2020 Vision - the year ahead.

If you found 2019 to be a most challenging year, you are not alone!

Many people I know have chosen to address the "shadow" side of life – both personally and collectively. The shadow is our unconscious mind, the storehouse of every memory of every experience that's ever happened to us. For the past six years, I’ve stepped into the dark reaches of my individual psyche walking amongst a grove of sorrow and joy with awareness, purpose and curiosity. It's not been an easy ride, but I’ve learned a lot more about myself from this journey. Some personal traits I can genuinely appreciate, other aspects I still grapple with.

Yet, as 2019 rolls to a close, there is optimistic about 2020.
There’s a deep significance to consider about the year ahead. A“2020” vision is not just about having perfect eyesight. It’s an inner clarity, or spiritual insight, that arises from knowing who you are, why you were born, understanding your life purpose and culling a greathearted conviction to step on your unique path and allow it to unfold.

This is not a journey for the faint of heart!
It requires clear intention, inner strength, and unending adaptability. Are you up for that?

Culturally, we’ve seen a huge unveiling of what I call “Big White Male Privileged” behavior and separatist/racist/elitist patriarchal ideology. From politics to media to sports to business, unacceptable behavior is being called out in all arenas of our culture, by average people rising to the challenges of our times. And not only in the USA, but globally. People are coming together to push back against big pharma, big money, big politics, etc...

What does this have to do with yoga? 
What I love most about the Tantric yogic philosophy I’ve studied for over two decades, is the presiding ideology that honors the Divine Feminine & the Divine Masculine on equal footing. Neither a Patriarchal nor Matriarchal system, Tantric teachings encourage us to consider and practice an holistic way to embrace, respect and balance these two opposing forces within ourselves. The ultimate practice is to bring that knowledge into the way treat ourselves, behave towards others, and act in the world.

On my journey, I’ve explored the ways in which, as a white American female, I’ve both consciously and unconsciously embraced a patriarchy which suppresses the Divine Feminine in every aspect of our culture. I’m coming to know the best and worst within myself in an ever-deepening pursuit of awakened living. What better self-knowledge could there be?

It’s said that the world around us is merely a reflection of what we each hold inside.
So if you don't like what you see around you, discover where that same aspect lives inside you, then learn to love it and let it go.
Easier said than done, I know!

When we embark on the “hero/heroine’s journey plumbing the depths our own psyche to uncover all that is present – the beautiful and the ugly – our life will be enriched. Self-knowledge, self-love, and self-compassion are but a few of the jewels we'll discover. Over time, we'll learn to bring ourselves and the world around us, into greater harmony.

Here’s to “out with the old” and “in with the new” as we cross the threshold from 2019 to 2020.
Hold on to your mats, because it’s going to be a transformative year, in so many ways.
Om Namah Shivaya!!

Evolution is in the Air

Nothing in this universe ever stays the same.

No pattern ever repeats itself exactly.

As spring plants burst forth, you may notice how some plants sprout up in the same spot while others spread across your lawn or garden. Natural phenomena and scientific data indicate a Universe that is endlessly creative, ever-changing and persistently evolving.


We live in a cosmos that's ‘NEVER NOT’ changing!

The big question is:

Are you changing with it?

Or are you stuck in the ‘same old’ paradigm:

same old thoughts, same old habits,
same old patterns, same old emotional reactions?

While it’s natural inclination for humans to desire safety, security and stability (because the upside

of familiarity and repetition allows us to gain mastery in our lives), clinging to old habits puts us way out of sync with the ever-new and always-unfolding present moment. Holding onto the past blocks our current and future evolution.

With every act that is out of sync with nature/god/spirit, there’s a reckoning, reorientation, or rebalancing that eventually occurs. It’s the yin-yang of the karmic world at play, keeping the scales from tipping too far...one way or the other.

Change is gonna come!!
Whether you resist change kicking and screaming,
welcome change with open arms, or roll with change
as each new day unfolds.

So, I’m curious:

Do you create Conscious change?
Or are you subject to Unconscious change?

Unconscious Change:
This type of change can feel like some one or something is forcing change upon you!
You cross your arms in stubborn resistance or even push back.

