Yoga Digest - May/June 2015

@yoga_girl

M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 5 TM

In-Depth Interview with

Rachel Brathen I N S P I R E • E D U C AT E • C O N N E C T

Chris

Freytag Succeed In Life

With This

One Simple Rule

Catch

A Wave

From The Inside Out

Extreme Shore Break Photography

W/

Clark

Little

Off the Mat and Into the Ocean

Amy Ippoliti

Discover SUP & Hiking Yoga Men’s Yoga in High Demand

W/

Positive Affirmations to Overcome Any Obstacle Happy Father’s Day: Yoga Dads Special Edition

Display until June 29, 2015

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MAY / JUNE 2015

Senior Columnist Kurt Johnsen Senior Contributor Kim Bauman

Publisher Yoga Digest, LLC Founders & Chief Editors Jenn Bodnar Cody Groth

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Contributors Angela Ambrose John Ayo Sheryl Braun Farnoosh Brock Cary Caster Natalie Cummings Chris Freytag Ryan Glidden Brian Hyman Glenna Musante Victor Parachin Schiffman Randi Schiff man

Cover Photos Chris photo by Pearson Studios Rachel photo by Ben Kane Magazine Designer Zoran Maksimovic Advertise yogadigest.com/advertise advertise@yogadigest.com Subscriptions yogadigest.com/subscribe Mailing Address Yoga Digest, LLC 950 E State HWY 114, Ste 160 Southlake TX, 76092 WWW.YOGADIG E ST.C O M

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

—George Bernard Shaw Everything is bursting into life with such great force this time of year that it’s hard not to become a little more aware of our own blossoming, growth and evolution.

The days are longer, the nights are warmer and nature beckons to be inhabited, explored and discovered. For many, this is a time for vacations, celebrations and reunions. It’s a time for gathering, getting away, seeing new places and trying new things!

In this issue we hope to not only inspire you to discover our beautiful world, but to do it with love. That means taking necessary precautions and action to preserve its beauty. The only way we can truly love and care for another is to first love and care for self. We hope you will enjoy the inspiring stories of self-discovery, living with passion, following your true calling (no matter how wild it may be) and to most of all, awaken your sense of adventure, be happy and have a little fun!

According to Wikipedia, the term “journey of self-discovery” refers to travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, rather than following the opinions of family, friends and peer pressure.

We lose sight sometimes that everything is temporary and the perfect time to make dreams a reality will come soon. The time is now! Experience sand between your toes, breathe fresh mountain air, make some memories with family and friends, or even enjoy some time to reflect….all WW W.YOGAD I GEST. CO M

by yourself! There is no such thing as the perfect time, only the here and now!

Don’t forget dad! The commercialism of yoga tends to be largely targeted to females. While this is not a bad thing and yoga is growing more rapidly right now more than ever, we want to remember that men were very much a part of yoga’s evolution and still represent a very active part of the lifestyle. That’s why we decided to honor our Yoga Dad’s with some special information and features geared just for you! Happy Father’s Day! The amazing people who helped bring this issue together are a dynamic group with different backgrounds, knowledge and experiences. One of the common traits shared by all of our contributors and feature stories is the ability to uniquely express their individuality and share it with the world. Steve Maraboli says “If you hang out with chickens your going to cluck, if you hang out with eagles you’re going to fly.” We are so grateful to be flying with these confident, brave and authentic souls that speak their mind and lift us up. We hope to see you at Squaw Valley Wanderlust in July and invite you to join us as we partner with One Love Movement in San Diego on August 8th where we can raise our vibration and soar even higher!

Jenn Bodnar & Cody Groth Founders/Chief Editors Yoga Digest

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Table of

Contents 38

CONNECT

AMY IPPOLITI Activism through Yoga ���������������������������� 72

by Kim Bauman

WATERLUST Connecting the World Through Water ����������������������������������������������� 76

by Kim Bauman

BALANCE IN TRAVEL ��������������������������� 78

by John Ayo

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EDUCATE

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10 BENEFITS OF Thai Yoga Massage ����������������������������������� 42

by Sheryl Braun

TEN YOGA MYTHS...

BUSTED ��������������������������������������������������������������� 44

by Victor M. Parachin

3 REASONS to do SUP Yoga ��������������������������������������������� 48 4 TRANSFORMATIONAL BENEFITS Of Hiking Yoga ���������������������������������������������� 50

INSPIRE

By Natalie Cummings

GET HEALTHY, BE HAPPY, Stay Real w/ Chris Freytag �������������������� 10

9 PROVEN WAYS to be Happier ���������������������������������������������������52

THE BEACH, THE BOOK, THE BUSINESS OF Rachel Brathen - @Yoga_Girl ������������� 14

HEAL NEGATIVE ENERGY with Positive Affirmations �����������������������54

by Jenn Bodnar

Interview by Jenn Bodnar

CLARK LITTLE The Further You Go The More You Will See ���������������������������������������� 18 Interview by Jenn Bodnar

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE: A Yoga Dads Journey through Business, Parenting and Practice ����������������������������28

by Ryan Glidden

A CONVERSATION With Yoga Dads ��������������������������������������������� 32

by Brian Hyman

DADDY AND BABY YOGA

by Brian Hyman

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IN EVERY ISSUE YD WARRIORS! ���������������������������������������������� 8 POKEWEED ILLUSTRATIONS w/ Drew Pocza ����������������������������������������������� 79 STAFF PICKS �������������������������������������������������80 INSPIRED VOICES ������������������������������������ 81 OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE w/ Kurt Johnsen ���������������������������������������������82

������������ 38

By Chris Freytag

by Farnoosh Brock

ESSENTIAL OILS & Self Exploration �����������������������������������������������58

by Cary Caster

AYURVEDA and Summer Time ������������������������������������ 60

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By Randi Schiffman

MORE MEN FALLING FOR YOGA ������������������������������������������������������62

by Angela Ambrose

YOGA: FASHION & FUNCTION A Male Perspective ������������������������������������66

by Glenna Musante

RECIPES from GetHealthyU.com ���������������������������68

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TasteVeden.com

YD Warriors!

