New Class!

I am very excited to announce that for the month of November I will be teaching at The Giving Tree Yoga Studio, in Astoria! I am so pleased to be a part of their fabulous community and encourage you to come check out The Giving Tree.

Join me Mondays, 10:00am-11:30, for a rocking Vinyasa flow class. Class is by donation - so you can pay what you like to get your yoga groove on! Each month this 'Yoga for a Cause' class is dedicated to a different fabulous charity. (Look for more on that soon!) Feeling very excited and honored!

Take Another Look: See

Sometimes you just need to get away. I apologize for my blogging break, but trust that at least some of the time was much needed re-coop time. Re-cooperation from what, you may ask? I am not sure I can pin point it exactly. But lets call it busy-season-changing, months-that-feel-week-long-only, wedding-planning-writing-scrambling... stress. Yes, lets call it stress.

I don't know about you, but when I am stressed I let myself push, push, push to get the to-do list done. I aim to accomplish more than any one person could possibly hope to do in 24 hours - yet never give myself credit for doing enough. And most days I add more to the list than I check off because it feels like the tasks are never-ending. Sounds familiar? Then after all the work I discredit, when I may finally have a moment to rest and restore, instead, I crash. I turn the TV on and zombie-out or, as I like to call it, have turn-my-brain-off time.

The thing is, even though this is down time (and I do think that occasionally it is what a person may need for their down time) it is not what my body and mind needs most. I find, that stress causes me to do do do and really what I need is to just be. To take a moment and enjoy a really deep breath and sigh, to take in how smart and funny my friends are, to hug my fiance, to take my time cooking a meal, or to get away and leave the busy city behind for a bit.

Last weekend I got the chance to escape the bustling city life and head to one of my favorite places, Ithaca, NY. If you have never been I highly recommend it. I went to college there and try to get back at least once a year - usually for the Apple Harvest Festival. This year, I did yoga at Lucifer Falls, ate and drank aplenty, spent some time with dear friends, and some remembering how it feels to make time to sit still and just be.

I also learned a very good lesson in a funny situation. While sitting in the Commons (a beautiful little pedestrian downtown area full of shops and apple goodness) I noticed a guy wandering and trying to hand out fliers. He appeared to be a local - what Ithaca or Cornell students would call a "towny" - in hippy garb, perhaps purchased at the local hemp store, and dreadlocks. We made eye contact as he worked his way through the crowd, I smiled, he looked me up and down and sort of made a face. Eventually he made his way to me and gave me a postcard and a wink.

I said thanks, turned the postcard to the back, and immediately began to laugh as I declared, "Dude, I can totally chant this with you!" before noticing he had already slipped back into the crowd. The card read:

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare


Suggested Donation for this piece $1"


All I could think was that I must not look like a yoga teacher today and how nice that he wanted to share the great mantra with me - without asking for a donation even. Then I wondered if he was judging me, trying to save me, and what or who he had summed me up to be. The self judging thought was followed by a much more beautiful one.  It is not about what we see or how we appear to someone else. You cannot look and know all that a person is.

During these few days following that moment I have come to realize that as stressed out, do do do, as I ever become I am always a yogi and a being that ultimately knows what my body and mind needs. I do not need to be a super woman who gets everything on the list done. I do not need to impress, stress or express exactly who or what I am or prove myself to another person. I need to breathe, practice, enjoy, be.

Ready, Set, Go! (Teach)

Last Monday I did something crazy. I jumped in and subbed a class - and not one of the donation classes where students are aware I am still a new teacher - a 'real' class. In fact, my Teacher Training Director Jenny's class! It was not really on purpose - this was not a scheduled situation. But it was certainly one of those times to just jump (don't look down it will be fine) and then pray your parachute opens.

There is a scene in the Wizard of Oz that goes like this...

Cowardly Lion: All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I'll tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want you fellows to do. 
Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow: What's that? 
Cowardly Lion: Talk me out of it! 

This pretty much sums up how I felt. Here's what happened...

I was sitting at my desk at the York Ave studio, signing in the 4:35pm class, and keeping an eye out for the scheduled sub. I was not worried; this is a reliable, wonderful teacher we're talking about here. But then ten minutes before class I started to worry... I call... no answer. Still thinking she will walk in at any moment. (But of course things happen and do not always run as smoothly as we would like.) So I start to call other local teachers... no answer. I am dialing and leaving messages about as quickly as is humanly possible trying to find a teacher for this class when suddenly it dawns on me - I could just teach it. Then thought, wait, can I teach it? And the battle of courage vs fear began.

