Hometown: Arlington, VA vs. Dover, DE

I’m kicking off the community classes for lululemon in the DC market this Sunday, July 1^st.  As part of the agreement, lulu will post some mini-interview questions with my answers, bio and picture in the Georgetown lululemon showroom.  Hometown was one of the questions asked.  For the first time, I paused before answering.

I live in Arlington, VA and have for over 12 years.  I was born & raised (Dover) and attended college (go fighting blue hens!) in DE.  Does “hometown” mean the first 18 years of my life?  Of course, it does but I’m starting to consider Arlington “home”.  I have a house, husband and business here.  And now I have a dog.  I know more people in the DC area than in all of DE (a shout out to Jay E.).  Arlington, VA is very much considered my home.   

Hometown?  This simple question for once brought pause.  In a few years, I will have lived in Arlington longer than Dover.  Dover will always be in my past.  It’s where I got my roots in life; though, I’m feeling new roots in my life settling, grounding and blossoming the longer I reside in my present place, Arlington, VA. 

So how did I answer the “hometown” question?  Dover, DE.  I clearly know what the question means but I did hesitate for once.  Maybe the question should be rephrased to “born & raised:”

Who Owns Yoga?

There’s no doubt the popularity of yoga has soared in the U.S. over the last 3-5 years.  Something like 20 million people now do yoga in the U.S. vs. 3.5 million in 2001 –these stats are off the top of my head but close to accurate.

Yoga in India was never about business.  Thousands of years after yoga was first documented in ancient texts, yoga travels to the U.S.   It slowly catches on and now our capitalistic society has turned it into big business. 

If you haven’t paid much attention, there’s an ongoing battle on “who owns yoga?”  It’s hard for me to think that it can be patented.  Is the practice of breathing (pranayama, which is an element of yoga) going to be patented?  Is the Bible patented?  Is running a marathon patented?  To me, patenting yoga sounds crazy but I’m just a yogi sharing what I know about yoga with my students. 

Read on.  I’d love to hear your thoughts/comments.  This link will take you directly to the recent posting I am sharing with you…

Who Owns Yoga?
Spot-On – USA
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Yoga? For me, the word used to conjure up images of Indian priests sitting in meditative poses. …http://www.spot-on.com/archives/kaul/2007/06/who_owns_yoga.html 

BODIES the exhibit

BODIES the exhibit is here in DC (technically just over the river in Rosslyn/Arlington, VA) until October 28, 2007.  It’s a must see for anyone who works with, around, on or inside bodies. 

Even if you don’t work with bodies, you should take the time to learn what’s going on inside your own.  This exhibit will more than likely give you a new appreciation of what goes on inside, really deep inside.  It’s a fascinating way to show what goes on inside the body making humans so awesome and fluid in day to day movements.  And yes, they’re actual human bodies that have been preserved for our viewing.   

A few highlights:  The spinal cord is in full view with the eyeballs attached —wow!  Find out what muscles are required to perform rudimentary tasks.  See the numerous layers that comprise your body —don’t pass by the 11lbs of skin on display.  Take-in the various stages of a fetus developing starting at just 10 days old.  Still smoking?  Maybe viewing the charred lungs of a smoker next to healthy lungs will make you drop the pack of cigarettes you’re carrying with you in the container next to the display.

Location details:  The Dome in Rosslyn, 1101 Wilson Blvd.  If going way of metro, take the orange or blue line to Rosslyn. 

How much is it?  There’s a hefty ticket charge but its well worth it.  Visit www.bodiestheexhibition.com for ticket prices and other exhibit details.

Allow a couple hours to really take it all in.  As you move through it, keep a smile on your face in appreciation of what you see.  It only takes 17 muscles to smile compared to the 43 muscles you use to frown or make an ugly face.  So smile and enjoy BODIES the exhibit.    

New Favorite Sites

In the last few weeks, I’ve found a few health/yoga sites that are worth mentioning as each has something to offer.  Rather than influence you with my reasons for liking them, I’ll let you decide for yourself.  Here’s the list. 

www.inspirenutrition.com

www.goldenheartyoga.com

www.yogadancer.com 

www.tilakpyle.com

www.flowyogacenter.com 

Check them out and let me know what you think.

Online Yoga Instruction

Feeling short on time today?  Or, maybe you don’t want to spend precious moments in the car traveling to your favorite yoga class?  Bored with your yoga DVD?  Can’t justify spending the money for in-home private instruction?  Traveling too many days this summer to get into a regular routine? 

We all have excuses as to why we don’t get on our yoga mat more often than we’d like.  Well, enough!  There’s a new alternative on the rise, online yoga classes —making yoga accessible to everyone, everywhere, anytime of the day. 

www.yogatoday.com  (free) and www.yogayak.com (low monthly fee) are two places you can now quickly connect with to get your daily fix on the mat.

Of course, being a yoga instructor and long-time student I truly believe live yoga instruction is the best way to ensure proper posture and alignment as well as add positive energy.  I also believe variety is the spice of life.  So mix it up a little.  Do a little of each:  live group classes, online classes, private yoga instruction or just flow in your backyard or nearby park.  Keep moving and your body, mind and soul will shine.  Namaste.

Benefits of Yoga

This entry is an add-on to my previous post.  This link http://www.flowyogacenter.com/flow/benefits.html which I found off of Flow’s website, a local studio here in DC, provides a wonderful overview on the many benefits of yoga.  This same list can also be found on the Yoga Alliance’s website (www.yogaalliance.org).

I must add though, both of these sites missed the pedicure benefit J which I mentioned at the end of my last post.  The feet are the roots for the body so why not keep them fresh and pretty?!?!

Will Yoga Make Me More Flexible?

