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Posts Tagged ‘gratitude’

Spring Renewal

Spring Equinox - Purcellville VA Yoga Studio Yoga 4 Life

Wow, a blog post! Last time I made one of these was last Fall, as I was sidelined with a knee injury. Time flies.

I looked at the calendar recently and realized that Spring is almost here. Yes, the Vernal Equinox happens on March 20th (which is tomorrow)! Spring is always a time of renewal and new hopes, and our spirits soar as the weather warms. It’s a good time, in my opinion, to take stock of your yoga practice as well.

For me, the Winter consisted of injury recovery as I slowly worked my way back into a regular yoga practice. New Year’s Day saw me doing 108 sun salutations. I was really sore, but it was wonderful! It really jump-started my practice and I’ve settled into a solid routine. I practice three or four times a week and have a set schedule of times that I usually go.

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I’ve come to realize that this might be a problem. I love my teachers, don’t get me wrong. But it’s the same teachers, in the same time-slots. Sure, each practice is different but every teacher has preferred ways of doing things and poses that they prefer to teach over others.

I was also reminded recently that a lot of people who practice yoga are at times intimidated about trying something new.

Purcellville VA Yoga Studio - Yoga 4 Life

A couple of us were practicing some poses, and another person there just watched us. That’s fine, but I sensed that there was fear in trying something new.

Over the last two weeks I also ran across teachers who are very good at what they teach, but they were hesitant about styles of yoga that they haven’t practiced. They were skeptical of these different yoga styles.

We can get into a rut, even in our yoga practices. We have our favorite teachers, our established time slots, our specific styles of yoga that we do. I know that I certainly have these patterns. For Spring, I’m going to challenge myself not to be in that routine so easily. I’m going to take classes from different teachers. I’m going to explore different yoga styles. I’m going to look for a new goal pose. And I’m going to see if I can shake up my schedule a bit and try to take classes at different times. Sure, it will be a little disruptive, but this will be a great way for me to learn and advance my practice.

I think one of the most important things is to learn from different teachers. I am constantly amazed at the different experiences, almost all of them good, that I have with different people teaching. Even if you stay with, say, Ashtanga, a different teacher could give a new perspective on a pose that’s been particularly challenging to you. I’m not advocating leavingYoga 4 Life, your favorite teachers either. I know you couldn’t drag me away from mine. Still, variety can be really useful and beneficial. When I was first starting yoga, about two months in, I had a substitute teacher instead of my regular one and that was the first time I saw vasisthasana taught. That class has stuck with me and it was one of the first to show me the benefits of shaking things up from time to time.

Whatever you do for Spring, I hope that you find ways to advance and deepen your practice. Enjoy the flowers and the warm weather along with your yoga. Don’t be afraid to try something new from time to time either.

Namaste

John

 

Happy Thanksgiving!


“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

Wed November 21, 2012

  • 9:00 am Flow – Beginner Jessi Hughes Main Street STUDIO 
  • 10:30 am Gentle Christie Haran Main Street STUDIO
  • 1:00 pm Flow Yoga Carolyn Connell Main Street STUDIO
  • 5:00 pm Hatha 2 Christie Haran Main Street STUDIO
  • 6:30 pm Vinyasa/Prana Flow Erin Dewey Nursery Avenue STUDIO

Fri November 23, 2012 

  • 7:30 am All Level Yoga Lawrie Vick Main Street STUDIO
  • 8:30 am Pilates Brandy Greenwell Nursery Avenue STUDIO
  • 9:15 am Hatha Lawrie Vick Main Street STUDIO
  • 9:30 am Vinyasa/Prana Flow Lara Ward Nursery Avenue STUDIO

See everybody this weekend plus FREE Community Class followed by a Flow this Saturday!!  Sunday we are all candle lit to relaxxxxxxxx!  It will be a nice treat after the feast and holiday shopping!  

 

- Namaste & Happy Thanksgiving 

from all of us at Yoga 4 Life

 

 

 

The Gratitude Project

The Gratitude Project 2012

Commit to yourself…

August 1 this year is going to be busy.  First, it’s a full moon on that night.  (As an aside, we’ll have two full moons in August, with the second one

 

on the 31st, which means we have 13 full moons this year).   Second, August 1 marks the halfway point for Summer.  We’re halfway through the Summer season in 2012 already!

Something I’ve been doing for years now that also starts on August 1 is called the Gratitude Project.   It was started by an on-line friend named Julie McCord.  The feeling was that we take all of the blessings that we have for granted.  Most of us would agree with that, but what do we do to change it?  The Gratitude Project is an attempt to make that change.  Between August 1 and the start of Fall, which is September 23, you have to think of one thing per day for which you are grateful.

Yoga 4 Life The Gratitude ProjectThe project entails you being mindful of whatever brings you Joy and you journal “the something” you are grateful for each day between those dates. No repeats – you can be grateful for your spouse/kids/job/friends, but the reason for the gratitude needs to be different for each entry. It can BIG or not, your journal/blog entry can be long or short. It can be on paper or in pixels and public or private.

Some days are easy, others are not.  Inevitably, there are days where everything’s going wrong and the last thing you’re considering is gratitude.  Those are the days when this project is most important.  You have to think, consider, really look at your life and find the positives that dwell within your life despite the crappy nature of a day.  It can be done.  Every year that I’ve done this project has seen some bitter and sad days, and yet there is always something for which I can be grateful and state it as such.

