Today I woke with a strong sense of my history….I can’t explain it, but the line that connects me to my past, my roots felt strong and from the moment I felt that energy I knew I wanted to share a poem with you that I wrote many moons ago to celebrate my heritage. It is called Born First, and to me symbolises the pain, frustration and struggle my parents and many of their generation faced when they arrived in the UK.

Life is a journey . It is through my parent’s faith in life and my mother’s incessant belief in the power of prayer to shift mountains that I pray and gain strength, hope and power when I am knocked back in life. And today I’m glad I am able to share this poem with you, a part of my journey, as a way to encourage and inspire you to rise up and carry your torch of light forward.

Born First

I am proud of my heritage

Proud to be born from the skin of the Earth

Proud to be able to stand still, strong, straight and salute the sun.

Proud that we as a people have risen like the phoenix from the desert sands,

Have marched, through the streets with peace and overcome.

Overcome the externalist society which tries to condemn, deride and dis-unite us.

We are a race, Born First.

Let us re-kindle ourselves

Ignite the passion, desire which our ancestors knew,

The knowledge, wisdom, grace and beauty intuitively woven into the fabric of our soul

Let us re-claim our heritage

Stand anew, give anew and build on the shoulders of those gone before.

Final Thoughts

For some reason, I felt the need to share Born First. It isn’t my usual poem of peace and light, yet it reflects and represents a part of who I am and where I’m from. Honouring your past, the good, bad and indifferent and learning to let-go, surrender and embrace the newness of each day is yoga. So, in that light, I encourage you to take stock of your family history, to acknowledge how far you have come in your journey and to remember to Give Thanks for all souls who gave their life for you to be here today.

To close today’s blog to a close, I’d love to hear your thoughts about your journey, what piece of your family history has led you to be here today? What parts you are learning to honour and let go as you embrace the newness of living in the now. You can read my healing journey, in my book of grief and loss poems, Returning Home to the Healing Waters of my Soul

May you dear reader have a joyful and inspirational day.

Thanks for your time and kindly share this post with your family and friends by clicking on your favouite social media site below.

In peace

Ntathu

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And to get you in the mood here’s one of my Dad’s fave songs he used to whistle along to when life was getting him down, as he strove to keep his dream alive and build a brighter future for us. As a child I didn’t know what was bugging Dad yet I always ended up singing and clapping along when he whistled the tune and I could sense his mood shifting. So, if you are going through a low time, take heart, pack up your troubles and smile…

And here’s the words so you can bounce along to Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.
Don’t let your joy and laughter hear the snag
Smile boys, that’s the style
What’s the use of worrying
It never was worth while
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.
(Musical Interlude)
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.
Just pucker up and whistle (Whistle)
(Whistling)
What’s the use of worrying
It never was worth while
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.

What’s Next?

All that is left for me to say now, is to wish you a beautiful day.

And if you enjoyed today’s post, remember sharing is caring. I’d appreciate it if you spread the love and shared this post with your friends and loved ones by clicking your fave social media button below. And remember, you can read more inspirational poems and prayers in my ebook Returning Home to the Healing Waters of my Soul, where I share my healing journey from grief to grace. You can order your copy here on my website  or over on my Kindle bookstore.

Stay blessed and thank you for your business!
Ntathu

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Well, despite the snow and cold nights Spring is official here in the UK! With the brighter mornings and “slighter warmer” temperatures my body is beginning to feel lighter and calling out for a cleanse and detox. The last health cleanse I did was in October 2012,  which you was excellent and left me feeling energised and ready to face the winter . You can read more about how I got on during this 7-Day Health and Vitality cleanse here.

Getting Ready For Spring Detox

I am ready to do another cleanse and came across

a wonderful selection of yoga based wellness and health programmes on My Yoga Online. Check them out, you are bound to find an online course  here which will help you lose weight, sleep better or have more energy.

