Jun 18, 2014 |
Can you believe I recently got an email from the folks at Icebreaker Merino posing that question?
These New Zealanders wanted to know how I was bringing adventure into my yoga practice.
I could tell them about my quest to get into handstand without the aid of a wall by the end of the summer, or how at times I have been teaching yoga classes on the beach in the rain with gale force winds, or my thrill of getting into salamba sirasana on a standup paddleboard, but I’ve got an even better adventure story to tell.
Last April I taught my very first yoga retreat in Aruba. At the time I announced the retreat, I had no idea if anyone would sign up. It had always been my dream to combine my love of yoga and travel, so I took a leap of faith, followed my heart, and booked a ticket to Aruba. Then I invited anyone and everyone who wanted to join me, and 10 awesome yogini goddesses came along. You may not agree, but I think that took some big yoga-lovin’ balls!
My first Beach Yoga Bliss yoga retreat in Aruba!
I have been blessed to lead three more yoga retreats since then (Firefly Beach, SKIASANA, and Beach Yoga Bliss II). And I’m not stopping now!
Getting adventurous on the ski slopes in Stowe, Vermont during SKIASANA
My biggest yoga retreat adventure is now official. In September 2015, I will be leading the I Am Love Beach Yoga Bliss retreat in Santorini, Greece!
The mantra for the week will be “I Am Love,” and together we’ll learn how to live that mantra, letting go of fear, stress, or whatever else is keeping your from living out your intentions and opening your heart wide open to love. So this announcement comes with a big honking WOO HOO!
I can’t wait to practice yoga and meditate on this deck overlooking the sapphire blue waters of the Aegean Sea. There will be twice daily yoga sessions. The morning sessions are reserved for a spirited, all-levels asana and meditation practice, and the late afternoon sunset classes are restorative with more time for sweet meditation. A few of the evening sessions will include therapeutic myofascial release with Yoga Tune-Up® Therapy Balls (see I really do have balls) and yoga nidra for deep relaxation.
We are going to have plenty of adventure exploring the island and enjoying the picturesque red and black sand beaches, trying out the Vinsanto local wine (I can speak from experience that it is yummy), visiting ancient ruins, and chillaxing at one of the hotel’s many pools, which also sport gorgeous views of the sea.
This is the farthest I’ve ventured on any of my yoga retreats, so grab your passport and come along! You can read more about the retreat here including testimonials from the yogis who have attended past retreats, and reservations can be made through The Travel Yogi. Space is limited; book early to save a spot for your yoga mat on that gorgeous seaside deck!
Speaking of having balls, I have to say the folks at Icebreaker Merino have big kahunas to make yoga wear that is made out of wool. I don’t know about you, but wool is not a fabric that comes to mind when I’m thinking about getting dressed for a beach yoga class. But this is not your mother’s itchy wool; this is lightweight merino wool that naturally keeps your cool. If you are unfamiliar with merino wool, here’s a little Merino 101. Icebreaker is dedicated to sustainability and ethical business practices and I’m thinking I may just have to plan a future yoga retreat in New Zealand because it looks gorgeous there!
To me, having balls is the same thing as letting go of fear and opening your heart to go after your dreams. I’d love to hear how you exercise courage either on or off your yoga mat. Leave a comment below to let me know the most adventurous thing you’ve done lately.
I’ll keep you posted on my quest to get into handstand. If you can’t wait until September 2015, my next yoga retreat will be on the beautiful island of Aruba – April 11-18, 2015 and you can book it now through The Travel Yogi.
Click to find out more about upcoming Daily Downward Dog yoga retreats! Come join us!
Sep 3, 2010 |
Wednesday, September 1 was the kickoff of National Yoga Month, and you’ve got 28 days left to get into the festivities. The purpose of National Yoga Month is to create awareness about the many benefits of yoga and hopefully encourage Americans to get out there and give yoga a try!
If you’ve always wanted to try it but don’t know where to start, here are two great programs going on this month to get you onto a yoga mat.
1) You absolutely must visit the Yoga Month Web site. They have links to hundreds of free classes and events and a list of over 1200 yoga studios nationwide offering one free week of yoga.
2) If you would rather try yoga out in the comfort of your home, My Yoga Online is offering free online training sessions. My Yoga Online is a premium on-demand subscription service for yoga and wellness videos. They offer one of the largest and most diverse mind-body video and article libraries in the world. The cool thing is that their classes fit your schedule—you can log on at anytime, from anywhere, and have access to the perfect class for you. If you have always wanted to try My Yoga Online, now’s your chance to check it out for free before you sign up.
I’m personally celebrating National Yoga Month by setting some new intentions for my yoga practice and have a personal goal to do a headstand by the end of the month. I’ll also keep you posted on additional Yoga Month activities and helpful tips to get you started on your very own yoga journey.
With all these festivities and FREE classes, there really is no excuse to give it a try!
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
Sep 2, 2010 |
If you’re one of those yoga aficionados that can do all the crazy poses, like headstands and bird of paradise, this blog post will either bore you or amuse you, but if you are a yoga nerd like me and still working on the basics, hopefully this blog will encourage you to keep plugging away at your yoga practice.
I have a couple of yoga instructors who always ask at the beginning of class if there is a pose we would like to work on. I really appreciate this gesture, but, inevitably, the pose that always comes up is the headstand. I’m afraid to try a headstand because I don’t think my core and upper body are strong enough yet and, to be quite honest, I have a really hard head and resting all of my body weight on it really is not appealing to me. That and hearing the thud when class members fall out of a headstand is a little unsettling.
So, I always dread the part of class when we work on the designated pose because it forces me to go out of my comfort zone. I’ll try a few basic steps of the pose but always go to something more safe, like childs pose or goddess pose, to hang out and look busy until the rest of the class is done experimenting. I always figured one day I would get up the nerve to really try it out.
Well, that day came yesterday.
My yoga instructor must have known I needed a nudge, and she gave it to me. We were practicing tripod pose, and I got myself into the basic position just to see what it would feel like when she came over and pointed out the proper way for me to place my head. I had been doing it wrong all this time, and once she got my hands and head in the right position, it felt totally natural to pick my legs up and rest them on my arms.
I got into tripod pose (pre-headstand) with the help of my yoga instructor, Deirdre Sargent, and it felt amazing! I let out a little Woohoo! because this was a big deal for me. I was one step closer to a headstand. Hell, I think I probably could have raised up my legs with a little assistance, but I wasn’t going to push it; one yoga victory for the day was enough to put a smile on my face. I even got a few high fives from other class members. I’ll keep practicing the base tripod pose; my goal is to get those legs up in the air before the month is out for tripod headstand!
Thanks, Deirdre, for giving me the push I needed and doing it in such an encouraging way! I really appreciate everything you have taught me about yoga and myself.
