20-Breath Practice

October 27, 2021 at 5:49 pm (In My Backyard)
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Balance…that beautiful internal place where effort and surrender are in harmony. When you feel on your game, peaceful and content, satisfied and fulfilled, energized yet calm, alert and well-rested, body systems are working well, and breath flows with ease – all within the circumstances and current conditions you are in (even if they are chaotic, uncertain, weird). A feeling where you need no more and no less; sometimes a brief momentary feeling and sometimes a blissfully extended period of time. For many of us, we have been living so far away from balance on a regular basis that even though we recognize the imbalance, it is SO HARD to return to a state of harmony. We wait for something external to bring us there, or we blame the imbalance on the external, or we fail to acknowledge the very things we are doing to ourselves that bring us out of balance. Balance is not an end-state, nor is it a permanent state, but more a fluid dance of yin and yang from moment to moment. We can be off kilter for a bit then back in the centre, then off again, and back again. How do we stay closer to the centre and less off balance for longer?

Paying attention and noticing how you FEEL is the key to finding your own state of balance. Observing patterns and impulses and tendencies while being open and compassionate and kind to yourself. Before you can let GO you have to notice and let BE…gently. The mantra that has been in the forefront of my mind lately is “Hold it lightly” thanks to the book, “Emotional Agility” by Susan David. Sometimes we attach ourselves to those things that we desperately want to let go of… so if we acknowledge what we are holding on to, then willingly loosen the grip and hold it all lightly, maybe we create space for those unwanted things to seemingly just float away. And then the scales tip so balance can be restored. That’s what I am noticing…

Here is a short slow-flow standing practice I’ve been experimenting with and it really seems to help balance me. Maybe it will be helpful for you, too! It is simple and basic; moves the spine in all directions; helps to stretch the whole body; is gentle enough to do in the evening when you are winding down; you can make it more active to be an energizing morning routine; it encourages you to breathe and move in sync; and you could even modify it to be done from a chair. Try it for a week or more…and see what you think. Returning to balance is a lifetime practice and individual to each of us. Each time you return to YOUR centre, SMILE!

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RINSE AND REPEAT

October 13, 2021 at 1:15 pm (In My Backyard)
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Well Yoga Friends, it’s been awhile since I’ve felt like writing or teaching or even rolling around on my yoga mat. Some days have been solely about breathing and BEING and feeling…oh God so much feeling. For many of us, it may have felt like our worlds have turned upside down and inside out over the last weeks, months, year, and perhaps continue to be challenging. Some things are so vivid in our short-term memory – happy memories from way back with a longing to return to “what we had”; or maybe haunting memories have resurfaced and now we have to deal with them or push them back down. Overthinking and underthinking and incorrect thinking. When is it OVER? But then again, is it really ever over? Keeping up with the ever-evolving, sometimes too fast or too slow pace of change has not been easy in this pandemic, for ANYONE.

Our stories may have different details, and the challenges vary from small, persistent daily stuff to really big scary experiences. What is common to all of us is that SHIT HAS HAPPENED and it is for certain that more shit will happen because that is the nature of life.

So what do you do when your life feels like it is soiled, messy, wrinkled, stepped on, etc.? How about going back to your life toolbox and pull out the practices that work: RINSE those toxins away in your heart/mind/body by finding a healthy way to get them out; move and breathe and feel and allow; acknowledge what IS by sitting with IT; accept that sadness, fear, loss, and anger are part of life as much as happiness, contentment, blessings, and calm; really ask yourself how you are contributing to your own misery and change it; reach out for a helping hand; slow down and clear your plate so you can HEAR your internal messages; get on your yoga mat and surrender (not resign); and so on and so on. Then REPEAT…over and over again.

Yoga is UNION…the uniting of opposites…the dance of clean and dirty. Relishing the yummy stuff, and navigating the yucky stuff without getting attached to either one. My current RINSE cycle includes lots of water and hydration, cleaning up my diet, moving every day, reaching out. And it is okay to go for a few days in the same yoga pants and stained hoodie and messy gone-grey hair because the rinse cycle will be REPEATED.

