Living Beyond Breast Cancer event on the Art Museum steps, Sunday, May 16th, was a bigger success than they thought. Over 1,000 people converged to practice yoga and to raise $$$ and awareness for breast cancer. They raised $190,000 to help those receive prevention, treatment and support in dealing with breast cancer.

I am very excited to let you know the Totally Zen team had 16 people come out to practice yoga and we raised $1,500 for breast cancer. We reached our personal goal.

It was an amazing ENERGY FILLED event!!! So moving to be part of the solution! Imagine all those people: of all different backgrounds and fitness/yoga levels coming together to BE as ONE?? Some who have breast cancer, some who are in remission, some who’s family or friends who have been affected by breast cancer or others, like me, who want to show their love and support.

THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT HELPED Totally Zen RAISE MONEY, AWARENESS & PRACTICE YOGA WITH ME.

You can still donate $$$ to help them reach their goal!

PLEASE DONATE at this site to help LBBC reach their fundraising goal.

Your presence was deeply appreciated!

NAMASTE!!!

Two weeks ago I went up to New York City and attended the Yoga and Raw Food Expo by New Life. It was a good opportunity for me to further my knowledge of why we should eat raw foods and living foods. Also, I got to take a few yoga classes. I do have to say once in a while, it is nice to practice and learn yoga without having to teach.

Anyway, I do my best at eating healthy all the time. It is no doubt different for each person how natural and how much raw or organic food they eat on the path of healthy eating in their own lives. For me it has been a process of getting healthier and making better choices gradually. I did not notice the changes at first; but, after you adopt these choices as a constant and they become part of your life style the benefits of eating this way are undeniably received by each person.

The Benefits of Eating Raw/ Organic/Live Foods can be:

• Feel Lighter
• Having More Energy
• Feel Better
• Heal the Body
• Boost the Immune System
• More in sync with the Environment
• Create a Connection to the body so that it speaks to you about what type of foods it needs.

It is hard to eat organic or even fresh food for a lot of people. It is another task to fulfill in your weekly chores. To eat fresh food weekly might send you to the store 1-3 times a week. Some people can’t find the time, the resources of money or choices to get to the “right” food choices. I often find eating organic hard and expensive. I would like to increase the percentage of organic food I eat daily. I probably eat 30-50% organic on a weekly basis. I do better when I visit local farmer’s markets. Although there are a lot of them around Philadelphia I still can’t seem to make a lot of them regularly. So, I sympathize with everyone’s hardship on the path of organic, raw, healthy food eating and realize there is no other solution other than to “just do it.”

Raw foodies tend to eat 75-100% of their food uncooked, un-processed and organic. Most are total vegans and others are raw vegetarians (meaning they can eat a portion of fish, eggs and dairy).

Eating food in their original, un-heated state means the food is raw and alive. Live foods contain a wide range of vital life foce nutrients in them. Live foods provide: live enzymes, vitamins, minerals, oxygen and amino acids. All of these properties are ones that the body needs for the proper maintenance of human bodily functions.

It is definitely recommended you research the foods you would like to consume for nutritional content and food sensitivities. It is NOT recommended to completely “go raw” at one time and it IS recommended to go see a nutritionist or teacher that will help you transition safely and healthily.

While I was at the Expo I went to a lecture with Brenda Cobbs of the Living Foods Institute. In 1999 Brenda was diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer. She healed herself without radiation, chemotherapy or surgery and now dedicates her life to helping others. She spoke about how right mental thinking, emotional healing and to nourish the body at a deep cellular level, reverse aging and detoxify the body through organic, raw foods.

Hopefully, you will encourage and challenge yourself to incorporate more live, organic foods in your daily diet and feel the many benefits of a rich, diverse, fresh plant- based diet. I am with you though; it takes effort!

Here is a Juicing Recipe:

1 Large Mango
1 Ripe Banana
4 Strawberries
2 Tbspn Flaxseed
2 Tbspn Coconot Shavings or Coconut Milk
6 Ice Cubes
1 Cup of Milk or Water

Serves 2

]]> http://www.totallyzen.com/live-raw-foods-yoga-in-nyc-everyday.html/feed 1 http://www.totallyzen.com/newlife-expo-in-new-york-city-provides-a-great-service-to-its-people.html http://www.totallyzen.com/newlife-expo-in-new-york-city-provides-a-great-service-to-its-people.html#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:47:18 +0000 Stephanie http://www.totallyzen.com/?p=386 Continue reading →]]>

I attended and exhibited at the NewLife Expo in New York City recently. My experience the entire weekend has left an impression of spirit, warmth and energy in my heart and soul. There were thousands of people visiting the expo and having the opportunity to tune up their mind, body or spirit. There was an array of some very lovely, gifted, hard working: body workers, healers, psychics, nutritionists, energy healers, masters, minister, priestess and many I did not get a chance to discover this time at the expo.

