Category: Presence

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FREE Meditation

I’m so excited to announce a FREE meditation just for you! This meditation is a powerful meditation to support a healthy and vital life. This Ajapa Dhāraṇā will bring focus to your spiritual heart and support awakening the energetic body and supporting higher integration of the mind/body systems.

What is Ajapa Dhāraṇā?

Ajapa Dhāraṇā is a transformative meditation technique. Through absorption on breath, mantra, visualizations and awareness of the energetic body, one can experience the beauty of dhyāna – meditation.

This meditation will support increased connection to your higher Self, calm the nervous system and support a calm, grounded existence.

In the words of Swami Satyananada: “Ajapa meditation helps one to withdraw the senses and awaken self-awareness.  It removes the impurities of the mind. A burning lamp cannot give full illumination if its glass is covered in smoke. Only when the glass is cleaned will the lamp shine fully. Similarly, the light or the power of the Atman is within us, but it does not manifest itself in our daily life because of the hindrances of the thought process, the vagaries, dissipations and distractions of the mind.”

Read about more benefits of meditation here: https://www.yogachikitsa.net/meditation/https://www.yogachikitsa.net/meditation/

To continue this meditative journey of integrating the energetic body and awakening the higher levels of existence, contact Jessica today.

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Svādhyāya- self-study, repetition of mantras and calming the mind

The fourth of the Niyamas is a call to deepening our study of ourselves as a means to prepare the aspirant for the continued journey toward Liberation. It is with true knowledge of existence and the reality of the world of change that the yogi can finally see through the fog of human existence to the Truth of themselves, to know the Ātman (Soul, Self, Divine Within, etc.).

Svādhyāya surfaces in the Niyamas, as a repetition of one of the components of Kriyā yoga and can initially cause some misunderstanding. While the word svādhyāya gets commonly translated as ‘self-study’ there is often an important mechanic of that self-study which is often omitted. Patañjali teaches yogis to learn about themselves by studying spiritual texts, chanting, repeating mantras, etc.

Through the study of spiritual texts, the aspirant can gain knowledge on the journey ahead of them. Additionally, knowledge of the subtle layers of existence can be revealed through this continued study. When combined with chanting and repetition of mantras, the yogi will find balance in their subtle energies and gain increased clarity of the human experiences. With this knowledge and awakening, the aspirant will gain grace and ease with navigating the challenges of daily life and the human experience.

For a journaling practice today, explore how does self-study can lead to more meaningful and productive relationships? How has your knowledge of yourself grown from reading and studying spiritual texts?

For a chanting practice, you might try repeating this mantra 12 times:

Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ

This is a chant which invites in knowledge of our own innate capacity to overcome obstacles. It acknowledges that we each have the power Gaṇeśa represents contained within ourselves. It’s already there, we just have to awaken to our own divine nature.

A gentle way to ease into a chanting practice is to begin with 12 repetitions, for one week continuously. After that, you might try 36 repetitions for two full weeks. Next step could be to complete 108 rounds of the chant daily (or twice daily). See this post on the benefits of Chanting and encouragement for a consistent chanting practice.

Currently, we’re exploring each of these Yamas (mahāvrata) as well as the Niyamas and trying to understand how we can start to integrate the lessons of these guidelines in our posture practice and our daily lives. Share how you’re experiencing and practicing truthfulness today and everyday with our Ashtanga community and read what others are learning by following #yogafoundationschallenge on IG.

Through the lens of our practice, we can start to view our patterns and reactions as a means to known them and adapt/change them as needed. I encourage you to practice with extra care over the next few weeks and journal about your experience on and off the mat. This will give you an additional tool to process the ideas and concepts we’ll explore throughout the challenge.

