end with a bang

this past wednesday was the perfect day off.

one of my good friends lela & i started the day with breakfast at one of my favorite local cafes, the blue moose cafe. we then headed to pittsburgh to do a yin yoga workshop with richard gartner.


we then headed back to motown and met up with ryan at our favorite place to eat, mother india before dashing off to watch true grit.

while i'm not a western loving girl i have to admit this was a pretty good movie. good enough in fact that i asked ryan to watch the original this evening. i definitely enjoyed the newer edition. no offense to "duke." :)

i'm enjoying my new year's eve at home with ryan & the pets. i wish you a safe and happy new year!

if you are local (and not too hung over) consider joining me tomorrow for a new year's day yoga practice. details here.

hugs & namaste

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monday moment of zen

"it's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time."
~barbara kingsolver

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what if...

what if...
today you look at the world from another person's point of view?

what if...
today you say thank you and really mean it?

what if...
today you give someone a compliment?

what if...
today you say hello to a complete stranger?

what if...
today you give your seat on the metro to someone else?

what if...
today you give a stray dog some food or a home?

all of these are small ways you can show someone you care. so why not use today to make a difference in someone else's life?

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monday moment of zen

"it is you that pervades this universe, and this universe exists in you. your true nature is pure consciousness."

--ashtavakra gita (800-400bce), india

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laying low

i know you're probably wondering where i've been lately. during my 40 day yoga challenge i was posting pretty frequently and while i enjoyed that i've decided to take a wee brake. a bit of breathing room perhaps.

i just recently finished "168 hours: you have more time than you think" by laura vanderkam. fabulous book! this week i am keeping a time log. i started it on sunday and will wrap it up tomorrow night. i'm not exactly the best at doing "billable hours" or keeping excellent track of my time but i'm trying to stay ahead of it. or at least the best i can. this will give me a decent idea as to where exactly my time is going.

interested in where your time is going or seeing how you can create a little more time here and there? check out laura's website and print or download a copy of her time management spreadsheet. if you've read this book or kept track of where your time is going i'd love to hear from you.

have a lovely weekend!

hugs & namaste

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monday moment of zen

“when you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all. we all need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation — it empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams.”
~ les brown

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40 days of yoga - day 40

i must say 40 days went by rather quickly! i enjoyed my 40 day yoga challenge immensely.

on my last day, i did a 30 minute practice in our beautiful 'shanti' yoga room at blissblissbliss. it was very apropos that i totally rocked a headstand on my 40th day!! this headstand was better than any of my previous ones. i was able to go up without using the wall and stay up for about 10 breaths. i was super psyched! i also rocked my wheel pose for about 5 breaths and stayed in crow for about 1... still working on that one ;)

what i've learned during my 40 days:

~ i'm a lot stronger than i give myself credit for
~ it takes time & persistence to achieve harder poses
~ it's good to challenge myself - keeps my pitta happy :)
~ having you cheering me on has helped tremendously!! seriously, more than you know!!
~ finding even a 15 minute window of time can sometimes be hard so just do what you can, when you can.
~ your body starts craving yoga the more you do it!
~ it's good for my body, mind & spirit
~ even a few minutes of yoga per day can make a huge difference on your mood & outlook

if you would like to participate in a yoga challenge but haven't the slightest idea where to start, consider joining yoga journal's 21 day yoga challenge that starts january 10th. i'll be joining the challenge as well, we can do it together!

thank you SO much for following along with my yoga challenge & for cheering me on!!

hugs & namaste

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40 days of yoga - day 39

hips is where it's happenin' today! my hips need opening, lengthening and strengthening so today's yoga practice focus is on the hips.

only one more day to go before i complete my 40 day challenge!!

hugs & namaste

article and photograph copyright of Melita at http://gussyingupthetuttle.blogspot.com/

40 days of yoga - day 37 & 38

day 37 was a long day. i didn't exactly get in a personal practice but i definitely got it a LOT of movement. i taught 2 yoga classes and did 4 massages. i also treated myself to my favorite place to eat in morgantown - mother india for their fabulous lunch buffet & some masala chai! yum!! i also indulged in a mid-day nap since my day was split up nicely.


day 38 - i got in my practice this morning shortly after waking. i did a baron baptiste inspired practice. very inspiring!!

if you are inspired by this challenge and would like to start your own yoga challenge, yoga journal is doing a 21 day challenge starting jan 10th. i signed up, i figured why not, right?! :)

hugs & namaste

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40 days of yoga - day 36

i took advantage of our beautiful yoga studio and did about a 20-25 minute practice. it was lovely to look out of the french door and see the little bit of snow on the ground as i'm saluting the sun. i practiced my 3 asanas that i've been working diligently on and was able to rock all three... at least for a few breaths. :)

headstand

wheel

and crow

i had a dream the other night that i was able to rock my crow pose! i am hoping that dream becomes a reality (hopefully soon lol).

only 4 more days before i hit 40!!

hugs & namaste

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monday moment of zen

at times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

~albert schweitzer

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40 days of yoga - day 35

today's practice was a pleasant surprise. i hosted a holiday detox workshop today and only had one person show up who just happens to be in the teacher training program that i went through. so instead of doing the workshop & charging her, we took turns teaching each other things and bouncing ideas off of each other. it was a really lovely time. she then came over to my house and we enjoyed some tea & some girl time.

i'm currently curled up on the couch with my laptop, my pup cadyn, december's yoga journal magazine and a hot cup of cinnamon, cardamom & ginger tea all while the fire burns. ahhh i love this time of year! i am hoping that it keeps snowing enough that i can make a snowman tomorrow. :)

hugs & namaste

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40 days of yoga - days 32, 33 & 34

thursday - day 32 - in keeping with satya, i didn't get in a physical asana practice this day.

friday - day 33 - some lovely yin & restorative yoga by the fireplace

saturday - day 34 - wasn't a full 15 minutes in a row but a few minutes in a pose here and there throughout my day was all i could manage.

i'm off to teach a holiday detox workshop and then get in my own practice.

hugs & namaste!

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fireplace s'mores

last night ryan and i used the fireplace to our advantage...

we made s'mores!

here is the beginning of some gourmet s'mores
cadbury royal dark & cadbury dairy milk toffee bar pieces w/ chocolate graham crackers

toast up the marshmallow

admire fabulous s'more before devouring

have any of you ever used your fireplace to make s'mores? if no, i highly recommend it! :)

image credits me

40 days of yoga - day 31

happy december!!

today is my day off and earlier i tweeted that i was contemplating on what to do: read, nap or do yoga by the fireplace. aaannnddd yoga wins!


i've been working hard to be able to do a headstand in the middle of the room. while i'm not quite there yet, i am well on my way. headstand is one of the three asanas that i've been working on the hardest followed by crow & wheel.

it has been really a special treat to do yoga by my fireplace

hugs & namaste

image credit and me