Alchemy … A seemingly magical process of transformation, creation or combination. The medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the transformation of matter.
The art of transformation. The science of being. The Egyptian Science of spiritual forces and how they affect both matter and living entities.
What does this have to do with yoga? What does this have to do with breath? What does this have to do with life?
Everything. So much so that I’m not quite sure where to start.
First off, when you surrender to this power… you realize that everything happening around you is being created by your own thoughts. And you wake up to it all. Sometimes it’s almost as if my life is working in slow motion, and I think a thought and then wait for it to manifest. And now, now it’s to the point that when I witness myself falling into an old pattern, some lower vibration, I literally stop what I’m doing and ask for a do-over.
Because why? Because we can do that. We are transforming in every single breath and in every single moment. Why not be alive and awake to it all and then direct and consciously create your life, right!!
Secondly, this whole idea that yoga is at the forefront of human consciousness resonates deep within me and has become my lifestyle. Yoga: to yoke, to unite. To bring together breath, movement, thought, reaction. To release the stagnation in the body so you can begin to see with your inner knowing and cease to rely on the external world for guidance. That’s where the magic begins … going inward.
Third and most important I think is this: the heart. Om my Goddess, the heart. Sometimes when I drop into the energy of the heart, I cry. Not because of pain but because I can feel the vastness.
I love the heart. It holds it all; it holds the love, the intimacy, the compassion, the forgiveness and it holds the grief, the sorrow, the loss and all the pain you have endured and experienced since the moment you incarnated. The heart … the heart was the first thing that became YOU! The first thing that connected you to feeling. It knows all and it has it’s own “circuitry system”. We spend our lives shielding and protecting our heart; we open it and then we close it. It gets damaged and it heals.
The heart is the true alchemist of our human-being because it can alchemize everything into love. Yes, that is correct. It can do this through the breath. Visualize the heart as you inhale, expanding exponentially and when you exhale, it empties completely. Every time you do that, imagine the heart and breath massaging what’s in there; turning it into love. It will, if you allow it. If you open the heart and you surrender to its mystical possibility, it works magic.
What stops alchemy? Our mind. The illusions that we know it all. That we know better. The obligations, the responsibilities, the patterns and projections all stop the magic.
This is why I love yoga so much, although I didn’t know it until recently. It’s the movement of the body in sync with the breath; it’s the stillness of the mind amidst the busyness; it’s the radical transformation that can happen when we are open and drop into the magic of the heart.
I say try it, what have you got to lose?
By Dana Damara
“My passion on the mat is proper alignment, powerful breath and effortless flow so you feel that off your mat. Your practice becomes sacred space where you arrive to find more meaning, depth, authenticity and integrity in your life."
- Dana Damara: mother, author, yoga instructor, speaker and yogini. Visit DanaDamara.com for more inspiration from Dana.
Click here to download or stream one of Dana's YogaDownload classes!
I must admit, I’m not much of a pumpkin pie girl, I much prefer chocolate, but this nearly raw variation is heavenly.
It’s silky, creamy, rich and decadent. Free from sugar, dairy, eggs and gluten. And best of all, it tastes just like the real thing!
Enjoy and be sure to whip up some homemade vegan coconut whipped cream to go on top.
Yield: 8-12 slices
Ingredients:
2 cups raw pecans ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 6 dates, pitted and chopped (about ½ cup) ¾ tsp. vanilla extract, divided ¼ tsp. sea salt ¼ cup + 1 TB. melted coconut oil, divided 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin (about 1 ½ cup) ½ cup almond butter 2 TB. maple syrup 2 tsp. ground cinnamon ¾ tsp. ground nutmeg ½ tsp. ground ginger Pinch of ground cloves & sea salt Stevia, 10-20 drops or to taste (optional)
Directions: To make the crust, in a food processor fitted with the S blade, add pecans, shredded coconut, dates, ¼ teaspoon of vanilla, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil. Pulse until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs and pulls away from the sides of the container. Scoop the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
To make the filling, add remaining ¼ cup of melted coconut oil, pumpkin, almond butter, maple syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and spices to a food processor or blender. Blend for a couple of minutes or until silky. Once blended, taste the mixture for sweetness. To make sweeter, add 10 – 20 drops of stevia slowly until you’re happy with the flavor.
Remove chilled crust from the refrigerator and scrape filling into the crust. Use a spatula to level and smooth filling. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer back to refrigerator and let chill at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Serve with a dollop of homemade vegan coconut whipped cream.
By Julie Pelaez and Jo Schaalman
Jo Schaalman and Julie Peláez are co-authors of the book The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body, and Transform Your Life in 14 Days, a best-selling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life. Together they've lead thousands of people through their online supported cleanse through their accessible and light-hearted approach. They've been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show.
To learn more about “Jo and Jules” and to download a free e-cookbook for a sampling of the delicious food served up on the Conscious Cleanse, please visit their website.
After you make this yummy soup practice a healing yoga class with Jo or Jules:
Conscious Cleanse Detox Flow - Jo Schaalman
Heart Opening Forrest Yoga Flow - Jo Schaalman
Traditional Hot Yoga - Julie Peláez
I define it as something that takes your breath away. That makes time stand still. That fills your heart with expansion.
It feels like an abundance in life; an overflowing of love and of all resources.
It’s not free from challenges, or pains, or uncomfortable-ness. No, devotion holds everything.
Devotion gives you super-human powers to go beyond; to see clearly; to live in the realm of nothing that holds everything. To live in the unknown because in that unknown, everything makes sense. To live in the darkness knowing that the light will shine when it’s time.
Devotion breeds unconditional love, acceptance and integrity. And, it’s fueled by an inner compass that is indeed, indescribable. Our devotion defies gravity, logic, reasoning and sometimes Universal Laws. It needn’t make sense, we can’t possibly understand the “logic” of the heart because it’s more intricate that our brain, so how could we understand it?
Sometimes we are told what to be devoted to. You know, that’s really impossible because no one lives in our own personal heart of hearts. No one can hear the song of our heart except ourselves; only we know what we are devoted too. We may try to be devoted to someone else’s path or idea but really, it is our own that will keep calling us back.
We may stray, when things are blurry or we are in a state of fear or confusion. That’s okay. Because in that straying we learn; we gather, and we observe other ways of doing things. We may uncover portals into something new that sparks our heart and sends it back to it’s path.
Sometimes we stray because we are so afraid of the transparent vulnerability that comes with devotion, that we must look away. The light of devotion illuminates everything and until we are okay with this light and what shadows it creates, we will continue to live in mediocrity.
Devotion is the only way to live fully. Being devoted to a moment. To a breath. To presence. To your partner, to your children, to evolving, to expanding, to learning, to loving unconditionally.
To loving it all, without putting anything outside of that ring of love. To holding space for it all and allowing yourself to fall into everything that has brought you to this moment.
Try our Creamy Black Bean Soup with Coconut Lime Crema!
This recipe calls for dried black beans for a few reasons. For starters, dried beans don’t have the astronomical sodium levels so often dumped into the canned counterparts. Dried beans, whether bagged or bought in bulk, also don’t contain BPA (bisphenol A) or other harmful chemicals used in the canning process. We also have more control over seasoning with dried beans. And let’s face it…they just taste better.
If you’ve shunned beans in the past because they’re too hard on your belly, consider soaking and rinsing the dried beans. Doing so helps to eliminate the natural acids and enzymes that make it harder for our bodies to digest and absorb their nutrients.
Try soaking them and you may have a whole new experience!
Since we believe clean, healthy eating doesn’t have to be all or nothing, I’ve also included a canned bean, stovetop variation that can be simmered in a short amount of time. Just make sure to check can labels for “low-sodium” and “BPA-free.”
No matter which recipe variation you’re using, make sure to whip up some coconut lime “crema” to drizzle over your soup. You may not believe it yet but you may never go back to that dollop of dairy.
Sort through dried beans and discard any foreign debris or broken beans. Pour dried beans into a bowl and cover with water by a couple inches. Soak beans for at least an hour or, better yet, overnight.
In a large crock pot, add onion, carrots, garlic, vegetable stock, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Drain and rinse beans well. Add beans to the crock pot and cook on high for about 6 hours or until beans are soft and creamy. Add more stock as necessary.
Once beans are cooked thoroughly, turn the slow cooker off. Remove bay leaves and add sea salt, thyme, ½ cup cilantro, and apple cider vinegar. Stir together. If desired, use an immersion blender (or blend in an upright blender in batches) until the soup is as chunky or creamy as you prefer. Add more stock to thin a too chunky soup.
To make the coconut lime crema, add coconut milk to a medium bowl. Pouring slowly, whisk in lime juice. Add zest and stir to mix.
