Locals love it, and all who discover this massive and beautiful tree on their visits return to be in awe of it’s incredible canopy, roots, body and presence.

This tree, and truly all of Nature, has so much to teach us.

The video below speaks to this, and includes a meditation that will help you connect and shift into a state of remembrance and desire to contribute to the beauty of the world.

I hope you enjoy this video, which weaves my own personal perspective with that of the trees, sharing teachings from Anusara® yoga that go straight to the heart.

Anusara yoga in New Orleans

To me, New Orleans is home. I don’t live here full time, but I visit often as my parents are here and my ‘roots’ are deep in this city, both ancestral roots and energetic ones.

The teachers here, including Laura Flora, Cat McCarthy, Aaron Lind, Keith Porteous and Michele Baker, as well as so many other beautiful people, feel like family. This is a strong kula, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it.

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

My heart feels at home here. Part of that is the sheer love I have for the people and city, and part of it is the trees. I can wander for many hours in the parks and streets here.

The magnificence of these great trees surrounds you here. It’s an amazing feeling.

To sweeten my already wonderful visit, I’ve been fortunate to spend the much of the past week with my teacher and the founder of Anusara yoga, John Friend.

John recognizes the special way New Orleans celebrates life and death, the soulful people here, and the thin veil between the world of spirit and that which we experience.

The pulse of life here is strong.

You feel it in the music, you see it in the faces of the people who say hi and wave when you walk by. You know it when you watch the Spanish Moss sway in the breeze as it clings to the Oaks and Cypress.

Nature makes me feel so humble. Trees especially.

I asked John about embodying humility, and what, beyond the big picture of constantly being in remembrance of Spirit, I can specifically do to cultivate being humble.

John replied with a smile, telling me to always come from the desire to serve. When you come from a loving heart, being of service helps you not put yourself first, but instead contribute to beauty and balance around you. You look around and just notice what is needed; what can I do to help?

Sometimes it’s just BEING the vibration that contributes to uplift the situation.

If someone is sad or having a hard time, it may be that words or actions aren’t helpful, but you can still bring the vibration of love and peace into the room, and that is a beautiful act of service.

His answer was sweet. It is a perfect reflection of what I see him do every day. When John looks at you, he gives blessings.

We can do this as well – every time your eyes meet someone else’s, you can send blessings. Being of service isn’t demeaning, it’s empowering because it places you in your own heart. You step into your power, into your authentic self, by living your life in a way that contributes to love and beauty.

How perfect. What a gorgeous expression of yoga.

And though these are things I have heard and felt in John’s teachings before, it was beautiful to have them re-introduced to my very receptive mind and grateful heart in the magical setting of New Orleans as the next cycle of the year is ushered in.

In the video above I’ve spoken on this and much more, so I hope you enjoy it.

Please leave a comment below and tell me what your thoughts are…

May we all find the deep and generous wisdom in our connections with each other and Nature. May we serve, joyfully and from the heart, the goodness of life.

Though I did try to shoot a full yoga practice video for you, it didn’t turn out. However, I have this lovely little meditation for you instead.

The video below guides you through a meditation that calls to your essence, inviting you to attune to nature. Enjoy the waves of your breath as you take a few minutes to meditate.

This meditation calls upon the resonance of the ocean to bring a pure, clear quality of being. With each breath you can become more and more connected to your natural self.

Open to receive each breath as a gift, and you will feel the pure clarity of beauty in every aspect of your being.

Please leave a comment below if you enjoyed this!

Brightest blessings to you.

It allows you to surrender your struggle and live skillfully in harmony with life.

Yoga reminds you that your essence is goodness, and that you are connected to everything else through the pulsating energy that creates, sustains, and dissolves all back into itself. And this practice helps you cultivate tolerance and understanding so that you can recognize the essence of goodness in others, as well as inviting a natural and joyful celebration of life!

The gems on Indra’s Web are a great example of the infinite expression of the One, and a lovely thing to meditate upon.

Indra’s Net (or World Wide Web)

Technically I believe it’s called Indra’s Net, though for some reason the term ‘Web’ works better for me. Maybe because the Internet, or World Wide Web, is such a fascinating  phenomenon that so closely reflects the universal creativity of Indra’s Web.

Just as the Internet gives us a chance to express ourselves creatively, to connect across vast distance, and to learn from each other, Indra’s web offers us a similar experience in meditation.

Indra’s Web is a metaphor of the holographic nature of the universe; how everything is woven together from the same substance, just experiencing different perspectives.

When I ask my minds eye to call forth an image of Indra’s Web, I imagine an infinite network of threads of light. To me it is like the most beautiful work of art, a pure hearted gift from the most sacred of spiders and weavers of connection.

