Hibernating for Winter

With all of the holiday celebration surrounding us, hibernation seems counter intuitive. Yet the rhythm of nature tells us, with it's cooler weather and shortened days, that this is the time to turn inward. Rather than moving into action, take the time for internal self-care and self-examination. It is fitting that work and school schedules pause and that we take a short break from the momentum that has built since last Summer. Gather energy and data so that when Spring arrives in March, you are able to intelligently plant your seeds in fertile soil.

Nature has a wisdom, and different times are for different actions. Winter is for heartier foods in smaller portions. Winter is for indoor sports or for enduring the challenging elements of the outdoors. It is time to slow down and take stock of where you are on your path, for it is essential in order to map out your course. Holiday time is a marker for what it was like last year. I always like to do an end of the year wrap up, creating a list of my accomplishments, my trials, changes, trips, and anything notable that occurred in this year.

Here are some ideas for slowing down and going inward:

• Cook something hearty, like butternut squash soup, or a stew with all the vegetables in your fridge. Take the time to try out a new Winter recipe to share with family or friends.
• Read a novel. I enjoy going back to the classics. Henry Miller, D.H. Lawrence or Dostoevsky. Choose something rich with description. Perhaps an author you missed along the way.
• Practice yoga at home. There is nothing harder than leaving your home when it's dark or chilly out. Commit to creating an exercise regiment or yoga practice that you can do in your home at least twice a week.
• Get outside. Bundle up and take a walk. Being connected to the elements is another way to get in sync with nature.
• Up level your meditation practice. In the stillness of Winter meditations become deeper. 
• Hot water bottle. Nothing like a warm body, or bottle in your bed. 
• Green Tea. Stimulating and a great anti-oxidant, green tea is my go-to. Try Jasmine Green.
• Catch up on your binge watching! I admit that I am not the best at this. I usually let someone else take the lead, and jump in on their binge watching. Nothing like a little entertainment to help you relax your busy mind.
• Podcasts. Yup. That App on your iPhone has a lot to tell you. I love The Moth and This American Life.

Join me in slowing down, and enjoying it! All will get done. Nothing to accomplish. Nowhere to go, except inward. 

Holiday Gift Wish List

Dear Santa,

Here is my Holiday Wish List: 

Veronica Rose Becoming Clear Ring

BNYXOJM Jennifer Meyer's Apron Dress

Persephenie Jade Camellia Body Balm

Alexis Smart Flower Remedy: My Personal Assistant 

The Life You Were Born To Live by Dan Millman

Yogalosophy: 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind Body Makeover

Angel Cards

Ele Keats Flower of Life ring

A tarot card reading with Nadine Kijner

Sextrology by Starsky and Cox

I AM FREE Affrim Mat

Miraculous Silence by Mitra Rabhar

Unlimited 1 month pass to Moore Dance Studio

OSHO Zen Tarot Deck

Subscription to Mountain Astrologer

Gift Certificate to JUICE SERVED HERE

2 plane tickets to Maui

Yogalosophy DVD

10 Sessions at Foundation Pilates

A copy of the movie AWAKE

Zen Bunni Lost Salt of Atlantis Chocolate Pack

Thank you for your consideration. 

Love, 

Mandy

New Moon Musings

The new moon falls in Sagittarius on Friday December 11th. The energy of Sagittarius is normally expansive and abundant. It is ruled by the planet Jupiter which is larger than life. That explains why this time of year is naturally filled with celebration and even excess. This season, the typically exuberant energy of Sadge is tempered by the planet Saturn ( in the sign of Sagittarius for the next two years.) Saturn is restrictive and brings lessons. It insists upon a thorough job and will not settle for the broad strokes and vision alone. It wants to make things tangible and real. The dreams and visions of the Sadge journey can be concretized this year, however we may need to slow down and map the journey out for now. Jupiter (the ruling planet of Sadge) is in Virgo, humbling the energy even further. It’s time to mind the details. While this may not be the most jovial holiday season of late, it could be a time for growing in true humility and for stabilizing and making real your loftiest dreams. The energy of Sagittarius likes to journey, so a long distance run or taking a bike tour through a distant land are good outlets for the energy. Expansion can mean expansion around the waistline, so be careful not to overindulge….Prayer and any religious ritual of any religion is interesting and favored at this time. Select the God of your understanding and dance under the moonlight in thanks!

