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“Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. The harvest can either be flowers or weeds.” — William Wordsworth  I love talking about planting seeds when we practice. Often, we do so with fierce intention and clarity. We cultivate a plan and things work out. The harvest is bountiful and all is coming.
But because it is life... regardless of how many crops are planted, there are obstacles to fertilizing those seeds. We’re still open to the process and looking optimistically to the harvest but we know our methods need to change or be refined. We can avoid harvest failure with the right inputs. Other times, we are just stuck in a muck, unsure of either what to plant, where to plant it or how to take care of it. These times are often precipitated by big transitions that may be planned or unanticipated. Leaving home, getting married, starting a family, a job change, starting a business, closing a business, moving, divorce, retiring, the death of a loved one or friend are just some examples of things that get us stuck in a "rut.". There may be a sense of indecision, a torment, an inner discomfort, a disconnection from what feels like an inner alignment. These times of uncertainty will always be part of the journey. When we are in the muck, uncertain of our direction, but knowing that we need to do something different or make a change, the ancients guided us in a few ideas about what to do. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are an influential philosophical text of yoga that lay out teachings on the mind and how to cultivate mental clarity and discernment. They had ideas about how to dig our way out of the mire. Yoga Sutra 1.32: Commit to the practice of a single principle/discipline Give yourself 5-10 minutes just to meditate; committing to daily journaling to gain clarity when things are not clear. Yoga Sutra 1.34: Practicing pranayama that involves forceful exhalation or retention of breath, one acquires a pristine state of mind We gain mental clarity by working with our breath to reduce the stress responses and quiet the mind and emotions so that we have clear discernment in making decisions. Yoga Sutra 1.39: Meditate on something that is meaningful to you What resonates for us will be something very deeply personal. We have to do the work. Once new habits are built and ingrained into our neural pathways and routines, less focus needs to be put on sustaining the desired result. Keeping 10lbs off is easy with good habits because we essentially reap what we sow. Physically and mentally. If you don’t have a crop harvest right now, it is only because you didn’t plant seeds and nurture them. Yoga helps us to create the harvest we want by cultivating a healthy mind-body-spirit connection. Mind your thoughts, as they can and will create the life and harvest you have. COMING SOON... Weekend intensives!!! Want to practice sequence building? Want to learn functional anatomy and how to apply it to your yoga practice? Want a small intimate group to get feedback on how to teach clearly, concisely and with command? I'll be hosting small groups of 2-3 students for weekend intensives with lectures, and workshop style exercises for you to sharpen your practice and teachings. EMAIL or contact me directly for involvement and tuition/enrollment info. 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. 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:
A PEEK INTO MENTORSHIP WITH VICYASA™... Many prospective teachers, graduates of teacher training(s) and a handful of you that have a desire just to dive deeper into the many aspects of a yoga practice and teaching yoga regularly have been impacted greatly by our bespoke mentoring program. Here are some of the key topics I have programmed into varying syllabuses:
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. REGULAR RATES:
PAYMENT: VENMO -- @Vicyasa Paypal -- [email protected] NAMASTE, Victor Cotto www.YogaWithVictor.com Instagram: CottoVic Facebook: Yoga With Victor - Vicyasa™ “The state of your surroundings tells the condition of your soul.” - unknown  Shaucha/Saucha is the first of the five niyamas [personal observances], which form the second limb of yoga as described in "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali." The term literally means purity, cleanliness and clearness. It refers to purity of mind, speech and body.
The habits we pick up throughout life off the mat may or may not serve us, and the idea of our practice is to recognise what doesn’t help us and what does, coming towards a state in which everything we do aids us towards being happier, healthier and more awake and aware in life. If we take our ‘bad’ habits on to the mat with us, then our practice becomes a lot harder, we have to sift through the ‘impurities’ or negativity we’ve picked up before reaping the benefits of Yoga. Impurities we try to shed can be mental & physical. Practicing cleanliness of body, mind, spirit and surroundings will help direct us towards a pure and positive life. Some ways to "cleanse": Neti - nasal cleansing Dhauti - cleansing of digestive tract Nauli - abdominal massage Bhasti - colon cleansing Kappalabhati - breath of fire Our environment can reflect our state of mind. You’ll probably identify with the fact that when our bedrooms or homes are messy, our minds can often feel a little messy and cluttered too. When we’re surrounded by a clean environment however, with clear surfaces, possessions that we need – and not possessions we’ve hoarded over the years and can’t bear to get rid of – and the sense of having space to breathe, then we’re likely to feel a whole lot better and clearer in our minds. Not only does having a clean place to practice in, and a clean mat to practise on feel good, it shows a sign of respect towards our practice. 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: 10/21/2024 NO CLASSES TUESDAY: 10/22/2024 NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY: 10/23/2024 NO CLASSES THURSDAY: 10/24/2024 NO CLASSES FRIDAY: 10/25/2024 NO CLASSES SATURDAY: 10/26/2024 NO CLASSES SUNDAY: 10/27/2024 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™  On Tuesday night, the vibe and energy at Earth Yoga was just REAL!
I had the pleasure of leading a power hot vinyasa class that just kept me buzzing days later. There is nothing like seeing a community of asana practitioners cultivating high levels of awareness, smiling and taking themselves to their limits with great recognition and profound focus. Was it hot? Yup. Was it sweaty? Absolutely. Did any of that take these yogis away from their "atha," their NOW? Nope. With every inhale and ensuing exhale, I felt the power of breathing and absorbed their intensity. Earth yogis… as I told you after class, there's no other place I would rather have been than there with you. Thank you. Namaste, Vic Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.  Remember this when you step onto your mat. Asana practice is not about the ideal form. Nor is it about mimicking what's on a cover of a magazine. Or, what droves of people think is beautiful on Instagram or Facebook.
It's about feeling, which is individual and each one of us owns it -- that is beautiful. Falling out of pose, trying to get into the next one, holding onto the frustration and making-up for the last pose… let it go. Move onto the next "atha." The next now. As I stated in another blog post, those are the necessary "cracks" that let the light in. Every breathe is a now. Every pose is a now. You fall trying to get into Bakasana… you move on. The cracks are necessary. The light truly illuminates once it penetrates complete darkness. So embrace the falling, the toppling over, or the times where you perceive the "perfect offering" is not attainable. Smile. Laugh. And then go towards your next "now" and remember that cracks truly let the light in. Why be in darkness?  Image Source: 'The Yoga-Sûtra of Patañjali' Sanskrit-English Translation & Glossary by Chip Hartranft. "Now through the teachings of Yoga."
During asana practice there is only one moment … "Atha." NOW! What matters most than being in your now? A very important teaching and the reason why this is one of my favorite of Patanjali's sutras. It is the first one of the first pada! Every time you inhale… that's your now. Every time you exhale… that is your now. Whenever we fall out of a pose… our now is to move onto the next. If we're in an posture that just feels masterful or just dreading … embrace the now, but are we gripping onto that and savoring every atha thereafter? How could we adopt this away from our mat? |
AuthorVicyasa™, your full-time dopamine dealer ... don't allow my confidence to offend your insecurity. Archives
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