In yoga practice, we begin to focus on learning poses, then realizing that there is more we have not explored about ourselves: body, our mind, our spirit, than we realized. Each day my practice is to direct my mind to what I can do, what I want to create, rather than my fears. This is not easy today. Today I wake up and know that there are many obligations I have. There are bills to pay, a business to grow, and my studio has been too quiet the past few months. I have woken up like this almost everyday for the past 4 years. Every day I shift my attention to what I can create to make a difference in the lives of those I meet.
If you are reading this, you are someone who cares about these things too. So lets focus on this together. What kind of life do you want? What kind of world do you want to live in? I find that when I talk with people about this, whoever is present gets excited about new possibilities. So today, start a conversation with someone. Tell them your dreams. Your dreams will remain dormant unless you share them.
My dream is to see a thriving yoga business in my studio, to see many people coming in and out, sharing their joy in their yoga practice. These people go home and their joy spreads to their families. These families go out into their own lives and activities and the joy is then exponentially spread! Get excited about your dreams and talk about them. What a world we do live in! A world in which our perceptions are what creates our realities. If you want to get inspired, just look around you! There is a world of inspiration waiting for you to just look! Here is a video that inspired me yesterday: Biker
Have a beautiful day!
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Get ready for the 40 day yoga challenge!
November 1st through December 10th, 2011. What would you want to get out of practicing yoga in a 40-day challenge? Peace of mind? Clear mind? Lose weight? Sleep better? Improve your digestion? Support? Send me a message and tell me what you would want or ask a question. email: karen4yogaprairie@gmail.com
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Day 19 of 40
Something has shifted today. I woke up to the sound of clapping. 3 claps. No one was in the room. Then Angus hollered from the kitchen "what did you say honey?". He too heard something - a voice. I knew then that today was going to be a very special day! I began with meditation and have been continuing my day with working on my new website, a break to clean the kitchen, then back to it. I wanted to share this joy and excitement with you as soon as possible! Today is a very special day - just watch for it - every moment something very special is going to show up for you today.
Namaste
Namaste
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day 10 of 40 day challenge
So The toughest part of a 40-day challenge. The challenge, for me, is staying present to being in a challenge! I forget! Then I remember there is a group of people in this with me. The past few days my challenge has been to stay in this game I have created to play - my life.
There are days, yes even for a yoga teacher/studio owner, where I feel like just hiding at home in bed. I get overwhelmed by all of the many tasks that I am supposed to do. My mind gives me multiple lists, I imagine that I must be missing something and that the house of cards called my life will come tumbling down if I miss that one thing!
Then it passes. In the next moment, the next breath, I pay attention to NOW. Right now, nothing is wrong! There is no major disaster happening, the world is peaceful outside of my screened door, I can hear the birds singing! Beyond those birds, I hear the traffic on the highway. People driving to work or to vacation (it is Friday) and once again my mind tries to break free to think about all of the energy wasted, the noise, the pollution. Once again, I rein in the mind and re-direct the thoughts...People will never stop moving! It's so funny - we will keep traveling and keep seeking a way to do that and we all do care deeply about our planet.
Some of us just are not aware of that at the moment.
So do you see the mind-game? The mind will not stop thinking. The discipline of yoga is to keep reining it in, to keep bringing the attention back to the present moment. To gain control over the monkey mind. Which, by the way, is an impossible task. So I practice ignoring my thoughts, re-directing my thoughts, and laughing at my thoughts. It can be amusing you know - OH! There's THAT ONE AGAIN! Ha ha ha ha haaaaahhh!
Keep it up - the practice of yoga. Asana, pranayama, the yamas and niyamas, meditation, keep practicing.
There are days, yes even for a yoga teacher/studio owner, where I feel like just hiding at home in bed. I get overwhelmed by all of the many tasks that I am supposed to do. My mind gives me multiple lists, I imagine that I must be missing something and that the house of cards called my life will come tumbling down if I miss that one thing!
