quotes and lyrics

Quotes:

Be the change you wish to see in the world- Gandhi 

Do not seek to have everything that happens as you wish, but wish for everything to happen as it actually does happen, and your life will be serene.- Epicteus

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most...and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others the permission to do the same- Marianne Williamson

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. - Anais Nin

Something we were witholding made us weak, until we found out it was ourselves- Robert Frost

Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care, for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. - Buddha

Some from my journal, 15-17 yrs. old-

When one door of happiness closes, another opens - Helen Keller

It's good to have an end to journey towards; but it's the journey that matters, in the end - Ursula LeGuin

My feeling is, the better we feel about ourselves, the fewer times we have to knock somebody down in order to stand on top of their bodies and feel tall- Odetta

Song Lyrics-  

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.  None but ourselves can free our minds...

Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy.  Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality.  Wake up and live!...

Conquer the devils with a little thing called love- Bob Marley

I'd like to show you what's inside. I shouldn't care if you do or don't like it...

People stare and we just ignore. What's the use in hiding out she says all the time. Let their eyes do the worrying about...

There are bad times, but that's ok.  Just look for the love in it- Dave Matthews Band

Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on- Led Zeppelin

As long as I learn, I will make mistakes- Beastie Boys

Look around and choose your own ground.  For as long as you live and as high as you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be- Pink Floyd

* What are some of your favorite quotes and song lyrics? I'd love to hear them! 

Creating Altars

Creating a personal altar can be a fun, creative way to connect with certain feelings & energy, things you want in your life and things you want to remember. A common idea about altars is that they're only associated with religious ceremonies. Yet, altars have been used by people across cultures since prehistoric times, to bring comfort, luck, to remember ancestors- all kinds of reasons.  You probably already have some form of an altar, whether it's a collection of pictures, a group of memories from a trip or a magazine collage.  They can be any size, any materials, at home, for travel- use your intuition and explore your creativity! Check out some examples below of altars I've made and their symbolism...

Peace & Grounding            - Shells- from Costa Rica - Crystal ball- 21st birthday present from my mom - Bear- for my niece Osa (bear in Spanish) - Hershey's kiss- my grandmom used to send me a bag every Christmas - Amethyst - for protection & intuition; a present from Beth - Quan Yin- for compassion - Ganesh- to help remove from obstacles - Serenity stone- a present from Leigh - Druzy crystal- feels magical - Pine cone- Earth; for grounding - Water- for fluidity & creativity  * on my grandma's scarf

Inspiration - Palm tree pic- from Costa Rica - My mom's business card for her jewelry designs - Friendship bracelet- from Erin - Pic of  my cat Elijah in my surfboard bag - Business card from Casa de Alma- 2 friend's dream fulfilled of a massage/yoga studio in Costa Rica - Tag from stained glass business my mom had when I was a baby - Artwork on business card by Alex - Practice Seva project postcard draft - Photography postcard by Kendra - Mermaid bookmark with quote: live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air- Emerson - Sticker from a huge sticker swap at Burning Man festival - Whistle- fundraiser for peace in the Congo * on a gold spray-painted bulletin board

* Do you make collages, bulletin boards, have collections, personal altar spaces or were inspired to create one? Send a picture and story of your personal altars to share! *

Yoga Energy Activism

Participate in the YEA movement to save energy and reduce waste. It's easy to get started...

• Commit to using less energy, be aware about how much you are wasting and help inspire others to do the same.  
• Little changes can make a big difference, for example: try not to waste paper when you write and draw, bringing your own bags when you shop, don't take more food than you can eat, use candles instead of lights when you can...
• Take an energy retreat: challenge yourself not to watch TV, use your phone or computer for a whole day...you'll save energy and also have a chance to relax your mind and restore your own energy.

YEA! is a service project started by my yoga teacher, Shiva Rea to inspire people to reduce their energy consumption and help restore it.  For more ideas and to read more about the project, click here

practicing seva

Seva is a yoga concept that means 'selfless service'- It's simple, but not always easy: do something helpful for someone or something without expecting anything in return- no reward, or even recognition.  It can be anything from listening to a friend or smiling at someone who helps you at a store, to volunteering for a cause you care about- they all contribute to creating positive change...Check out mandala's youtube service playlist for inspiration on projects.

ideas & inspiration

Start a journal- Keeping a journal can be one of the most powerful ways of learning about yourself.  If you commit to reflecting about yourself and your relationships each day you can learn about your patterns, see how you change over time and practice putting your thoughts and feelings into words.  You can write, type, draw, video yourself,  make a voice journal- whatever feels right and you'll enjoy doing often.  

Make playlists- Make some music playlists for different moods and kinds of yoga practices you like to do...

• Make some for times you want to relax, some for when you want more energy 
• Explore themed playlists, like 'patience' or 'sunshine'. 
• For yoga practices, experiment with having the music flow in a wave- start with slower songs and build up to a peak of the fastest songs, slow them down and end with a really relaxing song for savasana (the final resting pose)
•  To use some of my playlists, you can friend Mandala Learning on facebook and download Spotify for free to listen to a bunch of different playlists
• Scroll down for a teen yoga playlist collaboration

Get Crafty- Visit mandala's youtube crafts playlist for videos on how to make an eye pillow for relaxing, a dreamcatcher for intuition, poi for creativity...Sign up for the blog for more ideas and sign up for updates when new crafts are added.

