Author: Kathrin

No time to practice? No worries!

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Yesterday I was so in a rush and my body told me stop, I need some practice. I knew, my body needed to stretch and sweat, I knew my mind needed some rest.

So babe, first of all, there’s ALWAYS time. It doesn’t has to be a full primary series, it doesn’t have to be a full hour or even more. You don’t have to rush into a studio. Get your home practice started!

This was my quick practice yesterday, and it felt amazing:

  • 5 Sun Salutations A
  • 3 Sun Salutations B
  • 5 Sun Salutations A
  • childspose with open knees (to catch the breath and additional stretch)
  • 3x plank, holding for 10 breaths (for not just my core working, I put a block between my legs, so my thighs had some fun too)
  • 3x planks on elbows (hello core, hello shoulders)
  • 1 side plank each side (hmmmmmm, getting loooong)
  • headstand for 20 breath (to find my center and yes, to turn the world upside down, loooooove it!)
  • Yoga mudra (to turn everything back and rest a moment)

Done!

Even less time? Skip the 2nd round of sun salutation A and go with this first series of plank only.

Easy. Efficient. Fun. No excuses any longer babe.

There’s no way to rush the growth of a tree

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My Visa arrived! Huuurraahhhh! Just a couple of weeks and I’ll be back in India for the next level teacher training. This time I know the place, the teachers and it feels a bit like coming home. When looking at the pictures people are posting from there, it warms me up internally, I’m filled with gratitude and peace.

It will be once again a huge challenge, for body and mind. It will be life changing once again. And I’m looking forward to it!

I want to be prepared as best as I can. Meaning reading and doing my asana practice 6 days a week. I haven’t expected not being able to do so. Since some weeks, my body refuse any, well let’s say cooperation. A little injury here, issues there. Terrible pain forced me to leave the mat after some minutes recently. Interestingly it was quite similar last time before traveling to India. What stops me to prepare myself properly?

Hello ego. My ego is driving me. Telling me, „you must be fit. You must be better. You will fail when you’re not able to do at least these postures. You’re not good enough right now“.

Even if I’m usually practicing gentle, listening to my body, respecting the limitations of the day, I’ve got something sitting in my neck right now, pushing me with fear. My practice turned into mastering postures, instead of being a mindful flow.

So my main task right now is telling my ego to jump in the lake and implement the believe of ‚I am good enough exactly as I am‘. Practicing to release and let go, while accepting when my body says no. The best preparation seems either to pamper my body, instead of pushing hard.

This is what Krista Shirley, an authorized level II teacher of traditional Ashtanga yoga, advises Ashtanga practitioners (love no 3!):

  1. Love yourself where you are
  2. Don’t take yourself too seriously
  3. Go to India as soon as you can
  4. Don’t question; just do
  5. Take your day of rest each week
  6. Bring awareness to your latissimus dorsi muscles in nearly every asana. For women this is an especially vital understanding
  7. Wash your feet before you take practice, everyday

Be careful yogis, never work against your body. Feel what you’re doing, be mindful and treat yourself with love.

India, I’m ready.

What has Aparigraha to do with happiness?

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I’m sure you’ve heard about the Yamas and Niyamas. The ethical and spiritual observances that should help us develop the more profound qualities of our humanity. They represent a series of “right living“, kind of rules or guidelines within Hinduism and Yoga. They were first detailed in the Upanishads and then Patanjali describes them his Yoga Sutras some years later.

One of the Yamas is Aparigraha. Which means nonpossessiveness, detachment.

On the mat it could be translated into „let go“. Let go of expectations. Let go of your desperate desire to master a certain posture. We’ve got the tendency to „hold“, particularly when it gets challenging. Either active, when it’s about holding the breath. Or more passive, when it’s about holding any emotions that manifest into tension and stiffness. When practicing asanas, try to not just push and stretch, but be aware of what’s going on in your body AND in your mind. Release and let go of what you are afraid of. Be careful and easy with yourself. Let it flow and follow your breath! Our hips are well known as a storage for emotions. So hip opening postures are quite useful, practicing with the appropriate intention and breath.

