פודקאסטדליה

Dalia Coldham
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  • Self-Improvement

פודקאסטדליה” היא סדרת מפגשים המאפשרת לאנשים מקהילת הסטודיו וחבריהם לחלוק איתנו בתחומי העיסוק, העניין וחוויות החיים שלהם”

  1. Jun 9

    Gate Five – The Art of Generosity

    Gate five – The Art of Generosity My contract with Myself With each and every deed, word, glance, and touch, I come to give, to heal, to ease, and to support. Each time I start to think, “I gave but received nothing in return,” I will remind myself, “In giving, I received.” I will remind myself to constantly look for ways to see the spirit and soul of those around me, rather than their external wrappings. My generosity will awaken you and enable you to see that all those fleeting, dynamic things around you—your body, your house, your thoughts, and your emotions—are not actually you. This realization allows you to recognize your own infinity, the spirit within you, and the soul within you that endures.  My signature that in every deed, word, glance, and touch, I have come only to give, heal, ease, and support. Dana The Sanskrit word Dana refers to the concept of donation. When I am in the mindset of giving with no motivation to receive, and I give out of the goodness of my heart, I am filled with purity. My conscience is calm. When I am in the mode of generosity, with no ulterior motive of personal gain, my heart is open. I stop worrying about my own needs: what’s hard for me, what hurts me, or what bothers me.  I stop thinking about “What’s in it for me?” I am filled with emotion; I am moved by your happiness and by the good I have done. Generosity, the act of giving, is a tool that balances me and enables me to live a life of joy.  Giving of myself, from what I have and what I can share with others, is both the most important and the most moving purpose of my life. It must be practiced by all of us so that we may live in peace and freedom with ourselves. We should teach those around us—our friends, our children, our students, and our work colleagues—to live in this state of consciousness.  In sports, for example, we should be non-competitive. We should support one another and be there for each other. This way, we all grow, and we reduce injuries by focusing less on personal achievement and more on mutual support. This approach should be applied in all areas of life. At work, we should operate as a team. We should collaborate, share profits, enjoy the benefits of our efforts and successes, and even face failures together as a team. Because this is what we remember—the togetherness, the cohesion, and the support. And this is how we build lifelong friendships.  Our generosity, our outpouring from our own abundance, is the key to living a joyful and balanced life. This is an intrinsic part of our human existence as free, enlightened people. So be generous. Give as much as you can. Be generous with your talents, your time, your money, your nourishment, your touch, and your love. Give. Vishuddha The Chakra of communication and purity. I gently place my fingers on my neck, my eyes fill with the color sky blue, the color of the morning sky—a soft, light blue—and I hum the sound of ha-am. I connect to the area of my body responsible for communication. I breathe deeply, and my throat opens its gates to the world, as if I've created a hole in the middle of my throat that allows energy to flow freely like a fresh breeze that blows straight into my throat through the hole in my neck, blowing out all the waste with it. I picture fresh, translucent white air coming in, while grey air leaves, repeating this cycle until the outgoing air is as clean and white as the incoming air. I am connected to my throat, my mouth, my lips, my vocal cords, and my lungs as they fill with clean air. I deeply explore my communication chakra. I check in on my relationships, my connections with others, and how I communicate with people around the world. Does my relationship with you come from a loving heart? Is it compassionate and giving, rather than motivated by ulterior motives or personal gain, even if those are hidden? I examine my relationships. When my generosity is pure, my Chakra is open, my throat is open, and my words are clear. I think carefully about every word I speak. Is the word I am about to speak one that will connect us? Is it soothing? Supportive? Healing? If not, I should refrain from saying it. Do I speak to myself with words that evoke love and compassion, or am I down on myself, angry with myself, criticizing myself, or judging myself? What is my relationship and communication with myself? The tradition of Yoga has taught me that first and foremost, I need to communicate with myself in a way that is filled with love, compassion, and generosity. I should treat myself as if I were my own best friend. I ask myself, how would I treat my best friend if she were me? Would I hug that best friend and support her? Would I see her light and champion her? What words would I choose when speaking to her? And so, I pay close attention to the purity of the words I use. I have a duty to speak to myself and others with words of love, inspiration, and positivity. I do not choose words that might cause pain or weaken you, or words that create distance between us. All my relationships require ongoing conscious clarity and purity. The area of my throat and mouth must be clean and pure, while my eyes see the color sky blue. I look to the sky and practice this purity.  When my communication is clean, my life is pure. I operate on an elevated plane, free from pain and suffering. My life becomes lighter and more fluid as it flows through me. I gain greater clarity, and love radiates all around me. This energy force field wraps around everyone connected to me. A new world is created where we can all live in clarity. The masks and barriers have fallen, the internal and external become one, the noise ceases, and joy blooms. Please note—love of self is not selfish. Don’t burden yourselves with worry, and don’t abuse yourselves. Live in a relationship of clear, supportive communication with yourself, because this is the most fundamental relationship. All other relationships originate from it. Satya:  Eternal Truth Satya, one of the ten core tools of Yoga, means honesty or truth. Truth is not something to be assumed. As I practice Yoga poses, I must listen intently to stay fully present in the here and now with all my senses. I must be like a child or an animal, free of thoughts and feelings, so I can experience things as they truly are. What, essentially, is the pursuit of truth in my life? I have many stories to tell you about my life, my biography, and my perspective on the world. I could also invent stories about my life. Maybe the things I remember didn't happen exactly as I recall. Truth exists on an alternative plane, a plane that is eternal, timeless, and limitless.  It is both the here and now and independent of linear time.  It is infinity. I have freed myself from the “movie reel” I created in my mind, and now I see things clearly. When I live in truth, the result is already built into the act. If my intention was honest, the outcome is what was meant to happen. For example, if I decide to run a marathon for a hospital charity, even if I don’t end up running the marathon, I have still “traveled the road”: I have trained, fallen, and gotten back up, and raised awareness for that charity. So, the outcome happened as it was meant to happen in that particular moment. If someone is in medical school and works as a waiter, each time they serve a customer and show genuine interest, they are already demonstrating qualities of a healing manner, befitting a doctor. The meaning of Satya is to always be in a state of clarity, truth, and complete sensory presence. The rest is just a story, just a movie. The Search To deepen my understanding, I must question. In Yoga, this is called Swadhyaya—research and exploration of the self. It's an ongoing process of self-evaluation to identify the points in my life that prevent me from experiencing true joy and freedom, and to focus on and work on them daily. This is lifelong work. This is the work of life. Now would be a good time to stop, pause, grab a pen and paper, and take a moment after each question to listen to your heart and write down what you discover there.  Describe a time when you gave your all and loved it so much that your body felt joyful and energized. Think about the small things in life that you enjoy receiving from others, and the little actions you could do for someone else. Snacks For the Way What is my practice of generosity today? What could I do today to bring a smile to your face? What will I take in my backpack? At the end of the day, you’ll take with you only what you give away As we conclude this gate, please take a minute to journal some reflections of gratitude.

