Celebrate your OWN Independence Day!

"If we were talking to you on your first day here we would say, "Welcome to planet Earth. There is nothing that you cannot be or do or have. And your work here—your lifetime career—is to seek joy.

'"As you think thoughts that feel good to you, you will be in harmony with who-you-really-are. And in doing so you will utilize your profound freedom. Seek joy first, and all of the growth that you could ever imagine will come joyously and abundantly unto you."'

~Abraham-Hicks

As the USA, the land that I love, celebrates its Independence Day tomorrow, it reminds me to celebrate my own personal freedom by choosing to think thoughts that feel good, no matter what's going on in the outside world.

NOTHING is so horrible it's worth feeling bad because it throws you off your connection to higher power, whether you call it God, Source, the Universe, etc.

This week at my "corporate gig," things have been tumultuous; co-workers are scared, sarcastic, angry, mean... all of the above. I admit to letting it get to me, which obviously felt horrible. Yet, I give myself some credit because in the past, before practicing yoga and knowing what I do from teachers like Abraham, I would have let it destroy me completely and attract even more negativity. Now I know that it's my indicator this is what I don't want so now focus on what I do. It is my choice. My independence to choose.

So make this upcoming Independence Day a reminder of your OWN freedom. You have a lot of power in that mind of yours. Choose your thoughts wisely and think on the empowering, joyful, uplifting side of life.

Make Mondays Count

If you have a "typical" work week, you're probably guilty of dreading Mondays. At least every now and again... admit it!

What if you did it EVERY Monday? That would be wasting 52 days a year or a one seventh of the calendar. That's a lot of dread, and where is it getting you? Probably into hating Sunday evenings and maybe even all day Sunday. It's a slippery slope, and is it really worth it?

What if you could find advice on how to make Mondays a little more tolerable and even count? There's a site called http://everymondaymatters.com/ that gives 52 ways to make Monday into the new Friday. All right, maybe Monday can't ever be quite that cool (Could you imagine TGIM?), but maybe it could be a decent Thursday.

Every Monday Matters suggests everything from writing a letter to a U.S. soldier to donating books to creating a back-to-school backpack.

Even if you don't hate Mondays, this Web site gives tons of inspiring actionable tasks to make your life and this world a little better, one Monday at a time. I do have a suggestion if we had 53 Mondays - try or do some yoga! ;)

Ten reasons I do yoga

1. Makes me happy.
2. Feels good. Plain and simple.
3. Helped me out of depression, anxiety and a bad back.
4. Connects me to ALL of me – body, mind and spirit.
5. Releases stress, anxiety and tension.
6. Connects me to all other human beings in a more compassionate and loving way.
7. Tunes me into source or God so I may receive blessings more easily and frequently.
8. Helps me sleep soundly through the night.
9. Is my prescription for living a fuller, more even keel and healthier life.
10. Offers a philosophy that resonates and guides me in making daily choices.
11. Aids me in being the best mom, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, worker and friend I can be.

Yoga with or without music? Plus win free Yanni Voices CD!

Be one of the first three commenters on the question below AND win a free Yanni Voices CD. Include your first name in your comment and send an e-mail to Rama.Mama@live.com with your name and mailing address.

Do you think music goes well with yoga or would you rather practice postures to the rhythm of your breath? If you like the combo, what artists, songs, etc do you like?

Creating a mixed tape (i.e., mp3, for you youngsters) is such a joyful process for me.

When I first began contemplating becoming a yoga teacher, one of the first thing's I did to prepare was create the ultimate, yoga mixed tape because I felt it was that important to the mood and ambience of my students' practice. And you know what, I received TONS of compliments on it! (Hint: lots of Sacred Well.)

So I was very excited when Universal Music Group contacted me to giveaway three of Yanni's latest CDs, Yanni Voices. Honestly, I was never a Yanni fan and was worried I wouldn't like it. Yet, I thought it was quite lovely, especially with the variety of voices (operatic to Sarah Mclachlan like) and styles.

Lots of tracks work well as a backdrop to practicing yoga postures, including all of the instrumental and some of the "voices" songs such as track #5, Before the Night Ends. Even made a new yoga mix for my class with five songs from Yanni Voices, which surprises me because I wasn’t expecting to resonate with it so much. He's currently in tour with four singers who contributed to the the 17-track album (now I'm really dating myself!).

So make sure to comment to win a free CD. It's that easy.

Need some summer reading?

Looking for some reading material for the summer? If so, read "Best Yoga Books," which has a list of nine great suggestions to build your personal yoga library. Or better yet, check them out first at your local library and see if they're worth buying or not.

The list has several books I've either read, thumbed through or have been recommended. I personally discovered that my personal yoga practice really developed when I began seeking more information on my own and off my yoga mat about the philosophy of yoga.

What are some of your favorite yoga books?

Being one is fun!

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

- Henry David Thoreau

Today is our daughter's first birthday, and she had her first bite of sugar this weekend - yum. Seems like just yesterday she was born.

My hope for Brijin Joy on her first birthday is that she learns she can follow her dreams and can make them happen! Life is your oyster, kiddo, and it's just waiting for you to find it's precious pearls!

We love you baby girl! Thank you for bringing so much joy and blessings into our lives. We've had an amazing first year with you and are eagerly anticipating watching you grow and bloom right where you're planted, just like your daisy birthday cake. ;)

Enlighten Up is coming to the Midwest in June!

I wrote about the movie Enlighten Up over a year ago after discovering its trailer and am so excited it's scheduled to be released and will be playing in my city, Kansas City, beginning June 12! It will also be playing in Minneapolis and Omaha in June, for my college and hometown friends. View the schedule so you can see if it's playing in your town.

Basically, Enlighten Up is a documentary following a 29-year-old man who has never practiced any aspect of yoga before, and the film follows him over a period of six months to see how it transforms him.

If you're into yoga, watch it. If you're curious about yoga, watch it. And if you can't comprehend whatsoever why people spend 90 minutes "wasting" their time doing yoga, you DEFINITELY need to watch it.