Stay Steady & True within YOUR Vision

Hello Twisty World!

So, today I had a very small 'jala' class (small in numbers) but a very big and brave intention for many. My sequence was dedicated to the 'twisting world' with the intention of embracing Eka Pada Koundinyasana. This Sanskrit name (yoga pose) may mean nothing to some of you but it's an arm balance that requires focus, a soft extended heart and staying steady within your desire to want it. Of course, building up your strength and knowledge of alignment is also a key factor. For me the arm balancing world has never been an easy one and in the beginning I did not want a relationship with it...:) However, like any relationship it takes time to grow, to learn about each other, to open your heart and to step into the courage of making it a stronger relationship.

So, let's get back to the intention within the 'twisty' world. I looked up the definition immediately of 'twist'. I was having a morning of 'yoga intention block' (like writers block) and low and behold the simple yet complex definition expanded into something much bigger when it comes to life. OK...so here is definition below.

TWIST: An act of turning something so that it moves in relation to something that remains stationary.

In the physical aspect of yoga this holds very true. For example, when you come into downward dog and take your left hand to the outside of your left shin (downward dog twist) the vision is to stay steady within your hips, legs and right arm by drawing them into the 'mid line'. Meaning your hips are still square, your legs are parallel and your right hand and arm are rooted strongly into the earth . As you stay steady or stationary in the hips, legs and right arm then you start to engage the core (abs) and twist slowly from the left to the right within your obliques.

OK, so now think about something within YOUR life ......a vision, a belief, a relationship or holding true to who you are? When I started my vision with jalaBlu 3 years ago (only 2 years opened), I was very nieve and humble about owning a yoga studio or any kind of business. Within the first few months my vision was challenged and it continues to be challenged off and on. It takes a lot of work, fortitude, patience, love and open mindedness to keep a business going. There are days when I just want to run away and give up or even hide in my 'jala' cave, BUT, my vision that I hold so dear to my heart keeps taking me higher. My teacher Darren Rhodes said to be once and this has to do with making yoga affordable, "Jenna, your vision is sacred, never let go of that!"....those may have not been his exact words because he has his own Darren language but that was the gist of it. For me those words, sent chills down my spine and reminded me to 'HOLD ON'......to step into my VISION and no matter what words are spoken to me to shake me up, to question my path, to create twisty times or huge speed bumps that I WILL hold steady (stationary) to what I hold true within my dharma...within my path of jalaBlu.

Your vision WILL grow, it will take new form, it will twist in different ways unimaginable but............ there is always that one truth that is YOUR foundation. Don't let go of it ~ BELIEVE in YOURSELF and step into your journey with an open heart and a lot of LOVE!!!!!!

"Anahata Breathes Freedom" 2012

Shri~
Jenna & jalaBlu

The Dance with Kali (Love and Dharma)

I have been wanting to write this blog for a month but the beautiful Kali has been dancing within my life and when she is here my words are not clear and sometimes my heart has dust (malas). A dear friend called yesterday who knew I was in the Kali Kave (cave) and left a message saying, "I hope you are finding some pleasure within your Kali Kave." These words made me laugh out loud and yes indeed there is pleasure, inspiration, clarity and even laughter when greeted the sweet and timely Goddess Kali. I don't mind sharing my Kali times because we all go there and really these are the times of transformation, manifestation and clarity so, 'BRING IT KALI ON!' For those of you new to Kali let me introduce you, she is the Goddess of time and change. She is sometimes referred to as the 'Dark Mother'. She is a fearless Goddess but can also bring up your fears to the highest in order to break through them and offer you an invitation to step into them. Within my own experience of the 'Kali Kave' I step into my own darkness to only seek more light, I connect to my inner fears and desires, I release and let go, I cry rivers...oceans..., I practice asana (physical and mindful yoga) like never before and I question my DHARMA (your highest purpose) to the fullest! We have to go into these darker moments within our lives to see what really matters, to love deeper, to believe in your path, to step into YOUR life with authenticity and gratitude. If we never went to the Kali Kave this life wouldn't mean so much and the precious beauty that surrounds us wouldn't be so precious.

