Yogi Tattoos: Got One?

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Photos via the Bikram Women's Retreat on Facebook.

Hey yogis! Happy Thursday. Hope you're having a rockin' end to the week.

Are you practicing your yoga? I'm excited: I'm heading to a class tonight at Grateful Yoga of Evanston, a local studio I love. Nick and Lela, the owners and head teachers there, are amazing people. So full of heart! I'll be posting about them again soon.

Plus, tomorrow I'm going to be teaching a little mini yoga class at Northwestern's huge philanthropy event Dance Marathon. I'll be leading the group's highest fundraising individuals (probably around 20-30 undergrads) in a short flow class. It should be fun to incorporate the most invigorating postures so they don't fall asleep on me! During the event they dance for 30 hours straight, and the class is being held about half way through... so I'll be making it as engaging and fun as possible. No savasanas :)

It should be a fun and yoga-filled end to the week. Where are you practicing?

And are you sporting a sweet tattoo at your yoga studio? Lately I've been a little obsessed with them.



I'm also planning a blog post featuring yogis I know with awesome body art. Want to be included? Send me an email with an image of your tattoo! (You can reach me at aliveinthefire at gmail dot com.) You can also leave a comment below and I'll follow up with you. 


Hope to hear from you (and see your sick tatts) soon, yogis!


PS Check out Teeg's awesome response to this post. Namaste.




Losing the Ego

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Photo via Bikram Yoga Chaswick in London.


I came across an awesome article on Yoga Journal today about important lessons that will transform your yoga practice. It's inspired me to reflect on some of the same topics, especially what the place is for ego in the yoga room -- which is nowhere.


There is no place for the ego in the yoga room. The effort of yoga is to lose the ego, to experience motionless, to embody effortlessness... while exerting maximum effort.


Can you try harder? If you can, you must. Photo via the Bikram Women's Retreat on Facebook.

Once you learn to give up your own ego in the room, on your mat, and at your studio, then your heart opens to what yoga truly is.


Yoga is not about judging. It is about forgiving. And not just others around you, but forgiving yourself. For being imperfect. For sometimes judging yourself based on your ability to execute a posture rather than on your own personal character and true worth.


Yoga is about meeting your edge in class, not comparing yourself to others and risking injury.


Yoga is about taking care of yourself in the room, while also listening to your instructor's words to push, push, push you to do your best.


Yoga is about not being scared to fail and try again. Like if you fall out of a posture, you get right back in. Or if you fall on your face because you tried a ridiculously hard arm balance, you laugh it off and are proud of yourself for giving your best effort.


Photo via Yoga Dudes on Tumblr.

Yoga requires effort. Yes, we relax in savasana and in child's pose or half-tortoise pose, but a majority of our class is spent focusing our energies toward specific muscle groups. Flexing those muscles. Learning what power we have. Finding a perfect marriage of the heart and lungs. Or maybe even having a mini heart attack now, so we won't suffer one later!


If you're not sweating, concentrating hard, and challenging yourself, you're not making the most of your yoga experience. And this goes for both heated and non-heated classes :)


Now that's yoga that requires effort: Balancing Stick pose! Photo via Bikram Yoga Richmond.

In yoga, you learn to let go. Even if you're annoyed by the yogis around you, or the teacher at the podium, or the stuff that happened at work before you came to class.


Unless you allow yourself to clear your mind by engaging your body, your yoga gets you nowhere.

Photo via the Bikram Women's Retreat on Facebook.

Clinking

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From this lovely blog.

Anyone else for a pastry and tasty drink break? 

Sometimes I imagine myself somewhere fancy, where soft light is streaming in the windows and there are only the sounds of a far-off fireplace -- flames dancing, wandering around the wood -- and the soft clinking of silverware on fine ceramic, glasses clipping the saucers they're held on, evidence of people gathered together, sitting alone in a full room.

Introducing Hans

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Photos courtesy of Hans Park and taken by Cara Grimshaw Photography.

Meet another Sponsored Yogi! I'd like to introduce you to Hans, who's representing Alive in the Fire from Canada and who you first met through the Real Men Do Yoga series.

