Love

Dear Friends in Yoga,

Extraordinary transformation is available to us all.  All we have to do is ask for it.  For me, change is possible when I apply what I've learned from my yoga practice to life's most challenging moments.  There are a lot of things I've done that I'm proud of, and many times that I absolutely succumbed to impulsive action.  I know that every experience was necessary for the purpose of growth and transformation.

In the past, I felt comfortable and in control because nothing in my life was that uncomfortable or out-of-control.  Now, I'm in the midst of a true test.  I'm up against my deepest fears, and see that fear is the only thing that holds me back from complete self-love and love of others.  These days I'm willing to test the boundaries of my fear and see what's possible because I realize that every moment holds the opportunity to make a loving choice.  That is the privilege and the burden of being human.  We are granted these amazing minds and bodies that make living in the world both a blessing and a curse.  We flip between feelings of lightness & darkness all the time, so perhaps the best place to land is in the blended gray of acceptance.  We're here.  We're together.  We're all just doing the best we can on our own, unique, transformational paths.  It's what makes us the same.

The decision to love in all moments isn't an easy one.  It takes consistent consciousness and commitment.  We must experience genuine authenticity as individuals before we can begin to heal as a global collective.  We must search our own hearts before we can sincerely share time and space with another's.  The trick is in remembering that this journey of self-inquiry and self-improvement will last a lifetime.  We may forgive today and find we must forgive again tomorrow.  And every time we choose freedom from fear, all that remains is love.

With gratitude,

Megan Ridge Morris

Yogathon & Silent Auction!

To Do List

I can sense that I'm playing on the edge of burn out, and it's only as I write this message that I remember how dangerous this game can be.  When we have too many things going on, it's easy to become ruled by our "tasks."  The overwhelming need to complete these tasks usually becomes stressful, which translates into the body as tension. I know from personal experience and from the multitude of reports that I get from my students daily, that once we are accustomed to "busyness," it's nearly impossible to pull ourselves away from it.  We essentially become addicted to the things that make us feel useful and progressive in a culture that constantly rewards productivity.  We become addicted to our tension.  The scary question I try pose to myself every day is, "Who am I without my to-do list?"  If I strip myself of all responsibilities and abandon all of my labels- daughter, fiance, teacher, friend- what is left?  What if I surrender all of my stress, tension, fear, guilt and shame so I can truly sit in the seat of my heart?  The authentic essence of who we are is always within us- it is the light we talk about in the yoga practice and the light that we strive to recognize in each other, even in our darkest moments.  When we are living in our own truth and light, it's much easier to see other people's light.  It may come in glimpses, minutes, hours... whoa, sometimes it even lasts the whole morning!  And when we are in these moments of clarity, there is love and compassion towards our own souls and all beings.  We officially let go of judgment, ego, and all of the labels that hold us back from what we all truly are- children of this incredible World.  I sit in awe of the exquisite beauty that we share.  I am honored to witness our yoga community come together and support each other in the ultimate quest to set aside our tasks and come back home to source.  If you're ever feeling lost in the busyness, remember you've got friends in yoga!

Thank You

May is an extra special month because it marks my 4th year of teaching yoga.  Some of you have been taking classes with me for all four years.  Some of you are newer students, but instantly took to the practice, just as I did, and I see you 2+ times a week!  It's so rewarding to see your progress.  I appreciate your openness and willingness to share your lives with me.  It makes what I do so rewarding.  Your friendship and fierce honesty touches my heart more than you know.  I am constantly inspired by all of you and it fuels me to live truthfully and authentically.  May 2nd will mark my 200th day of practicing hatha yoga every day.  I know that some of you have taken on the same goal of practicing daily and am so proud of all your accomplishments in yoga and beyond.  As you know, yoga is not just a physical practice.  It's a lifestyle that affects your habits, relationships and daily choices.  With the knowing that we are all one, we either contribute to the healing of our planet or it's destruction.  Living well is not necessarily easy, but the feeling that coincides with making mindful choices is priceless.  We have a great community of dedicated yogis here in the Lehigh Valley.  Remember that you are not alone.  Thank your for inspiring me to be a better practitioner and teacher.  

