My name is: Liz Lindh.
I’m known as: Creator of Lakshmi Rising School for Yoga & Wellness and director of The Sanctuary at Two Rivers. I teach yoga, develop training programs, lead wellness retreats and run a retreat center.
My expertise is in: I bring out the best in people. My main vehicle for doing this is during the three-week Lakshmi Rising Yoga Teacher Training immersions that I teach in Costa Rica and Italy.
I stay physically healthy with: Most days, I teach a two-hour asana class in the morning. When I’m not teaching, I’ll take extra time for my own stretching, pranayama, chanting mantras and plyometrics. I hike around the jungle, down in the river or up the mountain.
I also drink lots of high-quality water. I don’t eat animals—mainly for environmental reasons. None of us can be truly healthy individuals when the environment is so out of balance that the Earth is unwell.
I keep my emotions balanced with: Daily meditation. The more, the better!
Conscious dance. Moving my body intuitively and naturally releases feelings and emotions that need some attention. Very cathartic, creative, freeing and fun.
I’m intellectually stimulated by: I love learning about the body/mind connection, philosophy, spirituality and health.
Currently reading: Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell
Currently watching on Netflix: OA, season 2
Currently listening to: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast
I highly recommend: reading, listening to and watching anything by Dr. Robert Svoboda
I was recently transformed by: I recently had the opportunity to participate in a retreat led by Dr Robert Svoboda here called, “Tantra & the Five Elements: Working with Reality to Re-Novate Yourself.”
We spent a week looking at deep and subtle levels of self. Part of that process was recognizing the ideas, thoughts, fears, entities, diseases and other factors that possess us and influence our perception of reality.
It was so interesting to look at all of the filters we view life through and to discern why we see things from our unique perspectives. Methods we worked with included ayurveda, Jyotisha (Vedic astrology), mantra, mythology, meditation and ritual.
I led morning yoga classes for the group, too. It was an incredible week of learning and expanding my perspective. I’m still processing all of the information!
In the last six months, the ritual that has become so important for me is: As a teacher, I feel that it is important to be aware of and to honor my lineage. I have had so many enriching people, places and experiences in my life—all of which have impacted me in some way and informed my perspective. Life teachers can take mysterious, surprising and sometimes uncomfortable forms. I like to look back and acknowledge all I have learned with gratitude, forgiveness and love. It is not always easy or simple. Sometimes this can get pretty heavy and you have to be willing and ready to honestly “go there.”
I have created a journaling ritual that helps me feel clear and grounded in who I am by contemplating and writing about these influences that have shaped me.
Here’s how you can do it too:
Begin by creating sacred space. Fresh flowers (air), stones (earth), crystals (earth), water, candles (fire), incense (air) and a bell (space) honor and invoke the great elements. I love to create a simple altar incorporating these.
You can chant or sing for a few moments to relax and create a specific kind of vibration. This can be an invocation or anything that feels good.
Set an intention or ask a question about something in your life that you would like to strengthen, or something you are ready to let go of or an area where you need some insight. This ritual has the potential to bring clarity and resolution to patterns passed down through our unique lineage.
In a journal, write all of this down:
Divide your life into seven year chapters: ages 0-7, 7-14, 14-21, 21-28, 28-35, 35-42 etc.
Give each chapter an insightful title. Relate the title to the theme of your life during each period. I have practiced this ritual many times and have come up with many different names for each of my chapters. It has been a very profound way to look back on trends, themes and teachings.
For each chapter, write down the three most influential teachers that relate to your question or intention. They can be humans, animals, trees, books, films, special places and even life events.
For each of these teachers, write down the three biggest teachings—for better or worse—that you received from them and why.
You can do this again and again. Write something different each time to see what comes to your awareness. Set different intentions and look at different facets of who you are: teacher, mother, partner, wounded healer, artist, boss.
When you finish writing and contemplating, close the space by expressing gratitude and clearing any energy that may be lingering. Ring the bell and extinguish the candle.
It helps me live my process because: Doing this helps me teach and live authentically while honoring where I have come from and those who have influenced me, for better or worse—because all of it has led me to this moment.
Take a “Moment” to learn more about Liz Lindh’s journey here.
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A Moment with The Sanctuary at Two Rivers