by Brianna | Oct 6, 2011 | Affirmations, gratitude, Healing
“It’s as if before you there are countless doorways, all leading to new and different hallways. So you wonder and think, calculate and stress, over whether or not you’ll knock on the “right” one. But what you can’t yet see, Brianna, is that all of the hallways beyond all of the doorways eventually lead to the same great room, in the same great house, with the same great party. So, may as well pick the one you want? Huh?” The Universe I met Mike Dooley, the man behind Notes from The Universe this week. Not to dork out but I was pretty excited to thank him. Mike’s work (his message) has impacted my life in many positive ways and for that I am grateful. Each weekday a personalized note from The Universe arrives (via email) and no matter how busy or rushed I feel, I take that moment and pause to read it. I find that those thirty seconds might gift me with a moment of grace, joy, or even a full mind reset. Past notes have made me experience a gamut of emotions. I have laughed out loud, felt deep gratitude, come to a compassionate understanding, or (like today) been provided with a broader perspective. Sometimes they simply and maybe most importantly just make me feel the love. I have come to expect when I read my morning note, that I am lighter for it. Mike, in all sincerity, I really cannot thank you enough. Oh and by the way it is...
by Brianna | Sep 1, 2011 | chakra yoga, practice, Yoga
Over the many years that I have been teaching I have spent the majority of my time instructing beginners. I love the challenge inherent to teaching people new to the practice but even more than that I love their openness. Beginners have yet to define what Yoga means to them so they are flexible. If I say Yoga is chanting, they are in. If I say Yoga is breathing, they are in. If I say Yoga is stillness, they are in. What has always seemed strange to me is that many students over time become rigid about their practices. They define Yoga for themselves and are no longer open to new ideas or new styles. To be honest that rigidity makes me sad. Yoga is a 5,000 years old tradition and from my experience every time you try to limit it the practice will expand beyond the boundary you set in the sand. This last week I challenged myself as a teacher and taught Chakra Yoga with the bīja (seed) mantras to beginning students. That basically means that for over an hour my students sang while holding postures. It was a huge risk as a teacher and while I am rarely nervous about teaching on Monday I was. Through that agitation I caused myself to grow, after all the only way to expand a comfort zone is to be uncomfortable. As usual my beginning students were my teachers. From the Root Chakra to the Crown, twenty-two students sang with open minds and hearts and I am proud of every one of them for it. To me the myriad of...
by Brianna | Aug 26, 2011 | Breathing, Healing, practice
Years ago I discovered Rumi during a yoga class and he has been a meaningful part of my practice ever since. If you have yet to make your way to Rumi’s writings I recommend that you get yourself a book. If you are anything like me it will be worn by your hands. Today to mark the start of my personal practice, I blindly opened my book and was struck by this beautiful passage: The spiritual path wrecks the body and afterwards restores it to health. It destroys the house to unearth the treasure, and with that treasure builds it better than before. Rumi I remained still for a moment giving his words room to have weight. After a bit, I turned my focus inward and became aware of my breath rolling in and my breath rolling back out. I added movement for a while playing with my edge. Moving and breathing, breathing and moving, I made my way back to...
