Day 26

in

Srivatsa Ramaswami teaches that Patanjali’s definition of the word ‘yoga’ in the Yoga Sutras is often mistranslated by yoga scholars. Yoga has many meanings, and it is often only understood to mean ‘union’ or ‘to yoke or join’. This meaning is from the Sanskrit word ‘yujir’. The sage Yajnavalkya uses ‘yujir’ when he describes yoga as union with God.

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The second sutra is:

yogas-citta-vritti-nirodhah

Yoga is stilling or stoppage of the movements of the mind.

Here Patanjali does not say that yoga means to ‘yoke’ or to ‘unite’.

The Yoga Sutras meaning of yoga is a derivative of the word ‘yuja’ which means ‘peace of mind ’, or ‘samadhi’, which is the 8th limb of ashtanga yoga.
Yoga is medicine whichever way it is defined...

Nicki Doane says, yoga is to destroy or let go of all self defeating, self limiting tendencies of the mind.

Nicki Doane in Hanumanasana, a pose that honours the great leap made by Hanuman, the monkey God from the Ramayana, across the ocean from India to the mountains of Sri Lanka.

Nicki Doane in Hanumanasana, a pose that honours the great leap made by Hanuman, the monkey God from the Ramayana, across the ocean from India to the mountains of Sri Lanka.

“Everybody can breathe, therefore everyone can practice yoga...The mastery of yoga must not be measured simply by the ability to master the techniques of yoga like asana and pranayama, but by how it influences our day-to-day living, how it enhances our personal relationships, and how it promotes clarity and peace of mind.”
— T. K. V. Desikachar
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Over the last month, I mentioned I would share the shoulder medicine as well as the Peace Prayer tutorial.  

Here it is:

SHOULDER ROTATIONS FROM HASTA VINYASAS

SHANTI MANTRA (TEACHER/STUDENT PRAYER)

I will be posting much more yoga material on Instagram. If you don’t have an account you might consider getting one! If you do have an account hit me up with any questions or answers.

Here’s the replay link from Ryan’s workshop this morning, you’ll have access to this one until midnight PST, Wednesday:

REPLAY RYAN’S WEEKLY WORKSHOP

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Tuesday January 26th
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Chris Phillips
8:30-9:45am PST Weekly Workshop with Ryan Leier
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Malina Dawn
5:30-6pm PST In Conversation, with Guest Teacher, Danielle Laporte

Today, Wednesday January 27th
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Kiyah Leier-Marshall
10:30-11:30am PST Vinyasa with Annie Clarke
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Vanessa Bourget
6-7:15pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan

Day 25

in

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

“You tell me just how I can take this yoga serious. When all it ever gives to me is a pain in my posterious?”
— Elvis Presley
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Today’s homework:


Take a look at Elvis and his yoga moves and / or the Forgetting Sarah Marshall yoga scene with Russel Brand, Kristin Wigg, Kristen Bell and Jason Segel and / or check out:

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Monday January 25th
7:45-8:30am PST Power Flow with Amy Chalmers
9-10am PST Vinyasa with Guest Teacher Brenna Bote
6-7:15pm PST Slow Flow + Restore with Ariffa Lalani

Tomorrow, Tuesday January 26th
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Chris Phillips
8:30-9:45am PST Weekly Workshop with Ryan Leier
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Malina Dawn
5:30-6pm PST In Conversation, with Guest Teacher, Danielle Laporte

Day 24

in

Siddhartha, after he became Buddha (Awakened One) prescribed the Metta Prayer for his disciples.  I learned this prayer from a Catholic Priest, Father Joe Pereira! I find the prescription very helpful for remembering kindness…

Metta means “good will or “loving kindness” and is one of the “Four Immeasurables” of Buddhism.  These are mental qualities which are cultivated through practice. The other three are compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upeksha).

The prayer is designed to intentionalize a feeling of benevolence for oneself and others.  There are many different versions.  Here is the one I practice:

May I be filled with loving-kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy

May all beings be filled with loving-kindness.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
May all beings be happy.

Here is a standard translation of the Karaniya Metta Sutta:

Karaniya Metta Sutta:
The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness

translated from the Pali by, The Amaravati Sangha

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud or demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world..

Weren’t able to attend this mornings Sunday Session with Natalie Wright?
You can replay through the link below until midnight PST Monday.

