August 2011 Desktop Calendar

Thanks to YogaBliss photo for this wonderful picture. If you would like to make this beautiful graphic calendar your computer desktop just click on the image above to bring up a bigger graphic in a new window. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

Second Annual Yoga Challenge

This summer, Citizen Effect is launching its 2nd Annual Yoga Challenge and uniting the DC yoga community to benefit Becky’s Fund, a Washington, DC-based non-profit that focuses on domestic and dating violence education and awareness.

From yoga newbies to experienced yogis, everyone is encouraged to do #Yoga4Good. Participants will receive discounts from local yoga studios while joining together to raise $20,000 for Becky’s Fund. Those interested in doing #Yoga4Good can go to www.citizeneffect.org/yogachallenge to sign up. The official Challenge and studio benefits will start on August 1st and last through the end of the month, with top fundraisers receiving prizes at the end of the challenge. There will also be four (4) Yoga in the Park events, starting July 20th and occurring every other Wednesday through August.

Currently underway is Citizen Effect’s “Show Us Your #Yoga4Good Pose” photo contest on Facebook. To participate, yoga lovers can take a picture of themselves doing a yoga pose while displaying the Yoga Challenge hashtag, #Yoga4Good, then post it to Citizen Effect’s “Show Us Your #Yoga4Good Pose” Facebook page. The person with the most “likes” on their photo will receive a 3-month supply of Vita Coco Coconut Water.

Yoga’s focus on healthy, happy living makes it the perfect fundraiser for the Becky’s Fund youth initiatives: “Becoming Your Own Heroine: Lessons in Self-Empowerment and Dating Violence” and the “Young Men’s Mentorship Program,” which educate DC/Metro area youth about dating and domestic violence.

Challenge yourself to do #Yoga4Good today at www.citizeneffect.org/yogachallenge.

Yoga and Meditation - The Perfect Combination

In a recent Huffington Post article, Deepak Chopra writes about the benefits of yoga. According to Chopra, yoga has not only been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, reducing the risk of heart disease, but the meditation component of any yoga practice can also help to reduce instances of anxiety and depression.

From the article:
Calming the mind Since yoga involves the mind as well as the body, it’s not surprising that it may help reduce anxiety and depression, especially in people whose anxiety is related to an illness like cancer. More research is needed to learn exactly how yoga affects mood, but a 2007 study may provide a clue: It found that in experienced yoga practitioners, a 60-minute yoga session increased levels of a neurotransmitter called GABA. Low levels of GABA have been linked to depression and anxiety disorders. Another pilot study suggests that yoga may influence depression by increasing the alpha waves in the brain. Alpha waves are associated with relaxation. Yet another possibility is that yoga reduces the amount of cortisol, a hormone that the body releases in response to stress. Some scientists think chronic high levels of cortisol may be tied to depression, as well as impaired immune function.

If the potential health benefits of yoga aren’t enough to make you want to try it, consider this: Yoga can also make you look more toned and fit and help you move with greater ease, especially as you grow older. A 2007 study of the Hatha yoga style showed that it increased muscular strength, flexibility and endurance. It’s no wonder that many athletes use yoga to cross-train.

And if you want to try your hand at a simple meditation that you can do right at home, please follow this link.

Yoga Woman

Never underestimate the power of inner peace! Check out this amazing movie trailer about how yoga is changing the lives of women all over the world.

The Power of Aum

Lately I have really been struggling with my morning meditation. I have a neck injury that has me in such severe pain that I simply can not sit with my hands in my lap. I normally sit for 20 minutes, the first 5 require my right hand near my forehead, with my left hand in my lap. The pain is isolated to the left part of my neck and my left shoulder. Within 2 seconds of my meditation the pain is so bad I simply can not concentrate, I have to move and fidget, and I sometimes end up in tears. But yet I still sit there. Come Hell or high water I will sit for 20 minutes every morning.

It was a couple of days ago that I realized something amazing. After my 5 minutes of torture from having my left arm in my lap, I move my arms slightly so that my palms are up and resting on my knees (as I sit in cross-legged position). Now this position is still terribly uncomfortable for me, but (and here's the interesting part) when I start to chant my Aums I can actually feel the pain reducing. With every single Aum I feel the muscles relaxing, which must relieve some pressure on the nerve causing all the pain. This just proved the power of the Aum. Now the trick to chanting these Aums is actually feeling the vibration. As Sadhguru taught, you must first feel the vibration in your belly. This is when you are making the Aaaaaaa sound (like when the doctor tells you to stick out your tongue). Then as you begin to close your mouth the sound naturally turns from Aaaaaaa to Uuuuuuuuuu and when you do this right you can literally feel the vibration move from your belly to your chest. This is the point of the chant that I can literally feel this vibration in my shoulder. When you finally close your month the sound starts to make the Mmmmmmmmmm sound and now you can feel the vibration right to the tip of your nose.

I chant these Aums for at minimum of 5 minutes and during those 5 minutes I am pain free. It is the most amazing thing. Unfortunately, I don't move a muscle as I transition into the next segment of meditation. My seating position is the exact same, only when the chanting stops the pain returns. I will continue to work on my muscle therapy and treatment to fix my neck and shoulder, but the lesson I learned about the power of Aums will stay with me forever. For more information on learning this powerful meditation, please visit http://www.ishafoundation.org/

Amazing New Yoga Mat

I was recently contacted by Vernice Vita to review a brand new yoga mat. My first thought was, "How much could I say about a yoga mat?" Upon further investigation I discovered two more interesting facts about this new mat: first it is made of memory foam, and second it cost over $100. These two things left me a bit leery. I never really was a big fan of memory foam. I feared that the mat would be too squishy, making it difficult to move my feet positions. My other concern was the price. I wondered who would spend so much on a mat. I was doubtful that I would.

But I had an open mind and I agreed to take a mat on loan. I have to admit I was growing more and more curious to experience what my routine would feel like on this strange new environment. When I unrolled the mat I could see that it was going to take a little while for it to lay flat all by itself. It also had a funny "new" smell so I rolled it out on my porch and let it both settle down and air out. I normally do my yoga routine in a spare bedroom that happens to be carpeted. I wanted to give this new mat a fair shot and figured that I shouldn't lay a memory foam mat on top of carpet and padding, so trying it out on the wood decking of my porch was the perfect plan . . . in so many ways . . .