Serve each bowl of soup with a few spoonfuls of crema and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Variation: In a time pinch? Using canned beans can speed up the soup making process! Substitute dried beans with 2 large cans (25-29oz) of low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed well. Begin by adding vegetable stock, carrots, and onions to a large pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are softened. Then add rinsed beans, garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add fresh thyme, cilantro, and apple cider vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes more. Serve with coconut lime crema and fresh cilantro.
There's nothing more grounding than cradling a warm bowl of soup. Enjoy!
Here are a few ideas to keep you motivated and feeling good, no matter how cold it is outside:
FALL
Watching trees change from green to all shades of yellow, orange and red is so beautiful! The air isn’t hot and sticky anymore. Instead, it’s brisk and refreshing. That makes Fall the PERFECT TIME for outdoor exercise. The temps are just right for biking, running, or hiking. Even some crazy people love this weather for kayaking and canoeing (it’s a little too chilly to me for THAT but whatever floats YOUR boat – ha!). Even getting out to a farmer’s market or pumpkin patch with the kids can be exercise and entertainment all rolled into one. If you’re looking for more grown-up entertainment, go to a winery and take a tour of the vineyard before you settle down with a bottle of chardonnay and a cheese board, take a tour of the winery or just stroll through the vines. Do anything and everything you can to soak up the sunshine and the fresh air before winter sets in.
Fall is also a great time to test out those root veggie recipes you read about during the summer. Farmers’ markets are coming to the end of their seasons, with fresh produce plants fading with each chilly night, but you still have time to supplement your meals with green veggies if the recipes don’t turn out as you intended.
WINTER
The cool air of Fall gets me excited for the first snowfall of the season, which can come as early as September here in Boulder. Cold and snow is no excuse for hiding inside. There is so much to do outside!!
I moved to Boulder from LA. I didn’t waste a minute thinking about how much I might hate winter (I’d be dumb to hate winter and move to Colorado!). Instead, I learned how to snowboard and I loved it. I drove up to (insert city here) every weekend to go snowboarding! It was so much fun and it got me through the first several winters. Another fun thing I discovered about winter in Colorado is how many people have heated pools and will swim all year round! It is SOOOO pretty to swim around in a warm pool with snowflakes falling all around you. And there are a ton of cold weather outdoor activities.There’s ice skating, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, or just going for a long walk in the snow can be pretty challenging! You can build snowmen with your kids.
I’m not much of a tea drinker during the summer, but when it gets cold, that’s when I love to dive into my tea collection, or find new concoctions to try. It’s like I have a whole different palette when it gets cold out.
If you’re a fashionista, you have a whole different wardrobe to dive into. For me, digging out my winter clothes is almost like going shopping – I get to wear all the stuff I’ve had packed away all spring and summer. And these days the styles are SO CUTE! There’s every cut of jeans imaginable, warm, fuzzy sweaters that aren’t all big and bulky, and there are so many styles of boots.
“IT’S TOO COLD!!”
Maybe you know that you are not cut out for cold weather. Don’t sit around and complain about it – plan a winter vacation to go somewhere warm so you have something to look forward to, to get you through the cold months.
And don’t make ‘it’s cold out’ an excuse for not exercising – there is plenty you can do in the comfort and warmth of your home to keep active and you don’t even need equipment to do most of it. You know you don’t need to leave the house to do yoga. How about doing some stretches? Play hide and go seek with your kids, crank up the sound system and dance!
If you really suffer from seasonal dysmorphic disorder, invest in some full-spectrum light bulbs for your house. They can be pricey, but they seem to really help people during the months when there’s less sunlight and isn’t a happy state of mind worth it? Your indoor plants will love it too!
Changing seasons is really rough for some. Take the time while it’s still nice out get out into the crystal clear sunshine and soak it up while you can.
I’ve just given you some tips for enjoying the weather, no matter how cold it is. How do you keep yourself active through the cold months?
XO Hayley
Originally published on Positively Positive.
By Hayley Hobson
With her unique specialization in the combination and complement of pilates, nutrition and yoga, Hayley offers a cocktail of lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results. Hayley is a columnist for Yoganonomus, Positively Positive, Mindbodygreen and Elephant Journal and has been featured in Pilates Style Magazine, Bridal Guide, Natural Health Magazine and Triathlete Magazine. She currently lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, former world-ranked triathlete, Wes Hobson and their two beautiful daughters, Makenna and Madeline. Read more about Hayley and check out her new book at HayleyHobson.com
Shake the chills with Hayley's soul-warming classes:
Core Yoga 4
What is i-Pad Reboot and Recharge? i-Pad Reboot and Recharge is a relaxation technique where you focus on closing down the applications you have running in your mind and body, leaving you refreshed, recharged and revitalized.
How does it help me? Have you ever left your i-Pad or other device (i-Pod, computer, phone etc.) on all day and night and not recharged it? The battery ran out, right? Well, people are not much different. Our minds and bodies are very busy machines that work really hard; to keep them functioning at an optimal level, we need to unplug and rest up every now and then.
By mentally scanning the entire body and visiting one area at a time, you will become aware of areas or “hot spots” where you carry tension and can consciously release these areas. Sometimes we leave apps running when we are not using them – for example: the mind might chatter away when we are trying to sleep or focus on something! This technique teaches you the skills required to be in control and enjoy a deeply meditative and relaxing experience for the mind and the body. Reboot and Recharge!
How do I do it?
WE need to close down your apps and charge you up so you will feel like new again. Let’s journey through the apps and close each one down by focusing on it and allowing it to relax.
Tips:
By Lisa Roberts
Lisa Roberts E-RYT 200, RCYT, and Certified Children's Yoga Therapist, has worked in the pediatric wellness field since 2006. The founder and director of YoYo Yoga Therapy (www.yoyoyogatherapy.com) she works with individual clients and small groups on a regular basis, and teaches at a variety of family and youth support centers in the Saint Louis area including a major children’s hospital where she founded the yoga therapy program offering yoga, meditation and relaxation to patients, patient siblings, parents/families and staff. Lisa also offers professional trainings on Kids Adaptive Yoga for professionals who work with children. She is the author of Breathe, Chill - A Handy Book of Games and Techniques Introducing Breathing, Relaxation and Meditation to Kids and Teens.
Reboot & Recharge with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Chakra Awareness Meditation - April Laliberte Counting Meditation - Danielle Diamond
Here’s an alarming statistic: Sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine!
It’s no wonder it feels nearly impossible to just say NO! The fact is that refined sugar is addictive because people get hooked on the “high” they get when they eat it. Sugar literally releases the same neurotransmitters that are released in drug addicts when they get their fix.
In my opinion, sugar is worse than cocaine, heroine and meth combined because it’s so readily available and widely accepted in our culture. Over 80% of packaged foods in American grocery stores contain sugar!
To boot, sugar is deeply ingrained in our culture. We use sugary treats in all our celebrations. We use it to show our love and appreciation. We even have holidays that revolve around it!
Which brings me to Halloween – the perfect time to look at all the ways sugar is not so sweet to us.
There are literally hundreds of scientific reasons to kick the sugar habit but below are my top 10 favorites. This sweet stuff is wrecking havoc on our bodies. Not convinced? Try going off it for just two weeks and feel the difference for yourself.
Along the way you may need some alternatives to help wean you off the hard stuff. Try our favorite Decadent Raw Brownies or Jo’s Pumpkin Fudge. Increase the amount of sweet fruits and veggies you’re eating–things like Granny Smith apples and baked sweet potatoes.
10 Reasons to Just Say No to Sugar
Now it’s your turn. Are you addicted to sugar? How are you getting your fix? Are you ready to ditch sugar for good? Leave me a comment below.
Julie Peláez and Jo Schaalman
Pump up your cravings for health with a class by Jo and Jules:
Just as you cannot prepare a meal when the counter is full of dirty dishes, most people cannot be truly productive and creative when their lives, houses, and places of work are messy. Our external world is a mirror for our inner environment. Organizing your home and life makes it easier to understand what's really going on, outside and inside you. Give yourself more time, more mental clarity, a more comfortable home and office, and a more productive and orderly life by implementing some organizing strategies.
Strategies for Space Success
In our overly-complicated world, simplicity if key. Once you get a taste of a clean desk, clear foyer, and the ability to find what you are looking for right away, you will understand the healing power of order. The time and mental energy saved by having an organized space will allow you to be more creative and productive than you would have imagined. Clear your space, clear your mind, and clear your life.
By Ron McDiarmid
Ron McDiarmid is the founder of My Healthy Living Coach. Having had health challenges along the way Ron was keen to share the research and learning he gathered. Through MHLC this continued into a current presentation of healthy lifestyle choices and how to implement them. Check out his website at www.myhealthylivingcoach.com.
