What Are We Saving For?

I read this article today on Daily Om and it really hit home. The person they descibed is ME. I am always saving things, rather than indulging myself and enjoying the things I own. For instance, my husband will buy me fancy chocolates and rather than just eating them and enjoying them, I have to savor them and only allow myself one every once in a blue moon. Well, it never fails, they either go stale or get eaten by my husband (or accidentally by the dog) before I ever get to enjoy them. So why do I insist on sacraficing and saving for a rainy day? The article below helped me realize that I need to stop this nonsense. Maybe it will help you too.

We all know someone who keeps plastic covers on his or her couch in order to protect it. The irony is that many of these people may live their lives without ever having actually made contact with their own furniture! This is a poignant and somewhat humorous example of the human tendency to try to save things for special occasions, as if everyday life weren’t special enough to warrant the use of nice things. Many of us have had the experience of never wearing a particular piece of clothing in order to keep it nice, only to have it go out of style in the meanwhile.

It’s interesting to think of what it would mean to us if we let ourselves wear our nicest clothes and eat off the good china on a daily basis. We might be sending ourselves the message that every day we are alive is a special day and a cause for celebration, and that we are worth it. There is something uplifting about treating ourselves to the finest of what we have. It is as if we rise to the occasion when we wear our best clothes and set the table beautifully, as if for a very special guest. We are more mindful of where we place things, what we are eating, and who is with us. Using the good china, eating in the dining room, and taking the plastic off the sofa might be an invitation to be more conscious of the beauty and grace inherent in our everyday lives.

If there are things you’ve stashed away for a special occasion—a bottle of special wine, a gorgeous pair of shoes, an antique lace tablecloth—consider taking them out of their hiding places and putting them to use tonight, just because you are alive now to enjoy them, and that’s a great cause for a celebration.

Femail Creations

Have you ever heard of a wonderful catalog called "Femail Creations?" Well, if you haven't . . . let me introduce you. This is a catalog packed full of the most unique and inspiring creations, made FOR women, BY women. If you looking for something really special for a friend or you want to treat yourself to something that you probably won't find anywhere else, then you have to check it out. You can visit their website here, and request to be added to their catalog mailing list.

And the best part? . . . Femail Creations is featuring a pair of YogaDudes earrings! To see the Tree Pose earrings on their website, click here. Be sure to check out all the wonderful products in their catalog. It will be a catalog that you just can't throw away.

Merry Christmas

Me and My Sheltered Little Life

Last night I watched "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" . . . you know . . . the one with the Heat Miser and the Cold Miser. I have always loved this show since I was a kid. And ever since I was a kid, I thought it was completely fictional. I mean WHO would ever want to prevent Christmas from happening???

Well, last night was an eye opener. After 30 'something' years, it gets brought to my attention that the story is based on facts - not fiction. OK, I know there isn't really a Santa that comes down the chimney. And if there is . . . he has some explaining to do because he obviously has me confused with some 'bad' folks. Anyway, my husband laughed at me last night when I so innocently showed my complete ignorance to the evil ways of the world in the past.

You see, my husband grew up in Hungary - behind the Iron Curtain. Not that he lived through much of this himself, but his parents got a taste of what it's like to live with restricted freedoms. He explained to me that his parents lived through this period of time when Christmas was not "sanctioned by the government." In other words, they were not allowed to openly celebrate the holiday. Any Christmas spirit had to be kept under wraps in the privacy of their own homes. In fact, they felt like criminals for celebrating the holiday.

So as we watched my favorite little show, things kept dawning on me . . . the evil police man with the German accent (never thought twice about that). The whole tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace. I didn't know that people actually did this to DRY their socks!! My husband had a ball laughing at me. He asked me "Where have you been?" and my answer was "Right here in the sheltered USA, living my sheltered little life." Makes me realize how lucky we are -even without any presents under the tree. Sometimes it's hard to understand how good you have it until you see things from a whole different perspective.

