Master Intensive Program @ Istanbul

I have to be honest here. It took a long time of inner debate for me decide to do this intensive program. There were a few main reasons why I wished to do it: 1. I was struggling with emotional imbalance and needed to do long hours of yoga and meditation to clear up emotional blockage as well as my head. 2. The yoga teacher Chris Chavez that led the program is a brilliant teacher and it seemed too good an opportunity to pass on. 3. I really missed Mert (my Turkish askim) – which was also the reason why I wasn’t sure about the idea of going.

Of course, I ended up staying for 16 days in Istanbul, completed the yoga program in this beautiful city and had an absolutely gratifying experience.

Let me borrow the sentences from Cihangir website: “In this Master Intensive, Chris guided guide us through the mystery and magic of the Upanishads. Using these ancient scriptures we went deep in study, practice, pranayama and meditation. This intensive was open to everybody who seeks to deepen their understanding of the journey we are all on. This program counts towards the Cihangir Yoga 300 Hour Transformative Yoga Path.”

This was the description of the program but in fact it was so much more. Chris is the most personable yoga teacher I have ever met and I have taken a lot of classes with a lot of teachers. He treats every student of his as his friend and turns the most technical terms into something most easily understandable. He is a wise teacher as well as a humble student. Being a yoga instructor myself, I admire him greatly and have much to learn from him.

 

And sunsets in Istanbul are just amazing and unforgettable…

8 Great Reasons to Teach Yoga

Recently I read a wonderful article with eight important quotes from eight beautiful yogis. As a fellow yoga teacher and a yogi, I had to share them here with you.

Every day we go to work. Eat lunch. Commute Home. Work Out. Make Dinner. Repeat. Do you ever stop to think about WHY you do the things you do? Are you eating the quinoa salad because you’ve made it a million times already, or are you thoughtfully choosing the ingredients and preparing the meal with care? In other words, do you do things simply because it’s become routine or is there a deeper intention behind your actions?

This year, I’ve been questioning why I do certain things. And of course yoga was called into question. In a recent Wanderlust Journal article, I asked Wanderlusters why they do yoga. In the same vein, I was also curious about the yogis who had taken another step from student to teacher. So I interviewed a handful of Wanderlust teachers with one question, “Why do you teach yoga?”

1. To help others feel good
“I teach yoga because it makes people feel good about their bodies. I’ve learned to accept myself more, and I want to give that to other people, especially in the dance world where it can be very discouraging sometimes.”
– Beau Campbell, dancer and yoga teacher

 

2. To be a better student
“I teach yoga because I want to be a better student. You learn so much when you teach; it’s a never-ending process of learning by teaching. There’s a certain point you start to stagnate as a student, and you just go out there and you teach to learn.”
– Schuyler Grant, co-creator of Wanderlust

 

3. To help others achieve goals
“I didn’t actually choose to teach yoga to be honest. I had friends who wanted to practice yoga but they were too scared to go to a yoga studio. So I offered to show them some things and then set up a “class.” I taught five of my friends in my basement and then five turned into ten and many more. I just wanted my friends to practice yoga, and then through that intention to help my friends accomplish what they wanted to accomplish, I became a yoga instructor.”
– Matt Giordano, martial artist and yoga teacher

 

4. To allow others to choose what they need to learn
“I don’t think I teach anything. I think I hold a space for people to experience an honest, authentic, and pure version of themselves through me being radically honest, authentic and pure. If there’s anything I teach it’s how to hold a space to facilitate and people around you choose what they’re going to learn.”
– Cameron Shayne, founder of Budokon University

 

5. To help others connect to a higher consciousness
“I teach yoga to serve the best way I can so people can learn how to connect to their own highest consciousness and connect with their inner being.”
– Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa, Kundalini teacher

 

6. To send out love
“I teach yoga because there’s this force out there called love. At the end of our yoga practice we turn our bodies, minds, and hearts into this antenna that picks up the signal which we can then radiate out as positive energy and nothing in the world matters more than that.”
– Eoin Finn, founder of Blissology

 

