Names

Via Sarah Rhoads.

Via TypeDesk.

Via ReadyMade.

Via ReadyMade.

Hey yogis! Wanted to share a little discovery I made on this beautiful Tuesday morning. I believe tiny revelations are the best kind...


Things are what you call them. Or, said a different way: it's all in the details.


Love is love. A lamp is a lamp. Trash is trash.


But only if you call it that.

Cobra Pose and Yoga for Your Lower Back

Photo via Coffee and Yoga on Tumblr.

Do you ever find yourself feeling slouchy?

Lately my lower back has been giving me some soreness and discomfort, largely in part because I've been lazy about sitting up straight. 

For those of you who can relate, I've got a few yoga postures to share which have helped me build strength in my spine. I'd imagine many of you readers suffer from the American 'dream' of sitting in front of a computer screen or steering wheel for hours at a time, and I'm hopeful that these may help you find some relief :) 

First things first, though: keep in mind that your spine needs time to build strength. You shouldn't rush when it comes to backbends or forward compressions. Meet your edge with compassion and your body will thank you.

Photo via Bandha Yoga, an amazing series of books on the anatomy of yoga.

Locust pose is a simple foundational pose. Start gently, and think about arching your spine with a balanced curve that is even throughout. Even if you only raise your head and feet a few inches from the floor, you will feel the benefits: you gain energy, you release tension, you straighten out your spine, and you may even help yourself let go of some negative emotions or thoughts.

Remember to connect with your breath. Find a space where you can fill the pose, while also breathing deeply, evenly, and peacefully.

Eventually you can push up into full cobra as well, and feel the length throughout your spine.

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga on Tumblr.

I find it helpful to balance out a backbend with a restful, forward-arching pose like Child's pose. In Bikram, this is why we follow Half Moon with Hands to Feet, and Camel pose with Rabbit.  Uniformity and smoothness on both sides help you build strength and flexibility in balance with each other.

This photo and all below via Coffee and Yoga on Tumblr.

As you progress slowly, you may even find there is a day where you can push into a more advanced posture such as Full Wheel. Recently, I discovered my love for this pose as it helps me experience a deep sense of stability, openness, and peace in my spine and throughout my body.

There is something wonderful about being deeply rooted in the hands and feet, yet effortlessly reaching upward through the torso and the heart.

It took me a while to overcome the fear of entering this pose -- resisting the gravity that so often defines my movement -- but for that reason, I now find it's an especially freeing posture to do.

When we move slowly and release fear in small steps, we can move on.

 

This week, yogis, I challenge you to live confidently in your yoga. Let it build compassion in your heart for others. Give yourself the chance to move gracefully, deliberately. Enjoy the movements your spine is meant to make -- easy, fluid, delicate motions that will ease you into comfort and harmony with those around you and within yourself.

Be unafraid to ask your loved ones and your yoga community to support you in your search for a healthy spine. And on the days when, like me, you want to rush ahead and push through pain... or force yourself into a posture you wish you could do (or used to be able to)... remember to breathe deeply. Take a moment.

You'll get there. And for now, be where you are today :)

Want another idea for a quick five-minute yoga routine to help relieve pain in your lower back? Check out this lovely Maya Fiennes video. Namaste!

Free to Flow (A Review of Onzie Hot Yoga Wear)

Things are starting to heat up! Well, almost. :)

Here in Chicagoland, you can feel summer trying to break through. The days are increasingly warmer, the sun is out, and on the cloudless days I begin to dream of beaches.

Which is why I am stoked about my one-piece leotard from Onzie -- it's part yoga wear, part swimsuit! In general, I love clothing that can be re-purposed depending on the occasion, and Onzie lives up to my standard for versatility.

Plus, the sexy halter top design shows off my tattoo nicely :)

Are you gearing up for a vacation on the beach, and also looking for a new yoga outfit to use all summer? Check out Onzie for some shopping options -- they carry quite a variety of pieces for hot yoga and more, and there's some fun, funky and wild colors to choose from.

If you're like me, you're ready to get outside for a sunny summer. And as we say in Bikram, where the eyes go, the body follows!

Note: more Onzie reviews coming soon from my sponsored yogis!

Yoga in Motion

Heather Robinson: Balance from Prana Living on Vimeo.

Some beautiful reflections on living mindfully, cultivating balance, and reaching your goals. And what a wicked climb!

Any of you readers like to scale mountains? :)

Memory and Compassion

All photos taken by my dad, who works as a Public Information Officer for the SBA.

He's currently on location in Joplin, MO, which was recently devastated by the worst tornado since 1950.

When was the last time you felt like your life was turned upside down?

