This may just be the most cliche saying of all Yoga teachers, and I could guarantee, all Yoga instructors have said these very words at some point and time. (including myself) It used to really annoy me when I would hear this in a Yoga class. "What does this mean?"..."Stop saying something just because it's the Yoga thing to say," I would think. It never really felt like the Yoga teacher was speaking from his/her direct experience, but was simply regurgitating the words of other teachers.

But, nonetheless, there is wisdom in this expression. And, I've come to find this out first-hand for myself. As I've practiced growing into some of the more advanced poses, there have been many times my body has given me feedback to not go so deep. Over the past year, I've been practicing Rajakapotasana (from Upward-Facing Dog pose.) This is a really deep backbend but, then again, it's all relative. Where Rajakapotasana (King-Pigeon Pose) might be deep for me, Upward Facing Dog may be an advanced pose for someone else. So, wherever we are in our journey, we must heed the guidance of our body. We must know where to go and where not to go. Through Yoga practice we become more and more embodied. If we trace back to our early years, almost all of us had some experience that disconnected us from our bodies. Any kind of abuse whatsoever disembodies an individual. Through practice and time, we grow into a healthier relationship with ourselves, and in Hatha Yoga practice, our body is our teacher and our guide...

I definitely was a little frustrated this morning when I found out a fellow teacher of mine suggested for a student to not do a certain pose, due to a strain in her lower back. I let her know she needs to take care of her body and if she needs to back away, I encourage that all the way. In Yoga practice, Child's Pose is as significant of a posture as the most advanced posture in Yoga. In other words, there is no differentiation between poses, i.e. one pose is not better than another.

I do think teachers at time can enable students. Granted, we sometimes need to be reminded that it's ok to back away. When I had overstretched my hamstring, as a result of practicing several new poses this past summer, my girlfriend had to remind me to not push it and to lay off stretching so deep in that leg. Some part of me did not want to accept the challenge or what felt like a limitation in my ability. And, yet, with rest (almost a month of not stretching deep in that hamstring), I've been able to heal and experience a transformation in my body. I feel teachers need to encourage students to feel their way into places, rather than having them be fearful of certain poses telling them not to do them because of x, y, z. This is even true with pre-natal Yoga. There are so many different opinions about what poses a woman should or shouldn't do during pregnancy. I've never told a pregnant woman she shouldn't do something. I've known countless pregnant women who've been able to practice the full array of poses all the way until the day before they gave birth. So whether it's a pregnant person or someone with an injury, we are praciticng to discover and listen to the wise voice of our body and the only way to fully know this voice is to let ourselves feel it out. We learn to know it by feeling the feedback it's giving us and where it's guiding us to be.

Perhpas this is all surfacing because just yesterday, I had a minor discomfort in my lower back arise. I can only guess it's from going a little too far in a backbend. This time, no one had to tell me to back away and let my body rest in this place. My inner voice reminded me there is some lesson for me to learn in trying to go too far, and the time of rest for me to heal this place, is a great teacher and an opportunity to trust the voice of my body as my ultimate guide.

The true teacher is within and may we grow to know this teacher in body, mind and Spirit.Read more

Since I've lived in Dallas, I've heard many times how beautiful Arkansas is. I was always a little skeptical about the truth of this. Before last weekend, I had only driven through Little Rock, and it isn't the most inspiring driving from Dallas to there. But, I've been on an endless search since I moved here in 2001 to find beautiful and awe-inspiring Nature. For the last few years, I would make the 3 hour trip to the hill country, just outside of Austin. And, for a long time, I thought this was the best of what the nearby Nature had to offer. Us Dallasites know Dallas is a great place, but Natural Beauty is not its selling point. We're fortunate to have great and friendly people here, as well as, a prospering economy full of abundant opportunities...

