Weekly Newsletter

Revitalizing My Practice

Hello Friends,

These days I can’t keep up with Harlan in the yoga book collection. Just when I have ordered a new one or started reading one, he graciously hands me another or shows me three or more he has received all in the same week. I told him the other day he reads as fast as lightening. He is able to read over a 3000 words per minute! This was the first I have ever had anyone tell me that. Well my pace is just slightly slower. :-(

Soon Harlan will become my teacher with all his newly acquired yoga knowledge. He keeps me inspired to learn which I am thankfull for.

If you like to read and learn about the gods and goddesses in Hinduism, this is a fantastic book. We were looking up something the other day and I said “where did you get this?” He ordered off the internet of course. Two days later my copy arrived in the office. It looks very interesting.

It is called Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. By: Anna L. Dallapiccola

Harlan wanted me to recommend a new book that has just come out on Ashtanga. He must have a half dozen books on Ashtanga but Harlan says this new one is really worth checking out. Ashtanga Yoga Practice and Philosophy

Think about a piece of music-some great symphony - we don’t expect it to get better as it develops, or that its whole purpose is to reach the final crescendo. The joy is found in listening to the music in each moment. –Alan Watts

One Day My Voice Opened Up…..

Other than chanting Om during my classes and with my private students, I have never been into chanting. I enjoy going to kirtan and I would sing my heart out but that is because my voice hides behind the sound that fills the room. When I thought of chanting, I would hear my inner critic saying “No, no don’t do that.” You have no even tone in your voice and you sound so, so terrible. Just play some soft, melodic yoga CD’s and call it a day.

When I was young, I loved to sing songs while we went canoeing in the ocean. I would sit at the back of the canoe, dip my fingers in the cold west coast ocean and continue dragging my fingers in the water as my step-father paddled the canoe. I was totally off in my own imaginary world, singing pleasantly to myself. As I got above the age of five, my family had obviously had enough of hearing my raspy, out of tune voice and began critiquing my singing. My dad would say, "Oh No honey….you have a voice just as bad as mine. That is a talent you didn’t get."

So throughout my childhood I only would sing if absolutely necessary, like at a birthday party. I always wished I had a better voice and would often fantasize about being reincarnated to become a famous singer.

Well, it is many years later and now I just don’t care who thinks what or what opinions other people say about my voice. I will definitely not be auditioning for American Idol but I have found the power of chanting in my practice. For me it was just a matter of getting over my own shyness and limitations I was putting on myself. Now I proudly sing Happy Birthday to all my friends and family.

When I had my interview with Wah, I was inspired to start chanting. But I held back because I was not feeling my inner desire to do so. In the past few weeks I have found my new voice. I have started to chant! It feels amazing in my throat and my belly and especially when I transition into meditation. My whole body is tingling and energized.

I don’t care how I sound and now I have no judgments about how I think I should sound. As Steve Ross said during leading Kirtan at the Vinyasa conference, “It doesn’t matter how you sound but that you join in and allow the vibration of the chants to fill you.”

Now I even have began to teach some my clients chanting and they are enjoying it. This new branch of yoga is new to me but it has come into my practice when it was supposed to and only when I was ready to allow it be there. I think the best thing that I am doing is starting off slow with simple chants.

If you are moved to chant but not knowing what to start with, try first chanting with your favorite Kirtan artist. There are so many amazing singers in the yoga world. Explore and find a person who’s voice touches your heart. When you feel ready then look in some books and pick a relatively easy mantra and begin there. I read in a book when you chant it is not just reciting words, it is praying. We open our hearts and communicate our truth.

I am excited to have this new element in my practice. It is something new and I am really enjoying all that chanting brings to the whole body. It is so powerful. It is freeing and opening. I am delighted to be a friend of my own voice. A new gift for me to unwrap and enjoy has arrived.

Be like a gentle tiger roaming the forest….courageous, powerful, confident, curious and playful.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

Sara

Our October Newsletter

Sara's interview with Saul David Raye is awesome. In addition, there will be an interview with a long time friend of mine who opened up her own yoga studio. It has been a long struggle for her but the studio is coming into its own. If you've ever dreamed of opening a yoga studio, you won't want to miss this interview!

You Can Subscribe Here:

Why You Should Have The Alexa Toolbar

When I am on the phone with a client, sometimes they are amazed when I tell them, "Your website isn't getting any traffic." They think I have some incredible way of reading the web. Here's just one of my secrets. It's called the Alexa Tool Bar and you add it to your web browser (either Internet Explorer or Firefox). It tracks each website on the net and gives you a number. The lower the number, the more traffic you are getting.

Yahoo is site number one. It gets more traffic than any other site. MSN is number two. Google is number three.

Yoga Journal is is 56,490 which tells me the site gets a lot of traffic.

I recommend you install the Alexa toolbar in your browser. It's free and gives you a good idea of what's happening online.

http://www.alexa.com/site/download

Yoga Site Critique

Diana asked me for a site critique. Here's a video critique everyone can learn from.

Diana is a very gracious Yogini. When I told her she might not like my review, she responded, "Your sincere assessment will be greatly appreciated and I assure you I am already very happy that you care enough to do this service for all of us!!"

Diana, I look forward to viewing your new site.

Want me to review your site? Just let me know. If you've already emailed me, trust me, I'll get to you.

Can you believe Sara? She won't let me interrupt my practice to do site critiques in the middle. I told her they were related to yoga but she's not buying that excuse.

I think I'll have to go back to picking lint off my toe nail again. :-)

Harlan

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