Wow, I sure do seem to have trouble being committed to writing here on my blog. In all honesty, I developed the blog site as a way to communicate with my yoga students, but now with a website, that seems less necessary. So I am left with wondering if there is anything of interest to write about. Today as I was teaching yoga class, I had some ideas rolling around in my head and decided that it must be blog time! So here it goes.....
I was thinking about how angry everyone seems these days. Most of my friends are still pleasant enough of course, but it feels like our communities and our country are deeply divided and suspicious of one another. Just today I realized that in one week, it is election day. The attack ads and campaigning have been going on for so long, that it almost seems surprising that in one week it will be a done deal. Not that I'm complaining....it has been a long slog and I'm sure I am not the only one who is weary of the whole ordeal.
It got me wondering....how did we get to this point? I really have no answer to that question, but it got me thinking about the emotions of anger and rage. In the therapy room, I have many opportunities to talk to people who struggle with intense emotion and anger concerns. Eventually we get around to exploring what lurks underneath. Typically, people get angry when they are actually afraid or anxious, or when they feel poked in the "soft underbelly" somehow. When we feel a lack of respect, or we feel shamed and embarrassed, or weak and ineffective, instead of addressing these feelings, we get angry and bluster and rant and rave instead.
I think many of us collectively and as a culture right now are feeling anxious and fearful and we are getting angry about it!!! Events around the world keep happening that are certainly anxiety producing and create fear. We seem to hear weekly of mass shootings in schools, places of worship, or movie theaters. Road rage, drive by shootings, bombs sent in the mail. It's no wonder we are a bit apprehensive and frightened. But what do we do with these emotions? I worry that the fear and discomfort people feel is turning them into angry and hostile people. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen only to people on one side of the political aisle. While I completely disagree with the negative innuendo and name calling that comes from our current political leadership, I also see it each and every day in social media and of course, in all the negative attack ads. We have come to the point where many have decided that fear SELLS and that negativity "fires up a political base."
I cringe when people call the president (or anyone for that matter) names; it's not respectful. It's mean spirited and it takes us to a place where we have no ground to stand on to say that we want the harsh rhetoric and abusive behavior of others to stop. Unfortunately, hate and anger can spread like a wildfire out of control. At the end of the day, our best defense against getting caught up in the spiral of fear, anxiety, anger, and rage is to SLOW DOWN. TAKE A BREATH. If you recognize that you are feeling tweaked and upset, that's ok, but remember that you can decide how to behave, what you will say, and how you will respond. Don't be what it is you are raging against!
I'm not advocating that people should never get angry. Anger is an emotion that helps us galvanize and gather our energy for action. When we see injustice in the world, it should make us angry and motivated to make things right (Note that I didn't say get revenge). It's when our anger makes us unable to think clearly and we get entrenched in rigid thinking that things start to spin out of control. Then we start resorting to our own forms of violence, whether it is name calling, accusations, or something more extreme.
I go back to where I started....my friends and family are still pleasant and a joy to be around. That's really where we start and end each day, with people we hold dear. If we can all hold onto and remember that ALL of us in this nation and in our world are part of one human family, then perhaps that will help us change our tone just a bit. It starts at home. It starts with me. Be kind. Be generous. Hope for the best and and be an example of what you'd like to see in others. Get out and vote and may next Tuesday be a time of new beginnings and new ideas that benefit us all.
What the heck does this have to do with yoga you ask? Everything. Yoga is a practice for living and teaches us skills like breathing deeply and understanding our connection to all beings. We get on the mat every day to practice concepts of mindfulness and the word yoga itself means "yoke" or to bring together. We are human. We mess up. So we show up on our mats again to work on being mindful and aware of the divine energy that exists in all of us.
Namaste
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
FALL SESSIONS BEGIN NEXT WEEK
Hello All!!
Have a look at the Yoga Moodra website and plan now to attend one of the fall yoga sessions. They all begin next week. Each session has 6 classes and will cost $50 cash/check. First time students can drop in and try out a class for $10. Ongoing students may pay as you go at $18 per class.
See you on the mat!
