Yoga

Fibre Tibet is giving away an organic cashmere Ocean Shawl -- a $185 value! This week's question: How do you make a difference in the world? ENTERING TO WIN IS EASY: Add your answer to our weekly question in the comments section below. For another chance to win, enter on Facebook too! Join your My Yoga Online community on Facebook and enter to win! Share the love: Tell your friends about this great giveaway. Just click “SHARE” at the top of this post. This weeks prize: The Ocean Shawl from Fibre Tibet -- a $185 value! This shawl is made from 100% Grade A organic cashmere collected by Tibetan nomads in Ngari, Tibet. All proceeds are returned to these people who often live on less than $1 per day. Fibre Tibet's super fine, Grade A, organic cashmere shawls look great, feel wonderful, and are designed to make a difference in the world. The Fibre Tibet shawls are a collection formed with the collaboration of Himalayan artisans and European design and technique. The cashmere is collected by Tibetan nomads, in Ngari, Tibet, and the pieces are handwoven by a cooperative in Kathmandu, Nepal all under the technical direction of Italian knitwear designer Alberto Zanone. All profits from the shawls are returned to the nomads and artisans who live on less than $1 per day. The Fibre Tibet collection generates positive social, environmental, and economic impact for Tibetan nomads and supports the development of businesses run by Tibetans in the Himalayan region. Fibre Tibet has been featured in W, Elle, Elle Décor, Glamour, Real Simple, Town & Country among others. Fibre Tibet's shawls are designed to make a difference in the world. Win one of their beautiful cashmere shawls -- a $185 value! Fibre Tibet on Facebook Fibre Tibet on Twitter Fibre Tibet on Pinterest Fibre Tibet on Instagram The fine print: Click here to read the official contest rules. By submitting a comment on this blog or commenting on or ‘liking’ the Facebook post, you agree to the official contest rules.More Yoga

...

“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways–either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.” ? Dalai Lama XIV State Officials have just confirmed that 51 people have been killed in Oklahoma City today when the deadly EF-4 twister [...]

I discovered something interesting in the last twenty-four hours: It is possible to get an emotional hang-over from watching a certain kind of movie. Specifically, movies by the Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai. More specifically, Days of Being Wild (DOBW). Set in Hong Kong and the Philippines during the 1960s, the main character of DOBW is this self-indulgent, self-absorbed guy who goes around seducing women and getting into relationships with them, only to dump them once they start demanding some deeper level of emotional commitment from him (there's a reason for this behavior of his, but I won't spoil the story here...). Not a very unusual storyline as storylines go, but Wong's use of camerawork and the soundtrack (as well as the acting) gives the audience this claustrophobic feeling of moving in slow motion through a thick slush of emotional isolation and disconnection. It's a little bit like watching a train-wreck in slow motion ("Why does she have to keep going back to that A-hole who's treating her like shit?"), except the train-wreck is so beautifully filmed that you can't bear to look away. At the end of the movie, one feels as if one has had too much emotional slush to drink (hence the hangover).Maggie Cheung and Leslie Cheung on the movie poster[Image taken from here]Anyway... I'm probably saying a lot without really telling you what the movie is about. But I don't want to spoil the movie. Let me just say one more thing, and then I'll move on to something else: If works like Camus's The Stranger or Sartre's No Exit are up your alley, then this movie will probably speak to you. Check it out (or not). I know it's available for instant streaming on NetFlix. Oh, and one more thing: The movie's in Cantonese, so unless you happen to speak Cantonese, you will need to read subtitles. Not a deal-breaker, I would hope... After all, we're all Smart People, right? (Ha, can't resist a cheap shot here...) ***************Perhaps as a result of watching the movie, I had a strange dream last night. In the dream, I was at some big Ashtanga workshop taught by a senior Ashtanga teacher. Or it may even have been an event featuring more than one senior teacher (maybe it's the Ashtanga Yoga Confluence or something along those lines, although I can't say for sure, since I did not make either of the two Confluences that have been held to date).Anyway, in the dream, I was at this big workshop/event. I had set up my mat, and was about ready to begin practicing (it was a Mysore session) when I suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. So I went to the bathroom, and was about to go back to my mat, when I suddenly felt the need to go to the bathroom again! So I went to the bathroom again. I then tried to make my way back to the mat, but some series of events came up to stop me from going back to my mat. I can't remember now what those events were; at any rate, when I finally made it back to the mat, more than two hours had passed, and the Mysore session was almost over. I had just barely enough time to squeeze in a very half-assed three Surya As and three Surya Bs before the teacher told me that I needed to take rest.**************I can't recall the rest of the dream. Suffice to say that the entire dream was permeated by this overwhelming feeling of anxiety and futility. When I woke up, this feeling was so strong and dense that my entire being felt very heavy and dense. Had to sit on the bed for a whole half-hour before I could finally get my body to get up and go to the bathroom.Getting to the mat was a struggle too. But here's what's really interesting. Once I got past Surya A, everything just kind of chugged along like a train (no train-wrecks ;-)), and I finished my usual practice (full primary and second up to Supta Vajrasana) in an hour and twenty-eight minutes. And I didn't even feel like I was rushing or anything.It's been an interesting twenty-four hours, don't you think?

