Now with the advent of social media, we as a world culture are learning on the fly how to live with a new toy (or weapon, you may call it), and life as we know it has forever changed. If ever there was a time when yogic philosophy proved useful to guide us from the disturbances of the mind and toward a peaceful existence, it is now.

In India, one of the world’s stalwart cultures, I find solace in many of the impermeable traditions and philosophies gathered around yoga. India’s yogic philosophy has directed and guided countless searchers, from the novice to the learned, who hope to make peace with that which brings us so much joy and pain: the ego.

The ego helps us achieve, but it also draws us into conflict and confusion; it plays a witty game with us until we somehow, if we are lucky, tame the beast. But how do we begin to understand what we’re up against? How do we shunt being a contestant in the game of life and simply contentedly live the game? Ageless, a wonderful new book by R. Sharath Jois with Isha Singh Sawhney, is a good place to begin.

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Jois’s entire life has been steeped in the eight pillars of yoga, which he contends lead to an ageless life. Agelessness is not simply defined by time but, by “giving ourselves the chance to live a longer, more satisfied, happier life”, we can be ageless, he says.

With ease and adaptability, Ageless makes Jois’s practices accessible for all who care to live a better quality of life. The book covers physical care, mental care, and care for others, with space allotted for 10 asanas in step-by-step form, which Jois states is all you really need.

The first part of the book largely covers diet. In India, food has been a science for millennia. When you enter the world of modern yoga, half of one’s time can be spent simply understanding the fuel needed (and not needed) for our humanly vehicles.

Jois lays out how the Vedas, the guiding texts to Hinduism, say that eating too much ultimately can lead to sickness and disease. The body really doesn’t need too much food after all. In this context, we can be “frugal” with food for wiser reasons than to look skinny. Fasting for one day out of the month can be done not because you are going to the beach the next day, but because it’s tendered through a grounding spiritual base.

Related: Sharath Jois on Balancing the Body for a Stable Mind

Jois addresses emotional and mental health throughout the book, starting with cultivating a positive outlook. He proffers that while there is a great need to support ourselves and our families and to be productive, “perhaps taking time out to play an instrument, write, paint, cook, mediate, exercise, or practice Ashtanga yoga is all one needs to come back to the daily grind refreshed and with a more optimistic outlook.”

“We all live by deadlines and place a lot of stress on ourselves to achieve what we think are ‘perfect lives,’” he says. In doing so, we inadvertently crave negative things and thus bring negativity. But when we do something joyful, a natural instinctive positivity arises to face our problems. That mindset is far different from the one that generally causes problems and is essential for mental well being. A yogic practice can further help this by creating a calm state of being and lowering the burden on our mind and body.

But the most inspiring portion of the book is Jois’s simple codifying of the act of seva, or service, which is performed without any thought of reward or repayment. “Being ageless is intricately intertwined with selflessness,” Jois states. There is seva for yourself, seva for nature (the physical environment), seva for country, and seva for community. “A real yogi shares money and knowledge,” Jois says. “A real yogi considers everyone equal.”

If every corner of the world imported this type of approach to equality, I wonder if we would see less suffering? To honor and respect oneself and others and to serve humanity is the essence of being not only ageless but also of transcendent. And that is the real crux of the book.

The post How Yoga Can Lead to a Longer, More Satisfying, and Happier Life appeared first on Sonima.

We all want to know the secrets to a successful career, and my former boss, a self-made billionaire, later became the mayor of New York, transforming for better what was already one of the country’s most beloved and visited cities. Now, once again, I have the good fortune of knowing another high-profile success story whose rightful owner has decided to share his philosophies on life and the art of living in his new book, Ageless: A Yogi’s Secrets To A Long And Healthy Life.

The core difference between the two book authors is that in India, from where Sharath Jois, author of Ageless, hails, philosophies are not merely claimed as one’s own. They are credited to a time-tested culture that has evolved over thousands of years and that contain the learned pillars for human contentment.

However, philosophies are nothing if not put into practice and this is the key to discovering and learning from any person’s story. What has been their unique experience that has led them to where they are now and why we would trust them or spend our precious time reading what they have to say?

