Monday, May 3, 2010

A gift for you!

Hey Everyone! Is this the most beautiful day ever or what?!!

Below you will find a list of the services that I provide as well as the cost of the services:






Yoga Instruction


Private sessions:
$45 for 45 minutes or $50 for 1 hour



Group sessions:
3 to 5 people - $75 per hour
5 or more people - $65 per hour





Personal Training
Same pricing as the yoga!








Raw Food Counseling
(Since I am still in the process of getting this certification I will be offering these sessions at half price)


Consultation is $35
Raw Food Cleanse Guidance is $75 for 3 days (this will include shopping together and a menu lay out that is personalized to you)






I am so excited about the ability to offer all of these amazing opportunities for you to improve your health!

So....
To kick start off this amazing opporunity I am offering each and every one of a you a free 30 minute consultation on any of the above things! If you would like to know more about 2 or even all 3 then we will make that work!!!






Have the very best day of your life and I look forward to meeting with all of you!
Adriane Ehmann
bodybreakthroughs@gmail.com or 970-776-6731 to collect your Gift!

Friday, April 30, 2010

I love.....But......

I love you, but....
I really like your style, but....
I hear what you are saying, but.....
I want to continue this relationship, but....
But....
But... WHAT?!  But what?  I ask you this today because what is the word but? 

Frankly I am over this word and its condescending purpose.....  If you hear "I love you, but...."  What does your mind hear?  It hears the BUT!!!!  Forget the I love you because all of the sudden there are stipulations to the Love or the Like of the sentence. 

Another word to count out of my dictionary I suppose! 

As I journey forth in this letting go of the word but I have noticed more and more my hearing it; as this would naturally happen when you place energy into something.  
But (ha ha) why am I hearing this word so much?  Is it my own sense f doubt that is being projected right back at me through those I love and appreciate as they tell me 
"I think you have some really good points.... but... I think you could / need to use more punctuation"
Translation in my mind is "They really do not appreciate my writing if they put that BUT in there"
or there is this one

The other one I heard lately is a bit too personal too share at this moment in time but it runs along the same lines.

List of words I am doing my best to use minimally in my vocabulary:
Don't
Can't 
Not
Bad
and most recently But

Here is my reasoning behind this.....
Everyone placed on this planet has a distinct path that THEY must follow.... rather than it being my duty to point out all they could or should be doing right I really want to just support them fully as they venture forth.  All truth is different and all Trurh is correct.  Love is what everything comes down too, it is the emotion or feeling that we are created by and I personally think and feel that these aboe words move people away from who they are.  

I am ready to receive respect and I am prepared to give respect.  And sometimes that means shutting your mouth off and just allowing someone to be on their path instead of speaking your opinion about where they should be.     

To end allow yourself to take amoment and think about how often we "But" ourselves and see what resonates with you!  Maybe I am looking at it from an area of currently being shut down to constructive criticism and maybe that is all that the "But" is.  :)

Love and light!  Bless your day and bless your life!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

SNOW!??! Time for a little reflection on winter!

Three work outs today!!!  One for the physical, one for the physical and mental, and one for the emotional!!

Let's get it started with the physical!! 

Woot Woot!  Put on some good upbeat motivational music!  Get a stop watch or a timer,  and get excited!

30 seconds Jumping Jacks
30 seconds Push ups
30 seconds Mountain Climbers
30 seconds Crab Walk
30 seconds Jumping Jacks
30 seconds Crunches with legs up towards te ceiling
30 seconds Mountain Climbers
30 seconds squat presses
60 seconds of rest

Repeat 4 or 5 times!!!  You are going to feel so amazing!!!


Time for a little yoga! 

If you are unfamiliar with yoga please skip  this part and just do some light stretching with focus on your breath.

Basic rules to follow:
Inhale expand the body (example rising up to standing)
Exhale contract the body (example forward fold)
Hold the postures as long as you desire
Focus is on the breath, allow theposture to take the whole inhale or exhale
Body is engagaed and strong in postures

Begin in Childs Pose (Balasana)
Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svinasana)
Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
Rise to standing arms toward the sky (Tadasana)
Uttanasana
Half lift
Uttanasana
Plank (Chataranga)
Adho Mukha Svinasana
Crescent Lunge (Anjaneyasana) right leg forward
Adho Mukha Svinasana
Anjaneyasana left leg forward
Step foward to uttanasana
Half way lift
Uttansana
Tadasana

Repeat this sequence until you feel satisfied, adding in any twists or variations with the crescent lunges!
End in balasana or sivasana taking time to feel the openess in the body!


Now to exercise the emotions!

With is being spring time it is a time of re-birth, a time to evaluate that which we are and that which we desire to become.  So today take a few minutes to reflect on your winter, see the things that you once were and see the things you wish to become.  Allow your ego to take a step back and recognize that this time of year is an amazing time to open up to new things and let go of the old. 
Write down your 5 successes of your winter
and then
Write down your 5 goals for your summer

This will set your mind to succeed, allowing you to feel gratitude and love for everything that you have done.
Now these successes that I speak of can range from I spent time with loved ones to I graduated from classes... these successes have freedom to be "big" or "small".  \

What we offer up to the universe the universe offers up to us!  Live with gratitude and love, recognize the greatness that you are!

Have a blessed day!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Balance vs Force

I have been seeing a body worker for a little over 18 months now, on and off.  recently much more on than off.  This is due to the body "issues" that I have been experiencing.  Such issues are as follows:
Low back pain
Middle back pain
Shoulder pain
Anxiety when I wake up and when I fall asleep, and sometiem even all day
Tight tight hips
and an Upset tummy

Now my thought when I review this list I think "Why am I experiencing my 80's or 90's in my 20's????!!!!"

So here is the reason for this post, rather than this being a sob story this is about transformation and the importance of a strength training and work outs.    About 6 or 7 months ago I decided I was ready for the ultimate transformation, one that I knew was a long time coming.... so I got up anf left my job as well as what I had built, I stopped my yoga practice, left my eating of cooked foods behinds, and demanded of myself daily that I break everything down and re-do it! 
By leaving begind the physical such as foods and work outs and yoga behind I abandoned everything my body knew.  Now it is completely lost and with out and understanding of my physical self. 