I called our general manager who assured me that I should indeed jump in and just do it. At this point it is about three minutes after the regular class start time. I walked into the room and thanked everyone for their patience, explained that their sub was no longer available and that I would be their teacher today... I just had to lock up and grab pants. I did this fairly calmly. Then exited the room, ran to the back to pull yoga pants from the boutique, changed quickly, ran back to the front to lock the door, dropping my skirt and shoes and the sales tag from pants I did not know the size of at/around the front desk (yes, my coworker who came in after me had a moment of pondering my disappearance via rapture rising) and then one, two, three, jump.




The class itself is a bit of a blur. I started by putting everyone in child's pose and asking them to let the first chaotic five minutes of their class go. Saying that sometimes this is our yoga. (Secretly hoping that they wouldn't still be upset by the time the class was over. And giving myself a moment to realize that this was my yoga today too.) I had one fellow trainee in class - right up front near me - she was my rock! All through Sun Salutations I kept looking at Susan and thinking 'it's fine, it's just like training.' My hands were shaking, my ipod was on its last bar of battery, etc...  but somehow words were still coming out of my mouth. By the time I got to Surya B I knew that I could do it.

After a few deep breaths (mostly mine) we started on my sequence. As I began to focus, everyone became students instead of seventeen clients I was afraid of displeasing. (Manager brain off - teacher brain on.) Once this happened, I was able to enjoy teaching such a fabulous group of people. I even threw in a few poses or instructions that were particularly Jenny. Honestly, it could not have been a better class to jump into last minute. This was my teacher's class - I know her, the class, and am teaching because of her.  Afterward I felt honored to have been there and really like it might have been meant to be. Heck, I was even wearing a Batman T-shirt for the occasion. (Thank you laundry day.)

It is not easy to face our fears, to have courage or jump in. But sometimes life pushes us to do just that. The universe is not out to get us - instead, I believe, it is looking to show us what we are made of.

Saucha...

Saucha (which I discovered today has a ton of different spellings...) is the first of the Niyamas or 'observances' in the sacred texts. Saucha means purity. Though it is sometimes seen translated as cleanliness. The Niyamas are meant to help us build a better relationship with our self. They go hand in hand with the Yamas (which help us build a better relationship with society) by getting us to explore those ideas a little more deeply.

Saucha gets a bad rap because it seems so simple. Purity/cleanliness... hmm, OK, so take a shower every morning, brush my teeth, eat well etc. It seems so easy right?  But yoga, the Yamas, and the Niyamas are not about body alone - they are about balancing the body, mind and spirit. Each Niyama needs to be considered from all angles. So what about purity in thoughts or words or actions? How about in relationships or our work? How do we make choices that can bring more purity into our everyday lives?

We can begin to do this by treating our body like our temple (I know, I know, stop me if you heard this one before...) Some people do this by cleansing the body. You can check out one cleanse here or some great cleansing morning rituals here. Others meditate to clear and purify the mind. You can even help your body clean out the old to make room for the new by incorporating twists into your practice.



Ardha Matsyendrasana anyone?



I think Saucha needs to begin at the deepest root of purity - self love. There is a reason why Ahimsa is our first Yama after all. And nonviolence needs to begin with the self - we cannot grow and give love, love, love to others if we are not first our own biggest fan. Saucha allows us to explore this idea with perfect specificity.

So this week try to give yourself a little more support... honor yourself, smile at your faults, laugh at your own jokes, be kind in your practice, challenge yourself and be proud of the results, etc etc. Then maybe take a nice long bath to ponder that cleanliness can be pampering and self love too. I mean, come on, a bath full of bubbles and some essential oils for that beautiful bod after? Seems like purity to me.

"End, begin, all the same. Big change.

... Sometimes good. Sometimes bad." Dark Crystal anyone? 

The end is here. Or the beginning. Both really. I have completed my 200 hours of yoga Teacher Training! From here it is on to teaching community classes at New York Yoga. I feel so blessed to have come so far. This training has been triumph after triumph for me, at a time when I really needed them. The lessons learned have already so greatly impacted who I am - mentally, physically and spiritually - and I look forward to sharing these teachings as they sink in a little deeper.