YOGALOSOPHY FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

The time has come for feasting, expansion and celebration. Of course, in the midst of all the Holiday cheer, we strive to meet deadlines, entertain our relatives and take stock of what the year has been. Along with this, world affairs pull our attention to the tension. With so much jam packed into a few short weeks, December can cause massive overload. During this time of year, it is essential to take space and make room for you. More than ever, scheduling time just for you is the key. Here are a few yoga cures.

Ways to handle holiday blues: 
• Do energizing poses like bridge, wheel or camel.
• Eat spicy or warming foods. Try cinnamon, curry or chili flakes.
• Dance!

Ways to relax and calm down: 
• Staycation. Unplug from responsibility and take a few days to do all the things you love.
• Cooking. Try a healthy recipe from a magazine like LA Yoga Magazine or GFF.
• Soothing epsom salt bath. Add a few drops of lavender oil to relax your nervous system.

Yogalosophy Gift Ideas!

     

While this has not been my easiest year, its been a great year for self-intimacy and a growing relationship to spirit. I feel incredibly grateful to have all of you in my sphere and I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season.

As we wrap up 2015, let us not forget the great gifts it has brought with it as we move forward into the new year. I can’t wait to share more with you about some upcoming projects in 2016!

Expand Your Perception

It's that time of year. You know what I mean. It's the time of year for expanding waistlines, more parties than you can handle, the ocean of sorrow that we are globally steeped in...it's the time of year when we are reminded of those wishes that never came true, the things we didn't accomplish last year, the deadlines we must meet....yesterday. It's that time when we miss those we have lost EVEN MORE and when we caste our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. It's that time of year when family taunts us, haunts us and gives us gratitude. It's that time of year where the hunger and the sorrow runs even deeper. The time of year for giving... (and forgiving). It's the time of year that magnifies all of the above.

Sound familiar? Feel familiar? It's over load....isn't it? There's so much energy out there, and in here....pulling me in multiple directions. Yet, I am swimming in confusion and the inability to make a move. There are too many to make! I feel like I'm drowning in it all. Still I have hope and feel excitement. But...the details. I must stay on top of the details.

In order to gain perspective, I must expand my perception. I am imagining the inside of my mind where there is a mountain of ideas, thoughts and business. If I climb to the top of it and get some space. Claim my space, and sit. Here. I begin to breathe. I am able to feel and sense my body. My mind begins to turn off. The din in my mind becomes a faint whisper. It begins to sound more like a wind. In and out. In and out. Breathing. Breathing.

My mind becomes more of a canvas. I ask for the wisdom to paint the picture and I start to feel open and see more clearly. In times of intense excitement and stress...perhaps times when we become afraid of what we may not get or of what we may lose...it is important to settle in. I often hear and read that fear and love cannot exist at the same time. What if...the fear is there to strengthen my courage. In fact, there could be no move towards growth unless I had to muster the courage to find peace even amidst the fear.

These are the thoughts I have today. This is the idea the life has painted upon my canvas today. I don't have to force myself to feel the love. I don't have to erase the fear feeling. I can today embrace the the fear. I can love it, knowing that without it, I could not gain in strength and courage. Expansion(contraction), expansion(contraction). Inhale. Exhale. Life. Death. Repeat. Expansion. Expansion. Expansion.

Happy Thanksgiving.

POWER YOGA TO DETOX ROUTINE

Let's begin this week with a routine to support the power of release! This routine will help you to power up and generate heat in your body, while twisting and compressing to actively expel toxins that you must release and let go! 

POWER YOGA TO DETOX ROUTINE

Downward Dog

Knee to Forehead

Twisting Crescent

BEGIN IN A SEPARATE LEG FORWARD FOLD WITH SUPPORTED TWIST

Separate your legs 4-5 feet wide and parallel. Place your palms on the floor, directly below your shoulders. Lift your tailbone up and press your thighs firm, to straighten your legs. Bring you left hand to below your face. Reach your right arm up towards the sky as you rotate your chest open. Keep your hips level. 5 breaths. Switch sides. Then walk your hands to the front of the mat and legs to the back of your mat for DOWNWARD FACING DOG.