Since early adolescence I have wanted to spend the better part of a year traveling across Europe. The culture, history, architecture, foods and so on in combination with the nomadic romance of it all really captivates my imagination like little else ever has. I cannot imagine a single day of the journey being anything less than authentically awesome and have to believe that the experience would dramatically and positively shift the perspective through which I approach the world.

NICK BEZ

What is something that you’ve always wanted to do in life but haven’t done?

I have always dreamed of going on a walkabout in the shadow of Uluru /Ayers Rock in Australia. As a boy, I read about how young male Australian aboriginals would undertake this as a rite of passage; living in the wild for as long as six months. This journey (sadana) was a defining moment in their lives, and I want to experience something of that magnitude in my life. I believe communing in such a sacred place affords us the opportunity to connect to all those beings that came before us. Lokah samastha sukhino bhavanthu

STEPHEN JONES

LESLEY CARNEY

I want to do the Camino, as it’s often called. The Camino is a 500-mile walk along the top of Spain and is one of the most famous pilgrimages in the world. I don’t want to do it because it’s famous or because of a religious belief, or even for fitness.

A love of mine, is to feel my feet touch as many different places of the Earth as possible. To me, this journey is one of those life changing experiences, where you connect with so many others, figuratively and literally, on the same path as you.

I’ve always wanted to complete the 10 day Vipassana Meditation. Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It’s a way of self-transformation through self-observation and focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. I’ve witnessed the profound impact this process has had on a few of my friends who have experienced this 10 day silent meditation.

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DONNY STARKINS

LORRAINE SCHRAY

I have no desire to jump out of a plane, deep sea dive or anything wild and extravagant. I’ve been fortunate to have traveled a lot, both in the U.S. and Europe.

I’m blessed with great health and happiness, two awesome children and great friends. I do dream of living near the beach one day and more travel would be so fulfilling to me. One thing I would really love to do since I fell in love with yoga would be to go on a yoga retreat, learn more about all practices, especially acroyoga, what a blast!

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BY JENN BODNAR PHOTOS BY PEARSON STUDIOS WWW.PEARSONSTUDIOS.COM

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F

itness instructor and entrepreneur, founder of Get Healthy U, yoga teacher, fitness model, personal trainer, spokesperson, corporate speaker, ambassador, wife, mom of three, TV show host, author and the list goes on. Meet Chris Freytag. It’s hard not to get just a little amped up when talking to Freytag.

Her energy is contagious and she truly radiates light and vibrancy. Whatever she’s doing is clearly working because now at just shy of her 50th birthday, yes that’s 5-0, she’s got plenty more surprises up her sleeve. Freytag has been creating, re-inventing and re-discovering herself for nearly half a century, all with a smile and while making it look easy. Freytag has big plans to grow the brand she has worked tirelessly to build. I talked with Freytag to find out how she master-minded this wellness empire and what prompted her to get into the fitness industry in the first place.

PLANTING THE SEEDS

Freytag majored in journalism at the University of Wisconsin Madison, because in 1983, she says, fitness wasn’t really a career path for women. When the college counselor asked what she was interested in, her response was “I’m really interested in fitness.” The counselor was taken back and replied “ Huh? That’s not what I mean, I mean what do you want to do for a living?”

Chris laughs about it now explaining how back in the 80s there were no computers for her classes.

She used a typewriter had to use white out when she made a mistake. Times have evolved and so has Freytag. She has certainly put her broadcast journalism degree to good use, but fitness was always her passion. She was cheerleader in high school, always active and loved to run! Running was her first experience with understanding how exercise works. Freytag explained that even though she didn’t know the science behind it, or what endorphins were, she knew that running made her feel a lot better, helped clear her head and boosted her confidence.

After college, Freytag worked some advertising jobs but knew it wasn’t her calling. At this time in the 80s, gyms were popping up everywhere so she joined a gym called US Swim and Fitness. She became obsessed with aerobics and weight lifting. Freytag was married and had kids early, she says, so becoming a personal trainer worked well with her lifestyle. Her

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clients started saying “Chris, you should write a book, you should make a video!” One day it stuck, a lot of little things were coming together and she decided she wanted to create a brand.

She thought “I could make a video!” So she did!

After that, with the help of a friend, she decided to pitch the idea of adding a health segment to the Minneapolis – St. Paul NBC news station.

They said yes! KARE 11 decided to give her a shot one Monday morning. Some skeptics may claim Chris got lucky because she knew someone. The reality is that “Luck is What happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

If you have a plan or a great idea that will work, how can anyone say no, right? That’s exactly what happened. After one segment, Chris was invited to come back the following week and the next and the next until they created a weekly segment that’s been going strong for the last 10 years. During this time Chris has produced many more fitness videos, worked at Prevention Magazine, authored several books and continues to motivate and stay motivated at an amazing pace!

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INSPIRE Get Healthy, Be Happy and Get Real with Chris Freytag

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

—Seneca THE SECRET INGREDIENT(S)

I had to ask Freytag, aside from having amazing tenacity and creativity, what it is that separates her from all these other fitness professionals out there that would love to be on TV doing a health segment. She says people always tell her how comfortable she makes them feel; that she’s very real and relatable. She attributes a lot of her success to her journalism degree where she took a lot of courses in communication. When she became immersed in the fitness path, she considered going back to school to get a degree in Exercise Science (now that one existed!) She thought maybe she needed more schooling, but really it was her ability to communicate well that got here where she is today.

Freytag also has a great attitude of gratitude.

When I asked what her greatest accomplishments were she said having amazing kids, and feels they are each one of her greatest contributions to the world. You can hear the passion in her voice when she describes how important their happiness is to her. She does not take what she has accomplished professionally for granted and has great appreciation for the hard work she has put in to her life and work. Freytag says when you peel back the layers, there was and still is hard work involved.

