Tag Archives: yoga

I’m back!

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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

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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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I’m Still Here!

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Wow what a weekend I just had!IMG_0365

As you know I’ve been noticeably absent from my blog for the last few days.
We started our new yoga teacher training program at Flow Yoga and I was so busy both getting ready for it and then teaching it!

So today has been Recovery Day.
I took a long nap this morning,
and then a shorter one this afternoon.

It’s so odd to me to nap in the middle of the day. Especially during the week!
I really had to work at shaking off the feeling that I “should” be doing something constructive.
Even though I worked all weekend!
What is THAT all about?

How about you? Do you feel OK taking a break (or nap!) in the middle of the day?

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

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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.

random

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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Random Thoughts on Food, Yoga, Running

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I’m about to go for a run. It’s dreary out and that’s great running weather!

But first – a few random thoughts turning around in my mind today:

  • The strawberry “scones” I made yesterday turned out more like a cake. I need to use frozen Earth Balance, knead the dough, and use dried fruit
    Rosie and Stella Napping Together

    Rosie and Stella Napping Together

    instead of fresh. Can’t wait to try this again but I keep eating the finished products and that needs to stop right now! Any volunteers out there willing to eat the results of my baking forays?

  • I’ve been reading about eating just two meals per day – breakfast and then a later lunch, around 130pm or so. I’m not sure I could do that but apparently eating that way is conducive to better sleep since your body isn’t working on digesting your dinner. What do you think? I ate popcorn last night and then slept horribly so I’m starting to wonder…
  • Since I slept so poorly, I woke up late and missed doing my yoga practice today. I’m going to try to fit it in tonight and if that doesn’t work I’m going to journal about it so at least I’m keeping my thoughts on my practice. Oh and I learned yesterday that it’s actually FORTY days, not 21, to build a new habit. So I’m halfway there :)
  • A student told me today that she’s learned through her home practice that there is tremendous value in the stillness between asanas. Isn’t that awesome?
  • I’d like to vary my workouts. I’d like to get the P90X but it seems like such a huge financial commitment after buying the weights and the pull-up bar and the bands and the videos. Are there any good, less expensive alternatives to P90X out there?
  • I just started brushing M+R’s teeth on a daily basis. It’s pretty easy and only takes a few minutes. They love the poultry flavored toothpaste!

I told you that they were gonna be random!

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Revenge of the Bees + Why I Do Yoga

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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.

yoga

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

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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?

Yoga Therapy Training

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I’m at a Yoga Therapy training right now with Gary Kraftsow. Yesterday was our first full day and all I can say is WOW!

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Many of the ideas and perspectives I’ve learned from my previous trainings are being confirmed. I feel really good about that. Then on top of that I am learning to see things slightly differently – about asanas and practice and breath and the purpose of yoga.

Last night we had a yoga philosophy discussion that focused mostly on the Vedas. Here are some of the core insights from the Vedas that are generally consistent across the various lineages of yoga:

  1. The true nature of the essence of what we are as human begins: we are both the Seer and the Seen. We get caught up in identifying with the Seen (Prakriti), things like our job/body/spouse/friends/etc. and we forget that we are really Pure Awareness (Purusa).
  2. This fundamental misconception is the root of our suffering (suffering being any source of unhappiness or distress).
  3. Intelligence (from Purusa) can influence the direction of change. For example, if you have back pain you can take steps to heal your back. You not only CAN, but it’s your RESPONSIBILITY to influence the direction of your LIFE.
  4. The role of YOGA is to refine your relationships – with your mind, society, your body, your family, your breath. You are NONE of these things but you are in a relationship with them. (It’s not about the asana!)

I know it’s not the same to read these four key insights vs having a discussion about them and learning about them from a true master like Gary Kraftsow. But perhaps they can be simply “food for thought” for now?

Have a great day :)

How Yoga is Like Dating

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Julia13Often times I see new students get frustrated when they cannot immediately perfect a new yoga pose they are learning. So I often explain that yoga is like dating. Here’s how:

When you first start dating someone, generally you take the time to get to know that person over a series of dates, or encounters if you will. For your first date, you might meet over a cup of coffee or tea. For the second date, you might have lunch together. Then the third date might be a dinner date. As your relationship progresses, you might meet the parents, go on a vacation together, get engaged, and eventually – maybe – get married or commit to one another. Usually you don’t get married on the first date, or even the second or third – you go through a process of getting to know one another and deciding if this is the person for you. And although it’s been known to happen, you don’t have to go all the way on the first date.

So the same can be true when you are learning a new yoga pose. The first time you and the pose “meet,” you might just casually get to know one another over a brief encounter – like having coffee. Then, for the second date you and the pose might spend a little more time together and go a little further – like having lunch. Eventually, and there’s no real solid timetable for this, you might go all the way. Alternatively, you may never go all the way – you might realize that the pose is not for you and decide to not “date” it any longer, or you might decide that all you want from the pose is an ongoing casual relationship (coffee).

So here’s some friendly advice for dating a yoga pose:

  • Only go as far as you are comfortable going – don’t let any one pressure you into “going all the way.”
  • If you really want to date a pose, you need to put some effort into it. Think about what you want out of the “relationship” and be prepared for possible “rejection.”
  • Be realistic about which poses you choose to have a relationship with. On the other hand, you never know until you try!
  • Take time off if it is not going well.
  • Enjoy the process - there’s no hurry to “seal the deal.”

In summary, there are no universal fail-proof tricks or magic for “mastering” a new yoga pose. With some poses you might click immediately, some may take some time, and some just might never really do it for you. Just breathe, take your time, and enjoy the journey!