What turns you on? – by Amanda Manzagol

Recall a time in your life when you felt so totally alive that your skin tingled with a heightened level of sensation, your heart swelled with an unbridled passion for life and you were consumed with an overpowering sense that anything was possible. In that moment in time, you were completely present and reveling in your unique authenticity. Savor the luscious possibility held in that energy, close your eyes and breathe into that space for a moment.

Some people might call it nirvana, bliss, or even a runner’s high. Regardless of the name, the feeling is intense and alluring. If you are like most of the population and it has been a while since you felt that profoundly alive, you might be wondering how to get back to such a wonderfully intoxicating state of being. Or maybe you have found ways to access this magnificent feeling on a regular basis through some form of meditation or physical activity. Yoga anyone…?

Even if you have discovered a reliable hyperlink to your own personal nirvana, most of us do not live in a yoga studio or on a mountain running trail where we can slip into a moving meditation whenever we want. When we go out into the “real” world to work and live our lives, we often times start to conform to what we think is expected of us, getting caught up in the old story that seems to keep playing on repeat, and we don’t always speak our truth. Especially during times of stress, the lines start to blur, we stifle our authentic self, and our flame of inner trust and knowing starts to flicker and dim. Not quite the deeply authentic and present state we long to connect with…

So how do we reconnect with our authenticity and become truly present in all facets of our lives? For me, it comes down to allowing space, to slow down and listen for my own truth. Amidst the chaos of kids, school, animals, family and clients, I pause for a few moments to breathe and my inquiries start to take shape… Who am I being right now? How do I want to show up to my life? What is the reality I want to create?

When I slow down long enough to reconnect with the place in my soul that whispers those answers to me, the doubts, the stories and the expectations begin to fall away. Like a stormy night’s darkness clearing to reveal a new morning sunrise, I am left with new sense of clarity. I return to a deep knowing that radiates out into the world, allowing me to be my authentic self, without any explanation or excuses.

Without fail, tapping into my authenticity and divine feminine energy is like pressing my “on” button. I stand tall, drop the old story that no longer serves me, and move forward to live a life of purpose and meaning. From this place of clarity, resonance and delight, I marvel at the freedom I feel and the permission it gives other people to be their authentic selves as well.

As the process repeats, the inquiry builds. How do I want to hold this moment? From this place of truth, what is possible? The process is endless and an entire world of opportunity and adventure unfolds before me when I am courageous enough to be truly present and show up to my life as the real me.

Amanda Manzagol is a professional Co-Active life and business coach, coaching clients across the nation from her home base in the San Francisco Bay Area.

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaTheresaCC

Amanda@amandatheresa.com
408-410-5686

Recall a time in your life when you felt so totally alive that your skin tingled with a heightened level of sensation, your heart swelled with an unbridled passion for life and you were consumed with an overpowering sense that anything was possible. In that moment in time, you were completely present and reveling in your unique authenticity. Savor the luscious possibility held in that energy, close your eyes and breathe into that space for a moment.
Some people might call it nirvana, bliss, or even a runner’s high. Regardless of the name, the feeling is intense and alluring. If you are like most of the population and it has been a while since you felt that profoundly alive, you might be wondering how to get back to such a wonderfully intoxicating state of being. Or maybe you have found ways to access this magnificent feeling on a regular basis through some form of meditation or physical activity. Yoga anyone…?
Even if you have discovered a reliable hyperlink to your own personal nirvana, most of us do not live in a yoga studio or on a mountain running trail where we can slip into a moving meditation whenever we want. When we go out into the “real” world to work and live our lives, we often times start to conform to what we think is expected of us, getting caught up in the old story that seems to keep playing on repeat, and we don’t always speak our truth. Especially during times of stress, the lines start to blur, we stifle our authentic self, and our flame of inner trust and knowing starts to flicker and dim. Not quite the deeply authentic and present state we long to connect with…
So how do we reconnect with our authenticity and become truly present in all facets of our lives? For me, it comes down to allowing space, to slow down and listen for my own truth. Amidst the chaos of kids, school, animals, family and clients, I pause for a few moments to breathe and my inquiries start to take shape… Who am I being right now? How do I want to show up to my life? What is the reality I want to create?
When I slow down long enough to reconnect with the place in my soul that whispers those answers to me, the doubts, the stories and the expectations begin to fall away. Like a stormy night’s darkness clearing to reveal a new morning sunrise, I am left with new sense of clarity. I return to a deep knowing that radiates out into the world, allowing me to be my authentic self, without any explanation or excuses.
Without fail, tapping into my authenticity and divine feminine energy is like pressing my “on” button. I stand tall, drop the old story that no longer serves me, and more forward to live a life of purpose and meaning. From this place of clarity, resonance and delight, I marvel at the freedom I feel and the permission it gives other people to be their authentic selves as well.
As the process repeats, the inquiry builds. How do I want to hold this moment? From this place of truth, what is possible? The process is endless and an entire world of opportunity and adventure unfolds before me when I am courageous enough to be truly present and show up to my life as the real me.

