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When life gets away from us, clawing our way back out usually seems like an insurmountable task. The overestimation of the road ahead douses so many flames and drags capable people deep into a rut. 

It makes bad situations worse, augments self-doubt, and encourages self-destructive habits and negative thinking. If left unchecked, a rut can quickly (and often does) turn into a downward spiral, ending at rock bottom. 

OK, that might be a bit melodramatic, but you get what I’m saying. When we let what could be a bump in the road define our self-worth, things can get pretty hairy down the line.

The good news is that ruts are normal. They happen to everyone – from Tom Brady to Nelson Mandela. 

So, without further ado… Whaddya gonna do about it?

Acceptance

Image source: FreePik

The solutions that follow cannot be accomplished without first accepting the situation. Many people find this the most challenging step, as easy as it sounds. 

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As you start to take your first steps on your Yoga journey, you’re bound to run into the image of a tree sooner or later. You may see people wearing jewellery or boasting tattoos similar trees too.

There are many reasons for this – but two of them stand out in front of the others.

The first is a snapshot into history and the ties of Yoga to Buddhism. When the Buddha first achieved enlightenment (Samadhi), he was sat in front of the Bodhi Tree. After countless days spent sat under the tree – days that included both starvation and a direct encounter with a demon – Buddha became enlightened. Another word for enlightenment is “Bodhi”. Hence the name – Bodhi tree. You can find Bodhi trees in most sacred spaces in India. You can even find the “Mahabodhi Tree” in Bhod Gaya, supposed to be a direct descendant of the tree Buddha became enlightened under (It’s only about 250 years younger).

However, the second reason is the one...

Our life begins with an inhale and ends on an exhale. Our breath is our life force. We do it every day, unconsciously and automatically. In yoga, breathing is a crucial subject. In this blog we will tell you why.

Yoga Breath  

Everyone can do yoga, because everyone breathes. Breathing is an important aspect of yoga as it focuses on becoming aware of your body, it helps you to feel more present, and encourages you to tune inwards. By consciously focusing on your breath, you can control it, controlling the length and pace of your inhalations and exhalations.

You might have heard of the term ‘pranayama’ before. It is the Sanskrit word for breathing: prana means life energy and ayama means to extend, draw out. Pranayama is about controlling your life force, by controlling your breath. If you become consciously aware of your breathing, you feel the life force running through your body.

The way you breathe has an impact on your mood. Breathing slowly can help you to...

Hi, my name is Lucy and I have recently moved to beautiful Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. I heard all about Avani’s yoga center AmaSer, so I decided to come along to one of her Yin & Restore classes on a Tuesday afternoon. The class started just before the sun was beginning to set and the afternoon was turning to dusk.  Here are five things I learnt about yoga! 

1. Yoga is accessible, even to a newbie like me

I would not exactly class myself as a Yogi. I was a little nervous before going to class. What if I obviously stuck out as a rookie, what if I could not hold a posture? Avani made me feel welcome as soon as I entered the class. She begun by explaining the purpose of the class and demonstrated every pose by including a number of variations to make sure you were comfortable and could really connect with how you held your body – without hurting yourself! It was easy to follow and made me feel like I was being cared for, rather than judged.

2. Even a...

You want to create ripples of happiness wherever you are? Want to be considered a ray of sunshine to all who gaze upon you? Are you getting trapped from your saintly goals by your stubborn human-ness?

Lucky for you, you can zipzap your way to Samadhi by using the ancient wisdom of the first five Living Principles of Yoga; the Yamas.

So maybe, just maybe, you handle the next long line at the bank or lunch with your loud-chewing friend with just a little more grace.

The Yamas

Principles of ethical behavior, the things to not do with the people around us. Aka keep it together, people.

1. Ahimsa- Non-violence. No more stabbing people, okay? But seriously, this one is a sneaky one. The most pervasive violence we foster can be in our thoughts and it can apply to other people, the environment, and, most frequently, ourselves. Every negative thought separates the individual from their connection to others and pushes away Samadhi, which is really just the feeling of...

5 Tools To Achieve Inner Peace NOW

Do you want to levitate your way to the supermarket? Do you want to handle problems with a smile on your face and a skip in your step?

Ancient Yogic wisdom tells you how to do it with the Niyamas- the 2nd limb of ashtanga (8 limbs) yoga and the last 5 Living Principles of Yoga. Per usual, the ancient gurus have got our back.

The Niyamas

The observances, internal disciplines, codes to live soulfully and relate to our own inner world.

• Saucha- Purity. Stay clean! Not just hygienically, but in thoughts and actions and food. Don’t weigh yourself down with unnecessary baggage.

• Santosa- Contentment. Not to be confused with complacency, contentment is appreciating the present moment for what it is, while still having ambition to improve.

• Tapas- Self-discipline, training your senses. Sometimes negative patterns need a little fire to burn through them. Hard-work can be fantastic medicine to blast through limitations.

• ...

YOUR KULA IS YOUR COMMUNITY OF THE HEART.

The people you turn to when you’re happy, sad, a little frustrated, or anything in between. They are the crew that makes you feel validated in your oh-so-human experience, a social space where you can feel seen as the greatest, largest, most phenomenal version of yourself, the one that is ever-present and waiting to be recognized.

Kula’s can appear in various stages of life and you can collect them as you go. They can be groups with whom you have a shared understanding of a shared experience, philosophy, education, or job. The stronger the ties, the more more likely you are to be happy. Across the world, The Blue Zones of Happiness indicate that one of the strongest corollary factor between the worlds’ happiest places is the sense of community.

Find your Kula by following your own desires. The more true you are to yourself, the better you will be able to find a Kula you resonate with. What are you...