Yoga, Reiki and more in Europe

This summer has been a whirlwind of events, experiences and adventure.  I am always grateful for every experience, encounter and learning/teaching opportunity.  I had the honor to travel to Belgium to assist in Yoga & Ayurveda Workshops & Thai Yoga Massage with a brilliant teacher from India, Ram.  Sharing the power of this ancient practice, and guiding people to methods of incorporating it into their daily routine is a beautiful experience.  Belgium was a beautiful country with incredibly kind souls.  I quickly realized how amazing the taste of Belgium chocolate truly is!  While in teaching yoga in Belgium, I was given the chance to teach a Karma Yoga class for a beautiful cause at Sampoorna Yoga.  Thank you to Sampoorna Yoga in Brussels, and all the yogis who participated.

Sun Salutations - Bringing balance to all Ayurvedic Constitutions

While in Belgium I had the beautiful news that my P.h.D. in Alternative Medicine was approved and recognized by the University in Calcutta, and the Indian Government.  I had been secretly working on this project for quite some time, and so grateful for the chance.  This was a culmination of my research in the power of Yoga & Ayurveda, how the achievement of yogic stillness relates to total mind, body health.  When people truly embrace yoga as more that an exercise for the body, and understand the physical tension we hold is a representation/manifestation of our mental fluctuations, karmic imprints, and emotions that are stored,  that are calmed with the help of physical practice and embracing the 8 Limbs of Yoga. 

While this amazing news was so awesome to hear, I had to miss the beautiful convocation in Calcutta, because I broke my toe.  This was the 2nd time breaking my toe, but this time the pain was a bit more intense.  This injury was a beautiful lesson in patience and stillness.  I kept my grateful heart as my travels brought me to Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and Paris.


"Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever." Mahatma Gandhi

After touring around the various parts of europe, the summer brought me back to Belgium and was capped off with a beautiful group of ladies who embarked on Reiki Level 1 Course with me.  This course was beautiful and so powerful. I have to share my gratitude to the teacher who guided my journey, Mary Henry of Mukti Healing, she guided me to the Reiki Master Level, and taught me Crystal Healing.  Every time I teach Reiki Courses, I am filled with gratitude to every teacher who guided me on the path of reiki, especially Mary.  For anyone in or around Ireland who wants to experience Reiki, Crystal and Angel Healing, and Singing Bowls, please click on the Mukti Healing Link above, you will be so pleased.


Congratulations these beautiful ladies, Piret, Saskia, Eva and Katariina, who embarked on Reiki Level 1, and continue to grow in their gifts and reiki practice daily.  Thank you Katariina for taking the time and effort to organize this course.  Your kindness and hospitality are much appreciated.  Thank you ladies for inviting me to be your guide in the process, keep shinning! For those who don't know, reiki is transfer of energy, a non invasive healing touch of peace modality.  To watch this group of beautiful ladies experience how powerful this practice is, to embrace their own power, and grow in self worth was an awesome experience to be part of.  Truly, every human being is born with the innate ability of healing, because we are made from the essence of love.

Congratulations Piret, Saskia, Eva and Katariina.

There are powerful modalities that teach people to go deeper into their own intuitive gifts that are beautiful tools for everyone, like yoga, reiki, crystal healing, pranic healing, qui gong, thai massage etc.  I myself practiced reiki for years, and loved the benefits of it, and loved how many people shared positive feedback.  Now more and more allopathic medical professionals are embracing holistic medicinal methods like yoga, meditation & reiki, as they have seen the benefits it brings to patients.  While I cared for my beloved aunty who passed away, often I would use Reiki on her to help her sleep, and it worked. 

Exploring Brussels, dining with fellow teacher, Ram, and enjoying Chocolate

Yoga meets London Dowsers Group

While yoga is an amazing practice that can be practiced anywhere and by any age, I was so grateful for the chance to share the practice with the people in the London Dowsers, who are part of the Canadian Society of Dowsers. Dowsing is technique using a pendulum, that acts as a visual tool for our subconscious mind.  Having a clear mind with meditation & pranayama is an excellent way to begin for dowsing.

