A Fun Yoga Play Day
Teaching Yoga in Grenada
Wow what a busy week we had so far and it gets better and better by the day. Today we had our “Girls nurture Girls” Yoga Fun Play Day. I was so looking forward to this day. Nine beautiful woman were ready to soak in some fun, laughter and creativity. We all got picked up by Ilona and dinghied over to the Tikkibar dock. From there we walked up to Sharon’s house that had kindly opened up her home to us. It was a stunning house on top of the Mount Hartman overlooking Prickly Bay and Secret Harbor. The house included an indoor garden and a little lookout on top of the roof, absolutely cool. We all had brought some lunch to share, that we stored in the fridge until lunch. Once we had settled down and warmed up to each other, we lay down in Shavasana to indulge to a yoga session. The space was brilliant and the class was bliss….what an experience…..what a beautiful memory to take with me. After the yoga session we all agreed to stay in silence to paint our little rocks that Nola and Sharon had collected on Flamingo Beach a week before. Sharon even went through the trouble of making some hearts out of salt dough, which we all painted. We all enjoyed the time sitting in silence painting our little stones and hearts. We all discovered a creative side inside us and it reminded us of how beautiful it is to open up our heart to painting and creativity. We took a break from being silent for lunch, and as you could have probably guessed we continued to chat to a great length after lunch while we painted. The salt dough hearts were given to me at the end of the day, as a thank you gift for all the yoga classes that I have given on the beach over the last 6 weeks. The hearts were beautifully painted with a little rolled up note inside them and lined up on a little piece of string. What a wonderful gift…thank you my beautiful friends I was absolutely stunned by this gift and had to hold back my tears. You have given me equally as much joy as I have hopefully given you during our Yoga classes on the beach of Grenada. Teaching and sharing my passion with you under the Banyan tree has been the greatest gift I could have received. After we finished our painting, we sat around the living space and chatted about this and that. We filled out a questionnaire to discover what body type we are in the philosophy of Ayurveda. Just before it was getting dark, we actually remembered that there is something else out there to go back to. It was hard to leave the circle of friends that we have become that day; however we know that we will carry those friendships and this day deep in our heart for the rest of our lives. Thank you everyone for being there, you made it all very special!
Teaching Yoga in Grenada
Beginning of September I could no longer resist and I started teaching Yoga in Grenada. I started with a couple of friends on the beach of the Calabash Resort. On the first morning the owner came up to me and gave me his OK; he liked Yoga very much and believed it was a great way to keep in shape and invited us to keep going. From that day on the classes grew stronger and more beautiful by the day. Unfortunately they renovated the place and some mornings were very noisy. We had two options, to either start earlier, which was not really an option for most and the second one was to move somewhere else. Thats what we did and what a nice place we moved to. Now we are doing Yoga in a garden on the beach, under a huge strong beautiful Banyan tree. The tree very much reminds me of the tree in Avatar, the connection of mother Earth. We meet three times a week, as I am still a strong believer to get the most benefit out of Yoga you do have to do it regular. Best would be every day, but three times a week is a good compromise for my fellow cruisers. Once again I feel balanced and at peace teaching yoga and be surrounded by likeminded people.
It is always a great way to start the day.
I have fallen in love with Grenada, and each day I cannot believe how lucky I am to be here. Not only am I able to teach and share my passion, but I also get plenty of input from other teachers. Amy and I have been talking about the "Yoga of Heart" philosophy, which has confirmed to me that I am on the right track with my teaching style. The other treat that I indulge in is my weekly visit to the Laluna Yoga and Spa Resort at Mourne Rouge Beach. Here I came across Yin Yoga which is a total different style to what I am teaching, but I find it interesting and like to explore it on a Sunday morning. I have taken a few interesting and new things home with me and looking forward to explore the effects on the Meridian system; and I most likely and happily will share my newly gained knowledge with others and my class.
Finding my best friend and teacher
Once I had completed my second round of the yoga Teacher Trainings course, I knew that life would never be the same again. After a few dramatic changes and alteration in my life I started to embrace my new path. Living in the present moment and becoming aware of my habits and patterns helped me to move along and to change certain habits in my relationship with life, my partner, my children and myself.
