July Update

Where is this year going??? How the heck is it already July?? Why do I have so many questions?

Okay, glad I got that out of my system, but seriously. I can't get over how quickly time seems to fly when you have deadlines. I feel so much pressure to spend time with friends and family before we go. So much pressure to make the most of each little minute while also getting a million and one things done to leave. It sometimes feels like I have one foot here and the other already on the other side of the world. 

Living in the moment has been something I've always struggled with, I'm always planning and trying to be prepared for the future. But, if being a military spouse has taught me anything, it's that I am usually not in control and time spent worrying about the future is essentially time wasted. But of course you can't just turn that part of your brain off (no matter how much meditation you do, darn). 

As Hagrid once said, 'what's commin' will come, and we'll meet it when it does.' 

Thanks Hagrid, *insert eye roll here*

This month has been full to the brim! One thing I know I am doing right, in the midst of so much uncertainty, is spending my time doing the important things :) Family dinners, getting to see my sweet hubby on weekends, lots of yoga and reading and learning, mostly just spending good, quality time with my people. I want to take advantage of these things while I can, before we're overseas for the next few years. 

Our niyama focus for the month in my yoga teacher training in santosha, or contentment. This can be such a tough concept to deal with since contentment doesn't always equal satisfaction. Santosha means being okay with where you are in life. Now, that doesn't mean you get to just sit idly by and do nothing with your life! It just means that you focus more on the positives and accept that progress takes time. For example, I woke up this morning and was pretty sore from yoga yesterday. So I accepted the fact that today my practice would be a little slower and more restorative and that's okay!

Maybe I can't book our flights to Japan, find us a place to live, or get any freakin' information out of anybody until like two minutes before were expected to leave, and I have to observe santosha and just let things unfold in their own time and be grateful for what I do have and where I am now. 

Needless to say, this niyama is really hitting home for me right now! Living life with more intention also means being able to accept where you are right now without judgment, because where there is judgment there's no room for gratitude. 

So, for the remainder of the summer I plan on continuing to make the most of my time with friends and family, go on lots of adventures, do lots more yoga (time to get some teaching hours in!), and maintain as much patience and grace as I can! 

Having a sense of humor doesn't hurt either :)

What are some of the ways that you observe santosha in day to day life?

Always more to come...

Em 

living your yoga

Happy June Everyone!

Summer is almost upon us here in NC and you can feel it in the air. Literally, it's muggy AF. I just wrapped week five of yoga teacher training and am more than halfway through this journey to get my RYT200. It's been such a wonderful experience and I can honestly say that I don't even recognize my practice from before. It sounds cheesy, but I am changed. Learning just the tiny little bit that I have so far has been so incredibly expansive for my heart, mind, and soul. Not to mention my physical body!

Each month I have continued progressing through our pranayama (breath-work) and dharana/dhyana (concentration/meditation) plans which are building up our experience level and teaching us the different methods for these ancient practices. It has been so interesting to learn about the history and purpose of these techniques. I never really appreciated or understood the pranayama or meditation aspects of yoga until now. I am impatient and the thought of sitting still and 'wasting' time breathing used to horrify me! But now, I feel like I have opened a whole new part of myself and its all because of these yogic practices that I used to think were silly.

What so many people don't know, myself (until this year) included, is that the asanas (poses) are only a tiny part of yoga. In fact, according to the Eight Limb Path it is only, well, one eighth of the full Raja practice! In order to truly live ones yoga there are many other aspects that are equally, if not more important. Below you can see a chart of the Eight Limbed Path...

The idea is to build upon the Yamas and Niyamas with your posture practice, breathwork, and meditation to eventually reach a place of enlightenment or divine connection. Of course this doesn't happen over night, but we have to have goals in this life right? 

This month our focus is on the first niyama, saucha, or purity. Purity in this sense means taking care of your body, mind, and soul in a way that keeps them clean and pure. So this can range from taking a shower, to eating healthy, to going to yoga or the gym, all the way to cleansing your mind, intellect, and spirit through study, the search for knowledge, and truthfulness. Needless to say, these are lofty goals that can seem SUPER overwhelming, but if I have learned one thing through my practice it is that trying your best is always good enough. 

