Did you know this leads to anxiety and depression?

According to Ayurveda, this behavior is associated with a Vata imbalance.The wisdom teachings of yoga teach us that the balance of the 5 elements in our bodies will help us maintain our health and well being.

The air element is  wonderful for moving energy, stoking new creativity, stirring up your enthusiasm. If the air element combined with the space element you can become spacey, ungrounded, and easily distracted. You will find yourself going from one project to the next never completing anything. You will often feel overwhelmed, anxious, and have trouble sleeping.

Usually this imbalance occurs more frequently after women go through menopause or are pregnant. But it also can also occur for everyone as they move into Vata time of life after age 50. Shifting levels of hormones, change of seasons, transitioning into Vata season (Fall) and travel all cause a Vata imbalance.

Lack of Energy & Focus

Your lack of groundedness is causing you to have sleep disturbances which leads to unevenness of energy throughout the day. You can have moments of total clarity and focus followed by feeling spacey, tired, dull or exhausted.

By constantly depleting your body you will feel like you are always running on empty. Napping is said to really improve your heart health. 15-20 minute power naps are really wonderful for rejuvenating your energy. If you need more than a 10-20 minute nap a day you need to get more rest.

The effects of sleep deprivation over time are scary.

The lack of quality rest and not enough REM cycles or deep sleep will adversely affect your memory, focus and concentration.

According to Webmd.com here are the effects of sleep deprivation over time.

• Heart disease
• Irregular heart beat
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Kills your sex drive
• Causes accidents
• Dumbs you down
• Can contribute to causing depression
• Ages your skin
• Messes with your memory
• Puts on extra weight and makes it hard to lose it once it is on.
• Impairs your judgement (you might think you can get away with 6 hours of sleep…. NOT!!)

How Your Belly Disturbs Your Sleep and Mind Focus

What throws a lot of us off balance is chronic inflammation in our microbiome. Digestive issues will contribute to brain fog and sleep deprivation. If you have ever tried to sleep on a full belly you will get how important it is that you eat early and lighter in order to get a good night’s rest.

What causes inflammation in your gut?

• Processed Foods (breads, pasta, chips, cookies, candy ,cakes) anything that does not grow in nature.
• Any food that has been treated with radiation, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics.
• Meat and fish that has been given food that is not in the animals natural diet.
• Heating foods with microwaves in plastic containers.
• Eating too heavy late at night, past 7:00 pm.
• A diet that includes refined sugar.
• Having the same foods every day.
• Gobbling down your food too quickly while walking, standing, or driving.
• Taking a huge amount of supplements instead of eating wholesome fresh organic foods.
• Sitting down for a meal when you’re upset.
  

Ignoring The Problem Won’t Make It Go Away

What if you are complacent or apathetic about your lack of energy and focus?

This syndrome if left unattended over decades will eventually lead to some serious health issues down the road like: immune disorders, chronic fatigue, weight gain, diabetes, heart problems, chronic depression,  anxiety, memory loss, or dementia.

4 Secrets To Solve Your Foggy Mind And Low Energy

1. Early to Bed Early to Rise…

Going to bed at 10:00 pm or earlier every night consistently will help you break this pattern.

By staying up late and being on blue screens (TV iPhones, iPads, laptops), you rob yourself of essential deep rest that will help you keep your mind sharp and help you sustain your energy during the afternoons and early evening. Taking the TV out of the bedroom is the first step.

Watch for Signs of Tiredness. Yawning, eye rubbing, and heavy eyelids. If you find that you are reading the same sentence 10 times without comprehension close the book and turn off the lights!

2. Avoid Drinking Alcohol During The Week & Caffeine After 10:00 am

Drinking alcohol will cause you to wake up in the middle of the night disturbing your REM cycles and preventing you from being on top of your game the next day. Save it for the weekends.

3. Practice Daily Meditation And Yoga 5 Days A Week

Doing 10-20 minutes of body breath practices will help you oxygenate your body and help you keep you mind clear and your energy even throughout the day. Even five sun salutations will help regulate your energy.

