Nov 11, 2015 | Sedona Yoga, Sedona Yoga Festival Teacher Feature, Yoga Festival, Yoga Interviews
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Meet Isabella Greene, Ze Happinator. Remote Spiritual Healer, Happiness Coach, Mystic and Teacher
We recently chatted with Remote Spiritual Healer, Isabella Greene. Recent expansions and up-leveling have been keeping her happily… busy. She is constantly asking the Universe for more.
Occupation: Life & Happiness Coach, Energy Healer, Remote Spiritual Soul Healer, Mystic, Teacher
Hometown: St. Petersburg, Russia; New York, NY
Current Town: Sedona, AZ
Where has yoga taken you?
Yoga has opened the door into my journey back to self. It was during yoga practice that I first started experiencing the depth of meditation and most profound visions. Yoga helped me calm my mind and find balance between my body and my soul. It helped me build a strong connection between my body and my mind, something that was missing for me throughout my entire pre-yoga life. It also showed me peacefulness that I was unable to find anywhere else and it led me to finding my life’s passion. It also helped me calm my “edges”. When I first started doing yoga in 2006 I was in a very aggressive Karate training, but shortly thereafter I was no longer able to enjoy it. I no longer had the drive to spar and to fight people: the anger and the edge that originally brought me to taking Karate was no longer there. I dropped Karate and stayed with yoga.
What are the 4 most pivotal occasions in your career both in and outside of Yoga?
- I worked in Financial Services Industry for over 10 years. I didn’t enjoy it much, but I didn’t have the guts to leave: it was comfortable and I didn’t know what else I could do with myself. One day in 2009 they laid me off with a year of “free” pay: that was the best thing that happened to me. In that year I had time to really look at my life and make better, more coherent choices.
- One day coming from yoga practice I had a strong feeling to walk home instead of taking a New York City subway. The practice that day was outstanding for me, I was quite “in the zone” on my long walk. Suddenly I had a feeling to stop at a place I barely knew, but the “inner voice” was so strong I followed. As I walked in, there was only one other person there, someone who turned out to be the kind of person I’ve never met before: spiritual healer. The conversation that resulted had me on the plain to Life Coaching School less than a week later and two month after that I took a call from my very first client. This is how my coaching and healing practice started. And I am forever grateful to yoga for that.
My visit to Sedona came together “quite unexpectedly” in 2012. Three days there and I knew I was moving. After I moved to Sedona I focused on my spiritual practice and mediations with all my might and two months into it remembered that I had remote viewing ability since I was a teen. Excited, I started playing with it, it was so much fun! Then the crisis hit: my Mother was very ill and I wanted to help her, but she was all the way across the world! I went to “remote view” her in the hospital and something incredible happened: something I had no explanation for at that time. I had the most profound vision during which my Mom suddenly recovered! This is how I learned to do what I do now. Helping my Mom was my very first remote healing session.- My meditation practice is really intense; it led me into Kundalini and pineal gland activation. This resulted in my being guided to and “teaching myself” how to do really advanced remote Soul Healing work and also in person sessions. Due to this new knowing, my practice has expanded dramatically; I now have clients all over the world, doing my work for the Planet one person at a time. And I am forever grateful to that life changing walk after yoga
What do you never leave the house without?
My purse. It’s a girl thing. Also water, I always have water with me.
Where are your favorite places to experience?
Nature. Middle of nowhere – the more remote the better. This is relatively new for me as I was very much a big city girl and traveler before Sedona. But now all I want to do it camp in the wilderness.
What are the first three words that come to your mind when someone says: “grounded” or “connected?”
Balance, peace, harmony
We want to know what your typical morning looks like! What does your daily practice look like?
I do my 1,5 hr long meditations at 3:30AM, then take a couple of hours of lucid dreaming, then up around 7:30 or 8 and right into remote healing sessions. Clearing practice after that, then coaching clients and in person sessions in the afternoon. I don’t have breakfast till about 11AM usually.
What is one mantra that is like a remedy for your soul?
“All in Divine Order” and also “Following the invisible into the unknown”
How do you channel your inner 5 year old?
I AM a 5 year old! Just ask my boyfriend!
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I loooove motorcycles! Nothing like a nice solid loud Harley ride, especially on an empty road with magnificent nature views!
What is your favorite pose to teach in your classes? And why?
I do not teach yoga, but my favorite pose is reclining hero. I can stay in it forever! Took me a long time to get there and I just love how it feels on my knees!
If you’re not on a yoga mat, where can we find you?
In my Sacred space, most likely, which is my house and garden: writing, reading, doing research, listening to workshops on line, dancing, blissing out, doing nothing.
