Category: New Beginnings

HEADING INTO 2022 LIKE…

by Claudia Fountain, posted in Flexibility, Ganesha, Meditation, New Beginnings, newsletter, Nutrition, Yoga, Yoga Nidra

we have everything to gain–more peace, equanimity, strength, flexibility, adaptability, and increased wellness!  

I’ve put together a set of tools this month to help move us along these goals, beginning with a 10 DAY YOGA CHALLENGE. If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to begin a regular yoga routine, this might be it!  You will have 12 days to sample a variety of yogic practices from meditation and mindfulness, to guided breath practices and yin yoga. [FIND MORE INFO AND THE LINK HERE.] January also delivers a new exercise video that focuses on hip mobility, specifically targeting the hip adductors (inner thigh). [FIND THE VIDEO HERE.] And finally, if you have not tried Yoga Nidra yet, set aside 30 minutes for some deep rest. Find the guided Yoga Nidra For Deep Rest HERE. 🙏🏼

Please also find my teaching schedule HERE.  I continue to teach weekly Livestream Yin and Vinyasa classes. My VOD library of 90+ classes will be moving to a PRIVATE LINK very shortly. The price will remain the same ($18), and I add videos weekly.  If you are interested in subscribing, please drop me an email request!

In closing, I leave you with the mantra to GANESH. May he remove obstacles on your spiritual path, and ensure success in any new endeavors. 

OM GUM GANAPATAYEI NAMAHA!

P.S. This month’s healthy recipe:

BRUSSELS SPROUTS HAZELNUT SLAW

Cruciferous vegetables (think Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, bok choy) contain consistently high amounts of vitamin K.  Vitamin K may be involved in inhibiting narrowing (calcification process) of blood vessels.  A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition discovered that higher intakes of cruciferous vegetables (at least 45 grams daily) can decrease buildup of deposits on artery walls in older women. 

3/4 lb Brussels sprouts, shredded
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 pear, thinly sliced
2 scallions (green onion), thinly sliced
3 oz prosciutto, chopped
1/2 C pomegranate seeds or 1/3 C dried cherries
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 orange
2 T maple syrup
1/4 C hazelnuts
2 t Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced

In a large bowl, toss together Brussels sprouts, carrot, pear, scallion, prosciutto, and pomegranate seeds or dried cherries. Place olive oil, orange juice, maple syrup, hazelnuts, mustard, garlic, and a couple of pinches each of salt and pepper in a blender container and blend until slightly chunky. Toss dressing with slaw. Makes six servings.
**Source: IdeaFit.com**

Don’t Look Back

by Claudia Fountain, posted in New Beginnings, newsletter, Uncategorized

“You’re not going that way.”

It’s all about being here now.  And, making plans for the future.  This new year is about forging a new path–a new way of being, because the old ways no longer work, or are dropping away.  “Normal,” as we knew it is illusionary and unsustainable–environmentally, economically, socially, morally, ethically.  

How do we move on to a better future?  By listening, creating, committing, doing, believing, and inspiring.  

“Do more than exist—live.
Do more than hear—listen…
Do more than grow—bloom.
Do more than spend—invest.
Do more than think—create…
Do more than decide—discern.
Do more than consider—commit…
Do more than dream—do.
Do more than see—perceive.
Do more than read—apply.
Do more than receive—reciprocate.
Do more than choose—focus.
Do more than wish—believe…
Do more than encourage—inspire…
Do more than reach—stretch.”
–John Mason

So! In the spirit of stretching, creating, and committing to something new, I am in the process of setting up monthly subscriptions and private sessions on the Moxie platform (https://moxie.xyz/claudiafountain).  My plan is to offer weekly yoga (and possibly fitness) sessions.  I hope to see you there soon!

In closing, the fourth installment in the My Morning Meditation series is up and waiting for you.  Let yourself be taken away to a warm, sunny beach as you rest in the flow of your breath. As always, these videos  are FREE.  

My Morning Meditation 4: Sound. This session continues to build on the foundational sessions of grounding and breath awareness. Here we will expand the focus of our attention to include sound. Noticing sounds, resting awareness on the flow of breath and the gentle susurration of waves rolling on and off shore. Imagine yourself resting on warm, white sand on a sunny beach. Nothing to do but breath–and listen.  
Find it here:  https://vimeo.com/497091923

May 2021 be filled with things both quietly and gloriously new! 🙏🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏾🙏🏿🙏🏻

New Beginnings

by Claudia Fountain, posted in New Beginnings

AUM

original, primordial seed sound
new beginnings, the will to create

It’s the start of a new decade, the perfect time to invite something fresh to enter our lives!  What if, instead of making resolutions (the word alone sounds heavy and totally not fun!), we learn, explore, play, create, give to others, and give ourselves space to grow mentally, physically, spiritually……

Maybe this year you decide to try one new thing?  Just one new thing.  It could be anything from taking a class on how to draw, to volunteering for a local animal rescue and foster program, or buying a new houseplant and learning how to keep it alive (yep, go online and learn how to take care of plants!).

Doing something new could also be practicing the art of letting go, or decluttering your life of s t u f f–clean out one drawer a week of things you haven’t worn or used in over a year.  Or, go through one box a month (you know…those boxes that have been sitting in storage somewhere gathering dust), and make a game of what can be donated, given away, or sold.

‘What shape waits
in the seed of you
to grow and spread
its branches
against a future sky?’
–David Whyte
from “What to Remember When Waking”
.
When I first began my yoga practice I would go through periods of dedicated time on my mat and my meditation cushion, and periods where I would drift away from it.  Out and back, out and back, like waves rolling on and off a beach.  I like to think of this phenomenon as very normal–and very human.  Eventually, those gaps became smaller, until one day it just settled.  My meditation practice is the linchpin of my day.  Every morning, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or something in between, it happens.  It’s embedded in my morning just as brushing my teeth and showering is.  It didn’t happen over night, or because I told myself, “I should.”   I believe that a genuine interest in what I was learning and practicing is what made it happen.

So, let’s begin this decade by being open to trying new things.  It may be all about clearing out the old (mentally, physically) to make room for something new to appear.   Or, going out and exploring!  Look for the thing that really piques your interest, and then learn everything there is to know about it.  Make it fun, make it light (don’t obsess about how well or not you do it), and see where it takes you.

See you on the mat!

P.S.  The sound OM/AUM is considered to be the original, primordial sound that created the universe.  It contains the root, or seed, of all sound.  It is the energy vibrating behind, and within everything.  Chanting the sound OM helps us connect to that vibrational energy.   Begin or end your day, by listening to or chanting the sound of OM for five minutes.  Rest in the silence following, for as long as you like.  Find the sound of OM here:  https://soundcloud.com/krishna-bhaktin/om-meditation-deep-relaxation