Tis The Season

Did you know that Americans spend more the 400 billion, yes billion, each holiday season. We have gifts to buy, trees to trim, parties to attend and cards to send. All the gift giving can take a toll on your wallet and the environment, and not to mention your sanity. Here are some ways that you can stress less this holiday season.

This year get creative with your gift giving. Does the thought of buying another tie send a shiver down your spine? If so, think about giving the gift of experience. This year my in-laws bought the family a ski trip to Vermont for Christmas. It's still an expensive gift, but we're saving lots of gift wrap :-) And the memories we'll make will last a lifetime.

Get creative...think of season tickets to a sporting event, a charitable donation in someones honor, theater tickets, a massage, yoga gift card, create a family recipe book, plant a tree or a garden. You get the picture. Many times these gifts are much more creative, personalized, and fun. Plus you'll save time, energy, and priceless resources.

If you simply can't imagine not buying gifts for your loved ones, then give the gift of green. No, not "green" as in money. Green as in supporting the environment. Support your local artists by purchasing original art from local galleries and shops. Shop ten thousand villages for fair trade handicrafts from around the world. Candles also make the perfect gift. This year purchase a soy candle and it wont be harmful to your health or the planet. Soy candeles don't produce toxins and they're nearly soot free. Soap Werks candles are made locally in Midway and all the ingredients come from nature: vegetable oils, dried herbs, honey, beeswax and essential oils. They have a darling shop and carry other items that are locally handcrafted. Check out way out wax, the wax is even edible (just in case you wanted to taste). The glass containers are made from recycled glass, the wicks are 100% cotton, they use 100% medicinal essential oils, and they smell heavenly.

If you want to give a gift that's unique and Eco-friendly shop online at vintage trends. You'll give a gift that's very hip, plus you'll help the environment by purchasing used clothing that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. You can also give the gift of wellness by purchasing a loved one a yoga gift certificate or make a purchase from the Bare Wear Boutique. All the clothes are manufactured in America in a sweatshop free environment.

Remind yourself to take a break from the chaos to nurture yourself with activities that soothe your soul. Take time to drink some hot chocolate, listen to your favorite holiday tunes, take a bubble bath, walk around your neighborhood to view the decorations and lights, do yoga, write in a journal, and give back to those less fortunate.

Wishing you all much joy, peace and happiness throughout the holiday season.

Relax & Renew

"Most of us need to be given permission to switch from the doing to the being mode, mostly because we have been conditioned since we were little to value doing over being."

Jon Kabat-Zinn

How true is that statement? I think it's especially true in our society today. We're taught from an early age that to succeed you must work yourself to the brink of exhaustion. Which is what many of us do. Only taking a break when our body and mind literally break down and we're forced to rest. I encounter so many people that are stressed out....jobs, marriages, family, traffic, issues, just life in general. Aren't we all stressed at times? These daily stresses, big or small, create tension, anger, and tightness in our bodies. All of this "stuff" manifests in our body and eventually results in sickness. This is where yoga can really help. The poses combined with breathing help to release tension, tightness, and toxins from the body.

Restorative yoga can be very beneficial, assisting in easing stress and achieving deep relaxation with the use of supportive props. You can join me this Sunday at Eternal Health Yoga for a restorative workshop or Saturday the 9th at Barefoot Works for the same workshop. It's the perfect time to nurture your mind, body and spirit - just what you need during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Thanksgiving Day Delights

The past few days have been spent: catching up, cooking, baking, laughing, playing, watching basketball and football, jumping, meditating, balancing, singing, pitching, drinking, decorating, climbing, breathing, stretching, shopping, photographing, anticipating, walking, eating, planning, and dreaming.

Ah, I love Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday of all.

Giving Thanks

Here are a few things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving season:
*That Andy is finally feeling better after his gallbladder surgery. Now I just need to fatten him up with pumpkin pie.
*Getting wonderful emails from yoga students telling me how much they enjoy coming to the studio.
*Family coming together for Thanksgiving.
*Dogs that excitedly greet me every single day at the door with a waggin' tail. They always act like they haven't seen me in weeks, even if it's only been a few hours.
*Having the desire and discipline to practice yoga.
*Having the desire and determination to open a yoga studio
*Not having to fight a crowd in the baking aisle at Kroger's tonight.
*Getting Thanksgiving cards in the mail.
*Giving cards, for any reason. These are my new faves.
*Pictures - they have a way of taking me back to a particular place and time.
*Laughing so hard on the phone with family and friends that I can't even speak.
*Spending my day in my barefeet, with candles, listening to relaxing tunes and sharing yoga.
*Browsing the bookstore.
*Having my Friday morning "me" date here. Sipping yummy coffee and writing in my journal, it's great.
*Friends and family that inspire me, bring me joy, and make me a better person.
*Warm flannel sheets

Thanksgiving for Veg-Heads

Feel a little left out at Thanksgiving? Check out a tasty turkey alternative.