Clear space with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Funky Fresh Creative Flow - Channing Grivas Rest & Rejuvenate - Celest Pereira
Most things I tried just sent me even more out of balance and way out of touch with my inner knowing, creative instinct, and natural desires. It always felt like there were too many things "out there" that had to be managed, fixed, or sorted out first, always leaving me craving that balance and alignment that I somehow knew was possible. My life was a lot like a spinning top. It would spin and spin and spin. When it got out of balance, it would waiver and rock on the edge, never quite finding its center. It might feel the same way in your life.
If you never find that balance, that center, that alignment with your true self - you will always feel out of balance. On the verge of tipping over again and again. But there are those moments that you finally find that stillness within the movement. Those moments can be expanded! Life will always keep moving around you, but you can feel grounded and supported exactly where you are so that the outer world won’t impact you as much. In fact, the outer world will start to look like a much friendlier and more beautiful place to be.
Yoga is one way to find that stillness through movement. Through relaxing. Through breathing. Through simply being alive. There is no one to please. There is no one to impress. There is nothing to fear. It’s that feeling you get when you are all alone, sitting on the edge of the ocean or walking out in the woods.
There is no one there to tell you who to be or what to do. There is nothing reminding of your to-do lists and schedule. There is nowhere that you need to be.
Just you.
It’s quiet. You can hear the wind blowing and the leaves dancing. Mostly, you can hear the faint sound of your own breath moving in and out. My question for today is, who are you in those moments? Are you able to be kind to yourself? Do you smile silently and think of all the wonderful things in your life? Are you gentle with yourself, even when you feel like you’ve been doing everything wrong?
The world will always try to spin you in a million different directions. There will be news stories that break your heart, mistakes that hurt your self-esteem and moments that you just don’t feel like the person you want to be. Choosing to align with your True Self means letting go of all the reasons why you aren’t good enough. It means discovering all the little things that make you uniquely beautiful. It also means letting other people express their own selves, free to discover their own path to happiness, without the judgment and criticism.
So today, be gentle with yourself.
There is so much you might not get done. There are goals you might not achieve. There is so much you could find wrong with your life/body/self. Just for today, in fact, just for this moment, be gentle with yourself. Let yourself center back into stillness -- that place in between your thoughts.
You see, as beautiful as our lives can be, sometimes we need to be reminded that we deserve a little space every once and a while. And you know what? For me and so many others I know, the minute we choose to find that still place inside ourselves, we have way more energy to move through life the way we've always wanted to.
My invitation for you today is a breath or some simple yoga poses to reconnect. A deep, cleansing, purifying, balancing breath with movement - to bring you back into alignment with your True Self. The type of breath you would take if you were on the edge of the world looking towards the horizon…with a quiet knowing that everything will be alright in the end.
By Amber Chalus
Amber Chalus is a Free-Spirited Explorer, Lifestyle Coach and Yoga Teacher at AmberChalus.com. She currently lives in Nipawin, Saskatchewan with her charming British husband and adorable rescue dog, Indi.
Her mission is to help and inspire women to nurture their physical and spiritual health through yoga, holistic nutrition and radical self love. She believes that every woman deserves to feel connected to her body, radiate with confidence and live the life of her dreams - naturally!
You are invited to join her amazing community of spirited women and join her 30 Day Wildly Nourished Challenge.
Download a free Beautiful Morning Meditation at AmberChalus.com
Twitter: twitter.com/amberchalus Facebook: facebook.com/amberchalus Instagram: instagram.com/amberchalus
This article was edited by Tara Nasira.
Practice inward kindness with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Gentle Hatha Yoga 1 - Jackie Casal Mahrou Rise and Shine Yoga - Elise Fabricant
Our bodies need to relax, so we search for yoga and wellness retreats, vacation spots and spas, we read countless articles about wellness and relaxation without ever acting on them, all while hoping to find and achieve inner Zen. But how? A friend of mine just wrote about “Balancing your life with yoga” and she made some interesting points about how yoga and life are alike. Her three main points were:
Take the leap (of faith)
Don’t be afraid to fall
Be present
These are valuable lessons to learn in life but finding balance is only a part of finding the way to inner Zen. What is Zen? We always say we want to find inner Zen but what does that mean? The word Zen is ultimately derived of the Sanskrit word dhyāna which can be translated to mean “absorption” and “meditative state”. Taken a bit further, Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that goes back to the 6th century and emphasizes insight into Buddha nature and ultimately into the daily life especially those of others. While this may sound basic, if you think about it, it is a profound teaching.
How do I achieve Zen? To achieve Zen you first have to understand it. The history and background of Zen comes with a lot of doctrine and reading into the depths of the teachings dating back ages. Zen is not something that can be put in words because the ultimate goal behind Zen is to achieve a state of enlightenment and understanding by the way we gain insight into our life and the life around us. “Our enlightenment is timeless, yet our realization of it occurs in time.” This quote simplifies and yet amplifies the message. We are always enlightened but it takes us time and steps and a conscious attempt to realize it. One of the most important things to note about achieving Zen is the fact that it cannot be done without observing oneself as well as and more importantly others. To find the good, understand the bad, grow based on your observations and find peace and understanding within life and encourage others to do the same.
How do I translate this into my life? Mediation and breathing techniques using the lotus position are an important aspect to Zen. Meditation is used to take a step back and rediscover oneself. Think of it in terms of learning in depth who you are and taking the good you see and building on that, then taking the bad and consciously deciding against it and becoming a better person who is more aware. Breathing is important because it always you to focus on just the breaths you take, it frees your mind and relaxes your body. When you are relaxed and not bogged down with the worries of every day stresses you can concentrate on what is truly important. Peace, love and understanding. Some practitioners chant sutras such as the Heart as part of their path to enlightenment. It serves to connect with oneself.
But what if we are busy and don’t have time for all this? Then you are like me and many others who need to find their focal point of peace and freedom. You don’t need to spend hours upon hours trying to find true enlightenment (if you can by all means go for it) but rather look at the teachings as a tool to utilize. Take time in the morning and at night even as little as 20 minutes. Find a quiet place, sit, breathe, relax, let your mind run free, observe your thoughts, explore yourself, draw strength from within you and calm thyself. As you go through your daily life, remember to observe others and practice good living. Be kind, be thoughtful, be generous and humble. Be the person that you can be happy with and the person that will influence others with a positive light. Take care of your body and soul, meditate, practice yoga and give your body healthy nutrition. Know that you will make mistakes and know that the journey to self discovery, enlightenment and Zen is a continuous one.
The art of finding inner Zen lies within the ability to find peace and purpose within anything. It requires letting go of hurt, pain and negativity and consciously choosing positivity. Then you will be at peace and find your inner Zen.
By Deanna Ayres
Deanna Ayres is the Community Outreach Supervisor at the Marketing Zen Group. She is also an avid blogger and photographer who loves to write about healthy living, yoga, life, parenting, technology and about the psychology of life as we know it. If she isn’t writing or taking pictures, she is an avid gamer who spends time volunteering with her rescue dog Vic and her family. Connect with her on twitter @deanna_ayres or Google Plus.
Begin your journey toward inner zen with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga 1 - Dave Farmer Harness Your Energy - April Laliberte
I find it is the simplest way to make sure I eat well in a pinch (or a panic of raging hunger). Recipes like this take less time than a frozen pizza or a trip to the burger joint and there is no guilt or self hate when I’m done: instead just a full belly and happy cells from all those nutrients.
The entire process of washing, slicing and cooking really takes about less than 10 minutes if you have decent knife skills. Bonus time saver if you prep your veggies in advance and all you have to do is cook them.
I use simple foods that you can get at almost any supermarket. For the miso paste and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, you might have to check the natural foods section. If you can’t find the liquid aminos, you can use soy sauce or tamari.
Miso Magical Meal - Serves approximately 2
Ingredients
o 1 summer squash
o 1 zucchini
o 1 carrot
o 1 celery stalk
o 1 green bell pepper
o 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
o 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
Wash and cut all veggies. I like to cut the zucchini, summer squash and carrots into thin rounds. Cut the bell pepper open and remove the seeds and ribs. Cut into lengthwise slices. Cut the celery into thin slices. Really, just cut all the veggies the way you like them.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil and then add the carrots and sauté for about 1 min. Add in the rest of the veggies and sauté for about another 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally. Add in the sunflower seeds for 1 minute, again still turning to avoid burning.
Tip: Don’t overcook your vegetables. You risk killing all the beautiful nutrients, plus your food will be soggy. Think of them like pasta and cook your vegetables until they are al dente.
Dressing
o 1 Tablespoon Miso Paste
o 1 Tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
o 2 Tablespoons Warm Water
Mix together with a whisk until well blended. Do NOT use boiling water, it will kill the nutrients in the Miso paste. Pour over the cooked veggies.
This dressing can be used for all kinds of vegetable dishes. Consider adding ginger or garlic for a little more pep.
