NICOLE OHME

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

I was contemplating on my walk today about how much we as humans want and like to control everything and everyone incl. ourselves.
As long we are under control it feels empowering and everything seems okay. But then there is the fear of loosing control or the
frustration of not getting it under control.
We set ourselves up for self made suffering and struggle that brings a high level of stress with it. Control gives a great sense of power and loosing it an equally strong emotion.

Isn’t it an illusion in first place to have things under control?
And isn’t the need of control a lack of trust?

What if we would shift more often our urge to control to observing ourselves and finding awareness that we begin to trust the flow of life.
We might gain more insight, reduce a whole lot of stress and feel more in flow with what life has to offer. Shifting from the duality of the brain that tends to bring the suffering to the all embracing heart.

I would like to share with you what Krishnamurti has to say from the yoga point of view.
“Yoga does not mean merely keeping your body healthy, normal, active and intelligent. The word in Sanskrit means ‘join together’ – joining the higher and the lower – which is the tradition.
⠀
There are various forms of yoga, of which the highest form is called Raja Yoga, the king of yogas. That way of living was concerned with physical wellbeing and, much more, with the psyche. There was no discipline, no system, nothing to be repeated day after day.
It was to have a brain that was in order, that was all the time active but not active in chattering. It was to have a very deeply ordered moral, ethical and disciplined life, not based on taking various vows.

That was the real meaning of the highest form of yoga. Although the body was kept healthy, it was not of primary importance.
What was of primary importance was to have a brain, a mind, a state of wellbeing that was clear and active. Not active in the sense of
physical movement, but a brain in itself active, alive, full of vitality.
⠀
The highest yoga is not to be taught to the casual; it is something that you do, perhaps every day, to have perfect awareness of your body.
You watch your body so that it does not make any movement or
gesture that is not observed. There is no unnecessary movement of the body, but it is not controlled. That is where the difference is. 
⠀
Perhaps you consider yoga something to be practised day after day to have a muscular body. It is not that at all. It is something you live all day long, watchfully observing, being clear about. “

~ Krishnamurti (from the book Meeting Life)

Monday 18.07.
Spine Awareness
Flow

Wednesday 20.07.
Thought Awareness
Flow

Thursday 21.07.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 22.07.
Body-Breath Observation
Slow Flow

Give your body/mind the attention it deserves!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

I am still immersed in “The Wisdom Codes” and would like to share with you some insights from it concerning impermanence and
the suffering that results from it.

“Change is happening all around us. We all have loss in our lives. Sometimes we don’t even recognize that it’s happened.
Other forms of loss are so great that the whole world stops when those things happen to us – the loss of a loved one or a job. Loss means
different things to different people.
– We, as a society, are rarely given permission to mourn what is past. It’s doesn’t have to be a deep expression of grief – it’s the
acknowledgement of the loss that begins to free the chemicals so they can metabolize and allow us to move forward.
– Once we have a loss, we can’t un-lose it. We have it, and the only way out of it, once it happens, is to go through it – not discount it, not sweep it under the carpet.
– When we have an experience of trauma without the tools to heal or reconcile, we create neuropeptides, which want to leave the body, and when we don’t hold them in, they will move out of our bodies in the ways that chemicals always move out of bodies – they pass through.

What do those losses mean to our bodies?
Every emotion we have creates a chemical in our body.
The joyous emotions are rarely the problems, but the traumas can cause a lot of problem.
– When we have an experience without the ability to reconcile that experience, we contract, constrict, and lock it down in our bodies. That chemical cannot then metabolize and move. So, we store it in the organs, tissues, or body system that we associate with the trauma – heart, lungs, reproductive system. They stay there until we are ready to deal with them, but they don’t know about time, and they begin to create conditions in the body that let us know that they’re there:
inflammation or something that elevates to some else that lets us know we have the hurt, fear, or loss that we have never reconciled.
– The key is to embrace it and let it pass through and out of the body

– We suffer because we expect that someone or something will
continue to exist in a way that meets our expectations. We enter into a relationship, job, or state of health – consciously or subconsciously, we expect that things are going to remain the same as they were, and if they don’t, it’s the difference between what was and what is in the
moment that is the source of our suffering.”
~ Gregg Braden

Monday 11.07.
Each inhale is a new beginning
Slow Flow

Wednesday 13.07.
From the roots to the heart
Flow

Thursday 14.07.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 15.07.
Acknowledgement – Gratitude – Letting Go
Flow

Let go of the old and welcome the new 🙂

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

As you know my writings are always about things that are present in my life at that moment. This is my way of sharing my inner self with you. Even though I can only touch the surface of the subjects I hope it inspires you to look deeper into one or the other.

