Heart Songs & Kirtan with Prema Love

Join us Friday April 19 @ 5:30p.m. for meditation and at 6:00 for beautiful inspirational music! 

What is Kirtan?
Meditation doesn't come easy for many people. And that's where kirtan-an ancient participatory music experience-offers another method. Without the work of mentally quieting the mind, kirtan can carry us effortlessly to a place of quiet, to stillness. One of the oldest sacred music traditions of the world, the kirtan call-and-response chanting genre comes to us from India. Using ancient Sanskrit mantras, the kirtan calls upon sacred energies which serve to quiet the mind, remove obstacles, and bring us back to the center of our being.

Freedom from the Daily Chatter
By repeating simple mantras over and over, faster and faster, the kirtan is an easy way for people to experience some freedom from the daily chatter of the mind. And while it is true that we can sing these chants in the solitude of our own home, there is nothing like the magic of chanting live with musicians and hundreds of participants-from kids to seniors-all adding their energy to the chant. People often say they feel "buzzed" for days following such a chanting experience.

Absorb the Vibrations, Ignite the Spirits
So what gives us that buzz? Something about the kirtan experience goes beyond the music itself, goes to a deeper experience of vibration. We all resonate at different frequencies, and these frequencies change according to what we are doing and thinking. So when we are all doing the same thing-chanting, breathing, and moving to the same rhythms-our vibrations begin to synchronize and the resulting experience is very powerful. The laws of vibration help us out here, because vibrations align themselves to stronger vibrations, so even if you're having a truly rotten day, it may be difficult to hold onto those feelings during the chant experience. If you were only to sit in the room without participating, the idea is that you could still feel the shift. Something happens-the energy begins to activate the spirit that exists within us all.

It's the Heart, not the Art!
Although the kirtan involves music, the underlying art of kirtan chanting is not actually about musical ability or training-it is about the heart. Everyone can participate, regardless of age or cultural background. The purpose of this music is to get us out of our heads and into our hearts. Typically, the songs can last for 20-30 minutes each with a few moments of silence in between each song so you can soak it all up. The longer songs allow for deeper experience of the effects, and with the simple, repetitive lyrics (it's a chant, after all!) we really don't have to think much about the words.

Chants Heal
In fact, because the ancient Sanskrit lyrics are not familiar to many of us Westerners, these words take us away from the mind's constant chatter a little easier. The powerful healing and transformational energies of these ancient chants can help to reconnect us to the Ever-Present and Eternal Being that lies within us all. All the mantras, melodies, and instruments of kirtan are designed to lead us toward this meditative state.

The Beauty of Relaxation!
We provide floor seating in the traditional style of kirtan events in India (and yes, we also provide chairs for those who prefer chairs), and this living-room style music experience allows people to sink into themselves, to relax and ground themselves during the chants. Most of us spend the day in our heads, running here and there, thinking about where we have to be and what we have to do next. The kirtan gives us a time to come back to our center. And when this happens, beautiful things begin to unfold. Feelings of inspiration, peace, and a sense of connectedness are common experiences.

Experience Peace, First Hand!
"The first time I came to a kirtan, I felt so peaceful, so relaxed," comments Amy, who now regularly participates in the Milwaukee kirtan experience. "Something happens during the kirtan, and I get this deep sense of inner peace and connectedness." Amy is not the only one with these experiences; a few hundred people attend the monthly Milwaukee kirtan event, and they often return with their friends the next month. "It's like you go into a space-the music takes you there-and when you emerge at the end, you feel different, more energized and inspired," says Jeff, another kirtan buff.

Quiet Your Mind, Feel Your Self!
Kirtan helps the mind become quiet, and when the mind quiets, we can begin to perceive the mystical things, the sacred experiences, that are around us always. In the silence between the songs, when the song stops, you can feel something. And that something is you. There is no greater experience than the experience of one's Self. And that vibration is always within you, that vibration is you. That's the beauty of any chant experience-with little or no effort we can experience and enjoy the vibrations of peace, energy, healing and inspiration that are always within us.

Article written by Ragani from http://hinduism.about.com/od/audiomusic/a/kirtan.htm

Prema Love is a devotional musician of the heart, creator & poet of the soul, a sacred sound & intuitive healer, artist, dancer & inspired lover of Mother earth/God & all organic beauty. She honors all great truths & paths that lead to love.

