March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

NamasteYoga's eBook
Welcome to my eBook, each week I combine all the blog post articles, videos, and Namaste Yoga episodes into one spot. Enjoy :)

Read the full article

March 14, 2013 Melissa's Daily Blog Posts

namaste yoga, free yoga videos, yoga class, yoga blog, how to yoga
by Dr Melissa West on March 19, 2013

What is unique about how you help others move towards a more authentic self? Todays question comes from Melissa from Fox and Owl Metaphysical Manifestations. I think what is unique about how I help others move towards a more authentic self is my blend of yoga, psychology and cultural studies. I have a background in yoga [...] Read the full article
March 13, 2013 Melissa's Daily Blog Posts

Todays question comes from Maya Tiegrah for research she is doing for graduate school. What does yoga mean to me physically? Physically physically yoga allows me to move my body and again this is another way that I start to clear out (saucha) the debris so that I can access the deepest part of [...] March 17, 2013 Beginners Yoga Class

Todays question comes from Melissa from Fox and Owl Metaphysical Manifestations How do you inspire others to speak their truth, and get to know themselves better? In each yoga class I teach I encourage my yoga students to reflect on what stands out about their class. From there I ask them to dig deeper and find out, [...] Read the full article
March 12, 2013 Melissa's Daily Blog Posts

Show Notes: Namaste Yoga 169 Ashta Lakshmi is the form of Goddess Lakshmi who is named for Dhanya which means grains. This form of Lakshmi will ensure that we get all the wholesome nutrients and minerals we need for a healthy body, mind and spirit. Today we will focus on the part of Dhanya Lakshmi that [...]

Yoga Question for Melissa: I also have a question regarding your yoga videos. Recently they have diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue and to get well I have to do restorative yoga. Which videos can you recommend? I already use the winter practice but that is only 20 minutes. I am looking for a video of an [...] Read the full article

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

March 8, 2013 Namaste Yoga Episodes

Show Notes: Namaste Yoga 168 Elephant Lakshmi Those are the Tracks of a Really Big Elephant an Intermediate to Advanced Yoga Class Gaja Lakshmi or the Elephant Lakshmi was born out of the churning of the ocean of the consciousness. This form of Lakshmi comes from the story Samudra Manthan and she is known as [...] Read the full article
March 7, 2013 Melissa's Daily Blog Posts

on the theme of creativity. Many of us struggle with creativity, shut this [...] Read the full article

What does yoga mean to me physically

By Dr Melissa West on March 19th, 2013

Todays question comes from Maya Tiegrah for research she is doing for graduate school. What the Yoga Teachers responsibilities/relation to her students and society? I think yoga teachers have a huge ethical responsibility to their students and society. Donna Farhi does a fabulous job of discussing this in her book Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Student-Teacher [...] Read the full article
March 5, 2013 Melissa's Daily Blog Posts

Todays question comes from Maya Tiegrah for research she is doing for graduate school. What does yoga mean to me physically? Physically physically yoga allows me to move my body and again this is another way that I start to clear out (saucha) the debris so that I can access the deepest part of myself. In yoga when you move your densest layer of your body, your physical body, you are affecting all the other layers of your being. When you move your body you impact all levels of your being, in yoga this is called the koshas. Physical Annamaya kosha Energy Pranamaya kosha Mental Manamaya kosha Wisdom Vijnanamaya kosha Bliss Anandamaya kosha Self Atman So as I move my physical body I am affecting my energy, my breathing, my mind, my emotions and my spirit. All these aspects of myself are being cleansed and purified so that I can come to know my True Self. On the membership site we have a series on the Five Koshas. We also have a class on the niyama of saucha Heres a blog post that I wrote on sauca In March of 2013 we are doing a Cleansing retreat on the membership site.

