Taming The Serpent With Kundalini Yoga

I feel a breathe of fresh air flowing through my entire spirit! Day 8. Outside there is a sunny and clear blue sky. It matches my optimism and the level of my enthusiasm to be present and awake with what I am bringing to this morning. I got an early start at 6:15 am with Kundalini Yoga With Gurmukh. Her yoga practice is absolutely incredible! Kundalini literally means "the coiled" or "Serpent Power". It challenges you to look beyond the part of yourself you thought wasn't capable, and see into the realm of life where everything is possible and your abilities are boundless. Imagine that the energy beginning at the base of your spine where the root chakra is located is spiraling up all the way to your crown chakra like a snaking cord. Kundalini explores the energetic mind-body-soul healing within you. This is no a yoga session for the faint of heart. Even so, anyone can participate if they are mindful of what their body is telling them. Gurmukh will push you to stop contemplating your limits and just do. Her soul is calm and her spirit wild as she executes a series of movements that awaken your inner child with abandon. You feel playful, light-hearted, yet grounded. Gurmukh says, "the most important thing to do each day is sweat and laugh." I can acknowledge the truth of her words as she guides me through a series of active poses. I certainly found myself hilarious while performing this unorthodox method of yoga. At times my body protested to the verge of giving up, but I did as Gurmukh said and worked through the difficulty to surpass myself. Towards the end of the practice I was panting heavily, but energized, awesomely alive and ready for the peaceful meditation  to the resonating sound of a gong which closed out the session The word for the day is 'perseverance', and it is really paying off in spades! To learn more about Gurmukh, watch the 'Visual Inspiration For The Day' below the postings, or visit her yoga studio The Golden Bridge's website.

3 More Weeks Of Yoga Challenge And Beyond...

My key word today is consistency. I've made it through an entire week of bends,twists, and adjustments to my body and posture. These last 7 days have been very eventful. They have changed the way I look at my personal goals, my body, my physical and mental health and my spirituality. My days are now less stressful, more focused, and by body feels at ease and beautiful within itself. I can't imagine how I ever let my yoga practice go astray. Even when I was practicing regularly before, my sessions were only 3-4 times a week, an adjunct to my "real" exercises such as the treadmill or the elliptical. Now I'm practicing about 1 hour of yoga per day, and I'm going to use my cardio as a 30 minute addition. I think I'm going to rediscover Billy Blanks. I've used his Focus Series - Abs & Glutes because even thought it's a VHS, it's arguably one of the best workouts I've ever done that targets the common problem areas of waist to hips. Tae Bo is always a tried, true and effective cardio routine that gives me endurance and burns a lot of calories. I will combine traditional training with yoga for even more results. I know that even after this month is over, I will continue my daily 60 minutes of mat time. I honestly don't remember how I used to get by without it. 20 minutes of chakra meditation each day goes a long way toward balancing out my body's systems and will only increase my mental and spiritual awareness. I couldn't be more pleased with the path I've chosen. My soul is smiling right now. The path ahead only becomes clearer and clearer with each passing sunset.

Moving Past Barriers

I'm beginning to see a small circle of light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not saying that I was particularly discouraged before. But while I've been consistent and for the most part felt very positive about my whole experience, now I really feel for the first time that I can see my feet taking one step ahead of the other. Today it was me, the mat and Rodney again for another divine hour-long session. I made great strides in my practice My transitions from asana to asana were more seamless, my body even more limber and I noticed a considerable increase in my strength. All this and it's only 6 yoga practices later! And as for the difficult pose of Urdhva Dhanurasana, it is getting further within reach. Today I tried it and was able to lift my body up and away from the ground, although my form and the time I was able to hold it pretty much sucked. The important key here is progress. I can't believe how far I'm getting. That is what's encouraging me to stick with it. Well both that , and the fact that my chakra meditations are also improving, thanks to the isochronic recordings I'm using. Oddly I'm noticing old emotions and negative thoughts coming to the surface and then being purified away. Only more good can come of this process, and I can't wait to see how much longer the road to enlightenment will get!

