Product Review: lululemon Reversible 5mm mat

Are you in the market for a new yoga mat??

As most of you know, I opened Empower Yoga in Ewing, NJ two months ago. Owning a yoga studio, I needed to decide what types of mats I wanted to offer for my clients to use.  For me, it was a no brainer, the lululemon Reversible 5mm mat was an obvious choice.  Since I am a lululemon ambassador, some may think I am biased, but sI have been using a lulu mat for over 12 years and could not be happier!

When I started taking yoga classes, I was given one of those inexpensive foam mats. The kind you could get at Target or Walmart for about $10. I thought it would do the trick. Well it certainly had cushioning which was great for kneeling, but what it didn't do was prevent me from slipping and sliding all over the place. Plus those little pieces of foam kept falling off, causing a mess all over the floor. I knew it was time to make an investment in something better. That was when I got my first lulu mat and haven't used a different mat since.

The Reversible 5mm is the perfect mat for me and here’s why...

• It’s super durable. With a lulu mat you don’t have to worry about rips, holes, or little bits of yoga mat peeling off.

• It provides good cushioning. I have no problem kneeling, jumping, or lying on the floor.

• It’s firm. Even though it has good cushioning, it’s still firm, making it easy to balance.

• It’s very grippy. No big towels needed.

• It doesn’t puddle. When I workout, I sweat a TON. I’ve always found yoga towels to be a pain to use so I wanted a mat that would absorb the moisture, and this one does. You are able to sweat safely!

• It stays in one place and does not slide around the floor.

• Even though it traps moisture, it doesn’t smell. The mat is very breathable.

• It’s perfect for regular or hot yoga as well as any other fitness class.

• The mat costs $68 which is less than the Manduka ($82) and Jade (Fusion- $149) mats.

The only cons I have found are:

• It can get scratched up rather easily, but I think the marks add charm and show what a strong bad ass yogi you are.

• It's heavy (5lbs), so it is not great to travel with. I wouldn't want to pack it in my suitcase.

In all, if you are looking for a quality mat that will likely last you a lifetime regardless of what punishment you put it through, then this is the mat for you. I’ll happily stick with mine!

Namaste!

Getting Ready For Summer Vacation

Last weekend was Memorial Day, or the unofficial start to summer.  This marks the opening of pools, school years winding down, barbeques, and beach parties.  As we prepare for summer and get ready for summer vacations, here are some tips to staying healthy during your summer travels.

Like most of us, I always look forward to summer vacation. It’s a chance to sit back, relax, go to the beach, spend time with family and friends, read a book and do the things we don’t get to do during the rest of the year.  When done right, traveling is the perfect way to detach and de-stress from our busy lives.

However, when we go on vacation, it’s important to remember not to over-indulge too much and throw away all of the good and healthy habits we’ve created throughout the year. So be sure to enjoy your vacation responsibly. It’s about finding that balance and not feeling guilty when you need hit the reset button when you get back.   

Here are a few tips to ensure you return from your trip happier and healthier than in years past:

Get up and move:

“Sitting is the new smoking” is one of the most popular catchphrases these days regarding one’s health. In fact, many offices are now offering standing desks and waking meetings to their employees.  Studies show that any extended sitting (i.e. plane, desk, car, etc…) can greatly increase one’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

So when you head out on vacation this year, be mindful of how much you’re moving. If you’re taking a flight, get up every hour or so and walk around, long car ride- stop at a rest station, get your muscles moving.  Maybe even do some of your favorite yoga poses! Maybe you’ll meet some cool people and discover some interesting places!

Once at your destination, plan activities throughout your trip that will force you to get up and move- take a hike, snorkel, kayak, bike ride, walking tour, plan some activities that will force you to get up and move.

Stay hydrated:

Dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, nausea, and anxiety, which can put a damper on your vacation. Dry, recycled air in airplanes and consuming alcohol while flying can lead to dehydration. To prevent this, drink plenty of fluids before your flight and be sure to have at least one cup of water per hour on the plane.

At your destination, be aware of climate changes. Altitude, humidity and high temperatures can all cause you to dehydrate very quickly. To prevent this and the effects that come along with it, be sure to drink lot’s of water. It’s also a good idea to carry water with you at all times. Be sure to drink often to keep up with your needs. When you become thirsty, you are most likely already dehydrated.