    11 min

  2. May 13

    סדנת תזונה תומכת מערכת החיסון עם שרית פלד

    פודקאסט העוסק בתזונה מאוזנת ואורח חיים בריא, עם דגש על חיזוק מערכת החיסון באמצעות הרגלי אכילה נכונים. בכל פרק נדבר על תזונה תומכת גוף ונפש, טיפים מעשיים לשגרת חיים בריאה וכלים פשוטים לשיפור הבריאות ביום־יום.

    1h 9m

  3. May 11

    Gate Four - The Art of Creativity, Purpose and Livelihood

    Gate 4 The Art of Creativity, Purpose, and Livelihood My contract with Myself I promise myself to gaze with wonder at all things, as if I were seeing them for the first time. I will not define anything, not even a flower; I will not say to myself, “that is an apple blossom; it belongs to this species.” Rather, I will see it as an illumination of nature. I will refrain from defining you, even if we have known each other for a long time. I will see you as an ever-emerging creation, revealing itself to me, with infinite possibilities that are your spirit. I promise myself that I will eradicate all fear that keeps the creation within me from coming into the light, because I know that I have a gift within me, and I will find a creative way to gift it to the world. I will continue to see my purpose as uncovering the true purpose within each and every one of you, as you peel away the layers, the fears, the prejudices, and the labels you have applied to yourself, so that your uniqueness can come to light; that way, each of us can offer our unique gift to the world. We are one great big human tapestry. Together, we will bring about peace, stillness, and camaraderie. We will find an alternative way to be close to one another. My signature that I will look at all things through the eyes of wonder. Creativity, Purpose, Livelihood, and the Connection Between Them I will sincerely try, from the bottom of my heart, to explain the deep-seated Yoga concepts that have given me life tools, so I can help you connect your uniqueness and creativity to your purpose. This is the path to freedom and joy. These are the tools: Kama, Karma, Dharma, Artha, and Moksha. Kama The foundation of life is passion - the Kama, the fire burning within me. It is primal, childlike, pure, and the primary source of creation. When I have passion, my creativity awakens, my uniqueness emerges, and my gift to the world appears. This is the ultimate purpose of my life and the reason I am here.    Karma Creativity is the space where I can let go of the Karma: my patterns, my fears, my apprehensions, my habits, and my assumptions about who I am.  Dharma As I emerge into the light and follow the Dharma, the wisdom, the godliness, and the spirit of life, I am led to the creation already within me that has, until now, been shrouded in darkness. I have within me the imagination to fulfill my dreams. I have infinite abundance, and I can influence you to bring you into the light along with me. You and I can create the world. I have a responsibility to show you your unique gift to the world because no one else can offer it. Therefore, you have a responsibility to fulfill your potential and share your gift with the world. This is your destiny. If it is not fulfilled, we have missed out on the opportunity to live life. Artha According to the tradition of Yoga, only once I have fulfilled and actualized my destiny and turned it into my livelihood, into Artha, and I can provide for myself from within my unique creative gift to the world, then, and only then, can I be one with Dharma, spirit, and godliness. Moksha You might ask, “Can I fulfill my creativity separately, alongside my work that provides my livelihood?” The Yoga answer is – no. I must leave my other pursuits and live in Bhakti, in devotion to my purpose and destiny, with no fear of economic scarcity or of the ropes that might pull me down with messages like – “Don’t do that! Stay where you are, stay where it’s safe!” There will always be inner voices telling us this is a bad idea. However, there is another inner voice, however small, telling us this is a good idea. This voice opens the door to endless and infinite possibilities. When this happens, we can shift from merely existing, from the grind of work, from simply functioning and rolling from one day to the next, to truly living. This is a place devoid of time and space, a place where I never feel like I have worked a day in my life, where I could be in my studio until 1 a.m. because I am filled with joy and exalted freedom that is Moksha. Each one of us has a unique gift that is unlike that of any other person. It is your obligation to realize and fulfill your special potential and offer it to the world. This is our life purpose. If this does not occur, we miss out on the opportunity to live life. Life and Livelihood – Two separate Worlds? Modern life tends to separate work and personal life, as if we exist in two separate worlds: our professional world and our personal world. We wake up, go to the office, earn a living, and then go home to relax, pursue hobbies, spend time with friends, or care for our children. The philosophy of Yoga suggests that they are not disconnected—that we are one with our essence. We don’t “come home from work.” We are who we are, no matter where or when we are.   