Rainbeau Mars

Shooting at Studio 4 this morning in Vancouver

Gratitude For Friends and Family and this precious pearl of a home called Earth.

I wanted to thank you so much for your support of the Rainbeau Mars Lifestyles vision and intention to serve the planet with holistic lifestyle tools. One person at a time, we can shift the crisis of “dis-ease” and choose to heal with the gifts that have been here all along, urging us to unravel them.

Much has happened since my journey to India and France just a couple of weeks ago, which I am still integrating. I am already off on the next adventure, having landed in Vancouver last night. I am in awe of the pace at which life can toss us lesson after lesson these days. I am humbled, amazed, and in many ways, more trusting than ever. I am walking into the unknown and remembering those nights on the streets of Khajaraho, with wolves howling and a homeless Indian man pointing the direction. My perspective into the excitement that lies ahead is more exciting than the comfort of my past and by letting go, I can breathe as me again.

The light in the eyes of so many of the beautiful Indians exists because of an inner journey of trust and developed character. My father always said, “Character is what you get when you can’t get nothing else.”  Funny, my dad, Tom Pfeiffer, who is from the South, in many ways reminds me of a non-handicapped version of Forrest Gump, always caring about the important stuff and not so much about the rest.  It’s amazing because it makes me want to continually refine my own values to things that are worthy of my deepest and most authentic respect, if that makes sense.

In the last month, I have felt a very deep gratitude for family, maybe like never before, and maybe that’s what the Holidays is really about. Whoever, whatever we have to be grateful for, it’s a time to cherish that which we have of great value. My dad has been saying to me lately, “I don’t want to tell you that I am proud, Rainbeau, because that would mean that if you were not doing what you are, that I would not be proud. But I do want to tell you that I love you.” I also get plenty of loving calls and gestures from my mother and sister.  Not a day goes by that I don’t tell my own daughter a few times that I love her and vice versa. So here’s to letting the people around us know that we love them, that we are grateful for them, and that we are here in support of each other.For no other reason, love stimulates our immune system because of the thymus gland that resides in the heart. So the more we love, the healthier we can be.

When two or more gather, miracles are possible. With the 6.5 billion other earthlings with whom we share this very small planet, I feel we are all in this together. I invite us all, as we breathe through this very transitory time, whatever and wherever we are, to hold on to the valuable things in our lives that no one can take away. Let’s be so grateful for what we have and just count our blessings every day. Whatever we focus on expands, so I see our prosperity grow; with every second of gratitude we can feel and multiply with the things in our lives that are valuable.

I am thankful for my new DVD as it has allowed me to create and bring the beginning of my life’s work into manifestation. It is only the beginning of a great system. It is clear to me that it can serve everyone on this planet by realigning and refining our inner and outer bodies. The Bodhi Satva philosophy is that no one gets enlightened until we all do.   I hope that I am able to shoot the rest of the programs soon and offer them through television and an all-inclusive system. I am grateful for those right partners just about to come through my door– that we can team up and make some magic together. We are all learning from each other in many ways and I only want you to know that I feel you and I am grateful for that too.

May we flow down the river of our own destiny, enjoy the ride, and not resist the inevitable flow towards home and serendipitous moments of truth, growth, insight, and awareness. It is necessary that we intend to head into the right direction.

Thank you to all the land and all the people I have met in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Germany, England, Malaysia, Korea, Brazil, Beunos Aires, Dubai, Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Paris, India, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Beijing, Oregon, Santa Rosa, Colorado, Africa, Istanbul, Sweden, and New York; You have shaped the last three years of my life. And to the rest of the cities and countries that I have visited that have shaped my life– thank you Italy, Paraguay, Greece, Russia, Florida, Quebec, Switzerland, Prague, Belgium and Spain.  You have helped shape me and made me aware of that fact that I am a child of the earth and not one country. To all of the countries or cities that I have not yet been to– please let us know how we can serve you.

Let’s tread lightly on this home that gives of her body to nurture and shelter us. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other, and give thanks for our mother E.

Keep Shining,

Rainbeau

Hi friends,

I hope this finds you and your family healthy and your immune systems strong. Remember, what does not kill us, will make us stronger. So if you want to move in that direction, please join me for a few tips I learned throughout the years.

As a kid, I was my Mother, Dad, and my Godmother’s “guinea pig”. What they tried on us kids, they wrote about in their books, which was not always easy for us. While the rest of the kids went back to school after a couple of days of being home with the help of antibiotics, I had to fight the infection off naturally with herbs of all kinds and would be out for at least a week. What we found? Well, I did not usually get sick again for the rest of the year, while my friends that took the shorter route would often catch the same thing again a few weeks later. This is not to say there is not a time and place for antibiotics, as there most definitely is and thank goodness they can save lives. However, if you have the time and ability to work with your immune system, then by all means I invite you to do so, for in the long run this is how we get stronger.

I want to say that I have avoided giving my own daughter antibiotics thus far and although at times it takes lots of TLC, it has been bonding and ultimately a great lesson in watching her grow and strengthen.

Some obvious immune system enemies:

1. Stress – This tiresome, hard, tension-causing agent can cause restricted blood flow, high blood pressure, and 72,000 other contraindications and can lead to things like drugs, alcohol, comfort foods, smoking, and other potential dangerous life choices that can also compromise our immune systems.

2. Intoxicants and environmental toxins – These congest the body and the channels of elimination, forcing our bodies to work harder, so when we are introduced to germs, it can leave us down for the count. There is only so much we can do about what we are exposed to, but in times of sensitivity we can definitely shift what we put inside of ourselves and up the ante with our own self care. We can work even harder to keep the body clean and support it even more when we feel that it is under some pressure, traveling too much, or have been around others who are sick.

3. Change of weather – In general, the organs like to be kept warm, especially the kidneys, so try not to expose the back, chest, and/or throat to unnecessary cold or wind.

4. Dust Mites – Unused heaters and less-clean air from outside can irritate our nasal passageways and the rest of the body. We can clean the filters and keep the house clean with natural cleaning products. Right now, Meyers is my favorite with essential oils. As is our home, so are our bodies.

5. Less exercise – Not moving our bodies results in lethargy and stagnation in our systems. Moving our bodies promotes circulation, which also keeps the organs of elimination flowing and the natural process of detoxification moving.

6. Excessive holiday partying – Overeating, traveling, and other lethargic tendencies are a few more reasons that the immune system can become compromised during the change in seasons and lifestyles.

If you have a scratchy throat, are sneezing more, or feeling tired, like something could be around the corner, I recommend the following:

1. Fast on live foods and avoiding starch carbohydrates at all costs. The best is to have fresh squeezed juices and blended live soups (I gave a quick example of one on our media sections, but honestly, you can try just about anything within these definitions).  Avoid dairy and wheat. They tend to create mucous that is toxic and your body will just have to do the work to eliminate it later, so you can help out by not ingesting much in the first place.

2. Eat three cloves of garlic a day. I like to put mine in dates, to soften the experience. Eat it right before going to bed, so you don’t scare away people. Do not do this all the time. In yoga this is said to create too much pitta and only needed in times of sickness.

3. Move at least 30 minutes a day at minimum. Yoga is great because you use deep twists that support internal cleanliness. Moving into the nadis/channels can help please the path for the lymph nodes to remain clear and the glands to feel supported.

4. ra’yoKa is a great option because so much of it’s focus is on the core and balance, which tones and puts focus and balance on this main area that is home to the agni/fire center of the body. This keeps the digestive fires strong and thus the organs clean and immune system strong. 80 percent of our immune system is in the cleanliness of our colon. It also works on the cardiovascular system which is good for circulation and bringing focused, non-static movement as a therapeutic benefit of yoga. If you do the levels of ra’yoKa, from Level Red all the way to Level Purple, you can align the whole body, both internally and externally.

5. Stay regular – If all else fails, you can always do an enema, which in many countries is the very first thing they do at the first sign of sickness. But start by making sure you are getting enough fiber in your food. Try flax seeds and eating plenty of fruits in the morning and vegetables the rest of the day.  Of course prunes, raisins, and figs are always good choices.

6. Keep the body alkaline – Fresh squeezed juices are alkaline. Cooked juices are not and can irritate mucous. Greens should be a daily discipline, as they keep the blood in the body nourished, the chlorophyll high, and the lungs full of breath.

Great immune supports for times of need:

Raw garlic, onion, or ginger.
Thermogenic herbs such as: turmeric, clove, cayenne, cinnamon, chili powder.
Immune herbs such as: astragalus, echanachea, and goldenseal.

Backbends support the thymus gland, who’s home is in the heart and controls the immune system.

Inversions help reverse gravity and remove the toxins that can otherwise get stuck in our organs and fatty tissue.

Twists are great for detoxification.

Sweating is detoxifying, so a bath with essential oils, a sauna, or an herbal massage can also be supportive.

Blessings and may we all keep our immune systems strong during these transitory times in our lives.

Rainbeau

Of course it is great when we can find a way to take a break and manifest time to chillax. But honestly, most of us have to face stress daily as a way of life. What would life be like if we just hung out at the pool each and every day? Believe it or not, on some level, we may cause MORE STRESS. Because when we eventually got bored and had to try to figure it all out from there, not only could it have been harder, but we may have fallen way behind.

Then there is the flip side– facing life, working, or going to school. Perhaps even a combination of a the aforementioned. Stress can be a killer with thousands of contraindications. Learning how to cope with stress can make us stronger, give us tools we did not know we had, and well, as the old saying goes, if it does not kill us, it will make us stronger. But how do we find the balance?

If it takes stress to motivate us, make us stronger, get us off the couch, jump into action, and sometimes make or break our motivation to get the job done, then so be it. Sometimes it takes tension to keep the bones in place and in alignment, the muscles firm, or just to make it on time somewhere. It is that which we bump up against that makes the difference in life. If we are just living the good life and it is all too easy breezy, why would we try harder?

It is really balance that we seek. Balance between the inhale and exhale, effort and surrender, creating perfection and letting it go. Balance in to out, and on and on and on.

Ways I deal with stress:

First in the mind. I try to always have the perspective that it’s all good. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is not.  I trust that if I am facing it, that there is a reason and I take the situation in strides from that point.

What is in the way, is in the way. As in yoga, our bodies and asana practice, so it is in real life. We must breathe in the uncomfortable poses and not shy away when it feels harder, darker, or blocked. We get to find it, go deeper into the tension, breathe, go slower, find a solution, and work it out without fear. It is by extending our light, or breath, into the dark or blocked, that we can fully understand and know ourselves. The tendency is to get squirmy or avoid in some way, create blocks, or live with the pain. Some ways to organize and shift the discomfort are to journal or just make a list taking what is in the head or even subconscious and getting it on the paper, writing it down, clearing all without avoiding.

Remember there is only so much time we have in each day to get necessities done. Take time for yourself. The more we love ourselves, the more we can understand how to love others. Eat good nutritious foods, take time to exercise, stretch, do yoga, dance, go bowling, hang out with friends, look at the clouds, take a nature walk, spend some time with some rocks, go barefoot, smell the roses. Take hot baths with great essential oils, and make sure the whole of your head briefly soaks under.

Other ideas! Garden, laugh, go to the beach, get a massage, lie on the ground belly up or down and BREATHE. Paint. Try something you have never done before.

It’s like that.

Stress. Let’s look it in the face and dissolve it with breaths. Take it in doses and balance it out with the good stuff. Follow our hearts so we can enjoy as many steps as possible.

Also, each moment is a choice. A little spice, a little salt, a little sugar. What are we creating?

Blessings.

Rainbeau

by elephantjournal.com on Oct 14, 2009

http://www.rainbeaumars.com/products/dvds-and-books/ra-yoka4

click above to purchase limited edition today.

Developed by Rainbeau Mars, yoga spokes-model and LA celebrity fitness guru.

Ra’yoka (“integration through the sun”) combines breath-work, vinyasa flow yoga, martial arts and a touch of spirituality. Rainbeau just released (and self-directed) her first DVD of the system. I was fortunate to be able to catch a couple of live classes with her up at the Estes Park Yoga Journal Conference last week, which gave me an additional and perhaps more authentic perspective from which to check it out.

Overall, I personally loved Ra’yoka.

I come from a martial arts background, and the combination of fast and slow twitch movements was an interesting and enjoyable new flavor for my yoga practice. The cultivation and expression of an overtly Yang energy within the more typical Yin dominated yoga practice gave it an energetic balance that I liked. It might not be for everyone. If you prefer exclusively traditional forms of yoga, or extremely precise alignment, this may be a little too much of a funky hybrid for you. However, underneath the creative new sequences, poses, and influences, it’s clear that she has a firm grasp on and drew from traditional styles (primarily Ashtanga).

The DVD is itself beautifully and simply produced. Rainbeau is lovely to watch and her narrative is confident, clear and well paced. The background music is very subtle and the visuals are Zen simple. The practice includes mostly familiar vinyasa flow yoga poses, but often arranged in new ways. The sequences felt nicely composed, safely demonstrated and have a mildly athletic and dance-like quality.

Overall, the DVD seems generally geared to an intermediate level practitioner – it moved along smoothly and rapidly, but rarely included particularly difficult poses. There is a fair amount of focus on cultivating core strength, flexibility, flow and balance. I found the martial arts (mostly straight-forward karate or Kung Fu/Jeet Koon Do style punching and kicking) to be basic, but integrated and demonstrated with reasonable cohesion and integrity within the asana sequence.

For many years, I have woven my martial arts and yoga practice – the two seem to be first cousins, and a natural fit. Both use a disciplined system of physical, mental and spiritual training to hone the body and refine the spirit. That said, there was actually only a small martial arts component in the system, and I think there are substantial further opportunities to explore the merging of these two ancient arts.

In the live class at Estes the unfamiliar poses and creative sequences occasionally caused a little confusion for students. There are undoubtedly teachers with a more advanced asana practice or more experience and precision in their command of a class, but there is a certain non-intimidating accessibility to her style of teaching and demonstrating. She radiates a warmth, enthusiasm and genuine openhearted quality that is impossible to fake and makes her class a pleasure to be in. She falls down, sometimes forgets words and can laugh at herself in public. That’s a human yoga practice I am inspired by.

Scott Rodwin holds a 3rd degree black belt in karate and has practiced a wide variety of martial arts over the last 25 years. He has also been a professional dancer and teaches Contact Improvisation and Partner Yoga in Boulder.

Brought to my knees on the very earth of India. In awe of the spark of light in so many eyes. The resonance of yoga in so many beings, regardless of their financial status. They have the glow. At least that’s what I often felt.

I travelled to the other side of the earth to find the buried parts of my ego that exist as a pattern I never thought anything of. I cried and opened parts of my heart, my body, my hips and my throat. I am still observing my body and mind recalibrate as my mind adjusts to the plethora of rainbow images that I encountered and saw.

Right now, I must say that I’m not sure of left or right. Although there are some pretty big dramas in front of me for which I could tense my shoulders, misalign my body and mind, I will instead choose a little bit of comfort food and I will stay calm. I will trust in the unknown and remember all the beauty that the light and soul of India has shown to me and does to the whole world.

If nothing else, I am dedicated to serving my life for that of divinity. I will build the precious life force that was a gift at birth. Rather than leaking that energy out, I will dedicate each step that I take to achieving more health and luminosity as well as avoid instant gratification for what to me is the most powerful goal there is. I am dedicated to transmuting my very flesh into more light and I am so grateful to India for showing me the gifts, blessings, and secrets of Yoga and White Tantra.

Thank you Khajarahu for your temples, for the giving, sharing people that brought so much beauty into my life and into the lives of so many others. May the teachings keep on teaching.

Thank you Mother Theresa.  Thank you Agra and the Taj Mahal, New Dehli, Ifran, and Makket.

Juan, Cynthia, Ciela, Margaret, Lalit, Taj, swimming pools, chai, bright and shiny colors, Shiva, Shakti, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Parvati, Krishna, Ganesh, Bhagavad Gita, and Hanuman…thank you.

Thank you India! Thank you to my Godmother Light, for raising me in a way that made me feel at home in India.

I will continue to observe in my stillness and gentle contraction into the nest that is my home.

May the West meet the East, the North meet the South, inside meet the out, up meet down, and may we heal first all that we can inside.

AUM.

Namaste, the light in me bows to the light in you.

R