We explored one of the 8 Limbs of yoga, Pranayama or regulation of breath.  This group of amazing ladies that gather to meet were very receptive to the guided meditation, alternate nostril breathing, meditation chakra journey, and various other yogic breathing techniques I shared.  The group was incredibly receptive to the techniques.  Most traditional hatha yoga ashrams in India place emphasis on pranayama, because breath is king.  We are all made of prana (life force energy).  More than learning any yoga pose, we need breath, we need oxygenated cells.  In a world where we tend to have short breath, stress, and lack of balance, taking the time to breath deep, and balance both female and male energy with alternate nostril techniques is something everyone can benefit from.  Pranayama is one of the 8 Limbs of yoga, though simple techniques is something everyone can incorporate into their daily life, advanced exercises should always be practiced under the guidance of a teacher.   Many of the members found how simple our breath can lead us to healing, one woman shared how these simple exercises helped her heal her pain just in this 90 minutes, many found tears, laughter, joy, and a new awareness of the importance of our breath.  All of us raised our EMF fields just with the simple techniques of pranayama. 

Alternate nostril breathing technique has many benefits, primarily restoring balance.  Yogis believe that we naturally alternate the side we breathe on every 90 minutes, however, when prolonged use of one nostril for breathing occurs, it can result in an adverse effect on our health.  Those who breath through the right side more will tend to suffer from nervousness and mental disturbance, while those who breathe through the left side more than required will tend to have chronic fatigue, memory loss and reduced brain function.   Alternate Nostril Breathing or Nadi Sodhana, brings balance, clears the nasal cavity, helps for those with asthma, helps with those with vertigo, increases pancreatic secretions to burn off toxins/fats/fluids, and especially beneficial for those with diabetes.  Yoga is an ancient science, and yogis discovered long ago most people with diabetes tend to breathe out of the right nostril more, which is the masculine/more aggressive channel of energy.  This simple technique can help restore balance to the entire body by bringing balance to masculine and feminine energy.

Nadi Sodhana

1. Using your right hand in Vishnu Mudra, sitting tall and keeping your left hand in gyana mudra.  Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Do this to the count of four seconds.
2. Immediately close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger, and at the same time remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale through this nostril. Do this to the count of eight seconds. This completes a half round.
3. Inhale through the right nostril to the count of four seconds. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril to the count of eight seconds. This completes one full round.

Beginners can start with a round of 3, build up to 12.

Jo-Anne Eadie

This chance was made possible by the founder of London Dowsers & Brantford Dowsers, Joanne Eadie.  Joanne is incredibly gifted and highly respected NGH certified Master hypnotist who runs her own center (Power of Freedom), and hosts the Canadian Hypnosis Conference, where I will be teaching later this year.

For those who understand yoga as an 8 Limb practice, and that the purpose is to quiet the mind noise, they will understand the natural association of hypnosis as an additional method to achieve success of the second sutra (Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodaha - stilling the movement of the mind) .   The mind noise, patterns of belief, perceptions, monkey mind, is a result of our unconscious constant state of hypnosis.  I myself and a friend from New York who traveled to Canada twice to take a session with Joanne can both attest to her expertise.  Thank you to the London Dowsers for being receptive to the practice of yoga, and thank you Joanne for inviting me to share with this lovely group.

Mandalas with Jean Ryan in Ireland

So while the trainees are starting to show signs of excitement and exhaustion as we are in the last leg of 200Hr Riya Yoga Teacher Training, as a special treat I invited a local artists Jean Ryan to come and share his love for painting and art with these amazing ladies.  I met Jean with Mia at a local networking event for local artists, and venues in Limerick.  Jean Ryan is a highly respected artist and art teacher, who had a gallery very close to Sun and Moon Yoga & Healing Center.  I had the idea to invite him to share the concept of creating Mandalas with the Trainees.  I have used Mandalas with kids Yoga, and find it to be an incredible meditation tool.  Before I had a chance to ask Jean, he was gone.  However, since this universe is so incredible and we manifest what we put our mind on, Jean had come back to the studio to see Mia.  She knew that I had wanted to ask him. 

My Mandala...it was relaxing to create.

Table of Mandalas

Donna enjoying the relaxation with her beautiful mandala.

Mia creating a breathtaking Mandala

Mielle enjoying her lovely Mandala.

