So many changes have come, gone or are still in the process. I feel change is always happening. We have mini-deaths and mini-births happening simultaneously without even realizing it. I'm enjoying my new teaching position at 24 hour fitness! I never though I'd find myself teaching in a gym, let alone using it! I always had a judgement about gyms because my first experience was at college and it was always a big fashion show everytime I went there (it was also free too). I was also in a different head space back then (7 years ago) and compared myself to all the skinny girls wearing themselves out on the treadmills. Exercise is so important, not just for your physical health, but mental health as well. I feel now when I go to the gym, I'm going for me and there happens to be a bunch of other people going as well, but for their own reasons and desires.
I also will be changing my Daly City yoga classes around a bit and even adding workshops in here and there. Although I would love to add another day in Daly City, I will be starting massage school in January so I'm alternating a new class on the Monday I usually teach at War Memorial. First session of the year 2009 will be Beginning and then the next session will be a continuation of Yoga Beginnng. It will switch back and forth. I feel a lot of my regular students (and me!) need to progress and grow in their yoga practice. It's going to be fun and different. For this December, Relaxation Yoga for the Holidays, a 4 week series. It's for everyone to escape or take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
So, yes, a lot of stuff, but good stuff! I'll also be graduating from the Holistic Health program at World School of Massage and Holistic Healing Arts the weekend of November 7th! I look forward to supporting people as a Holistic Health Coach in getting what they want; helping them live their optimum lifestyle; offering nutritional support and lots of other wonderful, juicy things. My yoga training and background has also been a wonderful suppport for me through this whole process and I can't wait to share w/ everyone!
All the best,
-Liz
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
So why don't I?
Giving myself space to breathe is something that I never regularly practiced in my life. A lot of it had to do with deservability and time, of course those were the stories I told myself. There are certain "times of the month" that I need it more (I'm sure you women reading this know what I'm talking about). But if there are many changes, situations and events that are happening to you where you feel scattered, that would be an indication that space is needed. I loved that Yoga Journal sent the email about having alone time and why it's important. Frankly, I prefer alone time over socializing these days. It's like I'm making up for all that time I didn't. Doing nothing and just being is such a gift and so many take it for granted. Try taking a walk, sitting in silence, reading a book. Let all the noise and technology of life cease for just a moment.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Give yourself Space
Make Time for You
Want to feel more relaxed on a daily basis? How about taking some time to simply be alone?
Often our lives revolve so much around other people—friends, family members, co-workers—that we forget what it's like to be alone. But being solitary is one of the best ways to relax and decrease the stress that we all carry around in our bodies each day.
Try carving out a few minutes to be alone on a regular basis. Spend that time listening to your heart, reminding yourself about your intentions, and re-evaluating your goals and your activities. Often, being solitary can help you gain a new perspective on your life. What is—or isn't—really important to you? Taking time for yourself is the first step toward answering that question.
IN THIS ISSUE
Om Alone
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/447
Want to feel more relaxed on a daily basis? How about taking some time to simply be alone?
Often our lives revolve so much around other people—friends, family members, co-workers—that we forget what it's like to be alone. But being solitary is one of the best ways to relax and decrease the stress that we all carry around in our bodies each day.
Try carving out a few minutes to be alone on a regular basis. Spend that time listening to your heart, reminding yourself about your intentions, and re-evaluating your goals and your activities. Often, being solitary can help you gain a new perspective on your life. What is—or isn't—really important to you? Taking time for yourself is the first step toward answering that question.
IN THIS ISSUE
Om Alone
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/447
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Grass Valley Weekend
I had such a great weekend visiting my friend in Grass Valley and Nevada City. California has such a variety of little towns to go to and explore. Saturday went kayaking at Lake Valley reservoir. We got up pretty early around 6:30am, but it was worth it! We had the whole place to ourselves. We got to a little beach and had a picnic with salmon, veggie sandwiches, homemade pesto dip and crackers, champagne and white wine. Mmmmmm. After the 20 minute rule, we dove off the rocks into the lake to cool off from the 95-100 degree heat. Perfect day!
