60. Mooladhara Yantra Meditation

Sitting quietly, let your eyes settle on the base chakra's yantra, or geometric form. Breathing gently, let the vibrant energy of the four large lotus petals empower you, and imagine the solid square earthing you with its stability. Finally, let the red triangle point you down toward the vast store of latent energy that lies at the base of your spine, waiting to be awakened.

59. Base Chakra Mantra

The bija mantra, or seed sound, of the base chakra is LAM (pronounced "lum").  Sit upright with your spine straight and focus on your pelvic floor.  Visualize the color red, then gently sing the seed sound LAM.  Gaze at its sanskrit form in the center of the chakra's visual representation.  Feel the primal energy of this chakra and allow it to form a springboard for your day's actions.

58. Feel Your Base Chakra

The lowest energy centre on the chakra frame work in humans is mooladhara, the base chakra. (moola means "root" and adhara, "substratum" or "base".) Close your eyes and take your focus to your pelvic floor, the site of this chakra. Breathe into the area for several minutes. This will tune you into its earthing energy and help you express your needs.

57. Tadasana :: Mountain Pose

This pose evokes the stillness, strength, and innate power of a mountain (tada), grounding the body and bringing a positive charge of energy.

56. Stand Tall to Relax

"On every mountain height is rest" - jwvg

55. Grounding Energy Lock

To activate what yogis might refer to as the "inner ankles, lift the inner arches of your feet when you're standing. This is Pada Bandha: an energy seal for the feet. Feel how it energizes not only your standing poses but also your gait: it will give you a spring in your step as you walk.

Happy and Merry!

From my family to yours... Happiest of Holidays and may they be full of love, warmth, peace, and yummy food!

-Ashley
tdm 

54. Thirsty Feet

When you do a morning asana practice, imagine that the arches of your feet are drawing up energy from the earth to quench their thirst. Urge your feet to direct this energy up your legs towards your pelvis to help to steady you throughout the day.

53. Foot Energy

The feet are the site of a minor chakra that gathers in and distributes energy, which enables you to step out into the world and interact effectively with other people. To call in energy that often settles here during the night, explore your feet with ankle rotations, foot massage, and standing poses such as Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

52. Foot Massage

For stiff feet, slide your fingers between your toes and roll them like waves; then rotate each foot at the ankle joint.

84 Classic Asanas

84 Classic Asanas. Bishnu Ghosh lineage. Bishnu was Bikram’s Guru. This is where Bikram’s 26 postures originated from.

Salute to the god and goddess (each done in 4 directions):
1. Salute to the God
2. Salute to the goddess

Salute to the sun
1.This is typical sun salute. However in the hot yoga tradition there is no downward dog or upward dog. I personally add them into my practice

Half moon series
1. Lateral half moon (both sides)
2. Backbend
3 Forward bend
4. Triangle
5. Seperate leg head to knee

Awkward series
1. squat
2. squat on tips toes
3. squat seated on the heel knees together

Eagle series
1. eagle
2. standing head to knee
3. Standing bow
4. Balancing stick
5. Seperate arms balancing stick

Guillitine series
1. Seperate leg stretching
2. guillitine
Tree series
1. Tree
2. Toe stand
3. Short man (dwarf pose)
Transition series
1. Crow
2. Crane
3. Fingerstand

Lotus series
1. Life pose
2. easy pose
3. 2 toes showing
4. Success in meditation
5. gentle pose
6. Good luck pose
7. Half lotus
8. lotus
9. Lifting lotus
10. Bound lotus
11. lotus in l shape
12. pregnancy (embryo) pose
13. Fish in lotus
14. Spider (crocadile)
15. Mountain
16. Cock pose (lotus in arn balance)

Wind removing
1. single leg wind removing
2. double leg wind removing

Cobra series
1. Cobra
2. Half locust
3. Full Locust
4. Floor bow

Fixed firm series
1. Fixed firm
2. Half tortise
3. Camel
4. Rabbit

Stretching series
1. Single leg head to knee stretching
2. Seated forward bend
3. Seated seperate leg stretching
4. Frog
5. upward wind removing
6. upward stretching
7. splits
8. Pidgeon
9. Splits in the Air
10. Dancers pose

Double sided series
1. archers pose
2. 4 angle pose
3. Happy Cow face
4. Spinal twist

Leg breaking
1. Leg breaking
Legs behind the head series
1. Single leg behind the head
2. Double legs behind the head
3. Lifting tortise
4. Full tortise
5. Goodbye pose
6. Om pose

Full series
1. Full Cobra
2. Full floor bow
3. Full Camel
5. Wheel

Peacock series
1. Peacock
2. Peacok in Lotus
3. 1 arm peacock
4. 1 legged peacock

Plow series
1. Plow
2. Shoulder stand

Inversion series
1. Headstand
2. Tiger (forearm balancing)
3. Scorpion
4. Handstand

51. Connect to Your Roots

To start your day in a state of balanced groundedness, stand with your feet hip-width apart and explore how it feels to root downward into what yogis refer to as the "corners" of your fee - the joints of your big toes, the edges of your little toes, and the backs of your heels (imagine you are wearing horseshoes), and the inner and outer sides of your heels.

image credit: Laura Taylor Mark Illustration

50. Lotus Visualization

Since ancient times, yogis have used the rich symbolism of the lotus flower to anchor meditation and to help to visualize physical postures.  Stand tall and imagine yourself as a lotus, your head rising high.  Look down to see your firm, supportive stem (body and legs), held in place by strong roots (your feet), which draw nourishment from the earth.

