yoga

"Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim.  

The better your practice, the brighter the flame."

~BKS Iyengar

Over last winter, my sister Mary Evelyn and I, on my Saturday rounds to the library and post office, would venture into a thrift shop in front of the library.  Next door to the thrift shop is a health food store the we had never ventured into at the time.  One Saturday morning last spring, I woke up with my daily journey in mind and knew I was going to pop into the health food store that day mainly to see if they had some almond oil and lavender essential oil.  There was no question in my mind that I wasn't going.  When I arrived I was greeted by a soon-to-be new friend that helped me find what I needed and told me that they had just finished their yoga class in the back of the store.  I was immediately intrigued as I had recently been looking into yoga in the form of videos and library books.  She told me what the class times were and what it took to join them and the next Saturday I showed up.  I enjoyed my first class, but still didn't understand or take hold of what yoga can mean to both my mind and body, but at my second class I was really more in tune and left my jitters at home.  

Our class teacher, Tracy, has a wonderful way of teaching.  We set our positive intention at the beginning of class and work on our breathing throughout the practice, there is light music playing and this being a beginners class it is a pretty even flow of yoga that isn't too hard.  

I have been attending class ever since on Saturday mornings and sometimes Tuesday evenings.  I initially wanted to try yoga to build up my body strength.  I just felt weak physically.  I had no idea the benefits my mind and body both would gain.  During our family trip to Florida, I got up each morning (naturally before everyone else) and headed to the lower deck of the house on the beach and performed my yoga practice of combined poses that I could remember.  I surprised myself when the first day my yoga lasted over thirty minutes.  It felt really good beginning my day in this manner.  I even had one of my nieces join me a few days!  Since then I have not stuck to my daily morning schedule like I had hoped but when I do yoga in the morning it seems to wake me up in a very different way, before and better then any caffeine.  

I have even involved the kids at the day care, teaching them simple poses like cat/cow, down dog, cobra and lion, with the help of a library book or two from the kids section.   They love it as well.

I remember reading a comment from a lady who said "I tried yoga once but was so embarrassed at how not limber my body was, I never went back."  I tell you what... my body, even being a smaller person yet still over forty, was not limber at all.  At times I almost feel disappointed in my body for acting it's age and muscles not letting me do what the others in the class are doing and even feeling "my body will never do that."  But I am learning to be patient with my body and have actually achieved a bit of pride when I reach certain poses the right way.  Heck, when I first started, I was on tip toes in down dog and now my heels touch sometimes.   Also, my body has changed.  I have muscle definition and am trimming and toning.  Shaun noticed that when I got home from vacation more than my Coppertone tan.

I strongly encourage you to try yoga.  If you have and didn't like it, try a different place or teacher or a beginner's class.  If you approach yoga the right way, learn as you go, breath, and be patient with your body, you will find a different you that you probably didn't know was in there and a peace like never before.  

Here are a couple of my favorite links and books.

A good dvd I rented from the library although I'm not real good at following a dvd.

And my favorite youtube gal... Yoga with Adriene

And a couple of silly pics from the dc.

I feel as if I haven't said enough about how yoga has enhanced and been of benefit to my life.  I reckon I could just go on and on about some things.  The quote at the top and this one are from a weekly emailed newsletter from my yoga teacher Tracy.

"Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life."  BKS Iyengar

Namaste

are you a sloucher?

Are you a sloucher?  Not a slacker... a sloucher?  I am for sure.  When I catch myself slouching, which is quite often, I think of the Grandmother in the movie The Parent Trap telling Hayley Mills "Stand up child, don't slouch!  I hope you haven't picked up any bad habits from that camp of yours."  Slouching is a bad habit and not only that but it makes your body less efficient and can damage your spine, muscles and ligaments and can make you tired.  I can be at my computer, sitting on my stool and the day care or just standing there talking and realize that my back is curved in like a C or my midsection is oddly using my right hip to rest on.  All slouching!

I remember sitting in church, some years ago, and noticing this gal at the other end of the pew.  I didn't know her and she was sitting by herself.  She was sitting as straight up as anyone I have ever seen.  Her back wasn't even touching the back of the pew.  I wondered for a minute if she might have had a back brace on that wouldn't let her sit back.  But the whole time, there she sat with this perfect posture.  Of course I tried to sit up straight too.  I am sure I forgot in a very short amount of time and slumped back on the pew. 

