Practicing Yoga in Good Faith

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To think that yoga has the power to bring me closer to my spiritual center is incredible. I feel free to practice and believe openly, to consider my mat a way of bringing more space, of opening up space for the presence of oneness. It is only with spiritual connection that yoga has the power of transformation.

Photo via Olivia Rae James.

There have been many times in yoga class (and in my experience of yoga off the mat), that I experience a full and radiant sense of newness. 


Yoga is a doorway to opening your heart - physically and emotionally - so that the fullness of Spirit can rest more fully there. The abundance of the universe frees you to give more openly, more fully.

Tortola Yoga Retreat

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Photo via Fort Recovery Tortola.

Wouldn't it be lovely to spend a week in sunny Tortola for a yoga retreat?

 The open sky, the bright water, the fresh air... gorgeous.
Photo via Pinterest.

Right around this time of year is when I wish I could afford to be somewhere tropical, laying out my mat at the end of a dock and getting ready to soak in the sun as I practice.

Threads of Yoga: A New Approach to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

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When you stretch out a limb you spotlight the primary condition of your existence, your spatiality. Or: you call your already-present extension to conscious attention. 

The limb seems to stretch out into empty space, but it plunges ever deeper into contact, now noticed. You stretch your arm upward, and the internal sensations —  muscles relaxing, ligaments lengthening, and circulation finding underused pathways — are all responses to contact. Every movement of the flesh is a dive into space. Reaching up is really plunging your hand into a well of dark sweet water.
- From 5.8 The Beginning of Asana, Threads of Yoga by Matthew Remski


As part of my preparation for yoga teacher training, I have been diving into the yoga sutras of Patanjali. Occasionally I'll find myself lost in thought as I read them, my mind turning an idea over and over.

 I was lucky to be approached by Matthew Remski, a yogi/ writer/ therapist who's been working on an incredible analysis of the text called Threads of Yoga. His book explores yoga philosophy as a living art which calls for flexibility, accessibility, and hermeneutic bravery.


He also explores the eight limbs against the literature of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, evolutionary biology, and psychohistory. 

No doubt I'll be referring to Remski's writing as I continue to explore the sutras. I have high hopes that reading both will lead me closer to self-knowledge and enlightenment.

More feedback on Threads of Yoga from Mark Singleton:

 "I don't know of any reading of the yoga sutras as wildly creative, as impassioned and as earnest as this. it engages Patanjali and the reader in an urgent, electrified conversation that weaves philosophy, symbolist poetry, psychoanalysis and cultural history. There's a kind of delight and freshness in this book that is very rare in writing on yoga, and especially rare in writing on the yoga sutras. This is a Patanjali for postmoderns, less a translation than a startlingly relevant report on our current condition, through the prism of this ancient text."

Groupon Deal for Dharma Yoga Evanston

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Photo via Pranava Yoga.

Dharma Yoga Evanston is featured on Groupon this week with one of the best yoga deals you can find.

Only $59 for 15 yoga classes (a $210 value), or $89 for 30 yoga classes (a $405 value)!



Sign up today to begin your yoga journey at one of the best studios in Evanston. Dharma Yoga Evanston offers a wide range of traditional Hatha and Dharma classes taught in a supportive, welcoming environment. This is one of the few studios in the area where you will be encouraged to laugh during class.


Come check it out! You can purchase the Groupon here. Hope to see you soon at the studio. (And, if you're around next spring, maybe I'll be your teacher!) Namaste.

Ultimate Yogis & a 108-Day Challenge

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Are you looking to pump up your yoga routine?

The Ultimate Yogi is a 108-day program designed to transform your body, inside and out. It involves a series of DVDs for daily yoga practice, daily meditation  food program, and a yoga hardCORE workout to tone and tighten abs.

If you want to try it out, you can save 15% on the program until November 30th by using the coupon code aliveinthefire15 at checkout. 


The kick-ass personal-trainer style of teaching and the grueling workouts remind me a lot of Mr. Yoga, and the inversion class I took with him.

The Ultimate Yogi program seems well-rounded, and I like that the coursework moves from a more physical practice toward spiritual focus. The topics on the DVDs include: crosstrain, cardio, strength, flexibility, balance, detox, vitality, hardcore, yin, gentle, meditation and pranayama, and a cycle of 36, 72, and 108 sun salutations. Comprehensive, I'd say!


I'd love to try this program, or maybe even give it as a gift to a family member for Christmas. It would be a great fitness program to undertake in the winter, when you feel too lazy to leave home for the studio.

