“Interview previously featured on Elephant Journal.”

Joseph Campbell famously said “Follow Your Bliss…” This is something for which we all strive, but how do we know when we’ve found it? What does it look like when one is following their bliss? To answer this question, attend any class with Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher Stacey Rosenberg, and you will see for yourself.

I am very fortunate to have discovered Stacey Rosenberg as a teacher. In 2009 I found myself moving to San Francisco, where I knew very few people and virtually nobody in the yoga community. Any yogi who moves to a new city knows how difficult and emotional this search can be; you are leaving behind your favorite teachers and you wonder if you will ever find a teacher with whom you resonate as well. Fortunately for me, a new friend from my very first yoga retreat referred me to Stacey. Within a few months of attending Stacey’s classes, it would become my home away from home.

To watch Stacey Rosenberg teaching a yoga class is to witness someone who is deeply connected to and channeling her true, divine essence; it is to witness someone who is living and breathing her life’s purpose. But beyond that, Stacey is a lover of life, and from the perspective of the Tantric teachings that we hold so dear in the Anusara community, she is someone who appreciates and embraces life in all of its facets; she is someone who will always seek out the light in the darkness. Stacey is someone who brings to her students not only playfulness and delight, but also a deep well of wisdom, enriching their lives in the process. Stacey is a beautiful spirit who lives and teaches truly from the heart.

To match her beautiful spirit, is a beautiful story of how she came to be the talented and soulful yoga teacher that she is today. I am honored to have the opportunity to interview Stacey, my dear teacher:

Jeannie: What first brought you to yoga and how/when did you know that this was your destiny path?

Stacey: I took my first yoga class because I was seeking a way of life that looked different from what I was seeing everywhere around me. I saw an ad for a free yoga class and I decided to give it a try. Though I was not really sure what yoga was, it had a strong resonance in my heart. After the class I remember feeling great for a few days and I knew I wanted to go back for more! Immediately I began a regular, dedicated practice and it was not long before I recognized yoga as my life path. At that time I didn’t know that it meant I would become a teacher, but looking back I am able to see that I was in the flow of Grace, and so my path naturally unfolded before me.

Jeannie: I understand you were an elementary school teacher prior to being a yoga teacher. How did you make the jump from the prior to the latter? How did your skills learned as a school teacher help you in teaching yoga?

Stacey: The transition from school teacher to yoga teacher happened quite naturally. I had already been called to teach by my friends and co-workers, and was teaching yoga to the kids in my inner-city classroom. When word got out at the school that Ms. Stacey was teaching yoga, many of the kids wanted to come into my classroom at lunch time to learn yoga rather than go out to the playground. Though I think it is in my nature to be a teacher, actually getting a teaching credential and teaching in the classroom for four years helped me to cultivate many of the skills it takes to be an effective teacher, such as breaking things down in a way that others can understand. It also gave me the practice and confidence to speak in front of a group.

Jeannie: How many years have you been practicing yoga and would you say it has changed your life and you as a person?

Stacey: Yes, absolutely, yoga has radically transformed my life! I began practicing in 1995-96 and the awareness it has cultivated in me has allowed me to see my path unfold before me, to trust the process, and to step into living a fulfilled and vibrant life. My transitions from the fashion business, to teaching elementary school, to teaching yoga were all unbelievably smooth and I am grateful that all of these transitions have allowed me to align with my true life’s purpose. In addition yoga has helped me to become more comfortable in my skin, to feel more at ease in my life, and it has empowered me beyond belief!

Jeannie: How did you discover Anusara yoga and what about it made you choose this as your primary path?

Stacey: Truthfully, prior to finding Anusara I explored many styles, teachers, and lineages. Some I studied more in depth and others I just tried a few times. I started teaching early in my journey because as I said before I felt that I was being called to do so. My teaching reflected what I had learned from these various styles — truthfully I never wanted to be put in a box! When Anusara found me, I felt at home. Prior to that time, I would take some teachings and leave others but I found myself resonating fully with everything about Anusara. I remember being drawn to Anusara’s affirmation of intrinsic goodness. That approach, and the Tantric philosophy that informs Anusara was everything I already believed but for which I myself was unable to find the words. The Universal Principles of Alignment absolutely worked and immediately began to relieve pain in my body; I was finally getting stronger and finding more freedom in my postures. And the community was amazing- I was meeting some of the highest quality people I had ever met. Naturally, as so much of the practice resonated so deeply within me, I wanted to make this my primary path and offer it to others.

Jeannie: Who have been your most influential teachers and why?

Stacey: My own body and life path have been my closest teachers. Though at times my journey has been arduous, I always knew it was providing me with the tools I needed to help myself and others. And it seems that the perfect guide would always come along right when I needed it. I am so grateful for the many teachers I have met along the way who have generously shared themselves and have taught me so much.

John Friend has shown me how to see the good in myself and in life and he has reminded me of my worthiness. I am eternally grateful for the powerful lens he has given us through which to see the body. The Universal Principles of Alignment are a great gift that continue to help me to bring my body back to wholeness and allow me to share this amazing method of yoga with others.

Desiree Rumbaugh has inspired and empowered me to heal myself and to be honest with myself, even when it hurt. She is an unwavering example of courage and she embodies both strength and softness simultaneously. Desiree has shown me to look at things from different perspectives and has taught me how to laugh at myself and at life.

Douglas Brooks has spoken directly to my heart and has shown me a beautiful lens from which to view the world and a paradigm by which I strive to live my life.

Earlier in my journey I spent 2-3 years studying Iyengar Yoga and encountered many of the great Iyengar teachers we are so fortunate to have in the Bay Area. What I learned from those teachers is invaluable and has informed so much of my teaching. I am forever grateful for this foundation.

My students have also been my greatest teachers: I have learned so much from them! I remember when I was first learning Anusara and experimenting with the language and the Universal Principles of Alignment in my teaching- I was delighted that it was working! My students’ poses were lighting up in ways I had not seen before, and I knew there was something to it. On a daily basis, my students continue to inspire me to dig deeper and to find creative ways to offer the practice and to serve them more fully.

Jeannie: What are your favorite aspects of being a yoga teacher?

