Follow The Yogini

Bad Romance

2012-02-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

So, all the hoopla of Valentines Day is over and we can get back to being normal (whatever that is). I have never really cared for Valentines Day, not as a teenager nor as an adult. It feels like it's all so contrived. Do we ever really consider where the tradition comes from anymore? Or do we just celebrate it because it's a day on a calendar that the world says you must honor as a day for

Ex-Girlfriend

2012-01-29T10:01:00.001-08:00

Tears scorch flesh Sobs rattle earth in volcanic eruptions Emotional upheavals Gather ocean's waves to form tsunami's wrath Lighten crashes like raindrops on a barren field Nothing remains unscathed

Integration

2012-01-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

Inside there is a voice, an inner knowingness that is beyond the mental constructs of the mind. The seer. The watcher. This watcher knows all that is and is to come. Some call this the soul. It is ever perfect, untainted, pure, beyond concept. The soul is ever one with all that is. I think sometimes we get glimpses of the soul. It can take shape in many different ways. Last year two days

What Are We Living For?

2012-01-18T03:21:00.000-08:00

One Sunday I made it to church very early and had an interesting discussion about God, his role in our lives and why He is not just ever present with us and always taking care of us. I know that everyone sees and thinks of God in the way that suits their own personal relationship. And while sometimes I think of God as Mother (most times, because mother is a compassionate loving energy that

Dr. of Delusion

2012-01-16T05:36:00.000-08:00

This world is a psych ward. We are all patients using various medicines & methods to overcome our psychosis. Find the shrink that best suits you and keep using their methods until you free yourself of the mental maladies that ail you. In time you will have victory. You will triumph! If they have found freedom, so can you!

Happy Feet..... Uh not so much

2012-01-07T07:55:00.001-08:00

I admit it. I love shoes. I want more shoes. My favorite kinds of shoes to wear are high heels. The higher the heel the better. I mostly love sexy strappy shoes, but platform shoes, colorful shoes or any kind of shoes, as long as they're stylish will do. I am really attached to high heeled shoes. They are stylish and cute. But my feet don't like them. I've tried; I go to shoe stores and look for

Death Becomes Me

2011-12-23T20:45:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, after looking for him and filing a missing persons report, we learned that my grandpa had died. At 78 years old my grandfather died alone in a hotel room (he was found by a hotel manager in room 410), surrounded by the very few things in life that comforted him, music, cigarettes and alcohol. I say that not as a judgement but because I am not comforted by the fact that he went

An Honest Eulogy

2011-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

What do you do when it's your birthday? Does it cause you to be more self reflective? Do you think about the the year gone by or do you think of the year to come? Does it make you pine away wistfully for your youthful years? Or does it make you young folk wish to be older than you are? Birthdays make me quite pensive. I start to review my life on all levels. But mostly I think, "am I

Cutting through Yoga Elitism

2011-12-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have to admit. Sometimes I get annoyed by seeing yoga retreats in Bali, or Brazil, or some other exotic place in the world. Yoga, which is an ancient tradition, was originally passed on from teacher to student right in their home, village or community. Now with elite yoga you get to travel halfway around the world outside of the daily grind of life to chant together or practice asanas

Overcoming Anxiety

2011-12-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

For every problem in life there is a spiritual solution, at least that’s what Wayne Dyer says. My major problem right now (well for years) is with anxiety. I hate that I have it. It was probably born when I was 3 years old and first started experiencing sexual abuse. Withdrawing and retreating became my coping mechanism. At that young age you have no coping skills, so whatever you learn

Tears from the Sun

2011-11-03T09:13:00.001-07:00

I had another emotional practice one night. It's funny, after therapy is when I feel the need to just get on the mat to allow the natural process of release to happen. I began in tadasna, equally standing on my two feet. As I raised my arms and looked up, the tears began to fall. I exhaled, and folded forward only to begin to sob tears flowed uncontrollably. All I could do was give in.

Does Love Exist?

