September is Yoga Month! So here is a look at the foundation of a basic flow class: Sun Salutation "A" via yoga-wire.com
Synchronize the breath with the movements.
Typically, expansive or upward movements should be done on inhalations, and compressive or downward movements should be done on exhalations.
1. Begin in Mountain Pose, neutral standing position (not pictured). Spine long, shoulders relaxed, tailbone slightly tucked. Navel in.
2. Inhale, sweep arms out to the sides and up overhead. Touch the palms together. Look up.
3. Exhale, hinge at the hips, fold forward, and lower head towards the knees, hands to the floor or shins. Bend knees if necessary.
4. Half-lift on an inhale to lengthen spine. Fingertips to the floor or shins. Then, place palms on floor, step back to Plank Pose (top of push-up).
5. From Plank, exhale as you slowly lower down to Low Plank. Hug elbows close to the sides of the body.
* Note: If hips are falling faster than the shoulders, lower the knees to the mat until you build the strength to practice the pose safely.
6. Inhale to Upward Facing Dog. Firm the thighs, press into the palms, shoulders down, head back. (Option to do Cobra instead, with hips and thighs on the floor and elbows bent.)
7. Exhale and lift hips towards the ceiling, press heels towards the floor. Head relaxed. Press firmly into the palms, especially the root of the index finger. Look in between the feet or towards the navel.
* Note: Avoid collapsing into the shoulders. Spin elbows in slightly so the inner elbows aim forward towards the front of the mat.
8. From Downward Dog, inhale, step or lightly hop the feet in between the hands, then lift chest to lengthen the spine.
9. Exhale, fold forward, lower head towards knees. Again, bend the knees if necessary.
10. Inhale, sweep arms out an up. Touch the palms together. Exhale, as you draw the hands down to heart center.
Mercury Retrograde Sept 17th to Oct 9th in Libra~ (via Mystic Mamma)
Mercury goes Retrograde on September 17th in Libra bringing the gifts of clear seeing and bridging the past with opportunities to resolve and bring truth to light.
I Am A Real Woman & So Is Every Other Woman - mindbodygreen.com
The message of this talk resonated with me as I have a similar body type as Kathryn Budig. There’s definitely a great movement of body acceptance and body love out there right now, and it’s so wonderful to see!
Yoga Wire was inspired by the whole community of yoga teachers and practitioners and others living a similar conscious lifestyle. It’s yoga “over the wire”, as in the telecommunications definition: “The news came over the wire.” I learn so much from the people around me, and hope to be able to share with you what I’m about and what I learn along the way through the wonderful world of social media, the new “wire”.
Please FOLLOW ME on my new Instagram page, where I’ll be sharing photos and videos from my own practice, quotes that inspire, and occasionally food or health-related photos. Much love and gratitude! ♡
Remembering this little piece of paradise in Maui a few years back. Clean water is the most precious resource on earth—the life giver. What a blessing it is to have clean water to drink and to bathe in. In California, the drought is causing us all to be even more mindful of the ways in which we depend on water. And of course, fresh drinking water is not the only kind that life depends on; our little buddies in the ocean and lakes always need us to look out for their delicate ecosystems too.
Here's a little yumminess I posted on my Yoga Food blog: The always classic Sprout + Avocado sandwich made even more delicious with a super fresh green tahini recipe that I found on Bon Appétit. Too good.
Inspired by Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas:
Whatever the reason, his heart or his mind.
He stood there that evening, not feeling very kind.
Staring into the studio, with the look of displease,
At the warm yoga bodies moving with such ease.
For he knew every yogi was perfecting their pose,
While looking their best in their fancy yoga clothes.
“And they’re standing on their hands,” he said with despair,
“Without a single strand moving, not one! In their hair!”
Their photos, their quotes, their Instagram postings!
The kale and kombucha, the juice cleanse hostings!
And soon, oh so soon, they would be yoga singing!
The sound of their OMs! Well, it would have his ears ringing!
Then he got an idea! A crazy idea!
This “unyogic” Grinch got a crazy idea!
The Grinch held his breath, not knowing what was in store.
He walked up to the studio, and opened the door…
The Grinch came from the outside, and found his way in.
Which is often how many of us also begin.
He stepped onto a mat, with out expectation.
The evolution was slow, but he found meditation.
And there on the mat, released of all drama.
The Grinch discovered more than only one of the yamas.
