Greetings and blessings to everyone. 

I’m glad I’ve found a few moments to update the True Yoga Blog.  I’ve been immersed in writing the Fresh Fruit Cleanse, which, I just found out today will officially be published in April 2011.  I knew it was going to be published in the Spring but it’s awesome to know the exact month now.  And, it was interesting how I found out.  While I am working with a publisher, I didn’t realize it was already being promoted on amazon.com. 

This morning I appeared on Fox 4 Good Day in Dallas to talk about beating jet lag with Yoga.  (You can view the clip here.)  With the upcoming holiday season, they wanted me to share information to help travelers feel better from their long trips to see family and friends.  In the segment, I also asked them to mention that I was writing a book and it would be published in Spring 2011.  When I got there this morning, the producer of Fox 4 Good Day told me she had searched for the book on amazon.com and found it was already listed there.  And, there is a picture of the cover.  I had no idea…but that’s awesome!  I hadn’t received this news yet from my publisher so it was wonderful news to hear it’s already available for pre-order online.  That’s fabulous.  I am so grateful for this opportunity and for Divine goodness that flows in all of our lives.  (despite a sometimes dramatic political environment we are blessed to live in this country where we have the freedom to elect our leaders.  Let’s continue to ever-unceasingly pray that the Divine Light of Intelligence and Wisdom guide the hearts and minds of all leaders and nations of the world.  And, that Divine Light and Love awaken in the hearts and minds of all of us.  May peace and unity bless our planet and the hearts and minds of everyone of us.  The great saints say to pray unceasingly so prayer is a vital part of the practice of Yoga.  The reality is because we are always thinking we are always praying.  So, may all our thoughts be filled with Divine Light and energy to awaken to the Highest Good within us and all around us.)

Even in the difficult times, the Light is always shining upon us and into us.  As Master Yogi, Sri Dharma Mittra says, be receptive to the grace of God. 

I will be writing more about the Fresh Fruit Cleanse on the True Yoga Blog in the months ahead.  The book will be available at Barnes & Noble and Border, as well as, amazon.com and other retailers, as well.  Since I am busy writing and will only be able to update the True Yoga Blogs about once a month, I would like to share an article with you that was submitted by a fellow Yoga teacher.  It has some wonderful information I thought you would enjoy.  Also, I wanted to share these two incredible Rumi poems with you.  I just sent them out in the True Yoga Newsletter and they really resonated with me right now in my life.  Rumi is so incredibly amazing.  If you do not receive the newsletter and would like to, please submit your email address in the Newsletter section of the True Yoga Website.  In the meantime, be well friends and fellow Yogis.  What is a Yogi to me?  Someone who seeks the Truth.  As Gandhi said, God is Truth and Truth is God.  Om shanti…blessings…jai guru. 

Take someone who doesn’t keep score,
who’s not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing,
who has not the slightest interest even
in his own personality: He’s free.-Rumi

Stay in the company of lovers.
Those other kinds of people, they each
want to show you something.

A crow will lead you to an empty barn,
a parrot to sugar. - Rumi

Taming Vata:  Seasonal Vinyasa Tips by Melina Meza

In fall, the Vata dosha becomes predominant, potentially taking your physical, mental and/or energetic bodies out of balance. The following tips from my new book, “Art of Sequencing – Volume 2” will help to balance Vata, creating a more stable, grounding presence during the fall.

FALL DAILY RITUAL (Dinacharya)

Ideally, all these practices can be followed, but if the list seems overwhelming, choose a few practices that resonate with you and commit to them for up to three months. 

• Try to stick to a daily routine in the fall, scheduling more down time than usual to prevent Vata imbalances.
• Wake up at 5:00-6:00 am (do your best!) and greet the day with gratitude for another opportunity to celebrate life.
• Wash your face, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, do a neti pot, and lubricate your nostrils with oil or ghee.
• Drink hot lemon water with a little salt in the morning to stimulate elimination.
• Meditate on grounding imagery, like a stone or a mountain. 
• Do slow, warming, rhythmic movement or asana practices to set the pace for the day. Moving slowly and consciously in your asana practice will also help to stabilize your mind and make it easier to stay focused throughout the day.
• Perform abhyanga with warm sesame oil. Leave the oil on your skin for 10-30 minutes to help nourish and protect your skin from drying out; follow with a warm shower.
• Homemade soups are good dietary mainstays during this season, as they are both hot and liquid, the opposite of Vata, which is cold and dry.  In your soups or stews include copious amounts of root vegetables and hearty grains to keep the essence of the earth down in your belly. In general, prepare warm, moist foods for every meal during fall.
• Sit down to eat at regular times throughout the day; the more routine your meal times are, the better. Practicing eating as a meditation, chewing your food until it’s liquid, and putting the utensil down between bites are just a few simple ways to ensure good digestion and strong agni.
• Increase your enjoyment of foods that are sweet (like rice, milk, and dates), sour (like yogurt and fermented foods), and salty (like sea kelp) as they help calm down and nurture Vata.
• Avoid starting too many new projects that pull your energy in multiple directions! Remember fall is a time to wrap up projects and prepare for winter hibernation.
• Aim for bedtime before 10:00 pm and get a full eight hours of sleep each night. 

GENERAL ASANA TIPS FOR THE FALL

Incorporate more of the following into your practice: 

• A routine where the time of day and length of your practice is consistent. It can be helpful to build your routine by writing down your committed yoga and exercise time slots on a weekly calendar.
• Yoga poses that allow you to incorporate the bandhas to guide prana deep into your body, which then prepares you for:pratyahara (the moment your sense organs no longer seek nourishment from the external environment),dharana (concentration), anddhyana (steady concentration or meditation).
• Steady, slow, mindful Sun Salutations to increase circulation of blood through your muscles and organs as well as standing poses, squats, twists, bridge pose, supported back bends, and inversions to clear the lungs and maintain heat in your core.
• Practice seated poses that allow the breath to move freely into the lower abdomen and pelvic floor, the parts of the body ruled by Vata.
• Take long savasanas to stabilize Vata. Cover yourself with a blanket to stay warm, use an eye pillow to soothe the eyes, and drape a sandbag or two over your thighs or ankles to promote the downward movement of prana deep into the bones of your legs. The extra weight of the sandbags reinforces the idea of staying present and can be useful for anyone at anytime who struggles with staying present in savasana.