Gena Kenny Yoga

For whatever you are leaving behind, I hope you can remember what was beautiful.

For all of the memories that remain a fog in your mind, I hope there are pockets of full colour. Unorganized, spontaneous colour memories overlapping with feelings — the way everyone laughed in the kitchen that night, the way the smell of fresh baked bread was healing. The way you left the city that night, knowing it might be years before you made it back…the way you were at peace with all you gained despite what you lacked.

There is so much that doesn’t make sense about the past, and there are so many questions that crowd your mind around how you made the most of your time, and at the same time, you know in the well of your soul, you got to meet some of the most beautiful people. You have to take deep breaths in some of the most beautiful places. You have memories too good for words. Weekends you’ll cling to forever.

A million little bursts of colour that have made you a storyteller. For whatever you are leaving behind, I hope you can remember what was beautiful. For whatever you are leaving behind, I hope you can remember what was beautiful.
Morgan harper Nichols

The breath arises out of stillness, expands, condenses, and returns to the ground of stillness. Oscillation is an intrinsic part of life and all movements’.

From the moment of conception, our bodies begin to breathe. Each cell in the body expands, condenses, and rests in an internal rhythmic pattern, a pattern that will become amplified into full body breathing at the moment of birth. The fundamental nature of the breath is that it is in a constant state of oscillation. Just as the tides ebb and flow, we breathe in and out in an ongoing rhythm.

This oscillation of breath is a perfect mirror of the fluctuations of life. Life is like a swinging pendulum, some changes bringing with them difficulties and pain and other changes bringing with them ease and joy. If we are open to this process, life will move us. If we are unable to integrate life’s changes, we begin to resist by restricting our breath. When we hold the breath and try to control life or stop changes from happening, we are saying that we do not want to be moved. In those moments, our desire for certainty has become stronger than our desire to be dynamically alive.

Breathing happens to us when we remove the obstacles we have erected to it’s free movement. Breathing freely is a courageous act, for when we breathe freely, we are accepting of all that life brings.

A reading from my teacher Donna Farhi

Follow my YouTube channel, Gena Kenny Yoga. Choose restorative practices or guided breath and meditations.

Patience visited me
And it reminded me
That good thing takes time to come to fruition
And grow slowly with stability

Peace visited
And it reminded me
That I may remain calm through the storms of life
Regardless of the chaos surrounding me

Hope visited
And it reminded me
That better times lay ahead
And it would always be there to guide and uplift me

Humility visited me
And it reminded me
That I may achieve it
Not by trying to shrink myself and make myself less

Kindness visited
And it reminded me
To be more gentle, forgiving, and compassionate toward myself
And those surrounding me

Confidence visited me
And it reminded me
To not conceal or suppress my gifts and talents
In order to make others feel more comfortable
But to embrace what makes me me

Focus visited me
And it reminded me
That other people’s insecurities and judgements about me
Is not my problem
And I should redirect my attention
From others back to me

Freedom visited me
And it reminded me
That no one has control over my mindset, thoughts, and wellbeing
But me

And love visited me
And it reminded me
I need not search for it in others
As it lies within me.
-unknown

movement

Just as the ocean has waves, or the sun has rays, so the mind's own radiance is it thoughts and emotions.

The ocean has waves, yet the ocean is not particularly disturbed by them. The waves are the very nature of the ocean. Waves will rise, but where do they go? Back into the ocean. And where do the waves come from? The ocean. In the same manner, thoughts and emotions are the radiance and expression of the very nature of the mind. They rise from the mind, but where do they dissolve? Back into the mind. Whatever rises in thought or in emotion, do not see it as a particular problem. If you do not impulsively react, if you are only patient, it will once again settle into its essential nature.

— excerpt from Bringing the Mind Home,
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

The mountains are my bones
The rivers my veins
The forests are my thoughts
and the stars are my dreams
The ocean is my heart
it's pounding is my pulse
The sounds of the earth create the music of my soul

= Wild woman wild woman sisterhood
- Photo of the Napali Coast outrigger canoe race where my soul sings.

