Constant Moment to Moment Acceptance

Life is an unexpected journey of constant moment-to-moment acceptance. A few weeks ago, I broke my hand and had to undergo surgery. Now as I try and type this blog post, I’m humbled by the agitation of pins in my left hand. It’s a fierce reminder of how vulnerable is my state of being right now.

I’m grateful for all the support I feel around me and the ability I have in my dominant right hand. Yet, my frustration and exhaustion are also wanting to rear their conscious presence as I navigate this new reality. I have to ask for help!

I’m reminded that we all need each other, but this practice of slowing down and surrendering my super-woman identity has brought me to my knees. Pain is the great equalizer, and I am so humbled by the human body and its powers to heal. But boy, it’s not fun!

Any growth can be painful both physically and emotionally. Healing asks so much of us as we learn to let go and rest into the discomfort. We are the collective consciousness of humanity.

We are all healing from the trauma of the past year and a half. The covid pandemic asked so much of us as we witnessed all the loss and suffering. My need to ask for help is a reminder that we depend on each other and we each count on a hand to assist us forward.

Yoga meets us daily where we are. Not where we think we should be or even where we want to be but to meet ourselves and others with compassion for where we are now. We begin each moment with our presence, to be here.

I hope we can honor this Memorial weekend for all the warriors of love, who have despite great pain remained true to the wonder of joy. We can celebrate the brave souls that walked before with courage despite all the obstacles that pain presents. May we keep healing our hearts, and whenever needed, be willing to ask for or lend a hand!

Be safe, be well, be content to meet yourself in loving kindness today. 

The light in me honors the light in you,

Laura Jane

Learn to Teach Conscious Relaxation: The Art of Yoga Nidra (Hybrid) with Mia Park

This post was originally published on September 21, 2020 and updated on May 9, 2021.

2020/9/21/learn-to-teach-guided-relaxation-yoga-nidra-training

Learn to safely and confidently teach yoga nidra - the "yoga of sleep" - a simple yet potent technique. The practitioner is led, or leads themselves, into progressively deeper states of consciousness by systematically quieting the nervous system. This deeply restorative practice is said to be the origin of hypnosis. Yoga nidra can be used for healing, relaxation, and to cultivate meditative insight. Clinical studies have affirmed its benefits, including the relief of PTSD symptoms.

Who is this for?

You don't need to be a yoga teacher to lead yoga nidra. It is a helpful addition to the therapeutic toolkit of any wellness practitioner. Yoga nidra can be taught as a stand-alone practice or as part of a complete yoga practice to anyone. Bring this powerful technique of deep relaxation to your clients and yoga students for an enriching experience. Prior experience teaching group experiences or working therapeutically with individuals is strongly suggested.

Training June 1-8, 2021

A 25-hour hybrid teacher training taught in-studio and simultaneously online with access to the training videos for over a month. A 30-minute private session with Mia, a 50-page manual with scripts, monthly support meetings, and more are included. You don't need to be a yoga teacher to lead yoga nidra, helpful addition to the therapeutic toolkit of any wellness practitioner. Hosted by Sat Nam Yoga Chicago.

Live training June 1 - 8, 2021
Enroll by June 15, 2021
Video access until July 31, 2021

View full details and register: https://www.miaparkyoga.com/classes--trainings.html

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Mia Park teaches yoga to connect the physical, emotional, and mental bodies to their deeper intelligence. Mia uses yoga poses as a gateway to developing inner refinement. She uses techniques she continually learns, training in energy-focused Tantra hatha yoga, yoga anatomy, yoga therapy, yoga nidra, Daoist taiji, and other studies that support inner development. With self-awareness, a life of purpose can be lived. Mia and her classes are powered by hope and engagement.
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Mia is based in Chicago and is a certified iRest Level 1 teacher, Rest and Renew restorative yoga teacher, 500 Hour Viniyoga teacher, E-RYT 500, 200 CYT, a Darshan Certified Integrated Ayurvedic Practitioner and Advanced Yoga Teacher, and a former 500 Hour Parayoga teacher. Mia is also currently becoming an IAYT Yoga Therapist. She is a Domestic Violence Advocate and has volunteered teaching prenatal yoga in Cook County jail since 2010. 

Mia has studied the art of yoga nidra with many teachers, including iRest with Richard Miller, Total Yoga Nidra with Uma Dinsmore Tuli, the Himalayan tradition with Rolf Solvik, and Satyananda Yoga Nidra with Tripura Yoga, Rod Stryker and Dr. Swami Shankardev Saraswati. She has led several yoga nidra teacher trainings since 2014 and continues to grow as a yoga nidra practitioner and teacher.​

Life Needs to be Lived in Spontaneity

The word Grace has such a welcoming vibration. As Annie Lamont would remind me, “To summon, Grace, say ‘HELP’ and then buckle up. Grace finds you exactly where you are, but it doesn’t leave you where it found you.”

Yes, be prepared to truly let go and let life in. What changes us, heals us, and what ultimately transforms us is the release and then allow the chaos to begin.

I have no idea how one year later we got here! It has been a ride and yet together I feel our community has supported the journey here. We are opening the doors and raising the windows as we return to those sweet spontaneous moments of saying hello. To be able to hear laughter, smell the scent of some passing aroma whether it is hair conditioner, a familiar yet forgotten oil, or just the smell of some wonderful fresh detergent, I want to return to smell, taste, and seeing the unexpected of life in full togetherness.

Zoom serves a great purpose for our survival, but the hunger I have for a genuine hug is my devotion to keeping humanity alive. Life needs to be lived in spontaneity. The freedom to overhear a conversation and learn something new —or be included in a conversation that arose out of some mutually shared moment. To pause and listen as others pass by and to feel belonging in a shared space.

I miss the alive energy of shared souls. I know I am not alone in this desire to be together and hopefully, the inspiration to come back into our sweet center will happen as May begins. We have added some new classes and new teachers, and hope that new faces will soon feel the urge to begin a practice at YAF.

Thank you to everyone who is willing to get the vaccination, and we appreciate the respect of each student that continues to care for one another regardless of bias and learned patterns. We are so fortunate to be at this place now. 

Blessings,

Laura Jane