In one word, the mat was AMAZING. I just couldn't get over the complete transformation in my routine. In the craze of an overly booked and rushed day, I had planned to only "try it out" with a 10 minute routine. 40 minutes later I was still going strong. I found that I lingered in every pose far longer than I normally do. I found the mat so comfortable and I swear it improved my balance. I felt like I was grounded to the mat in ways that I never experienced and everything just felt so right. I felt strong. I felt like my form was better than it ever has been. All of my previous yoga experiences were on my squishy carpeted bedroom floor or at studios on wood floors with very skinny mats. This was just unreal.

My fear of having my feet stuck was unfounded. I moved in and out of the positions no differently than on any other mat. But when it came to one arm side balances that normally hurt my wrists, I was more comfortable. When it came to balance poses I felt like a rock. And when it came to Savasana . . . on my God, I never wanted to get up!

Later in the evening I packaged up some new yoga pants that my husband recently bought me for my birthday in preparation for exchanging them. It was then that I realized those pants cost $95. Then I flipped through a sport magazine where I researched some new running shoes, which, of course, cost over $100. Suddenly it seemed much more justifiable to spend the money on an amazing yoga mat. After all, it is your one tool of the trade that can make or break or practice. Needless to say, the loaner is NOT going back.

And the most interesting part of this experiment (for me) was the fact that I found my absolute favorite new place to practice yoga (in addition to my new favorite mat). Practicing outside in my screened in, always shaded, porch was outstanding. I could feel the breeze and hear the little waterfall that feeds into my gold fish pond. I am now planning to decorate this new-found space with all things yoga!

For more information on the new yoga mat, please visit www.vvitayoga.com. They have an online store where you can buy your own amazing new mat.

Isha Kriya Meditation

Isha Kriya is a modified form of the meditation that I learned through Inner Engineering back in May, and for the first time it's available to everybody online. Here's is what Sadhguru has to say about it:

“For different levels of thought and emotion that you go through, your breath takes on different types of patterns. If you are angry you breathe one way, you are peaceful you breathe another way. You are happy, you breathe in another way. You are sad, you will breathe in a completely different way. Have you noticed this? Based on this conversely is the science of Isha Yoga: there are conscious patterns of breath which can leave you in a constant state of bliss and healthfulness.”
-Sadhguru

To learn more about it, please watch this video.



And if that peaked your interest, please visit this web page which will offer you a chance to try the Isha Kriya on your own.

The Essence of Life . . .

Is being calm to the core.

July Desktop Calendar

Ahhh, finally the sweetness of Summer has arrived. If you would like to make this whimsical graphic calendar your computer desktop just click on the image above to bring up a bigger graphic in a new window. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

Speak No Evil, Tweet No Evil

I recently read an interesting story about Michael Stusser, who is a humor columnist from Seattle. He makes his living ranting about just about everything. When he realized that his sarcastic columnist personality was creeping into his personal life and turning him ugly he decided to do something about it. At first he simply tried to 'speak no evil.' He attempted to remove all trash talk, mud-slinging, rude riffing, and taunting Tweets from his everyday life for one month. This approach of simply "being more positive" just wasn't going to cut it for him. He was too far gone and needed some professional help. Enter his yoga instructor . . .

To read Michael's fascinating story of self transformation, please click here.

One Minute Meditation

I can't believe it's taken me this long into my life to discover the benefits of meditation. I feel as though I'm on a crusade now to spread the word about the amazing benefits of it. Being a yogi that has tried meditation in the past, I know all the common hurdles that many people face. Sitting in crossed-legged position can be uncomfortable or even painful, finding the time to set aside is always a challenge, and most of all, clearing the mind for more than a nano-second may seem impossible. The best thing I can suggest is to start small. Try sitting on a chair rather than on the floor, with your feet flat on the ground, your spine erect, and your hands placed comfortably on your thighs (either palms up or down). At the very beginning start off with a goal of sitting for just one minute. Maybe this video will help:

Dare To Be Extraordinary

And retreat from reality . . .

Open to Grace

Expand your mind and nourish your soul . . .

Clarity and Energy From Meditation

It has been just about one month since I began my Isha yoga routine every day. This is a 20 minute meditation practice called Shambavi Mahamudra and I learned it at an Inner Engineering retreat in Atlanta in May. My experience at the live event wasn't particularly good. It involved an awful lot of hours of sitting on the floor and, although I was prepared with a meditation cushion, I was still not ready for that many agonizing hours of fidgeting on the floor. My entire body hurt and getting through the meditation practice was nearly impossible for me. Not only was I in all sorts of various pain, but there was so much distraction. Many of the meditation veterans seemed to be having out of body experiences and although that is great for them, it was very hard for the rookies to try to keep their minds focused. It was just a lot to take in and experience in a short amount of time. I have to say, my outlook wasn't all that positive and I might have even felt a little hopeless. I even had fearful thoughts that I simple wouldn't be able to find an extra 20 minutes during the day to devote to this. But I was committed to at least trying.

One of the biggest hurdles to doing this meditation was the fact that it must be done on an empty stomach. For me this was a problem because I am constantly snacking on something. I may not eat large quantities of food, but I do eat often. This meant that my only real time to devote to this meditation practice was first thing in the morning, which also posed a problem because of my early work day schedule. As it is, I could barely drag myself out of the house by 6:30 am. My heart was sinking, but I was committed to at least giving this a try. I had already invested a good chunk of time and money into this Inner Engineering and I just HAD to give it a go.

And so I did. Sadhguru said that the first 30 days would be the hardest and those would take the biggest commitment. I figured all 30 days would be torture, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first week was rough. Getting up at 5:30 was a struggle and my knees and hips were screaming after just 10 of the 20 minutes. But I persisted.

It was some time during my second week that my hips started to loosen up. I found that I could sit for the whole 20 minutes without focusing so much attention on the discomfort. Pretty soon I didn't feel a thing and could sit there effortlessly. The bad part is that once I cleared my mind of the pain, it left room for various other thoughts to pop up. But I didn't give up.

