So, how does a Yoga Witch create magick? By FlowCasting. FlowCasting combines elements of yoga and witchcraft to move energy, set intention, and move deeper into our practice. At the top of the page, you’ll see a tab that will allow you to access the page. Feel free to borrow and adapt what I post there for your own purposes.
You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
Fire burns through our practice. Fire allows for transformation, growth, renewal. Shiva as the Nataraj, the cosmic dancer moves through fire and dances. Fire also purifies. The breath of fire is a breathing technique that some yogis use to excite the kundalini shatki energy. Kundalini burn through the body as she rises. The energy purifies the chakras, and starts at the root. Asana practice helps the body to build heat, the joints become lubricated, the muscles of our body come to life through the movement of our yogic practice. Invoking the element of fire in our yoga practice allows us to connect to passion, desire and will. Fire both creates and destroys.
The electrical system in the body ignites our hearts. It keeps us alive. In yoga we often chase kundalini. We have to be careful. Spiritual fire can burn us from the inside out, and it can kill us if we are not careful.
What ignites your passion? Where do you find fire in your practice? How do you invoke fire your practice and your life?
You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Michael A Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
I often dream of taking a yoga retreat to beautiful Costa Rica. I imagine the sacredness of the beach, the water, the jungle…but the reality of life says.. Make due with what you have. We live in a hectic world. Life seems to call us from a multitude of angles, and we may feel as if we are pulled between home life, work life, and our spiritual life. Finding balance is key to having an integrated life. Taking mini-retreats or finding simple sacred moments throughout your day or life is one way to help balance the hectic and the sacred.
How do we define sacred space? For me, sacred space is any place where the divine and I can sit for a few moments and enjoy each others presence. We may have altars at home, temples or churches that we visit, but what about during the day or when we are away from home? Creating sacred space is simple, and it is possible to drop into sacred spaces during our day. I thought I would take a few moments to share a few ideas to create sacred spaces in hectic times.
Yoga Mat as Sacred Space: Yoga is a sacred practice. Many of us that do yoga own yoga mats. Doing yoga on that mat infuses it not only with your energy, but the energy of your practice. Yoga mats are extremely portable and many of us carry them with us through our day between yoga class and home. One simple way to create sacred space with your yoga mat is to roll it out and meditate while sitting or laying on it. The mind and body have a connection to the mat. When you lay or sit on it the body remembers the familiarity and the practice you engage in while using that mat. This allows you to drop gently between the worlds without doing more that rolling out your mat. Go to a park, conference room, storage area, or any space that allows you to get away for a few moments.
Journal as Sacred Space: Journals are places where many of us spill the innermost aspects of our being into written word. We allow our soul to step into this realm through our pens, so in essence the journal is a sacred space. There are times when I simply open my journal and stare at the page in front of me. This allows me to disconnect from the world around me and lets me just be in the energy of the empty page. I allow myself to be appreciative of the potential that blank page holds. If I choose to write, it deepens the experience, if I don’t, it becomes a visual meditation practice. I recommend carrying a small notebook in your back pocket for this purpose.
Close Your Eyes: It’s simple. When we close our eyes and tune into the sound of our beating heart. The movement of the breath through our lungs. We enter the void of darkness that sits right inside. We can stay there for just a few moments, or we can sit there for as long as we need. This is the simplest way to drop into sacred space, but often the one that is overlooked.
The divine is with us constantly. Take a few moments to invite the divine into your life and allow every moment to be sacred.
Where do you find sacred space? What do you do to CREATE sacred space for yourself away from home, at work, or on the go?
You are loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, An it harm none do what ye will
Ahimsa: the law of reverence for, and nonviolence to, every form of life
The words above from the Wiccan Rede really sum up the yogic principle of ahimsa. Ahimsa is non-violence towards any living being. One of the beautiful things about nature based religions are the built-in reverence for the earth, the elements and for well.. nature.
Many yogis extend ahimsa to their plates by observing a vegan or vegetarian diet (This is something that I will be going into in-depth in future posts). It is one of the first principles that many first time yoga class participants will hear about. Ahimsa is also extended to mean not competing with others in yoga class, allowing yourself to be okay just where you are in your practice.
I want to take this a bit further. When we discuss the application of harming none, we often speak in reverence to our practice. Yogis being yogis try to do no harm in their yoga pursuits. Yoga Witches are cautious to do no harm in our craft… but how often do we forget to take this beyond our practice.
In this fast paced world it can be hard to remember to extend kindness to all of those around us. As we enter into the holiday season I’ve been pushed by many hurried shopper on the metro trying to make it to the next big sale, and often I catch myself after the I’ve called them a name in my mind. Ahimsa is bringing awareness to our thoughts as well as our actions, our sense of being as well as our sense of crafting.
