Toni Kuhn

The past couple of weeks I have had to face several fears. Three times I have had very unusual and scary road conditions on my commute. One day it was raining so hard I was submerged on the freeway all the while the emergency broadcast warning came on stating there was a flash flood warning right where I was driving. Another time there was a fire right next to the freeway where I could see the flames and the wonderful firefighters climbing straight towards the flames to battle it down. Then another time there was a terrible accident on the freeway and we were completely stopped for over an hour. These incidents made me feel so much gratitude for all of the firefighters, paramedics and policeman that help us during these catastrophes. I also absolutely love my Mini Cooper as she handled these situations with so much ease and I felt very safe driving her. ( yes, my car is female- she is strong, beautiful and can handle anything!)

Another fear I have faced is that my 12 year old cat is struggling to level out his diabetes. He will be staying at the vet’s office for several days so his amazing vet can try to figure this out. It has been a tough few weeks with the messes he left around the house. He was telling me he was sick and know that, but it still has been very hard. What is scary is my vet is having trouble figuring out what’s wrong, but she is determined to figure it out. She did her thesis on feline diabetes so I have confidence and faith she will get to the bottom of this.

Finally, another fear I faced was getting in front of the camera. I have made two yoga DVD’s that I recorded with the help of my friend Celia and my son. I recorded them up here at Ms. Fit Gym and used my own equipment. I cried after watching these videos. I suffer from poor body image and I never thought I was good enough to be in front of the camera. I am still very uncomfortable, but I am beginning to understand that it is not how I look, but what I can offer to my students in my videos. I don’t need to be a size 2 and a pretty face, I just need to be me and teach a great and safe yoga session.

So after this past week of facing some of my fears head on, I am looking forward to a relaxing day at my next yoga retreat on Saturday August 22. I still have a few spots left if you are interested in joining me for a relaxing day in the mountains filled with healing and serenity. Just click on the link below for the information.

Namaste.

Toni’s Serenity Retreat

Yesterday I gave my third yoga retreat out of my home. It was a magical day filled with many emotional break throughs, love, happiness, and feeling free of our daily constraints. There was a lot of feelings being expressed in tears, laughter, hugs and dancing. The theme of the the day was finding freedom and experiencing peace. I think these quotes sum up our day.

“The white fathers told us, “I think therefore I am”, and the Black mother within each of us- the poet- whispers in our dreams, I feel therefore I can be free”– Audre Lorde

“Celebrating my ability to feel is a way to be fully free”.– Anne Wilson Schaef

Lord Ganesha is the master of wisdom and knowledge. He is the remover of obstacles, and guardian of beauty, prosperity, grace and compassion. Lord Ganesha is the first deity to be reverenced in Hindu rites. He is a guardian of doors of houses and temples. He is the God that removes the internal and external obstacles of our success, and he is the one that grants the opening of your spiritual gifts. He is also the protector of all beings.

“Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha” is one of the mantas of Lord Ganesha. I find a lot of peace and comfort with Ganesha. Also, this mantra has become one of my favorites. I always feel cleansed, clear headed, confident, and ready to face anything after saying this mantra. As Mc Yogi put it, “Ganesha is a yogi’s best friend!”

A very loose translation of this mantra:
Om = Salutations! Everyone wake up!
Gam = The secret power sound of Ganesh. It is his “seed syllable” or bija mantra.
Ganapataye = Another name of Ganesh, the breaker of obstacles.
Namaha = Yo! Ganesh! You da God!

The pronunciation is also pretty easy:
Om = ohm or aum
Gam = Somewhere between “gahm” and “gum”. In some dialects it is “guhng”.
Ganapataye = gah-nah-paht-ah-yeh
Namaha – nah-mah-hah

In my yoga classes this week we have been discussing jumping over obstacles. Sometimes this can be very hard to do, especially if your obstacle is fear. Perhaps you can try tackling smaller obstacles and then moving on to bigger ones. If you take a leap of faith, you never know what you might find just past your obstacle. I used to be very afraid of doing headstands. I did not have the confidence to hold my body weight and I was terrified of being upside down. One day a yogi friend of mine sat with me and gently guided me through the steps of the pose. She kept reassuring me and encouraging me to go at my own pace.  It took several months, but when I let go of my fear of the pose, I was able to go up into it. And now I enjoy it and can balance without using the wall.

I used to be afraid to drive a a windy roads. Now that I live in the mountains, I have no choice! I am no longer fearful of these curvy roads, but I actually enjoy them. So I guess sometimes just plunging through your obstacle can help you over come it too!

Whatever path you choose to take, whether facing the obstacle head on, chanting a mantra, praying, or getting guidance from a friend, I hope that you can find ways to over come your obstacles and perhaps find joy just past them!

 If you are looking to get away from it all and take a mini vacation. I have two spots left in my July 25 Independence Yoga Retreat and I have just opened up registration for my August 22 Serenity Yoga Retreat. Clink on the links below to see the fliers.

Namaste.

Toni’s Independence Retreat

Toni’s Serenity Retreat

Here is my latest yoga playlist. Enjoy!

Also please note that my May 16 yoga retreat is sold out. I am taking reservations for my June yoga retreat. You can download the flier below for more information.

Toni’s Wine Retreat

Yoga April 2015 playlist: “Songs from Movies and More”