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I am creating these “Yoga Extras” blog posts for those of you resonating with the public yoga classes & Yoga Teacher Trainings I am leading. Inside of these blog posts you will find extra resources that support our weekly class theme. The weekly classes I guide are themed according to the season & collective energetic “weather”–This is of course influenced by many things; for instance, not only national and global events but how masses of people are feeling about and reacting to those events. It is also influenced by space weather (see spaceweather.com) & the current movement/placement of celestial bodies ie: the sun, moon, planets, nodes, stars, etc. You can find me teaching currently at Black Swan Yoga (North-Anderson) in Austin, TX. I am on the schedule as “Erika K.” Mention this webpage for a free class.
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Hello dear beings!
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Videos below! Lettin you know what’s going on with my offerings.
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Lots of Love,
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ek
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Oh my Lord. These still shots are just cracking me up. Well, I guess I’m practicing letting go of caring how I am viewed/seen in the world. Bah!
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Click the image below for the music from this week’s class:
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For this week’s readings, see below.
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The time has come to put our stones down.
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For hands clutching stones can’t freely drum.
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And hearts grasping onto the past can’t freely sing.
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It only took me a lifetime to learn. But the lesson is as profound as it is simple. As long as we clutch to one thing—be it a stone, or rail, or weapon—our hands cannot open. Or reach for anything else.
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The timeless and essential drama of living into the unknown resides in this simple sequence. We must risk putting down the stone, or stick or gun we are grasping, in order to build or touch or make music of any kind.
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It reminds me of a friend who would t let go of the past. He clutched it like a rope and was afraid that if he let go, he would fall. But as long as he fisted his history in this way, he couldn’t embrace the love that was before him, and so, he never healed.
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It is unavoidably true: hands must be emptied before they can be filled anew. It is the same with our hearts. It is why courage, day by day, is necessary.
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Mark Nepo
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•Sit quietly and bring to mind one thing you are clinging on to with your heart.
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•As you exhale, open your hands and try to let the feeling loosen in your heart.
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•Practice using your hands to open your heart.
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Below is an active-learning opportunity (as opposed to passive-learning like reading or listening to information). I advocate for active-learning as a booster shot for your personal growth. We MUST investigate ourselves for our own answers, not just repeat back information we’ve heard.
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- What are the “stones” you’ve carried through your life—grudges, fears, or beliefs—that, while familiar, keep you from experiencing the full music of your existence? How has their weight shaped your journey?
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- Consider a part of your past you are still tightly holding onto. How has this attachment impacted your ability to live freely and express your true self in the present?
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- Imagine the moment you release something you’ve clutched for protection or control. What emotions arise when you think about laying down this defense, and what new possibilities open up when your hands are free?
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- Reflect on a time when you mistook the act of holding onto something—an idea, a person, a story—for safety. How did this attachment mask itself as protection, and how did it block your growth or healing?
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- How does the notion of allowing your hands or heart to be empty make you feel? Can you trust that this emptiness is not a loss, but a space where something new, something more aligned with your truth, can enter?
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- What inner or outer “drama” in your life has been perpetuated by your resistance to stepping into the unknown? How does your reluctance to let go of the familiar keep you from discovering deeper truths and gifts within yourself?
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- In your own experience, can you identify a time when fear gripped you tightly, preventing you from releasing something that no longer served you? What would it take for you to face this fear and embrace the courage to let go, even if the next step is unclear?
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- When you think about the metaphor of clinging to a rope from the past, how does this resonate with your own journey? What part of your history are you still grasping, and how does this attachment keep you from embracing the love or healing that is available to you now?
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- In what ways have you found yourself holding onto something long past its usefulness, perhaps out of habit or fear of the unknown? How has this grasping limited your ability to build, create, or touch something new and meaningful?
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- What does the practice of courage mean in the context of your life? How can you cultivate the daily bravery required to release what no longer serves you, and what small steps can you take to create space for renewal in both your hands and your heart?
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xo
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