time to make the yoga

good morning and happy, happy wednesday!

i already can't wait for tonight because its SURVIVOR night! any other survivor crazies still out there? i'm actually not digging the wednesday night transition, but hey, it's still on... 20 seasons later. lesson learned from being a survivor junkie: go with the flow.  or maybe i learned that on the yoga mat... hmm ;)

i have an afternoon yoga sesh to teach and then a PM one. the middle of the day is dedicated to a veggie store run because i'm in desperate need of some veg and then little errand running. my amazing vegan friend who always knows how to make me smile surprised me this weekend by buying me a frozen pizza... but not just any frozen pizza.... a vegan one! it looks beyond delish and i can't wait to crack it open tonight along with the ginormous salad i'm gonna make. my body is needing more salad in its life. and it's all about balance. want a vegan cheesy pizza? sure! just make a salad on the side.  basket of bread with dinner? yum! just lay off the carbs on the entree.  it keeps for a happy belly and therefore a happy bonnie.

POSE I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK:
shoulder stand

why i'm lovin' it

rainy day ramblings

happy tuesday!
is your day as rainy as mine is?

i'm taking a quick break between work and classes. i've been feeling pretty good lately and i've noticed that i've been consistantly eating very well.  i think it's very important to find out how food effects you and your body when it comes to anxiety. chugging coffee and scarfing junk food can sometimes cause us to experience symptoms similar to what we feel when we have anxious moments.  and i'm human, every now and then i'll have "treat" foods, but i pay for them.  but i've noticed this week that i've been really spot on when it comes to my diet. i've also finally gotten completely back to my workout routine and that's been amazing. i definitely take rest days, but sometimes i just gotta sweat!

some things that have been making me feel amazing:

protein smoothies!

raw pasta and shrimp primavera

raw spaghetti and meatballs - score! this was delish!

my workouts have been mostly yoga and spin, but i'm beyond excited to take a 2hr zumba party on friday night with my friend. Yes, this is how i spend my friday nights and YES i love it beyond measure!

and i've been focusing a lot on doing things that bring me peace and relaxation. lots of reading, movie watching and walks with my hubby. 

i hope your week is off to a great start!

i'm off to finish up some work and get my yoga and spin on tonight. 

time flies when you're... crazy busy!

it's 11:30am and i kind of feel like it's closer to midnight. my alarm blasted my 4:30am wake up call way too early and i hit the ground running. i had to cut my early AM yoga classes down to one day a week and it's still painful, ha!  i love the class, but i just can't seem to muster the enthusiasm to bounce outta bed the way i'd like to. i really used to think i was an early bird.

not so much.

so i walked the pup, fed the 4-legged crew, showered, dressed and found my way out the door and on my way to class. after teaching i decided an impromptu trip to TJs (trader joes) was in order and did some food shopping at 8:30 in the morning. i spent about 20 mins chatting up the cashier  about my adventures in bikram yoga and appreciation for Zico coconut water before packing up my car and heading home. after trekking my groceries up my apartment stairs i whipped up the fabulous fitnessista's breakfast cookie dough cereal and chased it with a glorious cup of coffee. the caffeine jolt got me back up and running and i scrubbed my entire apartment down. there was some serious cleaning going on.

breakfast cookie cereal = DELISH!

so naturally i'm now propped up on the couch, catching up on all my bloggies and thinking about lunch before i take a walk with the pup. its actually pretty warm outside for FALL. can't believe it! summer flew! so i figure i should take advantage.

oh, and there's definitely some yin yoga fabulousness in my very near future!

it's almost the weekend - and you know what that means!  teaching one of my fave classes, taking my favorite spin class -possibly ever- hang out time with the boy, vegan BBQ, football (WOOT WOOT), brunch and vegan hotwings.

note: not necessarily in that order  ;)

september, thy intention is compassion

i was really excited to find an opening in my schedule to take a yoga class at one of the studios i teach at. i try to fit in studio practices whenever i can and had not been able to make this one in a long time. so i ran, not walked, to the studio happily toting my hot pink mat. before practice started, the teacher guided us through a mini-meditation that focused on loving and caring for yourself.  she explained how september is a time for transition - everything from toddlers going to school for the first time to fall making an appearance - and during these times we need to pay special attention to how our minds and bodies react.  she encouraged us to go deep inside our ourselves and sit with our intentions and feelings. i had a lot going on in there, let me tell you!  i never realized how transitional this time truly is.  and its more than just my practice.  i have a lot changing around me... classes and schedule changes, being in between traveling, big birthday for the hubby coming up, among other things. 

so let's all make a pact with ourselves to honor this time of change.

how can we do this?

