It went down like this- the other night my husband was online and what drew me over to look at his screen with him was the music. What kept me looking was the yoga. I’m talking about the recent Equinox video with Briohny Smyth – you can view it here.

I was mesmerized and as soon as we came to the end, I pushed replay. What I saw was a beautiful, strong, graceful yogini. The setting of the video implies an early morning sadhana, while the partner slumbers on. What yogi hasn’t been there? I found myself appreciating the clear dedication that Briohny brings to her practice. To flow with that kind of grace takes years on the mat. I found myself wondering about her training, her preferred tradition and the sheer amount of time it must have taken to make such a challenging flow look so effortless.

I did have one other fleeting thought as I drifted away from the computer and over to the sink to do the dinner dishes, but, I’ll save that for later.

Imagine my subsequent surprise to find the world of chattering yogi’s all upset over this beautiful video. Charges of objectification, sexism, commercialism, sensationalism and using sex to sell are just a few of the ones that I’ve encountered so far. Ugh. Really?

It’s not that I am unaware of sexism, objectification or the commercialization of yoga. On the contrary, I’m super aware. The very morning of the day that I watched the video of Briohny, I spoke with my son about what sounded like blatant misogyny in a rap song that he was listening to. I get it. The treatment of women in some quarters of popular culture is downright frightening. To not address this wherever and whenever possible would be seriously remiss. But Briohny’s video is a celebration of yoga, strength, and where dedication can take a determined spirit. Period.

As for all the outrage and editorializing- I humbly suggest that there are more worthy issues and outlets. The planet is on the brink of collapse and the inhabitants are not far behind. Concern over the objectification of women could be channeled into work on human trafficking- it is believed that human trafficking (forced work in labor and sex trades) is the fastest growing criminal industry, both internationally and nationally. The estimate for the United States alone is hundreds of thousands of people, primarily women and children, being trafficked. To learn more about this issue or get involved, go to www.polarisproject.org

There is so much to celebrate, so much to be thankful for and so many positive ways to channel our energy in ways that have the potential to uplift us all. Kudos to Briohny for her hard work and inspirational results. And kudos to this guy for his sense of humor (hilarious parody video – click here to watch).

Oh yeah- that other fleeting thought? I realized that in more than twenty years of practice, not once had I ever practiced in just my undies. I fixed that the very next morning.

Sierra Hollister is a green yogini living in the mountains outside of Asheville. She has been teaching Kundalini Yoga in Asheville for the past 16 years. You can catch her class, twice a week, atAsheville Yoga Center! Mondays at 10:15am and Thursdays at 7:00pm. For more from Sierra visit her personal blog Dragonfly & the Green Yogini.

Winter Solstice has always seemed like a time to draw in closer to the hearth, closer to the family as well as closer to our most inner self. The year has been spent, for better or worse, we have sowed and reaped. Now feels like a time of caring for our deepest selves, our soul selves. It is nice to put some portion of the day towards tending and nourishing the well from which we drink. Regardless of the weather, I always like to spend some time outside on this day. Nature is the ultimate cathedral in which to worship. Incidentally, the custom of bringing evergreens into the home comes from long ago when the people wished to signify to the nature spirits that they were welcome, that safe shelter from the cold and dark outside could be found in a home so decorated. I also like to look for my shadow on the solstice as the longest shadow you can cast is at noon on the winter solstice.

When I meditate on the energy of winter solstice, I feel all the seeds snug in their earthen beds, deep below a shimmering blanket of fresh snow. Solstice at winter also feels like the pause at the bottom of the exhale, the ultimate exhale, really. Winter solstice is that moment before we begin to inhale, before the light begins to grow again. It has been my understanding that some of the most profound healing in yoga happens in the pause between the breaths.

A nice practice for this solstice energy might be to sit in Easy Pose, hands in Gyan Mudra, eyes closed. Follow the breath, pausing at the bottom of each exhale, listening before drawing the inhale. Perhaps 3 minutes, 5 minutes or 11 minutes of this. Follow with sweet witnessing meditation, no judgment or attachment, just a witness of what flows up.

My wish for you is that you will make a bit of time to tend your soul today and that your healing will be profound, your happiness complete. Happy Solstice.

Sierra Hollister is a green yogini living in the mountains outside of Asheville. She has been teaching Kundalini Yoga in Asheville for the past 16 years. You can catch her class, twice a week, atAsheville Yoga Center! Mondays at 10:15am and Thursdays at 7:00pm. For more from Sierra visit her personal blog Dragonfly & the Green Yogini.

Patanjali, considered the father of yoga, wrote that “the objective of all yoga is to inhibit the modifications of the mind.” In other words, the goal of yoga is to stop thinking: to get out of your head. What happens when you do that? It’s not just calming; it’s eye-opening. You see things as they really are, not through rose or gray-colored glasses, those “modifications of the mind.” You get REAL. And when you get real, you heal.

Yoga means “yoke.” What yoga binds us to is Brahman, i.e., Reality. By getting back in touch with what is, we feel alive once again.

To get real is to come back to your senses. You can’t do that in your head; only in your body. To heal, you have to feel what’s real. The word health means “wholeness.” To heal is become a whole person again: mind, spirit, and body, all one. But that’s not all.

The word religion means “to bind (back together).” Yoga, like any spiritual practice, is about getting whole. This is not the selfish pursuit of personal healing; this is finding out who you really are. Your feelings bring out your compassion. Why? Because we have never really been separate. Yoga brings us back to reality: that we are all in this together. No more loneliness, no self-induced suffering. That’s yoga. That’s reality. What do you have to lose?

Alan Muskat is co-director of The REAL Center, “sharing the journey of Relationship, Embodiment, and Awakened Living.”

It has been my experience that simply by inviting gratitude to dwell in my heart I can shift out of any experience or moment and immediately find myself in a higher, better place.

My yoga teacher, Yogi Bhajan, used to say “the attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.” I would add that not only is it the highest yoga, it is the easiest and the most rewarding yoga as well. I am on a bit of a gratitude trip right now as the 40 day global sadhana included ending in a shower of gratitude. This has been so profound energetically that I have decided to make a point of concluding all sadhana with gratitude!

Our thoughts really do create the vibratory frequency of what we draw to ourselves. You don’t have to take my word on this- it is an incredibly easy hypothesis to test for yourself. Right now, as you read these words, allow a back beat of gratitude to begin to rise within you. Simple gratitude: gratitude for the breath that is entering and leaving your body, gratitude for the ability to see, hear, feel, taste, touch. It is my deepest hope that you, dear reader, have safe shelter and adequate nourishment, and so, gratitude for these aspects of life. I have found that simple gratitude deepens from my heart into my belly and rapidly moves from a trickle of sensation to a full and mighty river of gratitude. Once you begin with the simplest gratitude, there is no stopping the awareness of the many, many blessings in your life. And, truly, even when we are in hard, cold places in life there is always something to be grateful for. By beginning there, with the smallest of appreciations, we can often travel to the place of stunning beauty within, gratitude for simply being alive.

Your practice of gratitude will be different than mine but I am confident that it will be equally as rewarding. For example, no matter which path I embark upon on my gratitude meditation I always find my heart overflowing with gratitude for my children, gratitude for the chance to be a mom in this lifetime. Inevitably, this has to happen at the beginning for me as it is my deepest gratitude, more meaningful than breath to me. You will find your deepest gratitude fairly quickly if you are not already aware of it. Just allow that gratitude its place of prominence and then move forward. Truly there is no end to gratitude once you begin.

I have not lived through the hardships that many experience in this lifetime but I have endured my share of adversity and heartbreak. I have found that even in my deepest despair there can be something to be grateful for. This practice of looking for the light and glimmer in the dark is a profound gift.

As we head into this season of gratitude I am reminded of something that Meister Eckhart once said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you’, that would suffice.”

Indeed.

Sierra Hollister is a green yogini living in the mountains outside of Asheville. She has been teaching Kundalini Yoga in Asheville for the past 16 years. You can catch her class, twice a week, atAsheville Yoga Center! Mondays at 10:15am and Thursdays at 7:00pm. For more from Sierra visit her personal blog Dragonfly & the Green Yogini.

There is a global meditation that is beginning on Monday, October 3, 2011. This sadhana will last for 40 days, completing on 11-11-11. The meditation is to assist us in accessing the Aquarian energy flow. If you don’t get to begin on October 3^rd, begin as soon as you can. Forty days is the length of time that it takes for change to happen on a cellular level, for the patterns in our energy to shift and receive the essential effects of the meditation.

You can practice this meditation at any time of the day. Be sure and do both meditations in the order given.

First Meditation: Sitali Pranayam

This is done sitting in easy pose with a nice straight spine. Place your hands into the Gurprasaad mudra (hands placed together, cupped, as if to receive) and hold the mudra just in front of the heart, with upper arms relaxed by the side. The tongue is curled up on the sides and pushed just barely out of the mouth, resting on the lower lip. You will sip your inhale up through the center of the tongue, long and deep. Then, when full of breath, bring your tongue back into your mouth, close your mouth and pause just a moment. Then exhale through your nose slowly. Repeat. The eyes are closed. After 3 minutes inhale through the nose and exhale, letting the hands fall together at the heart.

