The author gives 7 essential tips to rebound from a setback–super important for all of us! How to we get back on our feet after a bad fall? How do we stand in our own power again instead of playing the victim? (And, yes, sometimes it does feel good to wallow and wimper, we just don’t want to hang out in that place for too long!).Here’s what she says:

1. Worry Well – Face fear and anxiety head-on. Distinguish productive worry from unproductive worry. Write them down and challenge them. Is getting a roommate to help pay the rent really the worst thing possible? Would it really kill you to tell your friend what’ bothering you about your conversation last week?

2. Practice Expansion – Rather than tightening up when bad news hits, stay expanded. Focus on your body and take a full, deep breath. Even spread your arms out wide to stretch out your chest. Consciously relax where you feel yourself tightening.

3. Look for the Lesson – There’s ALWAYS a lesson. What is it? Look for the golden nugget about how this situation is really helping you grow into your fullest potential.

4. Develop Resilience – Don’t dwell endless in anger! Learn to feel it and move on. The key is awareness. Become aware of how you are feeling, below your thoughts, in your body. Meditation helps cultivate this. Learn to dive deep, below the waves.

5. Take Advantage of Downtime – You know I’m a big fan of this one. If you unexpectedly lose your job or end a relationship and find yourself
with a lot of free time on your hands–use it to your advantage. Learn to knit, write that novel, paint.

6. Tap Your Resources – In the best of times, a strong social life increases our health, happiness, and longevity; and, in the worst of times, that
network acts as a crucial stressbuster. Reach out to others! Build your support network!

7. Help Someone Else – Don’t wallow in self pity. Reach out and take action. Help others who are suffering. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or elderly community. Get out there!

To your happiness,

Sara

http://www.thewayofthehappywoman.com

p.s. My annual women’s immersion in Thailand each January empowers you with the tools you need to find authentic happiness within–NO MATTER WHAT!

Learn more about it here: http://www.HappyWomanRetreat.com

At least that’s how things seemed on the outside.

What I actually felt on the inside was a whole other story. Before I had left the United States, I was diagnosed with the early stage of cervical cancer. This left me scared, anxious, and not knowing how to relate to myself or my new reality. Riddled with anxiety, each train I caught to the next exotic city felt less like a dream-come- true and more like I was simply running away from that unsavory, fluttery feeling in my solar plexus. If I just kept moving, I thought, maybe I could outrun it.

Boy, was I wrong. The thing is, my attempt to run away from myself is not uncommon. It’s human nature. How else could we have survived as a species for as long as we have? It’s the fight or flight syndrome in action — only now we face less external obstacles to our well-being (when was the last time you hunted for your food or fended off an enemy?) and more and more internal ones (self criticism, workaholism, addictions, and worry, to name a few).

Luckily, just after gallivanting through Europe, I moved to Thailand to work. There, I was immersed in the abiding calm of Buddhism, the national religion. I attended my first 10-day meditation retreat and started a daily sitting practice. Little by little, I expanded my capacity to observe my thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations–to feel and accept them, rather than run from, change, or control them. This was truly my first step to inner peace; and today this practice, coupled with yoga, forms the backbone of my life.

That’s why I am so passionate about sharing what I have learned with others. Yet, often those new to meditation feel intimidated by it. They think: how can I ever stop my thoughts? All this is doing is showing me just how crazy I really am!

The thing is, meditation is not about stopping your thoughts. It’s about being with them compassionately. Noticing them. Giving them space to be what they are without acting on them or getting entangled in their enticing stories. Then, gradually, when stronger storms of emotions arise, you have strengthened the “witness” part of yourself–she who sits and watches, rather than reacts. You are able to see the thoughts and feelings in your body that accompany your emotions. Then something like fear or anxiety actually becomes interesting and dynamic, rather than scary parts of yourself that you need to shove into a dark, internal corner of yourself.

One caveat: there is no magical solution! Difficult emotions never go away — they are part of the human experience — but, by engaging in the practice below over time, they can lessen and soften as you grow your capacity to relate to them with loving kindness and non-judgmental awareness.

To get you started, here are five steps to help you befriend your anxiety through meditation and breath:

1. GET COMFORTABLE. Take a comfortable seat, either on the floor or in a chair. Be sure that your spine is extended and your chest is open. (Remember that you can do this anywhere–on the bus, the airplane, etc). Consciously let your body relax and sink into the support beneath you, whether that be a cushion or a chair. Soften.

2. NOTICE YOUR BREATH. Now, turn your attention to your breathing–without trying to change it (sure it will change a little once you become aware of it). Does it feel deep? Shallow? Where do you feel it in your body? What parts of your body aren’t receiving the breath? Is your inhale longer or shorter than your exhale? Do this for a few minutes. Notice the changing nature of your breath.

3. BECOME CURIOUS. Since your breath is the vehicle of embodiment, you might find that now it is easier for you to feel what’s actually happening in your body. Be inquisitive about it, like a child seeing something for the first time. Ask yourself, what does this feel like? What temperature is the sensation? Where is it? Is it moving? If so, how quickly? Does it feel hard, soft, sharp, pulsing, what? Again, stay with it for some time, in each moment, feeling it, then naming it.

4. WITNESS AND PARTICIPATE. Now, if dominating thoughts come into your mind–judgments, fears, worries, or stories associated with your anxiety, notice what they are. See them like you would see words or images on a movie screen. Don’t engage with them, witness them. Then, if a strong bodily sensation arises, return to feeling and labeling that. See what calls your attention most strongly and attend to it in the moment. If your body needs to move or if you need to make a sound during this, let that happen, too. Witness and participate without judgment.

5. ACKNOWLEDGE CHANGE. After some time — whether it be two minutes, ten minutes, or one hour, conclude your meditation by feeling your breath once again. Let yourself re-soften into your surroundings. Now ask yourself, how am I feeling? What are the sensations in my body? More likely than not, you’ll see how your state has shifted since you first sat down.
Let this experience remind you that you are NOT your feelings, you are NOT your thoughts, you are NOT your anxiety — you are that wise, loving, underlying presence that feels and observes without preference or judgment. Return to your day illuminated by the remembrance that you can abide in this presence whenever you choose to.

Let this experience remind you that you are NOT your feelings, you are NOT your thoughts, you are NOT your anxiety — you are that wise, loving, underlying presence that feels and observes without preference or judgment. Return to your day illuminated by the remembrance that you can abide in this presence whenever you choose to.

For a free audio download of this guided meditation practice to help overcome anxiety, click here.

Sara Avant Stover is a yogini, teacher, writer, and women’s lifestyle enthusiast.
Visit her website: The Way of the Happy Woman

Peel and freeze very ripe bananas in a plastic freezer bag. (Very ripe banana skins have no green, they have black or brown marks all over, and the stem is brown or snaps back effortessly.) Freeze a minimum of 8 hours. Depending upon your freezer, it may take at least 12 hours.

Place in a food processor, Champion Juicer or Green Star Juicer, using the blank plate. 1 to 2 bananas is a normal serving. If you using a blender or processor, use a little fruit or berry juice.

You may add to the blending process any of the following: carob or cocoa powder, shredded coconut, berries, nuts, dates.

Serve immediately. Enjoy! Yummy!

Sara Avant Stover is a yogini, teacher, writer, and women’s lifestyle enthusiast.
Visit her website: The Way of the Happy Woman

On a cold and misty Sunday afternoon in 1978 Matthew Sanford and his family were driving home from a Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. Matthew, then thirteen, was asleep in the backseat when their car crossed a bridge, skidded on a patch of ice, and toppled down a steep embankment. Three and half days later, he woke up from a coma to learn that his life as he had known it was over. Both his father and sister were dead and he was paralyzed from the chest down.

The days and years that followed became a bumpy journey of healing. Ultimately it was Yoga that led him to re-connect the vast schism that this trauma cast between his body and mind. Now a Yoga teacher, motivational speaker, author of Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence, and founder of the non-profit organization, Mind Body Solutions, Sanford teaches audiences of all abilities on the importance of connecting to one’s body.