Though I am a belieer of transforma'tion I have greatly learned that it must come at a respectful pace.  When you want transformation allow compassion for yourself and space for the transformation.  Work out, practice yoga, eat foods that are healthy and make you happy. 

I am now in the process of re-building and lookign for a place for my physical body to hang onto.  Allow me to elaborate on this....  as we grow up we create patterns that are physical reactions to the things that happen to us.  So some of my tendencies were to hold on for dear life on the right side of my body and I supported that because I worked out andpractice yoga which gave me the muscular structure to grip too.  So when I stopped all these things my body lost its grip and everything went out of place...
Now, had I continued my work out and slowly begin to incorporate work outs that allowed me to alter my habits, rather than experiencing these thinsg I may feel a little more at peace as well as strength.

In a world that demands of us, to be at the top of our game all the time.... its is important that we remember that the journey there is the most important part.  It is the little things that lead to the big things. 

I encourage you to begin to get body work and get to know your body.  As you do this you will see the perfecction it is as well as the things that you may want to see change. 

Compassion compassion compassio!  This may be resonating with you on a level other then just the body... maybe it is work, friendships, or relationships.  honor and love yourself and others.

Love and light!!!  Have the best day ever!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

R. E. S. P. E. C. T. find out what it means to me

Today the Earth, our Mother has given us here in Fort Collins a day of rain, with a beautiful moment of sunshine.  She is pouring down on us blessing us like holy water blesses many of religious faith.  Washing away the old and the unserving and preparing the gorund for new seeds to take root.  We are so lucky!  This is the best day ever!

As I woke up this morning and checked my facebook as I often do I came across a post that implied that Earth day is a hoax and that we should less then honor the Earth.  It implied doing donuts in a Cobra and turning on every light in the house in the name of American Liberty..... Now, I am unaware of the seriousness of this post.  I can however tell you my emotional reaction upon reading it... I was sad, and on top of sadness there has been this underlying frustration that I have been holding onto about it. 

This post made me cringe as I read the words.  My ego and my mind desperately wanted to respond with resentment as well as a challenge as to why they felt that this was an appropriate thing to say.  However, I feel as though wisdom held me back.  I pondered this continually through out the day and as you can tell I still am.  Here is my conclusion, and this conclusion roots into every area of life....

Every single person, being the intelligent beautiful, divine individuals that we are has a full right to their opinion.  This applies for every single SOUL out there.  Though my opinion is that we are made of the earth and that with out her we would be non existent that could be far from what anyone else thinks.  For me to stomp my opinion all over everything can add hatred and anger into the world, especially when we carelessly do so in a setting in which there is no clarity about the mood of the statement. 

These may be the downfalls to facebook, twitter, linkedin, texting, email, etc.  

To tell someone else that their belief is invalid is a sign of disrespect. So in respect of Mother Earth, Jesus, Buddha, Mahatma Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Atman, etc le us take Earth Day and recognize not only that this planet allows our lives to sustain but that the opinions of every single soul on it also affords us the ability to be here.  If you believe that Mother Earth along with Earth Day is a hoax... I do ask you that you just take a moment to consider that to sustain life we need her!  We need her soil and her water, we need her fires, and her rotation around the sun for sleep. 

Take a moment tonight and respect what sustains your life, your belief systems and your morals, as well as the purpose you live by. 

respect those around you and yourself.  Practice non violence and be careful and wise with what you speak.  Wisdom is empowerment!

I wish you all a beautiful day!!  Thank you for taking the time to read the blog!  Love and light!!!!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

What makes us enough!

The ebbs and flows these days seem to be more so than usual.  Yesterday I was so inspired and this morning I could barely keep my head attached I just wanted to burst out of my skin.  And now I am feeling a bit of poverty mentality slipping in and dancing around telling me that I am less then enough and I have less then enough and all that blah blah blah that is less then true. 

So I have to ask myself and all of you to define what is less then enough....

Does this less then anough haveto do with what it is that we grew up with?  Is it that maybe my family grew up with less money then we needed..... and what defines it as less then what we needed.  Because we all still are alive and we lways had clothes and food and love and shelter and water?!  So what is enough?

I am abke and going on a 2 week road trip in less then 6 weeks that allows me to see many different areas and meet new people nd interview other yoga instructors and see ne w health food stores and be away.  And somewhere in this ability is fear again that there is less then enough.....  

It seems to be everywhere lately....and to be quite honest and truthful with you and with myself... it really sucks!!!  It is uncomfortable and brings anxiety amd tension into te body and the mind.  There is fear of failure and fear of loss, and the only reason that these fears exist is because I have "succeeded" and I have "gained" and with those feelings of greatness come feelings or yuckiness.  What is this programming and what aee we teaching our children and our peers when we tell them what is good and what is bad? 

If we can buy a house and pay cash does this make us better then the person who is more financially inclined to ride a bike, walk, or take public transportation?  

If we can meditate and sit still for longer periods of time does this make us better then the person who is figgety and avoids meditation?

We are enough, and we are born enough, and as much as I have to know this within myself maybe today or tomorrow or whenever you read this post you will remember that you were born enough.  This enough stays with you forever!  It is the space behind the heart that reminds us that our infinity is permanent. 

I hope this day brings you great news and great abundance!  You are the light of the world and your perfection is recognized.  Wayne Dyer speaks often about all the beauty of the world and how we can at any point access it!

Love and light and pure abundance!  Live with kindness, see beauty, feel love, know creativity, recognize endless abundance, be receptive to everything, be expansive!!!!

The work out of the day!

The Work Out of the Day!!!!

In this quick 20 minute work out we will focus on both upper body and lower body! 
What you will need:
A step
A set of dumbells that you can work with for 30 seconds on the upper body.  Focusing on a sustainable weight rather than one that is too heavy... you can also use a resistance band for either upper body work out.
The best attitude ever!
And a timer!  We will be doing 30 - 60 second sets and utilizing quick transitions in between!!! 
Ready....
Set.....
Go!!

