Y  O  G  A   FOR                           

  WEIGHT LOSS & VIBRANT HEALTH

“EMPOWER THY SELF”

(8 week program)

*learn diet, nutrition, herbs, and supplements to:

1) clean and improve digestion

2) rejuvenate the liver

3) restore body's ability to absorb nutrients

4) strengthen immunity

*a strong yoga sequence 2x a week to:

1) increase metabolism

2) improve strength, flexibility, alignment, & balance

3) balance hormones

4) reduce discomfort/pain, relax the body, clear the mind

5) bring overall sense of well-being & fitness

*powerful breath work to:

1) bring efficiency to body systems

2) activate parasympathetic nervous system

3) harmonize energy & revitalize mind/body complex

*community building to:

1) provide support through lifestyle changes

2) hold space for our trials & tribulations

3) express ourselves & maintain a healthy momentum

*eat vegan & gluten free meals together to:

1) develop an arsenal of meals to rely on

2) try alternatives to mainstream foods/diet

3) experience firsthand the application of what we learn 

about food, eating, and health

*weekly meal planning to:

1) start, develop, & maintain a healthy relationship with food 

2) learn, prepare, and enjoy healthier preparations

3) develop quality routines/habits 

   

Personal 8 week program 

Individual assessments, attention, support

Four 3hr workshops w/ meals

  Bi-weekly yoga postures class w/ raw veggie juice 

   $540 Tuition incl. meals  

($100 deposit)

    (*Work study and payment plan avail.!)

This is a program that can be built around dates and times 

 to accommodate your schedule.  

There can be 1-3 people enrolled at the same time

Register: 

Call Trish "Prema Devii"

808-269-2638 

premayoga@gmail.com 

trishteaches@gmail.com 

 premadeviiyoga.blogspot.com

                                                                                                    

Workshop Leader:

Prema Devii  “Trish”

(yoga therapist/instructor,  

thai yoga posturer)

M.A. Education, E-200 RYT , 500 RYT

Reflections on our Meditation (1/19/2013)

Reflections on our Meditation 1/19/2013

LET US MOVE TOGETHER

LET US SING TOGETHER

LET US COME TO KNOW OUR MINDS TOGETHER

LET US SHARE, LIKE SAGES OF THE PAST

THAT ALL PEOPLE TOGETHER MAY ENJOY THE UNIVERSE

UNITE OUR INTENTIONS

LET OUR HEARTS BE INSEPARABLE

OUR MIND IS ONE MIND FOR WE,

TO TRULY KNOW ONE ANOTHER,

BECOME ONE

SAM'GACCHADVAM' 

SAM'VADADHVAM' 

SAM'VOMANAM' SI JANATAM 

DEVABHAGAM'

 YATHA' PURVE 

SAM'JANA'NA' UPA'SATE

SAM'ANI VA' AKUTI 

SAMA'NA HRDAYANI VAH

 SAMA'NAMA'STU VOMANO

 YATHA VAH SUSAHA'SATI

***Our growing group meditations are becoming stronger and stronger because our intention as a community to quiet and still the mind, to experience peace, wholeness, and contentment, and to maintain longer periods in higher, more expansive states of consciousness, grounds and connects us as one.  As one group, the focused, concentrated energy is strongly activated and able to be directed versus dispersed.  As we sit next to each other, focusing and directing that energy, feeling the stability within group meditation, each of our experiences can become more rich over time.  As beginning meditators sit with others who have a more developed practice, we naturally tune and resonate together to bring everyone up a notch or more...much like music!  We are tuning our intentions, our energy, our focus such that each one of our journeys in the meditative state, can be more successful.  We are supporting each other and holding a sacred, safe space!***

In this light, we will be singing the above mantra prior to meditation to set the intention.  It is from the Rig Veda and has been sung for thousands of years, carrying with it an imbibed power that facilitates the group into the meditative state.  In the ancient language of Sanskrit, it is vibrational in nature therefore whether one sings it or not, one receives the transformative healing power of the mantra from the physical resonance or vibration one feels when listening to it.  Simply know its' meaning and hold its' intention and one may more quickly, come right to a meditative state.  

Reminder: 

 basic process to yogic meditation that you've learned:

1-Breath to control ones energy flow upward

2-Witness or Observe w/ detachment

3-Focus w/ mantra to anchor the mind

and use a visualization 

4-Relax into meditative flow

5-Peacefully become absorbed by the light or energy of ultimate truth,

compassion, love, peace, union, harmony...

