Sunie Yoga

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Visual Meditation

It just doesn't want to snow in NYC this winter.  And on days like these (cold, cold rain and darkness), I just want to curl up with my little kitten and watch movies all day.  I just might indulge.  So far it's been lovely.


It also makes me daydream a bit for warm sunny days.


My sister in the Sahara Desert



Or great big snowstorms where you can hardly see your hands in front of you, the snow is so thick and the water is so cold and choppy.




But alas, it is neither too warm nor too cold for sun bathing or snow shoeing.  So, instead I meditate.  I take myself to another place with my mind.  I close my eyes and imagine I am in a beautiful place.  I notice my body temperature rise and fall as I move from one climate to another.  I notice my muscles relax in my travels.  I notice a sense of peace come over my body.

Meditate.  With visualizations or not, it has a glorious effect on our minds and bodies.


Friday, December 28, 2012

Change in the Air

A quiet day in the neighborhood.  The New Year is on it's way.  Time for New Year's resolutions!!  How do you decide what's right?  Do you take out a pen and jot it down then lose the paper a couple hours later?  Do you sweat over the right choices?  Do you limit your resolution to only one?  Do you forget them as soon as you've written them?  Do you lose sleep with the seriousness of making resolutions?  Or do you not make resolutions?

I'm not too too focused on them, I tend to live by short-term goals, but this coming year I have a few plans... I'm already on the right path, just need to make it all happen in 2013!

1) Practice more Yoga, finding more creative ways to live a Yogic lifestyle.  (Believe it or not, there can never be too much and I don't practice nearly enough, in my opinion.)
2) Find a great job that includes my love for Yoga and peace.  (I need a job that pays me to teach Yoga on a daily basis.  Something that includes my love for health and a holistic lifestyle.  And it needs to be enough money for a decent life.  Where the heck is it?  Any thoughts?)
3) Find a great life partner.  (I know, right?  It's getting embarrassing.  It doesn't help that I continue to move from place to place.  But people are starting to look at me thinking it's a conscious choice I've made to be single.  Am I that old?  I just haven't met the right man for me yet.  I truly want someone in my life on a daily basis to enjoy who I am and what I have to offer and vice versa.  I want more love in my life!  Somehow I still haven't mastered the technique.  I need to figure that one out and 2013 is my year for it!  In the meantime, any pointers???  Blind dates you can send a totally hip, awesome yogi on???...)

A resolution is a part of the Yogic lifestyle.  It is like setting a daily intention, but yearly instead.  You are giving yourself direction, you are allowing yourself to believe great things can happen to you.  By believing, you are changing your experiences in your life; you'll begin noticing everything comes together to aid your life's path.  It may not always seem that way.  Work toward it and you'll witness your life coming together.  You will meet your resolutions and be a better person for it.





(This was one of my resolutions 2 years ago.  I can still do it!)

Share with us a resolution.  How will you follow through with it?  Create a daily mantra to remind yourself of your intention and go with it.  See where it take you.  Perhaps you'll surprise yourself.


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Reflections of Christmas

Christmas has come and passed and the cold has settled in.  Many of us who need to work on a regular basis to make ends meet are back to the daily routine.  So many times was I asked how my Christmas vacation was today.  And so many people had such wonderful news to report on their behalf.  I hope you chose to spend your Christmas in an exceptionally good way.

Personally I had a glorious few days at my family's home in Northwest CT with wonderful people and such lovely cheer. We sang Christmas Carols, enjoyed a glass or two of wine, ate delicious meals and mile-high apple pie, we watched Christmas movies and went for long winter walks together.  I feel so blessed to have such a loving and warm family and was honored to partake in such a splendid holiday with them.

Many of us stayed home alone and enjoyed some peace and quiet, honoring ourselves and those we are not with.  Some of us went on pure vacation, no Christmas at all.

Hopefully you were safe, warm and content.

Tonight take some time to appreciate what has passed, reflect on the people you love, the time you shared and the energy that was created.  Give yourself the space to be with just yourself.  Love who you are, recognize what you bring to the people you know and explore how you can continue to carry that love into your daily life.

What do you carry with you from your Holidays?

Friday, December 21, 2012

De-Stressing with Pranayama

Oh my, it's that time of year and we all are running around shopping, eating, laughing, crying, travelling, partying and more, more, more!  How do we stay grounded?


For myself, when I find I'm no longer connecting to myself like I usually do, I give myself 10 minutes a day to stop and just breath.  If I have a little extra time, I walk to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, head into the housed section and practice Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (a breathing exercise).  The air is so clean, so fresh and so delicious.  I can literally feel the benefits as I practice.  I imagine my blood cells taking in the fresh oxygen and flowing through my body.  When I leave, I feel balanced, purified and ready for whatever's next.


Come to a comfortable seated position.  Keep the spine straight and tall.  Gently close your eyes.  Shift your focus to your breath.  
Place your left hand on your left knee or your belly.  
Bring you right hand close to your nose.  Keep the thumb and little finger out, the rest of the fingers can rest folded over into the palm of the hand.
Take a deep inhale.  Cover the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale fully through the left nostril.  Inhale deeply through the left nostril.  Hold the breath.  Remove the thumb and place the right little finger on the left nostril.  Exhale fully through the right nostril, inhale through the right nostril.  Hold the breath.  Switch hand position.  Little finger is removed and thumb is placed on the right nostril.  Exhale left, inhale left.  Hold.  Switch.  Exhale right, inhale right.  Hold.  Switch.  
Continue this for 5-10 breaths and add on as you feel comfortable.  
When you're ready to release, take a final exhale through the left nostril, then place your right hand on your right knee.  Come back to your regular breath.  Notice how you feel.

