Tag Archives: friends

Better

25 Feb

cfamHi friends- I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been away.  Things have been a little hectic over the last few weeks and I wasn’t really sure how to write about them. 

My aunt passed away after loosing her battle with cancer and well- I’ve been really sad.  But while I realize that this is a part of life- attending her memorial service, spending time with family and new friends- is all the good that comes out of this kind of situation.  My aunt Carole was an amazing person; she was smart, creative, funny, loving- I mean cevthe list goes on and I have so many wonderful  memories of her. 

I guess what I’ve really been able to take away from the situation is that we all can be better people.  I heard her friends talk about how caring and fun she was and it just made me want to be better connected.  I want to be a better friend, sister, daughter, granddaughter, better listener, judge less, love more, and say yes more.

Life is hard, scary, wonderful, exciting, chaotic, and amazing all in one.  And it’s so important to be awake.  To breathe and be aware of each moment instead of cashsbeing stressed, worried, and unhappy all the time.  We have the ability to choose what we do and where we want to go.  Life is short and it’s about what you make of it.

So where do you want to go?

Here are a few things I plan on doing live more vibrantly:

Read more. Hike more.  Plant my fire escape garden.  Volunteer.  Have more girls nights.  Singe more karaoke.  Get cluorganized.  Send snail mail.  Meditate.  Drink more green juice and stop drinking coffee.  Art journal.  Actually learn how to use my sewing machine. Have a book club.  Host a dinner party.  Take a pottery or painting class.  Call my granny more often.  See my family in California and Indiana.  There’s more but these are the first few that came to mind and of course seeing these precious children in the pictures.  They’re in Cali. 

You remember Jack right? He’s 4 and his sister Lucy is almost 2 and 1/2.  I love them so much and they are the most precious things I have ever seen.  You can see other posts with them here:cfams

I’m Back

Two Year Old Lessons

Family Ties

New York New York

 

 

 

 

cfriend“You’re alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act.” – Barbara Hall

 

 

Happy Monday!!

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Black tie and staying present

30 Jan

bmore1Hi friends- can you believe the warm temperatures?!? I can’t.  I love it so much, but I also find it kind of scary with global warming how it’s snowing and icing one day and then almost 70 degrees the next.  I’ve been meaning to get this post up earlier but alas, here it is.  On Saturday night I got to attend The Enoch Pratt Library’s Black and White Party.  It was an amazing event.  They hold this party every year and raise money for the library and for their children’s and teen literacy efforts.

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But what made this event more special for me was that my mom used to work at the central branch when I was younger.  Actually my sister and I were on a poster for the library when we were four.  I tried to find the poster at my parents house but no luck.  I will show it you I promise!  So there was food, wine from The Wine Source, and a special beer crafter by The Brewer’s Art (love!) called The Nutty Pratt Ale. 

 

PBJ and I were in our finest and hung out with his friends. They had a Great Gatsby theme and were even playing the original film in the av room. It was an amazing time and I ran into people I went to high school with, friends from yoga, and local news casters. I hope we go again next year. And fyi- if you want to go next year, the tickets sell out very quickly!!

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This was my lunch today- vegan, gluten free, soy free.  I know it doesn’t look very pretty but it was tasty. 

In the mix was:

quinoa, spinach, black beans, garbanzo beans, polenta, onion (all sautéed with a bit of olive oil), garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  All organic too!

 

 

Here are the cat pictures you guys wanted.  I have yet to actually capture them in their cat yoga poses. Lol

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Always sleeping.  Must be nice. 

