Resistance is not something we need to avoid like the plague, but we need to understand where it comes from and if it is appropriate. If you are a person that never says “no”, taking on more than you can handle, you will be overwhelmed. Another example is our own body’s immune system helping resist illness and germs. Without it, you will be constantly sick and unable to live a healthy life. The trick lies in recognizing when resistance has valid merits as a form of protection (physically, mentally and emotionally) and when it is getting in our way.

The irony comes when we resist the opportunities to embrace what life has to offer and the endless opportunities to explore and fulfill our fullest potential.  Often times, many of us not only resist something unpleasant, but we also find ourselves holding back at opportunities to grow for our greatest good.

Resistance on a personal level can be quite complex. When we are not aware of it, resistance can continue to hold us back… “What we resist persist” and unfortunately it will continue to hold us back until we do something about it. Only when we begin to identify our own emotional, physical or mental resistance levels, can we begin to take the necessary steps to let it go when needed.

As human, we are creatures of habit and change can be difficult to accept, especially when certain patterns are deeply rooted in our subconscious. By becoming the observer through meditation, we begin to identify the source of our resistance. A great way to find answers is by asking, “What am I resisting?” daily and allowing ourselves to spend some quiet time to listen and see what comes up.

If we listen carefully, resistance usually has useful information. It can provide us with the insight we need to move forward and be free.  Sometimes resistance comes from fear or from the un-willingness to work hard at letting go of something deeply rooted within us. It can come as a form of our body telling us to slow down or that is time do something different. We cannot continue to do the same thing expecting different results.

The more you take the time to investigate and listen to what resistance is telling you, the easier it becomes to work with it.  When we understand resistance in our lives, bodies and personal practices, we may find freedom in ways we never thought possible.

Namaste,

Adri

Have you ever wonder what past Yoga Masters and Teachers would say if they see how the Internet is changing the way we teach and bring yoga to the world? I have.

I can understand and appreciate the importance and magic of having a teacher transmit the information to you directly after years of studies. Keeping sacred texts safe and secured so its teachings would not be diluted. The image of students dedicating hours and years of their lives to serve and follow a teacher or guru, so they can obtain knowledge, wisdom and inner peace is fascinating to me. I believe that having that personal connection and feeling of unity was and still is a gift of its own.

I can also appreciate how some things have changed in today’s world. Even though some of us still strive to find a teacher and guru that would guide us in our personal quest for wisdom and inner peace, thanks to the web; many of us have endless information at the tip of our fingers. We can easily access information about yoga, different schools and lineages, meditation techniques, pictures and meanings of mudras and the list goes on. We can even read the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita online. Of course this does not replace the guidance of a teacher, but it sure helps to support anyone’s efforts during their personal growth.

Thanks to the web and social media, the way we teach yoga and practice together is even changing. I never imagined that people across the globe could come together and practice yoga from the comfort of their homes. Sounds crazy right? Well think again.

Recently, I joined a new online movement that is bringing yoga and other health and wellness classes to everyone across the globe. What is fascinating to me is that now the possibilities are endless. This new way to connect with like-minded people has changed the way I can now teach and practice yoga LIVE with anyone in the world.

My goal has always been to inspire others and to make a difference in people’s lives and the world in a daily bases. I feel that I am doing that with my daily local classes and trainings but I never imagined that the key word “WORLD” would bring this new concept into my life. The fact that we can see each other, talk and interact using our computers as we practice yoga is something remarkable.

I still love having that human contact, going to yoga classes and studying with my teacher but I also embrace the opportunity to reach new heights in my teachings and thanks to the advances in technology the SKY is the limit!

I would love to see you in cyberspace and practice yoga together. You can come to my online live classes or watch the recordings later at www.learnitlive.com/adrikyser

Learn it live is offering a free Health and wellness symposium February 20^th -26^th and we would love to have you there. I will be teaching a Special Class “Cultivating Awareness to Bring Balance in your Life” on Feb 24^th at 7 pm EST. I hope to see you there. www.learnitlive.com/symposium.php

Peace,

Adri

A few weeks ago, an article was published in the New York Times on how yoga can wreck your body. This article sure provoked a lot of controversy.

I feel the true meaning of yoga was not expressed in this article nor in some of the backlash responses to it.

Yoga is often translated as “to Unite” or “to bring together”. It is a practice that is meant to bring health and wellness to our minds and bodies. A practice that brings all of our individual aspects of our beings into one, making us whole. A practice that can bring us closer to our belief system and to the Divine, God, the Universe or whatever you want to call it.

It is true that many people unfortunately have hurt themselves practicing yoga, but it is also true that far more people have benefited from this practice.

It is easy to generalize and try to put everything into a little box. It is easier to say yoga can hurt your body than explain how  exercise can hurt your your body when you don’t listen to it.  In my opinion, most times a person’s ego and stubbornness in their practice  causes the most physical damage. This not only applies to yoga but to anything else you do in life.

