On a recent trip to Costa Rica, my husband and I had the pleasure of touring a coffee plantation! For as many cups of coffee I had consumed in my life up until a few weeks ago, I had never seen an IRL living coffee berry or plant. We visited an entire farm and working facility and it was beyond eye opening.
All the way back in February of 2020, we had actually toured one of our favorite coffee roasters in Kansas City.
Here’s another fun fact: the lighter the coffee, the more caffeine….. I KNOW! Blonde roasts tend to have more fun with more caffeine - that’s not opinion, that’s fact.
If you haven’t read my blog from a few years ago, F*ck Kale, Drink Coffee, you should definitely brush up on your coffee capabilities… however here’s a quick summary:
It talks about the ritualistic love many have for their morning brew and how it kickstarts the day. But, it doesn't shy away from the flip side, highlighting conversations with friends who've quit coffee due to its not-so-great effects like anxiety and insomnia. The conversation shifts to Dr. William Li's positive spin on coffee, emphasizing studies on how it can fend off heart disease and cancer, thanks to polyphenols. It suggests rethinking our coffee habit, advocating for moderation and mindfulness, and even ties in a quirky tip on kale consumption. Essentially, it's all about finding a happy, healthy balance with our beloved cup of joe.
Let’s step up our coffee game a little further, but without consuming more!
First - coffee for some (depending on caffeine) can genuinely make us feel happier. In a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that even just the smell of coffee can reduce stress related to sleep deprivation. But it's more than the aroma; the caffeine in coffee acts as a mild stimulant to the central nervous system, enhancing mood, attentiveness, and cognitive function. By blocking the neurotransmitter adenosine, caffeine increases the levels of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, leading to improved mood and brain function.
Don’t forget I mentioned NOT consuming more than needed. You may or may not already know for yourself, the over indulgence of caffeine can move from mood booster to anxiety booster, especially if you are prone to already increased anxiety or have an anxiety disorder 🙋
Lastly, once again when not overindulging, research has shown that caffeine can improve various aspects of brain function, including memory, mood, energy levels, reaction times, and especially if your coffee in the morning makes you feel happy - you are probably more likely to have all of these other things come along for the ride.
Also all of that stuff is all great and all, and science is cool….but one of the biggest things I witnessed while at the plantation and in Costa Rica was the culture behind the coffee…It was all about presence, mindfulness, and community. Also, no decaf.
The coffee wasn’t about waking up or getting sh*t done, it was about enjoying the moment, spending time with friends and family, and mostly I had so much gratitude for the family that showed us around and for the lunch they cooked for us. We saw all the inner workings and the equipment. We watched the labor that it took to help dry the beans out in the sun for days and days.
But, what I felt was so much more. It reminded me that to harness the true effects of the coffee, it all comes back to yoga, mindfulness, and presence.
If you want to practice with your cup of joe, focus on all of your senses while you drink your coffee. Notice the the liquid pour into the cup, the temperature of the cup, notice the smell of the aroma, the taste of each sip, and take a moment to listen to all the sounds around you continuing on while you enjoy your cup!
So, wrapping up this java journey, from Costa Rica to my own little cup o’ bean juice, it’s clear that coffee is more than just a caffeine fix…it’s a connection through mindfulness and a touch of daily joy. Need help with meditation - start with your cup of coffee and the sensations around it. Let those little ground up beans remind you of their journey from 2,000 hours of labor to aromatic greatness and gratitude.
Cheers to that my friends, may your next cup be a reminder to stay courageous, capable, and strong….and to be a little more mindful in the small moments that can seriously impact your day.
PS - The Friday Blog will be on Spring Break next week, we hope you have a great week ahead.
Buy the YESyoga GO YES YOURSELF Coffee Mug here.
]]>Me: 🙄 *BRING IN THE CLASSIST OLD DUDES I GUESS”
Also, WHAT?!?!! Listen, I *GET* what they are trying to say, and it’s that we Westerners have screwed with the basics, origins, philosophies, and meaning of yoga and made it into a workout class. I totally get that, I’ve seen it firsthand, and I’ve done it firsthand.
Yoga started as philosophy, not movement.
I’d like to remind you I write this blog, Erin Cummings a white, privileged woman on International Women’s Day, these blogs are my opinion sprinkled in with some facts. There’s still so much sh*t I need to work on when it comes to my own work of being a white-privileged female and that is work that will be lifelong. And YES, at yoga studios in general as a whole - yoga is definitely advertised and dominated now by women just like me - cute, funny, charming, jk but in all seriousness its marketed to and seems like its really only for privileged, white, and thin women.
But, I’d like to take this opportunity and this blog post to do something a little different for International Women’s Day, I’d like to share this article (thanks to Lauren Dawson) that celebrates the 4 women who helped transition yoga out of a male-dominated practice. I learned a ton of stuff in this article and the names of these important women, and I’m going to share it with you.
What’s really interesting about the “yoga should be taken back to it’s roots” comments I hear, there can be many underlying discussions and meanings, but where I see major problems is the lack of women.
Originally and still is believed by some, that women shouldn’t practice yoga when they are on their period, or at least for the first 3 days of their cycles. The scientific reason for this is if you were to have major cramps or pelvic pain some poses can exacerbate your symptoms - as with any other tweak or injury in life, however, it is also scientifically proven that many poses can help with the relief of these same symptoms.
So, what is with the chip on my shoulder? Well, I have a lot of chips but this one in particular bothers me as a woman, as a female entrepreneur of a yoga studio, and as a practitioner of yoga. I can’t speak for other women, especially other women of color in my studio, but I can speak for myself anytime I hear “we need to take yoga back to it’s roots….” I’m always like damn - that wipes out my entire yoga studio, except for the two dudes.
While YESyoga isn’t only for women, we clearly have A LOT of women clientele. That’s no secret, that’s marketing and advertising, but really that’s the entrepreneurial business side of end-user profiles and target audiences at work. At YESyoga, we are for the woman who has to make too many f*cking decisions - come to YES where there’s only 1 thing you have to do - decide which class to take, and we’ve made it pretty easy for you.
So, in honor of International Women’s Day here are 4 women who made a huge impact on yoga to shift the balance of power from men to women (for a full article and not my summary, click that link back up top to read.) Once again, huge shoutout to Lauren Dawson, for always being such a great resource of information - she loves it when I mention her in these emails….ha! But seriously, I’m just quoting my sources ya know LD.
What I found interesting about her and this section of the article was that Krishnamacharaya didn’t even want a woman as a student, and had to be talked into it by a royal patron. She was known for a more gentler approach than her male counterparts and was focused on teaching about unconditional love. She lived to be 103 and died in Buenos Aires in 1985 (that’s just two years before I was born.)
In the article, it states: “We called ourselves Snow White and the seven dwarfs,” she told Yoga Journal in 1981. In time, more and more women found their way to Yasodhara, drawn by courses like “Women and Spiritual Life” and Swami Radha’s strength of character. Today, they outnumber the men. Two years before she died in 1995, Swami Radha named a woman, Swami Radhananda, as her spiritual successor and decreed that a woman should always remain behind the spiritual wheel at Yasodhara.
The part of the article for Swami Sivananda Radha I loved, was that her guru compared her life to a headstand. “She sees the world in a completely different way, Also, from this perspective, you can’t go anywhere. You can’t walk away.” From there, she developed a practice called Hidden Language Hatha Yoga, and talked about how the pose itself might reveal something about their life.
She was the original “Peloton” instructor. Think about it, she had to teach and be intentional with her teachings because she was teaching to a camera and couldn’t see her students. They have a whole training for teaching to the camera now - the digital fitness space is now a $21 Billion industry and is projected to get to $82 Billion by 2028 (this includes fitness devices, fitness subscription models, and by end users like gyms and other companies.) The revenue of the yoga industry alone is based on findings from Statista for the US in 2020: $11.56 Billion.
Folan also recognizes yoga has changed a lot, especially with the athleisure and fitness apparel industries (my assumption based on a quote she made in the article) but she said it’s essentially the same. “It’s not about the down dog,” Folan says. “That’s the outer shell of you and me. It’s about answering the question: Who am I? Who am I really?”
…back to the summary of Geeta Iyengar…
She does happen to be the oldest daughter of BKS Iyengar… she was always around yoga, because of her father, but she stood about because she started to specialize in the needs of women practitioners. What I loved about this part of the article was the realistic view that was given and her point of view of a dedicated practice. She and the article says, “‘The demands on me have made it impossible to be completely regular,” she once said. “For men it is different. They can be strict with their program…because there is somebody supporting them.’”
So, while I celebrate all of the amazing women at the studio today. I can’t help but also celebrate and thank those who came before me so that I could even own and operate a yoga studio today! Thank you for being a part of my life and I hope to keep letting the next generation of women stand on my shoulders just as these four women have done for me.
Happy International Women’s Day!
PS This blog will be taking Spring Break next week too! Hope you enjoy your week ahead.
]]>If you’ve been taking classes at YES for a while now, you know we don’t consider ourselves one of those “trick” yoga studios. However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t teach hard poses.
Whether it’s holding a balancing pose like half-moon or even standing splits, or a deep twist like revolved triangle - the challenge in these poses isn’t a reflection of the lack of whatever skill we thought we needed, it’s because they are f*cking hard to do. The pose itself is innately challenging.
I’d like to go ahead and raise my hand first about how I tend to self-deprecate or even dismiss the fact that I’m fully capable of doing the pose. As a business owner, mom, wife, woman, etc…I am constantly presented with tasks that seem daunting, and it’s so easy to sabotage myself before I even get started. Here’s the difference - saying, “I can’t do it” or saying, “this is going to be hard, but I’m going to try to do it anyway.”
In her book, "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," psychologist Angela Duckworth explores the concept of grit—perseverance and passion for long-term goals. She argues that grit is a better predictor of success than talent or intelligence alone. And what better way to cultivate grit than by embracing the challenge of the hard pose?
Research supports this notion. Studies have shown that facing and overcoming difficult tasks builds resilience and adaptability. Each time we step onto our mats and confront the hard poses, we're not just strengthening our bodies; we're fortifying our minds.
As Rosabeth Moss Kanter said, "It doesn't get easier; you just get stronger." The journey of growth is not linear; it's fraught with setbacks and moments of doubt. But with each challenge conquered, we become more resilient, more adaptable. We carry this resilience with us, applying it to every facet of our lives.