By the third week I noticed longer stretches of a thoughtless mind. Not only that, but I noticed it was getting easier and easier to get out of bed in the morning. I would awake before my alarm consistently and almost anxiously await the time to run into my new 'meditation room.' What started as a chore was quickly turning into something that I looked forward to. I was stunned.

Here I am 4 weeks into my new routine and I am consistently waking up hours before my alarm. I wake up every single morning wide awake and ready to spring out of bed. It seems that my body only requires 5 hours of sleep these days. Prior to starting this meditation I was almost always tired. I blamed it on everything from the lack of sunshine, to allergy problems, to post Lyme disease issues. There was always some reason for me to be exhausted. But today I am full of energy almost always. I can't remember the last time I complained that I was tired. I'm pretty sure I can throw away my alarm clock. And the best and most exciting development is the clearing of my mind. It used to be that I couldn't go 20 seconds without 100 thoughts flooding into my mind. Now I can sit for 20 whole minutes and think about nothing. If I had the chance to place a bet on whether or not I would EVER be able to achieve that through meditation I would have certainly bet against myself. I still can't believe this has happened to me. It's a miracle. I have never felt better! Meditation works. If you are a doubter, you have to do yourself a favor and just give it a try.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Did you know your nostrils play a key role in balancing your brain? According to yogic science (and recent medical studies), your nostrils switch dominance every 2 ½ hours so that your brain and body stay balanced during a 24-hour cycle. At any time, one nostril is dominant. The energy channels (nadis) in your right nostril stimulate your sympathetic nervous system, while the nadis in your left nostril stimulate the para-sympathetic nervous system.

Creating balance in your sympathetic and para-sympathetic nervous systems can help you avoid high blood pressure and anxiety, as well as depression and hypothyroidism (not to mention brain fog!). The wisdom of the body keeps your nostrils switching and you can do yoga to reset your breathing. Do 3 minutes of alternate nostril breathing (nadi sodhana) to feel blissfully balanced in your body and brain. By breathing through your left nostril (to calm yourself) or your right nostril (to energize) you will experience the power of your nose!

I do 4 minutes of this alternate nostril breathing every day. It's the start of my 20 minute meditation and it's wonderful. Without this start to my meditation I could never clear my mind, but this really helps. When I first started this I found it to be challenging to slow down my breath. I felt like I just couldn't get enough air through one nostril, but it only took one week of practice before my breathe naturally settled down so that I can effortlessly breath nice and slow, while feeling completely satisfied by the amount of air entering and exiting my body. Give it a try today!

Recommended Read: The Little Book of Yoga Breathing: Pranayama Made Easy. . . by Scott Shaw

Embrace Your Karma

And may the life within you be strong!

Great Deal on Oxygen Magazine

Would you like a one year subscription to Oxygen Magazine for just $5.39? What a bargain for this great magazine! This deal is valid for brand new subscriptions, as well as renewals. All you need to do is click on the link below to be taken to the place where you can purchase the subscription. But here's the catch . . . this deal is only valid today, June 6th. Don't miss it. Just click on the link below.

Click here for the Oxygen Magazine Deal of the Day

Take Time to Find Your OM

And create a life you love!

June Desktop Calendar

I'm not quite sure where May went, but welcome June. If you would like to make this colorful graphic calendar your computer desktop just click on the image above to bring up a bigger graphic in a new window. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

Enjoy.

My Path to Enlightenment Through Inner Engineering

A couple of months ago we gave away a free copy of a book called Midnights With a Mystic by Cheryl Simone. Up until the book promotion company contacted me, I never heard of the book, but I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to offer a give-away, and I was thrilled to be given a free book myself. Who doesn't like free? What I didn't realize was how much that book would change my life.

My free book arrived in my mailbox the day before leaving for vacation. The timing could not have been any better as I normally don't make much time for casual reading. Within a couple of hours of cracking the book open at the airport my hair was sticking up on my arms. I just felt this erie feeling that I was MEANT to have this book in my hand. I completely related to everything the author said, and felt like I shared her every feeling and thought. The real kicker came when she explained how early in her life she unexpectedly received a book in the mail. She never did find out who sent the book, but she read it. The book was "Autobiography of a Yogi," a very deep and hard-to-read book that had an influence on the rest of her life. I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that the book that I was holding in my hands was also sent to me (by a stranger) as if it was destined to find me.

So I read and read and by the time I got to my destination I already felt like a changed person, like several light bulbs of awareness went off in my head. I had to share my new-found enlightenment with my husband, who was surprisingly open to hearing all about it.

The reason why I related to the author of that book so much was because she described most of her life as 'perfect.' She was happily married, had a successful business, lived in a beautiful home, had plenty of money, etc. There were literally no real problems in her life, but yet she was constantly searching for more, more, more. She never truly felt happy and just had this aching feeling that there had to be more in life. Boy did that touch a nerve with me. Sometimes I stop and think, "Can my life get any better? What the hell is wrong with me that I'm not 250% grateful every single day for the life I have? What is it that I'm looking for?" I have everything I could possibly want, but it seems like I'm always looking for more. Well, what I was looking for was Sadhguru and I finally found him!

The book led me to a quest to research Isha Yoga and the Mystic himself, Sadhguru. I surfed around online and found something called Inner Engineering. If I thought the book opened my eyes . . . it only scratched the surface. There was a whole new world out there to explore and to my delight, I could do most of it right at home. It all started with this 30 minute video (Caution: the link will take you away from this blog. Please finish reading then come back and click on the links.) Every single thing this man said made so much sense. I had a feeling that I may have found the answer to all my life's problems. This man could teach me how to find my inner peace. How to finally enjoy my life. How to let go of all the external influences that have such a effect on my every emotion. Wow, just the thought of it was overwhelming.

My next step was to sign up for the Inner Engineering program which is an online course consisting of 7 one and half hour lectures by Sadhguru. After every single class I could feel the changes happening. I felt calmer, more patient, kinder . . . the list goes on. It was impossible to not think about Sadhguru and his teachings in every aspect of life. It was just a completely refreshing feeling. At the end of this online course you are invited to go to the SHAMBHAVI Maha Mudra Induction Program which is a live event to learn a very sacred meditation ritual that is completely life changing. This advanced meditation program promises amazing health benefits and all of them are just icing on the cake. The real treasure is the ability to be joyful no matter what is going on around you. If there is one lesson to be learned in this lifetime it's that you can never control your environment. If your happiness is based on external things you will never be happy. Happiness is an inside job and should not be contingent upon a single thing going on outside of your self.

