Yoga and Working Out

core-strength-exercies-one-leg-plankWow! It’s amazing how much better I feel when I’m consistently working out and spicing up my yoga practice with challenging asana. How is it that I’ve let myself fall out of routine so many times through my life, I wonder?

Do you find this same thing true for you? Our bodies crave activity, and reward us by looking and feeling better when we take care of ourselves. Yet often the whole working out thing seems to go in spurts of dedication and neglect…

But it’s a New Year now, which is good for working out in a lot of ways. We not only have the motivation of all the delicious, extravagant meals and other treats over the holidays, we also have the tantalizing promise of a ‘New You’.

That idea of re-creating yourself is very important and totally real. Every year, every day, and every moment you get to choose who you want to be. Which means no matter how many times you’ve fallen off track, you have another chance to step up to where you want to be.

Why Green Smoothies Are So Healing

lettuceGreen smoothies are one of the very best choices you can make for a healthy diet. They’re growing in popularity faster than people can tweet about them, and I wouldn’t miss my morning green smoothie because of how much my body loves it.

“You want me to drink kale?” This is what goes through some people’s mind the first time they’re introduced to green smoothies. You know the face children make when they don’t want to eat something? I’ve watched that look come across the faces of people before they try it.

But then they give it a shot, and lo and behold, it tastes good! Better yet, it FEELS great! Your body says, “Oh yeah, that’s what I want.”

Why is that? Well, green leafy veggies are one of the most healing foods nature provides. They lower the acidity in the body and help your system restore balance with that all powerful substance: chlorophyll.

Plus they’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and more.

Yoga on a New Years Eve Blue Moon

2010-blue-moon-fireworksWow! What a year it’s been – what a decade, really! And we’re in for a very special transition into the next year.

Tomorrow, on New Years Eve, we’ll celebrate under a full moon. Because this is the second full moon in December, it is also a Blue Moon! To top that off, there will be a partial lunar eclipse, though I don’t think we’ll get to see it in North America.

Needless to say, the heavenly bodies have aligned for an ultra potent moment in time! How will you celebrate it?

Here are a few ideas for you:

Anusara Yoga: Aligning With The Highest Good

galaxy01A friend of mine writes a stream of consciousness message every day. What comes through is pure wisdom and beauty.

Here’s a taste for you:

“The only responsibility you have is to align with source and allow source to come though you
directing your path
should you obey all that source brings to you
you will align with all your heart’s desires faster than you could imagine…”

“The only responsibility you have is to align with source and allow source to come though you
directing your path
should you obey all that source brings to you
you will align with all your heart’s desires faster than you could imagine…”

(Click for the entire enlightened message)

I find it fascinating that there are so many ways to connect to the energy that guides us, yet the common thread with all approaches is to align with the current of that energy. In Anusara® yoga we call it aligning with, or opening to grace. It’s a deliberate shift into the flow of nature, and – ask anyone who has experience aligning with this flow – it feels amazing!

The Anusara Yoga Invocation: A Story

me-oaktree-lotusMy first experience with the Anusara Invocation mantra was a bit of a surprise, actually…

I’m referring to the Opening Invocation used by Anusara yogis all over the world. It’s a beautiful song that brings you into the energy of light and truth, and it has become my companion over the years.

But the first time I heard it I had no idea it was coming.

I’d just started teaching yoga at the request of my yoga teacher, who was moving away and asked me to take over her classes. I guess I’d been teaching for 6 months or so when I went to my first Anusara® yoga gathering.

The Yoga Of Football? New Orleans Saints Win Another Fan.

New-Orleans-SaintsMonday night’s Saints vs. Patriots game changed me. It’s funny that even an NFL game can be a yogic transformation. Really – there’s yoga in football, believe it or not.

I have to admit, I’m the last person you’d expect to see enjoying a football game. I’ve had a pretty steady lack of interest in most competitive sports for, well, most of my life. Without a doubt, the New Orleans Saints have won over a very reluctant fan.

Here’s the story:

A Deeply Satisfying Life

enlightenmentThe following short thoughts I found upon opening the latest book I’m reading. I think they sum up the quest and reality of who we are as human beings in a beautiful and motivating way.

To me, yoga is the path and guide and community that helps me see clearly the way of my mission in the here and now.

May this poetic and powerful composition give you insight into yourself…

“What is a deeply satisfying human life

And how do we design one?

Thanksgiving Every Day

Sunset beauty in Nicaragua. So grateful.
Sunset beauty in Nicaragua. So grateful.

Though this day signifies a time of giving thanks in the US, everyone in the world can benefit from the power of gratitude every single day.

Gratitude is one of the most direct ways into the light of the heart.

Giving thanks helps you to feel the interconnectedness of all life, and so doing, enter the flow of grace in a most beautiful way.

Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully, in full awareness of your posture.

Take a deep breath, and as you exhale feel the earth beneath you.

Offer the nurturing planet gratitude for everything she provides.