During your practices this month you will experience a nice full body balanced Drishtiq Flow with a focus on twists and core work. We are so happy to be celebrating a new year with you and look forward to a great 2020!
Just about 5 years ago in a New Years flow at our studio, I set a Sankalpa.
Lying on my back preparing for class that day, I snuck a peek at the intention words on our ceiling lights. At the time, I was tired, my body and mind were stressed. I found myself in a job that was tearing at my heart strings, relationships that were disingenuous, and a life that seemed to be moving on its own without me in it.
As we often do in those moments, I was desperately searching for something outside of myself- God, The Universe, My husband, my boss..someone to swoop in and save the day, save me, make my life easier,
When I spotted the word Bliss.
Just about 5 years ago in a New Years flow at our studio, I set a Sankalpa.
Lying on my back preparing for class that day, I snuck a peek at the intention words on our ceiling lights. At the time, I was tired, my body and mind were stressed. I found myself in a job that was tearing at my heart strings, relationships that were disingenuous, and a life that seemed to be moving on its own without me in it.
As we often do in those moments, I was desperately searching for something outside of myself- God, The Universe, My husband, my boss..someone to swoop in and save the day, save me, make my life easier,
When I spotted the word Bliss.
The Yamas and Niyamas from Patanjalis 8 limb path are guidelines for living a yogic lifestyle. These are not “rules” for being a Yogi. Yogis are known for a practice that is non-judgemental. Yogis typically accept and even embrace differences. Therefore, we need to consider these guidelines as suggestions and interpret them ourselves and determine what they mean to us as individuals.
The Yamas and Niyamas from Patanjalis 8 limb path are guidelines for living a yogic lifestyle. These are not “rules” for being a Yogi. Yogis are known for a practice that is non-judgemental. Yogis typically accept and even embrace differences. Therefore, we need to consider these guidelines as suggestions and interpret them ourselves and determine what they mean to us as individuals.
Time to set those resolutions, get inspired, and energized for the New Year you have been given.
2018 is knocking at the door and it will soon be time to let it in! Before you do-- take a moment in gratitude to truly FEEL 2017. What do you have to be grateful for in the past year? Even if it's been the hardest, most challenging year yet…. What can you find hiding in the corners that strikes a bit of gratitude in your heart?
Now stop-- breath there...allow the gratitude to become an ALL OVER physical sensation for a moment-- notice how the physical body responds to gratitude-- and instead of letting the thought pass-- for a moment, be OVERWHELMED by the physical sensation of gratitude.
Now moving into 2018, how can you channel that which brought you bliss in 2017 and bring it with you in 2018?
Perhaps it’s the relationship you had with your yoga mat, your meditation bolster, or lavender eye pillow?
The safe space you have created to come and surrender, find space, and move into peace and bliss in the body-- and likewise because, we believe yoga means Union- if we can find space in the physical body-- perhaps, then, we can also believe this transcends into the mental-emotional space as well.
How do we cultivate, feed and encourage our commitment to our mats (or any self-care practice) in 2018?
Ask a yoga practitioner on the way out of class- we are overwhelmed by the “I love Yoga” feeling-- at the end of a practice. We know we feel better, (and others around us feel better) when we practice. Like any other commitment we make, the practice must come daily. The effort to carve out space for ourselves must be paramount on our schedule. We must believe that self-care- regardless of its form-- is as important, if not MORE important as caring for others. When we put self-care into practice-- it OVERWHELMINGLY shows up in our personal connections with others, our work productivity, our energy to connect and live peacefully.
Stop and notice the effects. Take in the gratitude when you take time for self-care.
So what happens? What happens to New Years Resolutions on January 15? (if we make it that long). We forget to stop and take our “I love Yoga Moment” or pat ourselves on the back-- for carving time and making the effort towards our self-care. We need to stop and acknowledge when we take-- even 5 minutes of our day to stop and rest in stillness or meditation-- or our efforts will be lost to “busy-ness and fight or flight existence.”
Self-care comes more naturally when you surround yourself with people who also practice self- care. Join a yoga studio, a running group, get a book club going or try a meditation circle. Sometimes, when we know someone else is going to show up to a class-- on the days we are really struggling to find time-- make a date and an effort to just get there. This does not mean your practice is not personal to you.
What if you get hurt and you cannot exercise? -Meditation takes no movement. What if you are traveling or do not have exercise equipment with you? - Grab your phone and a towel and play an on-demand class. What if you just don’t have time? -Make an effort to focus on breath in your morning commute or while you are waiting for your child to get done with basketball practice. Do you have to work a double? -Take the stairs. Do some pushups before lunch and stop while eating lunch-- to actually “taste” the food.
Have a backup plan-- should things not work out as you would have liked.
Do SOMETHING every day that brings you bliss. You do not have to do an hour of yoga or a run a day. It can be as simple as getting out of bed and stepping on your mat to take a child’s pose-- and that’s it. Make the effort towards self-care-- any DAILY habit, like brushing your teeth or combing your hair.
