Aria - News and Musings

2010-02-05T14:48:00.001-08:00

Dear Yogis,

My blog is currently on hiatus due to some technical issues with blogger no longer supporting FTP.

Thanks for your patience.

Blessings,
Aria

Friday night Jazz. Monday afternoon Yoga

2009-08-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Friday night Jazz. Monday afternoon Yoga

QUICK LINKS

New Venice Class: Monday Core Yoga

www.yogawitharia.com

JOIN OUR LIST

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August/2009

Dear Yogis and Friends:

I hope that summer is treating you very well.

Things are great with us, here. My dad is in town for a few days on his way back from Egypt. Last night, we decided to take the family to the free Jazz night at LACMA. So cool to see all the many different faces of this beautiful city hanging out together, chilling on the grass, dancing, laughing and relaxing.

LACMA has two new interactive art pieces up, both made from plastic throaway items. Very Burning Man'ish, but very kid friendly, as well. Kaia loved them! She'd walk her waddle-walk through the pieces, tugging on them and trying to drag a string of plastic with her.

Yesterday, we also discovered that Kaia likes toy cars (who would've thought!) And we were reminded of a crucial rule in toddlerhood: don't let your toddler roam around when tired. They start to get sloppy and fall over as if they were drunk.

After her second mini fall onto her hands, crying ensued and we decided it was high time to tail it back home. Tears dry, Kaia fell asleep in the car and we made it home by 8pm.

What a lovely night. I highly recommend it.

Hope you have a lovely summer!

Please join us for Core Yoga on Mondays in Venice from 4pm - 5pm. To get on the Monday nightt list, simply reply to this email with "Core Yoga" in the subject. You'll receive the address and any pertinent details. Or, read below for more info...

Thanks for your Support.

Blessings,
Aria

Monday Afternoons in Venice: Core Yoga

What is Core Yoga?
Core Yoga* is what I do when I'm on vacation or don't have time for my regular practice. It's the kind of class I wish I could take more often, but one that's not taught anywhere because it's not just one style of yoga, but a mixture of what works best for me from the various styles that I've studied and immersed myself in over the last 11 years.

It's the kind of class that I did before I got pregnant*. It's probably why I never had any low back pain while pregnant and why I've bounced back from pregnancy so well. Core Yoga tends to "de-tweak" my low back and shoulders while giving me a great workout. I finish feeling strong, stretchy, relaxed, connected and fluid.

If you're interested, drop on by. Class will be held outdoors, so bring appropriate clothing and sunscreen, if you need it. For now, we're only committing to two months of core yoga - August and September. We may continue after that, we may not.

No RSVP necessary. Just show up if and when you can.

Core Yoga offers:

Pranayama,
the science of activating Prana, Chi, or Life Force within the body.

Core Strength,
which reduces low back pain and helps awaken your center. Feel stronger, more balanced and connected to your life goals.

Stretch,
because sometimes, it's good to just stretch it out.

Offered in the spirit of donation.

*Core Yoga is not appropriate for pregnant women

Yoga with Aria March/April Newsletter

2009-03-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Yoga with Aria Shakti Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

It's the End of the World...And I Feel Fine

Pranayama Exercise

Empathy article online

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria!

YOGA WITH ARIA LIKES:

YOGA SHORT AND SWEET

My dear friend and fellow yogini, Eve Baldwin, has produced a new yoga video especially for busy people like you. Yoga Short and Sweet consists of five sections, ten minutes each, plus a two minute meditation. Mix and match, based on your mood, or just do one section at a time.

STILLPOINT

Stillpoint is a beautiful new studio space located just blocks from Venice Beach. Currently hosting small group yoga classes, group meditations and one-on-one privates, this bright, sunny space has a warm and relaxing energy, the perfect space to reach an inner stillpoint.

QUICK LINKS

www.yogawitharia.com

Aria's Yoga Schedule

JOIN OUR LIST

Issue #006

March/2009

Dear Yogis and Friends,

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and well.

Our household faced its first bout of baby sickness, this past week. Little Kaia got had quite the cough, and for a few days, all I could do was lay with her and nurse her back to health. Amazing how resilient and happy babies are, though - even in the midst of barking seal-like coughing spasms, little Kaia still managed a smile.

In Yoga News:
Yoga with Aria is now offering privates in the Hancock Park area, in my home studio, and on the Westside at Stillpoint, a lovely new space in Venice Beach. Contact me for rates and more info.

In Life News:
Are you feeling the intensity of these times as much as I am? I feel like everyone seems to be vibrating at hyper-speed. We're manifesting our thoughts -- be they our deepest dreams to our most darkest worries -- so much quicker than before. It's amazing how a simple comment can solidify itself into reality. Before I even realize it, what I've been focusing on inside has solidified on the outside. This has been a huge lesson for me to consciously participate in the process of my own creation, or I will be left behind. Right now, I am both an observer and a creator. I intend to become more of a creator and less of an observer.

Who wants to join me for the ride?

Blessings,
Aria

May our paths meet soon.
Until then, Many Blessings to you in 2009!

Change Is Here: And I Feel Fine

"It's the end of the world as we know it,
and I feel fine." R.E.M.

Two weeks ago, I attended a talk given by scientist Gregg Braden. A former Senior Computer Systems Designer (Martin Marietta Aerospace), Computer Geologist (Phillips Petroleum) and Technical Operations Supervisor (Cisco Systems), Braden's science projects included the MX Peacekeeper missile and the Magellan space probe. Now a New York Times bestselling author, Braden is considered one of the leading authorities on the spiritual philosophy of ancient and indigenous traditions throughout the world.

My Esoteric Studies
What initially attracted me to Braden's work was his book, "Awakening to Zero Point." The book delved into exciting and yet, at times, foreboding theories on 2012, the evolution of the human race and planet Earth, the Earth's pole wobble effect on the procession of the equinoxes, the Mayan calendar, and the possibility of the Earth flipping magnetic poles every several hundred thousand years.

At the time, I was living in Venice Beach, working in the music business and delving into my emotional and spiritual past, present and future. In researching the various religious, philosophical, and mystical theories about life, I found myself drawn to the physical/spiritual/emotional healing modalities of ecstatic dance, Chi Gong, and Yoga. The astounding physical release I experienced, coupled with my ever-present psychic nature, led me to study Shamanism and the world of the spirits, which further led me to study ritualistic behaviour and ecstatic states of mind and their effects on the mind/body connection.

Back then, my home library included channelings from alien entities, theories on the 12 (or 144, depending on whom I read) dimensions of existence, studies on the fractal nature of the human brain, sacred geometry and the Flower of Life, π and the Fibonacci sequence, ancient Egyptian, Mayan, Jewish, and pre-historic belief systems, medical healing through the use of spirit guides and the MAP team, psychic experiments, altered states of consciousness, energy grids, ley lines, Soviet and U.S. military studies on ESP and psychic warfare, astral travel, out of body experiences, paganism and white witchcraft, etc. Though I never would have pegged myself as one who studied esoteric beliefs, those subjects were, inevitably the ones that triggered my inner fire.

All is One
Years later, I still find myself drawn to all things esoteric, but my focus is less outwards and more inwards. I feel like an old fashioned librarian, culling together the card catalog of my inner being. I know I have experiences that one day must be shared: rivers of joy, moments of uncertainty, and dimensions of sorrow that have not yet been put into words. One day, it will all arrive on the external layer we call Life. Now, however, I am internal, awaiting the birth of the next stage in my evolution.

And yet, when my external progress stalls, I can become impatient. In the face of uncertainty, I question my path. I am comforted, however, in that all is Good. Because All is One, all paths, all detours, in fact, lead back to Source.

This life may seem overwhelming, and yet it is merely one droplet in the spectrum of our souls' experience in this physical plane. We tend to praise our accomplishments and berate our perceived failures, and yet, on a soul level, all is merely Experience. There is no Good or Bad in experience.

As eternal beings experiencing a physical incarnation, however, we rely on the veil of illusion, or duality in order to survive. We divide ourselves into two camps of Life Experiencers: the fretful worriers and the puffed-up reactionaries. The former are compelled to label every action that others take as either Good or Bad. They may live their entire lives in reaction to others, wasting previous Life Energy on maintaining inner states of tenuous approval or righteous indignation. Instead of being a participant in their own life, they are merely spectators of others' lives.

The latter do nothing, but worry. They worry about their health, their jobs, their homes, their lives, the economy, the bail out, etc. In the midst of all this worry, they forget about the blessings of being alive, and create the things that they worry about. As the Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith might say, when we worry, we are actually rehearsing our bodies for our worst nightmares: we focus so much energy on the things that we don't want, that we inadvertently worry our darkest fears into creation.

When I find myself worrying myself through the day, or existing as a spectator, I know that I have achieved a significant separation from the Source. As a yogi, I think of this as being out of alignment and ask myself: how may step back into my true nature? Yoga, quiet solitude, meditation, dance, ritual, the ocean, walks in nature -- all these are things which bring me back to Source.

What brings you back to Source?

Out of Alignment: The Greater Picture
Just as a human body can exist in separation from Source, so can a country and a planet. Our way of Life is undergoing intense change because we are out of alignment from what is truly important in life. This correction in our economic systems is not a punishment, but rather, an opportunity to shift our lives into expressing those values that are truly important to us.

We can choose to evolve into the next stage of our existence by actively participating in the creation of a better world, or we can resist and be left behind. Change is occurring. It will happen, with or without our active participation.

When we resist, we deny harnessing the tremendous power of change because of fear. The ways of the old are very comforting. Yet, we are powerless to bring things back to the way they were. So, we exist in stasis: neither alive, nor dead, constantly distracted by what is going on around us.

Sometimes, change appears fearful because we are passing through the darkness of the night. And yet, the darkness is necessary in order for us to see the light of day.

Everything is cyclical. Without darkness, there would be no light. Without light, there can be no darkness. Neither is better or worse than the other: each needs the other in order to survive.

If we approach these shifting times with the spirit of flexibility, we will re-align ourselves into an active, beautiful future. If we resist out of fear, our bodies and minds will become hard and rigid and crumble.

I am challenging myself to become a Creator in my own life. Let's join together and actively participate in the next phase of our evolution.

In service,
Aria

Pranayama Exercise: Breath of Liberation

Pause the nonstop chatter inside your mind and focus on the now.

Begin by slowing down life for just a moment.
Stop what you're doing.
And listen to your breath.

Notice: Am I breathing deeply? Quickly? Shallowly? Hardly at all?

Standing or seated:
Adjust your shoulders by aligning them over your hips. Take a deep belly breath.

Inhale so deeply that your belly sticks W A Y out. Watch the belly contract as you exhale and notice the muscles in your belly lift the belly button up and in, towards the back of the spine as you exhale.

Now, readjusting your gaze so that you're looking softly, stread ahead or focusing on a point somewhere near the floor...

Letting the belly relax, start your breathe into the base of your spine, breathing into your hips and low back. Release that breath.

Inhale again, this time slowly increasing the length of your inhale, until you're breathing into your sides and your waist. Just as slowly, relax the breath.

Inhale again, this time increasing the length of your inhale until your breath reaches the base of your chest. Relax the breath as you exhale, but retain the length in your spine.

Inhale once more, allowing the breath to touch your shoulders. Just as consciously, relax the breath.

Continue to increase the length of your inhale until you feel the breath rise as high as it can go, maybe into your jaw, maybe into the crown of your head. At the end of every inhale, allow your exhales to be complete and conscious.

Now, repeat the entire process, but s-l-o-w down the breath by two to five percent. Not much, but just enough to create a slightly more relaxed and more powerful inhale, combined with a more conscious and complete exhale.

And add this mantra:

With every inhale, say to yourself, "I inhale Liberation."

With every exhale, say to yourself, "I exhale Resistance."

Now, notice what just happened:
Is your mind calmer? Are you more focused?

Next time, you are faced with change, but can't seem to embrace it and find yourself in resistance, try this breath. The beauty of this breath is that it will lead to "ah-ha!" moments, moments of insight into your own light, your own sense of guidance and intuition. The end result is the experience of your Liberation.

Try this once day, or as often as desired. The entire exercise may take anywhere from 3 - 10 minutes.

THE GIFTS and CHALLENGES of EMPATHY

If you're an empathetic person, please check out my article on empathy, available online.

Holiday Newsletter (originally sent on 12/30/08)

2009-01-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

Yoga with Aria Celebrates the New Year

IN THIS ISSUE

Getting Out of the Rabbit Hole

QUICK LINKS

www.yogawitharia.com

Aria's Yoga Schedule

JOIN OUR LIST

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria!

Blessings,

Aria and Kaia Mayland

Issue #005

2008/2009

Dear Yogis and Friends,

I hope this finds you happy, healthy and well.

It has been almost six months since our daughter Kaia arrived, born right in our home. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have such a beautiful baby to share Life with. Though my journey as a mom has just begun, I am slowly beginning to reclaim a bit of my pre-mom self by intending to write, teach, and take more classes in 2009. This process is difficult because my total free time per week is probably as much as my pre-mom free time per day, but I am up for the challenge.

Change, after all, is the catchword of the times.

Yoga News:

Donation Yoga is Back

Get a head start on your week with Tuesday Donation Yoga! Beginning January, 2009, we will be meeting Tuesdays at 7:30pm at Dori and Michael's in Mar Vista. If you'd like to join my donation yoga list, please email me with "Donation Yoga" in the subject.

Donation Yoga is an email-RSVP style small group class, capped at 8 students. The tiny class size offers you more time to focus on alignment and safety-awareness.

New Year's Day Class at Silverlake Yoga
Start off your New Year with an amazing, heart-opening flow from 11:30am - 1:00pm, at Silverlake Yoga. I am honored to be teaching this very special class and would love to see all of you Eastside Yogis there.

May our paths meet soon. Until then, Many Blessings to you in 2009!

