How things change in such a short time…

Over the last three weeks, I’ve experienced a few wonderful things that will truly have long lasting effects on my life.  It’s funny how little things can alter your outlook on life.  Getting a dog, trying a new yoga teacher (Ana Forrest) and meeting new people are all events that have occurred in my life in less than 21 days. 

Brian (my husband) and I rescued a Treeing Walker Coonhound named Briggs.  We’ve had him about 3 weeks.  Check him out:  briggs2.jpg .  Since being a yoga teacher allows me to be home every few hours throughout the workday, I’ve automatically assumed the role of primary caretaker of our new addition.  I’ve had the privilege of getting to walk, feed and play with him daily. 

I’ve concluded that walks are like daily yoga for dogs.  If they don’t get to move and breathe out in the fresh air, they store up their energy and take it out indoors.  Energy can take many forms —playful, tense, physical and emotional.  Energy can be active or passive.  Humans are similar in how they store tension and unfortunately, many people don’t realize the importance of simply moving the body and breathing.  An easy walk around the block can be a huge release.       

I have more to say, but I’m out of time.  Next blog post will cover my weekend workshop with Ana Forrest – new teacher for me.  So much to think about, so much to write about, so much to explore in life.  Until the next post, namaste.

Heads Up: DC Yoga Week is Back!

The second annual DC Yoga Week is being held May 12-18.  This annual city-wide event is a great way for both new and experienced yogis living in the DC area to try yoga classes or experience a new yoga studio for free —or at a significantly reduced rate ($5).  Visit DCYogaWeek.com for participating studios.

To kick-off DC Yoga Week, lululemon will be hosting a launch party at their Georgetown boutique on 5/11. 

Practice = Progress, Progress = Life, Life = Practice

Practice is progress.  Life is progress.  We learn something new every step of the way in everything we do.  That is if we pay attention to what is happening in front of our eyes. 

Consider the similarities of yoga, golf and life.  Practice and patience (remember, less is more) is the only way to get better at anything.  Practice and patience require 100% focus, time and a sense of presence.  Take your eyes off the ball and you may swing past it.  Grip the golf club too hard and the ball may not go far.  In yoga, forcing yourself to do a pose isn’t yoga.  Walking off your mat in the midst of crow isn’t yoga.  Giving up in life isn’t progress.  Trying again and being focused in the moment is the way.  Be open to each moment no matter what it is you’re trying to do –yoga, golf or live. 

None of us know what tomorrow will truly bring.  Why not enjoy what you have in front of you at this very moment?  Practice being content with where you are and progressing to where you want to go.  Make sense?

Yoga in the Workplace

Given I’m starting a lunch-break yoga class tomorrow for the City of Alexandria’s employees, the below article is timely.   More employers should consider offering yoga and meditation classes as part of their health/wellness plans.  More and more research supports that stress-relieving classes can improve employee morale and ultimately boost the bottom line.  More below…http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=19&aid=68792Health
	Some Employers Look To On-Site Yoga Classes For Stress Relief
April 16, 2007According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 80 percent of workers experience job stress. In this Money Matters report, NY1’s Shazia Khan looks at how some employers are helping to better manage the stress.Every Friday afternoon, Taylor Schreiner takes a yoga class at his office.“I find the way that it centers me at work is really helpful and helps me in my work,” says Schreiner. And experts say that’s just one of the reasons why more employers are offering perks such as yoga and meditation sessions at the workplace. Renee Lee Rosenberg is a career coach with the Five O’clock Club and a senior consultant at Retensa, a company which tracks employee retention statistics. She says the corporate world now recognizes the need to do more than just talk about stress management. “By offering yoga and stress reduction and deep breathing, employers are really helping their employees to be more productive, be more focused, to feel better,” says Rosenberg. Schreiner works in the marketing insights department at Yahoo! At the request of its employees, the internet giant started to offer yoga classes in 2002. “Cooling your jets is important in the internet space,” says Yahoo! employee Beth Lawrence. “It’s very fast and furious and it moves at a very quick pace, people work very long hours, so to be able to kind of revert back to a relaxation technique I think is critical.” Yahoo! tapped Balance Integration for its corporate yoga classes. Tevis Gale a former executive in marketing and business development founded the company in 2001 and went on to build an impressive list of clients, including AOL, Deutsche Bank, and Google. Other onsite classes offered include Pilates and meditation. “It’s wonderful for people to practice yoga or to go meditate or take a retreat – all of those things are fantastic but when we practice it to work it becomes directly connected to, ‘Gosh how do I use these skills when I am dealing with conflicts that come up in the midst of everyday?” says Gale. “So our belief is when you learn it at work and the teacher’s talking about work-life challenges all throughout the class it becomes immediately relevant.” Some employees liken yoga classes at the workplace to a mini vacation. “You come back fresh,” says Schreiner. “It’s just like going on vacation. You come back with a new perspective and a clean slate.” The employer is also breathing easy because: “Corporations are saving money,” says Rosenberg. “They’re are saving money because medical costs are going down, because employee retention is going up and employer productivity being increased.” – Shazia Khan