Your comments and reflections:

"Meditation is essential because it connects you to your true self and it is when we are in our true self that we want to help others, that we have compassion for others...."

"Meditation can unify our consciousness..."

"I was able to reach a relaxed, peaceful place..."

Loka samastah 

sukhino bhavantu

Om shanti, shanti, shanti

May all the beings, in all the worlds

attain peace and happiness...

Om peace, peace, peace

OUR NEXT MEDITATION IS FEBRUARY 2ND!

Please call or e-mail to hold your spot!!!!

Namaste,

Prema Devii (Trish)

E-200 RYT, 500 RYT, M.A. Education

808-269-2638

trishteaches@gmail.com

premayoga7@gmail.com

Reflections from our Meditation Group on Jan.5th 2013

Reflections & Sharing from our Group Meditation:

Saturday, January 5th 2013

-the ego thrives when you are distracted away from your higher self...its very survival depends on you staying in the struggles of the lower three energy/consciousness centers...it feeds off you being outwardly focused so it will make you feel "resistant" to meditation, to sitting still, and to finding true peace within yourself.  However, if you do these three things, the ego becomes more "contained " to its proper place and function as your identity which allows you to interact with others and the world in a healthy way.  On the flip side, if the ego is not "contained," it can rule your life and cause much drama, pain, and suffering as it can then be the voice of judgement, criticism, self-aggrandizement, comparison, self-blame, etc. etc...and create havoc by spinning your thoughts in the mire of duality and judgement generally...

-as we meditate more and especially cultivate feelings of compassion, unconditional love, inspiration, intuitive knowing, humble wisdom, oneness, unity, harmony, and eternal joy, then we can begin to operate more and more from the higher energy/consciousness centers of the heart, throat, third eye, and crown...more harmony and flow occur in our lives because we are operating less from duality, materialism, and attachment and more from feelings and intentions grounded in oneness, spirituality, and open trust in the divine orchestration of things

-having a way to artistically express yourself is a great way to integrate and harmonize all energy centers...your psyche, your personality becomes more integrated energetically, more balanced as artistic expression helps you to interact with other aspects of yourself that have been ignored or unknown...greater psychological equilibrium, self-knowledge, & pure delight can then take root

-although yogic meditation aims at oneness with source, with the supreme, conscious intelligence, it also can be used to get guidance, deeper wisdom on a subject, to heal emotionally, to tap into greater visions/creativity, to open the heart in devotion, or to develop higher intelligence and mental capabilities

-there is no wrong way to meditate...however using certain tools in certain steps is a sure way to develop the foundation and mental wherewithal not only to get to certain levels in meditation, but more important, to sustain ones experience in that level for greater lengths of time

-remember it is your birthright to experience higher states of bliss, awareness, oneness, joy, union, connection, peace, harmony, etc. and there is only the mind that stands in the way of experiencing these things on every level of our being down to our very cells...

-the meditative state is a reminder of the consciousness from where we have come and to where we will go... we just need to remember what it is like "to be a child again with no judgement...", no sense of separation or duality, no fear, no predispositions, a child who is still open and in touch with that divine nature behind all things

-it is our attachment to things that doesn't allow us to let go of thoughts...therefore, continue to attach yourself to your higher self, the "atman" that attaches itself to the source and that way all the drama that springs from this physical life of duality and material gain is viewed from a more expanded consciousness and perspective...this expanded consciousness and perspective is what elevates your life and empowers your higher self so that greater mastery and soul-fulfillment can be reached in ones lifetime...the higher self is what you want to embody more and more so that mastery and fulfillment quicken...

WARNING: be prepared if need be, to totally change your life and lifestyle depending on how out of alignment you've been with your souls purpose in this lifetime...and at the same time, seek out help when things seem too rough or emotionally unsettling...as a yoga therapist either I can help or I can refer you to fellow yoga therapists that I would personally recommend and a more thorough, supportive approach to self-healing and empowerment can occur:

WHAT IS YOGA THERAPY?: 

-a yoga practitioner/therapist with certification in yoga therapy ( 500 RYT hours) uses ayurveda, yoga, and for me personally, Thai yoga posturing to work through the changes that can and need to occur when one begins to transform their life and change their lifestyle for the sake of health, healing, fitness, or conscious/spiritual development...Yoga postures, yoga psychology & philosophy, breathing practices, mantras, affirmations, visualizations, meditation, diet, nutrition etc. are used and prescribed...Ayurvedic assessments, guidance and instruction, support, and ongoing feedback between yoga therapist and client are essential to yoga therapy: 

