BE STILL

 What is holding you back? 👀

What are YOU holding onto that it is time to be free of. Are you living a repetitive, habitual version of yourself or are you living a TRUE you?... How do you find the "answers" to these inquiries?...STILLNESS,....In my life, so far (still going... 50 plus...) I have had and am still HAVING so many wonderful opportunities and I will forever be a student of life. Recently I have been 'REMINDED' that the reason that I love walking on the beach at sunrise, or free diving and moving slowly under water, or walking in nature and listening to snow fall, or simply watching and/ or listening to the the slow and steady respiration of a sleeping child or animal.... is because it is so quiet.....but, what I remember is ....

I love these things because I love meditation, and meditation is:

sitting in stillness. THIS is the "secret" that is not so secret,... the answers are right there... Already inside... we simply have to be QUIET. In the quiet, we Hear...

The whispers of wisdom, When our minds are filled with chatter, it is a great challenge to listen and observe ourselves,.. and even the observation of how wiggley we can be just TRYING to be still, can be a great lesson. We SAY we want truth in the world, but do you really? The truth is right behind the chatter... so, be STILL and sit with yourself....

There are many versions of YOGA in our day and age,...Yoga takes us on a path, a great journey, ... inward... the journey to/in/of SELF. The asana practice (asana = seat or being steady and at ease) ... These shapes that we make with our bodies are meant to purify the "body" but truly, sitting in stillness with ourselves,....that is where the light is.

What light?

The light that always resides within you,..

It is just beyond your darkness and we vacillate between this darkness and light,...What is NOT important is the story of the darkness but the constant returning to the light. I read long ago,.. what makes us yoga practitioners is not the "perfection" of a shape or asana,.. but the coming back to the pose when we "fall" out of it,... The coming back to our breath when we are distracted by our own chattering mind,... It is in the coming back that we REMEMBER the truth,.... the essence of who we are, ... the light never goes away, but are you quiet enough to see the light, to feel, experience, and sit with the light. Yogi's are activist, we believe and stand for what is right. We read in the Gita about our purpose, our dharma. I believe that when we recognize our gift(s) and follow our path, we will be reminded of our similarities to all beings. When we let go of the end result and simply offer from our hearts what we have to offer, JOY can shine through... It has always been there, the joy, the peace, the contentment. Over the course of our lives, whether you are 50, 90 or 15, we develop patterns and habits. These habitual patterns create grooves in our being and it can become hard to see beyond and outside of these grooves. We can become self created prisoners of our own making.

What can I do?....SIT. Sitting is the way,... sitting with yourself. Meditation. How can you sit with yourself? Just start. Right now, Sit, Be Still and Focus. We are fortunate that through all of the shifting in 2020, we have not lost the opportunity to sit with ourselves, you can even "sit" with others, whether it is in person or virtually. (there are great guides, to support your journey, even right here on FB, Satsang) ... Try a minute, find a quiet spot,... CREATE a quiet spot....and then sit, get REALLY comfortable and lengthen your spine, elevate your hips and lower your knees ( this can be accomplished by sitting on a pillow, a folded towel or blanket), close your eyes and focus for a moment on your breathing. Now, just let the clouds in the mind move away so that the sky is clear. The next step is to simply OBSERVE... Without judging or trying to do a 'GOOD' job,... just sit... with your best teacher,....SELF. and after,.. recline and stay still, rest. We say we want peace and well being but, we have to PRACTICE. This is not a NEW concept, a new THING to "learn",.. This is training to simply shed away the old layers, habits, patterns, stories and REMEMBER the amazing being that is ALREADY inside,... filled with light. It is not EASY, but it IS simple. It takes time to unravel and get to know yourSELF, THIS is the journey,... and when you lose your "balance" and "fall out" of the "pose/asana" or feel the intensity of this life fill you with fear and doubt,... simply breath, sit, become still and focus,... start over again....

Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

namaste'

Dec. 1, 2020

 First light is light of stone💎 ....

ॐ असतोमा  सद्गमय । तमसोमा ज्योितर्गमय । मृत्योमार्मृतंगमय ॥ ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्तः ॥

oṃ asatomā sadgamaya tamasomā jyotirgamaya mṛtyormāmṛtamgamaya 

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ “

Om from delusion toward truth From darkness toward light From death toward life

Om, peace, peace, peace.

Today was a day filled with light for me, I connected  with a lovely new person and spoke on the phone with another lovely new person...2 people who recently have found there way to me via the pull of the universe and it's perfect alignment.  I also, ofcourse had a wonderful day because of the sunshine that lives in my home, my son...and my sweet Poe,... along with clients that I adore and students I am so appreciative of....

