Travelling Yogi

The Tibeten bells fade into the background, the teacher’s voice recedes back into space and I lay motionless, and completely immersed in the subtle energies of my body.

I’m not asleep. I’m not awake.  I feel immense tranquility, and all the talk in my head has floated away to some other realm. Almost seems I’m in a completely new place entirely. Its Yoga Nidra land…..

Yes I’ve recently been Yoga Nidrafied!  What I mean is I have discovered a different method of meditation and relaxation and I am gloriously gracious for now having learned this truly blessed meditation practice.

Yoga Nidra is a specific meditation often guided by a teacher, and induces a very deep relaxation state that is neither the sleep state nor the awakened conscious state.  It is in between.

It can be translated as “yogic sleep” whereby you are in a deep meditative state yet fully conscious.  It is a systemic method that fully addresses the neurological, physiological and subconscious needs of the individual.  Some yogis proclaim that practicing Yoga Nidra for as little as 20 minutes is the equivalent of 3 hours of restful, sound, deep sleep.

During a typical session you can expect to be guided into a mediation that will scan the body, ask you to feel the body through the senses, and affirm something you want to address currently in your life.  The act of affirming this desire or goal within the meditation is highly effective, as you are in a suggestive state whereby the subconscious can absorb what you give it with your intentions.

So if you need REJUVENATION, RESTORATION and some DE- FRAZZLING of  the nerves, I suggest you seek out a class of Yoga Nidra.  It is best to attend guided classes and you will learn more in depth the power of this practice. You may also choose to find CDs available online that will guide you right through a whole session.

Essentially the practice includes the following components:

1) Sankalpa- or the invocation, something you want to achieve, and desire to manifest or change in your life. This is repeated (in your head) 3 times at the beginning and then 3 times just before the meditation ends. It is a short mental statement which is impressed on the subconscious mind when it is receptive and sensitive to autosuggestion during yoga nidra.  The sankalpa has to be made not when you are intellectually active, but when your mind is calm and quiet.

2)Body scans- bringing awareness to all part of the body, and to internal systems and organs

3) Visualizations- using the light to heal and restore the whole body, bringing awareness to the chakra centers and bringing different sensations to the body ie:  heaviness, lightness, imagining coolness or warmth.

So go ahead and explore Yoga Nidra.  You will gain insight and self integration as you incorporate this practice more and more into your daily life.  You will relieve stress, sleep more soundly, and release unnecessary limiting beliefs and restraints thay may be holding you back in life.  Begin to release and let go of what is not serving you at this time.  One step at a time, we all travel our own yogi path.

Love and Light Always,

Travelling Yogi

So you started a yoga practice  all gun ho and it was exhilarating and all that you hoped it would be.

You got the heavy weight and heavy tagged yoga mat, and couldn’t wait to get it all broken into so you wouldn’t slip during those long 5 breath downward dogs.

You ran out an bought 3 pairs of everything in Lululemon because, it just fits your cute butt so well.  You even let the sales girl convince you that a matching yoga tote would really be useful to haul that ginormous mat around town.  You purchased the the 90 class card pass because it was as the girl said ” the best value if your planning to really be committed to your practice”.

Then the days, weeks and months passed and life’s inconveniences and often interruptions led you astray.  The mat sits in the closet next to the cute bag it supposed to be carried in.  You find you have “so much to do” and “no time to do it” and yoga gets put aside. You convince yourself  “I’m just too tired and I don’t have the energy”.

We’ve all been there.  Even the die hard Yogi’s who have practiced for decades.  We encounter a slump, or a life crisis such as a death or divorce and our connection to Inner Self gets shunted.  Sometimes its very healthy and appropriate to take some time off, rest and reintegrate ourselves and energies. Its actually one of the best ways to prevent burn out.

But when you find your practice has taken too many “sick days” because you just have been uninspired, or unmotivated then you need to refresh your experience on the mat.  Our healing and growth is always a process. We are dynamic and as energetic beings we shift and transition as much as we allow ourselves to.  So you need to become aware of what it is you need in your practice each time you come to the mat.

Every single time I practice its a different experience.  I may do the same poses, with the same teacher or on my own. But each time I practice according to my needs that particular day.  What does this mean? I practice with the guidance of my INTUITION.

I take note of the following and use these elements to guide my practice:

1) My energy levels: Have I gone vigourously my last few practices and need more of a gentle or slower paced practice today?  Or will a more vigourous practice today give me a boost in energy, because even though I have had a long day, I need the heat of an ashtanga practice to encourage the stagnation to move within my body?

2) How am I feeling emotionally and spiritually? – has it been a super awesome, rockin’ high sales and quota busting day at the office?  Or do I feel some emotional stress do to personal family matters?  CHECK IN with yourself everyday. Get in touch with whats going on inside.  Then use your practice to go even deeper within to come to the awareness of what you need to release, and to find resolutions and acceptance of what is. Use your practice to ask your HIGHER SELF what is needed for you at the moment to become connected and out of the rut.

You will find doing just these two things everyday and before every practice will give you a better awareness of what you need.  You will benefit from checking in because you are sending messages of RESPECT and acknowledgment to that greater part of you that directly guides and supports you. This builds SELF TRUST and releases doubt and fear from interfering with your greater intentions.

MOTIVATION To STAY ON THE MAT

So what can we do to stay motivated?  With every exercise program there is the possibility of boredom, getting burnt out and just lose the initial interest we had when we started.  Here is what has helped me stay and enjoy the mat more and more each practice.

1) Consider practicing a different style of Yoga.

