"Namaste means that whatever is precious and beautiful in me honors whatever is precious and beautiful in you.” — Debasish Mridha  #Namaste!
We hear it in class, we say it post-class, but do we know what it means? Namaste is an ancient Sanskrit word with Hindu roots that dates all the way back to the Vedic period. It’s an expression that has been used for thousands of years and while Namaste has many different translations and uses, it is above all an expression of respect. Namaste is a declaration of appreciation, a non-contact expression and respect towards another person, entity or deity. It can be used as a hello greeting and even as a goodbye, so you might say Namaste upon meeting someone, or before parting ways. It is derived from two key Sanskrit words: Namah: bow, adoration, salutation Te: to you Are you ready to honor yourself and others with a Namaste greeting, but you’re not sure how to express it correctly? The good news: there is no ‘right’ way to say Namaste, as long as it is being used as an expression of reverence, respect and gratitude. It is a three-syllable word that is pronounced naah – muh – stay. Just like chanting Om, you may or may not feel comfortable bowing and saying Namaste at the end of a yoga class. Only you can decide if incorporating Namaste into your practice and interactions with others makes sense. You can most certainly convey the intention behind Namaste without ever speaking the word, if you so choose. Just like your asana practice, honor yourself, and meet yourself where you are. If and when you’re ready to say Namaste, you’ll know. MENTORSHIP WITH VICYASA™... Yoga with Victor's mentorship program... for teachers looking to sharpen their tools and hone in on varying skills that will make you more proficient at sequencing, teaching anatomy, or widening their skill set to become a successful instructor and craft your own business model. What if you're not a teacher and would like to prepare for training or enhance your ever-hungry-desire to absorb all things yoga? Holla' at me. Feel like your 200 hour training ended with you needing more questions answered? Want to expand on those teachings? Do you feel like there are areas of your teaching repertoire that need enhancing? Contact me for more info and enrollment. PRIVATES: ONE-TO-ONE WORK! If you want to set up any private sessions or events, please contact me through email. You can learn more about privates: CLICK HERE! SINGLE CLASSES We've added single class purchases to our on-demand offerings. How does it work? A $17 payment will give you access to a single pre-recorded class with Victor or anyone on his staff. The private link with unique access code will give you entry to that class, which you can load anytime you want. You'll have 24-hours of unlimited access to that class. No refunds, returns and you must use that class within 24-hours of receiving it before it expires. You can request a teacher on our on-demand options... featuring Demetra Kentrotas (@d_meetch), Leanne McDermott (@leannerays), Elinor Cohen (@elinorraerigby) and others. YOGA AT OHHHMMM LIVE VIRTUAL SCHEDULE: MONDAY: 9/2/2024 NO CLASSES TUESDAY: 9/3/2024 NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY: 9/4/2024 NO CLASSES THURSDAY: 9/5/2024 NO CLASSES FRIDAY: 9/6/2024 NO CLASSES SATURDAY: 9/7/2024 NO CLASSES SUNDAY: 9/8/2024 NO CLASSES *ALL CLASSES EST *SESSIONS 45/60 MINUTES *WAIVER STATEMENT: I understand that I must be in good physical health to participate in these classes, that my participation may cause an injury and that I should consult with my physician before I take a class. I am taking these classes at my own risk. I waive any claim for personal injury and any other damages that I may have against the school, studio and/or the teachers who are offering these classes. *NEW REGULAR RATES:
PAYMENT: VENMO -- @Vicyasa Paypal -- [email protected] NAMASTE, Victor Cotto www.YogaWithVictor.com Instagram: CottoVic Facebook: Yoga With Victor - Vicyasa™
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"Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today." - Robert Louis Stevenson  Abundance... This time of year is the time of first harvest; apples are ripening and corn is being brought in from the field. During the season of gathering, we take time to enjoy the cornucopian feast that nature has laid out before us.