Then it passes. In the next moment, the next breath, I pay attention to NOW. Right now, nothing is wrong! There is no major disaster happening, the world is peaceful outside of my screened door, I can hear the birds singing! Beyond those birds, I hear the traffic on the highway. People driving to work or to vacation (it is Friday) and once again my mind tries to break free to think about all of the energy wasted, the noise, the pollution. Once again, I rein in the mind and re-direct the thoughts...People will never stop moving! It's so funny - we will keep traveling and keep seeking a way to do that and we all do care deeply about our planet.
Some of us just are not aware of that at the moment.
So do you see the mind-game? The mind will not stop thinking. The discipline of yoga is to keep reining it in, to keep bringing the attention back to the present moment. To gain control over the monkey mind. Which, by the way, is an impossible task. So I practice ignoring my thoughts, re-directing my thoughts, and laughing at my thoughts. It can be amusing you know - OH! There's THAT ONE AGAIN! Ha ha ha ha haaaaahhh!
Keep it up - the practice of yoga. Asana, pranayama, the yamas and niyamas, meditation, keep practicing.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Being a yoga teacher and the home practice
Being a yoga teacher gives me the added level of commitment to my practice that takes me deeper than I could have done without that. I am responsible and accountable for a yoga studio (I own the business) being open to our community. This is not a burden for me. It is a great honor that has been bestowed upon me.
It also gives me a very powerful structure in which to practice. What is a structure? It is something that protects and supports you.
In my teaching I talk about your structures of support, starting on your yoga mat that's what ever body part is touching the mat.
In my life, I see the structures of support are my home and relationships to those closest to me. This is where you can do your deepest work. I have been teaching and practicing yoga for many years, and to remain true to the teaching, my teacher within, I must continue to delve more deeply in my life practice. It is sometimes painful, yet it is the most powerfully rewarding experience imaginable.
Imagine not repeating patterns in your life - over & over - that you know are not good for you. Imagine your relationships improving, your home life, your career. Imagine that you live in a beautiful place all year around. Imagine being very healthy. Then let it go and imagine the opposite. The truth is, whatever you are attached to, will cause you suffering. Pain, pleasure, it is all very fleeting. When you have an established and deep practice - you know that, you allow it all to flow through you. You let go of the suffering and you let go of the pleasure. It is all the same. What is left, is so amazing. That is why you see me smiling and tear-eyed all of the time. What is left is Love, gratitude, joy, beauty and peace.
Namaste
It also gives me a very powerful structure in which to practice. What is a structure? It is something that protects and supports you.
In my teaching I talk about your structures of support, starting on your yoga mat that's what ever body part is touching the mat.
In my life, I see the structures of support are my home and relationships to those closest to me. This is where you can do your deepest work. I have been teaching and practicing yoga for many years, and to remain true to the teaching, my teacher within, I must continue to delve more deeply in my life practice. It is sometimes painful, yet it is the most powerfully rewarding experience imaginable.
Imagine not repeating patterns in your life - over & over - that you know are not good for you. Imagine your relationships improving, your home life, your career. Imagine that you live in a beautiful place all year around. Imagine being very healthy. Then let it go and imagine the opposite. The truth is, whatever you are attached to, will cause you suffering. Pain, pleasure, it is all very fleeting. When you have an established and deep practice - you know that, you allow it all to flow through you. You let go of the suffering and you let go of the pleasure. It is all the same. What is left, is so amazing. That is why you see me smiling and tear-eyed all of the time. What is left is Love, gratitude, joy, beauty and peace.
Namaste
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Moodling about the One Year Anniversary of my bike accident!
My new favorite word (about what it takes to write creatively): moodling. I got it from a book about writing - that I bought at a garage sale recently - If You Want to Write - A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit, by Brenda Ueland - Brenda was a published author and teacher of writing who first published this book in 1938. She received an international swimming record for over-80-year-olds and was knighted by the King of Norway. She died at the age of 93 in 1985. She's a new one on my hero/heroine list.
In the words of Fievel: (from Fievel goes West) "Be your own hero". So I am moodling...get the idea? If you are still with me, then that's good. There will be a point to this.
