As I get closer to my 46th birthday, Im reflecting on where I am and Im really grateful for all the years of constant judgement of myself and others, to show me exactly how nice it is when I let myself off the hook and stop berating myself for something I did not do. I just let myself off the hook about writing this newsletter on the 2nd, the new moon. I just didnt have the energy to put it all together, even though I had already written most of the post below. But what I DID do that was totally revolutionary  for me was…only what I needed to do that day and not much else in regards to my business, so I could give myself the new moon love it was craving deeply. I meditated. I danced…I steamed my yoni…and I fully nourished myself with an amazing dinner…which was what the new moon was ALLLL about. So I released the “should” from my consciousness  that wanted to  criticize that I didnt write my newsletter.  And I felt the deepest sense of freedom from cultivating  unconditional love of Self. Reflecting on Independence Day each year, Im always thinking about the people that are still not free and live not only in physical bondage , but also mental bondage. I pray constantly that more people begin to walk a path that sets them free. It might be a challenging path, a dark path, a path that takes you into valleys, and paths that bring you right back to yourself, again, and again. But eventually, maybe in this lifetime, we attain the practice of yoga’s ultimate goal ~ which  is called Samadhi, pure Bliss. And what we experience when we are here flowing with this Bliss is called Moksha /liberation while living////. And from here we see our highest Self, in its state of ONEness is not affected by our jobs,  our stories, our partners,  our thoughts, our  education, our trauma, the news. So we can CHOOSE to be free of attachment to these things that create dukha ~ suffering, darkness, our shadow side, knowing that anything happening in this 3D reality, cannot affect the truth of our eternal divinity and our innate nature is one of pure BLISS already!! 


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Happy New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer ~ Are you Nurturing You?


Happy Summer and New Moon Solar Eclipse blessings to you! This is a very special one to me, because its in the zodiac sign of Cancer, which is the same one Im born under.  If you don’t have a Cancerian in your life, Im so sorry for you ( We would most humbly say….”we are the bomb”) . We are ruled by the moon, symbolized by the Crab and everything about us is usually connected to Water element, we love to nurture and give (sometimes to our detriment), we can sometimes be a little crabby, but generally, we are full of good vibes, divine sweetness and our innate nature (when we are not clinging to anything/one) is usually flowing with an ocean of love. 


To celebrate this energy and spread it all around, in my classes and my life, I am  focusing on inviting more nurturing practices to cool the fire of summer as well as bring in sukha (embodied ease), which is a quality very much associated with these longer days, warmer nights and maybe chillin’ out by some bodies of water. Of course being born in the summer, I never want it to end ( Im working on detaching my Crab claws from things)  and unfortunately the ease and fun of summer, can easily shift us into fatigue and overwhelm, leading to burnout or Fall colds. Ayurveda teaches that sickness can only take root in our bodies in-between the seasons, which is why detoxes or cleanses are common right before the season changes. 


Last summer I know I was doing the most and did end up getting sick in Fall, so this summer Im enjoying the longer days and summer fun in the sun, as well as time for stillness, regular meditation and reflective time in nature. One of my biggest lessons this year has been to make sure Im giving to myself what Im seeking in others…ie attention, love, adoration, time, patience, acceptance. These are big for me because I realized, as the Cancerian poster child I am, I give these things very well to others, but then look salty when I feel like Im not getting them back. Can anyone relate? For me, I had to first decide if I was ready to really be about this love I talk about in classes…did I want to love un-conditionally or love with conditions? It was a hard decision, but I set the intention to love without bounds and Im constantly hearing the words of Howard Thurman saying…” I want to be more loving in my heart…”  And its an ever-evolving journey, some days easier than others….and then some days I get on the Bay Bridge and its all over. 


After setting this intention, I had to make sure I was loving Elika unconditionally FIRST, which can definitely be the hardest! And since the sign of Cancer is associated with the Mother….you know, “ if mama ain’t happy No One is happy.” And I know many years I was smiling, but not always really happy with me. I think many of us appear to be happy at times when our soul is crying out for so much more ~  more attention, more love, more sweetness…and instead we misinterpret this cry and give it more clothes, more social activities, more food, more trips, more relationships, etc. So, this season and really forever I want to keep this loveFest really flowing and inspiring each other to really listen to themselves, get still and be curious about who you really are….take time to really adore you in your bliss as well as your mess…how do you relate to you when you are alone, single, with no one to mingle with? Hmmm Im looking at all of these lately and refusing to love Elika with conditions, so that I can  also continue to share  this unconditional loving-kindness with those in my life without needing them to fulfill any criteria in order for me to stay connected to my highest Self and to the Oneness of Source. 