This is also why I love the discussion how how yoga off our mat works. It’s about mindset. The willingness to embrace difficulty with grace and determination. Because life is going to continue to be challenging, and poses will keep being hard.
Embrace the challenge on and off the mat with a “I know this will be hard, but I’m going to do it anyway” and start to see how courageous, capable, and strong you become!
]]>Is it a dumb idea to not take yoga seriously? Or, is it dumb to take it seriously?
So, glad you asked NAME - I guess what I’m saying is don’t take YOURSELF too seriously. Because no, you will never have a reason to put your body into Eagle Pose at H-E-B.
In a random turn of events this week, I kept hearing over and over the phrase “that’s a dumb idea.” Thankfully it wasn’t directed at me… I heard it in passing, in a podcast, and I had a friend say it to me about herself.
The podcast I listen to every morning is about daily business news stories. They talked about how the company Liquid Death is crushing it and they have a new marketing idea, and the CEO basically started the brand because he thought it was a dumb idea….the company is now worth $700 million. Their next dumb idea… actioning off the side of their boxes for advertising. Coinbased purchased it for $500k…. Dumb idea?
Now, let me ask you…did you think it was a dumb or great idea when you were about halfway through your first yoga class? Okay maybe not, but maybe at some point you felt like an idiot in the middle of class doing some pose that made absolutely no sense, and the yoga teacher is just talking and talking and kept saying “Breath in and out” like the body doesn’t just automatically do it all the time. Trust me, I get it.
Yoga teaches us the importance of embracing vulnerability and imperfection. One of the great things I love about yoga is the humble beginning. The silliness of the wobbling leg in any balancing pose, like Eagle. The absolute insanity it is to try to do the splits in mid-air, but also loving it because in my head I’m doing the splits but my body is like, “Nice try girlfriend…just keep looking down and you’ll never know.” Then me wondering, “How and when will I ever do this in real life.”
What’s interesting is when I start to feel like I look dumb in a pose or I get irritated that it was a “dumb idea” there’s always an opportunity for a spark of unexpected breakthrough to occur…you just have to take it. You fall out of Eagle and realize the “dumb pose” you were in - you actually needed to press into your foot more. Or, more often than not, we are just trying waaaayyy toooooo hard - Who are we even trying to impress?
Before this lil’ blog ends, here’s a list of a few businesses that started off as “dumb ideas”...
Now, a few of us might still think a few, if not one of these, is still a dumb idea (I’m not naming names.)
What if this week you challenge yourself to lean into the dumb idea, to create space for that potential moment of breakthrough into success? What if your dumb idea is actually is the perfect opportunity for mindful reflection?
By challenging our preconceived notions of success and remaining open, we may just find some mindful insights and successes in our everyday lives. By leaning into the dumb yoga class, the dumb pose, or at least considering the dumb idea we may find a moment of brilliance or at least a moment of levity and fun.
In the end, it's all about remaining open to the possibilities and finding mindful insights in the everyday journey of life. So, here's to embracing the dumb, the silly, and the seemingly insignificant — for they may just lead us to our greatest moments of courage, curiosity, and strength.
]]>I know, I know… you probably have a physical reaction reading that. Don’t worry, I’m not making you do crunches.
I’ve been teaching yoga for about 10 years, and for those of you who take my classes now, I need you to know I’ve evolved. (Ha, you’re like…sure) No seriously, a lot of it had to do with my teacher and being a new teacher myself.
Originally when I was taught how to teach, I always thought it was best to teach the hardest class possible, to push the boundaries of what it means to be challenged in class physically and emotionally. I don’t teach that way anymore - at least I don’t think so. Please for the love of god email me if you think otherwise.
It was always a minimum of about 50 crunches or bicycles, and in the style of yoga I taught, we were taught we needed to have each of our students do 6 (six) wheels - back, to back, to back, to back, to back, to back …
What do I say to that now? “F*ck that sh*t!” Now, if a teacher did that to me I would be PISSED. I don’t even do wheel anymore, my body f*cking hates it and so does my shoulder. It’s not necessary TBH.
A lot has changed in my personal practice, but especially in my teaching - just overall becoming more confident plus a lot of additional education on the nervous system and anatomy…plus 2 other things:
Whether you know me personally, professionally, or just by reading these emails you know that I try my best to live and practice living intentionally. I have a set of core beliefs and standards that I live by and I hope that shines through in everything I do. You hear them a lot: I AM COURAGEOUSE. I AM CAPABLE. I AM STRONG. Each year I try to take a look at what I consider my “core values” and give them a little workout. I realized I hadn’t done it this year, so I figured we could do it together…but first
Let’s talk about your core, yes, the one you are actually thinking of: your abs. Wanna know a secret… your core is NOT just your abdominal muscles, nor is having a strong core equal to six pack abs. How do I know, because I don’t have a six-pack and my core is strong AF.
Your core (AKA your trunk) is actually comprised of: all your abdominal muscles, your mid & lower back muscles, your upper inner thighs, your glutes, your hips, and your pelvic floor. Think of it like a box, but don’t get it twisted…you are not Sponge Bob (as I say to myself because my anatomy does not include a Sophia Vergara-shaped waist, and that’s okay and I’m okay and we are all going to be okay.) It’s a mix of stabilizer muscles and movers. They help you sit upright, they help you walk, they help you lay down, they help you go up the stairs, they help you turn around and tell the guy behind you standing in line that he’s too close and when you do that scoot back with your arms, they help with that too.
When I teach, I tend to focus a lot more on the core stabilizers than just the superficial 6-pack and I say superficial because that is the actual scientific term….. It’s science.
You’re core helps you with EVERYTHING, and honestly any pose in yoga can help you strengthen or stabilize your core depending on your intention and muscular engagement. Pretty cool yeah?
The other type of core that can help you with everything? Your core values. Your core values are like a compass, they can guide you in any direction. They help you stand up straight with confidence, walk with purpose, and be courageous enough to tell the guy behind you that you feel uncomfortable and to back the f*ck up, but with like compassion and stuff.
If you aren’t familiar with creating core values, don’t worry I have an actual cheat sheet. Shout out to Brene Brown for doing the research to figure all this stuff out. Becoming committed and comfortable with your core values gives you the freedom to not dwell on decisions, but know exactly where you’re going.
Each year my values change a little bit, they become clearer and fit a little better - kinda like my favorite shoes. Using the instructions below from Brene Brown, and you can become more clear about your values too.
INSTRUCTIONS TO CREATE YOUR CORE VALUES
My FIVE are: Authenticity, Fun, Knowledge, Personal Fulfillment, and Contribution
My TWO: Authenticity and Contribution
How did I narrow those down? Here’s my quick thought process….
I really resonate with “Authenticity” and it’s always a value of mine, and I try to not be biased when picking each year’s values, but this year it’s about staying true to what I need and who I am. I like to consider myself fun, which ties into authenticity - so I crossed off fun. Knowing that in my authenticity I also try to do things with purpose and fulfillment I was also able to cross off personal fulfillment.
Lastly, with going back to school this past year it was important to represent that in my values this year. However, with knowledge, I realized that the classes I’m taking it’s important for me to not only learn but also contribute my learnings to others when asked. So, I decided contribution was a better choice. Even now I hope to be contributing to your life through these emails, and clearly, I write them in an authentic way.
Hopefully sharing my thought process helps you with yours. I’d love to hear what two values you have come up with. Be sure to reply to this email and let me know.
Remember, your core is not just about crunches and six-pack abs; it's about strength, stability, and resilience in every aspect of your life. Whether you're navigating a challenging yoga pose or facing a tough decision, your core – both physical and values-driven – is there to guide you.
Whether you're holding a plank or standing firm in your beliefs, know that you are strong, capable, and worthy of all the greatness life has to offer.
As we continue on this journey of self-discovery and growth, may we always remember to stay true to our core values, to live authentically, and to contribute positively to the world around us.
Don’t forget: You are courageous. You are capable. You are strong.
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You may have seen workshops, Instagram or social media posts, and information about Myofascial release or myofascial massage techniques. Even at the studio, we’ve offered a workshop with the myofascial release rolling balls…it’s been proved this all feels good, but scientists still don’t exactly know what the f*ck is going on with that d*mn onesie.
Here’s the catch - because the findings of fascia are so new, there aren’t really any scientific studies to test and prove the use of the therapy. This has a lot to do with the fact that the therapy techniques vary so much from therapist to therapist...but in my non-scientific opinion - damn it feels great.
What is fascia? In yoga teacher training this past weekend Lauren described it as “the onesie that goes underneath your skin that holds everything intact…underneath your skin onesie” - creepy.
Basically, it’s like Spanx for your insides….
However, the scientific definition of fascia is TBD because they are still learning about it. It’s a four-dimensional network that wraps around and separates every part of the body, creating structural continuity and helping give shape and function to all the tissues and organs. So..fascia is a BFD (aka Big F*cking Deal.)
They can’t agree because it’s still so new to study. They used to just cut through it on autopsies and throw it away - like we take off tags on new shirts. Like “bye girl, don’t need that anymore.” Super whoopsies when you need to return that shirt and super whoopsies when they realized fascia is super important.
One study described fascia as an orange: Just as the orange is surrounded by a white skin of cellular tissue, which simultaneously maintains the consistency and gives shape to the pulp, our body (under the layer of skin) is surrounded and covered by connective tissue called superficial fascia. In addition, the orange is divided into segments that contain small sacks full of juice. The human body is very similar, since every structure of the body, every muscle, and every organ is surrounded by a sheath of connective tissue. Even the juice of the orange can be compared to the ground substance (aqueous gel) found in the body. Also again, totally creepy.
So what does all of this have to do with yoga?
Wow, what a great question - thanks!
MYTH BUSTED: You cannot stretch your fascia. Though fascia is made up of collagen and elastic fibers and does have some stretching capacity, your body cannot stretch ONE thing. When you are in a yoga class or in a massage there are a number of other factors at play. Your body works as a whole and your muscles work together to create movement. Think of walking up the stairs - as you bend your knee, your bended knee’s quad lengthens and your hamstring contracts. You cannot physically isolate one single thing in your body. There also hasn’t been enough valid evidence that shows certain stretches enhance or help to stretch the fascia in your body. Study after study has shown that since your fascia can stretch as you move, if you don’t move a lot, your fascia gets stiff. This can be a huge cause of unexplained pain for some people.
