A Mind, Body, Heart Fitness Challenge On Kauai In February
Lately I have been feeling so much gratitude for the ways in which my body supports me in living my life to the fullest. I have just recently been jumping courageously off waterfalls, hiking miles in the jungle, and dancing spontaneously with Kaili (and she loves to be held and swung all around when we dance). All of this with a freedom that I truly cherish.
I know that I know that I know, that my CONSISTENT commitment to my yoga and fitness practices have gifted me this freedom I appreciate in my body daily. Thank you practices!
So, this February I am offering a new challenge, a new opportunity to recommit to your devotional offering of love to your body, mind and heart. (more…)
Yoga And Adventure Retreat Home On Kauai: January, 2012
To really describe the accommodations for this January Yoga Retreat On Kauai is not easy to do. Why? Because there is a magical essence to this space that must be felt, heard, seen and touched. It has it’s own pulse, a unique resonance and a divine beauty that speaks to the hearts of those that will stay with us for the week.
Here is what one couple from my last retreat wrote in the guest book,
“This home served as a perfect setting for our honeymoon and yoga retreat with Samantha. We sincerely appreciate the beauty of this property and feel truly blessed to have spent time here connecting to the island, each other, and ourselves. Our time here has been heart opening, it has brought to us joy and happiness, it has givin us a true sense of connection and a feeling of being aligned with grace.”
With deepest gratitude, Jeff and Beth
I am looking for people who’s hearts leap when they envision themselves spending a week on Kauai partaking in: (more…)
May 2012 Anusara Yoga And Nature Retreat On Kauai
Mark your calendars because this coming April 30-May 6 you are invited to rock with me on Kauai!
Come enjoy the expansive moon grow into it’s fullness with us this May, 2012. I will be hosting this yoga retreat with Kimberly Daniels and I am already super excited about the unique offerings that will be added to this special week full of yoga and a connection to nature and our hearts. The possibilities are countless. The blessings of Kauai and our deep practices will be flowing in abundance. Come play, connect and enjoy.
Included in this magical week long yoga retreat is:
*6 nights in a spacious, getaway home with an ocean view and a hot tub in Princeville, Kauai.
*3 daily meals / desserts / fresh juices / coco water
*2 daily practices of yoga, fitness, and/or mediation with two Anusara yoga instructors.
*Daily excursions which will include: waterfall hike, beach days, one Stand Up Paddle board lesson on river, endless possibilities (let us know what you would love to experience here).
*All travel, car expenses to and from airport and during the week.
*All taxes (more…)
Are You Being Challenged?
I just have to give a shout out to the women who rocked this Tuesday’s Bootie Camp class. We had such a powerful, sweaty, and uplifting class today, inspired by the perseverance of the South Sudanese people. (Their story is incredibly heart-opening and inspiring to me.)
Really what I wanted to share in this post are the 2 challenges that I put out there in our Bootie Camp class today: (more…)
A Grateful Way To Receive More
One of the most powerful and transformational practices that I know of personally is GRATITUDE. It magically shifts my mind from what I don’t have, or what is “wrong”, to the abundance of blessings that I do have. In this practice I am consistently being given more and more of all that is good.
One student commented to me after a workshop years ago (where we did a short gratitude journal exercise) that writing down all the things she was grateful for really gave her a new perspective. She found this most helpful. Give it a try. (more…)
A Meditation That Honors This Gift Of Life
The theme this week in my yoga classes has been “Each Day Is A Gift.” This is a theme that holds such a great significance for us now, and always. Although with what has been happening globally it is such an uplifting and refreshing reminder that the very miracle of being alive, right now, is an absolute gift to be treasured and appreciated.
At some point in the class I have been placing an intentional pause, with which we have been filling with a wonderful depositing of appreciation and recognition for all that our body does for us. Without us even having to think about it our heart beats, our blood flows, our liver cleans our blood, our intestines digest food and absorbs nutrients so we can thrive, our lungs our kidneys and our lymph systems also work to keep us healthy as they are designed to remove toxins from our bodies in one way or another. We have an amazing world of support within us, right now. Our bodies are truly miraculous gifts and when we take the time to appreciate them, there is a palpable feeling inside that reminds us to that honoring this gift that we have been given is good! (more…)
Yoga Detox Workshop With Samantha Fox Olson
SPRING CLEANSING TIME!
YOGA DETOX WORKSHOP WITH SAMANTHA FOX
This is the perfect time to detox our bodies and we can use our yoga practice to facilitate cleansing on many levels.
