Mmmmmm a beautiful brisk sunny day as I look out the window, what not to be grateful for. Sure, there are a few things that I wanted to be different this week or at least I thought. If I didn't let go of the way things are I would have missed out on all the magical things in between. I noticed that its the state of my mind that stands in the way of happiness, joy, freedom, creation. As well, the new moon tomorrow, go with the flow, look at your truth and spiritual path.

I am presently reading the Jivamukti Yoga book and so thrilled to have added it to my life. I am reminded of many stories I have heard over the years or parts of the Bhagavad Gita that I often read and always see something I hadn't before. I want to share one story (for now) that I feel is an important one to experience many times over.

Equanimity of mind leads to freedom from anxiety. This concept is illustrated beautifully in the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita opens with Arjuna, the warrior, and Krishna, his chariot driver and counselor, on the battlefield preparing to go into battle. Arjuna is filled with anxiety at the prospect of going into battle because he knows that many of the soldiers of the opposing army are his relatives and teachers.
Arjuna wants to turn back. He doesn't want to fight. Krishna urges him on and tells him it is his job to fight. He is a soldier. He has been trained all his life to fight battles. He was born into this, as were his father and grandfather before him and their ancestors. It is the result of past karma.
Arjuna is overwrought with remorse, anger and confusion; his mind has become unbalanced. Krishna advises him that now is not the time to decide to change jobs. Krishna tells Arjuna: You are in a state of anxiety and have lost all equanimity of mind. If you are serious about changing professions, first gain equanimity of the mind, and then you can make decisions based on clarity and wisdom. You have spent lifetimes propelling into motion and it is not so easily changed. The course of one's life can be changed, but for change to be lasting it must come from inner transformation.
In the rest of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna yoga practices such as compassion toward others and devotion to God, which develop equanimity of the mind.

“One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor; and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self.”

Everyday Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING, what is this holiday that occurs every year? What does it mean to me?

It is the everyday of GIVING OF THANKS that has made this year different from all the rest. With the gathering of some of my partners family, together we included ceremony, cooking/cleaning, creating, with Love. What I did not expect was the abundance of feelings that I was going to experience being here. As in all families there is “stuff” but as always within the ucomfortability and the witnessing of my reactions, to be accountable to things and to grow bigger rather than staying small, another transcendental shift in my life occurred and how I am so grateful for the challenge and pain that allows me to experience more light.

So the next morning, the clouds covered the sun, fog created a beautiful horizon and as the family went out to breakfast, I rolled out my mat with a fire burning bright. I went closer to the creator, closer to my spirit and allowed each breath to move me through to the next. I turned my senses inward and went into a my practice. Yoga is meditation and meditation is the space between the thoughts.

Off the mat I went, a new day with more Love & possibility than before. Reunited with family and off to the garden we went, followed by a walk in the cool air to meet up with nature. When there is no past or no future, it is just the “present”, a “gift”.

As we now sit looking out into the mountains, appreciating all that we shared with family, we currently bathe in our time alone, going through the reel of the days passed. We recognize we do not need any special day to be grateful for, as in all days there are many things to be delighted by, we are the blessed we get to honor it all that the creator sends our way.

Our Best Life!

I am not often surprised by how the universe offers us opportunities, but not always are we ready to see them or even understand them. This is one of those parallel moments that took me many years to see.

Many years ago I was handed a piece a paper (above) while in Drug and Alcohol Rehab., saved it in a folder, rereading it from time to time, it resonated but it seemed ridiculous to me at the time. Who would have thought that years later I would be handed the same piece of paper in my Yoga Teacher Training. There are many words/sentences that stand out in it for me and one of them is “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world”. It is one of the things I didn’t comprehend up until I became aware that I was actually playing small. I was enlightened about 2 years ago when I found myself, not listening to that inner knowing in all parts of my life. You know that “knowing” , no matter what you do you just know especially when you don’t want to know? The ways we want to fit into relationship, becoming less of ourselves and compromising what we believe to be true. When we do not let ourselves shine, we are are dimmed and we dim what is around us. “We are all meant to shine, as children do.” It is our birthright to shine bright and live the life we want. When I teach Yoga, I offer to students the possibility to see through the eyes of a 5 year old, the poses usually become easier and there is a letting go to the seriousness and or the expectation we put on ourselves.