Whether you are with your children, your friends, or traveling around the world, you will always be yourself. For example, if you are a doctor, you are a doctor in every situation and at all times. You do not stop being a doctor just because you are not in your clinic at the moment. I feel this way about my work.  For years, I tried to separate my studio, where I worked and supported myself, from my personal life. It was a lifelong struggle. Since my studio was in my house, I looked for ways to keep them apart. I set up a separate entrance. I served my clients coffee in the studio rather than in my kitchen. I had a separate bathroom. I worried that my life partner might feel uncomfortable with people dropping by at any hour of the day or night.  After a long battle, I finally realized that my house, my livelihood, my self, my friends, and my neighbors are all one. The struggle to separate them only caused me pain and suffering. Today, I am thrilled that you, my students, drink coffee in my kitchen. I love it when someone wants to have a birthday party or even a wedding in my garden. I am happy when my students become my friends and my neighbors become my students. If I happen to meet one of you at the mall or after a run and you tell me your back hurts, I will never tell you to schedule a consultation. I’ll discuss it with you on the spot and see what can be done.   My home is my studio, and my essence encompasses all the things I do: my home and my time. I have no separation, even though some might say this invades my privacy. I disagree. If I lie in bed at night, unable to sleep because I am thinking about you, my students, I accept that lovingly. That’s okay with me because my purpose, my destiny, is to be your coach and Yoga teacher. That is my essence, my mission, regardless of time or place. This is my joy.  I believe my work is part of my essence. If someone works in a place that doesn't suit them, they aren't truly living. Every moment of life is precious and irreplaceable, so we have a responsibility to infuse our essence into each and every moment. There is no separation between work and life—life is every moment, every hour. It doesn't start after we “punch out” of work.    The Karma of Money What are My Patterns, Values and Fears Regarding Money? I understand that money can be a source of prosperity, liberation, and abundance for me. It can also lead to a life of worry, fear, and inner conflict with myself as well as with my friends, students, or life partner. The Yoga tradition teaches me that money is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Money can help me realize my potential and bring my unique gifts to the world. As I explore money through the lens of the Yoga tradition, I also examine my inner sources and the external messages I've received about money, my relationship to it, and how I make a living. The important question I find myself asking is, “How can I turn money into a pure and sacred tool?”  My Karma, which includes my preconceived patterns and values about money, is strongly shaped by the behaviors I observed in my childhood home and by my personal experiences. Many of my fears and concerns stem from watching my mother, who lived in constant fear of not being able to make a living and pay our mortgage or the bills that arrived in the mail. Conversely, my father was a painter, a photographer, and a bohemian who loved life passionately. He never stressed about money— “Today, I sold a painting, so we have food. If I don’t sell one tomorrow, we’ll manage. The main thing is that we are okay. Let’s enjoy this moment! Who cares about tomorrow!” These conflicting perceptions are ingrained in me and have become part of my Karma. On the one hand, I am passionate about fulfilling my dreams and living in the moment. On the other hand, financial stresses and worries weigh heavily on me, influencing my financial decisions as well as the fulfillment of my dreams. I explore those fears deeply within my soul, so they no longer hold me back.  My fear of financial scarcity can prevent me from taking certain financial risks. For example, I want to open an additional space in my house for my studio so I can teach dance movement, but this fear is keeping me from moving forward. I can immediately recognize behavior patterns stemming from my individual Karma. I realize that these patterns are disempowering my growth and my ability to reach my full potential. The tradition of Yoga invites us, you and me, to examine those patterns, dig deeply into the root, and try to understand the source, so we can free ourselves from them and move forward toward our personal and professional self-actualization.  The beauty of money is that when used wisely, it will transform into a sacred vessel for spiritual enlightenment. And so, I would like to ask myself the following question, and I invite you to ask yourself the same: where does my money come from? Does it come from work that adds good to the world? Do I use my money to help others reach their full potential?