I have signed up for their Yoga Detox 8-Day Spring Cleanse and over the next few days will be getting myself ready to do the cleanse.

Its good timing as my next mini-series of posts is all about Yoga Detoxing and ways you can use your yoga practice and knowledge to cleanse your digestive system , boost and improve your health. So, for me, doing the Yoga Detox Cleanse is excellent preparation.

I’d love you to join me! Sign up and let me know and together we Can Do This!

Yoga Poem

To inspire you, I’ve written a Yoga Poem – Giving Thanks for the Spring Cleanse

Thank you Heavenly Father for guiding me this far, for granting me life to see my children grow, and a tender heart, peace and abundance.

Thank you for sending the angels, Earth Angels and more who align my soul to my truth.

Thank you for opening the door, allowing light, love and laughter in , for the joy and Spring Energy to cleanse, detox and Climb Anew

Thank you for all I am and will be.

In peace

I look forward to seeing you on the Yoga Spring Cleanse. If you have done a cleanse before, I’d love you to share your experience to encourage and support other readers who are new to the whole process.  Share your comments in the comment box below and if you have any friends, work colleagues or family who you feel may benefit from increased energy and vitality forward them this post by clicking your favourite social media icon below.

Much love and thanks

Ntathu

Image with thanks from dibytes via flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dibytes/

Note these are affiliate links. This means if you purchase a course, I will receive a small thank you comission from the site, which goes towards the upkeep of this site.

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As you may know the last few posts I have focused on a miniseries of Yoga For Beginners posts

Today’s post,  A Beginners’ Guide To The Yoga Sutras  is the last post in this series and covers the philosophical and spiritual teachings of yoga.

My daughters are keen Glee fans and as I was preparing for this post, my daughter Maleka was playing a selection of Glee songs and the song Lean On Me caught my attention. As I listened to the words, I felt  the message of the song “lean on me, be a friend, share your time and energy with someone going through a hard time is an excellent example of someone living life in accordance with these great teachings.

Listen to the words and I’m sure you’ll feel the love, tenderness and care shown by the Glee Club.

What are the Yoga Sutras?

The Yoga Sutras, in particular the Eight Limbs of Yoga, offer you a framework to live an ethical and highly principled life

The Yoga Sutras is recognised as the first complete presentation of the practical and spiritual aspects of yoga. It consists of 196 threads or commentaries which bring together all the various strands and thoughts about yoga philosophy in one main literary source.

These threads cover all aspect of life, from giving guidelines on how to live a healthy industrious life right through to thoughts on how you can reach the ultimate goal of yoga – self realization.

The Eight Limbs Of Yoga

The Eight Limbs of Yoga form the ethical and philosophical foundation of your yoga practice. According to the ancient sage Patanajali, in his Yoga Sutras, yoga consists of eight limbs which he called Ashtanga Yoga. Each limb has its own identity yet still forms part of the whole system known as yoga.

The Eight Limbs or Steps of Yoga are:

1. Yama (a set of social codes for communal ethical living)
2. Niyama (guidelines for personal conduct and behaviour)
3. Asana (yoga postures)
4. Pranayama (breath control)
5. Pratyahara (withdrawal and control of the senses)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (enlightenment, self-realisation)

What Are The Yamas and Niyamas?

In addition, the Yamas and Niyamas are further broken down into 5 specific guidelines which give detailed explanations to guide you through your daily life.

The Yamas are:

The Yamas, deal with universal social and moral observations and sets out guidelines to encourage universal positive behaviours.

1. Ahimsa – Compassion and non-violence towards all beings, including animals.
2. Satya – truthfulness, speaking your truth in thoughts, words and behaviour. Basically being honest and kind
3. Asteya – Non-stealing and being generous with your thoughts and actions.
4. Brahmacharya – Self restraint, generally Brahmacharya refers to restraint of the sexual energy, however in its broadest sense, Brahmacharya means self-discipline and moderation in all areas of life.
5. Aparigraha – Non-possessiveness and non-greed. The ability to share and to have freedom from desire. For example, not to take bribes or unasked for gifts.

