 It has been another full and amazing week of ups and downs, but mostly ups.
I taught my first staff yoga class this week, and I loved it! The Vishnu Platform is my favorite place to do and teach yoga - on the bay side of the ocean, it is a peaceful and beautiful space. I made some mistakes and continued to maintain my composure and confidently lead the class. I made more mistakes and felt skilled enough to hold the energy and space for the class. I felt gratitude throughout the practice that my teacher training had prepared me well for teaching. I got good feedback after class and surely will make more mistakes over time, but it is ok. The class was still quite good, and the energy was positive and nurturing. The staff who attended said they'd definitely like to take another class when I teach:) The best feedback! I look forward to teaching again in a few days - I'm on the schedule! I also took an Essentials 2 Yoga course taught by master teacher, Rukmini. It was helpful to deepen my practice and also started out each day with a great yoga class. The course was structured to have different themes, and the last day had the focus on relaxation. We were instructed to do the entire yoga practice from start to finish - 2 hours total - with our eyes closed. It was an incredible experience! I had kept my eyes closed in portions of classes before, but never for the entire class. It was fantastic, and Rukmini's instruction plus adjustments provided to us, made it one of my all-time favorite yoga experiences. As if all of that were not enough, this week I had the good fortune of getting to spend time with Gopi Kallayil, the Chief Evangelist Brand Marketing for Google. He was one of our speakers, as part of the Symposium on Mindfulness. Gopi's talks were fascinating in their simplicity, and his new book Internet to Inner-Net is on my 'must read' list now. He started with some simple statistics about the 7.2 billion mobile devices as of February 2015 being greater in number for the first time in history, than the number of people on planet Earth 7.1 billion. He humorously referred to cell phones as "Weapons of Mass Distraction", and he shared about his story of bringing yoga to Google. Gopi is a Sivananda Bahamas Yoga Teacher Training graduate, just as I now am. He graduated when he was only 19. He brought the yoga to Google by offering to lead a class each week for free to any Google employees interested in joining him. It has been 9 1/2 years, and that class has continued, and he teaches it whenever he is in town and it is still free. Today, there are 38,000 Google employees daily taking yoga classes being offered at the workplace. Last year, for a large employee conference, 11,600 Google staff were in 1 room doing standing asanas during the Google event. It was the largest indoor gathering of yoga in the U.S. and the 3rd largest in the World. It was held in Las Vegas, of all places. Gopi has definitely influenced and taught many After completing his TTC, Gopi committed to himself to share yoga with as many people as possible, just as Swami Vishnudevananda, the founder of the Bahamas Ashram, sought to do. The mission was to bring more peace to the world through fostering peace within each individual. You can read the details in his book, but Gopi shared about his 5 Basic principles, following the footsteps of Swami Vishnudevanada who created the 5 Points of Yoga. Gopi's 5 Basic Principles:
As Gopi left the Ashram today, he handed me two cards - his corporate Google business card and his other card, which was very impressive to me. His title read, Happy Human, Googler. I hope that our paths will cross again someday. As we chanted next to each other during satsangs, I felt his good energy. His title is truly fitting, and I am grateful to have met him. Sending You Love from the Bahamas. Thank you for taking this journey with me! May you be a Happy Human too! If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do. I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us!
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 We have the ability to make the sun shine from within, as Tao Porchon-Lynch, 97 years young yoga teacher and dancer, tells us in her autobiography.