I made the spur of the moment decision to get away last weekend and am I glad I did. I found a true treasure thirty miles west of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's called Lake Ouachita and it is gorgeous. It reminds me of the foliage found in the midwest...tall towering trees, rich and green vegitation, abundant forests and rolling foothills. It's only a five hour drive from Dallas and there is everything wonderful to experience in Nature there. It's actually surrounded by thousands and thousands of acres of National Forest and Lake Ouachita is one of the cleanest lakes in the country. There are miles and miles of incredible hiking trails, fishing, boating, on and on. We went on a beautiful guided trail ride on horseback. Amazing. Anyhow, we need Nature...there is no doubt about it. It is another way in which we commune with the Source, which is what Yoga is all about. Practicing poses and breathing deeply is one way, but Yoga was inspired by the Divinity of Nature. This picture of me is from the highest peak of the foothills of the Ozarks which surround the area. It was amazing because I created my own little Yoga retreat. I practiced Yoga in the morning on the back porch of our room overlooking the lake and watching the sunrise. In the afternoon, after our hike, we sat and meditated on a bench in the middle of the woods. I love Nature, it is the greatest reflection of the aliveness of the Divine in every moment, every breath.Read more

(I actually wrote this post on Tuesday. I wasn't sure if I would post it or not, but decided today, I do want to share...especially this awesome quote. So, here it is!)

"Shake off this sadness, and recover your
spirit;
sluggish you will never see the wheel of fate
that brushes your heel as it turns going by,
the man who wants to live is the man in
whom life is abundant."-Miguel De Unamuno

I woke up this morning feeling kind of down. I suppose it started yesterday. I had to go to the dentist yesterday for my regular cleaning, plus to have a filling fixed, which I thought when I had seen my dentist 6 months ago he had told me it had a cavity beneath it. It turns out to my great relief, it didn't.

There were a couple of years, when things were rough with running my own business (Yoga studio), that I actually neglected going to the dentist on a regular basis. I consider myself to have good oral hygiene, flossing and brushing regulary, but in light of my more recent and regular visits, I can hardly believe that I would have ever thought I couldn't afford to take care of myself and my health. I guess one of the reasons I started feeling down was because of the anticipated expense I would have to incur for this visit. As an independent contractor, I have my own health insurance, but the benefits aren't great and the expense for the coverage is quite a lot. So, I do not have dental on my plan, because I figured at this place in my life and with good oral hygiene, I could handle the additional expense of taking care of my teeth on a regular basis. So, this is what I opted to do, although yesterday, the idea of not having dental coverage really began to get me down...

I started to go into that "it's not fair" conversation. "It's not fair that I work hard and yet I'm not able to benefit from the benefits of health insurance," I thought. At one place where I work, in order to receive health coverage, I have to be a full-time employee teaching 15 classes for them each week. This is not in my vision, nor how I feel I am most effective in my ability to touch others through my work, yet this is the requirement so, therefore, I'm not eligible. Sometimes policies like this frustrate me. Regardless, I began to feel downhearted yesterday.

So, after my cleaning, (which is only my second time to go to this dentist, I went for the first time earlier this year) I waited in the dentist chair for him to be ready to fill, and I thought, fix a cavity. I will say there is something really unique about this man, and I noticed that my first time there. There is a beautiful little sign in one of the rooms that says:

"What we need is much less than what we think we need." - Maya Angelou

I had expressed that I was feeling a little afraid about having to go through this procedure and was worried about having to have novicaine, etc. I just wasn't overjoyed about being at the dentist, although I did feel grateful to at least be at a point where I can afford to take care of my dental health. As I was laying in the chair, I reached back and rubbed my neck a little bit with my hand. He asked, "Does your neck hurt? Would you like me to give you a little massage?" I laughed saying, "Sure." So, he proceeded to give me a little neck rub. This was definitely a first at the dentist. As he talked me through the process, he realized there was definitely no cavity and he would only have to fix the filling, in other words, the whole experience would be pain free.

