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 Sat Nam & Happy June Dear Yogis! First we want to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who joined us for our workshops at the Om Yoga Show in Manchester UK last month! You all helped to make the workshops truly special. We love the positivity and keep up Spirit of the UK yogis! We're excited to see you again at the October event in London! Also, we had a great start to our Teacher Training at Indigo Yoga last month. We breathed, moved, raised Spirit, chanted, and inspired each other throughout our Self-Initiation weekend. So many good vibes!!! We look forward to seeing everyone for Module 2! If you are inspired to take a training with us you can jump in at any time. Hop on board the Destiny Train for Module 2 beginning, June 27-29! at Indigo Yoga, in Pleasant Hill, CA, right outside of San Francisco. This is a small center with a Big Heart. DOWNLOAD FLIER HERE! 925.988.9642 www.indigopleasanthill.com kellycallahan [at] mac.com / During this weekend we will also be presenting a workshop open to all on Sat. June 28th 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - The Power Principle & A Path With Heart - A Workshop with Ana and Ravi for all levels.
2395 Pleasant Hill Road 2nd Floor
A 200/300 hr. Teacher Training in Springfield, MO begins Sept. 12th! We are happy to announce that we will be presenting a 200/300 hr. (concurrent) Teacher Training in lovely Springfield, MO. Springfield is a real strong yoga town. A wonderful group is forming here and we are sure the group energy will propel us all to the highest heights of Self! It's equidistant from everywhere and many heavenly rays are focused on it. Plant yourself in this Spring-Field and blossom! Info: cherylhemmert [at] me.com Please download a flier here. Memphis Magic
 Congratulations to Olivia Lomax owner of Delta Groove Yoga (which just celebrated its first birthday) in Memphis is now home to the first Raviana sponsored 200 Teacher Training led by Olivia Lomax and other all-star graduates of our 300 hr. program. Olivia is an amazing Kundalini Yoga Teacher. Her classes are great workouts with a high fun factor. Participants will receive our 200 hr. Teacher Training manual. If you have hours to make up from any of our other Trainings you can attend these sessions. Module 4, The Healing Path is July 11 - 13 Info: www.deltagrooveyoga.com / 901.493.1431 Have any plans to do something truly magical this summer?
We do! And you are all invited! So pack your flips flops and join us on what we are sure will be the retreat of all retreats! We are excited to announce that we are heading to the Mountains of North Georgia (2 hrs. from Atlanta) for a weekend Kundalini Retreat (see more below). Joining us are super chefs Amy and Hannah Pickle who are also soulful Kundalini Yoga Teachers extraordinaire, and heart and soul yogi rocker Sal Anunziato. Save these dates- July 18th - 20th. Check out the online flier here!
Are You Ready for a Breakthrough?
Treat Yourself to a Phone Consultation with Ravi
Do you have specific goals for which you would like to apply the most appropriate inner technology? Would you like some clarity with regard to the person you're meant to be and your Mission on this earth? Do you have an emotional or physical health issue which has resisted your best attempts? Ravi Singh will draw upon his long experience as a Teacher and Spiritual Adviser and provide counseling and a personal Meditation practice for going forward. Each consultation is one hour and 108 dollars. Please reply to this e-mail if you'd like to set up and appointment. Let us know the best day/time for you as well as your birth date.
P.S. If you feel you are ready, Ravi will give you a Spiritual name and a personal mantra (based on your name) to go along with it.
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The Time is WOW!
Join us In Georgia July 18-20
Let's come together as a soul family to empower each other on this precious Path and celebrate Spirit.
