#freedana

[yogatutorials]

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@kinoyoga on УσGΑ ・・・ Yoga is all about peace and love. Is that really true? Yes and no. Just like the practice itself sometimes feels both amazing and really challenging, I believe yoga is about giving you a deep and imperturbable peace and also steeling your will so that you are strong enough to fight the good fight when the time comes. Think about it within the context of practice. If you’ve ever tried to lift up into a handstand or hold an arm balance or jump back or drop back into urdhva dhanurasana, you know that yoga can sometimes be hard, so hard that it pushes you to your limits. We have all fallen, tumbled and rolled out of the poses. It isn’t easy. It’s a humble practice built on devotion, dedication and determination. It’s not a quick-fix feel-good escape into a pixie-dust world where you only see plastic unicorns. It’s real, gritty and authentic. That’s why yoga works. Historically, yogis have not all been peace keepers. Some, like Arjuna in the Bhagvad Gita, have fought and entered into battle, knowing that despite the harm done, their dharma was to enter the battlefield and fight for what was right. There are many more examples of yogi warriors! Virabhadrasana is named after the great warrior Virabhadra. Then take the mythological story of Trivkrama, an avatar of Vishnu, who incarnates in a time of crisis to restore cosmic balance by creatively defeating the demon king, who acquires disproportionate power over the universe. I would be most happy to see this great yogi appear right about now! A few people have told to just be all positive and happy. Well, I believe there’s a time for that but unfortunately it’s not now. I cannot sit silently by while a large billion dollar corporation tries to steal yoga with a mountain of money, illusion and lies. However flawed I may be, it feels like all the strength I’ve developed in handstands has prepared me for this moment, so that I could be strong enough to take the stand of my life and reclaim the heart of yoga. I cannot turn the page and sweep it all under a rug of peaceful platitudes. And I hope you won’t either! If this practice truly means something to you, I hope you’ll stand with me. #freedana

[kinoyoga]

What looks like flexibility is often strength. When appears to be raw power is often an expression of trust. In the quiet space of practice you learn to navigate the often contradictory waters of the inner world. There is a voice of wisdom that guides you through difficulty and gives you the courage to continue when the path looks dark and hopeless ahead. There is a faith that is transcendent of the inevitable ups and downs of the material world. And there is a peace that passes all understanding if you open your heart and mind to it. _ Every backbend has the potential to open your heart, if you’re strong enough to let all the love and all pain in. But if you’re only willing to look at what feels good and comfortable, then you’ll close your best off to one of its most meaningful states—empathy. In order to open your heart you have to be ok with really feeling someone else’s pain, even if it means coming down from your own safe perch. Feeling with, suffering with, this is compassion. But in order to truly go there you have to be willing to listen and feel the pain of another. If you just block it out, snuff it out and turn away from anything even a little icky or uncomfortable, then the heart is like a hollow two-dimensional shell. It never opens, breathes, grows and it truly never learns what love is all about. _ Love is the most powerful force in the universe. So let it in, let it be fierce and fiery, let it consume every fiber of your being. _ Day 5 #actualizeyogachallenge is Ustrasana, Camel Pose with me and @josepharmstrongyoga raising $1 per person for everyone who joins #sponsored by @omstarsofficial @werkshop Photo by @freexmoney @b.lvvk _ #freedana #notagoddess #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime 🙏 (at Miami Beach, Florida)

[ifilmyoga]

I don’t like confrontations. I don’t particularly enjoy to talk about politics. It took me a while to even decide to speak up on the subject #freeKino #freeDana. But today with IG blocking @kinoyoga and @nolatrees accounts ... I was choked?! Now this all thing is also about freedom of speech? ... soo sooo disappointing!! maybe it’s time to explore new horizons what about this new social media app : Vero ... zero adds, it feel sooo fresh and sooo clean over there!!? Any way to go back to our issue ... Kino is my friend and without even trying to pic a side ... @aloyoga is one of the most popular Yoga brands out there with so many beautiful and amazing Yogi Ambassadors ... so I ask is it really necessary to keep arguing about this? Could we all get along and just practice yoga? Could we please find a peaceful resolution to this issue? maybe by simply taking down Kino and Dana’s content?... that seems like a pretty reasonable request? doesn’t it? aren’t we supposed to be yogis? ... human beings with higher set of values and principles ... and maybe why not even showing the good example? Peace and Love to everyone! 💗