These potatoes looked delicious. I'm thinking of making them for thanksgiving.

If you're tired of the same old green bean casserole, check this one recipe for green beans and apple cider.

One of my favorite ways to spend Sunday morning is watching The Food Network. Rachael Ray and Paula Dean are my faves. Check out the recipe for the apple butter pumpkin pie that Paula made for her Southern Thanksgiving.

I've made this pumpkin dip for a few years now. It only takes about five minutes to make it and it's very tasty. I always serve it with ginger snap cookies.

Whatever you choose to make, have fun doing it!

How Time Flies

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” Dr. Seuss

My brother Joel (the kickin' one in the white tee) and I were having this conversation a couple days ago. As we get older it seems like time just flies by. I remember being younger and time would literally drag by, or so it seemed at the time. I thought I'd never be an adult, never reach the grown-up stage. Now that I'm an adult (most days) and almost 30, I make a true effort to appreciate every day because time does go by so quickly. Filling my days with a bit of joy, peace, excitement, contentment and gratitude.

Wanna hear the voice of an angel, then listen to "New Place" by my friend Harmony. It's sooo great!

This picture was taken by Shawn Poynter. Check his site for fabulous photos and amusing blog entries.

The Sweetest Words

I got this email from a yoga student this week. I finished reading it and was just blown away. It brought happy tears to my eyes. I'm saving the email for those days, you know the ones when you question everything in your life. I'll open this email and be reminded of the reasons I do what I do, teach and share yoga. I think it could quite possibly be the best "job" ever.

Here's a portion on the email. I did get her permission in sharing.

"When I came to my first class I was ready for a change in my life. I am a caregiver at my job, home and distant family. I was loosing myself. I became uncomfortable with my weight and was not spending enough time on myself. I want to Thank you for re-connecting me to me. I long for the hour I can spend at Bare foot Works because of the atmosphere, the soothing, the piece and quiet plus the hot tea. I have been telling all my friends about it."

Yoga for the Busy Professional

Visit Lane Report and check out the article that I was interviewed for and the sequence I came up with!

A bit of yin

"Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our heart, and we are never, ever the same."

We had a wonderful time at the yin yoga workshop yesterday. For three hours we took our time to relax into poses that were for the most part, done on the floor. We started and finished the workshop with a short meditation. I was amazed at how easy is was to sit up straight in a very comfortable position as the end of the workshop. Yin yoga is known as the bridge between a hatha yoga and seated meditation practice. Taking a few minutes to hold various poses that really stretch the hips and back make a world of difference when you sit down to meditate.

Anna gave us all a very useful tip for sneaking a bit of yin into your day. As soon as you wake up, sit up in your bed and take a few minutes just to fold forward and stretch. You can keep the legs straight or bend them if your hamstrings are tight. You could bend the legs and bring the heels into a butterfly position. Use a pillow for extra comfort and rest your head on for support. Stay here for three to five minutes, just breathing and relaxing....nothing to it :-)

Join us at the studio on Wednesdays at 6:00 for a full yin class. Your body will feel the difference!

Ahh, to be young

When I grow up, I want to remember that I always wanted to be about a thousand different things & one lifetime didn't seem nearly enough. When I grow up, I hope it's at the very end when it doesn't matter anymore anyway. Brian Andreas of Storypeople

I'm going to Richmond tomorrow to teach yoga to a group of fifth and first graders....at separate times of course. I'll be teaching to both of my nieces classes, should be fun!

Also going to Louisville tomorrow night for an open house at Eternal Health Yoga. That's sure to lots of fun. Great music, wine, food, cool clothes and cool yogis!

Saturday we're having a yin yoga workshop at the studio with Anna Ferguson. The workshop is from 1:00 till 4:00. If you don't have plans, then plan to join us! Anna is an amazing teacher.

Phenomenal Women

A dear friend sent these words of wisdom to me:

Maya Angelou said this: "I've learned that no matter what happens,or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow." "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." "I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." "I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life." "I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance." "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back." "I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision." "I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one." I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone."

"People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.""I've learned that I still have a lot to learn." "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Heres to all the phenomenal women out there!