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So I  recorded a Raven’s inspired yoga sequence for you but I’m not savvy enough to figure out how to upload it.   I will try to record a video for you so you’ll have a sequence! A few of you wrote to me on facebook telling me what you would like to see on the blog and one of the topics was staying present in my own practice.  Well- the real honest answer is that you’re not always going to be 100% present in your own practice.  Our minds naturally wander and as busy human beings in a society that encourages us to keep pushing and doing all the time, it’s quite challenging to find that still place.  But the key to all of that- including being present in your own practice- is being aware of the fact that your mind, thoughts, and intentions do wander.  Instead of criticizing your self that oh I’m not focusing enough on my warrior 2- being ok and accepting the fact that, yeah, my thigh is burning and I’m feeling hungry.  It’s OK! But realizing that and then regaining your focus is what’s most important.  The other thing is that my own practice doesn’t have barriers, restraints, or fit into some box of what I think it should be or look like.  Everyday is different and just like life, my yoga practice is always changing.  And yours should too.  Being present means being awake, being vibrant, and being OK with whatever it is that shows up- not matter what it looks like. 

I hope you’re having a great week!  Time for me to face plant into bed!

xox- C

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To be or not to be: aware

12 Nov

cjHi friends- did you have a great weekend? Tomorrow is Monday and I am already thinking about next weekend- but that’s mainly because my college roommate J is coming!!  So exciting!!! I tried to find a picture of us from college but- well I didn’t want to mjembarrass either one of us.  But this is from 5 years ago! Anyway- she, M, and I laugh like we’re all sisters.  We’re already laughing just thinking about all of our fun times together.  Can’t wait!

 

ckI spent my weekend at the 500 hour yoga teacher training (we are almost finished!!) and every time I come back with some many new tidbits to bring to my classes and more inspiration.  And not to mention I have become so close with some amazing people!

Aside from learning more advanced poses, a lot of focus has been on breath work and meditation and then through that- awareness.  The whole process of awareness is really fascinating to me so I thought I would take some time to talk about my own journey and thoughts about it. 

I’ve been teaching yoga for over six years now and practicing for about 8.  Yoga used to be something that was really purely physical for me.  I’ve been the bendy one always wanting something harder, faster, more handstands, more upside down, more backbends.  There’s still a big part of me that wants that, but it’s been so interesting to see myself not crave that so much and really be able to tap into what my body needs- without judgment.  Skipping a backbend or doing more restorative poses when I know I need it.  It takes practice to notice that and then to actually put that into action. 

Being truly aware means not judging, finding compassion, and accepting yourself for who you are right now, today, and tomorrow no matter what. 

This is obviously easier said than done.  Every day we judge ourselves.  Every day we create our own suffering, pain, anxiety, and worry because we create the idea that what it is we are experiencing should be different than what it really is.  We want to control what’s happening, we want to be able to fix or change it, and then we are attached to the outcome.  I know this is sounding all too familiar because we all do this.  But starting to notice it can really be freeing. 

So how do we start to be aware? By finding stillness.  Try to start with 5-10 minutes sitting in a comfortable position closing the eyes.  Take 3 deep breaths and just start to let yourself settle in to stillness.  Yes your mind is going to wander and yes, it might be uncomfortable to sit in a cross legged position but for this to be successful is that you are purely being aware that you mind is wandering or that your leg is asleep.  That’s really simply the point.  To notice and be OK with the way it is.  Can you hold an intense yoga pose?  Another way of starting to find awareness is tapping into your edge in your yoga practice- I’d say hip openers are a good one.  Start to breathe in the pose and just notice.  Are you in your comfy place? Or are you finding your edge and being OK with some discomfort (without going to the place of injury) and staying in it without going too far or hanging back. 

Once you have this practice- this will start to transfer to your everyday life.  Are you noticing your tendencies when your sitting in traffic and running late? When you want to lash out or complain about your boss? When your criticizing the way you look? I think it’s really important to be tuned into finding the balance of striving too much or not enough and then coming back to that place of acceptance without having to do anything else but just be.  When you become aware/awake/alert to these things we can start to realize that the universe (or god or whatever higher power you like to believe in) accepts us for who we are- flaws and all, good days and bad days. 

I think you get the gist- and there is so much more I could say but I’d love for you to give it a try.  There’s nothing to fix and there’s nothing to change.  See if you can be content- even for a moment.

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I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead.  Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here???  Time is going by way too fast. 

I’m planning a post where I can answer any questions you have to please ask away- it can be about food, music, yoga, Baltimore, family- anything! 