Nov 1, 2015 | Sedona Yoga, Yoga Conference, Yoga Festival, Yoga Festival Experience
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At the 2016 Sedona Yoga Festival, I will be sharing (for the first time) how participant’s can best use Sedona’s special sites for enhanced Yoga and increased Energy Connection.
Each year Sedona becomes more and more known for “The Vortexes.” What are they, where are they, and is there any science that explains them? The Vortexes are geographical/topographical sites on the Coconino National Forest that can enhance yoga, meditation, mind/body vitalization, stress reduction, healing hurts from your past, and outside-the-box creative thinking and problem solving.
Sedona’s spiritual heritage actually goes back for millennia. The Spring 2015 Edition of the Visitor’s Guide published by the Sedona Red Rock News, states that archeologists believe the Sinagua (native people of this area from 600 – 1400 A.D.) may have held Sedona as Sacred ground, because their ruins ring Sedona. It is felt that they lived on the outskirts and traveled into the red rock area for sacred ceremony. (The vivid colors red/orange and greens ARE physiologically and spiritually inspiring).
Starting in the 1960’s word spread in the United States among spiritual seekers to visit Sedona’s high energy meditation sites.” In 1979 those locations were nicknamed “The Vortexes” and that shortened label has stuck. One of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce’s recent slogans has been, “Isn’t it ironic that the most beautiful place on earth is famous for what you can’t see.” The fundraising bike ride in Arizona for the MS Society has moved from Scottsdale to Sedona and is called, “Ride the Vortex.
The Vortexes are NOT electric or magnetic sites. There is no major electric or magnetic field difference at them. That labeling system was meant to be symbolic, NOT literal. The same is true of the masculne/feminine, and positive/negative labeling systems. It is more accurate and helpful to describe the Vortexes as Upflow or Inflow sites and match that to the topography and the type of prayer/meditation you seek.
I explain more in the video below… Enjoy! See you at SYF2016!
Pete.
[/vc_column_text] [divider type=”standard” text=”Go to top” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [vc_video title=”Vortex Expert Pete Sanders laying it down…” link=”https://youtu.be/OQECdxPyJ18″ full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] [vc_video title=”Part 2 – UpFlow Vortexes” link=”https://youtu.be/67vSH5ilz8Q” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [vc_video title=”Part 3 – Inflow Vortexes” link=”https://youtu.be/5jRTswszXeA” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] [vc_video title=”Part 4 – Combination Vortexes” link=”https://youtu.be/lSens5bgEaY” full_width=”no” width=”1/2″ el_position=”last”] [vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]
Pete A. Sanders is an Honors Graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology with principal studies in BioMedical Chemistry and Brain Science. He is a 35 year Sedona Resident, the Founder of Free Soul (www.freesoul.net), and the author of Scientific Vortex Information, Access Your Brain’s Joy Center, and You Are Psychic!
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Oct 31, 2015 | Sedona Yoga, Yoga Conference, Yoga Festival, Yoga Festival Experience, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Pre-Conference
I have been watching a dear brother on the path lately… Nick Hansinger, co-founder of Source Movement has been laying it down, Realzies these past several weeks. I have been inspired. There is something deeply profound available to each and every one of us, literally right now. The conundrum, oft mistaken as the Truth, exists in only the fact that humanity has become sensitized to a perception of reality, created over millennia, that is incongruous to… ‘what is really going on.’
Consciousness is seeking to take the leap and open into new experiences predicated upon soulfully divined and deeply intuited inspirations. We can all feel it. That deep knowing that propels oneself towards ease and grace in all that they endeavor in the world. The Divine support lended to that one, steadfast in Truth, is what most would call Miraculous.
We have evolved and will continue to explore the edge throughout time, and yet, the ancient scriptures and mythology points to a human experience much likened to human challenges we face today. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Yogis have gone before us and smoothed the path to our enlightenment; to our awakening. It is clearly defined and we are forging it anew in this fiery transformation of consciousness itself.
Heather, myself and the SYF Team have created the platform for your transformation. SYF, a consciousness evolution conference is truly the environment for exceptional growth and change… a transformation into the next phase of your life experience. Whether you have decades of practice or you are just drawn out of curiosity to this notion of a ‘good life’, SYF will meet you right where you are, impeccably providing the perfect teachers and classes to take you to the next level. Newcomers to yoga can experience Master Yoga Teachers, adept at conveying the simplicity of the practice, along with the astounding benefits of a yogic lifestyle, to all levels of experience.
The lineup of presenters, speakers and special guests, each bringing unique and authentic perspectives, were selected to share the many and varied ways to begin or expand a yoga practice. With over 77 presenters and 150 workshops, the fourth annual Sedona Yoga Festival is something to experience.
