Loving Life Blog

Spur of the Moment Reflections

The Baby or The Bone April 9, 2012

Filed under: coaching,Herringbone — Johanna C. Nilsson @ 6:04 pm
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Yes, No or Always?

Life is full of choices. Some choices are easier to make than others. For some people it is easier to make a choice than others.

At the end of the yoga class with Rusty Wells this past weekend we, the students, were given the choice:

1) Happy Baby’s Pose

or

2) Fish Pose

It made me think back of the time when I chose my business name. Herringbone. Symbolism is of importance to me – that name is loaded with symbols and “the reason why”. I wanted to make sure that it also made sense for the yoga community. What I had in mind to create with Herringbone did also apply to them. In the middle of a yoga class back then, we were guided to some movements – I misunderstood, and thought that another name for Happy Baby’s Pose was Fish Pose. What a perfect coincidence! I thought. Even better is that, Fish Pose has an impact on the fifth chakra in yoga which is located in the throat and focuses on communication. Herringbone is about communicating, and making voices heard for positive change.

And to quote Rusty: “If you choose Fish – don’t eat one – be one.” The good thing with being a foreigner in another country is that you can make sense of things, the way it relates to you or your language. This one fully does. Be a Fish – communicate well. It’s obvious – no?

If you have difficulties to make choices, one approach to get out of that is to simply make powerful choices. Make them fast and clear – feel how they feel – stay with it, or make a new one. This is – by the way – coming from the practicing master ;).

Or Happy Easter Pose?

If you want more choices than the Fish Pose or the Happy Baby – check out this image – it’s all yours, it is Easter after all.

If you want them all – go for it! Why cut ourselves short if we don’t have to?

Johanna

The story about The Bone – I might have to save for later…

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Smokin’ Hot October 13, 2011

Yeah – Smokin’n hot! And I am not talking about a man – I could, but I shouldn’t – I am talking about freak’n awesome Urban Flow Yoga with Rusty Wells. I know, I love this practice. It makes me high. And I am not the only one.

Yesterday afternoon a little email came out saying:

Just a little note to let you know that I will be teaching tonight (Wednesday) at 6:15 and then again tomorrow morning at 9. Yipee!

After that, I will be in Europe for a wee bit
(*see schedule below).

Rushing to the class after a conference call, a tid bit late, I sneak in when the chanting has just started. The room is already smoking of heat. The windows are foggy. (What expression would you use?) And I wouldn’t say the heater was the contributing factor. You could think it was Thanks Giving. The room was packed.

Ahh – there are so many nuggets coming out of this class. I’ll pick three.

First: being back in to yoga gives a great and powerful feeling. Suddenly in one pose, which usually is a stretch, the vision of the Blue Angels photo from Tuesday’s post comes up in my head. Feeling like a blue angels airplane breaking through the wall of sound – that is quite a powerful pose! And picture. It is good to have metaphors, whenever you use them.

Secondly: There is a parallel with yoga and coaching – more specifically your body in yoga and circle of life exercise. You go through areas that are strong, happy, flow with ease – and others that are totally stuck. That particular area could make you fall out of the pose instantly, unless you hear a voice saying “Don’t let life pass by you. Breathe through it.”

Thirdly: I wish I had heard all the 15 reasons what makes the perfect yoga bicycle pose – hopefully you can see the transition: you are lying on the back on the floor with 150 other people, pumping, almost rushing through with the rather fast music, this abs exercise of crunching while paddling a bike with the legs in large circles and meeting your elbows with opposite knee one after the other. By now you have already gotten quite a good workout. Your face probably say exactly that. (See the picture…) Right then the guidance come of what makes “the perfect yoga bicycle pose… because you love it, you know it is right, you believe in it, you feel every part of the movement, you slow it down…” AND then I couldn’t hear more! 😉

But I am sure it was smokin’ hot!

I am just saying… try it. It may not be for you. But try it. Below is the schedule in Europe, for all of you over sea. Working on adding Stockholm for the June visit.

Enjoy,

Johanna

Global Bhakti Flow
Join Rusty in Europe this October!

Paris – Rasa Yoga Rive Gauche
October 15-16 (Saturday and Sunday)

Amsterdam – Svaha Yoga
October 21-22 (Friday and Saturday)

Antwerp – Antwerp Yoga
October 23 (Sunday)

London – Jivamukti
October 29-30 (Saturday and Sunday)

 

On a Secret Mission Sent from God
 November 13, 2010

Filed under: coaching,Health,Inspiration — Johanna C. Nilsson @ 10:24 am
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The last nugget from the rocking-out-of-this-world yoga class with Rusty Wells earlier this week was when we were laying on the right side after Savasana (dead mans pose) at the end of the class, instructed to reach high up with our left arm and easily pull down something precious that we for any reason earlier in life had removed from our heart, and bring it back down and put it back in place.

This something precious could be love for someone who had hurt us, or made us insecure or unsure
 Maybe this special someone is truly sent on a secret mission from God – (s)he just don’t know it yet, and maybe just need some extra love.

