I love hot tea. I don't drink it as often as I would/should. Especially in the summer. But with the recent revelation my Rheumatologist has had (he's drank the Ayurvedic kool-aid), I'm thinking I should give my hot teas a second chance at changing my life. See, Dr. P. is quite the skeptic, pretty conservative, and comes from old school medicine. "That eastern medicine new age crap is for hippies!" But he's recently done a lot of research on Ayurveda and has consulted with peeps at the Chopra Institute. So all I'm saying is, if Dr. P. thinks this lifestyle has changed his life and has value, I'm inclined to jump on board too.
After some research, I realized that some of the stuff I already enjoy in moderation are in line with Ayurvedic treatments. Turmeric is one of my favorite spices and who knew all of the awesome healing powers it apparently possesses! The Schizandra (or Schisandra) berry is another thing. I love the White Schizandra tea from Zhi Tea, but I had no idea that it could be a massive boost to my metabolic system. Go metabolism! Speed up, old friend!
Therefore, through my research and with some encouragement from Dr. P. I've settled on a few things that I can do to see if really my body will change in a positive way. Enter 40-Day Challenge #2. For the next 40 days I will be doing the following:
~ Starting every single day with a cup of Oolong Tea (my fave is the Dong Ding Oolong at Zhi Tea)
~ Have a Zrii shake at lunch every work day, free days on the weekend.
~ Have a cup of White Schizandra Tea mid-afternoon every day.
In other news, the yoga journey continues. I'm hitting about 2 classes a week, also I do a few sun salutations every night or morning. I'm also going to start reading Christina Sell's two books. Her first one is Yoga From the Inside Out: Making Peace with Your Body Through Yoga. I'm excited to read it because, let's be honest, if there was anything I learned from the first 40-day challenge it's that I NEED to make peace with my insides. Guts, soul...all of it. Her brand new book (not even in stores yet, but I got it online) is My Body is a Temple. Because, hells yeah I want my body to be a temple! Isn't that one of my ultimate goals? To see myself this way? YES.
I'm excited to share this next journey with you. Please feel free to ask questions, leave comments, etc.
Namaste.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Creating Good Habits
I found an interesting article on how long it takes to form a habit. You can read it here.
Yoga Yoga started the 40 Day Challenge on the belief that a new habit takes 40 days to form. This article eased my mind around a little stress I created internally during the challenge. What if I miss classes? (I did.) What if 40 days isn't enough? (It was.) How much change can I really make in 40 days?
That last question was the one mistake I feel I made in starting this challenge. The point of the challenge is to make one single change in every day life, consistently, to create a good, new habit. I, in true Megan fashion, took on the task of too many challenges at one time. It wasn't just going to class that I decided to change. It was also saying I would meditate every day. I would blog every day. I would read about yoga every day. I would tweet about yoga every day. All of this. Every. Single. Day.
Impossible. I can hardly fit all I want to in every day already. This challenge was very much an "eyes bigger than my stomach" situation. The above mentioned article stated that in their research, forming a new habit could take anywhere from 18-254 days. I feel like I hit my yoga habit around day 21. It was a day I felt really good about what I had been doing and knew that not continuing the practice was not an option for me. Yoga felt, and continues to feel, like a way of life for me. A way to live my life every day. Now that's a habit!
All of the other stuff I wanted to challenge myself to do can still happen. I am reading The Secret Power of Yoga every day now, because I feel, for me, it's very important to continue to learn the "how and why" of yoga. I have committed to continue blogging about this journey because I am excited about all of the experiences and feel motivated to share them. There won't be a blog post every day, because a habit doesn't have to be an every day occurrence, as long as it's consistent and, well, habitual.
On another note, someone asked me today what poses I thought were solving my life-long multiple chin issue. To that person, and to you all, I promise you it is Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog.) This is the pose that works basically every muscle in your body, including those in the neck. I will also warn you that it is addicting. It doesn't seem so at first, but once you get the hang of it, it feels SO good. The whole body stretches...pure awesomeness. Try to learn it today (here's a link) or even better, try out YogaGlo.com and find some beginner's classes that do Sun Salutations. The poses that take you into and out of Dog make it even more awesome.
Namaste.
Yoga Yoga started the 40 Day Challenge on the belief that a new habit takes 40 days to form. This article eased my mind around a little stress I created internally during the challenge. What if I miss classes? (I did.) What if 40 days isn't enough? (It was.) How much change can I really make in 40 days?
