Makeover for A Journey Into Health

Today I’ve officially launched the new look of my web site, “A Journey Into Health”. While it may not seem like much (and there are still some things to do over in social media land), it marks the convergence of three web sites (and a blog!) into one, which will make things a heck of a lot easier on me!

Note: I’ll no longer be posting here on Blogspot, but will be keeping the new blog and site up to date with wellness news and info. Please visit www.ajourneyintohealth.com for more.

I’ve migrated my popular travel stories, and there are also some new pages there including my story (so far), some things I regularly eat to stay healthy and vibrant, and new pricing & packaging for my various services. I hope you will be a regular visitor, and I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

August Juice Cleanse Diaries

Day 1: Wednesday July 30, 2014

Day 2: Thursday July 31, 2014

Days 3 & 4: Friday August 1 & Saturday August 2, 2014

A Corporate Getaway - How Yoga and Meditation Super Charge Your Team

Note: This is a guest post from Aliza Unterberg. Some of you know I worked in a corporate environment for over 15 years, and that I love to travel! Although I haven't personally visited this place (yet), please consider it (or something like it) if you are in a position to influence your corporation's sponsored health activities. Remember, your employees' health and happiness affects everything they do!

You know that feeling when you come home after a full day of work then instead of doing all of your errands you just want to crash? You are in a constant need of a massage and fatigue just takes over you? Is there too much stress in your life? How do you get rid of these issues?

The short answer is to relax your body, but what does that entail? Many people suggest exercise in the morning in order to get the juices flowing to energize you. But if you’re anything like me, you would rather hit the snooze button and sleep for that extra half an hour before starting your day. Starting to move your body seems scary because committing to a routine of exercises seems daunting. Luckily for you there is a way that you can improve yourself while not having an overbearing workout.

Chances are that you are not the only one at work who feels this way. There must be at least a few colleagues at your place of work who know EXACTLY what you are going through. What you and your colleagues need is a corporate yoga retreat. Not only will it jump start you on becoming healthier but it is a bonding experience that you can share with people like you. In addition, it is much easier to start working out when you have a support group. Whether it is one or 20 people joining you, the fact that others are challenged just like you will motivate you and in turn you will motivate them as well.

A yoga retreat will take you away from work for a few days so you will have the time to really let loose and learn to take care of those issues that link to stress both physically and mentally. At the retreat you will learn key elements in how to control your body and mind, at least as a starter set.

How can yoga help me? I’m glad you asked. By practicing yoga you are creating an environment for your body where you improve your circulation and balance, strengthen and stretch the spine and legs amongst other parts of our body, learning to breathe correctly, and more.

Good circulation is a key ingredient to feeling better. By sitting at a desk all day your blood isn’t getting proper circulation. Similar to sitting on a 12-hour plane ride without moving, your body will become sore and uncomfortable. Yoga offers positions that by doing them even as a beginner will improve circulation to problem areas. Good circulation and balance can ease those back and leg aches from sitting at your desk. Similarly, strengthening the spine and legs are for those hunched in front of their computer screens for hours at a time. Many people don’t realize that by the lack of posture you are seriously damaging your neck and back. Yoga will work on posture and by strengthening these areas you wont feel the need to get that massage after every day of work.

Now I know what you are probably thinking, “I know how to breathe, yoga can’t help me there.” Right?! You are right and you are wrong. True you are a living being and are only like that because of breathing. However, by controlling your breathing you can sufficiently lessen stress and tension as well as improving bodily movements.

When it comes to practicing yoga, similar to other exercises you can start small. Doing a few poses each morning will have an affect on you sooner than you think. From there you grow and strengthen yourself and you’ll find that the more you do physically the better you will feel mentally.

This seems like a lot to take in and it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Yoga is an extraordinary practice with endless benefits. That is why a retreat is a perfect place to start (or to you yogis out there to continue). This experience will immerse you into the beautiful culture of the Zen and give you the proper jumpstart you need to do it on your own at home.

One such place to do this is the Samahita Retreat on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. There you can relax, meditate, and even explore the rest of the island. Koh Samui is a tropical paradise that you must see at least once in your lifetime, so why not for a reason such as your health? Whoever said not to mix business with pleasure, obviously never did yoga.

About Aliza

Aliza Unterberg is a design student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. One
of her biggest passions and guilty pleasures is to travel the world and learn more about it.

"6 Weeks to Relaxation" Coming in July!

Holy cow, it's going to be July soon! Need new relaxation techniques to sooth body, mind, and spirit? Join my "6 weeks to relaxation" series starting July 2. 

Series or drop-in possible; virtual attendance available too!

30 Days to a Happier & Healthier Me

A mocha latte

As some of you know, starting June 15th I'm facilitating a Facebook group called "30 Days to a Happier & Healthier You Practice". In it, each person decides one habit they'd like to practice encouraging, or one habit they'd like to practice softening. I'm specifically calling this a practice (rather than, for example, a "challenge") because although it may be challenging, it's not intended to be something we beat ourselves up over when we're not perfect at it. The idea is that we support each other, and just keep trying.

Of course as the facilitator of such a group, I have many ideas about what I could do for myself and post about. I have to set an example, right? So my first thought was that I could do anything EXCEPT giving up coffee (again). That would just be too challenging.

A little history of me and coffee: back in the day I was never really into it. I used to have one cup (read, 8 oz) in the morning with a powdered milk substitute. I preferred Dunkin over Starbucks. (Yes, really.) And then something happened--especially after I got a job in the city of Boston--I was surrounded with coffee shops. I got hooked on a morning Starbucks, joining in the morning ritual,  feeling all "Sex and the City". Soon I decided visiting the Boston Common Coffee Co was a better, more local alternative. I started drinking americanos and almond milk lattes. When I moved to Austin, the first thing I did was check out all of the coffee shops I could find. My favorite is Monkey Nest Coffee--where you'll often find me working.

