I’m back!

Helllooooooo!

Marcia and Me - teacher training is going to rock!

Marcia and Me - teacher training is going to rock!

It’s been a long time.

I’m sorry I’ve neglected you, Dear Blog.

I needed to take a break for awhile but I’m ready to roll again :)

Since I last wrote, quite a bit has happened!

1. As you know, last year a group of yoga teachers began speaking out against Virginia’s law that required yoga teacher training programs to pay fees to and submit to random audits by the state. I’m excited to say that thanks to our efforts, we changed the law! I am especially thankful to Susan Van Nuys of The Health Advantage Yoga Center – she was the first one to say “hey this isn’t right” and to organize the protest. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with her on this important issue and thrilled to have made a friend along the way! :)

2. I started my yoga therapy training with Gary Kraftsow of The American Viniyoga Institute. I’m SO THRILLED to be a part of this 13-month training. I’ve already learned so much and can’t wait to share it. Got a sore back? Tight neck? Achey shoulders? My next workshop on May 15 at Flow Yoga is called “Yoga for a Healthy Spine” and we’ll be focusing on upper back, neck, and shoulders. There will be a second part for lower back, sacrum, and hips on June 12. Get the details and sign up on Flow’s website. I’ll also be writing more about yoga therapy and Viniyoga in this blog as it’s been a truly transformational experience for me.

3. The teacher training program that I’ve been teaching at Flow Yoga in Leesburg is coming to and end and our students will graduate this weekend! I’m so excited for them! They’ve been a terrific group and they are amazing teachers. We’ll be holding free Community Classes on Sunday evenings at Flow starting May 23 so that everyone can get to know them. Please come by and take a class! Check out Flow’s website for the schedule – it’s not up yet but I’m sure it will be soon.

4. Our next teacher training is right around the corner! It begins in June and runs for 9 months. I’m really looking forward to teaching this program with Marcia Hoffheins, who is an amazing teacher. You can read more about the program on Flow’s website.

Ok that’s it for now. I’m really excited to be writing again!

xoxox
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Yoga Therapy on Good Morning America

Good Morning America is a tv show that's broad...

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I was really happy to receive this link from my mom:

Physicians Prescribe Yoga

(sorry they won’t let me embed the video :(   )

This short video clip, from Sunday’s Good Morning America show, documents how doctors are using yoga therapy to help patients address a range of health issues from brain cancer to ADHD.

It’s pretty cool to see yoga being embraced by the mainstream as something more than a “workout,” a way to pick up chicks, or a “cult-like” activity!

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Friday Inspiration

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About a month ago I noticed that few fruits and veggies were finding their way onto my plate. A change in my eating habits was in order,

Fresh vegetables are common in a healthy diet.
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which I know from experience is a very difficult thing to do. To get the support and inspiration I needed, I decided to publicly announce my commitment to include more fruits and veggies in my diet. I challenged myself – and you! – to eat NINE fruits and veggies every day for one week. The feedback I got was terrific – apparently I’m not the only one who could stand to add more “dirt candy” to her diet. And so we became a community of fruit-n-veggie eatin’ fools!

I did pretty well for that week –eating anywhere from 6-9 veggies each day, which was a huge improvement for me. And yet the romance of striving to eat nine fruits and veggies a day eventually subsided and (just speaking for myself of course) eventually my eating habits went back to the way that they were. And so here we are a month later and again I’m looking at my diet and again seeing lots of room for improvement.

I am a work in progress. :)

I’ve decided that for each week through the end of the year, I will challenge myself to foster healthy eating and living habits. Each week I will have a new focus. This is just my way of keeping myself engaged and inspired in the process. I hope you’ll join me! The more the merrier, I say, and so I’ve set up a separate page where YOU can share how you are meeting your healthy living goals. Why not support and inspire each other?

An Apple a Day

For the next week, Friday to Friday, I intend to eat at LEAST one apple each day. Now this will not be too difficult given that I absolutely adore Honeycrisp apples and I’ve been stockpiling them over the last month or so. But can I be sure to eat at least one apple every day? Can you?

Who’s in? How will you make sure to eat at least one apple a day? Leave your comments on the new Friday Inspiration page.

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Why Joe Wilson Needs to Practice Yoga + Recipe Giveaway Winner!

