SPIRITUAL MEDITATION
YOGA PRACTICE
Yoga Goddess Followers
Category Archives: Freedom
Image“To Be Able To Stay In Our Heart…Takes Openness, Expansion And Learning To Be Vulnerable”
By Jennifer Miller
To be able to stay in our heart as we navigate life is truly beautiful. It takes openness, expansion and learning to be vulnerable. My heart is like my inner guidance system, giving signals energetically. If something feels right, it sings with happiness; negative energy is sensed as well.
“When we complete the journey to our own heart, we will find ourselves in the hearts of everyone else.”
Father Thomas Keating, in Be The Change
I have realized what a gift my journey has been, with the most difficult times opening my heart even more. I now feel a connectedness, a oneness with all.
Namaste
Posted in Awareness, Feelings, Freedom, Happiness, Heart-Based Healing, Knowledge, Life, Mindfulness, Reflections, Soul, Spirituality, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Balance, Heart, Heart-Based Healing, Inner Wisdom, Jennifer Miller, Life, Wisdom
“Feelings Are Like Fluid Waves Of Energy…Like The Ebb And Flow Of Tides, The Waning And Waxing Of The Moon” – Anita Johnson
“Feelings are like fluid waves of energy. Like the waves we see in the ocean, they come in, peak, and pass, come in, peak, and pass. They have a natural cyclical rhythm like the ebb and flow of tides, the waning and waxing of the moon. The flow of feeling is as natural as the flow of life itself.”
From “Eating In The Light Of The Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship With Food Through Myths, Metaphors, And Storytelling” by Anita Johnson
The Advantages Of Doing Yoga: “You Will No Longer Be A Slave To Your Body…The Greatest Gift You Can Receive.” – Vanda Scaravelli
“Your everyday activities will improve and become more efficient. You will have less time for useless occupations that are constantly in the way, preventing your contact with more essential things;
You are going to have a better digestion if you do some poses before eating when you are tired;
You will need to sleep fewer hours, as your body will be more relaxed during the night;
You will gain a few inches, eliminating that curve along the back of the spine, and therefore you are going to be a little taller;
You will be able to stand for hours without getting tired, if you gravitate properly on your heels with the knees straight;
You will be able to improve the poses, as there is no end in progress;
You are going to straighten yourself if one part of the body is weaker than the other, by paying a lot of attention while doing your poses, and by continuing this attention throughout the day you will reach a better balance;
You will no longer be a slave to your body, as the independence from it is the greatest gift your can receive.”
From: “Awakening the Spine: The Stress-free New Yoga That Works with the Body to Restore Health, Vitality and Energy” by Vanda Scaravelli
Posted in Asanas, Freedom, Heart-Based Healing, Knowledge, Life, Mindfulness, Quotes, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Asanas, Freedom, Health Benefits, Jennifer Miller, Poses, Postures, Vanda Scaravelli, Yoga
“When You Are Steadfast In Your Abstention Of Thoughts Of Harm…” – Patanjali
“When you are steadfast in your abstention of thoughts of harm directed toward yourself and others, all living creatures will cease to feel fear in your presence.”
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Click on Book to Purchase
Posted in Awareness, Freedom, Knowledge, Life, Meditation, Mind, Mindfulness, Quotes, Self, Wisdom
Tagged Abstention, Fear, Harm, Patanjali, Quotes, Yoga Sutras
“Possibilities Are The Gifts Of Living For A Higher Purpose”
By Jennifer Miller
.
Possibilities areThe gifts of living
For a higher purpose.
.
Survival into courage.
Loss created openness
As deception turned to trust.
.
Heartache into strength.
Click on book to purchase and benefit Heart Based Healing Foundation.
Knowledge grew to wisdom.
Near-death to greater Life as
Hope found freedom.
.
Sorrow into oneness with
Dreams fulfilling vision.
Heart Based Healing.
.
