Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Photo by me.

Happy Friday, beautiful ones!

What are you up to for this three-day weekend?

Illustration via Pinterest.

I hope you have some wild & fun plans in the works... maybe some dancing, hanging out with friends, eating delicious food? Or maybe you're taking an extra yoga class on Monday since you have the day off of work?

Photo by Cait Loper. 

I'll be enjoying NorthCoast Music Fest in Chicago, hula hooping, biking the city, and catching up with friends :) Looking forward to some dancing at Girl Talk and Digitalism!

Illustration via Pinterest.

Whatever you're up to, be safe, be well, and know that you are right where you're meant to be.

Namaste.

Herbal Teas

Tea mug photos via Pinterest.

Herbal Teas: A Refreshing Story

a guest post by Lily Robinson

With autumn just around the corner, you may find yourself thinking about wrapping up in woollens and enjoying a steaming mug of hot tea. Herbal teas are a healthy alternative to coffee that taste great and offer many health benefits.

Popular Teas

Peppermint: Known for it’s excellent digestive properties, peppermint tea is ideal as a calming drink after a meal. When brewed from fresh leaves as opposed to dried ones, this tea is incredibly aromatic with a refreshing taste. In North Africa, peppermint tea is a common ingredient in the popular drink Touareg Tea, where it is highly prized and respected.

Chamomile: Chamomile is also great for healthy digestion and aids in restful sleep and relaxation. It has a decidedly pungent smell and a delicate floral, light taste. Chamomile can be made fresh, or the dried flowers can be bought and steeped.

 

Lemon (or any citrus fruit): Citrus tea is a very popular and refreshing drink with uplifting and palate cleansing qualities. To make tea from any citrus fruit, the peel needs to be taken off in wafer-thin strips that avoid taking any of the pith with it. Pith can give a bitter aftertaste which can ruin the effect of the citrus oils when infused with boiled water.

However, if the idea of a pure citrus tea does not appeal, slices of lemon or orange can be added to other herbal teas to give them a boost. Lemon goes well with with green tea, which is a great stress reliever, full of antioxidants and perfect for anyone that is experiencing other health problems such as thinning hair or common digestive ailments. 

Orange, on the other hand, is perfectly suited to a delicious blend of Bergamot tea, or Earl Grey for those that need a healthier caffeine fix. Both these teas will need a little sweetening; it’s usually suggested to mix them with a little manuka honey, agave nectar or stevia. Mmm!

Herbal Blends

Ginseng: This tea is common in Asian countries and known for it’s ability to help with mental clarity. It is also excellent for boosting a poor appetite when drunk before meals. The tea is made from dried roots and it’s often said that it’s better to make this tea from boiled water that’s been allowed to cool a little rather than straight from the kettle, as boiling water may “bruise” the tea and limit its efficacy.

Sage: Most people think of sage as a herb for cooking with, but it works great in tea, too. sage tea is a powerful drink that can help with a range of conditions, from poor digestion to anxiety and irritability. It has a clean, herbal taste, very fresh and aromatic. It also has strong antibacterial properties and can be used as a soothing drink for anyone that is suffering from the effects of a cold or sore throat.

Thyme: A cup of tea brewed with thyme leaves can provide nearly four milligrams of iron, which is almost twenty percent of the daily recommended intake. It is also a brilliant cure-all for indigestion. When mixed with Sage, thyme provides powerful and soothing relief from mild to moderate sore throats and flu symptoms.

Cinnamon: This is a wonderfully spicy and rich herb that can used to make infused tea by boiling the sticks. Leave them for a few minutes and then strain before sweetening or even mixing with a little powdered or root ginger for an extra kick. Cinnamon is known for its blood-sugar stabilizing properties, actively lowering insulin levels and stopping sugar slumps. In the colder months, it's a drink which will thoroughly warm and cheer. 

Tea leaf photos via Lily Robinson. 

Make Your Own Teas

Making your own tea variety is a very simple and relaxing process. You simply take a few leaves, flowers (fresh or dried), seeds or roots and steep them in boiling water for a few minutes. Then strain the infusion and sweeten with honey, stevia or a little brown sugar to taste.

Have fun experimenting with different blends and coming up with your favorite flavor combinations!

A big thanks to Lily for sharing this fun and informative post! For more on tea from Alive in the Fire, check out my review of Tea Sparrow's subscription service, reflections on Honest Tea, or a recipe for my favorite afternoon tea treat.

Sweaty Betty Sales: Elegant Beachwear & Yoga Clothes

Photos via Sweaty Betty.

