Tag: change

Mama India

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A week ago I arrived in Goa and can hardly express my feelings. It‘s been 7 years that I was here last time. So much changed, but not the mood, the energy and the lovely people. I still love all the smells here (ok, almost all), the food, the heat, although it‘s winter here. Which for me only means less humidity and eventually a bit chilly at night.

Usually it takes a while to settle after traveling for almost 24hrs, but this time, apart from the lack of sleep, I felt being there instantly. My mind calm, without the usual chatter and hearing the waves day and night was just pure bliss.

I had such a beautiful week at the beach with a friend I know from here and we only met now again. A week filled with loads of talks and laughter, many drinks, amazing food, sand and salty water. Thank you hon for your time and company, I miss you already!

Now I changed places, and with the new moon a new start into a week full of yoga with the teacher I learned it all from. It‘ll be tough, age kicked in some time ago and my body pushes back. Something I have to accept and handle mindfully. And same time getting fully back into the discipline of Ashtanga yoga.

Thank you mama India for calming my mind and letting my heart jump! Grateful to be back and I promise, I‘ll be never again that stupid to come here for two weeks only 😅

Janu Shirshasana C

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Janu Shirshasana C is said to help activate and balance the muladhara chakra as it can release any tension held in the legs or lower abdomen. It is also associated with stimulating the bladder meridian in Chinese medicine, which helps one to manage change in life.

For me it feels like a 3D version of Janu A and B, getting kind of consolidated or complete with this foot position. 

Hesitation

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Hesitation comes when there’s something we want to do, but doubt we can do it by just being ourselves.

Ups. Read that again:

Hesitation comes when there’s something we want to do, but doubt we can do it by just being ourselves.

Trust that being yourself is all you need! Love who you are! Life is tailor made for you, life happens FOR you. Take a break if you need one, but never stop. Keep on walking your path, trust your intuition. Put yourself into the driver seat, change what needs to be changed, it’s your life, your journey, your decision.

It’s exactly the same when it comes to your practice. Just feel it and do it. It might be slow here and there, that’s totally fine, just don’t stop. If you can’t practice, e.g. due to an injury or sickness, remind yourself what yoga is. No, it’s not just about performing asanas. Keep on going, keep on practicing, you are on the right path!

Gift card

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Yoga is a personal practice!

Yoga classes are great, but only in a one to one session you get the full attention of your teacher. A private session will be made for you individually and the focus is on your requirements and objectives. It is a great way to bring your practice onto the next level and ensure you’re perfectly aligned to support your body and mind.

Give yourself the gift of a private yoga session! While we are thinking of how we could do something good for our partner, family or friends, particular now for Christmas, what about a private yoga session? No matter if first time or experienced yogi, the session will be created for that person.

Book a one to one session now for yourself, or purchase a gift card ✨

Let’s talk – whatever channel you prefer:

The best advice ever

Kathrin

Years ago I was facing the first yoga class that I had to teach and I was so nervous. I had issues talking in front of a group of people, but obviously couldn‘t avoid it in that situation. A friend gave me an advice: connect to your own love before you go into the shala and all will be good. To be honest, this didn’t sound promising, but rather strange. However, I just did it. It made me smile and you know what, fear and smiling doesn’t go together. I had a great class and since then, my problem is solved. I love teaching and can‘t even imagine anything better!

No matter the situation, whenever you face fear or anger, when you feel upset, helpless or nervous, do that.

Close your eyes for a moment and feel the love inside. We all have that, we all can do it. As soon as you connect, love spreads inside and you are nothing but love. This will be the driving energy and there won‘t be any room for negativity, no matter the form.

A few days ago I was really upset and I felt anger coming up. Only the next day I remembered the advice I was given many years ago – I connected with my inner love and the anger disappeared immediately. Plus, if you are spreading love and start shining, others will react on this. I learnt once again and this time, I will keep it in my mind, as it works in every situation.

When will you give it a try?

Make your practice yours

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There’s a change happening right now. Many of us are looking for more mindful, sustainable, and harmonious ways of living. Covered in concrete, we now start to value nature again and look for a way to reconnect. This doesn’t only mean to go for a walk in a forest or beach once in a while, it’s a longing inside, which is exactly about that: inside. Us. We lost ourselves in this over-active and busy lives; now is the time to step back from competition and stress.

I believe this change will also affect our yoga practice. We are more and more seeking for a quieter practice, rediscover our intuition and connect to ourselves. Same time bringing any new experiences and learnings into our every-day life, so it can work there too.

This is the start of a home practice. Leaving the stressful life aside to connect with our own nature. Learning to breathe again, to listen to our bodies, to feel, to understand. Instead of running from the office to make it in time to a class, why not practicing at home? It is a change, particularly if you are not living alone and the family is requesting your time. The right moment to claim some me-time. One hour and then you’ll be there for your family. Yes, it is possible and it will also change your family by respecting individual boundaries and resources.