SUNDAY SESSION: BE WHOLE WITH NATALIE WRIGHT

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Sunday January 24th
8-9:30am PST Sunday Session: Be Whole with Natalie Wright
10-11am PST Vinyasa with Sarah Manwaring
12-1:15pm PST Vinyasa with Samaneh Asgharzadeh
6-7:15pm PST Active Yin with Risto

Tomorrow, Monday January 25th
7:45-8:30am PST Power Flow with Amy Chalmers
9-10am PST Vinyasa with Guest Teacher Brenna Bote
6-7:15pm PST Slow Flow + Restore with Ariffa Lalani

Day 22

in

Breathe

“While inhaling, it should be smooth as drinking water through the stem of a blue water lily. Just as when you drink water through a straw it has uniform flow, so should be the flow of air. The exhalation should be like the flow of poured oil. When oil is poured from a ladle it has a uniform flow, unlike water, which is not viscous.”
— Srivatsa Ramaswami
“Ultimately our experience of the āsana is refined through the mastery of the breath, rather than mastery of the form.”
— TKV Desikachar (T. Krishnamacharya’s son)

Some traditions hold that the idea of Creator, God or Holy Spirit is alike to the breath or the wind. For example the meaning of the Hebrew word “Ruach.” This (feminine) word refers to God as breath, a wind, or a life force that sustains and animates not only human beings but all living things.

Please check out the “Texas Dalai Lama” Willie Nelson and his son Lukas’ incredible rendition of Pearl Jam’s, “Just Breathe”

JUST BREATHE

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Friday January 22nd
10-11am PST Vinyasa with Peter Elmas
4-6pm PST Vinyasa + Talk with Ryan Leier

Tomorrow, Saturday January 23rd
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Guest Teacher Serina Seesquasis
12-1am PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Budgell
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan
6-7:15pm PST Yin with Malina Dawn

If you have any questions, please email The One Yoga Team at vancouver@oneyoga.ca for support.

Day 21

in

This is now. Now is.
Don't postpone till then…

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.
~ Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (جلال‌الدین محمد رومی)

Check out this 8 minute clip from an interview with self made billionaire, entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist Naveen Jain on Jay Sherry’s podcast on how to succeed, wake up early, and make the impossible possible.

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.”
— W. E. B. Dubois

Bonus: Sports fans check out these Kevin Garnett interviews!

“ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE!” INTERVIEW

And check out KG and how yoga helped his game:

KEVIN GARNETT YOGA!

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Join Madame Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, Malina Dawn, Andrea Robertson, Mike Dynie, Leslie Salmon, and Ryan Leier for a special live event today at 10am PST / 1pm EST on her Facebook Live:

CLASS WITH SOPHIE TRUDEAU

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Thursday, January 21st:
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Evanna Kieran
9-10am PST Vinyasa en Española with Sandra Jara
10am PST Facebook Live Special Event with Sophie Trudeau + Friends
12-1pm PST Vinyasa with Mari Dickey
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Christie Baumgartner
6-7pm PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Budgell

Tomorrow, Friday January 22nd
10-11am PST Vinyasa with Peter Elmas
4-6pm PST Vinyasa + Talk with Ryan Leier

If you have any questions, please email The One Yoga Team at vancouver@oneyoga.ca for support.

Day 20

in

We’re halfway there…

Samatvam Yoga Uchyate

“Samatvam is Yoga;
Equanimity (balance) is yoga.”
— Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) 2:48

The last Sutra we explored was 2:48 tato dvandvā-nabhighātaḥ
(By the mastery of āsanas a yogi is able to overcome pairs of opposites or dualities like success or failure, praise or blame, hot or cold.)

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that yoga is Equanimity (Samatvam) He defines yoga as: Samatvam Yoga Uchyate (2:48): Samatvam is Yoga; equanimity is yoga… samatvam is being able to maintain one's balance of mind in success and failure, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, and that is the capability of a perfect master who remains equipoised in all circumstances. 

Kiyah in Eka Hasta Adho Mukha Vrksasana (One Handed Downward Facing Tree Pose)!

Kiyah in Eka Hasta Adho Mukha Vrksasana (One Handed Downward Facing Tree Pose)!

I love this story of one of the world’s greatest yogis:

Before he became The Buddha (The Awakened One) Siddharta Gautama moved out of the royal palace to the forest.

