Can You Feel The Love...

Song Post!!! Took a break to share! Back to dancing!

Namaste xo

Be The Original Copy....

Be Original. Be Unique. But most importantly...

Aston & I...being who we are :)

We are all part of the grand scheme and universal plan. We are all different; small little portions of the universe so that the universe can get to know itself by looking at all it's differences.  That is the nature of reality.

I like to look at it as if we are all little pieces of universe mosaics.  We are all cut differently, we are all damaged differently and all have different stories on how we got to be here.  All the differences come together to create something beautiful.  Own that small piece of the universe; own it, cherish it, celebrate it and never stop being who you are.  You are meant to be no one else but yourself.

Namaste xo.

Happy Father's Day...

I am not one for poetry or usually get the meaning behind the words. Sometimes though, if I read something that even remotely reminds me of the love my Dad has given me over the years,  I am resolved to a blubbering mess of tears. 

I found something that just melts my heart and I think is perfect for My Dad on Fathers Day.

Pale Nail Polish Trick...

Welcome to another nail polish post.  Possibly the best one yet! I don't know if it could possibly get any better than this!!  Sorry, I am wicked excited!

If you are as much into nail polish as I am, there is a good possibility you will wear almost any color.  Right now I have lavender finger nails and banana crème toe nails!  I love all shades and colors but I tend to avoid lighter colored nail polishes, like a yellow, because no matter what brand you buy, it always seems to go on streaky and uneven. Until now...

The trick... MATTE top coat! There was a matte nail polish trend about two years ago, that I didn't really get into.  I did buy a matte top coat though, that would turn any color nail polish into a matte effect nail polish once you applied the top coat.  No matter how many times I tried, I just didn't like

Pose of the Week: Uttanasana / Standing Forward Fold...

Here is my second installment of Pose of the Week.  Last week was Tadasana / Mountain Pose, so the next logical step is Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold.

Uttanasana / Standing Forward Fold: Folding and journeying into yourself.  Remaining flexible in tight situations and finding a connection with your breath and your heart.

Uttanasana can be a resting posture or it can be a posture in itself.  It is a great way to stretch out the hamstrings, glutes, calves and the spine. I also find this pose is great for reconnecting with your

I Love Nature...

And Nature Loves Me! I saw this on my walk the other day and thought it was so sweet!! 

Namaste xo.

People in your Life...

Well Said...

Namaste xo.



Pose of the Week: Tadasana / Mountain Pose...

So I figured it was time I start doing a pose of the week.  Sometimes ideas to write in my blog can be few so this will be nice to at least have a weekly post.

During these posts, I will give some insight, in my own words, on what the pose means to me and what I feel in each pose.  I will always find a pretty picture of the final pose for your reference! 

I will also break a pose down for you on a technical basis so you get a little deeper knowledge of the posture, which isn't always provided in yoga class because it can be a little dry.   Knowing the technicalities of each pose is what avoids injuries and allows you to experience the full postural benefits. A good solid base will allow you to extend deeper into postures when you are ready.

I will try my best to explain and highlight the main actions.  Obviously it is easier to show you but I am not so keen on the video blog thing.  Also, these moves I am instructing are subtle and slight.  Once you get the hang of it, you feel it deeper in your body even though there isnt much movement happening visably.

So here goes!

Tadasana / Mountain Pose: Rooted into the ancient earth, solid against the limitless sky, resting, peaceful giant, able to weather any storm calmly and with integrity.

Tadasana is traditionally a resting posture.  It is thrown in after a vigorous set of sun salutations or a deep back bend. It calms the mind, lowers your heart rate and brings the awareness back to your body.   Although this is a resting posture, it does not mean we are not using and engaging our bodies. They call it mountain pose for a reason...we are solid in this pose.

• Bring your feet to touch at the front of your mat, toes touching, heels slightly apart.
• Inhale and exhale to deeply root your feet into the earth. Ground through the mounds of the big toe knuckle and the outside of the heel.  This will create a balanced connection. Spread the toes wide and open down onto your mat.  
• Hug your shins in together as if you are squeezing a soccer ball in between them.
• Lift up through the shins, allowing the bones to get heavy and the muscles to lift up and be light.
• Soften the knees slightly to avoid hyper extension of the knees.
• Send the inner thighs back towards the back wall as if you wanted to slightly stick your bum out.  This is called an inner spiral of the thighs.
• Keeping the inner thighs back and engaged, gently drop the tailbone to the floor or allow the front hipbones to point up slightly.  
• After dropping the tail bone, lift and engage the core. The scooping of the tail bone and the core lifting up is a pelvic loop.  
• Bring the shoulders up and back settling the blades peacefully against your spine. 
• Drop the shoulders away from the ears and grow taller through the crown of your head.
• Bring your arms and hands at your sides, palms open to the front or to your heart center in prayer, pressing the hands together with gentle passion.
• Find a gaze in front of you and breath deeply into the solidity you have created in your Mountain Pose.

Tadasana improves posture, balance, it challenges the thigh muscles and arches of the feet and it can help with Sciatica symptoms.  Tadasana also shows us the easy representation, in a neutral posture, of what goes on in almost every yoga posture.

If balance is problematic for you, try using the wall or slightly seperating the feet.
To challenge yourself, try closing your eyes and lifting the arms up overhead into an Extended Mountain Pose.

Try it out!  Let me know how it goes.

Namaste xo.

Learn Forever...

Namaste xo

 

Not Feeling Very "Yoga" Sometimes...

In the beginning of my journey to really understand the entirety of Yoga, I periodically struggled with some identity issues.  I had this image in my head that true yogi's should be calm, cheerful, happy, non judgemental, and blissful all the time. That was the true state of yoga that you had to achieve in order to teach or live a yogic life.   On the surface, it sure seemed like my favourite yoga teachers had it all together. They had the illusion of never getting angry or upset, they never passed judgement or had ill feelings towards themselves or others.  All my yoga teachers had this mystery glow, that seemed to emanate from within. I just couldn't figure out how they got it. I figured the more I practiced the postures and shut out negativity, that I would get the same glow. 

I struggled with this quite a bit.  I live for sarcasm and can be a bit cynical at times for the sake of