My friend lives in this little apt/house behind her mom's. Super cozy, country-style. Outside you can hear the goats and chickens hootin' and hollering. Saturday afternoon we sat on her mom's porch reading and sipping on lemonade, then I found myself in an episode of Planet Earth! A mommy dear and her 2 babies came up the drive looking for food. They hung out for at least 30 minutes.
Nevada City is where my friend grew up and it's super cute! I can't stop saying cute because that's all I can think of to describe it. LIttle cafes, resturants, bed and breakfasts, and shops on little streets of this old coal mining town. It used to be called City of Nevada before the actually state of Nevada took the name, hence they had to change their name to Nevada City. Interesting little fact.
All I know is I'm going back....
My friend lives in this little apt/house behind her mom's. Super cozy, country-style. Outside you can hear the goats and chickens hootin' and hollering. Saturday afternoon we sat on her mom's porch reading and sipping on lemonade, then I found myself in an episode of Planet Earth! A mommy dear and her 2 babies came up the drive looking for food. They hung out for at least 30 minutes.
Nevada City is where my friend grew up and it's super cute! I can't stop saying cute because that's all I can think of to describe it. LIttle cafes, resturants, bed and breakfasts, and shops on little streets of this old coal mining town. It used to be called City of Nevada before the actually state of Nevada took the name, hence they had to change their name to Nevada City. Interesting little fact.
All I know is I'm going back....
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Why do we envy?
Nothing to Envy
Because we want to keep it hidden, envy can be particularly difficult to deal with. How many of us are willing to cop to the heart-twisting feeling that pops up when a friend calls to tell you she's just received a fellowship, or the sense of injustice that clouds your first glimpse of your wealthy friend's fabulous new apartment?
Envy so often looks like something else—resentment, perhaps, or a sense of dissatisfaction with your own life, your own income, your own family. For many people, envy simply merges with an overall feeling of not being quite good enough. Because envy is rooted in the feeling of lack or deficiency, the assumption that there's not enough to go around, its best antidotes will be practices that activate your own feelings of natural abundance.
Forget about the person you envy. Forget about what she has that you wish were yours. Look instead at the energy that feeling is made of, and you'll notice that nothing in the feeling has any real solidity. Perhaps, at that moment, you might open to the insight that the energy forming and dissolving within your mind and heart is not really separate from the energy around you. Perhaps, at that moment, you might realize that the person you envy is not really someone separate from you; that you lack nothing because you are, at your deepest core, part of a vast field of energy that contains potentially everything you could ever want or need.
IN THIS ISSUE
Nothing to Envy
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2545
Because we want to keep it hidden, envy can be particularly difficult to deal with. How many of us are willing to cop to the heart-twisting feeling that pops up when a friend calls to tell you she's just received a fellowship, or the sense of injustice that clouds your first glimpse of your wealthy friend's fabulous new apartment?
Envy so often looks like something else—resentment, perhaps, or a sense of dissatisfaction with your own life, your own income, your own family. For many people, envy simply merges with an overall feeling of not being quite good enough. Because envy is rooted in the feeling of lack or deficiency, the assumption that there's not enough to go around, its best antidotes will be practices that activate your own feelings of natural abundance.
Forget about the person you envy. Forget about what she has that you wish were yours. Look instead at the energy that feeling is made of, and you'll notice that nothing in the feeling has any real solidity. Perhaps, at that moment, you might open to the insight that the energy forming and dissolving within your mind and heart is not really separate from the energy around you. Perhaps, at that moment, you might realize that the person you envy is not really someone separate from you; that you lack nothing because you are, at your deepest core, part of a vast field of energy that contains potentially everything you could ever want or need.