Photo Credits: Sura Nualpradid

5 Days And Counting...

Unexpected discoveries must be my theme for the weekend, because today I just experienced another one. Yesterday evening I saw a late night movie, a fabulous film that I highly recommend, called The Adjustment Bureau. I ended up staying up past my bedtime and combined with the fact that I had to go in to work early, missed my regular yoga time. My Rodney Yee Power Yoga was left at home, so I had to use Comcast On Demand's Exercise TV at my office and was able to complete a 45 min yoga session with Rainbeau Mars. Namaste to Rainbeau Mars for creating the inspiring routine of her DVD Yoga for Beauty with Rainbeau Mars: Dawn. It is an incredible vinyasa that floats effortlessly from one pose to the next. I was able to loosen up the stuck energy in my lower back and hamstrings and warm up my spine. Rainbeau must be a yoga angel, because those graceful and limbering asanas were just what I needed for my busy day. At the end of the session, I felt radiant inside and out. It was a lovely feeling. I love yoga flows that don't intimidate and are completely devoid of ego, allowing me to grow in a non-judgmental space. Even though life is not always like that, I've found a little piece of heaven that is right on my non-slip mat. It's my 5th day of my commitment to yoga everyday for the next 30 days, and I haven't slipped yet!

An Unexpected Breakthrough

Today I was really feeling the wear and tear of my newly developing yoga practice. I've discovered that my hamstrings can be particularly tight. That spot just above the knee joints on the backs of my legs was killing me. Thanks to a little Mineral Infrared Therapy, I've put a lot of the discomfort at bay, and now it's just an absent reminder that I've indulged too much over the winter.Appropriately my cell phone's daily horoscope message read, "Sagittarius, if you can't get revved up to start the day, don't fret! Energy is coming later on." I did have a bit of a trial today. I contemplated not doing yoga this morning and postponing it until this evening. But everybody knows how that works. If you wait until later, there's a good chance that it won't get done. So I dragged my lazy butt out of bed and decided on the lesser of two evils. I practiced Rodney Yee's ABS Yoga For Beginners for 30 minutes. Boy am I glad I did, because I ended up dedicating the remainder of my 30 mintute practice to chakra meditation! That was a wonderful decision. I lay present, yet relaxed in Savasana pose, my thumb pressed to middle finger in the traditonal stance of inner contemplation. I started at the root chakra which was a pretty dim red, and worked my way all the way to the crown chakra. I recently came across an amazing advancement with chakra balancing isochronic tone meditation. I listened to the recording as I tuned in to each chakra deeply. I could feel surges of energy pulse through me from the base of my spine to the top of my head. It was really wild! Afterwards I felt completely at peace. I know that I made great progress today with a combination of yoga that focused on my lower chakras (the areas I have issues with) and the isochronic recording. Try out an isochronic recording during your next chakra meditation and experience the same benefits I did. It was a soul-searching experience for me. I've never felt more in synchonicity with my own body and mind connection. So slacking off was actually to my advantage today. Tommorow morning it's back to my 1 hour session of sweating with Rodney Yee.

Photo Credits: Salvatore Vuono

Going Even Futher...