Whether we live in a concrete jungle or the country, we can mindfully redirect our senses to appreciate the bountifulness and abundance of the season. During this period it is imperative we remember to say thank you to Mother Earth for providing and not just with consumption of the goods we have received, but giving unto others who may know what the environment has to offer... acts of kindness. Our yoga practice during this transition can focus on cultivating contentment, gratitude, and happiness. Yoga Sutra 2.42 can translate to, “Happiness is attained through contentment.” When we cultivate gratitude as a spiritual practice, contentment [Santosha] naturally follows, and from contentment happiness blooms. Whereas happiness can be elusive, the path of gratitude and contentment is always available to us. Ask yourself this season:
MENTORSHIP WITH VICYASA™... Yoga with Victor's mentorship program... for teachers looking to sharpen their tools and hone in on varying skills that will make you more proficient at sequencing, teaching anatomy, or widening their skill set to become a successful instructor and craft your own business model. What if you're not a teacher and would like to prepare for training or enhance your ever-hungry-desire to absorb all things yoga? Holla' at me. Feel like your 200 hour training ended with you needing more questions answered? Want to expand on those teachings? Do you feel like there are areas of your teaching repertoire that need enhancing? Contact me for more info and enrollment. PRIVATES: ONE-TO-ONE WORK! If you want to set up any private sessions or events, please contact me through email. You can learn more about privates: CLICK HERE! SINGLE CLASSES We've added single class purchases to our on-demand offerings. How does it work? A $17 payment will give you access to a single pre-recorded class with Victor or anyone on his staff. The private link with unique access code will give you entry to that class, which you can load anytime you want. You'll have 24-hours of unlimited access to that class. No refunds, returns and you must use that class within 24-hours of receiving it before it expires. You can request a teacher on our on-demand options... featuring Demetra Kentrotas (@d_meetch), Leanne McDermott (@leannerays), Elinor Cohen (@elinorraerigby) and others. YOGA AT OHHHMMM LIVE VIRTUAL SCHEDULE: MONDAY: 8/26/2024 NO CLASSES TUESDAY: 8/27/2024 NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY: 8/28/2024 NO CLASSES THURSDAY: 8/29/2024 NO CLASSES FRIDAY: 8/30/2024 NO CLASSES SATURDAY: 8/31/2024 NO CLASSES SUNDAY: 9/1/2024 NO CLASSES *ALL CLASSES EST *SESSIONS 45/60 MINUTES *WAIVER STATEMENT: I understand that I must be in good physical health to participate in these classes, that my participation may cause an injury and that I should consult with my physician before I take a class. I am taking these classes at my own risk. I waive any claim for personal injury and any other damages that I may have against the school, studio and/or the teachers who are offering these classes. *NEW REGULAR RATES:
PAYMENT: VENMO -- @Vicyasa Paypal -- [email protected] NAMASTE, Victor Cotto www.YogaWithVictor.com Instagram: CottoVic Facebook: Yoga With Victor - Vicyasa™ “August is like the Sunday of summer.” -- unknown  As we countdown the Summer, be mindful of the cooling and calming approach of our practice, especially with the potential frenzied entrance into the September season where change can be abundant and the shift can be a drastic one.
