Namaste Yogis and Yoginis,

In yoga and meditation we learn that our state of mind and well-being is intricately linked to our breath and that conscious breathing alone can be transforming. And since conscious breathing is a perfect portable practice, you can practice any where, any time. You don’t need to run home, to your yoga studio, church, or special garden. You can slow down, clear your mind, and reconnect to your inner-peace any where; your ‘yogic state’ is only a breath away. And this issue of Yogalicious is filled with inspirations and techniques to help center your self in the ‘flow’ of your breath moment by moment!

With great joy,
Jillian
www.yogajillian.com - 201 377 7010
jillian_love@yahoo.com

PS. Carrie Parker Gastelu and I are thrilled to offer our first Advanced 300 hour yoga teacher training this September. This is a fabulous program taught by an amazing team of experts! Details below.

PSS. Registration is now open for my Annual September Weekend Yoga and Meditation Retreat in the Berkshires. It always sells out so reserve your space now for September 28-30. Details below. And I’ll be leading a “Blooming Open” session at the Fit Yoga Conference August 8 at 3pm. Visit www.fityoga.com for more information.

“One of my favorite ideas about our breath is: Each breath you take in was some one else's exhale. Each breath you release will be another's inhale. We share one universal breath - universal life-energy - infinitely. We are united with all beings and all of creation through the breath."    back to top

Since William was born I have had a strong urge to ‘sanctify’ dinner. We eat early, set a nice table,
play soft music, light candles, and begin with a moment of gratitude. And while all this intention and
preparation ups the odds that we have some quality time together, dinner with a toddler still borders on
circus acts and usually never lasts more than 15 minutes. Adding to that, my husbands work often
streams into dinner time with phone calls, beeping electronic devises, and at least once a week rushing
off to an evening appointment. While I love our dinner time something was missing. Then, last month, I
was reading ‘Peace is Every Step’ by Thich Nhat Hanh and found a suggestion for taking Three Conscious Breaths with your family before a meal. So we tried it. At first I was nervous to ask my family. My husband Brad would surely roll his eyes and William, my 3.5 year old, wouldn’t make it past one breath. But surprisingly it was well received and turned out to be a big hit. We held hands and took three slow deep breaths. As the last exhale flowed out the atmosphere changed. Our bodies relaxed, minds more quite, our eyes more welcoming to each other. We were all fully present for that moment. It was quite powerful. We quickly adopted this dinner opening ritual and even though dinner may still only last 15 minutes, electronic devises still ring, and William still sings and dances the power of one pause together makes our dinner fulfilling on a much deeper level. Try it and let me know how it goes.    back to top

"Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms nor synagogues, nor in cathedrals:
Not in masses, nor kirtan, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me, you will see me instantly... You will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath inside of breath."
– the Kabir Book translated by Robert Bly
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Breathing is our connection to Life! Even Science is supporting the wonders of the breath. The FDA has
approved breath-training as a recognized treatment for hypertension and there are thousands of research
reports stating that breathing reduces the negative effects of stress, relieves anxiety, depression and
chronic fatigue, helps manage fear, phobias, shock and grief, improves concentration, and increases one’s sense of wellbeing. In addition Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh and many other spiritual leaders teach a Conscious Breathing as a way to transform ourselves; helping us grow present and collect ourselves so that we don’t act or react habitually. Instead we can become present with a fresh mind and open attitude in any moment. When practiced regularly, taking a Three Breath Pause can then be more accessible to you in times when you really need to change your habitual chain reaction. I LOVE this practice and HIGHLY recommend trying it. Read how below.    back to top

