Archives: meditation

I think it’s the perfect time to share my yoga retreat with you all. As I watch the news about Boston today, all I can think about is how nice it will be to escape NYC and find some peace and serenity in my weekend retreat to upstate NY.

The retreat is the first weekend in August 2-4 and it will be amazing. I say it so confidently because I’ve managed to find a place that puts great emphasis on their food, is conscious about allergies and offers a cooking class and nutritional talk.

My retreat will include vinyasa and restorative yoga, meditation and breath work, all the food is included as well as 1 cooking class and a nutritional talk!

Sound good? I know it does. So why not signup? We could all use a bit of peace and quiet in a beautiful villa 1.5 hours away from NYC.

The cost is between $575-$625 depending on the room you choose. Please check the Facebook event (link below) to see more details regarding the retreat.

Click HERE to learn more about the place.

Click HERE if you’d like to signup.

You can also connect via Facebook by clicking HERE

I really hope you can join us. Space is limited to 12 people, so don’t wait and book today.

A few weeks ago I was having a flare-up. Yes, even I still get them. Even though I watch my diet, practice yoga & meditate, sometimes the flare-ups happen anyway. I’m only human! I am looking forward to a day in the near future when my flare-ups happen 0% of the time, but until then I’ll keep letting you know about my process.

I have noticed that my flare-ups happen less and are much less extreme then they once were (which I definitely see as positive!). Here’s what I tried this time around:

This yoga pose is very easy to do at home using pillows, a blanket and a chair.

If you are suffering from bloating, constipation, hemorrhoids etc. then I highly recommend that you try this. Stay in the pose for a minimum of 10 minutes and keep at it for however long feels good to you.

Relax to the Max yoga pose

The picture pretty much explains the pose, but a few things to be mindful of: make sure the pillow underneath your sacrum (your waistband) feels comfortable. Your pelvis should be slightly lifted. Make sure that your knees are on the edge of the chair. Cover yourself with a blanket and RELAX! Let go and surrender.

I like to call this pose: Relax to the Max Pose

While you’re in Relax to the Max, you might get a visit from a wonderful, healing, furry friend (if you have one!) let them serenade you with their love.

A Love Fest in Relax to the Max

Enjoy!

After returning home from an incredible yoga training in Vermont with Will Duprey, I’ve had a bit of a hard time assimilating back into “normal” city life.

Well, there I was, completely immersed in yoga day in and day out for two straight weeks. I felt great, (except for some belly issues due to the food) I continued my meditation and breath work practice and was surrounded by incredible, fun and lively people who were all in the same boat as me.
Then I arrived back to NYC and felt like the tiniest fish in a very large ocean. My emotions were soaring high those first two days because not only was I forced to say goodbye to some amazing people but I was also heading back to chaotic New York City. On most days I absolutely love the city but it is a challenge to get thrown back into it after being immersed in yogi land.

Now here I am, back in NYC and already I survived an earthquake AND a hurricane all in the same week! When it rains is certainly does pour!

My emotions have calmed down now but I am faced with asking myself the question: how will I keep up this positive, confident, soaring high feeling while living in NYC? So far what I’ve done is kept in touch with lots of people from my training and I will continue to do so. Only we understand the healing and positive energy we received from being present together in the same space for 2 whole weeks. I know that I can continue feeling great – although, let’s be honest, I know it will change as I travel along my journey.

My main focus is to stay positive, keep in touch and feel good.

My journey continues and so does yours.

After all the excitement about my colonoscopy news I’ve had some time to think about what exactly I’ve done for myself to help in knocking this colitis out.

I’ve had people ask me how I’ve gotten to this point.

Well, here it is: I’ve had a major diet change coupled with yoga, meditation, and breath work and as if that isn’t enough, I see 2 incredible women, I work with a Therapist, I have a family to lean on and friends who stay by my side. My yoga teacher, although new to my mix of healers, has already shown me incredible, life changing tools to better my practice and myself.

Here is just a touch of the amazing healers in my life:

Dr. Crystal Joseph D.C., AK, CCSP: Chiropractor and Applied Kinesiologist.

When I step into Dr. Jo’s office I always know I’m in for a treat. She has incredible hands, which always know where to go. Whenever I have pain I lie on her table waiting for her to test my muscles and find the place that’s “out.” Her massages are unlike any I’ve ever had at a spa because she really knows how to get into the muscle to release whatever’s tight. Sometimes I don’t even have to tell her where to go and she knows… It’s not only about the adjustment though, she’s also very involved in the rest of my health and wants to know anything new that I’m trying or supplements that I’m taking. We always have interesting conversations and it feels like I’m visiting a friend who happens to be the most incredible Chiropractor I’ve ever encountered. Without a doubt, this woman has been a huge proponent in helping me heal my colitis.

Aimee Raupp, MS, LAc: Aimee is my acupuncturist and boy is she incredible! Her office is like my sanctuary – I know I’m there to simply relax for a good 50 minutes and sometimes longer . Aimee is always interested in me as a whole – that’s why I love her and Chinese Medicine. She takes my pulse, checks out my tongue and then begins needling as though she knows my body like a road map. Aimee knows so much about health, nutrition, supplements and so much more – it’s always interesting talking about these topics with her. I know Aimee has lots of patients but when I’m with her in the room it seems as though I’m the only one that’s important. That’s another reason why she’s so special – she gives her undivided attention at all times and that’s not something that’s always accessible with other practitioners. I always leave her office feeling calm, de-stressed and lighter, much lighter. Aimee also has a big part in helping me to heal.