Taking it deeper, we have to be kind to ourselves. It’s often the part of doing no harm that is truly forgotten. We might remember to not say something mean to a loved one, to not allow our energy to be reactionary, but there are times when we say unkind things to ourselves. We often forgive others, but not ourselves. We have to remember that we are beautiful souls living a human experience. Our many imperfections are what make us perfect. We beat ourselves up for minor things, we hold things in our hearts that bind us. Learning to love ourselves unconditionally is the lesson that ahimsa brings to us.
Take a moment to reflect a time when you were harsh with yourself.
Now breath into that moment and extend love to your heart center.
You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
Daily practice is essential to opening our spiritual lives. Each week I’ll give you an exercise that you can use to establish a practice, or that you can integrate into a current practice. Some of these will be simple and quick, and others will be designed to take you a bit deeper into your practice.
Many moons ago I use to be a Navy Instructor. Each week my students would have to take tests on the knowledge they had learned during the week. Coming into the Navy from civilian life was not an easy next step and there was a lot to absorb in a short amount of time. During the tests I’d see them struggling, and crinkling their brows. I remember telling them “Look up for inspiration and not Down in desperation.”
Fast forward to now. Stepping from the mundane world into the spiritual world has the same effect. There is so much to absorb and often it can become overwhelming… not to mention that life itself can at times feel overwhelming.
Looking down is typically a sign of worry. Our minds become heavy and we forget to look up. Looking up does a lot more than take our eyes to the sky. We we look up our heart center opens to sky. Hunched postures are locked postures. Heart center is a posture of surrendering upward. When our spines are aligned energy can move through us a bit more freely.
Place your hand on your heart center. Look down, now look up. Feel how your heart rises to the sky, or compresses into your center.
How often do you notice the tops of the trees on your walks?
Take a deep breath deep. Look up. Surrender your heart center to the sky, to the divine, to your breath.
You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Michael Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
The one thing that is truly shared by yogis and pagans is the power to raise our voices to bring in the divine. Last night I got to attend a beautiful Kirtan Festival. Kirtan is a call and response devotional gathering, in many pagan drum circles the same happens invoking different chants to pay homage to the divine.
The beautiful thing about these types of gatherings is the community that is invoked. All the walls come down and we can connect. You do not have to be a professional singer, you do not have to be a skillful drummer, but I am amazed how how in sync everything always is during these sessions. The divine presence becomes tangible. You can feel God Herself moving through our voices. Many get up and dance, clap, and let the energy move through them. We become possessed by the mantra, the chant, by the divine.
There is always a bit of trepidation for many first timers, but those walls quickly come down. There is always a little bit of fear when it comes to letting go. When we start chanting we may feel nervous that we do not know the words. We may feel that people will stare at us. The beautiful thing about these types of events is that as the sacred names or songs of the divine are lifted through our voices, the walls naturally start to come down. There is no need to do anything but be present. The hard part of spirituality is showing up. If you are in the room, you’ve done the big step… anything else beyond that is beautiful.
Chanting and singing is something that is also wonderful to add to your own practice. Find a song, mantra, or chant that calls to your soul… Sing it daily–in the shower, while you are doing yoga, while walking… keep the song moving through your heart and your mind. Anything we offer to the divine is returned in plenty.
This is Bhakti Tree... One of the amazing performing groups from last night’s Kirtan Fest.
This is T. Thorn Coyle leading a chant and circle dance.
In yoga we often greet the rising sun with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations). This sequence of postures allows the body to move stagnant energy out of the joints. The spine warms up, the body builds heat, and the heart center becomes more open.
Body movement is one of the easiest ways to engage spirit. Movement is something we hear a lot about in most spiritual circles. We talk about moving energy, energy moving during healing, movement of spirits between dimensions, but often we overlook the simplest….. moving our own bodies.
Physical body movement can be anything from drumming to dancing, yoga postures to QiGong, Circle Dancing, to free flow body movement. You do not have to be a skillful dancer to put on a bit of music and let it take you to a meditative space… Move your voice, sing… Move your hands (mudras), move your thoughts (contemplation). There are many ways to move, and when we move we invite spirit into the physical, the tangible, and we can deepen our connection this way.
What moves you? Where do you find movement in your spiritual practice?
You are Loved, You are Beautiful, You are Divine!
Michael A Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
I often get asked a lot about the tattoos on my face. I have to admit there is time when I wonder how they all appeared, and since I can’t see them I often forget that they are there. My tattoos are spiritual markers. I often say that this is what happens when you let the Goddess finger paint on your skin. Many of my tattoos are personal. The beautiful thing about tattoos are that they are living pieces of art. I have mantras tattooed on my skin as well as sacred geometry. The symbols are alive and they resonate their meanings. My tattoos are my spirituality written for the world to see. They are wall or windows depending on who is looking at them.
