Relax, NOW.

This past weekend I was away in beautiful Key West with my bridal party for my bachelorette weekend. The week leading up to it, I was uber stressed, overwhelmed and ready for vacation. I kept saying, "Soon I'll be on a beach, under the sun and I'll be totally relaxed." The morning I left for the trip I was up at 4am to leave for a stressful drive to JFK...parked the car, checked in, you know, all the annoying things you have to go through at an airport. I was sitting there at the gate with a cup of tea and my magazine, surrounded by my awesome little bridal party and I caught myself saying it again, "Soon I'll be on a beach, under the sun and I'll be totally relaxed."  

Then I realized how silly I sounded. 

What was holding me back at that very moment to feel relaxed?  I was under no stress what-so-ever. Although going through the motions at an airport aren't the ideal situation of relaxation, I still could have made that moment a one of ease. All I needed to do was change my mind set. 

As soon as I realized this, my attitude changed. I was able to go into my weekend with a totally new outlook. I did end up enjoying the weekend even more than I had hoped because I was able to incorporate relaxation into moments where it normally wouldn't be associated with. It gave me a whole new perspective!

Relax, NOW.

Lead with Your Heart, Not Your Ego

#postitnotewisdom

CYH's Moment of Yoga: Inversions Flip Your World

My favorite part of any inversion is the opportunity to see the world flipped upside down.  It gives you a whole new perspective of something that you may be very familiar with...but just not from that view.  It's good to change things up both on the mat and off.  The next time it applies in your personal/professional life, imagine the situation from another perspective.  Give it a try on your mat and see what happens.  Give it a try in your life and see what happens.  

CYH's Moment of Yoga: Be a Peace Frog

Check out this "peace frog" that sits atop my desk at work.  He's got a comfortable seat, a sweet-Buddha smile across his face, and a peace sign right at his heart's center.  His grin is contagious and instantly makes me feel light-hearted.  

Umm, this is a 7" sculpted piece of cement.  If this can bring me so much joy, how can genuine smiles given to one another throughout the day make a difference?  They can change the course of someone's day.  If you keep a peaceful attitude in your heart, will others feel it when they are near you?  You bet.  

 Exude peace in every aspect of your life...feel it stem from the core of your center, enveloping your heart, showing through your smile, actions and words.  Be a living peace frog!

CYH's Moment of Yoga: Observe & Savor

"Begin your (asana practice) by sitting on the floor in any comfortable position. Feel the energy in the room. Observe the colors and shapes, and be aware of how you feel. Then close your eyes and breathe deeply, gently. Savor the air for a moment as you hold your breath, then release it slowly. Do this three times, reminding yourself that you are an integral part of the universe. Pay attention to your posture, the feeling-tone of you, and be relaxed and motionless. Then say a short prayer or invocation."   -Erich Schiffman

CYH's Moment of Yoga: Find your balance

This time of the year, more than most other times is when we need to make sure that we're grounded and balanced.  As difficult as it is since it's such a busy time, we must take just a few moments out of each day to connect with our breath and follow it from the tip of our nose down to the base of our spine.  We must remind ourselves that things will get done and that we're doing enough.  It helps to keep To-Do lists since there is so much to think about, along with planning ahead so that you're prepared for Holiday gatherings, meals, gifts and other fun stuff.  It certainly takes work, but it will pay off with feeling healthy and balanced (instead of sick and ready to pull your hair out!).

Try some balancing yoga poses to help ground you and keep you functioning optimally:

Tree Pose, like this yoga frog is doing!

Tadasana, the mountain pose.

Any standing asanas like Warrior pose(s), Triangle, High Crescent Lunge, etc.  When we engage our core while flowing through our yoga poses, we're able to express the full pose and reap the benefits.

Lotus pose, any seated meditation position where you can ground your bum and breathe will be balancing.  

Most importantly, a favorite yoga pose that you enjoy doing and that makes you feel good.  

What usually helps you to find your balance?

CYH's Moment of Yoga: Open your heart

Heart and chest openers are oh-so-important this time of year and for a few reasons:

1. Opening our chest and taking a few deep breaths will cleanse our lungs of any stale breath that's lingering.  As soon as we rid our lungs of that stale breath and inhale replenishing them with fresh breath, we're leaving less room to get a chest cold.  

2. Think about our habits and lifestyle each day.  Many of us are on the computer for hours at a time, driving in the car, doing dishes or cooking, etc.  What do those things have in common?  We tend to hunch forward while we do them, causing us to close off our chest area.  Let's open that area up and press our shoulder blades together on our back.  

3. As we approach Thanksgiving, a season of gratitude, it's important for our hearts to be open.  When we physically open our chest area and create that space in our chest, and then bring our attention to our heart center with our minds, we can embrace the emotions that come with this season.  When you experience feelings of gratitude you feel love.  When you feel love and gratitude it's hard to feel anger, stress or negative thoughts.  

My favorite chest openers in yoga are matysasana (fish pose) & dhanurasana (bow pose).  The easiest is  a standing yoga mudra, where you just clasp your hands behind your back, hinge forward as you lift the arms and breathe as you open your chest.  Give one a try today and see how much better your chest feels.  Make some space for some love to pour into your heart!