(Reminder yoga teachers aren’t doctors, if you DO have pain or chronic pain, you should MOST DEF see a doctor. My studio liability coverage will not let me or any other teacher administer you medical advice or shots - no matter how persistent I am at getting me to stab you with a needle. Potentially this scenario only happened once and there was a doctor there and no, I didn’t get to do it in that potentially fake scenario.)
The more sedentary your lifestyle, the less responsive your fascia becomes and you become a lot more stiff. Your fascia connects everything, kinda like that orange example. Some say, it’s all so connected: fascia, brain, gut, muscles, organs, bones, etc. that you only have like one big muscle, and the less you move the worse it gets.
It’s so important to get out of your head and back into your body for so many reasons constantly discussed, but because your inner onesie depends on it. It’s like putting on a snug pair of jeans right out of the dryer…they are going to feel stiff.
This week make sure you take some time to get up from your desk and take a lap, oh yeah - you could also book your next yoga class here.
Want more information about fascia? Chat with Lauren at the studio, she’s a great person to get amazing references for anatomy and physiology books as well as medical case studies!
]]>TL; DR (If you don’t know this short phrase - I learned it the other day by reading a 1st-grade room mom’s email - probably the only one I’ve ever read TBH. That lil’ phrase stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.” It’s supposed to be a synopsis of the most important thing in the email. Which is the complete opposite of what’s currently happening…anywhoo) This Friday’s Blog contains discussions about Taylor Swift and accidental outcomes.
If you haven’t heard Taylor Swift is dating KC Chiefs player Travis Kelce - you are Patrick, living under a rock in the bottom of the ocean, no offense - but how do you make it this long without this information? In the words of TSwift the “Dads, Brads, and Chads” lost their absolute sh*t and are still losing their sh*t because she gets a whole 25 seconds of their 4-hour game tv time. (Alright that was a loaded opinion on my part, but seems accurate.)
From September to January by Taylor attending her boyfriend’s NFL games, she’s generated over $331.5 million for the KC Chiefs and the NFL. The Dads, Brads, and Chads, should be thanking her for the accidental outcome of more viewership, media exposure, and NFL swag purchased more than ever before.
Let’s switch topics, here’s a little taste of some of Wednesday’s, The YES Entrepreneurial Mindset Newsletter (if you aren’t receiving the emails, you can subscribe here)
What do all the following companies or products have in common?
These are all innovative products that were accidentally discovered! Could you even imagine life without any of these products?
In the YES Entrepreneurial Mindset Newsletters, I always ask the entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial-minded people to take a “Reality Inventory” - this is a time to collect data, reconcile, and check in with yourself.
Reality Inventory: Has there ever been a time when you had an accidentally awesome outcome, and what was the impact? What has been your biggest lightbulb moment in your business that helped change a system or the way you do things?
Let’s jump back into yoga - or maybe forward to the top of your mat
Has your yoga teacher ever given you the weirdest cue and it changed your life? Here are a few examples:
“Step your right foot forward in one smooth move - also the name of my favorite digestive tea.” - Jess learned this from her teacher Alex Auder, and she said she’s now used it for years.
“Take your favorite cheek to the mat….face cheek. Your favorite face cheek.” - Lauren
And then, there’s a hilarious Instagram account by @yogi_bryan and he has a hilarious one, “compassion has an ass in it so relax your butt cheeks.” (Now I can’t see compassion without ass.)
Side note: I can’t lie, as a yoga teacher, I stopped using the word “cheek” in class, even if it’s your face cheek, because now it’s all I think about when I say “Turn your cheek to the other side.” 😳
But seriously, there have been numerous times a pose has felt totally different in my body, just by a teacher telling me to press into my heel or to “reach my chest forward toward the mirror before I twist into crescent lunge.” Seriously though, I had been practicing for like 5 years, and one day that clicked.
My favorite accidental outcome…. Falling asleep in savasana. It could be me doing it or it could be you. But, it’s my favorite thing ever. It’s always a little chaotic to wake up in a state of panic wondering how long I’d been asleep for and if someone locking me in the studio.
Jumping our feet back to the back of our mat to Taylor Swift
Lastly, another NFL wife named Kristin Juszczyk is the designer behind Taylor Swift’s famous puffy 87 coat. The accidental outcome of cutting up Taylor’s boyfriend's jersey and making it into a jacket!?! (FYI, she’s made tons of custom sports stuff for herself and others, like Simone Biles - who also has an NFL hubby.) Kristin has now received a licensing deal with the NFL. She’s been making these awesome custom NFL fashions for 5 seasons.
Let’s pause for a moment, are these all accidental outcomes, or did luck and opportunity meet?
Where can you get present to accidental outcomes and create an opportunity moving forward - whether it’s feeling more grounded in crescent lunge, adding some levity on a day you feel liek sh*t, or discovering something new in your life?
These unexpected twists and turns can become opportunities for growth, laughter, and a touch of unintentional brilliance. Embrace the chaos, find the humor, and discover the accidental magic in your own journey through yoga and mindfulness.
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The dreaded metal bleachers - a far cry from the perfectly balanced ergonomic office chair or the blanket/pillow nest you’ve created in Friday Morning’s Restore class…I think each time I stand up from the dreaded metal bleachers I always say “D*mn, I can’t sit on these for long or my back kills me.” But also, what happened to me, LOL.
In a study published by the International Journal of Yoga found that regular yoga practice can significantly improve spinal range of motion and alignment. Yoga also increases core strength based on the research done by the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine - but like, you knew this, because we discuss this all the time. But mostly, we get you to strengthen your core by saying a little something that goes like this: “Pull your belly button to your spine.” We are trying to get you to engage your core. It’s not about sucking in or doing 1,000 crunches, it’s about activating your abdominals.
So, why does my back hurt after sitting on the bleachers? Ergonomics.
The ergonomic chair keeps your body in a neutral position, much like being mindfully aligned in your yoga class. The bleachers - not so much, especially if you aren’t mindfully sitting upright. If you sat like a shrimp on the metal bleachers for the hour-long basketball game, your back, butt, and hips will hurt. My core is stronger because I do yoga and I can turn around easily and congratulate the parent behind me on their kid’s beautiful three-point shot…I still have to mindfully sit upright and control my poster and core. Sitting on a metal bleacher is not comfortable, or safe for my back, and most of the time those bleachers aren’t even that cute.
Here’s the thing, an ergonomic chair is great for your back to sit all day, but what about everything else - like if you’re putting up your groceries, cleaning out your garage, or bending over doing laundry? None of those things use an ergonomic chair. Yoga is ergonomics for your everyday life.
A lil’ bit about Ergonomics: ergonomics is all about adapting the environment to the user. Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and methods to design it to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. (So says the internet.)
Ergonomics has five aspects that it follows: 1) safety, 2) comfort, 3) ease of use, 4) productivity/performance, and 5) aesthetics.
Ergonomics considers the physical, cognitive, and organizational aspects, and as you know, yoga focuses on the mind-body connection. This paired with adaptability makes both yoga and ergonomics go hand in hand. Ergonomics is all about adapting the environment to the user, and yoga is all about adapting the pose to your body - NOT the other way around.
In the Journal of Ergonomics, a study was conducted and found that ergonomic inventions in the workplace significantly improved productivity and reduced discomfort among workers - I can’t speak for certain if that is directly related to discomfort around your boss, but I feel like if you used an ergonomic chair and practiced yoga (though this isn’t a study, just an opinion) you would also have reduced discomfort around your boss. If anything you could take some deep breaths in your very comfortable chair. Yoga is proven to contribute to a reduction in stress, so as a non-scientist stating opinions - seems legit.
So why practice yoga if sitting on metal bleachers is still going to suck? (..drumroll)
It’s about getting out of your head and back into your body. If you are sitting on an ergonomic chair at home AND practicing yoga, you are more likely to realize when your body starts to slump on the bench and correct your posture. Since your core is stronger and your back has a better range of motion, you are more likely to not hurt as bad when you stand up from the bleachers.
Next time you’re at the studio really notice how you move throughout class and notice how you move throughout work and the rest of your day. Start to bring your body awareness off the mat into your everyday life, and start to put into practice the ease of ergonomics.
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One thing I’m really good at, falling asleep. It’s not even a humble brag moment, I’m totally bragging, but I’ve put in some serious work to get here - here’s the catch though, just because I fall asleep quickly doesn’t mean it’s quality sleep.
When I was in the throws of my dad’s accident trauma, I was still somewhat falling asleep okay, but what was interesting was the quality of my sleep totally sucked. I knew I was dealing with a lot and overly stressed out and my body was in trauma response mode, but I was exhausted.
I’m not a huge fan of the Apple Watch, once again these blogs are all personal opinions. At the time I was wearing this cute little Garmin watch to track data. I began to realize my peak stress moments were during sleep, and my REM sleep cycles were almost non-existent. Later I learned, that these were all associated symptoms of PTSD.
My doctor informed me I should do some breathing practices before bed (*insert eye roll* don’t they know I’m a yoga teacher and I know this.) Here’s the thing, there’s what you know, and then there’s actually doing it. I also didn’t realize that just because I was falling asleep okay doesn’t mean I’m sleeping okay.
I was an on-and-off meditator before, but at that point in almost 6 years of teaching yoga, I honestly didn’t have a consistent meditation practice. Finally, I caved, I knew I had to do something because my mental health and physical health had taken a turn.
Honestly, I couldn’t sit with my thoughts. It was really f*cking hard, too much trauma all up in there. My doctor suggested I stick with breath-focused meditation for the time being, just to help my focus stay on track. I found the breathing practice of 4-7-8 to really help. All the counting was good for me…
Speaking of counting….have you heard to count the sheep until you fall asleep…yeah it’s basically like that.
4-7-8
This is a breathing technique that was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. You inhale quietly through the nose for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and exhale audibly through the mouth for a count of 8.
This automatically triggers a response through the body to rest through your parasympathetic nervous system. Your PNS is what controls “rest and digest.”
Let’s hit you with some facts instead of my trauma story:
Yeah, all of that is just based on intentional breathing.
