“Musterbation” : When Enough is Enough

by: Jovita Orais 

Yep, that’s the word all right. I did not misspell it. "Musterbation" is a word that Dr. Albert Ellis( a renowned American psychologist) described a kind of frame of mind that we whip ourselves with a lot of "shoulds" or "oughts."

Over Thinking -abstract-Painting watercolors by moonix-20 @ diviantart

When we "musterbate" we flagellate ourselves with a set of rules and standards, lots of "musts", "oughts" and "shoulds" that we feel intense pressure to perform. It’s as if you are forcing yourself to do the tasks. We defeat ourselves by the way we force ourselves to get moving. We feel like an ex-convict under a tyrannical probation officer. Every tasks seem unpleasant and dull we can’t stand to face it.

For example, have you experience desperately wanting to lose weight but ironically you ended up lazing around not exercising and stuffing yourself with greasy hamburgers and sinfully rich chocolates? How about telling yourself that you ought to write and finish that report tonight, so you could hand it in the very next day but you wind up procrastinating, sitting in front of the tv or yapping on the phone?

However if we feel that everything is so right that taking action seems so natural and effortless, and we irrevocably feel that it’s the obvious next step then why not? But it’s not an everyday occurrence when your bursting with desire to swing into action and say to yourself "I know this is the right thing for me to do right now, I can’t wait to get started." If most of our days are like that then we have to be grateful. It would be nicer if we completely get rid of the nagging self-doubts (should I do this? should I do something else?) completely. If we can align our values, feelings, thoughts and actions in harmony we are in the direction of fulfillment and abundance.

When we tell ourselves " I should have bought that piece of land right before the real estate market boomed" or "I should have mowed the lawn before the lawnmower got busted" we are perpetually whipping ourselves with so many "oughts," "shoulds" and ‘musts" that we are feeling obliged, burdened, tense, resentful and totally drained of energy to get moving.

Consequently hating ourselves for being unproductive and lazy.

Why is this pushy approach (either from within or outside ) doomed to failure? Why won’t it work? Let me explain. If you, yourself or someone else eggs you on, aggressively urges you, prods you even cajoles you to do something you will feel a natural resistance. (Your mom tells you to make your bed before going out or your friend tells you to break off with your jerk boyfriend.) It’s like this. It’s a basic law of physics, that for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Anytime you feel shoved, whether by someone’s hand actually on your chest or someone’s bossing you around, you will tighten up and resist so as to maintain equilibrium and balance.

You will attempt to preserve your dignity by refusing to do the thing that you are being pushed to do. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. You can’t win either way. Because if you refuse to do, you or the other person demands you to, you end up defeating yourself just in order to spite him or her. In contrast, if you do what the person tells you to do, you feel had. You gave in to those pushy demands. You get the feeling the individual controlled you and this robs you of self- respect.

Also you are giving yourself two problems for the price of one. First, you ended up not doing the tasks which really are for your own good. Second, you are being hard on yourself after not doing anything.

Inappropriate "should, ought or must" statements are surefire pathway to guilt. These irrational statements imply you are expected to be perfect, all knowing and all powerful which of course, you are not. There was no foolproof way to predict a real estate boom in your neck of the woods that’s why you didn’t buy that strip of land when it was up for sale. There was no way you can tell before hand the lawnmower is going to be broken.

Here are Four Ways To Get Rid Of Your Coercive Shoulds, Oughts And Musts:

1.Rewards System. It’s human nature to go after what we want not what we don’t want. For example , if you want to lose weight, think of the benefits; you have more energy to socialize, you fit very well in that little black dress, you look attractive in it, someone hot will ask you out, your social/dating life will improve.

2.Reformulate the way you tell yourself to do things by eliminating coercive words from your vocabulary and translating it into " It will make me feel better if I"….. or "It would be nice if "… or "It would have been better if…..".

3.Keep a daily log. Write every time you do things on your own volition. Without anyone telling you what to do. At the end of the day tally everything. Over a period of several weeks you will notice that your daily score keeps increasing. This will remind you that you are in control of your life. You will have more self-confidence. And you are able to view yourself as a more capable human being.

4.Schedule five minutes a day to recite all your should statements and self-persecutions out loud. Rattle off all the most abusive self- criticisms you can think of (" I’m such a rotten loser"). Limit you "shoulds" to this scheduled period so you won’t be bothered by them at other times. No more worrying, complaining fretting, stewing, disliking at anytime of the day.

