Category: meditation

The Dance Of Breath In Pranayama: Ujjayi Yoga Breath

Katrina Ariel

A large part of Meditation is the dance of breath, and the guiding of breath in Pranayama such as Ujjayi and even breathing, such as in this video, can be a beautiful gateway into a deep state of peace.

Maintaining a beautiful posture or seat in meditation is part of why the practice of asana is such a foundational and integral part of the practice.

So sit beautifully.

Whatever that means for you.

And enjoy your practice.

Ujjayi Pranayama Meditation

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Music, Mantra and Meditation Nights with Katrina

Katrina Ariel

These are powerful nights to observe with mantra and meditation. Come out and celebrate or have your own ceremony wherever you are.

If you’re not in Kamloops for the gatherings, feel free to let the intentions and mantras below guide your own experience.

Friday, March 18th, from 7:00-9:00pm: Full Moon and Spring Equinox Celebration

Come celebrate New Growth and Abundance with this powerful Full Moon gathering!

Plant seeds of intention in the fertile soil of this Spring, and increase your awareness and powers of perception so you can open to willingly receive each moment of delight as Nature reveals her nurturing green and colourful beauty to us.

Mantras:

  • Om Namah Shivaya (Anusara yoga Opening Invocation)
  • Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha (to Welcome New Beginnings)
  • Om Shri Lakshmi Namaha (Honoring Beauty, Abundance, and Benevolence)
  • Shiva Shambo (Into the Abode of Joy)

Each person will receive a seed, which you can charge with intention and plant. No matter if the plant lives and thrives, or if the seed just is a gift to the earth and mulches into the soil, the energy of your intention will be received by the spirit of Spring.

Friday, April 22nd, from 7:00-9:00pm: Earth Day Celebration on the Waning Moon

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Om Namah Shivaya Mantra – Amazing Grace – Free Music Download

Katrina Ariel6 Comments on Om Namah Shivaya Mantra – Amazing Grace – Free Music Download

Om Namah Shivaya is one of my favorite mantras. I sing it to many melodies, let it whisper quietly within me, or just feel it in the heart of meditation.

It is a Maha Mantra; a great mantra that has been passed from teacher to student for thousands of years.

It brings you back to the simplest, most comforting truth by affirming that the essence of everything that is, is good. You are a good person. You are connected to so much that is auspicious and divine.

Om Namah Shivaya guides you into your heart space and holds you in a warmth that reveals a deep peace that has always been with you and is always available if you simply follow your breath and the pulsation of your heart.

I would like to offer you a free download of me singing this mantra. It isn’t a perfect recording, but it carries the vibration of love, peace, and beauty. May it bring you great joy.

Right click to download this song: Om Namah Shivaya to Amazing Grace

I intend to, at some point, get into a recording studio and do this properly, but for now, this is what I have to give. If you enjoy it, please share it with friends and family by bringing them to this page.

May this great mantra resonate love and peace into the hearts of all beings.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Katrina Ariel

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The Importance of Daily Meditation

Katrina Ariel4 Comments on The Importance of Daily Meditation

Meditation is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

It has been celebrated by an overwhelmingly wide spectrum of people, from western doctors to the humblest of practitioners. Meditative practices are perhaps the most universal of techniques used in the pursuit of happiness and health, spirituality and success.

Remarkably, it doesn’t matter who you are or what your background is in order to reap the benefits. One of the biggest obstacles people have as resistance to starting is something like this:

“I can’t meditate, there’s no way my mind would slow down enough for that.”

Here’s the good news – you don’t have to make your mind slow down. It may do so on its own, but don’t get caught up worrying about the idea of trying to sit still for a length of time with no thoughts at all in your mind. That isn’t realistic, and doesn’t really happen for most people.

Instead, try approaching the idea of meditation as a momentary retreat; a way of reconnecting to who you truly are so that you can enjoy life more fully and on your own terms.

Also, keep in mind that there are a good many kids who have been labeled as ADD and ADHD who do yoga and meditate. These practices have brought them to a place where they can sit still and concentrate. If they can do it, so can you. 🙂

What are some of the benefits of meditation for you?

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Earth Healing Mantra ~ Om Shri Gaia Ma…

Katrina Ariel6 Comments on Earth Healing Mantra ~ Om Shri Gaia Ma…

This song was inspired by my deep love and connection to Earth.

It welled up within me, whispering and then singing with awareness of the complete interconnection we all have.

I have climbed to the knees of a giant Douglas Fir Tree and sang this into the moss.

I have stood in the clearest stream of water, illuminated in sunshine. This mantra singing to me from within.

~

Om Shri Gaia Ma

Purnatva Gaia Ma

~

Beautiful, Abundant, Benevolent Earth Mother

You Are The FULLEST Perfection

Divine Mother Earth

~

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Living Each Moment In Joy

Katrina Ariel

eye-of-timeSo often we get caught in the workings of time, and drag ourselves down worrying about past and future.

Of course, so much of the wisdom of yoga teaches us to be in the present moment. When we do, worries and stress melt away, for we realize that everything truly is okay when we just live one breath at a time.

Focusing on one thing at a time, choosing to live mindfully in the moment, can lead to such happiness. (And it can also help you have a much more productive day if that’s what you’re after.)

My friend John Stringer contributes the following offering to this train of thought:

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10 Easy Ways To Meditate

Katrina Ariel
Photo courtesy of my friend Toshi Kawano
Photo courtesy of my friend, photographer Toshi Kawano

Okay, you know meditation helps you de-stress, find peace of mind, feel happier, and find more balance in your health. But it’s hard! We’re not really conditioned to sit still, nor is your mind interested in emptying itself of the ten thousand thoughts it’s pondering. And where do you find the time?

The good news is that almost everyone who meditates deals with these same challenges, and you can enjoy the benefits of meditation without having to be a master of it. Here are some great tips and ideas to help you get the most out of your meditation practice:

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Who Dat! Yoga – A Meditation Of Belonging

Katrina Ariel

Fleur-de-lis-gold-omThe overwhelming sense of community in the Who Dat celebration of New Orleans Saints’ victory can actually inspire a great lesson of yoga: You Belong!

To understand fully how special you are and what this wave of excitement from New Orleans has to do with you, check out this article: New Orleans Teaches Us About Community Of The Heart.

Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully and quiet your mind.

Feel your breath dance within you.

Feel your heart beat.

As you tune in to your own inner music,

Realize that each being on this planet shares

The experience of breath and heartbeat.

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Walking Meditation

Katrina Ariel

ocean03Yoga is a moving meditation, and walking can be a wonderful way to practice it.

The idea of walking meditation, just like other meditations, is to be fully present. You can bring such awareness to the way you walk, your surroundings, and the moment itself, that this practice can create a heightened state of connection and peace.

My first experience with walking meditation was at a yoga teacher training in Baja, Mexico. Each morning we got up super early, did a short asana practice, then we went out to the beach for walking meditation.

I would place my feet slowly, mindfully, listening to the waves crash on the shore. I felt the subtleties of each step, and often would close my eyes or even walk backwards to shift my perspective.

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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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