Self-care Sunday

Self-care Sunday… 

"Return your attention to the present and stay close to yourself." ~Elena Brower,

 Art of Attention  

What kind of nurturing attention can you give your body, mind and soul today?

Reflection Friday

 "The surest way to simplify your life is to focus on what matters most."

 Words by Danielle Laporte

What matters most? 

A Meditation Practice

Take a comfortable seat. Let your sitting bones root down and from that rootedness let your spine rise. Gently begin to deepen your breathing and bring your awareness within. Stay close to yourself and your breathing. When you loose your presence just gently return to yourself, again and again. As you sit here; 

"Become aware of the light emanating from within you. This inner light is love. Love is energy; don't hold it back, it's the catalyst for your enlightenment." ~Gabrielle Roth

Yoga Musings - Awareness

When we place our attention on the breath we become present. Close your eyes and breathe into your heart space. Inhale; visualize creating space and openness within yourself. Exhale; release and soften. Pay attention to your inner landscape. Just be. How does it feel? 

Reflection Friday

“For most of us the practice of ahimsa is shown in thousands of small actions and words throughout the day.” The Secret Power of Yoga, Nischala Joy Devi 

Through what actions and words can you show yourself some compassion and kindness?

Namaste, Helén

Yoga Musings

Ahimsa - the action of compassion and kindness to ourselves and other beings. 

"Love is not a thought, it is an action. And each loving action that we take infuses us with more energy for loving action in the future. -Rolf Gates, Meditations from the mat

Words of Wisdom

"Love for oneself is love for all. 

Listen to your own physical heart." 

From The Secret power of Yoga by Nischala Joy Devi 

Yoga Musings

ANAHATA - Heart Chakra

Anahata is the fourth chakra. It resides at the center of our chest, and connects the 3 first foundational chakras with the 3 upper spiritual chakras. Anahata is associated with the element air and it vibrates beautiful shades of green. The purpose of anahata is love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and acceptance. When we invite and allow more of these qualities we align ourselves with an invisible powerful force.

Imbalances within the heart chakra may create feelings of being lonely, inability to forgive, extreme judgmental or critical, jealousy and a pessimistic outlook on life. Physical imbalances may manifest as high blood pressure, heart disease, poor circulation, shallow breathing, asthma or lung disease. 

  

Healing practices for anahata: 

~Focus on gratitude

~What makes you happy? What makes you heart soar? Carve out time for these things, make it a priority. And when you do these things; how do you feel in your body?

~Gentle kind thinking toward yourself and others. Choose loving thoughts. Choose acceptance. Choose kindness. Choose forgiveness.

~Deep breathing

~Stretch and open your chest. Back bending / heart openers. Move your arms and hands to open and expand.

Move Every Divine Day

"My body is the ultimate expression of myself." ~Marie-Agnés Gillot

Found this beautiful picture in an Anthropology magazine. Monday inspiration…

Reflection Friday

Yesterday a man in my yoga class asked me; what do you mean when you say: stay close to your breath? That's a good question. When I say that I mean: feel your breath, notice your breath, be aware of the texture of your breath, make your breath important, be close to it. There are so many moments, both on and off the yoga mat, where we loose connection to our breathing. 

How many times a day do you pause to notice your breath? 

Let your breath be your anchor, your tool, your friend, your connection to your inner spirit. 

Divine Mystery

"Each of us is a moving center, a space of divine mystery. And though we spend most of our time on the surface in the daily details of ordinary existence, most of us hunger to connect to this space within, to break through to bliss, to be swept away into something bigger than us." ~Gabrielle Roth 

Use your practice; yoga, movement, dance, whatever it might be, to connect to this space within. 

To the Love & Divine Mystery within us all, Namaste.

Yoga Musings

Lotus Mudra

Mudra = Seal

Mudras are healing mysterious gestures that anyone can enjoy and benefit from. The lotus mudra is a wonderful mudra for the heart chakra, anahata. It brings inner peace, calmness and harmonizes the energies within anahata. 

Place your hands together in front of your heart. Open up your palms but keep little fingers and thumbs together, spread the other fingers like a flower. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to your chest. Gently begin to deepen your breathing. As you breathe in invite space into your heart, as you breathe out allow yourself to soften. Listen. Feel. 

Namaste, Helén

November Theme ~ Inspire Love

LBY’s November theme is Inspire Love. When we invite and allow more love we align ourselves with compassion, kindness, acceptance and an invisible powerful force. 
“What you do for yourself–any gesture of kindness, any gesture of gentleness, any gesture of honesty and clear seeing toward yourself–will affect how you experience your world. In fact, it will transform how you experience the world.” ~Pema Chodron
When we are able to open our heart, accept ourselves, and get out of our head and into our body and heart; magic happens.

INSPIRE more LOVE toward yourself.

How can you bring in more love into your life and practice? 

“Each of us is a moving center, a space of divine mystery. And though we spend most of our time on the surface in the daily details of ordinary existence, most of us hunger to connect to this space within, to break through to bliss, to be swept away into something bigger than us.” ~ Gabrielle Roth

Use your practice to connect to this space within... Our practice is a way to connect to something greater than ourselves. 

To the love and light within us all. Namaste, Helén