When I'm doing a cleanse, I get off coffee pretty easily. I drink a lot of water, and don't have too many symptoms (e.g. headaches). But I miss it terribly. I miss the imagined comradery with other coffee drinkers. I miss greeting the people who make my drink, take my money, and stamp my frequent visitor card. I miss the ritual. Drinking coffee gives me pleasure; pleasure beyond what comes from the energy boost of the caffeine. (Anyone who's ever shared quarters with me knows I'm generally wide awake and perky somewhere between 5-6 am, even without it.)

So I could do anything but give up coffee as part of this practice. Right? Hmm....

Well truth be told, the group of people who have agreed to participate in this 30 day practice have inspired me. They've inspired me to set an example by being REALISTIC, to set myself up for something challenging enough to require practice but to still be ACHIEVABLE. So for the next 30 days, my practice will be to have one SMALL coffee drink no more than 3 times a week.

As part of this practice I will explore:

• what it is about drinking coffee that gives me so much pleasure? 
• how does it "fill me up" emotionally? 
• what am I afraid will happen if I don't drink it? 
• what tools can I use to get through times when I'm really craving it? 
• what needs does drinking coffee fulfill for me? 
• how can I enjoy working in a coffee shop environment without over-drinking coffee? 
• what is it I really desire?

It's my belief that we have difficulty changing habits because we focus on the "giving up" part by trying to use willpower. However, the habit represents something that's important to us, so we need to explore the deeper meaning behind the habit first. What are its benefits (even if we do label it as "unhealthy" or "bad")? How does the habit make us feel better, how does it serve us?

Only when we answer these questions will habits soften and perhaps fall away.

I'm ready to explore. I'm ready to practice. And I promise you, I will not be perfect. :-)

I hope you'll join me. See https://www.facebook.com/groups/1430137057252728/.

Celebrating Life: National Cancer Survivors Day

When Heather Von  St. James asked me to write something to help her spread the word about mesothelioma and it's causes for National Cancer Survivors day, of course I agreed. But what would I say? My only personal experience with mesothelioma was back in 1999, when my boyfriend at the time was told he had cancer. The doctor originally thought it was mesothelioma, so of course I did a few internet searches to see what I could learn.

The most common risk factor for malignant mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a material used by builders and construction workers as insulation before people learned it was carcinogenic (in the late 1970s). What I didn't fully realize before Heather reached out to me and I watched her touching story is that mesothelioma isn't a "disease of the past" because we now know better. And, it has the potential to affect many more than those who had the misfortune of installing or working directly with it.

Here are just a few interesting facts* about how asbestos and mesothelioma continue to impact our lives, even in 2014:

• "Some 30 million pounds of asbestos are still used each year in the United States."
• "The number one cause of occupational cancer in the United States is asbestos...."
• "Asbestos is still mined in several countries throughout the world, including Canada, and is exported to many industrialized and developing countries."
• "Asbestos can still be found in myriad homes, schools, and commercial or industrial buildings."
• "Asbestos was once used in more than 3,000 consumer products, including common household items such as toasters and hair dryers, some of which may still be in use."

*Selected from http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-cancer/asbestos-facts-statistics.htm.

I've never had a cancer diagnosis, so I write this blog with all due respect to my survivor friends and former colleagues. I can't pretend to understand what it's like, how scary it can be. But what I know from my own experience and training about healing the body-mind is that one must cultivate three things:

1. An understanding. Absorbing as much learning as one can about dis-ease, adding an interpretation to it. In other words, gathering not just knowledge, but wisdom.
2. A recognition that one is unique, yet not alone. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, different life experiences that created our bodies and minds. What applies to one person doesn't necessarily apply to all. Yet our individualities fit together to create our whole world--we each have parts to play.
3. A healthy attitude. Here I don't just mean blind optimism or positivity. I mean having an authentic and real love for life, cultivating compassion toward self during trying times, and desiring to be open and to feel in this world, despite the inevitable ups and downs.

When I watched Heather's video (http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.U4c7ZyjLNYo), I realized she exhibited all these qualities. Additionally, she felt inspired to help others understand more about this preventable disease, in the hopes that just one more life might be saved. That is one of her parts to play.

This National Cancer's Survivors Day,  I encourage you to take a few moments to gain some understanding about mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos. (Good sources include http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/, http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/, and Heather's blog.) Recognize that this dis-ease still can affect each and every one of us, because we are a collective here on planet earth. And last but not least, open your heart, do not live in fear, and live your life to its fullest, each and every day!

Upcoming Workshop Announcement!

Mind-Body Nutrition for Busy People:
Explore 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Food & Your Body

When: Sunday, June 8, 2014 1-4 pm

Where: Broadstone Crossing Apartments (Common Room)
12430 Metric Blvd, Austin TX 78758

• Spend too much time & energy on what's wrong with your body?
• Tried everything when it comes to losing weight & keeping it off?
• Know what you should eat, but just can't find the time?
• Challenged by unwanted, emotionally-based eating habits?

. . .Or, just curious about what mind-body nutrition can do for you?


Join Kali Patrick as she leads you through an informative journey into 5 new, practical, & time-saving approaches to help you improve your eating habits, reduce your stress, make peace with your body, and become more of the person you were truly meant to be!

In this interactive workshop, you'll learn:

• The physiological effects of stress on metabolism & calorie burning
• How to naturally modulate your appetite through eating rhythm
• The profound impact of the cephalic phase digestive response
• Ways to overcome toxic beliefs about food & body that limit weight loss potential
• Mind-body techniques for overcoming body image challenges

You'll also receive informative handouts & recommendations for further reading.


Cost: $30 pre-registration*, $40 at the door

Call 617.699.2389 or email info (at) ajourneyintohealth (dot) com to reserve your space.
*Due to the interactive nature of the workshop, space is limited to 12 & pre-registration is recommended.