Also, a big reminder and caveat here: breathing techniques based on counting don’t work for everyone, especially if you may suffer from asthma or low lung capacity. If this exercise worsens your anxiety or brings you thoughts of judgment or shame against yourself. HALT, this is the exact opposite of what we are working towards. This might just mean this style of breathing isn’t for you, kinda like tall platform sandals or plaid - we all have things that work and don’t, it’s not because our bodies are bad.
So, have you tried meditating?
]]>First, please don’t let anyone open your heart, unless they are a qualified heart surgeon. Seriously, if the only advice you listen to from me in the past 5 years of owning a yoga studio - please, please, please, listen to that one.
What we actually are doing is working in “heart opening postures” is back extensions - poses like camel, bridge, locust, cobra, up-dog, etc…
I didn’t research where the connection between “opening your heart” and back extensions started or who coined the term because frankly, it’s not that important. What is important is to always remember the physical intention of the pose, and not the emotion it *could* bring up because that part is different for everyone.
The physical intention of “opening your heart,” AKA back extensions, is to work against the force of gravity to strengthen the back muscles and abdominals. In a study completed by the Mayo Clinic, showed that people who regularly strengthen their back extensor muscles experience fewer osteoporosis-related fractures than people who don’t.
Let’s jump back to heart opening… With back extensions, you also create space in the front of the body by expanding through the ribcage, which encourages more circulation of blood and oxygen - ya know, the heart part.
However, since yoga is more than just exercise, when it comes to your yoga practice, you may notice an expression of emotions while being in these particular postures. In a study done by Pennebaker on “Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions,” Pennbaker’s research dives into the therapeutic effects of expressing one’s vulnerabilities and emotions. In the study, it suggests the intentional expression of emotions during yoga, especially vulnerable feelings, can contribute to emotional healing and enhance your mental health.
So, better do those “stupid heart-opening poses” in yoga for stupid mental health, ha!
The majority of the time, since the front of the body is much more “exposed” it is said to make a lot of people feel much more vulnerable.
Vulnerability is the state of being open to emotional, physical, or psychological harm. It involves a willingness to expose oneself to uncertainty, risk, and the possibility of facing difficult situations. Ask yourself if this is what you feel during back extensions… ALERT: THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER. In my own body and in my own experience of these postures, I do not feel this way. I feel much stronger and a sense of freedom. However, as a teacher of this posture, it can also bring up feelings of fear and vulnerability and I can see that in the room.
Personally, I believe setting an intention of “Vulnerability” for your yoga practice will be much more impactful than thinking you are “risking it all” while you are in Baby Cobra pose.
Brené Brown states, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” Using this as your intention can create an essence of vulnerability showing up as an act of courage rather than weakness.
So, how does one actually practice vulnerability as in intention in a yoga class, besides doing wheel 6x in a row….
Practicing vulnerability on your mat can bring a sense of personal power off your mat. It can increase feelings of authenticity and resilience. Practicing back extensions can help correct your posture, decrease low back pain, and maintain your range of motion in your spine.
So, next time you’re in class ask yourself how you feel emotionally while being in a physical pose such as a backbend, and then you can work backward from there on where to set your focus.
]]>If you read Monday’s email, you saw that almost 25% of people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions/goals by the second week of January, and almost 80% give up by February….
Here’s the thing, most of us set goals wrong or take too big of a bite on New Year’s Resolutions, and we end up creating a mountain we can’t climb and secure a permanent backpack of disappointment on our next adventure. Some people even consider “goal” a bad word and won’t even say it anymore. Yeah, they think goal is worse than f*ck - okay not really, I just wanted to throw that in there for funsies.
I’m a goal-setter, I always have been, and I probably always will be. Over the years I’ve succeeded at many goals, and I’ve failed at a lot of them too, but what I’ve come to realize is that it takes more than just thinking about the goal. It’s thinking about it, visualizing it, creating a plan and process, and then taking action.
So, whether you want to “get healthy,” “drink less,” “be more present,” or “spend less time on your phone” ask yourself first the biggest most important question: WHY?
Make it purposeful
Even if you have a goal already in mind, you’re dead set on your next mountain to climb - ask yourself WHY? Asking yourself who this goal is for and what purpose it serves can be a key first step in achieving them. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that individuals who set and pursued meaningful goals experienced higher well-being compared to those who did not set goals or set goals with less personal intention and meaning.
Also, if you haven’t figured out we do things on purpose here, you’re really missing out on a lot.
Not only will you feel like your working on goals that also align with your purpose and intention, working on goals that you actually want to work on will help you enjoy the process: SHOCKING I KNOW!
Processes. Systems. Public Commitment.
If you missed the blog post all about how 21 Days is just a myth, you can read about it here. It actually takes 66 days to create a habit, it’s not just about forcing yourself to do that habit, but creating systems and processes that actually help you along the way. Things like habit stacking, frequency of doing that habit and process, breaking your larger goals into smaller ones, and telling someone what you’re working on can impact the overall outcome of your goals.
Yes, there is power in moving in silence. Yes, you can accomplish goals and tell no one and still be successful. Yes, you can do BFD (Big F*cking Deal) things in your life and share about it on social media and not be bragging. A study published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that making a public commitment to your goals increases the likelihood of success. So, when you tell someone there is some social pressure to follow through. Here’s where I throw in a caveat: you don’t have to share with people who are going to sh*t on your goals, you only have to tell maybe one person who you know will support you. You can still move in silence, if that’s what you want, and have support.
Make it about YOUR environment.
On the topic of unsupportive people: let’s just go ahead and say yes to creating goal-healthy environments. So, if you want to participate in sober January…you should probably not hang out with your friend Mildred who likes to pop, lock, and drop it on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Maybe Mildred is easy to avoid, but you and Molly end up opening a bottle of wine after yoga - see if you and Molly can switch to coffee in the mornings if that works with your schedule. Being in an environment that supports your goals and purpose, will only help you thrive.
So, how does it really look to habit stack and create a supportive environment? That looks like packing your workout clothes when you pack your (or your kid’s) lunches, and then driving by the yoga studio on your way home from work…EVEN IF YOU DON’T GO. The act of starting that habit will build, and each time you see it, it will jog your memory.
My favorite habit stack: Skincare routine. Meditation. Morning Chaos. I love a sheet mask/face mask/ eye mask. Usually, when done properly, you’re supposed to wear these for about 30 minutes. Well, why not put it on first thing in the morning, do my meditation, make my kid’s lunches…then wash it all off and begin the day. Boom - Skincare routine (CHECK)
So, your goals are purposeful, processed, shared, and in the perfect little incubated environment for growth - are they doable? Like for real?
Large to small. Broad to specific. Society to personal.
It’s one thing to want to “be healthy,” but what does that even mean? Are you looking to lower your blood pressure? Increase your protein intake? Lower your A1C levels? Or are you broadly basing this goal on what society *thinks* you should be? Okay okay, I know, before you roll your eyes at this one, just hear me out…
…don't forget most of us over-plucked our eyebrows because we had a goal to look like a 90s supermodel. Damn, that didn’t go well for me at all…..remember, societal pressure is not a good enough reason to set a goal. Start back up top - it needs to have purpose.
Make your goals SMART GOALS - give them some depth. They need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound. A goal of “be healthy” means nothing when creating SMART goals. However, starting with a larger goal of “Increasing Protein Intake” and breaking it down into small SMART goals, does make sense. “Eat DF Greek Yogurt with mangos each afternoon after strength training.” According to research conducted by Dr Edwin Locke, setting specific and challenging goals (as opposed to vague or easy) led to higher performance 90% of the time. BOOM.
Setting achievable goals and breaking them down into manageable tasks can reduce the overwhelming nature of big challenges. By combining a focus on goal setting and prioritization can increase your concentration and mental clarity - ya know, the whole “taking your yoga off the mat kinda thing.”
So, get out there and do your thing, and if you want to share your goal with me, I’d love to hear it!
As civilizations advanced, various cultures began experimenting with polished surfaces to create reflective tools. Archaeological discoveries suggest that ancient Egyptians used polished copper and bronze surfaces as mirrors as early as 3,000 BC, many of these were handheld. But, even further back mirrors were found in Turkey around 6,000 BC.
However, it was also found that the Aztecs and the Mayans created similar reflective tools using polished obsidian - which is volcanic glass. Many of them were part of rituals and held symbolic significance.
In Ancient China, mirrors were tools of physical observation and spiritual protection. Some of them date back to about 4,000 years ago.
One thing is clear, each culture, though unique and far from one another, used reflection in some way.
The mirrors we are now used to seeing came about from Justus von Liebig, a German chemist, in 1835, who discovered coating the back of the glass with a thin layer of mercury (now metallic silver) made the surface extremely reflective.
So, what’s the big deal? Precision and quality control.
Think about it, when you stare at a mirror and it has a little spec on it, or a piece of dust…or even worse a crack - it makes a huge difference. You’ll even get bad luck for 7 years if you aren’t careful (trust me I think that’s actually real.)
You may or may not see where this is going…
If you are planning on doing some end-of-year reflection, you need mirror-like precision and quality control in planning your goals for next year.
Let’s be honest, you can look just about anywhere now and see your reflection. Hell, you can even distort your own reflection on your phone with a touch of an AI button.
Reflecting with precision and quality control through presence is the only way a true reflection is possible. Presence in your reflection helps create acknowledgment, accountability, and future action.
So whether you are going to create goals, intentions, visions, or resolutions for 2024. Start with presence and be sure you see the entire picture CLEARLY with no distortions. The best way to do this is through no self-judgement, I know like the hardest thing ever. Picture it like you are putting your brain on the table in front of you and just analyzing. All you’re doing is collecting data, you’re not trying to solve any equations - save that for later.
Here are 6 questions from my book The Possibility Project, that can help you jumpstart your goal setting without distortion.
Once you have those questions answered, then you can start to analyze and create goals or a vision of what you want for 2024. Then dig a little deeper and start to create small action items for those goals created. Then BOOM, you’ll be looking at yourself with clarity in no time.
]]>“Yeah sure teach, they are gracefully floating to the top of their mat, and I just about ran over grandma with my reindeer jump.”
Twas the night before Christmas, when your mom made you all wear matching pajamas…..
