 The Last Full Moon of 2024: A Full Moon Practice
This weekend is our last full moon for 2024. It is said that the effect of all spiritual practices multiply a thousandfold during the full moon. A great time to honor spiritual practice and harness the impactful energy of the moon. I will be leading a full moon meditation this Saturday morning at my 90-minute monthly beginners class, along with a Kundalini yoga movement practice specifically to harness our inner light as the days grow dark. You are invited (register here) - open to both beginners and experienced practitioners. The Shortest Day: A Winter Solstice Check-In The following weekend is the Winter Solstice— our shortest day. The solstices are potent energetic gateways. You can feel that shift in your mood and energy, the impulse to close one season and prepare to begin anew. In the Winter, this is a great time to pause and reflect— and access our own inner fire and warmth, inviting a purification within. Like starting the fire in the hearth. Cozy, yet open-hearted, creating space for reflection, connection, gratitude and generosity. A space to come together to pause and celebrate. Savitree Kaur and Anna SachKiret invite you to join our free community check-in for this Winter Solstice (register here). We will share practices and reflections to honor this day and deepen our connection with this cycle of life. Harnessing the Sun’s Energy to combat the winter. For 11 days leading up to the Winter Solstice, I’m teaching and practicing a kundalini set to tap into our inner fire for warmth, energy, extrovertedness, and enthusiasm. It’s called Surya Kriya– a powerful and beloved practice to tap into our inner light and shine like the sun from within. Some of you have started this practice with me and, if you’ve missed my Day 1, it’s not too late to start at any time. (11 is a spiritually significant number but any number of days you commit to yourself is a positive! And you can take this practice with you to the end of the year or throughout the cold season if you wish). Message me for a video to get started OR join in this Saturday’s beginners class (or any of my live classes until Winter Solstice) to practice live online with me (see links in the P.S.). In alignment with nature’s cycles and our own inner resources, our conscious practices serve to strengthen our inner and outer relationships, and keep us deeply connected with divine wisdom and source. If you are seeking some of that connection and/or opportunity to practice together, you are invited to join me and other amazing people in this community to elevate your life experience and know thyself better. Drop-in, commit to your practice, and I hope to see you soon! Blessings, Anna SachKiret PS. Here are the above links for quick reference (all times are shown in CT)– would love to meet you! Monthly Beginners Class (90 min) - Saturday 12/14 at 9am Winter Solstice Community Check-In (60-75 min) - Saturday 12/21 at 10am - free! Live zoom kundalini classes with Anna SachKiret - Tuesdays (10am), Wednesdays (6:30am), and Thursdays (10am)
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When things feel hopeless, here are a few stories to remind you of your capacity for grace, gratitude, and revolutionary self-love this Thanksgiving season.  I have a short list of favorite stories that have helped me rise to the challenge, overcome fears of circumstances out of my control, and see differently in a sea of uncomfortable differences. Stories that have offered me powerful clarity to shift my narrow viewpoints and expand through discomfort.