Perhaps her greatest characteristic, Freytag says, is the fact that she is SUPER HAPPY(see 9 Proven Ways to be Happier by Chris Freytag on page 52)! She has a positive attitude and has always been this way, even as a child. She comes

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from a family of five and her mom always said that ‘Chris would be the one to make a game out of picking up dog poop in the yard.’ She could put a positive spin on anything! Freytag cautions that she has to stay mindful of her drive, aware it can become a weakness. She is guilty of taking on too many things. Her mom has also told her “You have got too many irons in the fire Christine, you need to tailor it back.” Freytag admits she operates on a slight level of craziness and it’s not always the healthiest way to operate.

ENTER YOGA: SLOW DOWN AND BE YOU

Freytag found yoga about 10 years ago when Yoga Fit came to Life Time Fitness and offered a training for fitness instructors. Like most group fitness instructors, she was teaching a ton of classes and pushing herself really hard. She says yoga was very inviting at that time. Initially, she looked at yoga very clinically, it was all about the stretching and adding more formats to her repertoire. When describing her first yoga experience Freytag says “This is really so much more than stretching, as a matter of fact stretching is like a by-product of it. It’s more about the mind-body connection and the breathing.” Known as the high-intensity queen, many people were surprised when Freytag started teaching yoga. She says this was a way finally, for her to slow down.

She fell in love again, like she had with running, aerobics and her children but this time it was yoga. There was something different, something

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more. Freytag calls it self actualization. Yoga is a way for her to unplug and she finally found a way to enjoy slowing down for the first time.

She discovered a part of her life that was missing.

When the conversation turned to yoga, Freytag shared that her success is built very much upon being a real person, not about perfection.

She’s from the school of positive reinforcement and has never been one to yell at her clients to motivate them. She is happy to share her shortcomings and okay with unveiling her flaws because she says has lots of them. Freytag says “On the Get Healthy U page, if you go to the about page it says it’s about being real, it’s about having a glass of wine with your girlfriends, fitting in your jeans; whatever jeans are comfortable! Feel good as you, that’s all that matters. It’s about enjoying friends and family and living your life!” Freytag adds that her approach to everything now is that life is constantly changing, it’s okay to be you and yoga helped her to realize that.

YOUR VIBE ATTRACTS YOUR TRIBE

Freytag has recently partnered with a team of five awesome women to help grow Get Healthy U. They each bring unique and special gifts to the brand. She loves spending time with her family and they all enjoy organized activity on a regular basis. Movement has always been a part of their lives. Her kids all played sports and her daughter is a devout ballet dancer and yogi who recently got her 200RYT. Freytag jokes that she is the one who got her started. Clearly, she has inspired, advised and motivated many.

When asked who inspires Freytag, she says she is inspired by so many she doesn’t know where to begin! Freytag is inspired by the people who surround her in the fitness world; instructors and participants alike. She’s so grateful to everyone she encounters for sharing their great and unique gifts. She’s also a huge non-fiction reader and can’t get enough information. She loves books about leadership, doing better in the world and really admires authors like Sheryl Sandberg, Brene` Brown and Anne Lamott. Some of her favorite books are “Help, Thanks, Wow!” and “Lean In.” She says Katie Couric has made a huge impact on her and she follows her closely.

Freytag says she is a huge fan of women who have done great things with their lives and continue to share their gift with the world!

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INTERVIEW BY JENN BODNAR

Rachel Within a few moments of speaking to le about Brathen, you can tell she is very humb to and her popularity, extremely easy to talk anything very real. If you are a yogi and know t you about Instagram, chances are high tha girl, if are familiar with her account, @yoga_ lowers! not already one of her million plus fol followers Yoga_girl has the highest number of for a yoga account on Instagram.

Photo by Ben Kane

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L

et’s back it up a bit though, because all good yoga Instagrammers had to start somewhere. Aside from details on the web server crashes and Instagram madness, the first thing I wanted to know was:

JB: How did your yoga journey begin?

RB: I took my first yoga class when I was 17 years old, on vacation with my family, in Thailand. My mom took me. I wasn’t very healthy at that time. I was your regular difficult teenager; I partied and was busy with make-up and a boy. I remember feeling something… but it wasn’t strong enough to change my life at that time. After I graduated high school, I traveled to Costa Rica.

I was just going to go for a few months but I ended up moving there and staying for almost 3 years. It was during that time I found the practice, for real. I was already into meditation. Yoga was a step from that.

JB: Who were some of your early teachers and greatest influencers?

RB: When I first started getting into the physical practice I had a lot of back pain and was really terrified of the physical aspect of yoga. I suffered from scoliosis my whole life and still do a little bit. My first years were very home oriented, restorative Photo by Amelia Widell and gentle. I couldn’t touch my toes. My boyfriend used to come home from work and I would be in a puddle on my yoga mat in pain and he would ask ‘did you do that triangle pose again?’ Yes, I would say, triangle was my nemesis. I didn’t have a proper teacher for the first few years. It was me, at home, reading books. It wasn’t until I moved to Aruba that I started to take my practice to something more physical. I started to teach around the same time.

JB: What made you decide to do Instagram?

RB: I had a Facebook page for my local students to stay updated on classes. And then people starting asking for more: tips for my wrists, poses, the sanskrit names, the benefits etc. of the pose.

Somewhere along the way, Instagram came along and it started out as a personal thing to share mostly my dogs and yoga on the beach. I had a few thousand people following me, which was a ton at the time but then I went through a really rough time. Instead of sharing poses, I started

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I AM JUST A VERY NORMAL HUMAN BEING AND I TRY MY BEST EVERYDAY AND THAT’S ALL I CAN DO.

sharing more of the real truth of the things I was going through. In that, I got this tremendous response from me bringing something authentic into that space.

JB: You have been through some big challenges and suffered great losses, which you shared on Instagram. What impact did that have?

