Posts In: exercise

guest post by Jennifer Scott

For busy people, stress is a constant force. In its most positive form, stress can motivate us to work harder and achieve great things. But at its worst, too much stress can lead to health problems and bad habits.

After a stressful and tumultuous breakup, I had allowed several bad habits to make their way back into my life. Pair that with a big move across the country, and my stress snowballed out of control. Making the switch to a wellness-focused lifestyle isn’t easy, but I found reducing stress was vital to living a happier and healthier life – even if it’s still busy.

Healthy Habit #1 – Take time to disconnect

One stressor that could be plaguing you is over-connectedness. Sometimes, we all just need to disconnect from technology for a little bit of peace of mind. This is especially true when it comes to work. Healthy habit #1 involves turning off those email notifications after work hours. Like many people, I’m notorious for having my phone glued to my hand, but I made it a goal to turn my phone off by 7:00 p.m. every night. I found that by disconnecting, I was able to relax and wake up rested and ready to tackle the day.

“Researchers .. have found that although we may resist it, we really do need down time after work to mentally recharge for the next day … continuing to communicate with colleagues after hours not only creates stress, but it prevents your brain from relaxing and recouping from a long work day in preparation for the next,” notes Forbes.

This can also be applied to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media. If you have a habit of browsing your feed in bed – stop! Disallowing electronics in your bedroom will teach your brain that the bedroom is a place for sleep and sleep only, and it will lead to more restful, higher-quality sleep.

Healthy Habit #2 – Don’t make all your free time family time

You love your family. We all love our families. But every single second of your free time doesn’t have to be family time. In fact, the stress from kids and relationship issues can cause great mental fatigue. Alone time is good time, and you should make time every day to do something with the person you know best – yourself. Even if you can’t necessarily escape, you can create a solitude space in your home using relaxing decor and a comfy chair. Let family members and partners know that this space is for uninterrupted alone time.

In the end, your alone time will likely strengthen your familial relationships too. “By spending time with yourself and gaining a better understanding of who you are and what you desire in life, you’re more likely to make better choices about who you want to be around. You also may come to appreciate your relationships more after you’ve spent some time alone,” says Psychology Today.

Healthy Habit #3 – Choosing healthy coping mechanisms

People under a lot of stress have a tendency to look for whatever they can to help them deal with it. Oftentimes, the first solution we try is to escape and dull our senses. While having a drink now and then to unwind isn’t usually a problem, using drugs or alcohol as a crutch to deal with stress can become a dangerous habit.

There are many healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with stress. You can practice yoga, meditation, and/or focused breathing. Put your energy into a hobby or project. Spend your free time in nature. You might be surprised to learn that the method you choose has benefits beyond stress relief. For example, yoga provides immediate benefits such as improved brain function and flexibility. After a few months, you may notice lower blood pressure, improved sense of balance, relief from chronic pain, and anxiety relief. Years of yoga practice can also lower your risk of heart disease and build stronger bones. When you switch from trying to escape stress to actively reducing it, you reap the benefits in your overall health.

Healthy Habit #4 – Focus on eating right

Stress makes you want to eat unhealthy foods. It’s science. “Stressful events – and they don’t even have to be big, just the daily hassles of life – cause our cortisol levels to rise. Cortisol causes food cravings, and … those cravings tend to be strongest for carbs, especially sweet foods,” says Prevention.com.

You have to be aware of this, and do what you can to fight it. Be prepared. Always have healthy snacks like nuts, fruit, and yogurt handy. Plan your meals and get ahead with your prep and cooking. Always take your lunch to work. Don’t skip breakfast. Eat foods rich in omega 3s like fatty fish, which can help give your brain a boost to help you fight high levels of stress.

Stress isn’t always a bad thing, but too much of it can lead you down a dark path of unhealthy habits. Instead, focus on adopting healthy habits which will help you manage your stress levels on a daily basis.

 

Jennifer Scott

With SpiritFinder, Ms. Scott offers a forum where those living with anxiety and depression can discuss their experiences. 

by Olivia Cecchettini

The Teacher Appears: 108 Prompts to Power Your Yoga Practice 

by Brian Leaf

Summary: We choose who to see, what to wear, what to eat, how to exercise… Every moment offers us the opportunity to choose our response, yet often many of us run on auto-pilot as though sleep-walking through the day.

Wake up! Come back to your breath, come back to your conscious self. Recognize that you have the freedom to choose. Exercise that gift.

The Teacher Appears includes inspiration from teachers like Sean Corne, Govindas, and Shiva Rae, but also uniquely challenges the reader with the inclusion of questions. These questions prompt mindful introspection; a simple, yet powerful, tool that contains the beginnings of meditation.

The more tools we have to “stay awake,” the more we can choose to live with intention. Yoga is one of those tools for me and this book provides 108 examples, suggestions, and inspiration to put intention into practice.

Why I Love It: Part journal, part book, The Teacher Appears is the kind of book you don’t read from cover to cover. You can pop it open at any page, even when you don’t have time to read an entire chapter. One small passage could shift my mindset into a more positive place, changing the course of my day.

