Post College Football Juice :)

Well it goes without saying that when it comes to football weekends…we are not very kind to our bodies 😉 It is all fun and games until someone gets hungover!

After a reckless weekend of delicious pumpkin beers and ‘great idea at the time’ greasy food I could feel my body CRAVING vitamins and minerals AKA fruits and veggies!  I just made my boyfriend and I a delicious Sunday evening detox juice…and LOTS of it!

Ingredients:  This made well over 30 oz…so decrease the ingredients if needed.

2 Large Cucumbers

2 Large Carrots

2 Red Beets

1 Medium Size Lemon

2 Pears

2 quarter size pieces of fresh ginger root

Wash thoroughly. Cut off cores and stems. Cut veggies into ‘juiceable’ sizes.

Makes a HUGE pitcher! 🙂

Serve over ice if you choose, and enjoy!

Just a few of the MANY benefits of these veggies and fruits:

Cucumber:

The cucumber contains alkaline-forming minerals and is an excellent source of vitamin C and A (anti-oxidants), folate, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, silica, sulfur, and lesser amounts of vitamin B complex, sodium, calcium, phosphorus and chlorine.

Carrots:

Carrot juice is thought to reduce the risks of many different types of cancer including skin and breast cancer. The cancer-fighting properties of carrot juice are often thought to be excellent due to the high amounts of beta carotene. Beta carotene changes to Vitamin A in the body. Studies have connected Vitamin A with cancer prevention by its antioxidant properties that help eliminate cancer-causing free radicals in the body.

Deficiencies in Vitamin A can cause dryness and damage to the skin, nails and hair. Drinkingcarrot juice to produce Vitamin A is said to benefit many different parts of the body. Vitamin A also strengthens bones and teeth.

Drinking carrot juice is thought to be extremely beneficial for the liver due to Vitamin A’s cleansing effects. Vitamin A reduces bile and fat in the liver. However, for the liver to reap the maximum benefits of Vitamin A, it is said that drinking carrot juice needs be done regularly rather than occasionally. The liver can store Vitamin A.

Red Beets:

One cup of beets has zero fat of any kind, contains 1.5 grams of protein, 1 mg of iron, 27 mg of calcium, 43 mg of phosphorus, 10 mg of vitamin C, and 4 mg of niacin, sodium, and magnesium, as well as fiber, vitamin A, and biotin. Beets also contain folic acid and other B vitamins, which are  recommended for pregnant women as it may lower the risk of birth defects.

Lemons:

Though lemon is acidic to the taste, it leaves off alkaline residues in the body. This is why it is useful in all symptoms of acidosis.

Lemon-juice is a powerful antibacterial. It has been proved by experiments that the bacteria of malaria, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid and other deadly diseases are destroyed in lemon-juice.

It also contains some vitamin A. Natural vitamin C is much more effective than the synthetic one. Vitamin C of lemon-juice is very effective because it is combined with bioflavonoids (vitamin P). In addition to Vitamin C, lemon also contains niacin and thiamin in small amounts.

Ginger:

Here is a list of medicinal properties ginger has been known to have throughout history.

• antiemetic/antinausea
• anticlotting agent
• antispasmodic
• antifungal
• anti inflammatory
• antiseptic
• antibacterial
• antiviral
• antitussive
• analgesic
• circulatory stimulant
• carminative
• expectorant
• hypotensive
• increases blood flow
• promotes sweating
• relaxes peripheral blood vessels

Pears:

Pears are excellent source of water-soluble fiber.  They contain vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, folic acid and niacin.  It is also rich in copper, phosphorus and potassium, with lesser amounts of calcium, chlorine, iron, magnesium, sodium and sulfur.

 

Enjoy Being a Beginner Again

Remember when you learned something new?  It was probably challenging, maybe frustrating at times, and took a while to get to your goal…but then you reach that goal.  How amazing is that feeling of accomplishment?!

I LOVE learning and trying new things.  Almost to the point of it being a fault of mine because I do tend to get bored easily and crave new routines or experiences constantly.  (Yes, I definitely struggle in the area of Santosha ‘contentment’ in my life!) But so long as we can consciously work at remaining content in our lives regardless of what’s going on, we can use this craving for new adventures to our advantage.