Amanda Manzagol is a professional Co-Active life and business coach, coaching clients across the nation from her home base in the San Francisco Bay Area.

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaTheresaCC

Amanda@amandatheresa.com
408-410-5686

As a person working in the healing arts I have seen all sorts of things – students showing up drunk, smoking crack in parking lots, teachers dating students, teachers and their husbands dating the same student, people taking final relaxation in the middle of class, students doing random Kudalini while I’m teaching inversions, throwing blocks, taking phone calls, texting.  I have also been privileged to witness incredible things – a pregnant woman (with twins) in down dog on the wall, students going through and recovering from cancer, students getting off meds of all sorts.

Like any physical practice, yoga has its benefits and pitfalls for both the teacher and the student.  And as in ALL professions, there are both wonderful and hideous people involved.

I start each class by taking injuries.  Sometimes I demonstrate the modifications for injured students and sometimes I help them modify as we go along.  I take responsibility for the knowledge that students give me.  But it is also true that the student is ultimately responsible for practicing in a healing way and for doing the modifications.

For example, what I say to the students who lay down in the middle of class is that it’s dangerous. If you lower your core temperature and then pop up into a pose, you risk injury.  So then we come up with a modification that is heat building but also possible for the student.  This is often very liberating for the student and an interesting teaching moment.

But William Broad’s article addresses something else: the overzealous student.  For example, I had a student come to class with a bruised rib.  I checked in with him pose by pose, asking him if the poses we were doing were causing pain.  The practice was feeling good until he pushed up into down-dog.  He said, ‘That hurt.’  To which I responded, ‘Don’t do that anymore.’  And as I turned to help another student, I watched him press up again into downward dog.

I bring this particular example up because it is very common. I call these students the Struggle Junkies.  They tend to be in constant pain both on and off the mat, they look very healthy in the superficial sense (in that they have athletic bodies) and they harbor a lot of repressed rage.  Often there is addiction attached.  They injure themselves both in their exercise regime and in their day-to-day with regularity.

It seems I’ve got two choices with the Junkies: I can become a teacher who addresses that kind of self-destructive behavior, or I can ask that student to leave.  The interim step – to ignore the students who seem determined to injure themselves – is not what I want for myself or those students.

This kind of student does not need to be told what to do; they are busy ordering themselves around 24/7.  What I find works, especially in the first few classes, is kindness, compassion, clarity and firm boundaries.  I look for ways to let them know I see them and that I’m not going anywhere.  I look for ways to let them know they can push back, but that it has no impact on what’s going to go down in my classroom.

So I’m grateful to this unfortunately-titled article for reminding me what’s at stake (and reminding me that sometimes students feel so betrayed and ignored they just may act out very publicly and write a piece for the New York Times.)  As a teacher it’s time for me to write a new teaching oath and get really clear about the kind of students I’m prepared to take on and recommitting to teaching them well.

To my regular students who are reading this, I encourage you to get honest with yourself about the way that you practice and the way that you move through the world.  It’s the same thing.  Observe yourself in class and notice if you are doing what is being asked or if you are doing a practice you learned from someone else.  Get really curious about how you operate and disobey the parts of you that want to stay stuck in boring/destructive behaviors.  Know that you will learn a deeply healing sequence of poses in my classes.

Yoga, like all fundamentalist movements has to evolve and we must learn how to take really good care of ourselves on the mat.  And the next time you are in a blind rage in my class, consider it a gift. Don’t waste your time projecting it onto me. Instead use your breath and the pose to move that through you and out.  Take advantage of what the practice has brought to light.  It’s not all pretty.  And that’s OK.