Have a look at the Yoga Moodra website and plan now to attend one of the fall yoga sessions. They all begin next week. Each session has 6 classes and will cost $50 cash/check. First time students can drop in and try out a class for $10. Ongoing students may pay as you go at $18 per class.
See you on the mat!
Monday, April 23, 2018
Spring Sessions!!
Wow, after much delay...it appears that Spring has Sprung!!!
Time to get on the mat to bend, breathe, and be at your best each day.
New session dates: Advent United Methodist Church, Eagan: New session starts April 23 and runs through June 4 (no class on Memorial Day May 28). Class cost is $50
Tuesday's class is underway at Glendale United Methodist Church in Savage, but it's not to late to join us! The class meets from 4:30-5:30pm and runs through May 22. You can certainly come and "pay as you go" for $10/per class.
Thursday's class at All Saints Lutheran Church will begin a new session next week on May 3rd and run through June 21. The 8 class session cost is $65.
Contact me if you have questions or feedback about class! I love being your yoga teacher and appreciate your thoughts and ideas about how to make the practice meaningful and beneficial to you!
Have a great day everyone!
Time to get on the mat to bend, breathe, and be at your best each day.
New session dates: Advent United Methodist Church, Eagan: New session starts April 23 and runs through June 4 (no class on Memorial Day May 28). Class cost is $50
Tuesday's class is underway at Glendale United Methodist Church in Savage, but it's not to late to join us! The class meets from 4:30-5:30pm and runs through May 22. You can certainly come and "pay as you go" for $10/per class.
Thursday's class at All Saints Lutheran Church will begin a new session next week on May 3rd and run through June 21. The 8 class session cost is $65.
Contact me if you have questions or feedback about class! I love being your yoga teacher and appreciate your thoughts and ideas about how to make the practice meaningful and beneficial to you!
Have a great day everyone!
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
New Session Dates!
Hello all!
I have new session dates that follow our current yoga session.
Monday's class at Advent United Methodist Church in Eagan meets from 4:30pm-5:30pm. The current session ends on February 19th (our make-up date for the 'snow cancellation' in January!).
New session dates:
February 26-April 16 (skip March 5 and March 12). Cost $50
Thursday's class at All Saints Lutheran Church in Eagan meets from 7-8pm. The current session ends on February 15th. We skip a week on February 22.
New Session dates:
March 1-April 19 (skip March 8 and March 29). Cost $50.
As always, if you are new and want to come and try out a class, you are welcome! Please feel free to drop in....and pay a rate of $10 per class. Call me or connect with me via email at karenyogam@gmail.com (or my contact page on the website) if you have questions about class. We welcome beginners and always have room for more!
See you all on the mat!
I have new session dates that follow our current yoga session.
Monday's class at Advent United Methodist Church in Eagan meets from 4:30pm-5:30pm. The current session ends on February 19th (our make-up date for the 'snow cancellation' in January!).
New session dates:
February 26-April 16 (skip March 5 and March 12). Cost $50
Thursday's class at All Saints Lutheran Church in Eagan meets from 7-8pm. The current session ends on February 15th. We skip a week on February 22.
New Session dates:
March 1-April 19 (skip March 8 and March 29). Cost $50.
As always, if you are new and want to come and try out a class, you are welcome! Please feel free to drop in....and pay a rate of $10 per class. Call me or connect with me via email at karenyogam@gmail.com (or my contact page on the website) if you have questions about class. We welcome beginners and always have room for more!
See you all on the mat!
Monday, January 29, 2018
Finding the Good
As many of you know, I try to prompt my yoga students to consider a moment or two for a gratitude practice at the end of class during final relaxation. Hopefully you find this to be helpful and find that it is something that helps you leave class on a more positive note.
Our brains are wired to think and to solve problems. As a result, if something negative happens to us, our brain uses that as an opportunity for thinking and learning, and hopefully the result of that thinking is making new choices in the future to avoid more negative experiences. Unfortunately, if this process is left on its own, our brains tend to keep reviewing and thinking about negative experiences long after it is of any help to us. Worry, anxiety, and endless fretting then become the order of the day.
