Japa

          Japa is the practice of mantra repetition. In addition to many spiritual benefits, japa elevates the mind and develops the power of concentration. There are many ways to practice japa on and off the mat. I find when I am running late and can’t alter the subway, train, or flight schedule, if I practice japa I am able to calm my mind and go with the flow.
           One thing that can be used for japa are mala beads. Mala beads are a string of beads used to count mantras in sets of 27, 56, or 108 repetitions. Mala beads were developed as a tool to keep the mind focused on the practice of meditation. I carry or wear my mala with me so if at any point I find myself in a place or moment of chaos and I want to stay relaxed and calm I have them handy. However, you don’t have to have mala beads to practice japa. You can repeat the mantra to yourself over and over without a mala.
           My favorite mantra to repeat is asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, mrtyorma amrtam gamaya (take me from the untruth to the truth, take me from the darkness to the light, take me from death to immortality). Other mantras to try are Om Nama shivya (I bow to Shiva), Om Mani Padme Hum (hail to the jewel in the lotus).
           Japa helps to cultivate the yogic state of mind. Whether you end up in the center of chaos on the street or in your own mind it helps to bring you to deeper clarity. It is similar to Arjuna’s battle in the Baghavad Gita, no matter if the battle is real or the battle was in his own head, it is about learning these techniques to have in your tool box and having them there whenever you may need it.
           Next time you are doing the dishes or waiting on a long line at Whole Foods, try japa, and see what happens to your state of mind.

Namaste,

Liza

Restore

It’s so hot out today I’m feeling the pitta side of me go into overdrive. To find balance I practiced some restorative poses. After about an hour of restorative I feel much better! If you feel your body and mind a little off from the heat try at least 20min of a restorative posture - Savasana or Childs Pose are good ones to start with!

Ashley Turner’s Chakra Detox

Ashley Turner’s Chakra Detox opens your world up to new possibilities as you burn away what is no longer serving you and open yourself to a lighter, clearer, life. As Ashley’s assistant, I am of course her biggest fan, but the fact is her knowledge transcends making her such an authentic and inspirational person. The approach Ashley takes to the chakras allows you to see their connections to your life, regardless of your profession.  As an urban priestess, Ashley combines western psychology, tantra, tarot, astrology, and western science to provide a multi-dimensional experience that no one else offers today.

Ashley is a dynamic and strong woman who holds a mirror up to you and allows you to find your truth. Not only does she have immense knowledge on the topic, and live and breathe it, but also she has the clarity and power to have you find your truth.

I speak from my own deep experience of finding my truth when in a workshop with Ashley. Years ago she had held a workshop at Yoga Works on the chakras. At the time I was starting to organize my dreams and thoughts on becoming a yoga instructor and yoga psychologist, I saw her flyer and thought that she was doing just what I hoped to do one day. At the workshop I spoke to her of my fears and anxieties, and her strength, compassion, and lightness gave me the power to see my truth and myself. From that workshop I went and signed up for my first teacher training and now I am here today pursuing my dream.  Ashley offers compassion when needed and brings you to your edge when you feel you can’t take yourself there.

The workshop was a week of intense asana, therapeutic meditation, and intelligent spiritual discussions. It is an immense amount of knowledge to cover in just one week, but Ashley helps to provide her students with the key areas of focus that will help them to transform themselves. The path of transformation can bring up therapeutic discomfort, and it is easy to give up, but she can push you and allow you to find the beauty and light within.

Next year, Ashley will be hold the same workshop at Kripalu, and if you couldn’t make it this year I highly recommend that you make the journey in 2011. This workshop helps you to find clarity on all levels of your body, mind, and spirit in your personal and professional lives.

If you find yourself at a crossroads in life and need guidance you can work with Ashley Turner in a group setting or have private sessions with her. She is based in LA, but does work with many clients via skype. Her clarity will help you to find your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Liza

Kickstarter - Uncommonly Good: Stories of life, food and the birth of Good Commons

Klesah

What is grief and what do you do with it? This is a question I have been asking myself. Grief is an emotion that I struggle to understand. I realize this even more as I learn to process the death of my grandmother, Nanny, who passed away last week. When I heard about her passing I felt myself melt and I lost my sense of time. I thought this was due to the heat, but more realistically it was grief. 