2011-10-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Some spiritual teachings say that the root of suffering is desire, craving, want of what we do not have. But I wonder often, is it wrong to want? The sacred scriptures say that above all we should desire God's love. But what if it does not come natural to us? God, the invisible unseen is supposed to be the most desirable. Yet time and time again I have found that in this natural world, all

Happy Feet.....Uh not so much

2011-09-21T09:27:00.001-07:00

PTSD and Yoga

2011-09-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that every time I've begun to write this blog I got stuck. I was mentally hitting the pause button. I have PTSD. I can usually talk about it openly but there is something about writing the words that feel so raw, real and exposed that I just kept getting a brain freeze. I initially had fear about the a stigma of "mental disorder". But PTSD is the mind's way of reacting to

Begin at the beginning

2011-08-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Teaching yoga to loved ones can be very instructive. I taught my first private class to a loved one who had never before practiced yoga before. Here's what I learned about teaching: 1. Start with practicing the foundations together For a beginner show and tell is very important, they've never practiced before so show them what you want them to do first Show the posture, then show again (

Strike A Pose!

2011-08-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

Okay for the first time today since having new teachers, yoga school was excellent! Oddly enough I believe it's because we are getting back to our roots. We had morning practice and, we had the most amazing workshop on one asana: Bhujangasana (Cobra). Insert JI Joe reference! Today our poses seemed to be so....dynamic, nothing was static. One teacher even taught tadasana in a way that made us

Bringing Balance: Moon Salutations

2011-08-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

Lets hail the beautiful full moon with a few moon salutations! Anyone know any other moon salutation sequences? The moon represents the ebb and flow of the tide. The highs and lows of emotions and physical activity! She stirs us to mate with our beloved. And for women she often indicates our own flow. The moon can be a guide to planting and harvesting in nature and on our personal life journey.

Solid As A Rock!

2011-08-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had an extremely emotional day, so by the time I got home I knew that I had to take it all in and just be with it. The first thing I said to myself was "take it to the mat Ellyn!" Before I got on the mat I decided to go to my car to get my ipod. I wanted to have some music going, to ensure that I would get outside of my head and just be in my body and practice. I have this thing for

The Joys of Savasana!

2011-08-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

Up until very recently savasana was a posture that I allowed my body and mind to completely let go relax and fall asleep in. I recently read an article about savasana and it got me thinking about how to practice savasana it in a very different light. Wait, did I say practice savasana? Yes I did. I know, I know, it's corpse pose. It's the one where you are supposed to be totally relaxed, free

Conscious Corpse!

2011-08-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Practice and all is coming

2011-07-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Practice and all is coming was often said by K. Patthbi Jois I am not going to whine or complain here. I am going to practice. The best thing that I can do is take it to the mat. I have more yoga anatomy books than I can shake a stick at right now. I am delving into anatomy and trying to make sure that I have a firm grasp on it. Yes I'm a massage therapist so I do know anatomy but there's

Attached

2011-07-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things fall apart. Life seems to come undone without any warning and all you can do is brace yourself for the ride. In my life it seems that things want to come unglued all at the same time. Yoga teacher training is something that I've wanted to do for years. It finally happened and I am on this yogic journey that I've wanted for so long. Over the holiday weekend, without warning

Pearl Jam and the Bhagavad Gita.... (messages in music)

2011-07-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was reading the Bhagavad Gita while listening to a song by Pearl Jam called Immortality. At the exact same time that I was reading the word "immortality" in the Gita, Eddie Vedder belted out the word "immortality". It became one of those moments where I said to myself, "what is the message for me here?" The verse about immortality reads: "One who is unmoved by circumstances. One who accepts

Killer Yoga....Reloaded

2011-06-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

If you've read my first blog entitled "Killer Yoga" this is my follow up. I decided that my first experience was just that, an experience. I bought a week long pass for $20 on the first day that I took Bikram's Yoga last week. Of course after I finished the class, I didn't think I'd go back. I walked out during the last 10 minutes of the first class with a headache, I couldn't mentally remain

Killer Yoga

2011-06-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Observing and taking Yoga classes are part of my yoga teacher training. I've heard about Bikram's Yoga for more than a few years now. Until this point, I was never curious enough to take it. Maybe the 105° temperature was too much of a deterrent. I read an article about Chodury Bikram many years ago, and from what I recall nothing about him moved me. What I do recall is that he studied hatha