One year later - what have I learned? I have learned to listen more than talk. (and it is not easy for me) I have learned that it's okay to cry every single time you feel like crying. I have learned it is okay to not cry every single time you feel like crying. It is very interesting having your filter off for a few months - I cried, laughed and talked too much. (and I still cry, laugh, and talk more than I used to)
What I got from being injured that badly, is a renewed belief in the human body's healing capacity. One year ago today, my face was bruised, scraped, and I could not type. I couldn't remember anything a second after I said or heard it (short term memory loss). I could not walk without holding onto the wall, bed or railing (vertigo for 6 weeks). I had severe bruises on my pelvis and knee and milder ones on shoulder and hands. And lots of headaches.
I could not do any yoga asanas without falling over.
I could still teach - and my students still came to my classes and
I learned that they love me and so do the teachers I work with in my studio. (thank you - all of you--I love you too)
I learned that there are crystals in your ear that get out of place and when they do, the whole world spins.
I learned that spinning causes intense nausea and that anti-motion sickness medicine is very useful and it slows down the spinning.
I learned that even though I hit my head really hard, that my brain would recover fully and
I got to see a picture of my brain on an MRI - with a brain tour given by the Dr. Noran himself of
Noran Clinic- who, by the way, said I have a beautiful brain and that it is not damaged and I will heal completely. He is the kind of doctor I like - tell it like it is and can be.
I learned that even the head of a corporate medical clinic is human and can even remind one of St. Nicolas.
I am very fond of him, and I told him that!
I learned that a simple maneuver - Epley maneuver - that can be done at home even with your husband helping - can get the spinning to stop immediately. However, it takes a couple of days sitting up all the time to get them to stay there. (you can find out how to do it on the internet!)
I learned that I don't need as much sleep as I think I do and that when you have a head injury the brain needs alot of sleep. I also learned that eating brain food DOES help you brain to heal plus USING IT!
I learned lots of exercises.
What I got out of the whole experience was something that is difficult to put into words. Anyone who has had a brush with death and lived through it will know what I mean. My body is not immortal, but I am. There is a peace about knowing that - no matter what pain you suffer, or circumstance, you, the essence of you, is still the same, unchanged. Yes, here are the words to describe this experience. I became connected to the essence of I am. Sometimes you have to get knocked out of your head to get that. Do yourself a favor though. Meditate - practice meditation. It is really less painful.
To conclude this chapter of my life, this big event, this past year.. It is in the past. There.
Want me to say more (yes? read on then) no? Stop reading!
I want to say more. I want to say that I lived through a trauma. Someone hit my bike, then left. That someone, a school bus driver, probably did not even know he(she) knicked my bicycle. That person was in a hurry. How many times are we in a hurry and don't even know what we are creating or destroying because of that?
All of that experience was a trauma. I also had symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. It was not the first time I had this (PTSD) and recovered. Some people think you cannot recover from that. You may have heard this: If you think you can, you can, if you think you cannot: you cannot. Once again, when I spoke to Dr Noran, a neurologist, about how I was having reactions to seeing school buses and hearing sirens, he said "that's post traumatic stress disorder, it will fade away, you will heal and be fine". Thank you Dr. Noran : ).
Now - I still get growley at school buses, then..I laugh at myself. I still hear sirens and cringe a little, who doesn't? I had to let that go. I live very close to the fire and police stations and bus garage!
I let that go ...and now? I am learning internal martial arts, I am planning to teach yoga teacher training in Costa Rica, I am married to a beautiful, loving and spiritual man. I have a future to live in to that is filled with love, beauty and joy. Namaste
In the words of Fievel: (from Fievel goes West) "Be your own hero". So I am moodling...get the idea? If you are still with me, then that's good. There will be a point to this.
One year later - what have I learned? I have learned to listen more than talk. (and it is not easy for me) I have learned that it's okay to cry every single time you feel like crying. I have learned it is okay to not cry every single time you feel like crying. It is very interesting having your filter off for a few months - I cried, laughed and talked too much. (and I still cry, laugh, and talk more than I used to)
What I got from being injured that badly, is a renewed belief in the human body's healing capacity. One year ago today, my face was bruised, scraped, and I could not type. I couldn't remember anything a second after I said or heard it (short term memory loss). I could not walk without holding onto the wall, bed or railing (vertigo for 6 weeks). I had severe bruises on my pelvis and knee and milder ones on shoulder and hands. And lots of headaches.