RB: I had three deaths in the past year. I could have chosen to not share them. I could

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Photo by Ben Kane

have chosen to fake it, or continued to post just inspirational things, or to just be quiet but there was really no option for me than to write and to share. It was a huge part of my healing process. I ended up losing over 100,000 followers. I lost the people who weren’t interested in me as a person. It was like I took my whole community through a washing machine and those who stayed are the ones who are genuine. Emails starting pouring in, such love and wisdom that I’ve never experienced. A lot of people felt that since I was raw and real with my own grief that they could be honest and open with theirs. So I saw a lot of people sharing their pain openly as opposed to keeping it to themselves, pretending everything is fine and putting that smile on their face everyday.

Just allowing themselves to be real.

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THE GROWTH, THE SELF-DISCOVERY COMES FROM GOING INTO THE PARTS THAT WE DON’T WANT TO LOOK AT...

JB: Do you consider yourself successful?

RB: I always struggle with the business of all of this. Success, in terms that I have a beautiful family, a husband that I love, a great home and I’m happy. That’s success to me. But also realizing that what I’m doing, I wrote a book and these things that are happening. It’s a business and balancing the yoga of it all with the business

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The Beach, The Book, The Business of Rachel Brathen @yoga_girl INSPIRE side of it all and whether or not that’s successful, I have a hard time deciding that because I don’t really know where it’s all leading at the moment.

If Instagram fell off the face of the earth tomorrow and I got to do something that improved the greater good of the world, that would be success!

JB: What’s your greatest achievement?

RB: I love the idea of brand new people finding the practice through me, through my space. I’ve always attracted people that are brand new and I like to make the practice very accessible and not intimidating. I used to teach workshops focused on handstands and arm balances and now I’m getting so many beginners to classes and retreats that is has to be targeted to that first timer. I teach classes and sometimes have 500-600 people. I always ask, “who is taking their first ever yoga class?” And there’s like 200 people that raise their hand, which is astounding to me! I get emails from people who tell me they took their first class inspired by me and now, a year later, they’re pain free or have lost all this weight, and am happier.

That makes me feel like I’ve done something of value.

JB: What do you say to those still trying to come to grips with who they are?

RB: You have to start in the difficult end. That’s what’s hard for people to grasp. There’s this idea that I will quit my job, travel the world, sit on a beach and meditate and all of a sudden I will find my path and my passion. It’s not like that! The growth, the self-discovery comes from going into the parts that we don’t want to look at: the pain, the fear and the insecurities that we walk with everyday.

You can choose to run away from it; turn on the TV, drink a bottle of wine or even go to yoga class or you can choose to sit with it and go into it and see what happens.

JB: When I log in to Instagram 5 years from now, what is yoga girl doing?

RB: My hope is that I will have kids! This is all growing so fast. We have classes now up 1,0001,500 people. At the same time we do retreats.

It’s hard to balance. Where does it end? Instead of retreats, hopefully I’ll be doing more social

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Yoga Girl Book

Rachel’s highly anticipa ted first book—YOGA GIR L— was published in the US A on March 24, 2015 by Touchstone, a division of Sim on & Schuster. Part self-h elp and part memoir, YOGA GIR L is an inspirational, beau tifully illustrated book featuring step-by-step yoga sequ ences as well as simple recipe s for a healthy, happy, an d fearless lifestyle. We especia lly love Yoga Girl’s “LO VING INSIGHTS” where she off ers advice like:

Explore the world and so ak up the wisdom that lies in every lesson you learn along the way. Life is meant to be an adventure.

Find your voice. Whatever you’re doing, let the real you shine through. In stead of imitating others, figure out what ma kes you unique and let that be at the core of yo ur work.

Life happens for you—no

t to you!

project trips, connecting back to doing something good for other people and communities as well.

Just trying to harness all of this in a bigger way.

JB: What is your favorite way to spend the day?

RB: I love sitting on my couch with my dogs.

Simple things. I get so much excitement, traveling and doing wild crazy adventures all the time so having a glass of wine at the end of the day with my husband is perfect.

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Clark Little The Further You Go

The More You Will See INTERVIEW BY JENN BODNAR

In yoga we teach to always try and discover a way.

If there are obstacles, come up with an alternative.

An open, stress free mind helps with this process.

Your photos are beyond incredible; the definition of surreal. It seems impossible to capture what your capture. We all love to capture the moment, capture beauty from our vacations and try to make a lasting visual reminder of something that inspires us and makes us feel good. You have made this your calling and living. What was the shift for you? How did you transform from simply taking a picture to finding a way to capture the uncapturable?

A: For me it was actually quite simple. I grew up going to the ocean surfing, swimming and diving, it was a home away from home. Then came a family and a full time job. I wasn’t going to the beach as often until one day my wife brought home a picture of a wave to put on our bedroom wall. I looked at it and told her I can get a better wave, one from inside the ocean up close. I then went out and bought a cheap water-proof housing and put a small digital camera in it. I swam out a few times with the camera and starting getting some interesting results. After the first session, I was actually pretty hooked.

My family and friends encouraged me and I kept going. Before long I had bought a professional set up and was shooting as often as I could. Things then snowball and eventually I quit my job. By the way that job I had done for 17 years and I had planned to do it until retirement. The real shift came when I followed my passion. And then I just did it more and more and more.

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I was never a photographer growing up or ever did it as a hobby. I sort of went from novice to professional very quickly. My photography started in the big waves.

With regard to some of your photos, it seems like there is a significant amount of danger involved with the unpredictability and force of the ocean waves crashing down on you as so notably recorded on Instagram. Not to mention some of the shark photos! What’s going through your head as you go in to take these shots?

I am actually pretty calm as all of this is happening.

I am not reacting, I am in the moment and I am searching for the best place to be for the best shot and of course with an exit in mind. This is what I love about the ocean. It requires Focus and a cool head. Actually as it gets more dangerous things slow down... at least in my mind they do. It’s pretty much like a meditation with a full body workout. And after you get out of the ocean you are so centered and high on life. I suppose the feeling after doing yoga is the same.

Have you ever been injured on the job?

