“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. ” ~ Arthur Golden

How do you feel supported? How does your body support your weight?  How does nourishment and exercise support your body?  How do your thoughts support your mental well being?  A good night sleep, healthy food, comfortable shoes, a shoulder to lean on, advice from a friend, financial security, and peaceful places ~ are all things we attract to feel supported.

As adversity arises in our lives we often feel unsupported.  It is easy to drift outside of ourselves – to our partners, friends, co-workers, or family – and wonder why they aren’t supporting us in a way that meets our expectations, or faulting them for our feelings of unmet needs.  In these moments, it is vital to look within and focus the energy that does support us, rather than that which does not. When we do this, we feed the abundance and grace that is always present.   By accepting the circumstances that confront us and recognizing the foundations of support that are always accessible, we soften the moments of melancholy and discontent.  We bring light into the dark.

Simply taking time for silence (the practice of mouna, in yoga) is one way to regenerate and support mental clarity.  Taking a bath to release tension in the body and rejuvenate well being, is another.   Remembering to listen to our present needs, while recalling all we are able to do to support ourselves from within, offers guidance in moving forward.  Living a sane and healthy lifestyle supports our openness, and makes space for inner wisdom to arise.

There are times when we may not feel aligned in our thoughts and actions. These are moments of opportunity to pause and ask ourselves – with courageous intent – can I be steadfast and endure the truth of my being?

Being steadfast is being committed and disciplined enough to return again and again to the essence of one’s being with conviction. Therefore, with thoughtful consideration, seek to be steadfast and rooted in the heart of your inner truth.  Recognize that the truth of your being (your essence) offers you direction toward your dreams.  As you align your actions to the clarity of your inner knowing, it will support your ability to create and bring them into form.

When we acknowledge that our energy output creates our reality, and when we are accountable for how we choose to expend our energies, we develop greater balance and harmony based on inner truth.  Being steadfast proposes and ensures that with steady conviction and a trusting resolve, we return again to that one-pointed focus.

Taking the time to establish a foundation and a structure necessary to support the truth of our being will ensure our ability to create what we vision and the dreams that move us into action.  Knowing where our roots lay, and what seeds we have planted at the base of our tree, will encourage a steadfast approach to where we stand and what we are bringing into bloom around us.  Although the results of our efforts may not always appear exactly as we imagined, the more steadfast we become, and the more willing we are to steer in a one-pointed direction toward our dreams, the greater our ability to experience them.

Always remember, your dreams become your reality, so with wisdom align your dream with your inner truth.  As stated by Shakespeare:  ”Unto thine own self be true.”

“Every natural action is graceful.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Being gracious is revealed through one’s ability to blend and nurture the qualities of wisdom and compassion into action.   When we are able to see clearly through situations that arise, allowing the vision of wisdom to flourish as we accept circumstances with ease and compassion, the blossoms of grace are born.

There is a natural order and flow to life.   In yoga we call this rita.  As we attune to the rita of life and the flow of the universe, we enter a state of grace.   This attunement requires that we accept what is and manage situations accordingly.  Without struggling or fighting against that which confronts us we become transparent.  The gift of transparency is total acceptance.  To be seen, and to see, with clarity and total honesty is a natural state of being.   This innate and natural participation in life is the experience of being gracious.    A bird does not complain when its nest is destroyed by a wind fallen tree, but rather it naturally begins to assess a new location as it gathers the materials necessary to restructure and rebuild…

willingness and awareness we become more and more accountable for what we put out and what we then receive back.  Judgment, blame, and irritation become battles we have with ourselves as we refrain from projecting outward.

Every pair of eyes we meet is an opportunity to gaze into the sacred mirror of our soul – our memory and our mind.  The more gentle we are to our neighbors, friends, families and lovers, the greater the gift toward expanding our awareness.

There is no enemy except unto thy self.  Befriend your nightmare and your dreams will transform.

“That is fundamentally the only courage which is demanded of us:  to be brave in the face of the strangest, most singular and most explicable things that can befall us.”

“For it is not only indolence which causes human relationships to repeat themselves with such unspeakable monotony, unrenewed from one occasion to another, it is the shyness of any new incalculable experience which we do not feel ourselves equal to facing.”

