Life is like photography….

Yes life is like photography. We develop from the negatives. Think about it for a while.

If we did not encounter the negative experiences in our life, we would have stayed on the same trajectory.

Think of that for another moment too.

What have you learned from these negatives? What were the life lessons that were placed on your path? Have you learned yet from them or are you still working on it?

Embrace these negatives, they made the person you are today.

Yes. The person you are today is the direct result of your life experiences and what you learned along the way.

Keep learning and keep improving!

Namaste!

You are not your stories…

Do you know that you are not your stories?

Stories are events that happened in your life. But they do not define you.

When you have a car accident, you don’t think: I am the car accident. Silly. Right!

So how come when a major event happens in your life, you suddenly identify yourself with it. Think it again. It is just something that happened to you. But it’s not you.

You know deep down who you are. Who you truly are. Reach in you heart, breathe.

Meditation tool to release the story:

Sit in a comfortable sitting position. Spine tall, eyes closed.

Think about the event you are identifying yourself with. With every inhale: visualize a gentle wave coming to your feet. With every exhale: visualize the wave going away and taking with her the story you need to release. Meditate for a while. Repeat daily as needed.

REPEAT AFTER ME: you are not your stories.

NAMASTE.

Being a Yogi.

What it means to be a Yogi….
A yogi is not only a person who practices yoga, it goes way beyong that.
A yogi also lives and breathe yoga. It means taking the teaching you get from a yoga class and taking it off the mat and into the world.
What I learned recently….
I don’t like conflicts and arguments and avoid them at all costs.
But what I learned is that a yogi stands strong and steps in the fire…
What a different approach to life!
A yogi does not fear conflict. It does not mean that you go look for conflicts, but it means that if one arises, you stay there and work through it. You state your truth and solve the problem on the spot.
Namaste.

Why I love sunsets….

I have been posting a lot of sunsets lately. I’m sure you’ve noticed!

But do you know why?

Not to show off telling people I live close to the beach and they don’t….

Anyone can enjoy sunsets. Some of my pictures were taken from the beach, others from the streets and even from Vons parking lot…

Just have to look up at the sky at the correct time, does not matter where you live. The gift of a sunset is available to us all for FREE!

Sunsets are very special to me. They evoke all sort of emotions.

A sunset is a reminder of the end of the day.

If I had a bad day, the sunset signifies that it’s over and I can have a fresh start the next morning. It’s like the closing of a chapter and  I am ready to start new, letting go of the past and moving forward with a clean slate.

If the day has been good, it’s a reminder of a day well spent that ends with peace and calm knowing I lived well that day. The sunset is then a sweet reminder that I lived, laughed, loved and worked hard.

So now you know why sunsets hold a very special place in my heart and sharing it with you is a gift from me to you.

Plain and simple!

Enjoy the gift….

The Four Agreements, by don Miguel Ruiz.

1- Be Impeccable with your Words:

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using words to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your words in the direction of truth and love.

2- Don’t Take Anything Personally:

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3- Don’t Make Assumptions:

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4- Always Do Your Best:

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

You’ve come a long way…

It’s so easy to get caught up in what’s YET to be accomplished that we forget to stop and look back on what we have done and the lessons learned along the way.

The tendency is also to minimize the accomplishments made so far.

So today, I invite you to reflect on your past year and find three accomplishments you’re proud of from this past year. Doesn’t matter how “big” or “small.” The fact is, you did it. And, you’ve come a long way, baby.

Be proud of your accomplishments. They are all worth it!

Letting go…

So here we are, in the second week of the New Year.

Where are you with your goals, your resolutions?

Some of them, I am sure you are still cruising on, some others might be quite a challenge.

So what about just letting go of this list and finding a new one that truly and deeply nourish your soul?

Take a minute. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and simply ask the question:” What do I really want in my life?” Don’t answer it.  Just sit quietly, meditate and listen for the small whisper giving you the true answer coming from your heart.

Does this goal resonate better with your soul?

Namaste.

Bring it on!

When life comes your way, would you be able to stay that zen?

Think about it…

Life is full of challenges. When you think you have things figured out, then the universe is sending you the next wave of challenges, things that you will have to face until the wave recede and you can breathe again.

Embrace what life has to offer. The challenges you are facing right now, are exactly the ones you need to level up to a better and stronger you. They are here to teach you something, your next life lesson. So don’t resist, and just go with the flow!