A year later a decision to sell everything and to go sailing with the whole family was going to be my trial to fully immerse into the philosophy and path of Yoga. We had created a paradise around us; we had everything from a beautiful house to cars and whatever else one accumulates in this society. However it did not work for us in this moment and especially I wanted to simplify my life. To make a decision and then going through with it, are worlds apart. I remember the moment we had sold everything and I was getting this little voice saying in my head, well you proven that you can do it, why bother taking the actual step now. Practicing no attachment was a lesson to become aware of. We sold everything we owned apart from a few clothes and personal things we still felt we needed, yoga mats, books, a few toys for the children and tools for the boat made it also onto the Sailing Yacht. It was an interesting experience to put a price on things, to exchange the money, what grief business and money between friends can create, to see a person walk out of the door with your favorite sculpture or picture and then to feel how meaningless everything is; it was just staff hanging around. However I had to remember to breathe in deep and slow throughout the whole process, the humming breath came in handy to relax my nerves and to strengthen my mind. Breaking free from old energies that were trying to stop me from going on this adventure was hard and I felt like a warrior, I had to gather my strength from within and the deeper I breathed into this experience the more I relaxed while practicing being me. Despite the fact that I had listen to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and practice Yoga on a regular basis; the day we had to leave New Zealand arrived very fast and although I was ready to go I felt my mind taking me for a roller coaster ride. As I was saying goodbye I inhaled deep and with my exhalation I walked on that plane that would take me across the ocean to a simple life on a boat with my family, it felt like moving into isolation to enjoy life, to embrace love and to let peace sink in deep down into every cell of my body. From now on I was on my own! The freedom I felt on the day walking along Florida’s beaches I have never felt in my whole life. No mortgage to pay, no house to maintain, no garden to attend to; no obligation to anything else but my family and myself. I found a comfy spot on the boat to do my daily practice and apart from balancing postures I could nearly do any posture I felt like. Waves would crash and throw me off balance, but eventual I learned to move through my yoga practice, not by fighting the movement of the boat, but by being in tune with the boat and the ocean and I embraced deeply to move through life like the boat on the ocean…..with ease and grace. I remember when we were anchored right in the middle of the yellow banks in the Bahamas nothing else but water around me and it was so still that morning that I was able to include a tree pose in the practice …..I had landed in such tranquil balanced space in was just unreal.
I landed with my Yoga mats under my arms in the Dominican Republic and started teaching in the middle of the center of Luperon. I was joined by a bright shining light with the name Teresa and a few locals. Teresa was a Yoga Teacher from the States and later on Shanti another yoga teacher from Florida joined the group. Together we had lots of fun bringing Yoga to the Dominican Republic and we indulged in a six week Raja Yoga course led by Shanti under the guidance of her Guru; Dr. Ranmurti Mishra.
I could not believe it, here I was in the middle of the Caribbean surrounded by like minded energies and being in my element. Thank you universe! By the end of November we already had been living on our yacht for a year and never in my life have I felt so content, like I felt right now…I am so grateful for this experience and will carry this time in my heart forever. By now I had settled comfortable into the life on our Sailing Yacht “JUCA” named after our two beautiful children; Julia and Carlos. I had learned to be my own teacher and best friend. My next challenge I took in Norman Island, British Virgin Island. I wanted to do 40 Days of chanting as I had just read about it in Thomas Ashley-Farrand book “Shakti Mantras” . I walked up the Hill of Norman Island to do my practice on top of this little Island overlooking the ocean with a 180 degree view. I had found the perfect spot for my 40 Day chanting practice. Everything went really well until I hit day 21…...I could not see the point of doing this stupid practice any longer, but once again I allowed myself to inhale deep and exhale slow and with plenty of Sun Salutation rounds I moved that energy and from that day on I could not imagine not having Yoga in my life anymore. I was part of Yoga and Yoga was part of me. I felt like peace and harmony….I was peace and harmony.
My next teaching stop was the British Virgin Islands, and the Island we made home for four month was Trellis Bay in Tortola. We meet beautiful people and make them to our friends and the yoga classes on the beach are bliss! The beach was lined with Palm trees and we listened to the sound of the crystal clear water lapping onto the beach during relaxation! My mind is clear and the energy around me is pure, during that time I attracted lots of nurturing energies that allowed me to grow in my teaching.
