In exactly 17 weeks we’ll be celebrating 17 years in Kitsilano.

We opened our doors when our eldest daughter was just 6 months old! What we’ve learned along the way is that balance is the most important thing we can strive for, and thankfully we found our way to Yoga.

Yoga has gifted us with an amazing community of friends to practice with, and the opportunity to work towards greater mind and body health every day. I still remember when my husband Scott and I discovered the Semperviva flower. We were hiking on the island of Kythera, in Greece. We found a vibrant yellow flower among the rocks and were struck by how vivid and alive the flower was despite being surrounded by stone. The name of the flower, “Semperviva” translates to “always living”.
Back in Vancouver, one year later, while I was struggling to find any meaning or sense of health in my job as a pharmacist, Scott and I began planning a small, neighbourhood business. Our mission was to help people feel better, and to connect with our community.
Seventeen years later we see the same radiance in our students and friends as we once saw in that Semperviva flower.

See Semperviva Yoga on Facebook to win!

To me, Yoga is inextricably tied to being a mother.
My initial sacred yoga moments were the ones I shared with my first baby growing in my belly 16 years ago. Through prenatal yoga I found an anchor to my body, my baby and all the changes that came along the way.
That first pregnancy brought me to yoga, and yoga enhances my experience as a mom.

Yoga helps remind me to take breaths when things are busy, to pause when I want to react to the craziness and to steep in daily gratitude for the blessings and magic of being a mom.

Yoga brings me back to my breath and reunites me with my life. It helps me navigate the storms of motherhood and to adjust the sails of my every day course.

Without yoga, I wouldn’t have found the power and grounding nature of my own breath. It would be like trying to navigate life without my mom.
Without my mom, so much of who I am today just couldn’t be. She is tied to my heart the way my breath is tied to my being.

Cherish your moms this mother’s day. Honor them for the ways that they inspire and enhance your life.
Near or far, birth mom or not, remember the blessing that your mom showers upon your life.

And for yourself, if you are a mom……get to yoga, find your breath and enhance the relationship you have with yourself. As you do, you will strengthen a long line of connectivity to where you have come from and where you have yet to go.

What better way can there be to celebrate yourself and the ones you love?

For all the moms that are, that have been and that will be,
Happy Mother’s Day.

By Elana Epstein, Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor and Reiki Practitioner

I was so happy to learn that not only is the collection beautiful, each piece of jewellery has a positive message behind it. Crafted with only quality materials, Satya blends spiritual symbols, healing gemstones, and sacred meanings into their jewellery. And they’re not just well made and eye catching. Satya donates a percentage of all sales to the Satya Foundation, which provides help and opportunities to children all over the world. Something that I know will mean a lot to mothers out there!

May 13th is fast approaching! Check out the Satya collection for yourself, and you just might find the right piece for your mom as well!

Now let’s just hope my mom didn’t read this, or her Mother’s Day gift won’t be such a surprise…

Alicia Quan
AliciaFashionista

Pictured above (left to right):

For Good Necklace – “A serene ganesha pendant encourages you to push through obstacles, while a bezel set emerald stone attracts love and joy. Perfect for every day.”

Manifest Necklace in Emerald – “That each day is filled with countless opportunities for new beginnings is a beautiful gift we often take for granted. Be reminded to seize the chances put before you each time you wear this simple duo.”

Benefits of Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose:

Improves balance
Focuses the mind
Strengthens and stretches the legs

Tip:

Practice this pose on the floor first (Supta Hasta Padangusthasa) to imprint the mechanics of the pose on your mind and body.

What are you doing today, to make your life a bit more balanced?

When I want to cleanse, I change to a whole foods diet. This means no processed foods, including things like breads, chips, crackers, wraps, dairy, muffins, etc; and more brown rice, beans, quinoa, millet, oats, etc., loads of fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts/seeds. I also drink water with fresh squeezed lemon juice. In addition to this eating modification I suggest an algae supplement.

The beautiful thing about algae is the high chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green – it’s like the blood of the plant. It is magic at releasing and carrying toxins out of the body, thus the liver and kidneys LOVE it as they are the organs for carrying out these processes.

There are three common types of algae: chlorella, spirulina, and wild blue/green.
According to Paul Pitchford in “Healing with Whole Foods,” each of them have different energetic healing properties making each one more suited to the individual.