Would love to exercise but have no energy to get yourself off the sofa?  Daily exercise will give your more energy so that you can exercise and improve your health and mental clarity.

Daily meditation helps you floss the mind and increases your grey matter!  You get smarter! Read this great blog about Meditation. Meditating before bed helps you process your day and give you a deeper sleep.

4. Eat Earlier lighter dinner for better sleep.

Closing the kitchen after an early dinner and fasting on water between meals will also help you get to bed earlier, leave you well rested and energized the next day.

Stop eating at 7:00pm

Do Intermittent fasting by putting 12-16 hour between the last meal of the day and breakfast. For example, if you eat at 6:00 pm dinner you would fast until 7:00-8:00am the next day.

If you are hungry before bed try making warm Golden Milk recipe with either milk or Almond milk.

The Next Right Step

If you have had it with losing the plot and low energy, invest in your health and well being. Get to know why your daily habits can make a huge difference in how your mind and body ages. You will be able to have the energy to step into your Swa Dharma (the next right step for you and your family).

I have seen folks in their 20’s dragging themselves through the day and elders in their 90’s full of beans still working because it so so much fun. It has nothing to do with age and all do do with your daily habits.

I am a 65 year old yoga teacher and teacher trainer. I just added a new career as a Yoga Health Coach four years ago. I see students adopting this healthy lifestyle and dropping years off their physiological age. I am working with folks 20-80 years young. They are active and sharp as a tack!

You can avoid serious health issues by following the healthy habits that are recommended by Ayurveda. These habits  help to regulate your personal clock so that you are in tuned with the daily rhythms of nature. Read here about  Dina Charya.  

An insightful quote from the Dalai Llama when asked what surprised him most…

 “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.”  Dalai Llama

A Challenge

Vibrant energy is your birthright! I invite you to share with me how you are investing in your well being and any challenges you have with adopting a healthier habits. Wherever you are in your life, you can always get this party started!

Let me know what you are doing to keep you mind clear and to have vibrant energy throughout your day.

As a healer, I don’t want to become dependent on any kind of pill! The point he was making is that you must heal your gut to absorb the nutrients from food, so that you don’t have to be so dependent on supplements. But then how do we get all the nutrients from our food then when even organic isn’t organic anymore! GMO crops are spreading like wildfire into organic farm land.

Why We Need Supplements

Roundup and pesticides used on GMO crops leaks into the soil of organic crops. Even as consumers, we may think we are buying organic with the best intentions. After Amazon bought Whole Foods, the leading producer of organic produce, Whole Foods withdrew their promise to mark GMO foods ( Mercola July 2018). Who are we to trust unless we know the farmer down the street, visited his/her land, and witnessed organic food being grown first hand?

Fruits and vegetables contain fewer minerals than the fruits and vegetables grown in the 1980’s. We are dirt poor with estimates that nutrients and minerals in our soil have dropped 20 to 30 percent or more from the late 1970’s to today with modern day farming techniques, use of Roundup, and GMO food production. For this reason, I believe supplementation is necessary. However, food is still the ultimate medicine.

The Best of Both Worlds

I have come to the conclusion that Functional Medicine and Ayurveda make a beautiful combination. Ayurveda can help us identify our imbalances, and functional medicine can provide the biological testing that identifies how deep our deficiencies go, as well as our genetic predispositions to certain conditions and diseases. The tests of Functional Medicine are excellent tools for people to live in alignment.

Through tests prescribed by my Functional Medicine Doctor, I learned I possessed some interesting genetic traits.  I wouldn’t have known about these genetic traits through Ayurveda alone. I found out I don’t detoxify very well. I have the MTHFR gene and the MTRR gene, two different genes, that have to do with methylation and the bodies ability to detoxify. MTHFR is tied to reductions in folate, whereas MTRR is associated with Vitamin B12 deficiency. People with these gene mutation cannot have synthetic Folic Acid.

My functional doctor also found that I had gut dysbiosis, meaning I had a lack of beneficial bacteria in my gastrointestinal tract. Also, meaning that even if I was eating foods with B12, I probably wasn’t getting proper absorption of it and thus the reason for my anemia.

