Party Girls have a Yogic Awakening

Now Reading: The Gurus' Guide to Serenity, A Me-Time Menu of Celebrity Stress Reducers by Laurel and Sharon House. On pages 64 and 65 I read a story that resonated so much with my own, I felt compelled to share it. While reading about Anna Getty's path I felt relieved that I wasn't alone in this kind of transition, from Party Girl to Prana Guide. I used to feel ashamed of my partying past, now I have learned to forgive myself, be present and accept the past as a piece of my path. I had to take that route to end up on the yogic journey I am now on, and I am thankful. Below you can read about a Hollywood Party Girls Yogic Awakening and view a few pictures of a Detroit Party Girls Pre-Yoga Past.

Anna Getty's Yogic Awakening

One might think that growing up a Getty, Anna Getty was virtually born with a silver spoon in her mouth, one that, like many elite offspring, she carried into her adult life. Yes, for a while she frequented the hottest Hollywood galas, and get-togethers, socialized with other elite offspring and caused a ruckus all over town. In her word, she was, "an insane mess, filled with fear."

 But Anna had always been a seeker and a traveler, a trait passed down from her mom, and she quickly discovered yoga. Anna's practice began much like many others; in fact, much like my own. She drove by the famed Golden Bridge Kundalini Yoga Center in Los Angeles, owned by celebrity yoga guru Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, picked up a schedule, and promised herself that one day she would make it in there. Well, days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and still she hadn't mustered the courage to enter this unknown territory of Zen-like Angelenos toting yoga mats. Finally, she took a class, and the flood of emotions that were released manifested themselves as tears. Anna knew her life was about to change. For a while, she tried to uphold her party girl lifestyle, showing up to class after only a few hours of sleep and still brandishing glitter around from her eyes the night before. The nightly partying and drinking had left her body in a state of shock, but the yoga was helping rid the toxins and change her behavior patterns as her body was awakening and regenerating. She felt as though it was time to make a choice: continue on this new path or go back to the Hollywood scene. She chose yoga.
      Soon, Anna was traveling with Gurmukh. Her life was changing before her eyes. She found that she was becoming more forgiving, patient, and flexible in both her body and her life. The next step was to take the teacher training class in order to share her new love of yoga by teaching others. Now she and her husband have a meditation room in their home, a room for spiritual and emotional growth, for healing and expression, or for simply sitting still.

Below are a few of My Pre-Yoga Pictures....before deciding as Anna did to "make a choice" continue on this new path (of yoga) or back to the Detroit Party Scene...

Though I was in Detroit, I felt like my friends & I were partying in Hollywood. For our 21st Birthday we rented the hottest club in the city, at the time, Club Icon. Celebrities, including, Busta Rhymes came to celebrate with us. The clubbed was packed to capacity and ended up running out of champagne. I remember drinking Moet & Chandon, dancing on the couches and posing for pictures all night.

Beyond this night, I spent many more doing the exact same thing. I partied with celebrities in the most popular venues in Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York. Over time, as my yoga practice developed the the 6-inch heels, shots of Patron' and late nights began to hurt the following day. As I became more in touch and in tune with body, I began to make decisions that made my body feel better instead of worse. Eventually, I too, choose yoga.

-Love & Light, 

Kerrie

Resources: 

www.kundaliniyogaeast.com

www.stepupwomensnetwork.org

www.poweryoga.com

www.goldenbridgeyoga.com

"May the best outcome happen in this situation"

So I tried out the meditation timer app on my phone today and I was very happy with it.  I've been trying to get back into mediation but stop myself and think I can't fit it into my schedule.  I also will stop meditating because I haven't set a timer and will worry that too much time has passed and I need to get to work etc.  Well...the timer was a success.  I had some extra time this morning so I set it for 10 minutes got myself comfy and started the timer.

