happy weekend

my weekend has been off to a great start despite a rough week.  for some reason, my anxiety has been coming on pretty strong.  i know i've been dealing with a lot, so my goal is to take one thing at a time.  no sense worrying over everything because i don't have control over everything.  i can only do what's in my power.  in order to help myself along a bit, i'm amped up my workouts...

sweat much!

i kind of went a little nuts in my spin class tuesday night!

i've been doing more yoga at home... deep stretching and restorative, because restorative seems to be floating my boat a lot lately.  i've been finding lots of comfort in checking in with my thoughts and feelings and practicing just sitting with them.  i've also, as per a patricia moreno challenge, taken up a daily meditation.

the verdict?  i'm LOVING it!

its very powerful to sit with yourself and just listen.

and its especially amazing when i'm feeling anxious because the first reaction to that is always "ah! get rid of it!" haha. 

so i'm going to offer you the same challenge.

the next time you feel anxious, sit and close your eyes. rest your attention on your breath and just listen and tune into what's going on inside you.  don't run from your feelings or judge them.  you may be amazed at what you learn. 

i know i've been!  and when i do this, i'm not exerting energy trying to 'fight' the feelings.  i find they go away in like 90 seconds max!  fighting our anxieties and stresses actually brings 'em on stronger and it becomes a painful mental battle. 

so i am happy to say that i've been feeling pretty good since yesterday.  i had a heart to heart with one of my girlfriends about something that has been on my mind and causing me immense stress and she was so amazing about understanding.  i've been meditating and yoga -ing and working out like nobody's business!  i'm taking everything that's in my control and making it work for me and leaving the rest up to fate. 

on another note:

i ordered some things from iherb.com the other day and am in loooooove!  sun warrior protein powder is raw/vegan and i'm digging the chocolate.  it's given me a lot more energy than other proteins i've tried and i notice a difference.  its also a lot more filling.  i also have been taking probiotics.  i had lots of debate over this but everyone that took them swore by the power of them in helping keep a healthy tummy and regulating digestion.  something that keeps my stomach feeling great?  hell yeah!  they are going very well so far and i haven't been taking enough to know how the impact is long term, but i'll report back in a few days. 

have a fabulous weekend loves! 

set up for success?

do you set yourself up for success or failure?

i used to spend a lot of time setting myself up for failure... and i didn't even realize it. i had a pretty decent commute to work everyday and even though i knew it caused me stress, i still ate whatever i wanted and stayed up late trying to avoid the inevitable workday morning. this left me with an upset stomach almost every morning and quite the case of the crankies. i knew time before work was stressful and yet i'd sleep in, i wouldn't prep anything the night before and i'd drag myself around until i became totally rushed and absolutely miserable. then, even though i knew working out and yoga kept me sane, i'd succumb to my anxiety and call it a day by spending my time eating junk food (comfort food) and lounging lazily on the couch. never eliminating my anxious energy or feelings. i never talked about what was going on and i never did anything to change it. i spent a lot of time saying "oh well, it is what it is."

definitely setting myself up for failure.

i knew i was miserable anxious and i did NOTHING to change it. i thought it might go away if i just accepted it and i stopped fighting. i stopped trying to find happiness. i stopped living. and ironically, all of the quitting actually caused me even more stress.

so take stock. look around yourself. are there things you can change that are currently making you unhappy? does journaling make you feel better but you just shrug it off due to being 'too tired' or 'not in the mood?' is there a yoga class that you know you could make, but you just choose not to add it to your day so you get more time on the couch? do you make excuses a lot about things you know would make you feel better, but you just don't do them? do you know what makes you happy or do you just focus energy and awareness on what makes you anxious and stressed?

here's your great big STOP SIGN.

pause. take a time out.

start making the effort. you are worth it. you deserve it. don't let your stress and anxiety get the best of you. try putting this into effect: do one thing, EVERYDAY, just for you. take a bath, write, get your yoga on, go to the gym, out for a run, walk the dog, read a book, watch your favorite movie with popcorn, sip tea, go out to dinner with a friend, make dinner for someone special, go to a movie after work.... just do it. stop making excuses.

set yourself up for success! know what makes you feel good, feel happy, feel relaxed... and DO IT. don't let anxiety make you put your life on hold.

and while this may seem like a waste of time or frivilous... know that these things are some of the most important and powerful things you can do to heal from anxiety.

where did the weekend go??