To balance the heat-waves and energy harnessed by the summer season, aim to cultivate the opposite environment on the inside of the body — cool and calm. During this time of year, a good counter for high energy would be to create a lunar current within the body by focusing on activities and foods that are cooling. This approach will nourish your system and help increase your energy levels. Moon Salutations, Sun salutations (with walk forwards), supported backbends, legs up a wall to close practice, wide legged forward folds and floor twists all send a calming wave through the nervous system and serve the body’s attempts to self-regulate. Hint: a lil' mint essential oil sprinkled on the mat provides a exhiliating cooling effect too. MENTORSHIP WITH VICYASA™... Yoga with Victor's mentorship program... for teachers looking to sharpen their tools and hone in on varying skills that will make you more proficient at sequencing, teaching anatomy, or widening their skill set to become a successful instructor and craft your own business model. What if you're not a teacher and would like to prepare for training or enhance your ever-hungry-desire to absorb all things yoga? Holla' at me. Feel like your 200 hour training ended with you needing more questions answered? Want to expand on those teachings? Do you feel like there are areas of your teaching repertoire that need enhancing? Contact me for more info and enrollment. PRIVATES: ONE-TO-ONE WORK! If you want to set up any private sessions or events, please contact me through email. You can learn more about privates: CLICK HERE! SINGLE CLASSES We've added single class purchases to our on-demand offerings. How does it work? A $17 payment will give you access to a single pre-recorded class with Victor or anyone on his staff. The private link with unique access code will give you entry to that class, which you can load anytime you want. You'll have 24-hours of unlimited access to that class. No refunds, returns and you must use that class within 24-hours of receiving it before it expires. You can request a teacher on our on-demand options... featuring Demetra Kentrotas (@d_meetch), Leanne McDermott (@leannerays), Elinor Cohen (@elinorraerigby) and others. YOGA AT OHHHMMM LIVE VIRTUAL SCHEDULE: MONDAY: 8/19/2024 NO CLASSES TUESDAY: 8/20/2024 NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY: 8/21/2024 NO CLASSES THURSDAY: 8/22/2024 NO CLASSES FRIDAY: 8/23/2024 NO CLASSES SATURDAY: 8/24/2024 NO CLASSES SUNDAY: 8/25/2024 NO CLASSES *ALL CLASSES EST *SESSIONS 45/60 MINUTES *WAIVER STATEMENT: I understand that I must be in good physical health to participate in these classes, that my participation may cause an injury and that I should consult with my physician before I take a class. I am taking these classes at my own risk. I waive any claim for personal injury and any other damages that I may have against the school, studio and/or the teachers who are offering these classes. *NEW REGULAR RATES:
PAYMENT: VENMO -- @Vicyasa Paypal -- [email protected] NAMASTE, Victor Cotto www.YogaWithVictor.com Instagram: CottoVic Facebook: Yoga With Victor - Vicyasa™ "You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are." -- Eckhart Tolle  If Yoga just means physical postures [asana] to you... you are depreciating and diminishing the meaning of yoga. It isn't sun salutations [surya namaskar], vinyasa flow, or chaturanga [four-limbed staff pose].
Advanced yoga does not mean difficult body positions that require strength and super-bendy flexibility. Yet, this is how Yoga is portrayed in modern times. Going with this definition disparages the profound spiritual path Yoga really is. I was introduced to yoga the way most people are today — through physical practice, a vinyasa class that quickly hooked me. When I first started practicing asana, I was immediately drawn to the technical exploration of the postures. I would research each one and figure out which muscles I needed to stretch and strengthen, release and what to stabilize or move to move forward. Then there's a time in your practice when you find yourself thinking, “now what?” It’s that moment when you realize the physical practice is just one teaching -- you start scratching the surface. Initially the asana practice put me in a mindset where we believe, like in many aspects in life "I’ll be happier once I have [more money / that dream job / fancier clothes / a partner / my own house / a car, etc…]" In relation to my journey with Yoga, it was the next yoga pose. I thought it would not only bring me happiness, but validation and success. “Once I’m able to do an arm balance, back bend or invert, more people will respect and admire me, I’ll feel fulfilled and I’ll be a better yoga teacher.” Spoiler alert: that doesn’t happen. As my practice evolved over the years, I began to recognize my mental