One of my favorite columns in Yoga Journal is Beginner’s Expert, written by Natasha Rizopoulos.  Natasha is a yoga teacher who has been teaching and training yoga teachers for many years.  In her column she talks about how practice safely while getting the most out of the practice.  She also created a DVD, the Yoga Journal Step by Step Home Practice.  I had the pleasure of talking with Natasha about yoga.

1.      When and how did you start yoga?

About 15 years ago.  A friend brought me to an asana class and I was instantly hooked … It was reminiscent of the best of my days as a ballet dancer, without some of the negative aspects that had caused me to stop dancing.

2.  Why did you become a teacher?

I wanted to share the thing I had become so passionate about so that others could experience the benefits that so immediately became apparent to me.  I wanted to help people so that they could get on a Yogic path and stay on it, in whatever incarnation, for the rest of their lives.

3.  What is your purpose and goal for your online column for Yoga Journal?

It relates to why I started teaching; as a new practitioner I became hurt quite quickly because I had a lot of enthusiasm but not much information or guidance.  My hope with the column is to share essential information about foundational postures so that students can find the fullest and safest expression of poses, and be able practice for years to come without injuring themselves.

4. Do you have any future plans?

I’ll continue to lead Teacher Trainings (currently I lead 2 a year in Boston) and write and travel.  In the immediate future I’m thinking about creating some podcasts so that people who can’t get to my classes can still practice with me, and down the road I hope to put it all together in a book, but at the moment that is a fairly distant dream …

5.  Do you have any advice for beginning yoga students?

Please, please go to Beginner classes!  Even if you are already quite fit or athletic you will be served by spending at least a little while in a Beginner setting, so that you can get the crucial information about breath and alignment that is often assumed, and therefore not articulated, in more advanced classes.  My great regret is that I didn’t go to Beginner classes when I was new to the mat … (I mistakenly thought they would be boring, when in fact the pace and wealth of information makes a good Beginner class a truly enriching and satisfying experience).  As a result, I had some unnecessary injuries and think I actually slowed down my progress because I didn’t really know what was going on and was always playing catch-up.  Although I rarely go to public classes these days, when I do my favorites are inevitably Beginner classes, because the tone in the room is so beautiful, and the gentle and measured pace allows me to move at the speed that I prefer and that I practice at home.

Visit Natasha at http://www.natasharizopoulos.com/ and http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/1593

Anger can be destructive while undermining happiness and freedom.  It can also destroy the peacefulness of the mind and body.  When we are angry we experience mental turmoil, frustration and feelings of uneasiness.  We often get so caught up in anger that we often lose our focus on our goals and tasks at hand.  Too much anger and stress can also lead to health problems such as high blood pressure.

There are many emotional forms of anger such as hatred, outrage and frustration.  Sometimes the expression of anger can cause hurt feelings or give a bad impression.  However, anger can also drive us to meet our goals, to make positive changes and provide extra strength.  There are many causes of anger such as social rejection, discrimination and peoples’ words and actions.

In everyday life we were always taught to suppress anger and divert attention away from it.  We were also taught to express our anger, but the key is to do it in a healthy way.  Yoga has taught us to look inside of ourselves to find the root of the problem at issue.  At the same time we must observe ourselves experiencing the anger while feeling the emotions.  Once we ask ourselves why we are angry, we must accept our feelings and acknowledge them as part of ourselves.  Once we have taken ownership of our anger, we can use that power to do good, resolve the issue and to grow.  Anger should not be feared since it can be a self-exploring tool to find more wisdom about ourselves.

I have always seen anger as a way to determine what your passion and purpose is in life.  For example, I get very angry about discrimination against disabled individuals.  I have used this passion to create my column to bring light to issues facing the disabled while hoping that I am making a difference.  When I am angry I always pay close attention to how I express my feelings without offending others or escalating the situation.  I prefer to come to a quiet resolution that all parties agree upon because peace is the key to any problem.

Being a perfectionist has its good and bad points.  A normal perfectionist strives to achieve reasonable goals while being realistic in their own life.  However, being too much of a perfectionist can cause you to be tied up in knots and bring about feelings of anxiety, shame and worry.

The good part of being a perfectionist is self-satisfaction and enhanced self-esteem and pride.  People who are normal perfectionists are more self oriented and usually measure against themselves rather than others.  Abnormal perfectionists strive for very high standards, have fears of failure and disappointing others.  They usually discount success while focusing on failures.  Their performance is usually based on the approval of others.

