"Pie in the Sky" Yogini: Shoulders!!!

Yikes! We know as fellow yogis the shoulders can take a beating in our practice. So what to do? Here are a few tips to keep the shoulders strong and keep you happy in your practice.

• Your shoulders must stay down and back so you can maintain the best range of motion in your shoulders, back, neck and arms.
• The key is to activate the shoulders by externally rotating your shoulders. This will allow you to seat your shoulder blades down and back and away from your ears.
• Avoid the "hunch" whether you are driving in a car, sitting at your desk or shooting one arm up in triangle pose.

Here's too happy shoulders!

~Om!

Mary Jane - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

"Pie in the Sky' Yogini: Ground Yourself

 Illustration: www.anncurchgaglianoillustrator.com

Much of our growth is spiritual. This is as it should be. But we need to be grounded, too. Even the tallest tree that reaches hundreds of feet into the sky, has roots that go deep into the earth. Our roots need to go deep into the earth, too. Touch things that grow in the earth. Walk on the grass and sit under a tree. Remember to nurture your spirit, but take time to attend to your body. Learn to tell when your body and soul need to come back to earth. Take time to be grounded. Roll out your yoga mat on the earth and go through standing poses. Root to rise and enjoy the physical aspect of yourself. Then you will be able to soar.


~Mary Jane - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

"Pie in the Sky" Yogini: The Summer Solstice Significance in Yoga.

Illustration: www.anncurchgaglianoillustrator.com

The summer solstice is a powerful time of the year and especially powerful for the fire element - the element associated with the solar plexus chakra (Manipura). A beautiful way to celebrate this time of year is through 108 sun salutations to open up the portal to higher self through the super-conscious layer or the tear-drop of the heart - Manipura.

Why 108? A japa mala or mala is an eastern rosary with 108 beads. The mala is used both in Hinduism and Buddhism for counting mantras, chants or prayers. 108 has been a sacred number for a long time, and this number is explained in many different ways. Here are a few explanations:

• Indian/Buddhist thought states that the outer universe is mirrored in the inner man. He is the microcosm and the objective universe is the macrocosm. The number 108 represents the distance between the devotee and the God within.
• The chain of 108 links is held together by 107 joints, the number of marmas, or weak spots, in the body according to the Ayurvedic way.
• The 108 sacred meridians points on the human body in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
• The 108 Karanas of dance, with 108 movements.
• The Chinese, very aware of the esoteric and the use of this same symbolism employed it also in their various systems, Taoist and Buddhist. The Yang style form with 108 moves is an example.
• The 108 stations a candidate had to go through to leave the temple, the 108 steps through danger and death, which also signifies the level of the spiritual adept who must overcome on the spiritual planes the 108 intermediate regions of danger and trial.
• The distance between the earth and sun = 108 times the diameter of the sun.
• Distance between the earth and the moon = 108 times the moon's diameter
• The diameter of the sun = 108 times the diameter of the earth.

Lastly and most importantly, the beads represent, in a simple yet powerful way, the ideas of karma and reincarnation--a rarely disclosed fact. The thread that the beads are strung upon symbolizes the Sutratma, the Spirit or Thread Soul. This is the reincarnating Ego, our true Self, that dons a new garment, a new personality for each lifetime. Each bead strung on the thread is one of those lives that has served its purpose in the evolution of the Higher Self, our God within. We are supposed to join with that inner divinity by building a bridge, called Antahkarana, through meditation and other disciplines......this
is enlightenment.

Namaste,

Mary Jane
fengshuiyoganj.com

"Pie in the Sky" Yogini: Poses to Ease daily Anxiety!

Let's face it, who isn't anxious these days. Why not make a point of taking a few minutes to delve into some yoga poses that will ease your worries, quiet your mind, and put you in a better place.

1. Puppy Pose: Get on all fours - hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Bring your hands forward and place your forehead on the mat.Palms touching the ground in front of you, thighs vertical and top of feet on the ground with toes curled under. Lift your elbows slightly off the ground and rotate the eyes of your elbows slightly inward. Push your hands into the floor and feel the stretch in the arms. At the same time pull your butt backwards towards your knees. Soak in an entire stretch in your body.

2. Child's Pose is always a winner when it comes to releasing stress.Get on your hands and knees placing knees together and ease your rear back so you are sitting on your heels and your forehead is touching the floor. Extend your arms back towards your feet and just relax.

3. Seated Forward Bend: Sit with your legs together on the floor in front of you. Flex the feet so the toes point upward. Plant your tailbone into the earth and straighten the spine. Inhale and extend your arms overhead - elbows to ears. Exhale hinge from the hips and lead with your heart and fold. Lift the lower belly and get long on the side body. Feel the inner seams of your thighs melt down and continue to keep the feet active by flexing them. Relax your mind and your breath while enjoying this pose.

Of course doing any of these poses are fantastic but in order to keep your mind at peace you also need to make sure your environment is at peace. Check out my feng shui mini-series programs and create a nurturing and high vibrating environment!

~Om!

Mary Jane - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

"Pie in the Sky" Yogini; Walking Meditation

Meditation is very difficult to do. But here is a great way to tap into the quietude of meditation without having to sit! It's called walking meditation. Walking meditation clearly means practicing meditation while walking. Walking like a free person (free from the past, free from the future) is a powerful way to nourish an abundance of joy. Every step you take be mindful. Challenge yourself to concentrate on your mind and body. For example, when you take a step (breathing in), you may say "I have arrived." As you take another step (breathing out), you may say "I am home." The idea is that you create this mantra as you are walking and remain connected to the present moment. You are coming home to life, in the here and now.


~Om

Mary Jane - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

"Pie in the Sky" Yogini: Be Your Best Self!

How can you be your best self? Here are three simple steps to follow:

1. Continuously Learn: There is so much wisdom available to us, it is almost overwhelming. Every day there are new things to discover. If you continuously are eager to learn it is much easier to grow and develop into our best selves.

2. Implement Small Changes: Instead of trying to change everything all at once, choose different areas of your life, to focus on and implement small changes until they become habits.

3. Surround Yourself with Awesome People:  I think we can all identify with those people who suck the positive energy from you. It's time to remove those people from your life and focus on surrounding yourself with awesome people. You'll be amazed how much lighter you feel and how much you can learn.

~Om - Mary Jane

www.fengshuiyoganj.com

"Pie in the Sky" Yogini: Let your Body Lead You!

Our bodies can help provide us with direction. When we are centered and balanced, our body will help show us what we really want to do. We will literally lean toward or away from what we like or don't like. We tend to spend most of our lives forcing our body into situations, into energy fields and circumstances that it leaned away from, resisted, moved back from. Then we wondered why we hurt and felt uncomfortable.

The more we honor our body, the more it will help lead us. And the more it will become a natural guide helping us on our path, reflecting the desires of our heart and soul. The more we learn to trust our body, the more we will becomes in harmony with our natural rhythms, the cycles and movements of our lives.

Trust the wisdom of your body, for it often reflects the wisdom of your soul.

~Mary Jane

www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Illustrator: www.anncurchgaglianoillustrator.com