The Journey Through the Koshas

graphic from https://balanceyogalounge.com

The Koshas (layers of our being) are a subject that I’ve learned about it my various Yoga trainings. The idea of layers or sheaths made sense but I never really thought about it too much, and I never heard any reference of them during practice. Then one day, out of the blue, it dawned on me to explore the koshas in my practice and in my classes and thus began our journey through the koshas.

This 5-week exploration was very rich for me, I learned so much and deepened my practice. I continue to work with my koshas and home. I put together this post with a summary of the koshas and simple practices to connect and nourish each one in case you feel inspired to continue working with them as well!

Annamaya Kosha - Physical Body

The matter of our being: skin, bones, muscles, organs, liquids, gases, etc. 

Our Asana practice takes care of this physical aspect of ourselves.

A simple practice to connect with this kosha: Body Scan. 

Lie down (on a bed/couch/yoga mat) and simply scan your body, shifting your attention to your toes and making your way up to the crown of your head.

Pranamaya Kosha - Energy Body

Our life force and vital energy. This layer is deeply connected with our breath. 

The practices of Pranayama and breath awareness help us nourish and tend to this kosha. 

A simple practice to connect with this kosha: 4-Count-Breath. 

Sit upright with a tall spine Or lie down with legs up the wall. Then INHALE and count (1,2,3,4), HOLD BREATH IN (1,2,3,4), EXHALE (1,2,3,4), HOLD BREATH  OUT (1,2,3,4). Do this cycle 4 times. Notice the energetic feeling in your body.

Manomaya Kosha - Mental Body

Our thoughts, emotions, opinions, ideas, fantasies and all mental activity. 

Practices like Mantra and Insight Meditation serve to nourish this kosha. 

A simple practice to connect with this kosha: Breath Meditation.

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Sit upright with a tall spine Or lie down with legs up the wall. Start to count down your breath from 40 with the exhales as even numbers (exhale 40, inhale 39, exhale 48, inhale 47, etc). When you get to 20, only count your exhales. If you mess up pick up where you left off or if you got completely distracted start over.

Vijnanamaya Kosha - Wisdom or Awareness Body

Our intuition, inner knowing and awareness.

Contemplative and intuitive practices like tarot and meditation serve to nourish this kosha.  

A simple practice to connect with this kosha: Legs up the wall.

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Lie down with legs up the wall. Take in your experience of your various koshas, notice your bodily sensations, breath and mental activity. Try to zoom out of the subjective experience and see if you can objectively take it all in.  

Anandamaya Kosha - Bliss Body

Love and unity. This is the part of us through which we access the state of Yoga. 

Selfless service, Metta Meditation, Bhakti Yoga and Devotional practices serve to nourish this kosha.

A simple practice to connect with this kosha: Mantra Meditation.

When you’re doing something (really anything) see if you can remember to stop for a moment and ask yourself: “Can I meet this moment fully? Can I meet this moment as a friend?” Notice how you feel and what that awakens within you. Try to do this as many times as you can manage to remember. 

I hope you find this helpful and are inspired to practice at home. As always, I’d love to hear from you about your practice!

Namaste.

The Teacher Awakens

This past weekend I had the privilege of teaching my very first yoga teacher training. I was excited, very prepared and basically bursting at the seams ready to share my practice.

It’s been a long journey with lots of ups and downs, including two whole years of no formal practice and no teaching. None the less, here I am. I feel like the teacher within myself is slowly beginning to awaken. This teacher, my teacher is all of a sudden slipping in valuable lessons in my daily life and even while I sleep and I’m finally ready to receive them.

I bow to the teacher within myself, I can feel my teacher awaken in my body and in each and every cell. I confess to my teacher that I am loyal, very committed, insanely curious and sometimes even over ambitious. I beg my teacher to be patient and compassionate with me when I lose my way or misunderstand.

I thank myself so deeply for having the audacity to show up and attempt to engage with this practice even thought it can be so confusing. I honor myself for my dedication to stick with it, even when I feel like an imposture and am filled with frustration.

Nothing can compare to being fully here, now, present and complete.

Onward on our journey, all I can say is: don’t give up, keep showing up and you just might surprise yourself.

