Mindfulness

A sadhana is a type of mindfulness practice, a way of fully participating in something. Yogis believe everything has its own sadhana, including eating and cooking (or ‘uncooking’!). Here are some suggestions to get the most out of the food you eat and to promote optimal digestion.

• *Eat your main meal before 2p and don’t eat anything after 7p. this will allow your body to digest the food more fully. Try to eat at the same time every day.
• *Chew your food slowly and with reverence.
• *Eat organic, fresh foods as often as possible.
• *Prepare your own food, using your hands as much as possible instead of spoons, mixers, or processors. Think of cooking as a meditation practice. then eat with your hands as well, making the connection between your hands and you belly. (Ethiopian Cuisine is a great idea for group get together’s!)
• *Don’t cook or eat when you feel agitated or distracted. You infuse the foods you prepare with your energy and emotions. Cooking with loving attention brings joy to those who eat your food.
• *Always say a prayer of gratitude before you eat. (or just acknowledge the foods beauty and how luck you are to eat it!)
• *Stop eating before you’re full. Yogis fill their bellies only two-thirds full: one-third with food and one-third with liquid. The remaining third should stay empty to help the stomach digest properly.
• *Take a walk after eating; don’t go to bed right after a meal.

“there are some people who eat an orage but don’t really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future. They are not really present, with body and mind united.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Cold and flu season is here, so why not create a “sadhana” (daily practice) to help ward off any bugs intent on taking up residence in your body?

First order of business, cultivate good habits that promote a healthy immune system.

Second, learn to manage your stress and keep a postive outlook–your emotional state has as much to do with your physical health as do invading viruses and bateria.

Here’s How:

*Get a good night’s sleep. Research shows that not getting enough sleep is as bad as unrelenting stress. Aim to be in bed by ten o’clock and up by sixish.

*Eat foods that are high in fiber and low in fat and contain plenty of omega-3 fatty acids-for example, wild salmon, ground flaxseeds walnuts chia seeds, or hemp seed.

*Add fruits and veggies rich in antioxidants to help stimulate your immune system.

*Walk, jog, ride your bike 0r any exercise will increase immune function and make you feel happier.

*Go upside down every day. Include headstand, shoulder stand, plough pose, or downward-facing dog in your yoga practice. Strong immunity depends on good circulation; inversions are yoga’s fight to your immune system.

*Get outside. Listen to birds sing; watch a sunset; take a stroll in the park. Being in nature can be calming and nurturing.

*Practice loving-kindness toward yourself and others, count your blessings, and don’t forget to laugh out loud-every day!

Keep in mind that every body is different and unique. Listen to your body, the signs it sends you. The take home message for diet is to eat for nutrients, not to worry so much about calories. If you eat nutrient dense foods, you will be full and satiated for longer.

I’m not saying calories don’t matter. They do. Calories in have to be less than calories out to lose weight. My point is that if you chose more nutrient-dense foods, your body will be more satiated and you won’t have as many cravings or be as hungry.

Diet: what did I eat?

lots of veggies!

Here’s what I do as far as eating goes. The proof is in the raw-pudding! Remember that when you’re breastfeeding, you need to get at least 500 extra calories per day to support your milk production and the health of your baby. Don’t worry, you burn it during breast feeding! (about 500 calories/day) The rule of thumb when you’re eating is to think about NUTRIENTS not just energy/calories. Ask yourself what NUTRIENTS are in your meal, not just putting empty calories into your body. For example, when reaching for a snack, don’t eat 5 rice crackers because they are low in calories, eat an apple and a handful of almonds because then you’re getting vitamins, fiber, protein and good fats. (and you’ll stay fuller longer!)

Some bullet points of what I’ve been doing in any given day:

*Every day I get some raw juice or smoothie. 4-5 days a week I get a green vegetable juice, and every single day I make a Super-Mommy-Power smoothie. I also have 1-2 coconut waters per day-I feel so dehydrated from breastfeeding that coconut water is really the only thing that quenches that thirst.