~Rilke

“Music fills the infinite between two souls.” Tagore

Singing our heart’s song is being harmonious with life.

As we attune to the subtle, yet simple, call of duty we open to self-expression and enter harmony of being.  When we do what we do naturally, with ease, we innately expand.  The tendency to strive for more or less activates a desirous quality.  This potentiality triggers proclivities.  At that moment, we are given the opportunity to peer into the mind and gain insights into how it’s motivated.

Observe the tendency to nurture an idea that has a rhythm out of tune with your hearts song.   Return to your inner harmony and develop the intricacies for a more precise and vital melody.   In harmony, flow forward with vision and with wisdom honor where you’ve come from.

Sing into life and allow life to sing into you.

Practice

Yoga Bliss

A light, joyful holistic hatha practice (meditation, pranayama, and asana) designed to fill your body, mind, and soul with bliss. In grounded presence, we will explore illuminating themes that guide our spirited journey toward an uplifted state of being.

Amy Hunter Photography

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga classes are for all levels offering tools to develop flexibility of body and mind, while building strength, self-acceptance, and peace.  An integral practice of Hatha, Kriya, and Intuitive Movement.  Explore the foundations and simple graces of asana (postures).  Experience the profound effects of pranayama (breath control).  Merge with your inner world through dhyana (meditation).

Simply bring a willingness and your beautiful Self.

Mmmm…Yoga ~ Myth, Mantra, Meditation & Movement

A 7-week chakra attunement series focused on holistic yoga practices that give rise to harmonious living.

Each week we will spend 90 minutes exploring, attuning, and balancing the layers and depth of each chakra (focusing on one chakra per week moving up the chakric tree) through story (the myth and meaning), vibration/tone (mantra), focus contemplation (meditation) and asana (movement) which support and bring balance to our body and mind.  We will come to understand the correlation between the inner and outer universe and gain practical tools to balance our astral body (chakric body) to bring greater harmony into your daily lives and our relationships.

Amy Hunter Photography

Private Instruction

Elaina is available for scheduled one-on-one Instruction.  After an initial consultation and assessment, a tailored yoga practice is created and developed specifically for you.   With special care and instruction your practice will have the opportunity to evolve and deepen more rapidly.  Private instruction can be scheduled at your home or Alameda Fitness Center on NE 41st and Fremont with availability Monday-Friday.  Contact Elaina at wayofbeingyoga@gmail.com.

Private - $55 an hour (single participant)
Semi-Private – $65 an hour (2-3 participants)
Private group – $75 an hour (4-10 participants) ~ great for work events, family reunions, and private gatherings.

Note: Relaxation and meditation techniques are included as requested. (Additional fees are added for travel.)

Strength is often associated with the state of our physical body. Developed muscles, a toned physique, and the amount of weight one can lift are all perceived strengths of an individual. While it’s true that physical strength supports a healthy body and mind, mental strength is also vital to support a healthy life. In yoga, we focus on strengthening all aspects of our being through various methods – including observation of silence.

The practice of observing silence, called Mauna in yoga, encourages one to open and develop a connection to the self as Spirit, or Atma. Mind strength requires active discipline and regulated restraint. Refraining from reactionary urges activates mind strength and develops self-awareness. Self-awareness is the foundation that develops our sense of purpose and creative vision, as it resists the urge to react to conditioned behaviors.

I once vowed to three days of silence and as those days passed on, I noticed the immense energy I was able to retain in both my body and my mind. For a moment, I realized what it must feel like to be truly “wise”. With full awareness, I was able to recognize the patterns of my mind and in doing so, I developed a sense of compassion in my interactions. Strength, in my opinion, is wisdom and wisdom is found in silence. As Lao Tzu says, “Silence is a source of great strength.”

Have you ever walked along a country trail void of all noise except your footsteps and the moving air? Take a moment to recall your experience there. It is not unusual to feel a sense of peace and presence in such an environment as silence promotes clarity of mind and ensues a deep resolve of being. Silence builds strength of mind, which feeds the Atma. Silence is the language of our Spirit and the backbone of our existence. From silence – through Spirit – intuition flows. Intuitively we are directed, propelled, and cautioned on our journey. By simply taking time to listen in silence we grow stronger.

