Kick Some Serious Asana

I recently invested in a new yoga mat- The Mat by Lululemon.  For some people, you either love Lululemon for it's pricey goodness or you hate it because of it's pricey goodness.  I can't argue that Lululemon is the the Pottery Barn of yoga gear, but I have to say, everything I've purchased has been WELL worth the price and great quality.

I decided to buy a new mat because 1. my current, Ross's, mat wasn't giving me enough support and 2. I was tired of washing my yoga mat towel 4 times a week.  So I invested in a mat that was recommended to me by numerous people and especially designed for hot yoga.  I don't know about you guys, but when I take a hot class, I tend to end my class in a pool of sweat- seriously my shins sweat, which I didn't think was even possible.   After my work trip to Boston last week, I was welcomed by a lovely package... my new mat had arrived and just in time for my class Friday morning.  So, I gave it a shot and I must say, this mat did not disappoint.  I will admit that it was my hottest class, but I did sweat a good amount and I didn't slip once.  In fact, I even got stuck to my mat at one point.  I'm officially hooked.  All I need to bring to class now is this mat, a hand towel and a smile and I couldn't be happier.  This mat really does kick some serious asana. 

If you love your mat and don't want to part with it, but need something to help with the slip factor in your hot classes, I highly recommend getting your hands on the Manduka eQua Mat Towel which I also have and it is absolutely amazing. 

Little Things

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend.  Chris and I came down to Virginia for the weekend to celebrate a friends wedding last night.  It was a blast, a beautiful wedding for a very happy couple.  Happy Memorial Day!

My Instructor training Teacher, Lauren Foster, told us on our first weekend of training, that we'll never go to a Yoga class without thinking about it from a teacher's perspective.  Last week, I realized that she was 100% correct.   I've had a difficult time getting into Crow pose because I felt that I just lacked the upper arm strength, but in class recently, my teacher said one passing comment that has stuck with me and completely changed this pose for me.  He said the following "this pose is about core strength not arm strength"  I had an Ah-HA moment and pulled in my core and instantly I was in Crow. 

It just goes to show, as an instructor, and during your own practice, that it's the little corrections, movements, and comments that can completely change your students' and your own practice. My goal for everyone this week is to pay attention to the small cues your teacher tells you- it might be the exact thing you needed to get into the pose a little deeper and hold it a little longer. Namaste.

Big Ball of Stress

Work has been pretty intense lately with an overload of things to do and a ton of responsibility.  It's great that I'm entrusted with all this stuff, but at the same time, it's difficult to find that time during the day for myself.  It's especially hard when I travel.  I was recently away on a work trip for the past two weeks and I found it very difficult to find time for myself aka Yoga.   I tried to make time, but it was hard to do when you're in a different city and working 60 hours/week.  But I did try to find some time in the morning for my own personal practice.  Which brings me to my newest thought- how to take my practice off the mat and apply what I learn in Yoga to my day to day life.  I've noticed lately that when I'm stressed with work or with anything, it's very helpful and I can feel the benefits from when I take a Yoga class.  But what do I do when I can't always make it?  Sure, I do some Sun Saluations at home to help decompress after a long day or to kick off my day, but how do I take that serene feeling and focus that I learn on the mat, into my daily life?  I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I have started to do some breathing when I'm feeling overwhelmed and that seems to help. 

As for now, I turn to the mat to aid in the process. And boy did that help!  I was feeling sick, tired, stomach achy (all of which are signs/symptoms of stress) and finally was able to take a Yoga class over the weekend and low and behold- I no longer feels as sick, I'm not nearly as tired, and my stomach doesn't feel like it's twisted in knots anymore. 

This is how I felt when I was in Texas:

And this is how I felt after I took a Yoga class: (Yes, it's that simple)

When was the last time you took a yoga class?  

Happy Friday

I've been swamped with work and feeling quite unbalanced so I'm very much looking forward to taking some time this weekend and getting in some MUCH overdue and NEEDED yoga classes.   In the meantime, a friend of my posted this picture and it made me laugh- sometimes I really test my Yoga practice.  It's so true. Have a fun filled weekend. xo.

Yoga Love

I decided to embark on a new and exciting adventure.  This past weekend, was my first week of Yoga Instructor Training.  By the end of August, I'll be a certified 200 Level Vinyasa Teacher and I couldn't be more excited about this very exciting and challenging time in my life.  I hope to share with you all my thoughts, feelings, bumps, bruises,  and above all my journey in Yoga.  I truly feel that this experience is going to change my practice as well as my life.  And I'm pleased to have a place to write down my thoughts. 

When I arrived at the studio on Friday night, I was nervous but above all very excited to start.  I was nervous because I haven't had a steady yoga practice for all that long so I'm not quite as advanced as some of the others in my training class.  But I didn't sign up so that I could be the most advanced and the best in the class, I did it so that I could expand MY practice, learn more about Yoga and the proper technique for each pose, and educate myself so that I can educate others on this amazing lifestyle called Yoga. 

I am very thankful to my friends, family, and Chris for all the support.  It was a tough decision because of the commitment and dedication necessary, and having everyones words of encouragement has meant the world to me.  It pushed me to take the plunge and just do it.   I know this is where I belong and I'm  so happy with my decision to make room in my life for the things that make me a better and happier person.  It's so easy to say that you don't have time for this and that, but at the end of the day, these things are the experience that enrich your life.  I've decided to take each day & class one at a time and not feel locked in to expectations, but rather experience the journey as a whole and see where I end up. Let's see where this takes me... 

Hiatus

So, I always have big plans about what I'm going write about and post on here, but then life gets in the way(cough cough procrastination) and I end up not posting what I wanted to.  Well, I've been doing a lot these past few months including- working in Texas for 4 weeks, Miami for 2, visiting my best friend in LA, and visiting my family from another motha for our annual Lamb Feast.  Lot's fun adventures.  Hopefully, I'll get around to posting all those fun adventures, but if not, oh well, there's always other things to share. 

xo

Seriously...?

Is this for real?

Heard this on Good Morning America the other morning.... disturbing... What's wrong with people?

That is all.