Fit for summer 108 – Summer Solstice Event

Summer solstice is an important moment – the longest day of the year – and is celebrated in many cultures.

In some yoga traditions, summer solstice is so powerful and enhance our energy so the yoga practice is done through 108 Sun Salutes.

What? I can hear you asking me why 108. I know: it is a pretty big number.
Here you can find the significance of the number 108, the number of wholeness in our existence?

However, after a “filthy fifty” class at Balboa, I have realized that it is surely a great and feasible challenge for anybody. On the top of helping us toward our goal to be fit for the Summer, it also gives so much energy. ( I experimented it already with a group of keen yogi)

The benefits are incredible, namely this great level of energy, a better focus, and focusing on a positive intention.

So come and join us to celebrate the summer solstice through this practice of 108 repetitions of Sun Salutation. All levels are welcome, your presence is all that is necessary, especially because it is a donation based event, all benefits will go to Room to Read, after the Earthquake in Nepal.
We also have the chance to practice in a great space: Balboa, the starting point for body, mind and social activities, and who knows, we might meet there again.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday June 21st. After all, it is now the International yoga Day.

 

Because Love never dies

My heart is very heavy as a dear friend of mine passed away this week, after a long agony due to her sickness.
I thought, naively, that I was peaceful and accepting of the situation, full of serenity with this thought that she would stop suffering. Yet, I am suddenly bursting out in tears and feeling such an overwhelming sadness. I am told that it is what makes me human. So I must be very incredibly human.

However, I have found this article that I kept sharing with some friends getting over a break-up and today I am reading it for myself:

Coping with grief and loss

Who knows, it might help you. Because love never dies…

Are you ultra spiritual?

When we speak about corporate culture, the same applies to some activities. In the field of yoga and meditation for instance, there are some “ultra-spiritual” persons. What does that mean? JP Sears presents it in a funny way, it means you are better than spiritual, because you look spiritual… So I hope that you enjoy and laugh at his advices in the following video:

Just as a recap, here are his advices :

Practice competitive spirituality
Claim to be using your intuition when you’re not
Talk about energy
Become exactly what you’re rebelling against
Use the word Namaste often
Hold eye contact for awkward length of time
Deny your pain
Using an exaggerated light tone of voice
Do copious amount of yoga
Reclassify irresponsabilities under “I am a free spirit”

Have a great weekend!

Stop and Smile

Life is precious.
Every present moment is precious.
Let’s remember that always. And let’s Stop and Smile.
I am so grateful to my neighbors. We have not even met and I appreciate them already for putting this sign on their doors.

Indeed, since yesterday, I feel extremely tender and vulnerable, as a friend, Jeff Fisher, a positive spirit and generous soul, has passed away. Jeff was always encouraging and positive. I have never seen him without a smile on his face, sharing his experiences, always looking how he could serve others better. A true inspiration.
I admire and thank his wife, Ezgli, who organizes a life celebration in his honor tomorrow. What an amazing idea. I will definitely join in spirit.

Life is too short for drama or petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly.

Star Wars

Sometimes books fall into your hands and you are really meant to read them. This has just happened to me last week. Indeed, I was listening to a lovely Australian lady advising the person next to me about the very book I have in my hands. It is like “The Secret”, that you have probably heard about, except that this one is funny and gives simple experiments to verify the power of your beliefs, your thoughts. Ok ok, you already want to know the title: E-Squared from Pam Grout. I highly recommend it.

More importantly, as I was going through this book, I couldn’t help but copy the following sentences:
“God is more like the force in Star Wars, a presence that dwells within us, a principle by which we live. That’s why Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader have become such a phenomenon. Star Wars is a myth that speaks to us at a deep, gut level. Some part of us knows that “the force” is with us and that we, through our words, thoughts, and deeds, create the world.”

For those of you that have come to my yoga classes, you know that I sometimes welcome you to a “Star Wars class”. Indeed the deep breathing we do makes so much noise, especially at the beginning when we are learning. It could even make us think to Darth Vader, anyway I think of it particularly with my own breathing. Max Strom, from which I am largely inspired speaks more poetically of it as “Ocean breathing”… and the yoga jargon refers to it as “Ujjayi Breathing”. (Victorious breath in sanskrit)
However breathing that deeply is a fantastic remedy against stress, and more importantly it helps connecting to ourself. I really enjoy Pam Grout’s comparison with this life force, because that’s the exact reason of this breathing. We become so focused on our breath, we release so much tension that we connect again to the “force”.
I hope that you can either enjoy and read this book, or go to yoga class where you breath deeply and connect to this life force within, or even better do both. Whatever your choice is, I would love to know your opinion about it.

Our body shapes our mind

Every day, I read Presence Matters, the blog of Suzanne Scurlock Durana and I am always really inspired and grateful for her insights and sharing.

In my turn,  I want to share this great Ted Talk with you on how our body shapes our mind.

Ted Talk from Amy Cuddy. Your body language shapes who you are

This is for me an other great incentive to practice yoga. It is my belief that yoga is a self transformative practice. So let’s start this transformation with our body and our body language.

Enjoy watching it!

Yoga classes in Zurich

Hoping to  share some more yoga moments with you:

Tuesday 

Time: 18.00 to 19.00

Location: Ataia Yoga, Gartenstrasse 14

Thursday

Time: 12.15 to 13.15

Time: 19.15 to 20.45

Location: Ataia YogaGartenstrasse 14

DISCOVERY a two sessions workshop for beginners on Friday 25th of April and Friday 9th of May 

During those two sessions, we will practice yoga together with a special emphasis on the breath, ending the class with a short meditation, so that to embrace all the aspects of yoga as a practice of self-transformation.

Time: 17.30 to 19.30

Location: Ataia YogaGartenstrasse 14

Looking forward to seeing you there.