Top Summer Activities For You To Enjoy

Yoga On Zoom with Shanti Yoga Training School 

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Paddleboarding

There is something magical about gliding on the surface and listening to the water lap around you. Paddleboarding allows a person to fully immerse themselves into the tranquil outdoors. It requires a full-body workout to navigate and maintain balance in order to avoid flipping over.  Once you get the hang of it try to incorporate some basic yoga move such as downward dog or a chair pose. This will do wonders for your body by engaging muscles that you may not normally use when on land. It can be a perfect hobby for everyone, whether you make it a workout ritual or if you just want to explore the local waterways.

Outdoor cardio

The summer is a perfect excuse to ditch the gym and head outdoors for your workout. It doesn't have to be vigorous it can be as simple as going for a walk, jog, or leisure bike ride. Exercising outdoors can help with seasonal affective disorder and depression. This is because sunshine stimulates the production of serotonin, which can help boost your overall mood. The rays also enable the body to release nitric oxide and in turn lower blood pressure. This improves heart health and lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. It can also be a great way to spend time with friends. Get a workout buddy that helps you stay motivated. Don't have any active friends? Bring your dog or enjoy some alone time.

Gardening

Get your hands dirty and lay down some new roots this summer by planting your own garden. A good garden feeds the mind and body. Growing your own fruits and vegetables will help you manage a healthier diet and promote a better lifestyle. On the other hand, it can improve mental health by reducing stress and boosting your overall mood.  Use your garden as a quiet, peaceful place to find your personal Zen. Practice being mindfully present while gardening, your anxiety and worries start to slip away as you become one with nature.

Swimming

Summer heat got ya beat? Grab a towel and cool off by the pool, beach or lake! Swimming is an ideal activity that is easily accessible and fun for people of any age! This relaxing activity can help clear your mind while also tone your body. As you propel through the water, you participate in an aerobic workout that engages arm, leg, and core muscles. It is an easy way to stay fit, make friends, and have fun!


Stargazing

Mapping out constellations is a perfect way to spend those breezy summer nights. It is such an easy way to have an adventure without going far, especially for those stuck at home. Just wait for dark and look up! The night sky is a timeless canvas that reveals ancient stories about gods, heroes, and mythical creatures making it a perfect scavenger hunt. So, kick back and relax in awe while observing the true wonders of the universe.

" The Darkest of Nights Produce the Brightest Stars" 

- John Green

Nathalie Croix

Shanti Yoga Training School

E-RYT  500  lead trainer  

"Practice And All Is Coming"

Photo taken in Mysore, India with a local Indian Musician.

As I sit here today, in preparation for my virtual weekend yoga training, updating my online platform and diving into the world of Ashtanga Yoga on the mat, the series of postures, as well as The Eight Limbs of Yoga : today I miss this one.... the one who once told me and the world, "Practice and All Is Coming". My former teacher Pattabhi Jois. Remembering him and our first encounter. I had to re-read THIS article about his life, where many of his students share their experience with Guruji and how he impacted their life. I can't deny a feeling of a certain kind of sadness, or should I say melancholy. Have you every met someone who because of their presence in your life whether in person or in distance you became a better person? If you have, you know exactly what I am talking about. That person to me was Pattabhi Jois. When I first met him I was a kid. Before making my way to India to study in his school, there were practices and gatherings in Los Angeles and New York during his world tours. Before I was ever in his physical presence I was familiar with the ashtanga practice .The asana series itself was a big life changing factor in my life. I became stronger, more disciplined and I loved how the practice made me feel more grounded and awake. I was finally in my body. I was 21 when I meet Guruji in person, and 22 on my first of many trips to Mysore, India. Being in his presence sparked and awakened an inner light in me that to this day I am moved by it. It is this force field that has me teaching yoga and sharing the many gifts of yoga with the world, and not because he is an Indian Guru, or some sort of blind faith in a dogmatic sense, no that is not my story. I have never been one to follow extremes, if you know me, this probably comes across quickly. I am not a black or white type of person. Sometimes the lines are blurry, we need to read the in-betweens and have discernment for what is wrong or right for each. My surrender to Guruji, comes from the fact that he is a great master of his time and the transmission of Shakti, divine energy, was the essence of our student teacher relationship. To say he made me a better human, practitioner, student, and yoga teacher is to say the least. I had Shanti Yoga Shala, studio for nine years, and for nine years we had an altar devoted to him, with the beautiful photo of him and his beloved wife, Amma, on the altar ( oh I treasured that photo). There was not one day I didn't feel his presence in our sacred space and in my teachings, or in my heart. Every day I lit a candle for Guruji, to honor his life and foremost to honor the life he has awakened within me. To honor the many gifts he gave me, grace, love, compassion, inner peace, love of nature, animals, among the many. It is that force, that steadiness, focus and Jedi quality that lives within us - which many of his students have experienced. If I can offer my students a fraction of that essence I know I have lived a good life, a life worth it's purpose. In the practice room in Mysore, often times my practice time was 4AM, on days that I was weak in Spirit, he gave me strength, he pushed me and would ask me to repeat the postures I had trouble with two, three times in a fierce way. On days I was sick, but not mature enough to skip practice, he would walk up to me and tell me to go home and take rest in his gentle way. He just knew. 

