Good Life Yoga

Throat Chakra

Amber — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:33:47 +0000

It’s time to pick up where we left off last fall with the 4^th chakra and turn our attention to the 5^th; the Throat Chakra. This is the place of sound. This is the place where we use words to reflect who we are being. We speak from this place. Just like anything else, your chakras can be in balance or they might not be.

When our 5^th chakra is in balance it is connected to the whole of ourselves and deeply and authentically reflects the entirety of our being. When it is not in balance, there is a distinct disconnect with your words and your actions or your words and your actual beliefs.

When we feel balanced in this area we are content. When there is excessive energy in this area we may speak too much, or with self-righteousness. Too little of this energy produces timidity and an inability to express your thoughts. It may also breed devious and manipulative behaviors.

Color associated with this chakra is sky blue. The element is space/ether. This chakra relates to our sense of hearing.

At Good Life Yoga this week, we look at our own tendencies in speech and in listening. We care for this area of our bodies that houses so much potential for authenticity. Expect inversions, some shoulder and neck work, and quiet moments of reflection.

Self Care Week: What’s Being Said At Good Life Yoga

Amber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:49:26 +0000

Self Care Continues

Amber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:32:26 +0000

So many of you were grateful last week when we took the time to step inside and listen to the needs of our full Self. We continue on with this journey of attending to our needs this week at Good Life Yoga. We will continue to pull ideas from the basket to help point us in a direction. Fun stories from last week from students who took an idea and ran with it. Here are some comments from students:

“….I got the one where you were asked to clean out one drawer. I ended up clearing out my husband’s entire office…”

“…I pulled the one where you were asked to go to your least favorite room of your house and change one thing to make it better. I’ve been on a rampage of change ever since!”

“…I was asked NOT to buy anything today…no grocery shopping! And I had to ask my friend to buy me coffee and lunch..!”

If you have had fun with these – please feel free to post your experience.

I related my own experience of limiting sugar for one day….and how I broke down at Bunco when faced with an amazing piece of homemade chocolate cake. As one sweet student told me. “But you didn’t have ANY sugar the entire day. That was at night. ” See you all on the mat!

Detox and Self Care on Every Level

Amber — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:57:58 +0000

This is February and an excellent time to nourish ourselves lavishly. Did I mention it’s February? It’s that place in the middle. Not quite the throes of deep winter and certainly not spring. We are left adrift in this seemingly endless gray sky days and temps zipping up and hitting bottom. In short it’s a difficult month to navigate without some type of negativity just slipping in and trying to take root. I say no to that this year. Let’s take February and make it a month to inspire and lavish ourselves in deep nourishment on every level. Think healthy thoughts. Do positive things for yourself and others. Surround yourself in color – if ever there was a month for flamboyancy February is it. For two weeks we will surround ourselves with ideas and notions for self care and good health. And then it’s Valentine’s Day before you know it and we will have become so practiced in the art of lovingly caring for ourselves we will have no trouble lavishing our friends and special people with acts of kindness, chocolate and well, more chocolate…

How do we carry the notion of nourishment on the mat? Easy. How does a diet of twists and Tapas to help rid the body of toxins sound? Or a handful of beautiful heart opening backbends to get the Self love moving? And then there is always the slowed down forward folds and hip openers to take the edge off. Leave it the good people at Good Life Yoga to help you maintain your Good nature this February. You are worth it.

To help inspire your acts of simple nourishment, I’ve put together a list of positives that you can incorporate into your daily life. Simply choose two or three things from the many options below to do each day. Shake your world up a bit and see what happens if you take on this challenge. You might find that the first two weeks of February just slip by sweetly and you are happy, healthy and feel ‘full’ – on every level. Join me! I’ll have a basket at GLY with these ideas on small slips of paper. Close your eyes and reach in, take two or three ideas and nourish yourself.

Food/Drink Nourishment:

Eat a dark green vegetable today.

Eat a handful of raw veggies today.

Eat a healthy breakfast.

Savor one ounce of very dark chocolate with your eyes closed

Go for a low-sodium day – read all labels and no chips!

Severely limit or eliminate any sugar in your diet today.