"There are so many amazing reasons to hold the space in your life for a yoga retreat. Honestly, I cannot imagine what my life would look like if I had not made it happen for myself at least twice a year over the 10 years. It is when we retreat that we have the chance to really check in with ourselves, heal, feel inspired, create a global community of friends that want to live an exceptional life. It is never short of a full life upgrade that stays with you forever. Kundalini Yoga, organic farm fresh food, wonderful people, mountains, nature, fresh air, streams and waterfalls, these are all tools to support YOU, as you align with your birthright, TO BE HAPPY IN THIS LIFE!" -- Hannah Pickle
Join us at Enota Retreat Center for an amazing soul celebration. Yoga Week- ends are the perfect venue for a fresh start. Get re-inspired, refreshed, and re- newed. Beautiful souls from all over the world will be converging in this place of grace. The time is WOW because the time is now! The Aquarian Age is here and if you are reading this you have the elevated Destiny to provide hope and a better way. It's important for all soul providers to take a breather and connect with Source and and be in nature and celebrate Spirit. We hope you can join us! Two hours north of Atlanta, Enota Retreat Center is situated between Helen, Hiawassee and Blairsville. It's surrounded by towering Georgia mountains and 750,000 acres of the Appalachian Mountain Forest. Enota Mountain Retreat & Conference Center is on 60 acres and blessed with five pristine streams and four waterfalls to enrich body and soul. Rated as one of the top 100 retreat centers nationwide, let Enota be your Divine destination! Hannah and Amy Pickle, terrific Teachers whose culinary creations are high vibes for body and soul will be will be also offering classes and lifestyle lectures! Also joining us and sharing his amazing music/chanting will be Sal Anunziato. To Register please call Hannah and Amy at 901.310.8839
rawgirlsmemphis [at] gmail.com or you can:
REGISTER HERE
Schedule of Events:
Friday: 4 - 6 p.m. Ana and Ravi: Kundalini Yoga for a Fresh Start
Friday: 8 - 9 p.m. Hannah and Amy: Meditation for Sweet Sleep
Saturday: 5 a.m. - 7 a.m. Hannah and Amy: Ambrosial Awakenings
Saturday: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Ana and Ravi: Shake Your Chakras and Rock Your Soul
Saturday: 2:30 - 3:30 Hannah and Amy: Soul Food for the WOW Life! (Discussion)
Saturday: 3:30 - 5:30 Ana and Ravi: Kundalini Yoga - Life in the Vast Lane
Saturday: 7:30 - 9 p.m. Sal Anunziato and Friends: Soul Celebration Chant Fest
Sunday: 5 - 7 a.m. Hannah and Amy: Ambrosial Awakenings
Sunday: 9:30 - Noon Ana and Ravi: Kundalini Yoga: Soul Empowerment
Meals will be vegan with some non-vegan options. If you have any dietary concerns please contact Hannah and Amy at rawgirlsmemphis [at] gmail.com
For content related questions contact Ana and Ravi: ravianayoga@aol.com, 1.800.243.9642
Directions: North Georgia Mountains between Helen, Hiawassee, Blairsville
Enota Mountain Retreat / 100 State Route 180 / Hiawassee, Ga. 30546-5408 GPS DIRECTIONS: Latitude N 34.8375147 Longitude W 83.7702369
Cost for the Weekend: $425 plus Lodging (meals included) Lodging: $85 per night dormitories or a tent site, $100 per night double occupancy motel style room
$140 per night single occupancy motel style roomn,
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 Radiant Hair Health Secrets
I have been a hair obsessed nature girl since I was 12. I began collecting rain water in buckets (my dad buy me a shower filter? He would've kicked my fanny if I dared suggest it!) and used herbal baby shampoo from the health food store to wash my hair. I soon added organic masks and oils into my routine. Each Sunday I'd do a hair treatment. I would rub some healthy goop into dry hair. wrap my head with cellophane and warm towels and let it steep a few hours, or overnight.
Well now I know all about acid rain and can afford my own shower filter-so no more rain buckets! I've also received some valuable hair advice that has helped me take hair care to a whole new level.
