“Walk with courage. Go forward from day to day with calm, inner faith. Eventually, you will pass beyond every shadow of bad karma, beyond all tests and difficulties, and will behold at last the dawn of divine fulfillment. In the highest of all states of consciousness will come freedom from every last, trailing vapor of misfortune.”

– Paramhansa Yogananda

 

So often, we hold ourselves back from our own true potential.

 

When we step into our authentic truth, Life guides us, not the other way around. We get to stop striving, forcing, over-thinking and over-planning. When we make a decision to stop living in fear, only then do we allow a grounded sense of calm carry us forward. This ‘courage’ can only authentically come from that place of ‘calm, inner faith’ that Yogananda refers to.

 

We cultivate this internal connection in meditation or yoga practice.From that calm, we start to pay attention to the divine orchestration of our lives. In that attention comes the trust, or the inner faith, that both gives us strength and helps us to realize that we are truly guided by a higher consciousness.

***

As you may have noticed, I’ve been ‘away’ for the summer from newsletters, blogging and such as I have been immersed in my own journey of growth and learning. I found this quote from Yogananda above, this August during an Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis retreat in Grass Valley, CA with a dear and masterful teacher, Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta. It was at the end of the program that I realized that I had been wanting to study the pulse and to study with this teacher for 2 years. For the first year, I had scheduling conflicts with all of her offerings and couldn’t attend. I eventually let go completely and suddenly, when the time was right it all came together without effort. It was only after I had experienced the magic of that weekend in its entirety that I realized my intentions (and beyond) had been fulfilled.

 

2011 has brought me unexpected and welcomed growth and expansion. For those of you that have been following my newsletters, you know that I am now offering Ayurvedic Shirodhara treatments, which have proven to be both powerful and deeply healing. I have completed pulse studies in Portland with Richard Haynes of Ayurveda Plus, and have continued with Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta in CA.

 

Later this year I will also be helping to pioneer Dr. Cravatta’s new therapeutic Awaken Within Yoga program that incorporates the Ayurvedic wisdom of the subtle body (chakras, nadis/channels, etc.) into each practice.

 

I’m currently taking my first group through an at-home Ayurvedic oleation and look forward to supporting any of you who are interested in this gentle cleansing program at the transitions of the seasons.

 

Finally, in March 2012, I’ll be bringing my yoga therapy and Ayurveda teacher’s son, Dr. Ganesh Mohan, from India to offer Module II of his US Yoga Therapy training in Portland. Thank you to all of my wonderful clients and colleagues who continually nudge me forward and encourage and support my growth even when I think I’m not ready:) I’ve experienced over and over that no matter how much the smaller aspects of ourselves try to hold us back, our higher consciousness is really in charge and guiding the way.

 

From that place I feel a deep sense of trust and gratitude and I wish to support others in connecting to that place within themselves so that we may all live in health, freedom and joy. -gianna