It just takes some presence, a trust in the self.
In mindful action, the Grinch found some wealth.
And the Grinch, with his grinch hands touching his toes,
looked around in amazement, thinking, “How could it be so?”
“It came without judgment! It came without goals!”
“It came without challenges, selfies or ‘no’s’!”
And he sat down a few moments, till his breath became longer.
His mind became quiet, his inner voice grew stronger.
“Maybe yoga,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a pose.”
“Maybe yoga… perhaps…is an exercise for the soul.”
And what happened then? Well…in Yogaville they say,
That the Grinch’s trapped heart broke open that day!
And the minute his heart didn’t feel quite such a mess,
His mind opened up too and he found yoga bliss.
And he stepped on his mat. Both feet firmly at home!
And he, he himself! The Grinch sang the last OM!
Always featuring stories of inspiration with his yoga photography, Robert Sturman profiles a Muslim yogini from Malaysia named Ninie Ahmad.
Check out the photo gallery from his shoot.
"Malaysia banned yoga for Muslims, 60% of its population, in 2008. The ban uplifted shortly but yoga studio operators are warned not to include chanting and meditation in its classes," says Malaysian yoga teacher Ninie.
"Our spiritual life in this temporary body is too short to not try to extend the breathe and the health Highest Above lent to us - in whatever name we all call Him.
"I am Malaysian and I am Muslim. And I do yoga. And I pray. And I chant and I meditate, in any language I make it a point to know its meaning ... I see God in all of his creation - with my head covered or not, in my clothes revealing or not. My religion teaches love, respect and kindness hence yoga is in every religion, at least in mine."
Ninie Ahmad | Yoga
www.RobertSturmanStudio.com
Autumnal Equinox & Libra New Moon Manifestations (via Chani Nicholas)
Via Chani Nicholas
Here we go! The Autumnal Equinox is on Monday, September 22, 2014 at 7:29 PM PDT and the new moon in Libra occurs on Tuesday September 23, at 11:13 PM PDT. To find out more about what this might mean for you read this post, otherwise just be kind to yourselves and everyone else.
Remember that Libra wants to LOVE. So love like you have nothing to lose.
- See more at: http://www.chaninicholas.com/autumnal-equinox-libra-new-moon-manifestations/#sthash.jynf6j9n.dpuf
Aries & Aries Rising
I see potential in partnering and I know that nothing costs nothing. So I pay the price that is suitable to sustain sweet, soulful sojourns with my beloved(s). Life is too short to be cheap. Life is too luscious to be tight. Life is too fast to be slow on the uptake.
I take up the opportunities to experience love like I am lifting my heart to the heavens for its blessings.
I am ready to be blessed by the sweet cracking open that this season promises. I am ready to be blessed by the truth of the matter that has been held hostage for too long in my heart by bitter memories and bad dreams. I am ready to heed the warnings and still wander in wonder.
I create with every scrap piece of prose I have been gifted. I create with every inch of philosophical wisdom I am wrapped in. I twist the fabric this way and that, outside and in creating new ways to wear truth. My creative genius cannot be countered because it is mine for the wearing and mine for the flaunting.
And I do.
Because I am not ashamed to wear my brilliance, not on a date, not out late-late. I am not ashamed of my natural self that is free from fundamentalism and free from fear. I create love from this freedom. I create balance from this bond. I create my life anew. With and without you.
Taurus & Taurus Rising
I do it for my health. I take the potion, take the class, take the stairs and take the challenge of creating a life worth living one day at a time. I know that the sacred act of becoming all that I want to become is held in the details of doing daily deeds that must be done.
I do them. I do them with gratitude for being able to perform such tasks. I am free to refuse my health from prospering but I choose otherwise. I choose to live my life consciously. I choose to live in this body, breath by breath and beat by beat.
This new moon is a time to tune into the subtle shifts I need to make in my daily patterns, rhythms and routines. I am interested in serving the things that contain and house me and in what elements of my life bring me back into contact with my base.
There are good things brewing here.
I am grounding in very good ways. I am able to effortlessly heal old family wounds. I am able to take up my internal space with more grace, less effort and much more ease. I relax in my skin because it is mine to be in.
From this spacious place I get creative with those who play fair. I get down to the business of play with a perfect amount of attention to detail. I give my projects and those that are working with me on them some serious love. Like, serious. Love.