I bugged him during office hours to ask questions about meditation, and after practice he would ask me to sit for half hour in sukhasana (half lotus), before Savasana... I can still hear his voice saying... " You Practice and All Is Coming" . On conference days I was one of the first ones to arrive and one of the last ones to leave the Shala, until Saraswati would tell me you go home rest. I loved the call and response to Sanskrit postures after practice, and attended it each time, thrilled. I loved feeding bananas to the cows on the streets of Mysore. Gathering with the yogis at the coconut stand and chatting for hours each day. I loved the simplicity of our life style back then and waking up with the chant of the mosque each morning at dawn. In the early days there was no Internet in my apartment, the lights went off at 7:30/8PM and only cold showers, no hot water. A mosquito nest surrounded my bed and it was all perfect, one of the happiest times of my life. I had to re-visit my memory of this time as I prepare for my yoga training this weekend. Fast forward so much has changed. Change is the only constant, as yoga teaches us. There has been accusations of sexual misconduct, I am aware. It's undeniable that it's unfortunate any time this happens, and much of the conversation has been on this theme lately. I don't have much to say since I never saw or experienced anything similar and in fact my experience has been quite the opposite. We can't deny or erase those experiences, nor can we deny or erase the one I've had. In the darkest hours of our Souls may we find redemption and forgiveness for those who have made mistakes, for we too have made mistakes and we must forgive ourselves and others. I don't think any situation is black or white. I honor all truths and I am here to share and live my own truth. I am fortunate to have the life I have and the experiences who made me who I am today. I know without a doubt that had I not met Pattabhi Jois, my life would be very different today. I am forever grateful to all the teachings, the awakenings, and all the yoga on and off the mat. I am thankful for being led and shown the path of living life in light. One day after practice and after bugging Guruji for many months about his Navaratna traditional India gold ring, because I love beauty, I was sent to his family's jeweler and I finally had my own Navaratna custom made. It felt very special to share the same jeweler and back then the ring was a lot of money for me, many sacrifices were made so I could own that ring. To this day, over twenty years later,  I wear my Navaratna ring. During practice, Guruji was so proud of me when he saw how beautiful my ring turned out. He always commented on my ring. I hope that wherever he is today, he can look down and still be proud of me and his many students and the path he has led us on. 

I hope that we are continuing his work, even if only a fraction, because I know it will be magnificent. Yoga looks very different today, but the essence is the same. I never met Krishnamacharya, but I have a knowing he was a great Soul. Perhaps we have known each other in other lives, or other forms of existence. 

I wonder what he would say of all the online yoga and virtual trainings. I have a feeling they would be proud and encourage us to embrace the world as it is today, to see the challenges as opportunities and to continue spreading love, light and the path to Self realization no matter how, where and when - to step up and show up to the world as the world shows up to us. After all yoga has been around for thousands of years, it has always continued to be relevant and to adapt to new age. Yoga is eternal. Yoga is not going anywhere. Yoga is not asking for permission. For the last two years I have embraced yoga online and it has opened a whole new world for me. Thank you for that. Not only it has been a learning curve, which I love new challenges,  but it has connected me to people who otherwise I would not have access to and how awesome is that? Both as a teacher and a student,  working virtually via zoom, livestreams, online courses, various platforms,  has brought my practice and teachings to a whole new level and for that I am super grateful. There are no limits, no barriers, no distance. This is the age of information at our fingertips in the comfort of our homes. If you feel inspired try this new level of access to eternal light, source, and if that is not for you thankfully there are many in person options. I happen to love both. I love both equally. I could write a whole book on why I feel this way, for one it has brought so much freedom into my life. A new level of freedom. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that by creating sacred space in my life, I am able to access higher levels of consciousness, creativity and by doing so I show up to myself as a better version of who I am and therefore to my yoga students and my community. Thank you Pattabhi Jois for holding space for me during the ten years of our Earth bound student, teacher relationship. I like to think in some way you are still here. Thank you for sparkling that inner light in me, so that I too could believe in myself and be a light for others. Thank you for all the wisdom, the Shakti transmission, and for holding space during the many years as I matured from a kid to a woman. Thank you for teaching me that no matter what is going on in life, or in our planet we can aways stay grounded, find our center and that the power is in neutrality. Your presence continues to inspire me each day. As you taught me that through the vast, enormous practice of yoga there is a journey to and through the Self. It takes courage to embark on this journey, not always easy but necessary. Not for everyone. An individual  will is required, as we all know.... when "there is a will, there is a way".  