Okay, so full disclosure, I did not grow up with a household that did matching PJs, and I really tried to make it a thing at our house, but it never really happened. I think I got maybe 2 years of the kids wearing “cohesive pieces” but definitely not matching.
Can you believe you’re about to read an email about the history of matching pajamas, and you’re thinking how in the h*ll is this going to tie back to yoga…oh just you wait.
Go all the way back in time to, not that long ago, the 1940s (I want to be really clear that there were probably LOTS of matching sleepwear in tribal communities and in cultures where clothing, dyes, and garments were a very large part of the community and way people represented themselves, but I am specifically addressing reindeer jammies.) Starting in the 1940s here in the US, many clothing manufacturers started to make girls’ clothing look very much like women’s clothing, and matching sets started popping up.
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a fashion historian wrote for The Atlantic, “Mother-daughter fashions reinforced the primacy of the domestic sphere” which followed World War II. Needless to say, the marketing of them tried to reinforce a nuclear family unit - ya know like a mom, dad, and their perfect ‘lil spawn.
Debbie Sessions, a vintage fashion expert and researcher, has not been able to find any photos of mid-century families wearing matching PJs because it used to be frowned upon to wear your pajamas in public, however, there are a few photos from Sears’s marketing advertisements in 1962. I just wonder what those families would think of my “lewks” at school drop-off nowadays. Whew, they’d be shocked.
Okay, let’s get to the point. Around the 1990s, the company Hanna Andersson introduced a line of family pajamas and a few years later added holiday patterns. In 2011, the company declared November 19th “National Family Pajama Night,” which didn’t really take off…but, wait for it….in 2019 Taylor Swift (you’ve probably heard of her) wore a pair of this company’s PJs in a music video and once again “National Family PJ Day” is back and celebrated on November 14th.
Now more than ever, matching PJs sets are a staple of any Instagram-able picture-perfect family and Holiday cards.
So, when you start to feel the pressure of matching PJs remember marketing has everything to do with it. Reminding yourself about “Satya” or “Truthfulness” one of the five “Niyamas” in yoga. It reminds us to speak, think, and act with integrity. There’s no need to do what the person on your mat next to you is doing, or your neighbor, or that random family on Instagram in their matching Hanna Andersson Matching Holiday PJs. Act, think, and speak with YOUR OWN truth, your own integrity, and your own intention for the Holidays.
Lean in to your own family traditions and intentions this season, and if that includes Santa PJs with your pup, you better send me a photo of that cuteness (no cats though, jk jk.)
]]>Don’t you hate it when I/they say that!?? Like you know you’re RIGHT THERE in class, but you still have to try a little more. You know you have to push yourself and exert that last amount of effort. You might not want to, but it’s just one more side….
Let’s shift gears real quick: Time Magazine’s Person of the Year - Taylor Swift….duh
This year alone she’s re-recorded her fourth album, was named most-streamed artist of 2023, made the highest-grossing concert film of all time, grossed $906 million in her tour (second-highest in history,) her concerts boosted the economy in the majority of the cities she toured, and oh yeah she started dating Travis Kelce (Go Chiefs!) and boosted NFL ratings and gear sales (don’t come for me, we both know she did. I KNOW Kelce was popular before, but like COME ON, he had a 400% increase in jersey sales.) Swift is the first entertainer to win the title of “Person of the Year.”
Not going to lie, it feels like she still might have an entire Left Side she’s waiting to throw at us…
Let’s take it back even further.
The very first Time Magazine “Man of the Year” was Charles Lindbergh, he was an American Aviator who became famous for making the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. I mean, that’s a BFD. (If you’ve forgotten what a BFD is, you can read more about it here.)
The first woman who was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” was Wallis Simpson in 1936. Her and her husband, King Edward VIII, shared the title because King Edward VIII abdicated from the British Throne in order to marry Wallis. She was a “divorcee” so it was a whole thing, but still BFD.
Greta Thunberg, named youngest “Person of the Year” in 2019, is a Swedish environment activist known for her efforts to raise awareness about climate change. BFD.
To be clear there were some not well-received selections for “Person of the Year,” like in 2006 - the picture included or the fact that “The Computer” was chosen in 1982, but let’s keep going..
So [client_first_name], are you ready to do the left side and then cool things down?
First, each of these people aren’t just taking the easy road. They are in the transition of right to left side, knowing they still have effort ahead of them. This is all Tapas (or heat) endurance, perseverance, commitment to growth, self-discipline, and the burning desire to continue though it’s hard.
Tapas involves enduring discomfort and challenges in the pursuit of a higher goal, just like those recognized above. It’s not just engaging with your yoga mat but with the world around you.
Will doing the left side of Lauren’s last flow in her yoga class make you Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, umm…f*ck yes it will. Okay Okay, in our book YES, but also I’m not on the selection committee for that so I can't actually give you a verbal confirmation agreement.
We both know you went through some sh*t this year, and creating that fire, that tapas inside of you is hard, but it’s what keeps you going. This time of year is busy and it’s easy to let the fire go out because there are “better” things you could be doing, or you are just “busy.” Don’t stop, just do the left side, and remind yourself what a BFD you really are!
]]>Did you know that if you received all of the Twelve Days of Christmas gifts, you would actually get 364 gifts. I don’t know about you, I’d take the 5 golden rings…but like the geese of laying? You’re telling me you’re giving me birds that are about to give me more birds? Hard no on those.
Newsflash, today is December 1st - just in case you’ve been living like Patrick under a rock at the bottom of the sea, and supposedly it’s the day that’s socially acceptable to put up your Holiday lights and decorations…we always put ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
This week I’ve already started feeling the “Holiday Pressure.” Not just because of Christmas and surrounding holidays, but also because both of my kiddos have December birthdays…yup, BOTH! So along with Holiday parties and presents, we’ve got birthday parties and presents to plan too.
Here’s the thing, what I know I need most today, this week, this month…is not geese of laying, but actual presence. I’m recommitting this month to sitting in meditation for at least 5 minutes a day every single day.
There’s that old saying if you don’t have time to sit for 5 minutes, sit for an hour….but I’m going to start with 5 minutes.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is study after study discussing the impact of meditation on the brain. In a groundbreaking study conducted by Harvard neuroscientist Sara Lazar and her team, participants who engaged in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program exhibited significant changes in brain structure. The study, published in the journal “Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging,” revealed increases in grey matter density in the hippocampus, a region associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.
So, I can remind you of the stress you’re under, remind you of the “fast-paced world” we live in, or you realize how tired you probably are reading this email, happy that it’s Friday, and ready just to have some weekend time…I’m not just physically tired, I’m emotionally tired, and meditation always helps brings me rest.
So, why wait until January, why wait until tomorrow, why wait until “the time is finally right.” If you don’t start now, you never will.
SAY YES, and decide today is the day you gift yourself presence…because there is clearly no need for more birds.
PS if you need some help, here’s a Mindful Meditation to kick things off.
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It was freezing outside and the line was already wrapped around the building when we got there. Not to make myself sound too old, but there wasn’t really online shopping and you used to get all those Black Friday ads in the paper, I think it was like 2007 or 2008. I loved looking through those at all the deals.
I mean you remember, right?! There was mini-magazine after mini-magazine, one pager, and OMG that Target ad.
After looking at all of the ads, I found a huge deal on a computer that I really wanted in Circuit City, so there we were in the line wrapped around the building. I’d never done Black Friday Shopping like that before and had seen the news where people waited in tents at Best Buy or even had been trampled at Wal-Mart.
Once in line, the Circuit City workers came out with a bunch of colored pages. Each colored page represented the “Deal” you wanted. I can’t quite remember the color, but it was like the TV for whatever amount off was blue, and the other tv was green, one computer was one color and another computer was another. I’m sure this helped with all the mad dash trample situations. As luck would have it, I didn’t get a colored paper, they had run out about two people ahead of me.
So, the question became…how desperate am I to get something? We’d been in line forever, was I really going to just go home, there had to be SOME computer there. I decided I didn’t want to quit. We waited until the doors finally opened and I went searching for computers still desperate.
Ultimately, I was able to grab the very last mini-laptop. I actually totally forgot until writing this email that was the type of computer I was searching for. It was obviously way before iPads, but the computer was super small. Here’s the catch, I didn’t get the Black Friday deal they were offering because the last computer was the display model. So, I said YES, because I was desperate remember!??! We waited forever in line to check out, packed up, and I took my very proudly owned Black Friday “Pretend” Deal laptop home.
After getting home, I realized that we were missing a bunch of things for my laptop, like cables and etc. I called my Dad and he came over to help me figure it out, one problem….we had to go BACK to Circuit City….ON BLACK FRIDAY, to get a cable they forgot to give us.
So, let me just quickly finish this story….it was the sh*ttiest computer I’ve ever owned.
Here’s the thing being desperate and patient didn’t mix well. There’s always another deal, it was different then, but now…the Black Friday Christmas creeps was into October. There’s been study after study investigating the psychological effects of urgency and excitement generated by time-sensitive promotions. There have been studies done on consumer decision-making on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the entire weekend. The same goes for impulse buying, the influence of advertising, and the psychological motivations behind the pursuit of deals. I mean, if you’ve ever shopped at Sephora and had to wait in line through their min- impulse maze purchase, that right there will tell you that they know you are going to at least look through it and probably grab one small thing. And, if you didn’t - you have some serious willpower.
So, what does this have to do with yoga? Simple.
Ask yourself, “Where am I desperately trying to force something to work? Where can I add patience instead?”
It could be a pose you’re working towards, a length of breath, a seated meditation, or maybe even just trying to get to the studio 2x per month. We all need to give ourselves some compassion and create more patience for ourselves in our lives.
I ended up having to buy a totally different computer later, that sucked. I should have just had a little more patience and purchased a computer that could have lasted me longer. Before you ask about the warranty….Circuit City filed bankruptcy a few months after I purchased my laptop and every single store was closed by the time I had to get a new computer.
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“Have you tried restarting your computer?”
Everyone ever: *insert eyeroll*
Picture this, I’m working on my homework. I have 100 tabs open on my computer - my homework and weekly assignments consist of digital readings, watching lectures and purposeful YouTube videos, group chats with classmates, and all my note-taking. I have some assignments that are due on Thursday and the rest are due on Sunday.
