Friday, December 13, 2013

with out

"In the zone" is a common term associated with sports where the athlete is completely focused on the task at hand. Athletes are very aware of this term, of being aware with the actions of your body in order to get a direct result. Karma, living a life, an honest life in order to receive "good" in return. Living this way, as "good" as it may seem, is based on a result, you do all that you do in order to get something in return. The problem with this thought is that our society associates discipline with deprivation. We think that if we always do good, we are depriving ourself of living, YOLO (is that right?!?). True, you get one chance to live this life, so why not be the most shining, sparkling, radiant human being alive!

There is a term used in yoga, Kriya, that speaks about living a life that that does generate reaction, there is no resistance or thought behind what you are doing. Your living a life that is "in the zone" at all times. You love your job, your wife, your friends, your children, your house, your car because they all allow you to be who you are and to love everything around you. Your not thinking about if you should or should not because you already know the answer. The ability to live a life that is honest is based upon a deep connection to spirit. Your in tune with your own body when it comes to food, friends, work and outside influences. You know these people, they are all around us, they walk in the room and it lights up. When you see them, you smile and when they speak, you want to listen. They don't have to demand or ask even. They have a goal, a vision and a dream that consumes their entire being. So the question is, can you live a life that is always on point with your goals, your dream and your vision?

When you realize that you make yourself happy by living an honest life that is rooted in the spirit. And all those things, all the people and circumstances in your life can disappear, yet you can remain at peace,
because it was never really yours to begin with.



Friday, November 29, 2013

a note for me

As Thanksgiving rolls around this year I start to appreciate all the people in my life, the people that are no longer in my life and the people who were taken away too soon from life. If there is one person that comes to mind this Thanksgiving it is my grandfather. The vision of strong, a provider, an innovator and when I walked in the room his heart would melt, his stubborn ego would all melt away.

While he was in my life he was the perfect example of love, a love that I have strived the rest of my life to find. My parents, showed me a love that is from the tough love category, to them I owe a lot more than just a blog post. A lover, ends in love lost, time lost and wounds open. But my grandfather taught me of a love so deep and profound that can only be given from a grandparent to their grandchild. It is an unconditional love that can only happen between two people that are so profoundly opposite; me in my innocence and him in his wisdom.

Roll out my mat, see my practice today, the frustrations that I have. I realize that I have hit a place where it is time to start a new chapter of my life. It is a shift that looks like this, my life is starting to reflect how I feel inside. What is the attitude that you have toward yourself? Do you reflect outward what is going on inward? A clean car, a clean diet are all reflections of how you truly think and feel about yourself. If you think your going to fail, then you set yourself up to fail. If you look at yourself with the greatest intention, a goal to achieve and a set of shoes that you will grow in to, patience, faith and trust is all that is standing in the way of your success.



As I come in to this holiday season I think back to my Grandfather, who saw all the possibility of who I will grow up to be. A love so deep, it has taken me 25 years to understand. A love I should have for myself, the belief that I am enough, that I want to see myself the way my Grandfather saw me. So here's to Grandpa, to spoiling myself with love and positive thoughts. To being thankful for my body, my life, my dog, my job and life exactly the way they are. 


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

the other 7...

Yoga is meant to clear out and open up the physical body, the mental binds that have kept us closed off for so long. Letting go of old habits; eating habits, drinking habits, over-spending habits and habits that ultimately leave us sad, alone and crying out for help. As we start to practice yoga, those habits start to loosen. We decide to eat clean, healthy food. We drink more water. We even let people cut us off in traffic and smile. How does this happen? And more importantly, will it last? Do we want it to last or is it another temporary fix for a much deeper issue?

Yoga does involve physically rolling out your mat, becoming present and keeping the body healthy. But yoga is more than just being flexible, in fact it has nothing to do with flexibility, stretchy pants or even a yoga mat. It is about having the awareness of what your body needs, giving yourself everything that it deserves. Making this a habit, a part of your being, who you are. That you desire to eat healthy, to speak the truth and to do good in all that you put your hands to.

We are all smart. We all have the ability to discearn what is real and unreal. Everyone must know who they are, where they are, what they are doing and what they should do.




When we start to examine the practice of yoga, it devours our bad habits and it asks us to be true. To be true to ourselves, those around us and to live a life of integrity. This is what yoga really is, people who are working on this, call themselves a yogi and it has nothing to do with standing on your hands, being flexible or wearing black stretchy pants.