Blessings,
Aria

New Year's Musings: Getting out of the Rabbit Hole

One of yoga's greatest teachers, Paramahansa Yogananda, writes, "The goal of yoga science is to calm the mind, that without distortion, may hear the infallible counsel of the Inner Voice."

That Inner Voice that Yogananda refers to can be thought of as our Soul our Higher Self, or even as God. Though the potential for a calm mind is always present within us, we tend towards hearing loss when it comes to our Inner Voice. Instead, we create a running commentary of our past mistakes and the worries about our future ones. The resulting state of mind is far from the Beautiful Whole that we inhabit: it is an adrenaline-fueled survival state of "me versus everyone else."

I don't condemn this way of thinking: a healthy competitive drive can definitely serve us when it comes to making a living. But unless we periodically shrug it off, it will enter our inner world and severely harm us. Those of us who live a hectic life all the time (and who doesn't these days?) will eventually find ourselves delving even deeper into the illusion of separation, retreating further and further from that desired state of calm mind. This may be why so many of us practice yoga: it makes us feel as if we're on vacation, as if we've left our worries behind. Even if the calm mind only lasts for that hour and a half that we spend on our yoga mat, at least we get glimpses of it and know that it can exist.

That's why Yoga is so much more than just a great workout or relaxing stretch. It is a discipline that fosters a truer perspective on life. We begin to see our lives not as a succession of mistakes or triumphs, but as an experience. We begin to realize that we are eternal beings having a human experience. As living beings, we have agreed to exist within the rules of Time and Space. Yet, even our own scientists tell us that neither of these is constant. Physics has shown us that Time is relative, and that even solid matter is made up of moving particles. The deeper scientists explore those particles, the more space they find. If atoms can wink in and out of existence, then life itself is an illusion.

Hindus recognized this physical illusory state long ago, and called it Maya, a collective dream of separation from the Source. At some point, we realize that everything is Maya, and that our entire life is a trip down the rabbit hole. The trip seems so real, and the illusion is so powerful that most of us forget where we came from. We can barely look at ourselves with love, much less see our neighbors or enemies as aspects of ourselves. Through the practice of Yoga we strive to remember what is real - that we are all connected to one spirit, one breath, one true eternal state.

I write to you as a fellow human traveler who is attempting to bring more conscious action into her own life. When I take focus on the present moment, beginning with my breath, and then paying attention to how my body is feeling, I transcend the present moment and begin to feel glimpses of the eternal free and liberated self. In this state, I like to imagine that one day, perhaps I might transcend Maya, itself.

All of which brings me to an interesting question. Which do you crave in 2009: To liberate your soul from your body? Or, to liberate your soul within your body?

The distinction between "from" and "within" encapsulates the difference between two schools of yoga. One school emphasizes the separation of the mortal body from the eternal soul. This approach to yoga focuses on transcending the body; in many cases, by rejecting our bodily desires. The other school believes that the body is not to be rejected, but rather embraced as a human aspect of the Divine.

Which do you believe? Which experience do you want to gift your energy to in 2009?

Remember, neither approach is right or wrong. Everything is merely an expression of One.

This is the spirit that I hope to channel in my classes this coming year.

Blessings,
Aria

THE GIFTS and CHALLENGES of EMPATHY

My summer article on empathy is no longer available on the news stands, but you can still access it online.

June Shakti Newsletter

2008-06-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yoga with Aria June Shakti Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

May Shakti Newsletter

2008-06-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Yoga with Aria May Shakti Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

Newsletter Topic

Savasana Exercise

Cool Happenings Around Town

QUICK LINKS

www.yogawitharia.com

Aria's Yoga Schedule

JOIN OUR LIST

Issue #002

May/2008

Dear Yogis and Friends,

I hope this finds you happy, healthy and well.

Aria Writing News:
I have some good news on the writing front. Some of you recall I've mentioned an article on empathy several times, now. Well, it is finally print time. Yup, that's right. Check out Aria's article on Empathy in the upcoming June issue of LA Yoga, available for free at yoga studios and health stores all over Los Angeles.

Yoga with Aria News:
A deep thanks to all of you who have supported me, and my yoga teaching. I'm eight months pregnant, now, and in preparation for the arrival of our baby girl, I am taking the summer off from teaching. I hope to see you all in the fall and hear your summer stories. In the interim, I encourage you all to enjoy deepening your yoga practice, exploring the amazing teachers this beautiful city has to offer.

I will be in touch with any fun and exciting news, and of course, if you ever have any questions or would like a local teacher referral, I am always available at: aria@yogawitharia.com.

And for those of you who are curious about my sprained ankle - it is getting better. I'm off of crutches, but still taking it very easy, not walking on it very much, yet. Thanks for your calls and offers of support.

Blessings,
Aria

Savasana: Your Magic Restart Button

Ever wonder why you leave a class feeling that yoga bliss?

It's because of savasana, or Corpse Pose, the 5 - 10 minute final relaxation at the end of every yoga class. The yogis believe that these final moments of rest in savasana are more beneficial for the body than the physical practice of yoga, or asana. By allowing our bodies to engage in conscious relaxation, we invite our mind to still and provide the energetic space for our body to integrate the changes that we've cultivated during our physical practice.

Modern science agrees with the ancient yogis. Savasana has been found to: reduce high blood pressure, stimulate blood circulation, alleviate fatigue and nervousness, and even help reduce the effects of asthma, constipation, diabetes, indigestion, and insomnia.

My First Few Savasanas
Back in 1998, I was introduced to yoga at Bryan Kest's Power Yoga Studio, in Santa Monica. As a former high school bodybuilder, I was thrilled to have found a work-out that not only challenged me physically and mentally, but left me feeling relaxed and calm, afterwards. By the time class ended, I always welcomed savasana as an excuse to just let go. There were even a few times when I relaxed so deeply that I drifted asleep.

Although sleeping during savasana isn't a bad thing, I later learned that savasana's true purpose is to cultivate a state of conscious relaxation. In order to do so, this requires our mind to be blank, open, and unattached, existing in a state of relaxation. Sometimes, this is remarkably easy to do. But, sometimes, savasana can trigger our inner A-type. I've definitely been in classes when I'll lay in savasana, unable to relax. Either I've been fidgety and tense, or my mind has been strung up on some life issue or problem. At times, there was no clear-cut life issue, just a nagging feeling of, "When is this going to end?" "What am I supposed to do?" The result? Instead of relaxing, I found myself becoming inwardly tense, the exact opposite of what I was supposed to be doing.

If this happens to you, begin by reminding yourself that the only reason you're feeling this way is because you're in a state of re-action. You are reacting to a habit, and habits are hard to break. This habit happens to be all around us. It's a product of the modern age and the American Way of Being: a program of constant productivity. Either we're supposed to be productive, or we're made to feel guilty because we're not as productive as we might be. However, as we all know by now, constant productivity is not possible to sustain without injury.To fool ourselves into thinking we can do so is an addiction, an example of this highly prevalent modern-age disease.

It's only in the last fifty years or so that as a society, we've devalued the importance of relaxation. Instead, we force ourselves onwards at great cost to our endocrine and adrenal systems. We feed ourselves a diet of stimulants and stress, so that we exist in hyper mode all the time. And in the last fifty years, we've seen the immense repercussions of our behavior in the frequency and severity of stress-related illnesses that we suffer from.

Savasana Promotes a Healthy Mind and Inner Balance
One of the surest ways to balance out stress is to learn how to do the exact opposite: relax. Ahh, such a hard thing for us A-types. But, so incredibly important. That's why, for me, I tend to enjoy the stronger, more physically challenging classes. I thrive on challenge. It helps me relax mentally. Some may call this is a weakness of mine, but I look at it as just me being honest with who I am. The important part is not judging how we function best, but working with ourselves and finding a teacher and a practice that encourages us to function at our best. To ignore this is to ignore one of the most crucial aspects of fitness, a fit and healthy mind.

Far too many systems of exercise focus on getting a perfect body without recognizing how much a fit and healthy mind affects our bodies. Professional athletes can be some of the worst promoters of this philosophy. How many times have we heard of renal failure due to steroid use? Or entire teams being demoted due to performance enhancing drug cocktails? Sure, many athletes don't take it to this extreme, but they do push themselves beyond their healthy physical limits. No pain, no gain only results in physical injury, let me tell ya. After injuring my shoulder from going too hard, and eventually having to have a complete ACL replacement in my left knee, I believe I'm qualified to tell the tale.

And yet, the answer is so simple, it's right in front of us. The ultimate mark of health and fitness is a body that can sustain activity well into its old age, not one that fails due to either overuse or the opposite, neglect. But, in order to achieve this, we must be still and listen to our bodies. We must encourage balance, in all things that we do.

Savasana, our Magic Restart:
In many ways, what we do during yoga class is install a new software, a new program of being into our bodies. Ever tried to install new software without shutting down all other applications and restarting afterwards? What happens? Your computer needs to restart in order to understand the software you just installed. Without that restart, the software is not recognized.

Our bodies are very similar to a computer. Of course, they are far more complex of a machine than any computer in existence. But just like a computer, they operate on a consistent program, or template of behavior. And just like a computer, in order to upgrade that program, or template, we need a restart.

If you think of every yoga class as a software upgrade, then it's easy to understand how every savasana is incredibly important for that software to take hold. During savasana, all of the physical, mental and emotional effort that we've exerted during a yoga class sinks in on a deep cellular level, allowing us to think, act, and differently than we did before we walked into that yoga room.

Moreover, savasana is great training ground for a future meditation practice. Please understand that I'm not claiming that savasana or meditation is crucial to you living a healthy, happy life. However, I will guarantee that it can help.

So next time you enter savasana, if you find your mind going ba-zonkers, just remind yourself that this is incredibly important time for you. In fact, all you A-types out there, you now have an assignment during savasana: relax completely.

If your busy-mind surfaces with reasons why you shouldn't relax, just turn down the dial on that busy-mind to zero, and turn up the dial to your relaxed-mind to eleven.

Trust me, you can come back to all your problems and life issues in 5 - 10 minutes. That is, if you still want to.

Savasana Exercise

In lieu of a breath exercise,...

let's explore a savasana exercise. It may be helpful for you to read this out loud, first, or record it, so that you can truly let go and enjoy the experience.

Lay down on your back. Begin with squeezing your knees into your chest and bringing your body into a tight ball. Take a deep inhale, and then on an exhale, let everything go. Let your arms fall out to your sides and allow your legs to open naturally, so that your toes point outwards just a little. Close your eyes completely. If you feel awkward at all, roll from right to left a few times and balance your hips and back out.

Beginning with your toes, now - relax them completely. Let any kind of stress or tension fade away.

Allow your awareness to shift to your feet and ankles; Relax them completely. Let any kind of tightness disappear.

Now for your calves. Relax any tension in your calf muscles. Imagine any tightness melting away.

Allow your knees -- your kneecaps, as well as all the ligaments and tendons in the backs of your knees - to completely relax.

Moving up your thighs. Allow all four muscles of the quadriceps, the large muscle that runs up the front of your thigh - to completely melt. Allow the inner and outer thighs to completely let go. And the hamstrings - the backs of the thighs - imagine that they just melt into the floor. Feel how relaxed and long your muscles feel in your legs.

Allow your gluts, your bum, to completely relax. As the gluts relax, allow the low back, the pelvis, and the sacrum to just melt into the floor. Know that you are completely supported. There's no reason to hold onto anything, here, anymore.

Allow your bellow to soften. Let your breath become very soft, very still.

Allow your ribcage to relax. And your chest -- allow it to feel open and relaxed.

Visualize your shoulder blades - where they begin, at the upper spine, all the way up to the tips of the shoulder blades. Allow them to soften completely, so that they support your heart. And then, let them melt into the mat.

Allow the muscles in the shoulders to grow heavy, and relaxed, and the bones in your shoulders to soften and melt.

Imagine that the muscles in your upper arms just let go. It's as if they melt over the arm bones.

Allow your elbows to soften. They hold no tension.

Allow your forearms to soften. And your hands, your wrists, even your fingertips uncurl. Everything softens, melts, and lets go.

Allow your neck to relax and lengthen.

Let your jaw open slightly, so there's no tension in the TM joint.

Allow the skin over the nose to relax and soften. Allow the eyelids to soften. And imagine that the eyeballs grow so heavy, it's as if they sink towards the back of your skull.

Finally, allow the skin on the back of your skull to soften and melt into the mat or the floor.

Lie in complete relaxation for as long as you wish. You can also complement savasana with a few minutes of meditation, afterwards.

Cool Happenings Around Town

Memorial Day Weekend is ripe with possibilities...

If the rain lets up, go out and enjoy a swim at one of the many public pools all over the city. I just recently discovered the Santa Monica College Pool, which is one of the cleanest and least chlorinated pools in the city. They're open this Memorial Day, too! Lap swimming for you, or fun splash time for the whole family. For more info, call (310) 458-8700.

Lightening In A Bottle.
For those of you who need to shake it to a groove, the biggest event this weekend is an outdoor camping, art, and music festival in Santa Barbara. Gates open Thursday at 4pm. Event goes through Monday, May 26th. Tickets vary. Day passes are $70/day. Camping on site recommended.

The WET party. Saturday, May 24th, 1pm - 10pm, at the Custom Hotel, in Los Angeles. If you're craving a DJ party, this is guaranteed to be one of the hottest events this weekend. An after party follows for those who just can't stop dancing. Presale tickets $30. Click here to purchase.