I could not do any yoga asanas without falling over.
I could still teach - and my students still came to my classes and
I learned that they love me and so do the teachers I work with in my studio. (thank you - all of you--I love you too)
I learned that there are crystals in your ear that get out of place and when they do, the whole world spins.
I learned that spinning causes intense nausea and that anti-motion sickness medicine is very useful and it slows down the spinning.
I learned that even though I hit my head really hard, that my brain would recover fully and
I got to see a picture of my brain on an MRI - with a brain tour given by the Dr. Noran himself of
Noran Clinic- who, by the way, said I have a beautiful brain and that it is not damaged and I will heal completely. He is the kind of doctor I like - tell it like it is and can be.
I learned that even the head of a corporate medical clinic is human and can even remind one of St. Nicolas.
I am very fond of him, and I told him that!
I learned that a simple maneuver - Epley maneuver - that can be done at home even with your husband helping - can get the spinning to stop immediately. However, it takes a couple of days sitting up all the time to get them to stay there. (you can find out how to do it on the internet!)
I learned that I don't need as much sleep as I think I do and that when you have a head injury the brain needs alot of sleep. I also learned that eating brain food DOES help you brain to heal plus USING IT!
I learned lots of exercises.
What I got out of the whole experience was something that is difficult to put into words. Anyone who has had a brush with death and lived through it will know what I mean. My body is not immortal, but I am. There is a peace about knowing that - no matter what pain you suffer, or circumstance, you, the essence of you, is still the same, unchanged. Yes, here are the words to describe this experience. I became connected to the essence of I am. Sometimes you have to get knocked out of your head to get that. Do yourself a favor though. Meditate - practice meditation. It is really less painful.
To conclude this chapter of my life, this big event, this past year.. It is in the past. There.
Want me to say more (yes? read on then) no? Stop reading!
I want to say more. I want to say that I lived through a trauma. Someone hit my bike, then left. That someone, a school bus driver, probably did not even know he(she) knicked my bicycle. That person was in a hurry. How many times are we in a hurry and don't even know what we are creating or destroying because of that?
All of that experience was a trauma. I also had symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. It was not the first time I had this (PTSD) and recovered. Some people think you cannot recover from that. You may have heard this: If you think you can, you can, if you think you cannot: you cannot. Once again, when I spoke to Dr Noran, a neurologist, about how I was having reactions to seeing school buses and hearing sirens, he said "that's post traumatic stress disorder, it will fade away, you will heal and be fine". Thank you Dr. Noran : ).
Now - I still get growley at school buses, then..I laugh at myself. I still hear sirens and cringe a little, who doesn't? I had to let that go. I live very close to the fire and police stations and bus garage!
I let that go ...and now? I am learning internal martial arts, I am planning to teach yoga teacher training in Costa Rica, I am married to a beautiful, loving and spiritual man. I have a future to live in to that is filled with love, beauty and joy. Namaste
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Structures of Support
In yoga classes I have been talking to students about building structures of support. In an asana (pose), we begin with where our body is touching the mat, the ground. In seated pose, or in standing poses. Where our body is touching the mat is where it begins.
We are building from the ground up. Wthout the feet being solidly planted, we cannot stand firmly. When we stand firmly, the rest of the body feels supported. We bring our awareness up and out from that grounding, that support.
This is only one thing yoga teaches us, and it is one of the most powerful practices we can do now. In March 2011 we – all human beings on the earth – were knocked off of our feet. Our planet, the earth, shook us at our foundation. It moved so intensely (even before Japan’s earthquake it had started), that the earthquake and tsunami was felt by us all around the planet.
We were shocked. Those closest have died, aftershocks are continuing, we are feeling it in Minnesota. I see it in my classes and on that mat – this impact. No one was left untouched.