As for the G-word, that definitely was a challenge. For me its another word like Jesus, Lord, Creator (my fave) Earth Mother, Divinity, Spirit, Yoga, Almighty, Omnipotent, Sun, Moon. . . .for awhile it was my cats. I have faith and believe that its not just about me; Idam Na Mama (its not about me). Letting go of beliefs that were taught to me, ones that didn’t resonate in my life were investigated to see what it is that I believe and found balance with it (daily practice) to have a beautiful life.



My life on and off the mat is not without challenge but it is led with Love. I know what its like to live in complete Fear/the darkness/shadow and without that I wouldn’t know the Love that I experience today. Yoga has given me the unlimited opportunity to be closest to my true spirit, my creator and my heart, the way I knew it could me.

Surrender in Freedom, if your not sure what that means just yet, believe and it will come!

I spent most of my life in NY and not until the last few years have I really started to notice the Foliage that surrounds us. This fall I have been spending more time upstate on the weekends with my Beloved (he resides there) and every moment I am in awe of what I see. It is not just my mind thinking "Wow, thats Beauty", it is by whole being that is experiencing what I see. This to me is Yoga.

Yoga brings you into your senses, into your natural spirit. It is a place I find to be more me, more Cindee. That is what people say to me after not seeing me for awhile , “you look more like yourself”.
As I see it, through the practice of Yoga we get to access what is already inside us. We get caught up with the things outside ourselves and get further away from our hearts. It is part of the culture we live in, the city we are immersed in, yet I consistently seek to find balance by Loving More.

I am on this magical journey, creating what I am called to, bringing the vision to fruition, bringing Yoga to people that would not yet step into a Yoga studio. To give ourselves permission to sit, to take a deeper breath, to be mindful of our surroundings, to connect to each other is not the norm anymore. We are connected to things more than each other.

I feel truly blessed to continue to face the fears that want me to give up because it is to hard keep pushing through the challenges. I am grateful to all of it because without the fear, Love wouldn't be possible and without Love my reality wouldn't be better than anything I could have dreamed.

"Yoga says experience. Just like science says experiment, yoga says experience. Experiment and experience are both the same, their directions are different. Experiment means something you can do outside; experience means something you can do inside. Experience is an inside experiment."
— OSHO

ThanksLiving

This past Sunday a friend and I drove from NYC in our Zipcar to Woodstock for the annual “Thanksliving” banquet at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (Find link below). Mesmerized by the colors of the leaves, every year I make my way upstate to appreciate the changes that surround us. With every year I am awe-inspired by Earth Mother and the vibrant colors that are the backdrop in the mountains, Mmm my voyeurism is alive & in connection with the earth :).

When we arrived to the sanctuary goats, chickens & turkeys are in view as well as the continued visual of a breathtaking mix of every shade of the colors orange, red, yellow & green. We made our way under a tent that held a couple hundred people coming together to support the beings that cannot speak up for themselves. The cruelty of animals is rampant in our world and I am proud to be able to use my voice and my compassion to honor them.

My journey into not eating animal flesh or fluids has been over the last two years as my deeper immersion into the practice of Yoga began. I became more mindful of food and how it affected my mental and physical being. I started my experiment to see what my body needed not what just "tasted" good. I noticed my bending and twisting in my asana practice when I ate an animal versus food that was grown from the earth. About nine months later, I went to the Bramananda Ashram in California to do my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification Training, so I decided to experiment the “Pure” vegetarian life. After 32 days I felt clearer which I thought was because I was living in the Ashram and away from the movement and energy of everyday life.