The teachers who have led me on this journey are so dear to me. To think that I can now call myself a teacher too is a bit surreal. When I got up to teach my sequence during our final I was nervous, afraid I would choke and forget what to do. Then looking out on my peers waiting to do yoga, I just got to work. Teaching them felt natural, even though I was being observed for a test, and I hope that stepping in front of an actual class will feel the same way. I am okay with getting the jitters as long as once I begin teaching I can turn them off. :) 

I have to admit I am sad training is over. I will miss the amazing people I shared my weekends with, the constant encouragement and the learning environment. I am so proud of everyone and their accomplishments, and let me tell you, this is one amazing batch of yoga teachers hitting the scene! The classes we will all be teaching at New York Yoga are Yogi's Choice, Donation Classes - meaning you can come in and pay whatever you like to take them. I highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity and coming out to meet these amazing teachers. (Then you can say you knew them when...) 

I went in to each weekend of this training excited to learn something new and was never let down. Yoga is ever evolving but has the deepest roots you can seek out. There is so much information, so many opinions and practices, that people dedicate their lives to studying text about it. Which is okay by me because that means there will always be new knowledge. I think one trick to finishing this training (and not go right into shock) will be to continue my studies of this amazing subject. Happily sharing what I discover with you. 

Of course I will still be doing plenty of yoga and evolving my practice at home and in classes. The difference now is, come June, I will also be teaching! More on that to come. Namaste. 

Engaged...

As in: to be married, ring on the finger, purposed to, on my way to Mrs!

Mala + Engagement Ring

I am so happy right now it is difficult to put into words. I know, me, speechless?! I was when he asked me too - all I could think to say was 'yes yes yes yes yes'. I have been thinking of how to write about this in a yoga way all week - since thats really what this blog is all about. Then I realized that since I am day to day a yogi, that this has everything to do with yoga. And since yoga means union - well marriage just doesn't get more yoga, right?

We in the West are householder yogis. Meaning that we cannot drop everything and just do yoga or meditate or read sacred books around the clock. We have to find our enlightenment and keep our Ahimsa mind while holding a job, paying taxes - living out in the world. This is no excuse to not be as good a yogi as you can be and actually I think it comes with many, many benefits. Householders have marriages or not, have kids or not, have jobs, create art, make a mess of their live and bounce back etc.  There is more choice and many more paths to the divine. As householders with basic needs and social requirements we live and learn  - and love.

It is the choices we make that set us on our path. I have made many to put me right where I am today and I would not want to be anywhere else. Just a few that brought me to Mike... I did theatre in high school, because of this I decided to double major in theatre (and writing) in college, I went to Ithaca (a school I hated on the campus tour and now adore), because I wasn't sure about it Lee Byron (head of the program) helped me pick classes, I ended up in a theatre class I may not have gotten into otherwise, I was assigned to work on The Mysteries of Edwin Drood my freshman year, I met Mike on that crew. We became friends pretty instantly and closer friends after a steel rack of chairs was rolled over my toe backstage and he basically carried me to the dining hall for dinner and back to my dorm after. From that moment on he was the man to depend on... I just didn't get it yet.

Ithaca College - freshmen!

Okay, so it took me about eight years to figure out he was Mr Right. Well, not exactly. About three and a half years ago I had to make a choice. Mike and I were starting to see what was between us but neither wanted to be the first to talk about it - while at the same time someone from my past came back into my life suddenly. Suddenly enough to declare us a couple after a day as if things could go back to the way they were spontaneously. I was happy but confused. On a car ride to Ithaca the next day I thought about both paths. Only one seemed like the one I was meant to be on and it was moving forward, with the person I am now set to marry.

We make big choices, take leaps of faith, go for it, jump in with both feet... and hopefully, if we are in the moment and true to ourselves, we reap big benefits because we are choosing love every single time.

Nearly a River Guide

During the very first weekend of training, my amazing director Jenny Gammello told us, "Everyone has a different river of connection to the source." That as teachers we would all take our own journey to become the sort of teacher and person we are meant to be. She encouraged us to remember that each student is on his or her own journey as well. As a teacher I get to help students navigate their path or river but I can only ever be the river guide and true to the course I am meant to take. Key to being the perfect teacher in that wisdom? I think so.