I’ve had the good fortune of knowing and studying with Sharath Jois for 15 years and my biggest take-away is that he has lived a unique life. I know no one who has his extraordinary family experience, his formative years surrounded by doting and admiring foreigners, young seekers who explored the other side of the world for answers, and becoming a person unscathed by the ego’s temptations. Last week, this former Wall Street rube, the young woman who yearned for knowledge, once again became consumed with interest in yet another boss’s book, Ageless.

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Sharath Jois, or Sharathji, as Indians comfortably say to show respect, is not my boss—although some students outside of practice like using that moniker for him in an endearing way—but I found he shares at least one quality that my other New York City boss has: Taking their inherent gifts and doing something more, something that is not founded in accomplishment strictly, but in giving, offering, and transforming something we now know into something better.

Related: Be sure to bring your copy of Ageless to Sharath Jois’ 2019 U.S. Tour (check out the dates and locations here) to have it signed by the author in person!

Attuned to their surroundings, these stories come from the heart of humanity. They are not strategized but rather flow from a natural source of conscious material. In fact, what is consciousness itself if not the clarity to see the truth without the ego’s cluttering? Sharathji’s book will undoubtedly inspire many to make those slight adjustments needed on the yogic path, so that we may all gravitate to the selfless, conscious, pure in nature beings that we all are.

>>Order your paperback of Ageless: A Yogi’s Secrets To A Long And Healthy Life on Amazon today!

The post Sharath’s New Book, <i>Ageless</i>, Is a Timeless Take on Approaching Life with Vision appeared first on Sonima.

The success of this campaign has inspired us to continue to share #YogaHeals stories on social media indefinitely. Please direct message us on Instagram or Facebook about your own story to help us celebrate your resilience and the gift of yoga. The hope is that we will inspire others to roll out their mat, especially during a hard time, and discover just how inclusive, therapeutic, and wonderful this practice really is.

David Knee

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I was fortunate because this—my first exposure to yoga—was introduced to me by knowledgeable, amazing, and caring teachers. I later discovered that it was a Beginner Mysore class. As I progressed through the asanas, I gained strength and flexibility, lost 32 pounds, and lowered my blood sugar. As I progressed through the practice (I’m now 63), I gained a future. Through the practice, I experience successes, failures, and incredible peace…all of which I look forward to each day.”

David lives in Victoria, BC. He began his practice with Jeff Lichty and Harmony Slater and continues his daily practice with Rachel Reid at Mysore Victoria.

Photography courtesy of David Knee.

Kate Sawford

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I started practicing yoga in 2007. Like many, I was seeking something. In my case, I was hoping to find relief from years of chronic hip pain that stemmed from the imbalance inherent to having 1.5 legs. It took more than a year of consistent practice, but now the chronic pain is a distant memory.

I have found more through my yoga practice than I ever thought I would. The discipline to get up at 5:15 a.m. (most days of the week), rich friendships with teachers and yoga students, who I’ve met at various workshops and classes over the years, a perspective on my mind when, on occasion, it rattles in its cage. I found a tool for learning to remain present, and a deeper acceptance of my body—something that I struggled to embrace in its altered form for many years.”

Kate started practicing in 2007 with Harmony Slater and Jeff Lichty. She has traveled around the world to practice with many other authorized and certified teachers since this humble beginning. Currently, Kate resides in Wellington, NZ and continues her practice under the guidance of Stewart Cameron Harris.

Photography courtesy of Kate Sawford.

Harmony Slater

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Harmony is a Certified Ashtanga Yoga teacher. She spent the past 15 years making annual trips to practice and study in Mysore, India, with the Jois Family. She resides in Canada with her eight-year old son, and continues to travel and teach in several Yoga Schools all over the world.

Photography courtesy of Harmony Slater.

Jan Goranson

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After having two surgeries to remove the entire thyroid due to the cancer spreading, I underwent radiation treatment. This was the most challenging time because I had to be separated from my family due to the high amounts of internal radiation that I had been administered.

I began practicing yoga to help me navigate through this illness and heal during my recovery. I found it extremely beneficial for coping with the emotional roller-coaster I was on. In truth, it seems yoga found me, and for that, I have an abundance of gratitude. It has empowered me to explore the inner workings of my body and mind, both ‘on’ and ‘off’ the mat. Through the practice of Ashtanga Yoga, I have learned to trust the system, and have found comfort in this deep and rich tradition.”

