A perfect way to compliment your day of scuba diving is with a yoga practice. If you are on the island of Santa Maria Azores, contact Yogini Tiff for yoga.. flowingyogini@gmail.com
Category: yoga retreat
Therapy For The Heart Chakra
The Heart Chakra -The Anahata Chakra
Color: Green
Element: Air
Location: Heart Center
Bija Seed Sound: Yam
Emotions and Feelings Associated with this chakra: The ability to love and forgive, ourselves and each other. Empathy, sympathy, and loving kindness, come from a strong and open heart chakra. Dysfunction of this chakra can manifest in many ways, feeling unworthy of love, closed to love, unable to express love, etc.. Physically, it can manifest as heart problems, lung problems, and more..
Yoga Poses For Heart Chakra: Camel pose, Cobra, Upward Facing Dog, Wheel, Standing Backbend, and more. Any pose that opens and stretches the chest will greatly benefit the health of this chakra.
Affirmation: My heart is open to give and receive love. I let go of past wounds and allow love to flow through and to me.
The literal meaning of the word Anahata is unstuck, unhurt, unbeaten.. Lets be real here, many of us have deep wounds. But we can heal. Yoga, chanting, affirmations, color therapy, diet, meditation, hugs, etc.. Choose love.
Lots of love, from me to you!
Yoga Retreat Santa Maria Azores June 17th-June 24th
I am very excited to announce that I am co-hosting a yoga retreat on the island of Santa Maria, Azores, with a beautiful Kundalini yoga teacher who lives in Dubai. This will be a special retreat for many reasons, LOCATION is magical! The people are magical. And what could be better than a retreat that combines Kundalini yoga and Vinyasa Flow. And Hiking everyday!!!
We have worked very hard to provide the cheapest possible retreat, in hopes that many like-minded friends can join us. This is sure to be the trip of lifetime! If you have any questions please email me flowingyogini@gmail.com
See you in the Azores!~Tiff
The Magic Of Yoga
Like most people, I was originally drawn to yoga for the physical benefits. It was more than 16 years ago, I was 21 and pregnant, and I read that Madonna (who was also pregnant at the same time) was doing yoga to stay in shape.
Inspired by that news and Madonna’s arm muscles, I bought a yoga video (VHS, remember those?). It was a Kundalini prenatal yoga video, and I started practicing daily. It was difficult, strange, fun, powerful..and that was the beginning of my yoga journey. After I had my son, and for the first few years of my yoga journey, yoga seemed to weave in and out of my life. (Always coming back to my practice when crisis hit.)
Anyways, now, many years later, my yoga practice has become a huge part of my life. Yoga is medicine. Yoga is therapy. YOGA IS MAGIC.
I have been teaching yoga full-time now for nearly 7 years. My first yoga teacher training was truly incredible. Nearly 1 year-long, I learned so much. My physical body changed so much. The way I moved my body changed. The way I sat changed. My eating habits and choices changed. I started healing. But beyond the physical, there were spiritual experiences that I cannot even begin to describe in words, though likely, if you practice yoga or meditation, you understand.
Initially, my life as a yoga teacher took very little effort, things just manifested. A friend of mine owned a popular yoga studio in South Florida, and offered me the opportunity to teach there. For the first few years, all my classes and students, appeared with very little effort. Things just floated into my lap. I was offered so many classes, that I had to say no, many times. Anyways, I showed up to teach, relaxed my mind, and allowed the yoga to flow through and to me.. The best way to describe it, I somehow quiet my mind, and access a place inside where the yoga magic just flows. Intuitive classes.
I took my advanced yoga teacher training and it was difficult mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Trying to use the mind to understand that which is beyond the mind. The written exam took so long. But I did it, I learned so much. I am still learning. In fact, I am still very much a beginner. Yoga takes lifetimes.
Anyways, I moved to another Country, where yoga is still relatively new and strange, And my goodness, my life as a yoga teacher changed. First of all, it was difficult to even find a place to teach. There are no yoga studios on this island. There are 5000 people here. Once I found a place to teach, I had to try to attract students. Not only was I suddenly working with students who were brand new to yoga, but also, I was trying to learn to teach in a new language. PORTUGUESE! Ask any yoga teacher, and I am sure they will agree, that one of the most difficult classes one could teach is a class full of beginners. There is so much to learn, so much to teach, so much to describe, and how does one do that if their vocabulary is seriously limited to a few basic words? (Think vocabulary of a two year old).