When I got the call from my mom that Nanny has passed it was 12:30am and I was recording a podcast, so my brain didn’t really register what had happened. Even now, a few days later I still feel a sense of disbelief. I wonder, what I am I ‘supposed’ to feel right now? There is a sense of emptiness that I am trying to fill by completing emails and going through my day as planned. Perhaps that is where the problem lies - I am one step ahead of grief by keeping busy. 

The night my grandmother passed I was in a taxi and the cab driver started talking to me.

He said ‘did you have the time of your life today?’

“what?” I said

‘did you have the time of your life today?’

In my mind I was thinking “of course not my grandmother passed away!” But I said instead ‘no, did you have the time of your life today?’

           He replied, ‘what else is there? Why didn’t you have the time of your life today? This is it.’

            I was in such shock that I didn’t respond. He was so right, what else is there? I wonder now if that was my grandmother speaking to me - her wanting me to enjoy my life rather than live with stress, anxiety, and fear.

Ultimately the study of yoga helps to teach us the impermanence of life, and this is something I am still and will always be learning.  Yoga looks at death as an integral part of life and something that we must examine before our own death.  Although I have been studying this, it is not something that I have found I am able to put into practice when loved ones pass. I do not expect my self to understand death, but I do hope I can come to an understanding of grief and be able to express it in a healthy way that will allow myself to share my love with my family to help and support them through this process.

Fear of death is a major cause of human suffering, and at the root of my major fears is the fear of death. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras the klesahs (obstacles) are the things that cause pain in our lives. The klesahs are ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred, and clinging to bodily life. Fear and attachment build in us and these klesahs hold us back from seeing our true selves.

The practice of eliminating the klesahs is a long journey, but one of the first steps is to evaluate yourself and what you are experiencing at the present moment. Svadyaya or self-examination took me through the process of finding what klesha I was experiencing at the moment and followed the feeling of the suffering to its root. Rather than avoiding the root of the suffering I allowed myself to be taught what I need to know in order to transcend it rather than spend my energy avoiding it.  Avoidance just gives it more power over you.

I found that by keeping that in mind I was able to be very present with my clients. The moment my mind wandered I reminded it of the klesahs, and brought it back. It may sound simple, but ultimately this is a hard task to stay on track with and I know that throughout the day and the following weeks I will struggle. However, this is part of the yogic journey, the ups and downs, and being true to your desire to keep going. Yoga is the controlling of the modifications of the mind, and life is short. So why waste it with attachments and fear? I have no answer, and don’t think I ever will, but am okay with that and where I am now. Only from taking a few days to allow my emotions to travel through my body can I say this now and be okay with it. I write this post not for condolences but as a way for me to move onto the next stage of grief, and as an invitation for you to explore your own obstacles, fears, and attachments.

Namaste,

Liza

Kickstarter - Uncommonly Good: Stories of life, food and the birth of Good Commons

Mean Girls

I came home last night to Mean Girls on TV, a total chick flick and guilty pleasure. I had planned on doing more work, but my day was already going on 12 hours so I laid in bed next to my boyfriend and decided to just watch. The funny thing is that today I am relating some of the things in my life to that movie and I find the ending of it really stuck with me and had a good lesson to tell. In a nutshell you won’t be able to learn or succeed in life if you are focusing on the small, petty things. So who cares what top the yoga instructor is wearing, that won’t help you be more mindful or present. There are so many distractions in life that are so much easier to listen to than what is at hand. My most recent obsession that is distracting me is the new iphone. I dropped my current iphone on Friday (for the 100^th time) and the entire face of it cracked. I was surprisingly calm about it, and didn’t let it bother me – especially because now I have an excuse to buy the newest version of iphone. However, on Friday I didn’t know when it would be coming out. Rather than bore you with the mundane thoughts that occupied my mind over the weekend, but to sum it up I found I researched every which way I could find out when I could get the new iphone. The amount of brainpower that was exhausted by that is silly and it was a waste of time. Like Cady finally realized at the end of Mean Girls, she wouldn’t be able to succeed if she was worried about her opponent’s horrid outfit. For me I realized I wouldn’t be able to learn from my teachers in my workshops if I was itching to see what the latest news was on the iphone. This is something we all do and it is harmless (well not in the Mean Girls movie), but it is a waste of our minds. Can you think of a time when you were preoccupied by the latest technology, another student’s yoga clothes or the instructors voice or outfit? Ask yourself next time you catch yourself doing that what benefit it provides you.