Watch what you eat:

Eating on vacation can be a challenge for a lot of us. We have a tendency to overindulge and eat items we may not eat when we are home. To help you stay on track with your healthy eating habits even when you are away, plan ahead. Know where to find healthy options, bring your own healthy snacks (i.e. fruit, nuts, etc...), and avoid restaurants that offer fried or overly saucy food.  If you do want to indulge, think about what else you ate that day and how it fits in with your calorie and fat consumption. It’s easier to eat dessert if you've been active and eating healthy. Think moderation and you should be fine!  

Unplug:

Remember, this is your vacation and your time to relax. It’s hard to relax when we are constantly being overstimulated by our cellphones, ipads, etc.  These technologies can often cause us stress, anxiety, and poor mood. So unplugging for a while and be present where you are, it can be a nice change of events. Emails, FB. and IG, will all be there when you get back.  Now is your chance to rest and unwind. Remember your mind needs this just as much as your body does.

If you can’t go a week without checking in, perhaps allot yourself a specific amount of time each day to check your phone and email.  Spend the 20 minutes you need and then put it away and get back to your vacation.  If faced with a position where you need your phone on, maybe modify your notification settings so you can experience some moments of relaxation, without frequent interruptions.

And remember, don’t over schedule yourself. Give yourself ample time to sleep. It’s your body's chance to recharge from all you’ve put it through over the course of the year.

The benefits of taking a vacation include, improved physical & mental health, and overall functioning. If you follow the steps above, you’ll come back from vacation feeling  refreshed and renewed.

Happy Travels!

Break Up With Your Poor Body Image!

Most of us are not very kind to ourselves, myself included. When we look into the mirror we hate what we see. We think things like - I am fat, I’ve got a big head, big butt, small breasts, big breasts, too many curves, not enough curves etc… whatever it may be, we always find something wrong.  However, coming face-to-face with ourselves and confronting these negative beliefs can be one of the most difficult things, yet one of the most critical steps in our journey to true self-awareness and self-love.

Negative beliefs and feelings about ourselves can be really persistent. Often these ideas have been deeply ingrained into our psyche since childhood. As a result, we think these things or say things to ourselves without even realizing it.   We also may not  understand how these negative thought patterns are affecting us, our relationships and our life.  However, now is the time for these negative thoughts to end. We need to acknowledge these old beliefs, bringing awareness to them so that we can let go of all the negative thought patterns that hold us down. By letting go of them for good, we can begin to love and accept ourselves more and help ourselves move on.

We need to stop fixating and focusing on what it is about our bodies that we don’t like and begin to find things we do like, so we can begin to feel more confident in our skin.

The more time we spend being negative about our body image, the more all of our thoughts turn to the negative. Some believe that focusing on their flaws will help motivate them to make changes to their lives, but often it doesn’t.  Motivation comes from compassion and gratitude. Critical and negative thoughts stress and depress us, making motivation to change harder. So the more positive you are with your body, the better you will feel emotionally and physically.

I have struggled with body image and eating disorders from a very early age, and to this day I still feel insecure at times. However, I have gotten much better and have begun to embrace my body and let my poor body image go and you can too.

Here are some ways to help you improve your body image and confidence.

• In order to overcome negative body image – forget about what society portrays as “normal” or “attractive” and do what is right for you, your life and your body type. Do you often compare yourself to the men and women you see in magazines? Remember, those people/celebrities are not “average” people. Celebrities have an entire team of people who make sure they eat right, exercise and take care of their skin and hair just so they can look better on camera. In many cases they are even photoshopped.

• Don’t be mean to yourself or anyone else. What you think about others are often the same thoughts you use when you judge yourself. Stop looking to compare yourself to others or put someone down to make yourself feel better. The more you do that, the more your preoccupation about your looks and can reach very unhealthy levels.

• Forget about a diet. It's all about healthy choices and moderation. People who constantly diet have a higher risk of developing eating disorders and are more likely to binge eat which will then cause a domino effect of physical and mental health issues (i.e. depression & anxiety). Plus, most people cannot sustain a diet so they’ll gain back the weight they lost or gain more. Eating right, regular exercise and sleeping are your weight control keys to success!

• Instead of spending so much time obsessing over your outer self/appearance, consider focusing your attention on other things… how smart you are, the talents you have, hobbies etc… You have a lot to offer the world.  

• Know and accept your body. Maybe you inherited your mother’s hips or your father’s broad shoulders. Our genetics play a huge role in our unique body type. Everyone is different. Learning to love and accept our bodies and let go of things we cannot change, is the first step in working with our particular body size and shape.

