Celebrate Freedom / New Moon in Cancer

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. 

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