    23 min

  4. May 11

    Gate Three - The Art of Freedom and Discipline

    Gate 3 The Art of Freedom and Discipline My contract with myself I promise myself to fulfill the dreams of every person I encounter. I promise to refrain from being driven by my own personal considerations. I promise to consider my actions, making sure they enhance those around me. I promise to support each and every one of you so you can reveal the good within you and proliferate it into the world. I promise myself not to let the seesaw between pain and pleasure determine my happiness. My signature that I have come to fulfill the dreams of every person I encounter.  I Understood the Truth about Myself; I Understood the Meaning of Freedom I went looking for freedom, for that Big Brass Ring of Joy, in the wrong place. The key to true happiness, to infinite freedom, is not about getting what I want. Rather, it is about wanting what I have. I thought I wanted to be finished with high school, and then with my military service, and then I wanted to get married, to have children, to own a beautiful house with a yard, and to have my own health and wellness studio, an endless list of things I wanted. Things that, once accomplished, would signal to me that I would (finally) be a free, happy person.  I understood that I was living under the misguided illusion that happiness would reside in my list of accomplishments. I used to believe that feeling gratitude for all I have would make me happy.  I liked to say that I was happy, because I have a house with a beautiful yard, a bicycle, and three healthy children. I was wrong. That’s not it! True freedom rests on the freedom from the material.  All material objects are, by definition, temporary. Freedom and joy reside on a different plane, on a spiritual plane. The spirit of life, of the being, of my essence. This alternative plane is permanent, infinite, and everlasting. No one, under any circumstances, can take away my freedom. I embody the spirit of freedom, and this liberty allows me to connect with my essence and choose the kind of person I want to be: a person of love and compassion, someone sensitive and generous, or… someone focused only on my own foolishness and self-interest. The choice is mine. I can connect to my essence and fulfill my unique gift to the world – and enhance myself and make the world a better place.  I understand that when I am happy and free, I need nothing. I have everything. I have infinite joy and freedom. I have the freedom to choose to fulfill my higher essence. This freedom is mine.  To understand and give you the wondrous tools of Yoga, I will explain several essential tools in this section. These practices will serve as milestones along our journey through life, making it easier, lighter, and more joyous. So, let's set out on the journey to acquire the tools for freedom.  My goal on the journey of my Yogi life is to be happy. How do I make that happen? Yoga opens the door by releasing me from  my ego, my self-image, my patterns, and my preconceived notions, otherwise known as Karma. What is Karma? I was born in a Karmatic birth. Every one of you is born in a Karmatic birth: to a specific family, in a particular place, at a specific time, with cultural norms that accompany us, you and I, throughout our lives. Each of these elements determines the conditions of our lives. They shape our perceptions, reactions, and responses. They bind us like chains to a prison. I am imprisoned. When I choose to follow the road of spirit, which is Yoga, I gradually realize that all the choices I thought I was making were not truly choices made by me. I had no real choice. I was driven by my biased learned patterns, my conditioning, my habits, and my formed images of myself that I identified with as if they were me. These preconceived notions informed my decisions.  What is Dharma?    Dharma is our eternal wisdom, our inner voice that guides us on our path. Dharma is indescribable.   I can only attempt to describe Dharma as my life spirit, as godliness, as the energy of life without which the body would be merely a lifeless corpse. With it, I am alive. I am life. When I am cleansed, the Dharma can flow through me, as the breath flows through a flute, creating music.  What is Moksha? What is the essence of this freedom that I strive to achieve? Moksha is a primary tool that enables me to liberate myself from my ego, which, in turn, allows me to free myself from the image I build of myself. It enables me to be open to the endless possibilities. Moksha breaks apart the loop of cause and effect, the loop of Karma. I am no longer concerned with why something happened or the reason behind the event. There is no connection between the catalyst and the result. I am set free from the cage of loneliness and separateness. I am led, instead, by a life of love and generosity that generates my true joy.  Discipline So how do I do this? What is the tool that enables me to be in a state of true freedom? Discipline. I utilize every moment as an opportunity to practice. I learn in every moment to set aside my ego and image, executing every task, big or small, not to seek self-growth or self-actualization but from a genuine goal of generosity that springs forth from my heart. When I release my Karma, my patterns, and my ego, I can become a vessel to hold space for Dharma and spirit.  How do I accomplish this through my practice? As I practice the poses of Yoga, or the movements of dance, or of any sport, I remove my ego. I practice without ambition, without a goal, and without a desire to achieve a specific outcome. Instead, I listen to my inner senses. I look inward, relinquishing my thoughts, my expectations, and my feelings. My movements flow from a place of not-doing, a place of “un”-doing. Through the physical practice, I liberate my emotional body. I practice this skill in Yoga so that I can then transfer it to every aspect of my life, so that everything I do bubbles forth through me the way water bubbles forth from a spring, the way song emits from a bird. Effortlessly. I maintain an iron discipline. I wake up every morning and practice Kriya – the poses that cleanse the stomach, as the stomach is the energy source that contains anxiety, noise, and the ego. I clear out past contents and face forward. I have the discipline to choose to nourish myself with vibrant, fresh food that contains life. I choose to avoid ingesting criticism, judgmental comments, or gossip. I go outside to the open air, to walk or to hike, to cycle, to swim, to breathe fresh air, and to soak up nature. I use my body and mind to practice in order to be open to life: present, available, alive. The freedom from the ego and the liberation from the predetermined image open infinite possibilities for me. I have left the circles of Karma; I am no longer chained to my actions and their results. I live a life of love and generosity, and I have become a person who is truly happy. Manipura The Chakra of the Solar Plexus This chakra is located in the “solar plexus,” between the diaphragm and the navel. When I place my fingers on the area, I can feel tension. It feels hard and blocked. The color of the chakra is yellow. The sound is “rahem”,” and the element is fire. It is connected to our sense of sight, and the physical connection includes the digestive system, the liver, the pancreas, the spleen, the gall bladder, the small intestine, and the stomach area.  I understand how sensitive this area is. I often say that I have “butterflies in my stomach,” that something “stabs me like a knife in my stomach”, “I feel that in the pit of my stomach,” or that “I feel I have a knot in my stomach that I cannot digest.” This is the area that holds the energies of worry, ego, repression, fear, anxiety, disturbing thoughts, restlessness, and all the things that take up so much space and block my flow.  Therefore, I make sure to cleanse this area during my Yoga practice. My thoughts, feelings, troubles, and other expressions take up so much room inside me, and I find it essential to separate my spirit, my self, from my ego. It’s as if, when I talk to myself, I am speaking to a good friend, telling her, “You have got to take a break from yourself for a minute! You have got to lay yourself down. You have got to love yourself and take care of yourself.” This conversation needs to happen between my self and me to relax and cleanse my solar plexus. That’s why the practice of Yoga starts with the solar plexus.  I practice the Kriya, using movements that cleanse this area. I practice Pranayama, the breathing exercises, to help me enter a meditative stillness and connect with the spirit. I practice Yoga to clear my thoughts and feelings and to allow energy to flow through my body so that spirit can pass through me. This is my personal discipline, my personal hygiene. No one can do it for me or instead of me. I know that when my solar plexus is clean, I feel courageous, unstoppable, and fearless. I feel open because I have made space. Something has expanded. I connect to the frequency of the color yellow, as if I have been wrapped in yellow material, as if yellow sunrays inside my body are cleansing me. The element of the burning fire cleans and gleams with light, warmth, and life. The sensory connection is the sense of sight. This is so natural: when I am angry, I have “fire burning in my eyes,” and I cannot see clearly. I am irrational, and I cannot see “eye to eye” with the person standing in front of me. I might behave in a way that imbues “temporary insanity” because I cannot see clearly. However, when my sight is clear, when I have insight, when I have cleaned the camera's lenses, when I have shone the windowpane so that what is inside is indistinguishable from what is outside; then, all is united. All is one. All is clear.  The solar plexus holds a large amount of energy, and I want to ensure it gets clea

    24 min

  5. Mar 27

    סדנת ימימה בהנחיית מיכל אדלר

    שיעור מכתביה של ימימה אביטל לפסח, בשילוב יסודות מגישת הטיפול cbt.

    1h 10m

  6. Mar 16

    Gate Two - The Art of Love

    Gate Two:  The Art of Love My Contract with Myself: I have come to love I have come to move my ego aside I am moving to an alternative space: A space that encompasses only love. Love of the universe, of friends, of nature, of the sounds all around me, and of all living things. I love my whole self. I love me just the way I am; I would not want to change a thing. My signature that I have come to love What is love? Is love the act of being in love? Is it losing track of time and space, of day and night? Is it the feeling of being neither hungry nor tired? Of wanting nothing more than to be with the person who is the object of your love, to give up everything else, to be unconscious of time? Is that love? What tools have I learned from Yoga to understand what love is? According to Yoga tradition, love is not a feeling. I will never stop loving you, because love is a way of consciousness.Therefore, I don’t change my mind. I don’t love you today and stop loving you tomorrow. Love, according to the wonderous world of Yoga, is… love. Love is its own entity, its own essence, its own language. Love is unconditional. Love in Yoga is likemy love for my children: it does not cease and does not change. It is constant and evermore. It is not an emotion that shifts withcircumstances. That same unconditional love translates into my love of all things in the world. If that is so, how is it that I may feel that love has ended? How can we quantify love? How can love end? After the initial falling in love, I find myself shifting into routines, commitments, schedules, and habits that override the wondrous feeling of falling in love. That drunken feeling of all-encompassing falling in love disappears or wanes a bit. At that point, I begin to account, to criticize, to judge, to make demands, to take ownership, and to feel entitled to my acquisition. I am no longer in the same presence of love.  What tool does Yoga provide me so I can live a life that transmits love? Yoga teaches me that staying in a state of love involves a complete lack of power struggle. Love, according to Yoga,professes no demands, no expectations, and no disappointments. The wavelength that transmits love involves only love, enlightenment, quiet, comfort, and freedom. I have nothing to acquire or gain from you, and no criticism of you. There is nothing about you that I wish to change or alter. I love you just the way you are. I release you. How is this state of love even possible? How can I separate my ego from its need to acquire, take ownership, or possess? How do I set it free? This is the art of love. If I cannot master this, all my relationships with myself, with my life partner, with my children, with my friends, and with my students will be complicated and complex. Therefore, my greatest wish for myself, and for you, is that we make use of the tools of Yoga that teach us what love is and how to fall in love anew every moment of every day: with each flower, each person, each animal, and with ourselves, as we progress towards the wavelength of Yoga. Because Yoga is love. Yoga is connection. Yoga is oneness. The daily practice oflearning to love according to Yoga is one of the greatest tools available to us. Therefore, it must be practiced daily. Once the shift occurs and is achieved, once we transmit on this alternative frequency of Yoga, life flows through an alternative pathway:  the frequency that is love.   I promise to be intently aware, in every moment, of any attempt I might have to alter, acquire, take over, criticize, or pass judgment. Instead, I will see only the spiritual essencewithin you, rather than your external being. I will reside in the open passageways of an alternative pathway. This requires constant practice. Love is an art that must be practiced and learned.    Anahata The Chakra of the heart The Chakra of Anahata is located in the middle of my chest. It is physically connected with my heart, my vascular system, and my immune system. I recognize that certain things affect me,causing my chest to tighten or shrink in capacity and my breathing to become shallow and labored. Other things, however, open my heart and make me feel that I have more room to breathe and that my breathing is lighter; my chest feels comfortable, freed, and soft. If someone hurts my feelings, it feels like a stab to my heart. My heart aches and clenches. When I am happy, my heart feels relaxed. I might draw hearts, string a chain of hearts, or send someone a heart. Cardiologists explain that heart health and the shape of the human heart can be affected by our emotions.  I can therefore understand that when someone experiences profound anguish, it might be said that that person “died of a broken heart”: they took so much into their heart that it was literally under attack. They died of a heart attack.  