• If you’re overweight or out of shape and want to take up yoga, running, biking, build more lean muscle mass, etc... know that progress takes time. So set reasonable and realistic goals for yourself and remember healthy weight loss is considered by experts to be one pound per week. So over the course of a year, you can lose more than 50 pounds! Losing weight the healthy way increases your chances of keeping it off for good!

• Celebrate you. Love yourself, respect yourself and appreciate all the wonderful things about you. This will help to make you more confident, increase your self-esteem and make you more attractive to others. Remember, you are more than a number on the scale. You are not defined by how many inches your waist is, your clothing size, or  whether or not you have six-pack abs. You are unique and special, embrace it. Be your biggest fan!

Remember that your body is the only body you’ll ever have. It’s the one body you were given and it does so much for you each day. It allows you to live, love, help others and make a difference in the world. Begin today by treating your body with a little more respect!

5 Yoga Poses for Runners

Having tight hips and legs can be very painful for a runner, but yoga can help and be a game-changer. Runners, like myself, often suffer from chronically tight hip flexors, hamstrings and calves. This tightness/immobility can lead to pain up the body and along the spine. So being able to lengthen, open, and stretch these areas is important. Yoga will not only help a runner’s performance, but it will also help them prevent injuries and keep them healthy & safe so they can continue to enjoy being able to run!

I recommend that all runners attend a yoga class a few times a week, but if you can’t, try to carve out 10 minutes out of your day day, and practice a few of the poses below to help your running. Begin today and start to see and feel the effects that yoga has on your body.

Strengthen and lengthen your leg muscles, improve flexibility and prevent injury with these 5 yoga poses for runners.

Downward Dog- (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

The most common issues for runners are shin splints, knee and foot problems, hamstring, as well as IT-band discomfort. So completing poses that are going to lengthen,\ and  strengthen the hips, quads, calves and hamstrings are important. Downward Dog does a lot of that, in addition to opening the arms and upper back, down dog stretches the legs too. Lift your hip bones straight toward the ceiling and push your heels into the ground for the best overall stretch.

Low Lunge- (Anjaneyasana)

Running can be tough on the hips. Low lunges can help strengthen the core while also stretching the thighs, groin, and opening tightened hips. Reach your arms to the ceiling and breathe.

Tree- (Vrksasana)

Balancing on one leg is great for athletes. The more you can strengthen your legs and improve your balance, the less likely you are to twist an ankle or fall down when you're on a trail or any type of uneven surface. Balancing on one leg, bring your other foot into your standing leg, try to be above or below the knee; avoiding pressing into the knee joint. Focus your gaze on an object in the distance and stand tall for 30 seconds to a minute.

Bridge- (Setu Bandhasana)

Backbends help open the shoulders and the front of the body.  They also strengthens the core and activate the glutes. Bridge pose is a good counter pose to running, because the longer we run the more we tend to hunch forward. Lift your hips up toward the sky and try to keep your body in a straight line with your core engaged. To open your chest even further, clasp your hands together underneath your pelvis and try to roll your shoulder blades toward each other. Squeeze your glutes and breathe.

Reclined Pigeon- (Supta Kapotasana)

Traditional Pigeon can put a lot of pressure on the knees if not done correctly, so reclined pigeon can be a nice alternative.  Lie on your back with your knees bent, and cross your left ankle over your right quad. Gently pull your legs toward you for a stretch in your left hip, glute, and hamstring, then repeat on the other side.

Running + Yoga = LOVE

Happy Running!

Mindfulness

As a yoga instructor, I frequently have students asking about mindfulness and how to live more mindfully.  A good place to start, is defining the term.  The commonly acknowledged definition of mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

Mindfulness is often practiced and cultivated through meditation, but being mindful does not require you to sit and meditate for long periods of time. To me, being mindful is more about just being aware and paying attention to the present without judgement. Recognizing feelings & sensations and noticing them. Mindfulness has been linked to reducing stress, and improving one's physical health, mental health, and well being. Mindfulness has been found to be the key element of happiness. Mindful people are overall healthy and happier. The moments we spend being mindful compound and pay interest in the form of clarity, gratitude, and presence.

When we start paying attention to how much we pay attention, we’ll notice how often our attention dwindles and it’s hard for us to actually pay attention. Sounds confusing, right?! Our minds are constantly moving, thinking, processing, and being over stimulated that it is actually hard for us to become more present.

When we make the decision to stop and focus, to be grateful, to notice our emotions without trying to change them, we not only improve the quality of the present, but invest in our ability to be mindful in the future. The time we spend lost in thought, emotionally scattered, anxious and stressed become compounded and lead to unhappiness, stress and depression.  So adding up mindful moments whenever we can is so valuable and healthier for us.

