Raven's Nest Yoga

05/19/2024

It's only in complete darkness that one can see the light. It's only in deep silence that one can hear that still small voice and the words left unspoken. It's only in a place of detachment that one knows where attachments lie, be they good or bad. It's only in solitude that we realize where our chaos originates. Grounding, centering, finding that place of calm, strength, renewal. In our weakened state, it's easy to be led, manipulated, twisted. But when we sit in the dark, listen for that still small voice, find our core, then, then, we begin to re-connect with Spirit. Then, healing begins, strength returns and a warrior walks on.~~ Renee Ravencraft Bierbaum

05/06/2024

Today I share with you the 7th limb of the eight limbs of yoga. I really love this limb of yoga. As I stated before, yoga is not a religion, however, it can and does help us to deepen our spiritual path no matter what religion we practice. Personally, for me, Dhyana is akin to worship, not just being aware of God but becoming one with God in total surrender to the Creative Life Force and Source of all Energy.

7. Dhyana
Meditation or contemplation, the seventh stage of yoga, is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be one and the same, a fine line of distinction exists between these two stages. Where dharana practices one-pointed attention, dhyana is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all. The strength and stamina it takes to reach this state of stillness is quite impressive. But don’t give up.

In dhyana, it is important we enclose a feeling of Love as the basic driving emotion. This is lacking in meditation. This Love is not comparable to love for objects and people; it is at the highest level, Love for God. Like an infant feeling one with its mother, we feel one with Creator and dissolve ourselves in this feeling. As in true Love, here too we Love God for the SAKE of God, not for any personal benefits. This Love is called Bhakti and is defined as intense longing and surrender to God with Love driving our longing. It is, in it's purest form, worship of God.

Dhyana is not simply staring at an image or icon of God and then closing the eyes seeing the image. In Dhyana, we try to feel one with God. Only when we feel the connection and Love for God, dhyana starts.~~Excerpts from the International Journal of Yoga and Yoga Journal.

04/08/2024

Yoga tomorrow night at 6:00 at the Gloster Library. Please let me know by text or comment if you plan to attend. Thanks!

04/08/2024

Good morning!
“Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.“ ~~Krishnamacharya.

04/02/2024

There will be NO yoga tonight in Gloster as I have a prior obligation, but I hope to see all of you next Tuesday! Sorry for any inconvenience.

03/26/2024

Come join us tomorrow night at 6:00 at the Gloster library for yoga. We have a fun group and would love to welcome YOU to our Tribe! Please comment below or text/message me if you plan your attend. Hope to see YOU soon!

03/19/2024

Please let me know by comment below or text if you plan to attend yoga tomorrow night at 6:00 at the Gloster library. Thanks!

03/16/2024

The storm of the night has finally passed. Dawn has broken and once again the songs of the birds float on the early morning breeze. They sing as though the storm never came. To be like a bird and just sing beautifully to greet the new day as though no storms ever darken my nights....life goals. As I sit quietly on my back porch and watch the sky lighten, I am reminded once more of of our yoga teachings and the Niyama, Tapas. The Sanskrit word, tapas, literally means heat and can be translated as catharsis,self-discipline, spiritual effort, austerities, change, tolerance, or transformation.

The practice of tapas, self-discipline, gives us the ability to stand strong through the storms of life, bending with the winds that come without breaking, surviving torrential downpours, yet not drowning, holding tight through the darkest, stormiest nights without losing hope that the sun will come out again. For me it means coming to the realization that the dawn will always return, and even though the storm may have changed the landscape around me, or even changed me in some way, I have survived another life storm and as always, I am stronger for the journey.

03/12/2024

I’m sorry but yoga is canceled for tonight. We will try again next week.

03/05/2024

There will be NO YOGA tomorrow night in Gloster at the library. I hope to see all of you next week!❤️

02/27/2024

Yoga at the Gloster library tomorrow night at 6:00. Hope to see y’all there! Please text, message or comment below if you plan to attend. Thanks!

02/21/2024

A big THANK YOU to all who came out to share yoga with me tonight. I really appreciate y’all!’ You were fantastic!

02/20/2024

Yoga at the Gloster Library tomorrow evening at 6:00. Excited to see everyone!! Please message me or comment below if you plan to attend. Thanks!

02/19/2024

Do you need a quiet weekend to disconnect from technology, get back to nature and just BE? I have availability at Fallen Tree for next weekend, February 23rd-25th. If quiet time to rest, regroup and recharge is something you need, then this is the PERFECT place. I’ll even throw in a free, gentle restorative yoga class at a time of your choosing. Check it out.

Fallen Tree Entire House (pet-friendly) near NOLA

02/16/2024

Sitting in the quiet of the pre-dawn awaiting the sunrise. The darkness is softened around the edges by the barely discernible brightening of the eastern sky. Far in the distance an owl calls, hoo- hoo, hoo- hoo. It is a haunting sound in this early morning stillness, but it seems right, complete.

The dreams of the night still fog my mind and the cares of yesterday continue to crawl around in my head seeking a place to take root as I contemplate the yoga sutras and the practice of tapas (heat), svadhyaya (self-study), and Ishvara pranidhana (unshakeable faith in the guiding and protecting power of God).

Tapas asks me can I sit in the fire of transformation? Can I stand in the heat while being totally dismantled and changed forever without running away? Can I stay in the burning with integrity? Can I hold out for the blessing without giving up? Svadhyaya (self study) asks me to take that journey inward and give measurable thought to who I was, am and who I am becoming and then, Ishvara Pranidhana asks me to surrender and trust that there is a Divine force at work weaving my path and purpose for my higher self. It teaches me that as I learn to stop fighting life, learn to stop trying to control and just relax into the flow of life, trusting that all things are working together for my good, even the pain, even the sorrow, I will begin to live life to the fullest.

Can I do these things? I have no idea. I guess only time will tell, but I suppose a part of being in that flow of life, that trust in the Divine will of God, is not always knowing the answers outright but trusting that the answers will come. My mantra for this year… Trust the journey.

Excerpts from The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele

02/12/2024

Please join me tomorrow evening at 6:00 for yoga at the Gloster Library on Main Street. Bring a mat if you have one, if not I have some extras. Please text me or comment below if you plan to attend. Thanks!

02/06/2024

Come join us tomorrow night from 6:00-7:00 at the Gloster Library for some relaxing yoga and fun times with our yoga community! Please let me know if you plan to attend. Hope to see you soon!😁

01/31/2024

This young man is going to master peacock/Mayurasana pose very soon. Such a joy to be his teacher. His enthusiasm is infectious.❤️