That last question was the one mistake I feel I made in starting this challenge. The point of the challenge is to make one single change in every day life, consistently, to create a good, new habit. I, in true Megan fashion, took on the task of too many challenges at one time. It wasn't just going to class that I decided to change. It was also saying I would meditate every day. I would blog every day. I would read about yoga every day. I would tweet about yoga every day. All of this. Every. Single. Day.
Impossible. I can hardly fit all I want to in every day already. This challenge was very much an "eyes bigger than my stomach" situation. The above mentioned article stated that in their research, forming a new habit could take anywhere from 18-254 days. I feel like I hit my yoga habit around day 21. It was a day I felt really good about what I had been doing and knew that not continuing the practice was not an option for me. Yoga felt, and continues to feel, like a way of life for me. A way to live my life every day. Now that's a habit!
All of the other stuff I wanted to challenge myself to do can still happen. I am reading The Secret Power of Yoga every day now, because I feel, for me, it's very important to continue to learn the "how and why" of yoga. I have committed to continue blogging about this journey because I am excited about all of the experiences and feel motivated to share them. There won't be a blog post every day, because a habit doesn't have to be an every day occurrence, as long as it's consistent and, well, habitual.
On another note, someone asked me today what poses I thought were solving my life-long multiple chin issue. To that person, and to you all, I promise you it is Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog.) This is the pose that works basically every muscle in your body, including those in the neck. I will also warn you that it is addicting. It doesn't seem so at first, but once you get the hang of it, it feels SO good. The whole body stretches...pure awesomeness. Try to learn it today (here's a link) or even better, try out YogaGlo.com and find some beginner's classes that do Sun Salutations. The poses that take you into and out of Dog make it even more awesome.
Namaste.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Day 37
Can you even believe it's been 37 days?! I cannot. I feel like I just did my first class less than a week ago. Which is fun, because every time I go to a class it's like it is new to me in some ways, though some ways not. I'm always learning something new, though. This past weekend, I stumbled into a Hatha Star class taught by Kim, who teaches Anusara Yoga. In short, I ended up (on purpose) with my hands on the ground and my feet on the wall behind me, above my head and waist. It was AWESOME. It looked something like this, though not as graceful. :)
I'm changing the focus of this blog slightly because, obviously, this journey isn't just for 40 days. I really enjoy sharing what I learn along the way and I know that my learning has only just begun so this blog will continue on after Day 40. Just now I feel like I'm getting into a routine of what classes I want to go to when and which instructors seem to be the best fit for me. I've also had this insane craving to start running, which I've never done before (and have always despised the idea of), however there's a VERY large community of runners who yoga or yogis who run online and in Austin. We'll see where this new itch takes me.
Friday is the 40th day of the challenge and although I haven't been to an actual class everyday, I've found a way to practice Yoga in some Sutra form, everyday. And it really has made an incredible difference in my life. Stay tuned for Day 40 when I list all of the changes I've noticed!
Namaste.
I'm changing the focus of this blog slightly because, obviously, this journey isn't just for 40 days. I really enjoy sharing what I learn along the way and I know that my learning has only just begun so this blog will continue on after Day 40. Just now I feel like I'm getting into a routine of what classes I want to go to when and which instructors seem to be the best fit for me. I've also had this insane craving to start running, which I've never done before (and have always despised the idea of), however there's a VERY large community of runners who yoga or yogis who run online and in Austin. We'll see where this new itch takes me.
Friday is the 40th day of the challenge and although I haven't been to an actual class everyday, I've found a way to practice Yoga in some Sutra form, everyday. And it really has made an incredible difference in my life. Stay tuned for Day 40 when I list all of the changes I've noticed!
Namaste.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Back From Sabbatical
I obviously took a break from blogging. I also took a break in my 40-day challenge.
RA is really a manic disease. While most of the time I feel great and something like yoga only does an RA body good, out of nowhere this disease can bring me down. Hard. And during this challenge I had been on SUCH a high, feeling so great and proud of my body for pushing through, I wasn't really prepared for what this 40-day challenge would look like if I had a flare ( a bout of disease symptoms). But I did have a flare and I dealt with it the best way I know how. Sleeping 10-15 hours a day and battling on-going fatigue plus joint cramps is never fun, but I've gotten through it and I'm on the upswing. Getting back into classes just in time for the 3rd and last leg of this race.
There are some great Yoga resources out there to support me (and YOU!) when getting to class just isn't an option. Below are some fantastic ways to continue a yoga practice, whether it is Asanas, Meditation, Visualization or just Education.
YogaGlo.com: YogaGlo is an online community of classes you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. It's extremely affordable and there are SO MANY classes to choose from, led by truly amazing yoga teachers. If you're thinking about Yoga but are unsure if it's for you, try this affordable option and take the opportunity to try as many different classes as you have time for.