Jan Goranson has made five trips to Mysore, India and was Authorized to teach by Sharath Jois in 2017. She currently lives and teaches a Morning Mysore Program in Calgary, Canada.

Photography courtesy of Jan Goranson (asana assist by Harmony Slater).

Related: The Essence of Yoga as Therapy

Samantha Fiona Lucas

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Fast forward to June 2016, I was in a motorcycle accident and lost my right leg below the knee. In the hospital, I didn’t know if I would ever do another downward facing dog again. However, day two after the accident, I started to go through primary series in bed. I did what I could, breathing and moving what I could. I found I was able do so much more then my brain thought. If I didn’t do my practice, then I was a complete mess, emotionally and physically. The pain was too much to bear without practice. I continued to do what I could do. There were some very dark times. The depression crept in because a life-altering trauma takes time to process. I’m still processing, three years later, but the security of the practice gets me through. I am so lucky to have it as such a shining light that picks me up over and over again. I keep practicing!”

Samantha is a KPJAYI authorized teacher who practices in NYC at Brooklyn Yoga Club with Eddie Stern. She teaches at her home studio in upstate New York and Sharon, CT at The Studio and is starting to give motivational talks across the U.S.

Photography courtesy of Samantha Fiona Lucas.

Kino MacGregor

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Everywhere I looked, I only saw pain, whether I looked at my life, my actions, my past or my future. Truthfully, I can see now that I was not happy with the person that I was and I wanted to make up for it by living as fully and completely as I possibly could. It was like I wanted my life’s work to make up for the darkness that I felt inside. Or, at the very least, when I was running as fast as I possibly could, I was busy enough to not have a spare moment to dive down into my own inner turmoil. Being perpetually busy was a kind of drug that I used to escape the deep sadness that was in my heart.

From the time I was nine years old, I’ve struggled with periods of depression and I have used so many means to escape, avoid, deny or, generally, run from my pain until I was finally ready to face it, forgive it and make friends with it. One thing that has brought me great solace is to craft my life around a sense of purpose. In order to avoid the temptation of nihilism and despair, I search for meaning in the big and small aspects of my life. Whether it is the decision to treat every single being with respect and kindness or to act with integrity and justice, the decision to carve out patches of intention in what can sometimes feel like a random and senseless world is extremely useful for me. It’s like applied mindfulness in action and it’s something I’ve learned through my yoga and meditation practice. Training the mind in meditation is an important step in the self-care needed to heal from depression.”

Kino is a Miami-native who is happiest on the beach with a fresh coconut. She is a poet at heart who always stops to smell the flowers. She is the founder of Omstars, the world’s first yoga TV network. Kino’s message of spiritual strength reaches people all over the world. She is an international yoga teacher, inspirational speaker, author of four books, producer of six Ashtanga Yoga DVDs, writer, vlogger, world traveler and co-founder of Miami Life Center.

Photography courtesy of Kino MacGregor.

Sonia Jones

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Especially her body.

Sonia pushed through it all, but as she learned from her good friend, Pete Egoscue, the Father of Modern Postural Therapy, pain is a message from your body that you must heed. She didn’t. She ignored a certain back pain for so long that she had to have emergency surgery and was at risk of being paralyzed from the waist down. It was only then, after surgery, when she was literally unable to move, that she realized she had to make a major life change. Egoscue recommended yoga. Initially, Sonia resisted, but, eventually, she gave herself fully to the practice of Ashtanga. It changed her life.

That is why it has become her mission to share the gift of yoga as it was given to her. She started by bringing yoga into schools to improve kids’ health and wellness. But there were more people she wanted to reach. The idea for Sonima.com was born. Through Sonima, Sonia shares yoga in a way that can fit into your own busy life, so you can build a practice at your own pace and truly commit to it. Sonia knows, firsthand, that yoga has the power to heal in more ways than you could ever imagine.”

Sonia is the founder of Sonima Wellness. A dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practitioner, she has seen the positive effects of eating right, moving the body with intention and regularity, and finding stillness in the hustle of life’s daily craze. She aspires to help others find the practices that will enable them to manifest their best selves in everything that they do, and with everyone that they love.

