New sites

For my schedule and happenings www.patriciapintoyoga.com
For my surf and yoga retreats www.lovesurfyoga.com

SUP YOGA!

This year, I will be teaching SUP yoga about once a month, through A-team paddleboards.  Teaching this Sunday at 10:00 am. Class is already more than halfway full!  Email me at yogawithpatricia@gmail.com if you want to come! 

Surf and Yoga Retreat in Mexico

Hi All, 

My next surf and yoga retreat is going to be in Sayulita Mexico at the beautiful Haramara Retreat Center! 

From June 20 to June 26, we will be practicing yoga, meditation, surf, and SUP yoga daily! Please email me for details at yogawithpatricia@gmail.com, or you can read more about it below and check out the photos of the retreat center

http://haramararetreat.com/event/patricia-pinto-kat-colla-retreat/

Fat Yoga Teachers aren't Good Teachers?

Great read about judging your yoga teachers and yoga.  

http://www.derekberes.com/blog/yoga-fat-shaming/?mymail_success=1&id=0

Meditation for busy times

Who has time to practice or meditate during the holidays?  Between our busy calendars, shopping sprees, traveling to go see family, it can get difficult to take time off for ourselves for the things we love and to stay on track with our yoga and exercise regimes. 

The meditation below is a beautiful short and sweet meditation poem by Thich Nhat Hanh.  It takes 2 minutes at the most. You can do this anywhere, and you can repeat it as many times as you'd like. I like taking it apart and focusing on a piece of it (smile, let go).  I have been teaching it this week in class. It truly changes the energy of the entire room. 

Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in.

Breathing out, I know I’m breathing out.

(In. Out.)

Breathing in, my breath grows deep.
Breathing out, my breath grows slow.
(Deep. Slow.)

Breathing in, I’m aware of my body.
Breathing out, I calm my body.
(Aware of body. Calming.)

Breathing in, I smile.
Breathing out, I release.
(Smile. Release.)

Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment.
Breathing out, I enjoy the present moment.
(Present moment. Enjoy.)

Hope everyone is having an amazing December so far. 

With love, 

P

Inner work- yoga on my bank account

Inner work.  

In yoga, essentially, is what we come to do.  We look within us so the world around us becomes better.  We practice, we observe our patterns during our asanas, we start to notice where our thoughts tend to go. We build the amazing habit of Mindfullness. 

The idea of being mindful was introduced to me via meditation.  Observe your thoughts.  Do not judge.  Just watch.  Accept. Practice this during every interaction.  Everything should be mindful. 

And then I read this article.  The way I do one thing is the way I do everything. It made sense, and went nicely with the idea of Mindfulness meditations.  I dug the idea of it, and it also scared me a bit. I'll share why later on.. 

So I am mindful.  I look within.  It's working.  I'm proud of all the work I've done in the last few years.  It's surely made my life better.  I live full of integrity, I practice what I preach. 

But at the corner of my mind, there was something I was abandoning in this "being mindful" business. 

My finances.  

I never looked hard at my finances.  I didn't want to see.  Student loans, rent, taxes.  All overwhelming.  So I just paid.  and just paid bills and paid bills. That was enough for me. 

I've known for a long time that I am not mindful with my money.  I was actually CARELESS.  

So for 2015, I decided to look at this part of my life with a magnifying glass.

So here it's how I've started with my "Financial Inner work." 

-  My very financially savy LITTLE sister  recommened me to her financial planner, we spoke for about 2 hours and went through many different ways I can start investing. 

- I set very tangible, realistic, and clear money related goals. I review these every week along with my other intentions. 

- I got Mint on my iPad and IPhone.  It takes about one hour to set up.  Every morning I go through my budgets and expenses, and see what I need to pay.  It's free!

- I have also started to follow Dave Ramsey.  This was a suggestion from a friend on Facebook.  He has amazing tips to help sort your finances out.  

- I ask for help. I know I don't know much about finances, so now I ask! I have some very knowledgable clients so I pick their brains, I ask my friends that are doing well financially how they do it.  

And now I am that girl that sticks to budgets! Ok, and although in January my taxi budget was way over (so cold!) I am learning how to live within my means and responsibly and invest. 

