Hello everyone!
I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful colors outside! It’s been a glorious autumn! You have been on my mind each day. Below you’ll also find links to my favorite archived Halloween posts for your enjoyment! I love this time of year! As we move into the colder seasons, please know I continue to wish you and yours health and happiness.
Thank you so much for subscribing to my newsletter! I’m so very glad you’re here!
The inner hand-hold
Each day I practice a loving kindness meditation praying for those in my life, sending out wishes of happiness, health and gratitude, giving thanks to each and every one for being in my life. The ones who are having health issues get an extra bit of light therapy where I surround them with healing colors—as does the whole earth by the time I’m done.
I chant several mantras and prayers for focus, clarity, compassion and abundance, with the hope that whoever crosses my path receives just what they need; and that by divine intervention they come to me and I to them because we are meant to be connected. When I think of all the female-protector energies in my life, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the first and most prominent presence with her “Hail Mary” prayer being my go-to prayer.
There is one particular mantra that I chant for Quan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion, whom I consider to be the Asian equivalent of the Blessed Virgin. This female-protector energy has been in my life since I was a child. Quan Yin is considered a “Bodhisattva”—a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others. I believe this female-protector energy has always been in my life to watch over and protect my every move.
I realized as an adult that she’d been watching over me whenever I experienced fear and anxiety growing up in a PTSD-ridden household. (See my trauma-informed yoga page for more on that story.)
She’s been there as I grew up and made my way in the world and she continues to be a presence in my life. I nurture this relationship each morning when I chant and pray, and have statues and images of her all over my house, especially in my sacred space/yoga/meditation room.
As part of my morning meditation, I use visualization. When I get to her chant, I first gaze at her statues and the images of her in my room, then close my eyes and visualize her hand holding mine as a child, as a young adult, and now. I treasure the comfort and strength I draw from her supportive presence. This sense of protection has become a deep part of me, available whenever I need it, in whatever situation I may be in. It’s kept me grounded, secure and at peace. When I start to spin out of control, I know all I need to do is close my eyes and remember her presence, perhaps chanting her mantra or saying her prayer silently to myself. It is in this knowing that I come back to center. It is in this knowing that even when I do start to spin out of control, her continued presence keeps me from falling as quickly or as deeply as I might have in the past. She “catches me” before I hit bottom.
As I’m finishing her chant, I visualize each and every one of you having this same sense of protection—your very own inner hand-hold—in whatever way you find most easily accessible and comforting. This I wish for you every day.
Stay well and be happy.
Namasté,
Sandy Krzyzanowski
Better Day Yoga, LLC
~ Mail to: 5024 Oxborough Gardens
Brooklyn Park, MN 55443-3990
(612) 708 6900
Zoom, zoom zoom!
I’ve converted all of my private classes onto Zoom during this unusual time and plan to stay that way for the unforeseen future, given social distancing requirements, the age of many of my students, etc. Here are some other Zoom options to consider!
AYURVEDA
As you may have read in my previous emails, I have been studying to be an Ayurveda Practitioner for the past two years! I have recently submitted my application for graduation as I continue to attend internships to learn as much as I can this final semester in this school! (I will, of course, continue my studies as I consider this is a lifelong learning process!) My thanks to all who have contacted me for an Ayurvedic consult!
An Ayurvedic consult is a series of Ayurveda therapy sessions, where we work together to determine your unique mind/body make-up which then helps us to determine where you might be out of balance. We look at diet and lifestyle, including time spent in relaxation, movement, breathwork and meditation/prayer. Then, considering all aspects of your unique mental, spiritual, emotional and physical life, together we will begin an individualized approach to bring you back to center, back to your true nature. Please let me know if you would like to participate in an Ayurveda consult! I would love to work with you!
YOGA NIDRA
Yoga Nidra is often referred to as Yogic Sleep. It is said that a 30-minute yoga nidra practice is equivalent to 2-4 hours of sleep! In yoga nidra, the benefits are immediate, from reduced stress to deep rest.
I have completed over 100 hours of Yoga Nidra training with my mentor, Indu Arora, as well as completed Kaya Mindlin’s in-depth “Nectar of Nidra” training and YogaFit’s Nidra training based on Richard Miller’s iRest Nidra program.
This ancient practice has incredible relevance in the modern world. With an excess of tension and worries, discomforts and uneasiness, fears and phobias, Yoga Nidra is a vehicle to connect deeply to our true nature, to peace, health, and self-awareness. Would something like that interest you? Please let me know! Contact me here.
Six Weeks to Inner Resilience
Also, check out my Inner Resilience workshop—which could easily be converted to Zoom if you have a group that’s interested.
Needing a little spruce-up but not wanting to leave the comfort of your own home? Try my online:
Facial Exercise, acupressure, self-massage class
Turn back the hands of time and learn some basic facial exercises that add muscle tone and a fresh glow to your complexion—and have a lot of fun in the process! No needles or chemicals involved. Be prepared to touch your own face (deciding whether you want to wear make-up to class is up to you!). We’ll cover specific exercises for your eyes, cheeks, nose, chin/neck, as well as your overall face. I’ll also cover some facial acupressure points, self-massage techniques, skincare tips, essential oil considerations as well as some tools of the trade you can consider. Learn more here.
Have you grabbed your Free
“21 days to optimizing your innate energetic potential” available on my new website?
Using various segments from my archived newsletters I provide a dedicated 21-days of easy-to-do practices, meditations, diet/food recipes and suggestions plus other fun topics to follow along as you get to know your energetic/chakra system! This piece will explain what your seven basic chakras are, why they’re important, and how to work with them to bring balance. Just scroll down the “start here” page of my website to find the link!
In the spirit of Halloween, here are a couple favorites from my archived posts about the magic in this holiday. Enjoy!
Communicating with spirits…an abundant exchange of all good things
“That’s the thing with magic. You’ve got to know it’s still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.” ~ Charles de Lint
