Once a day, set your mind into silence, let it settle.
Once a day, allow stillness to take over.
Once a day, put your ego on mute.
Once a day, meet your true self.
Once a day, start shining.
And keep it.
Author: Kathrin
woop woop
In love with my brand new subscription cards – they are made from recycled t-shirt offcuts, how awesome is that?
Yogis, you’ll have a new card in your pocket! 10 options to make space and trust in your magic with 2 styles to choose from 🙂
UNPLUG from age
I wrote this post some time ago and thought about it today. It’s my birthday in a couple of days and my practice this morning didn’t made me feel my age, which was just fantastic! I know, it’s different each time and I don’t take it for granted. But a good reason to repost the below!
Discover the magic
Unplug from the ordinary and discover the extraordinary. Free yourself from the idea of age. Yes, agree, that’s quite a difficult one and I’m struggling myself. Yoga teaches me to believe in myself. As long as you love what you do, don’t care about anything.
There’s just one thing you should be aware of when you passed your 20s and 30s and 40s and are not already a super-duper yoga pro, doing handstand on your index finger: Stop comparing yourself to the 20 years old girl next to you.
It’s not about ‚she can do and you can’t‘. Not about her perfect body and your body showing a tiny little bit the fun you had in life so far (yes, you read it, bloody amazing experiences, I know!).
Our whole body simply works different at certain ages. Our body change and sometimes we might recognize this as something negative. But it’s not. It’s just different. We might get less stable and scarier than we were 10 years ago. Even if you work hard, there are no guaranteed results. Life doesn’t work that way.
Try changing your perspective to one of gratitude over what you can do, right now. Try changing your expectations. It’s not about that fancy posture, it’s about your inner connection and peace. You’ll progress anyway!
The beauty of age is to not care anymore and just do what you want. Becoming a yoga teacher in your 50s? Go for it! Worrying that you can’t do it same way as all the youngsters? True, you won’t. You’ll do it differently and your students will appreciate your approach. Just trust in yourself and do whatever you love. There’s no better guidance as love and passion. Accept who you are. Where you are. Live your dreams, without struggling with thoughts of right and wrong. You are never too old for anything.
Be driven by love. End of story.
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yes yes yes
When I arrived in India for my first teacher training, I faced this plate next to the door of my room. Pincha Mayurasana was all I saw. I started panicking…. was I supposed to do this? I mean, my aim was NOT becoming a yoga teacher, I did this training just to soak up all about yoga. Well, that’s what I thought. You know quite well, I was damn wrong, as I started teaching right after my first teacher training and nothing can stop me since 🙂
Back to Pincha Mayurasana. In times of Instagram yogis, it takes some courage to state what we can’t do, rather than posting fancy postures only. Thanks god I always had amazing teachers, who never pushed, but teached. I learned, that being a good teacher doesn’t require that I can do all postures in perfection. Plus, yoga is not just postures, it’s so much more – but that’s a different story! Finally, teaching is not about me, it’s about my students.
However, some months ago, I decided to work on handstand and forearm stand. I knew the technique very well, I was strong enough, but fear still stopped me. I know I have to learn slowly, as it is all about building trust. Learn how a posture feels, what happens in the body and what my mindset has to be. I focused on handstand for some time and a few days ago, I tried forearm stand once again. My work paid off, it was much easier than before. And today is the day, the first time, I managed to bring my feet off the wall in pincha. OMG. Even if only some seconds, this was a major breakthrough, as now I know that I can do it. Now it’s just a matter of practice, but I’m already there.
Once you master a posture, look back. What did the process teach you? It’s not about the posture any longer, but how you changed, what you’ve learned on the way and what you are able to do. Honestly, I believe this way of slow learning is much more beneficial than just hopping into postures by default. It’s telling me a lot about life and about myself. A process so worth it!
TUNEin
Stop DOING yoga. Instead, tune in and BE yoga.
Allow yourself to be.
Refuse to let your usual reasons stand in the way of your soul’s evolution.
Tune into your soul.
Observe your feelings and any thoughts that might pop up, they are telling you something.
Listen. Watch. Feel.
Uncover the difference between your true self and your ego.
