Author: Katrina Ariel

Yoga Radio Story Time: Archetypes and Ganesh the Elephant God

Katrina Ariel

In this episode of Yoga Radio with Katrina Ariel:

Once upon a time… Ready for a story?

Learn how Ganesh was born and what he can do for you. If you aren’t familiar with Ganesh, he’s the large bellied, elephant headed Lord of Beginnings, the Remover of Obstacles, and the Deva of Intellect and Wisdom.

The different gods and goddesses you see in yogic traditions are all archetypes that teach us about the many attributes of the one energy that we otherwise have a hard time describing in its infinite forms. Archetypes also are present within each of us, so be sure to tune in to learn about how Ganesh can help you clear out what’s getting in your way and welcome new beginnings.

Listen to master storyteller, Manoj Chalam, explain the significance of Ganesh and how to work with archetypes. I’ll also lead you through a mantra, or chant, that carries the energies of Ganesh, who is well-loved worldwide.

Click below to listen to the show. Feel free to share. 😉


Yoga Radio Story Time: Archetypes and Ganesh the Elephant God
Recorded LIVE on the VoiceAmerica network March 1, 2012.

 

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

 

This mantra invokes the loving assistance of Ganesha, who is the Lord of Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles. He is also the Deva of Intellect and Wisdom. This song is a celebration of a fresh cycle, a flowing life, and a welcoming of blessings.

My book Yoga for Dragon Riders has an entire section dedicated to mantra and the yoga of resonance. Visit the website where you can download the first 2 chapters and get 2 free yoga videos. 🙂

The free Yoga for Dragon Riders videos include one Deep Healing Yoga class and one more vigorous Align and Flow Yoga class.

Feeling Naked in the Ocean of Alchemy

Katrina Ariel
Parivrtta Trikonasana

I’ve never been comfortable with the feeling of being vulnerable. In fact, the word alone used to get me defensive.

Vulnerable. Naked. Exposed.

That’s how I feel at the moment. Nearly naked in the Ocean of Alchemy.

I was looking through my photos and found this one, where I’m all twisted in Parivrtta Trikonasana on the coast in Nicaragua. Before I put it in my yoga newsletter this week, I paused. I felt the moment totally differently than I did when the photo was taken.

My heart said, “Yes, this is what it is to be vulnerable.” It is a precarious place, barely balanced.

And yet there is harmony to be found here. There is an incredible availability to be open and see what the next waves bring. If this is the Ocean of Alchemy in which I surf and swim, then it means I am simply becoming the next version of myself as each wave washes through me.

This pose, to me, always feels incredible. Revolved Triangle asks you to balance, cross over yourself, and touch both Earth and Sky. Somehow in the smooshing together of internal organs in the twist, something always opens in my breath.

So, I write this blog post on the edge. I’m okay with being on the edge of this wave. It’s a refreshing feeling here, because whether I jump off, fall off, or the wind carries me somewhere else, I know I’ll be okay.

I know that the feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty and overwhelm are like the deep cleansing twist I find in this pose. Sometimes when I play in Parivrtta Trikonasana I am solid. Sometimes I teeter and sometimes I fall over. When that happens, I just try again with a bit more awareness and intention.

If you ever find yourself feeling like you’re barely treading water, my suggestion is this: flow with it. Find where the current is willing to carry you without so much struggle. Do the best that you can in each moment and be okay sometimes with feeling naked to the elements. Because when you let the waves wash through you they can actually clear out what’s been weighing you down.

And know, deeply and truly, that you are not alone. Because we’ve all been there. It’s a delicate and wondrous part of being human.

My suggestion (for myself and for you): Go to your mat and physically ride the waves of your breath. Flow. Twist. Bend.

Break open the parts that are ready to shatter. Let the pieces be carried away by the tide.

Yoga Radio: The Potency of Transitions and Revolution with Ginger Coy

Katrina Ariel

In this episode of Yoga Radio with Katrina Ariel:

Ginger Coy

2012 has been prophesized as a time of great transitions and, so far, it hasn’t disappointed.