Newlife Magazine and Expos must be the natural evolution to Mark Becker’s Yoga practice and studio. He founded Serenity Natural Healing Center in 1975. This was New York’s first non- religious yoga studio. I don’t know him personally but he seems to have realized his vision of providing wellness, spirituality, health and alternative medicine and healing opportunities to both the patrons of such modules and the providers of these expertise, over and over again. I saw many people working together with others to ensure they felt understood, engaged and treated as, and to, the best all weekend long.

I met some very interesting people and healers. Su Jok Therapy fascinated me; Su Jok is a Korean acupuncture form. Joad Puttermilech was there personally and gave me a powerful treatment, http://www.smilesujok.com/?lat=en. Carla Tara, http://www.carlatara.com/, impressed me as an accomplished tantric healer was a fiery yet feminine yogi and tantric counselor. Also, fun and sincere didgeridoo players and healers, Tyler Sussman and AJ Block also gave me a treatment, http://didgeproject.com/. I met Sufi, a holy man from Indiana who recently came to Philadelphia to open a Sufi school. We have become friends and will collaborate together to bring information and light to those in our sphere. Check back later this week to find a blog post by Sufi, www.toubacafe.com.

I saw so many people who looked satisfied and enlightened by the experience it definitely made a positive impact on me. I felt the energy in the hotel as you approach and walking around the show you can see the energy being created first hand. It is amazing how you can feel the energy build and fill you up simply from physically being present in this shared space. NewLife Expo succeeded in transforming a regular hotel into a wellness pyramid.

There were definitely a multitude of wellness options for those that are familiar with healing or who want to discover the beauty of taking better care of your self in mind, body and spirit!

Look for the next show Yoga and Raw Expo in May 29th -31st, Hotel New Yorker. Totally Zen will be out and about taking in all the health food and yoga information and participating in all the breathing and feasting we can get to in three short days.                                      

http://www.newlifeexpo.com/

http://www.serenityyoga.net/aboutmark.php

]]> http://www.totallyzen.com/newlife-expo-in-new-york-city-provides-a-great-service-to-its-people.html/feed 0 http://www.totallyzen.com/creating-a-connection-to-the-prayer-bell-or-singing-bowl.html http://www.totallyzen.com/creating-a-connection-to-the-prayer-bell-or-singing-bowl.html#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:53:14 +0000 Stephanie http://www.totallyzen.com/?p=380 Continue reading →]]>

The singing bowl, prayer bells and prayer cymbals have been used for centuries in Tibet, Nepal and India and probably many other countries as part of prayer and ritual. The ceremonies are performed for any number of reasons in any kind of place. They can be formal or informal.

The ringing of one of these bells before the ritual can bring focus and attention to the mind. This practice can help a person to be present without distraction. It is also said to drive away evil spirits from the area the ritual is being performed.

The symbolic meaning of the prayer bell carries significance and the object is often filled with magical power. The physical bell is like the Buddha’s body. The sound of the bell is like the Buddha’s voice teaching the dharma, it is wisdom. Vajra represents the compassion of the Buddha and is his mind.

The sound of singing bowl, prayer bells and prayer cymbals can be soothing, calming and healing. The vibration of the bell is said to: purify negative energy, be spiritually cleansing, return harmony and balance and increase the positive energy.

You may use a prayer bell or singing bowl on the self to clear old energy or remove energy blockages. (The bowl will be a lot harder to keep control of in motion if working on yourself; so, I use a prayer bell.) You can start from the crown and move over the front of the body toward the feet, down the left side, back up, down right, up again, center and then move the bell or bowl over the backside in the same way as the front. I concentrate on the crown, heart and root, the three energy centers afterwards to create movement at the three energy centers or tan tiens.   

