Hi! Class 15 is on the site now. Its called "Go with the flow". I hope you love it.
Reminder! It is (finally) Leo season and as promised,
I have some free stuff for you all.
#1 Referral Giveaway: Refer a friend. When they purchase a monthly unlimited package, you both get a free month! Simply DM me on Instagram, or use the contact form on the site to tell me your friends name so I can issue the refunds. Offer is good up through 8/22.
#2 Free Nutrition class: I recently lost all the baby weight plus some extra lbs from my twin pregnancy, a total of around 30 pounds. How did I do it?
I understand nutrition. You can too! My nutrition class is FREE for this Leo season. Just use the code NUTRITIONCLASS when you go to purchase the class. This class is packed with valuable information, cute quizzes, homework (optional) and thought provoking discussion topics. You will learn, I promise!
Offer good through 8/22.
A word on Leo season...
Some famous Leos:
Me! 7/31
Just kidding about the famous part. I am not famous nor would I like to be as I am actually pretty private and enjoy my space. But I love being a Leo! Funny story...when I was a kid, I loved Stevie Wonder (still do!). We had the vinyl of "Hotter than July", which has the single "Happy birthday" on it. I thought that Stevie wrote that song for me -I mean, my birthday was in July, it was always pretty hot, and he had cornrows and one summer so did I! Typical Leo, to think that Stevie Wonder wrote a song for me, about me...we Leos love to fantasize! JK Rowling also shares this birthday. Not bad!
Barack Obama 8/4
Enough said!
Madonna 8/16
Same birthday as my twins!
Jennifer Lopez 7/24
She's 50. Gasp, actually I guess 51 now! Have you seen her?????
What do I love about being a Leo? Well, its hard for me to decipher, as I just love being me. The Leo qualities I possess are leadership, loyalty, independence, ambition, hard worker, warmth and passion -these being the positive qualities! The less than positive qualities that I also possess are being stubborn and self centered, which leads to a rigidity and "what about me" attitude that has definitely gotten me into trouble in the past. Awareness is key and when I get called out, I do try to make amends. That process can take a while, as I do not always see my flaws as clearly as others do. When I have an "aha" about me being self centered, domineering, inauthentic or making it about me, I do an honest inventory and see what of this is true about me, and how I can adjust to be more empathetic, giving and supportive.
At my Jivamukti Yoga teacher training, we spent a good deal of time discussing "identity". I came to see how powerful these constructs of identity can be. I had all sorts of ideas about myself, who I was, and therefore who I was not.
Some popular identities I took on (and their polar opposite):
"I am a runner" (or) "I am NOT a runner"
"I am a yogi" (or) "I am not a yogi"
"I am not one of those _____ people" (or) "I am one of those _____ people"
The thinking goes (I speak for myself and how this manifested in my life)...
"I am not a runner. Runners are thin white women who wear those little shorts." For YEARS I thought this was fact. I literally thought I could not be a "runner" because I am a curvy woman of color and my thighs rub together. Fast forward to me becoming a "runner" (someone who runs) and I am venturing into yoga to stay injury free from all my running. Now the thought pattern is "I am not a yogi. Yogis are thin white women who wear leggings as pants (not with this butt!) and live downtown". I am an uptown girl who would NEVER wear leggings as pants because in my neighborhood that is an invitation to endless street harassment. See the pattern here? The implication of these identity patterns is that by aligning ourselves with these bullet points, we place invisible cages around ourselves, limiting our potential.
Through my yoga practice, and through learning how to teach yoga, I realized all this noise about identity is false. When stripped of these titles, like "I am a Leo" (therefore I am...fill in the blank here...nice, good, funny, shy, etc) I realized I am just a flawed and beautiful being like everyone else, and my identity was only a mirage that I could either continue to cling to or, through a process of spiritual growth, evolve beyond. In teaching yoga, I was inspired to give every practitioner the same opportunity to come to their yoga mat, and shed the construct of identity - "I am good at yoga" or "I am bad at yoga" and so on. Simply place your body in the posture, breath deeply with your nose, and that is it. That is why my instructions are based on two things: the pose and the breath.
The growth happens when we let go of who we think we are and how we think we are pre-ordained to behave. I continue to aspire to be an overwhelmingly loving, giving, generous, selfless person in service to those around me. Catch me in after-work rush hour bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to manage my road rage and you will see why I have a ways to go!
I love identifying as a Leo. All the qualities, positive and not as positive, resonate with me. What I have come to learn is that this identity is a choice, and not binding. I can choose to be an expansive extension of God and love, which has no zodiac sign. What identity are you clinging to?
Remember to follow me on Instagram, tag me in your posts, and comment about the newsletter, classes, or anything! LOVE hearing from you guys!
PS!!! scroll down to see a clip from last week's class, Class 14. Hope you love it!
Who in your life needs to hear this today?
Namaste and love,
Melinda and yes, Black Lives Matter.