Chlorella: tonifying, gentle cleansing, highest chlorophyll content. Best for a person who has never cleansed before.

Spirulina: cooling, nourishing, detoxifies specifically the liver and kidneys, builds blood, inhibits growth of fungi, bacteria and yeast, increases mental capacity. Best for a person who has a tendency to be cold and/or dry.

Wild Blue/Green: cooling, drying, diuretic qualities, neurostimulant. Best for a person who tends to be hot and/or damp (clammy, perspires a lot, mucus build up).

All three of these algae are available in supplement form at Semperviva Sun Studio and Lifestyle Store. Come by, see myself or Ali and we can help you find the right cleansing supplement for you!

Jana Roy, RHN
www.naturedoesitbest.com

Hello everyone and happy Spring time to you! Today I want to talk to you a little about a topic I feel is on most people’s minds this time of year: and that is cleansing.
Our bodies are natural cleansing machines. Almost all of our organs have a built in cleansing mechanism, whether it be our liver, our kidneys or even our lungs. Sometimes, our bodies get over-burdened with toxins and need our help to get things moving. This is where cleaning comes in.
A person can cleanse through diet, exercise and various other techniques. Cleanses are perfect jump-starts to a new healthy lifestyle, or little boosts to the healthful way that we already live. Cleanses should not be used as a weight loss tool. If you would like to try a cleanse, here are a few ideas:

Clean Eating: Cleansing through clean eating is my favourite way to cleanse. It encourages us to remove all the processed and heavy foods from our diets, such as processed grains, meats and other junky foods. This can help steer us in a more mindful direction when it comes to our eating after the fast is over, as well as helping to make us feel amazing whilst we are doing it!

Juice Fasting: Juicing has many benefits. It completely removes all digestive load for the duration of your cleanse. Juicing will help your body to cleanse because you are not using any of your energy for digestion. This type of cleanse will also deliver nutrients directly to your cells all ready to be absorbed.

Supplements/Cleansing Kits: There are a wide number of cleansing kits available, most of them containing herbal formulas to help stimulate and support our detox organs. Some come with eating plans and others do not. They also range in length, anywhere from seven days up to six months! These are ideal for first time cleansers who need a little guidance.

I hope that I have given you some inspiration to look into cleansing for yourself! Still have some questions about cleansing? Please feel free to come see Jana or I at Semperviva Sun Studio and Lifestyle Store, or drop us a comment on the blog here!

By Ali Washington, RHN
www.unitycoaching.weebly.com

Benefits of Tree Pose:

• Improves balance and focus
• Tones the legs
• Strengthens the ankles

Find this pose easy?

Try balancing with your eyes closed.

What are you doing today, to make your life a bit more balanced?

Benefits of Eagle Pose:

• Improves balance, coordination, and focus
• Stretches the shoulders and upper back
• Releases the hips
• Strengthens the ankles, thighs and knees

This pose is a great stress reliever, taking tension out of the shoulders
and neck.

What are you doing today, to make your life a bit more balanced?

Benefits of Warrior III:

• Improves balance
• Improves focus
• Tones abdominal muscles
• Tones back muscles
• Strengthens leg muscles

Common misalignments:

• Hips are not level to the floor
• The knee of the lifted leg is bent

What are you doing today, to make your life a bit more balanced?

Super EFA Liquid is a fish oil supplement comprised of anchovy and Sardine oil. It yields 2250 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids, 1050 mg of EPA and 750 mg of DHA per teaspoon. These fatty acids do amazing things for the body!

Super EFA liquid is amazing for your heart. Studies have shown that the high levels of EPA and DHA help to increase arrhythmic thresholds, reduce blood pressure, and improve the function of arteries.

This liquid is also amazing for your brain. The oil found in this product is the most abundant form of lipid found in brain and neural tissue. This helps with brain and neural fluidity as well as function.

Super EFA has been shown to help lower HDL cholesterol levels (the bad Cholesterol) as well as helping to regulate the bodies ability to expand and contract its blood vessels.
EPA has been shown in studies to help reduce the inflammatory response, as well as helping to stabilize mood.
DHA has been shown in studies to help with brain function. It reduces the effects of depression, and helps with memory and concentration
The fatty acids in Super EFA also make up 60% of your retinal tissue, helping to nourish and protect the eyes.