So…it’s obviously Thursday as I’m watching the video required for my homework and it’s not playing. It’s doing that stupid f*cking thing where that little icon just spins and spins. So, I did what any normal person would do: yell to my husband, “THE VIDEO ISN’T PLAYING, CLEARLY SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH OUR INTERNET.”
I close the browser window, open it back up…nothing. I yell again.
New idea: I’ll just play the video on my phone. While I’m playing the video on my phone my very awesome husband resets our internet router. I try again…nothing.
I watch the full lecture on my phone, complete my assignment, and decide I was done for the night. Nothing seems to be working. My husband said, “let’s just go watch a show.” Newsflash: we watch them on my computer and my computer isn’t playing video.
He has the AUDACITY to say, “have you tried restarting your computer?”
I mean what the f*ck, obviously not. Does anyone actually do that the first time around. It’s such a simple fix that no one understands, and it can’t really work everytime…can it?
So, I did and then….boom video working.
At that moment, the clouds above me open and a light shined down (okay actually Kyle, my husband, turned the light on because I was working in the dark,) I wondered how often I continue to put obstacle after obstacle infront of me. I realized I do it all the time, why do I continue to make my life more challenging?
I’d rather use my fingernail to open a box instead of walk to the other room and grab a pair of scissors.
I’d rather carry in every bag of groceries at once than make two trips.
I’d rather wait until the due date to crank out my homework, than work on it a little bit at a time.
I’d rather hold plank until my lower back hurts, than just put my knees down and keep the integrity of the pose. Ouch - it all comes back to yoga.
I say it all the time, and so does every other yoga teacher at YES: “if you need it, put your knees down.”
I wonder if I would have just restarted my computer from the very beginning, I wouldn’t have had to struggle bus watching the video lecture on my phone, I’d be able to open a box without ruining my fingernails or even taking twice as long to get it open, I’d be able to not put too much pressure on my shoulder while carrying groceries, and I’d actually build strength in plank instead of tweaking my back.
While these are all very basic and easy to follow obstacles, it made me wonder what other obstacles I continue to create for mysel over and over again. So, your yoga teacher says: “What obstacles are you creating in your life? Can you just put your knees down where you need?”
Need a boost to help with this concept? I love Ryan Holiday’s Book Obstacle Is the Way
]]>Holy throwback, are we stuck as a society? After you read this email, you need to check on your Millennial friends - they are stuck.
20 years ago was obviously 1993, but the math doesn’t actually add up and it really bothers me.
When I use a calculator it says that 20 years ago is really like 40 years ago, and then I look around and see lots of things that remind me why I only think it’s 1993.
There’s Britney and Justin drama, there’s denim everything, ballet flats are still stinky but cute, David Beckham was and is well…David Beckham - okay okay you get what I’m saying.
In honor of November, and it being the month of gratitude I’m grateful for David Beck— woah woah woah, sorry about that.
But seriously, the nostalgia of things happens about every 20 years. Just recently, the retail store Urban Outfitters sold a first-generation iPod Mini from 2004 for $199 and a Fifth-Generation from 2007 for $349, which is MORE than the original brand-new price. That’s not a joke, that’s a real story. Because you probably forgot about iPods, just a reminder they don’t exist anymore and are out of production. Yup, we’re that old.
So, you’re asking yourself… “how the f*ck does this have to do with yoga?” I know exactly what you’re thinking - all yoga teachers do.
It’s easy to get stuck in nostalgia and the way things have always been and done. It’s easy to go “with the flow and let the good times roll.” It’s easy to buy bootcut denim, because you know it’s comfortable. It’s easy to do the same version of the same yoga pose each time…it’s easy to stay stuck.
It’s one thing to remind yourself of “The Good Ole Days” or “Baby One More Time by Britney Spears” but do you really want to stay stuck there?
Listen, I’m really proud and impressed that Maria Carey’s All I Want for Christmas hit the top 100 songs in December 2021, which was 25 years post-release, but honestly, we are all stuck listening to that amazing song that is seriously great, but like OMG 29 years of YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. (Ya sang it didn’t ya…knew you would - I’m a yoga teacher remember.)
Ask yourself where you’re stuck, where you’ve dug your heels down, where you refuse to give up your skinny jeans, where you’re too nostalgic to move on, ask yourself where you can make a new choice, take a new step, and create a new possibility.
Lastly, how to practice this in class… well let me tell ya - it’s simple. The easiest way to practice getting unstuck in class is to change your gaze. You don’t need to do handstand hops or a trick transition. Try focusing on something new, I’m guessing you tend to look at the same things or you tend to look in the same direction. Don’t be stuck, just move your eyeballs somewhere else.
We know plenty of you can roll them in a full circle after announcing it’s time for core work, so I know you are capable of potentially looking up instead of down.
This week create gratitude around new possibilities and also create gratitude for the things that paved the way for where you are, including that tragic time you plucked all your eyebrows off - oh the lesson you learned.
Get unstuck and start by practicing on your yoga mat.
]]>Your yoga teacher says: “Duh!”
Newsflash: I’m not a doctor, I’m not a researcher, I’m not a psychologist, I’m not a therapist, and I’m not a dietitian. Shocked I know! I’m a yoga teacher that’s also a yoga studio owner, and entrepreneur.
I don’t know a lot of things, but I do know a lot about YESyoga and the yoga we provide. I’ve been teaching yoga for almost 10 years now, and yeahhhhhh yoga is good for you, duh.
Study after study has been shown that yoga can change your life, but a BFD (aka: big f*cking deal) study published in The Harvard Gazette just dropped saying that heated yoga can reduce depression symptoms by 50% and 44% of the people in the study were considered to be in remission from depression.
Mic drop.
Or is it?
In case you forgot, that’s all we do at YESyoga: heated yoga. While this study specifically focused on “Heated Hatha,” and good news for you….vinyasa yoga is part of that, we’ve been also telling you this the entire time we’ve been in business…so thanks Harvard for finally catching up.
The study suggests that yoga at 2x per week was associated with a greater reduction in symptoms, but going to yoga at least 1x per week also was just as beneficial.
Not to be like duh, but duh!
Real talk, I knew this already, because I am proof. Yoga and meditation were, and still are, a huge part of my healing process with my PTSD diagnosis a few years ago, and honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without it. While PTSD and depression are different diagnoses, this new study just reiterates how impactful yoga can be on our mental health and well-being.
So now the real questions:
What are you willing to do to actually better your mental health and wellbeing?
Are you actually going to show up for the yoga class that you keep avoiding?
Are you actually going to start a yoga practice that you’ve heard so much about?
Are you going to start becoming more interested in how your life actually feels and how you actually feel and how your body actually feels, or are you going to stay focused on how everything looks?
That last question makes me jump out of my skin to be honest. To have someone say that to me always gets me fired up inside because I’m a little rebellious (IYKYK) and I normally can’t stand those type of questions when they get thrown at me. I realized though, that was a hard question that I truthfully needed to answer myself, which led me right back to the basics: yoga and meditation.
So, I can read you all the facts of the study and the Harvard article and all the science behind it, I can tell you how yoga changed my life, or you can just listen to your yoga teacher and say YES and try it yourself and see how contagious living courageously can be.
8 week is all it takes.
The study said the participants saw proven results after 8 weeks, and only 2 classes per week. If you start now, not tomorrow, but right now, you’ll see noticeable results before the Holidays. OMG could you imagine… like actually dealing with your family in a good headspace for Holiday dinner!?!? I KNOW. It’s shocking to consider. Anything is possible.
Just say YES to infrared heated yoga at YES!
In my journey of personal growth and self-improvement, I am constantly asking myself: do I need bursts of motivation and willpower or habits that are key to lasting change and success in my life?
What I’ve discovered is BOTH are necessary…
Today is National Writing Day, and it’s something I would not normally celebrate because I’ve never considered myself a “writer.” However, multiple people have told me over and over that they love reading these emails and my blogs and that they could never be a writer because it’s maybe not something they enjoy or think they are good at, or even like to do.
Even though I wrote a book (The Possibility Project,) I still don’t consider myself a writer. I think it’s because I am not a “trained” writer and I’m in no way someone who went to school for writing. I can’t spell, and honestly, I can barely form a sentence with proper grammar and punctuation. However, what I can say and what I have found success in is that I’m consistent in my writing.
It takes something to sit down and write these emails/blogs, and what I’ve found is consistency is key….(though my assistant, who helps me format and schedule these might not agree on consistent timing, HA!)
A study done by Philippa Lally and her team at University College London found that it takes about 66 days for a habit to form, not the previously thought 21 days. The other big find in her work, to start a habit, you must start with consistent willpower and eventually it will turn into a habit, but you have to be just that - consistent. The conscious effort to decide to keep going and keep doing the thing you want to do.
She also found the more days you skip, the less likely you are to form that habit, because of that initial burst of willpower. If you are struggling to form a new habit, that’s because it’s cleary really f*cking hard to do. I mean 66 days is not instantaneous. It takes something to get there, that’s 2 months of making yourself do something, even when you maybe don’t want to, or you’re tired, or you’re asking yourself “Is this worth it?!”
No lie, that question comes up a lot for me. “Is this worth it?” Right now, I’m doing another food change due to a recent health diagnosis. Many of you know my food and eating is restricted due to food allergies and more recently some histamine flare-ups, and it has been tough to be consistent.
It will always be easier to do what you’ve always done, and it will always be harder to convince yourself or create a burst of willpower. ALWAYS. But, if you really want that thing, it takes something to create a habit, so remind yourself that it’s hard and DO IT ANYWAY.
It’s the ability to hold the pose for not 5 more breaths, but just the extra one. It’s that extra hold of willpower that pushes you forward. You don’t need to do pushups without the use of your hands before you realize you are strong. It’s the willpower of holding a plank for 1 second longer each time that creates the habit and muscle memory, but d*mn that extra second can seem like forever. And those YESyoga teachers’ 5 breath counts feel like 50….. I mean they need some double-checking and guidance on learning time……(HA!)
So remember your goal, and remember it’s going to take some willpower to get started…and about 66 days of consistency and eventually habit will take over.
If you need some accountability or help with your habits, reach out. I’d love to help!
]]>Today is YESyoga’s 5th Birthday, and it's also the National Day of Failure.