Want to dance, but looking for something a little less par-tay and a little more chill, something to even bring the kids to? How about Funky In the Middle's Custom Sundaze Memorial Day Party, at the Custom Hotel. 8639 Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90045. Monday, May 26th. 1pm - 9pm. Kids are welcome from 1pm - 7pm. Event is FREE with RSVP:

Enjoy browsing local art? One of my favorite galleries is a tiny place called LAB 101. These folks put up some of the most creative art pieces around. Browsing is always free. Gallery open Wednesday through Friday, 12pm - 6pm. Saturdays, 2pm - 6pm. 8539 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232. You can also view available artwork, prints, home decor, books, and other fine sundries here.

For photography enthusiasts, check out LACMA's current show with Phillip-Lorca diCorcia. His photographs feature an unusually lit single person in private spaces or public settings. LACMA is currently hosting works from the artist's series, including: Lucky 13, Hustlers, Streetwork and Heads. May 23 - Sept. 14. Ahmanson Building.

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria!

Blessings,

Aria Mayland

April Shakti Newsletter

2008-04-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Yoga with Aria April Shakti Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

Article Headline

Breath Exercise

Cool Happenings Around Town

QUICK LINKS

www.yogawitharia.com

Aria's Yoga Schedule

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Issue #001

April/2008

If you are receiving this in error, my apologies. Please scroll down to the bottom and click "Safe Unsubscribe" to be permanently removed from this list.

Dear Friends and Yogis,

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and well.

Welcome to the new look of my newsletter! After some hiccups the past few months with email delivery, I've sprung for a service that manages my list. Yey for technology. :-)

This month, my newsletter focuses on acting consciously without attachment to the outcome. Sometimes, that means simply being at peace with where we are in our life process so that we can remain balanced. Sometimes, this means making a conscious stand to fight against tyranny. Neither choice is simple: both demand that we remain strong without falling prety to attachments and worry. And that's the hardest part of all.

In writing news:
I have a review of the Krishna exhibit at Pasadena's Norton Simon Museum (ongoing through May 12) in the April issue of LA Yoga magazine. Look for "Tales of the Blue Lord." For those of you that missed my article on Bali in the March issue, I'll soon have it linked online for you.

To skip forward to the Breath Exercise, Cool Happenings Around Town or my teaching schedule, please click on one of those fancy links to your left hand side.

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria.

Blessings,
Aria
:-)

Stepping Up To Our Heart's Challenge

Acting Consciously, Without Attachment

One of the most troubling dilemmas I've been facing lately is how to take a stand for something while still maintaining inner balance, and not falling into worry or frustration about the outcome.

On one hand, I believe that our experience here on Earth is just an experience, one in the midst of many that we will undertake. Ultimately, this means that on a soul level, there is no good or bad in experience. It simply is. This belief requires me to be unattached to the outcome of my experiences, so that everything from incredible luck to incredible suffering is merely a choice that my physical form (body) is having.

And yet, there's another part of me that reacts incredibly strongly to experience, especially when I perceive others: people in pain, countries in conflict, animals in suffering. Just watching the Humane Society's video, this week, of baby seals in Canada being beaten to death for their pelts or reading about the injustices of war puts me into a state of tears. So how do I reconcile the two? Here I am, having a very emotional reaction to a human experience. And yet, I believe in non-attachment to outcome. Does this mean that I need to stand up against these things, if they move me? Or, do I merely waltz through life, being totally unattached to everything?

Arjuna and the Bhagavad Gita
Let's detour for a moment and examine the story of Arjuna, the great warrior and of Krishna, the deity who is both Arjuna's friend and his illuminated teacher. Krishna urges Arjuna into a sacred battle, but Arjuna hesitates: he will have to fight members of his own family. Arjuna learns, however, that has no choice: this battle is part of his destiny. He was born to fight, to be a warrior and to uphold righteousness, without consideration of personal loss, consequence, or reward. Arjuna goes into battle, looking into the face of his kin as he charges forth.

This is a beautiful parallel for me, because it tackles so many difficult subjects. How can war be righteous? How can killing your own kin be justified? Though the study of the Bhagavad Gita is another subject entirely, what we can gather from this pared down story of Arjuna and the great battle is that human beings will never be free from war as long as there is injustice and tyranny in the world. War ought never be the first or second or even the tenth choice that we undergo when in a state of conflict, but if it is the only and final choice, it is one that we must embrace, with full consciousness, without consideration to outcome.

Duality of Human/Spirit Experience
Herein is the key to all of this for me: the duality of existing in spirit and in body means that, on one hand, we must look at all experience, from a soul perspective, as neither good nor bad. Therefore, war and death and tyranny and beauty and evil are all just words that we place on experience. However, from a human experience, there are emotions and experiences that exist as good and bad. We can all agree, for example, that the murder of a small child is a horrific thing. From our human perspective, then, we ought to prevent the murder of small children and if necessary, are justified in going into battle to uphold this belief. And yet, from a soul perspective, everything, us going into battle, is just an experience.

Duality is a mind bender, I agree, but this is our challenge here on Earth. Our duty is to fight for what we believe in, to stand up for whatever causes our heart to sing and fight against whatever diminishes our soul. In doing so, however, we must release our attachment to the outcome. Should we die during the process, it is merely a choice our soul made. Should our loved ones perish, it is merely part of experience. In fulfilling our destiny, we must sometimes go into battle against our family (which can also represent our belief systems.) However, in remembering that we chose this human experience so that we can feel, live, love, and learn, we are only doing what we chose to experience.

This doesn't mean that we ought not to react with sadness or happiness to life. We are, after all, human. But we ought not to get stuck in these reactions. We ought to strive to live in truth in each moment and simultaneously surrender our experience as one experience amongst many, in this experiment called Life.

Living Consciously, In the Now
This is living in the now-- living without attachment, and yet, living in complete and honest truth. This is the hardest part of all. It's easy to wax judgment about others without doing a darn thing about it. It's just as easy to engage in a constant state of anger and protest over what we don't believe in, without ever feeding the positive aspects of what we believe in. The hardest single thing is maintaining inner balance while living in the present moment. Sometimes this means working for the side we believe in. At times, it may mean going into battle against the side that we feel is being tyrannous. But always, it means doing everything with complete consciousness, in complete passion, choosing to do so because that is exactly what your soul asks of you in that particular moment. And then, releasing any attachment to outcome.

This is a question I have to ask myself: Can I act in conscious awareness, no matter what I choose, no matter where my path might lead me, and no matter how the end result might be?

It's springtime. Time for new beginnings. Time to sprout new seeds. Time to engage with life.

Thanks for reading.

Breath Exercise

Alternate Nostril Breath - Ultimate Balance

To welcome springtime energy into our lives, let's revisit Anuloma Viloma, or alternate nostril breath.

Please find a quiet spot where you can sit undisturbed for 3 - 5 minutes.

Sit comfortably, with your back supported, and your sit bones feeling evenly grounded. Begin to lengthen the back of your neck. Adjust your shoulders over your hips. Take a deep breath, into your tailbone. Let that breath rise through every vertebrae up the spine, and exhale, sending that breath back out the tailbone. Do this a few times, until you feel that your spine feels relaxed and long.

a. With your right thumb, plug your right nostril and breath in through the left nostril. Breathe in for up to a count of twenty.

b. Use your third and fourth fingers to plug your left nostril.

(Step c asks you to retain your breath. DO NOT DO THIS if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure. Instead, skip ahead to paragraph d.)
c. Both nostrils now plugged, hold your Breath for up to a count of twenty.

d. Lift your right thumb, exhaling out your right nostril for up to a count of twenty. (Your third and fourth fingers are still plugging your left nostril.)

e. Continue, in reverse.
Keeping your third and fourth fingers where they are, inhale through you right nostril.
Plug both nostrils.
Hold only if this is appropriate for you (see paragraph b, above.)
Exhale through your left nostril.

Do this for as many rounds as you like. Feel free to hold the breath for as long or as short as you like. The main idea is to keep all breath inhalation, retention, and exhalation even.

Enjoy!

Pranayama Science: Every hour or so, the body tends to breathe more heavily in and out through one nostril, and then, it switches to the other. This natural cycle balances out the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. If our natural cycle is disrupted by stress, this breath cycle may also become disrupted. Once the breath cycle is balanced, the bodies systems began to fall back into balance.

Cool Happenings Around Town

April is Earth Awareness Month

Perhaps some of you already kicked off Earth Awareness last weekend and participated in Earth Hour. For more info, check out: Earth Hour

Saturday, April 5: Groove Armada Outdoors, Downtown, L.A. 6pm - 11pm/midnight.
If you like to shake your groove and love that bass, don't miss this sure to be fabulous show on the steps of City Hall. Tix still available: Groove Armada Tickets

Saturday, April 12: Santa Monica Earth Day on the Promenade. 10am - 7pm. Free.
Stroll by the beach while you enjoy a fantastic array of exhibits and booths, all dedicated to promoting awareness about products and lifestyle changes that can reduce carbon emissions and lessen the effects of Global Warming. Live music and animals make it fun for the whole family. On the Third Street Promenade

Body Worlds. California Science Center. $11.50 - $18.95
IIf you didn't catch this fascinating exhibit last time it came through town, you must not miss it, this time around. Body World showcases plasticized bodies interacting with their environment, as if frozen in time. Some jump in mid-air, some are partially costumed, and all have their inner workings exposed. Muscles, tendons, joints, bones, and organs like you've never seen them before. Body Worlds Info

Friday April 24 - Sunday April 26: Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival. 11am - Midnight.
Over the past nine years, Coachella has grown into one of the most well respected and spectacular music festivals in the world. If you've never been before, this one is not to be missed. How can you go wrong, dancing with thousands of folks, outdoors on a grassy polo field, surrounded by palm trees? Coachella

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria.

I hope to see you all, somewhere out there, on the beautiful springboard of life, sometime soon.

Blessings,

Aria

Aria's February Shakti Newsletter: Intuition is the Spice

2008-02-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Yogis,

Since the beginning of this year, I feel like Time has cradled me in wings of "no time." Everything is going by quickly, as if in a dream.

A lot of this has to do with me being pregnant. Yup, that's right. For those of you I haven't seen in awhile, Aria is about 5 months preggers. We are expecting a baby girl sometime in late June. Other aspects to this are varied and personal, nothing bad nor good – just reworking my inner dreams, thoughts, hopes, etc.

I am also writing again for LA Yoga. In the March issue, look for my story and pictures on the Balinese New Year (based on the Hindu Lunar New Year.) Also in the March issue in the Community Section, I'll have a brief review of the Fit Yoga Conference, which I attended, several weeks ago. And remember that article on empathy I mentioned a long time ago? It looks to be coming out in the April issue.

I hope this finds you all happy and well in the month of Love - February. Ahhhh. And, with Mercury in retrograde, I kindly urge you all to not get too upset with your lovely computer or car or stereo or ipod or shower if it breaks down on ya. All will change.

In fact, change is the theme of this month's newsletter.

Blessings,
Aria

Warning: Maybe it's because I didn't write you all last month, but this month's newsletter is quite long. Enjoy, or skip to the end for Cool Happenings Around Town. my Class Schedule, and How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe.

FEBRUARY SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

Sci Fi Yogis: remember this quote from Dune?

"The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel…He who controls the spice controls the universe."

What a tantalizing proposition! And what a beautiful metaphor for every person's inner quest to find the spice of inner peace and harmony. Lucky for us, our journey doesn't have to take us through vast deserts, but it does require inner work, change and metamorphosis. Nothing exists in stasis. If an organism or a belief remains static, it is already dead, withered by its own rigidity.

We are born, grow older, change, live, and one die, will all die. But through our life process, everything around us changes. It can not stay the same. Same with yoga, and yet, so many yogis in today's world exist within the rigidity of one system, denouncing others as incomplete, untrue, or lacking the source. Why? Isn't yoga, like everything else, an evolving experience? Those who tell you it isn't are lying.

A brief history of yoga asanas:
Yoga began as an approach to calm the body and mind so that people could meditate. It evolved to include a series of postures, which have evolved to include 8,400,000 asanas (postures), according to the yoga scriptures. Imagine that (!) I bet you that no school you or I have ever practiced in has ever approached even a tenth of the possibilities in yoga asanas.

Please ask yourself an honest question: are getting what you need out of your exercise, meditation, or yoga practice? If you are, blessings be to you. Skip the rest of this newsletter. If you aren't, please begin to question why. Perhaps it's because you've been locked into one school of yogic beliefs and have never ventured beyond it. Or, perhaps you have explored other systems, but through a too-critical lens.

With the Breath, One will Find the Spice
In yoga, our breath and our mind control are keys to finding our Spice. This is what extends our life. This is what expands our consciousness. This is what helps us get through life's crap and difficulties without becoming bitter, stodgy, old fudge-crumplers.

Please, don't stay with a system out of some outdated notion of loyalty if you are no longer growing within that system. There is nothing wrong with seeking out teachers who inspire you. You can still stay loyal to your primary teacher(s). You can still be of one school or belief system, but please, expand and seek out change if you want to grow.

If this resonates with you at all, and you're not sure where to seek out different schools, please, contact me. I'm here to share my experiences with you. Contact me with any questions, anytime. Above all, please understand that I'm not pushing any one style, most certainly not my own. What I am pushing, however, is change.

Intuition is the Spice
The only way to change is to access our intuition so that we can rid ourselves of habits that no longer serve us. The yogis call these habits samaskars, belief systems that we acquire over the years. How do we access our intuition, though? It's easy to say, "I'm sick of being this way and want to change," but so much harder to do so.

The only way I've found is to do so slowly, little by little, becoming more and more aware of who we are and what we do. Eventually, we begin to access those moments of insight that let us understand why we do what we do. And then, can we choose to change, or not.

But, one thing is certain: we must evolve. Our practice must evolve. Our bodies and minds must evolve. Our lives must evolve. If we don't, we become stagnant, dead creatures.

Breath Exercise: 2x/day. 2-5 minutes/time.

BREATH OF CHANGE

Begin by slowing down life. Pause and focus on the now. Stop what you're doing and listen to your breath. Twice a day, for 2-5 minutes at a time.