Ringing any of these bells before prayer or a ritual practice can seem a bit odd or strange and the act of ringing any of these may make you uncomfortable. (It might help to get Tibetan or Buddhist chanting music and hear the process and how they use the bells.) Like all other things you do repetitively, there begins to be a connection to the act. It becomes a natural, comforting, useful practice over time. It is effective in a number of ways; such as, bringing forth the intention of the space, the message in the mind, asking for help from the higher force. A process that connects you to the spiritual world or to: guides, angels or forces that can help you manifest your intention in your world.

Ringing prayer cymbals before meditation or yoga practice is a way to signify the beginning and end of your practice. When you ring a prayer bell or cymbals in the beginning of practice you bring your focus and attention to the moment to quiet the mind and ready the body for practice. This act may help you elevate your practice of yoga or spiritual development to another level. Remember, practicing yoga is but one element in a host of activities recommended to create a strong spiritual practice.

Ringing a bell or bowl to can clear old energy from the space. Holding the bell and thinking of the intention to clear the old energy from the space and bring in the good or new energy will benefit the space and the people living in it. It is like sound feng shui.

Prayer bells and singing bowls are often rung as part of the healing process. It is not uncommon for an energy body worker to use a singing bowl in the treatment to promote healing, relaxation or move energy throughout the body.

As one begins or continues to use these bells for rituals in their life the vibration sound force from this practice will accumulate and benefit the person or people who are connected to this practice. I am so happy I took the “chance” of doing something “weird” like beginning these healing and prayer rituals because it turned into something beautiful and rewarding. I recommend picking up a bell, bowl or cymbals and carving out your own connection.

You can find these bells and bowls in many places, the TotallyZenStore.com happens to make them available for you too. http://www.totallyzenstore.com/collections/meditation-spiritual

We learn more from our eyes more than from any of the other senses (if we are blessed with the sense of sight). All day long your eyes are looking, observing and interacting with everything in our world. In fact, the eyes provide 40% of the information the brain processes in any given moment. All this work may make your eyes get tired and they need to be properly taken care of to maintain your eye health and good vision!

Physically, eyesight weakens as the muscles around the eyes get weaker. Once these muscles those their elasticity they become rigid and it is less easy to focus the eyes.

Another result of eyestrain is that it brings tension to the area around the eyes that cause the brain stress and anxiety.

Unfortunately, when eyes get older they get weaker. Doing exercises and bringing energy or prana to the eyes can prevent some of the weakening.

REMEMBER:

When we relax the body we can begin to relax the eyes.

 Improve your vision with regular eye exercises.

 Eyes are the windows to the soul and you can feel and see a lot about a person if you look inside.  

Yoga Eye Exercises

·      Focusing on a single spot straightforward, no blinking,breath. Try 15, 30, 60 seconds, 1 minute.                  Will steady or calm the mind completely.     

·      Focus the eyes straight forward (inhale, exhale), change your focus to upper left hand corner (inhale), lower right hand corner (exhale), upper right hand corner (inhale), lower left hand corner (exhale), straight across and behind left (inhale), and straight across and behind right (exhale). Extend peripheral vision and improve focus and concentration.            

·      Use the palms and rub them together vigorously to create healing energy or heat. Place the slightly cupped palms, closed fingers over the eye area. Try not to touch the eyes and if you feel more comfortable touching the eyes then do not apply pressure. Transfer this heat or healing energy to the eyes with your constant breath, intention and concentration. If we relax the eyes and bring them into darkness the stress and impact of engaging them all the time Creating healing energy or heat to the eyes should bring improved eye health.                                                                            

Take time to appreciate your vision because life would be a lot tougher without it!

Something to Ponder..

The sense of sight is a scientifically complicated one and of the five senses it is the most complex.

When we focus our eyes on something we are actually “seeing” beams of light reflecting off the object and into your eyes. The cornea is a thick, transparent protective layer that protects the eye and the pupil is the dark circle in the center of your eyes the light passes through these two places until it reaches the lens. The amount of light contracts and expands the iris, which is the colored ring around the eye. A lot of light makes the pupil shrink and vice versa thereby controlling the amount of light the eye takes in at any given moment. Then the lens does its job of focusing on the object. The retina is filled with about 150 million light sensitive cells that are rods, which work best in low light and cones that function best in bright light and colors. Both these types of cells send the information about the object to the brain via the optic nerve. The image is delivered upside down. The brain turns the image right side up and registers the image in the visual cortex and tells us what we are looking at.

www.Medindia.com 

http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/sight/sight.html 

Introducing a Brand New Reiki Program at Brio Vim taught by Danielle Stimpson. Reiki Level 1 course offering at Brio Vim will take place Thursday evenings 6-9pm February 5 to April 9, 2009 and is currently enrolling.  