Love love love- C

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Good times

30 May picstitch (17)

Hiiii my friends- I hope you had a fantastic holiday weekend.  Mine was pretty calm and relaxing but it’s still nice to have a short week! My schedule has been jammed packed with a lot of work but I have still managed to have a good time.

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I went to the O’s vs Red Sox game last week and it was a great time.  I hadn’t been to a game all season and I LOVE go to O’s games (even though sometimes we aren’t very good lol).  I think it’s all about the atmosphere…and the beer and food.

My friend let’s just call him big C sometimes gets tickets through his work and the seats were amazing!

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I felt bad for these poor people in these outfits.  It was hot and I hope they were getting paid a lot.

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It was definitely a great time.  A few of you asked about my jersey- I am pretty sure it’s a boys XL from Target.  Much cheaper and cuter than the other random ones that they say are made for women.

I went to Shepherdstown, West Virginia on Friday to take an acro yoga workshop with Vanessa King.  Vanessa was an awesome teacher and while I felt like there were challenging aspects to the class- it was totally available for all levels.  The class was held at Jala Yoga which my close friend Christa owns.  If you ever have to chance to go to Shepherdstown- you totally have to go. The studio is totally warm and everyone is super friendly and the town is really cute. Take a class from Christa and then check out Mellow Moods Juice Bar which is located underneath the studio.

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(that’s me in the pink and Vanessa is in the backbend)

I also spent some time with my family this weekend at my uncles bbq and celebrated my granny’s birthday.

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I pretty much broke all of my dietary restrictions at the cookout and am kicking myself about it now.

I also tried to teach my little cousin some yoga poses but the pictures didn’t come out so well.  It’s so funny because kids loooove to learn especially when you try to teach them something physical.  But I find it so interesting that little kids can’t quite balance.

picstitch (9)They’re super bendy, but they can’t stay still.  I kept yelling statue! He tried.  I guess it takes a while for some of those fine motor skills to be fully developed.  And note my hair getting progressively bigger in every picture.

Lastly I worked on my fire escape garden.  Wait till you see the pictures.  When I lived with my sis in Canton a few years ago, we actually lived in a house and I had lovely plants outside of out place.  Flowers and everything.  They looked great.  And then I moved to an apartment on a 4th floor walk up.

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Yeah- weeds took over!  Look how bad they looked! I spent a little over an hour sweating, weeding, and listening to the Pandora summer oldies station- praying no one was watching me.

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I don’t know if any of you garden (on your stoop, with pots, in a backyard etc) but I really love getting my hands dirty, planting something, and watching it grow.  I’ve been looking out my windows ever since impatiently waiting for things to grow.

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Things are a bit more organized now as you can see.  I have a few flowers to plant that my mom bough for me.  But I planted 2 basil plants (gluten free pesto pizza yes please), cilantro, mint, parsley, and rosemary.  So good.  Last year I had a tomato as well as pepper plant but, sadly I don’t eat those anymore.

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Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds, the harvest can either be flowers or weeds.  Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar.  ~William Wordsworth

picstitch (16)The pic above is everything weeded and nicely planted.  Now just cross your fingers for perfect pesto, grilled veggies, and salmon!

I hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was sealed off with a nice date night with Brad Pitt while having some of these.

I have to say- amidst the chaos, craziness, business, and fun- my life is good and I feel totally blessed and lucky to have to the life I have- even with all of it’s ups and downs (and this is probably because I know now how to handle the downs a little better than beforeWinking smile).

This is the beginning of a new day.  You have been given this day to use as you will.  You can wasted it or use it for good.  What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.  When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind…let it be good.  ~Unk.

xoxo, C

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Quick check

17 May camille yoga 4

Hi friends- Happy Wednesday!!  Are you glad the week is forging ahead?? I am!  I just wanted to do a quick check in with you.