Read this slowly again. And maybe also follow the instructions – reach for something way up, and bring it back to your heart. Think of someone in your life who this would apply to. How could you reach out to him or her, and maybe extend some special care. A touch of love. Let them know they matter.

I know – it can be difficult. But imagine the impact. Imagine the impact of this yoga class let alone. The room was PACKED. It wouldn’t surprise me if we were 150 people in the room. Everyone had given himself or herself the gift of being there – with the result of feeling filled with energy, love and gratitude. Feeling alive and renewed in every cell after a challenging class. Imagine the ripple effect when each and one of them went home and acted on that message. Even if they didn’t, even if they just took the message to heart and found piece with themselves – that will show and rub off.

Coincident or not – I had had a conversation with a friend the day before who shared when he had come home from work after a bad day being in a very bad mood, and his girlfriend had approached him with a big hug expressing how “courageous” she thought he was. Immediately he felt better, and then asked “where did you get that from”? With a guilty expression she had said “Dr. Phil” – and he felt totally cheated. With a smile. Cause it worked!

Rusty Wells ended the class with an invitation to a workshop at the studio tomorrow Sunday November 14 on Bhakti and Transformational Heart-Based Healing, led by Dr Dan. According to Rusty, “better than Dr. Phil”. 😉

Spreading the L<3VE,

Johanna

Are we maybe all on a secret mission sent from God?

And by the way – when we talk about God, it is always God of our own understanding. What ever that is. Even my dear dad, who resigned from church in Sweden, would have had a tear in his eye and resonate with this.

 

9/11. A New Beginning. September 11, 2010

Filed under: coaching,Entrepreneur,Inspiration — Johanna C. Nilsson @ 9:17 pm
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9/11/2001. I was in the air, one hour from landing in New York, when we suddenly turned around due to a message saying, “No airplanes are allowed to enter US air space”. Needless to say, it was turbulent times that followed.

After three days on the Irish west coast I arrive in San Diego via Atlanta. Viveca, the president of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce greets me at the airport and smiles: “Welcome Johanna, people stay here”.

I was supposed to stay four months – maximum nine. Today it is nine years.

This morning at 5:46 – 7:28 a.m., Urban Flow Yoga opened up their doors for a Meditation on Universal Peace in conjunction of 9/11 and Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesha’s Birthday).

Ganesh is the elephant-headed diety of India, known for his ability to remove obstacles and bring success to new endeavors.

Whenever you have wishes or issues you can express that to Ganesh, with his fan-like ears, he hears everything you are expressing.

Towards the end of the meditation we were guided to meditate on what we wanted more of in our lives. “If something doesn’t work in your life – it may be time to let it go. Make room for new. Ganesh hears you – if it was your birthday today, what would you wish for?”

We sang a Ganesh mantra. Per Himalayan Academy one may always use it before beginning a journey, a new course in school, new career or job, or before entering into any new contract or business so that impediments are removed and your endeavor may be crowned with success.

Urban Flow shared this slightly modern version later today on facebook:

We ended by singing “the most ancient mantra there is” to celebrate this day:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Rusty Wells and Urban Flow – you always bring a smile to my face.

To a new beginning,

Johanna

 

Perfect Union April 11, 2010

Last week I had the pleasure to go to a kirtan with Jai Uttal at Urban Flow Yoga. The room was full with people and the atmosphere was sort of upbeat, friendly and loving at the same time. Rusty Wells yoga teacher training had kicked off with the first session that very day, and those participants were in the room, with a big relaxed smile on their face. It’s interesting – I could see the same light in their eyes, that I feel when I come from his class. I can only imagine how the teacher training is
 I so hope there is someone there that will open up a kick ass Urban Flow Yoga studio in Stockholm one day. I’m just putting it out there.

Jai Uttal opened up singing a mantra with us called Sita Rama. The lyrics mean, “you represent perfect union, you are love.” The introduction was that when Jai started with kirtans 30 years ago, he used to feel afraid initially sitting on stage with a room full of strangers looking at him. He felt that they would judge him, dislike the music, etc etc – and so he always made sure to know where the EXIT door was. (At this moment all of us knew where that door was!)

Today we started with that mantra through which he could greet everyone welcome. Singing Sita Rama, Sita Rama, Sita Rama Jaya Sita Rama, with that very message of perfect union and love directed to each and every participant; seeing them and inviting them instead of being afraid of them. I think we chanted two mantras in two hours, so I am sure we did it long enough for every one to get their personal greeting and feel that we were in it together.

How do you greet strangers, or handle a situation of discomfort? Do you always keep your back-door open, eyes on the exit door, or do you stay to meet the person or situation to find out what it really is about and create the best of it? Do you invite the connection to your audience when you are in the spotlight? Do you invite the perfect union?

The following day I walked on Union Street where there was a fair in relation to Easter. The golden moment was to see children in a fenced little area get aquainted with some animals. In particular this little British boy, who with curiosity and care really was seeking contact with this creature, for him something or someone unknown. That is a perfect example. The children are such good teachers and sources of inspiration.

Sita Rama, with love,
Johanna

Perfect Union, You are Love, Easter, Union Street, San Francisco

 

 
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