I went to yoga today...slow flow yoga...it was wonderful and rejuvenating and healing and empowering. It was a special class, reminding me that yoga can heal the body and that with good intention and meditation you can change your life. So everyday I will use my body's strength and deep intention of the mind to try and heal myself....to try and fend off preeclampsia and the other complications that could arise as a result of preecplampsia.
And...I'm going to stop googling and reading about it. It's just feeding the monster. I read blog entries and NYTimes articles...I've found a ton of inaccurate information.
I am just going to focus on good health for me and my growing baby and keep positive. Even if things don't turn out the way I hope and pray for at least I'll have cradled myself in positivity and strength instead of anxiety and fear.
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Gone To Yoga
Yoga, Yoga, Yoga.
How I missed you. How my heart ached without you.
Once again, you bring peace to my hectic life.
I resumed regular yoga practice last week. It has been amazing. I didn't realize how badly my body and mind missed it until that first day and I couldn't believe I survived without it. Marlene, my instructor, and I talked after class and she told me that even the most dedicated of yogis need a break sometimes...that it makes you realize how vital the practice is to your life.
Boy, was she right.
"To allow ourselves to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence." - Thomas Merton
Will Be Back Later,
How I missed you. How my heart ached without you.
Once again, you bring peace to my hectic life.
I resumed regular yoga practice last week. It has been amazing. I didn't realize how badly my body and mind missed it until that first day and I couldn't believe I survived without it. Marlene, my instructor, and I talked after class and she told me that even the most dedicated of yogis need a break sometimes...that it makes you realize how vital the practice is to your life.
Boy, was she right.
"To allow ourselves to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence." - Thomas Merton
Will Be Back Later,
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Learning and Growing can be hard on a girl.
Crap-a-dap-dap.
I'm done with my test. In fact, it was over before I knew it..and that is not sitting well with me. I only had answered 75 questions when the computer turned off...and let me tell you...those were 75 hard-ass questions. There were a few medication questions that I was like...What? Bippity-boppity-boo? I've never even HEARD of that medication..and you're telling me now that it treats Hepatitis C and you want me to tell YOU if the dose is correct for the patient based on their hieght and weight? WTF? SERIOUSLY!?
I really had a lot of questions that I had to make "educated guesses" on...so we shall see.
I know it's not the end of the world if I don't pass. But I am just ready for the next chapter in my life. I am ready to move on.
I honesltly felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin after finishing...but luckily I had enough time to schooch over to my yoga studio and catch a class. After Marlene rocked my world in downward dog for and hour and a half (I know this sounds sexy...but it wasn't, trust) my anxieties and fears were replaced by the feeling of...it is what it is and I'll just roll with it. I decided I needed to replace the awful & fearful emotions with peace and respect for myself and the effort I had made. However, it's so easy to feel that way while laying on a warm wood floor in the sunlight with Eternal Om bounding through the speakers willing you to give up your ego....it's a lot harder to carry that out into the world with you.
So that's where I am....in this place of limbo. One minute I feel peace and the next minute a pang of anxiety waves over me like a hot blanket and I feel sick. Trying. Trying. Trying.
Yoga quote of today:
"The jump is frightening between where I am and where I want to be...Because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap!"
-Mountain Dancer
I'm done with my test. In fact, it was over before I knew it..and that is not sitting well with me. I only had answered 75 questions when the computer turned off...and let me tell you...those were 75 hard-ass questions. There were a few medication questions that I was like...What? Bippity-boppity-boo? I've never even HEARD of that medication..and you're telling me now that it treats Hepatitis C and you want me to tell YOU if the dose is correct for the patient based on their hieght and weight? WTF? SERIOUSLY!?
I really had a lot of questions that I had to make "educated guesses" on...so we shall see.
I know it's not the end of the world if I don't pass. But I am just ready for the next chapter in my life. I am ready to move on.
I honesltly felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin after finishing...but luckily I had enough time to schooch over to my yoga studio and catch a class. After Marlene rocked my world in downward dog for and hour and a half (I know this sounds sexy...but it wasn't, trust) my anxieties and fears were replaced by the feeling of...it is what it is and I'll just roll with it. I decided I needed to replace the awful & fearful emotions with peace and respect for myself and the effort I had made. However, it's so easy to feel that way while laying on a warm wood floor in the sunlight with Eternal Om bounding through the speakers willing you to give up your ego....it's a lot harder to carry that out into the world with you.
So that's where I am....in this place of limbo. One minute I feel peace and the next minute a pang of anxiety waves over me like a hot blanket and I feel sick. Trying. Trying. Trying.