Listed below are the 8 Limbs of yoga, they are equal in measure, in work and when applied, balance you out to be the true essence of you. Practical, Rational and Real.

1. Relationship (Yama) to yourself and to others. How are you conducting yourself, is it honest and true? Do you want too much from others, even from yourself? Are you being honest, in relationships both personal and professional? Are you being genuine, true to yourself and making yourself happy with the decisions you make.

2. Lifestyle (Niyama) involves cleanliness, contentment, practice, self-reflection, self-surrender. What is the attitude that you have toward yourself? Do you reflect outward what is going on inward? A clean car, a clean diet are all reflections of how you truly think and feel about yourself.

3. Body (Asana) is all about keeping your body in tune. Keeping the body in working order, correcting any mis-alignments and keeping the body in physical shape is important in a long and happy life.

4. Breath (Pranayama) keeps the body calm, through the nervous system. Breath (oxygen) keeps the systems of the body in working order. The breath reflects the state of the mind, thus when you can control the breath, you can clean the body and keep your mind in the present moment.

5. Senses (Pratyahara) are hard to control, especially in an enviroment so driven by being stimulated. We can be stimulated by so many images and sounds. Even touch. That to withdraw from those, to turn towards being still, makes our senses that much stronger, our intuition that much more stronger to discern right from wrong.

The last 3 limbs are combined into Mind (Dhyana, Dharana, and Samadhi), they involve meditation and becoming more in tune with a deeper part of us, the spiritual aspect, the layers that are so deep, so in tune, that we must quiet everything else in our lives in order to hear it. Samadhi can be explained as that moment when all space and time is lost no matter what activity you are doing, getting so lost in the joy and beauty of the moment that all time is forgotten.

When we change the self, develop the self and work on the self, the world and all the problems it faces seem so much more tangible. Our self is truly the work that needs to be done, if we all focus on being true, honest and pure then the world will be better.

I will be leading an intensive 2 week detox program that starts Decemeber 1. If your interested in learning more about nutrition and wellness please e-mail me at giving.living.loving@gmail.com








Monday, October 14, 2013

ready, set.....goals!



where you are

vs.

where you want to be


goal setting is all about a healthy push in the right direction. I write on my bathroom mirror a quote that is inspiring me this week, an intention that I want to hold myself accountable for. I see it in the morning, mid-day and before I go to bed. It holds me in the space that I want to be in. And when it is no longer doing that, I erase it and write something else. That is the essence of goal setting. Write it down, look at it everyday, achieve what you can everyday and then cross it off and start over. What do you want to accomplish in your life? Why? What for? What steps are you taking to achieve these goals? 

Every week I sit down with this question of what I want. I have dreams, a vision of who I will be in 10 years and it starts with each day, holding myself accountable, renewing my sense of purpose. I have to ask myself what I really want in life. Is it money, travel, a family, will those things make me happy? Am I happy at all with nothing? Do I really know who I am? Setting goals allows you to explore who you are, what you enjoy, what you think you enjoy and the reality comes when you can cross out a goal that you thought you wanted and realized it was never your goal but someone else's.

Where do you want to be tomorrow? I want to be happy, I want to feel secure and confident in who I am. The actions of today affect that. The actions of right now are putting my dreams into reality. I set my foot down and I say YES I CAN! I can do anything I put my heart and soul into. I set out to accomplish all that I want in this life. 

Start here....
1. sweat, walk, move my body, each and everyday
2. eat clean food
3. learn something new every week, challenge the brain
4. travel

Then become more focused on what really drives you:
1. save $10,000 for the trip to Africa ($200/week)
2. drink water, only water all month long
3. buy only organic foods
4. teach myself a new pose every week (or a variation of a pose)

Goal Setting will become something that you crave, that you know you need. I will be having a really bad day, go home and whip out my journal or iPad and just start writing. You have to open yourself up to an empty page, a page that has no judgement, no comments or criticism for you. It accepts you, then you begin to accept yourself and transform into the being you were created as. Enjoy the process, enjoy learning about yourself and you will find that people enjoy you when your doing what you love, 100%, with no apology. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Spirulina


Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and carotenoids, antioxidants that protect the cells against damage. High in B Complex, beta-carotene, Vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium and gamma linolenic acid.




