Toni Kuhn

Chair Yoga

Some yoga poses may be more difficult to do if we struggle with flexibility, balance, arthritis, or are recovering from an injury. Using props such as chairs, blocks, blankets, bolsters, straps, and the wall, will help you get into poses easily and safely. All poses can be modified in some way or another to make them more successful. If you can learn to adapt yoga to your body, you will maintain a safe and healthy practice. Not sure how to use props and modifications? Come take one of my yoga classes or sign up for a private lesson. I can help you create a “tool box”of tricks, tips, and modifications to help you get the most out your yoga practice.

Happy Buddha

Your core is the central location for emotions such as stress,  anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety. The next time you experience these feelings, pay attention to how your stomach feels. Explore your reactions and ask yourself this question – “Do I need this in my life”?  Clearing out things that we do not want in our lives opens us up to more joy and peace. Imagine how you would feel if you simply let go of that emotional baggage.

Additionally, your core holds emotions such as  peace, joy, pleasure, and our intuitions.

Buddha has a nice round belly and a smile. You can see that he is content and happy. So get rid of your need for a six-pack core, and embrace your core, take care of it and open up space for abundance.

“There is no end to craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.” –  Swami Sivananda

London

January 15, 2013
Allowing Spirit In
Clearing Your Mind

by Madisyn Taylor

The more we practice settling our minds, the easier it will become over time.

After a full day out in the world, stories, words, images, and songs from any number of sources continue to play in our heads hours after we encounter them. Even as we lie in bed, in the quiet dark, our minds continue noisily processing all the input from our day. This can leave us feeling unsettled and harassed. It also makes it difficult to take in any new information or inspiration. Like a cluttered house that needs to be cleared if it is to have room for movement and new life, our minds need clearing if they are to be open to new information, ideas, and inspiration.

Too often, the activities we choose to help us relax only add to the clutter. Watching television, seeing a movie, reading a book, or talking to a friend all involve taking in more information. In order to really clear our minds, we need a break from mental stimulation. Activities like yoga, dancing, or taking a long walk help to draw our attention to our bodies, slowing our mental activity enough that our minds begin to settle. Deep breathing is an even simpler way to draw attention away from our mental activities. Once we are mentally relaxed, we can begin the process of clearing our minds. Most of us instinctively know what allows our minds to relax and release any unnecessary clutter. It may be meditation or time spent staring at the stars. Whatever it is, these exercises feel like a cool, cleansing bath for the brain and leave our minds feeling clear and open.

Setting aside time to clear our minds once a day creates a ritual that becomes second nature over time. Our minds will begin to settle with less effort the more we practice. Ultimately, the practice of clearing our minds allows us to be increasingly more open so that we can perceive the world as the fresh offering it is, free of yesterday’s mental clutter.

For more information visit dailyom.com

I am teaching this Workshop at Yoga Works in Valencia on Saturday February 2, 2013. To sign up you can visit yogaworks.com or call (313) 664-6470 X 125.

This workshop will help you utilize yoga if you are recovering from an injury, or have arthritis. My goal is to help you understand how to modify your yoga practice with the use of props so that you can continue your practice safely. Many times when we have joint pain we tend to shy away from exercise. I will help you to understand the difference between pain and discomfort and how to work within your limitations. This workshop is  just the beginning.  The tools I give you will help you to continue to find ways to mold your yoga to your body,  and hopefully, it will give you the confidence to take a class without the fear of pain. We are all very different, and it takes time and patience to find what works for us. Through my own arthritic experience , I have learned how to adapt yoga to my body so that I can continue to enjoy this very healing practice.

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.” ―Neil Gaiman

Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Facing Bow Pose)

This week we will focus on backbends in class. Urdhva Dhanurasana is one of the more challenging poses and should only be practiced after a very thorough warm up. When done properly, this pose builds strength, opens the chest, stretches the abdomen, the shoulders, and the hip flexors. It also creates mobility and flexibility in the spine. This pose is a very deep backbend and you can use props to make the pose more accessible. There are many variations of this pose and modifications. All of which will still give you the benefits I listed. So look as this pose as a framework for what your body allows you to do and practice it with ahimsa ( no harm).

Here are some tips:

• Start on your back, knees bent, and place your hands by your ears.
• Keep your legs hip distance and draw your buttocks towards the back of your knees.
• Press the shoulder blades into the chest and shift your weight to your heels.
• Lift your torso off the floor and lightly rest the crown of your head on the floor.
• Move the frontal hips bones to the front ribs.
• Spread your collarbones wide.
• Continue to press into your heels and press your palms down as your straighten your arms to lift all the way up.
• Continues to draw your buttocks towards your knees and spin your inner thighs down.
• Hold a few breaths.
• Slowly lower to the floor and rest.
• Hug your knees into your chest and rock side to side.
• Take a simple twist lying down.
• Rest a few breaths and feel your energy levels increase.

By Mac Anderson- Beliefnet, Inspired faith

“YOU HAVE TO BE, before you do, to have lasting inner peace.” In other words, making a living is not the same as making a life. Find what makes your heart sing and create your own music.

Many people work all their lives and dislike what they do for a living. In fact, I was astounded to see a recent USA Today survey that said 53 percent of people in the American workplace are unhappy with their jobs.

Loving what you do is one of the most important keys to maintaining a positive attitude.

You can’t fake passion. It is the fuel that drives any dream and makes you happy to be alive. However, to love what you do, the first step is to self-analyze, to simply know what you love.

We all have unique talents and interests, and one of life’s greatest challenges is to match these talents with career opportunities that bring out the best in us. It’s not easy – and sometimes we can only find it through trial and error – but it’s worth the effort.

Ray Kroc, for example, found his passion when he founded McDonald’s at the age of 52. He never “worked” another day of his life.

John James Audubon was unsuccessful for most of his life. He was a terrible businessman. No matter how many times he changed locations, changed partners, or changed businesses, he still failed miserably.

Not until he understood that he must change himself did he have any shot at success.

And what changes did Audubon make? He followed his passion. He always loved the outdoors and was an excellent hunter. In addition, he was a good artist and as a hobby would draw local birds.

Once he stopped trying to be a businessman and started doing what he loved to do, his life turned around. He traveled the country observing and drawing birds, and his art ultimately was collected in a book titled Audubon’s Birds of America. The book earned him a place in history as the greatest wildlife artist ever. But more importantly, the work made him happy and provided the peace of mind he’d been seeking all his life.
How do you find your purpose in life? There are no easy answers, but here are two practical tips that can help:

1. Discover Your Gifts – We’re all unique and each of us has our own special gifts. Make a list of what you consider your strengths and your weaknesses. Next, don’t just assume your assumptions are correct. Get feedback from what Ken Blanchard calls “trusted truth-tellers” – friends and family members who won’t just tell you what you want to hear but who will share their true opinions. With their help you can get a realistic perspective of your gifts.

2. Discover What Moves You – Find your passion and strive to live your life around it. Make your list. Do your homework. There is this caution, however…have patience. Your purpose in life probably won’t surface overnight, but like love, it will find you when you least expect it.

Finding your reason for being brings a positive attitude that can be unstoppable.