Wahe Guru! That feeling of ecstatic bliss going from darkness to light, ignorance to wisdom. Aha! Ahhhhh….. Ha!! (Relax and smile!) As I think about the things I’m grateful for this season, this is a big one: stories. Stories that light you up and stories of impact, especially when the impact can change the drudgery and anxieties of everyday life into something deeply touching and hopeful. Of course there are many Inspiring and incredible stories of perseverance, courage, struggle, and overcoming the odds— and these are powerful! But today I am thankful for those tales and takeaways that gift us support and guidance through daily challenges, ordinary circumstances, general stressors, and simply how to be in this diverse and crazy world with others and with yourself. These stories are absolute gems. Let me share a few of my favorites with you. In honor of these creators, I will offer links to their books or websites so that you can ‘meet’ them directly and support their work, if you wish. These are not sponsored, simply my deepest admiration and gratitude for their impact. I’m sharing my takeaways and how I found them to be so important. In most cases, the depth, power and synopsis of the stories are much more than what I’ve written. I hope you will read the full tales and discover for yourself. May you find them worthy and helpful in your life, as much as they have touched mine. In no particular order: See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur One of the first books I included in my book club, this book contains those heroic and inspiring stories that make you believe in the goodness in humanity. Stories of forgiveness in circumstances that seem unforgivable….and how it can offer the perpetrator an opportunity to completely change 180 degrees, from what they believed to be true. How deeply that opening can heal not only the forgiven but the forgiver. The key gift I took from the book is in its title: See No Stranger. If we can see “strangers” as family, as the author suggests, instead of some unknown entity, we are more inclined to create an opening for “the other” to share who they are. We are more inclined to be curious about this relation. We can discover we are all in the family of this human race, on this earth, at this time together. We are more alike in our hopes and dreams, fears and blocks, and feelings than we think. “You are the part of me I do not yet know,” Ms. Kaur muses. When we are so bothered by someone else’s beliefs or actions, what is that part of us that is so disturbed? Not everyone feels the same way so what is it within you that needs examining? How can we wonder about ‘the other’ as “...the part of me I do not yet know”? How can we see ‘the other’ as family, not a stranger at all? What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing By Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. and Oprah Winfrey This is a collection of stories that showcase how our life experiences subconsciously shape who we are and how we respond. Responses or reactions that don’t make sense on the surface but, digging into what happened to that person--what is their story?—and their (mis-)behaviors make perfect sense. This book reminds me to consider “what happened to [that person]?” instead of thinking “what’s wrong with [them]?” “What happened to you” leaves space for empathy, for listening, for creating connection. When people react seemingly out of context, I wonder “what happened to them?” I can’t always get that answer, which is often buried deep in one’s subconscious even they don’t know why they are triggered. I can however create space for the possibility that something happened, even as I may never get to know. I can set my own boundaries (if their subconscious reaction might cross a line for me), and then trust and let go. I can choose to believe– as I once heard Brené Brown say: “What if everyone is doing the best they can?” It’s not OUR best, it’s THEIR best, based on where they are today and what they know or don’t know. Same applies to ourselves. Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth This children’s book is an excellent one for adults of all ages. I’ll focus on two of its tales. Its Buddhist messages are simple yet profound and seem to apply to so much of the social dynamics we encounter every day. First, The Farmer’s Luck or as I like to call it: the “maybe” story. The tale moves through unexpected outcomes that the people quickly judge as lucky or unlucky, only to stand corrected. It reminds me that no matter the situation that’s happening in the world, there’s no telling for sure if “my vote” is the best way. Best way for whom anyway? We don’t know for certain even when we feel so certain. Thus, don’t get worked up when things don’t go your way. Just maybe, that “unlucky” situation happened exactly so a subsequent “lucky” situation can happen…….maybe!! I’ve noticed so many of us digging our heels in for our beliefs and what we think is “the right way” or “the better of two evils”. The truth is……maybe! We are allowed our beliefs certainly and we can take actions that align and support “our truth”, but then, let go of the outcome or the angst over someone else’s alternate reality. You don’t know