Sattvic Movie Saturday: The Story of Stuff

Wait!  Before you buy ANYTHING else this season, watch this!

(Click here to visit the storyofstuff.org)

Aparigraha, non-possessiveness or greedlessness is the forgotten yama.

Especially at Christmas, its easy to make the mistake of choosing presents over presence.

This season, choose presence.

What Deepak Chopra Wants You to Know About Your Chakras

Harmonize the Chakras with Meditation

According to a recent article by Deepak Chopra, each of the seven chakras are governed by spiritual laws, or principles of consciousness.  Understanding these, he says, can help you to achieve greater harmony and happiness in your life and in the world.

First Chakra, The Law of Karma:  Observe the signals your body gives you when considering choices.  Your physical reactions of comfort and discomfort can help you determine the potential nourishment or toxicity of your actions.

Second Chakra, The Law of Least Effort:  Like a musician using the same notes in new relationships to generate new melodies, co-create your life by viewing situations and circumstances as raw materials to be used in creative new ways.

Third Chakra, The Law of Intention and Desire:  Intention + Attention = Expression.  Manifesting your desires is a matter of applying attention to your intentions and then allowing space for the results.

Fourth Chakra, The Law of Giving and Receiving:  Like the physical heart circulates blood, being open to love in all its forms helps foster feelings of unity and lessen feelings of separation.

Fifth Chakra, The Law of Detachment:  When your intentions are clear and your heart is open you experience less anxiety about expressing your views and needs.

Sixth Chakra, The Law of Dharma:  To discover your purpose in life, learn to distinguish your own wise inner voice from the internal chatter of others. 

Seventh Chakra, The Law of Pure Potentiality:  Become as familiar with the inner domain through yoga and meditation as you are with your outer world.  Remember that you are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body.

(Click here to read the article, "What Everyone Needs to Know About Their Chakras" by Deepak Chopra on mindbodygreen.com)

Warming Ayurvedic Tea for Coughs and Colds

Brrrrr!!!  Its a cold, snowy autumn in Alberta.

Here's a Ayurvedic tea that will warm you up and soothe coughs and sore throats like magic!

What you need:

4 cups water
4 cloves
2 pieces of  licorice root (called "mulethi" if you're buying it from your favorite Indian grocer)
2 (or more) slices of raw ginger root

What to do:

Boil the ingredients together or steep in your thermos on the way to work and sip happily.  No need for honey as licorice root is known to contain compounds 30-50 times sweeter than sugar!

Thanks to Rul, my favorite Ayurvedic consultant for this delicious recipe!

Note *Please do not drink this excessively if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure.

The Artful Yogis and the Festival of Trees

This gorgeous wreath, hand-felted by our crafty karma yoga community won the People's Choice second prize at Sherwood Park's "Festival of Trees" last weekend!

Not only was it great fun to create (wow, the spinoffs from Raja Yoga Summer Camp are blowing my mind!), but it helped raise money for the Volunteer Information Service!

Thanks to all the "Artful Yogis" who participated, and everyone who attended and voted for our "Heart-felt" creation! 

Also a big thanks to Yoga for Today for sponsoring the wreath and posting the information on their Facebook page!

Inviting Divine Grace

Kalofer Lace

Maybe its all the snow, but I seem to be having a little love affair with lace lately. 

Really!  Curtains, scarves, flowers, garland, gift wrap, bracelets, the list goes on and on.

What does this have to do with yoga, you ask?

Well, the snow has certainly got me longing for some warm weather and a trip to the ashram, that's for sure... 

But all that lace is also reminding me of the beautiful Kolam designs many women in South India create each morning with white stone or rice powder to invite the divine to grace their homes. 

Check out these pretty examples: 



Kolam by Nithya of Nits Arts and Crafts


Nits Arts and Crafts

Trek Earth

Interactive Kolam and Rangolis

So, I'm curious, how do you invite divine grace into your home?