This week, whether it was the Christian gospel singer, the Benedictine monk Gregorian chanter, the Iranian Sufi musician and singer, the Grammy nominee Kirtan chanter, or the Jewish cantor - they all shared their music in such a way as to create sunshine within. And it was an unusually rainy period, so inner sunshine was great! Today was an absolutely perfect weather day, and the sun-kissed faces of guests who enjoyed the beach radiated a high spirit and energy level. Our current guest speaker is Dr. Joe Dispenza, who is an expert on the ways the human brain can be used to affect reality. His research on meditative states show that our brain circuitry can be measurably changed, as well as the heart rate and energy field of the body. He is also a best selling author. His recent findings include documentation of chemical changes taking place in the brain, and the speed of healing being highly impacted by the chemical changes and rewiring of brain connections. It is fascinating work that he is undertaking around the world. One interesting statistic, to ponder: typically, we have 60,000-70,000 thoughts per day..........and 90% of them are the same as the day before. I hadn't ever thought about the number of thoughts that were identical from one day to the next, but in reality, from the moment we wake until we go to sleep, the thoughts are rote and the same. We create life habits based on the daily repetition over a lifetime of the same thoughts, and then the same ensuing actions that follow. My own progress here continues, and yet some habits are very, very difficult to change. This past week, I noted that many of the petty and at times, irritating, daily interactions with people is a never ending struggle, even in Paradise. The yin and the yang exist in people too, and it seems that my having a strong and positive constitution often requires dealing with many negative people. I think I am confronted with the negativity, in order to learn the lesson of non-attachment. I used to think I was needed to lift others spirits and provide the positive, in order to change the flow of negativity. If you think of a strong magnet that can hold many other small magnets, that seems to be me. Being non-attached would be like losing my magnetic pull, and while it may not sound positive at first thought, it would be wonderful to not have the constant challenge of dealing with the many needy, negative, complainers that also live and work in Paradise and everywhere on this planet. It doesn't mean that I wouldn't work with and still care about people, but I would be less impacted by them. My own sense of well being would remain intact, no matter the ups and downs of others. I used to think that this teaching of non attachment sounded a bit callous or indifferent, but I'm starting to realize that the lessons of life keep repeating, until we understand and can move on. The squabbles, moans, groans and complaints of others will not go away, no matter how empathetic I am, nor whether I listen to the negativity for hours on end or not. And at times, even the most sympathetic ear just isn't enough to make some people feel better. The lethargic and excuse-laden people will also not change just because I provide numerous solutions to motivate and energize them. They have their own karma to deal with, and maybe misery is part of it. I have to lessen my connection to the improvement path that I can envision for others, as it may not be desired by them at all. I don't plan to give up my positive nature, but I want to try out creating my inner sunshine and keeping it, despite the negativity, complaints and down states of others. Each time I think I've gotten this figured out, my physical and emotional reactions of frustration and disappointment to different work ethics, work capacity and work paces rise up and show me that I still need practice:) The virtue of patience and the ability to detach from expectations for others are the goals. Guess I will keep practicing, and karma will make sure I have plenty of challenges in this area, whether I want them or not:) I hope you have a week of Sunshine within! Sending You Love from the Bahamas,🌞 Thank you for taking this journey with me! If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do. I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us!  It seems impossible that so much happens here in a week, especially during the high season. We've initiated two new classes of students for teacher and advanced teacher training - close to 100 between the two groups, with special puja (ceremony) celebrations. Vasudha Narayanan, a professor at the University of Florida, started out the week as she gave interesting satsang and workshop talks about the path of Bhakti Yoga(devotional and from the heart), while James Reeves from London taught a course on yoga nidra (deep yogic sleep) and Silvia San Miguel taught a course on Growing Older and Wiser with yoga. A few days into the week, best selling author, Joan Borysenko packed her workshops with writers who learned from her about 'Retelling Your Life's Story', and Joan shared very personal and beautiful life stories with us during evening satsangs. Laughter and tears flowed freely during her talks. A line from her presentations that I particularly found interesting,"What goes through the fire becomes resilient." She