Address the Agni

From an Ayurvedic approach, a person who has anemia has malabsorption and gut dysbiosis.
In comparing my functional tests and B12 (folic acid) deficiency with Ayurveda, my symptoms are in line with the recommendations that Ayurveda makes for those with anemia. In Ayurveda, someone with anemia would have a low digestive fire or weak digestion. In Ayurveda, the treatment of anemia or B12 deficiency would be to address the agni (digestive fire) to support proper digestion, absorption, and metabolism of B12 when eaten with foods high in B12. Thus, Ayurveda taught me to deal with my weak digestion in order to get the benefits of proper supplementation.

Pass the Salt Please!

From my functional testing, I learned I have type O blood, and most of my ancestors came from Ireland, Scotland, and the Mediterranean who before modern time lived on fish, marine life, seaweed, sea kelp, plant life and thus had high levels of Omega 3’s, which in a modern world I have to supplement to get my levels where they need to be. My body thrives on Celtic Sea Salt, Sea Kelp, and I can eat a high salt diet, and my body craves it and does very well because naturally I would have received this salt in my diet. I am iodine deficient for a lack of eating what my body would have eaten hundreds of years ago. I have been supplementing to get my iodine levels up to where they should be.

You are Unique just like everybody else.

Interestingly, my functional medicine tests pair up with what Ayurveda teaches. Functional Medicine understands biodiversity. Each of us is unique, and there is no one size fits all approach in healing and medicine. Ayurveda, understood this 5,000 years ago that each of us are born with a unique body constitution or dosha. There are three body types Vata, Pitta and Kapha. In my case, I am predominately a Vata Dosha. Just as iodine and Celtic Sea Salt and Sea Kelp are good for me from a functional vantage point, my dosha (constitution) is balanced with the tastes sweet, sour and “SALTY.” While a Kapha body type would need to AVOID salt because they would retain water, they are prone to high blood pressure, a Vata Dosha can be depleted without it. Learning this information from functional medicine and then pairing it with Ayurveda is similar to putting all the puzzle pieces together and seeing the puzzle complete.

Thank you Functional Medicine

I am grateful for Functional Medicine because of all the nuances that it has taught me about my body. Functional medicine has taught me so much about my own body, what it needs to function, and how it ticks. But what Functional Medicine hasn’t taught me is how to optimize my energy day in and day out.

Thank you Ayurveda

I am grateful for Ayurveda, because it has taught me the lifestyle habits I need to be healthy. Ayurveda picks up where Functional Medicine departs. Functional Medicine gives us access to the information of our unique biochemistry, and Ayurveda gives us the ability to take that information and transform our lifestyle to suit our bodies.

I can have all the testing done in the world, but if I have really bad habits and supplement I may not be healthy. My father was a perfect example of this. He tried to beat the system. He had diabetes, and he thought that he could supplement his way to health. Over a 15-year period, he had a massive stroke and died. Sadly, you can have all the data in the world from Functional Medicine, but if you aren’t eating in alignment with your body type, honoring your circadian rhythms, learning to de-stress, and have a higher purpose in life – then all the supplementation and dieting for your body type won’t bring about health.

Supplements are a Billion Dollar Business

One of the fastest growing industries in the world is the nutritional supplement industry. In Forbes in April of 2018, it was reported to be a $32 billion industry. By 2021, it is projected to double to $60 billion. Supplements are a cash cow, and I believe that people are still searching for a quick fix similar to pharmaceutical drugs. But what if supplements aren’t a quick fix in of themselves? What if we have to ask ourselves the question that we have to also do the work to heal internally? This is where Ayurveda is the key to true health.
Ayurveda teaches us that we have to have a strong digestive fire, a healthy gut microbiome, and that we have to eat in alignment with our own biochemistry or our own constitution, our own biodiversity if you will. And above all us, we have to give our body the support it needs through our lifestyle habits. Ayurveda is a mind, body and spirit approach to health.