This visit from Kali within my life included the clarity and question of Dharma as well as the opening of my heart to love again. As I bring in intentions within my classes at jalaBlu (jalabluyoga.com) I bring them in to share my own stories of life knowing.......I am not alone with challenging times and blissful times and that maybe.....just maybe.....they can bring you clarity, tears, joy within your own life journeys. So, this thing called Dharma..PHEW, it can be the nectar of life when you finally discover your 'dharma', your highest purpose, what you are meant to create or do within this life, etc.....(many ways of saying this and it doesn't always mean your career). Your 'dharma' could be making the most amazing chocolate cake...to bring yumminess into the beautiful souls that surround you or it could be to be a mother.........there is no limit on what could be YOUR 'dharma' and throughout life this 'dharma' could take many different shapes, forms and get bigger with time and change (Kali). Yesterday my intention was about the element 'air' and how there is no container. Air is nothing but expansive, no walls...floors or ceilings. Sometimes we limit ourselves to what we 'think' we deserve in life and we are not expanding our wings to the fullest. This I know because, I used to think I didn't deserve the highest love when it comes to a partner, I didn't deserve abundance, I didn't deserve to have a 'higher purpose'............crazy I know BUT, you would be surprised how many amazing souls think this same thing. I no longer think this but of course I can still go into my darker thoughts when Kali comes knocking on my heart door....:) OK...so back to 'dharma'. When I found Yoga, I found my heart and this is when I knew YOGA (physically and mindfully) was my 'dharma'. My 'dharma' right now is with jalaBlu in Buena Vista, CO (yoga studio). jalaBlu is coming up on two years which is hard to believe but my dedication to this little town to ignite YOGA in a powerful way is happening as I write. I know this is my 'dharma' because even as I write my emotions (hard to explain in words) start in my stomach....move to my heart and release in my eyes with gentle and loving tears. This summer was pretty darn slow at 'jala' and so the question of my 'dharma' came up many times and those negative thoughts started to roll within my mind to cover my heart up with MUD! However, now....jalaBlu is busier than EVER and classes are full, full and full and not just full with Yogis BUT, so full of love and energy! My point is....when you do find your 'dharma', it will challenge you and the reason (within my belief) is to see if you are truly dedicated and to also show you many perspectives and to not put your potential into a container............It will change shape...form and your wings will expand and the beauty is how it will just keep getting bigger and bigger. To 'believe' and step into the currents of grace, gentle or fierce. If your still reading then thank you.....I guess I have a lot to say.

Next on the Kali menu is LOVE!!! So yes, I have been in the Kali Kave with love and dharma....two big ones for sure and at times I thought I couldn't breathe. After two years, I decided to let my heart fly open again and try love with a beautiful soul. I do believe love is one of the scariest experiences out there and at the same time it can be one of the sweetest dances of life. The word vulnerability says it all! I love the quote, "Love is a risk! Do it anyway!" I'm no longer with this sweet soul and yes my heart was broken but, I refuse to close my heart off again.....To keep your heart open is to breathe in the fullness of life and to trust that the universe has a bigger plan for you and one YOU deserve!!!!!!

So, if you find an invitation from Kali within your life journey...........Open your heart, open your hand and take the dance! It's worth every precious moment and the light will shine in that Kali Kave again with abundance.

Anahata ~ Jenna and Kali

Yoga is an Invitation into a Life of LOVE

Every day I am so thankful that I stepped into an 'Anusara' yoga class 10 years ago. I had no idea of the beauty that would unfold within my life and the lives around me. Just recently jalaBlu had Kenny Graham for a weekend workshop in Buena Vista, CO. Tears of joy filled my eyes at the end as we chanted with Kenny. As I looked around at my Kula within jalaBlu and the amazing hearts that traveled the distance, I realized there was so much love within the room. Friends were holding hands, smiles coming from the heart and tears of freedom and bliss were dancing. A lot of my students have never done a workshop before and they devoted their hearts to the whole weekend. I actually saw them transform within just 3 days and not just within their asana practice but within their hearts. When students really start to get this beautiful practice (yoga) and connect to the magic of Anusara, I see them light up. I saw one of my students after the workshop at the Evergreen Cafe and when she saw me she started to cry and even writing this my eyes are filling up with tears of joy. She wasn't crying out of sadness but out of happiness or perhaps her tears were giving her freedom within a part of her life, I'm not sure but either way this was a gift. This practice invites us into a deeper connection with ourselves and with the currents of life. Anusara Yoga is pure magic, it has given me unknown power that I never knew I had, the gift of loving myself and others deeper, an openness to the unknown, courage, wisdom, softness and an invitation to follow my heart and 'believe'! To share Anusara yoga with others is the best part of my life, the more I share, the more I embrace the heart and what it has to offer.

"Believe" 2011

YOGA Charity Fundraiser with jalaBlu and Kenny Graham!

On Friday, July 1^st, from 5:30-7:30 pm you can Be the Change and Support the magic of Local Food. Please join us as Kenny Graham and JalaBlu kick off a weekend of Anusara Yoga bliss with a charity fundraiser benefiting Guidestone. Guidestone is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the local food economy. Guidestone serves farmers, landowners, educators, youth, and community members in the Upper Arkansas River Valley by providing farm based education programs and by supporting and growing the capacity of agricultural resources to help ensure a secure agricultural future for the region. Two Buena Vista farms, Weathervane Farm and Cottonwood Creek Dairy, currently work with Guidestone and benefit from their work in the community. All proceeds from this class will be donated. The suggested donation is $10. Let’s unite as a community, fill up the Buena Vista High School Gym, and send ripples of support to this valuable organization working to keep local food production thriving in our community.

When Kenny Graham suggested doing a charity fundraiser with jalaBlu here in Buena Vista, CO, my heart gravitated towards wanting to do what I could to support my friends at Weathervane Farm and Cottonwood Creek Dairy in their efforts to continue to serve the community with fresh local food. Currently these farms exist on a beautiful piece of farmland, generously made available by the current landowner, just outside of town. Though these farms are committed to staying in the greater community regardless of the specific circumstances of the property where they currently farm, it is my dream that this property be preserved as a farm for the community into the future. Though the fate of this property is uncertain, by helping to build the capacity of organizations like Guidestone the important work of farmland preservation will someday be possible in our community and our farmers will root to rise and find long term stability on farmland. I have no doubt that magic and miracles do happen, so please forward this blog to anyone of interest and help support an amazing cause full of organic extension. Say YES to Local Food and Guidestone and help this vision happen!

www.guidestonecolorado.org

"My intention for 2011 is 'BELIEVE' and within this word comes so much MAGIC! I 'BELIEVE' that jalaBlu and Kenny Graham will invite abundance on July 1st and perhaps the uncertainty of the land mentioned above will be preserved by Guidestone so both farms (Weathervane Farm and Cottonwood Creek Dairy) can continue to farm on that particular land within Buena Vista, CO." Jenna Pfingston

If you would like to make donations and can't attend the AMAZING workshop with Kenny Graham please send donations to jalaBlu C/O Jenna Pfingston PO Box 4626 Buena Vista, CO 81211 and make check out to Guidestone.

Please note that the Kenny Graham Anusara Workshop will continue on July 2nd and 3rd!!!! Please visit www.jalabluyoga.com for more info! Ignite your Practice and celebrate the 4th on your mat!

Namaste~
Jenna and jalaBlu

"BELIEVE"

2010 ~ A Journey Within the Heart!

2010 has been a wild and sweet ride. A dance with Shakti (power), Shri (beauty) and Kali (going into the darkness). For many people around me it has been a challenging year in many ways. There has been loss, suffering, illness, sadness and confusion but within all the darkness there has been love, new lives, beauty, laughter and lightness.

The dance with Kali was rough at times but through the darkness the connection to my heart was far greater! 2010 has been a huge year with me when it comes to my love for yoga. Traveling back and fourth to Tucson, AZ to complete many hours in the Anusara world, falling in love with so many people along the way that are friends for life and just breathing in the 'Shakti' and 'Shri' that yoga can give. My teachers Darren Rhodes and Christina Sell that I have such a sacred place for within my heart and all my friends and family that have been so behind me the whole way, THANK YOU! Without yoga my life and heart would not be as full.

jalaBlu has of course been huge in 2010. I never imagined owning a yoga studio and I never imagined that a vision would happen so fast. This little studio holds a large amount of love and the people who walk in every day bring me an abundance of joy. The greatest gift is when my students who are my teachers embrace the true essence of yoga, not just the physical aspect but the heart felt emotions that it can bring to our mats and every day life. When tears come to their eyes because they have kicked up to their first hand stand, pushed up to their first back bend, allowed pain to leave their body through yoga or a heart based theme (Anusara rocks!) has touched them deeply. This is the invitation or the dance with 'Shri'!

One year ago, I went to a magical yoga retreat with Darren and Bronwin Rhodes (some of you know this story) and it was based around setting your intention for 2010 (of course a lot of asana practice). We wrote for several days and estimating hours, I would say at least 10 hours. I mean have you ever put that much effort in writing an intention and that is not even counting the hours that you think about it when you wake up, go to sleep, brush your teeth, asana practice etc.....It's pure magic to put that much effort in an intention and see it unfold within a year! So, through the writing at the end of the week most of us came up with a sentence, a few words or one powerful word to wrap it all up and send it out into the universe. Many of you have heard me say mine a trillion times (I even put it on my jalaBlu flyers), "Inhale Shakti, Exhale Shri, Ignite!" These few words had a lot of meaning within my intentions for 2010 but it wasn't until the end of this year that it's true meaning presented itself. So, here goes the story.

I was broodily sick for 6 days straight and my last Teaching Training (III) in Tucson, AZ was about to happen. I hadn't eaten for 6 days and my energy level was low, low and very low!!! I drove to the airport in 'Clampy' (my old little red truck) and as always I prayed the whole way there that he wouldn't break down, a charming old soul but sometimes I feel like the wheels and doors may fall off. I realized that once I got to Denver (2.5 hours away) that I had lost my wallet on the way. Hello Kali again! It had fallen off of 'Clampy' in Buena Vista, CO where I live. I was feeling very 'Shri' along the way to the airport...the mountains were spectacular, a blue sky day, the stereo was working for once and I was finally feeling healthy again AND, I was excited to see all the amazing people in Tucson, AZ. Before I realized that I lost my wallet, I had all of a sudden realized what, "Inhale Shakti, Exhale Shri, Ignite!" really means. I started crying tears of joy and really felt like I had figured EVERYTHING out. For me it is about living within your heart ~ to believe in your dreams and visions and not let go ~ to step into the fire and make things happen ~ to love stronger ~ to see the beauty or at least try to see the beauty in all situations and people ~ to ignite your passions and to truly deepen within your own heart and love yourself. The feeling overwhelmed me and at that very moment, I knew my intention that I held so close to my heart for one year came full circle. To hold this intention took effort, patience and belief. I HAVE danced with 'Shakti' and 'Shri' and within the relationship with Kali (darkness) I found strength to move into the lightness with love. 2010 was a year of beautiful transformation and within 2011, I welcome change and a greater essence of love within my life journey.

I haven't found the magical words (intention) for 2011 but I will continue to live deeper within the heart and invite them to surface when they are ready. Wishing you all a safe and joyful journey into 2011! May you always look within your heart and invite the MAGIC to happen!

Namaste~

Jenna and 'jalaBlu'

"Inhale Shakti, Exhale Shri, Ignite!" (one more time!)

Let's Put Buena Vista, CO on the YOGA map!

Calling All 'jalaBlu' Yogis and Buena Vistians!
"BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE" ~ Ghandi


Buena Vista is a magical little town full of energy, character, community, beauty and transformation. Within this transformation, we have lifted the vibration with more live music, art, culture, restaurants/ coffee shops, South Main development, creative and talented personalities moving to BV and of course, 'jalaBlu' being the first yoga studio.

There is so much more happening (cultivating) that I haven't mentioned but we can all see this energy, this growth and within our hearts lies the excitement of Buena Vista igniting in a very powerful way within the near future. When I started 'jalaBlu' I had a vision of bringing in 'Special Yoga Guests' from all over the map. I had no idea that within less than a year we would already be blessed with three AMAZING guests (Bliss Brothers, Darren Rhodes / Bronwin Rhodes and Andrew Rivin). Within my 'jalaBlu' vision, I want to keep inviting special guests to Buena Vista and give YOU the chance to experience a powerful and heart opening journey through yoga. I invite you to SUPPORT the next RADICAL workshop with Andrew Rivin, Nov. 13th and 14th. This Anusara Yoga workshop is for ALL LEVELS. It will be such an inspirational and empowering weekend so let's put Buena Vista on the 'Yoga Map'! ~

By the way......Combined with Andrew Rivin the Asian Palate (Thai and Sushi Restaurant) is hosting Jon H from 'Fort Knox Five' on Nov. 13th! Get your yoga on through 'jalaBlu' and then........ let the vibrations of DJ Jon H inspire your body to move. What an AMAZING and BLISSFUL combo!

Please fly this e-mail to anyone that has interest!!!! Let's ignite this workshop and fill up the Orpheum, I have no doubt WE can. Please see flyer attached with info. You can mail a check to Jenna Pfingston PO Box 4626, Buena Vista, CO 81211.

love and shri (beauty)~ Jenna and 'jalaBlu'

"jalaBlu is an oasis that welcomes open hearts, abundance in spirit, and fellow travellers ~ Come as you are!"

Gratitude

Some of you know that my 2nd home the past year has been Tucson, AZ. I have been so blessed with this amazing opportunity to not only study with Christina Sell and Darren Rhodes (I consider them both my teachers on the Anusara path) but to take the journey with so many amazing souls, WOW!!!!!! Some of these beautiful spirits have flowed with me through Immersion I, II, III and now Teacher Training I, II and soon III! It is one of the most rewarding and powerful experiences of my life journey yet and, I have no intentions of stopping here.

This path of yoga (Anusara) has greeted me with the 'fire' many times.....and I have gladly stepped into the fire whether it's on my mat or off. It has continued to deepen my awareness, my love for life, my love for others, the connection to the universe, to seek my highest desires and to embrace the challenging times in life with fortitude....patience and an unbelievable amount of love. This IS YOGA....it's not just coming to your mat to do a challenging asana, it's about embracing life to the fullest.

I have so much gratitude for my students (who are my teachers), my teachers, my family, my friends and for my life~

"Inhale Shakti, Exhale Shri, Ignite!"