About Kali Patrick, Mind-body Wellness Consultant at A Journey Into Health:

Kali integrates eating psychology, nutrition, yoga, meditation, Ayurveda & Reiki to help busy people improve their overall health & wellness. Her prior experience working in high-tech corporations taught her not only how to facilitate informative & fun group discussions, but also helped her understand how our fast-paced, stress-based culture makes it easy to develop unwanted eating habits & difficult to make time to care for ourselves, even when we want to.

For more information about Kali, visit www.ajourneyintohealth.com.

"A Journey into Health" Web Site Release!

I'm pleased to announce the official release of my new A Journey into Health web site at http://www.ajourneyintohealth.com. After several weeks of hard work, I now have a dedicated site for my gentle yoga, meditation, and Reiki offerings!

Stay tuned for more updates in the near future, and feel free to shoot me any comments or suggestions. Also, please feel free to forward this along to friends, family, and colleagues who may be interested in these services in the Boston, MA area.

June Meditation Series

Do you want to meditate but find it challenging?

Come join me for a weekly meditation series where we share our experiences, work through our challenges, and practice different meditation techniques. There's one for everyone!

$10 drop in or $50 for the 6 week session, starting June 3, 2013.

The group will meet from 7:30-8:30 pm at a central location in Waltham, MA.

Please send me a note if you'd like to attend!

Assisting others: thinking more critically about when & why we do it

I recently attended a weekend yoga workshop, and felt so grateful to get back into my own yoga practice. I've been teaching like crazy, and as a result, I don't think I've taken a class for myself in months. It was fabulous, and an experience that, with another recent one, got me thinking about when and why we assist others.

First, the yoga class experience. Picture me in a 90-minute hot yoga class, one of those where mats are about an inch apart from each other and sweat is flying everywhere. I'm thrilled to be there but have been suffering mentally / emotionally and physically, literally getting 3 hours of sleep the night before, and going through a lot of personal "stuff".

I'm in down dog, playing with the posture the way I've been trained (in the Kripalu style). In this particular moment, I had my palms slightly turned out to be able to breathe more comfortably into the posture and take care of my wrists and shoulders. One of the instructors at the studio that was hosting the workshop came over to me, repositioned both my palms to face forward, and pressed my hands down. I looked up at her and said, "actually that variation feels better for me", and (perhaps stubbornly) put my hands back where I originally had them.

Now when I was trained, I loved assisting. And, I hardly do it in my classes, because there's a part of me that always feels like it's an invasion of the students' personal experience. (Of course, if something is a potential health risk, I give verbal cues to get them to realign.) This instructor just appeared (vs. approached me slowly to let me know she was coming in), didn't ask if she could help, etc. So OK, that's one thing, the initial assist.

However, what I experienced after that made more of an impact on me. I found myself distracted by her walking around the room, watching to see who she assisted, feeling slightly worried that she was going to come up to me and adjust me in a position that would have been more detrimental (e.g. the time she pressed down near someone's ankle/foot in Warrior II, which for me would have been awful as I'm recovering from an Achilles injury, or the time she touched a woman in a tentative balancing posture).  I also noticed her touching the shoulders of a woman who was taking a break, sitting simply in Vajrasana, which made me wonder what her motivations for assisting where. Was she simply doing it to feel like she was doing something? Obviously I don't know for sure. And, as a yoga instructor not teaching the workshop, it's easy to see how she might feel that she needed to play a role.

Second, a friend recently posted an article to Facebook called "Please don't help my kids". Knowing nothing about raising kids, I decided to comment on his sharing of the article, noting: "As someone who probably knows less than you and is/has been stubbornly independent, I can't help but think there's a balance to be found in there too: i.e. learning when to ask for help, and being able to accept it when it's offered."

It was one of those posts that after I commented, I realized I had no business doing, and given the responses, totally regretted that decision. But why did I feel the need to comment? Because I felt had a different point of view to contribute: as a child who was raised without much nurturing assistance, knowing as an adult how that has hurt me in my relationships.

What I was trying to communicate (perhaps poorly) is that as in all things, there's probably a right "balance point". When and why we choose to assist others is something we need to think about, beyond the initial "helping" experience. Because, it's quite possible (and likely), that our assistance can leave lasting impressions.

Chanting Your Way to Joy

My First Kirtan Experience
My first kirtan happened over 12 years ago, probably among one of the first couple of times I visited the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Back then, they had a long weekend program that included elements of yoga and Buddhist practices, both of which I was starting to explore. If memory serves, most of the four days involved an hour of yoga, an hour of seated meditation, a meal. Rinse and repeat, multiple times a day. In the evenings (before we practiced loving silence) there would be a special event of some sort, such as a lecture or group discussion. One evening, there was something called a kirtan.

I had no issues with the silence. I was shy and loved not having to worry about "making friends." Although I was getting better at meditating for an hour at a time and tolerating the caffeine-withdrawal headaches that thumped my skull against my head to the point I feared others could see it, I anticipated these evening events; they were somehow more engaging than what was going on in my thoughts or in my body. Even though I'd been forced into music by my parents as a child, I welcomed listening to music as a distraction to all this, and was curious about the strange instruments, such as the harmonium, which I saw before me on the makeshift stage.

Looking back, I realize now that while I did yoga (asanas) to strengthen and stretch my body, and meditated to focus my mind, kirtan was the third point on the triangle--the one that got at my emotions and caused me to question who I really was. I enjoyed the music, and sang along though I had no idea whether I was saying the words correctly and had no idea what they meant. But what stood out to me, which I still remember, was the spontaneous dancing. Sure, my foot was tapping, and I may have even clapped a bit. But every now and then, someone would stand up, move to the outside of the room (maybe), and dance freely, in whatever way the music moved them. It was as if the song animated their bodies from the inside, and they were oblivious to things like, say...how they might look to other people. As someone who had always enjoyed dancing, I was envious, but completely self conscious. What would people think of me if I got up and started moving in "weird" ways? I had only ever done ballet--where I was shown the steps and like most other things in my childhood, told many times when I got them less than perfect. I just couldn't do it.

