What's Next?

No that is not a picture of me after 2 glasses of wine, although I have probably been known to resemble that posture on more than one occasion. It is actually a preview of what is in store for me next with my Yoga Fit journey. After my last day of fourth grade I will be making the all too familiar trek up to Northern California. But this time it won't be to see family. I have a 3 day yoga marathon planned that includes a day of Yoga Fit for Kids and then two days of Anatomy and Alignment. Sounds like the opposite ends of the spectrum of my knowledge of yoga so far. I've been doing it with my Kindergartners for several years so the kids class should be a no brainer. It's the anatomy one that has me mildly concerned. Especially since I haven't finished reading the textbook yet. I'll just try to fit that in between the other 3 books I am currently not finishing. So this picture is from that unread textbook that includes sentences such as:
"Contracting the anterior fibers of the gluteus medius internally rotates the hips and releases stress at the sacroiliac joint created by contracting the gluteus maximus." That's the description they gave for the picture above. Hmmm, I think I might need to study a bit more.

Because I have one of those brains that constantly requires mental stimulation I have to admit that I am excited about the anatomy class. After enduring levels 1, 2, and 3 completely in the dark about muscles and bones and how and why they move the way they do I am eager to see if this class will help put all of the pieces together for me. Of course my trip up north is exciting in more ways than just my love of yoga but I will stick to that passion in this blog for now.

Then in July I will be heading to Palm Springs for the big Yoga Fit Conference. It's a 4-day training that includes only level 4, so I'm thinking it's going to be pretty intense. But more about that in July.

Super Foods and Whatever Else I Like.....

Okay, I'll admit that I got a bit sassy on that last post when I talked about eating muffins. It's just that I find it interesting that it's okay to comment on how a person looks when she is thin. I can't tell you how many times I've been called "skinny bitch". If I ever said something so rude to someone who is battling their weight it would be considered, well, rude. And I find it really annoying when someone calls me that while eating their second bearclaw for breakfast. Okay, done venting. So here's some more useless advice for those of you who have asked.
I said in that last post that what you look like is directly related to what you eat and how you move. So I'm going to reveal to you my secret weapon when it comes to food. Get over it! The purpose of eating is not to feel better. The purpose of eating is to give your body the nutrients that it needs to survive. And when you view food from that perspective you let go of your need to medicate yourself with it. We all have "holes in our soul" and everyone finds their own way to fill them. Some use drugs or alcohol, or shopping, or sex. And many people use food. Either in abundance or, in my case, the lack of. That's right. I have struggled with an eating disorder for most of my adult life. I won't go into the details of it here because that could go on for days. But I will say that I have had a very unhealthy relationship with food for a really long time.
One of the games you play when you struggle with an eating disorder is the "good food/bad food" list. And everything you eat fits neatly into one of these categories. You'd be surprised what makes it on the good food list. With the help of a very good therapist I learned how to manage this game by replacing my "good food" list with what you probably know as super foods. And if you don't know what super foods are, you should, so google it.
So here is what now makes the "good food" list for me on a regular basis:
Oatmeal with fresh blueberries, an orange, a boiled egg, and a cup of green tea. That's my breakfast pretty much everyday Monday through Friday. On the weekends I eat whatever happens to come along.
Lunch is where I pack in most of my nutrients. I usually have a really big salad of fresh spinach, with whatever fresh veggies I have picked up at the farmer's market that weekend. So lots of broccoli, carrots, big fat juicy tomatoes, red and orange bell peppers, or any other brightly colored veggies that happen to catch my eye. This salad usually has at least 3 or 4 different kinds of vegetables in it. I always throw in some form of protein such as salmon or tuna, or sometimes black or kidney beans. Then I have some type of fruit with my salad. Usually apples that I buy from the cutest little Japanese lady, but sometimes some type of melon or berry depending on what's in season.
Then for dinner I usually have my lightest meal. Maybe a bowlful of steamed veggies from the market with or without some form of protein like chicken or fish.
And then sometime throughout the day I snack on something like yogurt or cottage cheese.
You will notice that I do not mention any bread. That's on the "bad food" list. See, I still play the game. Actually I love bread. That's the problem. Too much of anything that refined is not a good thing for me. So I always try to keep it real when it comes to food. By that I mean eat real food. You know, the way it comes from nature. The more it's processed the less nutritional value it has for you. And remember, getting nutrients is what eating is all about.
It's not that I don't think eating should be a form of pleasure, it's just that that shouldn't be the primary reason for doing it. And besides cooking and sharing a meal with someone has a lot more to do with who that someone is than what it is that you're eating, right?
A few other words of advice when it comes to food:
It's more about what you eat on a regular basis that counts. So an occasional brownie isn't going to kill you.
Go for fresh, colorful foods that don't come in a box or a can.
Front-load your meals. That means eat most of your food before 3 in the afternoon.
Reduce that amount of "white food" you eat. Stuff like white flour, white rice, and white potatoes. That's how you get that muffin top.
Throw out that scale in your bathroom. It doesn't matter what the number on it says. What really matters is how you feel.
And lastly, always remember beautiful people come in all shapes and sizes. And it's not who you are on the outside that counts, but who you are on the inside that's going to make a difference in this world.

Muffin Tops and Bat Wings?