Exploring Mandalas with Jean Ryan

As Jean Ryan was admiring the Yoga Studio for the first time, he casually mentioned to Mia that she should have some Mandalas painted on the walls, and Mia immediately looked at me and smiled.  I stepped up and asked Jean, and like a true artist he was happy to return to share some Mandala painting with the ladies.  We spent the later end of the afternoon with meditation music on, exploring the power of shapes, chakra colors, and concentration while creating our mandalas.  All of us found it to be a relaxing afternoon, and perfect way to spend the later part of our Teacher Training!  Thank you Jean Ryan for your time and talent, we are so grateful for your contribution to our Training experience.  Jean Ryan may return to Sun and Moon Yoga Centre for art workshops and mandala painting, so for those in Limerick please keep your eyes and ears open for this relaxing and creative way to meditate.

Mia and Jean Ryan

Ayurveda Workshop in Limerick

During this amazing Yoga Teacher Training in Ireland, we held a beautiful Ayurveda Workshop at the hosting Yoga Studio, Sun and Moon Yoga Centre.  Teacher trainees were joined by yogis in the local community to explore the concepts of Ayurveda & Yoga.  Very similar to the workshop I taught in Dublin, we learned some Dosha Analysis, Diet, Meditation, Yoga, Cleansing and really explored how to make Ayurveda applicable in day to day life.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and we ended with some lovely chanting.  Thanks to all who shared in the radiant energy.

Reducing Kapha with some detoxifying twists.

Happy Yogis

Happy Yogis Part 2

Getting warm in Asana with some Downward Facing Dog

Reading through Manuals and Exploring Ayurveda

Day #3 Meditation Challenge - Meditate on LOVE and PEACE

Day #3 of our Meditation Challenge - Inundating ourselves with the Power of Peace.  I am so grateful to read the countless emails, and receive calls in how people all over the world who are sharing this 30 Day Meditation Challenge with their family, friends, and Yoga studios, and just putting it into their own individual day!  What a wonderful global Sangha we have collectively created!  While many of you have your own methods of meditation and just enjoy the unity, I will do my best to continue to provide options to aid in your journey towards a meditation practice.

Today's helpful tip is inspired by Sri Chinmoy, who taught meditation with the purpose to achieve inner peace or love.  He was considered an Indian Guru who brought his teaching to New York and then the world.  Many of his followers have achieved incredible world records in the field of athletics, music and fine art.  Sri Chinmoy is most widely recognized for his teachings on meditation for inner peace, and would often encourage followers to embrace prayer and self-less service as a way to enlightenment.  He encouraged followers to do their practice early morning (3-4 am is considered the hour of God, if not 6 am). 

He became a Guru for many famous people including Carlos Santana, Roberta Flak and Carl Lewis to name a few.  He was known to say “We are all seekers, and our goal is the same: to achieve inner peace, light and joy, to become inseparably one with our Source, and to lead lives full of true satisfaction.” 

Though Chinmoy was brought up as a Hindu, he promoted oneness of all religions and was also known for saying "True religion has a universal quality. It does not find fault with other religions....Forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, brotherhood and the feeling of oneness are the signs of a true religion"

He had a specific method for his meditation, but the overall message of using meditation for the expansion of peace and connection with the Divine to overcome limiting beliefs was an evident result in many of his followers.  He himself would have devotees meditate on a black and white image of him that was said to be his "trancendental photograph", but emphasized to meditate on his human form but to unite with their own higher self, and use his image as a representation of higher consciousness.  Sadly, like many gurus their may be controversy attached to his name, and our society conditions us to find flaws, faults in leaders (this is something that is evident in our popular magazines).  This unconscious thirst for gossip or fault finding, results in us doing the same to ourselves, which is why we all would benefit from meditation in order to quite the noise. 

Today you have the option to use Sri Chinmoy's photograph to meditate on, or perhaps your own Guru, your Spiritual Leader, Savior, Deity.  Using an image that projects peace, love, and higher consciousness.  See if you can and become one with the consciousness of whatever positive image you chose to use.  This fixed image for your meditation is a representation of the spiritual liberation or Power of Peace that you desire to achieve in your own life.  See if you can inhale LOVE, inhale PEACE ~ Thanks again for joining in this Sangha.