I was inspired to write on this topic thanks to a close friend/yoga student of mine.  A few nights ago in my Level 2 Vinyasa class we were working on handstands.  I love arm balances and inversions and have been intrigued by them from day one.  The strength and grace that yogis exemplify while balancing upside down on their hands is such a beautiful art to me.  Over the past year 1.5 years I have had to self train myself in learning advanced postures as it is hard for me to get away for workshops.  I have accomplished many fantastic yoga poses in my practice this way! (learning advanced postures on your own is not recommended unless you are a certified yoga teacher) Because of my passion for this advanced practice I have been able to inspire my students to challenge themselves and train their body’s to do things they never thought they could do.

So, I have watched this friend of mine grow tremendously in her physical strength since she started coming to yoga.  It’s truly been an inspiration.  In this particular Vinyasa class, I assisted her into a handstand.  She got in it, experienced the true feeling of being upside down, came out of it and said “that’s my first time ever!!”  It was such an exciting moment to see her awe and joy for her own accomplishment.  For her, learning arm balances and inversions and yoga in general has been a new adventure.  She was a true beginner when she started coming.  Now, she is reaping the benefits of a beginners’ enthusiasm and passion.  It was a beautiful triumph that caused me to step back and think, “Wow.  What a moment to appreciate.  I forget what that feeling is like.”

So I am inspired to challenge myself to something “new”.  Something I am not great at.  In fact I am choosing something that I am HORRIBLE at:  Running.  I hate it.  I loathe it.  I am fearful of it.  Therefore, I am choosing it 🙂  Ironically enough, since my experience with my friend in class the other night, I have had the best 2 days of running I ever had.  So I thank her 🙂  And I thank the Universe for reminding what it’s like to be a beginner.

Find something new.  Something you are intimidated by.  Or something that frightens you a bit.  Something that excites you, but maybe you always thought “I could never do that..”   This is how I feel about running!  I can’t even run 2 miles! But I am going to give it my best effort and see what happens.  I am going to embrace being a newbie again  and you should too 🙂

Enjoy being a beginner again ❤

 

ps~ if you decide to pick up running like me, you MUST adopt a regular yoga practice if you haven’t already.  I can already feel the harsh impact running is having on my body, but with yoga I am able to soothe my body the way it needs.

 

 

Kale Chips in 3 Easy Steps

OOooOOOhhhh my indulgence: Kale Chips.

TRUST ME…they are delicious! Even if you don’t care for kale or veggies, you gotta do yourself a favor and at least make these once.  You might surprise yourself and become a kale lover like myself.

Visit your local farmers market or store and buy fresh bunches of kale.  Then follow these SUPER easy steps to making an incredible snack to satisfy those craving for potato chips.

1.  Heat oven to 350. Wash and dry kale.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2.  Tear off large pieces of kale, discarding the stems and thick ribs.  Drizzle the kale pieces on the baking sheet with olive oil and toss the kale around in it so they are lightly coated (I use very little oil, you don’t need a ton).  Sprinkle with sea salt, again don’t over do it because kale is a naturally strong taste and too much salt will knock you off your feet.  You can add more at the end if there isn’t enough.

3.  Place in oven for about 10 minutes until crispy and lightly starting to brown.  Let them cool a minute or so and eat em up!

You are getting a huge portion of your daily veggies in one delectable snack.  Not to mention, ah-hem, this whole snack costs less than $1.00 to make.  AND remember, veggies keep you fuller a LOT longer than other empty snacks and food.

I hope you try them and enjoy as much as I do!

Balm for the Soul…

 

 

‘Everything happens for a reason…if you get a chance-take it; if it changes your life-let it.’

This was my favorite line that really spoke to me.

Do you take chances? Have they been worth it?

Expectations Will Destroy You

At a yoga workshop a few months ago my favorite yogi, Kathryn Budig, opened up with the statement “Expectations Will Destroy You”.  This hit me loud and clear.

 

This year I have come to some intense realizations about how much expectations really do cripple our reality.  Looking back at the different chapters of my life, I can now see how so many situations, relationships, and experiences were tainted by my ‘expectations’.

