I've moved!

Well, actually just relocated! Find me at Anxiety to Zen.
Check it out!

xo bonnie

rejuvenation motivation

i love reading about what others do to relax and renew. it always leaves me inspired and gives me great ideas for things i can do for myself. so in honor of all of those bloggies out there dedicated to self-nurturing, i thought i'd share some of the things i did to recharge and bliss out during my 'time out'

* put cell in bedroom at 8pm every night and refused to check it until after i'd enjoyed breakfast the next morning

* took time to notice the changing leaves, colors and weather during walks with the pup -this was an overall theme... i slowed down. and i'm always amazed how much more i appreciate everything in my life when i actually take the time to notice and pay attention to it

* treated myself to daily mugs of green tea and Emergen-C

* spent hours browsing fun recipes and trying my hand at new dinners and treats for the hubby and i

* cleaned the casa and de-cluttered

* enjoyed numerous hours catching up on inspirational, self-caring and beautiful blogs (i even found more i love!)

* looked up fun things to do while in st.lucia - kayaking, yoga, pilates, salsa dancing...  so excited!!

* grabbed some books i had abandoned and started them again

* steaming hot baths

* glasses of vino

* morning ashtanga

* running -half marathon training

*planned more fun hubby birthday things

* found some small races and yoga workshops to sign up for so i have something to continuously look forward to

this practice in self care has left me rejuvenated. i've practically inhaled my weights worth of green smoothies, i've taken time to make some fun plans, indulge in yoga at home (something that i don't do much because i'm usually practicing at the gym or studios) and catch up on some movies (thanks, netflix!) i am still incorporating a lot of these daily because we all deserve a simple luxury or two everyday. and luxury doesn't have to come in the form of a new car or $10k price tag... just reading the paper with coffee and doing nothing for a few hours on a random weekend morning can be deliriously luxurious.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh

do you have a self care routine or something you go to when you need a recharge? 

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november dreams and indulgences

it's a new month and you know what that means! a new page in my journal dedicated to monthly goals and treats. it's a packed month and i'm so excited it's finally here.

november dreams + indulgences

* weekend getaway out east with awesome friends
* hubby's big birthday celebration in st. lucia
* yoga, hiking, spinning, kayaking, paddleboarding, beach lounging and daily massages in st. lucia
* meeting up for lunch with a friend from cali i haven't seen in months
* thanksgiving!
* adopting a turkey
* co-hosting a vegan thanksgiving dinner with friends
* more half marathon training
* more focus on ashtanga practice
* another hubby birthday celebration at a thai restaurant
* belated anniversary dinner for hubby and i with my parents

what are your november dreams/goals/aspirations?

techie time out

every now and then i tune out of technology. i don't blog a lot, or comment on other blogs, or even tweet or facebook much. these time outs are something i brought into my life when i see myself becoming a little too dependent on them ::insert blushing, embarrassed emoticon here::

i realized about two weeks ago that i was getting caught up in too much online and TV time, so i put  myself on a time-out and re-energized myself. when things get hectic, my running and yoga-ing and reading and meditating tends to fall a bit to the wayside -oops!- and my "turn on the TV and zone out for a couple of hours" becomes my routine. so, after much introspection and reflection, i've come back to play!

and here's my question of the day: why do you yoga?

i was asked what the benefits of yoga are the other day in class. it was a young girl, in her teens, that was super new to yoga and expressed confusion as to why someone really practices yoga. i prefaced my response by telling her she was going to get a seriously abridged version -otherwise i'd still be answering her question on her thirtieth birthday- and i told her people practice for very unique reasons.

for example, i came to yoga purely for the emotional aspect of it. i was seeking relief from a painful and life-consuming anxiety disorder and was craving the emotional release. some people adore the physical aspect of the practice and thrive on rockin' out a power vinyasa. my practice has recently evolved into the Ashtanga primary series as i now seek some of my yoga practice to complement my running and keep my body fit, toned and healthy. i also expressed how some people love bhakti yoga and kirtan and really connect to the spiritual side.  i am not a religious person by any means, but yoga has brought me more into a spiritual connection that i didn't think i had within myself. 

so, as you can see (at this point her eyes were glazing over) people practice for the physical aspect, the spiritual connection, the emotional release, the fun, the structure, the relaxation... its limitless!  and it is always changing.  as my life changes, so do the things i need out of my practice. 

so why do you practice your yoga? is it the same reason you started practicing? how has your reason for practice changed during your life?

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Life List

a fabulous fellow yogini commented about my Life List and suggested sharing more of it with you. as i love hearing from you guys- i was more than happy to share some more snippets of it

in no particular order...

Bonnie's Life List ... so far

1- explore every place i visit by going for a run (would love my sneakers to touch at least 2 foreign places before getting a new pair!)