Started adding Spirulina into my diet about a year ago. Adding it into smoothies was the first step, adding it into water was step 2 and now I put it in my cookies as well (shh!)



Smoothie

1 Banana
handful of raspberries
1 cup Almond Milk (or water)
1 heaping Tbsp. of Spirulina
1 Tbsp. of Bee Pollen (California blend for allergies, otherwise, any will do)





I also make Spirulina cookies that are great post workout. I add bee pollen and avocado as well. It is my quick pick me up mid afternoon as well as a great source of protein. 
Note to new Spirulina lovers: use only organic and trusted brands for Spirulina that tests the quality of each batch. I posted the Health Force Spirulina above as that is what I use and trust. 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

A poem

The more I study, the less I know. 
The more I study, the less closed off I am. 
My ego takes a backseat.
I see with a clear mind
Where I am,
Where I want to go.

Do I stay,
Do I run far, far away.
The boys, the bottles, the pills
so alluring, so easy to turn to.

Sober. Alone. Alive.
On my mat
Out in nature
Walk.
Breathe.
Smile.
This is life so simple.
Beautiful.

Grateful for this day. 
For freedom. 
For sacrifice. 
For this life I was so blessed to live!



Friday, August 30, 2013

to infinity

however far we go, we can always go further. 


A task that seems daunting, overwhelming and stressful. But who set the bar for working too much, for loving too much? We did. We set it based on what we saw the world around us doing. We see how our parents loved each other and that formed how we loved in our life. We saw how many hours our parents worked, or lack of, and we set that forth as our standard of a work ethic. Somewhere along the path, that idea may of shifted and our standard was changed. So I ask you, how far are you willing to go in life? How much love can you give into this world? Set your own standard.

It is with a new mindset, a new outlook that I write this. Life can be as simple as a breath. It is from that breath that life was given to us. And everyday I continue to breathe, I continue to put my feet down and step into this life I was given. I approach each day as its own and I step into the possibility that I am here not just as a being occupying space in this world but that I was given a reason for being here. I am here to create, to love and to give all that I can each and everyday.

Here is to infinity, to the belief that when I change, the world will in turn will be changed. Here is to the belief that I am a work in progress, never finished growing, always open to new ideas, new challenges and new possibilities!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

independent of labels

Gluten Free. Raw. Vegan. Pescetarian. Dairy Free. Paleo.



 (BULLSHIT!)


I feel like moving to Los Angeles bred this new philosophy about nutrition. Everyone had a special diet it seemed and I was stared at for eating a hamburger. I did start to investigate after several months of being grilled on the topic. Last year, I decided to do a 21 day cleanse that involved weaning out certain food groups. The first one being meat and dairy. I went 7 days vegetarian, 3 days vegan, 3 days raw, 3 days vegan, 5 days vegetarian (after going raw you can continue doing raw food, go back to vegan for the rest of the 8 days).

I stayed vegan for the following month adding caffeine back in almost immediately. I tried a juice cleanse and that lasted an entire morning. But I did notice a change in my diet after that. For the past year I have experimented with my food and I started paying more attention to how my body felt after I ate. I noticed that certain foods made my energy drop and I felt tired, while others (mostly veggie based) gave me more energy. I started writing down what I was eating, how it made me feel and started to discover a whole new side of eating. You can go ahead and label yourself all you want, but here is my new label anad it reads:

                                                              I eat to feed my body. 
I eat to heal and energize my body.
I eat to stay alive.

I realized I did not need to label myself into a category or explain to anyone what or why I was eating. So here I am, after trying every fad in Los Angeles, whether it was good or not, laying down the truth. Every single label (vegan, raw, gluten-free and so on) has a valid reason behind why people have those allergies or intolerances, some are choices and they all have nothing to do with you. Your an individual with your own set of rules, eating food is a choice, you can choose anything to eat. Question is, at the end of the day is it helping you to live a longer life or is it just making you full?


**Allergies to food explained: Lactose intolerance results from a deficiency of the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest the sugar in milk. At least one out of 10 people worldwide shares this deficiency and develops bloating, abdominal pain and, often, diarrhea when consuming milk. Gluten intolerance is caused by an abnormal immune response to the major protein in wheat and some other grains.