This area of the body is so much more than flesh and blood. It is a major energy center. When the energy center is open, it is available to be filled with unconditional love: love that is not dependent on external factors. I don’t love you today and cut myself off from you tomorrow.  Rather, I live in an alternative state of consciousness, in which I have left my ego, my self. I am no longer concerned with my self: what hurts me, what’s hard for me, what’s wrong. I love my self enough to take good care of it, so that that worry will not weigh me down, as if I am my own best friend. I care about my self. I indulge my self. I love my self. This same wavelength of self-love connects me to everyone and everything around me. I live life within this wavelength, with an open heart, seeing each person around me in terms of their internal essence, not their external being. I ask for nothing. I expect nothing. I do not harbor disappointment. Suddenly, I can walk erect; I can open my heart and my chest. I have more room to breathe.  The chakra of the heart is connected to our sense of touch. Whatever I touch, even my eye contact with someone else, transmits my energy.  The element of this chakra is air, as it connects to my breathing. As I breathe more lightly and more effortlessly, I access a more spiritual wavelength. The color of this chakra is green. It expands to fill my chest with cleanliness, freshness, and infinite abundance.  For me, the chakra of the heart represents all the compassion, the love, the generosity, the balance, the softness, the empathy,the caring, the devotion, the sensitivity, the forgiveness and the absolution of those around me.  I practice diligently so that this energy source from my heart will maintain its open status. I want to ensure that my heart stays open to the transmission of love, and that my hands are outstretched to give as much as possible: 100%, 110%, with as much devotion as I can muster. I am a lighthouse, shining light that bursts forth and communicates with the ship far off in the distance. My body has no walls, no barriers. The light bursts forth.    So, let your chakra of Anahata be in a state of openness. Give it love. Give it a place to love. Remember: Yoga is love. In all relationships, the most important ongoing question is: whatfacilitates connection? What creates more love? Nothing else is of consequence, not power, not acquisition. Be open. Be air. Be love. Be Yoga. Yoga. Ahimsa- nonviolence Ahimsa, nonviolence, is one of the core tools of Yoga.  I must refrain from causing harm through my thoughts, my actions, or my words. When I am in a state of consciousness towards nonviolence, I can access ephemeral stillness. During my physical practice, as I connect with a movement, I learn to relax into that movement. I don’t force the movement, and I am not violent towards myself. The practice becomes a self-exploration, with no goal to achieve.  Similarly, when I ride my bike, run, or swim, I explore how the movement in the sport can flow through me, effortlessly and nonviolently. Pressure, stress, and force lead to injury. It is said that when a person resides in a state of nonviolence, that energy creates a force field of peace and love that is both felt and contagious. We all want to enter that space because it is so inviting and pleasant. The Search To deepen my practice, I ask myself questions. In Yoga, this questioning is known as Svadhyaya - the exploration and internal research. It involves an ongoing self-exploration, so that I can identify those energy points that might be blocked and therefore prohibit me from accessing true freedom and true joy. These are the points I need to work on every day. This daily research is my life’s work.   Now is a good time to stop, pause, grab a pen and paper, and take a moment after each question to listen to your heart and write down what you discover there.  • What is the “weather” in my heart right now? Are the skies blue? Is it rainy? Partly cloudy? Clear? Foggy? Stormy? Describe the weather in your heart at this moment. • Are you willing to compromise and give in your relationships, or do you feel the need to always be right?  • Are you willing to give up control? to release the need for ownership?  To give up power for the benefit of finding a balance? • Describe a relationship that feels safe, secure, and like home for you. As you contemplate that relationship, describe how it feels inside your body.   Snacks for the Way I accept you as you are, Without trying to change you. Without trying to mold you to fit me. Without trying to acquire or own you. I will support you so your light shines through. I will accept me as I am, Without criticism. Without judgement. I will see the light within me. I will refrain from complaining today. I will seek the good in everything. I will see every detail in life as a source of love. This is also a good place to pause a minute and write down some reflections.  What will you take in your backpack? “I give you rice so you can live. I gi

    13 min

  7. Mar 8

    Gate One - The Art of the Here and Now

    Gate One: The Art of the Here and Now My contract with Myself I have come here to be. I have come here to experience every individual smell, taste, vision, sound, and touch  In every moment. Simultaneously. I have committed to leave behind all worries, fears, and anxieties. I have come to be. I have nothing to accomplish. I have no agenda, no plans, no expectations, and no ambitions. I will refrain from any attempt to understand, catalog or explain. _______________________ My signature and commitment that I have come to be. To Miss Out on Life I find it extremely difficult to just…be. My mind is busy with all the things on my to-do list, and I constantly want to do more, to accomplish more, to be sure I haven’t missed anything or missed out on anything. Sometimes, I find myself longing for what was, while other times I desperately want to “get on with it”, and get to the next phase. Rarely, do I find myself in the here and now. The greatest loss in life comes when I am so caught up in my thoughts and feelings that I miss out on the opportunity to be with you. To connect and be fully present with you, you who are so dear to me. I want to be with you. I want to be here for you, as you are important to me. We spend a lot of time together, you and I, but I am not present. It might appear from the outside that I am present with you, but I know that I am not. Rather, I am imprisoned in my never-ending to-do list, in my fears and anxieties, and in my hopes for the future. And so, I am not present with you; you, who are so dear to me. The good news is that Yoga has a solution, a way out, an exit ramp. Yoga supplies a means to practice the art of “Not Missing Out”. This practice in Yoga of “not missing out”, enables me to pay more attention when I am with a loved one; to really hear what you are saying, to really listen without answering, without formulating my response in my head. I can be present, holding your hand, and listening. When my thoughts start to stray, I can recognize that and gently coax myself back to the present space; I can take note when that happens. I can look inside, peering into my thoughts, observing them from the outside, and return to the space which is you.  This immediately enables me to become closer to you, to be even more present, even more connected to life.  Alive. What Is It to Be Truly Present in the Here and Now? Hatha Yoga Anushasanam – Yoga, as a way of life, begins with this phrase. It is the secret to life. What exactly does it mean to be in the here and now? The first part of the phrase is the Sanskrit word, Hatha. Ha- meaning sun, and Tha- the moon. The sun and the moon are currently in a specific point in space in the universe, for this one moment. They will never again return to this specific point. Therefore, the word Hatha refers to this moment, this pinpoint that contains depth, bliss and mystery. It is the moment something previously hidden or unclear reveals itself. It is the moment I see Truth. The moment I become.   The second word is Yoga, which means connection. Unity. The oneness of the universe and my unity with the universe. I connect to a tree. I connect to a stone.  I connect to you by gazing deep into your eyes. I connect to my spirit.  And as I connect, I am Spirit. Anushasanam, the third word, can be translated as “experiencing”, pulling back the curtain, so even the most mundane habit can be revealed as a new experience. When I make myself a cup of coffee in the morning, that’s a habit. When I approach the same cup of coffee and am able to erase all my prior knowledge, and all the narrative in my head telling me, “The story of this cup of coffee”, I can meet and connect with it as if this was my first encounter, my discovery of coffee. I can take a sip and feel the notes of the taste. I can see the shades of rich colors of my coffee. I can smell the distinct aroma of this cup of coffee. It is as if this is my first encounter with coffee. After I having lived with you for many years, I have a script, a story in my mind, of who you are and what you represent. And so, when I meet you, I am not really meeting you, I am meeting my story of you, my knowledge of what I expect you to be. Only when I am able to erase that story, and approach you from a new, fresh perspective, do we really meet. It’s as if, every time we meet, we have the potential to meet for the first time. The physical movements and positions of Yoga are a manifestation of this experiencing. I don’t perform Yoga. I don’t do Yoga.  I am Yoga.  I experience each movement, each inhale and exhale, and I experience the sensations in my body. I experience my senses, my heartbeat, my sweat, my skin, my bones, my flesh. This experiencing is also a form of uniting with me. It is an intimate moment with myself that creates inner peace and profound, unconditional joy. There are no elements of comparison and no expectations that something will happen, or that something will be achieved. I have nowhere to run to, nowhere to get to. As I sit still, doing nothing, I am calm and I am joy. This key adage of wisdom, Hatha Yoga Anushasanam, is not merely a philosophy to be read in a book. Rather, it is a practical piece of my life, like a tried-and-true recipe that hangs on my kitchen wall; it can only be understood once I have prepared the dish. So too, this adage can only be understood once I have begun to live it and incorporate it in my daily life. Therefore, I try to apply it to every moment of my life. I try to be in the here and now, recognizing that this rare, exquisite moment will never happen again. As such, I approach each moment with curiosity, joy and humility. This state of mind of the here and now can occur within any moment, even when I am washing the dishes! If I find my mind wandering off, I hone myself back in by paying attention to the sensory - the feeling of the soap bubbles, or the feel of the dishes, because life is made up of these small moments.  When I reside fully within each of these moments, I can connect to my spirit. When I listen, my conscious can find stillness.   My brain wants to understand, to catalog, to explain.  That is the nature of the brain. When I connect to this moment, I relinquish the need to look for explanations and reasons, I am in the here and now. The abundance that is revealed to me is infinite and I am filled with gratitude and an appreciation for every joyous moment of precious life. I am then able to find the joy that resides within each and every moment. What Are the Chakras? How does this story of my life relate to the energy centers in my body? In general, I process through my mind, my brain, and through the world of material possibilities. I seek to find within myself something that represents the beyond, something that is the spirit that lies within me. Yoga enables me to use my flesh and bones and the source within my body as a power plant, an electric power station accessible to me whenever I connect to the correct frequency. It enables me to connect to a vast network of cables that are the energies flowing both to and from me. These energies can flow in and out as long as the system is connected seamlessly. When I make a change within my spirit, I create a change in the universe. It is all interconnected.   The ancient map of Yoga practice and philosophy teaches me that my body inhabits numerous centers that contain, create and transmit energy. These energy sources run through my spine, and from my pelvic floor to my head, like a flute, a pipeline with points of entry that allow a flow of entry and exit of energy. At first glance, this sounds a bit preposterous; what do energy and flow have to do with me? However, as I delve more deeply into this idea, I understand that I speak volumes with no words; I connect through a different mode of communication. The chakras, the energy sources, guide me in their teachings, in order to enhance my connection to myself and to the world.  As I delve into the story of the chakras, I discover a deep curiosity. I begin to understand how a specific energy center within me might connect to a point of mind, body and spirit and create a certain energy flow. As I deepen my research of my body, I create certain energies and frequencies that cause things to happen to me. Nothing is happenstance. Everything that happens is facilitated and caused by me.  when I am imprisoned, lowly, or underground, I transmit a signal that is repulsive, depressing or uninviting. When I am enlightened, open, available, present, and in the here and now, abundant goodness gravitates towards me.   The physical practice of Yoga poses and movement, breathing, and cleansing, is done with the intent to release and open energy sources that have become blocked in my daily life. Muladhara the root chakra I have chosen the root chakra of Muladhara to compliment this chapter of the art of the here and now. This chakra resides in the lower pelvis, in the base of the spine. It invites me into the basic, primal, primitive energy center.  It represents basic survival. Through this chakra, I experience the life force that pounds and beats within me. I transmit a frequency that represents basic love of the world.  I receive this chakra’s energy from the ground, from life, from the energy force of primal passion, and from fire. Sometimes, I feel tired and downtrodden, because my energy is being wasted on worry, anxiety and disturbing thoughts.  My chakra is blocked; the flow of energy is blocked, and growth, hope, faith, and connection cannot get through.  To access being in the here and now, I simply reconnect to the basic passion of life, so as not to be entrapped, depressed, or disconnected, and instead to be wholly encompassed in Yoga, in connection and in life. I open my base chakra and realign with the lifeforce that pumps within me. The base chakra is