I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.Rabindranath Tagore, Indian Poet and Playwright, as quoted in “Be The Change”, by Ed and Deb Shapiro
Namaste, Jennifer
Posted in Forgiveness, Freedom, Gifts, Gratitude, Heart-Based Healing, Hope, Knowledge, Life, Love, Quotes, Wisdom, Women
Tagged Freedom, Gifts, Heart-Based Healing, Jennifer Miller, Life, Poems, Possiblities
“Lighting Candles, Hanging Lights And Letting Things Be With Words By Paul Ferrini”
By Jennifer Miller
.
Fire up the Pavoni.Morning coffee, so good.
Lighting candles and incense as
I start my morning yoga practice.
Arriving on the mat is like coming home again.
.
Beautiful morning walking the dogs, aka “the babies”.
Breathing in the coves of Laguna ahhh!!
Breakfast at the local cafe; cool people, artist types.
Walking out, a homeless woman under a blanket.
All I can see is one foot.
My heart sinks and I want to ask her what she needs?
I know she is probably an addict.
.
Back home to make homemade granola.
A yum yum Christmas tradition.
Looking through the mail and
a child support check arrives.
It’s been a while.
.
My mind goes to the last 5 years.
No father in these kid’s lives.
No anger… only hope.
Could this man possibly change?
.
I let it go to the Spirit and check my heart.
It’s in a good place.
Forgiveness is there.
.
My beloved hangs Christmas lights.
So many years without lights.
They symbolize healing for my family.
.
I look around….
No lights in the small neighborhood.
We have been judged here.
A single mom and trouble with her son.
.
Interesting.
We are the ones with lights.
.
A big lesson in my journey: do not judge by the outside.
.
Open up a new book.
Click on book to purchase and benefit the Heart Based Healing Foundation.
A favorite thing to do.
Reading, deep reflections come to me.
.
The poetic words of Paul Ferrini:
.
Life is constantly asking us to make adjustments,to give up our agenda.It is asking us to give up the conceit that we know the way things are supposed to be.Letting things be is a way of saying to God“I’m willing to dance with you.”From “Dancing With The Beloved”.
.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
Contact Jennifer Miller at yogagoddesslaguna@yahoo.com
Posted in Balance, Family, Forgiveness, Freedom, Gratitude, Heart-Based Healing, Hope, Knowledge, Life, Light, Mothers, Pain, Poems, Quotes, Recovery, Reflections, Soul, Spirituality, Trust, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Candles, Dogs, Jennifer Miller, Life, Light, Lights, Paul Ferrini, Quotes, Yoga, Yoga Mat, Yoga Practice
Quieting The Mind: Deepak Chopra Offers “21-Day Meditation Challenge” Starting November 5
CLICK “REGISTER” TO SIGN UP
Posted in Balance, Freedom, Knowledge, Life, Meditation, Men, Mindfulness, Self, Silence, Soul, Wisdom, Women
Tagged Deepak Chopra, Meditation, Mindfulness, Quieting the Mind
If We Are Conscious That Our Mind Makes Excuses, We Can Overcome Negative Attachments In Life
By Jennifer Miller
My yoga practice continues to teach me about my inner self. Working through advanced postures, I am conscious of how my mind makes “excuses” during periods where I struggle: too many babies, weak bandhas, arms and legs that are too long (very creative). But through discipline and focusing my mind, I am able to block out these thoughts and “distractions”.
This past Thursday at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas, CA, I finally nailed the difficult Urdhva Kukkutasana B pose (a lifting lotus) in the advanced series. But this short-term success highlighted a major theme in my overall practice: that difficult transitions in my life had reduced the desire to “push forward”.
As mothers, we must be able to “detach” from the emotions and negative energy that arise as we watch our children grow older and naturally struggle with life’s journey. We need to remain objective with the strength to make the tough calls that do not enable a continuation of poor decisions and actions.
My yoga practice and personal life both thrive when I maintain a healthy mind-body connection. My teacher noticed from across the room when I succeeded with the difficult pose. I quickly do the pose again to confirm it in my muscle memory. My mind has thoughts of “I CAN” running through it and the body responds.