Monday, August 12, 2013

the greens


I recently started making salads with this beautiful lettuce and have been in love ever since. As always I want you to see how nutritional it is for you and what is entering your body. As a yogi that practices everyday it is so important to know what is in your body and how your feeding the body that supports such a beautiful practice.


I like to prepare mine raw with red onions, heirloom tomatoes, yellow beets (for color, any will do) and my new favorite dressing (Zukay live foods salad dressing) I like the cucumber mint and red pepper cilantro. They are fermented, raw and gluten free so there are natural probiotics in them, raw enzymes and packed with vitamins and minerals for easy digestion. There is no vinegar in it as well for those of you with acid and low pH levels. So delcious and super nutricious! Enjoy yogis :)

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

to me.




This week had been a beat down. A let down not only of friends but of their ability to just let me be. I was surrounded by people who told me that there are worse problems in the world, in fact I told myself that. The fact was, everything that could go wrong was going wrong and as my defense I just could not speak. I had nothing to say and when I did it was filled with rage and anger. I had no time to get on my mat, to move my body and clear out the negative outlook I was experiencing. I relied on my yoga practice to heal me, to help me but I had no time to get on my mat.

I was granted this day to tackle these problems. They are mine. I own them. But that gives me the ability to change my circumstances. To let my problems rule me or to rule my problems.
I need time to feel furious in order to feel thankful. 

This is my way of telling the world that I am human. I can feel every emotion. I need to feel betrayed in order to feel loved. I need to be down in order to experience the richness that life has to offer. We have to FEEL, we have to experience all these range of emotions and life experiences. I am still becoming me, I am still a student and I am still trying to find my way. When we surrender the outcome and enjoy the journey, this week of a beat down will be forgotten. Staying true to myself, speaking from my heart I write this week.



Thursday, July 18, 2013

soak up the green!



One of the most interesting aspects of chlorophyll is how closely it resembles our red blood cells. The hemoglobin of the red blood cell and the chlorophyll of the plant are virtually identical in molecular structure, with the only difference being the center atom. Chlorophyll is even often referred to as ‘the green blood of plants.’ Which is why I find it so important to write about increasing the intake of chlorophyll in our diet.


The extreme similarity in the molecular structure is what makes chlorophyll so beneficial to our health because it’s such a powerful blood cleanser and blood builder. Chlorophyll delivers a continuous energy transfusion into our bloodstream, replenishing and increasing red blood cell count. And since hemoglobin carries oxygen to our cells, increasing hemoglobin thereby increases the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen and delivers us increased levels of oxygen – and this is a very good thing.
Disease-promoting anaerobic bacteria cannot live and thrive in the presence of oxygen. It’s also known that disease can’t thrive in an alkaline environment either. Chlorophyll is both a potent oxygenator and helps alkalize our blood, it thus helps our bodies fight off disease. All these benefits direct effects on strengthening our immune system and enhancing overall energy levels and wellbeing.
Healthy blood flow and an abundance of oxygen also help the body to cleanse itself of toxic impurities, lending to chlorophylls detoxification properties. Chlorophyll has also been shown to improve the detrimental effects of radiation, and has also been linked to cancer prevention. Chlorophyll binds with toxins like heavy metals and helps remove them from the body. Chlorophyll can also stimulate bowel movements and is a great aid in colon cleansing.
The numerous health benefits of chlorophyll:
  • Cleanses and oxygenates and builds the blood
  • A powerful detoxification effect on the body
  • Rich in enzymes that promote quick rejuvenation of our cells
  • High in Amino acids
  • Extracts toxins form the liver and improves liver function
  • Regulator of calcium
  • Helps break addiction
  • Alkalizes the body
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Wound-healing properties
  • Fight infection
  • Anti-oxidant – neutralize free radicals
  • Promotes healthy intestinal flora
  • Helps reverse protein-deficient anemia
  • Protection from cancer
  • Helps skin disorders


Essentially, any green plant that you consume contains some level of chlorophyll as this is what gives it its green color. But some foods are higher in chlorophyll than others. Generally speaking, the darker the green color, the more chlorophyll, so dark leafy greens are a great source, especially dino kale and other kale varieties, swiss chard and darker greens like arugula. Adding herbs like parsley and cilantro are also great ways to spruce up your salads and increase chlorophyll content in your diet. Blue-green algae such as spirulina and chlorella are also especially high in chlorophyll, as are all sprouts. Wheatgrass has one of the highest sources of chlorophyll available. Juicing it on a regular basis can have powerful detoxification effects.