Notice: Am I breathing deeply? Quickly? Shallowly? Hardly at all?

Standing or seated:
Adjust your shoulders right over your hips. Now, take a deep belly breath. Breathe so deep that your belly sticks W A Y out, as if you were pregnant.

Now, letting the belly relax, start to breathe into the base of your spine, into your hips and low back. Release that breath.
Slowly increase the length of your inhale, until you're breathing into your sides and your waist. Just as slowly, relax the breath.
Slowly, increase the length of your inhale until your breath reaches your chest and shoulders. Just as consciously, relax the breath.

Continue to increase the length of your inhale until you feel the breath rise as high as it can go, maybe into your jaw, maybe into the crown of your head.

Now, repeat the process and slow down the breath just by 2 percent. That's all.

And notice what happens:
Is your mind calmer? Are you more focused?

Next time, you find the desire to change, but don't know where to start, begin with this breath. Soon enough, I promise you, the breath will lead you to "a-ha!" moments, moments of insight into your intuition.

Like the sacred spice in Dune, our intuition is the spice of life. It expands consciousness. It extends life. It allows for change.

-----

COOL HAPPENINGS AROUND TOWN

Chinese New Year Golden Dragon Parade. Saturday Feb. 9 (2-5pm) and Sunday, Feb. 10 (10am – 5pm). Chinatown. (FREE!) This year is the Year of the Rat. (Earth.) For those of you turning 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, and so on, this is your year! You are a clever person with good, expensive taste, capable of transcending your materialistic nature if you so choose. You are best described as a logical realist, shrewd, ambitious, and inventive. You are also bright, sociable, and family minded. A Rat Year is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a great year to get a new job, get married, launch a product, or make a fresh start. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient and let things develop.

The Chinese New Year Events take place on Hill and Ord Streets, up to Bernard, and back down to Broadway.

--

Morikami Exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA – only two more days. This exhibit leaves February 11th, 2008. This international traveling perspective of Takashi Murakami's Art features over 90 exhibits of sculpture, wallpaper, movies, paintings, and bizarre experiences. For lovers of pop art gone down the twisted end, you must see this.

Hint: Buy your tickets at the regular MOCA station, on Grand Ave. Your tickets are valid for both MOCA locations, and will save you waiting in a 40 minute+ line at the Geffen. J

Directions and info: http://www.moca.org/museum/visit_home.php?

--

U2 in 3D, at the IMAX - ongoing.

Okay, I have to be honest and admit that we haven't seen this, yet. But those who have can't rave enough about how amazing this experience is. In fact many are returning to see it more than twice. So if you're a U2 fan and you want to feel Bono singing less than an inch from your face, come check out U2 in 3D!

At the IMAX Theatre at Citywalk. 100 Universal City Plaza. Universal City, CA

For more info: www.u23dmovie.com

---

MUSIC: Funky in the Middle presents Sunday Outdoor Afternoon Pool Parties at the Custom Hotel. 1pm – 9pm. FREE with RSVP. Every week is different and sure to please those who like to get their groove on, outdoors. Funky, fun, and chill, the Funky in the Middle crew is wowing L.A. with their no-attitude Sunday afternoon pool parties at the Custom Hotel.

The Custom Hotel is at 8639 Lincoln Blvd., just South of Manchester. Los Angeles, CA 90045. You must be 21 and over to attend.

RSVP for free entry to: wiseacre@funkyinthemiddle-la.com

ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES

Mondays, 7:15pm – 8:45pm. Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga.

Wednesdays: 8:00pm – 9:30pm. Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys.

Saturdays: 5:00pm – 6:30pm. All-levels Flow. Bodies in Motion.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm

Want ON or OFF this list?

Please reply with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

Please reply with "Unsubscribe" to be removed from the list.

Thank you!

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Shedding Light - Holiday Shakti Newsletter

2007-12-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Yogis,

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and well.

The Holiday Season has approached again, lightening fast and almost without warning. Can you hardly believe we're almost to a New Year?

May the rest of 2007 be a time of celebration, full of friends, laughter, and good times.

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria.

Blessings,
Aria

Shedding Light on our Darkness

Just this week, one of my yoga teachers brought up the idea of enlightenment. Not enlightenment as a "holier than thou" state of mind. No. Absolutely not. When my teacher spoke of enlightenment, he referred to it as something that shines light on our dark side. After all, it's easy to feel enlightened if we're not challenged. If you are a hermit, living alone, in a cave and you never have to deal with hours of freeway traffic, of course you're probably a lot less stressed than the average Angeleno. Does that make you enlightened? Far from it.

Enlightenment is facing our darkness, our inner crap. Enlightenment is what happens when we shine light into a room that hasn't been opened in a long time. The dust has gathered, the cobwebs are thick, and it smells musty inside there. What do we do? Do we shut the door and go, "No way. Not today." Or do we clean that stuff out? That's the process of enlightenment.

This really spoke to me because I often feel that when these dark corners are exposed, my habitual instinct is to either shut down and ignore the situation, or face it with a feeling of dread and guilt. As a yoga teacher and the classic Virgo, I place huge expectations on myself. I have so many personal goals that are so far from being accomplished. So many things inside of me have yet to take form. So many ideas, all hidden away and locked. I feel like I shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't get anxiety. I should be able to accomplish all my "to do" lists and goals. I should be able to write a Shakti Newsletter full of some beautiful story or insight. I "should," I "should," I "should." Simple examples, I know, but these are some of my dark corners.

So how do we deal with our darkness? Is yoga or meditation the only path to enlightenment? Absolutely not.

Personally, I don't feel that any one path is required of all. I believe that everyone can benefit from yoga and meditation, but if it doesn't call your name, why force it? We all have something that helps us face those dark corners. The key is recognizing which activities help shine light on our dark corners. Which help us transcend those spaces into inhabitable places? And which activities merely coat those inner rooms with even more dust?

For some people, writing music is far more enlightening than taking a yoga class. For others, it's dancing, surfing, jogging, etc. You get the idea. I believe that any activity, approached with consciousness, can help us shed light on ourselves. And I would caution you to be wary of so-called "enlightened" persons who insist on imposing one belief system on all. When we start to judge what others choose to do, or not do, we must question why we feel so compelled to focus our energy on other people, instead of on ourselves.

It's okay to have bad habits. It's okay to open those dark rooms and immediately shut the door again. It's okay to not deal with our stuff. But some day, at some point, we have to shed light on our darkness if we're ever going to be okay with who we are. Otherwise, we become lost in a cloud of dust, locked away in the recesses of past guilt.

Over this holiday season, I encourage you to make an effort to seek out activities that help you become more aware of your inner space.

In closing, this month, instead of sharing a breath with you, I would like to share a poem:

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture.

Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you
Out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing.
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.

-- Rumi

---------------------------

Cool Happenings Around Town :-)

Create:Fixate -Saturday, Dec. 1st. 7pm - 2am. Downtown Los Angeles.
It's time for another one of L.A.'s hottest underground secrets. Create:Fixate's parties bring together local art and music in chill, relaxed atmosphere. This month, Create:Fixate celebrates six years of art and music with a salon-style, retrospective exhibit. Gallery preview: 4-7pm, $5 suggested donation. Official event: 7pm -2am, $15 Admission. 613 Imperial St., Downtown Los Angeles, CA. For more info: www.createfixate.com/nexteventM06.html

Harmonie's 3 year anniversary - Friday, December 7th. 7pm - 11pm. Venice Beach, CA.
Voted one of the styliest stores in Los Angeles several years running, Harmonie is your place to find a perfect gift for that very fashionable person in your life. The three year anniversary party features an open bar with delicious seasonal cocktails, as well as music, DJ's, and style. Harmonie. 2800 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA. www.ShopHarmonie.com

Mighty Fine Holiday Sale - Saturday, Dec 8th. 8 am to 2 pm. Downtown Los Angeles, CA.
If ya love T-shirts, check out Mighty Fine's Holiday Sale. ALL brands onsale, including Public Library, Topless, Trash N Luxury, Mini Fine, Doe. Mighty Fine is located at: 2010 E. 15th St, LA, CA 90021.

Eco Gift Expo - Dec. 15th, 9am - 8pm. Dec. 16th, 9am - 5pm. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
Get all your Holiday gifts in one place, with 150 Eco-Conscious companies to choose from. While shopping for your loved ones, enjoy organic food and drinks, live jazz, performers, and magicians. 10% of all revenue will go to Global Green USA and the Whole Planet Foundation. Tickets available online, at: www.EcoGift.com

Dali, Dali, Dali - ongoing through February at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
For lovers of film and art, even those who've already seen the Dali Museum, in Figueras, Spain, the LACMA exhibit is a must. This exhibit is the first to focus on the relationship between the paintings and films of the worlds' most famous surrealist. LACMA. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:

Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays: 8:00pm - 9:30pm Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys. Pico/Fairfax area.

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm

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Want ON or OFF this list?

Please e-mail with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

Please e-mail with "Unsubscribe" to be removed from the list.

Thank you!

--------

October Shakti Newsletter - Cultivating Beauty

2007-10-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and well.

I wanted to share with you my teacher profile on Brad Keimach. Check it out in this month's issue of LA Yoga magazine.

Also, my Intro to Yoga Basics Alignment Workshops are almost full. If you are interested, please e-mail or call for more information. Aria (310) 403-4438. Detailed info online: http://yogawitharia.com/workshops.htm

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria (!)

Blessings,

Aria

Cultivating Beauty

I've been thinking a lot about the power of choice. Sometimes, my inner state of mind is unbalanced and this deafens my will to choose. Other times, it's easy, like being a kid again and playing pretend. It just happens, without much work on my part. Just this week, I was reminded of an old Egyptian story that echoes this sentiment:

There was once a very poor man whose daily meal consisted of bread and rice. This man, though he was poorer than most of his neighbors, had a fine sense of smell and often described, to a tee, the meals that were being prepared in homes around him, naming the exact spices used, and in which proportion. His neighbors, curious, asked him how he knew so much about cooking? “Join me for dinner tonight,” he invited them.

Later that evening, as a few neighbors came around, the man said, "Tonight, we will taste some of the most exotic food in Cairo. Come, let's take a walk." They walked into town, up to a posh new restaurant, where the man guided his neighbors underneath one of the restaurant's windows.

They sat down underneath the window, delicious scents wafting past them. Their stomachs churned with hunger. “Ready?” the man asked? They nodded, excitedly. The man took out a piece of bread, broke it into pieces, and handed out a piece to everyone. He lifted his nose up to the window and said "Close your eyes and take a deep breath." Everyone did as instructed, "and take a bite of bread,” the man said.

The man bit into his piece of bread. With a huge smile plastered on his face, his eyes still closed, breathing in the scents from the restaurant, he commented on how subtle the saffron was, and how rich the sauce tasted. A few of his neighbors stood up and cursed the man, saying that he was laughing at them, but the man answered them calmly, saying that if they chose to see a piece of bread in front of them, then that is all they would ever see.

"Can't you smell," he asked, "how perfectly the eggplants are cooked. The succulents and fruit drip with honey. And the pastries, all filled with meats and exotic spices. Why, we're eating at the best restaurant in Cairo," he said. A few of the neighbors sat back down, but others, unwilling to suspend their reality, left.

--

What a simple story, full of promise. Either we can cultivate beauty out of the ordinary, or we allow the ordinary crush us into submission. Who cares if the beauty that we create is just pretend, at first? Pretending to see beauty will most certainly lead to seeing more beauty, which leads to seeing even more beauty, and so on.

The key to allowing beauty to thrive is keeping ourselves in balance. Since we are passing through the astrological sign of Libra, which represents Balance, I thought it fitting to revisit one of our balancing breaths. Next time your inner magic feels threatened by imbalance, try this breath:

Supreme Breath

Please find a quiet spot where you can sit undisturbed for 3 - 5 minutes.

Sit comfortably, with your back supported, and your sit bones feeling evenly grounded. Begin to lengthen the back of your neck. Adjust your shoulders over your hips. Take a deep breath, into your tailbone. Let that breath rise through every vertebrae up the spine, and exhale, sending that breath back out the tailbone. Do this a few times, until you feel that your spine feels relaxed and long.

With your right thumb, plug your right nostril and breath in through the left nostril. Breathe in for as long as you want to. When you're done, use your third and fourth fingers to plug your left nostril. Hold the breath for as long as you wish. (If you are pregnant or have high blood pressure, don't hold your breath. Just pause as you shift from left to right.)

When you're ready to exhale, release your thumb, exhaling out your right nostril. Continue, in reverse. Keeping your fingers where they are, inhale through you right nostril. Plug both nostrils and hold. Exhale through your left nostril.

Do this for as many rounds as you like. The idea is not to count the breath, but just to inhale for as long as feels good, hold for as long as feels good, and exhale for as long as feels good.

Enjoy!

Pranayama Science: Every hour or so, the body tends to breathe more heavily in and out through one nostril, and then, it switches to the other. This natural cycle balances out the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. If our natural cycle is disrupted by stress, this breath cycle may also become disrupted. Once the breath cycle is balanced, the bodies systems began to fall back into balance.

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Yoga NEWS:

Donation Yoga Wed (Pico/Fairfax): Mixed levels yoga going on strong at the Wilenskys, every Wed. from 8:00pm - 9:30pm.

Intro to Yoga Workshop Series: Includes Free Yoga Class, Afterwards.

Yoga with Aria continues with her bi-monthly series of 1 hour workshops tailored to break down the most commonly encountered yoga poses: Down Dog, Plank, Chaturunga, Cobra/Updog, Warrior One, Warrior Two, and variations on these poses. This Saturday we will work on Chaturanga to Cobra/Updog to Down Dog.