Daily Reflections

Ask yourself. . .

Where in your life do you observe silence, if ever?

How do you feel in silence – anxious? calm? overwhelmed? peaceful?

How can you bring more silence into your life?

Every book on the shelf of your existence holds memories: fears, aspirations, desires, attachments, dreams, and more. The mind is vast and unlimited, and like many history books throughout time, all your experiences, each and every thought you’ve conceived, are bound in the pages of your mind.

Understanding the nature of your mind and developing relationship with your mind, are the first steps toward cultivating presence of mind. If you’ve ever observed your thinking, you’ll notice that it often has a “mind of its own”, with the potential to wander aimlessly from one thought to the next. The mind’s natural state is active and it will continue its activity with or without your direction. It is therefore, important to align and direct the mind toward your highest goals and aspirations, lest it run astray.

As you begin to focus on being present through your yoga practice or other personal ritual, you’ll begin to experience the mind as a very powerful tool. When you weave your intentional presence through each page of your history, you guide the mind’s purpose in support of your cause by simply being. This presence naturally brings peace, harmony, and balance to your life. As you develop an ability to return the mind to the present moment, it will automatically be disposed to a state of awareness that extends beyond the memory. Diffusing memories in this way dissipates confused and vacillating emotions that can form barriers to seeing clearly. As these barriers fall away you open to the possibilities in the present moment. In yoga we call this clear perception.

Having the ability to see clearly with a broad observing awareness, allows you greater insight into your being, the dynamics of your relationships and the beauty of this shared journey. Being present with life, in life and as life, is the true nature of life. As as you meet each moment you become a living moment. No holding. No judging. Just pure existence.

Daily Reflections

Ask yourself. . .

How is the memory of my past experience influencing my perception of today?

What memory from the past am I holding that prohibits me from seeing clearly in the present?

How can I be more present in this moment?

“Though a tree grows ever so high, the falling leaves return to the ground” ~ Malayan Proverb

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.” ~ Gautama Buddha

Ground yourself, strip yourself down, To blind, loving silence.  Stay there, until you see. You are gazing at the Light. With its own ageless eyes. ~ Rumi

Creative power comes from yielding to the process. Pure force alone does not generate this capability. Creative power is energy and is called Shakti in yoga. Shakti is the creative potential of life, and it is exemplified by the female principles. Shakti manifests when it merges with the energies of Shiva, the masculine qualities of movement which creates force. Although modern culture tends to disassociate the male and female qualities; they exist as a whole within each of us. One goal of yoga is to experience these qualities, in balance.

Yielding is often identified as a feminine quality of weakness. Power is a masculine energy seen as a force of strength and domination. However, when you look at the natural movement of energy, like water for instance, strength and force are elevated when you yield your energy to the natural flow; Shakti is symbolized as the water and Shiva as the movement of water. Yielding, is not submissive. It produces a natural process of momentum. When we ignite the Shakti power with the Shiva energies, creative potentials are engaged. Through patience and the methodical persistence of yielding to the flow life, energies inevitably ignite and their potential is perpetuated.

This is similar to the way we weave through the seasonal changes of our environment. There is no way to deny the changes occurring, instead when we yield we find balance. It is water making its way down a river, or two lovers moving in an embrace.

Yielding is a surrender, to the process. It is not passive or inactive. Action and movement of energy (Shiva) is necessary for creative potential (Shakti) to be activated. Yielding to life is a dance; you move to the rhythm fast or slow, melodic or tempered. The tempo of your body changes according to the tempo of the music. It is the action of least resistance. If you do not dance there is no movement. Yielding, therefore, does not infer that you sit back and simply wait, rather it encourages one to act in consciousness with awareness, heeding to the intuitive notions that yield a dynamic expression.

Daily Reflections

Ask yourself. . .

In what areas of my life am I forcing an action or outcome?

What do I need to yield to, in order to cultivate more creative power?

How can I balance the surrender (Shakti energy) and force (Shiva energy) within my being?