Here’s a recipe I make variations of just about every day:

Super-Mommy-Power Smoothie

• 1 Cup Almond, Rice or Hemp Milk/Coconut Water
• 2 teaspoons maca (excellent for energy and to balance crazy mommy hormones!)
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder (chocolate in it’s most raw form, super high in antioxidants!)
• 1 tablespoon coconut butter or almond butter (both have GOOD fats and are good for skin, nails, etc)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (speeds up metabolism) or flax oil (omega-3)
• 1 scoop raw protein powder (keeps me full for longer, no soy or whey)
• 1 banana (tip: after bananas get ripe, put them in Tupperware or a Ziploc in the freezer for easy smoothie access!)
• 2 teaspoons spirulina (blue-green algae, great for iron and protein)
• 1 tablespoon agave or 2 drops of chocolate stevia
• 1 handful of ice

top with goji berries and granola! (this smoothie also satisfies my cravings for sugar and  chocolate… only this is all the right stuff!)

*once or twice a week I get animal protein. Free range, Hormone-Free, Organic steak or fish. I’m not much of a chicken/turkey person but I learned to really like steak during my pregnancy. I’ve always loved fish. I add greens and veggies to every meal. Make sure you get double the veggies vs quantity of protein. We eat sushi A LOT, but make sure if you’re going this route that you don’t just get rolls-lots of white rice/empty calories. Try and get some sushi or sashimi so you get more protein and less rice. Use the green lid soy sauce (lower in sodium) and don’t use a lot of that either! you only need a little bit, especially if the fish is fresh! I also always get a seaweed salad which is excellent for digestion, iron and calcium.

sprout salad with veggie buger

*I eat a huge spinach or mixed green salad for lunch almost every day-lots of sprouted seeds, nuts and beans to get as much protein as possible. I add a veggie burger to the salad also and use lots of flax oil and/or olive oil for the good fats. (tip: good fats get rid of bad fats, we NEED good fats for our brain and body functioning!)

*I always have snacks with me in the diaper bag or in my purse, I usually snack on 1 protein bar every day and some type of trail mix I make. My favorite blend is a trail mix with: cashews, goji berries, dark chocolate covered cacao nibs, soaked almonds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, sprouted sunflowers seeds.

I found during these months that I would get FAMISHED If i didn’t eat every 2-3 hours. If I waited more than 3 I thought I would die. DON’T get to this point! You are exerting so much energy taking care of the baby, nursing, etc… never mind if you get an exercise in TOO! Besides, when you let your blood sugar drop this low it does crazy things to your metabolism and your body goes into starvation-fat-protection mode, aka something you don’t want.

Exercise/Body/Fitness

The first 2 weeks I was very gentle with my body and focused on bonding with my baby.I was eating very healthy and nourishing foods and was wiped out from the surgery.

The 3rd and 4th week I got to WORK! I worked with a friend of mine who’s also a personal trainer twice a week to start building strength, but mostly to build my confidence. I was scared at first to do anything ab related (since I had a c-section) but he quickly and safely helped conquer this fear as well.

Each session I felt stronger and stronger. We mostly used resistance bands or exercises using my own body weight (like plank, pushups, yoga) so you don’t need a gym to lose weight! Here’s a great workout you can do at home in place of the training session I did.

Some people don’t think exercise makes a difference. What I know is that I feel better when I exercise than when I don’t, and I’m more mindful of the food I’m putting into my body when I do. Also, when you look at the calories in vs calories out rule, it means you have more wiggle room in the calories in.  Works for me!

Here’s what my work-out/exercise schedule basically looked like:

Monday-walk outside with baby/hubby/doggy for 30 minutes, baby squats and baby abs (see pics below) for 10 minutes

Tuesday-30-45 min with my trainer, Trent (resistance bands, kettlebells, light weights, light cardio, ab work)

Wednesday- Yoga class 60-90 minutes

Thursday- 30-45 min with my trainer, Trent (resistance bands, kettlebells, light weights, light cardio, ab work)

Friday- off day, maybe some baby exercises while holding him and/or some stretching/yoga while watching tv

Saturday-walk outside with baby/hubby/doggy for 30 minutes, baby squats and baby abs for 10 minutes -or- Yoga class

Sunday-walk outside with baby/hubby/doggy for 30 minutes, baby squats and baby abs for 10 minutes

baby sit ups!