Todays question comes to us from Hannah via email: Hi Dr. West, I have been using your free videos for some time and finding them VERY helpful! Thank you so much for the work that you do. I am considering buying a membership but my main reason for doing so would be to be able [...] Read the full article
March 4, 2013 Melissa's Daily Blog Posts

Todays question comes from Melissa from Fox and Owl Metaphysical Manifestations. How does yoga allow people to creatively throw away the boxes . allowing them to really get in touch with themselves. So often people wear too many masks and costumes. They create distance between themselves and others because they believe that they are too [...] Read the full article
March 1, 2013 Advanced Yoga Class

Show Notes for Namaste Yoga 167 Santana Lakshmi and the Abundance of Fertility An Intermediate Advanced Yoga Class This week as I reflect back on episode 166 of Namaste Yoga, Santana Lakshmi and the abundance of fertility, I am looking back

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

Namaste Yoga 169 Ashta Lakshmi and the Abundance of Nourishment

By Dr Melissa West on March 17th, 2013

food rather than nutrient deficient food. In todays practice we will create an ideal environment in our bodies to receive nutrient abundant food. Finally, we have an abundance of food available to us in Western society so much that we waste food and throw out enough food to be able to feed starving people in the world. There are nearly one billion malnourished people in the world, but the approximately 40 million tonnes of food wasted by US households, retailers and food services each year would be enough to satisfy the hunger of every one of them (http:// www.tristramstuart.co.uk/FoodWasteFacts.html) Through the practice of mindfulness we can become aware of the yama aparigraha (non-greed) we can practice taking only what we need to nourish ourselves and avoid wasting food as much as possible. Props Needed: Meditation Cushion, Yoga Strap Yoga Asanas/Yoga Postures: Kapala Bhati Pranayama, Skull Shining Breath, Ujayi Pranayama, Victorious Breath, Apanasana/Knee to Chest Pose, Supta Ardha Chandrasana/Reclined Half Moon, jathara parivartasana/ Alligator Twist, Bhujangasana/Cobra, Anjaneyasana/Lunge, Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon, Bow Pose/Dhanurasana, Marichyasana/Marichis Pose, Mukula Mudra Victorious Breath Ujayi Pranayama Skull Shining Breath Revolved Lunge Pose Mukula Mudra Reclined Half Moon Marichyasana Lunge Pose Kapala Bhati Pranayama Knee to Chest Pose jathara parivartasana Half Moon Pose Cobra Pose Half Bow Pose Bhujangasana Ardha Dhanurasana Apanasana Anjaneyasana Alligator Twist

Show Notes: Namaste Yoga 169 Ashta Lakshmi is the form of Goddess Lakshmi who is named for Dhanya which means grains. This form of Lakshmi will ensure that we get all the wholesome nutrients and minerals we need for a healthy body, mind and spirit. Today we will focus on the part of Dhanya Lakshmi that gives nourishment to us as human beings rather than the giver of agricultural wealth. Food is our most basic and important form of wealth. We need it to sustain our life and health. We are wealthy when we have an abundance of nutrient dense food that keeps use nourished and healthy. Ashta Lakshmi can help us get all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals from our foods. We have an abundance of nutrient rich foods available to us in our Western culture. Some of my favourites are: pumpkin seeds which lower cholesterol, have omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and are a good source of minerals, including phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and iron. I love chia seeds and hemp seeds for the high protein and omega 3/6 balance as well. Goji Berries are another nutrient abundance food and are high in protein and vitamin C. Cinnamon is amazing because it curbs sugar cravings one of the most nutrient deficient foods on the plant. I love quinoa, it is considered a complete protein because it contains all eight of the essential amino acids we need for tissue development. Quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc, and lower in sodium compared with wheat, barley and corn and it is gluten-free grain. Tumeric and ginger are fabulous anti inflammatory flavouring agents. Speaking of Kale greens are probably my most favourite nutrient abundance foods. What are your favourite nutrient abundant foods? Let me know in the comments below! In todays yoga class,we will focus on the abundance of food to sustain our life and health from the perspective of the yama ahimsa (nonviolence or loving kindness) and aparigraha (nongreed or take only what you need) and the niyama saucha (cleanliness and purity) and Isvara pranidhana (surrender to the divine). First, it is an act of loving kindness to feed yourself nutrient abundant food that will sustain your health. Your body is your temple and this is one way you surrender to the divine (isvara pranidhana) is to honour your body by feeding it the best possible foods. By practicing yoga we are creating space and clearing our bodies to be able to receive nutrient abundant

