Earth Day is coming up in a couple days and I’m really excited to check out all the events in town, but first I wanted to share the yoga photo-shoot I did with my friends Denise Lovin & her mother! They were the perfect mommas to represent Mother Earth! What do you think of the Earth Day Mommas? What are you up to for Earth Day?

I have grown to love my online sanctuary and creative space here at yogag33k.com so much in the past couple of years and I realized that I had never really stated WHY I chose the title or why I decided to start blogging!

The reason I wanted to start the blog was because I saw so many forms of beauty in other blogs scattered around the internet, but didn’t really find that same beauty and creative expression were being put out there in the field of yoga online. I wanted to connect with like-minded individuals who enjoyed yoga as I did…not just as an athletic practice, but also as a creative expression, science, and thing of beauty. Yoga changed my life and if I can inspire one person to practice, then I feel that I’ve shared the gift that was given to me from the universe.

I chose the word g33k because I am proud to say that I am one! I love video games, hence the spelling of the term, but I also enjoy science, school supplies, astrology & astronomy, reading, writing with a freshly sharpened pencil, and other things that might make me a “geek”. I think we all have a bit of geek in us…that thing that makes you giggle and snort with joy…and I like encouraging others to find that within themselves! I never understood why “growing up” meant I had to grow OUT of the things I really love…so I’m not going to and I hope you don’t either! If you’re searching for that giggle, snort passion…yoga and art are great places to start that conversation with your soul.

Be healthy. Be a G33k. Start a Blog. Color Outside the Lines. Start a convo with your soul. Practice. xo

What’s your why?

What if you could make a time capsule of your life up until this point and someone opened it 100 years from now? What would they find? What would you want them to see? How would you want them to feel?

The idea of a time capsule of my life & yoga practice reminds me that we should always strive to leave a legacy. To touch people’s hearts & make a difference in this world. I think we all have this innate drive to leave something better behind for future generations, to not be forgotten, and to live on in memories. Creating a time capsule is a great way to visualize what you are leaving behind and how you want to be remembered.

If I were to create a time capsule to represent this moment in my life I would put the following in it:

-The Dancing in the Fire E-book

-This photo & others of my sweet family:

-My planner from this past year.

-A flash drive containing all my blog entries

-My favorite CD for yoga classes at the moment – Neil Middleton Sunrise Music

-A letter with my vision statement

-Some Yogi Tea & a bottle of essential oil

-A lock of my bright red hair! I wonder if the dye would last for 100 years? hehe

-Some images, textures, and patterns that I love.

-A pair of glasses

Hopefully the person who opens my time capsule would get a complete view of how I see the world and how I’m working to change it. I would also hope that the person who opens my time capsule would be able to listen to Neil, read my vision statement, and sip on a cup of tea…to have a few moments of peace and find something beautiful out of all this stuff.

If you could create a time capsule, what would you put in it? How will you touch the world?

Write me here in the comments or on the Facebook Page! xo

TGIF G33ks! Today I wanted to talk about Ahimsa and how you, YES YOU, have the power to bring about global change by “becoming ahimsa”. Ahimsa translates to non-harming or nonviolence. Look at the news and you’ll see a myriad of reasons why we need more Ahimsa in our world. There is so much to be angry about and to fear that our society has developed a collective consciousness of violence. I’m afraid we can’t change our world overnight, but you can change how you interact with your world on a daily basis. Below I’ve shared some Take Action steps towards Ahimsa & Some NonAction steps…both are so important to global change.

Action & Nonaction – Four Ways to BE Ahimsa

First, in body we can take action towards peace by consciously being aware of what we eat & how we eat it, how we interact with our neighbors, and even the way we walk…take a walking meditation and some deep breaths…find the peace within you.

Second, in speech we are able to manifest ahimsa by choosing our words wisely and by looking through the glass of understanding. When we try to understand & listen to the person we are speaking with our words take on more meaning and are therefore more peaceful. Dialogue with someone you might not fully agree with can be a great way to practice ahimsa. Pen a letter with the intention of holding Ahimsa and watch what happens.