The beginning,.... I frequently can be quoted saying, I love coming to the mat, because for me, it is always like a new beginning but,.. we are only really REMEMBERING who we are.... far more than CREATING a new being,.. but on the mat we have this opportunity to recognize our light and darkness as well.

  "in this realm, my path is my experience, and this can create fear,... Seeing the absolutely eternal manifestation in all things allows strength and peace to stream into this experience"... 

We are so fortunate to have the knowledge from thousands of years to guide us on our journey.  If I have a struggle with a meditation,.. I simply invite a sense of appreciation.  This often blooms into more appreciation and then I can sit with those thoughts and then,... maybe stillness.  Today,.. Dec. 1st,.. it SNOWED.  I walked through the trees and on the snow and the quiet brought me such a sense of peace.  I was reminded of being underwater and walking on a sandy beach at sunrise.  The silence and connection with nature...beautiful.  

As winter approaches, there is a growing mood of sleepiness of the world. Through the stories, and songs we bring, and observation of nature, we can experience a settling down. The fallen leaves, the animals in hibernation, the shorter days.

Advent balances the darkness and sleepiness with expectation and anticipation. It is a time of moving through the darkness toward the yearly rebirth of the light, when the days begin to grow longer. Advent is really a four–week festival, the four weeks leading up to Christmas and Solstice, starting on a Sunday evening. Many religions celebrate festivals of the returning of the light. Among those festivals are Solstice, Chanukah, Christmas and Divali.

The mood of Advent prepares us for the light beginning to grow stronger again. If we are quiet,.. quiet like the snow in the woods, quiet like the stillness under the water,... like footprints on the sand. - If we are STILL in this quiet,.. we CAN feel the light growing stronger.....

During Advent, we can deepen our relationship to the world around us through recognizing the strength and beauty in all the four kingdoms of the natural world.

The first week is related to the mineral kingdom, the physical foundation for life. The mineral world gives us a fixed stage, a basis for our ever-changing existence. Without the mineral world we would have no ground to stand on.

ॐ

भूभुर्व: स्व: ।

तत्सिवतुवर्रण्ये।

भगोर्देवस्य धीमिह ।

धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात्।।

oṃ

bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ

tāt savitūr vāreṇyaṃ

bhārgo devāsya dhīmahi

dhīyo yo naḥ prachodāyāt

“Om

To the divine Light

Which pervades the three worlds

The Light which is Love

On that divine radiance we meditate

May It enlighten our intellect and awaken our spiritual wisdom.”

namaste' with love and LIGHT

Kerry and the YOGA TREE familia 💓

September....2020/ NOV.

 November 2020  

I skipped September's blog and here we are, HERE we are....At pivotal time. Full moon still shines light upon us, the ghouls have disappeared and the chill of the approaching winter is on the way.  Svadhyaya-Always and Ahimsa,... ALWAYS.  So, where does this leave us?... Well,.. in the same place as always - REMEMBER... We have to remember - who we are.  Why we are here.  We ( yes, each of us, all of us...), have SOMETHING - a gift, a message, a smile, to share-to offer.  In September, We had the FIRST Yoga Tree Teacher Training FULL weekend ( August was our ceremony to set the intention).  October - 2 weeks in beautiful St. Barts' with our dear, kind, generous, amazing friend.  So,..now, November - unbelievable that we are closing in on the END of this 2020.  What an interesting experience this has been.  My amazing son is 15, driving a 5 speed, being a wonderful addition on this planet as a stellar human and making me so incredibly proud to be his mom.  What can we DO - we,.. WE ... all of us,.. each of us?  LIVE!  Live, be kind, don't harm, be truthful, be joyful, don't take what isn't yours, give freely and be generous, offer your gifts without thoughts of reward.  Be aware of where you place your attention - it will be where you set your intention.  So, these things have all been said before but I felt like writing.  I am realizing, I get WAY too stressed out and miss out on - joy sometimes,.. I TRY so hard to make things in life really good, and then,... maybe I get too caught up in it...I had a reminder this weekend to- CHILL out ... how else can we say it?  Take a deep breath,. slow down, it's going to be OK.  In the same breath, I am teaching the Yoga Trainees that studying and practicing and teaching Yoga, involves being an activist, absolutely!   Be strong in your beliefs-be kind, do not harm,... LOVE unconditionally.  Being a parent is such an amazing opportunity to PARTICIPATE in life.  Being a mom, well, for me, it's the most amazing gift/opportunity/yoga, IN THE WORLD-I LOVE talking with my son.  Listening to his thoughts, just being with him.  I like to just stop the world sometimes when he shares with me and absorb every word. I highly recommend this.  