The things that aren’t working are breaking down. The president of Germany has just stepped down, there are protests in Greece and in many other places everyday people are taking measures to Occupy and say “We’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore!”

Revolution about taking back your own power, and not giving it to anyone. This has been one of the major themes in the scandal that has rocked the yoga world, with John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga (and with whom I studied extensively and learned tons), exposed as a human being who makes mistakes and hasn’t been walking his talk.

For me and many others, it has been a time of letting go of anyone I’ve held on a pedestal and stepping fully into trusting my own knowing and power.

In this show I have an excellent talk with Ginger Coy, who brought us the Bay Shakti blog, about the universal teachings these times of transition are offering up right now, and how you can apply some of these ideas to the transitions you face in your own life.

Click below to listen to the show. Feel free to share. 😉

Yoga Radio: The Potency of Transitions and Revolution with Ginger Coy
Recorded LIVE on the VoiceAmerica network February 23, 2012.

Guest Bio:

It is Ginger’s belief that sharing information is sharing energy, and as you share energy, you share a thread that connects you to others. As everyone shares different threads, the tapestry is woven, and the fabric of life is all the more richer. As one of us is uplifted so is the rest!

What you’ll find in Ginger’s classes is a welcoming quality of earnestness and a safe space for you to explore strengthening, alignment, and heart opening. Ginger combines playfulness and seriousness, and endeavors to be ‘seriously playful’.

You can visit BayShakti.com to read archived articles by Ginger and many other excellent writers.

Dancing on the Edge of the Ocean in Parivrtta Trikonasana

If you’re feeling a little vulnerable while riding the ocean of life, check out this helpful article: Naked in the Ocean of Alchemy

“Dance, when you’re broken open.

Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.

Dance in the middle of the fighting.

Dance in your blood.

Dance when you’re perfectly free.”

―Rumi

My book Yoga for Dragon Riders is all about stepping into your power and living your own truth. Visit the website where you can download the first two chapters and free yoga videos. 🙂

The free Yoga for Dragon Riders videos include one Deep Healing Yoga class and one more vigorous Align and Flow Yoga class.


Maha Shivaratri: The Potency of Transitions

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on Maha Shivaratri: The Potency of Transitions

Unlimited potential and a powerful time of transition gives you a chance to set intention and allow your mind to become fully absorbed in the heart!

Though this article speaks specifically about Maha Shivaratri, you can learn much from it about transitions in general, and why they are so important.

There are certain times of transition where the veil thins; when you can more easily feel the intrinsic connection between who you are as an individual, and the essence that pulsates as the Spirit in us all.

Maha Shivaratri is one of these times, and a very special transition indeed. This is the Great Night of Shiva, which happens only once a year on the 13th moon as the sliver of crescent moon dissolves into the darkness of night.

It offers both potency and the opportunity to enter into a deeper relationship with the divine.

Here’s some footage from a Maha Shivaratri Gathering I led in 2011:

Before I continue, I’d like to say that, though this tradition comes from India, it offers any sincere practitioner a clear path to the heart. You can use mantra, intention, and celebration to deepen your own understanding and relationship with what you personally believe; that which you already know in your heart.

It is said that your prayers and mantras are magnified 10,000 times on this powerful night.

Read More “Maha Shivaratri: The Potency of Transitions”

Yoga Radio: Being Human and How Standing on Your Head Can Help

Katrina Ariel

In this episode of Yoga Radio with Katrina Ariel:

Let’s face it, we all make mistakes. It’s part of being human.

But we can go overboard with guilt, obsess about “right and wrong,” and just plain stress ourselves out beyond reason.

We all ride waves of emotions, and deal with life’s situations the best we can, but we need ways to find balance, to clear the unease of worry, and to figure out how best to forgive, grow and learn from our mistakes. Here’s where yoga comes to the rescue, with everything from poses that clear stuck energy to wisdom found in relationship.

And even if you don’t want to stand on your head, this week’s show will have lots of gems you can take with you to add some sparkle and shine to life as you play the grand game of human experience.