The Flexible

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. ~Author Unknown

It is often said in the yoga world that the areas in which you struggle with on the mat are the areas in which you struggle in your everyday life. For me personally, this is very true. As you can see from the photo, that would be flexibility. Poses that require strength and balance come much easier to me than poses that require flexibility. And I'll admit that at times I'm not the most "flexible" person to deal with. I'm a true Taurus and I can be as stubborn as a bull. I like to do things my way and on my own terms (I knew this small business thing would be perfect for me). However, there are times when this lack of flexibility, both on and off the yoga mat, is inconvenient and annoying. There are times when compromise is necessary. So slowly, one day at a time, I'm stretching my body and my mind. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be able to rest my head on my legs in a seated forward fold. I may not be the most flexible, but I am quiet patient.

Sacred Sunday

I, like every other working person, love Sundays. It's the last day of the weekend and our last effort to get quality "me" time in before the week sets in. Here are a few of my favorite ways to indulge on Sunday:

1. Drive to a nearby town such as Berea or Midway and explore. Both are wonderful towns full of eclectic shops and yummy restaurants.
2. While I'm in Midway, dine at Holly Hill Inn, my fave place to eat! Fine dining in a historic home out in the country.
3. getting off the beaten path with my camera taking shots of trees, cows, clouds, flowers, barns and anything else that interests me at the time. Gotta love digital cameras!
4. Read a book or magazine in the bear claw tub. Bubbles, candles and a glass of wine make it extra special. It is Sunday afterall ;-)
5. Take the dogs to the nearby field. Lay and watch the clouds.
6. Cook a good dinner. Sunday is one of the few days that I have enough time to make a full meal.
7. Meditate and do a restorative yoga practice. Again, it's Sunday. They'll be plenty enough time to "sweat my asana off" during the week.
8. Go to the bookstore and roam around.
9. Take a nap on the couch.
10. Go for a run then stretch underneath a great big tree in the cemetery.
11. Go to the coffee shop, get a yummy drink and read the Sunday paper with Andy.
12. Go to bed with warm sheets and quilt fresh from the dryer.
13. Write in my journal.

The Greening of Yoga

Everyone says that want to do their part to make the world a better place. At Barefoot Works we're working to to just that. You see, we're optimists and we really, really believe that the small changes we make today will indeed one day equal grand results. Working with the Green Yoga Association we are working to raise ecological awareness within the yoga community. In fact Barefoot Works is one of about 50 yoga studios across the nation to be considered a green yoga studio. Click here to see the other yoga studios across the nation that are committed to earth friendly business practices.

Speaking of earth friendly practices....click here to greatly reduce the amount of junk mail that you get daily. Admit it, you hate flipping through all that unwanted mail. Do yourself and the environment a favor and cut the clutter.

Adventurous little gal

"How much of the world had I missed while living in my head?
If each cell in our bodies is an outpost of our brains, what might I have learned?
I'll never know who that adventurous little girl might have become.
But at least I know that she's still there-
Waiting to enter the present." Gloria Steinem

I am still very childlike in many ways and I love that I embody the spirit of "that adventurous little girl" at times. Whether it's pulling off the side of the road or trespassing on someone's property (very harmless ;-) to get the perfect photo, attempting to hurl myself forward from downward facing dog to headstand, jammin' down the street with my windows down singing to Fergie's latest tunes, or dancing up a storm with my nieces (in the photo) in the entryway of my house, also known as the "dancefloor". I definitely have the ability to put adult responsibilities aside and live freely.

*I just looove this picture. I took it this past Saturday at my house. I asked the girls to pucker up and show some love for the camera. Their expressions crack me up everytime I look at it. And I love the pretty tree in the background.

Shine on baby...continued

An interesting thing happened to me Friday evening, the very same day of this original post (see below). Andy and I had a nice dinner followed by a trip to the bookstore. Isn't this everyone's favorite way of spending a Friday night? My first request was for this book. No luck, so instead of making a dash to my favorite section, yoga of course, I veered off in the opposite direction. First checking out the art section then going downstairs to the business section. As we all know, I'm officially a "small business owner", but to be completely honest, I know little to nothing about running a business. I'm learning as I go and believing wholeheartedly that following my passion will pay off. That and a whole lot of persistence, work and discipline. Anyway, to say that the business section was a bit boring is putting it mildly. I picked a few books up, flipped through some pages, not a hint of interest, so I placed them back on the shelf. I asked myself, and Andy, "why do all of these books look exactly the same." I understand that they are written for the business world, but the bland covers, generic fonts, and the manner in which they are written did absolutely nothing for me. I was in search of a colorful title, a creative, enticing cover, and marketing material written in a more exciting and innovative manner? Is that too much too ask? Apparently so.

