Toni Kuhn

This week in my classes we have been discussing ways to live a life in kindness. We must start this philosophy in our own mind and heart. Simply by observing our thoughts and stop the self-sabotaging recordings in our mind. Another step toward self kindness is “greedlessness” or contentment. This means we must learn to be content with what have and who we are without needing more. Accepting ourselves with all of our imperfections and limitations.  I struggle with this because of the  limitations  I have in my yoga practice due to my arthritis. I also struggle with poor body image and suffer with self- sabotaging thoughts about the size of my body.  I just try to accept to myself everyday and attempt to filter my negative thoughts. It is not easy, and I struggle every day, but awareness the first step. We are continually growing and evolving everyday. I am not the same person I was yesterday and I will not be the same person tomorrow.  I take it one day at a time and work at being kind to myself. It is very easy for me to be kind to others, and it brings me such much joy!  I am now working on finding joy in being kind to myself.

After our “kindness” yoga class at Yoga Works yesterday, we came out to the lobby and some students were getting a cup of tea. We saw this quote on the tea pot  from the box of tea that the greeter made. “Compassion has no limit. Kindness has no enemy.” We just stood there in awe! She had no idea about our kindness yoga practice. Perhaps if more people in the world tuned into kindness there would be more peace. The first step is to be kind to ourselves and the rest will unfold naturally.

If you are looking for a way to relax and take a day for yourself. Check out my yoga retreats! I have 3 more this year. The retreats are $60.00 for the whole day which includes 2 yoga classes, lunch, and a hike. Here is the schedule for the next 3 months. Schedule Aug- October.

You can contact me through this website by clicking on the tab “Private Lessons” , or email me at toni4yoga@gmail.com, or  send me a message on Face Book.

Namaste.

This week in my yoga classes we have been discussing ways to gain personal freedom from our negative thoughts. For many of us, we find our mental tape recorders playing the same messages over and over again. This makes us feel unsettled in our hearts and our consciousness is not aimed towards peace. Rather it is in a state of turmoil. Does this sound familiar? Sometimes when I try to erase my messages they only get louder and louder! So I have learned that instead of continually hitting the delete button, I accept these thoughts and let them go.

Here is a great article from Daily Om.org that really explains how freedom is a conscious effort.

Even those who have little freedom physically, perhaps because of incarceration or health limitations, have a kind of freedom that can never be taken away. In fact, that kind of freedom is often discovered in instances of extreme physical limitation. When we are prohibited from living our life as we would like to, we discover what is forever and always free: consciousness.

Our consciousness has never been bound by a body or by anything. Our consciousness–or Consciousness, which is what we really are–is only temporarily identified with our particular body-mind. That body-mind and the life it is leading isn’t particularly important to Consciousness. After all, Consciousness, or the Oneness, has manifested in every possible form and non-form for its own exploration and pleasure. How your particular form looks, what state it is in, and how your life is going is not an issue for Consciousness. It created it all and loves it all, just as it is. It intends to have exactly the experience you are having within your body-mind.

The joy that Consciousness experiences in being alive isn’t simply theoretical. That joy can be experienced by you, no matter what your circumstances are. If you aren’t experiencing it, it’s only because you aren’t paying attention to it, but to the complaints and discontentment of the egoic mind, which tries to define our life and our experience for us. Consciousness defines all experience as good and worthwhile. That is its truth, and it can be your truth, not just in theory, but in experience.

We have the freedom to choose what we give our attention to and what we believe about ourselves, our situation, others, and life. This is a tremendous responsibility, as it determines to a great extent what our experience of life will be. No matter what our circumstances are, we have the freedom to accept them, which simply means to not argue with reality, but allow ourselves to have the experience that we are having–because we are having it!

Happiness is under our control more than we may realize. We have more power than we may think–we have the power to not think, to ignore our thoughts, and to experience the gift that this life is.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you are craving a day of decompressing and freedom from your thoughts, come to one of my yoga retreats. My retreats are one day events and cost $60.00. You will get 2 yoga classes, a hike in nature, and a vegan- gluten free lunch. Below is my yoga retreat schedule for the rest of the year and the flier for my August retreat. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Namaste

Schedule Aug- October

August 20 2016 Retreat Flier

Direct contact with nature can soothe us and elevate our mood. Unfortunately, most of us work inside all day and have limited time to spend outdoors. The good news is that your mind is capable of remembering the sight, sound and textures of nature.  Here is a short meditation to help you reconnect and find calm in your busy life.