A yogini lives life to the fullest while experiencing the joy in everything we do.  They obtain a healthy body, clear, strong minds while being selfless, compassionate and loving.  The practice of yoga shows us how to focus on ourselves while being non-judgmental or comparing ourselves to others.  One of the main lessons of yoga is that we are all different and unique.  We should accept ourselves for who we are.

There are steps we can take to remove the negative perfectionist from our life.  The first one is to retrain our way of thinking from negative thoughts to positive thoughts.  The second step is to give yourself permission that it is ok for you not to be the best at everything.  Always achieve the maximum while acknowledging mistakes and failures that we can learn from.  The next one is to always live in the present while leaving the past behind you.  The final step is to try to take the negative energy and use it as a positive force to move on.  Always remember to be honest with yourself and be open to the truth.

Over the years I have struggled with the negative aspects of being a perfectionist.  I have found that through yoga I am learning to accept myself for who I am and to stop worrying about pleasing everyone.  I am also learning to do my best while only meeting my expectations and not comparing myself to others.  As a yogini, I try to live each day with love and happiness while reminding myself that all I can do is my best and to leave the past in the past.

Yoga isn’t just about exercise.  It is a way of life for many like myself.  Yoga is not only good for the body but also calms the mind and connects us with our soul.  Through yoga, you can achieve the senses of love, happiness and peace.  Yoga is connected to many other practices such as meditation and Pilates.  It is also connected to the practice of ayurveda, a form of holistic healing.  This practice has the traditional roots in India.

Ayurveda has three main qualities.  The first one is tamas, which is when the mind and body become overtired, unenergized and unmotivated.  This can cause chronic ailments, depression and overeating.  The middle quality is rajas, which is the over-stimulation of the mind and body, which can cause physical and mental stress.  The third type, sattva, is the goal sought by ayurveda, an equal balance of rajas and tamas.  Yogis believe that our bodies are temples that should be fueled with healthy foods, peaceful activities and acquiring the qualities to give us that healthy balance in life.  A person’s lifestyle and diet truly affects their state of mind.  To achieve the equal state between mind and body a yogi practices the traits of being kind, helpful, patient, tolerant, generous and selfless.  In the practice of sattvic the following activities are enjoyed: calming meditation, reading literature, playing games and listening to peaceful music.

In the ayurveda practice, what we eat truly affects us on the inside as well as the outside.  In order to keep an equal balance in our mind and body calming whole foods are eaten such as fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, beans and nuts.  Avoid processed and packaged foods and junk food because too much of it can clutter our minds and bodies.  The main goal is to find a healthy balance between all three qualities to lead us to be happy and healthy with ourselves.

In the end, we will have achieved peace of mind, health, strength and immunity from negative aspects of our lives.  Whenever I read and research any topic from yoga to health and spirituality, I take what I learned and apply it to my life to grow in many ways.  I do not believe in following everything to the letter; rather, I modify it to how I want to live my life.  Part of being a yogi is discovering and finding your own spiritual path to love and happiness in life because it is your own personal choice.

At some time in our lives we have experienced anger and hurt feelings.  It is not healthy to keep these emotions bottled up since it creates negative energy.  Being a firm believer that we can only flourish in a postive energy environment, I am always working on removing any negative aspects from my life.

In yoga, we practice and feel compassion in our daily lives.  Yoga also teaches us to forgive, to continue living in the present instead of the past.  Recognizing and feeling your emotions while moving into a compassionate state can accomplish this.  From this state, you can use your positive action to experience personal growth.

When we feel anger and hurt, we often don’t know what to do with these emotions.  We can use yoga and meditation to work through these emotions.  The first step is to tell the story on how the anger and hurt came to be.  Then we must recognize and acknowledge our feelings and accept that we may never be able to completely resolve these feelings.  The next step is to determine what price you are paying by holding onto the grudge and determine if it is worth it.  We must accept that we are the only ones that can change our attitude and feelings.  While breathing in and out, look inside yourself for guidance and forgiveness while paying attention to what your heart says.

Keeping a journal of the process is an excellent tool to gain positive insight on this experience.  I have always believed that once you write down a painful incident you can turn the page and move on.  This practice can give us the peace we need in order to move forward into a positive place.  Just like everything else in life, this process is challenging and requires a lot of practice, focus and drive to reach your goal of letting the negative energy go.

