Home of Elsie's Yoga Class: Live and Unplugged Podcast, yoga classes at your own time wherever you go, plus a lot more! Now coming to you from Pittsburgh :)
I have been toying with providing you guys with more video. My dream is to be able to get some good videos without in any way intruding in the yoga class itself. For the moment I’ve found that the least intrusive way to get the video is to video tape my intro, as it’s just me and I don’t have to put anyone else on the spot. I place the camera on the side, that way it also does not call any attention.
This specific video was shot at my public yoga class on Monday nights at 6pm at Yoga Matrika in Point Breeze. The entire class is available via audio here.
Those of you that live in Pittsburgh and especially in Point Breeze, why not come on by? You can even listen to the class to listen to my teaching style so you already know what to expect 🙂
I cannot even begin to share with you guys how often I get asked this question. Sometimes I feel a bit weird explaining it’s meaning as there’s so much more to it than just the definition.
Namaste holds a powerful relationship between people. It is a deep grounded in deep respect both in each other’s individuality and EVERYTHING that makes us the same.
One of my Facebook friends shared this video and I instantly fell in love with it.
If I could just have this little video with me all the time and play it whenever anyone asked me: what does Namaste mean? You betcha I’d play this puppy 😀
Please watch. Enjoy the power and…well just watch 😉
Ready to delve into the depth of your Heart? Yikes!
One of my all times favorite themes to teach is Sankalpa, or Intention. This isn’t a general intention, or a teeny tiny intention but your heart’s truest wish, your deepest heart’s desire embedded in the richness of your Self. I know that when I was first offered the opportunity to meditate, truly ponder my sankalpa, it began to shift me very deeply. In fact it was the mere asking of ‘what is my intention’ that facilitated living a more fulfilled and truthful life. It informs my life every day, and now it becomes even more important as it helps guide me to be a better mother. I also must be honest. The power of one’s own Sankalpa is very powerful, and at times requires a great shift from us if we are going to align with it fully. I felt my Sankalpa, I knew it in my cells and for many years I chose to ‘ignore’ it’s fullness, for lack of better words. I was not ready to truly embrace what living in my truth would require of me. It took me years, plus the help of those around me who knew me and loved me enough to require me to be absolutely honest with myself 😀
I recorded this week’s yoga class at Yoga Matrika in Squirrel Hill, where I’ve had the opportunity to teach series classes, all with a connecting theme. This specific series was called “Yoga With Grace”, just a very welcoming way in which to offer yoga classes that were beyond just the yoga poses, beyond the asana. I had the opportunity to teach more from the Heart, from a deeper place of basic Anusara philosophy, tapping deeper into the Source.
Although this class is a very basic Level 1 yoga class, with a lot of basic alignment and instruction, the theme is always one that we can always step deeper into. If you are feeling a bit down, disconnected, lost, possibly need a tune up, do this yoga class 🙂 Oh, and how about a piece of paper? and pen? Just to write down some thoughts, especially during the opening meditation. Let me know how it goes….
I’ve been on Twitter since the Spring of 2007, way before it became so CRAZY mainstream. When I first got on Twitter, there were only a handful of people that I had actually met face to face. In fact, the people on twitter that I interacted with were basically all from the podcasting/new media community and 90% of them where out of state or out of the country. There was not one person from my yoga community.
That has now all changed.
I would say in 2009 the yoga community on Twitter has skyrocketed. I’m in awe of the amazing amount of tweets about yoga, from yoga practitioners, teachers and studios. It’s yoga yoga yoga all the time now! I love it because now I can literally feel my yoga kula around me here in Pittsburgh because many of my Anusara yoga friends in LA and from other parts of the country are now on Twitter, including John Friend (the founder of Anusara Yoga)! Needless to say, that’s some serious growth!
In the past 2.5 yrs that I’ve been on Twitter, I have not ONCE had a negative experience with anyone I followed or followed me. In fact I’ve developed some pretty special friendships with some folks on Twitter that I would have never come in contact with otherwise. I’m a bit saddened to say that I’ve had my first ‘negative’ experience on Twitter, and it was with a fellow yogi.
