Gonna go back in time....

Darlings~

On October 26th, 1985, the time-space continuum was permanently altered with the first successful temporal displacement. A re-modeled and customized DeLorean left the Twin Pines Mall in Hill Valley, California, and travelled backwards in time to 1955. In 2010.

HA! Ok, today, in 2010, the film, 'Back To The Future' celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Marty McFly altered his future by traveling back into the past and narrowly evading the possibility of his existence by intercepting the meeting and falling in love of his parents.

'Back To The Future' is a perfect example of yoga’s reminder to remain in the present moment, while still having dreams of the future and letting go of the past.

Today, our collective intention on the mat and on the blog is to stay rooted in the present while keeping the goals and on our path to the future.

The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. – Abraham Lincoln

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind in the present moment. Buddha

If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future. –Winston Churchill

Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. Wayne Dyer

In this bright future you can’t forget your past. –Bob Marley

Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed. – Wayne Dyer

I am not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday and love today. – William Allen White

My interest is in the future because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there. – Charles F. Kettering

For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. – African Proverb

I never think about the future. It comes soon enough. – Albert Einstein

The future is always beginning now. – Mark Strand

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. – Henry Ward Beecher

The point of power is always in the present moment. – Louise L. Hay

With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future. – George Orwell

If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. –Marty McFly

The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades, Timbuk 3

Be bright and stay present,

Lady

40 hour work week...

Darlings~

On October 26th of 1940 the US adopted the 40 hour work week per the fair labor standards act of 1938. I love to look back in history and find the yoga. The government believed in the balance of 8 hours work, 8 hours recreation and 8 hours of rest.

Of course, as Americans, driven and passionate, we all know how easy it is to stick to that balance. We're a country of work-a-holics who believe, yes, WE CAN...have it all.

In the wake of that want, we get out of balance. We're overworked and under rested. We need to restore.

It's our quest to seek that balance, whether we work 40 or 140 hours a week.

We know our bodies better than anyone else and we know our limits.

It's up to us, on and off the mat to listen to ourselves, find and stay in balance.

How much can we do and fit in? How much can we let go?

We are in control of our balance and limits. Find the balance in a posture, even if you fall. Find where you can stay even in the mind and your body will follow. If you fall, guess who's going to catch you? You, the most important person in the room. So, let yourself.

There's no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves. - Frank Herbert

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. -Thomas Morton

Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther, when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, goals and values are in balance. - Brian Tracy

Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle. – Helen Keller

Man maintains his balance, poise and sense of security only as he is moving forward. – Maxwell Maltz

Limits-

Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. – Albert Einstein

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise. – Robert Fritz

Limits exist only in the mind. – Unknown

Know your limits, but never accept them. – Unknown

The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible. – Arthur C. Clarke

We come into this world head first, and go out feet first, in between, it is all a matter of balance. –Paule Boese

Yours, in and out of balance,

Lady

Success and Courage

Darlings~

This week, on October 26th 1951, wartime leader, Winston Churchill, leader of the UK during World War 2, inventor of the ‘peace sign’, historian, Nobel prize winner for literature, honorary citizen of the US, one of 100 most influential people of the century (Time Magazine)...and a democrat, became prime minister of England.

He was a leader, pioneer and inspiration.

On his inspiration, we celebrate success and courage on and off the mat.

All great things are simple and many can be expressed in a single word – justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.

If you are going through hell, keep going.

It is always wise to look ahead but difficult to look further than you can see.

It is no use saying ‘we are doing our best’ you have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.

Kites rise highest against the wind – not with it.

Never, never, never give up.

Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.

To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself, the means of inspiration and survival. ~Winston Churchill

Yours in inspiration,

Lady

United we stand

Darlings~

'United We Stand' is a motto our country adopted over 150 years ago back during the American Revolution, The Civil War, World War 2 and re-surged in volume after 9/11.

Pride and patriotism is our hallmark as a country, igniting the passion and forward focus that keeps us steady on our purpose. Since the days of the American Revolution, pride and patriotism have been a hallmark of the United States, giving our nation vigor, direction, and sense of purpose.

On October 24th of 2001, America adopted this motto and our waving flag on our postage stamp.

The postal system. In light of all of the terror that ensued back in 2001, the postal system stayed true.