On the days I’d walk outside with Kai in the stroller I usually took the dog too. Sometimes my hubby would join. But those were days I set out with an intention to be out for 30 minutes for exercise, so I’d walk a little faster than a normal walk. On other days I still would walk the dog but I didn’t count it as exercise.

I also didn’t count walking around in general, carrying the car seat everywhere, carrying 3 bags around plus baby, cleaning, standing, etc. I considered all of this stuff bonus, plus it speeds up your metabolism to be active.

It’s been so much fun using Kai in my exercises, especially because he LOVES IT! (see pics and video to come!)

I’ve now lost ALL MY BABY WEIGHT, and it took 3 months! This

3 months post-pregnancy

is definitely something I wanted to share with you, since many moms are nervous it will take them a whole year to lose their weight. Some people say “give it a year, they were in your body for 9 months it should take that long to lose it.” I don’t agree. I definitely worked hard, but in my opinion, if you worked half as hard as I did you should lose your baby weight in 6 months, tops. I think a huge factor in my ability to jump back into a workout routine was that I exercised up until the last possible second in pregnancy, so my “off time” was only about 4-5 weeks total, not 9 months. If you ARE pregnant, check out my article about pregnancy and exercise. Thanks for reading and GOOD LUCK! let me know how it goes, share your stories with me!

The Weight Loss Equation

There is no magic to weight loss, asserts Vanderbilt University. Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you take in by eating. Your body burns calories in three ways — by exercise, by heat generation and by performing basic metabolic functions, such as breathing. You can directly control how much you eat and how much you exercise. You can indirectly control how many calories your body uses to perform basic metabolic functions by building muscle mass.

The Meal Replacement Strategy

Pay attention to the content of the food you eat more so than the volume of food that you eat, advises Penn State Strength Fitness. This is because nutritious food usually contains fewer calories per unit of volume than unhealthy food, because a nutritious diet will ensure that the weight you lose is fat instead of muscle, and because a low-volume diet will leave you constantly hungry. Focus on gradually replacing entire categories of food with more nutritious categories. Replace sweets with fruits, for example, red meat with chicken, and french fries with rice. A great TOOL for managing your food/caloric intake is myplate on the Livestrong website.

Weight Training

Weight training is anaerobic, because it relies on short, intense bursts of energy that do not consistently raise your heart rate into the aerobics zone. Weight training can support a weight loss program by permanently raising your resting metabolic rate, according to the Valley Medical Center of Renton, Wash. A high resting metabolic rate causes your body to burn more calories 24 hours a day, simply to keep you alive. Furthermore, since many of the calories you consume will be used to repair muscle tissue that you break down during a weight training workout, fewer calories are available to be stored as fat. If you control your calorie intake and eat nutritiously, any weight gain caused by new muscle mass will be more than outweighed by the fat that you will lose.

Meal Timing

Eating six small meals a day instead of three supports a weight training program by supplying your body with just the right amount of nutrients when it needs them, according to the American Dietetic Association. Eat slowly, so that your brain will tell your stomach it’s not hungry anymore in time for you to stop eating. Eat a low-fat meal high in protein immediately after a weight-training workout.

Aerobics

Aerobic exercise helps you lose weight because you increase your calorie expenditure while you exercise. Select an enjoyable activity (walking, jogging, biking, yoga, dancing, swimming) that raises your heart rate to between 60 and 80 percent of its maximum, advises the Cleveland Clinic, and perform it for 30 to 60 minutes per workout, three to seven days a week. To find your approximate maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220.

A few clients and friends have asked what my “secret” is to my speedy recovery and weight loss. All I can do is share advice on what I did/do and hopefully it helps others in their journey.

Healthy Eating=Healthy Mind and Healthy Body

green juice!