My humble beginnings

Resolve to start where you are and simply take one step at a time.

One of the first things I noticed right away when I first started practicing yoga was that I was able to focus and listen through a whole 60 min lecture (I was a student in Uni at the time). Prior to that, I would listen for the first 15-20 mins and then start daydreaming, doodling and just waiting for the lecture to be over. I remember thinking to myself how amazing it was that I had gained such a great new ability despite the fact that I wasn’t even “good” at yoga.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started my practice. Really, I just wanted to try something new and had no expectations beyond losing some weight. But, it caught me and shifted the way that I related to everything around me and even the way that I related to myself.

At that time, I was a pretty heavy cigarette smoker. I had tried to quit a few times before, but never really managed to stop for more than a few days at at time. I also had a tendency to eat too fast and way too much and would need a few cigarettes after every meal. I felt heavy and bloated most of the time. While I had some pretty solid friendships, I so desperately wanted companionship. The relationships that I established were lacking stability, they would crumble, leaving me dazed, confused and heartbroken.

All of this shifted, it was gradual and natural, a bi-product of my practice. I was unaware of how my actions were misleading me and holding me back. I naturally shed nasty habits, I naturally grew more aware and confident. My actions began to reflect my refined awareness and self value. I began to feel vibrant, brilliant, powerful and free!

Looking back, my yoga practice gave me the strength to let go of the things that I was so desperately clinging to that were not serving me and gave me the courage and clarity to actively pursue my true desires. I was able to be very deliberate about all the decisions I made and actions I took.  

I’m so grateful to have had yoga as the undercurrent of my life as I transitioned from my 20’s to my 30’s, from being single and living in Israel to getting married and moving to the US, from working for corporations to being an independent yoga teacher, and lastly into motherhood. I have a feeling of calm, when I anticipate the transitions ahead of me. My relationship to life has blossomed and I am open, ready and excited for what's to come.

Our human-ness

To be tender is to be open. To be sensitive is to be alive.

Pain, suffering, pleasure and enjoyment these all are fleeting, they come and they go. They wash over us and tumble us about and we come out the other end like a smoothed stone. 

The yogis teach us that there is nothing wrong with pleasure or pain. It's the chase of pleasure and the fear and avoidance of pain that have us investing our energy and recruiting our resources towards something that won't last.

My prayer for myself and for all beings is that we find peace within ourselves. Peace that can hold us when we're suffering and need some extra tender love. Peace that can fill us when we're enjoying ourselves so that we don't have to cling and hold on for dear life. 

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi - in everything, in everywhere, in everyone, Peace, Peace, Peace. 

Advancing Your Yoga Practice

I've recently written a blog post for Symmetry Yoga's blog about taking your practice to the next level. Read more here!

Crystals and Stones - Programming your Stone

Hey there Crystal Lovers!

Once again, I’m so glad that you’re here and you’re open and willing to explore the subtle realms of working with stones. Today we’re going to dive right into programming our stones.

First of all, what does that even mean?

When we program a stone, we’re basically dedicating a specific stone to aid us in manifesting a specific intention.

When I first started working with stones, programming always sounded like this big thing, I expected it to be a complicated process, I was almost disappointed at how simple it was.

The thing is, sometimes, we don’t give things the credit they deserve just because of their simplicity. We don’t realize that even if something is simple, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy.

How do you do it?

STEP 1 - SET YOUR INTENTION

This is the most important step. In general, it’s really beneficial to be crystal clear about what we’re working towards, what we want, what we need. When we’re working with our stones, we really want to work with a sense of clarity. It might be helpful to journal or take a walk and ponder what it is that you want to align yourself with. This step can easily be overlooked when we’re used to living our lives on “autopilot” and just rolling with whatever is going on. Being mindful of our intentions is a pretty big thing so I just want to remind you to be kind with yourself if this step isn’t as easy as it seems.

Here are just a few examples of intentions to get you started:

• Attracting love
• Finding a new job
• Physical, mental or emotional healing
• Cultivating acceptance/forgiveness/optimism/gratitude/etc.
• Sticking to a goal
• Attracting luck or abundance

STEP 2 - CHOOSE YOUR STONE

If you have a few different stones, you’ll want to choose one to work with. Keep in mind, there is no right or wrong here. You can use any stone you want as long as it feels good and right. However, if you’re not sure which stone to chose, here are a few methods you could try:

• Use your intuition - Simply choose the stone you’re drawn to and trust your choice.
   
