References to the poetry, quotes and concepts from our EYR Christmas Yoga Retreat in Xinalani

Dear Xinalani Yogis, 

Many of you have asked for references to the poetry, quotes and concepts I shared with you, so here you go! 

This is lengthy; I’ve provided links for further reading. For a quick glance-through I suggest visiting my website to link to the sign-up form for my newsletter here; that way you’re sure of being kept informed when new adventures get rolled out.

I am very grateful for each and every one of you. Especially for the precious moments we spent together in the Jungle Studio and all the time we spent together sharing authentic, heartfelt communication. For as much as you learnt from me, I learnt from many of you. 

Nina, Lauren and I planned the week to take you on a gradual journey deeper into your practice, I will reflect that journey below. I am so grateful for the beautiful afternoon classes I was treated to by my inspiring colleagues and am humbled and grateful to be an EYR teacher and a member of this incredible team where excellence is the norm. 

Your mediative journey was very influenced by my recent MBSR course which I undertook as a pre-requisite to the Masters in Mindfulness in UCD, Dublin, which I will begin this September. I highly recommend seeking out a local MBSR course for those of you seeking to incorporate more mindfulness and meditation into your own lives. 

Our Philosophy workshop was influenced by the book “The Path of the Yoga Sutras: a practical guide to the core of yoga” by Nicolai Bachman. Our conscious listening practice was an aspect of the MBSR course.

The instructions for sitting well with good posture for your meditation practice is outlined on my blog page here. 

Opening circle:

Tension/releasing with the breath. The script for the practice you experienced is here. Please feel free to use it and share the experience with your loved ones. We are all teachers! 

I am. 

Your body is like a house, very strong, very grounded, very settled, very safe. The foundation of your house is very solid. In your house, the walls of your house move slightly as you breathe. 

The namaste poem. 

“When I am in that place in me where I am truly me, and you are in that place in you where you are truly you, there is one of us”.

I feel. 

The Goal of Yoga (No, it’s not the Handstand)

The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible is not the goal. Standing on your hands is not the goal.

The goal is to create space where once you were stuck. To unveil the layers of protection you’ve built around your heart. To appreciate your body and become aware of the mind and the noise it creates. To make peace with who you are. The goal is to love, well … You!

Come to your yoga mat to feel, not to accomplish. Shift your focus and your heart with grow.

Rachel Brathen.

I love. 

“A ray of hope flickers in the sky. A tiny star lights up way up high. All across the land dawns a brand new morn. This comes to pass when a child is born.”  

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Victor Frankl. ‘Man’s search for meaning – life in the pause’.

I show compassion. 

Autobiography in Five Chapters by Portia Nelson. link is here.

The hand mediation practice is outlined here.

I serve. 

“By cultivating strength without rigidity and relaxation without collapse in your asanas you are helping create a balanced imprint on your nervous system. You are training your mind and body to be awake and calm regardless of the external circumstances. Pause and gain strength before moving forward.”

Jason Crandell.

Golden thread breathing practice is outlined here. 

Yoga Nidra. 

The script I use is here. You can purchase a 45 minute audio of the Yoga Nidra practice here. Once you purchase you can download the clip to you own device or access it any time from my website by using a code you receive upon purchase, essentially it’s yours forever. It’s also available as part of a bundle of my online classes, The Zen Collection - three 45 minute yoga flow sequences, two guided meditations and the audio Yoga Nidra. You’ll get to practice with me from my yoga mat inside my house in the Dublin mountains. 

The toast. (Please raise your glass or your cup of tea ;-))

Here’s to lying, cheating, drinking and stealing. 

If you’re going to lie, lie for a friend. 

If you’re going to cheat, cheat death. 

If you’re going to steal, steal a heart. 

If you’re going to drink, drink with me. 

You can sign up for my newsletter here. I send a newsletter out 3-4 times a year detailing my upcoming retreats and workshops. My new year newsletter will be going out in the coming days. Exciting things ahead for me over are, a day of mindfulness and nature in the Dublin Mountains in April, a sold-out retreat in May in Andalusia, Spain - co-hosted with the incredible Josie Sykes, and an EYR retreat in Portugal in June. I am exceptionally happy that some of you are already booked to come to Portugal, thank you for following me my travelling yoga friends!

Sometimes I get a fit of creativity writing and I blog. One of my favourite creative blogs is here.

I was recently invited on a podcast with my colleague Kevin Boyle, The Yoga Life Podcast. It was a huge honour, great fun and left me very hungry for more of this! You can listen here or find us on Spotify. I’m chatting about teacher training and the incorporation of my mindfulness studies in everything I’m doing to encourage a multilayered journey for students. 

I offer Corporate Meditation sessions in the workplace, you can read more here. Always happy to travel for events, I was recently skyped into an office in Dallas, Texas. Creative ways to bring my classes to the world always enthuses me! 

I am on facebook, instagram, twitter, spotify, and linkedin. 

Stay in touch on your journey, yogis, we will help each other revisit the Xinalani moments that we sealed into your hearts. 

“Your healing lifts up the ocean of existence. When you heal we all heal.” Yung Pueblo

Huge love and hugs from my kitchen in Dublin.  A roaring fire, fur babies snoring, evening light descending down outside and all of you inside my heart. 

Have a wonderful 2020, I hope to see you then! 

Namaste, 

Sylvia.