Living Yoga

A great way to start out your day, do some sun salutations today!

My continuing journey to live in the moment is proving to be a challenge.  Yes, I talk about it in my classes and with clients, but when it comes to my own life it seems that it’s a case of being easier said than done.  I find my mind flitting to thoughts like, “What if they don’t like me?”  “What if this doesn’t work out?”  “How am I going to pay my credit card bill next week?”  “When am I going to get that done?”  How, what if, why, etc.  All are useless because I already know the answers to all of those questions.

The GOOD news, though, is that with practice and awareness of my thoughts (and daily meditation), it’s gradually getting easier to relax and let go to enjoy the moment.  I’m enjoying my everyday life more.  And surprisingly, things are falling into my lap without me even expecting it!  Relationships and business opportunities that I wanted so badly to happen years or even six months ago are now happening in my life.  I believe that it’s because I found a way to be happy without those circumstances first, by living in the moment.

If you’re finding it difficult to enjoy the present moment, practice becoming aware of sensorial experiences as they’re happening.  Whether it’s smelling a flower, eating a delicious meal, or touching a loved one (as long as those experiences aren’t harmful to you or someone else).  It’s hard for the mind to be somewhere else when the senses are experiencing something joyous.

So give your senses a treat and bring your mind and body back to the present.  Enjoy.

Back in my day we had one phone in the house attached to the wall, we had to walk to and from school up the hill both ways and we played video games sitting down with joysticks to make a little square dude shoot an arrow at a dragon that looked very much like a duck.

You kids don’t know how lucky you are to have things like…Wii Fit Yoga! Now I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but the idea of video games encouraging folks to do yoga (and correcting their postures in the process) is breath of fresh air.  Apparently the program even corrects your postures as you move along in the program.  Hey, that’s my job!

Perhaps I’m biased but I still think it’s ideal to be in a class with a personal instructor to give you adjustments, but I think Wii Fit Yoga sounds like a fun way to practice yoga on your own in between yoga classes.

Hey, anyone have one that I can try?

It’s the norm to want something that we don’t have, especially when it comes to our own self-image. We usually diet and exercise for the purpose of achieving a certain look, rather than doing it for the sake of being healthy. My feeling is that when anything is done to achieve an external result, the activity is stopped once the result is achieved. In the case of diets, weight comes back with some extra as a result. Why does this happen?

My conclusion is that it’s because THE MIND is still stuck in the old mindset. The mind is still thinking you’re fat, unhealthy, will never look good enough, so there isn’t a reason to eat healthy or exercise. Therefore, in order to achieve long-term happiness when it comes to your body, you must adopt the mindset that you’re completely HOT the way you are NOW. No matter how much you weigh or how much your body mass index is. This isn’t to say that you don’t need to make healthy choices because you look just fine, but now anything you do (diet, exercise) becomes about your body functioning its best and looking even HOTTER, because you’re already hot remember? You don’t need to get frustrated that you don’t fit into a size 2 and quit going to the gym, because you already look sexy and that’s not why you were going in the first place.

I know this mindset can be easier said than done at first. Try this exercise:

Stand in front of a mirror, preferably full-length, with or without your clothes on (that’s up to you) and find at least one feature on your body that looks hot NOW. I don’t care if it’s your earlobes, neck or privates. Just pick something and bask in it’s hotness. Now think about it all day long. When you’re grocery shopping, typing up that report, sitting in traffic, go back to that hot part of your body. Notice how your attitude changes when you bask in the glow of your hotness.

Do this every day with a new body part. I bet you’ll find that once your mind is in the habit of focusing on your hotness, everything and everyone in your life can’t help but focus on your hotness too!

Enjoy!

Thanks to swamij.com for the jokes.

My karma ran over my dogma….

***
A group of bats, hanging from the ceiling of a cave, discover a single bat STANDING upright below them on the floor of the cave. Surprised by this unusual behavior, they ask, “What’s wrong with you? What are you doing down there?” The standing bat answers, “Yoga!”
***

When asked what gift he wanted for his birthday, the yogi replied “I wish no gifts, only presence”

***

Q: What do Yoga meditation and an apple peeler have in common?
A: They both take you to the core.