If I'm meditating every day, I need to look at my bank accounts everyday.  If I am exercising and doing yoga, then I need to take care of every part of myself in the same manner. Just like the article said- I need to do EVERYTHING the same way. 

Little things like making coffee at home, buying Kind bars in bulk and putting them in my purse instead of buying them at health stores (about 75 cents more), taking yoga classes from friends, inviting friends over for dinner instead of going out.  They all count. 

The journey has just started! I see light at the end of the tunnel! 

How do you stay on track with your money? 

 

Meditation, revisited

If you follow my instagram @thenycyogini, chances are you have noticed that I like to talk a lot about the importance of meditation.  Whenever I teach yoga, I like to provide a few minutes to sit quietly after savasana in a non-guided meditation, allowing the student time to sit quietly and observe the benefits of the practice.  Meditation is the one tool, when combined with your asana practice, that shifts your practice forward and inward, takes you out of your mind and brings you into your energy.

Whenever I teach meditation, I mostly see students that willingly sit quietly, without moving, embracing the peaceful time.  I also see that some students have their eyes open, impatiently looking at the clock or gazing outside of the room.  I see students who can't keep their hands still or move side to side on their seats.  I see students yawning.  Some students even leave.

These are all common reactions to meditation, and chances are, if you are into meditation, you have experienced all of these at one time or another.  Some days you are bored, some days you are fidgety, and some days you don't even try.  It's all fair. It's all about observing and being present in how you are approaching your meditation, without judging.

Starting a meditation practice at home

If you are interested in starting a meditation practice, a great way to start is just TO START. Setting aside 5 minutes a day to sit still and observe your breath is all you have to do. Committing to setting this time aside allows you to build the habit and start the "practice."

Begin by creating a meditation space in your home in which you can decorate with objects and photos that inspire you and remind you of people and places you love. Get candles, some flowers, incense. Make it special.   It can be anywhere in your home.

Some of the items in my meditation space include:

- A beautiful Buddha my old roommate and best friend left here when she moved to LA.
- A framed Star Wars drawing my oldest nephew made when he was 5 years old.  He is now 13.
- Stones, rocks and shells I have been collecting from beaches I visit.  I have rocks and shells from Indonesia, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and from Montauk, Cape Cod and Cape May, to name a few,
- A post card my best friend Joanna Benevides sent me for my birthday 2 years ago that says "Shine on you crazy Diamond" and a tiny Buddha Head she gave me also.
- Incense my beautiful student and friend Lorena brought me from Thailand.
- A tiny wooden elephant my dad gave me 12 years ago.

Once you create your space, set an intention to meditate every single day.  Before coffee.  Or before sleeping (no caffeine in your system really helps).

Short meditations: 

- Gratitude meditation:  Take 5 minutes and go through as many things as possible that you are grateful for.  This is my favorite meditation. Spend extra time on things you are particularly more grateful for (for me, these are the health of my loved ones, the fact that I am awake and meditating, my room and my place, my classes, the ocean).  Get creative, you can be grateful about everything, and this practice will change your life.

- Breathing meditations:  Pranayama techniques can all be extremely meditative.  Ratio breathing, or Visamavttri pranayama is great, for the counting and holding the breath keeps you grounded and present.  This meditation is great if you are stressed and can't keep your focus.  

- Guided meditations:  The Internet and your phone have so many apps and videos for guided meditation. Although I prefer self-guided meditations (builds a better habit) guided meditations are great of you have a hard time committing to the meditation practice.

Books to read: 

-  Turning the Mind into an Ally,  by Sakyong Mipham
I was impressed by this book tremendously for it tackles the complexities of meditation.  Makes meditation accessible and yet enhances the experience.  

- Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, The Path to Insight Meditation, by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Korfield.
This book talks about all possible encounters to meditation, from painful knees to doubt and fear.

Lastly, if nothing works:

Take courses! In New York, we have amazing resources such as the  Shambala Meditation Center and the Three Jewels. If you are not in New York, most Yoga studios offer at least two meditation classes per week.  You can even get private instruction for meditation.  If you are serious about starting this practice, there are methods for everyone, all ages, and all styles.  So there is no excuses :)

Xo,

P