Here are some insights about our heart:
– There are about 40,000 specialized sensory cells in the human heart called sensory neurites, these cells see you apart from all other forms of life in the world today.
– Neurites are essentially brain-like cells that function in the heart very similar to the way that neurons function in the brain.
– These Neurites learn, think and experience independently of the
neurons in the brain.
– Every Experience that you have, you’re essentially having in two places: in your brain and in your heart.
– It’s important to access both of these networks for our healing.
– The arteries and the valves are all regulated through the neurites.
– They respond to your perceptions, the way you feel about your
relationship to the world.
– This allows you to self-regulate and to choose your response to the world around you.
– The neural network in the heart is where we access our heart
intelligence and our deepest states of intuition.

– We’re the only form of life that can harmonize two organs into a single potent system in your lives.

The better you know yourself, the less you rely on the outer world for balance.
~ Gregg Braden (The Wisdom Codes)

This week will be an other glimpse of what you could be exploring at home on your own; our main focus will be on continuing to get to know ourselves better 🙂

Monday 04.07.
Balancing your effort
Flow

Wednesday 06.07.
Aligning Heart & Brain
Organ Flow

Thursday 07.07.
Open Theme

Friday 08.07.
Flow into Harmony
Continuous Flow

Let’s harmonize!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

I believe we all experiencing increasingly more stress in our lives. There are different kinds and levels of stress that are triggered by
various situations, people, circumstances etc.
Some is more or less brought onto us, but there is also the one
we inflict on ourselves.
For the first one, we can find ways to reduce and release the stress.
We all approach, deal and conquer it in multiple ways.

Fact is that permanent stress is depleting us physically and mentally; robbing us of our health.

The self inflicted stress we can stop; and the first step is awareness.
How often do we worry about things that haven’t happened yet?
When our brain gets into that cycle it will find the next thing to worry about or be afraid of.
Unpleasant feelings that become emotions of fear, worry, anxiety etc. are evoked by our habitual thought loops.
Awareness enables us to actively stop that thought process. Like Mel Robbins would suggest to count backwards 5-4-3-2-1 – letting it go.

Early morning walks in nature have always been helpful for me to bring more consciousness to my mind and slow it down. That doesn’t mean that no stressful thoughts are arising.
Recently I started to lovingly stop them in their tracks and let them go before engaging emotionally.
To me it was very freeing and empowering to feel and see that I do have a choice.

Monday 27.06.
Awareness of any resistance
Flow

Wednesday 29.06.
Letting go
Flow

Thursday 30.06.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 01.07.
Breathing through the heart center
Slow Flow

Come and release some of your stress with me 🙂

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Most of my inspirations for the weekly themes I get on my walks with my dog. I am a person who doesn’t like to go the same way back or
always wants to explore new paths.
There are also days where I just choose ways that I have gone before and are familiar. Then I know how long it takes and there is some comfort in the known as well.
What kind of person are you when it comes to walks in nature?
Venturing out is exciting, keeps you more alert and you might trip or fall, because the path has become more challenging than expected;
you just dust yourself off and keep on going.
Maybe you run into an dead end. You will turn around and make a note to yourself for the next time.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful and enriching if we would live our life and choose our paths in life in this same rather simple way?
Yes, doing always the same things, going to the same places and
walking the same ways is easy, comfortable
and we know what to expect.
On the other hand the unknown has so much more potential,
sets creativity and energy free that I think it is worth it to go off the
beaten path once in a while 🙂

That brings me to the beauty of practicing vinyasa flow yoga
and my mission.
I try to provide different ways for you to get into various asanas that you don’t find yourself in a “dead end” or may find an easier the way for you and your body.
It’s the transitions – the way in and out of postures – that keep you more in the moment. Sometimes you surprise yourself with what is possible if you keep your mind open or just listen to your body!