Fun Food Fact
Miso is a powerhouse for a healthy body. I’m sure by now you’ve heard all about the benefits of probiotics for a healthy digestive system. Well, miso paste is a great way to get some probiotics. This is a super duper option if you don’t eat yogurt. It’s also high in Zinc, Manganese and Copper. It’s miso healthy. (Remember how funny I believe that I am?)
By Jessica Wyman
Jessica Wyman is a Certified Nutrition Coach and Yoga Teacher at Jessica-Wyman.com. She has authored two books available on Amazon, Finding Your Foxy and Girlfriends Organic Kitchen.
She believes that women are created by everything they eat, drink, breathe and believe and that concept is the cornerstone of the Wildly Nourished programs she co-created. As a clean eating foodie and wellness maven, she teaches healthy living without the complicated rituals by focusing on simple ingredients to create your ideal life (and meals).
Join Jessica’s FREE 5-day lifestyle program at Jessica-Wyman.com
Connect with Jessica at:
Facebook: facebook.com/jessicawymanwellness Instagram: Instagram.com/wymanjessica Twitter: twitter.com/wymanjessica Pinterest: pinterest.com/jessicafwyman
Compliment your Miso Magical Meal with the following majestic YogaDownload Classes:
Kali Flow - Invoke the Fire - Jeanie Manchester Shakti Rising - Alex Cordoba
A primary step in replenishing the system and restoring the “prana” is through herbs and one of the main herbs in Ancient Ayurvedic medicine is Gotu Kola.
Gotu Kola is also known as “Brahmi”, which is derived from Hinduism meaning the “Brahman”. For the unfamiliar, “The Brahman” is the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world. In Sanskrit, it is Sat-cit-ananda, which is being-consciousness-bliss and is the highest of realities.
Throughout its history, Brahmi has been one of the more important herbs when it comes to herbal medicine. In India, the herb was used with newborn children, with the wide held belief being that the herb would cause the child to become more open minded and intelligent; essentially Brahmi was actually believed to free the mind of the child.
Additionally, the herb was well known and used by the great sages of Indian philosophy, who appropriately gave it its name, which means ‘knowledge’. Charaka, Ayurveda’s third legendary physician, who identifies the seasons and times of day when a particular plant’s medicinal powers achieve their maximum potency, states that the true value of brahmi lies in its outstanding performance against senile decay and loss of memory, and its capacity for enhancing verbal articulation.
One interesting piece of evidence for its effectiveness is given by Appa Rao in Medicinal Plants of India: “A double blind clinical test was conducted on thirty mentally retarded children, who were free from epilepsy and other neurological conditions, to study the effect of the drug extracted from Brahmi on general mental ability. The results indicated a significant improvement in both general ability and behavioral patterns when the drug was administered for a short period of twelve weeks.”
Brahmi and the yogi/yogini
Brahmi is an important supplement for yogis and improves meditation. A dosage of brahmi taken before meditation is a great aid in this practice. It helps to awaken the crown chakra at the top of the head (sahasrara), and balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Brahmi is one of the best herbs for balancing and rejuvenating the whole mind and consciousness system.
Beyond just being a great adaptogenic herb for the mind, Brahmi also enhances the immune system, increases hair and nail growth, strengthens the adrenals, aids in digestion, increases fertility, accelerates the healing of wounds, helps to cleanse the skin and the blood, and balances all three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha).
About the plant
Brahmi, a plant from the Umbelliferae family, is the Sanskrit name for the Indian pennywort, also known as khulakudi in Hindi. In the dictionary of herbs it is known as somavati or saraswati. It is a so-called ‘weed’ which is found growing wild in marshlands and reservoirs, and near the banks of rivers and lakes all over India and South Africa.
This herb creeps along the ground, rooting at the nodes, and has small light green leaves fluted around the edges. In taste it resembles parsley, but unlike parsley it is slightly bitter. The entire plant, especially the leaves, is used for medicinal purposes.
It is perhaps the most important nervine herb used in Ayurvedic medicine.
References
Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
Charaka Samhita- Wikipedia
By Johnny Bailik
Johnny Andrew Gigliotti Bailik is the Founder of Ancient Botanicals with the mission to awaken the public to the ancient healing powers of herbs and plants. Ancient Botanicals is dedicated to brining about bodily health and spiritual wellness in all acts of the company. Johnny holds a BFA degree in Fine Art & Advertising and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Johnny has been a life-long student to herbal plants & medicine and is part of a long lineage of healers and teachers Johnny has worked with Amgen Pharmaceuticals, American Botanical Pharmacy, Deutsch Advertising and United Future to name a few companies. He is an avid mountain biker, snowboarder, yoga practitioner, runner, and cross-fit athlete. Read more on his website: ancientbotanicals.com or be social with Ancient Botanicals on Facebook and Pinterest.
After supplementing with Brahmi, explore its great benefits with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Lalita Flow - The Marriage of In & Out Breath - Jeanie Manchester Clearing Your Energetic Space - Nancy Nielsen
If it hasn't been noticed in life yet, fear feeds off of fear, anger off of anger, love off of love, laughter off of laughter. You get the idea. So how do we remain true to ourselves, our beliefs, and our daily practices when we are thrown off of life's teeter totter by others who can't keep their shit together?
By Meredith Cameron
Learning that she and we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for, Meredith Cameron creates space for students to reach out, dig deeper, and not take themselves too seriously. An advocate for creating the life we live, Meredith is influenced by her teachers, Shannon Paige and Nancy Kate Rau, what the world throws on her lap, her travels, and her daily interactions with others. All of this, infuses freedom into her teachings, allowing students to feel their own sense of empowerment. Visit www.mcameronyoga.com/blog.
Keep your shit together with the following YogaDownload Classes:
It's Been a Long Day - Celest Pereira Yoga to Unwind - Kylie Larson
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We love fall and the wild mix of hot sunny days and cold nights. Although getting dressed this time of year can cause a girl’s head to spin (especially here in Colorado where it could be 70° one moment and then snowing the next), there’s nothing quite like dusting off last year’s leather boots and bundling up in a cozy sweater.
Fall also marks nature’s last bountiful harvest and that means it’s time to start enjoying apples and pears! When shopping for apples and pears, it’s best to buy organic since both are on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list.
Today we’re celebrating Fall with a Pear Party Smoothie!
At first glance you might be skeptical wondering about the cinnamon in this recipe, but I promise you that it won’t disappoint. Cinnamon gives this green smoothie a nice warm kick and it’s full of health-promoting properties. Did you know that cinnamon is one of the best ways to ward off stomach bugs and the flu? Cinnamon is a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal so it will destroy all the bad bacteria in your gut if you’ve been exposed. It’s also a great way to help strengthen your immune system and stabilize blood sugar. Cinnamon is also a warming agent, which can help build digestive fire and keep you warm in the cooler months.
Enjoy this fall green smoothie recipe and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section below.
Yields: 1 quart Ingredients:
Directions: In a high-speed blender, blend pear, banana, avocado, spinach, romaine lettuce, cinnamon, water, and stevia until creamy.
With love and cinnamon-spiced pears,
Jo & Jules
All of these heroes start out with the most essential quality we can identify: they start out as ordinary and exactly like us. Every hero in every story begins as we begin...making a human life under human circumstances with human fears and struggles. We recognize this in the face of every hero. But, then something in the story shifts. The hero receives a call. For Neo, it literally is a phone call from his mentor, Morpheus. For Charlie Bucket, it’s the discovery of the golden ticket in the bar of chocolate. For William Wallace, it’s witnessing the brutality of the English soldiers toward his new wife. The call may be subtle. It may be violent. It may be joyful or it may be tragic. But, the call always comes; and as watchers of the story, we all know what happens next.
