Take Time-5 min Yoga Practice

You only need 5 mins a day to initiate balance. Take a moment & go to your yoga mat for reflection, awareness, & rejuvenation. Develop a yoga practice that can accomodate anytime of day.

Connect with the breath for 1min.

Tadasana-Mountain Pose

Inhale-Urdva hastasana-Upward Hands

Exhale-Uttanasana-Forward Fold

Inhale-Utkatasana-Chair Pose

Exhale-Tadasana-Mountain Pose

Inhale-Urdva hastasana-Upward Hands

Exhale-Ardha Chandrasana=Right---Left---Back

Exhale-Uttanasana-Forward Fold

Exhale-Step back-Low lunge-Rt leg

Inhale-Uttanasana-Foward Fold

 

Exhale-Banarasana-Low Lunge-Left leg

Exhale-Uttanasana-Forward Fold

Inhale-Urdva Hastasana

Exhale-Tadasana

Continue this sequence while moving with the breath for a few minutes. Do this until you feel the body refreshed.

Namaste

The Yoga of Walking

Each & everyday we take small or giant steps to get to a destination. Some might enjoy walks through the park or just a quiet stroll down the street. With our cellphones & digital gadgets in hand & on full blast, it's easy to miss helpful meditation within the moment. Walking is a great way to do moving meditation.

First clear your mind of all thoughts. If this is difficult try focusing on one thing ex: birds singing, a candle flicker, the sun etc. Next take steady & even deep cleansing breathes to calm and sooth the mind & body. Stay with the breath. Do not let it go. Your breathing pattern can also be a point of focus. As you inhale fill the abdomen with oxygen & as you exhale contract the adbomen by breathing all of the air out. Allow yourself to be fully present in the moment. Finally move rhythemically with your steps. Allow your footsteps to be syncopated & balanced. Enjoy this moment  & refresh your being!

It Only Takes A Minute

Take a deep breath. It only takes one moment. Be still. Turn off all the external gadgets. Allow your thoughts to settle.  Inhale and allow the abdomen to expand. Exhale and allow the abdomen to contract. Follow the breath. Be conscious of this moment & let go any attachments. It only takes a minute...........

The Art of Tea

During the winter a great way to stay warm, keep the digestive juices going, and calm the mind is to sip on a cup of herbal tea. Tea has been used for centuries in many countries by different ethnic groups. It is a cultural tradition that brings people together. Taking a quiet moment to be tranquil and still with a cup of tea can work wonders for stress and anxiety. Some good herbal teas for calming the body and mind are:
Chamomile
Peppermint
Hops
Passionflower
Catnip
Scullcap
These herbs can be used as single herbs or combined to be more effective.

Some teas for digestion include:
Peppermint
Chamomile
Ginger
Red Raspberry
Alfalfa
Anise
These herbal teas can be consumed 30 minutes after mealtime to soothe the stomach.

On of my favorite teas to drink anytime of the day is Ginger Latte.
This recipe involves:
1 Pack of Ginger Tea
Almond Milk to taste
Agave to taste.

*Usually I'll boil the water and add the almond milk afterward, however the almond milk can be heated and used as the main liquid base. Enjoy!

Before leaving the house for to join the hustle and bustle of the day, have a cup of tea. After a long day , enjoy a refreshing herbal tea. Make time to be still, set aside space for tranquility and you will make way for peace.

Remember to Breath

Often times it's so easy to get to our yoga mats or any type of physical exercise & just go. In that going we extend, contract, stretch, move, jump & flex, but are we breathing? Are we really using the fullness of our breath which gives us life. I challenge anyone in eye shot to take the "24 Hour Breathing Challenge". Oh what is this challenge you ask? This will allow us to take note of our breathing patterns all throughout the day. Once we are aware of these patterns then we can make the appropriate changes.

This challenge can be documented mentally, through journals, voice recordings on your cell phone etc. Upon rising notice your normal breathing patterns. Is it heavy, quick, shallow, labored, smooth, deep, full, or normal? Each time you change you actions from taking a phone call to driving to work, document it. Notice the breath when that black F150 cuts you off and you scream your obscenities. Take note when you are on the phone with a telemarketer or bill collector. What is your breating status when watching certain programs on the television. Everytime you change actions take note. By the end of the day review your documented breathing patterns.

If your breathing is quick & shallow during stressful or tense situations then during your next normal curse out moment, breathe slowly & deeply. This simple excercise can work wonders in numerous situations during our daily life.

So the next time your dripping sweat balls & grunting with shallow breathing in Warrior III or Chaturanga Dandasana remember to "Follow the Breath". The most important aspect of any yoga practice is pranayama (the breath). This can transfer to any form of physical activity and everything else under the sun. The breath is life!