Before I Die I Want To...

It's hard to believe that June is basically over. I feel like June didn't even happen. When time passes so quickly it can sometimes be alarming because your life is made of that time. 

What did I do this month? I saved ducks, saved a dove, painted and drew tons of pictures, did a small amount of yoga, started the process of buying our first house, cared for the dog through recovery from surgery, packed up most of my house in prep for moving, received two rejection letters from art galleries, met new people, spent a lot of time with my favorite husband, and more. Sounds like a decent full month.

The only thing I think it's lacking is travel. I want to travel more and experience things I could never find at home. I want to squeeze as much experience into my life as possible. On that note - here's a TED talk with Candy Chang about just that topic. 

What do you want to do before you die? 

What can you do to make your life more full?

In fact, don't even tell me. Better start making it happen before you miss it.

This TED talk via HuffPo

Yoga Every Damn Day Challenge

A couple years ago I offered up the 30 Day Yoga Challenge. Well, a couple of it's videos are missing, and it's been a while - so here's a new fun current challenge being offered up by someone else.

The 2013 Yoga Challenge : Yoga Every Damn Day

Click through for Rules/Details and to Join on the the ChallengeLoop page.

by 1Shot Photography - via Tumblr

From the Description:
The #yogaeverydamnday challenge has been ongoing since January 1, and it's open to all. Every month we have had a new twist (to bring gratitude into our daily lives, to meditate etc) but there will not be a twist this month. I want us all to go back to what's at the core of any yoga practice: to practice every single day. I want you to find the joy of living your yoga, on and off the mat, and to remember that yoga is not a pose but a practice! This does not mean you have to take a full sweaty 90-minute class every day (feel free if you like!), but that you incorporate yoga into your life somehow, every single day of this month.

This is just an excerpt, so head on over there to learn how to join and share your practice progress.

Last I checked there were just shy of 5,000 participants!
There are even prizes - Yoga Every Damn Day tanks from yours truly (creator Rachel Brathen) and @seasonfive

via Yogaholics

Are You Sleeping Through Your Life?

Via Sylvia Mordini - on her Twitter

New experiences are easy to find. You can create them at any moment. In small ways or big ones. In your yoga practice they may look like a new studio, a different teacher, a new location in the room, a pose you've never tried... music, mats, outfits, friends to practice with, chanting... 

All these things create a slightly different experience. Some of these are small things, but they are the same small things that people fight against as if they were epic monsters. They actively avoid placing their mat in a different place in the classroom. The front row is pretty unpopular. 

Your comfort zone can become like a prison if you move in full time. Your ego may try to trick you into believing it's not worth the risk. Remember that feeling when you first tried (and loved!) yoga?  

Try something new this week! Don't sleep through your life.

The Year so Far

It's been an interesting year so far. I've been working on a lot of things. Some yoga, some art, some reading, had a birthday, etc.

Last month I won the book Hell Bent from Just here. Just now. and it took me longer than I would've liked to finish reading it. This isn't a review post so I won't really go into it, but it's definitely a worthy read.

I do have a full book review coming up soon for B.K.S. Iyengar's new book Core of the Yoga Sutras which I'm reading now. I'm not a fast/committed reader so bear with me. I can be easily distracted, but I promise it's coming.

I started a deviantART page with some of my artwork on it. A lot of my stuff is also quite large in real life - like 4 feet tall 4 feet wide. I'm running out of room to keep them all piled up everywhere. Creating can be a good outlet and even meditative. If you're not involved in anything creative I suggest you give it a shot. It's good for your health.

You Don't Have Time to Hesitate

It's a new year which means everyone is making plans and changes and looking forward. In case you're considering letting go of dreams and plans - here's a little advice via Pinterest.

Headstands Everywhere

With New Year's Resolutions coming up - I'd like to see this happen.