I got the opportunity to meet Danielle and her sweet, soft, enthusiastic energy immediately started to rub off on me. In fact, she gave me an intense reiki session that made my back feel stimulated by a warm, smooth energy. We talked about Reiki, her background and the fact that she is offering you a great way to take care of yourself, friends, family and others with a skill that you can take with you wherever you may be!

Danielle and I agree that being able to heal or heal someone is such a blessing! Once you become a healer you understand. Before that it’s like anything in life when someone says, “You can’t really know or identify unless you go through it yourself.” Healing others is BIG JOY and you get better at your skill and it gets more rewarding as you continue your practice.

Danielle had always known she wanted to be a healer originally a nurse. After becoming a pharmaceutical consultant it was clear to her that this was not the place for her. So, she let her hair grow, pierced her ear & wears casual clothes. By the third Reiki I class she knew she wanted to be a reiki master. She trained at 4th Street Reiki St., to become a certified reiki practitioner in 2006 and just recently became a teacher of Reiki in August. Congratulations! She gives treatments at Brio Vim and the Philadelphia Community Acupuncture.

PRESS RELEASE

Reiki now available in South Philadelphia and for the first time at sliding scale Philadelphia, PA January 5, 2009 – Reiki Master Teacher Danielle Stimpson is expanding her offerings of affordable Reiki treatments & training to South Philadelphia through a partnership with Brio Vim.

Reiki is a Japanese bodywork & natural healing practice that stresses the importance of self-development and responsibility. Practitioners are trained to use their hands to direct healing energy into their client. Palm healing in various forms has been practiced for thousands of years and by numerous different cultures. Reiki is safe and has no side effects or interactions with medical treatments or medications. Ms. Stimpson’s practitioner training program is currently thriving in West Philadelphia, having completed a successful first offering in November.

Danielle offers Reiki treatments and classes on a modest sliding payment scale in support of her mission to bring Reiki to people and communities who may not otherwise have access to it. Her approach is very cost effective, limiting overhead in a number of ways and passing the savings directly on to the students. According to Danielle “The practice of Reiki connects us with our body’s natural ability to heal itself, physically and emotionally. When the cost of treatment and training becomes unaffordable, we limit who can benefit.” Additionally, students will practice their skills in free and low cost public clinics to develop their confidence while supporting their community.
——————————————————————————-
Brio Vim, located at 1543 S. Mole Street in South Philadelphia, opened its doors September 27, 2008. It is a hub for Philadelphians working for our environment, public spaces, conscientious eating, holistic health, the arts, and grass roots organizing. Founders Prana and Sean Jacobs feel the addition of the Reiki program will compliment their existing offerings of pay-what-you-can Yoga, Vegan feasts, and workshops including healthy eating and zero-impact crafts. Prana says “The practice of Reiki exemplifies Brio Vim’s mission to spread DIY Good Living-it is simple, powerful, effective, and motivated by compassion” and adds “Studying Reiki changed my life in ways I could never have foreseen. When you realize the power you have, the connections you have to the people around you – nothing is impossible.”

Danielle Stimpson stated, “I am excited to ally myself with Brio Vim’s already remarkable movement. Together, we will bring holistic wellness to more people in Philadelphia.” Sean Jacobs responds “Brio Vim is thrilled to bring Danielle Stimpson into our family. She gets what we are all about.” There will be a free introductory workshop on Saturday, January 10, 2008 from 2:00-4:00pm at Brio Vim where the public will be invited to learn about Reiki and experience it’s effects with complimentary mini-sessions, drinks, and snacks.

Private treatment sessions are now available, and the first Reiki Level 1 course offering at Brio Vim will take place Thursday evenings 6-9pm February 5 to April 9, 2009 and is currently enrolling. Level 2 training will soon take place in West Philadelphia, dates and times to be announced.

To learn more, contact Danielle Stimpson at (267) 974-4093 or on the web at www.daniellestimpson.com or Brio Vim at (215) 476-1231 and www.briovim.com.

Reiki is a spiritual practice that was developed by Mikao Usai after a 21-day meditation and fast on Mount Kurama, Japan in 1922. He was a master Buddhist meditator and believed he had received the knowledge and ability to heal without depleting his energy.

