Playing Beautiful Music Throughout Your Life

The guitar is my most favorite instrument in the world! After playing for 28 years it is no wonder why I am so biased. In my speaking programs, I love to use the guitar as a metaphor for our lives. Think about it. The strings of the guitar are the different aspects and facets of our

lives. The strumming and plucking represent the action we take in the world. The sound the guitar makes are the results we produce in the world. If our strings are not in tune, it doesn’t matter how great of guitarist you are, you are only going to produce mediocre results.

Most of us go through life almost exclusively playing the work string. I did this for many years and got really good at it. The money was great but all of the other aspects of my life were failing. Ultimately, I walked away from my multi-million dollar business so I could learn to play the other strings in my life and create a life of harmony and balance. I realized that if we are going to truly live an extraordinary life, we are going to need to play all of the strings. So how do we tune ourselves up for true success?

Listen to your life: Become an observer of your life and listen to where you are out of tune. Take note where you are feeling stressed or not satisfied in your life. Ask yourself what aspect of your life you are struggling with? Those issues are life’s way of telling you what string you need to tune.

Once you discover your trouble spot, think about how you would like that aspect to be, get in touch with how you would feel if it were that way, and finally identify an action step that you can take immediately to change it. Life will do the rest.

Remember that even the best guitarist in the world tune their strings constantly and so should you! Listen to your music and life and take action today to tune yourself up. By doing so you will be well on your way to playing beautiful music throughout your life.

By Mark Romero

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What would you ask a Zen Master?

I am honored to have the opportunity to sit with an amazing Zen Master and interview him for Yogi Times. As I prepared, I want to know your thoughts.

What would you ask the highest ranking Zen Master outside of Japan?

Click on Comment below and let me know. I interview him on Tuesday, February, 12th.

Click on "read more" below if you want to learn more about Genpo and his revolutionary ideas. I got interested in Genpo when I heard his claim that he could facilitate a person achieving a non-dual state of consciousness in three hours when most Zen students take about five years using traditional methods. He calls it "Big Mind."

Genpo Roshi Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi is a revolutionary in the tradition of the old Zen Masters who so embodied Buddhist teaching that they were able to revitalize and transform it for their own day and age. Genpo Roshi is working to transmit the essence of the Buddha's teachings in a way that is readily accessible to Westerners and relevant to our everyday life.

Genpo (who is an American) is considered by many to be the highest ranking Zen master outside of Japan because he is a student of Maezumi Roshi (a very famous teacher and Zen master), he is a direct decendent of the highly respected Soto Zen lineage, and for years he has been the head of the largest Zen lineage in the world outside of Japan (though he just resigned from that a few months ago).

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PAY WHAT YOU WISH SUBSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN

Check out what we are doing in order to grow YT and sustain the dream of inspiring everyone into a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Yogi Times is launching THE PAY WHAT YOU WISH SUBSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN. This exciting campaign brings a copy of Yogi Times delivered right to your door each month and in the spirit of donation at a price that you determine. With this campaign we are creating a strong intention for our vision of Yogi Times and the desire to grow our company in a way that embraces the very principles we have held true to for the last six years in our pages.
By offering a subscription to Yogi Times at value that the community determines, we are placing our trust in our valued readers, partners and friends to support our vision. This is your opportunity to rise to an occasion and support the outreach of conscious media, yoga and the shifting of consciousness across our country.

Here are some ways to support THE PAY WHAT YOU WISH CAMPAIGN and join us in strengthening the Yogi Times dream.

1. Forward this mailer to your list of students, teachers and other partners of our community. (should you need it resized to your standard, contact Jessica at graphics@yogitimes.com)
2. Place THE PAY WHAT YOU WISH CAMPAIGN icon on your website - icon is attached to this email - (should you need it resized to your standard, contact Jessica at graphics@yogitimes.com)
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5. Spread the word...

When you act on any or all of these measures, please feel free to keep us in the loop. We welcome your feedback and love staying connected to you.
We are so very grateful for your rich and real response to our outreach.

