This past weekend I attended an empowered flow yoga workshop at Kripalu presented by Seane Corn. It was one of my best experiences in my life from yummy food to amazing yoga and enlightening discussions. The best part was connecting with my teacher, role model and mentor Seane. She definitely is the queen of yoga and activism inspiring everyone in the room with her words of passion and purpose. She spoke her truth with love from her heart and soul leaving all of us feeling empowered. I will admit it at first I was star struck but that vanished when we first saw and recognized each other like kinder spirits following the same path. I still recall many years ago at a time I felt lost, disconnected and depressed it was the practice of yoga through Seane DVDs that awaken and connected my mind and body. I also remember reading an interview in a yoga magazine where Seane talked about yoga and activism. After reading the article it was like light ball went off in my head everything seem so clear. Yoga helped me discover and nurture my passion and purpose of helping people with disabilities through my words and experiences. Over the years I have grown and lived by Sean example in all areas of my life through practicing yoga on and off the mat. Today I am proud to be woman with disabilities, yogini, writer and disabilities rights activist.

The month of October is known as Breast Cancer Awareness month, with the color pink being its symbol. The key to successfully treating breast cancer is early intervention. Knowledge is power, from knowing the latest information, family history to regular doctor check ups.nothing is more important then our health so take time to educate and be active in keeping yourself healthy, starting with knowing the latest health news and keeping regular doctor appointments. visit http://www.nbcam.org/ for more information

One of my favorite things that come at the end of the yoga practice is the gesture and saying the praise namaste. I feel this is a very profound moment where we are honoring others and ourselves in celebrating life. The simple act of placing our hands in prayer position at the heart and repeating namaste while bowing is a very powerful message.
It means I see and knowledge the spirit filled with love flowing with in others and us with respect. Take the time and enjoy the practice of namaste

My Column Printed in the Republican 9/28

The United States Census Bureau released data regarding the poverty level in our country this month. To be considered living in poverty a single person would have to be earning less than $11,139. Today, the poverty level is at its highest level in fifty-two years, with 46.2 million people living in poverty.

The 2010 census found that 9.5 percent of householders in the 18 to 64 age range have a disability, with a median income of $25,550. In comparison, non-disabled householders have a median income of $58,736. The census figures also indicate that 27.9 percent of disabled individuals are in poverty, compared with 12.5 percent of non-disabled individuals.

There are many contributing factors as to why people with disabilities are in poverty. One reason is that the portion of disabled individuals receiving Social Security have gone several years without an increase in their monthly benefit amount to reflect the higher cost of living.

Another problem with receiving Social Security payments is that often individuals have to deal with restrictions about how much they can earn while working. High unemployment rates greatly affect the chance that people with disabilities have in finding employment.

Budgets cuts happening and looming at both the national and state level will greatly affect programs that people with disabilities depend for many of their needs. Many of these programs are used for assistance with housing, medical care and employment. As a society we must come together to ensure each person in our country is living comfortably with basic needs being met. We all are equal and should be treated that way. No one should have to live in poverty.

When I first discovered yoga I was at first looking for an exercise program a way to stay healthy. But I soon discovered it was so much more starting with helping me finds my spiritual connection to the universe. It fuels my passion and purpose as a writer and activist. My practice flows into my every day life from relationships, work to all activities. It has become who I am a loving, happy and peaceful yogini who sees, feels, speaks and listens with her heart. Every morning as I sit upon my yoga mat give thanks to the practice for all its awards and creating my life namaste

Printed in the Republican Plus Paper 9/14/11

Through the Internet, I crossed paths with life coach and motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein. We instantly connected with each other and found we both followed similar paths. Like myself, Gabrielle is a “lovetarian” who promotes positive living. We have become friends who help and support one another.

Gabrielle’s second book, Spirit Junkie, is being released as of September 13. Her first book, Add More ~Ing To Your Life, talks about embracing positive influences while getting rid of negative ones through the use of affirmations, meditation and physical activity. In her second book, Gabrielle shares her experience overcoming negative behaviors from drug addiction to self-loathing. She bases her teachings on a book titled A Course in Miracles, which shows how to relinquish fear from all aspects of life while allowing love to flow freely. The idea is to choose love over fear. There is a perception shift once we call out our ego and let it go into the universe.

Just like Gabrielle, I share my own experiences to inspire and help others. We can learn so much from listening to our and others’ stories. We all are equal with our own individual talents and gifts to offer the world.