[yogatutorials]

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@nolatrees on #FreeDana ・・・ Comfy cozy ☔️💫🌿 #yoga #yogatutorial #yogavideo

[kinoyoga]

Focus with laser beam precision. If you get distracted even for a split second you’ll fall. When you’re down, you feel like you’ll never get back up. But you have to fight for it, you have to believe against all odds, and then you have to give it your all. Not just with power and brute force, but with the perfect balance of strength and alignment. Even then sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. This is how it feels to do Karanadavasana, the Himalayan Duck. _ But it’s also a good example of how to live your life and stay the course through difficult times. It has been so hard for me to stay focused the last four weeks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten hooked on a hateful comment that someone sent me and just could not let it go. I’ve had DMs conversations with people whose main goal was just to get under my skin. Every single time I let myself get drawn in, I lost sight of the goal. It was like I tumbled out of the pose. _ There has been so much hate thrown around on all sides. I want so badly to turn that around. This was the third day of the Love-in Meditations and boy was it a hard one! Watch the replay. _ Note for everyone who may be getting hooked on a hateful comment—let it go. Take that outrage and direct it in to constructive action. _ Don’t interact with haters or trolls. Don’t waste time commenting on their pages. Don’t go down on their level and call them names or tell them to f%#k off (especially when you want to!). Don’t own their judgements of you. Don’t be scared into silence. Don’t be a doormat for abuse. _ Do act with equal parts firmness and kindness. Do set healthy boundaries for yourself. Do speak truth to power when injustice is rampant. Do take time to reflect on any rationally stated opposing views. Do make space for dialogue. Do the right thing, even if no one sees or acknowledges it. Do believe in the basic goodness of everyone and send everyone love. Do admit your mistakes. _ Accept that not everyone will agree with you. Forgive yourself. Forgive your whole world. _ Go to sleep. Get back up and do it all over again, hopefully a little better and more skillful next time. _ #freedana #practiceyogachangeyourworld (at Miami Beach, Florida)

[kinoyoga]

When I first started teaching yoga I barely knew who I was. I was 23 and I didn’t have a voice, a message. Not only was I the weakest person in the room, but my body was not the “ideal” yoga body. My short stature and thick thighs never fit into leggings made for tall people. If they fit my legs, the waist was baggy. I wore my old gym shorts and my bikini tops. _ But I practiced. And when I found Ashtanga Yoga, I realized that it wasn’t about what size or shape you were—it was simply about putting in the work over many years. _ I still remember the first day someone asked me to make a video for YouTube. I was so happy that someone thought of me as an “expert teacher.” Today I see myself, however flawed and imperfect I may be, as a keeper of the sacred knowledge of yoga. _ But I’m not the only one holding this torch. Anyone who has devoted themselves to daily practice and given their hearts and souls to yoga is carrying this sacred torch forward. _ But what happens when someone attempts to steal, buy or co-opt the spiritual heart of yoga? Then, it is my belief that those who are charged with upholding the principles of yoga have a moral obligation to do whatever is within their power to reclaim the spiritual lineage that they represent. To, at the least, speak up with fierce caring. _ It is in this light that I dare to speak up about this somewhat unpopular topic of a billion dollar corporation suing a 24 year old yoga teacher. Alo/Cody has not released me from the unilateral confidentiality clause binding me from speaking. But ordinary citizens have the courage to stand up to our President, I have to be brave enough to speak up to the owners of Alo/Cody, Marco De George and Danny Harris. _ Read the full blog here: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2018/03/if-alo-cody-wants-to-be-a-leader-in-the-yoga-world-kino-macgregor/ _ Link in bio Photo @ifilmyoga #notagoddess #freedana #practiceyogachangeyourworld