As you can see, there are many reasons to take an extra boost of omega 3 fatty acids in your daily diet. Super EFA Liquid is guaranteed to be free of all allergens, additives, preservatives as well as heavy metals. Just a teaspoon a day keeps the doctor away!

By Ali Washington, Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Yoga Instructor

For more information on Ali, or to get in touch with her for coaching or questions check out www.urbanfruitbat.wordpress.com.

Chocolate Coconut Bliss Squares

Needed:
double boiler or a large saucepan and bowl that can sit on top
2 ice-cube trays
1 jar of organic, fair trade, unrefined, cold pressed (virgin) coconut oil
2 bars of organic, fair trade dark chocolate
bag of nuts and/or dried fruits of your choice

Directions:

• Scoop out 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 2 bars of chocolate into top of double boiler or a bowl on top of boiling water in a saucepan
• melt together, mixing thoroughly
• pour mixture into ice-cube trays
• add nuts and/or dry fruit to each little cube. Mix it up a bit by adding different things and/or leave plain
• put trays in freezer for 1 hour
• remove and tap out the Chocolate Coconut Bliss Squares and savor 1 square every day

Keep REFRIGERATED or FROZEN at all times!
I recommend using Organic Lives Coconut Oil and Giddy Yoyo chocolate. Both are available at Semperviva Sun Studio and Lifestyle Store

By Jana Roy RHN
naturedoesitbest.com

After months of preparation and fund raising activities I returned to Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in Africa, to work with the monk Dada Padmeshananda director of AMURT in Burkina Faso, Numéro Un, Deou coordinator and interpreter, and Rasmane, Bissiri farm and clinic coordinator. These amazing and dear friends ensure I reach nomad tribes and villagers in the areas around Deou (remote desert region of northern Burkina Faso) and Bissiri (a rural farming community an hour South of the capital) to enhance health. These areas are incredibly underserved in terms of commodities such as electricity, water, health care and health promotion services as minimally trained health workers and traditional birth attendants are challenged to provide care with little supplies and no support or supervision from professional health care practitioners.

The population we serve lives in mud or woven huts shaped like igloos with may be a water pump near by, this year drought brought famine in most of the regions of the country. Dada P (Padmeshananda) led meditation and yoga sessions twice a day which I avidly attended as these sessions helped ground my practice and experiences. I had with me $7000.00 worth of medications obtained generously at a fee of 10% of the original price from Health Partners International of Canada. The packages included antibiotics, bronchodilators, inhalers, analgesics, vitamins, etc. I also had purchased several dressing and nursing supplies to attend to as many ailments as our patients presented with. The cash money donated was used to buy petrol for our travels, more needed medications, build a rain catching device in Déou and replant seeds to grow Moringa trees in Bissiri. The leaves, blooms, bark and roots of Moringa trees contain so much nutrients that we plan to organize a processing plant to dry and distribute the leaves to improve nutrition and health of the populations we work with.

In Déou, a desert area of the Sahel, the most frequent ailments treated were malnutrition, respiratory infections, asthma, epigastric pains, joint pains, fevers, wounds and malaria. We assessed and treated over 700 people and visited 8 villages where we sometimes stayed over night due to the number of patients needing healthcare. Many of the villages are located by Mali or Niger borders, are difficult to reach as we travel by truck or motor bike with no road to follow and regularly finding ourselves stuck in the sand having to dig, push or gather rocks to make a path for the wheels of the vehicle.

In Bissiri we treated patients, ran lively and well attended health promotion sessions educating villagers on basic principles of hygiene, wound care, care of infants, children and adults suffering from diarrhea and fevers and when to consult the health centre, often located as far as four hours away or more via donkey cart, camel ride or walking. As well I attempted to deepen the knowledge base and model more in-depth systematic assessments and care for the community nurses working at the clinic. So many patients told us how they appreciated our services last year and were happy to see us back and that they looked forward to our return next year.