“Well I should feel this way or that way..”

“It should be easier!”

“I should be happy because I have this job”

“If we love each other it should be so much simpler”

“If I worked this hard, then I should be better than I am right now”

“Our relationship should be perfect if we are meant to be”

“If I’m truly happy, then I shouldn’t have any bad days”

You get the point right?

All of these expectations that have been preprogrammed in our minds by society, social media, books, movies etc.  have the scary power to slowly destroy our reality and ruin any chances of accomplishing and experiencing what we desire.

 

When I sat down for our first chat with Kathryn Budig at the yoga workshop, I was in the midst of re-evaluating several major things in my life.  I had so many doubts and fears and they were having a serious hold on me.  I was ready to walk away from some special things in my life, all because I thought I should feel differently and things should be going differently.  What were these thoughts based on? NOTHING realistic.  They were based on ridiculous unrealistic notions instilled in my brain over many years.

When Kathryn said, “Expectations WILL destroy you”  chills covered my body.  It was such an ‘AH-HA! ‘moment that there is no way to describe it other than the loving powers of the Universe.  It was exactly what I needed to be told, by a complete stranger.

We can’t help it that society, media, people and so give us these ideas of the perfect life.  After all, isn’t it so fun to watch these love movies with perfect happy endings where nobody is stressed or has to work at their relationship? Or the lucky successful business woman who rises to the top and then everything is a piece of cake from there on out?  Yea.  I wish! But isn’t it amazing how some of us (I know I’m not alone) start to really believe or expect that this is how life should be?

Instead, it’s much easier to have a good laugh at how our expectations have come about and move forward from there.

Take a moment and reflect back on some experiences in your life where you were unhappy.  Was it the result of an expectation? If it was…what was the outcome?  If you are like me, there were probably some things that could have ended up much nicer had we not relied on our expectations.

Oh well! Live and Learn.  There is absolutely nothing we can do about our past.  Let it go.  But learn from it.  Begin the process of letting go of your expectations.  Remember, there is a difference between aspirations and expectations.  Don’t let the weight of an expectation ruin your life.  You might miss out on an incredible opportunity, or a perfectly loving realistic relationship.

Join me on this intention to not let expectations ruin our lives anymore.  Breathe deeply, let it go, and open your eyes to the wonderful life that is right in front of you.

❤ Namaste.

 

4 Things to Do With Kale

I have been on the quest the past couple of months for yummy ways to integrate the green goodness of kale into my diet.  After lots of online surfing I have been inspired with a few easy ideas that have become my go-tos on a daily basis.

If you have never cooked with kale before it’s time to start thinking about it!  Kale is a super nutrient known to help prevent cancer, lower cholesterol, and load your body up on vitamins! Visit this WebMd.com article for a full rundown of how glorious kale is.

Below are several ways to break the ice with kale and get your taste buds learning to love it!

Morning Scramble

My boyfriend can attest to this: I eat scrambled eggs EVERY morning.  After years of struggling to find a breakfast that kept my blood sugar stable (cereals are NOT the solution for me) and left me full enough until lunch, I finally found what works for my body.  But eggs can get pretty boring when you are making it 7 days a week….Try this for a change..

I scramble 3 cage free eggs with a little coconut oil and toss in my best friend: kale.  You don’t need a ton but a good handful will get kale into your body so you can start benefiting from it.  Tear it up into little pieces and cook it as long as you cook the eggs.  You can barely taste it!  I also usually throw some diced tomatoes and ground pepper in and top it off with 1/2 a sliced avocado when it’s done.  Sooo much protein and vitamins and your day has barely started!

PS-Because of my lifestyle I need carbs.  I usually have a piece of whole wheat toast spread with almond butter and a little honey.  Every few days I throw sliced banana on top for a nice touch 🙂

I’m a big fan of having a real breakfast.  It is my firm belief (and most nutritionists will agree) that you must have a well rounded meal to start your day.   Make it a fun and enjoyable meal!

 

Coconut Kale

I can not take ANY credit for this one.  I owe it to one of my favorite inspirational yogis out there, Kathryn Budig.  This one is soooo yummy!  You can find the recipe here.