Divine Feminine Yoga Telesummit

The Divine Feminine Yoga Telesummit: Transforming Ourselves, Transforming the World
The event is happening live September 4th - September 11th

Attending is FREE!
Learn More or Register Now: Click Here

In this inspirational and practical event, you will: 

• Improve your physical, mental, and emotional health by honoring your deep feminine nature 
• Invoke Goddess Kali to awaken the most intense form of bliss 
• Heal your money wounds with Goddess Lakshmi 
• Navigate the modern world with the wisdom of Goddess Durga 
• Understand how women lost our core power, and how to recover it 
• Embrace your gifts as healer, yogini, and priestess 
• Understand the secrets of the yoga sutras as a contemporary woman 
• Apply the power of yoga to heal trauma in women
• Learn why being vulnerable is the highest form of leadership
• Break through self-doubt and make a HUGE contribution to healing the world

Learn from an extraordinary lineup of top teachers, including: 
Judith Lasater
Sally Kempton
Sianna Sherman
Amy Weintraub
Nischala Joy Devi

And best of all, participation is EASY and FREE.
You can listen live on the web, call in on your phone, or Skype from wherever you are.

This news provided via the Open to Grace Newsletter

Photos from http://pinterest.com/cosmiclila/yoga/

Yoga in the Park

Last weekend I went to a free class in the park offered by Lululemon.  The community class in the park is something Lulu offers every Saturday in every town I've ever seen a Lululemon, but I've never gone to one. Believe it or not, I'm really shy about trying new yoga classes and locations.

The class was at 9am in a park downtown and it turned out to be really nice. I like trying new teachers and practicing outside is one of my favorite things ever. It's always a little exercise in beginner's mind when you're meeting new teachers and experiencing their style. Gets you out of your head a little better than a home practice if that's what you do most often. I'm glad I went and I intend to keep going to these community classes. Getting outside of my comfort zone is a good thing and I can try a few different teachers.

This pic is from Wanderlust, but you get the point.

Get involved in your local yoga community. It can be with a lulu class in the park, a community class given by fresh new teachers (usually free or cheap), or just a meetup with some friends to try a new DVD... just get out there!

July Vacation

It's fairly obvious that I've been absent for a bit. July was a busy month for me. I was in and out of doctor's offices, had various family members staying in my home, been out enjoying the summer, and most enthusiastically road-tripped to Wanderlust California and back. The office visits have been spread out, the family has all gone home, Wanderlust is over, but I'm still very much in love with summer sunshine and all the water the Universe allows me to play in. I do own something like 6+ swimsuits.

I'll be going over some of these things I've been up to, giving another belated Quarterly unboxing, reviewing a nice hippie deodorant, and I even have another book review coming up sometime soon. So know that I have plenty of things in mind for the lovely hot month of August after that little hiatus of July.

For now I'll just toss you a fun couple of pictures to wade back into the world. Hugs!

Today's pics taken by the fantastic husband at Wanderlust  CA

Summer Reading

Currently reading:  Fierce Medicine by Ana Forrest. 

I'm only about halfway through, but so far it is brilliant and interesting.

Soon it will be time for my annual reading of Eat Pray Love. It's my little guilty pleasure vacation book.

Hope you are all enjoying summer now that it's finally here. I'm soaking up the sun even though it's frowned upon and reading everything I can.

Lululemon scarf via http://pinterest.com/pin/144818944238186197/

Enter to Win - the Ultimate Escape to Wanderlust

I bought my tickets to Wanderlust California a month or two ago. You may recall I attended a couple years ago, and I was thrilled to plan another trip to Squaw Valley this year. If you've never been - maybe this contest is just the push you need. Read on for details.

Source: http://squaw.wanderlustfestival.com/

Wanderlust partnered with lucy Activewear and Flavorpill to give away the ultimate Escape to Wanderlust! Enter for your chance to escape to the most epic yoga + music event of the summer and choose your Wanderlust: Vermont, Colorado, or California. The winner will receive two 4-day tickets to the Wanderlust of their choice, airfare for two, four nights accommodation, plus $1,000 shopping spree to lucy Activewear!

Click here to enter!