Throughout my pregnancy and especially post-pregnancy, I really stressed getting organic, healthy, REAL food into my body. I stay away from anything processed, steer clear of sugar and anything unnatural. If I am craving something sweet I reach for fruit, dark chocolate or vegan ice cream. As soon as I had the baby (the DAY after) I had my mom bring me fresh green vegetable juice to obtain the energy from the chlorophyll and the rejuvenating properties of the nutrients in the veggies. I ate omega-3 rich salmon and brown rice for the protein and fiber.  By getting back into this routine of eating healthy, beautiful, nutrient-dense foods, it allowed me to quickly gain energy and strength.

I made sure to get in a lot of warming foods postpartum, like ginger, coconut water and cooked foods like quinoa and sauteed veggies.  In Chinese medicine it is thought that pregnancy is a time you are very warm internally and need to balance it with cooling foods (like raw fruits and veggies), and postpartum is a time your body is very cold and needs to be warmed. Staying hydrated is VERY important for recovery, especially when breastfeeding. Drinking room temperature water rather than cold water can help keep the balance of warm vs cold in your body as well.

Yoga and Exercise for a Speedy Recovery

walking 9 months pregnant

During my pregnancy I worked out 4-5 times per week. In the beginning I did all the same workouts: running, jogging, swimming, stair stepper, cross training, cross-fit, power yoga, jump roping, weight lifting and spinning (check out my post on exercise and pregnancy for more details). After my belly got larger, I didn’t feel comfortable doing high-intensity workouts or anything that required jumping. I continued doing yoga and light cardio (swimming, walking and stairs) as often as I could. 3 days before having Kai, I was at a power yoga class. There were weeks I didn’t feel like doing anything, but I made sure to walk uphill and do a modified yoga practice. After wards without fail, I felt better. This was key. In the immediate, I had more energy. In the long term, I’m convinced it’s what is ensuring my speedy recovery.

In the days following my surgery I would walk around the hospital hallways doing laps. I would hold onto my husband or a family member while hobbling up and down the halls. It made a huge difference and with each lap I felt stronger than the last. When I got home I’d deliberately make several trips up and down the stairs, slowly and carefully, to get a glass of water or whatever I needed. This helped train my body and let it know it was time to get moving. Of course, I listened to my body and what it needed. I didn’t push anything. But I was ready to start recovering very quickly: both mentally and physically.

Mind over matter

In the first few days, you almost have to force yourself to create healthy habits. Begin walking as soon as you possibly can. Find the healthiest things on your hospital menu to order, and if there isn’t anything, have someone bring you food. Make sure you get adequate water immediately, more than you think you need. Try and ween yourself off the pain killers as soon as you can. This is doing nothing for your recovery because you can’t even feel what’s happening in your body. Take Motrin instead: it’s an anti-inflammatory that helps reduce the swelling from your surgery and also reduce pain in your body. Keep your body “warm” with warming foods from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here’s a complete list. Finally, be sure to exercise throughout your entire pregnancy, no matter how much you don’t want to. It will help with weight loss on the other side. I highly recommend yoga, in case I haven’t mentioned that before. (ha!) 

See Part Two of this Journey-3 months post-pregnancy!

*Love. Love. Love. Love.

*Love and appreciate my body, even when it’s changing or different than what I wish it were.

*Get outdoors, in nature, even for just 10 minutes.

*Continue to inspire myself while inspiring others.

*Pamper myself in some way: a bath, a massage from my hubby, paint my nails, mini facial

*Get exercise, get the blood flowing, sweat.

*Make love, with my partner or with myself!

*Have quiet time where I shut down from the world, for even 10 minutes. Meditation, or just a time when I put my phone on silent and take deep breaths and appreciate.

*Read something that brings me pleasure.

*Eat something that brings me pleasure.

*WRITE IN MY JOURNAL! OR DRAW! express myself.

*Be forgiving: with myself and others.

*Snuggle with my dog. Let him lick my face. Life’s too short to care.

*Speak up for myself.

*Ride my bike.