I make this at least once a week.  It’s so quick and I really don’t get tired of it.  Makes a great side dish to anything you are making.  There is nothing I love more than sitting down with a bowl of this and know that I am putting so much glorious kale into my body!

ps~ DO be careful! Like she says in her recipe, amino acids are REAL salty.  I overkilled that and the sea salt my first time I made it.  Now I do VERY little of each because I’m not a big salty eater.

 

Kale “Green Monster” Smoothie

About 6 months ago a dear yogi friend of mine posted a picture of this crazy green looking smoothie.  Now, I am not one that is freaked out by the looks of something green and think ” eww! what is that?!”….instead I think “what is that?! I HAVE to try it!”   Don’t let the colors of smoothies/drinks scare you.   Usually they are WAY better than they look.

So she handed over her recipe to me and I made it and fell in love.  I’ve been experimenting with it ever since.  My go-to easy recipe is below.  But you may also find a lot of GREAT recipes here.

My green monster:

1 cup of organic apple juice (should be fresh, but just like you, I don’t always have time to make fresh juice in the morning! you can also swap it out for almond milk..but the juice masks the taste of the green veggies more for the taste buds)

handful of kale

handful of spinach

1/2 a banana

handful of frozen berries

handful of frozen mango/pineapple

 

Kale Chips

OOoooOOhhhhh my indulgence!  I actually haven’t made this in about a month and now my mouth is watering for it!  I will definitely be making it this weekend…

You will never taste something so surprisingly delicious in your life.  This is for you potato chip lovers just like me.   Meet your new best friend.

It’s truly as simple of this:  tear apart your kale into pretty large sizes (stems removed).  Make them big enough because they shrink a bunch in the oven.  Drizzle olive oil in a medium sized mixing bowl full of the kale.  Mix it all up so the kale is lightly coated.  Lay out the kale pieces on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Sprinkle a fair amount of sea salt on top.  Bake on 350 for 10-15 minutes.  Keep an eye on them and when they are just starting to brown take them out.  Pour onto a plate and eat!

Truly the simplest most satisfying healthy snack I have made thus far.  Guess what, even the boyfriend likes them!   So bake away and share with your loved ones 🙂

I truly hope these have inspired you to start integrating kale into your daily diet!  I want to help people realize green veggies ARE yummy even if you don’t think you could ever have a love affair with them.  I really was never a big lover of them before either.  I had to open my eyes and realize if I didn’t start loading up my diet with more veggies that I may not live as healthy and as long as I want to.  Now I feel happy and satisfied with what I am putting into my body most of the time.  I still love chocolate and beer don’t worry…. 😉

I would love to hear some of your favorite kale recipes!  Please share them below by clicking on the comment link.  Let us kale lovers unite hehehe 🙂 

Learn to Love Mondays!

I realize I am probably quite alone when I say this but…I LOVE MONDAYS!  I see it as a fresh start to accomplish anything I want to and I get excited!  You may completely disagree with this feeling….However…I invite you to experiment a little and learn to love Monday’s with me!

I am a big fan of new beginnings, starting fresh, reprogramming our thinking etc.  But let’s be honest: To truly accomplish all of these is darn near impossible as we go about or crazy, busy lifestyles.  So, I like to play a little game with myself and every time Monday rolls around I do my best to get excited about it.  Why not?

Last week was crappy, you hate your job, someone said something hurtful about you,  your boss pissed you off, you lost motivation, your bank account is dwindling, your house is a mess…etc…..  It’s so easy to carry this stuff with us in to the next week.  We all know this is SO unhealthy for us but we can’t help it.  It’s our nature to hold on to the past.  But it’s never too late to start training your mind otherwise…

I am well aware that MANY people reading this may hate their job and can’t fathom being excited about waking up to yet another Monday, going to a job that does not bring them happiness.  If this is you, please humor me and keep reading this post.  Until you are able to be happy with who you are, no matter where you are in your career/life, you will have a very hard time moving forward and allowing that great job to find its way to you.  Finding happiness begins now, not later.

I’d like to suggest a few things to help you get excited about a fresh start full of happier experiences and outcomes. Let’s learn to love Mondays.