• Make an informed decision - Look up the attributes of your different stones and choose the one that seems most relevant to your intention. For example Rose Quartz could be a great stone to work with when your intention is attracting love.
   
• Choose by shape or structure of the stone - For example, if your intention is to cultivate acceptance or wholeness, using a sphere shaped stone could be a good idea. Or, if you want to heal a relationship, a heart shaped stone might feel right.
   
• Choose by color/chakra - If you’re into working with Chakras, choose a stone that corresponds with the color of the chakra your intention is influenced by. For example, if I want a stone to help me express myself more clearly, I could chose a blue stone, as blue corresponds with the throat chakra.

STEP 3 - CLEANSE YOUR STONE

I've covered this topic in a previous post.   

STEP 4 - PROGRAM YOUR STONE

Before I get into this step, I'll start by saying once again, that there is no right or wrong here. You could potentially make it all up as you go. If what you do feels right to you - you’re doing it. We can get very attached to there being a”right” way, but, when working with energy, it’s all about the actual practice and not so much about the information. We each have our own personal way of interacting with subtlety.

Having said that, I’m sharing here what works for me:

1. Find a comfortable sitting position (either in a chair or on a cushion)
2. Hold the stone in your left hand. (Our left side corresponds with the feminine and receptive aspect of ourselves.)
3. Try to feel the energy of the stone. This can be a bit challenging, as it requires us to settle down, get quiet and listen. If you’re not used to meditating and get fidgety very easily try to focus on the feeling of the stone physically resting in the palm of your hand, feel the stone touching your skin. That might be all you’ll feel and that’s perfectly fine!
4. Say “Hi”. Remember, these stones are our friends we want to treat them with respect.
5. Move the stone into your right hand. (Masculine outgoing side)
6. State your intention (either silently or out loud).
7. Ask your stone to please help and aid in manifesting this intention
8. Imagine the intention merging with and infusing the stone. Take at least a minute or two (but you could go as long as you like) with the stone in your hand and your intention in your heart. If you are a visual person you could imagine the energy of the intention moving from your heart into your arm and all the way down to your hand and infusing the stone. You could also hold the stone close to your mouth and say your intention over and over and imagine the sound waves resonating with your stone. Again, use your imagination and intuition, there is no right or wrong.
    

Now your stone is programmed and ready to aid in manifesting your intentions!

For tomorrow’s new moon, you might want to try this out and program one of your stones to help release something you’re ready to release, or to attract something new and exciting into your life!

This is where I’m going to stop for now. Next time I’ll share some fun ways we can work with our programmed stones! Until then, have a wonderful day, take the time to sniff a flower and marvel at a stone.

Thanks for reading and blessings to you and your stones,

Inbal

I’d love to hear from you!
Feel free to drop me a line and share your experience with programming your stones!

If you have questions or if there any specific topics you’d like me to cover comment below or shoot me an email!

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Crystals and Stones - The Magical Connection

Hello my crystal lovin’ friends!

Again we meet on this magical journey into the world of crystals!
I’m so glad that you’re here!

In last week's post I went over what we have to offer our stone friends, I mentioned that whenever I get a new stone, I like to have a heart to heart chat with it and let it know that I'm here to support its journey just as much as its supporting mine. I tell my stones to let me know what they want, and if I don't get it, to bare with me and tell me again and again until I pick up on its message. I always promise to do the best I can to be of aid.

One thing that I’ve always found fascinating is how we come to our stones and how they come to us. It’s almost like meeting a new friend or lover. Everything magically aligns and BAM - a connection is made.

This week I thought I’d share a personal experience I’ve had with giving one of my favorite stones away and receiving one of my most sacred stones.

Gifting one of my faves

I had just gotten this beautiful tumbled black tourmaline stone and I loved it. I loved how it felt in my hand, the shape of it and it’s shiny black color, I was really into it!

A few days after I had purchased the stone, I had a Reiki client come over for a treatment. During the treatment I felt a strong urge to place the stone in her right hand, when I did I felt strong energetic pulses going up her arm. It almost felt like I had just placed a puzzle piece in the exact right spot.  

