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Crystals and Moon phases
In 2007-2009 I attended yoga and meditation classes in Gothenburg, when I lived there. My teacher, or guru, Anandananda was the most genuine yoga teacher I have come across over the years. In comparison with all classes I have taken over the years those were the ones I remember with great joy. While meditating on the train down to Gothenburg a couple of weeks ago, I came to think of that teacher again. It’s been years and the thought hasn’t really ever crossed my mind since I don’t live in the same city anymore. I looked him up to see if he’s still teaching and he is, especially during the pandemic he was doing classes over Zoom. I signed up without hesitation for a class this autumn season. I needed something like that to ground me during these difficult times and I believe my higher consciousness took care of that for me, and made me remember what in the past has made me feel better.
I visited the main place in Stockholm for crystals, called Kristallrummet a few days ago. I needed some new energies in my life from the power of the crystals, so I looked around mostly on intuition and from previous knowledge of different stones. I love the energy and vibe in that store, everyone who shops there are all so in tune with their spiritual practice and I don’t know many other places where people would treat each other with such genuine kindness than such places. Due to the pandemic there was a queue outside and they only let 10 people in at a time. In that line I could see a bunch of teenagers in the age range 14-18. It made me so happy to see how this practice and spiritual interest has spread to the lower ages these days, most probably due to it spreading via Internet and word of mouth. I remember when I was their age, I used to hang out online in these Yahoo mailing groups, spiritual forums where no one knew each other other than a nickname. I had joined both international and Swedish forums at the time and I remember always being one of the youngest ones in the groups. Since age isn’t visible online, I remember people often mistaking me for being one of their age (adult). All of that came back to me just by seeing these teenagers in line. I’m glad people are able to find their way to this hobby easier these days. There’s also less judgement for difference and other hobbies than the norm, compared to when I grew up. Back then it was something better to be kept to myself if I didn’t want to be a total loner.
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Yoga for Mind, Body and Soul
It’s now become 10 years since I first went to my yoga and meditation class in Gothenburg. I remember how I used to love those 90 min classes late in the evening because it was a time that was only dedicated to myself and my practise. My teacher was from Norway but he lived and worked in Sweden. He had changed his name to an old Indian version of his own name, and he had practised yoga for over 30 years back then. I recently looked up if he’s still a teacher at the same place, and he is, isn’t that amazing. 40 years of yoga knowledge. He was the first teacher that inspired me to pursue yoga for my own mental health and spiritual evolvement. Years passed and I had some rocky years in my early twenties, but I still always came back to yoga, even if I had a longer break. I took classes of yoga at the gym, did some on my own in my student flat, whatever so that I didn’t totally lose the connection.
When I moved to Stockholm in 2014, I took some yoga classes at the gym and there were many different teachers there. Most are only into yoga as a fitness alternative and that isn’t the whole experience of yoga according to me and many other yogis, it’s a much more wholesome and spiritual and inward experience and development that is beyond anything physical. Out of all those average yoga gym teachers there was one that stood out in the crowd, he always used the right terms for all the asanas and always referred back to the ancient traditions of yoga; unlike many other yoga teachers in Sweden.
Although I didn’t stay for very long in that gym membership and for some reason got stuck in a 2 year membership at a place I didn’t enjoy as much.I recently switched back and booked a yoga class and to my surprise the same teacher is still there and having classes. It seems that he’s been practising yoga for 30 years and is such a huge inspiration not only to me but everyone who comes to his classes. The class always begins with some 5 minutes of talking about the intentions, the planet movements and moon placement in different astrology signs and what it means to us. I love the feeling of being totally connected to the 25-30 people in the class and share the same experience as I do in the same time and space. That feeling is quite remarkable and powerful, it can truly change the world for the better.
I plan to attend a yoga retreat in the end of the year in India, although I haven’t decided on what or where to go for it. Would be nice with some place in south India, such as beautiful Kerala or similar. I will let that thought mature in my head through the year and decide on it until summer time.
Peace and Love,
Kimmi Madeline -
Tearfulness.
I walk around with a lump in my throat, quite often, almost every day. No one really knows that it’s how I really feel. I have early on, in my childhood learned to suffocate my tears to such an extent that I no longer show my emotions in public. Or in front of anyone for that matter. I don’t think this behaviour is healthy for anyone.
When I was 18 years old and graduated high school I joined a singing class, a piano class and yoga & meditation class. I was craving for so much creative and mindful exercises, it was crazy. I was juggling 3 classes and working full time, no wonder I felt as though I didn’t have time for all. Out of the 3, the yoga came first and then the singing class and lastly piano class. I never had the enough time to study for the piano class, which I really wish I had. The yoga class was a full on 90 minutes session that ended with 20 min of mediation. My teacher had been practicing yoga for over 25 years and he was Norwegian living in Sweden. I loved that class, it truly made me whole at the time when things were up and down in my life. The mediation part of the class made me curious, and at times frustrated. I sometimes would get cramp in my toes from the yoga class and there I was sitting and trying my hardest not to focus on my cramping toes, when everyone in the room were lying still and focusing inwards. Other times I actually was thinking of all the different sounds in the class room that I never had thought of. It was so quiet and peaceful, nothing like anything I had experienced before.
And sometimes I would get so into the mediation and felt all my emotions that had been lying stuffed underneath my conscious, coming up to surface, and all that came out was tears. I felt sad for the sadness in my soul. It was a dark room and everyone had closed their eyes, including the instructor, so I was safe – no one could see my tears. It was and has been very important to me for some reason, to not show those emotions, I needed to be strong but yet I didn’t feel very strong.
I have always wondered if the repetitive behaviour of suffocating my tears have lead me to always be very close to my emotions, I am always hyper sensitive to other people emotions and I’m very empathetic to all living beings.
Classical music, beautiful melancholic lyrics, a powerful speech, people in need, animals that are mistreated or someone saying a compliment or something truly amazing – all these things, they bring me to tears. A lump in my throat. Every day of every year. No exaggeration. A lump of sadness just lying there waiting to be found.
I’ve lately been wondering how to overcome this? If mediation is the answer? I think there might not be a way to overcome it, only ways to be more used to it and be able to control it. Not to hold the tears inside, and not to let them hold me back. They’re just as important as any other feeling. -
Morning rituals
Mornings are such a great time to relax and take it easy, to have some time for yourself. It’s all quiet and harmonious in your mind and usually not much disturbance around you. My ideal morning would be to get up when the alarm sets off and not to feel so tired, moving on to your morning rituals and then have some time for yoga. Start the whole session with a few minutes of silence with yourself, to breathe in the new day and be at peace. No stress and no rushing anywhere. Stretching and doing some yoga postures to get the body moving and becoming more flexible. After the short yoga session, jump in the shower and eat a good full breakfast. Getting dressed and ready to face the new day of new challenges and opportunities. Then I also believe it’s easier to embrace the work with a bit more calm and stress-free attitude. It increases our productivity and we’re more in harmony with ourselves.
I will create another post shortly regarding a sleep experiment I will do. But at the moment I’m not able to because I suffer from insomnia and I’m in the middle of moving to another flat. These are the times when I really need the yoga and meditation, it calms me down and tells me not to worry nor to stress because nothing good has ever come out of that.
Peace and love,
Kimmi