Release and Let Go. The most common thing we do is fail to release whatever has a negative hold on us.  A negative thought or emotion is more harmful on our mind and body than some of us can even comprehend.

As your Sunday evening comes to an end and you start winding down for bed, take a few moments to yourself and simply become aware of anything that is bugging you.  Reflect on your past week and note anything/anyone who has caused you discomfort.  Acknowledge your reactions to these people/things…take a deep breath… and as you exhale imagine you are exhaling away these negative feelings.  Know that there is nothing you can do about the experiences from your past week…dwelling on it will only bring more stress and harm into your life.  Release.  Let go.  If you are anxious or worried about any upcoming meetings, events, situations….use this same technique of exhaling away your worries and fears.  Release.  Let go.

If you have never experimented with breathing exercises like this, it’s time to start now.

Truly exercising this idea of releasing and letting go will slowly transform your life.  It won’t happen over night…but with practice and meditation, you will learn to let go of the past, not worry about the future, and just live in the present moment.

Make a To-Do List. No, this is not a genius concept I came up with all on my own of course.  But it really REALLY helps me to keep my sanity.  As a business owner, my to-do list never actually goes away.  As soon as I finish one list, I can come with a whole new list in about 30 seconds of things I need to do.  I always call it my labor of love 🙂 Keeping a visual list of things I ‘get’ to do for the week helps me stay organized and therefore a little less anxious about what I have to get done when Monday starts.

Where I do offer a different spin on the original to-do list idea is this:  I encourage you to start finding gratitude for your to-do list.  Having a to-do list means you are lucky..yes that’s right, LUCKY.  If our to-do list is piled up with bills to pay that means we are lucky to have roofs over our heads, cars to drive, food to nourish us etc.  If our schedule is packed full of meetings to attend, emails to respond to, people to call back etc.  it means we are lucky to have an education, to have a job (or to be looking for a job), to have relationships with people and more.  You get the idea….

Start replacing “I HAVE to..”  with  “I GET to..”  and you will learn a whole new world of gratitude.

Choose a Mantra.  This is my last and most important idea for you.  Start every Monday off with a personal mantra.  Mantras, or affirmations, are words or phrases that we may repeat to ourselves on a regular basis to bring us back to the present moment and to stay focused on our purpose.  It can be as simple “I am calm”  or “I am creative” or “I will be productive”.  You could also choose deeper meanings in your affirmations to include something like “I will begin to find more compassion for others” or “I allow abundance to flow continuously to me”.  The ideas are endless.

If mantras/affirmations are something else you have never experimented with, please do not veer away from this too quickly even if it may sound wacky to you.  I, along with millions of other like minded people, will insist that the power of an affirmation is phenomenal based on our personal experiences.

Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life introduced the idea of mantras to me.  It was life changing and I refer back to this book very often.  Mantras are a part of my daily life now.  I highly recommend this book!

Pick any word or phrase that will help you be excited about Monday’s!  And guess what, nobody even has to know you’re doing it 🙂  It’s your to keep, yours to explore, and yours to implement.  Begin enjoying the power of mantras ASAP friends!

Release and let go.

Make an “i-GET-to-do” list and be grateful for it.

 Choose your mantra/affirmation.

Improving ourselves and our lives is a life long process…but we can’t wait for tomorrow to begin the process.  Start now.  Start with the simple concept of Learning to Love Mondays!

Get excited! 🙂

Caribbean Quinoa

I hit the jackpot today! I found a GINORMOUS tub of organic coconut oil at Costco for $15.99.  I have seen recipes calling for coconut oil numerous times and have been meaning to try it, but my sister officially introduced me to it the other weekend.

We actually were using the coconut oil to soothe our sun kissed skin while on vacation at the beach.  I became obsessed immediately and wanted to buy it as soon as we got home.  I have shopped around trying to find a decent deal on it as this stuff is a bit pricey…but TOTALLY worth it!!  Especially if you’re a Costco member 🙂 Go buy it now!

Here is an incredible article on the mind blowing benefits of coconut oil.  You must read this if you are unfamiliar coconut oil.  🙂

As soon as I got home today I couldn’t wait to try cooking with it.  I got super brave and experimented with what I had in my kitchen.  Knowing NOTHING about how/what to cook coconut oil with, I am ecstatic with my first delicious outcome.