That was when I saw her. A woman had stood up from her back jack and pink square cushion, and started dancing in place. She had long gray hair (which may have been in braids, breaking multiple other "rules" that I had learned about women and aging). As I watched her, my thoughts began to shift. I felt admiration toward this strange woman. In that moment I asked myself, "how do I want to live my life?" "Do I want to be the kind of person who cares so much about what others think of me that I won't do something my body is aching to do, something I know I will thoroughly enjoy?" After a few more moments, I got up and let loose.

I still don't always pronounce the words right. I still don't know what many of them mean. And I've never lasted long in a chair or cushion at a kirtan since. I'll say "thank you" to that woman, whoever you are. That night, you were my guru (teacher).

Benefits of Kirtan as a Spiritual Practice
I attended Krishna Das' "Heart of Devotion" workshop, where we chanted and he talked about how kirtan was his primary spiritual practice. He told us he chanted because he HAD to, describing it in a way that sounded as though his very life depended on it. Given that I've been going through my own personal hell recently, I could relate.

So what makes kirtan such a powerful antidote to people's "dark places in the heart", as Krishna Das describes? What is it about chanting that an help us find the happiness that resides within?

For starters, it can be an alternative for those who have trouble meditating while sitting still, in silence, or who fear yoga as something that requires twisting their bodies into pretzels. Focusing just on the sounds from the instruments and people singing has a way of drowning out unwanted and automatic negative thought patterns.

Additionally, some believe that the very practice of sounding (of which vocalizing the Sanskrit language is one possibility), has healing properties--correct pronunciation is helpful, but an open heart is more important in order to receive the benefits, which include inner peace and a sense of joy.

And then there's the sense of community and belonging that attending a kirtan with friends (and even strangers) can help one feel again. In an age where communication happens primarily via technological devices and where in many cases, regular "church going" has fallen by the wayside because of the unpopularity of religious dogma, it's just NICE to sit in a room with other kind, compassionate human beings and sing. Plus, there are now some scientific studies in contemplative neuroscience that help explain why rituals like kirtan can create a kind of "buzz".

Is Kirtan for Me?
If you're interested in learning more about kirtan, the best advice I can give you is to just jump in. Listen to music online, buy a CD for your car (in my opinion, kirtan is fantastic for helping one handle traffic jams!), or find a meetup near you. For those in the Boston area who are up for an experience, check out the Boston Yoga and Chant Fest coming up in a few weeks! It's sure to be a memorable experience.

Princesses, Queens, and Life's Evolving Questions

Today is my birthday.

When I was about to turn 30, several people asked me how I felt about this milestone day. And I remember feeling completely at peace and content about it. There were no concerns, no worries about getting older. In fact, I felt empowered moving out of my 20s. I had a stable job. I owned my own condo. I had friends and fun dances to go to several nights a week. If I stayed home, it was because I wanted to, not because I had no one to hang out with. For the first time in my life, I acknowledged that I could be happy without having to be in a relationship. And, I started to understand that if I happened to be in one, I still had some control and choice about things would go.

But now that I'm inching closer to the next big milestone, I find myself asking deeper, more challenging questions. Things like:

• What is my contribution to the world? What is my true calling?
• Have I really let go of all that doesn't serve me? How do I dissolve fear?
• How can I be of more service to others? How can I inspire other people?
• Is it possible to fully feel desire, yet live a life of healthy moderation?
• Does risk taking necessitate giving up all semblance of stability?
• How can I experience life more fully? How can I die free of regrets?

In addition to tooling around the city and checking out one too many vegan and gluten free restaurants, I went to New York this weekend to attend a workshop offered by Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. The workshop was fantastic and contained more valuable pieces of information than I could share here, but I think one facet is particularly relevant. Marc shared with a rapt audience two archetypes of female energy: the princess and the queen.

He described a princess as a woman between 0-30 years old who is young, and thus largely unknown to herself. She is in need of validation and protection from outside. She's susceptible to "spells", or influences from others' opinions and suggestions. Her own negative thought patterns and beliefs can put her to "sleep", or cause her to suppress her feminine energy for the sake of being accepted and loved by others. Meanwhile, a queen is a woman who's 50 or older, who is powerful, wise, self-assured, regal. She knows what she wants. She can take care of herself, yet knows when and how to let others help her. She serves and is served. She is equal parts stability and vulnerability. Women between the ages of 30-40 are considered "late princess", and those 40-50 are "queens in training."

One interesting thing about these archetypes is the high value our society puts on princesses, and how it tends to devalue queens. Being young and skinny is something most women these days strive for, especially as they start to age. Instead of thinking about how to move gracefully into queen territory, some women attempt to retain their princess-like position with extreme dieting, exercise, potions and creams, or in more extreme cases, surgeries. If they have daughters, they may compete with them in princess territory, rather than focus on setting a good example of what it is to be a queen. Instead of surrendering to the uncertain, chaotic flow of life and nature that characterizes our inherent feminine energy, we can get caught up in the masculine energies of goal setting, striving, and competition in an attempt to hang onto our youth. We may keep "doing" things to fight against and control nature, instead of "being" in our queenly bodies with Mona Lisa-like smiles of deep wisdom on our faces.

Since I'm in the "late princess" category, I'm now thinking more about this. Are the deeper questions I'm asking the beginnings of my transition from princess to queen? Can those of us in such transitions resist society's influences and companies' marketing efforts to re-claim some lost queenly value, so future generations of women can have more quality role models? Can part of my contribution to the world be done by embracing my female energy more fully? Would doing so have other affects on my historically masculine-energized way of living?

