I love it when I find little gifts on my desk. This lovely little rock was hand painted by someone and it magically appeared next to my little christmas tree and a rock that was sent to me by my best friend. I love rocks and she mailed me so many rocks for my birthday, yes, she actually paid to send me rocks, that is how much she knows I love rocks.

This particular hand painted rock speaks to me, because someone left it on my desk without taking credit for it. I do wish I knew who it was, but I appreciate it so much, maybe even more, cause someone took the time to place it on my desk. It was a project that the Chaplains put onto the different floors of the hospital I work at. They brought rocks, paint and you could paint a rock for yourself or for someone, and I was lucky enough to get one.

“Kindness” speaks to me a lot, when you can be something, anything in the whole wide world, choose kindness. Imagine what it would be like if everyone just practiced a little Kindness?? I was fortunate enough to open the eyes of many students this weekend on the subject of Ayurveda. I remember one of the students said “kindness is always a good choice“, and I thought ” yeah, I often think that“. Imagine what would shift and expand if we only practiced more kindness?? It’s about smurti/residue, if you speak meanness/hate, then that is what is stuck to you, that is what begins to create a heaviness and darkness around you. What your mom said when you were young, “if you cannot say anything nice, do not say anything at all“. Keep good thoughts because even thoughts can create smurti.

I am going to take that a step further and say “BE KIND“… imagine how much better you could make someone’s day if you show kindness. I send you all kindness….🥰

With so much love
JennyO 

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Free Practice For You

PMR- progressive muscle relaxation.pdf

This was the second card that fell from the deck onto my lap. I do not know about all of you out there reading this, but this for me is a tough one!! I was taught from an early age to be frugal, mostly because we grew up on a farm and we ate what we grew, my mom sewed our clothes, or we wore hand me downs. Our big Christmas present was to have oranges and apples in our stockings because those did not grow on the farm. The monthly grocery store visit had all essentials, rice, beans, tp, soap, things like that. My mom tried hard to get us to use lye soap that she made, but I just never took to it hahaha.

The second thing my mom taught me was how to save!! Trust me if you have a Hispanic mom, she taught you this as well, most likely. So for me to put any sort of monetary cap on what I charge for my services is big. My teacher once told me, “if you find that it hurts to tell people what you charge, you are on the right track“. And God bless you Amy M. for always telling me my worth!!

I struggle with adding worth to what I do, but it’s not really about what I “do”, because I know after 20+ years of doing this and the countless amount of time and money that I have spent on training, I know I am worth it and I know what I am doing.

Where I fall short and where the miss is, that I have attached my self-worth to this. This is the real struggle, and yes I know it’s still trauma that is hanging on. I know it’s a pattern for me… I want to thank you ALL for being there to support me in this, there are so many of you to thank, Lisette, for supporting and exposing her company to my services, Terese and others who drive 5 hours to do a day retreat with me, my sewing ladies Nancy, Judy and Suki, who have been showing up virtually since the pandemic, the list goes on!!

I am abundantly blessed by so much wealth, my partner, my family, friends, students, that I can walk, breathe, learn to take a moment before speaking, that I can speak my truth and find balance…all of this is abundance beyond compare.

So my work and maybe the work for some of you reading this is to vibrate wealthy and abundant vibes to allow more $$$ in. Even though I do not need much, I shop at Goodwill and cook most of our meals, I do not have any major vices, I rarely take vacations, I take on all kinds of side hustles, it’s still important to think that we ALL have self-worth, and in today’s economy, it’s ok to make $$$.

But mostly it’s about the thought that goes with $$$, it is a vibration, and if it vibrates toward greed, or superiority, then the vibration is not where it needs to be. Let us all vibrate at the level needed to allow us to thrive and do what feels supportive to ourselves. Whatever that may be. 🙂 And remember that money is also an energetic exchange, think of ways to “barter and exchange” with fellow Sangha members on skills or opportunities that you may have. Our system did not always have $$$, sometimes a Chicken went a long way…

With so much love
JennyO 

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Free Ayurvedic Monthly Practice

We have had a nice cool run of it this year in Austin, but as we enter our “Hot as Hell” season in Austin, here is a tip to keep your cool.