After we got done, which only took about 10 minutes, I got up out of the chair and thanked him for the wonderful experience and the absence of pain. I joked that I was a little afraid about having to come to see him. It must have been that I expressed feeling afraid, because from there he began to talk with me about the Nature of life, God, faith, the soul and our journey here on this planet as a Spirit in this human body. He spent over 20 minutes sharing his inspired words with me and there were a few moments where I found myself getting emotional. He talked about Love and the word for it in Spanish, which is Amor. He said that it translates from Latin as being A-without and mor-death. He said when we are filled with love for the Holy Spirit, which resides within us and also around us, we are without death. When we awaken to the fullness of this Love, a love so rich and full for our Creator, or God, the life-giving Force which animates allkind, we literally transcend death. When we have this love alive within us it can never die. There is nothing to fear and we can trust our Heavenly Father to guide us and take care of us with every breath we breathe. He, the Heavenly Father, literally wants us to surrender to Him this trust, this faith, in every breath he's breathing into our body. And, our whole point for being in this human body is to love and to know this love. At moments, I found myself feeling a little resistant, too. "What is this guy trying to do?" Why is he talking to me like this." "He's trying to witness to me about Jesus." He certainly did talk about all of this in relation to Jesus Christ, the Savior, but he also acknowledged that it really is above all, about love...of and for the Father, the Creator. If we surrender fully to following His will, and trust His will, he will transform us, awaken us, enlighten us to new understandings, empower and encourage us in everything we do, and we through Him, we will be able to realize undreamed of possibilities. But, I must say, when he finished talking with me I appreciated what he had to say. There was something so incredibly genuine and sincere and heartfelt and his words have resonated with me in my heart and mind since then. I suppose more than anything, I feel a deeper sense of peace within me, than I did before. Then, he literally took my hands and he said a prayer for me. Can you believe this? I mean, have you ever heard of this? It was rather surreal. But, I felt his sincerity and his honestness and so I allowed myself to receive his Spirit-filled words and prayer. Before I left his presence, we gave each other a hug. I don't think I've ever hugged my dentist. Then, as I was checking out with the receptionist, he came to the front desk and said, "Do not charge her today, just send it to her insurance." And, she replied, "But, doctor, the thing is she doesn't have insurance, only a discount card." And, he said, "Well then, no charge for anything."

I left and walked to the elevator with tears welling in my eyes. The relief, although appearing to be financial, was really much deeper. Perhaps I was so deeply impacted becuase I felt the truthfulness and genuineness of his intent and words. He wasn't just talking about Love, he was Being Love. Love is the most transformative energy on the planet, and the very reason why God lived in Jesus and all of the great Saints and Sages, (and lives in us) to teach us about this Divine Love and trust in the Divine Will, through our fellow human Beings. Remarkable!

So, I love this quote which I wrote in the beginning of this post. It really resonated with me today, as I was still feeling a little down, even though I had felt such a genuinely caring presence of another yesterday. I still woke up with a bit of a heavy heart this morning, as I looked ahead to the day which seemed to hold the same unresolved questions and answers as the day before. But, as I read this quote first thing this morning on my Zen Calendar for today, it left a lasting imprint on me, just as the doctor's words have continued to resound within me today and throughout this week. I chose this morning to look up, rather than look down. I decided to be with whatever hurt is inside, but to not let it ruin my day or my perspective on life.

And, so it is. Life is good... Read more

(Picture of Liz and her teacher, Ketut Liyer.)

Now this does seem surreal. I read this book this past June and I'm just now sharing about it on the True Yoga Blog. Where did I go? I've certainly been on a journey into the Self, and it continues on, of course. There were some pretty heavy and dark places I had to go through earlier this year during the Spring and early Summer. It's because I traveled into those depths of mySelf that I've been able to emerge into the luminosity of the Present moment I am now feeling and experiencing even more brightly. Hallelujah...

So, if you haven't read this book yet...where have you been? This book transformed my experience of how I view my life and myself and this journey called Life we are each on. I mean I love the title of it...Eat, Pray, Love...how is that for simplicity or nishprapancha, in Sanskrit, which means, "freedom from complexities..."

Elizabeth Gilbert was just on Oprah this past Friday...now you know it's a phenomenon when it's on O. Anyhow, I loved what she had to share, which was another simplicity about the practice of meditation she learned from a medicine man during her four months in Bali. She traveled to Bali after spending four months at an Ashram in India. During her time at the Ashram, she meditated for several hours each day and learned specific practices for achieveing union with the Spirit within and without. Though effective, they were more complex than what the mecidine man in Bali would have to teach her.

When she arrived in Bali, the medicine man she studied with everyday taught her a very simple meditation technique.

"He said, 'Why do they make it so complicated in India with the meditation?' He said, 'I'll give you a meditation. … Sit and smile,' he said. Even smile in your liver," Liz says. "Smile all the way through. Sit there and smile all the way through and see if that doesn't work a little bit to start to change your life and cause a little revolution in your mind."

