Hooray, you are Starting the 108 Ultimate Yogi Yoga Program!!  

Congratulations!

Whether it’s your first time around, or your third time around, here are a 3 tips to support you with your journey.

#1. Begin This Yoga Program with the End in Mind:

See yourself in 108 days.  What do you imagine your experience will be?  Maybe similar to what you are experiencing now, or maybe dramatically different.  Either way, take a moment to write it out as specifically as you can.  Here are some questions to support you in getting clear.

How do you feel, emotionally? (Cleansed, Clear, Optimistic, Joyful, Expansive?)  

What does your body look like? (Strong, toned, slender, flexible, radiant??)  

What is your primary thought? (I am grateful.  I am capable of anything. Life is amazing.  I am amazing. ??)

Taking some time to really step into a vision of yourself at the end of the 108 can support you through the entire yoga program.  If your enthusiasm ever wanes, review your list and remember why you started the yoga program in the first place.

#2 How do you Want to be with Yourself through the 108 Yoga Program?

This one deserves some thought.  Do you want to rush through, trying to get to the end of the 108, or even the daily yoga practice, or meditation?  Do you plan to push through pain, force yourself to practice no matter what?! Or do you want to be more flexible, and gentle with yourself, allowing for healing to happen as it surfaces? Do you want to take your time to be present with each day, each class, each meal and allow yourself to truly reap the inner and outer benefits available to you?

Again, how do you want to be with yourself?  Kind?  Gentle?  Loving?  Encouraging?  Self-Honoring?

I encourage anyone starting a project, whether it’s a yoga program or not, to get a clear intention around this.

Having outer goals and outer visions are great, AND focusing on your relationship with yourself may be even more important. 

It may sound like: 

“My intention is to be gentle with myself, honor my body and celebrate every little or big win I experience.”   Or,

My intention is to listen to my body, support myself in showing up for each class and acknowledge myself everyday for my participation in this yoga program.

#3 Set Yourself up for Success.

Prepare the space.  Take time to set up your space where you will be doing the classes from the yoga program.  Get your mat prepared, get out some candles or incense, or anything else that will make practicing functional and enjoyable.

Clear time in your schedule and let your family and/or friends know.  Honor the time that you create for yourself and ask them to all support you as well.

Go shopping!  Fill your cupboards and fridge with foods that are a part of the common sense meal plan.  If you need to, clear out foods that won’t support you during this yoga program.  Take a few bags down to a shelter, or make one of your overly busy or overworked friends a goody bag.  Again, sharing with your family/friends about the 108 Yoga Program and what your meal choices are going to be, could be extremely supportive as well.

Get Connected to the community:  Tune into the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theultimateyogi and write your intentions and ask others to do the same.  Connect with a coach at http://www.theultimateyogi.com/coaches/

Engage with your community!  It all helps to support you in supporting yourself!

Love and Light ahead on your Ultimate Yogi 108 Yoga Program Journey!

5 Traveling tips for yoga on the road

We all know that traveling can be a pain. It upsets the nervous system, disrupts sleep patterns, and forces us to change our diet mostly detrimentally so. What about if you have committed to a program and want to keep up with all the good work. Here are a couple of tips on how to continue with your yoga on the road.

1) Plan ahead – way ahead.

The day you are traveling is always the most frantic and your yoga practice is probably the last thing on your mind. Of course getting your practice in before you board the plane would be ideal but with so many other things on your mind rolling out your mat might stress you out more so than it would help. So a week before the trip think about a few creative ways of getting your practice. Perhaps you might research local studios in the place you are going to – or if your mat needs replacement find a store that sells them in your destination and work it into your schedule.

2) Write up a routine for the plane.

When you next have a chance sit down in a chair and figure out how many poses you can do while seated. Seated twist, half sun salutation, forward fold, and even chair pose can all be done from your plane seat. If the flight isn’t too bumpy and its not during service then you can sneak off to the back of the plane and allow yourself more space for movement.

3) Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate some more.

You will feel a hundred times better if you avoid coffee and alcohol on the plan and ensure that you are well hydrated before you board and are drinking water during the flight. Just make sure you request an aisle seat for longer journeys. When you arrive at your destination try and eat the next meal at the appropriate time so that your digestion system can adjust to its new schedule.

4) Pack a snack

It’s no surprise that the food on the flight is sub par on a good day. Try and bring a sandwich if you can, or at least some healthy trail mix to keep body and soul together until you get some descent food. A vacuum packed bag of vegetables is still on the TSA approved list until someone hijacks a plane with a particulary pointy carrot so try and save a little space for that in your luggage.

5) Airports are great places to practice yoga on the road.

If you manage to pack in a mat or even if you don’t (yes you do not need a mat!) find a space which has little foot traffic and get your flow on. If you can tune out your imagined embarrassment and commit to the practice you might even find that someone will join you. If you do happen to get into the zone and end up spending a little too much time in savassana try and remember to continue your yoga practice when getting the news from the airline representative that your flight has departed without you. Certain airports are now offering yoga and meditation rooms.

6) Meditate on the plane -

Instead of wishing you were elsewhere or letting your imagination run wild with solutions for the crying baby in seat 15B close your eyes and turn your attention inward. Practice one of the meditations offered in the program, use a mantra, or your favorite meditation to quite down and allow yourself to open up to the wonderful experiences you are having. Not only will you reduce your overall stress levels but you will gain a little more insight into that monkey mind and all the little tricks it plays.