The thing is that when you move from a place of ego, competition and so on, regardless of what your body is telling you ,the result will always be some type of disconnection or disruption of your health. Either it is in the form of injury, stress, and/or  dis-ease that leads to injuries in the body, mind and spirit. Only when we move to a place of self awareness, self love, compassion and being present in the moment, Yoga will help you heal your entire being.

Yoga to me is about becoming WHOLE – ONE and complete on and off the mat. It teaches us to listen to the messages the body is sending. We all need our EGO, that little voice in our head that wants us to be better, to get things done or go after what we want, but there is also the Ego that likes to compete, achieve, go beyond our limits and abilities. Learning to distinguish when the Ego is actually a tool that can help rather that hurt is the key.

Before we jump into generalizations and conclusions that can be mislead, we need to look at all the things that took place when someone hurts themselves in yoga. I suffer from back pain and yoga has helped me relieve some of the pain. When my back pain comes back due to other circumstances outside of yoga I am aware of what I can do or should not do in class or when I practice.  I have learned how to modify for my body and take my ego aside so I don’t injure myself. This comes not only from me being a yoga teacher, but also comes from listening to my body.  I learned to let go of my ego (the one that sometimes wants to push more, achieve more no matter what).

The saying “no pain no gain” that you hear often has never applied in any of my yoga classes nor in any of the classes I have taken from my fellow yoga teachers.  In order to avoid injuries and to learn modifications that work for your individual needs,  you should go to well trained and respected yoga teachers. Most importantly when you are in tune with your body you become your own best teacher. If something does not feel good or you are not sure about what you are doing, ask yourself if you should be doing that particular pose or practice style.

After all, that is what yoga teaches us, to become our own teachers.

Peace,

Adri

Often times people ask me how and why I started to practice yoga. They seem relieved when I tell them that my story about how I started yoga was nothing extraordinary; however, they are happy to know why yoga changed my life forever.

I am grateful that Amber after reading my story, she created a video that expresses exactly who I am and what I feel.

It is my hope to inspire you and to remind you that no matter what happens in our lives, we can all grow, evolve and follow our dreams.

Teaching my truth

The story on how I started yoga is not that extraordinary, however, yoga changed my life for the better. Like many, I started to practice yoga while I was trying to find relief from stress. My grandmother had gotten ill and I was one of her main caregivers. In addition, my husband was traveling due to his job and my baby had just turned one, so to say I was over my head it’s an under statement.

I started to suffer from severe back pain and sleepless nights. In my search to find some balance again, I turned into yoga. I remembered growing up and hearing my mom always talked about yoga, metaphysics, holistic health and so on. So I guess some of that stuff stuck with me.

After several months of practice, I started to notice a difference. It not only helped me at the physical level, but it also helped me re-build my confidence, a sense of connection and so much more.

I always had been an outgoing, fun, loving and self-confident girl. Hence why I wanted to become a lawyer. I wanted to make things right and help people…. When I first moved to the US, my English was not the greatest and many people were rude to me. I felt rejected, hurt and like I did not belong. This made me become self-conscious about my accent and the way I spoke and for a period of time, I only relied on my husband to speak for me in public. I had put my law studies on hold, I did not have any friends and I felt lost for the first time in my life.

When I found out that my favorite yoga teacher was moving, she recommended that I registered in a yoga teacher-training program that would start in few months near my house. My first reaction was no way. I was horrified at the thought of teaching and having to speak with my accent in front of strangers. That brought back memories of all those people that were rude to me. I was afraid of being rejected once again for being different. After a lot of consideration, I decided to start the program. I figured I could learn how to teach so I could practice at home without ever having to teach in public.

Well, I guess the Universe had other plans for me. I was offered a job a little before I finished the program and I started to teach ever since.

It sounds easy right? Well it was not. I had to get over the fact that someone I respected and viewed as a mentor point blank told me “ You are not good enough”…… That was another blow to my new found confidence.

Thankfully, I cried for few days but then something happened. I got this urge and fire to prove that I was good enough not just to that person but to myself too. I started to do more yoga trainings and I found my great teacher Shiva Rea.

The truth is that not matter what others think, you are the only one that knows the truth. You only know what you want, who you are and where you are going. You are the only one that can follow your dreams and make them happen. There will be roadblocks, barrios and obstacles in your path. It is up to you to choose to fall and give up or figure out a way to get past it, grow and learn from it.

Personally, I choose to learn from my experiences. I may stumble and fall but I make sure I get up, dust off and keep going.

What I learned about myself through this process is that I like to inspire my students; I want to make sure people feel heard and supported. I want people to feel that they are not alone and that is ok to be different. Maybe it is because the way I felt in the past but either way, this is something I truly hold true to my heart.

To me a good teacher is not the one that can do all fancy poses, twist into a pretzel and has the largest classes, for me a good teacher is the one who cares, the one that in a positive way challenges you to grow on and off the mat, the one that inspires you to become a better YOU!

So to all of you out there that ever doubted yourself or doubted if you could become a yoga teacher, please remember that all you can do is be your true self, speak from the heart and have good intentions. Only then good things can happen.