So, I've begun to practice this technique of feeling every part of my Being smiling. And, it feels good. There is an energetic resonance, an experience that flows all the way throughout when you feel what a smile would feel like in your liver, your kidneys, heart, cells, skin...everywhere. Even your feet...smiling and being Happy Feet. ;) So, the Truth is it really is simple. It is man, not God, who's made it complex. That's why the first teaching in The Yoga Sutras is to allow the mind to be settled or still...to be in a place of no mind.

1. And now the teaching on Yoga begins.
2. Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence.
3. When the mind is settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness (peace, love, joy, bliss)
4. Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind.
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Translated by Alistair Shearer

(The rest of the over 100 Sutras, or threads of knowledge, are the step-by-step practices of how to realize our essential nature or awakened Consciousness. But maybe, we only need one... Smile all the way through.)

Namaste!

Read more

As I'm writing today, I'm amazed at how little I've shared about my training this summer. As soon as I returned, life became effulgent with preparations for the Global Mala. One of the highlights of my experience this summer was Paramahansa Yogananda's Lake Shrine which was established in 1950. Paramahansa Yogananda was one of the most incredible Yogi's to ever walk the earth. He wrote Autobiography of a Yogi, which is a must-read at some point for anyone who wishes to develop fully in their Yoga practice and journey.

When I went to the two-week training with Shiva Rea, I had no idea I would be visiting the Lake Shrine. So on Thursday, of the second week there, when the schedule said Vision Quest from 12 - 8 pm that day, I didn't know we would be led to this sacred place. The Lake Shrine is located at the westernmost end of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades (about a 30-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles), just seconds from the Pacific Ocean. It is a beautiful outdoor sanctuary and meditation garden, unlike anything I've seen. Before Yogananda ever moved to the West from India, his guru told him he would establish an ashram and headquarters for the SRF in this place. So, the Lake Shrine was inspired completely through faith and the vision that was inspired into him by his teacher, and ultimately God...

Some of the ashes of Gandhi, who was a friend of Yogananda's, are also at the Lake Shrine. It is said that Yogananada's message, besides being a light and guide for how to realize the Great Divine within ones own Self, is to dissolve the differences and boundaries between the great religions of the world revealing that all of the Masters were teaching the same inherent Truth. This Truth is that... Truth, or God, Resides Universally in Everyone. Throughout Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda demonstrates and teaches that Christianity and the teachings of Hinduism flow from the same Source. Jesus' teachinngs were inspired by the spiritual traditions and teachers who had graced the earth before his time, and of course, through his direct communion with God. Having been raised as a Christian myself, and still feeling most deeply drawn to Jesus as my teacher, Autobiography of a Yogi brought insight, understanding and awareness to me that the Christ-Consciousness is the intention of Yoga and Yoga is...the Christ-Consciousness, the Krishna Consciousness, the Buddha Consciousness...all of these faiths share the same intention of uniting with the Source...THE CONSCIOUSNESS, and this CONSCIOUSNESS is LOVE, otherwise known as GOD.

If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to open to the possibility of reading the spiritually inspired and miraculous Autobiography of a Yogi...it will blow your mind away and strengthen your faith in God and the possibility that Anything is Possible with belief and faith. With over 500 pages and rich with Yogic Philosophy, it is not an easy book to read. I purchased the book in 2002, a year after beginning Yoga, but did not finish it until the end of 2005. I would pick it up from time-to-time, but would put it back down, feeling overwhelmed with the information. But, when the time was right for me to ripen through this book, I was able to flow through it effortlessly and eagerly. I couldn't put it down and was inspired and amazed with what I was reading and learning.

While I was at the Lake Shrine, I asked one of the SRF volunteers what the next best step for me would be, having read Autobiography of a Yogi. He shared with me about the Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Lessons, which I since ordered for a graciously inexpensive and Divine price, and have received the first two lessons in the mail just last week. These are lessons which were written by Paramahansa Yogananda (AMAZING) and they are meant to guide one's journey of meditation and God Communion a.k.a. Yoga. I would like to share the first lesson with you, as it makes such perfect sense it would be first on this path of Yoga. It is the principle of Isvara-Pranidhana, otherwise known as Surrender to God's Will. Here it is as beautifully and eloquently written by Yogananda himself:

Affirmation:

I shall tune my free will with the infinite will of God, and my only desire shall be to do the wisdom-guided will of Him who created me.