The five Niyamas are:

The Niyamas are more personal observations and relate to actions which you, as an individual are encouraged to do

1. Shauca – Cleanliness, keeping yourself and immediate environment clean and tidy.

2. Samtosha – Contentment, being satisfied and accepting of your immediate situation; the ideal behind Samtosha is to allow yourself to be happy and appreciate all the blessings and tribulations in your life, yet at the same time to strive towards spiritual enlightenment.

3. Tapas – Relates to self-discipline; the ability to stay focused and maybe go without certain possessions in order to grow, develop and care for yourself and others, .e.g. Tapas could relate to a child giving up sweets for a period of time and giving that money instead to a local charitable cause.

4. Svadhyaya – self study and observation of your thoughts, words and actions. It includes regular spiritual discussions and studying spiritual, philosophical literature in order to gain a richer understanding of life. It includes the ability to be reflective and introspective so that you get to know yourself on a deeper level, which helps to create clarity in your thoughts and behaviours. The more you know yourself the easier it is for you to communicate openly and honestly your desires.

5. Ishvarapranidhana – Refers to devotion to God. To constantly be aware of the sacredness of life and to hold reverence for all being.

As you can see the Yamas and Niyams offer you a set of highly thought of social and personal guidelines to consider as you strive to live a more harmonious and balanced life.

What’s Next…

I hope you found this mini Yoga For Beginners series useful in familiarising yourself with, for example the  different styles of yoga, the health benefits of yoga and have a clearer understanding of the value of the spiritual and philosophical teachings underpinning your practice.

I’m curious, is there anything else you would like to learn more about in relation to starting yoga. Share your thoughts in the comment box below and I will respond to your queries. Thank you

More Yoga Information?

If you are keen to discover more Yoga Info, check out my Starting Yoga, Look Good, Feel Great…The Complete Guide of Yoga for Beginners here on my website  or over on my Amazon Kindle Bookstore

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Regular readers will know that for the longest while I’ve been quietly working on creating my first online meditation for beginners’ course- Breathe Freely. In a recent post, Prayer of Thanks – almost there, I shared my  enthusiasm and excitement that Breathe Freely  7 Easy Meditations for Beginners to Help You Reduce Stress and Live a Healthier, Simpler and Happier Life” is getting closer and closer to being born.  My mum has a saying ‘if something is worth doing its worth doing properly

Her words have guided me through this whole process and I pray the end result will reflect the love and dedication myself and my behind the scenes working buddies, my webmaster, Warren Samu and proof reader  and editing documents Vicki Harris have also poured into  this work of love.

Yoga Poem- Sitting In Silence

Meditation has played a major part in my personal healing.  In a previous post “Tired and Overwhlemed…” I shared with you my story and how I got into meditation.

Today’s post is a poem, which expands upon this.

I wrote it a while back. My daughters were a lot younger and life was full-on. At times I felt like I was suffocating and struggled to breathe as I fought to bring  order and calm into my life. Writing and meditating were the only times  I felt I could be myself and let go …I am sure there have been times in your life when everything felt too much and you too wanted to be alone, maybe cry and scream out for help.  If you are going through that now, take a moment to breathe, find a quiet spot and imagine yourself on your dream holiday island and savour Sitting In Silence

Sitting In Silence

Sometimes…I need to live with solitude

To be by myself, to live alone by myself

For it is in these quiet moments that I find myself

Reconnect with myself

My core,

My divinity.

During this time

I am who I am

A child of the universe

A creation from the Supreme Being

An entity

A Being with no beginning or end

Just a Soul.

Pure.

Natural.

A re-incarnated Soul

living in this time.

During solitude I experience what is necessary

What is needed to be aware of who I am and how  I came to be.

So that is why I sit.

In silence, with solitude

Day in day out

Forever more.

 What Next?