Each trip I learn so much from the patience, tolerance, endurance and courage of this deserving population who must cope with such harsh environment. I truly am looking forward to returning in the autumn of 2012 with more health supplies, ready to learn and be embraced by the kindness so generously offered by everyone. Thank you for this excellent opportunity to share my recent experience.

by Andree Bamforth

If you would like to donate to Andree’s project “Improve Health and Nutrition in Rural West Africa (Burkina Faso)”, please go to Givemeaning and select her project.

Why are they so important? Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids have many functions in our bodies. They are an important building block for our cell membranes, which help to transport nutrients and wastes into and out of our cells. They have important roles in regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting, fertility, as well as regulating the inflammatory process of our immune systems to help fight infection.

How much do we need? In order to avoid deficiency states, the RDA states that we need a minimum of 1.5 grams of each EFA/day. The ideal ratio of Omega 3:Omega6 is somewhere between 1:1 and 1:4. Just make sure that you are getting at least you 1.5 grams of each per day, and you should be on track.

Where can you get it? Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are abundant in plant and animal kingdom! Some rich sources include flax seed oil, flax seed meal (you must grind your flax seeds to extract the nutrition, otherwise they will go straight through your system totally undigested) hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, sardines, mackerel and other fish, avocado and olive oil. Just one tablespoon of flax seed oil provides your minimum requirement for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids!

I hope that I have inspired you to start incorporating more of these amazing body boosting healthy fats into your diet. Remember, all fats are not created equal. These two Essential Fatty Acids are ESSENTIAL for your health, so make sure that you get your daily dose.

By Ali Washington, Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Yoga Instructor

For more information on Ali, or to get in touch with her for coaching or questions check her out at www.urbanfruitbat.wordpress.com.

Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system. – Bruce Lee

It seems that we are always destined to make the mistake of identifying with a particular way of doing things. Even within a practice as dynamic and fluid as Yoga, there is still the need to crystallize into a single ‘right’ method of practice. We forget that the source of this practice is nature, which, while adhering to particular patterns and physical laws, is in a constant act of recreating itself from scratch. Nature is full of surprises, full of boundless diversity, and we being a part of nature can also surprise ourselves if we are willing to step out of the self-imposed boundaries of a particular style, school, or teacher.

Similar to Bruce Lee, my old martial arts teacher used to say that the mastery of any art form is the ability to abandon in an instant all techniques and skills you have learned, to liberate yourself from the baggage of the past, to make room for the arising of something new. This is a moment of fearless honesty and creativity that will connect you much deeper with the nature of your experience. He understood that it is simply being human that makes us exceptional at what we do, not the stamp we impose on it, or the belts we wrap around it. He used to encourage me to seek out other teachers, to meet other realms of study with the freshness of an unbiased mind. For this, I am ever grateful. So often, teachers will discourage their students from other areas of study, usually out of a need to control or even ‘own’ their students as a commodity.

It might seem counter-productive to remain absent of a ‘style’ of practice; after all, how else are you going to dig your well deep? But, paradoxically, the freedom from ‘style’ lends an incredible power to your practice, an adaptability that translates into a broader spectrum of understanding and much deeper grasp of the universal principles of nature. If we strip away all external adornments, all labels, all identification with a certain way of doing things, what are we left with? After all is said and done, each person who practices Yoga (or anything else for that matter) does it with a body governed by the same laws of nature, the same overall structure, and the same consciousness that is capable of opening to the deepest insights gifted to each of us as our birthright.

What is in a style? Wherein lies the substance of this practice? Whether you consider yourself a Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Yin, Anusara, Bikram, Hot, Jivamukti, Kriya, Iyengar, Kripalu, or Sivananda Yogi (and the list goes on), you are doing nothing more or less than conciously breathing, moving, and feeling – which is our most direct human means of interacting with the endless creative force that is the universe. Let your experience on the mat be one of liberation from all the junk we heap on this art form. Let the essential simplicity and vitality of this ever fresh practice be your doorway to your own living creativity. Let every new moment you meet be held within the ripe and infinitely powerful space of ‘not-knowing’. And if any teacher (including me) ever tells you otherwise, run fearlessly in the other direction.

By Cameron Gilley

Many yogis come to the mat in order to create strength in the wrists or to heal injury in the wrists. Just as many yogis experience some type of wrist pain due to the practice yoga whether it be chronic or pain from a specific incident. The number of students who comment about pain in their wrists during class has led me to write this piece.