{{w|Joe Wilson (U.S. politician)}}, U.S. Congr...
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I’ve been thinking about Joe Wilson since his outburst during President Obama‘s address to a joint session of congress on Wednesday night. As you’ve probably heard, Joe Wilson apologized to President Obama immediately after the session ended, which is nice. But I’ve been thinking that apologizing doesn’t really help Joe Wilson to change in any way – you know, to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again. As you may know, Joe Wilson has a history of “outbursts” for which he later apologizes. So to help Joe out, I am recommending that he take up the practice of yoga. I really think yoga can only help Joe Wilson become a better politician. Here’s how:

  1. By practicing yoga, Joe will learn how to be present. He’ll learn how to maintain focus on what is in front of him and how to stop letting his mind runaway and make stuff up. So the next time he is “listening” to someone speak he’ll perhaps really hear what they are saying.
  2. Joe Wilson will also learn how to maintain his inner calm while being in difficult situations. His emotions will no longer “get the best of him” as he will learn how to breathe and remain peaceful inside, no matter what is happening around him.
  3. Most yoga practices encourage students to “turn inward;” to become more introspective and self-aware. I highly suggest that Joe Wilson seek out this style of yoga practice, as it will help him gain insight into how HE is part of the solution or the problem rather than simply calling people with whom he disagrees “liars.”

Joe, I sincerely would be willing to help you with this. Let me know.

OK, now it’s Compassionate Cooks Recipe Giveaway time!

To pick the winner, I used random.org.

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What’s kinda weird about this is that there were 22 comments, and #23-25 represented the three tweets/blog posts that people told me they did. So #24 corresponded with Mimi of damnthefreshman15‘s tweet! Congratulations, Mimi! Be sure to contact me with your address so that Compassionate Cooks can send you your recipe packet! Thanks everyone for participating – there will be more giveaways to come!

Happy weekend everyone! I’ll be at DC VegFest tomorrow – yippee!

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Some of My Favorite Yoga Music

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I love practicing yoga to music. Here are a few of my favorite yoga tunes:Whitney+Houston+002

  • Sringara by Illumine
  • This Player’s Hands (Instrumental) by John de Kadt
  • 1739 by Brent Lewis
  • Om Namah Shivaya by Wade Morissette
  • Dub Version CD Krishna by Wah!
  • Bore the Righteous by Arjun and Guardians
  • Breathe Me by Sia
  • Love is My Religion (Acoustic) by Bob Marley
  • Fly Away (Acounstic) by Lenny Kravitz
  • Chandini Chowk by Midival Punditz
  • I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston ( I know…just try it)
  • Space Weaver by Lisa Gerrard
  • Ubartu to Ubud by David Parsons
  • Tjampuhan by David Parsons

I have more but that’s it for now :)   Enjoy!

Run

Today I ran 7.25 miles at a 8:13 mph pace. I was bookin’! I ran part of it outside and part of it on the treadmill at my gym. We don’t have good running paths with bathrooms and water fountains around here (grrrr!) so I like to go to the gym so I have access to those things.

The “Runner in Training” is now up to run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute for about 2.25 miles. We’re going to sign up for a 5k this fall! I cannot wait! OH…and RIT has started to write about her running journey on her blog, so check it out! Her name is KATE by the way, so we can stop calling her RIT :)

Marty Update

I mentioned in a previous post that I found a lump on Marty my black lab. Well on Monday she had the lump surgically removed and it is being biopsied. She came out of the surgery fine but she has to wear a white t-shirt and an Elizabethan collar for TWO WEEKS! Poor girl. Anyway I’ll hopefully learn the results of the biopsy soon. Please continue to send your positive energy our way :) 0625092024

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A Big Running Day

IT. IS. SO. HOT. OUT. SIDE.

When I drove to the gym at 1030am this morning my car said 91 degrees! The girls are lounging around the house as usual -  they were pretty beat after our walk this morning.
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I got up at 6am this morning and practiced yoga for 1/2 hour. I’m still practicing in the viniyoga tradition – right now I am following a sequence that focuses on neck+shoulders that I found in Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow. It’s a great book but I didn’t really get it until I studied with Gary last month at part 1 of my Yoga Therapy training. Anyway, the practice might be working because I had a really tight neck all of last week and it’s finally starting to relax.  :)

Run

Man I got a lot of running and walking in today!

First I went for a walk / run with Kate. We went out for about 30 minutes. It wasn’t boiling hot out yet and it felt really good to be outside. It’s so much more fun running with a friend!

When I got home the girls were giving me Big Eyes and so I took them out for a walk. We walked our normal 2 miles + change.

THEN I went to the gym! I ran on the treadmill 6.5 miles at average of 8:13 mph. After two jaunts outside it felt SO GOOD to be in air conditioning!

I really love my Monday mornings – lots of “me” time.  :)

Eats

Breakfast was…guess…c’mon just guess…a SMOOTHIE! Today was:

  • 2 bananas
  • 12 oz lite vanilla soy milk
  • 2 scoops Spirutein Vanilla Protein powder
  • 2 tablespoons Smooth Operator peanut butter
  • 2 huge handfuls of baby spinach
  • cinnamon
  • salt

This made two smoothies.