Luckily nothing too serious, but a lot of close calls. I do knock on wood as I say this. Some of the close calls have been getting slammed into the sand free-falling from the top of a wave. That time there was a loud crunch, and I couldn’t move my shoulder for a few weeks. It still sticks out a bit. I have some stitches in my head from having the camera housing hit me.

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Title: Clark vs Goliath Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Would you put your life on the line for a great shot? Clark Little facing a giant wave with his camera.

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Title: Ocean Eagle Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: An endangered Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle (Honu in Hawaiian) swimming behind a breaking wave in the shallow waters off of the North Shore.

Title: Clark Little standing shorebreak Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Photographer Calrk Little runs up to wave breaking right on the shore to capture a shot before he gets mowed down.

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Title: Sand Sculpture Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: The powerful Hawaiian shorebreak shapes figures in the sand. Shot during mid-day, this wave is sucking up the sand and about to unleash on the photographer.

Title: Coconut Island Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Shot from behind a breaking wave looking towards shore from an underwater perspective. The curve of the wave distorts the beach scene elongating the palm trees.

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INSPIRE Clark Little: The Further You Go The More You Will See This is happened several times. And there is been a close call with being out in waves that were too big, and I was held under for a very long time. Enough to where things start going black and thoughts of your children and wife and family are going through your head. Sometimes waves will come one after another after another six or eight waves in a row. Then you might be held under for two waves at a time and you are over your limit. But there is no way out except to fight for your life. I have also lost my swim fins after being hit by a large wave. The swim fins are my life line. It is extremely difficult to swim in large surf without them. When you get back to shore you are very thankful.

How many cameras do you currently own? Have you ever lost any cameras to the ocean? What’s the going rate for a Clark Little approved and certified photography camera?

I own about a dozen cameras with a lot of lenses and water housings. I shoot with Nikon gear. I have used their equipment from day one and have never had a problem. The cameras take a beating and were probably never intended for this type of use but they sure handle well. Yes, I have lost some cameras but luckily every time I have been able to find the camera and recover it. In big waves the camera can get ripped out of my hand. I even have a leash tied to the camera in my wrist. This has shredded before.

In February 2014, Clark published his second book Shorebreak, a 160-page coffee table book featuring wave and ocean photography from various beaches all over the world.

Title: Last Blast Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: A large wave is captured laying on the dry sand as it throws over to create the shorebreak barrel. There is no escaping punishment on this one. A few seconds later, Clark will be washed up the beach covered in sand from head to tow.

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Title: Screamer Location: West Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: The wind is blowing strongly offshore, towards the ocean and away from the beach, and creates a mist flying off the top of a backlit wave.

Clark’s work has been exhibited in the White House and Smithsonian Museum, published in National Geographic and used in TV commercials for various companies including Nikon, Apple and Nike.

Funny thing is usually I’m not worried about the camera when I lose it but worried about losing the photos in the camera. I have had to walk up and down the beach looking for it and swim around. My water housings are usually colorful and easy to find. I have been lucky. I know it.

Your dad was a professor of photography? Do you have any formal photography training? Do your kids share your passion?

Yes my dad was a professor of photography for 20 something years. But I never had any interest in it. I did grow up going to the darkroom and was surrounded by it. But I never got the bug. It was after he retired that I started shooting photos. I have no formal training. My

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training was in surfing, and then I traded in the surfboard for camera. My son shoots with me sometimes.

He’s really into sports and loves playing in the ocean.

This is a unique path you’re on. I’m sure you had some other more traditional paths perhaps to take. Did you ever consider a different career path and if so, what?

I was a manager of a botanical Garden here in Hawaii for 17 years. It was a real career. I have a family with two kids, I had a mortgage and had planned to do my job until retirement. Never in 1 million years could I have guessed that I would change course. I grew up surfing, I was sponsored and tried that for a bit when CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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Title: Nightmare Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Deep inside a large thundering shorebreak barrel at night. The inside of the wave is lit by a strobe flash. It is interesting to note that this shot is only possible since the wave is covered in foam. Without the white foam covering the inside of the wave, the light from the flash would just go through the clear water and not light up the surface.

Title: Glass Bowl Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA Description: Without any wind to add texture to the water, the ocean turns into glass and the waves sculpture into fluid forms.

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Title: Clark Little with Camera in the Tube Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Photographer Clark Little in his office with a spectacular view.

Title: Clark with equipment Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Photographer Clark Little with his equipment - surf shorts, swim fins and waterproof camera housings.

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Title: Good Morning Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: Shot just as the sun rose above the horizon. Light wind mornings like this turn the water surface into glass. These conditions reflect the sunrise colors and, at the same time, allow the darker colors from the sky and mountains to seep through.

If you are lucky enough to find and follow your passion, then work really hard to achieve the highest level you can get to, there will be rewards in many ways.

I was younger, but to make a living from the ocean is just a wild dream that came true.

You have received national and international attention for your gift of photography. Featured in many galleries, in the White House, you have a your own product line. How does it feel to be rewarded for doing something you already love to do?

I think if you are lucky enough to find and follow your passion, then work really hard to achieve the highest level you can get to, there will be rewards in many ways.

It feels incredible to be able to do something I love so much and to actually make a living from it. I think it feeds on itself and creates its own positive energy.

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Do you remember the first time you photographed the ocean waves and more importantly do you recall realizing that your image or images were special, unique and would make the impact that you have made today?

I had no idea my images would make such an impact.

But I do remember very clearly the first day I went in and how much fun I had. I still have that much fun every time I go in. When I saw the results of these first few times I went out, it really felt special to me and that I could see these waves captured any photograph.

Before, when I was surfing, I remember looking at waves and trying to recall them later. It was difficult since the memories start fading minutes later. A few days later, it is gone. With the photo I was able to see this hours

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Clark Little: The Further You Go The More You Will See INSPIRE days months later and also be able to share this with others. That felt really unique to me.

To those out there still looking for their calling and dreaming the impossible, what would you say to them?

Find your passion. Something that really gets you excited to wake up in the morning. Follow that passion.