Love & Playfulness!

I played an April Fool’s joke on our teacher trainees at the Yoga Loft today! I have never been the one to play the joke on April 1st and I was reminded today of how fun it is to be silly and spontaneous. I think many of us feel safe being in control, so whenever I adapt a sense of play, it feels like letting go, which is what we’re always talking about doing in yoga! And strangely, it’s the brief moments when I accept how little I actually have control over that I feel the greatest sense of relief. Life presents a series of twists and turns that we can’t foresee and it’s certainly not convenient, but the blessing in disguise is our inevitable growth. What if every single thing that's happened in our lives was a necessary occurrence to assist in our soul's transformation? I whole-heartedly believe this because it reflects who we are today. And who we are today is beautiful! Every second we have on this Earth is an opportunity to let go of fear, shame, guilt, and the need to control so that we can welcome love & playfulness. Trust that all is unfolding as it will & enjoy your sacred life!

Asking for Transformation

When we make the conscious decision to commit ourselves to a consistent yoga practice, many of us are asking for one thing: Transformation. We are asking for the opportunity to rediscover the magnificent beauty that already exists within us so we may live our highest truths. Transformation cannot occur without some heartache or suffering somewhere along the path. It's precisely how we deal with conflict that determines our ability to evolve. My entire family was put to the test last week. My mom was diagnosed with Viral Encephalitis, an infection in the brain. The inflammation caused her brain waves to slow down dramatically, which resulted in severe cognitive issues- memory loss, a difficult time finding words, etc. The beginning of this journey was very scary, but she is now expected to make a full recovery. Last week, when so much was still unknown, the only thing that brought me any peace was my yoga practice. Every movement and breath was dedicated to the healing of my mother.

When we set an intention and give our yoga practice purpose, we may choose to extend positivity to one person, but that unique expression of love spreads outward to everyone that needs to heal. Directing energy is a form of service. I know that all of your positive thoughts have and will contribute to the speedy recovery of my mother and the ultimate healing of our family. This experience empowered my father and I to re-examine our priorities, tell major truths, and allowed my mother the time and space for an emotional awakening! My family is now stronger than ever before and we are all overflowing with gratitude. I asked for transformation and received an amazing blessing in disguise. Never take this life or the ones you love for granted. It can all change in an instant, and change is a sure thing.

"Practice and all will come."

108 is a sacred number in yoga and today is my 108th day of practicing yoga every day! I practiced through vacations, holidays, and even extreme sickness- no matter what, I got on my mat. Whether it was for 15 minutes or 2 hours, I made it a priority to reconnect to my Self & my breath, and every time it made a positive difference in my day. Now my practice is truly non-negotiable. Because of this commitment I am a better student, teacher, partner & friend. I welcome every challenging sensation in service to my transformation, and today I'm so grateful you are all on this journey with me!

Happy Holidays!

I am currently writing to you from my living room, where the Christmas tree is lit all day and night, as long as someone is here to stare at it. Most of me absolutely loves this time of year- the decorations, the parties, the gifts and good will. The other part of me sees how stressful this time of year can be- the decorations, the parties, the gifts... ha! Yoga has definitely helped me develop a positive perspective so that I can enjoy the holidays as much as possible. I've been practicing yoga every day for 60 days- my goal is to practice for 90 days straight, and I imagine by then, I simply won't want to stop. Through this process, I've discovered that we all have the same amount of time in the day- we just choose to spend it different ways. During this busy time of year, many of us feel we must sacrifice our routine and the things that make us happy in order to prepare for the festivities, whether it's buying gifts, entertaining guests, etc. Remember that your holidays will only be more enjoyable if you're doing something for yourself in the midst of everything else.