The benefits of Nadi Shodhana are enormous.  It is a wonderful practice to release stress, decrease anxiety and calm the mind.  It also balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain and promotes clear thinking.  Nadi Shodhana is a wonderful breath to practice before going to sleep.  

Even if it sounds silly, give yourself just a few minutes to try it out.  

The Holidays can be far too stressful of a time for some people and so many of us have no bearings to go from.  Your breath is a tool for your mind and body.  Don't be afraid to use it.

Ahhh... much better.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Imperfectly Practicing Patience

How do you let go of everything in your way and just believe that it will happen for you?

After moving from Cape Cod to NYC 10 months ago, I have already worked several different jobs and changed my living situation three times. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to find what I wanted.  But within the last 2 weeks, spending a lot of time with myself and my mat, summoning patience and peace in my new location, I am finally beginning to feel at home here in beautiful, bounteous Brooklyn.  The world truly wants to work in your favor, it's just a question of you believing in yourself and your choices.  
Crossing the Bridge takes Patience.
What's on the other side can be glorious.

When I came to NYC, I knew Yoga was what I was pursuing  but somehow I became sidetracked before I even completely moved in.  I so badly wanted to believe I could work solely in the field of Yoga and Health, but I knew deep down, I didn't think is possible.  So, I didn't do it.  I found myself working as a chef, a personal assistant and a manager of an artisinal grocer that meant well but rarely followed through.  I was disappointed with where I was headed and knew I wasn't happy.  My stars weren't aligned, it was very clear, but I kept reminding myself I had to make a salary to pay my rent.  

Now, there is no doubt everyone needs a decent paycheck to live well, but it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice who you are and what you believe in to get it.  And although I'm not nearly to a point where I can afford my monthly rent just yet, I am finally on the right track.  Getting to this point has taken an enormous amount of patience, which, without it, I wouldn't be here anymore.  

A daily Yoga practice cultivates patience, love and honesty for ourselves and everyone around us.  It is a glorious way to live.  The benefits we receive through patience can be enormously rewarding.  

As I continue along my path practicing patience, I will hope you are able to practice freely as well.  Let go of the things that hold you down and live what you love.  Believe that it will come, and when you're ready, it will.

What are you patiently awaiting?  How is your patience serving you?

Monday, December 17, 2012

Honoring Life Lost




Paying Homage to the Sun God for the lives lost in Newtown, CT.  Let it shine on us all with pure warmth and love.


"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."  -- Kahil Gibran


Sunday, December 16, 2012

Finding Peace in a Hard World

Finding yourself lost?  Sad?  Confused?

What can we do when we face tragedy?  Lie in our bed and weep?  Stand up and start fighting in politics?    Join together as a community and share our love and fears?  Unsure of what to do?  Give yourself the space and time to practice Yoga.

As we move through different postures we can create more space within our bodies, we can open our hearts to what we need to do in order to find forgiveness, to let go of any hatred and anger we may hold within ourselves towards others that act in a way we cannot understand, to find our path in creating change for the good of humanity.  With a better grasp on ourselves, we can open communication and share what we have to offer the community.

Practice Yoga to find a sense of stability, a sense of love and a sense of clarity.  Slowing down the mind and stretching the body will give us more strength, more love and more understanding.  We form a deeper connection with ourselves and our community through Yoga.

What do you need to come to peace among tragedy?

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Something Borrowed

When in need, borrow.  So many people have so much to offer; as we travel through life, each of us will need a helping hand.  When a friend offers a hand, there is no shame in taking the help and borrowing their energy to motivate ourselves.

Accept Help
When I've found myself swimming in the middle of a black tumultuous ocean, a friend has always been there to throw me a lifesaver.  He smiles and shares in my sorrow, then tells me to get up and get going.  By the end of the day, we have built something creative and exquisite.  Allowing myself to feed off of his energy and love, I was able to help myself by grabbing a hold.  He met me when I needed it most and together we swam to ashore.

Someone once told me, "Find energy that you are attracted to and share your time with them."

Seeking what we love and surrounding ourselves with compatible, positive energy of others aids us along our own paths.  Leaning on someone, taking their offerings, will give each other a better sense of direction and further our positive growth as people.  

The practice of receiving will open us to deepening who we are both on and off the mat.  Spending the majority of our time among healthy energy within ourselves and one another spawns freedom and delight within the world.  When we are unable to find good energy within ourselves, borrow from another and, in time, we will feed their energy with our own as well.  Sometimes we need to let go of independence and let someone else guide us.  We heal one another. 
Yoga = Union

Friday, December 7, 2012

Reconnecting to Ourselves

Working a full-time job can be exhausting and time consuming; often one of the first things to go is Yoga, even for a seasoned practitioner.  How do we keep at it, even when we think there is no time?  Give yourself 5 minutes, then 10, then 15 and allow yourself to fluctuate until you find something that works for you.  The benefits to yoga are enormous.  And practicing it every single day does something to the psyche that nothing else can even come close to touching.  We can flow through life with more gratitude, more love, more peace.  We can witness our lives and feel joy for the things we experience on a moment to moment basis.  Life may become easier because we can accept it and embrace where we are.

How often do you notice your breath, feel your belly rise and fall?  Can you give yourself a moment to experience this right now?

The simple joys of life are glorious and constant.  Look around you.  Notice the beauty in your life.  It is always there and with a regular practice, your awareness and appreciation will evolve evermore.  You will open to accepting your life.  You will find more love for yourself, which will open yourself to receiving love from strangers and friends alike.

Where is your closest Yoga studio?  Try it out.  You never know where it may bring you.