Mandi Garrison

Summer magic and living your yoga

Hi everyone! I thought it was a good time for my monthly benefits reminder with the list of coupon codes. With summer approaching, I’m also brainstorming ideas for outdoor classes and meet-ups. Yoga in the forest? Sunset yoga on the lawn? Solstice sunset meetup on the mountain? Full moon gatherings? Send me all of your ideas! Your membership benefits (for all tiers) are below. Also, this is the first week of our optional book club with Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater. You might notice in...

Wholeness is your true nature

“Then the seer abides in its essence.” This practice focuses on inner connection and creative essence by connecting to the sacral chakra and the water element. Begin on your back with figure four, reclined tree, hip circles and butterfly to soften the pelvic floor. Transition to seated meditations, seated tree, and twisted roots to round out the practice and release tension from the lower chakras. Let go of the pressure to be anything other than what you are. As Judith Lasater writes, “...

Awareness and self-acceptance (30-minute version)

*Note: the video is choppy in the beginning, but the audio is clear throughout.*

Connect with your body and breath as your internal guidance system throughout this slow-paced movement practice. The sequence includes child’s pose, cat/cow, breathing balance, five-pointed star, exalted warrior with arm variations, low lunge, and camel. Let your breath and body guide you into each exercise with ease and awareness. We don’t push our body to make a pose work; rather, we create a pose tha...

Awareness and self-acceptance

Connect with your body and breath as your internal guidance system throughout this gentler, slow-paced movement practice. Begin slowly with a chanting of the Gayatri mantra for self-illumination, and then rest on your back for breathwork, half moon, and happy baby. Seated neck and hamstring stretches create more space for breath, and cat/cow activates prana. Our standing practice includes breathing balance, five-pointed star, exalted warrior with arm variations, low lunge, and camel. Let your...

Book club! Suggested timing and integration

Hi everyone!

If you're participating in our book club, I'm going to suggest beginning Chapter One of Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater on the week of Sunday, May 22, and then Chapter Two the following week, and so on (each chapter is only a few pages, so this hopefully fits into most schedules). Starting on Sunday, I will read some passages from the book during class to help us integrate and begin each chapter's journey. The chapters also include practice sugg...

Mental balance and recalibration

This practice works with variations of kirtan kriya and a meditation to purify and balance the elements. It brings the mind into a focused state, so you can get a full mental reset and change your patterning. After the meditation, focus your thoughts on three things that you want, and let that be the energy that carries you for the rest of your day.

Gentle standing stretch sequence

This short, gentle practice will allow you to connect with your breath and body through a few forward folds, side bends, and slow-moving half sun salutations. Because we are standing, you can practice anywhere — with or without a mat. This is a great practice if you need a short moment to connect, are working with any injuries that make sitting and kneeling postures difficult, or if you enjoy movement meditation. 

Props: optional blocks

New mini-course! Mudras, Planets, and Palmistry

We're heading into Gemini season, and Gemini is ruled by the hands (perhaps this is why I talk so much with my hands). It seems like the perfect time to schedule my mini-course on mudras and hand magic. The date is Wednesday, June 1 at 6 p.m. and your coupon code COSMIC gains you free admission. These are wonderful opportunities for questions, connecting with others, and live practice -- but if you are unable to attend, an edited recording will be made available within a few ...

Connect to the sacred

A yin practice to integrate the five elements, while softening intensity into self-reflection and inner connection. This is why I love yoga so much — because no matter what is happening cosmically or externally, the practice gives us an opportunity to come back home to ourSELF. This sequence includes a lot of spinal stretches to open mid- and upper-back, including melting heart, child’s pose, mindful butterfly, half moon, happy baby, and reclined open-hearted butterfly. A variation of kir...

Elemental integration

Good morning, everyone! Now that we're at the end of our elemental journey, I wanted to offer some space and inquiry for reflection and integration. Are there elements you strongly resonated with? What weeks/elements were challenging for you? How have you noticed the elements more in everyday life? What surprised you during this journey? Which elements would you like to form a deeper connection with? Have you discovered a greater appreciation for the spring season when you connect with the el...