Sweaty Betty is having some awesome sales right now. I love the Theia Dress: wouldn't that be a great cover-up at the beach or fun to wear out after yoga class? :)

Breathe, Stretch, Shake, Let it Go

Photos by the talented Sarah Rhoads.

Rest is good.

When is the last time you took a day just for you?

Time to wander... do nothing... sit under the trees or enjoy a cup of coffee with no plans...

Maybe you need time to write the poem you've been putting off. Or roll your mat out again, for the first time in a long time.

Your body moving slowly, enjoying every posture. Your mind at rest.

Where can you go to find peace?

Whose heart are you listening to?

Bust a Yoga Move

Photo by a new friend from NYC. Thanks, Joshua, for sharing!

What do you fear? 

Yoga with no mat? Practicing yoga where someone might notice you fall out of a pose awkwardly?

Wondering who might notice your ass sticking up in the air in downward dog pose? :)

Photo by Tom Libertiny.

I used to fear these things. But with practice, I let go. I began erasing some deep-seated fears. (Am I good enough? Am I pretty? Am I strong enough?)

Learn to not fear your own body and its place in the physical world. You're beautiful, and you're right where you're supposed to be :)

Now I'm that girl on the sidewalk, barefoot and trying out lion's breath, being silly, meeting new people and sharing my love for yoga with them. Talking about mountain pose, child's pose: there is energy both up and down, I'll say. Here, try your hands like this.

I like to bust a move because sometimes I see a stranger smile and that makes my day. Have you ever tried yoga?

I'll ask with a smile, and I usually get one back. :) 

Busting a move is worth the little bit of awkwardness or embarrassment that sometimes creeps in. Try it! See what happens.

Do yoga during your travels. Be unafraid to stretch in a busy airport, an open field, or your neighbor's porch. Be free... go ahead and bust out your yoga moves.

 Namaste.

Lotus Sutra (A Poem)

Lotus Sutra
There is the sound of this train
traveling by
my thigh burns
with the beauty of a new
tattoo -- he inked into me
a symbol - grace,
effortless grace,
this night echoes on. I feel
a stirring in the depths

sitting there,
more like laying there - reiterating my life
to myself in numbers, waves,
heat pain in the most pure, simple form...
I felt as though we knew each other 
long before this night. Speaking while creating
art. The rhythm of it. The others,
unspoken truths, spoken 
laughter... sarcasm and cigarette smoke
hanging in the air like
a lotus petal
stuck on water.

Sometimes we have nowhere

else to go except
back to 
who we are to begin with.

Begin again.

Now.

He speaks there, writing into me.

Now is the right time.

Where have I gone 
to deserve this?

Going onward,
knowing pain,
growth.

You touch me, 
knowing me,
won't you be
beginning again?

Go on,
follow me.

Chicago to NYC

Hey yogis! How is your week going?

I am in New York for work and enjoying some beautiful end-of-summer weather.

Do any of you guys live in NYC? Have any suggestions for fun things to check out this weekend?

I hope to take a yoga class at the Dharma Center, walk through some art galleries in Chelsea, and meet up with a few friends.

Hope you're well!

XO

Where Do You Shop?

 

Glasses via Firmoo. Pants via American Flora.

It's been a while since I posted about my favorite yoga and casual wear items around here...

But I've been collaborating with some incredible companies recently and can't wait to share!

Have you shopped for any great summer deals lately?

Any new green products or yoga clothes?

Stay tuned for new giveaways coming soon! XO

Play

Photos via Rummey Bears and Pinterest. 

After three years of solid yoga practice, I've come to realize a lot of my progress derives from a willingness to play on the mat.

The only way you'll get to a point where you're willing to risk falling on your face in front of a crowded studio... is when you let go of the fear of making a fool of yourself.

Try out the pose.

Experiment.

We're all just playing when we come to class.

When you fall, laugh. Learn how to fall safely so you don't get hurt.

But more importantly: be willing to fall. :)

Rock Solid

Yoga requires focus.

Strength. Determination.

Not just the flexibility to put your foot behind your head.

I love the challenge of meditation. I'll get restless, twitchy, distracted. But in the perseverance, I learn. I begin to let go. 

In meditation, we train the brain to think differently.

Re-routing those neurons to fire in positive ways, rather than negative ones.

Are you missing your practice right now? You let it go and can't seem to get back to the mat?

Return. You deserve your practice. 

