The Foundation for Inquiry
“Therefore I had to undergo again and again ‘training’ in little in order to learn to bear the load of responsibility without going astray from the path being attracted by the temptations of the world of matter.”
I love learning. I have a deep appreciation for the process of training and trying new things. These experiences shift the content of my consciousness. I adapt to the subtle changes occurring and can move beyond my interpretations of how I perceive things.
I took my first official Yoga Teacher Training in 2016 and have continued on this path for the last decade. The more I discover, the more humbled I am in my practice. I can witness magic in simple invocations and steady myself to receive the quiet wisdom of the world that expresses itself as wind rustling the trees or water rippling over rocks in a stream.
I have learned to hold myself accountable for receiving the gifts I have been given.
Teaching was one of the paths that presented itself to me at a very young age. One of my earliest memories is showing my sister how to lace up her shoes. My mother would not buy Velcro, so we sat together in the hallway with matching white tennis shoes, knotting our laces.
This is one of many moments that pointed to my love for passing on what I’ve learned to those eager and willing to receive guidance.
My dad taught me how to read, and this is one of the most precious gifts I’ve ever received as it opened worlds to my young and impressionable mind. The Chronicles of Narnia was my first collection of books, and I can still sense how my imagination was stretched as I related to the characters. I’ve been a voracious reader ever since. I remember the day I was reading; I felt my mind and realized I was learning to think! I’d been reading Ayn Rand, and something about the content and the questions she posed prompted me to consider things.
I shifted from absorbing and evaluating the information in my context to looking at how philosophical themes translated across the ages. The questions of who I was, what I was, and how I created meaning took on a different form when I started to view them outside of what my identity needed to validate itself.
Reading has been a fundamental guidepost in my evolution along the learning path. Reviewing the joys and pains of those who’ve walked before me has helped me stay committed to my intent and evaluate why I teach.
When I started practicing yoga, I was motivated by the physical elements, though it became a space for self-inquiry that kept me grounded and connected to the practice. It was the one place I could return to acknowledge my feelings. It was how I got in touch with my emotions and relieved the angst inside of my body. As I devoted myself to daily practice, I became stronger physically, emotionally, and mentally, which enabled me to engage in a spiritual relationship with myself.
My insistence on asking questions and understanding myself evolved as I considered the practice's philosophical tenets. This included attending yoga training and reading texts by Patanjali, Yogi Bhajan, B.K.S. Iyengar, Vanda Scaravelli, Sharon Gannon, Elisabeth Haich, Sri Swami Sivananda, Diane Long, Julius Evola, Robert Svoboda, Sri Nisargatta Maharaj, and many others.
William Blake’s words have been a directing force since I was a teenager:
“I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.”
This statement stood out to me in high school as an invitation to construct my method and system that had value, or else I would succumb to someone else’s intent.
Teaching is one way I create value and enhance my knowledge. It is also how I hold myself accountable, deepen my connection with my Spiritual Heart, and connect with all those who have held the same questions in their souls.
A Buddhist concept invokes this idea with the saying: the teachings turn the wheel, not the teacher.
This phrase captures the essence of the Buddha’s Dharma, which is how true teachers are life-sustaining and longstanding. They must be embodied; a theoretical grasp would miss the total expression. Practice - through action - is how one moves with the true teachings, and these lessons transcend time and space. They are invoked throughout the centuries, turning repeatedly and appearing in different individuals. The story is the same, although the characters and names are different.
I came to teach yoga with a deep desire to promote the concepts that felt so real and vital inside me. Everything I teach has left an impression on my soul.
The mantras, mudras, kriyas, asanas, and visualizations have invoked my awakening. Movement-based practices are still essential for me as I read, research, and review the history and philosophy of yoga.
Teaching yoga is something I have always done; it is written into every act I take, and it is a mindset of holding the intention of attention.
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
To teach is to offer this generosity. It is a place for me to guide others toward their spiritual heart and self-discovery. It is how I encourage the Sonata of the Soul - the divine spark within that is innately unique to every one of us and also connected to the Source (God, Divine, Consciousness).
Yoga and writing are my vehicles for transmission, turning the Wheel of Dharma into a cycle with no ending and new names as it spins and spins!
Sending you a blessing,
Seraphina
My relationship with yoga began as a child when I attended a class with my mother. It evolved from a physical practice into a philosophical inquiry when I emerged as a young woman seeking something greater to anchor my spiritual heart.
Ritual of the Unstruck Virtual Yoga Studio
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Ritual of the Unstruck Virtual Yoga Studio 〰️
Five movements connect you to your power source - your solar plexus - through invigorating breath, movement, and core strengthening.
BENEFITS OF THE KRIYA FOR TOLERANCE:
Internal organs receive a massage from pressure at the navel - strong breath.
Strengthens the heart from the rhythmic pumping of the belly through the breath.
Bring the energy from the lower chakras to the higher chakras to strengthen the auric field (protective layer)
Strengthens the core stabilizers with boat pose.
Invigorates the entire being from physical to subtle layers.
Gives you a boost of energy!