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

Ardha Chandrasana Supta Ardha Chandrasana Supta Ardha Chandrasana Half Bow Pose Victorious Breath Marichyasana Cobra Pose Ardha Chandrasana Alligator Twist Half Moon Pose Reclined Half Moon Mukula Mudra jathara parivartasana Anjaneyasana Apanasana Knee to Chest Pose Revolved Lunge Pose Skull Shining Breath Ujayi Pranayama Lunge Pose Kapala Bhati Pranayama Ardha Dhanurasana Bhujangasana

How to inspire others to tell the truth

By Dr Melissa West on March 14th, 2013

Todays question comes from Melissa from Fox and Owl Metaphysical ManifestationsHow do you inspire others to speak their truth, and get to know themselves better? In each yoga class I teach I encourage my yoga students to reflect on what stands out about their class. From there I ask them to dig deeper and find out, whats the life connection? How does the thing that stands out from your yoga practice connect to the rest of your life? Then I encourage my students to find a small way that they can take what they have discovered with them out into their lives in some small way. Not in a dramatic change your whole life kind of way, but some small change that they could make in the next 24 hours that would put what they just did on the yoga mat into practice in their lives. With the 40 day sadhanas/personal practices that I create for people it is a much more intimate practice where I tune into peoples energy centers and find out which chakras are blocked, closed or excessive. People fill out incredibly detailed intake forms and tell me a lot about their bodies, energy, work, relationships, thoughts, relationship to spirit and what they would most like to transform in their lives at this time. From there I am able to see how the energy blocks or excesses in their bodies are showing up in their lives and create yoga programs and make suggestions about how they can speak their truths in their lives. Even filling out the intake forms to the 40 day sadhanas I think people really get to know themselves better. When they get their practices back, along with my report, I think I mirror a lot back to them and they see themselves through anothers eyes and come to know themselves even more deeply. On my membership site we have something called the weekly challenge. Each week I put together a three practices along with a reflection and a list of questions. People then respond to these questions on the membership forum in a way that allows them to speak their truth and get to know themselves better. For example, last week we had a challenge on cleansing toxic relationships in your life from the perspective of the niyama of saucha in yoga which means to cleanse. I then included yoga practices on cleansing for the week. There are a lot of rich discussions that come out of these weekly challenges. In the continuing education course for teachers, Open Your Heart to Yoga Pedagogy, it is all about truth telling! Each week the teachers come to class having done their homework outside of class. Each class is a virtual circle where the teachers have the opportunity to talk about their experience of working through the themes of intention, loving kindness, acceptance
4

How to move towards a more authentic self

By Dr Melissa West on March 14th, 2013

I think what is unique about how I help others move towards a more authentic self is my blend of yoga, psychology and cultural studies. I have a background in yoga therapy with my over 1500 hour training with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy which has deeply embedded in me that to find lasting change looking for outside sources to guide us will not work. For deeper transformation and lasting change we must slow down, reconnect with ourselves and listen to our own inner voice. Also, because of my Ph.D. in cultural studies and communication I know how influenced we are by the cultural machine and how important it is to pull away from that cultural machine!

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

and acknowledgment. The virtual circle is a place where they have a unique experience to speak about their own experience and have it witnessed by others. The intention is to create a safe and welcoming environment for their own inner teacher to make an appearance.