And if you enjoyed reading this post and keen to read more uplifting poems, check out my ebook Returning Home to the Healing Waters of my Soul – where I share grief and loss poems I wrote whilst grieving and coming to terms with the sudden loss of my cousin and brother.  You can instantly download your personal copy of Returning home from my Amazon Kindle Store  and if you would be so kind to write a review I’d appreciate that. Thank you.

I’d also love to hear your comments and views about meditation, what challenges and problems do you find with meditating and if you meditate please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment box below.

Till next time, be peaceful and take special care of you.

Ntathu

photo with thanks Moyan_Brenn via flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/

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Two Knee Twist

We are coming towards the end of our special miniseries of  posts specifically for Yoga For Beginners. In my last post I shared three yoga videos featuring a Sivananda  Yoga sequence, Ashtanga Yoga and Iygengar Yoga. Did you get a chance to practice any of these videos?  I found the Ashtanga  yoga sequence very good in energising and uplifting my energy. In today’s post we look at 3 more yoga videos, featuring  yoga sequences you can practice at home from Bikram Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Scarvelli Yoga.

The Yoga For Beginners series is designed to guide you to choosing the best style of yoga for your particular health needs.  We touched upon the origins of yoga and looked at four of the main health benefits of yoga and how yoga can help reduce back pain, bring about a sense of inner peace and calm, relieve stress and help you lose weight.  As a Yogi what benefits do you get from practicing yoga? Share your thoughts in the comment box at the bottom of this blog.

Here are three more yoga videos for you to watch.

Yoga Sequence For Beginners #4 Bikram Yoga

This video is quite interesting as you get a chance to listen to  the presenter talk to a Bikhram Instructor answer popular questions about Bikram Yoga plus a few Bikram Yoga exercises.

Click here to watch the Bikram Yoga for Beginners video

Yoga Sequence For Beginners #5 Kundalini  Yoga

Kundalini Yoga places a lot of emphasis on breathing exercises…so be prepared for some rapid breathing exercises!

Click here to watch the introduction to Kundalini yoga 

Yoga Sequence For Beginners #6  Scarvelli Yoga

Scarvelli Yoga is very different style of yoga from Bikram and Kundalini. The practice  flows at a slower gentle pace and is all about cultivating self awareness and ease in the way you move your spine and position your body to get into the pose.

Click here to watch a simple standing yoga sequence, from a Scarvelli position with Marc Woodford. I have been to a Scarvelli inspired yoga class with Marc and gained so much in terms of how my body moves structurally  when I practice yoga. One of my dreams is to train in this style of yoga.

What’s Next…

I hope you found these videos useful in familiarising yourself with three more  different styles of yoga, Bikram Yoga , Kundalini Yoga and Scarvelli Yoga. In the final post we will our attention to looking at the spiritual and philosophical teachings of yoga – The Yoga Sutras .  You can get a head start on the philosophy of yoga when you read my ebook (OR is it from my book???)  Starting Yoga, Look Good, Feel Great…The Complete Guide of Yoga for Beginners here on my website  or over on my Amazon Kindle Bookstore.

Stay blessed Gentle Reader, remember to breathe and to keep the yogi vibe flowing by sharing this post with your friends and loved ones. Simple click your favourite Social Media icon below to share.

Thank you and have a beautiful day

Big Hugs

Ntathu

The post 3 Yoga Sequences For Beginners, Part 2 appeared first on Yoga Inspires - Ntathu Allen.

Take special care of you and “see” you soon.

In peace

Ntathu

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As I sat and thought about today’s blog, a dear friend sent me a text and for some random reason my heart ran on a similar text she sent me a while back. I was moved to go online and listen to words of life and wisdom from Mooji.

Hope you enjoy this offering which touched my heart.

Have a blessed and peaceful day and thank for your trust and faith in life.

Namaste

Ntathu

The post Words of Wisdom from Mooji – Moving In Life Without A Plan appeared first on Yoga Inspires - Ntathu Allen.