Does this sound all too simple? Will it work for you? Why not try it and put it to the test? You will be treating yourself with a sense of respect. You will have personal dignity and a feeling of freedom of choice. You will motivate yourself through rewards rather than punishment. Get in touch with the limits of your knowledge. Accept yourself as an imperfect person. Believe you can transform yourself, break a bad habit, cultivate a new useful one, enhance self-control and lead a productive life by living a "should-free" day. Everyday.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

10 Expert Tips To Prevent Wrist Injuries In Yoga

Most yoga injuries aren't severe and are easy to ignore. Maybe you stretched just a little too much and your hamstring is sore the next day. Wrist injuries, on the other hand, are a bitch, and you can damage your wrists easily if you don't take care. That's certainly not something you want. When your wrists are injured, it can be hard to do even the smallest tasks, let alone yoga.

Crow Pose

At some point during your practice you're going to encounter arm balances or other poses that require your weight to be on your hands. The fear of injuring your wrists may stop you from attempting them. Even worse, you might proceed anyway with improper alignment, and build up permanent damage to your wrists.

This was a big concern of mine when I started practicing yoga. I have had carpal tunnel syndrome since I was a young teenager, and I was worried about making it worse. Even though I have since learned how to prevent wrist injuries in my own yoga practice, I did it the hard way: trial and error.

Here is what expert yoga instructors have to say about preventing wrist injuries in yoga.

1. DON'T BE AFRAID OF MODIFICATIONS

"I broke my wrist in 2003. I learned to modify all poses -- except downward dog -- with my forearms on the floor," Beth Shaw, owner of YogaFit explains. "You can modify the downward dog into a quarter dog by placing your forearms on the ground.  But many poses -- including downward dog -- can also be done with the fists to protect the wrists and create stability.

"If you do end up putting all your weight on your hands in a pose, like a handstand, spread your fingers as wide as you can and concentrate on pressing into your fingertips so that it takes pressure off your wrists," Shaw continues. "Or you can do a handstand by placing blocks under each hand and gripping them. It also helps to get someone to lift you into the handstand position."

2. CONNECT WITH YOUR BODY

"One of the key pieces of knowledge that you learn by practicing yoga is the ability to become connected to your physical self," says Jamie Martin Wilson, a freelance Hatha/Iyengar instructor. "Since yoga is a practice that requires gradual building upon and mindful strengthening, you will know your time. It is by this interaction with yourself that you become able to acknowledge your capabilities, strengths, limitations, or injuries for the present moment.

"As you practice your asanas, for example downward facing dog, you will learn to distribute the weight within your palms and fingers and as the pose presents a weight bearing action, one will eventually strengthen their wrists. Always working to the edge: where you feel your limit without pain. It is helpful to work with a teacher that you feel comfortable and trust that will guide you with support," concludes Jamie.

3. WARM UP

"To prevent wrist injuries in yoga one must 'warm up' the area/body to prepare for the pose," says Lily Eslahjou, instructor at BodyHoliday LeSport in St. Lucia.  "Specifically for arm balances it is important to stretch the wrists.  Kneeling on the mat and fingers pointing back to knees on the mat, hold the position for 5 -10 breaths, stretch the tops of the wrists as well by making fists arms straight out and dropping fists down. Circle wrists in both directions.

"If kneeling down to stretch wrists is a problem because of knee injuries then wrists can be stretched by placing hands on the wall, arms straight out, shoulders aligned with wrists," Eslahjou suggests. "At least 5-8 sun salutations to warm up the body and wrists through plank, chaturanga will be enough to move into arm balances safely."

4. LEARN PROPER ALIGNMENT

"When learning arm balances, there are two important things to remember to keep your wrists strong and avoid wrist pain," Montreal-based instructor Jennifer Kruidbos begins. "The first is alignment. In the vast majority of arm balancing poses, it’s best to align the center of the wrist with the outside of the shoulder, making sure the index fingers are parallel to one another. This prevents bending sideways, which can strain the wrists.

"The second thing to remember is strength," Kruidbos continues. "When doing arm balancing posing, press down through the knuckles at the base of the index and middle fingers, and grip the mat with the tips of all four fingers and the thumb. This will cause the arch of the hand to lift, distributing your weight evenly so it’s not on the heel of the hand, which is what tends to cause wrist pain."

