22 Days Remaining!

Guest Blogger: Kaci Yoh

I am a traveler.  I am a yogini.  I haul two yoga mats to every destination-one to throw down in shaded grass or on the top of a park picnic table and a clean one for visits to local studios.

Being a traveling yogini can be hard on a natural introvert.  Oftentimes, I fight the urge to turn and run just before entering an unfamiliar studio.  If I spy an onlooker as I move on my yoga mat outdoors, my heart leaps backwards in my chest-a childish attempt to hide from imagined criticism.

When I began traveling, I believed I would be able to let go of my introversion completely and at once.  Experience has taught me shyness is not a mere trinket I can choose to leave out of my luggage.  Wherever I go, there I am.

However, each year, with love and compassion for self, I expand and extend further.  The experience of slowly releasing the tightness of my legs and hips in Gomukasana (Cow Face Pose) has taught me that I must patiently let go of my shyness with commitment and discipline.  I must work through pain and discomfort.

As I work with these ideas and feelings, I find the root emotion of my shyness is fear.  This fear, like many others, has the potential to be classified in many ways-fear of rejection, fear of failure, or fear of being exiled by peers.

As much as I think the person next to me in class or the onlooker in the park will hold me in higher esteem if I can hold Bakasana (Crow Pose) for 10 breaths, the truth is they probably are not counting.

In the quietness and honesty of meditation, I find the common thread of this social anxiety is the fear of being unlovable.  Like many others, I believe that my spirit is something I must hide and protect.  Though my head and heart know that hiding my sensitive soul is not the way I want to live, I have to practice letting go of my insecurities to enact change.

In the safe container of my yoga mat, I practice Ustrasana (Camel Pose) to experience the vulnerability of an open heart.  As I lean my head backwards and push my chest into the world, a river of vibrant energy emanates from my heart and into my solar plexus.  These sensations tell me that my heart and will are ready to shine.  As I move this message out into the world, I practice existing with bold and determined love.

Traveling allows me the opportunity to check in with my progress.  Though I cannot leave shyness and fear out of the luggage, they begin to take up smaller spaces.  Through my practice on the mat, I know that holding onto the fear of being unlovable does not serve me.  By living in fear, I deny my highest self the opportunity to shine.  In the end, I know that I, like everyone else, am love.

As Hanuman Festival draws closer, I prepare myself to check in on my progress once again.  I meditate on the aspects of personal evolution I hope to observe while interacting in the unique and supportive festival community.

In just a few short weeks, I will find myself on the mat next to yours, extending my heart and giving gratitude to the mystery.

Kaci Yoh has cried in more asanas then she cares to admit.  She teaches vinyasa flow classes and is grateful for the opportunity to teach and learn yoga as an exercise in experiencing herself and others.  When not on her mat, she can be found writing, trail running, swimming, or somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

This article was originally posted on Yoganonymous.com.

Hindu mythology is ripe with drama, excess and wild twists and turns. The story of Hanuman inspires and reminds us that we all have deep reserves of perseverance within us to overcome all obstacles and challenges we may face in this world.

Thought to be a reincarnation of Lord Shiva, Hanuman was the strongest and wisest of all the monkey gods. But he wasn’t just born that way. Baby Hanuman was ambitious and playful, but also, unbeknownst to him, very powerful. One day, he mistakenly thought the sun was a piece of delicious fruit dangling from the sky and he leaped up to grab it. Indra, the god of war and weather, quickly diverted Hanuman’s sneak attack on the sun and struck him with a lightning bolt, hurdling him back toward Earth. Before Hanuman could reach the ground, his godfather, the wind god Pavana, swooped him up and carried him off of Earth toward safety. But when Hanuman left Earth, all beings suffered and Lord Brahma had to beg Pavana to bring Hanuman back. As a reassurance that Hanuman would remain safe for the rest of his life, Brahma bestowed superpowers and immortality to baby Hanuman.

Back from the ether, Hanuman devoted himself to intense study and became very wise. He met Lord Rama and devoted his life to assisting him in the war against evil. Through this extreme devotion, Hanuman is most known for saving Lakshmana by leaping across the Earth in search of a life-saving herb. Knowing he didn’t have much time, Hanuman activated his reserves of incredible strength and picked up the whole mountain, leaped back across the Earth and returned to Lakshmana’s side to save her life just in time.

Beyond his extreme devotion, wisdom and physical strength, Hanuman was that prince in shining armor who also exuded humility and a lighthearted attitude toward life. His sense of humor humanized him, and his humble tendencies stole the hearts of all of India and the world. Today, Hanuman is one of the most revered mythic gods in the Hindu religion.

To the founders and team members of the annual Hanuman Yoga & Music Festival in Boulder, CO, Hanuman inspires us to devote to our yoga practice on and off the mat. The best way we know how to serve is by offering an inspiring, fun-filled yoga festival for the country and world to come together and raise the vibration to inspire lasting change.

Hanuman Festival was born from the intense desire of local Boulder yogis and teachers to connect the Colorado, national and global yoga communities at the base of the Rocky Mountains in beautiful Boulder, CO, one of the bedrocks of yoga in the United States.

This year’s festival, June 8-10, 2012, welcomes some of the top teaching talents in the world, from Richard Freeman, Beryl Bender Birch and Amy Ippoliti, to Kathryn Budig, Tiffany Cruikshank, Darren Main, Noah Maze, Faith Hunter and so many others. Beyond the yoga, the festival features incredible music and dance parties presented by White Swan Records with DJ Drez, Desert Dwellers, Donna DeLory, Durga Das and many others.

This year’s Vendor Village will feature hundreds of eco-conscious companies, live music, circus performers, the new Hanumission speaker series and free activities throughout the day.

Hanuman Festival is a place to immerse yourself in body, mind and heart as you relax and rejuvenate, dance and devote, connect and expand, have fun, and just be. Just like Hanuman.

Tickets are now on sale! Please join us on Facebook for the latest updates on class availability and weekend festivities.

Jai Hanuman! (that means Victory!)

Read the original article on Yoganonymous.com.