I couldn't possibly endorse anything as passionately as I can endorse getting yourself a copy of the book and taking the online Inner Engineering program. It's the best companion to your yoga practice and may just make a profound difference in your life

Come as You Are

Yoga has been known to cause health and happiness. Try it today!

Win a Free Workshop at Kripalu

How would you like to win a free workshop and yoga retreat at Kripalu with Dr. Sinatra? The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health is a world-famous nonprofit, mission-driven, and donor-supported educational organization that for 30 years, has been offering experiential learning for body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Sinatra is a leading board certified cardiologist, nutritionist, educator, and author who has practiced integrative medicine for over 30 years. He can be found at www.drsinatra.com, www.twitter.com/SinatraMD and www.facebook.com/SintatraMD

All you have to do to enter is "Like" on Dr. Sinatra's Facebook Page. There is no cost, and you may "unfriend" Dr. Sinatra at any time. The contest runs through June 15, 2011. The workshop is at Kripalu July 29-31, 2011. The grand prize winner receives airfare, tuition, and private accommodations. What a deal. Head over to Facebook now and keep your fingers crossed.

Weekly Inspiration - Slow Down

Slow Down and Breathe Deeply

New YogaDudes Racerback Tank Tops Now Available

After taking a poll and discovering that most woman prefer the racer-back style tank tops, we switched our YogaDudes tanks over. These ribbed 100% cotton tanks are stretchy and super comfy and are now available in our shop. And we are even offering free shipping this month. Just enter the promo code MINTY at checkout. Free shipping offer good until the end of May.

View the new tanks here.

Using Yoga to Alleviate Symptoms of Terminal Illness

Yoga has recently become one of the more popular ways to exercise, and that popularity has been increasing exponentially throughout the last ten years. The ability of yoga to mix both physical workouts and meditation has made it a more popular option than traditional exercise at a gym. The practice of yoga techniques on a daily basis generally leads to a better sense of wellness, and more recently has even shown to be a viable option in the treatment of individuals suffering from terminal illnesses.

While there is a wealth of information available on the use of yoga being beneficial for breast cancer patients, many other patients are applying yoga practice and benefitting as well. Patients find yoga appealing due to the bind of mind and body, as well as the diversity of the exercise in its application to a wide variety of schedules. Patients can choose to exercise in small ten minute session both morning and night, and if they are looking to participate in longer exercises, they also are able to engage in an hour long session once a week.

Where yoga is seen to have the largest value is in its mental advantages. For patients with terminal illnesses, yoga is able to increase the bond between the body and spirit with the mind. This can give those suffering a feeling of more self control and often set them back onto the path of feeling as though they are hopeful for recovery. These positive emotions are vital to the success of treatment and can give patients a lot of clarity in some of the most difficult times they will face. A good example would be sufferers of mesothelioma, a rare cancer cause by asbestos exposure. The symptoms of mesothelioma are unbelievably taxing, and yoga can help to relieve some of the stress at times.

Many recent studies have shown yoga as a viable alternative to medication relief. The relaxation techniques used in yoga can help relieve many of these symptoms that terminal illness patients will face.

Today's blog post comes to us courtesy of a guest blogger Krista Peterson. Krista is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer. As a health and safety advocate, she shares a strong passion for the wellness of others in her community. Krista has been practicing yoga for 3 years and loves to encourage others to do so as well. Through her writings, she helps to spread awareness of such issues as cancer and chronic illness. Thanks for the article Krista.

A Little Slice of Nirvana for Your Mind

Be mindful of where you put your attention. The shape of your life will follow!

Yoga Can Be Exhausting

Especially when you do too many Down Dogs!

Ayurveda Cleanse Complete - A Major Bust

I am thrilled to say, my four days of misery are over. And I'm not thrilled to say it was a major bust!

These past four days have been terrible for me. I really struggled with every single aspect of the cleanse. I found it all a chore and I felt pretty miserable for at least 3 of the 4 days. I had a constant headache, was much more light-headed than usual, and every time I ate I got terrible stomach cramps. Add to that, the fact that the supplement pills made me completely constipated. Seems very counter productive for something called a 'cleanse.'

I got through the last day doing just about everything I was supposed to (minus the bath and oil) and the only thing I ate that I wasn't supposed to was a raw piece of fruit. My appetite had been dwindling for two days due to the stomach cramps so the fasting wasn't that big of a deal. It was the cravings for sweets that were killing me. I positively could not wait for this ordeal to end and, believe it or not, I was looking forward to downing that prune juice.

I waited until 9 PM to drink the ever-so disgusting prune juice and then I went to bed, anxious for it to kick in. My stomach was doing major flip flops all night. I couldn't wait to wake up and have it all be over with. I was dreaming about chocolate,, and ice cream, and any other darn thing that I might want to munch on.

Well, I woke up and the very first thing I did was drink some warm water. I figured that would help get things started, but no, it didn't. My stomach was bloated and hard and big. How is this possible after starving myself for 4 days? I went to the bathroom and positively NOTHING happened . . . nada, zilch, zipppo. I am quite curious to know if I'm the only person on Earth that went through a 4 day cleanse only to be completely constipated and have absolutely no effect. What an enormous waste of my effort and my money. I paid nearly $90 to be uncomfortable, inconvenienced, and worse yet, have my digestion track completely flipped out of whack. I would say by this point I have moved from disappointment to anger. Never again!

Day Three of my Ayurveda Cleanse

Just as I suspected, I'm getting worse with my discipline. I have completely bagged the water boiling chore. I found it way too much of a hassle and quite frankly, I think it made the water taste funny. I noticed that I may have drank less water yesterday than I normally would have during the course of any given day. That's not good so I must make it easier and less unpleasant to drink water. I keep hearing my practitioner's voice in my head telling me to, "do what you can." I'm also not exactly executing the drinking of the ghee to spec. According to the directions I'm supposed to drink 2 teaspoons the first morning and then increase the dosage by 2 more teaspoons every day until the last day you're sucking down 8 teaspoons of melted butter. Uh uh, no way, not me. If I can gag down 2 teaspoons a day, that is a huge bonus and good enough for me. I find that ghee is like taking fish oil in the morning. I burp butter for an hour afterward and for somebody who can't stand the taste of butter, it's about as bad as burping fish. YUCK. And the worst part is that it completely kills my appetite for breakfast. I really can't wait for this to be over!