Face the truth. Be you.
Rewrite your believes.
Release those who limit you and those you identify as not even yours.
Develop this inner smile, expanding within more and more.
Allow your intuition to guide you.
Grow. Bloom.
Let’s go Bali
Yogis! There are still some spots left – join us! All levels welcome, let’s have a most beautiful week in a stunning surrounding – bring a friend and get 10% DISCOUNT!
We will enjoy together a magical self-pampering week in Bali; we will flow and sweat, stretch and relax, breathe and tune in, talk and laugh, relax and enjoy…see all details here:
https://tuneinyoga.com/yoga-retreats/
Is there a perfect mat?
Some of my students asked me to recommend a mat and after lots of bad buys, I know what I’m talking about. Having said that, I can of course only refer to those I tested and what’s even more important, I can only talk about MY needs. I have slightly clammy palms and that’s why I slip on most mats. Which is quite dangerous, I definitely need a mat with grip. Next to classical mats, I also tried these rags you put on top of a mat and the traditional Indian cotton rags, which I love, but nope, I was slipping.
Honestly I only know one mat, which is really 100% non slippery for me: Lululemon. Their mats are reversible, one side has this major grip that stops everything, no matter how much you sweat. No, I’m not paid for saying that! I use mine since many years now and they are still perfect for me. Same for the travel mat, I go nowhere without.
But hey, there are many mats I never tried, so if you are still looking for the perfekt match, this guide might be a helpful resource: https://www.reviews.com/best-yoga-mat/
If you are wondering if you even need a mat, check this post, I already wrote about it: https://tuneinyoga.com/2017/03/31/do-we-need-a-mat-to-practice/
As I found my perfect mat, I strongly believe there’s a perfect one for everybody, it just might not be the same! You will have to test yourself, even if there are very useful guides and recommendations, finally they can only offer a preselection. It’s all up to you, your requirements and habits. Your mat is your home, make it a place you love to be!
OPEN
The difference
between dreams and reality
is called action.
What are you doing today
to make your dreams a reality?
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Back or forth?
Are you a forward folder or a back bender? I once heard that we tend to be either one or the other, well if not made of rubber of course. I have to admit, it’s very true for me. I’m a forward folder and I love it. My back is rather rounded and stiff, it’s difficult for me to go backwards. Physically spoken! As going backwards in any other meaning than physically isn’t just difficult, but a no go for me. I only know one direction, forward. Haha, yes, there it is, must be a connection. Well I leave it with this, even if my mind is just telling me stories about optional deep psychological interpretations… not now, not here!
I’d like to tell you about forward folds and hamstrings. I’m talking about a group of muscles placed on the backside of our thighs. I have an intense relationship with my beauties, a daily conversation, as they are kind of shilly-shally, everyday in a different mood. Some days very open and soft, which makes all forward folds such a pleasure, other days stiff, hard and full of tension.
„To breathe into and release the hamstrings can be very upsetting. We store many powerful emotions, such as suppressed anger, competitiveness, and fear of inadequacy, in our hamstring muscles. All suppressed emotions are potentially crippling to our health: they are toxic and have an impact on our personality…“
(Ashtanga Yoga, Practice & Philosophy, by Gregor Maehle)
Here you go, one reason! Another reason is that we spend too much time sitting, which shortens our hamstrings. Changing habits helps of course, as well as regular practice.
When working on your hamstrings it’s not just about stretching. We need both, lengthen and strengthen them. Always be careful, listen to them, treat them thoughtful and respect whatever they present you with that moment. Send your breath into the hamstrings and actively let all tension go with each exhale. Instead of forcing, go with the yin approach and get soft together with your hamstrings. Allow them to open in their own time and appreciate all they do for you!
Parivrtta Trikonasana
Parivrtta Trikonasana — twisting, balancing, steady and comfortable. The union of sthira and sukha, effort and ease, hard and soft, expanding and contracting, ascending and descending, solar and lunar.
The moment you plant your hand next to your foot, you feel fully grounded. While same time your other arm reach up, your gaze follows. Deeply rooted, reaching for the sky — strong Ujjayi breath connects both, steadiness and ease.
TUNEin:YOGA 