Be your best advocate and rock on wich-ya-bad-self.

Megan is a regular contributor to the hyde blog and can be found at lalitahealingcollevtive.com

The universe provided me with a clear ‘hit’.  In this case, ‘Go to Rwanda’.  And then a year went by and I still didn’t go but I asked the girls at Ubushobozi to make yoga mat bags for my studio.  That has been fun but I still didn’t go.  And then this year, the girls started doing yoga and are totally hooked.  The voice then got louder and turned into, ‘Go to Rwanda and lead a teacher training so that the girls can teach themselves.’  And now I’m going.

Sometimes I think we get trapped into thinking that the practice of yoga means that we must get to classes all the time and stay committed and repeat our commitments week after week to be good yogis.  And yes, all that is necessary but it’s not the whole story. In my experience, yoga shakes the very foundation of our lives and transforms us.  It creates constant change. For me, if I stay here and be a responsible studio owner and teacher, I will be ignoring the information that is being revealed to me as a result of a regular practice. And in doing so, totally wasting the gifts that have come to me as a result of my time on the mat.  This is a inconvenient time for me to go to far away lands…my studio is very busy, my one teacher is on vacation the same weeks and I am leading a training here 2 days after I return.  Authentic decision making means that we may ruffle some feathers and not always be able to explain our lives.  It is part of growing up and putting ourselves and our answered prayers/gut feelings into the equation.  I call it spiritual maturity.

So I thank my practice of prayer, of meditation and of yoga for revealing the next step.  I do wish sometimes that I got more than one clue on the map at a time, but I am so very grateful for the one clear feeling. I will keep you posted as I prepare to leave and while I’m there.  Thank you Hyde for sponsoring the clothing!

Megan Leigh
http://lalitahealingcollective.com/
845.688.9769

 It was once believed that the earth was the center of the universe.  Once Copernicus proved his heliocentric theory that our planet actually revolved around the sun, just like any other in our galaxy, our collective attitude shifted as to how we fit into the larger picture.  The sun’s weight in the fabric of the universe is what keeps the planets spinning in their gravitational evolution.  Since you are the center of your universe (not to be confused with THE universe), what is your gravitas keeping in orbit? 

Scientifically, everything on this planet is made up of energy.   You are vibrating at a higher frequency, which is why you can walk on “solid” ground, when in reality, you are being supported by a lower and denser frequency.   Even New Orleans was built upon liquid land…the swamp.  If you perceive the world to be more flexible than rigid, then you can see how we make a mark on the world, like a wake of a pirogue through water.  So as you move throughout your day, your thoughts leave an impression in the ether through which you travel.   Like concentric circles that ripple out from the center, your consciousness affects the behavior of subatomic particles.   Therefore, you are always making an imprint.  So what impression are you leaving?      

As we set sail into into the last month of the year, I invite you to spread holiday cheer through an infectious positive attitude…with your friends and family, your neighbors, the store clerk, sitting in traffic, on the subway,  in yoga class, or interacting with the flight attendant.  The list goes on.  There are plenty opportunities to shift the fabric of the cosmos and magnetize affirmation back to nourish your sunny disposition.  How you speak to yourself is part of this game.    That too makes an impact.  It is one way to alter and author your self-woven tapestry.  Whether on trains, planes, automobiles, or your own rent-a-car of embodiment, imagine radiating gratitude as you travel fluidly throughout the month of December.  It might make for a very impressive holiday! 

Cheers,

Cat 

You can find Cat at: www.nolayoga.com

www.missionashtanga.com

I often ask myself this question as I’m on my mat, sweating, sometimes dragging myself through my yoga practice.  I wish I could say that I rush to my mat each morning with vigor and enthusiasm, eager to ‘meet’ myself and all that practice forces me to face.  To be honest, sometimes I would rather do almost anything else other than show up for practice yet, there I find myself, rolling out my mat, and practicing.   In fact, it is precisely those mornings that I’m full up with angst or negativity that I know will end up being the deepest and most healing.

By asking myself the question, “who’s practicing”, I have the opportunity to get some space, out of the way of myself, and of the many grapplings of my ego mind.  The inquiry invites me to step away from the present thought or emotion that is taking over the moment and to step back into a space of vast, openness that is untouched by the chaos of my mind.  It reminds me of the ground of well-being that is always present, no matter what.