Every New Moon is always a divine time to sloooow down. I tell my students, if you need to give anyone an excuse to cancel plans, or impose a boundary as self-care….blame it on the New Moon. Seriously! Like the darkness of this moon cycle, we get to also dive into the darkness of ourselves, maybe tread through some muddy, murky places, but always trusting that we will return to that place of fullness, radiance as we move towards the Full Moon. Setting intentions right now is also a perfect practice at this juncture (the first 3 days of the new moon are potent, so until July 5th)., especially with the Solar Eclipse happening the same day.  And eclipses come to sometimes shake things up in our lives, but has the power to truly catalyze our destiny. 


So much newNESS is percolating all around us in this season and in so many ways, and we have the option of taking a path of struggle or of ease. My hope is if you are still under 40, that you dont wait until your 40s to get this deep truth about  tending to your inner flame of unconditional love for ourselves is the most important relationship you will ever be in. Once you know this I think you will have the “Golden Secret”. Because you will feel a sense of Sukha ( Ease) that you never knew that transcends conditions.


 I’ve been committing to a daily meditation practice, with a dear friend who is, like me, having some amazing benefits. I have come to find that this practice is my favorite way to deeply come “Home” to myself. I feel that when we sit to listen to our sweetness, our chaos, and our boredom equally, it tells the cells and organs of our bodies that we really really love them and can be conetent to sit and appreciate their functioning and adore the breath that streams through us.


May you swim in the abundance of this new moon in Cancer. And if you find yourself tending to your body, your home, your family, your feelings…trust you are Divinely supported by the Oneness and Bliss you naturally are. 

​Check out some of my yummy vegan dishes I've been hooking up in this season of nurturing and tending to home. 

Well its a fabulous New Moon in Capricorn and Im following through with my intentions, to write more and to put energy behind my dreams and visions, not just talk about it! So I finally wrote my newsletter for the first time since April!! Wow I cant believe it. This must be a potent new moon. Im feeling such focus and desire to not stay stuck and stagnant as I have been feeling lately, with the colder weather and shorter days, I have had to really ignite some fire to more forward. Hope you are tending to your self and your inner fire on this new moon, cultivating love and grounding energy   (and the next 3 days are still in sync with this energy). Check out the newsletter HERE and also more about the new moon at mysticmama.com . Here's a little insight.....

*NEW MOON* in Capricorn is calling us to rise from within and move forward with our deepest Knowing. 
We began the year coming to terms with what is no longer working and what needs to be let go of and now it’s time to move onward and trust in the unknown journey that awaits.  
The beauty is we can choose to learn from our past and use our experiences as the fertile soil that will one day shoot new sprouts. Just as the dandelion seeds are carried in the wind to new ground, so we are held in the great continuum of life as it unfolds.*NEW MOON* in Capricorn is calling us to rise from within and move forward with our deepest Knowing. 
We began the year coming to terms with what is no longer working and what needs to be let go of and now it’s time to move onward and trust in the unknown journey that awaits.  
The beauty is we can choose to learn from our past and use our experiences as the fertile soil that will one day shoot new sprouts. Just as the dandelion seeds are carried in the wind to new ground, so we are held in the great continuum of life as it unfolds.

Happy New Year Blissful Bodies! Although I havent written a blog post in a while, Im glad to be writing for other teachers' sites! Check out my latest post in the Self-care Series for the Driven Yogi blog about Restorative Yoga. The focus is on teachers getting in this very nourishing and rejuvenative practice, but is applicable to all bodies living on this planet who deal with stress, illness, life transitions and finding more balance. 

Greetings everyone! Happy Earth Day and Taurus season! Any bulls in the house? If you've been in my class I often ask that if Im talking about the moon's position. Well Im grateful to almost always have one or two amazing friends born under this sign in my life, and Im so grateful for all my good Taurean sisters and brothers – who tend to be grounded, devout, routine, steady and can be warm and smooth like a mud bath at Calistoga. 

I love that Earth Day is always in the season of Taurus, an earth sign, connected with Mother Earth of course, the planet of Venus, sensuality, getting down and dirty and usually tend to have some grit to them. They also are associated with all things luxurious, including fine chocolates and massages ( especially when they are given at the same time). So in honor of our wonderful Earth Mama, Ive been enjoying connecting more with the earth element - meditating more, prostrating on the earth, going into nature, slowing down, doing less, conserving energy and really being present for my friends.... actively listening with an open heart and mind. 