Yoga quote of today:
"The jump is frightening between where I am and where I want to be...Because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap!"
-Mountain Dancer
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day!
Hey all...I just got back from yoga..and I feel like my legs are going to fall off. We did nine million hours of balancing poses and I have very weak feet and ankles. Also, my left foot is recovering from a break a few months ago...so all the balancing ROCKED MY WORLD. After the intensity ceased, we started to wind down into shavasana (the finishing sequence of yoga practice that harmonises your energy as you lay still with your eyes closed and relax) Marlene, my teacher, asked us to please use this time to open our hearts to the world and let love pour out for all beings. I closed my eyes and took a few breaths into my heart and then began to picture this:
Yes, I am a child of the 80's. I literally was picturing myself as the Love Care Bear, with little hearts floating up out of my chest by the thousands, floating out through the windows into the streets and popping over peoples heads, giving them my love! It was a very entertaining way to end the class, me in my little world...with hearts and bears...spreading the love!
Happy Valentines Day everyone....I hope you see some of my Care Bear hearts during your day today!
Yes, I am a child of the 80's. I literally was picturing myself as the Love Care Bear, with little hearts floating up out of my chest by the thousands, floating out through the windows into the streets and popping over peoples heads, giving them my love! It was a very entertaining way to end the class, me in my little world...with hearts and bears...spreading the love!
Happy Valentines Day everyone....I hope you see some of my Care Bear hearts during your day today!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Weigh In- Week 3
STARTING WEIGHT: 186.9
Current Weight: 183
Pounds lost this week: .9 lb
Pounds to Goal Weight (150): 33.1
Total Weight Loss: 3.9 lbs (12 ish sticks of butter)
I totally know this post is late. I did weigh myself on Sunday though...and you've just seen the results above. I lost .9lb...so almost one more! The great thing is that with The Best Life Diet slowly easing me into my "diet" and taking yoga classes...I've not even felt inconvienanced or pained by this process. Normally working out at the gym is something I enjoy for the first month or two...and then I start to hate it. I get bored (even though I am well versed at switching things up) and I get tired of being inside the gym 5 days a week for 2-3 hours.
I feel yoga is definitly a workout but I wanted to see if I had accurately assessed the amount of work I do in class, so I went to this page and calculated with my weight and the amount of time I am actively doing yoga and I found I burn 583 calories in one class! At 5 days per week that is a LOT of calorie burning! With that I am starting to see & feel changes in my body after one month of yoga (1 & 1/2 hours per day 4-6 days per week).
My "core" is stronger, my arms & legs are stronger and more toned..and I have more energy!
This last Sunday I went to the Level 2 class (most difficult at my studio), just figuring I could change things up if I needed the poses to be easier...but I loved it! There was 20 mintues of meditation in the begininng that really gave me a run for my money, mentally. All I wanted to do after about 8 minutes was jump up a hoot & holler like a little kid! There were also some more challenging poses that I don't typically get to work on in My Level 1-2 class. I actually held the crow pose for a few breaths...and normally I can only do this pose with my head on the ground, making me into a tripod!
Today I signed up for a second month of unlimited yoga and feel so excited for the physical and mental changes to come. The great thing about yoga is that I am not focused on my body and its flaws...I am focused on my spirit and the STRENGTH of my body. I feel better about my body now than I did when I was 30lbs lighter.
Current Weight: 183
Pounds lost this week: .9 lb
Pounds to Goal Weight (150): 33.1
Total Weight Loss: 3.9 lbs (12 ish sticks of butter)
I totally know this post is late. I did weigh myself on Sunday though...and you've just seen the results above. I lost .9lb...so almost one more! The great thing is that with The Best Life Diet slowly easing me into my "diet" and taking yoga classes...I've not even felt inconvienanced or pained by this process. Normally working out at the gym is something I enjoy for the first month or two...and then I start to hate it. I get bored (even though I am well versed at switching things up) and I get tired of being inside the gym 5 days a week for 2-3 hours.
I feel yoga is definitly a workout but I wanted to see if I had accurately assessed the amount of work I do in class, so I went to this page and calculated with my weight and the amount of time I am actively doing yoga and I found I burn 583 calories in one class! At 5 days per week that is a LOT of calorie burning! With that I am starting to see & feel changes in my body after one month of yoga (1 & 1/2 hours per day 4-6 days per week).
My "core" is stronger, my arms & legs are stronger and more toned..and I have more energy!
