Yoga Everywhere

If you're on facebook, come check out the Yoga Everywhere album and consider sending in a photo of yourself doing yoga wherever you are in the world. The idea is just to help cultivate a little community of yoga-lovers around the globe, inspire each other, and show everyone that you don't need to be in a studio to do yoga - it can be done everywhere! It doesn't have to be a super crazy pose - just do whatever you're comfortable with!

There are a couple ways to send your photo in.

1) Post it and hashtag #YOGAEVERYWHEREALBUM on instagram or twitter or

2) post it on our facebook wall. 

Make sure to let me know where you are in the world so I can write it on the photo before posting it in the album. Let's spread the yoga love, friends! 

Summer Scenes

I usually try to put out a yoga video once a week but this week was crazy and my body is feeling it. (Here are my other yoga videos, if you'd like to check 'em out.) In preparation for the big opportunity (which happens on Tuesday, send me good vibes!), I've been getting to the gym twice a day all week and I'm sore and tired, so today I'm resting. If the thunderstorms stay away, I'll be heading to the beach to get lost in my new book (Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone). This weekend I hope to get to the movies, try some new (easy) recipes, and finalize plans to meet up with some German friends who'll be vacationing in Miami in a few weeks. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A Leap of Faith

As often happens when you dream and believe, the stars have aligned and I have this great opportunity in front of me. It's something I want, something I believe in, and I know I'm prepared for it. But it's a bit of a risk and I don't know the outcome. And while I realize that no one ever really knows for sure the outcome of every little thing that happens in their lives, it's still hard for me to stay in the moment and not worry about the what ifs.

When this happens, this feeling of uneasiness, I turn to this book I have about yogic philosophy. Last night I opened it up to the chapters about individual discipline, and flipped to saucha. Saucha, according to the niyamas, talks about purifying the mind of negativity and fear of the unknown to reveal sheer commitment to the practice of yoga and to all things in your life. It speaks to the importance of living mindfully and without hesitation, and dedicating all your energy and attention to whatever it is you're doing. If you're sitting there in stillness, sit completely in that stillness. If you're grocery shopping, grocery shop with full awareness and presence. That idea of being committed to what you love, what you believe in, what you're all about - it reminded me of this article about how to live without irony. 

"Observe a 4-year-old child going through her daily life. You will not find the slightest bit of irony in her behavior. She has not, so to speak, taken on the veil of irony. She likes what she likes and declares it without dissimulation. She is not particularly conscious of the scrutiny of others. She does not hide behind indirect language." 

How beautiful is that passage? To essentially commit yourself wholeheartedly to what you love and not worry about anything?

So I'll do that. Pursue this opportunity without hesitation, and take a leap of faith that it'll all work out.

Tips for Upward Facing Bow Pose

This is one of the most energizing poses you can do. Because it's an inversion, it's like drinking a cup of coffee - instant surge of energy. Unless you're familiar with drop backs, start on your back and place your hands on the mat next to your ears, elbows facing up, feet hip distance and as close to the sitting bones as possible. As you inhale, lift the entire body up. This pose strengthens the arms, wrists, legs, butt and abs, and is an entire front body stretch. 

I wouldn't recommend this pose for anyone with wrist issues, or back injury. Always work within a pain-free range.