Yoga quiets the mind, real yoga isn't physical (has the person saying that ever seen a
Vinyasa or hovered in Chaturanga?? So what motivates your practice? Quieting the mind, maybe, but how hard is that when your back or knees are screaming or it hurts when you try to do head rolls. When I began practicing yoga it was about getting over two dramatic events in my life. One had to do with career/job and the other a personal relationship. Both unfortunately happening at the same time!! Emotionally & physically I was drained and well, felt beat up!! There had to be a better way that I could cope with all of this and the rest of my life. Something that I could learn and make a part of my life. So I started to seek out my alternatives and meditation was my first option....so I began my practice......started to feel better.......then I found yoga which at first was just physical after all I had meditation. But then I had a break though on the mat and did a posture I was totally afraid of doing. I gain a sense of courage, strength...now I knew I could tap into that courage & strength...as I continued to practice I began to notice little things about myself, the noise in my head started to quiet down, I was reacting differently, physically I felt stronger and more balance and my thinking was clearer and started to live in a much more positive way.....it all connected and spread into my life off the mat.......to me that's real yoga!! No, it didn't happen overnight, it's gradual, it take time, commitment and practice. It takes showing up, mostly to yourself.

Whatever the reason we come to yoga, we should know that we've got nothing to apologize for or hide from. Balance postures give us permission to play & challenge us. They teach us it's ok to fall...they show us how to land on our feet. Forward folds teach us how good it feels to release our tight grip on our legs, and well maybe our life! Inversions show us the world from another perspective while back-bends teach us to be vulnerable and to trust. Maybe other postures won't give us enlightenment, but we sure learn about practice and patience while trying.

So yoga is what it is......it's "your" yoga.....whatever "you" want it to be....a cure
for pain....a quiet mind....great arms or abs. The important thing is that we practice everyday. We show up for ourselves.....

In gratitude I bow to you all for honoring me to be your teacher in past, present or future..........

Love, light & peace always
Cyn

As we all approach the New Year we make "new year resolutions" in different areas of our lives. But somewhere down the calendar year we fall short of completing these promises. We loose our focus, our drive and the stamina it takes to really change. Our breath....how we take our breath...I should say has a lot to do with it. We need to take a deep breath from the lungs so that our brain (our mind), our body (internal organs) and heart (our spirit) can get enough oxygen to supply all these things to run smoothly and connected. This is called the "yoga breath" or "deep abdominal breath". The more focus on the breath the quieter the mind gets allowing us to breath deeper into the lungs allowing the body to function at it's optimal. Calming the mind allows us to stay focused and to think & feel with a clear mind and heart. Thus,leaving us with less stress in our lives leaving room to stay focused, to think & feel clearly. Giving our bodies more stamina because we are not bogged down with the "junk". Bringing the mind, body & spirit together to complete those "new year resolutions". Wishing you all a peaceful, happy, healthy New Year full of big deep breathes..................

Some people approach their yoga practice as a break from the world, a separate space where they can recover from life's stresses and strains. Once they've pulled themselves back together, they return to their families and jobs renewed.

But what we really want to learn is how to incorporate our yoga practice into the rest of our lives and to respond to life's challenges without adding tension and stress. It is at this level that yoga really becomes a deeper practice. You can be under tremendous stress and come back into experiencing feeling grounded as though it were just another moment of Tadasana (Mountain Pose); or you can receive a big disappointment and be able to drop into your breath, realizing it's just another moment of practice; you can be in the daily tension of your everyday life, and allow the breath to move the feelings through your body allowing you to relax.

Close your eyes, relax, get centered, get balanced and breathe.............Namaste Cyn