Gemini & Gemini Rising
For a moment I suspend my disbelief. I can always get it back. But for now I hang it in the air, in space and out of the reaches of time. I hang my hat of harboring suspicion so that I might see more clearly through the eyes of optimism and though the mind of possibility.
Fortune comes to those who believe it can. Not fleeting fortunes made to fail ultimately, but real sustainable fortune. Like love. Like play. Like squealing with delight over nothing that could be bought or sold. Real fortune is to be found in my relationship to life. Happiness is an inside job and no one can report for that duty but me. No one can do the duty but me, no one, especially not my lovers, children or playmates.
Thank Goddess! I’m in need of no one for this very sacred of life’s duties. I enjoy the heck out of others, like really get down to their tunes and to the telling of their tales, but ultimately my happiness is my deal.
So I plant those seeds this week. I plant seeds of happiness. I plant seeds of fun. I plant seeds of playful pretending. I take life less seriously and I certainly don’t hang on to resentments made in the sandbox. I let my grade 3 teacher off the hook-finally.
Because resentment doesn’t travel well. It rots and leaks and finds its way into every other compartment of our soul. It makes sure no one else wants to play with us. It wards off bullies, maybe, but it also keeps away those that are so good at play. I give up my grievances in order to give my gratitude a chance.
Cancer & Cancer Rising
I return back to the blessings that I can bestow on myself, “I am home, I am home, I am home.” No were else will I find home. Here is home. I am home. Home is here.
I lay the seeds of home with every step I take. Feeling a sense of belonging does not spring out of nowhere. I belong here because I command that my energy arrive here. I love this space and it therefore loves me back. I belong to this space and it belongs to me back. I change every space I step into because of this understanding between myself and it and yet I swiftly remove myself from spaces that are unworthy of my work, energy and heart.
I’m not the kind to enjoy feeling uprooted, but as long as my first connection is to my internal home, the external ones will show up in ways that delight me. I do not depend on outer circumstances to be perfect and as I evolve this feeling of home I am able to enjoy more of what already is.
Things are changing.
From the root to the tip. Total overhaul. Totally ready though. Totally ready because there is nothing for me to do but be present to the what is of the world around me, both within and without. And I value that experience. I value what I bring to the experience. I value what I earn and I earn my worth. I am open to big beautiful sums of somethings (cash is cool but heaps of self-worth are helpful too) that are unexpectedly appearing at my doorstep and in my accounts of all kinds. I say YES to the bounty of the earthly plane without greed or fear infusing the ways in which I receive it.
Leo &Leo Rising
I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted too. I wouldn’t stop it even if I could. There are incredible currents of spontaneous magnificence beckoning me to make magic with them so I say YES!
More please.
I say yes, please. And more, thank you. I do so so that I might share and support via the good gifts granted through me. I become a bigger container for fortune to flow through so I can be a bigger supplier of sustainable sweetness, terrific truths and timely tales of resistance and surrender.
I can be grand without being grotesque. I can be a channel for greatness without being an overbearing, egotistical burden on my community. I can be successful without becoming a soul-sucking hipster.
The way in which this luck lands with me is all due to the way I wrap my mind around such fortune. Do I feel like it’s owed me? Do I feel like it’s beyond me? Do I feel like it’s mine to hold for a time because it is here asking to be?
I sprout seeds of gorgeous mind weeds. My thoughts need not be pruned to perfection within an inch of their glory. My thoughts can be as wild as their thinker and as untamed as their maker. My thoughts can be alive with creative chaos and yet weighed with a sturdied stamina. I don’t limit my communications with the unseen realms of life-but I might not go telling every Slick Rick about them.
I know great things are rolling down the tracks because I have already seen them coming, dreamed them into being, layered the tracks for there arrival. I know great things are coming because I take my thoughts seriously and gear them towards fruitful fits of fantasy, like seeing myself fully expressed and totally happy.
Virgo & Virgo Rising
I magnetize the weighty wonder that is my great fortune. I’m not afraid of my potential. I am not afraid to reject the rotten if I end up with a bad apple in my basket. I can eliminate what is past its prime to make more room for what is still in bloom. I’m not afraid to state what I need and ask for what I want.
Like, exactly what I want.
Because pretending that I don’t deserve it is a downer. Denying my own inheritance is a disgrace to those who fought so hard for me to have this life. Being too nice to ask for what I deserve is a ridiculous excuse for not wanting to rock the boat.