Palm healing, tenohia, is a form of moving energy or chi through the palms to others. It is now incorporated into Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).

Reiki Principles, or GOKIA in Japanese, were developed when Usai went to Tokyo to set up his Reiki system and school. He used Emperor Meiji’s ethical writings as a precept for the philosophy. Many Reiki teachers, practitioners and spiritual people follow the five principles because they are key to finding balance and peace in your life, one of the translations is:

“The secret art of inviting good fortune. The marvelous medicine for all sickness. Just for today:

Do not be angry

Do not worry

Be grateful

Work with integrity

Be kind to others.

Every morning and every night sit in the Gassho position (hands held palm-to-palm) and speak these words out loud in your heart. For the evolution of body and soul, Usui Reiki Ryoho”, Mikao Usui.

Reiki is not taught in the traditional sense but is given to a student through an “attunement” by a Reiki master and then the student can begin to tap into the healing energy. It works on the Hollow Bone philosophy that states that the practitioner is a conduit for the healing energy. It is not the practitioners’ or patient’s energy being used but the life force or universal energy being channeled through the process for healing.

Treatments are usually about 45 minutes to an hour long. Using palms placed in positions for 3-5 minutes. Traditionally, there are about 20 hand positions used in a treatment but some practitioner’s use their intuitive powers to heal. Practitioners’ will move head to toe, back and front or simply concentrating on certain areas.

People who receive the treatments report they feel heat, tingling or energy sensations while the palms are being applied to the body.

It can be useful if practiced in conjunction with other medical treatments to reduce side effects and reduce recovery time. The benefits of reiki are improved well being, relaxation and healing for the mind, body and soul.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiki
http://www.reiki.org/faq/WhatIsReiki.html

Once you accept and realize healing of the mind, body or spirit is an interconnected and related process you can begin to see how to truly heal yourself, help others heal or heal that which needs attention in relationships. Therefore, we must not rush the healing process.

How many times have you been injured and then begun to live your “normal” life again only to fall back into the injured state or hurt something else as a result of your weakened state? Or ignored signs in relationships that might have allowed you to work things out before they were unrepairable? How long can you feel “not so great ” internally or externally before you do something about it?

We could look at wounds as blessings. This is a different kind of mentality and one that might not make sense at the beginning of moving from injured or hurt to well. But, wellness is a journey and not a destination just like life. If we have patience for the mind, body, and spirit when they are not well then we can learn how we are changing and transforming with each new experience good, bad and indifferent.

Once we are feeling off balance, isolated, injured, depressed, repressed, lonely, angry, sad or fearful we have an opportunity to go within. If we start to look at the cause and effect then we can make sense of our experience and reaction. There may or may not be a reason for everything that happens to us but we can choose to look at these experiences for the valuable lessons they provide us on our way.

I recently hurt my back and am on the mend. My body is “talking” to me and I am choosing to listen to it. I am caring for my back because it is necessary and important that I give it the love, support and attention it demands. I do not want to spend the rest of my life in back pain. I made a choice to listen, learn and act in a way to facilitate my healing path. Some might ignore the signs, not accept the seriousness of the incident or convince themselves there is no problem or blame or hate or be miserable due to their misfortune.

When something happens to you in one area of your life it can be a signal for something else. I try to find the relationship between the different facets of the self and life to fit them together so they may work more efficiently, openly and honestly in my total existence.

I look to my back injury I might be able to trace this to other parts of my world that were calling to me but I was too busy to hear. Stopping what is your routine, changing the way you think, act or live takes lots of time, patience, determination, love, respect and honesty.

If you cannot be honest with where you are, how you got there and how you want things to be then you cannot change with any real effect. I look at changing as healing. I change the way I lift heavy objects because I hurt my back. I change the way I feel when I Iook at the sunshine. I change the way I look at life when someone dies. I change the way I look at people differently when some one helps or hurts me. I look in my eyes to see that I am alive inside even when life gets hard.

More Truth Will Set You Free is a Transformational Healing workshop. I attended a session this week in Philadelphia that was facilitated by Toby Lerner. Toby is one of my yoga students, I have always been surprised by how connected and vocal she is about her connections to the light we cultivate in yoga practice and now I understand why.

One day after yoga, I saw this symbol Toby wears on a chain fall out of her shirt. I stopped her and asked her what it was she was wearing. The answers to that question lead me to the workshop.