how was your weekend? hopefully good! mine was jam packed and i loved it. saturday was NATIONAL YOGA DAY and i spent the morning at a yoga studio helping set up and giving two mini workshops - one on vinyasa and one on stress relief! you know me... i heart sharing yoga tips for stress relief! it was so much fun and the place was packed out! yogis and sticky mats everywhere! i thrive on energy like that. did you celebrate national yoga day this year? any studios by you do anything special?

sunday i picked up some stuff for our upcoming jaunt to new orleans (YAY!)and finally began to think about what i'd like to pack/bring. this is usually the most trying part of any trip for me because i always wind up bringing close to everything i own. a holdover from my anxious days when i obsessed endlessly about things i may have forgotten (but usually didn't) and things i thought i needed (even though i didn't). so that's the big thing i'm looking forward to this week. much needed quality time with hubby and warm weather. bliss.

i also kicked off my first of (hopefully) many sunday group workouts. i recruited a girlfriend to join me in the park where we ran a mile warm up and then did a mile of training that included everything from walking lunges to traveling push ups to sprints. it was great to get outside, even though it was chilly. and i always adore working out with a friend. we chatted about her upcoming nuptials and torched some calories... awesome. i did miss my hot yoga class, but am totally planning on hitting it up on wednesday after running more last minute travel errands.

i'm finishing up my weekend treating myself to frozen yogurt and catching both football games! bummed the Jets are out, but am pumped for the super bowl. i didn't get to experiment with a lot of raw food this weekend but i did manage to whip up one awesome raw dinner - zucchini pasta and 'peanut sauce' ((totally check out averie's loveveggiesandyoga.com for the awesome recipe!) all raw. all delicious. i finally got my spiralizer and definitely wanted to put it to good use. i've always been the kid that gets something new and breaks it out ASAP. i'm an instant gratification kinda chick. but i will admit... after one botched attempt at the raw peanut sauce i was kind of frustrated, but i figured it out and hubby said it was my best raw dinner yet. so all's well that ends well!

tomorrow i'm back to craziness with yoga classes and clients, fitting in workouts and planning for my trip. hope your weekend was awesome! i think i'm needing some Legs Up The Wall tonight before passing out in bed. Ahhhhh.

PS - anyone check out Bonda Yoga and my upcoming Present Moment Workshop next month?? Feb 21st loves! come join me and get your RELAX on!

Life's a Journey

How many times have I reminded myself of this? I felt it was important to check in because I awoke feeling terribly anxious and the feeling is still here. Rather than launch into an attack, I'm remembering to breathe and relax. Luckily I'm at the gym about to teach so yoga is in my very near future. After some reflection I realized two things. 1) I'm not a morning person, its when I feel most anxious at times and; 2) lack of sleep definitely contributes to it. I have a new clas this AM and had nightmares all night about oversleeping, messing up the class and breaking the cd system. Ah! No fun.

So in practicing what I preach (the importance of doing something, anything, to take yourself out of the anxiety) I decided to blog via my cell and am absolutely teaching my class and then fitting in a workout after.

Anxiety won't stop me!

keeping up with commitment

being committed to commitment isn't easy! i never realized how often those moments of "i just want to curl up on the couch with a book or reality tv marathon" come up. and before i started paying attention to them, i fell victim to them more often than not.

one of my goals for this year is to prep myself for a half marathon to run next year so i've officially started the training. it's not an easy schedule, but i've promised myself that i'll stick to it. and every time i try to talk myself out of a workout or run or hitting the yoga mat i take a moment to tell myself that i deserve to keep that promise to myself.

being committed to something gives me a feeling of fulfillment. being anxious kept me from being committed to things i wanted to do because it stressed me out to have to do something. i always allowed myself an "out" and usually bailed at the first signs of stress. i enabled my anxiety to control what i did and didn't do. so this year of commitment means a lot to me.

and i didn't forget about the yamas! i love ahimsa (non-harming). some ways in which i practice this in my life are through my vegetarian diet, honoring my body during workouts and never pushing myself into a yoga pose because i simply want to look good doing it. i have also been incorporating more green changes into my home (like using as much recycled, natural and organic products as i can) and i have an application to volunteer at an animal shelter that i'm super excited about.

so far so good on my feelings about commitment and working on my goals. and i'm having a blast incorporating and practicing the yamas on and off the mat. i'm off to teach tonight and am thinking i need to infuse a little fun into tonight's class!