#yogiassignment

[ifilmyoga]

Merry Xmass everyone!! 🌟ॐ🎬💕 Even though I live far away from my family and I miss them very much, this year I had the chance to spend Christmas with a few dear friends of mine. So grateful for the food, the presents and those laughs we’ve shared ... really it warmed my heart!!! Much love!! ❤️🎄 - 2018 is just around the corner ... I don’t know about you but I have a few wishes in mind for this coming year! ... maybe I should make a list ... just to see? Sometimes to formulate things out load gives them more power! I will try to stay simple and realist ... and also not have too many in order to accomplish lots ... I was even thinking to do a vision board ... what about you? What are your hopes and dreams for next year? #yogiassignment #hope #miamibeach #faena #sunrise #beach #practiceyogachangeyourlife #onebreathatatime - «Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” ✨Laini Taylor (at Miami Beach, Florida)

[kinoyoga]

Forgiveness is easier said than done. While you may think you’ve truly forgiven someone, just wait until they repeat the same action that hurt you all over again. Then the cycle begins again. One thing I’ve learned is that emotion can’t be rushed. If you want to forgive someone the first step is actually acknowledging that you’re mad at them. Unfelt anger is repressed and never leaves. Once you admit your angry about something, keep it short and simple, depersonalize it and try to avoid making value judgements. Saying, when you did X, I got triggered and was angry is a simple truth. Saying, you’re an ignorant, inconsiderate jerk turns your feeling into an attack that only leads to war. You can’t help when you get triggered, but you do get to choose what comes after the trigger. That’s the point of freedom, the space between stimulus and response, where you have the power to break old habit patterns and craft a constructive path forward. _ Try this— _ 1. Forgive Yourself— You’re only doing the best you can and that’s the truth. Even when you’re not at your best or when you’re messing it all up, that’s what you’ve got. If it could be better it would be. Recognize any anger you have towards yourself and state it simply, refraining from judgements. Then forgive yourself. 2. Forgive God— Because there is no wrathful deity waiting to punish you, there really only is a stream of love you can step into, forgive God because there is a depth and meaning to all your suffering and the suffering of the world. Most of what’s done in the name of God is actually just human B.S. and has nothing to do with the true power and glory of the Divine. 3. Forgive your enemies— Feel your anger if you’ve been hurt, and also be willing to let it go. It doesn’t mean you need to allow people that hurt you back into your life or pretend that what is wrong was right, but forgiveness does mean you can put the burden of hurt down and be free yourself. _ #practiceofpeace #yogiassignment @omstarsofficial #yogachallenge Photo @astrudaaa_photography 🙏 (at Miami Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByvnpMnHHUj/?igshid=jdz20cwd7ycy

[kinoyoga]

It took me years before I understood just how important the breath is to the depth of yoga practice. There are people who can perform quite exciting asanas but they are unable to breathe deeply. Similarly, there are other students whose asanas may not appear so deep but their breath demonstrates a penetrating inner focus. While it may be tempting to associate proficiency in asana with deep yoga, the truth of the matter is that the yoga practice is an inner experience. While we can never measure or judge someone’s spirituality from the outside, the breath gives you a window to peer into the often obscured realm of the spirit. _ The breath is the thread that ties the conscious and subconscious together. By tuning in to the breath you have a window into the deepest layers of the mind. Even more, the mysteries of life and death are contained within inhalation and exhalation. The faculty of the breath is the power that illuminates the body with the vibrance of life. Without the breath, there is quite simply no life. There is an old yogi myth that states that each individual’s life span is defined by the total amount of breaths allotted to them on this journey. When those breaths are finished, then the journey ends. If you have had the grace to be present when a soul is born into a human body, it is miraculous to see the breath bring life to the body. Similarly, if you have been present when a being breathes their last breath out and life leaves the body, another miracle has occurred. The breath is life and intimacy with the breath brings wisdom and attunement to the rarefied realm of the spirit. _ Read this week’s #YogiAssignment on the Breath here— https://www.kinoyoga.com/yogi-assignment-prana-vayu-the-breath/ _ Question: would you be interested in me doing a weekly talking video on my Yogi Assignments? _ Thanks for reading 🙏 #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime Photo @freexmoney @b.lvvk Outfit @liquidoactive 💗 (at Miami Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpPi_UTHjlN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4g01iuowd06w