Matter of fact, or I may have dreamed this but I seem to recall a gadget or an idea that they should make a buzzer that you attach to your bra that will vibrate when you start to slouch to remind you to stop it.  That's an idea. I would wear it too. I truly feel better and more alert when I stand up straight and am trying to train myself to be aware of myself slipping and make myself sit up better. 

Here are five tips to stop slouching today!

1.  Hold your shoulders back.  This will immediately make you tilt your lower back in straightening you up.

2.  Look up or straight ahead when you walk.  Don't stare at the ground which you really shouldn't do anyway.  Especially when walking in a parking lot where strangers are. 

3.  Hold your chin up!  It curves your upper back inward instead of outward.  No one wants to be a hump back!

4.  Stand erect and pretend to zip a zipper all the way up your midsection while taking a deep breath.

5.  Adjust your chair to a position that helps you sit up straight or get one of those back pillows for lower back support.

Good posture makes you look and feel better.  Not to mention a confidence booster in both your appearance and mind!  Are you a sloucher?  What kind of tricks do you have to remind yourself to stand up straight?

And while you 're at it... tame your tush!  and... Have a jog and a smile!

Summer Feet

It is the dead of summer and I have declared war against my awful, dry, polish chipping, cracked up heel feet!  I sewanee y'all... I had a pedicure a couple of weeks ago and one day later you would have never guessed it.  Not because the gal didn't do a good job.  Believe me, she had her work cut out for her that day!  The truth of the matter is this... I live in the country.  I garden, I work, I play in the dirt.  I also go barefoot a lot.  I chopped out the garden yesterday morning and had mud squeezing up between my toes because it rained on me a little bit.  I do good to keep polish on.  Big change from seven years ago when I was single and treated myself to pedicures on a regular basis. 

Now... I just don't look down.

 

This is real ugly y'all but I remember looking at my Grandmother's heels on her feet, the one who lived in the country, and noticing how dry and cracked her heels were when I was a very small child and thinking... poor thing... I hope my heels never look like that.  They look like they hurt.  And dang it if they don't look just like them!  

 

Until now.  Last night I broke out my Heel Tastic.  I tell you what... that stuff is a miracle.  My heels looked eighty percent better when I rolled out of bed this morning.  Then I sanded on my heels and side of my toe in the shower.  My feet feel much better today.  I will spare you before and after pictures.  Mainly because I didn't take any.. and won't.  But here's what I did use and a picture list of my pedi go-to's.

 

 

You can get the Heel Tastic, the Ped Egg and foot file at Walgreens.  I go to Sally Beauty Supply for my favorite OPI colors and Out The Door lightening-fast-drying top coat.

 

 

 

Homemade Lavender Face Toner

What is face toner you say?  Well, I use it as a skin refresher after I wash my face and take my make up off.  It helps to remove any left over make up that I missed while giving my skin a small dose of vitamin e and a light and wonderful scent.  I also use it before I put on my daily face lotion.

 

I first found face toner while shopping at the Turnip Truck in Nashville.  I had been in the market for a sort of astringent that wouldn't burn, meaning less alcohol, yet also had a nice scent and a refreshing feel.  The brand that I purchased there was Thayers.  I loved it!  When my toner ran out I thought of driving to Nashville or buying some online.  It was then that I checked the ingredients on the bottle and even though I didn't have any aloe vera and can't think of how to make it from my plants in an oil form (yet), I went to Fred's and bought what little ingredients I didn't already have.  I don't recall how much I gave for my lavender oil but I bet it was under six dollars.  The bottle of witch hazel was under two dollars and the vitamin e oil under two dollars.  Plus, once I settled on how much of everything to use, I can make bottle after bottle whenever I run out.  I even made some for the ladies in my family for Christmas this past year.  I mostly made lavender for them but added tea tree for the teenagers that might need a weapon for acne. 

 

Here is the printable recipe for my face toner.  Enjoy!  Let me know how you like it please!

Bottles with tops like these keep you from using too much.

Use a straw for a dropper if you don't have one.

Give er a good shake before each use too.

Use clear contact paper to stick on bottles.

Oh... just noticed I spelled lavender wrong!  Sorry fam!