A Week in the Life of a Budget Yogi- Tuesday

Today was a super blah day at work. Kind of soul sucking. So today's yoga needed to be mellow. In some ways I wanted to do some real calorie burnin' yoga, because I ate too much today :) but my body said no no, you need some Mellow Out And Heal From Your Day Yoga. So I listened. Sometimes I'm a good listener. not always, but sometimes.

I can pretty much do Rodney Yee's AM Yoga by heart now, so to get out of my messy and decidedly non-mellow house, I took my yoga to a very special place:

My balcony.

I recently fixed this thing all up- I regret that I didn't use it adequately sooner, but it is what it is and now I am. I got some fun colored chairs, painted a rock with the word NAMASTE and brought my plants out. And can I tell you...I LOVE IT. Its my tiny little oasis. I read out here, the little one and I eat lunch out here, and tonight, I did my yoga out here.

Namaste, indeed! :)

A Week in the Practice of a Budget Yogi- Monday*

This post is the first of a short series of posts that documents a week in the life of my Year of Yoga. I call myself a Budget Yogi because I mostly do DVD's at home. DVD's are fine for the most part; I really enjoy the collection I have. Would I like to practice more in a real live studio? Sure, but but it really depends on my bank account on any given day, as well as child care, so mostly it ends up being just me, my cluttered living room, a two year old, a dog or two, a cat, and an onscreen Rodney Yee. Rock on!

Today I came home at lunch to do my yoga for the day. I only work 5 minutes or so away from my house, so sometimes this is a nice option- especially if I know the evening is going to be busy. It's also a nice break from everything to come home to an empty house and to light a candle and mellow out for a half hour in the middle of the day.

The DVD selection for today's practice was Yoga for Stamina- a nice 20 minute flow that includes my favorite Tree Pose. :) My mood for today's practice was half way between 'Totally Distracted Lets Just Do This So I Can Check It Off the List' and 'Totally Blissed Out'. My mind wasn't completely on task, but I wasn't completely unfocused either.

What I have found during this year is that I'm not going to be Totally Blissed Out everyday. Some days it will just be a check off the list- but that's ok. I'm there, I made the effort to pull the mat out and practice, and my body will get the benefit. When I'm conscious of a mindset like that, I try to focus more and be present, but sometimes it just doesn't stick. On days like those, I concentrate on the fact that I made good choices in getting on the mat, even if I wasn't totally present. What matters on those days is that I showed up.

I think life is often like that, no?


*This post is also cross posted on my other blog Yoga for Kaylee

Everyday Magic

Today as I was driving myself and the Sweet Baboo home from a blah day at work (for me, not the Baboo- it seemed like he had a perfectly great day in daycare), I turned onto my street just as a wind blew a bunch of leaves off the trees that line the road on both sides.

As they swirled down around my car, it occurred to me that there really is magic all around us if we look for it. I'm glad that today I happened to be doing just that, because those swirling leaves really were enchanting.

Wordless Wednesday: Meaning What it Means

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Follow Up

Wow...have I not posted since June 21st? We had a kiddo with an illness and then I went to the beach for a few days so posting on the cleanse got away from me. What did not get away from me though, was finishing the cleanse! I finished all 21 days. I didn't do a "perfect" job, but that's not the point. (Not to mention that 'perfect' is really really boring!) I made major changes for 21 days and stuck with them and I am so happy I did. The changes I felt were so noticeable! I felt lighter, less bloaty, and I finally lost those last 4 lbs from when I had my son 2 years ago (I had lost 55 of the * 60 * I gained, but those last four were NOT wanting to budge. Well they finally did! YAY! :)

I felt so much better living the 'Crazy Sexy' way of life, that I have made the decision to stick with it. If I was able to feel that much better making a few changes in behavior and routine, why would I go back? I don't really miss the things I ditched, and when I do (like coffee and something gross and sugary), I just have some as a treat and move on. Treats instead of the everyday norm. And you know what? When I do have them, they taste better!

So here's to my new Crazy Sexy way of life! If you are even remotely interested in trying some of Kris's ideas- pick up a copy of her book from a friend, the library, or the bookstore (or let me know, I would even send you my copy. Complete with toddler scribbles on the cover!) Even making one little step towards a healthier you will make a difference. You're awesome, and you deserve the best health and life possible right?! RIGHT!

Cheers!

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 15 -Monday, June 20th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse: 

1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
3. Did you abstain from gluten? Yes
4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes
6. Did you dry brush today? Yup yup
7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...
8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Yes- Baron Baptiste DVD
9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Dinner...breakfast was juice and lunch was a smoothie- no chewing necessary! :) 
11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Replanted a few plants in my garden- didn't take long, but was nice anyhow.
13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Close
14. What did you eat today and did you juice? Fast day today! Went to the juice bar near my house for a large green juice for breakfast- I can't remember everything in it, but the major players were cucumbers, collards, and lemon. "Snacked" on water and tea. Lunch was smoothie with collards, banana, tiny bit of peanut butter, almond milk and dates- pretty decent. Dinner was baked sweet potato with Earth balance and cinnamon (no sugar!), plain black beans with garlic, and sauteed beet greens. Dessert was Sleepytime tea with almond milk and stevia. :) 
15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation. A lot! but not as much as other days, I do better with this at work than at home, and I had to come home half day today. Sweet Baboo was sick.
16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Ate dinner at 7:30, went to bed at 10, so...close.
19. How do you feel physically? Really good. :)
20. How do you feel emotionally? Pretty good. A little irritable off and on, but happy overall.

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 14 - Sunday, June 19th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse: 

1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
3. Did you abstain from gluten? Except for the vegan brownie I had for our Father's Day celebration. :)
4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes, except for the vegan brownie :) 
6. Did you dry brush today? I did! :)
7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? Yes
8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? No, unless a leasurely toddler-free shopping trip to Whole Foods counts. :) 
9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? More or less. ;)
11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes! Father's day love for my dad and my husband.
12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Not a lot, but I did enjoy driving down my pretty street and spending a few minutes in my backyard with the dogs.
13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Pretty close- used an eye mask to keep out light. I think it really helped my quality of sleep. I am going to try again tonight.
14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, but drank tons of water and tea. 
15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation. A lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Almost nine, so not three hours by any stretch.
19. How do you feel physically? Wonderful! A little tired, but lean and healthy.
20. How do you feel emotionally? A little tired, but happy.