So eat, drink and soak up all the green you can get! 

Monday, July 1, 2013

Blood Battle

I am a firm believer in listening to your body. I was sitting outside people watching, listening to children as they walked by, some complained, some cried. One refused to eat. I had just picked up this article about eating for your blood type and so I went home and re-read the article. I thought about when I was a child, all the times my parents would make me eat certain foods because they are good for you. I, of course, thought that candy was a food group and sour patch kids was a great appetizer for all meals. I would eat those, then eat oh about two bites of food and then leave to go outside and play. 

So I looked at the article at my blood type. I am O positive, fairly common blood type. Here is what it said:

Character Traits: Focused, leader, energetic 

Diet: Animal Protein 

What to eat: Lean beef, lamb, turkey, chicken or fish (bass, cod, halibut, sole or rainbow trout are good examples), kelp, seafood, and salt (in small doses).

What to avoid: dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat germ, beans, legumes, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and mustard greens.

Workout: Running, swimming, cycling and weight training. You thrive on intense workouts and sweating, it also helps to regulate any stomach problems or ulcers.

Personality: Known for leadership skills, extroversion, energy and focus. If you skip on your diet, stop exercising or slip into a negative mindset, watch out! You become angry, hyperactive and even manic.

After reading this, I went back to my childhood. Growing up in Michigan with uncles that hunted regularly, I was priviledged to a generous amount of meat. I never saw anything wrong with eating meat until I moved out to Los Angeles in the land of Raw, Vegan, Paleo and Vegetarian. I was looked at strange because I ate meat and taught at a yoga studio. And even today when I tell people I am eating meat again I get looks and glares of all sorts. 

I will tell you that eating meat (all organic is a must!) has made me feel content. I feel satisfied and I feel ready to tackle my workouts. I am careful as to how much meat I eat but I will tell you that I am back to eating meat (sorry to disappoint) and that there is truth to eating true to what your body craves, and how your body was designed to function at its highest capacity.


**More to come about other blood types. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, pick up the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type: 4 Blood Types, 4 Diets" By Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo

Thursday, June 20, 2013

BiG

 I always imagined that I would do something BIG. I would be important. I would change the lives of others. But what defines BIG? Why was it so important to me? Why did people tell me to dream big? And, if we all do something BIG, is it still BIG?

I started writing this in my journal last week. I was reflecting on goals that I had even as far back as childhood. When I was 9, I wanted to be an Olympian. When I was 13, I wanted to be a federal agent. In college I was studying to be an accountant. In this current moment, I am teaching yoga, writing a blog and enjoy living by the beach with amazing friends. 

Big goals are great to set and even more when they are achieved. But what am I doing today that will impact that goal tomorrow? I think we all want to make a big impact in the world, there is nothing wrong with that. Yet, each day I need to set out and let the little steps take me towards the larger goals. If I cannot inspire one person today how will I ever inspire millions of people in the future.



Your ultimate purpose is to be. To be present, to be aware, to be loved. And to show that to others in return. That is why my blog exists. To share. To inspire. To grow. To one person, and then to hundreds, thousands, millions, billions and then to infinity. And it started with one simple mission.

Give.
Live.
Love.
The End.



Tuesday, June 11, 2013

popeye wins!

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." --Hippocrates

I was asked the other day what the difference was between spinach and kale. Never really paid much attention to the difference but would alternate eating them in my diet. So I looked it up.


Kale

36 Calories
2.6g Fiber
2.5g Protein
93.6g Calcium
296.4mg Potassium
6% DV of Iron





Spinach

41 Calories
4.3g Fiber
5.3g Protein
244.8g Calcium
838.8mg Potassium
36% DV of Iron


While they are both GOOD for you. I am all about getting the most from what I eat. I think kale is a little harder for my body to digest and thus expending more energy to process it. I think of nutrition the same way I look at life. You have to mix up your diet all the time. You need to eat a variety of foods, complete your diet with a balance of veggies and fruit, protein, carbohydrates and fats. You can eat your piece of cake and spinach too! 

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Please hold....

