Articles by Kathleen:

Kathleen is currently writing a blog for Yoga Life Magazine about yoga and weight loss: www.iyogalife.com.

Vegan for Life - Maya Yoga: Becoming Vegan, Benefits of Vegan Diet
By Kathleen Kastner

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we would all be vegetarian.”
-Paul McCartney

I am grateful that on a soul level, I was born a vegetarian. I loved and respected animals as a young child, even though I was raised in a meat eating family in the middle of Kansas! I remember getting violently ill, after eating a bite of roast when I was 6 years old, which lead me to stop eating beef and pork. Unfortunately for the chickens, I continued to eat them until my late 20’s. However my 21 year old cat, Samantha, helped me see the light that stopped me in my tracks from eating meat once and for all. Samantha was dying from kidney failure and I made the choice to end her suffering, by having my vet put her out of her toxic misery. As I held her precious body in my arms, because I wanted my face to be the last thing she saw before passing on from this life, to more life, I watched as the Vet pricked her frail body with the needle and in an instant I felt her soul leave her body. In that defining moment, I felt in my heart the deepest connection to all animal souls and that I had no right to be eating them, so I made the conscious decision to stop eating all forms of meat once and for all.  Click here to read the entire article.

Featured in the May 2007 issue of Yoga Magazine
God is in the Silence.
By Kathleen Kastner

"Everything else can wait, but your search for God cannot wait."
-Paramahansa Yogananda

Patanjalim defines yoga as: "yogas citta vrtti nirodaha", yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. Notice he does not say, "He who does handstand best is the most enlightened!" However, instead of adopting a regular meditation practice, we spend hours on the mat doing more asana, in search of clarity, self-acceptance, and a deeper meaning to our lives. Because the ego mind, which is full of fear, worry, and doubt, is threatened by meditation, it therefore encourages us to do MORE physical activity, whether it be asana, jogging, or cleaning our house, anything to distract us from our meditation practice.

As yogis, many times we forget that being strong and flexible isn't the cure all to a happy and peaceful life. In fact, sometimes we feel even more lost and confused after an asana practice, because all kinds of questions begin to surface from our being.

My first yoga teacher once said, that her greatest goal in life was to know God better. I remember thinking what she said was very commendable, but I definitely didn't understand the magnitude of what she was saying at the time. However, fourteen years later, I think I am beginning to understand what she was seeking in her relationship with God.

When we cease the chatter of the mind thru meditation, we create space for the Divine to connect with us. God is always trying to communicate with us, but are we listening, or are we too busy trying to get somewhere on the mat, or in our lives?

Many times we are reluctant to sit down to meditate, due to a perceived lack of time, or maybe the fear of the unknown; the fear that maybe God has something to tell us that we aren't ready to face, like the end of a relationship or a career that is not aligned with our highest good anymore? So in turn, we resist being still and miss an opportunity to change our lives for the better. We would rather stay feeling confused, frustrated, and physically "fit," instead of seeking personal growth thru a quiet mind.

The habit of jumping out of bed in the morning, turning on the radio, tv, coffee maker, and reading the newspaper, only creates more vrttis (chatter) in the mind. I suggest doing your meditation practice first thing upon waking up, and spending some quality quiet time deepening your connection with God.

Quiet time in the morning, before you leave your house, will help you be kinder to yourself and everyone you come into contact with throughout your day. In turn, every time you meditate you are helping to align your mind with Divine mind, which are thoughts based on love, patience, forgiveness, gratitude and service to the planet.

Meditation, like asana, just takes PRACTICE and dedication. The effects are accumulative, so even 5 minutes daily, can help you to have a more peaceful and purposeful life. I suggest doing your meditation practice before you leave your house in the morning, so your thoughts are aligned with Divine Mind throughout your day. You will have a greater ability to make more conscious choices in your life, with less stress and drama, and more kindness and patience, towards yourself and others.

The use of mantra in meditation can be very helpful as well. The Sanskrit word "mantra", means 'instrument of the mind," and the mantra I have found to be the most effective for my meditation practice is: "Be Still and Know."

This mantra comes from Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God." On the inhalation, say internally, "Be still," and on the exhalation say, "And know." It is as if God is saying to our minds, "Be still and know that I AM GOD, and that I am taking care of all the details of you life, if you would just be willing to release them to me."

In turn, our life's challenges always work themselves out, maybe not the way we planned, but they always work out for the highest good of our soul's journey, and for the highest good of all involved. We must remember this during times of deep despair and crisis -God ALWAYS has a plan.

I encourage you to make time daily for the most important relationship in your life, the one with God, and experience the unconditional love, acceptance and guidance that resides within you, in every moment.

Meditate for yourself and as an offering for all beings everywhere.

"In the final analysis, it is all between you and God."
-Mother Teresa.

Kathleen Kastner teaches yoga at Maha Yoga and Mark Blanchard's Power Yoga, in Brentwood, CA. She is also the Owner of Maya Yoga, in Kansas City, MO.
www.kathleenkastner.com
www.mayayoga.com

Featured in the Kansas City Wellness Magazine
Liberation from the Gym: The Magic of Ashtanga Yoga!
By Kathleen Kastner

Ashtanga yoga is the closest feeling to being HOME that I have ever experienced. This challenging yet infinitely rewarding style of yoga has changed my life in so many unforeseen ways for the last ten years and continues to do so, every time I step on my yoga mat.

How can ashtanga yoga be such a tool for transformation? I'm not really sure myself, because for me, yoga is about all about Spirit, and therefore isn't to be fully understood by the rational mind, but is a feeling to be experienced and not measured.

I began ashtanga yoga while working as an exercise physiologist and a personal trainer. I had been practicing more gentle styles of yoga for two years previously and was making very little progress in my practice. Fifteen years of compulsive cardiovascular and weight training exercise had left my body and my being, in what I now feel was a crippled state of existence. I had created so many imbalances in my body from conventional exercise and was paying the price of tight muscles, injured knees and an unfulfilled sense of Self.  Click here to read the entire article.

Links to other articles:

Featured in Yoga Magazine
Confessions of a Yoga Studio Owner

Featured in the Kansas City Wellness Magazine
Being a Vegetarian in Kansas City

Miscellaneous
Why Yoga Can Help You Lose Weight!
Ashtanga Yoga Compared to Other Styles of Yoga