Author: yogafromanatural

Breast Cancer Awareness “Taking Your Life Back and Moving Ahead”

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“Taking Your Life Back and MOVING AHEAD”     FullSizeRender (10)

YOGA FROM A NATURAL: JEANIE SALLAH

I remember the moment as if it was yesterday when Brenda G. my ride-or-die buddy said, “I need you to come feel my breast”. We were at work and I was on break, she had snuck upstairs to get me alone. We went into the restroom and with no modesty she raised her shirt (she wasn’t modest then and she’s still not). I remember feeling a large hard mass but I didn’t want to sound overly alarmed, DON’T GET ME WRONG I was so scared, I just didn’t want to scare her. My first inclination was to downplay the situation but it was tough. You see Brenda was only 24; the year was 1984 to be precise and 24 year olds just don’t get breast cancer-or so I thought. I’ll spare you the overly numbing details but she did indeed have cancer. How do you help someone you love deal with a devastating diagnosis?  My friend had breast cancer and all I could do was watch her pain. Up until that point in my life only one other dear friend in my inner circle had to concern themselves with their own mortality but happily today life is going great for Missy (Yea!). READ MORE

 

NEWSFLASH, “My Yoga Mat is Not a Path, It’s a Destination”

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NEWSFLASH, “My Yoga Mat is Not a Path, It’s a Destination”Yoga mat and converse

Yoga From A Natural: Jeanie Sallah

 

I Will Not Let

Anyone Walk                                                     

Through My Mind

With Their Dirty Feet

-gandhi-

 

Picture me in a cocoon of stillness, I am so in the zone. I’m literally chilling in easy pose, you know quieting my mind, taking my focus inward. My eyes are closed-I’m plainly blocking out any sights and sounds that would distract me from tuning in and zoning out. My fellow practitioners are now flooding into the room, searching for that perfect spot in the vast open studio space.  You need to understand the importance of finding that perfect unobstructed spot. There is a space-finding formula in yoga classes; you don’t want to get so close that you’re every move can be scrutinized by the class, yet not so far back that you need to strain your eyes because you just can’t see.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I need this today, my shoulders are up by my ears with tension and I’m wondering if that spa down the street still does that $29.95 intro deal (I really need a massage). The instructor enters the room and hooks up her iPod to the bluetooth speaker; soothing music begins to flood the room-I need this. The scene is the ultimate Zen setting, dim lighting, tranquility-I AM SO IN THE ZONE.

We’re now centering and OH HELL NO, DID SHE REALLY JUST WALK ACROSS MY MAT! This lady just bum rushed the room, she’s 4 minutes late (no I just peaked at the clock on the wall-5 minutes late), see my concentration is NOW broken-I really just looked at the clock. This women is making noise, clicking her keys and turning off her cell phone as she walks over my mat with her dirty tennis shoes in search of an open spot! Great aren’t I the lucky one- that spot is right next to me! In yoga I always say this is a “No Judgement Zone”. Seriously I don’t want to judge but OK I’m judging; that’s just plain nasty, in addition to being disrespectful and rude. SHE JUST WALKED ON MY YOGA MAT! READ MORE

 

GIVE A FIST BUMP TO THE “SLOW MOVEMENT” or better yet, “CAN WE JUST TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH”

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Meta_logo_1Yoga From A Natural- Jeanie Sallah

legs up the wall pose

 I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re just too damn busy being busy. We really no longer think it’s cool to just relax and do nothing, or at the very least slow down. From the minute the clock goes off in the morning we’re on a mad dash to beat the traffic (as if that were really possible).

If kids are a factor we have to hurriedly get them to day care, school, somewhere. Let’s add in getting to work or school early (with the slim hope of leaving ahead of schedule-NOT), maybe later making it to the gym for a little blow-off steam session. You know some Basketball–Zumba-a quick trek on the Treadmill, maybe a little TRX (talk about high intensity relaxation), and then were back on the road again. Excitedly in route, we get to join the traffic line dance and slowly inch our way home. We’re now back home to deal with STUFF; maybe kids, significant others, bills, phone calls, house work, dinner, etc. Boy, now that was a relaxing day! READ MORE

 

“Why Can’t I Meditate!!!!? Translation-Stuff I Wish I Did Well”

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Yoga From A Natural- Jeanie Sallaheasy seated pose

 

First let’s get one thing perfectly clear, I WANT TO MEDITATE!!!!!! Okay, now that that’s out the way I feel I’m ready to continue (Breathe). These days the buzzword “Mindful Mediation” is to the yoga and meditation community what the words “Open Concept” is to home sales (can you tell I watch a lot of HG TV). OK Here’s a fun fact, let’s say there’s this swanky dinner party being held at the Top of the Mark’s rooftop bar in San Francisco and the attendees are Ellen DeGeneres, George Stephanopoulus (Good Morning America), Tina Turner, Russell Simmons, Kobe Bryant, Russell Brand, Katy Perry (I know her and Russell are no longer together but Girl Power wins), Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan (Ohio), Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington, Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post, and Soledad O’Brien. I’m sure the conversation would be both lively and full of character, but if it wasn’t they could all just sit and meditate together “OM”.  I say that because they “ALL” meditate in one form or another. Be it mindful, transcendental, Zen, or any number of meditation types, they all have the common goal of keeping the mind and body in its most healthy form.

Here’s the deal, it’s an objective of mine to comfortably sit, breath, and meditate but let’s be honest here the act is “So Ridiculously Hard For Me”! I can’t tell you how much I’ve tried. I’ve attempted the 21 day Mindful Meditation series that Oprah did in conjunction with Deepak Chopra and got so far behind that I was in essence dropped from the webcast. Seriously, they blocked my access to go back and make up all that I had missed-which was a lot (Head Hung in Shame). But I didn’t give up, she offered another and I blew that too (Double Shame). I have bought so many books on the subject from Meditation for Dummies by Shamash Alidina, to a super great book by Dan Harris who is a news anchor on Good Morning America, appropriately titled 10% Happier. The books are a great motivating factor overall but I think I just need a really strong push in the ass to help me along (the struggle). READ MORE

 

Jeanie Sallah

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Yoga From A Natural

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Jeanie Sallah

Hi Everyone and Welcome to YOGAFROMANATURAL! I’m major excited to introduce my website to you because this has been a long time in the making. I began YOGAFROMANATURAL to both introduce my passion to the world and at the same time inform, hopefully demystify, and encourage you to fall in love with yoga.

My hope is that you check out my private sessions/classes, read the various blog posts, and find a little bit of “You” in every one of them. Pour over the different quotes, maybe taking them to heart and get inspired to dig a little deeper into the world of yoga. Through my years of working with some pretty awesome instructors, as well as my own personal practice; I will pass on tips, guidance, and suggestions to help you begin a personal practice or possibly deepen one that you already have. Peace and Namaste. 

“BE INSPIRED-YOGA QUOTES I’M LOVING”

 

Vogue and Self are putting out the message of yoginis as buff and perfect. If you start doing yoga for those reasons, fine. Most people get beyond that and see that it’s much, much more.

Patricia Walden

Yoga is really trying to liberate us from … shame about our bodies. To love your body is a very important thing — I think the health of your mind depends on your being able to love your body.           

                                                                                       Rodney Yee