Stacey: My favorite aspect of teaching yoga is connecting with the students and sharing my passion with them. It’s a wonderful experience to have a captive audience that is interested in what I have to offer, not just about the physical practice but also about taking the yoga off the mat and living a conscious lifestyle. I love the therapeutics aspect of Anusara Yoga and particularly enjoy helping people with injuries to find relief from pain and more freedom in the body and in their lives. The most rewarding part is definitely witnessing people live the yoga in their everyday lives and become more vibrant as a result.

Jeannie: You have led many retreats and taught many workshops and immersions abroad. What have been the most powerful lessons from your experiences teaching abroad?

Stacey: Teaching retreats and workshops abroad is a powerful practice in staying open and being able to go with the flow. From travel challenges to people’s personal challenges, it is a lot for which to hold space. But it is also a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. To facilitate this, one must stay supportive and non-judgmental while taking it all as it comes and not being pulled from one’s center. Some of the most powerful lessons came from my two times teaching the Anusara Immersion in China with a translator. Learning to connect with people who don’t speak the same language was a heart-opening experience and a great lesson of the fact that the heart knows no boundaries. Teaching yoga retreats has also been profoundly fulfilling because of the community that is created when quality time is spent together, the depth we can go into the practices during that time, and to watch people experience shifts and breakthroughs. The greatest reward is witnessing the participants take the lessons from their mats back into their everyday lives upon returning home.

Jeannie: I know you have come together with three other senior Anusara Yoga Devis from the Bay Area yoga community to offer a series of “Eye of the Tiger” practices. I’m not sure many people know what that is. Can you tell us a bit about the history of those and how they developed into a regular offering?

Stacey: In 1997, after Desiree Rumbaugh had known John Friend for 3-4 years, he offered her a sequence of poses to deeply strengthen her practice. This series of poses was called the Eye of the Tigersequence and it was one that John and his yoga buddies would practice regularly. They would compete with one another to see who could hold Urdhva Danurasana or Handstand the longest and they would often do up to 108 repetitions of Sun Salutations, Urdhva Danurasana, and more.

Desiree, determined to strengthen her practice and her spirit, did the five (or more) hour practice a few times, but in 1998 she shortened it and began offering three-hour practices twice weekly at her studio. For 10 years Desiree and her community practiced forward bends, hip openers, and inversions once a week and arm balances and backbends once a week. Desiree was the first person to share this practice with the Anusara community. Today it is practiced all over the world with slight variations to fit into people’s schedules.

The purpose of the Eye of the Tiger practice is to build strength and discipline in the body which in turn brings greater freedom and well being. While strengthening our bodies we strengthen the connection of our heart strings and create more cohesiveness in our communities and on the planet.

In 2007 and 2008 I led the Eye of the Tiger monthly at Yoga Tree Hayes. It is truly one of my favorite things to do, to get my friends together and practice in a deep way. I am thrilled to be offering it monthly this year with other certified teachers: Abby Tucker, Darcy Lyon, and Samantha Shakti. I hope to expand the offering to twice a month next year, with more teachers leading it and in even more areas around the Bay. Perhaps someday we will have weekly practices — that would be amazing!

Jeannie: When you look back on your path and all that has developed over the years, when you think back on your younger years, would you ever have imagined you would have ended up where you are?

Stacey: That is a great question! I am not sure if any of us could really imagine how things would turn out, that is the beauty of life: it is a mystery. I don’t think it is a big surprise that I am a teacher and that I live in California. Beyond that I am happy I have paid attention to the signs and that my life has unfolded as it has. I look forward to seeing what is yet to come!

Jeannie: We are in a time of great transition on the planet and with the mysteries of 2012 upon us, what are your thoughts about what is in store for the world?

Stacey: We are definitely in a time of great transition on this planet. I don’t believe that the world or human life will end, but I do believe that the structures that we live within will change. I have been following what the indigenous people have taught and I truly believe we have a great opportunity now to embrace our spiritual nature and use our inherent wisdom to become even more human. Everything we do right now has tremendous power and we must be careful: the choices we make, both individually and collectively, will determine the outcome. If enough people awaken and live in a way that aligns with nature, then together we can come into balance and create a world where people live vibrantly.

I will leave you with the wise words of the Hopi Elders:
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

This special evening features a 15 minute opening performance by Hans Christian, starting promptly at 8:00pm.

Schedule: 8:00 – 10:30pm
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

GuruGanesha is one of those rare individuals who combine the heart and soul of an artist with the clear, quick mind of a businessman and the easygoing warmth of a born raconteur. By the time he started Spirit Voyage Records in January of 2000, he had already made substantial financial success as founder and CEO of Sandler Training Institute of Virginia, a sales training company for the high-tech industry. For many people, that would suffice as a life’s achievement, but for GuruGanesha it was just the prelude to a stellar musical career as a producer, guitarist, singer, songwriter and all-around prime mover in the burgeoning world devotional music genre. His latest project, The GuruGanesha Band, takes his unique vision into bold new aural dimensions.

“It’s something new, in that it’s bringing a guitar band sound into the world devotional music arena,” says GuruGanesha. “The sound of guitar bands is something that many people grew up with, and something that unites several generations. But here we’re using it in service of a higher purpose. I’m 60 years old now and I’ve dedicated the last twelve years of my life to sending healing music out to the world. And The GuruGanesha Band is a project that’s been in my heart for all of those years. Right now seems the perfect time to roll it out.”

Although GuruGanesha has been playing music professionally since the late ’60s, when he performed with the rock band Cat’s Cradle, his emergence on the world devotional music stage took place in the first year of the 21st Century. In collaboration with his good friends, Guru Singh and Thomas Barquee, he released the album A Game of Chants with the Grammy-winning singer Seal.

He also began to record as part of the Peace Family, a group featuring the angelic voice of Snatam Kaur. Becoming Snatam’s manager as well as her guitarist and support-vocalist in 2001, GuruGanesha guided her through a series of much-loved and top selling releases on the Spirit Voyage label, including Prem, Shanti, Grace, Anand, Liberation’s Door and Snatam Kaur Live in Concert. In a similar way, GuruGanesha has fostered the careers of the devotional duo Mirabai Ceiba, producer Thomas Barquee, singer Nirinjan Kaur, and others.

