The will to bring about change transcends cultures and generations.
What you do today counts for the future.
“When we look back in 30 years, will we be filled with regret or pride?” Change this to even five, 10…..
As yoga releases energies to fuel your strengths and help you realise your dreams, so women can join their strengths for peace and harmony worldwide.
Phenomenal Women: The Power of One
Artist and photographer Siobhan Wall has created a series of ‘quiet’ city photo books using her images to lead the reader to tranquil places she has discovered throughout Amsterdam, London and shortly, Paris. These locations could be anywhere from a parks, lakes and woods to libraries, restaurants and health spas. This is what quietness means to Siobhan.
Flowers in Beatrix Park, Amsterdam.
For me, quietness is not just about finding somewhere beautiful to look at, although this really helps. It is also about listening to my body and being a bit more aware of how I’m feeling at that moment.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” (Michelangelo)
Ecofriendly is the current buzz word. Green, ecofriendly, sustainable, biological are all ‘good’ words and living an authentic lifestyle is shifting from marginal to mainstream. Certainly, keeping your footprint softer on planet Earth is harder to fake than showing you have money. But where does an ecofriendly lifestyle begin and end?
Respect for life
First of all let’s look at yoga and how this is connected to ecofriendly living. As violinist Yehudi Menuhin wrote in his introduction to B. K. S. Iyengar’s book, Light on yoga, yoga is “by its very nature inextricably associated with universal laws: respect for life, truth, and patience are all indispensable factors in the drawing of a quiet breath, in calmness of mind and firmness of will.”
You won´t pick up yoga and meditation quicker through going harder and faster. Take it easy and slow and follow these three steps: Practice, practice, practice. Happily, you don´t need props to practice yoga and it´s free. Taking yoga classes with a qualified teacher helps you to learn safely and keep up the discipline of practice. If you think you don’t have any ‘free time’ in your busy schedule, read Making space when you don’t have time and When saying ‘no’ makes all the difference. Both blogs offer some tips on freeing up time.
Making change
The process of change can start with a thought, and progress into action as we engage in a different way of being and thinking. Being authentic to ourselves, listening to our ´inner voice´ is the first step. Eventually your change of mind will be visible to those around you in the way you look, the expression in your eyes, the way you behave, your approach to consumerism and the things you say.
This doesn´t mean turning into a saint overnight or losing your sense of humour or ‘flaws’, but it does mean developing awareness.
Sounds negative perhaps, but saying no can help you achieve what you want to do in life. How? Well if you don’t direct what you want, then others will. This is fine up to a point. After all, leaders need followers and ‘followership’ is now recognized as a valuable quality. Two leaders will most likely make a botch up of a job as much as two followers, for different reasons. On the other hand, a leader and a follower together are more likely to make a winning combination.
So making plans for yourself is a good thing, otherwise how can you achieve what you want to. The famous quote by John Lennon “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” rings in my ears while I write this. But at least you are making plans.
Working with students at Yoga Nieuw West in the Dog pose (Adho Mukha Shvanasana).
Moving up the hips into 'dog tilt'.
This is a powerfully rejuvenating pose that strengthens the hands, arms and upper body, opens the chest and improves the breathing. It lengthens the spinal column and increases circulation to the brain. Making space again!
Do this when you need to boost your energy, so not at bedtime unless you do it slowly as a gentle pick-me-up.
Tip: Keep your elbows straight through squeezing your elbows imnward and towards each other. Press your upper back towards your legs. Lastly, tip your hips into dog tilt as if your tailbone was being pulled to the sky.
Working with a student on Dog pose at Yoga Nieuw West.
It’s that time of year when coughs and colds seem easy to catch, and linger on, unless we listen to our bodies and step back to rest.
Over November, I’m going to focus on yoga postures that help keep coughs and colds away as well as relieve symptoms.
Are you ready?
Don’t forget that regular practice of asanas helps keep you in good health, but keep it manageable and make your goals attainable.
Take it little by little…flirt with your boundaries, and remember, each small step is your choice to make.