Another way to connect with this element is creating new routines, and I just completed a 40 day Prosperity Sadhana called Har Kriya, in which I did 7-11 minutes of the mantra HAR. And I am so amazed at myself that I stuck with it. I dont usually like routine...ummm I should say.....  I kind of avoid routine at all costs. But I realized I had a story going on in my head that routine was boring, but now I know that routine can bring freedom. So when my good sister, Shirley Johnson started a group to do this Sadhana to build prosperity, I knew I needed the support and I wanted to really commit to myself. Discipline was not really discussed much in my youth, but only when I needed to receive the appropriate punishment for my teenage shenanigans. And when yoga found me in 1999, I was in chronic back pain, a smoker and devout Christian, looking for answers about what I was doing on this planet. And yoga became my first real dive into cultivating discipline, or tapas, a burning zeal /devotion in the practice that is offered back to the Source.  While some of this desire to cultivate tapas  has continued to flourish, some of my old habits have taken root and my once joyfully disciplined practice had somewhat died.  This 40 Day Sadhana was based on the Kundalini Yoga technology,  and really helped to re-ignite my practice so that Im so inspired to do things I dont want to do, to rise early, to meditate and chant, and feeling such a deep nourishment for my soul. 

So now as I continue these daily grounding practices, Im using an instruction given in mindfulness meditation, “be curious about the discomfort.” And these meditations can cause some real discomfort in some part of your body or mind for sure!  But why was just the idea of routine so uncomfortable for me? Why could I not commit to something that I know lifts my vibration in such a powerful way? And (I digress a bit, but... ) could this be connected with the reason Im not married as I would have liked to be. I often joke that I have “commitment issues” in reference to a lot of things and since doing this 40 day Sadhana, I feel more drawn to routine and really cultivating a Sadhana, which is the Sanskrit word for practice. This is a practice that comes from a place of joy and devotion, not from duty.

While I did this Sadhana, I felt my connection deeping with the Divine so that each day I feel more rooted in the energy of faith than of fear.  Despite more unknowns in my life and in the world right now, its very clear that in order to rise each day with a bit of peace and grounded in a deep knowing of my Self, I must keep this connection each day. Another way I've been creating this earth energy, is to finally commit to exploring.  This book is a gem for women at every stage of life, when you want to bring more wholeness and sacredness to your womb and offers guidance on practicing daily rituals: prayer, vegan living, womb yoga + dance, and daily self-care practices to have you walking around like a goddess everyday.

And believe me, fear still arises and doubt sticks its head in periodically, but they cannot dissolve the deep, warm, muddy bath of Divine Love and Light Im swimming in, keeping me grounded and rooted in the truth of SAT NAM – which means "I AM TRUTH". 

I hope this Earth Day and Taurus season offer you some time to go into nature, form some uplifting routines and honor the Mother in your own sacred way. 

Dont forget about an upcoming event for the Goddesses Im co-leading with Shirley Johnson of Soulistic Wellness  April 29th NOURISHING THE SINGLE GODDESS at Anasa Yoga. REGISTER HERE

Im going to try to be more consistent here...but how ironic that the last post post was about Leo hmmmm...Im sensing a theme. This is from my newsletter sent 2/10 read more or subscribe here

Happy Full Moon in Leo! Hope your February is starting out in an amazing and empowering way! Just like the symbol associated with the sign of Leo, the Lion, he ain't scared of ANYTHING! You might remember the Bible story of Daniel in the Lion's Den, who fearlessly faced the den because he had faith that God would protect him from whatever the Law  threatened he would face if he prayed to God. 

Where is your faith these days? It is in the Laws, the government, your status? There is a Sanskrit word that has been coming up for me lately, Sraddha, which means Faith in something bigger than you. BKS Iyengar says your yoga practice cannot even be complete, without faith, courage (virya) and devotion (bhakti).  I know you think you just need a mat, cute clothes and the will to move your body. HA! Those are ok too, but I invite you to really be curious about what/who you are rooted in each day when you rise up each day and go into this ever-changing world. Are you rooted in/dominated by this temporary existence...Lack of Love, Money, a Job? Or are you connected with a sense of Infinite Wisdom and a connection to an Infinite Source of Abundance?

And if you are feeling some lack, please take a moment to see if you can get a peak in the sky tonight of the Full Moon. Soak in all that illumination shining  down on you. Its undoubtedly lighting up something in your life or your heart if you allow it. If you follow me on social media, you  might've seen my "Live in the Light" series that was spotlighting myself and inspiring souls in my life that are shining their light without letting FEAR get in their way. And eventhough the series is over, Im grateful when I can look back on the wisdom I received over that month's time so that Im aware when I decide to play small, feel insecure or want to let fear dominate me. I hope you are also staying in the flow of life FEARLESSLY shining your LIGHT and your LOVE everywhere you go. 

Thanks to ALL of you beautiful beings who inspire me everyday...my dear sister friends, brothers, all the mamas in my life and in my classes, teachers, students and everyone I interact with that has taught me something either directly or indirectly. I thank YOU infinitely!

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Happy Birthday Leos! Its that time of the year, things ate heating up besides the weather can you feel it!? And the Leos are ready to be heard and seen of course.  Today, Tuesday is the NEW MOON in LEO, which is a perfect time to look at what you're passionate about, where do you place your values, where is your passion directed....does it serve you fully...where you lose your power...and then maybe set intentions to invite courage to address these concerns or about anything else you are manifesting. For example, I really love to write and with this new moon I intend to write and blog more and use this mode of creation in a new and more innovative way.

What thought could you change, what belief could you relinquish, what story are you tired of hearing repeated over and over? I could teach a whole workshop about "The Story" haha its been a recurring theme...to be con't...
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Whether its your birthday season or not, I truly hope you are feeling that you have something to roar about these days,  something that you are so passionate about people cannot shut you up no matter what.  And it doesnt matter if your roar might sting somebody, if it comes from a place of TRUTH, speak it! Whether you are raising your voice about some injustice, or infant mortality, wellness, dance or the medical system I know you are courageous and fearless like the LION, speaking your truth, as you were brought to this planet to do! And if you sometimes feel like a cat got your tounge its ok, acknowledge it and then see some new pattern forming.  If you come to my classes, you know I love lion's breath. If it doesnt make you feel really energized and strong, it  will crack you up or someone near you and both options are amazing for getting out of your own way and just being more authentically YOU!  Its also great for detoxing the physical and emotional body
Try this BREATHING EXERCISE with me.....

SIMHASANA|Lion's Breath|Sit on a chair/floor and breathe deeply 5-10 breaths. When you are ready, take a big inhale, lean forward slightly and place hands on knees/floor while sticking out the tongue and let out a serious roar from your belly. Do 3-5 times and return to smooth breathing. 

Much LOVE  + Blessings
~ Elika 
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Ps ~ Lion Babe is doing it for me right now and perfect for your road trip playlist and of course Leo Season!  ​

So after a few weeks into the new year, how are those resolutions going? No judgement at all from me. I never liked that word much, I much prefer intentions and to focus on a greater purpose than just the norm... lose weight, stop yelling at my partner, get more sleep blah blah.  But either way, you KNOW you are divine and perfect and it really doesnt matter right?! Well, if you have beaten yourself over anything you did or didn't do, I suggest you send that energy in a more empowering direction and keep it moving so you can practice LIVING IN THE LIGHT no matter what.  So maybe you ate a gallon of ice cream or living on coffee instead of kale like you planned. We all get distracted and our paths diverted, but we just need to identify it and steer ourselves back.  You must be able to tend your internal “fire” when the embers start to go dim.  Whether its the colder weather or heavier foods, we can all be prone to dullness/heaviness in the winter months. I have definitely felt it myself and according to Ayurveda, this energy is connected with the element of earth/water, called Kapha. Its what is often responsible for sucking us into the couch on a cold rainy day, or drawing up into meditation. I really enjoyed this pull this winter, really seeing the value in this period of “cocooning”, of being more homebound and introspective. Through this stage, nature prepares us to blossom in Spring with infinite possibilities. I had to really be mindful of how much I gave into this earth energy and had to do much tending to my inner sloth with vigorous yoga, deep inner listening, journaling and restorative poses to move stagnant energy. And once I stopped criticizing myself, I actually saw the beauty in this excess earth energy. The natural impulse of the universe needs this stillness to bring birth and renewal in Spring. By tending our fires, we bring in the element of fire (pitta) to burn away the excessive dullness/sloth and keep our hearts and souls bright throughout Winter, knowing the Light is returning soon. We have a choice daily~what fires will we consciously tend? The thoughts of regret, shame, failure? Or the fires of infinite possibilities, re-dedication, intentional living, love, peace and power? You choose! 

May you live Blissfully in the Light! Enjoy one my favorite songs to revel in your light and feel inspired to shine it without apologies everyday! "Live in the Light" by Fertile Ground!