Bija Mantras Explained

Get to know Damithia. She has been teaching yoga for 20 years; her business is Thrive Centered, a trauma-sensitive, mindfulness, and liberation practice. She is also a sound bath artist.Listen to our conversation as we discuss the joys and the pitfalls of the current yoga culture.

“Well, hate may be too strong a word… but maybe not. It depends on how you define yoga.”But then why teach it? Why still love it?To answer that, we have to go deeper.What is yoga, really? And is what we practice in the mainstream still yoga at all?Dora sat down with Anna — former 200-hour trainee, now teacher, mother, poet, and all-around lovely human — for a warm, funny, and deeply honest conversation about the potential of yoga to transform our lives and perhaps even help heal the modern mental health crisis.There is lightness, laughter, and deep sorrow woven through this short exchange as they explore some of the biggest questions of modern life:How do we live more meaningfully?What are we actually chasing?And what happens when money, comfort, and happiness stop being enough?Without giving away the beautiful ending, perhaps the answer is this:Find a story worth living for...You can find Dora at: spirapoweryoga.comand Anna at: pidgepost.com and pidgepost.substack.com#SpiraYoga #YogaJourney #Mindfulness #YogaTeacherTraining #AuthenticLiving #Community #Growth

There is a lot of fear around AI, and as with anything else, it can be misused and harmful. But as I just found out, it can also be helpful.As a small business owner and teacher, I just don't have time to generate new content as frequently as I would like for my Podcast channel and blogs. AI to the rescue!I just wrapped up teaching my 8-month Yoga and Mindfulness Journey. To my surprise, one of my students told me that he put some of his notes into AI, and it generated a very enjoyable podcast.I was blown away! Apart from the total butchering of Sanskrit pronunciation, it did an amazing job highlighting some of the lessons and, most importantly, distilling the essence of the teaching. Listen to this 20 minutes and learn the true essence of yoga and mindfulness.This is also a useful listen if you are thinking of taking Dora's 200HR Yoga and Mindfulness Journey and are curious to learn why it is so very different from the other compressed short yoga trainings, then give this a listen. (and yes, it is so different that even if you already have a 200-hour certificate, you will not regret doing it again) 

Spend 20 min with Dr. Larry Silber, a Chiropractor, and Functional Medicine doctor, as well as a Crossfit and Yoga enthusiast. Learn why Yoga is essential for folks who love endurance and power sports, and yes, it is beneficial for everybody. Yoga is still mostly considered a “sport for the ladies,” it is time to change this mainstream perception. Yoga is very beneficial for men, and no, you do not need to be able to touch your toes. Dr. Silber graduated from Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia with academic honors. He practiced for many years in both the Atlanta and the Seattle areas before continuing his education and focusing on Functional Medicine. Dr. Silber’s decision to add in a focus on nutritional healing as well as chiropractic care, came out of his desire to help his family. He has seen first-hand the damaging effects of stress, poor diet and lack of physical activity on several family members. In addition, he currently gets to see the impact of sleep, food and stress management on both his own athletic performance and the many athletes with whom he works.Dr. Silber believes that physical health is the platform for achieving one’s goals and spiritual and emotional expansion. Working with people living with all types of health concerns, including weight gain, fatigue, depression, female hormone and gut problems, Dr. Silber shows people how to build a strong foundation of well-being and re-claim their birthright of physical health.You can find Dr. Silber teaching yoga Monday nights at Spira. If you wish to get in touch with him, send us an email; [email protected]

Conversation with Kristen, a Licenced Mental Health counselor about difficulties that youth face during Covid-19. We chat about how yoga can be a helpful tool for young adults.If you are interested she has a workshop coming up at Spira: https://www.spirapoweryoga.com/events-1/young-adult-yoga-workshop-2Of course, we don't think yoga is the solution in all situations. If anxiety and depression symptoms are severe Seek Professional help:Start with a pediatrician, school counselor/social worker, teacher then a therapist.Help lines:Seattle Children’s crisis line text HOME to 741741.https://www.hca.wa.gov/health-care-services-supports/behavioral-health-recovery/mental-health-crisis-lines1-800-273-8255 National Suicide Help Line

Yoga requires us to let go of perfection and enjoy the flow. The Japanese have an expression for finding beauty in imperfection, or imbalance; Wabi-Sabi. Well, this is a fun Spira Power Yoga flow class where nothing went as planned. Dora taught a perfect morning class on the breath, which went so well that she decided to repeat the class in the afternoon and record it… Well, Wabi-Sabi, the class ended being very different, with emphasis on letting go of perfection. Did we tell you? You can never repeat the past; everything is flow, everything changes. Enjoy wabi-sabi!

Live recording of Dora's class from December 2017. Always spontaneous, always new. Enjoy

Learn to pronounce the Bija Mantras correctly. Listen to Carina recite the Bija Mantras. This is a perfect companion to meditation.

Expand your knowledge of yoga!Listen to Carina explain what Bija Mantras.

A powerful basic flow good for beginners and advanced alike - long holds with easy choreography.