And then do it as much as you can. In other words when you find it repeat, repeat, repeat. Don’t short change yourself by not doing it as much as you want.

You have the coolest job ever. You seem to be at the pinnacle of your craft, what’s next for Clark Little?

I can’t even think of what’s next since I’m right in the middle of what I’m doing now. I guess once my body can’t do it any longer, or the passion fades or I get bored or something else more exciting comes up, I will just keep doing this as much as I can. All the things that are coming out for me are extensions of what I am doing now. Expanding my clothing line, Upgrading my gallery

in Hawaii, traveling more and spending more time with my family and of course continuing my search for something unique in the ocean. I try not to get too far ahead of myself especially since my plate is already pretty full.

Prints, books, calendars and more details of Clark can be found on his website at www.ClarkLittle.com. The 160-page, 10”x10” coffee table book features over 100 wave and ocean photographs, including 65 two-page spreads, from beaches near Clark’s home along the famed North Shore of Oahu, as well as pictures taken over the last four years during Clark’s travels to Japan, French Polynesia, California and the neighbor islands of Hawaii including Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.

Anyone, who appreciates and enjoys a one-of-a-kind ocean vista with a close-up clarity and perspective seldom seen even by the most experienced surfer, will delight in this unique collection of photographs.

@clarklittle

Title: Crystal Ball Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Description: A surfer’s perspective looking out of a crystal clear tube. The glassy & lightwind conditions make the wave transparent and glasslike, showing the sand on the ocean floor.

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Four

Stages of Life: The

A Yoga Dads Journey through Business, Parenting and Practice

BY RYAN GLIDDEN

A

Photo by Kevin Sutton

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s a man, a business owner and a father, I don’t fit the stereotypical western profile of a yogi, but I am one, or at least trying to be. Yoga has shaped who I am as a parent, a partner and a businessman. Owning and operating two yoga studios on opposite coasts while being present for my kids and wife has its challenges. Through it all, I have relied on the teachings of yoga to guide me through the ups and downs. Here’s how.

In the yoga discipline, there are four stages to a persons life: brahmacharaya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa.

The first stage (brahmacharaya) is that of a child and a student. In this stage you’re learning the world around you and understanding your place in it. There is particular emphasis on the higher virtues of compassion, understanding, respect, justice and integrity.

The second stage (grihastha) is that of the householder. This is the time of finding a partner and raising a family. Additionally this stage is a time to build wealth through your career path of choice. However it’s important to note that it is never done at the expense of the lessons learned in the first stage.

The third stage (vanaprastha) is the time of retirement.

This is traditionally thought to begin when your children are old enough to get married and begin their own families. It is at this stage that you shift your focus towards your spiritual maturation. Setting aside material goals for the higher pursuits of self-knowledge.

The final stage (sannyasa) is the stage of renunciation.

It is a time to release worldly desires for the full efforts of spiritual awakening.

This is not to say that one should wait until their Golden years to begin their yoga practice, but more to highlight that yoga recognizes that life is full of responsibilities and duties; that these duties vary in focus at different times in your life and most importantly that yoga can help you navigate each one of them with more grace (stihram) and ease (sukham).

STAGE 1

Brahmacharya (the student)

My early years of development have past, but those of my girls have not. My wife and I have always felt that early childhood development was one of the most important stages of a person’s life and so we’ve looked to yoga and other philosophies like it to help guide us as we raise our kids during these early years. Our girls know that Mommy has time to pray and meditate. They started working on their down-dogs with Daddy at the same time they started learning to walk. They know we have a strong faith in God and that we believe in an eternal soul that progresses from one life to the next. It would not be uncommon to walk into our home and hear yoga mantras playing throughout the house on the stereo.

My oldest daughter is now four and goes to school two days a week. When looking for a school that fit with our beliefs we came across Waldorf, started by the philosopher Rudolf Steiner. One of the tenants of conduct in Waldorf is, “Do no harm to others, do no harm to yourself and do no harm to the environment.”

Children are taught to live in harmony with nature and each other before ever asked to read and write. Similarly the Yamas of Patanajali’s Yoga Sutras state that one should do no harm, be honest, not steal or take what isn’t theirs, should restrain from sexual misconduct, and should not long for more than they have. The Waldorf system allows kids to develop together and teaches about the intimate and important relationship we have with the earth, each other and ourselves. We believe that learning these principles now builds the foundation for great success as she progresses through the remaining three stages of her life, so while it may be a larger expense then public school it is worth it to us to have her learning in line with many yoga principles.

Photo by Angela Levy Photography

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As a man, a business owner and a father, I don’t fit the stereotypical western profile of a yogi, but I am one...

STAGE 2

Grihastha (the householder)

I find myself in this stage. I have been married for six years now to the most amazing woman I know, have two beautiful children and am the Co-founder of MOSAIC. My wife, a friend, and I, started MOSAIC in a 400 square foot upstairs apartment in San Diego California. At the same time my wife and I began plans for our family. Within a year we had been fortunate enough to expand and took on an additional 700 square foot space in the same building. It wasn’t long after that my first daughter, Leela, was born. A couple years later with a growing yoga community, we had an opportunity to expand our business again by taking on a new location of roughly 2,100 square feet. During that process my second daughter, Carin, was born. Today we live on the other side of the country in Virginia and will be opening the doors to our second studio location in Charlottesville within a month.

The mission of MOSAIC has taken on different words from time to time but it has always been the goal to provide a space where people could awaken and uplift their soul. We also opened it with the hope that owning our own business would allow us flexibility in our schedules to have one or both of us home with our kids all the time. We are very blessed that this has proven to be true and we have been able to spend much time with our girls through the earliest years of their lives. The conclusion of this stage will see my kids grown and ready to begin their own families. My hope is that at the same time we will have built a business that they can step into running with the fresh spirit of their youth.

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INSPIRE The Four Stages of Life: A Yoga Dads Journey through Business, Parenting and Practice

Instead of viewing the years after retirement as a slow decline of ones life and influence in the world, the yogi sees the third and fourth stages as the most important.

