Tag Archives: present

More Golden Loops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally finished my golden loop scarf! It was a project that I started and restarted many times. Not because it was difficult but because I was having so much fun knitting the yarn and I kept changing the pattern. What I found was I kept on trying to make the pattern unique and complicated when really the yarn just needed a simple stockinette stitch to look beautiful as a loop scarf.

Even though I was enjoying the process of knitting the scarf I did find that each time I picked up the yarn I got all excited and I wanted to know what I would knit next. At times I would put the knitting down to look online at ravelry.com and purlsoho.com for future project ideas. Most knitters have a stash of yarn ready and waiting for them to knit, and I admit I have my own small one, but I am I’m trying to be disciplined this time and just knit this project and wait until its done before I start anything else. I began to focus on each stitch and my breathing in order to stop the distractions of what would come next.

It is human nature to want more, and it is the wanting that can cause unhappiness. When I first started my yoga practice I recall wanting to transition from bakasana (crow pose) to adho mukha vrksasana (handstand) as soon as possible. I wanted to within only a few weeks do something extremely advanced. Just as I was knitting this last project I wanted to create my own pattern and spin my own yarn. Really what I needed was santosa, not wanting or desiring more, and to accept the stage of knitting that I was at.

Santosa is the attitude we have towards our current state and activities. It is the acceptance and peace in the current moment. Santosa, is not wanting or desiring more, but being in the present. The more we make it our everyday practice to be content the easier it will be to be at peace in the center of all the chaos of life. No matter if it is through a knitting project or being with your asana (postures) or meditation practice. It is learning to accept where you are at each moment that can allow us to live in a balanced way.

Live Light Practice:

For three days in a row before bed write in your journal. Keep in mind santosa (contentment) and what it means for you. How can you feel santosa, not wanting or desiring more? Note what you are grateful for in your life at this very moment. Be present with what is happening for you at this stage in time.

Jan29

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy: A Mind-Body Healing Practice

Do you find yourself seeking a fulfilling life, and a greater sense of connection to your body, mind, and spirit? Often looking outside of ourselves for happiness can bring us in circles because what we seek is already within. It wasn’t until I discovered Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT)  that I began to understand the truth and inner wisdom within me.

PRYT combines eastern and western yoga and psychology, creating a deep experience from the inside out. It is a mind-body healing practice combining yoga with contemporary client-centered psychological theory. At this point you may be asking yourself what exactly does that mean? Basically, it’s a yoga therapy session that combines meditation, breath work, yoga postures, and client directed dialogue to get to the root of your inner wisdom and to open up to the truth that is already within you.

Unlike a vinyasa class, a yoga therapy session is one-on-one so you’re not coming to learn postures or philosophy. A PRYT session deepens your understanding of the self and sheds light on the dark. PRYT taught me how to find my inner truth and follow the guidance from within. I no longer need to look outside of myself, because what I seek is already within me. The PRYT sessions give an opportunity to stop and truly listen to ourselves, and our intuition. It teaches us to be mindful, fully present, and awake to the life we currently live.

Life is about taking chances, doing new things and not just staying comfortable and safe. Through observation of our edges we are able to explore our self-imposed limitations. We learn to witness our habitual thought patterns (samskaras) and then choose to make changes or stay as we are without progression. In yoga as well as yoga therapy we ultimately will get out of it what we put into it. If we stay comfortable and away from our edge we will never develop and grow, and if we push aggressively past our edge we injure ourselves. It is being in a place with the discomfort and not struggling against it, but being with the experience in each and every moment.

Receiving a PRYT session is a time to abandon all expectations and open up to new experiences. There is no yoga experience required and you will find many benefits such as enhanced mental clarity, self-empowerment, self-esteem, and deeper connection with one’s inner self. Each session is unique and the best way to understand it to try it out your self!

Shanti,

Liza

Nov19

The time is now

Be here now. The past is in the past. The future is in the future. Be here now.

Sep22