Second Meditation: Synchronize with the Universal Flow of Light

Stay sitting in easy pose with a straight spine. Bring the hands to the level of the heart, right hand on top of left, both palms facing down. The right thumb and left thumb are bent, under the left palm. Press the thumbs together so that the thumbnails touch. The drishti (eye posture) is at the tip of the nose with the eyes barely open- about 1/10ths open. You will chant the mantra: “Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Wahejio” which means “ecstasy beyond words, here and now, from darkness to light, my soul”. Lift the diaphragm and navel each time you chant “wa”. (If you are a woman on your moon time, just barely pull in the navel). Continue for 11 minutes. To complete, inhale and hold the breath for 20 or so seconds. Relax the breath, then inhale again, holding for another 20 or so seconds. Then relax the breath and the posture. Close the eyes completely and sit for a few moments in silence and gratitude, allowing the meditation to integrate into your being.

You can learn more about this global sadhana, as well as watch a teaching video of the meditation with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa and Snatam Kaur Khalsa by visiting www.spiritvoyage.com Once on the site, click the Kundalini Yoga tab at the top and then on the left of the page there will be “yoga lounge categories”, choose “40-Day Global Sadhana”

Sierra Hollister is a green yogini living in the mountains outside of Asheville. She has been teaching Kundalini Yoga in Asheville for the past 16 years. You can catch her class, twice a week, at Asheville Yoga Center! Mondays at 10:15am and Thursdays at 7:00pm. For more from Sierra visit her personal blog Dragonfly & the Green Yogini.

For more videos of our process and progress in building the new Asheville Yoga Center studio visit our YouTube Channel or find us on Facebook.

via MyLifeYoga.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

MyLifeYoga is the creation of Ketna and Raj Shah. Ketna is a yoga teacher, a yoga therapist, and a gourmet cook. Raj works for a fortune 500 firm in the IT department. To learn more about their yoga story visit MyLifeYoga.com.

There doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room on this one, no loose or muddy areas for discussion. Simply the vow to not take more than one needs. If we take more than we need then we have strayed into the territory of Asteya, the vow to not steal. By taking more than we need, we can’t help but take from another- as, after all, we live on a seemingly finite planet.

In spite of my efforts to live simply, I have failed dismally with regard to this vow. A brief glance around my home confirms that I have much more than what I need for nourishment.

But what really keeps bubbling up for me as I work to align myself with the vow of Aparigraha is the push to develop the tar sands in Canada for oil. There is a proposal on the table for a pipeline- the Keystone XL- to deliver bitumen from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada to refineries in Texas. This pipeline would cut a swath down the center of our country, crossing some 2,000 key waterways, including the Yellowstone River. The pipeline would be built to have the capacity to deliver 830,000 barrels per day. (www.thinkprogress.org) That’s a pretty big pipeline. While I’m worried about the impact this pipeline will have on our land and waterways here in the states, I’m devastated at what I imagine the consequences will be to the land in Alberta as well as the strain on climate. The extreme lengths we are now going to, to fuel lifestyles that are out of balance with the needs of other species is unconscionable, worlds away from any semblance of Aparigraha.

My understanding of how bitumen is extracted from tar sands heightens my despair. Mining the tar sands happens in one of two ways- the basic strip mining scenario or, more likely, what is called “in-situ” mining. This is for the bitumen that is really out of reach- it needs to be melted way below ground with superhot steam and then pumped up. We will be saying goodbye to the Boreal Forests and the life that resides there. Hello to more and more toxic tailings ponds. Is this really what we are choosing to manifest? Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute summarizes much of what I am wondering when he says, “Are we going to get serious about alternative energy, or are we going to go down the unconventional-oil track? The fact that we’re willing to move four tons of earth for a single barrel really shows that the world is running out of easy oil.” (www.pembina.org)

At what point do we put a stop to this madness? We are all culpable here. As James Hansen and 19 of the most prominent Climate scientists in the world point out in a letter to President Obama, “The tar sands are a huge pool of carbon, but one that does not make sense to exploit. It takes a lot of energy to extract and refine this resource into useable fuel, and the mining is environmentally destructive. Adding this on top of conventional fossil fuels will leave our children and grandchildren a climate system with consequences that are out of their control. It makes no sense to build a pipeline system that would practically guarantee extensive exploitation of this resource.” (www.tarsandsaction.org)

Aparigraha- the reminder to not take more than what nourishes one. It seems that we have strayed vastly from this injunction. For more than any other thing, we are nourished by the health of earth- by her waters, her air, and her green and growing body. Without earth’s health, there will be no nourishment. Really, it’s not rocket science to realize this truth.