Toby has been studying for two years under Derek O’Neill founder of SQ Wellness. He is her teacher and trainer. She is a certified practitioner and has now begun to step out and teach the workshop as a service to others. “Because service to man is service to G-d.” She told us that she feels she needs to reveal more about her spiritual side and nurture and develop its presence in her life.

The SQ Wellness system is “founded on the five human values of : Love, Truth, Peace, Right Conduct, and Non-Violence.” ” SQ Wellness can enable you to transform yourself spiritually, personally, and professionally and bring more self awareness into your life.”

“More Truth Will Set You Free workshops are a life changing event. The goal is to show you how to access your untapped potential, change things for the better, and discover how it all works in the mind, body and spirit. You will learn how old programs and beliefs keep you trapped and how to change these beliefs and programs with real healing techniques. You won’t be surprised at what you learn from these workshops, you will be transformed.”

Through this workshop Toby used stories, music, meditation and readings to invoke and reveal ourself to ourselves. The beautiful and powerful thing about healing is that it can happen and you can feel it happening in your mind, body and spirit. The road to spirit, the journey of healing and the path of transformation is a long one. It is continuous and changing if you want it to be lasting in effects and intensity.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Toby’s guidance and channeling of the healing spirit through her Masters system’s and traditions. It was truly a gift to share in the energy and force field that was present there for our time together. I felt my meditation growing deep and almost unwilling to come back from the place she helped me to reach in my meditation. This proved to me that her system was engaging and meaningful. I do believe and many others have said it is practice that is the key to tapping into this place within yourself that has the ability to unlock all that we hold on to that prevents love and light in our lives.

The end of the workshop finds you and the others learning how to draw the Prema Agni. It is a symbol that comes directly from the Masters. It contains several healing symbols whether implied or literally represented within its structure: the God’s head, the culmination of the five elements, the heart, Om, Ankh, The Lightening Bolt, The Caduceus, the cross, the Hindu Swastika, the Seal of Solomon, the Karmic Wheel of Life, the human figure and the five pointed star.           

“As you can imagine it is a perfect mandala to meditate on to open your heart center. Because when you open your heart to let love flow IN and OUT true healing. The symbol can be drawn on the back at the heart chakra and then the right hand is placed on the heart chakra and the left is placed on the left shoulder. Then repeat to yourself, ” Prema Agni, Prema Agni, Prema Agni.”"

Luckily, Toby will continue to teach these workshops and you can email her for more information and schedules at bucklern@earthlink.net.                                                    

ALL QUOTED MATERIAL was provided by  SQ Wellness system.

As we continue to discover more about ourselves through the practice of yoga we are able to get deeper into the practice itself. Meaning the practice moves from the external to the internal.

When we begin, most of us are so focused on the body, trying to learn or “do” the postures. Once we secure some knowledge and familiarity with the form we have space to integrate other aspects as to what the practice can be for ourselves.

Unblocking, unleashing our true potential bit by bit is a process that requires us to be present in the mind, body and spirit. This is where the true learning begins and, hopefully, evolves until we reach enlightenment if we are so fortunate.                                                      

Setting an intention before you practice yoga helps you keep focus on what you feel is most important at that time. Practicing to bring: healing, understanding, consciousness, love, G-d, peace, light to yourself or others are all beautiful intentions.

Some Masters feel the practice of yoga is insignificant to the intention. Meaning the mind can do the healing without the body. This really hones in on the aspect of how powerful our minds and how without intention yoga is just an exercise. With the power to control your mind you we can do miraculous things.

Channeling your intention to the place you feel connected reveals part of your true nature. If you want to make changes: you take note of where, who and how you are and; then, visualize the intention and practice thinking and behaving in this fashion.

As you continue to set intentions you become more aware and conscious of how the intention of your action follows the course of its unraveling. Setting up your practice or your life through positive, pure intention can have great benefits to the quality of your life.

Whether you practice yoga or not being a positive force in this world has to be created and maintained in the mind. Yoga practice is a vehicle, a space to allow us the time and freedom to express that intention. Making time to slow down the mind, clear the head and listen to your inner self will empower you to become full of light.

It is hard to hide and be in the dark when the light is shining on you.        

Set an intention today and the next day and next day and watch how all these positive intentions link up to fortify your existence in a warm, affirmative way.