The hero must answer the call. What begins the movement of the hero from ordinary human being to transcending mere humanness is this initial step toward their own hero’s journey. In one way or the other, the hero answers “yes” to their own call. It may be an ecstatic “Yes!” as in the case of Charlie Bucket, an angry “yes” as in the case of William Wallace, or they may go kicking and screaming toward their adventure as Neo does. Either way, the hero must absolutely answer this call and begin, otherwise they remain stuck in their own meager, deteriorating circumstance. This would be detrimental not only to their personal growth—as in, the hero would never actually become the hero at all—but, also to those of us who are inspired by these stories. Without the hero’s initial brave step toward their journey we would have no example of what it means to transcend our own fear, boredom, mundanity or exhaustion. We would have no shining illustration of what it means to pursue our own heroic path because each of us is meant to become the hero of our story, to discover our own unique gifts and cross over our very own thresholds from ordinary to extraordinary by following our bliss. Joseph Campbell’s most famous statement, “Follow your bliss, (Power of Myth, 120)” illustrates saliently the sentiment behind the call to adventure. It is our bliss, which is already active inside of us, that calls out, challenging us to realize our fullest potential. This bliss point is encoded within us—whether we believe it to be encoded in our DNA or a part of our own soul’s journey—it is the call that inspires us to step up and become fully realized human beings. When we respond to that call, we enthusiastically affirm our own life and all of its trials and joys, we fully inhabit our own body and revivify our existence moving from the ordinary to the extraordinary and transcendant. The doldrums and boredom of a meaningless existence comes from an inability to recognize this life-affirming practice while turning away from our own inevitable inner call to adventure. And the call will come. Our journey is inevitable. The path is already beset before us based on our own unique circumstances and all the choices we have made throughout our lives. Joseph Campbell described the personal journey in relation to the Arthurian legends where before dinner, it was customary to have an adventure. The knights set off toward the dark forest, but it was thought to be a cop out to enter into the forest at the point anyone else had already entered. Each knight knew that he must embark on his own adventure, and slay his own dragon in order to retain the honor of a knight at court. Campbell says, “You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there is a way or path, it is someone else’s path. If you follow someone else’s way, you are not going to realize your potential. (Reflections on the Art of Living, Campbell, 19)” If Charlie Bucket had gone the way of all the other children, he would have blown up like a blueberry, been sucked up by the chocolate vortex or fallen down the chute like a rotten egg. Charlie has to make his own decisions based on his own life and circumstances. All heroes do. Including us. But, it’s hard to answer the call. Many of us will shy away from the initial telephone ring, as Neo does when he surrenders into the hands of the agents. Answering the call means beginning a journey into unknown territory—the dark forest of the Arthurian legends—which is the unknown matter of our own psyche. There are magical forces buried within there, but there are also monsters and dragons. The proverbial forest is fraught with danger, but it is also where we find the grand mystery. While the call to adventure is a signifier that it is time to leave the relative comfort of our day-to-day existence, it is also the beginning of a journey into the great unknown. This can be an incredibly daunting endeavor even for the most staunch heroes, which is why many heroes refuse the initial call. However, the only reason anyone refuses the call is that they are scared of what their journey will entail and what it will reveal to them. It will require the hero to step outside of the boundaries of their current comfort and convenience. It will ask them to bring forth all that is within them—both their positive qualities, and those they’re not proud of. And it will reveal to them the meaning of their own existence and bring to life their greatest fears as well as their greatest potential. The journey into the dark forest is often scary. And, truth be told: fear is the hero’s greatest enemy. This is not a new or uncommon motif in the history of humanity. Everyone gets scared sometimes. Many of the world’s oldest philosophical and mythological texts suggest that fear is at the source of the limited, encumbered ways of thinking that prevent us from fully manifesting our potential and journeying into the deep dark forest of our own psyche to embark upon our journey. In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Jesus says, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you. (Pagels 20)” The work of every hero is to accept the call to adventure, which is really an internal call, one that asks the hero to delve deeply into the dark forest within to bring forth their own greatest gifts. When Neo is called by Morpheus to become “the one,” it is his internal transformation into that state of being that makes him the hero of the story. It is the way with all heroes, but this journey leads us into realms we’ve never even attempted to explore, and so it is often tempting to ignore the call and continue along our misguided, disconnected course because the idea of venturing forth into the unknown is often more fear inducing than remaining stuck in our current realm. However, refusing the call because of fear brings great detriment to the potential hero. When we refuse our adventure—and we will only refuse it because of fear—we are haunted by what could have been and get muddled in negativity. Fear and angst grow inside of us and we are rendered incapable of living out our own personal mythology. Our story becomes stuck inside and like a wound in the mouth that would heal if only we could stop tonguing it, our personal mythology festers and continues to knock at the door of our imagination. The internal struggle becomes more pronounced the more fervently the call is refused. When we refuse the call, we refuse the expansion of the mystery, the numinous, the encoded DNA, and the infinite potential that lives within. Campbell says, “The myths...make clear that the refusal is essentially a refusal to give up what one takes to be one’s own interest. (49)” The refusal is fueled only by fear–be it a fear of change, a fear of (literal or metaphorical) death, or a fear of being alone. All fears are rooted in the same place. While traditional wisdom (both eastern and western) would likely tell us that the greatest fear we have is the fear of death, there is a deeper, more pervasive fear even beyond that: the fear of disconnection or aloneness. True disconnection is the greatest fear, as it leaves us isolated from everything that we know, everything that we love or have loved and everything we believe ourselves to be. Disconnection leaves us lost within the void. It renders us without a lifeline or anchor to all that vivifies us. As social creatures, humans are hardwired to need connection with others in order to maintain their wellbeing. Without it, we suffer greatly both physically and emotionally as disconnection leads to apathy, boredom, stress and anxiety which are at the root of much disease in our population. These days, to try and stifle this debilitating disconnection we have numbed it by becoming the most medicated, addicted and overweight adult cohort in human history (Brown, web). The disease of disconnection is systemic within anyone who remains gripped by fear. The two go hand in hand. The remedy is to discover the source of connection from within. The folly of fear is that it leads us away from our innermost bliss point—the core connectedness of our being. To journey back into this inner state is to realize that disconnection is actually an illusion and that there is a part of us that is always connected to a source, no matter what we call it—our ancestors, our soul, collective unconscious, the universe—there is a place within us that is illimitable and ever-sustaining. If we can only make contact with it, we will have alleviated the greatest fear of all and realized that the power of our aloneness exists in infinite connections to the world around us. In order to get to this realization, a deeper part of us calls out from within to let us know that the journey must begin. This initial call to adventure might be a small, still voice in the back of our mind, or it may be a shove from the brink like a tidal wave or hurricane. No matter how the call comes—and it will come—it demands to be answered. Now, many of us will refuse this initial call to awaken what is most alive within us. Fear will grip us even more tightly as we try to settle in and hunker down inside the status quo. But, this limiting “comfort zone” will become too small. The edges of it will start pressing against us like a snail who has outgrown its shell. And, the call will come again...and again, until we stand up, answer its cry and take the first step on our own journey. At some point, all heroes must take this initial step and begin to walk their journey alone, for each of us has our own personal mythology to realize and bring forth from within. We must be willing to challenge the status quo in order to free ourselves of the shackles of a meaningless existence, to transcend a life that fails to enliven our soul. Each one of us must die to who we think we are to become what we know ourselves to be. For, if we don’t, as Campbell says, our “flowering world becomes a wasteland of dry stones, and our life feels meaningless. (49)” Whether or not we respond to the mighty call to adventure might be the most important choice we make in our lifetime. The stories that inspire us are always of heroes that have said “Yes!” to their adventure and answered their call, like Charlie Bucket, Neo and William Wallace among countless others. Each of these heroes had to enter into their personal forest at the darkest place in order to embark upon their adventure and become the ones who inspire each of us to do the same. Perhaps the greatest legacy each of us can leave behind in our own singular lifetime is to live a heroic life that inspires others to follow their own bliss. But, no one said it was going to be easy. Remember, the heroic knight always enters the forest at the darkest place. There are dragons and demons and monsters in that dark forest. We will have to tread our path alone for the darkest stretches because as Campbell says, “your adventure has to be coming right out of your own interior. (Art of Living 97)” There is no security. There are no rules. If there were, it wouldn’t be an adventure. Inevitably, when we begin to live out our own personal mythology, when we bring it forth from the shackles of our heart, we find that we must face our biggest enemies, our worst fears and the parts of ourselves long hidden from the sunlight. However, as we progress along our journey, we will find, as Campbell says, that “if you are ready for it, doors will open where there were no doors before, and where there would not be doors for anyone else. (Art of Living 97)” Then, we reveal to ourselves that the ultimate source of connection comes from the contact we make with our own bliss. And so, the journey begins.
By Alanna Kaivalya
Alanna Kaivalya has a mission: to convey a sense of joy and freedom through harmony and synchronicity, which she does beautifully through her classes, workshops, writing, and music. Alanna is known for her ability to translate the ancient practice of yoga into a modern day context. Visit Alanna's website and learn about the Kaivalya Yoga Method at AlannaK.com.
This post was originally published on alannak.com. Works Cited "Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability." Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability. Ted: Ideas Worth Spreading, Dec. 2010. Web. 08 Mar. 2013. Campbell, Joseph, and Bill D. Moyers. The Power of Myth. New York: Doubleday, 1988. Print. Campbell, Joseph, and Diane K. Osbon. A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1991. Print. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1968. Print. Pagels, Elaine H. The Gnostic Gospels. New York: Random House, 1979. Print.