I wrote to my wonderful hair colorist Bryan Thomson DiPalma in NYC. I was concerned about finding a good colorist in LA. He e-mailed his thoughts and added, in his brilliant, intuitive, and unders- tated way, "Don't stress about your hair. Think Happy thoughts! :)
You know what? Those words totally worked! I had been stressing about having to get my hair done on the road from time to time. You see Bryan is just that good that he has spoiled me for settling for less. But then he wrote those magic words and I knew he was right. You should never stress about your hair for an instant. Everyone knows that stress constricts our auras and yoga tells us that the magnetic field around our hair is 10 times stronger than around any other part of the body! Care Free is Hair free - FREE NOT TO WORRY! Hair should be fun! It's our crowning glory and also our most versatile accessory. We can color it pink, blue, black, red, or blonde, We can cut it long or short. We can ponytail it, braid it, shave it, shag it, bob it, pixie it, or use extensions to fake it! We can top knot it - men can "man bun" it - I do that one on Ravi a lot! :)
The fact is hair grows. Had a hair disaster? No worries. It''ll grow back, and with the radiant hair tips below-it'll grow back healthier than ever! In the meantime your creative ingenuity will kick in and you will find styles that you can rock that you might never have discovered otherwise.
A favorite Hair stylist Norman from Space Salon in NYC who is another wonderful person and hair philosopher said, when I questioned him about "bad hair days" ... "there are no "bad hair" days. There's just "different hair" days. He went on to explain that HAIR ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BEHAVE THE SAME WAY EVERY DAY. You just have to be accepting, flexible, and carefree enough to go with it" Those are not his exact words but that's the jist of it. And you know what? When your hair is healthy - its flexible! Its up for anything! :)
Healthy hair is happy hair and even though I color mine, I also nurture it with gentle sulfate free shampoos and organic masks and oils as well as treat it with gentle care and my hair is as silky and soft as it was when I was 10. I have been lucky enough to work with some of the top people in the hair biz and you know something that I've found that almost all of the ones at the top have in common? They all LOVE the natural products! So, I have been able to gather lots more excellent advice along the way that I want to share with you this month. These things have helped me keep my hair aura bright!
1. Trying to make your hair look "perfect" all day everyday is going against nature and will produce diminishing returns. I had heard so many good things about a popular hair product line from models and stylists I wondered why one of my colorists, whose salon stocked this particular line never used them on my hair, or recommended them. "They make your hair look good," she told me "but they don't do anything to actually build hair health."
The truth is hair product companies LOVE silicone. All the quick-fix hair product lines rely on this ingredient. Cones are cheap and they deliver instant results. Whats not to love? Women use them and go "Wow this works. My hair looks great." That's fine if you like an instant fix. I have learned to be patient with my hair and not want instant results. Nothing is for free. Silicone's coat the hair shaft and gives the appearance of healthy shine. This is why, if you try to add nourishment or moisture to your hair after applying silicone, your organic products won't have any effect. You can only add more cones to cones. They do a great job of sealing out moisture to prevent frizz but they also seal out any healthy form of moisture from getting in to nourish hair. Silicone also builds up quickly and hair gets weighted down and lank. When that happens, the only type of shampoo that can remove them is a sulfate rich one. Sulfates strip the hair and dry it out. Now your hair is a dry frizzy mess so you reach for more cones and start the cycle over again. Please note that If you are ready to give up silicone you will need to re-balance your hair, i.e., remove all silicone before your healthy products can have a good effect. A very effective silicone remover that may be in your kitchen cabinet right now is apple cider or white vinegar (about 1 Tbls. to 1 cup of water). Be patient with the process as your hair readjusts to your natural products and soon your hair shine will be the real deal and not a chemical overlay!
That hairdresser instead recommended the silicone free sulfate free Leonore Greyl line of products. She got me hooked on their Magnolia Oil. Which I have used almost daily for years. It is my single best styling tool.