After the treatment, my client told me that the stone in her hand felt amazing. I had a hunch that I should give her that stone, but, I didn’t want to give the stone away, so I ignored it. Then she said it felt like a missing piece to her puzzle and the second it touched her hand she felt whole. Right then I knew I had to give it to her. I just knew that the stone was asking to go home with her, so, I gifted it to her.

A couple weeks later she reached out to me and let me know that she took the stone with her when she went traveling to see her husband’s family. She was very concerned about this trip because she usually doesn’t get along with her father in law, she gets very tense and combative around him. But, this time was different, she felt grounded, safe and calm and it was a good visit!

It felt great to know that she benefited from the stone, and that the stone got to fulfill it’s purpose.

Receiving one of my faves

Last year I went to Burning Man (woo!), my husband and I go with a camp each year and we LOVE it. One night we were out and walking around with a group of friends from our camp and wandered from one art installation to another.

At one point we came to a pretty simple, no thrills installation. It looked like a tree house on wooden poles. I climbed up and it was a little meditation nook. It had windows in it and on each window was a huge crystal. I of course got really excited, but the gang that I was with wasn’t really into crystals and wanted to move on and keep exploring. As we walked away I started chatting with one of my camp-mates about how much I LOVE crystals and how subtle yet powerful their energies are.

Two days later, I went back to the little crystal tree house with my tarot cards and some of my crystals and gifted readings to whoever climbed up. It was a magical afternoon and I had so much fun! When I arrived back at my camp, my camp-mate got really excited and told me to stay put and that he has something for me. He came back with an amazing crystal wrapped up in a protective cloth. He gave it to me and said “this is for you!”.

This is the stone that I was gifted!

I was stunned and he was amused. He told me that the night before he was hanging out with some friends and they were standing around when all of a sudden a guy rides his bike right up to him, stops his bike and hands him the wrapped up crystal. The only thing he said was “This is for you” and then he rode away. When he realized that he was just handed a crystal he immediately knew that he wanted to give it to me. So he did! And let me tell you… it was LOVE at first sight! I was so giddy and couldn’t stop admiring my new crystal!

I’ve now had this crystal for over a year and I’m still obsessed with it! I use it in almost every Reiki session I have with clients and I meditate with it almost everyday! I feel like it opens a door to whole different dimension and is just so magical!

So, I guess what I’d like to encourage here is to be open and generous with your stones. If you feel like it’s time for a stone to move on, let it!

Keep you channels open, after all, who knows what stone will magically find its way to you!

That’s where we’ll stop for now and next week we’ll dive into some ways to meditate with your stones!

Thanks again for being here and blessings to you,

Inbal
 

I’d love to hear from you, what do you give to your stones? Do you feel like your stones are your allies and friends? Do you have questions? Are there any specific topics you’d like me to cover?

Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email!

I’m currently participating in an awesome crystal challenge on Instagram take a peek and follow me if you’d like!

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Crystals and Stones - The Give and Take

Hey there Crystal Keepers!

I’m glad you’re joining me on this journey into the world of Crystals and Stones.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably like me, and just can’t get enough of these beauties and want to learn how to work with them, how to use them and how to tap into their magic.

Last week I wrote about the first steps to take with your new stone and how to welcome it into your world and let it know what you would like to use it for. I also mentioned that you have some things to offer your stone as well.

Let’s look into that: What do you have to give?

Our relationships to our stones are like friendships, they’re much better when they’re mutual. In the same way that we wouldn’t just demand things from our friends (hopefully none of us are doing that) we don’t want to just show up with a list of “wants” when we engage with our crystals. I’ll also mention that I don’t see crystals as objects to possess, rather they’re companions, allies, they have an energy to them, it’s almost like they’re alive in a way.

PURPOSE

Everything in this world has an essential function, a dharma. Your stone has one as well. The way I see it, the cosmos brought us together with that specific stone so that we can aid each other in aligning with our dharma. The stone has qualities that can aid us as we fulfill our function. By helping us the stone is fulfilling its function, it’s utilizing it’s highest potential.

