Home Practice Space

A few months ago I shared pictures of my home practice space in Florida. I've been in Germany for a few months now and while I've been practicing yoga at home often, it's taken a while to figure out the best spot in the house. I tried one corner of the living room near a large window, but it was awkward seeing my neighbors while doing sun salutations! I tried the guest room, but kept bumping into the slanted walls. I'm now on another side of the living room, and so far I like it. There's an empty wall I can use, a lot of natural light, and we don't understand German well enough to turn on the tv which guarantees I always have the room to myself! 

My trip to Turkey was a huge pick up for decorating my little nook. I found the patchwork cushion and tablecloth tucked away on the second floor of this tiny store in the grand bazaar in Istanbul. The Tibetan singing bowl (used for meditation) and dancing Shiva statue were purchased outside the Galata Tower in an underground store run by this awesome man who travels all over the world buying stuff to sell in his little shop. 

Having a practice space in your home isn't essential, but I find I'm more likely to practice when I have an inviting space with a mat all laid out and ready to go.

On Halloween Candy

To be honest, I never really loved dressing up. There was so much pressure to have a great costume and I never felt very creative until two years ago when I caught the DIY bug and made an awesome Queen of Hearts costume complete with full face paint. Because do it big or not at all, right? 

Anyway, whatever enthusiasm I couldn't muster for dressing up went into my love for candy. When I was a Spanish teacher, far past my trick-or-treating prime, I used to tell my students to bring me all the candy they didn't like and if they wanted to take pity on a poor old lady (being in your twenties is 'old' to middle school and high school kids, ok?), they could throw me a couple peanut butter cups and I wouldn't be mad at them. :) 

I still have a weakness for any candy that has the magical chocolate and peanut butter combo, but I came across something really disturbing the other day:  

Honestly, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer. But I want to put this out there because I feel like people simply just don't know how dangerous these foods are for our children.

GMOs have been linked to infertility, inflammatory issues, celiac disease, food allergies, eczema, cancerous cysts and tumors in tested mice. They have been banned or restricted in over fifty countries. Fifty! But, in the USA, the FDA does not even require a label to let us know it contains genetically engineered ingredients. We're buying foods that are making us sick, and we don't even know it!

So, what can we do? There's the obvious- simply don't hand out candy. But if you'd like to stick with tradition, don't worry- you don't have to hand out carob chips. Just go organic. It will be more expensive, but honestly it's an investment in our health, and you can't put a price on that. Surprisingly, going organic with your candy isn't as lame as it might sound. There are a lot of options including gummy worms, chocolate skulls, milk chocolate melts, and guess what? I found my beloved peanut butter chocolate cups in their organic form. WIN!

Yoga Tip: Morning Yoga Flow

It's a chilly morning here in Germany, so I put together a five minute morning vinyasa to warm up the body. Suitable for all levels, but always remember to move in a pain-free range. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Movement: On What You're Not Good At

The only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more. ​My newest project is this hummingbird pose (sometimes called dragonfly pose). It's a great arm balance that uses core strength and the hips. I've got a long way to go on it- need to try to get my shoulders even and get that foot higher on my tricep so I'll continue to practice, practice practice. And then practice some more.

I'd love to know what you're working on- leave a comment below or tweet me.