If you’re looking to touch your toes, yes yoga can help you get there.  Though I warn you —you’ll learn a lot more along the way down.

Inactivity, which causes one to lose flexibility, results in stiffness in both body and mind.  So the more you move, the more limber the body becomes and hence, the more open your mind will be to what life has to offer.

Yoga asanas (postures), when practiced correctly, require every part of the physical body to be a part of the “yoga party”.  So yes, yoga will help you become flexible from head to toe.  Though over time, you’ll find your mental, emotional and somatic bodies (which I won’t discuss here) are natural “guests” at the yoga party you’re hosting on your mat.  These guests actually are always there but you may not have been aware of them.  The more you show up on your mat, the more you’ll take note and party with these guests.

Simple answer, YOGA will make you more flexible but you’ll get so much more from a regular yoga practice than being able to touch your toes.  Yoga will help relieve muscle tension, increase range of motion, create muscle tone and relieve stress.  Cardio conditioning, body alignment, weight and pain management are also benefits some experience from a regular yoga practice.

Best of all, yoga is an natural tool for becoming present in your life, both on and off the mat, as well as finding the inner peace that resides in you.    Oh, and let me not forget to mention, the more you start to touch your toes you’ll find yourself getting regular pedicures.  Namaste!

lululemon opens in Arlington, VA

It’s official!  The lululemon athletica Grand Opening Party in Market Common Clarendon is on Saturday, June 9^th

Hope to see you there!

Listen, Learn, Laugh

I woke up at 2:30am today and somehow in the midst of trying to fall back to sleep “listen, learn and laugh” popped into my head.  I started to think….these are three simple actions that really allow us to enjoy what’s going on in life, in the present moment.  “Listen, learn and laugh”.  It sounds so simple, right?  The challenge is to keep it simple and by doing so life unfolds right in front of you.

Listening to others is certainly a trait worth cultivating.  Listening can lead to learning new things about life, others, yourself, etc.  I’m not just talking about listening to those around you.  Listen your heart.  Listen, explore and act according to what your heart says then stop to see what happens.  It may be the best thing you can do for YOU.  Take note of the outcome of listening to YOU. What lessons were learned?  This leads to the next “l’ in my middle of the night brainstorm.

Life is an endless learning process.  Simply learning to trust your inner guide (intuition, heart, feelings, etc) is a lesson that can take years for some.  Once realized, it can be worth its weight in gold.  Learning to trust starts with listening.  Listening requires you to be fully present.  Asana, breathing and meditation are all tools you can use to open up your ears to you.      

When you start to listen and learn, whether it’s from yourself and/or others, you may find you can laugh more freely.  Laughing enables you to shed stress and fully live in the present.  Have you heard of laughing yoga?  A full explanation requires another blog entry but in the meantime visit www.laughteryoga.org.

Laugh –why not?  Laugh at your mistakes.  More importantly, learn to listen to and learn from your mistakes.  Mistakes are life’s lessons in disguise.  Don’t take them too seriously.  Lighten up!  Listen, Laugh, and Learn.  Oh, and LIVE life.

Happy June! Did You Know…

June 1 is the start of  meteorological summer for those of us North of the equator? 

The following has been copied directly from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer. 

Summer is a season of the year that is defined as beginning in June, and ending in September in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, summer begins in December and ends in March. Summer is defined by convention in meteorology as the whole months of June, July, and August, in the Northern Hemisphere, and the whole months of December, January, and February, in the Southern Hemisphere. The unofficial start of summer is a matter of convention: in Ireland it is as early as May 1, in many countries it is considered to be June 1, while in others it is as late as July 1. In general, seasonal changes occur earlier in coastal regions, so countries close to the oceans go for an earlier start to summer than inland ones. Summer is commonly viewed as the season with the longest (and warmest) days of the year, in which the daylight predominates, through varying degrees.

For people in the West, the seasons are considered to start at the equinoxes and solstices in an “astronomical” sense. However, because the seasonal lag is less than 1/8 of a year (except near large bodies of water), the “meteorological” start of the season precedes, by about three weeks, the start of the “astronomical” season. This time differential keeps the “meteorological” definition more symmetrically centered around the warmest part of the year than the “astronomical one” is. Today, the “meteorological” definition is gaining momentum, but the “astronomical” definition is more frequent, and most people today still regard it as “official”. In fact, the equinoxes and solstices of the astronomical seasons are considered to be the naturally official beginnings of seasons. The astronomical seasons still appear on most calendars. Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginning, of the seasons. In Chinese astronomy, for example, summer starts on or around May 6, with the jiéqì (solar term) known as Lixia (立夏), i.e. “establishment of summer”.

In Southern and Southeast Asia where the monsoon occurs, summer is more generally defined as March to May or early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon rains.

In most countries children are out of school during this time of year, although dates vary. Some begin as early as mid-May, although in England, from the ages of 5-16, school ends in the middle of July. In the Southern Hemisphere, school holiday dates include the major holidays of Christmas and New Year’s Day. Summer school holidays in Australia begin a few days before Christmas and end in late January to mid-February, with the dates varying from state to state.

Summer is also the season in which many fruits, vegetables, and other plants are in full growth.  Ripe blueberries, bright red strawberries, fresh squash.   Ahhh….the fruits of summer.  To me, they are most notably one of the best parts of the season.  Beyond the fruits of nature, summer also consist of many outdoor activities such as practicing yoga in the sun, reading books under a tree’s shade, grilling with friends and late evening runs or walks.  Whatever it is you do, get out and enjoy the Summer.   

If you didn’t already figure it out, everything except the first sentence in the last paragraph was my two cents   

Happy June, Happy Summer!