My gosh! Today is day 3 of my yoga and chakra challenge, and I'm just buzzing with good vibes. All my life I was told that perfection was the ultimate goal for a human being to strive to. There was a lot of pressure put upon me by my parents to conform to the rigors of their cultist believe system. This put so much negative mental programming inside my head that I'm using EFT to gradually wash it away from my psyche. It's a process, as with everything worth attaining in life. Yoga and meditation are teaching me that one day at a time.The thing about yoga and chakra balancing is that it's not about perfection but about maintaining equilibrium and balance. Both practices marry the smooth calm of self-control with the liberation of letting go. In my practice today I did just that. I said goodbye to my inhibitions and trusted in the firm foundation of strength I'm building within my mind and body giving my heart permission to just release... In just 3 short days I've made a lot of progress. I feel as if my chakras are starting to stretch, breathe and test their boundaries which are limitless. When I first begin to meditate on my solar plexus region at the beginning of this challenge, trying to imagine the yellow swirling vortex of energy was hard. I would actually have to look at the color yellow and then close my eyes to visualize it. Now I can close my eyes and almost feel the invisible energy radiating just below the apex of my ribs right in the concave spot just beneath them; spinning, for now a subtly muted yellow going clockwise in the right direction. It's not strong but it's there. Reflecting on my root chakra I can feel it getting more confident, spinning slowly and steadily; a warm muted scarlet, radiating from the base of my pelvic floor right down to the tips of my toes as I pose tall and sure in Warrior 1 position. Today I made a major breakthrough in Urdhva Dhanurasana pose. Whereas before I couldn't even lift the weight of my body, I am now able to raise significantly higher to look behind myself. I wasn't fully extended upwards by a long shot, but I could feel my pelvis and ribcage jutting forward, begging to go further. And I will let them, with a little more practice and patience. "Quiet down ego. You'll take this one step at a time," I tell myself smiling in understanding,drenched in the sweat of my pleasant labors. Today's cell phone horoscope? "Sagittarius, unlike most people today, you will have your feet planted firmly on the ground."

Photo credits: Savit Keawtavee

Moving Through Personal Challenges With 4 Simple Phrases

"If you want to solve a problem, no matter what kind of problem, work on yourself," says Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. In a sense isn't that what a daily routine of yoga is all about? You learn from yourself and your mistakes, forgive yourself and begin anew. During today's yoga practice, I decided to implement Ho'oponopono. Ho'opono...What? Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian prayer that uses four of the most healing phrases a human being can ever utter. It is an exercise in deep humility, and it is a powerful lesson. The theory of  Ho'oponopono surmises that we attract whatever harms or wrongs come into our lives by not having been healed from within. For more understanding of the process of Ho'oponopono, please read this link to an interview with Dr.Ihaleakala Hew Len, a Ho'oponopono guru who has used this wonderful process to heal thousands of people all over the world! It's nothing short of miraculous and will give the rest of your day a huge burst of inspiration. An insightful and well-written book on the subject was co-authored by Dr.Ihaleakala Hew Len Ph.D, and self-improvement coach Joe Vitale called Zero Limits. It gives an in depth look at Ho'oponopono and how it can be used in everyday life. There is also an official website which discusses Ho'oponopono and lists dates to Dr. Len's workshops. In the meantime,the prayer of Ho'oponopono goes as follows or some variation thereof. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you." Whether or not you believe this to be the case doesn't matter and doesn't change the fact that these four phrases have great impact when spoken.They can calm the most angry or hopeless of situations, if said with honesty, sincerity, and humbleness. Think back to some of the most trying, stressful times in your life, or reflect on a person place or thing that makes you angry and repeat for 1-2 minutes this incredible mantra. You will notice that after a while you feel better just by saying the words to yourself while focusing on the matter. First start with someone or something you love deeply but have a problem with, and say the mantra, then progress to someone you don't dislike but don't know well. From there go on to someone you dislike, and then on to someone you hate. Just say to the person or issue at hand, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you." You may notice wonderful things happen around the subject you're dealing with, or it might simply cease to be important. Practice Ho'oponopono when you are faced with a challenge or obstacle and notice profound differences in your thinking towards the goal you are trying accomplish. Really be open-minded to whatever change you feel occurring within your mindset. Look for any shift in your thought pattern that will lead you to a more positive resolution and even if you feel resistance, take that path. This chant is all about letting go of ego and selfishness, and opening up to compassion and love. Make today about these 4 short sentences. Take a long grounding breath in and say "I'm sorry. Please Forgive me. Thank you. I love you."


Photo Credits: Scott Chan