*Be playful. Laugh. Giggle.

*YOGA. live it. LOVE IT. do it. on and off the mat!

*Eat beautiful, organic, natural foods. As many colors as possible!

*Take too many pictures.

*Keep learning and growing. Evolving is what life is about!

*remember it’s OKAY to be WRONG.

*Share with EVERYBODY.

*Express gratitude, send thank you cards. Remember Birthdays.

A New Tool in Addiction Treatment

There are so many ways to treat addiction, and just like he states in a post he wrote, “different methods work for different people…if there’s a tool that can help, we need to put it into action.”

He’s also been working on a system of matching each person to a treatment facility that is the best possible “fit” for that individual. The person goes onto his website, and after answering a few questions, the system figures out what would be the best match for them. As he explains, “We’re currently testing a system that will use some basic, and some a bit more advanced, criteria to help direct addicts towards the right provider for them. Don’t have much money and working full-time? Then residential treatment should probably not be your first choice? Medicated for schizophrenia? You better stay away from providers that don’t offer serious mental health services (though they’ll sure take you if you walk through their doors)” This amazing new tool will be available in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!!!

(This rehab finder is NOW AVAILABLE! click here to access this phenomenal tool)

The point here? We’re not all the same. We are extraordinarily unique individuals with equally as unique issues. These issues could be worked out in a million different ways, and it’s important that we are treated by and as the one-of-a kind person we are to get through these issues in a healthy way.

Yoga and Healthy Coping

There are all kinds of ways to cope with life’s challenges. One way is by getting yourself to a yoga class and working out your issues on your mat. Yoga is a beautiful metaphor for life. As you practice yoga, moving through the asanas (postures/poses), you move as gracefully and truthfully as possible. Wherever you are that day, maybe you’re in a crappy mood, you’re just doing the best you can: moving, growing, evolving. Just as in life.

Camel Pose-Backbend

Back bends, for example, are a natural way to release endorphins. Natural opioids (also called endogenous opioids), which include endorphins, are used by the body to relieve pain and increase relaxation, especially during periods of extreme stress. These are the chemicals that make sure we can function during accidents, like after breaking our leg.

This chemical is released during yoga over and over again, which is why we feel so good during the class and for hours following the practice.

After a light warmup, you can practice back bends in the comforts of your home. It’s a great way to relax before bedtime or if you begin to enter into dangerous space or get thrown off track. After your body is warm, a really gentle pose to try is upward facing dog or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana.

Try This Heart Opening Yoga Pose

upward facing dog

1) Lie prone on the floor. Stretch your legs back, with the tops of your feet on the floor. Bend your elbows and spread your palms on the floor beside your waist so that your forearms are relatively perpendicular to the floor.

2) Inhale and press your inner hands firmly into the floor and slightly back, as if you were trying to push yourself forward along the floor. Then straighten your arms and simultaneously lift your torso up and your legs a few inches off the floor on an inhalation. Keep the thighs firm and slightly turned inward, the arms firm and turned out so the elbow creases face forward.

3) Press the tailbone toward the pubis and lift the pubis toward the navel. Narrow the hip points. Firm but don’t harden the buttocks.

4) Firm the shoulder blades against the back and puff the side ribs forward. Lift through the top of the sternum but avoid pushing the front ribs forward, which only hardens the lower back. Look straight ahead or tip the head back slightly, but take care not to compress the back of the neck and harden the throat.

5) Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is one of the positions in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. You can also practice this pose individually, holding it anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, breathing easily. Release back to the floor or lift into Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog) with an exhalation.

Impulse control has a lot to do with ones addictive behavior. If we can learn to regulate our impulses in healthy ways, i.e. through healthy challenges like sitting through an entire yoga class, we can figure out ways to bring this control off the mat and into our everyday habits.

There are so many healthy ways to cope with life’s challenges other than reaching for an unhealthy addictive substance or turning to an addictive behavior. One extremely healthy way to face obstacles in one’s life is by getting into your body to get out of your head or repetitive unhealthy patterns. Yoga is a wonderful way to connect inward.