Hans is the kind of yogi who's definitely dedicated to taking great classes on the mat, but who also loves the challenge of another sport or another kind of workout. For him, the alternative to yoga is roller derby. It makes sense, since this is another intense mind-body experience that, like his Bikram practice, requires acute concentration as well as flexibility and strength. I'll be excited to learn more from Hans about both of his preferred workouts, plus hear details on what the culture of Bikram yoga studios is like in the Vancouver area.



More from Hans on his unique background and yoga practice:


I currently work for Environment Canada and provide operational support to the Envivronmental Enforcement Officers. If you can picture CSI, I am like the guy in the lab that appears in every episode who supports the investigators who do the field work (except I do administrative and supply work). That description seems to work for most people. 

I also work for the Canadian army part time as a Combat Engineer. Before the career change, I worked in Africa in humanitarian aid. I hope to continue this in a short-term consulting role in the future. 

In my spare time, I watch a lot of live music and take photos of the bands for fun, take my teenage cousin to the movies, exercise regularly, and enjoy the west coast Canadian lifestyle. I also started skating with the men's roller derby team around the same time I started practicing yoga, and both are a lot of fun.



Evening Poetry

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Photography by Glen Allsop. 

Thought I'd share a few beautiful images, plus a poem that stole my heart a long time ago. Take a moment in your evening to enjoy.


Wild Geeseby Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

The Everyday: Introducing Wedding Photographer Tyler Branch

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All photos by Tyler Branch.

Happy Monday, all!


Lately I've been obsessed with photograhers who have a knack for capturing the everyday. There's something so beautiful about finding grace in the tiny moments that would be easy to miss if we didn't stop to observe them carefully.

This series hopes to remind you of the way an image can witness the whimsical, to document the allure of a landscape or profile, and to capture life's radiance.

Wedding photographer Tyler Branch has a way of grasping happiness in portraits -- not only of the bride and groom on their special day, but also the loving guest who support them. His ability to move between the close up and the wide is also fascinating, and brings a lot of emotion and depth to his work.

Checking out his site takes my breath away.





Party Time!

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Photo via This is Glamorous.

We did it! 100 followers on Alive in the Fire!
party party party time!

Followers are up. Page views are up. Time to celebrate!

Put on your party dress, or fancy suit, and let's dance the night away. Who's with me?

PS If you really are a Chicago area reader, leave a little message below. Maybe I really will plan a live event. But only if you respond with your enthusiasm! :)

Happy weekend, all.

  
Photos via Jose Villa.

Photo via One Love Photography.

Photo via Clayton Austin Photography.

Focus Forward Friday: Got Ink?

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All photos via Tattoologist.
 
 Focus Forward Friday: 
A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: inky artfulness. Who's got a tattoo? Any readers out there sporting ink during your yoga classes?

Do you guys have any? Like em? Hate em?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Bikram dislikes them, along with the color green. Sounds weird but seriously: he won't let people wear the color when they come to Teacher Training. And apparently he has voiced his dislike for body ink (saying it defaces the natural human body). 

But chances are you've seen a lot of people showing off their tats in the Hot Room.  I know I have. I enjoy seeing the artfulness of tattoos on yogis. A lot of beautiful and simple designs out there.

Have you got a tattoo? (PS If you don't yet, but are thinking about it: keep in mind you'll have to take a few days off of your Bikram practice if you get inked. Can't be stretching your skin and sweating a bunch while the tattoo heals!)



Smart Shopping: Grocery Time

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 Photos via Orangette.

Hey all! As part of the Beyond Childhood series, I'd like to offer a few posts on healthy eating and simplifying your work in the kitchen. First up is a guest post from the lovely blogger Marci Gilbert on how to plan ahead for your grocery shopping to make sure you get the most for your money and your time.


Enjoy! And enjoy the calm, peaceful feeling of having your meals ready to go all week. It will give you more time for your yoga or other projects you have going on.


Photo via Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising.

Marci is totally right about the awesomeness of cooking on the weekend, and then refrigerating or freezing meals ahead of time. I've been doing this lately and it makes life so much easier! You just come home from work and heat up whatever you're having. Easy peasy!


From Marci:


One of my favorite parts of the week is going to the grocery store on Sundays. I try to get all my shopping done for the week in one day, and here are some tips of how I do it. It does involve planning, but not to the extent that I write down five days of dinner menus.
A little background–I only have to feed two people, and my husband eats lunch out, and some dinners out too. When planning and buying, I pay attention to expiration dates or overbuying so things won’t spoil.


