A Year of Yoga.

I have decided that it might be best to dedicate this project to a blog all it's own. It is a big project with lots to write about and I want it done right. Please go here to follow my Year of Yoga. :)

Day 2

I met a friend and took a class called Deep Practice at my local yoga studio. This morning I took vitamins for the first time in a while. They made my stomach a bit off. I went to class anyway and after felt amazingly better. We did the Bird of Paradise pose towards the end. I really enjoyed it. I am thinking that I might add pictures of myself in poses for this. I think it might make these posts more interesting. I could see the evolution of my practice as well as my body.

Steps will be reported later. :)

Day 1

Yoga for Weight Loss

Yoga for Weight Loss on yogatoday.com is the video that I did today. It was quite good. The pranayana exercises in the beginning were strange but I enjoyed how they quickly got my heart rate up. The strangest thing about the video was how she advised on checking heart rate in the practice. That is something I have never done before in Yoga. I honestly resisted this. The flow was nice. I did this practice after a stressful day and it really helped me give up some of that.


12265 steps. I taught two classes today and was surpised that 5000 steps were in classes I taught. Amazing, do you not think?

365 days of yoga.

If I have learned nothing else over the last few months and years of my life, I have learned that yoga is the answer. At least for me. In may ways I have committed my life to it, I am a yoga instructor after all.
From this day onward for 365 days I am committing myself to a new yoga class everyday. They might be live, on video or online. Some classes will be with friends, many alone, and a few I will take and teach at the same time. Most however will be lead by another instructor.

I will write reviews, note my progress and cover my experiences here on this blog.

I also commit to doing 10,000 steps a day and I will record that here as well.

Sources for classes the I will take-

1. My usual yoga studio.
2. Classes that I teach (actually only one a week possibly on Wednesday Power with my peeps)
3. My vast video collection- most of which I have never done.
4. Yoga Today.com because they have so many great videos and I could possibly download a few to my Ipod for convenience.
5. Workshops

My goals for this year are as follows-

1. To lose weight. (I am currently 173 pounds) I am bravely posting it here in hopes no one will notice until I have lost some of it. :)
2. Reduce stress. I can not stop living my life but I would like to feel better about it.
3. Further my practice physically, mentally and spiritually. I would like to feel stronger, do certain poses that I have not really been able to do, find my limits (if I indeed have any) and love my body.
4. Poses I will be keeping my eye on as possible this year are handstand (without the wall), scorpion with out the wall, stronger arm balances, and more (lists to come on this).


I am keeping it simple. Yoga and steps. That is all. Hope you will enjoy the ride as much as I will. :)

News and info!

There is so much going on in my life right now! I am working all the time!
My teaching schedule is here. Come to one two or three of my classes. :)

Me and Joy have our workshop rescheduled for March 25. Please contact me for more information.
It is called Values and Vision. We are going to do Vision boards and fuse them with the power of yoga!

Joy and I are planning a retreat for SUMMER. Stay tuned for details. It will be all about attracting what you really want in your life!

Also a new division of Uddiyana Yoga is opening up. More details to come but, if you are looking for private yoga sessions with a master instructor I am you yogini! (that is a hint of what is to come!) More info will be posted soon. :)

Love and Care for your new Yoga Mat

Here you go, you new yoga mat has come in the mail but, there is a problem. It is slippery, smelly or you have some other issue with it. You know, every mat has their issues. Most mats need a little initial treatment, and maintenance to work and keep working hard for you in your yoga practice. Here is the run down on a few different kinds of mats.

Jade
Jade mats are awesome! They do however often smell like rubber for a while when they are new. They easiest fix is to unroll at home and air it out for a day or two. The smell will be gone.
This mat is porous so it needs to washed periodically. Hose it off (some people take it in the shower with them) and let it dry completely. Do not lay the mat in direct sunlight, leave it in your car, or put it in you dryer. All of these will damage your mat.

Manduka Black Mat Pro

This mat will last forever. I have one of these and has lasted 3 years. I teach 10 classes a week and take 5 classes a week. It is none porous and wipes clean easily. When it gets really dirty, I hose it off in the back yard. It still looks like new.
When I first got this mat though, it was quite slippery. It has a sort of film on it that needs to be cleaned off. Take some natural dish soap and a scrub brush and clean the mat thoroughly. Rinse it well and let it dry. The mat will be super sticky. I love this mat!

PVC mats
These are the most common yoga mats. They can be fairly thick or thinner. They are durable and great because they are cheap. They are a fabulous starter mat. Often though, these mats are a bit slippery when you first get them. The fix is easy.
If you have a front loader washing machine, just throw the mat in there and wash with a small amount of detergent. A warm cycle should do fine. Let the mat air dry for a while (a day or so) and then throw in the dryer on a medium warm cycle. The mat will be sticky, and a little thicker and  puffier.
If you do not have a front loader washing machine just put the mat in a tub of very warm water (maybe a little soap). Swish it around, ring it out and then let it air dry for a day or two. Throw it in the dryer on a medium warm cycle.
This mat is porous. It is easily cleaned in the wash, or hose it off.

Got a cold? 10 Yoga tips that can help.

Honestly, I am almost never sick. I used to be when I was younger but, I got over that a long time ago. Once and a while, I find myself a bit under the weather, as I do today. Yoga has many tools that can really help heal the body. Here are a few tips to get you going using the ancient practice of yoga.

1. Neti Pot. If you do nothing else on the list, do the neti pot. Do it several times a day. Warm water, salt and that is it. I have tried the drops to add to the water, most of them are a bit to harsh for me.
2. Salt water gargle. Yogi's like their salt water. Salt water gargle works wonders.
3. Breath deep. For a few minutes, shut off the TV, turn on some relaxing bells or gentle soothing music and practice breathing deeply. It may not feel great at first, do not force it. Do the best you can in the moment.Yogi's know that the breath is healing. Prana or the breath is life to a yogi. Use it to heal.
4. Observe you thoughts. Spend some time noticing what you are thinking about. Are you going through a stressful time, do you hate your job, do feel over burdened? Often these things can contribute to you getting sick. Some minor changes in your life can help you stay much healthier.
5. Drink lots of water. Warm water. Drink, drink, drink! Not just yogi's agree, drinking water is one of the best things you can do.
6. Do some restorative and restful poses. Lying down twist, supported bridge, child's pose, legs up the wall, and reclined cobblers pose are all great poses for a cold. Spend as much time in each pose as you would like. Use pillows, blankets etc to make them comfortable and enjoyable. You can even do them in bed!
7. Enjoy the silence. In yoga, sickness is one of the obstacles to enlightenment. How can you focus on anything when your nose is runny? Even so, turn off the TV and spend time feeling the sickness. Become sensitive to it. Ask yourself questions. Where am I feeling it? Why am I sick? What do I need right now? Then listen, the answers might surprise you. 
8. Take advantage of conventional medicine. Do not throw the baby out with the bath water here. Sure, there are many home, herbal and natural remedies. It is a great idea to explore those but sometimes, the right medicine at the local drug store is answer too. 
9. Ask others for help. If you need help ask for it. Even just a conversation where you talk about your feelings will do. Just let things go and ask others to help you with that.
10. Clean your body. It is tempting to stay in bed, wallow in sweat until the fever breaks. Sometimes that is even the right thing to do. In yoga, cleanliness is truly next to godliness. Scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper, take a shower or bath, and wash your feet. No matter what, you will probably feel better after that!

Feel better! Another thing is, when you get sick, if you can, stay home. Make your home a sanctuary for wellness while you are there and also you prevent the spread of a nasty virus. Ahimsa!