By the way, one other thing I learned last night was that December 5th is the day that many Europeans celebrate "Father Christmas" or "St. Mikulas". On the night of the 4th kids would shine their shoes and leave them by the door. The good kids would get presents in their shoes. The bad ones would get coal. My husband knows all about the latter part! So I got up this morning and checked my shoes . . . nothing. But I guess that's better than coal.

I Found Some OMMMM

In my last depressing post I said I was on the hunt for some OMMM and I found some. As promised, I'm going to share . . .

Shopping is a sure fire way to brighten my day. I decided to search for some fun and unusual gifts and I hit the mother-load at Target.com. Oprah gets to make her list of favorite gift ideas, so I decided that I should have my own! And unlike Oprah's, mine don't all cost over $500.

If you are looking for some cute, inexpensive gifts for friends or maybe even yourself . . . (and you already bought some adorable YogaDudes gifts) . . . then take a look at the list I compliled. For sure you will find something to bring a smile to you face. They can all be found on Target.com.

Paula's Top 10 Unique Gifts


Things You Must Do To Make Me Happy Message Pad $6.99 - This is a MUST have. What a riot. Handy check-off list that clearly and simply expresses your mood and critical needs. Your husband will just love this :-)



Duh: It Will Make You Feel Smart Game $14.99 - Cute coffee table game that is fun to play with friends and family. And who doesn't want to feel smarter?


Emergency Martini Drink Set $10.49 - Might be needed before, during and after the holidays.


Dog "Oh Happy Day!" Latte Mug $13.99 - How could you not laugh when you see this?


Holy Chocolate Cocoa Mix Gift Can $12.99 - Anything named "Holy Chocolate" is a must have!


Stainless Steel Buddha Flask $29.99 - If the lotus position doesn't relax you, perhaps the liquid inside will.


Slang Flashcards $13.99 - Cultivates strong street-talk skills and natural-sounding slang use in mere days. Never know when this can come in handy.


Unauthorized Therapy Sessions Game $14.99 - After all the holiday stress, you may need this.


Decision Maker $11.99 - This is great for deciding if you should buy that silly present for your freind, if you should wear those silly shoes with your outfit, if you should go to that party that you dread, etc.


Work Farce Game $14.99 - A meaningless way to find meaningful work. Maybe a new career is in your future?

Holiday Stresses are Starting - In Need of Some OMMMMM

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a nice little break. A time to stop, reflect and be thankful for what you have. Perhaps a time to rest up before the rush of the holiday season. Well, this was not the case for me. The stress started before Thanksgiving and just got worse. The YogaDudes website had to be moved to a new server and that was no small task. It was nearly 3 weeks of technology hell. The site was down for awhile, our mail is still mysteriously entering the black hole of cyberspace, and the shopping cart wasn't working during the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Yes, that was great timing!

I just want to appologize to anyone that experienced any problems with the site. I know you are out there . . . I know that several orders failed. I got emails asking for our phone number to call in orders. And yes, it is also perfect timing that our phone line is dead. Is there a conspiracy against me? I'm beginning to wonder.

If this is what Thanksgiving was like, I'm almost afraid to face Christmas! I am on the hunt for some much needed OMMMM. When I find it, I'll pass it along . . .

Giving Thanks

It's Thanksgiving afternoon and most of us are about to have a huge meal with all the fixings. It's getting time to watch football and figure out what stores to hit tomorrow morning. But isn't there more to this holiday? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to slow down and take stock of what's really important in our lives. Gratitude can help us all stop taking our lives for granted. It can free us from petty annoyances and inspire us to think of other people. So why should we limit our gratitude to just Thanksgiving?? Here are some ways to keep the good thoughts flowing through all the holidays and into the new year.

Create a Thank You List - Instead of making a list of the things you want as gifts, jot down everything that you are thankful for. Keep the list handy and keep adding to it throughout the year. When you are feeling down, pull out the list for an immediate spirit booster. For sure it will be longer than your holiday wish list.