I see from my perspective, you see from yours. We are each conscious crystals; gems upon the web of life.

Using the visualization of Indra’s multidimensional weaving of light is an incredible way to work with the energies of healing and manifesting, as well as entering the feeling of infinite expression.

I found this on Wikipedia and liked it:

“Imagine a multidimensional spider’s web in the early morning covered with dew drops. And every dew drop contains the reflection of all the other dew drops. And, in each reflected dew drop, the reflections of all the other dew drops in that reflection. And so ad infinitum. That is the Buddhist conception of the universe in an image.” -Alan Watts

We are all interconnected. Yoga teaches us this.

There are infinite ways to remember this connection. To express it. To experience it.

You see your own reflection in that of every other gem in Indra’s Net, and the spark of each of their hearts in yours.

Energy is infinite.

Life invites you to create beauty in your own way, bringing joy to you and those around you.

You can create and celebrate who you are. If in each moment you accept yourself as you are, perfectly imperfect, you can move steadily in whichever direction your path of truth leads. Personally, Anusara® yoga has helped me to do this with increasingly more skill and humility. You get to choose whatever practice leads you to truth and wisdom, guiding your life.

Each time you recognize the dazzling light within your heart, that light ripples out across the web. Even when you don’t feel particularly illuminated, if you just turn towards the light, it glimmers and grows.

This video contains a chant that came to me. It reminds me of the deep, vast, infinite possibility of Indra’s Web. I’ve included some footage of me in the Redwood forests of California because these trees speak powerfully of the connection of all life.

I hope you enjoy it.

When you give yourself permission to open up and go deep…
When you enter into pulsation with the beauty of nature…
Something great happens, and the source of creative power awakens the child within to PLAY!

Your play may be quiet, wild, still, or vast.

Know that your heart is always singing to you.
Listen.
Respond to the call with delight!

Lila is divine play. It is the joyful expression of conscious, creative power as the infinite existence of all that is.

Did you like the video? Please leave a comment and some inspiration below!

Unlimited potential and a powerful time of transition gives you a chance to set intention and allow your mind to become fully absorbed in the heart!

Though this article speaks specifically about Maha Shivaratri, you can learn much from it about transitions in general, and why they are so important.

There are certain times of transition where the veil thins; when you can more easily feel the intrinsic connection between who you are as an individual, and the essence that pulsates as the Spirit in us all.

Maha Shivaratri is one of these times, and a very special transition indeed. This is the Great Night of Shiva, which happens only once a year on the 13^th moon as the sliver of crescent moon dissolves into the darkness of night.

It offers both potency and the opportunity to enter into a deeper relationship with the divine.

Here’s some footage from the Kamloops Maha Shivaratri Gathering:

Before I continue, I’d like to say that, though this tradition comes from India, it offers any sincere practitioner a clear path to the heart. You can use mantra, intention, and celebration to deepen your own understanding and relationship with what you personally believe; that which you already know in your heart.

It is said that your prayers and mantras are magnified 10,000 times on this powerful night.

The potency comes from the place of transition, in this case the total surrender of the moon into the limitless potential of the night. An opening occurs that allows penetration into the universal. Entrance into oneness.

Transitions happen in every breath, as the inhale and exhale turn into one another. They occur in each day at dawn and dusk, and even in every pose of your yoga practice as you flow with moment to moment awareness in the true meaning of vinyasa.

These transitions are times to pause and feel; to receive inspiration and set intention. Through these gaps in time and space you can enter into total awakening and liberation.

Much of these thoughts are from my first introduction to Maha Shivaratri, which was during a training with my teacher, John Friend.

John asked us “What do you choose to hold? What do you choose to manifest?”

When you come into meditation and are open, your intention has incredible strength. When you combine this with times of power, such as the transition of Maha Shivaratri, you plant a potent seed into the nurturing darkness.

The dark holds unbounded potential.

If you think about it, creation and the deepest transformations happen in the dark. Ideas form in the darkness within. We heal and restore while we sleep. Babies are conceived and grow within the nurturing darkness of the womb for 9 months…

So to enter the darkness of this night with a heart full of devotion and love is incredibly healing!

Om Namah Shivaya is the mantra repeated at gatherings and in solitude the world over as people celebrate Maha Shivaratri.

Om Namah Shivaya calls to the essence of who you are. It says “I honour the auspiciousness of myself and the Universe”.

As you chant this mantra, it is a form of self-love on every level. It helps you remember that you are a good person, that your very essence is goodness, and that the same pulsating energy that breathes you and illuminates your life is present in all that is.

