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Health, Happiness, Rejuvenation through Yoga |
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Happy Summer Solstice
Celebrate, Radiate, and BE the Sun!
Yay, it's summertime! June 21, 2013 is officially the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Today the sun reaches its peak in the most northern point in the sky and seems to stand still directly overhead. Solstice comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistre (to stand still.) After today our daylight hours become shorter until our Winter Solstice on December 21, 2013. The sun is a universal generator, shining out its life-giving, life-sustaining radiance equally to all beings, all life forms - without selecting, without choosing one over another. The sun shines its light, its energy, freely - embracing us all. Whatever our individual circumstances, rich or poor, strong or weak, famous or unknown, each and every one of us depends on the sun for our very existence. On this perfect day under the sun, the Summer Solstice, I would like to make a wish and send it out on solar rays in all directions, that each and every one of us shine brightly, love fully, see each and every person as a reflection of the divine, and embrace the light in all.
"Even after all this time the Sun never says to the Earth,
'You owe me.'
Look what happens with a love like that,
It lights the whole sky."
~Hafiz
Thank you for being here! I am wishing you the lightest and brightest illuminations in this season of unlimited possibilities.
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"We all shine on...like the moon and the stars and the sun...we all shine on...come on and on and on..."
~ John Lennon
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OK, Really Now...
Just What Does a Belly Button Have to Do With the Sun? Plenty!
The navel center is the home of the Solar Plexus and the 3rd Chakra, Manipura, linked to the fire element, the sun. It is the MOST IMPORTANT center for our overall health and well-being. Before you were born, the navel center provided a portal of nourishment and sustenance while you were inside the womb. It provided your lifeline.  | |
Manipura Chakra
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Then navel center is responsible for the health of our digestive system and nervous systems. An imbalance or blockage in the Manipura Chakra depletes our energy and triggers a host of physical and psychological problems. If we are unable to think clearly, to express our thoughts and feelings, or if our mind is foggy there is often a disturbance in the Manipura Chakra. Conditions such as diabetes, skin diseases, cardio-vascular diseases, arthritis, rheumatic diseases, many types of migraines, allergies and many more can trace their origin back to an energy imbalance within the Manipura Chakra and a badly functioning digestive system. And what about those six-pack abs????  Rock-hard abs do not necessarily equate to a healthy solar plexus. As a matter of fact, buffering and armoring the navel center may lead to chronic tension, digestive disorders, bouts of anger, fear and anxiety, and constriction and hardening of the respiratory diaphragm. So what are we to do... we all want to be healthy, yet we are bombarded with images of flat, carved up bellies and told that this is not only healthy, but really sexy. Simple. Keep it strong but also let it go. Activate your solar plexus, strengthen it, do 1000 crunches if that's what you like to do.... but then balance it out by fully RELEASING EVERY OUNCE OF TENSION in your navel center. Just like the branches of a willow tree that can withstand hurricane force winds without breaking, allow your lovely midriff to billow and bulge as your breath comes in to fill up your belly from the inside out. Let your inner sun shine out. Don't keep it all locked up inside that hard belly. Let your beautiful belly become elastic and expand fully like the sun itself... try it. And don't worry, it will spring back enough to fit into your jeans.
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Notice Belly In, Belly Out
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Kapalbhati pranayama
Kapalbhati is an energizing breathing technique and is translated as "frontal brain bellowing". You energetically pulsate your exhalations. This energizes and purifies your mind.
- sit comfortably, relax and close your eyes
- breathe rapidly from the abdomen
- contract the belly button to the spine as you exhale
- the inhalation will take care of itself as the belly relaxes and softens
- repeat for a comfortable number of contractions and relaxations
- take in a deep inhalation
- then breathe all of the air out and hold your breath out for as long as you are comfortable
- that completes one round
Practice a couple of rounds and build up slowly.
For more detail and advanced practices, check out:
A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kria, by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
and
www.bigshakti.com
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Simple.
Minted Figs and Peaches
The simplicity of fresh summer fruits sprinkled with just a bit of mint. I like to cut the figs and peaches into bite size bits, sprinkle with just a hint of cardamom, and small bits of mint leaves from the garden. If you're in the mood for a bit of dairy, sprinkle some goat cheese and drizzle a little bit of honey or agave.
So fresh and summery!
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Some of you saw Charlotte last month...
and called to thank me, and thank me, and thank me again.
....told you so:-).
 | | Charlotte Benson |
Charlotte has been my astrologer for nearly 20 years. She's right here in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area if you would like an in-person session, and is also available for sessions over the phone. She is highly regarded as a respected leader in the fields of western and vedic (jyotish) astrology - she is truly a gem. Contact Charlotte for a reading (vedic and/or western astrology). Astrology readings make great gifts!
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Teaching ScheduleGainey Village: 6am Monday/Wednesday
Gainey Village: 10:30 Tuesday/Thursday
Private Appointments for Pranayama, Yoga and Life Enhancement Coaching available, please contact me to schedule.
602.332.4584 deb@eternalradianceyoga.com
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About Deborah
"I am passionately committed to help people look and feel radiantly healthy and vibrant through authentic yoga practices."
Deborah has been teaching yoga for over 13 years. She is a certified Registered Yoga Alliance RYT E-500 teacher specializing in Yogic Breathing and Yoga for Rejuvenation. She teaches in a fun, fluid style based in the classic traditions of yoga. Her classes incorporate breath (pranayama), alignment, fluid sequencing (krama vinyasa), meditation and energy movement (pranic flow). She encourages students to discover their highest sense of self-awareness, peace, and radiance from profound inner-knowing. Deborah's path in yoga, ayurveda and tantra has led her to many contemporary Master Teachers. She has studied extensively with, and is eternally grateful to Shiva Rea, and to Swami Shankardev Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga (Satyananda Yoga). Her teaching style and methods are also influenced by Erich Schiffman, Bhavani Maki, Gurmukh Khalsa, Hari Jap, Dr. Vasant Lad, and Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri). When she is not studying or teaching yoga and ayurveda, Deborah is enjoying her two children, creating wood fired ceramics, gardening, hiking, traveling, and simply breathing.
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"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
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