fairtradeyoga

yoga is for everyone.

[fairtradeyoga]

Tossing and turning all night because your mind is racing is an all-too-common occurrence. Stress from work, things on your to-do list, wondering if you turned off the ov [...]

anyone else finding it hard to get a restful 8 hours of sleep around holiday season? being 3,000+ miles away from family in miami, i'm not even sure what my excuse is for feeling so stressed and sleep-deprived.

here's 5 grounding asanas to help you make the most of your sleeping hours, courtesy of abe's market.

♥ r

[fairtradeyoga]

"we use technology to define ourselves... we're faking experiences so we'll have something to share, so we can feel alive... if we are not able to be alone, we are only going to know how to be lonely."

can you be alone with yourself and feel at peace? not swiping through your phone checking in with your social network -- really alone with yourself, and really at peace?

i'll consider this today's challenge.

♥ r

[infinitewatersworld]

[fairtradeyoga]

do not ask for less responsibility to be free and relaxed, ask for more strength.

- shengyan

feeling extra blessed this holiday season for the extra strength I've found in kara diaz. this beautiful yogini sister has agreed to partner with me in building fair trade yoga and exploring what good we can offer the community. 

kara will be teaching this Sunday evening's candle-lit flow at hybrid training (8:30pm, 350 divis @ oak). do some good for your body and soul by choosing to join us.

♥ rach

[fairtradeyoga]

Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit

Scientists are getting close to proving what yogis have held to be true for centuries -- yoga and meditation can ward off stress and disease.

if you already practice, chances are you don't need this proof as a reminder. you can feel how good yoga is for your body; your body tells you.

[fairtradeyoga]

"appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts."

- alan cohen

[fairtradeyoga]

wherever you may find yourself, trust that it is exactly where you need to be.

[fairtradeyoga]

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light not our Darkness, that most frightens us."

marianne williamson

[fairtradeyoga]

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built.

Rumi

[fairtradeyoga]

lessons from Romo.

Romo is the lovable, high-energy golden lab who I'm fortunate enough to dog-sit from time to time. 

whenever I spend time with Romo, I'm left with some golden nugget of tried and true dog-wisdom. this time around: why aren't we playing?

that seems to be the constant question on Romo's mind when I'm sitting on the couch scrolling through Netflix options. he looks up at my with those big, brown, curious eyes, usually with a tennis ball or shoe caught between his teeth. Romo, panting, cocks his head to one side and, with only his expression and an ever-wagging tail, says, I don't understand. Why aren't we playing?

it's a question I hope to continue asking myself as I return to life as a non-dog-owner. 

we are each granted a finite amount of time to grace this earth. we owe it to ourselves to recognize that, and appreciate every little moment. we should take the necessary steps to make our lives as fun and enjoyable as possible.

if we are given the opportunity to be here, why aren't we playing?

[fairtradeyoga]

"life is really simple; but we insist on making it complicated."

Confucius

[fairtradeyoga]

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

Buddha

[fairtradeyoga]

being grateful.

especially when life is running at a nearly unmanageable speed, it's difficult to remember what we have to be grateful about. 

it's easy to get wrapped up in the plethora of life's little frustrations: the restaurant where you planned to eat that is closed for the night, the MUNI bus that's running 12 minutes later than you need it to be, the incessant red traffic lights that seem to target only your car because the universe must want you to be late for everything.

in the heat of the moment, these events seem like huge problems. but of course, with the right perspective, we know that they're not.

today's mantra: I am grateful for what I have. In the grand scheme of life, it is more than enough. 

[fairtradeyoga]

"The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.”

Yogi Bhajan

[fairtradeyoga]

this morning met me with a brisk 48 degrees and a sharp, bitter breeze that reminded me winter is well on its way.

after traveling for 9+ months in hot subtropical climates, I realize that I am not physically, nor emotionally (nor wardob-ally), prepared for a chilly, fog-swept winter in San Francisco.

and then I remembered:

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

as we enter the cooler months, may these wise words from French philosopher Albert Camus -- combined with a strong ujjayi breath -- help us all hang onto that fire within.

[fairtradeyoga]

“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”

 B.K. Iyengar

[fairtradeyoga]

live in this moment.

the world spins around us at a frequency that keeps our feet constantly running to catch the next thing. the next big event. the next application for the next apartment. the next meeting to close the next deal.

who is surprised that young adults in America report feeling more anxious than any other generation of our time?

anxiety is rooted in fear of the unknown. fear of tomorrow. fear of slipping behind and not catching up.

take a deep breath, a reminder to live in this moment. to enjoy today as fully as possible. to appreciate all the gifts you have right now, exactly as you are.

today's mantra: live in this moment; be present here.