Our collective experience, cradled in the Sedona energies, will be filled with opportunities to release into the highest and best you. Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, pranayama, energy medicine, kirtan, and more will be the landscape of transformation amidst the spectacular backdrop of red rock country. Sunrise asana and meditation on the lawn, plenary speakers, forums, workshops & classes, blissful kirtans and a World Peace Meditation led by monks of the Dhammakaya Foundation and the World Peace Initiative’s Peace Revolution Project. We are the first ever United States event, blessed and supported by World Peace Architect, Dulce Ruby. SYF2016 will launch you into the stratosphere!
We have taken SYF Gives Back to new levels this year as well. Traumatic Stress: Resiliency and Healing with Yoga unites masters in the field of PTSD and Trauma and presents a holistic, deep dive training in the use of yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and other proven methods to alleviate the symptoms and heal the roots of post traumatic stress and trauma related illnesses. On the heels of previous years service projects aimed at supporting Yoga For Veterans and Yoga For First Responders, we recognize that the human physiological response to trauma is universal, regardless of the experience. This years training will provide proven methods to heal and resolve past trauma, alleviate and eliminate symptoms and lead a more stable and resilient life, along with expert instruction on all aspects of trauma and its affects on the human being. Focus groups, panels and expert testimonial to bring cultural competency various fields in need. i.e law enforcement, fire service, nurses, abuse survivors, etc.
Attending this pre-event training will prepare you to be in service to your family or community if you choose and/or provide insight, awareness and solutions towards the very real and oft debilitating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress.
Dharma. Service in Action.
Click Here for more information about pre/post-festival experiences.
This is the yoga event not to be missed! Feel into it and sense the Sedona experience that awaits you. You will be ever so glad you did.
Namaste.
Marc
Sep 26, 2015 | Sedona Yoga, Sedona Yoga Festival Teacher Feature, Yoga Conference, Yoga Festival, Yoga Interviews
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Meet Denise Thompson, aka Yogirunner, Teacher and Vice President of Group Fitness at Mountainside Fitness
We recently chatted with yogi, teacher and corporate exec, Denise Thompson – AKA Yogirunner, to find out just how she keeps it all together in a fast-paced life…
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Find me as Yogirunner on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
PINTEREST: Yogirunner
Occupation: Vice President of Group Fitness – Mountainside Fitness & Fit Republic
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM
Current Town: Phoenix, AZ
Where has yoga taken you?
Yoga has taken me to the real me! I finally realize, understand, accept and appreciate exactly who I am. I honor and respect that person.
What are the 4 most pivotal occasions in your career both in and outside of Yoga?
- Jumping from Corporate Wellness to Pharmaceutical Sales (chasing the almighty dollar)
- Realizing it was more important to do what I love than focusing on the dollar – LEAVING pharma sales
- Moving from a fitness focus to a Mind/Body focus
- Making Yoga part of my personal and professional life.
What do you never leave the house without?
I never leave the house without my phone and my Yoga mat.
Where are your favorite places to experience?
Sedona and Kauai are among my two favorite spots on this earth.
What are the first three words that come to your mind when someone says: “grounded” or “connected?”
Truth, Consciousness, One
We want to know what your typical morning looks like! What does your daily practice look like?
I wake up at 5A everyday. I grab a cup of coffee and check email/social media. By 5:45A I start my daily practice in my Buddha Lounge. I get the kids up at 6:45A, make breakfast and have them to school by 8A. My workday THEN begins.
What is one mantra that is like a remedy for your soul?
To Thine Own Self Be True
How do you channel your inner 5 year old?
I dance, sing, run and practice Yoga with my children ages 6 and 11.
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I am incredibly Type A and a Black and White thinker. Yoga has opened the door to shades of gray.
What is your favorite pose to teach in your classes? And why?
I love teaching Bakasana. It brings me so much joy to witness people putting trust in themselves and learning to fly. It’s like witnessing a toddler walk for the first time.
If you’re not on a yoga mat, where can we find you?
Running! That’s why they call me YogiRunner.
 
Sep 10, 2015 | Sedona Yoga, Yoga Conference, Yoga Festival, Yoga Festival Experience
There’s this beautiful turning point…
in all of our lives where everything begins to click for us. Anything that is no longer resonating with our frequency, serving higher good or purpose, just seems to just dissipate and be no more – while everything we dreamt would be, IS, and we begin creating/manifesting so many more opportunities to live a fantasy-like reality & dream even bigger.