A few years ago I unearthed an old school notebook I'd kept in the mid-1980s. Within its dusty pink cover, buried in its pages, I uncovered a list of yoga poses I used to practice at home. I remember setting aside about an hour, usually on a Sunday evening, and working my way through such dubiously noted poses as “trikaswami” (I think I must have meant “trikonasana”) and “swan” (probably a variation of cobra). When I rediscovered this record of my early yoga practice I had by then qualified as a yoga teacher – which was one of my aspirations at the time of the notebook. What struck me in retrospect was how randomly I had sequenced my asanas, with frequent transitions from sitting to standing and back again. I mentioned this to Shiva Rea during a teaching intensive I took with her once, and she smiled and said, “But you know what? You probably really loved your practice!” And you know what? I did.
One of the reasons I had a home yoga practice at all was that I had started to attend a free weekly yoga class at my college, and the teacher impressed upon us the importance of self sufficiency and practicing on our own in addition to the class. She even suggested a designated amount of time we should aim to hold each asana – I think it was either one minute or two, this being before the rise of “vinyasa flow”! Home yoga served me well as it cost nothing – always a bonus as a young college student – and there were barely a handful of yoga centres in London to be found.
Self practice with distance guidance from a teacher is nothing new. In his book “Yoga Body” Mark Singleton documents how the technologies of visual reproduction, printing and photography, helped to democratize hatha yoga in the first four decades of the 20th century. Among the early yoga asana self-help manuals were Yogi Ghamande's 1905 publication, “Yogasopana Purvacatuska,” in which the author even provided his address so that students could write to him with any questions. Sri Yogendra, a Bombay-based guru, was another major advocate of the demystification of yoga, offering do-it-yourself manuals such as “Hatha Yoga Simplified” in 1928. By the 1970s we had Richard Hittleman's “Yoga for Health” and Lilias Folan's “Yoga and You” on our televisions. Yoga videos gave away to DVDs, then MP3s, now apps. Of course, we can let go of the teacher all together and do our own thing, although as my early notebooks show, some initial guidance and experience can be useful!
Today there are hundreds of yoga venues and classes available in London and I now even teach at some of them. But oddly things seem to have come full circle with regards to my personal practice, as I've grown less inclined to attend group classes and more drawn to rolling out my mat at home again. For me the advantages of this approach are not to be ignored.
The first elephant in the room is money. Along with the rising price of a class there can be the additional cost of transportation or parking, and maybe you splash out on a fancy juice in the cafe afterwards. But people need to make a living and it's good for the economy to put in as well as take out, so let's move on.
There's the time. It takes time to get to and from the studio, check in and get changed, which when added on to a 90 minute yoga class can end up taking up about 3 hours of your day. That may or may not be the most efficient use of your energy. There are occasions when getting into class at a popular studio can be about as calming as checking in at the airport at the height of the summer holidays. Plus at home you don't have to stand in line for the bathroom or continually apologize for stepping on somebody's towel. You can practice the yoga you need at the time you have available. And although setting your own yoga times can be a double edged sword, it's one that helps with self discipline. When you haven't paid for the class in advance and don't have to meet up with anyone else, it can take a good deal of mental strength to show up rather than procrastinate!
Similarly, home practice challenges and strengthens our ability to focus, our work ethic and often our patience. Having trouble with that hip opening posture again? The fridge, computer and phone are right there and there's nobody watching. And when I get knocked out of a pose for the umpteenth time by my playful son, I have to remind myself that shouting at a loving, trusting five-year-old child is not very mindful.
You do need space to practice at home, but just enough for your mat. Creating a space might also create the opportunity to de-clutter or tidy up. (Oh, and a word of advice – if you do inversions at the wall, don't knock down any framed pictures. As yoga injuries go, it's an odd one, but I am speaking from experience on that one). If the weather's right, you might be able to take your mat outside into your garden or a local park and enjoy the best yoga venue in world, the open air.
I am glad my local studios are thriving. I still love to learn from other teachers and I don't think I've ever been to a class where I didn't hear something new or draw inspiration. Now when I do attend a group class I experience it as a treat and not a chore. Like going on a great vacation, it can be rejuvenating, enlightening, transformative and can thoroughly refresh our perspective. But it's always good to be home.
By Laura Denham-Jones
Laura Denham-Jones is a London-based yoga teacher. She originally trained in San Francisco with Larry Schultz and has taken numerous other trainings and yoga intensives with teachers such as Shiva Rea, Dharma Mittra, David Swenson, Tias Little, Pattabhi Jois, Baron Baptiste, Beryl Bender Birch, and Judith Lasater. Aside from teaching a dynamic style of yoga class, she is a keen runner and also teaches yoga for sports as well as Pilates. Laura has contributed to several newspapers and magazines and created yoga sequences for three books about yoga, running and triathlon. When she's not teaching yoga she's at home being a regular city dweller, catching up with friends, (and laundry), and being a mum! www.lauradenhamjones.com
Celebrate your home practice with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Get Up & Flow - Jackie Casal Mahrou Everyday Warrior - Nancy Nielsen
And you wouldn't say no to more money. A career filled with meaning and purpose.
And a family that is wildly happy, healthy and fulfilled. So do I. And so does every other woman we know. But what do you REALLY want? When you dig deeper. Go further. And feel fully into your heart. (Hint: Think your 13 year old dreams and hidden desires) Of course, we all know that each of us has a limited amount of time in this body. On this earth. With these unique passions, gifts and abilities. And each one of us wants to feel fully alive, joyful and fulfilled. Even if we say all we want is to lose weight, get more money and feel more confident. But if someone asked you, what do you really want. How would you respond? You probably reply that you are grateful and content. While under your breath, and deep in your bones you're exhausted of a life that has gone stale. Now tell me, what part of yourself do you put on mute in order to not seem....ungrateful?
I ask my clients this question all the time and while each woman is on a different part of their journey.
The one thing that never seems to change.... Is that they seriously, fiercely and adamantly don't want to admit that they want more. More love. More passion. More excitement. More abundance. More romance. More adventure. More everything. And I know exactly how that feels. Because we've all been there. We've all been convinced. Deeply and utterly convinced that our worth comes from our sacrifice, not our vibrance. And as many times as we say that we want to love ourselves... We just don't believe that it's possible. Or even allowed. Someone said it was vain. Egotistical. Obnoxious. Selfish. To care about how we look, how we feel and what we want. And we took that to believe that we wouldn't be safe if we were truly happy, fulfilled, beautiful, successful, exceptional, <insert bliss statement here>... Dimming our dreams because someone said that we had our head in the clouds.
Taking another bite of food to numb our craving to be seen and heard, when it feels like no one is listening. Scrolling aimlessly through Facebook in pursuit of that one post that will make us feel truly connected, loved and valued. Wearing clothes that feel frumpy and conservative, because we are afraid of what people would say if we wore something wildly us. We even do it to each other. Many time's we don't mean to. But often we will say things that might drag someone back down to earth. Dimming their light, in an attempt to feel less dim our selves.
A friend tells you her great news. You tell her that you read something awful in the news this week.
You see someone succeeding doing something you dream of doing. You search for their every fault. They can't be that good. They just can't.
Someone has more confidence, a fitter body, thriving business etc. and all you can think is, well it's WAY easier for her because........ And of course, these thoughts get us nowhere but tangled deep in a state of desperation and negativity. Whether it's pulling ourselves down because we don't want look too ambitious or dragging down others to keep from recognizing where we let ourselves down. It's time to ask yourself. For the one thing you've been avoiding. Now close your eyes. Take the deepest, fullest, luscious breath in. Exhale and let your mind get quiet. Leave your day behind. I beg of you. LET IT GO. And then ask yourself, from the bottom of your precious heart....
What do I REALLY want? Now tell me, what does the real, authentic and wildly feminine <<First Name>> want?
What would your life look like if she were open to it getting EVEN BETTER?
What would her body look like if it was safe to feel feminine, beautiful and exquisite no matter what?
What would she wear?
Where would she live?
Where would she go?
Who would she be? Comment below with your answer right now. Proclaim it. Allow it. Invite it into your life. Because you deserve to have that life and the only thing that is really stopping you is you.
Amber Chalus is a Free-Spirited Explorer, Certified Health Coach and Professional Yoga Teacher at AmberChalus.com. She currently lives in Nipawin, Saskatchewan with her charming British husband and adorable rescue dog, Indi.
Connect with Amber: Twitter: twitter.com/amberchalus Facebook: facebook.com/amberchalus Instagram: instagram.com/amberchalus
Make room for your DESIRES with the following YogaDownload Classes:
The Power of Your Intention - Nancy Nielsen Alanna Kaivalya Live - Bundle 11
"The problem is not desire. It's that your desires are too small." - Sri Nisargadatta
Remember that morning about a month ago, when you woke up late, in full freak-out mode because your alarm didn’t go off? In the first few seconds of your eyes being open, you realized that your entire day was going to be totally screwed. You were going to miss that traffic window when it’s not a complete disaster and that 9am meeting. You spent the next 30 minutes racing around like a chicken with its head chopped off getting yourself and the kids dressed, bookbags packed, lunch money handed out (cause there was no time to make them, you were lucky they got breakfast). Your heart raced, half the things you needed to get done weren’t, you missed things at work, wound up with whatever you could forage at the ofice for breakfast, which was a heck of a lot less healthy than your usual smoothie. The entire rest of the day felt out of sync. You were exhausted before the day had even begun.
