Summer 2018 Retreat: Tulum, Mexico
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Registration for Summer 2018 Retreat in Tulum is up! Find out more about our early bird pricing for this 4 day all inclusive getaway in the heart of Mexico. Join Alex and Gunnar in sacred Tulum, Mexico for a 4 day yoga retreat. Mindful movement, meditation and breath will bring you back into harmony and connect you to your inner teacher and intuitive spirit. We will be staying at Amansala Resort conveniently located on the Tulum beach with ocean views from the open air yoga studio and lodging. In addition to yoga, guests are welcome to join us on a tour of the Mayan ruins in Tulum. Said to be built on the sacred Feminine Spiral of the Earth, the tour is sure to invoke wonder and inspiration as you enjoy it’s physical and spiritual significance. |
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Yintigrate Workshops: The Center, SF
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Join Leigh Stewart and I for a five part morning workshop series to rejuvenate the body's systems in a half flow, half yin class with hot stones, therapeutic-grade aromatherapy, hand-harvested teas and guided meditation. Each Saturday, we will explore a different system of the body (reproductive, immune, excretory, nervous, & endocrine) with accompanying essential oils, hot stones and yin postures to promote health, balance and harmony throughout the body. Join us the following dates from 9-10:30AM at The Center SF:
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fill your cup
Many yoga classes, mine included, are filled with metaphors and analogies to describe poses unfamiliar to the body in a way that is relatable. Good analogies are simple, some are personal. Mine are a combination of both. A dear teacher of mine reminded me in a time of struggle that you can't pour from an empty cup. In order to be of service to others, you have to fill your cup first. You have to take care of yourself.
Recently, a childhood friend told me that she was struggling with anxiety because there were many good and new things coming into her life and she didn't know how to balance. It was almost like she felt guilty for the new blessings in her life. She mentioned how her sister used an analogy she liked about a cup. I inquired further and she said "Our hearts are like cups, sometimes they are closer to full and sometimes they are closer to empty. Right now my cup is too full, so I need to empty it." I responded and said I thought she should get a bigger cup, and we both laughed.
Thinking back, I think we were both right. When we fill our cup to the brim, we have the opportunity to grow and expand into new awareness and new potential (get a bigger cup) or we have the opportunity to share the overflow. I think it depends on the individual, the time, the place, on what we choose to do. I think you can do both. A lot of us do neither, and are left confused and feeling empty.
I teach my students to take care of themselves first and foremost - to fill their cup. We usually do this by silencing the chatter in the mind and hopefully making space to hear the heart. How do we do that? With breath, with movement, with stillness.
Recently, a childhood friend told me that she was struggling with anxiety because there were many good and new things coming into her life and she didn't know how to balance. It was almost like she felt guilty for the new blessings in her life. She mentioned how her sister used an analogy she liked about a cup. I inquired further and she said "Our hearts are like cups, sometimes they are closer to full and sometimes they are closer to empty. Right now my cup is too full, so I need to empty it." I responded and said I thought she should get a bigger cup, and we both laughed.
Thinking back, I think we were both right. When we fill our cup to the brim, we have the opportunity to grow and expand into new awareness and new potential (get a bigger cup) or we have the opportunity to share the overflow. I think it depends on the individual, the time, the place, on what we choose to do. I think you can do both. A lot of us do neither, and are left confused and feeling empty.
I teach my students to take care of themselves first and foremost - to fill their cup. We usually do this by silencing the chatter in the mind and hopefully making space to hear the heart. How do we do that? With breath, with movement, with stillness.
"Don't move the way fear makes you move.
Move the way love makes you move.
Move the way joy makes you move."
-Osho
