Here are your fresh Love & Inspirations for the week ahead:

1) Quote:

• “They who are steady in eating and in rest, and in their work, do their duty; they who, are steady in sleeping and waking, they will be able, training Yoga, to mitigate sufferings of their material lives…” – Bhagavad Gita 6:18

2) Celebrating Navaratri

• The Power of Navaratri – 9 Day Celebration of the Goddess – September 29 – October 8th, 2019

Navaratri is an auspicious time in the Vedic calendar dedicated to honouring and celebrating the goddess energy within us all, male and female.

I’ve had the privilege this past week of sharing goddess mantras with my soul sister Lindsey Wise for 2 powerful Navaratri Yoga classes here in California, with Emily Perry at Bhakti Fest ,and Hannah Muse for Ygoa Church Santa Cruz, and have been feeling so much the forca feminina within.

“Nava means nine in Sanskrit while Ratri means nights. This is a nine day celebration that is divided into three parts. The first three days are dedicated to the goddess Durga. Her warrior spirit cleanses, shifts, uproots, changes and transforms. Think of her as tilling the soil, prior to planting seeds.

The goddesses Durga, Saraswati and Lakshmi symbolize these parts of life and Nature, while also being parts of our own innate Self. The three of them together represent our wholeness, the trinity of life, alive in and around us. These three goddesses also connect to Shakti, the goddess who gives the spark of life to every being, to Nature, and to existence.

The next three days of celebration are dedicated to Lakshmi. Her abundance, nurturing, and wealth offer nourishment and support to us on all levels of life.

Finally, we have three days dedicated to goddess Saraswati. Saraswati gives us knowledge, understanding, wisdom, creativity and artistry. She is the rasayana (or healing balm) if you will to close these nine sacred days of festivities. Together, these three goddesses bring wholeness, renewal and the life giving offerings of Shakti.

It is at this time that we can connect to these three goddesses most easily—inside of us, and around us. Because of this, Navaratri is considered a very sacred and powerful time of year—one that influences our inner and outer experience of life for months to come.

To connect with the goddesses more closely, make special offerings on your altar for them during the nine days. You can also dedicate your actions and intentions to them for greater communication.

from https://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/03/the-power-of-navaratri-inspiration-for-connecting-with-the-goddesses/

3) Pranayama / Breathing Technique:

• Wim Hof breathing tutorial by Wim Hof

Have you tried this yet?  It’s getting cold here in North America, so my friend suggested I try the Wim Hof breath.  Everyone and there cousin seems to be getting into Wim Hof  – the “ice man” and his method, so I decided to try it…

This video shares a really super simple practice, straight from the source – essentially it’s 30 x rounds of the fully belly-chest-head breathing, followed by an increasingly long retention.

What I discovered is that this particular Wif Hoff breathing method is simply a form of pranayama, which is one my main personal practices.  There are more than 50 known types of pranayama techniques, all with multiple positive benefits.  What I experienced right away in trying this practice, is what I often feel with my regular pranayama practice –   stress relief, increased clarity, presence, concentration and well-being.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

4) Learning a bit more about Positive Psychology:

• 20 Positive Psychotherapy Exercises, Sessions and Worksheets

“Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning. It has also been defined as the study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities and organisations to thrive (Gable & Haidt, 2005, Sheldon & King, 2001).

I’ve always been fascinated by the human being, our behaviours, thought patterns, how both genetics and life experiences manifest in how we interface with reality.  I did my first University Bachelors degree in Psychology.  At that time, we learned a lot about when things go wrong…abnormal psychology, the brain and how to treat “problems”.

Once I started getting deeper into Yoga, what became more relevant for me, what how I could use the wisdom, knowledge and understandings of science and psychology theory to thrive more in each arising present moment – essentially how to be more happy and awake.

5) Mantra Music for the Goddess

• Jai Sri Ma Kali Kali Ma – Francie Love feat. Lindsey Wise

We sing this mantra to the fierce aspect of the goddess, as we help to liberate ourselves from the ever-deep layers of the lower self, which can seem to come back more and more powerfully, especially when we thought we had already dealt with and integrated that aspect of our being.

Jay Shri Ma Kali Kali Ma Jay Shri Ma
Jay Shri Ma Kali Kali Ma Jay Shri Ma
Ananda Ma Durga Devi Jagadambe Shri Ma
Ananda Ma Durga Devi Jagadambe Shri Ma

—

So much LOVE & Blessings to you sweet one!

XOXO

Francie Love