LISTEN TO YOUR STONE

We want to help the stone work with us. Since these stones can’t talk (or can they?) we need to learn to listen and trust our own intuition. If you’re feeling that your stone should be placed in a certain spot, or used for a specific function, go for it, even if that wasn’t your original intention.

For example, I once bought an Amethyst globe, with the intention of meditating with it. However, it ended up sitting right smack in the middle of my home in a pot of soil with some other crystals and a succulent plant. That’s not what I intended, but I really felt that that’s where that stone needed to be. Many guests that have come to my home, have commented about that stone, I feel like it wanted to be seen, to be a source of inspiration to people who see it.  

MOBILITY

I once heard on a talk about stones (I don’t remember who the speaker was) that stones help us access other dimensions and realms that aren’t as straightforward as the consensus reality that we live in. BUT, these stones aren’t mobile. They can’t really get around in this world without our help. So again, we need to listen. If you get the feeling that we should take our stone with us to the park or a camping trip - do it! It might want to recharge its energy or absorb the energy of that location or just need an energetic refresh. Take your stones to different places and move them around in your house. Give them the gift of mobility!

LOVING YOUR STONE    

Who doesn’t want to be seen and loved? Put your stones out so that you can see them. Every now and then, they might catch the sunlight from a certain angle and sparkle at you. When you look at your stones they feel it! Love up on them, tell them that they’re beautiful!

GIFTING YOUR STONE

This one can be tricky. If you get the feeling that you should give your stone to someone, do it. It can be hard and we might not want to let them go,  but, sometimes it just feels like your stone belongs with someone else. Listen to that feeling. Stones have a way of coming in and out of our lives. We don’t want to treat them as property, they are our allies and friends. If your stone is asking to go home with someone else - let it. Remember, this helping your stone fulfill it’s purpose, it’s essential function.

I’m going to stop here for now and let you marinate with these thoughts. Next week I’ll share a personal story about gifting a stone and magically receiving a stone!

Until then, have a wonderful day, take the time to sniff a flower and marvel at a stone.

Thanks for reading and blessings to you,

Inbal
 

I’d love to hear from you, what do you give to your stones? Do you feel like your stones are your allies and friends? Do you have questions? Are there any specific topics you’d like me to cover?

Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email!

Want to stay in touch? Subscribe to my mailing list

Crystals and Stones - Let’s Dive In!

I’ll start off by stating the obvious, any kind of spiritual or mystical practice really is personal. Each person settles into their own way of engaging with the subtle and sacred. It doesn't have to be unique, but it does become personal.

I truly believe that with this kind of stuff there is no right or wrong (as long as you’re not harming yourself or others). I really want to encourage you to explore, to be creative and most importantly, use your imagination!

Any technique that any teacher or mentor presents to you is a fruit of their own practice, exploration and imagination. You are also entitled to your own fruit and your own flavor. I invite you to take what I share with you as a suggestion, try it and see how it goes. If you feel like you want to do things a bit differently than how I suggest, that’s great! Please do it! Make your practice your own!

So, now that we got that covered, let's begin!

Choosing your stone

My approach is go with the stones you're drawn to, as simple as that. If you’re attracted to it, go for it!

OR

If you are looking for a specific attribute of a specific stone and that really hooks you in, try that too. For example, if you’re looking for a stone to help you find ease in situations like public speaking, you could Google it and see which stones come up for that criteria and chose a stone that way.

To sum this up, you could take an informed and intellectual approach or a straight up intuitive one and both will work out just fine!

First steps

Whenever I get a new stone, these are the first two things that I do with them:

1. Clean it and clear it’s energy field.

2. Welcome it to my world.

CLEARING YOUR STONE

Stones absorb the energies that surround them. When you get a new stone, take a moment and clear it from any energies it might have picked up along the way.

Just think about the journey that stone has been through. It’s come to you from its home, deep in the earth’s core. It’s been mined, stored, shipped, etc.. who know how many stops it’s been through. Maybe it even had previous owners. In short, it’s probably been through quite the journey and it’d probably really appreciate a quick shower.

There are many methods out there and again, there is no right or wrong. Here are a few I use:
 

• Wash the stone in water - Make sure your stone can get wet.(Selenite and Sandstone for example shouldn’t get wet). If you’re feeling it, you could even bring the stone into your shower and cleanse it there. (Talk about getting up close and personal right away!)
  While you wash the stone invite it to release any unwanted energies it picked up along the way.