Say Thank You Often - Whether it's in person, over the phone, via email, or a hand-written note, say thank you often. People and their efforts simply aren't acknowledged enough. A simple thank you goes a long way in human relations, both personal and professional.

Accept, Acknowledge, Appreciate - Memorize the three "A's": Accept, Acknowledge and Appreciate. They should replace the three "C's": Complaining, Condemning and Criticizing. The three A's will get you much further in developing positive relationships with coworkers, friends and family members.

YogaDudes would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thankgiving!

Don't You Just Love a Sale?

I'm sure everyone loves a sale as much as I do! We just added a new sale module to the YogaDudes shopping cart that allows us to put items on sale. Yeah! So today I had fun picking out lots of products to mark down. Just in time for holiday shopping, you will find all kinds of yoga t-shirts, yoga jewelry, yoga ornaments on sale. Check it out and happy shopping :-)

Free Inspirational Wallpaper Background

Each month we will place a new inspirational Windows wallpaper background on this blog. These photos are directly from the YogaDudes website where you can download two different PDF collections of inspirational photos. Each photo has a nice yoga-inspired quote. Get one here every month to keep your inspirations fresh!

You can download the full size jpg here. Once you view the larger image, simply Right Click on the image and select "Set As Background" from the drop-down menu that will appear. Wel-la, you should have a new inspiration Windows desktop.

A Little Time for Rest and Relaxation

Just got back from some much needed R & R. Well, as close as my husband and I can come to rest and relaxation. Our idea of a vacation normally means several months of training leading up to the vacation and then several days of recovering after. But as far as our usual trips go, this one was pretty easy. We spent 3 days hiking, one day driving ATVs like nuts, and the last day was truly the relaxing one . . . rafting through the Black Canyon just after the Hoover Dam. Nevada sure does have a lot to offer. Unfortunately, most of what it offers in Las Vegas is nothing that we are interested in. I often wonder how people live there. So many people, so much traffic, so much pollution. Nevada is a place full of desolate spaces, with miles and miles of untouched land . . . yet over 2 million people are crammed into one city. Why?

It was interesting to see the glitz of The Strip (very briefly), but I'll take the mountains and the desolation over the city any day. Driving just one hour outside of the city brings you to what feels like another planet! The red sand dunes of the Valley of Fire or to the Alpine village in Kyle Canyon make you feel like you couldn't possibly be further from city life.

I found a nice spot on top of some rocks at The Valley of Fire and just sat still and took it all in. I practiced a little meditation - focusing on some important happenings in my life right now - and even got in a few yoga poses. These few minutes were among the highlights of my trip.

Are you in search of some daily inspiration? How would you like a little "OM" delivered right to your computer every day? You can either visit the Daily Om website daily . . . or you can sign up to receive their daily emails. They deliver all sorts of interesting inspirations on a variety of topics. On the site you will find daily horoscopes and an intersting marketplace. Check it out!

Grocery Store Meditation

Last week I was talking to a friend who happens to love to blog. She loves reading blogs, writing blogs, talking about blogs . . . I told her that I stuggle to find interesting things to say to fellow yogis and she suggested that I write about ME. I thought, "now who wants to hear about me?" . . . but today I realized that simple things happen in my every day life that do relate to yoga. I mean, I'm not going to share my yoga routine with you, but the aspects of yoga that happen off the mat are the ones I find interesting.

And that leads me to today's entry. I realized this evening that I need to practice meditation at the grocery store. I mean I need some DEEP breathing to keep me from choking some people. As if shopping for groceries isn't stressful enough for me, the checkout line usually puts me over the edge. Today I picked what I thought was the shortest line. After all, I have things to do and dogs waiting at home. So the person in front of me is writing out a check, slower than I thought possible. Who writes that slow? No, wait a minute . . . who doesn't have a bank debit card today? To all the people out there that still write checks in stores . . . . GET A DEBIT CARD for heaven's sake. So the cashier takes the check and looks at it very closely. Then she sighs and turns on her little blinky light. That's it, I'm gonna blow. I'm thinking that eating is over-rated and I should just walk away and fast for a few days.