5. DISTRIBUTE YOUR WEIGHT EQUALLY

"There are a few keys to preventing wrist injuries during arm balances," says Laura Calcaterra, owner and instructor at Big Yoga in Houston. "Equal weight distribution throughout your hands, stacking your elbow joints directly on top of your wrist joints before putting weight on your wrists, and also using your core to lift your body weight up instead of dumping your weight into your arms and wrists. It is also important to set your ego aside and come out of the pose if you start to feel pain in your wrist. Have fun playing with arm balances rather than pushing toward a desired outcome!"

6. SET THE FOUNDATION

"Avoid wrist injury by turning the hand outward," says Sid McNairy, owner and founder of Sid Yoga. "This sets the foundation for shoulders to be open and elevate pain in the wrist. Placing blocks under hand is another way to elevate the tension in the wrist. Another way is to keep the wrist straight. This can be performed by practicing on their fist. These few modifications will aid a practitioner in prevention of wrist problems."

7. BE READY TO ADJUST YOUR ENERGY

“The general rule of thumb I give to my students is to listen to their bodies," explains Natascha Bohmann, 200RYT and owner of Udana Yoga and Wellness in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. "If something hurts, your body is telling you that an adjustment is needed – whether physically or energetically. Self-awareness is really the foundation for addressing or preventing wrist pain. By understanding both physical and energetic alignment, one can easily modify or correct a pose and, ultimately, find and build the strength in the pose.

"For example, in plank pose, the alignment over the shoulders is key (and helps make the pose feel noticeably better)," Bohmann says. "Someone with carpal tunnel or weak wrists can access the pose through a modified plank (placing the knees and tops of the feet on the ground), by coming into a dolphin plank (forearms to the ground), or by adding additional support under the hands (such as folding the mat for extra cushion or using a towel).

"In terms of energetic alignment," continues Bohmann, "it’s important to understand proper distribution of energy throughout the hands. One should avoid collapsing weight into the wrists. The energy should be even across the four corners of the hand while creating a sense of lifting through the center of the hand.

"A simple way to experiment with this is in table top pose. Try shifting the energy in the hands and notice the difference between putting pressure into the wrists (with the weight primarily at the base of your hand) versus distributing the energy throughout the hand. Building strength in the wrists takes time, but with awareness of alignment in both the physical body and from an energetic perspective, one can step onto the mat and meet their practice with renewed confidence.”

8. BE MINDFUL

Dana Santas, a yoga instructor who works with major league sports teams, advises, "Avoid mindless collapse straight down into the wrist joint with a flat palm. Set your stance with a conscious distribution of weight and force through the hand that begins under the thumb and first finger (and space between) and spreads out across the other fingers (without putting too much pressure on the outside). Pressing down with the pads of the fingers--almost as though you are sliding them inward towards your palm--helps to avoid a flattening collapse into the palm and wrist joint.

9. STRETCH, STRENGTHEN, AND SUPPORT

"Our wrists are something that we often take for granted," yoga teacher and Lululemon Ambassador Vanessa Van Noy tells us. "Keeping them safe and injury-free is not something  often contemplated until we find ourselves injured. When practicing, a few simple considerations can keep our wrists strong, supple, and intact.

"Stretch. The wrists often get tight and we don't even notice. Limited range of motion is often a cause of injury. Strengthen. Doing poses in which you bear your own body weight are important to keep them healthy long term. Poses that keep the wrist at a right angle or greater like Downward Facing Dog and Plank are a good place to start. Making sure the shoulders don't move past the wrists," cautions Van Noy. "And support them in the process. Always be willing to let your wrists rest if they feel sore or wrap them if you feel that they could use some reinforcement."

10. REMEMBER IT'S ONLY YOGA

"The best tip I can give to prevent wrist injuries in yoga is to really think about spreading your fingers wide on your yoga mat, to distribute your weight evenly throughout your hands," says Nathalie Croix, founder of Shanti Yoga Shala in New Orleans. "We put so much weight on our hands during practice that is important to be very aware about weight distribution. For example, in a pose like downward facing dog it's ideal to think about pressing your heels down as you move your thighs back and lift your hips and simultaneously spread all fingers of your hands and feel all knuckles of the fingers grounding and pressing into the mat, grounding the pose.