Now that there are only three weeks left to my 200 hour teacher training, I am starting to wonder where it has all gone. My start in January seems like last week, not months ago, and though it is easy to see how far we have all come, I would gladly start training all over again after we finish on May 15th. I am excited to start teaching and am looking forward to the next step too, but training has brought me so much I will be sad to be without it.

I have made the decision to continue blogging about yoga after (might have to change this title) because there is still so much to share! I have filled a notebook and a half, plus notes in my manual, sequence sketches, class observation notes, etc. So I hope you will continue to indulge me after this journey has ended and the next begins. Heck, you can even come take my class soon!

Here is just a little peek at some of the topics I have briefly touched on this bloggity-blog so far and many that are yet to come. I figure since I am reviewing and studying that I would share. Enjoy!

Ahimsa, alignment, anatomy, aparigraha, asana, ashtanga, assists, asteya, attachment, ayurveda, Bhagavad Gita, bhakti, brahmacharya, chakras, chanting, cleanse diet, deities, doshas, ease, gunas, home practice, hot yoga, intensity, karma, koshas, krama, mantra, maya, meditation, nadis, niyamas, om, pain, perception, prana, pranayama, prenatal yoga, restorative yoga, sanskrit, sattva/rajas/tamas, satya, sequencing, sun salutes, sutras, tantra, yamas... and oh so much more. :)

Aparigraha

Aparigraha is abstention from greed. Not wanting what is not yours; not taking more than you need at any one time. Sounds simple right? A lot like Asteya even? But Aparigraha takes it to the next level. In not wanting or being attached we are instead making room for the divine (or at least making room to live our lives more freely).

"Um... how do you people breathe in here?!"

The challenge of Aparigraha is letting go and trusting that everything you need, you already possess. Even while living in one of the richest societies, we still walk around this earth as if there is not enough for all. Aparigraha teaches that there is plenty - more than plenty - and that should we need, the universe will provide.

This, to me, is the most freeing Yama out of the five. It encourages us not to put importance in all the material things we collect along the way, but instead to focus on traveling the path. As we journey what is really important? Aparigraha reminds us that it is the actions we take, the love we give, and the inner self we grow to find - not the souvenir things we gather.

I challenge you this weekend (and beyond) to let the stuff go, tune in and enjoy the ride.

Triumph: Handstand - Adho Mukha Vrksasana

It has been nearly three and a half years since my last handstand. Oh handstand, how you eluded me. Well no more! Victory is, at long last, mine.

Saturday we finished the inversions section of our training with this pose. We spent hours and krama after krama prepping and jumping and let me tell you, I felt like gravity itself. I did not feel like I was accomplishing anything from jumping. I felt small and stuck in the mud when I should have felt like a super strong yogi. Handstand is about gearing up, strength… it should feel empowering.

But here’s the thing. I was afraid of handstand – thought that someone with my body would just not be able to get there. After a car accident left me with a few degenerative discs in my thoracic spine at the happy age of thirteen, I had to come to terms with the fact that my body just didn’t move the same way. By the time 2007 rolled around I was pretty comfortable in my twenty three year old body (this was of course a long time coming - another story altogether) so when someone offered me the opportunity to try handstand, I tried, but did not expect to succeed. This became a class I visited often and eventually I did find the pose – lots of practice melting my heart forward to find more backbend, lots of core work to find the strength, etc.

Of course, as soon as I became confident that I was getting handstand down, I got a nice humbling kick in the face. No really. We were paired and assisting each other up slowly, into handstand – not kicking at all. Except that my partner was brand new to yoga, in the wrong class and had a mean kick in the wrong direction. Her heel cracked me in the nose. Hard. I righted myself, left the class, and held ice there for a moment thinking ‘okay, I’m okay’. But when I touched my face my nose just was not where it should have been. I went in and finished the class. (Pitta – headstrong – can’t help it.) Turned out that my nose was broken in two places and my septum was deviated.

Spent Christmas and New Years looking like this…

My nose was back to normal fairly quickly. Handstand however, was totally lost to me. I know I did not fall on my face – which is what many people are afraid of – and I know that no one kicked me while I was in this pose. But for some reason the mental block was a strong one. I had just started to believe I could do it and then got broken down by it. So I went back to where I was before. Anytime handstand came up in class I just avoided it or would attempt to do some practice kicks, get panicky and give up. Plus now I knew exactly what a broken nose felt like and did not want to go there again. Oh, hello, new fear of falling on face - welcome to the party.  

Teacher Training turned out to be the perfect place to overcome my fear. Where else, right? This experience has helped me discover so many new things about myself and see things that I had long lost touch with. Of course my handstand phobia would arise. And after the hours of practice mentioned above, I had a moment of self love – ‘just try one more time and then let it go.’ I told myself. ‘Handstand does not need to be a thing anymore. You tried. Try once more and then let it go.’

So though exhausted, I oomphed up, felt my toe touch the wall behind me, and with a surge of strength I felt my hands ground; power spread up my arms and shoulders and realized I had done it. This was the pose! I held it for a few breaths and when I started to laugh, came down. I kept laughing and then the tears erupted from me. Molly rushed over and put her arms around me. I managed to mutter “I did it!” To which she smiled and simply replied, “What were you waiting for?”

To Teach or Not to Teach...

Many people have asked me why I decided to do a yoga teacher training program. Well, if you look at my first post you will notice that it was not necessarily to become a yoga teacher - that didn't even make it on my goals list. But read on, and you will see that there was a moment of elation after I got up and found my voice for the first time. I am happy to report that this feeling has not gone away.  I am loving teaching.

During training last week we were asked to think about some of our favorite teachers or even just some of the best classes we have had. Why are they memorable? What made them so great? Etc. Then we were asked more specifically about what we go to yoga to find and what helps us achieve these goals in class. I found these questions really helpful in thinking about the sort of teacher I would like to be - a huge revelation considering I was not sure I was going to come out of this a teacher. I am grateful and humbled to have that same desire to teach, that has possessed so many of the wonderful teachers who have gotten me here.

The lovely Juliana Mitchell teaching Restorative Yoga.

If you have had a teacher that really lit the spark in you - made you love yoga, had you leave class really feeling your absolute best, left you feeling supported, helped you find a new pose, helped you find a new piece of you, etc .... then maybe you were meant to be a teacher too. Or maybe doing a 200 hour teacher training program will help you find something else you were meant to be. Either way, the experience can be life altering. Choosing a program is much like the questions above - think of your best teachers or classes and find a program that can reinforce these experiences for you.

The last question of this exploration was: What is the yoga of your heart? The yoga of my heart... the reason to teach... what I can offer to the world via this incredible tradition. Wow. The first word into my head was support. The next was joy. I want to be a teacher that creates a supportive space for students to find joy on their mat. I want to encourage my students to let go, find a place to play, check the ego at the door and not take themselves too seriously. I want to help them to breathe and to laugh. I know this is not always all I will want to be as a teacher, but it seems like a pretty good place to start.

Shock me, Shakti

Today my morning practice consisted of, well, not practicing. My back was sore and I just got up on the wrong side of the bed. Solution: Shakti Mat! A Shakti Mat is a new take on the old bed of nails tradition. You will see the mat in pictures below to get a better idea if you have never seen one. Resting on a Shakti Mat is sort of like getting acupressure and acupuncture at the same time - it increases circulation and helps alleviate pain. I love mine. It is interesting to note that Shakti means 'to be able' and refers to our life force. Shakti is also the goddess of creation and the agent of all change in Hinduism.

So, this morning after my Sun Salutes I went right to the Shakti Mat. I thought I would still be a productive yogi and read "Light on Yoga," by B.K.S. Iyengar, while I rested. I got through a little bit but then decided to go a different route. I realized that judging myself for needing to rest was not yogic at all - that it was okay to give my body a chance to restore without also giving myself busy work.

This weekend at training we learned about Restorative Yoga - about active rest and providing support for the whole body. Ultimately this is about allowing the body to be in a state that helps you melt into the supported pose and out of your routine.  By doing so, you eventually strip away the layers of attachment
to come closer to your true nature. If that is too mighty a thought - it can also be stripping away the layers of stress until you can fully breathe and relax again.

Doesn't that seem like enough on its own? I didn't need to occupy myself with studying - I was already doing and receiving enough. So in honor of Restorative Yoga I rolled up a towel to support the backs of my knees and donned an eye pillow that has not been appreciated in far too long. Feeling stressed? Find time for yourself - rest, restore, find Shakti.