People are experiencing helplessness, confusion, disorientation, shock. . . This is all the first stage of grieving. We want to deny change and fight it. Resisting change is painful, so we try to numb.
As we allow ourselves to experience our pain at the fullest, that experience is like a tidal wave, an emotional, psychic, tsunami.
Those of us who have had a practice of grounding, be it in martial arts, yoga, meditation practice. Or prayer and the practice & discipline of going to church. We have something – someone – many someones our community to turn to. . . Wherever we have been practicing planting our feet or our seat.
When something knocks us off our feet, it is time to wake up, look around – look what happened, start rebuilding – from the ground up. It begins for me at home. I stay home and reflect. Look at my house – it needs cleaning, I clear it. I realize where I have not been connecting in my community. From my home base where I gather my strength and rest, I reach out and say “I love you”.
From my foundation, my structure of support, I go to my job – the yoga studio – and teach others how to build their body foundation. Plant your feet so that you feel powerful. Don’t lean, have your feet be strong and flexible first.
From that foundation, and practice, you can reach out and help those who need it – right next door. Your neighbor, the person you meet. You are not helpless. You can be aware, take care of you, get strong, rooted and grow up from there. Go help, and recognize when your body and mouth needs a rest. There are many human beings. We are all connected. Trust that there is a plan to handle it all without you doing it all.
Whether you are alone, or with others, the most powerful practice you can do is listen. Listen to what you need to be well. Listen to your heart. Listen to your soul’s yearning. In meditation listen. When you are with others: listen. My spiritual guide, Ishwar Puri, gave me a simple way to remember this:
“The Mind always talks and never listens. The Soul always listens and never talks.”
Listen for the whispers of your soul, if you are ignoring that, you cannot listen to others. You will be in the practice of “not listening”
With that I leave you with Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Listening to Give Relief”
"Deep listening, compassionate listening is not listening with the purpose of analyzing or even uncovering what has happened in the past. You listen first of all in order to give the other person relief, a chance to speak out, to feel that someone finally understands him or her. Deep listening is the kind of listening that helps us to keep compassion alive while the other speaks, which may be for half an hour or forty-five minutes. During this time you have in mind only one idea, one desire: to listen in order to give the other person the chance to speak out and suffer less. This is your only purpose. Other things like analyzing, understanding the past, can be a by-product of this work. But first of all listen with compassion." Thich Nhat Hanh
We are building from the ground up. Wthout the feet being solidly planted, we cannot stand firmly. When we stand firmly, the rest of the body feels supported. We bring our awareness up and out from that grounding, that support.
This is only one thing yoga teaches us, and it is one of the most powerful practices we can do now. In March 2011 we – all human beings on the earth – were knocked off of our feet. Our planet, the earth, shook us at our foundation. It moved so intensely (even before Japan’s earthquake it had started), that the earthquake and tsunami was felt by us all around the planet.
We were shocked. Those closest have died, aftershocks are continuing, we are feeling it in Minnesota. I see it in my classes and on that mat – this impact. No one was left untouched.
People are experiencing helplessness, confusion, disorientation, shock. . . This is all the first stage of grieving. We want to deny change and fight it. Resisting change is painful, so we try to numb.
As we allow ourselves to experience our pain at the fullest, that experience is like a tidal wave, an emotional, psychic, tsunami.
Those of us who have had a practice of grounding, be it in martial arts, yoga, meditation practice. Or prayer and the practice & discipline of going to church. We have something – someone – many someones our community to turn to. . . Wherever we have been practicing planting our feet or our seat.
When something knocks us off our feet, it is time to wake up, look around – look what happened, start rebuilding – from the ground up. It begins for me at home. I stay home and reflect. Look at my house – it needs cleaning, I clear it. I realize where I have not been connecting in my community. From my home base where I gather my strength and rest, I reach out and say “I love you”.
From my foundation, my structure of support, I go to my job – the yoga studio – and teach others how to build their body foundation. Plant your feet so that you feel powerful. Don’t lean, have your feet be strong and flexible first.