(And before Keanu Reeve’s played Neo, he played Buddha in the film Little Buddha! LOL)

Check out the 4 minute 34 second video (or read the transcript below)

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The Little Buddha

For six years, Siddhartha and his followers lived in silence and never left the forest.

For drink, they had rain.

For food, they had a grain of rice, or a broth of mud, or the dropping of the passing bird.

They were trying to master suffering by making their minds so strong they would forget about their bodies.

Then, one day, Siddhartha heard an old musician on a passing boat, speaking to his pupil: 

- If you tighten the string too much, it will snap, and if you leave it too slack, it won’t play.

Suddenly, Siddhartha realized that these simple words held the great truth, and that in all these years he had been following the wrong path.

- If you tighten the string too much, it will snap, and if you leave it too slack, it will not play.

A village girl offered Siddhartha her bowl of rice, and for the first time in years, he tasted proper food. But when the ascetics saw their master bathing and eating like an ordinary person felt betrayed, as if Siddhartha had given up the great search for enlightenment.

- Come and eat with me.

- You have betrayed your vows, Siddharta.

- You have given up the search.

- We can no longer follow you.

- We can no longer learn from you.

- To learn is to change. The path to enlightenment is in the middle way. It is the line between all opposite extremes.

- If I can reach enlightenment, make this bowl float upstream. 

The Middle Way was the great truth Siddhartha had found the path he would teach to the world.

WE ARE HALFWAY THERE:


We've got each other and that's a lot
For love - we'll give it a shot
Whooaaaaaa! We're half way there
Whooooaaaa! Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand- we'll make it - I swear
Whooaaaa! Livin' on a prayer

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Hello, Inversions!

In case you missed it, here’s the replay for Ryan’s workshop yesterday morning. You will be able to view class until midnight PST Thursday - we gave you a bit of extra time with this one because we’ve gotten inversion requests from so many of you!

REPLAY LINK FOR RYAN’S WORKSHOP YESTERDAY

Interested in Ryan’s inversion swing? We’ve got a few in the online store right now. Grab yours here:

INVERSION SWINGS

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Wednesday, January 20th:
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Kiyah Leier-Marshall
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Vanessa Bourget
6-7:15pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 21th:
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Evanna Kieran
9-10am PST Vinyasa en Española with Sandra Jara
12-1pm PST Vinyasa with Mari Dickey
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Christie Baumgartner
6-7pm PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Anne Budgell

Day 18

in

Softer than the flower where kindness is concerned,
Stronger than the thunder where principles are concerned.

~ Vedic Definition Of Enlightenment

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You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream. It’s Martin Luther King Jr Day in the USA.  A day to celebrate this freedom fighter the fight for human rights, justice and equality.  Dr. King fought by using the power of ahimsa (non-violence) the first and most important of the yamas in Patanjali’s yoga. A true yogi in many ways, he fought using the power of love and non-violent resistance which he learned primarily through the life and teaching of a great yogi, Mahatma Gandhi. (I will go deeper into ahimsa and Gandhi later in the Sadhana.) Dr. King was extreme!

In his Letter from the Birmingham Jail, King wrote:

“But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite fully use you and persecute you… So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?”

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Dr King stood for real love. Agape love, not sentimental, not just affection, not degraded or debased love, (“oh, I love your shoes, I love ice cream”). In the ancient world, Leviticus says, “love your neighbor.” The word love was used in international treaties. Two kings who may have been enemies promised that they would love each other. Love meant that they would look out for one another’s best interests (not fall into each other’s arms) but compassionate love where the work is to understand each other’s pain. Basically this love demands that we become more tolerant and compassionate to our fellow human beings. Tolerance and benevolence are the fruits of a correct yoga practice.

Listen to MLK’s last speech,

“I’ve been to the mountain top” here:

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Monday, January 18th:
7:45-8:30am PST Power Flow with Amy Chalmers
9-10am PST Vinyasa with Guest Teacher Joshna Ramakrishnan
6-7:15pm PST Slow Flow + Restore with Ariffa Lalani

Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19th:
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Kristin Ochitwa
8:30-9:45am PST Weekly Workshop with Ryan Leier
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Malina Dawn
5:45-6:45pm PST Vinyasa with Nikki Jinks

Day 16

in

INDRA DEVI

“Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish and loneliness.”
— Indra Devi

Yoga Sutra 2:16

heyam dukham anaka tam

Future suffering can and will be avoided through correct practice

heyam - to be avoided
dukham - pain
anaka tam - future

The more you practice (properly, remember vinyasa!) the more Sukha (sweetness, comfort, relaxation) you can co-create and experience.