Eating the same foods, never changing your diet with the seasons, or phases of your life makes
you more susceptible to whatever illness is going around. Succumbing to colds, flu, allergies every year is one of your body’s ways to clear toxins and regain balance...all because you don’t know
how to consciously, purposely adjust your habits to remain healthy.

Unconsciously dumping unprocessed emotions onto another person (nature or animal) when an
old wound gets triggered. Then ditching that relationship to start another, instead of healing the
inner child/ego/wound.

Resisting leaving a job that you hate in search of a new job, then getting fired before you have a chance to give notice. (The universe just gave you a nudge in the direction you were already headed, according to your heart's desire, but were afraid to initiate yourself.)

“Oh, change is gonna come...”

Life never stays the same - even if we pretend that it is the same or wish really hard that it would remain the same. When we resist change, life can broadside our best intentions, but when we realize that change is the only constant...we stand a chance of evolving consciously.

Conscious Change:
This type of change may be challenging at time, but you are clear that it is healthy for you,
and you welcome change with respect and care.
Mindfully changing your diet with the seasons helps your body clear toxins/excess and fortify immunity. Purposeful change will up the odds of staying healthy, while others get sick.

Harnessing spiritual practice to uproot self-sabotaging patterns of thought, and replace them with self-loving thoughts and conscious acts of self-care and self-kindness.

Expanding self-awareness to recognize how your own energy, actions, words positively or negatively affect the people (plants, animals) around you.

-----

Is the universe giving you a nudge?
What are you currently choosing to consciously evolve?

Are you able to find balance between a grounded center and life’s unexpected surprises?

-----

For several years, I’ve wanted to express my affinity for sound healing and crystal singing bowls with others.

Prakasa was the first yoga studio in the Pioneer Valley to offer restorative yoga and sound healing events. I’m delighted to see how this combination of healing paths has caught on.

Now, I’m stepping into another of my heart’s desires – to play music with my husband George and offer our unique sound for  inspirational healing in our local community.

Something extraordinary happens in the space of silence, stillness.
Similar to meditation or prayer, the karmic veils lift and the perceived separateness between ego self and Evolved Self falls away.

In that sacred space, deep within us, we can touch and bask in Pure Spirit, Pure Love, Pure Divine Presence...

This is how humans all around the planet are evolving:

Shift attention from one’s mind to one’s heart, from thinking to feeling, from judging to loving, from doing to being. Then making evolved choices from this new place.

As George and I continue to evolve, we will continue to offer new classes, programs and events at Prakasa to support you on your evolutionary journey.

Come over and try something new! 
This one simple action can shift you out of an old habit.
You’re never too old to begin. It’s never too late to evolve one little aspect of your ‘one precious life’.

Reach out when you’re stuck and in need of holistic guidance  on health, aging, diet, weight, sleep, or spiritual evolution or therapeutic yoga to heal back, neck, shoulder, knee, hip pain.
We’re only a click or call away.

Look out for our new events and programs.
We’ve got some good things in the works (Reiki Trainings, Back Care Program, Sound Healing Workshops). So stay tuned for upcoming announcements and dates!!

Pranams,
Lynne & George

Unblock the Heart & Release Emotional Pain

February 2019 - Happy Heart Month
Let's celebrate diversity & practice unconditional love for one another!

Love is powerful. 
Love is magnetic.
It binds atoms together in infinite complexity like
A rose. A child. An ocean. An ecosystem. A single thought. A full symphony.

Love is cohesive.
It binds people together in place and in community.
A family. A small town. A great nation. A single planet.

Unconditional Love is the most powerful force in the entire universe.
It allows us to soothe a crying child, offer compassion to someone less fortunate, infuse fun and excitement into our relationships...
yet it often seems unobtainable in daily life.

The human heart is like a flower that opens and closes.
A heart filled with unconditional love is like a lotus flower, rising out of muddy waters to offer its delicate beauty to the world. It has no idea how long it will bloom, or if anyone will even notice its presence. Still, it offers itself freely.