From that foundation, and practice, you can reach out and help those who need it – right next door. Your neighbor, the person you meet. You are not helpless. You can be aware, take care of you, get strong, rooted and grow up from there. Go help, and recognize when your body and mouth needs a rest. There are many human beings. We are all connected. Trust that there is a plan to handle it all without you doing it all.
Whether you are alone, or with others, the most powerful practice you can do is listen. Listen to what you need to be well. Listen to your heart. Listen to your soul’s yearning. In meditation listen. When you are with others: listen. My spiritual guide, Ishwar Puri, gave me a simple way to remember this:
“The Mind always talks and never listens. The Soul always listens and never talks.”
Listen for the whispers of your soul, if you are ignoring that, you cannot listen to others. You will be in the practice of “not listening”
With that I leave you with Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Listening to Give Relief”
"Deep listening, compassionate listening is not listening with the purpose of analyzing or even uncovering what has happened in the past. You listen first of all in order to give the other person relief, a chance to speak out, to feel that someone finally understands him or her. Deep listening is the kind of listening that helps us to keep compassion alive while the other speaks, which may be for half an hour or forty-five minutes. During this time you have in mind only one idea, one desire: to listen in order to give the other person the chance to speak out and suffer less. This is your only purpose. Other things like analyzing, understanding the past, can be a by-product of this work. But first of all listen with compassion." Thich Nhat Hanh
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
108 Sun Salutations Spring Equinox
Sunday we did our quarterly 108 Sun Salutations event for the Spring Equinox. Now it seems like spring, but the forecast is more wintery stuff coming. (When is that Basketball Tournament?) In Minnesota, spring is like the biggest party ever and it is known that the state basketball tournament is the unofficial mark of the end of winter storms.
Back to the 108...4 of us attended and we donated proceeds to Salvation Army's efforts in feeding people in Japan who have been devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
As I was going through the 108, it is like a moving meditation, I focused on my body. Usually it takes about 30 Sun Salutations for me to feel really warmed up, but this time it took more. The counting is a challenge too, to keep track of which one I am on, so I probably do a couple more in case. However, it is not about how many I do. I realized during the last 30 or so, that the reason I can do them has nothing to do with my strength or endurance...I've done them with a head and neck injury, during times when my energy is really low, . . .like yesterday. I have been recovering from the Minnesota ick that many yoga teachers have mysteriously come down with (and other people I know who almost never get sick). I have had the lingering cough now going on the 3rd week...
No, it is not endurance or strength that gets me through this. It is that I never give up. That's it. I don't stop. I rest a little after each 27 (1/4), but then I continue until I've done 108. It is not rocket science really. It also helps to have an intention. When I thought about how long it was taking, my mind went to the survivors of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and now dealing with rebuilding and possible radiation poisoning. It is not an option for them to give up. To stop. So I won't either.
My heart goes out to everyone there. And as many of my students have heard from me. . . the best thing we can do for them is to be a light in our own part of the world.
Back to the 108...4 of us attended and we donated proceeds to Salvation Army's efforts in feeding people in Japan who have been devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
As I was going through the 108, it is like a moving meditation, I focused on my body. Usually it takes about 30 Sun Salutations for me to feel really warmed up, but this time it took more. The counting is a challenge too, to keep track of which one I am on, so I probably do a couple more in case. However, it is not about how many I do. I realized during the last 30 or so, that the reason I can do them has nothing to do with my strength or endurance...I've done them with a head and neck injury, during times when my energy is really low, . . .like yesterday. I have been recovering from the Minnesota ick that many yoga teachers have mysteriously come down with (and other people I know who almost never get sick). I have had the lingering cough now going on the 3rd week...
No, it is not endurance or strength that gets me through this. It is that I never give up. That's it. I don't stop. I rest a little after each 27 (1/4), but then I continue until I've done 108. It is not rocket science really. It also helps to have an intention. When I thought about how long it was taking, my mind went to the survivors of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and now dealing with rebuilding and possible radiation poisoning. It is not an option for them to give up. To stop. So I won't either.
My heart goes out to everyone there. And as many of my students have heard from me. . . the best thing we can do for them is to be a light in our own part of the world.
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