Laughing Elephant Yoga Community

01/06/2026

DAY 6 of Debbies Birthday Countdown….
Udana Vayu…
This is the movement of energy, breath, fluid,etc., up and out of your body. It resides primarily in your heart/chest, throat and head. When you are out of balance you might have problems breathing or articulating yourself. It’s the energy that provides enthusiasm, willpower and the motivation to get out of bed ( whatever time you get up:)
Talking , journaling, singing , breathing practices and chanting will all help cultivate and help unblock the flow of energy and I like to think it will tune you into your authentic voice. I LOVE teaching ( particularly yoga) ,but I have always had nurturing, teaching, and the want to take care of others in my soul.

My aloe plant reminds me of what I feel like the energy in my head looks like, an explosion in all directions with so many different thoughts, emotions, and sizes. This plant started as just a tiny little stalk and after many years of growing, almost not making it a couple of times, rebounding , and then flourishing even more. I feel like I am like that too, and right now I am ready to flourish ( Im tired of shrinking).
Im not sharing here publicly all the things I am working on, but I am practicing Udana today by being honest with myself and even if I don’t like what “the work” is telling me, I still need to listen.

01/05/2026

Prana Vayu is what connects all the Vayus ( winds). It the inward upward movement of energy and that helps balance everything out. I like to think of it as the energy that animates you. Samana draws in / Vyana out/ apana is down, and then the prana draws you upright , tall, activates you.

When I am feeling blue or off it makes me want to shrink, disappear. To try to counter that i remind myself to stand tall. Head up , chest up ( heart open). SMILE …. Smile because I want to. It really does help make you feel better and it helps those around you which then again help you. and so on and so on…..

it becomes this circular rotation meets in your heart space..
Prana Vayu

01/04/2026

Day 4 of Debbie’s Countdown!
Vyana Vayu
The energy moving out from the center and throughout your whole body….
* Coordination: Manages the body’s responses, from physical actions (walking, grasping) to mental processes (thoughts, emotions).
* Proprioception: Provides the sense of body awareness and spatial orientation.
* Energy Distribution: Distributes energy from intake (food, breath) and acts as an energy reserve.

Manifestations
* Physical: Flexibility, agility, stamina, coordination, sweat, goosebumps, and the ability to move limbs.
* Mental/Emotional: Mental clarity, adaptability, intuition, emotional flow, and a sense of wholeness.
* Subtle: Expands consciousness, integrates the koshas (sheaths of being), and facilitates spiritual growth.

When it’s Imbalanced
* Physical: Fatigue, disjointed efforts, weakened body, circulatory issues, stiff joints, or poor coordination.
* Mental: Alienation, anxiety, lack of clarity, or feeling scattered. Reading this it’s very easy for me to see how out of balance I have been . Dropping things, falling down, forgetting things. I’m always trying to do too many things with too little resources or energy . I am embodying vyana today by cleaning and removing a lot of the external clutter ( and contributes to me inner chaos)
What about you ?

01/03/2026

Debbie’s Birthday Countdown day 3 ( January 3)- Samana Vayu

(Definition taken from the yogasanctuary.biz)

Samana vayu, often called “balancing air,” is the prana vayu that sits at the intersection of prana (the inward/upward-moving energy) and apana (the outward/downward-moving energy). This central force unites the two energies, creating balance in both body and mind. Located at the navel, samana vayu governs agni, the digestive fire, which is the fire of purification. When prana and apana unite within samana, agni burns optimally, supporting the body’s ability to assimilate and process what it receives.

Just as digestion allows us to extract nutrients from food, samana vayu helps to extract meaning and nourishment from our experiences, emotions, and interactions.
At the physical level, samana vayu works with the Manipura chakra, located at the solar plexus. This chakra governs our digestive system, metabolism, and personal power. Samana vayu’s function is to harmonize and balance the intake and release of energy, ensuring that the body’s processes are efficient and properly regulated.

When samana vayu is flowing freely, we are able to take in only what we need—whether it’s food, sensory experiences, or emotional energy—and we are able to release that which no longer serves us. This balance is essential for feeling grounded and clear, and it supports our ability to function at our highest potential.

How I am embodying Samana today….

When I feel myself getting pulled many directions ( all self inflicted by my head)….. sitting down and journaled for a bit. Thought about what I wanted to teach in class… thought about how I can center myself. watched the sunrise, ate some food. I worked on when I was trying to plan out every second of every moment this weekend, just letting myself be in this moment while it still lasts .
I am always planning and rushing. I’m forgetting things and losing things constantly. Spilling things, tripping over things, losing my strength and grounding because I feel so scattered. I am pulling my energy back my core, so I can keep my own fire lit, then I can share it .
You can only take so much in, you also have to let go….