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it! It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly to keep the channel open. ---Martha Graham

What is your body? is it a machine? If it breaks, can you fix it? Do you punish your body when it isn’t performing well, when it’s sick, or when it’s not looking the way you want it to?

Could you instead consider your body as a holy book or a scripture. Visualize the pages of your flesh marked in exquisite detail with the finest hand, inscribed by spirit with the poetry of love, lessons of mercy, miracles, and the story of your life perfectly told on an illuminated manuscript of sacred writing.

Epic in scope, majesty, and grace. Every hair on your head and line on your face, every rushing tide of wind and wave moving you from within. This living testament bears witness to the truth layered within you. Study this text with conviction, then reflect with care upon its meaning and enjoy the divine inspiration.

How you care about, think about, and talk about your body matters.
-Gil Hedley

photo credit MGL photography

Kauai Adventure and Yoga Retreat
Day 6:

"It was all a circle, the important thing for our ancestors was to be near the fire, telling stories, sharing songs, and most of all listening to the sounds of the earth, to the songs of the birds, to the whispers of the tree's, the messages in the wind, a listening to everything."

Today, we close this amazing Hawaiian Sojourn of Adventure, Yoga, and Hawaiian culture. After a flowing yoga practice, We share story.

The Hawaiian story of the Bowl of Light. Every child is born with a bowl of light. The children can do anything, dance with rainbows, listen to nature, sing with the birds, anything is possible. However, over time, as stones pile up, they block the light. Stones are dense, such as anger, jealousy, judgement, criticism, and regret. But at any time, we can clear out our bowl of light and release the dense stones.

Finally, we sit in a circle to acknowledge what we most value in our newfound friends of the Retreat.

I am feeling very grateful to have been able to share this journey with such an amazing group of people and, of course, always grateful for Kent and his support on Retreats. we couldn't do this without you, Kent!!

Aloha for now ...we will meet again soon!

Kauai Adventure and Yoga Retreat
Day 5.
"That which is most precious to our hearts, closest to the truth....that which delights, excites and brings joy...holds a thread to a greater reality. '

The day we have been waiting for! The epic 17 km round trip paddle in double kayaks along the Napali Coast. We begin by getting two vehicles down a very bumpy road to a quiet beach. The trip begins with unloading kayaks and working in teams of 4 to ease the load. We pair up and decide who the brave first two will be going out through the shorebreak. our guides from Kayak Napali had it fully under control. The trip up the coast had both its challenges and incredible beauty. We had another one by one navigation through a shorebreak to a beach for lunch, greeted by a monk seal!

To add to the epic nature of the day, it was a birthday celebration for Kent, Esther, and Yolie...what away to celebrate a birthday.

Kauai Adventure and Yoga Retreat
Day 4:

A 'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka Halau ho'okahi'
All knowledge is not taught in the same school.~ Hawaiian proverb

The school that we have entered teaches us that everything is sacred. Every rock, every tree, every type of wind, and even the land we walk on needs to be acknowledged. In the process of acknowledging the sacredness of nature, we come back to the sacredness of our own self.

Our day began at the Waimea Canyon, referred to as the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. For the Hawaiian people, however, it is much more than grand. It is the thought of as the gateway to ancestral knowledge and connections. A place to gather for prayer and for receiving guidance. This is a place for great reverence.

After spending time learning about this sacred location from a hawaiian kumu, we made our way back to our beautiful cottage garden.

A rest day followed by a deep dive into restorative yoga and the deep core spinal support. We rested up for our next big adventure tomorrow.

Kauai Adventure and Yoga Retreat
Day 3:

Today, inspired by the lashing of the double hull canoe which is reflecting the strength and unity that bind the canoe’s parts together. Just as paddlers and people are bonded. The canoe, when assembled, becomes a whole that is stronger than the sum of its parts, resilient enough to withstand currents and capable of crossing oceans.

Thank you to our dear friends Laola, Mike and Rick for sharing your time, energy and knowledge.