If you are an avid Ashtanga freak, why not try a KUNDALINI class once a week?  We learn from all experiences in life.  All practices come with benefits.  Its the INTENTION you bring forth to the mat that determines the outcomes. You may just learn another aspect of this VAST philosophy we call yoga, that may reveal something you haven’t yet discovered in your usual style.

2) Remind yourself  what BENEFITS yoga has brought to your life:

So WHY did you come to Yoga in the first place?  WRITE about it.  Go inwards and reflect on what you have already taken and integrated from your yoga practice.  Meditate on the feeling of presence, and stillness. The joyous feeling this gives you should remind you of what Yoga offers you every moment you become aware and practice.

3) LET GO OF the SHOULDS

We often can caught up in ALIGNMENT, and how this foot should be angled, and that how leg should be spiraling inwards. I’m not saying alignment is unnecessary.  Loosen the hold on all the shoulds, and practice with INTUITION.  Focus on FEELING THE BREATH,  moving through the pose, or accepting the STILLNESS of the moment.  I find myself at times frustrated with a pose I can’t quite find ease in.  When I let go and feel my practice with awareness, the body follows and the resistance loosens and all those challenging poses become friendlier.

4) MYSORE

If you have not tried this type of class, I would highly recommend you find one.    The name Mysore comes from the city in India where Ashtanga yoga guru Shri K. Pattabhi Jois lives and teaches. It is a self led class, whereby you practice being led by your own intuition and needs, and not directly by a teacher.  This is such an EFFECTIVE way to evolve your practice.  You will learn so much just by listening to your own guidance and a teacher is always around to adjust you and offer any help you may need. You can concentrate on one or several aspects of your practice each time.

Wishing you happy travels on your mat and beyond.

Namaste

~Travelling Yogi~

Recently I’ve been asked on numerous occasions “How do I start a yoga practice?”.  I understand it can be daunting or intimidating just thinking about the possibility you might be lead into getting your leg stretched behind your head.  I’ve been there.  The feeling of walking into a class with 30 die hard yogis who proceed to pull out their Mandukas, lay thier water bottles down, and start warming up in ways you only gumby could manage can make anyone new to practice a little queasy.  But it doesn’t have to feel this way at all.

START where you are. That’s really the only option you have. Actually in Yoga I believe we never are “advanced” , we always come to the mat BEGINNING something new.  Our practice evolves every day. and each time you come to the mat, the pose bring you to another place.

AND get this, (I learned this quite quickly) just when you think you “got the pose”, you realize you can discover SOOOO much more- that its a beginning yet again.  We never get it “right” , and we never get it “done”.  What really is “right’?  This very moment ends, and how can it be compared to the next?  This is what I believe an “evolving” and dynamic practice means.  It fosters true self growth in the PROCESS of it all.

UNLEARN young Jedi!

My First Yoga Class:

Yoga humbled me from the very first experience on the mat.  I will NEVER forget my first class.  At the time I was completing my university degree and working part time in a big chain health club as a personal trainer.  I worked out at least 5 times per week with weights, stability balls, pylometrics, and did spinning classes , ran 5 and 10Ks for cardio.  On top of this I trained clients for hours in the gym, and  many  wanted to get “lean and just  fit into their bikinis”.  A very different world from the one I would soon discover in that yoga studio that day.

I initially turned to yoga because I wanted to get “flexible” .  All the weight training I was doing was tightening my body and limiting my range of motion which eventually contributed to a number of nagging injuries.  This would often leave me in so much pain I was incapable of enjoying my workouts and engagin in activities I enjoyed.

So this strong , “fit” personal trainer entered The Yoga Sanctuary Studio and would soon be brought down a couple of notches.  I walked up to the counter, placed my credit card down and stated “I want a month pass, and when do the advance level classes take place?”. The hippie blonde behind the desk just smirked at me and proceeded to hand me a schedule.  “Have you practiced Yoga before”, she asked pretending to not personally offend me.

“Ummmm no, I replied.   “Trust me, I’m very fit and I could easily squat your body weight, I scoffed”.  (yeah I know, BIG EGO was doing all the talking).  She tried to grin  but I knew she was holding back a few words she would have liked to have said.

She handed me my membership card and directed me to the advanced class.

I strutted right into the class  and ready to breeze right through it. However thats not quite how it panned out.

Twenty minutes in I was drenched in sweat, toppling over my feet and realized I had no clue what I had gotten myself into.  Let’s just say Ms Fit trainer, just got owned by yoga.  BUT the amazing thing was, I knew I wanted MORE.  I left feeling  moved, inspired and more human than I had ever felt in my life.  My lesson of compassion began that very day, at least on a very conscious level.

Next class, which was 5 days later (I could barely walk the rest of the week lol) I hung up my Ego and left it in the locker room. After that I took the Prep class for over a year.  I got very hooked.  It was the beginning of a very new experience of moving feeling, and breathing my way through life.

My injuries subsided, mental clarity tremendously improved and life felt NEW again.

HOW TO START A YOGA PRACTICE:

• CHOOSE A STUDIO OR CLASS- that is appropriate to your needs.  Every studio has its own culture, vision and style of practice.  Try out as many places as it takes to find the one that you feel most comfortable and meets your desires.  You may want to try Kundalini, Ashtanga, Hatha, Hot Yoga or Iyengar style.  Try different ones, and you will know which one you resonate best with.