If you are willing to RINSE AND REPEAT with me on the yoga mat, I invite you to join my online yoga class called “MID-WEEK YOGA MIX” via ZOOM on Wednesdays, starting Oct. 20, 2021. This is an 8-week session from 7:30 – 8:30 pm with the intention of gently working out some kinks in the body and mind. We will breathe and move and meditate in different ways each week, and wind down the day together. COST for the 8-week session is $108 by e-transfer (non-refundable). Email me at yogaimby@gmail.com to register.

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POSSIBILITIES

June 30, 2021 at 10:32 am (In My Backyard)
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Today feels like a few steps forward instead of steps backwards. A plate of possibilities instead of impossibilities. Like many of us during the last year, I too have felt the overwhelm, the fear, the anxiety, and the stuck-ness. It has been messing with my head and my heart and my body, and to be accepting of that vulnerability is challenging when you think you have all the resources, the tools, the privilege, the freedom, the space…I should be able to figure it all out. Especially with YOGA.

Sometimes we need someone or something to point to the light. To be a flashlight for us when our own light dims. Turns out my own flashlight battery was quickly losing its charge and I was panicking. So I reached out for help and the therapeutic voice said, “Can you just be with THIS at the moment, without needing resolution? It’s okay, I’m right here with you, even if it’s hard.” Ummm…okay.

Oh, we all know that just being with THIS is not always easy. In fact, THIS can feel downright painful, scary, frustrating, maddening, isolating, sad. THIS is not where I want to be, or stay, or even think about. When does THIS end? How can I BE with THIS?

And in comes YOGA. “Sthira Sukham Asanam”…Hold THIS with STEADINESS and EASE. Breathe, relax, feel, watch, allow. What does THIS feel like? Stay with it…breathe through it…observe it…name it…let it pass. Of course…Isn’t that what we are reminded to do on our yoga mats?

In taking the steps backwards, I have been reminded of impermanence, acceptance, and letting go. In the steps back, I see how old patterns repeat themselves. In the steps back, self-compassion and forgiveness is necessary. And in the steps back, it sometimes feels like learning to walk again in order to take those steps forward towards the light.

With second vaccines and re-openings and loosening of restrictions there is the possibility of freedom that we have long awaited, but at the same time there may be hesitancy and apprehension. Some folks are raring to go while others are more tentative. Wherever you land on that spectrum, it’s okay…just keep practicing respect and courtesy and patience and a balance of steadiness (stand strong) and ease (surrender).

I will be continuing to recharge my internal battery over the summer and in to the fall, with travel, family, and my personal yoga practice. I might even share a surprise online class with you here and there! I hope to offer in-person classes again in the future when time/space/location and my own healing allows, maybe not in the way we “used to do it” but with new possibilities and potentials. To those of you who have walked with me this far, keep tagging along, because you never know what is possible next. Don’t forget my YOGA VIDEOS BY ANNE and GUIDED MEDITATIONS that you can access for free anytime.

I leave you with this short UPLIFTING MEDITATION…Happy Summer!

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Spring Forward with Yoga

March 11, 2021 at 2:52 pm (In My Backyard)
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Oh how I am starting to feel like I am coming out of a hole. You, too? The confines of cold temps and lockdowns, short daylight hours and too much TV are mercifully giving way to warmer days, glimmers of light, glimmers of hope. Plus news of vaccines, potential re-opening of our cities, and some sense of freedom (even if still restricted), is so promising.

This winter has felt stranger than any before. But here we are, coming out of it, just like we do every year. Spring forward! In the last few months, for me some days have felt like I’ve been ice-picking my way methodically out of a crevasse only to slide back down. Deep crevasses in my body, heart, and mind. It’s like I just make it to the top to see the light but for whatever reason I fall back. I’ve discovered that it is not actually some THING or some ONE who is pushing me back down, even though my mind wants to go there to put the blame on external influences. It is more often than not actually my small self who is purposely falling back down, because it feels justified…protective…and easier to wallow in the pit than to muster up the energy to climb back out.