Prema has been singing sacred heart felt sounds since in the womb, & as she blossomed & bloomed into a child. Eternally young in spirit, Prema continues to sing & paint the artwork of her heart, through living breathing music. Deep, soul-full, Inspirational, & positive affirmational music, these songs are uplifting prayers & intentions that are to awaken our hearts to fly free & are vibrations for the healing & happiness of all beings.

Enjoy some beautiful music and chanting. A night of community and celebrating Earth day, connection, joy and dance!

Free event. Love donations are welcomed
More about Prema visit her website www.PremaLoveMuseik.com
to listen: https://soundcloud.com/premalovesongs/03-ganesha

Mat Pilates: The Fundamentals

Mat Pilates is a great foundation for building strength, flexibility and the Pilates breath work. It is recommended a great place to start for beginners wanting to learn the Pilates method, how to use the core muscles for stability, how to slow down your breath and control each movements to give optimal strength, alignment and even flexibility.

Mat Pilates is an exercise class that will give you results! You will  really see you body changing within a few consecutive sessions.  Usually done with equipment such as hand weights, rollers, balls, rings and elastic resistance bands but sometimes we use just your body strength and resistance. Mat Pilates is not only great for a beginner, but since it uses only your muscles to control the body, without any apparatus helping to hold your body into position, it is even challenging for the intermediate to advance practitioner wanting to get a serious core workout.

The focus of Pilates is your core, or powerhouse. Your core includes your shoulders, hips, butt, inner thighs, back and abdomen. The basic idea is that we are working to stabilize your body from your powerhouse while moving through your arms and legs. So a Pilates class will be a full body workout centered around the strength of your core. 

Want to see your body change, feel stronger, loose weight? Pilates is a great cross training exercise! Great for dancers, golfers, runners, bikers, yogi's, really any athlete that wants to be stronger, faster, more agile at their sport.  But it is also safe and good for the non-athlete wanting to get in shape and feel great for swimsuit season! :) 

Come try a class! All of our classes at Pilates Place of The Woodlands are taught by certified instructors trained to give you individual attention and assistance to keep you safe and getting stronger!  We offer classes in the day and evening and for more information or to see our class schedule visit our website www.PilatesPlaceYogaSpace.com

Our Pilates Instructors:

Tori

Jen

Greg

Maggie

What is Ashtanga Yoga?

This Wednesday, a new class, Ashtanga Inspired Yoga: for all levels is on the schedule for 6:00p.m. with Wade.  Interested in Ashtanga Yoga? What is it exactly? Well the word Ashtanga is a Sanscrit word that translates in english as 8 limb union. So what does that mean? In the Yoga Sutras written by yogi sage, Patanjali around 200 AD, outlines an 8 limb path as Yoga.  These 8 aspects of yoga include the yoga poses, but that is just 1 of the 8.  The other limbs are
Yama = Moral codes
Niyama = Self observation

The Yama's and the Niyamas are the ethical observances or how we treat ourselves and each other.
Asana = Postures

A tool to calm the mind and move into the inner essence of being.
Pranayama = Breath

Pranayama controls the energy (prana) of a living being. By balancing our breath, we are balancing the vital energy of our body.
Pratyahara = Drawing your senses inward
Dharana = Concentration
Dhyana = Meditatation

We sever the link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw.  When the senses are no longer tied to external sources, the result is restraint or pratyahara.  We do this through meditation and holding our concentration on one direction.
Samadhi = A state of joy and peace

In Ashtanga yoga, the asanas are a specific sequence of poses, linked with a specific breath (ujjai breath), concentration on engaging the bandhas (ingaged energy centers such as the pelvic floor, navel and lower abdomen) and drishti (a focused gaze, to develop concentrated intention).

So you begin the practice with Sun Salutations.  

Then the poses that follow include forward bends, triangle, revolved triangle, side angle, revolved, balance poses, warrior 1 and 2.  Then move to sitting forward bends, twists, arm balances, back bends and inversions.

Ashtanga practice is quite vigorous, linking pranayama (breath) to the movement the flow of Ashtanga yoga gives you quite a workout. The concentration of the mind and the intention of the practice is powerful.

Over time, as you practice the intention of Ashtanga yoga, you will see your body, mind and spirit get stronger, more flexible and experience Samadhi, on and off your yoga mat.