The perfect diet will not save you

We, the general population, seem to think that we have the answers for the perfect diet whether it be Veganism, Paleo, etc. I used to think that healing my digestion would also be the answer to perfect health. Then one of my close friends said Paige, you cannot just eat your way to health. If you are highly stressed and unhappy with aspects of your life, then you will still suffer. The lightbulb went off, Ayurveda had taught me that healing my gut wasn’t the only solution. Ayurveda taught me that I had a lot of deep work to do through meditation and my spiritual practices to find happiness.

Baby Step by Baby Step

Ayurveda and the 10 Body Thrive habits have taught me habit automation and that change happens slowly. When I went to my functional doctor and received all the testing results to heal my nutritional deficiencies, there were no recommendations on how to change my habits, how to go about changing them, and that it would take months if not years to automate these habits. All I received were a list of supplements, and I was told to stay away from aggravating foods.

Most people fall into this camp when they see a doctor, recommendations are made, but there is no further help to create the transformational journey that needs to happen to heal and make the changes necessary. One of my Ayurveda teachers said that she wouldn’t give herbal remedies to her patients until they made the lifestyle changes first. She said the lifestyle changes had a greater impact, and that the herbs assisted, but 80 to 90 percent of the healing occurred through lifestyle.

We live in one of the best times in human history. We have amazing testing that can help us understand our genetic makeup and what makes us tick. Ayurveda teaches us how to live!

Feel Amazing!

Ayurveda teaches you how to Thrive so that you feel amazing! When I say Thrive, I mean that you feel vitality running through your veins and you don’t need external pharmaceutical drugs to feel deeply alive, pulsating, and energetic. It puts you in touch with the beauty of the planet, and it gives you a much bigger Dharma because when you know at your core that the light in me shines in you then it would behoove all of us to live in harmony with our own bodies and planet. Maybe we wouldn’t need Functional Medicine as much, if we had rich soil and whole foods from that soil, clean oceans, and water. We need to have some reverence for the earth and for our own bodies – the two are interconnected. Our ancestors didn’t have a need for Functional Medicine the way we do today because the earth was less polluted. By being stewards of our bodies, we are stewards of this planet healing both simultaneously.

Where did the celebration of Gurupurnima come from?  

Gurupurima is an ancient practice of honoring the teacher.

A great teacher Veda Vyasa who compiled the 4 Vedas, translated the Maharabharata, and the 36 Paranas was the inspiration of this holiday. His students wanted to thank him for his  contribution to their lives.

They asked him how they could honor him. He said to choose one day to bestow their teacher with gifts and their offerings. They choose the day of the brightest fullest full moon of the year to be Gurupurnima to honor this teacher.

This tradition was set many centuries ago and has been celebrated ever since.

Ways to honor our teachers this month.

• You can make a gift in their name.
• You can send them notes, presents and offerings.
• Contemplate what would your teacher love to receive?

Your greatest gift to them is to live life to your full potential.

My own teachers have had a profound influence on me. When you meet a great teacher, you begin to hear an inner resonance. What they say touches your heart. You begin to see yourself through their eyes. A great teacher will recognize the greatness within you and you will start to see this in yourself.

I never feel diminished around great teachers, however, it’s not always comfortable to be around great teachers. In the presence of a great teacher you feel challenged to move into new territory, to face your inner demons of the small self/ego, and to step into your fullest potential.

Teaching that Wisdom is from Within

Teachers influence our lives through setting a great example of behavior. Sally Kempton, one of my favorite teachers, taught me to recognize that the guidance I am always looking for outside myself comes from within. This is such a powerful teaching. Everything we need is inside us. How can this be? There is so much help out there. I must need a lot of help!! I cannot tell you how much money, time and energy I have spent on self improvement seminars – it’s endless.

Honoring the teacher within and without is really what the month of Gurupurnima is all about. This is  an especially important message to receive at this time in the world with so much chaos and uncertainty.

The other blessing we receive from our gurus, our great teachers is the glimpse of the divine, that feeling of being in the presence of something bigger and larger than us.

Experiencing The Divine Presence

Many yoga teachers talk about the Great Self, Universal Consciousness, Shiva, Shakti, Prana…
There are so many questions as to where to turn to solve issues in your life, for your family and  in our communities.  What is the next right step (Swahdharma) for us as individuals, for our families and for our communities?