Adi Jaffe writes for a website/blog called All About Addiction, which is a great resource for the latest cutting edge research and science in the addiction and psychological realms. He also contributes to Psychology Today, another amazing resource.

awe-some!

I met Krista 5 years ago while in school at UCLA. I found her teaching challenging, familiar and full of love. She inspired me and made me come back for more, time and again. Since then I’ve become a teacher myself and continue to practice with her in Santa Monica. Learn more about her in this fun interview we had! She’s featured on the cover of OM Magazine this month-check her out!

“I look forward each day to the possibility that my practice both on and off the mat can promote a greater awareness in our immediate need for global peace and unification. ALL is ONE.”- Krista

1. Where are you from? San Diego
2. When did you start practicing yoga? I was a dancer and my teacher recommended I start yoga to bring balance and get grounded. I began in Tim Miller’s teeny tiny 1 room Ashtanga studio, went every day for 3 months straight and was addicted right off the bat!
3. What did you want to “be” when you grew up? Jockey or ballet dancer. I’ve always been physical, since I was little.
4. Where and when did you meet your husband? I met Brock in Venice, CA in Annie Carpenter’s yoga class… practicing together in a teacher intensive, and that was it. <3
5. How did the awesome Hardtail connection happen? My good friend Courtney’s parents own Hardtail and we take pictures together for the ads, it’s an amazing opportunity. (we love your pictures!)
6. What is your overall intention when you walk into a yoga room to teach? Inspire the people in the room to do yoga the next day to give them enough passion to want to show up tomorrow. (she definitely accomplishes this!!)
   
7. What keeps you balanced? My yoga practice keeps me balanced, my husband, every day reminding myself how lucky I am to be a yoga teacher and that I realized my path so early.
8. What throws you off center? Hectic travel schedule, human characteristics…that we are fallible and attracted to things that are imbalanced.
9. Who inspires you? My husband inspires me. My students inspire me and teach me so much. Other yoga teachers who contain the professional fortitude and discipline to do what they do everyday.
10. What inspires you? Music. all music. Every kind. Where we live… the weather!!
11. What advice do you have for a beginner yoga student? The first day is the hardest. The more you practice the easier and more inspiring it gets.
12. What advice do you have for someone who’s practiced for years? Never stop seeking to learn, there’s a depth in the practice that you can’t see
    
13. what is it about handstands that you love? It’s fun!! Having fun makes people want to do yoga and trying knew things makes people want to do yoga! For me, it gives me always something to come to class for because there’s always something to develop to show my students.
14. What do you think about energy? It’s the reason we do yoga. It feels good to have energy moving and it feels bad when it is stagnant.
15. Do you eat raw food? salad.
16. What’s your favorite food (doesn’t have to be healthy or raw!) chips and salsa definitely number one on my list!
17. You’ve mentioned you’ve done a cleanse before. What do you think about cleanses? Great!! Not only does it clean out and inspire your body, but your mind too. Everything you procrastinate with in day to day life comes forward and you accomplish all your goals… it’s definitely not just physical.
18. Do you have a favorite quote? “Those who say ‘It Can’t be Done’ should get out of the way who are doing it!”

“YOGA IS REALLY CHANGING THE WORLD”-Krista Cahill

Krista teaches workshops and retreats around the world and has regular classes based in Los Angeles (yogisanonymous). Krista teaches a vigorous Vinyasa Flow class filled with challenging arm balances and inversions. She believes that our obstacles are our greatest blessings. Krista and her husband Brock Cahill live their Yoga together in Venice Beach, California. Email Krista at: krista@kristacahill.com

Where are you from? The north shore of Oahu.

When did you start practicing yoga? I started from birth as my family raised us in a donation based yoga ashram.

What did you want to “be” when you grew up? I wanted to be a rock star and I pursued it for a while in my high school years. I was signed to MM Records and toured the country. It was an interesting time.

What is your overall intention when you walk into a yoga room to teach? I want to teach the best class possible. If I feel it was an okay class I feel I some how didnt deliver to the students. That I didn’t give them 100%. I want to give them something special every time.