Yoga Journal: Yoga Journal is like the NPR of Yoga. Anything you'd like to know about it can be found here, including articles and updates, plus inspiring stories. When I talk abut Asanas, I usually link it to a pose on Yoga Journal because their pictures and instruction are so easy to understand.
Snatum Kaur: Snatum Kaur's voice is nothing short of magical. This music can truly transform a yoga practice of Asana and/or Meditation. Her lifelong (literally) yoga journey is amazing and inspiring and can be read here. I would encourage anyone seeking healing and practice through music to purchase some of her music.
Spirit Voyage: Spirit Voyage is the music mega-store of Yoga and Meditation music. Plus, you can find other cool yoga stuff there too, such a clothes and props. Great choices and affordable prices!
The Secret Power of Yoga: A great read that has joined me in this 40-day challenge. This book is special because it is the first time a woman has translated the Yoga Sutras. A very inspiring and uplifting read, Secret Power is a great way to understand the "how and why" of Yoga.
Going To Pieces Without Falling Apart: Someone gave me this book 15 years ago and it still sits next to my bed, there when I need a little perspective. Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart: A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness by Dr. Mark Epstein is not a book intended to convert you to Buddhism. Rather, it serves more as a guide on how to live life more wholly, to forgive ourselves when we fail and to find valuable lessons in everything we do, even the mistakes. LOVE THIS BOOK. While it's not about Yoga directly, it is a great guide to creating a mindset of peace and understanding, both assets to any Yoga practice.
Thank you for your patience during my journey and for continuing to follow it, bumps in the road and all. I hope you are inspired to find a little peace and understanding in your life and feel like you have a good handful of resources to do so!
Namaste.
RA is really a manic disease. While most of the time I feel great and something like yoga only does an RA body good, out of nowhere this disease can bring me down. Hard. And during this challenge I had been on SUCH a high, feeling so great and proud of my body for pushing through, I wasn't really prepared for what this 40-day challenge would look like if I had a flare ( a bout of disease symptoms). But I did have a flare and I dealt with it the best way I know how. Sleeping 10-15 hours a day and battling on-going fatigue plus joint cramps is never fun, but I've gotten through it and I'm on the upswing. Getting back into classes just in time for the 3rd and last leg of this race.
There are some great Yoga resources out there to support me (and YOU!) when getting to class just isn't an option. Below are some fantastic ways to continue a yoga practice, whether it is Asanas, Meditation, Visualization or just Education.
YogaGlo.com: YogaGlo is an online community of classes you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. It's extremely affordable and there are SO MANY classes to choose from, led by truly amazing yoga teachers. If you're thinking about Yoga but are unsure if it's for you, try this affordable option and take the opportunity to try as many different classes as you have time for.
Yoga Journal: Yoga Journal is like the NPR of Yoga. Anything you'd like to know about it can be found here, including articles and updates, plus inspiring stories. When I talk abut Asanas, I usually link it to a pose on Yoga Journal because their pictures and instruction are so easy to understand.
Snatum Kaur: Snatum Kaur's voice is nothing short of magical. This music can truly transform a yoga practice of Asana and/or Meditation. Her lifelong (literally) yoga journey is amazing and inspiring and can be read here. I would encourage anyone seeking healing and practice through music to purchase some of her music.
Spirit Voyage: Spirit Voyage is the music mega-store of Yoga and Meditation music. Plus, you can find other cool yoga stuff there too, such a clothes and props. Great choices and affordable prices!
The Secret Power of Yoga: A great read that has joined me in this 40-day challenge. This book is special because it is the first time a woman has translated the Yoga Sutras. A very inspiring and uplifting read, Secret Power is a great way to understand the "how and why" of Yoga.
Going To Pieces Without Falling Apart: Someone gave me this book 15 years ago and it still sits next to my bed, there when I need a little perspective. Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart: A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness by Dr. Mark Epstein is not a book intended to convert you to Buddhism. Rather, it serves more as a guide on how to live life more wholly, to forgive ourselves when we fail and to find valuable lessons in everything we do, even the mistakes. LOVE THIS BOOK. While it's not about Yoga directly, it is a great guide to creating a mindset of peace and understanding, both assets to any Yoga practice.
Thank you for your patience during my journey and for continuing to follow it, bumps in the road and all. I hope you are inspired to find a little peace and understanding in your life and feel like you have a good handful of resources to do so!
Namaste.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Big Expectations and Little Victories: Part 2
What's not a good idea is holding all of this newly discovered mental suitcase full of previously mentioned emotions inside. I didn't know really who to talk to about it, but of course and as usual, the Universe took care of that for me. A conversation with my co-worker/friend/fellow yoga gal Meredith turned into a really awesome conversation about my yoga journey and all of these crazy emotions and doubts I'm having. Meredith had the insight and wisdom I really needed and we had a very real and raw conversation. Best thing that could have happened to me mid-journey.
Meredith helped me see that I need to quash these "big expectations" I set for myself and learn to celebrate the "little victories." I do this, you see. I set massive expectations for myself. And I almost always experience serious letdowns as a result. Yoga, through Meredith, has finally taught me that this is a ridiculous ritual (insanity, anyone?), a mad cycle I continue to put myself through. And if not for yoga, I may have not learned this valuable lesson. Over the last few days, since our conversation, I realized all of the little victories I had missed celebrating without some sort of "but, still" of dissapointment attached. So, I made a list:
1) I can do Pigeon Pose. I can do Pigeon Pose!
2) I did 108 Sun Salutations in Zilker Park. Go me!
3) I am sleeping better.
4) My clothes are fitting better.
5) This is a BIG one, especially those of you who have known me for a very long time. My double-chin-itis is cured. This has been a long, long battle. (Yoga can heal chin fat. I am living proof. Can I get an Amen?!)
Even better, I now really only have two expectations going forward in this journey now. One: Yoga will continue to change and mold me, slowly but surely and when and how it is supposed to. Two: I know there will be little victories and I WILL celebrate them!
Namaste.
Meredith helped me see that I need to quash these "big expectations" I set for myself and learn to celebrate the "little victories." I do this, you see. I set massive expectations for myself. And I almost always experience serious letdowns as a result. Yoga, through Meredith, has finally taught me that this is a ridiculous ritual (insanity, anyone?), a mad cycle I continue to put myself through. And if not for yoga, I may have not learned this valuable lesson. Over the last few days, since our conversation, I realized all of the little victories I had missed celebrating without some sort of "but, still" of dissapointment attached. So, I made a list:
1) I can do Pigeon Pose. I can do Pigeon Pose!
2) I did 108 Sun Salutations in Zilker Park. Go me!
3) I am sleeping better.
4) My clothes are fitting better.
5) This is a BIG one, especially those of you who have known me for a very long time. My double-chin-itis is cured. This has been a long, long battle. (Yoga can heal chin fat. I am living proof. Can I get an Amen?!)
Even better, I now really only have two expectations going forward in this journey now. One: Yoga will continue to change and mold me, slowly but surely and when and how it is supposed to. Two: I know there will be little victories and I WILL celebrate them!
Namaste.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Big Expectations and Little Victories: Part 1
Monday night's Yoga Nidra really put a kink in my plans. My 40-day plan, that is.
For the first half of this challenge, I had done a pretty good job of putting aside my doubt and frustration, choosing my intentions at the beginning of class carefully (it is almost always "I am here for me"), and ignoring a growing sadness in my chest, a dissappointment in myself. You see, it's been a long time since I've had to learn something new and practice patience in the length of time it takes to learn something new. I grew up a dancer and for years I danced and I was good at it. I was so young when I started, I don't remember struggling to be good at it. I played a musical instrument almost my entire childhood and though I struggled sometimes, for the mostly part it came quite naturally to me. Same with the work in my adult life. When I fell into the work I have done for 12 years now, I knew it was meant for me and even with the detours I've taken, it's always been a second nature.
I feel like yoga is right for me. I have the same sense as I did as a dancer, a musician and now a fundraiser. But yoga. Yoga is a completely opposite practice of anything else I've done. It is learned differently, in ways my body and mind have never been exposed to. It is the first big life-altering thing I've done that feels right in my soul, but my body doesn't seem to follow. In other words, this learning curve is much bigger than anything else I've learned in life. It's bigger than me, bigger than life itself.
Like I've said before, we're told and we read that one person cannot achieve perfection in yoga in their lifetime. And while I love the idea of always being a student of yoga, never being bored, falling into the same mundane routine, always learning something new that is rewarding and fulfilling, I have found myself at a hard point in this practice. Yoga Nidra got in my head. It got in my HEAD. And while I realize this is the purpose of it, I couldn't have anticipated the effects of it after just one class.
My regular Tuesday beginner's series class was really tough on me. I felt off, overwhelmed, distracted. It was also the night we were taught Camel Pose (Ustrasana). The camel pose opens up the Heart Chakra and is associated with love and inner emotions (hope, fear, despair, envy, compassion, anger.) According to Lexi Yoga, camel pose results in "a rush of enporphins and a flush of emotions." I hadn't even moved into the modified, prop-supported camel pose fully when I felt a very unfamiliar and overwhelming feeling in my chest and had to pull myself out and sit in child's pose while the rest of class practiced camel pose. Intense.