Join us this Wednesday evening 6:00 p.m. for an Ashtanga practice led by Wade Cockburn at the Yoga Space at Pilates Place of The Woodlands. 

www.PilatesPlaceYogaSpace.com

Aries Full Moon

SATURDAY/SUNDAY AND BEYOND

We are in a space of not being able to avoid the intensity of the energies of this Full Moon.  There’s so much to contend with, we really are going to have to know that this isn’t the time to make any life-altering decisions.  The second of seven exact squares between Uranus and Pluto happened on the 19^th, and will continue its intensity for a few months, particularly around the New and Full Moons.  We’re in a process, and we must continue to move through that process, on many levels. 

            
The other piece of the puzzle to contend with is: there are no planets in earth signs except Pluto, which doesn’t bring us much of sense of being anchored, so we may feel particularly ungrounded, which adds to a sense of not being able to see a real, bigger picture. 

         
   This is a time though, because of the Aries energies, to look closely at yourself, and where are you putting your energies at this moment?  This is the time to step up in your own life, and using the energies of this Aries Full Moon: show your exuberance, trust your tenacious nature, open to your own progressive ideas, be straightforward in your plans and goals, and allow your courageous trust in yourself to show through!  These are the qualities of Aries, access and use them as much as possible this next month, till the next Full Moon, and instead of fear and dread about these dynamics, instill power and will in your own life.  That will also mean some very deep breathing from your third chakra (the solar plexus), but it’s a great time to test your jets!!

Step up, it’s your life, feel free to live it with all the enthusiasm you can muster,

Nancy Ogren

I Think It's Time To Cleanse

It has been a long, hot summer here in Texas.  When it's hot outside, 95+ degrees outside, it's so hard to motivate to get out and do something as often as I'd like.  I've been working some long hours and adding that to motherhood of a toddler....well, we've been eating "quick and easy", which in our house means, eating out. My digestive system has been making its objections to these decisions, the whole time. Bloating, discomfort, constipation and the other end of the spectrum.

I have noticed other issues my body has been dealing with the past few months. I am not sure if my diet has anything to do with them, but my right knee has been in a lot of pain. Seems like my right illiotibial band is inflamed and tight. Pulling on my knee joint causing clicking in the joint at times.  It has gotten so bad on my right side, that it seems like my left side is beginning to tighten too. Maybe to help compensate for the structural imbalance and the way I am not carrying my body.

My skin has been breaking out all summer especially during PMS. Which by the way, I've noticed my symptoms of PMS have changed. Sore breasts and longer, heavier periods. And then there is my coffee addiction. I have been fueled each morning by that necessary cup (or two) of french press coffee.  I wake up tired, so it seems my only option to get up and get going.  And don't let me forget to mention, my memory has been a bit foggy. Walking into a room...what was I just about to do in here?!  What is her name again? (2 minutes after she just told me).  It's bad!

So it seems, I am a mess! I feel sort of bad that I have let myself feel all of these symptoms for quite some time now. After all, I have done cleanses before. I understand that I feel better when I am eating better. I know that food is either poisoning you, or it is nurturing you.  But I just couldn't do anything different... until this week.

We went on a Labor Day vacation last weekend, a drive to beautiful Hot Springs, Arkansas.  The 7 hour drive and camping trip consisted of stops at gas stations for chips and vitamin water, Sonic for lunch, Hebrew National hot dogs on the grill for dinner, roast beef sandwiches on the boat and an occasional coke.  It was fun! However I was sick by the time we got home.  I had to do something. Monday morning I marched into the grocery store empowered to make some serious changes. It was time to do a cleanse.

A cleanse in my experience comprises of getting rid of processed foods, sugar, gluten and wheat, dairy and soy to start. We eliminate most meat except for now, buffalo, chicken, eggs and fish.  It is a gradual detox, primarily using food to clean the digestive system, taking the pressure of the liver, kidneys, immune system, gall bladder so I can function better and feel better.  Eventually the detox will continue to eliminate all meat and corn. So we will just get down to fruits, veggies, beans and alternative grains like quinoa and rice.

It is a great cleanse created by Jeffery Bland, Ph.D. called an elimination diet. When I was working as a patient educator with Dr. Jacqueline Fields, MD she used to put her patients on this cleanse. To get their bodies back to a baseline to deal with inflammation in the body. So she could go from there in terms of additional medical choices to help her patients. Often times the cleanse and then adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle would heal the majority of patients.