60 seconds of step ups (utilizing a step and either stepping one foot at a time up and down and switch, or jumping.  Please challenge your body accordingly)
30 seconds Chest presses (using weights lie on your back arms beginning at 90 degree angles, wrists above elbows, press straight up until arms are straight, avoid locking the elbows) if using a resistance band (grab band with hands approximately 8 to 12 inches apart and pull away from each other, coming back to center slowly)
60 seconds step ups
30 seconds wall squat arm raises (sit against a wall in a squat position using leg strength to support, grab your weights and raise arms from sides straight out in front of you until the arms reach shoulder height and slowly lower) if using a resistance band (hook band underneath feet and perform the same movement with the arms)
60 seconds step ups
60 seconds of active recovery (walk around the room)
Repeat 3 or 4 times depending on where your body is at today!!!!

Enjoy your day and llow it to be the best day ever!!!  There is no discoursein the world, it only resides within our minds! 
Namaste!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Why do women have periods??? You will want to read this :)

Hmmm to ponder.... why do we...?  

What is the purpose?  And what makes us decide what is right and wrong? 

Now, please stop reading here if you think that there is going to a magc answer to all of your questions at the end of this post, because chances are rather than giving you an answer I will be challenging you to find your own answer.... at least that is my intention. 

Why do women have to have period, is this even IMPORTANT?!  (bear with me guys, I am going somewhere with this one)
Up until recently I just accepted the way it was and never questioned whether it was right or wrong or good or bad.....
My first thought was "Screw it, I no longer want to menstruate, I am done!"  But that is my tendency to ready fire aim!  This thought delayed the event by 2 weeks however and in that 2 weeks I was able to think a little bit more on this topic and here from different points of view.  Now, everyone said that I needed to menstruate and I believe they are right.  So, what I question now is whether we need to menstruate every freaking month?????  Really 7 days of this exhausting process of cleaning out the old and making space for the new......  If you are not a woman you may not understand this but we deplete our systems every month for this process... and is that really the best thing ever?

Is it healthy to be exhausted and cranky, even bitchy, to feel uncontrollable and like you want to cry, and even maybe have some extreme amounts of cramping going on?  What is healthy about this? 
(I may be overusing the question mark).
And if this is something that you are free from experiencing please reply to this post and share wat your lifestyle is like because I do feel as though that is a major factor to this topic.  I have read a few articles on the assistance of raw foods in healing this process to help it be more aligned with the earths energy, to be a more loving and kind process... one of the articles I read can be found on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/yograw!!!

I am sure that you probably have little interest in listening to me talk about my period this whole time, however, I wanted to pick a topic that would be highly controversial and really would catch your attention.  This is a prime example of what I am aiming for..... question everything, experience your questions and FEEL the results!  Rather than this being about scientific result, this about YOUR own personal needs and life....  after all YOU are the one that has to live with it all right?! 

One of my teachers today said "it is not about what you know but what is useful to know"  (or along those lines).  Is this the truest statement or what?!!!  What is useful for YOU to know?  Is it that religion you grew up with, is it the food triangle, is it knowlegde on being a vegan, or maybe about being in the military, or maybe it is useful for YOU to feel there is no God or ultimate power, there are unlimited choices out there, rememebr YOU live with your beliefs, so make them work for you!!!  

Rather than this world being about right or wrong, good or bad it may be time for it to be about love, acceptance, and compassion.  Herman Hesse said in Siddartha "The opposite of every truth is just as true" 

I love and appreciate you and your reading through my banter.  remember to question EVERYTHING!!!!  It is a way to find out who you are at a deeper level... ignborance is bliss and knowledge and wisdom are power over your life!!!!  Take the reins and fly!!!

Namaste!  Treat yourself the best and remember to love!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Burn it off and light it up!

Ramp it up!!!!

30 seconds plyometric squats (squat down touch fingers to the floor and jump up, land with soft knees back in a squat position and repeat)
30 seconds Push ups
30 seconds Squats with weights (squat down and allow the waight to trace the outside of the legs, as you come back up push the weights over head, move slowly)
30 seconds Tricep push ups (hug the elbows in and lower the chest down, remain on knees and keep core strong)
30 seconds Crunches (any kind you like, keep low back flat on the mat)
30 seconds lunges w/ right leg forward and weights in both hands
30 seconds jumping jacks, or running in place
30 seconds lunges w/ left leg forward and weights in both hands
60 seconds of active recovery

Repeat 4 or 5 times, focus on alignment rather than speed! 


Keep it movin!

60 seconds of snatches (weights in both hands, squat down tracing the outside of your leg with the weights and with a burst of energy come up pushing weights up overhead)
60 seconds wall squats (stay static and take a seat against a wall, feet a little wider than hip width apart, back against the wall)
60 seconds crunches on a ball
60 seconds dead lifts (weights a little heavier than you are used to, knees barely beny hinges from the hips keeping a flat back and slowly come back up using the abs and the back to create te movement)
Repeat 3 times and then rest for 1 minute and do another 3 times and then stretch it out!


Now that we have worked out the body allow us to stimulate the mind....

A while back I made the decision that I would prefer to avoid the use of words such as "not" "can't" "don't" etc.  I was inspired to do this because a little bit of word study and self exploration about reactions to these words.... they are default words... if someone tells you "don't think about a purple elephant with yellow stripes"....... "you can't think about this elephant"...... "you are not to think about this elephant"...... where does your mind go????  To that silly elephant.  It is the same with many things.
So I began this journey and found it tobe quite a creativeprocess to surround sentences around the positive. 
Finally it clicked and the phrase "Rather than" began to replace the default negatives I was using before.  What I have discovered with this phrase "rather than"  is that it allows you to recognbize the negative and then follow up with a positive. 
For example "rather than thinking about a purple elephant with yellow stripes (allowing yourself to see it), let's draw our focus the strength in our body (shifting focus to a more positive frame of mind)". 
I hace used this is quite a few of the yoga classes that I am blessed to teach and have noticed better focus, and better response to queing.  So why would it be any different with anything else?  If we give ourselves space to acknowledge and see both sides of the situation than we can free up so much space to move into the best space!

