Sustained, transformational change happens through the alchemy of mindfulness and the right use of will. In life, just as in yoga, you must start where you are before you can take the next step. Clearly, this is one of life’s greatest paradoxes, and it snags us every time. Our tendency is to work diligently to [...]
Posted on April 2nd, 2013 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Healthy Living
The Right Use of Will
Posted on March 14th, 2013 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Ask the Expert, Healthy Living
Tools for Taking Yoga Off the Mat
In this edition of Ask the Expert, Aruni Nan Futuronsky, life coach, Kripalu Yoga teacher, and advisor for Kripalu Healthy Living programs, answers your questions about using yoga philosophy to address the challenges of everyday life. Are there tools you recommend for finding closeness with our partners in this hectic pace of modern life? I feel [...]
Posted on March 4th, 2013 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Life Lessons
Open Your Heart
It’s easy to lose connection with our feelings. In this fast-paced world, with all the responsibilities that we carry, we are often exhausted by the day’s end. Self-connection is pushed to the side in the face of our busyness and the time devoted to others. This is the moment to consider getting in touch with [...]
Posted on January 31st, 2013 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Life Lessons
Cultivating Gratitude
We spend so much of our time focusing on what is not happening or imagining what might transpire, yet there is such abundance in our lives. Gratitude has been called the highest prayer, a profound practice that effortlessly returns us to the present moment and opens the doors for more blessings to be bestowed upon [...]
Posted on December 19th, 2012 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Life Lessons
Navigating the Darkness—Self-Care and Connection in the Wake of Tragedy
How can we, as mindful people, make our way through this time of senseless and unimaginable loss? Here, Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Kripalu Senior Life Coach, shares some ways we can all seek solace and cultivate connection in the wake of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.
Renew your gratitude for what is. Take a few minutes today to appreciate what you have in your life: Speak your gratitude to others. Savor the love that is present. Enjoy and appreciate your children. We live in the illusion of permanence. Life, by definition, is impermanent. By becoming more aware of what is, by savoring it more, perhaps some meaning might emerge from this tragedy.
Posted on December 8th, 2012 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Healthy Living, Life Lessons
The Grounding Power of Gratitude
Our mental time-travel away from the present moment is one of our primary dilemmas: Oftentimes, it’s much easier to focus on what might be happening, on what’s not happening, or on what has already happened than on what’s currently happening. Ultimately, it benefits us physiologically, energetically, emotionally, and spiritually to train our minds to return to what is happening right here, right now—and the meditative anchor of gratitude can ground us effortlessly back into reality.
Here are some ways you might practice gratitude:
Posted on October 25th, 2012 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Falling Off the Mat, Life Lessons
Permission to Practice
Let me simply say that I didn’t just fall off the mat. Recently, confronted with life on life’s terms, I plummeted, plunged, and wildly tumbled, losing all foothold to the practices that give me perspective and trust. There is good news in this tale though I found my way back relatively quickly. But, in this breach, I endured much self-inflicted struggle and pain.
This story is canine-related. My dogs, Lucy Kay Doodle and Zac Joey Doodle, are gifts of love and growth for me. In their fuzzy, larger-than-life Muppet-ness, they bring me such lessons.They are shiny mirrors into which I see my behavior, recognize my strengths and growth, and see beyond my old patterns of limited thinking. Simply put, my dogs are my teachers. They help me grow.
Posted on September 25th, 2012 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Healthy Living, Life Lessons
The Gift of Abundance
Do you find yourself focusing on what isn’t happening in your life? Perhaps you find yourself stressed out about something that hasn’t even taken place yet, imagining and envisioning its worst-case scenario. As you indulge in these negative thoughts, notice how everything tightens up, both inside and around you. By not living in the moment, scarcity—that feeling of constriction and lack—pulls at us.
By being present in the moment and relaxing into what is happening, doors open wide for us. Abundance is available here, in this very moment, through mindful breath, relaxation, and gratitude.
Consider abundance, not in its usual connotation of wealth and plenty, but in its more energetic experience, as the fullness of spirit, an overflowing of presence that brings us deep connection to the moment.
Posted on August 28th, 2012 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Healthy Living, Life Lessons
How to Quiet the Mind
How do we bring what we do on the yoga mat into the world? How do we quiet the mind? In this video, Aruni Nan Futuronsky shares her thoughts on how to neutralize suffering and simply be with what is.
Posted on August 6th, 2012 by Aruni Nan Futuronsky, Life Coach, RYT in Life Lessons
The Balancing Act
The inherent balance of body, mind, and spirit is our birthright, our natural default, and is always available to us. And what a blessing that is!
Consider the strangely discordant nature of our being. There’s the spirit, already connected to all—deeply quiet, the essence of peace. There’s the mind, eager to rush out of that seat of peace into the illusion of control, into yesterday, while wildly scanning tomorrow. And, finally, there’s the body, which holds the contradictions between the mind and the spirit.
Our minds become the primary operating filter through which we exist. As the mind takes over our experience, our access to the body’s signals weakens and our connection to the spirit diminishes. In order to find the balance between body, mind, and spirit, the mind needs to be trained. Without its training, we deprive ourselves of the depth of information available to us through the body and the spirit. Try these tips to train the mind and re-balance your life:
• At a red light, take three deep breaths. This brief break can help reestablish homeostasis, the body’s relaxation response.
• At work, set an alarm on your phone for a specific time mid-morning. At that point, walk to the restroom, allowing every step to be one of mindful presence. Splash water on your face. Be there, feel it. Enjoy this refreshing, balancing break.
• Take a few minutes at the end of your workday for a mindful transition: Do some simple stretches; go for a short walk. As you release the stress of the workday, you’ll be more relaxed and more available when you return home.
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