Steps to Cool Down during Pitta Season

July begins the start of the Pitta season according to Ayurvedic Science, the science of life and sister science to Yoga. The Pitta season represents the fire element. Fire is hot, bright and sharp.

We want to pacify the Pitta season by adjusting our lifestyles to the intensity this season brings.  Adding foods and activities that are cooling to our summer routine can help us work with the heat instead of against it. Thus allowing us to enjoy all the fun and benefits this season brings.

Steps to cool down the intensity of the Pitta season:

1.  Drink lots of water (preferably room temperature)
2. Eat cooling foods such as sweet fruit, bitter vegetables and grains
3. Water activities like swimming, surfing, sailing or simply sitting by the water

Living in accordance with nature can help bring full support and healing power of nature that underlies the growth and development of all living things. (Continue Reading)

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Essential Oils to Balance the Third Chakra

Essential oils are used in the branch of healing called aromatherapy. Using certain oils can help in healing and balancing disorders we have in our bodies. Essential oils that can aid in balancing the third chakra...(Continue reading...).

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Your Third Chakra and Digestive Healing

The third chakra or Manipura Chakra is located int the solar plex, navel and digestive area. Associated with the color yellow, this chakra is involved in self-esteem, warrior energy, and the power of transformation; it also governs digestion and metabolism. Physically, the benefits of having Manipura in harmony include excellent digestion, strong muscles and joints, boundless energy, calm nerves, mental clarity and overall A+ wellness (Manipura, at the gut, is really the seat of our vitality).

An under-active Manipura leads to timidity and passiveness, losing your voice in a group. It’s hard to make decisions, and when you do, you likely lack the confidence to stand up for what you want. On a physical level, you might suffer from a weakened immune system and have issues with indigestion and infections. (Continue reading...)

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Digestive Problems in Women

Women are mothers, wives, leaders in business and best friends. You try to heal, nurture and fix everyone's problems hardly leaving anytime for yourself. How you internalizes your many roles of life can have negative affect on your digestive system.

Although your brain is the head honcho of your body, your digestive tract is the central processing unit. From beginning to end, a healthy digestive tract is critical to feeling good, functioning well and avoiding some pretty serious diseases. The digestive tract is designed to take in nutrients to feed every cell of your body; it also serves as a key support system for your immune system.

When your GI tract is constantly off kilter, you run the risk of actually creating systemic (throughout your body) inflammation, which can lead to an overactive immune response, increased oxidative stress, insulin resistance and increased fat tissue deposits. Be aware of the following types of issues: (Continue reading...)

Health = Success

The process to begin living your truth starts with improving your health. It is not important that you are skinny or have lots of muscles. What is important is that you have the capacity to breathe easily, to move around without quickly tiring and not feel sick all the time.

Our lives have many areas of distracts and we need to make sure our health is maintained so that we can focus on having a good quality of life. To live in a truthful manner there are areas of your life that must have a level of balance. These area include, but aren’t limited to:

• Normalization of weight
• Increased energy level
• Decreased pain
• Improved sleep
• Improved immunity
• Improvement in balance
• Increased strength and resiliency

A healthy lifestyle begins with incorporating a fitness routine. In my expert opinion, one should begin a routine that is slow paced then work their way up. Starting slowly assist in sustaining our commitment to the routine.

Also, slowly begin replacing foods with healthier food options. Again, I suggest slow because this is not a diet. You are changing habits for long term, lifetime success.

Your health must have a level of balance so that you are able to think clearly, act out your thoughts and be able to form relationships of love, friendship and support to the accomplishments of your thoughts. Your health can be summarized as complete physical, mental and social well being. Once you have met the basic needs of sustaining a healthy lifestyle it is much easier to focus on living your truth and achieving your goals and dreams.

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Am I What I Eat?

We are told time and time again that you are what you eat!  So if I eat a potato chip, I’m a potato chip?  If I eat a carrot, then I’m a carrot?

There are so many theories about what a healthy diet is, it can be confusing.  

Per our various sources of “expert” information, a healthy diet is:

•      Animal based with fruits and vegetables
•         Vegetarian (you can eat everything under the sun except animal meat, and fish is “sometimes” and “sometimes” not in that category)
•         Vegan (absolutely no animals, sometimes animals or animal byproducts, like butter)
•         Raw Vegetarian (Strictly and only live fruits & vegetables, that means no cooked fruits & vegetables and no pasta – for people who are vegetarians)

So confusing it’s no wonder why people have a hard time managing their weight.