The ebb and flow of life. We live for the highs. Love when things go our way. When the universe seems to hear our every thought and answers it better than we even asked for. It is the valleys, the moments of stagnation and holds. It tests our patience, it refines who we are and what we stand for if we are willing. It is hard to be in that space. We get tired, restless and wonder when things will change. It is in those times that we learn the most, we set goals, say things will change. What happens when you are put on hold, stuck with no escape?

There is no way to remain the way you are now: you either become more rigid and crystallize, or you break out of patterns and transform. In yoga, you never achieve a pose, you start to find out how a posture works, you work at that and then continue to break out of old habits and discover better ones. Our bodies change, mind changes; we change. The pose never changes, we change in the pose. We change in this world. We develop to the pose and find ourselves awakened to the body, mind and spirit of each asana and to each situation in our life. 




I firmly embrace this philosophy that we are always changing. With that said there is a space that we must hold, embrace the stagnant movement, feel secure in that space and then move forward. Holding in the asana practice builds strength, challenges the mind and breath. You must develop attention, focus, edge-playing, levers and lines of energy in order to fully grasp a pose. Even then, you must continue to practice, to grow on the mat, to live a life that embodies growth and change even in a stagnant place. If I am not willing to change in the times of holding, why would I change when things are flowing?

We all have a "limp" that keeps us from our full potential. Find what your limp is in the hold. What hurts, why are we irritated and miserable. Fix it! Then embrace that all good things are coming when you live with arms open, heart open and eyes fixed upon your goals!




Friday, May 31, 2013

everyday be.

"Your duty is to act, not to seek a reward for what you do." --Bhagavad Gita

I am going to make this short because it deserves no explanation. Wherever we place our attention, we naturally overlook other things. Set you sights on what you want. Set your attention to the goal. No complacent energy. Withdraw from ordinary distractions and focus on the goal(s).



Everyday Yoga.
Everyday right living.
Everyday smile.
Everyday forgive.
Everyday eat clean food.
Everyday live fully.
Everyday sweat.
Everyday love.
Everyday be you.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Feet.

Keep the earth below my feet.
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak.
Let me learn from where I have been.
Keep my eyes to serve, and my hands to learn.


Our little piggies that go to the market. They go to work. They go shopping and eat roast beef. They cry wee wee wee all  the way home. We never give much attention to all the work our feet do, until they hurt. 
I challenge you to take an honest look at your feet. I look at them all day long. I see clean and dirty feet. Beautiful and ugly. Painted and yellowing at the edges....YUCK!  But for real, look at them! Check out why your feet look the way they do. Check out your shoes. Why are they worn down in the back, the front, the sides? I challenge you to question your feet, how you stand and hold the weight of your body. What do you do with your feet? 


I want to speak not only from the viewpoint of a teacher but from someone who has done tremendous damage to my ankles, toes and arches over the years. I had to stand on my feet, on one foot at a time until they were sore. I would crunch my toes in a towel, the sand and grass until they could not move any more then I would rub and ice them at night. Our bodies remember trauma, stress, and disease. They start to change, form new shapes. We walk differently, stand up less and hunch more. We get down on life and our feet take the pressure of the slouching in our walk. When you stood up straight there was less pressure on the joint causing us to walk with a little pep in our step.  Foot problems are huge and the only way to help prevent further damage is to be aware of how you walk, how you stand and how you place weight in your body. Yoga is the only form of exercise that helps to correct this over time.


Our feet not only want to be taken care of they want to breathe. They love being naked. They loved being touched just like you do. They want to stretch wide and long. They want to point and flex and move in all directions. Next time you get on the mat, look down at your feet. Pay attention to your feet in every pose, with every breath. Just become aware of your feet. Make them sore the next day! Then do it again,
and again,
and again.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Trust

Trust.

There are many forms of trust, some call it faith.
In life, who can you trust? Will you ever trust again once it has been broken?





As a yogi it is easy for me to stand on my hands, my head and contort my body in all ways. I know that I can trust my body. I rely on that trust to get me through each day. I have trained myself to trust no one, to not rely on anyone, to let go of people and any expectations that I will have of them. 

What is your story with trust? Maybe you trust friends and others more than you trust yourself. Is it time for you to challenge that. I know it is time for me to learn to trust again. It is time to let go of my independence a little and start to let people in again.