I mention all of this because this is how I’ve helped myself heal. It’s not just one quick fix…

I’ve learned that to heal myself I need to let go and let myself get taken care of.

Sometimes you have to let others take care of YOU. If you or someone you know suffer from an illness find the right team. It’s so important to let go and let others take care of you. Maybe giving into just that will help you heal. Find the right protocol for you – we’re all different and our bodies don’t respond in the same way.

Do the search, get recommendations and be free!

I love to share my experiences and can help you find your journey too.

Live long, enjoy life and smile  :)

The Beauty of the Berkshires

This weekend Chad and I ventured up to the Berkshires for some serious R&R at Kripalu Yoga Retreat Center. We’ve been up there before, but there’s something about the smell of freshly cut grass, the trees rustling in the wind and rain dropping outside.

From time to time I think it’s SO important to leave this wonderful city that we call home. The mountains seem to soothe my soul and give my mind/body that refreshing energy that I’m always looking for and can never find here in NYC.

I know deep down I’m not a city girl, and don’t think we’ll live here forever, but for right now we do live here and have no plans to move anytime soon. In that case, I better work hard at finding the right trips up to the mountains as frequently as I can. It’s those times in nature where I really feel I’m able to ground myself. In this city that I currently call home, finding that peace with nature is certainly a foreign concept. It’s only when I take trips down to the River when I’m able to actually find peace again, I think it’s all the background honking that really gets to me.

Can you find peace in this city? That’s the tricky question. Are you able to close your eyes on the subway and find peace? Can you walk down to the water with absolutely no agenda but just to breathe in the calming smell of water?

See what you can do for yourself to find peace today or this week – I challenge you in this. Are you rushing through the process we call life? Or are you stopping to take it all in? Slow down to the speed of life, I dare you.

I hope you enjoy this beautiful sunny day.

I recently returned from an incredible yoga journey to Guatemala. There I learned more about myself then I think I ever have before. What struck me the most was how incredible my body felt when given a healthy routine. We had a set routine everyday. I woke up at 6:25am, went to practice yoga from 7-9 ate breakfast at 9, lunch at 1 and dinner at 7. This was a continuous flow that allowed my body to become in synch with a natural rhythm. I was able to find peace and harmony within.

I didn’t realize how much my body craves rhythm…

Along with a yoga practice, we created a meditation practice that lasted 30 minutes everyday. It doesn’t matter how many times another individual tells you “you should be meditating everyday” once you do it on your own and see how it makes your body feel, only then can you make it a daily ritual.

I can tell you right off the bat that this was me… I was one of those people who other people felt the need to tell me that I needed to meditate everyday. They were absolutely right, but it wasn’t until I was pushed into a situation where I had to do it everyday did I actually commit.

Don’t ask me why this is, but I’m sure you can relate that when a person tells you “you should do this….” You’re most likely NOT going to do it!!

I can almost see you shaking your head because we all know it’s the truth.

Here’s my advice to you then: Whatever it is that you “should” be doing, get yourself to a place like a retreat or wellness center where it’s in your face everyday and you have nothing else to do but this “should” activity. Voila, in no time you’ll see how incredible it makes you feel and therefore it makes you want to fit it into your daily life.

I now have a set routine that I call my sadhana, which I practice everyday no matter what. It’s just as important as brushing my teeth (as my teacher, Will Duprey, says).

My stomach hasn’t felt this good in years. I almost feel cured!!

It’s almost as though a light bulb turned on and I’ve realized that I not only have to change my diet, but my meditation/breathing practice must be stepped up in order to create peace and calm inside my body.

In a stressful world and city, our bodies need a calm outlet. Give it that. Listen to your body and let it have what it needs.

Create peace and quiet within and let go of the negative energy, negative thoughts and simply bad attitude, it’s not worth it. If I told you that with each negative thought you were literally slapping your stomach would you continue to slap yourself over and over again?

Think about it…

Chill out and do something good for yourself today. Make your own sadhana, whatever that may be.

I’m always open for questions so please feel free to message me if you’d like.

Take care of your temple, that is your body of course!

Our yoga sanctuary for 10 days in Guatemala

Crow pose (Bakasan) on the dock

This morning I woke up all anxious – what a terrible way to start my day… As soon as I opened my eyes and even before, I had all these thoughts rolling through my head – I was obsessing about ridiculous things. These are the types of thoughts that kick my stomach down and make it super hard to pick myself back up. Well, I decided that I wasn’t going to start yet another day this way and I put an end to it. I walked up the stairs, took out my yoga mat and started practicing yoga, which I’ve learned from numerous teachers around NYC.

I figure you don’t need to be a yoga teacher to practice yoga in your own home.

You wouldn’t believe how much this helped me. For the 10 minutes that I was practicing, my breath began to get heavy and all of a sudden my muscles loosened up, my back felt great, and I was simply amazed.

It took 10 minutes from my morning routine and I made it work so that I wasn’t late for work. I’ve decided that this will become part of my daily routine and I recommend this for everyone.

If you’ve been to a few yoga classes then your all set, just try to remember at least 1-5 poses and you will be ready to practice on your own. If you’re not into doing the poses on your own, sit cross-legged with your hands resting on your legs and palms facing up – begin to focus on your breath – hear it, feel it, be it, live it, enjoy it.

Have a wonderful day,
Namaste