Nefeli Makri: A walk on the beach.. and a Revelation!

Nefeli Makri: A walk on the beach.. and a Revelation!: Sometimes it takes pain, frustration..and the ability to pause go for a walk on the beach, take a few deep inhalations and then out of th...

A walk on the beach.. and a Revelation!

Sometimes it takes pain, frustration..and the ability to pause go for a walk on the beach, take a few deep inhalations and then out of the blue comes an a-ha moment, the wisdom!!!

It was one of those days..yes all people have them I do too..where everything apeared black and dull. I felt tired, my sinusitis hadn't still cleared completely so I was left tired, with a mild all-day headache that would go way only with a long savasana

.I decided togo for walk on the beach.. I was walking, breathing deeply, exhaling fully and listening to the udjayi breath of nature, the sound of the  sea, as yoga teachers often describe udjayi breathing.

I have a six year old daughter so as I was walking I started thinking about the way I was brought up and the way I am bringing up my daughter ( to a big extent telling her what I was once told). I started questioning all I have been told.I have been brought up in a pure way, always telling the truth (almost!!), striving to have pure relationships based on trust, respect and love.

The thing is I have always strived for authentic and true relationships based on love and without other motives..I have to admit at this point that I haven't always succeeded. I have been surprised to find out that some people were in fact manipulative and money orientated. So here is where the big question comes " how can a person striving for purity, love, truth, friendship meet and be with people so different, where is the match?" If you ask me what I would like to be able to say when I am eighty in my rocking chair about my life, in a nutshell is this  "I want to have loved deeply and have  been loved". I think that when one come sto the end of this lifetime that is all that is important LOVE, nothing else...So where and why  did these people fit? Deep Inhalation...a not so nice divorce...I am now 35 so almost at the midline of 80..maybe I should check and see where I am going..

Lovely daughter she is my everything, just thinking of her makes me smile!! I am so grateful for her!!  My partner is the definition of love (stuborn sometimes...inhale here!!), so supportive, loving and caring. He takes care of us and loves us on a daily basis. I am so grateful for him..thank you!(he is probably never going to read this!!).Thank you for forgiving me when I freak out and need to go for a walk by the sea! He is a yogi in life constantly reminding me to be present and keep going no matter what! My parents always doing their best, we do have our differences but when the going gets tough we are always there for one another. I am grateful for my parents without them I wouldn't be here or be the person I am today. My teachers always there to support me and share their knowledge.. deep gratitudel. My students whom I am so grateful for, they teach me so much everyday both on and off the mat..thank you!By now I was a bit calmer and thinking about the people in my present life, I thought I was doing a good job at cultivating true relationships and I knew why each person was in my life. All my relationships were based on respect, truth and were life-affirming!

 But what about the past..  No it is not who cares about the past, it is important to learn from it and I still hadn't anwered the question that kept popping up in my head "why had not so nice , untrustworthy, manipulative people appeared in the life of a "nice"person (that is me guys..) I am supposed to be the good one looking for love and truth remember? By this time I was asking myself out loud as  I was walking along the beach..it was cloudy, not very cold and there were many windsurfers in the water, a few sun-rays ..it was a great sight..then it hit me...the answer..

All those times..every single time one of those people appeared in my life was exaclty when I needed to be loved the most, to be taken care off ..exactly .. I was looking for someone else to love me, I was really low. I didn't love me and I was looking for someone else to do it for me. That was the revelation! So I was making a mistake that was key, looking for love outside of me, when I should have been looking inside  me the biggest and deepest love affair/ friendship we have  is with our inner Self. Then and only then we can love and be loved (yes I have read all that many times..thank you very much). That is why those people were popping up in my life..I needed to learn something from them..thank you for that, lesson learnt! Books are  not enough you need a teacher occasionally and that is what all the "difficult" people in our lives are here to do. They might come in any form as a parent, an uncle, a lover, a brother, a friend. When the lesson is learnt..they  vanish. Thank them for being our teachers, Send them blessings (if you can!!!), and keep going.

By now I was sitiing on a rock inhaling and exhaling enjoying the sea breeze.  A  stray dog was kissing my hand..mans best friend by far!!! The sun reveiled itself making my revelation even brighter .Maybe one day we will be lucky enough to have a family dog  to teach us all what unconditional love is!..
Unconditional love..
another day .. another walk..another blog.I have to get home to my Love now.