In 2005, a psychologist name Martin Seligman led a research project on depression. His research found that one factor that promoted happiness and decreased depressive symptoms was a practice of having research participants write down 3 things or positive events from each day. This gratitude practice gets the brain to stop pursuing negative events and shifts the focus to what is going right and what has been positive for us. It interrupts our persistent negative thinking that can lead to stress and feeling overwhelmed.
As a practice, yoga allows us to slow down a bit, to examine our thinking, and to be in touch with our bodies. The next time you are on the mat, notice if your mind begins to list and catalog all of your faults, weaknesses, lack of flexibility, whatever it is. See if you can switch up your thinking by considering what is positive in each moment and posture. You'll begin to see new strength, added endurance, better balance, and an overall appreciation for everything that your body is capable of.
Pause, breathe, and consider 3 things that were awesome about your yoga practice. Find the good!
Our brains are wired to think and to solve problems. As a result, if something negative happens to us, our brain uses that as an opportunity for thinking and learning, and hopefully the result of that thinking is making new choices in the future to avoid more negative experiences. Unfortunately, if this process is left on its own, our brains tend to keep reviewing and thinking about negative experiences long after it is of any help to us. Worry, anxiety, and endless fretting then become the order of the day.
In 2005, a psychologist name Martin Seligman led a research project on depression. His research found that one factor that promoted happiness and decreased depressive symptoms was a practice of having research participants write down 3 things or positive events from each day. This gratitude practice gets the brain to stop pursuing negative events and shifts the focus to what is going right and what has been positive for us. It interrupts our persistent negative thinking that can lead to stress and feeling overwhelmed.
As a practice, yoga allows us to slow down a bit, to examine our thinking, and to be in touch with our bodies. The next time you are on the mat, notice if your mind begins to list and catalog all of your faults, weaknesses, lack of flexibility, whatever it is. See if you can switch up your thinking by considering what is positive in each moment and posture. You'll begin to see new strength, added endurance, better balance, and an overall appreciation for everything that your body is capable of.
Pause, breathe, and consider 3 things that were awesome about your yoga practice. Find the good!
Monday, January 22, 2018
NO YOGA CLASS TODAY!
It should be pretty obvious at this point, but we DO NOT have yoga today due to weather conditions! Stay home and off the roads! Peace
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Welcome to 2018
May this be your best year yet! I am looking forward to getting new yoga sessions started next week after some time off to celebrate the holidays. I love the parties and gatherings of Christmas and New Years Eve, but I've gotta say, I am really ready to get back to a routine and to see you all enjoying yoga again!
Here's the schedule for classes:
Monday: Advent United Methodist Church Eagan. 4:30-5:30pm 6 class session cost is $50. Dates: January 8-February 12.
Tuesday: Glendale United Methodist Church Savage. 4:30-5:30pm 6 class session cost is $50. Dates: January 9- February 13.
Thursday: All Saints Lutheran Church Eagan. 7-8pm 6 class session cost is $50 Dates: January 11-February 15.
Please bring your payments (cash/check) with you to the first class and bring your punch card if you have one!
Invite your friends and neighbors. As a reminder, if new folks want to try out some yoga, you can attend for a $10 drop in fee. If you will miss a class, you are welcome to attend class at another site to complete a make-up class.
See you on the mat!!
Peace
Here's the schedule for classes:
Monday: Advent United Methodist Church Eagan. 4:30-5:30pm 6 class session cost is $50. Dates: January 8-February 12.
Tuesday: Glendale United Methodist Church Savage. 4:30-5:30pm 6 class session cost is $50. Dates: January 9- February 13.
Thursday: All Saints Lutheran Church Eagan. 7-8pm 6 class session cost is $50 Dates: January 11-February 15.
Please bring your payments (cash/check) with you to the first class and bring your punch card if you have one!
Invite your friends and neighbors. As a reminder, if new folks want to try out some yoga, you can attend for a $10 drop in fee. If you will miss a class, you are welcome to attend class at another site to complete a make-up class.
See you on the mat!!
Peace
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