A Recipe for Creating Warmth from Within

Exploring Peace in the Stillness Within

This does not come easy for me, my friends. The first ingredient, movement, no problem, cake walk. I can do that without a second thought. But to sit still! Holy moly, that is difficult. Hard work over the years that have turned into decades have led me to train my body and mind to not only be in stillness but to experience the bliss that radiates from within while in that state of being. Which in turn, stokes my inner fire and keeps me warm and toasty through the colder months. In my opinion, this ingredient is necessary to cultivating inner peace, which in turn helps me to get through the bleak East coast winters. And it's kind of a 2 for 1, because training my body and mind to find peace in stillness makes dealing with the heat manageable, too.

What I love about these ingredients, movement and stillness, is just like a good curry, there are endless possibilities to find what works for you. Some days, stillness means taking a nap, getting a massage, maybe even my nails done. I have also worked on learning how to put my feet up and relax. Yes, folks. That is something that I have had to re-learn as of late. The previous 15-20 years of my life, I did not physically have enough hours in my day, to put my feet up on a regular basis. That sounds so simple, right? And it is! Making the conscious choice and effort to relax is where this inward journey to stillness begins. From there, there is no right or wrong way to explore this side of ourselves, as long as it is a conscious connection to our self with the intention to chill tf out.

After years of training, I can make that connection by taking a few deep breaths and calming my nervous system. Maybe you can too. Personally, I needed to train my mind, even more so than my body, to be still. For example, my feet are up, body is relaxed, but my mind is still racing a mile a minute planning, working, day dreaming, etc. However, with years of quiet conscious connection to my breathing, stillness of the mind has become attainable! Even for those of us with an insane monkey mind.

If you have practiced with me, you know that for me, yoga has helped me immensely with training of my body and mind and with making connection to my spiritual body, as well. When you join me for a class or private session we will explore the conscious connection to our inner self through breathing and stillness.

Methods that have worked for me to explore the journey inward to stillness:

• Breath Work- I practice pranayama, yogic and conscious breathing and love to teach these, as well. One of the many reasons that I love teaching this is because it allows me to witness this miracle of connection to breath as a pathway to the true divine self over and over again. An infinite amount of thanks and gratitude that have practiced with me. It is truly magical.

• Meditation- So. Many. Ways. To meditate. I encourage you to explore what works for you. In order to discipline my mind and to train it to be less reactive and more still...tantric meditation based on connecting to the energies and elements within and all around has been invaluable in my life. I love to guide mediation in this way as I witness awareness and connecting of the energetic and spiritual bodies happening for others right in front of my eyes. But to make it even sweeter, the experience is happening within me, as well. Pure, blissful magic. Movement meditation works so well for me. But first, I really had to work on training my mind and breath to understand to be in stillness during this movement mediation. You are not me, maybe the opposite works better for you. However, I do encourage exploration of still mediation to reap further benefits of the body, mind and soul.

• Slow movement practices- a gentle, slow yoga session, where the emphasis is on sinking into the pose and connection to breath in the stillness of the pose, or a walk in the woods with some quiet, still contemplation with nature. Again, we find what works for us.

• Prioritizing me. This is not selfish but rather self care. And for many of us, not easy at all. But it is so important in the big picture. If I do not take the time to slow down and just breathe and be, I will crash and burn (again) and in turn need help taking care of me! Not the best way to be there for others. Then after I make the time for me, I make the conscious decision to not feel guilty about it ! This is just as important as etching out that time into our lives. I deserve this time and so do you.

The days turn into weeks, which turn into months and then the next season approaches. We start to feel the change in the air and our bodies and minds reflect these changes. Maybe you can say we start to actually feel the light. This is a wholesome, healthy recipe ready for you to make it your own. I have to admit that I do take some "cheat days" and am not always adhering to this specific recipe. My cheat days find me traveling somewhere warm to get through the winter months back home while I run to the sun and warm temps! By hey, life is more flavorful with some variety and spice in it!