That was before I went out with Kate. Then after my run at the gym I had a slice of Honey Kissed Peanut Butter Bread with cherry preserves spread on top. YUM! That really filled me up so I wasn’t hungry for lunch until mid-afternoon.

Then, using my Reston Farmers Market loot I made this:

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  • 1 onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 of a huge yellow squash
  • 1 huge fresh tomato
  • 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs
  • some fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon of dried Italian herbs
  • salt
  • pepper

I sauteed the onion + garlic in 2 tablespoons of water until the onions were soft. Then I added in the rest of the ingredients and let them simmer until the squash was soft. I scooped about 1/3 of what I made into a bowl, and after I took the picture I decided to put some mozzarella Veggie Shreds on top. Delish.

While I had that all going on I whipped up a batch of spelt Blueberry Muffins from the Babycakes cookbook.

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I ate one of them while I was waiting for the squash to be ready and then I ate another one after I ate the squash! They were really good. I’ve noticed that when I ate wheat today – in the Honey Kissed Peanut Butter Bread – I felt a little bloated afterwards. I didn’t feel that way after I ate the spelt muffins. Hmmmm…interesting.

Right now Stella The Cat is trying to go up the stairs but Marty The Big Black Lab is blocking her way and just daring her to try it. LOL – I love watching them.

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Home Yoga Practice + Raw Banana Ice Cream

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Julia14Starting a new routine is hard! Since I’ve gotten back from Foundations of Yoga Therapy Training with Gary Kraftsow, I’m determined to (finally) make my home yoga practice a regular part of my day.

This has not been easy.

It kind of reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom wanted me to wash my face every night. I used to tell her I had done it when I really hadn’t. She always knew I was lying – I found out later that she would feel the faucet to see if it was warm and when it wasn’t she knew I hadn’t washed my face.

Today I can’t imaging NOT washing my face before I go to sleep!

And so it is with my home practice. Every morning I am getting up at 6am and dragging my butt to my yoga mat where I practice asana in the Viniyoga tradition for 30 minutes or so. I love the practice, I always feel good afterwards, and I know it’s helping me to become a Yoga Therapist. So WHY then is it so hard to do??? I’ve been averaging 5 practices per week which I guess is pretty good. I just thought it would be easier, something that I couldn’t imagine NOT doing. They say it takes 21 times before something becomes a habit. It hasn’t happened for me yet!

Eats

I was flipping through a raw “cook” book a few days ago and was reminded of an amazingly simple and delicious treat – Banana “Ice Cream!”

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Here’s what you do:

  1. Cut up two bananas into 1 inch chunks and toss into a plastic bag. Store the bananas in your freezer for at least three hours
  2. Put the frozen bananas into your food processor and whirl away for about 4-5 minutes.
  3. TA DA! Now you have a creamy, low cal, low fat, raw, vegan, delicious treat for two! I added a few blueberries and a drizzle of Bees n Blossoms honey. You could also mix together agave + cocoa powder for a chocolatey topping, or my favorite -  pb2!

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Veggie Cobbler + A (Possibily) Surprising Yoga Practice

Eats

I made a delicous Summer Veggie Cobbler recipe tonight that I found on Oh She Glows. Here’s what I liked about it:

  • Lots of veggies
  • Gave me something to do with the gorgeous eggplant that I got at the farmer’s market last weekend!
  • I already had all of the ingredients on hand
  • Easy to put together
  • Yummy
  • D. liked it :)

I prepared it pretty close to the recipe – a few changes:

  • I used eggplant, summer squash, and cherry tomatoes for the veggie filling
  • I added dried sage instead of fresh
  • I cooked it at 375 for 35 minutes – didn’t need to use the broiler to brown the top as it was already brown
  • I used dairy mozzarella instead of soy cheddar
  • I love lots of crust so I used the entire crust recipe – you could probably halve the crust recipe if you don’t want as much as Angela recommends
  • I used soy milk instead of almond

Here’s the recipe with my modifications:

Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 2 T Butter or Earth Balance
  • 3 T all purpose flour
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 T dried sage
  • 4-5 cups summer veggies – eggplant, squash, cherry tomatoes (or whatever you have on hand)
  • 1 t fine grain sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Crust (on top):

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2.5 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t cayenne spice
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 4 T Butter or Earth Balance, melted
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup plain low fat soy milk + 1/4 t vinegar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 3-3.5 quart casserole dish.
  2. FILLING: Chop all veggies into small pieces. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and flour and stir until it thickens. Next add the veggie broth and keep stirring. After about 5 minutes add all the chopped veggies. Mix well and then pour the veggie mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
  3. CRUST: Mix the dry ingredients, then the butter and cheese, and finally stir in the soy milk / vinegar mixture. Mix well.
  4. Spoon the crust over the veggies and cheese. Top with the remaining cheese.
  5. Bake for about 35 minutes. If the cheese hasn’t browned on top, you can turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time.