“When you follow your bliss, the Universe will open doors where there were only walls”

Written by Adri Kyser E-RYT 500 – Video by DJ Sukha

www.innerbeautyyoga.com – www.teachyourtruth.com – www.djsukha.com

This is my story and I hope you enjoy it.

I have to admit that I spent almost 7 hours creating both mixes. This is a record for me. I never spent so much time on playlist before. I kept changing my mind as I tried to make sure each song flowed seamlessly with what I was offering in each class.  Note to self keep teaching yoga and don’t become a DJ.

As Prana Flow yoga teachers, we like to use music as a big part of what we want to offer in our classes. It helps us set the bhava, intention and rhythm for the class. I am pleased to say that my hard work paid off. The music and class provided my students with a positive an uplifting experience, where their breaths and movements united with the music.

It is my wish to share these playlists with you and I hope you can find them as useful in your classes as they were for me.

To read his blog you can click here

Adri

If you would have told me years ago that I was going to be teaching yoga and that I would record few of those classes, I would have said you are out of your mind! There is nothing wrong with either teaching yoga or recording yoga classes but for someone that was afraid to speak in front of group of people and video cameras, well that would sound like a crazy idea. Luckily things always happen for a reason and whether you know those reasons or not, it seems to not really matter…

All of this seems surreal to me. I remember when I got this opportunity and I wondered if I could really do it. I wondered if I would be able to pull it all together. Few times, I thought about not doing it that all, but then several questions popped into my mind……What are you afraid of? What is holding you back? Well, I can think of several things but I remembered reading something that said “Follow your instincts”…… Somehow, I managed to put it all into perspective. The good out weighted my doubts and fears and the rest is history.

First of all, let me  say that I have a new found respect for all the actors and actresses, for the reporters and everyone else that day after day look into a camera and make it seem so easy. How can you possibly act natural when a huge camera is starring at you?

Once I decided I was going to do this, I started to plan for it. I prepared my classes, the playlists and tried to have everything organized and planned ahead of time as much as I could.

I did not know what to expect and how everything would turn out. When the day of filming came, I remembered something my son always says when he has a Tae Kwan Do test “I can only do my best”. So that is what I did “my best”. I did what was available to me at that moment.  Was it perfect? I am not sure, but at the end it does no matter. People will either like it or not and there is nothing I can do about that. So now, I will relax and let go of what I cannot control.

I am just happy that I was able to do something I never thought I could. I am proud that I had the strength and courage to step out of my comfort zone and prove to myself that I can do what ever I set my mind into.

I am honored to be part of the yogavibes family. I am grateful for such a great opportunity, for my friends and students that came to support me that day, and for the beautiful studio that let us come in for this event.

Awaken to the Flow is a more dynamic class where we explore hip openers and some arm balances. The second class is a fantastic backbending flow where we practice at a slower pace cultivating heart openers to explore your highest potential.

If you would like to try my classes, I have a coupon for 20% off any purchase on the YogaVibes website through February 29, 2012. The code is adrikyser20. You can use this coupon multiple times and you can share it with everyone you like.

Please follow this link to preview the classes Yoga Classes

I hope you enjoy the classes.

Love,

Adri

I am referring to believing in something good not from a point of view where we say  it is my way or the highway. I am not taking about any particular religion or points of view about the economy or war. I am talking about believing in something so wholeheartedly that it does not matter what others say to talk you out of it. Like when you believed in Santa while other kids told you that he was not real. Do you believe in any of these things and if not when and why did you stop? Have you ever stopped to think about that?

I had a normal childhood in a middle class household in Venezuela. I never had a special talent nor was exceptional at anything. I was just a regular girl! I never thought that I will be able to do something great…..

Fast forward several years and I did not continue with my law studies but instead I became a yoga and pilates teacher. I moved to the USA, got married and had a baby. It does not sound like anything too exciting or extraordinary but it was for me. Now more than ever I realized how important believing is. Specially believing in yourself and believing that you can make the impossible into possible, believing that you can make a difference regardless of what others say.

Unfortunately somehow we stopped believing, we lost that spark, the magic from our childhood, where we believed that fairy tales came true. Where we thought we could become whatever we wanted to be. Some of us  grew up and became afraid to take a chance, to make mistakes, to be judged and so on. I am the first one to admit that I have felt this way many times.  But why would we choose to live in a world where we only see the sadness, the conflicts and differences among people and nations?

It has always been easy for me to believe in God, the Universe, something bigger than myself. I always believed in Karma, on being a good person and that we all have a purpose in life. I may never become famous or president of a country but I did do several extraordinary things in my life.

For starters I became a mother and nothing can beat that. In my book all mothers are extraordinary women anyways.  I have traveled to other countries but best of all I get to make a positive difference in someone’s life everyday. I get to remind people to breathe, to connect with their bodies and to believe in themselves and in something bigger and greater than all of us. That is pretty special if you ask me. Granted I am not the only yoga teacher in the world but I am happy that I never stopped believing that I could become whatever I wanted to be. That fairy tales do come true and that I can make a positive difference in the world.

Now ask yourself do you believe?