Self acceptance and love takes courage. It challenges you to soften your judgments and allow the truth of yourself to shine through.

From this place of accepting who you are now, you are more able to align with divine nature and creatively express yourself as who you want to be.

Through mantra, meditation, song, and any other practice that is right for you, you can become absorbed into the Oneness through your devotion and focus. You can find true unity, and its unspeakable beauty and joy.

What are your prayers and intentions? They don’t have to be specific – just a feeling can be enough. “Have a vision of goodness, beauty and light,” John says.

Om Namah Shivaya. May I be a good person. May I be happy and healthy. May my loved ones be happy and healthy.

Om Namah Shivaya. I am pure. I forgive. I clear all mistakes. I am love.

Om Namah Shivaya. May all beings be happy and peaceful. May children all over the world laugh and play together.

Om Namah Shivaya. May all the shadows of my life be transformed into the light. May the troubles of the world be dissolved in the illumination of goodness and beauty.

Om Namah Shivaya. May you who are reading this be blessed with love, joy, and peace.

Think of a place you consider sacred.

It could be a cathedral, a forest, a mountain, a temple… Perhaps it is your favorite river bend or a corner of your backyard. Maybe you’ve made a pilgrimage to a holy place of personal significance.

With the idea of this sacred place in your mind, consider how would behave there. What thoughts do you have? Does the way you move change? How do you feel and act when you are in sacred company?

The respect, kindness, and thoughtfulness we use to honor that which we consider sacred are equally as appropriate to apply to ourselves. Perhaps even more so.

You are an embodiment of divinity. The essence that holds the universe within itself also holds itself within you.

This temple of spirit, your body, is absolutely worthy of the most humble honoring. Your mind is a profound and brilliant mystery. The sanctuary of your heart is truly sacred.

The following mini-meditation helps you shift your perception of yourself to align your thoughts with the true sacred nature of You. Perhaps it will help you align your actions in a way that is totally life honoring as well.

Mini-meditation:

Align yourself with the thoughtfulness given to the structure of a sanctuary

Open up to the blessing of your breath

Feel the winds of Grace move through you

Open the window of your heart, and watch the light within brighten the temple of you

See the sparkle of every curve and thought form, the shining of your own stained glass beauty

Hear the singing of angels in the choir of your mind

Taste the cleansing nature of the pure essence of you

Give in to the humble call, the song of gratitude that wells up with the profound presence of ancient redwoods kissed by the sun.

And now, as you sit here in this most sacred temple, gently change your entire existence by shifting your perception of yourself to claim your birthright.

You are a sacred being.

Blessed be,

Katrina Ariel

It is a Maha Mantra; a great mantra that has been passed from teacher to student for thousands of years.

It brings you back to the simplest, most comforting truth by affirming that the essence of everything that is, is good. You are a good person. You are connected to so much that is auspicious and divine.

Om Namah Shivaya guides you into your heart space and holds you in a warmth that reveals a deep peace that has always been with you and is always available if you simply follow your breath and the pulsation of your heart.

I would like to offer you a free download of me singing this mantra. It isn’t a perfect recording, but it carries the vibration of love, peace, and beauty. May it bring you great joy.

Right click to download this song: Om Namah Shivaya to Amazing Grace

I intend to, at some point, get into a recording studio and do this properly, but for now, this is what I have to give. If you enjoy it, please share it with friends and family by bringing them to this page.

May this great mantra resonate love and peace into the hearts of all beings.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Katrina Ariel

You can also watch this video to see me sing Om Namah Shivaya. Just imagine me singing this to you as you ride the pulsation of your breath in savasana at the end of your yoga practice.

Scientists have found that the Earth and human beings resonate at the same frequency. To the best of my knowledge we’re the only beings living on this planet that actually vibrate at the same rate as the planet itself.

To me this is very real proof of our intrinsic connection to Mother Earth.

All ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures have honored the cycles of Nature and lived in ways that respected the direct relationship between the Earth and themselves. They lived in reciprocity and balance with the world around them.

Somehow our modern culture has created an illusion of separation from Nature. But so many people are finding ways to come back into balanced relationship with Mother Earth.

Tonight is a full moon eclipse on the eve of Winter Solstice! (Note: If you are reading this at a different time, the message still has meaning, simply discover what cycle Nature offers to you in the moment and feel how you want to honor it).

Celestial bodies are aligning, demonstrating yet again the perfection and incredible beauty of Nature’s Dance. This is a perfect time to become more in tune with this dance ourselves, and create our own experience of Divine Alignment.