This is an appropriate class for all levels of yoga – those of you who’ve been practicing yoga for a long time, but may never have received alignment instruction; and those of you new to yoga, who would like some foundational training. It’s also a great class for anyone nursing an injury. In fact, think of it like a small-group private.

The workshops are limited to a maximum of 10 people. Each workshop includes a free 1.5 hour Mixed Level Flow class afterwards, so you can practice what you’ve just learned.

More info online: http://yogawitharia.com/workshops.htm

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Cool Happenings Around Town

LA DECOM - This Saturday, October 13th, downtown Los Angeles.
Experience some Burning Man, back home. Get out your favorite costume and come on out. The festivities begin Saturday afternoon and last deep into the night. www.LA-BURNINGMAN.com for all information.

YOGATHAN at GOLDEN BRIDGE YOGA - October 13, 14.
This 26 hour event benefits Amrit Davaa and World Health, a NPO that provides humanitarian aide, health/wellness education, and healthcare to children and families in need. Featuring Tej Kaur Khalsa, Natasha Rizpoulous, Vanessa Hopkins, Gurumukh, the Golden Bridge Choir, and much more. www.goldenbridgeyoga.com. (323) 936-4172

ARGENTINE TANGO with MURAT and MICHELLE at Shakti's Elements. Saturday, Oct. 27th.
For anyone with a passion for tango, don't miss this opportunity to study with two of the most well respected teachers in the business, visiting L.A. for one day, only. For more info, contact: Coco Baran

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:

Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays: 8:00pm - 9:30pm Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys. Pico/Fairfax area.

Thursdays 3:45pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

The first two Saturdays of Oct and Nov: 9am -10am Intro to Yoga Basics Alignment Workshop, followed by a complimentary Slow Flow Class, from 10:30am - 12:00pm.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm

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Please e-mail: with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

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Thank you!

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September Shakti Newsletter

2007-09-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and well.

This month is just past its midway and here I am, finally sending this off. My apologies for my tardiness. It’s been a very busy month. In addition to teaching yoga and writing about music, I’m now writing about yoga. Look for my reviews in the month’s issue of LA Yoga and an upcoming article in the October issue.

In class news – my Slow Flow classes have blossomed into a bi-monthly Intro to Yoga Workshop Series. Each Workshop includes a free practice yoga class, afterwards. Series begins in October. More info in my newsletter, below.

Thanks for supporting Yoga with Aria!

Blessings,
Aria

Weeds along the Freeway: Cultivating the Impossible

One of the strangest things I’ve noticed in a long time is the proliferation of tall weeds along the freeway divider. The 10 Fwy is chalk full of them. Check them out next time you’re driving. These things are amazing. They grow, right through the concrete, without any external help, like fertilizers or water.

Some reach as tall as four feet high. Doesn’t that just blow your mind,? The fact that a weak little stem of a growing baby plant can actually root down deep enough and push slowly enough that it breaks apart concrete?

This imagery is such a beautiful metaphor for any of our life dreams. Whether you hope to be the next Stanley Kubrick, the next Barbara Boxer,or the next Tiger Woods, manifesting huge life goals can oftentimes feel out of reach.

When I start to feel this way, I know that I have to detach myself from the busyness of my mental chatter. Invariably, in the midst of one of these moments, I’ll notice something as random as weeds growing out of the freeway divider. And realize that I’m seeing the world as it truly is – everything, in a constant state of growth and change.

Miracles grow all around us, one tiny millimeter at a time.

Detachment Breath

Warning: The breath retention practiced here is not appropriate for pregnant women or those with high blood pressure.

Sit comfortably. Adjust your shoulders right over your hips. Firm your low belly, drawing it in and slightly upwards. Lengthen your tailbone down.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath into both lungs. Hold that breath until you feel a shift in mental state and then let it go.

A shift in mental state is any inner emotional or mental change. It can manifest as a sudden panic (“I can’t breathe!”) or severe detachment (“This is boring.”). What you feel isn’t as important as long as you feel something. As soon as you feel your emotions shift, exhale completely, releasing your breath.

Now, plugging your left nostril, breathe in through the right nostril only. Take a deep breath and try to focus the breath just into your right lung. Hold that breath until you feel a shift in mental state, and let it go.

Repeat, for the left lung: Plugging your right nostril, breathe in through the left nostril. Take a deep breath into your left lung. Hold that breath until your mental state shifts, and let it go.

Repeat the cycle as many times as you like.

Finish by taking a long, slow, deep inhale. Mentally count up to ten as you inhale. Without retaining the breath, as soon as you finish your inhale, began to exhale s-l-o-w-l-y, exhaling all the way to ten.

Enjoy detaching.

---------
Yoga NEWS
Donation Yoga Wed (Pico/Fairfax): Mixed levels yoga going on strong at the Wilenskys, every Wed. from 8:00pm - 9:30pm.

Intro to Yoga Workshop Series: Includes Free Yoga Class, Afterwards.

Beginning in October, Yoga with Aria presents a bi-monthly series of 1 hour workshops tailored to break down the most commonly encountered yoga poses: Down Dog, Plank, Chaturunga, Cobra/Updog, Warrior One, Warrior Two, and variations on these poses.

This is an appropriate class for all levels of yoga – those of you who’ve been practicing yoga for a long time, but may never have received alignment instruction; and those of you new to yoga, who would like some foundational training. It’s also a great class for anyone nursing an injury. In fact, think of it like a small-group private.

The workshops are limited to a maximum of 10 people. Each workshop includes a free 1.5 hour Mixed Level Flow class afterwards, so you can practice what you’ve just learned.

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Cool Happenings Around Town

WIRED NEXT FEST at the CONVENTION CENTER – currently running through Sunday, September 16, 2007.
Wired’s Next Fest is the place to be for anyone who loves technology, life, and mind-boggling innovations.
http://www.wirednextfest.com/

ELEVATE FILM FESTIVAL - Saturday September 15, 2007
Filmmakers are given a challenge: make a film with a socially redeeming message in less than 48 hours. Conscious filmmaking at its best. Come out and support!
http://www.elevatefilmfestival.com/

GLOBAL MALA PROJECT with DJ CHEB I SABBAH – Saturday, September 22, 2007.
The Global Mala project encompasses elements of life I consider crucial to our well-being: a respect for the future, global sustainability, the unification of consciousness in action, yoga and dance. Its intention is to unite 108,000 people all over the world on a singular day of meditation for world peace and positive change. The L.A. Festival, at the solar powered Convention Center, is scheduled to run 14 hours. Whatever you're into, you'll find it here. There's something for everyone: workshops, speakers, kundalini yoga, vinyasa flow, kirtan, chanting, and a yoga trance dance at night with DJ Cheb i Sabbah and live drummers. Please visit: www.globalmala.com for more information.

UPTOWN UNDERGROUND, A KCRW MUSIC FESTIVAL – Saturday, September 22, 2007.
After you rock your groove at the Global Mala Project, come check out DJ Jason Bentley at the Music Center. Free (!)
http://www.kcrw.com/events/uptown-underground

BRIGHT EYES W/LA PHILHARMONIC AT THE BOWL – Saturday September 29, 2007
Grab your picnic basket and a bottle of wine, this one’s going to be amazing.
http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tix/performance_detail.cfm?id=3482

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:

Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays: 8:00pm - 9:30pm Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys. Pico/Fairfax area.

Thursdays 3:45pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm

---------
Want ON or OFF this list?

Please e-mail aria@yogawitharia.com with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

Please e-mail aria@yogawitharia.com with "Unsubscribe" to be removed from the list.

Thank you!

---------

Two Questions & A Factoid

2007-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I hope that August is treating you well. Almost the end of the month. It's back to school for some of us, and for others, it's back to our own inner dens of creativity and dreams.

My brother sent me these questions below. In all honesty, I must disclose that I deleted some of the inherent dialogue because it was tinged with obvious religious overtones-- something I try to avoid in this blog. But, I kept the questions and answers the same.

If you're prone for a little bit o' interesting procrastination, please read on:

:-)
Aria

Question 1:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the response for this one.

Question 2:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts.
Here are the facts about the three candidates. Who would you vote for?

Candidate A:
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologist
He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B:
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in
college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C:
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an
occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.

Which of these candidates would be our choice?

Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill .
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question: The woman didn't have an abortion and her child was Beethoven.

And, Finally, can you imagine working for a company that has a little more
than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year...

Can you guess which organization this is?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress. The same group that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

August Shakti Newsletter: Creating Space

2007-08-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

AUGUST SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

We are so full-on, into the heat of summer. In some ways, it's wonderful to feel the cleansing energy of a good sweat. But sometimes, it can feel a little much, as if there's too much fire in our lives. This feeling usually begins like an inner claustrophobia. If not addressed, it may eventually become an energy drain, leaving us mildly depressed or lacking the perspective to enact change.

Feeling the Heat?
My discomfort began early this summer. I began to feel locked into driving all the time. My work schedule has me teaching (and driving a lot) six days/week. And because I usually end up running errands on the 7th day, I find myself on the road daily, which I've realized is very stressful for me.

What's the big deal, you might ask? Seems silly, doesn't it? A yoga teacher ought to be "above this," right? At least, that's what I thought. I decided to "fight this battle" with yoga and meditation, convinced that I could use positive thinking to shift my perspective.

Yet, no matter what I did to be at peace with this, it just got worse. I started feeling energetically drained and generally just blah,...until one day, it all became very clear. This situation had very little to do with positive thinking. It was all about my attitude towards my situation: I was viewing my driving through lenses of duality-- as a fight, a conflict that I had to win.

How very wrong of me.

My answer lie in remembering that peace can never exist if I have to fight for it. In fighting against what I'm feeling, I am shifting my energy even further out of balance. Life is about creating peace from what I have, now. My mistake was to try and convince myself that I wasn't really feeling down, and that this was all a matter of positive thinking, when the truth was that positive thinking could only take me so far. Beyond that, I had to put my thoughts into actions.

Creating Space:
I realized that fear had been stopping me from action. I was afraid of dropping classes, possibly loosing students. Once I let go of that fear, I realized that by not dropping classes, I am doing something far worse -- eating into my energy levels, which might eventually cause me to lose even more students and classes, in the long-run.

So, I did it. Beginning September, I will have one day per week that is a no-drive, zero emissions day. In doing so, I am creating space to be recharged. And instead of looking at it like loosing classes and students, I am looking at this as a new opportunity for privates which I can teach from my home, while doing something that I deeply believe in: driving less, not more.

As far as which day to drop -- I left the choice up to the amazing owners of Silverlake Yoga, Juliette and Jonathan, for whose understanding and support I am deeply grateful. And I'll still be available to teach day, as long as its biking/walking distance from my home, or if I get a ride there.

If this feeling of constriction or tightness resonates with you, please don't sink into the trap that I encountered. Please remember that life is many possibilities, all in shades of color, rather than in locked tones of black or white. Fighting against ourselves is pointless. Real change begins with shifting our perspective from thoughts into action. And every action begins with creating the space for change.

Om Shanti.

SPACE CREATING BREATH:

You'll need about 5 - 10 minutes for this one. Please begin by sitting in a comfortable, relaxed position.

Basic Breath:
Begin by drawing your inhale from the base of your spine. Allow the inhale to permeate your hips, back, sacrum, and belly. Let it go.
Allow your next inhale to rise even deeper. Breathe slowly, counting to ten as you feel the breath expand into your side ribs, maybe all the way into your chest, before you exhale and let it go. Allow your next breath to be even deeper. Release your entire breath, exhaling to empty.

Repeat as many times as you like.

Problems breathing deeply?
Let's say you couldn't get your breath all the way through your chest. Maybe it even felt like there was something stuck in there. If so, then close your eyes and picture a large, moving body of water, like a river. Now, imagine a huge boulder in middle of that river. Notice that the boulder doesn't make a difference. The water just goes around it.

Now allow your breath to be like that body of water.

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Donation Yoga NEWS

Donation Yoga Wed (Pico/Fairfax):
Mixed levels yoga going on strong at the Wilenskys, every Wed. from 7:45pm - 9:15pm'ish.

Slow Flow Donation Yoga at the Maylands, Saturday mornings, beginning in September.
Back by popular demand! Slow Flow classes to begin Saturday mornings in September. Don't get a chance to do much yoga, or are you new to yoga? Would you like more instruction with your poses and alignment? Nursing an injury? Want more personal attention? A slightly slower paced class that doesn't leave you behind? This is the class for you. More info arriving soon.
----------------------------

Cool Happenings Around Town:

HAPPY HOUR FESTIVAL. August 10, 11 in Los Angeles. Film, Music, Art, and Good Times.
Where else can you see inspired short films, hear cutting edge beats, experience live performance art and do it all, amongst a cool bunch of folks? At Happy Hour, of course! The Happy Hour Festival is run by two very talented Directors who love what they do and want to support creative art in this wacky world of ours. Pre-sale tix are only $20. Come out and support.
For more info: www.happyworldwide.com/happyhour/index.html

CINESPIA: Every Saturday. Hollywood Forever Cemetary
For those of you who love old movies, Cinespia is back to their Summertime Classic Movie screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Sat. Aug. 11: Taxi Driver. Sat. Aug. 18: The Red Shoes. Sat. Aug. 25: Notorious.
For more info: www.cinespia.org

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL, Labor Day Weekend, Black Rock City, Nevada.
If you've been, you certainly know why you keep coming back. If you've never been and don't mind a little (or a lot) of dust and heat, you'll be rewarded with a lifetime of experience and an amazing array of visual and auditory eye candy. Art, sculpture, performance art, Tesla Coil lightening demonstrations in the middle of the night, music everywhere, and all around wacky fun to be had. If you are going, please be safe. Practice moderation in all things. Hydrate. And enjoy!
Fore more info: www.burningman.com

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:
Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays: 7:45pm - 9:15pm Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys. Pico/Fairfax area.