I was in Baltimore’s City Paper today:

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Now this picture isn’t new, but I was in last weeks issue too.  But I wanted to give a shout out for the amazing photographer Rosey Puskas-Ragontse.  I had a photo shoot with her a few years ago and they all turned out to be perfect.  Check out her website Red Rose Photography and their Facebook page here.   I mean look at some of these photos:

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This is one of her pics featured on Vogue Italia’s website!

And check out her own self portrait here.  AMAZING isn’t it???

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Needless to say, I spoke with Rosey after 50+ people liked the pic in the city paper on my own facebook page, and I’ve got you a DEAL!!

A 1 hour photo shoot for a portrait session which includes a cd with 6 edited images on location, in her studio, or within 15 miles of her home~ all for $200 which is a STEAL!  Add professionally done makeup for an extra $50 (when I had mine done it was awesome- fake lashes? Yes please.)  Contact Rosey at rosey@redrose-photography.com

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I also wanted to show you guys another yoga clothing company I am working with Aaluuka clothing company. Like other yoga clothing; they specialize in taking yourself from your mat- to the street while looking stylish the whole time.  They sent me their Essential Tank and I love it!  Slim fitting but not too tight, supportive, great fabric (sweat wicking), and stays down when you practice!

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Clearly I took these pics by myself but I may try to get Brad Pitt to snap some of me tomorrow (and hopefully a video!!!)  Anyways, their clothes are awesome and you can check out my page with Aaluuka clothing here.  Soon I should have some cards with the website soon to give you in person!

Links to check out:

Sick and Tired- a post about how diet can affect your energy, mood, and lifestyle

How to Embrace and Avoid During Allergy Season

10 Ways To Plank

Gardening 101- including a small indoor herb garden and a good post to check out even if you think you have a brown thumb.

Finish every day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

So true!  Good night my friends! xo

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Wednesday

29 Mar

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Oh hi there.  How is your week?  Mine hasn’t been too eventful and the weekend is quickly approaching but that’s the way I like it.  How about you?  The weather’s been pretty nice and I just cannot believe it’s spring!  I’m already making plans for months from now and I cannot believe summer is around the corner!  That also means my big 3-0 Smile

Here’s a recipe for you:

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Sautee some chickpeas (garbanzo beans rinsed and drained) with olive oil. 

Add onion and spinach till everything is cooked down. Add salt, pepper, garlic, to taste.

Add sprouts (I used alfalfa) and some chopped avocado into a separate bowl and then add cooked beans, onions, and spinach mix. 

Top with goat cheese if you like!  All kind of random ingredients but it was pretty tasty.

I seem to have almost all of these ingredients on hand most of them time which makes throwing it all together really convenient.  I haven’t bought cheese in a few months as I’ve really tried to cut out almost all dairy and I thought starting with a little goat cheese would be a good start. 

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These are my friends Melissa and Brian.  They just moved to Hawaii.  I miss you guys already and I wish you nothing but the best!  You both deserve it so much!

And I will be coming to Hawaii thank you very much.

These are a few pics from their going away happy hour which was at La Scala last weekend. 

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I’ve only been to La Scala one other time- but if you go on Sunday’s between 4 and 8pm you can get $6 wines and appetizers.  Very tasty if you’re interested.

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Here are some links you might be interested in:

Broga- yoga for dudes weary of yoga

A Cheap Trick: Handstand, Backbends, and the Deeper Dimension of Yoga

7 Vegetarian Super Foods for Protein

You must check out this video!!!

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Meditate.  Live purely.  Be quiet.  Do your work with mastery.  Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds!  Shine.  ~Buddha

Don’t forget to come to Yoga After Dark on Friday at Charm City Yoga Midtown!  Click here for more info!

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I’m back

20 Mar

cwaterHiiiii blog readers!  I know it’s been a minute (maybe more like a month) since there’s been a post- but to be honest- I needed some much deserved Camille time.  And life is great!

My cousins husband (in one of the below pics) said to me when I was first blogging- you’re not going to be one of those people who writes things like- sorry I haven’t blogged in a while…LOL yes I’ve turned into that person!

Here’s what I’ve been up to.

The last time I posted I had gone to Baltimore Magazine’s Top Singles of 2012 party

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I had been chosen to be in their February issue (honestly not my favorite picture) but the party was very fun and tons of people saw the magazine.  Now the whole world knows I’m single…more on that later.

 

 

 

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The party was at Bond Street Social and was definitely a good time.  Packed with people, good music, drinks,- all around fun time.

 

 

 

 

I’ve spent time with these people:

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Yes- I am related to these red headed children! They’re my little cousins.  I think technically second cousins once removed.  Something like that.

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You can see my previous posts when I went to visit them here and here.

I’ve also become gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.  I know this will spark a lot of conversation- but I have had stomach issues and some arthritic flare ups in my knee and a lot of it has been cured by cutting some things out of my diet.  I’ve been eating this way- 95% of the time- for almost 2 months.  But of course, now I realize that the second I go to eat something that’s not free of these things (mainly the soy and gluten) I’m in pain the next day.

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I’ve also seen a naturopathic doctor and I feel amazing.  You can read more about naturopathic medicine here but the woman I have met with is awesome.  She looks at everything you do, eat, how you live your overall life, what your family history is etc, and helps you figure out what lifestyle changes you need to make to better your life.  This includes diet, physical activity, going to bed early, taking herbal supplements and so on.  I love it.  I have more energy and I feel over all more happy then ever.  I know it’s hard to think that some food can cause sluggishness and lethargy when you love the way they taste (trust  me I love cheese) but I feel so much better when I don’t eat those.  I’ve even cut way back on my beloved wine and champagne. 

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I’ve been working hard, enjoying the weather, taught a yoga class at Charm City Run in McHenry Row, and next week on March 30th I will be teaching a 2 hour Yoga After Dark Class at Charm City Yoga Midtown.

The class will be two hours from 8-10pm including an hour of yoga flow, 30 minutes of yin yoga and 30 minutes of yoga nidra.  Light refreshments and tea to follow.  Please sign up here! It’s all levels so bring your friends!

One last thing- I am working very hard to make a yoga retreat happen at this gorgeous resort next January.  Let me know what you think!

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I read this yesterday in one of my classes and I know it resonated with a few of you so I thought I’d share.

It’s easy to go through this fast-paced world feeling as if you are being dragged through your weeks on the back of a wild horse. Many of us go from one thing to another until we end up back at home in the evening with just enough time to wind down and go to sleep, waking up the next morning to begin the wild ride once more. While this can be exhilarating for certain periods of time, a life lived entirely in this fashion can be exhausting, and more important, it places us in the passenger’s seat when really we are the ones who should be driving.
When we get caught up in our packed schedule and our many obligations, weeks can go by without us doing one spontaneous thing or taking time to look at the bigger picture of our lives. Without these breaks, we run the risk of going through our precious days on a runaway train. Taking time to view the bigger picture, asking ourselves if we are happy with the course we are on and making adjustments, puts us back in the driver’s seat where we belong. When we take responsibility for charting our own course in life, we may well go in an entirely different direction from the one laid out for us by society and familial expectations. This can be uncomfortable in the short term, but in the long term it is much worse to imagine living this precious life without ever taking the wheel and navigating our own course.
Of course, time spent examining the big picture could lead us to see that we are happy with the road we are on, but we would like more time with family or more free time to do whatever we want at the moment. Even if we want more extreme changes, the way to begin is to get off the road for long enough to catch our breath and remember who we are and what we truly want. Once we do that, we can take the wheel with confidence, driving the speed we want to go in the direction that is right for us. ~Madisyn Taylor 

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Spring is officially here- so take a moment to clear out the clutter in your house, apartment, in your brain, make a green smoothie, and have some time for yourself.

 

 

 

Xoxo, C

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And oh yeah- I met my very own Brad Pitt- but that’s all I’m saying about that.

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Yoga love

20 Jan

Hi my favorite people- TGIF!!  I don’t know about you, but I am more than pleased that it’s the weekend.  And I have zero plans.  Happy as a clam.   What about you?  I hope you had a fabulous week and have an even better weekend waiting for you.

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Here’s a guest post from my girl Thais!

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thaisSometimes I wonder why I love yoga so much. It’s anything but easy, the progress is slow, some poses are borderline crazy, and everyday my body’s needs are different. The catch is, despite all of that, yoga isn’t really about the asanas but about connecting with the breath. Who would’ve thought. But fact of the matter is, yoga saved my life.

 

 

 

thais 3I am one of those people who lived the majority of my life completely disconnected from my body. Only after I started therapy did I realize how much I believed that the body was simply a slave of the mind rather than a tool for happiness. So I went to yoga to seek reconnection. After each class I left the studio with such a state of happiness, which I dubbed as a “yoga high”, that I just had to go back time and time again. Initially I only practiced yoga on my mat. I learned to enjoy the breath. I learned patience and persistence. I learned the joys of a good sweaty detox class. I learned that just because I can touch my toes does not mean I am in any way shape or form “better”. Eventually I noticed these lessons started following me around off the mat. I became more observant of how inflexible my mind was to change. I realized I carried tension with me for no reason. I started to become more compassionate with myself.

thais4Above all, the most important thing I’ve learned with my yoga practice is the power of the intention. If we do not set an intention before our practice, we tend to bring the same neurosis we have off the mat, on the matt. We must make it a point to let go, to breathe, to be ok with where we are, etc, when we practice. It’s my sincerest belief that without mindful intention, yoga is no different than gymnastics. This component of the practice is what creates change in the way we lead our lives. It’s what helped me express myself in a different way. Slowly but surely I am more positive, more open to life. All because I chose to approach yoga consciously and with great care. So of course, with such a love for the practice I had to go through teacher training. I wanted to learn everything I could about this world that I was just dipping my toes in. 200 hours later, I still feel like I am just skimming the surface of a beautiful ancient practice. There is so much more to yoga than just postures!!

thais1The more I learn, the more I want to share my knowledge. Eventually I want to teach yoga full time, just like our dear Camille does. We shall see what life has in store for me. After all that, what I am trying to say is – DO MORE YOGA! Whether it’s off the mat, or on the mat, I cannot encourage you enough to honor your practice. Maybe you practice to perfect your natarajasana (one of my favorite poses), or maybe you practice to get away from the craziness of life. Regardless of the reason, regardless of the actual practice, regardless of how successful you are, the point is just do it. Set an intention and go after your dreams. You’d be surprised at how nurturing the world is for those who find happiness in being.

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Thais is a 20s something yogadork with a passion for living life to the fullest. You can catch her taking naps in the park with her black lab, Caviar, reading ten books at a time, or tweeting away about some quote or another. Check out her corner of the blogging world here.

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Happy Friday!  Don’t forget next Saturday January 28th is my HIP HOP YOGA class at Charm City Yoga Midtown.  Click here for more info!

Life can be found only in the present moment.  The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

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Staying with it

6 Jan

004Hi friends!  How is your week going??  Things are going pretty well here.  But I must say- eating clean and going caffeine free is hard.  Obviously it’s only been a few days, but I haven’t had any caffeine since last Saturday and well- my energy is non existent.  When will it stop!? I hope soon.  Also, my throat is starting to hurt.  I hope it’s nothing.

Thank you for all the responses, emails, and facebook messages I got about my last post.  I just want to remind every single one of you who take the time to read my blog is that the things that I write about are solely my opinion.  I don’t know the right or wrong way for you to eat and work out.  I am merely offering my own suggestions to things that have worked and appeal to me (like green juice). 

So you can eat things like this:

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Peppermint and ginger herbal tea with agave nectar

Oatmeal with blueberries, about 1/3 of a banana, dash of maple syrup

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I also  made this delicious concoction- sautéed (in olive oil) broccoli, mushrooms, onion, and then added quinoa and tofu.  You don’t have to eat all raw all the time to still eat clean.  This was dinner and actually that picture is the leftover because I wasn’t that hungry.  I added a dash of spicy mustard that my friend Lauren made plus a dash of soy sauce.  You must make this!

