#giocondayoga

Be fully present. Feel your heart. And leap. —Pema Chodron I shared this quote on Saturday---and then haven't said much since then. I've been leaning into the process that is so elegantly invoked by the quote above and working it. BE FULLY PRESENT. Step one. Not so easy when trying to decide when and how to come back out into the world, what to keep doing, what to start doing, what to stop doing. Not so easy when my mind wants to rush ahead, to know what my life and work will look like in this new Covid-19 informed world or run back to the way things used to be. So I arrive in my body, feel my bones, soften my tongue. lift the back of my skull, stop doing anything and become fully present. FEEL YOUR HEART. Step two. Ahhhh, its tender and filled with grief and loss, joy and gratitude. I underestimated entirely how many feelings one heart can hold---how these feelings can live right alongside each other. My heart knows things my mind isn't ready to know yet because it isn't afraid. My heart tells me just enough to take the next step---it doesn't tell me the whole story because it knows I'm not ready yet. AND LEAP. Step three. Make a move. Risk letting go in order to arrive in a new place. Have the hard conversations because they are more honest. Take the wisdom of my heart into action. Let the next teacher--my life as it is unfolding--add its voice the teachers of body and heart. What do these three invitations invoke for you? I would love to hear. Also, I am teaching a yoga class ONLINE this Saturday morning at 9am CST if you want to explore this process with me--it's Vinyasa + Meditation and you can sign up for this LiveStreaming class thru the link in my bio or on my website under the link ONLINE practice. #giocondayoga #onlineyogaclass #onlineyogaclasses #yogateacher #myyogalife #yogaforeveryone #liveyoga #balanceforbetter #yoga2020 #yogalifestyle (at Thatch Caye, a Muy'Ono Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAKxgq-lNUG/?igshid=1eq87f4g64x7i

So much change. Hard to believe in just a couple of weeks how everything is SO different. Went from sipping tea in the mountains in India with @livealiveadventures to whisking home and a two week self-quarantine. That ends today—-but not really as I will continue to observe distancing and keeping social circle extremely small. What has been a constant through it all is practice. Meditation, mantra, movement. Not to say I haven’t felt the waves—-of grief, of anxiety, of stir-crazy. But leaning into practice has helped me ride the waves rather than being crushed by them. AND it has been a “boon” (greatly beneficial) to take the seat of the teacher in the virtual format. Seeing familiar faces and new ones, taking familiar shapes and new ones, loving my existing communities and connecting with new ones, has truly been a saving grace. While life feels constricted on the one hand, it is also expanding in new ways. As my teacher @manorama9 said today “when there is loss, there is also gain.”(check out her live story for the full conversation). I am daily reminded of this as I stay close to the teachings of yoga and of my own heart. May we have peace in our minds, health in our bodies and love in our hearts. My online teaching schedule for the next week is: Thursday 9-10pm Dream Circle @practiceyogaaustin Friday 3-4pm Vinyasa @wanderlustyogaatx Sunday 9-10 Soul Flow @wanderlustyogaatx Monday 3-4pm Align + Breathe + Sit @practiceyogaaustin Monday 6-7pm Vinyasa @bfree_yoga Tuesday 6-7:15pm Vinyasa 2-3 @practiceyogaaustin Wed 6pm Yin + Restore @wanderlustyogaatx Thur 6pm Vinyasa @wanderlustyogaatx You can register through the websites for each studio. I am in the process of developing other virtual opportunities for study and connection. Stay tuned. Also, if you want to follow me @thebodyresilient I am sharing tools to support during these shifting tides. #giocondayoga #yoga #yogapractice #somaticexperiencing #somatictherapy #somaticmovement #stayhome #mantra #meditation photo credit: @travelswithjanan https://www.instagram.com/p/B-dfA34FN-L/?igshid=15ta6olt8m6f1

“Forget about enlightenment.
Sit down wherever you are 
And listen to the wind singing in your veins.
Feel the love, the longing, and the fear in your bones.
Open your heart to who you are, right now,
Not who you would like to be.
Not the saint you’re striving to become.
But the being right here before you, inside you, around you.
All of you is holy.
You’re already more and less 
Than whatever you can know.
Breathe out, touch in, let go.”― John Welwood We had an incredible weekend together, breathing, touching in, and letting go. I am inspired by these beautiful women and look forward to seeing where their paths will take them next. Feeling hopeful for the world and uplifted by the power of yoga + human connection. #yinyoga #yoga #justbreathe #giocondayoga #johnwelwood @wanderlustyogaatx (at Wanderlust Yoga Austin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq7qMLEFP6N/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1crs2qb2sy2r8

I’m going back to Iceland!! And I want you to go with me...Endless Summer Yoga Retreat is happening this summer, July 22-29 and spots are starting to fill. Save you spot with a deposit today and expect MAGIC this summer. Link in my bio. #yoga #yogaretreat #iceland #giocondayoga #wanderlustyogaatx

The root word of Namaskar is “nam” which means to salute, to give reverence to. I have always loved this part of the practice where breath and movement meet intention and dedication. In Bhutan last year seeing our sweet guide doing prostrations to the seat of the teacher and the the altar at every temple we entered connected me again to the embodied reverence of bowing down and rising up. This Saturday I’m leading an in-depth exploration of Surya Namaskar (Salutes to the Sun), Chandra Namaskar (Salutes to the Moon), and other variations of namaskar that employ movement and breath in rhythmic, challenging and artistic flows from 1-3pm @wanderlustyogaatx Details on my website in my bio. Wherever you are, take a few minutes today to express reverence for that in your life that gives light & joy & keeps you in the flow of gratitude. Photo credit: Melanie Applegate #givereverence #namaskar #giocondayoga #wanderlustyogaatx #moonsalutations #sunsalutation #bowdownriseup

So excited to be back on the mat! 6 weeks ago I had surgery to repair a detached retina,and it’s been quite the journey in the recovery road, but today was my first public class and so perfect and full circle to take it with Alexandra at @yogaoasistucson I first met her at the @wanderlustfest in Tahoe when I was teaching there..and a few years she returned the favor 💖 I love that no matter how far I travel, I always find family on the mat—-and no matter how long I’m away, the practice is still there for me when I make it back. I’m feeling hopeful and really happy to be able to practice Asana again. If you’ve been away from practice, any practice that you’ve poured yourself into, know it’s there for you, and that you can always make your back.❤️❤️❤️ #thegiftofpractice #yogaoasis #backonthemat #iloveyoga #giocondayoga #recovery (at YogaOasis)

Are you interested in adding a new teaching skill to your tool belt? Would you like to learn how to create a safe and nurturing environment for your students to unwind physical, mental and emotional stress? Would you like to share Yin Yoga as a path of mindful awareness and a gateway to inner resources? If so, I’m thrilled to be offering my first weekend Yin Yoga training. Take a weekend out to dive into Yin, learn poses assists, and sequencing. Details in the link on profile. Next weekend, Dec 1,2&3. #yinyoga #giocondayoga #wanderlustyogaatx #yogateachertraining #skills #mindfulness #meditation (at Austin, Texas)