1/4 cup of pomegranate juice in the morning to help with the Pitta heat of the summer, also good for hot flashes.

Or mix the same amount of pomegranate juice with some coconut water, with a small squeeze of lime. This will help balance the cool Vata of the drink. Or, drink it room temp.

I have recently been watching the Boyz, I know, it’s bloody and gross, but it’s totally my guilty pleasure. I have to admit I cannot watch more than one or two of them because they really lift the level of my Vata and I am often closing my eyes. Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Anyway, it has really made me think about this idea of superpowers. In the series superpowers are brought about chemically, like any good Marvel movie Deadpool, Wolverine, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, I watch a lot of Marvel, can you tell? Their superpowers are brought about by something “enhanced or chemical” except maybe Thor, cause well, you know, he is Thor and the God of Thunder.

I was in a workshop recently with Effin Creative and we were talking about what we really like to do, my response to that was “I like to create curriculum” odd I know. But at that moment, when she asked that was my answer. She then had us draw tarot cards. Uniqueness is “superpower”.

I find this interesting, as I have (until recently) always tried to hide being “unique”. I know now that comes from my trauma at a young age. All I wanted to do was blend in, I thought that the reason I was being “targeted” was because I was unique. Trust me when you are trying to make sense of Trauma you will try anything to help you make sense of it. My thoughts then were “if I am like everyone else, if I can blend, then I will no longer be a target”.

As I have worked through these patterns and these emotions, I still kind of fight them. I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach when this card was revealed to me. Just for a split second, it was there, I felt it in my belly and I had a little light headed feeling like I was going to pass out. What was different, and what has been different recently is that these feelings are fast, like a blink of an eye. I remember before that they would take days. Days of trying to explain away every single scenario, I would be caught in the rabbit hole of these feelings for days.

Yoga has helped me so much, to know that I am not “there” anymore, I am here, I am present and I have the ability to keep myself in the present moment. But like anything that helps keep us in balance, it is a constant shifting to keep us in balance.

So I will continue to support my Uniqueness and continue to support my love of writing curriculum. Both bring me joy and both allow me to keep bringing workshops, programs, & trainings that will encourage you to find your Superpower…!!

With so much love
JennyO 

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Free Practice

Practice Sitali / Sheetali by inhaling through a curled tongue and exhaling through the nose. During each exhalation, lightly touch the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, inviting the cool tip of the tongue to send coolness toward the upper palate. (Swallow now an then if the throat feels dry.) Continue this cycle for one to five minutes – until you feel refreshed.

If you are unable to curl your tongue, practice a variation known as Sitkari pranayama. Inhale through the teeth, with the lips parted and the tongue floating just behind the teeth.

Pause and feel the effects of the practice, noticing any areas of the body or mind that feels refreshed, ventilated, renewed, or cooled.

History,( I know I love the literal meanings of things) is defined as: “History relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of information about these events.”

I was going through some recently donated books at the hospital that I work at and this is what I found!! The beginners series from Yoga Yoga was tucked away in this book, then when I arrived home, I was looking for a book marker as I began to read “Braiding Sweetgrass” and I ran into this really old Yoga Yoga pass. That’s right, we had to actually mark through the circle with the “date” of the class attended, and then as a student you had to HOLD ON TO the pass!! I know several of you reading this will remember this from the front desk.

