Don't forget to savasana

If you're a regular in my yoga classes, you've heard me say this time and time again...savasana is THE MOST important pose in your yoga practice!  It's also the hardest because most of us (if not all of us) have such a hard time letting go.  

Here in the West we've taken yoga to a very different place.  There's loads of "power" yoga classes, challenging yoga in gyms (with little to no spiritual aspect), and way to much ego-driven desires to get into certain poses.  It's a shame, because that is SO far from what yoga is.  

The relaxation aspect of yoga is crucial.  It's a major part of such a beautiful practice.  It's important to rest and relax throughout your yoga practice, in between poses so that your body can soak up all of the benefits.  Savasana is the climax to your yoga practice!  

It warms my heart to see my students melt into their mats at the end of class.  It's also a great reminder for me, as a teacher, to practice more savasana!  

First day of fall, on the beach!

The Jersey shore locals know how to celebrate the first day of fall...relaxed out on their beach chair on the beach!  Lammer and I spent the day on Ocean Grove's beach today.  He was in and out of the water surfing with his friends while I was soaking up every last ray of sunlight before it gets too cold!  

On the way to Ocean Grove we spotted a woman selling sliced fresh fruits in a cup...papaya, watermelon, mango, coconut, cucumbers and jicama.  Even though it looked divine only a few of the fruits were palatable...it's no longer their season!  

I packed a jar full of water with a splash of apply cider vinegar, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.  Zing!

Savor Your Savasana

Who doesn't love a nice long savasana?  It feels so delicious!!!  Savasana (the corpse pose, or better known as the relaxation pose - pronounced SHA-va-sana), is a crucial pose in any yoga practice.  It's so important to let go and completely relax at the end of your practice so that you can really reap the benefits of all of the other yoga poses you practiced!  Try not to skip it or skimp on it.  Use those few minutes to melt into your mat and drift off to another place.  REST and savor your savasana!

These were my students resting in their savasana one Wednesday night at the Power Yoga Center.  Stop in for my class Wednesday nights at 7pm!

Sick Day

Yesterday I woke up feeling not-so-right.  I took it slow, made sure to eat only nutritious foods and got to bed super early.  However, this morning was a challenge getting out of bed.  As I sit and write this sipping on my "breathe easy" tea I'm trying to get work done in my office but I'm tired, fog-headed, achey and not feelin' hot.   Instead of powering through it and just exacerbating whatever illness is happening in my bod, I'm going to stand up in my comfy PJs and bed-head hair and say,

"I don't think so."

Hey sickness, I'm going to kick your ass by:

1.  Resting.  This is a hard concept for most of us to grasp, especially when we have tons to take care of.  I'm going to finish this post, heat up some hot water (to break my congestion in my face and chest), get comfy cozy in bed, turn on Netflix and catch a few movies that I can nap in and out of.  I'm going to bring my planner with me so that in between naps/movies I can at least make a few phone calls to get a few things off of my check list for the day.

My sick breakfast includes a green shake made a little different
than usual, but quite good:  Handful of kale & spinach, 1/2 banana, 2 dates,
3/4 tsp spirulina, 1 tsp hemp seeds, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water,
1/2 the juice of a lemon, 1 tbsp almond butter, inch of ginger, & 1/2 tsp coconut oil.

2.  Eating only nutritious foods.  This means going light on foods for the next few days, but making sure that the ones I consume are going to nourish me where it counts.  I'm going to enjoy a little lentil soup for lunch and then treat myself to a nice bowl of miso soup for dinner.  Miso soup is my go-to feel-good meal whenever I'm not feeling well.  I hearty mine up to make it extra yummy.  Umm, this is usually the time where I'd include the recipe or at least the link to my recipe but I have to put it together (since it's just in my head).  I'm going to have to take a raincheck on that though...because I'm sick.  Sugar cravings while sick believe it or not can still creep up, so I'm drinking loads of water, herbal tea and broth to hydrate and kick those cravings.  I do suck on a few Manuka honey (extremely powerful and healing honey)/ginger lozenges though.  They are super yummy and also contain some echinachea.    I'm also upping my daily dose of probiotics (healthy gut bacteria), eating lots of garlic, taking colloidal silver, taking vitamin D and still eating my greens.

3.  Practicing yoga.  I'm practicing my yoga in a few ways.  Number one, I'm following Ahimsa (non-violence), by honoring my body and taking the time to step back, rest and restore when it needs some extra love and care.  Number two, gentle heart opening stretches and side bends will not only open my congested chest, but they'll further help the lymphatic system to drain.  Number three, practicing pranayama (breath work) helps to kick out the stale air in my lungs.  I like to do a few lion's breaths or bastrika pranayama while feeling this way.  (Again, this is where I'd insert directions on how to do it or at least a link...some other time!).

Hopefully the next time I'm blogging I'm restored back to health and this funkiness is long gone.  

I'm confident it will be.  In the meantime, stay healthy!

What do you do when you're feeling under the weather?  Any tips and tricks you can share?