2- sipping wine in a hot air balloon

3- take a volunteer vacation to someplace i wouldn't normally travel to

4- learn a language - would love it to be french!

5- take a raw foods and vegan cooking class

6- open a yoga studio

7- begin to host Present Moment workshops in other states

8- write a book (this is a BIG one for me!)

9- run the San Diego Rock 'n Roll marathon

10- drink wine and snack on cheese in Paris

11- live in Paris for a few months, possibly have an apartment there to travel to whenever i want

12- renew my vows with my husband in some exotic location on the beach for our 5yr anniversary

13- meet the President

14- get pilots license

15- go skiing in Switzerland

16- pray in India

17- create/work on a documentary exploring anxiety and holistic health /healthcare

18- create a non-prof focused on helping people dealing with anxiety, OCD, hoarding, self mutilation, depression, etc.

19- learn to dance -ballroom and hip hop and swing

20- learn to surf in Australia

21- own my own company (or yoga studio) and have hubby quit his job and work with me

some of these i've already done and some i hope to do really soon! i'd also LOVE to take a girls trip up to kripalu annually or host my own yogini retreat one day... ahh, so many dreams, so little time!

what are some things on your life list?

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take a challenge

i've been totally engulfed in everyone's recap of the 10.10.10 chicago marathon. i follow many bloggers and have read a lot of their journeys.... to some of them being marathon veterans to others losing their marathon virginity! and it's been so exciting!  i love hearing their accomplishments, listening to them talk about struggles and how they overcome them and getting inspired by their dedication. i adore running.  but i'm terrible at it! and i think that's why i'm so drawn to it. i truly do believe it's important to do things you aren't naturally good at or talented at because it promotes a lot of growth. especially for someone like me that used to be a perfectionist and wouldn't even try something if i didn't think i could automatically master it.

and we practice this intention a lot in my yoga classes. i always encourage students to try new poses and experience new sensations as they practice. i often remind them that no one cares if they fall out of a balance or topple out of crow. i've done it myself a couple hundred times! and i used to think nothing was worse than if i was teaching a balancing sequence and i just couldn't stick it. here i was, teaching the poses, trying to show them how to breathe and move, and i would lose my footing or wobble over... but you know what i say now? i'm human! i have my good days and my bad days and so will they! it's nothing to be ashamed of or to not try or to get frustrated about!

so to all those inspirational marathoners - CONGRATS on a great journey and adventure!  what an accomplishment! you've inspired me to continue on my running journey and let it take me where it will.

a marathon is something on my Life List.

what are some aspirations and/or goals you have?  who encourages you to stay dedicated?  how do you find ways to stick with challenges? 

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Let it Go

after our big sunday running excursion, the hubby and i were feeling pretty tight. i took to my yoga mat and got my stretch on and felt much better after about 30 minutes of hip openers and backbends. hubby was feeling a bit jealous so he actually asked me to show him a pose to help him loosen up his sore legs. i guided him into pigeon and quickly saw resistance in his body. being the awesome wife that i am, i pressed my hands into his lower back to draw him deeper into the pose. his whole body shook, he pushed back against my hands and said "that's it, i'm done!" i thought about his experience for a moment. during yoga classes, i often help guide students deeper into their asana practice with gentle adjustments, but here was a true beginner that was very resistant and not used to moving his body this way. my hubby comes more from the school of "muscle through it" then soften and i realized he's really not the only one. how many times does ego get in the way and we push through a pose that we know is uncomfortable for our bodies or we so desperately try to get into a certain pose that we lose all sense of alignment just for the sake of reaching our hands behind our backs or balancing on our palms?

so this week, i've dedicated all my classes to the intention of surrender. and not the kind of surrender that means just giving up and throwing in the towel.  the surrender that comes with softening the body, accepting the pose and releasing into it with no expectations or force.

here are some of the poses we've focused on during class

high lunge

natarajasana (dancer pose)



plank into chatarunga

vasisthasana (side plank)

eka pada rajakapotasana (1 leg king pigeon)

*we added a forward bend to this

we also did a lot of moving core work and downward dogs.

the entire time, we focused on creating calmness and softness within each asana. we used our breath to guide us deeper into our hip openers, to give us grounding in our balances and strength in our plank work.

when you feel as though you are struggling or muscling through a pose, smile, bring peace to your face and focus on softening throughout your entire body. trust that you will move into the pose without having to push against it.

i try to set intentions at the beginning of each class. so this week we set the intention to surrender. let go. whether its a demanding asana or a fight with a friend or a looming work project, don't worry about forcing a conclusion. trust the process and learn to let go. sometimes letting go is the most powerful thing we can do for ourselves. 

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