Success Challenge 2017

When we need to move forward in life, take more time for ourselves and invest in our own well being, we should not be making excuses. These excuses will hold us back and prevent us from making necessary changes in life.  

Common excuses are “I can’t afford to try it because I don’t have enough money," “I’m too busy to try something new!,” "It's just not the right time".

Excuses stop us from achieving our dreams.Some people make excuses because deep down they don’t really want to change, or they are too scared of making those changes that would help them to progress towards their dreams and goals .Recognize when you are making excuses to mask your fears.

One of my favorite quotes is "If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.”

90% of transformation starts with awareness . Once we know better we do better. Once we become aware of our excuses then we learn to do something in a New Way.

The best ways to learn to do something in A New Way:

Get real with yourself

Identify the excuses that have hold you back and  keep you stuck.

Build a support network

Recent studies indicate that people you spend time with affect your habits,whether good or bad. 

Define a strategy and ask for help

The key to success is stringing together enough of the right decisions.If your struggling to resolve problems with finances, health, relationships, career or other areas,  learn from others that are strong in finances , have knowledge about health , are currently in the career that you desire .

Commitment

Commitment is the  state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity. It is not enough to want something or create a plan of action ,we have to put momentum behind it .Our commitment to the process is what gets the results.

Join Ona Brown And I April 8th for Success Challenge 2017 

Register At http://www.charlottefamilyyoga.com/successchallenge2017

Stay Committed

We like to declare the things that matter to us. These are our priorities. These things are where we put all of our energy. But how often do we actually think about the commitments we are making to ourselves? 

Most things we are committed or dedicated to are for others or extremely external. 

We may be  committed to our career because we like getting paid. 

We are committed to our families and pets because we like to feel 

that connection of oneness or togetherness. 

We are committed to a cause because we want to do something beyond ourselves, for others, for the world.

When I hear someone say they are committed to their yoga practice that is something else entirely. That is a commitment to their Self. 

It's an inward journey they are embarking on .It is a union like any other and not always easy to keep up with when things get tough.

 

Yoga is a seeking of our best selves. It takes an enormous amount of commitment to face your Self everyday and decide to love that person. To practice yoga is to seek change - change of the body, change of the mind, change ultimately of a life. It can be uncomfortable at times, it can also be painful as we release past injuries, fears, and insecurities, but it also can be exhilarating as we realize all that is possible for our lives, stretching indeed for our highest potential.

 

Stay committed. Know  the road ahead might not always be easy, but being dedicated to your growth as an individual is a selfless act, for as you reach for a better life you begin to have the capacity to truly affect great change in the life of others. 

A Deliberate Practice

"Do your practice and all is coming" Sri K Patthabi Jois

To learn any new skill or get better at anything  you need to practice, practice, practice. There isn’t much debate about that not even in yoga.But here’s what you might not know: that the quality of your practice is just as important as the quantity.

This concept is known as deliberate practice, and it’s incredibly powerful.

Deliberate means ;done consciously ,with purpose and intention.

A deliberate yoga practice requires that you stay focused on what you are doing with an unwavering concentration. Not allowing  your mind to drift away from the practice to what you did before class or what you have to do after class.To immerse yourself so fully that you're momentarily not thinking about anything else.

If you want to start working with an intention and purpose  in your practice then you first want to take a look at what it is that you are hoping your practice will help you achieve. Why are you doing yoga;what brought you to class; why are you on your mat; is it to find more balance and peace; encourage more health and wellness; build more strength and flexibility in your body; learn to focus your mind; find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose; cultivate more love, compassion and kindness in your life, or maybe it’s something else?

There will be times that yoga class will not be fun that you will have to  push your mind or body to its limits, there will be for sure moments that you will feel like quitting. The key to that is to challenge yourself even more and thus develop further and further .

This sounds like a lot of work.  So why would you ever want to do all of this deliberate practice stuff?

The rewards of adopting a deliberate yoga practice are many.

• Your mind will become calmer.  
• You will be able to focus on a task for longer and with more intensity.
• You will be able to handle stress a lot better.
• Your body will be more strong and flexible.  
• You will feel healthier.

Yoga is not a work-out, it is a work-in. And this is the point of spiritual practice; to make us teachable; to open up our hearts and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are.

Rolf Gates

Shake Your Asana Playlist

Shake Your Asana and Diane's Favorite Songs

Let's Go by Calvin Harris

What Are You Waiting For? by Nickelback

Say HEY(I love you) by Michael Franti & Spearhead

Give Love by MC Yogi

Happy by Pharrell Williams

All Around The World by Justin Bieber

I lived by OneRepublic

Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer

Living In The Moment by Colbie Caillat

Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson

Send Your Love by Sting

If You're out There by John Legend

Imagine by Jack Johnson

Stick To The Practice And Your Path Becomes Clear

Resistance can show up in many ways, if we resist our healing we stay stuck. Baron Baptiste says"What you resist persist".

We started out our Friday night at the Yoga Journal Conference in New York City with Gabrielle Bernstein.

In what ways are you resisting growth ?Are you paralyzed in old belief patterns, doubt , fear, anger and resentment?  Do they keep you stuck? Are you willing to stop the stories that you tell yourself , the stories that block you from your GREATNESS! Are you willing to say YES to life?Great way to lead us into the weekend.

Saturday morning we started an 8am Practice with Katherine Budig the Title "UnF'withable".

In the urban dictionary it says UnF'withable with is "When you're truly at peace and in touch with yourself.Nothing anyone says or does bothers you and no negativity can touch you."