Women, what do you think? Are you a princess or a queen? Is the energy you encourage and own more feminine or masculine? What does the world need more of? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy days to you all,
Jen

Yogi at a Dance Convention

After not having set foot on a West Coast Swing dance floor for about 3 months, this past weekend I attended Boston Dance Challenge. I started doing this dance 10 years ago because I had a lot of spare time after getting my Master's degree, and I loved how it made me feel physically and emotionally. Many studies have shown that dancing is good for your health, but I can also attribute dancing to making me more social and outgoing; like yoga, I believe it has played a large part in changing the deepest "me".

Part of the reason I haven't been dancing lately has been because I had felt like it was always a choice to go dance or pursue my yogic practices. There seemed to be too many things at odds with one another in each of these passions. For Ayurveda and yoga, I get up early, I eat light and clean, I practice mindfulness and compassion. For dancing, I stay up until Ayurveda would have me wake, food and alcoholic drinks are a prevalent and constant temptation, not to mention all the competition, ego, judgement, and cliques that are the norm. 

But since yoga is really about a way of living in the world (99% of which happens off the mat), I decided to use this weekend as a test: could I be a yogi while participating in the hobby I used to enjoy so much? Here's some highlights of how it went.

Friday Evening

• 8:30 pm: I arrive at the hotel, pleased as punch that I have two, like-minded and considerate roommates with whom to share the weekend. Space in the room is respectfully shared from the moment I arrive. I feel content, and set an intention to have fun this weekend.
• 9:30 pm: While watching the first competition, I catch myself judging other dancers, trying to select who's in first, second, or third place, and making comments to nearby friends / observers about outfits and dancing (good and not so good). I vow to just sit and enjoy watching others express themselves while doing something that gives them pleasure. 
• 10 pm: I remember how to spot while social dancing (there's no spinning in yoga!). My former dance partner (a vegan neuro-muscular massage therapist who's tickled at my yogic transformation) asks me, "are you the same person?" I smile confidently as I reply, "No, I'm not." Friends encourage me to compete tomorrow, and I know I need to make a decision by the morning.
• 11 pm: Having gotten up at 5am, I feel jet-lagged. I decide I've had a long day, and turn in. (Something unheard of at a dance event.)

Saturday

• 6:15 am: After initially waking at 4 am, I'm fine with this. I get up and do some yoga, meditate, and decide to compete.
• 9 am: I start to second guess my decision to compete, thinking it won't be worth the hit to my self esteem. I observe this indecisiveness as a pattern as of late, realize it's not good for me, and choose to just own the decision I made instead of doubting it. I feel better.
• 12 pm: I am proud of myself for maintaining phase 3 of my Buddha cleanse, eating the lunch I brought with me.
• 1 pm: I have the pleasure of attending a workshop with Arjay Centeno & Jennifer DeLuca, who surprise and inspire me by talking all about how important the breath is while dancing because it calms the body and enables communication with your partner. They have us breathe deeply in, pause slightly at the top, and exhale through our movements. I'm so excited and grateful I almost can't contain myself. 
• 3:15 pm: I spend the next several hours trying to find my full yogic breath while social dancing in between comps. Initially it's distracting, and I can't do that and keep my steps. But after a short time, I start to find it to be seriously grounding. Just what I need. I do feel as though my breath can breathe life into my dance!
• 4:30 pm: My roommate and I rush to get ready for comps. We'd been chatting about this amazing rhythmic yoga flow and completely lost track of time. I have 3 really fun dances, where I breathe and feel comfortable in my body while on the competition floor. (Competing without freaking out has been an issue for me for as long as I've been doing these events.)
• 5 pm: Some friends get called back for Novice semis. I quickly run to the restroom so I can be back in time to watch them dance. When I emerge from the stall, I see a wall of urinals and a close friend says, "Jen, you in the right place?" I panic and run out, amazed at how un-mindful I'd been. I continue this pattern by nearly sitting on a guy's lap when I get back into the ballroom because he'd taken my chair. My friends think all this is hysterical. 
• 6:15 pm: A pro tells me and  a friend / fellow competitor that we looked good on the floor. I start to have hopes of making finals.
• 7 pm: I realize once 5 of us arrive at the Green Land Cafe for dinner that I've screwed up the reservation and we don't have one. My friends are so kind (reminding me also of my earlier restroom mishap) and the restaurant is accommodating. I breathe with the discomfort of not being perfect, and try to accept that that's really OK.  My friends love me anyway.
• 8 pm: I find out I'm only one of three other girls cut completely from the finals list. Part of me says, "of course, you haven't danced in 3 months, what do you expect?" Another part is sad and disappointed. Yet another is thrilled for my roommate, who did make the cut. Behind it all, my true Self is amazed I'm actually remembering my yoga training and starting to allow myself to feel each layer of my emotions.
• 9 pm: I'm really tired. One of my roommates talks me out of breaking my Buddha cleanse with a coffee. I decide to do Viparita Karani instead, but never end up actually doing it.
• 9:30 - 11 pm: I do battle with my "itty bitty shitty committee". My roommate tells me to dance with this advanced guy--I do, and while it was fine, I still feel like it was a "pity dance". When she wants to teach yoga with me at dance events, I wonder why. I want to eat something I shouldn't. I doubt my ability to be a good dancer, a good yoga teacher, to maintain a healthy body. I see a woman who I've had issues with in the past and this riles me up. I reluctantly dance with the beginner who keeps asking me, and wonder why on earth he's so persistent. Then suddenly I remember my intention for the weekend: FUN!
• 11 pm: I'm exhausted again, but vow not to cave in and go to bed. Who knows when I'll be out dancing again, and darn it, I'm going to have fun!
• 11:30 pm: I complain to a friend about the dude who's selling dance shoes, because he's been saying wacky things to me about buying something every time I pass his tables. Soon after I feel like maybe I could be more light-hearted about it.  
• 12:30 am: I have good dances with old friends and new partners. I get a second wind. I focus on having a good time. I marvel at how applicable my Kripalu yoga training is: emotions really are just waves one has to ride; the amount of time between them just varies, as does their magnitude.
• 2:30 am: I kindly explain to the beginner who has been asking me to dance repeatedly that I'm really flattered but there are a lot of people I haven't seen in awhile who I'd like to dance with. He takes it well, and I don't feel like I've been a dance snob.
• 3:30 am: I'm tickled when a pro I like starts running around the social floor with a child-like grin on his face, cutting in on random couples and stealing followers for a few passes. They must be tickled too!
• 4 am: I haven't been on the floor in about 45 minutes, and so I decide to call it a night. A respectable time for a dance event. I feel proud of myself.