“sukha and duḥkha cannot be there at the same time.”
— Sri T Krishnamacharya

Do your daily asana practice.  

Daily asana can become quite magical.   

I mentioned earlier in the 40 days that her practice toward the end of her life consisted only of Padmasana (Lotus Pose) Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee pose) Ardha Sirsasana (Half Headsand)and Ardha Matsyendrasana (Spinal Twist Posture).

Mataji’s (Indra Devi) celebrated 102 birthdays.

“It is very important to give light and love to everyone, because everyone needs affection. Let light, love and peace live today and always in our hearts. Let these words not just be words pouring out of our lips. Let light invade your whole being so that everyone may be able to love.”
~ Indra Devi

“We must keep both our femininity and our strength.”
— Indra Devi

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Saturday, January 16th:
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Guest Teacher Danielle Nagel
12-1pm PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Anne Budgell
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan
6-7:15pm PST Yin with Malina Dawn

Tomorrow, Sunday, January 17th:
8-9:30am PST Sunday Session: New Year Intentions with Cecily Elmas
10-11am PST Vinyasa with Sarah Manwaring
12-1pm PST Vinyasa with Mari Dickey
6-7:15pm PST Active Yin with Risto Duggan

If you have any questions, please email The One Yoga Team at vancouver@oneyoga.ca for support.

Day 15

in

A teacher once told me,
the first thing a yogi does in the morning (after giving thanks for another day!) is make their bed!

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"When the mind and body are weak, you don't have the capacity to avoid bad habits.  Cravings and desires will bother you.  Never suppress any desire.  Instead, develop a better desire.  Then you won't have time to respond to the original one.

 

Don't force yourself to get rid of a bad habit.  Forcing yourself is something like beating the darkness with sticks.  You can walk into a totally dark room with some friends and begin beating the darkness with sticks shouting at it to leave.  Hundreds of people can beat the darkness for hours and it will still remain.

 

The sensible person will just light a candle and bring it into the room.  Yoga is that candle.  Bring it into your life and all your unwanted habits will leave.  You need not bother yourself about them.  When the mind and body are strong they will just drop away."

~ Swami Satchidananda

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For any of you interested in sharing yoga for youth, have a look below at our sister not-for-profit’s training later this month…

ROOTS

25HR VINYASA YOGA FOR YOUTH ONLINE INTENSIVE

THE ROOTS INTENSIVE:

Immerse yourself in the practice, learn ways to integrate yoga poses, mindfulness and breathing and other aspects of wellness into the work you are already doing with youth.

This is a training for anyone who works with youth - school teachers, school counselors, EA’s and ECE’s, coaches, community center employees, youth care workers, yoga teachers/enthusiasts guardians and family members etc.

In this training, along with a deeper understanding of the benefits for youth, you will be given tools that will teach you to care for yourself first! From our own self care we can more effectively serve others.


DATES:
Jan 28th - Jan 31st, 2021

TIMES:
Thursday + Friday: 5-8pm PST (7-10pm CST)
Saturday + Sunday: 8-4pm PST (10-6pm CST) with 1 HR lunch break

LOCATON:
Online, ZOOM

COURSE INCLUDES:

  • Course Manual

  • Yoga Philosophy

  • Gentle Vinyasa Yoga classes

  • Mindfulness practices

  • How to share Yoga with youth

  • Compassionate classroom management

  • Trauma informed + anti-oppression practices

  • Online community of like-minded folks

  • Option to become a Registered VYFY Teacher 

  • Discount to our online store


COST: $350

VYFY / 0Y 40 DAYS DISCOUNT:

  • 25% off for all 40 day participants

  • 50% off offered to BIPOC, those who are currently working with underserved youth, and those affected greatly by COVID-19

Space is limited, please fill out this short survey to receive your discount code

We weren’t able to include the replay link to Janet Stone’s class in yesterdays email, but here it is! It will be valid until midnight PST, Saturday. We have also included her playlist for those of you who were asking!