But as always for me, the wisdom of Yoga comes to the rescue once again. Yoga teaches us about the influence of the GUNAS (rajas, tamas, and sattva) – those primordial energies of the Universe that permeate all levels of nature. Check out this article for a good explanation of the gunas: https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/health/yoga-philosophy-101-3-gunas/). Once you’ve recognized that you are stuck in a hole (energy of TAMAS), then in order to pull yourself out, you need to tap into the energy of RAJAS – action, motivation, enthusiasm. Not too much, not too little, but just the right amount to get you to put one foot in front of the other. Maybe that means opening your eyes first thing in the morning, pausing to take some deep breaths, and then repeating to yourself, “I am light, I am light, I am light”. Get up and get out by yourself (this is for YOU) – even if it’s just a short walk around the block. Breathe in the fresh air, feel yourself move, keep reminding yourself, “I am light, I am light, I am light” until you truly believe it and embody it. Returning to the energy of SATTVA – harmony and balance – all day long. This simple practice (affirm, get up, get out) seemed to have just the right amount of RAJAS to help me climb out of the hole, helped me find my mojo, and has kindled the creative spark once again. See my latest yoga video: ENERGIZING YOGA III – LIGHTEN UP!

Sattvic energy – the energy of harmony and balance WITHOUT reaction to disturbance – has to be cultivated regularly in order to be maintained. Yoga teaches of the need to fine-tune effort and surrender towards sattva so we don’t swing too far under the influence of rajasic or tamasic energy. It requires the balancing approach of Abhyasa, beautifully described by Chip Hartranft in his translation of The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali (Shambala Publications, 2003) as, “the subtle effort of returning and rereturning to relaxation and coalescence” (39). He goes on to explain that this not-too-much-not-too-little approach is a balancing act of effort and effortlessness that we can practice in all we do, but starts with stillness and internal awareness. He says:

“Stillness is a reflection of our growing openness to the unpredictable unfolding of the world as it is, a freedom from the constant effort to bend things to our liking, to make them conform to our conditioned notions of good and bad“.

(Hartranft, 2003, 39)

So we balance effort (get up and get out) with surrender (sit quietly, quit the fidgeting and squirming, breathe and let be), observing the internal bits and bites that come up without reacting. You can practice sitting quietly in stillness after one of my MEDITATIONS observing and sensing the comings and goings of phenomena in the body and the mind. Hartranft explains:

Our growing familiarity with subtle internal experiences helps us recognize the ways our bodymind contracts in the presence of hurt, delay, desire, and other features of daily life. We begin to catch ourselves earlier in the process of tightening, viselike, around difficulty, disagreement, or frustration. We can then relax, noting how this embodies the intention to know the moment more clearly and openly. Nor is it ever wrong to do so, we begin to sense. Loosening the valves seems always to allow things to resolve and wisdom to enter. This imparts both the freedom to act and the freedom not to have to.

(Hartranft, 2003, 39-40)

Good advice once again from the wisdom of Yoga; getting out of the depths of my funk has been much easier with the valves loosened and my imaginary ice-pick effortlessly landing where it needed to go. Abhyasa! Practice makes perfect so let’s keep at it, both on and off the mat. May you spring forth with ease!

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Goodbyes and Hellos

January 22, 2021 at 9:26 pm (Beyond My Backyard, In My Backyard)
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Goodbye 2020, and Hello to 2021. I’m weeks late in acknowledging a new year…but the past month has been a blur. With courage and honour, my father said goodbye to this world and left his body on Dec. 29 in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, as my sister and I lovingly sat together in a snowbank outside his hospital window, holding the sacred space for his soul to fly, even if separated by brick and glass. It was both magical and heart-breaking; and for his death to be one of the many Covid statistics is maddening. But we then put one foot in front of the other, first to get out of the snowbank, and then to move forward, comforting my stepmom, comforting each other, and jumping in to action to do what needed to be done during a year-end of lockdowns, holiday closures, and provincial restrictions.