Carving out time in your day to become more mindful will only help you appreciate the present. Remember, every moment counts!

Here are a few things that you can do to become more mindful:

Take a yoga class:

Yoga can help teach you how to become more mindful and aware. In a yoga practice, you focus on movement and breath and everything else seems to fall away. When we become more present and mindful on our mats, we can start to become more mindful in our daily lives.

Go for a walk:

Get outside. Take in the sights and sounds, enjoy nature. Feel the weight of your feet pressing into the earth on each step you take. Notice the sun on your face, wind at your back, and the sound of your breathe. Enjoy it!

And if you can’t make time to “go for a walk.” Do this when you walk to your car in the morning or after work. Do it when you walk towards your bed at night. Walk and be present.

Write down 3 things you’re grateful for every morning:

Maybe start a gratitude journal. Take a few moments every morning and reflect on how wonderful your life is. Stop stressing and thinking about all the negative (what you don’t have, want) in your life and begin to think about the positive. What’s good in your life, what is it that you love, & what you’re grateful for.

Check in when you move:

Moving from one position to another gives us a chance to check-in with ourselves. When you stand up from your chair, getting out of your car, moving from your desk at work, are you in a hurry? Notice how you feel. When you sit back down does your mind begin to rush towards the rest of your day before finishing the task at hand? Gently reel yourself back to the present. Close your eyes, take a breath, release tension in your body &  jaw and focus on what’s happening right now. Allow the rest to fall a way, you’ll get to it with time. Be present.

Enjoy your food:

When you eat, are you always ready to devour your food? Where are you when you’re eating or what are you doing? Are you on the couch, watching TV, checking your phone? If so, you may realize that before you knew it, your food is gone and you have no recollection of chewing. Instead, during your next meal, sit at the table, avoid distractions and focus on those first few bites. Notice the smell, identify the flavors and taste. Tune into your body and mind during the meal.

Turn off your devices:  

Every once in awhile, turn off your electronics (i.e. phone/ipad/ipod) and engage with the natural world around you. Have a proper conversation with someone, rather than like what they did on FB, talk to them and tell them what you liked in person. Enjoy the company of friends and family, make the time to spend with them and enjoy life together.

Listen to soothing music:

Turn on relaxing and soothing melody and really listen to it. Lay down or sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and feel the music in your soul. Soothing melody will help you clear your mind and thoughts after a busy or stressful day.

Meditate:

Sit quietly and focus on your natural breathing or on a word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. Allow thoughts to come and go without judgment and return to your focus on breath or mantra. Sit in stillness for a few moments or an hour, just relax and listen to the sound of your breath.

When we are mindful, we learn, grow, and have an overall better quality of life. Just remember, when you’re practicing mindfulness, there is nowhere to arrive at. If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest take care of itself.

Mastering the Uncomfortable

Yoga is about finding a balance between the comfortable and the uncomfortable.

Do you struggle with a specific pose/posture in your yoga practice? When I first started practicing yoga in 2008, I was terribly afraid of inversions, particularly handstands. Every time I tried to get into a handstand, the fear of falling overwhelmed me so much so that I refused to even try.

That fear of falling made me so uncomfortable that during class, when offered to go into an inversion, I either did shoulder stand or hips on a block.  However, being someone that does in fact love a challenge, I decided that I needed to get over my fear and give it a try. I wanted to do handstands so badly! So I decided to master the uncomfortable. I practiced diligently each time I got onto my mat. After almost 4 years (yes that's how long it’s taken me and it’s been very humbling) I started to gain the strength and confidence to do it. I’m still working on holding the pose for longer periods of time as well as attempting funky variations (i.e. tree, straddle, eagle legs etc…), but I am just so happy to be able to get off my feet and onto my hands.

For me that's where the excitement lies. When you are able to come face to face with your fears and then overcome them, you start to feel strong and unstoppable. When we live in a place of fear, we aren't able to grow. We are limited by the walls we’ve created around us. But, NOW is the time to break down those walls. By learning more about yourself and challenging yourself on the mat, you begin to start to see and notice changes in yourself off the mat too. 

Through yoga, I’ve found my strength, my power and learned more about who I am, what I can offer the world, and how I can take action in my life. 

I no longer fear handstands. Because when you set your mind to something and challenge the uncomfortable, you will eventually be able to fly. Practicing handstands gave me the courage to master the uncomfortable both on and off my mat.

Do you have the courage to master the uncomfortable in your life?