GuruGanesha’s shimmering, evocative acoustic guitar melodies and supple chordal rhythms played an integral role in creating Snatam’s signature sound. But he has always had his own muse to follow as well. In 2004 GuruGanesha made his debut as a solo artist with the album Grateful Ganesh, a title that pays playful tribute to the artist’s all-time favorite band, the Grateful Dead. This was followed by Pure Ganesh in 2006, an album that ranks in the top ten of Spirit Voyage’s all time best-selling records. GuruGanesha’s solo career continued with Joy Is Now in 2008 and his newest release, 2011’s Kundalini Surjhee. All these discs are remarkable for their blend of heartfelt songcraft, profound devotional mood and sterling guitar work embracing a cornucopia of musical styles, from jazz to rock to raga.

Don’t miss this special evening at the Castro March 25th!

One translation of the word tantra is “to expand (tan)” and “to protect or to free from sorrow” (tra). The tools of tantra, such as asana, pranayama and meditation practices are designed to help us grow and expand to our fullest potential while enjoying our lives on this planet.

This month, explore the power of expansion by activating prana in Upward-facing Dog Pose. Prana is the master guiding intelligence that is the force behind movement, expansion and adaptability. We’ll cultivate stability in the arms and the legs to both protect and liberate the spine as we explore this pranic energy that rides on the thread of the breath and expands the mind.

While Upward-Facing Dog is often practiced as a vinyasa, preceded by Chaturanga Dandasana and followed by Adho Mukha Svanasana, try practicing it as a longer-held pose to strengthen the arms, legs and spinal muscles, increase mobility of the spine, open the chest and enjoy the expansive quality of your life force.

The Pose

Lie on your belly and stretch your legs back, positioning your feet about the width of your hips. Place your hands alongside your waist. Spread your fingers wide and root through the base of your thumb and index finger.

On an inhalation, straighten your arms, press into the tops of your feet, and lift your thighs and pelvis off the floor. Stack your shoulders above your wrists and balance your weight on the tops of your feet.

Spread your toes and lift your inner thighs towards the sky, activating the power of your legs. Soften your tail towards your pubis and lift the fronts of your hips up to create more length in the hip flexors.

Explore the foundation in your hands, arms and shoulders by hugging your forearms in towards one another and being sensitive to the weight grounding through your forearm bones.

As you inhale, feel the whole spine lengthen and your collar bones widen. As you exhale, turn your navel toward your spine and hold the mind in the quality of expansion. Again, as you inhale, feel the expansion of prana, riding along the wave of the breath, circulating through the chest and heart center. As you exhale, maintain the tone through the navel center and hold the mind stable, delighting in this expansion.

You can draw your head back, but be careful not to collapse through the base of your neck. Instead, draw your shoulder blades firmly on your back, lift your chin and open the front of your neck while keeping space through the back of your neck free.

To come out, curl your toes under and lower down onto your belly to release your efforts and enjoy the taste of growth.

Chrisandra Fox Walker teaches 4 weekly classes at Yoga Tree and is a core teacher in Yoga Tree’s 200-hour Teacher Training Program. She leads the Heart of Renewal Retreats. Email Chrisandra@gmail.com

Photography by Jasper Trout; Trout Farm Photography

On a trip to India, writer/mythologist Joseph Campbell decided he wanted to meet a major guru face to face.  He went to a celebrated teacher, Sri Krishna Menon.  With all the difficulties, trials and tribulations in life, Campbell wanted to know why we wouldn’t at times just say “no” to the world, even if we believe everything is an expression of the divine.  The guru told him,  “For you and for me, the way is to say YES,” an answer that led the two men into a long conversation on the affirmation of all things.  Campbell’s book The Power of Myth talks about the potential expansiveness of human consciousness.  In the book, he says that we are more than we think we are.  There are dimensions of our being and potential for realization and consciousness that are not included in our self concept.  Our life is much deeper and broader than we conceive it to be.  What we are living is but a fractional inkling of what really is within us, what gives us life, breadth, and depth.

Our classes and workshops in February echo this theme. Pete Guinosso is offering his 40 Days of Yoga to Personal Transformation, an innovative and supportive  program combining yoga, meditation and diet. Teaching Yoga to Those at Risk will be offered by Hala Kouri – a training to give compassionate skills and tools to teach to students considered “at risk” due to poverty, violence, abuse or neglect.  Janet Stone is back, with guest teacher Jeremy Simon, for her Assisting Intensive, aimed at teachers and advanced students interested in building a foundation of courageous, compassionate assists.  All of our offerings are listed on the workshops page.  We hope they help you continue to expand, explore and enjoy into the new year.

When I first came to yoga, I was a student of psychology. In practicing yoga, it did not take long for me to realize that yoga was much more than the physical postures performed. My psychological background naturally led me to inquire more deeply into the āsana (posture) practice of yoga to understand the psychospiritual and transformational aspects of the practice.

In my personal practice, I typically set aside an equal amount of time for posture, meditation, and self-study (svādhyāya) and reflection. It is through introspection and reflection we can begin to articulate the psychological and spiritual significance of the physical practice. Working with the body on the mat leads to a far deeper awareness and exploration of the patterning of thoughts, emotions, and the various memories and mental images that arise in my post-āsana self-reflection time.

By paying skillful attention to the arising body and mind phenomena in the practice, one can be alerted to body cues about impending injury, and come to a more full understanding of how our ego gets invested in physical performance and comparison with others. On these occasions we can develop a greater trust in the wisdom of our body to signal us to practice with more patience, more kindness, gentleness and ease.

Over the years, I have become more of a student of yoga, rather than just a student of āsana. In only practicing āsana (only one of the eight limbs of yoga), we may impose limitations on the true healing and transformative capacities of yoga. By practicing all of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Aştanga-Yoga, we can transform our minds, hearts, bodies, spirits and bring healing to the world around us.

In integrating all of the limbs, I have come to learn how to become more accepting of my own limitations and temper my thirst for big postures and at times pushing my body beyond safety.

The Yamas and the Niyamas (the first two limbs) provide us with a set of ethics helpful in promoting well-being and safety for ourselves and others. The other limbs of yoga include āsana (posture), prānāyāma (breath-regulation), Pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses from external objects), Dhārāna (single-pointed focus on a physical object), Dhyāna (steadfastness in meditation),  and Samādhi (state of oneness with the object of meditation).

I do my best on the mat to apply concepts such as not harming (ahimsā) and contentment (santoşa) to build acceptance, gradualness and safety. When I become aware that ego has taken over, I gently remind myself that I would much rather practice a bit softer today in order to preserve my body for tomorrow. Breathing deep into this self-kindness reveals to me how satisfying those moments are when I choose to ease into Down Dog, rather than pushing my body to flow through that one extra vinyasa. I have discovered that by integrating Patanjali’s limbs in āsana, the practice is suddenly something more wholesome than just the post-savasana glow or the satisfaction of an arm balance.

I have learned that every day on the mat is unique and my body invites new challenges and new discoveries. I am continuing to work on accepting that my body, while beautiful and full of surprises is mortal and physical, and as such it has natural limitations, it is continuously aging, and will inevitably experience tension, discomfort and physical death. At those moments of tensing, the practice then truly evolves into something amazing. In the space of tension, a deep breath in and a softening opens me up to true freedom, love, divine joy and liberation. Psychologically āsana has taught me acceptance. I have learned to accept my body where it is, accept others where they are and to celebrate all of the beauty vibrating in the yoga classroom.

I have come to see that āsana practice works like a magnifying glass hovering over the unconscious. Āsana not only magnifies and brings to awareness whatever is inside of us inviting our love and attention, it also ignites our commitment (tapas) toward healing.

I am reminded of the words of the Sufi poet, Rumi, “Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” All of what arises in our awareness in yoga arises for our healing, our integration and health. They are divine offerings from the unconscious inviting us toward wholeness.

Much like a precious diamond hidden below the earth, our own true and beautiful nature is often veiled by our own judgments and expectations. Thus the wisdom body reveals to us our very own hidden jewels and we learn to fully be with our emotions. We discover that whether it is joy, happiness, sadness, grief, or loss, it is tolerable and impermanent. It is through journeying with the pain that we can then behold the divine face of love and joy. The yoga practice teaches us how to be in loving communion with whatever is and how to respond to the demands of life with loving and compassionate action.

I would love to walk to path of yoga with you at one of my upcoming classes at Telegraph in Berkeley.

Restorative Yoga with Hot Stones at Yoga Tree Telegraph:

Sundays 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Mondays 12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. & 8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Wednesdays: 8 pm – 9:30 pm

Yoga Tree Telegraph
2807 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 486-1989

I kid you not, as I sat down to write this article I had a handful of carob chips in my hand.

Now wait, isn’t the title of the article 3 ways to KICK a sugar habit. What’s Darshana doing eating carob chips?

Exactly. If you got hung up when I said the words carob chips (sugar) I want to invite you to turn your attention to the word HANDFUL.

I didn’t say a bag, I didn’t say I just spent an hour eating sugar. I just said I had a handful.

The key to enjoying food, being healthy and KICKING HABITS is the FREEDOM. Freedom means you can say no or YES anytime you want. You are not a slave to your habit or bound by momentum that sugar has on you. The choice is yours — all the time.

Kicking a habit is actually the ultimate expression of letting go.

So unless there is something juicy on the other side why would you do it?

In honor of this months theme for the Yoga Tree Newsletter Explore, Expand & Enjoy! I thought I would enlighten you to examine what’s on the other side of kicking something as divine as SUGAR.

I know I have found pleasure in more places than a chocolate bar.

Curious? Read on….

Step #1: Get direct access to your experience

OK, lets get real? Why do YOU want to kick a sugar habit? Is it because you read somewhere that sugar is bad for you? You “know” that sugar has side effects and can lead to long-term health issues? Diabetes runs in the family?

I will be honest, these questions and answers will not motivate you to change anything. Questions of the mind just keep you spinning.

Unless there is a direct experience to how you feel before and after diving into the sweet treats there is nothing you can do about it.

How do you gain direct experience? This is the question I want to invite you to chant all night and day. It’s a question that leads you toward presence.

While on your purple sticky mat in yoga class do you find yourself connected to sensations, breath and energy? That experience is exactly what I want to train you to look for when you find yourself reaching for something sweet. Can you take that meditative, mindfulness into the snack room? Doing this will deepen your direct experience and make the desire for kicking the sugar habit more personal.

Step #2: Get nourished

There are at least two kinds of folks out there:

Category #1: Those that eat on the go, munching on foods that are void of actual nutrients and snack all too often instead of eating real meals.

Then there are those of you in category #2 reading this article that have “the perfect organic whole foods diet”.

No matter where you stand on the map, after 16 years of being a food freedom coach I will tell you this: there is SOMETHING  missing from your diet.

That something is most likely …….nutrition.

For those of you in category #1 the food freedom basic 4 are needed ASAP. To recap from last months article: grains, greens, sweet vegetables and protein.

And I will emphasis two of the four right now:

SWEET VEGGIES AND PROTEIN:

SWEET VEGGIES or as I like to call it soothing sweets are mild sweet vegetables. Foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, corn, beets, and winter squash.

When these vegetables are cooked they have a deep sweet flavor. The more you incorporate these vegetables in your diet it actually relaxes your spleen and pancreas. The spleen and pancreas are part of the earth element in Chinese medicine. The flavor for earth is sweet. When we have too much sugar, especially in an extreme form (white sugar and stuff like that) we run the risk of exhausting the pancreas. Because the pancreas is responsible for the release of insulin and insulin helps regulate the blood sugar in your body the last thing we want to do in run our pancreas into the ground. That can lead to diabetes.

Therefore eating soothing sweets allows you to enjoy the delight of sweets while at the same time honoring your body.

As for PROTEIN I cannot emphasis this enough when it comes to kicking a sugar habit- eat protein at every meal!!

What kind of protein? That is a whole other topic that I wont get into right now- but whether you are a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore try it, eat protein at every meal and let me know what you discover about your cravings. OK?

For those in category #2 I want you to look at other nutrients that may be lacking. Among those nutrients, but not limited to, are: Vitamin L, Vitamin T, Vitamin R.

What do those mean?