Very quickly after saying that goodbye, it was hello to the business of dying. Hello to forms and phone calls, hello to decisions large and small. Hello to moments of sweet memories, and goodbye to old clothes and trinkets. One hello I am still waiting on is an actual voice from the Canada Revenue Agency…

Our whole lives are about beginnings and endings; an ongoing cycle of hellos and goodbyes. Wisdom traditions remind us to recognize this cycle and flow WITH it instead of against it; to process the goodbyes and to welcome the hellos over and over. Even in the midst of grief, uncertainty, challenge, and the inevitable roadblocks we may face, we can say goodbye to what keeps us stuck there, and say hello to the potential and possibilities that lie before us.

I love this part from Amanda Gorman’s recent speech. It is so relevant to not only the world today, but to personal challenges we all face, big and small:

“So while we once asked,

how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?

Now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?”

So with the bravery, awareness, and motivation that my Dad instilled in me, I say Goodbye and then Hello to so many things…breathing and silently chanting So Hum and Hari Om.

My online yoga offerings will be on hold for a bit longer…keep meditating and practicing and grounding yourselves and I look forward to saying hello to you again soon.

Standing on a frozen lake, saying goodbye to what was, and hello to possibilities…

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108 THINGS – A Daily Wholeness Practice

December 14, 2020 at 10:15 am (In My Backyard)
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Kiwi Jasper Mala handmade by Soul Crafted Malas http://www.soulcraftedmalas.com/

Take a breath and step back to check in with yourself. How are you? Feel into your heart space and ask yourself, “What do I need in this moment to feel whole? What would fill me up?” Some days I desperately need a hug, a smile, a reassurance that things will be okay. Some days I NEED a chocolate chip cookie. And other days it feels like I don’t know what I need…But EVERY day, I know I need SOMETHING to ground me, nourish me, uplift me, and prepare me for what comes. And while it is nice to get the external things, often the some “thing” I really need seems to come from within rather than from outside.

The “things” that I need are often not describable in words. Maybe it’s a feeling or a sense or an understanding that I didn’t know I needed until it hit me. Often what we need doesn’t come from the thinking mind or from the external, but from the more subtle internal realms of insight, energy, knowing. And these subtle things have a way of showing up when we are quiet and calm, mindfully breathing, and opening up our hearts to receive these gifts instead of closing off or shutting down. Sometimes these “things” are not so subtle and are not so pleasant…and maybe they are downright painful. But to acknowledge and accept their existence, to process and deal and release them, means we skillfully make space to move forward. Move forward with more clarity, ease, and less discomfort.

Yoga is both a practice of “doing” and a process of “undoing” (effort and surrender). Some days we may arrive at our mats feeling scattered and fragmented, or we might arrive feeling overwhelmed, blocked and bunched up. Yoga offers a chance to dismantle unsupportive layers on physical, energetic, and mental levels by asking us to BREATHE, RELAX, FEEL, WATCH, and ALLOW… then guides us to put ourselves back together compassionately as we return to wholeness, fullness, unity. No wonder the word “yoga” means “union”.

And for those wonderful days when we arrive at our mats feeling light and happy and already full, our yoga practice only adds to that energy, allowing us to expand even more! The more we practice, the fuller we become.

After playing around with my 300 Things practice this summer, I felt not only the positive effects of physical exercise but the more subtle benefits that mindful movement and breathing can bring. I came up with a shorter version that I call the 108 Things (see my video below); a yoga practice I can do every day to fill me up. Try it for a week and see what you think; feel free to change it up, add or replace poses, or come up with your own “10 x 10 plus 8” different ways to mindfully breathe, move, and put yourself back together!

“THE 108 THINGS”

Do 10 exercises/poses/practices for 10 reps/breaths PLUS 8 slow mindful breaths in Savasana for a total of 108 things…all with awareness, attention, alignment, and safety for your own body.

Here is my routine; try to do it slowly and add whatever transition poses you like in between. Build in lots of pauses to feel the more subtle effects of breath, movement, and attention. Allow any negativity, unsupportive thoughts, or discomfort to drain away…wash away…unravel…then SMILE.