While sailing down the Windward Island in the Caribbean I relaxed within my rules, but was still determined and disciplined. I released what was no longer of service to me and made space for more peace and contentment. I emptied and expanded my mind at the same time and I became more aware of what I needed to nurture my inner essence. I came across this beautiful saying which was written by Sri Ramakrishna “The winds of grace are always blowing; one must raise his sail in order to feel their effects.” Thank you Shantimurti for sharing this, I liked it very much that I wanted to share it as well. I felt that it did summon up how I have felt during my last two years of sailing through the Caribbean with my family. At the moment we are anchored in Grenada . I offer Yoga classes three times a week to Yachties and locals to make sure they get the maximum benefit of Yoga while we are all anchored in Prickley Bay, Grenada for Hurricane Season. I cannot believe how beautiful Grenada and its people are and how blessed I am and have been to be able to offer my service to the Caribbean; and you should see the beaches! We have made a big decision for our next stepping stone; we are selling our beautiful Yacht to move back home to New Zealand. I have created my next sankalpa (something that I would like to change for or about myself) for my Yoga Nidra practice. I let the sankalpa sink deep into my mind ……. I plant it like a seed…..and lets see what it brings around next time. On this journey I have found my teacher and my best friend…..MYSELF!
Yoga with the familyWe went for long walk today and afterwards we needed to reset our batteries and balance our energies. What better way there is to do that with a couple of yoga postures. I am always amazed how enjoyable it is to watch my children to move into the postures and to be one with them. I am also very inspired by their inner knowing and ask them what kind of posture they would like to do!
Yoga for Kids is a fun way for children to develop important skills in a fun, non competitive environment, children will learn to stretch, breathe deeply, relax and concentrate.Yoga in St. Lucia
I found a beautiful spot on Pigeon Island to do Yoga in the early morning hours....no one around and only the sound of the water and the birds keeping me company
Sun Salutation
Sun Salutation or in to the Indian Sanskrit language it is called Surya Namaskara. Sun Salutation is a flow of 12 postures that aligns my spine, increases my awareness and brings my mind and body back into balance. I started slowly with just three rounds in the morning; my concept is to be consistent. I do it every day and have slowly increased my round by now to 12 to 15 rounds daily. Why am I doing this? I have been reading the book “Surya Namaskara” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and it has inspired me to deepen my knowledge from within. During the last few months I have been observing the sensation of moving in and out of the postures, I have been feeling the benefits of a daily routine of Sun Salutation and enjoying the connection of my body, breathing and mind as well as the increase of an overall awareness. I am simply in love with my rounds of Sun Salutation.
First I spread my toes and get the connection of the ground (mother earth or the ocean), then I start to shift my weight evenly onto both feet, I tuck my tailbone in and relax my shoulders. I hold my palms together and the thumbs are touching the middle of the chest I connect with my heart (Chakra). I align my whole body standing, I tilt my pelvis to avoid any pressure on my back, I visualize my spine and I feel the shoulders aligned with my heels, I tilt my head slightly forward and align my ears with my shoulders….it feels good.
I close my eyes and visualize myself standing on the beach early in the morning. The sun hasn’t risen yet and everything is calm and peaceful….I enjoy this moment and this time of the day. I can feel the sand underneath my feet, I listen to the sound of the ocean and the water rolling softly onto the shore, I feel good and I feel subtle. I ground myself……. the Sun Salutation reminds me of the flow of life; like the clouds moving through the sky; the water running through the river ….I breath in deep and breath out slow ….I do this with ease and grace. The day is just about to begin and the horizon is starting to vibrate in a beautiful red, I surround myself in this deep red…..the red changes into a bright orange …….I embrace the colour orange…….and then the sun appears out of the ocean, I can feel the warm yellow sunshine all over my skin and body and I breath in the energy of the sun…..it feels good I feel ready to start the day with a few rounds of Sun Salutation.