We all want to be happy, right? Right. While doing research for my first book, I uncovered a formula to help people boost innate faith, increase confidence, + attain genuine happiness + satisfaction. After years of schooling, training, and working with a plethora of clients, I have discovered the one thing we all want at the end of the day: to be happy. All my clients say: “but I just want to be happy.” So what stands in our way? False or negative belief patterns about ourselves + the world and to get to happiness, we must first stop believing in and acting on the negative. I’ve outlined some tips to help you be happier.  Like, right now. Realize that opinions ? fact: There are two things we’re not short of: people and their opinions. Opinions are fantastic! They add variety, dimension, breadth and depth to any discussion or good debate. They have the potential to unify us + spark innovation. But, be wary of taking on other peoples opinions as fact or truth. This can damage your emotional stability and send ripples of doubt through your confidence and disrupt your happy. It’s important that you cultivate an inner circle of trusted confidants whose opinions you consider carefully. But even then, watch how you let those ideas sink into your psyche. Listening to others opinions and taking them as fact can precent you from reaching your full potential. Too often we listen to our rational mind and to what other people think, failing to ask ourselves how we feel about our current situation. Stop obsessing over the past + worrying about the future: Don’t cry over spilled milk. Life is a roller-coaster  and you’ll so much more comfortable in the now if you learn to focus on the moment + haul your attention away from the past. Clean up fearful thought patterns: How? Begin by actively noticing how your unresolved angst with the past and fear of the future is blocking you from your power. It’s keeping you stuck.  Start by asking yourself where you are playing small.  When you really, consciously pay attention to your behavior, you can start to get honest about what fears are at the root of your worry. Change your mindset: Let go of those fears and choose a more empowering mindset. When obsessive worry about the past or future comes up, say to yourself: “My worry is unnecessary and I will not allow myself to go there.  I choose to be kind toward myself instead.” Our bodies are molecular entities that are always vibrating an energy. Your body is positive when your thoughts are positive and negative when your thoughts are negative. Our energy fields are magnets and they attract their likeness. If you’re caught up in worrying about your future, you will attract negativity into your life. Who want’s that?

One of the internet’s greatest gifts is cat videos. I could spend hours watching cat videos and marveling at what amazing creatures cats are. So can millions of other people, which is why there is such a crazy amount of cat videos on YouTube. Cat yoga videos are pretty great, too. Vice.com decided to study [...]

Are supplements necessary or can we get everything we need to support our bodies through food? The answer is both yes and no. While it is possible to get nearly everything you need from food, it would take an inordinate amount of diligence, time, expense, and dedication to eat perfectly clean in order to fill [...]

Meditation is one of the most crucial aspects to cultivate more peace and happiness in life. It is literally the first thing I recommend to all my students and clients to build self-esteem and intuition, hear your truth, make wise, skillful choices, improve communication, increase creativity and productivity and let go. We can be in one of two states—either the mind is running us or we are running our mind. My mentor, Dr. Ron Alexander, speaks of MIND STRENGTH and the changes that can occur as we begin the process of training the mind. Mind strength is one of the most empowering tools we can employ to impact and improve all aspects of life. Here’s the breakdown of how meditation works: There are five major categories of brain waves, each corresponding to different activities we do. Meditation enables us to move from higher frequency brain waves to lower frequency and calm the mind. Slower wavelengths = more time between thoughts = more opportunity to skillfully choose which thoughts you invest in 5 Categories of Brain Waves: Why Meditation Works Gamma State: In the Gamma state, the brain waves are at frequencies ranging from approximately 30 – 100Hz. This is the state of hyperactivity in the brain and active learning. Gamma state is the most opportune time to retain information. This is why Tony Robbins and other educators have audiences jumping up and down or dancing around – to increase the likelihood of permanent assimilation of information and lasting change in one’s “state”. If overstimulated, it can lead to anxiety. Beta State: The Beta state, which is where we function for most of the day, is associated with the alert mindstate of the prefrontal cortex. Brain wave frequencies in this state range from 13 – 30Hz and this is a state of the “working” or ‘thinking mind’: analytical, planning, assessing and categorizing. Alpha State: Brain waves in the Alpha state range from 9 – 13Hz. This is the state where brain waves start to slow down out of thinking mind. We become more calm, peaceful and anchored. We often find ourselves in an “alpha state” after a thorough yoga class, a walk in the woods, a pleasurable sexual encounter or during any activity that helps relax the body and mind. We are lucid, reflective, have a slightly diffused awareness and at peace. This is often accompanied by an inner and/or outer glow – sometimes felt as “spacey”. The hemispheres of the brain are more balanced (neural integration). Theta State: When brain waves range from 4 – 8Hz in the Theta state, we are able to begin meditation. This is the point where the  verbal/thinking mind transitions to the meditative/visual mind. We begin to move from the planning mind to a deeper state of awareness (often felt as drowsy), with stronger intuition, more capacity for wholeness and complicated problem solving. The Theta state is associated with the 6th Chakra (3rd eye), so in this state we are able to practice visualization. Delta State: The final state is the Delta state, where brain waves range from 1 – 3 Hz. Tibetan monks that have been meditating for decades can reach this in an alert, wakened phase but most of us reach this final state during deep, dreamless sleep. A Simple Meditation: How to Meditate A simple meditation to use to begin the transition from Beta or Alpha to the Theta State is to focus on the breath. The breath and mind work in tandem, so as breath begins to lengthen, brain waves begin to calm and slow down. To begin the meditation, sit comfortably in your chair with your shoulders relaxed and spine tall. Place your hands mindfully on your lap, close your eyes and as much as possible eliminate any stimulus that may distract you. Watch your breath. Simply notice your breath flowing in. Flowing out. Don’t try to change it in any way. Just notice. Silently repeat the mantra: “Breathing In. Breathing Out.” As your mind begins to wander, draw

In yoga, how old we are apparently doesn’t matter. Yoga seems to be an equalizer. This might not be evident when walking by each other on the street, but once we are on the mat, it’s really so easy to see.

Gaining Yogic Wisdom While Sailing Down the Pacific West Coast. I’m a little bit of everything; a yogi, sailor and teacher. In October, I sailed from Vancouver, Canada to Ensenada, Mexico to travel and teach yogic knowledge. When I enrolled at a new studio that was close to the boat before leaving, I thought it [...]