One of the most endearing words a person will hear is their own name. You name does not carry with it expectations nor does it limit you. Your name is not a definition but an invitation to be authentically you.
I have been called many things most recently sweetie pie and buddy to several variations of my legal name... Lynny, Lynn, Nynny, Lynn Marie and Lynrd Skynrd -this one came with noogies. Many close to me have seen my face light up when I hear my full name - Lynn Marie. As I continue this journey, I invite all of you to use my birth name Lynn Marie.
In an effort to solve a few of my technological challenges, I am using a new email addressLynnMarie.Cunningham@gmail.com. Please add this to your address book so that you may still receive my newsletters and any other communication. You may also find me on Google Talk - LynnMarie.Cunningham and Twitter LynnMarie_C.
As always, I have included many ideas for living and learning within this newsletter. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I hope to see you at a group class this October or for a private session.
May you be present to the beauty of change that surrounds
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Words of Intention
Our lifestyle is made up of choices. From the food we eat to the words we use, they all have a rippling affect in our lives and those around us. The next challenge is to be intentional with the words you choose - spoken, written and thought. Take the following into consideration:
I challenge you to use your words - spoken, written and in thought - with intention for your greatest good and that of others.
- Be Positive
- Choose To vs. Have To/Can't
- Want To vs. Have To
- Can vs. Can't
- Choice vs. Should
- Want vs. Don't Want
I challenge you to use your words - spoken, written and in thought - with intention for your greatest good and that of others.
Delicious Recipes
Maple Sunbutter Apple Dip (vegan)
Roasted Vegetable & Quinoa Salad
Zesty Black Bean Soup
Interesting Articles
Top Ingredients to Avoid in Personal Care Products - This article clearly lays out what ingredients have become common in the products we use daily and why we should avoid them. Don't hesitate to talk to me about great alternative products free from the icky chemicals.
200 Key Sanskrit Yoga Terms - All in a name? But what if you don't understand? This glossary is a great resource to bookmark. Not only does it define language common to yoga, it links to valuable articles and other tools.
Yoga Demystified - The Six Big Ideas - Yoga philosophy is sublimely simple, profound, and livable. Yet it can be difficult to grasp because of its unfamiliar language and complex history. This article shares the depth our yoga practice strives to reach.
Maple Sunbutter Apple Dip (vegan)
Roasted Vegetable & Quinoa Salad
Zesty Black Bean Soup
Interesting Articles
Top Ingredients to Avoid in Personal Care Products - This article clearly lays out what ingredients have become common in the products we use daily and why we should avoid them. Don't hesitate to talk to me about great alternative products free from the icky chemicals.
200 Key Sanskrit Yoga Terms - All in a name? But what if you don't understand? This glossary is a great resource to bookmark. Not only does it define language common to yoga, it links to valuable articles and other tools.
Yoga Demystified - The Six Big Ideas - Yoga philosophy is sublimely simple, profound, and livable. Yet it can be difficult to grasp because of its unfamiliar language and complex history. This article shares the depth our yoga practice strives to reach.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Be You & Shine
Don't be perfect
Be you
Don't be what you think they want you to be
Be what you know you are
Don't look outside yourself for anythingIt's all within.
-Jackson Kiddard, author
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
-Jack London, London was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf along with many other popular books
Be you
Don't be what you think they want you to be
Be what you know you are
Don't look outside yourself for anythingIt's all within.
-Jackson Kiddard, author
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
-Jack London, London was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf along with many other popular books
Mindfulness & Meditation
Our yoga practice invites us to practice mindfulness - often equated with meditation. To meditate is to be fully present - not lost in the past or stuck in the future. In being mindful or meditating, we tune into our own experience through observation without judgment, fear or attachment. This enables us to recognize our thoughts, emotions, perceptions, reactions, habits, environment, etc. We can then identify benefits, patterns or correlations.
I challenge you to take your mindfulness practice off the mat. Below are a couple guided meditations that may assist you in journey to living in the present.
Meditation w/ Anusara Yogi Bridget Woods Kramer
Jack Kornfield Body Meditation
I challenge you to take your mindfulness practice off the mat. Below are a couple guided meditations that may assist you in journey to living in the present.
Meditation w/ Anusara Yogi Bridget Woods Kramer
Jack Kornfield Body Meditation
One Throat to Choke
It is true, one of my job titles is One Throat to Choke aka IT Systems Security. In addition to teaching yoga and running my Illuminate "business", I work in the information technology department at the West Des Moines office for INTL FCStone - a company of 1000 employees in 32 offices located throughout the world. There are only a handful of people that have administrative rights to a software system that controls access to the entire company's technology network. One wrong keystroke or misplaced character and the company goes down. The COO wants One Throat to Choke - that is mine & my colleague's.
