straight up

People at work are always asking me about easy yoga poses they can do at their desk to help alleviate aching backs. Well, the cause of this is sitting at your desk all day, but more importantly how you're sitting at you desk. It all begins with the proper posture. 

Check out Health magazine's great feature. Try to impliment these 5 positions into your daily routine for better health... and less visits to your chiropractor.

(unless he's hot like mine, then you should probably keep up your regular visits)

what's up with your down dog?

I have been practicing yoga for many years now and I can't stress enough about the positive changes it has made to my life. Over the years I have mellowed out from my once "hot temper" and I have learned to let thingsgo or just have them roll off my back. Which is so important in this day and age, because we as humans are wound so tight and constantly on the move.. it's important to learn to self detox from the stress of everyday life. If you haven't tried a yoga class (it doesn't have to be hot yoga) maybe reading the benefits below will jump start your motivation.

1. Weight loss
Bikram Yoga is excellent for weight loss. Your digestive system and metabolism will improve, normalizing your appetite and diminishing unhealthy cravings. Your fat will turn into muscle as you develop muscle tone and strength. Warm muscles burn fat more easily as the heat flushes and detoxifies the body. Bikram yoga is known for burning anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories a session. The harder you work in class the more calories you will burn. Your cardiovascular system is worked and strengthened therefore, the more weight loss benefits you will receive. You may see and feel immediate results. You will naturally begin to start eating less and make better food choices.

2. Arthritis

Many students experience quick relief from arthritis after only a few classes of Bikram Yoga. A combination of the heat and the moving, twisting, extending and compressing of every joint can alleviate arthritis.  A regular practice is necessary for continued relief.

3. Blood Pressure
Unstable high blood pressure can respond very quickly to a regular Bikram Yoga practice. Consult your doctor and don’t push too hard for your first few classes. If you are tested about a week after starting Yoga, you may see a slight rise in pressure. Don’t be alarmed. By the second week, that pressure will be normal or close to normal and will stay there as long as you continue your yoga regimen. Many students who maintain a regular practice are able to stop taking blood pressure medication.

4. Back Pain
Bikram Yoga has helped countless numbers of people with back pain, stiff necks, headaches, scoliosis, herniated disks and many other back problems.  The Bikram Yoga series is designed to work the spine in every direction with many beneficial backbends, creating a healthy spine and thus a healthy nervous system. Make sure to tell your instructor what type of back pain you suffer from in case modifications are necessary.

5. Skin and Beauty
Watch your face and skin develop “the Bikram glow” as your eyes become brighter and your skin becomes more clear and soft. As you sweat, your pores are opened and cleaned allowing natural lanolin to release through the pores, softening and preserving your skin’s elasticity. “I feel so CLEAN inside and out, and my skin is so SOFT I don’t need moisturizer anymore!” is a student’s comment. Faces in general change expression from looking disturbed and frustrated to looking full of life and happiness. As your body detoxifies, you may eventually never need deodorant again!

6. DiabetesBikram yoga can be a perfect complement to the lifestyle changes necessary to help keep diabetic symptoms in check.  Recent research has found that performing these postures on a regular basis can decrease blood-sugar levels.  A dedicated Bikram Yoga student, who lost 50 pounds without dieting, healed his chronic back problems and no longer needed his diabetic medication after practicing Bikram Yoga for 6 months. He tells his story in the book “Diabetic Always, Insulin No More.”                             

7. Stress & Anxiety Management – Bikram’s guru Bishnu Gosh said “Mental stress and strain is the cause of all diseases, even infectious ones.” When performing the 26 postures and two breathing exercises, the fight-or-flight response is turned off and a feeling of balanced well-being is replaced. A regular practice can lower cortisol levels, calm the mind, increase mental clarity and release and reduce stress and tension.

8. Depression – On those days when you don’t feel like doing anything, going to Bikram Yoga class is key. You just have to show up and the yoga takes care of the rest.  After each session your mind will become more balanced and depression will be lifted. The more you practice, the better you will feel. Many students come off antidepressants and other medications after establishing a regular Bikram Yoga practice.

9. Breathing problems – Asthma, Allergies, Respiratory ProblemsBikram Yoga will be good for your breathing problems in several ways. The heat promotes relaxation of the muscles and nerves, and you can work with as much intensity as appropriate for your needs. Bikram Yoga will relax your mind and help let go of tensions, toxins and negativity. It strengthens your heart and lungs, improving your lung function. You will breathe easier and deeper than you ever have before.