There are so many reasons why people come to class with acute wrist pain already (etc, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, a fall on the hands…) and many yoga classes incorporate poses with weight bearing on this part of the body (downward facing dog, handstand, full wheel, plank…).

Thus, I’d like to offer gentle wrist warm up exercises and correct alignment in poses to avoid unnecessary strain. Read on to find preventative exercises for wrist pain and simple movements to get the blood flowing through the hands and fingers. Please try these at home every day, as there just isn’t time in a 1-hour class to appropriately warm up the precious joints in the body.

In order to find ease in the wrists, start with simple exercises to build flexibility, mobility and strength.

Take a seated position:

With your arms at your side and parallel to the ground, widen your fingers apart and press the heels of the hands away.

Place your hands in prayer, Namaste, at the center of your chest and press heels of hands down towards the ground.

Make fists with the thumbs wrapped around fingers and do slow wrist rolling in both directions.

While stretching is an important way to get the blood flowing in your wrist joints, it is crucial that you stay aware of your alignment in your yoga practice. In Plank Pose try to always keep your shoulders over the fingertips so that the forearms are vertical with the floor and the fingers are spread wide apart. This will brighten up all the muscles in your hands and reduce disproportionate weight on the wrists. This alignment is also important for Side Plank.

Using props in weight bearing poses is a simple way to reduce pressure from the wrists, especially if you feel pain. In Downward Facing Dog, you can roll the edge of your mat a few times. A little height may make a huge difference until your wrists are stronger.

The same can be done in Full Wheel Pose. Here you will notice that the forearms are vertical to the ground, as stressed for Plank Pose, a proper way to distribute weight evenly through the hands. If you want to purchase a prop, rather than roll the edge of your mat, a cork wedge can be placed under the heels of the hands in these poses.

Finally, consider the benefits of taking a BREAK from yoga!! Resting your joints and muscles from vigorous exercise can be the best method for healing. If you suffer from severe pain and/or swelling, try a 2-week hiatus and reassess your situation.

By Carolyn Anne Budgell
opentoyoga.wordpress.com

The first time I attended a Kundalini yoga class, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

Being relatively new to my yoga practice, I had been experimenting with different disciplines and classes – mostly Hatha yoga with the odd Vinyasa class thrown in.

By chance, a friend led me to an outdoor class held at Jericho Beach on a picturesque warm summer morning where 400 people were setting up for practice. Everyone seemed happy to be there. There was a palpable energy flowing through the large crowd: lots of chatting, laughing, and hugging. I couldn’t help but let this energy begin to invigorate my senses.

My friend assured me that this would not be like any class I had attended previously, and warned me that there would be “lots of dancing.” Dancing on a beach with 400 people, while morning joggers and dog walkers strolled by? I figured that I liked to bust a move now and again, so why not keep an open mind.

As the sun began rising higher under the clear sky, the crowd was guided through postures at a steady pace. We started with some warm up breath work and exercises. I was overcome with a sense of well-being as I moved, especially when I was told to take notice of my breath.

Slowly, I became more aware of my body and also my surroundings. Everything seemed to feel more…vivid.

We gradually moved into faster paced poses – my legs began to burn from all the squats – and by the time we paired up for partner exercises, everyone was laughing. Next thing you know, Enrique Eglesias’ “I Like It” boomed through the speaker system and everyone started screaming and dancing.

I look around in a panic, but my friend is no longer next to me – she’s sprinted off to dance with some friends across the field. The laughing and dancing was infectious, and before I knew it, I was dancing as well!

By the expressions on everyone’s faces after the class, I knew that his had been a great morning. The morning’s practice really opened my mind, and I wanted to experience the feeling again when it was all over.

Kundalini yoga is a great fit for me or for anyone regardless of fitness level or yoga experience. It’s a chance to let go and shake off the stresses of the day and dance to great music. I’ve been back to several Kundalini classes and always have a great time.

Thanks Semperviva.

Though February is considered “Heart Health” month across Canada – which is suitable for the month in which we celebrate Valentine’s Day – the team at Semperviva Yoga have instead deemed February 2012 to be “Mental Health” month.

We’re in the thick of Vancouver winter, which means many days of grey miserable skies, and cold wet feet. Sunshine is hard to come by, and moods are low. Finding the bright side of life is challenging at best.

