Freedom Yoga as a Lifestyle. Tips from Erich Schiffman!

Oct19

If you have taken a class with me in the past few years, you know that I have been deeply inspired by the teachings of Erich Schiffman and Freedom Style Yoga. His influence has really allowed me to expand my awareness of what a yoga practice should be, look, and feel. I was SO fortunate to be with him last weekend at the Freedom Yoga Retreat in Yogaville, and to share the experience with Saylor and lil ommies Ada & Paige.

The best part of practicing freedom yoga is when Erich turns on some of his favorite music and just lets the whole room do a free form session. No prescribed flow, no adjustments, just movement. The energy, the art, the creativity that you feel is really amazing and palpable. Encouraging Saylor to see and feel this practice was very special to me as we were able to intuitively connect over partner poses and the music, which is something we needed after a tough week.

Being with Erich reminded me of some foundational principles to really integrating yoga into your life. In October 2013 I shared some of my experience from Big Mind Live with Erich at Yogaville in 2013. Now, I’m excited to share with you some of the BIG takeaways from our recent time together. I hope you can think about these, let it marinate, and share with me what you think about freedom, yoga, and life.

Of course, once I was paying attention and thinking about freedom I started seeing it everywhere!

Like this powerful blog post from Liz Gilbert.

Erich’s teachings for yoga and life:

Yoga is the inquiry into truth.
Yoga is conscious union with the infinite that is being expressed by you.
Remember to do a “Pause Practice” regularly, as often as you can remember. This is where you pause, exhale and relax. Do this whenever you remember to do it, and as often as you can. I’ll be offering a Pause Practice @ IMCW November 18th!
Go into listen mode more often. Be attentive and aware and universal. Wisdom will have a place to come in.

Love is the willingness to recognize that which is real.
Regularly as yourself, “What is the Truth here really?”
Allow yourself to “silent mind it” and be willing to not know all the answers all the time.
Relax More. Love more. Trust more (and be brave in the trusting). This is not easy. It’s simple, but not easy.
In your yoga practice- look for moments to linger, flow on, pause, slow down, and change it up. Channel your poses through the energy in your body. Think about what you are energizing, what thoughts you energize, and what you give your attention to.
Find some patterns in the body that you like to practice.
When you start a free form yoga practice, start with the postures you know and look for options and choices in the poses, and get into it a little more with the breath to help guide you. It’s important to learn from a school of yoga, get the basic form and alignment, to have some discipline around the learning of the system BUT eventually the discipline dissolves and intuitive practice guides. Do enough movements so that it feels GOOD! It’s nice to do both formal practice and free form practice.

For more teachings from Erich, sign up to listen to his recordings and teachings here.

Below are 2 videos- one about yoga, and one about meditation.

Final Thoughts

I encourage my students to try “Bed Med”. Slide out of bed in the morning or into bed at night and just PAUSE a few breaths, sit and meditate here for as long as feels good- before you doze off or before you start your day. Think of yoga and meditation as lifestyle. Remembering to relax and listen for Universal Wisdom is part of this lifestyle. The yoga postures are awareness training, just a physical way for us to be aware of the subtle and to practice listening to our bodies.

Many of you know that behind the scenes I am a crazy voracious reader. I always have at least 3-4 books on my shelf, in my purse, my car, my life! I read something every day and I mostly love non fiction books around wellness, wisdom and wealth. These are the categories I define as well being, self help, growth, transformation; all great stories of change and love and truth (i.e. freedom).

For the past 6 months or so I have been dreaming of a way to share my love for the teachings and thoughts in these books to a greater audience, and ta-da! The Omm @ Home Virtual Book Club for Inspired Women was born. Each book has been carefully selected to help cultivate our awareness and understanding of the universal truths and wisdom practices. Sign up here to learn more and to get the reading list, starting with October’s book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Our first online meeting will be on Wednesday, October 26th @ 7:30pm. We meet on the last Wednesday of each month! If you can’t make it live, a recording will be sent to you!

Take a moment to pause, relax, and listen before the holiday rush. Join me at IMCW on Friday, November 18th from 9:30am-2:30pm for the Pause half-day yoga & meditation retreat.

Getting Started with Your Practice: Resources and Support

Oct11

This has been on my mind so much lately…

It’s not the to-do list with checked boxes, the app with the timers and bells and whistles, or the endless meal planning that will change your life.Think about it… what does it mean to “be on top of it all?” ALL the time spent worried about what “others will think” WHO are those specific others? Can you see them? Are they people that you care about, that mean a lot to you? If not, why are “they” taking up so much of your mind space? your energy? your life?