• First sit comfortably or lie down on the floor.
• Take a few moments to find your breathe.
• See the inhalation and exhalation.
• Feel the rhythm of your breathe, like the rhythm of the ocean.
• Feel the connection of your body to the earth.
• Allow your self to feel safe and to let go of any of life’s pressures you may be experiencing.
• Let the earth support you.
• Imagine the roots of a strong oak tree deep in the earth.
• Acknowledge the strength and beauty of the tree.
• Now imagine you plant your roots deeps into earth.
• You feel grounded and in control.
• Embrace the connection to your tree.
• Invite your heart to open and the mind the let go of stress.
• Stay in this space a few minutes.
• Continue to ride the wave of your breath.
• Plant the image of your tree in your mind.
• Picture your tree anytime you need to reconnect to nature and to yourself.
• Slowly deepen your breathe and begin to open your eyes.
• Sit here again for a few moments as you process the world around you.

If you are looking for ways to physically connect to nature sign up for one of my yoga retreats. Spend a day in the mountains enjoying the clean air and beautiful trees. The early bird rate is $60.00 for the day, which includes 2 yoga classes, lunch and a hike/activity. I am taking reservations for my yoga retreats July-October. Just click on the links below to see the schedule, and July flier.

Schedule May- October

July 16 2016 Retreat Flier

Namaste.

“Walk away
from anything
that gives you
bad vibes. There
is no need to
explain or make
sense of it, it’s
your life.
do what makes
you happy.”

Giraffe Love

My friend Jodi sent me this picture and quote. It is yet another reason I am so drawn to this magnificent creature. Giraffes are very spiritual and  I truly believe that they are yogic creatures as well. They are vegetarians and communicate with their eyes. Their beauty and grace mesmerize me. I always feel peaceful when I look at pictures of giraffes or have the opportunity to visit one.

Here is an excerpt from an article about giraffes.

Giraffe Symbolizes:

• Prayer
• Flexibility
• Intuition
• Personal & Spiritual Growth
• Big Goals & Possibilities
• Vision & Foresight
• Gentleness & Kindness

Giraffe Power Animal

Invoke Giraffe as your Power Animal when you need help with matters of honor, respect and gratitude. Giraffe has a very strong personal code that it lives with pride (but not ego).

Walking with Giraffe energy keeps your head held high and others will respect the dignity you exude.

Giraffe Spirit gifts you with the confidence to know that you are doing the right, best things.

Finally, Giraffe reminds us how to fully appreciate what we have and give without expectation of returned favors. Just like tall Giraffe, this brings our souls closer to the heavens.

https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/spirit-totem-power-animal-meanings/mammals/giraffe-symbolism-meaning/#SpiritGiraffe

Last year my yoga retreats were a big hit! I was so excited to share my home and community with so many great people! It was an incredible experience and I was honored to have hosted these amazing, relaxing, soul searching days.

This year my retreats are starting a little earlier! Below is the schedule through July and the flier for April. More yoga retreats are planned for after July so please check my website regularly for more information. If you are interested in any of these dates please contact me via email toni4yoga@gmail.com. Please note that March has already sold out!

Also, you can receive email notifications anytime I post new information by using the subscribe function to the right. →

Have a beautiful Day!

Love & Light.

Schedule March-July

April 9 2016 Retreat Flier

I cannot believe it is already the middle of January. It seems like yesterday I was planning for the holidays. Sometimes I feel like January passes us by too quickly. The first week we are still coming off the holidays and putting our house back together and then by the middle we are making resolutions for the rest of the year. By the end of the month we are wondering why we did not start the new resolutions! LOL. I have decided that instead of making all my resolutions in January, that every month I will take a closer look at myself and find small ways to improve my well being and happiness. Our needs, desires and bodies are changing all the time. Making a years worth of resolutions in one month does not make sense to me. I want to continue to grow as person and just be more awesome every day!

I hope to see you in one of my classes. I have been having my students plant seeds of growth. So far we planted the seeds of health and balance.  Come join me and learn how to plant, grow and nourish yourself to a happier, healthier, more AWESOME you!

Here are a few tips to help you be more Awesome!

• Find time to pause and reflect on your life in the present moment. Make changes in your that serve you, not your ego. A smaller number on the scale is not going to make all your problems go away.
• Eat healthy and exercise because you want to and because it makes you feel vibrant.
• Do things that make you happy. Even if it seems silly or outrageous!
• Bring balance into your life in simple ways. If you are constantly tired and run down, try going to bed a little earlier. If you feel like you have no time for anything, maybe you are trying to do too much. Look for ways to simplify your life.
• Learn to say “no”. This is really hard for me, but I am finding that this two letter word had really helped me simplify my life.

I hope to see you soon. Click on the “schedule” tab to see when and where I am teaching.

Namaste.