Danielle Allen Yoga

The Art of Giving

1/1/2015

"You can't give others what you don't have" was my teacher's message in class on Christmas Eve. Giving feels so good because we find great satisfaction in making our loved ones happy, but sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves along the way. As a yoga teacher, my intention is to deliver the gift of yoga to my students daily. Even though it's challenging, I make it a priority to gift myself with my own daily practice, even if it's just a 15 minute flow at 5am while my kids are asleep. I like to use the analogy of the flight safety instruction to secure your own mask first before assisting others. It makes sense, doesn't it? I use my daily yoga practice as a reminder to take care of myself first. It is the time when I meditate to look within...the place where I discover my source of patience, compassion, and treat myself to kindness in the face of challenge. Whether you practice yoga or not, the message is still valid…put your own mask on first. Nourish yourself with everything you need most and you will find yourself better serving those around you.

I have been blessed with an amazing yoga community on this beautiful rainy island where my students are my own source of sunshine. Watching their transformation through the yoga practice is the best gift a girl like me could ask for. One of my beloved students wrote these beautiful wishes for the new year while traveling in the desert after meditating on his own yoga journey:

"We send you our best wishes for:

A healthy body as the foundation for a fulfilling life;
A heart open to sharing and receiving the divine and loving light within each of us;
A strong voice to renounce injustice;
Clear vision to see the beauty of our world and of our fellow men and women;
Keen hearing to listen to the music of the universe,
And a mind which is at peace and joyful for the many blessings bestowed upon us daily."

Mike Low
Northern Sonoran Desert
Southwest Arizona

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From Ashtanga, with Love

11/23/2014

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    Anyone who knows me is well aware of my passion for the Ashtanga Practice. I fell into its arms by sweet accident. I think the universe was guiding me to the perfect path, even though I was oblivious to it. For those of you that have not heard of Ashtanga before, it is the yoga practice derived from the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois. It consists of predefined series of sequences that promote vitality, strength and flexibility. In Ashtanga, the breath is the source of movement and the mantra that guides the yogi through the practice. It is the perfect marriage where the physical practice linked to the breath prepares the practitioner’s mind for meditation. This is where personal insights begin to manifest.

    Contrary to what some people think, Ashtanga won’t bite, and I truly believe that anyone can and should try. Think of the Ashtanga practice as a treasure hunt. You follow the clues one by one; going to several different spots to get to your treasure. The Ashtanga series are built wisely such that the body will open itself for the treasures along the way…all you need is patience and a drive for challenge.

    In my humble opinion, the key to feeling the benefits of the practice lies in the way you treat yourself in each pose. You might never get through full expression of every single pose in the primary series, but still able to be kind, encouraging, and compassionate to yourself along the way. In my own practice, I give myself permission to modify or even sit an asana out when my body tells me to. On special occasions, when I am feeling saucy, I mix and match primary, intermediate, and some of the advanced series in one practice (shhhhhh!!!). Some purists might not be happy about me saying this, but why not? It makes me happy to gift my body with what it calls for, so why shouldn’t I listen?

    As I look forward to teaching Ashtanga, 5:15 on Mondays @UnSizeMe, my heart is full of excitement for my students as they are about to start or continue their own journey. I feel beyond blessed to be part of it and felt inspired to write a poem as a gift to them.

From Ashtanga with Love
By Danielle Allen

Oh yogi, fear me not
I will teach you the way
Take your asana one breath at a time…
You will find what you are looking for within
But don’t forget that not every day is the same
So enjoy the road
Please don’t get caught up in getting to your final destination
Because there isn’t one
Ashtanga mirrors our universe
No matter how far you go, you will never see it all
But I promise you this
You will go back to where you started over and over again
And the place is never the same
I can’t think of a sweeter journey
Because you will find yourself rediscovering your own layers
And there, you will find peace.

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Waking up to Inspiration

11/13/2014

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    I am an early bird but this morning was a particularly early start for me at four in the morning. Generally I would feel upset with myself, try to go back to sleep without success, and fight the frustration at my body’s eagerness to get up by being as productive as possible. Day in and day out I try to multitask in everything I do…according to my husband, multitasking is not a thing to be proud of since you can never do one thing and perform your best. But hey, I am a mother and I think that’s just what we mothers do in our survival mode.

    Unlike my usual frustration at waking up at ungodly hours, I woke up full of excitement and with a blissful heart. I was inspired by the amazing weekend I just had filled with yoga from my friend Mia Hamza. I soak up yoga like a sponge that can never be full. It nourishes my soul and my eagerness to become and do better. It’s also my cure for insanity …the one thing that sets me free from the craziness of being a mom, the fear of getting older, and of trying to be perfect all the time.

    Sometimes you have that a-ha moment that changes things deep in the core of who we are. I had a breakthrough moment listening to the poem “The Invitation” recited during Savasana in our last yoga practice. Those words woke me up to inspiration. For the longest time I’ve been feeling pressured to use every waking hour to produce something, get the house clean, or check things off my to-do list. I have obviously been missing the point by sweating the small stuff. This poem brings me back to the heart of my happy living; it triggers my desire to live fuller, create, and love more. It encourages me to give myself permission to just enjoy the air around my skin and not feel guilty about taking time to smell the flowers. I woke up with a heart that lets inspiration take charge of how I live my life and I am letting it take the wheel. Let these words touch your heart!

 The Invitation
By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'Yes.'
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

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The Art of Giving

From Ashtanga, with Love

Waking up to Inspiration

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