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Friday, January 15th:
10-11am PST Vinyasa with Peter Elmas
4-6pm PST Vinyasa* with Ryan Leier
* 75 min practice + 45 min optional discussion

Tomorrow, Saturday, January 16th:
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Guest Teacher Danielle Nagel
12-1pm PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Anne Budgell
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan
6-7:15pm PST Yin with Malina Dawn

If you have any questions, please email The One Yoga Team at vancouver@oneyoga.ca for support. 

Day 14

in

The path of yoga is not easy.

“
“We talk a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but it’s time to be like them, as strong as them. They were mortal men like us and every one of us can be like them. I don’t want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do. I say what’s on my mind.””
— 2Pac
Tank Man, a protester who tried to stop Chinese tanks moving through Tiananmen Square, has never been identified.

Tank Man, a protester who tried to stop Chinese tanks moving through Tiananmen Square, has never been identified.

Not Here

There’s courage involved if you want
to become truth. There is a broken-

open place in a lover. Where are
those qualities of bravery and sharp

compassion in this group? What’s the
use of old and frozen thought? I want

a howling hurt. This is not a treasury
where gold is stored; this is for copper.

We alchemists look for talent that
can heat up and change. Lukewarm

won’t do. Halfhearted holding back,
well-enough getting by? Not here.

~ Rumi

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, Thursday, January 14th:
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Jada Doyle
9-10am PST Vinyasa en Español with Sandra Jara
12-1pm PST Vinyasa with Mari Dickey
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Christie Baumgartner
6-7pm PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Anne Budgell

Tomorrow, Friday, January 15th:
10-11am PST Vinyasa with Peter Elmas
4-6pm PST Vinyasa* with Ryan Leier
* 75 min practice + 45 min optional discussion

Day 13

in

Practice Courage. Truth Is.

“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

- Maya Angelou

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Still I Rise

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don’t you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I’ve got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

~ Maya Angelou
1928-2014

STILL I RISE - MAYA ANGELOU

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”
— Mary Anne Radmacher

THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE

Today, January 13th:
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Kiyah Leier-Marshall
10:30-11:30am PST Vinyasa with Janet Stone
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Vanessa Bourget
6-7:15pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan

Tomorrow, January 14th:
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Jada Doyle
9-10am PST Vinyasa en Español with Sandra Jara
12-1pm PST Vinyasa with Mari Dickey
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Christie Baumgartner
6-7pm PST Spa Flow with Carolyn Anne Budgell

Day 11

in

Be a warrior.

Geeta Iyengar in Virabhadrasana 2 वीरभद्रासन

Geeta Iyengar in Virabhadrasana 2 वीरभद्रासन

Vira - Hero
Bhadra - Friend

The Warrior
A Poem by Hafiz

The warriors tame
The beast in their past
So that the night's hoofs
Can no longer break the jeweled vision
In the heart.

The intelligent and the brave
Open every closet in the future and evict
All the mind's ghosts who have the bad habit
Of barfing everywhere.

For a long time the Universe
Has been germinating in your spine

But only a Pir* has the talent,
The courage to slay
The past-giant, the future-anxieties.

The warrior
Wisely sits in a circle
With other men
Gathering the strength to unmask
Himself,

Then
Sits, giving,
like a great illumined planet on
The
Earth.

*Sufi master/Elder

Check out Xavier Rudd’s warrior song.
(Warriors listen and receive):

XAVIER RUDD’S WARRIOR SONG

Book your daily classes on the One Yoga Digital Schedule here:

THE ONE YOGA DIGITAL SCHEDULE

Day 10

in
“Don’t just do something. Sit there!”

Working on irresistible stability and alert relaxation.
(Qualities of an asana, Yoga Sutra 2:46)

Blessed to sit with my dear Saskatchewan River, who the Cree people called Kisiskatchewani Sipi, meaning "the swiftly flowing river."

Blessed to sit with my dear Saskatchewan River, who the Cree people called Kisiskatchewani Sipi, meaning "the swiftly flowing river."

Find a Way.

“The old people came literally to love the soil, and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power. Their teepees were built upon the earth and their alters were made of earth. The soul was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and healing. That is why the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life giving forces.

For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly. He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him. He loved the earth and all things of the earth.. He knew that man’s heart away from nature becomes hard, he knew the lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to the lack of respect for humans too.”

