Lunar Eclipse and Moving Inward

A lunar eclipse is a powerful astronomical event. On January 31st, we will experience such an event considered to be a Blue Moon. This is the second full moon for this month. During eclipse, it is as though nature is turning inward. If we take this out to our yoga practice, it is a perfect time to turn inward with meditation. It is a time to discover the inner workings of self awareness and the spirit side of things.

Pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga, signifies the withdrawal of the senses—turning the consciousness inward to release external stimuli. This can be done through the practice of pranayama. Simply focusing on your inhales and exhales will begin to quiet your mind and the outside world. Another technique is visualization, which can quiet external stimuli. You might visualize a vast landscape, like an ocean or a field. The absence of details in these kinds of scenes will help you from becoming distracted. Beginning your meditation in a quiet place will also allow you to move into pratyahara more quickly.

Pratyahara isn’t just good for your yoga practice. It’s a useful skill that will influence your whole life. The world around us tends to be over-stimulating, we easily slip into noise, distraction and the lure of media and technology. Let the full moon experience pull you inward so you can experience the true network of your being.

This comes at a perfect time as the solar new year, a point between the winter solstice and vernal equinox is also upon us. Refer to my blog that covers a three part series on how to prepare for this new year ahead!

Om!
Mary Jane - Feng Shui Yoga Girl
www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Struggling Against Santosha - Contentment

The second Niyama, Santosha, is about a state of contentment. It is the ability to remain in a present moment of awareness. When we struggle against the present moment, we are in essence struggling against the cosmos. 

Contentment implies acceptance without resignation. It arises when we relinquish attachment for the need to control people, places and events. Santosha is the absence of this need to control or to power over situations that arise in life. Through the practice of yoga and meditation, your experience of the present moment quiets the otherwise turbulent mind, which in turn, disturbs your contentment - contentment that determines your state of being whereby your peace of mind is independent of the situation that you are in and circumstances that are happening around you. Now that's pretty powerful stuff!

Om!
Mary Jane Kasliner - Fengshui Yoga Girl
www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Feeling Stiff? Could Be Your Fascia and Not Your Muscles

Feeling Stiff? Could be Your Fascia and Not Your Muscles

Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

Have you ever felt so tight you thought you were on the verge of tearing a muscle? I'm pretty sure we can all relate to that experience. What's so interesting is it may not be your muscles at all. We all have something called fascia that is part of our physical makeup. Fascia is a network of connective tissue that pretty much holds us together. It is made up of extra cellular material that resides in intracellular spaces. It has a gel-like substance that holds us firmly together accommodating every movement we make. 

This gel-like material spreads out like a web connecting everything in your body. That's right; everything. The circulation in your body needs to pass through this web-like consistency, but if the fascia is dried out, less circulation can flow through to nourish the body and remove toxins. This is why you may feel tight and stiff in certain areas and think your muscles are to blame. 

Yoga helps to stretch and hydrate this fiber webbing matrix making it more permeable for circulation to move through and do its job. Deep strengthening and stretching squeezes this fascial network similar to ringing out a sponge. That visual should sound pretty familiar to yogis who engage in twisting asanas. The longer you practice yoga, these fascial fibers will thin out and ease any tension in the overall fascial matrix, and that means less pain and resistance for you.

For 18 Amazing Benefits of Yoga According to Science, click here! And for the icing on the cake, 2018 is a perfect year to practice this earth quality practice. Read about the Earth Dog 2018 forecast from my feng shui blog here!

Here's to a free flowing fascia network!