The mind moves towards whatever thoughts, feelings or emotions are present.  It’s conditioned to do so.  If we stay overly identified with our mind-stuff, the lens we view the world through gets too narrow and tainted by all of the vrittis (movements).   If we can remember, in the midst of the chaos, to step out of the way of whatever has a hold over us, the lens gets wider and perspective shifts.  The noise of our minds gets quieter (and eventually less interesting) and the boundless, spacious, purity of the background shines through, giving us a glimpse of Who we truly are.

My mind easily gets twisted up with anger, tiredness, laziness, grief, anxiety, you name it, I’ve got it.   If I stayed identified with any one of these emotions I may not even get out of bed in the morning let alone attempt my yoga practice.  So, each day, with every practice, I inquire, “who’s practicing?” and, slowly, slowly the feeling of spaciousness widens and the radiance brightens.  And the feeling of grace lingers just a little longer.

When I remember to pause and inquire into the nature of this “I” that is involved in all of the doing, I meet the unchanging, welcoming, perfection that has always been here and that will forever be.

www.emilyhicksyoga.com

Radha and Krishna.  Parvati and Shiva.  Sita and Ram.  Deeply ingrained into the culture of yoga is the idea of spiritual partnership.  Yoga, as you have likely heard before, is literally translated as union.  This can be interpreted many ways, but one of the ways in which we seek union is by uniting with our partner, both in our day to day lives, as well as (ahem) sexually.  We use the love we have for our partner to ultimately experience divine love and union.  This is said by some traditions to be the highest yoga, and our partner eventually becomes our teacher and guide, pushing us to evolve and transform into the deity we are destined to become.

But what if our partner hasn’t come to us yet?  I feel like I’ve been asking that question for years.  And the answer I’ve gotten is, well… you have to create Him (with a capital H!).  Meaning, you have to put the karmic causes in play: help others in their relationships, respect others’ romantic bonds, befriend lonely people, and cultivate the qualities in yourself that you’d like to see in your partner.

This advice is all, of course, true… but what does it look like in daily practice?  And what’s a modern yogini to do when everyone you meet seems to either be in a relationship, insanely shy (I live in Portland, Oregon, world capital of really awesome and really introverted men) or perhaps even your yoga student? (My advice on that: don’t go there.)

Long story short, I decided to join an online dating site a couple months ago.  While I haven’t found my Krishna just yet, I’ve experienced enough to believe it’s possible.  And in the meantime, I’ve come to see that online dating is in itself a practice.  So if you’re in the same boat as me, here are a few tips to make your quest for true love part of your practice rather than an exercise in egoic agony.

1. Set Your intention. Have you noticed what happens when you forget to set an intention at the beginning of your yoga practice?  You’re just sort of… stretching.  So take a moment to think, “Why am I looking for a relationship?  Is it just because I’m lonely?  Bored?  Feel pressure to get married?”  Unless we’re already realized beings, there’s likely some element of those emotions present for all of us.  Similarly, when we come to our yoga mat, we’re often looking to relieve pain and stress. But if we pause and think of some reason outside of ourselves that we can practice, like offering our practice to a friend in need or cultivating gratitude for the blessings in our lives, our practice becomes something much different.  Moreover, it actually works– we feel happier, calmer, and just overall better.  Dating is no different.  Yes, we want someone to love, a companion, someone to be there through thick and thin, someone to cuddle with and eat with and laugh at our jokes.  But can we use that partnership, and the person we become through that partnership, to serve the world?

2. Fake It ‘Til You Make It. Are you looking for Krishna?  Or are you just looking for some guy?  If you want to meet Krishna, you’ve got to be Radha.  Krishna didn’t partner with some ordinary girl; he partnered with a Goddess.  So before you go on a date, before you send a guy a message, before you even fill out your profile, take a moment to create yourself as divine.  Close your eyes and take a few breaths.  You have no inherent identity; you are whoever you identify as, as dictated by your past thoughts, words and actions.  If you label yourself as ordinary, you will see yourself as ordinary.  If you label yourself as divine, you will create the causes to actually (eventually…) see yourself as divine.  Which “you” is going to attract a divine being?  How does She act?