• BUY A BEGINNER LEVEL DVD- This is one way you can practice on your own time, and this can also accommodate your particular schedule.  I strongly believe having a good teacher in a reputable yoga studio cannot be replaced , at least in the beginning stages.  So supplement the yoga studio classes with a few DVD at home practice times.  Variety also brings freshness to your practice and growth.

• LESS IS MORE – I can’t stress this enough. I still find myself having to PULL BACK from overdoing the pose. You end up compromising alignment, and the whole benefit of the pose.  As Yoda said to the young Jedi in Empire Strikes Back  “You must unlearn what you have learned”. UNLEARN!! Listen to your body. BREATH! The breath is much more important than twisting your head 180 degrees.  Step back, and FEEL what is happening throughout the whole pose.  Forget about the finish line.

• Talk to your Teachers- You will be surprised how willing yoga instructors are to spend time with you after class to discuss a particular aspect of your practice.  You will find that you will begin to cultivate wonderful relationships with them.  If you become a regular to their class its almost inevitable that a distinct type of connection develops between you both.  You then become THEIR teacher in return!

Would love to hear your stories!!  Please leave comments, questions or replies!!

Travelling Yogi

Namaste

There is JOY beneath the suffering

“Start where you are”.  Those are the words I heard today after I completed some intense backbends on the mat today.  Where they came from I’m not quite sure.  What is clear is that I could not deny the immense sense of compassion I felt after experiencing those words when I took them inwards.  It was right there that I felt the opening of some sort of intangible presence I harbored inside.   Quite remarkable what a pose that expands the heart center can do.

Starting where we are is essentially, accepting what is.  Acceptance of the very moment that presents itself, again and again and again.  It appears to be the most challenging request presented to us. But in it lies the liberation of suffering we all seek.  Its when we fight what is before us that we get entangled in the chaos,  and the mess of it all.

I notice when I let go of the resistance I allow acceptance to manifest and the movement of life simply flows much more gracefully.  Acceptance is also COMPASSION for what is.  We honour the present and embrace all of it, even if it looks a little ugly.  COMPASSION is liberating, and more freedom means more joy in every moment of this life.

Where is COMPASSION cultivated?

Well first and foremost we look to the heart, which is the seat of compassion within our energetic bodies.  This is the center of our chakra or energetic meridian system.  The heart center is where love begins and really never ends.  The problem is often this area is surrounded by “enemies” as Patthabi Jois has put it. Unveil the heart chakra and you have an eternal elixir for living in joy, freedom and true fulfillment. 

I realized today in my yoga practice how a backbend is simply not just a way to stretch and lengthen all the veterbrae.  But going deeper it truly is a remarkable way to OPEN the heart center and invite more compassion to reside there.  We always talk about “creating more space” or lengthening to feel more spacious in our bodies in yoga practice.  Taken beyond the physical, the space is created on an even deeper level.  We create “space” within our hearts to let go of the past, the frustration with self, the anger or scorn or the self abuse.   The space loosens all of this.  We then “Start where we are” and step into that space and begin to feel the joy already present within. 

I’ve seen this remarably help soo many people in my practice and work.  Recently working with HIV positive men, I offered to guide them with a visual meditation that allowed them to connect to their seat of compassion. They realized how powerful the act of self love truly is to healing and living a liberated life.

  Its amazing how connected we all are.  I don’t know what it means to have HIV,  but beneath all of the suffering is something I still can relate to.  Which is fear and resisting self compassion.  We have all experienced this.  We often are our worst critics and having an acceptance of exactly the present moment is the only way to freeing the reality of pain and suffering.

In these HIV positive individuals I often see shame and hear their feelings of abandonement, mainly attributed by the societal stigma placed on them.  Having the belief that there is love and ACCEPTANCE already present within themselves begins the liberation and allows the “space” for healing.  Why are we so hard on ourselves?  Would we treat an innocent child the way we often treat ourselves?

How do we learn to nurture the act of self love?

Start where you are. 

Then get on the mat

YOGA Suggestions for your next practice:

So to cultivate and encourage the health of the heart center or heart chakra try the following practices:

• BACKBENDS- one of the key types of asanas to open and create space in the heart chakra area.  Full wheel, bridge, standing, camel pose are all great poses to accomplish this
• BREATHING- Next practice you do have the intention that every breath you take in, is coming into the heart chakra area, which is directly beneath the sternum.  Visualize breathing right  into this area instead of the nose.  Observe the amazing things that happen from this alone.
• MEDITATION or PRAYER:  visualize the heart center opening, expanding, and full of light.  THEN FEEL IT.  Let go of the visual and just FEEL the sensation there.  Stay with that sensation.  When your mind wanders, go back to the body and visualize and then let go of the visual image and GO INTO FEELING whatever is there.  I can’t begin to describe how powerful this can be.  Start with a few minutes, you don’t have to feel meditation needs to be a whole hour long.  Start where you are

Be gentle with yourself.  Travel lightly.

Namaste

Piera

I know all about back pain.  Lower back pain in particular.  From personal experience as well as seeing it clinically with my patients. Low back pain is not something easily understood unless you actually experience what it really feels like.  It can be very debilitating,  enduring, easily triggered and downright annoying!

It is however an alarm bell your body is blaring at you for attention.  The universe will blow its horn your way and it will  not  stop  till you fully adress it. And what is it loudly saying ?

Explore the second chakra!

Lately, I’ve been really aware of this particular energetic area and it seems it needs some attention.  Perhaps because my yoga training has taken a more refined approach, i’m more in tune with this chakra.  I can gratefully say that since I started practicing yoga 6 years ago,  I’ve not had an acute attack of low back pain!  Prior to that, I would suffer intense acute bouts of pain that would weeks.  Weight training and cardio workouts id not help, chiropractors would worsen the situation and over the counter pain meds were temporary short fixes that didn’t adress the underlying problem.