Yoga is about trying to be your best self! Nobody is perfect and that's totally fine. Maybe you can't do a handstand, or meditate for longer than ten minutes without falling asleep, but that's not what it is all about. Being a true and good person, aspiring and striving to better yourself, and treating others kindly is yoga too. 

There are as many paths as there people when it comes to yoga, and no single journey is perfect. All I want to do is strive every day to live my yoga. Whether that means I make it to class or not, I want to truly know in my heart that I tried my best to live my yoga. One of my favorite modern yoginis, Rachel Brathen, has a great quote...

 

I don't know what these next few months have in store but I am so excited to continue growing and learning as a yoga teacher and student because I think a true yogi never stops learning. Being a forever student of ones self and the world sounds like a pretty great adventure! 

How do you live your yoga every day? 

Em

5 Things

As some of you know, I am participating in the Jenna Kutcher Instagram challenge which is geared towards streamlining your online presence and cultivating genuine participation within the blogging community. It has been an incredible experience to 'meet' and learn about so many different bloggers from all over the world and their brands! I think we are all aware that social media can be a double edged sword especially when it comes to appreciating and living in the real world in real time without having to whip out our phones every two seconds. This challenge encourages everyone to be their true, genuine, authentic self on social media instead of putting a filter on your life, and embrace others for doing the same. Sure, we all like looking at pretty pictures of tiny puppies in teacups surrounded by a sea of peonies, or a skinny tanned girl doing yoga on a beach in Hawaii while she drinks a gluten free piña colada and the sun sets majestically in the background. BUT! Where is the connection there? Where is the personality, and the depth, and the humanity for the love of god!?!?

I know that I follow a lot of those accounts on Instagram, but for the most part those accounts are what I call 'scrollers' because I look at them and scroll right on by without reading their post or clicking the links or caring what is happening at all. They are JUST pretty pictures. But my favorite accounts, the blogs I've been following for years, are the people who are so genuine in their online presence that you can't help but be like, 'yes! I have felt that same way!'. They are the bloggers who let you know that they are having a bad day because they had to deal with 5 diaper explosions while shopping in Target. They are the ones who are chugging wine while discussing what happened on the Bachelor. They are interested in traveling, learning, bettering our world, and also just going to the grocery store, finding a good deal on Lululemon, and encouraging others to be themselves too.

The disconnect our world faces right now between our online presence and real life is crazy! People feel more isolated and unhappy than ever and it's because we have gotten so far away from reality, or maybe we have just changed what 'reality' means. Regardless, I am trying to be more mindful of living in each moment and using my social media presence as a catalyst for expanding upon that real world experience.

So, now down to the nitty-gritty! Day 3 of the #jkinstachallenge was to pick five major facets of your self and share them on your account. This was tough because I feel like everyone has so many unique, and important things that make up who they are as a person. But when it comes down to it, these are the five, biggest parts of me that make me who I am...

1. Family: Obviously this was going to be number one because my family is amaaaazee! They have always been there for me through everything. Whether I was living around the corner or on the other side of the country. They have supported my harebrained ideas, loved me when I have failed, and encouraged me to be true to myself no matter what. My parents and sister have been my constant companions and without them I wouldn't be who I am today (sorry guys, if that sounds like an insult!)

2. My Marriage: It's always hard to imagine another person coming into your life and being on the same level as your immediate family. Meeting and marrying J has been such a learning curve. We initially met at an NCSU football tailgate during my sophomore year and his freshman year in college. And let me just say that if you told me then that we would end up married, I would have thought you were INSANE. Welp, turns out that I am the insane one because here we are! And I am so happy that we ran into each other that day, even if he doesn't remember! Our relationship has completely changed me on some levels and made me more steadfast to my roots on others. J and I are so different in some respects but so similar in others. We have learned how to work our partnership into every day life and continue to grow together every day. Entering into a marriage truly is a beautiful act of self sacrifice and love (I mean that in the best way!). I have had to learn to navigate the tricky waters of being a Marine wife while still GRACEFULLY holding true to my somewhat liberal roots. And I have had to embrace the lifestyle of moving every couple of years and being far away from everything that is familiar and important to me. Which leads me to...