Photography by Hailey Wist.

Related: Healing Back Pain with Yoga

The post 7 Life-Changing Stories of How Yoga Heals appeared first on Sonima.

We see the same problems all over society: Many people are so stressed out, they can’t enjoy this life. Instead, life is like a misery to them. They don’t know how to be calm and, therefore, they make themselves, and others, unhappy.

This can be risky because experiencing stress for long periods of time can lead to mental instability and weakness, which can create serious health problems in the future. Of course, in life, there are things that happen and it’s impossible not to worry. For example, if you’re affected by a natural disaster, you will be greatly disturbed; but regardless of how stress enters your life, if external activities disturb you all the time, eventually you will put too much stress on your nervous system.

Stressful situations can arise in places that don’t even exist in our physical world, but are coming from the digital world. This adds more pressure and tension and, as a result, people become even more distracted and pulled in different directions. At times, people react and post things [on social media] that they might not normally say in person. They become angry and very critical. These people may even call themselves “yogis,” but they aren’t because they are distracted by too many dramas instead of utilizing the time to see inwardly.

Yoga is an inwardly seeking path, but, unfortunately, people in yoga sometimes get sidetracked into seeking attention. These people want, desire and expect attention, and online it becomes even greater. They post constantly about themselves: “I did this. I did this so well. I just got a new asana; I. I. I…” is present inside these people all the time. But yoga is not about the “I.” The more attention you want and receive, the more distraction will come. In yoga, you don’t need any attention for the spiritual process to happen within you. It happens silently. Many people do not understand this.

There are many people, however, who seek true yoga because they feel their approach to life hasn’t worked. It has become harder to manage themselves and their lives. They seek something better, something positive, that can help them obtain a sense of calm and happiness. This is why many people also seek places like ashrams. They want to gain peace within themselves in a supportive environment away from their regular life and away from online chaos. With time spent in ashrams, people, oftentimes, come to better experience yoga, not only through their physical health, but also the mental and spiritual health as well.

For people who work and have a family, it’s difficult to spend time at an ashram. However, a local yoga shala can help calm the mind and improve focus. It depends on the spiritual development of the teacher, of course. A good yoga teacher will show you that yoga is a journey inward. It’s not an external journey.

From the beginning, the goal of yoga is to focus on the inward journey and to choose one method that is right for you—one that you believe you can grow within that method. The most important thing is to choose a method, be it Iyengar, Ashtanga, or another. If it’s too physical, then choose a method that carries only a little bit of asana and has more philosophy.

Regardless of the method, when yoga is approached without the chatter, in a silent and humble manner, the more effective yoga will happen within you. This is called Pratyahara, one of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. If this path never becomes an inner journey, it never becomes inward seeking and you will never understand what yoga is. Until you see inwardly, you will not see the truth of what yoga is by drawing your senses inside, and you will always see and experience suffering.

Related: Stay Present in Distracting Situations

As students develop and begin their sadhana, they go to satsangs, or lectures. They read and acquire knowledge to better manage themselves. It is important to also consider how social media is used in our lives, and to what degree, because when we become affected by what is happening externally, we lose many things internally. In fact, a true yogi, no matter what happens externally, will not be bothered at all, and they won’t react to posts meant to disturb. The Upanishad and Vedas both say, once the external influences stop, then peace comes. In other words, when you see inwardly, everything becomes more peaceful.

This will help develop a proper foundation, which is essential to spiritual seeking. When people get easily persuaded or distracted, it’s largely because there are no proper fundamentals in them. These people have never understood the principles of yoga. If you don’t understand the principals of yoga and don’t have a strong foundation, you will suffer your whole life. After posting how you feel, or how you look, or what you like and don’t like, at the end of the day, everyone has to manage themselves without the care or attention of anyone else. Only they can manage themselves.

Related: Sharath Jois on How a Local Shala Offers More Than a Workout

This is the research, the subtle part of yoga. It’s simple and you feel very good after listening to a guru or a teacher. It’s a form of therapy that leaves you more inspired than spending an hour on social media, which only increases your cravings for attention.