As a yoga beginner it can be quite confusing knowing where to start and what style of yoga suits you. Today’s post, 3 Yoga Sequences For Beginners follows on from our recent post  and eases this confusion. So I offer you 3 yoga videos to watch – a Sivananda Yoga video, Iyengar Yoga and Astanga Yoga videos.  Take your time to watch the videos –they are short introductions and will give you a flavour of the differences. Next week , we will look at Bikram Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Scaravelli Yoga

Yoga Sequence For Beginners #1 Sivananda Yoga

In this video,  you will see the 12 classic yoga postures practiced in a Sivananda Yoga Class  which work primarily on the spine and central nervous system.

Click here to watch the Sivananda Yoga video

Yoga Sequence For Beginners #2  Ashtanga Yoga

This video is slightly longer – 60 minutes, and guides you gently through an Astanga Yoga Class. Astanga Yoga is a more strenuous style of yoga so take your time and be mindful of your breath and body as you practice.

Click here to watch the Ashtanga Yoga video

Yoga Sequence For Beginners #3 Iyengar Yoga

As you know Iyengar Yoga places great emphasis on correct aligmnet and precision in the pose. In this video, the teacher gives you an excellent introduction into this practice.

Click here to watch the Iyengar Yoga video

What’s Next…

I hope you found these videos useful in familiarising yourself with three  different styles of yoga, Sivananda, Astanga and Iygenar Yoga. Stay tuned and next week we’ll look at more yoga videos, this time featuring Bikram Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Scarvelli Yoga.

More Yoga Information?

If you are keen to discover more Yoga Info, check out my Starting Yoga, Look Good, Feel Great…The Complete Guide of Yoga for Beginners here on my website  or over on my Amazon Kindle Bookstore.

Thank you for taking time to pause, tune in and tune up!

Namaste and have a beautiful day

See you soon…hugs and blessings

Ntathu

*********************************

Image-with thanks and appreciation - John K via flickr

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If you are going through a loss and feel broken and maybe even feeling“insignificant” today’s post is for you. It’s a short prayer, Reaching for Wholeness, taken from The Gentle Weapon” – Prayers for Everyday and Not-So-Everyday Moments by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Dealing with Grief Is Hard.

Yesterday, whilst visiting a dear friend, who is going through a loss, she whispered to me she “feels broken” and in need of something to stick her back together again and make her feel whole.”

As my friend continued to share her feelings, I was transported back in time to when my dear cousin Sherry and brother John died both unexpectedly and within 18 months of each other. I recall that broken fragmented sense of self, like I was living in fishbowl and couldn’t, wouldn’t allow anyone in to comfort and ease my pain.

Dealing with grief isn’t easy, you go through a whole range of emotions as your mind, body and spirit tries to find a way to adapt and adjust to your loss.

“Reaching for Wholeness”- is a prayer I recently read and which I would like to share with you, especially if you are mourning or feel “broken” in some way.

You can say this prayer quietly to yourself when you wake up or anytime during the day to lift your spirits and heal your fragmented soul.

“Reaching For Wholeness”

Compassionate God,
Healer of my body,
Healer of my soul,
Heal me.
Strengthen my ailing body
Soothe my aching heart;
Mend my shattered existence.
Make me whole.

Although short, I trust the simplicity of Reaching for Wholeness touches your heart and helps to fill the hole you feel inside.

Final Thoughts to Share

Sharing is caring. If you know someone, maybe a colleague, friend or relative who is mourning or feels lost and broken, send them this prayer and help to feel better again.

Writing poems, prayers and journaling formed a significant part of my healing journey. You can read my journey from grief to grace and wholeness in my ebook Returning Home to the Healing Waters of My Soul. You can buy your copy here or instantly download to your kindle device here.

Thank you for taking the time to pause and be part of our loving community.

May your soul be filled with the presence of love and eternal joy.

In peace

Ntathu

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