I would love to say that life is better on your hands but it's not. You can be a firmly planted tree with roots so deep you will never move, or you can be a leaf blowing in the wind, no roots and no plan of where you are going. No matter where you are in life trust that you are in the right place, you are growing as a human being and when it is time to move on, trust that you will go in the right direction.



Saturday, April 27, 2013

Movement

Movement comes from intention. Each action that you take, each opportunity is all part of a grand plan but it lies within that intention. I always tell students to set an intention before they begin practice. Why do we intend to practice yoga? There was a time in each of our lives where yoga was nonexistant. Why did we start yoga? Why did we come back? There was some action behind each visit to the studio. That action starts to change as time passes. Sometimes you stop practicing yoga. Maybe you have never stopped. Either way, you have changed. Your intention, needs to change with you. It needs to guide your practice, your life and each moment.



What prevents us from accomplishing our goals? Do we intend to succeed or fail? I see people come take class to lose weight, but it goes beyond one hour of work. As you leave the studio your mind goes back to old habits of eating, old habits of sitting around and staying inactive. You drink too much, snack until the box is empty and maintain habits that are covering up the truth that your unhappy with more than just your weight. Intention is not about what you say, it is about what you think. When no one else is looking, when your in the deepest, darkest place where your mind goes. 

Setting an intention relies on us settling in to who we are, where we want to go and how we get there. Our intention supports that and keeps us on track for our goals, dreams and ambitions. I strive to be on the top of my game at all times, I know there are times I need to retreat and back off, giving myself time alone to recharge. That drive is what fuels me to be who I am today. I want to be an example of what a true yogi is. I want to teach a class that would develop even the most advanced yogi. I want to be part of an elite group of teachers that can teach anyone, anywhere and with any. I strive to not be the best teacher at a studio, to have the most people in class, I strive to be better than that. It is not about who follows you, how many people think your awesome. It is about the imprint that I leave on your life when you walk out of my class. It is the imprint that I share with you through my life experiences. I want to constantly move toward those goals. I want students that support that goal, friends that inspire me and challenge that greater good in me.

I have set this blog up so that I can support that goal. As it is here for you, it is about me sitting down each week and putting something down. I have to support my practice, my learning and this is my way of staying on track. I challenge you to do the same. Find your intention, find your goals and then stay on track. Each day needs to support that goal, that dream and form who you are. 


Friday, April 19, 2013

Shine On

Why do we run from our problems?
What are we afraid of?
Do our past experiences put us in the constant state of 'fight or flight'?
And how can I start to change my response and reactions?



Before life shaped me, hurt me and damaged me, I saw the world as a playground with so much to explore, to discover. Then I started to gain experience, ego started to form in me. Someone told me, maybe I just saw it, even on the playground at school, what my status was. How important I was in the lives of my classmates, my friends and my family. I formed who I was based off where I lived, what my parents did, what car they drove. I had this perception about life, about who I was and on a scale I would rate that importance. I grew up with that mentality and cared deeply what others thought.

I am glad that I can share my life in such a way that inspires others, what they do with that is at their disposal but I am in love with the life that I was given. I would not change one moment. I have stopped running from my problems, from who I should be, who I want to be. I stand here, sun on my face, sand in my toes, wind at my back and a smile on my face. 


When I was out in the desert, an hour and a half from Cabo, I had no cell phone service (not that I cared) but I realized that life is how busy I want to make it. I work for myself and so I want to make money, I pick up the phone and it is done. I want to sit on a beach and drink Margaritas all day that can happen to. Life is not busy unless you make it busy. You have all these bills to pay for, this life that YOU want, these problems that YOU want. Simplify your life to what YOU want. And try to not talk about your problems to anyone, don’t run from them, confront them. Answer them now and see how much extra time you have to do absolutely nothing. To live in complete bliss, free from worry, stress and yes, problems!


Let this life be a testament of trust, that each opportunity granted, each interaction is for a reason. At the end of my life, I can put it all together and understand but right now I just want to enjoy. When you stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, what you should be doing and just enjoy each moment, each experience as it comes to you, it becomes so real, you feel truly connected to your life and you shine so bright that others stop running just to stare at you!