 So,.. I think I'll snuggle up with Poseidon, have a cup of tea and finish writing later.  NAMASTE'

I am once again reminded, ... as I read over this blog,... The themes,... NOT getting "stressed out" and missing out on joy- and that "stress" or chaos that we give into... creates: DUKHA - sorrow, one of the disturbances,.. We speak of obstacles in the Yoga practice and many times these are evident on the mat, which is why it is such a wonderful opportunity, not to be missed,.. practicing with yourself on the mat.  One reason being,.. we sometimes gloss over these "obstacles" and disturbances and do not sit with ourselves.  A teacher can be helpful to guide us on the inward path to remind us to sit and to remember who we are.  This can also be achieved in a home practice, it takes discipline, tapas.  Another " disturbance" ( from the sutra 1.31)  is angamejaytva - restlessness in the body or lack of coordination between mind and body - "the body is not listening to you" ... 

दुःखदौर्मनस्याङ्गमेजयत्वश्वासप्रश्वासा विक्षेपसहभुवः॥३१॥

duhkha-daurmanasya-angamejayatva-svasa-prasvasah-viksepa-saha-bhuvah

"An agitated mind (viksepa) manifests symptoms (bhuvah) in: the body through physical trembling and physical discomfort (angamejayatva), in the breath through irregular breathing (svasa-prasvasa), in the mind through negative thinking (daurmanasya) and in the emotions through emotional suffering (duhkha).

(duhkha): " a general unhappiness, an emotional discomfort that is often deep-seated and felt on a physical level in the chest region. This emotional pain can be connected to distress, grief, sadness, anguish and a general sense of misery."

(daurmanasya): "a negative perspective on life, often related to pessimism, sarcasm, a dark mood, lack of self-confidence, and can bring someone to despair and depression."

(angamejayatva): "physical unease, often manifested in trembling, shaking, twitching or the inability to be still."

(svasa-prasvasa): "whenever the inhale or exhale is disrupted, meaning we are holding the breath or the breath is short and shallow, the breath is said to irregular."

This sutra presents Yoga as a holistic system. These four symptoms are interconnected. When we affect one of the levels (body, breath, thoughts and emotions), the others are affected as well. Yoga works on those four levels. If we are scared or stressed, we feel emotional discomfort (manifested in anxiety, sadness…), leading to negative thinking, manifested in the body depending on where our physical weakness lies (migraines, neck tension, stomach issues…), causing our breath to be irregular (we hold it or we breathe in a short and shallow manner). The breath is more subtle and we rarely pay attention to it. The following are common relationships between the breath and our emotional states:

• anger: forceful and rapid exhalation (like an angry bull)
• disappointment: prolonged exhalation (sigh)
• anxiety: short and shallow inhalations and exhalations
• shock: breath suspension
• calmness: long and smooth breaths

If we can see these symptoms as triggers for awareness, we can learn a lot about ourselves in moments of discomfort. 🌈   What is making us feel this way? Why have I had neck tension since adolescence? What feelings are associated with this physical discomfort? Once I gain that awareness, I can stop blaming external factors and take the next step and apply one of the tools Patanjali gifts us with!

IHere Patanjali presents us with the method of how Yoga views healing: holistic (from body, to breath, to thoughts to emotions). Practically speaking, this means that most of our physical symptoms are manifestations of deep-rooted emotional troubles. Healing in Yoga, therefore, takes time. We do not have magical pills for anxiety, back pain or pessimism. Yoga works with reflection, awareness and action. Through reflection we become aware of many deep tendencies and behaviors we have had that negatively affect our health. That awareness helps us see how we can change and create positive and constructive changes in order to create magnificent lives! Sutras I.32-I.39 mention eight techniques or tricks for calming the mind " shared from weeklysutra

We are so fortunate to have such amazing knowledge available to us.  🙏

We have to trust and breathe,... love and be kind - to others and ourselves.  Meditation is such a lovely way to really sit with ourselves. As we are still and listen, we observe obstacles and distractions.  There must be consistency and a regularity with our practice to be effective but this is a simple practice that leads to peace.  

I find that meditating each day sets the foundation for a peaceful start to the day, ... does it stop the chaos? no,... Does it quell all of the anxiety and stress? no,.. but it helps to remind me that I create my environment and my ongoing habits contribute to the tone of the day,... Will I choose joy? Be strong and have integrity.  Be authentic and kind and caring,.. Look  inward with self study to learn and grow.  Do not harm.  Take a deep breath, right now,.. just stop and close your eyes,... As you open the eyes, ... think of something that brings you joy.  Imagine devoting your day to that joy.  Now, slow down and open your heart to all that comes your way today, but do it with a little space open around your heart.  Be true to yourself,.. do this by way of slowing down and listening,... In following our dharma as we are taught in the Gita, we feel purpose and this, feeling driven to share our gifts and ourselves, this brings JOY into the heart.💓

much love and light 

lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

namaste'

Kerry and the Yoga Tree family 

Meditation by the sea

Going deeper ~ Yoga Tree TEACHER TRAINING

August 22, 2020...The BEGINNING,...The KNEW SCHOOL.