 Call for more information and/or complimentary phone consultation:

Prema Devii  "Trish"

808-269-2638 

-yes...before yoga class and after you may find yourself in a slight meditative state and THIS IS BECAUSE ALL YOGA PRACTICES ARE DESIGNED TO BRING ABOUT THIS HEIGHTENED STATE OF AWARENESS... intimate moments where you may feel more connected to your true self, to others, and to all things...moments described as calm, joyful, peaceful...where our sense of time or space or place dissipates...where a deepened sense of connection and relaxing centeredness takes hold ...where wholeness...non-grasping...non-anxiousness...and profound presence are glimpsed and felt

some basic guidelines:

-commit to 5 minutes a day each day, at the same time, same place so as to train the mind, so as to develop the habit of clearing, stilling, and bringing peace to the mind...let those 5 minutes increase with routine practice and/or do this 2-3 times a day for greater quality living day to day

-do some yoga postures and breathing before meditating so as to sit longer and more comfortably

-sit comfortably with spine straight

-make sure all food is digested & bladder is empty

-follow and use techniques, visualizations, mantras and/or affirmations, breath work etc. that you've learned that work for you and allow them to anchor the mind down so you can begin to observe the mind with detachment... as a witness...then let go of thoughts...return to the breath......enjoy the flow into deeper states of stillness, quiet, and spiritual awakening...

THERE IS A GEM IN EVERY MEDITATIVE JOURNEY MADE

-enter meditation with no expectations

-enter meditation with 3 intentions: 

1-to honor the practice as sacred

2-to be of no harm to others including yourself

3-to serve the greater well-being of all

***I will post more reflections or thoughts as they come...so stay tuned and likewise, share your experience, post your questions, reflections, thoughts, ideas etc., and we can continue to support each other in our practice***

TO SELF-REALIZATION OF OUR ORIGINAL, DIVINE NATURE THAT IS DIVINELY CONNECTED, CONTENT, & RADIATING TRUTH, LOVE, & LIGHT THAT ALL  BEINGS MAY ATTAIN PEACE AND HAPPINESS!

Prema Devii

Call if you want to be part of our next meditation:

808-269-2638

trishteaches@gmail.com

UNDERSTANDING YOGIC MEDITATION...

UNDERSTANDING YOGIC MEDITATION...

Yoga is an ancient science, the ultimate goal of which is to stop the thought waves of the mind so that we can attain absolute union or absorption with the source of life, that cosmic, conscious intelligence and love from which this universe expands.  Hatha yoga or, the yoga postures were practiced by yogis because they felt that the body must come to greater balance, ease, and comfort for one to be able to even sit.  Lets face it, if we can't physically sit still for more than a minute how can we even begin to control our thoughts.  How can we ever go to the next stage, or the next, or the next, if we can't even sit still, breath calmly, and focus.  It would be impossible to flow, impossible to be graced with a glimpse into the divine when our bodies, our minds are so loud and desperate for our attention.  It is extremely difficult when we cannot be quiet and subtle in our awareness enough.  The glimpse, that moment where one can taste the sweetness of that oneness and peace can be sooo fleeting.  Imagine however, a meditation that is deep, well-practiced, and journeyed numerous times in ones lifetime, each time you sit, treating each time as a journey in and of itself until that final journey, that final crossing from this life to the next.  How can one not want to prepare for that blessed time when we cross over.  Do we want to make that journey in fear, with distractions and chatter running through our minds, with attachments and desires filling our journey over with discontent?  I'll quote from one of my favorite movies: "What we do now, echoes in eternity..." (Gladiator) 

Our yoga class of postures, of "asanas," has always been for the main purpose of being able to transcend the physical body, its twitches, its tensions, discomforts, pain, etc. so that we can go into the laboratory of meditation and confront our minds...understand the nature of our mind and therefore transform and transcend the limitations of mind and body!!!! 

I understand this can cause much anxiety, frustration, anger, distress, and even deep pain.  Likewise it can cause many positive emotions to run through our body/mind complex too.  More important to understand is that it is our attachment or in some cases addiction to either that encourages the ceaseless running of thoughts, the endless chatter.    Over time, if one can't get a grip on the mental running around of,  as the Taoists say, "your monkey mind," then "your monkey mind" gets a hold of YOU...YOUR RELATIONSHIPS...YOUR LIFE...and how you experience all of these things!!!!   