My dear friends, freedom occurs when you cultivate a real, authentic, meaningful, dynamic relationship to YOUR life. The relationship in which you trust and love and treat with compassion, the realities of your responsibilities. Freedom occurs when you CHOOSE joy over endless to-do’s and you wake up to the value of a spacious, expansive, creative day. Freedom occurs when we trust ourselves and listen to our hearts, not JUST the mind.

“PLEASANCE!!!” you say, “how on Earth can I do that? I have a job, and kids, and bills, and endless tasks on my lists.

And then I will come close, hold your hand and whisper… practice. It all starts with practice.

So in honor of this response, here are tips to get you started.

Here are 3 of my Favorite Yoga & Wisdom Books. You can click on the book cover to learn more and to purchase.

Check out all of my recommended reads. Find titles related to Family/Parenting support, business/self-development, meditation, kids books, plus DVDs, products, and more of what I love.

Just added! Give yourself 8 minutes in the morning, on your lunch break, or before bed to try this at home yoga practice.

Here’s a 5-minute meditation video I created to support content from Chapter 8: Awake of my book, Delight: 8 Principles for Living with Joy and Ease. Want to receive all the supporting video content? Sign up.

Tara Brach offers a wonderful “How to Meditate Guide” which addresses setting up your practice, troubleshooting common issues, and sustaining a practice. You can also check out her New to Meditation page.

“You are traveling a path that has led to clarity, peace and deep realization for many people over thousands of years. May their awakening support and inspire you. And may the sincerity of your practice heal and free your spirit.”
— Tara Brach

When you establish your sitting practice, you’ll want to be comfortable. Find a comfy mat, bolster, or blanket. Or set the mood or intention with some essential oils and aromatherapy! Maybe you need a grounding oil like Vetiver or Sandalwood. If you need extra relaxation try Lavender, Roman Chamomile, or Clary Sage. Need some cleansing? Grab your sage. Need some loving? Neroli or Rose will do the trick. There is SO much to learn about essential oils related to practice. Let’s chat about it. Book a free 30 minute intro call with me.

If you need any additional support regarding your practice and want to work together, here’s an application to get started.

Additionally, join me at Insight Meditation Community of Washington in Tenleytown for my half-day Pause Retreat on Friday, November 18th. This is a simple, sweet yoga and meditation retreat for all levels where you will explore practices to take home.

a lil omm everyday + #yogaineverydamnway

Oct3

#yogaeverydamnday is a very popular movement challenge, when you look at the hashtag collection it is more than half pictures of people in very difficult postures that most of us don’t practice regularly. For some people, these photos are very inspiring. For others, they are very discouraging and turning people away from yoga because they believe they won’t ever be able to achieve or accomplish these “advanced” arm balances and inversions.

This morning I woke up thinking… What if it was #yogaineverydamnway, and instead of people doing headstands, handstands, and arm balances they were meditating, sitting in stillness. Not striving, not perfecting, not competing as we get to be more “advanced” practitioners. Pssst… I’m going to let you in on a little secret Gentle Is The New Advanced

and J is coming to The Underground Yogi, in VA in October!!

Yoga’s Ethical Guide to Living:the Yamas and Niyamas are here to keep us on track … to stay focused on how I only really want to do this whole “life thing” as a student of yoga, not because it gives me “yoga booty” but because it helps me realize my strength, my flexibility, and my potential (not to mention the shift of perspective, mindset, and clearing of the internal cobwebs so that I am able to live these days awake, alive, and in tune with my life). That to me is the gift of a lifetime. Thank you, Yoga.

I’m going to share with you our outline for the Mom’s Up themed workshops (plus poses) featured in our upcoming retreat… these are not just for our mamas, but for ALL humans to explore. How do these themes show up in your life and in your relationships every day? What happens when you invite yourself into a pose with a theme and reflect up on the theme? How does it feel when you breathe into the pose, come out, and Pause.

This type of practice is extremely efficient… you don’t need 90 minutes, fancy yoga pants, or even to leave your home. It’s just a lil omm every day, plus #yogaineverydamnway.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Mom’s Up Workshop Themes & Supporting Poses

Energetic strength (plank)

Energy and time feel like scarce resources for moms. Be reminded of your inner strength and tap into your vital energies.Find the power to manage your energy sustainably, and to be yourSELF with authentic conviction.