Why yoga on the road is important

Ive often heard that the real yoga begins off the mat. What better way to practice than in an environment that is new and fret with unforeseen challenges. Unexpected delays and trying to figure out where you are on the globe can be the perfect opportunity to practice both wisdom and compassion. So instead of worrying about how to practice yoga on the road – see it as an opportunity to creatively adjust your practice.

I am Resisting my Yoga Practice, Help!  

Don’t worry, you are not alone! 

I personally have had this experience on more than one occasion. Specifically with meditation and yoga practice- two of the things that have given me the most Divine experiences of consistent joy and freedom. Very important things!

Why in the world would we ever resist something that is so good for us and leaves us feeling so wonderful every time we practice? 

There is a concept that I am quite fond of that definitely relates to ‘mat resistance’.

It is called the Upper Limits.

This concept states that we all have a limit to how much goodness, joy, intimacy, peace and abundance we will allow ourselves to experience.

And it is precisely when we begin to reach our personal upper limits for any one of these experiences, that this little thing called resistance creeps in. And resistance can show up in so many convincing ways!

Resisting my Yoga Practice can show up in many ways:

A sudden desire to pay the bills, wash the car, clean the kitchen?? These have all randomly seemed way more important than your yoga practice or meditation. Or suddenly feeling too tired, too busy, and not inspired. Or when you do finally commit to your yoga practice and the phone rings. Suddenly that call becomes the most important thing in the world and the first thing to lose is your yoga practice.

Resistance can show up as distractions- the room being too cold, the commute seeming to far (even if it’s to your living room). Or as a criticizing voice coming in, saying that you’re not getting any better, or that it’s truly not making a difference….even when you know deep down that it is.

So what can we do about this Upper Limits dilemma?

One idea, is to simply see it for what it truly is.

Our beliefs and ideas about ourselves and about life. Period. 

Beliefs that are stopping us from moving forward to greater experiences of happiness, prosperity and radiant health. That is truly what it is.

Where did these beliefs come from?

Our parents, of course! Kidding! This is not always the case.

Maybe we had experiences earlier in life, where we interpreted situations to mean that we aren’t good enough to feel joy, or that life is hard and there’s no time for things like yoga, or other silly things that create happiness and health and peace.

We may have unconscious ideas floating around in our mind that we don’t deserve to be healthy, and that being sick is our lot in life, a burden we have to bare.

Whatever these concepts are, thankfully, they are not set in stone- and honestly they may not even be conscious.

They simply help our system stay in balance until we are ready for change and transformation.

I am ready to stop resisting my yoga practice- I am ready for change!

Once we are ready, the perfect practice typically comes forward. AND there is no wonder why those courageous people who are walking a path of personal transformation have admiration and deep respect for those walking beside them. It can be quite rocky and turbulent, and it is always so well worth it!

The way I see it, Yoga is one of those paths. It is a process of choosing to break the ceiling of the Upper Limits we have inadvertently placed on ourselves.

The blessing and the challenge is that consciously partaking on a journey of transformation will inevitably bring forward places within our consciousness that have been stagnant, and stuck in the past- and these places are not always willing to go quietly!

So what are our options when we feel resistance?

One, is to feel the resistance and honor it by not continuing on with a practice that we know will elevate our consciousness…

or….

Two, we can honor the part inside that is inspired, that knows of our innate deserve-ability to experience health, wholeness, and abundance on all levels.

How can we help ourselves make the clear, self-supportive choice here?

Well, this is not necessarily a time to fight with resistance- that would be fighting fire with fire. It is not always appropriate to force yourself to do something that simply doesn’t feel possible in the moment, but it is an opportunity to become aware of what is really going on within yourself.

Here is a very simple question you could ask yourself to simply learn more about why the resistance shows up. It is also a question that will reveal to you, if you listen closely to the answer, what your limiting beliefs are regarding yourself and your life.

It is not required that you take action on anything that comes forward.

This is simply an invitation for you to discover more about yourself and to make a conscious decision about how to participate in your life and in your yoga practice.

So here is the question:

If the resistance could speak, what would it say?

Allowing yourself to share as honestly as possible, is the best thing you could do for yourself here. Maybe it would say, “I want to go back to bed, I’m tired!” or “What’s the point, I’m not getting any better.” or “This is a waste of time.”

As you begin to understand your resistance more you can begin to re-educate yourself as well. If you become aware of a common response coming from your resistance, such as, “I don’t have time for this, today!” You can begin to replace that idea with, “There is always enough time to care for myself, and nurture my body.”

Maybe you really are pushing yourself too hard and your body really does need a little break. Perhaps the most self honoring thing would be to put in the Yin Yoga disc even if Cardio is what you were meant to do.

Asking this type of question is an opportunity to gather valuable information about how to support yourself going forward, and move through the resistance with grace and ease, time and time again.

It is never about belittling or criticizing yourself for not wanting to practice. We all feel resistance! We are all learning how to move through it!

I acknowledge you for choosing a path of transformation.

It is not for the feint of heart, but is for those who are inwardly ready to evolve and discover a place within where there are no Upper Limits- Only Unlimited Possibilities!

Posted by Aila Coats.

I am Resisting my Yoga Practice, Help!