Brahmacharya - lets talk about sex...

I mentioned this yama some time ago in Mauna, my piece about taking a vow of silence for a day, joking that silence was our tiny version of Brahmacharya and that another was celibacy. There are many ways to participate in Brahmacharya, but primarily this yama is about sexual responsibility.

Human beings are sexual beings - no getting around that. Think about how much energy we put towards this aspect of our lives, and I do not just mean in the act itself: worry about self image, crushes, flirting, stressing over not getting the reaction you may have been looking for, dating, fighting, breaking up, (don't even get me started on the right to birth control access and solid healthcare options) etc. And all this does not even account for the energy we put into the physical act itself.

The point of Brahmacharya is to honor this sexual, tantric energy and realize that it (I would argue only some of it because, well, I am not ready to go celibate) can be put towards a better use - enlightenment. By reserving this energy and using it for spiritual practice we use the energy for a grander end result. (Insert grand end jokes here.) When I was first presented with this idea, the thought seemed outdated and did not resonate with me. I appreciated the day of silence but couldn't see my commitment past that.

But think of Brahmacharya as related to Ahimsa (love, love, love) and it starts to become more relevant. Sexual responsibility is more than a choice to have or not to have sex. It is about being intentional in your desires and acts - not just wasting all that energy for no good reason. It's about honoring your partner - practice Brahmacharya by never cheating and never being hurtful.

I like to always think of the opposites in the yamas and the opposite of responsibility is misconduct. Sexual misconduct can be agonizing for the other person involved. I do not just mean cheating here - think of the worst cases: harassment, abuse, rape, etc - sexual misconduct can be devastating. Sexual misconduct is also every case of sexual inequality, which sadly, is still running rampant in our and most societies.

Ahimsa tells us to do no harm to ourselves and others; to act with love. Brahmacharya and the use of our powerful sexuality, in relation to that thought, is easy to see and easy to practice. Be it on a governmental, human rights level or in a more personal way.

Look out - Tiger!

One very interesting topic that I have learned a little about recently (from the ever amazing Kristin Leal) is the autonomic nervous system - which can be divided into the enteric, sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The enteric system is fabulous in its own right because it is responsible for our 'gut feelings' - these are the nerves that line our GI tract and send messages back to the brain. (Did you know that 95% of the body's serotonin is found in the lining of the gut?) Crazy.

But the system that really stood out is the sympathetic nervous system - you've heard of it, this is our fight or flight system. I knew this before, but was surprised at the amazing feats the body actually goes through in order to help you, say, escape from a tiger. I was more surprised to learn that this system can be in a state where it is always turned on in the body - even when we are not in situation where we need to fight or flee. These responses are crucial in an event where a tiger may really be coming at you... but they can be dangerous to our everyday lives.

Mukha's best tiger face... grrr.

OK, so say, that tiger is coming at you - the body's first call to action is to produce stress hormones to give you your get-up-and-go. Great! Now we can run away or punch the tiger in the nose and hope for the best... however, if our bodies are always producing a little bit of this stress hormone (even without a true life threatening stressor) then we can suffer from insomnia, anxiety, hypersensitivity, PTSD etc.

Do you see the problem? If we live our lives in fight or flight mode we go around everyday creating tigers (insert: fear, danger, robber, pressure) in our minds that are not there.

GOOD...
Our body also: releases glucose from some areas of the body to feed the get away car; increases the breathing rate to provide more oxygen; increases the blood pressure and heart rate to fuel faster; the metabolic rate increases; our inflammation response increases and body releases cortisol; senses are heightened - pupils dilate, mind works more quickly, muscles contract. Again, these are great when presented with an actual tiger... not great in everyday life. When we allow them to be on slow drip, all day everyday, that becomes a problem.

BAD...
Because this can cause (in order): fatigue and nutrients being stolen from certain tissues of the body; reverse breathing or breathing against the natural flow of your diaphragm; high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, circulatory disorders; body will hold certain fats that encourage weight gain; autoimmune issues (body attacking itself), cortisol can eat at the hippocampus of the brain - causing memory loss, weight gain; strained eyes, mega tension, always prepared to fight/flee, insomnia, chronic pain.

