What lies do you tell yourself?

I’ve made some big changes in my life. I’ve lost weight , I’ve stepped away from my role as a flight attendant to follow my passions,I’ve moved to California— despite knowing no one, I have traveled the world , went to Italy by myself on vacation  and I’ve grown my own business doing what I love.

From that description, you might think wow I must be full of confidence.
But you’d be wrong.

My lie that I tell myself is that "I’m not good enough" Its presence in the past has drove me to seek solace in food, alcohol , abusive relationships , an eating disorder,  perfectionism and people pleasing .

The lies we tell ouselves like "I’m not good enough" is destructive. It saps our self-confidence, robs us of peace of mind, fills our days with anxiety and keeps us  from full filling our full potential — a life where you're connected, loving, peaceful and joyful.


Through the changes that I’ve made in my own life, I’ve come face-to-face with my lie  many times and still do. I carry on despite it and slowly, I've waved it goodbye, rebuilding my my self-confidence brick by brick.
I’m not good enough comes from outside of you.
We  weren't born thinking it, and it’s not an essential part of you; it’s something we take on. First when my lie shows up for me , I show myself compassion and remind myself  that I don’t need to identify with it.
Becoming aware of how often "I’m not good enough" comes up in my  life allows  me to start to see the effect it has on me, and from there the possibility to change arises.

What lies do you tell yourself?

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

For The Love Of Community

My favorite part of yoga has nothing to do with poses or breathing. Truth is my favorite part is community.

Yoga means a lot of things to a lot of different people, both traditionally and personally. But there’s one very powerful aspect that has helped yoga spread throughout the world: That is community.

The coming together of humans of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, ages, interests to share the same experience.  Science tells us that being in a healthy community is good for us.  The vibration of positive minded people raises our vibrational frequency.   

Essentially the sutras spell out that if we are imbalanced mentally, physically, or emotionally then we are not living our true nature which is joy.. Positive energy creates and attracts more positive energy!

I embrace all of you with my heart I consider you all my family(my community) and I just wanted you to really know that.  Thank you for spending time with me in fellowship, in community. I am forever grateful. ~Diane

Live life in the eye of the hurricane, where your not affected by the storm

Sometimes the events of our lives can feel as if we are caught in a hurricane.  Circumstances beyond our control, that may appear frightening or powerful, may obscure our perspective, damage what we have built, destroy our points of reference.

Yet within each of us there is a calm center that cannot be touched by anything that is around us.  It is interesting that this center calm portion of the great cyclone of a hurricane is called the "eye," for one of the qualities that staying in the eye allows is the ability to see clearly.

If we want to remain in the eye of a hurricane then we cannot stay in one place.  We have to keep moving along with the storm and allow it to rage around us until it spends itself.  We may have to move through debris, or abandon our external points of reference, leaving things that are familiar behind.

Staying in the eye does not mean that we ignore the route of the storm, but that we move along with it and choose our position.  Some of us choose to fight our way through the storm or dig in our heels and refuse to be moved, which allows the storm to overtake and hit us directly.  That is when we get caught up in the storm itself and our vision and perspective, regardless of experience or ability, may seem to fail us.

Maintaining stillness of mind in the midst of our struggles means that we remember who we truly are and do not define ourselves in terms of external circumstances.  It means making a conscious effort to not take things personally, which can cause us to attach our sense of self worth to the events of our lives.  It means keeping our inner power intact.

Most of the time we can no more control the situations that come into our lives than we can control a hurricane.  But we always can control our response, and choose our position.  We can either participate in or identify with the situation itself or maintain our stillness of mind.  We can get sucked into it, caught up, or remain true to ourselves.

This can seem a difficult task because many of us first react to the emotional content of what is happening.  Response requires thought to gain insight and the awareness to be able to reconnect with that calm center where vision is clear.

It is helpful to remember that no matter how fierce a storm can be or how much damage it leaves in its wake, it does eventually dissipate.  It is temporary.  After the storm has spun itself out, the area that was the eye remains.  What was peaceful, is still at peace.  What was still is maintained.  No matter how large or ferocious the storm, this point within is always present.  It can be the constant in our lives regardless of how outer circumstances may change.

After all True Peace in the Midst of Chaos.

Bare Your Heart

 

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                  One of my favorite studies, is the Chakra System.