But sometimes the heart gets blocked, closed off from Spirit, unable to access love, compassion, kindness. An outburst of frustration, angst, anger, trepidation and fear, or sadness and depression can close the petals of the heart, one by one....
until love can neither be given or received.


What would we do in moments like these?
Could we breathe, get out in nature, or lend a helping hand? Get on our mat and practice? Stop work and go have some fun? Mediate or pray?

And if these fail to bring about the desired shift in mood, perception or thought in one's reality...
then what?

Practice acceptance for ourselves and others?
Wait until the inner storm passes? Or pry the heart back open?
Undergo years of psychotherapy?
Take a medication?

When you've done your very best to offer unconditional love and kindness, but feel thwarted by something you may or may not understand...perhaps something deeper than a passing emotion is surfacing. And that something is what ancient yogic texts call "samskara".

Samskaras are subconscious patterns of thought that can trigger a memory, feeling or behavior. They manifest as a tendency, an impulse, or habitual way of acting and reacting. Samskaras affect your daily life. They can trigger suffering or wellbeing. Or dredge up feelings of resentment, hate or sadness...or give uplifting feelings of love, joy, peace, contentment.



A few years ago, I discovered a new modality, The Emotion Code, which I successfully used to lift a heavy cloud of grief that hung over me for a long time. In just TWO days, I felt like my usual happy self again. It was amazing!!  Such relief. And that opening allowed me to feel reconnected to Source at work and at play. It was as if a floodgate opened and love poured back in.

This month, we hope you find numerous ways to unblock your heart, celebrate diversity and cultivate unlimited, unconditioned love. Love is the operating system of the universe, and the power that fuels it. As a self-sustaining energy there's an inexhaustible supply waiting for you. Just open your heart and let if fill you.

If you're feeling stuck (January doldrums) or are in need of uplifting - join us for one of our celebrations of the heart (read below). And if you're ready to shift any old unprocessed emotions (samsakara) that block your heart from giving and receiving unconditional love - check out my Emotion Code sessions. I work with people in-person and by phone. It's painless and the results to release both physical and emotional pain are immediate.

Namaste,
Lynne

Lynne Ann Paterson
Prakasa Yoga & Wellness   
www.prakasayoga.com

Certified Holistic Health Coach
http://www.prakasayoga.com/health_coaching.cfm

Certified Therapeutic Yoga Specialist
http://www.prakasayoga.com/yoga_therapeutics.cfm

Certified Emotion Code Practitioner
Complete this form to learn more.
http://www.prakasayoga.com/contact_us.cfm

Creator of The Back Care Blueprint: The Complete Spinal Health System
Watch my Free End Chronic Back Pain Training: https://1.prakasayoga.com/get-access

Dark Night of the Soul and the Season of Light

December 2018

Congratulations!!
We've made it to December. And if you are reading this,  I wonder if it's a safe bet to say that you, too, have made it through a most challenging year!!

I didn't write a Thanksgiving letter because honestly I was having a "dark night of the soul" experience. Not able to touch much appreciation or gratitude. That experience lingers like an undesirable taste on the tongue...

What do you do when you can't see the Light of your Awareness? When your own mind wrecks havoc on your heart? Betrays your best intentions and bullies your future plans into submission?

Tantric Yoga Philosophy teaches us to view and understand our whole life as a "play of consciousness" - where what we experience in the world around us is a reflection of what's going on deep inside of us...hidden below the surface.

As a loving wife, mother, teacher I strive to live life from values I hold dear - beauty, love, truth, freedom, light, duty, kindness, nature. Yet what I've just been through has broken my heart and opened my eyes! To say I've steeped in the darkness behind the Light is an understatement. Did I experience the Devil? Hell? My own Arjuna/Krishna moment? I can't say for sure. It was awful, and remnants linger still...

I discovered a tempest inside of me that is completely raw, undeveloped, uncensored, ungrateful - even hateful. It's what I call the Big White Powerful Man archetype (a cultural Trump-ism?) that lives inside of me. Was it learned? Inherited? Did it stem from childhood trauma? Old wounds? Is it a form of the Hindu Goddess Kali Durga?