This ship is sturdy enough to survive the storms.
I wipe the slate of self-doubt clean. It’s cleared. I value my time and energy too much to waste another moment doubting. I prove to myself that I value the whole of me by balancing my checkbook and writing in my dream journal. I commit to creating new pathways of self-love, self-appreciation and self-celebration because I deserve it. I deserve it because I live in a world with a different agenda. I deserve to celebrate the parts of me that the world excludes, tries to delete or denies altogether.
I am only concerned with saving myself and all the parts of me that might be lost at sea. I gather myself, lovingly, patiently and relentlessly.
Libra & Libra Rising
I am the receptacle for cosmic creation. I am being reinvented, reinvigorated and reworked in every way. It’s OK because I am more than up to the task.
This is no one’s job but mine. My balance is brought about by weighing my need for freedom with my need for friendly fun and sexy times. I balance my need for security with my need for revolution. I balance my need to please with my need to resist what is not right for my life. I balance my need for beauty with my need to be sweetly distasteful.
I open up to my birthday season with arms wide, ready to embrace a more honest reflection of myself. I look at my reflection in the mirror through both eyes and at both sides. I look within and I look outward to see how my soul is participating in the recreation of my life.
Every moment I am recreating myself.
Every feeling, every thought, every decision and every action moves me into my next year’s trip around the sun. I take a moment to consider and realign any straggling strays in my energy system. I want my whole self present to receive this present.
With this new moon I reset my commitment to reclaiming my radical creativity, my very real rendez vous with fate and the multitudes of gifts that flow from all those around me, to me. I say a big, phat YES to help without hesitation, guilt, shame or mistrust of the gift or the horse who brings it.
Scorpio & Scorpio Rising
I invite the Creatrix of Careers into my public sphere. I draw strength from the magic that multiplies the possibilities of my vocation. This is more than just a game of fame or disrepute- I vote for a solid spin on the wheel of meaning.
I ponder the possibilities of making a living doing work full of meaning. What that meaningful employment may be only I can know. What looks lovely on the outside can still feel like it misses the mark internally. This is my terrain to traverse but this week gives me a boost from out of the blue and a chance to see my passion and purpose clearly.
I celebrate the new moon by keeping close tabs on my dreams, demons and deamons. I allow for in between moments of downtime so that I might pay special attention to that which goes bump in my night. Getting a better handle on the ways in which my fears, doubts and shame limit the ways in which I show up in the world. I want to say yes to opportunity but I want to do so from a place understanding the gestalt of my situation. Because I have the unique opportunity at the moment to both reinvent, reignite and realign my powers of perception and reconstruct, reform and recommit to myself and my journey (with and without you). I know that something big is brewing.
This next patch of ground that I will cover is bringing me into a greater understanding of how I can build my life around my ideals, around my beliefs and around the buzz that beckons me forth. Part of my sacred duty as a being on this earth plane is to infuse the flesh with feeling, to make matter matter and to bring the sacred into the solid.
Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising
It comes quick, once I work through the delusions and the difficulties of getting caught in webs of wondering, worrying and wigging out.
I move at lightening speed, with great goddesses of luck and gods who grant greatness to guide me. This week I am especially tuned to receive lessons from those that are like lighthouses in foggy times. I give thanks for these teachers of truth.
I am moving from confusion to wide-eyed revelations. I might shock a friend or two in turn. I may create waves that roll across the boardroom. I might rock the religion right out of the righteous.
Not my problem.
I need to live this life. I need to find the allies that are on my team and deflect attention from those that are not. I can smile sweet while slipping out to safety.
Totally doable.
In fact I find ways to be tactful and careful in my communications with those in my social circles and in my workplaces because #mercuryretrograde might have me eating a turn of phrase or two. I mean, I’m about to rock this boat so I might as well make sure i have something to help scoop out the excess water because I am not about to go down with sinking ships. My sights are set and I have sails to get me there. Vision is everything.
I find those who share mine and see if they have the courage to keep up.
Capricorn & Capricorn Rising
My work works. I love it. I show up for it and it graces me with the same gift of commitment. This is a relationship, perhaps one of the deeper ones I work on right now. I don’t question it or hesitate about my devotion to it. I do, however, leave room for reinventions.
Yes Mercury retrograde, I see you heading down the track. Breaks on and ready to reverse.