L=Love

T=Touch

R= Rest

These vitamins are essential to spending less time in sugar land and more time in fulfilled life land. Sugar habits all too often are the signal that we are looking for the sweetness of life.

Do you know an area where you may want to add more sweet? Not sugar.

Step #3 Give yourself permission

One of my spiritual teachers believes that if we crave something, anything we should dive into it deeper. If you smoke, smoke more. If you party , party more, if you eat sweets, eat more.

As a yogi you may be thinking this is absorb. What about Brahmacarya- abstinence or moderation. Well my teachers thinking is this: if you are sitting on the meditation cushion and all you can think about is sugar, sex, smoking, work….its better to go do that and exhaust the craving out of your system until you no longer think about it. Then you are free and your mind will be quiet.

But here is why I share this …

How many of us think we are giving ourselves full permission to do something only to have this quiet, or not so quiet, voice in your head saying, “You shouldn’t”, “You know better”, “ You are gonna regret that” and so on and so on.

Your judger is ready to pounce on you at any moment. Giving yourself permission to HAVE IT ALL , ANYTIME starts to mess with the judger.

You can’t possibly make change when you are constantly at odds and  judging yourself.

I want to invite you to give yourself 100% permission to HAVE all the sugar you want, ANYTIME, you want it.

Now before you go off on a binge I want to say this: you MUST bring your mindfulness practice along with you. This was the main point of my teachers indulgence practice. With out mindfulness its just purposeless play and just that indulgence.

For example choose a food. For me it was ice cream. There I was giving myself permission to stand in the freezer and pick the brownies out of the chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. But when I stopped and “meditated’, brought my yoga to the kitchen. I felt the cold of the freezer, something I had never noticed before. And the truth is I hate being cold. As I slowed down I noticed that the taste of brownies was really intense. At first I liked it, the deep , rich chocolate ,the velvety texture in my mouth and the satisfaction of chocolate in my belly. But each night I ate the brownies, in a mindful manner I also started to notice the rest of my body – I was hardly breathing as I ate, my legs were tense and I was looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was coming. I started to notice a cramp in my stomach after every indulgence. Something I was blind to before. I hadn’t realized how much I checked out when I ate sugar. Yet the more present I became the more I realized how uncomfortable I was  after indulging.

My conclusion: I was not fully enjoying my sugar experience. I started to question why I was continuing, night after night to indulge. This was not the juice I wanted from my life. I was mixing up freedom, choice and pleasure with sugar.

This realization was one of the pivotal moments in my life. For it was through accessing my own experience, getting nourished and giving myself permission that I found my true calling, my passions and the real sweetness I desired.

What will you find on the other side of a sugar habit? Honesty I don’t know. What I can tell you is this. At first people often feel the high, the energy and a lift from sugar. And the truth is you do get those benefits. So they think to themselves, why would I give this up? It’s pleasurable. Yet I have found that those same people, if they stick to the practices, notice a low, a drop of energy and even health related issues directly linked to their sugar habit.

They realize that this vicious cycle is keeping them stuck in patterns and health problems. They realize they spend too much time thinking about the next sweet they will have instead of living their purpose. Once they make the deeper connections they begin to realize what’s possible and the deliciousness of life.

And once you taste that sweetness, your truth, and potential not even your favorite candy bar can fill that spot.

These tips are just the beginning of a path to know yourself through your relationship to food.

If this wets your appetite come join me this April for the FOOD FREEDOM FOUNDATION’S 10^TH ANNIVERSARY:  Cleanse and Renew: A 3- week springtime cleanse on April 15, 22, 29, 2012

Details are below.

Here’s to your food freedom!

Darshana

Darshana Weill is a Food Freedom Coach and yoga teacher. She founded 9 Months to Food Freedom; A program where women gather to cultivate a peaceful relationship with food and their bodies. She works with individuals and groups. She also teaches a variety of health related workshops around the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and nationally.

WORKSHOPS DARSHANA TEACHES AT THE YOGA TREE

April 15, 22, 29, 2012

Cleanse and Renew; A 3- week springtime cleanse- Yoga Tree Valencia

For details or to register go to:

http://bit.ly/DarshanaCleanseAndRenewApril15

March 26, 2012

Love the Skin You’re In

Transforming body image through yoga and meditation

Yoga Tree Telegraph in Berkeley

Other workshops:

The Yoga of Food: How is life feeding you?Nutrition 101, Sugar can be Medicine, Women’s Wellness: Treat PMS Naturally, To Be or Not To Be a Vegetarian and Yoga and Food For Emotional Eating.

To find out more about Darshana’s new program

LIBERATION FROM EMOTIONAL EATING

9 Months to Food Freedom.

Go to: http://www.darshanaweill.com/pages/9-months-to-food-freedom

To contact Darshana directly call 510-423-0603 or email her at darshana@darshanaweill.com

Want more recipes? Check out Darshana’s 50 quick and easy recipes Ecookbook: http://darshanaweill.com/page/cookbook-1

Virtually every class I teach, I ask my students to take a moment and set their sankalpa (Sanskrit for purpose) before we begin our  practice.  This is a foundational, vital part of practice, and also a fantastic opportunity for you – the yogi!  So, in case you are wondering what this means, or why we do this, or simply want to clarify your own sankalpa, I will try to break things down a little.

Why:  Setting an intention is a powerful way to harness the energy of your practice towards your highest purpose.  Just as we work with the alignment of our joints and muscles in yoga asana, we can also align our spirit through sankalpa.

What:  The possibilities are limitless… For example:  May I transcend my ego and interact from a space free of fear and full of love? May I speak and act with the utmost clarity?  May my actions nurture the freedom and happiness of all beings on this planet?  May I embrace myself for exactly who I am in this moment and celebrate all other beings for who they are in this moment?  May I be an open channel for the healing powers of the universe? …you get the picture.  One way to find your sankalpa is by practicing Yoga Nidra to see what comes up for you from the state of feeling relaxed and at peace with yourself.