This journey has offered me a vulnerability,  an intimate awakening and connection to my heart space. The heart is the connector to all beings, we are one. We are light and we are love, even in the darkest hours there is love. Only love is real. There is magic in chaos.

 If there is one thing I can pass on to my students is : Believe In Yourself.

There is a say that one candle can light many candles. Guruji was that candle for me, and I believe for many. Namaste.

I am teaching a virtual training this weekend : Topics: Eight Limbs, Ashtanga Yoga, Yoga History, Yoga Nidra.

If you enjoyed this reading consider my book Living Life In Light, A Yogi's Journey. Join my membership site check it out on nathaliecroix.com/members-portal

This photo was taken in India, the man is a local musician I met in Mysore.

A Tribute To Maty Ezraty

Today we celebrate the life of yogini master teacher, Maty Ezraty, who left us way too soon. Maty made her transition to other realms this week. She left her body temple at the young age of 55 very unexpectedly. The teacher of teacher's left her yoga children. Maty was the teacher of many of today's most influencial yoga teachers. As the yoga world grieves with her departure, I am here today to honour and celebrate her life.

Maty is the founder of Yogaworks. Almost twenty years ago I walked into one of her classes in Los Angeles and soon after I started working at Yogaworks, where I taught classes, worked behind the desk, worked in management and participated in Yogaworks growth and expansion before moving to New Orleans. At Yogaworks I completed my 200 Hour and 300 Hour, as well as countless trainings. During my many years working at Yogaworks from my early twenties to thirties I matured not only as a yoga teacher, but also as a human - through the guidance and influence of mentors and teachers such as Maty Ezraty, Annie Carpenter and Lisa Walfort. I am lucky to have met such magnificent women in this life time. Maty's passing is a big reminder to all of us....

Cherish Each Moment. Every Moment Is So Special.

One of my last experiences with Maty, not long ago in Nicaragua, we went on a night hike to witness baby sea turtles hatch and make their way into the ocean. It was a true miracle to witness new life and nature's intelligence. Perhaps that was a sign for me so that today when I think of her and (this) life ending, I also see new beginnings as her soul takes the great journey and new adventures. Perhaps today is the day of new beginnings for us all. I am also deeply touched by the yoga community coming together all over the world in honor of Maty's life.

On this last trip I expressed my discomfort to Maty about yoga practice going from the traditional hour and a half, two hours practice to now the usual one hour. Her unexpected response to me was -

YOU CAN FIT A LOT AND

A VERY COMPLETE YOGA PRACTICE IN ONE HOUR.

The conversation went on to sequencing and creating a well rounded practice with whatever time you had. Her insights were brilliant. Not only it affected my on going classes, also my yoga teacher trainings, which I now teach How To Create An Effective One Hour Practice and the workshop I developed based on this conversation -

How To Create A Home Practice - I will be teaching this workshop at Love More Hot Yoga on Saturday, July 20th at 1PM.

On our plane ride back from Nicaragua she also said something that truly stuck with me about teacher trainings -

" IS NOT ABOUT THE 200 HOUR OR HOWEVER MANY HOURS! IS BETTER TO SPEND LESS HOURS WITH A SOLID GREAT TRAINING AND TEACHER THAN COUNTLESS HOURS WITH A NOT SO GOOD TRAINING OR TEACHER. DON'T GET SO CAUGHT UP WITH THE "HOURS" - FIND QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY."

- MATY EZRATY

I couldn't agree more! What a jewel of a person.

Maty's teachings and insights were beyond mastery and extremely influential in all I do. I am including here a print interview as we celebrate her life!

I hope you get inspired by Maty as much as I have!

Thank You Maty!

May we all carry her torch and continue to spread "good yoga" out there into the world!

Much much love,

Nathalie

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Back to Basics: Interview with Maty Ezraty
by Jill Greene

You’re offering an all-day intensive this year on “Making Your Practice Whole.” What does it mean to make your practice whole?
In today’s world, yoga is practiced a little bit more for physical reasons. Making your practice whole is about exploring the bigger picture: your attitudes, the way the mind works, what your intentions are. It means looking at yoga from a holistic perspective, less from a strictly physical point of view.

For a number of years, you have been practicing vipassana meditation in addition to yoga. Is that compatible with this idea of making your practice whole?
Yes. I think meditation is mandatory, if you are a serious seeker of spirituality. Asana will only take you so far. It’s so important to study your mind in other venues. Meditation is as good as it gets.

