Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Soul Is Here for It's Own Joy

I love this poem by Antonio Machado I found in Robert Bly's fabulous book of sacred poems, The Soul Is Here for It's Own Joy. This poem reminds me of having moment of true realizations in shavasana, meditation, and yoga nidra. Hope you enjoy.

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt--marvelous error!--
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt--marvelous error!--
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt--marvelous error!--
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.


Looking for good

Looking for good...a shift in perspective.

A few recent blogs I wrote have been about looking for the good in various situations. It has been about 2 years since I started studying Anusara and this non dual philosophy which looks for the good in life. This was challenging for me and my ability to do it has come in stages.

At first just my awareness shifted. I became aware of how much myself and others complain. After noticing the negative attitude I would try to look for the good. Then i just had a few good things about my life that i rotated through like how awesome my husband is. But it was challenging and didn't feel very sincere.

With time looking for the good became easier and I got better at finding it in bad situations rather then just reminding myself of an aspect of my life that is already good. I also started to notice that this change of perspective makes me experience a feeling of joy in my body and mind.

Now my mind feels like a babbling brook that continues to look for the good. I often think my friends get annoyed of my because now when they come to me to vent about their problems I am just reminding them of all the good in the apparent shitty situation.

It is nice to see that through yoga teaching my brain is changing. It is much nicer living with a happy voice in my head versus a voice that is negative, judgmental, and self criticism.

Exercise:
Close your eyes and allow your body to settle. Notice your breath and feel the energy sensation around the heart (or even the beating f the heart). Now think of something good that is happening in your life. Try not to get caught up in the story line or specifics but instead focus on emotional quality it brings to your heart.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Happy Pioneer Day in Utah

We celebrated Pioneer Day, when the Mormon's settled in Utah, today. I wanted to integrate this into my class for tomorrow. On fourth of July I did a theme on fireworks so I thought this state celebration I thought I would focus on defintion of pioneer:

   

pi·o·neer
<><> <><>
noun /ˌpīəˈnir/ 
pioneers, plural



  1. A person who is among the first to explore or settle a new area. Tomorrow we will be exploring and opening the shoulders/heart and hips.
  2. A person who is among the first to research and develop a new area of knowledge or activity

    • - LETS PIONEER THE LANDSCAPES OF OUR HEART

verb /ˌpīəˈnir/ 
pioneered, past participle; pioneered, past tense; pioneering, present participle; pioneers, 3rd person singular present
  1. Develop or be the first to use or apply (a new method, area of knowledge, or activity)
    - USING ALIGNMENT PRINCIPLES WE WILL BE PIONEERING INTO A FEELING OF BLISS.
  2. Open up (a road or terrain) as a pioneer



I want the students to feel like they really explored and settled into there hearts and shoulders. We will be playing intelligently into some poses with one leg abducted and externally rotated. Poses like utthita padangusthasana B, supta padangusthasana B on your side padangusthasana B, vashistasna, galavasana prep work, leading to the peak pose of vashistasna (side plank) with leg extended. I want to focus bravely exploring and entering new territory in the hips and shoulders. I will be emphasising muscular energy, shoulder loop and ssome kull loop. I want the students to be pioners and experience what it is like to open the heart in by using your muscles to draw the shoulders blades toward the back of the heart. Pioneering is also about taking a different approach, so we will work on this approach of accessing or settling into the back of the heart so we can victoriously open the front of our hear

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Updated bio

Here is an updated bio I made for Avenues Yoga in Salt Lake City Utah: http://www.avenuesyoga.com/

Kim’s intention is to help others recognize their own greatness on and off the mat. Yoga is a process of inner exploration, in which we learn to integrate heart, mind and body to experience our natural state of awareness and love.

Kim Achelis Hoggan a student of yoga from the age 16 is also a Registered Yoga Instructor through Yoga Alliance with over 500 hours of teaching experience. Kim has seen firsthand that the practice of yoga offers a way to move through the pulsation of life with grace. Yoga has helped Kim heal her injured body, calm her mind and help overcome addiction, as well as open her heart so she can better love herself and others. Kim’s classes offer clear instruction on alignment, yogic wisdom, a heart based theme, and a sense of adventure. With her vast understanding of anatomy and kinesiology she helps her students find a therapeutic experience in every pose. Often we need to work on getting the body to a place where it is in less pain so we can travel more deeply into the heart.  

When Kim isn’t teaching or practicing yoga you will probably find her working in the garden or on an adventure with her husband and dog.  Her heart is full of gratitude for her teachers and students.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Take Care of Yourself Like a Nice Car

 Lately my 2006 Subaru outback has been having some problems and it hit me. If you asked someone if they get maintenance on their car, most likely they will respond with a "heck yes" and even an eye roll. Everyone know how important it is to get your car worked on so that it stays running smoothly. Unfortunately people don't hold this same view for themselves and their body. If we are to compare the body to the car, we only get one body and we want it to run smooth and be happy for a long time so we need to get regular work on ourself so things dont burn out, over heat, mutate. A good way to work on ourself I have found is through the practice of yoga, meditaiton, massage, chiropractor, acupuncture...

I took my 2006 Subaru Outback into the dealership today and just got the call for the estimate $3,000. Gasp. I hate to admit it but truthfully I have been slacking on the maintenance for my car. I am lucky it is my car and I can pay some money to get it fixed, or worse case I would sell it. That is not the same situation with our body, we cant get a new one.

