Start here, self that hides: A vision into the yoga self

i write whatever you say to meMy yoga stirs up emotions in me and sometimes speaks as pasts and present all intermingle. As my body moves, and as I breathe, my stories are told. Here is a conversation with karmas that were burned one morning.

vision of yoga self

Dear self who hides,

I don’t want to leave you, or myself, behind. When your words are near (and I hear you speaking through me), I cannot help but smile inside. When I am my body, standing in front of myself, sometimes my heart shuts down. Why? I feel you more after I leave you, as if a piece of me is still with you. And so it is; you are me, left floating through the yoga studio room, melting onto the floor.

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what's up with "moon days" in ashtanga Mysore yoga?

Blood Moon in OctoberI practice Ashtanga Mysore-style yoga every morning lately. I love its blissful effects on my entire life. From the intensity of the poses to the self-led regimen to the specific sequencing, it's the real deal. 

no yoga on moon days

I wonder though about the classical necessity to not practice on the Moon Days. This means, there is no class held on New Moon or on Full Moon. Typically, you practice 6 days per week in general, and also take breaks on the Moon Days.

the moon's cycle gives us special energy

With all of my experience with yoga and moon energy and its watery nature

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You transfix me: You are my chakras

you are balanced. i live with you.

You are a work of art. It’s not easy but you do it. You live true to who you are and know it. When you are open, chakras, in my yoga practice, I don’t question it. 

dear chakras, you help me walk with strength, enchanted. i’m open to each of you as you arrive, speak and feel. i know who you are…

-->> chakra article moved to here.

As if hidden, you are this

(image: owningpink.com)

I am hidden. Are you? As if to be hidden behind words that speak illusively, at all times, bouncing off buildings and walls. I shoot an arrow and it comes back to me. Some day.

are you just words?

Who are you anyway? Are you the words or are they merely what comes out when trying to speak? There is no time to leave important words unsaid. I speak of eloquence.

Inspirational times with comic undertones spark a tune in another. Sometimes. But, truly, it’s all for you. You who deserve to be timeless and unforgotten. You are where my eyes open to receive what I’m waking up to now. I am here now because you were there and smiled and felt.

i will walk with you

Create. Create all you can be. Be creative. Be daring. Be you.

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Be humble every day: Follow your heart

you are free

The root of who I am, sometimes channelled—through other people or inanimate objects—is held in the secret. It is the key to banishing anger, sadness, frustration and any overwhelm.

i feel humble.  i am real. does that touch your heart when i say it that way?

Getting in touch with your own heart is easier said than done. It can live unconsciously in ways you never notice until it is pointed out to you, or until you have an epiphany. Too many people speak in a tone that aludes to the opposite of real. When I say real I mean authentic. I mean coming from the heart. This doesn't necessarily mean crying and professing undying love. It means being real, eyes wide open. It's the opposite of being in denial. Isn't that what we all strive toward? Or do we instead wish to hide?

Being humble is the opposite of showy. It's conscious and unmasked. It's secure and intimate. Don't be someone you're not. Every word counts, even the ones you tell yourself internally (the ones you say no one hears). Humble deserves to be repeated. 

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Surrender to your heart: Let go of anger, sadness and stories that cover up your love

find your peace

Maybe it doesn't seem like it at times, but there is peace within you. Sometimes it's hiding on purpose, so that you cannot find it easily. Let's say you find the source of a problem and throw it out the window. But your inner chaos returns. Why?

Surrendering is a process. You need to believe that it relieves you. And then know that this action needs to be repeated.

But what does surrender even mean?

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I'm a rebel… I close my eyes in Bikram Yoga sometimes because it helps me see

eye closed and seeingDo you hear me now? Probably not if your eyes are opened, focused in the mirror in your yoga class.

I am here, eyes closed yet wide opened. I am listening to my own chakras, which speak louder with colors through darkened eyelids.

Yoga brings me there, not my own eye contact with myself in the mirror.

© 2013 Yoga Robin® 

Nurturing your body by taking it easy in yoga vs. being lazy: How do you know the difference?

Is your yoga sometimes an escape? Do you go to class when you are feeling bored or escaping life, and therefore give life its purpose through your yoga practice? It doesn't matter if it's hardcore or not.

take it easy some days

It's not necessary to expend a 100% effort during every yoga practice. Some days your body needs more tender loving care, and it's better that you show up on your mat than not at all. These can be the most transformative days that rewire your brain, in fact—the days when you are not motivated to go to class and you go anyway.

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