It was one of the very few things we could rely on to stay steady.

Like yoga.

When all things around us seemed chaotic and unstable, we received our mail, everyday but Sunday.

One of the most recognized symbols of our freedom, the flag, crossed most every piece of mail, reminding us, as a country, as people, united we stand.

What other reminder is there that YOGA exists everywhere, whether you are in downward facing dog, sitting in a cubicle or making a speech in front of executives or a classroom of four year olds.

Yoga is union and in unity we stand.

Unity means union, harmony, synthesis, integral, alliance and togetherness.

Today, unity is our collective intention.

If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately. – Thomas Paine

The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together – William Shakespeare

Life is made of ever so many partings welded together – Charles Dickens

Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success. – Henry Ford

We can work together for a better world with men and women of good will, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of human kind. –Wangari Maathai

Yo, the sun don’t shine forever, but as long as it’s here, then we might as well shine together, better now then never. –P Diddy, Puff Daddy

Sayin’ lets get together and feel alright – Bob Marley

United we stand, divided we fall. – Aesop

Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking. – Mahatma Gandhi

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. - Baha’u’llah (ba hey u lah)

There can only be one state of mind as you approach any profound test; total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength. - Pat Riley

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength”

Let there be space in your togetherness – Kahlil Gibran

Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is. –Hans urs von Bathasar

In essentials, unity: in differences, liberty; in all things, charity – Anne Baxter

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandi

Not in achievement, but in endurance of the human soul does it show its divine grandeur and it’s alliance with the infinite. – Edwin Hobbel Chapin

Peace comes from within, do not seek it without – Buddha

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. – Helen Keller

Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. –Albert Camus

Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity; and where there is no continuity there is no growth. - C.S. Lewis

With an eye made quiet by the power of many, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things. – William Wordsworth

By uniting we stand, divided we fall; in so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed, for heaven approves of each generous deed. -The Liberty Song - John Dickinson

Together,

Lady

Find the love...

On October 19th, 1979, Mother Theresa of Calcutta earned the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize for the work she did for the destitute of India.

She continues to inspire all of us to do good, for ourselves and each other.

However, sometimes it seems daunting to 'give back.'

Sometimes, we can barely give to ourselves and those we love around us.

There is so much to give to, so much that is needed and so many ways to find out more about who and what needs are out there.

It can be overwhelming.

And many of us can't dedicate a life of service. We may not have means, time or money.

As the holidays swiftly make there way into our laps, its impossible not to think of the wonderful ways we could use our personal abundance in service to others.

Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed.

It's like coming to the mat for your yoga practice. Sometimes you know what's coming and sometimes you are surprised. Arrive from a place of peace and gentleness so that you can deliver peace, goodness and gentleness to your mind and body. If you can do that, it will be effortless for you to find the time and energy to give to others, because you have looked out for yourself first. Nurturing oneself is a challenge.

Make that your effort - before you leave for the day, come to the mat, get into the car, prepare a meal, come from a place of love, gratitude, peace, kindness and all words positive and nourishing.

If you don't sufficiently know how to DO for yourself, the DOING for others will be subpar.

Mother Theresa did not expect others to live her life, nor did she expect praise or prizes for the life she was led to do.

We all have the paths we are on. We use each other to inspire and fuel ourselves towards our goals, on our own and with each other.

Good for ourselves, our loved ones and those that extend beyond.

Mother Theresa said, "I have found the paradox - that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt - only more love."

I love that.

And I have to be reminded every day that a life, even partially in service, has to start with yourself.

Find the love, in yourself, in your practice, in your postures. And let it radiate beyond into your work, passions and relationships.

If you focus on frustration, 'not getting' something or negative emotion, it will only keep you down. These days, we barely have time. And we certainly don't have time to waste on negativity. So if you feel it, smoosh it with love. If you think it, say, no thank you, not right now.

Or as a great teacher friend of mine says, "cancel, clear!"

Love that.

Find the love and you'll find the time, to love and to give.

Find the love and all the rest will drop away.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

Let s always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.

I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

Live simply so that others may simply live.

It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.

God doesn't require us to succeed. He only requires that you try.

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.