As a seeker in today’s world, I recommend switching off your cell phone. Try to go to an ashram or nearby shala, where you’re connected. Stick to your daily practice and try to gain as much yogic knowledge as possible. Knowledge comes through experience. Once you experience yoga yourself, once you take it to a certain level in a spiritual path, you can experience many things, things which you have not experienced in your whole life, things you didn’t even know existed because you are too much attached to external activities.

Photography by Agathe Padovani

The post Sharath Jois on Keeping the External World From Interfering with Your Spiritual Path appeared first on Sonima.

The greatest benefits of yoga lie in its ability to improve mental well-being. That said, it’s no coincidence that the practice also brings considerable physical benefit, and has been embraced in modern society as a calisthenic workout. In this video featuring John Campbell, Ph.D., an Ashtanga yoga teacher and associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, you’ll be taken through a series of standing postures as Campbell expresses the importance of each physical and subtle element of the pose. One of the central components of the body’s adaptation to healthier forms, and the shedding of habitual patterns that cause pain, lies in the power of the breath, which as Campbell says, becomes the axis point for the body.

Related: The Importance of Breathing in Yoga

The post The Powerful Ways Yoga Can Help with Posture appeared first on Sonima.

While there’s less discussion about a “high” after gentler forms of exercise like yoga, anyone who has practiced knows it offers a distinct feeling of bliss. Yoga’s immediate physical benefits include improved posture, blood flow, and concentration, plus, nailing a pose you’ve been working on for months adds a gratifying sense of accomplishment. Neurotransmitters, like endorphins, may contribute to the post-yoga “glow”—decreasing pain and increasing elation—but other factors may also be making you extra giddy.

One theory that explains why yoga feel so good is that it fulfills all five principles of the SPIRE model, a philosophy of living in which total wellness is a result of satisfying five key aspects of life: spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, and emotional.

Yoga, with its philosophical roots, flowing movements, student community, and capacity to aid in regulation of our thoughts and feelings, hits all of these elements to provide an overall sense of well-being.

At a physical level, the postures in yoga help stretch, strengthen, and align the body. This aids in pain relief and prevention, and helps you move with ease off the mat. “The actual asana practice of movement and aligning bones allows the energy to move through our system a lot more expediently with less obstacles,” says physical therapist and yogi Harvey Deutch, owner of Red Hawk Physical Therapy in San Francisco.

The process of linking breath with movement also provides physiological and emotional benefits. Every part of you—your brain, heart, skin, organs, muscles, nerves, you name it—needs oxygen to function and survive. “Deep, expansive breathing—with exhales that last longer than inhales—helps oxygenate our blood and lungs and purifies the blood stream by eliminating toxins and carbon dioxide,” say Dilip Sarkar, M.D., a retired vascular surgeon who serves as chairman of the School of Integrative Medicine at Taksha University in Hampton, Virginia, and is a leading expert in Yoga Therapy.

The act of conscious breathing and letting your exhales last longer than your inhales can also affect your nervous system and lull your body into a relaxing state, explains Sarkar. Within the autonomic nervous system, you have both the sympathetic nervous system, which houses the fight-or-flight response, and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which calms the body to conserve energy. When the body is in fight-or-flight mode, breathing is fast and shallow, but slow and controlled breathwork helps circumvent that stress response and provides a direct line to the PNS.

Related: The 5 Aspects of Life That Contribute to True Happiness

Once you’ve synced up with the PNS, you have easy access to the vagal nerve—the longest cranial nerve that runs from the brain to the heart to the gastrointestinal tract. Breath is the main way to signal to the brain to lower your heart rate and blood pressure. “Om-ing, chanting, and other vibrational sounds, also help you tap into your relaxation response through a pathway that’s connected from your ear to the vagus nerve,” says Deutch.

In addition to balancing your nervous system, yoga improves emotional regulation by activating a key brain region. “The effect of yoga primarily works through the limbic system of the brain,” Sarkar says. The limbic system is a complex area that controls emotions (including fear and anger), motivation, memory, and feelings of pleasure. When activated, “the amygdala and hippocampus send a signal to the hypothalamus and the end product is oxytocin and dopamine, which [elicit feelings of pleasure], happiness, and trust hormones,” he explains.