So, last I left off I had just dropped the bombshell of my diagnoses of maybe RA and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and who knows what all else. I can tell you the diagnosis part and dealing with more doctors has been the worst part of all of this – reliving each and every symptom and testing again and again … and again.  I have seen a rheumatologist twice now and taken enough x-rays that I feel like I am glowing in the dark with all the radiation. I think I maybe turning into my own nightlight.  I have also seen the Endocrinologist once and I will see her again next week.

What I have learned through nutrition research, Ayurveda information, common sense, a background in soft tissue research and education, and a LOT of community online forums is that what I am dealing with seems to be very typical of a LOT of women, I mean thousands. There are so many groups online just trying to support each other, offer suggestions on what is working for them, what their doctors have said, books, supplements and so on. I feel like I know these women. It is sort of like my twitter online kula of yoginis!  The love and support is genuine and flowing, as are the tears when they talk about experiences similar to my own – endless tests and misdiagnoses and the frustration of no one listening. They speak of a ton of symptoms and seem to have a huge commonality - no doctor has figured out what is going on.

There are commonalities of tests and all saying that something is causing their inflammation but no one seems to be able to get a grip on what is causing it or how to control it.  Some days the commonality seems to be low Vitamin D levels, so the answer we get is supplement.  What if the levels are still low after supplementation?  Echo…, echo…, echo…., then silence, enter crickets chirping. This is the same answer I got from my endocrinologist after I asked her the same thing about the synthetic hormone I am taking, Synthroid. This was also the same answer I got from my rheumatologist after we are now on my 5th NSAID drug that is supposed to be reducing my inflammation that isn’t touching it (or the pain) on good days let alone the bad days … by a long shot.  Clearly, we are in uncharted territory.

I have also learned (thanks to my online kula) that while the test that was positive this time, 6 months from now can be negative, or vice versa. It seems the overwhelming lesson behind all of this is about learning to manage whatever “this” is. I am thinking about naming it Fred or maybe something more exotic since no one has figured it out.  ”It”, until I come up with a better name, definitely has a personality all its own.

What I can tell you now after 2 years of living with “It” is that “It” is not a morning person, seems to need a LOT of sleep to have any energy what-so-ever (like more than 10 hours), doesn’t like meat, wheat, or dairy foods, and is incredibly temperamental.  ”It” likes to give you just enough rope to hang yourself by overdoing anything physical, but makes you crave physicality.  Maybe that is just the ego struggling with the death grip of “It.” Maybe it is what we are “supposed” to do. Who knows.  ”It” doesn’t have the energy to be around other people, much like a unsocial boyfriend when you are the life of the party.

So far the best description I can give you is that my life lately is like living between 2 panes of very, very thin glass that are already cracked. You just breathe normally, keep going and try to stay within the lines.

Since no better answers have emerged via science yet, I continue the search and learning processes, asking for guidance, listening for clues, and keep coming back to the mat … and my kulas.  I consult every few months with a friend who has incredible vision.  I have started a meditation practice since this last nasty flare up (on day 4 now) and I am working to reduce my stress. This is the hard part as surrender has never even been in my vocabulary let alone my practice. As I work through peeling the layers back, I am humbled by the grace and kindness I am shown by others, in places I would have least suspected it.

This is definitely a journey.

Thanks & Namaste!

-MM

How does your yoga practice help you when dealing with a health crisis? Have you found comfort in community and friends? If you have any experiences to share or if you’re looking for support right now, please post a comment below.

The author, Michele Mathiesen has spent 1/2 her life becoming a yogini & vegan and has been a body/energy-worker for the last 8 years.  She is an avid cook, traveler, and does dog rescue in her spare time. For more about Michele, visit her website Wildflower Path Yoga.

June and July flew by with the whole permitting process.  We submitted plans to the city, they had some issues, and in our process of addressing those issues we shrank the on-site parking. We also grew the building a bit and pushed the building a bit back on the property. All of which had to go back through the engineers and back to the city. And all of that somehow took two months.  But now it’s all in the rear view mirror. Femcare has agreed to let us park in their rear parking lot, which is great news as it’s so close and a good twenty spots in there.  We found the remnants of an old building while excavating the footers. I’ve saved some brick and block to incorporate on site somehow. We got some great boulders delivered for the front patio area. I love me some big rocks.

Props to Trey Greer of Elm Construction elmconstruction.com and Jeff at Riverrock Construction for making it happen.

I’ve been busy planning out the prop storage and the cubbies for the waiting room, as well as the front patio area and steps up to the building. This Friday we will get the first delivery of our pre-fabricated walls. They are called Superior Walls and I will blog about them next time. Pictures of the progress on our facebook page.

See you on the mat, Sunny

Sunny Keach lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and 3 rascally boys. He and his wife own the Asheville Yoga Center. Sunny spends his time tending to an urban micro-farm, wife, boys and business. You can reach him at sunny@youryoga.com