"If a student cannot bear weight try dropping the elbows on the mat, and modifying with a dolphin pose instead of the traditional downward facing dog. Please remember to take rest as much as needed during practice. It's OK to skip a pose or two. It's only yoga! We are doing yoga as a life long practice not just for today," Croix reminds us.

• Posted in: Basics and Facts
• Written By: Ysmay
• Source: http://www.42yogis.com/yoga/item/10-tips-preventing-wrist-injuries

This Is Your Brain and Body on Yoga and Meditation: 4 Powerful Scientific Findings - by Sarah Vaynerman

SOURCE - The Huffington Post 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-vaynerman/this-is-your-brain-and-bo_b_8288232.html

The many benefits of yoga, a 5,000-year-old discipline, are finally getting support from modern science.

If you've ever taken a vinyasa class or spent time meditating, you may be familiar with the even-keeled buzz often referred to in the yoga world as "yoga bliss" or "yoga high." As it turns out, several recent studies support that this feeling of mind-body nirvana is not just a fleeting sentiment, but rather an indication of some very real physical responses that could lead to better health, reduced stress and increased productivity.

Yoga gets on your nerves, in the best way

The human body is an incredible, interconnected web of life, but one key player doesn't get nearly enough credit. Many people are entirely unaware of the vagus nerve, which extends from the base of the brain and branches out through the neck, chest and abdomen. It is essentially the command center for regulating the homeostasis of many vital organ systems including the heart, lungs and digestive tract. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine presented evidence that yoga helps to regulate vagal tone, or the homeostasis of these systems, by stimulating and increasing the activity of stress-blocking neurotransmitters.

Mindfulness meditation can literally change your brain
A team of Harvard researchers compared MRIs of meditators to non-meditators before and after an eight-week course in mindfulness-based stress reduction, where participants practiced meditation on average for 27 minutes a day. Meditators showed a significant increase in gray matter in the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory, and a decrease in gray matter in the amygdala, which is associated with anxiety and stress. The non-meditating control group showed none of these changes in brain structure.

A few deep breaths really do go a long way. 
A study published in 2013 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that participants showed a significant reduction in blood pressure following 10 minutes of alternate nostril breathing and 10 minutes of breath awareness compared to a control group. The study concluded that alternate nostril breathing is associated with improved focus and attention while keeping anxiety levels low. This is significant because tasks requiring focus and attention are usually associated with stimulating the nervous system -- a response that can be dangerous for those with conditions such as hypertension and high stress levels.

Not all exercise is created equal
Think yoga is just one way to get the benefits of any aerobic workout? Think again. A University of Illinois study concluded that 20 minutes of Hatha yoga improved participants' ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information significantly more so than after 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity. In fact, participants showed no significant improvements on working memory and inhibitory control scores after activities like jogging, while reaction times and accuracy on cognitive tasks following yoga increased.

Find out more about Sarah Vaynerman

Am I A Yogi Yet? - by Betty Floris

SOURCE: YOGITIMES.COM

When does it happen?

Photography by Natiya Guin

Am I A Yogi Yet? When I first went to a yoga studio, I was not sure what to expect. Coming from a fitness background I had experienced exercise in a number of forms, from aerobics to running to strength training to swimming. Having played soccer, competed in gymnastics and played university level women's basketball, I thought I knew what movement was about.

Then I walked into the yoga studio to my first yoga class, vinyasa flow. At the time, I knew I was heavier than I wanted to be. I knew I was older than many of those in class. I knew I had not been as committed to my workouts. I acknowledged I had taken time off from exercise with some family life that only elevated my weight and made me so very aware I needed a new inspiration. I took a place at the back and waited for class to begin.

For ninety minutes, I did not know the terms, and was unfamiliar with the sequences. I recognized a few movements but was baffled by the wording, and was challenged by my lack of balance and seemingly minimal strength. But, I was somehow thrilled at the same time. I felt something drawing me in, propelling me to continue. This was different than anything I had ever experienced. The teacher was distinct in guiding us through each move with clear description and cues for each step. I felt awkward, not certain of the transitions, and knew I did not look like any of these young slim bodies who moved with such grace. I felt intimidated by the mirrors and knew I had work to do.

