Author: yogafromanatural

“Raise Your Beer Mug and Toast to the Love of Yoga”

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I’m baffled by the horde of new-fangled yoga styles flooding the consumer market todayphonto (27) and all in the pursuit of separating you from your hard fought cash. While the intent I believe is to fuse your love of various sports, hobbies, and leisure activities into one Awesome Pastime, I’m just not sure it’s doing the practice of yoga any good. On its face, one would think this could be real Cool, sort of like getting 2 for 1 (a twofer). Okay here’s my thinking , I’m a serious yoga enthusiast but just because I personally happen to love apple martinis, reading best sellers, and biking, doesn’t scream “THERE’S A YOGA PRACTICE TAILOR MADE FOR ME OUT THERE”.

Let me give you a brief rundown of some the original yoga styles I’m seeing and by “NO” means am I including all the new varieties:    READ MORE

 

Dear Universe, Please Help Me Establish a Home Yoga Practice! Signed, a Frustrated Yogini

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I just left my yoga class and I feel wonderful, no rejuvenated is a better word. The mere phonto[1]thought of going to yoga puts a smile on my face, no really the outer smile is nothing compared to my inner joy. Let me break it down to you from beginning to end:

(1)   Visualize this; I’m heading off to my yoga class and I’m experiencing the kid equivalent of going out for 2 scoops of ice cream (I can’t wait)!

(2)   I get there early to secure my most perfect spot; not too close. You see I personally prefer the back periphery area, great sightline but not so close as to be spotlighted by the class.

(3)   As the lights dim I begin to disconnect because I’m wholly committed to hanging out in the “ME TIME ZONE”.

(4)   The instructor starts to warm us up, this is pure tranquility. I’m so feeling the serene, melodious, tone of her voice; which is usually enough to make me drop my stress level down a notch or two.

(5)    Wow, the sensation of that satisfying stretch across my shoulder blades and the release in my neck is “AWESOME”.

(6)   The rest is history-I AM NOW OFFICIALLY in the Zen ZONE, Peace out!

Now here’s my personal home practice……………..No, seriously I didn’t just get writers block and forget to finish the previous sentence, it’s been pretty much nonexistent until recently. Sure I’d get bursts of Sun Salutation madness and I definitely practice Tree Pose daily like “WHEREVER”, because it’s my challenge pose due to my balance issues. But a consistent home practice for those days when I don’t go to or teach a class is, well let’s just say “I’m not winning any prizes for consistency”. Also, it goes without saying that “I Love Yoga”  but a regular practice for those non-class days didn’t seem quite necessary, until a short time ago. READ MORE

 

“Shout Out to Your Mom and Other Super Heroes”

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Our Moms are the unsung heroes of our lives and let’s not forget the step-moms, momphonto[1] surrogates, grandmothers, aunts, guardians, cousins, friends, and all those unnamed ladies who step up to the plate and take on whatever we preoccupied kids dish out. These wonderful ladies are our personal Sounding Boards, Cheerleader, UBER driver, ATM machine, Big Ben Timekeeper, Short-order Cook, Private shopper, and Secret Keeper all rolled into a mostly efficient, although “heck-a-tired” individual, that we refer to lovingly as Mom. I mean really who in their right mind will go to every football game their kid plays, scream like hell, call the ref out of his/her name, and seriously HATE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL all at the same time?

One Mom I talked to gleefully admitted she still has a bag of her daughters baby teeth stashed away. What you don’t know is that her baby is a 32 year old, successful business owner, with 2 and ¾ kids (she’s pregnant). Also, these aren’t just any old baby teeth, their individually dated baby teeth; now that’s what I call Mother’s Love. I’m not judging though because my daughter found her baby teeth rattling in a bag, plus a lock of her hair that I had secretly tucked away years ago and asked if I was practicing some sort of weird dark ritual or something (smile). Truthfully, don’t all Moms save the baby teeth, foot and handprints, or hair? Oddly enough, I feel the need to confess that I still have my EPT stick from when I found out I was pregnant-and NO I am not a hoarder but the stick reflects an achievement to me. Now that I think about it though, I guess the thought of saving an EPT pee stick tester in a baggy is pretty gross and strangely uncivilized. Oh well sue me-it’s my memory box (smile). READ MORE