10. Balancing Emotions

Bikram Yoga helps balance the emotions in several ways. Physiologically a regular practice harmonizes the nervous and endocrine systems – two systems which play a large part in emotional well-being. Practicing Bikram Yoga cultivates the mental faculties of faith, self-control, concentration, determination, and patience. As we become more aware of our inner life, we notice how events, interactions, and even the atmospheric pressure can affect us. As we become more aware, we exercise better choices in our responses. This helps us balance our emotional life.

11. Cholesterol

Many of our male students here in Memphis have come off their cholesterol medication from a regular Bikram Yoga practice. Your circulation increases allowing blood to flow throughout your body cleansing and clearing your arteries.

12. Thyroid regulation

Many of the postures in Bikram Yoga compress and work the thyroid thus helping to regulate the gland balancing thyroid levels. Along with thyroid regulation comes increased energy, weight loss and better metabolism.

13. Anti-Aging / Preventative Medicine
Bikram Yoga acts as anti-aging and preventative medicine keeping the body young and healthy. “Yoga maintains youth long. It keeps the body full of vitality, immune to diseases, even at old, old age. The Yogi never becomes old”. -Bishnu Ghosh

more info can be found from their website

Quirky in Berkeley

Do you like the picture with my new boyfriend, isn't he cute? I found him on the side of a building, just waiting for me.. love at first sight.

I went on another day-cation the other day to good old Berkeley California. Home to the overly passionate environmentalists, hippies smokin' illegal things and of course the famous Cal Bears.

Well, it didn't start as a day-cation- I was up there because I had a rolfing appointment. Whats that you ask? read about it here. Basically it is a type of aggressive massage that helps the connective tissue release and realign the rest of your skeletal and muscular system. I had been having some pain in my right shoulder and hip and I found out that it was because 5 of my ribs were out of alignment and it was causing the tissue to tense up and that was causing my distress. After my painful but fabulous massage I treated myself to lunch and a walk around downtown.

YUM!! <3

Downtown ( I almost got run over taking this shot)

new hydration treat for myself from Lululemon

hi : )

new slouchy knee high boots from Nordstrom

dress- Forever 21, necklace- Hand made, watch- Michael Kors, ring- vintage from Vancouver, Canada

Hey Yoga Girl... I just want to know your world....

                         Standing Bow Pulling Pose
                                         taken by my boyfriend

As I've told you here and here I really love Yoga.

There are so many health benefits a person receives from a session, and I don't think that people truly understand them. Yoga has helped people overcome numerous injuries, which doctors and physical therapists said would never happen. It helps with your digestion, your immune system, and skeletal system. People have also been able to treat reproductive and respiratory issues. You can read more in depth about other ways yoga has helped others overcome their own health problems.

I have practiced at a few studios around the Bay Area ( I stick to Bikram so that does limit me a little) There are things that I like and dis-like about the ones I have visited.

This is my new tank that I get to wear to class tonight (excited)- Lululemon Run you Heart Out Tank



Los Gatos Yoga Source- Well, they just moved to a bigger studio and I have yet to go and check out the new facilities Bad Devon. They have another studio that is located in Palo Alto and some of the teachers flip back and forth between locations. Some of the specific amenities that I LOVE are their; hardwood floors (very sanitary), their eclectic decorations (too cute), their complimentary hand towels (because sometimes you're forgetful) but best of all they have a fabulous boutique inside- featuring all the best yoga brands (ex- lululemon, yogitoes, pink lotus) I also think the Bikram classes are nice for beginning your practice- they open the door for venting and don't keep the room as humid.

Balance Yoga Center- This studio is owned by Mike, who is the most by the book instructor I have ever met. No, If you think you'll get away with an incorrect posture- he'll find you and have you re do it in front of him. Which is great because it really helps you learn the moves correctly. The room is not kept very hot, so again, it's a good class for someone who cant take the heat, no pun intended. Everything in the studio is brand new and up to every yogi's standards.

Bikram Yoga Santa Clara- This studio is only 8 minutes from my house and was a blessing when I stumbled on it through groupon. This studio has been my primary studio for the past 6 months. They only offer Bikram and it is the studio in the area, that follows the specifications most closely. They have great heat and humidity, lots of mirrors and all the teachers will be sure to help you correct a pose. They don't open the door or windows which while your reading probably sounds horrible but it's actually the reason I love it so much!! They do need to rip out the carpet and install new flooring, but that is my only complaint.

The title of my post comes from this YouTube video-it is so funny, I watched it this weekend and died of laughter. The group has another video titled "Whole Foods Parking Lot" which is also very funny!!

Check out the Yoga Girl or Whole Foods Parking Lot for a good Tuesday laugh.

Even though I mostly practice Bikram- I do know about other types of practices. Email me or leave it in the comments if you have more questions about anything yoga or if you want to brag about yourself a little.. :)