patterns and observe them more closely. I slowly started to realize that my old belief system had failed; mastering yoga postures didn’t necessarily make me a better, or even more enlightened person. It's not to say that the postures aren't an important part of the yoga experience, they definitely are! But yoga is about what the postures teach you — compassion, patience, cultivating self-awareness. And maybe along the way of achieving Dhanurasana you learn something deeper than how to backbend — how to be in an uncomfortable situation and still be able to breathe and find some ease in your body, mind and spirit. That inner awareness on the mat starts to help us cultivate inner awareness in our daily lives so that we can start reconnecting to that quiet inner voice and make conscious choices on how we interact with the world. Most of us are walking through life with very little self-awareness. So many people have never been aware of their breath, aware of body sensations, aware of thoughts. Most of us are on autopilot, doing what we were taught to do and never questioning anything. The yoga practice is a lifelong voyage of self-discovery — one that occurs off and on the mat. Ultimately, yoga as a tool or technique is a physical practice with a spiritual intention. Everything we do physically has a deeper, spiritual lesson. We can use physical practice to learn about ourselves and to make peace with ourselves; to open up a channel into the divine, into grace; and in that space of grace there is healing and freedom. As a parting ‘gift’, I invite you to challenge your current definition of Yoga. And beyond poses; meditation, journaling, acts of compassion, listening, reading, singing, taking a walk, ... become more connected with yourself, to nature, to the world, to a partner... moment to moment without needing to strike a pose. VUORI CLOTHING GIVEAWAY! Thanks to Vuori for the goodies as we wrap-up our Summer of swag. We'll do in person giveaways at New York Yoga and Sui Yoga for attendees at those studios. MENTORSHIP WITH VICYASA™... Yoga with Victor's mentorship program... for teachers looking to sharpen their tools and hone in on varying skills that will make you more proficient at sequencing, teaching anatomy, or widening their skill set to become a successful instructor and craft your own business model. What if you're not a teacher and would like to prepare for training or enhance your ever-hungry-desire to absorb all things yoga? Holla' at me. Feel like your 200 hour training ended with you needing more questions answered? Want to expand on those teachings? Do you feel like there are areas of your teaching repertoire that need enhancing? Contact me for more info and enrollment. PRIVATES: ONE-TO-ONE WORK! If you want to set up any private sessions or events, please contact me through email. You can learn more about privates: CLICK HERE! SINGLE CLASSES We've added single class purchases to our on-demand offerings. How does it work? A $17 payment will give you access to a single pre-recorded class with Victor or anyone on his staff. The private link with unique access code will give you entry to that class, which you can load anytime you want. You'll have 24-hours of unlimited access to that class. No refunds, returns and you must use that class within 24-hours of receiving it before it expires. You can request a teacher on our on-demand options... featuring Demetra Kentrotas (@d_meetch), Leanne McDermott (@leannerays), Elinor Cohen (@elinorraerigby) and others. YOGA AT OHHHMMM LIVE VIRTUAL SCHEDULE: MONDAY: 8/12/2024 NO CLASSES TUESDAY: 8/13/2024 NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY: 8/14/2024 NO CLASSES THURSDAY: 8/15/2024 NO CLASSES FRIDAY: 8/16/2024 NO CLASSES SATURDAY: 8/17/2024 NO CLASSES SUNDAY: 8/18/2024 NO CLASSES *ALL CLASSES EST *SESSIONS 45/60 MINUTES *WAIVER STATEMENT: I understand that I must be in good physical health to participate in these classes, that my participation may cause an injury and that I should consult with my physician before I take a class. I am taking these classes at my own risk. I waive any claim for personal injury and any other damages that I may have against the school, studio and/or the teachers who are offering these classes. *NEW REGULAR RATES:
PAYMENT: VENMO -- @Vicyasa Paypal -- [email protected] NAMASTE, Victor Cotto www.YogaWithVictor.com Instagram: CottoVic Facebook: Yoga With Victor - Vicyasa™ “She enjoys rain for its wetness, winter for its cold, summer for its heat. She loves rainbows as much for fading as for their brilliance. It is easy for her, she opens her heart and accepts everything.” ― Morgan Llywelyn  If you have a least favorite season -- and the ebbing and flowing of Summer to Fall is a tough one for you -- the practice of non-attachment is often key to finding balance and stability in life.
