, Yoga is being made apparent to you, reader.
NOW, it is time for you to step into the spiritual deep waters of your time.
NOW, it is time to do your practice.
NOW is not the time to simply listen to others talk about the benefits of yogic living, or to read of the transformative experiences of others and acknowledge their credibility, but to do it.
Be in it, walk it, breathe it, eat and sleep it.

NOW, TODAY.
If this sutra has found you, if you are hearing, seeing, or reading it then you are being given a sign to begin your spiritual practice. If you have fallen away from your practice and are now reading this first Sutra, you must recognize that your inner truth is calling you, crying to you to return to your practice.  Atha Yoganusasanam – NOW, the teaching of yoga begins, right here, and right now. Listen. Take the step. Know it and be in it. Be ready for what comes next.