Drink a hot cup of tea in silence

Prepare a plate of fresh food with three different colors of veggies. Admire and eat by candlelight.

Make a soup from scratch.

Bake cookies.

Do not eat a thing after 8:00pm

Eat only plant based food today.

Eat a piece of fruit with dinner.

Drink a glass of room temperature water at every meal and an extra one after any caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you consume today

Chew each mouthful today 10 times before swallowing.

Self Care:

Three times today, remember to sit and breathe fully for one minute.

Enjoy an extra yoga class this week. (I HAD to add this…)

Take a luxurious bath – soak for at least 12 min.

Chant Om for 3 minutes. Sit still for 3 minutes and soak up the vibration.

Brush your teeth and tongue for at least 3 minutes – floss!

Climb into bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and read something inspirational.

Get up 30 minutes early and meditate.

Do “feet up the wall” pose for 5 minutes today.

Look in the mirror and say out loud three times– “You are beautiful today”

Sing a happy tune in the shower.

Buy flowers for yourself.

Buy flowers for a friend!

Take a 15 minute walk outside.

Put on a dance CD and dance to 2 songs.

Listen to a new radio station today for 30 minutes.

Buy a magazine on something you know nothing about – read , ponder and enjoy.

Put your pajamas on one hour before bedtime – relax.

Rub your feet with some great smelling lotion – take your time and love each toe…then put on snuggly socks and relax.

Connect:

Call a friend and talk for 10 minutes about all the great things in your life. Then listen for 10 minutes as she/he tells you about the great things in their life.

Smile and say hello to 3 people you don’t know today.

Do a “random act of kindness” today – your choice

Do not buy anything today.

Give away your home baked goodies to friends and neighbors.

Pass along one great read to a friend today.

Place three of your favorite tea bags in a baggie and give to a friend to enjoy.

Choose to speak positively about EVERYTHING today.

List 15 things both small and large that you are grateful for.

Revisit your intention for the year. Do one thing today that will aid that intention.

Forgive someone from your past by writing a letter releasing them and then burn or cut into tiny pieces

Send a “thinking of you” card to a friend.

Look in the mirror and say slowly out loud, “I Love My Body.”

Detox:

Give away or throw away 9 things you find lying around your home. Repeat 3 times throughout the day. You can also do this with your work space another day.

Listen to classical music for 30 minutes today.

Take a news fast – no internet, TV, or paper, or radio news

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Declutter one drawer. Stop when the buzzer sounds.

Throw away any foods in your kitchen that you will regret eating

Put all of your toxic cleaning supplies in one location. Decide which three NEVER to buy again.

Add a plant to your home or office and enjoy the oxygen

Do a mini-declutter of your clothes closet. Be ruthless for 30 minutes. Stop. Give away or throw away whatever isn’t ‘you’ anymore.

Clean off one shelf.

Fix one thing that has been bugging you. If it can’t be done in 30 minutes, or is beyond your skills, schedule more time or find someone to do it for you.

Give away or throw away something of your past that makes you sad, angry, guilty or ashamed

Detox guilt: Give yourself permission to NEVER finish an unfinished project that you have laying around your life. Give all parts of it away or discard completely with a satisfied smile.

Go to your least favorite room of your house. Change one thing to make it more positive.

Step Back Into Loops: What’s Being Said at Good Life Yoga

Amber — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:20:40 +0000

Land of Loops Continue…

Amber — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:09:28 +0000

We continue on with our rediscovery of these amazing loops of energy that create extension in our bodies. When working with Loops your attention is focused on a small area of your body. It is amazing that we can hold our awareness with such focus and yet continue to absorb all the vibration and alignment of the 5 Universal Principles of Alignment. As if we are painting a beautiful picture, we have the vision/intention (UPA #1), structure (Muscle Energy) and creativity,(Inner Spiral) dedication (Outer Spiral) and desire to share our accomplishment (Organic Energy)and yet, we continue to look more closely, add a brush stroke here, a flash of red there, a quick touch up and a delightful twirl there. And all the while we are enjoying the experience of observing the painting, being the painting and being the painter….whoa. Are we getting too Loopy here? Maybe, but I think not.