I was standing in line at the grocery store catching up on all of the negative publicity that the headlines at the counter had to offer when a women's health magazine caught my eye. On the cover were blurbs of what I am assuming were meant to be helpful articles for women in regards to developing or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But I couldn't help notice that all of the headlines were about the way a woman should want to look. Titles such as: "Get Bikini Ready in 10 Days" were splashed all over the cover. And then down at the bottom in very small print was something about "The 5 Foods You Should Eat To Avoid Cancer". Seems to me that article might be more important for maintaining a healthy body than any of those bikini articles. Mind you this magazine was called Women's Health not Women's Shape. I though it was interesting that most of what is being marketed to women in regards to our health still has to do with how we look. Ladies, have we learned nothing?
Then I was flipping through a magazine that my friend loaned me that had an article about yoga and how it can help women banish their "problem parts" such as our muffin tops and our batwings. Seriously? If you don't want your waistline to resemble a muffin top then don't eat muffins. It's not rocket science.
Anyway, that's what lead to this next series of posts. People are always asking me what I do to stay so thin so I thought I would just share my secret here with you once and for all. It's really quite simple: It's all about what you eat and how you move. Below this post you will see two series of photos (thank you to my personal photographer Jay) of a basic series of yoga poses that I do everyday. Yes, everyday. It only takes a few minutes. When my alarm goes off in the morning I head downstairs, fill up the tea pot, and while it's brewing I roll out my mat and run through these poses. You've gotta wait for the water to boil anyway right? So you might as well be doing something productive while you're waiting. Remember my post about Chakras? Well guess what, doing these two series of poses helps to maintain balance in almost all of the chakras. Cool huh?
You will notice that I split the photos into two series. One is called Sun Salutations and the other is simply a series of standing poses that I put together to do in addition to or in the middle of a sun salutation. You will notice as you watch the Sun Salutations series that I step back with my right foot, and then step forward with my right foot. That means this set of poses is only one half of a sun salutation. You have to do all of the poses again stepping back with your left foot to complete one round of sun salutations. As your watching the slideshow of pictures wait for the one where I am standing straight with my arms down to my sides. That's the beginning of the series. So while I am waiting for my tea water to boil I do at least 5 complete rounds of them. In fact, I know just where to fill up the water in my tea pot so that it will start to whistle just as I finishing up my left side of my 5th one.
So tomorrow morning start your morning brew and then roll out your mat and start working on getting rid of your muffin top. Who knows you just might do something that goes way beyond what your waistline looks like as well.

Sun Salutation

Standing Poses

Be, Do, Have

First I feel the need to explain the lull in posting to this blog. Simply put, distractions. Having been told by a therapist several years ago that I display many signs of an adult with ADD, distractions tend to be fairly common for me. Not the hyperactive, swinging from the rafters kind of ADD; just the space-cadet variety that can delve into several projects at once and forget to complete any of them. Not saying that I agree with this diagnosis, but I will admit I am one of those people who is usually reading 4 different books all at the same time and doesn't always finish even one of them. My motto has always been: too many books, not enough time. Needless to say, college was a bit challenging to say the least. With the "dog and pony show" of Open House behind me I now have a little bit of time to devote to this project before report cards and end of the school year festivities take over my waking hours.
Another reason for the lull in posting is that I haven't been to another training since Mother's Day at Camp Pendleton. So I am working on putting together a post that will include pictures but haven't yet coordinated the logistics of the photo shoot. Too busy reading those four books I suppose. And then of course, there's the blissful fact that my life is starting to resemble something like a Hallmark Card commercial, but that is for another blog (or maybe even a book) someday. So in the meantime I will ramble on about other things that interest me.

Be, Do, Have. The title of this post is something I heard along the way several years ago and have tried to keep in spirit as I am on this journey of life. What does it mean? Let me try to explain by saying what it does NOT mean.

In our fast-paced world we tend to live the opposite: Have, Do, Be. Meaning our focus is on what we have or can acquire. Things like big houses, expensive cars, or whatever material items give you the illusion of being happy. We have that tape playing in our head that tells us that we are what we have. Streams of consciousness such as "If I HAVE the big house then what I can DO with it is entertain and have great dinner parties and then what I will BE is happy and admired by all of my friends." Another example that might resonate with others can take on the form of a car. If I have the BMW I will impress all the neighbors and then I will be happy and important.
What if you were to make a shift and reverse that thinking? What would it look like? Maybe something like this.
BE, DO, HAVE. What will you be? Will you be peaceful or confrontational? Will you be kind or hurtful? Respectful or judgemental? Truthful or dishonest? What will you do with your virtue? Will you take care of a sick or elderly family member? Or maybe something as simple as letting that girl in the gutless hybrid be in front of you on the tollroad without raising your blood pressure flashing finger language at her. Trust me, I've never been flipped-off so many times since buying my little golf cart they passed off as a car.

How can we make this shift happen? Find some way to quiet that voice inside your head so that it will stop talking and just listen for a change. I heard someone say once that the difference between prayer and meditation is that prayer is when you talk to god and meditation is when you listen. Whether you believe in god or not doesn't matter. I'm sure most of us realize the value of just listening. So take the time to find a way to listen to your inner wisdom by connecting your mind, body, and breath. Running, walking, gardening, and of course doing yoga are great ways to stop the mind chatter so that you can just listen.
Give it a try. Lace up those tennies or roll out that mat and focus on only your breath as you move through whatever your body is doing. See what happens. Feel what you will become. Let it guide you into doing what feels right and natural. And enjoy the pure joy of what you will have. Just relax and breath and enjoy the experience.....