Book club is back!

My next book club pick is “Living Your Yoga” by Judith Lasater. If you’ve done teacher training with me, you’ll probably remember this! I also read it when I was becoming a yoga teacher, and it’s perfect if you’ve been looking to deepen your yoga/spiritual practice. It’s  accessible for anyone, even if you’ve just started yoga or meditation and simply want to know more about yoga teachings and/or incorporating spiritual practice into your life. I learn something new every...

Transforming through space (30-minute version)

Working with the element of spirit/space/ether, practice a full-body mandala flow that gets the spine moving in all directions and opens up new energetic pathways. The sequence includes warrior one and humble warrior variations, twisted lunge, lizard with a twist, reverse cat/cow, kneeling sun breaths, puppy pose, half locust, hamstring stretch in Vishnu’s couch, seated cat/cow, seated twists, seated forward fold, and standing forward fold. Breathe deep and feel the space unfold.  &nbs...

Transforming through space

Working with the element of spirit/space/ether, practice a full-body mandala flow that gets the spine moving in all directions and opens up new energetic pathways. We begin with a meditation with sound, and then a slow standing stretch sequence. The sequence includes warrior one and humble warrior variations, twisted lunge, lizard with a twist, reverse cat/cow, kneeling sun breaths, puppy pose, half locust, hamstring stretch in Vishnu’s couch, seated cat/cow, seated twists, seated forward f...

Meditate through time and space

Activating the space element, we perceive ourselves as space and become space. This practice uses two different mudras, sound, and a guided body scan inspired by Joseph and Lillian LePage.

Healing class collection and playlists

Hello amazing humans!

I was guided to put together a small collection of gentle classes and meditations specially for physical/energetic healing. If you need some extra love and rejuvenation these days, then you may want to start here. The link is http://vimeo.com/showcase/healing2022 and the password is "healing". 

I also have a couple of playlists that might be nourishing as well:

2022-05-10 18:48:33 +0000 UTC View Post

Restorative yin to align with the frequency of spirit

This practice offers a restorative inquiry into subtle energy and spaciousness. Begin with a series of mudra meditations before softly reclining into a series of arm and leg stretches culminating in an expansive butterfly. We then target muscles and parts of the body that tend to get compressed with restorative side bends, heart openers, and supported bridge variations. Open, release, and let the spirit element work through you.  

Props: bolster, strap, blocks  

Benefits...

Divine love flow (14 minutes)

Enjoy this segment of a longer flow when you need a quick loosening up or emotional release. Begin standing before a short sequence of warrior 2 with shoulders rolls, releasing lunge variations, sun breaths, cat/cow, and standing forward fold. It ends with the Shakti mantra Aham Prema (I am Divine Love).  

Props: optional blocks

”With this simple mantra, you affirm your own essential nature as one of Divine Love. The vibration of this mantra begins the proc...

Fluid and free water element flow

Loosen up your body, flow through tension, and make space for healing with this fluid and free mandala flow. Begin with a Shakti mantra, meditation and seated/tabletop warm-ups to loosen up the spine. The sequence includes warrior 2 variations, lunge variations, sun breaths, cat/cow, half splits, pigeon, butterfly, twists, and a final active or supported bridge before shavasana.  

Level 1/2 intuitive flow

Props: 2 blocks  

Mantra: Aham Prema (I am divine love) &nbs...

Connecting with SPIRIT/ETHER

Tomorrow (Sunday), we begin our journey into the element of SPIRIT, with the intentions of spiritual connection, exploring the subtle body, creating space, and trusting the process. As spirit encompasses all — the ether and the Akashic realm — it does not have the typical correspondences like the other elements. However, we will explore the relationship to the higher chakras (third eye, crown, and soul star). Some crystals that may support this work include clear quartz, ...