Namaste Yoga 168 Elephant Lakshmi

By Dr Melissa West on March 8th, 2013

I have adrenal fatigue

By Dr Melissa West on March 12th, 2013

Show Notes: Namaste Yoga 168 Elephant Lakshmi Those are the Tracks of a Really Big Elephant an Intermediate to Advanced Yoga Class Yoga Question for Melissa: I also have a question regarding your yoga videos. Recently they have diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue and to get well I have to do restorative yoga. Which videos can you recommend? I already use the winter practice but that is only 20 minutes. I am looking for a video of an hour. Maybe this is also an item you can use for a series like you did for insomnia. It has come to my attention that a lot of people suffer from this. Now I have to eat and drink differently, do more meditations and relaxation exercises and change my life totally. I have this book about Adrenal fatigue from Dr. James L. Wilson I think it would benefit a lot more people if you can do something with this? Yoga Answer from Melissa: As far as restorative yoga for adrenal fatigue we do have several restorative yoga classes on the membership site. As you mentioned there are two restorative yoga classes in the winter series. There is also an hour long restorative yoga class for the womens menstrual cycle class called Waning to the Dark Moon on the membership site. Gaja Lakshmi or the Elephant Lakshmi was born out of the churning of the ocean of the consciousness. This form of Lakshmi comes from the story Samudra Manthan and she is known as the daughter of the ocean. She is both the benefactor and defender of wealth, prosperity, grace, abundance and nobility. Gaja Lakshmi sits on a lotus with two elephants by her sides who bathe her with water pots, she wears red and holds two lotuses in her upper two arms, while her lower two arms are in the abhaya (gesture of reassurance) and varada (giving) mudras. The Myth of the Samudra Manthan begins with Indra being offered a garland by a great sage. Indra ignored this gesture and placed the garland on the tusk of his elephant, who eventually trampled on it. The sage became furious and cursed Indra and the other Gods saying they would eventually lose their powers. This began to happen and the Gods began to lose their battles against the demons. Indra ran to Vishnu for help. Vishnu suggested that the Gods could churn the ocean of consciousness to gain the nectar of immortality and regain their power. This was a huge task however and they would need the help of the demons. They agreed to work together. Shiva offered Mount Mandara as the churning stick and Vishnus form as Kurma the tortoise became the back on which the churning could rest so that the entire universe would not rip apart from the churning. Shivas serpent Vasuki volunteered himself as the turning rod so that the pole (Mount Mandara) could be pulled from side to side. The churning of the ocean had begun. As the churning began, the first thing to erupt from the ocean of consciousness was a deadly poison that could destroy all of creation. Shiva swallowed the blue liquid and the churning continued. Many wondrous things came out of the churning of the ocean of consciousness, Chandra (the moon), an elephant, precious stones, a magical tree, a wish-fulfilling cow, but the most amazing thing of all was a Lakshmi, the Goddess of Abundance. Nobody had seen anything as beautiful as Lakshmi before. Everybody forgot their troubles in her presence. Lakshmi promised abundance and material wealth, but she also promised children and love. We have told this story several times before on Namaste Yoga!
5

Episode 71 of Namaste Yoga is also an hour long restorative yoga class. Click here to watch I like the idea of a series of classes on adrenal fatigue, I will add it to my content creation list. Ive actually read Dr. James Wilsons book on adrenal fatigue, which is excellent by the way and I interviewed him a long time ago. He is awesome!

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

In episode 149 on How Shiva got his Blue Throat Namaste Yoga 27 on Lakshmi the Goddess of Abundance and Beauty Today I want to focus on the theme of elephants that come up throughout this story. Earlier this week I read the most beautiful story told by Eknath Eswaran of a man looking for people living the teachings of Buddha the way one follows the tracks of animals in a jungle. He went around talking to people everywhere and whenever he found a person whose life had been transformed he would exclaim, Those are the tracks of a really big elephant! Today as you listen to that story, in that moment, can you reach within to an inner knowing and confirm your life leaves the tracks of a really big elephant? How have the teachings of yoga have transformed your life in a big elephant track kind of way? In this moment, can you know that for yourself? Can you find the tracks of the really big elephant in your life? In todays class we will focus on grounding through your legs and feet and opening your heart to create big elephant tracks in your life. Props Needed: Yoga Block, Yoga Strap Yoga Asanas/Yoga Postures: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana/ bridge pose, Jathara Parivartanasana/reclined twist, Vasisthasana/side plank, Camatkarasana/Wild Thing Pose, Parsvottanasana/Standing Forward Folding Triangle/ Pyramid Pose, Ardha Chandrasana/Side bend, Anuvittasana/ Back Bend, Vrksasana/Tree pose, lotus mudra, Pavritta Prasarita Padottanasana/Wide legged Standing Forward Fold, Adho Mukha Svanasana/Down dog up dog, Urdhva Muhka Svanasana/Upward Facing Dog, Balasana/childs pose, Jnana Mudra, Savasana/Corpse Pose Jathara Parivartanasana Jnana Mudra Childs Pose Down Dog Pose bridge pose Camatkarasana Back Bend Balasana Anuvittasana Ardha Chandrasana Adho Mukha Svanasana Wild thing pose Vrksasana Urdhva Muhka Svanasana Vasisthasana