Graphic: Ashley Arnold

49. Sending Down Roots

"For a tree to become tall it must grow tough roots among the rocks." - FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

48. Open Up and Wait

"Be as a cup, and the universe flows into you.  Be as an arrow, and the universe retreats from you." - ZEN PROVERB

50 Ways to Breath During the Holidays!

6 days until Christmas!  It sure does creep up quick after Thanksgiving.  Feeling caught up and stressed during the holiday season is as common as Santa making his way down your chimney.  I of course am not finished shopping.. but that's in true fashion ;)  Here are 50 fun ways to BREATH!! and relax. 

via: YOGANONYMOUS

The Daily Mantra

47. Awaken To Your Own Truth

The second of the five yamas, yoga's moral ethics, is satya, or truth.  See if you can intuit insights into your own nature as you do your yoga practice.  In yoga, truth is not something that you learn, like knowledge, but is something that is revealed, like wisdom.

46. Cat Pose Variation

To stretch the sides of your body, position yourself with a wall to your left and come into a table-top shape as if beginning cat pose.  Extend your right leg in a backward diagonal line from your hip.  Root down into the ground with the outer edge of your right foot.  Then twist to the right, bringing your back against the wall.  Open your chest and, with your right shoulder stacked over your left, stretch your right arm above your head.  Take 5-10 breaths, engaging the core muscles in your abdomen.  Return to the table-top position for 2 breaths, repeat on the left side (with the wall on your right)

45. Cat Pose :: Bidalasana

This pose stretches the core of the body and is a great stretch to start the day off. Think of its namesake, the cat (bidala), when gracefully arching your spine.

On all fours, place your hands beneath your shoulders.  Knees below your hips.  Lengthen your spine.  Inhaling, lift your tail-bone, dip your waist, stretch your throat and look up.  Exhaling, round your spine and curl your tail-bone under (see above), drawing your chin in and your navel to your spine.  Coordinate the movements with your breathing for 10 breaths.  Then Relax.

Love and Healing Energy

Our hearts go out to those in Connecticut. May the spirits and energy of those lost find their way home. Sending all the love and healing energy ♥

44. After Rest We Flourish

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." - Ovid, Rome

Lifting Off into Inversions.. with some help!

Inversions are a big step! Until you kick up that first time you you never know the sensations awaiting! This is an awesome way to invert without head or neck pressure.

Invert On Fellow Daily Mantra'ers! 

43. Between Postures

Resting between asanas allows you to become more receptive in your yoga as it gives time for both your body and your mind to process the effects, whether physical, mental, or emotional, of each movement. In your morning practice, rest in Child's Pose after poses you find challenging, observing that edge...the flow of your breath, in and out.

42. Right Thinking

"In truth it matters less what we do in practice than how we do it and why we do it." - donna farhi

41. Leap to the Second Rung

In Patanjali's eight-runged ladder of yoga, the second stage is niyama, "laws" of personal conduct. To tune into these healthy life attitudes, spend a minute each time you begin asana practice considering the niyama know as tapas - intensity of discipline though practice.

40. Yoga For Today

"Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in Oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the essential need off today and the culture of tomorrow." - swami satyananda saraswati

 

39. Regularity Breeds Receptivity

As you plan your time, aim to build a daily practice. Morning. Day. Night. Yogi's choice ♥

38. Select Your Role

"We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in the future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act." - Swami Vivekananda

37. Cultivate the Watcher

As you move around your home in the morning, look out of the windows and contemplate the outside world. Recognize that you're a player in a drama that is being created right now. Choose your part wisely and embrace it, yet cultivate a sense of detachment to transcend limitations

36. Out of the Groove

Just as the indentations of a vinyl record predict is playing, yoga teaches that the mind is imprinted with samskatas, behavior patterns conditioned by our culture, life experience, education, and belief system.  Asanas, pranayama and meditation encourage us to explore these habits and to replace limiting patterns with healthier ones.  Start this process today by observing the way your think about and respond to events.

35. Expand Your Mind

"It is you that pervades this universe, and this universe exists in you. Your true nature is pure Consciousness. Don't be small minded." - ashtavakra gita

34. Ponder Connections

The Sanskrit root of the word yoga, yuj, means "to yoke" or connect, drawing attention to the fact that we are not isolated individuals, but share a connection with everything that is. Before you head out into the world this morning, spend a few minutes allowing this fact to sink into your mind by repeating the mantra, Tat tvam asi : "Thou art that".