This morning I added a little sugar to my oatmeal again and I also broke down and ate a banana. Uncooked, because I have no idea how to cook a banana. I ate my Kitchari for both lunch and dinner and by now just the smell of it makes me lose my appetite. I also noticed that my stomach cramped after both lunch and dinner. This must be the special Digestion pills that I take before every meal. I wasn't really hungry at dinner time, but I almost always have a headache and I'm light-headed (more than usual) so I figured I HAD to eat. I forced a little more rice down and then had some veggie soup. Major cramping after that and it made me want to quit right then and there. I'm mentally losing it and I think I regret this whole thing. It doesn't help that my husband is constantly saying, "Tell me again why you're doing this?" I don't know that I really have the answer to that question. I guess I'm doing it in the name of good health - despite the fact that I feel like crap.

No Epsom salt bath tonight and a very quick oiling job. I have to say, there is nothing about the night time ritual that I enjoy and I especially don't like going to bed smelling like Asian food left-overs. One more day . . .

Ayurveda Cleanse - Two Days Down

I can see where this is going. I completed my first day flawlessly. I did everything (well, almost everything - I did miss a dose of Blood Cleanse pills by accident) exactly according to the directions. I boiled all my water to specs, I didn't eat a singe snack, and I only ate oatmeal and rice. I even completed my entire nighttime ritual to spec. But then Day 2 came and by 8 am I decided that I was going to cheat a little. I just couldn't bare the thought of eating plain, unsweetened oatmeal again and I decided that a couple little teaspoons or raw sugar wasn't going to be terribly harmful. After all, my directions specifically said, "no white sugar or honey." Technically I didn't really break the rules, right? I think I deemed sugar one of my basic human needs, like water and air. I just need it.

The rest of the day went pretty good. I didn't snack and barely had any appetite all day anyway. That certainly made things easier for me. Only half of the water that I drank was boiled this day, as that chore is getting old really fast. I ate the rice that tastes like dirt for lunch, but couldn't bare it at dinner time. Instead I opted for a plain salad with fat-free dressing and an organic yam. Now I'm not supposed to use the microwave at all during these 4 days, but that's not gonna happen either. I can only go so far with this routine, but I'm doing the best I can.

I took my bath, but it was much shorter than the previous day and did my oiling. No meditation tonight and unfortunately, no sleep for most of the night either. Let's hope I do better on Day 3.

My 4 Day Ayurveda Cleanse

I'm just about through Day 1 of my first-ever Ayurveda cleanse . . . and so far, it's been torture. I have to say, I'm not cut out for this sort of thing. I'm a hungry Vatta that snacks constantly. When I get hungry I mean business and need to eat immediately. I always carry candy in my purse (for emergencies). You would think I'm a diabetic with my urgent need for food - mostly candy. So why did I agree to four days of torture? That's a good question to which I'm not sure I have an answer.

Part of my 6 week Ayurveda class included taking part in this 4 day cleanse. I guess I got all wrapped up in the spirit of the class. Besides, I would have been the only one not doing it. Maybe it was like peer pressure. I didn't want to look like the only loser chickening out due to my fright of butter and prune juice. OK, I'm getting ahead of myself a little . . .

So the day began with me (trying) to get up early so that I can boil the Hell out of water. Did you know that water changes its molecular structure if it gets boiled to death? Yeah well, this was news to me. It isn't bad enough that I had to drink hot plain water all day, but first I had to boil it for 30 minutes. Not terribly convenient and you should have seen the rushed production of trying to figure out how to move said boiling water from pot to stainless steel water bottles (no plastic of course). Nightmare and 4 burnt fingers later I'm ready for the part of the cleanse that scared me more than the "laxative effect." I had to drink something that disgusts me so much I almost gag at the thought of it. And I learned another new thing. I learned about a product called ghee. I wish I could describe exactly what it is, but I couldn't even listen to the description in class. Click on the link if you're curious. Basically it's butter. I despise butter and I had to DRINK 2 teaspoons of melted butter. I scrubbed my lips, fingers, teaspoon, and cup for 10 minutes desperately trying to get the ick off. Being late for work this morning was a given.

I had to take some sort of digestion pill 30 minutes before breakfast. I have to say I easily put breakfast off due to my complete lack of appetite after that ghee. Maybe this fasting thing won't be so bad. Then came breakfast. I had oatmeal (which I love. Wait a minute - USED to love). Never in my life have I experienced plain oatmeal with no sugar or honey. Holy smokes, it's terrible plain. I couldn't even choke it down and half of it ended up down the drain. Now how will I get to lunch????

Not sure how I managed it, but I sipped my plain hot water until noon. That's when I had to make my special Indian rice called Kitchari. Aside from having to actually find a pan and turn on the stove at work to cook the stuff, I was looking forward to it. Too bad it tasted like dirt. But I was hungry enough to eat it anyway. Lunch is supposed to be the biggest meal of the day, but I definitely didn't have enough. I should have planned better and brought some veggies or salad to add to it. Tomorrow for sure.

A couple more special and awful pills before and after the meal. For God's sakes can't they coat these things? Choking them down (with the hot water) is simply dreadful. I made it all through the afternoon, staring down my box of Thin Mints and staying away from my secret cabinet full of Dove chocolates. Very proud of myself indeed.

Dinner time came and I was starving. I had the second half of the Kitchari that I made for lunch. This time I sprinkled some fat-free Balsamic dressing on it and strangely it still tasted like dirt. I treated myself to a yam after the dirt. Hopefully that will hold me over till bed time.

Before bed I have to go through a special nighttime routine. First I have to dry brush myself - just brush my skin with a special brush. Next, I have to take a bath in Epsom salt. You should have seen me in the grocery store looking for that stuff. Now I'm trying to figure out how much a 'quart' is. Thank God for google. I can't believe how challenging this has been so far and I'm not even done with the first day. Anyway, after the bath (and then shower because how am I going to wash my hair in the bathtub?) I have to oil myself from head to toe . . . with oil that will turn me, my towel, my pajamas, and my sheets orange. Great! Next its meditation and breathing exercises and finally sleep. But wait, I can't go straight to sleep. I think tonight I deserve to watch Glee, just to get the thought of ghee out of my head.

