Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

10 Simple Ways to "Get Your Joy On"

When I was a little girl, my parents, who both were doctors, always asked me to show my tongue if I complained of not feeling well. I don’t know if you remember, but several decades ago doctors in Western hospitals also examined patients’ tongues as one of the first diagnostic steps.

If I were to ask you what a working Mom looks like, would you imagine power suit and latte, or something picked out from last weeks laundry and sippy cup? The truth is, most of us are somewhere in-between, wishing we were polished and hoping no one noticed the stains, yet somehow we make it happen. This is my life as a Mompreneur.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this week’s theme … transmutation. It’s divinely perfect as always. And in meditation all week, I’ve reviewed these last few years. You see transmutation is a change in form, appearance, structure or nature of something. It can be an alchemical shift of who you are and how you show up in the world energetically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And in that alchemical shift that begins on the inside, we eventually take on a different form on the outside.

Many of us begin our yoga practice after years of inactivity or as a result of injury, pain or limited mobility. Maybe we turn to yoga for stress relief, to increase our flexibility or offset the hours we spend in front of a computer. Whatever the reason, so many people choose yoga as a form of therapy – to improve themselves in some way. So it’s no surprise that our early days on the mat can sometimes be discouraging or frustrating as we are faced with body positions that seem impossible for our current state of physical fitness.

Crocodile, Crocodile! Spring is in full swing – fresh air, sunshine, lollipops, rainbows and… Oh my, some calm, grounding centering might be in order to help counter some of this buzzing spring fever energy. Crocodile pose can perfectly balance the delightful yet dizzying effects early spring.

Broccoli that actually tastes good! Remember being served broccoli as a kid and hating it?

We fill our day with stories. What is that person doing? I wonder what that person is thinking?

Have you ever had one of those weeks where things just seem to stack up against you, like nothing goes your way and the more you try, the less things seem to improve. You feel stretched to the limit with nowhere to turn. Believe me, we’ve all been there at one time or another.

Spring is here… trees are budding, birds are chirping and beautiful floral blooms will soon abound. Create your own beautiful finger flowers (think, hand stretches for busy winter ipad hands) and teach the art of long, slow, mindful breathing with this fun breathing technique for kiddos.

I totally believe in magic. I do. There is no explanation for every single thing on this planet; there just isn’t. Although, if you think there is, I am open to hearing your answers. I bet you will be exhausted by the time you finish though.

The very thought of meditation triggers memories of failed best intentions to quiet my mind. I have a very noisy mind.

Spring has arrived. Every morning I walk past rows of yellow daffodils, an abundant array of colorful tulips, and blossoming plums trees. In my own garden plants I see my blackberry bush reemerging. Although, the Himalayan blackberry is an invasive species and grows easily, the plant still needs attention in order for us to enjoy the fruit. Last August, I observed so many blackberries on bush near my house -- some were even rotting. Excited about collecting the blackberries, I returned a few days later, with a bucket in hand, to find the blackberries shriveled, hard, and pruning. There was a hardly a good blackberry to be found. Across the walkway though, where there was a lot of foot traffic, and where berries were picked regularly, the bushes were producing plump and abundant berries.

“You are ending a recent and significant underground-type of journey but the good news is that it ends with Friday’s solar eclipse/new moon. Above ground you go!

People often ask me which yoga mat is the best, and while I can answer that question with absolute certainty for me, I think you have to consider all the variables.

What I’m about to say is going to sound ironic, since you’re reading this on your phone or computer and this is me talking: GET OFF THE INTERNET!!

So with this New Moon, New Season, New Astrological calendar and a Solar Eclipse upon us, I have to say that EPIC TRANSITIONS is the only theme that can encapsulate this week. I’m offering up this blog a few days early so you can all buckle up and get ready. This is a big one!

A lot has been happening on this side of the screen and honestly, I’ve had to have a lot of patience with myself while I traverse, once again, into some new skin.

Spring is almost here. The grass is getting greener, the days longer and brighter and the weather is getting warmer. This change in season is the perfect time to reawaken and rejuvenate from a long winter of hibernating indoors. This is a perfect time to bring back freshness into every aspect of your life. So let's spring it on to a better way of living by clearing away all the clutter that no longer serves you and cleaning house from the inside out.

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”― Pema Chödrön, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

How can we possibly discern what is true for us and beneficial for the evolution of our soul when we are bombarded by life? And by bombarded I don’t mean that we’ve lost control some how. I just mean … sometimes life moves at the speed of light and honestly, we start to move at that speed without knowing it, and that’s not always the best thing.

In this last installment of the Fast & the Flexible series, we have reached the part of the body that brings the majority of people to yoga class, the hips and low back. We will address the glutes as well, but I rarely get a new client who openly complains that their butt hurts, at least not right away.

Travel is one of the hardest times to eat healthy. Your schedule is thrown off and it seems like the food options around you are all fat, salt and sugar. The good news is that better options are available in ways they never have been before. Here are my suggestions for how to keep from tipping the scale when you get home.

We recently posted a class called "The Power of Our Stories" featuring LIVE music by my ol' man KenK.
 


I’ve done a lot of work and training around this word “manifest”. It continues to intrigue me and excite me for sure. I mean it’s such a simple word right? Manifest… “to make clear or evident to the eye or understanding.”