What was this yoga? What was this wonderful series of movements reaching every aspect of my physical self, and then some? When the class ended, I left feeling like something shifted inside. As I walked to the car, I felt shaky. I knew I had to come back again. The teacher had referenced us as yogis. I was thinking I was quite far from that. As that first year of yoga progressed, I gradually increased my classes per week as I gained endurance and lost my extra pounds. In class, I moved my mat space closer to the front and began to use the mirror for focus and checking alignment. I started reading everything I could on Yoga. I took every workshop offered at the studio that year, subscribed to yoga posts and online magazines. I began to realize there is only more to learn. 

As I moved into my second year, I signed up for the Yoga Teacher Training at the studio to (as they say), 'deepen my practice'. I was amazed at what fit really is, and wondered why I never did this before now. I no longer feel awkward and am working on mindfulness and intention. And recently, my husband said, "So, what is yoga, anyway?" I invited him to come along with me next class. And, as he sat in the back, at that beginning place, I heard him say to the student next to him, "That is my wife over there, the Yogi on the right..." . I loved it.

Betty Floris Bio - HERE

Heck yeah, it's Hatha!

We've been skipping around our local studios lately trying to mix things up a bit and broaden our practice. It was tonight's practice at EvolveMovement Studio with Laura Nickerson (ERYT 200hr &  RYT 500), that reminded us we really do have a soft spot in our hearts for Hatha.  

Like most practices under the now big umbrella of "yoga", Hatha seeks to align the body in a way that frees the energy through the spine by utilizing postures (asana), breathing techniques (prana), and meditation, but the root of the Sandskrit word "Hatha" actually translates to Sun (Ha) and Moon (Tha). Thus, Hatha yoga is known for uniting pairs of opposites in the human system.

Tami's Madala, the mat used for our Hatha class

Maybe that's why we like it so much? The sense of balance it provides. Goodness know we need it! 

These days however, hatha is most often used to describe gentle, basic classes with no flow between poses. A “hatha” class could likely be a slow-paced stretching class with some simple breathing exercises and possibly even some seated meditation.

Laura’s class was, well, not like that.

Her knowledge of the practice, modification options, and hands on adjustments (we LOVE gentle adjustments!), really got us hooked. Her jokes and energetic disposition are pretty catchy too! Every once and awhile she’ll bounce to the middle of the room for a quick demonstration. But even with the laughs, her focus is on each individual’s capabilities and/or limitations. Her philosophy is to have each student "claim their experience".  

"I want everyone to practice according to their own bodies, their own needs. I provide the guidance, but they know themselves best. It’s my hope they claim their experience, that they make each practice their own”.

We like that philosophy and intend to add the class to our repertoire. A healthy dose of Hatha is just what we we’re looking for, and we certainly like Laura’s delivery.

Although some say Hatha has a more serious or traditional approach and there’s little room for humor, and some say Hatha is a slower less flowing practice, we found this particular class to be neither. It was fun, and practical, and quite the workout if we do say so ourselves. So the question is, is it still Hatha?

Heck yeah, it’s Hatha!  

Adult Sleepaway Summer Camps Are The New Yoga Retreats

Source: YOGA DORK  

http://yogadork.com/2015/07/21/adult-sleepaway-summer-camps-are-the-new-yoga-retreats/

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Image via SoulCamp on Facebook

Not a festival. Not a retreat. Summer Camp. Like you did maybe when you were 10. Except this time there’s more grown up stuff like adult beverages and adult interactions. The concept of adult sleepaway camps – no kids allowed – is a growing trend conjuring up all kinds of images of what it would be like if “Wet Hot American Summer” meets “Grown Ups” meets all of your 12-year-old fantasies (plus some fantasies from your 20s, 30s, 40s, etc.).

While some of the camps focus on networking and hobnobbing like Camp No Counselors which boasts an enviable attendee pool of “fashion and food bloggers, media execs, music moguls, financiers, lawyers, doctors and more,” others are designed for special interests like Wine Campand Adult Space Academy (which we’re glad hasn’t yet become Space Wine Academy…or are we?).

Catering to the yogi-loving, neo-new age set is Soul Camp, an “all-inclusive multi-day, multi-night, adult sleepaway camp for the soul.” Sounding like a hybrid of a retreat, a yoga festival, and a modern hippie commune, Soul Camp treats its soul campers to a mind/body/spirit immersion, or as they describe it, it’s the kind of place “to unplug and rediscover who you truly are.”