In my 39 years of existence, I have been an animal eater, vegetarian, vegan and raw vegetarian at various points of my life.  My food consumption has varied based off of a health challenge (Ulcerative Colitis/Crohn’s Disease), weight loss or healthier eating habits I was managing.   Needless to say, they may have all served a purpose at some given time, but were not beneficially sustaining for me.

When I was a vegetarian and vegan, my GI doctor’s said I needed to eat meat because I was anemic.  When I was a raw vegetarian, the Chinese herbalist said I needed to eat chicken and cooked vegetables to improve anemia and get heat back into my body.  But when I eat meat all the time, I don’t digest it well and I personally don’t feel well.

There are foods that are recommended for people to eat based off of Doshas (Auryvedic Science), Chinese Herbal Medicine, Blood Type, etc.  Again, many schools of expertise to determine what’s a good food consumption plan for you.

What’s a girl like me to do?

Well through my experience, I have gained a very clear understanding regarding food and it’s connections with weight management, using it as a tool for healing, and sustaining healthy living.  My expert information this:

• Learn your body and understand what makes it tick.  Write in a food journal to see what makes you feel good/bad.  This will help you find out what foods are helpful to you.
• Listen to your bodies cravings.  And not the chocolate cravings, your body doesn’t NEED this all the time.  But become very in tuned with your body because the more aware you are, the better you can identify a real food craving which is your body is sending you signals to tell you it needs, because sometimes it is chocolate.
• Monitor your food intake.  Portion control is important.  And balancing your food choices, be a potato every now and again, but make sure you’re a carrot too.

Liv Your Truth! 

Treat Your Feet

I love my pedicure and foot massage outings. Your feet may get a pedi or massage maybe weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or annually.  For some or maybe most – NEVER!

Our feet are important! They are our body’s standing foundation. They walk us, run us, and support us.  We repay them by saying they’re ugly, they stink and we don’t like them. 

As a yoga instructor, I have the great opportunity to work barefoot, allowing my feet to breathe, be grounded and tone muscles.  These are all greatly beneficial in maintaining healthy feet. But, I also get to come home with dirty feet.    

I don’t walk around my house with shoes I’ve worn outside.  And I definitely don’t want to walk around with “outside” dirty feet.  So when I come home, the same place I take off my shoes, is the same place I take the time to treat my feet to a foot wash.

Foot Wash:  Leave a bowl or small bucket filled with water, along with a wash towel and soap, out by the door before you leave out for the day.  I prefer to use Dr. Bonner castile liquid soaps, as they come different wonderful essential oil scents of lavender, peppermint, and citrus orange to name a few.  Washing your feet with an essential oil scent gives you an aromatherapy experience that can calm, balance or rejuvenate you depending on what you need when you come home.

In your foyer, drop your bags, take off your coat, remove your shoes and have a seat.  If you don’t have a foyer, create a nice seating area where you can come in the door to relax and prepare for your foot wash.  It doesn’t have to be super fancy; leaving a fold out chair by the door can do just fine.

The water in the bowl will be room temperature.  Soak the towel, get it wet and add your soap.  The coolness of the towel and your scent of choice will quickly begin to relax and restore you. 

This is also a great way to simply make space in your day to attend to your health and can be a meditative act.

No matter your work or workout routine, instead of coming home dropping your coat and bags to move on to the next part of your day, take 5-10 minutes to treat your feet.

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Life Without Limits

“You never asked us if we were beginners?” said Ileana Salinas.  She is one of the participants in the Live Project 12 week – achieve your goals/dreams through yoga.  She continued to tell the group that she liked that she wasn't given basic yoga instruction as if she were in a beginning yoga class, even if she was still new to incorporating a yoga practice into her routine.  Ileana enjoyed being pushed passed her perceived limits.

We’re in our 4^th week of yoga and our group goal support sessions.  And what I teach in the yoga classes are meant to be used off the mat in their everyday life.  I don’t teach super challenging poses, but I do lead them to poses that encourage balance, confidence, courage, flexibility and strength…all the tools that we need in our everyday life to achieve our goals/dreams.

During the Live Project Group Goal Support Sessions, the participants discuss the feelings they had before, during and after asanas (poses).  To date they have shared feelings of stress prior to yoga, feelings during yoga from relaxation to rebellion, and calmness, achievement and confidence after yoga.  And learning to use conscious breathing as the most chosen method to regroup and refocus on and off the mat.

