home
About
schedule
- all events
- Past events
Teacher training
workshops
- workshops
Retreats
BLOG
- latest
- blog arhive
connect
- contact

home
About
schedule
- all events
- Past events
Teacher training
workshops
- workshops
Retreats
BLOG
- latest
- blog arhive
connect
- contact

TTC 200/300 Sangha yoga, Zagreb

TTC 200/300 Sangha yoga, Zagreb

Saturday, January 19, 2019 – Sunday, January 20, 2019
9:30pm 21:30

✚ gCal
✚ iCal

TTC weekend intensive at Sangha

Back to All

“I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen.
And accrue what I hear into myself...
and let sound contribute toward me.” ~ Walt Whitman
•
***Disconnecting to connect***
•
It’s time to move into silence and stillness. That oh so precious time of the year is finally here. Space has been cleared, some decisions made, and I’m looking forward to more friends and family time, as well as me time. I hope you have the luxury to do the same as this is such precious time of the year. As nature moves into stillness, so should we. See if you can find more quiet time for yourself, make more time for people who fill your heart with joy, more time for doing things you love. ❤️
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan #space #quiet #listen #relax #nature #disconnect #yoga #vinyasa #connect

☽ New moon☽
•
This time of the year is usually my quiet time, time of reflection and introspection. Time when there’s time enough to make decisions, set up goals. But not this year, and it seems not just for me. Universe is really clear about declutering. It seem to want clarity and much space clened up before it allows anything moving forward and any decisions being made. The cleaning up doesn’t come easy at all, there was/is much interference, many challenges, many obstacles, as if the Universe wants us to really want it! To really see what we feel we want to resume, and what we feel belongs in the past. This was the theme for me last month, and kind of a theme of 2018. and if you are experiencing the same, know you’re not alone. But, lighter days are coming!
•
With the new moon in Sagittaurus, the lover of freedom, change and travel, and Mercury going direct, it’s high time to free up some space, in every possible way. So use it well.
•
I feel as the clutter is finally reduced to a reasonable and manageable pile and the space is clearer and clearer, ready for the new beggings.
•
And my fellow Sagittaurus sisters and brothers, this fiery new moon in Sag will unleash a great amount of energy for us, energy we can channel in whichever direction we want! With challenging Saturn finally leaving us and our ruler Jupiter finally back home, there’s no stopping us!;)
•
Blessed New Moon, blessed new beginnings to you all.
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan
#newmoon #newbegginings #makespace #decluter #freedom #change #yoga #vinyasayoga

i am your friend.
a soul for your soul.
a place for your life.
home.
know this.
sun or water.
here or away.
we are a lighthouse.
we leave.
and we stay.
– lighthouse
~Nayyirah Waheed
•
(This view will always remind me of you.)
•
“Salt” by Nayyirah Waheed @nayyirah.waheed was one of the b-day presents I got this year from one of my closest friends. I got many beautiful gifts, but but the most priceless one is my people; people who know me, will always hear me out, advise me, cheer for me, have my back. Those who see my light and accept my darkness. Those lighthouses who will always help me find my way. I love you. I’m so grateful for you. Thank you for your light.
•
Pix @sanjinkastelan
#friends #soulmates #priceless #gifts #love #lighthouses #portugal #cabodaroca #yogini

***giving back***
•
Looking back at this year, I can be nothing but grateful for the trust so many of you have given me, and I feel I want to give something back. Especially my TTC students; this year I certified more than 50! So I’m thinking about reviving my YouTube channel and posting some useful video tutorials for all of you out there who will find them useful:).
•
What would you like to see/ learn? There’s so many different things I could create little tutorials for ... like my restorative sequences, or foam roller sequences, or facial yoga I started doing again (yes, I’ll even make stupid faces on video for you guys;). More guided meditation? More anatomy stuff? Let me know! Comment, DM, text, email, call, send a letter:)
•
Love this photo taken in beautiful @olive3.yogaretreat shala by talented @sanjinkastelan
#givingback #grateful #youtube #tutorials
#integralvinyasayoga #vinyasayoga #meditation #yoga #community

As a birthday present this year, I gave myself a full physical check up, and as a part of it, I went for an MRI of my spine.
Few surprises awaited. One was an anxiety attack which almost made me abort the mission - after I had a little chat with myself and calmed myself down I could have stayed there for hours but the first few minutes were uncomfortable to say the least. OMG, have you ever done one? It was weird. But eye opening.
•
Another was something they found on my spine. It’s too long for an IG post, so I wrote about it in my blog (link in bio) if you’re interested.
•
In short, I have a congenital condition which should cause me more problems than it does and I ‘blame’ this on smart, mindful yoga practice:).
•
Asana practice is about healing, not injuring yourself. But, I’ll come back to this tomorrow.
•
Pic @sanjinkastelan
#yoga #asana #health #mindfulness #mindfulflow #integralvinyasayoga #spine

