This photo brings a smile to my face every time I see it.
This was a lama hanging out at Machu Picchu - you can see someone giving him a back scratch in the first photo, and I SWEAR in the next photo he is smiling… 🤣
I brought this pic up again because it’s super important that we have things to look at that bring us joy. Especially when we aren’t feeling especially joyful.
What is your favorite picture that makes you smile? Please share! #joyphoto #lamafaces #bliss
Sat nam November!
The shaman report says the theme for November is “Pressure”. I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely been feeling it lately. Wow.
Pressure can come from outside of us, in the form of external demands and challenges / crises, as well as from within us. In order to cope successfully, we must meet external pressure with equal amounts of internal strength. Internal grit is all about finding your center and staying grounded there. The more we return to this inner still point, the easier it is to find when the going gets tough.
Stress is not always metered out in what feels like manageable doses. Life often throws us a bunch of curve balls all at once, or we experience a series of stressful and pressure-filled events simultaneously…and this is where the rubber meets the road. This is actually the point of a practice.
Stress and pressure take us off-center, and unfortunately, they are part of being alive. But we can take care of ourselves in ways that help us get back to neutral mind quickly. We can use the tools of yoga, meditation and mindfulness to benefit us ALL of the time. They are meant to help us handle pressure and thrive. These methodologies provide a road map to return us to our center, regardless of whether we are sitting on calmly on a beach on vacation or struggling to cope amidst the territory of grief and worry. Sometimes this is such a quiet process that it may look invisible from an outsider’s perspective.
The million-dollar question is, how well do you cope? I encourage you to take a few minutes each day to breathe quietly and return to your inner still point. Take care of yourself this month. Be kind to yourself. You matter. And remember, you’re not alone.
As always, I love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments.
With love,
Amanda
Amanda May
KUNDALINI YOGA FOR FREEDOM
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Join me for 2 special classes to free yourself from that which no longer serves you, and celebrate the independence of your spirit!!
Monday 7/3 7:30 pm at Carrboro Yoga Co.
Tuesday 7/4 10:30 am at Durham Yoga Co. (at Durham, North Carolina)
Sweet Twilight: remembering that this life is fleeting awakens us to to the gift of each moment. Be #present #staywoke #loveunconditionally
Classes this week are focused on cultivating the neutral mind - which creates wisdom.👑 #satnam and happy Monday! Check my calendar for class details: www.AmandaMayWellness.com #kundaliniyoga #meditation #gong #carrboro #carrboroyoga #carolinayoga #durhamyoga #durham #northcarolinayoga 📷 by @hillhoneck
Wisdom about FIERCE GRACE and #femininepower from Guru Singh:
The women/females on this Earth – of every species – produce all life from their bodies…they give birth to everything. But, in religions, GOD is always the Father. GOD is referred to as the ‘HE’ who gave birth to the world and all the Universe. How can this be? Have you ever seen a pregnant man giving birth to anything? GOD can’t be only a Father that gave birth to the Creation? This is obviously a flawed idea. It’s actually an opinion from the deep and ancient past when lives needed protection and security from the unknown…a need for “daddy.” Why it’s still prevailing today is that no one has had the courage or inclination to challenge all the writings. A great master in the twentieth century, Yogi Bhajan, in one of his many comical moments once said, “Let’s call it ‘He•She•It’. But the obvious problem arose from the sound when you say this quickly. Attempts to define what’s feminine, or unfeminine – masculine, or non-masculine, are unable to understand either. Being feminine and assertive is one of countless aspects of femininity…aspects of the goddess. Look at the statues and paintings of the Goddess Kali, with flowers and fierce weapons…what’s called fierce grace. There’s no single aspect of either the feminine, or the masculine. Yogi Bhajan also emphasized evolving the “chicks” into “eagles”…moving women from being the object of fancy to being powerful warriors that gives birth to, and protect, the present and future of life. It’s a mistaken belief that women are weak and limited, for they are the most unlimited creatures in existence. Whenever you find yourself working with people who have the opinions of the feminine limits, either respond verbally – if it’s worth it – or, hold your words and remove yourself from the physical space. Do not remain in the space if you do not have the ability, or the inclination to clear it. Remaining in toxicity will imprint the falsehoods onto your psyche. It’s like walking through a smoke-filled room, even though you’re not a smoker, you’ll still smell like one when you exit. Our prayer is that you learn and teach deep admiration for women.