01/02/2026

Jan 2 Apana Vayu

The main element of Apana Vayu, the downward-moving energy in Ayurveda and Yoga, is Earth (Prithvi), providing grounding, stability, and a connection to the physical body, governing elimination and rooting other energies, with associations to the Root (Muladhara) Chakra.
Key Characteristics of Apana Vayu
* Element: Earth (Prithvi).
* Direction: Downward and outward.
* Function: Responsible for elimination (urination, defecation, menstruation, childbirth, sweat) and releasing what no longer serves you, providing stability and grounding.
* Location: Primarily in the lower abdomen, pelvic region, from the navel down to the a**s.
* Associated Chakra: Muladhara (Root Chakra).
Why Earth?
The Earth element signifies stability, structure, and physical manifestation, perfectly aligning with Apana Vayu's role in rooting the body, controlling downward movements, and facilitating the physical release of waste, anchoring us to the ground.

How I plan to embody it myself ….

-The practice I will teach today at 930 will have grounding elements- embodiment for myself is spending more specific time on playlist and doing more hands on assists ( with permission:)

-remembering to pause… before acting, speaking , doing , jumping to conclusions, ( I have more in my personal journal, this is to help start your thought process)

- made a list of as many grounding terms I could think of, I got to about 17… How many can you think of?

More tomorrow!

01/01/2026

1/1 Ganesha- the blesser of new beginnings, so who better to start the year!
The remover of obstacles(forgiveness/ letting go), the guardian of the door ( security/ protector)

My embodiment of the energy of Ganesh is going to be trying to be more gentle and kind to myself as a new beginning . I am a very loving and caring person to everyone but myself. Even as I type that I am thinking there will be someone who dislikes me for that statement. I haven’t even put it out there yet and I assume the worst. My brain does that all the time.

I am working on redirecting my thoughts. for example, even with my assumption that someone will dislike me…

redirection - I assume that because I don’t always like me

- why ? because I cant fix everything
- no one can fix everything
- all I can do is my best
- I am doing my best

What is speaking to you today about Ganesha? go back to the image and see if something jumps out to you….

01/01/2026

Debbie’s Birthday Countdown!!!
January 1 2026-January 19 2026

Well it’s that time again!!!! I don’t think my birthday countdowns have really been very fun since my 50 to 50 . Which was wicked fun ( and exhausting)and precovid, and then, well, life happened.

So six years later I am actually pumped for my plan, and its for my own personal work that I chose the terms I did, but I was also hoping to spark your curiosity to learn more and possibly Join Coral Brown and Myself for TT starting January 23 2026.

My birthday is 1/19 so starting today I will be counting down with a yogic term for each of those days. It will be a mix of Deities, Vayus, Chakras , and a Niyama (Svadhyaya- self study… felt appropriate 🙂

Each Day I will post on Instagram/Facebook -

* Yogic term
* Debbie’s general definition -outside sources used but Debbies interpretation. (on that note any levity in my view is never intended to offend or upset anyone )
* What I am planning on doing to embody that term on the day but also how I hope to carry it forward

I will also announce it in my daily classes when I teach at NBX ( yup I teach 6 out of 7 days again) and I have created a text group to keep you in the loop if you don’t want to get caught up in scrolling online.
If you are interested in knowing anything in advance and/or miss a day, direct text or DM me. I would like to prevent the group text madness. 🥴

SOOOOOOOO……. Here we GO!

11/26/2025

https://youtu.be/kgHa5qi4jSA?si=UzCkMVDV4LQbS_X7

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/26/2025

https://youtu.be/lHNtt7iPRg4?si=vnz4Cs1e3K2YrgEE

06/15/2025

Come join Debbie on the third Friday of the month this summer for a fun, all ages yoga class in the Yard!

Friday 6/20, 7/18, and 8/15 will have a practice in the yard at 6pm!

Bring a towel, water, maybe some bug spray and a smile, and we will move in the summer air!

Good news is if it rains, we can go inside :)

05/20/2025

Color Yoga Monday morning at The Studio at NBX!!! Up above the bike shop is a super cute studio but Monday we will be in the yard so we can be crazy and colorful!!! We use Holi powder ( like for celebrations in India) and is messy as heck, but skin safe. I can’t say it’ll completely come out of your clothes so maybe wear things that you don’t mind getting extra fancy. You may want to practice on a towel or something you can wash, but it should rinse off of your mat. Sunscreen if you are sun sensitive😎 class is at 9am and it’s $15 (or if you have a class card or membership at Nbx you can use it)