3. Being a military spouse: this is a complicated one for me. Growing up in an area that is known for its acceptance, non-judgement, and down right artsy fartsy-ness (not a word, I know), I had never been around the culture of a military lifestyle. Durham NC is a small lake of blue in a big, red state if you know what I mean! I honestly thought everyone in our military had a crew cut, chewed tobacco, and was the complete opposite of me on the political spectrum. So you can imagine what a shock it was for me to be thrown into such a different environment, I'm not going to lie, I was down right scared. But, I was surprised at the immediate and genuine outpouring of help and friendship from this amazing group of people I had never met. You always hear about how the military is like a second family, but I did not even come to close to comprehending what that meant until I experienced it. This group of women is part of my soul now. Every station we go to, our military family grows. These women are some of the most compassionate, hilarious, REAL people I have ever met. Everyone is so different, and so strong in their own ways that I feel like a huge dum-dum for ever having thought of this group of people as being so one-dimensional (but that is what our 'bubbles' do to us). Anyway, I can proudly say that being a military spouse has made me a stronger, more independent, and self-confident person and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

4. Travel: As a homebody with a bad case of wanderlust I feel like I am constantly feeling this push-pull of wanting to nest and stay home, but also to travel and see the world and experience everything that is out there! I've been lucky to get to travel internationally several times in my life and my list of places to visit grows by the day. Each time I open a new book, or meet a new person, another place appears at the top of my list. I love the idea of being able to see the world but have a home-base to come back to. It's all about balance. Finding that perfect space between cultivating your home and growing as a person through seeing the world. And lastly (at least as far as the top 5 go)...

5. Yogaaaaa: This is a relatively new facet to my life, especially compared to some people who have been practicing yoga for decades! But it could also be labeled, spirituality on my list. Because you see, I did not understand what yoga actually was! I was one of those people who thought yoga was just asana, or the postures of yoga. I didn't realize that the postures were just a small part of what yoga actually is. I started my in-depth journey with yoga this past January in order to have a job when we move overseas this winter. I had no clue what I was getting into. It is like everything suddenly makes sense, like I was looking through a foggy window before and trying to figure out myself on a spiritual level but could never quite see through the glass. I have always identified as a spiritual person and loved learning about religion and cultural perception throughout school (anthro major, go figure) and have always felt that, if I'm being honest, all of the religions of the world are just different doors to the same room. So finding a spiritual practice that places everyone on an even playing field and is inclusive to all religions and sects and creeds felt like finding a little bit of light in what can be a very dark world :)

So, those are 5 of things that make me, me at my very core. What are your five things that make you, you?

Love and Light
Em

Manifesting Gratitude

I've been thinking a lot recently about manifesting gratitude and positivity in my life. This of course, is partially to do with my yoga teacher training, but more accurately my yoga training has simply provided me with the vocabulary and tools to make this goal a reality. I think all of us to certain extent have the same priority, the same goal...to be happy. Different things make different people happy but ultimately we all want the same thing.

What I have learned recently through books, and live yoga sessions, and teachers, and independent experience is that there is one thing that makes everyone happy. And that is being grateful. Now, you may be thinking, 'well, being grateful is what happens after you are happy' but I disagree. Sure when something good happens or you are feeling positive and happy it is easy to say that you are grateful for that moment, and that isn't untrue. But I think a lot of people don't realize that starting your day off with a grateful heart for the simple, little things is what builds true happiness.

This isn't always easy to do. We wake up late, our coffee spills, our cars break down, someone we love gets cancer, we have a fight with a loved one, people die. But, there is always something to be grateful for, and if we can just take the time each day to appreciate those things, we will ultimately become happier people and that happiness and positivity will spill over and be shared with those around us. In simpler terms, 'appreciate the little things, because one day you will realize they were the big things'.

