The Shakti Shine - October 28, 2019

Shakti Love Notes

We are always growing. I love that! And the more I grow, the more I recognize how important it is for us all to share what we're going through-- even (and especially) me.

So these Love Notes are a space for me to share with you each week-- about the studio, my life, how our community is growing.

What if I told you I knew the secret to your heart?

Well, do you ever know something for a long time, and then it clicks in a new way? That's what's been happening for me. And that's how I know the secret you've been looking for...

Through inquiry I'm waking up to how much time and energy I spend in thought.

I spend hours a day just thinking. Some thoughts zoom through, others play on loop, and others seem to get stuck causing all subsequent thoughts to have to go around them.

I've even noticed a direct correlation between how much thinking I do and how much anxiety I feel. They're related like this: more thoughts equal more anxiety. Which has made me consider, are my thoughts worth it?

Thoughts aren't even real. Thoughts are just replays of the past keeping us stuck in the past or worried about the future. Thoughts are nothing. So why am I so hung up in them? How can I get out?

The way out is out here.

The way out is OUT.

Here's what I mean:
Have you ever sat outside with the sun on your face and looked at a tree. Like really seeing the tree. What thoughts were you having then, in that exact moment?

Have you ever turned up the volume on your favorite song, laid in the floor, closed your eyes and just listened? Like really listened. What thoughts were you having then, in that exact moment?

Or have you ever played a game, a sport, or created something with your hands and seemed to lose track of time, totally immersed in the task at hand? Like fully in the flow. What thoughts were you having then, in that exact moment?

Have you ever cried and not totally known why, but something struck you just right?Like you really felt it. What thoughts were you having then, in that exact moment?

Out here in the present moment is the way out of thought. Through the senses.

Wake up.
Pay attention.
Listen.
Smell.
Taste.
Feel.
See.

Presence is the secret you've been missing.

This is what's clicking for me in a new way:
The only way to get to the heart is to get out of the head, out of thoughts. The only way to get out of thought is to get out here. So getting out here is the secret to getting to your heart.

(You're welcome.)

And when I say 'heart' I mean the heart of things.

I mean the deeper pieces of yourself. I mean you without the masks, you without the pretense. I mean your ability to see something in a new way. I mean your access to opening, connection, and love. I mean the you-est YOU.

It's that simple.

The only way from your head to your heart is out here, in real life, with people, with feelings, with your senses, with everything exactly as it is right now.

It's the only way.

Try it for yourself. See what opens up. See what happens to your thoughts, to your anxiety, to your disconnect, when you put your attention on the present moment- not just once, but over and over and over again.

Just try and see.

See you out here.

xx
Ruby

Beyond the mat...

We love Athens.
And we love you.
So let's have more of that-- together.

Here's where you can see what we're up to outside of the studio.

Have ideas about where we should be / what we should check out / how we can show up?
Reply to this email to let us know.

Gratitude Month is coming!
(Starts November 1)

The journal, In the Practice of Gratitude, is a 30 day guide to practicing gratitude every day.

Journals are $15. Order your copy here to make sure it gets delivered to your home in time to start on Nov 1! Or send an email here to pre-order for in-studio pickup. *Journals will be available in the studio by this evening.*

~ Inquiry Corner w/ Emily ~

We've moved IC to IGTV and the blog, but here's a teaser for the week:

Emily's IGTV Series, Combatting Diet Culture, continues!

This week Emily will be discussing
Intuitive Eating,
a methodology that helps us reclaim body trust, acceptance, and freedom surrounding food.

She’ll discuss the ten pillars of IE and what they look like in practice.

Watch IGTV now!

Meet the Shakti Team!

Harley Cobb

Why do you teach at Shakti?I teach at Shakti because Shakti was my safe place during the rollercoaster that is freshman year and provided me with so much love and light

How do you honor the roots of a yoga practice in your every day life?By always coming back to my breath in times where I feel anxious or out of control
What kind of teacher do you strive to be?
I strive to be a light for my students

~ UPCOMING WORKSHOPS ~

SHAKTI YOGA UNIVERSITY

LEAD WITH LOVE -200 HR RYT Spring Program with Ruby

Learn More & Apply!

ASK A QUESTION

~a very October playlist~

Try this *Shakti Strength* sequence:

Cheap thrills - scissor legs / ad twists - block sit ups (3) x boat twists (10)
Die Young - Sun A's
Give A Little - Sun B's (Crescent w pulses)
Werewolves of London - Lunge twist / Ext Side Angle / Handstand hops / Chair twists
Walking Away - flow (play)
Burn the Witch - Mountain climbers (10) x squats (10)
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked - reverse lunge / knee tap / power kick (1 min rt / 1 min lft)
The Hanging Tree - *with a towel under feet* Pikes (5) x side lunges (5 per side)
Hunger - jumping jacks (5) x burpees (5) x push ups (5)
Special Death - hips
Funeral Singers- Seated forward folds / Waterfall / Supported Fish