How to get your grocery shopping done in one day for one week:
1. Have an old-fashioned list. I keep a list going all the time in the kitchen. Make sure you add things that you run out of right when you run out of it! Jot down new foods to try from things you read. Then at the grocery, stick to your list. It will keep you from overbuying. However, there are some days when I like to browse the aisles and look for new things to try, or produce that is in season.


2. Think about your week. Do you already have plans to eat out? Are you packing your breakfast every morning or will you have time to eat at home? Same with lunch. For me, I always pack breakfast and a snack, and my lunches are similar within a week. Keeping lunches similar keeps your grocery bill down. Buy a bag of cherries one week and then mixed berries the next. Use pantry items to change it up, like buy turkey, and alternate in tuna or beans for salad protein.


3. Get to know your grocery store. The annoying part of wanting certain brands or fresher produce is going to multiple grocery stores. However, I can be in and out of a grocery quickly because I know where things are and what each store may or may not carry.


4. If you go to multiple grocery stores, go to the one that will be cheaper first. By this I mean that I will look for produce at an everyday type store before Whole Foods because I know it will be cheaper. If the quality is poor at Store #1, I’ll get it at Whole Foods.


 Photo via Orangette.

5. Use Costco! (or any big box store). My weekly trips to the grocery are for what we need for the week. We leave our cleaning supplies, some freezer items, dry snacks, and waters to buy in bulk every 6 weeks or so.


6. Plan to make use of your Sunday afternoon. Every Sunday, I hard-boil 6 eggs–to use for breakfast or chopped into tuna salad or on a salad. Sometimes I bake chicken to have for a few days. Sometimes I bake muffins to freeze for breakfast. And then I make dinner for Sunday night with plans to have leftovers for Monday lunch or Monday night. Or if I make chicken, I will use it in a different way during the week.


7. Planning a basic dinner: It doesn’t always have to be about creating a recipe! You just need things on hand to satisfy the carb-protein-vegetable ratio, in my opinion. For instance, sweet potatoes, vegetables to roast (brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, zucchini, mixed peppers) can always be paired with canned baked beans, 90-second rice, grilled chicken or your protein of choice for a well-rounded meal. I eat more exciting than that a lot of the time, but sometimes that is good enough.


Photo via Emily at JoJoNoodle. She and Jordan are always making beautiful, simple meals.

8. The freezer is for more than ice cream and ice. Use your freezer to store baked goods, then defrost in the refrigerator overnight for breakfast. You can cook soups ahead and defrost before work for dinner that night, and let meats thaw all day. Planning is the hard part. If you make the decisions ahead of time, all that’s left is to execute when you get home at night.


Welcome to the world of extreme wifey-hood! (Or motherhood, womanhood, manhood, adulthood: however you'd like to apply this great knowledge.) May your week night dinners never be the same!


And a big thanks again to Marci for sharing the post. :) Check out more of her recipes here.


PS Want to check out more in the Beyond Childhood series? Try this post on bellies, or this one on adorable handmade toys. Or read more about why I started the series.

From Rich: Thoughts on Warrior Training

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Photo via Yoga Dudes on Tumblr.

Thoughts on Warrior Training
by Rich, a sponsored yogi


I am a peaceful warrior.
I journey further down that path every day.

Some days I am frightened.
Some, I am invincible.

I have no particular quarrels with you or anyone else.
My war rages within me.

I prepare not to do battle,
But rather to continue fighting.

Some days it is all I have.
Others, all I want.

My peace comes in moments of control, 
Packaged smaller than the blink of an eye.

I have found myself somewhere I've never been,
Never knew existed.

I put that place in a box for later.
I will  revisit that place when I am better prepared.

For now, I will finish my warrior training
And be on my peaceful way.


Love Never Fails

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Beautiful wedding photography by Clayton Austin.

This wedding took my breath away. I love her tattoo, and that the photographer named the title of his blog post featuring their photos after it.


I'm a sucker for gorgeous weddings and happy couples. Maybe it's a girl thing.... :)

 Regardless, it's such a nice reminder to know:

Love never fails.


And there is no fear in love. 


Photography by Clayton Austin.

Introducing Emily

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emily, a love story. from emily berna on Vimeo.