• Blow on the stone - This is super easy and you can do it anywhere. Just hold the stone in your hand, using your breath, blow on the stone and again invite it to release.

• Smudge your stones with Sage or Palo Santo wood - You just light your Sage or wood stick and blow out the flame, then hold your stone in the smoke that comes up. As the smoke surrounds the stone, invite it to release.

• Use sound vibration - A singing bowl or Tibetan bell chimes work really well for this. All you have to do is let the sound vibrate over the stones and again invite the release of unwanted energies (this is my favorite method).

Here’s a little tip: When you clear your stone, imagine it unwinding from the energies, imagine it refreshed, clean and ready for a new chapter.

Bell Chimes and Sage

This doesn’t have to be a long process or ceremony, it might only take you a minute or two.

At first this might seem silly and that’s okay, but over time see how you feel about this ritual. You might even find yourself cleansing other objects that arrive into your world!

WELCOMING YOUR STONE

This might seem silly, but, have a little conversation with your stone. You got the stone because you connected with it, so it makes sense to take the time to bond with it. Again, this doesn’t have to be a super serious ritual. Just hold the stone close to your heart and welcome it into your home, into your collection and into your heart. If you got the stone for a specific reason, let it know, ask for it’s assistance. But, remember, it’s a two way street, let the stone know that you have what to give it as well.

I’m going to stop here and let you think about that, what do you have to give to your stone?

Stay tuned for next week’s post, I’ll be going into the give and take, the interaction between us and crystal companions!

Until then, have a wonderful day, take the time to sniff a flower and marvel at a stone.

Thanks for reading and blessings to you,

Inbal

I’d love to connect with you!

Let me know if there are certain topics you’d like me to cover.

If you’re inspired, leave a comment, ask a question or share your experience with all this magical stuff!

Would you like to stay in touch? Sign up for my newsletter here!

Crystals and Stones For Absolute Beginners

If you’re anything like me, you just can't get enough of crystals and stones!
They’re so beautiful and there’s just something about them that draws us in.

MY HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

I started collecting crystals and stones when I was a teenager, I would go to the shop and browse all the tumbled stones and buy a few that I liked, but I never knew what to do with them. I felt a special connection when I’d buy them, but then I would take them home and the novelty faded away. Eventually, they would just sit and collect dust and in time, I lost interest.

REKINDLED PASSION

Fast forward to about 15 years later, I trained in Reiki (a technique of energetic healing) and became a reiki master. Right after I received my last attunement I found myself drawn to crystals and stones again. I found my old collection and started to add more and more stones to it. However, I still didn’t quite know what to do with them.

I gathered some information through reading, videos, blogs and such, but, for some reason nothing really clicked. What did happen though is that I started to use the stones intuitively during reiki sessions that I would give my clients. I would place them on my client's body and ask the stones to do what they can for this person. I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but I allowed myself to be guided and just trusted that it’s beneficial whether I understood it or not.

Over time, from my own exploration, my relationship with the stones grew. I experimented, allowed myself to be guided, trusted and things began to unfold.

MY INTENTION

I’m still just a mere student on this journey, no where near a master, but, I do feel like I have some information and tips to share with you all. I like to keep things simple and accessible and my intention for this series is to grow my own relationship with my crystals and stones and provide some insight and practical advice for all of you wonderful seekers!

I originally wanted to write one post about this, but then realized that I have so much to share. I personally like when blog posts are short and sweet, so, I decided to write a series instead of one big hefty post. And just like that, a series is born!

I will be posting once a week on Tuesdays starting tomorrow so stay tuned for tomorrow’s post!! I’ll be going over just where to start and how to begin connecting with a new stone.

Until then, have a wonderful day, take the time to sniff a flower and marvel at a stone.

Thanks for reading and blessings to you all,
Inbal

I’d love to connect with you!

Let me know if there are certain topics you’d like me to cover.
If you’re inspired, leave a comment, ask a question or share your experience with all this magical stuff!

Want to stay in touch?

Would you like to stay in touch? Sign up for my newsletter here!