shared about her personal story of her home being on fire and related that story to many challenges that feel like fire and destruction to experience. She also shared that a clay pot that had previously been fired, remained among the ashes of metals and other materials burned in her home. Her messages of positivity and focus on love are truly yoga philosophy in practice. And as I write this, the powerhouse in a tiny form, Tao Porchon-Lynch is still here at the Ashram. She's 97 years old, beautifully dressed, bejeweled and exudes life, joy and love. I will attend her yoga class today and was able to be at the beginning of her class yesterday. There was a packed platform - at least 100 people taking yoga from the oldest yoga teacher in the Guinness Book of World Records. And she commanded the space and taught the entire group while sitting in lotus posture! (I'm still not even close to being able to do this posture) She's presented two nights in a row and wowed all of us with her grace, charm, humor and beautiful spirit. She shared that besides yoga, her other great love is ballroom dancing. She first learned to ballroom dance at the age of 87 and has won more than 700 competitions for dance since then. Her spirit and liveliness are so inspiring! She has a new autobiography out, and I'd encourage you to read it. Tao is such a beautiful spirit and blessing. I'm so happy to have had the honor to not only hear her speak but to daily eat meals with her and to greet her each day with kisses on both cheeks. She is showing us the way through her own strong faith and positive approach to life:) The last, but best excitement of the week for me, was to assistant teach and demonstrate for the Essentials 1 Yoga course. The course was 6 days, and I had the privilege of assisting alongside one of the best senior level teachers at the Ashram, Rukmini. Each class was 2 hours long of helping, learning and joy for me. I loved watching the progression of the students in the class and sharing the knowledge of yoga I've gained. To observe and learn in this step by step, course introduction of Sivananda yoga, from Rukmini was a true gift. While I just completed my teacher training with amazing teachers, Rukmini brought different elements to the practice and refinement to what I'd already learned. Each teacher shares of themselves and their talents in a unique way. I am grateful that I had this opportunity to learn from her and give at the same time:) I had challenges too - like fitting in my own yoga practice, coping with rain, a sore throat and laundry, with such a busy schedule - but I made it through the week and am feeling so blessed to have experienced such a full, interesting, enlightening and inspiring week! Today, the sun is shining, my throat is feeling better and laundry is done:) And to think next comes "On The Wings of Ecstasy" - an interfaith devotional singing festival - Wow! Sending You Love from the Bahamas,🌞 Thank you for taking this journey with me! If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do. I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us!  My journey of What's Possible living an Ayurvedic-Yogic lifestyle at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat has evolved into much more than a study of the physical body, but this week's blog will focus on the physical aspect. Changes are definitely occurring - some small and some pretty substantial. Even my mom noticed that I was stronger and had little trouble opening jars in the preparations for holiday company this year. My hair is growing in thicker, my nails are healthier, my toes are slowly straightening out, my cracked skin is much healthier and sleeping patterns have changed dramatically (more details in future blog postings). I have a pitta/vata constitution (prakruti), and I have a vata dominant current dosha imbalance (vikruti). KP Khalsa is treating almost exclusively vata dosha (insomnia, fatigue, pain, constipation, dry skin, etc.) Since I am here for the long term, and not in crisis, we can work methodically and consistently to get to root causes. According to Ayurveda, the proper functioning of the digestive system is the key to preventing most diseases. The common phrase of 'you are what you eat' comes to mind, as our food is said to be the building block of our body at the cellular level. The digestion of our food is important in order that the cell growth is comprised of good nutrients. Even the best food, undigested properly, can form toxins in the body and manifest over time in disease. Digestive issues are often at the root of poor sleep as well. The 25 feet of intestines is where much of the action takes place in digestion. Resourcing KP Khalsa's article on Superior Digestion, the food we eat must be transformed before we can use it inside our body. While food and diet are important, just as critical is what comes out of us in the form of waste. If food doesn't get properly digested or the food waste cannot get out in a timely fashion, a proper diet won't matter much. For people who eat healthy, unprocessed, whole food, the average transit time through our system is 30 hours. Yet, 18-24 hours transit time, according to Asian medicine is optimal. And 48 or more hours is pretty common place in our Westernized society. Wondering what is the problem with the longer transit time? The