Yoga Every (Damn) Day!

Yep, that’s what I said! And I mean it from my heart. In fact, it is a heart-filled message. Let me explain why. Over the past few years, we have all been going through a transformation. Whether you are aware of your own transformation or not, you, too, are experiencing this transformation. It began for most of us back in the fall of 2014, and 2015 was officially dubbed a “Year of Transformation” at JSC.  But even if you weren’t coming to yoga or our monthly circles, you were transforming. How do you know? Because there were things going on that seemed “different.”

What was different? Well, some of you began to experience physical symptoms like increased headaches, sinus problems, stomach issues, auto-immune issues, to name just a few. Others experienced depression, anxiety, fear, and anger. Some of us even got a mixture of all of these symptoms. Dang!

But were these transformation symptoms all bad? No. Others experienced everyday miracles, synchronicities, coincidences, and unexpected joyful surprises like improved finances or job changes that pushed us toward a better way of living.

Regardless of what the past two years of your life have been like, you are transforming. So is the Earth. So is the Universe. (For more on those subjects, attend some of our Holding the Space Circles, where we talk specifically on what is going on and meditate for peace during these changes.)

Now let me tell you what I witnessed in the yoga studio and in our circles. I saw women (my former gatherings were only women, but I have opened these up to men for yoga, and the circles will soon head that way as well) who were having some very important spiritual awakenings. It was like a flower blooming in the spring – on a rainy cloudy day, the bud sits on the stem, and the sun comes out for an hour, and BOOM! Instant color! That was what I was seeing in my classes. And when these ladies “bloomed,” they could not get enough information or tools to continue blossoming.

Was this some kind of religious experience? Well, not really, because at JSC we don’t promote any religion. As I will tell my religious friends, what we learn on our mats and in our circles can be applied to your belief system, because it is not meant to take you away from it but to move you deeper into it. But even those who cannot identify with any religion have discovered a deeper connection to who they truly are. In fact, I have a song that I will play in healing classes and occasionally the regular yoga classes, called, “I Am Remembering Who I Am.” Some of us have written this on a post it note to remember daily as a mantra of intention.

Last year, I even coined the term, Dharmic Living, to represent our remembering who we are. Dharmic Living is living our life in our Truth, and our Truth is who we are when we peel away all our labels like mom, sister, daughter, Christian, etc. I liken it to when we were very young, before we knew labels existed and we just lived in a happy world, being present in each moment.

Can YOU remember who you TRULY are? If not, then keep reading!

So at the same time when we were talking about Dharmic Living and remembering who we are, I was called to create videos for people to practice yoga as a personal practice. I just started creating and creating videos, not just of yoga, but meditations and inspirational thoughts, as well. I currently have a cache of over 100 videos, and just under that number are available to you through my website subscription at http://www.jillsandconsulting.com/category/introductory-full/

My apologies if it seems like I am self-promoting myself. I am, LOL, but in a way for serving you. It has been made very clear to me over the past few years what my mission in life is, and that is to serve you in your effort to find peace, happiness, joy, and love in your life. I do this by offering you TOOLS to make your own peace, happiness, joy and love. Everything about JSC supports my mission to serve you with a loving, open heart.

Yoga Every (Damn) Day

I don’t expect you to come to a 60+ minute yoga class every day. (I will say that, ideally and for weight loss, you practice for 60+ minutes at least twice a week, along with a balanced diet and awareness of your triggers that induce weight gain. That is another topic for another time.) However, let’s be reminded what yoga really means. The word means, “to yoke,” or to connect the body, mind, and spirit. And so yoga is not JUST the poses (asanas). In fact, yoga is more about the breath than anything else. From the breath, you can add poses or meditation.

A yoga practice can often be finding one pose and breathing into it. And that is what my JSC Wellness Online Videos for streaming offer you – a pose to breathe into, or a meditation or inspirational thought to center and breathe into.

Why daily yoga, you ask? Why not Zumba, or running, or any other myriad of activities? Simply said, DO those things, but ALSO practice yoga. Not only are you getting the physical benefits from a yoga practice, but you are becoming more mindful, as you practice your yoga breathing and bring awareness to different areas of the body that I guide you to. And once we become mindful, we start to open ourselves up – to who we really are!

And that is the transformation that I have observed from my long-time clients! And it is also what I am promoting on our mats, whether you practice with me in the studio or you practice (with me!) at home through the videos I continue to create for you.

A Year of Action

So this brings us to 2016, a Year of Action. Many of us found ourselves in a creating mode this year. I’ve had clients tell me about their home renovations, their new jobs, their new family members, etc.! We are busy, aren’t we? I actually set an intention to make 2016 a “downtime” year for me. Right?! That hasn’t happened, and it can’t happen, because this Year of Action moves us even if we don’t want to move.

So let’s get back to those symptoms I mentioned earlier, the ones we don’t like. IF we decide to not transform, not to act, we are fighting the laws of the Universe. Yep, even the stars, sun, and our own planet is transforming; so if we are fighting this planetary wave of movement, if we are stuck and unable to move forward in our lives, that feels icky. And it’s probably even making us sick. Mentally, physically, or both.

Yoga is a proven tool that is useful for helping us move forward, to move toward better health and happiness. There is so much research from the past 30+ years being shared in the medical profession about the benefits of yoga for all aspects of our healing that even our traditional doctors are recommending it for their patients. This is a huge breath-through, in a western medicine world that believes that you fix most illnesses with a pill or by removing something from the body.

What’s Next for JSC?

You will start to witness changes with my company over the next few years. I’ll be offering more healing classes and less regular classes. I’ll be taking on more private clients which might mean fewer group classes. Our circles are evolving and growing larger groups. You’ll see more and more men show up at our classes because, quite frankly, they are also evolving. It’s not just us, ladies, but you are inspiring them, and their doctors are also telling them to join yoga and meditation practices.

Some of these changes are coming this summer, and more will show up in the fall, but continue to watch for changes throughout the next years. I don’t jump into change rapidly, and I am usually great at procrastinating as long as I can! So while I am sharing this vision with you today, it actually presented itself to me a couple years ago. That’s pretty much how I role. LOL

I thank you for being on this wonderful ride of health with me, and I appreciate your supporting JSC so I can continue to create these tools and platforms for you in my mission to serve you.

In loving service to you,

Jill/Chilla