Balance (tree pose)

A balanced lifestyle is simply a state of being in which one has time and energy for obligations and pleasures that are in ALIGNMENT with one’s values. Balance is dynamic and that you “achieve” when all of the most precious aspects of your life and self are in harmony. Only you can determine what balance means to you, what alignment looks and feels like to YOU, in this season. How do you embrace equilibrium in your heart and mind?

Self love (mudra)

What does your love affair with you look like? Realize the value of caring for yourself. Learn to recognize and celebrate what is wonderful about you. With hands on your heart, breathe into the center of your own being. The real, beautiful, loving kind soul that I believe exists in all of us. Tap into her as often as possible. Befriend her. Embrace and Empower her to help you make decisions for your life.

Trust (half moon)

Self doubt, guilt, not-enoughitis are all too common symptoms of motherhood, ( adulthood?). Reconcile with the voices and habits that support the re-occurence of these symptoms and learn to connect with your intuition so you can feel confident in your choices as a mother, as a woman. Begin living a life based on trusting yourSELF and the Universe that supports you.

Creativity (side twists)

Busy-ness, overwhelm, stress and lack of self-confidence can all be barriers to a mothers’ powerful creative flow. Learn how to overcome these barriers and connect with and nourish you creative spirit. It is time to settle into your authentic self and let your imagination roam free.

Want to learn more about Mom’s Up? We were just featured on Mindful Healthy Life!

If you’re a mama who lovingly does EVERYTHING for your family and somewhere along the way have lost track of your own needs, priorities, and self-care then you’re invited to a complimentary group coaching call with me and my retreat co-host, Alex Hughes this Thursday, October 6th @ 11am.

Want in? Sign up here. Recordings will be available to everyone registered.

Registration for our weekend retreat in Middleburg, Virginia ends on October 10th! Only a handful of spots are available.

6 Healthy Habits to Help Ease Your Way into Fall

Sep27

Fall is coming– are you doing what you can to ease one of the most challenging seasonal transitions for your body?

In addition to the cooler temperatures in the forecast this week, you may notice you’re feeling more tired than usual as the days shorten and our internal clocks shift. Perhaps your allergies are starting to flare up causing all sorts of disruptions. So many of us get sick when the seasons change, and this is partially because we haven’t adequately planned ahead to sync our lifestyle to meet the new season. This includes changing our movement practices, the foods we eat, and even our daily habits and rituals.

To help with your transition, I share with you…

6 Ways to Help Ease Your Way Into Fall:

1. Rest when you are tired. If you push through, over schedule, or over caffeinate you will really mess with your immune system. To function optimally, your immune system needs lots of rest and digest time. Refer back to my Plan to Thrive DIY Retreat where I teach you how to create your model calendar.

2. Hydrate. Keep drinking your water! In fact, make it warm and add a little lemon or lime (fresh or essential oil) to keep digestion moving.

3. Oils! Revolutionize your approach to health and wellness with therapeutic-grade essential oils. DoTerra oils and supplements are a big part of my family’s wellness plan.

To learn more about ordering oils to address wellness goals for you and your family- email me or you can also buy here.

Remember you can diffuse oils, apply them to the soles of feet largest pores in the body), behind ears, on wrists or heart center. You can also ingest 1 drop in water (this is where I highly encourage you to use a trusted brand like DoTerra).

Some ideas for Oils:

– take your ON GUARD beadlets drop daily AND you can also break one open in your hand to use as sanitizer on the go.

– Use eucalyptusin your diffuser or bath.

– Apply 1 drop of oreganoon the soles of your feet or in your waterif you feel a cold coming on (this oil is considered a hotoil so it will burn your lips if you use too much! You can dilute hot oils with a carrier oil like coconut oil)

– Drop some Melaleuca (tee tree oil) in your bath water or rub on your feet for daily immune support.

– Diffuse lavender, lemon, and peppermint in the kitchen and bedrooms for allergies. You can also put 1 drop of each in your water.

– Use Balance, Serenity or Vetiver for Rest by diffusing or putting on soles of feet or even directly on your pillow.

Want to learn more about oils? The focus of my next Yoga & Aromatherapy workshop at Washington Yoga Center is Surrender and Receive, which I find to be so seasonally appropriate! I also host a monthly Healthy Happy Hour where we explore oils and connect over our love for healthy living in my kitchen!