Warm up with Surya breath, a few twists, and neck rolls – whatever you like.

  1. Cat/cow (Marjariasana) x 10
  2. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) x 10 Ujjayi breaths
  3. 1/2 Sun Salutations (Ardha Surya Namaskara) x 10
  4. “Chair” breathing x 10
  5. Balance pose (any pose holding 5 breaths each right and left sides)
  6. Strength pose (plank or any core-control pose) x 10 Ujjayi breaths
  7. Dynamic Locust pose (or any back extension exercise) x 10
  8. Child’s pose (Balasana) x 10 breaths (last three add Brahmari breath i.e. honey-bee breath)
  9. Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani) – x 10 belly breaths
  10. Spinal twist of your choice (5 breaths each right and left sides)
  11. Savasana with 8 soundless, slow breaths, then rest in stillness

Finish off with Dirgha Pranayama (3-part breath) and a short meditation, tapping in to your own sense of wholeness, completeness, and balance.

VEDIC PEACE MANTRA FOR WHOLENESS

OM purnamadah, purnamidam

Purnat purnam udachyate

Purnasya purnam adaya

Purnam evavashishyate.

OM Shantih, shantih, shantih.

OM. THAT IS COMPLETE/WHOLE/PERFECT.

THIS IS COMPLETE/WHOLE/PERFECT.

COMPLETENESS/WHOLENESS/PERFECTION ARISES FROM THE PERFECT.

TAKING THE WHOLENESS/PERFECTION FROM THE WHOLE/PERFECT,

IT REMAINS AS THE WHOLE/PERFECT ALONE.

OM PEACE, PEACE, PEACE.

https://videopress.com/v/xWkYky6V?preloadContent=metadata

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DECEMBER GIFTS

December 4, 2020 at 1:47 pm (In My Backyard)
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Hi Yoga Friends, check out a couple of new videos I added to my YOGA VIDEOS BY ANNE page. Lots of free yoga out there but maybe my expression and guidance of the practice might resonate with you. Enjoy these December 2020 gifts (and remember my GUIDED MEDITATIONS page as well for those times when you need a mental health break!).

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Calm, Cool, and Collected

October 20, 2020 at 10:45 am (In My Backyard)
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With mid-October here, my backyard is mostly empty of colourful flower pots, bright maple leaves, and climbing ivy, but my roses are still blooming even with the few frosty mornings we’ve had. A reminder of resilience and nature’s tenacity! During the hot summer, these roses struggled to flower against the heat and drought and Japanese beetles. So as the cool temperatures began to alleviate the strain on these aptly named, “Double Knockout” roses, new buds appeared and growth has flourished!

As usual, my backyard is full of wisdom for me if I really pay attention. It struck me that, my roses managed to survive in the midst of challenging conditions, equipped with an innate hardiness and natural ability to persevere. Both beautiful and thorny, they just kept growing, and they are thriving…in October! I know they will eventually die off, as they do each year, and rebound again in the spring. This made me reflect on the inner strength and resolve of human nature, especially during these demanding weeks and months, and the need to return to balance…a natural state of being calm, cool, and collected.

We know that respite from day-to-day challenges and demands is NECESSARY to return to balance. For me, it came in the form of a few rainy walkabouts in my backyard, digging in the earth, cutting back perennials, saying goodbye to my begonias. Calm was right there on my yoga mat as I sat and watched my inhale and exhale. Healing was supported with juices made from fresh organic kale thanks to a friend’s glorious garden bounty. Poise and balance came back with several attempts at tree pose. Faith and hope restored themselves as I reached out to my loved ones, my yoga family, and my support network (in person, online, in my heart, in my prayers). And equanimity was always (IS always) there underneath all the disturbances, just waiting for me to tap into it.

This calm, this serenity, this composure…it’s there for all of us no matter what the season, what the conditions, or what the news says. We just have to remember to return to it, over and over again, moment by moment.