IN THIS ISSUE
Nothing to Envy
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2545
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Forgiveness
Forgive Yourself
Most religious traditions place high value on apology, forgiveness, and making amends. Yoga teaching, too, speaks to the importance of dealing ethically with others. The concept of karma tells us, in part, that our actions will come back to us. Karma yoga is the practice of selflessly putting ourselves in service to others, and part of this is trying to right the wrongs we have done.
But how do we make amends if our apologies are rejected? In the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita, the god Krishna tells the yogi Arjuna that it is a mistake to focus on the results of our efforts instead of on the efforts themselves: "The man who is devoted and not attached to the fruit of his actions obtains tranquility." Put simply, the crucial point in apology is not that you're successful but that you make the effort.
Kelly McGonigal, who teaches yoga and is a research psychologist at Stanford University, offers a four-step practice rooted in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy that can take us through the process of making amends. "First," she says, "recognize that you've done something that caused suffering or harm. Second, sit with the feeling of remorse and regret. Feel it in your body, and experience the emotions. Don't push them away or wallow in them." The third step, McGonigal says, is moving into a place of compassion for yourself as well as the person you harmed. Fueled by those compassionate feelings, we can move to the final step of setting an intention toward positive action.
IN THIS ISSUE
Forgive Yourself
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2413
Most religious traditions place high value on apology, forgiveness, and making amends. Yoga teaching, too, speaks to the importance of dealing ethically with others. The concept of karma tells us, in part, that our actions will come back to us. Karma yoga is the practice of selflessly putting ourselves in service to others, and part of this is trying to right the wrongs we have done.
But how do we make amends if our apologies are rejected? In the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita, the god Krishna tells the yogi Arjuna that it is a mistake to focus on the results of our efforts instead of on the efforts themselves: "The man who is devoted and not attached to the fruit of his actions obtains tranquility." Put simply, the crucial point in apology is not that you're successful but that you make the effort.
Kelly McGonigal, who teaches yoga and is a research psychologist at Stanford University, offers a four-step practice rooted in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy that can take us through the process of making amends. "First," she says, "recognize that you've done something that caused suffering or harm. Second, sit with the feeling of remorse and regret. Feel it in your body, and experience the emotions. Don't push them away or wallow in them." The third step, McGonigal says, is moving into a place of compassion for yourself as well as the person you harmed. Fueled by those compassionate feelings, we can move to the final step of setting an intention toward positive action.
IN THIS ISSUE
Forgive Yourself
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2413
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tell the Teacher
Something I received from Yoga Journal that's so crucial....
Tell Your Teacher
Do you have an injury or a physical condition that might affect your ability to practice, like pregnancy, high blood pressure, or recent surgery? You may feel that those issues are private ones, but your teacher needs to know in order to guide you through the class safely and appropriately.
Most teachers arrive to class a few minutes early, so if you have an injury, you should, too. Seek out your teacher and ask to have a brief word with him before class. He can provide possible advice on how to approach the class, and will likely make accommodations for you during your practice.
Also, whether or not you are injured or just tired or stiff, skip poses you can't or shouldn't do, or try a modified version that avoids putting stress on the affected area. Ask your teacher if you aren't sure how to modify a particular pose. It's important to let your teacher know what's going on with you—and it's also a great way to start building a more personal relationship.
Tell Your Teacher
Do you have an injury or a physical condition that might affect your ability to practice, like pregnancy, high blood pressure, or recent surgery? You may feel that those issues are private ones, but your teacher needs to know in order to guide you through the class safely and appropriately.
Most teachers arrive to class a few minutes early, so if you have an injury, you should, too. Seek out your teacher and ask to have a brief word with him before class. He can provide possible advice on how to approach the class, and will likely make accommodations for you during your practice.
Also, whether or not you are injured or just tired or stiff, skip poses you can't or shouldn't do, or try a modified version that avoids putting stress on the affected area. Ask your teacher if you aren't sure how to modify a particular pose. It's important to let your teacher know what's going on with you—and it's also a great way to start building a more personal relationship.
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