And how might one going about doing that in a single long weekend? Yoga class, meditation, “intuition workshops,” and “prana hikes” are all available activities, as well as astrology and some crafty ops like dreamcatcher weaving and mala bead making classes. In addition to that, there’s a TED Talk-y ”Soul-versation speaker series” billed to be both inspiring and empowering, and also probably your more kumbaya-y moment of the camp.

In case you couldn’t find out who you truly are with all of that, there’s also cardio bootcamp, Buti, intenSati, boating, recreational sports and organic farming. Musical performances from the likes of (who else?) MC Yogi have been scheduled in the past, along with “late night” disco dance parties (a typical day starts at 7:30am so the 10pm dance events are for the “late night” partiers) plus…wait for it…talent shows! And feathers. Surely there will be feathers.

It’s basically your dream scenario if you want a chance to let go of your regular routine, join some 300 other like-minded folks in sweating, hugging, and intuiting out all of your stresses, and return back to your normal life by the end of it all with a fresh outlook, some cool new mala beads and maybe a souvenir organic tomato from the garden. That or you’ll set up camp and refuse to leave.

By the way, if all of this sounds a little trippy, we can tell you there is no kool-aid, at least not the literal kind. Soul Camp is completely alcohol and drug free, so if you thought this would be your chance for a soul-searching bender, you might want to choose another adult summer camp experience. We imagine there’s already someone out there cooking up the Yoga, Weed & Wine Adult Sleepaway Adventure. Maybe in Colorado.

What will all of this finding your true self cost? Well, there’s the kicker. A four or five day Soul Camp experience will run you from $1,100 – $1,500 – definitely more expensive than your average Wanderlust and on par with some of the (using the term loosely) affordable yoga retreats. This year there are two dates, September 9-13 for Soul Camp East at Camp Towanda in the Poconos (we kid you not, the actual location of “Wet Hot American Summer”) and October 28-31 for Soul Camp West at Wonder Valley in the Sierras. All meals are provided and accommodations range from a 5-6 person dorm setup to private cabins for those needing soul-healing alone time (for an additional cost, of course).

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Now this is the kind of Summer Camp we could get into!!!

BREATH OF ..... Is that the FIRE Alarm?!

Safety first!

Well it's bound to happen once right?  You're transitioning from Urdhva Mukha Svanasana to Adho Mukha Svanasana, you're breathing, you’re focused, you're fluid… you are yoga, then BAHHM BAHHM BAHHM BAHHM, off goes... the fire alarm?!  Such was the case for yesterday's Flow practice at Bliss Body Yoga.

I've been lucky enough to never question why I go to class, or why I practice yoga, but I can say now I'm also lucky enough to have experienced the kind of ah-ha moment in my practice that turns knowing into understanding. 

It WAS right in the middle of transitioning from one pose to another when the alarm came on.  Like an air horn at a ball game it boomed, the studio’s hardwood floors only bouncing its echo louder.  Our instructor Rachel (Wright, RYT 500… she’s great by the way!) handled it all very gracefully, even reaching instinctively for the fire extinguisher before deciding it was best to usher the class outside... Come to think about it, yoga mats probably are pretty flammable!  After the initial surprise wore off and although no fire in sight, we calmly shuffled out the door and into the afternoon sun.  Twenty minutes, a couple of firetrucks, and a few "why are they barefoot?" stares from the patrons of the restaurant two doors down, we got the all clear for re-entry.

The alarm was off, but the strobe was still going and making a tick-tick-tick noise like a metronome in the background.  We decided to resume with our practice anyway. I'm surprised to say yet extremely grateful, despite the ticking and strobing, there was a moment somewhere between Uttanasana and Samasthiti where my focus had come back so strong, and where the Ujjayi breath and movement were so as one, that I realized I actually forgot for a moment that any of it had ever happened.  Bliss?  Nirvana?  Who knows, but for that moment all was perfect.

The epiphany came that this was what all the teaching and practice has been for.  To take that same serenity, that simple existence, out into our world that seems to be blaring its daily fire alarm at us... Bahhm Bahhm Bahhm.  Between our projects and children, our work and play, the strobing of images off our computers, and TV's, and cell phones, and even those we create on the movie screens in our own heads, there is just being.  That moment of centering that transcends us from life to actually being alive.

That, which I knew before but now fully understood, was what it was all for. 

