When your intention is to embody light, the world around you grows more beautiful and bright!

In Anusara® yoga there’s a term called “Inner Body Bright.” We’ll get into the specifics of that in a moment, but first I want to invite you to think of it in a way that has far reaching impact…

Consider this: The more you light up yourself, the more you light up the world.

You might be thinking, “Well, that’s obvious.” Or you may be thinking something along the lines of, “Huh?”

Either way, let me expand that a bit.

First of all, ‘light’ is sort of a vague term that’s used a lot when trying to describe things most of us can’t really see. However, if you consider that everything is made up of energy, and that high frequency energy is light, that helps to define it a bit more.

It’s also helpful, for me at least, to remember that there are plenty of people who actually see energetically. I have several friends who can tell you the colour of your aura, which I think is pretty cool, but haven’t yet figured out how to do myself.

At the same time, even if you aren’t able to ‘see’ these energetic plays of light, you can feel them.

Getting back to my main point… Read more…

Spicing Up Your Yoga Practice

My all time favourite hot sauces made by my friend Ashif!

Yesterday morning in Yoga Boot Camp a friend of mine, Susy, taught us a blend of Latin Dance, Hip Hop, and fitness. It was a blast, with laughter and smiles all around, bodies moving to irresistible beats. I brought Susy in to spice up the camp, adding another dynamic element into an already outstanding program where every day is different.

Because it’s always fun to do something playful and different.

The same goes for your yoga practice. The variations and variety of possible poses and themes means you can taste a new flavour of yoga each time you come to your mat. Being willing to explore and expand helps you grow at whatever level your practice is at now.

This exploration, getting creative with your practice, brings immense enjoyment and wonder.

It doesn’t have to be through advanced poses either. There are playful and profound ways to Read more…

What happens when someone gains insight and understanding into the mysteries of Life?

They become deeply loving and peaceful; the embodiment of bliss. They serve from the heart and change the world around them for the better.

Who comes to mind when you think of an “Enlightened Being?” Buddha, Jesus, Mother Theresa, Krishna, Gandhi? Maybe your Grandmother… I don’t know.

Though you and I may not yet have reached Nirvana, we do get moments where the spark of Spirit is so clear that we get a ‘hit’ of the enlightened state. We float in a sense of highest joy when this happens.

Our natural, whole, highest state is this pure bliss. The trick is finding it while balancing all of the events, distractions and responsibilities of life. Yoga helps us do this.

Each time you come to your mat with a willingness to connect to your heart you have a chance to tap into that source of bliss. Read more…

Breath is life, and it connects us to all that lives around us. This is why one of the main focuses of yoga is the breath, including the practice of pranayama.

Can you recall the feeling of your breath really opening up in a yoga pose? Or the shifting of your mind and emotions into a state of peace when you pause and just turn your focus to your breath?

So much of yoga is about the breath, for breath is infused with prana, which is literally the energy of life. Here’s what my teacher, John Friend, has to say about prana in the Anusara® yoga Teacher’s Manual:

“Prana is the vital force in our bodies. It interpenetrates and pulsates within every cell – giving life to our body… Every particle of the physical body, every molecule of DNA, every cell, every organ, and every gland pulsates with prana.”

One of the practices of yoga is pranayama, which is often referred to as ‘breath control’, however I much prefer to consider it a ‘co-created dance’ with your breath.

To me, the concept of control calls in the hardened attitude of domination and separation with one being in control over another.

But we’re speaking of Nature in one of her most essential forms; the movement of life! For pranayama to bring joy and equanimity, doesn’t it make sense to deeply honour the relationship between yourself and your breath? And, when you think about it, where does the breath end and you begin? Read more…

Why is it that Anusara® yoga has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, including myself?

Because it shows you how to radically change the way you look at life.

One of the most powerful aspects of Anusara yoga, and its first principle, is choosing to look for the beauty in every moment. Even in the most difficult and painful times we can find a way to turn towards the light.

It’s being open to the purest essence of life that guides this ability; knowing that intrinsic goodness lives in your heart. This fundamental knowing that you and everything around you is interconnected, and that the choices you make to be kind to yourself and others ripple out to make a big difference.

This looking for the good in life might not come naturally at first, but it’s something you can learn, and it can shift your life in the most empowering way! Read more…

Sunday May 15
11:00-1:00 and 2:30-4:30

What it is:

Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something you’re doing isn’t working, but how do you change if you’re not sure what that is or what to do about it?

This workshop is your chance to learn how to align to and simple techniques you can do anywhere to make all the difference in how your body feels.

What You’ll Get:

• Clear instruction that helps you discover the patterns of misalignment in your body that cause discomfort
• How to align in ways that change those patterns
• Simple stretches you can do anywhere to bring relief
• Bonus poses for immune boosting and hormone balancing Read more…

Earth Day is coming up on Friday, April 22nd, and we’ll be gathering to celebrate it in a very special Music, Mantra and Meditation night.

Details: Music, Mantra, and Meditation Gathering for the Earth (on a Waning Moon)

Friday April 22nd
7:00-9:00 pm
Let’s Move Studio in Kamloops, BC
By Donation (Suggested donation is $15, but please just give what you can)

The Earth Celebration will include:

• Diving into DEEP Peace. Om Shanti mantra meditation
• Guided Earth Healing meditation
• Ocean Blessing
• Drumming (Bring your drums, rattles and shakers!)
• Singing by Katrina and with the group
• Read more…

A large part of Meditation is the dance of breath, and the guiding of breath in Pranayama such as Ujjayi and even breathing, such as in this video, can be a beautiful gateway into a deep state of peace.

Maintaining a beautiful posture or seat in meditation is part of why the practice of asana is such a foundational and integral part of the practice.

So sit beautifully.

Whatever that means for you.

And enjoy your practice.

Ujjayi Pranayama Meditation

Read more…

This is a guest post from my dear friend Dee Holden and her friend Dori.

“I work in a health food store and am being asked often for advice on how to proceed and protect ourselves from the possiblity of nuclear fallout from Japan.

May we all digest the information provided to us and look within to find our own truth in regards to how to proceed. Regardless of whether you feel concern the recipes and info below are certainly good medicine. My sweet sister Dori, a gifted intuitive healer has shared this wonderful article. Thanks Dori!” Read more…

Yoga, to me, invites you to dance on infinite paths that are all going on the same pilgrimage through different routes.

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 Read more…