New MacBook

My boyfriend was so sweet and bought me a Macbook!! I'm so pumped now I'm able to do all my web design ads, banners, and whatnot to get myself out there as a Yoga teacher. I can't believe that he did something so sweet for me.

This is hopefully going to help jump start my internet marketing skills. I just want to get my name out there for my yoga practice. I'm thankful he let me get a tool that is so helpful. This is my first very own computer, my new baby. You will see many more posts now that I have my own tools ;)

Value of Mantras

Mantras, sacred chants, come in all shapes and sizes. They can be composed of sentences, single words, or even single syllables; they can be perfectly intelligible or completely mystifying (at least to the uninitiated).

Single-syllable mantras, known as bija (seed) mantras, are the easiest to remember and recite; they're also the most powerful. It's believed that, just as a tiny seed contains a majestic tree, each bija contains vast amounts of spiritual wisdom and creative force. One of the oldest and most widely known of these seeds is om.

Om is the meditative seed par excellence. Patanjali—who wrote the Yoga Sutra and is considered to be the father of classical yoga—taught that when we chant this sacred syllable and simultaneously contemplate the meaning of it, our consciousness becomes "one-pointed: and prepared for meditation. In a commentary on the Yoga Sutra, the ancient sage Vyasa noted that through chanting om, "the supreme soul is revealed." In a similar vein, Tibetan scholar Lama Govinda wrote that om expresses and leads to the "experience of the infinite within us." Thus, chanting om may be the easiest way to touch the Divine within your very self. -YJ


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Stick In A Rut

Changing your samskaras, or patterns, is not an accidental process, a formula we stumble upon without meaning to. In the struggle to create healthier samskaras, sankalpa (intention) is what mythologist Joseph Campbell termed a "call to awakening." Sankalpa unites our mind with those deeper parts of ourselves that can be so hard to access. Conscious use of sankalpa is a compelling way of communicating what we want to our emotional and spiritual bodies.

At the beginning of my yoga classes, before chanting Om, call to mind an intention for your practice. The intention can be nonviolence, awareness of the breath, or something more personal. Whatever form the intention takes, setting it consciously before beginning to practice galvanizes our inner resources and aligns them with the energy of change. Sankalpa acts as a guiding sutra, or "thread," that we weave throughout our yoga practice, on and off the mat. Yet we still need more steam to take us full-course.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Deepening your Twists

To avoid compression and injury, it's important that you create length in the spine before and during a twist. Focus on three key actions: elongating the spine, twisting from the inside out, and breathing.

Practice by using this Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) variation:

Start by sitting on the floor with both legs straight, then bend your right knee, placing the sole of your right foot on the floor outside the left thigh, as close to your thigh as possible. With clasped hands, hold your right shin just below the knee.

Use that action to help lengthen the spine, extending up through the crown of your head as you simultaneously root down through your sitting bones. On an inhalation, lift up from the base of your skull, keeping the chin parallel to the floor. On an exhalation, release the weight of your hips into the earth. Take a few breaths here and imagine creating space between the vertebrae as you continue the opposing actions of lifting up and rooting down. -YJ


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Thread The Needle

Thread the Needle Pose is an asymmetrical pose that stretches your shoulders and upper back. This pose is also useful for stretching your neck and arms. You may find performing this pose gives you a feeling of contentment when you are upset or distressed.

This pose is called Thread the Needle Pose because you thread one arm under the other. By threading one arm under your other arm and resting your shoulder and ear on the floor, this pose provides a gentle twist to your spine.

You can practice Thread the Needle Pose to prepare for performing inverted poses, such as Shoulderstand and Plow Pose.

If you feel pressure on your knees in this pose, you can place a folded towel or blanket under your knees to make the pose more comfortable. Make sure you use caution performing this pose if you have problems with your neck, shoulders or knees.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Half Moon Pose

(ardha chandrasana)

Half Moon Pose is an advanced standing balancing pose that stretches your body in several directions at once – out through your legs, the crown of your head and your arms. This pose can strengthen your legs and buttocks, as well as increase the flexibility of your legs and hips. Regular practice of Half Moon Pose can also improve your balance and coordination.

To help maintain your balance in this pose, rest your weight on your supporting foot as you press it into the floor and extend your raised leg away from you with each exhalation. Concentrating on breathing evenly can also help you maintain your balance.

It is important to align your body correctly in this pose. As you perform the pose, keep your spine in a straight line and your head, shoulders and hips on the same plane.

If you feel any tension in your neck, do not turn your head up to look at your raised hand. Avoid Half Moon Pose if you are tired or have high blood pressure.


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga

Balance in Warrior

In this version of Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III), you'll use blocks to support your upper body and a wall to take some of the weight off your lifted leg, helping you strengthen and stabilize your legs, hips, and sacrum.

Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with your back facing a wall that's about a leg's distance away. Have two blocks handy. Fold forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), lift your left leg behind you, and press your left foot against the wall at hip height so that it's parallel to the floor. Inhale as you lift your spine away from the floor and place one block under each hand. See that your hands are beneath your shoulders.

Build your pose from the ground up. Spring the arch of your foot upward. Then press the outer edge of your standing leg inward toward your inner leg. Next, imagine zipping up a long zipper from your inner ankle to your inner groin to help you lengthen the inner shaft of your leg. Lastly, shave the outer edge of your right hip back toward the wall behind you. Stay here for a few breaths, making sure that the whole leg works evenly; no part of it should feel slack.

Bring your attention to your upper body. Slide the front of your spine, from just below your navel, toward your heart. Do this without hardening your belly or sucking it back and up. Simultaneously, elongate the two sides of your tailbone away from your lumbar, toward the wall behind you. -YJ


-- Namaste Alyssa
Twitter.com/sunkissedyoga