from my valentine

i have the most awesome valentine. this year, i got a car!
if you see a red vehicle with this bumper sticker, it's me.

Despite the tough economy,yoga classes are booming

CNN recently reported that despite the recession in America, people aren't dropping their yoga classes. In fact, even more people are turning yoga to relieve higher-than-ever stress levels, whether its career or money-related issues they're dealing with.

Yoga's positive effects on stress-reduction have been measured. Additionally, yogic breathing enhances a sense of calm, even outside the yoga studio. Stretching, balancing and strength building in a yoga class can elevate the heart rate, releasing those feel-good endorphins. The beauty of yoga is its dynamic effects : mentally and physically.

Read the CNN article "Recession relief: people are stretching for it"

releasing tension

Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip, or scrunching your face, squinting your eyes when staring at a computer screen? Carrying a big handbag, briefcase, or computer bag on the same shoulder? Our unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and make you feel depleted.

As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension. It might be in your tongue, the muscles of your face and neck, or commonly, shoulders.If you simply tune in, you may be able to release some tension in those spots, leading to a more harmonious practice. In class, I often remind my students to melt the shoulderblades down the back, to relax shoulders away from the ears when arms are extended, and to soften and breathe rather than muscle through the more difficult poses. Then, as you move off the mat, remind yourself to soften and breathe into those areas in "real life."

hot hot hot yoga

i've always liked to explore different styles of yoga. when I was first getting hooked on yoga, my main teachers were a fantastic Iyengar teacher and also a great Vinyasa Flow teacher. I loved the alignment focus and detailed attention to poses that I got from my Iyengar teacher, and i totally appreciated the humor and the creativity of my Vinyasa Flow teacher.

My own teaching is a mishmosh of Vinyasa Flow, with a little Power Yoga woven in, with a bit of Iyengar posture focusing and prop use. I always strive for a full body and mind experience, with a balance of workout and relaxation.

My personal yoga practice, in the past few years, has leaned toward Ashtanga and now, hot yoga. I did a few months at a Bikram studio in town, but although I love the sweaty detox feeling of Bikram, the fixed sequence gets a little dull, and for me, I feel the sequence is too skewed toward compression. If I'm feeling warm and loose, I'd rather do more opening poses. In January I visited a Hot Yoga Studio when I was visiting relatives in Ft. Lauderdale. I did a "warm yoga" class that was a lovely blend of Vinyasa flow, lots of Sun Salutations, with a couple of "Bikram's poses" woven within. That's more appealing to me. These days, the heat is key.

yoga for everyone!

was reading kimberly wilson' s yoga/lifestyle blog (i am a big fan of her book, hip tranquil chick, and fab yoga podcast), and she recently highlighted this quote, which rings so true.

yoga is about making friends with life and with yourself. there is no lifestyle, no occupation, no situation that cannot be greatly enhanced by yoga. yoga is not something that should be set apart from one's life. rather it should become the taproot from which the other aspects of your life are nourished and regenerated.
- godfrey devereaux

In several of the yoga classes I've been teaching lately, I have students new to yoga and their newfound excitement and passion for learning more: about yoga, about their body, about life, really lights up the yoga room with positive energy. To see a spirit awakening, to see transformation glowing from within, is so incredible.

I remember when I first had the idea that I should become a yoga teacher, when I was just a new yoga student, taking a weekly yoga class at the Y back in the mid-nineties. One afternoon was sitting on a rock on the edge of a river in New Hampshire, sitting in easy pose, just doing some simple twists, and then sat tall, grounding down in my seat and lifting up in the spine, the crown of my head warmed by the sun. I felt a surge of energy travel up my spine, and right then the thought flashed into my head "i should be a yoga teacher and share this feeling with others." Well, it took me about ten years to start to walk that path, but here i am today.

Not just a yoga teacher, I'm a student as well, taking as many classes as I teach. In my personal practice, I leaned toward power flow / Ashtanga - style. I had taken a Bikram class last spring and the heat (105+ degrees farenheit) just knocked me out, and I thought hot yoga wasn't for me. A few weeks ago I went to a free Sunday class at the Lululemon showroom and the guest teacher was from a Bikram studio. She led us through the Bikram sequence, although the room wasn't heated. It's a whole different story without the heat. Afterwards I talked to her about my inability to deal with the heat, she said, give it two or three tries, and see. Usually it takes just a few sessions to acclimate. Given a free class pass, I went to the Bikram studio. I walked into the heated room with trepidation, thinking I might feel the crushing sensation in my chest I felt the first time, feeling as if I couldn't even breathe. But no. It didn't feel terrible at all. I could breathe deeply, and I felt great. I felt like I had plenty of power to last the entire practice, and to sweat profusely felt amazingly detoxifying. Now I'm hooked! I have doubts that the static Bikram 26-pose sequence will be able to hold my attention in the long run, but my inner thermometer has been reset, and now I love the intensity of the heat, and feel like I'm craving hot yoga every day, and it feels like a lasting addiction.

life, and yoga: full of surprises.

fresh + organic

A Saturday morning highlight for DC and I has been the Morningside Farmer's Market. We had a few ambitious mornings when we biked over (approx. 3 miles?), or we carpool. There are maybe a dozen farmers/vendors that have the most delicious organic produce. Heirloom tomatoes have been AMAZING, along with bell peppers of all colors and sizes. Last week I canned some habeneros and scotch bonnets, a fiery mix to await on a dark shelf until December.

It's amazing how dynamically different and alive the organic farmer's veggies taste compared to what you buy at the store, including Whole Foods. I've also found the costs to be the same if not a bit less. Last week DC bought a whole free-range chicken that he's fixing to grill beer-can style. He's psyched for the taste test (he's tried organic chickens from Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's - I don't eat chicken) to see how this chicken compares. I've also been growing sweet bibb lettuce in containers in our back alley, and its almost ready to be eaten.

In August, we visited my family cottage in the Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan. My family has had a place up there since the 1930s. As you wind away from the lakeshore, you'll find rolling hills of working farms, orchards, and wineries. My parents bought a share in an organic farm this year and we went crazy with just-picked organic tomatillos, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh eggs, cucumbers, potatos, everything just so delicious, every week a new haul. We also went into Traverse City on a Saturday for their Farmer's Market, and it was huge. Seriously, there were probably 100 vendors, including several Amish farms, and everything from flowers, honey, cherries, (Cherry Capital of the World) corn, veggies of every variety. I guess these experiences really reignited our passion for finding outstanding veggies in our urban existence.

We've made the choice that in this current freaky and scary economic climate, that we are going to take pleasure in simple things. No matter what, we are going to eat healthy, good foods that nurture body and soul. Clearly, I'm all about de-stressing with yoga...come join me anytime.

visit the Morningside Market
go early!

do you need an eco yoga mat?

do you know what your mat is made of?

If you are not using an eco-yoga mat, which are a fairly new, non-vinyl concoction, your yoga mat is made of vinyl or PVC, a petroleum-based, non-renewable source, which continues to give off gases throughout its existence.

Vinyl contains phthalates, or plasticizers, which have been linked to a host of health risks, including damage to the liver, lungs, and reproductive system. Phthalates, which can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, have veen banned from some products by the European Union , but not by the US or Canada.

Eco-mats are made with other materials, such as polymer envrionmental resin, natural rubber, or blends containing natural fibers such as jute. They are free of heavy metals. And being biodegradable, they'll revert to their origins at the end of their lifecycle.

source: envionmnet.about.com; PVCFree.org; Grist.org