Anyways, with great effort, (and some very kind students), I am happy to say, we have built a small yoga community here. The other day, I was teaching a class, and I noticed how strong my students have become. The sound of the deep audible ujjayi pranayama brought tingles of joy to my body and soul. It hit me, I was teaching a room full of Yogis.
During the month of February, I hosted a yoga challenge on Instagram, just a small challenge with a few students, designed to increase awareness about asana and the physical benefits. The challenge was 21 days, 21 asanas, and was called “The Magic of Yoga.” It was a small group but we had participation from Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Santa Maria, Sao Miguel, Germany, Ohio, and Florida. My students learned and were inspired to take their practice further. The challenge inspired others to give yoga a try. The challenge inspired me! What an honor to share something so special. LIFE CHANGING! Everyday I was excited to see the beautiful photos of my students working on Asana. Everyday I was inspired to share.
I guess if I was a little more organized I should have written about it on my website so my reader friends could join in. BUT, I am happy to say, I am putting together another yoga challenge right now. This new challenge is sponsored by Jade Yoga mats, there will be prizes. I PROMISE to keep the website updated with this challenge! And I hope you will feel inspired to join in. 🙂
I am so honored and grateful to practice, share, and teach The Magic Of Yoga.
Namaste~Tiff
Soaking Up The Sun
Well, that beautiful snow that I wrote about in my last post, changed everything! The snow kept falling, and our flight was cancelled, and we were stuck in the Toronto airport for many, many hours. It was a travel nightmare. The airport was packed. People were angry, confused, tired. Crowds,my crying baby,too much luggage. I was offered a difficult choice.. wait in Toronto for three days to take a flight to Fort Lauderdale, or catch a flight to Orlando Florida. (Orlando is about 200 miles North.) UGH
We took the flight to Orlando. We got to Orlando early in the morning, slept in a hotel, and then made the trip to Sarasota to my sisters house, where we hung out, spent the night, and arranged a rental car.. the next day, we drove to South Florida.
The weather has been unbelievably perfect. 80 degrees, water 76 degrees. The last week was full of beach, yoga, friends, and dancing..
I taught several outdoor classes, on the beach and on the grass. It felt so good to reconnect with many of my students, to feel the warmth of the sun, the warmth of friendship. And I finally got to drink Kombucha again!
One morning I met up with Kerri Verna, Beach Yoga Girl, we talked (we have taught many of the same students), I took her yoga class, and then after class, she and I, along with two other strong yoga teachers, worked on some acroyoga. Kerri has a very large instagram following and does retreats and classes around the world. I used to have a snobbery about instagram and yoga, but my goodness, it really inspires people. I have met people who started practicing because of instagram and facebook. Spreading awareness. The instagram challenges encourage people to practice yoga, to make positive changes in their lives, and be healthy. Social media is a part of our lives now, lets use it to create positive changes. We learn everyday. I know I do.
Kerri is truly a beautiful, special, kind, and strong being of light. She is inspiring. I am grateful for our time together. We are talking about a doing a retreat together. Stay tuned!
Acro yoga is VERY different than my regular practice, but my regular practice, helps immensely. With acro yoga, whether being the base or the person flying, there has to be trust, strength, a relaxed mind, and balance. You have to be fully present. It cannot be rushed. You have to pay close attention to your body and to the energy of your partner. Your mind cannot wander in Acroyoga, or you could risk injury to you or your partner. But with awareness and trust, it is fun!! 🙂
So far this trip has been amazing, inspiring, restorative.
So much more to write and share, the solstice party, stories of friendship, stories of life.
Thanks for reading, and I hope no matter how cold it may be, that you are able to feel the sun.
Soaking up the sun~Tiff
Yoga Quick Fix
Having a young baby, it is often very hard to get in a full yoga practice. So I started doing just a few minutes of yoga and I have realized that 2 minutes of yoga makes a huge difference in my life. I made a few short youtube videos “Quick Fixes” with instructional yoga to share.