This episode’s artwork is a snapshot of the initial dialogue.
I think all of us have every right to have our own preferences and opinions about yoga and about what yoga system or philosophy we align with. In fact that goes for your spiritual and religious life. One of my fellow Anusara teachers referred to yoga philosophy as ‘resonant energy’.
resonance |ˈrezənəns|
noun
the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating : the resonance of his voice.
• figurative the ability to evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions : the concepts lose their emotional resonance.
• Physics the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.
• Mechanics the condition in which an object or system is subjected to an oscillating force having a frequency close to its own natural frequency.
• Physics the condition in which an electric circuit or device produces the largest possible response to an applied oscillating signal, esp. when its inductive and its capacitative reactances are balanced.
• Physics a short-lived subatomic particle that is an excited state of a more stable particle.
• Astronomy the occurrence of a simple ratio between the periods of revolution of two bodies about a single primary.
• Chemistry the state attributed to certain molecules of having a structure that cannot adequately be represented by a single structural formula but is a composite of two or more structures of higher energy.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French, from Latin resonantia ‘echo,’ from resonare ‘resound’ (see resonant ).
Which Yoga Philosophy Is Right? Which Yoga Philosophy is the Best?
If a philosophy resonates with you, you will be more harmonious, more sensitive, more open both with yourself and with others around you. You will in fact be able to add more beauty, goodness, auspiciousness to the world through your thoughts, actions and unique presence. You will embed the philosophy so deeply inside of yourself that you will be able to serve those around you and yourself in ever deepening and refined ways. If whatever you choose opens you to recognize the blessing of your life, your wisdom, your auspiciousness, and in turn shows you that you are part of something much Greater, and of the Intrinsic Goodness of life, than you are in optimal alignment. It’s not about which yoga is the best: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Power, Viniyoga, etc, nor what philosophy, Tantra, Advaita Vedanta, Classical, etc. but how do your actions, your thoughts, your words offer the most auspicious part of yourself AT EVERY MOMENT. How do you feel in your own authentic heart, and how well are you able to serve and uplift those around you?
If you lock your fulfillment into how other people receive it you will never be fulfilled.
We always have a choice. If we do disagree with a particular style of yoga’s philosophy, or teacher, or practice, in what way are you going to communicate that with those around you so that you show through your actions, interactions and WORDS the highest integrity, always aligning to the Highest most Auspicious part of ourselves? Bottom line, do the actions you take make you a better person. Are you being authentic? It’s not easy, especially when confronted by someone that happens to get under your skin 😉
Be very mindful of what you put out into the world, especially when it is written down and sent out into the world. It holds power, and it speaks loudly.
Love the Feedback!
email me- eyogaclass (at) gmail (dot) com
leave me a message- 310 651 6238 (I’d love to play you guys on the episodes! Plus you can promote your stuff that way!)
or comment on this blog!
Other ways to connect with me:
This week’s class is a grounding Level 1-2 Yoga Class.
The class can be modified to be more basic or more advanced by choosing to do the full poses instead of the modification.
You are more than welcome to use as many yoga props as necessary to offer you the optimal alignment of your poses. Have your props near you so you can grab them as needed.
Or you can click onto the player and listen straight from this post 🙂
The Asana Sequence:
Seated with Arms Overhead
Easy forward bend in Siddhasana
Hands and Knees
Downward Facing Dog/High Lunge/Lunge Twist
Plank/Chattarunga
Salabhasana
Downward Facing Dog
Uttanasana with Arms Interlaced behind the back
1/2 Sun Salutes x 2
Surya Namaskar C x 3
Crescent Pose (jump switch)
Parsvakonasana
Vira II/Humble Warrior/Deep Lunge with forearms on the ground
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Elsie's Yoga Kula: Free Online Yoga Podcast Classes 