A great teacher will connect you to your inner guide… the guru within, the Great Self.

What is the guru within? How do you find it?

How do you experience this inner presence?

Some describe this presence as…

• Swirling lights
• Vast stars in an endless dark night,
• An ocean pulsating with love, emptiness, stillness
• a penetrating blue light emanating from the 3rd eye
• Waves of love washing over the body
• Undulating energy that moves deep inside
• Deep heaviness of the outer body and expansion within
• A blue/black pulsating presence that envelops us
• The seeker disappears into the feeling of love and oneness
• A giant eye peering back at you from within

Some folks see actual saints, sages, gurus who are no longer in a body. They may have never seen nor heard of these people but they show up in their meditations.

Others see spirit guides in the form of animals, totems, mandalas, or hear celestial music or the sound of OM pulsating inside. Some feel a pulsating movement of the Shakti throughout their body.

All these are manifestations of energy that has been awakened.

How does this happen?

Through practices like asana, meditation or chanting. You can also experience this by coming into contact with a realized being like a Guru or through shared practices with a community of awakened beings.

The Hugging Guru

How do we connect deeper with the divine presence within?

I was in the presence of a real Guru recently.  Sri Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma, as she is lovingly called by her students. She is also known as the hugging Guru.

There were huge lines of devotees queuing up to get her hugs. All around the hall people were buzzing with anticipation. Love filled the air as this compassionate realized being gives her devotees individual hugs sometimes for 22 hours straight without breaks.

I have been in this amazing being’s presence and received her hugs 3 times over the past 15 years. The experience was so beautiful. As she hugged me she chanted Namoh, Namoh, Namoh in my ear. It reverberated in my heart for days afterwards.

In this guru experience the divine mother is there holding you in her love and compassion. The name for this devotional love is Bhakti. You feel this divine love in her presence and when you chant with great kirtan masters like Krishna Das. Your heart melts in the presence of this deep transpersonal love.

We are living through a unique time in history when everyone on the planet needs a collective hug. The constant barrage of bad news blasting away at us on a daily basis is enough to drive anyone towards someone who might have the answer we are seeking.

Amma’s teachings are simple and beautiful.
“True love is that which helps us experience life and the life-force everywhere. If your love doesn’t enable you to see this, such love is not real love. It is illusory love.”

When folks ask what do we bring Amma as a gift. She tells them their suffering!

My students come to my yoga classes to find solace, peace of mind, hope. We are looking for something that will help us move forward when the momentum is moving civilization in the opposite direction.

Where are your teachers?

Where do you turn to for guidance? What blogs, websites, books, webinars, seminars, retreats do you attend to help you find your center, your inner guidance?

In honor of the month of the teacher check out this list of inner practices that were given to me by my teachers that will help you find your inner GPS. The practices are a way of reconnecting to your own inner Guru.

There are so many questions as to where to turn to solve issues in your life, for your family and  in our communities. What is the next right step (Swahdharma) for us as individuals, for our families and for our communities?

A great teacher will connect you to your inner guide… the guru within, the Great Self.

Honour Your Teachers

In honour of Gurupurima share in the comments below your great teachers and the gurus that have blessed your life.

But what if we would dress this idea by reversing them? What a concept! 

This is my mission as a Yoga Health Coach:

And I was put on the spot in the last month.

When Your World Falls Apart

6 weeks ago I picked up the phone and got the news that my man’s brother died of heart problems. My heart started pumping. I could feel the blood flow fast through my veins and my feet leaving the ground. I gripped hard into this conscious awakening of feeling this news settling in, including both my hands on the kitchen counter. Right then I made myself two promises and focused all my energy on two foundational habits that I would stick to no matter what; eating earlier and lighter and exercising every morning.

Why?  Because I knew my man would need all the support he could get. A sick run down partner, mother for him and our children, was not going to be of any help. Being a Yoga Health Coach I knew by experience and coaching my clients through hard times these two habits would be of core help during this difficult grieving time.  

