Svadhyaya in Sanskrit means Self-study. It is one of our Niyamas, behaviors we observe and strive to adopt into our lives as good practice for personal growth and a better way to live. When we explore with open minds through resources available to us, like books or knowledge and wisdom shared by others, then reflect on what it means to us, it’s a form of self-study. When we fuse learning with pranayama/breath control, asana/yoga postures,
Alignment and Connection have varied meanings at Fusion to find higher levels of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual harmony. We teach as guides to practice as the ancient seer advised in Patanjali’s 8 Limbed Path of Yoga (listed in italics after each practice). Physical Alignment, like when we control our breath (pranayama) and body with our muscles engaged, line up our feet, hips, arms, hands, head, our spine, and so on
As I teach this week, we move as described, to be sturdy like the oak tree yet flexible like bamboo.More Yoga Body Basics, “Move” is our 2nd power word in our Fusion mantra, Breathe. Move. Connect. Yoga moves are much more than just getting from one posture to the next. It’s about safely maximizing movement with ease, focus and purpose after a breath is initiated, going deeper if it feels appropriate for the challenge. Never
Let’s get Back to Basics of Breath. The most beneficial and under utilized tools for a yoga practice is Pranayama, breath control. It is one of Patanjail’s (ancient seer) 8 Limbed Path to Yoga. Our Fusion Mantra is Breathe. Move. Connect. as a reminder that breath must lead the movement, not the other way around. I often remind students, “without breath, there is no life. It’s the first thing we do
Star Bright, Star Light, first star I see tonight…I wish upon for all a Life Abundant with Love. We reflect as we wrap up 2023, give thanks for our lessons and adventures, then release what we no longer need in 2024. Every Sunday I share our Fusion Weekly Theme, hoping you enjoy them and learn new things with time to contemplate what each mean to you as I do when
Wonderful heart-warming gifts from our students, Rosemarie and Laurie with a variety of items reflecting what I love in life. They included beautiful personal notes and of course, a hug. Gift Giving & Receiving is one of the most misunderstood of the 5 Love Languages, often thought of as materialistic. But, when a gift is given with intention to demonstrate love, it can be a tangible way to show love
No one in the world has been unscathed by the past few years and more recent events near and afar. From dis-ease, natural disasters, family and financial matters, global conflicts, and more. Yogis and Lightworkers know that we have protection and healing Energy Tool Kits for times in need. Daily self-care and routine rituals known as Dinacharya in Arurveda prevent and help heal chaos in the body and mind as we’ve learned
The power of touch to feel with our fingertips, hands, feet or anywhere else enables us to protect, function best and experience various sensations. Our skin is our largest organ and each square inch contains about 1000 nerve endings. Imagine your whole body! When we touch someone or something we may feel it as cool, warm, smooth, textured, soft, hard, dull, sharp, moving or still, for instance. Sometimes it’s pleasant and other times, not so much. In a
What’s your favorite musical instrument, your favorite musician or song? Think of those that bring you the happiest feeling inside, make you smile, sing along, maybe put a spring in your step. One of my favorite songs is Because I’m Happy by Pharrell Williams. I like the beat, the lyrics and it gets me moving. And most anything Beatles for sure. Favorite instruments are probably the piano and native flutes as I
No, I do not mean mean we should not meditate, just that Yoga Nidra is another powerful form of a yoga wellness practice to go deeper. It induces Yogic Sleep, a state between wakefulness and sleep, when we enter the brain’s Theta Waves. This ancient method has evolved over thousands of years. Some branches of the military use it to reduce anxiety, induce calm.Seated or lying down, in an awake state of consciousness while focusing the