My aunt recently was recently talking to me about a situation and we were thinking of how to help and she suggested that I pray or meditate "May the best outcome happen in this situation"  So during my mediation I chose that as my mantra and as I refocused my thoughts it turned into "faith"   Sometimes we need to have faith that the best outcome will happen in a given situation.  Maybe we don't always know the reason why or what the meaning is but we need to have faith and pray that the best outcome happens in any situation.

As gong chimed after 10 minutes I thought, ahh that was nice and wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be

Overall I would recommend the app as a simple easy way to time meditations and keep a daily journal. 

Peace, love and happiness,

Ruby

September Schedule

Happy National Yoga Month! Celebrate the ancient healing practice of yoga with Yoganic Flow. Currently, YF offers Private Yoga Lessons and Hip-Hop Yoga Workshops. Outside of our growing Detroit-based yoga initiative I am teaching public group classes Wednesday-Friday in 3 Metro Detroit locations. 

Wednesday:

B-FitDetroit

Transform your body. Transform your life.

 

Location: 249 Cass Mt.Clemens, MI 48043

Time:       8:00-9:00 pm

Format:   Vinyasa Yoga

Thursday:

Pop-UpYoga313

Detroit donation-based yoga classes

Location: Fisher Building, Suite 216, 3011 W.Grand Blvd Detroit, MI 48202

Time:       12:00-1:00 pm

Format:   Hatha Yoga

Friday:

LifetimeFitness

The Healthy Way of Life Company

Location: 1700 Haggerty Canton, MI 48187

Time:        5:30-6:30 am

Format:    Slow Burn Yoga

*You must be a member or have a guest pass to attend a class at Lifetime Fitness. For a free trial pass or for membership information please call (313)655-YOGA (9642) or email: KerrieTrahan@yoganicflow.com or contact the Lifetime Canton Club directly at: (734) 394-2800*

* B-fit Detroit, Pop-Up 313 Yoga and Lifetime Fitness are not Yoganic Flow affiliates*

YoganicFlow

A Detroit-based Yoga Initiative

Private Lessons & Hip-Hop Yoga Workshops

Location: Your office or your home, your choice

Time:        Call (313)655-YOGA for availability

Format:    Vinyasa, Yin, Meditation, and Ashtanga classes offered

Light & Love,

Kerrie

Exploring Religion, Yoga & World Peace

While researching meditation facilities and programs in India I ran across an article written by S.N. Goenka.

When I read: "Peace in the world cannot be achieved unless there is peace within individuals" in Goenkas article I  began to think about the current state of World Peace. I recalled a caption I read in the New York Times this morning: "100 dead and millions displaced in Syria." Then, another news piece that I read last week from USA Today flashed in my mind: "Africa's deadliest war enters new phase in Congo." Murder and war are the antithesis of peace. So, what can be done to bring peace within individuals? How can peaceful communities be built? How can peaceful communities be maintained or grow in the light of ethnic, religious, sexual and racial differences? You won't find the answers to those question here but you can read S.N. Goenka's article and comment below. ~Namaste~ 

