Dedicating your practice

Heart opening posture with Basia Lipska

I held my Thursday yin yoga class yesterday focusing on dedication and opening the heart to connect. Many times we go through our day following our routine not reflecting on our selves or the world around us. I find it so relieving to stop and go through my body, emotions, mind and also on a spiritual level and reflect on where I am right now, where am I in this world and where is the world right now.

Giving your yoga session a deeper meaning by dedicating it to something special is a perfect way of connecting to yourself and the world around you. I do it in the following way:

Go through your body and see what area you want to specifically work on just that day, that moment. Reflect on how your day has been and decide to release stress end tension if that has been present this day, maybe it's on a mental level, automatic thoughts that doesn't serve you, you can focus on releasing them all through practice or maybe you want to dedicate your practice to someone outside yourself, a loved one, a group that needs support, someone in the world you know needs support and healing.

I decided to dedicate it to my daughters. These two beautiful young adults that they are now making their way out into this world. I reflected on where we are right now in relation to each other and where they are right now individually. I gave thanks to all the healing now present in our lives and a deep profound thanks that we are still alive and together moving into such a beautiful direction.

When I came home late at night the apartment smelled new baked bred and my youngest daughter came out of the kitchen munching on a hot bread with butter on. She had spent the afternoon baking bread. I felt blessed.

Moderation in all things

I'm just longing for that "kick" in my body, when the energy is singing in my nadis and when I have the strength to go through the yoga practice with a body that will hold the whole class. I know, Santosa, being content with what is now, just breath, accept, be in peace. It has gotten better with age but all through the rocket class yesterday I had an ongoing conversation in my head about how weak my arms are and body is still a bit shaky after the intense yoga month. There was a lot of flexibility, more than in 20 years but in the latter part of the class when we reached the part where we do all the balancing on the arms I more or less just crawled around the mat. I had to remind myself over and over to take it easy, I'm not there to prove anything for others or myself. Still... I was right back at wanting to be more than I was, yesterday. Today is a new day and a new opportunity to live in the moment, to accept what is, to be content.

When the body is ready for the arm balancing poses and wants it, it's going to happen. I will be humble and follow my body, let go of the mind wanting this.

Building the body up again

After a month of intense yoga practice, the muscles has broken down and they are now rebuilding. I can feel my body getting stronger and stronger by the day. I thought I could have started with 1,5 hours mysore classes every morning this week but my body feels shaky and not as recovered from last weeks rest as I thought it would be. I'm listening to the body and follows it to bring it back to balance.

Yesterday morning I did 2x 5 Surya namaskara A och B and then the finishing asanas. Finding that my right elbow is still suffering some. To go easy on it I decided to do a 45 minute pilates class at work. I was happy to feel such a good core strength and the 45 minutes felt quite easy. Since core strength is one of my toughest challenges this was a very nice surprise. I will keep on taking this class at least once a week.

Tonight I will do the Rocket class at the yoga studio to meet up with some of my fellow TT friends.

I wish you a sweet day. I know many people are frustrated because of the current weather condition and the stop of the metro in Stockholm making it very difficult to be able to get to work on time. Some people have to wait for a very long time to get on to a bus that will substitute the metro and there is no way of knowing how long you will have to wait in the cold (-8 -20.) We need a lot of peace, love and understanding in the air since more snow is coming and the metro probably will be down for many more days.

Planning workshops for 2010

A wonderful year of meeting my favorite yoginis.

May 28-30 yin yoga teacher training.

August 7-12 workshop with Dena Kingsberg - moving from the heart.



August 14-17 Kino McGregor & Tim Feldmann - Breath & Bandhas and how it relates to your asana practice. Sthira Sukham Asanam. Inversions, Handstanding & the Art of Balance.

Life back to "normal"?

I do not know what "normal" is any more. I'm open to the flow of life and where ever it's taking me. It's a wonderful feeling. I've been back to my every day job for a week now, my new boy friend extended his stay for a week and it's been marvelous to have him here and it feels so natural to be with him, nothing is feeling strange or uncomfortable, it's all so easy going and he's been home taking care of the home while I've been working. Twice the past two weeks I've been teaching yin yoga at two different shalas. It's such a blessing to be able to teach and my heart is filled with such gratitude for those who made it possible.