Thursdays 3:45pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
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Please reply with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

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Abraham-Hicks on Vibrational Patterns of Thought

2007-06-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Today's a day for posting, it seems. A friend just sent this over. If you are familiar with Abraham-Hicks' teachings, the movie The Secret, or The Law of Attraction, this will be a nice review for you. If you are new to this kind of thinking, please read with an open mind. Whatever resonates (feels true) to you, keep and put into practice. What doesn't resonate with you, please let go, without judgement.

Namaste,
Aria

You would never be discouraged if you knew, as we do, that anything you want must be, and that all you have to do is line up with it. You would never be discouraged if you knew, as we do, that when contrast causes you to clarify a desire, that, in the moment of that clarification, even if you don’t speak words about it, Source immediately says yes to that desire and becomes one with that desire. So, there is no possibility whatsoever anywhere in this Universe that your desire is not being answered in the moment that you give birth to it. But if you don’t know that, if you’re still looking at the gap between your realization that you want it and your realization of the manifestation of it, then, because you have forgotten that it’s going to happen for sure, we can see how you might get discouraged

Feel the difference between something that you want that you know you can achieve, and how exhilarating that is, and something that you want that you feel powerless to achieve. And what we’re wanting you to understand, is: You need not ever again feel powerless about the achieving of anything— because when you ask, it is given, every single time.

There is no such thing as something that is incurable; there is no such thing as something that is impossible. There’s only vibrational discord with the wellness; that’s what illness is. There’s only vibrational discord with abundance; that’s what poverty is. There’s only vibrational discord with clarity; that’s what confusion is.

You have Guidance within you that will help you to quantify your journeys. And so, you can tell (if you care about how you feel) whether you’re marching, marching, marching towards something that you’re going to like when you gets there. People will say, “Abraham, it came out of the blue!” And we say, hardly. You’ve been beating that drum for a long, long time. And you say, “No, I haven’t. I haven’t been thinking about that. I didn’t think about the specifics of this terrible thing that happened to me.” And we say: You thought about enough things that were a vibrational equivalent to this powerlessness that you are feeling (or to this rage that you are feeling) that you activated a vibration that kept you from going in the direction of what you want, and, in fact, took you directly to what you do not want.

When you are feeling ornery, ornery, ornery, ornery, ornery, ornery, you can’t end up in Happyville. It’s on a different path, you see. When you are frustrated, frustrated, frustrated, frustrated, frustrated, everywhere you go, things that are frustrating in nature are there waiting for you. They are waiting for you with open arms. “You planned us,” they say. “You prepared us. You called us from the ethers.” And the Universe and Law of Attraction goes to great trouble (it’s really no trouble at all; it’s just a natural consequence of the Laws of the Universe). Law of Attraction (that which is like unto itself is drawn) will meet you around every corner with the essence of your vibrational nature. It’s everywhere you go. That’s what we mean when we say: you take yourself with you.

What we want you to come to understand is that, here you are, wherever you are, and out there somewhere, is something you really want, and out there somewhere else, is something you really don’t want. In other words, it’s like your future is a big long stick with things you really want on one end, and things you really don’t want on the other end. And here you are, in every moment of every day, making a decision about which direction you’re going. So, it’s like there are all of these potential forks in the trail.

Have you ever taken an airline trip or a car trip, or any trip, even a hiking trip, where you have made a direct line from where you are to where you want to be? Or, are your trips always ups and downs and around things? In other words, aren’t you just always correcting your course, generally going in the direction? Jerry and Esther are amazed sometimes when they look at a map, and they realize that the road that they were on that says I-10 East doesn’t go east a good deal of the time. It’s really interesting how often it is going north, or even south in its general direction of east.

There are many twists and turns in your road, but you must have your Guidance System activated consciously so that you can tell, when you twist and turn, how you’re wanting to correct yourself—because, of course, things are going to happen—of course. Something’s going to sneak up on you that you didn’t see coming because you weren’t aware that it was active in your vibration. Sometimes, stuff got activated in your vibration when you were really little, when you were living with somebody else whose activation was very strong, and you didn’t even know it got activated until you got old enough that you started watching the manifestational response.

It’s a wonderful thing, that what you think and how you feel is always a vibrational match. It’s a wonderful thing that what you think and how you feel—and what manifests—is always a vibrational match. But if you wait to correct your course until something is already manifested, it’s harder to correct your course. We call that post-manifestational awareness.

It’s ever so much more effective if you are correcting your course, based upon the way you feel, and that you stop in the middle of an ornery moment and you say to yourself, “I’m marching, marching, marching toward something that I’m not going to like when it gets there. Can I find a slightly better approach?”

Now, this is the thing that we really want you to hear: We do not expect you, because no one has ever done it, to go from an ornery vibration directly to bliss—it doesn’t happen. We don’t expect you to immediately correct your course. We don’t expect you to teleport yourself to where you want to be. This is a physical time/space reality where you have this magnificent buffer of time. So, you have plenty of time to get yourself lined up. And with every effort of realignment that you attempt, you will find a slight enough improvement that you will begin to see manifestations that reflect your effort. Even though you’re not all the way to where you want to be, you will see manifestation that reflects your effort. (We’re not kidding you one bit about that.)

So, you might see yourself as standing always at a fork in the road because there is always the option of finding a way that feels better. In other words, wouldn’t it be nice if? Or, making the best of it. Or, there is also the option of, wouldn’t it be awful? Or, making the worst of it. In other words, you get to choose.

We see a lot of you (lovely Beings that you are) making the worst of it over and over again. And do you know why you do that? It’s for very well-meaning reasons. You make the worst of it because, at every level of your Being, you understand that you are supposed to feel good and that things are supposed to go well for you. And when they don’t, you’re, sort of, freaking out on even very deep levels… there’s something that makes you want to shout, “Somebody should call somebody about this! Somebody should call somebody, and somebody should fix something, so that my life goes better,” because you were born with that promise in place. You were born knowing that you are the center of the Universe. You were born knowing that the resources of All-That-Is would back you up. So when something’s going freakishly wrong, we understand your consternation. We understand how frustrating it must be, or how disempowering it must feel. But we want to say to you: All you have to do, is make the best effort you can right now, to fork a little bit in the direction of what you want—that’s all the work is.

Every moment of every day, you have these forks where you can go closer toward something that you want, or further from something that you want.

You want to demand the world give you what you want. And we say, the world cannot give you what you are demanding. The world is giving you what you’re deserving. The world cannot give you what you’re demanding; the world is giving you what you’re offering vibrationally, and nobody can change what you’re offering vibrationally—but you… We think the reason that you may not be very good at it, yet, is because you want to change too much, too fast. You want the manifestation to change, right now. And we want you to just take this opportunity to mold your vibration. Because as you take this opportunity to mold your vibration, and this one, and this one, and this one, and this one, not only do you feel better along the way, not only do you have more friendly clerks across the counter, not only do you uplift rather than make people feel terrible, you feel better along your way. Your journey is brighter and brighter. And ah, the manifestations that reach out to you, the people that you rendezvous with, they are equivalent to the vibrational forks that you take in the road.

You are the creator of your own reality because you are the chooser of the thought right now.

Don’t be hard on yourself. If you’re standing in a place where you’ve been chopped off at the knees, where you’ve been hit in the gut, where you’re feeling awful, don’t feel bad. Don’t beat up on yourself for not being able to choose the best thought you’ve ever thought. Just choose the best thought you can find from where you are. In other words, just fork off gently in the direction of what is important to you. And before you know it, your path will get brighter and sweeter, and brighter and sweeter. And the people who watch you will say, “You know, you amaze me. Things go well everywhere you go. Why is that so?” And you say, “I’ve come to expect it.” And many of them will say, “Agh.” They don’t want to hear how you expect things to go well. They’ll say, “Oh, that’s because you’re rich. Oh, that’s because you have an entourage that travels with you.” We promise you, no entourage can buck your current. There is no one in the world who can prepare your path for you, you see. You are all as rich as everyone else because you all have the resources of the Universe at your fingertips. And when you take the time, when you care enough to take the time to find the better-feeling thought, now, you’re moving toward something that will please you.

Every step you take, you are marching toward a manifestation. And if you feel good while you’re stepping—you are marching, marching, marching toward things that are going to delight you when they get there. And if you are ornery, if you’re unhappy, if you are frustrated, if you are blameful, if you are angry, if you are hateful, if you are revengeful, if you are fearful, if you are depressed—you are marching, marching, marching toward things that are going to augment that feeling of depression, of anger, of frustration. In other words, the way you feel must net you more stuff that feels like the way you feel.

The better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets, the worse it gets, the worse it gets, the worse it gets, the worse it gets, the worse it gets. You cannot defy the Laws of the Universe—please give it up! Stop trying to use your words and your action for the stuff that attitude and mood, and vibration are to do. In other words, mold yourself into place. Do the vibrational work before you do the action work, and the action work will be a fraction of what it has been before.

If you take the time to do the vibrational work first, you won’t have to offer nearly as much action. You’ll begin to discover that the things that are important for you just unfold for you because the Universe is at your fingertips. The fairies of the Universe are there for you. You are the center of an enormous entourage that means to please you.

And when you, through your magnificent deciphering of contrast, give birth to a rocket of desire, that rocket of desire is duly noted, understood, and absolutely agreed with by all of the resources of the Universe. And now all you’ve got to do, is to get in the vibrational compliance with what you are asking for. (Isn’t that nice to know?)

There are three steps to the Creative Process: Step One, you don’t have to worry about; contrast makes you take that step. Contrast causes you to desire or focus, or prefer. Step Two, not your work, anyway. Source and all of the resources of Source answer your request. That’s that vibrational alignment. That’s that one point of vibrational relativity that happens instantaneously.

So, your only work is Step Three. And Step Three is: Can I find a thought right now that feels a little better than the thought I’ve been thinking? That’s all Step Three is. Finding a thought that causes me to feel a vibration (or a feeling) of relief. So, there is allowing of what I want, or disallowing of what I want. There is allowing of what I want, or resisting what I want. You are either practicing the art of allowing, or the art of resisting. When you’re forking off toward things you want, you’re practicing the art of allowing. When you’re forking off to things you don’t want, you’re practicing the art of resistance. And every day, and every moment of your life experience is a perfect reflection of how you’ve been forking. (Good.)

Excerpted from Abraham-Hicks Workshop
G-7-30-05 — San Francisco, CA

"Only a Child"

2007-06-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

I received this from a friend. It was so deeply moving, I had to post it. It's 6 minutes long, and absolutely worth your time. Thanks.

June-July Shakti: Cycles, Perspective, and Metabolism

2007-06-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

JUNE/JULY SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

Wow, has this last month just flown by. Seems like everything is going on high-speed for me. Hopefully, your lives have been a little slower.

CYCLES of EARTH:
Tomorrow (Thurs) is the Northern Solstice, better known as the Summer Solstice. The Earth, as we might remember from science classes, is tilted on its axis, leaning towards and away from the Sun throughout its yearly orbit. Tomorrow, the Sun lies directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, creating the longest day of the year on Earth.

Please enjoy the day tomorrow by taking time to be outdoors.

Cycles of DEATH and LIFE:
Jason and I have had two deaths within our family and circle of friends over the last few weeks.

In facing death, it is important to remember that death is a cycle of life. Death can be viewed as a loss, or as a celebration of life, a passage into the next dimension of existence. The difference lies in our Perspective.

I remember a story told to me many years ago, about a tribe in Africa who mourns the birth of a child, because that child has left the spirit world, only to enter into the harsh reality of life on earth. When a member of the tribe dies, however, they throw a huge party - celebrating that spirit's entry back to the spirit world.

What a different perspective than ours.

Although I don't advocate throwing a massive blowout when a loved one dies or sobbing and mourning during a baby shower, it is interesting to place our beliefs through a cultural filter. If you believe, as I do, that we choose our emotions and we choose to react or not react to situations, then the traditional reactions of mourning and celebrating can take on an entirely different meaning.

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between these two polar opposite cultural traditions. perhaps the answer is to recognize the cycle of life and death as one. Neither is better than the other. Neither is worse, or more painful than the other.

All emotions begin with our perspective. Begin experimenting with shifting your perspective on life, and see what happens.

SUMMERTIME BREATH: PLEASE - use this wisely, folks. The Metabolism Enhancing Breath is not to be used as a quick weight loss scheme. It won't work. Breath is a powerful tool, and if we think we can fool our system into loosing weight by running too hot fall the time, the actual effects we're going for will be negated by the stress on our system.

Metabolism-Enhancing Breath: Plug your left nostril and breath through the right nostril. Stop this breath immediately if you feel dizzy, nauseous, or faint.
--Useful when you are tired and need a boost.

Metabolism-Slowing Breath: Plug your right nostril and breathe through your left.
--Useful when you are running too hot (stressed, nervous, tense) and need to slow down. Also extremely useful if you are fasting or cleansing, and don't want to feel hungry.

Begin with 10 breaths. Slowly increase as needed.

To read a wonderful article on the Metablism, please check out "Master Your Metabolism," originally published in Body & Soul Magazine:

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/vgnextoid=fb04a538db6e0110VgnVCM100003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=also_try

Thanks for your support.

May you all have a Lovely 4th of July!

Namaste

Aria

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------------------
Yoga NEWS

Donation Yoga Wed (Pico/Fairfax):
Going on strong at the Wilenskys, every Wed. from 7:45pm - 9:15pm.

I will be adding back donation yoga classes at our house in July or August. If you are interested, shoot me back an e-mail and let me know if you'd prefer weekdays or weekends, mornings or evenings. We live in the Olympic/Highland area.
----------------------------
Cool Happenings Around Town:

Dancing: June 22nd, The Derby. Hunkamama!
Hunkamama is playing this Friday night, June 22, at The Derby in Los Feliz. Never heard this L.A. band of funky sexy ladies? Check 'em out! The band goes on at 8:30pm and if you decide to stay on, the evening features more music and a Burning Man fashion show.