How to Use Mantra to Meditate - Day 1 of 30 Day Challenge

Day #1 – 30 Day Meditation Challenge – SoHam Mantra Meditation

Thank you for joining in this 30 Day Meditation Challenge! The benefits are endless and the practice should be embraced without judgement or expectation.  See if you can do your meditation at the same time each day.  While the goal is to sit in silence for 15 minutes a day, some of us may need a few options to get to the goal.  Where ever you are in the world, you can join us.  Today’s option is “So Hum” (सो ऽहम् ⁾ Mantra Meditation.  If we recite this Mantra 108 times it will result in approximately 15-17 minutes, feel free to do the mantra for 5 minutes and progress to focus on the breath in silence. 

Begin in a comfortable seated position, perhaps on a cushion, with a straight back.  If it is difficult to elongate the spine, another option is to sit up against the wall.  Relax your facial muscles, softly close your eyes, and set your intention/offering for this special time.  To do this meditation exercise, we Inhale the silent sound of “Sooooo” and exhale the silent sound of “Huuuuum”.  As we inhale, imagine the silent sound of “Soooo” traveling up the center line of the body to the top of the head, and as we exhale, send the breath back down to the base of the spine.  Let the breath be natural, without pause in between.  Some say it is loosely translated as “I am That” or “I am You, You are Me”. 

In Vedic Philosophy this is a way in which we unite or identify with the Universe.  Various theories point back to our birth as emerging with the infant cry “Kohaam Koohaam” which means “who am I”, so the Universe responds back “SoHam” meaning you are the same as I.  When we practice this Mantra we allow ourselves to unite with Universe/God Consciousness.  Sometimes after saying "So Ham" the mantra is reversed to say "Hamsa" which is like saying "I am the Swan",  The Swan in this case represents Atman (soul).  The Swan is the vehicle for Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom). 

The swan glides on water without getting its feathers wet (knowledge and supreme truth), and soars above the water into the sky (rising above earthly ties). In Vedic theory the swan possesses the beautiful ability to separate milk from water which stands for wisdom and discrimination (viveka), therefore knowledge (vidya).  This beautiful practice of meditation is ultimately to free us, to allow us to gain knowledge, wisdom, and rise above the earthly ties or mental modifications. 

Wishing you Joy & Peace during your 30 days of meditation.  May these 30 days inspire you to embrace this as part of your daily practice. ~ Om Shanti

The Amazing Oneness Awakening Course

I am so grateful for an amazing weekend where I had the chance to participate in the Oneness Awakening Course. Oneness is a movement started in India, it is a non denominational movement intended to restore humanity to higher levels of consciousness. It is amazing. In my life I have been blessed with the most magnificent parents who instilled me faith, love, humility and so much more, which is the reason why I have been able to accept and be grateful for any circumstances in my life both good and bad.

However, this weekend I learned there is so much more to life, and their are things in my life that I just tolerated rather than accepted. Like everyone, I have been through my share of pain, but unlike some, I was forced to keep my pain to myself, Give it to God, and deal with it. I was isolated and dealt with my pain on my own, and never realized how much I resented this as my reality, and made this into a pattern. Dealing with things, is tolerance, and in no way acceptance. Despite the fact that I am joyful, cheerful and grateful, as years progressed the layers of the onion grew around my pain. I found myself irritated with people who wore their pain on their sleeve, creating drama and drawing attention to themselves. I found myself having these dramatic people brought to my life personally and professionally. I learned now that I needed to sit with my irritation, rather than pointing the finger, I needed to look at the three fingers that pointed back at me. I needed to see what was it in me that was irritated, not why but what. I discovered the girl who was unable to voice her pain, who felt isolated, who felt scared, and who felt hurt was resentful of the people who were able to bring their woes to the forefront. AMAZING! As I type this I have tears in my eyes of gratitude for full self realization, and while I could keep it to myself, I know that it is possible someone may read it, relate and find healing.

The entire weekend was epiphany after epiphany. With tremendous work on healing, with oneness blessings (which is transference of energy similar to reiki or laying of hands), and initiation into becoming a oneness facilitator.