Often the effects of societal, familial, or political conditioning can discourage us from having courage to follow the path of our true sankalpa.  This is why I recommend you clarify your sankalpa by coming into a feeling sense of the bodymind.  Then you can write down what comes up for you and sit with the sankalpa that feels most true.  Find a concise way to express it, a single phrase that emphasizes the process of your intention rather than an end result.  Your sankalpa has the power to stir your heart energy and ground your deepest sense of self.  It should resonate with your core, stand resilient to patterns of self doubt, and become something that is clearly worded and easy to recall during yoga practice.  Last, I personally believe it is most powerful to keep your sankalpa to yourself – as your own luminous secret.

How:  We align with sankalpa before we move into physical posture.  Then we recall this sankalpa as we awaken from the state of deep relaxation in savasana.  Savasana produces an equalization of awareness throughout the entire bodymind – our energy is no longer gravitating towards one strong thought or sensation, but we experience complete balance of both our physical and mental energies.  This state of equalization provides the perfect environment to realign with one’s highest intention.  You may notice that the more you connect to sankalpa from this state of being, the more you live by sankalpa, the more any unhealthy behaviors towards yourself or others that you have worked so doggedly in the past to modify, fall away organically.

www.lilydwyeryoga.com

For many this is the time of year when we look forward and look back, wish a “Happy New Year” upon others and ourselves, and reflect upon changes, what we’d like to change in ourselves, or “resolve to improve,” all dipping into the sense of renewal, of fresh start-ness, of a cycle beginning anew. Which is interesting as a cycle has no beginning…

This time of year is rich in intentions to leave behind what no longer serves us and to grow towards what nurtures and sustains us. Sometimes looking forward with hopeful anticipation, or looking back thinking next year can only be better… All over the globe, the drive and intentions are similar though the time of year  may vary, indicating there is no intrinsic “right” time for this renewal, simply that it occurs.

Happy New.

All the diverse views, intentions, and sentiments around this annual renewal share two things:

- The seemingly innate drive towards contentment, towards feeling whole.
- The perception of time passing, of time being a factor towards that wholeness.

Embedded in the greetings of the period is the conclusion that everyone wants to be happy. There is no hesitation in offering this salutation, nor any resistance in its reception, across cultures. The resolve to better one’s self is also linked to the desire to be happy, content, whole… accepting of one’s self.

Happy New.

Implied in the desire to better one’s self, to improve upon oneself, is the sense that some action, some external source, internal thought, or behavior, can improve upon my self, and my happiness. Implied in a desire to change is the belief that “I” can be changed, and that the current state is somehow not acceptable to me. Likewise implied in the seeking is the fact that finding myself to be whole and acceptable to me is a reasonable, natural end. We do not seek to be sorrowful, or incomplete, so there is something in happiness and fullness that must be intrinsic to my nature.

The new year, new resolve will bring me closer, over time, to that desirable, happy self I long to be. Associating with desired ends, and disassociating with undesirable ends, dropping past patterns, stories, and habits all reveal my relationship to time. The change will occur over the new year, in a series of tomorrows unfolding one after the other. Such efforts are certainly healthy for sustaining the psyche and body, which undergo constant change, but happiness, knowing myself to be acceptable to me, is something altogether different.

What is changing? What simply “is”?
If we are to exercise choice and will to bring change, it is important to know what changes and what does not. While the the mind, body, senses, emotions and so forth are subject to constant change, to infer that such change can improve upon the “I” that experiences the mind/body/senses is worth exploring. Through chosen actions and thoughts we can bring change to the mind and body, affecting various levels of balance and healing in our physiology, psychology and so forth. I, the subject, am effecting change on the body and mind, both objects of my perception.

Being conscious of my body, my thoughts, feelings, body and thoughts become evident to me through senses and perception, thus “I” am the subject, and all that becomes evident to me are objects of perception. There is only one subject, I. What I perceive cannot be “I”, what I perceive is by definition not the subject. The eyeball does not see itself. To attribute the change undergone by the object, the body/mind, to the subject perceiving the change, “I,” is a flawed inference. If I see a house being painted, I am clear that I am not being painted, and yet with the body/mind/senses we are not so clear. Human tend to attach change of the body (object) to our very sense of self (Subject): The body ages, we say “I am old, I am aging,” the body is female, we say “I am female,” and so on.

Once I know that no external object can alter my essential nature, the challenges, wants and needs of the body/mind are handled in a practical way from a more stable, consistent, steadfast center.

So as we renew commitments to practices that are healthy and sustaining, we do it not from a place of feeling less than, or inadequate, or vain but rather because we seek practices that uncover our essence, our whole, adequate self, practices that disassociate us from identifying with the the body and mind and all their changes.

Now New Happy You.
So we set out in the new year to effect change, to drop certain things, leave behind certain things, and move towards certain things, to improve “ourselves.” And yet memory, habit, nostalgia, sentiment, and comfort in the familiar seem to keep the past affecting us, and the resolve seems to thin, spread out across so many tomorrows. In fact tomorrow never comes, the choice for change can only be today, now, moment to moment. There is only now, perpetually new.

I used language like “leave behind,” “move towards,” intentionally to show that in our perception time is a factor in this newness, and in this happiness, or “becoming” the acceptable self. Change, desire for change, happens in memory of past, or in imagination of future. Yet neither the past nor future exist in any real sense, and are rather constructs in our awareness. An event, person or object of the past is not currently affecting me, rather the thought of the event, person or object affects me, and can color my emotions in the present. The same can be said about events, people and objects of the future. These attractions and aversions in memory and imagination are what fills our heart/mind, our thought-life. Now is seldom in our attention.

Tomorrow never comes, there is only today, new each time. Within today, there is only each moment, now, and in that moment choices are made, not tomorrow. This perpetually new now is here all year round, every day, always new. And if I say I am present in this moment, how long is the moment? Each second can be broken down to a millisecond and so on… So even “now” happens as moments in time, motion in our thought/perception of time, thus in our awareness. Time becomes evident to me… Century consciousness, year consciousness, minute consciousness… all segments of time are objects of perception, occur in consciousness. “Century” consciousness does not take a century, nor does “second” take a second. “Century” consciousness IS, second consciousness IS and so on…

And if we think of “Now” consciousness, where is the object?
Now is simply consciousness.
So if we reduce “now” to its smallest part, past the milliseconds, we end up simply in awareness, that which makes me, the subject, aware of “now” as an object of my perception. And further still, truly awareness itself is the only and ultimate subject, the only “I,” not the mind aware of time, not the “aware-er.” And Awareness is always now, neither young nor old… a “new” with no opposite. Now is consciousness.