3. Be Honest. One of the things most articles about online dating say is that people fudge their profiles.  They lie about their height, or their body type, or they post younger, more attractive photos of themselves.  Of course we’re all just trying to portray our best selves, but it’s important to practice the high art of satya, truthfulness.  Be honest about the superficial things like appearance, and also be honest about the deeper things.  Be clear about what you want.  If you want to have kids some day, don’t convince yourself that you don’t just because he doesn’t but he’s really cute.  Likewise, if you go on a date with someone and realize you don’t want to go out again, say so!  As hard as it is to risk hurting someone’s feelings, stringing them along just prolongs the agony for both of you.  Practice truthfulness by being up front about your feelings.

4. Let Go. I was convinced that the first online guy I went on a real live date with was The One.  I had checked out his profile, exchanged a few messages, and just knew.  Then he walked into the restaurant.  Meh.  Not so much.  You can learn a lot about someone from their profile, and it’s important to look for someone who will be your match on paper.  But one thing you can’t know is whether there will be any spark, attraction, or connection in real life.  The Sanskrit word vairagya is translated as detachment or renunciation.  In this context, we need to detach ourselves from preconceived notions and ideas about people.  A profile is just that–a profile.  Don’t get stuck on the idea that that’s who this person is.  You aren’t going to spend your life with a profile, so get to know the person.  Avoid prolonged internet chatting and just meet.  You’ll know right away if there’s any potential there.  And if after a few dates you happen to think there’s potential and he doesn’t?  Let it go.  He’s not the one.

5. Have Fun! One of my favorite practices is virya or joyful effort.  This is the notion that we don’t get enlightened by grudgingly doing our practice, we do it by having fun.  Even if we know within 30 seconds that a second date with someone isn’t going to happen, we’ve still probably got at least an hour before we can gracefully make an exit.  So how can you enjoy that hour?  Or how can you use it to otherwise open your heart and become a more compassionate being?  Maybe this person is having a hard time with the whole dating thing and you just being there to listen, laugh, and make them laugh helps.

Of course, when you do finally meet Him, The One, Krishna Himself, the fun, love and magic will happen without any effort at all.  Until then, keep on practicing Goddesses!

Cat McCarthy of Nola Yoga (www.nolayoga.com)

What do Halloween, All Saint’s Day, and the Day of the Dead have in common? They each occur at the end of October and the beginning of November. Even Samhain (pronounced “Sau’win”), the Gaelic festival in Ireland, marks the end of the harvest and literally means “the summer’s end.” All of these celebrations segue from the lighter half of the year into the beginning of the darker season. As nights get longer, we naturally transition inside. It is a time to plant our seeds of intention in the fertile fall soil. The nourishing darkness supports bright inner awareness.

The ancient Celts believed during this time of year that the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved. On All Hallows˙ Eve, carved-out, skeleton-faced turnips were placed on windowsills to represent the departed. Nowadays a pumpkin is the vegetable of choice and dressing up as a ghost is a fun way to stay connected to spirits who have passed on. Locally, the day after trick-or-treating, New Orleanians have historically visited their family grave sites and tombs, in order to luncheon with their deceased kin. Since the veil between these two worlds is the most transparent at Halloween, it is the perfect opportunity to bridge the past, present, and future.

We inherit a lot from our lineage. Physically, we pass on genes through our DNA, and we transfer mental traits and emotional patterns of family origin. In Sanskrit, this deeply imprinted groove in our psyche is called a “samskara.” If our genealogy can determine how we inherit the world, then the question becomes one of choice. Do we just accept how we are because that’s how it was passed down? Or are we agents of our choosing in how to evolve our own ancestry?

The main practice of yoga in the west has been a physical one, known as asana. It focuses how to unite our bodies with our hearts and heads. But yoga is also the selection of mindful alignment: choosing between familial attributes that help us versus those that hinder our growth as conscious beings. Ever time we step on the yoga mat, we sharpen our awareness and confront our engrained patterns on all levels. We have that same opportunity off of the mat, as we transact with the outer world. These samskaras are only an obstacle when we feel stuck in them without other options.

The bright candle inside the jack-o-lantern is a symbol of transformation. The candlelight represents our inner radiance and burning desire to connect with our highest self. This fire inside has the capacity to burn away past versions of ourselves that are no longer beneficial, so that we may continually refine our truest nature, like updating our inner operating system. So honor your past, determine if you are ready for an upgrade, and then to respond in the highest to your chosen future self.

Happy transparent transitioning this Halloween!

Mira Shani, in the Mandala!