So back upstairs I went to my second most favorite section, self-help. And yes, I'm completely ok with that :-) At least in this section I can find books that are colorful, creative and interesting. To me they are anyway. Sark is the perfect example. I ended up finding this great hardback book, so I plopped down on the floor and flipped through the pages. It was along the lines of living creatively. I had convinced myself that I really wanted the book, but after careful consideration, I decided not to get it. And being that I can't even remember the title now, it was probably a good decision. I told myself that being a "small business owner" and not having that steady check coming in means giving up a few things. And Friday night it meant not having that book. I decided to go home and go to my own personal library and pull a book out I hadn't looked at in a while. I opened the book and this is the page that it landed on, the very first place I fixed my eyes was on this passage:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God; your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not in just some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

And anyone who knows me, knows that I do not believe in coincidences. I thought hmm, the universe is telling me something here. I had written that very passage only hours earlier. It was very bizarre and wonderful. I also learned that the passage was not written by Nelson Mandela. It was actually Marianne Williamson. Nelson Mandela has quoted the passage in a speech. Sorry Marianne, the credit is all yours.

Shine on baby, shine on

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn't serve the world." Marianne Williamson

Heck yeah - Now those are powerful, moving and motivating words. Here's to the light, talent, brilliance and fabulous-ness that dwells within each of us!

Are you on autopilot?

I had this wonderful conversation with a friend yesterday about how yoga teaches us to be mindful. Yes, in addition to increased strength, flexibility and balance, yoga can help to create better awareness of your body and your everyday life. How is that possible some may question. It's simple and quite complex as the same time. When you first begin yoga, you may focus only on the physicalities....what you can do with ease, which poses challenge you, which poses scare you. You may find yourself questioning, "Are backs really meant to bend that way?" ;-)

As a yoga teacher I want my students to learn how their body moves, to test their limits without overstepping their boundaries. In class we're talking about moving the breath, straightening your legs and arms, extending your spine then twisting, exhaling to release stress and tension from your body. There's a lot going on. All this strengthening, stretching and flexing eventually teaches you how to be awake and alive in your body, then eventually your life. You become more mindful of how your living your life. This doesn't mean that you're perfect and never make mistakes. However, you aren't stuck on cruise control or autopilot....going through the same (e)motions day in and day out. You're traveling down the road and you can feel the sun on your face, taking notice of the changing colors of the trees, feeling like this is the best drive ever.....even if you take the same route everyday. That's gotta count for something :-)

Exciting things are happening at Barefoot Works

Last Wednesday I had my first conference call with Green Yoga. Barefoot Works is one of twenty nine yoga studios across the nation participating in the Green Studios Pilot Program. Over the course of ten months we will learn to implement green business practices and increase environmental awareness in both students and the community. As many of you know, I specifically designed the studio in an eco-friendly manner, so I am so excited to be a part of this dynamic and forward thinking group. I'll keep you posted as we progress through the program.

Also, we had our first photo shoot at the studio today! How exciting?! I developed a yoga sequence for the busy professional that will be featured in Lane Report next month. Andy, an editor at Lane Report came out and took pictures of Leigh Ann doing the poses. It's a great sequence that anyone can do at their desk within five short minutes. I plan to have the sequence posted on the website after it's been released by Lane Report.

I'm also in the process of ordering some clothing and merchandise for Bare Wear - The Bare Essentials for Yoga. We'll have a small retail area in the studio where you can purchase fun & fabulous yoga clothes, props, books and so on. We are also designing and constructing our very own yoga mat bags. Finding a stylish yet practical yoga bag to get you to and from class can be a real struggle. We think we have the perfect one! I've also ordered some great shirts from the very talented Julie Bryan. So watch for your invite to the the Bare Wear Bash.... a holiday party/open house/unveiling of Bare Wear. Watch for the date!

Hiking in Kentucky

I love, love, love the fall season in Kentucky. Sure it can be rainy, but the beautiful days like today more that make-up for the rain. Today was quite literally, I picture perfect day. The sky was the most magnificent shade of blue and the trees are just bursting with color. While I lived in Texas, the fall season was the season I missed most. So each year that I've been back, I really try to take the time to truly enjoy the season. Kentucky is unbelievably beautiful this time of year. I just can't say it enough.

Andy picked the Sally Brown Nature Conservancy for us to go hiking. It's very close to our house and it highlights the Palisades, the limestone cliffs that run along the Kentucky River. This was out first time hiking here and it was great. There were a few waterfalls that were stunning (thanks to the rain we've had), amazing vistas of the Palisades, the prettiest pink and lavender color wildflowers, and moss covered rocks and boulders that were begging to be photographed. Needless to say, I took many pictures.