STAGE 3

Vanaprastha (retirement)

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The yogic view of life is a bit different from that of the typical American. Instead of viewing the years after retirement as a slow decline of ones life and influence in the world, the yogi sees the third and fourth stages as the most important. This is the time for ascension of the mind back to the soul. In the sannyasa stage all energy is given to one’s spiritual work. In this stage my role will be to serve as an example to my children and grandchildren on the natural evolution of a life centered on healthy, wise, spiritual principles. In this way I hope they may find inspiration and confidence in their abilities to do the same.

There is no doubt that the past five years have been busy. My discipline has waxed and waned at times but it has always been there in some fashion.

I often times reflect back on the four stages of the yogis life when I feel I am behind in my efforts or questioning a business or parenting decision. I find them to be a comfort in letting me know there’s still time remaining for my spiritual maturation and a challenge to do the work necessary to be a role model for my children, grandchildren and any who wish to make a life in the world that is spiritually focused. I am continuously humbled by the work that lies ahead of me while encouraged by the many blessings the yoga discipline has provided.

Photo by Angela Levy Photography

Photo by Epic photojournalism

With only 32 years of life under my belt I’ve yet to reach this third stage. Because of this I lack certain wisdom of what it will bring. What I hope and plan is that this stage of life will be a time to mindfully transition from a focus of worldly acquisitions to spiritual ones. If I’m lucky my children will have taken enough interest in MOSAIC and the services we have provided to want to lead the business in a more active role. For me, Vanaprastha will be a time to become an advisor to my kids while I focus on the higher limbs in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. These limbs: Pratayahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are a progression from the withdrawal of the senses from the outside world, to a state of concentration, through a state of meditation and finally into a state of enlightenment.

STAGE 4

Sannyasa (renunciation)

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A Conversation With

Yoga Dads INTERVIEW BY BRIAN HYMAN

I

recently had the pleasure of speaking with fathers who teach and practice yoga. We discussed how a dedicated yoga practice can affect all aspects of parenting, fatherhood, and family.

Being a new dad, I was delighted to receive such genuine, insightful, and valuable responses to the

question below. I was also pleased to discover a fellowship of men who have walked the path before me. However, I was most thrilled to realize that these stories are not only relevant to fathers who teach and practice yoga, they are universal in nature and beneficial to all people in all types of relationships.

I’ve asked them - How does yoga make you a better parent and how do you share yoga with your family?

Tory Schaefer

I’m a parental Work In Progress and excited ab out the opportunity to fall and get back up an d begin again. Imagine coming home from an exhausting day of work, longing for some peac e and the loving embrace of family. Instea d you’re bombed with both children crying ou in scream-o-phonic ste t reo. The ability to find your breath and become a little less reactive is a huge weight lifted off of what could become a mind exploding moment!

Life is short, I need to be present for my amazing wife and enjoy every moment of my family. Yo ga helps me to be.

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Scott Feinberg

To me, being a father is my yoga practice. Like most devoted practitioners, what was at first a practice confined to the parameters of a yoga class soon extends into a moment by moment practice of living in wakefulness.

The practice of living in the remembrance of truth has allowed me to deeply cherish my children with the same sense of awe I felt when they were first born.

The recognition of impermanence reminds me of the preciousness of each stage they grow through. And the teachings of non-attachment support me in supporting them in becoming fully themselves rather than striving towards expectations imposed by me. But most of all, I believe our children learn not from what we say but who we are as people. Yoga has given me the gift of peace and a way to engage life consciously, which is something I believe is now woven into the very fabric of their character and I am eternally grateful for that.

Namaste. www.kulayogashala.com

Gabriel Azoulay

am Yoga has been pivotal in keeping me in the moment, and thus when I of aware me keeps Yoga n. around my son I give him my complete attentio am I thus and ts, though my what am I doing with my energy, my body, and able to stay tuned to my child’s needs. Today my son is 6, and we share Yoga has through play. I have not pushed yoga on my son, but my daily practice yet again, kid a was I wish me him going into poses spontaneously. Makes a.com abeyog reminds me that yoga keeps me young. www.g

Daniel Head

Nobody really prepared me for the joys and the challenges of becoming a parent. It is a wild ride of emotions, responsibilities, and will forever be the deepest love I have yet to feel within my life. ‘To be the best parent I can be’ is the daily intention I set each morning, and is something I keep in the forefront of my mind all day. My practice strengthens the healthy qualities that effect the relationship I have with my body and my state of mind. I have deepened my patience and understanding as well as kindness, gentleness, and acceptance. www.redlandsyoga.com

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INSPIRE A Conversation With Yoga Dads

Michael Brian Baker

As a single father, yoga has taught me pause, patience, and supports balanced decision making and responsible, active parenting. It has taught me to hold, relax, and breathe through discomfort and to act from a heart-based foundation, rather than any rigid, patriarchal structure. The emotional intelligence and science that are yoga, have groomed me to be a more fluid, playful, present father with a focus on meeting my three year-old Elijah where he is developmentally and to hold space for him to express himself as he sees fit in each moment without the need or desire to control or have it my way. Yoga is love and my son is at the heart of it! Heck, he’s the one dragging me to kirtan and reminding me to chant the Hanuman Chalisa. Eli is my Guru! www.thebreathcenter.com

Zack Lodmer

Yoga makes me a better parent by helping me develop and use tools to keep calm in the face of adversity. Like when there’s an unexpected poop and you’re in the middle of rush hour traffic. Or when your child (accidentally?) pulls the school’s fire alarm and the entire West L.A. fire team is summoned to investigate. I share yoga with my family in subtle ways (deep breaths to overcome tantrums), but I also offer specific poses. I might say, “Hey, let’s put our legs up the wall and hang out for a few minutes!” when a child is extra wiggly. www.omshalomyoga.com

Neal Pollack

I try to share yoga with my family, but my son is 12 and he wants nothing to do with anything I enjoy, which is in the job description. My wife got me into it initially, but she doesn’t practice anymore. We’re not doing sun salutations and chanting to Ganesha as a family. That said, I think I share it with them by being a generally happier, kinder, and more open-minded person. Yoga makes me a better dad because it allows me to have a more even mental and emotional keel. When I have to do serious dad stuff like discipline or homework help, I’m usually not reactive. That makes all the difference. www.nealpollack.com

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James Morrison

I practiced yoga off and on for 20 years before I finally let it teach me to recognize that being the father my son deserved depended upon my finding a context for my practice.

