by Brianna | Jan 10, 2014 | Healing, practice, Reiki, restorative yoga, Uncategorized, Yoga
An age ago a very wise friend gifted me with the book Relax and Renew by Judith Lasater. Since then Restorative Yoga has been a regular part of my varied yoga practices and particularly useful when I am feeling overwhelmed by stress or exhaustion. I find that I am drawn to this style of Yoga in the winter months – it feels right on a cold and blustery days to indulge in a form a practice that requires a heap of blankets. Out beyond the idea of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field, I will meet you there. ~ the ever dreamy Rumi Here are some things I love about Restorative Yoga: In a pinch you can practice one Restorative pose for 5 to 10 minutes and shift your mood. Wrapped in blankets, supported by props, breathing deep. No technology, just you, your breath, and the practice. It is effective, quieting, nurturing, and simple. The Restorative Yoga practice I offer at Quiet Winds, like all of my offerings, is a layering of healing arts. My intention behind this methodology is to create a deeply relaxing experience where my students have the opportunity to rest and restore themselves. As a teacher I am often shocked by the level of stress that my students bear on a regular basis both personally and professionally – I love to help my students unwind from their world and become deeply...
by Brianna | Aug 20, 2013 | Craignair Inn, Reiki, Travel, Uncategorized, Yoga, Yoga Retreat
The Healing House is such a remarkable place for practice. I so hope that you can join my parents and I for three days of contemplation, renewal and healing. All practices at the Healing House will be held with this beautiful view in sight. Healing House Retreat Schedule Friday Evening (November 8, 2013): Meet and Greet / Agreements | 8:30 pm Fire and candlelight practice | 9:00pm – 10:00pm Saturday (November 9, 2013): Singing in the Sunrise |6:00am Morning Practice| 7:00am – 9:00am Tea at the Healing House | 9am – 9:30am Inn Breakfast/ Private Time | 10:00am – 3:00pm Afternoon Practice | 3:00pm – 5:00pm Selfless service |5:30pm – 6:00pm Healing House Dinner | 6:00pm Fire and candlelight practice| 8:00pm – 9:00pm Sunday Morning (November 10, 2013): Meditation Walk | 6:00am Singing in the Sunrise| 6:30am – 7:00am Morning Practice | 7am – 9am Tea at the Healing House | 9am – 9:30am Inn Breakfast/check out | 10am – 12pm Accommodations: Craignair Inn by the sea (originally owned by my beloved Godmother) is located less then a mile from the Healing House. Each room at the Inn is unique and therefore the pricing for the three-day retreat ranges from: $405 – $505 (Single Occupancy) The fee includes the following: 2 nights accommodations All practices and classes Breakfast Saturday and Sunday Dinner Saturday night Taxes Please contact Craignair Inn to reserve your space! Payment and Cancellation Policy: A deposit of $300 is required to reserve your space. The balance of your room is due at check-in. Your deposit is refundable if the cancellation is made 14 days (October...
by Brianna | Jul 30, 2013 | Healing, practice, Reading, Reading Yoga Betterment, Uncategorized
I have always been a reader. Besides cooking, dancing and playing any sport that involved a ball – it was what I liked to do best when I was younger. My brother when we were little would say: “Bri doesn’t read. She eats books.” A weird little thing about me is that if you lend me a book and you get it back in the same condition then the truth is I didn’t read it. At least I didn’t read your actual copy. My books are used up when I am finished with them – they are like velveteen rabbits with bits worn off. I learned a while back, when I returned books to nasty looks, never to actually read someone’s book. I find that people get annoyed when their cover is peeled back and the binding is broken. I still read a lot – my typical average is one to two books a week. I love fiction but I LOVE reading more and my books span a variety of topics. This summer some really remarkable works have come into my life. Books that I know I will turn to again and again with time. Greg Bradden, Divine Matrix Brené Brown, Daring Greatly Brené Brown, Men, Women and Worthiness Gary Chapman, The 5 Love Languages Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap Each of these works pushed me in some way. Some provided a valuable insight into an issue one of my clients or myself was facing. Several of them blew my mind wide open and have literally rocked my beliefs. Within each of these works though is a very simple...
by Brianna | Jan 2, 2012 | Uncategorized
Yesterday I was washing dishes while starring out my window when the most beautiful rainbow appeared. At first I stared in awe and then I ran from window to window trying to see the full arc. Its beauty compelled me outside and while I expected it to be fleeting it was present long enough for me to drag my dog around pointing it out to strangers. I am sure they thought I was utterly crazy but it was important. A rainbow is always special but a rainbow mid-day on New Year’s seemed particularly magic. If I had been outdoors alone I would have danced around and sang a song. If I had been in charge of a group of students we definitely would have had a full blown kumbayah moment. But since I was on a street with strangers I resigned myself to being polite and asking them to please “look up.” Years ago when I was studying art history I became fascinated with Native American pottery. Many of my professors were also curators at the MFA in Boston and I was lucky enough to hold many objects during my program. Truth be told when I handled the ancient pieces I felt like they were singing to me. When I graduated I moved to New Mexico and fell madly in love with the desert and its peoples. Yesterday, when I stood at the window staring at the colored bow crossing the heavens I whispered the prophecy of the Rainbow Warriors and sent a kiss to the sky. “….there shall arise a new tribe of all colors and all creeds. ...
by Brianna | Mar 8, 2011 | Uncategorized
I know through my own personal journey that we are all connected. That the energy of each of us reaches out and connects to the rest. No matter how hippie dippy it may sound, I believe that we are all one. Recently, scientists have been studying a subset of neurons known as mirror neurons. These neurons show that we do experience in our minds what is happening to those around us. Turns out, we are programmed for compassion: ...
by Brianna | Feb 11, 2011 | Breathing, Change, Chanting, meditation, Uncategorized
Learning to draw our mind to focus is a powerful tool both on and off the mat. But just like every other part of yoga, meditation, is a practice and imperfection is inherently implied. When we have spent years multitasking and treating life like it is a sprint, is it really any wonder that focusing is a challenge? I know when I first started meditating I thought it meant emptying. Achieving a space of no thought, no awareness – a completely altered state of being. But as humans we are thinking machines, many of you like me have monkey minds that are constantly whirring; no matter how much I tried to just “let go” thought was somehow always there. Over years of practice and many good teachers I finally accepted that meditation is not the absence of thought. Meditation is focused thought without attachment. Very nice right, but now: “what on earth does that mean?” Simply put, meditation is an exercise in focus where what you are focusing on is arbitrary. That is why the breath is such a powerful meditative tool – it is completely unconscious yet it can be made into a conscious act. When the breath is used, you can focus on it but if you stop focusing nothing will happen. It will continue to roll. You will continue to live and all will be well. It then becomes your responsibility to remember that it is the nature of the mind to wander. It is the practice to draw it back to your breath. I think it is also important to realize that meditation, while it...
