Spicing Up Your Yoga Routine

I teach and practice Sivananda Traditional Hatha Yoga and I love it. I also think there is something to be said about exploring other styles of yoga. I've been spending a great deal of time on Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Life Forum, which inspired me to purchase a Jivamukti DVD (I also purchased the newly released Crazy Sexy Cancer documentary and I can't wait to watch it in its entirety when it arrives in the mail!).

I think its important to watch a yoga DVD before you physically engage in the practice, so that was my first step. Thursday morning, I did the entire practice and it was quite enjoyable. I could tell that I was using different muscles because when I was in the Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) my legs were shaking! It felt good to challenge myself. Based on my limited experience, I would say that Jivamukti is a mixture of Vinyasa and Traditional Hatha. The meditation and relaxation in the end provided a well rounded practice, although I would have liked some breathing exercises as well. The Traditional Indian music provided an enjoyable atmosphere for the practice. I found the verbal instruction to be helpful and complementary to the experience.

This weekend, I'll be visiting Flow Yoga Center in Washington, DC to take a Jivamukti class. I'll let you know how it goes. Anyone have yoga DVD recommendations?

Groggy? No More!

If you've been reading this blog for more than a few weeks, you know that I was struggling with the morning blues. I had to peel myself out of bed in the morning (kicking and screaming in my head). Lately, I wake up naturally, around 7:00 or 7:30 am. Mostly, I credit my diet (and juice!). I've been faithful to juicing each morning, cutting out refined sugars and flour, and eating lots of greens. Plus, I've added a B12 vitamin. I have even resisted my late-night sugar cravings (which does get easier). These are not easy modifications, but necessary to my long-term health and happiness (inside and out).

There are a few wonderful resources that I attribute these changes:

Kris Carr and the Crazy Sexy Crew. The Crazy Sexy Life Forum is up and running and it will change your life if you open your heart and mind to it! Whether or not you are a cancer survivor, this is a place for anyone wanting to nourish their body, mind, spirit, and the planet. It is packed with priceless knowledge and positive people from all over the world!

YOGA! Traditional Hatha Yoga (Sivananda Lineage) guides my practice, but there are hundreds of styles to choose from:)

BOOKS! Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, T. Colin Campbell's The China Study, Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips...much more on my nightstand:), including Fast Food Nation.

BLOGS! Allie's Answers (helps me learn about how I can care for the planet and protect my family from harmful chemicals, etc.), We Like It Raw has taught me about raw food living, Radical Radiance has taught me about juicing, and Kris Carr's blog-need I say more about Kris?

VEGAN! I've cut out all meat and dairy from my diet and it feels great!

Also, dancing, journaling, and nice long baths have helped to reduce stress:) When you have a toolkit filled with these positive habits you are never alone or lost. Try adopting one new healthy habit a week and soon you'll see and feel the difference. The sky is the limit:)

What healthy habits have you incorporated into your life that have made a difference?

Addiction

It doesn't matter how many vices I cut out of my life, I always find an addiction. Even if its something that is harmless, the addiction is the problem, not the focus of the addiction. Once you realize this, you discover that the obstacle is internal and cannot be overcome by eliminating one nasty habit after the next (although getting rid of unhealthy habits is a good thing!). As I peeled away the layers of vices, they became less and less detrimental to my health. Now that I'm staring at chocolate like its a bottle of Gin, I have to think to myself-where are these feelings coming from? How many more things can I take out of my life while I run away from the fact that these emotions and thought patterns are not a product of the outside world?

As my thoughts raced this evening, I took out a pad of paper and started writing. I promised myself that I would not stop writing until two pages were filled and that I would write anything that came to my mind. Although I felt somewhat crazy, it felt good. I wasn't turning on myself, I was unravelling myself and just being. My heart is racing as I type this, but that could be from the half a bar of dark chocolate I just ate.

I am just starting this journey. I have to remember this. Yoga, meditation, positive thinking, yogic philosophy, vegetarianism, juicing, chanting, all of this entered my life only 6 months ago. At least I've gotten this far. My mantras at the moment are: Surrender, play, and let go. I'm going to do those things right now. Most of the times I sit down to write here, I don't know what will occur, but usually I learn exactly what I need to do at that moment to be happy and free.

PS- One of the people who inspired me to make these changes is Kris Carr from Crazy, Sexy Cancer. A few days ago, I awoke to find that she had commented on one of my blog entries. I can't explain how motivating and uplifting it was to hear from her! If you haven't yet checked out her site or blog, do it now!

Raw Food, Ayurveda, and Kris Carr's Blog

I've been feeling pretty blah lately and I have a hunch that it has to do with my diet. I've been going a little overboard with candy, cupcakes, cookies, and any other form of processed sugar or baked good imaginable. This weekend was the worst sugar crash I've ever had. I needed a clean slate, so I decided to start a raw food diet (for at least a week).

Of course this diet started with a trip to Whole Foods to pick up some veggies, dried and fresh fruit, raw food bars, and hummus (which is already cheating because the chick peas are cooked, but I had to make this exception). There are a lot of resources on the web for raw food eating. Here are a few I've been checking out:

Raw Food Life
Living and Raw Foods
We Like It Raw
The Sunny Raw Kitchen

Its been a little over 24 hours raw and so far, so good. No sugar crashing today. I'll keep you posted.

On another note, I've become quite interested in Ayurveda (the sister science of Yoga). Since arriving home from the ashram, Ayurveda is everywhere I turn. If you are curious about your dosha (, Deepak Chopra's website has a helpful and quick dosha quiz. I have spoken with individuals who follow Aruyvedic practices and found it life-changing. I'm also very insterested in Panchakarma, which according to the Ayurvedic Institute is "...a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness. It is known for its beneficial effects on overall health, wellness and self-healing." There are five daily Panchakarma treatments, practiced for five to seven days. If you would like to learn more about Panchakarma, click here.

Lastly, I can't get the documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer out of my head! Since watching the movie, I've felt more inspired to ditch harmful products and foods that most people don't think twice about eating or using for personal care (I know I didn't!). Kris Carr's blog is packed with insights that will challenge your everyday habits. Its easy not to notice the harmful chemicals in the lotion, soap, and mascara a lot of us use everyday. Carr makes a thought-provoking point about these habits when she notes in her blog, "Check this out, the largest organ in our body is our skin. What you put on your body, you literally absorb. So if you wouldn’t drink a bottle of Jergens, then don’t put it on your body because your skin literally drinks it in." The website is filled with inspirational and helpful information too!