Click below to listen to the show. Feel free to share. 😉

Episode Title: Being Human and How Standing on Your Head Can Help
Recorded LIVE on the VoiceAmerica network February 16, 2012.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,

there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,

The world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase each other

Doesn’t make any sense.

—Rumi

Learn more about Ho’oponopono, the powerful meditation at the end of this Yoga Radio show, in the many exercises given in my book Yoga for Dragon Riders. Click for access to the first 2 chapters and get 2 free yoga videos. 🙂

The free Yoga for Dragon Riders videos include one Deep Healing Yoga class and one more vigorous Align and Flow Yoga class.

Ripples of Loving Kindness – Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Katrina Ariel

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.

It means “May all beings be happy and free, and may my thoughts, words, and actions contribute to the happiness and freedom of all.”

Please sing along, or just enter the resonance of infinite love.

If you choose to do so, I invite you to send this loving kindness out in ripples, to the whole world.

Love is the essence, the great healer, the liberating feeling of joy.

And it is who you truly are.

Love, love, love.

Climbing Up the Pendulum: the “Why” Behind My Choice to Leave Anusara Inc.

Katrina Ariel

One of my very first teachers, who I consider a beloved brother—Shane Perkins—taught me much about unconditional love and standing in your power.

He described “climbing up the pendulum” as being able to witness the big swinging movements of life from a place that is less extreme, just gently rocking rather than helplessly swinging from one side to the other. In other words, staying more centered.

So I’ve been practicing that. There have been a lot of emotions in the last few months and especially the last week, but I’m finding I’m less and less attached to the feelings and unconcerned with the outcome.

Somehow or another, in the words of the great Bob Marley, “Everything ‘gonna be alright.”

I just need to speak and live my truth right now.

Here’s why I feel the need to independently create yoga products:

My choice to leave Anusara Inc was primarily because I am in a hugely creative point in my life, with a book and several video products in the works, and I refuse to be creatively limited by or financially obligated to Anusara, Inc. Be assured there is a difference between the method of the yoga I teach, and the business that I have just stepped away from.

I think it’s important for me to explain WHY I’m choosing to make products, and thus concerned with the ownership, licensing, and royalty policies that were written into the licensing agreement I had to sign to become a certified Anusara yoga instructor.

I came up with this list, not just to tell you my reasons, but to be sure I myself am clear in my inner knowing.

1) I like teaching in my hometown of Kamloops, BC. I love my students. They really don’t like it when I leave them for extended periods of time.

2) At the same time, I want to travel, but I don’t necessarily have to teach when I travel as I would need to do to make the kind of money I want to make unless I make products. If I were to travel and teach for a living, I’d be away from my local community far more frequently than if I just go for the adventure of it and then come home refreshed to teach again.

3) Having books, videos, and other media in products helps me share what wisdom and skill I have to offer, and also live the lifestyle I want to live. Why shouldn’t I make good money helping people feel happier and more free? I’m talented and have valuable services and products to offer. We all have talents to share and the world benefits when we do so.

4) I want to be financially steady so I can take the time to actually become a mother. I don’t feel comfortable taking that leap until I have an income that is steady enough for me to cut my classes way back or not teach for a period of time if that’s what I need to do.

Since I’m self-employed, there’s no such thing as maternity leave. I have to provide for myself if I want to take the time off to nurture and grow another being.

By leaving Anusara, Inc., I release myself from limitations around the creation of yoga offerings that are the products of my heart, my experience, and wisdom I have gathered from innumerable sources.

By leaving Anusara, Inc., I am able to not only speak my truth, but to live it.

And, I want to make this very clear, I have not left Anusara yoga.

I have not turned my back on the kula or John Friend. I am holding space for healing, regrowth, and transformation. I step back to hold space and be who I choose to be.

I’ve climbed up the pendulum, witnessing the emotions that come but not entrenched in them—not thrown off center by the extremes.

I have made this choice from a place of compassion and love. And I send that compassion and love out, in ever expanding waves, into All That Is.