That was 14 months ago and since then what was once an experiment became an adventure into every day, to listen to my truth and so I began to choose what I wanted due to my experience not what information I had heard from another. I no longer eat anything from an animal but I only have today, this moment.

I looked closer into what is really going on in factory farms, and how appalling it is to see the way animals are being treated and what ends up on our plate. It is NOT the cow on the carton of milk grazing in the green meadow eating grass or the chickens free to walk on the earth awaiting a painless death. I spoke with people that went into the farms and who brought some of the video of the Truth to fruition. It was hard to watch as it is for so many people, the less we know , the less we have to change what we are doing, the more it is OK. I understand that, I was similar to that thought process BUT it is happening and I can longer ignore it.

I would never tell anyone not to eat meat as that is a choice I made for myself. I offer to you the information you may not now that could give you the possibility of a healthier lifestyle and compassion to the cow, chicken or steer you might see when you pass by a farm.

Below is a video narrated by Paul McCartney, it is important we are aware of what is happening to the food we eat. These beings feel and are social and how we keep them from the time they are born to the time of there painful death, it is hard to call it a life.

We all do the best we can, the more knowledge that we attain gives us more possibilities to live in our truth and have the best lives we can possibly have.

Blessed Be!

Ahimsa - Non violence is the first Yama which is the 1st limb out of the 8 limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga means 8 limbs)
(will give more elaboration in an upcoming blog)

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.
May All Beings Everywhere Be Happy.




The Sanctuary:
http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/news-events/events/thanksliving-details/

Glass Walls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4YX_iVWIe0

Book Suggestion:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Diet-Chronic-Disease-Prevention/dp/1590560388/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287073472&sr=8-1

Fill-Up Yourself, 8/27

It has been a full week and have loved every minute of it, from bliss to pain, it is all an opportunity to learn and expand. One of my teachers, Alanna (check her out @ jivadiva.com) shared some words with me and I want to pass them on, "If your path to heaven isn't heavenly, you are on the wrong path".

Our lives are to be enjoyed. For me, I became aware of what wasn't supporting the joy I said I wanted and took action. Everyday has become an adventure into the life I choose to create. Yoga, for me, nurtures my spirit so I can soar through my days. What gives you that, what inspires you to be in your greatness? Investigate, take a look.

Yoga is Love and as I deepen my own practice I find I can Love more, Hmmmmm Mmmmmm!

I thank you who come and give of yourself an hour and a half (or more) each week, to settle into your natural spirits and permission to be you. I understand life is busy but when we fill ourselves up we have more to give to others.

To My Students, 8/19

This morning as I was practicing Mysore (Ashtanga Yoga) as always I bring awareness (some days easier than others) to my breath, my feet, my alignment, my thoughts & feeling/connecting to the energy in the room. Today something felt different, so I let go and connected to my breath and allowed my practice to flow as it may.

I have been experiencing the same pain from my heel spur that I do my best to include throughout my practice, honoring what I can do and can not. Today I looked at it differently and this is how it went.....

I feel pain, I know its pain but what kind of pain is it? My teacher offered Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2.16 (http://www.yogawithamey.com/futuresuffering.html), "Future Suffering can and should be avoided". I have heard this before, yet not in the same way. If we make space for offerings, much can shift in a moment.

Yoga gives us Love & Support for our spirtual, physical, mental, emotional and energetic bodies. It gives us permission to witness, brings awareness and lets up come back to our natural spirits, you know the one that you "feel" in your hearts.

I invite you to come to class as you are, you are enough! I am blessed to be practicing with you as the journeys we take affect all we surround.

Wisdom Of The Week, Written August 6

Its Friday and as always I look back in my week and organically I witness my givings, my integrity, my truths & allow myself loving time to reflect. Has it all went as planned, definitely not. Life does not flow as I want it, the universe laughs when I plan away :)

I had a teaching gig this week for a business as my vision of Yoga expands, it was amazing, yet much different than I thought. I let go of any expectation and allowed a rhythmic flow to happen. This is Yoga on or off the mat!