Stay tuned to see if I survive this very long 4 day ordeal.

Great Deal on Yoga Journal Magazine

Here's another chance to grab yourself a one year subscription to Yoga Journal Magazine for just $4.39. What a bargain for this great magazine! This deal is valid for brand new subscriptions, as well as renewals. All you need to do is click on the link below to be taken to the place where you can purchase the subscription. But here's the catch . . . this deal is only valid today, May 2nd. Don't miss it. Just click on the link below.

Click here for the Yoga Journal Magazine Deal of the Day.

Practice Happiness

Stretch into Spring and learn to love your yoga . . .

May Desktop Calendar

Spring has finally sprung. Here's a pretty and inspiring desktop calendar to adorn your computer. To make it your wallpaper just click on the image above to bring up a bigger graphic in a new window. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

Enjoy.

Mid-week Happiness

Sorry for the lapse in Happiness. I have a million reasons, but we won't get into that. This week's lesson is to "Choose a positive thought, renew, relax, and reflect."

Yoga for Stress DVD Review

Yoga for Stress with Dr. Baxter Bell had my name written all over it. I sometimes feel like such a hypocrite, teaching people how to do yoga while severely struggling with stress myself. Sometimes the irony of me leading a relaxation meditation is so great that it's hard for me to keep a straight face during my class. My stress is sometimes so severe that I get a pinched nerve in my back and I'm almost always dealing with shoulder pain. Luckily I'm not in such a severe state at the moment, and because of that I can't totally say whether or not this DVD had any direct impact on my stress level. But I can say this, it is a wonderful video to practice routinely. Unlike any other yoga video that I practice with, this one really sets a different tone. It is not all about the 'burn' the 'work out.' This one is about the 'stretch' and it, of course, is targeting the muscles where stress builds up the most. I found it funny how many of the poses were what I consider my favorites (i.e., Eagle.) I guess without even knowing it, I favor the poses that stretch my constantly sore shoulder.

Not only does this DVD include two great yoga routines: one for stress relief and one for stress prevention, but it also includes a guided breathing exercise and two guided meditations. The first routine I tried was the stress relief one. It was a very new experience for me and unfortunately I didn't have all the proper bolsters and cushions. I didn't successfully get through the entire routine - mostly because I was so relaxed I couldn't move out of certain poses. Literally, I just didn't want to move. It felt do good that I just laid there as the video continued. I would say if it made me feel that good, it was a success - whether I completed the routine or not.

The stress prevention routine was more like a traditional practice with moving asanas and things that I was more familiar with. It was still much slower than anything I've ever done before and left me with a feeling of peace and relaxation. I really enjoyed it.

And I gotta say, having the guided meditations as selectable choices right from the menu is brilliant. Many times in the past I tried recording the audio for the last part of my yoga DVDs just so that I can have the ending relaxation part. What a pain that has been, but now I don't need to fool around with that task. This video makes it a snap to just pop it into my player and do nothing but the relaxation. Kudos Yoga Journal for addressing this need. I love it.

You can grab this DVD right now on sale for just $9.99 at the Yoga Journal Shop. Such a small investment for something that can be so beneficial.

Yoga Journal Magazine Deal

For one day only, (Saturday, April 16th) you can grab yourself a one year subscription to Yoga Journal Magazine for just $4.39. What a bargain for this great magazine! This deal if valid for brand new subscriptions, as well as renewals. All you need to do is click on the link below to be taken to the place where you can purchase the subscription. Don't forget, this is only good for one day. Don't miss it.

Click here for the Yoga Journal Magazine Deal of the Day.

Ayurveda Training Part 3

My class just keeps getting better and better. The only problem is that the more I learn about this fascinating science, the more convinced I am that I'm a mess, in serious need of help. It's amazing how something that started off so incredibly confusing and difficult to understand has turned into something that seems so simple and so completely logical. It really is a whole different way to view medicine and health. It sometimes amazes me how Western medicine has changed the game and gone away from the goal of keeping us healthy to focusing solely on fixing us once we are sick. Imagine if all the effort and insurance money was spent on preventing illness rather than treating disease. What a concept that would be!

And speaking of disease, this week we learned about how disease is caused in the body. You might be surprised to learn that 80% of all diseases start in the digestive system. Or maybe that doesn't surprise you, since you are probably a yogi. Digestion is everything and, of course, it gets right back to the saying, "You are what you eat." Maintaining a healthy digestive tract is truly the key to sustained health.

Another interesting statistic that I learned was that 80% of illness happens in the constitution that I happen to be - Vatta. That certainly doesn't make me feel good, but the instructor said that Vattas are the most likely to get out of balance, but they are also the easiest to fix. Maybe there's hope for me yet!

I wish I could share with you all the amazing things I learned, but I would be typing for hours. If I could just share one thing with you it would be to pay very close attention to your digestion because it is the clue to your health. Seek out information on how to improve your digestion. In Ayurveda it can be as simple as eating the correct foods for your constitution. You can find lists of these foods in any Ayurveda book. Or better yet, schedule an appointment with a practitioner. And that leads me to the interesting question of whether or not most health insurances would cover any such visit. I will have to investigate that and report back. My gut says it won't, which will irritate me beyond words and is the exemplification of what is wrong with our health care system . . . but this isn't meant to be a political blog. Maybe I will be surprised to learn that these services are indeed covered. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

More to come soon.

Save 30% on Classes at Yoga Download

I just discovered that YogaDownload.com is offering a 30% discount on all their classes. Until midnight tonight, you can receive 30% off your entire order at YogaDownload.com. Just use the coupon code SpringYoga when checking out. Enjoy!

Neti Pot Enlightenment

I had a very strange neti pot experience yesterday and I really wanted to tell somebody, or at least ask somebody if it was a highly unusual occurrence that I should worry about. It was a bit embarrassing . . . most of the water that I poured through (at least I thought it was just going through) my nose ended up pouring out during my yoga session (thank goodness this session was at home and not in a studio). And I'm not kidding -- the water was literally pouring out of my nose after several downdogs and standing forward bends, as if a faucet got turned on. So how many people can you share this sort of information with? Well a yoga teacher and an Ayurveda practitioner, of course.