Thank you for reading my blog, please send  me your comments and experiences. Connect with me on facebook and twitter or subscribe to my blog.

Gratitude, Compassion, LOVE..remember the rocking chair!!

May you all be well,

Nefeli Makri 

Why do we do Warrior Poses in Yoga??

“If one is hurt by the arrows of an enemy, one is not as aggrieved as when cut by the unkind words of a relative, for such grief continues to rend one's heart day and night.”
— Lord Siva, Bhagavat Purana 

"The yogi is a warrior against his own ignorance" Richard Rosen

Why do we practice warrior pose in all yoga classes and all yogic traditions? Why do yoga teachers keep telling their students about the  myths that underly the Virabhadrasana I, II and III? It is a just a myth, even if it was something real, it is so old, who cares?

The answer is we do. Because through these myths we gain a reflection of our own lives, our deepest desires, drives, obstacles and limitations. The story behind the Warrior poses is a story about love, pride, attachment, shame, vengeance, sadness, violence, compassion, renunciation, all those feelings alternating and interweaving.

As Sianna Sherman an Anusara Certified, International teacher (and great story teller I must add!)  likes to put it “Once upon a time, a long time ago..... but also happening at this moment in our own lives...

.. there was King Daksha, he was a King that thrived on rules and regulations. King Daksha had a daughter  Uma/ Sati or Shakti. To the Kings disappointment, Sati decided to marry Lord Shiva, the Lord of Universal Consciousness.  King Daksha didn’t approve off Lord Shiva because Shiva was his exact opposite, he didn’t like rules, he was a yogi with long matted hair, he visited cremation grounds, ha danced and sang where and whenever he felt like it, and was often intoxicated.

Daksha threw a party , a sacrificial ceremony and decided that he would show the couple his discontent  and maybe his daughter would come back to her senses, so he invited all the members of the Universe, but not Sati and Shiva. Shiva, being the Lord of Universal Consciousness was able to deal with his emotions and just didn’t care at all. Sati however, was very upset, by her fathers behaviour towards her and  her husband and his lack of respect towards their marriage.  She asked Shiva to go to the party anyway, but Shiva said “why go where I am not invited, I don’t want to upset your father more”, so Sati went alone.

When the Kind saw Sati at the party he asked her why she came since she was not invited. They started a discussion about Shiva and Daksha kept insulting him in front off all the other guests who at some point started  laughing at Shiva. Sati was enraged, she decided that since her body was given to her by her father she didn’t wan’t it anymore or anything to do with him. She went into a deep meditative state and through yogic practices set herself on fire /  or threw herself into the sacrificial fire and died (depends on which text you are reading).

When Shiva found out he was furious and he started to pull his hair out, one of his dreadlocks fell on earth and created the Warrior Virabhadra. Following Shivas order Virabhadra violently stormed into  Dakshas  castle, cut off the Kings head and killed all the guests. It was chaos (like the chaos you will feel if you try to stay in a Warrior  pose for a few minutes!!)  Shiva arrived at the castle to see the damage Virabhadra had made and  absorbed Virabhadra back into his own form.  Shiva became known as Hare (the ravisher)..the story goes on as Shiva goes through a wide range of emotions from fury to sadness..He gives Daksha his life back by putting a goats head on his headless body. Why did shiva do that? What are the symbolisms in this story and how can we relate it to the ”right now in our lives” ? Shiva simbolises  the Higher Self who slays the prideful ego (King Daksha ) in the name of what else but LOVE (Sati)!

So next time you argue with your loved one..  remember Virabhadra the Warrior who is strong because he comes from God. He is here in the present moment to  slay our ego and free us to say ..

 ” I love you”

Thank you for reading my blog..please contact me with your ideas and feedback.

May you all be well and have a great Warrior Week, fighting a good fight. a dharmic fight that will help shift your life towards your Highest Intention.

As you may have guessed we  will be doing Warrior poses and sequences this week at Yogalife, you are welcome to join us!

Namaste

Nefeli

Gift from the Sea!!!

I am now officially back from our family holiday..doing work in the house, preparing for the Yogalife studio re-opening in the beginning of September. I am very excited to see my students again and get all the summer holiday info firsthand.