Tree pose up Dog pose Standing Side bend Supta Ardha Chandrasana side plank Standing Forward Folding Triangle reclined twist Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Pyramid Pose Reclined Side bend Parsvottanasana Pavritta Prasarita Padottanasana lotus mudra Meditation Knees to Chest Little Boat Pose Thank you for leaving your ratings, comments and testimonials at http://www.thankyoumelissa.com For more great videos check out my membership site and become a member todayhttp://www.melissawest.com/ membership/membership-sign-up/ Have a personalized practice created by ME just for YOU! http://www.melissawest.com/yoga/40-day-yoga-practice/ Yoga Teacher Training: Continuing Education for Teachers http://www.melissawest.com/yoga-teacher-training/ To purchase specialized yoga videos check out our shop http://www.melissawest.com/shop/

Yoga Teacher Responsibility

By Dr Melissa West on March 7th, 2013

Todays question comes from Maya Tiegrah for research she is doing for graduate school. What the Yoga Teachers responsibilities/relation to her students and society?

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

I think yoga teachers have a huge ethical responsibility to their students and society. Donna Farhi does a fabulous job of discussing this in her book Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Student-Teacher Relationship. I believe this ethical responsibility begins with our own practice of yoga, meditation and journaling each day, looking after our own backyard so to speak so that we are not taking our own issues into the classroom as much as possible and asking our students to care for us.

I have been using your free videos for some time and finding them VERY helpful! Thank you so much for the work that you do. I am considering buying a membership but my main reason for doing so would be to be able to more easily search your large collection of videos for a specific series, a specific length of class, or a specific subject. Can you tell me if the classes on the membership site are searchable in that way? Thanks again, Hannah, Fredericton, NB Dear Hannah Im so glad you find the videos helpful. That is the thing about having so much content, is that is does get unwieldy after a while! The content on the membership site is different than the content outside of the membership site. That being said, the members do spend a lot of time discussing the content outside of the membership site! lol! So one way you would be able to easily manage the large collection of videos is through discussion with the other members. A lot of people do that through the ask melissa thread and the daily yoga thread. Within the membership site we arrange the videos in two ways. The one hour videos are listed and then the shorter 20 -20 minute multi-day series videos are listed (with descriptions once you click on them) You can see a list of them here below the video of me: The is a search box on the membership site. I actually use that often too when searching for content. It works well. Outside of the membership site, there is a search box on my website www.melissawest.com It is on the right hand side of every page just above the subscribe icons for facebook, twitter, youtube, etc. It also works really well. I use it a lot when people ask me for a class on a subject to find a class out of my 160 classes. On my youtube page http://www.youtube.com/ DrMelissaWest there are playlists on the right hand side of the page. That way we divide the content up into the series of classes Ive taught over the last three and a half years. There are the beginners classes, the Shiva classes, Yoga Stories, Ganesh, Stories, Chakra Balancing Yoga, Yoga Jargon, Namas and Niyamas, The Organ Body, Yoga of Emotions, The Keepin it Real Series its all there. I hope that helps. I would love to have you as a member. That is where we house the primo, value-added content. Plus you get more interaction with me and a great community. Warmly, Melissa

Of course the ethical guidelines are beautifully laid out in our yogic texts the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. Following the Yamas and Niyamas. The yamas are the social disciplines and refer to the way we behave in society. Ahimsa nonviolence, satya truthfulness, asteya nonstealing, bramacharya sexual responsibility (huge in the yoga community), apparigraha (take only what you need). The niyamas are directed towards yourself and just as important sauca- cleanliness, santosha- contentment, tapas commitment to our practice, svadyaya commitment to self study, study, isvara pranidhana surrender to a higher power. Here is a link to the Yoga Classes I taught on the Yamas and Niyamas: Click Here The Bhagavad Gita teaches us about the importance of karma yoga, selfless action action without attachment to outcome. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us how important it is to find out path and do our work that spiritual life and work are not separate things, but that our responsibility as spiritual beings is to work with our whole hearts without becoming attached to the fruits of our labour. I think as yoga teachers we have a responsibility to be familiar with these philosophical texts and to integrate them into our lives and bring them to life, really live them in our lives, be a living example of these ancient spiritual teachings to the best of our ability in a humble and real way.