[kinoyoga]

Galavasana, named after the great sage Galava, who was tasked with the impossible mission of finding 1,000 white horses each with one black ear. He did not send thoughts and prayers or just think good thoughts to complete his mission. He did not avoid the issue and dig his head into the stand. He set off with a resolution to do whatever it would take to get the job done. In a strange twist of fate, Galava relied on his wife to complete his mission. It was through her gifts and her spiritual strength that he procured these mythical animals. When the task was done thanks to Madhavi, she became an ascetic. All these years later, I think we need a pose dedicated to Madhavi! I share the story here to inspire you to dig deeper within yourself to accomplish whatever mission is on your plate that feels impossible. Maybe you need a Madhavi angel on your side. I sure do right about now! But you can’t give up, you have to be strong. _ There is a time for thoughts and prayers and spiritually oriented quotes and there is a time for action. When tasked with facing the impossible, ancient yogis did not simply lie down and mediate their way out. They did what needed to be done, even when it felt like they faced insurmountable odds. What made their stories of strength great was the unwavering faith to stay the course through adversity. Strength is nothing without a root into the Eternal Divine, without a foundation of deep inner focus. If it’s just about handstands in crazy places and tricks to show off, then somewhere along the way the heart of yoga gets lost. If you notice yourself veering off course, just recalibrate and come back to the path. Focus on the breath, the inner body and still your mind. Then, prepare to take the lessons learned on your mat into your life. If you practice yoga you have the power to change your world, but it has to start from within. _ Day 4 #actualizeyogachallenge is Chair/Galavasana. Check in with @josepharmstrongyoga for the more accessible option. Join the challenge and help us raise money for @trinifoundation from our #sponsors @omstarsofficial @werkshop Photo by @freexmoney @b.lvvk _ #freedana #notagoddess #practiceyogachangeyourworld 🙏 (at Miami Beach, Florida)

[kinoyoga]

Meditation keeps me sane. It is the single most important practice out of all my daily Sadhana. Through the ups and downs of life daily sitting is the root that has given me peace in turbulent times. When I suffered from depression and woke up every day with suicidal ideation, it was meditation that helped me find enough presence to claw my way out the dark hole in my mind. When I have worked through injuries, faced emotional upheaval and struggled with grief, it is meditation that lead me onto solid ground. _ You don’t need any fancy clothes or perfect posture to meditate. You don’t need a pretty beach like this. There are no progress pics to post. It’s just you, your breath and the infinite inner world. In as little as five minutes your life can change. No one can judge from the outside the depth of your spiritual practice. That’s between you and God. From the inside, meditation brings you into intimate contact with the Infinite. If you ever lose your way it’s in quiet moments of listening that the stillness speaks you to and beckons you back to the path. _ Join me for daily Love-in meditations here on IG. If you miss me live, watch the replay. I’ll be sitting every day with you until love wins. Tightened we will do the hard work of sending love to the most challenging, stuck places or people in life. Join me. Imagine the power we can harness if we unite around one harmonious goal—love. Let’s expect miracles 🙏 _ Day 10 last day of the #actualizeyogachallenge with @josepharmstrongyoga where our #sponsors @omstarsofficial @werkshop are giving $1 per person to @trinifoundation for everyone who joins. It’s not too late to sign up. Click the link in my bio and help us raise money to bring yoga to recovering addicts. Photo @freexmoney @b.lvvk _ Did you practice on OMStars.com and participate every day in this challenge? Comment below for a chance to win some awesome prizes. _ Stay tuned for next month’s challenge for charity. Be sure to join so you can practice yoga and change the world! _ #freedana #notagoddess #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime 🙏 (at Miami Beach, Florida)