OTHER SACRAL CHAKRA ALARM BELLS

• Constriction or tightness in the iliosacral joint?
• Do you have menstrual irregularities, infertility issues, or intense menopausal symptoms?
• How is your sexual life?
• Are you experiencing sexual dysnfucntion such as impotency, premature ejaculation, or inability to ejaculate ?

These are all sacral chakra energy issues.   Don’t fret,  healing is possible and awareness is the first step!

So what are chakras?  For those of you unfamiliar with this language, I present to a breif primer, and will introduce the Sacral chakra a little more in depth.

Chakra Energy System

The chakra system based on your energetic channels,  primarily run along the spine.  The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit language and means “Wheel” or vortex.  These wheels penetrate the body at a physical level, but more importantly on a spiritual and auric level.  There are 7 major chakras and these begin at the base of the spine (rectum) and flow all the way up to the top of the cranium.

Each has its own colour, stone, energy resonance, set of physical manifestations when out of whack, and own earth element.  These are often not seen, but experienced on the more subtle energetic levels of the body.

When a particular chakra is compromised there are direct effects and ramifications.  This post will cover in full the symptoms or manifestations of a threatened Sacral chakra.

I know this may be RADICAL of me to start at the Sacral chakra and not at the first or Base ROOT chakra, but suffice it to say do we really know exactly where the body or mind or spirit for that matter, starts or ends?  No.

So to mix things up we will begin our Yogi Chakra journey at the second chakra.

The Sacral Chakra

The sacral chakra is located in the midline of the body just below the navel.  Its primarily the pelvic area in anatomical terms.  It includes the bones of the whole pelvis primarily the sacrum, and also the ilio sacral joint.  There are also the reproductive organs here.  Its main fucntion is related to reproduction and the giving and receiving of sexual pleasure.  Sexual intimacy is dependant on this chakra.  How you view your own sexuality, how secure you are in that, and how you use your sexuality in relationships will all determine the health and wellbeing of this particular area.

RELATIONSHIPS:

It is the chakra of relationships.  How you interact with the other.  Not just sexually but all interactions with your “tribe”.  Who is your tribe?  Your immediate family, close friends, business partners can also make up your tribe.  How you interact, relate and conduct yourself with your tribe will reflect in the health of your sacral chakra.

How do you cultivate and nourish your relationships? Do you remain integral, committed and respectful of others in your circle?  The sacral chakra teaches us that we truly need physical affection and touch, and together with this we also must acknowledge that we are DESERVING of love, and respect from others.  We also are responsible for GIVING love, care, and compassion to all those that cross our path.  This is the chakra of giving and receiving, and the more you can balance the two, the healthier you develop this energetic area.

CREATIVITY

Are you ready to get those creative juices flowing?   Pardon the pun but a healthy sexual life often will transfer to other areas in life.  The key here is balance!  Not respecting this area, and over use of the sexual organs brings fatigue, vital fluid loss for men  and women, depletion of the hormones, and adrenal dysfunction as well.  Many  male yogi masters often conserve their sexual energy in an effort to not deplete the body.

Some claim remaining celibate encourages more concentration of energies into the rest of the energetic body.  This is extreme and often the imbalanced opposite of too much sexual energy.  Like I said BALANCE is the key.  More importantly the INTENTION behind every choice, word you utter, action you take, thought you choose to cultivate (or not) will determine the health of this chakra .

SACRAL CHAKRA DYSFUNCTION

MALES:

Poor Libido or Over sex drive both symptoms reflect an issue:

• Pre mature ejaculation
• Impotency
• Infertility, lower sperm count
• Low back pain, injury prone area, chronic disc degeneration
• Ilio sacral joint pain, tightness, and inflammation
• Prostate disease
• Testicular disease, ie cancer

Women:

• Lower libido, or over sex drive
• Menstrual irregularities, painful menses, hemmorrahging, large clots, too dark flow
• Infertility, miscarriages
• Fibroids, ovarian cysts, ovarian cancer
• Pelvic inflammatory disease, cystitis, bladder infections
• Inability to orgasm, vaginal dryness, and vaginosis, pain during sex
• Low back pain, ilio sacral joint pain or inflammation

How to Heal the Sacral Chakra

This chakra is all about feeling secure with your sexuality, secure in relationships, giving and receiving to and from others, and your ability to allow your creative power to unfold by your own standards and according to your own truth!

Feeling love and appreciated for WHO YOU ARE not what others want you to be is CRITICAL to this chakra.  Being able to express your needs, wants, and desires in a sexual and non sexual way is also very important.  Feeling that your own TRUTH is valued, respected and honoured by your partner regardless of what they feel is really your truth.  Truly embracing your authentic self and not allowing others to impose their judgments on you leads to a healthy sacral chakra.

YOGA POSES FOR UNBLOCKING SACRAL CHAKRA

There are numerous asanas that will increase blood flow to the pelvic region, strengthen an overflexible lower back, or loosen a very tight lower back.