Sometimes we are stressed and busy, but quick fix can help us tremendously. We can always connect to a higher wisdom.
Here is the latest yoga quick fix.I hope you enjoy. I love yoga.
Lots of stories to share.. will be typing soon.
Blessings~Yogini Tiff
Vibracaos Magicas
As the moon rose over the mountain, our bodies moved in harmony with the rhythm of the sea.
Connecting to the energy of the full moon, the ocean, the earth, the air, and our breath, we tuned in to magical vibrations.
On the full moon June 13th, my friend and I held a healing retreat on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. This particular full moon was referred to as the Lua de Mel, The honey moon, and it certainly felt that way.
Almost as quickly as the idea to hold an event came to our mind, we got to work. Within the span of 3 weeks, we created an organization, designed a logo, met with local Portuguese government, got permits, created a webpage, created flyers, created an informative yoga presentation, planned and held our event. All in Portuguese!!! Which I don’t fluently speak! Deep Breath! We did it!
We got permission to use one of the most beautiful parks on the island. The Parque Campismo in Praia Formosa.Camping, Yoga, moonrise meditation, Mandalas, yoga for children, and a jam session. There had never been an event like this on this island. We really weren’t sure how the event would turn out, but one thing I have learned is that when ideas come, and the universe is clearing the path, go with it, ride the energy.
On the day of the event, we decorated our space with Mandalas, sea glass art, rocks, and chalk art. Between Mother Nature’s magic and our own creative energy, I don’t think we could have asked for a more beautiful space. And the weather was perfect. It was beautiful.
As the afternoon sun began to set, we laid around, played music, shared a little Thai yoga, and slowly people arrived and set up their tents.
As darkness began to set in, we walked down to the beach for yoga. We did a soft, rhythmic, fluid yoga practice, followed by a moonrise meditation. The tide was low, the weather was warm, the vibrations were magical. It was incredibly beautiful.
After our meditation, and a blurry group photo, we walked quietly back to our camping spot and had dinner. The kids took turns singing, we cheered them on, and then collectively, we had a jam session. We created music with garbage cans, glass bottles, forks and spoons, and even my daughter’s baby rattle. The energy was sweet, like honey.
On Saturday morning, I woke up very early and did a meditation. Slowly, everyone crawled out of their tents, (One woman slept outside on a picnic table bench ). We had breakfast, went to the beach, and almost everyone went swimming. The water was way too cold for me, but I enjoyed our beach time , I sat and nursed my daughter and kept her shaded from the bright sun.
Back at our little tent village, and with a very relaxed and informal feel, we practiced arm balances, talked about yogic philosophy, and played around with some acro yoga.
Afterwards, we unrolled our mats under the shade of a tree, and I taught a stronger vinyasa flow yoga class. 21 sun salutations, along with the heat of the day, really warmed us up and left our arms sore for days. Sore in a good way.
After yoga, we had lunch, and then walked over to a place called Beach Parque for the mandala workshop and for the yoga for kids class. I had a small group of young kids, we played around, practiced some balancing poses, did some deep stretches, and of course we did Lions breath which made everyone laugh.
The mandala workshop was fantastic. It was led by Ana Martins, (friend and cofounder of Vibracaos Magicas-our organization). Everyone was in their creative zone, relaxed, happy, and connected to the sacred power of our mandalas. My sweetheart and I made one together. It is now hanging in my living room. It is so beautiful, I get lost in it. If you ever have the chance to learn how to make mandalas, I highly recommend.
As evening set in, we headed back to our camping spot, cleaned, packed up our tents, shared some big hugs, and headed home.
Feeling both exhausted and inspired, I slept good that night. In many ways, it has been very hard for me to be the new girl on the island,new country, new language, new people, young baby, And far away from my old community of friends and family. But I know that our event was the start of something magical.
It had always been a dream of mine to combine camping with a yoga retreat. And 10 days ago, we did it! It was not a huge gathering, but honestly, I don’t think it could have been better.
Thank you so much to all who helped, participated, and supported our event. I will cherish those memories always. More events soon. Building community one breath at a time.
Sending vibrations of BIG LOVE ~Yogini Tiff
Flowing Yogini 