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Uttanasana (Forward Fold)  | Samasthiti (Mountain) | Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-facing Dog) | Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog)

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Thanks to Rachel & Bliss Body Yoga!! 

Bliss Body Yoga | 4035 Lake Boone Trail #111, Raleigh, NC 27607 | (919) 480-2887 | www.blissbody-yoga.com

"We Are Stronger When We Come Together"

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Sherry Fair Hoff on our Bhaiṣajyaguru mat

What do you get when you have an inspired yogi with worldly ideals, the classic startup budget, and a dream? A beautiful studio nestled above a red barn antique store, with a focus not only on great yoga but also striving to bring yoga at fair cost or fair trade to all. Based on the trade and barter system, Fair Trade Yoga Studios aims to provide a space for yogis to practice while also maintaining connections with businesses willing to share their love of yoga too by extending space, products, or merchandise discounts to students. As their website says "we are stronger when we can come together". Pretty cool idea if you ask us! 

If you're in the Powell, Ohio area and feel like experiencing some yogic love for yourself, do check out this magical space and say hello to Sherry and the team at Fair Trade Yoga Studios! 

www.fairtradeyogastudios.com

35,000 Bend It With Modi As India Launches World Yoga Day

Written by: JULIE MCCARTHY

Source:  NPR.com / http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/06/21/415769144/bending-over-backwards-for-international-yoga-day 

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You don't expect to see world leaders getting down on all fours to perform yoga in public, let alone in a mass yoga class that draws observers from Guinness World Records.

But India's Narendra Modi did just that when he launched International Yoga Day on Rajpath, the central Delhi mall that represents the nerve center of power in India.

"Who would have thought that we would turn Rajpath into Yog-path [Yoga Road]," Modi asked the assembled yoga enthusiasts.

U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma was among the participants who stretched out in a carpet of yoga mats numbering anywhere from 35,000 to 37,000.

A mass yoga session on Rajpath, New Delhi's ceremonial boulevard, marks International Yoga Day.

On a day intended to project India's "soft power," school children, yoga instructors and government employees gathered before dawn eager to extol the virtues of India's ancient passport to harmony and inner peace. Home Affairs Ministry employee Urmisha Nandi called yoga India's "hidden treasure."

"It's very healthy and helpful also because we are nearing the age of 40s, and at this age we need it badly," she said with a laugh.

Looking out at the sea of yoga mats — made, by the way, in China — Modi said that yoga was more than physical fitness. The prime minister, who has been under attack by the opposition for "usurping" yoga to highlight himself, insisted that today's occasion was a program for "human welfare, stress-free living, and a message of love, peace and harmony.

GOATS AND SODA

Who Knew Yoga Could Be So Stressful!

"There is a great misconception that yoga is about physical flexibility," Modi said. "If that were so, circus performers would be yogis. Bending your body and being flexible is not yoga."

Just as the asanas, or poses, are but a small part of the entire concept, Modi said "the full journey of yoga is very long ... We are making an attempt to begin it today."

Modi enthralled on-lookers when he took up position on a teal blue mat at the head of columns of participants who stretched for a mile to India Gate in neat rows along the covered road and two adjoining lawns.

In marathon preparations, nothing was left to chance. The Hindustan Times reported that when a wind storm scattered nearly all of the yoga mats Saturday morning, the army was called in "to avert a last-minute disaster."

Modi, dressed in white, mopped his brow with a scarf in the tri-colors of the Indian flag in the early morning heat. He joined the program following instructions in English and Hindi. Giant screens projected images of the instructors leading the drill of breathing and balancing. "This asana helps in treating back aches," a female instructor intoned.

Throughout the 35-minutes exercise, Modi's moves looked nimble and his face relaxed.

Modi came to office vowing to propel India onto the world stage. Jahan Zeb, a Muslim, said he'd done that with International Yoga Day, and made India "proud." Other Muslims said by showcasing yoga, Modi was showcasing Hinduism – the majority religion in India. But Zeb brushed aside that criticism and said he had come for the physical fitness and to broaden his mind.

"Some Muslims believe that life is completely governed by religion. Whereas the Koran says, 'one should learn and expand their knowledge,' " Zeb says.

A commemorative coin and a new Indian stamp helped mark the first International Yoga Day, celebrated from Ankor Wat to Time Square.

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