You have been teaching yoga for 25 years. How have you seen the teaching of yoga evolve in America over that time?
Yoga today is a little mixed up with fitness. Not that there’s anything wrong with fitness, but it doesn’t allow you to go deeper in understanding your inner dynamics, your self, your mind-space. If you have the music on, and everything’s about feeling good, looking good … it’s artificial.

Unfortunately, in the last decade, we’ve seen business people take over yoga schools. And they really don’t understand yoga—half of them don’t even practice it. We have so many teacher trainings taught by people who haven’t been doing yoga long enough. So we’re creating a new generation that’s doing yoga poses, but in a fitness manner. It’s diluting yoga. It’s a lot easier to sell, because when you’re required to observe your mind and look at your stuff, it’s harder!

I think a lot of people are being promised that they can become yoga teachers, but it’s really difficult to make a living teaching yoga today. Of course it depends on the individual and what they know … but it should definitely not be something that you do lightly. I would never advise someone to give up a career to teach yoga, because most teachers today are struggling. Sometimes what you love to do is not necessarily what you should do for a living.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new teacher today, what would it be?
Stick to why you decided to do yoga in the first place, and teach from there. I did not seek yoga for a profession, when I started studying. I came for a deeper, soul searching. That’s the place to teach yoga from.

When you’re a new teacher, you’re told you need a 200-hour certificate to teach anywhere. What does that have to do with anything? You can do 200 hours of good training or 200 hours of no training. Some people can retain an enormous amount in 200 hours, and other people can’t. So we have this arbitrary number of hours. We’ve got a problem.

In the old days, you had to get permission to take the Yoga Works teacher training. Somebody watched you practice. The first day of teacher training, I could teach shoulder stand. Everybody knew the fundamentals. They knew that in trikonasana the leg turns out, and the knee faces the second toe. I have students now who have never heard that before.

But it’s not the students’ fault! I don’t even think it’s the teacher’s fault. It’s the owners and the companies that are pushing numbers, pushing fitness, pushing Twitter, pushing websites … and they’re overlooking good teachers.

It’s also the consumer. It’s really a society problem, and it’s going to take courageous people to do things in a different way.

What can we do to change things?
Practitioners need to be educated and to buy the right workshops, put their money in classes and in trainings that offer something else. Request them: “I want classes with less music, I want more restorative yoga, I want more pranayama.”

And as an owner, you really have to walk that line in a smart way. Because you have to bring people along. It takes experience. It’s totally doable, but everyone’s just going too fast.

This practice takes time. You need at least 7 years before you’re pretty good. You should have at least 10-15 years under your belt before you teach and train people. You’ve got to be really strong in your own understanding. Otherwise you just give in to the students, because it’s too hard.

My best students and my best teachers assisted me for years. And came to class, over and over again, for years. There’s nothing wrong with a 200-hour training, if you then have somewhere to go and apprentice, under someone who’s really got it. That’ll work.

Do you see any glimmers of hope?
The last time I taught at a yoga festival, I had a teachers’ class. It was a really large class, 120 students, and I did basics. I walked out of that class high as a kite. These teachers wanted to learn, they were hungry, and they were getting it. It was exciting. There was no music, and their eyes were wide open and they wanted the information.

So yes, I have hope. But it’s going to take a community effort.

And our own self study – is that a part of this?
Absolutely. That’s why I said that meditation is really critical. Because at some point, the asana is just not going to take you that far in. It can’t—it was never meant to. It’s only a pillar, a limb, a part of the process. It’s really just making you healthier so that you can do the deeper work.

I think many of us aspire to have an individual practice as long and fruitful as yours. What advice do you have for us as we look to the future?
What you do in your 20s, you’re not going to be able to do in your 50s. The more you understand that from the beginning, and the more you develop a really caring practice, the more you will appreciate the basics. So when those more fancy poses go away, you’ll have less suffering. You will see the benefits of the simplicity of it all.

The way that our lives are structured today, we put our old people in homes and we may not live next to our families, so we grow up without seeing that aging process up close. It’s not so real for us. We think that we’re always going to be like we are today, but things change. So it’s about the simple things: just lying down on the ground, feeling the earth and realizing how precious that is. How many people in the world never walk barefoot, never lie down on a flat floor and just close their eyes and breathe?

It’s going to come to that for each and every one of us, at some point. Standing on your head? Intense arm balances? Eventually it just doesn’t work anymore. But if those expectations are not there, and the simplicity is applied, and savored, then it’s a wonderful thing.

At the end of the day, you have to know this practice, personally, for yourself, without the teacher. It’s got to get to that.