Get a teacher for a one-to-one teaching from time to time, so you can set up your routine together and also to get aligned and adjusted. Step out of your routine and the crazy life – start looking for you. Understanding your body, your emotions, desires, and also your fears and doubts, by reconnecting to your nature. It is your practice, make it yours. 

Are you in Switzerland? I’m available for one to one teaching from end October – book your slot and experience the difference!

The beauty of Aging

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Many of us experience some changes around the age of 50. I’m not talking about any kind of midlife crisis or menopause for women, while this might also be a trigger to rethink where we are in life. No matter the reason, it seems to be the time to reinvent oneself.

A friend of mine, who turns 50 this year, takes this as an option to rethink what he wants his life to be and he takes the necessary changes. Those changes can be quite big things; it might even come to a real turn over.

I heard from another friend who had a rigorous 6 days a week Ashtanga practice, that with her menopause starting, she allowed herself to be less strict and her yoga practice turned to be more calm, slow and gentle, always listening to what her body needs that day.

This time might be an entry point into a new phase of life, with new options, new strength, and the courage to change and eventually start something new. It might concern the job, the place we live, relationships, our practice or the entire life set-up; no matter what direction we’re aiming to go, if you feel called, do it. Even if aging shows us at this stage the first indications that not only the outer appearance is transforming, but also the body complains more. And hey, where is that fear coming from all of a sudden?

Many yogis start taking it easier at that point, while for me the full story started then. At the age of 49 I did my first teacher training and instead of getting calmer, my yoga journey took off and was at its best around 52. I’m 54 now and my body talks to me loud and clear, mostly not what I want to hear and I learned that it’s not always about doing the full Ashtanga series each day, it’s about showing up. Being on the mat every day, doing what I can. Luckily, my body is still improving, still learning, adapting, bending more, even if progress takes much longer. My practice teaches me to be patient, the most difficult thing to learn for me! To accept, that it’s totally fine where I am on my journey and not just that, it is phenomenal how my body and mind changed over the past few years.

We move on, the three of us, together, body and mind and soul. We keep on changing, improving, learning and the very new thing: we take it easy.

UNPLUG from age

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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.

༺♡༻

No rush

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Yogi, take the necessary time to observe and understand what is going on in your body when practicing. It’s not just your body doing asanas, your mind has a job too. Yep, understanding what’s going on in your mind is crucial too. You just can’t separate it, body and mind go together. We should always practice mindful, feeling, observing, understanding.

I sometimes recognize, that my practice is just one asana after the other, while my mind is somewhere else. Time to connect. Time to go internal. I usually close my eyes for a moment, just listening to my breath, before restarting my practice. Activate my bandhas, deepen my breath, establish a strong drishti.

Take your time, rushing around and not paying attention will just get you tired, and make you more exposed to injure yourself, and also create mental madness. Your practice is a journey and so is each pose. You have to learn from it. Mastering a posture doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t learned from it. The physical level is quite obvious, but you might also be confronted with your weaknesses on a mental and emotional level.

Practicing yoga means digging into yourself, facing your true self and work on that changing process. Develop your body and mind, work on your flexibility on all levels. Create prana, learn about yourself. Don’t be afraid to change. It’s crucial to develop on each level. Enjoy the beautiful journey and take your time yogi!

 

Photos by Dee Gandhi, www.AlokaCreative.com

Reality check

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If you’re stuck in a rut, if your routine and habits lost all its ease and you’re seeing yourself singing the blues with no reason at all – it’s time for a change darling!

No matter if it’s about your practice or any other part of your life, if you want something different, you have to do something different. Instead of reinventing the wheel, start with just one piece of the puzzle of your daily routine and see what happens. Be creative! Surprise yourself! Don’t allow your laziness to take over.

From time to time we need to change. It might be just a little habit, or something larger is due for a make over or even a replacement. Your measurement is your mood. Are you happy? Smiling? Are you feeling grounded, welcoming each day with open arms? No? Change! It’s all up to you. Try something new!

You don’t know where to start? What about trying this:

Change your morning routine. Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier and instead of pushing the snooze button, start your day with some pranayama.

Give yourself an easy start, stay in bed, lying down. Do some deep belly breaths. Belly out when inhaling, expand your rips, lift your chest. When exhaling, chest first, ribs and belly in. Slowly. Deep. Count for 5 for each inhale and each exhale.

After a couple of deep breath, stretch yourself, arms over your head, get long! Bring your knees into your chest, hug yourself before you slowly lift up to sit. Either sit in your lotos variation or on the edge of your bed and practice some minutes Nadi Shodhana, alternate nostril breathing. As this is a powerful technique to settle the mind, body, and emotions, we usually practice Nadi Shodhana when we feel nervous, overwhelmed or stressed. However, balancing the right and left hemispheres of the brain also has its quality early morning, it feels like preparing the energetic channels for the day.

You’ll start clear and balanced into your day!