Tag @bellapranayoga in each entry along with #yogafoundationschallenge and #bellapranaashtanga to be entered in a drawing to win:

  • Mysore Practice Rug
  • Yogi Assignment by Kino MacGregor
  • 4 oz bottle of Mahanarayan Oil
  • PLUS 10% off workshops with Ajay Tokas in July 2020

See the remaining schedule below and follow the tag #yogafoundationschallenge on Instagram to hear experiences from our community as well as share your own. Now, you take practice 🙂

  • Wednesday, February 5 – Īśvara Praṇidhāna – connection to the unknown

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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The Many Benefits of Chanting

Chanting can be a powerful and transformative practice of using sound to bring on a meditative experience. The repetition of mantra and sound aids in down-regulating the nervous system and creating space for peace and stillness to arise within. Additionally, chanting is known to have the following

  • Helps to Improve Concentration
    • Chanting helps to calm the monkey mind by giving it something to focus on both mentally and verbally. With regular chanting, your mind becomes focused on the Sanskrit words instead of everything else. with continued practice, the mind will become more attentive in whatever it focuses on.
  • Reduces Stress and Anxiety
    • Chanting can provide relief from anxiety and tension. Regular chanting allows you to experience peace from within and be less distracted while doing any form of work.
    • Chanting is a practice of meditation and helps you to learn more about yourself and adds meaning to all aspects of your life.
  • Rejuvenating & Calming
    • Tensions are a regular part of life. But too much anxiety and stress produce toxins in the body leading to harmful physical and mental diseases. And Om chanting eliminates the possibilities of toxin production by reducing stress and making you feel rejuvenated whenever you start chanting. Thus, one of the health benefits of Om chanting is that it makes you feel happy, rejuvenated and pacifies your troubled heart.
    • Regular Om chanting also helps to reduce your mood swings and thus improve your work capacity and performance. So, it indicates that with regular Om chanting practice you can improve your personal as well as professional life as well.
  • Helps Support the Back and Spine
    • Chanting, done in an upright position, helps to tone and strengthen the abdominal muscles and this can help to keep the spine healthy in everyday life.
  • Detoxifies Body
    • Chanting is a type of meditation, when you regularly perform meditation, it allows the body to function at an optimum level. This will help the body release toxins and impurities efficiently. 
    • Chanting requires breath regulation and this helps improve blood circulation and oxygen supply to the cells or the body. These are the two important physical benefits of chanting. 
  • Can Improve Functioning of Heart & Digestive System
    • Chanting can help regulate the blood flow to different body parts. Thus, it helps in stabilizing blood pressure. While chanting, the breath, respiration and heartbeat can normalize.
    • Regular practice can improve the functioning of the heart and your digestive system.
  • Helps Improve Quality of Sleep
    • You can improve your sleep and wake up pattern by chanting regularly. As the mind resides in a more peaceful state, the nervous system can reset and recalibrate. Chanting can help with falling asleep quickly, and getting sound and quality sleep.
  • Helps Promote Emotionally Stability
    • When experiencing worry, anger, frustration, irritation, etc. our work and relationships are impacted. Behavior can become irrational and impractical when the mind is disturbed. Chanting can help balance emotions and allow the mind to operate from a more altruistic place, as opposed the fight/flight/freeze state of a mind ruled by worry, anger, frustration, irritation, etc.
  • Improves Reasoning Ability, Reduces Negativity
    • A distracted mind has a tendency to think negative first whenever something unexpected happens. Regular chanting helps keep the mind calm and helps stay present/positive through uncertainty. When you are no longer ruled by your reactionary mind, your reasoning ability improves and you are able to make more grounded and meaningful decisions.

For a initial chanting practice, try repeating this mantra Oṃ 108 times, for one week continuously.

This can be the mantra you continue with indefinitely. If you could like a slightly longer mantra, you might try:

Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ

This is a chant which invites in knowledge of our own innate capacity to overcome obstacles. It acknowledges that we each have the power Gaṇeśa represents contained within ourselves. It’s already there, we just have to awaken to our own divine nature.

A gentle way to ease into a chanting practice is to begin with 12 repetitions, for one week continuously. After that, you might try 36 repetitions for two full weeks. Next step could be to complete 108 rounds of the chant daily (or twice daily).

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

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Returning the Mat

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
Samasthiti Feet
I hadn’t practiced in 18 weeks and the idea of stepping back on my mat was a little overwhelming. I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga in 2007 and since then, I’ve never taken this much time away from my practice.

There are so many reasons we can get pulled away from our mat: injury, pregnancy, depression, illness and sometimes laziness. For me, it happens to be a joyous reason, but the idea of trying to ‘rebuild’ my practice after four and a half months off still brought up all of my old patterns of perfectionism and avoidance (if I can’t get it ‘perfect’ I have a history of just avoiding it).

Baby TreseIt is recommended that women rest from their Ashtanga practice during the first trimester of pregnancy. This is a very delicate time in the gestational process and most women are guided to let their bodies lead the process without adding a strong practice to the mix. For me, this hiatus began with standard first trimester rest, and then some complications led me from voluntary rest to limited activity as ordered by my Doctor. We also had a few more bumps in the road which kept me away from my mat for another month.

And then, it was time, little bundle was safe and healthy, and I was cleared to resume normal pregnant activity.

The first week back was tougher than I could have ever imagined. I tried, but all I seemed to be able to pull out of myself were sun salutations. And it wasn’t easy, most days I wanted to just quit practicing. My mind was distracted and disconnected, my body was stiff and resistant and my heart was unrestful as I moved through these familiar motions.

But after the first week of struggling, I finally started to feel excitement as I stepped on my mat each day, and with it along came some additional physical strength and stamina to practice more than only sun salutations. I’m in the process of reconnecting to my practice, and the moments of interconnectedness are beginning to grow again, slowly I’m seeing more frequent peacefulness in my practice.

19weeks Baby BumpI know I will never ‘get back to where I was,’ because that moment has passed and this moment is an entirely new experience. And I also know I will once again find ease and grace on my mat, a brand new and also familiar experience in each fresh moment, and in each familiar pose. I will once again grab my heels in kapotasana, and find lightness as I drop back, it will come.

But it won’t come as a RE-creation of what was. It will come as a simultaneously familiar and entirely brand new experience as I move through my practice each day.

General guidelines for practicing Ashtanga Yoga during Pregnancy




* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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Mindful Assisting & Adjusting

with: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

After practicing yoga with a teacher a few times, you’ve probably experienced the way hands-on help in the room can bring you into a deeper experience on your mat. And sooner or later, you’re bound to receive help that doesn’t feel good, throws you off balance or maybe even hurts.

As teachers and students of Yoga, we want to learn how to help people journey deeper on their mat, without causing them suffering. Assisting and adjusting can be a practice, which leads students toward deeper experiences on their yoga mat. And when approached mindfully and knowledgeably, teachers can safely guide their students deeper.

Learn how to individually assess students in order to effectively assist them in their yoga practice. We’ll learn how to safely guide our students deeper into poses and lead them further along the path of yoga. This workshop will cover assisting and adjusting poses commonly seen in Vinyasa classes as well as poses from Ashtanga’s Primary and Intermediate series and is appropriate for both teachers and students as a way to deepen their understanding of the poses, the goal of Yoga and the students experience within the poses.

Location: Yogani Studios, Tampa, FL
Date: Now on January 9, 2016
Times: Saturday – 12:00-2:30pm
Cost: $45

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* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – september 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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What does it really mean to practice non-attachment?

by: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

Vairagya, non-attachment, gets thrown around a lot during yoga classes and discussions on yoga philosophy. But what does it really mean to practice non-attachment?

Often times, non-attachment gets interpreted as indifference. As students we hear ‘practice non-attachment’ and we think, ‘ok, I just need to stop caring about everything.’ WRONG.

To me, non-attachment can only be practiced in the presence of pure connection. Non-attachment means connecting to the present moment, without trying to control it.

Connection is the key to non-attachment.

In order to practice non-attachment, we must reside within the exchange of energy in each and every moment without trying to control it. We must give our energy freely, with kind and honest intentions, and genuinely experience what each moment has to offer.

We Are All ConnectedIt’s possible the whole reason we are here on this earth is to CONNECT. Maybe our purpose is solely to connect to our Self, to connect to each other, to connect to the Divine, which is present in and around all of us. Connection could possibly be the goal of our entire journey. Honest connection, without trying to control what comes back to us, but accepting what comes for exactly what it is.

And when we roll out our mat everyday, the goal is not to preform asanas but to connect to the Divine within our hearts even when our situation seems impossible.

Live This MomentAnd when we fail, when we are faced with a task which appears unfeasible we find the strength to continue wholeheartedly, and without attachment to the outcome of our efforts.

We practice the poses to feel and experience the present moment within each pose, and when we don’t catch the bind or stick the landing, we accept the outcome without remorse, judgment or anger. And when we do manage to accomplish the impossible, we accept it graciously, and then move on to the next moment with joy in our heart.



* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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