To increase blood flow to the pelvic region you can do the following poses:

• Hip rotations standing upright, circling the pelvis in one direction, then reversing
• Bhadrasana- seated pose with legs bent and feet touching
• Pigeon Pose- a fantastic hip opener
• Ananda Balasana- Happy baby pose
• Bhaddha Konasana- Bound angle Pose
• Bdharadvajasana 1
• Prasarita Padottanasana- Wide Legged Forward Bend
• Trikonasana- Triangle Pose

To strengthen the lower back:

• Sphinx and Cobra Pose- Sphinx is a  milder version of the full Cobra pose-  be careful with both these poses.  Less is more here.  Only extend as far as your body permits, do not go beyond the point of even mild pain here.  You should not be feeling any pain while in this pose, or after completing it.
• Salambhasana- Locust Pose- Only do this pose if you are NOT already in pain.  This is a very intense pose as it uses the whole upper and lower body to engage the lower back.
• Urdhva Dhanurasana- Full wheel backbend pose- Again only perform this when you are not experiencing pain! This is a full back bend requiring alot of strength, core stability, hip flexibility and shoulder strength.
• Urdhva Mukha Svanasana – Upward Facing dog- If you experience any discomfort, keep your thighs on the ground, and the feet fully grounded on the mat

MY FAVOURITE POSE FOR BACK HEALING:

Legs extended up against a wall.  Its like a shoulder stand only, you have the wall helping you elevate the legs above the heart.  This pose is one of the BEST to get blood flowing down the body, thereby lessening the load on the heart and truly restoring the who nervous system.

Best time to do this pose is just before bed!  Will induce better sleep, calming the mind and body for a more restful sleep.

CAUTION:

Listen to your body, and especially when you are experiencing acute back pain attack, limit strenuous yoga practice.  RESTORATIVE yoga classes are PHENOMENAL for back pain alleviation and healing!  Look for this type of class at your local yoga studio.

Travelling Yogi Piera

Namaste

Let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food -  Hippocrates

The ancients knew the healing properties that natural food provides us.  Hippocrates of course is referring to specific foods that enhance our well being just as they are naturally found from the earth.

It really amazes me how our society actually keeps functioning on a diet of fast food, processed products, and on the go style of eating.  Like eating on our way into the office, while driving to our next appointment, standing in line waiting for our lattes, while watching TV or working on our laptops.

This only causes a greater disconnection to our bodies, inner selves and also to others.  We grow more seperate from the intuitive knowing within, which guides us every moment of everyday- if we allow it! This is why physical disease, obesity, and disordered eating become the outcomes of all this imbalance.

It doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming to eat healthier, and life sustaining food.  Your body is your temple.  Give it HIGH quality sustenance, and watch it flourish to greater and greater heights.  We pay so much attention to what we put in our cars and how we maintain them, its crazy we don’t do the same for our BODIES!

Here are some quick, HEALTHY snacks that are perfect for eating on the go.  These foods are NUTRIENT DENSE. This meaning they offer high quality calories because they are rich in many vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.  All of which are needed to sustain growth, repair and efficient regeneration of cells.

1)  Natural Trail Mix: one of the best snacks to take with you to work, gym or yoga!  Throw together the following:

• Organic Oatmeal or Quinoa flakes
• Organic raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds
• organic raisins
• Goji berries if your budget permits
• hemp seeds
• dried apple

I also like to add CHIA seed, which is a very rich source of calcium, omega fats, minerals, and FIBER!

2) Brown Rice Cake Snack:

Take 2 brown rice cakes and spread organic hummous in between and pack it away in a baggie. Instant protein and carbs to go!

3) Raw Spelt Crackers ( can be found in most health food stores or online)

• Spread organic hummous or tahini on them and again put them in baggies with some celery and carrot sticks and instant power for the trip back home.
• OR you can spread them with almond butter, coconut butter, or cashew butter.  The nut butters have good sources of fats, calcium, fiber, and protein

4) Quinoa Flakes- these make a great substitute to oatmeal. They have more protein and naturally gluten free!

• add raisins, cinnamon, almonds and even some hemp protein and you have a fully balanced meal

5) Easy SPELT Wrap- Spelt wraps are yummy alternatives to the wheat ones.  Fill with:

• Avocado, sprouts, hemp seeds, veggies, and hummous- power packed ENERGY!

POWER FOODS:  Don’t Leave home without them!

• Avocados
• Salmon, Tilapia, Sea Bass
• Flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds
• Kombucha ( fermented drink, assists digestion and boosts metabolism
• Sea Vegetables
• ALL Sprouts
• All Legumes
• ANCIENT GRAINS:  Kamut, Quinoa, Millet, Spelt

I will leave you with  my favourite RAW Veggie Salad.  It is full of a variety of of nutrients and will encourage your body to remain in an ALKALINE STATE.  I will speak more on Alkaline vs Acidic diets in my next blog- stay tuned

Piera’s Over the Rainbow Raw Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients for Salad:

1 bunch of chopped kale

1 chopped Red and Yellow Bell Pepper

1 bunch of chopped spinach

1 large carrot

1 avocado sliced or diced

Sunflower sprouts -1-2 cups

2 tomatoes

2 tblsp hemp seeds

1 cucumber

1 Red Onion

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the following dressing and toss well!

Dressing:

3 tblsp of Virgin Olive Oil

Organic sea salt

1/4 tsp Rosemary dried or fresh

6 tblsp each of Lemon and Orange juice

1/4 tsp grated Ginger

Whisk all ingredients briskly for 3-5 minutes in small bowl.  Add to salad. ENJOY!

Let me know more about what you eat to fuel your busy lifestyle!

Travel light!

Namaste

That I would be good

(Click above for video!)

that I would be good even if I did nothing
that I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
that I would be good if I got and stayed sick
that I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

that I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
that I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
that I would be great if I was no longer queen
that I would be grand if I was not all knowing

that I would be loved even when I numb myself
that I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
that I would be loved even when I was fuming
that I would be good even if I was clingy

that I would be good even if I lost sanity
that I would be good
whether with or without you

Those are the lyrics to Alanis Morisette’s song “That I would be good”.

