Author: Katrina Ariel

Yoga on a New Years Eve Blue Moon

Katrina Ariel

2010-blue-moon-fireworksWow! What a year it’s been – what a decade, really! And we’re in for a very special transition into the next year.

Tomorrow, on New Years Eve, we’ll celebrate under a full moon. Because this is the second full moon in December, it is also a Blue Moon! To top that off, there will be a partial lunar eclipse, though I don’t think we’ll get to see it in North America.

Needless to say, the heavenly bodies have aligned for an ultra potent moment in time! How will you celebrate it?

Here are a few ideas for you:

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Anusara Yoga: Aligning With The Highest Good

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on Anusara Yoga: Aligning With The Highest Good

galaxy01A friend of mine writes a stream of consciousness message every day. What comes through is pure wisdom and beauty.

Here’s a taste for you:

“The only responsibility you have is to align with source and allow source to come though you
directing your path
should you obey all that source brings to you
you will align with all your heart’s desires faster than you could imagine…”

“The only responsibility you have is to align with source and allow source to come though you
directing your path
should you obey all that source brings to you
you will align with all your heart’s desires faster than you could imagine…”

(Click for the entire enlightened message)

I find it fascinating that there are so many ways to connect to the energy that guides us, yet the common thread with all approaches is to align with the current of that energy. In Anusara® yoga we call it aligning with, or opening to grace. It’s a deliberate shift into the flow of nature, and – ask anyone who has experience aligning with this flow – it feels amazing!

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The Anusara Yoga Invocation: A Story

Katrina Ariel

me-oaktree-lotusMy first experience with the Anusara Invocation mantra was a bit of a surprise, actually…

I’m referring to the Opening Invocation used by Anusara yogis all over the world. It’s a beautiful song that brings you into the energy of light and truth, and it has become my companion over the years.

But the first time I heard it I had no idea it was coming.

I’d just started teaching yoga at the request of my yoga teacher, who was moving away and asked me to take over her classes. I guess I’d been teaching for 6 months or so when I went to my first Anusara® yoga gathering.

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The Yoga Of Football? New Orleans Saints Win Another Fan.

Katrina Ariel4 Comments on The Yoga Of Football? New Orleans Saints Win Another Fan.

New-Orleans-SaintsMonday night’s Saints vs. Patriots game changed me. It’s funny that even an NFL game can be a yogic transformation. Really – there’s yoga in football, believe it or not.

I have to admit, I’m the last person you’d expect to see enjoying a football game. I’ve had a pretty steady lack of interest in most competitive sports for, well, most of my life. Without a doubt, the New Orleans Saints have won over a very reluctant fan.

Here’s the story:

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A Deeply Satisfying Life

Katrina Ariel3 Comments on A Deeply Satisfying Life

enlightenmentThe following short thoughts I found upon opening the latest book I’m reading. I think they sum up the quest and reality of who we are as human beings in a beautiful and motivating way.

To me, yoga is the path and guide and community that helps me see clearly the way of my mission in the here and now.

May this poetic and powerful composition give you insight into yourself…

“What is a deeply satisfying human life

And how do we design one?

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Thanksgiving Every Day

Katrina Ariel4 Comments on Thanksgiving Every Day
Sunset beauty in Nicaragua. So grateful.
Sunset beauty in Nicaragua. So grateful.

Though this day signifies a time of giving thanks in the US, everyone in the world can benefit from the power of gratitude every single day.

Gratitude is one of the most direct ways into the light of the heart.

Giving thanks helps you to feel the interconnectedness of all life, and so doing, enter the flow of grace in a most beautiful way.

Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully, in full awareness of your posture.

Take a deep breath, and as you exhale feel the earth beneath you.

Offer the nurturing planet gratitude for everything she provides.

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Anusara Yoga: Rocking Ripples Of Light Through 2012 And Beyond

Katrina Ariel

2012-starsEveryone I meet seems to feel it. There’s a sense of urgency at this time in the world. A collective feeling that whatever we do right now has so much impact that our fate is being decided.

At a recent Anusara® yoga training with John Friend, the topic of 2012 came up. There we were rocking with energy and light, working transitions and shifting energy, and since it’s all interconnected it was natural to speak of transformation and shifts on a global level.

2012 is the end of many ancient calendars. Do you feel the crescendo? It’s like we’re at a climax of energies that have been creating friction for ages. I must say I’m very much excited to be alive right now.

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Magic In The Earth: Findhorn’s Nature Spirits

Katrina Ariel

findhorn-gardenI was in my local art gallery organic café one day and picked up a curious book published in 1975. It’s called “The Magic Of Findhorn” by Paul Hawken.

Now I’d heard of Findhorn before. I had a preconceived notion of it being a idyllic intentional community and retreat center in Scotland, but I didn’t know much about it.

The book called to me. You know the intuitive pull your heart puts out when something really resonates? That call. So I picked it up, read the first page, and promptly asked my friend who owns the café if I could borrow the book.

Over the next week or so I somehow created time in my silly busy schedule to read the book. I was so totally touched by what I learned that I decided to share some of it here with you.

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Show Up & Let Go

Katrina Ariel1 Comment on Show Up & Let Go

chakrayogaOne of my first teachers, Shane Perkins, is beloved in my heart for his clear embodiment of unconditional love. He taught me much simply by the way he conducts himself with kindness and integrity at all times.

When speaking on the topic of meditation, Shane summed it all up in these words:

“Show up and let go.”

Show up, as in be present, be aware, be in the here and now. Then let go, meaning release the struggle, let the thoughts float by without attachment, allow the moment to simply be.

Applying this approach to meditation and life can be an ongoing practice, to be sure, but one that is infinitely rewarding. Let’s try it now, shall we?

Mini-Meditation: Show Up and Let Go

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