(me sweet car)
It makes me happy when I pause and remember how awesome life is and that I should take good care of myself and treat with LOVE.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Mystic

Mystic: mys-tic [mistik]noun
a person who seeks contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Diety or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect.
- Oxford American Dictionary

Saturday, July 16, 2011

meditation

My meditation practice has transformed tremendously since I started meditating with my teacher Clinton Brock who introduced me to a way of mediating that doesn't use any technique. I had been meditating for over five years but my meditation practice has always been technique based whether it be a mantra, a breathing technique, or a visualization... and definitely before I met Clinton my meditation posture was very upright and "proper". Now when I sit to meditate I sit as comfortable as possible and my back is rarely straight. Sometimes I sit in my couch and put a pillow behind my head so my head doesn't bop around, other times I tip my head forwd slightly. I still do practice technique based meditations and I often perform these in a upright position. Since meeting Clinton I have been trying to meditate in this technique free way for a minimum of 20 mins 2 times a day. Wow the momentum it has created in my life has been intense. I feel like all the technique meditations probably got me ready to go deep into this meditation but I also feel like at some point you have to let go of the technique so can enter in even more deeply.

I have a private appointment with Clinton in a few hours and I am very excited to talk and giggle with him.

I also recently gifted myself with Sally Kemptons beautifully written book Meditation for the Love of it. Sally and Clinton at the base of what they are teaching is so identical and it is really wonderful to be hearing it in both of their words because they are saying the same thing in different ways which I think is helping me grasp it even deeper.

So much gratitude for all the rocking teachers out there spreading the knowledge + love

(I wrote this blog after really surrendering to CLintons meditaiton style:
http://authenticselfyoga.blogspot.com/2011/03/go-with-flow.html)

Sunday, July 10, 2011

"What Makes Your Heart Sing" a playshop with Tiffany Wood

My heart feels so full of joy after taking Tiffany Wood's "What Makes Your Heart Sing Playshop" at The Yoga Center. This is the first of a series of 5 or 6 workshops she will be offering at The Yoga Center each workshop focuses on each universal alignment principles.

Yesterday we dove into the first principle: set your foundation and open to grace. I absolutely loved Tiff's approach to help each student really feel 1st principle in his or her body and heart. She helped us create our own joy and humility, she helped us dive into the things that make us happy to see at the core what brings us joy is our underlying oneness we share that pulsates with joy.

She is such a skilled teacher of weaving a theme. The whole class she encouraged us to think of what makes our heart sing. Things that I thought of where: my husband, my dog, family, the garden, yoga, sunlight, love, smiles, hugs, snowflakes, biking, relationships to name a few.

Half way into the workshop Tiffany also offered a dialogue meditation partner work (I guess you could call it). We partnered up and asked the question. "What makes your heart sing" the partner responds "_________ makes my heart sing." the listener then says "Thank you. Why is that important to you". ".........." this is 1 level down, keep going down and you will get to this sweet soft place of connection and love.

Here is my dialogue with my partner Jenny

Jenny: "what makes your heart sing?"
me: "The relationship I have with myself"

Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "Because it has improved so much and that is a really good thing"

Jenny" "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "Because it sucks being at war with yourself. Now I feel like I am on the same team with myself and that feels fabulous"

Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "Because when I am in good relationship with my self I feel this deep connection to my heart."

Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "when I feel love and softness for myself my relationship with the whole universe feels more full"
Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "because it reminds me how silly it is to get wrapped up in my own drama, get to tied up in the mind. When I treat me with love I remember that life really is a pulsating ball of bliss there will be challenges in life but when I am in a good relationship with myself my ability to align and recognize the goodness in life becomes much easier"

This conversation was scary but fabulous to have as the words came out of my mouth in not the best sentences but levels and levels down I found a place to rest in my heart.


(Just got home from a mountain bike ride with the family. Both my my dog Dharma and my husband Tyler made my heart sing)

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Transplanting

I am really enjoying my job. I get to be outside in the garden where I care for and am grounded by the earth.

The other morning I was reading out of my Language of Letting Go book by Melody Beattie and I found a passage I really enjoyed and wanted to share:
"One day, my mother and I were working together in the garden. We were transplanting some plants for the third time. Grown from seed in a small container, the plants had been transferred to a larger container; then transplanted into the garden. Now, because I was moving, we were transplanting them again.
Inexperienced as a gardener, I turned to my green-thumbed mother. “Isn’t this bad for them?” I asked, as we dug them up and shook the dirt from their roots. “Won’t it hurt these plants, being uprooted and transplanted so many times?”
“Oh, no,” my mother replied. “Transplanting doesn’t hurt them. In fact, it’s good for the ones that survive. That’s how their roots grow strong. Their roots will grow deep, and they’ll make strong plants.”


 
I love this. I often think that big changes in my life make me weaker. If I am not aware my attitude can shift into a place of defence "I need to have my gard up". That attitude does not bring me much job instead it constricts me. However Beattie reminds me that changes are OPPURTINITIES to make us stronge. This feeliong makes me expand. 

Change is the only constant = we constintly have oppurtiniteis

Friday, July 8, 2011

Catch up

Life is so great. Pause for a moment and feel your heart with gratitude.
 
Life is also busy...more coming soon

quick summary of some blogs I have been wanting to write but haven't had time:
  • Tuesdays yoga class, awesome. felt very confident. was very creative in sequencing to help students feet there chest expand...lots of broadening of the collar bones referenced forth of July and the fireworks. Fireworks expand during celebrations. We practiced celebrating our self for who we are, just as we are.
  • Feel like I am becoming a stronger person on so many levels: a yoga teacher, yoga student, gardener, wife...this is the result of really taking care of myself, ultimately I think the relationship I have with myself has gotten stronger+compassionate and as a result everything is better.
  • Had a great fourth of July went on an awesome mountain bike ride with my husband and dog.
  • Fun fact I learned in the garden about transplanting plants that remind me the struggles make us so much stronger.

Intention and Testimonials

Testimonials & My Intention

My Intention It is my intention as a yoga teacher to help you bring more health and vibrancy to your body, ease and alertness to your mind...