Next up in the Sponsored Yogis, I'd like to introduce you to Emily Berna. She is one creative lady who totally blew me away with this sweet video in her application for the sponsorship program. 

Isn't it adorable?! Totally demonstrates her passion for cool digital media and for yoga. A wonderful mix if you ask me :)



Photos courtesy of Emily.

Here's a bit more from Emily on her background and yoga:
I teach high school chemistry on the south side of Chicago.  I used to work in environmental consulting, but didn't love it, so I decided to teach.  In addition to yoga I love cooking, photography, gardening, knitting, reading, and avoiding housework.  


I'm excited for the sponsorship because I'm so new to yoga I haven't had much chance to explore all the different styles and meet all the different people who practice yoga.  I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and learning from others about anything related to yoga.  


Focus Forward Friday: Have Fun Doing Your Yoga

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Focus Forward Friday: A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: have fun!

Sometimes yoga can feel so serious. Or scripted. Or formal. My challenge to you on this beautiful, bright Friday is to lighten up. Have fun with your yoga! Do a headstand just because you feel like it, not because it's required in class.

Play. Be lighthearted. Enjoy!

Introducing Beth

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Photo via Vagabond Bond.

Morning, yogis! Hope you're having a bright start to the day. I was up super early for work, so I'm enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a quiet office.

What are you up to today? Are you on the mat? Already working? I hope whatever you're up to, you're living your yoga!

Over the next few days, I'd like to introduce you to the sponsored yogis team.

You're going to be hearing from them often and I have high hopes for the mix of voices that you'll be able to read on the blog. More than ever, Alive in the Fire will represent a community of yogis of all ages and all styles. I challenge you to get in touch with us -- send your thoughts, opinions and feedback our way! I'm looking forward to the great conversation, and couldn't be more excited to welcome these new writers.

Without further ado, first up: Beth Morey!

Photos courtesy of Beth Morey.

Beth is a writer living in western Montana with her husband and three dogs. Even just from reading a few entries on her blog, I can tell that Beth has a kind heart and loving soul. She is honest, moves through life with integrity and purpose, and takes time to enjoy the small joys in life. Plus, she hula hoops! So she has a great sense for how to make time for herself and have fun doing the things she loves.

Beth also posted about her excitement for the Alive in the Fire sponsorship on her blog today. Do check it out!

More from Beth:
When I’m not crafting novels (or pulling out my hair over said novels), I enjoy hula hoop dance, photography, board games, alpacas, and the great outdoors (in addition to yoga, of course!).  I also write the balanced living blog, To the Fullest.  

I have been practicing yoga off and on since 2003, and love a vigorous vinyasa class.  Thrilled to receive an Alive in the Fire sponsorship, I hope that it will both deepen my practice and help combat recent health issues, weight gain, and an ongoing eating disorder battle.  I believe that yoga helps with everything!  


YogaEarth: Supplement Yourself with Balance & Vitality

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All photo illustrations via YogaEarth.

I'm in love. YogaEarth, you are awesome. You give me an easy, tasty way to replenish electrolytes before and after class. You are delicious (especially mixed with sparkling water!).


You make me feel balanced, strong, ready.


You're the perfect way to give myself an extra boost before class, especially on those days when it's been a while since I was in the hot room... and I'm a little nervous to go back.


Like today.


See, I didn't mean for there to be a whole week since I last did my Bikram. Really, I didn't! And I promise I put in a few at-home practices since then.


I even taught a workshop! But that wasn't in a room at 105 degrees, 40% humidity. And now my body has to readjust. Again. (Sound familiar?)


Thankfully, there's a supplement to save us all. Try some YogaEarth, yogis. You won't regret it.


PS: YogaEarth is good for you, all the time. Even if you're not yoga-ing! The two awesome flavors help with digestion, provide energy, and eliminate cravings. They pack a five-star punch!





PPS: Sponsored yogis, you'll be getting some samples soon :) Get excited!

Hug Your Love

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All images by the lovely and talented Sarah Rhoads.

On Valentine's, give your love a hug.

It might be your spouse or partner that needs a squeeze.

Or someone in your family. A sibling, daughter or son, cousin, grandparent.

Maybe you need to wrap yourself up in a hug today, too? Love yourself. You're beautiful.