Lessons learned.
Let's let go.
Let's be free.
xo
sat nam
B
 whether you have some big v-day plans or are planning on staying curled up on the couch, here are 5 ways to celebrate the Day of Love (with a little yoga twist!):
1) Set an Intention of Self-Love and create a day around it: whether its a mani/pedi, staying in bed with a good book or going out for an amazingly decadent meal, treat yourself to something special! whatever it is that makes your heart sparkle with happiness, do it! we can get so caught up in making excuses for not fulfilling our desires or wants, that our self-care can fall outside of our concern. but it's so important to focus on YOU when you can, so that you can show up in the world full of light and energy rather than depleted and running on empty. 2) Hit Up a Hot Yoga Class: dim lights, mood music, getting sweaty and stretchy.... bonus points if it's a partner yoga class! 3) Try Out a New Vegan Recipe: Hit up pinterest for a fun, new recipe to try. Get out the pots and pans, invite some friends over and pop open a bottle of kombucha. 4) Have a Night In Rent some movies (Yoga Unveiled anyone?) make some popcorn and curl up on the couch in your comfiest yoga pants. 5) Give in to your Wanderlust: whether its booking tickets to the actual festival or just jumping in the car and heading to a new part of town- push past your comfort zone with some heartfelt exploring. Ditch the map and take the road less traveled. whatever your V-Day plans are, I hope they bring you love and light! sat nam y'all! xo, b Do you ever have those moments when your fear and anxiety causes you to feel like you're spinning? It feels like your thoughts are caught in a painful loop and you can't quite break free from it. You become stuck on a thought, a concern, a worry.... And nothing else can exist. I used to "spin" quite a bit with those fearful thoughts. One of my most powerful tools in busting out of that loop has been mantra. A mantra can be a word, a sentence, anything that helps bring you immediate peace and stops those swirling thoughts from taking control. It's almost like flicking on a light switch. it's a reset button for your mind. I want to share a powerful one with you- a kundalini mantra that leads right to your heart. It stimulates your heart chakra while helping you break away from an endless loop of fearful thoughts. 
Repeat this mantra when you feel stuck, you're spinning or you just need to let go of some fear. sat nam lovelies! xo, b  I've been thinking a lot about santosha lately. santosha is the yogic practice of contentment.
in a world of hustle and bustle, a place where people are perpetually on the search for the next best thing, is the practice of santosha even reachable anymore? i've been considering this on my mat recently. when i was dealing with hardcore anxiety, i always had those thoughts... when i become less anxious i'll be happy. if i didn't have so much pressure i would be less stressed. if i could just reach this one work milestone or buy that one new thing i'll be completely satisfied. i found little solice in the present and was always focused on the future. that search for satisfaction and happiness was neverending because once i got what i thought i needed, i was already on the lookout for the next best thing, or worse, i still found myself riddled with anxiety. i started thinking about how my practice of santosha was shaken last year. i noticed that i had been falling into that same mindset i had when i was dealing with anxiety - if this than that. if i just get past this one horrible thing, everything will be better. if i can make it through this tough time, things will ease up. i came into 2014 with positive energy and was determined to make it a terrific year and truly release the resentments, mistakes and frustrations from the previous year. than something happened. one little piece of my "perfect" puzzle wriggled out of place. nothing catastrophic, but enough to make me take notice. and i was ok with it. i meditated. i focused on breathing. i let it go and was content with this little hiccup. if this bump in the road happened last year, i think i would've exploded. so what changed? it was then that i realized my mindset had changed. i created the focus on positivity, growth and persistence for 2014 and everything that happened this year was going to happen for me rather than to me. and i viewed this situation from that perspective. i was content with it. i was ok and i trusted the process. the storms bring the sunshine. uphill climbs lead to high peaks. and i realized i had found my practice of santosha again! santosha is being ok with what happens. it's being grounded amidst chaos. it's going with the flow. it's being happy with the present moment. and for me, its trusting the process. everyone practices this differently. some people focus on finding the joy in everything, others work through their feelings of dissatisfaction. i work on trusting the process and accepting the journey. and that's some serious gratitude ;) sat nam! xo, b happy february all! we're officially one month into the new year. i can't believe how fast january flew by! this is a great time to check in with ourselves and see how our intentions and goals are going. it's easy when kicking off a new year with big goals and aspirations to sometimes fall off the wagon, but what's crucial to remember is that slipping up might happen. we skip yoga class in favor of a netflix binge. we have one too many glasses of wine with dinner. we indulge in a sweet treat. we fall back into old, comfortable patterns. today i'm going to share a Tapping practice for when this happens- EFT to bust through those old habits! it's going to help you when you have a slip up because it's going to kick those stories we tell ourselves to the curb! you know the stories- they hold us back. they justify our actions. they convince us that maybe we can't really change. and they shape our perceptions. when our stories tell us that we "can't" succeed, we believe them. when our stories make us feel weak, we start to think that maybe we can't reach our goals. we're going to ditch those stories with this EFT practice! Start in a comfortable seated position and reflect on your tapping points 
start with tapping the KARATE CHOP POINT on the edge of your hand with the set up statement: even though i have this story, i know it's not truly who i am and i can create a more empowering story for myself (tap on this point while repeating this statement 3x)
TAP POINT BETWEEN YOUR EYEBROWS: i am commited to letting go of this story TAP POINT OUTSIDE OF EYE: this negative mindset doesn't serve me and i have no use for it TAP POINT UNDER EYE: i will not let old patterns and habits hold me back from living up to my full potential TAP POINT UNDER NOSE: i recognize that this story is not me, it's something i've created and cling to in order to justify behaviors that aren't empowering me TAP POINT ON CHIN: i'm finally ready to let this story go TAP COLLARBONE POINT: slip ups will happen and mistakes will be made, but they don't define me TAP POINT UNDER YOUR ARM: i'm going to recognize when these stories pop up and create more empowering thoughts TAP TOP OF HEAD POINT: i release these stories, these habits and these old patterns in favor of living my life with purpose and power practice this technique when you feel stuck and held back! xo sat nam, bonnie |
AuthorI'm a formerly anxious chick that found my zen on the mat. I used yoga, pranayama and yogic philosophies to alleviate my debilitating anxiety and get my life back on track. Now, I spend my time teaching yoga, coaching others and helping people find a more peaceful path in life. Archives
August 2016
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