And I know that this ended shitty, all due to one person (he who shall remain nameless) but when I think of how many of us were there building community, it makes it hurt a little less. I got my Yoga Chops here, and while it is connected to Trauma, you could on any given day have a conversation about pregnancy, low back issues, handstands, cakras, kids, meditation, kundalini, gongs, restorative, yin, ashtanga, and so much more!! I studied with big names like Donna Farhi, Richard Miller, Chase Bossart, Shiva Rhea, David Swenson… the list goes on. We are all spread to the four corners now, making our way individually, I suppose I really miss that community. We helped each other out, we lifted each other up and were so willing to share EVERYTHING…

So as I wax poetic about what was, I cannot help but think about these words:memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation. We all need these words/ideas to have a Present and a Future. Yoga Yoga made me who I am today, it taught me to Teach and exposed me to ALL kinds of Yoga. Maybe I miss the feel of a studio, or perhaps I just miss all the folks that I saw on a daily basis. I want to ask you all to get in touch with someone that you have not seen in a long time, make time for them, make time for yourself. Co-lead a Retreat or a Training with someone, because we cannot do it alone and Yoga does not belong to ONE person. There are enough students to go around, if we support each other and build community wherever we land. 

We all have History, does not mean it defines who we are, it means (for me) that we discover from that place, we are aware of this, we use it as a stepping stone to move into and organize it into something else, built on that memory. I have discovered something deeper that stems from that memory and it has taken me to a place that feels right, for me. So take in all the lovely definitions of History and go make some history of your own today and see what comes from it…

With so much Love
JennyO 

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Ayurvedic Tip

Believe it or not, our digestion is at its lowest in the Summer. So as things start to heat up around you, remember to eat foods that are warm, cooked and easily digested. Try this recipe

Mung Soup Serve 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup green Mung bean – soaked overnight in cold water

• 4 cups water

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp. sunflower oil

• ½ tsp mustard seeds

• 1 pinch asafetida/ Hing

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp mixed cumin, coriander powder

• 1 1/2 tsp chopped ginger root

• 1/2 tsp Kokum juice (optional Available in Indian stores)

• 1 tsp jaggery or raw sugar cane (optional)

• 1 pinch Gram Masala powder*

*Gram Masala: Purchase this spice mix in a store, or roast 1tbs each of cardamom pods, clove, cinnamon bark and black pepper together. Grind to a powder and store in an airtight container.

Procedure
1. Soak the mung beans overnight in cold water

2. Drain and wash them twice with fresh cold water

3. Cook beans in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp. Of salt until tender (around 25 minutes). The beans have to become mushy. If there is no presser cooker, cook without salt for at least 1 hour in a large deep saucepan. Add the salt later.

4. Clean and finely guide ginger and garlic

5. Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds pop, and asafetida and the bay leaf and stir.

6. Place the cooked beans and water into the pan and add 2 cups of water.

7. Bring to a boil and add all remaining spices. You are welcome to add your own seasoning if you wish. Simmer for a few minutes and salt to taste.

Is one of my favorite Ayurveda sayings, it was passed on to me from my Ayurveda Teacher who received it from her teacher. If you look at the colors of these woven mats and the journals you can see the like colors that were used in each one!! Thank you Woven Yogi for teaching us this amazing practice of patience and mindfulness. I love how it worked out that way, just like in Ayurveda, Like Attracts Like. You begin to shift something on the micro level and before you know it, you shift it to the macro level, where everything comes together. I loved seeing the faces of the students at the Ayurveda Retreat as they made this connection. As they journaled about how Vata, Pitta, Kapha made them feel through food, practice, meditation and sound. Through the 4 days they were prompted to journal and experience this beautiful practice of Ayurveda and Yoga. Thank you all who attended!!

I love spending time with Rebel Yogi watching her teach, spending time in the kitchen with her and making the journey to our retreat destination. I learn so much from students and teachers anytime I teach.

For some reason at the retreat I was very curious about something called AI, I know, I know, it’s everywhere. But if you know me, I do not have much patience for “virtual” kinds of things, jeez, not even sure if that is the word for it, so I thought it was a good idea to put that question to the group. And I received some very good information, and one was CHat CPT (I feel I should get some financial rewards from them since I am sending this out there. hahaha.) It’s amazing what this will do for you, not sure I will spend much time with it, but I did find it fascinating! We had a pizza delivered from a neighbor of the property with a message, “God sent you a pizza”, well you can see where this might go… Here is what we asked: “Write a poem about women on a yoga and ayurvedic retreat on a river in texas where god sent pizza”. I have to admit, some pieces were quite moving.