The solution? We need to live by being in the moment - do not let your mind create tigers where none exist. For this, we rely on the third part of our nervous system - parasympathetic - our rest and digest system. The good news is that by just trying to relax the body and mind we will achieve a result. The body craves this state and will help you calm itself to maintain homeostasis (balance).

Ways to trigger your parasympathetic system and caaaaalm down/stop seeing tigers are to: exercise - muscle tension and release, recline - head below the heart line slows the breathing and blood pressure, emphasis on your exhale - to slow breathing, silence or repetitive soothing sounds, perceived physical safety - otherwise always on guard, lack of emotional or mental strain - this is a toughy but even an attempt in the direction will help trigger the response.

The act of being in the world always present and calm is not instantaneous, but it is good to know that even little steps help us live healthier, happier lives.

40 Day Cleanse - Vitality Diet

As many of you know, I have been participating in a 40 day cleanse diet as part of my Teacher Training. Well, my 40 days are up - and guess what - I'm sticking to it! Am I saying I won't be having a beer from time to time... no... I do not plan be perfect. But I do plan to stick to as much of it as fits into my life - and that sure is the majority. This diet, designed by my wonderful yoga teacher training director, Molly Lehman, has been a huge blessing.

This summer, I was fighting ulcers and just couldn't get my stomach together. It was painful, I never had energy and the food I was able to eat was not at all satisfying. With medication, I finally got to a manageable point by late fall, but still was not feeling my best. Enter, Molly with our wonderful training program and - vwalla - I have never had more energy, and my stomach has not been upset at all - not even a gurgle, on this diet.

"Should you be eating that, Mommy?"

"You better let me test it."

I would like to mention here that when I say 'diet' I mean my usual day-to-day consumption of food. I do not mean that I am trying to lose weight or eat less by any means. Along this journey a few people have tagged a negative connotation to the words 'diet' and 'cleanse'. But after a quick explanation of what I was really up to they all turned supportive.

This is about eating whole, real foods. Cutting out the processed foods that we may not even be conscious we consume every day can really make a difference. It is about fueling and feeding your body best. In fact, most people asked for a copy of the information for themselves! So, without further ado...

The Vitality Diet - 

Just a tip, if its not on the list you shouldn't be eating it. Molly is so positive we got a list of can-dos instead of do-nots. I really love this but want to be super clear too... this means no alcohol, caffeine, pasta, white flour/bead, sugar, salt, etc. No processed foods - read your labels carefully - best to go fresh! We were allowed 3 cheat items over the 40 days - so be kind to yourself, do the best you can, and have a little cheat-treat here and there.

Liquids:

• Jala Dhauti - lemon and apple cider vinegar water - upon waking. (1 whole lemon and about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a little water)
• Fresh juice of fruits and vegetables
• Rice, almond or hemp milk (soy milk in a pitch)
• Plenty of clean water
• Green of white tea before 12pm.
• Herbals teas are great throughout the day. (I made a pitcher of herbal iced tea each week - totally saved me from reaching for sugary no-no drinks.)
• Coconut water, kombucha tea in moderation
  

Solid foods:
Remember to fill the stomach one half full of solid food, one quarter liquids and one quarter left empty for digestion without mental stress.

• Salads, sprouts, steamed or raw veggies (or lightly grilled), onion, garlic
• Avocado
• All beans & legumes
• Tofu or tempeh (no processed soy products)
• Oats, oatmeal, brown rice, wild rice
• Soups (homemade or really fresh - no processed can stuff)
• Sprouted grain or mana breads (found in freezer section), sourdough bread
• Quinoa, millet, amaranth, barley, bulgar, couscous, kamut, spelt, wheatberries
• Array of fresh fruits. Dried fruit.
• Almonds (sprouted best), other unsalted nuts in moderation (best if raw)
• Raw cocao (chocolate) Good brands are: Love Street and Gnosis
• Dairy in monderation or best to remove entirely. Must be organic, no hormones, from grassfed cows - sheep or goat is better.
• Eggs, meat and fish but only 4oz per meal when eating (6-8oz per meal for men). Must be organic, hunanely raised, etc. 1 protein per meal.

Dressings:

• Braggs, fresh lemon, olive oil, tahini, ground sprouted almonds, flax, ginger, vinegar
• Homemade hummus
• Sea salt, all spices
• Agave syrup, maple syrup or honey - for sweeteners!
  
  

Bon Appetit!