I'm sitting at home on this quiet Memorial Day weekend, enjoying the sounds of rain out the window and birds chattering with each other in the trees. I can smell strawberry rhubarb crisp in the oven. It's almost ready to eat.

I'll serve it with vanilla ice cream, a big scoop for me. I imagine the rich taste, and how I'll love it most because I bought the rhubarb stalks fresh this morning at Evanston's farmers market. Crisp, red, ready.

I wandered the tents slowly, enjoying each of spring's new offerings. I bought what was ready to eat, instead of shopping with a list in hand. I lingered, watching families interact and the community come together over food.

There is nothing better than that feeling of togetherness.

This afternoon, I read emails from my dad about what he's seen in Missouri and Kansas, where the tornadoes hit. I looked through the photographs he attached, shaking my head at the computer screen and wondering about luck, erosion, and loss.

I wondered about how grateful I can be for the quiet. For the unremembered days.

There are families in towns who have recently lost everything -- loved ones, shelter, dreams, their plans for the future. Their worlds have been turned upside down.

Perhaps, before the storm hit, their lives were as quiet as my day is today.

I ask you, readers, yogis, compassionate people -- as you celebrate Memorial Day weekend and as you take time to remember those who have given their lives for our country, pray for these families. Send hope their way. They are grieving and have witnessed great destruction... while many of us grill hamburgers in our quiet backyards.

As we make new memories, we also mourn the loss they have suffered.

From one of my dad's emails...

I'm in Reading, Kansas. It's a teeny little town, very poor, streets are just dirt. Only about 230 people live there. I drove over yesterday from Joplin, Missouri.

This week was hard. I worked several 18-hour days with lots of driving, 4 am start times, etc., so much happening it's hard to keep track of things. But I am NOT complaining - I count my blessings every time I see what I've seen this week. (You should, too.) Two of my fellow colleagues have just missed getting hit by tornadoes along their paths this last week.

No big deal for either, but it kind of makes you stop and think.

Who knows where I might be sent next?

As you celebrate this weekend, fly the flag. Eat a hotdog. I've attached a bunch of photos -- some are amazing. All the damage views are horrible...I love you...

Thank you, Dad, for the compassion you bring to the places you witness. You are able to help turn the world right-side up, little by little, in these cities which have been struck by disaster.

To any of the individuals and families who might be reading this, my heart goes out to you. I will be praying for you -- for strength, hope, perseverance.

And if I could, I'd have you over for a bite of strawberry-rhubarb crisp this evening. Fresh, piping hot from the oven, steam rising off the plate as the scoop of ice cream is added.

We'd sit together in the quiet of home, knowing that we are not alone, tasting what is good.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 Top and bottom photos via For Me, For You. 

Happy 3-day weekend, yogis! I hope you are enjoying some sunshine and getting ready to celebrate. It's beautiful in Evanston today :)

I have been lost in writing land lately -- I'm working on a book project! -- so the blog has been quiet. I've been doing more short yoga practices at home, too, which has been fun. 

Isn't it amazing how starting your day with even just 5-10 minutes of deep breathing and an elongated spine can set a wonderful intention for your morning?

I hope you are all feeling bright, alive, and energized. Peace and blessings to you, readers! Here's to a weekend filled with afternoon naps in the sunshine, the turning of pages, and tasty grilled food shared with our loved ones. Namaste.

Photo via I Can Read on Tumblr.

Business Alliance for a Sustainable Evanston and Tuesday Night Cupcakes!

Happy Sunday, all!


Hope you're having a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend. I'm spending time with my lovely cousin, Joelle.

 

Nothing better than The Bean at Millenium Park in springtime!

Just wanted to share a quick announcement about BASE -- the Business Alliance for a Sustainable Evanston. They are an awesome local green group dedicated to changing Evanston into a more socially, environmentally and economically green city.


Do you have any plans for Tuesday night? If not, I'd totally recommend swinging by their bi-monthly meeting at Tiny Dog Cupcake on Davis Street at 5:30pm. Not only can you taste a sweet treat, but there will be lots to learn about great green practices and products from the NU Engineers for a Sustainable World. 


I hope to be there for at least the first half. See you soon, green Evanstonians!

(PS: Full disclosure: the two owners of Brella Productions, where I work, are members of BASE and practice a lot of incredible green habits in the workplace, at home, and in the Evanston community. For more info about ways our company leaves a lighter carbon footprint -- and ways you can do so, too! -- read these tips.)

Views of Evanston in springtime from my phone. It's so beautifully green already!  :)

Green Fest:Inspiring Speakers, Tasty Food, and a Great Vibe

A view from the cab ride home after today's festivities.

The air was electric with change.

My favorite part about attending Chicago GreenFest today? You could feel the sense of community present in the room. It was wonderful being able to people watch, float between booths, sample delicious and healthy foods, and hear from incredible speakers with a lot to share.