Happy New.

The non-wanting now self.
Wants and needs, desires and distastes, attractions and aversions all happen in memory or imagination, not in “now.” Free of memory and imagination, all wants, likes and dislikes fall away, our non-wanting self is revealed in “now:” Free of want, free of lack, intrinsically whole, full, not subject to improvement nor to demise. There is no change, no becoming. Always new, in fact outside of new and old, intrinsically happy. Or rather, since “happy” is an adverb qualifying the one who is happy, more accurate to say “intrinsic happiness.”

So really all we are dropping is the false inference that anything sticks to “I.”
No amount of changing behaviors, people, situations will bring wholeness to “I.”
There is no “moving towards” where I am.
Happy. New.

The sun needs no light to illuminate its presence, to verify its presence. All attractions and aversions become evident to  me, objects of my perception or inference; that “I am” is self-evident to “I,” the subject who is awareness.

Awareness, Beingness itself is free of want.
Now occurs within “I”.
Now is happiness.
I am happiness, the intrinsic non-wanting-ness.

And since there is only now in awareness, awareness is outside of time, not continuous, but timeless, no beginning, no end, like a cycle, always new.

So, Happy New to you.
Happy New is you.
“I am happiness.”
New. Now.

Again and again.
Now.
That’s all there is.

Sat – existence, never negated.
Cit – awareness, basis of all that is known.
Ananda – fullness, outside of time, without limit.

Your thoughts?

Karl Erb
yoganexus.com 

Why, then, do so many resolutions fall to the wayside, usually by the end of January? By next year, most of us will have forgotten exactly what it is we wanted to resolve – or to grow – within ourselves.

The yogis had both a practical and mystical approach to resolutions, intentions and success. Not only does the yogi resolve to adjust the diet or the lifestyle the way so many of us do come January 1st. A yogic approach to New Year’s resolutions engages you in conscious daily practice and commitment to evolution – in mind, body, spirit and beyond.

An example could be cutting back on excessive meat consumption, not just for your heart health and waistline, but to reduce the suffering of animals and the environmental effects on the planet. As I support the liberation of others (in this sense, the animals, the water, the land, the air and energy), I support my own liberation from my involvement in that suffering and the possible negative effects on my health and my consciousness. *Eating meat is just one of many dietary examples.

The notion in the yoga philosophy can be seen in the word karma, which loosely translates to that which I do affects me and the world.

In the Buddhist approach to practice, there is a tradition of offering the merits of one’s individual actions toward the evolution of all beings and the planet. In the Vedas, the yogi surrenders the attachment to the fruits of his actions to the Divine.

In other words, while striving to observe certain behaviors and to restrict certain behaviors, the yogi does not lose sight of the grander goal of remembering one’s own Divinity and the Divine thread to all things in existence.

One of the great heroes of the The Ramayana, Hanuman, demonstrates the power of action that comes from a love and devotion to something greater than oneself. In this epic story, the monkey god is celebrated for the great leaps he makes – literally and figuratively – in his one-pointed devotion to serving Sita and Rama.

When Hanuman is reminded of his strength, power and capabilities, he is empowered and inspired, and, as the story goes, grows larger than life to accept the great challenges that lay before him with devotion and courage.

The practice of yoga helps us remember our true self, who we are beneath our sensations, thoughts, feelings and impressions. Remembering the Divine spark of our own be-ing can spread like wildfire in our consciousness, and help us to remember the Divine light in everything. And, like Hanuman, we can approach our obstacles, challenges and resolutions to change with a guiding sense of service to something larger than ourselves, such as love or liberation; we can be encouraged and inspired by remembering our own power and strength.

This month, as you practice, try incorporating two big stretches:

Hanumanasana, the splits. You may use a few modified approaches to help work with tightness in the hips and hamstrings.

Resolve to Evolve for the benefit of all beings and the planet. Say this mantra (or a version that works for you) before you practice, during your practice and at the end of your practice. Often we use our practices to “get somewhere”, but as you invoke the qualities of Hanuman – love, devotion, great strength and courage – your practice and all your moments can be moments of true self-realization and grace.

The Pose

Warm up in your practice with standing poses and lunges.

Begin in Downward-facing Dog pose. Step one foot forward into Lunge. Lower your back knee to the ground.

Place a bolster horizontally on your mat just beneath your pelvis. From Lunge, place both hands on either end of the bolster. Slide your back leg back and walk your front foot forward to straighten both legs. Dorsiflex your front foot, push through the heel and draw your toes back toward your chest.

Press down into the bolster or blocks and lift up strongly through your pelvic floor, your low belly and your sternum.

Draw the hip of your back leg forward and your front hip back to bring evenness to the pelvis. Lift the inner thigh of your back leg to help internally spiral your thigh. Press down through the inner thigh of your front leg and reach strongly through the heel, ball mounds of the toes and inner ankle of your front foot.

Lengthen from your tail to your crown. Lengthen and expand your breath, weaving it deeply into the tissues of the pelvis, hips and legs and spreading the sensation throughout your entire body.

As you gain more flexibility in your legs and hips, try Hanumanasana without the bolster. Place two blocks beneath your hands to either side of your hips and work your legs strongly. You can alternate which leg you place the emphasis on by moving the torso. If your hip flexors and quadriceps are tight, keep your torso level and draw your weight straight down through your hips. If the hamstrings are tighter, lean forward to give a little extra weight to help open the back of the front leg.

When the pelvis is resting on the floor (or the bolster), bring your hands together at the heart. Soften or close your eyes and remember your mantra, “I resolve to evolve for the benefit of all beings everywhere”, or your own version of what rings true for you.

For a final stretch and surrender, reach up and back through your spine toward a backbend. Work your legs with subtle effort, maintaining that balanced center in your pelvis as you lift and spread the front chest and reach strongly through your fingers.

Then fold forward over the front leg and stay for a few rounds of breath and another moment of release.

Lift your torso, place both hands on the floor, blocks or bolster, draw your core in and step back to Downward-Facing Dog pose before practicing the second side.