I'm going to have the chance to review it soon, so I'll definitely keep you posted on what I think!

Recent Eats

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Lately I'm enjoying simple meals and rich fall flavors.

Like spicy cinnamon in a YogaEarth Keen-Wah decadence bar (if I'm in a rush), or the nutty taste of homemade pumpkin bread (if I'm in the mood to savor every bite).


Since I'm vegetarian now, there are lots of salads. Avocado on toast. Lentils. Yogurt with fruit. Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. And, if I'm out: sushi, pad thai tofu, or veggies and rice. 



I'm thinking it would be nice to do another juice cleanse soon, but I haven't yet found the willpower to plan it properly.


Have you made any new recipes lately?

Set Your Intention

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Set an intention to be joyful before you leave the bed in the morning.

Today will be beautiful. Today, I will be at peace with whatever happens.


On your ride to work, remind yourself of the qualities you will seek to experience throughout the day: relaxation, determination, ease.

Repeat a mantra to yourself at the moments where you're overcome with worry or doubt. All is well, all is well, all is well. Or take five minutes away from your desk, walking around the building for some fresh air. Or grabbing a few deep pranayama breaths in the bathroom.


You deserve greatness. You already are greatness. You simply have to allow yourself to see it, to experience it firsthand in the simple moments.

Extreme Yoga (And a Reminder to Vote)

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Photos via Sweaty Betty and Yoga Votes.

Just when I thought my yoga was extreme... I come across these photos of yogis practicing on top of mountains! (On Mont Blanc in the Alps, to be specific.)

Now that's some steadiness and balance. Eeeps!


In other news, here's a friendly reminder to hit up your polling place tomorrow and rock the vote! Your voice counts. Make sure it's heard.

Darker Days

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Photo via Pinterest.

The days are growing shorter. With winter right around the corner, I'm starting to think about new ways to stay sane while spending more time at home.


Bored? Too cold to go outside? Try one of these ideas.
  • Try a new art form. If you're a photographer, try paint. If you're a writer, pick up a piece of charcoal. Let yourself express freely, with no expectations.
  • Learn to meditate.
  • Sort through old photographs. Choose one that stands out to you and write a poem about it.
  • Research free events or local museums in your area. Invite your neighbors to join you on an adventure to a concert or gallery showing.

  • Plan a road trip somewhere you've never been. Or better yet (if you're like me), plan a bike trip.
  • Try a new flavor of tea every day this week.
  • Call a family member you haven't talked to in a long time. Thank them for a quality you appreciate about them. Remind them of why you love them.
  • Host a dinner party.
  • Host a yoga party.
Photo via Pinterest.

What are your go-to activities when the days are shorter?

Quiet Nights In

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On quiet nights in, I contemplate things. Meditate. Light candles.

Or have a second round of yoga for the day, just me and Dharma on the DVD. Or have a second scoop of green tea ice cream and cuddle up on the couch under a blanket.

Life moves at such a dizzying pace most of the time. I find I need those quiet nights in, away from all the hustle and bustle, away from the noise.

What do you like to do during your time alone?

Hula Hoop Giveaway

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Photo via Pinterest.

Have you ever hula hooped?

 It's great fun! I love hooping for many reasons:
  • it's a great workout and helps build stamina (my arms have become infinitely stronger)
  • hooping lets you experience your inner child 
  • hooping a great way to meet new friends (everybody loves trying out the hoop!)
  • and it's a great complementary meditation to any yoga practice 
In the effort to share some hooping love, Jessica of TreeHuggerHoops on etsy is offering one lucky reader of Alive in the Fire the chance to win a custom collapsible hoop. 

 To win, please check out Jessica's shop and leave a comment below with what color hoop you'd choose. For an extra entry, like TreeHuggerHoops on Facebook and leave a comment on the page.



PS In case you missed it, I hooped fire not too long ago.

Transformative

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Today I have been contemplating my life before yoga.

The things I used to long for: living out of love instead of fear, a body I could be proud of, a calm heart.


I practice new habits now. I regularly give thanks for the blessings in my life. I am used to the sound of my breath in the back of my throat, that careful wave of ujjayi a constant reminder to be present. I do not mind waiting in line at the post office or the grocery store for it provides me a few minutes to meditate.


Sometimes I awake from savasana feeling like a wholly new person. I walk out of class, refreshed, light, wondering where the old me is, fine with the fact that I am new.