Category: Thoughtful Yoga

Considerations and ponderings while conducting your daily practice.

What is Child Abuse?

Christina Souza Ma
abuseI have been privy to a situation in which a child has been removed from his parents and put into a foster home. What must that be like for this young spirit, this young growing mind? I realize that removing a child from an abusive situation, until the courts are able to appoint full custody to who they feel is the right parent to raise the child safely and lovingly,...
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Sitting in Stillness

Kat Robinson
ponderingLiving in today’s world of hustle and bustle, sitting still is one of the hardest lessons that must be learned. I often remind my students that, even when they believe they are relaxed, they may not be. In fact, most aren’t. It is an exercise as much as any other exercise. We, as a people, have a difficult time just being still. It seems there are always errands to run...
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How Do We Put a Hold on Time?

Christina Souza Ma
The years continue to swish by. It almost feels like someone has waved their magic wand and – poof! – here we are in the present moment. Where does the time go? Sometimes I feel like it is hiding around some corner waiting to step out and surprise me. Maybe that is what I am wishing for, extra time for extra moments in my life. As I continue to clear out...

Child’s Perfection

Christina Souza Ma
How does a child learn to be infatuated with perfection? I was very much a perfectionist growing up and know what a difficult habit it is to shift towards allowing things to happen without judging myself so hard. I made it a point to be aware of this so that I could circumvent this behavior with my own child. He is now 5 years old and signs of perfectionism are beginning to...
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Thunderstorms

Neil Pearson
Have you ever practiced relaxation during a thunderstorm? Yesterday afternoon I was lying on my floor, stretching my lower back, listening to the sound of distant thunder. I have always enjoyed this sound – its depth and complexity are as intriguing as its connection to danger. Beyond the sound is a strong feeling of humility for me, experiencing this demonstration of true power. After being lost in the thunder for a few...
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Fresh Water Mermaids

Anatara Buckley
Mer-Folk In the Great Lakes I am going to take a leap into a realm that I have recently been visiting. The leap is not that I have been experiencing the life of others, in a realm that we don’t often think about. The leap is about sharing it. And sharing is what these gentle mer-folk have been doing with me. While in the waters of Hawaii, I had many experiences of interaction...
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Clean Up Your Mess!

Kat Robinson
I recently spoke with someone who has been trying to deal with problems of the past. Unfortunately, the way this person is trying to deal with it is by ignoring it. He seems to live by the mantra of “live in the now”, each time shoving the problems back down. Except that the problems seem to be fighting back in the way of panic attacks and adrenal fatigue. Being a good...
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Do Real Friends Walk Away?

Kat Robinson
Over the last few months, my life has taken an interesting turn, one that has been a roller coaster ride of emotions. I recently lost a good friend. Now, before you start thinking that this person died, I want to clarify that she didn’t. She just decided that she did not want to be my friend anymore. It hurt. In fact, it hurt terribly, I actually think that it hurt...
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Change is Necessary

Christina Souza Ma
Change is always necessary for everyone. There are different paths of change that we can choose. As with everything, there are better paths than others. I believe that when we get stuck in one direction, that’s when things fall apart. When we change or shift, it will emanate around us. But it does begin with ourselves. The most important point is not to go on the path of anger. I have seen it...
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Effortless Freedom: Julie Dittmar & Matt Kahn

The sound I effortlessly found emitting from myself as I settled in to listen to Julie Dittmar and Matt Kahn give this presentation on the absence on the spiritual path was that of an extended “Ahhhh.” It feels so good to enter into the energy these two teachers emit and know that permission has been given to relax and simply “be.” I first encountered Spiritual Teacher Matt and Yoga Teacher Julie...