I cannot say for certain. But I saw how it masterfully it revels in putting down the gentle feminine side of my psyche. How it's over-encoded masculine, left-brain, demanding nature blatantly disregards the counsel of it's twin flame - the divine feminine, right-brain, receptive nature.  It's an attitude that's so essentially ingrained, and so very askew. A nuanced thread of awareness that's typically obscured from view. A subversive attitude that flows in the background of my mind largely unnoticed. One that I believe stems from a culture that values the mind over the heart; material gain over spiritual growth, intellect over intuition...the male ever dominating the female.

I must affirm this for myself, and it hopes that it gives you perspective.
Until I WITNESS & OWN the ways my shadow acts out inside myself, then trickles into the world, I am still part of the problem that humanity currently faces: an ingrained attitude of privilege that, like a virus spreading far and wide, permeates every level of our culture - business, politics, health care, education, finance, agriculture, entertainment, environment, etc.

To own the power of hatred, narcissism, privilege, sabotage, negativity within one's self in the first step out of the dark abode of the dead and back into the Light. It's Shiva Nataraja's first step in the dance of life - to dance despite the horror - to dance with it in order to reclaim your sovereign power - and privilege to uphold the Light in whatever way you can.

Suffering has it's place - a powerful  place - when powerfully expressed - as we've seen in the Black Lives Matter and Me, Too movements. What does your deep dark feminine side have to offer the world at this time? What truth or knowing is arising within you as we witness continued disclosure of misdeeds and hatred designed to control and harm good people (and children) everywhere?

To participate fully in the struggle to create balance between the masculine and feminine aspects within yourself is, to say the least, the greatest achievement that any human being could undertake at this time, in their life.

As Mahatma Gandhi so wisely said:
"If you want to change the world, start with yourself."
And just in case you didn't know, the title "mahatma" means "great soul". It refers to one who lives in balance with their body-mind-heart, and who despite the travesties surrounding them, shines their Light into the world, as a beacon, for those who - even temporarily - have lost their way, have lost their Light.

In owning my own white American privilege, I can remove the veil of darkness and step cautiously, back into the Light, without ever forgetting this lesson: When the male archetype is permitted to rage and act without regard for its other half, only destruction will follow.

In the Spirit of the Holidays - I encourage you to claim both the dark and the light within yourself - then choose to express the Holy Light in all that you think, say and do.

In Deep Respect with Folded Hands,
Lynne

Now on to "The Season of Light"...

Top 10 Health Habits for Autumn

Top 10 Health Habits for Autumn

Lynne Ann Paterson, Prakasa Yoga & Wellness

AVOID:

1. Avoid frozen foods, frozen desserts and iced drinks.

Leave the ice cream and frozen yogurt at the store. Cold foods cool the body. A cold body is less resistant to outside influences.

2. Avoid dairy and wheat.

Stop eating all dairy and wheat for 1-3 weeks to give your lungs and large intestine a rest. Dairy and flour products (cookies, cakes, muffins, bagels, etc.) are very congesting - especially when eaten together daily day. Any grain ground into flour (wheat, coconut, barley, rice, etc.) when mixed with liquid acts like glue in your intestines and creates congestion in the lungs.

PROTECT:

3. Oil your skin, nostril and ears.
I love to use Ayurveda Nasaya Oil, but any organic unprocessed oil will do (olive, almond, ghee, sesame). In the shower, after washing, rub oil over your entire body and rinse off excess. Put a little oil in your ears, nostril and mouth. Cold and wind can enter your body through all these areas. The best line of defense is proactive self-care.

4. Essential Oils
Rub eucalyptus essential oil on your chest (after oiling your skin). That will help to clear congestion in the lungs, and ward off germs should someone cough or sneeze your way.

5. Breathe more fully and deeply.
When I feel my energy dip, I stop, sit down for a few minutes, close my eyes and breathe this way: inhale 4 seconds, hold breath for 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds, hold breath 4 seconds. This allows your lungs to absorb more oxygen!!

6. Scarf season is officially open.
Wear a beautiful scarf to keep Autumn’s cool, dry air off your neck and skin.

7. Slow Down & Sleep More.

Nature is slowing down, so should you. Overextending yourself depletes your energy reserves and weakens your immune system. It’s better to get regular sleep, then risk an illness.