Student :: Teacher

33. Be Ready to Accept the Gift

"Yoga is the giver of the untold happiness." - BHAGAVAD GITA

32. Opening to Ethics

The five yamas - moral ethics that ultimately cross all cultures and creeds - lie at the foundation of the eight limbs of yoga defined by Patanjali. As you prepare for your day, spend a few moments contemplating one of the most important of them - Ahimsa, or non-violence.

Observe any possible issues that my contradict this yama and set an intention to be the change ♥

31. New Day Dawns

"Only that day dawns to which we are awake" -HDT

30. Cultivate Awareness

Early in the morning, spend a minute scanning your body, checking how you feel today. Yoga teaches us that what we feel, and how we project it, creates our reality. Simply being aware of how you feel therefore alters the way you connect with the world around you. Decide to interact with people positively today and to open your mind to new experiences.

29. Mudra for Receptivity

Pushpaputa Mudra To create a feeling of inner spaciousness and abundance that will last throughout your day, make this symbolic gesture, the Sanskrit name of which translates as "handful of flowers".  Kneel with your buttocks on your heels and place the backs of your hands on your thighs or knees, fingers pointing diagonally toward each other.  Let each palm form an open cup shaped, resting your thumbs against your index fingers.  Close your eyes and visualize, with pristine clarity, your hands filled with beautiful flowers and abundance.

28. Absorb Earth Energy

"Take the breath of the new dawn and make it part of you. It will give you strength." - hopi saying

27. Lion Pose

Simhasana Best preformed in the morning, this cleansing practice is said to purify the tongue and prevent halitosis.  Kneel with your buttocks on your heels and your back straight.  Place your hands face down on your knees, spreading your fingers like lion's claws, and straighten your arms.  Stretch your mouth open as wide as you can, and, as you exhale, stick out your tongue, reaching it toward your chin.  Look up with your eyes and hold the pose for as long as it is conformable.  Inhale and repeat 3-5 times.  Then relax.

one.love

26. Nasal Cleansing

Yogis around the world like to cleanse their sinuses the traditional Indian way once a month or at the onset of a cold. To follow suit, buy a neti pot and fill it with purified lukewarm water containing a sprinkle of sea salt. Some essential oils can also be added.

25. Cleanse Your Tongue

Jhiva moola dhauti, tongue cleaning, is an important part of a yogi's morning routine. The coating on the tongue comprises impurities rejected by the body that can act as a breading ground for bacteria. Take a teaspoon, stick out your tongue and gently scrape the surface. It only takes a minute.

 

 

 

 

Pure Inspiration

24. Flawless Nature

"Unto the pure all things are pure" - 1:15

Meditation

23. Wake Up Your Mouth

Since your mouth is considered in yogic anatomy to be the gateway to your body, it is important to clean it early in the morning.  Ayurveda, the ancient system of the Indian healing, recommends traditional Indian cleansing products, which are often based on neem.  Buy them from a health-food store; alternatively, rub your teeth with the rind of a lemon, which removes tarnishing, then use the juice to clean your teeth.

Thankful and with Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving!

I came across a neat idea to a few days ago.  Make a Gratitude list over the holiday season.  Write down all the things you are grateful for.  Some things may surprise you!  Keep this list up on the wall or your bathroom mirror after the new year as a visual reminder.


This year on thanksgiving I have one new amazing thing that I am thankful and grateful for...

•  Our beautiful daughter Ella!  She entered this world back in June and is now 5 months. She is the cutest little babes and the biggest heart melter!  She has daddy and I wrapped around her cute little baby finger.  She is a Dustin and I blended together and it's the amazing feeling being a parent <3
• My amazing husband Dustin.  When I say amazing I mean amazing.  January will be 5 years that I met this amazing man and I am one lucky woman.  BBKF
• My Family and Friends
• My yoga practice. My breath.
• My Kula
• The Beautiful Weather
• Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
~Author Unknown

That is what Virabhadrasana II is for... right?

Happy Thanksgiving!

TheDailyMantra

TDM

22. Revitalizing Splash

A swim is a wonderful way to awaken your senses and stretch out your limbs in the morning. Let the rhythm of the swimming stokes calm your thoughts and any anxieties. Stilling your thought waves in this way is the essences of yoga.

21. Purifying Plunge

"Wash away, Waters, whatever sin is in me, what wrong I have done, what imprecation I have uttered, and what untruth I have spoken." - RIG VEDA

20. Refreshing Tonic

After showering or bathing, splash your face, hands, and feet with revitalizing cold water to stimulate the many nerve endings, re awaking your sense of touch.

19. Clean Body, Pure Mind

"Krishna insisted on outer cleanliness and inner cleansing. Clean clothes and clean minds are an ideal combination." - sri sathya sai baba