If you are in need of an hour of mindful movement, check out one of my YOGA VIDEOS. If you need a break from an overactive mind, choose one of my GUIDED MEDITATIONS. And if you need to feel CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTED in this moment, simply close your eyes, soften your face and jaw, relax your shoulders, and take 10 slow deep breaths. Bring a smile to your face and remind yourself of your resilience, your inner strength, your capacity to love, and your ability to heal.

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Yin Yoga At Home

September 17, 2020 at 2:28 pm (In My Backyard)
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The very first line of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras says, “Atha Yoga Anushasanam” – NOW, the practice of yoga begins. In this moment, under these circumstances and conditions, and within one’s body/mind…this is where the experiencing is, where the self-discovery begins, and where the lessons are. For the last 6 months in this COVID-19 world, we’ve been asked to stay at home, take care of ourselves and our families, be mindful of how we interact with others, and be with what is HERE RIGHT NOW. How are you feeling? What are you feeling? In what ways have you been managing all the challenges? Rather than seeking the external, this has been a prime opportunity to deal with the internal.

Yin Yoga is one of those fitting practices to help deal with the internal. I think one of the biggest skills to come out of this practice is FOCUS. Learning to better focus teaches me to adjust my lens of awareness as required, alternating between stepping back (observing the big picture) or zooming in (looking at the hidden details), so I can better SEE what’s there in my breath, body, and mind. So much can be revealed, including how I am distracted, what is ease and what is discomfort, what really matters, and what does not. While all styles of yoga might offer these insights, Yin Yoga in particular seems to lend itself well to this exploration with its slow, meditative approach that asks the practitioner to be patient, to be still, to lean into the moment, stay there and watch what happens. It’s like a training ground for BEING with all sorts of stuff, gradually widening the window of tolerance and acceptance. Dr. Steven Hayes (psychologist, professor, and author) says, “I will not run from my own experience” in the context of managing difficult emotions and thoughts. I think it can be the same with yoga, being with whatever is there on (or off) the mat – blissful or painful – and choosing NOT to run away.

The three guidelines that pertain to the Yin Yoga practice may very well be an effective strategy to help us live with the challenges of this world right now:

1) Slowly approach your edge – a physical limit, or place of resistance (might be mental or emotional).

2) Soften your body and breathe at this edge with awareness and openness.

3) Stay there for awhile and observe with attention. It’s okay.

And then we could add “proceed with better focus”.

However you are living your own Yoga At Home these days, the key is to simply get on your mat…every day. Just get there, then observe things unfold, with curiosity, compassion, and patience. If you need a little help to inspire you and ground you, see below for a Yin Yoga Video I made. I hope it helps to remind you that NOW, in each and every moment, YOGA begins…and I’m right here in it with you.

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My first yoga video – Energizing Yoga

August 5, 2020 at 4:14 pm (In My Backyard)
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Well Yoga Friends, I have resisted any online video offerings for some time, but here you go – an ENERGIZING YOGA PRACTICE that lasts about 48 minutes.  Even after teaching for 20 years, I felt nervous about how to share my energy and spirit on camera…and then of course, there were all those ego-driven fears about how would I look, what if I made a mistake, what if it wasn’t perfect…So much to get over when you SEE yourself reflected back to you. But what a learning opportunity, a lesson in acceptance and self-compassion, a reminder of simplicity, and a practice in authenticity. I played the video for myself this morning, letting ME guide ME. There was something so comforting and real about listening to my own voice, trusting in my own guidance, and letting myself be held by that very energy and spirit that seems to work through me – ahhh inner light and love! My initial intention to make a video for YOU has turned out to be a small act of sharing and service for US. I hope you can feel the energetic exchange when you practice with me (enlarge it to full screen for best playback), and I hope this inspires you to embrace your OWN home practice, however it unfolds. Just get on your mat!

Until the next one, I will leave you with some thoughts from Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection.

“Choosing authenticity means cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle; and nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough.”

“Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite grace, joy, and gratitude into our lives.”

Namasté…

 

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