Winners will be selected on June 7, 2012 and notified via email. Feel free to enter even if you've already bought your tickets. If you win, they'll refund your ticket purchase. Good luck!

There's also a runner up contest lumped in there with entering the big contest if you want to submit a new tag-line for the festival for the chance to win one 4-day ticket to Wanderlust.

The Anusara Drama - I'm Over It

Like many in the Anusara kula - I have felt a whole spectrum of emotions the last few weeks. At times I have been indifferent, defensive, angry, sad, just plain anxious, and more. It's been a little exhausting for everyone I'm sure. The drama has been flying. Even when you aren't directly involved in the story it's hard not to get defensive when people start accusing you of being in a cult. All this considered - I have been silent on the whole issue here at Hearts Expanding. I've been absorbing all the information I could and assessing what action, if any, was the right action for me.

In case you've managed to miss the whole John Friend controversy - you can go see 

a Timeline of Events at Bay Shakti to get caught up.

Some people's reaction to the news.

People that I know and love, teachers I respect - almost everyone is kind of scattering to the wind. Some declared their loyalty while others declared their resignation. At first it was like I wasn't 100% sure what to do with myself with all my teachers no longer under the same umbrella.

Since I never went all the way through with getting my Anusara-Inspired certification (I started but changed my mind some time last year) I have been looking at this entire debacle primarily from the eyes of a student. After a lot of inward contemplation I came to recognize that I have been following certain teachers more than Anusara itself. I never followed John Friend individually. He is not and never was my teacher.

As I recognize that my practice is so much more than that - I no longer list Anusara yoga as my primary yoga; but I will still practice it as long as some of my favorite teachers are involved in the method. I will continue to try new systems and be open to yoga as a whole. Some of my teachers are choosing to stay with Anusara, and some have chosen to leave. I fully respect and support both decisions. I will study both inside and outside of the Anusara community. As long as their teachings resonate with me - I will study with them wherever they are.

TL;DR
Here at Hearts Expanding, I'm not attached to John Friend or Anusara Yoga.
I just love Yoga and the teachers that made me.

Wish I Could Run Away and Join the Circus

Since I appear to have missed that boat in this one - In my next life I want to join the circus.
The animal-free kind of course. I don't support that other crap.

Source: http://fuck-yeah-cirque.tumblr.com

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miss_paws/

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoxasths

Recycled Post - Inspiration Board

I just re-did my Inspiration Board so I thought it was a good time for a recycled post!

Read last year's post about the process of setting up your own Inspiration Board - Here.

Trying Ashtanga

You all know I'm a big ol' Anusara junkie, but I tried something like 9 styles of yoga or more before I got all cozy with Anusara. There's plenty more styles around too so I'm making a conscious effort to branch out and try new styles in addition to my regular practice. Maybe I'll learn a few things.

I got this Kino Macgregor Ashtanga DVD for christmas and I've started following along with it once or twice a week. It's the primary series with beginner and advanced variations for most of the sequence. While I know that DVDs are far from being representative of the classroom experience - I have to say I was a little too scared to visit an Ashtanga class. Maybe later. Ashtanga is challenging. Not crazy difficult - just definite work. My hop forward to hover in handstand is getting stronger and my upward dog is getting more practice than ever. I'm enjoying it for sure.

Next stop - Bikram, Iyengar, and Aerial Yoga classes.
I'm especially psyched out of my mind about that last one.

New Year - Fresh Intentions

I don't really do New Year's Resolutions. When the new year comes I might have some intentions for my year, or some hopes, but I don't resolve things.

New dress. New socks. New Hair.

This year I hope to be more open to those around me and I intend to create new friendships. I hope to love and appreciate with all my heart, so that I may make the most of what little time I have on this planet as a human. I intend to live with freedom, expression, and a wild inner light to better uplift those around me simply by proximity. I intend to truly see the sun, the moon, the flowers, and the inner goodness of those I meet. I hope to hug more, receive more, and do more.

What are your hopes and intentions for the New Year?

Where Are You Going?