A week or two before leaving for our vacation, a facebook friend and yoga teacher mentioned the "Gift from the Sea"by Anne Morrow Lindbergh as a good read by the sea. So I ordered it (thinking it wsn't going to come on time) and guess what..it arrived the day before we were leaving and at the end of a hard day emotionally.

Gift from the Sea is about womens lives ..the issues we all face during the different phases of our lives. I got the twentieth anniversary editon and while I was reading it I kept having the feeling that it was written a year ago. Amasing how it is all the same after twenty years, so many changes, technology..but the core remains unchanged. I may be using my laptop to write this blog (my partners actualy..having laptop trouble again!!)..instead of a typewriter or a feather and ink but my essense remains unchanged because our Inner Self our True Self remains unchanged, no matter how much we change on the outside.

The writer is on retreat living on the beach for a while, getting rid of the things she doesn't need.. practicing the art of shedding.clothes, vanity, curtains, furniture, the mask of hypocricy in human relationships (what an unload that is!!)
I would like to share a few quotes with you ..

About a womans life .."it involves not only family demands, national demands, international demands on the good citizen through social and cultural pressures, through newspapers, magazines, ....What a circus act we women preform every day of our lives..This is not the life of simplicity but the life of  multiplicity that the wise men warn us of. It leads not to unification but to fragmentation. It does not bring grace; it destroys the soul."

"The problem is not merely one of a Woman and Career, Woman and Home, Woman and Independence. It is more basically: how to remain whole in the midst of the distractions of life; how to remain balanced, no matter what centifugal forces tend to pull one off center.." "What is the answer?" " I have only clues from the shells from the sea." "The solution for me is neither total renunciation of the world, nor in total accpetance of it. I must find balance somewhere , or an alternating rhythm between these two extremes; a swinging of the pendulum between solitude and communication, betwen retreat and return. In my periods of retreat, perhaps I can learn something to carry back into my worldly life".

"To ask how little not how much can I get along with. To say - is it necessary?..simplification of the outward life is not enough. It is merely the outside. But the outside can give a clue can help one to find the inside answer"

"Ifone sets aside time for a business appointment, a trip to the hairdresser, a social engagement or a shopping expedition, that time is accepted as inviolable. But if one says: I cannot come because that is my hour to be alone, one is considered rude, egotistical or strange.What a commentary on civilization, when being alone is considered suspect ; when one has to apologize for it, make excuses, hide the fact that one practices it-like a secret vice!

This is a clear cut easy to read book, with deep meanings and truth. I invite you to read it and leave me a comment!
Does it apply to you? Did you get any insight about things you need to change in your everyday life? In the way you view permanance, marriage and aging? This is a book for all women of all ages because it gets us thinking about all the shells (phases) of our lives.

Enjoy Spring..with all its changes and colourful variations.

Be well and happy,

Nefeli Makri BSc, MSc, RYT
Yogalife Owner

Relationship difficulites...Open to grace!!

Hi everyone,

This morning when I woke up this morning I wasn't feeling great..I tried a bit of what Sianna Sherman call morning yoga..setting your intention for the day ..had a shower and got to my laptop to check my e-mails.  I started  thinking about personnal relationships and how challenging they can be at certain times in ones life. I am in and out of court with my daughters father and ex-husband ..trying to convince him that he has to pay child support. He just doesn't want to comply with the courts decision, he says he doesn't agree...???? Hello?????

Sometimes one is just left speachless with comments like this. Anyway to a big extent I  now (yes it did take a few years)see him and his parents as my teachers, they have taught me so much..I try to be grateful (not quite there yet, but working on it!). This got me thinking about all our relationships and they complexity. What about Mother- Child relationship?? Marriage??? Brothers?? Sisters?? Friendship?? I don't have any brothers or sisters but I can definitely see lots of people  struggling with their relationships  around me.