Her speech was amazing , authentic and truly beautiful. Katherine said “The only person that can take away your power is YOU!”Find your tribe and get your message out their.

Her practice was fun, joyful,vibrant, powerful, playful ,full of laughter and their is no other way to say it she is  adorable. I really enjoyed spending time with her.

We next experienced Seane Corn Energize and Renew. Sean was a strong teacher with a big message. Yoga is a powerful path of personal transformation. At its root, the word means ‘union’ – of mind, body and spirit. Yoga opens our hearts and expands our awareness of self creating space for balance and deep change in our lives. The practice was simple , yet powerful. She spoke about our yoga mat as a  tool which can change your life, and give you access to parts of yourself which you may never have otherwise been aware of.

What you experience and do (or don’t do) on the mat is a direct reflection of how you think about and participate in life.  How you approach your mat, what you explore on it, and how you use what you have learnt there influence the core of who you are.I loved practicing with her.

We next spent the afternoon with Annie Carpenter. I have always been drawn more to the Physical aspects of yoga so I  wanted to explore pranayama more.I loved Annie, she has been around for a long time. I loved that she said "The main reason we do Pranayama is to be comfortable in the present moment.The gift is the time you give yourself to just be, the increasing ability to accept whatever it is that arises in your own mind and the ability to appreciate each moment as it comes and goes". She reminded me  of how powerful pranayama is. I felt great! Relaxed and energized.Calm and Focused.Slept like a baby that night.

We spent Sunday morning with Sadie Nardini. She started out with “ What other people think of you is none of your business”.

Sadie was so out of the box AWESOME! She spoke a lot about our patterns and being aware of our patterns. She said 90% of transformation is awareness.

Sadie also spoke to the importance of always doing the “Inner work” As long as you are alive you have Inquiry work to do. She ended with an awesome quote “ Without action it remains a dream” Do the work!

Her practice was short and very core based. It was wonderful to spend time with her.

Coming back from a weekend with so many wonderful different yoga teachers, I realized that the message was the same. Do your practice! Through our yoga practice we dissolve old patterns that no longer serve us, so we tap into our greatness. Through our practice we  create awareness and we have an opportunity to transform ourselves through that awareness. Through our practice we find our tribe. Through our yoga practice we  learn the gift of stillness . Being comfortable with being in the moment , allowing ourselves to soften into the spaces that we may be holding stress and tension so we are able to heal.

I am so very grateful for so many teachers in my life. I am so GRATEFUL for my yoga practice.

“Do your practice and all is coming.”

― Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

See You On The Mat!

Tis The Season For Resolution Setting

Tis the season for resolution setting.

As we look forward to 2016, many of us are thinking about all the wonderful things we’ll accomplish in the new year that we didn’t get around to in 2015: lose weight, get a new job, exercise more, learn a new skill, get out of debt, etc.

I have to be honest  – I’m not that big on making New Year’s resolutions. Research says that only 8% of people make their resolutions a reality. 

The idea of starting fresh is very appealing. We all seem to think of a new anything as a clean slate – a new day, week, month, or year is a new beginning, in a sense,while it’s great to feel like we can “start over”, this mindset can do more harm than good.We assume that with a clean slate we’ll be primed and ready to accomplish whatever it is we set our minds to. “This year,this day, this month will be different,” we tell ourselves.

But, the truth is, change is hard and unlikely to stick unless we go about it a different way than we have in the past.

Imagine setting out on a trip with no particular destination in mind. How do you pack? What roads do you take? How do you know when you have arrived? Instead, you start by picking a destination. The same is true with the goals in your life. Writing down your goals forces you to select something specific and decide what you want.

Once you write down your goals ,knowing your why behind your goals is important too, so I encourage you to reflect on why  you hope to accomplish these goals ,

If your goal is to practice yoga twice a week. Ask yourself why? What are the benefits of practicing yoga on a regular basis?How will you feel if you practice yoga twice a week? Understanding why helps us see it as a priority and helps us achieve our goal. 

Why do you want to pay off your debt? What would be the benefits of paying off your debt? 

All goals take hard work,sacrifices and total commitment  which means you have to put in the effort to reach your desired goal.

Goals are easier to accomplish when you have a burning desire to see them through, and sometimes passion isn’t enough to carry us. That’s where plans come in!

Once you understand your goals and your why, come up with a strong plan of action and follow through. How are you going to make room in your life for two yoga practices a week?

Knowing what you are trying to do, getting clear on a plan of action  means that you can now ask: “does this activity or decision get me closer to my goal?”

Happy Goal Setting !

Love,

Diane

Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone

I’ve recently become a very big fan of teaching  75-minute and 90 -minute yoga classes. It’s important to remember that shorter classes don’t necessarily mean short-changing yourself. Whatever the time you’ll enjoy the mental and physical benefits of yoga. However longer classes give yoga teachers such a wonderful opportunity to break down postures, challenge students who have developed a good foundation,explore a wider variety of postures,gain greater confidence through more challenging sequences and set a pace that allows a students to follow their breath .While staying in your comfort zone can result in consistent, steady performance, stepping out of your comfort zone into a new and challenging task can create the conditions for optimal performance. 

Think about it...Did you ever do something you were really proud of when you were in autopilot mode?Stepping out of your comfort zone even once makes it easier and more likely that you'll do it again

Come Join Me!

Tuesday Night 5:30pm 75 Min Hot Power Flow

Saturday Morning 10:00am 75 Min Hot Power Flow

Sunday Afternoon 4:00pm 90 Min Hot Power Flow