The practice I offer you here blends the practice of yoga with Peruvian Incan Shamanism. This practice is offered in complete respect of what you already hold true in your heart – your own belief system can be honored with this sweet ceremony.

I shared this ceremony with my Kamloops Yoga Class this weekend to amazing, heartfelt response!

Human beings and the Earth are absolutely interconnected, which is why ancient cultures have always honored the cycles and elements of nature. Let us remember this connection by bringing our awareness to the cycle upon us now.

Solstice Ceremony (This can also be used at any other time)

For this ceremony you will need a stone or rock that you have found in Nature. Any stone that fits comfortably in your hand will do, though it is nice to get it from a place that is sacred to you as it will bring more meaning and carry the energies of that place.

There are also two words you will want to know: Pachamama – Mother Earth, and Viracocha – Father Sky. These names come from the lineage of Shamanism that has influenced the ceremony I offer you today.

Holding the stone in your hand, or simply having it near you, find a comfortable seat.

Sit beautifully, feeling your pelvis and legs connecting to the Earth. Settle.

As you invite your breath to find more freedom within you, inhale yourself taller, feeling the crown of your head reaching up into the heavens.

You, as a human being, are a bridge between Mother Earth and Father Sky. Feel your heart as that bridge.

Feel the energy of Pachamama beneath you, and Viracocha above you.

As you breathe, become more receptive to Nature. Even if you are inside, the earth and sky are so expansive, feel them beneath you and around you.

Feel the heartbeat of Pachamama resonate with your own.

When you feel more aligned with the energies of Nature, bring your focus to your own intentions for the next cycle.

In your mind and heart, create a clear intention for yourself, and also set your intention for the global community; what is your vision for humanity and Earth? How do you see yourself, and what would you like to see happen in the relationship between Pachamama and her children?

Visualize or otherwise create this intention so clearly that you feel it start to resonate within and around you as an energy that is completely in tune with the Now.

Then, take your rock in your hand and blow that intention and energy into the stone. Cup the rock in your hands, bring it close to your mouth, and with each exhale, move the energy of your vision into the rock. Do this for as many breaths as it takes for you to feel like you have charged the stone with your intention.

When you feel ready, take as long as you would like to come into a feeling of gratitude. Stay very much aware of the connection between Pachamama, or Mother Earth, yourself, and Viracocha, or Father Sky.

When you are ready to come out of meditation, place the stone either outside on the Earth, or you can put it on the soil of one of your plants inside. Leave the stone there till after Winter Solstice. You can continue to use this stone to bring energy from yourself to Pachamama in a similar way as this ceremony, or you can also bury the stone if you’d like.

If you want, you can do a yoga practice with your stone at the top of your mat before placing it on the Earth, which is what we did this weekend in my Solstice Saturday practice.

Lastly, in keeping with a harmonious relationship of reciprocity, make a small offering to Pachamama when you place the stone on her belly. It can be a pinch of herbs (lavender, sage, or some other herb), bit of water or tea, a flower or petal, or any other natural offering made in love. If you have nothing, just whisper a blessing of gratitude and kindness to her. She will receive it with grace.

This ceremony helps you tune in with Nature and bring your intention into manifestation. You create a thought form with your individual and global intention, and then literally move that energy through the stone into the Earth.

When you do this, Pachamama knows, and Viracocha sees. And the Universe conspires to bring you into the full and beautiful experience of the seed you have planted as your intention into the fertile soil of this very special time!

Remember, you are the bridge between Earth and Sky, a child of deep wisdom and joy. May your heart sing as you continue to align with Nature.

Hiyaya! (Victory of the heart)

Please feel free to share your experiences and your own ideas of ceremony or celebration of the solstice. You can also share ideas for other times of year. Your voice is always welcome – please leave a comment below.

You can also follow the Lunar Eclipse with NASA.

Think of the term “Enlightened”. It literally speaks of being of the light, of embodying light. This is the goal of so many people and spiritual disciplines; to become an Enlightened One.

Yet often this seems an unattainable thing, especially living in this busy world. We don’t have time to go sit under a sacred tree for 40 days, or wander the desert, or retreat into a cave.

So how do we, as everyday people, become enlightened?

Practice bringing more light and love into your life. Practice living from the heart.

When I teach yoga, the goal of every single class is to bring you into your heart space. To guide you in a practice that helps you reconnect to who you truly are; a good person who is capable of feeling myriad emotions and experiencing a full spectrum of life.

You have the choice of what state you choose to be in most of the time. Sure, we ride waves of emotion and experience many things, but we can do so from a place of fear or separateness, or we can choose to feel from a place of love and a knowingness that everything is interconnected.

Bringing in light and love does not have to be complicated. In fact, you can practice it right now.