Namaste,

Sophie and Jc

Yogi Times Lifestyle Media Group Inc. Yogi Times Magazine | Los Angeles |San Francisco Yogi Times BUSINESS

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Completing 2007 Powerfully

Powerfully complete the year by asking these three questions:

1. What did I love about 2007?

2. What will I miss about 2007?

3. What did I learn from 2007?


Draw the year to a close using these additional strategies:

Declare it Complete:
Most likely there are things that sounded like such good ideas, great goals, and inspirational intentions that just didn't get done this year. Instead of allowing those to dangle around you like threads of yarn slowing you down, cut yourself free by declaring them complete. Simply say, "I declare ____ complete."

Acknowledge Yourself:
Even accomplishments can hang around our consciousness as incomplete when we don't acknowledge them. Allow yourself the gift of feeling the success of your accomplishments. Pause and take a moment to appreciate yourself, your efforts, and your gifts. Do this by making a list of 100 things you acknowledge yourself for in 2007. Once you start, you'll be surprised how many come flowing out onto the paper. read more...

David Deida-A Seminar on Sexual Yoga-Function Form and Glow

What is the difference between therapy, yoga, and spiritual practices? In this video, David distinguishes between each of them.

Watch the video and then click on "comment" below and let us know what you think.





If you don't know about David's work you will want to. He is acknowledged as one of the most insightful and provocative spiritual teachers of our time. David continues to revolutionize the way that men and women grow spiritually and sexually. Get more info at his web site deida.info. read more...

Visual Yoga

According to a series of reports by NOVA Science Now in 2005, brain researchers at the University College London have discovered a set of neurons called mirror neurons that enable us to experience familiar actions performed by others as our own by simply watching them. Their research also suggests that pictures can create similar results.

Imagine the possibilities.

Teachers could offer video and picture flashcards and create meditative observation areas in their studios for those that don’t have time for a full class or can no longer perform the advanced poses.

Students could collect picture flashcards of poses they have successfully accomplished and refer to them often, watch videos at home or online and visit their studio to observe, experience and grow.

Rob Gruber - Co-Active Life Coach

Photo by Jonathan Pozniak read more...

Mahāmudrā Meditation with Patrick Sweeney

I found this video on the holons-news.com blog and have watched it everyday since. Just watching this 17 minute mediation has impacted my daily practice. Click on play, sit up, and prepare your consciousness for a real treat!

Also, what is that sound he is making? I can hear it every now and again in my head while sitting in meditation!




text from holons-news.com
Patrick Sweeney leads a powerful Mahāmudrā meditation; recorded at the second annual Integral Spiritual Center gathering. Mahāmudrā is a Buddhist method of direct introduction to the nature and essence of Mind (or Buddha-nature) and the practice of stabilizing the accompanying transcendental realization. It draws upon instructions from multiple levels of Buddhism, including Sutra and Vajrayana, to provide a range of approaches to enlightenment suited to various people's needs. Mahamudra is believed to enable one to realize the mindstream's innate purity, clarity and perfection, summed up by the term 'buddha nature', the topic of the Third Turning of the Dharmachakra or the final phase of the Buddha's teaching." read more...

Speaking of Yoga in Pop Culture....

Did you see what McDonald's is up to? Check out this link to see how they are using yoga & fitness to sell their food...

http://mcdonalds3.promotions.com/yourselffitness/page.do?page=splash.html

What are your thoughts? blatant commercialization? or is it really cool that yoga is reaching a demographic it may not have reached otherwise? read more...

Doing Yoga while on Your Cell Phone

Why not? You drive while on your cell phone. Eat meals in restaurants on your cell. Walk on on the treadmill with your cell. Why shouldn't you have your phone with you while doing yoga.

Well, Nokia just gave you a great excuse to do yoga with your phone. Yep, that is right!

Nokia offers an application for their N72 phone that is quite cool! You can get yoga postures and yoga tips through your Nokia phone.

You can download the program from the Nokia N72 website. Here is how they describe it:

Yoga for Beginners
Yoga for Beginners is an application for people who are interested in yoga. It is divided into two main parts: "Yoga Postures" and "Yoga Tips". "Yoga Postures" describe ten fundamental yoga postures and their benefits. "Yoga Tips" provide useful tips regarding yoga practices.


So, next time you are in class and someone shoots you a look for having your cell phone with you, just tell them it's to check on yoga postures and get yoga tips!


Where is the strangest place you have seen yoga breaking into pop culture?

Click on "Comment" below and tell us. read more...

