Angie Follensbee-Hall

"Make Your Life A Work of Art"- Eknath Easwaren

Respiration and Your Breath Workshop–Monday, May 22, 6- 8 pm
Paradise City Arts Festival, Visit me May 27, 28, & 29 in Northampton, MA!

Quick Links 👇🏽

Hello Reader,

One of the many things I love about Italian culture is the kindness and encouragement you get from total strangers. "Brava!" they shout, when this foreigner manages to accomplish a simple task (like managing to order my own food in Italian).

In Italian there is another concept called “forza”—literally strength, force, and power. It is often used as a phrase “Dai, forza, andiamo!” meaning “come on, you can do it!” It emphasizes the ability to face the difficulties of life with determination and dedication.

My mother taught me many things, but perhaps I am most thankful that she taught me to treasure an intense inner persistence and a sense of willpower. Some might call it pig-headedness. My loved ones would certainly agree that I am a little stubborn...

I love showing other people that they too are stronger than they think.

Sure, I love helping people to be more flexible, to reduce mental stress, and to find inner tranquillity. These are beautiful and important benefits of a Yoga practice. But when someone is able to hold a plank pose for the first time, or they can do a few pushups, or they notice that 108 bicycles gets easier over time, this physical strength can translate into a mental resiliency–the inner force of determination.

When you show your mind that you are better than the limits it sets for your body, something special happens. This is what makes Yoga practice different than other forms of mindfulness AND different from regular exercise.

Yoga practice accesses the power of your mental, emotional, and spiritual self specifically through the physical body. It is the ultimate whole-body-mind resilience training.

Resilience is the process of adapting positively in the face of adversity. Resilience involves bouncing back from difficult experiences, and it can also involve profound personal growth.

Being resilient doesn’t mean that you won’t experience difficulty or distress. The road to resilience may involve considerable physical challenge and emotional distress, and there is no perfect end destination. Resiliency involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that anyone can learn and develop through practice. Increasing your resilience is like building a muscle— it takes time and intentionality.

The physical practice of Yoga is a perfect tool to build your inner strength–your Italian forza. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, 1.14 states:

“Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in earnestness.”

This week, I would like you to meditate on the idea of forza and resiliency. How can you encourage yourself, or someone else, to feel stronger, or to push past perceived limitations? Maybe it’s offering yourself or someone else encouraging words like “Brava!”, or maybe it’s doing just one more push-up or one more leg lift.. You have to find your unique comfortable edge for self-empowerment.

May all beings everywhere find their inner reserve of strength and fortitude.

Dai forza!

Angie ♥️

Vajra Mudra-For Self-Empowerment and Determination

Vajra Mudra-for self empowerment

Bring middle fingers to touch. Pinch index and thumbs together. Bend ring and pinky fingers into palms. Hold comfortably as you use Ujjai Breath. Vajra Mudra awakens the 'inner diamond', increasing a sense of empowerment, determination and clarity, allowing your unique talents and unlimited possibilities to unfold.

Quotes on Strength

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” -Marcus Aurelius

“And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.”-Paulo Coelho

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” -Christopher Reeve

“To build up courage, encourage others.”- Martin Uzochukwu Ugwu

Events

Respiration & Breath, Embodied Yogic Wisdom Class Two

Click HERE! There is still time to sign up for the upcoming workshops!

Join the next class from 6-8 pm on Monday, May 22– we will cover: Respiration And The Breath

You will learn:

the anatomy of respiration
new research on the breath and why it is essential to your health
tools for deepening your relationship breath
simple ways to practice breath mindfulness every day through the ancient healing wisdom of yoga and embodiment.

The breath is your most immediate access point to the body and the spirit. Each breath is an opportunity to deepen your body-mind connection and access more energy efficiency.

Live in-person and online via Zoom. Video replay given to all participants.

Discount code for YOU!

Single session discount, save $25!
Enter code at checkout: NEWS25

Register today to save your spot!

Embodied Yogic Wisdom

A five class workshop series for total mind, body, spirit transformation. Online, in-person, or on your own later via video replays.

Learn more here

Upcoming Events

Pop-up summer yoga hikes up the mile long field in Brownsville–dates TBA
New! Yoga and Live Music on Mt. Sunapee!
July 9, Deep Rest & Wellness Retreat

More to share

A book I've read recently...
There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it...

Check It Out