Our community here at DRISHTIQ is here to help you. Grab a teacher after class. Chat up our front desk crew. Among our many opportunities to practice all types of yoga- we also have challenges-- you can join in-- to keep you motivated. For instance, work towards our 2018 Om Club re-birth or try any of our super helpful workshops-- which will get you closer to finding your bliss. We also have private one-on-one opportunities-- where you can meet for a personalized class with a yoga teacher. Our On-Demand Library of classes is there for you to access ANYwhere-- at ANY time! Our goal for 2018 is to better equip our community for self-care. We are here to help. Get in touch!
Namaste,
Amy K
Morning meditations have begun at DRISHTIQ and are EVERY morning 8:30 am Weekdays and Saturday, 9:00 am Sundays! This class is $5 for Non-Monthly Unlimited Members and FREE for our Studio Monthly Unlimited Members!
My @tedxcinnati video of my talk: Disconnect to Connect (below) was just released this past weekend on YouTube. This experience was truly life changing for me personally and as a speaker. I thought it may be helpful to share some of what I learned during this year while going through this process of creating a TED Talk, auditioning to make it to the main stage and then performing it.
Summer is here, and with it, some great weather and a barbeque, the occasional vacation, and many pool days under the sun. I mean, who could not like the summertime? Besides the fact that school is out, I always feel like the summer provides me with more time; the days are longer, which motivates me to get up earlier, and go to bed later. In my endeavors to be productive, I am always trying to find something new. A new game, a new activity, a new experience.
And this is why, this summer, I am challenging you. While you are always encouraged to try new and more difficult classes here at Drishtiq, this summer, I want you add to your usual practice by taking it outside. Whether in your backyard, at the park, or on the beach, expanding your horizons will only aid you on your yoga journey.
Get some friends together and meet at the park to greet the rising sun with sun salutations or bring your mat the next time you let the dog out. On vacation? Nothing can beat the calming rush of waves on an evening beach with your mat grounded in the soft, but firm sand. Perhaps you can even try taking your practice to a standing paddle board. All of these experiences provide a great opportunity for you to focus on you and what you need to improve and challenge your practice. This can include working on that really cool armstand you saw the lady next to you do during class, working on that pose you just can’t seem to get right or simply taking time to focus on your breath and meditation; challenging yourself will not only provide you with a great new experience but an increase in confidence as you let loose in the surrounding environment.
Research has shown that by taking your practice outdoors, the fresh air and the environment can help your nervous system eliminate stress and heighten your energy. Additionally, Yoga Journal notes that practicing outside can help your brain increase its awareness of your breath and of your mind, making it a more mindful experience. But besides all of this, I hope you find this opportunity as a really rewarding experience that expands your practice and challenges the edge of your yoga journey. Let me know if any of you take me up on this trial this summer. I’d love to hear about what you explored and experienced when I see you in the studio next!
~Matthew
With homework starting to increase and college acceptances beginning to roll in, this month I have been trying to focus on self care. For me, that means a number of things (starting with getting more sleep). Instead of letting stress get the best of me, I’ve been making an effort to slow things down and spend more time doing things I enjoy. For me, I’ve been trying to spend more time getting into the studio. With so many extracurricular activities after school, the morning classes have become a great way for me to start my day on a positive note. Class starts at 5:30, which is about the time I usually wake up for school. Pushing myself to wake up even earlier has helped me reinforce my goal of going to bed earlier. I’m usually a night owl, but I’ve found that shutting my computer down after 10pm has helped me fall asleep faster and feel more refreshed in the morning.
Along with my goal of relaxation, this month I have been trying to push myself to take advantage of opportunities that are outside of my comfort zone. Last week, I decided to join the track team. Now that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but for me joining track was HUGE. I have pretty severe asthma and I don’t really enjoy running (that was an understatement). But I decided to join track as a senior because I want to rise to the challenge. Right now, I’m one of the slowest girls on the team, and one of the only seniors who will be on JV, but I’m okay with that. For me, it’s not about being the fastest sprinter or the highest jumper. I just want to push myself to be faster than I was when I started.
Lastly, I wanted to share a project I’ve recently been working on. I’m currently taking AP Macroeconomics, a college level economics course at my high school. As I was sitting in class one day attempting to study all of the graphs, I came up with this random idea to connect yoga to economics. I developed a cool worksheet with pictures of yoga poses, and over top of each pose I drew a graph that we’ve learned in class. I ended up spending a class period teaching the class about yoga while helping them study for the upcoming exam at the end of the year. This project was not for a grade, however I really enjoyed being able to connect what I’m learning in class to something I love. The session went really well, and I invited everyone in the class to join the teen yoga class at DRISHTIQ offers on Wednesdays. Hopefully, I’ve been able to spark someone’s interest!
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