I’ll be honest, I’m totally overwhelmed that YES is 5 years old. Somedays it feels like it’s been 84 years, and some days it feels like it's the beginning. But that’s the thing, each day is a new beginning, a new YES - even for the studio. Each day is a day to learn from the failures of the day before.
The first of many failures when opening the yoga studio was thinking about it as just a yoga studio. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years is that YES is more than just a yoga studio, it’s a mindset. While I might not be moving my body through a group yoga class each day, I am saying YES to myself and my purpose each day.
I could say all the cliche things, and don’t worry I’ll spare you…meh, I’ll add a few….. To me, YESyoga will always be more than a yoga studio. It's been my launchpad for dreams, a place to rise from the ashes, and a canvas for endless possibilities.
Though I try not to purposely fail at the business, I fail a lot. I would rather try something and take action than sit on the sidelines and never try. I’d rather fail than think “What if.” My most recent failure was our latest studio update, I did everything by the book (according to my new Master’s program, ha!) But, in the end the new schedule just didn’t work, and sometimes that happens. Luckily for you, I’m not afraid to try and fail.
So, we are going back to our 9 a.m. start time schedule on Mondays through Thursdays. YESyoga should be a place where you don’t have to make any decisions, we know your life is hard, and we don’t want you to feel like you failed because you couldn’t make a class time or you got confused about when a class starts on which day. So, I’ll say it, the new schedule failed, but we burned it down and we start again!
The past 5 years have been a rollercoaster of failures and successes - physically, financially, and mentally. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
I've learned about leadership, boundaries, friendship, worth, success, drive, resilience, failure, and asking for help. Most importantly, I've learned about the unwavering ability to be myself and do what I love, which is share YES with you whether it's through yoga, emails, podcasts, or The Possibility Project. The saying is true, if it were easy anyone could do it, but the reality is it's a choice to show up every day and just say YES to yourself over and over again.
🥂 Cheers to you for helping me get here.
🥂 Cheers to YESyoga for giving me purpose and possibility.
🥂 Cheers to me for saying YES.
🥂 Cheers to us for being courageous, capable, and strong.
In 5 years, who knows where I'll be? But one thing's for sure, I'll keep saying YES to failure and to possibility... and for the rest of you: GO YES YOURSELF!
]]>“If you don’t do at least 42 pushups every hour for the next 65 hours, you’ll lose muscle mass!”
“30 minutes of cardio per day or else.”
“10,000 steps per day is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
Newsflash, all of those stats are FAKE.
I wrote a blog on the 10,000 steps per day a while ago, you can read it here. But, I’ll summarize it too….
Real talk, the 10,000-step goal has no scientific backing and isn't real. It was thought to be created by a Japanese company that was selling pedometers in 1965. I-Min Lee, A professor of Epidemiology at Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, looked into the beginning of how this started, and she believes, after having conversations with Japanese researchers that the character of 10,000 looks similar to a man walking. Boom. Branding on point for that company, they started a pedometer revolution.
So, the 10,000 steps should honestly sound just as absurd as all the other statements above.
It’s no secret that our work lives have started to deteriorate our mental and physical health, hell….that’s why most of us do yoga. Recently, NPR wrote an article about this exact thing - it’s honestly what inspired this email and revisit to the blog post. A reminder that a lot of what we see is all marketing.
Due to the pandemic, we had a major shift from in-office to work-from-home, and that came with a bunch of consequences (good and bad.) As technology has advanced, our ability to prioritize our health and movement behaviors hasn’t. We’ve become more sedentary and less purposeful.
NPR says we now are on electronic devices for an average of 11 hours per day. HOLY F*CKING SH*T, that’s like a lot of hours. That’s more than an average school day of 8am to 3pm, by like A LOT.
Columbia University Medical Center released a study showing that walking about 5 minutes every half hour can offset the harmful effects of sedentary deskwork/lifestyle. You can view the study here.
What’s next …. NPR is trying to figure out, how likely is someone to actually walk 5 minutes every 30 minutes.
Ask yourself this question: Am I likely to dedicate 5 minutes of each half hour to mindful movement?
If you said YES, I’d love to know if you meditate daily. Do you incorporate at least 5 minutes of meditation into your 24-hour routine? Because like if not…(insert - emoji)
If NO, ask yourself if you are willing to dedicate at least 5 minutes per day to SOMETHING = meditation, movement, journaling, etc.
I’m not asking you to have the same schedule as Beyonce, I’m asking you to look at your life and notice how saying YES to 5 minutes can create impactful change.
You got this.
If you want to participate in NPR’s survey and study, you can do so here.
]]>I actually get this question A LOT, and I’d love to share WTF it means and why its not a “30.”
In March 2014, I completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and in May of that same year, just 2 months later, I purchased 13 paddle boards and opened up Sugar Land’s Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga Studio! WHEW that was a whirlwind. A few years later, I sold the business and the boards so that I could dive full-time into YESyoga.
So, what’s the tattoo about? I wanted something to represent my personal growth, my business growth, and how the water makes me feel at ease. I found a watercolor tattoo artist and I designed my OM and off they went coloring on my arm.
So what is OM and why should it matter to you if you practice yoga?
When you speak or chant OM it creates a vibration. In Hindu philosophy, it is believed that the diving uttering of “OM” created the universe. When we chant “OM” it connects us to the universe and the beings among it.
So what if you don’t believe any of that stuff?
I get it, that belief might not be for you and that’s okay too. Here’s some concrete ways “OM” can be incorporated into your life if you choose to say it out loud or to yourself.
Pronounced: “ah-U-mm”
A (ah) - Represents the waking up within yourself by connecting your physical body with tangible place you are in. AKA: Presence
U - Represents a deeper awareness within yourself. Things like thoughts and feelings. Notice them, maybe even ask yourself “how do I feel today?”
M - A deep state of profound stillness. The ability to be who you are without the ego and fear. AKA: Practicing savasana or your drishti (focus) on the mat.
Lastly, one that many of us forget
The Silence After - Bliss. That moment of serenity, peace, and pause. To me, it feels like time stops just for a moment where I am clear headed, grounded, and at peace. Sometimes, it goes away quicker than it comes, but it’s there. A moment of bliss. This is tricky, it’s different for each of us, but you know it when it comes around. Ask yourself how can you replicate that again and again?
For the record, this isn’t the “UM” like the filler word that we all say. This is actually the complete opposite of that. It’s intentional, it has meaning, and it’s not said when you are trying to fill in the blanks when your kid asks if their entire soccer team can come over in 2 hours.
So, if you’re stressed out, burnt out, and all done with that thing that’s been driving you crazy - try saying “AH-U-MM” instead of screaming into your pillow or throwing your phone and shift out of rage to presence.
]]>We make thousands of decisions each day. From what to wear, to what route to take to work, to what to eat for lunch, oh yeah, and then all the work decisions.
Then there are days we decide to get the fancy coffee and wait in line.
This week on the podcast I talked about “Not So Lucky Steve” and his inability to wait in line at a local coffee shop. I never would have thought on the same week there would be published data analytics from Technonics that estimates that one-third of Starbucks customers wait about 5 minutes for their order to be filled.
So, to be really clear here, if YOU are the one ordering a Grande Half-Calf Swirly Gum Drop Single Pump Sparkle Fart Beiged Iced Shaker Not Too Hott But Cold Latte….you could be the one holding up the line. It’s that 1 of 383 billion unique latte combinations that you decided on.
Okay, okay, maybe you aren’t holding up the line with your bougie Starbies drink, but that decision about coffee is real. You can choose 1 of 383 BILLION combinations. Which means, there’s also got to be a decision you are also currently struggling with right now, that isn’t about coffee.
The thought of the “other decision” options for everything else seems overwhelming - luckily, there’s yoga!
Yoga can teach you to not only practice decision making, but detaching from the outcome. While the choice can be hard, we have to recognize that only we can control certain aspects of the results from our choices. This doesn’t mean to detach from reality, but maintaining a sense of equanimity.
This allows you to focus on the strategy/plan/journey, once the decision has been made.
That’s the thing, because you ordered such a complex Starbucks drink, the barista might not be able to make it in less than 5 minutes and they might mess up the flavor pumps - I mean how can they accurately do a half pump anyway?!?!
I’ll never stray from my Americano, but if you have a fancy coffee order you love, I’d love to hear it!
]]>But I just do it because I know it’s good for you.
You may have said these words yourself, or you may have heard them from the US Open Women’s Singles Champion, Coco Gauff. Both her and the GOAT herself, Serena Williams, are known for their insane athletic ability, but also for incorporating yoga into their training. While Williams loves practicing yoga, Gauff said “Because I train so much, I don’t want to do anything on a day off, maybe like yoga or something. I don’t like yoga. But I just do it because I know it’s good for you.”
I hear stuff like this all the time:
Yoga is boring.
Isn’t yoga just stretching?
I just don’t really like yoga.
Now, I know you aren’t a US Open Women’s Single Champion, I mean speak for myself right?!?!! But what Gauff is talking about here is her discipline or what we refer to in yoga philosophy as Tapas. Tapas is one of the Niyamas, which are the personal disciplines or observances outlined in Patanjalie’s Yoga Sutras.
Tapas can be understood as self-discipline, perseverance, and the willingness to do what is necessary, even when it is challenging or uncomfortable. It involves cultivating inner strength and determination to overcome obstacles and resistances on the path of self-improvement and spiritual growth.
Let’s just be really clear though, this should be for practices that help your growth, not hinder. This doesn’t mean staying in your crappy relationship, staying in burnout mode, or pushing yourself past your limits.
Whether it’s yoga, journaling, meditating, going on walks, eating nourishing foods, or making your bed every morning, most likely you incorporate tapas into your daily routine, but you probably didn’t realize it.
“When my mind is clear,” Gauff says, “I’m able to play a lot clearer as well.” That is one of the many benefits her practice of Tapas that yoga has brought to her. The power to remain calm, maintain focus, and create self improvement on the court and in her life.
]]>So in honor of September’s Yoga Awareness Month, what’s my opinion you didn’t ask me about the above quote? I guess I’m a sh*tty yoga teacher if those are the rules I should be abiding by.