Go ahead, take the challenge and begin to shift your wording around!  Make this and everyday that follows the best day ever!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Living a Sustainable Life!

Please take a minute, pause and think about this term.... Sustainable Living.  What does this mean to you? 
 
Up until recently I have never really given this much thought; and then I had a discussion with my mom and dad about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and it spun my world sideways!  
They have been watching this show the past 2 weeks and each time have been impacted by it.  The most recent one, was about a bet with a local DJ on teaching 1000 people to cook in a week.  Some of the people had NEVER cooked before in their life; let's hit on this one first.



Never cooking in your life!  What is sustainable about this way of living?  I do realize and have compassion and empathy for people with very busy lives and sometimes cooking is less than feasable, but NEVER cooking?!  Say you are 40 years old, if you have yet to cook a meal what has your diet looked like in all these years.  Fast foods?  Pre Packaged?  Check out all the waste that comes with these foods.  First of all there is the packaging, wrappers, bags, boxes, trays, etc.  On top of that there is the recycling of these left overs, if there is any recycling.  Whether thrown oyut or recycled there are still outside energy forces being used.  As opposed to cooking in quatities or even eating fress fruits and veggies for meals which can be eliminated by garbage disposal or even composting.  This simple shift in eating helps to create a healthier lifestyle for both you and the planet, including all of the people around you.  This in itself is a MAJOR change; if you are unsure of how to prepare food or where to begin seek out a teacher, class,group, friend, etc to help you out!  Explain your goals and know your strengths with food and progression forward will be fun and easier than you think!



At some point during the show he took this DJ to a local place that sells coffins upon where he showed him what some of the coffins sold today look like.  (Please read this following article from the NY Times for more of a prespective) Please read before continuong on unless you happened to see this episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and know what I am getting at.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/us/on-the-final-journey-one-size-doesn-t-fit-all.html?pagewanted=1

So let's look at sustainability in this area... the wider and heavier that we get the bigger the coffins.... the bigger the coffins the bigger the grave plots.... the bigger the grave plots the more Mother Earth we are polluting with things that DO NOT go away!  Maybe you are thinking that an option could be cremation; but here is a fact for you:  There is a weight limit on cremation!  That is right; being obese you may not be able to be cremated!  Therefore you or your family are going to have to invest in an extra large coffin and an extra large grave plot.  This is costly and unsustainable even in your after life. 



I care about the sustainability of this planet and those that are on this planet, as I am sure you do too.  If you, like many of us do, struggle with eating there are great resources out there that are NOT diet pills and prescriptions and stomach stapling!  If you would like more information on ways to create a more sustainable life please feel free to contact me at

bodybreakthroughs@gmail.com
or
www.facebook.com/yograw! 

For the earth to sustain us we must sustain the earth and to do that we need to live a more conscious lifestyle!
We vote everyday with our dollars!  What w e spend our money on will continue to thrive, please remember this the next time you go to buy and fast food or pre packaged foods that are pumped full of preservatives and GMO's!  We have the choice!



To the great health of us all!  It is time, and you are being called to progress forward!  Let us begin to offer up a new example for future generations, showing them what a healthy and sustainable life would look like!



Love and light to all of you!  Thank you for taking the time to read!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Work it out! This is no Aprils Fools joke, this work out will rock your world!

What you will need:
A mat of some sort to lay down on
A pair of dumbells, or 2 pair (Choose a pretty good weight with them, we want a work out)
Motivation :)
Read this whole thing before beginning!

30 seconds of Jumping jacks
30 seconds of squats w/ weights (as you squat down push the weights up over head)
30 seconds crunches (form before repetitions please!!!
30 seconds dead lifts (feet hip width apart legs straight, weights in both hands, hinge forward at the hips with a flat back to a 90 degree angle and slowly using strength of the back body come up to standing again)
30 seconds mountain climbers (inverted V position gaze is between your hands and began to move your feet at a fast pace as if runing up a mountain)
30 seconds tricep press (biceps by ears one weight held by both hands, lower the weight down between your shoulder blades abnd press it towards the sky)
30 seconds plyometric squats (squat down touch the ground jump up reaching hands towards the sky lanf with soft knees into a squat and repeat)
30 seconds push ups
60 seconds active recovery (walk around and keep moving)

Ok, now that we know the work out that we will be doing let's keep a few things in mind!  This work out is meant to keep our heart rate up for 4 straight minutes then one minute of rest (active rest).  We repeat it 5 times for a total work out of 25 minutes!  Put on some upbeat music and get to it!  You can totally rock this out and get your work out out of the way! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and do this work out.  Your body and the universe appreciate it! 

Monday, March 29, 2010

Why?

Why do we say Namaste at the end of a yoga class?

Hmm I have never even thought to question this until I recently began a new teacher training and we did not say it after every single practice....  Now I am wondering why some of choose to do so.

Maybe it is because people like to be appreciated or maybe it is that we love to show appreciation.  What if we started out a class by sayng Namaste and allowing our studenyts to feel the love, appreciation, compassion, and safety of their practoce before they moved into this sacred space ofa practice.  Could it be something that eased the tension and maybe allowed them to feel a bit more secure in whatever shape their practice may take that day?

I read once that it is good to question everything that we are told, and this is something that I have never questioned.  So maybe today we can take a step back and begin to ask ourselves what about this "Namaste"  feels so good at the end of class?  And where would you like your namaste to be?

Namsaste :)  Love and Light!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Shifting the vibration to love and compassion

New Beginnings!