Some of the phrases that stuck with me this weekend include:

• Suffering is not in the fact, rather it is in the perception of the fact.
• The root cause of suffering is when we feel separate, when we feel isolated.
• All learning is unlearning
• Our relationships create our reality (relationships with our self, our parents, our friends, with our past, with money, with God and with Nature)
• THE EXTERNAL WORLD IS A REFLECTION OF OUR INTERNAL WORLD
• If something in your world "triggers you" irritates you, it is not in that other person, but rather it is something deep within you, we must sit with our irritation and discover what it is.
• Do we really accept our past, or do we push it aside and lose ourselves in the process with behavior that only masks what is really going on.
• ANYTHING SOMEONE DOES THAT TRIGGERS YOU, REFLECTS HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF
• When it comes to relationships, are we always trying to change the other person, holding in our frustrations or are we accepting the other persons moment to be themselves, and accepting them fully?
• When we accept the people we are in relationships with, LOVE REMAINS CONSTANT, instead of feeling like strangers or roommates later on down the road.
• Tolerance is not love, it is not acceptance.
• Do we really listen to the people in our lives, do we breathe deep & call God to help us, or do we dance in an argument and lash out?

Since I decided I will be teaching Yoga professionally, I made the conscious decision I wanted to be a vessel for God to help people heal their mind, body and Spirit. I have read many self help books which are fantastic, and participated in Tony Robbins which was outstanding, and maintained my personal faith from childhood that has been the essence of my joy. But this weekend transformed my entire life, my heart, my vision, my reality and my awareness. I am so grateful to have participated in this weekend, and grateful to have done it with my teacher trainees, my future teacher trainees, and friends.

Along with the magnificent energy of the weekend, I had the chance to teach a Yoga class to the group, did some vogue moves across the room floor when we had a chance to dance (Stephanie you owe me ten bucks still for that) and sing some chants & play guitar during the blessing time. The Teacher Trainees joined in when I was singing the chant they had been given during their teacher training, which was amazing.

If you know you have a painful relationship with your parents, if you find that you get irritated with others quickly or often, if you have little love for yourself, and even if you think you are perfect, especially if you think you are perfect, you will benefit from the Oneness Blessing and Oneness Awakening Course. It truly is life transforming. For people who practice Yoga, this is the way to calm the "monkey mind" to fully experience "Chittra Vritti Nirodaha", to lose the ego, to lose the judgements and become aware of ourselves, to become conscious, to just be.

There are Oneness Blessing givers all over the world, and now there is an entire brigade in the Bronx. If you are interested in going to India to deepen your awareness at the Oneness University visit www.onenessuniversity.org.

Thank you Catherine for sharing this amazing experience with myself and the current Zoga Yoga Teacher Trainees, the next Trainees, and Members of Bamboomoves Bronx. Thank you Michael Baez for bringing the course to the Yoga Studio. Thank you Trainees for being receptive. Thank you Bhagavan and Amma for beginning this beautiful movement and school in India. I am so grateful for the experience, and look forward to visiting the school myself to become a facilitator.

Photo: Bhagavan and Amma, founders of the Oneness University in Chennai India

Healing in Teacher Training

While the teacher trainees are immersed in all things yoga, they also learn special things unique to the Bamboomoves Teacher Training program. They begin their days with 103 bows, which my screaming thighs had the privilege to experience for 3 days. They also learn wonderful healthy eating, and healing. While Yoga Sutras, Asana, Adjusting, Bhagavad Gita, Chakras, Meditation, Pranayama, and Yogic Diet are common in most schools, the healing is very unique to Bamboomoves. I have enjoyed being part of the journey with these wonderful teachers in training. Since I do a lot of energetic healing and body work (reiki, ayurvedic massage, chakra balancing, and shiatsu), I was very curious to participate in the Bamboomoves healing workshop. Luckily, Andrew was kind enough to use me as a model to demonstrate to the students (so thankful for that). The points he focused on were similar to those found in Hara Diagnosis/Bo & Yu Points for Zen Shiatsu, so for me it was a great review for my Shiatsu training. While my Hara is pretty healthy, he didn't find any warning points, but it sure felt wonderful and relaxing! Healing techniques are a wonderful addition to a Yoga Instructors knowledge and training. Thank you Andrew for using me as a model. While it was a long day for me, it helped energize me for a nearly 20 person Yoga-laties class that same night (along with the two bananas from Michael)!