Come check out a Shambhava Yoga® meditation class during Austin’s Free Day of Yoga. The class will be held on Monday, September 3 (Labor Day) from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at 1200 East 11th Street, Suite 109. Meditation practice helps to calm the mind, open the heart, and release the stored up tensions that are […]
» Read more“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi Hindu mythology tells a story about how Lord Ganesh won a race without the benefit of speed. He and his brother Kartikeya agreed to race to see who could go around the world 3 times and come back first. Kartikeya set out […]
» Read moreWhen I attended a yoga teacher training at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat in 2001, I couldn’t quite understand all the focus on breathing. While I did find it helpful to breathe more deeply, and pay more attention to my breath, I wondered about the necessity of repeating this instruction over and over. I was mildly suspicious […]
» Read moreHow does a yogi mom raise a spiritual child? Does she raise her child vegan, does she let him run wild? Does she give her child malas instead of rattles and toys? Does she shield him from plastic and non-yogic boys? Does she make him play yoga instead of video games? Does she spend her time calling […]
» Read more“Slow motion cures commotion.” -Paul Reps Parents feel, and there is some reality to it, that they need to be in constant motion to keep their family’s needs in balance. The never ending cycle of cooking, dishes, laundry, shuttling here and there, work, buying groceries, and managing things in general can seem overwhelming – and […]
» Read moreBeing a mother is so confusing. We seek to deeply attach to and bond with our children, and yet, the skill we must truly develop is the one of learning to let them go. We must learn to let go of our attachment to what they do (and don’t do) that is different from what […]
» Read more“Look lovingly on some object. Do not go on to another object. Here in the middle of this object – the blessing.” from a translation of the Vijnana Bhairava in Zen Flesh and Bones. This teaching is so relevant for me right now. Much has fallen away to make room for a longed-for baby, and […]
» Read more“Instead of trying to recreate what was, see what IS.” -Babaji Shambhavananda Learning to open to the life that you have is one of the most beautiful gifts of a regular meditation practice. Disappointed that your relationship is not what it used to be? That your sweet-natured child is learning to speak up, but only […]
» Read more“I have arrived. I am home. My destination is in each step.” -Thich Nhat Hanh The other morning while I was walking on the greenbelt, I experienced a moment of being truly absorbed in the act of walking. Inside of me, everything became profoundly quiet, while around me the birds sang and the frogs croaked. […]
» Read moreThis past weekend, we had another sweet family yoga and kirtan class. We listened to a story about Lord Krishna as a child. Krishna (or Gopala), the beautiful blue god-child, and his brother Balaram are caught eating dirt in the back yard. Their mother, usually sweet and nurturing, yells “STOP EATING DIRT. I’VE TOLD YOU […]
» Read more“Surrender is a process that takes place inside of you. When fear, anger or any strong emotion arises, if you can let those feelings go, you are surrendering.” (S. Shambhavananda) I must confess that I have done a fair amount of wondering about whether or not I really know how to surrender. Over time, I […]
» Read moreThe other day, I treated myself to a large cup of convenience store coffee with hazelnut creamer. The flavor was both satisfying and familiar. This is not my normal fare. I am by and large a green tea drinker these days, with an occasional cappuccino splurge from the city’s best locally owned coffee shop. Today, […]
» Read more“Lokah Samastah Sukhinoh Bhavantu.” My 5 year old daughter spent Sunday afternoon singing this mantra. It had been the “lesson” at family yoga that day. I smiled to myself because she had not seemed to be paying attention during a lot of the family yoga class, and so I was a little surprised when I […]
» Read more(By Guest Contributor Lakshman Fontaine.) The planets in Vedic Astrology are called Grahas which means ‘to seize’ or ‘to take hold of’. They represent forces that have influence on us in different ways. In Sanskrit, the word Shakti has to do with energy or power. It is related to the feminine aspect of Divine Consciousness. […]
» Read moreBe Present. Focus Inside. Relax the Breath.
» Read moreIt is both amusing and frustrating that my daughter does not really like to do yoga with me. When she was a baby, before she had a say, we practiced “Itsy Bitsy Yoga” together. When she was about 2 years old, we went to a toddler yoga class. She spent the whole time wanting to […]
» Read moreThis past weekend, we held a Mantra Immersion. Taking a full day to do mantra practice is like soaking oneself in the most soothing and refreshing of inner baths.
» Read moreMeditation can be defined as a state of mind that is without thoughts, AND it is a mind that is at peace despite thoughts.
» Read moreFounder, Austin Big Heart Yoga
Anita began her studies in yoga in 1999. In 2001, she became certified to teach hatha yoga in the Shambhava Yoga tradition. Since that time, she has become a Certified Shambhava Meditation Instructor and continues to practice and study meditation, yoga philosophy and hatha yoga in the Shambhava tradition. She has also had the privilege of learning from senior teachers of the Ashtanga, Viniyoga, and Anusara traditions of hatha yoga. Anita is an experienced psychotherapist, student of Ayurveda, and mother to a preschooler. Her teaching style reflects her keen interest in how the ancient practices of yoga can help us to create emotional, mental, and physical balance, as well as spiritual transformation.
