Earth Element:

Strong, powerful, heavy and solid the earth element is a wonderful support to all of us. It is the body we count on everyday to get us around. It is the ground we walk on. Earth element is naturally the rocks and solid structures that we find all around us in our environment. This energy keeps us connected to the floor; it pulls at us when we need to sleep or slow down. It reminds us of our limitations and our very dimensions as humans. We have this “earthly” body so to speak. Earth energy is the quality of steady, solid muscle energy that we implore in all of our yoga poses. It delights us with form. It is the structure of our yoga mat – finite, four corners, measured and offering boundary. Earth energy is the gravity that holds us to earth; the magnetic force that holds us together – we are drawn to her and she draws us near.

This week at Good Life, we honor our connections to this marvelous energy. Expect lots of grounding, earthy poses to pull you deep into Mother Earth’s embrace. You may also expect to encounter the strength and play of her gravity as you try and move up and off the earth in a play with hand balances and inversions.

Spirit Joy

Our spirit sings when we remember how interconnected we are.  Who you are and what you do has always mattered.  How you speak and what you create has already made an impact on the world around you.  Never think for a moment that you are living within a vacuum.   You have already done so much in this world just by taking a breath here.  Your spirit has unfolded into the gift of your body and has been sending out a vibration unique to you.  The world around you has shifted because of you being in it.

Feed the joy in your spirit with this recognition.  Wake up and see that every day matters.  The level of your participation in the day can be small or great.  As Anusara yogis we choose greatness for ourselves and others.  However, on the day that you feel the smallness of your human self challenging your sense of purpose, your acts of greatness and in general your sense of Self, remember that by nature, your human self is limited.  Step into your center, embrace your spirit and ride her wings to a higher vision of life.  A small act that creates Joy is as valuable as a great act.   It all matters.  When you are lost in that small place – seek joy.  Find it in connection.  Seek connections with other bright-hearted people.  Seek connection in creating joy for others and you will find it for yourself.   Use your words, your hands and your mind.  Do great things.  Do small things.  You matter.  Your life matters.  You have so much to offer.  Step into the remembrance of your connection and nourish your spirit with Joy.

This week we step into connection with our fellow mat mates and recognize how much they have influenced our own heart’s joy.

Sanctuary  - Creating Healing and Harmony

When you walk through the doors at Good Life Yoga you know immediately that this is a place of peace, healing and harmony.  Your spirit senses the kindred energy and you feel rejuvenated. Imagine if the walls here could talk.  They would share stories of healing energy uplifting the many hearts that practice here.  They would describe a sanctuary; a sacred place of peace and harmony for all who enter.

Our practice is a sacred experience.  When we choose to bring our entire self into the practice and to dedicate each moment, literally every breath as something sacred, we enhance the space around us.  It becomes luminous, cleansed, and dedicated to harmony and healing.  Our mats define the immediate space where we work the practice.  Around its edges and within its borders we find ourselves.  We meet the courageous heart of a backbend.  We meet the strength and determination of a long held pose.  We acknowledge the whimsical and playful Midline while standing on one leg.  While we are absorbed in the full experience of the self we create vibrant, sacred energy.

Your practice is the product of what you put into it.  This week we dedicate our practice to creating harmonious and healing energy for the good space in which we practice, for our own heart’s delight and for the support of all others in our lives.

At the sanctuary that is Good Life Yoga, expect a deep nourishing practice of strong standing poses, backbends and quiet contemplation.

Midline Redoux…

The midline theme from last week hit a chord with many, many students – a chord of recognition, power and freedom.  This is the glory of the Midline:  your direct access, or axis to your connection with yourself, earth and sky.  There is a sense of wonder, excitement and joy when you trust in your power to hug in and assume the greatest energy you are capable of in that moment.  Because of your joy and wonder we are ‘redoing’ the Midline theme…

You can’t get too far down line with the Midline theme before you begin to hear other familiar terms like, ‘focal point’, muscle and organic energies.  The juice of the Midline is a balance of muscle and organic energies.  The focal points are central power centers where you ‘plug’ in and out from to encourage the greatest flow of energy. 

There is so much to play with here.  Last week we concentrated on arm balances and for good reason.  Accessing the midline is absolutely fundamental to practicing effective and fun arm balances.  This week we offer the Midline Redoux with a few arm balances and then move our understanding of the midline into other familiar standing balances poses before cooling down with forward folds and hip openers.  A Midline Fest so to speak at Good Life Yoga this week.  And if you’ve been really digging this theme you should strongly consider coming to the, “There’s no Place like OM” workshop on May 22…for what is the vibration of that magical Midline?  That’s right…”Om is where the heart is…” see details on my website www.goodlifeyoga.com

Hug to the Midline

If you’ve taken an Anusara yoga class there’s an excellent chance that you’ve heard, “hug to the midline!” more than once.  I know for a fact that some students hear this phrase in their heads while navigating difficult landscapes.  We hug to the midline while walking up or down the stairs with heavy objects, stepping onto a slippery surface or even navigating the space near the rim of a volcano.  Okay, if you didn’t read a recent newsletter then you might not understand the volcano reference – just use your imagination.

Point is, when we actively bring muscle energy directly to the center line of ourselves, stability ensues.  Picture a line from the top of your head down your spine and running between your legs.  This is the magical midline of Anusara lore.  Our midline is like a super highway that connects us to earth and sky.  Along that highway are three focal points that help us refine the actions of muscle and organic energies.  When we work from the center of ourselves, no matter which focal point we implore, we move from a position of our greatest strength and our greatest freedom.  Think of Triangle pose and remember how good it feels to move that top arm up and out from the pelvic focal point and not just from the shoulder.  We draw into the midline, plug into our core and from there expand back out again.  

This week at Good Life Yoga expect to hear, “hug to the midline”, more than once as we explore its usefulness in a number of poses from hand balances to standing poses.