Chrisandra Fox teaches the time-honored practice of being present in weekly classes at Yoga Tree workshops, teacher trainings and retreats. Click here for her schedule. She is a core teacher in Yoga Tree’s 200-hour Teacher Training and leads the Heart of Renewal Retreats. Chrisandra@gmail.com

Photography by Jasper Trout
Troutfarmphotodesign.com

January. January is the month when new intensions are set. When we are inspired to take on new habits and practices. Or at least guilt moves us to want to make change. What ever may be motivating you I want to help support you to make some shifts right now around your health and relationship to food.

And since it is January lets take advantage of that universal momentum and inspiration and begin together….
A few years ago I went to Guatemala to attend Jai Uttal ‘s kirtan camp. While I was there I also took Spanish lessons. My Spanish teacher asked me what I did for work. I told her that I am a Food Freedom Coach, and lead retreats that include yoga, meditation and cooking classes for women who want to shift their relationship to food and their body.

She asked what kind of food I teach about in my cooking and health classes. I said healthy food. “Healthy food? What is that?” she said. “In my country I eat at home and make all my food from scratch. What do you do with food?”

I had to explain to her that in my country (America) many of us eat out, eat on the go, grab whatever we can, sometimes skip meals and sometimes eat comida enlatada (processed food). This was puzzling to her. She laughed and shook her head. I interrupted that as, “You Americans…. Food is simple and can be simple. It’s here to serve your body and help you grow, why make is so complicated.”

Now the truth is I have no idea what her laugh was about, but I was left with the question: Why is our relationship to food so complicated?

Well some reasons are obvious: the busy lives we lead, the amount of foods that are available to us and the lack of education.

It also reminded me of how we make things more complex then we need to. A few weeks ago I was in a session with a client and she was telling me about some food she had cooked the week before. Each recipe had at least 8-9 ingredients, the recipes were complex and involved a lot of food prep. Although the dishes sounded incredible there was no way she could that up with the life she leads. She has 2 kids, runs a business, is a singer and writer, is in a relationship and does have interest in her own self care.

My response to her- Keep it simple!

Get my picture? If the goal here is to stay healthy, not be a gourmet cook, we must make food something that can be easily integrated into our daily life.

What does that mean? It means going back to the basics.

It’s similar to going to a basic yoga class. Your yoga practice might be “more advanced” but isn’t there something refreshing about taking a level one? I know there is for me. It’s like taking your car in for a tune-up.

And think about it this way, winter is a time for integration, a time for settling into what we grew last spring and summer, and a time for introspection about what we want to spring forth in the coming year.

In order to do that we need to get quiet. Yoga and meditation help to quiet the mind but so does eating simple foods. I mean what do monks eat? THE BASICS.

Here is my suggestion:

Eat as simply as you can. Here is the formula I use when I go back to “the basics”.

• A whole grain
• A sweet vegetable
• A green vegetable
• A protein

When I use this formula it not only helps me come back to center but after a lot of indulging it’s also cleansing.

Below is my basic “come back to center, let my body chill” meal. There is nothing fancy about it. But after I eat it I feel grounded, focused, alert and ready to take on any of life’s challenges. I think it’s delicious. My body actually craves it.

It’s to your advantage to spend some time figuring out what foods (and recipes) support you to come back to center.

I suggest finding that meal that works for you. Use my formula as a guideline. Your whole grain may be different or sweet vegetable, etc… but once you find it eat simply for a day, a few days, a week, or even longer. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.

This is the beginning of a path to know yourself through your relationship to food.

And if that whets your appetite come join me for one or both of the two classes coming up at Yoga Tree for additional support.

January 21, 2012- Yoga and Food for Emotional Eating and MY 10TH ANNIVERSARY: Cleanse and renew; A 3- week springtime cleanse on April 15, 22, 29, 2012

Details are below.

Here’s to your food freedom!

Darshana

DARSHANA’S BACK TO BASICS MENU

Brown rice
Steamed greens

Kombocha Squash
Miso – Tahini Sauce

Brown rice

1 cup Brown Rice
2 cups water
A pinch of salt

Bring both rice and water to a boil in a medium size sauce pan. Once boiled lower to simmer. Add a pinch of salt and cover. Let cook for 40-50 minutes.

Steamed Greens

1 bunch of chopped collards, kale, swiss chard or any dark leafy greens you like
water
steaming basket

Place steaming basket in saucepan with water and bring water to boil. Once boiled, add greens. Cover pot and let steam for 5-7 minutes. Check for desired consistency- cook more if you like or remove from pot

Kombocha squash

1- cup kombocha squash chopped into 1 inch pieces (this is my favorite squash because you don’t have to peel it!)

In the same pot of water in which you made the greens, remove the steaming basket. Add the squash and bring to boil. You may have to add more water. Let cook about 6 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Miso-Tahini Sauce

2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons miso
water for desired consistency

Place all ingredients in a bowl or a jar and mix with a fork. You have to play around with the amount of water to find out how thick or thin you like the sauce. You can also add some lemon for a bit of a tangy flavor

Darshana Weill is a Food Freedom Coach and yoga teacher. She founded 9 Months to Food Freedom; A program where women gather to cultivate a peaceful relationship with food and their bodies. She works with individuals and groups. She also teaches a variety of health related workshops around the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and nationally.

WORKSHOPS DARSHANA TEACHES AT YOGA TREE

January 21, 2012-

Yoga and Food for Emotional Eating at Yoga Tree Hayes

April 15, 22, 29, 2012

Cleanse and renew; A 3- week springtime cleanse- Yoga Tree Valencia

Other workshops:

The Yoga of Food: How is life feeding you? Nutrition 101, Sugar can be Medicine, Women’s Wellness: Treat PMS Naturally, To Be or Not To Be a Vegetarian and Love the Skin Your In! Transforming Body Image

To find out more about Darshana’s new program

LIBERATION FROM EMOTIONAL EATING 
9 Months to Food Freedom.

Go to: http://www.darshanaweill.com/pages/9-months-to-food-freedom

To contact Darshana directly call 510-423-0603 or email her at darshana@darshanaweill.com

Want more recipes? Check out Darshana’s 50 quick and easy recipes Ecookbook: http://darshanaweill.com/page/cookbook-1