Still disagree that what happens in the morning sets the tone of your day?
For me, if I’m not settled and my day starts off on the wrong foot, there is no hope of recovering. The whole day is going to be a mess. Now, I know there are things I can’t control, like traffic, the weather or other people missing appointments, but it’s critical that I do everything I can to make sure that I get my day started in a way that will set me up for success.
A few weeks ago, I asked you on Facebook how you start your day. I got back some great answers that I thought I would share, including how I start my own.
My day does not begin without essential oils and taking care of my skin. This is a necessity for me; if I don’t manage my well being, things go downhill fast. I never leave my bedroom without my morning skin care care routine of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. I’ve also dealt with IBS symptoms for years, so I don’t step foot out of my bedroom without using my protocol for my digestive system including a little frankincense under my tongue, among other things. I can’t even think about facing the day until those two things are taken care of.
Once my face and my digestive system are taken care of, I will go downstairs, let the dog out and do a quick sweep of the house to straighten it up. It’s really important to have a clean, neat environment so that I’m not distracted by it or lose time looking for things in it. I tend to go to bed before the rest of the family, and I have to say, it’s amazing how much damage they can do after I go to bed! A morning sweep ensures everything is where it needs to be so I can get done what I have to. It goes a long way to help reduce stress in my day. Then, I check email and get some work done on the computer before anybody else is up.
When the initial scan of email is done, I make a superfood mix smoothie with peppermint oil, raw cacao, maca powder, banana, almond butter, pour myself a huge bottle of water that I’ll carry around with me for the day and then I am out the door for a workout. Having the right balance of nutrition starting with the first thing you put in your mouth for the day is so important to being able to maintain your energy throughout the day and will support your body when the stress starts to hit. I cannot stress this enough – Good nutrition takes some planning and you want to make sure your day starts off right. Start your day with sugar cereal and you’re going to have a mess on your hands.
So, what are some of YOUR suggestions?
There were lots of votes for green smoothies, lemon water – both warm and cold and lots of fresh fruit and veggies, some with a little protein added. Great suggestions.
There are several coffee drinkers among you, which isn’t bad as long as you keep it to one cup with as little milk or sugar as possible (I would prefer to see you kick the cream-and-sugar habit altogether but I know enough not to mess with people’s coffee!), and make sure to drink plenty of water after to rehydrate what the caffeine steals.
Another GREAT suggestion was oil pulling. Swilling around a teaspoon of coconut oil (or any other oil if you don’t like coconut) for about 20 minutes daily is an ancient Ayurvedic method that is said to pull toxins out of your body. It is also said to help with cavities and plaque. It whitens your teeth and they feel great when you’re done brushing in the morning – even one of the ladies from my marketing team said it curbs her appetite!
Taking a probiotic first thing in the morning is another good one. You want to take a probiotic on an empty stomach and wait about 45 minutes before eating so try to make it the very first thing you do. By the time you’ve had your shower, gotten dressed and the kids going, 45 minutes has flown by, and the probiotic has had a chance to do its thing, balance out your gut. Our modern lives wreak havoc on our digestive system and a good probiotic is a great preventative measure.
Finally, what a perfect way to create a calm mind and get your heart rate and metabolism up for the entire day, than with some yoga.
Setting yourself up to win the well-being game really does start the moment you wake up. If you get into a routine that will support the rest of your day, you’ll have more energy, be calmer and have the strength to make it to at least Happy Hour!
TIP:
Take baby steps. If you know you have to revamp your morning routine, pick ONE thing to change at a time! For example, start off by keeping a water bottle by your bed so that water and your probiotic are the first thing you grab. Once you’ve got that down and it’s automatic, add something else, like a sun salutation or two.
I’ve just shared some great ways to start your day – what’s your routine? Share here, on Facebook or Twitter!
Previously published on Hayley's Blog
HERE’s the original Facebook Post
Cravings. No one is immune – not even us. They can be challenging, annoying and all consuming.
What's your love-hate craving?
For many of us cravings feel like a never-ending spin cycle. Our innocent “I’ll just have one bite” turns into a daily indulgence. Before we know it, that sneaky food sinks its claws in us, holding us hostage. Eventually that one little bite turns into a full-blown addiction and starts to take its toll on our health.
Sound familiar?
Cravings are tricky because we want to learn how to listen to, trust and honor our body and its messages. But cravings can be very deceptive.
We may think, “I’m craving a glass of wine so therefore it must be what my body needs.”
Not so fast.
Sadly, it’s often the foods we loooooovvve, crave and feel that we wouldn’t want to live without that cause the most damage in our body.
So how do we know when are cravings are an insightful signal from our body trying to help us get back into balance versus a sabotaging little beast?
Therein lies the fun. We have to be willing to deconstruct our cravings.
When venturing into this endeavor we like to start with the physical body first, and then move into the deeper inquiry where we ask, “what am I really craving?” Ask the question and then be willing to hear the answer. You may be surprised to find that a sugar craving is actually masking a craving for deeper meaning in your life or more spiritual connection.
Cravings get a bad rap, but they’re not all bad. We just have to learn how to work with them. Below are some of my favorite strategies for deconstructing cravings – because the more tools we have in our toolboxes the more likely we are to become our most healthy, vibrant selves.
Check out the tips and then leave me a comment. Are these helpful? What are your cravings trying to tell you?
With sweet love for cravings,
To learn more about “Jo and Jules” and to download a free e-cookbook for a sampling of the delicious food served up on the Conscious Cleanse, please visit consciouscleanse.com.
Though there are many reasons, part of it is because we treat the world the way we treat ourselves. And right now the world needs more love, more acceptance and more nourishment.
The more we care for ourselves, the more capacity we have to be a positive change in our world.
Why is this so important in your life? Because I believe that self care is self love in action. And it's the reason why I have made it my mission to inspire women to take beautiful care of themselves.
Has your self-love has become conditional?
Do you pretend to love your body, only to avoid looking at yourself in the mirror?
Do you say that you will take time out for yourself, but find yourself putting others first?
Maybe you even say that you accept yourself, but discover that when things go wrong, you blame yourself for it.
What "conditions" have you put on your self love and acceptance?
What does your body need to look like to finally deserve your love?
What do your thoughts need to be in order to finally gain your trust?
What does your life need to look like to be worthy of your acceptance?
What if you could love and accept yourself right now, without the rules? What would it look like if there were no conditions for your self acceptance?
It may not happen over night. But every moment you have a choice. To be kind to yourself. Or to be mean to yourself. And today I want to remind you that you are worthy of your own love and acceptance.
Want more help getting there? Here are 4 Simple & Beautiful Self-Love Rituals
♥ Self Love Affirmations - Choose a word or statement that resonates with you, "I love myself deeply and completely" and repeat it often throughout the day. Especially when it feels like your confidence and acceptance feels non-existant. Even when you don't feel like doing it, remember that you were born worthy and you do not have to do anything to deserve your love.
♥ Rose Quartz Stones + Rose scents - Rose essential oil boosts self esteem, confidence, and mental strength. Rose quartz crystals have properties that promote all types of love including self-love, nurturing love and romantic love and is connected to the heart chakra. Keep a stone beside your bed or spritz yourself with rose water on the days you need a little extra love.
♥ Loving Mirror Work - Begin a practice of speaking with yourself aloud in the mirror every day. Positive affirmations. Kind words. Compliments. Even a private party naked. And work up to saying I love you while looking into the reflection of your own eyes.
♥ Heart Openers - Get on your yoga mat. Or do it anywhere. Back-bends and heart openers are perfect for liberating the Heart Chakra. Imagine radiating the light of your heart out into the world and in having that same beautiful light return back to you 10 fold. Notice the colour you see when you close your eyes. Feel it's warm light glow around your body as you move out into your day.
Today, be honest with yourself. Where are you depriving yourself of self acceptance? How have you limited your joy? How can you finally take the "conditional" restrictions off of your self love?
Let this be the day that you give yourself full permission to be who you are, with love. I'll be with you all the way.