*journal our feelings and experiences to create awareness

*know when to take savasana instead of sun salutations

*plan one personal indulgence a week - a bath, a movie in bed, a glass of wine with friends or catching up on some reading at starbucks

*mani/pedi

*solo drive

*meditate on the intention of compassion

* or if you can swing it, a weekend jaunt to someplace fun

what are some things you do to take care of yourself and show a lil love?

source

from paris, with love

after coming home, i was desperately aching to find ways to incorporate things from our jaunt to europe into our everyday lives.  have you ever noticed you sometimes become a different person when you are away?  maybe you party more, or spend your time enjoying museums or maybe you just spend time getting lost around new city streets and wander into cafes and read tons of books... whatever you spend your time doing, it's sometimes different than how we find ourselves living day to day.  so i wanted to see if i could take some lessons from paris and amsterdam and really focus on bringing them into my daily life (why should these daily indulgences be saved just for vacations!? i'm also a big fan of using the "fancy" dishes for weeknight dinners and getting decked out to go on a coffee run. why save all the good stuff, you know??)

so here's some take aways i'm currently including in my life:
1) writing more, whether blogging or journaling or even -dare i say it- outlining book ideas
2) sipping herbal tea and reading before bed
3) making dinner an experience and not a chore, really putting love and appreciation into it. just because we're not dining out doesn't mean we have to eat every night on tray tables with our faces buried in work or TV
4) walking more
5) being spontaneous! this one has been fun! hubby has a 'surprise' date lined up for us friday night, a night that's usually spent crashing out on the couch after my yoga class and his work
6) shaking up the routine. our usual sunday mornings lazy-ing around have started to include brunches and park trips
7) allowing ample time in my day to just be. not overscheduling myself or getting lost in a sea of emails, phone calls and errands

what are some things you can bring into your daily life to make it more indulgent? what's something you can do to shake up your routine that you normally wouldn't find yourself doing?

bonjour reality

its a good thing i totally love my classes, students, friends, family and apartment because coming back to reality after 8 days of adventuring around europe ain't easy!

add to the fact that i finally saw Paris (my 'magic' place) and you have a sure-fire way to bring about tears and resistance when boarding the final flight home. 

i'm not gonna lie, i seriously was contemplating how my husband and i could arrange a parisian change of address. but being back is feeling pretty good and the transistion back to the hustle and bustle hasn't been too painful. 

i hope everyone had a great labor day weekend. for those of us in NY, i heard that hurricane didn't do too much damage. my pup was in Doggie Camp while we were away right where the heart of the storm was supposed to hit, so many check-in phone calls were made. whether they have two legs or four, they are still your babies!  {and yes, i'm a little obsessive about my puggle}

even though i had good intentions, i didn't quite get to spend as much time yoga-ing as i would've liked to (read: none at all) so i was a bit stiff when i finally did return to the mat monday night.  it felt glorious to be back in action and my body is already thanking me.

while i was away some exciting things happened: i was promoted at one of my gyms and lots of classes have been popping up for me to teach so i'm looking forward to adding these new things into my life.  i hope the start of fall is bringing you many exciting new things... even though i'm not in school anymore, there's just something about fall that begs to bring about change.

love me some fall.


source

bonjour vacation!

august was an insane month. half the time it kind of left me wanting to pull the covers over my head and not be disturbed until december.  i was all over the place with work commitments, personal commitments, weddings, funerals, family visits... you name it, we had it.  but all of that is in the past now as we welcome in september!  i know lots of people are looking forward to the fall, falling leaves, fireplaces, halloween, apple cider and pumpkin picking.  i'm especially excited because for me september brings paris.  hubby and i are flying into paris tomorrow, spending a few days eating, sipping wine and shopping and than catching a train to amsterdam where we'll browse museums and spend endless amounts of time just walking around and enjoying the time together sans responsibilities.  it's nice to get away now and then, and after a hectic summer, its even more eagerly anticipated. 

things i'm looking forward to for this month:
*gallivanting around paris and amsterdam
*french yoga
*wine and cheese
*a full week of nothing to worry about, think about or plan out
*perhaps a quick trip out east to celebrate the arrival of fall
*cooler weather = more opportunities to go for a run
*leaves changing color

what is september bringing for you?

so i'll see you in a couple of days! ... unless of course we fall in love with it there and apply for a change of address