Third, in mind we are able to further investigate and pursue understanding of “the other”. We can also turn on ahimsa mind when we are having inner dialogue with ourselves. Do you ever beat yourself up or trash your sense of self? Begin the process of moving towards ahimsa by offering yourself some peaceful, gentle thoughts.

And finally NonAction, which can often be more efficient than the action steps with regards to social/global change. The energetics of ahimsa, which doesn’t need any action, will shift the energy of an entire room of people who may not be practicing Ahimsa. We spoke about ahimsa in speech, but sometimes it can be best to say nothing at all. To be still in the moment. Understanding the importance of nonactivity might come more easily to a yoga teacher who understands the importance of savasana, or meditation. Assimilation of knowledge as well as the most profound revelations can come about during silence and nonaction.

We must become ahimsa from within before we can magnify it into the world with action.

This is done through deep reflection on living peacefully in each action and thought in our daily lives. To create harmony and peace within is the first step to manifesting ahimsa and I believe you will find that it is a contagious energy. Practicing conscious breathing, walking meditations, a kinder diet, and mindfulness are great ways to manifest the beautiful ahimsa. I believe that when we become ahimsa as individuals, we can change our relationships, our community, and even our world. Imagine what it might be like if everyone did the inner work towards ahimsa! I’ll end with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, “Love in Action” where he writes,

“We cannot be completely nonviolent, but we are going the direction of nonviolence. If we want to head north we can use the North Star to guide us, but it is impossible to arrive at the North Star. Our effort is only to proceed in that direction.”

Why do we see the word “Surrender” and think in terms of defeat, weakness, loss, submission, giving up, and abandonment?

I see so many people, on the yoga mat and in life, who are holding on for dear life to things that hurt them or cause them to struggle unnecessarily. In yoga there are some students who struggle with the idea of letting go, of surrendering, in any pose. You’ll notice the space between their eyebrows wrinkle as they struggle in relaxation poses or their body fatiguing during asana. I am not condemning these students because at times everyone has difficulty letting go and surrendering, but I think we need to look at the word “Surrender” in a whole new way. What are we really fighting against?

Instead of losing a battle or feeling weak, we should all note that surrendering is an act of restoration, love, acceptance, faith, and empowerment.

To let go of the things that do not serve us, to put down what we clearly don’t need, to stop struggling with our inner control freak…that’s surrender. It’s not always easy, but the alternative is long-term struggle.

I’ve learned so much on the mat about surrender and finding the balance between strength and letting go, but the process is different for everyone. Find some surrender homework below and see where YOU stand with the act of surrender. xo

Take Action:

1. Take out your journal and ask yourself, “What am I afraid will happen if I let go?” if your answer seems to be based on fear ask yourself to assess that statement’s truth…is that honestly what will happen? And finally, “What will happen if I don’t let go over time?”
2. Next time you get on the mat, set an intention to be receptive to your bodies needs. Be receptive to what feels good, but also allow yourself space to relinquish your grip and let go when you need to. Keep Practicing.
3. Practice Forgiveness. The most powerful and potent act of letting go.

Happy Sunday G33ks! I can’t believe the weekend is coming to a close already. Stew has been really sick all weekend so we’ve stayed close to home and tried to get better, fortunately it rained and POURED for most of the weekend so I don’t think either one of us felt bad about it…and rainy days are best for creating love lists anyway:

Links:

This adorable yoga blog – PeaceLoveandYoga

Awesome and SIMPLE recipe that I tried this weekend

Mary Catherine Starr’s Yoga Playlists!
Photos:

Turning the woodstove into an altar space as it’s been to hot to actually “use” it! Candles & incense will do just fine :)

Spring! Beautiful, Glorious Spring!

Sweet Leaf Tea! I just discovered it and I’m super addicted!

Eating Vegan More Often! Who doesn’t love tempeh!?

And of course….Butler Kisses!