NOURISH:

8. Hydrate Daily with Warm or Hot Water

The optimal amount is half your body weight in ounces. Ex. 100 lb person = drinks 50 oz. water

Why? The cool dry winds of Autumn dehydrate your body as much as the Summer sun.

9. Eat Soft Warming Food.

Eat yummy warming foods to counteract the dryness of cold air and the dehydrating effect it has on your lungs and skin. Meals that feature soup, congee, or stew seasoned with warming spices like ginger, mustard, pepper, garlic, anise, coriander, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary. Warming spices and foods stimulate digestion and add moisture to your tissues to combat.

Add plenty of organic food grade oils like ghee, sesame, almond and olive oil (use olive oil raw and drizzle on your meal in the bowl).

10. Eat Orange & White Vegetables.
There's a good reason why orange is associated with Halloween. It's the color of Fall harvest veggies like carrots, beets and Winter squash. They offer natural sweetness and condensed energy to warm the body. White vegetables like turnips, daikon and radish help to break up phlegm and mucus because they are pungent.

2018 - It's gonna be a great year!

2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018

We're back from Morocco. Our Unleash Your Creativity Women's Retreat was a great success.
Now we're happy to be back home and in our studio teaching our great students with renewed enthusiasm.

February is "Healthy Heart" month.

Beyond buying Valentine's Day chocolates & flowers:

What are you doing to increase your heart health?

How are you healing an old broken heart?

Are you tending to your wounded inner child?

The matters of the heart really do matter, alot!!

When our spirit or physical heart is broken, injured, diseased or wounded it's impossible to live life fully and create the life we were meant to live.

I'm thrilled to say that I've declared 2018 to be the year of "authentic self-love". Spoil myself rotten in a good way kind of love. Follow the creative impulse within me. Shout it out loud every day: "I love you Lynne Ann Paterson" love.

Because honestly, if we don't truly nourish and heal our hearts and find immense joy every day, what's the point of being alive?

Since my dad passed away five years ago, I've committed myself to heal my past, transform my present and love my life in every way, shape and form. The path has been serious and challenging at times - like diving deep into a cloud of depression. Sigh! Seeing the shadow side of my own psyche to discover how I sabotage myself. Argh! Learning how
I cause my own pain and suffering. So True! Tapping ancient ancestral anger and learning to release it for good. Grrrr!

And now I have all the effective tools I need to emerge a fully radiant healthy woman. The work is not yet complete, but I feel that I'm getting closer. I've already seen great results in my mind, heart and health. And the puzzle pieces are fitting together nicely - with more ease and Grace.

Why I do believe I am finally becoming whole!!

How about you? 

Where you at in your personal journey health and wellness?

Are you just beginning to address the inner landscape
- to deal with your emotions and feelings?
Have you been transforming your mindsets and daily habits
- to sync up and support your dreams?
Have you been going it alone and trying your best

- only to realize that you're stuck and can't move past some issue?
Are you able to evolve every year? Are you staying young, vibrant and healthy AS you get older?

What we do during the month of January sets the tone for the entire year. 

If my own experiences in Morocco are any indication - it's going to be a great year!!

I'm ready to have a truly amazing 2018. Are you? Would you like to join me?

If you know it's time to:

     ~ get unstuck and move forward
     ~ make some lasting changes in your diet and lifestyle

     ~ lose unwanted weight, enjoy deeper sleep, have abundant energy...

Then I'd love to guide you.

I'll help you to upgrade your daily habits, self care, emotional patterns, thoughts, perspectives, breathing, 

so the experience you have of yourself is joyous, free and easeful. 

If you're ready and willing to make 2018 your healthiest year ever, 

please contact me, today and request a complimentary consultation.

http://www.youngerasyouage.com/consultation-signup/

Repeat after me:

2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 - 2018 

...it's gonna be a great year!

Lynne Ann Paterson
The Green Yogini
Prakasa Yoga & Wellness Studio
Younger AS You Age Health Coach
Emotion Code Practitioner
www.prakasayoga.com