Last night I was in my third Ayurveda class and the subject of headaches and neti pots came up. This was the perfect prelude to asking my question. Here I was embarrassed to ask the instructor and I ended up telling the entire class. Nobody seemed too disgusted by my story so that was good. And the yoga teacher told me not to be concerned. I still don't understand what would have happened to all that water had I not done my yoga routine and that bothers me, but so be it.

The good thing that came from this was me buying a new neti pot salt and let me tell you, this stuff is amazing. What a difference compared to the stuff I had been using. Here's what I bought and tried:


It has a hint of whatever is in Vicks nasal inhalers and it gave me an instant feeling of relief, of opening, of clean. Boy, it sure is hard to put it into words. It was just amazing and I love this stuff. I also learned about some oil that includes some sort of calming herb that I'm going to use to rub into my nostrils after the neti pot flushing. Supposedly breathing this in is the quickest way to calm my brain. Sounds too good to be true and I will be counting down the days until it arrives in the mail. I feel like my Ayurveda practitioner is going to become like a drug dealer. I think I'm already addicted to something that I haven't even tried.

Weekly Inspiration - Live Outrageously

And the lesson for this week is . . . Savor chocolate, live outrageously, and get fit.

Free April 2011 Calendar

Since I'm a long way from seeing any beautiful flowers in my backyard I thought it would be nice to adorn the computer with some clear signs of Spring. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before the weather breaks here in New England. To make this your desktop calendar just click on the image above to open it in a new window. Once the larger graphic appears, right-click on it and select "Save as Desktop." Enjoy

Yoga Pose Encyclopedia

Maybe an encyclopedia of any sort doesn't sound very exciting, but have you ever come across an encyclopedia that wasn't extremely useful? I recently spent some time with the Yoga Journal Pose Encyclopedia and I was simply thrilled with it. I can't imagine many yogis who wouldn't benefit from it. No matter what your level of yoga, it would be hard not to gleam some sort of new insight from this useful DVD. Granted this is not the sort of video that you would watch over and over again, like many of your favorite yoga routines. This one is meant as a reference. You can use it to refresh all the important aspects of a pose, learn some of the small pose pointers that you might not have ever realized, or in my case, gain some valuable insight into the little, but ever-so-important hints and reminders to use when teaching a yoga class. I just loved it and after only watching it once, it greatly helped my very next class. I learned a great new breathing technique and had a wealth of new hints to share with my students.

The best part about the video was the camera angles. This is always a challenge when taking a yoga class, or watching a class on a video. You can never seem to get a view of the instructor in the exact angle you need, especially if you are also trying to perform the pose. But this DVD is meant to be watched as you sit at your computer, not on your mat. The female yogi performs each pose as the camera circles around her in a complete 360 degree rotation. The voice-overs give you every possible important fact about the pose. You not only learn how to do the poses correctly and safely, but it gives you a deeper understanding of each posture.

You can navigate your way around the DVD by picking the different groups of poses and then each individual pose. There are 35 poses all together and now that I've viewed them all, I'm hungry for more. I wonder if Yoga Journal has any plans to expand the volumes of encyclopedias they will offer. I sure hope so.

Check this DVD out for yourself on the Yoga Journal website.

Weekly Inspiration: Get Out of Bounds

This one seems fitting because I just came back from a spectacular biking/hiking vacation in Moab, Utah. Just a little reminder to play hard and follow your folly . . .

Second Ayurveda Class

I had my second Ayurveda class and sadly I still can't spell (nor pronounce) the word properly, but I'm not letting that get me down. I'm even more excited about the class than I was last time. This time we got into the good stuff. Not that the basic philosophy wasn't interesting. It was. But I'm the type of person that has to fast forward through the preview to get to the movie. I'm just too anxious. And how interesting it was to find out why . . .

Last night we got into the mental gunas (which bind the soul to the physical form), the 5 elements, the basic constitutions and the sub doshas. Have I lost you yet? It all may sound strange to hear these unfamiliar words. I can rattle off more strange words than you can imagine, but the stranger thing is how much sense it all makes. When it comes right down to it our bodies are completely a result of our environment and our diet. Unfortunately we can not control our environment. We may be able to control certain aspects of it, like where we live or who we choose to be around, but most of the circumstances surrounding our environments is completely out of our control. Our diets, on the other hand, are completely in our control. And the bottom line is that you are what you eat. More on that to come.

Everybody has a distinct pattern of energy -- a specific combination of physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. The three basic energy types called doshas, present in every person are:

• Vata -- energy that controls bodily functions associated with motion, including blood circulation, breathing, blinking, and heartbeat. When vata energy is balanced, there is creativity and vitality. Out of balance, vata produces fear and anxiety.
• Pitta -- energy that controls the body's metabolic systems, including digestion, absorption, nutrition, and temperature. In balance, pitta leads to contentment and intelligence. Out of balance, pitta can cause ulcers and arouse anger.
• Kapha -- energy that controls growth in the body. It supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system. In balance, kapha is expressed as love and forgiveness. Out of balance, kapha leads to insecurity and envy.

The first thing you need to do is determine which one you are. Based on the instructor's descriptions there was no doubt in my mind where I fall. And I am about as unbalanced as they get. I don't want to get into all the details of outlining the characteristics of each one (you need to find yourself a class or an Ayurveda practitioner if you are really interested) but I loved this brief description that our teacher used last night.

Vatas get immediately emotional and excited when they hear about taking an Ayurveda class and immediately sign themselves up for the class . . . but then they completely forget to go because they are so busy doing a million other things.

Pittas hear about the class, give it some thought, think it sounds great, sign up and then show up either on-time or early, completely organized, with notebooks in their hands.

Kaphas hear about the class and, although they think it's a wonderful thing that they would love to do, they find all kinds of excuses not to go because they just can't drag themselves off the couch.