Running, Yoga & Wine = good looks

I’m so down with this…http://www.favorideas.com/celebrity-wedding-news/pink-credits-running-yoga-wine-for-good-look/

How Often Should I Do Yoga?

I receive this question often and my answer is always “as often as you can.”  Seriously, even by doing as little as 10-15 minutes of yoga a day you’ll start to feel like a rock star.  Your mind will become clearer and more focused both on and off the mat.  Your body will become stronger, more flexible and radiant.  Your posture will improve.  Your outlook on life will change for the better.  The benefits are endless, but they only result from consistent practice. 

Look at it this way…our bodies are a reflection of our minds.  Anxiety, fear and stress start to transform our bodies giving us back/neck pain, butterflies and headaches.  Name an emotion and more than likely your body is playing it out subconsciously.

When you can start to relax the mind, your body will relax.  Just try it and see.  Start with 5 minutes of breathing every morning in a pose like Balasana (child’s pose) or maybe spend 10-15 minutes simply doing a few rounds of Sun Salutations.  Like with most things in life, consistency is key.

Wasn’t it McDonald’s that coined the term “you deserve a break today”?  Well abellaYOGA is coining “you deserve a break everyday”.  View your 5, 10, 30 minute (whatever you can do) daily yoga as the break you deserve.   

Go with the Flow!

Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced yogi, there’s a lot happening when you’re on your 24” by 68” space (yoga mat) during a yoga class.  Move with your breath, be present, engage uddiyana bandha, observe your body, focus your gaze, move with grace, be fluid…how many more things is the teacher going to call out?!?!?! 

As in life, sometimes you just need to simply “go with the flow” and focus on the present.  Take it one step at a time, moment by moment.  Breathe by Breathe. 

Set an Intention for Your Yoga Practice

Selecting an intention at the beginning of each class will help bring clarity to your practice, clear your mind of useless chatter and keep you focused why you’re on your mat.  Keep your intention simple –a word, a phrase, a person.  Pick one thing to reflect on throughout your practice and stick with it.  Breathe, peace, ahimsa or maybe simply dedicating your practice to someone in your life who could use the energy. 

After you leave your yoga class, carry your intention into your life for the rest of the day or maybe until the next time you visit your yoga mat.  It’s said that your yoga practice is a reflection of your life.  How you move, react, think, etc. off the mat is how you will move, react and think on the mat.  Can you reverse this thinking?  Can you actively take your breathe into your life?  Can you take the peace you feel on the mat into your day?

Setting an intention and taking it into your life is a simple way to incorporate yoga as you move about your life.  This will allow you to easily make your life a reflection on your yoga pratice.  Isn’t that really why we come to the mat in the first place?  Yoga is so much more than just the poses we do during a yoga class, but that’s another blog post.  Until then. set an intention and live it on and off your yoga mat.  Namaste.