Mary Jane Kasliner

Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

7 Things You Can Do to Welcome in the Earth Dog for 2018! View this email in your browser

7 Things To Welcome in the Earth Dog Year of 2018! Welcome to Body Space Alignment Newsletter. On February 4th, 2018, the solar new year begins. The Earth Dog will rise, as the Fire Rooster of 2017 moves into storage.  This is the first of a three part newsletter to prepare you for the year ahead. Today, I begin with 7 things you can do to prepare for the changes that are coming. Part two of this series will include the energy of the Earth Dog while the  third segment will review points of interest in your environment and other activities that are beneficial for 2018. Let's get right to it! Elevate Your Consciousness! Mary Jane   1 & 2. Organize and Cleanse Your Environment: In Deepak Chopra's book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, he discusses how to integrate all parts of your life. This includes your environment, As a feng shui consultant and yogi,  I couldn't agree more with him. Within your physical domain, you have and extended body, and an energetic body. Your extended body is the environment, containing the never-ending supply of energy and information that is available to you. Every sound, sensation, sight, flavor, and aroma you ingest from the environment influences your body and mind. Each breath that you inhale and exhale is a reminder of the continuous conversation taking place between the physical body and your environment. With that being said, it behooves you to take note of what your surroundings are like and how you can improve it. Without getting into a long laundry list of things to do, go for the obvious infractions such as clutter, old and worn out items, tattered fabric or peeling paint. Start big and then refine. Once you complete the cleaning and organization steps, then cleanse your space. You can do this with herbs, bells  and essential oils. Have fun walking around your home and  removing old suck energy patterns and refreshing it with new active intentions. I have several e-programs and books that can guide you every step of the way to dramatically improve the look and feel of your home. At the end of the day, you need to take responsibility for what is happening in your environment. 3 and 4. Complete Unfinished Projects & Clear Your Mind: I don't think I know anyone who doesn't have something hanging over their head when it comes to business and projects. Is there a project you've been working on but somehow let it get away from you? Aim at closing any loose ends, the logic is to start fresh and continue what is good, and let the rest go. Now that you can let go of the unfinished work, you can spend some time to clear your mind. First, make a list of all the good things that happened in 2017. Take some time to also list the not so good. When you review the list, are there any lessons for you to walk away with? Now, make a list of the things you would like to realistically accomplish in 2018. I say realistically, as many times we put so much down on our list we set ourselves up for failure. Break it down in monthly intervals. It will not look so daunting that way. Make sure you include a meditation practice in this process. You'll be amazed what comes up.   5 and 6. Manifest and Welcome the New: What is it you would like to manifest in 2018? Can you see it, feel it, smell it and taste it? Take a least one action everyday that gets you closer to you year goals. Meditate daily and see yourself living your desires. Especially take advantage when the energy is really high such as a full moon to do your visualization and meditation. Go ahead and buy something new to welcome in the solar new year. Maybe a nice accent piece for your home or wardrobe. Either way it's always nice to welcome in the new with something that is literally NEW!   7. Feng Shui: The first of the Chinese month is an excellent time to treat yourself to a feng shui consultation. That can be for your home, office, or maybe an astrology reading to bring clarity for business, home, family, personal and your soul's mission. This is an excellent way to bring in the new year and know exactly where the most powerful points are in your environment and how to open them up to assist you on your goals, desires and manifesting process. Contact me for your personal consultation. Part 2 of this Newsletter series I will expound on the Earth Dog energy for 2018. This is a generalized approach since personal impact is determined by personal birth data and how it interacts with the Earth Dog for 2018. Part 3 of this newsletter series I will delve into the feng shui flying stars on a generalized perspective. Once again, for personal impact, the year structure was built and facing direction is essential.

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Yoga is Union

Olympic National Park

According to Deepak Chopra in his book ;The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, the essential purpose of yoga is to integrate all parts of your life. This includes your environment, and as a feng shui consultant, I couldn't agree more with him. The physical, emotional and spiritual body is the core component of yoga practice. 

Yoga is a practical system to awaken the human potential, a way to directly access the wisdom of life. Yogis know the mind and body are ever changing with the ebb and flow of the universe, but the soul remains untouched, beyond the world of change. 

According to Adi Shankara, ninth century sage, he elaborated the layers of life that cover the spiritual self. In yoga we refer to these layers as the Koshas, meaning "coverings." By and large, we spend most of our time and energy on the most outer layer, or the physical(anamaya kosha). There is a never-ending supply of energy and information that we ingest through our senses from our environment. We are all responsible for our environment, and collectively, the global environment. Part of this layer is influenced by the air that we breath or the breath body (pranamaya kosha). It is the sheath of vital energy - life force.

There are five  seats of prana that move energy to parts of the body (head, throat, heart, stomach and pelvis). When prana moves freely throughout the cells and tissues, vitality and creativity is abundant. This sets the foundation for a sound mind. However, yogis realize the mind is not who we are. The mind (manomaya kosha)  is simply another layer covering the true self. The mind simply acts as a repository of sensory impressions. There are layers to the mind where we discern things, make choices  and distinguish the real from the unreal.  The real can't be lost but the unreal is anything that has a beginning and end to it. Knowing the difference is the essence of yoga.

The causal body is the field of pure potentiality. This is the domain of the spirit. It gives rise to our thoughts, feelings, dreams, desires and memories. There are several layers within the causal body. Shankara believes, each person arrives on this planet with a specific purpose and unique set of talents and skills. Given the right environment, the seeds sprout, and we become capable of serving others with our gifts. 

Yoga encourages us to write our story and expand our sense of self to embrace the domain of our soul. 

Learn more ways you can embrace your soul by taking control of your personal happiness, health, environment and more by visiting my publications page.

Om!

Mary Jane Kasliner - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

 

Honor the Beginning!

Manasquan Beach, New Jersey

Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. Either way, they hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, old lessons to be recalled and appreciated. Beginnings can be ambiguous and even fearful, but don't let that deter your enthusiasm for something new. Instead, open your heart and mind to all that the universe has to say. 

Think of this new year as an exploration, a journey to a new place. What will you pack for your journey? Perhaps bring along some lessons from the past that can propel your excitement and curiosity into the future. Whatever you choose, try not to plan out the course, simply let it organically unfold. Don't worry about the specifics or who you need to meet, the right circumstances and teachers will arrive just when you least expect it. All parts of the journey are sacred, so do not place the emphasis in any one particular area. 

Map Your Own Journey:

One of the best approaches to starting something new is go on your own authentic path. Don't let others influence your direction or judge your choices. We all have the freedom to explore where our soul needs to take us. Get out your map and delve in. Let your heart be the navigator, it knows the way. Listen to the voice within, the quiet voice and see where it takes you.  Trust your heart instead of your head. Unfortunately, the head creates too much noise limiting our ability, vision and opportunities. There is a tendency for the head to see with the eyes of fear. It is the heart that sees clearly and takes into account all things that need to be done. Follow the map drawn from your heart and connect to the Universal oneness of all things.

Om!

Mary Jane Kasliner - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com