Start Some Good -- heck yea! I love the crowd funding model. It resonates with my deepest core beliefs and values --- that together we can do far more than we can do alone. Together we can change things and make a difference in the lives of others. Dream Big. Raise Funds. Do Good That's the motto of StartSomeGood, and we at Simply Be Simply Yoga aim to do just this. We started with the dream and are currently crafting our Start Some Good campaign to launch mid January, 2014. [UPDATE: ... [Continue Reading]
The Angel in the Stone
Many times during my asana practice, my body feels dense, heavy, and ungraceful. Today was one of those days. And as I was feeling all that denseness, I remembered Michelangelo's quote: "I saw the angel in the stone and I carved to set it free." I immediately felt better, as I realized the asana we practice is like that -- carving to set the angel free. The denseness and heaviness eventually surrenders to the consistent carving and hard work of the practice until one day our angel ... [Continue Reading]
New Beginnings
I began this blog in the fall of 2010. I had almost completed my 200 Yoga Teacher Training in Austin, Texas and had started a 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Tel Aviv University. I believe if you read through the initial blog posts, you will sense the dedication I have to yoga and the inspiration it brings in my life. I was writing frequently and committed to sharing my thoughts and reflections about the yoga journey. And then something happened that brought a deep crack into my life. ... [Continue Reading]
Who Are You Right Now?
Not was, not will be, but who am I right now? That has been the resounding question in my heart and soul now for several months. And not surprisingly that question keeps coming to me via different messengers. I have saved on my desktop a quote I read recently from Tony Robbins: You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don’t think about who you have ... [Continue Reading]
Come As You Are
People who have yet to start a yoga practice may feel intimidated by what they perceive as yoga. This is probably because they equate yoga only with the physical, outward aspect of yoga --- the asanas (postures). And if yoga is only about being able to contort and twist your body into these difficult postures, then yea, yoga can be pretty intimidating. The good news is that the physical is only one aspect of yoga, a tool to help up us go inward; the real goal of yoga is not the physical ... [Continue Reading]
Being in the Body
Hatha—yoga situates you in the present moment, in the now, for the simple reason that it locates you in the body… and the body moves in the present, to be in the body is to be in the now… You cannot move a leg tomorrow or raise an arm yesterday… To go into and out of every posture with tremendous observation invites you to be here and in the now… To be conscious of this eternal union and harmony with the reality… because in going after the body you will touch the soul… By Swami Ramakrishnananda ... [Continue Reading]
New Beginnings
I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training certification last week. This doesn't make me a yoga teacher -- only years of personal practice, dedication, and experience will do that -- but it does represent my intention, my desire, and my commitment to the yogic path. I'm learning to celebrate the small things in life rather than wait for some momentous earth shattering event. Thank you Living Yoga Program! You create and facilitate community and connection on so many levels. More than a ... [Continue Reading]
Fight or Flight
Have you ever been overwhelmed with life, particularly when life confronts you with two seemingly impossible choices? Every decision, every choice, brings loss. When we decide on one thing, it means we give up something else. But usually the good in what we choose outweighs the bad of what we don't choose. Those choices require us to thoughtfully think through the options, but they are fairly easy to make. But what about when the loss in both choices feels overwhelming, when the good in ... [Continue Reading]
A Yogic Lifestyle
Ever read a description of a real (meaning some of those yogis in India) yogi's daily routine? I'm currently in a yoga teacher training here in Israel and am challenged with learning anatomy in a second language that I'm not that fluent in. But yesterday our teacher, Yael Ziv, read a description of the suggested daily routine of a yogi according to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Wow is all I can say. When I think of that daily schedule, learning anatomy in Hebrew seems like a piece of ... [Continue Reading]
Practice Makes…
I'm sure all of us can fill in the blank --- Practice makes perfect, right? But is that really what life is about? Striving to reach some elusive and stagnant goal, to finally arrive? Krishna instructs Arjuna: You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of a reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself --- without selfish attachments, and alike in success and ... [Continue Reading]