The Earlier Lighter Dinner

An earlier lighter dinner created a domino effect for me to feel into my fatigued body and mind.  This offered me permission to be in bed earlier for a deep and resourceful sleep. The more shut eye we get we build a strong immune system for the long term and short term of our well being.

A study by Janet Mulligan on sleep loss and inflammation proves the relationship between deep sleep and our immune system. Reading this article helps to understand why eating earlier and lighter optimizes sleep. With this simple practice, I knew my body would be armed and rested to defend against any immune challenges that would arise in my surrounding and changing environment.  Explaining my need for sleep to my family was now easier than ever.

Get Moving in the Morning

Have you ever noticed that when you exercise you get more energized? This is an increase in endorphin levels in the body. In effect we kind of get high.  Our cardiovascular system gets boosted which allows you to have greater endurance throughout the day.

Exercising in the morning became documented ritual for me. To help me track this daily habit beside my light switch in my room I posted Mastery Habit Tracking sheet. Every day I would check off a box when I completed this one habit. 

Each movement became so precious and became my lifeline to this divine source of energy that energized my whole being on all levels.  Movement sharpened and focused my mind to digest my own emotions and able to hold space for my family during this sad time in our lives.  During this crisis setting up my day with exercise was crucial.

Living in Crisis

NEXT: to break the news to my man. Off he went to be with his family to begin the grieving process. The full responsibility of our two children fell naturally onto me. 

I scaled down my agenda to the necessary;  teaching my yoga classes, my YHC exam, keeping up with my free talks. Canceled everything else.

One of my strengths as a mother is asking for help. It’s a community that raises a child. Right?  As one of my main family values, it’s important that I be a role model for other families to reach out in the time of need and not get burnt out. And in turn, I reached out to my community to help with babysitting and to fill my freezer with healthy foods which freed up more time for me to be where I was most needed. 

Two funerals and three weeks of traveling, my entire family fell ill with a nasty virus and was bedridden for 7 days each, one after the other, Mom to the rescue for another 2 weeks. Ouff!

Effortless and Automated

As time passed I noticed the two fundamental habits I chose were effortless and automated. Allowing me to be fully present to respond to my family’s needs and I noticed that they held the fort for the rest of my habits to fall into place.

And guess what? I haven’t been sick. Investing my time and energy towards my well-being held true, in my eyes, to my family’s actual need: to fully be present to meet their needs for their well-being.  

Have you ever caught yourself in a habit that didn’t align with your desired intention and influenced the rest of your daily routine?  

• sleep earlier but eat a big meal that keeps you awake all night
• exercise in the morning but go to bed too late the night before so you sleep in
• ___________(add your own) but don’t do it

These essential habits are also known as keystone habits. Which is in reference to stone masonry when constructing an arch way, it’s the last stone place in the middle of the arch way to hold every other stone in place.

Our habits are our daily building stones of our daily routine and are actioned out one after the other, but which one holds the fort?

I stuck with two of them and proved to me that they were strategically placed for a strong integral foundation as a mother. Which habit(s) are your Keystone habits? And WHY? Comment below I’d love to hear what keeps you strong when you need it.

I searched for many years before finding the right yoga teacher. After trial and error, I found a great fit in the Anusara Yoga Community. Although John Friend, the founder, left in 2012, the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga continues to grow and thrive with 900 licensed well trained teachers still carrying on the amazing tradition of this yoga path all over the world.

This year as I celebrate my 27th anniversary of teaching yoga, I notice my teaching has shifted dramatically over the years. What I understood to be the gold standard for a successful yoga teacher in 1991 is radically different from how I see it now.

I was a former power yoga vinyasa teacher, who taught a very athletic form of hatha yoga in NYC gyms in the early 90’s. My teaching felt like an extension of my former career as an aerobics instructor. Students wanted a sweaty strong class, yet the class had no contemplation, meditation or opportunity to go inside. My classes had an external focus because I wasn’t meditating yet, hadn’t studied yoga philosophy or met my main teacher. My interest was in creating an atmosphere with movement, music and a lightness of spirit. I had not yet learned the value of deep inner work of self inquiry.