Why do I share this? Well, many people assume that as a yoga teacher I lead this easy-going, no stress kind of life. That is hardly the case. With 40 hours in the office, an hour commute plus my own business, I utilize my yoga to find balance and connect with peace. What I share with you, is what I am learning. What has helped me navigate the trail of life.
Do you need some "YOU TIME"? A little break from work, the to dos and relationship demands... time to relax and reconnect with your spirit, body and mind? Perhaps a retreat is just what you need to nourish your body and soul. I find it essential to retreat... to step away from "daily life" for reflection, study or instruction. Having facilitated retreats for over 11 years I am thrilled to offer you an opportunity to retreat. I encourage you to give yourself a day to explore your yoga practice and connect with others at Illuminate You A Yoga Retreat Sunday, September 18 at Lake Ahquabi (early bird registration rate ends September 8).
There are many ideas enclosed in this newsletter to help you reconnect with you inner peace. Let me know if you have any questions. The September schedule is available for you to download. All in attendance are invited to look with a fresh eye and curiosity at the infinite possibilities that yoga offers our lives. Yoga is the practice of balance - mind, body, and spirit not just physical movement. The benefits of yoga are waiting for you, let's take advantage together.
Why do I share this? Well, many people assume that as a yoga teacher I lead this easy-going, no stress kind of life. That is hardly the case. With 40 hours in the office, an hour commute plus my own business, I utilize my yoga to find balance and connect with peace. What I share with you, is what I am learning. What has helped me navigate the trail of life.
Do you need some "YOU TIME"? A little break from work, the to dos and relationship demands... time to relax and reconnect with your spirit, body and mind? Perhaps a retreat is just what you need to nourish your body and soul. I find it essential to retreat... to step away from "daily life" for reflection, study or instruction. Having facilitated retreats for over 11 years I am thrilled to offer you an opportunity to retreat. I encourage you to give yourself a day to explore your yoga practice and connect with others at Illuminate You A Yoga Retreat Sunday, September 18 at Lake Ahquabi (early bird registration rate ends September 8).
There are many ideas enclosed in this newsletter to help you reconnect with you inner peace. Let me know if you have any questions. The September schedule is available for you to download. All in attendance are invited to look with a fresh eye and curiosity at the infinite possibilities that yoga offers our lives. Yoga is the practice of balance - mind, body, and spirit not just physical movement. The benefits of yoga are waiting for you, let's take advantage together.
Recipes & Articles
Delicious Recipes
Stir-Fried Cabbage with Red Chile Peppers, Peanuts, and Peas - packed full of flavor & easy to make... serve alone or with rice
Two Bean Vegetarian Chili
Interesting Articles
Yin & Yang of Fitness - The Best of Both Worlds - many cutting-edge coaches and trainers are moving away from the "all-intensity, all-the-time" model and toward a more integrated approach that blends the best of two worlds. Call it yin-yang fitness: Integrative exercise programs that combine the mind-body awareness often associated with "Eastern" methods with a more physical go-hard-or-go-home "Western" approach to build whole-person fitness from the inside out.
Addiction to Sugar is No Joke - Sugar stimulates some of the same neurotransmitters as, and in a manner similar to, alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs of abuse.
Extra Sensory Perceptions - Neurologists and others who study perception have long disagreed on the number of senses we possess to help us navigate our way through life.
Stir-Fried Cabbage with Red Chile Peppers, Peanuts, and Peas - packed full of flavor & easy to make... serve alone or with rice
Two Bean Vegetarian Chili
Interesting Articles
Yin & Yang of Fitness - The Best of Both Worlds - many cutting-edge coaches and trainers are moving away from the "all-intensity, all-the-time" model and toward a more integrated approach that blends the best of two worlds. Call it yin-yang fitness: Integrative exercise programs that combine the mind-body awareness often associated with "Eastern" methods with a more physical go-hard-or-go-home "Western" approach to build whole-person fitness from the inside out.
Addiction to Sugar is No Joke - Sugar stimulates some of the same neurotransmitters as, and in a manner similar to, alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs of abuse.
Extra Sensory Perceptions - Neurologists and others who study perception have long disagreed on the number of senses we possess to help us navigate our way through life.
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