“Life Can Be Such A Pain In The Neck”

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phonto[1]Mental stress is the butt of so many neck issues, and if you’re anything like me my neck pain at times can give me the “Blues” (translation-hurts like hell). So if you consider “STRESS” to be the catchword of the 21st Century, then “TENSION” has got to be her evil stepsister. Just Google achy neck and thousands of possible explanations and solutions appear even before typing the last letters out in the word “neck”. And let me tell you when stress raises its ugly head, in my case my neck is the receiver of all that pressure.

So many things contribute to our neck despair. Our purses are too heavy, we cradle our phones with our necks to free up our hands, and can we all say POSTURE in unison! What about gazing at our computer screen, TV, looking down at the cell phone and iPad; damn just life in general is tough on our necks. And these are just some things we knowingly control. What about arthritis, disk problems, muscle strain, pinched nerves, and other trauma related to the care of our delicate neck region. READ MORE

“MY MEASURED MINDFULNESS JOURNEY”

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phonto[1]Recently I took a Mindful Mediation seminar in hopes of reaching new heights in my elusive meditation experience. I’ll break it down for you, it started on a Monday evening in a class of about 21 equally hopeful meditators. The instructor was a pregnant, quirky, individual who was just eccentric enough to possibly hold my attention and give me some magic bullet to aid in my meditating experience. I can’t tell you how pumped I was, I was actively pursuing something that I sucked at and I was optimistic about the outcome. More on this later though. READ MORE

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“HAPPY HALLMARK DAY”IMG_1242[1]

Or better yet

“JUST FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF”

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to those bygone elementary school days where everyone was a winner on Valentine’s Day? You remember how it was; you’re sitting at your little diminutive desk and in your backpack you have a bag full of Valentine’s Day Cards with the names of “ALL” your classmates written on the little miniature envelopes. Those were the days when it seemed like the whole world loved you and life was full of endless possibilities. You felt like you were skipping on TOP OF THE WORLD and at the end of the day you marveled at what a great time you had! Couple that with the huge haul of cards you just got stating how, “You’re The Best”, “Bee My Valentine”, or the one featuring a cartoon of eggs with the saying, “You’re Grade A” on it. Back then unadulterated love filled your tiny universe and all was right in your world. I can’t help but have this image of Oprah screaming at the top of her lungs, “You get a Valentine’s Day Card” and “You get a Valentine’s Day Card”, over and over in my head. Well now that we’re all grown up life is not so simple-as adults we actually have to cultivate a relationship before you earn that coveted $4.99 Valentine’s Day Card! READ MORE Continue reading →

“SAVASANA REIMAGINED or REDEFINING THE NAP”

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Ok, OK listen up because we’re going to poll the audience. If I had to ask any yoga practitioner “What is your favorite yoga pose”, what would you answer? Do you love losing yourself like I do in Down Dog? Or does the gentle dancing flow of an undulating Cat-Cow sequence leave you with a craving to stretch out your spine and neck just a bit more? Well, since this poll is unofficial I’d probably answer with just one word-Savasana. Just the mere word savasana conjures up muted smiles of longing and yearning from both students and teachers alike, and rightfully so. This pose quite simply allows the body to process all the things that happened during your yoga practice in a nourishing and healthful way.

A point that I find useful is that everyone’s savasana doesn’t have to be a carbon copy from someone’s how-to manual and “One Size Absolutely Does Not Fit All”. Try changing it up; try legs up the wall, practice side-lying savasana, it’s still a supine resting position and it’s all good. My suggestion and for the sake of comfort is to………

PROP-THE-HELL-OUT-OF-YOUR-SAVASANA!

 “Because you can’t rest your mind if your body is uncomfortable.”