Each Class Takes us on a Journey

 Now life is so different. I have been invited to teach and train Anusara yoga teachers internationally in NYC, China, Europe, Mexico, Costa Rica and Japan.  The yoga sages say that when you go inside, you discover life’s true purpose, or Swadharma. This inner work and exploration taught in Anusara Yoga has added a new dimension to my instruction and a depth to my classes. I always bring my self -inquiry into the classroom. I teach what I need to learn that day. Now each class I teach is a journey within to discover why we are here.

Stay in Alignment

Anusara yoga teachers help us focus on healthy inner and outer alignment. We align our intention and the physical body. There is an emphasis on experiencing a pulsation between engaging muscles and expanding energetically, that brings balance and ease into the pose. We are neither over or under efforting. The knowledge and application of good alignment and the weaving of yoga teachings throughout the class turns the experience of yoga from a fitness regime to an uplifting journey to your own sweet essential Self. This inner journey is transformative and life changing. I am beyond grateful for the amazing gift of Anusara Yoga to me and for my students all over the world.

It’s All Fun and Games Until the Chit hits the Fan!

When you connect to your very own wisdom body by realizing the purpose of yoga, you relax into life and let go of the struggle. The purpose of yoga according to the non-dual philosophy at the heart of Anusara yoga is to recognize your own infinite/divine nature.

(Chit)  By recognizing your own essence as a part of everything in the universe, you begin to understand that the totality of who you are includes the  dance and celebration ( Ananda) of both the dark and light aspects of life. There is a freedom in knowing everything is here to awaken us.

You may still experience great obstacles and challenges, yet even these no longer stop you in your tracks or derail your health and well being.  In fact you begin to cultivate an attitude of “bring it on!” Anusara Yoga seems to help people develop a way of meeting life’s challenges with humor and grace instead of dread and and fear. This inner work prepares you for life’s real challenges (health issues, illnesses, injuries, job loss, transitions, divorce, death..) A fun vinyasa class is a good sweaty workout but will not be of great support when the  @##$% hits the fan!

Look around to see what popular yoga teachers are doing these days. Do you notice many are power vinyasa yoga instructors? There is nothing wrong with this style of yoga, but it seems to appeal to the athlete/yogi who is not interested in going inside. It is possible to experience a flow practice and also to do the self inquiry work that leads to inner transformation. By aligning your intention, every class with your highest ideals,  Anusara yoga helps the student find their Swadharma (their true path).

There are stages of a yogi’s development. When a yoga student is new at the practice they tend to focus on the physical. The spiritual aspects seem intimidating, foreign, weird or affected. After practicing for a while the student begins to simmer and cook in the “Shakti” or energy of the practice and naturally starts to explore the more subtle realms like Pranayama, Chanting, meditation, karma yoga, or Seva (selfless service).  So wherever you are right now is perfect! I will never forget the friend who brought me to my first class. I hated the chanting but loved the way I felt in Savasana!! That was Bliss ( Ananda). And there were no drugs involved!! I couldn’t wait to get back and try it again!

Glass of Wine Yoga Has its Shortcomings

Yoga can easily turn into a palliative healing modality that makes you feel good till the next yoga class. That kind of yoga is like a nice glass of wine. It takes the edge off of a stressful day. I am interested in going much deeper. By incorporating the yoga teachings in classes we are able to take yoga off the mat and into our lives. The contemplation like for instance, Saucha, (purification of the body and mind and our environment) can result in your life becoming more efficient more organized. You will clear up misunderstandings in relationships, and clean up your diet.  All these shifts leads to more vibrant and clear energy.

Let me tell you about Lucy, a retired nurse in her early 70s who took my Anusara yoga class at World Yoga Center. Her IBS(Irritable Bowel Syndrome) ruled her life. She was exhausted, depressed, irritable and isolated. One of the ways I help people off the mat is through my Yoga Health Coaching course, The Body Evolves which Lucy signed up for. Lucy’s IBS went into remission after taking the course. I was thrilled at the way she transformed in the program. She changed the way she digests food. Not only that her personality changed, she became more positive and outgoing. She began to feel more uplifted and lighter. She was so grateful to have discovered this healing path.  She took small steps. She quit snacking between meals and ate her last meal of the day around 6:00 pm. This calmed down her digestive system allowing it to rest between meals. She ate miso soup for breakfast. Fermented food really helped her gut health.