    17 min

  8. Feb 24

    The Art Of Life - Introduction

    The Art of Life The Gates of Yoga Living Dalia Coldham Dedication- this book is dedicated to my six grandchildren Luna, Yonatan, Ivy, Ron, Ayala and Tom Who teach me how to be present in the here and now Is There Such a Thing as a “living Yoga”? Life as we know it is a constant exercise, a laboratory of the practice of Yoga within the constraints of the good and the bad, the difficult and the pleasant. This book was created through consistent practice in the studio where I teach. As my students and I came together to meet, we realized we were also meeting ourselves, each of us meeting our daily lives…ripe with joy and pain, hurt and repair, war and dreams. The practice of Yoga in the chaos of our daily lives facilitates the opportunity to use the tools and philosophy of Yoga to support one another and to heal one another. Yoga supplies us the resilience to cope with the constant uncertainly which is the state of our lives, so that within all of this chaos, we can live a true happy life. Your intrinsic freedom is not dependent on material, acquired, or inanimate objects. You and I have within us the spirit of life. We have the innate ability to create something ethereal, something independent of our circumstance. Within each of us is the seed of true, independent joy. My initial encounter with Yoga Yoga as a way of life, the mind-body as the vessel for the soul I walked into the snow-white room of the most prestigious hotel in Argentina and into the first Yoga class of my life. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I signed up for the class upon the recommendation of the hotel’s front desk staff, who explained that this particular Yoga instructor was “fabulous…not to be missed”. “A fabulous Yoga teacher in a hotel?”, I thought to myself, “great teachers are usually tucked away in intimate studios in the basement, not displayed in fancy hotels!” Despite my doubts, I decided to give it a try. The class was small and intimate. I recall none of the technical details…who was there or what happened. However, I vividly remember the impression that the class left upon me, the feeling the class impressed on me.  It was transformational.  I was transformed. “This is it,” I thought to myself.  I remember feeling as if I had experienced prayer. Breath. Intention. Philosophical insights. I remember feeling I was experiencing me. Was. Yoga. I felt as if some undefined force had written out those beliefs that I have always possessed:  that my mind-body was the vessel that contained and housed my soul, my life spirit. I felt as though my body and mind had transformed into breath, into spirit, into a lifeforce. Augustina, the Yoga instructor, guided me with grace and humility, as we set out down the path of Truth and into the world of Yoga. I felt fully present and encompassed… I lost all track of time and space. I released my inner stresses and emotional baggage. I felt reborn. I felt new. From that moment of union and connection, I knew: Yoga was not another “exercise class”. It was a way of life.  I thought, “How do I synthesize my regular life, my exercise studio, my home, and my family with living Yoga?” I knew that in Augustina, I had found my mentor, my teacher, my guide. I knew that finding a mentor is rare, practically a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. I have returned many times to one-on-one training sessions with Augustina since that first day. As typically happens in Yoga, we would meet at 9 a.m. in the studio with no predetermined concept of when our session would end; when the session ended, we had no idea what time it was. There existed within Augustina a generosity of time, as well as a clear desire on her part to pass along her knowledge to me with precision. Augustina generously gave of herself: her knowledge, her time, her intention and attention. It was inspiring. I was inspired, both by the teachings and the teacher. Each session, we would repeat and research, practicing and retraining what we had already learned, simultaneously digging deeper and returning again and again to the same material. I felt I was studying for a college degree. It would be several years of practice before I had the courage to contemplate giving all I had learned over to others. I was concerned that Yoga sessions might possibly be misinterpreted as “acrobatics” or be perceived as “any exercise class”. It was imperative that Yoga as a practice in my studio maintain its essence: the facilitation of prayer, as well as the mind-body connection and the opening and release of life energy sources. It needed to enable the healing and renewal of the spirit, so that the spirit could then rest in the vessel of the warm, loving home that is the body. Once the body was able, through Yoga, to release its energies and renew itself as the warm loving home, it could then in turn be available to fulfill its ultimate gift to the world, which includes unconditional love, infinite giving and compassion, and inspirational light. The body and mind could function devoid of any contemplation whatsoever of “what’s in it for me?” Sure enough, as the saying goes, “When the teacher is ready, the students appear,”.  I took part in a one-time seminar with Shimon Ben Avi, who would become my local Yoga teacher. Shimon, my life-long mentor, certified me as a Yoga instructor. Even after I was officially certified, it took several more years before I felt confident that I could actually teach Yoga in my studio; that I could slot in an hour in my studio with the word “Yoga” as the title of the class. It was imperative to me to incorporate the true essence of the wonderous traditions of Yoga, with all its life tools of love and generosity, in all elements of physical activity. All sports are Yoga. The home is Yoga. The workplace is Yoga. A key principle in my exercise studio is that of non-competitiveness and non-judgement. The studio does not measure “personal best” times. Rather, it represents unity, cooperation and mutual sharing. It’s about community, not competition. The general philosophy in my studio is one of non-effort, of the art of being in the here and now, and of enjoying the process. There is an expectation of commitment. To quote the Sutra I.14, “The practice hits the root when it is executed with intention, consistence and habituality.”    ״Yoga is a way of life! Yoga is the art of life and the key to true joy. ״

    8 min
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פודקאסטדליה” היא סדרת מפגשים המאפשרת לאנשים מקהילת הסטודיו וחבריהם לחלוק איתנו בתחומי העיסוק, העניין וחוויות החיים שלהם”

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  • Creator
    Dalia Coldham
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
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    פודקאסטדליה