What is ojas (hint: it isn't Spanish) & How's your resolution coming? Hello 2023!
/"Create a life you don't need a vacation from."
In This Newsletter
Ayurveda Corner: What is Ojas? And why is it important?
Restoration & Rejuvenation- invite EASE, a Yin Practice
Sankalpa & New Year Resolutions
Making Objectives Actionable & Measurable
Recipe- Cauliflower Breakfast Hash
Retreat- BE. Boundless Copal Tree Lodge
Yoga Offerings- classes, workshops, yoga teacher trainings
Messy Hair Yoga Corner
Ayurveda Corner
What is Ojas? And why is it important?
According to Ayurveda philosophy, ojas, tejas and prana are the three vital energies (they are subtly linked to the 3 doshas: kapha, pitta, vata. Tejas is our inner fire and prana is the vital energy that moves and animates us. Ojas is the basis from which tejas and prana become possible. Like an oil lamp, if there is no oil (ojas), there is no flame (tejas), and there is no heat (prana). For your spirit to shine you must continue to fill the lamp with oil. When your oil runs dry is when the problems start.
This is why ojas is so essential to health. You can not run on an empty tank, which is exactly what a lot of us try to do.
How can you tell if your lamp is fueled up or has run dry?
High Ojas:
bright complexion
high energy
stamina
good immunity
creativity
happy, pleasant state of mind
Low Ojas:
dry skin
unusually cold feet
muscle/joint issues
foggy state of mind
prone to infections
It’s important to know that your ojas is depleted and refilled every day based on our own choices. We can decide to make ourselves a priority to keep this vital essence filled. When we do not life happening to you instead of you living your life.
How do you increase your Ojas? How do you go about refilling a lamp that is dry? Or maybe just a little bit low? At it's essence it is all about self care.
Eat foods you are able to easily digest. Warm and cooked- think more soups made from scratch, less salads. Salad maybe healthy, but it's hard to digest as it is raw. If you ojas are low then your digestive fire is probably also low which means your salad won't be energetically consumed in a usable way.
Spend time with those you love that don't drain you. Who can you be around that leaves you feeling lighter and more supported? Grab lunch with them.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night- going to bed at a decent hour (before 10p) and rising before the sun rises.
Perform self-care: get a pedicure, massage, take a bath
Take time to unplug from any electronic device and spend time in nature
Use your senses: put your toes in the grass or the sand, touch the bark of a tree, spend some time with your favorite aromatherapy, have a dark piece of chocolate and let it melt in your mouth. Feel the wind in your face or the rain on your skin. Go listen to a live band.
Meditate for at least 3 minutes every day.
You are worth eating healthy, taking time, sleeping well. So turn off your phone, go outside, take a deep breath- fill your cup, so you can fill others.
https://artoflivingretreatcenter.org/blog/the-importance-of-high-ojas/
"Ojas (vitality) is the precursor to inner and outer radiance. It is the result of Rasayana, the Ayurvedic practices that include rest, self care, and a gentle diet."
Restoration & Rejuvenation
invite EASE, a Yin Practice
Reclining restorative poses are excellent for bringing balance to an agitated mind and exhausted body, and an exhausted mind and agitated body.
So let's try something simple. Find a nice flat surface that you won't knock into too much. Lay on your back with bent knees and take a few deep breaths- let your focus shift to your breathing and how your body connects with the floor.
Pull your knees into your chest- then let them fall to the right. Arms open wide. It's totally fine if one shoulder pops up or if you need a few pillows under your knees to support you. It's about choosing ease. So soften, try not to grip or engage in the core or the legs. Spend 3-5 minutes here- then taking your time lift the knees back to your chest, take a few breaths and let your body find some balance between right and left on its own. Then take the opposite side.
After repating the opposite side- either press the souls of your feet together and recline in a butterfly (possibly supporting your knees with pillows) or take a savasana (laying flat on your back, you could also place a block under your knees). Take 5 minutes here. Rest.
Sankalpa & New Year Resolutions
Dharma & Vision
Each life is said to have a purpose, “a mission of the spirit.” By seeking and acknowledging inner longings, we connect to our particular purpose — our dharma.
