5 Steps to Weight Loss

I received an email from this company, and while I am not endorsing them, I do feel this article has some good information for us to consider... let's take our yoga mindset "off of the mat."

Written by Carly Cummings, President Hyp-Yoga Inc.

1. SLOW DOWN - How hectic has your day been? Frantic - Steady - Frustrating - Long - or Calm? On a Scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) what is your current stress level? Anything above a 3 and your body is not ready to shed any pounds. In order to lose weight your body needs to be convinced by your mind that it is safe. There is no emergency and no need to store fat just in case the world is ending - that's what your body thinks when your life is a constant struggle to survive. Let your body know it's okay, it can use the fat stores it has saved as energy to fuel your everyday activities. In Hyp-Yoga Weight Loss you learn tools to deeply relax the body, shut down stress fighting hormones and free radicals and start losing weight naturally. (Bonus - All of this also reduces the speed of aging on our bodies too!)

2. ENJOY YOUR LIFE - This is the only life you have, and all we really have is this very moment. Since every moment is a gift, we should learn to enjoy it as much as we can. To lose weight and keep it off, we know we need to make exercise a part of our daily life, and that means we must enjoy our exercise. Start making a list right now of activities that you truly enjoy doing and make a plan to do these activities weekly. Enjoying your life also applies to food. Make a list of healthy foods that you enjoy and are accessible to you and start thinking about them often. When you are eating, make sure to eat consciously and savor every bite. This will also allow you to slow down while eating and actually eat less.

3. ORGANIZE - If you are a planner, this is a fun step. If you are not a planner, this is still a necessary step, and doing it with even a little half smile will help. Take a few minutes at the beginning of your week to plan out meals that will reward and encourage your weight loss efforts. Then take a little extra time each morning to plan a daily success strategy. This might mean packing your lunch, eating a good sized breakfast, or putting dinner in the slow cooker. Your foresight will be rewarded not only with healthy meal options, but less stress during your day.

4. ACCEPT A LITTLE HELP...FROM YOURSELF! - You are your own best friend. Your subconscious mind is the part of your brain that controls your autonomic processes such as beating your heart, controlling your metabolism, keeping you breathing, walking and even driving. We also store all of our memories, emotions and learned behaviors here. It makes perfect sense that we would want to put our new healthy eating and exercising activities into this part of your brain where they can more quickly become automatic habits and a part of who we are. "I am an exerciser. I am a healthy eater."

5. EMBRACE THE NEW YOU - You can never go back. A little dramatic, but it's true! The weight loss path is a journey not a destination that ends when the weight is gone. If you go right back to your old habits - anxious living, 4 hours of TV a night, and processed sugar for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner - it will all come back. It's time to embrace the new you! The healthy you. The you, nature intended you to be. It's time to keep breathing deep, enjoying every moment of your life, eating healthy, exercising regularly, organizing your time, and most importantly - keeping up your motivation through the help of your own powerful mind! -em

Walk the Plank

Core: Try these variations on a popular core exercise.

by Debra Orringer, MS

The necessity of working the core still attracts a lot of attention. However, many people remain puzzled as to what the core is. Much more than just the abdominal wall or the back, the core includes all the muscles from the pelvic girdle to the shoulder girdle; it connects the lower body and upper body, providing the foundation for all movement.

For strength, stabilization and support, working the core in its entirety is important. While traditional crunches train the abdominal wall to an extent, we need to open up the exercises to achieve more functionality and stabilization. Having a strong muscle is one thing, but having a strong, functional muscle is another. My favorite way to achieve this is with plank-based exercises.

When you are in a proper plank position—on the toes or knees—the entire body works to stabilize itself. The plank has a very functional aspect, as it focuses more on postural muscles, which are important for balance and spinal support.

Give yourself time to breathe and stretch between each set. Fitness should not be about “no pain no gain,” but about movement with control. Remember, weak or tight muscles can lead to injuries and negative postural realignments. As science continues to grow and develop, so too do methods and approaches to training the body. Physical activity that focuses on strength, stability, power and function is the key to keeping the body young and feeling strong. -em

Isn't Yoga great?

Yoga, "union," is this thing that unites me to you, and you to me. It
brings together people we may not of met, it connects us to our inner
self as we explore our bodies, our thoughts, and our breath, uniting
them into a selflessness moment... a moment worth living for! We
strive to breathe, feel, listen, and let go; to stay in the present
moment. With so many outside distractions, pain and tension in the
body and reasons to become anxious, this can be a very hard and scary
thing to do! We usually want to disassociate ourselves from how we
feel and what's going on - denial! But yoga offers us a safe space to
explore, discover, and become honest. WOW! Isn't yoga great? I bow
to you; in other words, Namaste! -em

Can yoga help make you rich?