Whether you have a unfavorable winter outlook, like me, or you can't stand the thought of sweaty, humid beach days in the summer, practicing yoga as the seasons change will help you find your center and establish a peace of mind when it feels like time is slipping too quickly through your fingertips. Your body is tough enough to naturally adapt to any changes in the conditions around you, but a few rooting, centering asanas will make the process easier and allow you to let go of any resistance you may have so you can stay grounded and content through changes. Here are some yoga poses that will help you ground through the inner and outer changes that each season fluctuation presents: MOUNTAIN POSE (TADASANA) Steady, strong, and unshakable. Take time to exhale into this shape, ground securely and allow the growth and rooting at the base to keep you tall and proud. Make sure to pay attention to any shoulder rounding and avoid any lower back collapse. WARRIOR II (VIRABHADRASANA II) Planting both feet firmly into the ground will remind you to stay still and rooted as you breathe through this strengthening and lengthening posture. Keep your body strong, yet soft, finding the balance between power and gentleness, and using this bodily awareness to accept change with open arms. GODDESS POSE (UTKATA KONASANA) This asana will stretch and create room in your pelvis, so try visualizing this part of your body as an anchor, staying stable as change swirls in the air around you. Inhale, and root your feet into the earth. Exhale, and settle more deeply into the pose. EASY POSE (SUKHASANA) Just sitting comfortably might seem like the easiest thing in the world, but sometimes the least intricate poses are the most effective and powerful when it comes to staying grounded and centered. Try placing one hand on your heart, and keep the fingertips of your other hand tented on the ground. This will help stabilize you both physically and emotionally. VUORI CLOTHING GIVEAWAY! Thanks to Vuori for the goodies as we wrap-up our Summer of swag. We'll do in person giveaways at New York Yoga and Sui Yoga for attendees at those studios. MENTORSHIP WITH VICYASA™... Yoga with Victor's mentorship program... for teachers looking to sharpen their tools and hone in on varying skills that will make you more proficient at sequencing, teaching anatomy, or widening their skill set to become a successful instructor and craft your own business model. What if you're not a teacher and would like to prepare for training or enhance your ever-hungry-desire to absorb all things yoga? Holla' at me. Feel like your 200 hour training ended with you needing more questions answered? Want to expand on those teachings? Do you feel like there are areas of your teaching repertoire that need enhancing? Contact me for more info and enrollment. PRIVATES: ONE-TO-ONE WORK! If you want to set up any private sessions or events, please contact me through email. You can learn more about privates: CLICK HERE! SINGLE CLASSES We've added single class purchases to our on-demand offerings. How does it work? A $17 payment will give you access to a single pre-recorded class with Victor or anyone on his staff. The private link with unique access code will give you entry to that class, which you can load anytime you want. You'll have 24-hours of unlimited access to that class. No refunds, returns and you must use that class within 24-hours of receiving it before it expires. You can request a teacher on our on-demand options... featuring Demetra Kentrotas (@d_meetch), Leanne McDermott (@leannerays), Elinor Cohen (@elinorraerigby) and others. YOGA AT OHHHMMM LIVE VIRTUAL SCHEDULE: MONDAY: 8/5/2024 NO CLASSES TUESDAY: 8/6/2024 NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY: 8/7/2024 NO CLASSES THURSDAY: 8/8/2024 NO CLASSES FRIDAY: 8/9/2024 NO CLASSES SATURDAY: 8/10/2024 NO CLASSES SUNDAY: 8/11/2024 NO CLASSES *ALL CLASSES EST *SESSIONS 45/60 MINUTES *WAIVER STATEMENT: I understand that I must be in good physical health to participate in these classes, that my participation may cause an injury and that I should consult with my physician before I take a class. I am taking these classes at my own risk. I waive any claim for personal injury and any other damages that I may have against the school, studio and/or the teachers who are offering these classes. *NEW REGULAR RATES:
PAYMENT: VENMO -- @Vicyasa Paypal -- [email protected] NAMASTE, Victor Cotto www.YogaWithVictor.com Instagram: CottoVic Facebook: Yoga With Victor - Vicyasa™ |
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