Off the mat, it’s also about letting go of your attachments. On a rather material level, think about cleaning out the clutter by getting rid of all the things you don’t need anymore. Make room! Get rid of any weight! In your relationships, it might be about forgiving others and with this, free yourself from resentment. If there’s anything dragging you down, ask yourself „is it really about me?“, I beg it’s not.

Make happiness your attitude. Life on and off the mat is so much easier and effortless when you’ve found YOUR happiness within yourself. Independent of any possession, independent from anybody’s mood or even appreciation.

Read more about it in my happiness post on my other blog love.breathe.shine.

Practice Aparigraha and keep on rocking your happiness yogis!

Lunar energy

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In the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, we don’t practice asanas on moon days. With this practice we learn to more and more listen to our bodies and align to natural cycles, so we can live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Like the tides, the moon ebbs and flows and as we are made of about 70% water, we are affected by these phases. The position of the moon to the sun creates energetic experiences, that could be compared to our breath cycle. It is said, that the full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation (direction up), which makes us fell energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The new moon energy is said to correspond to the end of exhalation (direction down), which makes us feel calm and grounded, but disinclined towards physical exertion.

I have to admit, I wasn’t consistent so far, but more focussed on my daily schedule, giving my best to have a regular practice. All of a sudden, today I felt I have to. It’s new moon today and I seem to feel that energy. All I want is to align. It feels really good to not doing this just to follow a rule, but feeling this is the way I want it. Time for me now to align to the lunar energy.

So what’s up on todays new moon?

New moon is the time to set intentions. It’s a start. A blank page. Commit yourself to your vision and open yourself to receive. Find your own ritual, there’s no one fits all, it should reflect you and come natural. You might want to write something down, establish a kind of moon journal. Or like me, light a candle, meditate, manifest an intention first in your mind and then let it flow and fill your body. Give it a try, you’ll find out what works best for you.

The next full moon will ask you to take action and celebrate the fruit of your efforts.

Let’s connect to the lunar energy and fill the blank page today!

Coming home

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What’s your approach?

Are there any asanas driving you nuts as they appear unattainable? You’re trying again and again, but still can’t imagine to ever be able doing them? What about this thought:

It’s not the asana being exhausting, but your attitude.

Ups!

What are your expectations? Your objectives? Why is it so important? What’s going on in your head while practicing? Wanna be „perfect“? „Better“? What thoughts are holding you back?

Yep, we all got this from time to time, this feeling to not progress at all, or even worse, to not be good enough. Particularly when we can’t accomplish a posture and so want to.

Darling, be kind to yourself! Challenge yourself, but don’t push hard. Respect your limitations and stop worrying. It might be not the right time. It might require a bit more strength. Maybe it’s not even physically, but your mind, that should simply stop that noise. Be patient. Play. Laugh. Practice with a calm mind, an open heart and let go. Overthinking kills any progress. Yoga isn’t a competition. Yoga is the process of coming home. Home to yourself. 

Sri K. Patthabi Jois said: „Do your practice and all is coming“. This is the secret. Work WITH your body, not against. Allow your body to develop and progress in your own time. Feel what you’re doing. Listen to your body, connect.

Remind yourself to enjoy the ride, love! It’s your ride home.

Anniversary! Let’s celebrate!

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My students rock!

What a ride this year! I lead my first class exactly one year ago, I really can’t believe this. Making me quite nostalgic, hahaha. One full year teaching and it feels bloody amazing. Whatever mood I’m in, however I feel, as soon as I’m in front of my students, I’m just there, in this moment, nothing else matters. There’s a very special feeling deep in my belly, sending out a huge inner smile. How blessed I am!

My students are growing with me and I appreciate their trust, their dedication and their huge openness. Not to mention their lovely feedback – never stop that please! I can’t imagine any better or easier start into the world of teaching.

My dear students, you rock! I love you!

(Illustration by Patrick Müller, ptm-finearts.com)

Struggling? Just practice!

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Yesterday, I arrived home in a quite bad mood; a fight was shaking up my life, exhausting, inapprehensible, offending and sadly without any clarification. My mind was struggling — shall I practice? It’s usually my day off…, but I felt a proper practice might help clearing my mind. On the other hand, I was bloody hungry and a drink sounded really promising.