where they’ve been, what they’ve experienced, what they know and don’t know. And they can feel the same of you. The truth is…..maybe. Second, A Heavy Load is a tale of a wise older monk and an apprentice who run into an obnoxious and rude lady on their walk. Quite simply it teaches us the wisdom of “letting go” of things that don’t really matter. Yes, the situation was “wrong”, the person was unreasonable and annoying, and they dealt with it and kept going. Physically, the situation was over. Mentally, was it over or did you continue to carry the heavy burden? How many times do you find yourself replaying an experience that is over and out of your hands? Instead you carry the weight of judgment, rumination and anger, even after you’ve dealt with what was in your control? Does it serve you to keep dwelling on it? “Why are you still carrying it?” Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle In this book, the author shares the intense stories of the gang members he offers his services to, helping them to find a path, self-worth, kindness and support. Truly heartbreaking and elevating stories of fellow humans surviving through tough circumstances and environments. These stories reminded me how our lives can change so meaningfully with even the smallest shift in connection, trust and faith– and that it’s never too late to receive that shift. Going from believing you are worthless and stuck in a life sentence to discovering you have support available to you, innate capacities and value can change not only your future outlook, but also your haunting low-image of your past self. Your much-improved future You develops a much-improved version of the past You. As I reflect back on my personal experience with low self-esteem, it is remarkable how completely that shift into self-love was able to change my long-held, negative self-assessment of the past. This is one of the reasons I always tell people it’s never too late to change your self-worth. It changes more than your present and future; it also elevates your past. The Little Soul and The Sun: A Children’s Parable by Donald Neale Walsch A children’s parable and another one that is powerful for adults, the author shares the tale of a sweet soul conversing with God. This soul wishes to learn what certain attributes actually feel like, such as forgiveness. We learn that we are all souls who get to live as humans in order to experience “light” and that some souls –our friends and fellow light beings– get to be the “dark” so that the “light” can be felt. The story offers a beautiful reminder that we are all innocent and light at our soul level; we just need to remember this as we encounter those souls who are playing “dark” so that our light can shine. In the world today, as we encounter “dark” others or situations, it can feel scary, frustrating, maddening, unfair and hopeless. I find it helpful to think of this story and the darkness that simply allows us to let our light shine. It seems the darker things get, the more we see courageous, forgiving, creative, graceful, generous, [insert your own “light” quality] heroes showing up in the world. There’s truth to this. I think of the Darth Vader-Luke Skywalker scene in Star Wars where Luke insists on the goodness underneath the “darkness” of his father, refuses to fight him, and through his courageous showing of love, draws out the light in Vader. Yet another story that conjures up this reminder of light shining on the dark..... .....of love answering fear’s call. A Thanksgiving Invitation for Stories If you’ve taken classes or coaching sessions with me, you’ve likely heard me reference one or more of these stories. They are currently my most meaningful stories I like to share. I have a handful of stories from “The Moth” podcast I also find deeply healing and elevating. And the list keeps growing. As we enter the holiday season, I invite you to share some of your favorite, impactful stories and ask others’ for theirs. Ask: are there any tales you’ve heard or read lately that moved you, elevated your life somehow, created a shift in perspective or outlook? Stories you are grateful for? Stories are a bridge or path to your next becoming. They are healing and a powerful way to internalize valuable lessons for growth and empowerment. And it’s so much fun to hear a good story. I wish you all of that and more. Please feel free to share the brilliant works I shared from my short list. I hope they spread more elevation, love and hope in the world. Happy Thanksgiving, friends! With grace, Anna SachKiret PS. Do you have your own short list of tales you’d like to share? Please share it with me, along with the impact it had on you! PSS. Speaking of sharing, every quarter Savitree Kaur and I host a live, online check-in to connect with you within community. We would love for you to join us for our next one, celebrating the Winter Solstice. More info to come– meanwhile, save the date/time of Saturday, December 21 at 10:00 AM central time.  When something traumatic happens in life, when we’re burdened by challenging emotions, when life seems to take a wrong turn, it can be confusing and set you up for despair. It’s in these moments we can find ourselves searching for answers.