Welcome the challenges with both arms wide open, let the wave rides you and see who you are becoming on the other side of the wave. Keep your zen attitude. You will be fine….

Enjoy!

Thanking my pain.

For those you know me personally, you are aware of my recent and unfortunate back injury. But what you may not be aware is how this experience is changing me.

It happened on Friday, September 13th, 2013. That is a superstitious day….

Since then, my pain has taught me a lot….

The first 3 weeks, I had to count on family and friends to take care of me. It taught me to trust people and to let go of some control. No more micro managing: I am in bed and in pain. I have to just allow friends to take over and take care of my children and me.

Then I needed to find a plan to get better as I was told it is a serious injury and my back will not heal on its own. I needed to take action and get serious about it.

I was stuck in bed and I needed to research what I could do to ease the pain and heal my body. I had purchased books recently that for some reason I could never find the time to read. Guess what? Now I have plenty of time and nowhere to go.

How many times have I told myself: ” If I had more time, I would read these books and learn more about yoga”. I am starting to understand one thing : be very careful what you wish for….. The Universe is very powerful…..

On my reading list:

– Warrior Pose – How yoga literally saved my life from Bhava Ram

– Deep Healing from Emmett Miller

– Anatomy of Hatha Yoga from David Coulter

– Yoga Body from Judith Lasater

These books gave me plenty of insight on how I should change things in my life: I needed to make time in my life to take care of me first. I needed to become the first priority on my to do list.

Based on these books and many online research, I came to realize that I had to make a 360 on how I was living my life.

I am very passionate about yoga but could never find the time to live it fully the way I wanted. I made excuses not to wake up earlier to have a yoga morning practice. I started meditation but quit after a while….. I can give you plenty of examples of what I started but did not commit to it fully. Now I came to realize that these changes will be life saving to me. The voice of my yoga teacher Shashi Pottathil (Yoga & Meditation center) came louder and louder into my mind: “When you say busy, I hear lazy“….. These words were starting to haunt me. He was so right. I was pretending to be busy but if I really wanted I could make the time to do what was true to my heart. Now I was not busy anymore as leaving my bed was quite an adventure, so it was the perfect time to create the life I wanted for myself.

I first started with acupuncture to ease the pain. Many thanks to Beata Booth ( Coast Acupuncture – San Diego) for being so kind, so knowledgeable, and so caring. Slowly the pain started to fade away and I could start living again somewhat.

Next step was to regain some flexibility and understand what I should do. I set up some private yoga classes with Bhava Ram, author of Warrior Pose – How yoga literally saved my life. His background: a journalist with a broken back and throat cancer who healed himself through the practice of yoga. I knew I would learned a lot from his experience. He is still helping me in orienting me in the right direction. But I have to do the work. No one else can. He has taught me to love my body the way  it is and learn from the pain. Don’t push too hard, baby steps are the key to success.

Thanks to the pain I am learning to live differently: I now wake up around 4:30am to practice yoga, meditation, healing visualization and deep breathing exercises. I am also eating healthier foods, mostly vegetarian meals. I practice yoga 2 more times during the day. Meditation and healing visualization have also become part of my night routine. I journalize and I study what resonate with me: yoga, meditation, spirituality, anything that I can get my hands on. I love it!

On the days that I don’t fully commit to my healing, I know my body will give me some signs of pain and weakness the next day. Everyday you get a new blank slate where you can start writing your future on it. Don’t blame yourself for the mistakes you’ve done in the past. It’s over! Focus on what you can do today to move forward to a greater and better life.

I also know that I will always be a yoga student. There is so much to learn. Learning is fulfilling and rewarding. And I love sharing it with my students.

I am thankful for my pain, it is steering me in a new direction where life is a little brighter.

Namaste!

 

 

What are you Grateful for?

Being Grateful….It is showing an appreciation of kindness.

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. 
If you concentrate on what you don’t have, 
you will never, ever have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey

Take the time daily to revisit your day and take note of 5 things that you are grateful for. Why not start a Grateful Journal? It will be YOUR collection of happy moments!

It does not have to be big. You might be grateful for the smile of a stranger, a kind email from a friend, a butterfly stopping by your backyard, your health…

Taking the time to be grateful makes sure that you live positively present. It gives you the opportunity to live in the moment and appreciate every little thing that the Universe has to offer. How often do you pause to really appreciate what you have in life?

And do you know there is an App for that? “Gratitude Diary”