So the manager comes over and explains some reason why they can't take the check. What happens next? The customer says, "oh, can I just use this?" and pulls out a debit card. HELLO!!!! If you had a debit card in the first place, WHY ARE YOU WRITING A CHECK? Am I the only one that feels this way? Can anyone tell me why people are still writing checks at stores? I just don't get it.

But the point of this whole story is to say that my reaction to this whole scene was just terrible. After all, it was only another 5 minutes of my life. Part of me thinks "Yes, 5 precious minutes wasted." But another part of me realizes that I could have used those 5 minutes to relax and meditate. I should have been breathing deeply and using the time to contemplate something larger than me. So I promise to have more patience in line at the store. I am going to take deep breathes and imagine myself somewhere else - a mini vacation of sorts. But if there's a price check, I just may have to break out into a down dog!

For the Love of Autumn

Last week I got an email from a photographer that was questioning why I give my photography away on www.yogadudes.com. He said that he was trying to sell similar stuff on his own site and was not happy that I just give it way. So, being nosy, I went to check out his work and I must say, I was honored that he compared his work to mine! He was a real photographer with great photos. I don't consider myself a real photographer. I just happen to love to take pictures and love to share them with anyone willing to look at them.

This made me realize that I should share more of my photography in this YogaDudes blog. I decided to turn one YogaDudes inspirational photo into a Windows desktop background every month. I will post these new desktops in this blog for anyone to enjoy.

But in the meantime, I want to share some great Fall photos that I took a couple of weekends ago in Old Wethersfield, CT.

Healthy Tip of the Day - Organic Produce Codes

Did you know that you can tell if fruit and veggies are organic just by looking at the little sticker on them? Well, you can! The numbered stickers on store-bought fruit and vegetables indicate whether the items were organically grown. Regular produce carries a four-digit code starting with a 3 or 4, while organic has five digits starting with a 9. For example, if a bunch of conventional carrots is tagged 4094, its organic counterpart would be labeled 94094.

One Way To Find Out

I read this today on Daily OM and I really liked it. Thought it might be good to share:

One Way To Find Out
You Never Know Until You Try

When contemplating whether to do something or not, a plucky voice in our heads may say, "You never know until you try." This is time-honored wisdom that encourages us to be game rather than to hold back. It reminds us that it is only through experience that we learn about this world and ourselves. Even if we regret the outcome, we have learned something, and the newfound knowledge is almost always worth it.

This wisdom can be applied to situations both large and small. From crossing the Atlantic on a boat to trying Ethiopian food, there's only one way to find out what it's like. We have all had experiences where we tried something we didn't think we'd like and fell in love. We may have found ourselves stuck with nothing to read but a "boring" book, only to kick-start a lifelong passion for Victorian literature. We may have decided that sailing was not for us until we fell in love with someone with a boat. On the other hand, we may try tofu only to learn that it is truly not for us. In this case, we gain greater self-knowledge from the experience. And yet, we might still remain open to trying it prepared in a different way. The right marinade might make you a convert-you'll never know if you don't try it.

It is often said that at the end of our lives we are more likely to regret the things we did not do than the things we did. As an exercise to test your own willingness to discover through doing, try making a list of things you regret not having done. You may begin to notice patterns such as a failure to say what you really think at key moments or closed-mindedness to certain types of activities. Just being aware of the opportunities you missed might encourage you not to miss them again. There's only one way to find out.

Mental Anguish

Yoga is supposed to help stress, right? And I'm a firm believer in yoga, but what do you do if you have so many things racing inside your head that you simply can not clear it? I once had a dream . . . that dream was to turn my little YogaDudes business into something that I could do full time. I even had fantasies about becoming a yoga instructor and maybe opening a studio with a dear friend. It's so much fun to dream . . . But I also shared a dream with my husband. And that dream was to own and live in a post & beam country retreat. Both of these dreams seemed like they would never really happen and it never occurred to me that one could cancel out the other. But it's happened. We finally found our dream home and yesterday we signed our lives away on the contract that commits us to buying it. And what does that mean for my YogaDudes business? Well, that means that I'll never be able to quit my 'day job.' Well, not unless an awful lot of yogis all buy lots of YogaDudes goodies :-) Tell all your yoga friends - quick!

