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The Counterpose for Life

Lessons from the mat….  The counterpose for LIFE…. Supported Fish…..  Think about how we live our daily lives.  Shoulders hunched over, head down, shoulders and neck tense. Fast and hurried.  Just get me through this day as fast as possible so I can go to bed, get back up in the morning and do it all over again.  We don’t trust. We aren’t vulnerable. We don’t use our voice or advocate for ourselves, told to “keep quiet.” We protect and shield our hearts, fear of being hurt, damaged further.  As a yoga teacher and a psychotherapist I have recognized that our practice on the mat often mirrors how we live. Think about your practice, if you have one.  Do you struggle with balance poses? How about balance in life? Do you get anger or frustrated if you have to sit still or are challenged? Do you give up and think you’re not good enough if a class or asana is to challenging or advanced for you? Do you show up in all power classes, pounding away on the mat, giving it 110% all
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Retreat Registration Now Open!!

Are the Mountains Calling You? Registration is now open for the Nourish Your Body and Mind Retreat hosted by Caroline Young and myself!  Every New Year’s, we hear about how to change our bodies with the false promise that it will make our lives better. From extreme diets to detoxes and punishing exercise routines, none of it is necessary or healthy, and we are offering you another way! Try something new this year, that will nourish yourself from the inside, out. Spend a peaceful and invigorating weekend in the mountains for two days full of yoga, meditation, mindful hiking, reflection, insightful conversation and nutrition therapy – to help lead you on a path toward the joyful and peaceful reconnection with your authentic, true self.  Retreat will include: 2-night stay in gorgeous North Georgia mountain cabin Nourishing & delicious meals and snacks Gentle & relaxing yoga classes  Guided meditations & visualizations Empowering group circle discussion
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Trigger ...

  Trigger The word "trigger" triggers me.  I can't stand it.  Seriously.  As a therapist that works a lot with  eating disorders and substance abuse, I hear it wayyyy too much.  I constantly hear "that's triggering" or "don't be triggering" or "that triggered me" or "you shouldn't say that, it could trigger someone." What does "trigger" even mean? According to dictionary.com, "trigger" has the following definitions: 1.  to initiate or precipitate (a chain of events, scientific reaction, psychological process, etc.): 2. to become active; activate. 3.  anything, as an act or event, that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series of reactions. To me, these definitions sound a lot like emotional responses.  Essentially, that is what a "trigger" is.  It's an emotion. It's a thought. It's an opportunity .  It's something that we h
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Retreat Announcement!

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Nourish Your Body and Mind Retreat I am beyond excited to announce I have joined forced with a like-minded colleague and new friend Caroline Young — registered dietitian nutritionist and fellow yogi — to host a New Year’s retreat for women who are looking for alternative ways to take care of themselves (all parts) as they step into 2019. Every New Year’s, we hear about how to change our bodies with the false promise that it will make our lives better. From extreme diets to detoxes and punishing exercise routines, none of it is necessary or healthy, and we are offering you another way! Try something new this year, that will nourish yourself from the inside, out. Spend a peaceful and invigorating weekend in the mountains for two days full of yoga, meditation, mindful hiking, reflection, insightful conversation and nutrition therapy – to help lead you on a path toward the joyful and peaceful reconnection with your authentic, true self.  Retreat will include: 2-ni
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Attachment

Attachment.  It's a word I hear frequently in my work as a psychotherapist and as a yoga teacher.  As a therapist, I've used it in the context of an individual having an attachment disorder, unable to bond with others.  This can be a result of many things, abandonment, neglect, or abuse just to name a few.  There are attachment disorders which can result in a myriad of issues during one's life.  However, I am not going to be focusing on these types of disorders today.  Today, I want to focus on the concept of "non-attachment" which is something that is always buzzing around in the yoga world.  Long story short here with some Yoga History... there are 8 limbs of yoga... the physical practice of yoga (asana) is just ONE of the ways to practice yoga.  There are many other ways, including the Yamas and Niyamas, which is basically the "dos and don'ts" in life.  It's like a moral compass if you will.  Aparigraha is one of the Yamas and it essential
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{space and balance}

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I know, I know... I'm an awful blogger and it's been a while since I've posted anything.  I've got a couple blogs in progress that I hope to finish up over the next few weeks or so.  But before I digress to much, I wanted to write a bit more on space and balance.  This theme just came to me during a yoga class I was teaching yesterday. I honestly went into the class without an identified theme, which is unusual for me.  But it was cool because the theme quickly emerged in the class and that was space and balance.  Specifically in the class, was using the breath to create more space in the body and directing our breath into tight spaces in our bodies.  Creating more space.  Which got me thinking.... where do we need to create more space in our lives? How can we create more space in life? What needs to take up less space in our lives? That brings me to balance... oh balance... do we have balance in our lives? Probably not if we are being honest with ourselves
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Do it with Fear {or} How Yoga Helped Me During a Boudoir Shoot {or}Stop Waiting

I couldn't decide on the title for this blog, so that's why I went with all three of them.  As many of you know, I am all about some fear and embracing our fears {within reason of course, I will NOT try to get over my fear of snakes, so don't even try to come at me with that one}.  So about a month ago, a friend of mine who lives in Charlotte, Jacquelyn, who is a photographer posted that she was going to doing boudoir shoots! She is an amazing photog and so I jokingly {in my usual self-deprecating way} stated that if she needed a test model that require a ton of Photoshop editing, I would be happy to come up! P.S.  If you live in the Charlotte Area and need a photographer, please check out Jacquelyn's work! AMAZING!!! Well, careful what you joke about.... a friend invited me to join a private FB group for a local boudoir photographer and her work was just as stunning as Jacquelyn's! I researched a little bit more about Elizabeth and discovered that she was ver
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