Write on your mirror- Use dry-erase markers to write quotes, reminders, inspiring words, etc. on the mirror in your bedroom or bathroom.  You see the space all the time and it's easy to change the writing whenever you want. 

Be Playful-

Dress up- it's not only for Halloween! Have a spontaneous theme party with friends, make your own costumes, wear them around and you'll be sure to forget your worries and help people escape their minds for a while DANCE, SING, LAUGH! Try some improv- check out the video below for inspiration...

 

yoga philosophy

* You can create your own personal meanings for these yoga concepts so they make sense in your life...In what ways can you practice these attitudes to help improve yourself and your relationships?

How we interact with the world-Yamas

• Non-violence- ahimsa: being kind to yourself, others and the environment in your actions and words; not gossiping or calling people names- including yourself
• Truth- satya: speaking the truth, saying how you really feel; not making promises you can't keep; not lying
• Not stealing- asteya: includes things and also not stealing someone's chance to feel good about themselves; not taking credit for other's ideas, or taking advantage of anyone
• Positive relationships- brahmacharya: working towards only having relationships where you feel comfortable to be yourself and make your own decisions; staying away from any substance use, physical relationship or any other experience that separates you from who you are and want to be; resisting peer pressure
• Not grasping- aparigraha: not attaching to or defining yourself by possessions, people, old ideas about yourself, habits; not taking or owning more than you need; being open to change 

Behaviors towards ourselves- Niyamas-

• Cleanliness- saucha: keeping your body and mind clean; making good choices about the kinds of food and substances you consume and also the things you watch, read and listen to, including other people
• Contentment- santosha: being happy with what you have and who you are; not focusing on what you don't have
• Healthy body- tapas: keeping your body fit through exercise, breathing; bringing heat to your body to cleanse it of old energy
• Self-study- svadhyaya: spending time reflecting and learning about yourself
• Acceptance- ishvara pranidhana: surrendering to something higher; accepting that at some point you can't control everything

breath & meditation

• Breathing is the simplest and most powerful tool in yoga- anytime you're fully paying attention to your breath, you're in the present moment
• Paying attention to your breathing helps you concentrate and provides a focus away from the thoughts in your mind 
• Breathing can relax the brain, muscles, nerves and remove old energy from the body 

Getting started meditating: 

Sit comfortably with your back straight, shoulders back (or start lying down if it's hard for you), close your eyes and pay attention to your breath as you inhale and exhale slowly and deeply.  Don't judge yourself if you can't do it for that long before getting lost in your thoughts. Just go right back to paying attention to your breath...inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...  

**Coming soon- videos of breathing exercises for: balance, energy and relaxation, and guided meditations. Sign up for the blog for updates.

• Visit  yoga journal for breathing exercises- instructions, benefits and suggestions of poses to do before and after
• Check out this online breathing room- do as one: online guided meditation where you can choose different themes, kinds of breath, colored backgrounds and the time 

yoga poses & practices

• The physical part of yoga can help you strengthen your whole body and improve your balance and flexibility.
• When you focus your mind on aligning yourself in the poses, it helps to still your other thoughts so you practice being completely in the present moment
• Yoga poses teach you about yourself: how you react when trying a hard pose, how you feel when you see someone more flexible, if you tense up and hold your breath when you're uncomfortable- it all shows you the kinds of things that take you out of the present moment and into your mind
• There are many different styles of yoga- if you don't like one, don't assume that yoga isn't for you. Try another style or another teacher and see if you can relate more.  Feel free to write me or comment here for more guidance
  

** Coming soon- pictures of poses with explanations and video blogs of practices- sign up for updates **

• Visit mandala's you tube yoga playlist for videos to get started
• Yoga Journal's poses section has pictures of lots of poses and explanations and the video section has all kinds of free practices
• Yogis Anonymous has lots of free video practices- choose by length, level, name or read the teachers' bios, see whose you connect to most and try their classes

introducing yoga

Practicing yoga changed my life: it helped me be okay with who I am, to like my body and care about it more, to say how I really feel, have better relationships, to stop a lot of unhealthy habits and to just deal with life better, for only a few examples. I hope that what you find here will help spark some of the same for you and lead you to however yoga can best support your life.

You can get started with yoga anyway you want. Whatever you are drawn to, start there.Anything that connects you with yourself and helps you be in the present moment is yoga. Enjoy exploring...

• What is yoga? Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years as a way of living in India. Yoga gives tools for learning about yourself and being present, so all your attention is focused on whatever you're doing at any one moment. It also means to achieve something that you couldn't before- you start where you are and you work towards positive change- any true effort and even tiny change is yoga.  Yoga means 'to unite'- to connect with your true self and feel the connection you have with everything else in the world.  

• Why practice yoga? The goal of yoga is to release all those patterns of our minds that hold us back and control our lives, because it confuses us about who we really are...The idea is that everyone gets covered with doubt and insecurity because of past negative experiences and it causes bad feelings, dissatisfaction, separation and affects the body. We try to get rid of the bad feelings by escaping into our minds, comparing self to others, focusing on things we don't have, or numbing ourselves through unhealthy habits, but it never lasts in helping us feel better. Practicing yoga helps stop that cycle. All the poses, breathing, meditation and other practices help you learn to connect with your body and be okay with who you are. When you clear your mind and are totally present, you learn to accept reality, you can see what's really important and you can act from what you know inside, instead of clouding your mind with others' opinions and fear of judgment. 

• Everyone can practice yoga and incorporate in into their lives.  You don't have to follow a certain religion or believe in any kind of god.