As I was listening to it on the radio it made so much sense to me.  We are INNATELY good.  We are divine light and incarnations of the great infinite.  We keep struggling to be more, get more, and there never seems to be ENOUGH in our lives.  But there is a way to overcome the urge to keep beating ourselves up.

Yoga is one way, and so is BEING conscious and PRESENT as much as we can.

Yoga has taught me to be more compassionate.  As I navigate my sometimes chaotic  journey, I often face the need to cultivate more compassion.  It really makes the “craziness” of life much less intense, and helps it fade into the background as loving comes into being. There is a certain spaciousness that is created when we feel through the heart and learn to really love unconditionally.  This often starts with one SELF.

Self compassion opens the door to more loving kindness to come through in your life.  Self compassion in particular allows us to forgive ourselves for being EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE!

Not just the so called successes and “good” traits. In order to navigate this place we call our world and life, self forgiveness is undeniably indispensible.  Without self forgiveness and forgiveness of others, we only trap ourselves in our pain, past and anything we are holding on to.

Self compassion requires ACCEPTANCE of all that we are, and that includes past mistakes.  its incredibly LIBERATING to just forgive and accept we are where we are and nothing is any more perfect than that.  Every moment is an opportunity to become present and live in the knowing that we are just right, right now.

If we keep GRASPING for the future to feel better, get better status, a better job, a better partner, a better degree we lose the essence of what we truly are, right here right now.

Similarly if we keep holding on to the past, and beat are ourselves up for not having done enough, wasting time, bad relationships, family conflicts, or bad career choices we inevitably remain stuck in that negative whirlpool and risk drowning any chance to move forward and grow.

So what does a Travelling Yogi do when that ‘negative voice’ pops up and berates down any good intentions- we STOP- and say a word to just label it.  We aren’t judging the voice, its neither good nor bad.  When I catch that voice I say THINKING in my head or out loud even.  This helps me DIS – identify with the voice.  I am no longer that voice. I am, the I AM behind it.

So you might find when you start doing this, that your saying “THINKING” over and over again- numerous times a day at nauseaum even.

THAT’S A GREAT THING!

You may think ” how can that be a great thing?  I don’t want all these voices in my head.  The fact that you CATCH YOURSELF means you are becoming more AWARE of it!

That’s HUGE.

Some never even realize HOW much they allow that useless chatter to invade their daily presence.  We can go entire, days, weeks, months living as if that VOICE is really us, who we are.  BUT its not YOU! Its the EGO wanting to assert itself and its identity.  The more you seperate yourself from that voice, and disassociate from it, the stronger you connect with the inner core of your greatness!

WHAT DOES THAT INNER EGOIC SOUND LIKE?

• You need…. anything that comes after that is a judgment and will not enhance your growth
• You are not attractive enough, not thin enough, not wealthy enough, not good enough, not enough friends, not enough education..you can simply go on forever.  No matter how much you have, you will never feel ENOUGH if you allow that voice to dictate your life, and present moment
• I’m too poor, too old, too fat, too busy, too ANYTHING, you get caught in the next voice that comes …
• I should do, be or have this or that.  Shoulds are useless and prevent you being in the present moment
• OR the voice can start to blame others- he did this to me, she wasn’t listening enough, she didn’t care, he keeps neglecting me, etc ect.  Blaming others only imprisons you further in your pain and misery. LET IT GO!

That EGOIC voice is deadly to our self growth and awareness. Start by becoming more AWARE of it.  That’s all. You don’t have to do anything but listen, and when you catch it, interrupt and let it pass and come to the present moment which is full of light and love.

Send me your “That I would be good” stories, would love to hear it!

Travel light!

Travelling Yogi

I wrote this poem/prayer for a dear friend of mine.  She is a colleague of mine and just an inspirational soul.  She has helped hundreds of people achieve health and happiness.  Now she faces the challenge herself as she makes some sense of her diagnosis.  I love you, and I will say this prayer for you everyday without fail.

This poem/prayer is also for anyone who needs healing, the inspiration to carry on and the divine power of the infinite which heals all things and all people.  Believe in that eternal light of the universe.  It is your direct link to wellness and recovery from anything that you confront in your life.

Namaste

Being

It is in the silence we hear our soul

It is here we can be at peace.

There are no boundaries or limitations, this is the greater part of you, this is your true being.

In your stillness there is presence

In your presence there is awareness

In your awareness lies your truest healing

Find loving there, and then go deeper to find more.

It is limitless; this is inspiring, because it is your source for the greatest life possible.

It is in listening that we hear the answer,

It is within that we must turn for it.

Then allow it!

Allow it with every fiber of your of your existence.

This is the origin of your deepest calling.

Your beautiful and wondrous self knows no restrictions; it is infinite and knows what’s best

Loving starts there, and never ends, but grows without hesitation for it is here that all truth exists.

Forgiveness liberates your soul, and compassion guides your journey

Forgive yourself, forgive others, and let go and let God

This is where healing knows its birth; this is the purity of the infinite.

Go deeper once again, and there you will find the most precious part of you.

That part of you that delivers you from suffering, fear and pain.

Go deeper to find that essence, that magical feeling that has no name, but endures for your everlasting happiness.

It is here you are free, and just “being”

It is here you are expansive and just “being”

It is here you are reflective and in alignment with the oneness of this existence.