This last Sunday I went to the Level 2 class (most difficult at my studio), just figuring I could change things up if I needed the poses to be easier...but I loved it! There was 20 mintues of meditation in the begininng that really gave me a run for my money, mentally. All I wanted to do after about 8 minutes was jump up a hoot & holler like a little kid! There were also some more challenging poses that I don't typically get to work on in My Level 1-2 class. I actually held the crow pose for a few breaths...and normally I can only do this pose with my head on the ground, making me into a tripod!
Today I signed up for a second month of unlimited yoga and feel so excited for the physical and mental changes to come. The great thing about yoga is that I am not focused on my body and its flaws...I am focused on my spirit and the STRENGTH of my body. I feel better about my body now than I did when I was 30lbs lighter.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Best Life
Okay, I know it seems like I'm an obsessed yoga maniac after all of these posts about yoga. And maybe I am. I just L-O-V-E YOGA!! Yoga & I are in the first phase of our relationship....we want to be together everyday...we call each other on the phone each night...and we never get tired of each other! I promise the yoga talk will subside...at some point...please bare with me. On another note....
In my first post I wrote about starting the Best Life Diet in addition to doing 3 days/week of cardio and 4-6 days/ week of yoga. The Best Life Diet isn't REALLY a diet...at least, that's not the way I look at it. It's a gradual lifestyle change. I have tried a few diets before...mostly Weight Watchers..and while they work for awhile, they don't stick with me because they teach you to become hyper-focused on your food consumption from day 1. This gets to be a real pain-in-the-ass, un-natural process for me. In fact, sometimes I feel brainwashed by Weight Watchers because even to this day I think of how many points something is! Not that I'm dogging on WW....because it truly is a great program that works for MANY people....my Mom lost 45lbs on WW. It's just not for me.
The BL Diet has three phases. Currently I am in week two of Phase One which lasts one month (or longer if you are still seeing results by the end of the month), you're only supposed to weigh yourself at the beginning and at the end...but since I am brainwashed by WW (see above) I will weigh in every Saturday.
The focus is to increase your activity level and change your meal PATTERNS, not what you eat. You do this by stopping eating two hours before bedtime, eating three meals with one snack, drinking six 8oz glasses of water per day, eliminate alcohol (for the month) and take a multi-vitamin and omega-3 supplement. The supplements change depending on the person. As far as the activity goes, you establish your activity using the "activity scale" of six levels. 0 is sedentary, 5 is aerobic activity 6x/week and full body strength training 3x/week. When you establish your activity level then you just increase to the next level by doing more cardio or strength training.
This is where you stay for a month and then you move on to Phase Two, when you really amp it up by modifying your diet thru eliminating 6 foods that inhibit weight loss. You begin to explore reasons WHY you get hungry (physical & emotional) and use the hunger scale. Also, increase your activity to the next level (optional). This is the BIG RESULTS phase and you may want to stay until you are at or close to goal weight.
Phase Three helps you transition into a lifestyle that will truly stick and help you maintain your weight loss.
These three phases seem natural. You are slowly integrating your new healthy lifestyle in with your old habits. I love that I'm not asked to change everything dramatically right off the bat. Actually, I think this program requires you to practice some restraint when it comes to that "new diet" rush. I think we get caught up in the excitinment and possibility of change...not really knowing what is required of us. With this diet you're asked to NOT jump in feet first, but rather ease yourself in and get used to what you are asking YOURSELF to do.
I leave you with the Yoga quote of the day:
"Life always gives up exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every Breath." -Charlotte Joko Beck
In my first post I wrote about starting the Best Life Diet in addition to doing 3 days/week of cardio and 4-6 days/ week of yoga. The Best Life Diet isn't REALLY a diet...at least, that's not the way I look at it. It's a gradual lifestyle change. I have tried a few diets before...mostly Weight Watchers..and while they work for awhile, they don't stick with me because they teach you to become hyper-focused on your food consumption from day 1. This gets to be a real pain-in-the-ass, un-natural process for me. In fact, sometimes I feel brainwashed by Weight Watchers because even to this day I think of how many points something is! Not that I'm dogging on WW....because it truly is a great program that works for MANY people....my Mom lost 45lbs on WW. It's just not for me.
The BL Diet has three phases. Currently I am in week two of Phase One which lasts one month (or longer if you are still seeing results by the end of the month), you're only supposed to weigh yourself at the beginning and at the end...but since I am brainwashed by WW (see above) I will weigh in every Saturday.
The focus is to increase your activity level and change your meal PATTERNS, not what you eat. You do this by stopping eating two hours before bedtime, eating three meals with one snack, drinking six 8oz glasses of water per day, eliminate alcohol (for the month) and take a multi-vitamin and omega-3 supplement. The supplements change depending on the person. As far as the activity goes, you establish your activity using the "activity scale" of six levels. 0 is sedentary, 5 is aerobic activity 6x/week and full body strength training 3x/week. When you establish your activity level then you just increase to the next level by doing more cardio or strength training.