ChatGPT Answered

In Texas’ land where rivers flow. Women gather, spirits aglow. On yoga mats, they find their peace. In Ayurvedic retreat, worries cease.

Beneath the Texan sky so wide, They seek serenity, side by side. With gentle poses, they align, Body, Spirit, Soul entwine.

As the river whispers it’s gentle song, They flow with grace, they belong. In nature’s embrace, they find release, From the chaos, they find inner peace.

Then, as if from divine decree, A scent wafts in, so heavenly. God sent pizza, a delightful surprise, Underneath the Texan skies.

Laughter echoes, hearts rejoice, As they savor each cheesy slice. In this moment, they’re truly blessed, In the warmth of friendship, they’re caressed.

Amidst the retreat on the Texan river, They find joy in each delivered sliver. For in this union of nature and food, They find nourishment for the body and mood.

So let the river carry their laughter high, Beneath the Texan sun in the sky. For in this sacred space, they find God’s love in every slice, so kind.

Go out and find community, spend time with each other, share love, patience and kindness and see how these things come back to you.

Love. Light
JennyO 

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Free Practice

Feeling Anxious try this breath:
Take a regular inhale and exhale, then pause after the exhale. Hold that pause for a count of 1-4, continue for about 10 breaths.

You can do this seated or on your back.

Begin to feel your system slow down, you can stay here for several moments if you like.

I realized the other day that I ask a lot of questions. Some of this stems from my Pitta mind that wants to continuously know WHAT, WHERE, WHEN at ALL times. And now that my Pitta is a touch out of balance I started to ask myself if I ask too many questions… which might be a clue if you are asking yourself if you are asking too many questions!!!

On the way to work the other day I was listening to an interview on E-town with Jeff Tweedy and he essentially said “if you are not asking questions you are in trouble“. I guess I have always been that human that asks questions, I can remember my parents eventually saying what I was going to do followed by a “why“. They would say “do this, because“, they realized I would always ask why so they just started filling in the why. I also realized that I often ask clients and students the same question “did you ask why?“. So I come by it honestly, that desire, that need to know “why“.

I also realized that it very much stems from my trauma, it could be that last samskara/pattern that is left from that. As I started to work through my trauma, I realized that asking “why” was a safety net for me, because I needed to know the whole picture to keep myself safe. Now it’s a curiosity, it’s a way for me to process and learn. Another byproduct of moving through Trauma, I do not have to “just survive” anymore, I can now “thrive, be curious and explore“.

So, go out there and be a Jeff Tweedy, chances are if you are asking the question 10 more people are also looking for the answer. If you ask a question it will also open up the space for more conversations and perhaps provide insight into something you were pondering.

Love. Light
JennyO 

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Free Practice

Consider your Breath your Prana (vital energy) it is what keeps you alive every day that you are on this Earth, it often tells us exactly where we are. One teacher once said to me “let your breath reveal itself to you” I have taken that to heart.

Find a place where you can sit or lie comfortably.

Let your breath reveal itself to you.

Ask…How am I breathing? Where does my mind wander if not connected to the breath? How can I create ease in my breath right now? Where is my breath on the inhale, on the exhale?

Stay for several breaths and see what comes up for you.

I have been thinking about hearts a lot this month, not specifically around “Ash Valentine” as a friend of mine referred to it. Making it even harder for my Catholic upbringing as Ash Wednesday and Valentines Day fell on the same day. A day when most of us give up sweets or something else for Lent. Luckily for me I am not a big celebrator of Valentines Day & have not been for years, like most things it has become commercialized and it feels like I HAVE to do something, instead of treating people with Love the other 364 days of the year, why must it only be on THIS day?

