Monday, September 23, 2019

6 Ways Yoga Can Help the Planet This Month

Millions of people around the world have made a pledge to demand climate justice this September. Here's how yogis can participate.
As climate change activism heats up this month (the Global Climate Strike is taking place from September 20-27), yoga studios, teachers, and organizations are joining the call for a healthier environment and sustainable future. Eoin Finn, founder of Blissology and the EcoKarma foundation, encourages yogis to recognize their connection with nature and make preserving the planet a lifestyle. 
“We are one with the environment” says Finn. "Take breathing for example. Breathing brings the outer world inside of you. We take air into our bodies and it passes through us via our blood - it’s hard to separate where physiology ends and the environment begins. Our job as yogis is to create experiences and rituals in our practice where we feel this interconnection." 
Amy Ippoliti, another renowned yoga teacher and environmental activist, pushes for action above all else. "We are deeply interconnected with all life on earth and the practice of yoga only heightens that awareness. Our actions need to be consistent and relentless. Let's be clear."
Here are six ways yogis can get involved in climate activism.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

15 Things to Remember When You Are Feeling Low

THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU FEEL LOW

While the above things to remember may seem like nothing more than positive sayings, if you really take them to heart, they’ll change the way you feel about yourself and the world. While sadness won’t disappear overnight, you can be confident that your feelings will eventually change.
If you’re feeling low today, you should know that tomorrow is a new day. Keep these 15 positive things to remember in mind as you try to bring more happiness to your life.

1. THIS WILL PASS

There is nothing that is quite as overwhelming as the feeling that good things will never happen again in your life. In these situations, it seems like you’re forever stuck living the worst days of your life.
While these types of dark days do come, they aren’t destined to stay this way. Though you may be feeling one way right now, remember that everything will come to an end.

2. YOU ARE IN CONTROL

It’s hard to feel good about yourself when so many things in life feel like they’re out of your control. Whether you’ve lost a job or had a medical emergency, handling life’s uncertainties can make anyone feel hopeless. Thankfully, there’s always a reason to have hope.
Whatever is making you feel as though life is out of control is only here for the moment. You are the one behind the reigns of your life and you have the ability to get yourself out of any situation you may be in.
While it may take a fair amount of creativity and outside help, regaining control of your life will completely transform your confidence.

3. TOMORROW IS COMING

When sadness hits, it can seem like you’re stuck with the same low feelings day in and day out. While everything may not change overnight, it’s important to realize that there are better days on the horizon.
Know one truly knows what tomorrow will bring. Miracles happen on a daily basis that will bring the hope back into your life. While it may take some time and dedication to build the life of your dreams, knowing that tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life can be a game-changer.

4. EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE

It’s hard to want to be grateful if you’re not feeling in good spirits, but gratitude is an essential part of feeling better about yourself.
The power of “thank you” goes beyond responding to someone holding the door for you. By exercising gratitude and saying “thank you” for all life’s blessings, you’ll sense that your perspective on life is changing.
Everything in life is a blessing. From experiencing good health, and having family and friends, to having food to eat and a bed to sleep in at night, these little details have a bigger impact once you are grateful for them.
As you examine all of your blessings, you’ll feel a newfound sense of positivity in life. Even if you’re going through a rough patch right now, your gratitude will help you see the way out.

5. YOU’LL BECOME STRONGER

Life’s lessons and tests may be uncomfortable to experience but they do have a very clear benefit: they teach you how to be strong.
Every situation that dared to break us in life really serves to develop our character and grow our resistance. While we may not enjoy these trials in the moment, they teach us everything we need to know about fighting for what we want and growing into the best versions of ourselves.

6. LOOK FOR THE GOOD

Looking for the good in a difficult situation may sound silly at first, but it is one of the best ways to shift from a negative mindset to a positive one.
Just as a rainbow typically follows a storm, your greatest success in life is sure to be on the other side of this difficulty.
When dealing with challenging experiences like a bad breakup or losing a job, it’s easy to focus on the bad feelings you have but once you look beyond that, you’ll see that there are good things on the horizon.Whether it’s falling in love with a better partner or finding the perfect career, your best life is just beyond your current situation.