Here are a few ways to cope naturally with the February winter blues:

• Yoga! I might be a bit biased, but a yoga class can do wonders for your state of mind. Moving your body increases the production of serotonin, which reduces symptoms of depression. Include some deep breathing and meditation to stimulate the para-sympathetic nervous system, which calms us down while naturally lifting our mood.

• Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because our skin needs sunlight to produce it. There are also a few foods that contain vitamin D, which include fish and egg yolk. In the cold season, when exposed to sunlight less, many people lack Vitamin D which makes them more prone to infections. A quality vitamin D supplement is a good idea during the winter months to boost our immune system and keep our mood at a high. Try Liquid Vitamin D by Thorne available at Semperviva Sun Studio and Lifestyle Store for $13.99.

• Get outside anyway! Bundle up warmly with layers, a waterproof jacket, rubber boots, and an umbrella – a walk in the rain can be an adventure. Go into the local woods and listen to the trees catch the rain, take a walk on the beach and remind yourself why you live in this beautiful city. Splash in the puddles, get wet, get curious and have FUN!

• A Kundalini class with Gloria Latham will definitely lift your mood, not only because it’s so active, but also because it’s a chance to connect to community – and connecting to community gives us an understanding of a bigger purpose, a sense that we are not alone. No previous yoga experience necessary, just be ready to dance, laugh and sweat! Check out our schedule for class times and locations.

So take your liquid sunshine, walk in the rain, and get to your mat regularly to beat the Vancouver winter blues!

Jana Roy
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
Nature Does It Best
www.naturedoesitbest.com

A new year offers a new opportunity for change.

Thanks BKR for helping us kick-start our New Year!

By Angie Inglis

Regardless of the traditions you celebrate, this holiday season you undoubtedly found yourself exercising less, eating more and… shopping.

Sure, you’ve been mobile, but in a rather frenetic way – and most of that activity probably occurred inside your head (unless you’re a commuter cyclist).

Add holiday overeating to the formula – all those heavy holiday meals of carbs, meats, and sweets that we’re not used to – and most of us will finish off the holiday season feeling weighed down.

And even if you’re feeling rather serene yourself, you’re sure to run into a stranger or friend who doesn’t feel quite so calm around the holidays, so you’ll need to take extra care to remain relaxed.

So, what to do?

Ayurveda Dietary Recommendations for Holiday Recovery

First, remember to take care of your digestive health before and after dinner:

• Load up on ginger over the holidays, as it’s the best cure for over-consumption.
• Drink plain water or ginger-lemon-honey tea for a light detoxifying effect that will help you weather the heavy foods and alcohol with greater ease.
• Kindle your digestive fire by eating a teaspoon of raw grated ginger, a squeeze of lime, and a dash of salt 20-30 minutes before your meal. This will reduce indigestion and heaviness (Don’t forget to share your “secret” with dinner-guests).
• Perhaps it’s obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: try not to eat too much or too often. Snacking constantly between meals is exhausting for the body; it’s like running a car non-stop. If the body is always digesting, it has no time to work on detoxification or simply rest.

Ayurveda Exercise Recommendations for Holiday Maintenance

Second, tune into your body and keep moving:

• When the yoga studio is out of the question, take 5-45 minutes (whatever you can manage, every little bit helps) to do a combination of home-based yogic practices that suit your needs.
• For a heavy body and cloudy head, cycle through some Sun Salutations to stimulate blood flow for a more limber body and mind. Don’t forget to take a 2-5 minute Savasana afterward!
• Feeling anxious and overwhelmed? Sink into a few of your favourite Yin Yoga postures, meditate or put your legs up the wall for 10-20 minutes.
• Don’t forget that even a brief, momentary pause to observe your breath as you stand or sit in stillness can go a long way to restoring a sense of inner quiet and presence. Remember the power of breath awareness!

These two Ayurvedic suggestions – maintaining healthy digestion and consistent exercise – can help you manage any rough patches during the holidays.

However, the best piece of advice is to connect with your community this season – the yoga studio is not only a place to exercise and relax, but it can also be a wondrous experience of magical togetherness and serene flow.

Let’s remember that the greatest gift we can give anyone, is the gift of our undivided attention; the more we practice giving it to ourselves (ie awareness of body, mind and breath), the more we will have it to offer others.