I decided to start easy. I got the ingredients to make a huge pot of organic chicken vegetable soup.

• 1 whole organic chicken
• 1 onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• carrots
• celery
• green beans
• corn
• red potatoes
• cilantro for garnish

Then I got some great detox snacks

• homemade guacamole, for dipping veggies and my Beanitos Black Bean chips (in the natural section of the grocery store)
• Yummy fruit, like berries, apples, pineapple.
• organic almond butter (great on apples)
• raw almonds
• Bob's Red Mill Whole Oats for breakfast. With a little local honey on it is delicious.

So, its a start for the first few days anyway.  I started on Monday and today is Saturday, so 6 days so far.
I ate my soup all week. Taking it to work for lunch and even repeating it for dinner. Some dinners I made a big salad with greens, veggies and even strawberries. One day I went to Zoe's kitchen and ordered their Veggie Kabobs with a side salad. I ate my oatmeal for breakfast.

Tuesday I woke up and felt like I could skip the coffee. Woke up with energy, not feeling tired. I was scared to not have it because I had a very busy day at work working until 8:30 that night.  I was worried that I would need something or get a headache. So I went to Starbucks and got a tall americano (espresso+water). Espresso is supposed to have less caffeine, especially compared to my french press extraction that I usually do which is great for that bold, yummy, coffee taste but a lot of caffeine. I had like 1/4 of the coffee and I ended up with some gas.  I think my body is trying to get me off the coffee train.  I will get there body, I promise!

Other than that, this week has been good. Felt lots of energy. I think I have been feeling so bad, that it's easy to stay on the diet. I know I want to feel better and live better. I was tested last night. Hanging out with my family they were eating tacos for dinner at my mom's house.  I knew I didn't want tacos so I decided to take a trip to the grocery store to get something healthy, but hopefully quick and easy for me to eat. I decided sushi might be a good choice. I got the salmon sushi with brown rice which seemed the best option. It had cucumber and a bit of cream cheese. But I thought to myself, it won't be the worst. Just a little and I will be fine. I balanced out the sushi with a salad and some strawberries for dessert.  Well, I was sick. Feeling bloated, gassy, constipated! And frustrated with myself. I was doing so good and then made the bad choice about the sushi.  I will chalk it up to an educational experience. So now I am back on track. This morning I am having my oatmeal and I am making a trip to the store this afternoon for the next plan of attack for this week!  Coffee is on my list of eliminating this week.

I will keep you in the loop.
Namaste lovelies!

AQUARIUS NEW MOON - JANUARY 23

          This New Moon will feel like a breath of fresh air for everyone.  Sometimes there is a confusion around Aquarius, it’s an air sign, but called the Water Bearer, because Aquarius is always bringing  new, universal ideas and asking us to swim in the new universal consciousness being offered us.  Aquarius is always reminding us of our need to step into our own future, and to open, expand, and progress your own picture of what a wonderful life means to you. The qualities of this New Moon are: Independence, Aspirations, Expansion, Group Endeavors, Activated Vision, and the Social Collective.  Write ten intentions around those words, write about embracing your personal, all the way through your universal aspirations.  Think about how much resonance you can generate by knowing the we  are creating, moment by moment, our own tomorrow.  That means stop living in the past, and with this dynamic New Moon, really stepping into the future. 

            Mars, the planet of action, turns retrograde on Jan. 23, at 23° Virgo; it stations direct on April 12 at 4° Virgo and again reaches 23° on June 19^th.   Mars usually is in a sign for about two months, but Mars will be here in Virgo for almost eight months, it moved into Virgo in Nov. of 2011, and will move on into Libra on July 3 of this year!  Mars is focusing on us taking this extra time to not only know what isn’t in harmony in our lives, but what actions are we willing to take to change that. 

            And, since Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius, and as we know, Uranus is in Aries for these next six years, there will be no marginally agreeing to a maybe.  This New Moon really is asking us to see the world in a new light.  Look at this New Moon and remember:  “ . . . Dream the impossible dream and the world will no grind you under, it will lift you up.  This is the trick . . . This is how magic is done.  By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.”  (Terrence McKenna)

by Nancy Ogren

www.nancymillerogren.com

Non Toxic Living

There are hundreds of toxins we are exposed to everyday in our environment. Toxins are in what we eat, wear, the mattresses we sleep on, the soap we use, household chemicals for cleaning and gardening, not to mention the air we breathe.  These toxins have to be broken down by our liver, which can get overwhelmed and the toxins can end up being stored in the fatty tissues in the body. Some toxins mimic hormones or can cause inflammatory disorders and cancer. There are safer alternatives to our everyday household products and making small changes in your environment can make big differences in your body.

Most common household cleaners that you can get at your supermarket, contain toxic, caustic and non-biodegradable chemicals.  It has been shown that it takes 26 seconds after exposure for these chemicals to show up in your body.  Some people have reactions to this exposure, such as burning, itchy, watery eyes, trouble breathing or burning in the throat and lungs, gagging, nausea, migraines, headaches, and achy joints. Reactions are the body’s signal of overload and really telling you to “get away!”  To prevent disease the body must manage the burden by eliminating the toxin.    If the load is excessive, symptoms occur as a response to the disturbance of the body’s immune and detoxification functions. Everyone varies on the amount their body can handle based on overall health and genetics.  

We humans have created a toxic world, but awareness can make a big difference.  It is the accumulation of toxins over time that leads to an overwhelmed and toxic body.  Studies have shown asthma rates in children have increased 118% from 1980 to 1993, as well as lung cancer in adults.  Since World War II over 75,000 new synthetic chemicals have been developed and released into the environment; fewer than half have been tested for their potential toxicity on humans and even less have been tested for their toxicity on children.  However times are changing, the American Environmental Health Foundation has published research and is educating physicians, politicians and others about these issues and we are learning just how crucial it is to take care of our environment and make the changes to protect our health.

There are some steps you can take to decrease your body’s exposure to unnecessary toxins. 

1. Do not use herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers.  Pesticides are neurotoxins, which mean the effect the central nervous system. Pesticides do not know the difference between the pest and you.  Neurotoxins can cause short-term memory loss, loss of circulation, imbalance, and flu like symptoms, depression, and changes in mood, fatigue.  A healthy alternative to those pests would be diatomatious earth, boric acid, and nematodes.  You can get these at health food stores.
2. Eat organic foods.  These foods are grown without any use of pesticides etc.  Avoid processed foods (foods with colors and dyes, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup).  Avoid aspartame.  Aspartame breaks down in the body as formic acid and methanol.
3. Avoid storing food in plastic or drinking water from plastic bottles.  Use glass jars/bottles.  In 2002 the FDA named plastics “indirect food additives”, chemicals in the plastic do infiltrate food.  It is hard to completely avoid all plastics, since most food comes packaged in plastic.  The key here is to cut down.
4. Use natural, biodegradable cleaning products. Get rid of those toxic chemicals sitting under your kitchen sink.  The best thing to do is to find out the safe and proper disposal of these products and get them out of your home.  There are many eco-friendly products at health food stores and even now at most grocery stores.  White vinegar and water or dissolved baking soda makes a great alternative to ammonia-based cleansers. Baking soda or Bon Ami on a damp cloth is an effective abrasive cleaner that is good for you and the environment.  60ml of baking soda and 125 ml of vinegar mixed together makes an effective drain cleaner. For finished wood polish use 3 parts olive oil to one part white vinegar.  Mineral oil works great for unfinished wood.
5. Same goes for natural, nontoxic personal care products.  Cosmetics are full of chemicals.  Avoid parabens, urea, sodium laurel sulfate, propylene glycol and fragrance.  “Avalon Organics” is a brand that makes shampoo, lotion, soaps etc. It is inexpensive and safe to use.
6. Open your windows as much as possible.  Even in the most polluted cities, the air outside has been found less toxic than indoor air.
7. Certain houseplants have been found to detoxify the air.  Philodendrons, spider plants, aloe Vera, English ivy, golden pothos. Plant mint around your house to keep mosquitoes away.
8. Use safe cookware.  Avoid Teflon; it is made out of chemicals.  The best alternatives are glass, stainless steel or cast iron.
9. Limit installation of new carpets, plywood, wallboard and adhesives.  All contain chemicals that will gas out in your home for a long period of time.
10. Participate in guided detoxification for your body at least once a year.  The simplest way to detoxify is to do an elimination diet.  It only requires eliminating common food allergens (such as wheat, dairy, corn, sugar and processed food) that allows the body to get out of its inflammatory state and release stored toxins. Exercise, sweating, drinking plenty of pure water, and getting good nutritional support assists your body in detoxifying.

 Take care! In love and light, Namaste.