Our retreat guests learned how to rig a double hull canoe. We took her for a voyage in the open ocean. Thanks to Coach Tina everyone was in good rhythm and timing, we worked together as one to move swiftly across a bumpy ocean and to return again safely to the shore.

Yoga on the beach helped stretch out our hard working paddling muscles.

The next adventure was two parts... Kent taking a waterfall hiking group and me taking a crystal therapy group.

Kauai Adventure and Yoga Retreat
Day 2:

The world Aloha sends with it a connection - it acknowledges that which animates your heart and my heart.

Today, we began with a quiet boat trip on the Waimea River. It was a cultural immersion into this area that we fully enjoyed.

Next, stop added another level of adventure as we hiked down a rocky, muddy path to the Queens' bath on the south side of Kauai. It's such a beautiful place for a refreshing swim and a bit of rock hopping. The Honu's came to great us as well as a couple of dolphins 🐬.

Then time in Hanalei Bay to shop and enjoy a fish taco dinner.

Kauai Yoga Retreat Day 1:

"When I make a lei, I bind together what I have gathered. My love and aloha manifests beyond just the lei. The lei becomes an extension of my aloha for all.”

The symbolism of the Lei is connection.

Our retreat guests have gathered from different parts of Australia and the United States. Through ritual, we honour these new and old connections.

Our Hawaiian ritual is called a Ho'okupa - This is an energetic and physical gift to honour our upcoming journey on the island of Kauai. Each retreat guest gathers gifts of nature representing the 5 elements and then writes an intention of letting go and an intention of growth or manifestation. The intention is that it has an energy that supports our next 6 days of this journey, and it carries into the future.

Tomorrow, we add the adventures.

You wonder about your life
the things you have to do
the person you had hoped to become
but all we see is beauty.
You are like the raindrops
on the ferns all it takes is
the right light and everyone is dazzled

Never think for a moment
that you are nothing
you are
the whole universe

- Brydie Walker bain
-Photo credit White Vine Photography

As time goes by,
You will loosen your grip on that rock,
The one you always thought was home,
And you will realise that home is not a place,
It’s a state of mind.
Let it go.

As time goes by,
You will learn to see yourself more clearly,
The girl who was always too much of one thing,
And too little of another, was actually
Everything she needed to be.
Let her out.

As time goes by,
You will let the simple things become the big,
And you will allow the big things to become the simple,
And that readjustment will be,
The day you really start to live,
Let it be.

As time goes by,
You will be forced to say goodbye many times,
And your soft little heart will shatter but,
It will still beat and that will bring you,
All the purpose you need.
Let it beat.

As time goes by,
You will stop choosing wealth over peace,
You will stop choosing money over time,
And you will see that the treasures you need,
Are in the smiles and the laughter.
Let them in.

As time goes by,
The moments you remember when your life flashes past,
Are never the awful memories my friend, it’s the joy,
The summer nights, the lazy days with loved ones,
The midnight chats and the morning hugs,
Let them happen.

Let them all happen.

~ ' As Time Goes By' by Donna Ashworth

Yoga Indulgence
Friday August 2nd from 6pm to 7:30pm at Haven Yoga

“As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.”
by Jack Kornfield

Imagine yourself in the most relaxed state with no interruptions no expectations and simply being within your internal home.

Welcome to Yoga Indulgence;
The session includes:
• Restorative Yoga
• Tibetan Singing Bowls Meditation
• Essential Oils and Sprays
• Chai Tea and Chocolates

As you enter the room you will be invited to welcome in feelings of groundedness, feelings of wellness and feelings of wholeness. This is an essential part of nourishing yourself. This is a moment for you to journey home, back to yourself and remember as well as welcome parts of you that may have gotten left behind in amongst a busy world.

Restorative yoga aims to help your body and mind slow down so that you can receive nourishment at the deepest level. Moving slowly through the poses allows you to explore your mind and body at a steady and more natural pace. The slower pace and the deep breathing activates the calm side of your nervous system. This calming effect sets a deeply relaxing tone for the class that comforts your mind and body down to the cellular level.
Following your Restorative yoga practice you will be guided in a Yoga Nidra practice with the vibrational sound healing of the Tibetan singing bowls.