Monthly gifts and reading

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that your monthly gifts are on their way! Some of you may see them as early as tomorrow. Also, to schedule your free (and optional) monthly reading for May, go to https://mandigarrisonyoga.as.me/intuitive and use the coupon code PATREONREADING.

As a reminder, your other coupons and benefits are below. Let me know if you have any questions, ...

Liquid blue healing

Adapted from a meditation written by Lynne Greene, this guided water-element relaxation will help you release tension, soothe aches, and cleanse difficult emotions to feel lightness and ease. This can be practiced seated or lying down.

Musings on late spring and the water element

The Spring Void

How does that feel in your body? I find myself in this space of contemplation and creative unfolding when I feel I should be working and manifesting. When I try to fill my calendar, it empties. When I push harder, it moves further away. And then I remember, how can I know what I want if I don’t dream? How I fill my cup when it’s already pouring over?

Late spring is a season of childlike wonder, when everything is new and awakening before our ve...

Healing waters yin

Restore, heal, and release tension with this yin practice to open the hips and pelvis and create space for nourishment. Begin on your back with a guided water relaxation, and then practice a sequence of twisted roots, supported bridge, thread the needle, butterfly, and some tapping/movement practices for healing. A brief seated sequence includes spinal movements, straddle side bends, and half butterfly pose. Close with a brief meditation with a water element mudra.  

Props: two blo...

Waxing moon embodiment practice

Hello beautiful souls!

I wanted to share this quick two-minute video from Friday’s class, which describes a practice to connect with your goals and desires in this liminal space of Beltane. I recommend this exercise before the next full moon. Remember: we can only manifest things for ourselves; we can’t influence another’s path.

May all your wishes and dreams come true. <3

Love, Mandi

Connecting with the element of WATER

Happy Beltane, all!

On Sunday, we begin our journey into the element of WATER, with the intentions of creativity, being in flow, nourishment, fluidity, healing, and connecting with emotions. Water corresponds with the zodiac signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces with ruling planets Moon, Pluto, Mars, Neptune, and Jupiter. The direction is West, the chakras are Sacral and Heart, and the energy is Yin. Chalices, vessels, vases with water, cauldrons, singing bowls, essential o...

Fire element mandala sequence for stepping into your radiance

Experience a different kind of fire practice with lots of twists, deep breaths, and connection to your personal power. We begin by chanting a Shakti mantra and then moving in a brief intuitive warmup sequence. The first vinyasa flow includes twisted lunge, thread-the-needle, and chair pose. Our mandala sequence includes twisted lunge, cat/cow, straddle fold, spinal flexing, boat pose, bridge variations, twisted roots, and chair. End with a brief shavasana and step into the doorway of possibil...

Fire element meditation for confidence and personal power

Begin with a strong practice of ego eradicator pose, and then meditate on the fiery radiance of the sun as you hold surya mudra.

Sun salutation C warm-up sequence (25 minutes)

An edited segment of surya namaskar C variations in under 30 minutes. Practice this whenever you need a quick flow to get energy moving or to warm up before another class. This class begins in a seated position and ends standing in mountain.

The dragon’s power yin for the fire element

Reclaim your personal power and inner flame in this activating, yet restorative, yin practice for the fire element. Begin with ego eradicator pose before moving into a sequence of child’s pose, hip circles, dragons, sphinx/crocodile variations, a long luxurious hold in straddle fold, supported heart opener, and a final meditation to activate your life force energy.  

Props: two blocks, bolster, blanket  

Benefits: fire element, personal power, motivation, energy awaken...

Air element vinyasa and kriyas to lift, elevate, and balance

A full-spectrum practice that includes meditation, breathwork, vinyasa flows, and kriyas to tap into subtle energy and awaken the element of air. Begin with a meditation, Shakti mantra, and warm-ups in cat-cow before a sequence of vinyasa flows and sun salutation C. After your body is warm, we move into a sequence of breath and kriyas with arm movements that culminates in alternate nostril breathing and a brief meditation/relaxation. This entire sequence will help you cultivate a meditative m...