~ Chief Luther Standing Bear

Sunday Session: The Kleshas with Mari Dickey
Replay link - valid until midnight PST Monday, January 11th

Day 9

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Work

There is so much work to be done.  Don’t delay...

“We, Jah people, can make it work
Come together and make it work
We can make it work
We can make it work...”
— Bob Marley

In book one of the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swatmarama states:

66. Whether young, old or too old, sick or lean, one who discards laziness, gets success if he practices Yoga.

पुष्टं सुमधुरं स्निग्धं गव्यं धातुप्रपोषणम् ।"
मनोभिलषितं योग्यं योगी भोजनम् आचरेत् ॥६६॥

puṣṭaṁ sumadhuraṁ snigdhaṁ gavyaṁ dhātu-prapoṣaṇam ।"
manobhilaṣitaṁ yogyaṁ yogī bhojanam ācaret ॥66॥

67. Success comes to him who is engaged in the practice. How can one get success without practice; for by merely reading books on Yoga, one can never get success.

युवो वृद्धो.अतिवृद्धो वा व्याधितो दुर्बलो{.}[अ]पि वा ।"
अभ्यासात् सिद्धिम् आप्नोति सर्वयोगेष्व् अतन्द्रितः ॥६७॥

yuvo vr̥ddho.ativr̥ddho vā vyādhito durbalo-{.}[a]pi vā ।"
abhyāsāt siddhim āpnoti sarva-yogeṣv atandritaḥ ॥67॥

68. Success cannot be attained by adopting a particular dress. It cannot be gained by telling tales. Practice alone is the means to success. This is true, there is no doubt.

क्रियायुक्तस्य सिद्धिः स्याद् अक्रियस्य कथं भवेत् ।"
न शास्त्रपाठमात्रेण योगसिद्धिः प्रजायते ॥६८॥

kriyā-yuktasya siddhiḥ syād akriyasya kathaṁ bhavet ।"
na śāstra-pāṭha-mātreṇa yoga-siddhiḥ prajāyate ॥68॥

The Pickaxe


I was a hidden treasure, and I desired to be known.

Tear down this house.  A hundred thousand new houses can be built from the transparent yellow carnelian buried beneath it, 

and the only way to get to that is to do the work of demolishing and then digging under the foundations. 
With that value in hand all new construction will be done without effort

And anyway, sooner or later this house will fall on its own. 

The jewel treasure will be uncovered, but it won't be yours then.  The buried wealth is your pay for the doing the demolition, the pick and shovel work.  

If you wait and just let it happen, you'd bite your hand and say, "I didn't do as I knew I should have."  This is a rented house.   You don't own the deed.

You have a lease, and you've set up a little shop, where you barely make a living sewing patches on torn clothing.

Yet only a few feet underneath are two veins pure red and bright gold carnelian.  Quick! Take the pickaxe and pry the foundation.   You've got to quit this seamstress work.

What does the patch-sewing mean, you ask.  Eating and drinking.   The heavy cloak of the body is always getting torn.

You patch it with food, and other restless ego-satisfactions. Rip up one board from the shop floor and look into the basement.  You'll see two glints in the dirt. 

- Rumi

Coleman Barks "The Essential Rumi"

Bob Marley fans have a listen:

A note to all yogis, we have extended the 40 Days of Practice to go until February 16th, so that we can ensure everyone who has joined is supported in completing their 40 days. Know that regardless of when you joined us, your pass is automatically inclusive of all classes up until February 16th.

Want to connect with fellow 40 Days of Practice Participant? Join the Facebook group:

Day 8

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If y’all been paying attention to what’s happening in the USA right now, you know we have a lot work to do:

Racism and white supremacy is alive and kicking in the USA and Canada. Let’s work to make sure love conquers hate and good overcomes evil.

When asked about a message for the youth Bob Marley said:

“Don’t get too busy that you can’t check out the truth, because the truth is there.

Please have a listen to this song and / or read Selassie I’s speech below...


Bob Marley and the Wailer’s song:  War / No More Trouble  based on Haile Selassie I Speech to the United Nations

An excerpt from H.I.M Haile Selassie I’s speech to the UN,
New York City, NY October 4, 1963

 

"...until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil..."

If for any reason you feel like you want to begin again, our second round of 40 Days of Practice is beginning today.

If you need, call today Day 1, and continue to practice with us daily until February 16th.

Want to connect with fellow 40 Days of Practice Participant? Join the Facebook group: