Tag Archive for ‘betsey downing’
iHanuman Newsletter June 2009
Happy Summer Solstice! Just as we asked you to invoke the goddess last month, the longest day of year begs us to inspire the fire inside that is masculine energy. Yang energy is strong, aggressive and passionate. It is the fiery energy of summer. Spiritually, we can practice tapas or discipline, austerity and consistency. Burn [...]
06/21/09 1:30 PM
Make Room for Magic
If you want to have a beautiful garden you have to nurture what you want (the flowers) and remove what you don’t want (the weeds). Otherwise we all know the weeds will take over. The mind works the same way. If you want to have joy and appreciation in your life you have to plant [...]
05/1/09 5:13 PM
Yoga in Stressful Times
We are in challenging times with the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression, 2 wars, international terrorism, and global climate change. People are worried about their finances, keeping their jobs and homes, and the bleaker future that may face their children and grandchildren. Research has shown that stress is a major risk factor [...]
02/2/09 5:12 PM
No Complaining!
One of the lesser-known benefits of establishing a regular yoga practice is that we complain less. It’s probably a surprising and an unintended result … most students don’t come to yoga to stop complaining! But it happens almost automatically … and surreptitiously. Complaining is wishing reality to be different than it is. It is resisting [...]
10/18/08 5:12 PM
Turn Inward, Reach Outward
I recently attended the Anusara Certified Teachers Gathering in Denver, CO. A group of 150 certified teachers came together for 5 days of inspiring practices led by Anusara founder John Friend and transformational presentations by Paul Muller, an internationally recognized scholar in the field of Tantric philosophy. One of the major emphases in Anusara is [...]
07/30/08 5:10 PM
The Foundations of Yoga
Most people know yoga as a physical exercise system that increases flexibility and teaches them how to relax. However, yoga is a comprehensive discipline that encompasses principles for living in the world and practices to deepen spiritual life, in addition to achieving physical well-being. Yoga is a nourishing practice on all levels! Yoga means “yoke” [...]
07/29/08 7:51 AM
The Nature of Desire
Desire is not typically a very welcome concept in spiritual circles. In fact, most Eastern spiritual disciplines regard desire as the root cause of all suffering, observing that desire causes mental agitation as we think about what we want that we don’t have. Desire therefore causes people to lose the peacefulness that they are searching [...]
04/15/08 5:09 PM
Reflecting on Garden of the Heart Yoga Center
Sometimes it’s nice to site back and reflect on where we have been and where we are now…My husband and I moved to Florida from Virginia five and a half years ago, after he retired. Initially I kept my yoga center in Virginia and went back regularly to run it, so I did not start [...]
01/16/08 7:59 AM
Intention
My major feeling about Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3 pose) used to be relief when it was over! Recently I have been exploring poses I haven’t previously enjoyed and Warrior 3 made the list! Its particular combination of strength, flexibility, and balance are difficult to master with grace and ease. I have discovered that this pose [...]
01/9/08 5:08 PM
Free Yoga Class with Betsey Downing
Betsey Downing is a Senior Anusara Yoga Teacher living in Sarasota, Florida. She has been practicing yoga since 1972 and studying with John Friend as her primary teacher since 1994. Betsey is the Director of Garden of the Heart Yoga Center in Sarasota, Florida and she teaches workshops to teachers and students nationally and internationally. [...]
12/16/07 10:49 PM
