Yoga Traveler

Written on 7/19/2020 Namaste is roughly translated as "the light within me honors and loves the light within you." Namaste is an expression of honor and respects the other person as being made as the same Pure Consciousness as you. (Rina Jakubowicz)  When we say and hear Namaste, we feel a sense of union, compassion, and acknowledgment, regardless of circumstances.   So let's say Namaste to our deployed loved one today.  Can I feel a sense of union with my spouse while he is an ocean away?  I have to say that technology helps.  Currently, my husband is quarantined on base in Germany due to COVID- 19 and we have established a good FaceTime schedule when I first wake in the morning and then again before he goes to bed.  Sometimes we do not have a lot to say but I can still enjoy the union of our voices and thoughts being expressed. Can I feel compassion for my spouse?  Yes, I can empathize with his impatience at his situation in a holding pattern a...

Events from 7/7/2020 We have been preparing for Josh's deployment since February of 2020. This is our first deployment so we looked for ideas of things that we could do to help our family prepare emotionally.  It was hard to know how we would actually feel when the day of separation arrived.   I purchased Deployment dolls for the kids and we took family pictures. We also tons of time with Josh in the weeks leading up to deployment.  Due to COVID-19, he completed four weeks of home quarantine in between his training.  We played tons of games inside and outside, watched movie marathons, ordered food, and walked our dog often.  I got very spoiled by both his helpfulness with house tasks and his constant presence.  I could ask him a question whenever I wanted and I could express my thoughts whenever I wanted.  I knew that I was living in a COVID bubble but I tried to just take it all in. Then the morning arrived that Josh was to leave.  I had a h...

 Mudras are symbolic hands gestures that yoga practitioners use to focus energy, bring peace, and enlightenment.  Practicing mudras can calm and bring joy while focusing on the higher meaning of the gesture. They are usually practiced during breathing practices (pranayama) or meditation. Try Jnana (Gyan) Mudra.  Spread your fingers with the palm up.  Your thumb represents the Self, pure consciousness.  The index finger is your ego, the individual self.  The last three fingers represent your three "bodies"- body. mind, and intellect. When we are on the path of Yoga, the ego must always be under the Self.  This is why the index finger curls under the thumb.  The last three fingers stay separate from the others because the body, mind, and intellect are not the absolute truth.   Try sitting cross legged and place your hands on your knees in Jnana Mudra.  Hold the mudra for five minutes and reflect on the meaning of the mudra.  Reme...

 Merry, merry yoga time!! Enjoy🎄

Chair yoga.  What a beautiful thing, doing yoga on a chair.  We all have chairs, but do we think about using them for our physical health and well being?   I started teaching Chair Yoga in 2015 at the YMCA in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I had always done very physical yoga with Ashtanga as my primary base so I did not get Chair Yoga.  I thought (and I am so sorry for this thought), "this will be so easy, doing yoga for a bunch of old people."  I am SO glad that I was wrong.  I found Chair Yoga to be WONDERFUL! Not only did my body crave the break from a million chaturangas, I found an extreme amount of joy, peace, and comfort in sitting and bending.  I felt every joint and ball and socket because I honed in.  I did not have to worry about balance and I could really listen to my breath and feel small muscle groups that were sometimes masked by the larger ones. And the people in my classes were not just old people (again, so sorry!) I had pregnant...

We all hear that yoga can help with flexibility and muscle tone, calming and stress relief, back pain and muscles aches.  But there are loads of other things that yoga can help with!  Here are a few: Yoga can help Digestion: - Yoga helps with bloating and constipation by stimulating the internal organs and circulation in these areas.  -Try Ardha Pawanmuktasana (half gas relief pose) Yoga can help with Skin conditions : -Yoga helps lower stress and inflamation which could help manage eczema and acne. -Yoga inversions bring blood flow and circulation to the face to help ease pimples, wrinkles, and dullness. -Try Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) Yoga can help Migraines: -Yoga lessens the tension in the area of pain or where the pain stems from.  Common areas are neck, shoulders, and head. -Yoga loosens the stiff muscles which hold stress. - Try Adho Muhka Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) Yoga can help the Immune System: -Yoga can help fight oxidative stress which po...

 Yoga can fill me with so many emotions- joy, calm, energy, peace.  Since yoga is such a part of my life, it comes full circle that I would seek out yoga to elicit gratitude.  Let's practice five asanas together this week to feel gratitude. Humble Warrior- Clasp your hands together behind your back in Warrior II.  Inhale, look up, exhale fold forward toward the bent leg with the crown of head reaching toward the floor.  This will stretch the inner thighs, hips, and shoulders.   Dedicate this pose to someone you love and feel grateful for them. Anjanyasana- Sink hips down, draw in the lower belly, and reach the chest open as you gaze to the sky.  Try to close your eyes and focus on the breath to sink deeper into the pose. Dedicate this pose to a place you love and feel gratitude for the time you have spent in that place. Wild Thing- From Downward facing dog, lift R leg into the air.  Bend the R knee and let the foot guide your body to flip....