I remember with a smile back to a day when I worked with girls at the Recovery Home and demonstrated this same pose. The purpose was to show them that a yoga practice mirrors our daily lives. We can feel stifled and stuck in life, but we need to have the strength to push through the barriers holding us back.
One of the girls had said “…you’re so strong you could probably take us all out”. We all laughed. They had reacted to the positive energy I demonstrated when facing a seemingly impossible situation.
We must maintain the ability to focus our minds on the positive things we can accomplish each day in order to push through even the most difficult of times in our lives.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
Posted in Asanas, Attachment, Detachment, Freedom, Knowledge, Life, Meditation, Mind, Mindfulness, Reflections, Self, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Ashtanga, Attachment, Detachment, Jennifer Miller, Life, Yoga, Yoga Practice
“The Deepest Desire Within Each Of Us Is To Be Liberated From…Our Own Psychic Madness Or Patterns Of Fear” – Caroline Myss
Full Quote: “I am convinced that the deepest desire within each of us is to be liberated from the controlling influences of our own psychic madness or patterns of fear. All other things—the disdain of ordinary life, the need to control others rather than be controlled, the craving for material goods as a means of security and protection against the winds of chaos—are external props that serve as substitutes for the real battle, which is the one waged within the individual soul.”
Posted in Attachment, Freedom, Heart-Based Healing, Knowledge, Life, Meditation, Quotes, Reflections, Self, Soul, Wisdom, Women
Tagged Attachment, Caroline Myss, Fear, Happiness, Health, Jennifer Miller, Knowledge, Madness, Pictures, Quotes
“In The Flow Of The Moment” With Sea Lions While Kayaking Off The Coast Of Laguna Beach
By Jennifer Miller
The beauty in nature can teach us so much about life and our place in it. I have been kayaking in the ocean on Saturday mornings for the past few weeks and have come to marvel at the simple wonders that abound off the coast.
We launched through the surf and were immediately “skimming” through a unique world, where sea lions frolicked in the water and shared a large rock with pelicans and other birds. These creatures were clearly ”in the moment”, present within themselves as they swam, searched for food and basked in the sun. I could watch (and learn from them) for hours!
Landing at Laguna’s Main Beach, I met a homeless woman on a bench reading a Bible. She agreed to watch the kayak and paddles, which we had parked next to her sleeping bag and worldly possessions, for us while we walked over to a local cafe for breakfast. She asked if we could bring her back a cup of ice water but we included a bagel. She was very grateful for the little surprise. The beauty of simple moments in life.
The trip back north along the coastline was remarkable for the different activities of people “sharing” the sea: snorkelers, scuba divers, paddle boarders, kayakers, and swimmers.
We encountered over thirty outdoor enthusiasts on our five-mile paddle, yet the only sounds were that of the waves, birds and barking sea lions. The quote by Gandhi was never more appropriate:
“Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”
Approaching the completion of our journey, the final landing reminded me of an episode of Hawaii 50 and riding a wave in through the surf. All went according to plan until two waves first spun the kayak sideways and then dumped us unceremoniously on the sand and foaming water. The shock of first being in silent partnership with nature and then being “roughed up” by its power and unpredictability, is truly a metaphor for life.
Our lives can proceed in planned and simple harmony and then “wham”, we are knocked off our feet and must struggle with disruption and crisis. But picking ourselves up, drying off, and re-establishing order is a necessity for a happy life. We must find the humor in painful moments which will keep us grounded, and not over-reacting to circumstances.
Just like the flow of the ocean, we must “go with the flow” of our lives. The only absolute constant in life, is change. It is how we react to and handle this change, that determines our happiness. I choose to be at peace in life, and staying in the moment.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
“Worrying…Empties Today Of Its Strength” – Corrie Ten Boom, German Death Camp Survivor
“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
.
Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom, Dutch woman who survived the German Ravensbruck concentration camp in World War II
Posted in Asanas, Detachment, Freedom, Hope, Knowledge, Life, Mindfulness, Quotes, Self, Soul, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Corrie Ten Boom, Detachment, Future, Jennifer Miller, Quotes, Strength, Today, Worry, Worrying, Yoga
“When You Move Amidst The World Of Sense, Free From Attachment And Aversion Alike…You Live In The Wisdom Of The Self” – Bhagavad Gita
Posted in Asanas, Attachment, Balance, Freedom, Knowledge, Life, Mind, Quotes, Self, Soul, Spirituality, Wisdom, Women
Tagged Attachment, Aversion, Bhagavad Gita, Jennifer Miller, Non-attachment, Peace, Self, Wisdom, Yoga
“In The End These Things Matter Most: How Well Did You Love?…How Deeply Did You Let Go?” Siddhartha Gautama
Posted in Attachment, Detachment, Freedom, Knowledge, Life, Love, Quotes, Soul, Spirituality, Wisdom, Women
Tagged Buddha, Letting Go, Life, Love, Pictures, Quotes, Siddhartha Gautama, Women
“Flow With Whatever May Happen, And Let Your Mind Be Free…” – Zhuangzi
Zhūangzi (c. 369 BC – c. 286 BC)
“Breathing In The Benefits Of Yoga To Achieve Happiness In The Moment” – By Jennifer Miller, “SunGoddess Magazine” In July 30 Issue
Posted in Asanas, Freedom, Heart-Based Healing, Knowledge, Life, Meditation, Mind, Mindfulness, Reflections, Self, Silence, Soul, Spirituality, SunGoddess Magazine, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Articles, B.K.S. Iyengar, Breathing, Jennifer Miller, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Meditation, Mind, Mindfulness, Quieting the Mind, SunGoddess Magazine, Yoga
“Our Present Thoughts Build Our Life Of Tomorrow…” – Siddhartha Buddha
Photograph from National Geographic
“Yoga Increases Balance And Happiness While Uplifting Spirits At The Recovery House”
By Jennifer Miller
As I walk into the Recovery House, I can tell the some of the girls were feeling low. When we start the asanas, I witness their moods and spirits lifting in a very positive way. Yoga has an amazing effect on its practitioners as long as you maintain breath, movement and dristi (focus).
One of the girls tells the group how much more balanced she feels when doing her head stand since she’s been sober. This is a reflection of her self-esteem improving as she can focus and be in the moment. As a group, we worked quite a bit on standing asanas and most of the women are thrilled that they could complete them.
It always amazes me how we transform our spirit with this ancient practice of yoga. These ladies are all going through a challenging and stressful time in their lives, including pregnancy and childbirth, and if they can stay centered and grounded through this period and begin healing, they will make it through.
I was able to find important medical studies that have shown how beneficial yoga can be with people who suffer from depression:
“In a sample of 17 people with partially remitted depression who attended a 20-session Iyengar yoga class (which emphasizes posture, balance, and alignment) depression scores decreased significantly from before to after the intervention… Over the course of the sessions, average levels of “happy” increased and the increases in “happy” from before to after class became greater as the course progressed.”
“The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping” by Susan Folkman, Peter E. Nathan
At the end of our time together, we closed with meditation. Two of the girls got in a cat fight and the group’s reaction was humor with statements about being at peace after yoga class. The women looked over at me and saw that I did not get drawn into the drama. I was just standing there smiling which caused everyone to start laughing together.
Yoga teaches us to stay balanced as we navigate through life. I reflected to myself that I have supported several friends who, suffering anxiety attacks, were able to calm themselves with a simple practice of breathing to calm the body. Breathing is our lifeline, and the ability to find humor in most situations can allow all of us to make it through challenges, and live happier live.
Namaste, Jennifer Miller
Posted in Asanas, Balance, Breathing, Freedom, Heart-Based Healing, Knowledge, Life, Mindfulness, Wisdom, Women, Yoga
Tagged Asanas, Balance, Jennifer Miller, Recovery, Recovery House, Women, Yoga