I frequently use a yoga bolster under the knees to allow the spine to settle and the lower back to release. Another savasana alternative is to place a bolster at the base of your booty (sacrum) and float your body back over it, you get both a gentle backbend and a chillaxing stretch. You can also hang out in bound angle pose and prop up the knees with yoga blocks. I’m simply saying that there are so many choices and we’re not a gang of copy-cats, so “DO YOU”! READ MORE 

 

Chair Yoga, Lifespan Yoga for Health and Wellness

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THIS BOOK “DEBUNKS” ALL THE CHAIR YOGA

  MYTHS

Chair yoga is only for “old folks”= Wrong!

Chair yoga is too easy= Wrong!

It’s not really defined as exercise= Wrong Again! 

Chair Yoga is for every age; young, old, and any stage in between. School kids are doing it, office workers are doing it, and people who have mobility issues are doing it as well. Really, anyone “CAN DO IT” and it’s totally user-friendly to all. The best part is that you can work out anywhere, anytime, and not a lot of space is needed!

But don’t let the stereotype of chair yoga fool you, if you’re looking for a workout this book will provide that and more. It’s as easy or hard as you want it to be, showing you that if you want to work up a sweat-YOU CAN! The “chair” and “chair as prop” sequences featured in “Chair Yoga” are both comprehensive and challenging. This book also provides the reader with an overview of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, health conditions that can benefit from a regular yoga practice, and an easy writing style that makes you really want to open and use this book (not just check out the helpful pictures).

And finally, I like that the author conveys the message of yoga in a way that everyone can relate to. This book is a solid addition to my growing yoga library, so check out Chair Yoga, Lifespan Yoga for Health and Wellness by Beth Daugherty, you’ll be glad you did. Available in the book section at amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=chair+yoga+beth+daugherty

YOGA FROM A NATURAL-Jeanie

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Picture of the waters of Grand Cayman

“Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Year”

 Want a Tip? NO JUDGEMENT

Happy New “Healthy” Year.  So now that we have the formalities out the way let’s make an action plan.  Not a resolution to be healthier, because unfortunately New Year’s Resolutions tend to be sadly broken. By the time you read this you’re probably already questioning your resolution decision.

As it goes, losing weight ranks as #1 and getting fit and healthy ranks #5 as two of the ten most failed resolutions (University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology /January 2014). There’s even a name for the downfall of our resolutions, it’s called Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day. Really I’m serious, the day is on January 17 (every year) and it’s considered the most common day to give up on your resolutions (didn’t take us long huh?). So why burden yourself with broken promises so early in the year, we really don’t need the stress. Don’t get down on yourself though- just don’t make them! I’m not saying don’t strive to be a better version of you, because we all want that. I’m simply saying cut yourself some much needed slack because LIFE HAPPENS! READ MORE

 

Take One Yoga Breath and Repeat after Me, “THANKSGIVING IS NOT PRE-CHRISTMAS”

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I’ve just turned on my television and I am inundated with Christmas deals. I open my email and just because the holiday season is upon us it says I can have something to be thankful for; 25% off, 30%, 35%, BOGO+50% off my second item, and even just plain BOGO- I can literally “Shop Till I Drop”. Don’t get me wrong I love the meaning of Christmas; you know chilling with friends and family, but I just don’t get the feeling that this is it!

Even as I travel down the windy roads in my neighborhood I marvel at the beauty of the area, the pumpkins set out by the doors, the haystacks I see settled in one yard, and a couple of fall displays on some of the mailboxes. This neighborhood is truly suburbia on steroids. If anyone has ever seen the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” Clark Griswold sets out to put on the ultimate Christmas display, that’s my neighborhood! There’s a beautiful Christmas tree with a huge adorning Santa in the window of one house and then there’s the “Griswold’s Yard”. It should have its own zip code, where do they store all that “STUFF”!  There’s lights, there’s reindeer, massive candy canes, a freaking snow globe, music (who can’t tolerate 24-7 Christmas carols-Bah Humbug), a life-size snowman, and you know a giant Santa is the star of the yard. My problem is not the display but that it was there a full 10 days before Thanksgiving arrived. It’s all a bit confusing! My head is STILL hung low in holiday shame because my bland, unlighted, undecorated home is so not Christmas display worthy. Was there a memo or email sent to the community about skipping Thanksgiving and going directly to Christmas that I didn’t receive? Note To Self: Complain to the homeowners association! READ MORE

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