During this yoga workshop, certified Anusara yoga instructor, Samantha Fox Olson will guide students through a cleansing and flowing practice. Additionally, I will open the workshop with very helpful instruction regarding alignment principles that will be applied during this practice to facilitate an effective yoga detox. The workshop will close with a meaningful meditation that applies to cleansing our minds, bodies and hearts.
Each student will be able to take what they learn in this workshop and bring it into, and enhance, every other yoga practice, no matter what form of yoga you practice! (more…)
Let Your Love Light Shine
I absolutely love this short poem by Hafiz: “Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, ‘you owe me’. Look what happens with a love like that, it lights up the whole sky.” It is such a sweet reminder of the power and beauty of unconditional love.
We used this quote for prenatal yoga today as a recognition of unconditional that a mother has for her baby during meditation. It seems so fitting doesn’t it?
I also used this inspiration in my other yoga classes this week. (more…)
A Welcoming Meditation For Pregnant Mamas
When I was pregnant I loved sitting in meditation and silently honoring and welcoming my baby. What a blissful way to connect to, and pour love into, our little one who has not even set foot on this earth yet!
Especially if your pregnancy was an unplanned suprise, this meditation will help transform any negative emotions into positive-for you and your baby! Even if your pregnancy was 100% planned and welcomed from the start, this inner offering will bless your baby with a deep knowing of unconditional love and support from the very beginning!
(more…)
Pre-natal Yoga Classes On Kauai
I am so happy to announce that we are beginning a new session of prenatal yoga here in Kilauea, Kauai!
Classes will be specifically for pregnant mothers wishing to enjoy this blessed practice of yoga during this very special time.
I am so grateful I had my yoga practice during my pregnancy. It supported my body in being strong and open, my mind in being relaxed and calm. Additionally I was able to connect to my little one as as I consciously breathed for the 2 of us, as we moved together, and sweetly used meditation techniques to further deepen my connection to her too.
If you know any pregnant mother on Kauai, please spread the word. Fridays, in Kilauea Farms, from 4-5:15 pm starting October 30th.
How And Why To Do Nadi Sodhana
Regular alternate nostril breathing, Nadi-Sodhana, is the most important practice for keeping our pranas in balance.
Nadi-sodhana brings balance to the two main channels through which prana flows, ida and pingala (the left and right prana currents). The left side, ida, is the cool, moon, feminine side which promotes emotion and love. The right side, pingala, is the hot, sun, male energy which promotes discrimination and reason.
Regular nadi-sodhana practice not only than keeps these energies in balance, but also purifies the body and mind. By harmonizing the pranas, levels of stress and anxiety are reduced and vitality is increases. For this reason, nadi-sodhana is great for those engaged in mental work, or as a prescription for depression.
Global Mala: Yoga For World Peace Worldwide And On Kauai
Global Mala is an event for world peace that weaves together the yoga community of the entire world! Global Mala is the uniting of millions of yogi’s hearts and deepest wishes for peace on earth for all. This is prayer in motion, prayer in action!
Inspired by Shiva Rea a few years back, this is an inspiring and connecting event for all yoga practitioners.
A couple years ago I witnessed this event, with my one year old on my hip, at the Staples Center in L.A. Live music and hundreds of colorful yogis being lead through salutes from great teachers such as Shiva Rea and Sean Corne. Just last year I partook in the 108 salutes at Equinox Fitness Center in Manhattan Beach, CA where I was an instructor. There is just something so special about coming together with local community in this blessed light.
The Feeling Of Yoga
There is a truth I’ve felt before. The truth of unity, the truth that there is a divine thread that weaves us all together. Yes, ALL of us together. From the earth to the sky, ALL creatures, ALL of nature.
To open to this truth made me feel connected, expansive, still and alive. It feels like your heart is wide open. It reveals to you that divine essence that underlies everything in creation.
I’ve had different experiences that has opened me to this bliss. A few easy to explain examples: guided by my meditation teacher during a meditation retreat, on my yoga mat during practice, chanting at satsang with Krishna Das, and even at a business conference with Dani Johnson. Letting go of ego has always been a factor for me in touching this bliss, of allowing grace to pour in.
Each time this feeling was so profound, never to be forgotten. I remember the sensation of anger dissolving, compassion bursting, and even the amazing enormity of the star-lite sky. In this space there is so much compassion, so much love, so much trust. Ironically enough, waking up the next day becomes just an ordinary day. Sometimes looking for the good in each situation comes naturally, and some days I want to swear out loud to the person cutting me off in traffic. (hee hee, oh the frailness of me.) (more…)
Samantha Fox is a yoga and fitness instructor on the Garden Island of Kauai in Hawaii. She is a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor and holds a Diploma in Ayurveda Sciences. Samantha has been practicing yoga for over 17 years and began teaching in 2002.