I raise my arms to greet the Sun… I breath in and out of this position…..I am aware ……I bend forward and touch the ground, to connect with mother earth or the ocean…I stay in this position and observe any sensation within my body and mind………I start to breath in and bring my left foot backwards to the end of the mat and sink into my hips, draw my shoulders back and open my whole front body……from here I move into the mountain….I breath out and stay in this position for a moment to become aware of the mountain. I feel my palms on the ground, I draw my shoulders back and bring my hips towards the sky and push my heels down towards the ground…..an inward pose a strong stretch…I do not judge, I do not analyze I am in the present moment while breathing in and out in that position……I come into the plank and hold it for a moment….I feel into my navel, my energy center…..I breath in and out into that area….I feel strong and I feel energetic…….I let my body float to the ground and breath into the cobra…..my arms are close to the body, I activate my lower back muscle, I drop my shoulders while drawing the shoulder blades back …..again I feel the sensation within my body and mind…..the cobra is a backward bend and is very good position to clear obstacle in your life……from here I lift my hips towards the sky and move back into the mountain…..I stay here again for a moment and enjoy this pose while breathing in and out……..I bring my right foot forward, between my hands and once again sink into my hips, draw my shoulders back and open my whole front part of the body… …….while breathing out I bring my left foot forward and stay in the forward bend…I relax my whole body and especially my head…it feels good. I start to inhale and slowly unroll my spine as I am coming into an upright position…I leave my chin on the chest as long I can and then I start to raise my hands up towards the sky….sometimes I move into a slight backbend stretching my whole front body once more….I breath out and bring the palms of my hands back in front of my chest……this was one half round and I move straight into the next round …. after round three I can feel clearly the alignment of my body and mind settling in and I know that I will embrace into a few more rounds. I start playing with the postures as I flow through them….. in some rounds I move slow, through some rounds I move energetic…..some rounds are done with breath awareness or chanting; in some rounds I move into the child pose after I have been in the cobra, or extend from the Equestrian Pose ( Ashwa Sanchalanasana) into the Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose) I am aware of how I feel and listen to what my body and minds need in that particular moment…it changes each time, sometimes each round…….but this is the beauty of the Sun Salutation…..its adaptable and it is flexible; it’s my tool to feel good and to align, expand and experience my body, mind and soul. I use this tool each day to rejuvenate, relax and restore……Shoulder Opening
Start sitting in a kneeling position (Vajrasana); close your eyes and breathe for a moment in and out …..feel yourself relax…….deep inhalation…….long exhalation…….align your whole body….bring into your mind that you are here to connect your breathing, your body and your mind! Remember to breathe into one position and the move into the next position with your exhalation, or breathe in and out in one position, become aware of the sensation, what it feels like)
1. Shoulder rotation (3x into one direction and 3x into the other direction, if you have time do it 5x)
2. Head Rotation ( do it slow and with awareness, 3 times into one direction and 3 times into the other direction )
a. Move your head over to the left shoulder and then to the right shoulder for a couple of times.
3. Circle of light
a. Interlace your fingers into each other and place them into your lap, breath in and raise your hands to your chest …..relax your shoulders……breathe out and stretch your hands to the front, palms turning towards the outside……breathe in and raise your hands above your head….relax your shoulders…..breath out and bring your arms and hands to the middle of your back, interlace your fingers…..breathe in and raise your arms, opening your chest…hold it there for a moment longer than usual (count mentally in your head to three)… become aware of the stretch and the opening and then breath out as you bring your arms close to your back again……breathe in as you raise your arms once more above your head, relax your shoulders and then bring your palms together and lower your hands in front of your chest……. become aware of your heart chakra, before bringing your hands back into your lap ready for the next round …..(or lower your arms to the side and bring your hands back into your lap ready for the next round)…….do this round 3x or listen to your body and mind if you might need a couple of more rounds. 4. Sit in Vajrasana for a moment and feel the space that you have created in your shoulders and upper back….feel it, know it or visualize the space….it feels good, your shoulders and upper back are loosened up.
5. Come into the child pose; your legs are folded over your upper legs and the buttocks are touching your heels, and your forehead is rested on the floor (if you have difficulty doing this, then put a hand underneath relax your arms and shoulders and breath in and out of this position your forehead or rest your forehead on your fists) make sure that you can totally relax into the child pose……breath in deep and exhale out long….child pose is a relaxing posture, feel it as you sink into the position.