4. Practice. Vata (season is coming)! It’s windy, which can be super unsettling especially for people who feel anxious or “live in their heads”. During this season it’s particularly important to start and end each day with grounded practices to help support your connection to nature and the changing of the season.

Here’s a breathing practice I love! Make it extra special by adding some oils I mention above!

Binded Breathing Practice

5. Warm foods for comfort, support, nutrition and digestion. For breakfast, try some oatmeal with any combination of flax, cinnamon, chia, almond milk, maple syrup. And for lunch or dinner, soups and stews make a great choice. Again, your immune system will need your help to have a smooth transition to fall, so take care in what you eat, especially during seasonal transitions.

6. Disclaimer: okay, this might be a little “woo-woo” for some of you but for others- I think you will LOVE this morning affirmation practice. Wake up in the morning (if possible before anyone else)and lay in your bed or on the floor. Bring one hand to the heart and one hand to the belly. Breathe.

After a few rounds ask yourself, “What do I need today? What is my body calling for? What is my heart seeking?” and always remind yourself, “You are loved. You are supported. You have all you need.”

You might even add the affirmation, “I trust my body, my mind, and my heart to guide me today. I am whole. I will move into the day with spacious generosity of spirit and love.”

Try it! Let me know what you think/feel.

Additionally, if you want a copy of the Welcome Fall worksheet I use (it’s super short & simple) just e-mail me and I’ll send it over to you.

Stay tuned for next week’s Wake Up Wednesday edition where I share mind-body practices based on energetic strength, balance, trust, creativity, and self-love.

P.S. Want to truly nourish your body, mind, and spirit? Surrender to Fall at our Mom’s Up Retreat in the beautiful Virginia countryside. Registration ends 10/10. The retreat was just featured on MindfulHealthyLife!

little acts of {self} kindness

Aug13

It is 5 pm on Friday.

Saylor is out with friends- Milo is playing in his room.

I have exactly 15 minutes before Mel gets home.

I head to my room and go right for my mat.

It won’t be a long practice. I roll around on my yoga tune up balls.

First I place them under my shoulders and then under my hips. Lifting and lowering my arms and legs feeling the pressure in all the tight places- slowly release.

Full deep breaths in and out. A few new movement patterns. Forward folds, bent knees, wide stance. Softness around my aging body. Stillness. silence. deep full awareness…

And if even for just a moment, I experience the bliss of being right here. right now.

OF COURSE there are loads of other things I SHOULD be doing.

But I choose me.

I hear the front door close- I stand up.

“get your shoes buddy!” I yell.

And off we go.

Fall Session of Yoga For Women starts in September.

Join us! lil omm.com/classes

Thanks universe!

May13

I started saying this before I knew there was even a book……Then my friend Christine told me about the book- and I love it!!

for practice

Apr27

the yoga love

Feb22

the yoga world is changing, shifting, expanding. I go to classes away from my studio that are totally packed with 20somethings moving pose to pose. Most of these classes are fitness classes in yoga studios. But as I have been contemplating for the past few years, I’m so lost in the yoga world right now. I have been through every emotion on the topic. I spent some time being a Bikram Yoga hater, some time not understanding the incredibly powerful benefits of meditation, restorative and yin, and then most recently I have been putting down over stressed, over crowded, super “dangerous” classes.

AS I approach my 10 year anniversary as a teacher.. I was recently contemplating on all these changes, on all the articles on Elephant Journal, J. Brown Yoga, Mind Body Green, Mathew Remski, Huff Post …

it’s all getting so crazy! I feel like the “yoga” world is everywhere- it’s in my sleep, it’s on my mind 24-7. I run a studio, I teach, I mentor, but mostly I am a student. My teaching has become less involved and more creative, less technical and more experiential. I’m often wondering “is this helpful?”
Yoga is such an incredibly personal experience and I’m learning every day that I NEED meaning to THRIVE in my life. I need meaningful conversations, work, classes, teachers. I need QUESTIONS! I need clarity.
So, in the chaotic day to day ….life in a city with 2 small kiddos and a crazy Staffy, keep the studio thriving, keeping informed and updated on the latest “yoga” news and issues, supporting our 20 or so teachers & staff, and trying to have a healthy marriage- it’s no wonder my yoga has slowed way down. In order to keep up with the variety of roles that I have, my yoga had to shift and I’m realizing that I can be open to it all.

