A Note From My Teacher

Holiday Greetings, Yoga Friends,

One of my teachers, Bryan Kest, leads a Holiday Sanity & Wellness Challenge. I always appreciate his practicality, authenticity, and encouragement toward holistic health (taking care of our body-mind, our wholeness). I especially love his orientation toward benevolence.

 

Please enjoy Bryan’s latest post below, and visit poweryoga.com for tons of great videos and his “Absurdity Series” blog posts.

Remember that your asana yoga practice enhances your life; it is not your life.  So if your current circumstances happen to allow for a mat-based practice, awesome; but if not, enjoy lots of rest and lots of fun, and know that all the hours of work you’ve put in on your mat will sustain you when you need it most.  Feel your feet.  Find your breath.  Being present to the joys and the hardships is yoga; noticing what is happening, now, is yoga; wishing yourself, others, and the world safety, health, and happiness is yoga.  It doesn’t all happen on your mat — or, at least, it shouldn’t stay there!

Happy Practicing, one way or another,

The Catholic Yogi

P.S.  When you find yourself back on your mat, it’ll be sweeter than ever.


Aloha everyone,

I hope this message finds all of you doing well. Life is full of ups and downs yet through it all “I shall breathe”…stay with your breath. As you move through your days start noticing when your mind drifts into thoughts and pull your attention back to that quiet place. Then see if you can direct your mind to thoughts of kindness and appreciation. Send love to all you see and send compassion to all, as we all are dealing with so much.

 

Keep directing your mind to this benevolent place. Jesus set the example of compassion in the most difficult moment and the next holiday is meant to honor him. His example is for all of us if our goal is wellness. Happy Holidays :)))

Aloha bryan

Tip: For inspiration this week, check out our new blog post,Loving Kindness and Yoga.

 

 

 

A Prayer for Kindness in All Things

A Prayer for Kindness in All Things

Dear Lord, I praise you as the essence of all things loving; You are complete in Yourself; You are unconditional in Love. In my heart I desire to be more like You, and I invite you to be with me as I move about through my day. When I begin to compare myself to others, let me remember that we are all made in your likeness, and that each of our bodies is a temple of Your Holy Spirit. When I am tempted to make judgments about the actions, behaviors, even the looks of others as a way of making myself feel better, come to my aid and bring about in me a spirit of contentment, a spirit of gratitude. Help me to treat each person I encounter as I would like to be treated, and fill me with loving kindness so that my thoughts, words, and deeds flow from Your spirit of unconditional Love. Let me remember You always; let me be ever aware of Your presence in each moment of my life, as I would surely cease to live, to move, to have my being if thought of me falls from Your mind’s embrace for the span of even one breath; for it is Your breath that gives me life.

I ask all these things through Christ who strengthens me.
Amen.