By Brent Kessel, MSN Money
Want to be more financially secure? Do yoga. I'm serious. Yoga helps keep us from being run ragged by our emotions. It teaches us to breathe when the going gets tough and reduces our stress and anxiety. And once we've got our emotions under control, we can make smarter decisions about our finances -- and about the rest of our lives. Our cultural norms tell us it's all about the money -- that more money will bring us the freedom to stop worrying and just enjoy life. We are told to spend less, to save more, to find the perfect career or even to think positive thoughts that will create the abundance we want. We set goals, create budgets, put the right insurance in place, write updated wills and estate plans, and invest as told. But these actions, though important, aren't enough because they approach money from the outside in, rather than from the inside out. There is an implicit assumption that something must change "out there" in order to be happier "in here." This is where yoga comes in. Instead of telling us to change our external behaviors, yoga helps us understand what's going on inside us. It helps us gain a better understanding of who we are, why we behave in certain ways when we're stressed or anxious and what the root causes of our suffering are. Studies already tell us that yoga can help sufferers cope with back pain, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, cancer, heart disease and even tuberculosis. This same awareness also can help us tremendously when we apply it to our finances.

Here are four yoga-inspired recommendations to help put your mind over your money matters:
1. Create balance
Whether we hoard, splurge or give it all away, most of us perpetually repeat ineffective patterns of financial behavior simply because we are used to a particular level of anxiety or calm, craving or avoidance and scarcity or abundance. For example, if you've been buying too many things you don't need, cultivate your inner Saver or Guardian to balance your future safety and security with your current desires.
2. Find Your Blind Spots
What do you know about your financial behavior that you'd rather not? Usually, our bad money habits are protecting us from fear or other painful feelings. In yoga, we are taught to become aware of various parts of the body that we previously ignored -- perhaps noting some extra tension we're carrying in our shoulders or abdomen, for instance. With our money habits, when we look honestly at the areas we've been avoiding, we can identify the underlying motivations for our spending, investing or giving -- and transform our bad habits into behaviors that serve our best interests. For instance, perhaps you've had trouble saying no to a friend or family member who repeatedly asks for money. That's your inner Caretaker at work. But such behavior may be masking a fear that your relationship wouldn't be as close if you phased out your financial support.
3. Breathe
Take a minute right now to breathe deeply into your lower abdomen. Don't force yourself to hold your breath or breathe too slowly, but instead relax all tension and let gravity pull the oxygen into the lowest part of your lungs. As you do this, totally relax your stomach muscles and solar plexus. It is virtually impossible to be anxious about money with a relaxed solar plexus and belly. If you use yoga to create real relief during moments of acute financial stress, you can avoid making rash decisions -- for instance, bailing out of a sound investment strategy prematurely. That, in turn, will help you live the financial life you most yearn for in the long term.
4. Focus
In yoga, we learn to concentrate our attention on the present moment. The trick is to do that in life as well, learning to focus on one thing at a time and resisting the mind's tendency to jump and shift. When you eat a meal, chew your food a little longer and try not to talk. When you walk, pay attention to your breathing and notice how your senses respond to the people, the sounds and even the smells you encounter. When you talk with someone, listen deeply -- noticing his or her expression and words -- rather than daydreaming about a new lighting fixture you've been eyeing.

In short, no matter what you're doing, give it your full attention, putting aside for a time all thoughts of what's next on your agenda. When your experience is pleasing to the senses and you give it your full, undivided attention, the joy you experience will be multiplied many times over, without having to spend more money. Full attentive presence enhances pleasure in a way money never can.

Can yoga help make you rich?

By Brent Kessel, MSN Money (www.msn.com)