I have chosen the mat. What a wise decision!

I started with a short meditation to calm down. Reminded myself to be aware, control my movements, carefully not pushing too hard. Deep breathing helped me to stay focussed on my practice, no room for any thoughts. My bad mood set an unbelievable energy free. Asanas felt easy, no stiffness at all, I even had a couple of breakthroughs! An amazing practice made me feel much better. Strong and flexible. I could let go my anger and even if there’s no solution yet, I felt kind of purified.

Just practice and your mind will follow. SO TRUE.

Failure

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„Behind every success, there’s a string of failures.“

We hear this quite often. In life, in a yoga classes. I don’t agree. Failure doesn’t exist. If you want to believe in failure, of course you’ll fail. Better you don’t let that crap manifest in your mind.

When I can’t manage to do an asana, am I failing? No, I’m learning. I do it again and again. Learning the technique, and much more important, opening my body and my mind, learning to feel the posture. Challenging myself, but not pushing too hard. Accepting that it takes time and enjoying even the baby steps. It’s a huge learning process, for the body and don’t underestimate the mind! Lot’s of believes prevent my body to be soft and let it simple happen.

Believing in failure works hand in hand with judging. Doubts and thoughts such as, I can’t do that, I’m not good enough, I’m too old, too fat, too weak, will make any progress impossible.

Stop limiting yourself. Accept your limitations and go from there. Each day is different, a posture that works yesterday, seem inaccessible today. That’s life! We are humans, not machines.

Stop focussing on images in social media, showing us what we SHOULD be able to do or how we should look. Crab.

Live YOUR life. In YOUR pace. Feel yourself, listen to your body. Be nice to yourself!

It’s all about love and love doesn’t know failure. It’s all part of the game.

My dear yoga teacher

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Yes YOU. I know you know. You saw it in my eyes. You felt it. But sometimes we all need to hear or read it. YOU changed my life. Well, I changed it, but YOU made it possible. I’m so lucky, that I had YOU as my teacher. It’s time for a huge THANK YOU!

When I was in Zanzibar recently, I felt so grateful for the lessons I learned and I thought about the key things I learned from all my yoga teachers. Each of you had something really special for me, something that I had to learn from you and just you. But each of you ‘infected’ me badly with the yoga virus 🙂

Anna – the first one! After your first lesson, my brain felt like washed with soap. I didn’t had a clue what happened there, didn’t I just do some work out? I had to help my arms lifting to reach the steering wheel… No way back, my yoga journey started.

Erin – the best online classes ever, you helped me a lot to establish a proper home practice! And yes, I am a bad yogi per definition.

Geri – you are the yoga goddess and your attitude should be modeled by many!

Steve – your humor even made anatomy talks ‘easy’, haha….

Bea – even if Aerial yoga was rather an excursion for me, you showed me my acrobatic potential! But there’s more. It’s called trust.

Julia – you woke up a sleeping dog – Ashtanga? Hell, no! Oh yes! How did you get all this into my body and into my mind? You can’t imagine how happy I am, having you as my main teacher again for the next big step!

Upendra – OM shanti, shanti, shantiiiii. I am shiva. Your teachings have been really different and worth every single second. I experienced my subtile body!

Magda – backbending…. Yes, I’ve got an idea now, constantly opening and one day, I’ll be there too!

Kranti – Indian adjustments. And I will probably get more of them in a couple of months! Can’t wait to be back in the shala….

Moisés – yes you! Headstand! Not just technique, you made me believe in myself.

Ronald – Alignment. Pure. The spiritual element can be bodywork too, no limits, it’s all one. You called the Ashtangis in the group and I was wondering, huh, is it me too? Yes, it was and it felt amazing!

Ashling – you beautiful soul! Your adjustments helped a lot, but much more important, although I was your student, you made me feel being part of the yoga teacher community!

It seems YOU did an amazing job, as I’m a yoga teacher too now (still can’t believe it!) and will always be a student same time, keen to learn. THANK YOU. For your lessons, your patience, your help. Thank you for being YOU. Giving is a gift, receiving is a miracle!