I am sure of one thing in my life and that is of my tendency to get stuck in my own head and mind.  In recent exploration of this I have discovered that that this has inhibited my success in many ways.  I overthink, over analyze, ponder, question, rebel, and get emotional about the places that I "SHOULD" be rather than fulling loving and accepting what I right here and now in this present moment.  I have compared and decided on a daily basis that I am less than the best because I am currently building a business rather than owning my own business like so many of my peers do.  And now I am exhausted and ready to let it all go.


This discovery came recently when I was feeling a lot of frustration towards a local peer about their place in my life, I was feeling deceived and betrayed over a situation I truly knew very little about.  After weeks in this frustration I decided that I had had enough of my own wallowing and it was time to just love them.  So I did, I went to a class they were teaching and had one of the best experiences of my life and while being challenged in this class suddenly saw that all of this frustration I was feeling was simply because this beautiful divine being had so many accomplishments and I was feeling inferior.  To compensate for this feeling of inferiority my mind, my ego made up this big long story of betrayal and deception because it refused to admit it was feeling jealous.  


That moment was just the beginning of what else would unravel for me through out the rest of the day.  As it progressed hour by hour I saw more and more into the depths of this habit I had created.  I workedit out, I walked, I practiced yoga, I sweated, I ate a lot of nourishing food, I napped and I journalled about how I am enough for where I am right now.  I sat down and voiced to Jake a little bit about where I was and then went to bed feeling freed from habit and a little bit uncertain of where to go from there. 

Today I woke up totally full of compassion and love with very little memory of the feelings of envy and desire.  And of course as synchronicity would have it, the yoga class I took tonight was dedicated to feeling where we are rather than where we have been or want to be.  It was an incredible day and I am inspired to continue working towards this path of full and total acceptance of MY own personal journey.

How as a society do we work at this acceptance? 

My idea is that this acceptance is found in a sacred space of silence.... meditation!  In meditation we can begin to train our minds to be at peace with the thoughts that move through it.  It is also continually being proven that repeating a mantra over and over again soldifies the feelings in the body.  Repeating the words Om Shanti again and again gives the vibration of peace to the body and to the soul.  Therefor not only having an impact on you but also on the people that you come in contact with you. 

Maybe before climbing in bed tonight or before climbing out of bed tomorrow morning you repeat to yourself that you are enough and that wherever you are now is EXACTLY where you need to be!  Thus, laying trust in the creator and the process. 

Below you may find and attachemnt for a small article on mantras
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/sri-swami-satchidananda/where-should-it-begin-27-march/337282025682

Love light and happoiness to all of you on your journey, may we remember each moment that it is enough!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Rebel, control, surrender

Today I discovered that I have a problem with authority!  Not just that I think it is less than the best ever, but ultimately I hard core all the way rebel against it. 

I was teaching a yoga class and at the end I went out and had a text message on my phone that implied short notice of a work related topic.  My very first response was "I can't do this"!!!  I was beyond frustrated that this job that I truly do love was getting in the way of my lack of plans :)  I say lack of plans because what I had planned was a yoga class, one all to myself that I had not participated in in quite a while.  I refused to even give it another thought... I was going to find a way out of this and I was going to MY yoga class!  Walking back into see my stiudents I suddenyl reslized in the pit of my stomach that I do this a lot.  I very often deny what I am asked to do because I feel as though it is an inconvenience to me..... ME ME ME, I I I!!!  Time to get over it!   I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH AUTHORITY!  Before class began I had posted on my facebook post that I was going to commit to my life 100%!  So I decided I would stand by that.  Commting means total responsibility which means the entire world around us is what we commit too.  (For more on total responsibility please read my post about Ho'oponopono). 

Great!  So I saw my habit and was able to acknowledge to a full extent that I have gotten in my way severely many times over by doing this rebel against authority thing.  But where does this stem from, what is my ultimate issue with authority and why do I feel such a need to go against it as a knee jerk reaction?!  So this is something I am committing too, I will stop and breathe when something does not go my exact way and when I become slightly out of control...  I will pause and ask myself if tis goes against my boundaries or if it is for the higher good of everyone. 

Times are speeding up and asking of us quick changes, it is important that we take the time to consider things and hear them.  As you progress forward in your days on this quickly evolvingplanet I ask you to have awareness of the world around you.  You are beautiful and full of love!  When you begin to feel out of control take a childs pose (knees apart big toes together forhead to the floor) and surrender.  They say that it is impossible to feel anger in this pose; as well it helps you to sleep after you have had disruptive dreams and calms the mind!

Namaste and may we all go to bed thinking about the boudnaries we have in our own lives and the ways that we may help others!  May your hearts be open!

Love!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Knowledge is power!

Whoa I am dosed on this smoothie!  I had to share the recipe, it is truly one delicious treat!!! 


1/2 bag of frozen blueberries
1/2 a bag of frozen strawberries
1/2 a banana
1/2 a dried date
2 tsp carob powder
http://healthmad.com/nutrition/12-great-benefits-of-carob/
1 tsp tocotrienols 
(AMAZING FOR BRAIN, HEART, AND ANTI-AGING http://www.tocotrienol.org/en/index/health_benefits.html)
Water - however much you would like depending on how thick you like it!
1 egg yolk for the rocking benefits of DHA!!!


It is so important to be educated on your food and why you eat it so please check out the links above!  Sit back and enjoy chew your smoothie and take your time!

Namaste! 

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Control....

"When we cook our food it is like telling God he did not do a good enough job"

When we declare that women DO NOT need to have a period once a month we are sayoing God was wrong in the creation process.

We are constantly working to "create" something better than what GOD did.  Constantly declaring that we know better. 

I am not saying that cooking your food is horrible, however, I am saying that when we process, condense, seal, contain, and store our food we are not only telling God that the job was less than the best ever, we are telling God that we can do better, and that there was not enough created for us.  Check out the below statement:
According to the Global Footprint Network, in the late 1980s our cumulative activities and needs began exceeding Earth's biological capacity to provide sufficient raw material and absorb wastes, and we are now more than 25% over capacity. Not surprisingly, the US has a disproportionately higher impact than does any other region, requiring the equivalent of 9 Earths to sustain its consumption and waste patterns.