Yoga & Running

People have often told me, "Running is 90% mental." I was frustrated by that statement because I didn't understand what it meant. I think I now have an inkling of what it could mean.

Throughout my entire life, my mind has dictated what my body can and cannot do. It many ways, it acted as my ego, and my ego was in poor shape. When faced with a physical challenge, my mind immediately let my body know that this was not going to be possible or practical, and I completely trusted that my mind was correct. This lead to a rather sedentary lifestyle, which attributes to my struggles with weight throughout adolescence and well into adulthood. It wasn't until I discovered yoga that my body tricked my mind into thinking, "We can do this!" And thank the Universe it was yoga. Yoga is the very practice that helped me to better understand the intricate relationships of the mind, body and ego, and that my thoughts are not always accurate.

In a pose, we're encouraged to observe and consider how we feel. We're doing this to get in touch with ourselves, get to know ourselves better. It's so easy to become disconnected from our bodies as we move through our daily lives, and yoga helps us come back home. I realized that I CAN be in a challenging pose and NOT die! I DO have the ability to go deeper into a pose and stay just a little longer than my mind allows. My body is perfectly healthy and free of injury. I have so much to be thankful for and I should be honoring my temple with daily movement and exercise- doing things that challenge this incredible specimen on a regular basis, because I can!! And in this sense, yoga is interchangeable with running. If I tell myself I can finish the mile, I can. If I tell myself I can't, I won't. So instead of playing head games, I simply breathe and observe how I feel. Does anything hurt? Can I smooth my breath? These questions allow me to calm down and come back to my "practice." I see running in a whole new light today, and I am so grateful for this profound awakening.

Birthdays

Yesterday, I celebrated my 27th birthday. I did 27 Sun Salutations as a way to express my gratitude for 27 years on this beautiful planet. With each passing year, I become more aware of how quickly life is flying by. Birthdays often call a few things into question- Am I living my best life? Am I accomplishing enough for my age? Am I on track with my goals? Do I have clear goals? Ack! Then, I think back on the past 27 years of my life and am quite pleased with those years. During my Sun Salute practice yesterday, around number 13, I started to think about some great things that happened when I was 13 years old- my Dad quit drinking and I fell in love with my first boyfriend. With each Sun Salute, I thought of something remarkable that happened during each year of my life. Once I hit 22, the year I started practicing yoga, the Sun Salutes slowed down significantly. I started to move with greater care and precision. The past 5 years of my life have been so significantly transformative because of the yoga practice. In the past 3 years alone I've made incredible progress in my physical practice, started a yoga teaching business from scratch that is now close to thriving, raised $20,000 and traveled to Africa, bought a house with my partner of 7 years, trained a wonderful puppy, I lost 20 pounds and really started taking care of myself in a new and compassionate way. Imagine what's possible in the next 3 years, the next 30 years! Sandy, one of my lovely students, said, "Trust me. It only gets better. Enjoy." She's one of the incredible women in my life who has reinforced that philosophy. I really, really appreciate that she said that because I look up to her and trust that she's right. I want to see all of the women in my life age with grace, beauty and confidence. And that's what I want for myself as well. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for all of the years that I've lived. And I love myself now more than I ever have before. Like I end up saying at the end of every year, 26 was a good year. :)

Sun Salutations to the Rescue!

"Body Prayer"

Seane Corn, one of my teachers and co-founder of "Off the Mat, Into the World," demonstrates the power of asana as an offering:

Stages to Pincha Myrasana

Tackling Tadasana

Before I start posting "how to" video demos, it's important that you know the basics of one of the most important poses in yoga - Tadasana. It means "Mountain Pose," and it is the blue print for all of our standing poses. This means that the alignment principles of Tadasana will show up in nearly every other pose we do.

Tadasana may seem like a boring pose at first, but there's actually a lot going on. You're stacking bone, over bone, over bone and the body is in perfect alignment. And to find that alignment, always start with the foundation (parts of the body connected to the Earth) and work your way up.

Feet- straight and parallel, either hips distance apart or big toes touching. A good way to find straight feet is draw a straight line forward from the center of the ankle to the second toe. Equal weight through all four corners of feet.

Ankles - lift inner and outer ankles evenly

Knee caps and thighs - lifted and engaged

Tailbone - draws in, front hip points lift

All four sides of torso - lengthen up evenly

Shoulders - draw towards each other on the back and relax away from the ears

Arms - lengthening down, extend through fingertips

Draw ears back in line over shoulders, chin parallel to Earth

*Should be stacking ankles, knees, hips and shoulders

Try Tadasana as often as you can throughout the day... in line at the grocery store, in conversation with a friend, cooking, etc. It may feel strange at first, but your body will thank you later. And if you can really commit these alignment points to memory, you'll have a much clearer understanding of the other poses we explore in this blog.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

"The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" is an ancient text comprising 196 short statements about yoga philosophy. There are 4 chapters that highlight concentration, practice, progress and liberation through the eight limbs.

Not much is known about the author, Patanjali, but he is often regarded as "the father of yoga." Yogis are thankful that he took the time to record the sutras to be passed down through the generations. Every yoga system in existence has roots in Patanjali's teachings.

Yoga & Vampires?

For all you "True Blood" fans out there...Check out the lovely Kathryn Budig:

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

One of the most important things to know about yoga is that there are eight limbs or paths of yoga. They serve as a guideline for living a purposeful life. Here's a very brief overview of each one.

1. Yama - Our behavior towards others and the world. Living as an example of kindness, truthfulness, sustainability, and moderation.

2. Niyama - Self-discipline through cleanliness, contentment, daily spiritual practices, self-study and continued connection to our own divinity.

3. Asana- Physical poses. This is what you'll encounter most often in a public yoga class held at a studio or gym. All physical styles of yoga fall under the umbrella of "Hatha Yoga." Examples include Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara, Jivamukti, Restorative, etc.

4. Pranayama - Breathing exercises. Helpful for expanding our breath capacity and maintaining the flow of energy through the body. Some breath practices may be applied to asana practice. "Light on Pranayama" by BKS Iyengar is a great reference!

5. Pratyahara - Control of the senses. This limb begins the work of turning inward. Drawing our awareness away from the external and objectively observing ourselves and our habits.

6. Dharana - Concentration. Each stage prepares us for the next. Now we focus our attention on a single point, slowing down our thinking process in preparation for the next limb, Dhyana.

7. Dhyana - Meditation or Contemplation. An uninterrupted flow of Dharana. There are so many different styles of meditation; each involves aspects of a still, quiet, and focused mind.

8. Samadhi - Enlightenment! Yippee!! Disciplined practice of the previous seven limbs may produce periods of ecstasy. I call them "mini-samadhi moments." A moment where we transcend our physical bodies and live in a state of interconnectedness with all things. Yoga means "union," and we are striving for an authentic sense of oneness. There is no "you and me," only "us." :)

To learn more about the Eight Limbs, check out this article by Mara Carrico, a writer for Yoga Journal.com.

Below you'll find a neat chant that will help you remember the eight limbs!

"How Can I Learn More?"

A lot of my students ask, "How can I learn more about yoga?" They are intrigued by the beginnings of their physical practice and want to go deeper. In the past, my usual response was "Try a yoga training or workshop!" Though, I realize that's not an option for everyone considering time commitments and financial restraints. So where to start as an alternative? Right here. :)

This blog was created with you in mind- the student looking for resources regarding everything yoga. Here, we'll address not only the physical aspects of the practice, but also breathing techniques, meditation, and yogic philosophy as well.

I'm happy to take any questions you have about topics you're most curious about exploring, so please feel free to contact me at meganridge@me.com and I'll do my best to answer your question right here!