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

The Death and Rebirth of Anusara Yoga

Katrina Ariel

An update on what’s going on with John Friend, Anusara yoga, and the liberating force of destruction.

At the end of nearly every yoga class, we take savasana, which translates as “corpse pose.”

This signifies a transition between the practice of asana on the mat, and the practice of being human off the mat.

It is also a symbolic death which is followed by an inevitable rebirth.

At the moment the yoga world, and especially Anusara yoga, is reeling from public exposure of private and business choices John Friend has made in less than perfect integrity. We all make mistakes. I am not agreeing with John here, I’m just stating a simple fact: no one is perfect, no matter how much we expect them to be.

So Kali, goddess of destruction, has shown up in a big way here. People are reacting with everything from compassion to anger . . .

But I’m actually smiling because I have an overwhelming feeling of hope!

Our community of Anusara yoga teachers and students is closer than never before. In the middle of this controversy and the death of how the organization of Anusara has existed up until now I see the promise and beginning of rebirth.

We have some very strong teachers stepping up to lead the restructuring of Anusara yoga, and a promise that there will be a more democratic process to come.

This is incredibly freeing. And I am glad for it, though my heart goes out to everyone—including John—who is experiencing hurt right now.

I’ve just had an article published on elephant journal that explains why I think This Might Be the Best Thing to Happen to Anusara Yoga.

Perhaps you’ll like it.

When in doubt, practice.

Anusara yoga, as a practice, is the most effective, empowering, liberating, delightful, healing and revealing approach I have personally found. It has absolutely helped me transform and recover from a lot of my own issues and emotional baggage I’d been dragging around for most of my life.

Every single Anusara yoga teacher I have studied with has been of the highest skill, and I think it is important that this controversy not reflect badly upon them.

Everyone has their own path. There are as many ways to practice yoga as there are people. What your heart says is right for you is, in fact, right for you.

When in doubt, practice. It is in the breath that transformation happens. It is in the stillness and quiet of savasana where we sometimes grow the most.

Kali is insperable from Saraswati, the goddess of beginnings, and Lakshmi, the goddess of sustaining and abundance.

2012 promised to bring change. Here is one perfect example of the power of transformation.

Yoga Radio: Eagle Eyes, Flight, Focus, and Freedom!

Katrina Ariel

In this episode of Yoga Radio with Katrina Ariel:

Are your eyes strained from staring at a computer screen? Does your heart yearn to take flight? Do you crave more focus and freedom in your life?

Listen in and you’ll be guided through eye exercises to strengthen and rest your eye muscles and benefit the health of these organs we so often take for granted. You’ll learn specific ways to increase focus so you can feel more present. You will have a chance to share the ways yoga has brought you more freedom, and learn the same from others.

And, in the closing meditation, you will be guided with your inner vision, to spread the wings of your heart and take flight!

Click below to listen to the show. Feel free to share. 😉

Yoga Radio: Eagle Eyes – Flight, Focus, and Freedom!
Recorded LIVE, February 9, 2012, on VoiceAmerica’s Health and Wellness channel.

 

Like the Eagle Eye Exercise? Reference it and many other practices in my book, Yoga for Dragon Riders. Visit the website for access to the first 2 chapters and free yoga videos. 🙂

The free Yoga for Dragon Riders videos include one Deep Healing Yoga class and one more vigorous Align and Flow Yoga class.

Stillness and Flow

Katrina Ariel

As I sat in meditation this morning, I got this message:

Be both the rock and the water rushing past.

Be still, patient, steadfast. 

Anchor yourself in your Self.

Feel and witness the world unfold around you.

And, at the same time, flow.

Change in every moment. 

Delight in the swift current and the movement of life.

Be both the rock and the river, the shore and the ocean.

To me, Anusara yoga teaches this so clearly.

Steadfast and spacious, strong and sensitive. Yoga is both the path beneath your feet and the way you choose to walk, dance, meander, and otherwise be human along the way.

And, when all else fails, breathe and move—roll out your mat and embody the qualities you seek.