Yoga with Melissa

yoga to slow down In our culture we spend our days rushing around. Many of us live in cities that bustle around us. We move around quickly in cars and on rapid transit. When we feel like we can’t keep going we keep ourselves going with stimulants such as caffeinated beverages and sugary snacks. Because […]

Outer Standards vs. Inner Needs This week we will reflect on the tension between the outer standards being imposed on us and our inner needs. When we try to conform to outward standards and appearances we lose touch with our inner needs. Our culture demands that we do more and that we do it quickly. […]

Gathering Your Energy Reserves Autumn is a time of year when the wind kicks up and with that wind can come a whirlwind of activity. It can be a time of year when we feel what Sara Avant Stover calls the “relentless forward momentum that modern living usually demands.” This culminates in a scattered and […]

yoga for stress In today’s class we are focusing on coming into the depths of our support. Last week,  we introduced the idea of the importance of nourishing our energy. We live in a culture that is constantly over consuming and overly active. We are literally skimming across the surface of our lives. Think back […]

Restoring Energy Our culture is in an epidemic of using up energy and has lost site of the importance of taking time to restore our energy. Yoga classes such as the one that we are practicing today helps to provide the counterbalance to our over-activity for recovering and refueling. We have an imbalance between our […]

Violence Against Women Available in English, French and Italian This class dedicated to end violence against women. It is an aspiration practice where we strive for a world without violence. In yoga we call this ahimsa or loving kindness. In this class we honour all women who are living in situations of violence and oppression, […]

Breath This beginner’s yoga class on breath teaches the fundamentals on breath. Quite simply we will explore inhalation, the breath in and exhalation, the breath out. Additionally we will stretch the container of the breath through yoga postures or asanas that open up the chest, back, side body and soften the belly. Finally we will […]

How far should I go? Today’s class is about exploring the dance between too much and not enough in your yoga practice. The potential entanglement of boredom, entertainment and distraction through your yoga asana/posture practice. Well-known contemporary poet, Mary Oliver says, “If the poem is thin, it is not likely because the poet does not […]

Today we are learning all about Intention/Sankalpa.

This class is all about intention. It is designed for beginners and those who are willing to come to their mats with beginner’s mind. We will explore the why behind everything we do in a Namaste Yoga style yoga class and look at this yogic concept of sankalpa/intention. Our class has an arch to it, beginning lying down, moving towards sitting to receive the teachings and to set your intention, coming towards standing for your peak pose, then it begins to move back down towards lying down to finish your class. This class includes hip openers and hamstring stretches and yoga poses to support you in setting an intention.

Michael Lee, founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy says Intention means

In - in

Ten - to hold

ion - that which

In other words, that which we hold within us. Michael Lee says, “What we hold within us has a good chance of becoming our reality because we are holding it at a subconscious level.”

I love this definition of intention because it lets go of doing and opens us to being. That which we hold within us, allows us to remember and connect to a way of being. Intention is an inward journey to our deepest aspiration and truest longing.

With intention we ask ourselves, why am I practicing yoga today? Why am I here? Why did I roll out this mat today and show up? What did I hope to receive by doing this?

Intentions are supposed to be stated in the positive present tense as though they have already happened. For example if you want to be more flexible you might state the intention, “I am flexible.”

As yogis, we can then explore how to fully embody that intention. The intention to be more flexible in your body can be expanded to all levels of your being. How could you be more mentally flexible? If you are exploring one solution to a problem and finding that it isn’t working, are you able to shift course and have the mental flexibility to explore another possibility? What about emotional flexibility? Do you allow yourself to express a full range of emotions from sadness, to anger, to frustration, to boredom, to anxiety to contentedness to joy? And then there is spiritual flexibility: are you rigid in your beliefs or are you open to different spiritual points of view?

Another common sankalpa that a beginner might come to a yoga practice with is: “I want to lose weight.” So notice that this isn’t stated in the affirmative or in the present moment as though it has already happened. Can you imagine your life when you have reached your goal weight? How will you be? I am healthy, strong and vibrant. There you go, there is a good intention statement.

