The new year offers us a chance to pause and reflect.

What has your daily spiritual practice looked like in 2016? Is it consistent? Is working? Yoga is a scientific approach to calming the undulations of the mind. You’ll know how effective your practice is by the degree of peace you feel moment to moment, by the lowered frequency and longer time periods between impatience and irritation. You may already have new year’s resolutions, and they are surely beautiful and necessary. But, whatever your goals are, focused time for yourself will only help them flow more quickly and easily.

What does daily practice mean? Time spent alone in quiet, that is all! It does not mean that you must practice 90 minutes of asana every day, or sit for hours in meditation. Simply devote a few minutes each day to your spiritual health. Surround yourself with things that enhance your feelings of connection to others, to the Earth, to Spirit, to God. Consider creating an alter so that every time you pass by you are reminded of the importance of staying present. Some examples could include: incense, essential oils, amulets, crystals, singing bowls, photos of spiritual gurus, candles, prayer flags, mala beads, sage, palo santo, zen sand garden. Be still and stillness will find you.

A life of service. Another way to enhance your level of peace in the new year is to devote your life to serving others. This does not necessarily mean that you renounce monetary abundance in exchange for charity work. You can continue with your regular career and still live to serve. It just means taking responsibility, being compassionate and helping others. For example when you see trash on the ground, even though you did not put it there, you take responsibility and find a trash can to dispose of it. It is the same in life. Even if a sticky situation is not your fault, but there is a way you can help, do it as a service to others, a service to God/Spirit/Universe (or whatever word you like to use).

Read spiritual texts. Although this is a wonderful way to gain insights and better understand Truth, it does not replace your spiritual practice (the time you spend stilling the mind). There are many books out there with both ancient teachings as well as modern interpretations. Some of my personal favorites include: The Power of Now, Inner Engineering, The Yoga Sutras, and Living Buddha Living Christ. 

Gypsea Yoga in 2017

2016 has brought many blessings and insights. We launched our new business, and are already booking retreat guests and teacher training students for 2017. I’m delighted to inform you that my husband is officially quitting his job and completing his own yoga teacher training beginning January 7th! He will join me in leading transformational yoga teacher training courses and retreats around the world. I’m so excited to welcome the masculine energy and new perspectives to our lessons.

Thanks for following our journey! Look for more blog posts and spiritual insights on our website. Wishing you all the peace, blessings and abundance in this new year and for years to come!

Oceans of Love,
Courtney AND Travis