end products of digestion stay in the colon, and the longer they remain, the more chance of decomposition into unhealthy compounds resulting in the development of gallstones and over time may be implicated in colon cancer. Even the definition of constipation for the West is fewer than 3 bowel movements a week. Being mammals, we are designed so that each meal elicits a bowel movement. Ayurveda and other natural medicine practitioners say that at least one waste elimination a day is needed for good health. One of the big changes for me is daily, healthy elimination without coffee. My diet is vegan, and 1/3 of my daily food intake is cooked root vegetables (mostly beets, carrots, sweet potatoes) - root vegetables are liver cleansing to support overall detox from many years past of inappropriate eating. I also eat soups and rice and oatmeal and fruit and many amazing creations by our chefs, such as lasagne and shepherd's pie - so delicious! I also have one cup of hot water on an empty stomach to enkindle my agni - digestive system. I drink a mixture of cumin, coriander and fennel brewed tea in the morning to also aid in digestion. No coffee or caffeinated beverages, no alcohol and limited amounts of sweets - mainly special occasion cakes. What are the main Prescriptives I am taking? Triphala - a blend of three fruits: alma, bibitaki and haritaki - they are sundries, made into powder and mixed together. It is good for all three constitutions and everyone can benefit from the herbal mixture. Besides being a general tonic, it is a light laxative, skin, eye, and liver nourisher, and a general detoxifier. a tonic for the blood, bones, liver, and heart. It enhances production of red blood cells and strengthens the teeth, hair, and nails, as well as improving eyesight and regulating blood sugar. It is one of the strongest rejuvenatives, and an extraordinarily rich source of vitamin C and bioflavonoids. (Caution: it tastes awful - will need to hold your nose:) Castor Oil - The oil comes from the bean of the Evergreen Castor Plant. The bean is deadly poisonous, but the oil is not. Castor oil supports joint, muscle, connective tissue and skin health. It is used for wounds, trauma and minor pain. It is very effective for organ dysfunction such as an affected liver, menstrual pain, constipation or general abdominal discomfort. It is used in to reduce benign masses and swellings, including ovarian cysts, breast cysts, varicose veins, swollen lymph glands, enlarged liver or spleen, cracked heels and other traumatized tissue. (Caution: messy and sticky, but it does soak in after a little while. I take this internally, and I massage it into my skin daily. It is good for vata imbalance.) Trikatu - This three part mix is composed of ginger root, black pepper, and long pepper (“pipali”), it is used as a mildly warming tonic for enhancing digestion and circulation. This is especially good to fire up the digestive system at meal times. (I like the taste of this - actually spices up food a bit) Ashwaganda - This is a bitter, astringent, sweet and slightly warming herbal remedy. Ashwaganda is a superb remedy for nervous exhaustion and is considered grounding, while enhancing productivity and endurance. The herb positively impacts general debility, sexual debility, nerve exhaustion, problems of old age, loss of memory, loss of muscle energy, emaciation of children, insomnia, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, weak eyes, skin problems, rheumatism, cough, breathing difficulties, anemia, fatigue, glandular swelling, infertility - an all around boost to the system. Shatavari - in the asparagus family, herb made from this root is sweet, bitter, cooling and works on all tissues. Shatavari is the main building tonic for women. This herb is used as an effective moisturizer for the membranes of the lungs, digestive tract, and, like other asparagus species, the kidneys and urinary tract. It is an effective rejuvenative to the female reproductive tract and the blood, and to build the body. Vitamin D3 - essential for virtually every human body function - I am deficient, likely from the Midwest location and climate I lived all of my life Kapi Kacchu - Rejuvenation and increase natural steroid hormones (the good kind) - good for energy, cognition Magnesium Glycinate - Nerve support, sleep, anxiety Needed for 800+ reactions in human body. Most common nutrient deficiency in America (I take 2-3 of these every night) I'm also drinking prescriptive tea and taking Chyavanprash jam daily. As KP Khalsa humorously stated, to me - in working with me, he's trying to move the Titanic:) With so many years of a fast paced lifestyle, a typical American diet of processed foods, plenty of sugary sweets, wine, margaritas and martinis - so many herbs and supplements are needed to rebuild my cellular health. I looked fine on the outside, but my foundation - inside - is a mess. Though I'm looking forward to not having to take so many prescriptives eventually, I can tell you, that they are working! AND There are no side effects - only better and better health:) Sending You Love from the Bahamas,🌞 Thank you for taking this journey with me! If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do. I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us! |
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