Spirit Junkie is a very helpful tool in releasing fear and negativity from our lives leaving in place love and positive energy. It is a fact that negative energy just weighs us down, taking us to a darker place. When we focus on love and the positive forces we can be peaceful and happy letting miracles happen. For more information visit http://gabbyb.tv/

The best part of the retreat at Kripalu was the unlimited yoga classes you can take. Upon arriving I tried the gentle yoga class before dinner. I found it to be very relaxing with a lot of stretching. I was surprised to find how easy the class was and that my yoga practice has advance from a beginner level. Saturday and Sunday I took the moderate yoga class with Michelle who was an excellent teacher. She encourages us to explore each pose using our own ability to guide referring our yoga mats as science labs. I think it is important to remember that each individual practice is unique meeting their needs. As a yogini with physical limitations I am proud how far I have come in my practice and each day I am growing and learning with each pose. I also loved the powerful energy in the class’s fuel by the love of yoga. I am already looking forward to my next retreat at Kripalu.

At my weekend retreat at Kripalu Gabrielle Bernstein taught us basic of being a spiritual junkie based on her upcoming book. A spiritual junkie is someone who connects with his or her inner guidance known as the voice of love. When we let in fear we often loose our true selves. It is about choosing love and faith over fear. This is done by recognizing and forgiving the fear then letting it go through meditation, prayer and journaling. Staying focus on love we always lead us to our truth. Visit http://gabbyb.tv/ for more information.
I am proud to be a spiritual junkie spreading the message of love.

One of my favorite you tube channels is the Tara Stiles Yoga channel Where she talks about yoga, cooking and meditation. I can relate to her yoga philosophy of any one can do yoga and its accessible because of the way I have modified my own yoga practice to meet my needs and lifestyle. There is no right way to practice because we all are all unique in our own way. I had the pleasure of chatting with Tara about yoga

1. How did you discover yoga?
My earliest memories were feelings and experiences of universal connectivity. I taught myself how to meditate and experienced a lot of synesthesia from my early years. For me, an expression of yoga is who we all are . . . connected.

2. What made you decide to become a yoga instructor?

I shared what I learned from a hatha yoga teacher I had in ballet school with my friends who hadn’t had exposure to yoga. I had a strong urge that everyone needed to connect and so I began to share that. I never thought. . . I want to be a yoga instructor, it sort of happened naturally as a by product of following and cultivating my interests.

3. What is your message about yoga?
Yoga is already there inside all of us. It is for everyone, because it is everyone. When we connect back with ourselves, we remember that everything we need to know, is already right there.

4. What is your goal with your studio, DVDs and books?

Sharing yoga with an aim to connect people back to themselves. People get radiantly healthy, happy, intuitive, creative, and connected. It’s nice.

5. Advice any one beginning yoga?
Start where you are, because that is right where you need to be. And being in the present moment is what it’s all about anyway. Don’t worry about achieving a pose. Yoga isn’t about poses. But when you relax, focus, and practice consistently, you’ll be able to do all the poses with ease, and you’ll really realize that it’s not about the poses. Enjoy your breath and allow yourself to experience whatever it’s like to be inside of you right now. Buckel up, it’s going to be a great ride!

6. Any future projects?
New book coming out in April, Yoga Cures, with Random House. New DVD series with Deepak launching at Christmas called Yoga Transformations. Other fun stuff upcoming also 🙂

visit Tara athttp://www.youtube.com/user/TaraStilesYoga

This is actually this weeks column printed today in the Republican a important reminder

Very recently, I read a news story on the Channel 22 News website about how two wheelchairs were stolen off of a disabled woman’s front porch. Thankfully, they were recovered a short time later. My first thought was how and why would someone take something that is so vitally important to a person’s survival and independence. We often don’t realize how our words and actions can affect others in a negative or positive way. Another example is how some words in the English language are considered offensive, such as the word retarded.

A ripple effect is a gradual slow chain reaction to our own actions in life. We often get so caught up in life that we don’t take into consideration how our actions really affecting others, especially those in our lives. We can all take the time to be more empathic, the practice of feeling another person’s feelings while understanding their situation. The key is acknowledging and understanding your own feelings before relating to others. Once we have that understanding it can be expressed through words and affection. Showing empathy allows us to be more sensitive, compassionate and conscious.

On a daily basis I practice mindful communication, choosing my words with love and honesty. I also ensure that all of my actions reflect my peaceful nature with only the intention of helping others. When we listen, feel and speak with our heart we will always stay true to others and ourselves. My regular meditation and yoga practice help me stay connected with both my compassion and empathic skills while surrounding myself with positive energy. I have always believed you should treat others the way you want to be treated.