 Not a single day goes by without me asking myself "how do I maintain balance in order to live my best day ever?"  I like you can be easily thrown off balance.  Balance itself is easy to find, but sustaining it well that's the challenge mostly because it is up to us, no one else can do the work for us. 

So where do we start? The Chakras offer us a benchmark where we can assess what our life balance is on any given day, week or moment.  The chakras are the seven main energy centers in the body where we receive, absorb and distribute life energies.  They are located along the spine, starting at the base and running upwards to the crown of the head. Each chakra radiates a specific color and energy.  Each chakra relates to specific spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical issues.  These can become blocked through and as a result a chakra can become either deficient or excessive and therefore imbalanced.  Practicing yoga poses that correspond to each chakra can release these blocks and clear the path to more balanced living. 

My workshop this Saturday is focused on the 4th Chakra . Through the heart chakra, we open to and connect with harmony and peace. The health of our heart center registers the quality and power of love in our life. In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is called Anahata, which means "unstruck" or "unhurt." Its name implies that deep beneath our personal stories of brokenness and the pain in 
our heart, wholeness, boundless love, and a wellspring of compassion reside.

I hope you will join me this Saturday For Bare Your Heart 1:30p.m -3:30p.m

6 AM Yoga

Benefits of early yoga

• Less chance of missing class because of other commitments that may run late
•  Traffic on the way to the studio is lighter; parking may  easier
• Early classes are generally less busy than others throughout the rest of the day
• A great way to start your day, with a burst of energy from Power Yoga.
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Special considerations for early yoga

• You may feel sleepy (this will quickly pass once you start practising)
• Your flexibility may be limited (your muscles haven’t had a chance to warm up)
• You may not be properly hydrated (unless you take action to ensure you are)

Tips for practicing yoga first thing in the morning

• Have your yoga gear ready
• Go to bed earlier
• Avoid eating a late heavy meal the night before
• Drink water the night before to avoid dehydration
• Bring extra water to class, in case you haven’t had enough fluid prior to class
• If you feel tight/stiff, listen to your body; don’t push past your physical limits
• Less flexibility in the morning also means you’ll be using more strength to perform the postures – a definite plus

Teaching 6am yoga on Tuesday and Friday mornings at Charlotte Family Yoga Center

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Two Roads

What Doesn't Make Sense:

1. Trying to rewrite the past or write the future

2.  Getting consumed with worry 

3. Perfection

4.  Living your life based on what other people want you to do.

5.  Making the opinion of other people more important than your own.

6. Gossip

7. Playing the victim.

8. Giving up.

9. Limiting yourself.

10. Drama

11. Taking everything so seriously

12. Judging others

13. Violence

 

What Makes Sense:

1.  Being  grateful 

2.  Being present.

3. Listen to yourself the most.  Make your own best decision.

4.  Embracing the messiness of life. 

5.  Live your life based on what brings you the most peace and happiness. 

6. Learning new things

7. Realizing  you are not your past 

8.   Begin again.

9.   Allow yourself to be creative, to dream bigger dreams and to be ever growing into your infinite potential.

10.  The best things in life cannot be measured. Instead of thinking so much, feel more with your heart.

11.  Laugh more.

12.  Trust

13.  Do your best

14. Embrace and love all beings everywhere

15. Peace

The formula to happiness is pretty simple (yet not always easy to follow) which is to take the road to  What Makes Sense.

When I started loving myself

When I Started Loving Myself By Charlie Chaplin written on his 70th birthday April 16, 1959

When I started loving myself

I understood that I’m always and at any given opportunity

in the right place at the right time.

And I understood that all that happens is right –

from then on I could be calm.

Today I know: It’s called TRUST.

When I started to love myself 

I understood how much it can offend somebody

When I tried to force my desires on this person,

even though I knew the time is not right and the person was not ready for it,

and even though this person was me.

Today I know: It’s called LETTING GO

When I started loving myself

I could recognize that emotional pain and grief

are just warnings for me to not live against my own truth.

Today I know: It’s called AUTHENTICALLY BEING.

When I started loving myself

I stopped longing for another life

and could see that everything around me was a request to grow.

Today I know: It’s called MATURITY.

When I started loving myself

I stopped depriving myself of my free time

and stopped sketching further magnificent projects for the future.

Today I only do what’s fun and joy for me,

what I love and what makes my heart laugh,

in my own way and in my tempo.

Today I know: it’s called HONESTY.