The physical yoga practice also prepares the body for meditation, which is “the therapeutic complement to yoga,” says Sarkar. In addition to making the body more comfortable for seated meditation, the physical engagement required by yoga aids in focusing the mind and reeling in racing thoughts. This, in turn, offers additional physiological benefits. “In a state of meditation, your mind quiets down, the thought process decreases, blood sugar and cholesterol drop, the heart rate slows, and blood pressure lowers.”

The post What Makes Yoga Feel So Good? appeared first on Sonima.

Actually, it was the big O herself who pointed me in the way of my go-to mantras. A few years ago, I sought out the new age-y anthems of American singer/songwriter Snatum Kaur after reading a ringing endorsement from Winfrey. She wrote that the self-described “peace activist” had her in tears when Kaur surprised her on her birthday with a performance that included the singing of one of Winfrey’s favorite mantras, “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” (translation: “I call upon the Divine Wisdom and bow to this Wisdom”).

I didn’t “get” Kaur or her mantras right away, though. The ones on her album Feeling Good Today! initially struck me as too simple, too obvious, and, dare I say, hokey. “Feeling good today, I am feeling good today,” she sings on the title track. “I am happy, I am good. I am happy, I am good,” she intones on “I Am Happy.”

Still, I kept the songs on in the background as I went about making myself breakfast, during my morning yoga practice, and throughout the workday. Ever since, I’ve started most days singing along to Kaur’s mantras. Whenever I get up on the wrong side of the bed, a dose of “I am happy, I am good” right-sides my mood; it helps me to approach the work day with confidence and anticipation. Far from corny, I now see these, yes, simple phrases—and mantras in general—as quite powerful.

In contemplative context a mantra is a word, sound, or invocation used to aid concentration for meditation. “When we chant these mantras, the vibrations become a reality within our beings and within our experience,” explains Kaur (who, by the way, says Feeling Good Today! was originally intended “to give children positive affirmations. Then it became apparent that it wasn’t just for children—it was for adults as well”).

“There are lots of studies that have been done on mantras showing that [chanting them] can reduce stress levels, but yogis say it’s doing much more than that: It’s actually changing your brain’s chemistry,” continues Kaur, who lives in Wilton Center, New Hampshire, and this spring embarks on a U.S. tour. “The tapping of the tongue on the roof of the mouth sends messages and vibrations to areas of your brain and work with the brain and then the whole body to effect very, very real change.”

Traditionally, yoga was taught one to one—teacher to student—“and in that way, it’s easy to understand that mantras would be given by one’s teacher who was in a position to intuit what would be most helpful,” says Tam Terry, a yoga teacher at Devotion Yoga in Hoboken, New Jersey. These days, though, mantras are inspirational tools that are employed by everyone from group-fitness trainers (“You’re too legit to quit!” shouted my Soul Cycle instructor last week while blasting MC Hammer) to life coaches and psychiatrists. (For more tips on how to form long-term healthy habits, learn about “streak” here!)

“You’re doing a mini-meditation when you’re saying a mantra,” says Vanessa Pawlowski, Psy.D., a psychologist based in Beverly Hills. “When we are feeling flooded by obtrusive thoughts, it gives us something we can hold on to. I work with people who have anxiety and who have eating disorders. There’s a lot of negative self-talk, people getting stuck in judgment and playing the same thing over and over again [in their minds]. So I have them use mantras as a way of interrupting those negative experiences and instead give them something positive to focus on: “I’m going to love myself no matter what today”; “I deserve to be loved no matter what happens”; “Nothing can stop me today—I can only stop myself.”

Below, nine women reveal their personal mantras and how they have helped them to instigate change or to stay the course:

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For Building Self-Confidence
“Two of my biggest weaknesses in achieving utmost peace and harmony with myself is fretting about the future and worrying about the past. Reminding myself that today, every day, I am in control of how I feel and the state of being I choose is very powerful to me. And when I use the word ‘perfect,’ I mean that, when I am true to myself—when I listen to my body’s needs and cravings and desires, and when I spend time doing things that make me extraordinarily happy and avoid things and people that get me down—then things feel perfect.” —Jordan Younger, Los Angeles, California; food blogger and founder of The Balanced Blonde