My wonderful friend Shuling and I are cabbing it back to north of the city, but I leave Chicago today with a renewed sense of hope. New energy. New delight with the urban community at work here.

More to come very soon!

Green Fest: Good Morning!

All photos by yours truly.

Happy Green Fest, all! I'll be heading down there shortly but wanted to share some reflections on my inspiration for attending today.

I believe it's time we started caring about our world. Our neighborhoods and our people, and our natural environment, too. 

I believe now is the time to consider where our food comes from, how our hunger impacts our world, how brothers and sisters in other parts of the world go hungry every day. Now is the time to consider our health and treating our bodies to clean, healthy food.

Sustainability is an issue to consider now, in this moment. So is climate change. Pollution, energy, transportation, endangered species... the list is long, because the time is now.

Can you be challenged to listen to our world and the problems within it? Can you be moved to action? There are simple ways you can make a difference. There are simple ways you can encourage others to do the same.

I can't help but hear words by Walt Whitman ringing in my ears:

Give me the splendid silent sun, with all his beams full-dazzling;  

Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the orchard;  

Give me a field where the unmow’d grass grows;  

Give me an arbor, give me the trellis’d grape;  

Give me fresh corn and wheat—give me serene-moving animals, teaching content;

Give me nights perfectly quiet, as on high plateaus west of the Mississippi, and I looking up at the stars...

--From "Leaves of Grass" (130) by Walt Whitman

Or maybe Wallace Stevens speaks more closely to your heart:


It is possible that to seem -- it is to be,
As the sun is something seeming and it is.


The sun is an example. What it seems
It is and in such seeming all things are.


Thus things are like a seeming of the sun
Or like a seeming of the moon or night


Or sleep. It was a queen that made it seem
By the illustrious nothing of her name.


Her green mind made the world around her green.
The queen is an example... This green queen


In the seeming of the summer of her sun
By her own seeming made the summer change.


In the golden vacancy she came, and comes,
And seems to be on the saying of her name.


Her time becomes again, as it became,
The crown and week-day coronal of her fame...

--From "Description Without Place" (I) by Wallace Stevens

You hold the world in your hand. On most days, it may seem like you don't, but you do. Now is the time: do something great with the world.

Breaking the Silence

Hey all, I'm back! The blogging break has been wonderful, but I missed you all. How have you been? How is your yoga going?

The last few weeks have been a reflective time for me. I have been writing, exploring, feeling, thinking, learning to take the time just to be.

I have been carefully choosing my words. Like the poem I was just reading this morning...

Calm the heart's dark waters;

collect from deep thoughts

the proper names for things.

Heaven and earth are trapped in visible form:

all things emerge

from within the writing brush... (from Lu Chi)

But on some days, I don't choose them carefully. I sing. I spew. I just talk and talk.

Often we are quiet for so long when inside we are longing to cry out.

My challenge for you this week, as I return to Alive in the Fire with new inspiration, is to clear yourself a path for the moment you are in.

Experience where you are now.

You may see the road before you -- distance in the path -- a journey waiting -- but for now, set it aside. Be here.

As Whitman has said:

You must habit yourself to the dazzle of light

and of every moment of your life...

Can you choose to see the world with wonder today? Whether you are at your mat, or simply working through the challenges of your day, observe what you are experiencing. Try for a moment not to judge what's happening or react to it, but just to be present.

And at the times when the day feels crazy -- a blur, a crashing in, a falling down -- give yourself permission to let go. Take a break. Come back, remembering your name. Remembering what you bring with you.

Trust what guides you; trust your dreams. Listen to your fears, but not too closely.

Move with the story you have.

More from me soon. It's great to be back :)

Join Me at the Chicago Green Festival!

Graphic via the Chicago Green Festival.

Readers, I have some exciting news! I will be blogging live from the Chicago Green Festival this Saturday, May 14. There is some incredible programming lined up and I can't wait to take part.

I am most looking forward to hearing from Colin Beavan of the documentary No Impact Man and the No Impact Project. If you haven't yet seen his film or read his blog, I highly encourage you to check them out!

And for those of you who are interested in taking your living green approach to the next level, please do join me this weekend :)

Also, watch this quick video -- it's a challenge from Colin to try the No Impact Experiment for a week. By participating in this life-changing carbon cleanse, you phase out habits for over-use of the earth's resources, you learn to live with less, and you can share a powerful message with family and friends. Little by little, you can make a huge difference in our world!

Whether you're just starting to think about the green revolution, or you've already got plans to get your green on this weekend at the Fest -- I hope you'll tune in for my posts!

Namaste, all.

 

Love green foods, green places, green grass?  See you Saturday!