Beauty & Vulnerability: Part 2



Attachment, one of my greatest obstacles. As I sit here in Cabo I cannot help but feel so alone, so disconnected. Although most people would call me independent, I am interdependent on my surroundings of familiar faces, a language that I call my own and time that is not reliant on others.

I wanted to delve deeper into this idea of vulnerability, savasana and seeing the beauty in it all. Being in Cabo right now is so amazing and I am so blessed and fortunate to be here. It does make me feel very alone, very independent and super involved in work these days. I love all of the things I have mentioned and have worked very hard to be where I am sitting now. Savasana brings up so much in me, it takes death, puts it in your face and says "Are you living the life that you were destined for? And why not? What is stopping you?"

Our lives are spent putting up walls, to tear them down and build up more. In death you have no resistance, no walls to build up and nowhere to go. When we lay on the ground, with eyes closed and in a place of meditation, we reconnect with our greater plan, find renewed strength and inspiration. Savasana for me is a time to check in, to ask myself if this life is my selfish desire to be someone or am I destined to go out there and be a leader, I ask myself, what must die for the greater purpose in me to be fulfilled?


When ego and greed are surrendered, the struggle for fulfillment lessens. Life takes on a whole new meaning. But daily I find this a test. Daily I must die to my selfish desires. Do I let the world and all it has for me consume my thoughts, how I spend my time or do I die and allow myself to give way to a higher purpose? I want to surround myself with people who help me stay on that path, that remind me who I am, where I want to go and what I desire to fill my life with. I crave healthy food, healthy friends and when that is not happening I am not operating at my highest potential. Don't be one or the other, eat clean food, exercise and sweat, then go out into the world shining so brightly that the things of this world no longer matter.


Sunday, March 31, 2013

Beauty & Vulnerability

Being able to trust is reliant upon the fact that we are vulnerable. Otherwise, we would never need the help of another, we would need nothing to satisfy our desires. If you're vulnerable, you're able to love, to share and to trust that what happened to you only makes you more beautiful.


All that we do, from the moment we open our eyes every morning is reliant upon the fact that we trust circumstances to take place, we trust that our bodies will be healthy, our jobs will provide us the support to pay our way through life, that our cars will get us to work each day, that we will eat food that is whole and full of nutrients for our bodies.

If I could sum up the last couple of months of my life it would come down to the reality that I was not able to trust. People would fail me and then come out of nowhere and surprise me with some grand act. I would be so busy with work making all sorts of money and the next week....crickets. I learned that I cannot trust to rely on anything. I thought someone was my friend, guess what, they failed me too. I had my car hit, my car broken in to, I had jobs disappear and then new jobs appear out of nowhere. I quickly realized that everything in my life is a gift. It can be taken away at any moment. This day is a gift, that you can spend how you choose.


How my thoughts, they spin me around.
How my thoughts, they let me down.
How my dreams, they spin me around.
How my dreams, they let me down.
….and then there’s you!

Savasana, Corpse Pose. Laying there on the mat, in utter silence, proves that we are weak. It shows the world that I cannot do everything. That I need rest, I need to rejuvenate my body in order to be what I was destined to be. Laying there makes you contemplate life, are you doing what you set out to accomplish, what is your true purpose in life and are you fully surrendering yourself to the ultimate purpose you were destined for? Are you ready to die? I find that the more I accept my life, I enjoy my life and appreciate each moment, each encounter with another human I realize that there is a plan for my life. I fully appreciate that I cannot do everything. I was meant to have friends, and someone in my life that comes on board, to assist me in areas that I am weak in. Being vulnerable is all about sharing that weakness, your mistakes, your human nature. But in that moment, true greatness is realized. Despite what flaws may be present, your still loved, you can still love in return. And that is beautiful!

I read this great explanation of Hatha Yoga this morning as I was preparing to write this. Hatha, Ha means sun or heat and tha means moon or cool. The sun, never fades as the moon is just a reflection of the light from the sun. Knowing and realizing that is yoga. I read that and it resonated with the thought that in order to truly shine we have to be vulnerable. That which reflects when we are truly uncomfortable is who we are. Are we happy when things don’t go our way? When we have to lay on the floor, sweating, tired and ready to just leave, can we find a place in ourselves that can surrender? Are we ready to let it go? Shine bright when the sun is out, when it fades. At all times, just shine on!

I leave you with that thought on this rainy easter sunday. Enjoy and be blessed! XO