🌞

Yoga Tree 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training session began with a beautiful ceremony on the above date. The students were excited, open and inspiring. The seed 🌱was planted long ago to offer this training, but in recent months (or a year) ~ many wonderful people have contributed to the impulse that made this KNEW beginning a reality. For that, I am forever appreciative. 

     In the recent months (some of which will go down historically as a time when, in the world, 🌍el mundo, WE,.. the people, were "quarantined").   What came of this time, is unique to each person, based on their personal perceptions, habits and willingness to go or flow.  

    Practicing and teaching Yoga☮ for nearly 2 decades gives way to experience, but when embarking on an adventure, one consults the map and creates somewhat of an itinerary ( Anyone who knows me would chuckle reading this because my version of itinerary is a little different than most)... Nonetheless, when stepping forth on a new expedition, I do pull together teachings and look inside. In so doing, I have immersed myself in study to "wake up" information and knowledge from within, so that I could share, with a full heart, these amazing, practical, simple, deep, wisdom-rich stories and suggestions on living a whole and peaceful existence. What a time to be in Yogic study, I feel so fortunate to have started this personal walk so long ago, but I to still feel so passionate about the study and so infantile in my learning phase. The beauty is in the SELF STUDY ~ Svadhyaya,

The word itself is made up of Sva, meaning own, self, or the human soul, and Adhyaya, meaning lesson, lecture, or reading, and can imply the practice of studying scriptures, as well as a practice of studying the Self.  

‘self’ study and ‘Self’ study….

In many pieces of writing regarding the practice of yoga, when we see the word self written with a small ‘s’, it refers to ourselves in this physical form, our ego, and who we consider ourselves to be on a daily basis. When you read the word ‘Self’ with a capital ‘S’, this is likely to refer to the true self, Atman, or the divine within us.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra says: “Study thy self, discover the divine” II.44

It’s probably fair to say that the more we realise what we are not, the closer we come to realising who or what we truly are. By studying ‘the self’ and recognizing our habits and thought processes, we realise how much of what we do and think is far from who we really know we are.

When we listen to the ego, we often do things that don’t always align with our true beliefs or intuition. The ‘I’ or small ‘self’ is mostly concerned with survival, which usually entails getting what it wants in all situations, and proving it is indeed ‘the best’ despite what consequences that might have for us. The small self judges, criticises, fears, conditions, doubts and is essentially the cause of the chitta vrittis, or ‘fluctuations of the mind’.

By paying attention to, or ‘studying’ our ‘self’, we become more aware of the things we do that harm us, and also those which serve us and bring us closer to that process of ‘yoking’ or ‘uniting’ with the true Self.  

In the above paragraph, I mentioned that the "teachings" are SIMPLE,... I did not say, "easy"... Below is a copy of a drawing depicting the descript of Patanjali's  8 limbs,...  STEPS to enlightenment... Yamas (restraints ) and Niyamas (observations), Asana ( your seat), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal from the senses), Dharana (focus,concentration), Dhyana (meditation)

These are not SECRETS, hidden from us,.. but guidelines to live meaningful and purposeful life, per the guidance of Patanjali. 

Words like: discipline, liberation, support, community, non-attachment, non-violence, not stealing, not lying, contentment, purity, self-study, simplistic living, devotion, restraint.  These are aspects the Yogi cultivates.  At Yoga Tree for many years, the mantra has been:🌈🔥🌎🌎 Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu ~ May all beings be happy and free, may my thoughts, words and actions contribute to the well being of all.  For me, this is also folded into my personal practice of Ahimsa (non-harming), we practice this in my home by being kind to each other, speaking intentionally and with our eating, paying attention to and having kindness with what we choose to ingest into our bodies (through the eyes, ears, mouth and skin).  This blog is simply to share some of the foundation that will be the ground layer for our adventure inward, to awaken, pay attention and to pause.  Thank you for whatever you have done today to contribute to making this world, a kinder, more peaceful place.  namaste'💗

Go BIG!

Authenticity...BE authentic....Can you BE authentic,....BE you... be yourself... In all situations...? but, WHO ARE YOU? Do you know?...hmmmmm...