It created a very nostalgic feeling for my days spent in the Caribbean when I was a professional dancer working on cruise ships.  Hence, the name I gave it:  Caribbean Quinoa.

Ingredients:

1 can cooked chickpeas

1 can cooked dark red kidney beans

2 limes

1 cup of quinoa

2 small sweet peppers

2 teaspoons of coconut oil

sea salt and pepper

 

 

1.  Boil water in medium pot and begin cooking quinoa according to package.  Takes about 15 minutes.

2.  While quinoa is cooking, rinse and drain chickpeas and kidney beans.

3.  Dice peppers and combine with the peas and beans in a medium mixing bowl.

4.  Once quinoa is cooked, let cool for 5 minutes then mix it in with the other ingredients in your mixing bowl.

5.  For the dressing: In a small saucepan heat coconut oil and juice of 2 limes for only a minute or 2 until oil is melted.

6.  Drizzle dressing into mixing bowl and mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

7.  Let cool, then serve!

 

Really great as a leftover salad!

Enjoy 🙂

Please feel free to share any of your favorite quinoa ideas below!

My Top 4 Pre-Hot Yoga Snacks

If you are familiar with Hot Yoga you know that you can not practice on a full tummy.  Most of us have learned this the hard way    Usually it’s a lesson learned and we make sure to never let it happen again.

Sometimes it’s difficult to find that perfect balanced snack that will give you enough energy for an intense yoga session without bloating you or making you nauseous.

I have done a lot of experimenting over the years with my pre ‘hot yoga fuel’ and have narrowed my routine down to the following 5 snacks that help me have an awesome yoga class.

I have extremely sensitive blood sugar levels so I need a lot of protein to prevent my blood sugar levels from spiking and dropping.  The following have all proven to keep me stable and energized!

1. Greek Yogurt

This is pretty much a part of my daily routine.  I have one of these before I teach or take class almost every time.  It is my magical best friend.  It fills me up perfectly and holds me over until my meal after class.  If I am feeling shaky or weak, I pop one of these open and feel fantastic.

For those who are turned off by the taste of greek yogurt, I definitely recommend trying the ones with honey or fruit in them.  Chobani and Oikos are my favorite brands.  I didn’t love greek yogurt at first but I trained myself to like them and now I love them!

2. Hummus and Cucumber

This is my other DAILY routine snacks.  I loooooove hummus! I might be a little addicted.  For the health benefits of hummus check out this article.

Hint:  Swap out your dipping crackers for a yummy green veggie like sliced cucumber!   Less calories and sodium than is found in snacking crackers and gets some veggies into your daily diet.  Previously I always used crackers until I had my ‘veggie revolution’ and wanted to submerge my diet with as many veggies as possible.

I have also started experimenting with making my own hummus. Give it a try!

3.  Apples

Enough said 🙂

But seriously, a GREAT pre hot yoga snack as it won’t stuff your belly and it will give you the perfect amount of healthy sugar for your system.  Aside from all the amazing health benefits of apples, I tend to find apples awesome at cleaning out my digestive system: a great compliment to the already detoxing nature of hot yoga.

Apples to Apples!

4. Almonds 

Num Num Num!

Packed full of protein, potassium, magnesium and more, almonds are one of the most common go to snacks for health nuts (ha!)  like us.

Not only do I snack on these before class, I keep a little baggie of almonds in my purse for emergencies i.e. a blood sugar crash in the middle of the day.

Hint: stay away from ‘honey roasted’ or ‘salted’ etc….stick the natural goodness of an almond.

Make almonds a part of your daily routine!

As we all know the key to a healthy diet is snacking often and on healthy foods.

For the hot yogi we sometimes require a little extra care 🙂  Try these pre-hot yoga snacks and let me know if they help you out!

Namaste ❤

What are some of your favorite go-to snacks that promote stable blood sugar and energy levels??

The Gym Rat vs Hot Yoga

Yesterday afternoon I had the joyous first experience of taking a hot yoga class with my significant other.  He has taken my class before a few times but never have we taken a class together for pleasure.  As a yoga teacher this obviously made my little yogi heart jump for joy! 🙂

This happy experience gave me inspiration for my newest blog: The Gym Rat vs Hot Yoga.