Here’s my yogic answer: Your yoga practice isn’t about your teacher, it’s about YOUR yoga practice. If your yoga teacher doesn’t speak the entire class in Sanskrit, I think you’ll be okay because you most likely don’t know what she’s saying anyway…. But also, I’m sure there are sh*tty yoga teachers just like there are sh*tty semi-drivers, sh*tty baristas, and sh*tty investment bankers.
Here are some ways to know if you’re actually practicing yoga, whether or not your teacher sucks:
Ask yourself, “Am I listening to all the b*llsh*t I’m telling myself in my head, or am I actively practicing to be courageous about my self-limiting beliefs?” Now, this doesn’t mean you should start class in wheel or doing 100 handstand hops after class, but it does mean are you noticing if you are telling yourself I can’t do it, but then you’re doing the 5-breath hold anyway? Side note: This is a practice you can take with you anywhere, not just during a 60-minute yoga class.
Ask yourself, “Am I practicing effort and flow (surrender?)” If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can read the blog on it. Are you noticing when you’re clenching your teeth, bringing tension into your neck, or even locking out your knees? What about if you’re going through your grocery list in Eagle Pose or sinking into your joints in Downward Facing Dog? What about are you being too hard on yourself or are you going to easy on yourself?
Ask yourself, “Do I feel any different after class - mentally, physically, or spiritually?” Yoga is all about self-transformation - this does not mean going from like a size 8 to a size 4 or holding plank with your knees down to holding a plank without your arms. This is all about the opportunity to notice a moment of transformation within yourself. A shift. A perspective change. An opportunity to start new.
Ask yourself, “Have I said YES to anything that brought curiosity or courage to my life lately?” Yoga is all about helping you create new habits and healthy patterns. Are you pausing before you yell at your kids/spouse/partner or are you creating a courageous pause so that you can react intentionally? Are you holding yourself accountable to things you said you would do? Have you tried moving your gaze from the top of your mat to the back of your mat? OOOOOHHHHH mic drop, that simple practice on your mat can change your whole f*cking life if you let it.
Ask yourself, “Am I letting myself actually rest at the end of class?” Yeah, very hot topic here, some people absolutely hate savasana, and some people can’t get there fast enough. The concept of surrender is a pillar of yoga, savasana is not just a pose, but another modality of how to practice yoga. So if you’re not practicing breathing (pranayama) or meditation during class - make sure you give yourself space to actually rest. Reminder: YOU DON’T EARN REST CREDITS, YOUR BODY NEEDS IT.
The best part of these questions are realizing you can practice yoga anywhere because all of these questions relate back to the philosophy of yoga, the practice of doing the movement can just help us quickly escalate the answers to these questions. So, even if your teacher doesn’t teach a verse directly from ancient yoga text, you can actually put the philosophy into your yoga practice and your everyday life.
]]>Okay okay, so technically, I’m not known for that either, but let me tell ya a little background story and why I think this is a great jumping-off point into September: National Yoga Awareness Month.
Most of us learned The Wright Brothers were the first to fly a powered airplane, but what many of us don’t know is that Samuel Langley should have done it first…but he didn’t. Langley had everything he needed: a team, excessive funding for the project, and he was very well educated. He was a very well-regarded scientist, who was basically a celebrity and was even the secretary of the Smithsonian. In case you forgot, the Wright brothers were two dudes from Ohio who were bike mechanics. As you can see, both are extremely different, but only one we remember.
Langley was out for money, prestige, titles, and well, ego. The Wright Brothers were all about purpose.
Keyword: purpose. Why? Once The Wright Brothers succeeded, Langley quit. In the words of Cody Rigsby “Bye Boo.”
So what do these aviation nerds have to do with yoga (most likely something they had never done or never even probably heard of)? Purpose.
It’s all about the “why” and the practice of self-discovery and growth. Yoga is so much more than the poses, it’s truly about discovering who you really are and what you’re really capable of.
The union of purpose and practice, whether you’re in a fight to create the first flying contraption or you struggling in Warrior 2, showcases the ability to find balance within yourself and your consistent effort to practice hard things.
So, next time you’re in airplane pose in the middle of yoga class, remind yourself of your purpose for yoga because that is what is going to keep you consistent and committed to your practice.
]]>Was it a fast or slow week? Did this week require a lot of effort or did it hold a lot of ease?
Let’s dive into how the yoga philosophy of effort and ease or “Sthira” and “Sukha” can actually show up in your everyday life…..
You may or may not have heard us mention this concept in class, but the concept is all about the push and pull, effort and ease, and the harmonizing of resilience and gratitude. Sthira and Sukha are Sanskrit terms that represent two essential qualities that can help create balance and contentment in our lives.
STHIRA: The ability to hold steady, and create strength and stability. The practice of “sthira” can involve cultivating resilience, discipline, and determination. Through “sthira,” one can develop inner strength to persevere through difficult times and continue to maintain their goals. (Example in yoga class: Being able to hold tree and maintain your focus and not fall over as your yoga instructor keeps pacing around the room.)
SUKHA: The ability to create happiness, ease, and comfort. It’s about finding joy and contentment in the simple things. It encourages being in the present moment and cultivating gratitude. Through “sukha” your goals are aligned with your passions. (Example in yoga class: That moment of gratitude when the instructor turns the lights off and you know the end of class is coming!)
The play between “sthira” and “sukha” can lead to a more harmonious and fulfilling life. Striking the right balance between these two can mean navigating challenges with resilience while also taking the time to enjoy life’s pleasures. This balance is key to avoiding burnout, creating a positive outlooks, and achieving personal growth.
In my opinion, one of my favorite ways to create the physical representation of this in my body is through standing forward fold or “ragdoll.” Noticing the strength of the legs “sthira” with the flow and ease of my upper body folded over my lower body “sukha,” truly lets me embody this concept and philosophy.
So, knowing what you know now…reflect again: did this past week require a lot of effort or hold a lot of ease? Where can you bring in more “sthira” and “sukha” into your week ahead?
]]>On August 11, 1973, at a house party in the Bronx, which is known for explosions of creativity that were sparked as an outlet to cope with social and economic challenges, a big ass party was hosted. People weren’t interested in gangs, drugs, etc, they wanted community.
Quick pause, you might be thinking what other famous people do I know that are from the Bronx? Here are a few: J-Lo, Kerry Washington, Cardi B, Al Pacino, Ralph Lauren, and many more.
The one you probably don’t know, DJ Kool Herc, is credited with the “breakbeat” or as we know it, the beat drop or the looping bass that keeps the vibe and dancing going at the part that night in August. One other awesome fact about that night, his sister Cindy charged a cover of 25 cents for girls and 50 cents for boys…she made over a couple of hundred dollars that night.
Herc had a pretty rough life, never made an album, became an addict, and struggled a lot. He and his sister ended up realizing they were ready to move forward and sold all of their memorabilia from that era and ended up making almost $ 1 million dollars from their sale, and now Herc is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I know Hip-hop is music I love, but what I didn’t know was that there are four defined pillars: MCing (rap), DJing (turntable), breakdancing, and graffiti art. Many artists expressed their ideas, opinions, and concerns for politics, culture, and societal and systemic issues. What I realized while reading about hip-hop is that it’s not just music it’s true cultural and creative expression. People are continually inspired by hip-hop and continually creating hip-hop.
So other than it’s a cool fact that we just celebrated Hip-hop’s 50th birthday, I think it reminds me how multifaceted yoga actually is. Both hip-hop and yoga offer creative outlets for personal expression and growth, both blend tradition with modern innovations, both offer and encourage diversity and interconnectedness, the beat in hip-hop and the breath in yoga empower movement, and finally, both are grounded in pillars to promote awareness and collective growth.
Big takeaway: hip-hop is not just music and yoga is not just movement. Both of these have been misunderstood and misrepresented, and knowing their complexities have impacted people all over the world.
It make me think and reminded me sometimes we get lost in the finite details of whatever is going on, like getting the exact part of our hand right in downward facing dog, and yes, that is important, but at the end of the day it’s about remembering the big picture and the purpose of connecting breath, movement, and focus into one.
So, next time we play hip-hop in yoga class, prepare to have an explosion of creative growth - oaky no actual promises, but still I think it’s super f*cking cool.
]]>You’d have to live in a bunker not to realize that the movie “Barbie” opens this weekend. In honor of that, I wore pink today… I know, I know - it’s truly shocking (also, you can purchase one in studio.) Want to know what else is shocking…some facts I learned about Barbie that I thought would be fun to share.
The Barbie doll was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler, and she’s named after Ruth's daughter (Barbara) and son (Kenneth.) At that time the only dolls on the market for kids to play with were baby dolls, and let’s just say hello to the elephant in the room here, those dolls were for girls. The girls would learn nurturing and mothering skills, but Ruth said f*ck it (okay prob not exactly) but decided to make a toy so a little girl could be inspired.
Ruth sold over 350,000 Barbie dolls that first year in business. Hello Barbie, let’s go party! Today, one Barbie is sold every 3 seconds.
This was it, a chance for little girls to see themselves doing things in ways that weren’t actually possible for them - yet. Barbie was an astronaut four years BEFORE Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. She was also a high-level executive in 1963, can you imagine - a CEO who's a woman, at the time?!?! *GASP*
She owns her own home. She doesn’t need Ken, he’s just there to support her. They even broke up and she kept the house, why - because she’s an independent woman who takes pride in herself and helping others. She’s had over 200 careers, been to over 150 countries, and ran for President four different times.
She’s also had a little controversy, and she originally only represented a small portion of who we all are. Let’s not forget though, this B is plastic. If she were a real-life human, her proportions would be whack. Now, Barbie comes in 35 skin tones, 97 hairstyles, 9 body types, and they are working on even more.
Here’s what’s great about Barbie - she’s not real, she’s a way for us to imagine what could be, or maybe even one might say….a way for us to create what’s possible.
So, what’s the yoga lesson in all of this? To me, Barbie is what I like to call a BFD (Big F*cking Deal) and maybe she is or isn’t for you, but you might have someone in your life who is and you should text them “Hey PERSON'S NAME, you’re my BFD Barbie.” Then be sure and tell them all the ways they help you create what’s possible in your life.
Create some gratitude this weekend. First, for not having to do yoga in heels. Second, for being the Courageous, Capable, and Strong BFD Barbie that YOU are.
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