A few years ago, I was cruising through the commencement of this very point in my life (my awakening if you will). I had a clear knowing that I no longer wished to live in big cities modeling and aiming for fame, and meditation was beginning to take over my life (and trust me, no complaints!). It was then that I was driven to the idea to go on a life-long journey; but first, I just ‘had to’ make my way back home to Arizona, head north and be present at the Sedona Yoga Festival. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? How one thing, idea or mission turns out to be so perfectly aligned with all else – as if by divine timing, or destiny.
Having manifested the trip, made my way and aligned with the coordinators (Marc, Heather as well as Stephanie), I felt at peace and knew this was solely the beginning of so much more to come into fruition. The vision was there, it had always been. I love Arizona – it’s home and it’s magical – but even more so – Sedona is a place I can escape to & discover more of my Self and of the Universe, with each visit bringing to life new parts of mySelf and shining light on different aspects which need cleansing, healing, balancing, focus or simply… Peace & Love.
In short, am completely at awe with the energy Sedona holds, and as I was here amongst many others who too felt it’s pull – I knew one day, and soon, I would return to amplify that very energy.
As mentioned, I crossed paths with beautiful Souls whom I completely loved from the moment of introduction. Everything at Sedona Yoga Festival was what I wanted to do, be a part of, and BE. There were so many things going on throughout the weekend that lured me in – from yoga, meditations, healing, lectures, film screenings – this was it! I felt I had ‘found my calling’ and purpose a bit prior to then, but furthermore – and when I left that weekend, I left shining, brighter, inspired and DRIVEN to come back again with something to offer, gift and spread. That was the mission, and so the journey began…
Life and the Universe conspired/happened soon after, and before you knew it I had started a brilliant Self-Development Program online for meditation through Peace Revolution (a project under the World Peace Initiative Foundation). After completing the initial 42 day Self-Development Program that they offer online (free of charge!), felt beyond connected. I knew this had fallen into my life and path for something beyond that in which could be seen at this moment, and had a continuous strong feeling & knowing to fully confirm that very notion.
From then on, my meditative practice continued to evolve, and my drive & determination towards wishing to be a part of something so beautiful kept expanding. Having gone through the application process once before, knew there was still reasoning behind my desire for involvement. Applied to join in on their fellowship where ‘Peace Rebels’ then become ‘Peace Agents’, and this is what manifested…
I spent a few weeks in an intense (but pure & life-altering) meditation retreat and training with our beloved teaching Buddhist monks in Thailand. Joined together with 29 others from different countries all over the earth, it was an experience unlike any other I had yet had. Our days began before the sun rose; we meditated to welcome in the day, and did yoga upon sunrise at the scenic view to welcome in the Light & Life. We bonded, took in lectures, did activities – all of which taught us valuable lessons – and of course, more and more meditations throughout the day. So much peace was harvested, grown and prepared to be shared as we all channeled to our purpose of spreading sustainable world peace.
As the weeks past by, and my practice which had been put into motion for years now grew even more still & bright – I knew this was home. Beyond the beautiful views, people, energy and values – Peace Revolution, this group of people & organization, were precisely what and where I wished to be – and I was – and it all came together. I was going to be sure I was a big part of this project, and I was going to bring it with me as this ‘home’ was not a location, but more so a feeling of belonging, love of Self and others… this was PEACE.
Weeks, months, and now years, passed. Travels to India to visit His Holiness for teachings, Mother Theresa’s House and tomb for further study and research, Swami Sivananda’s Divine Life Society, cleansings, more teachings, International Yoga Festival, Holi, temples upon temples – visits to sacred spaces and places all over the world to meditate and absorb all of the beautiful energy to eventually come back to reciprocate, reflect and share with the world – it all came down to this very moment, our NOW.
Now here I am, grateful to announce and tell you all of the beautiful alignment which has come to be. I reached out to Sedona Yoga Festival not too long ago (after having been away on my personal journey since our last crossing), and told them all about my visions, and wishes to join forces of positivity, light and love for PEACE – and of course, they are all in! We have now joined together and begun to organize in bringing what shall be the very first Peace In Peace Out (PIPO) event to the United States of America, and will be having a Global Peace Meditation this coming year at SYF!
Am so excited and am ever so grateful for all of the magic that has come, and that shall be – thank you ALL for being here, now, with us. Do hope to see you all in person soon, raise vibrations & hold frequency together to aid in bringing world peace, home.
From my journey, heart & Soul, to your own – may we see that we are all One.
See you in the stars…
Dulce Ruby
Meet Dulce Ruby
Jul 29, 2015 | Sedona Yoga, Sedona Yoga Retreat, Yoga Conference, Yoga Festival, Yoga Philosophy
That’s us… Pondering… Well, I am Pondering, Heather is looking cool. On our way to another EPICasana experience at SYF2016!