Just be, in being we are present, and we are in awareness of all that matters.

Love

Travelling Yogi

The Travelling Yogi is taking a pit stop and reflecting on the hips!

Yes, it ’s HIP CITY here on my end- excuse the pun.  Lets just say I’ve become obsessed about the hips lately since starting anatomy study, yet again in my life.  Its quite interesting,  now that I am learning it in a different light it almost seems so very new to me.

I’m noticing hips everywhere!  Hips that bend forward, hips that externally and internally rotate, hips that walk and some that even talk.  Hips are a huge factor in Yoga practice.  They involve a lot of different movements and actions. So read on and get hip on hips! 

Hips and the Female Body

Hips on women are usually regarded as “sexy, and quite the center of female sexuality.  Hence the  reason the sacral chakra of sexuality is housed here.  As much fun as the hips are, they serve much more than just a tool for flirting with the opposite sex.  The health of your hips will determine the health of your back and entire spine.  Keeping this area mobile, and free of tightness will encourage low back pain to heal, and tight hamstrings to release. Healthy hips also means greater FREEDOM in all your poses.

Their kinesiology is quite a  complex ordeal and they are involved in many yoga poses i.e : standing, sitting, twists, back bends, forward bends and inversions!  I won’t  bore you with the intricate anatomical names and all the landmarks here.

Begin to gain awareness of your hips. Go deep within, and feel where it is that you are holding tension. Where are those deep tight spots? How can you move even slightly in each pose to feel the hips opening more?

YOGA will help you connect to the bones, joints and muscles involved in this area.  AGAIN I can’t emphasize this enough healthy hips means a healthy low back and overall spine.

I notice that I often feel soreness in my low back when I don’t consciously move my hips properly and in good alignment with the rest of my spine.  Asanas (postures) will give you an opportunity to  properly tilt the pelvis in the appropriate direction depending on the which pose you do.

For example I discovered in Urdhva Mukha Svanasana or Upward Facing Dog, the moment I began to tilt my hips posteriorly, thereby tucking my pelvis  under,I felt all pressure on the lower back release.  Its not an overly exaggerated tuck,  just a subtle tilt that creates less arch in the lower back .

All back bends can potentially put strain on the lower back. SO it is vitally important to place the hips in a proper tilt, to reduce any possible strain to this area. This pose can also be modified, by leaving the thighs on the ground.

Upward Facing Dog

Hip Openers:

These are the exercises that anyone with tight hips should do on  daily basis.  “Hip openers” as they are called in yoga lingo, will allow you to gain more flexibility in many other poses primarily forward and back bends which rely on the hips a great deal.

Tight hips can occur for many reasons:

• Sitting too long at a desk increases tightness of hip flexors or the iliopsoas muscles.  Sitting also keeps the quads in flexion, tightening these as well
• Running long distances. Runners know very well what I am talking about here.  Thats why you often see runners stretching their hip flexors more than any other area.  Runners engage the hip flexors, TFL and hamstrings quite intensely in their training.  TIGHTNESS is inevitable if you don’t stretch and lengthen these enough
• Also the SACRAL CHAKRA is found in this area of the sacrum and hip joints.  There can be emotional issues around sexuality and relationships that often result in alot of tension, and constriction to be held  in this area. Often this results in low back injuries, pain and hip and pelvic problems. Exploring your emotional health and resolving any issues you may have been neglecting or unaware of , may alleviate the any troubles you experience in this area.

The hip is a multi joint compromising the sacrum, ilium and femur bones in the most basic terms.  The hips move anteriorly ( forward), posteriorly( backwards) and rotate or twist.

The femur (thigh bone) connects to the acetabulum of the pelvis in a ball and socket type of joint.  So there is a lot of actions and counter actions possible here.  That’s why it is very important to work on the hips as they support the rest of the spine.  You will improve your practice if you work to improve the opening of this area.  Your alignment in the rest of the spine will change in every posture when the hips are healthier, and more mobile.

HIP OPENERS- SOME SUGGESTED ASANAS

1) Baddha Konasana- Bound Angle Pose

The key in this pose is to keep the sit bones or hips grounded into the mat beneath you in.  You want to feel the hips on the ground throughout the whole asana.  You are lifting up and over the hips reaching the sternum forward.  If you feel the hips coming off the ground, you have gone to far. Retreat back a little and stay a little more upright.  The goal in every pose is to keep the spine in its fullest integrity and not to compromise the lengthening of each vertebrae.  So think of elongating from the sternum towards  the feet instead of reaching the head towards the ground in front of you.

2) Pigeon Pose

This is my favourite hip opener of all!  It has proven personally to really access the very internal tight spots of my hips. Be very aware of your knees in this pose.  If you have knee pain or issues, bring your ankle close to the hips and the shin angled in towards the straight leg.  Also keep the foot of the bent leg flexed to minimize pressure on the knee joint. There are many other variations you can explore with this pose.  Begin to shift your weight and move your hips to find where you need to release more. Just keep asking yourself  ” WHERE AM I HOLDING ON?” You always get an answer if you listen carefully!  GO INWARDS!

3) Supta Padangusthasana  (Reclining Big Toe Pose)

In this pose you aim to open the hips and you will also get a nice stretch of the hamstrings.  Important things to remember with this one, is to keep the straight leg on the floor pressed into the mat. You do this by grounding the heel and flexing the foot, as is you were standing in tadasana.  Also as you stretch the leg over to the side, keep the opposite rooted into the mat as well. If your hip starts to elevate you have gone too far over.  Keep the leg a little higher, in time the hips will open and you can eventually bring the leg right to the ground.