My boyfriend is a huge gym goer.  I am talking he goes 5 times a week without EVER missing a day.  A little obsessive to me 😉 but hey, I am thankful that he is healthy and loves taking care of his body! Not to mention I get to reap the benefits of having a very sexy man 😉

I think the gym is a great thing, for certain people.  Where I get concerned for people like him, and other gym rats, is the lack of TRUE stretching before and after an intense weight lifting session and the tendency to ‘push’ yourself beyond what your body is able to do on that day.  Yoga NEEDS to be practiced when lifting weights.

I nag encourage him to fit hot yoga into his schedule every now and again because his muscles NEED to be stretched out properly to prevent his back from hurting (which it oftentimes does) and to challenge his body to different movements.  Sometimes I win the battle and he will come to class, which is always followed by a “wow, my back really does feel better..”  :0

But what I really found gratitude in after taking a class with him, is realizing the fact that us yogis know how to relax into a posture, how to accept where our body is at today, and how to breathe.

Relax. 

I have seen many tough, extremely strong men(and women) come into my class ready to kick some arse on the yoga mat.  I love their enthusiasm! They know they are strong and fully capable of probably surpassing anyones endurance in the yoga room.  But guess what happens?  They can barely get through the class!  They are trying SO hard to give 110% percent in every posture.  While their commitment is inspiring…they have not discovered the purpose of yoga quite yet.  Yoga is meant to physically enhance your body WHILE relaxing your mind and body through the breath and pacing yourself.  This is where strength is gained…by learning moderation.  With moderation you will then gain the ability to get through more of the postures and building more strength over time.  You have to just relax 🙂 And take a child’s pose for goodness sakes! 

Acceptance.

After class I had a little fun teasing my boyfriend about how angry he looked throughout the class hehe.  He said “No it’s just that I feel I have to get everything and do it all!”  I knew this was exactly what was going on through is mind during class as I could see and feel him trying so deeply to nail every posture.  What he and many other newbies to yoga forget is that is OK to not be able to do everything.  It may or may not be the male gym personality, that’s up for debate…but I see so often people like my sweet man getting frustrated that he can’t get his foot up into his tree stand, or his hip down in pigeon.  This frustration WILL exhaust you and defeat the whole purpose of yoga.  In the end, none of that matters.  What matters is the benefits you are gaining from each yoga class.  I want people like him to learn to accept and honor where their bodies are at each day.  There is no competition on the yoga mat and most likely NO ONE is paying attention to you in a hot yoga class because they are more concerned with trying not to pass out themselves 😉 Accept your body and where your postures are at today! 

Just Breathe.

As an experienced yogi and teacher I still have to remind myself every class to breathe!  It’s so so SO easy to hold our breathe the longer and harder we try to execute a posture.  But if you take that breath away, it is no longer yoga.  It is now just a workout like any other. I love challenging myself to breathe as deep and long as I can throughout every posture.  When I do this, I just feel amazing.  I feel more connected to my body and I am able to give my mind something to focus on (mind chatter anyone? “there’s sweat dripping in my eyeball! There’s sweat dripping in my nose! That persons foot is on my mat!”).  Listen for your breathe…and the chatter will slowly dissolve.

As a teacher I find it very challenging to get people to come out of their shell and use their breath.  As a newbie is IS weird to hear all these people inhaling/exhaling and making noises and groaning and moaning…but you know what, it feels sooo good! Try it! There’s a reason yogis have this contagious I-want-to-have-what-they’re-having persona.  We all (hopefully) want to feel as amazing as yogis feel!   And it all begins with learning to use the breath.  Just breathe!

 

Relax.

Accept.

Breathe.

Keep up the great work you do at the gym, you gym rats.  I admire what you can do! But be sure to incorporate some yoga into your weight lifting routine.

Keep these thoughts throughout your next yoga class and notice if they have any affect on your overall experience.  Even the most experienced yogi needs to reminded of these from time to time 🙂

And to my very own gym rat, thank you for taking class with me 😉 I look forward to to many more!

Namaste ❤