2. Want to avoid frizz, broken hair, and sleep creases? Get yourself a real silk pillowcase. Not satin-100% pure silk. Silk breathes satin does not and no self respecting Kundalini Yogi wants to sleep with a non-breather! I have used silk pillowcases for years and am completely IN LOVE! To prolong the life of your pillowcase wash it in cool water with gentle soap. Trust me, I used to throw mine in the wash with warm water and detergent. It completely disintegrated. In fact silk pillowcases and our hair have a lot in common they both like cool, even cold, water and gentle non-sulphate sudsing. Treat them the same.
3. Finish with a cold rinse. If you color treat your hair cool/cold water will keep your color fresh. Cold water also closes the cuticles of our hair the same way cold water closes the pores in our skin. When the cuticle lies flat, hair appears softer, shinier, and sleeker. Closing pores and cuticles also helps to protect hair and skin and helps them do what they naturally do, act as a barrier to harmful substances that can sensitize. Unfiltered shower water is full of chlorine and other chemicals which are more readily absorbed when pores and cuticles are open to it. Another reason to plunge into the Kundalini Yoga Cold Shower lifestyle!
4. Invest in a shower filter. Did you know that there is usually more chlorine in our tap water than it takes to clean a swimming pool? Chlorine shoplifts radiance from our hair (and skin!) leaving it dry and dull.
5. Do a weekly mask with a silicone free, moisturizing hair mask (or something from your kitchen!). Put on your mask and cover it with a shower cap and a warm towel or wrap it in an old tee and do some fire breathing to heat things up!
6. Forget drying with your bath towel - they don't do a great job with drying and worse...they can make hair frizz. Instead, dry your hair with paper towels, specifically, the non bleached organic ones from your health food store. Squeeze your hair with the paper towel from roots to tips to get all the moisture out that you can. This will help hair dry sleeker and shorten drying time if you use heat styling.
7. After washing, comb gently from the ends up with a wide tooth comb. Yogi Bhajan suggested we use a wooden comb. Or try a Tangle Teezer (pictured above), I love the Tangle Teezer because it has more give. Never ever pull or stretch wet hair. Its too vulnerable and pliable when damp and this can seriously weaken your hair. 8. Be willing to let your hair dry naturally. C'mon you know you want to! Save all that arm work and torched shoulders for your Kundalini Yoga practice! To air dry: once you paper towel dry your hair apply some nice moisturizing silicone free serum or even a little organic oil through the ends. And then don't touch it again! Let it dry and it will be smooth and frizz free. Or, you can sleeken any left-over stubborn frizz with a little more of your oil used very sparingly. Note: Yogi Bhajan said the best thing for your hair is to dry it in the sun (don't forget sun screen!).
9. Change your part every so often or every day. Change the placement of your ponies. It's not only fun to experiment with different looks but its less wear and tear on your hair. I love the Twist Band hair ties because they're so gentle on hair. Doing yoga? Tie it up in a topknot! Yogis do this to draw energy up to meet the incoming cosmic inflow. Its a matching grant magnified! 10. Eat your way to a radiant head of hair. Hair loves protein! Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein. Hair also loves healthy fats i.e., avocados and olive oil, etc.. Another thing hair relies on is iron so be sure you have enough of that in your diet (please be careful supplementing iron - you don't want to take more than you need!). MSM, silica, lecithin, and biotin are popular and effective hair helpers. Many people swear by the supplement called Viviscal. It never did anything for my hair but if it worked for you, or something else did, I would love to hear about it!
11. Navel Power helps to keep gray at bay! Navel Power represents our regenerative capacity. I have often been amazed that Ravi has hardly any gray hair and I am sure its his long term So Darshan Chakra Kriya practice that is his secret!
Ana's Favorite Hair Products:
Leonor Greyl Huile De Palme (Palm Oil): Smells fabulous and just a little dab on dry hair and I have model off duty hair - seriously! Her stuff isn't cheap but one bottle lasts me more than a year-and you need such a little bit. Its also a great pre-shampoo treatment. And just a little bit adds shine and sleekness to dry hair. Another way to use it is to add a drop to any hair mask to up moisturizing power.
