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Yoga with Gabi
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Yoga with Gabi
About
Yoga
Art
Nutrition
Newsletters
Contact
About
Yoga
Art
Nutrition
Newsletters
Contact

August 2023

This month I would love to share the Yajna Model. This tool is wonderful for assessing equilibrium in your relationships in life. Like a table with 7 legs, if one leg is off balance then the other legs will have to bear the extra weight. We can assess each of these 7 areas with a scale of 0-10. 

With 0 being nonexistent and 10 being perfect/our absolute best. 

In the Yajna Model we look at 7 different aspects or “legs” of one’s life. 

  1. Rituals: practices that bring us closer to ourselves and to our joy

  2. Community: a safe and encouraging environment to grow with

  3. Friends: our chosen family, someone who loves and understands us 

  4. Partner: our person that is always there for us, through thick and thin

  5. Nature: spending time outdoors helps ground us and connects us to the universe

  6. Service: giving our time and energy to others, helps us feel connected

  7. Teacher: holds up a mirror for us, helps us learn and dive deeper into ourselves

We can see which areas we excel at and then focus on improving 1-2 areas that need extra love or attention (our lowest scoring numbers). After spending some time to strengthen those areas, you can always reassess each of these 7 legs. You can use this model whenever you want to shift your focus, revisiting it throughout your life.

We are multidimensional beings that get to deal with the tides of life. It is important to feel connected, nourished and ultimately balanced.

We strive to cultivate sthira and sukham which translates to steadiness and ease.

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

-Aristotle

The first step is showing up and doing it! You can do it!


September 2023

Fall is upon us!

With the changing of the seasons it is a great time to write a bhavana that we want to call into existence. 

Bhavana means developing or cultivating with intention. With a bhavana, you write out what you wish to happen. You can write one or several goals out which can become our reality. If we keep our bhavana out, we can look at it and take steps to achieve it daily. 

Also, by starting our day with three people or things that we are grateful for, we can move through our day with a sense of abundance.

Prompt idea: 

  • What do you want to call into your life this fall?

  • What do you want to accomplish by the end of 2023?

  • How can you cultivate more steadiness and ease into your life?

  • Who are you grateful for today?


The Law of Attraction suggests that positive thoughts yield positive results in your life. 

How can we bring more zeal into our lives?

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” 

-Eckhart Tolle

October 2023

This month, I would love to bring attention to the breath and the 4 stages of breathing in pranayama.

Pranayama means the extension of one’s breath with control. 

Prana = life force/breath/energy

Yama = control

Breath is an automatic function that we can also manipulate. How awesome is that?!

“Considering that our life depends upon breathing, it is remarkable that we have as much conscious control over it as we do.” 

-Benjamin F. Miller and Ruth Goode

The 4 stages are:

  1. Inhalation (puraka) - active process

  2. Pause in breathing (kumbhaka) - retaining the air in the inflated lungs

  3. Exhalation (rechaka) - passive process, letting go

  4. Pause in breathing (kumbhaka) - pause on empty lungs

  • After this pause, we take a slow smooth breath of air through the nostrils and we return back to 1) inhalation and the cycle continues

We aim to breathe with comfort and ease in all 4 of these stages. In pranayama there is a ratio for the stages also known as the breath ratio. 


This month I want to share a video for our hands, wrists, and forearms. We do so much with our hands and arms. 

When we practice our physical postures, try to use the breath as the catalyst of movement. Remember, that everything is connected.

Here is a little video:  2 Minute Hand/Wrist/Forearm Love


November 2023

Let’s take a moment to reflect on 3 people that we are grateful for. 

Studies show that practicing gratitude boosts our well-being, how awesome is that?!

This month I would love to bring attention to The Yamas and The Niyamas which are a part of the 8 limbs of yoga. Yoga is much deeper than physical practice.

The 8 limbs of Yoga come from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Patanjali was a great sage in India and the Yoga Sutras are a collection of Sanskrit little threads of wisdom. 

I will discuss the first two limbs: The Yamas and The Niyamas.

They are guidelines for behavior towards ourselves, behavior towards others, how we interact with the world, our social attitude and lifestyle.

The Yamas: The attitude we have towards people and our environment.

  • Ahimsa: non-harm towards yourself and others, kindness and thoughtful consideration of other people and things

  • Satya: truthfulness, consider what you say, how you say it, and how it could affect others

  • Asteya: non-stealing, don’t take anything that does not belong to you

  • Brahmacharya: moderation in all aspects of life

  • Aparigraha: take only what is necessary, don’t take advantage of a situation

The Niyamas: How we relate to ourselves inwardly, deal with our problems.

  • Sauca: cleanliness, of body and clarity of our mind

  • Samtosa: contentment, acceptance of what has happened

  • Tapas: zeal, heat the body through exercise, mindful - breathing, eating, posture 

  • Svadhyaya: self- study, study of ancient texts

  • Isvara Pranidhana: surrender to a higher power

The Heart of Yoga (Desikachar, 1999)


You can practice Yoga any time of day on and off of the mat. Let’s be mindful and love one another.

Here is a 2 minute Loving Kindness Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UccGgP0V9NE