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For Strength and Willpower
“My favorite and most-used mantra, [this] is applicable to almost any situation: yoga, running, career—even personal life. I first discovered its true power when I used this mantra during my first attempt to run 100 miles. I was having a tough day—I was sick to my stomach—and had to keep repeating it to myself to continue on. And, when I eventually had to drop out of the race, around mile 80, I used this mantra to talk myself out of feeling like a failure. Instead, I focused on moving forward from that race and taking what I had learned out there to help me get through my next.” —Jamie King, Portland, Oregon; founder and president of FitApproach

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For Enduring Tough Times
“I read it in an article about Pema Chödrön a decade ago and it just stuck. Truth represents the sky; emotions, the weather. Sometimes white clouds come, sometimes dark clouds come. If we wait just a little longer and hold on, it passes. Then the sun shines again. The darkest moment happens right before the dawn! Like they say about Chicago: ‘If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.'” —Janice Cadwell, Los Angeles, California; co-founder Jai Yoga Hollywood

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For Manifesting Love
“I started working with this mantra 13 years ago. I used it as my intention when I practiced yoga; I repeated it to myself with eyes closed throughout the day and before I went to bed at night. It kept me aware that I was ready for love, and [it] helped me make room inside my heart to let someone in. It wasn’t until much later that my dreams started to materialize, but they did: I am now blissfully married, and he is more than I could ever dream of and certainly what I deserve. The greatest gift in life is love, and I really believe it starts with being open, focused on your intentions, and knowing your self worth.”  —Candice Y. Maskell, Los Angeles, California; wellness consultant, marketer, and yoga-teacher trainee at GODA Yoga

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For Seeking Happiness
“Most of us start to reply before we have even heard the end of the question. We are well trained to have warp-speed answers; not knowing is not really valued. So I like to plant the mantra as a question. It takes the pressure off needing to know the answer right this minute and leaves more room for exploration. The most important things you can do will rise to the surface in time. This is your life—you only get one. You have to be clear about how you want to spend it.” —Tam Terry, Hoboken, New Jersey; yoga instructor at Devotion Yoga, Hoboken, New Jersey

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For Neutralizing Body-Image Issues
“I give this mantra to my patients and tell them to say it to themselves when they are looking in the mirror. If [they] have body-image concerns or are recovering from an eating disorder, the first thing they’ll do in the morning is look at themselves and immediately start criticizing what they see. It sets the tone for the day, this really negative self-experience, and it leads them over the course of the day to feel more and more uncomfortable in their own skin. This mantra reminds them that they don’t need to be perfect or to listen to the body-shaming messages in the media. They are already beautiful just the way they are, right now. —Vanessa Pawlowski, Psy.D., Beverly Hills, California; psychologist

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For Radiating Gratitude
“Lately I have been playing with mantras as they relate to what I am looking to cultivate. Whatever it is that you may be looking to create in your life, state it in the present tense as if it’s happening now: ‘I am healthy’; ‘I am strong’; ‘I am open to receiving abundance in all forms.’ Notice when you say the mantra out loud: Does it feel light? Does it ground you and make you feel good? If yes, then there it is! Then the practice comes by reminding yourself throughout the day to breathe, speak, and live the mantra out loud, and stay open to life bringing you exactly what you are asking for.” —Rachelle Tratt, Venice, California; founder, The Neshama Project

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For Ending the Day
“I use this mantra in the evening when I feel like I haven’t done enough for the day. Many busy working women and business owners, we can get ahead of ourselves with ideas, projects and to-dos, and we end up overwhelmed and under-productive. I use it proactively when planning our busy family life. We don’t have to cram a million things into our day—we can put all of our attention, love and connection into one wonderful thing. It also comes up when I get shopping urges, and I realize that I don’t really need more—less is just fine.” —Shawn Fink, York, Pennsylvania; founder, The Abundant Mama Project, and author of The Abundant Mama’s Guide to Savoring Slow

The post 9 Empowering Mantras to Shift Your Mindset appeared first on Sonima.

In this video, hear about how yoga nourishes the mind, body, and spirit. Yoga master Sharath Jois discusses how the practice is a fully transformative and healing routine that can change your life and the lives of those around you forever.

The post The Healing Powers of Yoga appeared first on Sonima.