Cycle of life

Every time we practice asana we symbolically express a cycle of life, from sun salutes (birth) and savasana (death). We love this video that depicts the cycle in an artsy way...hopefully if we keep practicing yoga and eating healthy we will avoid the end of life shoulder slouch...



What are your thoughts on the cycle of life? read more...

How you do anything is how you do everything!

I recently read this phrase, "How you do anything is how you do everything!" It stopped me in my tracks! I immediately got that queasy "I better sit up and pay attention" feeling in my gut.

How I brush my teeth is how I run my business. How I practice yoga is how I raise my kids. How I treat my body is how I treat my finances. How I organize my closet is how I organize my life.

How I do anything is how I do everything.

The transformation of life is available in the smallest moments of our life. Being present and mindful is the gateway to witness and transform.

How is your yoga practice reflecting back to you how you live your life? How are the microscopic moments of your day revealing your life to you? Are you noticing peace and joy in all that is around you? Does gratitude fill your heart upon awakening each morning? What are you choosing?

Click on "Comment" below and tell us!

by Doug - The Happy Healthy Wealthy guy


Photo by: Jonathan Pozniak read more...

Check out what is making us laugh at Yogi Times Today!

I think we might become attached to Puppetji! read more...

Education Versus Energy

In the latest edition of Yogi Times Business, Jonathan Fields tackles the controversial topic of Valuing Teachers’ Education Versus Energy. At the risk of over-generalizing, a seasoned teacher has most likely studied yoga in India or with master teachers, practiced and taught for a long time and fully embodies the yogic lifestyle; whereas a newer teacher may have less expertise but provides a freshness and enthusiasm for the practice of yoga, infusing it with personality and physical agility. I fall into the latter category. Although I know that I have a lot to offer my students, if I compare myself to senior teachers, then I feel pangs of inadequacy. However, Fields provocatively examines who is bringing in more students and what type of teacher is worth more in terms of compensation and reputation from a studio owner’s standpoint. What do you value more, a teacher’s education or energy?
Photo by Jonathan Pozniak
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LOVE YOUR SMILE. MORE ON MSJ

One Day I just got it that the real goal of asana, meditation, visualization, chanting prayer or any other spiritual practice is My Sustained Joy, paramananda. Same with honesty, kindness, being of service or any other spiritual principle.

Speaking of honesty, Whatever I ever do for anyone else is really an attempt at sustained joy for myself. At some level. I believe that making you happy will make me happy. Acknowledging this basic truth is the beginning of honesty and the end of the victim/martyr myth.

But, you knew that. read more...

MSJ, THE BOTTOM LINE

I start my Yoga classes by explaining that the goal of living (and Yoga) is paramananda or, MY SUSTAINED JOY (mine, because each person has to find it for themselves) . The fundamental human desire is really for as much joy as possible for as long as possible. Bliss, Nirvana, Samadhi, Peace, Stillness, Oneness, are all names for the same goal, MSJ, the extra- ordinary feeling that makes us glad we’re alive. Knowing that My Sustained Joy is ALWAYS the underlying goal provides a foolproof guide for making decisions and a standard for measuring actions and events. Any thoughts?

Robert, the Yoga and Spirituality Guy read more...

Inversion Aversion

In January, while I was in New York City visiting my sister, I took a yoga class. Near the end of class, the teacher asked us to do headstand. I folded my mat into fourths and set it against the wall. Then I knelt down, put my forearms on the ground and clasped my hands. When I put the crown of my head on the ground, fear started rising inside of me. I took a deep breath and then let out a long exhale. My anxiety over doing inversions is long-standing. I am not one of those people who did headstands or handstands as a child. I did not like the feeling of blood rushing into my head.

After my initial anxiety spasm in the New York yoga class, I was able to get into headstand. It is unlikely that headstand will ever be an easy pose for me, but I have come to value the experience. Since I started practicing salamba sirasana, I have realized that uncomfortable situations are inevitable. When they do occur, feelings of fear and aversion will arise. I don’t know if they will ever go away, but if I can find a way to experience more than just those feelings; I have the chance to learn more about my practice and myself.

What aversions has your yoga practice revealed to you and what have you learned about yourself? Click on "Comments" and share...

By Ann Bui, Yogi Times, June 2007 read more...

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