"You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

-Yogi Berra

I spent a large chunk of this weekend in stores with incredible piles of people. Tons of people dutifully consuming... unless they're just milling about like zombies. I saw a lot of that too. I get the feeling that few of these people are practicing presence. I don't think many of them are on any particular path or maybe even aware of their life. Many of them are just going through the motions and existing. I hope I'm not doing that.

I've been trying to make christmas lists for people, buy gifts, practice yoga, figure out when/how I'm going to visit my mom one of these days... and yet I'm trying to give Thanksgiving it's time. Right now that's where I should be going. Yet my path has kind of skipped it, so I need to circle back around and make sure I get to Thanksgiving. I don't want to miss it. It's not often that gratitude is in season.

Shifting with the Seasons

I can barely believe it's almost halfway through November. The deciduous trees are shedding leaves and letting the evergreens have the limelight for a while. The wind is faster and colder. Occasionally we're even getting snow here in the northern hemisphere.

I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of the cold. Now it's time for me to hibernate like a small bear and I'll gladly do so. Wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot tea all I can think about is turning on the fireplace one of these days. I've never lived somewhere with a fireplace before and the whole idea is charming.

I've been sick so I haven't really had an asana practice recently. I read somewhere that someone "heard" that every single day that you don't practice you lose a weeks worth of progress. I really hope that's not true because if it is I'm doomed.

In the spirit of the season slow down your practice today and quietly turn inside. Shed your leaves and let your bones rest for a bit. Take great care and nurture yourself maybe for the entire weekend. Moisturize and warm your skin, make your muscles supple, get sufficient sleep, and slow your monkey mind so you are better prepared for the cool weather and stressful holiday season that is coming.

Here at Hearts Expanding I've got some great stuff coming up. Giveaways, gift guides, book reviews and more! Stay tuned and take care of yourselves.

Hippies

I've posted this kind of sign before I think (because they really amuse me) but this weekend I actually came across one for sale in a little road-side shop. Naturally, I bought it. One day when I open my own studio this little piece of awesome from Beartown will be on my studio wall.

My Home Practice - What it Looks Like

I've mentioned that I'm really into my yoga, and I do a lot of it... often. I do my morning yoga routine in about an hour just to get me ready for the day. Then later I do my real practice. My full practice. I'm sure you've heard me mention these terms. It's not to say that my morning practice isn't important, but it's not the one where I really dig deep. It's not the one where I stop answering phones and just get into the zone for the afternoon.

The big practice I do each day can take anywhere from 1 - 3 hours. It usually ends up being right around 3 hours because that's just what I'm comfortable doing. I have a lot of things I intend to do and it takes a while to fit them in. Just this morning Adam was saying how I will sometimes sit down intending to stretch for a couple minutes, but then I keep adding one more thing and one more thing until I've accidentally done a full practice and 3 hours have passed. Yes, sometimes it happens that way... but I also have a notebook full of pre-planned sequences I really like to do. Someone asked me last week about my practice - what it looked like, how many asanas I did... soo...

Here's a sequence I wrote - a year or two ago. It's kinda old now. I wrote this sequence purely for Anjaneyasana with mermaid arms. I wanted to nail that pose, so I built a sequence that would get me there. Since then I've added a lot of things and I often ad lib a bunch of stuff as I go that doesn't get written down too. In fact, now this sequence has been altered to get me to Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana 2. This particular sequence takes me 2 - 2.5 hours, so it's pretty standard for me. Not the longest or shortest practice I do... just average.

This isn't for you - don't do this.

As you can see, my personal sequences are kinda involved and full of pictures, abbrevations, names or descriptions that are nowhere near official (it just helps me know what I'm talking about), and little symbols that denote flows or repeated things. Most of these poses I do 2 - 5 times each and the Sun Salutations at the top (looks like SS) I do 2 - 4 of depending on the day.

I'm not suggesting this sequence to anyone - it's all sorts of personalized for me and me alone. This is just an example. A little peek into what it is I do in my personal practice.