Meditation Gives Access to the Soul’s Longing
How do you find your true desire? The answer is to ask your soul. Soul is where universal will and individual desire merge… If you have little or no meditation experience, you might assume that soul is accessible only to those few who have dedicated their lives to finding and experiencing it. The good news is that this is not the case… The process of meditation teaches that experiencing your soul is neither complicated nor difficult, but it does require that you do it. – Rod Stryker, The Four Desires
Goals & Resolutions
What are goals and resolutions?
Goals are future-oriented. While achieving a goal is dependent upon one’s actions, it’s typically also reliant on other factors as well. Thus, ultimate achievement of goals remains outside a person’s complete control.
Resolutions are also future-oriented and may look similar to a goal. The typical defining characteristic of a resolution is a desire to “fix” something that is perceived as wrong in oneself. This desire tends to come from a feeling of lack, guilt or shame and the resolution is an effort to will oneself into making a change.
Intentions
Intentions are a practice of “being” that aligns actions with values. (e.g. Pay attention to my breath. Listen to my body. Focus on gratitude.)
In other words, with intentions, the focus is not on achieving an outcome. Rather, it’s to keep remembering and returning to practice.
Sankalpa
Translations for the Sanskrit word sankalpa include “resolve,” “intention,” “vow,” “commitment,” “aim,” and “promise.”
A sankalpa is a tool for making short- to medium-term progress toward one’s dharma. It can be practiced in either of the following ways:
A statement that reflects our true nature. (“I am whole, and healed.”)
Specific intention or goal that is set after an inner listening process.(“I am moving toward becoming an artist by taking a class two nights per week and drawing or painting three days per week.”)
A Reason That Resolutions Don’t Tend to Work
Wouldn’t it be great if writing our resolutions also gave us the power, discipline, and determination to achieve our goals? Well, unfortunately it doesn’t… Resolutions do not work for us because more often than not, they include making changes to behavior and objects that exist outside of us. Until we change what’s on the inside, we cannot change what’s on the outside. Eventually, we will go back to making the same choices, whether consciously or unconsciously… If there’s anger, fear, low self-worth, jealousy, resentment, or other negative beliefs inside of us, even if we attempt to change… what comes out will still be what’s on the inside… When we lovingly embrace and accept ourselves, focus our attention on what we want instead of what we don’t want, and set fluid intentions… we are more likely to naturally flow toward choices that are aligned with our goals and achieve our desired results.
– Angela Holton
Transforming Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are typically a form of goal-setting designed to “fix” something about ourselves. While there’s a general sense of enthusiasm around resolutions, it’s becoming common knowledge that resolutions rarely work to bring about lasting change.
The yogic teaching is that we are already whole and that it's more effective to use a process of inner listening to create intentions and follow through. In this model, rather than writing down a list of left-brain ideas for how to be a better person, we use yoga to listen inwardly.
Try using body-centered meditation to access heart-felt desires. When you sit quietly and check in, what rises to the surface?
Or take a goal such as “lose weight” and ask what is the feeling that is desired. Physical health? Self-love? Continue to dig deeper in this way as a process for getting closer to the true desire.
Making Objectives Actionable & Measurable
After self-inquiry, you may wish to set objectives. Examples:
Maintain a strong personal practice.
Prioritize quality time for family.
Write more.
Log onto social media less.
Create a sustainable schedule.
Examples
Keep breaking down objectives until they are actionable and measurable.
Ask yourself: What actions do I need to take to meet this objective?
When an objective is a quality, focus or intention, you can slightly change the question. For example: What actions can I take to help me incorporate non-judgment?
Set tangible and measurable objectives for a time period, such as for a quarter or a season. Then into smaller still measurable objectives, the smaller= the easier it will be to reach. Break it down to daily tasks if possible.
Base it All on Listening to the Heart
[Sankalpa] setting is so different from making resolutions. [Sankalpas] arise from the full heart, and a complete and whole heart is what we are at our essence. That very essence is naturally, spontaneously and automatically throbbing with impulses to grow. Sankalpa as a practice is a means to open the doorway for listening to that throbbing, acknowledging a natural call from the heart that says here, this direction now.