What keeps you balanced? Mediating every day and spare moment.

What throws you off center? Well everyone gets those curve balls in life. The unexpected. But when I find myself in those situations I have to meditate and reset my intention for life. Because usually when you are in distress it’s because you wanted something to go your way and it doesn’t. So you have to be able to eat humble pie and move on.

Who inspires you? This may sound cliche but its the way I truly feel.

I am inspired by Buddha, Jesus, Alaha, Arjuna, Ghandi (left)… as they made significant change and didnt care what other people thought. they just wanted to speak “Truth.” Not to mention they lived and breathed what they taught. It’s inspiring.

What advice do you have for a beginner yoga student? like anything in life the first time you do it your not gonna get it perfect. I encourage students to go slow and do what they can and try to make it fun vs something your trying to get something out of.

What advice do you have for someone who’s practiced for years? The word Yoga means to Yoke or unite with God. So for someone who is practicing the asana for some time would be to take there practice to the next level of yoga. To mediate and start on the process of yoking with the higher being.

what is your favorite yoga pose or series and why? I love A and B series in sun salutes. Its so balanced. If you can only do A and B series in a day thats all you really need!

Do you eat raw food? Yes I love raw food. I was a raw foodist for 1 year in high school. Now I just eat the yoga diet (i.e. no meat, fish or eggs) lots of greens and and whole grains. Water is my beverage of choice.

What’s your favorite food? (doesn’t have to be healthy!!!!) I love veggie burgers, sweet heart fries and a oogave root beer.

Do you have a favorite quote? “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” ~Ghandi  These are words to live by.

This is the first in a series of interviews.

Working out isn’t supposed to make you want to throw up, and yoga isn’t supposed to hurt. Practicing it is supposed to make you feel better, but doing it wrong is just dangerous.

After being a personal trainer at Equinox in Santa Monica and working as a yoga teacher at several studios including a gym, I’ve seen it all. Students wobble into class injured, saying they can hardly walk due to an injury from their last class. I’ve had students not come to my class for months because of an injury they received after going to another yoga class that took them far beyond their capabilities. Obviously, this is all subjective and students/clients should monitor their own bodies. But seriously, some teachers are out of control. I’ve heard about a certain incredibly famous power yoga teacher actually popping a students rib out of place from pressing too hard on his back. Some teachers assist and have no proper training in how to do so. Not cool.

Weekend Warriors

Often times people get hurt because they assume that yoga is simple and that anybody can pretzel himself or herself on demand. Edward Toriello, an orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says, most of the injuries he sees are sustained by “weekend warrior” baby boomers who being yoga or work outs without realizing that their bodies are no longer what they used to be.”They think yoga is an easy way to start exercises, so they go to class once a week, not stretched out at all and they get hurt.”

Same goes for cardio and especially for weight lifting. I had many clients who insisted on benching more weight “because it’s what they did in college” but what they don’t realize, is that they aren’t that person anymore. That’s when they get injured and then have to lay off exercise for weeks to properly heal.  Functional strength training is much more effective for optimal results.

Legit?

Part of the problem is that increasingly, the people teaching yoga don’t know enough about it. Yoga was traditionally taught one-on-one, over many years. Today’s instructors can take a yoga teacher training course in just one weekend. Luckily, to be in the Yoga Alliance (formed in 1999) has set a minimum of 200 hours for instructors to be certified. Unfortunately, only 16,168 of the over 70,000 yoga teachers are actually in the Yoga Alliance. This is a very pertinent issue, especially when it comes to injury.

Wherever you chose to practice or work out, studio, gym or with a personal trainer at the beach, just make sure you listen to your own body and take care of yourself. If you don’t, nobody else can be expected to. Warm up before activity/exercise, then stretch when muscles are warm, and stretch for a longer amount of time after activities. For Weekend Warriors, if you can’t get to the gym other than weekends, be sure to stretch during the week for 10-15 minutes… it will make a world of difference! And If something hurts... stop doing it!