I will admit it I am web surfer addict I am always coming across interesting websites one being Bella life. It is a great website for women to add color to their life. The site covers a wide range of topics from health, beauty to self-improvement. I had an opportunity to speak with the creator Nitika Chopera about Bella Life. Her goal and passion is to inspire is to inspire people to embrace love and happiness in every moment. Niitika has experience life in many ways from writing, acting to being a life coach.  Bella life is a stepping stone in achieving her goal of hosting her own talk show to inspire women every where to live their best life. Check out the site at yourbellalife.com

Self-determination is defined as having the skills and knowledgebase to look forward with plans in mind to attain their goals and make their dreams happen.  In order to have self-determination you must understand and know your strengths while accepting your limitations in life.  Once you have this understanding, you can start believing in yourself and believing that you can do anything that you put your mind to.

Self-determination is very important to an individual with disabilities for several reasons.  The first one is overcoming barriers because it takes a strong conviction to break through them.  Secondly, on an everyday basis people with disabilities have to deal with stigmas and misconceptions.  Due to that, they are always having to prove themselves and show that despite their disability, they have the same ability to reach goals as everyone else.

There are many ways to build self-determination.  The first one is to explore what your options and interests are.  After reflection you focus in on what you want out of life and plan a strategy on how to achieve it.  It is also important to have good advocacy skills to help you fight for and win what you want.

Having strong self-determination can help build a strong, positive self-esteem while giving oneself confidence in their abilities and help them see what they can achieve.  I believe all of my success from school to being a columnist to a disability advocate comes from having a strong determination that allows me to believe that you can do anything you put your mind to.  Every day is filled with exciting new possibilities waiting to be discovered.  That is what keeps my life exciting and fun.

I have always been very creative exploring new activities.  Creativity is the ability or power to create through originality, expressiveness and imaginatively.  There are many benefits to practicing creativity.  I think the greatest benefit is to have fun and enjoy what you’re doing.  Doing a creative project can be very relaxing and great for releasing stress.  There also some other very positive aspects of being creative, such as improving problem solving skills, exploring new ideas and expressing yourself.  I always enjoy the challenge of finding new ways to do things and experimenting with new solutions.

Over the years I used my creativity and curiosity to explore and try a variety of activities.  Creativity can be expressed in many ways.  A good example is playing music since it expresses how we feel on the inside.  I have tried to play the piano, the clarinet and guitar.  Even though I found it difficult to read the sheet music and push the correct keys on the instruments I still enjoyed those experiences.  Dancing is another good way to express your creativity.  Whenever I hear music I always move to beat expressing the fun dancing has to offer.  Over the years I have taken ballet classes even with my poor balance and stiff joints. Since I enjoyed ballet so much I would just repeat the beginner class.  I also tried to be creative by doing needlepoint but had to give it up due to eye strain headaches.  Over the years I have taken art classes like stenciling and designing t-shirts to explore my creative ability.  Today I foster my creativity through photography, drawing and journaling. So my advice is to use your creativity to find a hidden talent, take up an exciting hobby and learn something new.  More importantly have fun in life.

All feelings are natural and should be allowed to flow through your mind and mind. I use meditation to sit and feel what isGoing through my mind and body. Then I move into my yoga practice where my feelings are released through my breath and yoga poses. I have also found journaling and sketching a great way to release and see my feelings. We all experience different emotions every day it is what we do with them that counts. For more on feelings visit

http://www.herfuture.com/group/addmoreing

Inner guidance is the small voice within ourselves that helps us make life choices while giving us daily support. I believe our inner guidance if found in our hearts which is the center of the mind and body connection. I have been known to say listen and follow what your heart says. The heart holds the key to love, happiness, strength and power. It is also where our truth lies. Always act from the heart it will never fail you.

Every morning I connect to my inner guidance through my meditation practice. I start by placing my hand over my heart repeating Love, peace and happiness. My breath follows my heartbeat where my focus is. During this time I receive answers or support that I need at that time. After the meditation I move into my yoga practice that helps me prepare for the day ahead of me.

For help finding your inner guidance read

Add More ING To Your Life Bye Gabrielle Bernstein

Also join the Inner guidance discussion at

http://www.herfuture.com/group/addmoreing

Check out my weekly column

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