This week I’m looking forward to doing the final edits on the Dancing in the Fire: Yoga & Art Ebook, teaching oodles of yoga classes, and attending a Crystal Singing Bowl Workshop on Saturday! It’s going to be an exciting week full of yoga & creativitiy! What are you looking forward to?

Happy Saturday G33ks! Want a fun project for this weekend, that you can probably do right now?! How about making your own makeup remover? I found the most adorable tutorial for this and it just so happens that it’s all natural and GREAT for your skin! Makeup Remover is sooo expensive and this simple DIY can be done using only Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aloe Vera Water (I picked up the Aloe Water at Bare Essentials). Are you sold yet? Try it out and let me know what you think. It’s my new favorite thing! xo

Happy Sunday G33ks! I’m lounging around the house and getting ready to go to a Vegan Cooking Class tonight hosted by my friend Caroline of Elevate Wellness! I’m so excited to try some new foods, take some photos, and learn new recipes! While I’m perusing the internet, I thought I’d share some things I’m loving this Sunday with you! Enjoy :)

This song:

How to make a terrarium in a light bulb

Cabin Porn…love this site!

My Rain Boots! They have served me well this weekend <3

What are you loving this weekend? xo

This week I am still trying to catch up with the time change! A late night over the weekend and then many full days after that have left me feeling a bit sluggish, but I’m coming back! How are you handling the time change?

When I started thinking about “springing forward” I instantly thought of the classic Jump-Through that I see in yoga. When a fellow yogi goes from Downward Dog into a seated position by jumping through her arms with straight legs? WOW! It’s so elegant and graceful, but you know it takes so much core strength and balance to happen! I am including a link to a video from fitsugar that demos how to practice, and someday find yourself accomplishing, the perfect jump-through! And then check out Ashtanga yogi Maria Villella demonstrating her beautiful jump through technique!

I may never jump through with grace like that, but if I can just work on gracefully jumping through the time change I’ll be okay! Namaste loves…are you ready for Spring? I’m seeing it and feeling it all over outside! <3

Hello Yoginis, yoga teachers, and the yoga curious out there! This week I wanted to share a few tips on how to guide your students or yourself into restorative postures and into a place of deep relaxation. I’ve found these suggestions to work famously in my personal practice and in my classes. So here we go…

1. First and foremost…know that you are walking onto your mat with some baggage! Weather it’s tension, a shitty day, aches & pains, an unresolved conflict, nervous energy…I could go on…WHATEVER it is, you have to get drop some of it off before you can truly melt into silence. I’ve been to too many classes that ask students to move into silence COLD and it just doesn’t happen that way. Most of us need to physically, “shake it off” before we can slow down. So, offer some movement and fluidity at the beginning of class to prepare your body for stillness.Physically shake away tension and jitters to calm the mind. It works!

2. Demo how to get in AND how to exit the pose before you take your students there. This one applies to teachers only, but you always want your students to know where they’re going and how they’ll be exiting before you take them there. This relieves stress and the nagging thoughts about how to come out of the pose. Anything that you can do to help your student feel more secure and aware will help them to let go even more.

3. Allow space for silence. It’s easy to guide our students TOO much in restorative yoga sometimes or even to fill the room with music. While guiding your students in and out of the pose is important, silence and stillness might be the most important function of restorative yoga. Let your students and your self bask in it for a few minutes each pose.

4. Finally, apply props! Sandbags, belts, a blanket draped across the body, even an eye pillow….remember that alignment, a feeling of safety, and support help us to relax and go deeper into restorative postures. Read up on different ways to align yourself and prop yourself up in the pose of your choice. Different bodies call for different props. It could be that the simplest adjustment…like an eye pillow to block out extra light…could make all the difference in helping you let go and melt into your restorative pose.

TAKE ACTION:

*Try one or all of these suggestions in your next class or personal practice. Let me know what works best for you & your students!

*Leave a comment here or on Facebook sharing your favorite “melting” tip! We can all use more letting go in our lives today.