Namaste!

p.s.-Check out this amazing documentary Yogamates.com is putting together of the Global Mala events that took place all around the planet on September 21, 22, and 23, 2007!Read more

Happy October! I always love this time of year, perhaps, because I associate a positive feeling with it since my birthday is on the 9th of October. The Fall is my favorite season. There is nothing like the beautiful changing of the leaves during this time of year as the cooler air begins to flow through. Of course in some places it is more spectacular than others. One of the things I loved about growing up in Ohio is the very distinct changing of the Seasons, especially the changing of Summer into Fall. As the climate changed, everything seemed to become more vibrant...the lush and rolling green hills, the incredible explosions of colorful leaves in red, orange, and yellow and the crisp, cool, Fall air which creates the most beautiful and clear blue skies you could ever imagine. It is the kind of beauty which makes your heart sing and feel alive with the magnificent energy of Life...

It's been a while and it feels good to sit down and write. The past two months, since returning from my training with Shiva Rea, have been effulgent. (This is the word she uses instead of 'busy'. She says when we say we are 'busy', it implies we do not have enough time.) The Global Mala last weekend was amazing. The class at exhale spa on Saturday created a sense of connection and community unlike anything I had ever experienced in the Dallas Yoga community before. And, the special class on Sunday at the Texas Rangers Stadium in Arlington was beautiful, as well. Almost all of the people who participated in the community Yoga class following the game had never experienced a Yoga class before. I was amazed at how open and receptive they were and their intrigue into the sacred practice of Yoga. I suppose I anticipated I would feel a sense of resistance from someone, given the diversity of the people who attended the class. It was actually one of the most open and connected experiences I've ever had with a class and, as a teacher, I truly felt their sincere eagerness and willingness to learn and receive what I had to share.

As I look ahead, I'm hoping to return to writing more regularly, now that I'm settling back into the post Global-Mala-flow. I'm inspired to share an awesome movie I saw this weekend with you called Into the Wild. You may have heard of it...it is a book that was inspired by a true story and now Sean Penn has done an amazing job of making this incredible story into a movie. I highly recommend seeing it. I knew as soon as I saw it previewed on Sunday Morning and Oprah it was a movie I needed to see. You can read more about it on Oprah.com from when she had Sean Penn on her show.

"Into the Wild tells the tragic real-life story of Chris McCandless, a college grad from a wealthy family who set out to experience true adventure. In 1990, Chris donated his life savings to charity, abandoned his belongings and dropped out of sight. He changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, and for the next two years he backpacked through the United States, Mexico and Canada.Along the way, he encountered people who were moved by his idealism…but Chris took his final journey alone. He ventured into the Alaskan wilderness, carrying very few supplies. For nearly four months, Chris called an abandoned bus his home and lived off of the land. Sadly, a series of catastrophic mistakes altered the course of his life-113 days after his Alaskan adventure began, Chris starved to death."

Here is an excerpt from the Oprah show which spoke to me and inspired me to see the film:

Jon says the most inspiring element of Chris's personality was the "impossibly high standards" he set for himself."It was this wonderful thing about him and his downfall because he believed that it's wrong to get too comfortable in life. It's wrong to take the easy path. You're here to live, not to sit on the couch," he says. "Everyone can take something from that, and it's just, get outside your comfort zone. I mean, all of us want to stay with what we know and what's comfortable. And he believed you grow and have the best adventures and learn the most if you just step outside that comfort zone."

Even though he died when he was just 24 years old, Jon says Chris's story should still inspire people to reevaluate their lives. "He almost pulled it off. I mean, he came so close to surviving this, and we'd never know about him. He'd have had a great adventure and gone about his life."

Jon doesn't mean that everyone should go off and live in the wilderness. "We can't live like him," he says. "But this message [is] about just doing something different. Get outside that comfort zone. Test yourself. Just don't be tempted to take the easiest path. Life is better when you step off that path, however far you step. Happiness is only real when shared."

Sean says he wanted to make this movie because of the things Chris believed. "I wouldn't have made this movie, I wouldn't have felt what I felt about this story if I didn't feel that we had become increasingly comfort addicted," he says. "[Chris] created an entire life in that short time, and I think the big challenge is to feel our lives while we have them." - oprah.comRead more