Listen, I am not a yoga master or a guru. I’m a mom and a friend and a human being who craves connection. I want to run my studio to support others on the journey. I want to live a meaningful life and share the tiny bits of joy, words, videos, books, reading and people who help me every day on this path. When we lay down at night, my daughter and I say ” may I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe, may I live with ease.” that’s it folks, that’s really all I want in this world. I want to be totally alive in my life. I want to be awake to what is right in front of me.

I have decided to pay attention to and notice when I wonder off into yoga hating land or when I’m becoming a cranky old yoga teacher. I want people to experience the JOY and the HEALING that it can bring- NO MATTER WHERE THEY GET IT. I want people to ASK their teachers questions about the practice. I know this ancient system for living is ALIVE right here- and I want to bring to light the ways it continues to serve and support us. ALL of us. There are so many paths, so many ways to yoga, so many methods, variations and styles, and it’s okay.

It’s a privilege to know these postures and these teachings. To spend time reflecting on our inner world, to put service and love above all else. To pay attention to our lives. This is just the beginning of my starting to open up about the current state of yoga…. I want to hear where you are.. and how this is all unfolding for you. more to come, for sure.

over time.

Jan13

I am really, really good at judging my yoga practice.
I can be so mean.
(difficult. rude. unforgiving. relentless)

I tell myself to do more “advanced” poses … to have longer practice sessions… to stop floating around so many styles and teachers and FOCUS.

then I come across a reading about yoga & what it is & why we have it . and I remember that I DO practice yoga, every damn day. in my whole life.

its how I run my business, parent my children, engage with the world.

I stopped standing on my head when it started bothering my neck. I learned how to enjoy restoratives & blocks& bolsters.

I stopped pretending I was not competing ( with myself) to strive towards the next yoga pose goal.

I am learning to be kind. I am learning to appreciate my relationship with this old friend and even with age, I can see we are getting better, into a healthier more sustainable relationship.

Some days I miss my old practice.. I miss our honeymoon period- our love fest. We really fell hard for each other-
daily long sweaty practice…. I dreamt about yoga, planned classes in my free time, researched studios, classes, teachers.. an addiction, really.

As time wears on.. and my WHOLE life has fewer boundaries I have to keep finding ways to bring that creative joy into my heart…in the past year I found myself going back to art & painting, trail running, taking up pilates & spinning b/c when yoga becomes your business, your livelihood, your whole facebook feed, even it can be too much.

I have heard myself say, enough!
agh! yoga, yoga, yoga! please. I need a break- I need a rest from how big it has become.

and then…. I go to my place where I stretch &play & get quiet.. I see this and know that I am here. This is my home, my heart, my path… I felt it all those years ago. I got connected, I plugged in, I woke up. I met the divine, I felt the spirit shining within and all around- the warmth and the connection, like a wave washed over my soul- and I was never the same again.

that feeling has led me here. and here. and here.

sit. play. learn. heal. be free.

Dec18

Dear Teachers,

Thank you. Your gifts, your strengths, your knowledge fills me up. You keep me strong. You give me joy and nourishment. I made a space in my home dedicated to you. When I practice or work- I can feel something bigger. I can hear you with me, encouraging me to practice. To stay with it. to trust. to sit. to know. to not know. to just be me. to learn & heal and to keep believing…. I updated the Thanksgiving post ( below) b/c just creating a blog about my teachers made me want to see them everyday! I started collecting pictures and frames and put them up right next to my computer, right now- I see them. Smiling, loving, teaching, giving, serving, here they are with me.

They say, ” YOU are your OWN teacher!” Isn’t that amazing?

listen more. talk less. & practice.

question things that don’t MAKE sense to you.

do less, live with ease, with love

In gratitude.

Today is Thanksgiving Day. I woke up early, in the dark, to be quiet for a bit. To reflect on this outstanding & privileged life I am living. To bring to mind all those who are in pain or suffering this day, this year, this moment. All those without. But today, my gratitude practice, and my day is going to be specifically directed towards the 6 teachers in my life who inspire, challenge, support & guide me daily. Recently it occurred to me that I actually have had the most amazing fortune to SEE and STUDY with all of them over the past 5 months. These teachers are the reason I keep going- they give me hope & grounding… I have learned so much from all of them. My studying with them has allow expand my work AS a teacher, gifts me the of being a student ( which is one of my favorite roles in life ). I believe in the teacher -student relationship as a way to grow- a way to get clarity over our purpose & our passions. I am so lucky to know these beautiful beings.

Karen Maezen Miller

Erin Maile O’Keefe

The Mohans

Max Strom

Erich Schiffmann

lil omm life

Category Archives: yoga