Zagreb Sangha! Few spots opened for my Chakra Vinyasa workshop next weekend at @sangha_yoga
We will be flowing through 3rd (Saturday) and 4th (Sunday) Chakra sequence, learn about the qualities of each and how to sequence opening, Namaskars, standing sq etc to stimulate those qualities.
•
email me or Sangha for details.
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan #chakraflow #chakravinyasa #vinyasa #integralvinyasayoga #yogateachertraining #yogaworkshop #yogazagreb

Another trip around the sun for this birthday girl. Wow. It’s been an eventful, challenging, but beautiful year. I’m grateful for so much, but mostly for my tribe and for all the heart connections I’m blessed with. It feels good to be surrounded by so much love. Best things in life are truly not things and can’t be bought with anything but love. So all I wish for I already have, and can only hope I will continue to have - my people as well as more sunny days, barefoot beach walks, beautiful waves, laughs, adventures, happy wiggling tails...
•
Thank you all for your beautiful birthday wishes from all parts of the world. Thank you my beautiful TTC Zagreb goddesses for such a beautiful present; they donated funds to a dog shelter @udruga.indigo in my name today and brought me to tears!
•
Much love back to all of you, with beautiful words by Kipling we should all try to live by...
•
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan #grateful #love #bdaygirl #happiness #tribe #travel #adventure #connection #barefeet #openheart #yoga

In the past years many of you asked me about a yoga retreat place in Portugal close to Ericeira, my second home, but until very recently, I couldn’t point you in the right direction. I’m happy to say that now I can!
•
Two beautiful people whom I met a few years ago while staying in their B&B, have built a beautiful yoga shala within their super charming Olive3 hostel. This was the venue of the last TTC intensive and Endless Summer retreats, and where I’m coming back next year for another ttc and more.
•
I haven’t posted anything about this until now as the website was being built (by yours truly) and it took a while, but it’s finally done now (link in bio) and all the info is there. Let me know what you think!
•
I’m only the godmother so to say, as I kind of talked them into building a Shala🙃, and am helping them get the word out, so I have nothing to do with the bookings etc, (please contact them directly), but if you have any questions I might help you with, let me know.
•
If you’re looking for a place to host a retreat, workshop or any other event, @olive3.yogaretreat is your place!
•
Photos: @sanjinkastelan
#yogaretreat #olive3yoga #community #yogashala #yogaretreatcentre #ericeira #portugal

○ Full moon blessings ○
•
I got pulled over for speeding today and joked with the police officer that it was because of the full moon, but, nevertheless, I except my guilt as well as the fine with apologies. Not sure while part he was more confused with, the full moon bit or me being nice and apologetic about it:). As he was writing my ticket I asked him how was his day and he said “not an easy one”. Just blame it on the moon I said and he smiled. He gave me the smallest fine possible, and said it was because it’s my birthday in a few days. He stopped the traffic so I can go back to the road and waved as I drove off.
•
I think it wasn’t the moon or my birthday, it was just that he’s not used to people being nice to him, even if they did something wrong and he’s just doing his job. Especially on a full moon day (I assume;).
•
It is believed that full moons heighten everything; emotions, mental activity, energy levels. This has never been proven by science, but if you, like me, believe not much actually is and there is SO much we know nothing about, maybe just take that into consideration next few days.
•
Choose your thoughts, choose your words, stay grounded and, most importantly, be kind to yourselves and to others.
•
Pic. @sanjinkastelan
•
#fullmoon #kindness #consciousness #love #yogini #yogaoffthemat

“Feel, he told himself, feel, feel, feel. Even if what you feel is pain, only let yourself feel.”
•
So many of us grew up with “don’t feel” input. Whether we were expressing joy or pain, we were often taught to feel less - don’t cry, don’t be angry, don’t be hysterical, don’t be jealous... We were taught to manage our feelings but never given tools how.
•
It’s often a cultural / social thing, I guess our parents and care-takers did the best they could with what they had, but as we are (hopefully) becoming a more conscious and awoken society, it’s in our hands to change the narrative.
•
To be able to feel our pain, is to be able to marinate in our happiness. The less we detach from our discomfort, the more we can feel all the joys of life. Like the skin, sensitive to pain, but also sensitive to loving touch.
•
So open your heart and feel. Cry, jump from joy, be angry, laugh loudly, feel sad, be brave in expressing your feelings without shame. They are the juice of life, what connects us to ourselves and to each other. Without feelings we are like robots, unable to connect to the suffering, love and beauty of ourselves and the world around us.
•
Never be ashamed to let your truth, your passion, your tears and your laughter shine a light and soften this often rigid and dysfunctional society.
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan
•
#feel #connect #change #openheart #openmind #awaken #yogaeveryday #yogaoffthemat #yoga #vinyasa #love #compassion #joy

•••meditation continued•••
MINDFULNESS meditation
•
Mindfulness can be practiced almost anytime, anywhere, and this makes it a very powerful meditation technique.
Mindfulness simply means being in the present moment, focusing only on the present moment and on one thing which is happening right here, right now, clearing your mind of anything else. It’s a perfect antidote to our often busy, fast, multitasking reality.
•
You can practice mindfulness focusing on your body (body scan) or on anything you are doing - taking a shower, cooking, eating, taking a walk, watching the waves. Focus on the feeling, the smell, the colors... taking in every single moment with all the senses.
•
Next time you prepare your meal, try to focus only on your food; feeling when you cut your veggies, all the scents, the colors, the spices... When you eat try not to check your phone, read, watch tv, rather smell and observe every bite, slowly taste everything, enjoying each bite without focusing on anything else. Go for a mindfull walk focusing on every step you take, every breath, every feeling.
•
My favorite mindfulness meditation is sitting and watching Ocean waves, observing each wave, enjoying that beautiful Ocean scent. I can do that for hours and completely clear my head of anything else. And, of course, surfing which is the ultimate mindfulness meditation for me. When you’re out there you can’t be anywhere else but in the present moment.
•
Talk about surfing, big shout out to my friend João de Maceido @joaodemacedo7 who just (as we speak) entered Nazaré big wave competition finals! Super stoked for him. Let’s send him good vibes for the finals (and everyone else of course:)✨🤙💛
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan
#mindfulness #mindfulnessmeditation #meditation #moment #presence #ocean #surf

•••meditation continued•••
MANTRA meditation
Five years ago, when I suffered quite intense symptoms from a few conditions I have had, and I had to find ways to heal myself on and off the mat. One of the practices I embraced, as it helped me a great deal and on many levels, was mantra repetition. Sometimes I would sing mantras outloud at home, in front of my altar, and sometimes, if I wasn’t alone, I would be repeating my mantra silently as a form of meditation.
•
Mantras are believed to have a great power, both the sacred words as well as the vibration they cause. They focus the mind, soften the heart and send healing vibrations through the body.
•
Same as with mudras, now I know many by heart, and pick one depending on my intention. When I was going through my healing process, I was often singing Mahamrityunjaya mantra, often called the healing mantra. Now I use the one I feel I need that day. Same as with mudras, mantras carry energy, a certain quality, we can aim towards a goal like healing, opening the heart, removing obstacles (like Ganesha mantra) etc.
•
Start with 5 - 10 minutes a day and see if you can slowly progress to 20. It’s a beautiful way to start your day, but can also be done any time in the day you feel you need some healing vibrations.
(Check my few favorites in stories)
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan 🙏🏻 #meditation #mantra #mantrameditation #vibration #spanda #innerpeace #yogini #yoga

•••Meditation continued•••
MUDRA meditation - I love mudras and use them often, not only when I move through asana practice, but as meditation practice as well.
Mudras are hand gestures, or seals. Just like you would use a specific asana to open an energy flow in certain parts of the body, mudras too have different qualities you can use in the same way. Meditating on that particular quality with a clear intention, seals that intention in your subtle body.
•
I pick a mudra depending on my intention that particular day. If I travel and have just arrived to a new place, I sit with a grounding mudra like Apana or Prithvi and visualise growing deep roots and connecting to myself and the space/ place around me. If I need fierce energy to do or address something, I use Kali mudra to light that fire within and focus on / visualise on the situation and on tools I need to overcome it. If I need a greater insight, I use Garuda mudra to see a bigger picture by visualising my mystical eagle flying over the situation at hand. If I need my fearless heart to show me the way, I use Abhaya Hridaya mudra on the photo (check other mudras in my stories).
•
Next one coming up tomorrow...
•
Photo @sanjinkastelan
#mudra #meditation #fearlessheart #yoga #yogini #yogaeveryday

© nina vukas all rights reserved