When I started loving myself

I escaped from all what wasn’t healthy for me,

from dishes, people, things, situations

and from everything pulling me down and away from myself.

In the beginning I called it the “healthy egoism”,

but today I know: it’s called SELF-LOVE.

When I started loving myself

I stopped wanting to be always right

thus I’ve been less wrong.

Today I’ve recognized: it’s called HUMBLENESS.

When I started loving myself

I refused to live further in the past

and worry about my future.

Now I live only at this moment where EVERYTHING takes place,

like this I live every day and I call it CONSCIOUSNESS.

When I started loving myself

I recognized, that my thinking

can make me miserable and sick.

When I requested for my heart forces,

my mind got an important partner.

Today I call this connection HEART WISDOM.

We do not need to fear further discussions,conflict and problems with ourselves and others since even stars 

sometimes bang on each other and create new worlds.

Teacher Training At Charlotte Family Yoga Center

Who am I to you? My teaching intention is to serve you as a compassionate mentor who inspires honest self-inquiry and ultimate transformation. This goes way beyond just teaching. Mentoring means I have the opportunity to hold space for your growth now and forever.
The  importance of  community is at the heart of each teacher training – an extended family of no more than 10 students, where we can delve into the deepest study of who we are so we can live in a big way.
Teacher training will be an adventure that will challenge and encourage you to embrace your potential, and playfully make your super hero powers come alive. More than having you master yoga poses, you will become more self-aware and self-confident.
Yoga inspires us to aspire to our greatness, and to share it with the world.

So, consider this in-depth self-study teacher training program. Be a YES to one of the ultimate adventures of your life!  Say YES to your greatest potential!

"Yoga believes in transforming the individual before transforming the world. Whatever change we want to happen outside should happen within." - Sri Swami Satchidananda

Teacher Training Schedule:

Assisting And Alignment Teacher Training October 4th

35 Hour Prenatal Teacher Training October 11th
200 Hour Power Yoga Teacher Training January 17th, 2014

The Eternal Snowflake

God gave my family a wonderful gift on the weekend of my dad's funeral.
Beautiful snowflakes fell from the sky, snowflakes that were so clear and formed and each so different.
To me snowflakes represent eternal, there are no two snowflakes alike, yet there never have been in all the history of snowflakes.No one who sees them falling can fail to see there beauty.
They melt, each flake disappearing one by one, They don't of course disappear at all.They simply change form,As the sun shines  they become water and flow together in a little stream.As the water itself disappears or seems to, It evaporates rising back up into the air as invisible vapors and gathering there in such concentration that they are visible again as clouds.
As more and more vapors gather the clouds become heavy with the moisture , moisture falls raining down on the earth.
Like the  snowflake, we see the Cycle of life and the story of each us.
We may change forms  our soul is eternal.
Thank you god for the reminder.

"By death the soul is separated from the body, but in the resurrection God will give incorruptible life to our body, transformed by reunion with our soul. Just as Christ is risen and lives for ever, so all of us will rise at the last day.

See you again soon Dad

Why Do I Love Backbends?

Opening the chest  unlocks the spirit within. Practicing backbends takes you along previously untravelled paths, challenging you to overcome fear and frustration, teaching you to move with ease and grace and to live with an open heart and a passion for life and love

Back bends also  energize, refresh and invigorate the body- opening the chest, encouraging inhalation, an action associated with embracing life.

On an anatomical level, backbends stretches and releases the muscles of the chest allowing circulation to flow freely to the heart and lungs.  The nervous system is stimulated, building heat and stimulating metabolism. The abdominal muscles receive a stretch, as does the digestive system. The kidneys and adrenals are squeezed, further enhancing this cleansing action, while releasing adrenaline, which can feel like a buzzy rush, although for many there can also be a fear response.

Many people are not comfortable or encounter fear in back-bends. Although they can be initially very challenging, practicing backbends can help to increase energy and counteract depression, as well as breaking down ‘body armor’. 

Bending backwards turns the body out to face the world, often from a different perspective. Backbends can move blocked energy through all the chakras, when I’ve been feeling sluggish, tamasic and in a rut, I’ve found that backward bends can shift this energy, leaving my mind clearer and more focused. Often after backbends I feel invigorated, empowered and free and as though I have expanded boundaries , realizing that those self created boundaries do not need to exist

Join me March 16th as we explore the many benefits of backbends.