YUM! I love the idea of a “veggie cobbler.” It was similar to a veggie pot pie. I can’t wait to try it again with some new ideas I have for it. How are you preparing your summer veggies?

Run

I ran to the gym today!

  • 11.5 minutes running outside – not sure of the distance
  • 27 minutes on the treadmill, averaging 8.20 mph
  • 11.5 minutes running back home

It was REALLY hot outside this morning. I don’t know how people run outside in this. After 11.5 minutes I was so happy to be at the gym where I could get some water and A/C!

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You might be surprised to hear this, since I am a vinyasa yoga teacher, but here is what I did for my 630am home practice today. It was a balanced practice (no peak pose) and all asanas were in the viniyoga style (not vinyasa!):

  • Started lying on my back, focusing on my breath
  • Apanasana (knee squeeze)
  • Dwi Pada Pitham (bridge)
  • Balasana (child’s pose)
  • Cat / Cow
  • Tadasana (mountain pose)
  • Vira 1 (warrior 1)
  • Uttanasana (standing forward bend)
  • Trikonasana (triangle)
  • Balasana (child’s pose)
  • Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose)
  • Apanasana (supine knee squeeze)
  • Jathara Parivartanasana (supine twist)
  • Apanasana (supine knee squeeze)
  • Savasana

This practice took about 30 minutes. I had a breath pattern that I used for the standing poses where I went in and out of the pose three times and then stayed for 5 breaths. I really love practicing this way – I feel rejuvinated after the practice and I notice things that I don’t notice during a vinyasa practice, for example today I noticed tightness on the right side of my upper back.

Ok – early to bed tonight :)

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Revenge of the Bees + Why I Do Yoga

I just got stung by a bee in my backyard! OUCH! At least I think it was a bee – I’m really not sure since it stung my BOOTIE! Wow that really hurt. It’s a good thing you weren’t near me when it happened cuz I was cussin’ like a sailor! I bought a jar of honey this morning from Bees n’ Blossoms at the Reston Farmers Market - could this be revenge? Maybe this bee misunderstood because Bees n’ Blossoms treat their bees really well, using only organic and natural methods.

Eats

Anywho, this morning I had….a SMOOTHIE! Yes, surprising I know. Here’s what I had:

  • vanilla rice milk
  • banana
  • baby spinach
  • Spirutein vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tablespoons of Better n Peanut Butter

And just now I enjoyed my current rave for lunch:

DSC_0004DSC_0003That would be:

  • 1 cup cooked oatmeal
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries from the Farmers Market
  • 2 tablespoons Chocolate pb2 (you can see it peeking out of the top left side in the second picture)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • pinch of cinnamon

SO YUMMY! For those of you who count, it’s 6 WW.

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Yesterday I spent some time with a yoga teacher friend and she asked me “What do you want from your yoga practice?” I didn’t’ have an answer right away but I’ve been thinking about the question. During my practice this morning it came to me. I want to feel connection.

Connection with my mind.
Connection with my body.
Connection with my breath.
Connection with my True Self.

This is why I practice yoga.
During my regular non-yoga practicing hours, I move through my day running errands, talking on the phone, surfing the internet, teaching, cooking, exercising, eating, etc. My mind jumps from one thing to the next. I am not thinking about my body or my breath. I associate with whatever it is I’m doing in the moment – I’m a wife, I’m a daughter, I’m a yoga teacher, I’m a customer.

But during my practice this changes.
I quiet my mind and bring my attention to my breath, and I feel…whole and…happy.

Why do you practice yoga? Or…why don’t you practice yoga?

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A Short Morning Practice

I woke up a little late and groggy this morning, so my practice time was cut to just 15 minutes. So here’s what I did:

  • Lie on your back in Savasana.
  • As you inhale, let your chest expand first and then your belly.
  • As you exhale, actively draw your belly inward first, and then let your chest relax.
  • Continue to breathe this way to the count of 6 for the inhale, and 8 for the exhale.
  • After about 10 minutes, change the breath count to “in for 9, out for 12.”

Here’s what I noticed from this practice:

  • Expanding my belly on the inhale is challenging!
  • I unconsciously created tension in my jaw and in my  neck.
  • My Monkey Mind was definitely already at work – even at 615am.
  • After the practice I felt energized.

I’ve always been a “make me sweat” exercise kind of person, so to take 15 minutes to “just lie there” has been a major shift for me over the past few years. It took a lot of self-convincing to get myself to practice yoga this way.

Try it – how do you feel afterward?