But don’t take my word for it – give it a try.

Awareness is the first step to optimal health, one breath at a time.

Namaste,
Angie

www.rediscovervitality.com

Angie attended Gujarat Ayurved University in India and has also studied Ayurveda with her cherished teacher, Dr. Vasant Lad, in both Pune, India and at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM. She is a yoga teacher and shares her passion for Ayurveda with others through group workshops and one-on-one consultations.

New Year’s resolutions are a recommitment to personal growth that add to your value as a friend, lover, and parent.

Why not start a 2012 New Year’s reading list to help your resolutions along?

The following two yoga books promise to evoke and inspire both the heart and the mind.

Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love

by Daniel Odier

If you’re curious about one person’s experiences with Tantric Shivaism (and it’s much more than many folk assume it to be), you will enjoy Daniel

Odier’s Tantric Quest – a magical account of his Himalayan journey in 1968 where he met his teacher Lalita Devi.

We are taken through Daniel’s extreme physical and emotional undertakings as he learns from Lalita how to embrace the creative goddess element prevalent in nature. The tales are grim and astoundingly majestic all at once, which is a succinct portrayal of Tantra.

The Tantric idea (that Odier follows) recognizes that we are all pure beings in this universe and getting back to our original source through this path will be a spontaneous occurrence. It embraces all that is good and all that is bad, right here in your life on earth.

“What does the worshiper do? He cleans the temple. How? By asking all who have been sitting there forever to leave so he can sweep, throw fresh water drawn from the river on the stones, scatter rose petals. Very quickly, the worshiper takes count of those sitting in his consciousness who refuse to leave the temple. Why? Because, like us, they are afraid. It is because of fear that the consciousness remains cluttered. Not the little fears, easy to define, not the fear of this or that, but the great fundamental fear, which is the fragile terrain on which we construct all our dreams, and which, one days or another, paralyzes us and destroys what we have constructed with so much care.

“..the temple is empty and resplendent, so that the light shimmers in it, the songs of the birds fill it, fragrances scent it, and moonbeams make it even more spacious, we congratulate ourselves for our wisdom and clear-sightedness, and we say to ourselves, ‘Now this place is absolutely pure. It’s the perfect spot for storing the sublime teachings I’ve had access to. In this temple, I’m going to store the most profound products of wisdom to nourish my consciousness.’”

- Daniel Odier

The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: Theory and Practice

by Georg Feuerstein

Academics at heart who are looking for concise explanations of the philosophical, physical, ethical and historical aspects of yoga will enjoy Georg Feuerstein’s essays compiled in “The Deeper Dimension of Yoga.”

Although Feuerstein has written comprehensive texts about the study of yoga, tantra and history, this survey book is a great way to get a little piece of everything!

“Love, then, is not merely a temporary high, a feeling of elation. It must be cultivated as a continuous spiritual disposition. We must love even when we feel slighted, hurt, angered, bored, or depressed – especially in those moments. Bhakti-Yoga is the steady application of our feeling capacity in all life situations. Even in our worst moments, we must extend our love, or fundamental respect, to all others. Even though life consists of peaks and valleys, our overall commitment must be to what is revealed in our brief spells on the peaks….Genuine love asks for nothing in return, though it always works toward duplicating itself in others. Thus, the greatest reward for a person who practices the discipline of love is that another being has become illuminated by that love and is now carrying the gift to others.”

“Yoga is a gradual process of replacing our unconscious patterns of thought and behavior with new, more benign patterns that are expressive of the higher powers and virtues of enlightenment. It takes time to accomplish this far-reaching work of self-transformation, and therefore practitioners of Yoga must first and foremost practice patience. Enlightenment, or liberation, is not realized in a matter of days, weeks, or months. We must be willing to commit to an entire lifetime of yogic practice. There must be a basic impulse to grow, regardless of whether or not we will achieve liberation in this lifetime. It is one of Yoga’s fundamental tenets that no effort is ever wasted; even the slightest attempt at transforming ourselves makes a difference. It is our patient cumulative effort that flowers into enlightenment sooner or later.”

- Georg Feuerstein

Carolyn Anne Budgell

BA, RYT, Yoga Alliance

www.opentoyoga.wordpress.com