One thing that yoga teaches us that I have found profoundly comforting, especially given the current world climate, is that yoga is a deeply spiritual practice that focuses on bringing the individual closer to the divine. Yoga doesn't align with a specific religion or belief system, it aligns with ALL of them. Yoga is a universal truth that applies to every living thing on the earth. Yogic teachings tell us that we are all connected and all worthy of love and respect; whether we are a man, or a woman, or a cow, or the great barrier reef, or a blade of grass. Every single living thing on this planet has a role to play that can not be diminished. Yoga is a unifier.

Basically yoga is the golden rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. I have started trying to wake up each morning and, before I even get out of bed, I run through a few things that I am grateful for; my family, my health, our home, that my husband is safe, that we live in a country where we can voice our opinions, that I have food to eat etc...It really makes a difference in my mindset for the rest of the day. Everyone knows what it's like to be around someone who is negative. They aren't bad people but somehow their negativity seems to be contagious and you find yourself in a bad mood after being around them. Positive energy works in exactly the same way! We have also all probably been around that one friend who is always happy and smiling and you leave them feeling full and happy yourself. This doesn't mean be fake and pretend to be happy when you are upset, I'm definitely not advocating hiding your true feelings. What I AM saying, is that there is always, always something to be grateful for and if we give more time and attention to those things, our hearts and minds and bodies will benefit in amazing ways :)

What are some of the ways you manifest gratitude and positivity in your life?

Happy Saturday!

Dharana, Dhyana, Pranayama Oh My!

Is there anything worse than a Wednesday that feels like a Friday? Except perhaps a Monday that feels like a Friday...

As I write this the rain is pouring down outside in a typical North Carolina spring shower. The windows are open and the smell of the rain is blowing through the house. It is a perfect thunderstorm to fall asleep to, but here I am unable to turn my brain off.

Recently I've been doing my daily meditation practice at night before bed so I can fall asleep easier. I never used to be one for meditation, too hard to sit still and slow my brain down. But throughout my yoga teacher training I have come to realize how beneficial it is. It has helped to learn that it is considered normal to struggle with interfering thoughts during meditation. They teach us to simply let the thought pass through, and go back to your mantra or breath each time one occurs, and that slowly over time that will happen less and less.

Currently we are practicing silent Om Japa concentration (dharana) and silent SO-HAM meditation (dhyana). Basically, you find a comfortable, meditative position and recite the mantras in your head. At first I felt so ridiculous and it was impossible to stop my internal dialogue. But it has gotten easier with practice! Even though I still find my mind wandering, it has now become a matter of getting in the zone and then thinking 'I'm doing it!' only to realize I just ruined it with that thought haha! Oh well, regardless, it has been quite an interesting experiment and I am pretty thoroughly sold on the idea of a nightly mediation and breathing practice :)

I use an app on my phone called Insight Timer, which allows you to set a time and intention for your practice. I definitely suggest it if you are interested in trying to incorporate a structured meditation or pranayama practice into your life. This app also has guided meditation sessions for any number of things; sleep, anxiety, encouragement, confidence. Check it out, its a neat app!

I also use this app for my nightly pranayama, or breathing practice (also required by my RYT200 course). Each night we are asked to incorporate a Nadi Shodana breathing exercise and a basic 2:1 breathing exercise. In Nadi Shodana, you breathe through one nostril at a time using the vishnu mudra. And in 2:1 breathing you inhale for a certain count (say, 3) and exhale for double that (in this case, 6). I have a....complicated relationship with Nadi Shodana since I can't ever breath through my nose, so I usually do it first so I can use my 2:1 breathing time to calm myself down afterwards haha!

All of this would have sounded crazy to me before I started this class! But it has been very eye opening and I recommend researching some of these methods if you are curious because they aren't as crazy as they sound :)

Does anyone else have a nightly routine involving meditation or breathing (pranayama) techniques? What about a nightly asana practice? 

Nighty Night

Em

Oki Doki

Hello friends :)

A lot has been going on over here in the Nardi Morgan household!

Last weekend we all traveled down to Texas for J's Winging Ceremony. It was a wonderful weekend filled with family, friends, and lots of celebrating! And now, my sweet hubby is officially a winged naval aviator.