We, the human race, as a whole are destroying our planet and showing a large amount of mistrust for the process.  We are determined to prove ourselves and "out do" the creator.  We are brilliant creatures, with the most powerful and destructive force on earth... the mind.  We can accomplish the most incredible tasks, we can do as much good as we can harm, we are a piece of creation!  The universe has a process though and it is constantly reminding us of that daily as we watch the winds come and go, hurricanes rake the earth clean, tornados tear up what WE have decided needs to be there, monkeys (which have been here longer than we have) tear faces off of trainers, killer whales KILL, the earth cracks deeper than we could ever go to re arrange and wake us up!  These are all reminders of how NOT in charge we are at the moment.  This can change if we surrender... 

It is important that we draw back we put ourselves into check, remind ourseles that WE are ultimately at the mercy of the world. 

Now, I just had to ask myself how I got on this rant when the first sentence of this blog was about cooking your food.... so please allow me to tie it all together!

When we act as one with the earth, when we treat her and God with the respect that they deserve such as allowing fruit to ripen fully before it gets picked, or eating vegetables fresh rather than cooking them we tell the earth and her creator that they are incredible, that we trust their knowledge.  it is a symbol of respect eat fresh food.  It is respectful to the earth to spend less energy and fuel on cooking things that really do not need to be cooked, it is respectful to grow your own garden and eat straight from it.  In this process you are being GREENER than recycling.  Stop and think about the process that is involved in processing food.  I will break it down here with the side effects of the earth:
Mass gardens = GMO's, pesticides, labor
Machinery and fuel to obtain the product (face t there is not someone going out and picking each little corn cob or raisin)
The factories: electricity, more fuel, more workers, light, water, heat, AC, packaging (boxes, wrappers, bags, styrofoam, etc)
The trucks: fuel fuel and more fuel (these trucks are not hybrid, you can see what comes out of them
The stores: electricity, heat, AC, water, workers
WASTE!  What does not get used or sold gets THROWN AWAY!!!!!!!!

I ask you to consider the respect for our mother and for her creator.  Please consider your own garden even if it is only herbs, or lettuce or just a carrot.  Cut back on supporting the things that are truly out of control and begin to support the forces that are in control.  Trust that our bodies are created perfect enough, that our food is nourishing enough, that water from the earth (natural spring form) is the cleanest and best water for you. 

Show this love and trust to the earth and her creator and love will be shown back.  Let's change the dynamic and trust the process. 

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Simplicity

"On horseback looking for a horse"

"Amateurs built the titanic, experts built the arc"

Take a moment and think about these quotes.  What do they lead you to think about?  Simplicity.  The answer is always right in front of us, awaiting our acknowledgment.  The starving artist no longer exists in the world, we have moved and shifted to an art of acceptance and acknowledgment.  To unfold as we should what we need to do is remove that things that cloud our true soul, rather than add extra stuff. 

In the end that stuff is just baggage, something to carry with us through the ages that will weigh us down and hold us back.  When we remove and filter through the things that are no longer serving us we lighten our load, we give ourselves the freedom to move swiftly and efficiently forward. 

So take the time everyday to lighten your load.  let go of those things:  the emotions, the materials, the layers, the walls, the titles, the categories and just take the time to be.  Remember the starving artist has died and we can simply allow the best ever to flow into our lives.  It is the easiest way :)

Blessings and peace to you on your journey!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Transformation

I have asked for transformation in my life; when I say transformation I mean head to toe, inside out remodel!  Why?   Well, because I want to activate at my highest possible level.  I want, and have reuqested divine transformation.  I use a spray daily call Volcano Juice that uses the rocks of the earth to activate the energy in my body to shift.  I get body work done on a regular basis, i eat raw food mostly, I ready and meditate and practice yoga.  I do this all to work out the effects of 25 years of bad habits both physical and mental.  I have gotten somewhat used to discomfort in ths process; somedays I feel out of my mind and others I see major breakthroughs in old patterns.  For days, weeks, or months at a time my body can hurt and has; always with the outcome of breakthroughs though!

But tonight is something brand new and like nothing I have ever felt. 

On Sunday I had an experience in yoga that caused the break up of some serious scar tissue in the right side neck.  However, because this happened I woke up Monday morning with a rather large knot in the left side of my neck that caused some major discomfort.  At first it was all in the neck, and then it hit the right side of my back and then my left knee.  I was all locked up and tight in these areas, so after having a massage and still feeling rather tight I decided to go see a dear friend that is a physical therapist. 

She began to work on my back getting rather deep into my fascia to loosen it up.  There was instany improval, it was truly incredible to feel.  My range of motion got better and I was learning a better way to stand and get my body back in alignment.  Thsat night I went to work, waittressing, which I definitely felt by the end of the night.  When I went to bed I could feel some discomfort setting into my shoulder, but it was just enough that I could not lay on that side.
By the middle of the night 2am or 3am I could barely stand the pain that was in the body.  It spread through out my entire body and deep down into the deepest parts of the muscles.  A burning pain, and somehow I managed to get back to sleep for an hour or so before I woke up again.  Unable to lay on either side, or any side for that matter I ended up sitting up in a ball.  Nothing helped.  it was staying with me.  I began to cry and cry because there was nowhere for it to go.  My body felt like it was trying to relax and my habits felt like they were holding it back. 

By habits, I mean the physcal tension I have held in my body for so much of my life.  The tightness that I had become familiar with was at war with this new found space that was in my body.  I was up for 2 hours before the pain began to get tolerable, before I could go back to bed and fal asleep.  In these 2 hours I really began to analyze the situation. 

This feeling was my body trying to become its best self yet, and these habits were trying there very hardest to keep that from happening.  It was a full on war between Light and dark.  There was no winner and probably never will be one.  They both exist inside all of us and it is the one we give the attention too that will have more power. 

Last night I was given the blessing to see thedarkest aspects of my physical form trying to hold back my highest self.  Physical always translates energetic and vise versa.  All the patterns we create in our life will once be drawn out into the light, it is all about what you make of it.  I wanted death last night and with the rising of the sun came the rising of hope and thoughts that I am breaking through into this transformatiom that I have been asking for. 

