Yoga Today- Energy

A quick, fun yoga sequence from Yoga Today.

I LOVE the Yoga Today ladies and LOVE the beautiful settings all their videos are filmed at.

Tara Stiles: Yoga Weight Loss and Balance Workout

I found this video and i LOVE it!! I love Tara Stiles and I love her style of Yoga!

Salt Lake Power Yoga

“Right now, you have everything you need. What you do with it is up to you.”

That’s what my yoga instructor said. Eyes closed, hands pressed to heart center, deep breathing. I DID have everything I needed. And I was going to do great things.

Last night I went to my first class at Salt Lake Power Yoga, a studio that teaches Vinyasa Yoga in the tradition of Baron Baptiste. It was hot yoga, but it wasn’t black-out-every-time-you-stand-up hot like the Bikram class I attended in Ogden.

I fell in love.

I fell in love with the yoga, the heat, the instructor, the studio, everything! First of all the whole studio was gorgeous. I especially loved the practice room itself. I loved the warmth and the way the windows lightly fogged from the heat inside against the cold Salt Lake night. I loved that the studio was up, away, hidden almost. The instructor was named Marc, his voice and accent were both soothing and friendly, and he offered blocks, advice and adjustments wherever they were needed in such a kind way. He had this special light, a personality that made you feel comfortable and safe and more courageous in a way. He explained that the class we were attending was for us. It was an individual practice for each of us in the room and we could do with it what we pleased, he was merely a guide.

Marc talked throughout of fear, and “just doing” things, not over-thinking. He added Buddah’s wisdom when he said, “Everything changes”. If we can just believe in ourselves, and go in knowing that pain and fear are always temporary, we can do anything.

My Salt Lake Power Yoga experience was excellent, and so far, it’s my favorite studio I’ve been to!

Salt Lake Power Yoga

Love this quote. It hits home especially in the deep cold of this Utah winter.

A New Year

First off, here’s a quick picture re-cap of the last part of my winter break.

My first attempt using the awesome cookie cutter I got for Christmas

The finished product!

Click HERE for the great Brownie Roll-Out Cookie recipe I used

Crio Bu, or as Kevin and I call it, “Choffee” and my baby french press! Check out Crio Bru HERE. It’s brewed just like coffee, but made from roasted cocoa beans!

Kevin and I made sushi at home for our Friday Date Night this week!

The Asian Market where we bought some of our sushi ingredients

It turned out really yummy!

On Saturday my family went XC skiing up Green Canyon. It was SOOOO cold!

Frozen hair!

Shooting Kevin’s AR for my first time. So fun!

This week I’ve been busy trying to get everything ready for the new semester to start on monday and everything re-organized after the break. The beginning of the new year is feeling, well, very new. This coming year will be very eventful for me. It’s filled with big choices I will have to make, and big changes I will have to face. As I’ve been looking forward at the year ahead of me, planning, organizing, and preparing myself in what little ways I’m able, my great mother directed me to a woman’s blog that discusses the importance of looking back as well as forward at this time of the turning of the year.

I recommend checking out the wonderful things written on the blog post I read HERE, as well as reflecting on your own past year, your accomplishments and happy experiences. In my own 2012 reflection, I also looked over my failures. The most beautiful lessons I learned this past year were nearly all results of my ugliest failures. Many emotions came as I unearthed memories from the year that I had left behind me. Before reading the blog post I mentioned before, I had never really given thought to the idea letting go of these old emotions and memories, and finding release, letting them become merely lessons learned, groundwork for a new year, and a better me.

Looking back was an amazing growing experience for me. I found insight and happiness while reflecting on this past year. It felt wonderful to gather all the experiences from last year together, piece together the most important lessons I learned and the greatest joys I found, then release them, and find myself no longer carrying the baggage of the old year around with me, but ready to face this new year a stronger person.

My New Years Resolution/ Goal Setting/ Planning Tools. I’ve tried doing my day planning and what not on my laptop or phone, but it just doesn’t work for me. There’s just something about a pencil and some paper that gets to me.

A little New Years cleaning is the perfect compliment to goal setting and organization

“Simplify, simplify, simplify” -Thoreau

The feeling of setting goals, getting organized, and looking back at all the lessons I’ve learned and blessings I’ve received leaves me feeling open and ready for any challenge. It also helps me connect with myself again. As silly as that sounds, I think sometimes we do lose our sense of self as we run around always focused on outside forces and forget where we’re going, what we want, and who we are. I topped of my week of getting myself grounded and ready for the new year with a yoga class at my local gym followed by a short run that left me feeling really balanced, body and soul. It makes me want to do this sort of thing more often! Maybe even monthly!

The adorable yoga bag Kev got me for Christmas! Thank you Kevin!!

P.S. I’ve been taking some of my organization and planning methods from The Fly Lady. I love the ideas she has about making lists (I LOVE lists) and all of her organization ideas, especially her idea of a control journal.

And go HERE for some great organization tips

And HERE for productivity tips

New Beginnings

For me, the new week started with a totally new experience.

BIKRAM YOGA

I’ve been looking at a studio for weeks thinking about going. And this morning I finally did! I was pretty nervous going into it, and really had no idea what to expect. The studio I went to was in the upstairs of a super cool coffee shop and I instantly loved the vibe. It only got better when I got to the front desk and was greeted by one of the nicest ladies ever, who turned out to be the teacher of the class I attended.

The Coffee Shop

When I first walked into the little carpeted room (apparently carpet it the only flooring that is Bikram certified) My good feelings were washed away by the heat.

It was HOT. HOT. HOT.

As soon as I started getting comfortable in the heat, class started and I started sweating. I thought I knew what it meant to sweat before, but I sweat like I didn’t know was humanly possible. I was LITERALLY dripping! At first during some of the standing poses, I got so light-headed I honestly thought I was going to need to leave the room. Luckily, the more time I spent in the room, the more I came to love it.

By the end, the heat helped loosen my muscles, and helped me to focus better than I have in any other yoga class. Coming out of the class I felt so refreshed and powerful. I definitely think I’ll be going back for round two. Just like they say, some like it hot!

After my class Kevin met up with me at the coffee shop below and we spent some time studying for finals. After some lunch and test taking we headed out to the trails for a short run. It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to run with snow under my feet, and Kevin and I probably spent more time skating on ice patches and playing in the snow than running today. We came back from our run still laughing and thoroughly happy. We also were lucky enough to enjoy a gorgeous winter sunset.

Runs like today’s remind me what life is really all about.

Be where you are. Live in the moment. Love to love.

Running into the Sunset

P.S. Last night my family put up our Christmas tree. Here’s a little before and after just for fun.

Before

After