You can practice Three Deep Conscious Breaths
anywhere, anytime and as often as you wish. However, when you are just starting out it can be helpful to follow these few simple steps to enhance the effectiveness of your practice:
1. Stop whatever activity you are involved in so you can give your full attention to the breath. (Over time you will be able to consciously breathe in any moment – while you are walking, eating, talking, listening, working ect, but in the beginning it’s good to stop what you’re doing so you can concentrate more easily.)
2. You can sit in chair or on the ground with your back relaxed but straight or stand with your weight distributed evenly on each foot.
3. When you are new to the practice, and if you are in a safe environment, you may close your eyes so your attention is on the breath and not on outside activities and scenery. However, eventually, you actually want to do this practice with your eyes open, aware of your environment. This way, you learn to connect to your breath as you are moving regularly from moment to moment, engaged in the world around you.
4. Relax and take a deep, slow breath through your nose, then breathe out again through your nose. Allow your mind to follow your breath in and back out of your body. You can focus on the tip of the nose where the breath enters and leaves or you can mentally follow the breath on its complete path in to and back out of the body.
5. After you have completely exhaled, allow another natural breath to flow in. Don’t pull or suck the breath in, it will come to you naturally. Once you have a full breath in, exhale again with out forcing or pushing the breath out. Allow all of the breath to empty from your lungs with out jumping ahead to the next inhale. Simply rest your mind on the breath and feel its affects; observing and sensing. Stay relaxed and allow your awareness of the breath to be soft, not heavy with concentration.
6. Each inhalation and exhalation is one cycle. Do three cycles and allow your mind to rest fully on the breath. You may notice that your mind wanders even after the first breath. When you notice that the mind has tripped out to your to-do-list, dissecting a past conversation, or balancing your check book just acknowledge that you’ve been distracted and gently guide your mind back to your breath. The attitude in which you guide yourself back to the breath is KEY. So when you find yourself tripping out, just be humored, and with the warmth you’d offer your best friend, guide your mind back to the flow of your next breath. (We tend to go where we feel welcomed, to relax and expand more when we are not bullied.)
7. After getting the hang of paying attention to Three Conscious Breaths bring the practice into your every day life as often as you can. You skip parts 1-3 and jump right to 4-6. Use this Three Breath Pause through out your day in any moment, when you are walking to your office, eating lunch, in a conversation with a friend, working on your computer, waiting on a line, stuck in traffic, when ever. You will find this practice transforming your day. And, eventually, you will find the Pause more accessible to you in those harder moments, like when you’ve just been insulted, or your child or parent is pushing your buttons, or anytime you feel your anger or irritation building.     back to top

We all create stress by wanting to be "there," instead
of being "here". Read Eckhart Tolle's way of dealing
with it:
http://innerself.com/Behavior_Modification/be_here.htm
  back to top

“Tenty-Four, Brand-New Hours… Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy and happiness to ourselves and others. Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.”

Visit: http://www.plumvillage.org/HTML/aboutUs.htm   back to top

Three Minute Meditator David Harp and Nina Smiley. For a simple look at meditation and how to bring it into your daily life. http://www.davidharp.com/psychbooks.html    back to top

Everything you wanted to know about meditation but didn’t know who to ask. Q&A with SHARON SALZBERG. Wed June 13, 7 pm-9pm AND Wed June 27, 7pm–9pm. At New York Insight Society. For information and to register Call New York Insight at 212 213 4802 or visit www.nyimc.org.  back to top

In the Berkshire Mountains with Jillian September 16-18 2005
Save your Space now, as it is already half sold out. “This retreat vanished every stress into thin air. Jillian’s beautifully orchestrated classes combined with the lush serene setting perfectly balanced the body, mind and spirit.”  back to top

Thanks for meeting me here! As always, I love to hear your comments. If you didn't received the last Yogalicious it is available on my web site. Please share this email with friends, or have them send me an email to be added to this distribution.

With great joy,
Jillian
http://www.yogajillian.com - 201 377 7010

EVENTS With Jillian
- Fit Yoga Conference NYC. Presenting August 8.Blooming Open.
- Weekend Fall Foliage Retreat. Berkshires. September 28-29
- Advanced Teacher Training 300 Hr. Hoboken. Septemeber-December
- Teacher Training 200 Hr. Hoboken. November 07.
- Restorative Yoga Teacher Training. Yoga Works. NYC. December 1-2.
- Beginners Weekend Retreat. Mohonk. February 08.
- Weeklong Retreat Vacation Mexico. March 08.