"Inner Bliss" Explained

People often ask, "How did you come up with the name for Inner Bliss?" 

The answer is not spectacular or clever really but I will share it because I think there is a quality to this story that can be a nudge for all of us.  

In the midst of my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Immersion (in 2002) I entered a state for moments at a time where I felt ease and strength join together and hold me in a way that felt sacred. Doubt and fear lost their grip on me and for moments at a time, I felt worthy. That was a new and very foreign feeling for me. It was an internal state that was hard to describe but the word "bliss" seemed to capture it.

My YTT took place in this lovely little space in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The small studio was not fancy or sleek. It was warm, humble and inviting. It was sacred space and when I walked through the doors, it felt like my "bliss station" as Joseph Campbell so eloquently refers to a space such as this. I got filled up there.  

When I left YTT and drove home to CLE from DE, I felt a deep sadness leaving my bliss station. It occurred to me that I could make a space like that when I got home. One that felt like a place to fill up on energy, love, creativity and whatever I was running low on. In that moment, driving down the road, I decided I would call this space Inner Bliss and it would be a "bliss station" and a yoga studio for me and hopefully others.  

When I am feeling low and need to fill up my love tank, I get to my mat. Held within those 4 walls, for that hour, within those four corners of rubber, I can begin again and fill up on what I need most. If I can't get to the studio, then I create my bliss station at home or outside. 

How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain Cells

The words you say to yourself matter.

Everything that comes after "I am" is a prayer for yourself. 

The words you say inside the quiet of your mind are the language of your life. As yogis we know this on some level and yet it is not an easy feat to catch the bullsh*t and replace it with language that gives us a lift.  

Here's a practice to support the overhaul of your inner messaging:  

1. Read this article  - it will convince you that your self words matter.
2. Determine 3-4 words that capture the essence of how you want to feel daily, hourly, by the moment.  (My words are Faith, Fun, Focus, Freedom - they all start with the same letter to help me remember and they all represent feelings that I am moving towards at the start of this new year)
3. Chant your new power words - out loud. That is correct, you have to say them out loud. You can do it in the shower, in your car riding solo or while out of a walk or run. It helps if you can tie in a physical experience like a jog, jumping jacks, or even seated pumping your arms over your head and back down.  

Notice how you feel after you chant your new words. Catch yourself when you are saying negative messages and change them to your new chant! 

If this seems simple, it is. But not easy. Commit to this practice for one week and witness the magic of your own voice!

 

Gratitude Meditation

This is an auspicious time of year to cultivate a grateful state of mind and practice ways to continually get back to a thank-state.   

Spending time with Max Strom always brings me back to the impact of even moments of immense gratitude.

Max Strom, a teacher of gratitude

Below I have shared a simple meditation that he teaches. It is not word for word, his words, but from memory I have tried to capture the essence of what he shares.  Please visit his facebook page to read more about his gratitude teachings or buy his book A Life Worth Breathing.  This book is accessible and friendly and will leave you in a thank-state. 

Try this for yourself and also offer it as a gift to someone else:

Gratitude Meditation:
Take a comfortable seat. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in. Deep breath out. Breathe naturally with depth.

Imagine sitting directly in front of you is a person that you feel immense gratitude for. Allow it to be the first person who comes to mind. Visualize him/her sitting in front of you and looking at you with affection and respect. There he/she is. Very present with you. See their face and notice their eyes.  As you look into their eyes feel fully the immense gratitude you have for this person. Without words, radiate your gratitude to this person who changed your life. Who believed in you. This person who boosted your self confidence. Look into their eyes and from your heart radiate your deep love and appreciation for this person, as if it were your last opportunity. Look into the eyes of this person and radiate your love. This person reaches out and touches you on your heart center as if to say we are connected. We are connected eternally. I am always with you. You are always with me. They ask you to do something, "Before you leave this world, make an impact on someone else in the same way that I have impacted you.” So that when they are asked this question, they will think of you.  

Max suggests doing this meditation several times a day—especially if you have anger issues of your own. 

Try This ❤️

A dear yoga teacher at Inner Bliss recently shared this affirming letter to myself recently.

I am compelled to share it because many students have asked me to do so. Place your hand on your heart and read aloud.

My dearest self,

I am so sorry for neglecting you, for blaming you, and for allowing other people's energy to influence you. I will stop beating you up when we're alone together. I will stop telling you to never open your heart again. I will stop reminding you of all of your mistakes, traumas, and heartbreaks.

I forgive you, for everything. You are free now. It is safe here. I will take care of you now. I will listen to you now. You are so strong, you are so brave. You are magical. You are a sacred being that came here for a reason. And neither your past nor your present can take that power or that purpose away because it was given to you by God. You have a piece of God within you. A piece of the whole Universe. Stardust. Find it. Let yourself laugh again. Let yourself open.

I honor all parts of you. I embrace all parts of you. I honor this sacredness, and I honor the messy, fuckedupness. I give you permission to be powerful. I give you permission to be great. I give you permission to embrace your sexuality. I give you permission to dance. I give you permission to let go. To forgive others and release them. And I give you permission to work hard at something you love and succeed. I honor all emotions and use them as a radar.

Self, thank you so much for being here and doing life. Thank you for being me. I remember now, I am awesome, and I've got this.

Because we can't fix our outer world until we fix our inner world.

from: http://healwithsarahrenee.com/

THIS IS YOGA

It has been a practice for me to continually see yoga everywhere.  

Breath and movement open our bodies and minds to see the world from a different lens, to be in the moment and to feel it all.  

Yoga is the presence of mind, the flow of the body and may not look like a down dog. It may look like laughing out loud, running with the early morning sunrise, finally getting to 100 push-ups, dancing to great music, or simply sitting still.  

Our practice on the mat builds within us a capacity to show up in the moment and see yoga everywhere.