The session will conclude with the most indulgent of chocolates and chai tea as well as some time for deeper conversations and sharing.

Book through Haven Yoga website

She Let Go

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of fear. She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.

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 advice. She didn’t read a
book on how to let go… She just let go.

She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right. She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.
She just let go.

The author of this poem is Rev. Safire Rose

Miracle of the body; How often do you berate your own body? do you get angry when it breaks down, or when you get sick or are in pain, when it doesn't look the way you want it to, do you turn information about your body onto yourself? what if you could change your perspective and instead of looking at your body as an imperfection or pathology to be fixed or cured, accept it as a gift.

Your body is miraculous;

* Your eye is the size of a ping pong ball and weighs 1/4 of an ounce. The muscles that operate its lenses move up to one hundred thousand times a day - you would have to walk 80km's a day to give your leg muscles equivalent exercise.

* The brain has 10 million nerve cells, and each has potentially 25,000 interconnections with other nerve cells

* Your nose can detect up to 10,000 different odors

* The inner lining of your stomach is a mucous membrane into which 35 million tiny glands secrete gastric juice for digestion

* In the 300 million air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs, carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen in one third of a second.

* Your heart, no bigger than a fist, pumps blood night and day through a network of blood vessels calculated to be 95,000 km's long.

* Your liver, sometimes referred to as the body's chemical factory is able to perform more than five hundred different functions, including the production of more than a thousand enzymes needed for good digestion and a healthy metabolism.

And how beautiful is the body organized, the average human body consists of 70 trillion cells, and each cell performing a special function. Each organ and each system are experts in particular operations for the benefit of the body as a whole.. Everything within is intricately integrated.

So give thanks to your body, offer your body gratitude for all of the miraculous things that it does,and for all of the amazing things that you can do with your body. Notice what shifts for you when you approach your body with wonder and amazement instead of frustration or blame.

I am grateful that my body allows me to do wonderful adventures, thanks to my bodies resilience.

There are some people who have Sun inside them.
It's hard to explain.

Their presence just brightens, it's not about their
beautiful smiles. They have an internal being that
sheds light and feels like Sun.

It's a calm energy. Inner peace.
But most importantly; it's not wanting anything
back in return.

It's Sun."

☀️ Serdar Özkan, a Turkish author known for his
philosophical writings.

To all the people out there who add a ray of sunshine to the world...keep it going!

"I think it's a deep consolation to know that spiders dream, that monkeys tease predators, that dolphins have accents, that lions can be scared silly by a lone mongoose, that otters hold hands, and ants bury their dead. That there isn't their life and our life. Nor your life and my life.
That it's just one teetering and endless thread, and all of us, all of us, are entangled with it as deep as entanglement goes."

~Kate Forster

everyday

There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it , we are able to trust and open ourselves.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

I don’t know where prayers go,
or what they do.
Do cats pray, while they sleep
half-asleep in the sun?
Does the opossum pray as it
crosses the street?
The sunflower? The old black oak
growing older every year?
I know I can walk through the world,
along the shore or under the trees,
With my mind filled with things
of little importance, in full
self-attendance. A condition I can’t really
call being alive.
Is a prayer a gift, or a petition,
or does it matter?
The sunflowers blaze, maybe that’s their way.
Maybe the cats are sound asleep. Maybe not.

While I was thinking this I happened to be standing
Just outside my door, with my notebook open,
Which is the way I begin every moning.
Then a wren in the privet began to sing.
He was positively drenched in enthusiasm,
I don’t why. And yet, why not.
I wouldn’t persuade you from whatever you believe
Or whatever you don’t. That’s your business.
But I thought, of the wren’s singing, what could this be
if it isn’t a prayer?
So I just listened, my pen in the air.

- Mary Oliver

What do you ask for with your being? How is your life a prayer? For me having moments of observing this glorious natural world and all of the incredible moments is my prayer.