Mindful Monday: Give the A

I was recently in a quite thought-altering conversation with someone who is reading The Art of Possibility, a book in which a music teacher starts the semester by giving all of his students As, with one stipulation: each student must write a letter to the teacher dated May (the semester’s end) that explains the story of what will have happened to him or her as a result of this extraordinary grade. It sounds kind of silly on the surface, but what ended up happening was remarkable. And it’s so much more than just giving someone the benefit of the doubt.

When you give someone an A, both the giver and the receiver are transformed. Your expectations of how so and so should measure up against your own standards start to break down, and because you’re operating out of a space of deep respect in which you’re already handing out As to everyone you meet, the recipients have room to realize themselves. The A is not an expectation yo live up to, but a possibility to live into.

The reality is that it’s all ego. Most of who we think we are and what we’re capable of is just a result of the stories we tell ourselves on a daily basis. Today, try transcending. Today, give yourself an A. Today, wake up and tell yourself a story in which at the day’s end, you’ve already succeeded. Start with that, and see where it takes you.

Anyone else getting inspiration from a must-read book? Top 2 favorites: Go!

 

Mindful Monday: Breakfast for the Win

Good morning, mindful ones! When we first introduced Mindful Monday, we promised a handful of mixups ranging from stories to meditations to yoga to inspiration to recipes to short workouts to literature. Today we give you a special morning treat. And, since breakfast is most certainly the most important meal of the day, we could all use some inspiration. Between kids and careers and dog-walking and everything in between, mornings can be quite frantic and rushed. Maybe you skip breakfast entirely. Try this quick and easy power bowl to give you all the energy you need before you even leave the house:

1 C yogurt (there are some really great soy yogurts out there for those of you participating in the cleanse)

1 fresh fruit of your choice, cut

1/2 C granola (lots of gluten free options)

1 T chia seeds

Copy it, spruce it up, make it your way, let us know if you love it. What are some of your favorite and quick go-to healthy breakfast delights?

Mindful Monday: Everything is Temporary

Sometimes the hardest part about being “stuck” is the lack of sight. But when’s it going to be over? How come I can’t see the light? Why is recovery so long? When will I heal? These questions can ruin us if we let them, and our minds won’t be of much help. It’s at times like these that was must remind ourselves and hold with warm certainty that everything is temporary. The pain. The heartache. The injury. The bad day. The traffic jam. The line at your favorite corner coffee shop. None of it lasts forever. Let that cheer you up today, bright one.

Check Out YBD Sculpt Fusion

Take a peek inside a Sculpt Fusion class by watching the video below!

As we exit the season of indulgence and enter in to our New Year Resolutions, for many of us, it means it’s time to look for a new routine to help us get back in to shape.  If you want a routine that is the “ultimate” mind and body workout, Yoga by Degrees’ signature Sculpt Fusion classes are all you need! Sculpt Fusion is comprised of the perfect blend of an interval cardio, strength and yoga workout! You’ll also discover Sculpt Fusion as the perfect complement to our other life changing class offerings including, Sculpt, Vinyasa (flow) yoga and Restorative yoga classes. Go to our web site to find a class that fits your schedule: http://www.yogabydegrees.net

January Pose of the Month

Guess what day it is? It’s the first Wednesday of 2016, and to kick off hump day, we give you: Camel Pose! This heart-opening and energizing backbend ignites the throat chakra, and it can elicit some fear in some or be a source of fiery power for others. Be gentle with yourself as you approach this one.

• At the top of your mat, come to standing on your knees so that your shoulders are stacked upon hips and hips on top of knees

• Bring your palms to your low back

• Press into your palms as you tip your pelvis forward slightly and lengthen the back pelvis down through your tailbone

• Energetically pull your shoulderblades together and lead with your gaze as your drop back

• If your backbend is deep enough for you to see what’s behind you, option to take your hands to your calves or heels

Benefits of Camel Pose:

• Energizing posture can help nudge you out of bouts of fatigue

• Stretches the entire front of the body, your deep hip flexors, and back muscles

• Improves posture

• Ignites and balances chakras

Get yourself over the hump as we continue on into the New Year! Featured is instructor and manager Heather Avery conquering her fear of deeper backbends.

Mindful Monday: Resolve to Evolve

Good morning my mindful people! Happiest new year, and a big high five to your new beginning!

Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly, or arrive with a big bang. And, while they CAN and often DO, they don’t have to start on January 1st. I hear a lot of what I believe to be utter nonsense about “resolutioners” and how to prepare for temporarily-packed gyms and fresh food markets, but you won’t hear any of that from me. In fact, I’m overwhelmed with joy and excitement at an almost-global effort to make big changes toward shifts in consciousness, a greater mind-body connection, and a desire to live and operate from a richer state of wellness, even if it does only and typically happen at the first of a new calendar year. Hey, everyone starts somewhere. If you want that person to be you, I’m proud of you! And in fact, if you’ve begun again 15 times now, I’m still proud of you. Keep trying!

We’re kicking off the New Year with instructor Nadja’s 21-Day Detox, and if you’re resolving to evolve from the inside out, maybe this is for you. For 21 days, you’ll partner with a community of accountable friends to cut out:

1. Sugar
2. Caffeine
3. Gluten
4. Animal products including dairy
5. Alcohol

You don’t need to bring a certain body to the table. You don’t need to have a goal weight in mind or come in expecting to diet and shred. And in fact, Nadja will sweetly remind you that you don’t need to FIX anything. This 21-day cleanse is so unique because it’s more than just food and the body. It’s a detox, sure, but it’ll bridge a sometimes-ignored-and-sensitive relationship gap in which we use food and caffeine and alcohol to avoid unpleasant thoughts and feelings, even though it’s hard and extremely brave to admit that that kind of dependency even exists in us.

Here’s what 21-day detox participant Shaun Emerson had to say about his experience with Nadja’s cleanse:

“Nadja calls it a detox, a cleanse, but for me, it was deeper than that. With Nadja’s guidance, the 21-day period was an opportunity to be thoughtful about what I was putting into my body. Participating in past cleanses, detoxes, and diets, the energy was negative: lose weight, deny, and be miserable. With Nadja’s positive energy shared on a daily basis, the attention is on the transformative impact food can have on our self-awareness and our relationship with others and the world around us.

For me, the 21 days was a great detox/cleanse, but more importantly, the 21 days was the first 21 days of a physical and mental restart to a healthier body, clearer mind and deeper sense of awareness.”

If you’re interested in participating or you just have a few questions, email Nadja directly at nadjal@me.com, or come in for more information at any of our four Yoga By Degrees locations.