A new Site

I am excited to announce my new site:

http://mindfulnesswithmegs.com 

Check it out and let me know what you think

A Love and Kindness Meditation

Love and Kindness meditation is honestly one of my favorite meditations, and it ties in so beautifully with Ahimsa (non violence) and our first Yama. 

I normally like recording my own meditation, but my voice is terribly sore so I downloaded a meditation from Tara Brach  she has lots of FREE guided meditations and I would recommend you go and check them out. This meditation is slightly longer than the 10 minute ones I normally do but it is definitely worth the time

The idea of the Love and Kindness meditation is that you are beaming love all over the world, and once you learn how to practice it - you can practice anytime and anywhere.

This meditation aims to evoke love, kindness and friendliness toward oneself and others. It involves visualization a number of different people along side repeat a phrase over and over again, letting the feelings permeate your body and mind. Be aware that this meditation may at times feel mechanical or awkward. It can also bring up feelings contrary to loving kindness, feelings of irritation and anger. If this happens, it is especially important to be patient and kind toward yourself, allowing whatever arises to be received in a spirit of friendliness and kind affection.

To practice this meditation sit in a comfortable position. Let your heart be soft and open. Let go of any cares or concerns. Spend a few moments centering yourself, by scanning your body, then anchoring your awareness on the breath.

The meditation begins with noticing the love you have within you, spend a few moments noticing the heart center, feeling the beautiful light and positive energy within your heart center.
Firstly you bring to mind yourself, you begin with yourself because without loving yourself it is almost impossible to love others. See yourself in your mind,  Breathe gently, and with each exhalation feel the love and light from within you completely surround you.

May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be safe Happy.
May I be Healthy.
May I be at peaceful and calm

As you repeat these phrases, picture yourself as your are now, and hold that image in a heart of loving kindness.

After a few moments bring to mind someone you love dearly, hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm.

After a few moments bring to mind your family and friends, hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm.

Bring to mind someone you dislike (this is one of the hardest ones), hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm

Bring to mind people in your community, hold their image in your mind, see them there in front of you and imagine them becoming completely surrounded by the love and light from your heart center.

May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be Happy.
May you be Healthy.
May you be peaceful and calm

Now see if you can spread the long and kindness all over your city, or your country, blanketing every place, person and animal with your love and kindness

Happy Meditating Yogis and Yoginis

Namaste  

The Yamas

The first limb of yoga is Yamas, of which there are 5. These 5 Yamas guide our interactions with the world around us.

1. Ahimsa This is the practice of non-violence, which includes physical, mental, and emotional violence towards others and the self. We create violence most often in our reactions to events and others, habitually creating judgment, criticism, anger or irritation. A useful took to foster non-violence is the Buddhist practice of compassion. Compassion is the ability to accept events as they are with an open and loving heart. It is a letting go of reacting to a situation in a conditional and negative way, and replaces those thoughts or feelings with kindness, acceptance and love. At first practicing compassion is hard, frustrating and not fun. But the key is to have compassion for oneself for not having compassion, and to smile at this contradiction.

2. Satya (truthfulness) urges us to live and speak our truth at all times. Walking the path of truth is a hard one, especially while respecting the first Yama, Ahimsa. Since Ahimsa must be practiced first, we must be careful to not speak a truth if we know it will cause harm to another. Living in your truth not only creates respect, honor and integrity but also provides the vision to clearly see the higher truths of the yogic path.

3. Asteya (non-stealing) is best defined as not taking what is not freely given. While this may on the surface seem easy to accomplish, when we look further this Yama can be quite challenging to practice. On a personal level this entails not committing theft physically. On the level of society, Asteya would be in opposition to exploitation, social injustice and oppression. While not easy, practicing Asteya encourages generosity and overcomes greed.

4. Brahmacharya (continence) states that when we have control over our physical impulses of excess, we attain knowledge, vigor, and increased energy. To break the bonds that attach us to our excesses and addictions, we need both courage and will. And each time we overcome these impulses of excess we become stronger, healthier and wiser. One of the main goals in yoga is to create and maintain balance. And the simplest method for achieving balance is by practicing Brahmacharya, creating moderation in all of our activities. Practicing moderation is a way of conserving our energy, which can then be applied for higher spiritual purposes.

5. Aparigraha (non-coveting) urges us to let go of everything that we do not need. The yogis tell us that worldly objects cannot be possessed at all, as they are all subject to change and will be ultimately destroyed. When we become greedy we lose the ability to see our one eternal possession, the Atman, our true Self. And when we cling to what we have we lose the ability to be open to receive what we need.

After reading this I hope you have a deep understanding of the 5 Yamas. Over te next 5 days I will upload a daily activity you can incorporate into your life.

Namaste

Yoga goes deeper than just stretching

I am coming up to almost a decade of teaching yoga, every single day I am learning new things, deepening my practice. My personal practice has come a long way - my mum has always loved yoga, and has always been a very spiritual woman, so I began a love for yoga from a very young age, I can remember watching yoga videos (in VCH format) and just loving it. 

In my teenage years I began to attend a beautiful studio in Durban South Africa - so beautiful, with wooden floors, windows overlooking a lovely garden, and the beautiful smell of incense. From that time the practice of yoga (well the Asanas) have been constant in my life. Although the practice has been there, my soul has always yearned for something deeper. 

I began to learn how to deepen my practice when I began to study to be a yoga teacher. I began to learn that yoga is not just about the stretching and strengthening, but it can be a lifestyle if you allow it to be. Following the yogic lifestyle has been an incredible journey - my soul feels at peace and happy.

I would love to share this 'lifestyle' with you. Over the next few weeks I will upload posts detailing each of the 8 limbs of yoga. So here it is... 

There are 8 limbs of yoga 

1.  Yama: There are 5 Yamas. These Yamas are ways in which we should interact with the world.

2. Niyama observances of self-interaction.

3. Asana the physical yoga exercises.

4. Pranayama breathing techniques.

5. Pratyahara sense withdrawal.

6. Dharana concentration, which helps prepare for meditation.

7. Dhyana  meditation.

8. Samadhi absorption, where we are one with the eternal and divine, pure bliss.

Happy Friday Yogis and Yoginis 

Namaste 

Are you keen to give Ashtanga a go?

  I have had many people asking about getting into an Ashtanga Practice! So I want to start off by mentioning something you may come across in your Ashtanga research, many Ashtanga Yogis practice 6 days a week, but not everyone can do this, so I would recommend practicing about 3 days a week, to begin with. I must place a little warning here now, practicing at home takes a lot of dedication - and of course you must always honor your mind and body, I would suggest that if you enjoy Ashtanga find a teacher, that way you can get adjustments and tips that will help you take your practice to the next level (comment below if you have questions about finding a teacher).

  Always begin with the primary series (there is no better place to start than the beginning), Have a look at my post Ashtanga the Primary Series, It is definitely beneficial to look over the series to get an idea of what you will be doing!

  It can be very intimidating for a beginner, so I would definitely recommend starting off slow, unfortunately I do not have the resources to make this kind of video at the moment (Hopefully in the near future I will be making some of my own videos) - but this is a great beginners video to become used to the practice of Ashtanga.

 Once you have become accustomed to this video move onto the slightly more challenging video.

  Finally move onto practicing the full primary series

 
Happy Practicing Yogis and Yoginis, and as always comment below if you have any questions 

 Namaste 

Stepping from Downward Facing Dog to a lunge

  Hello my dear Yogis and Yoginis! 

  Today I want to address an issue a lot of students have approached me about, that is stepping forward into a lunge from downward facing dog! I love teaching a flow class, and when you have difficulty stepping forward into a lunge it can definitely disrupt the flow of the class.
 
  Perhaps you look at the yogi next to you and wonder how their leg can seamlessly float under their belly, and how they can softly land his foot between their hands, while you yank your leg and foot through like it’s a sandbag dropped on a bed of daisies, and maybe even still end up with your foot far away from the top of your mat, your front heel lifted off of the floor, and your front knee forward of your toes. Not only do you feel a bit like a beginner still, you know that a knee not quite in the right position (such as bending past the crease of your ankle) can wreak havoc on the joint. But how do you get that front foot where it’s supposed to be?
  Do not be discouraged, many people suffer from this problem, not only does this transition require strength and flexibility there is also a technique.

  To begin with you always want to make sure that your body (in particular your hips and hamstrings) is warm before you practice, so do some cat/cow, a few low lunges, a down dog, your favorite 3 legged down dog, a high lunge.

  Begin with the mind:
  Don't try and do it just yet, begin by getting into the right frame of mind, it is helpful to visualize what you need to do, visualize. image going from downdog, extending your right leg up into a three-legged dog, bend your right knee into your chest, rounding your spine like a cat stretch as you push the floor away from you.

  The Breath:
  Each posture in yoga is linked with the breath, the general 'rule' of this is that with each exhalation you contract your body, with each inhalation you expand the body. This means that you’ll inhale as you lift your leg into three-legged dog, and you’ll exhale as you draw your knee into your chest to step through.
  Before you practicing coming all the way through to a lunge, practice linking the movement with the breath. From downward facing dog, inhale your right leg up into three-legged dog; exhale, and bend your knee to your chest, shifting forward a little, like you would for plank pose. Stay here for a few breaths, keeping your hips lifted and level, your spine rounding up like a cat stretch, and your head relaxed. To create even more space, with every exhale, push the floor away and contract your abdominal a little more, thereby rounding up a little more. Then re-extend your right leg back to three-legged dog on an inhale. Exhale, return to downdog, and repeat on the second side.
  If it does not work for you to do this from downdog, try doing this on your hands and knees to begin with. Inhale the right leg up exhale knee to chest, repeat that a few times, then move over to the other side.

  The Body:
  Here is the final step. This is where you can actually practice the step forward, From downward facing dog, inhale your right leg up. Contract your abdomen as you exhale and bend your knee into your chest, rounding your spine, pushing the floor away from you with your hands. Press the ball of your left foot into the floor as well, this will help you draw your right knee even closer toward your chest. Flick your right foot forward (like you’re kicking a soccer ball), aim your foot towards the space between your hands, and gracefully, place your foot flat on the earth, ending up in your lunge.

  It is important to remember that each and every body is different - for some people this may be an easy transition, for some it may require more practice. Never give up! 
  

Happy practicing yogis and yoginis 

Namaste 

"Be the Change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

  After Leo won his Oscar, and made that incredibly moving speech, I went on to watch the documentary 'Cowspiricy'. Wow what a moving documentary, so insightful. For those of you interested in watching the documentary, it is on Netflix, and I must warn you that it is confronting, but a definite must see.
  The universe must be sending me a message, this morning I logged onto Facebook and found the video at the end of this post
  I feel like my world has been turned upside down, at the same time I am extremely motivated to do everything I can to change the world! 
  Make wise decisions Yogis and Yoginis - We only have one earth, and one chance to get it right! 

Namaste  

A Vegan Change of Heart - Beautiful

A son of a British Farmer who had a change of heart reads an inspiring poem, directly from the depths of his soul.Find more at: vegansongs.com

Posted by Best Video You Will Ever See on Monday, February 22, 2016