Yesterday I did my first ashtanga practice since I finished TT. I could move so much deeper into the asanas than ever before but I was really shaky in my legs and my right elbow allowed me to do most chaturangas but was felt. I will give my body more time to rest so my plan on starting mysore class every morning will have to wait yet another week.



My BF B left this morning and will be gone for 2 months delivering a boat to the Carribean (lucky SOB) actually I was invited to go with him, but turned it down since I like the snow blizzard of Scandinavia so much. Bad joke, I know but I prefer to think of it like that than the actual reason why I couldn't go.



Well my lovely fellow yogi and yoginis, now it's time to get ready to go teach teach teach some yin yoga. Then I will take a rest for the rest of the week end and just sleep. The past month has been so intense and now is the first week end I will have time on my own to get rest and let everything sink in.

I'm in a new energy and setting up new goals...

Yesterday I was so happy that I had made it through the TT-program even though I was injured and not really trained well enough to really be able to make the most of the physical TT-training the way I would have liked to.

Yesterday I got some feedback on something I had done. I could acknowledge the feedback as something I was not fully aware of and need to improve and I'm happy I got it but there was an undertone of jealousy that I first did not catch. Later at night I felt sad and confused over it, not wanting to think it was true. This morning I found a poem in an article on Elephant journal written by Kathryn Budig that inspired me not to get caught in this energy of jealousy but to aim above it and not let it restrict my happiness and future plans. I felt empowered reading it and it transformed my automatic thoughts about it and made me move forward. (read full story on elephant journal following the link)



Artemis, huntress of the moon, make my aim true. Give me goals to seek and the constant determination to achieve them.

Grant me communion with nature, allow me to live surrounded by plants and animals that I can grow, protect and nurture.

Allow me the strength and wisdom to be my own mistress, not defined by the expectations of others.

And sustain my sexuality to be as yours — wild and free as nature itself.

I did it!!!!

I passed all the tests of my ashtanga teather training and of top of everything I held a killer yin yoga class this evening. How fun it is to work with a full class who love to do what we are doing in the moment. I'm a humble student of you all. Namaste beloved yoginis.

Wish me luck!

Today is my final practical exam before I get my diploma as an ashtanga yoga teacher, 200 hours. I'm nervous. During the week of practice teaching I mixed the order of asanas and forgot one or two. Yesterday at the written test I forgot what Adho mukha svanasana was. I focus on the breath and affirmation; "I'm calm, collected and focused." I will be the first one in the morning to do it.

End of week three of yoga teacher training

I sit grounded, in contact with the earth and in my head in the sky, tranquil, peaceful, smiling for no reason.

Every days physically demanding yoga practice has grounded me, eliminated physical and mental toxins. I'm at peace, my sore body has gradually build itself up again, now I feel energized and stronger going into the last week. I don't want it to end. It has been so transforming and I have laid the floor for a steady practice, a stronger body, a deeper understanding eight limbs of yoga. Now I can go on deepening, transforming, refining, chipping away resistance, making way for the energy to flow balanced within me for all the years to come.

(Inspiring yoga teacher Elena Brower)

I assisted on an advanced class the other night with students that have many years of practice. Watching their dedication, focus and just being within themselves doing the very best they could on that particular day was so beautiful to watch. I got connected again to why I love yoga so much, it's like making art, creating a beautiful piece of art, creating myself as a beautiful human being. The next day I was assisting in a group of complete beginners who had never done yoga before. That made me realize how important it is to focus on breath, bandhas and go slow in the instructions of asanas not to exhaust them. The asanas can many times be quite demanding and if you hold your breath you will lose so much energy and rushing through the asanas will potentially make the students hurt themselves and they might loose the interest in yoga.

To move from the internal energy through the power of connection to breath always instead of willing yourself into the postures is the key. It's so difficult to remember this. Many years ago when I practiced budo my teacher kept repeating; "Always remember to go back to basics." This I will take with me into my teaching.

On Thursday I held my first class as a yoga teacher in yin yoga. It felt really good and I enjoyed so much to teach. I am so happy, so many positive things are flowing into my life now.

Going into the final week of TT there are all the exams, a bit stressing but I have felt all through these weeks an inner voice telling me; "Just relax, all is working out to the best. Just breath, take one step forward. You are OK."