Bryan Thomson DiPalma Hair Products. 100% organic. Sulfate & silicone free. I feel so comforted and nurtured when I use these products. Bryan is a hair color/herbalist genius and his commitment to purity ensures us that his products are of the highest quality. When it comes to hair Bryan (who is a fellow Aussie) really has our back. His products are Australian for nourishing hair care! You can even use his new children's shampoo as a gentle face wash!
Coconut Oil: It took me awhile to come around to coconut oil. I don't like smelling like butter. But, I have to admit when hair crisis strikes and its feeling brittle - it totally works!
Jojoba- This is technically not an oil-but an ester. I search this out in hair product labels (Bryan uses this one a lot in his products). It is super moisturizing but light at the same time and mimics closely our own natural oils. Starting in my teens it was the the first beauty ingredient that I noticed really made a remarkable difference for my hair. It gives me bouncy, shiny radiant hair every time I get near it!
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Get in Shape for Dakini Season!
Another Slim 'n Trim Rotation:
Longer Leaner Lines
Move Your Energy Move Your LIfe!
Emotion to Devotion
Up Your Personal Power Quotient
Sparkle and Shine!
Our DVD's are also available on
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 Tattoos and Piercings
What are your thoughts on tattoos? I am a yoga teacher and often have clients ask me and I too go through periods of wanting a mantra written on my arm... In the past (a teacher) shared with me that if you put a tattoo in the area of chakras (so basically anywhere other than arms or legs) you block that chakra sending in toxic ink to its area. So for instance, me getting one at age 15 on my lower right abdomen poisoned my right ovary.
Wondering what you think. I never noticed any tats on you or piercings. She said the same about piercings. That they block chakras if they run up and down the spine. So naval piercing could essentially be one of the worst to have. I removed that piercing as well as another I had and was able to feel a shift in my energy as if I was unblocking. Ears are ok according to the chakra concept she shared with me..
I've continued shifting my vinyasa classes to kundalini. More each week. It's awesome! I've felt a huge difference in the energy at the studio, my students & self. Sat Nam!
Sat Nam and thanks for your excellent question! The first earrings were worn by yogi's to stimulate energy points in the earlobes. Tattoos go back as far as cro-magnon people who used them in a shamanistic context. For many people tattoos represent the externalization of their psyche. It's not always a great idea to advertise what we may need to purge. Then again there's nothing wrong with owning where we've been. Mantra and mandala tats are a cool concept. We don't feel that they necessarily block the chakras but there is the ink poison factor. Something to think about as well as the tattoos are forever factor. We do believe that certain piercings do block energy flows especially in the navel, tongue, and nose, in fact all of them except the earlobes (which relate to the heart center). In the greater scheme of things, tats and piercings will probably not tip the scales either way. If someone is meant to live a life of Spirit they invariably will with or without tats and piercings! And of course, there is the artistic factor. What would life be without art and self expression! It's so great that you are adding more Kundalini classes to your schedule and feeling the energy shift. Kundalini Yoga definitely elevates the energy wherever it's practiced!
Greetings! I have many of your dvd's and love them all! I just tried the Dance the Chakras workout for a change, and had a lot of fun. Ana looked so graceful and moved so beautifully, and it struck me that I have always been someone who has been more self-conscious and awkward in whatever situation. I was wondering what I could work on (dvds, meditations, etc.) to get rid of that feeling? Thanks for all you do! Looking forward to trying the new dvds. All the best, Thanks for writing and congratulations on keeping up with your Kundalini Yoga practice. We recommend regular practice of our Yoga Bliss Hips DVD. The second chakra relates to "dare to flare," as well as fluidity. We also recommend the first and last segments on our Journey thru the Chakras. The first chakra relates to body image issues and the seventh relates to giving ourselves over to Spirit. Please remember that everything contains its opposite, so on one level your self concept is of someone who feels a bit self-conscious, but coinciding with that is a wild, free, and fearless being. You probably aready express that more than you know. The Great Wizard (of Oz) reminds us that everything we need to complete ourselves is already in us.
Enlightenment
Ana ! Is there any DVD suggestion that just concentrates on kundalini raising and enlightenment alone ? And something for intuition and positivity?
All of our DVDs make sure that everything is in place for Kundalini to rise. Enlightenment is not a one time experience but something that we attain and maintain everyday. That's what a regular Kundalini Yoga practice helps us to do. Enlightenment means to feel one with the Universe and at the same time have laser like quality of mind. It also means to see how everything is connected and to live with an open heart. There is no guarantee that someone who feels enlightened one day will be that way the next day. That is why it is so important to keep our practice strong. Big words like enlightenment, Infinity, and Truth start with small choices. How we relate to each thought in every moment. We recommend our Journey Through the Chakras DVD and Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond. For intuition we recommend our Meditation DVD and for positivity our Navel Power and Happy Hormones DVD. Sat Nam & Blessings!
The Science of Slimming Kundalini Style
I am W-eight Management Counselor. Very often I advise my clients to try your dvds as the best exercise option for losing w-eight. I have experienced benefits of it myself. I was wondering if you came across any research on the topic of why Kundalini yoga is so efficient for w-eight loss? I would be very grateful if you could point me in the right direction. Yours sincerely (note: we put a dash in w-eight so this e-mail does get sent to your spam folder!)
Thanks for writing and congratulations for being proactive with your Kundalini Yoga practice and sharing it with your clients! We don't know of any studies about Kundalini Yoga and w-eight loss (hopefully forthcoming!) but of course there is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence from teachers and students of this practice over the last 45 years in the US. Kundalini Yoga works on w-eight loss in a number of ways: it speeds up metabolism via the thyroid gland and by making more oxygen available to the cells, it reestablishes hormonal balance, it helps restore energy flow into problem areas, and it works on emotional healing. We have seen in many instances that people accrue excess weight as an emotional buffer, or as a fear response to their own inner vitality. Kundalini Yoga literally brings people back to life!
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 Meditation for Tremendous Strength
Sit in easy pose with a straight spine. Your elbows are contacting the base of your ribs and your hands are at throat level a few inches in front of you. Form a teepee with your fingers. Your fingers are meeting fingerprint to fingerprint. Your thumbs are spread wide. Your middle and index fingers maintain light contact. Apply maximum pressure on your ring and little fingers. 8 minutes is all that is necessary for this Meditation to deliver powerful benefits.
Close your eyes. Breathe very slowly, very long, and very deep. Focus on the pressure differential between your fingers of the different fingers and on the long, slow, deep breathing. Concentrate very deeply.
To end: Inhale. Raise your arms up, fingers wide, and stretch. Relax the breath. Lower the backs of your hands to your knees. and meditate in silence for at least 1 min. before resuming normal activity.
Comments: This Meditation will make you a real life super hero! The ring finger relates to energy of life and the little finger (heart meridian) courage, as in put your heart into it. The thumb represents our ego or fixed self, but in this instance the ego is open to allow a new self concept to be realized and expressed. A concept of self that can go through anything with a smile. That can lift and uplift. This mudra represents our inner self being supported by our body, nervous system, glands, and grit. This Meditation prompts the pituitary to secrete in a new way for a glandular boost. It stimulates the 8th vertebra for access to a new energy source. Yogi Bhajan said, regarding this Meditation: "When pressure is put on the sun and mercury fingers, the action of the earth element on the parasympathetic nervous system will balance the id. For the first 3 to 5 minutes you will experience nothing but irritation. If you can go through it, a relaxation never before experienced will come." Yogi Bhajan taught this on Nov. 2nd, 1978.
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Ana on Twitter - Tweet! Tweet! Be the recipient of Ana's sky blue tweets!
Our Website- Check out our tour schedule, A - Z Health Archive, More!
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We wish you an exhilarating, fun, and joyful June!
Sat Nam & Blessings!
Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
Disclaimer: The advice we give is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutritional protocol
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