Mandi Garrison

Upcoming full moon in Capricorn, the moon of devotion

Where does time go? Can you believe the full moon is next Wednesday?

Our next live virtual event will align with the full moon in Capricorn and the lunar cycle of Cancer season. Jhenah Telyndru of the Avalonian tradition calls this the "moon of dedication." This resonates with me, but I personally like the term "devotion." It's a helpful moon to release distractions, recommit to a path or decision, anchor into a personal practice that supports continued growth, and honor your path of so...

Next meditation series?

I’m contemplating a new meditation series using the number 12 for 12 weeks (three months of meditations) on a spiritual topic of interest, and I wanted to see what you were interested in learning. In a way, these topics are all interrelated, but I would offer more of an educational component on the topic we choose. After the three months, I will package these up in a showcase so that you can easily access them whenever you want. This is something I plan to offer as part of my Wednesday Morn...

Courageous heart

Working with the theme of courage (inspired by chapter 7 of Living Your Yoga), this practice awakens the heart to help you tap into the frequency of love. We also work with the gall bladder meridians for determination and aligned action. We begin with some active arm exercises and then integrate on the belly for sphinx, half frog, optional twisted frog and quad stretch, spinal twist, happy baby, supported shoulder stand, and fetal position. This is a great morning practice when you need a rel...

Book club meetup! Let's talk dates and location.

Hi everyone! I'd like to get an in-person book club meetup on the calendar, if possible, just to say "hi" in-person and discuss Part One (and perhaps some of Part Two) of Living Your Yoga. I also want to see if anyone has an interest in a virtual meetup as well, so let me know your selections below. Check everything that applies to you. For an in-person meetup, I was thinking about the West Boylston Town Common, since it's easy to get to from many Central Mass. locations, and there's plenty o...

Enlightenment for a wave

This practice offers meditations to anchor and strengthen your nervous system in stressful times. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Englightenment for a wave is the moment the wave realizes that it is water. At that moment, all fear of death disappears.” This session begins with a reading from Marc Nepo and concludes with a card reading.

Perspective shift

This calming practice reflects on the topics of intuition, discernment, and truth to navigate the workings of the mind and balance the brain and nervous system. We begin with a discussion of Chapter 6 of Living Your Yoga, and then a brief meditation to release difficult energy. Then move onto the back for a series of relaxing reclined postures with breath for balance (supported fetal position, spinal twists, lunar breath, and solar breath). Transition to a relaxing seated forward fold with bl...

Presence and faith (30-minute version)

A heart-opening and grounding flow to reconnect to yourself and find healing and awareness in the present moment. Let your faith and intuition be your guide in some self-guided warm-ups, cat/cow, half sun salutations, a heart-opening flow of low lunge, half splits, melting heart (puppy), crocodile, sphinx, kneeling sun breaths, and half forward folds. Finish with a breath of joy to set the energy for the rest of your day   

Level 1/2 vinyasa/hatha    

Prop...

Calming meditations to regulate your nervous system

Good morning, everyone. I curated a collection of meditation videos that help calm racing thoughts, regulate the nervous system, balance the brain, and nourish the heart. I hope these support you in times of stress and anxiety. The collection is available at https://vimeo.com/showcase/calmingmeditations, password = “calm”.

Sending you love. <3

Presence and faith

A heart-opening and grounding flow to reconnect to yourself and find healing and awareness in the present moment. We begin by reflecting on Judith Lasater’s recipe for faith: one part trust in yourself, one part trust in things working out, and intuitive awareness. Let that recipe be your guide in some self-guided warm-ups, cat/cow, half sun salutations, a heart-opening flow of low lunge, half splits, melting heart (puppy), crocodile, sphinx, kneeling sun breaths, and half forward folds. Th...

Heart Healing

Meditate on the qualities and elements of the earth, and draw them to heart center to embrace healing and wholeness.

Recommended frequency: 285 Hz for immune system health and physical rejuvenation 

Mantra for Daily Living: I am willing to make the hard decisions with a soft heart.

Back to you

(Trying this again, as the last post didn’t work for some reason.)

Are you forcing yourself or are you being yourself? Navigating the theme of self-judgment, we practice deeply listening and arriving to where you are at in the moment, perfect just as you are. This class begins with a meditation and breath series that was channeled in the moment to clear your aura and release contraction in the heart. The sequence begins with a spinal series and self-guided wa...

Healed, holy and whole

**I was doing some work in Vimeo and noticed that the audio was off in this class, so I re-uploaded it and fixed the problem. Notifying you because this is a good one to practice if you need some self-care and healing.**

This class works with just a few long-held postures to open and heal the heart. Reflecting on the theme of “Faith” in Living Your Yoga, practice with one part trust, one part experience of life working out, and one part intuitive connection. Posture...

Breath practice for the Solstice moon cycle

Enjoy this 20-minute breath and self-healing practice for the moon cycle leading up to the new moon in Cancer.

Themes for this moon cycle:

• Taking your power back
• Mastering your perceptions
• Creating the world you want to see
• Unlocking any self-imposed cages
• Remembering  you are already free

Tarot card for this moon cycle: The Devil (Recognizing and shifting old patterns, perceptions, and temptations. Freeing yourself from f...

Happy Summer Solstice!