Sunday

• 9 am: I wake after having had less than 5 hours of sleep, which I know is less than what my body needs. I see one of my roommates on her yoga mat, and get down on the floor myself. I hear her Ujjayi breathing and start my own short flow, listening to what my body needs me to pay attention to after all that dancing. I smile when I glance up and see we are in similar postures I feel very connected to her.
• 10 am: Rather than getting anxious about having to leave the hotel room by the 11 am checkout time, the three of us work together perfectly to all get showers and pack up in time. I'm feeling even more grateful that these lovely people are in my life.
• 11 am: After taking half my suitcase outside, I'm too enamored by the beautiful sunny day to spend it sitting or dancing in the ballroom. After checking with my roommate that she'd be OK with me missing her dance this afternoon, I say some other goodbyes. One couple tells me I should have taught a morning yoga class, and that they were not willing to go to the gym but would have done yoga; I agree and hope to offer something next year.
• 3:30 pm: I write this blog, and feel like yes, I could do another dance event, AND balance it with keeping true to my yoga practices. In fact, as with anything else in life, YOGA JUST HELPS.
• 7 pm: I find out my roommate placed 5th, and a dear friend came in 1st place. I text them both back with a big smile on my face, sending them my love as part of celebrating their success.

 

A New Way of Being

At the nearly 12-hour Baron Baptiste Immersion I attended with a friend (and her friend) yesterday, I spent the day in meditation, asana (physical yoga postures), and inquiry. Here I'll share one of Baron's inquiry techniques, and a few revelations I had about myself while working with it.

Sheila, Baron Baptiste, Jen, Sarah

The Inquiry & The Discovery
In the afternoon session, Baron asked us two questions:

1. What would my future look like (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) if I did nothing different from what I'm doing now?
2. What's missing from my life right now that I could bring in, which would make a huge difference in empowering me and bringing me new energy?

Here's how I answered these questions:

1. Best case, nothing changes, or my life further contracts. All my striving, trying, and doing continues to add to my stress level.
2. Lightness, joy, spontaneity, connection / contact, peace, courage, surrender / release, vulnerability, softness, openness.

Baron suggested we make a request to the Universe, and with radical faith take committed action toward making something that's missing into our new practice, both on and off the yoga mat. He talked about "presence-ing" this as our new way of being, and made us say it aloud as an affirmation--both during the inquiry and throughout subsequent asana practice. My affirmation is: "My new way of being is open" (vs. scripted and regimented to the point of strain and struggle).

He also suggested that the how was by simply "being a yes" (one of the three themes of Baptiste's training). "Being a yes" means discovering what's important to you, and then committing to making choices that align with that--i.e. observing yourself, saying "yes" to the thoughts and actions that support your "true North alignment, and "no" to the things that don't.

Fresh, Open Space: in Handstand!?
Over the years, I've been in several supportive yoga studio environments where people have encouraged me to try handstand. I never trusted another human being (or myself) enough to do it.

But that all changed yesterday, as opened to the courage I needed to face my fear, to the loving support of Sheila and Sarah, and to the possibility that I might actually be able to do handstand. Throughout the day, I must have done about 10 supported handstands! Not only did I enjoy it, but I felt empowered, and so proud of myself for such creating space and openness in my body and mind.

Now, It's Your Turn
How would you answer the two questions Baron posed? How might being more open in your life, right now, benefit you? I'd love to hear from you about your journey.

Baron Baptiste Immersion

It's only two days until I attend the all day immersion with Baron Baptiste at the Weston Boston Waterfront hotel. I've no idea what to expect, and am getting just a wee bit nervous about them telling us to bring 2-3 changes of clothes for sweaty practice (only because it's from 9 am until 8 pm)! I hope to see some of you there, and I will be sure to write about the experience on Sunday. For more information and to register, check out http://www.baronbaptiste.com/events/event/all-day-immersion-with-baron-baptiste/.

And, if you miss him on Saturday, he'll be at the Yogathon on Sunday! (I decided not to be crazy enough to do both days. :-)

While I'm Away, Please Give Me Your Feedback...

Many of you know that I'm going to be away for the next couple weeks, doing part 1 of my 200-hour Kripalu yoga teacher training certification. As you can imagine, I'm very excited and curious about what this experience will bring!

While I'm gone, I'm going to take a break from writing blog posts. But in the meantime, I would really appreciate it if you, my readers, would let me know:

• Which posts you have enjoyed the most (and why)?
• Which posts you could have done without?
• What health and wellness topics you'd like to hear more about?

Comments on the blog or personal emails are both fine!

Enjoy your weeks, and namaste,
Jen

Health & Wellness Show 2012

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm registered to attend the Health and Wellness Show 2012, which will be taking place on Sunday, April 1 at the Sheraton Needham hotel from 10am - 3 pm. Registration is free at their web site.

Looks like they'll have "free screenings, and over 45 local health and wellness professionals to help [us] learn about the latest health and wellness products and service."

Hope to see you there!