Also in the Live Project Group Goal Support Sessions, they've been required to journal their dreams/goals, organize, and visualize them.  Using the tools they are learning from the yoga classes, they are really beginning to reshape their perceived vision of what they thought they could accomplish to what they know they can achieve.  They are seeing our connection with one another in our goals/dreams - we all want to make a living doing what we enjoy, have loving relationships with friend/family and make a difference in the world.

There aren't limits to the dreams/goals we set out to achieve for ourselves.  So we shouldn't allow our perceived vision of a pose, a situation or circumstance limit us either.  Know that there is always a work around over, through and under as long as you remain balanced, confident, courageous, flexible, strong and keep breathing along the way!

To learn more about the Live Project or get involved (click here).

Liv your truth!

Writing Your Life’s Best Work

Writing is a skill, a talent, an innate gift…you posses it!

You begin to write…you stop, you start over, you delete.

Writing is creative, revealing, healing...for your life!

Journaling your thoughts, feelings and dreams can lead you to writing your life’s best work.  

Here are 3 ways to begin your journaling process of achieving your dreams and goals.

1. Understanding yourself through self exploration and asking questions - 6 Ways Journaling Will Change Your Life (click here).

                                                                                                                 

2. A creative approach to expressing your words with Art Journaling (click here).

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                          3. 10 Journaling Tips to Help You Heal, Grow and Thrive (click here)

                                                                                                                                                             May you write all of your dreams true. Liv your truth!

Stress Quotes: 8 Celebrities On How They De-Stress

With yoga and Transcendental Meditation becoming popular Hollywood trends, more and more stars are opening up about what stresses them out -- and, most importantly, how they calm down, whether it's meditation, breathing exercises or just a little time at home alone.

From Michelle Obama's go-to advice for decompressing to Brad Pitt's secret stress remedy, click through the slideshow below to see what 8 celebrities have to say about stress.

[Via http://huff.to/11ZvAOA]

The healing powers of yoga for men

Men Wayne Leal has developed something called 20:21 – 20 minutes of yoga for 21 days to complement your usual gym sessions.

‘Men have this fixation that yoga is for women,’ says Leal. ‘If they knew it was originally created by men for men, I’m sure more of them would do it. If they knew about the actual discipline, the focus and the strength that’s involved to do these particular postures, they would understand there’s so much more to gain than just being able to twist yourself into a pretzel.’

‘If you do anything for 21 days you’ll see a change,’ says Leal. ‘But the exercise isn’t the only training, it’s about how you feel about yourself. It should encourage you to want to continue because you have created a daily habit. I’m not expecting you to do it every day for the rest of your life, but it’s created a good, healthy habit.’


[Via http://bit.ly/12ypYft]

UAB says exercise an important part of cancer care

There is increasing evidence exercise and overall fitness are important for those fighting cancer, and for cancer survivors. New guidelines from the American Cancer Society presented in 2012 recommend that
people living with cancer maintain a healthy weight, get enough exercise and eat a healthy diet.

"We have more and more scientific evidence that shows that healthy nutrition and physical activity after a diagnosis can lower the chances of the cancer coming back, as well as improve the chances of disease-free survival,” said Elizabeth Kvale, M.D., medical director of the Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic at UAB and an associate professor in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.

[Via http://bit.ly/Z7tXjm]

Closing the Gap

My aunt and I were at the mall for our 5 mile walk. She is 57 years old and usually does a 10 mile walk every weekday. However since I’m not accustomed to such a lengthy walk she has been so courteous as to reduce her walk to accommodate me, a young 38 year old.

Our walks are pretty rigorous, as she likes to walk really fast. Personally I think it’s a slow jog as fast as she likes to go. But I appreciate it, it activates the body in a different way than my normal yoga routine.

My aunt isn’t the only one who walks the mall for her daily exercise. There are groups of people that show up there younger and older. But I’ve noticed that we walk rings around all of them.

Today, however, we were walking and noticed a gentleman around 80 or so years young walking. The competitive nature of my aunt and myself, we thought that we could take him. We would speed past him like we’ve done all the other mall walkers.

Well, we thought wrong. The faster we walked to close the gap that separated us, the quicker his steps became. He walked fast with effortless ease. While we were working ourselves into a sweat to catch up.

We never did catch up to close the gap. The only reason we finally passed him is due to him stopping to talk with his companion whom was sitting in the food court waiting on him. I was quite impressed with his vigor.

I just hope to be that spry at his age. Until then, I’ll just do my best at keeping my body moving. Liv your truth!