Over lunch at a sidewalk café in Boulder, Colorado, Matthew shared his insights on how we can enter more deeply into yoga and the gift of simply feeling alive.

Fit Yoga: Being paralyzed from the chest down and navigating through life in a wheelchair, your approach to yoga is non-conventional, to say the least.  Can you tell  us more about it?

Matthew Sanford: There are many, many paths to yoga.  There are many ways to achieve a realization, movement,  or flow with prana (or life force). What you experience with me when I’m teaching is that it’s possible for prana to move without  muscular action.

That’s a mind- bender for a student of vinyasa (or flow) yoga, where the practice is so muscle-oriented.  Sure, when you couple the muscle connection with the movement, breath, and rhythm of vinyasa yoga, you end up with a similar thing to what I am teaching and experiencing

But what if you’re like me and that’s just not possible?

As yoga has to grow and will grow, we need to have openings, or portals, for all different abilities. And that’s part of what my story and my approach illuminate.

Download the full text article at Fourmermaids.com

On November 5, 2008, Nelson Mandela wrote a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama—a letter that appeared in the New York Times the next day. Mandela’s missive included the statement, “Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.”

Perhaps it was out of this very desire that you first became a yoga teacher. Now, after teaching hundreds and thousands of students, you’re ready to extend your offerings to an even wider audience.

How can you contribute in a larger way? How can you share the gifts of yoga with those who may never step foot inside the four walls of your yoga studio?

The Yoga of Service
For Seane Corn, a teacher, YouthAIDS yoga ambassador, and one of the founders of Off the Mat, Into the World (OTM), the link between yoga and service is obvious.

“Yoga is about creating community, relationship, and connections, and service is inevitably about that, too,” Corn says. “We have the responsibility to create an environment where all people can be abundant, happy, and free.”

Ashley Turner, a yoga and meditation instructor in Venice, California, who runs international service-oriented retreats, agrees. “Yoga is social activism,” she declares. “What affects one of us affects all of us.”

Download the full text article at Fourmermaids.com

She hadn’t spoken to her brother in three years. Despite being a dedicated yoga teacher and practitioner and serving as Core Power’s Colorado regional manager, Heather Peterson couldn’t find the tools to mend this familial divide.

“All of the other work I’ve done to heal this relationship” she revealed, “are interesting and good, but to understand things from a larger, karmic perspective through Jyotisha (pronounced joe-teesh-ah) helped me to make bigger changes.”

Now Heather considers the renewed friendship with her brother one of her greatest successes, one she attributes to her Jyotisha, or Vedic Astrology, readings with Dr. Katyayani Poole, Ph.D and co-Director of Shruti Institute for Vedic Arts in Nederland, Colorado.

Here in Boulder, I spoke with esteemed jyotishi (Vedic Astrologer), Katyayani, about how yogis can tap into this ancient science to access greater wisdom, clarity, and freedom in their lives-past, present, and future.

FY: Jyotisha is a term we don’t often hear. How do you define it?

KP: Jyotisha means “to cast light on something.” Most simply, it is the ancient Vedic method to enlighten you to your highest Self and uncover the real purpose of your life.
(The Vedas are the systems of wisdom and self-realization from which the tradition of Yoga sprang up – and have the same purpose to bring the individual in unity with the whole of creation.)

Jyotisha casts the light of perception on your life, showing you the true nature and reason behind all your likes and dislikes, your relationships, your unique skills and talents, and your predispositions toward certain experiences. By seeing all the aspects of your life very clearly, you then become a captain of your own destiny and live freely with grace and happiness.

It is a profound healing modality, which is needed by many people in the world today who lack a sense of self-purpose and meaning in their lives.

Download the full text article at Fourmermaids.com

By Sara Avant Stover

You rest on your mat, palms facing up, feet splayed apart. Energy pulses through your limbs. Your breath slows down as the cool air on your skin, the gentle weight of the wool blanket on your body, and the sound of buzzing traffic outside pervade your senses. Hovering in the magical realm between sleep and wakefulness, you settle into Savasana, the Corpse Pose, and a gentle smile melts across your face.