This is where you stay for a month and then you move on to Phase Two, when you really amp it up by modifying your diet thru eliminating 6 foods that inhibit weight loss. You begin to explore reasons WHY you get hungry (physical & emotional) and use the hunger scale. Also, increase your activity to the next level (optional). This is the BIG RESULTS phase and you may want to stay until you are at or close to goal weight.
Phase Three helps you transition into a lifestyle that will truly stick and help you maintain your weight loss.
These three phases seem natural. You are slowly integrating your new healthy lifestyle in with your old habits. I love that I'm not asked to change everything dramatically right off the bat. Actually, I think this program requires you to practice some restraint when it comes to that "new diet" rush. I think we get caught up in the excitinment and possibility of change...not really knowing what is required of us. With this diet you're asked to NOT jump in feet first, but rather ease yourself in and get used to what you are asking YOURSELF to do.
I leave you with the Yoga quote of the day:
"Life always gives up exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every Breath." -Charlotte Joko Beck
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A look into Nirvana
This Thursday I took a few pictures of my yoga studio to share with you. It's a small space on the second floor...with bright green walls, beautiful light, & warm floors. This space makes me feel quieted each time I enter. I am in love yoga. I hope yoga loves me too!
The only things is....this silly blog won't let me upload more pictures in this post! Grrrh. I guess I AM new at this...I'll figure it out for the next photo post. Hope you're having a great Saturday!
The only things is....this silly blog won't let me upload more pictures in this post! Grrrh. I guess I AM new at this...I'll figure it out for the next photo post. Hope you're having a great Saturday!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
If you think you're stupid, love yourself for it!
Each week my yoga instructor gives the class a new quote to mull over.
This week it was, "No matter what you're feeling, the only way to get a difficult feeling to go away is to simply love yourself for it. If you think you're stupid, then love yourself for feeling that way. It's a paradoax, but it works. To heal, you must be the first one to shine the light of compassion on any area within you that feel are unacceptable." - Christiane Northrup
I enjoy this quote because it's nurturing but also, kind of funny....sometimes quotes are so over the top and make me feel like grumbling "oh, brother" & roll my eyes.
This speaks to the everyday me...the me that yells at a hanger for getting tangled with other hangers in the closet.
This week it was, "No matter what you're feeling, the only way to get a difficult feeling to go away is to simply love yourself for it. If you think you're stupid, then love yourself for feeling that way. It's a paradoax, but it works. To heal, you must be the first one to shine the light of compassion on any area within you that feel are unacceptable." - Christiane Northrup
I enjoy this quote because it's nurturing but also, kind of funny....sometimes quotes are so over the top and make me feel like grumbling "oh, brother" & roll my eyes.
This speaks to the everyday me...the me that yells at a hanger for getting tangled with other hangers in the closet.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Before...
Here are the dreaded before pictures...although, when I look at them, they aren't SOOO dreadful. The only one that really makes me cringe is the rear end shot. But, whatever....it is what it is...and I never have to look at it anyway.These pictures were taken this morning before going to my yoga class at Nirvana Yoga in Barrington. The form of yoga that this studio practices is primarily Vinyasa, which I love.
Yoga has been a great way to kick-start my fitness quest. When I finished nursing school in
December, my brain had melted into goo....and my body was a heap of exhaustion. I WANTED to go to the gym and start into a regular schedule, but I could not muster up the strength. That's when I decided to start yoga. Nirvana is one of two studios in Barrington, I chose it simply because I know someone who used to teach there and figured if it was good enough for her...surely it would be good enough for me. I went to a class...loved the instructor...and bought an unlimited monthly pass. The pass was costly but I used some of my graduation money to pay for the first month and will use a bit more to pay for a second when the time comes. I think after two months of daily (or 4-5 x/ 
week) yoga, I should have a good handle on it and from there I'll pay for individual classes or get a package of 10 to use as needed.Many times the instructor will ask us to set an intention for class. 9 times of 10, I focus on finding strength in my body and peace in my heart (a phrase I picked up on my first day that I can't seem to shake). After I left the first class I sat in my car and tried to make a call on my cell phone...and the piece of crap wouldn't work. I got ready to curse and throw it when I remembered.....*peace in my heart*. So instead of committing an act of violence, I looked at my phone and said, "thank you cell phone, for allowing me to make important calls wherever I want....whenever I want....mostly".
Namaste :-)
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