Mini-Meditation: Being the Love Light

Sit beautifully and take a deep breath.

Feel the Earth beneath you and take a few moments to connect to this nurturing planet that provides our every breath, all of our food, and the environment in which we live our lives.

Feel your breath move within like waves on an ocean.

Soften your face.

Now, focus on your heart center.

As you bring more awareness to your heart, bring yourself into the feeling of love.

If this feeling is elusive, imagine a time when you have felt great love and call that feeling in through the memory. You may envision yourself in nature, or with an animal or child or other situation that helps you remember what it feels like to love.

Coming into Gratitude is also an excellent way to bring yourself into a loving state of being.

Then, with each and every breath, invite this love to grow by feeding it with light.

Love and light are always within you, so this does not need to be a struggle. Simply envision or think of light and love growing more expansive and more powerful in your heart and entire body.

Once you feel full of this love light, you can play with it.

You have the ability to bring more light and love to this planet, simply by intending to do so.

It is helpful to establish a connection to Earth while doing light work. A common way to do this is to imagine a grounding cord (which can be golden or any other color that pleases you) connecting you from your root chakra at the base of your pelvis all the way to the center of the planet.

Once you feel steady in your grounded connection to Earth, it is up to you where to direct the energy.

You can send love light to a certain place, such as the Gulf of Mexico, or the Middle East.

You can direct it into the core of the Earth, or to the Redwood forests, or into the atmosphere.

You can even brighten every single drop of water on this planet, including that which is inside other beings, simply by intending to do so.

You can light up the whole planet and shine that light out into the heavens.

Truly there is no limit.

And you can do this without losing even the smallest bit of your own light. In fact, as you share it, it grows.

Take your time basking in this light, and sharing it however you are inspired.

When you are ready, bring your awareness back to your heart, reconnect to the heart of the Earth, and think of your own energy hugging close to you.

You can make this meditation 5 or 50 minutes – whatever length of time works for you. The important thing is that you come into a place of love, a sense of living from the light of the heart.

And every time you do, you enlighten yourself and the world around you!

The following video talks about 2012, which is a fascinating subject for many people. I like the speaker’s calm, loving approach. She speaks about the importance of simply living from the heart, from a place of love. That this is the only thing that matters.

Whatever the future holds in store for us, living from the heart and being in a state of love will absolutely make this world a better place. Thank you for your own contribution.

Your intention and focus in bringing in love and light makes a great deal of difference. More than you know.

When you are moved you feel it in your heart.

If the emotion you’re feeling is joyful or loving, you’ll likely feel uplifted, open, and bright. If the emotion is fear based or sadness, chances are both your posture and your internal feeling will be more closed down and contracted.

The more you practice feeling joy, love, peace and the like, the more these qualities show up in your life. The same goes for fear based feelings.

We create patterns based on what we experience, so you’ll find yourself greatly rewarded for cultivating an attitude that brings brightness to your heart.

Even knowing this, however, it is sometimes a challenge, especially if you’ve been hurt and find yourself feeling like there are walls up around your heart. If this describes how you currently feel, it’s okay. Know that you can create a different experience for yourself.

Often I think of the heart as a sanctuary of peace and wisdom, light and love. This meditation brings a sense of expansion and light to the heart center, where a great deal of healing can take place.

Heart Space Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully with an uplifted posture.

Settle into your hips.

Invite an inner spaciousness using your intention.

Feel your breath expand within.

Give your breath full freedom, and simply feel it move for a minute or two.

Once you feel centered and still, riding the waves of your breath,

Bring your awareness to your heart center.

Simply turn your focus to your heart, still feeling the pulsation of your breath.

Imagine a brilliant light within your heart.

With each breath, feel this light expand.

As the light grows ever outward through your body,

Feel your heart become more spacious.

Know that you are safe and protected by this light,

And allow the energy of your heart center to become even more full:

Wide.

Vast.

The energy that resides within your heart is a part of the Supreme Energy that breathes and weaves into creation all that is.

Feel yourself connecting to that bigger energy that is pure light and love.

Allow your awareness to reach effortlessly outward to touch the whole of the universe.

When you feel ready, bring the focus of your heart light back to surround your body,

And then focus on a safe, expanded feeling of your heart in your chest.

Remember that you are always connected to that vast and spacious consciousness that you just touched with your own awareness.

Again, feel your individual sense of self, your energy bright and yet contained within your own field and space.

Thank your heart for being so bright, and invite this lightness to remain with you.

When you are ready to move out of meditation, pause for a few breaths with your eyes open before continuing with your day.

May the light of your heart spark the spirit of joy in all around you.