4) Supine Ankle over knee Pose or sometimes called “Thread the Needle”

Lie on your back, bend legs and cross ankle over the opposite leg, to rest on the knee.  “thread” or reach through and hold the bent knee or shin trying to bring it closer to torso.

5) Seated Forward Bend-  Seated upright with ankle of one leg crossed on opposite knee. The shins are parallel to the width of your mat.  Begin to lengthen in the direction of the wall or area in front of your chest.  You want to keep the chest open, the sternum lengthening up from the spine, allowing the back spine to remain long and flat.  Bend over, a little more with each exhalation.  You can out stretch the arms here for a deeper forward bend. Switch legs and repeat on other side.

6) Happy Baby Pose

This is a great pose to finish your hip opening sequence.  Its a natural movement we often see little babies do in their cribs or while they lie on their backs and are playing.

Lie on your back, bend needs and widen each knee towards each shoulder.  Reach and hold the inside of the arches of your feet while maintaining proper spinal integrity.  This means you want to keep your sacrum and pelvis rooted into the ground beneath you.  The aim is to keep the lower back pressed into the mat, and the inner groins and hips widening.  Lengthening the low back helps also to keep it safe and stretching in the proper direction.

So there  you have a ready to implement  HIP OPENING sequence and asana practice.  Use the above poses to improve your hip joints and watch  your practice unfold with greater freedom and space.

Now back to those thick anatomy books…. Stay tuned for future Blog posts on Shoulders, chest and upper back, and much more!

Have questions or comments?  Reply away!

Travelling Yogi

Namaste

I recently began my new journey on the path to Yoga teacher certifiation and I noticed something quite interesting.  Yogis look so YOUTHFUL!

On the weekend when my teacher told me her age, my mandible dropped (jaw bone- sorry i’m on an anatomy kick these days).

I couldn’t believe it! I would easily calculate a decade less.  So then I began to look at other long standing yoga practitioners, and all of them were glowing in a very significant way.  All have less wrinkles, less fatigued looking faces, and no DULLNESS!

I have 20 something friends that don’t have the body my yogi teacher has.  I won’t say her age here but you can imagine she is past her youthful “prime”.  Actually I have now re defined that term altogether.  Age really has so little to do with your ability to do, be or have what you want in life.  I didn’t realize this till I really started hanging out with long standing Yogis.  I am down right inspired over and over again.

So how does YOGA slow the aging process?

YOGA’S ANTI AGING BENEFITS :

1)The Breath:

• Learning breathing exercises and the art of pranayama will encourage profound and infinite benefits.
  
• Improved circulation of nutrients to all of the body, lowering of heart rate and blood pressure which are prime markers of health and wellness.
  
• The breath balances the nervous system, it induces relaxation and encourages better sleep!  MORE SLEEP = longer life and overall better ability to regenerate cells.

2) Strengthens muscles, joints, ligaments

• stronger muscles, joints and ligaments = stronger spine and a stronger spine means you won’t be hunching over when your 60 or 70.  We see the effects of osteoporosis now as early as the age of 40!
  
• stronger bones as well, means less breakage, healthier posture and alignment
  
• less injuries in general when our bodies are stronger and more flexible

3) STRESS REDUCTION

• Stress is the number one AGING factor
• Stress robs you of nutrients, slows down regeneration process, disturbs SLEEP
  
• Stress is a prime factor in chronic illness and disease- namely HEART DISEASE!
• Stress will make you look a decade older in very little time, it deprives you of peace of mind, and tranquility
  
• Stress depresses ADRENAL function, and sexual function in general.  Lowered hormonal effects usually occur with age.  Yoga enhances sexual and hormonal function, keeping you at a biologically younger age than your “real” chronological age

4) IMPROVES ELIMINATION and ASSIMILATION of your FOOD

• Digestion determines how well you absorb the nutrients in your food.  Yoga enhances proper digestion, metabolism of calories, and nutrient extraction from your food
• Poses like twists in particular enhance organ function and health such as the liver, stomach, and colon.  Remember the digestive tract is our “SECOND” brain- and as such will determine the rate of our aging process because it is directly linked to our nervous system.

5) YOGA encourages you to change your lifestyle

• Everyone I have ever talked to about yoga will express how the practice on the mat eventually and quite dramatically will transfer to their real day to day life
• Yoga encourages compassion for the Self and the other.  You begin to truly have the golden rule embodied within you.  ” Do unto others as you would have done to you” this quoted from the bible out of the mouth of Jesus Christ, has become one of the rules we can never deny. Rod Stewart also quotes this eternal truth in his “Forever Young”.  Simply is the truth.
  
• You drink less, eat less, end smoking and harmful addictions of all kinds.  This greatly enhances youthfulness
• You react in a less aggressive or intrusive matter. You begin to see YOURSELF in OTHERS.  This alone can transform Every One’s LIFE.  So you begin to stress less, get aggravated less and you don’t scrunch up your face so much , and BANG LESS WRINKLES

So there you have it.  YOGA = YOUTHFULNESS!

What is really my main point here?  It’s that what we put into our bodies, our minds and how we feed our soul on a daily basis truly determines our whole external and INTERNAL reality.

Change your perception and you change EVERYTHING about yourself.

And whats wrong with the additional benefit of looking less tired, less fatigued, DULL and WORN OUT before your 50?

Absolutely nothing

Travel lightly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gVsQZ2hVj8 Rod Stewart’s Forever Young

Namaste

Travelling Yogi