Cinema: Cinespia. Every Saturday. Hollywood Forever Cemetary
For those of you who love old movies, Cinespia is back to their Summertime Classic Movie screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. This weekend - The Haunted. For more info: www.cinespia.org

Music and Art: Flavorpill
Fridays off the 405: Once/month, enjoy live music and evening views of the city, while touring the galleries of the Getty. Casual, spontaneous, fun, and FREE. Curated by Flavorpill. For more info, check out: www.flavorpill.net

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:
Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Power Yoga Flow at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays: 7:45pm - 9:15pm Donation Yoga at the Wilenskys. Pico/Fairfax area.

Thursdays 3:45pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
---------------
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Thank you!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome

2007-06-08T19:43:00.001-07:00

... to the new look of the news and musings blog!

May Shakti Newsletter

2007-05-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

May Shakti Newsletter - Silence is Golden

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope you are gathering lots of happiness from this lovely energy of springtime.

I have just a simple wish for this month: may we all experience the beauty of silence. May we let our minds slow down, our breath calm, and our energy expand. A simple "time out" can be incredibly healing.

relaxed, belly breath.

if you don't have a yard easily accessible, you can do this in your apartment. open up all your windows and let the sun shine down directly on you. or, better yet, get to a park or the beach. lay down on your back. bend your knees and take the feet slightly wider than the hips, so that the knees gently slope in towards each other. let your belly grow soft. let your shoulders soften, and your neck relax.

close your eyes and let your belly rise as you inhale for a count of seven. hold that breath for just a split second, and exhale everything out. now, relax your breath by letting your belly rise and fall with each inhale/exhale. don't force the breath or hold it in. just let your breath find a comfortable, natural rhythm. stay relaxed for 10 minutes.

p.s. - if you absolutely can't go anywhere without your cell phone and must have it nearby at all times, shut the ringer to silent and set your alarm for 10 minutes. not only will you be able to relax without being disturbed, if you do fall asleep, you'll only be "away" for 10 minutes.

namaste

aria

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------------------
Yoga NEWS

Donation Yoga Wed (Pico/Fairfax):
My donation yoga class on Wed nights is suspended for the month of May (due to space/time conflicts.) We return in June. Stay updated on my website.
----------------------------
Cool Happenings Around Town: The wonderful folks at Elevate are dedicated to promoting awareness through film and music. Support their festival by having fun, dancing to funky beats with the amazing DJ Marques Wyatt.

ELEVATE Film Festival Fundraiser: May 30th, 8pm - midnight. www.elevatefilmfestival.com
AT LEVEL 3 HOLLYWOOD AND HIGHLAND
8pm-midnight
DJ-Marques Wyatt
Acoustic Performers
Film Screenings
Silent Auction & Free Giveaways
$20 cover

All proceeds go to the Elevate Foundation.
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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:
Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Yoga at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays: 7:45pm - 9:15pm Donation Yoga is suspended for May. Starts back up in June.

Thursdays 3:45pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm All-level Vinyasa Flow at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
---------------
Want ON or OFF this list?

Please e-mail: aria@yogawitharia.com with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

Please reply with "Unsubscribe" to be removed from the list.

Thank you!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007-04-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Legend has it that before battle, soldiers would have to scale the walls and climb up to this point to pay homage to the King's sword. (Angkor Wat, Cambodia)

April Shakti Newsletter

2007-04-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hello (!) It's lovely to be back. Hope you all are doing super well (!)
aria
----------

April Shakti Newsletter

Welcome to Spring.

A beautiful time ripe for nurturing dreams, fresh hopes, and new ideas.

One of my dreams was to travel through Southeast Asia, and to hold a Yoga Workshop abroad. This dream just came true for me. Just last week, my husband, Jason, and I, returned from traveling through Southeast Asia and Australia.

We began the trip with eight days in Vietnam. I taught four Prana Vinyasa Flow workshops, at Saigon Yoga. Afterwards, we traveled to Thailand, where I taught a Yoga Trance Dance in Bangkok's Lumpini Park. The remainder of our trip was filled with visiting temples, experiencing ancient traditions, and experiencing beautiful cultures.

In realizing a life dream, I feel both grateful and empowered. And this is the feeling that I want to share with you.

It's easy to let our dreams disappear amongst the daily necessities of life. But dreams are crucial to our self-realization. As happy and fulfilled human beings, we must dream. And we must allow ourselves the space in order to nurture those dreams.

On the flipside of dreams, lives the natural force of resistance. However painful resistance may be, it is crucial to manifestation.

In order to grow, a seed must push through layers of resistance in the form of sand, dust, rock, and packed dirt. And just as that seed, which breaks through the soil becomes strong, so do our dreams.

In this time of fresh beginnings be conscious of your thought patterns.

And allow yourself to dream.

If you find yourself drawn more towards resistance than to your dream, try this little breath exercise:

Dreams vs. Resistance Breath
1. Inhale normally, and imagine that this inhale represents your dreams. Say to yourself, "I inhale my dreams."
Now exhale all the air out of your lungs, exhaling your resistance. Say to yourself, "I exhale my resistance."

2. Inhale deeper, now, inhaling your dreams. Hold the breath for a count of 5.
Exhale all the air out of your lungs, exhaling your resistance.

3. Inhale even deeper, now. In fact, inhale the deepest breath you've taken today. As you inhale your dreams, hold your breath for a count of 10.

Exhale all the air out of your lungs. Exhale out all of your resistance.

Repeat up to 3x.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om.

aria

------------------
Yoga NEWS:
Just got back in, last week, from Southeast Asia and Australia. Really loved it. I'll soon have pictures up from my workshop, online.
-------------------------
Yoga Class Changes:
Everything moves in cycles, and within those cycles come opportunities for fresh starts, new beginnings, and rebirths. Moving in the spirit of cycles, I will be dropping and adding a few classes. More info next month.

Donation Yoga Wed (Pico/Fairfax): Wed. night donation yoga resumes next week, April 25th. New class time: 7:45pm.
This class takes place at a private home in the Pico/Fairfax area. If you are interested in attending, please e-mail me for the address and directions.

To subscribe to my donation yoga list. You will receive e-mails once/week to confirm class.
----------------------------
Cool Happenings Around Town:
So many. Some of the biggest events around town will focus on Earth Day.

Topanga's Earth Day celebration, this weekend, Sat. April 21st and Sun. April 22nd.
For more info: http://www.topangaearthday.org/Welcome.html

Earth Day Jam at the LA Memorial Coliseum, next weekend. Sat April 28th and Sun April 29th. To benefit Trees for the Future, the Sierra Club, the Ocean Conservancy, Million Trees LA, and more.
For more info: http://earthdayjam07.eventbrite.com/

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:
Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Yoga at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays 7:45pm - 9:15pm Donation Yoga - Mixed Level Flow.

Thursdays 4:00pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm Integral Yoga (all levels flow) at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
---------------
Want ON or OFF this list?

Please reply with "Subscribe" to be added to this list.

Please reply with "Unsubscribe" to be removed from the list.

Thank you!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February Shakti Newsletter

2007-02-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope you are all doing very well.

Lots of changes in the air this month - feels like everything is speeding up, running off, and out of our control. You can gradually shift this feeling of disconnection from the world, by opening one of your primary energetic pathways - the shoulders. As the shoulders open, the body energy flows freer. The feeling of constriction fades.

Please also understand that on a somatic level, most stiffness in the shoulders is related to emotional stressors that are not originally ours, but rather, other people's problems and situations. Energetically, we carry other people's stuff: just like the phrase, "shouldering other people's responsibilities."

Reconnect with your energy with this simple technique:

Shoulder Stretch and See-Saw Breath
From a seated position: Align your shoulders over your hips. Knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Inhale. Lift your arms up, interlace your fingers. Exhale as you turn your palms out, towards the sky.

Begin See Saw Breath:
Inhale 1/2 - 2/3 of your maximum breath capacity. Hold the breath. Send the breath all the way into your shoulders and let your low belly suck in while you do this. Hold it in the shoulders for a count of 2. Still holding your breath, send the breath down into your belly. Let the belly stick out, like a Buddha belly. Hold it there for a count of 2.

Send it back to the shoulders, and then back to the belly. Switch off, back and forth, as many times as you want to before exhaling.

Inhale again, and repeat as many times as you like.

Enjoy!

---------------------------
Yoga Workshops: I am so excited about this (!)

Check out my Saigon Yoga workshops: http://saigonyoga.com/workshops.html

-------------------------
Yoga NEWS:
I am heading out to Southeast Asia soon. We leave the last day of February, and get back on April 10th. I will be teaching four Prana Vinyasa Flow workshops in Vietnam, and a one-day yoga trance dance class in Bangkok. We'll also be traveling through Cambodia, Bali, Australia, and Hawaii.

Next week, I begin assisting Shiva Rea during the morning sessions of her advanced teacher training. I am so excited about this amazing opportunity to work with one of the most highly respected yoga teachers in our community. (yey!)
-------------------------
Yoga Class Changes:
I couldn't find a sub for my Thurs night Silverlake class, so am suspending Silverlake donation yoga until I come back from our trip. For those of you more central or westside: I will probably have a sub for my Wed night Pico/Fairfax area donation yoga class.

For more info, subscribe to my donation yoga list. Comes out once/week to confirm class:
----------------------------
Cool Happenings Around Town:
There are far too many quality events this month to really give them all justice.

If you are a dancer, I just heard that Nitin Sawney is playing at the Jazz Bakery tomorrow night. U.N.K.L.E. is playing at Zanza Bar, as I type. Create:Fixate is tomorrow night at 1530 Ivar. Marques Wyatt's b-day is at Deep on Sunday night, with Miguel Migs and Mark Farina. And, the last Saturday of the month- Yoga Trance Dance at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, in Venice. (!)

So much to do (!) See if you can approach your fun time with the same balance that you approach your yoga. Save your energy not by becoming a hermit, but by choosing activities that feed you.

Don't live in a box. Breathe d-e-e-p as much as you can.

And when you feel moved by a funky beat, don't hesitate. Dancing is pure goodness for the body and the mind.

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ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:
Mondays 9:00am - 10:30am Level 1 at Yoga House, Toluca Lake
3:00pm - 4:15pm Mixed Level Flow at San Miguel Elementary School, South Gate
7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Yoga at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays 7:30pm - 9:00pm Mixed Level Flow at Wilenskys (Donation class, by invite only. e-mail me for address and info)

Thursdays 4:00pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm Integral Yoga (all levels flow) at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
---------------
DONATION YOGA - WED:

Wed:
Donation classes are ongoing Wednesday evenings, in the Pico/Fairfax area, from 7:30m - 9:00pm. Because Wed. evenings are at a private home, please e-mail me if you are interested in attending.

January Shakti Newsletter

2007-01-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

...posting this a bit late into the month, I know,...but so it goes, sometimes. hope this finds you all happy and well.
namaste,
aria
xx
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JANUARY SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope you all had a fantastic New Year (!)

I love the New Year. It' s my absolute favorite holiday. It feels like the entire world takes a collective in-breath, and then exhales out all of its old stuff, at midnight. Poof! All gone, in an instant. What a great feeling to be around!

The hard part, of course, is holding onto this feeling. Right around this time, I usually begin to feel a sense of, "Oh, no, it's all speeding up, again." Whenever I start to feel this way, however, I find myself doing a very simple, four part breath. You can do it absolutely anywhere - in your car, parked at a light, or just before a potentially stressful phone call or meeting:

Four Part Breath:
1. Inhale for a count of 5.
2. Hold the breath for a count of 5.
3. Exhale for a count of 5.
4. Hold emptiness (no breath) for a count of 5.

Repeat.

Begin with 2 rounds. Increase to as many rounds as you like. Adjust the number of counts up or down, to your level of comfort.

Benefits:
1. Lowers resting heart rate.
2. Increases lung capacity (even if you're a smoker, it will still help!)
3. Reduces the levels of cortisol in the body. Cortisol is known as the body's "stress hormone."

The end result is - all of the sudden, life slows down for a split second. Your day gets a little freer and a tad longer.

Enjoy (!)

Namaste,
Aria

-------------------------
Yoga Workshops:
I am teaching a corporate workshop, next week, on stress management, breathwork, meditation, and simple yoga you can do anywhere (at your desk, on an airplane, in your hotel room.)

I'm also preparing for a several day workshop in Vietnam, during first week of March. If you're planning on being in Vietnam around the same time - come check me out at Saigon Yoga. More info coming in next month's Shakti Newsletter!

---------------------------
Yoga Class Changes:
I've added a new class - at Yoga House, Toluca Lake. Mondays, Level 1, from 9am - 10:30am.

And, my Core Yoga class at Silverlake Yoga is now starting at 3:45pm on Thursdays and going a full hour and a half, to 5:15pm.

----------------------------
Cool Yoga Happenings Around Town:

Brand New Studio is opening up in Santa Monica - TruYoga (truyogala.com). Huge Opening Party this Friday, to celebrate, featuring a free class with Shiva Rea from 5:30pm - 6:30pm,a musical performance and more. Better yet - they are offering free yoga next week! And even better, yet - free valet parking. If you're a Westsider, I encourage you to check 'em out.

Truyoga is located at: 2425 Colorado Ave. Enter at 2501 Colorado and park at the valet station. They're in the same business center as Yahoo!, right near the Water Gardens. Off of Colorado, between 20th and 26th

p.s.- they are transitioning names, so you might still see "Tryoga" on the website.
---------
ONGOING PUBLIC CLASSES:

Mondays 9:00am - 10:30am Level 1 at Yoga House, Toluca Lake
3:00pm - 4:15pm Mixed Level Flow at San Miguel Elementary School, South Gate
7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Yoga at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays 7:30pm - 9:00pm Mixed Level Flow at Wilenskys (Donation class, by invite only. e-mail me for address and info)

Thursdays 4:00pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga
Thursdays 8:00pm - 9:30pm Mixed Level Flow at Studio A Dance, in Silverlake - Donation Class (!)