But seriously, I'm struggling with clearing my mind. I know I should be happy and excited, but I'm feeling terrified. Scared of saying goodbye to the house that I built and poured so much of myself into. Scared of the whole moving process. Scared of moving further away from everything and everyone. Scared my dear friends at home will disown me (yes, Lisa I mean YOU!)

And what a coincendence that I just got an email from a yoga writer. You can go on her website and subscribe to daily yoga articles. Today's opening line read "Do you ever find it hard to concentrate or become easilydistracted?" YES, I do!! If you would like to check out what she had to say, click here. I only subscribed last week and already she has helped me!

Yogi Hi Energy Bars

I have to admit, I haven't tried these yet. With my autumn allergies kicking in, seems I'm always dragging. I guess that is a good reason to actually make and eat some energy bars. I could really use it right now.

But anyway, I found this recipe in the latest issue of FitYoga and I thought they looked really good. If anyone tries them, please let me know how they are. And most importantly, did you feel more energetic??

Ingredients:
canola oil cooking spray
2 cups organic rolled oats
2 tablespoons wheat germ
3 tablespoons organic light olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup mashed banana (about 1/2 banana)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup diced dried fruit (sich as raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried cranberries)
1/4 cup 60-70% cocoa dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup coarsely chopped unsalted nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350%F. Coat an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Spread oats on a large baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionallly, until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cooked oats.
4. Spread the mixture evenly into the baking dish pressing down with your fingers to pack together.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden browon. Cool completely and cut into squares. Wrap the squares in plastic wrap and freeze or refrigerate for up to one week.
   

Yummy Chips I Have to Share

I just bought a bag of the most delicious chips and I have to tell you all about them. First of all, and most importantly, they have no trans fats and no ingredients that I can't pronounce. I don't often shop for or buy unhealthy snacks like chips . . . but these were sitting at the end of an aisle and caught my eye. I picked up the bag and inspected the attractive packaging (yes, I'm a graphic designer and that's what I do!) When I read the ingredients and noticed that the chips are made right in my hometown of Hartford, CT I just had to give them a try. Well, all I can say is YUMMY. You have to give them a try. Their website (which is very sparse) says they are sold all over the US so perhaps you can find them. The website is: http://www.foodshouldtastegood.com/

I have a feeling they will be your new favorite snack.

Improve Your Cycling with Yoga

I recently read an article about yoga and cycling. Since I'm a long distance biker, this interested me. Perhaps there are other avid cyclist/yogis out there that might like this . . .

Doing 15 minutes of poses after every bike ride will make you a stronger, faster cyclist. Yoga gives you everything you want while you’re on your bike: Strength, flexibility, power, and stamina. Yoga also makes you less injury-prone, promotes speedier recovery, reduces stress, and lengthens muscles to give you a longer, more powerful stride.

Some interesting points:

Recover without Being Sore
When you finish a ride, doing at least five minutes of post-ride posture will open your hips, back, and shoulders release lactic acid from your muscles to reduce soreness. Stiff muscles are dry muscles, so stretching and lubricating them increases recovery speed. This will also increase your stamina during training and guard against saddle-soreness tomorrow.

Do Triangle Pose: Stand with your legs 4 feet apart. Raise your arms shoulder-height, parallel to the floor with your palms down. Turn your left foot in about 45 degrees, and your right foot out 90 degrees. Your front heel should bisect the back foot. Bending from your hips, extend your torso to the right directly over your right leg, placing your right arm on a block behind your right foot. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, keeping your shoulders stacked in a straight line. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to one minute. Inhale to come up slowly. Reverse the feet and repeat to the left.

No Pain
The greater pain threshold you establish, the greater the cyclist you become. When done deeply and effectively, breathing delivers oxygen to muscles that are straining and cramping. Instead of traditional in-through-the-mouth-out-through-the-nose athletic breathing, pranayama or yoga-breathing increases your tolerance for torture by releasing toxins like lactic acid and carbon dioxide from your muscles. Use the following technique when you are on your bike and need to break the pain barrier.

Do Pranayama: Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your body completely relaxed. Breathe in through your nose. Place your hands around the bottom of your rib cage. This is where your diaphragm is located—the muscle that controls your breathing. Inhale and feel the breath expanding the bottom of your ribcage. You should feel your hands moving away from the center. As you exhale through your nose, gently contract your abdominals, squeeze around your diaphragm, and expel all of the air from your lungs. Again, inhale fully expanding the diaphragm, rib cage, and now take the breath further up and broaden the collarbone. Slowly exhale, gently contract the belly and squeeze the diaphragm as it contracts. Continue this exercise for 3 to 5 minutes until you feel comfortable with it.


Protect the Pedalhouse
Every pedal stroke counts toward accrued shortening and tightening in your legs muscles—a recipe for strains, pulls, and tears if you don’t attend to lower body imbalances. Riding creates shortened muscles that fatigue easily. Prevent overuse injuries by hitting the mat after every ride. Yoga will help you develop longer muscles, which puts less stress on your joints—especially those around your knees. You make sure your legs are lean, strong, and (sometimes) stretched, but your oft-neglected glutes deserve attention, too, as one of the largest muscle groups in your body. Thank them for generating the power behind “spinning.” However, your cycling will be ineffective if your major power center is too tight. Chill out while you loosen your legs and bum in Child’s Pose.

Do Child’s Pose: Kneel on the floor, sit on your heels, and separate your knees about hip-width apart. Exhale and lay your torso between your thighs, placing your forehead on the ground. Lengthen your tailbone away from your body. Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Stay here for 3 to 5 minutes—or more.


Get Down on Your Knees
Tight hips come from time in the saddle, but they off-set your alignment inviting overuse injuries in your ligaments and tendons. Hip flexors are the main muscle controlling the movement when you pull the pedal up and bring your knee toward your torso. Stiff hips translate to a tight iliotibial band, a ligament that runs from the top of your hips to the outside of your knees keeping knees stable as you cycle. Iliotibial band friction syndrome, one of the most common causes of knee pain in cyclists, occurs when the ligament rubs against a projection at the end of your femur causing pain and swelling along the knee. Keep your hips open and knees healthy in Pigeon Pose.

Do Pigeon Pose: Start on your hands and knees with hands directly below your shoulders and knees directly under your hips. Slide your right knee forward, placing it between your hands. Lengthen your left leg straight back, and lower your hips toward the ground, keeping both hips facing forward. Press your shoulders back and down. Hold for one minute. Supporting your weight on your hands, return to starting position before repeating on the left.

Christmas In July

I know its hard to think about Christmas during a heat wave, but we just got our special edition YogaDudes Christmas ornaments. If you don't get one now, they may be gone before the holidays. These adorable ceramic ornaments are 3" in diameter and feature the Namaste "dude" wearing a santa hat. Check them out on www.yogadudes.com here.

My brush with Buddhism

This past weekend I attended a traditional Cambodian wedding. Prior to this experience, the closest I ever got to Buddhist faith was reading the Dharma in my hotel room in Singapore. I have always been interested in this culture and since so much of yoga comes from this culture, I thought I would share my experience.