I heard from a teacher of mine this quote "Tell me where your attention is and I can tell you how you are". This provides opportunity for awareness. Lead from your heart, not your mind, experiment what works for you in each moment.

I am excited for this weeks journey as my life experience from week to week shifts so does my practice and teachings.

Expansion Through Challenge, Written 8/15

I have been blessed to experience more Love. Not just Love where things are falling into place but Love when challenges interject "Our Plan" and we get to feel "the stuff" we think is bad, like fear, insecurity, ego and such, we feel and move through to the other side ( doing our personal best). To judge less, to listen, to speak from our heart, to Love More!

This is Yoga, Yoga is Love. Yoga allows us the possibility to settle our minds so we can feel more in our hearts, our spirits, to feel our truth. Yoga asana (posture) is a physical purification yet it is as well a meditation. The breath is this fantastic tool we have to use so we can move through each asana filling up and letting go. Isn't that apart of life? We have choices once we have awareness and that leads to more possibilities to live with Love & Passion

When we fill ourselves with the things that make us feel good then we are able to give fully, yet we seem to fall into this habit of giving & giving and wonder why we are tired, frustrated and sometimes even angry. I continuously learn to take time to nurture myself so I am overflowing so I can give of myself. Life becomes easier and flows more organically, as like not sacrificing an asana for the breath, Slowly, steady & beautiful.

Whether you are on or off the mat, opportunity is awaiting. With all of our agendas & expectations, anger & sadness, joy & bliss, chaos & drama, fear & fear, there is abundance of Love. With Love Magic occurs.

IT IS ALL YOGA, Written July 18

Whether you attend Yoga class consistently, you go when you can or have never been, you are already practicing Yoga.
You love, breathe, kind to others, non violent, push through fear, pray..etc...this is all Yoga.

We come together week after week to practice asana (postures) which purifies your spirit. We learn to dwell more in our hearts and allow the things that don't serve us to fall into the earth.

I keep learning that taking care of myself includes many facets which are mentally, physically, energetically, emotionally & spiritually. When I do not nurture all these aspects of myself, I begin to feel imbalanced. What is it for you that you could use a little more or a little less of? We are always "doing", maybe we can add a little "being".

Be Kind to yourselves and witness, become aware & allow the truth to guide you through your day, all that you desire is already within you.

"Dedication to Cleanse Away the Pain"

Love'sYoga is living my truth, with everyday being an adventure. Is it that "I Love Yoga" or "Love is Yoga, does it really matter what it "means", or is it the experience of the heart that really matters?!? All I know is with Love & Yoga in my life, abundance shows up and much is needed to share how I got to this moment & how this blog is of importance of my continued healing of my heart, spirit & soul and of course to share it.

The Beginning: To Thy Own Self be True!

Yoga has been present in my life for many years as Yoga is not just Asana (posture) as most people in the west perceive it to be. It is how you create & live the life you want & the journey through, for me, an Ashtanga Yoga Path.
Our lives are a journey, what can we learn each day as we are graced to be here on this earth, to connect to ourselves , each other "With Love" doing our personal best and not to take it for granted as it is precious.

We will explore our humanness!!! Do we truly desire "things" or is that false, that if we take a look at our truth, what we really want is "our true spirit within" to shine bright. I always knew it was there, I just didn't have a clue how to receive it, until I did :)) I learn everyday what it means to live inward not outward, the struggles, the joy, the healing, the pain that comes along with it.....Oneness, as nothing needs to be separate. What we have been/are enculturated in and what our truth looks like if we make space to see it.

The experience of Love for me is new but I have longed for it and Blessed I am!

Today is a good day, my feet touched the earth, I notice the thoughts that could make my day, you know, blah ,I rise and shine,thinking my day was "suppose to be' different already.....I bring myself to the moment, grounding as I sit, just sit, as everyday slowly, slowly, I show up fro myself.
I breathe & know that this is it, this moment....Mmmmmmm, Practice, Practice, Practice!!

"