Lucy now spends time in nature every day filled with gratitude for this life. I am so grateful I  doing a daily practice of Anusara yoga. I was able to guide her and I wonder, had I not evolved as a teacher, could I have helped Lucy get to where she is today?

Take Yoga off the Mat and Integrate Yoga Teachings into Your Life and Your Relationships.

Taking yoga off the mat and into every aspect of your life has been my passion since meeting my teacher, Cate Stillman. Cate is  an Ayurvedic practitioner and a trained Anusara Yoga Teacher. Her course, Body Thrive, based on the teachings of Ayurveda has given yoga a whole new perspective for me and many others. By seeing yoga on the mat as a place to focus your attention on what you want to create off the mat brings yoga into every aspect of your life. ( how you think, how you relate to other people in your life, how you feed yourself, how much rest you get, how you nourish your spirit )

An Example of Healing Off the Mat

An example of yoga off the mat happened when I injured my leg in September, 2016 in a horrible bike accident. I had to use the subtle practices of pranayama, meditation and chanting. I couldn’t do asana for 4 months while I was in the initial phases of my healing. I used the 10 habits I learned from Cate Stillman in her Body Thrive course to heal my body. I connected to my community who reached out with food, love and prayer. I was constantly cared for by body workers,students and friends. I put myself on the Dinacharya ( daily rhythm)  of regular meal times, bed times and waking times. Little by little my bones knitted back together and I recovered my ability to walk, ride my bike and do asana again. It was nothing short of a miracle. My yoga became my healing journey. Everything in my day was yoga. My meals, my bath, getting dressed, walking to the bathroom with my walker and brace. It was a living breathing mindfulness practice. I have never practiced so diligently without doing asana! I discovered that yoga off the mat was life changing for me and for everyone who showed up to do selfless service by cooking,  shopping, cleaning or helping me take a bath. It was an amazing way to see how to incorporate yoga into every aspect of your life.

By incorporating the teachings of Ayurveda and the yoga scriptures in yoga classes, workshops and teacher trainings, I and many yoga teacher/health coaches in Cate’s Community are able to train teachers and yoga students into bringing yoga into every aspect of their lives. This means how they relate with more compassion and sensitivity  to their own bodies and to others in their lives.

Many of us wait for the weekends or vacation to really enjoy and celebrate life. There is so much hidden potential in each of us lying dormant. Yoga that connects you to your essence empowers you to grow into your fullest potential and bring yoga even into your workplace as an opportunity to practice the teachings.

When teachers use groovy music, essential oils, fast paced vinyasa practice, serenade their students in savasana, they are providing entertainment for their students instead of an internal experience.  The dharma of teaching yoga is for the teacher to get out of the way and allow the practices of asana , meditation and pranayama to lead the students into an internal experience.

BTW There is nothing wrong with needing to escape stressful situations in your life  by taking a hot bath, a yoga class, a dance class, go for a run, see a movie that makes you LOL!!

What I am proposing is that the real juice of yoga is experienced through the deep self exploration, inner work that is done on the yoga mat and in meditation. You get to see your mind as  wonderful and interesting companion on your path. It is a part of who you are. Your mind can drive you crazy, can comfort you, can solve many problems, can create a symphony, a book a play, a ballet. It can also bring you into a deep dark place that feels like a prison.

Do the Inner Work

The inner work frees you from the prison of your own mind into the vast boundless presence at the core of your being. This inner state is called Ananda. It means Bliss!! There is nothing better than bliss.  Why settle for fun when you could have Bliss?

I became a health coach in Cate’s community 3 years ago leading my signature course, The Body Evolves, based on Cate’s course Body Thrive and have worked with over 60 people integrating the 10 healthy habits into my life and into the lives of my students. Miracles are happening.

Find an Anusara yoga class in your area by going to this link.

If you are looking for yoga teacher/health coach go to this link.