– Julie Dohrman, Shakti Yoga NY
Looking for a great book to help you dig deep into Dharma? Check our Stephen Cope's The Great Work of Your Life-
Buy it on AMAZON HERE
Stephen Cope says that in order to have a fulfilling life you must discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of your self. The secret to unlocking this mystery, he asserts, can be found in the pages of a two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called the Bhagavad Gita—an ancient allegory about the path to dharma, told through a timeless dialogue between the fabled archer, Arjuna, and his divine mentor, Krishna. Cope takes readers on a step-by-step tour of this revered tale and highlights well-known Western lives that embody its central principles—including such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman, along with stories of ordinary people as well. If you’re feeling lost in your own life’s journey, The Great Work of Your Life may help you to find and to embrace your true calling.
May your practice support you in connecting to your deepest desires and acting on them.
Cauliflower Breakfast Hash
Recipe
Big fan of simple and easy....so hopefully you'll give this a try.
1/4 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup chopped red onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3 cups chopped red potatoes
3 cups chopped fresh cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 15oz can chickpeas, undrained, mashed with a fork
3 cups packed fresh baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Makes 7 1/2 cups/ 40 minutes
1. Small bowl combine: 1 cup broth and turmeric. In extra large skillet cook onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper over med. for 3-4 min. stirring occasionally and adding broth to mixture 1 to 2 tbsp at a time as needed to prevent sticking. Add in potatoes, cauliflower, bell pepper, and any remaining broth. Increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15min. (till potatoes are tender)
2. Add chickpeas. If mixture seems dry add the remaining 1/4 to 1/2 of broth. Stir in spinach and tomatoes, cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in half of the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining basil.
Try it over grits or with some toast. :)
BE.Boundless
Copal Tree Lodge
Belize Retreat- May 4-8, 2023
Interested in learning more about the Copal Tree Lodge- check this out!
BE. Boundless Yoga Retreat
4 NIGHTS, 5 DAYS
MAY 4 - 8, 2023
Immerse yourself in vinyasa krama, pranayama, and meditation blended with the Niyamas to build connections while experiencing the richness of the Mayan culture in Belize.
We will start the day with a more vigorous all levels practice of placing our bodies in a special way of uninterrupted sequencing combined with meditation and pranayama practices to tap into the ancient knowledge of the Niyamas. There will also be an evening offering to help you move, breathe, and connect with a more inward intent.
The Niyamas are the second limb of yoga that address the habits you may maintain without restraint.
Saucha: clarity of the mind
Santosha: contentment
Tapas: self-discipline
Svadhyaha: self-reflection
Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender
INCLUDES:
Accommodations in a Jungle Suite (single/1 king or double/2 queens occupancy) -Single Occupancy Rooms are limited. Reserve Early.
Three fresh organic meals per day with 70% of the food sourced from the Copal Tree Farm
Local alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Local flights (to and from BZE to Punta Gorda)*
Daily yoga asana, meditation, pranayama offerings
CEU’s through Yoga Alliance for yoga teachers
Daily Deep Journaling and Reflection Prompts
Connection, Community, Laughter, Metta
Maya Site Village Adventure– day trip excursion
Time for adventure, reflection, and recharge in a community
Use of all on-site amenities
Not included: International airfare. Please arrive at BZE before 3:45pm.
Looking for more information? Ready to sign up? Click HERE
Yoga Offerings
- classes, workshops, yoga teacher trainings
Only thing that's really shifted is the Tuesday night Root is now Slowburn. This is a mildly heated slow moving vinyasa class that encourages an eyes closed practice. Hope to catch you on the mat. xoxo
Ready to take your practice to the next level? Maybe it is time to commit to Yoga Teacher Training- interested? Reach out or click on one of the below upcoming sessions.
Cypress: Spring -Open House 1/28
Champions: Fall -Open House TBD
Messy Hair Yoga Corner
Regardless of your intention, resolution, or goal- be kind. Self care can be hard to prioritize in a society that wears its busy-ness like badges of honor. Let's champion the occasional sleeping in, eating cake for breakfast, reading a book all in one sitting, or spending all day exploring streets or trees you've never seen before. Life is finite, so we need to stop treating it otherwise.
Take the trip that both makes you anxious and excited, order something new on the menu, take a different route to work. Dance for no reason, sing at the top of your lungs. Laugh a lot.
You can make more money, get a new job, etc. What you cannot make back is time. BE in the moment and use what you've got. xoxo