6. Now move into the extended child pose; arms stretched out to the front and move into the rolling cat….breath in and arch up…chin to the chest…… navel to the spine……breath out and lower your back, drop your navel down to the floor …..draw your shoulders back…..breathe in deep as you arch up again and as you exhale you roll back over your heels back into the child pose….close your eyes and be aware of the stretch in your spine, in your back in your shoulder blades…..keep going for a few more rolling cats; at least 3 x but listen to your body and mind. This is a great flow and massage for your back and spine. It loosens up and nurtures your spine and all the nerves that run through the spine, it calms down your nerves and aligns your body and mind.
7. Start playing with the flow;
a. You can add the dipping cat into the flow; once your breath into the arching cat, you extend your inhalation and drop your navel to the floor and drawing your shoulders back and with your exhalation you bring your chest down to the floor between your hands (make sure you know how far you can go down, half way is good enough in the beginning) be aware to keep your elbows close to your body….when you breathe in you push your chest back up, feel the palms of your hand pressing against the floor and it feels like someone is sitting on top of you, you should feel it in your upper arms….arch up all the way and then breath out by rolling back into the child pose.
b. You can also add the mountain pose “Parvatasana”(downward dog) into the flow; once you are back into the cat position you raise into the mountain by raising your pelvis towards the sky or ceiling…… push into your palms……stretch throughout your back into the pelvis……..draw your shoulders back…..( hide your armpits) and stretch throughout your legs into your heels, the heels aim towards the floor/ground…….breathe in and out into that position for a moment….you can raise your heels as you breathe in and as your breathe out you raise your pelvis towards the ceiling/sky and down into your heels onto the floor…..once again play with the pose listen to your body and mind…..feel good about it and embrace the flow…..when you are ready you can breathe in and drop down onto your knees and breathe out back into the child pose.
8. Stay in the child pose for a few moments and visualize, feel or know that you are breathing into your shoulders and spine. Use your breath as a tool to nurture your shoulder joints, to open up the space between each vertebra …….stay in this position for a moment…..
9. From here you unroll your spine with your next inhalation and in the same movement you raise your arms to the back and over your head …..as you exhale you bend down from the hips and lower your upper body back into the child pose…..repeat a few more times…..bring into your mind the massaging and stretching sensation of your spine…..move with the rhythm of your inhalation and exhalation…..once again listen to your body and know when to stop; 3 to 5x times is always a good amount……
10. Unroll your spine and come into a kneeling position (Vajrasana) once more, close your eyes and feel how you feel, what is on your mind…..
11. Finish your stretches with a seated twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana), to ground yourself again….
12. Come into a seated position with your legs stretched out to the front.
13. Bring your left foot over your right leg…..bring your right arm around your left knee…bring the knee in as close to the chest as you can…lift your left arm over your head and bring the arm to the middle of your back…..keep your head and eyes still looking towards your toes……now take a deep breath in and start twisting from your lower back….your middle back…. then your upper back and finally turn your shoulders and head over your left shoulder….close your eyes and breath deep and slow into the twisted asana (posture) breathe deeply into your spine……stay for a moment and on your last inhalation and exhalation you breathe deeply in and out and twist a tiny little bit more before you come back to the front with your inhalation and then exhale…..repeat the twist on the other side of your body…
14. Lying down in Shavasana and bring your knees into your chest, wrap your arms around the knees and stay like this for a moment….with your next inhalation bring your knees into your chest and draw your head towards your knees…..with breath awareness you breath in and out in this position or breath in …draw the head towards the knees with your exhalation you relax your head back on the ground..repeat 3x
15. From here you extend your arms out to the side ….shoulder height….. bring your knees into a 90 degree position with your knees aligned over your hips …….breath in and as you exhale drop your knees over to the right side and turn your head over to your left hand…..stay there and relax your feet, your knees, breath in and out and soften your hips and your left side of your chest…feel your shoulders on the floor/ground…close your eyes take a deep inhalation and let the exhalation flow from your head down your body along the arms and legs out through your feet…..do this a few times and then engage your abdomen …..lift your knees, align your spine and your knees over your hips and move into the other side…..stay there for a moment with your eyes close and totally relax your whole body……letting go of everything what’s on your mind, what happened yesterday what might happen in the future…….feel into the sensation of the twists….let go of any tightness any discomfort …. relax and lift your legs bring your legs back on the floor into Shavasana….