But I don’t sweat you. Actually I swear by you. Stand by you. Bet money on the fact that you will bring me more love than lamentations, more laughter than languishing and more patience than self-pity. Why? Because I say so. I’m not privy to group mentality that moans about Mercury’s movements more than it seeks to understand it.
I’m not afraid to admit somethings don’t work out. I’m not scared of the fact that some things fall apart. I’m not worried because I work for the sanity of my soul, not a mentality based on scarcity. When it arrives I will use that time to rework, rewrite and revise the things that I am starting now.
One step forward and then a little pause. It’s perfect. Perhaps it’s not ideal, but a perfectly plausible place to grow from and that is what I am after. I am here to grow. I am here to learn. I am here to heal. I am here to explore my spiritual dimensions via this physical vehicle. That’s my real vocation. That’s my real purpose. To become utterly humane; breakable, beautiful and beholden to the unshakable bond that connects all sentient beings.
Aquarius & Aquarius Rising
I clear the decks of my mind so that I am ready to engage with new strategies to help me see by. I am ready to see farther. I am ready to widen, broaden and behold bigger pictures and plans for my life.
These aren’t plans planted in the ground. These are insights that I will spend time reworking, reformulating and revisioning. The point is that I let myself wander into worlds I have yet to. The point is that I remember how big my life is. The point is that I remember that I am connected to a much larger plan than the hum of the hamster wheel turning in my brain would have me believe.
I’ll find much of this kind of inspiration via those that decide to give me their good love. My partners, my loved ones even those that might drive me round the bend, supply me with open ended questions that lead me to a greater understanding of my own power and my power lies in my ability to move about as my soul seeks to.
It’s not aimless wandering. It’s not a vain attempt at living victorious. This seeking is bold in its humility, it’s powerful in it’s pondering and it’s free in its commitment to those that serve up endless inspiration.
I look for love and I find it. I feel for love and am felt by it. I listen for love and it murmurs sweets songs I thought were secrets locked away in my heart.
Pisces & Pisces Rising
To be real about my wounds is my greatest point of power. In this vulnerability I find my resilience.
I will not mask, cover or conceal these hurts for you or another other who is too terrified of their own shadow to accept anyone else’s. I cannot conceal the loss, the grief or the gratitude that has come with these lessons because that would be a denial of my power.
The more of myself that I can invite into my everyday the more resources I have to draw from. The more resources I have to draw from the more empowered I am. The more empowered I am the more honest I am. The more honest I am the more in alignment with source energy I am. The more in alignment I am with source energy the more courage I have to do the things that are mine to do.
And I have things to do.
I am invigorated by the jumpstart I get this week. My creativity is finding a home. My desires are landing in tangible reality and I am discovering more and more ways to use the earth plane as a playground.
I can bring my creative cravings into reality by dedicating some of my daily grind to realizing them. I work a little everyday on the projects that sustain my soul and set my heart a flutter. I give opportunity an open window to find its way through because if I don’t, who will?
*************
*Chani Nicholas' work is entirely funded by her readers – by you – to keep her site a community-driven advertising-free collective space. If you like what you read each week, if you find solace or inspiration in these words, or if you just appreciate the occasional pep talk, consider making a small monthly contribution to keep the art alive.
- See more at: http://www.chaninicholas.com/autumnal-equinox-libra-new-moon-manifestations/#sthash.jynf6j9n.dpuf
PRESENCE is essential in meditation and yoga practices. Witnessing the watcher within. Being here now. Another way to cultivate that inner awareness is to go somewhere new. Without the expectations that come along with your habitual routines, you're more able to fully experience your surroundings and be present to new sights, sounds, and even thoughts that arise.
For this reason (and many others), I love new adventures in nature! There's so much to take in. Since I moved to Northern California, I've been hiking, biking and camping amongst the Redwoods, and this past weekend I had an incredible experience of being fully in the moment: cliff jumping into a waterfall!
Watch this video for a first-person view of my recent adventure!
Song: High for This (The Weeknd Cover) by Ellie Goulding
Please check out this video: "THE STORY OF STUFF - Consumerism, Capitalism, & Environment in America". It's well worth the 20 minutes!
I feel like I need to watch this video once a day to keep reminding myself of this process, and to stay aware of the cycle of insanity.
Some tips to help emancipate ourselves from this system:
Buy products that are high quality and known to last. You may have to spend a little more money, but it will more than even out in the long run. This also means you must take care of the things you have. When you are ready to get rid of something, ask yourself if could be used second-hand, and if so, consider donating it rather than putting it in the garbage.
As much as possible, buy handmade items from individual craftsmen, or products from companies you know to have ethical practices and principles. If you make your own products, educate yourself on where your raw materials are coming from. Consider the effect of harvesting your material, any labor that goes into producing it, and the environmental cost of transporting the materials. Think SUSTAINABILITY.
If it feels overwhelming, try not to focus on the seemingly futile or insurmountable task of healing the entire planet. Instead, focus great energy and intention on the difference you are making in your own sphere of influence. It takes each and every one of us make a global shift, and that shift must first happen in yourself.
Remember too that our collective thoughts and emotions become the reality that we experience as a society, so in each of your efforts, keep love, compassion for each other, and stewardship of the planet at the forefront of your mind. ♻
8 Powerful Life Lessons Hawaii Can Teach Us About Happiness (via MindBodyGreen)
By Shannon Kaiser, June 16, 2014
For tourists coming for a quick jaunt, it is hard to see beneath the pristine manicured lawns and balmy, sun-kissed palm trees of Hawaii. But if you are willing and open, the islands can be a catalyst to self-awareness.
I have spent the past three months on the Hawaiian Islands finishing my next book, and had the glorious opportunity to peel back the surface layers and see the heartbeat of the people and the land. Hawaii may be synonymous with paradise, but living here gives a raw glimpse into what it means to live a rich life.
Many people who live in Hawaii work extremely hard and understand the power of ohana, or family. Living a rich life has nothing to do with material possessions or the number in your bank account. Many Hawaiians lead a rich life because they do what they love daily and embrace life fully. They balance this with the art of relaxed achievement.
Thanks to my time in Hawaii, I have a healed heart, expansive opportunities and new perspective on living more courageously.
Here are eight powerful life lessons Hawaii can teach us about living a rich life.
1. Surrender all expectations.
When we expect things to happen, work out or last, we set ourselves up to fall victim to life’s situations. Expectations are the root of unhappiness. In Hawaii, locals are prepared and open for anything. A flash flood, tsunami warning or a break in the clouds for an epic surf session. Allowing life to unfold naturally is the heart of balance.
2. Needing someone is not a weakness.
Many of us run around doing, striving, pushing to be more so we can wear the badge of independence. We hustle through life pretending we are fine. After all, showing our vulnerable side screams weakness. As I have learned here in Hawaii, the heart of happiness is each other. The islands are far from any mainland, which means people come together and look out for one another. Community is the pulse of the Hawaiian Islands and leaning on one another is the ultimate form of strength. You don’t have to be in the middle of the ocean to feel the power of friendship and family.
3. Be open and life will be easier.
When we are unwilling to grow and are afraid of change, we struggle, grumble and claw our way through life. But what if allowing awareness is the key to living a more peaceful life? The Hawaiian experience has shown me how important it is to approach all situations with an open mind, free of judgment.
4. Changing course does not mean failure.
Changing your mind, starting again or removing yourself from a situation you once thought was your happiness route are all part of living a life on purpose. I thought I was coming to Hawaii for one reason, but a couple months into my stay, I was forced to regroup and change direction. Sometimes letting go of what no longer serves us can free us to live out more expansive possibilities.
5. Be where you are — not where you think you should be.
Most of us spend an enormous amount of time and energy trying to be some future version of ourselves. As we push to be someone we have yet to become, we often forget how far we have come. Being in the moment and accepting where you are is the pulse of the Hawaiian Islands. But you don’t have to be in paradise to access this mentality.
6. Allow love in.
Wounds inflected from the past, hurt feelings, situations gone awry can bruise our hearts and prevent us from letting people in. But learning to receive love is often the most challenging life experience for emotional givers. In Hawaii, the love is everywhere, from the ocean waves to the sacred volcanoes. Love is the essence of life, and letting it into your heart is true happiness.
7. The little things are the big things.
No pretenses or superficial conversations occur in Hawaii. Slippers (flip-flops), no makeup and un-brushed hair are part of the lifestyle vernacular. Less is more in Hawaii, and many locals take time every day to soak in the moment. Watching the sunset, walking barefoot in the sand or resting on the lanai (porch) are all free, yet profoundly rewarding experiences. You don’t need a lot of money to be happy, you just need to appreciate the little things and see they are the biggest things.
8. Gratitude is the life force of everything.
Giving thanks is not only an essential part of living a happy life, but is the energetic life force. Hawaii locals know giving thanks is so important. Take note. Instead of focusing on what isn’t working, be thankful for what is. Recognize that when we are thankful, everything else can fall into place.
For more tips on how to be happy, grab this Free Guide.
Baddha Padmasana, or Bound Lotus, is considered to be the full version of Lotus Pose, the “classic” yoga pose, and has been practiced by yogis for hundreds, even thousands, of years. This advanced variation is only recommended for those who can already sit comfortably in Lotus.
Benefits
Stretches knees, hips, ankles
Improves circulation in the pelvis and spine
Tones abdominal organs
Offers deep opening of the chest, back and shoulders
Helps calm the mind and prepare for meditation
Precautions
If you cannot do Lotus Pose, do not attempt this variation. Instead start with Half Lotus until you gain more flexibility.
If you can’t get both feet, try one at a time. Or you might try tightening your Lotus or folding forward to reach the feet better. If you can’t reach either foot, cross your arms behind you and rest your hands on either hip.
Check out this 2007 article from Outside Magazine. My favorite, #9… "I like espresso. It's good stuff."
17 commandments from water god Laird Hamilton, who says fear is good, failure isn't bad, and you should treat your body like a truck, not a temple
Laird Hamilton in Malibu, California. Photo: Peggy Sirota
I base everything on how I feel. You can tell me, if you're 43 years old and six foot this, that's going to do that to you, this will do this but your body is the best instrument for reading how things affect you.
You want strength that you can actually control andapply. When you sit down on an exercise machine, with your back against a chair, you tend to shut down the rest of your body. When you stand up and your body has to hold a position to actually support the weight, you'll have a hard time. So you need to incorporate other elements. I'll do machines where I hold my legs up, or stretch while I'm on them, or add leg lifts while I'm doing presses.
If it's potato chips in, it's potato chips out. You eat garbage, you're probably going to perform like garbage.
Vacation is an opportunity to get in a good routine.It's like mini boot camp. I just got back from a heli-snowboarding trip in Alaska. I'd been wanting to work on my legs, so I go up there and board all day for 12 days. If we didn't get enough, we'd chop firewood or take hikes in deep snow. I come out of that and my legs feel strong.
This is something I'm trying to learn: how to rest. Going full steam ahead all the time is not always the most productive approach, because then you're always trying to play catch-up with recovery.
You have to go and try different stuff. The thing is, when you reach a certain level in any sport, you become so efficient at it that the effort level is really diminished. Your body has adapted. So what are you getting? Snowboarding has helped my surfing. Windsurfing has helped my surfing. Biking, for sure, has helped my surfing.
Above everything, sleep. I'm an eight-to-ten-hour guy. Not that I can't operate with less, but for my overall well-being, I gotta have at least eight.
I like espresso. It's good stuff.
I have friends who eat healthier than anybody, but it takes them all day. And if they don't have their sprouted bread, they go into a seizure. I can eat a Big Mac. I'm not going to love it, but it won't put me into toxic shock. It's like if a car is too high-performance, then it's sensitive to any kind of fuel. I like being more like a truck. If a little diesel gets in there, maybe a little water, it'll cough and burp a bit, but it's gonna get through it and keep running.
Chew more. That'll probably do more for your ability to absorb nutrients from your food than just about anything.
It's always more enjoyable to train with other people. It's going to be more stimulating, but it also pushes you because you have accountability. You can't just think, Oh, that was enough. Your partner will say, "That was only 29. I thought we were doing 30."
Fear is an unbelievable motivator, but it also makes people freeze in their tracks. Once you start to understand it, fear becomes something you can tap into. Fear comes from the understanding that you can die. It usually makes me make really good decisions and gives me power.
If you aren't able to be scared, you either haven't been hurt or you're completely ignorant.
We are each our own greatest inhibitor. People don't want to do new things if they think they're going to be bad at them or people are going to laugh at them. You have to be willing to subject yourself to failure, to be bad, to fall on your head and do it again, and try stuff that you've never done in order to be the best you can be.
Schedule training in the morning so that normal daily chaos—long meetings, family demands, traffic—won't end your workout before it begins. Plus, you'll jump-start your metabolism, meaning you'll burn more calories (even while sitting behind a desk), feel better all day, and work more efficiently.
In the end, if you're still just there, doing it, you win.