As a yoga teacher, I loved reading about the experiences of other teachers. To teach yoga often means surrendering your ego, your likes and dislikes, to show up and speak from the heart to whoever is there. It is an act of service. The stories of other teachers on the same path encourage me and re-affirm my commitment to teaching.

Recommended For: Those with the goal of living intentionally. This book could add depth to your life, not just your yoga practice. And you don’t have to be a yogi to enjoy The Teacher Appears because its message is based in self-awareness, which is a skill that benefits all walks of life.

This book encourages readers to take daily activities and make them sacred. You can learn a new way to move in your body. To share your gifts. To feel the fear, but do the thing you want to do anyways. This book may help you tap into the authentic part of yourself and let you know you’re not alone. I hope you enjoy it!

It’s the start of the new year and the time when many people make life goals or resolutions for the year ahead. If your goal is to eat healthier and exercise more – you are far from alone! The top New Year’s resolutions each year focus on health.

If your goal is to practice more yoga – welcome to the club! Yoga provides a uniquely holistic approach to health, strengthening body, mind and spirit.

Our mission at Yoga One has always been to help as many people as possible enjoy healthier and happier lives. Our instructors meet you where you are in your practice and we offer several classes suitable for absolute beginners. (See our full schedule here.)

When it comes to health and wellness, we believe that there is no single prescription for every body. Therefore we also offer excellent private yoga instruction. For some people this is their primary practice and for others, they use private sessions to get more out of their group class experiences. Whatever your motivation, we would love to connect with you! Call 619-544-0587.

Whether you are an experienced practitioner or an absolute beginner, the only thing you may ultimately really want is that special one. Here is a carefully curated comparison of many of the top yoga mats. We hope it helps you to pick the perfect mat* to support your practice.

*There is a “winner” listed, but each mat has a description of its best qualities and reviews based on how it performs in the studio.

We hope you find “the one” yoga mat for you – but even more, we hope to see you soon and often at Yoga One!

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Yoga & Ayurveda: Self-Healing and Self-Realization” 

by David Frawley

Summary: Yoga & Ayurveda is an excellent primer for those new to either topic. Known as the “sister sciences,” Yoga and Ayurveda have been practiced together for centuries to bring the whole person into a state of health and wellbeing. This book summarizes the most important tenets of each practice and gives intelligent ways to implement its teachings into your everyday life. It also contains enough pictures of yoga poses to support a beginning home practice.

Why I Love It: With the rising popularity of Yoga in the western world, I believe it’s important to show how Ayurveda is a necessary and hugely beneficial complementary practice. From the seasoned practitioner to the brand new beginner, both disciplines are relevant to contemporary spiritual practice and healthy living.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on chanting – finding my voice as a teacher has been a journey of constantly going deeper and accessing that true connection within. Using the techniques from Yoga & Ayurveda, I’ve learned so much more about my unique constitution and how I can best support this body from my diet to my skin care routine.

As they say, knowledge is power. Empower yourself to heal yourself.

Recommended For: Anyone wanting to know more about the harmonious interplay between Yoga and Ayurveda and their healing magic for the human body and experience. Even though the two practices are different and unique, it is their combination that will catapult growth and change into your life.

These practices may come and go or may become part of your routine – either way, this book is a good reminder to keep coming back to self-love and self-care. This “coming home” into our own hearts ripples out through our environment and the practice of healing oneself becomes the practice of healing the world. 

 

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

by Laura McCorry

Nothing will ever replace a teacher’s guiding hand when it comes to yoga, but it can be very rewarding for students to do some solo work on their mat.

A home yoga practice allows you to:

• listen to your body more closely
• establish a healthy routine capable of diffusing anger and managing stress
• more fully integrate the poses and modifications learned in class into your practice.

Use these tips to set yourself up for success! And remember, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, as long as you get back up at least one more time. Do your practice and all is coming.

1. Start with a sequence. Learn the sun salutations from your favorite teacher, write down a sequence of poses in order, use a book, magazine or video for guidance. Check out the iYoga Premium App developed by Yoga One in collaboration with 3D4Medical! If you have a set sequence planned in advance, you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
2. Set a specific time aside. The beginning of the day and the end of the day are wise choices because you don’t have to cut anything out from your schedule. Pick a time, set an alarm (if you need it) and commit to being present for the allotted time. Even just 10-15 minutes – don’t bite off more than you can chew. Increase as desired.
3. Isolate yourself from distractions. Turn off your cell phone and ask others not to disturb you while you are practicing. Life happens and distractions will come, but do your best to stay focused and you’ll increase your chances of success.
4. Create a ritual. After practice, make yourself a cup of tea as a treat. Set up a special place in your home with a candle, incense or an icon. Allowing yourself a healthy treat and practicing in the same location each time activates the reward center of the brain and helps reinforce your new habit.
5. Choose an affirmation. It can be as simple as internally repeating “peace” on your inhale and “love” on your exhale or as specific as “I am healthy because I choose to take care of myself.” Over time, affirmations and mantras become part of our internal dialogue and create shifts in long-established ways of thinking.
6. Allow time for reflection. A brief period of journaling or silence (while making breakfast, brushing your teeth before bed) will ease your transition back into the world of activity and relationships. This pause gives you time to integrate the benefits of your practice into your body, life and mind.