Check in with yourself often, see what habits you are holding on too, and are you ready to give attention to your healthier habits so that you too can transform into that beaming light that is unstoppable in what it does and becomes?!

With much love!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Twist and shout!

I have had some really unbelievable yoga experiences lately!  I mean WOW they have been great! 

Twists and heart openers!  Try some right now :)  Go ahead lay on your back and hug your knees into your chest then spread your arms out into a capital letter T position and take the deepest breath deep into your belly, feeling it rise against the top of your thighs, and on your exhale release your legs to the right.  Let go of your feet and allow your legs to be relaxed, gently turn your head over the left shoulder and breath.  When I say breath I mean really get into the body with it, feel it in the back and in the torso and in the lungs and taste the air in your mouth! 

Once you feel satisfied on that side then engage the belly and draw the knees back to center on the inhale.  Pause here and just take a couple of breaths.  Then proceed to the opposite side.  Entering the same way and allowing your body to move into the posture.

Take those visualization skills and move deeper and deeper into it.  See your body wringing out the old; wringing out the things that no longer serve you, mental, emotional, and physical.   And when you are satisfied on this side engagae the belly and inhale, draw the knees back to center. 

Does that feel amazing or what!!!!!! 

Now, let's open our heart to all that the universe has to offer us! 

Take a seat in Sukasana, simple seated pose. 

Find your sit bones and feel them sink deeper and deeper into the earth.  Imagine a yellow light in your solar plexus and feel it warm your whole body with every inhale and exhale.  Settle in and have a long spine; walk the hands behind you just enough to bring a gentle arch to your back and lift with your sternum.  As though someone were, ever so gently, pulling your sternum up with a string.  Keep the neck slightly relaxed while taking the gaze up to the sky, opening up the throat.  In opeing the heart and the throat simultaneously we allow the link between those 2 chakras to be activated.  Imagine te colors blue and green filling your body and soaking into your cells.  Breath deep and lift the sternum with every inhale and feel the sit bones root deeper into the earth on each exhale. 

Take your time and be there as long as you need too.  When done walk the hands forward and round through the back.  Bowing in to your heart and exploring what you have invited in.

As we go through this season change honor your body and allow movement to come into it.  Use this movement to help you flow through your days and trust.  Remember that you are in control of your life.  Total responsibility:  read the post on Ho ' oponopono.  This is brilliant and has drastically changed my life!  


This is our time to shine baby!  Happy spring and how exciting that we are apporaching the solstice!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Community

I have had quite a case of writer's block on this subject and have written and erased many time.  So instead of trying to offer advice on community I am going to tell you what it means to me, what this looks like for me. 


Recently I have started to explore more of what my morals are and have gone through the process of learning who I was as a kid and where I begin to fall away from my true self.  As with all of us I think it starts at a young age that we begin to lose our true spirirt.  We are told how to look, what is right and wrong, what looksgood and bad.  All of these opinions get pumped into our heads and we turn into, well, our parents quite honestlybecause that is where we learn majority of our life.  Now that I havr gone on about something indirectly related to the topic of community....


I was recently asked to imagine my life as if there were no obstacles in the way at all... what would I want?  Here was my answer:  I want to live in deep forest with an ocean near by.  I would live in the trees with many others and we would all farm and sustain ourselves by the earth.  We drink spring water and raise families as a community, we are healers, lovers, and hard workers and we take full responsibility for our lives as well as the lives around us.  We are kind to the earth and use only materials that she is able to digest well.  We talk o f ideas rather than events, support love and live free from fear.  We share and offer up the greatest of ourselves to eevryone around us.  We learn our strengths at a young age, rather than being told what our strengths should be.  We are free from violence and greed because we fully accept ourselves. 


This is the life I want, the community I will work to build.  I will support these thoughts everyay in my life.  Making the choices to connect with and support those that have a very similar life idea. 


I ask that if you are interested in my blog then please check out the ones below.  They are all fantastic and all very supportive of a sustainable lifestyle.  Thank you for listening an thank you for your support in reading this.

http://www.meletebymnemosyne.blogspot.com/
http://365daysofraw.blogspot.com/
http://www.channingyoga.com/the_halcyon_life/Namaste%60.html
http://hooponoponoworks.blogspot.com/

Have the best day of your life!!!!!!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Sweet delicious yoga

There is something about yoga. When you can go and soak out the day in a hot room flowing with your breath and shaing space with so many other like minded people.  It makes me melt! 

I had gotten away from a fast paced class in the past couple of months, mainly because I was progressing mentally at such a high speed that if my body kept uyp with my mind I would have self destructed.  This slow pace was broken on the vacation to AZ when we took part in a candlelight yoga class... doesn't that sound beautiful?  Candlelight yoga, my body was so excited.  Then we got started and within minutes I felt like I was abou to ecxplode from frustration!  My ego mind was screaming "why would she flow so fast"  "why is it so hot in here" "why is this kind of music playing" etc. 

I took childs pose a few times and allowed myself some slack and pushed in other areas.  I was so overjoyed when it was time for sivasana!  I could hardly stand it, I wanted out of the sweaty hot room and the quick breath.  I was so sure that the people I was with would be in total agreeance with me.  HA!   I really love the way the universe works, it was magnificent as Jake and Terra were both glowing and feeling great.  Terra was wide open to everything and Jake was so full of love he looked like he may split.  And I was fuming?????  What was wrong with me?  I just got to do yoga with 2 very dear people! 

I took time to savor what I was feeling, to find joy in that discomfort and to find joy in the fact that they felt so good.  I paused and allowed it to sink in, and you want to know what happened?  I began to crave this practice, this fast paced intense heat moments where I could sweat it out and ear it leave my body and fall to the mat.  I began to crave feeling so tired at the end of class that my body would no longer stand up. 

So I am starting a new practice, once a week I am going to purposefully make myself very uncomfortable and do a warm/hot flow based class and I am going to sweat out what ails me!  I am going to purge it and be free! 