It's been waiting for you :)

Hugs: We Need 'Em

Photo via Oh Darling Photo.

You feel a good hug with your heartbeat.

Full body, full squeeze. That deep, stomach-doing-flips feeling. :)

Photo via Rummey Bears.

A hug is such a simple, playful way to say you care. And that you don't want to let go any time soon.

Photo via Tyler Branch.

Or maybe you do -- because it's time -- and the moment has passed. But you know you'll be squeezing someone tight again soon. Or have someone holding you.

Even after you've walked away, the resonance of that touch stays.

Shoutout to the Celtic Knot Fans in Evanston (Plus A Little Bit About Me)

Hey there, bluegrass friends from the Knot! I was so excited to hear a little shoutout at the mic last night. Dog1 put on an amazing show :)

If you're here checking out the blog because of Ben's announcement, thanks for stopping by... and I hope you'll stick around, try some yoga, and keep enjoying some authentic folk-sy music! XO

Here at Alive in the Fire, you'll find a little something for everyone:

yoga                hula hooping                 photography              dance           encouragement          honest reflections on life                   film          pilates          art

reflections on what it means to grow up                              food               green living

music                   advice on the postures                                          travels               

         guest posts from other yogis and teachers               rants & raves

                                     peace            acceptance         love

My name is Rachel and I'm a yogini, blogger, writer, hooper, project manager & overall lover of life. I'm here to share my love with others, and I love hearing from you guys!

As always, if you have suggestions or feedback on what I share, please get in touch. :)

Namaste!

Finding Peace

Photo by Cara Brostrom. 

Photo and paint by me.

This is my challenge to you today:

Dare to find peace in places you least expect it... the middle of the grocery store aisle, the crowded center of a city street intersection, the corner of a run-down alley.

Lately I enjoy the practicing of seeing art even in the ugly the broken down, the grit.

Chaos, clutter, pain: sometimes we must practice through them.

Even shards of glass have their own allure, their own wild beauty.

This poem says it best:

The Wreckage Entrepreneur
BY ALICE FULTON

It takes faith—this tripping through the mixed blessings
of debris with eyes peeled for the toxic
toothpaste green of copper keystones.
On good days Carborundum-bladed saws free sublime
objective blossoms; stained glass
hangs rescued and suspended
like frozen scarves on lines
behind indigents at barrel fires;
granite cherubs wearing crowbar marks
lie abandoned at her door.
After the wrecking ball
she loads her truck with crushed iotas
because cast marble dust's more durable than solid cuts.
Only occasionally, gargoyles blur
under the pressure of her gaze
as if vision were itself corrosive.
Then deco mirrors hold her
as they catacomb the warehouse walls,
and clinging at the empty
gilding of a door, she wants
a shower and lather of pumice
to melt the gritty casing of her
nakedness. How small she looks
beside what she has saved.

Overcoming Obstacles

Hey wonderful readers...I'm going through a hard time right now. For as much positive energy and pure light as I try to bring to this blog space at Alive in the Fire... sometimes, I am sad.

Angry.

Hurt. 

Confused.

Photo by Oh Darling Photo. 

We all go through crazy stuff in life, and we come out the other side stronger. But at the time, obstacles can feel overwhelming. Goals, unattainable.

Stress & worry don't serve us, but we turn to them. (Perhaps at the time it's the only way we know how to cope.)

I have had my share of anxiety and suffering, that's for sure. :)

Would you do me a favor?

Send some positive love & light my way in the next few weeks.

Better yet, go ahead and share it with your close friends, too. Give more hugs. Smile because you can, not because you have to.

If you've stuck around at Alive in the Fire, hopefully you've noticed that one of my goals here is to make the world a brighter place because we all go through challenges... and we need each other to survive those challenges.

Whether you're a yogi in Chicago or New York City, a dancer in Sacramento, a massage therapist working in Kansas, a friend of a friend from London or Paris or Saudi Arabia...an engineer in South America... a reiki practitioner, a young person, an old person...

I'm so grateful for all of you. :)

Photo via the ballerina project.

I love you all and I appreciate so much that you take time out of your day to read my ramblings and check out the photos.

If you guys could send me your light, I'll feel it. Energy resonates. And I could use some of your positive energy these days. :)

So thanks in advance, and keep changing the world for the better! You inspire me as much as I inspire you.

om namah shivaya

namaste!

Photo by Cara Brostrom.

PS if you're so inclined, you can always drop me a little digital hug via aliveinthefire at gmail dot com, too :) I adore hearing from you guys!