Prayer in action is love. Love in action is service.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has yet to come. We only have today. Let us begin.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it

Life is beauty, admire it

Life is a dream, realize it

Life is a challenge, meet it

Life is a duty, complete it

Life is a game, play it

Life is a promise, fulfill it

Life is sorrow, overcome it

Life is a song, sing it

Life is a struggle, accept it

Life is a tragedy, confront it

Life is an adventure, dare it

Life is luck, make it

Life is too precious, don't destroy it

Life is life, fight for it

~~Mother Theresa~~

Finding the love,

Lady

The Mets

In 1969, the NY Baseball team, The Mets won the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles.

What many thought was a hapless expansion team, rose above judgment and assumption and persevered with dedication, hope and the openness to possibility.

It's not necessarily the win, but the possibility that makes us try. If we have contentment or santosha (in Sanskrit) in the journey, we can remain even in both success and failure (as quoted in the Bhagavad Gita).

As we arrive on our mats or become mindful in any activity we find our YOGA in, let's bring the idea of possibility into our intention as we travel through our practice and our day ahead...

The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystalize it's possibility. -Leleand Kaiser

Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible. - St. Francis of Assisi.

Every new day begins with possibilities. It's up to us to fill it with the things that move us toward progress and peace. - Ronald Regan

Relinquish your attachment to the known, step into the unknown and you will step into the field of all possibilities. -Deepak Chopra

We don't know who we are until we see what we can do. - Martha Grimes

Standing Bow pulling posture ain't so hard now is it? If you get it today, great. If not, there's always tomorrow. Anything is possible.

It's just a game and at the end of it all, you end up with you, the best prize, so keep your eye on it and let the rest go.

Loving,

Lady

Voyage to new land...

Hi America!

Darlings,

It's Columbus Day. Save your 5 seconds and skip opening the mailbox...it's not comin' today.

In 1492, a long time before we can't even imagine thinking about unless we see in an epic Hollywood film, probably directed by James Cameron, Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus found this great land.

A lot of stuff went down since then, but we're here, free, fashionable and yoga has turned into a lifestyle.

We celebrate, well most people celebrate, a day off to spend with their families and hopefully remember that we are freely floating in this space in order to pursue our dreams and then some, due to someone setting foot here and declaring, hey, I found this place, let's make a life.

On October 9th, 1930, aviator Laura Ingalls landed in Glendale, CA to complete the first solo transcontinental flight across the US by a woman.

On October 9th, 1967, Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara was executed by Bolivian soldiers for attempting to incite a revolution in Bolivia.

In 1890 the Daughters of the Revolution was founded by descendants of individuals who aided in and achieved American Independence.

And just a personal happy history moment, the show that changed my life and continues to be my most favorite show of all time and one I hope to be on one day, Saturday Night Live, premiered on October 11th, 1975. The late George Carlin was the guest host. He was on time.

Pioneers. What are you pioneering? What are you doing for your first time in your life? It doesn't have to be the first in all of the land, but for you. What is your personal first, passion, drive, goal, achievement? How can coming to the mat or whatever your practice of yoga is - where you are mindful and present - how do you get you to where you want to go?

Is it a map, a sequence of postures, a list on paper, advice from a mentor, meditation?

Can you survey what is going on in your life now and get rid of what you don't need so you can keep laser beam focus when you leave the studio?

You don't have to be the first or best, but what is the thing that drives you towards your passion?

Set the intention as you practice whatever your yoga is today to discover and go into the depths of your body and mind like an explorer in new territory.

Your body and mind will always surprise you with new findings.

Go into the unknow with what you think and come out with what you don't expect and be open to it all

By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.
Christopher Columbus

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. TS Eliot

Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit. Frank Borman

I prefer to explore the most infinite moments the smaller crystallized details we all hinge our lives on. -Rita Dove

Music is what feelings sound like. - Anon

What moves those of genius, what inspires the work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already happened. Eugene Delacroix

We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacles to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of two personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. John W. Gardner

Do not fear risk. All exploration, all growth is calculated without challenge people cannot reach their higher selves. Only if we are willing to walk over the edge can we become winners.

