“Lighting Candles, Hanging Lights And Letting Things Be With Words By Paul Ferrini”

By Jennifer Miller

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Fire up the Pavoni.

Morning coffee, so good.

Lighting candles and incense as

I start my morning yoga practice.

Arriving on the mat is like coming home again.

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Beautiful morning walking the dogs, aka “the babies”.

Breathing in the coves of Laguna ahhh!!

Breakfast at the local cafe; cool people, artist types.

Walking out, a homeless woman under a blanket.

All I can see is one foot.

My heart sinks and I want to ask her what she needs?

I know she is probably an addict.

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Back home to make homemade granola.

A yum yum Christmas tradition.

Looking through the mail and

a child support check arrives.

It’s been a while.

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My mind goes to the last 5 years.

No father in these kid’s lives.

No anger… only hope.

Could this man possibly change?

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I let it go to the Spirit and check my heart.

It’s in a good place.

Forgiveness is there.

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My beloved hangs Christmas lights.

So many years without lights.

They symbolize healing for my family.

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I look around….

No lights in the small neighborhood.

We have been judged here.

A single mom and trouble with her son.

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Interesting.

We are the ones with lights.

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A big lesson in my journey: do not judge by the outside.

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Open up a new book.

Click on book to purchase and benefit the Heart Based Healing Foundation.

A favorite thing to do.

Reading,  deep reflections come to me.

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The poetic words of Paul Ferrini:

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Life is constantly asking us to make adjustments,

to give up our agenda.

It is asking us to give up the conceit that we know the way things are supposed to be.

Letting things be is a way of saying to God

“I’m willing to dance with you.”

From “Dancing With The Beloved”.

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Namaste, Jennifer Miller

Contact Jennifer Miller at yogagoddesslaguna@yahoo.com

“Breathing In The Moment To Stay Centered And Balanced” By Jennifer Miller

“Durvasana”

Arriving at the Yoga Center, I roll out my mat and make sure it lines up with walls that surround me. Each time I place my feet on this six-foot long, 2-foot wide space, I have a feeling of  “returning home”. I fill my lungs with deep breaths, exhaling and begin the process of “letting go”.

In yoga, this breathing technique is known as “Ujjayi”, a Sanskrit word that means “to be victorious”. Breathing, or “Pranayama”, engages the diaphragm and the “chakras”, or “force centers”, producing a sound similar to waves crashing in the ocean. I feel a calming and quieting of my mind and begin a move inward.

“Ujjayi” is important in overcoming distractions, which prevent focus as we move towards “being in the moment”.

This mind-body connection produces a warming of the body, which increases to an intense heat in my pelvis as I bend and stretch deeply. I fuel this rise in energy with deep breaths, and become one with my movements, aware of the energy in the room created by other dedicated yogis.

I am grateful to my teacher and happily drive an hour each way to the Ashtanga Yoga Center. Nearing the end of my 1 1/2 hour practice, I complete work on a third-series pose called “Durvasana”, where I am standing with one leg behind my head. This pose requires me to stay centered and balanced, as I continue the journey inward towards my essential self.

Namaste, Jennifer Miller

“What Your Yoga Practice Reveals About Your Life” By Jennifer Miller

How do you show up on your mat?

Are you in the present on your mat, realizing what each Asana is here to show you? Jennifer Miller

As a yoga practitioner for over 10 years, I have become very aware of the life connection between “how you are on the mat” and your state of being. 

There are many types:

 

• Loud Moaning Yogi   They sound like they are having a Meg Ryan “When Harry Met Sally” moment…attempting to achieve the Big O right there on the mat.
• Sloppy Sweating Yogi   Frequently uncontrolled, all over the place, these types  frequently drip sweat on your area. Unconcerned with anything around them. (I once had a wet towel thrown on my mat; not once, but three times. Each time I grabbed it with my foot and put it back in their area. Yes, my foot. I must say these feet of mine are pretty talented).
• Intense Oblivious Yogi   Characterized by pushing their practice to the limit and not listening to their bodies. (I see many injuries with these types. You don’t  mess with them or their practice).
• Super Zen Yogi  Just being near them you feel peace, acceptance and, kindness. (I love them).
• Competitive Egocentric Yogi   Think “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon, and you understand this type…always one eye on those around them and the mirror. They want to be better than you but they are not at peace with who they are.
• Graceful Connected Yogi   Their practice flows with Spirit in every movement, as if connected to a higher source. Each Asana is a dance with life. They are Zen and Grace unified with the whole of the Universe. (I feel they are in the present on their mat, realizing what each Asana is here to show them:  Mind, Body and Spirit in Divine Harmony).

How are you on the mat?

Do you see a connection to the mat and your personality?

Can you stay in the moment and BE with what is?

 

Try observing yourself during your next practice and be present to what the beauty of Yoga has to teach us all.

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Namaste, Jennifer Miller