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

Get off the mat this month with Amy Caldwell, Yoga One co-founder, co-owner and head instructor. She also co-teaches the annual Yoga One Teacher Training.

Amy’s classes distill years of teaching experience and yogic knowledge into a light-hearted, often playful flow. Her personal warmth and clear, concise guidance will keep you coming back for more. Catch up with her on Mondays at noon and Fridays at 5:45pm (starting 1/24). You can find our full schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

“Quality” yoga 🙂 and by that I mean a well-balanced practice that emphasizes present moment awareness through equal parts conscious participation and peaceful abiding. I love alignment-based practices, slow flow and challenging vinyasa depending on the day.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

With my second exposure to yoga, like so many practitioners, I experienced a deep feeling of contentment. Having exercised regularly throughout my life, I also enjoyed the weaving together of philosophical inquiry along with the physical practice.

The first time I took an 8-week yoga class in college, however, I fell asleep in savasana and didn’t return to the practice until 5 or so years later. Just like so many things in life, there is an element of timing. I still often tell students not to give up if they don’t resonate with their first yoga class or teacher or studio. We are blessed with many choices that sometimes it’s hard to narrow them down and find your niche.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

I’ve recently been going back to the basics of plain old backbends, handstands and splits. If I had to pick one this month, I guess I would say backbend. I’ve been contemplating doing 44 on my next birthday in August in honor of my age. I feel that urdhva dhanurasana (upward facing bow) beautifully counterbalances our lives which are filled with so much forward bending like sitting and so much visual stimulation! Accessing the back body helps connect us with the other facets of our being beyond what we see on a day to day basis. Plus, it’s energizing and empowering.

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

I practiced pigeon in Sarah’s class yesterday and she reminded us to allow the exhale to be complete and to let the tongue fall off the roof of the mouth at the end of the inhale. It amazes me how challenging it is to truly stay in a place of conscious participation and peaceful abiding in this pose – even after so many years. Some days are easier than others!

5. If you were an animal, you would be:

A dolphin – although I recently heard sometimes they aren’t so nice to porpoises, so I may have to rethink that. I grew up swimming and love the water (although San Diego ocean water is a bit cold for me!!) I believe my dosha tends toward pitta and recently read that being in nature and in or near the water helps balance my energy – I feel that to be true every time I’m at the beach!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Tools for learning, loving and being.

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

Well, the secret came out a few months ago at Rachel Krenztman’s going away party, but I truly love dancing and take cardio hip hop classes whenever I can (: Other than that, I am a pretty open book.

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

As I mentioned in question #2 above, know that there are MANY styles, approaches and teachers of yoga – so the first, most important step is to find a studio and teacher where you feel comfortable, safe and taken care of.

The next thing I would remind new students is that yoga isn’t about being “good” or “flexible” or “strong” – it’s about meeting yourself where you are at this time in the present, being non-competitive and non-judgmental. Our 9 year old daughter explained to our 5 year old son last week, “you can see that glass as half empty, but just as easily you can see it as half full.”

Let’s all keep on practicing how to see the good in ourselves and each other. And when we forget, no judgement!, simply begin again. Happy practicing 🙂

A regular yoga practice provides many wonderful benefits, but yoga has something special to offer disciples of other forms of athleticism. No matter what your sport, yoga increases flexibility, range of motion and strength via body weight resistance. (Ever done Michael’s two minute hold in plank pose?) Yoga One student Jason Monger tells us why yoga is the perfect complement for his power lifting routine.

While some people lift weights competitively, the majority of people lift in order to maintain strength for everyday life. “You hear about people who throw out their back lifting a basket of laundry,” Jason explains, “It’s because they never developed the muscles along their spinal column and never learned how to properly use the body when picking up a heavy object. The strain builds up until one day injury happens.”

Where will 2013 take you?

Bring Yoga One with you on your vacation or business trip and be featured with the rest of these awesome yogis on the blog and on our facebook page!

Whether you sign up for an all-inclusive yoga retreat, unroll your mat for an hour in a hotel gym or squeeze in one more class at the studio before a yoga-less vacation, pack your Yoga One shirt and snap some pictures! Don’t have a Yoga One t-shirt yet? Pick one out the next time you come to class, we have a variety of sizes, styles and colors.

Yoga poses make a great alternative to the traditional stand-still-and-smile-at-the-camera shots. Next time somebody asks you to “say cheese” why not bust out tree pose? Or proudly let everyone know you’re the yogi in the family by doing headstand in the family portrait.

Let your yoga light shine and show us how creative you can be! Send all photo entries from a recent trip or from long ago to info@yogaonesandiego.com.