7. To fulfill a destiny
“I teach yoga because it pulled me to teach yoga. It was one of those things where my teacher of fifteen years said, ‘You will teach yoga.’ And I teach yoga because it is in service to my very practice because it reminds me to remain a student.”
– Janet Stone, vinyasa yoga teacher

 

8. To keep it real
“I teach yoga to bring more ‘real’ into the world.”
– Alex Mazerolle, founder of Girlvana

 

How to Get Through “New Year Blues”

As I was getting ready to embark on a new exciting adventure and partying it up on NYE, I was not prepared for a week of illness and agony following afterwards. Bedridden and miserable, I was refraining from nearly all social activities and suffering from a severe case of “New Year blues”, which had given me ample time to think about ways to get over the feeling of withdrawal after the holidays.

Eat better

Steak, escargots, oysters, ice cream cake…just to name a few on the list of foods that I consumed over the course of 7 days between Christmas Eve and New Years. And the endless servings of champagne and Bordeaux Moelleux did not exactly sooth my sensitive digestive system either. One of the easiest ways to energize yourself and feel renewed for the New Years is to add a boost in your diet, like an extra serving of vegetables and fruits, or to detox and take it easy on junk food and alcoholic beverages.

Pick up an (Old) Hobby

I feel incredibly guilty for saying that I haven’t picked up my paint brush in almost 4 months. The temporary lack of a creative outlet has made me realize the importance of being able to express yourself creatively. The sense of accomplishment of producing something on your own can uplift your mood tremendously and boost your confidence in the long run. You can start taking some vocal lessons and show off your improved singing skills in front of your family and friends. Or you can try doing yoga either as a form of exercise or for stress relief so you can better cope with “New Year Blues”.

Create a Rough Budget Plan

December is the month for shopping and gifts. The abundance of holidays dinners and parties provides the perfect excuse for shopping as well as burning a huge hole in your wallet. I personally overspent on new outfits during holidays for: Christmas soirees at friends’, NYE parties, more dates as a result of more free time, etc. It was fun; however as soon as you check your balance, you are overwhelmed with a surge of distress. So a great idea to reduce financial stress is to draw a rough budget plan and start spending more sensibly.

Clear up Physical Clutter

Clean up your wardrobe, makeup drawers, and have a makeover of your room or house. Throw out all the old outfits that you haven’t worn in over 6 months and remove all the makeup items that you’ve never used or have been lying in your dirty makeup bag for an unknown amount of time. You don’t need a complete makeover of your house but you can add some plants, change your curtains, buy some new bed sheets or that beautiful antique table you’ve had your eyes on for the longest time. A renewed environment means a renewed mentality.

Clear up Emotional Blockages

A new beginning not only means starting something new but also getting rid of old baggages that have been haunting you in the past. It could be to reconnect with an old friend with whom you fell out over certain emotional matters. If the relationship that ended on an unfortunate note is unfixable, whether personal or professional, delete the contacts on your phone and other forms of social media to get some closure. Essentially, to truly clear up emotional blockages is to face your emotions. The typical response most people nowadays have to emotions is to ignore them completely, which is unhealthy and detrimental to your emotional life in the long run. You can simply try meditation to get in touch with your suppressed emotions and figure out an effective way to process them. Both practices of yoga and meditation offer a gentle way to reconnect with your inner being and live more from that place. Over time, clearing up emotional and energy blocks helps rid of negative feelings and achieve emotional maturity.

Take Time to Chill Out and Reflect

Learn to take a break from work, study, your social life, etc. and simply chill out. One of the most important things one can do is to learn to be with oneself. It is okay to take a break because it helps you get rejuvenated for working harder in the future towards your goals. If you’re feeling blue, you can talk to a trustworthy friend or just take some time for yourself and figure out what’s really bothering you and try to get out of that emotional slump. Also learn to become more aware of your immediate surroundings and more grounded by connecting yourself to your environment. If the environment is making you anxious, change it by going for a walk or taking a nice, long bubble bath. Have a glass of wine at the brasserie around the corner, take yourself on a lunch date or to the movies. You will learn more about yourself this way and gather stunning clarity about what truly inspires you and curates your dreams. Slow down a bit. It is okay.