[kinoyoga]

Myth buster—Yoga is not easy and yoga should not always feel good. _ I realize that this might not be the best news you’ve heard about yoga or the most positive promotional words about yoga, but I want to keep it real. There is often a discrepancy between the curated imagery of yoga in mainstream advertising and the reality of dedicated daily practice. I realize that I must take some responsibility for that because I too produce peaceful looking yoga photos and videos. While yoga is in fact a path of peace, that is a longterm promise. This ancient spiritual tradition is not built on instant gratification. Yes, eventually your practice will bring you a sense of peace. But no, your practice will not (and should not) always feel good immediately. _ Yoga, like all true spiritual practice, is confronting. I’ve personally been challenged by this aspect of yoga. There have been times when I have not been able to face the depths that my practice asked me for. One such time was during a two year bout of depression where I battled suicidal ideation nearly every day. I kept doing asana but I stopped meditating then because I could not face the darkness of my own inner world. It was the biggest mistake I made. And, it was the choice to get back to my spiritual practice that ultimately began to light the path out of that darkness. Today, I sit even day, even if just for five minutes and I practice Ashtanga Yoga, even if only a few poses, six days a week. The ritual of spiritual practice is the sustenance that keeps me afloat through challenging times. But, if I wanted my practice to always be light, free and easy, then I would not be practicing today. _ Read the full blog here: https://www.kinoyoga.com/yogi-assignment-depth/ _ Be sure to sign up for my weekly #yogiassignment emails 🙏 _ Photo by @yogaphotographer behind the scenes for an awesome project. _ #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime 💗 (at Scotland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn14vxWFSMv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xb6881up701b

[kinoyoga]

I’ve been reflecting on the yogi’s role in civic discourse and public service. Now, don’t stop reading: I’m not here to endorse a particular agenda. I do, of course, have my opinions on what I believe good government is, but I’m not writing this to try and convince you of my beliefs. Instead, I’m writing this to help you, as a fellow yogi, navigate the often-murky territory of post-election polarization. Two sides engage in rounds of debates, run onslaughts of advertisements, amplify their positions in echo chambers, and charge forward. One side emerges as the winner, the other side as the loser. Meanwhile, our shared sense of community fractures and we grow further apart. Or, at least, that is how the last few election cycles seemed to play out to me. _ Our current political climate may feel as polarizing and un-yogic than ever, but there is a way to hold love in your heart for those you disagree with the most. _ Read my latest #yogiassignment on @yogajournal for more— https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/ahimsa-in-action-post-election _ Day 5 #ashtangachallenge is Ustrasana. Watch today’s tutorial with my all new Second Series practice course on @omstarsofficial here— https://omstars.com/ashtanga-challenge _ If you’re not a member, for a limited time, we’re offering you the opportunity to sign up for just $5 for the rest of the year! Participate in the challenge and finish the year out strong with a dedicated daily practice when you gain access to our entire library of content online! Just use offer code ENDOFYEAR when you sign up today. _ Outfit is my design by @liquidoactive Photo @ifilmyoga #ashtanga #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime #omstarsashtangachallenge (at Miami Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpz2rJVnqcF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=59zbx7mysi6f

[kinoyoga]