For many yoga students, Savasana reigns as the dessert of their class experience. The deliciousness of relaxed stillness offers the perfect counterpose to busy lives. You want your students to get the most out of Savasana as possible, but if you teach often it’s easy to get stuck in the same Savasana routine. Drawing from the wisdom of different yoga traditions may help you incorporate moments of meditative rest more effectively.

The Profundity of Stillness

“Sava means corpse in Sanskrit, and Savasana is a preparation for a conscious death in which supreme consciousness that is everywhere and in everything is released,” says Suzie Hurley, Senior Certified Anusara Yoga teacher and director of Willow Street Yoga in Takoma Park, Maryland.

By emulating a corpse through conscious relaxation, one symbolically dies in order to be born anew. During Savasana we have the opportunity to relinquish our individual limitations in order to merge with a power greater than ourselves.

“Savasana is where people are most likely to experience the meaning of yoga, which is their conscious unity with Infinity,” says Erich Schiffmann, author of Moving into Stillness and a teacher at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement in Venice, California. “You lie there and look dead, but as you relax and sink into the feeling of the very alive energy that is being you, it literally feels like you come to life again.”

Before, During or After?

Usually, people think of Savasana as the final pose of a class—as Schiffman notes, it’s “a time when the effects of the poses can soak in.

However, not all schools of yoga agree that it has to be at the end of the practice session.

“Performed at the beginning of a session, it is a way of settling into the feeling of peace so your practice comes from a centered place,” Schiffman says.

In the Bihar/Satyananda tradition, Savasana is often used before asana to release tension so that movements can be more conscious and integrated.

When Savasana comes first, asana practice goes from being “just a physical exercise to a meditative process with a quality of deep relaxation and presence,” says Swami Karma Karuna, a Bihar/Satyananda teacher and the founding director of Anahata Yoga Retreat in New Zealand.

Others choose to intersperse Savasana between other poses, as a reminder to relax on an ongoing basis.

Janice Gates, author of Yogini, the Power of Women in Yoga and the president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, teaches in the Krishnamacharya lineage, with an emphasis on the meditative and therapeutic aspects of practice. In this tradition, one teaches Savasana during yoga practice as a way to rest between poses to regain energy and alertness.

Gates translates this into her teaching by asking students to pause between groups of postures to allow students to tune into subtle changes and to move into the next group of postures more engaged and mindful.

Read the full text article at Yoga Journal

In the era where we can buy a plump peach on a snowy, January day, we need to relearn and remember the benefits of eating seasonal and local foods as much as possible, just as our ancestors did. While the juicy watermelons, cucumber, and tomatoes of the summer season serve as perfect anecdotes to the heat, now it’s time to opt for warm, heavy, and moist foods and beverages to help counteract autumn’s cold and dry qualities.

Here’s a wonderful recipe to bring balance this season.

Ingredients:
1 Medium Butternut Squash (peeled, seeded, and cubed)
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Filtered Water (or vegetable stock)
In a medium saucepan, add olive oil and onion and sauté until the onions are soft. Add ginger and garlic and mix together. Add butternut squash and just enough water to the pot to cover squash. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until butternut squash is soft. Add mixture to blender or use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth.
Yummy!

At one point several years ago, Elena Brower, Anusara Yoga teacher and owner of New York City’s Vira Yoga, received letters of constructive, critical feedback from two of her teachers—both on the same day.

While this initially ignited her inner critic and bruised her selfesteem, she soon came to realize how fortunate she was to have received such wise and attentive care from her trusted mentors.

“It ultimately brought more clarity to my teaching and gave me more respect for my teachers and more trust in myself,” Brower says.

Certainly, opening up to observation and evaluation can make even the most seasoned teacher a little uneasy. But when done skillfully and with the highest intentions, the benefits far outweigh the butterflies.

Why You Need It
“Any teacher dedicated to growth must continue to seek out feedback,” says Dave Farmer, a certified Power Vinyasa Yoga teacher in Denver and a teaching assistant to Baron Baptiste and Seane Corn. “The journey should never end.”

Download the full text article at Fourmermaids.com