DOWNWARD FACING DOG WITH KNEE TO FOREHEAD (x3)

Press your palms down, as if you were going to make imprints of your palms into the mat. Move your pelvis backwards and upward. Squeeze your elbows in towards one another. Press your palms and index fingers into the floor. Press the legs firm and straight. Melt the chest towards the thighs. You should look like an upside down “V.”5 breaths. 

Raise your right leg up behind you. Then shift your weight forward (shoulders over wrists) and draw the knee to the forehead, forehead to the knee. Contract your abdominal muscles. Extend your leg behind you and repeat 8 times.

CRESCENT TO DIAGONAL WITH ARM SWEEPS (x3)

Step your right foot forward in between your hands. Stay on the back toes and raise your torso, arms extending up. Front leg is lunging at a 90 degree angle. The knee is aligned directly over the ankle. Feet hip width distance, not on a single line like a tightrope. Both hips facing the front. The back leg is firm; kneecap is lifted, heel pressing back. Arms extended by the sides of the ears. Palms face each other. Breathe here. 

From this lunge, sweep the arms behind you and reach your torso to a diagonal. Keep pressing the back leg firm. Tuck the chin slightly, and imagine your neck and head as an extension of the spine. Inhale, back to Crescent, arm sweep up. Repeat 8 times.

 TWISTING CRESCENT

From Crescent, bring your left hand to the floor by the inside of your right foot. Reach your right arm up towards the ceiling, as you rotate your chest open. Keep your back leg strong and continue to lengthen out through the crown of your head. 5 breaths. 

JUMPING SWITCH-BACKS (x10)

Release the twist and bring both palms to the floor on either side of your front foot. Get some spring-action in the legs and hips. In one move, jump the right leg back and the left foot forward. Again, switch. Try to move with each breath. Switch the legs 8 times.

COME BACK TO DOWNWARD FACING DOG REPEAT ON SIDE 2

New Moon 11-11

This week's New Moon in Scorpio occurs on 11-11. 11-11 is a portal that we may step through and make a quantum leap into a new reality. When one door closes and another opens and there is not a better sign than Scorpio for transcending one reality and letting go completely in a new one. Scorpio is symbolized by the Phoenix that rises from the ashes. All else may die, but Scorpio somehow regenerates itself and gets reborn. Another symbol is a snake shedding it's skin. The art of letting go is the mark of an evolved Scorpio. Scorpio energy has the power to transform the most base to the most enlightened. From the serpent to the eagle, Scorpio is the alchemist. 

Kundalini energy is Scorpio energy. Death and rebirth is the Scorpio path. Control and Release are its themes. Ultimately, it is the ability to control our own response by choosing the highest path rather than the lowest that brings us to enlightenment. We have a choice. Choose wisely this full moon and watch your world transform. Our thoughts, words and the way we communicate is key, since Mercury is conjunct this Scorpio New Moon. Make a conscious effort to notice these moments of choice in your daily life. Part of the strength we develop in this lifetime comes from the power to observe our thoughts and to select our words and actions consciously. Plant the seeds for cultivating power on this new moon. Seek to bring your shadow to light. Attune your nature to it’s highest good. The highest evolution of the Scorpio energy is the dove. Having been transformed and enlightened the dove represents pure peace.

When planting seeds for the month, creating a ritual can be potent. Try Kundalini yoga or join a fire ceremony. Find places to express pent up desire and safely honor your shadow side. Dress up as your dark side. Explore breath work. Holotropic Breathing (formerly called re-birthing) is a type of breath work that could be transformative. Get your chart done. Try Pole Dancing. Be sexy. Be fierce. Be in control of your actions. Perfect challenging yoga poses: Scorpion, Eagle and Corpse Pose. Most importantly, let go. The feeling of release is actually quite pleasurable. All creation is born out of the emptiness. Be not afraid of the dark, for that is where true power lies.