Reflection

At the end of the day, remember this - it is the end of the day. What has happened throughout the day is done, and gone. Only the opportunity for reflection remains. The future is unknown, and we all know that we cannot control the unknown. Thoughtful forecasting can prepare us for a light and bright tomorrow. With this being said, it is wise to temper our expectations with a sense of reality. The truest realization we can come to is this - we only have this moment to be in. Let us feel the moment in the same way we feel our hearts beat and our chests rise. Let us be thankful for our realities, and let us all have a glorious moment together. The past moment has released us. This moment is supporting us. And the future moment is extending its hand for ours. 

Yoga on our beautiful beach in Jaco, Costa Rica

say what you mean, mean what you say

I have just been lucky enough to celebrate my 25th birthday in beautiful Matapalo, Costa Rica.. Just think, if I was a piece of clothing, I would be considered vintage. Matapalo is in the Osa Peninsula, which is located in the southern point of Costa Rica. It is literally of the grid, the houses are powered by solar, water tanks on every property, and no pavement for miles. We are talking pure nature. Birds, monkeys, snakes, and greenery creates the "town's" population. The nightlife is only for the truley wild, literally, unless you are a howling monkey, it is best to stay indoors and watch National Geographic, LIVE.

During my stay in Matapalo I had a lot of time to reflect on my 25 years of life. I truly and blessed for all of the experiences I have had in my life and all of the great people who have made those experiences so rich. Turning 25 is important to me, I feel like I have begun to change into a new chapter of my life. With any change there is growing pains. For me the growing pains came to me in the form of my personal relationship with myself. As I listened to the monkeys, I realized that I am now the only one responsible for my own actions. Meaning, I need to step up and be the person I promote at my yoga center. Everyday I watch people grow and become strong through yoga. As a teacher I try to inspire my student to be honest, work hard, and offer help to those in need. But, it is time for me to do the same and with that, I came up for my intention for the next 25 year, "Say what I mean and mean what I say."

A great yoga studio I found in Matapalo
 http://blueosa.com/

 

When you find yourself with the Beloved, embracing for

one breath,

In that moment you will find your true destiny.

Alas, don't spoil this precious moment

Moments like this are very, very rare.

From Thief of Sleep

by Shahram Shiva

The power of being

The other day I was watching a little boy run on the beach. He would run from end to end without ever stopping. After observing him for awhile my friend turned to me and said "what I would do if I had all that energy." After hearing that I began to think why we don't have the same amount of energy as little children and this is what I came up with. Children are allowed to just be. Their energy and hearts can be fully devoted to what they are doing in that moment. As we get older we start to direct our energy in to a million different directions from gossip, work, relationships, finances, school, children, and the list goes on. It would be so nice if we could just stop and focus only on ourselves and that moment we are in.

This is where the power of being comes into place. With a dedicated yoga practice we too can begin to focus on ourselves and for that moment our practice. Rejuvenate the soul and live in the moment. Life is like a walk on the beach when we can just be.

Namaste

To Practice or Not to Practice

“There is tremendous power in regularity and discipline. It is important to sit every day twice a day and to do your practice. You have to demand that of your life. Otherwise your life will always win. There will always be a reason not to sit.”

– S. Shambhavananda

I found this quote the other day and I am sure we can all relate. There are those days when we would rather pull the sheets over our head and forget about our 6 am. yoga class. If we make the conscious decision arrive at class,  awake or not, we are always thankful and full of positive energy laying in savasana. When I am in this position, I always think of that feeling of accomplishment and bliss that I feel after completing a class. That feeling is what gets my blessings to class. So the next time you what to stay in bed, remember that you may just want to attend the class on behalf of this great feeling and plus it is a nice way to start the day.

Namaste

Yoga in Costa Rica

Open your heart, it is Valentine's Day. Today is the day to practice opening your chest and heart. During a lifetime we can start to round our shoulders to protect ourselves. With certain yoga asanas we can change our rounding shoulders and open our hearts. It may seem scary to open the heart but if we can learn to stand on one leg, we can surely learn roll our shoulders up, back, and down.  Please practice the following asanas at your own risk and comfort level.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Dolphin Pose (puppy pose)