The Yoga Of Football? New Orleans Saints Win Another Fan.

Posted By Katrina Ariel On December 1st, 2009

New-Orleans-SaintsMonday night’s Saints vs. Patriots game changed me. It’s funny that even an NFL game can be a yogic transformation. Really – there’s yoga in football, believe it or not.

I have to admit, I’m the last person you’d expect to see enjoying a football game. I’ve had a pretty steady lack of interest in most competitive sports for, well, most of my life. Without a doubt, the New Orleans Saints have won over a very reluctant fan.

Here’s the story: Read more…



Magic In The Earth: Findhorn’s Nature Spirits

Posted By Katrina Ariel On November 23rd, 2009

findhorn-gardenI was in my local art gallery organic café one day and picked up a curious book published in 1975. It’s called “The Magic Of Findhorn” by Paul Hawken.

Now I’d heard of Findhorn before. I had a preconceived notion of it being a idyllic intentional community and retreat center in Scotland, but I didn’t know much about it.

The book called to me. You know the intuitive pull your heart puts out when something really resonates? That call. So I picked it up, read the first page, and promptly asked my friend who owns the café if I could borrow the book.

Over the next week or so I somehow created time in my silly busy schedule to read the book. I was so totally touched by what I learned that I decided to share some of it here with you. Read more…



Earth Yoga: Greening The Deserts Of The World

Posted By Katrina Ariel On November 12th, 2009
This tree is massive! The trunk is about 8 feet wide.

This tree is massive! The trunk is about 8 feet wide.

Yoga is a practice of recognizing the interconnectedness of all things, and skillfully living in harmony. So, naturally, that extends beyond the human family and into the rest of the earth…

I found a new friend today in Audubon Park, behind the zoo in New Orleans’ Garden District. It’s a tree, and a magnificent one at that.

Yes, I consider trees my friends. For one, they breathe us humans and create an environment where we can live. So that’s a practical reason for a grateful relationship.

But beyond that, I admire their beauty and meditative existence. They basically breathe, grow, and drink of water, sunlight and the nutrients in the soil. They are steadfast. Any time I need grounding or need to let go of heaviness, all I have to do is spend a little time with a tree… Meditating under a tree is one of my favorite ways to get centered.

What about you? What aspect of nature do you feel most drawn to?

It’s amazing what is possible when we work with nature, listen to her rhythm, and add symbiotic innovations of human design to more harmoniously co-exist.

Check this out: It is perhaps the most inspiring video I’ve seen in a while! Read more…



Spiritual Practice In The Most Bizarre Places

Posted By Katrina Ariel On November 5th, 2009

halloween-anusaraPicture this: It’s Halloween night in New Orleans. Downtown is throbbing with music, laughter, costumes and a penetrating ‘ting’ of one elf looking creature walking along as if in meditation.

Yep, that would be me. Complete with forest green cloak and a bit of petrified wood in my hair. This is the story of my fantastically weird night out in the wilds of the French Quarter, and how I brought light into even the darkest places. Read more…



Deeper Into The Mystery: Anusara Yoga With John Friend

Posted By Katrina Ariel On November 4th, 2009

Beauty-SkyThe magical light of Santa Fe was a constant companion as I went on retreat with Anusara® yoga founder, John Friend. The light from the sun, the sparkling blue sky, the radiant trees, the clear starry night; it was a truly illuminated experience.

Technically the event I attended was an Advanced Therapeutics training and Weekend Workshop. But I’ll call it a retreat because I stayed on campus, and wow did it feel like a complete shift from everyday life.

Read more…



High On Sound: A Gong Bath

Posted By Katrina Ariel On October 26th, 2009

gongbathForget the bong. You want a consciousness altering experience? Try a gong bath.

Say what?

A gong bath. I hadn’t heard of it either, so if you have no idea what I’m talking about, hang in there, I’ll explain.

This experience was offered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during a week of training with Anusara® yoga’s founder, John Friend. After the last training session of the day, we cleared the room and Richard Rudis, a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and skilled gong bath guy came in.

I’ll have to tell you, I was a little nervous. Read more…



Enlightenment In New Orleans

Posted By Katrina Ariel On October 25th, 2009

enlightenmentAlright. I’m convinced. All this meditating and yoga is truly the best natural high.

Yesterday I woke up, did an hour of meditating, chanting, and being with nature. Then, after my green smoothie and a yoga practice, I got ready for an adventure into downtown New Orleans.

What I find is that, when I keep up with my meditation and asana practice, I’m more consistently happy. Content. Centered.

It makes for a much more enjoyable life. I walk around smiling at people, and then (generally) they smile, and the whole happiness thing expands.

Yesterday was the first time I’ve been to New Orlean’s French Quarter since I was here last spring. Read more…



Recognition Of The Heart

Posted By Katrina Ariel On October 20th, 2009

heart

You know when you meet someone and you feel an instant connection? Like you’ve known them your whole life but really you’ve never met?

That’s a recognition of spirit. It’s a connection of heart on a deep level – on the truest level. When you feel that you tap into the awareness of an intrinsic connection that exists beyond time and space.

We call these chance meetings, though there isn’t any randomness to it at all…

This happened to me most recently on a plane ride from Albuquerque to Houston. Standing in the tunnel between airport and plane (I’m sure this has a name but can’t think of it) I turned around and found a friendly face.

Read more…