Many of us wear religious amulets, symbols, or charms. When they are against our skin, they begin to breathe a different frequency. Much like tattoos wearing the symbols of our faith can sometimes be difficult. I remember when I was first challenged about the pentacle I was wearing around my neck at a poetry open mic. The person naturally assumed that I must be evil since my symbol of faith was one that he had learned was in opposition to his holy cross. I find that wearing our symbols gives us a chance to talk about who we are and what we believe. We have to remember that not everyone may be as educated to the meaning of the symbols that we wear. I decided to put them on my face because I feel that it is important to give those symbols the highest place of honor on my body. My tattoos are my history, my journey, my unfolding experience. I also often joke that why put my tattoos in the basement when I can put them on the mantle.
In the yoga scene I often see many wearing the “om” or other mantras without really knowing the meaning. The symbols are powerful, and carrying them, wearing them and chanting them without understanding them takes away from the sacredness. As religious symbols and practices enter the mainstream they are often used to sell a yoga class or t-shirts at a concert.
There are many ways that many of us choose to wear our spirituality. How do you outwardly show your faith? Do you have a tattoo with spiritual meaning? Do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable wearing your religious symbols?
You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine.
Until now, I never really felt that I could claim my path fully. I felt to pagan to be a true yogi, and felt too much like a yogi to fit in a witchcraft setting. I find myself doing a Chandra Namaskar (moon salutation) sequence to celebrate the moon, and I add herbal aroma blends to invoke the senses in my yoga classes. Now, there are those that practice yoga that also engage in witchcraft, and there are witches that practice yoga… The Yoga Witch goes a bit further into the intersections. The Yoga Witch sits in the spaces where duality becomes singularity. There were times when I was afraid to wear my pentacle to my yoga class, and other times where I felt out-of-place wearing my “Om” covered prayer shawl to a Sabbat celebration. I think labels in some way allow us to be a bit more expressive with how we identify with an energy that not only moves around us, but moves through us. I also find that it gives us permission to step into uncharted territories. I’ve always felt on the fringe of my own experience and now, I feel the fullness of my being. The thing I love about witchcraft is that it allows the fluidity to be eclectic, to own yourself on your path. There are so many beautiful avenues and there is a process that allows you to be alone with God Herself, or to step into a group setting to connect into a collective vibration of divine flow. Yoga can be more rigid. There are preset movements, motions and prescriptions that need to be met within a class structure. At times, yoga tends to be devoid of its spiritual frequency. People become more connected to the physical aspects of yoga and it becomes a workout instead of a mechanism of expansion.
My connection to witchcraft has allowed me to deepen my yogic practice by allowing me to go with my own flow. I am able to be solitary in my practice, I can use asana (yoga postures) to engage in a ritual and to move with an inspired flow instead of rigidity. Yoga allows me to see the subtle in my spell casting (or what I prefer to call flow casting). It allows me to use my body as sacred space, to move energy, and to bring greater presence to the ritual at hand. Yoga and magical practice are more alike that different, and that’s one of the things that I will be focusing on through this blog. This is part discovery, part journey, a dash of curiosity, and a lot of movement. I don’t claim to have all the answers, nor do I know how all the pieces fit together… that’s part of the fun. This blog is a place to share. I am going to have some amazing guest writers posting their thought on the integrated Yogic Witchcraft experience. Our community comes in many beautiful shapes and sizes. Each day I am thankful of how blessed I truly am.
Namaste, Blessed Be, and Thank You.
Michael Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
A lot of people often ask me what my path is… and I often struggle to respond. There are so many layers to my being and I tend to be very spiritually ADD. I can find myself in any given moment looking for the divine in the nooks and crannies of my experience. There have been several constants or themes that seem to hold steady in my merry-go-round existence: yoga and magick.
I’ve always loved the idea of magick and can still remember my first book of spells that I bought from the flea market when I was 8. I can remember gazing into mirrors hoping to see into other dimensions. Little did I know that when I grew up that I’d be gazing into souls for living.
My path into yoga has been life changing and life affirming. I love the connection that it gives me to my body, to the subtle spaces around me, and to the natural energy that flows from within. Through yoga I’ve been able to tap into my spiritual and physical dynamics in a way that has brought alignment to my life on many levels.
Yoga and Magick play a big part in my life. I’ve often tried steering as far away as I could from one path and into another, but each calls me back. I’ve often felt like I did not belong in this circle or that group because of the sometimes clashing energies present within my diverse interests. The lesson that I have found myself sitting with for the past few years is the path of integration. Embracing my many parts and taking claim to who I am within this dynamic gives me freedom to enjoy my many parts.
I am currently working on a book about this integrated journey. There is beautiful magick within the yogic framework, and alignment and breath takes us deep into the mysteries of who we are.
I am a Yoga Witch.
This is my journey, my path, and my direction.
Check back often. I’ll be updating this blog daily.
This is an unfolding process and it is moving into a space of growth. I’ll be posting videos and will be having guest posts from others doing similar work.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit for a spell.
Love, light, and namaste
Michael Brazell (Mahayogi Das)
Bhakti Witch 