7. EVERY PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED

As we learned in math class, there is a solution to every problem.
Even if you can’t immediately see how to escape the issue you’re currently facing, there is always a solution somewhere. By focusing on things to remember like building your strengths, asking for help, and analyzing your problems, you’ll be able to come up with a way to solve your issue.

8. KNOW YOU’RE NEVER ALONE

It’s not hard to feel alone in life. It can feel as though you’re the only one in the world that cares about you, but that isn’t true. There are countless people who love you or are waiting to fall in love with the person you are.
If you don’t have one already, get connected to a community. By befriending like-minded people in your area, you’ll see how lovable you are.

9. BE MINDFUL

Mindfulness is a practice that can dramatically shift the way you live your life.
Using mindfulness techniques like meditation and breathing, you’ll be able to better cope with life’s stress. Practice being mindful every day to benefit from this life-affirming technique.

10. ELEVATE YOUR MIND

It’s human nature to think ourselves into circles when something is bothering us.
Whether it’s a relationship issue or a job-related conflict, when something negative happens, it seems as though it will never leave our minds. However, endlessly thinking about bad things will force you into a loop of negative emotions. Put a stop to this cycle by thinking about positive things and eliminating your negative thoughts.

11. LEARN FROM THE PAIN

When considering things to remember to help you get through in life, you’ll learn that pain is unavoidable in life, but you are responsible for how you react to it.
Instead of letting the pain control you or build into resentment, let it transform you into leading a life that uplifts others and yourself.

12. SEE NEGATIVES AS POSITIVE

At times, bad things that happen in life are a blessing in disguise. Though a letdown may seem like a disappointment at the time, it could be that it’s preparing you for something greater.
Didn’t get accepted into the program of your dreams? Haven’t found your dream partner yet? Don’t let it get to you. There’s an even better opportunity available for you elsewhere.

13. DON’T OBSESS ABOUT THE FUTURE

Thinking about the future makes some worry that they won’t achieve their deepest desires. This is especially true if life doesn’t seem to be going your way right now.
However, instead of worrying what tomorrow will bring, whether you’ll get your dream job next year, or if you’ll fall in love and get married in the next five years, learn to appreciate today. By seeing the beauty in the present moment, you’ll be able to enjoy what you have while saving some hope for the future.

14. LIFE IS A JOURNEY

We all have certain goals or milestones that we aim to complete. If we’re not careful, it can feel as though our lives center on reaching these goals.
While it’s important to have something to work towards, there’s more to living than crossing items off your to-do list.
Understand that life is an adventure that we’re all in the midst of. All the good and bad in life happens for a reason, whatever it may be. Though this journey has its highs and lows, learning to fall in love with the journey that is life will teach you how to overcome any sad or negative emotions.

15. KNOW YOU’RE MORE THAN ENOUGH

At our lowest lows, it can seem as though we’ll never feel good enough. Whether it’s not feeling qualified enough or feeling as though someone won’t accept us, this sort of negative thinking is the reason many people feel low.
When it comes to finding love, developing friendships, making money, or making your dreams come true, know that you’re more than enough.
Everything you are right now is all you ever need.


Monday, September 9, 2019

Wellness for Kids - So Yoga in ANZA Magazine!


Source: https://anza.org.sg/category/magazine/magazine-issues/

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35 Positivity Quotes From Maya Angelou You Need To Read If You’re Unhappy

1. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud”.
2. “If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love”.
3. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
4. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude”.
5. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
6. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls, and arrives at its destination full of hope”.
7. “If you find it in your heart to care for someone else, you have succeeded”.
8. “Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time”.
9. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style”.
10. “No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow”.
11. “Success is loving life and daring to live it”.
13. “Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it”.
14. “A person is the product of their dreams. So make sure to dream great dreams. And then try to live your dream”.
15. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it”.
16. “If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be”.
17. “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody”.
18. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated”.
19. “Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person doesn’t invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise”.
20. “Determine to live life with flair and laughter”.
21. “We need much less than we think we need”.
22. “The honorary duty of a human being is to love”
23. “Everybody is worth everything”.
24. “Someone was hurt before you, wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, beaten before you, humiliated before you, raped before you, yet…..someone survived. You can do anything you choose to do”.
25. “When I forgive other people, I let them go. I free them from my ignorance. And when I do I feel lighter, brighter, better”.
26. “My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return”.
27. “My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness”.
28. “I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh”.
29. “When was the last time anyone told you how important you are”?
30. “Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls”.
31. “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty”.
32. “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, ‘I’m with you, kid…let’s go'”.
33. “Open your eyes to the beauty around you. Open your mind to the wonders of life, open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself”.
34. “We can be better, we can be wiser, we can be more kind. Yes, we have to change. We have to grow up and stop acting like 10 years old. Yes there is much to do, much to see, much to go into”.
35. “Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art”.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

How we spend any day is how we spend our lives.

So why not practice to make every day a good one?

Gratitude practice

Ideally first thing when you wake up, think of or write down a few things in your life that you are grateful for. If there is a day when this does not come easy, consider feeling gratitude for the fact that you can breathe and are alive that day. That is a good start.

Breathwork

This is also known as pranayama. There are many styles of breathwork out there, so find a type that works for you. Practicing breathwork can help you get grounded and present in your body, as well as calm the mind.

Yoga, or another form of physical exercise

Consider a brief and gentle session just to awaken the body and move the energy around.

Meditation

There are many styles of meditation out there, so find what works for you. For beginner stages, using a guided meditation can help. That said, it is best to keep any electronics away from this space and time of practice, or at least have them in airplane mode.

Prayer/mantra/affirmation/chanting

This can be part of meditation or an element of its own. Devotional singing, also known as kirtan, can be a deeply spiritual practice, and you don’t need a singing voice for it.

Reading a passage from a spiritual text and contemplating on it

The choice of the text will depend on your personal preference and overall life and worldview. I believe that regardless of spiritual orientation, most ancient spiritual texts teach similar values and lessons. One does not have to be Hindu to read and benefit from the Yoga Sutras or Bhagavad Gita, two great texts for yoga philosophy.

Journaling

Consider a style of journaling that is focused on stream of consciousness or contemplative writing, rather than documenting your day, so the purpose of it is contained in sadhana.

Using inspirational/oracle decks

This can be an easy and enjoyable way to start or close the practice. There are many types of decks out there, so you can simply pick one that draws you. Remember that any of the items proposed here are simply ideas and tools. Ultimately, you do not need any specific thing in order to go within yourself.

Connecting with nature

There is a practice originating from Japan called shinrin-yoku, meaning forest-bathing, which can be deeply calming and even spiritual. To have a sample of this experience as part of your sadhana, consider keeping a plant or flower by your sacred space and touch its leaves. Alternatively, you can walk barefoot on grass or dirt, or look up at the sky for a while. This can be a calming experience and a good reminder of the beauty that is all around you.

Any other rituals that call to you

Make the experience feel sacred and personalized. I like to light up a candle, burn incense, and use crystals, for example.
Once you identify your reminder-motivating factor and dedicate the space for your spiritual practice, the next thing to do, and the most important, is to just get started and do it regularly.
Ideally, try to get to it daily, first thing in the morning, before getting to your phone, messages, or to-do list. This will help you reset yourself to homeostasis within and fill up your cup before attending to any other parts of life.
Remember, this is a practice, so it may shift and change, and there may be days when you don’t get to it. And that’s okay.
Also remember that, ultimately, sadhana is how you live your life. You can take the peace of your altar space with you and access it through the breath—anywhere, anytime.
Learn to enjoy the process of remembering your truest you, that sweetness within you that has been there all along since the day you were born, and beyond.
Deep down, sadhana is about reconnecting with your highest self and remembering that you are a soul having a human experience.
Author: Erinda Martin
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