How to find our Yoga Videos

By Dr Melissa West on March 6th, 2013

Todays question comes to us from Hannah via email: Hi Dr. West,

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

Throw away the boxes: Connect with your True Self

By Dr Melissa West on March 4th, 2013

of yourself not only allows you to know your True Self but also deepens your connection with the Divine. Here are some classes on connecting with your True Self

Todays question Melissa from .

comes

from

Episode 165 Click to Watch

How does yoga allow people to creatively throw away the boxes . allowing them to really get in touch with themselves. So often people wear too many masks and costumes. They create distance between themselves and others because they believe that they are too different to be worthy of love and dignity.The result is an endless and overwhelming work of fitting in and behaving correctly or as society demands. Yoga is all about connecting to your True Self. That is the probably the main reason I practice yoga and will continue to do so until the day I die in one capacity or another. In yoga, we throw away the boxes through a practice called pratyahara, which means withdrawal of the senses. In our culture we are bombarded with messages of how to behave, consume, and do more that generally keep us caught in illusion and suffering. By pulling away from the messages of culture which says we need to consume more to be happy, we realize that we have more than enough and we only have to take what we need in yoga this is the fifth yama or social discipline called aparigraha. We can rest back in the generosity of our spirits and realize that we live lives of abundance and fulfillment. You want to talk about dignity? In our North American Culture we all have access to running water and flush toilets. We can shower and make ourselves presentable each and every day. millions of people in the world dont have access to that kind of dignity each day. Another benefit of pratyahara is that we can pull ourselves away from the constant violence we willingly allow ourselves to be subjected to through the media this happens in many forms. The news reports a continuous low-level stream of anxiety producing panic that sometimes reaches feverish pitches. Billboards, fashion magazines, celebrity tabloids hold up images of people that are so ridiculously unilateral and dont show a full spectrum of the full expression of human bodies, income levels, ethnicities and cultures. When you turn inwards you have the opportunity to experience the richness of your inner landscape. This is a true gift. Yoga allows you to connect to the truth of who you are without the lies that are fed to you through the collective unconscious. You are able to connect with truthfulness and integrity, balance and moderation to practices that will cleanse and purify you so that you can experience contentment and peace with yourself and others. Ultimately this kind of study

Episode 76 Click to Watch

Namaste Yoga 167 Goddess Shasti Unleashing Your Creativity

By Dr Melissa West on March 1st, 2013

Show Notes for Namaste Yoga 167 Santana Lakshmi and the Abundance of Fertility An Intermediate Advanced Yoga Class This week as I reflect back on episode 166 of Namaste Yoga, Santana Lakshmi and the abundance of fertility, I am looking back on the theme of creativity. Many of us struggle with creativity, shut this part of ourselves down, or allow others to do it for us. As adults perhaps we feel there are more important things to do be doing, however, creative expression is part of our human being-ness.

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

Here is a story about Goddess Shasti that I didnt share in this weeks Namaste Yoga. I have adapted it from Swapna Duttas Folktales of West Bengal published by Childrens Book Trust There once was an affluent businessman who lived in a huge house with a big pool in the backyard. The home was beautifully landscaped and had a three car garage for all his toys. They also had a freshwater lake in their backyard with tons of organic fish to catch to eat for dinner. This wealthy businessman had seven sons. They grew up and married beautiful women. The youngest son, however married a woman who was quite interested in money. Some would even say she was greedy. The whole family lived together at the huge mansion. The home was expansive and had many servants and personal chefs to prepare their so everybody was comfortable. Every day many beautiful foods were prepared and although there was more than enough for everybody the youngest daughter in law, Christine, would covertly take more than her share. She would steal into the kitchen when nobody was looking and drink up all the milk and eat all the sweets. She would also take the biggest and best pieces of fish. Everyone in the house noticed that a lot of the milk, sweets and fish went missing each day, but couldnt understand where it was all going? Was somebody stealing? One day the business mans wife called all her daughter in laws in and asked them if they had any idea what was going on. The wives of the six elder sons said they couldnt understand what was happening. The business mans wife decided to question Christine directly since they had their suspicions. Christine, do you know what is happening with all the milk that is going missing? she asked Yes, I do, Christine answered, It is the black cat who steals it. Really? answered the businessmans wife Oh yes, said Christine, I see that sneaky black cat drink all the milk, devour the best fish and then run away every day! Well then! said the businessmans wife, we had best catch that black cat, and give it a sound beating! And the next time that black cat came into the house, they did just that. This went on and on for some time where Christine would steal the food and blame Goddess Shastis cat and then the cat would take the beating for Christine. Finally the cat went to Goddess Shasti and complained. Mother, I cant take it anymore! When the time is right, I am going to teach Christine a lesson!, the cat told Goddess Shasti It is time for her to learn her lesson, dear cat, Goddess Shasti said petting her sweet cat, It is not right for her to lie and allow somebody else to take the blame for her actions. Karma will reach her some day, dont worry.

