Back in March, before our San Francisco trip, I injured my back. I had debilitating pain for a whole week causing limited movement and a realization that this is why people get hooked on pain meds. It's not an exaggeration to say that I could literally barely do anything. Sitting can hurt. Standing can hurt. Laying down was ok for me. But only in a few positions, and no turning over! Simple tasks like brushing my teeth were excruciatingly painful. In yoga training we teacht two simple …
yoga
How to do savasana
When people think of easy yoga poses one that comes to mind is savasana, corpse pose. However as a yoga teacher I'd say it is quite often the most difficult for most people. Why? Because people have to stop think and just BE. Lying on the floor in silence for 5-10 minutes can be uncomfortable for some people, both physically and mentally. In this post we'll cover how to do savasana, and how to make it more comfortable. How to do savasana Traditionally savasana is done on lying supine on …
Building Confidence …. in 60 days!
On one of our yoga retreats we talked about our goals/desires for the future. I expressed that I do have lofty "out there" goals but I don't believe enough in me to apply myself to reach them. That little voice in my head starts talking. The one that says: I'm not good enough! Who do I think I am to think that I can achieve that? That's what other people do, you're not strong, committed or dedicated enough. You're not pretty. You're too fat/thin/short/old. When it comes down to it I lack …
Things I learned in yoga teacher training (part 2)
After I completed my RYT200 I wrote a post about the 10 things I learned in yoga teacher training. If you haven't already read that post, go check it out because this is part 2. Ten more things I learned in yoga teacher training as I just finished my RYT300. For those not in the know RYT is registered yoga teacher. The number after the RYT designates the number of hours training earned. Now I have my RYT 300 I can apply for 500 status. Typically we did 20 hour intensive weekends with two 5 day …
Building a labyrinth at the beach
All good things must come to an end, and in May we had the final weekend of of my RYT 300 yoga teacher training. As a yearly intensive it's been a wild ride with a small group of women that I have come to think of as sisters. My yoga family. We've shared so much this year. From health issues, to changing careers, marriages ending, relationships blooming, independence gained and confidence discovered. So many changes, and so much growth I am truly honored to call these ladies friends. They …
San Francisco Asian Art Museum vs MOMA
On my visit to San Francisco last month I knew one of the things I wanted to do was visit some museums and art galleries. When preparing for any trip Google is your friend. Find your location on Google maps then type in "art gallery" or "museum" and suggestions should pop up. Two of the places that popped up for the area we stayed at were the Asian Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art [MOMA]. After looking at the website I knew I wanted to go to both, as a yoga teacher Asian art is …
Yoga Retreat: Newport, Oregon
For the last 7 months I've been working on my 300 hour yoga certification. Each month we do a long-weekend intensive. Two of those are 5 day retreats somewhere fabulous, for us to bond, practice our yoga teaching skills, and work on ourselves. January 10th was the date for our second retreat, and we decided to forego the mountains of Northern California (the location of our first yoga retreat) and we opted for the ocean town of Newport, Oregon. Bright and early on Wednesday morning we …
12 benefits of yoga
This post is sponsored by Mambo Sprouts and prAna. Over the last 25 years I've tried just about every fitness trend thats come out. Heck I've taught most of them too. However the one staple that always remained in my program no matter whether my program involved weights, running or rebounding was yoga. Yoga just makes me feel good. Even bad yoga is good yoga. I walk out of every class feeling taller, and my joints feel like I took oil to a squeaky hinge. There are so many other benefits of yoga …
Living your yoga. Are you practicing yoga, or asana?
As a yoga teacher I try to live my yoga, but it's not easy. What does living your yoga mean? Following the 8-limb yoga path. When people talk of "doing yoga", what they usually mean the physical practice of asana. Practicing yoga isn't about headstands, backbends or bending like Gumby. Asana as a physical practice is just one part of yoga as a whole. Any spiritual practice has rules and the first rule of yoga is that you don't talk about yoga. Wait, no, that fight club sorry. The first 'rule' of …
Living your yoga. Are you practicing yoga, or asana?Read More