My Journey to a Yoga Practice

I was drawn to yoga as a college student 13 years ago.  I was in a transitional time in my life and yoga offered some sort of refuge from the stress of the unknown.   On the floor of my dorm I perched a yoga book against the bed and began exploring yoga poses and what was exactly happening to me as I held each pose.  Sometimes in the simplicity of a pose I would find my mind wondering or bored.  Harder poses where I lacked strength or flexibility I would give up on or hold back on challenging my body.  But somewhere in between the limitations of my body and the chaos of my mind I found myself coming back to the practice especially when I felt “stressed”.  In the beginning just the act of shutting off the TV, turning on relaxing music, lighting a candle and maybe doing a handful of poses until I got bored or tired began to restore my mind and in turn relaxed my body.  Of course I judged this effort in not being enough.  I thought I “should” be doing an hour practice, I should go to more yoga classes, I should be more flexible, stronger, and whatever other “should” I come up with. 

But today I realize that what I did do was nurture the seed that I planted to begin a journey towards a yoga practice that would take me deeper physically, mentally and spiritually.  You have to start somewhere, and where I started didn’t have to look perfect, it didn’t have to be all or nothing.  If I could continue to commit to showing up even in the simplest way everyday, I would invest in myself and I would grow. 

Yoga continues to teach me to surrender my mind and body to be in the moment, to allow myself, with all of my limitations to be present, to hold the space for growth at my own pace. And just maybe today I will push past those limitations, maybe in micro movements or maybe in leaps, but all in the safety of acceptance of myself, of others and with the inner eye of awareness.   Today, that is the intention of my practice and as a teacher I honor and nurture that for my students.

As we enter into the New Year, spending time with family and friends and begin to prepare for all those new beginnings, it becomes ever so important to make the effort and the time for a yoga practice.  To quiet my mind of all my judgments of all the “shoulds"  in life, and connect with awareness, peace, acceptance, compassion, balance, strength, and all of the themes that a yoga practice connects me to on the mat,  so that I continue to carry that out to my life off of the mat. 

What draws you to a Yoga practice today?  What drew you to Yoga initially?  What does your practice give you?  I'd love to hear

Nov 10 Full Moon

We find ourselves at an serious juncture in the great scheme of things. We are all conscious of the dynamic of 11/11/11, and how important this date is, along with the Mayan calendar shifts, we are truly at a place of a new commitment to ourselves, and the life we are meant to live. . Double-digit numbers like, 11, 22, 33, 44, are known as “master” numbers, which relate to dimensions beyond the physical plane. The number 1 is similar to the first sign of Aries in that it symbolizes the beginning of self-consciousness; the number 11 represents its higher octave, the emergence of enlightened or Christ consciousness. Thus, 11/11/11 represents a spiritual initiation and gateway, offering extraordinary support for profoundly transformative meditations, group prayers, and mass awakenings.

In Taurus, we discover what really matters, what is worth our time, energy, and money. In Scorpio, we learn to face and feel everything, and realize that everything changes. Taurus, the earth sign, is concerned with building a balanced relationship to the physical plane: being in touch with our bodies and with Nature, possessing a healthy sense of self-worth, and sustainably supporting ourselves. Scorpio, a water sign, dives into the alchemical cauldron of relationship, discovering the power of emotions, fear, and the unconscious and how to align our feelings with our actions. Full Moons also highlight the shadow side of each sign as well as its spiritual tasks.

As we release ourselves from the ideas of struggle and scarcity, we instead embrace the idea of new and important focus and purpose will take you a quantum leap into what’s now being offered through unity, rather than duality.

Use the Solar and galactic tailwinds of these extraordinary times to take a giant step forward on your path, and remember:

“We don’t come with a dream without the tools to make it manifest.” (NMO)

 Enjoy this wonderful Full Moon, Taurus wants you to know how substantial, valuable and important you are, and how you make a difference!

Nancy O.

www.NancyOgrenMiller.com 

11/11/11 Yoga Celebration

One numerological interpretation of the number 11 is that it marks the beginning of new cycles, increased spiritual leanings and compassion. It is considered as one of the master numbers, those few that are not reduced by the addition of the constituent numbers. Some believe on this date, there will be a shift based on the alignment of energy on our planet. That at this time, even more the importance of being in our hearts light and allowing our higher purpose to manifest. 
It is a wonderful day to gather and set our intentions for a new cycle in our lives.

11:00 - 12:30 All Levels Yoga Class & Manifesting Meditation 
12:30 Group Manifesting Ceremony fruit, snacks and tea provided.
Love Offering $20

11/11/11 Evening Celebration

Lots of energy to kick off the new energies we are bring in for 11/11/11. We will be attempting 108 Sun Salutations! Don’t know what a Sun Salutation is? Don’t think you can do 108 of them? Don’t worry we will be there to get you started and keep you going! And all 108 can be done in smaller sets or just show up and surprise yourself in what you can do! Music, food & fun! To celebrate our lives, our spirits and our earth~
Donation based class $20 Love Offering. Join us! Space is limited so sign up to reserve your spot.

*For more info contact Jennifer at jennifer@bodyspiritwisdom.com
**For more info about Sun Salutations Yoga Journal has some great info http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/813

My Energetic Bank Account

Sometimes making the time for self care can be hard. There is always an excuse to leave it for later.  But I'm realizing that it is a commitment that I must make for myself so I don't loose my mind. It is so true that first we must take care of ourselves so we than can give to others, our family and then community.  Too often we are doing everything for our kids, our kids schools, our work, our neighbors, our spouses.  And we wonder why we are tired.

Today I heard from one of my many favorite clients a great way to make it more of a conscious effort to take care of myself. She suggested to take an empty check book register and start writing down things I do for myself, "deposits" and things that I do for others "withdraws". It is not even important to write down dates or anything too specific just making sure to balance my energetic bank account and even better always have 1 more deposit activity than withdraw activity to ensure the dreaded bankrupt account!  I thought that was a great suggestion and a way to be mindful to make the time for myself.  It doesn't always have to be big deposits that even the smallest effort can yield big rewards.