This is another one of my late night inspirations, where the words come without thought and ask to be written…

Wrapped in Blankets of Bliss

True contentment is not the elusive hiding thing it is made out to be.

On the contrary, it awaits, open armed and patient

For your awareness of its company.

To experience this companion, comfort embodied in ease,

Simply enter the present moment fully.

Saturate your senses with the Now;

Enrich this living life with your focus and acceptance of what Is.

Be swept up in the act of

Being.

Here you will find that the breath itself is made of waves of peace

Woven with the light of joy and loving songs of truth.

Give yourself over to it.

Surrender all struggles to the wisdom and Grace of that which breathes you.

Realize, here in the fathomless Ocean of Beauty and Being

That, beneath layers of other feelings and holding on,

You were content all along.

Om Shri Ram Jai Ram
Om Namah Shakti Ma

• Feel free to comment if you’re so inspired.

These words came to me late last night, inviting me – almost insisting – that they be written and shared. It felt like a call to Truth; a feeling deep with meaning and potency…

Set Your Intention

Stand deliberately upon this Earth

For you are a bridge between Earth and Sky.

Open to the current of your breath,

Expand your awareness beyond the boundaries of your skin.

You are a child of the infinite.

Limitless possibilities await your choice. Read more…

One day, years ago, in a training with Anusara® yoga’s founder John Friend, I learned the significance of each day of the week. Since it’s Sunday, I’ll expand on it’s meaning below, but I figure I’ll give you my notes on each day to quench some curiosity first.

Meanings of the days of the week.

Sunday: Dedicated to the Sun. As this is the first day of the week, here we set our intention.

Monday: Day of the Moon. A day for balance, turning in.

Tuesday: Dedicated to Mars. Power, fire, initiation, masculine energy.

Wednesday: The day of Mercury, known as the messenger. This is the bridge between worlds, uniting Feminine and Masculine energies. A day of awakening, communicating.

Thursday: Jupiter’s day. Since Jupiter is the weighty one, this is also the Guru’s day. A day to honor your teachers and celebrate the teacher within. Big energy day.

Friday: The day of Venus. Beauty, feminine Goddess energy, a sense of expansion and goodness rule this day.

Saturday: The day of Saturn. This day has an energy that concludes or binds, being the last day of the week. Saturn is like the old man, or patron of the cycle. Masculine energy.

Setting Intention with Yoga

The sun holds a seemingly limitless amount of energy and power. Read more…

One smile can ripple out to touch many hearts, and can go a long way in the realm of healing. Too many people go about their days with a furrowed brow or a perpetual frown, yet in their hearts all they want is to be happy.

Smiling and laughing are expressions of a content, joyful soul. They reduce stress, increase health and bring a brilliance to the moment, inviting others to lighten up as well.

You can find a place of content even within struggle and challenge. It’s all about your attitude and perspective. Can you see the beauty? Can you see the humor? It’s there, waiting to be discovered.

Amidst all the things you do, it is so important to find that which brings you joy. Read more…

There is enough space for all your dreams to be real.

There is enough time to stretch out and be free.

There is enough, because even time and space are held within the infinite.

The Essence is limitless.

OPEN from the inside, and spaciousness becomes your experience.

OPEN to your deepest truth. Time will warp and dance for you.

OPEN, and you will access the GRACE of breath and life.

Focus on light. Focus on beauty. Focus on love.

You will find the way through – your heart will illuminate it. Read more…

Isn’t it great how nice it feels when you’re not worrying about anything? There’s a lightness, a freedom, a sense of well being.

Just as yoga teaches us to be spacious and connected, you can use this practice to stop worrying about things and reduce stress and anxiety. To literally lighten up!

How does this work?

Well, when you get contracted, such as when you’re afraid or judgmental, there’s a sense  of disconnect from the bigger energy of freedom. Spirit never stops supporting you, yet sometimes we just forget to take notice and feel that support.

Generally feelings of contraction come from fretting over things that are not your responsibility or under your control. Like how your loved one acts, or something you did in the past. Focusing on these things brings you out of the Here and Now, and out of your sense of self. Read more…

“All actions are directed by one’s viewpoint.” – John Friend

This quote is in my notes from a training with my teacher, John Friend; the founder of Anusara® yoga. There is such wisdom to this. The way you perceive what you experience creates your understanding of it, as well as your feelings and actions.

One of the things that can become challenging about deepening your ability to be sensitive and open is that you can get rocked out of your center by the apparent horrors of the world. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Read more…

The overwhelming sense of community in the Who Dat celebration of New Orleans Saints’ victory can actually inspire a great lesson of yoga: You Belong!

To understand fully how special you are and what this wave of excitement from New Orleans has to do with you, check out this article: New Orleans Teaches Us About Community Of The Heart.

Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully and quiet your mind.

Feel your breath dance within you.

Feel your heart beat.

As you tune in to your own inner music,

Realize that each being on this planet shares

The experience of breath and heartbeat.

Read more…

Yoga cultivates strength, wisdom, and the ability to discern truth from confusion – all attributes of a skilled Peaceful Warrior. Even Warrior Pose comes up in myriad forms during an asana practice.

As your yoga practice extends into every aspect of your life, you find yourself becoming stronger and yet more receptive; making choices which benefit both you and the greater good.

Personally, I have witnessed an incredible shift in my own self; changing patterns that were not serving me and re-creating myself as who I want to be.

I share the following with you because these inspired words came to me this morning, and I think you may see yourself reflected in them. Read more…

In the minds of most people, perfection is an unachievable yet oft reached for thing, yet with this perspective that I learned from Anusara® yoga, stress and anxiety can melt as you shift your perspective.

You hear the term ‘perfectionist’ and it conjures images of someone who is constantly striving for every little detail to be ‘just right’, and quite possibly affecting innocent bystanders (family members, friends) with their slightly neurotic behavior.

Sound like someone you know? Maybe you?

This idea of inaccessible perfection tends to cause a lot of unneeded pressure and worry.

But there is a different way to think of perfection. Read more…