Saturdays 5:00pm - 6:30pm Integral Yoga (all levels flow) at Bodies in Motion, West L.A.

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
---------------
DONATION YOGA - WED and THURS:

Wed:
Donation classes are ongoing Wednesday evenings, in the Pico/Fairfax area, from 7:30m - 9:00pm. Because Wed. evenings are at a private home, please e-mail me if you are interested in attending.

Thurs:
Donation Yoga classes Thursday evenings, in Silverlake, from 8pm-9:30pm.
Google Maps Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.496446,62.402344&q=2306+HYperion+Blvd.,+Silverlake,+CA&ie=UTF8&dtab=3&cid=37062500,-95677068,1991591660551348692&li=lmd&z=14&t=m

December Shakti Newsletter

2006-12-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope that this letter finds you happy and well.

So many of us are traveling, this month. Be safe in your travels and make sure to drink lots and lots of water. I know - it's easy to think that we don't need to drink as much water in the winter time, but we still need to drink quite a bit more than most of us ever do.

Did you know that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? And in 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak, that it's often mistaken for hunger. Did you know that even mild dehydration will slow down your metabolism as much as 3%? Think about that, for a moment. If we think we're hungry, but we're actually just really dehydrated, then what inevitably happens? Weight gain, sluggishness, bloating, and all those things that most of us don't want to experience.

Bonus points: drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, can slash the risk of breast cancer up to 79%, and reduces the risk of bladder cancer by 50%!

Powerful stuff. Please drink up.

...Yoga news follows below, as well as cool happenings around town....

May you all enjoy this Holiday Season. Be Happy. Be Merry. Party safely. And May 2007 bring Health, Luck and Happiness for us all!

Namaste,
Aria
-------------
Yoga News: All good, here. I am cutting out two of my classes to free up some more time for privates and for Westside teaching and subbing.

Dropping/Changing Classes: I am no longer be teaching my Tues night class at Yummy Yoga. And beginning 2007, I will be dropping my Thursday afternoon class at Yoga House, Pasadena. I'll also be switching out my Sunday morning 10:15 Level 1/2 class at Yoga House Toluca Lake to Monday mornings at 9:30am, instead.

Back by popular demand in 2007 - donation yoga classes at the Mayland pad. (Olympic/Highland area.)

Holiday Schedule: I will be out of town from December 20th - January 2nd. Please check out the schedule page on my website for a daily, updated schedule of where I might be teaching that week. yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
-----------------
Yoga Privates - Holiday Special (!)

Interested in booking a private yoga session or gifting one to a family member or friend? My rates are very reasonable. $75 to come to your home for a 1hr. private (going rate around town is $100 and up), and $100 for a 1.5hr. private. And, I'm also offering a Holiday Special: 25% off your first 4 privates if you print out a copy of this newsletter and bring it with you to your first session.

The Holiday Special is valid for new and continuing students, for privates booked through January 31, 2007. No minimum number of sessions required. (Mileage fees may apply if you live more than 15 miles from me.)

For more info:
Aria
www.yogawitharia.com/private.htm
(310) 403 - 4438
-----------------

Cool Happenings Around Town:

Create:Fixate Five Year Anniversary. "Alive in Los Angeles"
4:00pm - 7:00pm (early preview - $5.00)
7:00pm - 2:00am - $15.00
1530 Ivar Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Do you love music, photography, visual art, design, sculpture, projections, video art, and more? Check out Create:Fixate this Saturday night. More than just a Saturday night hang, Create:Fixate is a series of gathering that brings together emerging talent, and mixes it up in a casual setting. Dance, browse, or just hang out. You'll be sure to have fun!
More info: www.createfixate.com

Sunday December 10th: Elevate Film Festival.
4:30pm - 7:00pm.
Pasadena Civic Auditorium
Nine Filmmakers get 48 hours to produce: documentaries, narratives, or music videos. Filmmakers in the house- this isn't your run-of-the-mill 48 hour film festival. Elevate differs because its focus is on works of social and global importance.
The last Elevate film festival premiered a documentary about the South Central Farmers and their efforts to save an urban community farm. Produced initially for Elevate, this documentary has been featured in more than 20 international festivals. Come be a part of the fun. Support a superb festival that intends to empower artists and to bring awareness to organizations and individuals that are making a positive difference in this world.
More info at: elevatefilmfestival.com
Buy tickets: celebrationofoneness.com/tickets.html
Directions: celebrationofoneness.com/directions.html

Sunday, December 17th: DEEP's Holiday Party.
10pm - Late.
Featuring L.A's Marques Wyatt, Miguel Miggs, Lisa Shaw, and Julius Papp. If you like to dance and if you like your house music funky, tribal, and magical, don't miss this amazing party. At L.A.'s Vanguard, on Hollywood Blvd. For anyone who's unfamiliar with Marques Wyatt - not only is he an amazing DJ, but a heartfelt yogi, and a truly beautiful human soul. If you've never experienced his magic, you're missing out on one of the most healing forms of movement meditation there is - dance. Did you know that dancing can increase your immune system? Come out and dance for love, for health, and for the joy of breaking it down to some funky tunes.
More info at: www.deep-la.com
On MySpace: myspace.com/deeplosangeles

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ONGOING CLASSES through December 20th:

Sundays 10:15am - 11:45am Level 1/2 flow at Yoga House, Toluca Lake

Mondays 3:00pm - 4:15pm Mixed Level Flow at San Miguel Elementary School, South Gate
7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Yoga at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays 7:30pm - 9:00pm Mixed Level Flow at Wilenskys (By invite only. e-mail me for address and info)

Thursdays 4:00pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga
Thursdays 5:45pm - 7:15pm Level 1 flow at Yoga House, Pasadena
Thursdays 8:00pm - 9:30pm Mixed Level Flow at Studio A Dance, in Silverlake - Donation Class (!)

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
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DONATION YOGA - WED and THURS:

Wed:
Donation classes are ongoing Wednesday evenings, in the Pico/Fairfax area, from 8pm - 9:30pm. Because Wed. evenings are at a private home, please e-mail me if you are interested in attending.

Thurs:
Donation Yoga classes Thursday evenings, in Silverlake, from 8pm-9:30pm.
Google Maps Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.496446,62.402344&q=2306+HYperion+Blvd.,+Silverlake,+CA&ie=UTF8&dtab=3&cid=37062500,-95677068,1991591660551348692&li=lmd&z=14&t=m

Words and Speech and Power

2006-11-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

I found this article online, and am cutting out a portion, for your perusal.
Enjoy!
Aria
xx
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ALL OF OUR WORDS WILL BECOME A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

Words are like seeds – they have creative power. When we speak we are giving life to what we are saying, planting a seed. We are going to get exactly what we are speaking. We are who we are today because of the words we have spoken in the past. All of our words will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Listen to what you say about yourself. Negative thoughts don’t need to become negative words. The moment you speak something outright it takes on a whole new meaning and a whole new energy. If you don’t like what you’re experiencing start changing your words.

We prophesize the future by the words we speak in the now. Our words are always a self fulfilling prophecy. Don’t plant negative seeds – only prophesize the good and the intention of good. You can cancel out the Universe’s best laid plans by your own negative words and negative musings. Death and life are the power of your words. You will have what you say. Your words are going to give life to exactly what you’re saying.

It’s better to say nothing than to say something negative. ...You can use your words to curse your life or you can use your words to bless your life. ... Change the atmosphere of everywhere you go with your words – call in good, call in light, call in love and call in divine help.

Don’t talk about problems, talk about solutions. We are not reporters of our life but we are forecasters of our life. We should call to the invisible as if it already were visible. Call in to that which you desire, call it with faith filled words, call it with light. Change your world by changing your words. Death and life is in the power of your tongue. Are you birthing or are you destroying?

Circumstances line up with every word you speak – your words are a self fulfilling prophecy. You are the creator of your own circumstances. What you have created by your words you can change. When we act negatively to sudden changes and chaos in our life we are delaying the purpose of their creation. If we accept chaos as an opportunity for spiritual elevation then the pain will disappear. We alone determine the rate of which turmoil passes. There are countless futures which exist at the same time. Our own behavior determines which universe we enter in to. Prophecy is seeing the future in our present actions.

THE POWER OF COMPLAINING

When you complain you are poisoning your future. When we go around grumbling and complaining we are calling in more of that poison to every part of our life. When we complain about a pain, you’re calling in more pain. Try to do all things without grumbling, fault finding or complaining. See the good in every situation and be thankful. Find some reason in your day to be thankful – this will help dilute the kind of complaining that creates poison in your body and in your life.
There’s always something to complain about but you need to look very hard to find what’s to be thankful for. See good around you – be the one to make a difference. Leave it up to God, the Universe, to fight your injustices. Until you are at a point of gratefulness right where you are God is not going to help you change that situation. Be grateful for what is right in your life instead of complaining about what is wrong in your life.

... Do all things without complaining and you will find the magic and miracles in your life multiply. When you are in pain or worry immediately find a point of gratefulness about something in your life. Those thoughts bring you into higher vibration that will assist you and move you past any negative situation.

By Gillian MacBeth-Louthan

November Shakti

2006-11-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

The rush of the holiday season is upon us.

Take some time out, this month to slow down, even if it means not doing everything you'd planned on doing. Sometimes that can be the hardest part. We all know this, but it's nice to be reminded of it, that's all. Because at the end of the day, we will always treasure the time we make for friends, family, and laughter over the time spent accomplishing lists or goals.

Enjoy,
Aria
xx

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NOVEMBER SHAKTI NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends and Yoga Family,

I hope that this month finds you happy and well.

So much change in the air. It's exciting. But sometimes, it can be overwhelming. If this happens, the body may interpret change as stress.

The first thing to go out of balance is your breath. Either you will breathe predominantly out of one nostril. Or, you will quicken your breath, breathing shallowly, out of both nostrils. If this pattern isn't halted, then the body continues to interpret the situation as increasingly stressful, and that's when tension, headaches, and tightness begin to take hold.

It any of this sounds familiar, next time pause and take a moment so you can break the cycle. All you really need is 3 minutes of focused breathing, and you can bring your body back into balance. I'm not just talking about yoga-hokey-pokey, stuff, here. Science has proven that alternate nostril breath balances out the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. And the beauty behind this exercise is that you can do it anywhere (in your car, if you're stopped in traffic. in a restroom, before a meeting, etc.)

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Alternate Nostril Breath: Using your right hand, your thumb is used to plug your right nostril. Your third and fourth fingers are used to plug your left nostril.

--Plugging your right nostril, inhale through the left for a count of 10.
--Plug both nostrils. Hold the breath for a count of ten.
--Keep the left nostril plugged and release the right nostril, exhaling for a count of ten.

Repeat, beginning your inhale, now, through the right nostril.
Do 2-3 rounds. Over time, you can increase the amount of seconds up to 15 or 20.
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Yoga News: All good, here. I am enjoying my new classes at Yoga House, and am looking forward to a brand new schedule in 2007.

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Cool Happenings Around Town, this Weekend:

Saturday, November 11th
Yoga Trance Dance and Trees for the Future Benefit with Shiva Rea and DJ Dragonfly at Golden Bridge Yoga. www.goldenbridge.com. Doors open at 6:30pm for yoga and classes. 8:00 - 11:00 - dancing. Tickets are $15 advance. $20 at the door. Click on for more info: http://www.shivarea.com/_ecards/trancedance1106/ecard2.html

Saturday November 11th
SOLIDS presents Momentum, a Sculptural Arts Exhibition. Pick of the Week in the L.A. Weekly in Dance. Art meets itself in a fusion of live sculpture, music, dance, and ongoing performance art. Doors open at 7:00pm. Performances at 8:00pm. Ends late. $5.00 suggested donation. For more info: http://www.causalagency.com/solids/

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ONGOING CLASSES:

Sundays 10:15am - 11:45am Level 1/2 flow at Yoga House, Toluca Lake

Mondays 3:00pm - 4:15pm Mixed Level Flow at San Miguel Elementary School, South Gate
7:15pm - 8:45pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga

Tuesdays 7:30pm - 9:00pm Level 2/3 flow at Yummy Yoga, Los Feliz

Wednesdays 10:45am - 12:15pm Level 2/3 flow at Silverlake Yoga
Wednesdays 1:00pm - 2:00pm Lunchtime Yoga at Hollywood Production Center, Glendale CA
Wednesdays 8:00pm - 9:30pm Mixed Level Flow at Wilenskys (By invite only. e-mail me for address and info)

Thursdays 4:00pm - 5:15pm Core Yoga at Silverlake Yoga
Thursdays 5:45pm - 7:15pm Level 1 flow at Yoga House, Pasadena
Thursdays 8:00pm - 9:30pm Mixed Level Flow at Studio A Dance, in Silverlake - Donation Class (!)

For an updated daily schedule of where I am teaching and subbing every week: yogawitharia.com/schedule.htm
---------------
DONATION YOGA - WED and THURS:

Wed:
Donation classes are ongoing Wednesday evenings, in the Pico/Fairfax area, from 8pm - 9:30pm. Because Wed. evenings are at a private home, please e-mail me if you are interested in attending.

Thurs:
Donation Yoga classes Thursday evenings, in Silverlake, from 8pm-9:30pm.
Google Maps Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.496446,62.402344&q=2306+HYperion+Blvd.,+Silverlake,+CA&ie=UTF8&dtab=3&cid=37062500,-95677068,1991591660551348692&li=lmd&z=14&t=m