Loops simply take you to a deeper level of your practice. And the deeper you go, the more you are delighted to find that you are infinitely fascinating. Indeed the world is a fabulous place. If you can go deeper; if you have the capacity to cultivate more refinement in life – then go for it. Loops remind you to add flair to your world. They remind you that sometimes great things can come in the details. These small Loopy wonders illuminate the grandness of your structure and of your world.

Your Ankle Loop reminds you that you are worthy to stand on this earth. Take account of yourself.

Your Shin Loop is a powerful sheath that proves even the smaller muscles of your leg delight in supporting you. Look for support from all areas of yourself.

Your Thigh Loop takes you back so you can go forward with ease. Take the best of you into the present.

Your Pelvic Loop confirms your existence on this earth. You matter.

Kidney Loop affirms your individual power and keeps it connected with the Source. There is true strength in Remembering…

Shoulder Loop frames and brightens the light in your heart. You have so much to offer.

Skull Loop places your beautiful mind in line with the intention of your own sweet heart and the Universal flow of all things. You are never alone, never isolated. You are Greatness itself.

And even as we savor these details that highlight all the intrinsic good, we never forget that these details, these Loops ride within the big energetic flow of Organic Energy. Indeed, we see that the edges of our painting are always expanding….

Go on, call me Loopy. It won’t be the first time…

Anusara Loops – What’s Being Said at Good Life Yoga

Amber — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:32:13 +0000

Anusara’s Loops

Amber — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:30:47 +0000

This week we turn our attention to the Anusara Loops. Beyond the 5 Universal Principles of Alignment Loops are secondary flows of energy that help to create vertical extension in the body. Loops are designed to bring sophisticated alignment to your poses. They interact with one and other like interlocked gears and help to bring top notch optimal balance to all your stuff on the mat. In short, you’ll fall in love with a Loop or two. I’ve seen it happen. “Kidney Loop changed my life…”

You’ve heard instruction for applying these loops in class even if I didn’t call them out by a name. You’ve heard “lengthen your side ribs from your waist to your armpits, take the head of the arm bones back, move the shoulder blades deeper in toward your heart” Or “bow forward and look into your heart.” And of course, “from the back waistline, scoop your tailbone.” The first being part of Shoulder Loop, the second, Kidney Loop and the third Pelvic Loop.

What are Loops?

Loops are circular flows of energy that rotate in a vertical direction and interconnect like gears. Loops create extension in the body.

There are 7 loops in the body. Ankle, Shin, Thigh, Pelvic, Kidney, Shoulder, Skull

Main concepts they all share:

Loops revolve vertically and create extension.
They rotate in opposite directions like gears movement of one clockwise causes the other to move counter-clockwise. (exception the pelvic/thigh)
Loops flow independently on the right and left sides of the body.
Loops may spin at different velocities.
All loops are initiated on the backside of the body.

Loops connect with the 5 principles:

Open to Grace helps establish Kidney loop
Muscle Energy helps initiate Shin/Shoulder loop
Inner spiral relates to Thigh loop
Outer spiral relates Pelvic loop
Organic helps initiate Ankle and Skull

Organic energy moves the loops out away from the focal point – loops below the focal point extend toward foundation; above extend to the sky

Whew! That’s a lot of information – Come prepared to play with 7 loops this week and next!

Organic Energy Continues

Amber — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:09:02 +0000

Last week you were introduced to the technical aspects of Organic Energy and offered way to feel its power in the body. We explored the differences between Organic and Muscle and shared in the revelation that each offered its own unique and powerful gifts. We continue with the technical review of OE and then expand into the spiritual, emotional and mental affects of OE. This very real energy is present in everything in the Universe. As yogis, we tap into its power, assume it as ourselves and use it to our advantage. Of course, in doing so, we become more capable, compassionate and creative individuals and the whole world benefits!

When Organic Energy is in balance we are courageous, fun-loving, free and creative. We are gregarious, giggly and grateful. I could go on and on – but come to class and see what OE has to offer you!

Organic Energy – What’s being said this week at Good Life Yoga

Amber — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:13:43 +0000