All these issues are very painful and a lot of blaming goes around and it can get ugly..as I was deepening my thoughts and thinking about both my experiences and my friends and students experiences, my mood was getting worse and worse..I had forgotten all about my morning yoga and my intention for the day and was sinking ...as it always happens at the right time I bumped into John Friends (founder of Anusara Yoga) quote. "Know that Grace has the power to transform everything you aspire to. So aspire to the highest, and offer yourself to that Grace. Grace will hold you every step of the way. Anusara is a path of Grace."  John Friend
This quote is the answer  to most of our issues in life...look in, do what you think is best for you, is ok with your moral and ethics and let grace take over the rest. When you feel the urge to stay in your pujamas all day and say " I don't give a f..c" and lots of other things I don't want to blog about...that is when you need to" actively "aspire to the highest, offer yourself to Grace. Grace will hold you every step of the way. Anusara is a path of Grace." 

Thank you Teacher.  Thank you for Anusara Yoga it aligns the heart like it does the rest of the body.
 The path of Anusara is a luminous path!!

Namaste

Nefeli

John Friend Opening to Grace!!

 

Homemade Electrolyte Drink Recipe!

 Hello,

 During class I promised some of you I would share a recipe I found, so here it is:

 A homemade sports drink (electrolytes) :

-2 glasses of water boiled
-1/4 lemon sqeezed (bio)
-pinch of salt (don't skip this it is important so that your body retains the fluid for a while)
- 1/2 a tea spoon of honey
Put it in the fridge for a few hours..ready!!

This is a great drink and it really revitalises you  and the best part off it is ...no chemicals! However, before you start walkinig aroung drinking this all day, be aware that lemon  (and orange) are very bad for your teeth so use it before or during your practice..and brush!

Have a great day,

Namaste

Nefeli

Getting Pissed Off..the Yogic Way

 About a month ago I was having a discussion with a student of mine. She was asking me how a yogi deals with frustration, anger, injustice. What the yogic way of  setting boundaries is? Does a yogi  shout at other people? Does a yogi  argue with others? Is not reacting a choice or does it automatically turn you into a victim?

Ten days ago..we got the answer (as a group)! We were on a Yoga and Spa weekend in a lovely 5 star hotel enjoying ourselves. We had had two  Yoga sessions and then one hour in the spa and we went to the hotel restaurant to have dinner.

 The restaurant was full when we walked in and we were given a table underneath one of the air-conditioners  since our hair was wet we asked if it would be possible to turn it off ( the particular one not the entire restaurants..there were more). As we were getiing our dinner and choosing from the buffet I was having a discussion with a yogini from our group. She is  from England (living in Greece for a long time) and she was saying that the English are very efficient but they refuse to answer a question if they are not the person supposed to be answering even though they might know the answer , they will still tell you to go to  Mr . ...or call extension ...We went back to the table and after a while we were enjoying our dinner and chat, when a very rude man came over and started shouting to a lady from our group, that we don't care about anyone else and that they are boiling because of us who asked the staff to turn off the air-conditioning....to cut a long story short he became very rude..and I asked him VERY POLITELY to please be polite when he addresses our group and he left.

Then it hit me..and that was our practice theme for the rest of the weekend! When you are in a situation that is threatening, potentially draining (energetically)..you need to dial the correct extension the correct person will deal with it that would have been the hotle staff in thid case. This is an example how you get pissed off the yogic way and set your boundaries ..with Grace!  Now, the bad news is that in some situations  such as iif something like that happens where you work.then you might actually be that extension!

Because all these situations are actually very harmfull for us. When we feel threatened and  insecure, we tend to contract and that leads to no breath, no prana..no connection!

What about situations in life that aren't that quick and take longer..even years of ones life, eg. a divorce, a challenging relationship with a long term partner, parent, employer?

 I think that the frst thing one should try  to do is to choose to be with   positive and  like minded people as much as possible. As you go deeper inyour practice you will find that the people whose energy is not compatible with yours will fade away. The second thing I do when I am challenged with someone/something is pause..take a breath  meditate on it..on  my breath, my pulse my inner condition, as I breathe I observe everything settling down and becoming calm like the surface of a lake at seven o'clock in the morning. When everything calms down I usually get my answer, by  "my answer" I mean what works for me, according to my beliefs and values.

When you feel overwhelmed..meditiate on Ganesha the elephant headed Hindu God with the  small eyes so he can look in and the big stomach so he can digest all that life serves him with. When you tune in to your inner Self you will eventually get the anwers you are looking for your very own answers, the ones that  suit you in your Yogalife!

 Namaste

Nefeli