Monday 20.06.
The breath is the path
Slow Flow

Wednesday 22.06.
Many roads lead to a tree
Flow

Thursday 23.06.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 24.06.
Exploring transitions
Flow

Let’s explore some paths together!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

I believe we all have our core values by which we live.
We might re-evaluate them during a lifetime, because of experiences, growth and different chapters in life.
Most likely we surround ourselves with people who live by the same values to feel more stability, trust and having a support system.
If they don’t match anymore we probably go separate ways. I think it is important to have them as corner posts on our path.

On the other hand, have you ever notice when it comes to
expectations things get messy.
There are the expectations we have of ourselves we want to live up to and the ones we project on other people. We set ourselves up for pain from disappointment and failure.
What if we could free ourselves from any expectations?
Instead we could be delighted or simply pleasantly surprised by what is happening or not! It might even reduce some pressure and stress in our lives 😉

Monday 13.06.
Let your body surprise you
Flow

Wednesday 15.06.
In flow with your values
Slow Flow

Thursday 16.06.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 17.06.
Letting go of any pressure
Flow

I will be delighted to see you in class!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

learning something new is scientifically proven to help making new connections in your brain.
This has more than one benefit for mental health and aging.
Often we have to overcome a lot of resistance to consider doing
something new. It takes a certain openness/flexibility to consider it as well as a willingness/strong mind to flow through with it.

I have found that the same thing applies to yoga. Some people have the focus in their practice on mostly strength and some just on flexibility, because it is easier for them.
In a well balanced practice or class you will practice both equally.
In the end it is not about being good in one or the other.
It is about simply doing it to create a healthy, happy and balanced
body and mind.

Monday 06.06.
Strength & Flexibility
Flow

Wednesday 08.06.
Balances
Flow

Thursday 09.06.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 10.06.
The breath is the link
Slow Flow

Thank you for your openness towards me and what I have to offer and the willingness to try new things! 🙂

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

As I was going for a hike with my dog the other day, I was
contemplating about what it means to be successful?
I decided it is worth to share my thoughts with you.

Is it a successful day when I
– have numerous “Likes” in social media
– get patted on my back from everyone around me for how great I did
– closed on an important deal in business
– have accumulated wealth

Is it an equally successful day when I
– have caught myself having destructive thoughts and managed to change them into productive ones
– embraced myself the way I am
– took the time for some conscious breathes
– acted instead of reacted
– am at peace with myself and the world around me

Yoga can help you to bring some light and awareness on the path to success.

Monday 30.05.
Thought awareness
Slow Flow

Wednesday 01.06.
Peaceful inside out
Flow

Thursday 02.06.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 03.06.
Embrace yourself
Flow

Coming to class is already one step on the path!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

“You are alive right now, is the most important thing in your life… each time you look at the watch it is not time ticking away, it is your life ticking away. When you look at the clock give yourself a Big Smile because you are still alive”
~ Sadhguru (Life is ticking away: Time to Smile)

In the simplicity of it lies the beauty and the truth. If we come back to the base of everything, peeling the onion to its core that’s where it comes down to, doesn’t it?!

Let it be also a reminder that the yoga practice is not about
any destination or accomplishment,
but the pleasure of moving and the journey.

Monday 23.05.
Exploring your side body
Flow

Wednesday 25.05.
Time to smile
Slow Flow

Thursday 26.05.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 27.05.
Going with the flow
Flow

I am happy to be with you on the journey!

Love,

Nicole

My dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Gravity and change are the two constants in our life.
Like anything else there are two sides to each coin.
There are moments where we welcome and enjoy them and there are others where it seems a challenge.

It is easy to let go when everything is calm inside and out, but when things become unpredictable that is when it hits home and we have to call on what we practiced before the storm arrived.
We can try to fight them, struggle with them or ignore them.

Aligning ourselves with those two constants and moving through them as gracefully as possible with a heart full of gratitude will allow us to be in the flow again.

Monday 16.05.
Aligning with Gravity
Flow

Wednesday 18.05.
Aligning with Change
Flow

Thursday 19.05.
Open Theme
Yogis Choice

Friday 20.05.
Gratitude
Slow Flow

Time to let go and flow!

Love,

Nicole