Living Yoga

I’m still reading It’s Not About The Money by Brent Kessel and towards the end he talks about the rewards of giving, not for tax write offs or recognition, but to a cause or person that has meaning to us.  Brent states that there is a clear difference between obligatory giving and giving from the heart when we close our eyes and listen to what our bodies are telling us.

Following Brent’s exercise I closed my eyes and thought of two particular instances when I gave (time and money).  One gave me a tight feeling in my stomach and made my jaw tense.  The other allowed my chest and shoulders to broaden and gave me a smile.  I decided that from now on before I give I’m going to take a moment to close my eyes and feel what my body telling me.

If you’ve been thinking of donating to a cause you can find the right one for you with Charity Navigator.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Bring your sexy back back with some Cobra poses.  Perfect if you have a sensitive back or are recovering from an injury.

A curious observation I had the other day while teaching a yoga class to an awesome group of devoted early risers, was that almost everyone in that group places their mat in the exact same spot every class.  It’s not just them.  In most of the classes I teach, spinning included, every body likes to get on the same bike or practice in the same corner.

It made me wonder that if someone chose a different spot, would their practice be different?  And if so, is that necessarily a bad thing?  And why is it so easy to get stuck into a habit and so hard to break?

As an instructor, I too, can fall into habits and routines with my classes so I’ve been changing it up lately to keep my mind fresh.  Throwing in a Warrior Three someplace surprising or focusing a class on twisting or having the class partner up for some exercises.  I’ve also been intentionally sitting in different spots on the subway, not my usual seat by the door.  I’m just going wild.

What habits and routines can you shake up this week?  Try something else for lunch, wearing a color you would normally shy away from, or take a side street to work.  Or hey, try practicing yoga in a different part of the room next time. ☺  You may be surprised to discover something new.

So we go to the gym, take yoga classes and do whatever else to keep our bodies fit and toned, but we sometimes forget about our most visible muscles…in our face. Or we may catch up with time by using Botox and copious amounts of anti-aging creams. But now the traditional anti-aging methods can be a last resort because there’s Face Yoga that’s designed to help you stay ahead of the aging game.

A Face Yoga class incorporates special face poses, like blowing kisses and lion’s pose (see below), into a standard yoga practice. No need to be embarrassed, everyone in the class will be making the same faces. What I like is that it also incorporates more breath work and meditation to combat stress, which is in my opinion, the biggest contributor to aging.

Hey, whatever works! Besides blowing kisses sounds a lot more fun than needle injections.

Thanks to life.gaiam.com for the photo.

One benefit of a regular yoga and meditation practice is that it’s gotten easier to stay away from personal drama.  You know the kind of drama I’m talking about.  “OMG, I can’t believe she had the nerve to tell Jack that I hooked up with John, she’s just so jealous and now he won’t talk to me and I’m, like, sooooo pissed.”

A friend of mine is experiencing some personal issues and it was so tempting to get all worked up over it along with him.  I’m upset that he’s going through difficulties but if I get angry over it like him then I can’t be of any comfort.  If I’m letting the profanities fly out of my mouth without thinking then I’m not being a friend in his time of need.

Practicing yoga and meditation regularly has helped me to let go of my dramas and make those that do arise not such a huge deal.  That way I can really be present in the situation and find a real solution to the problem.

Or at least keep my mouth shut until the problem is resolved.

If you’re going through a drama right now find a place to sit comfortably, close your eyes and be still for five minutes.  When you open your eyes again you may find that the situation isn’t as dramatic as you thought.

Now that I got your attention… here is a great butt-toning exercise to get that muscle burn where we really want it.

Last weekend I got a certification in Spectral Yoga and Cycling.  Spectral fitness is a unique new way of health and wellness created by Christina Leon, the director of Spectral Journeys, and brings holistic fitness to health clubs.  Now, this is something that at first seemed way too hokey for me, but after experiencing it I’m now excited about this new, positive way of experiencing group fitness.

Christina’s Colorgized program combines color healing, chakra awareness and positive affirmations to make for a powerful mind/body experience in yoga (or spin, pilates, meditation).  In a class, different colored lights and images are used combined with affirmations and exercises that correspond with the various chakras.

For me the Spectrum classes were very powerful and uplifting, reminding me that I originally began working out because of personal issues I wanted to overcome and the physical connections to those issues.  It also reminded me of how much I have overcome and how my physical body has changed along with my life.  It also just felt damn good.

The Colorgized program is gaining more popularity, so be on the lookout for Spectrum fitness classes at a health club near you.  Visit spectraljourneys.com for more info.

Currently I’m reading It’s Not About The Money by Brent Kessel, a unique book blending financial advice with spiritual wisdom.  When I saw this book on Amazon, I thought, “Yoga and money, two of my favorite things, together?  I gotta read this.”

Brent Kessel’s (a financial adviser by day and yogi by dawn, as he says) take is that our problems with money don’t come from an outside source, ie, our income, winning the lottery, etc., but from our core relationship with money that was established during childhood when we were most impressionable.  Only when we can understand the internal relationship we have with finance can we feel at peace externally.  Brent also points out that many millionaires still have anxiety about money despite the fact that they have more than enough to live on for the rest of their lives.

In the opening chapter Brent talks about the “wanting mind.”  I always knew it was there but until reading the book I hadn’t realized that it is a natural, biological instinct to want, to survive.  The “wanting mind” is what tells us we have to have that new car, that new pair of shoes, to sell our stocks when the market is down, to add another room to our home.  It’s also what told early humankind to keep hunting for food, to mate and protect our children, which is still our base level of needs.  However, for most of humankind in 2008, all of the base needs are met and the “wanting mind” is still there.

It’s Not About The Money has opened my eyes about my core relationship with money and I can safely say that all my needs are met, I will have enough food to eat today, and that I won’t be evicted from my apartment.  I also know the difference between a heartfelt need and a wanting need.

What a relief to know that bag lady nightmares are only nightmares and not reality.

I’m excited to report that on June 28th I’ll be one of the many volunteering spin instructors to teach for a great cause in the first national spinning fundraising event in history, Spinning Nation.

Health clubs across the country are hosting four spin classes, one hour each, to raise money for three charities.  Check out their website to find registered health clubs near you, and if you’re shy about taking a spin class (it’s not as hard as it looks), what better way can there be to start?  You might fall in love with it.

No matter how content you are with your life there will inevitably be tough times or, at best, gloomy days.  It’s easy to get caught up in those rough times and feel like life is always going to be that way.  A trick I’ve learned to do in the last year is to have an appreciative and positive thought each day so I can flip my mind to it whenever I start feeling something negative.  Try it:

-    When you wake up in the morning pick something you really appreciate about yourself.

-    Make that appreciation as detailed as you can (ie, I love the deep brown, reddish tone of my hair and the way my curls softly spiral and add fullness, etc.)

-    Keep thinking about it all day.  If your mind goes to a negative thought, bounce back to your happy thought.

-    Do it every day.

Every week a fellow actress and friend of mine work together and have adopted the “happy thought” method of dealing with the rejection we constantly get in this business.  It helps tremendously in all areas of my life and soon enough I found it was hard to pick only one thought to be happy about!

Now that’s progress.  Have a beautiful weekend.

Thanks to desktopictures.com for the photo.