Take time for lovable you with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Building the Warrior Heart - Ana Forrest Strength through Vulnerability - Lisa Richards
I'm learning that the solution is simple. I could sit here and write that the answer is love (because it is)... but let's get real here. Most of us sweep the fears under the rug. Or we avoid it by spending time on the internet, working out excessively, and eating food we shouldn't. Let's take a step back here. Be WILLING to address your fear. Yep, that's scary. We might as well build fear around the fact we should address our fear. But seriously... plain and simple. Write down how you are feeling. Give yourself SPACE to feel. Write down WHY you think you are feeling this way. THEN... write down what you WANT to focus on. Clearly, it's not our fear (so why do we live our lives STUCK in it!?). This will help you begin to decipher what is going on in those heads of ours. Baby steps create radical change. Let it be chaotic. Because it is. It's not about finding the answers. Instead, it's all about creating a new relationship with our fears. Do we even know what our current relationship with fear is? I'm not just talking about those major (irrational) fears... like spiders or flying on airplanes (yep, those are mine). Start to tune in with your brain. Make the connection from brain to body to heart on a daily basis. Are you fearful of parking somewhere because someone might see your car? Are you fearful of going out in public in your workout clothes because someone might judge you? Fears go through our brains every damn day. But have you stopped to notice? The only way to change our relationship with them is to build awareness around them. Let me tell you a secret. WE CREATE OUR OWN FEARS. Truth bomb. I guarantee you that NO ONE even saw your car. I guarantee you that NO ONE even looked twice at you in your workout clothes. Everyone is already so self consumed; they are too busy worrying about themselves. Breathe. Fears are illusions. Where can we soften around our fear? Where can we surrender, knowing, that half the time our lives are being limited by these thoughts in our head? Begin to trust. Begin to re-direct your energy. So, where is it that you want your energy to go? I promise, once you start to re-establish your relationship with your fears and your thoughts that go round and round in your head by the minute, you are going to fall backwards. Because you will have JUST realized how incredibly powerful and empowering YOU are. Own it. Show up. Be willing. And as always, smile. Because, you can't get it wrong.
Separate yourself from your fears with the following YogaDownload Classes:
Gentle Hatha 5 - Jackie Casal Mahrou Hearts Wide Open - Dana Damara
This is the most vulnerable thing (and longest post) I have ever shared publicly. Ever. Last week’s loss of one of the greatest actors and comedians hit me hard. I know his pain, R.I.P. Robin Williams. By now I’m sure your Facebook news feed has been filled with loving remembrances of not just Robin Williams, but other people’s loved ones who suffered like he did. You probably read a few stories from friends realizing that you never knew that they too were suffering in silence. You may have even felt a hurt in your heart because you personally struggle with this silent sadness as well. I get it. I read it…and I felt it. There’s this part of me that really struggles and I don’t mean struggles to eat the right food or exercise daily. I mean struggles to get out of bed and even function. The kind of struggle where I’ve laid in bed crying for 3 days straight to feel “normal” again. To be the happy person I know resides inside me. I was a really sad kid. Like really, really sad. I would go to bed and pray to God that I wouldn’t wake up in the morning. I would pray that He would have mercy on me and keep me from the daily struggle of life. Just getting up and facing the day was so much to handle and there were no logical reasons I felt that way. Everybody feels sad at times, and even depressed, but depression is real and it is debilitating for some. I look back at 6 year old Jessica and I’m so sad for her that it was such a struggle and that suicide felt like the best possible option. Most people don’t even think of someone as young as 6 being depressed. I can still feel what it was like desperately wanting to ask for help but being afraid of what might happen if I told the truth. The truth of how much I wanted it all to stop. For some of us, living is so hard. I set really high standards for myself, even at 6 years old. I’m not sure if that helped or made matters worse. But what I do know is that the thought of suicide wasn’t scary because being good enough just didn’t add up. It was easier to think of not living than it was to think of living a life not good enough. Death has never been something I feared. I fear being injured which is why I am terrified of things like airplanes and bunging jumping, but death has never scared me. The only thing that kept me going as a kid was knowing how much my family loved me. Despite my feelings of desperation I just could not do that to my mother. I knew she would never forgive herself for having not seen the signs. I couldn’t break her heart like that. I couldn’t let my dad suffer the loss of a child. (Thanks Mom & Dad for loving me so much!). I also couldn’t leave my siblings with a broken mom. What I wished had been different was that it would have felt safe to say I need help. To say help me, I am dying on the inside. Something inside me never felt right and it never felt safe to tell anyone. I was terrified that if I asked for help they would take me away from my mom or that my parents would go bankrupt with medical debt trying to take care of me and that felt more selfish than suicide. Instead I spent my days crying. I have always been teased by my siblings for being oversensitive. While it might be true, how would things have been different if they only knew how many times I sat down with a plan to meet death and it was sparing them the sadness that I didn’t. I know they didn’t know what I was struggling with deep down inside. I know that they loved me and were just being siblings and I am grateful that I was treated normal by them. Plus, to be honest, I wasn’t prepared to deal with them pitying me if I had come forward about my thoughts of suicide and how I was sick with depression. It was easier to have them watch me in confusion as I sat on the floor hyperventilating with anxiety attacks on an almost daily basis. It was easier to be a “freak” than it is to admit that I suffer from depression. How the heck did that feel safer? Instead…I was shamed into silence. I suffered in silence. Depression is a silent killer. Recently I told my mom about my thoughts of suicide as a kid and she had no idea. I know that her even knowing I felt that way must hurt for her. As a mother I know how much it would sting to know a child was hurting so much inside. But she didn’t know because it was my secret that was easier to keep than share. I certainly don’t share my story for pity. By all means, I cried the entire time I wrote this. But for once it’s easier to share than hide because if just ONE PERSON FEELS LESS ALONE BY READING THIS, then it’s worth dealing with anything else that might come from it. I wish that I could say that I don’t ever deal with depression anymore. But I do. I’ve had to talk with my kids about my depression. That was the least fun thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’ve had to talk to my kids about suicide and what to look for and how to help. I shared with them because I wanted them to understand that I am trying my hardest and that I love so much I am willing to be vulnerable and honest with them. I want them to know that when I’m sad it has nothing to do with them or any external events. I want them to feel safe asking for help if they ever feel this way. I share my story as well in hopes that some of what has worked for me might also work for you or someone you love. Disclaimer real quick: I am not YOUR medical professional. I am sharing my own personal experience and all your medical decisions need to be made with your medical doctor. What I am sharing are tools that have made depression less debilitating and have taken away my almost daily anxiety attacks.
I can tell you that any time as an adult that depression has crept up and kept me in bed crying has been because I wasn’t taking care of myself the way I need too. 11 months ago I quit my day job (best decision of my life). Yet, 3 months later I laid in bed crying for 2-3 days. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Why the relapse? I was truly happier than I had been in 15 years. I finally quit that soul sucking job. I was pissed off that depression was doing this to me at a so called happy time of my life. I lost my identity. I had been the banker girl and didn’t know how to be me. MORE IMPORTANTLY, and my husband’s keen observation, was that I also stopped taking care of myself. I stopped being diligent about my daily vitamins, eating every 2-3 hours and I went from walking 2-5 miles per day to walking the dogs for an obligatory ½ mile. I even quit my job teaching yoga. I let go of my healthy routine when I let go of my job. How did I let that happen when living well was my JOB! This takes me back to my depression as a child. I’m sure as a kid I wasn’t getting proper nutrition or adequate exercise for my needs. No fault of my mother. I was a picky eater and hated sports. I lived for the arts and reading as a way of self expression (or self preservation). A way to express myself without words. Sometimes I think of my husband’s pancreatitis and realize that him being sick was one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive. It took me down the road of becoming a nutritionist and yoga teacher. I taught ne about how to heal myself and love myself. I know in my heart that self care is a fundamental act of self love. If you are suffering depression, please reach out to someone for help. Reach out to me if you need too. But start thinking of ways you can love yourself to your greatest potential. In what ways can you be your best self? For the education and less emotional part of this post (because I am a nutritionist after all), please choose one thing and add another item each week until you feel a change. This is for everyone, not just those living with depression. Also, talk with your medical professional for support.
My wish for you is that you have compassion for yourself. non-judgment of your journey and the flexibility to keep moving forward. In the words of Dory in Finding Nemo, just keep swimming. In health, happiness and joy – live your wildly vibrant life! xoxo
Jessica Wyman is a Wildly Vibrant health coach and yoga teacher. She has a well rounded approach to loving yourself like no other + she specializes in 5-ingredient healthy recipes. She was born and raised in Idaho and has never left her hometown area because she has access to the city while surrounded by the mountains that she backpacks with her husband, teenage sons and giant dogs. As a health-coach-mama she has no time to waste and it's her mission to make foxy, fit and fashionable living a breeze. Get her free 5-Day Wellness Program that gives a realistic approach without a diet.
Pin My Stuff |pinterest.com/jessicawyman Follow me on Twitter |@WymanJessica
Help kick the blues with the following YogaDownload classes: