Soul Stretch Conversations

We're rounding out our final three enneagram personalities and we chat about those "party people" 7s, those challenging 8s and the peace-keeping 9s who we all need a little of in our lives.  
#7 - the Enthusiast. Extroverted, optimistic, versatile and spontaneous. Ready for a party? They are!
#8 - the Challenger. Self-confident, strong and assertive. They're protective and decisive but crave control. We need them and they drive us crazy too.
#9 - the Mediator. Accepting, trusting, stable. they're usually creative, optimistic and will go far (sometimes too far) to keep the peace.

Take a deep dive and learn more about these personalities in your life. Visit our website to download a more detailed explanation of each:
http://soulstretchmobileyoga.com/podcast.html

Let's keep moving and learn about Enneagram personality types 4, 5 & 6. Who are they? 
#4 - The Artist. Self-aware, sensitive and reserved. Emotionally honest, creative and personal. 
#5 - The Thinker. Alert, insightful and curious. They're able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills.
#6 - The Loyalist. Committed, security-oriented. Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible and trustworthy. 

Get to know what defines them, what drives them and what causes them struggle. Let's understand them better so we can nurture our relationships with these personalities in our lives. 

Download details on each personality at our website:
http://soulstretchmobileyoga.com/podcast.html

Now that you've spent a little time taking the Ennegram test, let's do a deeper dive into personality types 1, 2 and 3.  Remember who they are?
#1 - the Reformer
#2 - the Helper
#3 - the Achiever

The reason why we're studying these is to discover more about ourselves and our loved ones.  Having a better understanding can only help enrich our relationships.

Visit our website to download more information on each type:
http://soulstretchmobileyoga.com/podcast.html

Hello Lovelies! Rose and Tina are so excited to be back and they've got a few podcasts ready to go on a topic so many people are talking about: the Enneagrams. Rose says that studying the Enneagram has been life changing for her. What are they? And why do we want to know?

 The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. The Enneagram describes nine personality types and maps each of these types on a nine-pointed diagram which helps to illustrate how the types relate to one another. 

This is the first of four podcasts we are dedicating to the topic and we will briefly go over each one before taking some deeper dives. Take a listen before you take the test for yourself.  There are many websites you can turn to for taking the test. Visit our web page for the illustration and links to free Enneagram tests.

We all say some dirty words here or there. We know Rose has a special gift in swearing. In fact, comedian George Carlin has a famous bit about the 7 dirty words. But the dirtiest word you can possibly say to yourself is something we say every single day: SHOULD.  "I should do THIS... I should do THAT."  Lovelies, it's time to stop "Shoulding" ourselves, our partners, our families and realize how damaging it is to our hearts and souls.  Can you do it? We hope you'll try. You can download this PDF to print out and remind yourself to speak gently and manifest the good to your life. *note-we do say a few dirty words here!

We're back, friends... and once again we find ourselves managing a lot of change in our lives. How can a yogi ride the waves of life changes in a positive way, so we don't find ourselves asking "Who Moved My Cheese"?  We turn to our Italian heritage for a special mantra: "Momento Mori" or "Remember Your Death". It's the lone constant in life, but let's not think of it in a scary, morbid way. Think of it in how you want to live.  We're so happy to be back, Lovelies.

It's amazing what a good book can do for the soul.  In this podcast (recorded just before Halloween), Rose shares her recent book club experience reading the book "Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose" by Rebekah Lyons. Rebekah isn't a yogi, but oh how her writing speaks to the yogi soul. Lyons' book came out in 2019, but her words resonate deeply as we struggle through the rest of 2020.  The four rhythms - Rest, Restore, Connect and Create - can help us reset our souls and become recentered.  This inspired us to start a book club too!  Visit our website for details on how to join the Soul Stretch Book Club reading "Think Like a Monk" by Jay Shetty. First club is December 7th and will meet via zoom. For more info, visit: http://soulstretchmobileyoga.com/

There have been SO many changes in our lives in the recent weeks. We can't help but recognize this new age we're all living in.  It is clear that we're all experiencing different levels of discord and even chaos. Sometimes, we even share our anxieties and fears with others in a way that robs them of their peace. So, what does a yogi need to get through this time? How about we start giving each other (and ourselves!) a little space and grace. Rose offers up a challenge for each yogi to disconnect from all that anxiety and angst and do some Shambala Yoga, a "Walking Meditation".  When you walk quietly in nature with your own thoughts, your own soul, you'll be surprised at the peace you'll experience.  Never done a walking meditation before? Go to SoulStretchMobileYoga.com and download a sample pdf. Since Rose is KNOWN for her choice in music, you'll want to check out this link to her favorite song to use during a walking meditation, from Trevor Hall. It's called "Walk Quietly" and we hope it'll open your heart and soul when you find yourself needing some church of mother nature. 

It's been a long quarantine, Lovelies, and maybe we're finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Rose and Tina return to talk about the stages of emotions they each experienced during the COVID shutdown. From worry to sadness to downright rage, we've all found ourselves experiencing feelings we didn't anticipate. What will our lives look like after this? How will each of us use this "life reset" and redefine what normal should be. We'll talk about an animal totem - the FROG - and how channeling our inner frog can help us move forward.  Our Podcast Party Favor is this PDF download printout to make your own Origami Jumping Frog. And if the directions don't make sense, there are LOTS of You Tube video tutorials. Click here to download: http://soulstretchmobileyoga.com/podcast.html

Religion. Spirituality. Yoga. 

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of chit-chat at Soul Stretch and at other yoga events about those three words… religion, spirituality, yoga, and whether you can be right with your religion and still practice yoga, whether spirituality is religious in nature, if all three are different sides of the same triangle. 

Well, lovelies, I’m here to tell you that for this yogi, they are not mutually exclusive practices. They all teach us that there is more to life than we can see looking through the Hubble Telescope. They all teach us that there is more to life than feeding kale smoothies and pizza to our physical bodies. They all teach us that we are on a journey to seek truth and goodness.

It surprises me when I hear people say practicing yoga cannot co-exist with believing in God. I wish they could peek in my windows. I have a half-dozen Italian ceramic crucifixes hanging on the walls, along with mandalas and chakras. I have a Catholic rosary in my purse, a Christian-blessed prayer shawl draped over my sofa, a chunk of rose quartz on my windowsill. And I lean on them all. 

There are times when I need the ritual of religion, letting the scriptures and prayers and hymns wash over me in a shower of inspiration and hope, the words of my pastor deepening my faith. There are times when I need the healing ritual of yoga, when the mudras and the pranayama and the asanas calm my fears and open my heart. And there are moments when I need to be alone to do the self-study that leads me to my spiritual path, my personal connection to my God. 

Think about this for a minute: Spirituality is the essence of both yoga and religion. 

In this episode, Rose and Tina talk about spirituality, religion and ultimately kindness. Remembering our old days of "giving something up for Lent," we are offering up a worksheet to embrace 40 Days of Kindness with 40 acts (actually we're giving you only 20. You come up with the rest!) to spread kindness in the world.