***

Three Yogis are doing meditative in a remote cave. One day a sound is heard from outside the cave. After about six months, one of the yogis says, “Did you hear that goat?” Once again, there was silence. About a year later, one of the other Yogis says, “That wasn’t a goat; it was a mule.” Again, there was silence. About two years later the third yogi says, “If you two don’t stop arguing, I’m leaving.”

***

Q. What did the yogi tell the door-to-door salesperson who came to his home selling vacuum cleaners?
A. Too many attachments!

Shoulderstand is a calming, restorative inversion that’s perfect for winding down at the end of your day.  Check out this video for a proper set up with the blanket and some alternatives during pregnancy and menstruation.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “be in the moment.” It actually is kind of a cliché at this point, even Oprah is talking about it. However, I’m continually trying to achieve this “in the moment” ness (which I guess takes me out of the moment, duh) and have been reading a lot about it lately.

According to Wildmind.org, being in the moment means –

Being mindfully aware of what is going on right here and now, in our experience, and this includes any thinking we do about the past or future.

In my fitness classes practitioners are constantly judging their ability or “level” of fitness, whether it’s spinning or yoga. My advice to them is to enjoy the practice for what it is today because it’s not going to be the same as last week or one year from now. If you never learn to be in the moment, then you’ll always be looking to some unknown future era when you’ll have the “perfect” practice. Let me break the news to you…it’s never going to happen! The only way to be perfect is to accept the perfect-ness that you are in your life at this moment.

Of course, this is easier said than done for me. In my own life I tend to worry about events that haven’t or may not ever occur and I obsess or revel in events long gone in the past. My daily meditation practice has helped me tremendously to be in the now and talking about it and teaching others helps me to be in the moment because I love what I do.

And it is an exercise to be practiced like any other. So practice strengthening your “in the moment” muscles and know that your body, your career, your relationships & your life are exactly how they should be. Right now. And from this place you can make the decision to do nothing & be happy, learn a lesson, move forward or take action.

Here’s to your blissful moments!

~Dina

One of the stipulations I had when I became vegan was that I must, at any cost, still eat delicious sweets.  Namely, chocolate.  As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that I can survive without chocolate but don’t think I would want to because what’s the point?  Luckily after doing my research I found out that chocolate as nature intended it is not only vegan, but healthy!  It is rich in antioxidants and minerals and…it doesn’t really matter at this point because that’s enough for me, I’m sold.

For some yummy raw chocolate recipes, check out Naked Chocolate.

For a wonderful video podcast, recipes on raw eating in general (although they have some fantastic desserts as well), watch the highly entertaining and informative Freshtopia.

Very often I’m on the go and want a quick fix.  Thankfully, I discovered Liz Lovely’s wonderful, organic, vegan cookies. These are so good it’s insane!

Need to satisfy that ice cream craving?  Try Soy Dream’s (or Rice Dream’s) delicious, non-dairy desserts.

These are a few of my favorite sweet treats that I enjoy with all the taste and without the guilt.  If you got a favorite or great recipe, drop me a line.

Enjoy!

Thanks to rawchoc.com for the photo.

At all times it’s important to keep your personal yoga mat clean (and, yes, I recommend using your own personal mat), but that mat can get even nastier in the heat of the summer and if you’re a hot yoga practitioner, forget about it, time to clean that baby!

There are sprays and wipes you can use for regular cleaning after each use, check out the link below for some great supplies:

http://www.yogaaccessories.com/YogaMatCleaners.asp

And, betcha didn’t know that you can also throw your mat in the laundry machine…absolutely! Wash with some mild detergent in cold water and lay it out to dry.

Then treat your body to a yoga practice on your sparkly fresh mat!

Thank you geniusbeauty.com for the photo.

Locust pose is an ick name for some great back strengthening exercises demonstrated here.  Have a great 4th!