Light & Love, 

Kerrie

Peace of Mind For World Peace

Every religion worthy of the name calls on its followers to live a moral and ethical way of life, to attain mastery over the mind and to cultivate purity of heart. One tradition tells us, "Love thy neighbor"; another says, Salaam walekum - "May peace be with you"; still another says, Bhavatu sabbamangalam or Sarve bhavantu sukhinah - "May all beings be happy." Whether it is the Bible, the Koran or the Gita, the scriptures call for peace and amity. From Mahavir to Jesus, all great founders of religions have been ideals of tolerance and peace. Yet our world is often driven by religious and sectarian strife, or even war - because we give importance only to the outer shell of religion and neglect its essence. The result is a lack oflove and compassion in the mind.
Peace in the world cannot be achieved unless there is peace within individuals. Agitation and peace cannot co-exist. One way to achieve inner peace is Vipassana or insight meditation - a non-sectarian, scientific, results-oriented technique of self-observation and truth realization. Practice of this technique brings experiential understanding of how mind and body interact. Everytime negativity arises in the mind, such as hatred, it triggers unpleasant sensations within the body. Every time the mind generates selfless love, compassion and good will, the entire body is flooded with pleasant sensations. Practice of Vipassana also reveals that mental action precedes every physical and vocal action, determining whether that action will be wholesome or unwholesome. Mind matters most. That is why we must find practical methods to make the mind peaceful and pure. Such methods will amplify the effectiveness of the joint declaration emerging from this World Peace Summit.
Ancient India gave two practices to the world. One is the physical exercise of yoga postures (Asanas) and breath control (Pranayama) for keeping the body healthy. The other is the mental exercise of Vipassana for keeping the mind healthy. People of any faith can and do practice both these methods. At the same time, they may follow their own religions in peace and harmony; there is no necessity for conversion, a common source of tension and conflict.
For society to be peaceful, more and more members of society must be peaceful. As leaders, we have a responsibility to set an example, to be an inspiration. A sage once said, "A balanced mind is necessary to balance the unbalanced mind of others."
More broadly, a peaceful society will find a way to live in peace with its natural setting. We all understand the need to protect the environment, to stop polluting it. What prevents us from acting on this understanding is the stock of mental pollutants, such as ignorance, cruelty or greed. Removing such pollutants will promote peace among human beings, as well as a balanced, healthy relationship between human society and its natural environment. This is how religion can foster environmental protection.

Hip-Hop Yoga Workshop

Yoooo Yoga and Hip-Hop Enthusiast,

Here's a clip of a fun fitness class you may enjoy! Check out the video & a Hip-Hop Yoga Workshop!

This Hip-Hop Yoga Workshop was held at B-fit Detroit. For more information on booking a workshop please email: info@yoganicflow.com or call; (313) 655-YOGA 

Peace & Love,

Kerrie

Technology & Meditation

I was in a technology detox for about 6 months.  I didn't  go super hard core with it, just didn't have a smart phone.  It was good but I also realized that I had to adapt to everyone else that did have technology.  Texting, GPS, checking emails, camera, video, Internet, all easily accessible.  I did enjoy not checking my face book or constantly texting. 

Upon my recent reintroduction to technology I've been thinking about how to utilize it in a more productive way along with enjoying the benefits technology provides us without loosing the things I learned in my detox.  Encouraging the things that I know help me focus and let go.  I started looking into meditation applications.  All under $3 or free. 

I make a lot of excuses why I can't meditate even thought I know how beneficial and easy it is to do. 

Any experience with Meditation applications?  How about Yoga ones?

I will update you on how my meditation iPhone app goes! :)

Have a great day!

Peace, love and happiness
~Ruby

Surrender

Some realizations I had this past week came about due to some challenging situation.  You will see this theme time and time again as I grow and develop.  We all know what we need to do to embrace the world around us with patience and strength.

I am once again reminding myself to let go of my need for control.  My way is not the only way.  I can not control every situation by thinking ahead to 'out smart' unpredictable changes.  With the days since my last yoga session expanding, my stress level continued to rise.  I found myself irritable and melancholy about the 'unknown'.  Getting worked up trying to control every situation.  

Finally when I stepped onto the mat after almost two weeks without a focused practice my body stretched reminding me to slow down and focus. My mind started to slow and focus.  The next day I did some relaxing poses, increasing my calm and deepening my sleep.  My boyfriend joined and mentioned that he too experienced a much deeper sleep that night. 

 Sunday I had a chance to participate in a local community yoga class, feeling stronger, my mind still drifting but continuing to let go.  Now it's Monday and I am feeling more focused and stronger, and I know that yoga had a significant role. 

Today  I practiced some yin yoga and while in frog pose I was reminded AGAIN that life puts you in uncomfortable situations and you need to surrender.  So many wonderful reminders come to me while I am on the mat.

Listen to your body and let your heart guide you.

I can't control every situation but I can choose to practice yoga and remind myself to stay present and let go.

Constantly resetting and renewing every day.

Yoga exercises your mind + body+ soul

Peace, love and happiness!

~ Ruby