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Day 9 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Yoga for Others

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Day 9 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Yoga for Others
The progression of yoga practice leads to compassion. It is wonderful that we can move into a healthy lifestyle and feel amazing. It is not enough to only achieve this for ourselves. Yoga leads us toward wanting to help others that are in need. So the the big question that comes up sometimes in yoga circles is, how can an individual practicing postural yoga be possibly benefitting all of humanity? Isn’t the endeavor of cultivating personal strength and flexibility often overexercised and used as fulfillment of our own ego desire? Often times it is. Yet I do hold the faith and belief that we can direct our own achievements on and off the mat toward benefitting those in need. 
When we really look deeply into how we can help others, coming up with a good answer is challenging. What we often see is that we can only help by just being as positive and calm ourselves so as to reduce the amount of negative emotion and vibes that we throw out at others. In essence truly the only thing we can do is relax and breath and let this grand universe unfold. I like to think though that not only can we work on ourselves, we can also generate goodwill toward others. During this month we encourage you to do the same thing. Go one step beyond your normal routine. Give of yourself to others. Share your enthusiasm for live. Donate some money to help those that are in need. Take some time for yourself to cultivate a positive mood and outlook. Just point your focus toward engendering some compassion and let the rest unfold. Just let it grow! 🙂
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite ~ Ascending the Mountain with David Miliotis

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Day 8 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite ~ Ascending the Mountain with David Miliotis  
Today David Miliotis taught a workshop at Native Yoga called Ascending the Mountain. In essence we took a detailed exploration of back bending by practicing some of the asana of the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga combined with sanskrit mantra recitation and pranayama practice.

  
David presents the application of breath, movement and visual attention in a way that you feel like you are not just practicing some random sequence of movement. He encourages you to bring every ounce of your attention into the precision of total awareness. Yet at the same time it felt very fluid and it helped to shake off some of the apprehension that appears when the body struggles with the challenge of the practice. I feel that I noticed how much my mind gets in the way of staying present and that somehow through the practice session I was able to chip away at that agitation and replace it with focussed care.

  
The analogy of Ascending the Mountain feels very apropos for this type of work. Symbolically speaking the mountain we are all ascending is an internal adventure that requires diligence and consistency. I remember the first time I went on a relatively serious mountain climbing expedition with some friends in Northern California. They were all very experienced and I was a novice, being from Florida and all, and I went into not even realizing how demanding it was going to be physically and mentally. What a humbling experience to say the least. When we finally reached the top the view was so spectacular and the senses seemed so clean and clear that the sense of accomplishment overrode the pain my body was feeling from carrying a way to heavy pack high up into thin air. What came as an even greater shock was that coming down seemed more challenging than going up. I came away from that experience thoroughly transformed and quite a bit more careful about agreeing to go mountain climbing without proper preparation.

  
Deep back bending is very much a similar experience. Proper preparation is absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of the practitioner. Through serious work, attention toward the goal, and persistent application over a long period of time we gradually make our way toward the vista of feeling freedom in our body and mind. Like the old adage says, its about the journey, not the destination. 

  
As we make our way into the second week of the No Shave Yoga Event it is important not to loose focus on our goal. Our goal is to help raise awareness about our plight, to help inspire a greater sense of health in the community. An additional application of this goal is to help raise funds for those suffering through cancer now. Please help us achieve our goal and donate today.

  
 No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

How has Yoga Improved your Health?

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Day 6 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – How has Yoga Improved your Health?
During this month we are focussing on men’s health. No Shave November is in large part about raising our awareness about health in general with emphasis on early detection of cancer. The money we are raising is with the intention of helping in the research process. In the case of the donations that go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital the support helps children with cancer and to also support the family members taking care of the children. In general the idea is to help those that are in need of it.
Often yoga is perceived as a practice that can help to improve one’s health. The benefits associated with hatha(postural awareness) yoga exercise are numerous. Pranayama(breathing practice) is incredible for strengthening the nervous system and meditation has untold positive effect on our overall health and well being.
How has yoga helped your health? When I reflect on how yoga has helped me I don’t know where to begin. I often feel that the practice of yoga, beyond improving health, has helped my understand of what health is and to see the integration of all the aspects of my being into a unified whole. By opening our perspective to the possibilities of the health we can experience through yoga practice, I feel that practice itself becomes the definition of health. No matter where we are in our state of being, whether we feel healthy or not, yoga can help us to come to terms with reality. Cultivating clear perception can help us make the most of the given situation we find ourselves in. Moment by moment we take steps forward toward peace, health and wellness by cultivating acceptance. 
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 5 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite

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Day 5 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – My teammate, @adampolhemusyoga posted today, “It is not just about physical health, mental health is equally important. Meditate, read a book (local library!) or learn a new skill, these will all help develop mental plasticity that you will serve you well as you age.” In the spirit of the Niyamas, today seems like a good day to devote to स्वाध्याय or Svādhyāya which means “one’s own reading” and “self-study”. I decided to try to immerse myself in this copy of The Srimad Devi Bhagavatam to flex the ‘ole brain muscle.  
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Where?

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Day 4 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Where?  
Today my son, Ethan, jumped in on the challenge. He’s sporting the mustache and busting some Up Dog for the event. Yoga is an excellent way to practice cultivating positive focus and good intentions and can help in the journey of maintaining good health. Sometimes having fun is an essential part of the ride!

  
Where is the No Shave Yoga Event happening? The answer is globally. We are blessed with the fortune of communicating across the globe within a split second. No matter where you are in the world you can take part. Take a pic or share a story and attach the #yogabeardsunite so we can see. Please donate to our team fundraising page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. Every dollar counts!

  
If you live in South Florida there is a No Shave Yoga Event yoga class happening at nativeyogacenter.com on November 22nd at 12:00pm. If you would like to host a donation based yoga class in your area please let us know so we can help share the word. The purpose of this challenge is to raise awareness and get together and have a good time for a good cause.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

What is No Shave November? The Goal

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Day 1 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – What is No Shave November? The Goal

The goal of No Shave November & Movember is to grow awareness about men’s health and cancer by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. We encourage you to donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to aid organizations that help educate about cancer prevention and provide assistance to those diagnosed with cancer. You can help save lives and aid those fighting the battle.

No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey