At its simplest The Wizard of Oz is a story of transformation. A story of humanity's struggle against forces of the world and the journey of the soul along the path to realization/enlightenment. Spiritual principles taught by Swami Vivekananda are woven into the fabric of story with the four paths of yoga being represented by the four main characters. The wizard representing Maya (illusion) which keep us imprisoned in our ignorance or not fully knowing state. Things/ideas/thoughts exist if we believe they exist. How often have you believed something to be true to eventually find out it wasn’t true at all? Our belief in something keeps the thing alive. Much like the Emerald City. It exists because people believe it exists.

We are all made to fly. To realize our limitless potential as human beings. But instead we sit on our branches, clinging to the things which are familiar to us. Our possibilities are endless, but for many of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable. Crow pose is an opportunity for us to destroy the branch of fear we cling to. A chance to free ourselves from attachment and experience the exhilaration of flight. Letting go of doing the pose perfectly or doing the hardest variation or better yet, that your value as a human somehow depends on how ‘well’ you do the pose.

Who takes better care of their cell phones then themselves? Seeing material objects simply as tools which help us to accomplish our goals in life will free us from being controlled by these objects. Enter yoga.

A yoga teacher walks over and hands you a block, you:

a.) Smile, and say thank you.

b.) Smile, say thank you and mean it.

c.) Smile, say thank you and internally seethe, you don’t need a stinking block.

Choice c anyone?

Eagle pose requires us to set down the boulder, release attachment and experience the moment. The wrapped legs challenge both balance and focus. The wrapped arms dare us to broaden our scope of vision. To see things with a broader, more panoramic lens like an eagle high in the sky. Neither looking forward or backward, we exist in the present, ultimately where the past and future unite. Sometimes we fall and sometimes we fly. What’s most important is do we get back up and try again?

Not all arm balances are meant for every single body type. Read that again. We all have different physical attributes. These attributes affect our natural ability to move certain ways and do certain postures. Like the color and shape of our eyes or hair color, some of us have longer torsos or shorter arms, etc. Add in injuries, repetitive stress or other challenges and it can be easier to understand why this is the case.

Practicing backbends help us to take baby steps toward vulnerability and any risk invites a sense of vulnerability. At first, we may feel exposed. We may notice our physical body tensing up or our breath catching, becoming shallow or forced. But over time our body softens, our breath eases and we begin to feel more comfortable in the uncomfortable. Backbends can empower and encourage us to be more courageous and compassionate.

Yoga asks us to search for clarity and aims to move us beyond illusions and distractions which hide our truest self from ourselves. Translation: Don’t believe everything you think. Clarity of mind has a profound impact on perspective.

From childhood we are always hurrying towards a certain age, waiting for life to start while life is happening in between the numbers. Why is the present moment so underrated? Checking the phone relentlessly, disregarding the moment we are in with the people we are with. Wanting to speed forward to the next phase or goal. Shifting so fast from one thing to another, periods of time in our lives become a blur.

YOU know yoga has many amazing health benefits, including increased flexibility, improved strength, and better heart health, but do your friends?

Yesterday marked graduation day for the Jaya Vita Yoga Teacher Training Class of 2018. Jaya’s 200 RYT training program is a seven month long program that runs either once a year or every other year.