Happy Yoga Monday!
Spring is a great time to practice yoga outside. Where do you like to practice yoga outside? My favorite places include Malcolm X – Meridian Hill Park in my DC neighborhood and the beach.
Category: Yoga Mondays
Happy Yoga Monday: Listen to Podcast about the Power of Shakti in Yin Yoga
Happy Yoga Monday!
Have you ever had several days of yoga aha moments?
What did you learn?
Over the past three days, I had a series of yoga aha moments about the power of Shakti energy in my yin yoga practice and studies and my work with yoga clients. Cluck on the link to listen to today’s podcast to learn more abput yoga aha moments (9 minutes).
http://soundcloud.com/ananda-leeke/listen-to-yoga-teacher-ananda
PS: Check out the message below.
Happy Yoga Monday: Yoga Begins with the Breath
Happy Yoga Monday,
Click here to listen to today’s podcast that discusses the power of the breath in yoga and how Shakti energy has deepened my meditation practice. The podcast also includes some breathing exercises to help you navigate your daily life.
OM Enjoy OM!
Happy Yoga Monday: Honoring Female Yoga Teachers During National Women’s History Month
Happy Yoga Monday! Happy March! Happy National Women’s History Month!
The power of Shakti, the feminine creative life force that keeps me going (known as chi or prana), continues to inspire my yoga practice and studies. While chanting the Shakti mantra MA (means mother) during my morning yoga practice, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for my female yoga teachers. So I decided to dedicate my yoga practice and Yoga Monday blog series to honoring my “yogini sheroes.” Click on the link to hear today’s podcast about my first yoga teacher, Gloria – http://voicebo.com/iTpreo.
Who are your yogini sheroes?
Happy Yoga Monday: My Yoga Study Buddy Partnership
Happy Yoga Monday!
Have you ever had a yoga study buddy to create more accountability and support in your yoga practice?
This month I realized I needed to create a yoga study buddy partnership to help ground my current study of the power of Shakti energy and Kundalini yoga in my home yoga practice. So I reached out to Benjamin, one of my best friends and fellow Kundalini yoga practitioners, via Skype to discuss my idea. Our conversation revealed that we are both on a journey to understand Shakti, chakras, Kundalini yoga, and living from our hearts. Since he lives in London and I live in D.C., we decided to use email for quick check-ins and information sharing (videos, web links, articles, music etc.). We also chose to schedule one or two Skype calls per month to discuss what we have been learning and noticing in our yoga practice and life.
As a result of my yoga study buddy partnership with Benjamin, I have been creating collages that illustrate how I feel about the power of Shakti in my yoga practice and life.
I’ve started watching YouTube videos that Benjamin sent me via email that feature Maya Fiennes, an international Kundalini yoga teacher. This week, I am using Fiennes’ root chakra and sacral chakra videos to enhance my morning practice.
Having Benjamin as my yoga study buddy has created more accountability in developing inspiring content for my weekly Yoga Monday blog and podcast. Click here to listen to today’s podcast which includes three yoga wisdom quotes, my poem about yoga and writing, and reflections on the power of Shakti in my yoga practice and life. OM Enjoy OM!
PS: Yoga and Reiki healing touch sessions are great ways to energize your spirit, heart, mind, and body for the Spring season. If you are in the DC area and are seeking to develop or strengthen a kind and gentle yoga practice for your daily life, reach out to me at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com. I have several slots opening up for my Spring yoga one-on-one sessions. I also have several slots opening for my Reiki healing touch sessions. Click here to learn more about my yoga and Reiki services.
Happy Yoga Monday: Afternoon Yoga & Shakti Mantra Chanting
Happy Yoga Monday!
Today’s podcast gives you an inside view into my afternoon yoga session that included mala beads and a Shakti mantra. Click on the link to listen (3 minutes).
http://voicebo.com/6mGAnv
What mantras do you like to chant during your yoga practice?
If you are in the DC/MD/VA area and would like to experience kind and gentle yoga or a Reiki healing touch session, contact me at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com to schedule a phone consultation about your yoga/Reiki needs and my fees.
Happy #YogaMonday: My Yoga Focus for February
Happy #YogaMonday!
What are you focusing on during your yoga practice this month?
My February yoga focus is on developing a deeper understanding of the inner Shakti energy (chi, prana or creative life force or power inside you and all things in the universe) that opens the door to meditation and spiritual evolution. Click on the link to listen to today’s podcast (5 minutes) that shares how the February issue of Yoga Journal sparked my focus. http://voicebo.com/xnZQBR
Happy Yoga Monday: Yoga Treats from the Sackler Gallery ‘ #artofyoga
Happy Yoga Monday!
What are your favorite yoga treats?
Last week, I won a fantastic bag of yoga treats from the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery. The giveaway was held as a part of the “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” exhibition and sponsored by Whole Foods Market. My yoga teacher and mentor, Debra Mishalove, founder of Flow Yoga Center, selected the yoga treats.
They included a Gaiam Metro bag (I’ve been craving one of these bags since early last year), Sesame Oil (just what my skin needed), the latest issue of ORIGINS magazine (yummy reading for February), dried white sage smudge sticks (perfect for cleansing my “chakra castle” home), Nag Champa incense (adore it… great for my morning and evening yoga/reiki practices), raw almonds and cashews (lovely winter snacks), a Whole Foods bag (something to carry my groceries in), Mineral Fusion Nail Polish (my niece Jordan claimed the polish), and a $100 Whole Foods gift card (awesome…. since I love to drop by on Saturday mornings after my Kundalini yoga class for oatmeal and green tea).
Many thanks to the Sackler Gallery and Whole Foods!
Happy Yoga Monday: My Final Visit to the Smithsonian’s Yoga: Art of Transformation Exhibition
Happy Yoga Monday!
During the weekend, I made one last visit to the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery’s “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” exhibition. My first visit was in October. “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” represents the world’s first exhibition of yogic art. It includes more than 120 works, from the 3rd century to the early 20th century, that celebrate the essence of yoga and its diverse history through temple sculptures, devotional icons, illustrated manuscripts, court paintings, photographs, books, and films borrowed from twenty-five museums and private collections in India, Europe, and the United States.
When I walked through the Sackler Gallery’s doors, I was greeted by two yoga practitioners who were practicing yoga on their mats and sharing their yoga wisdom and insights with visitors.
I love this pose. It reminds me of the Balasana squat pose, one of my favorites.
I was in total awe of this yogi’s ability to focus in the midst of a large crowd.
Right before I left the exhibition, I posed for a photo and signed up for a free raffle of a bag of yoga goodies from Whole Foods. Today, I received an email indicating that I won the bag of goodies. Hooray! I will pick it up this week and share a photo of it on next week’s blog.
I spent a lot of time checking out sculptures of yoginis. See photos above and below.
One of the highlights of my museum visit was meeting the exhibition’s chief curator, Debra Diamond. I told her how much I enjoyed seeing the yogini sculptures and paintings.
FYI: The exhibition closed on Sunday, January 26.
Happy Yoga Monday: Grace, Yoga & Service
Happy Yoga Monday and Dr. King Day of Service!
I started my day with gentle yoga and Snatam Kaur’s “Grace” CD. My yoga practice and Kaur’s music opened my heart and reminded me of Dr. King’s wisdom on service. He taught us that we are all great because we can serve.
Today, I am spending the day in service with friends. We are cleaning up a local park. I am grateful for the opportunity to join with others in community and service.
How are you honoring Dr. King’s legacy?
Ananda Leeke 