I did one of these classes last night and could hardly believe the way I felt, I was glowing and peeled so far open with desire and purity.  I am excited!!

I encourage you to go out today and find something that causes you to step out of those tight little boxes we use to protect ourselves from our own shit!  Find what it is that will help you to see it in a different way.  Revel in it, bathe in its light and sing its praise!

Because when we are stuck in our bodies we are stuck in our minds! 

LIBERATE! 
Namaste and great abundant love to you!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Whew, been a while!

I have to tell you I kind of needed a break from my own mind, I got refreshed, went to AZ where I got a sunburn!!!!!!!  If you are in CO right now you know this is huge!!  I am revived I feel empowered and driven and ready to take on the world :) 

I saw one of my dearest friends, she is so beautiful I am drawn to her like a magnet!  I got to spend time with 2 people that I dearly love and cross an incredible threshold with my boyfriend Jake.  He has been such a gift to my life, and I too his.  This weekend away offered us a lot fo time together and by the end of that time we were sick of each other ha ha!!!  I mean over 4 days in the same sudio apartment, same car, same stores, same everything was a lot to handle, especially with the shifts that this planet is offering us.  Low and behold on our way to the airport we just begin to snap at one another; now neither of us was right or wrong anywhere along the lines it was just a release of tension.  

We were sitting in opposite areas of the airport, as I was sitting there I was thinking about something my friend Terra told me about over the weekend called Ho'oponopono ( I attached the article below), Jake came over to me to apologize and I explained to him the process of this Ho'oponopono which is acting in humility, love and gratitude and than I proceeded by using the technique on him.  Basically the technique is this:
I am so so sorry for what happened (whether you feel you are in the right or not) - HUMILITY
I love you - LOVE
Thank you so much for everything you are (whether you fully feel this at the moment) - GRATITUDE

This changed the full dynamic of the situation and the feelings.  After all there is really nothing worth fighting for.  Love and peace and acceprance flow with grace when allowed.  We just need to create the space for this to happen.  Soemtimes this space means biting the bullet of the ego and recognizing something far more important.  

Use this trick, read this article, soak in the vast ability to be at peace and when you use this process of Ho'oponopono recognize that you are making the world a better place!

I'm sorry and I love you



HO'OPONOPONO


By Joe Vitale






"Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete


ward of criminally insane patients--without ever seeing any of them. The


psychologist would study an inmate's chart and then look within himself to


see how he created that person's illness. As he improved himself, the


patient improved.






"When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How


could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best


self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn't make any


sense. It wasn't logical, so I dismissed the story.


"However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had


used a Hawaiian healing process called ho 'oponopono. I had never heard of


it, yet I couldn't let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I


had to know more. I had always understood "total responsibility" to mean


that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it's out of my


hands. I think that most people think of total responsibility that ay.


We're responsible for what we do, not what anyone else does--but that's


wrong.


"The Hawaiian therapist who healed those mentally ill people would teach


me an advanced new perspective about total responsibility. His name is Dr.


Ihaleakala Hew Len. We probably spent an hour talking on our first phone


call. I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a


therapist. He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four


years. That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous.


Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or


simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against


the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant


place to live, work, or visit.


"Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office


and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work


on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal.


"'After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed


to walk freely,' he told me. 'Others who had to be heavily medicated were


getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being


released were being freed.' I was in awe. 'Not only that,' he went on,


'but the staff began to enjoy coming to work. Absenteeism and turnover


disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients


were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that


ward is closed.'


"This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: 'What were you


doing within yourself that caused those people to change?'






"'I was simply healing the part of me that created them,' he said. I


didn't understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your


life means that everything in your life- simply because it is in your


life--is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your


creation.


"Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is


one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is


quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility


for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way


experience is your responsibility because it is in your life. This means


that terrorist activity, the president, the economy or anything you


experience and don't like--is up for you to heal. They don't exist, in a


manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem


isn't with them, it's with you, and to change them, you have to change


you.


"I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live. Blame


is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I


began to realize that healing for him and in ho 'oponopono means loving


yourself.






"If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want


to cure anyone, even a mentally ill criminal you do it by healing you.


"I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing,


exactly, when he looked at those patients' files?


"'I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' over and over again,'


he explained.


"That's it?


"That's it.


"Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself,


and as you improve yourself, you improve your world.


"Let me give you a quick example of how this works: one day, someone sent


me an email that upset me. In the past I would have handled it by working


on my emotional hot buttons or by trying to reason with the person who


sent the nasty message.


"This time, I decided to try Dr. Len's method. I kept silently saying,


'I'm sorry' and 'I love you,' I didn't say it to anyone in particular. I


was simply evoking the spirit of love to heal within me what was creating


the outer circumstance.


"Within an hour I got an e-mail from the same person. He apologized for


his previous message. Keep in mind that I didn't take any outward action


to get that apology. I didn't even write him back. Yet, by saying 'I love


you,' I somehow healed within me what was creating him.


"I later attended a ho 'oponopono workshop run by Dr. Len. He's now 70


years old, considered a grandfatherly shaman, and is somewhat reclusive.






He praised my book, The Attractor Factor. He told me that as I improve


myself, my book's vibration will raise, and everyone will feel it when


they read it. In short, as I improve, my readers will improve.


"'What about the books that are already sold and out there?' I asked.


"'They aren't out there,' he explained, once again blowing my mind with


his mystic wisdom. 'They are still in you.' In short, there is no out


there. It would take a whole book to explain this advanced technique with


the depth it deserves.


"Suffice It to say that whenever you want to improve anything in your


life, there's only one place to look: inside you. When you look, do it


with love."






Segway:


Based on this article, if you choose to, you can go into this activity with the outlook that everyone is a reflection of things inside of you. When you are gazing into the eyes of your fellow USG members, see what you recognize inside them. Being incredible leaders, we have all faced challenges and we have all felt success. We have been pushed beyond limits and fallen short of goals. Do you recognize these qualities in each other?