"Want to be more financially secure? Do yoga. I'm serious. Yoga helps keep us from being run ragged by our emotions. It teaches us to breathe when the going gets tough and reduces our stress and anxiety. And once we've got our emotions under control, we can make smarter decisions about our finances -- and about the rest of our lives. Once you get emotional on any topic, you're probably going to make mistakes. Some of this I've learned from experience. I'm a certified financial planner by day and a yogi by dawn. For 17 years, I've started my mornings at 5:30 with a two-hour practice of the ancient Ashtanga system of yoga postures. As I've gone from the yoga studio to client meetings, I've noticed that conventional financial wisdom doesn't work for the great majority of people.
Our cultural norms tell us it's all about the money -- that more money will bring us the freedom to stop worrying and just enjoy life. We are told to spend less, to save more, to find the perfect career or even to think positive thoughts that will create the abundance we want. We set goals, create budgets, put the right insurance in place, write updated wills and estate plans, and invest as told. But these actions, though important, aren't enough because they approach money from the outside in, rather than from the inside out. There is an implicit assumption that something must change "out there" in order to be happier "in here." Instead of telling us to change our external behaviors, yoga helps us understand what's going on inside us. It helps us gain a better understanding of who we are, why we behave in certain ways when we're stressed or anxious and what the root causes of our suffering are. Studies already tell us that yoga can help sufferers cope with back pain, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, cancer, heart disease and even tuberculosis. This same awareness also can help us tremendously when we apply it to our finances.

Here are four yoga-inspired recommendations to help put your mind over your money matters:

1. Create balance

Whether we hoard, splurge or give it all away, most of us perpetually repeat ineffective patterns of financial behavior simply because we are used to a particular level of anxiety or calm, craving or avoidance and scarcity or abundance. But once you understand what I call your "money makeup" -- read more about that here -- you can learn to emphasize the money archetypesthat have been dormant in your personality. This act of balancing the different ways we can use money is akin to balancing our strength and flexibility in a yoga pose. For example, if you've been buying too many things you don't need, cultivate your inner Saver or Guardian to balance your future safety and security with your current desires.

2. Find your blind spots

What do you know about your financial behavior that you'd rather not? Usually, our bad money habits are protecting us from fear or other painful feelings. In yoga, we are taught to become aware of various parts of the body that we previously ignored -- perhaps noting some extra tension we're carrying in our shoulders or abdomen, for instance. With our money habits, when we look honestly at the areas we've been avoiding, we can identify the underlying motivations for our spending, investing or giving -- and transform our bad habits into behaviors that serve our best interests.
For instance, perhaps you've had trouble saying no to a friend or family member who repeatedly asks for money. That's your inner Caretaker at work. But such behavior may be masking a fear that your relationship wouldn't be as close if you phased out your financial support. By addressing your anxiety head-on, you can also help your friend or family member transition to financial self-sufficiency.

3. Breathe

Take a minute right now to breathe deeply into your lower abdomen. Don't force yourself to hold your breath or breathe too slowly, but instead relax all tension and let gravity pull the oxygen into the lowest part of your lungs. As you do this, totally relax your stomach muscles and solar plexus. It is virtually impossible to be anxious about money with a relaxed solar plexus and belly. If you use yoga to create real relief during moments of acute financial stress, you can avoid making rash decisions -- for instance, bailing out of a sound investment strategy prematurely. That, in turn, will help you live the financial life you most yearn for in the long term.

4. Focus

In yoga, we learn to concentrate our attention on the present moment. The trick is to do that in life as well, learning to focus on one thing at a time and resisting the mind's tendency to jump and shift. When you eat a meal, chew your food a little longer and try not to talk. When you walk, pay attention to your breathing and notice how your senses respond to the people, the sounds and even the smells you encounter. When you talk with someone, listen deeply -- noticing his or her expression and words -- rather than daydreaming about a new lighting fixture you've been eyeing. In short, no matter what you're doing, give it your full attention, putting aside for a time all thoughts of what's next on your agenda. When your experience is pleasing to the senses and you give it your full, undivided attention, the joy you experience will be multiplied many times over, without having to spend more money. Full attentive presence enhances pleasure in a way money never can."


Published June 2, 2008

BYOM

I love Bring Your Own Mat/BYOM!! This year we are back outside, promoting yoga and our healthy lifestyles (I love the curious stares). 2008 kicked off last week at Loose Park with a few willing to venture out into what was actually a pretty chilly morning. But, it was beautiful and we all felt great after our practice. This year we have decided to travel around to various parks in the KC area. If you have a favorite park you would like to see BYOM at, do not hesitate to make your suggestion. Your park may be the next one we visit. Stay tuned - BYOM will be back out in June. -em

How do you live mindfully?

I stumbled upon an awesome quote in a Yoga Journal ad!! Enjoy. Namaste, em

"I cultivate gratitude for the heart's capacity to experience, by listening to the way feelings register in my body during my practice. Particularly in poses where balance and trust are involved. It is in this way that I stay responsive to the constant evolution of my life's path, and to how my experience on this planet can be of service at this exquisite moment in time." -Jenny Sauer-Klein