Instead my thoughts go to ones I have lost, as it involves my heart. My heart breaks at the loss of my dear friend Ez…more so because in the last years I have not made enough time away from my “busy schedule” to fully connect with him, then guilt comes into the picture and it’s even harder. This makes the loss no less, it makes it even worse because I was not with him enough as he fought a disease that attacked everything in his body and he slowly pulled away from those who were close to him. As I look back at the times we spent together, the stories that we shared and the times we sat in the breakroom telling stories to each other, we worked together for about 10 years. I remember the pranks we pulled on each other, the time he and some friends put shopping carts in the bed of my truck while I was at work, and the kind things. When he so lovingly left a drum in the seat of my truck when he knew I wanted to learn to drum and sending me poems from T.S. Elliot, or finally when I sewed wings into a unitard as part of his short film. He loved music and played with a full heart. I miss him, he was someone I could just pick up a conversation with, no judgement ever from him, around some of the stupid shit I did in my younger years.

I come away with a broken heart, that he died way too YOUNG and that he was alone. I found myself asking God why he took him so young and others that are not so kind and generous live so long. I realize there are no answers here, it’s my mind trying to make sense of this life that was lost!!

What I can do is live life and remember him and others that I have lost. Remember to not “wait until tomorrow” tomorrow may not be here, no need to save for a rainy day if I never go outside, when I die I will take nothing with me, so why not leave it ALL HERE while I am here. Beware folks…if you have not heard from me in a while, I will begin to stalk you, in the kindest of ways of course.

Thank you my dear Sangha for always allowing this space to share my heart and thoughts with you…

Love. Light
JennyO 

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Free Practice

What do you see in this picture? Is it about the colors, the hands, the shadows or the textures that the light represents. I would venture to guess that it is different for each one of you looking at this picture. We all “see and define” differently. I recently made a trip to the Blanton in Austin as part of a group I work with called Restore. I am part of a robust system that includes mental health and yoga therapy, and we work with PTSD and Trauma survivors. It is a part of my job that I truly LOVE. The ability to watch Yoga Therapy in action and to see how many lives this group is able to change and support.

This is Yoga, this is Yoga Therapy, the individual. The idea that each and every one of us is different, it requires that we are also given different practices and experiences. In this manner we can become whole and without samskaras/patterns, providing us clarity in our daily lives through these very experiences. I enjoy working with clients one on one and finding what experiences and practices work for THAT individual.

What practices do you have? Are you looking for practices to enable you to slowly come away from patterns? If you are looking to shift some things or looking for new practices, book with me online https://corazonyoga.com/yoga-therapy/services-packages/

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Free Cleansing Practice

I wash away any energy that is not mine to carry.

I release myself from the burdens of the past.

I nourish myself in a comforting golden light.

I am restored.

I am recharged.

The Universe….the dictionary gives it this definition “all existing matter and space considered as a whole”. I love this definition and I love that it happens for me and I am sure for many of you as well. It’s the idea of everything as a whole coming together to help support you. You want to know how to get there? YOGA…yoga is everything, it’s everywhere and it’s always on. Meaning its yoga 24/7 and when you find that attunement, then the Universe brings everything together for you, it brings you to a place of WHOLE.

For me this is how it manifests, I am leaving in the morning and I get in my car and I notice the light above the garage is on. No biggie, right? Sitting in my nice warm car, I say to myself “it’s just the light what will it hurt to stay on? And plus my car is nice and warm, it will be fine. I can turn it off when I get home”.

I used to just drive off, but now I listen before putting my car in drive, “fine, I will go in and turn off that pesky light.” I go inside, and there on the counter on the way to the garage is the folder that holds the reason I was going out in the first place, my shopping list and my phone. It may not seem like a big deal, once you begin to listen the idea of “whole” comes into the picture, the more you listen the more other things fall into place. Some are big, like being delayed because I cannot find my keys. Did that delay save me from a car wreck or something else? I trust that it did, because the Universe is working FOR ME.

Then something like this happens for me, two separate students hundreds of miles away from each other sent me cards and they are alike in so many ways. Bringing two things together into a whole. Those colors, those images, they brought in another component to complete something that I had not been able to bring together. I listen, and I thank the Universe for having my back. This comes from the ability to still the mind during my Yoga practice. So, next time you get that nagging feeling that you are annoyed to do something, just trust, it could save your day, or at the very least make it better. How does the Universe show up for you?

Love and Light,
JennyO