The worst part of this experience was that the entire 3 hour ceremony was done in Cambodian so I could not understand what was going on. I got small bits and pieces translated and being able to understand the language or not, it was fascinating. I understand that weddings would normally last 3 - 7 days back in Cambodia. I don't know if I could have lasted longer than we did. Our festivities began at 8 AM at the house of the bride's parents. The bride and groom live 2 houses down the street. We walked into the house and the first thing I see is an enormous cooked pig sitting on the kitchen floor. Not far away was a young man holding a rather large hacket. Yikes. I didn't want to be around to see what he was going to do with it. In what I assume was the dining portion of the kitchen, 6 or 7 people were sitting on the floor playing the most bizarre instruments I have ever seen. The music reminded me of yoga trance music and made me want to break out into down dog! They played this very loud music starting at 7 AM, throughout much of the ceremony and didn't get up off that floor until nearly 1 PM. How do they do that?


We, as guests of the wedding, also had to sit on the floor for a couple of hours and this was torture. It is amazing how difficult it is to sit on the floor when you are not accustomed to it. All the other Cambodian guests were far older than I was and were happily sitting there. I was fidgeting back and fourth, shifting my legs and moaning in pain the entire time. But I got through it.

The wedding was full of amazing outfits (the bride, groom and bridal party changed clothes 3 times) and fascinating ceremonial traditions. For instance, the groom had to walk with his entourage from his house to the bride's parent's house and ask for their permission to marry the daughter . . . the bride had to wash the groom's feet . . . the parents of the bride and groom had to pretend to cut their hair and spray them with cologne . . . all the guests had to tie strands of yarn to the bride and groom's wrist . . . the guests had to make enormous dishes of food and bring to the neighbor's house . . . we had to pass several burning candles around the room, over and over again . . . the bride and groom had to offer flowers to the parents . . . we had to throw flower pedals on the bride and groom . . . the bride and groom had to parade around the house carrying a special pillow.



I only wish I knew what all this stuff meant. The only part of the ceremony that was translated was the last part. This was basically the vows. The monk would explain what the bride and groom are expected to do in their new lives together. This was translated for the groom's sake (who was not Cambodian and also had no idea what was going on). These vows are what made me want to write about this experience in my blog. Let me explain . . .

The monk explained that the groom was the head of the household and was expected to support and provide for the wife. He explained how the husband has to buy the wife clothes and give her everything that she needs. He should never cheat on her and always respect her. Then he went on to say that the woman needs to be understanding when the husband comes home from work, tired and hungry. She needs to always respect him and not question his authority as the head of the house. She needs to care for him and do all the housework to make the place comfortable for her husband. HELLO!! WHAT YEAR IS IT?? I was so appalled at this in this day and age. Is it me or do others feel the same way? What happened to equal partners in the marriage? Well, I guess that culture is just not for me. I'm a happy participate in yoga and lots of other Buddhist thinking, but I just don't agree with the marriage vows.

Neat Yoga Product

I said "neat" product, but I should have said "clean." I was just flipping through an old issue of Body & Soul magazine, which by the way is amoung my favorite magazines (www.bodyandsoulmag.com) . . . and I ran across this neat little product that I thought other yogis might like. If you take yoga classes at gyms where you share a common mat, then this is a definite must. And even if you only use your own mat, this is still a good idea. Unlike “wipe-ies for kids,” which can leave yoga mats too slippery, Jo-Sha Wipes are a quick and convenient solution for a clean yoga mat. These all natural, on the go wipes are great to throw in your bag and have ready for other uses as well. Check out their website: http://www.joshawipes.com/

New YogaDudes Product on the Way

Today I decided to purchase some tote bags. Yes, we already carry the tradional yoga mat bags, but these were cute and can be useful for any time - not just carrying your mat to class. I personally carry my lunch to work every day in the same old (non cute bag) that I've had forever. Since I personally wanted a YogaDudes tote bag, I figured I would offer them up to the world! Here's a sample of the bag, only I ordered lavendar color straps.


I should have them printed with the YogaDudes logo and available online within the next 4 weeks.

More Dr. Dyer Wisdom

I got an email today from Dr. Dyer and he suggested sharing the wisdom . . . so I'm taking his advice and sharing it with you . . .

Enjoy everything that happens in your life, but never make your happiness or success dependent on an attachment to any person, place, or thing.

The more you see yourself as what you’d like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you’ll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality.

Most people are searching for happiness outside of themselves. That’s a fundamental mistake. Happiness is something you are, and it comes from the way you think.

You are in a partnership with all other human beings, not a contest to be judged better than some and worse than others.

Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored . . . boredom is a choice.

Money—like health, love, happiness, and all forms of success that you want to create for yourself—is the result of living purposefully. It is not a goal unto itself.

The opposite of courage is not so much fear as it is conformity.

Try viewing everyone who comes into your life as a teacher.

Forgiveness is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. If you can’t learn to forgive, you can forget about achieving true success in your life.

There are limits to material growth, but there are no limits to inner enlightenment.

Any Time Yoga for the Brain

Don't you wish you could bottle the way you feel during your yoga practice to take with you the rest of the day? I, personally, am going through some stressful times these days. I'm having trouble concentrating on my tasks at hand and I simply can not clear my mind. The only peace I feel throughout the day is during my 20 minutes of personal yoga. Earlier this week I purchased a deck of cards by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I mention him on the Resources page of www.yogadudes.com. I just can't say enough good things about this guy. His books and lectures are simply amazing. Anyway, this deck of cards is called "10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace Cards" and whenever I have felt overwhelmed by stress these past few days, I simply opened the deck and read a card. No matter what card I pull, it was always exactly what I needed to hear. It's like any time yoga for the brain. I love these cards so much, that I'm going to share one every once in a while on this blog. Perhaps you will enjoy them as much as I do. Here's one card from the 50 card deck:

Live in the now . . . Practice enjoying the present moment rather than using it up consumed with guilt over the past or worry about the future. Refuse to allow any thoughts based on your past to define you.

Test Drive the New YogaDudes Shopping Cart

I'm working hard on the new YogaDudes shopping cart. I would love some feedback on it as it's being developed. If anybody would like to take a peek, you can see it here: http://shop.yogadudes.com

I'm curious to hear what you think. Please keep in mind that it's still under construction at this point. Do you think it's easier to navigate than our current cart? Is it more user-friendly? Would anybody use the "Wish List" or "Email to a Friend" options?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. You can either post a comment here, or email me directly at info@yogadudes.com.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I need help!

Well, this will be a test to see if this blog thing really works. I just posted an updated YogaDudes.com. I added a new page called "Resources" and my goal for this page is to include the following categories:

• Articles - a collection of interesting yoga articles
• Links - links to various yoga related websites
• Healthy recipes - simple enough
• Homeopathic remedies - a collection of alternative remedies to cure common ailments
• Great Yogi Finds - a collection of personal favorites, things I have found that I love and would recommend to other like-minded folks.

You will notice (if you visit the site) that Recipes, Remedies and Great Finds are currently under construction. I could really use some help with the healthy recipes and homepathic remedies. I don't want to just surf and grab random things off the intenet or in books. I really want these things to be tried and tested.

If you have some personal favorites that you think I should include, PLEASE send them along. Email me or post a comment in this blog. Please help me make YogaDudes.com a place that yogis would love to visit.

Thank you!!

Welcome to the YogaDudes Blog

In an effort to be able to communicate with all the great YogaDudes customers, I am setting up this blog with high hopes of actually finding the time to write. I don't really have any delusional ideas that I will update this often, but when I do . . . it will be because I have something interesting to say. Hmmm, I guess we need a good definition of "interesting," but I will certainly not post aimless ramblings. I've never been a big fan of that!

What I'm really looking to do is get feedback from loyal YogaDudes fans. I often get feedback via emails from folks that have bought products in the past. Seems lots of you have suggestions for new YogaDudes products that you would like to see. So now, before I make any purchasing decisions, I'm going to post some items or colors or designs and see what everybody thinks. I would love the feedback. I think I set this thing up so that anybody can post comments (without having to be a registered blogger). Somebody please try to post a comment and let's see if it works!!

Stay tuned for YogaDudes news . . .