Ayurveda and weight loss: my latest excursion to Kripalu

Last weekend I attended a program called "Ayurveda and Weight Loss" at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. It was taught by Dr. John Douillard, author of The 3-Season Diet: Eat the Way Nature Intended: Lose Weight, Beat Food Cravings, and Get Fit. It was a fascinating program, one of the best I've been to at Kripalu since I started going there in the late 1990s. There's lots to share, but I'll try to focus on the weekend's highlights. 

Program Overview
First off, Dr. Douillard was a great presenter: engaging, funny, and informative. He shared both sides of an argument and its research before offering his recommendation. He also took a lot of time to answer questions from the audience. Everything he said resonated with me and at the same time kind of blew my mind--I guess that's what happens when in hindsight, real solutions seem so simple and obvious.

Dr. Douillard defined Ayurveda, on which his book is based, as "the science of living life in harmony with nature". Our lifestyles often work against nature, resulting in experiences of physical and mental highs and lows. As these accumulate over time, we become exhausted and the body breaks down. Working with nature makes life a heck of a lot easier, so at a high level, it's what all we want to do!

Program Takeaways
At a high level, Dr. Douillard's message is that:

• We've trained ourselves to stop being good fat burners, and need to restore that capability. Rather than avoiding foods, the majority of us should be able to digest anything as if we were 18 years old. Better digestion means we feel sustained with less food, which ultimately leads to a healthy and maintainable weight.
  
• We should eat three meals, making lunch the largest and longest meal so that it aligns with the circadian rhythm of the day. Snacking conditions your body to crave food every 2-3 hours, to burn the snack rather than fat from the previous meal, and negatively impacts sleep because you're suddenly asking your body to fast for 8 hours.
  
• There are no bad foods. Some are just better than others, based on your individual body constitution and the seasons. Look to the harvests of each season, because they are designed to balance and maintain the health of your body. (Use this quiz on Dr. Douillard's web site to find your body type, and check out which foods are best for Winter.)
• Stress has a significant impact on how well the body's organs function, and when digestion is affected, weight is too.  It's important to engage the parasympathetic nervous system throughout the day by eating meals mindfully, really taking time to relax, and by leveraging close-mouthed, deep breathing techniques even during exercise.
• Staying hydrated throughout the day is vital. Drinking 1-2 full glasses of water all at once, before you eat or whenever you have a craving can work wonders. 

Throughout the weekend, Dr. Douillard complimented information like this with highly accessible explanations of the physiological and emotional workings of the human body. Understanding the deeper rationale behind these recommendations is what really sold it for me. If you want to learn more, check out his web site.

Some Personal Experiences
This past week I've been going with nature, and I can tell you that personally, I have experienced it to be easier. I initially felt defensive and fearful about giving up my snacks, since I've managed my hypoglycemia that way for years. But after eating mostly the "best" foods off Dr. John's Winter grocery list, I've started to learn just how much is in my mind versus truly in my body. I've re-tried and liked foods I thought I didn't, and I love having a little dessert with lunch because that means no 3-4 pm chocolate or carb cravings. I'm starting to feel less hungry for breakfast and dinner, and my mind feels more calm and peaceful. What's more, I'm having to grocery shop less, and what I buy is always the best quality because it's naturally in season.

I'm going to continue exploring all of this, since it just makes sense to me. I welcome techniques into my life that make living simpler, enabling me to just be.

What I loved about Be Healthy Boston

I spent this weekend at the first ever Be Healthy Boston conference, which was held in the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel. Brett Blumenthal, the President and CEO of Be Healthy, Inc., described her event as an affordable and experiential "urban wellness retreat", intended to introduce attendees to a wide range of new information and tools that would support us on our individual paths to health and wellness.

I'm thrilled to say that Brett really hit the mark with this one! Below are just a few things I loved about the weekend.

The People
Each morning the strong and beautiful Leslie Salmon Jones led a high energy stretch that had me shedding my hoodie in even the coldest spaces of the hotel. Terri Trespicio's no-nonsense style made for a powerful keynote, where she validated and acknowledged the doubt we can sometimes feel when trying to live healthy in today's culture, seemingly swimming upstream much like those who choose to be single in today's expectantly-coupled society. She took issue with the idea of being healthy as "being selfish," stating that everyone in our lives stands to gain from the unique, healthy lifestyles we are all capable of crafting. Candy O'Terry kept her lunch-time audience riveted with her powerful story and enchanted us with interludes of beautiful song. All that, plus Margaret Moore leveraged her roots in biology to give us all some great tips about organizing our frenetic minds.

Of course, it wasn't just about the speakers. From the moment Donna shared her experience of losing 150 lbs, quitting smoking, and curing herself of diabetes through diet and exercise, the attendees contributed a lot. Throughout the day I met a lot of wonderful, like-minded people, such as attorney-turned-Zumba instructor Judy, who told me about her studio and how wonderful it was to be helping people become healthier. Later I sat with needles in my ears alongside Elizabeth, a young girl with cold hands like mine who was taking care of herself by experiencing the whole event while staying at the hotel. I chatted a lot with Adam, the dude who checks me in for classes at Inner Strength Yoga Studio, who was excited to be teaching his first class later that day and is six years past touching a cigarette. I shared information from the different sessions and ran out for Starbucks tea with Dominique, a wellness / fitness coach and personal trainer, and finally felt like someone shared my deep interest in these topics. Over lunch I helped the oh-so-grateful Connie set up her iPhone to work with her Google calendar, and heard more about her studies in the Integrative Nutrition program.

Every single person I met at Be Healthy Boston was willing to talk and listen, and made me feel supported in my own personal journey into better health and wellness.  