That is the exploration that awaits you! Not mapping starss and studying nebula but charting the unknown possibilities of existence - Leaonard Nemoy

In wisdom gathered over time, I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. Ansel Adams

The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we don't understand. - Frank Herbert

We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do and probably he who never made a mistake never made a dsicovery. Samuel Smiles

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking enw landscapes by in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust

Failure is in a sense the highway to success in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek ernestly after what is true. John Keats

Yours in exploration and GPS,

Lady Yoga

For the full yoga practice, log on to YogiChocolate.com

New Beginnings...

Darlings,

It's fall again. Autumn again.

A reason to fall out and get yourself back up again.

Fall in love, in respite, in with the new and out with the old again.

Fall TV line up.

Fall cleaning.

Fall leaves, red and orange.

Fall air, crisp and clean.

Heat turns to cool and we turn and turn and turn inwards.

History shows us how to look at ourselves now while being present and looking forward in prosperity and passion.

Honoring transition and tradition is key. We turn in contemplation, indoors because it's colder, eat warmer foods to nourish and keep ourselves grounded and calm.

We turn on the tv and check out the new shows.

We turn off the mind and channel our energy towards winding down, ending the year, setting new goals, entertaining, escaping and enjoying a year of accomplishment and challenge.

This week marks the year the hit TV series Cheers, aired in 1982, the James Bond series, Dr. No premiered, the Mickey Mouse club aired in 1955, Cats opened on Broadway in 1982, Johnny Carson debuted in 1962, the Peanuts Comic by Charles Schultz debuted in 1952, Captain Kangaroo aired in 1955, The Andy Griffith Show in 1960, The Orient Express ran from Paris to Istanbul for the first time and finally, the Model T, the first mass produced car ever, premiered by Henry Ford in 1910.

It was a time of many new beginnings, each year, each fall, long runs and new ideas blazing a path for inspiration and more to come.

In your yoga practice, whatever your yoga is, where are you coming from?

What episode are you on?

Are you on Model J?

Are you in the pilot or season 2 of your own personal life series?

Are you renewing vows, casting off or jumping the shark?

Are you signing off, tuning in, raring to go?

If it's your first time or 100th time on the mat, where are you today?

Every day is different and today, we celebrate new beginnings, being present and driving ahead.

Take pause and check in.

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time, more intelligently. - Henry Ford

There are two ways to do anything - the right way and the wrong way. If you wanna be right, do things the right way, because if you do things the wrong way, that's the foolish way, and only fools do things the foolish way, which is the wrong way. - Jiminy Cricket

Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. Charles Schultz

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night. - Charles Schulz

We can put a man on the moon but we can’t put metal in the microwave. - Frasier from Cheers

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these – it might have been. - Diane from Cheers

The most important question is “Are You Ready?” Talent alone won’t make a success, neither will being in the right place and the right time unless you are ready. - Johnny Carson

If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possible have imagined. - Johnny Carson

There are two mistakes one can make a long the road to truth…not going all the way and not starting – Buddha

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. Seneca

There are no classes in life for beginners – right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult. Rainer Maria Rilke

There will be a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning. _Lousi L’Amour

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step. –Lao Tzu

To have begun is to have done half the task. Dare to be wise. Horace

All glory comes from daring to begin. – Eugene F. Ware

The beginning is the most important part. – Plato

Beginning is easy, continuing is hard. –Japanese Proverb

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. T.S. Elliot

Beyond the mountains, there are mountains. –Haitian proverb.

The Secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. –David Weinbaum

He who chooses the beginnings of the road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end. Harry Emerson Fosdick

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. - Henry Ford

If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right. - Henry Ford

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward. - Henry Ford

Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them. - Henry Ford

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. - Henry Ford

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. - Henry Ford

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. - Henry Ford

There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something. - Henry Ford

There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can. - Henry Ford

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. - Henry Ford

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. - Henry Ford

We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's dam is the history we make today. - Henry Ford

Allow your yoga practice or the practice of whatever your yoga is to be a place to come in to retreat, to take pause in respite, letting go, laughing or taking risk and trying something new.

As long as you are doing it safely and under the guidance of a good teacher or network censors, breathing and being present, you are doing your yoga.

Take as much time tuning in to yourself as you do checking out and letting go.

Remember why you are here and leave everything else outside the mat, the box, the drivers seat and focus.

Renewed for your mid season pick up and drop off,

Lady Yoga...

I drive a Ford Focus and my other car is a yoga mat.

For the full practice, log on to www.YogiChocolate.com