COURTNEY ROHAN YOGA

I always thought that I would do asana. Regardless of my meditation or pranayam practices, I always felt that asana was the yoga for me. My asana practice, always fiery, left me rung out and aligned. I still feel most adamantly connected to Hatha yoga specifically, Vinyasa Flow. And, I will continue to provide this for myself as well as for my client base. Recently, I was finding that the fire I was so used to in my practice was harder and harder for me to accomplish. In order to do an hour practice, I would have to employ many of the pranayam techniques I know, and make use of dristhis (focal points) more often and find Adho Mukah Svanasana (Downdog) as a resting posture verses the transition it was most often. All of these pieces should be made use of during a practice, it is true. I was not concerned by that, I felt my practice taking on a new flare. It was good. No, it was great. I was able to do things I could not do before. I just had to be gentle with myself and find relaxatio

Once leaving Philadephia, almost two years now, getting back to the city has been what I would have once called a struggle. Now, I call this life. I call it happenstance. The playground. It's wonderful to be headed downstream, where everything I want is waiting for me. Let me paraphrase: Relaxing in the current stream that I have created sends me downstream, and as I float downstream, everything I've asked for appears. I will be traveling from June 18th to June 26th. If you would like some Thai Massage or Yoga, be in touch (609 417-3217) to schedule some playtime. Sat Ra Courtney.

Upward Salute, an opening backbend-- the first of many backbends leading to my  dropback Working on my Urdhva Dhanurasana dropback and realizing what this movement really entails has brought me down to earth about advanced poses and their implications. Being able to do advanced poses is not just found in the Annamaya Kosha (the physical body sheath) alone, but rather begins in the progression of poses and expands through all the layers. Let me take a moment to explain what I know about sheaths or koshas. Each of us beings are made up of these layers, each leading on to the deeper sense of the self. So, as one would imagine the koshas begin on the outer layer, which consists of your physical body, the Annamaya Kosha. This is where many people begin their yoga practice, and where many people stay. Yoga feels good to the body. But as we are divine, our being is more than skin and bone. We are energy. When we accept this we are chosen to deal with the next layer/s of our beings.

Jay-Z was on Oprah's new network, OWN,  speaking about his career and how he became a master of his craft. He spoke about the flow in music and how the artist tucks into the music to create the flow. How they find themselves in the music in order to avoid interrupting the flow. They become apart of the music. There is a flow to everything. In life, there is a flow. In yoga, there is a flow that varies from one tree of yoga to the next. There is a flow in our bodies, the flow of blood and the flow of air. Recognizing this flow changing the way we interact with and in the world. It changes the way we address our strengths and our weaknesses. Fighting the flow is what gives us splinters, how we drown or choke. We do not become strong in life by going against natural forces. We should tuck into the flow of ourselves, life, music, yoga, nature and ride or float or jump the way that is right for us. The goal should be how to tuck in all the time, into every moment and experience. Thi

My aunt called me to the table The honest truth On the wooden surface The truth of my monkey ass Realizing not what I am worth I did not want to call her tell her What was going on cause I knew I would be picking my heart up From the linoleum The brown and white tile Impression stuck on my arteries But last night I needed someone To call it what it was Stupid for me to believe in things That are not real Lies leading to more lies One monkey vine to the next So I am happy my heart hurts Because of the truth There is nothing like it Nothing better Than knowing who you have become Even when your ass is exposed And the kitchen with my aunt The only place To pick myself up cleaned From the wood and tile truth Of an ugly situation.  picture taken from: chiclittlehouse.blogspot.com 

I've smoked, talked too much about too much, eaten too much of the wrong foods and drank way more than one night should have allowed me. I believe it is time to stop looking for the fix that feels easy and create a list of fixes that work for us, not against us. Here is the list I pull out when I am stuck, when the day is not bright, when I feel heavy, and the people around me feel even heavier. Use mine or create your own. 1. Pray: Do more here than just utter a prayer.Pray about all that troubles you and all that you are grateful for as well. Be real with the creator and allow Him to be real in return. Say something new and He will do something new in return. 2. Work out: I have recently discovered the treadmill. I want to push myself harder each time, beat my last record, or go a little further. When I am done, I feel good about myself. I have drained myself of excess emotion and thought. 3. Yoga: I have to be careful here. Sometimes, with skirt or dress on, I just drop