The Information
Breakout sessions throughout each day provided a wealth of information on many interesting health-related topics. And with three choices in each time slot, I'm sure there was something for everyone. Lauren Mackler was an engaging speaker who reminded me of the internal family systems model, and how a systematic look at our core, limiting beliefs is what needs to happen for us to take action and live more deliberately. Husband and wife team Russell and Stacy Kennedy shared some amazing statistics about how food production has shifted since the 1970s, how our brain experiences hunger, and how we can use this knowledge to make healthy eating a part of our every day lives. Panels of experts facilitated by Terri and Brett helped attendees separate health from hype, and gave us tips for staying pain and injury free as we age. In the session on mastering stress I relearned the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing, and got to see firsthand how my daily meditation affects my heart rate and supports optimal oxygen intake--being connected to a biofeedback machine validated how I intuitively felt about the benefits of my practice (and it was so cool!).

I wish I could have attended each and every one of the sessions.

The Samples
The first morning I was overwhelmed with the size and contents of our reusable "goodie bag", which included tons of free samples from vendors like CamelBak and many interesting brochures. At the MarketPlace, there were enough healthy food and beverage samples available to keep us all well fed and hydrated (even without the wonderful catered lunches). I had the most amazing organic carrot cupcake from Local Pickins, sampled all the different flavors of Joos, and got to try juice, soup, and ice cream made in a Vitamix blender. But my favorite was definitely the Budibar--every flavor was tasty, and I couldn't resist making these my first purchase of the weekend.

And the samples weren't just limited to food and drink. Over the course of the weekend I was able to experiment with several different types of fitness, some of which I had tried before, and others I'd been curious about. HealthWorks taught a lot of great mini-classes, including Zumba, Core Express, and Yoga Beats. After being away from it for 10 years, I got to re-familiarize myself with Gyrotonics under the wonderful eye of Peter Breen from Charles River Gyrotonic. I tried using a kettlebell, and although I didn't click with the instructors on that one, I definitely want to investigate it more. My final mini-class, offered by the Bar Method Boston, took me back to my childhood ballet classes and reminded me just how intense and effective small, controlled motions could be!

The professionals at Dana Farber's Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies allowed me to safely re-experience acupuncture, and get a glimpse of what Reiki is all about. I enjoyed Dr. Kimberly Deramo's panel responses so much that I visited her at the Wellesley Sports Medicine table, and purchased her prescribed vitamin cocktail that will allow me to toss most of my individual pills (which I hate swallowing) and get almost all of my most essential vitamins from a tasty powder dissolved in a small glass of water (including a multivitamin, which I typically can't take at all because they make me nauseous). I also have enough samples of Omega-3s from Nordic Naturals that I may not have to buy any for months.

I wish I could have done some of the mini spa treatments, but alas, there were only so many hours in the days!

The Atmosphere
Lastly, I have to say that as far as conferences go, Be Healthy Boston had a great schedule. There was a lot to do, but the sessions ran on time and offered a nice balance between break out sessions and independent time to visit the MarketPlace. There was ample time between sessions for asking speakers follow up questions, taking restroom breaks, socializing, or running to Starbucks for a warm beverage. "Musical transitions" in the hallways, performed by students from Berklee College of Music and folks from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, were also a very nice touch.


My journal is full of new ideas, my desk is overflowing with information to look into more closely, and Leslie's Core Power DVD is waiting for me in my workout room upstairs. Tomorrow I start integrating more healthy practices into my life, and I'm excited to see how my personal journey is impacted by this experience. I'm extremely grateful to Brett for organizing such a fabulous event, and also to Roman Szpond at Inner Strength Yoga Studio for having a fantastic studio that I love frequenting, for participating in Be Healthy Boston, and for posting the flyer that made me register in the first place.

I will definitely be there next year, and hope some of you will consider joining me.

Earthsong Yoga Open House

Today I had the pleasure of attending an open house at Earthsong Yoga. A friend of mine told me about it months ago, and I was eager to attend because of all the Kripalu-style yoga in the schedule. (For those of you who don't know, I'll be doing the 200-hour teacher training program at Kripalu in April and June.)

I had no real expectations for what a free yoga open house would be, and I had a nice experience visiting this studio. The 30-minute mini class schedule started with Gentle Kripalu taught by Lynn, followed by Ashtanga with Gail (Earthsong's director), Hatha with Paul, Moderate Kripalu with Mary, and ended with Vigorous Ujjayi Kripalu Flow with Jeff. Each managed the atypical time constraint with grace, giving attendees a nice sampling of the different styles. (In fact, I'm now motivated to do some Ashtanga tomorrow!) Each instructor infused their mini class with their unique personalities--my favorite example was Jeff's closing of the day with a Shavasana set to the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, because the flitting of the guitar reminds him of how thoughts typically flit around in one's mind. Gail's husband Steve (from BodyFit) was also on site, offering chair massages. They also offered healthy snacks of fruit, veggies, nuts, carrot and vegan chocolate cake (both of which were amazing!) for nibbling in between classes.

Although on Main Street on the second floor, the studio had ample (free) street parking right out in front. What's more, Gail and Steve clearly put a lot of work into creating a welcoming yoga space. There was plenty of room, the temperature was good (though an adjustment for me, given my heated yoga practices of late), there were many kinds of props available, and the restrooms were conveniently located. The decor was simple and soothing--an oasis from the sometimes overstimulating life off the mat.

But beyond all the physical aspects of their space, each of the instructors reminded me what yoga is really about: being present and making connections with people, some of whom probably never imagined yoga would be accessible to them. Those who showed up to practice were of all ages, genders, and levels; each of the instructors guided the classes with a kind and gentle awareness, acceptance, and compassion for individual possibilities and limitations. In sum, they allowed you to come to yoga exactly as you were in that moment, and it was all perfectly fine.

If trying yoga or meditation is on your New Years' resolution list, Earthsong is offering two free yoga classes next week, and a guided meditation on the 20th. Check out the schedule on their web site for more information.