And as for other tidbits about the new year as I see all the yoga classes and the gym being completely packed is that you can’t be too hard on yourself.  It’s all about balance.  You have to figure out your own equilibrium.  If you want to have a glass of wine- ok, have it, and don’t go overboard.  And then move on.  You need a day off from working out.  Then plan out what classes or when you will go to the gym or yoga next.  I promise that makes it easier. 

"Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface." Confucius

You should also check out my friend Sara’s blog.  She had some really nice reflections about 2011 and what’s to come in 2012. 

Here are some other interesting things to read:

Harvard’s Guide to Healthy Eating

Healing Power of Food

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body (we can discuss this at a later time but I’d love to know your thoughts)

 

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These pics were taken by my friend Sarah as part of the weekly Lululemon product notification. 

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.  ~Steve Jobs

I hope you’re having a  great week and an amazing start to 2012!

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Hollyday 2011

28 Dec

026Hi my loves- I hope the last few days have been filled with fun, excitement, love, and good food- and wine of course!  For all of those who celebrated Christmas this year- I hope Santa was good to you.  He was pretty good to me Winking smile

 

Here’s a short little recap of my Christmas  and holiday festivities this year. 

First- I caught up with friends.

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This is my friend Heather.  She actually went to college with my sister but over the last few years she and I have become close friends.   She’s amazing and we always try to make plans to hang out, but our schedules have never really merged.  So when she found out that there was an extra Raven’s ticket available for the Christmas eve game- she invited me to join.  Best decision ever.  Check out my wind blown do.

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It was a gorgeous day but it was definitely cold.  And- it was my first pro football game ever!!!

 

 

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The Raven’s won!!  Yay!  I’m definitely not a huge sports fan but it was an amazing day and a ton of fun.

Next- as soon as the game ended M came to get me and we went to my parents house.  It’s a tradition that we decorate the family tree on Christmas eve.  I don’t exactly remember that growing up and now that M and I don’t live at home we have our own trees and decorations- but needless to say- I felt kind of bad that we weren’t there earlier to help.

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We managed to put a few decorations on.  I think the tree looked really nice- much better than my sad fake one.  lol Also- my dad has been putting the SAME tinsel on the tree for my entire life.  The tinsel is over 30 years old!!!

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Moving on. 

Christmas breakfast! Mimosas, scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, ham, whole wheat blueberry pancakes- so good.

 

 

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I didn’t take pics of us unwrapping gifts because we were in out pjs- but I got a Kindle!  After begging my mom for one for months.  Yay!  After eating, watching Elf, and wrapping gifts for the rest of the family, we went to my uncle’s house for Christmas dinner.   

 

 

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(My Granny)

And my cousin Jessica got engaged!  Her man proposed in front of the ENTIRE family.  Everyone was crying- including all the men.  Yes that means my dad was tearing up too. 

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After eating too much- we all played the just dance game on the xbox 360.  I was too stuffed to really shake it.  But  my sister was prepared and brought her dance clothes!

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All in all it was a very fun day and I still kind of feel like things are super busy.  But I’m ready for the new year!

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So before we start talking about the new year- I wanted to talk about something that stuck with me on Christmas eve.  I did the traditional go to church service that night and most of you know I’m not exactly religious.  I grew up going to the Unitarian Universalist church in Baltimore pretty much my whole life.  My parents actually got married there.

The minster talked about holiday traditions and seeing family and friends and basically that we do the same things year after year.  However, to live a mindfully awake, vibrant, and exciting life, you should open your eyes and treat every experience as a new one.  Even though we may do the same things year after year, when we live a life that’s full of love, we can become even more dynamic and passionate than we’ve been before. 

Because even though we may look and feel like we’re the same- we’re really not.  Our relationships, connections, experiences, mold us into who we are and we’re different down to our cells. So what are you going to do with the new you in 2012?  I’d love to know.

I just though that was something to think about when you’re going over your goals and resolutions for the new year.

I hope you’re staying warm, enjoying time off if you have it, and that you’re ready to ring in the new year right!

Xoxox, C

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