So which one are you? OK so it's not really that simple. You should get a pulse reading done to be sure, but if you are interested in trying to figure out your constitution via a questionnaire here's a neat link: http://doshaquiz.chopra.com/

There is so much to this science and it's so fascinating. I will try to write about more things that I learn along the way, but in the meantime if you are at all interested in this science I encourage you to explore it online http://www.chopra.com/ayurveda

Weekly Inspiration

This one is perfect for those of us in New England. Lesson for this week: "The perfect day isn't always up to the weather."

My First Ayurveda Class

Last night I attended my first Ayurveda class. I was so excited to get started with this that I brushed the dust off of the wonderful book I bought last year (shown above). If I ever read it when I bought it ages ago, I'm nearly certain I forgot whatever I learned so it was all new to me.

This first class was really just an intro to what we will learn in future classes. We covered some of the basics of Cosmic Evolution, which is the theory that Ayurveda is based on. (I just realized that one of my goals for this class will be to be able to spell "Ayurveda" without having to look it up every time!) Anyway, the basic principals in which Ayurveda are based on are fascinating and at times hard to wrap my brain around. There are lots of new words to digest . . . Purush, Prakruti, Mahat, Ahamkara, and I can't leave out the instructor's favorite . . . Buddhi (pronounced "boot tee").

This intro was probably the hardest part for me. I compared it to me reading a novel. When I come to a person's name I just blow by it as if it's non-essnetial information that I don't want to clutter my brain. I have this "just get to the story" impatience and I can sometimes get through half a novel without really knowing who all the characters are. It's really hard for me to remember and process names for some reason. So last night was the painful introduction when all I want to do is jump in and learn 'the good stuff.' I must practice patience because the 'good stuff' is yet to come.

And the more we visited the topics of what is to come the more anxious I grew to learn about it. We talked about some basics about how important food is in providing the much needed balance that our body requires. Everybody knows which foods are healthy and which foods are not, but what most of us don't know is which healthy foods are right for our particular body and even, (ready for this?) what time of day you should and should not be eating them. Some foods can be very beneficial during certain times of day, but be detrimental during other times of the day. One of the foods that we talked about was oatmeal. I love oatmeal. What could possibly be bad about oatmeal? Well apparently certain body types can process oatmeal perfectly while others will get dragged down. I sure hope I'm the type that handle oatmeal . . and chocolate . . .and pasta . . .and ice cream . . .

Food plays such an important role, not only in our energy level, but also our cognitive functions. All I know is that I can use all the help I can get in feeling my best and thinking clearly. I have so much trouble focusing on anything for more than 10 seconds these days. I simply can not wait to learn what I should be eating and when.

The Perfect Way to Start the Day

. . . With a little weekly inspiration and happiness. Lesson for this week: Walk tall and keep good company.

Win a Free Copy of Midnights With a Mystic

I discovered a new book that has me intrigued and I can't wait to get a copy. The book is called Midnights With the Mystic by Cheryl Simone and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, and it's being called 'a light read - rich in wisdom.' Cheryl Simone, began a journey of discovery and her path led her to Isha Yoga and Sadhguru, the most sought after spiritual leader in India. Together, he teaches and she experiences. It promises to take the reader through a unique journey.

A series of intimate conversations with a wise guru is a compelling idea. How many times have each of us wished for answers to life's deep questions? As we share in her profound experiences, we are challenged to embrace the possibility that to each of us is available a higher realm of reality, a peak of consciousness, an entrée into the realm of freedom and bliss.

Here's an excerpt from the book:

Then he went on, "Yoga is the path of becoming limitless. Yoga transforms and liberates human beings so that they can reach this unbounded state. Humans, unlike animals, do not merely exist. They are becoming. 'Human' is not an established quality; one has to grow into it. One has to become that. To evolve as a human being is to become aware of one's limitations, to strive, with intense passion, toward the transcendence for which we all have the potential. Yoga is a way of finding your ultimate potential. In a specific context, yoga had come to mean spiritual union with the absolute. Liberation while living is the goal of yoga, the highest experience, a fusion of the individual with the universal."

You can visit http://www.midnightswiththemystic.com/ for more info on the book. And here's the best part . . .

FSB Associates has offered a FREE COPY to YogaDudes fans. All you need to do is leave a comment on our Facebook book page that says that you want to be enlightened. One winner will be drawn randomly on Monday, March 7th. So please head over to the YogaDudes Facebook page now and take a shot at your free copy. (Please note that the free book can only be sent to addresses in the US and Canada!)

Free March Desktop Calendar

Making new friends is easy when you're young and in school. You come across hundreds of people just like you on a daily basis. But later in life it's not always easy to meet new people and make new friends. And it's certainly not every day you meet somebody that shares not only one of your passions, but two. I have been very fortunate to make a new friend, Sandy Foster, that is not only a yogi, but also a photographer (two of my passions).

Sandy is a Dallas-based photographic artist and educator. She brings her innovative, fine art sensibilities to every image, whether that be fashioning compelling stories of nature and humanity, or poignant moments of people, landscapes, magical juxtapositions, or abstractions of light. Being a yogini herself, Sandy enjoys photographing others deeply involved in this practice and this month's desktop calendar is a shot that Sandy took of her friend Deva.

Deva Serene is a world-traveling certified Qigong and yoga instructor. When she's not hanging out in trees, or connecting with Mother Gaia, she's using her skills to guide others in self-healing sessions. During the months of March and April, Deva will be teaching at Present Moment Retreat at Troncones Beach, Mexico.

We hope you enjoy this image that celebrates photography, yoga, and friendship. To make it your desktop wallpaper just click on the image above and when the larger graphic opens in a new window, right-click on it and select "Save as Desktop." Why not share it with your special yogi friend . . .

For more information on Sandy and her photography, please visit www.photoesque.com.

Happiness and Inspiration Week 3

Something fun to start off your week.

Happiness and Inspiration Week 2

Some digital happiness and inspiration to start the week. Enjoy . . .

Oxygen Magazine Deal

For one day only, (Friday, February 18th) you can grab yourself a one year subscription to Oxygen Magazine for just $5.39. What a bargain for a great fitness magazine! This deal if valid for brand new subscriptions, as well as renewals. All you need to do is click on the link below to be taken to the place where you can purchase the subscription. Don't forget, this is only good for one day. Don't miss it.

Click here for the Oxygen Magazine Deal of the Day.