January 6, 2012
A New Year for lasting change and happiness
At the heart of New Years’ resolutions and intentions involve change on some level, to increase strength, to be more balanced, to be happier, to lose weight, to start a new class, to be nicer….these all involve change. So how do you approach change? How does it feel to make changes in your lifestyle, lasting changes? These questions need to be explored before the intentions and resolutions can be set. It is one thing to throw around thoughts, and ideas of what we want to achieve and what we want to be, but it takes courage and perseverance to look inside and challenge our own beliefs and ways of living to make these changes happen.
My personal intention is to begin a 40 day openness and fearlessness meditation session that was given to me by an esteemed Yoga Teacher. As I already have a daily meditation practice the challenge is not so much doing the meditation, but doing the same one every day. As a Vinyasa flow yoga student and teacher, I love change, I love flowing in and out of poses, I love the organic, juicy and dynamic action of connecting breath and movement. This flow is a valuable part of growth and development, however, it is limiting. If we constantly move out of the first sense of discomfort, if we constantly fidget our way out of boredom, if we resist difficult conversations or people, how do we really grow?
It is through the dark that we find our light, it is through facing challenges that we learn more about ourselves. It is from turning towards the difficult people and situations and opening up with compassion as opposed to turning our backs and running away that we find our inner strength and fearlessness to change.
My challenge is to commit to the same practice for 40 days with the sense of fearlessness and openness that the practice suggests, opening to the challenges of being bored yet staying with it, of the challenge of commitment and discipline, and receiving the benefits of going even deeper into my practice, in a way that is not possible when I am always organically flowing from one thing to another.
I challenge you to also find something, maybe something small, like trying a food that you always thought you didn’t like, or spending a little more time with that difficult person/coworker and sending them compassion, or spending a bit more time in a difficult yoga pose before getting out of it or fidgeting.
Go fearlessly to your mat and in your life, and you may one day find yourself living your intentions and your resolutions!
Posted by Kerry Turner.
December 13, 2011
Where do you spend your mental energy?
Have you ever felt mentally worn out, burnt out or overwhelmed? When we let our thoughts run around, controlling our emotions and reactions, we can be exhausted just by our own mind. The quick fix is to tune out the thoughts, with different distractions, commonly tv, glass of wine, chat with a friend, adrenaline sports, texting, facebooking, overworking etc. But those pesky thoughts will only be on temporary hold, like hitting the pause button. They... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
October 19, 2011
Is there such a thing as an advanced Yogi?
A beginners mind.
Every time you step onto your mat, every time you interact with someone, every time you head into the world and take a deep breath is an opportunity to practice, and opportunity to let go and to open your mind to the possibilities.
It doesn’t matter if you have never practiced Yoga before, or if you are a longtime practioner, once you take a step onto your mat it is a new experience. With a beginners mind you have no expect... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
January 2, 2011
1. Sankalpa for transformation:
The New Year is wonderful time to reflect on the past and set intentions for the future. In Yoga, intentions are referred to as Sankalpas. A part of the Yoga practice is about setting an intention or sankalpa for the practice, such as focusing on compassion, or your breath, or simply staying mentally in the moment. Intentions can help us focus on our goals, help us direct our awareness and attention to a common purpose. Many goals we set for ourselves invol... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
October 13, 2010
Why Yoga?
The more I practice and the more I teach the more humble I become to the vast expanse of Yoga. The name Yoga seems so simple, yet it is a complex, interwoven system that means something different to everyone. There are no requirements to begin a Yoga practice, there is no “one way” to practice Yoga, and everyone will experience different outcomes with their Yoga practice.
I liken Yoga to a maze. I visualize this maze to be a calm, serene environment where every turn leads to... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
May 30, 2010
I recently read an inspiring quote from my new book "Meditations for women who do too much" titled "Awareness".
When I read this quote it seemed that the different things that I was teaching, practicing and doing in my life all came together. These actions became unified, or “yolked” which is the heart of the definition of Yoga. To “yolk” together, unite, unify as one. I sometimes refer to this definition of Yoga in my classes as a reference to unite our breath, body and mind as we pra... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
December 31, 2009
Winter, especially the Christmas Holidays can be a confusing time, mentally and physically. Naturally our bodies are designed to hibernate, seek calmness, self-awareness, and groundedness during the winter. However, as we have all experienced, the holidays tend to be a time for fun--filled, social activities which can leave us not only feeling ridiculously full, but also ungrounded. When we move into this unsettling place of ungroundedness we may show physical and emotional signs of unbalance... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
September 18, 2009
My 1st run-in with a black bear this season has helped me increase my self-awareness.
It all started last night after my SkiFit Yoga class, I packed up my things, said good-bye and headed out the door to my car. As I was unlocking my car door this man in a large truck stops and begins talking to me. At first I could not figure out what he was saying because my body went into instant “fight or flight”. It was dark, the street was quiet, and we were alone. Though I was in a panicked s... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
August 14, 2009
Today will be a big day for testing my Yoga skills off the Yoga mat. For all those challenging poses, or balancing poses, or simply pushing my body when it really just wanted to be in Savasana, those skills will hopefully help me through the next few days. 5 years ago I was in a serious car accident that left my body and mental well-being in shambles. Yoga helped me deal with the physical pain through realigning my spine and joints and also helped me deal with emotional issues such as frustrati... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
August 8, 2009
I am beginning my online journey into the world of technology.
This blog will be used to share my ongoing developments in the world of Yoga and beyond.
I am looking forward to sharing different practices both on the mat and in life with you.
Today was a peticularly reflective day at the lake with my greatest Yoga teacher of all, Yukon. Yukon is my beautiful, gentle and energetic black Labrador Retrievor. His teachings come to me in the most unexpected ways. Perhaps that is th... Continue reading...
Posted by Kerry Turner.
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