Happy first day of summer, everyone! I felt a huge energy shift in the middle of the night last night, as if I was being pulled out of a vortex and back into the light. How about you? Feeling excited about the season? This week, we’ll be working with the theme of Faith in Living Your Yoga, and one thing I mentioned in class on Sunday is having faith in yourself. Have enough faith in yourself that you’re willing to invest in yourself, your creativity, your gifts, your deve...

Deeply listening

Nancy Wood writes, “June’s great path of the moon is listening.” This practice begins with a few simple warm-ups and offers a long, silent space to deeply listen and hear the voice within.

During this meditation, I was guided to the mantra Aap Sahaee Hoa and the frequency of 852 Hz. Both are helpful in understanding and conquering fear, as well as awakening intuition and discernment. Here’s a playlist with both of these if you feel called: 2022-06-15 13:57:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Time to feel good

There are many forms of exercise that require force, extreme tests of strength, competition, and pressure — but yoga is not one of them. With the intention to feel good in your body, explore the practice as if you were the teacher, guiding yourself into a series of postures that support you in releasing judgment, clearing negativity, and opening up to heal. We begin with a mudra meditation and a reading of chapter 4 in Living Your Yoga. The practice includes supported bridge, happy baby, sp...

Unattached and free (30-minute version)

Unclench and breath with grace and softness. This stretchy slow flow helps you be with what is and release anything that is weighing you down. Warm up in child’s pose, hip circles, sphinx, and dynamic squats. Then flow through a sequence of downward dog/cow flows, warrior 2 with a shoulder stretch, wide-legged forward fold, tree pose, and “awkward triangle” side bends. Finish in a brief meditation with the seed sound OM.  

Level 1 Slow Flow    

Props: opt...

Unattached and free

Unclench and breath with grace and softness. This stretchy slow flow helps you be with what is and release anything that is weighing you down. Begin with sun breaths and the seed sound of OM with a few rounds of alternate nostril breathing to balance the mind. Warm up in child’s pose, hip circles, sphinx, and dynamic squats. Then flow through a sequence of downward dog/cow flows, warrior 2 with a shoulder stretch, wide-legged forward fold, tree pose, and “awkward triangle” side bends. C...

She Let Go (by Safire Rose)

She let go.

Without a thought or a word, she let go. She let go of the fear.

She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the right reasons.

Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for their advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t research the ...

Light codes

Infuse yourself with light from all four directions as well as earth and sky. This practice refers to the four facets of wholeness and the four windows of knowing: heart-centered thinking, full-presence sensing, full-bodied feeling, and deep imagination.

More about the four facets of wholeness: The Journey of Soul Initiation by Bill Plotkin

Recommended Solfeggio frequency: 2022-06-08 15:13:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Let go and release expectations

A yin practice for healing, releasing, and letting go. As Judith Lasater writes, “When you allow yourself to see things as they really are, then — and only then — can you love yourself and others without hidden expectations. Detachment is the greatest act of love.” Clear your energy with an opening meditation and breath for the chakras. Imagine white light all around you as you warm up with some cat/cow variations and seated arm movements. Yin postures include a variation of melting h...

Love expansion

Connect with the heart center and expand your electromagnetic field in this series of energetic exercises designed to shift your vibration. We use the mantra Ong Sohung throughout a series of seated warm-ups, downward dog flows, sphinx, seated arm movements and meditations, and shavasana.  

Level 1/2 Kundalini/Hatha/Yin fusion  

Props: a blanket or cushion to sit on  

Benefits: heart opening, compassion, self-love, brightening your aura, recharge, energy prote...

Recording: Mudras, Planets, and Palmistry

Here’s the first part of the presentation from Wednesday, June 1. Unfortunately I was cut off by Zoom about halfway through, and the second half ended up being primarily interaction and questions. This video covers just about everything in the presentation portion, except for the divination portion of palmistry (where I got cut off). It runs about 30 minutes.

Book recommendations we discussed:

• Mudras for Healing and Transformation by Joseph and Lillian Le Page
• Mud...
  2022-06-04 22:36:48 +0000 UTC View Post

Clear your mind

A perfect practice for racing and scattered thoughts. Begin with alternate nostril breathing to balance the nadis, and then spend time in a calming visualization to pierce through the density of the mind.  

Mantra for Daily Living: I can always make a choice.

Course Reminder: Mudras, Planets, and Palmistry TONIGHT at 6 p.m.

Hi everyone! Just a reminder that I'm offering a one-hour virtual course tonight on the magic in our hands. This presentation will include a brief background on the origin of mudras, elemental correspondences, hand chakras, the connection with heart and hands, the planetary/astrological activations, as well as a bit on palmistry and divination. It is from 6-7 p.m. tonight and the class is more than half full, so I wanted to give you a chance to register if you're interested. If you're unable ...

New Moon Akashic Reading: The Space of Creation

Hello everyone,

This message came through during my morning practices, and I felt called to share it. Also, I've been listening to a lot of Solfeggio frequencies lately and today, in particular, I'm enjoying 852 Hz for clarity of mind. You can easily find these on any music streaming service (I personally enjoy the ones by Meditative Mind).

Rest here, in the space of creation. It isn't always a space of action. It's also the pause before action. It's the contemplation before t...