It is so crazy to think back to when we first started dating and he was just beginning flight school. Since then, we have moved 3 times, lived in 4 different states, bought 2 homes, and gotten married! These past three years have been quite a whirlwind and things aren't slowing down anytime soon because...

At the end of this year, we are PCS'ing to Okinawa Japan for our first duty station!

I'll admit it took me a while to find Okinawa on a world map because it's not exactly close to mainland Japan, but after googling images of the beautiful beaches and learning a little bit about the culture there, the shock has worn off and I'm starting to get excited.

Thankfully we have a few months to get everything organized for this adventure because let me tell you, moving to the other side of the world is no small feat! 

I've been so bad about blogging recently with everything going on, but I'm sure I will be very thankful for this platform once were in Japan so I can share all of our adventures and pictures :)

On an unrelated note, I am going into month 3 of my yoga teacher training! It has been such a wonderful, educating experience and I am falling more in love with my yoga practice every day. It's amazing what incorporating a daily asana and meditation practice into your life can do! I can't wait to share what I learn as I begin teaching classes!

That's all for now...much more to come!

Em

End of the Month Update

Whew! Today is the last day of February and I am stepping out of the whirlwind to breathe for a minute and write an update post since things have been so crazy lately. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought that things would slow down now that the wedding is over. With the combination of work, yoga teacher training, flight school, and every day life things, we have been a bit all over the place. J is in the last month of flight school and I have never seen him so busy, its almost like he's back in TBS, but we just keep telling ourselves that its almost over, its almost over, its almost over. And then we will actually get to live in the same state again! What a concept, hunh?

Thankfully, I have been super busy with the spring real estate market and have had very little time time dwell on the fact that in the next few weeks we will be getting our first duty station assignment; Japan, Hawaii, New River or San Diego...talk about the four corners of the earth! But honestly, it has felt so amazing to get back into the family business and be working 24/7. I forgot how much I enjoy the thrill of writing up offers and helping my clients find their dream homes! It's like a big jig-saw puzzle! It also doesn't hurt that I love bragging about my awesome city to people and helping them to find their place in Durham. The city really sells itself, as is evidenced by the fact that the housing inventory is crazy low right now, but nobody wants to leave and I don't blame them!

I also was able to get into a Yoga Teacher Training Program for my RYT200 through the MyCAA funding for military spouses which is a great opportunity! I am doing my training through Yoga Garden in Apex and even though it is a hike to get out there, the teachers are wonderful and I'm excited to keep learning what they have to teach us. I have definitely had to amp up my yoga practice though, we are required to attend a certain number of classes a week, and keep a nightly journal on our asana, mouna, pranayama, and dharana practice. Meditation has NEVER been my strong suit so I've been putting in some good extra practice on that and it is getting easier to slow my mind down. The trick is to find that happy medium where you are calm and peaceful but still awake...lol, tricky tricky. But apparently it is frowned upon to start snoring during savasana sooooo...yup.

I'm having a lot of fun with my practice though and it has been wonderful to read all of the yoga books we are required to read for class. Being the nerd that I am, I found these amazing asana flash cards on Etsy that show detailed instructions and descriptions of the 108 major yoga asanas. It may have been the highlight of my week, and they have been super helpful in learning the sanskrit names for the poses and organizing class sequences! I 100% recommend them to anyone wanting to gain a more in depth knowledge of the asanas, whether or not you're in a teacher training program!

In the next month or so I will start to teach some little practice classes on my back deck to learn how to vocalize during a class and practice helping others find their flow. I'm nervous but excited because it seems very similar to teaching a dance class but I haven't done that in a while...

What are some of your favorite poses? Sequences you wish were done more in class? Things you don't like in yoga classes? Music preference? I'm looking for any and all feedback so I can take it into account :) Also, any tips from you yoga pros and people who have gone through the training program before!

Lay it on me!
Em

P.S
Here is the Etsy listing for the flashcards I was talking about! #supportlocal #durham

108 Yoga Love