A few weeks later a beautiful baby boy was born to Christine. Everybody in the house was elated since this was the first baby born into the family. The next morning they awoke to find the baby was missing. Christine was devastated, but they couldnt find her baby anywhere, somebody has stolen her baby. You may have guessed already that it was the black cat who took Christines baby straight to Goddess Shasti.

The following year Christine was blessed with another baby boy and yet this baby was stolen just like the first one! Again, nobody could find out what happened. Once more that black cat had taken the baby to Goddess Shasti. Christine had 6 sons and all were stolen. When she birthed a daughter, Christine decided to stay up all night and watch over her baby. Late into the night as she dozed out of the corner of her eyes she saw a black cat running away with her baby. She ran after the cat straight to the temple of Goddess Shasti. There she found her baby girl along with all her other children playing happily. Christine wept at the feet of the goddess, Mother, this despicable black cat has been stealing all my children. Now I see that you have all of them. Please, I beg you, may I have them back? I can not do that, said Goddess Shasti, Didnt you know that this black cat is a special pet of mine? You were stealing day after day, blaming it on my poor innocent cat and having her beaten. I cant overlook your lies and the violence youve inflicted. You dont deserve your children back. Christine begged again, Please forgive me.Ill never do it again. Im so sorry. If you want forgiveness, you better ask it of my cat, she is who you have wronged, Ma Shasti said. Christine turned to the black cat and asked forgiveness, promising to never steal or tell lies again. The black cat took pity on her and forgave her. Goddess Shasti gave Christine her children back and Christine returned happily home. This story is deeply archetypal and metaphorical. How often do we get greedy for life, trying to accumulate the things that we think will make us comfortable? Just like Christine in the story we try to make ourselves comfortable by taking more than we need (remember the yama aparigraha?). In the story Christine takes more milk,sweets and fish than she needs. In real life we may work more than we can manage physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually to meet our so called material needs and end up exhausting ourselves. We then blame the black cat (our boss or whoever the scapegoat is) for taking what is most important in our lives. It may be our actual time with our children. It may be our enjoyment of life

March 19th, 2013

Published by: NamasteYoga

and our creative dance with it. It may be the creative dreams that are alive within you. This week we will simplify and connect with our creative energy.

Half Reclined Heros Pose half Reclined Heros Pose with half Keyhole Half Lord of the Fishes Pose Figure Four Stretch Eka Pada Rajakapotasana Corpse Pose Cat Pose Ardha Supta Virasana Ardha Matsyendrasana Ananda Balasana Ananda Balasana Savasna Camatkarasana Down Dog

Namaste Yoga 167 Santana Lakshmi and the Abundance of Fertility Intermediate/ Advanced
Props Needed: Yoga Strap, Yoga Block, Yoga Asanas/Yoga Postures: Ushas MudraKey-hole Stretch/ Figure Four Stretch , 1/2 Reclined Heros Pose/Ardha Supta Virasana, 1/2 Reclined Heros Pose with 1/2 Keyhole, Marjaryasana/Cat Pose Goddess Shastis Cat, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana/Pigeon,Adho Muka Svanasana/DownDog with Hip Opener,Camatkarasana/Wild Thing Pose, Ardha Matsyendrasana/1/2 Lord of the Fishes Pose, Upa Vista Konasana Wide Legged Seated Forward Fold.Ananda Balasana/Happy Baby Pose Thank you for leaving your ratings, comments and testimonials here For more great videos check out my membership site and become a member today. Sign Up Here Have a personalized practice created by ME just for YOU! Yoga Teacher Training: Continuing Education for Teachers Wild Thing Pose Wide Legged Seated Forward Fold Upa Vista Konasana Ushas Mudra Pigeon Pose Key hole Stretch Happy Baby Pose

10