Walking into the studio with your comfy clothes on and your gym bag slung over your shoulder may be like entering an oasis, away from the day-to-day stresses of reality; but once you drive out of the parking lot afterward, your once-cleared mind fills up again with what to make for dinner, who to pick up from what after-school event and that schedule change you need to make at the office. A yoga retreat allows you to focus on your yoga practice in a nurturing, stress-free environment, generally away from those distractions that take us out of ourselves. A yoga retreat can also be a vacation getaway with a little yoga thrown in so consider what you ultimately want to take away with you, as well as your budget constraints. Read the rest of this entry →

Running is one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to stay in shape, theoretically, but it can also be one of the most destructive when it comes to the toll it can take on the muscles and joints. Many beginning runners start off with a good pair of running shoes, a training log and high hopes, but over the course of a month may find themselves with aches and pains they never thought possible. Slow and steady wins the race, but this concept can be lost on the novice runner who, like the hare in Aesop’s fable, may take off fast then get sidelined by injuries, only to be beaten by the more conservative tortoise. Read the rest of this entry →

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The Manduka eKO Yoga Mat is the heaviest mat I have ever owned but also the most luxurious for the level of cushion it provides. It has a lovely texture and unrolled perfectly flat from the very first time I used it. The lime green is beautiful and I didnt notice any offensive smell as others have commented on ecological yoga mats.

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So this week I decided to move one of my yoga mats right next to my bed so that it is the first thing I touch when getting out of bed in the morning and the last feeling I have before I retire for the night.

This change has inspired me to do several sun salutations right when I wake up or before bed when time permits and even if I don’t have the time to practice yoga upon waking or before sleeping, I stop on my yoga mat and center myself. I pause for a moment or two and think about all that I have to be grateful for in my life and I’m now in the habit of taking a few deep breaths just before I take that final leap into bed and remind myself who I am and what I stand for.

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