With intention there is usually some “tension” between where you are now and returning to your True Nature. This morning in my yoga class my teacher said we are simply remembering our True Nature - we have become dis-membered in our day to day lives.

In order to be healthy strong and vibrant you may have to take a journey inwards to explore the disconnect between where you are now and where you want to be. Are you willing to be loving and kind to yourself and explore what you choose to put in your mouth may be an act of loving kindness or is it time to be honest that some of the foods you choose to eat can also be an act of violence to your body. It is about being honest in your thoughts, words and actions - the way you think about your body, the things you say to yourself and your actions. Yoga asks you to be moderate in your lifestyle and to practice non-hoarding. Is your diet free from mental of physical toxins? Are you open to practice the discipline that is necessary to truly get to know yourself and what supports you in being a healthy strong and vibrant human being?

Setting your intention is simply tuning into what you most want to receive from your practice today. When you reflect on your body, your breath and your life circumstances, what stands out most about those experiences.

Nourishment to Others

This is the last class in our Yoga Stories Two series and the Ayur Dehi Mantra. By practicing these nourishing practices for the last twelve weeks we are now in a position to offer the resources we have gathered within to all of those we are in relation with. We have nourished our lives, the upward moving energy, the downward moving energy, the circulating energy, our sight, our hearing, our minds, speech, soul, and we have rested in that nourishment. We are nourished. From that space of nourishment we are ready to offer the fruits of our practice to others. Mayi Dehi.

This class combines hip openers to connect with the pleasure of our second chakra and heart openers to open to our nurturing spirit in order to be able to offer the pleasure of nourishment to others.

Part of being a yogi is taking all the benefits of our practice and offering it out into the world so that we can be of benefit to all beings. As the words lokah samastah sukhino bhavanatu say: May all beings be happy and free and may the thoughts words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to the happiness and freedom for all.

By practicing these nourishing practices for the last twelve weeks we are now in a position to offer the resources we have gathered within to all of those we are in relation with.

We have nourished our lives, the upward moving energy, the downward moving energy, the circulating energy, our sight, our hearing, our minds, speech, soul, and we have rested in that nourishment. We are nourished.

From that space of nourishment we are ready to offer the fruits of our practice to others. Mayi Dehi.

Shambhavi Chopra says, “Focusing the light of love on our inner world creates the space for real transformation. This inner awareness transcends our primeval impulses of conflict and assertion which contradict our true nature of peace, releasing all illusion, hurt and blame. Understanding our true nature and taking responsibility for all our actions allows us to transform the darkness of our worldly desires into the light of bliss.” ( from The Soma of Universal Delight)

Reflect on your life right now. What is it that you are trying to create, sustain, release or rebirth in your life. How could this class most benefit you? Begin for form an intention for what it is you would like to receive by practicing this yoga today. Perhaps there is somebody to whom you would like to dedicate the fruits of your practice. Go ahead and form your intention or dedication.

Did you like today’s show? Share it with a friend or email it to a coworker. Like it and subscribe to our channel. Leave your comment below. Today’s question is: How do you take the benefits of your practice and offer nourishment to others?

Want value added you can do on the membership site this week if you want to take your practice further?

From the Bhagavad Gita Class - A class on Love as a Devotional Practice - Uses the Lokah Samastah Mantra and Loving Kindness Meditation and Mudras:

Another class from the Bhagavad Gita series about Karma Yoga - the yoga of action and selfless service:

From the 5 Bhava series the class on Maternal Love - offering love maternally.

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Props Needed: Round Bolster, Blocks, Meditation Cushion or Folded Blanket, yoga strap

Yoga Postures/Yoga Asana: 1/2 happy baby/ardha ananda balasana, happy baby pose/ananda balasana, cat pose/marjaryasana, Pigeon pose/Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Ayurdehi Mantra with Ardharechita Mudra, Anjaneyasana/Lunge Pose, Warrior One/Virabhadrasana One, Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold/Prasarita Padottanasana, Pigeon pose/Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Matsyendrasana/Half Lord of the Fishes Pose,