Do I? Who do I WANT to be? Who do people THINK I am?

AM I THAT person....and when other's are disappointed in you,.. ARE THEY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU,... or do they see you as a mirror and they are really, DISAPPOINTED IN THEMSELVES?

The beginning of this blog post was from late June 2020, It is now Aug. 31, 2020, I decided to add a few thoughts....

My son came home from school today and we discussed a question that a teacher asked of his class ( 10th grade)..The inquiry was more or less this:

Are people more motivated by FEAR?  

 OR... Are people motivated by....HOPE?

It is truth, that most people are more motivated by fear...

How do we shift this habitual paradigm?  Well,...As human beings, it is my belief that we are constantly seeking outwardly for things like approval, questioning ourselves in comparison to others, and looking outside for obvious answers that are within.  So much of the Yoga practice is not about more but less.  The practice of Yoga is unraveling,...as we release past suffering and let go of the masks that we have worn, the TRUE YOU shines through!  It took time to create who we are TODAY,.. and therefore, it also takes time to unravel some of the "mysteries" that lead us to where we currently stand.  By this, I jest a bit, we have simply 'FORGOTTEN' who we are and our "work" is to soften those outer layers, dissolve the outer, protective layers, so that your 

                                                                                                                                    inner light... 

can once again shine.  

The journey inward is not easy but,... it is simple...Slowing down and "sitting" 

with yourself in meditation can be a lovely way to simply observe WHERE you are,... WHO you are?  Reach out for support, but look inward into your heart. 💓 

Go slowly and be kind with yourself,... take walks outside, surround yourself with beauty, and as you close your eyes, take a deep breath and consider that the walls created around you were built by an amazing being,  someone who, over time, needed protection in some way to feel safe.  But, now, the time is here for you to peak up over those walls, ... look around and then, take another deep breath and REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!  That amazing being who built those walls that hold you back,... can also break through or jump right over them for peace and freedom.

.

So,... LIVE,... WITHOUT FEAR! Be your best you!

 Take a chance on yourself!

May all beings be HAPPY AND free,... may YOUR thoughts, words and actions contribute to the well-being of all! 

and my own personal family motto:  GO BIG OR GO HOME!

In light,

Kerry 

TODAY is the day, oggi, hoy

Today,….hoy, oggi,…today! THIS DAY!

It is this day,…it must be THIS DAY, that I choose,… to be alive, to be awake, to make mistakes, to say, “I don’t know” ….Today is the day, that I let go, release and fly free.  What makes this day different than any other,…It is TODAY,…Maybe I will “fail” to LET GO… Maybe I will fail to BE FULLY awake!... but, then I will begin again….I will give my heart to this effort. 

 

I will let go of suffering and move forward…I remind myself and students:  You ARE your best teacher, the answers lie within…So,..JUMP, SOAR, FLY! AND…sit….THIS is the best teaching SIT…Not everyone who practices Yoga is aware that the word ASANA ( which is a part of most of the Sanskrit words that describe the POSTURES we take in the physical “practice” of Yoga,…Asana translates to ‘TAKING ONE’S SEAT’,… therefore, What we are ATTEMPTING to do,…is TAKE A SEAT, in the shapes that we make in a Yoga “class”…What does that EVEN mean?????

How can I ‘TAKE A SEAT’ in Warrior II 

while standing and extending my💓🙏 arms and activating my inner thighs and pulling into my 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd chakras,… How do I engage mulabhanda and SIT ,….

The answer is SIMPLE,… ( I didn’t say easy, I said,…simple)

The breath is smooth and even,…the posture allows for strength and flexibility to present themselves…and then, in the stillness, breathing, holding the space of the posture (shape, pose) there is a moment that exists,…DO YOU CREATE IT?... I actually think that it is ALWAYS there, always present but when we are quiet, we notice it,…we pay attention.

Your body has to cooperate to an extent to be able to be still and listen,… How do you do this?...PRACTICE these postures, eat well, sleep well, sit still A LOT,.. 

be compassionate

…take care of yourself, others and the earth. Continuity, consistency …stay the course,… sit when you are happy, sit when you are sad, sit when you are active, sit when you are mad, sit when the sun rises, sit when the time presents itself.  The opportunity to be with yourself is available many times each day, I know you say you are too busy, you say," it’s too hard",…..

Rewrite the story, today is a new day.  Today, you start again,… and then ONE DAY,….one day soon,… you will be in a shape, a yoga asana,… You will “sit” in the posture and breath, your body will be at ease and the great answers that you seek will become a beautiful song in your heart,.. you will hear the song like beautiful music, your heart will dance, your soul will shine and it will be TODAY!