Why did this happen? What could I have done differently? How can I process this? Is this a sign, a message from the Universe? What now? In the shock of trauma or change, I find it comforting to lean on gratitude. What am I grateful for? I know I am so blessed, and breathing life into this feeling can ease the pain and confusion. Tonight, I sought inspiration from one of my favorite poets– Rumi –and his poem The Guest House. It reminds me that every moment, every feeling, every challenge is a guest and guide to be cherished, no matter how they show up. The Guest House By Jalaluddin Rumi, 13th-century Persian Sufi mystic, poet and theologian -from The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. --RUMI Meet them at the door laughing. Indeed. And with great curiosity and wonder! I am truly grateful for this poetic reminder and inspiration for this life. It is grand and mysterious! And I am grateful for every guest. How does this poem land for you? Did you need to hear this today? With much grace and love, Anna SachKiret PS. A coming series? Speaking of poetic powerhouses, mantra meditation is one of the most powerful and comforting ways to code over negative thought patterns in your brain and create new, elevating thoughts to support and enhance your life. And they are so beautiful to listen to and to chant. I’m considering creating a separate series of posts to share mantra chants with you all. Is this something you’d be interested in? Please let me know!  In a YouTube Shorts video posted by Screenwriter, Consultant and Film Producer Slavica Bogdanov, she instructs you to raise your arms and jump up and down and exclaim, "I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got what I wanted......!!!!" Just do that simple, if silly, action when you’re feeling small and afraid. and you will quickly feel pumped up, more motivated, energized and filled with positivity. I played along and tried it, and guess what? It worked! It felt so incredibly good! So simple yet so powerful. Little hacks like this to make your emotional life easier speaks volumes to me. How about for you? Decision Hack in a Hat One hack that I often share is the "how to decide" hack. If you're having difficulty choosing between things, write down your options on little slips of paper, fold the papers and throw them in a hat (or any container really). Blindly choose one and be prepared to notice your response. Open the slip of paper and..... you'll know. You'll know if you didn't actually want that. You'll know if you got the one you wanted and, hey, this just confirmed it! You'll feel it in your body. Instantly. Most of the time, if not all the time, WE KNOW what we want but something is blocking us from claiming that desire. Doing this hack is a way to start reconnecting with that inner wisdom. Eventually you'll start to believe in yourself and not have to go through the hack. In any case, other than possibly the time and paper to do the exercise, it doesn't hurt and can really help you to gain clarity and awareness. You're there already; remove the block. Don't stop there, by the way. When you notice your response to having chosen one that you didn't want or one that you did, stop to ask yourself: what was the block? What stopped you from "knowing" outright? What beliefs, influences, judgments or resistance attached themselves to the decision, to each option? This is a great exercise to develop deeper self-awareness on how you tick. We all have life experiences that shape our subconscious thoughts. The more you shine a light on these hidden inner messages, the more you can stop them from holding you back from the life you were meant to live. Here’s my own example of working the hack: “my next step indecision”. I needed to decide on the next level of support and coaching that would help me move the needle in my business. Faced with four excellent options with varied focuses, I wanted to do all of them but that would not be time- or money-efficient. Plus it would be overwhelming thus ineffective. Decision-in-a-Hat Hack: after placing the 4 slips of paper in a hat, I prepared to notice my responses.
Looking at your obstacles is not fun.
Once illuminated, you may realize there's a reason that block was hidden. With regret, you might wonder: can I put it back now? Out of sight, out of mind? In actuality, you probably can stuff it back down with a bit of self-sabotage and the usual self-soothing techniques….but do you really want to? These subconscious blocks that rendered you paralyzed-to-decide become thicker and taller walls in your life, brick by brick. You loosened one block. You can decide to knock it out completely and let the light in... which can then reflect out through your expressions. You have a gift that wants to shine, but it's stuck behind this wall. Do you know what IS fun? Getting to shine. Making decisions with more ease that move you forward in your journey. Discovering who you are when you are allowed to be. This is moving from fear to love. Whether you seek help from a trusted coach, mentor, therapist, or friend, or seek to figure it out on your own (--although having some form of support system is always recommended), decide to clear the block. And then the next one and the next. It'll surprise you how easy it is to face that next old emotional block once you've experienced the freedom from clearing the first. You'll realize you can do hard things and a proportionate --and often exponential-- measure of JOY will follow. Each time you do this, you can truly cheer for yourself: I did it, I did it!! (Or I got it!!!!) Because you did. Cheering for you with awe, Anna SachKiret PS. Tell me: what bricks have you removed (or started to remove) that you love to share about? Also, what's a favorite hack of yours to help you through an emotional challenge?  Often people will ask me how kundalini yoga differs from other types of yoga. I feel ill-equipped to offer a comparison as I never truly got into other kinds of yoga. I even wrote a post about it here. But it is a fair question, so this is my attempt to answer it in a fair way. A Door to Replace the Self-Help Section Early on for me, this practice of kundalini yoga and meditation was exactly as it was/is professed to be: “the yoga of awareness”. The brain fog cleared, my perspectives shifted, and a deeper understanding of myself felt possible. The best way I could describe it was: imagine if the entire self-help section at the bookstore could be replaced with simply a door which opened into a kundalini class. Yeah, that’s it in a nutshell. 5 Main Differences, In Other Words (Jill Enticknap’s words) I recently discovered this well-written account by Jill Enticknap, yoga teacher, entrepreneur and creator of Yogi Institute, online yoga studio and teacher training. She highlights the five main differences that set Kundalini Yoga apart from other yogas as:
This feels quite right to me as the keys to the practice-- and good to know these are differentiators of kundalini yoga. I encourage you to read her blog for a bit more on each of these. The only addition I may add is the prevalence of nervous and digestive system work, however that could be captured within energy/chakras, breathing techniques and essentially all of the five. While we work at flexibility, stretching, and strengthening our physical body, the focus is more from the inside-out. Moving energy to heal you from the inside through the conscious movement, breath and inner connection with your body’s divine wisdom. What matters most to me about this practice is its powerful impact, which for me and many others I know, was experienced soon after starting a regular practice. Life Before: What’s Wrong With Me? Prior to finding kundalini yoga, I worried incessantly about gloom and doom scenarios, especially for my family. I set my life’s priorities around making other people’s lives and dreams shine over my own. And that was a great place to focus because I didn’t know what I wanted or who I was anyway. Me? I didn’t quite fit in anywhere. At least that’s how I felt inside, though my friends didn’t see it. Except for momentous shifts like becoming a mother, I often wondered what’s wrong with me. Why couldn’t I figure it out? Self-help books tell you to “know thyself” - thanks, easier said than done! It was easier to lean on others’ lives and focus my attention there. I’m sure that wasn’t overbearing on anyone. 🙄  Life After: I am the sparkly, happy unicorn
The worrying about things I can’t control, the fixation on doomed possibilities….poof, suddenly gone. To have the strength, nerve and focus to finally see myself and still love and accept that person changed me. Self-awareness is no joke…how many of us walk around oblivious? My life’s direction started to unfold and I felt trust and support around my gifts and the lessons I needed to learn. I felt more open and steady when social triggers overwhelmed me. Unknowns and discomfort became an accepted part of an amazing life. Decisions for myself came easier. I could support others while staying true to my own needs and wants. I felt true self-love which translated into more empathy, compassion, and understanding for others. Energy and peace/relaxation happened at the same time. And I felt a deep connection with the Infinite. With God. I learned to Trust. This is me. A sparkly, happy unicorn. After kundalini yoga. THE WHISPER OF TRUTH….and Freedom! Inner work, spiritual connection, a balanced mind, and aligned energy IS physical-mental-spiritual health. An elevating and calming sensation experienced “on the mat” that stays with me through the turbulent and challenging episodes of each day “off the mat”. An equalizer that reminds me with its powerful whisper: you are divine spirit and “God’s gift”, loved and supported always. I feel grateful. It’s liberating to feel unstuck and nourished, loved for exactly who and how you are regardless of –or because of– your “failures” and willingness to show up fearlessly. It’s a lifestyle practice: taking out the garbage daily and self-care all day. A sweet whisper of love that surrounds you with empowerment and radiance. This is my practice. Is this yoga different? What say you? Have you experienced different yogas? What do you love about it? Does my experience ring true for you with your practice? I hope this was helpful to you. Share your thoughts in the comments! WIth grit and grace, Anna SachKiret P.S. Try a kundalini class with me this Saturday 10/19 at 9AM CT via Zoom - register here for this beginner’s class. Or join me for a monthly membership that would include the Saturday class –DM me for details. |
AuthorI am the Essential Soul Mama. I am a mama, a soulful-spiritual teacher, an intentional storyteller, and a lover of stories of all kinds, in all forms. I write about emotions, parenting, natural health options, mind-body-soul connections, and anything that elevates our lives. Archives
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Every other week I post a blog of relevant topics including breathwork, healing, emotions, kundalini practices, and showing up for yourself. Monthly-ish I share events+updates you may be interested in. You can unsubscribe at any time. I'm happy to have you join my free Joymail!
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