Life Balance with a Yoga Twist
IN THIS ISSUE
Article "Mother India"
Feed the Children
Two New Classes
Yoga! Yoga!
Facebook Link
Learning Resources
About Debbie
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Issue #60October, 2013


"LOVE IS the new currency.

PEACE IS the new measure of success.

TRUTH IS the new security.

JOY IS the new status symbol."

 

~Debbie Barnett~

Mother India 

As a yoga teacher, people often ask if I'd been to India, yoga's birthplace. My response was always, "Not yet." Then when I booked my trip, anyone who has ever been there said the same thing: "You will not come back the same."  

 

One of my favorite parts of the trip was connecting with the people. Even with a language barrier, a heart connection was established when we would mutually bow in namaste (the Divine in me honors the Divine in you). I especially felt it with the women and children. To have people look you in the eye and really see you beyond skin color or socioeconomic background was enlightening in and of itself. The light of their soul shines through their eyes, and brought tears to mine.  

 

I love how Indians live their spirituality out in the open. Shrines, temples, alters and garlands of flowers are everywhere. Deities are on the backs, fronts, on the inside and outside of taxis, rickshaws, trucks, and buses. Even the slums had temples (along with satellite dishes in Mumbai - must have been an upscale slum). Spirituality is an everyday occurrence for them, not something reserved for one day a week. I question how I can live my spirituality more openly.

 

A highlight of the trip was bathing in the sacred Ganges River, pictured above. A dip in Ganga Ma removes all karma and elevates you spiritually. All I know is that when I went under, the river enveloped me in a warm, motherly embrace. I could have spent the whole day soaking in Her essence.

 

Our visit to the Annamrita kitchen was something I'll never forget. The kitchen we visited (one of 20 in 8 different states) prepares hot meals for 65,000 children A DAY. It's the only hot, nutritious meal these kids get and often the only reason a family sends their child to school rather than to work. When they told us that $15 feeds and educates a child for an entire year, it broke my heart. I cried for a good hour after leaving the kitchen, and I'm crying now as I write this. We take so much for granted in the West. For the price of a one lunch in the States, a child can eat for a year. The cost of a pair of yoga pants feeds five children for a year. If this touches your heart like it did mine, and you'd like to feed a child for a year, there's a link below this article.

Finally, I learned what Bhakti Yoga really is. I thought it was devotional singing and dancing. I learned that its about selfless service in all that you do. A Harvard study concluded that the secret to happiness is to love, to be loved, and be open to love. In the spirit of the Indian people, I learned that by serving others, you're loving and serving the Divine. That's why even though they have less material benefits than we do, they seem happier. They live the spirit of namaste through selfless service in honor of the Divine.

Now when someone asks if I've been to India, I can now say that I've been to the Motherland. And if they ask if it changed me, I can say that yes, indeed it did. It broke my heart wide open, so now the light can come in.

Photos of India Pilgrimage 2013

 

Namaste,

 

Debbie

Annamrita: Feed the Children  
ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (IFRF) believes in providing children with the right nutrition to support their education. One nutritious meal a day brings
thousands of children to school.

You can help by donating that one wholesome meal.

 

$15 feeds and educates one child for a whole year.  

For the price of a pair of yoga pants, you can feed and educate 5 children for a year.  

Two New Yoga Classes in Tustin 
Two new classes have been
added to Debbie's teaching schedule!

Saturdays: 8:05 a.m. to 9:25 a.m......Level 1-2 Yoga
Sundays: 8:35 a.m. to 9:55 a.m......Gentle Flow Yoga
Yoga in Orange County 
   To see Debbie's public yoga classes,
visit the link below.
Yoga! Yoga!
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Learning Resources
Click here for Debbie's yoga DVDs
About Debbie Barnett
Yoga passionista, healer, student, teacher, artist, writer, astrologer, drummer, speaker, business owner, and more!

Conscious Flow, Inc., founded in 2001, is the vehicle through which Debbie provides her gifts to the community: Yoga classes, healthy workforce workshops, and presentation skills training.

"Healing the world through yoga,
one breath at a time."

  Click here to learn more
Thanks for reading.  Feel free to e-mail or call with any comments, questions or suggestions you might have.  And don't forget to forward to a friend!

Spread the yoga love! :) 

Namaste,

Debbie Barnett
President
Conscious Flow, Inc.
Cell: (951) 316-9380
Debbie @ theyogawoman.com