Truth does not exist in a vacuum and there are many levels of moral relativity that often cloud our judgement about it. For example, we can speak the truth without love or kindness. In doing so, we weaponize the truth for personal vindication instead of maximizing the impact of truth as liberation. Sometimes when people say that they are going to “share their truth” what is really happening is that they are going on a personal emotional rant without boundaries. Sharing the “truth” may in fact be quite different than just vomiting up your emotions at all times. Sometimes truth requires genuine self-reflection and time to pause, feel and process both the inner and the outer reality in any situation. The truth can be often be hidden or at least not easily recognized, so sometimes ample research must be done before truth-telling happens in earnest. _ This week’s #YogiAssignment is Satya, Truthfulness. Read the blog and comment below. _ Be sure to sign up for my weekly Yogi Assignment emails! Thanks in advance for reading. Link to the full blog is in my bio and below: https://www.kinoyoga.com/yogi-assignment-satya-truthfulness-2/ _ Loving everything about staying @upperhouse_hkg in Hong Kong 💗 (at The Upper House HKG)

[kinoyoga]

God is in all things in the universe and in the Divine eternal body of God there is no division, only union. Those moments are life-changing because you get a glimpse of the vast expansiveness of energy, light and love under all things. You see through this reality into the true nature of things, you become your highest potential in the spirit and set yourself free from this world of contrasts and embodiment. You are forever changed. But then what? _ As Jack Kornfield says, “after the ecstacy, then the laundry”. If your spirit comes back to this world after reaching such soaring heights the mundane aspects of life continue. There is no escape from the perfunctory tasks of paying your taxes and preparing your food. You have a body and it needs to be cared for, washed, fueled, and rested. There are things that you will enjoy and other things which you will not enjoy. The teaching of the spiritual practice of yoga does not say that you will never have these personal preferences ever again. In fact yoga acknowledges the strong pull of our own attractions and aversions. Most of the work that constitutes yoga is an attempt to weaken the pull of attraction and aversion over us. The only yogic state that is truly free from personal preferences is the state of Samadhi. _ I can’t answer for anyone else, but I can personally testify to the fact that I have strong personal presences and often experience intense emotional swings based on these desire and aversions. While the intensity of this cycle has certainly lessened as I’ve been practicing, by no means is it gone. _ This week’s #yogiassignment is Awareness. Read the full blog and comment below to let me know what you think. _ https://www.kinoyoga.com/yogi-assignment-awareness-through-love-light-and-laundry/ _ #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime Photo by @ifilmyoga 🙏 (at Copenhagen, Denmark)

[kinoyoga]

We have no control over the world. But we do have control over our own actions. This week your #YogiAssignment is to Speak with Love. Navigate the space of mature and responsible communication by rooting your heart in love for the person or community that you are engaging with. It’s easy when everything goes your way, but you’re tested when things go awry. When someone yells at you, accuses you wrongfully, or intentionally harms you, acting and speaking with love is truly a challenge. The emotional patterning slides so easily into defense and even yearns to hit back. However, the moment your heart slips out of love and acts from hate you end up perpetuating the very thing you seek to heal. But if you come from love, even the harshest truth can be made palatable enough for someone to swallow. _ Speaking with love doesn’t mean you only share peaceful platitudes and suppress your anger or hurt. There is a fine line between anger and hate and it requires a deep exploration of your own inner world to feel the difference between the two. You can be angry at someone whom you love dearly and your anger can truly stem from a place of love and desire for peace. Spewing hate and vitriol to tear someone down without a seed of love and kindness comes from a place of unchecked aggression that harms both yourself and others. _ Apply these three tools this week to bring your Yogi Assignment into real life: 1. Press pause—If you feel triggered, do not react right away. Pause, meditate and breathe for at least 20 minutes. Wait until you have true compassion in your heart about the person or situation before you act or speak. _ 2. Applied mindfulness—Keep a root in your own inner awareness in every interaction. If you notice your heart beating faster, breath accelerating, chest constricting or muscles tightening, take a time out before acting or speaking further. Being self-aware is a crucial step in knowing whether you come from love or hate. _ 3. Self-love—Make time to listen and care for yourself. . Under every hateful statement is a hurting heart and if you’re able to heal your own heart you’ll be better equipped to communicate from a place of true love. 🙏 (at Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto)