"Alaska's quirkiest festival" is right around the corner!!  This Thursday, May 26, Trapper Creek Bluegrass turns 11 years old and man are we are excited to hear some guitar pickin' and bango strummin'!!  According to Alaska Dispatch News, "The event is part music fest and part installation art show; it has an atmosphere that's like a house party in a gypsy caravan that is also throwing a yard sale."  

The festival is located on about 40 acres of land called Boot's Bison Ranch off the Parks Highway and tickets are on sale right now so get 'em while they're HOT:
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$75 in advance
$25 early Bird Pass (along with a ticket gets you in Thur May 26 at noon)
You can purchase your tickets at the following locations:
Planet X in Spenard
The Shack in Wasilla
The Trading Post in Trapper Creek
Sugar Magnolias in Soldotna
The Fringe in Homer
Grassroots Guitar in Fairbanks

If you don't know... Now you know!  Our great state, the largest in the United States, is absolutely STUNNING.  The incredible creatures we get to share the land with even outnumber us.  National Geographic has done an amazing job of showcasing these creatures in "Wild Alaska" so click that play button above and let the documentary speak for itself.

Spirit animals, or power animals, have always been a part of the Shamanic tradition.  They are also called Totems by Native Americans and you can think of them as Earth Angels if you are religious.  Power animals come to us in order to guide us, protect us and/or to simply remind us of our connection to Earth and Spirit.  By watching their energies and behaviors we can learn how to better survive and thrive.  They can be great teachers and I think connecting with them is one of the most fun and exciting ways to learn about our own nature.

So how do you know what your power animal is??  Some of the ways to connect include:

• Simply being aware of the animals around you or any animals that keep coming into your life.
• Getting out into nature and observing any animals around you.
• Writing down your dreams as soon as your wake up and noticing any creatures.
• Set an intention, before a meditation, to meet your power animal and then sit back and relax.

Once your animal comes to you, or you see a sign, learn as much as possible about it!  Use your intuition.  Ask for clarity.  Have fun with the process and remember, they are here to help us navigate through life.  Animals have so many lessons to teach us about our own personal Earth walks.

Have you ever meditated on an animal??  What is YOUR power animal??  Leave a message in the comments below!!

Lots of Love Yogi Bears,
Kinlee Hawkins

Jody Overstreet is an avid outdoor and travel enthusiast, specializing in destination, adventure and events photography.  She also teaches basic to advanced photography and photo processing classes during winter months in collaboration with Stewart's Photo Shop.  Thank you for capturing and sharing Alaska's epic beauty with us Jody!  For more amazing photos you can go to her website jodyo.photos.

The Knik Glacier is located just 50 miles east of Anchorage, Alaska on the northern end of the Chugach Mountains. The ice field averages over 25 miles long and over 5 miles across, making it one of the largest glaciers in Southcentral Alaska.  Have you ever done downward dog on a glacier?  Well maybe it's about time!

Stay Wild Yogi Bears!
The Alaskan Yogi

"What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!!"  Paramahansa Yogananda was an incredibly dedicated man... To yoga and to SPIRIT.  This beautiful documentary tells the story of his search for a teacher in India and his epic journey into the heart of many Americans.  He was a pioneer of yoga in the West and initiated more than 100,000 students into his Self-Realization Felowship, teaching Kriya Yoga (the path of meditation) to anyone who wanted to learn.

I had the opportunity to watch this movie, thanks to Heart Stream Yoga in Fairbanks, but you can also purchase the DVD, organize a screening in your community or find it on Netflix.  I would recommend organizing a screening, if possible, because you will end up meeting so many people in your community who practice yoga and many who do not.  Yogananda said, "The happiness of one's own heart alone cannot satisfy the soul; one must try to include, as necessary to one's own happiness, the happiness of others."   The soundtrack is also AWESOME.  Last but not lease, if you'd like to listen to some of his lectures for free, HERE are lots for some heart-centered inspiration!

"Practice meditation.  You'll find that you are carrying within your heart a portable paradise."  Yogananda

Stay inspired and stay warm!
The Alaskan Yogi

Thursday, July 2nd, 2015 at The Bear Tooth Theatrepub
Doors at 8pm | Opener at 9pm | Nahko and Medicine for the People at 10:15pm

General Admission $30
21 & Over
GET READY FOR AN EPIC PERFORMANCE!

"Lend your ears, lend your hands, Lend your movement, anything you can. Come to teach, come to be taught. Come in the likeness in the image of God. Because, you can be like that. With all that humbleness, and all that respect."

Heyyyoooo!!!  Fire season is in full effect and this yogi needs some fuel for her own fire if you know what I mean!!  12+ hour work days are hard on the body and most Alaskans are either working their buns off or playing their buns off during these long summer days.  I love it.  In order to keep on raging though, we all need to make sure our bodies are getting the nutrition they need.  If you don't have time to juice a garden, or blend up a bunch of bushes, I would recommend Greeeeeen Vibrance.  It is my favorite green powder because it has so many beneficial ingredients (probiotics are key) and it doesn't taste bad at all.  If I am traveling or going on an assignment, I buy the small packets from Sunshine Health Foods in Fairbanks.  For home use, I buy the big bottles from Amazon.com (you can click on the pictures below for pricing).  If you just want more information, you can check out their website at www.vibranthealth.com.

Proper nutrition is one of the 5 Points of Yoga so eat well while you are workin' hard and make sure you are playing even harder!!  God bless these beautiful Alaskan summers!!  XO

"The Green Vibrance formula grows from the concepts that:

1.The modern diet fails to supply enough micronutrients to support optimal health
2.The ancient biochemistry inside us, which hasn’t changed in 40,000 years, expects to be fed high nutrient density with each calorie of food ingested
3.The body can heal itself if given proper nutritional support

"Green Vibrance: 

1. Helps improve a sub-par digestive tract or strengthen and maintain one that is already operating efficiently.
2. Provides a host of trace nutrients from nutrient-dense, organically grown, concentrated whole foods.
3. Improves circulation to assure that the benefits of improved digestion and all trace nutrients are actually delivered to each cell of the body.
4. Supports efficient immunity both as a result of 1.), 2.) & 3.) above (because healthier cells generate more energy and cells of the immune system are more vigorous, and as a result of specific ingredients known to support active immune cells.
5. Delivers a host of potent anti-aging antioxidants (1,203 mg.)
6. Help assure skeletal health

http://www.vibranthealth.com/green-vibrance/product-pages/green-vibrance

“Vedic Thai Massage – Assisted Yoga is love. It is a sacred offering, a conscious contribution to self-realization and soul revelation, the goal and purpose of life.  With deliberate and skillful intentions of joyful communication, Thai-Yoga massage produces profound pleasure and inspiring tranquility physically and psychologically by replacing old, restricted energy patterns within the body/spirit. Socially revered as a medical folk art, it is commonly reported to revitalize and balance cerebral (emotional) and somatic (physical) ailments instantly.  This dignified and communally-cherished art parallels in sophistication results obtained by other modern medical options.  Aesthetically pleasing and highly recommended, Thai-Yoga bodywork enhances the quality of living by opening congested chakras (dormant reservoirs of bio-spiritual power) and clearing nadis (electro-magnetic meridian pathways), Nuad Borarn is one of the Original Matriarchs of healing.  Its distinction is true in its value of producing dynamic well-being and serenity.” - Mukti (Michael Buck)

Vedic Thai Massage-Assisted Yoga is traditionally performed on a large comfortable cotton futon floor mat which gives the receiver both comfort and full-body support. Working on the floor also allows the therapist to move freely around and above the client, making for effective use of the therapist’s bodyweight and mechanics. The therapist can also work with the receiver in a variety of positions, including prone, supine, side-lying, and seated.

In a Vedic Thai Massage-Assisted Yoga session you will wear loose-fitting or stretchy clothing that allows your body to move.No oils are needed. The techniques used work far beneath the surface of the body, effecting the deeper layers of the muscles and skeleton.

Treatments are routinely modified to include sensitivities addressing acute and chronic conditions, including: herniated disks, subluxations, muscle strain, joint replacements, surgeries, and pregnancy.

The Thai-Yoga Therapist doesn’t just use the power of their hands and fingers. They use their hands, their fingers, their palms, arms, knees, and feet, along with the reciever’s body weight and their resistance to provide a deeply moving experience. The Thai-Yoga Therapist enters into a meditative awareness adapting every asana stretch and technique to the client’s exact need, whether soft or strong.

Please visit Heart Stream Yoga's website www.HeartStreamYoga.com or call (907) 474-8108 for more information!