Every year, as we deepen the experience of the Sedona Yoga Festival, there comes that time when we sit and ponder how it all began and where we are today. SYF has become an event not to miss; it has marked the transformation of many a yogi these past 3 years. In the beginning we saw an epic experience, situated in the Heart of Sedona, AZ that cradled the participant in the healing energetics and allowed for a truly transformative experience. Well, the Sedona Yoga Festival has become that and much, much more.
The 2016 Sedona Yoga Festival is rapidly becoming THE yoga festival to attend next year. Whether you have never done yoga or you have practiced meditation and asana your whole life, there will be something for YOU! Save the Dates and/or get your tickets at Early-Bird Pricing now because you will not want to miss out on this. Some big announcements are coming shortly, but for now, just cruise through the website to see what is coming so far… We have added little bits and pieces, so you yogi sleuths out there can start to imagine just how awesomenasana SYF2016 is shaping up to be.
We’ll leave you with a big blast from the past; Yogini Silvia Mordini honors us with her experience of the inaugural SYF2013. See ya in the ethers, dear friends.
Marc & Heather
First Penguins at Sedona Yoga Festival
February 8, 2013. Feels a little bit like the first day at a brand new school. Starting today, I am presenting at the Sedona Yoga Festival to a whole new group of yogis. It is my first time teaching in Arizona (although I’ve taken many a workshop/training here in my Anusara days).
As always before teaching, my thoughts turn to how will I best touch the hearts and minds of my students. What will they think? Will they understand me? Regardless of your experience, Yoga Teachers still get nervous. I may have over 11,000 hours of teaching experience but today will be my first hour in the teacher’s seat at this first ever Festival!
One of my biggest strengths is my humanness. After leading 15 RYT200 Teacher Trainings, I work hard to keep myself off the pedestal and keep things real. I am imperfect, fallible, sometimes quirky, certainly silly, and a bit earnest when it comes to manifesting happiness. Being born in Ecuador to an Italian father and Ecuadorian mother only adds to my uniqueness.
If you know anyone in Sedona coming to the festival, applaud them! They—like me—are First Penguins. The first penguin is a term coined by the late Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch who offered his last lecture there when he was dying of cancer. Here is one of his key pieces of advice: Be the first penguin. “I encouraged students to attempt hard things and not to worry about failing…failure is not just acceptable, it’s often essential.”
Pausch rewarded his students who took the biggest risk with a stuffed penguin representing how when a group of penguins takes to the water, one of them has to take the FIRST plunge. If that penguin survives in the potentially predator filled, dangerous water, then the other penguins follow.
I am grateful to everyone involved with Sedona Yoga Festival. It is heroic to manifest—from nothing—an entire yoga festival, replete with teachers, searchers and healers from all over the world. To every single attendee, presenter, volunteer, and staff, I present you the First Penguin Award! Thank You Silvia!!!
You are magnificent and your courage to jump into the water not knowing what will happen is inspiring. And that is why I am proud to be involved—even if I am also a bit nervous.
To those who are considering doing something that really scares you this year, be encouraged. Manifest your biggest dream! The world needs more First Penguins in yoga, in art, in science, in relationships, in life. Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia
ABOUT SILVIA MORDINI, Happiness Coach, Yogipreneur, lululemon ambassador, manduka ambassador
Enthusiasm to love your life is contagious around Silvia. Her expert passion connects people to their own joyful potential. Silvia lives her happiness in such a big way that you can’t help but leave her classes, workshops, trainings and retreats spiritually uplifted! Born in Ecuador, raised traveling around the globe she is an enthusiastic citizen of the world and spiritual adventurer. She is a long-time Experienced Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) with over 10,000 hours of teaching experience, owned a yoga studio for 9 years and has been teaching and practicing yoga over the last 15 years after being run over by a car and using it to recover physically and emotionally. Silvia will be leading a Tuscan Adventure in Happiness week long retreat in June 2013 and an Amalfi Coast Wellness Adventure in July 2013 as well as offering her Alchemy of Yoga RYT200 Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica this August 2013. Silvia is currently writing a book about Prescriptions for Happiness and has a popular blog called Loving Your Life, along with producing her “Loving Your Day” videos.
Connect with Silvia Mordini:
Web: www.alchemytours.com or www.silviamordini.com
Email at silvia@alchemytours.com
Twitter @alchemytours @inspiredyogagal
Facebook Silvia Mordini (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1164596386)
EMAIL: isabellagreene.me@gmail.com
EMAIL: 