16. Lying down in Shavasana and let everything go for a moment….observe your breath, observe the space between the eyebrow center (Chidakash) for a moment….if you like move into the Yogic breathing for a moment.
17. Yogic breathing; start to inhale into the lower abdomen, push the abdomen out to the ceiling/sky, then draw the breath into the chest and exhale through your nose……this enables you to fully utilize the volume of your lungs.
Remember your breath is your tool to relax, to rejuvenate and to restore
Listen to your body;
some days you can move deeper into the asanas as the days before,
do not overstretch, be gentle and flexible in your mind and embrace your practice
The key to balance and alignment is the consistency and awareness of what you are doing
It’s better to do it every day for 5 minutes then once a week for 1 hour
Enjoy and have fun !
The Yoga Girls from Trellis Bay
I have been very lucky and fortunate to have come across my Yoga ladies in Trellis Bay. Let me introduce Kim, Caroline, Patty, Penny, Kim and Trish, they are my main students here in Trellis Bay. When we first arrived in Trellis Bay Julia told Kim that her Mum is teaching yoga and so right from the first week I started teaching Yoga three days a week. All ladies are very special and I love to teach and share my passion with them. In March we even had Tony and Rosemary from SV"English Rose" joining us for a few weeks. I have met Tony and Rosemary in Luperon and was amazed of how much they have improved and grown into Yoga and their inner self. I am very proud of them, however they are not the only one, I am proud of the rest of my class too. Watching them after a couple of months doing Yoga on a regular base, they health and body alignment has improved heaps and how easy they flow through their sun salutation....well done!Using Mantras in a Spiritual Practice
Back in the Dominican Republic I have discovered a very interesting book on Mantras. Actually it belonged to my friend Teresa and after I had read it for a while it was clear to me that it was one of the books that I would like to have in my library. She ended up lending it to me, until I have obtained my own copy. The book I am talking about is called “Shakti Mantras” from Thomas Ashley-Farrand. I found a lot of valuable information in this book and things I always wanted to know about the history of Yoga and Mantras and their meaning. In the book Thomas Ashley-Farrand is writing about a Forty-Day Approach. On a piece of paper you write down what it is you are trying to accomplish while chanting your personal mantras. Put the piece of paper in a special place or take it with you during your chanting session for the next forty days. It says that it’s most beneficial if you chant on your goal twice daily from ten to thirty minutes. After completion you light a candle and burn the piece of paper as an offering to your higher self and your spiritual guides and helpers. This forty day practice sounded very appealing to me and I had the perfect location to do it, Norman Island. I had found the perfect spot on top of the island where I could overlook the Island and the ocean while doing my Yoga practice, the surrounding energy there had enchanted me right from the first moment Perfect! On my walks up the mountain in the morning I would start chanting my mantras. I had found some of my chants on the CD “The Essence” from Deva Premal , so I copied them onto my MP3 player and would listen to them on my way up the mountain as I would chant along. When I was early enough I completed my daily Asanas before sunrise and then chant as the sun would come up, otherwise I would do the chanting first as the sun climbed out of the ocean followed by my daily Asanas. The energy in the mornings and during the forty day practice was amazing and once more I had fallen in love with Yoga as well as chanting Mantras. I had chosen the Gayatry Mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, Maha Mrityyujaya Mantra and the Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha. Everything went really good and I felt a deep peaceful feeling settling into my heart. During the discipline the mornings became the highlight of my days. During the forty days we started to get lot of inquiries for our boat that we had put on the market to sell. However after thirty days, I felt a shift within myself and could not work it out what it was. I eased off on my daily Asanas and changed them slightly to ease the energy around me and within me. For a few days I had to push myself to go up the mountain to do my practice. I pursuit and then all of a sudden a shift again and from that day on I feel that the day is not complete until I get to do my yoga practice including the chanting. I have achieved a huge milestone; however I still have not accomplished my goals and feel that I have to do another round of 40 days, which I am going to start today. Hari Om Tat Sat
Creating a Yoga Class in the Dominican Republic
I believe that we have been very lucky and blessed to create such a wonderful yoga class with such beautiful women in Luperon
Yoga Postures everywhere
This morning we had our Yoga Philosophy class. We indulged three hours of the" Fundamentals of Yoga" from ........ Thereafter we went to Puerto Plata to have some fun and to celebrate life !
