self-exploration

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be” – Douglas Adams

The mindful practice of yoga is one of revelation….of exploration. We explore in order to revel ourselves, to ourself. To truly get to know whom we are. It is an on-going journey of self-exploration. Yoga is the original mind-body workout….it is meditation in action.

I came to yoga originally for the physical aspects, to sweat and stretch, to work my body. But once I began, I realized the mental clarity I felt after each practice. I wanted more. I wanted to explore, and keep exploring. I wanted to reach within, get to know myself. Yoga became a process of self exploration for me, a process of healing. My body felt balanced, inside and out. My energy was up, yet I was relaxed. Yoga gave me patience and resilience. It has taught me how to cope with the stresses of life. Yoga has given me a more balanced state of mind. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not a master at any of those feelings or tapping into them. It’s an ongoing process of self relazation. I practice and continue on my journey of yoga to explore. To know more.

It’s easy to get lost, confused, feel uncertain, resistant. It’s in those times that we are lost we can really get to know ourselves. We learn how to cope, how to move forward. We turn inward. When we are in places that feel foreign, even when we travel somewhere new, our outer world changes. It forces us to go inside to what we know. We sit there and explore. We see who we are.

I urge you to keep asking questions, keep excavating, inquiring, learning. When you feel something, get to know it even better. Explore that feeling. Know what sensations arise within, how your body physically reacts. Life is crazy, it’s a whirlwind everyday with all that we have to do. Make sure you take a little time each day to slow down.

Make sure you explore. And then explore some more.

hello spring!

We made it - we finally made it. Spring has sprung. And we welcomed it with very open arms. Across the street from my house, little flowers are sprouting up from the earth....puts a smile on my face every day! Spring is a time for reawakening, for growth, for change. Spring is a magical time of the year. 

The word spring means to jump, to move forward, to arise from. We have finally moved forward out of winter. Arising out of hibernation - jumping in joy that the days are longer, the sun is warmer, the earth is greener. Our skin begins to glow. Our hearts open up - we are filled with lightness. 

Spring is a time of realization. We are reunited, since we never truly separated in the first place. And as you live, breath, do, and be....in yoga or in life....we get flashes of this remembrance. We tune in. The more you notice those moments where you feel a knowing that goes beyond the mind and to your heart, a knowing that yes you are this beautiful physical form - but also much more. Your essence is pure, flawless and truly divine. When something emerges that is deeper than you thought possible - that power shines through. That power makes you light in the heart. 

Life gives you exactly what you need to reawaken and move from the darkness and into the light. 

Embrace Spring - Jump with joy - Be green - Buy a flower - Plant a tree - Open you heart - Live light - Welcome change - Experience growth - Love this time. 

yoga schedule

Come out and flow with me in the beautiful dance and art that is yoga! 

Monday

4:15 Kids Program @ Darien YMCA

Tuesday

4pm @ Be Shri Yoga in Greenwich

6:30pm @ Yoga Vie in Port Chester 

Wednesday

10:30am @ Carozza Fitness in Stamford

12pm @ M3Yoga in Westport

4:15pm @ Yoga Vie in Port Chester

Thursday

7:30pm @ Carozza Fitness in Stamford

Friday

4:30pm @ Intensity Fitness in Norwalk

*live gloriously in the power of love*

Where you are now...

Where you are now...is exactly where you are meant to be. 

About 6 years ago in San Diego, when I began practicing yoga, a teacher of mine once said during class, 'where you are now is exactly where you are meant to be.' And boy did that stick with me. That phrase rings through my ears and mind every single day. Every day when I wake up, even when I am feeling down...I know this is where I am meant to be. I am at a certain place in my journey of life that is just simply right for me. And my practice teaches me that.

Yoga teaches us a way of seeing that creates beautiful opportunies for us to recognize ourselves better. It ties the strands of the mind together - uniting our mental state with our physical being. Enabling us to attain what was previously unattainable. Yoga lets us know that this moment is our moment, every moment is one to take full grasp of. 

Every moment is a moment of love, creation, beauty, and growth. 

All of our attention is directed toward the activity in which we are currently engaged. Being this attentive lets us perform each task better - we become conscious of our actions - we are pulled into the here and now. 

I may be struggling in some poses during my practice, waiting for the next instruction, the next asana, but I stay, I stay with it....I stay in the pose and stay with my breath. I am in the here and now, and can find some peace in what may be a challenging pose by focusing on my breath and letting go of fear or discomfort. Know that this moment will pass, so why not stick with it? See what it can do for you? This pose is where I am meant to be. It is challenging for a reason. It is teaching me how to be in challenging situations off of the mat. How can I handle those? 

Am I present even in the most uncomfortable of postures? Of situations? Yes. Just do it. Let it be easy. Be here, right now. For right here is the safest place to be. This moment is the perfect moment - it's as if it was created just for you, it's your moment - take it, breath it in, live in it, and learn. 

Where you are now...is exactly where you are meant to be. Enjoy the moment lovelies. 

Off the mat

Just for now, allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience. 

Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth. 

Just for now, be boundless, free, awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet. 

Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are, so fully alive, that when you open your eyes the world looks different, newly born and vibrant, just for now. 

- Danna Faulds

How do you feel when you practice yoga? Are you present in the moment and notice the clearing of the mind, the lift in your mood, the ooey gooey good feeling when you release down in savasana? 

Do you wait for the next asana, or are you free in your thoughts, boundless in your body, enjoying this exact moment?

Do you notice the moment when separation drops away? When body, mind and spirit become one? 

Can yoga not only teach you and give you these feelings on the mat, but also off the mat? My biggest challenge in yoga is practicing it off the mat as well. Knowing that yoga has taught be how to relax, how to live in the moment, how to handle challenging situations. It has taught be to breathe. It has taught me to have an open heart. To do things whole heartedly. To love, love, love, and love some more. 

What has yoga taught you about life off the mat? 

Bob Marley - No words

I was recently searching around online, and came across the most beautiful, and truest words I have ever read. Even if you are not with someone right now, it still holds so much power and truth. I simply loved it. And have read it many times since coming across this quote. I don't have much to say about it, I am not going to analyze it...I am simply going to say, this is true. This is something we all must realize, no matter your relationship. 

Can I actually say one thing thought? Bob Marley - what a f*****g (can you swear on blogs?!) genius!   Thank you thank you - JAH love! 

"He's not perfect. you aren't either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the move you can. He isn't going to quote poetry, he's not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don't hurt him, don't change him, and don't expect for more than he can give. Don't analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he's not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don't exist, but there's always one guy that is perfect for you."

Love - that's all there is.

There is an innate desire within all of us – love. Love is what drives this whole beautiful world we live in. Love is what inspires us. We long to be loved, to give love, to see love, to fall in love.

Open your eyes, open your mind, open your heart. Open up to the goodness that is. It is all right there in front of you, reach out and grab it.

Let go of the fears that hold you back. Let go of past heartbreaks that hardened your heart, for the worst prison would be a closed heart. Let your heart become soft once again, open up to your full potential, don’t hold back.

Bring that inner intention, the inner desire of love to the surface. Relish in it, bask in it’s light, live in love. Love is unconditional.

 You are a being of love, always.

There is only love.