1) PRACTICE:

DOWNLOAD YOUR EVERY THOUGHT

So as a first practice, take time out to write down every thought that runs its course in your mind for 10 minutes in the morning, middle of the day, and at night.  Nomatter what the thought is or how many times it is repeated in the mind, write it down.  Do this for the next 3 days at least and at the end of this downloading practice:

2) PRACTICE:

OBSERVE, REFLECT, & EVALUATE THE

 a) CONTENT OF THESE THOUGHTS

 b) QUALITY OF THESE THOUGHTS 

c) EFFECT OF THESE THOUGHTS

 ON YOU...YOUR BODY...YOUR EMOTIONS 

3) MANTRA PRACTICE:

Every day for the next three days look at all these thoughts with some detachment..more and more detachment and say in your mind: "I AM NOT MY THOUGHTS!"  "MY THOUGHTS DO NOT DEFINE WHO I TRULY AM!"  "I AM NOT MY THOUGHTS!"

Liberate yourself from your thoughts by understanding that your thoughts and how you have been thinking is conditioned to greater or lesser extent by the simple fact of not having a practice that clears your mind of thoughts, by the simple fact of not mindfully choosing and excluding certain thoughts... WE HAVE A CHOICE AND THE MORE WE CHOOSE RIGHT THOUGHTS, RIGHT INTENTION, RIGHT ACTION BASED ON PROPER UNDERSTANDING AND WISDOM, WE WILL GAIN MORE AND MORE CONTROL OVER OUR MONKEY MIND AND BE ABLE TO DIRECT OUR FOCUS and  OUR ENERGY TO ATTAIN HIGHER STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, HEIGHTENED STATES OF WELL-BEING AND EXPERIENCE THE KIND OF JOY, PEACE, AND UNITY THAT COMES FROM THE MORE ETERNAL NATURE OF THINGS...

In yogic meditation we seek to tap into that that is eternal so that the lower pushes and pulls of our being, the struggles between this and that, light and dark, good and bad quiet down in the face of pure, illuminating light.  In the higher consciousness centers of the heart, throat, third eye, and crown nerve plexi we use yogic techniques to help in methodically transcending the drama of  having to secure, protect, defend, compare, judge, attack, ...transcend the drama of dual forces fighting one another, the feminine and the masculine, the right and the left, the extroverted and introverted...transcend the drama of the ego asserting itself and grasping for attention and preservation...

We transcend the drama by bringing balance to these things...HOW?

We keep grounded in our bodies and taking care of ourselves by increasing pranic flow.  Our yoga postures class and our breathing practices do this.  Then, we control sensory input into the mind by withdrawing from the five senses, turning awareness inward.  Then, we bring the energy up through concentration, visualization, and mantra or affirmations.  At this point if we can maintain this level of mindfulness and continue to detach from our thoughts allowing them to fade or wash away with breath, we can go further to the higher levels of meditation.  However, for our purpose here and at this beginning level, it is enough to end here as the previous stages must be started, developed, and practiced on a habitual basis.  This lays the necessary foundation and grounding for the higher states to even be glimpsed, let alone sustained.

Meditation is medicine for the mind!

With a regular practice that medicine changes you and empowers you, your highest self..."atman!"  The book UPANISHADS poetically sheds light on the glimpses into the higher states where ones sense of time, place, and space literally dissolves as the veil of "maya," of the illusion that we are separate, is lifted.  In the lifting of this veil one feels  eternally present, one with all things for all time.  We as spiritual beings experiencing life in our physical bodies, owe it to ourselves to remember from where we've come.  For many, meditation becomes the medicine for the mind, body, and spirit that enables us to remember, becomes a practice of returning home...

It is when we function from this higher vibration of knowing and experiencing where we've come and where we are going, that the life in between, comes into view from a proper perspective that alleviates much of the self-inflicted suffering of the mind...

EXCITED TO TALK MORE IN DEPTH ON YOGIC MEDITATION/PHILOSOPHY WITH YOU THIS SATURDAY FOR THOSE CONTINUING WITH OUR MEDITATION CLASS...TO THOSE WHO ARE COMING FIRST TIME...WELCOME!

Prema Devii

E-RYT 200, RYT 500, M.A. Education

808-269-2638

premayoga7@gmail.com