In previous posts, I've written about a few emotional experiences I've had so far, such as with the gong. But what is happening right now isn't a one-time thing. It's as if there are many layers to this journey and before Yoga Nidra, I'd barely scratched the surface. Yoga Nidra peeled back a really thick layer that was hiding self-doubt, regret, fear, and dissapointment.
To be continued...
For the first half of this challenge, I had done a pretty good job of putting aside my doubt and frustration, choosing my intentions at the beginning of class carefully (it is almost always "I am here for me"), and ignoring a growing sadness in my chest, a dissappointment in myself. You see, it's been a long time since I've had to learn something new and practice patience in the length of time it takes to learn something new. I grew up a dancer and for years I danced and I was good at it. I was so young when I started, I don't remember struggling to be good at it. I played a musical instrument almost my entire childhood and though I struggled sometimes, for the mostly part it came quite naturally to me. Same with the work in my adult life. When I fell into the work I have done for 12 years now, I knew it was meant for me and even with the detours I've taken, it's always been a second nature.
I feel like yoga is right for me. I have the same sense as I did as a dancer, a musician and now a fundraiser. But yoga. Yoga is a completely opposite practice of anything else I've done. It is learned differently, in ways my body and mind have never been exposed to. It is the first big life-altering thing I've done that feels right in my soul, but my body doesn't seem to follow. In other words, this learning curve is much bigger than anything else I've learned in life. It's bigger than me, bigger than life itself.
Like I've said before, we're told and we read that one person cannot achieve perfection in yoga in their lifetime. And while I love the idea of always being a student of yoga, never being bored, falling into the same mundane routine, always learning something new that is rewarding and fulfilling, I have found myself at a hard point in this practice. Yoga Nidra got in my head. It got in my HEAD. And while I realize this is the purpose of it, I couldn't have anticipated the effects of it after just one class.
My regular Tuesday beginner's series class was really tough on me. I felt off, overwhelmed, distracted. It was also the night we were taught Camel Pose (Ustrasana). The camel pose opens up the Heart Chakra and is associated with love and inner emotions (hope, fear, despair, envy, compassion, anger.) According to Lexi Yoga, camel pose results in "a rush of enporphins and a flush of emotions." I hadn't even moved into the modified, prop-supported camel pose fully when I felt a very unfamiliar and overwhelming feeling in my chest and had to pull myself out and sit in child's pose while the rest of class practiced camel pose. Intense.
In previous posts, I've written about a few emotional experiences I've had so far, such as with the gong. But what is happening right now isn't a one-time thing. It's as if there are many layers to this journey and before Yoga Nidra, I'd barely scratched the surface. Yoga Nidra peeled back a really thick layer that was hiding self-doubt, regret, fear, and dissapointment.
To be continued...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Yoga Nidra
Sunday's 108 Sun Salutation practice left me in massive pain. Sore muscles and sore other things I didn't know COULD be sore. Ouch. Lifting a glass to drink water was painful. But at the same time I felt fantastic, accomplished and I had this constant urge to do half Sun Salutations. And while that's all well and good, I knew I needed to quiet my mind and my body.
Day 15 I went to my first Yoga Nidra class. Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation done mostly while laying on the back in a prop supported Savasana. What I didn't expect, but experienced and now understand, is that Yoga Nidra is an extremely personal and private experience. So all I will say about last night's class is this:
1) I finally understand what the books and yoga teachers mean when they say yoga isn't just a physical practice; that I can be "practicing" yoga without asanas.
2) I had an amazing experience in class and look forward to going each week to deepen my Yoga Nidra practice.
I hope you are all well and taking good care of yourself. Whatever you've chosen to change in your life for 40 days and beyond, may you be supported, motivated, and loved.
Namaste.
Day 15 I went to my first Yoga Nidra class. Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation done mostly while laying on the back in a prop supported Savasana. What I didn't expect, but experienced and now understand, is that Yoga Nidra is an extremely personal and private experience. So all I will say about last night's class is this:
1) I finally understand what the books and yoga teachers mean when they say yoga isn't just a physical practice; that I can be "practicing" yoga without asanas.
2) I had an amazing experience in class and look forward to going each week to deepen my Yoga Nidra practice.
I hope you are all well and taking good care of yourself. Whatever you've chosen to change in your life for 40 days and beyond, may you be supported, motivated, and loved.
Namaste.
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