Commit to gratitude this year.  Commit to yourself.  Adopt the project and be grateful.  I think you’ll see just how much positive change it can affect for you.

 -Namaste

 John

Purcellville Yoga

Loudoun County, Virginia

 

Yoga & Empowerment – Girls Going Global

Yoga for Empowerment & Yoga 4 Life

Spread Your Wings and Fly!

Yoga 4 Life and our Love for Local Loudoun

Yoga for Empowerment is what we do but it is not the events or practices, it’s an energy.  The force behind the reasons we have for holding these events and how it can positively give back to our Loudoun County community.   This is what keeps us teaching and embracing the opportunities to bring our local youth to yoga and the philosophy behind the words empowerment, joy, happiness, acceptance, self-love, graditude, honoring the present, giving, and inspiration.

We began Strong Foundations in Purcellville with Mix Fitness as a 10 week empowerment, mind and body experience for young girls.  The light in their eyes as they grew through working in energy Strong Foundations US Army and Yoga 4 Lifecircles, connecting with their friends and fellow yogis with eye contact in partner yoga, trust challenges, acceptance of themselves and their body needs and restrictions, and those of others.  We explored music, sight, touch, smells and sounds.  We grew, and learned about sanskrit, chakras, and mandalas.  What these girls found in this program was themselves, to realize things in their environment that were negatives, how to deal with them and share them verbally. Then, to work through keeping people or things from interrupting their joy and happiness.  Positive ways to share things with friends and the philosophy of living a yogi life was their discovery.

The light in their eyes glowed when it was explained that there was no trophy at the end –  the  gift  they had already given to themselves and the only thing I could ever show them was a path of learning, the hope and pride they created, and a place to walk and shine.  It was not only empowerment for them, but for me – what inspires us and why each of us teach at Yoga 4 Life.

Girls Going Global – The Ladies of Iris

iRespect     iInspire     iSupport

Tomorrow is Girls Going Global.  Over 40 Loudoun County teenage girls will arrive in Sterling for this amazing program.  The IRIS SPRING EVENT will be a culture filled day in Sterling, VA learning about issues important to these girls around the globe.  Yoga 4 Life is honored to have been selected for the yoga  breakout session.  There will be two keynote addresses about Oppression & Privilege and Global Human Trafficking.  The globally inspired flavors and dance performances will be an perfect addition to the event also hosted by the Loudoun County Department of Parks & Recreation and Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice.

We are very excited to include yoga with their amazing program.  The Native American and Mayan influence in our own studio as well as the Mexican blankets, power animals tribal music, Copal, and other aromatherapy we customarily use will be a wonderful experience for the girls and for us to share.  Practicing Moon Salutations and a brief lunar practice on a Full MOON and Cinco De Mayo is combining my perfect combination!

Yoga for Empowerment

LoveLocalLoudoun

As we continue on our journeys with the Loudoun Wine Trail, we always stay on our path of empowerment not just for our yoga circles, but the greater Mix Fitness Purcellville and Loudoun Virginiacommunity in which we live, love, and honor with our dedication to serving.  Please join Yoga 4 Life and Yoga for Empowerment again for a powerful heart opening practice on May 26th.  As we grow each year we will continue to be able to support these wonderful programs with LAWS and empowerment.

Please enjoy the reading from our Youth Empowerment programs – Young Yogis, Strong Foundations, and volunteering at Girls Going Global.

 

 

~*~    Spread Your Wings and Fly    ~*~

I sat on the ground on a dirt road that wandered off the main highway in Idaho.  I leaned against a tree and watched a mother eagle and her babies in a nest overhead.  She fussed as she protected them, watching me closely, responding with her call to any noise she heard.  She was very protective now, but someday it would be time to push them out of the nest. It would be time to teach them to fly.
Many of us have been pushed out of the nest. Something unexpected happened, and out world changed. We may have fought valiantly to get back in to the nest, to return to the safety of life as we knew it. We had no choice but to flap our wings and learn to fly the best we could.
See how magical this time has been?

See how much you’ve learned? With all your fears and resistance, it has been a grand and powerful

Purcellville Loudoun County Virginia

Miranda Ward

time. You flailed around a bit, wondering who to trust.  You tried trusting others, then found that didn’t work. Finally you understood. The very lesson you were learning was that of trusting yourself.

You were learning to listen to and trust your inner voice. You were learning to open your heart.  Despite all your fears, you have done a grand job.

Look how much you’ve changed!
See all the powers you’ve gained? You’ve opened up to your healing powers, your creative powers, too. You know and sense things in a way that used to seem beyond reach and now seems both magical and commonplace. Your instincts and intuition are finely tuned.  Your inner voice is clear. And despite all your fears about being abandoned, you now see how much you are loved.

When life pokes and prods you, it is not punishment or abuse.  You’re being  pushed out of the nest.  Spread your wings and take flight.

See how far you can fly!

by:  Melody Beattie

♥ Namaste

~Lara

- Airborn training picture taken by Jason Brikel, provided by Sean Zurschmeide also in Italy serving (from Hillsboro, VA) – our young soldiers out living their dreams and floating on air!

- Purcellville Loudoun Yoga- Photographs Lara Ward

 

 
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