Sat nam!
See you this weekend for Kundalini Yoga + gong bath at Blue Lotus in Raleigh…
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Friday 6/2, 6:45- 8:00 pm
Sunday 6/4, 11:00-1:30 pm (at Blue Lotus Community)
Join me Monday evenings in Carrboro and Tuesday mornings in Durham!
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http://carolinayogacompany.com/durham/series/kundalini/
📷 by @hillhoneck #kundaliniyoga #kundalini #durham #durhamyoga #carrboro #carrboroyoga #meditation #gong #energy #happiness #selfcare #mindfulness
Mindfulness and metaphors. Today I am reminded that every situation shifts and changes. I want to be like water: changing shape and form, present, strong and yielding, moving and not resisting. Remembering that even in the desert there is life. Life is so much bigger than what I imagine when I am focused on the small things. And most importantly, I get to create what is in the crystal ball of my future. Sat nam and ❤️ #satnam #mindfulness #metaphor #integration #integrativehealth #energy #energyhealing #kundalinirising #consciousness #aquarianage #love #truth
Join me this week for yoga from the heart and the sweet, healing vibrations of the gong. ✨🌈
Self-care is essential to vibrant health and happiness. 💕💕
Monday 5/8 7:30 pm @ Carrboro Yoga Co.
Tuesday 5/9 10:30 am @ Mid-South
Check my calendar for more deets: www.AmandaMayWellness.com #satnam #kundalini #kundaliniyoga #carrboro #durham #yoga #meditation #gong (at North Carolina)
Kundalini yoga teacher training, #durham. Hope for the #aquarianage. #satnam #truth #kundalini #kundaliniyoga #energy #awareness #sutra #selfhelp #wellness #mindfulness (at Kundalini Yoga Durham)
Happy Fall!
Have you ever wondered about the power in the number "11"? Or the mystery and strength in certain numbers?
The number 11 is associated with mastery, illumination, enlightenment, and inspiration. In Kundalini yoga, the number 11 relates to the understanding that we are connected in oneness with all others. A quality associated with this is Sat Nam, the Divine wisdom that exists within all of us.
Sat Nam is truth that is absolute, beyond duality. What is good for one is good for all. When we live in this state of consciousness, our individual ego stops running the show. This is when the magic begins. Once this happens we begin to live from the heart. We approach life from a place of greater harmony. We see the bigger picture beyond our individual dramas.
Life isn’t free of challenges. It isn’t supposed to be. But challenges aren’t meant to break us; we are meant to learn from them and transform ourselves to something greater. To expand beyond our limits into something wiser.
Most of us experience ourselves through just our mind and body. In reality, we are much more. “The Basics of Yogic Numerology” describes each one of us as rich, multifaceted beings with complex energy systems. We each have individual strengths and a unique destiny to fulfill in life. Tantric numerology is a tool available to better understand ourselves and live in health and balance. Want to know more about your numerology?
Mastery does not require us to live mistake-free lives. Rather, it’s quite the opposite; each time we stumble, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, learn the lesson and begin again. It is humility and diligence that bring us to a deeper level of understanding. That is mastery.
Our country holds a collective broken heart on this particular day. I ask that we honor both the past and the future by shining our individual light forward. The number 11 is associated with inspiration, idealism and dreams. Let the energy of this day serve as the catalyst for hope. Join me in drawing upon these qualities and wishing for a brighter, better future for the planet.
Allow yourself to dream big. I know I will.
Sat nam,
Amanda