The ethical principles of yoga: non-violence, truthfulness, non-possessiveness, self-discipline, non-stealing, as well as the Jnana Yoga principles of knowledge and inquiry, provide the perfect foundation for a productive relationship with each other as well as the world. For 16 years we have practiced these principles together and they continue to show us how to teach each other to be the father and son we’re capable of being. www.jpmorrison.com

Guy Gabriel

Yoga is an integral part of my life being a full time Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher. Yoga has taught me patience and how to listen to others’ needs. It permeates all aspects of my life in terms of guiding the choices I make for myself, and my family. Being a better parent means taking the time to teach each family member how to take care of themselves in body, mind, and spirit. www.guygabrielyoga.com

David Romanelli

I remember a few weeks after my son was born my wife and I hadn’t slept. She was up breastfeeding at 3am. I was up too. The baby threw up everywhere. My wife was exhausted and had a bit of a meltdown. And I remember thinking (and then saying), “This is every hard yoga pose we’ve ever experienced...all coming up right now...we know how to handle this.”

We both worked through it one breath at a time. When you are that exhausted in the newborn stage, that’s all you can do...is take one breath and one moment at a time. But it’s not always a matter of working through the challenges. There are so many glorious moments with a newborn and yoga has taught me to slow things down and appreciate the smiles and the baby-talk and earliest glimpses of his personality...knowing that he will only be small enough to fit in one hand for a sliver of time and I better stop and enjoy every amazing second of it. Yoga helps me put all that into perspective and squeeze every ounce of joy into this very fleeting stage of life. www.yeahdave.com

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INSPIRE A Conversation With Yoga Dads

Ryan Bailey

Yoga makes me a better parent in so many ways.

Honestly I have found I catch myself more often than not noticing my reactions to the many things I am challenged by in being a father. It keeps me calm in the challenging moments. It also opens me up, to not be so serious and rigid; to be free and open and flow on the level of the little ones. It also offers the ability to physically do pretty much anything with them that they want to do – the asana is great for this! My kids are four-and-a-half and two-anda-half, so the way we get to share yoga with them may be different than just being on the mat. We own a studio, so they love that. When no one is around they get to run and play in the studio. So directly they are in a loving place. They are so much more teaching us the yoga that lives within them, to them it is undefined yet. We love to sing and drum with them, they come to kirtan nights and they love it. We share stories and poses as needed for now, and this will all grow and shift I am sure. www.yogareclaimed.com

Vytas Baskauskas

My yoga practice helps me build strength and flexibility, but what it brings foremost to my life is mindfulness. Being a parent takes presence. If I’m interacting with my child based on my old habits and patterns, then he and I will never have a true connection. When I am conscious in my parenting though, meaning that I don’t use my emotional wounds from the past, or my projections of what I wanted as a child, then I get to experience the truth of what this relationship has to offer. My yoga practice helps me get rid of my own crap so that I don’t put it on my son! www.VytasYoga.com Photo by Nate Funk

Bryan Kest

Yoga helps me be a better parent, because it makes me less reactive and more accepting. I share yoga with my family by practicing yoga in front of my family. That’s all-they see it, and eventually, they will do it. www.poweryoga.com

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Govind Das

Yoga has made me a much better father. The little ones come into this world so pure. Yet I realize that so much of who my 4 year-old son is gets passed on from me, his father. My intention is to love him and guide him from the most pure place of loving awareness, joy, and wisdom within my heart. My prayer is that he doesn’t have to spend his adult life “undo-ing” everything that I have thrown upon him and that he feels free to live HIS truth, his dharma, as he grows older. My favorite way to share yoga with him is at bedtime. When I am putting him to sleep I ask him if he wants me to sing him lullabies, or kirtan (the great bhakti yoga practice of mantra chanting). Commonly he responds back with kirtan!!! This makes me so happy!!! So I sing him “Hare Krishna,” “Sri Ram,” and many other sweet, kirtan melodies and watch him drift away into the most beautiful sublime peaceful state. www.bhaktiyogashala.com

John Salisbury

Yoga has taught me to loosen my grip on external things. Yoga has taught me a me that my child belongs to the Universe, as we all do… Yoga makes cies tenden own better parent because I am able to watch and observe my handle the off fly I and temperaments, and in doing so catch myself before e. It and react over things that are better served with kindness and patienc growth is there but doesn’t always work out like that because I am human, More and, like the physical side of yoga practice, that is all we can ask for. lead to trying just than anything, I think I can share yoga with my family by energy my keep to by example – staying present, focusing my mind, striving up, and making good choices. www.yogijohn.com Photo by Gabi Rudin

Brian Hyman

I have discovered that the space between the inhale and exhale during a yoga practice is the same space to be found before thought, speech, and action at home with family; it is the same space that allows me to pause when necessary when I become impatient, agitated, or doubtful; it is the same, beautiful little space between a bedtime story and goodnight kiss.

I share yoga with my family by bringing them to classes that I teach and by practicing at home. I try my best to live out my practice at home; to allow it to flow through me, especially the yamas (moral codes) and niyamas (self-disciplines). I also share stories about Ganesh, Hanuman, and other mythical figures, and my family listens to and sings along to kirtan recordings in the car when we take long road trips. www.brianhymanyoga.com

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Daddy and Baby Yoga

BY BRIAN HYMAN PHOTOS BY AMY GOALEN

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A

s a teacher and student of yoga, I have learned that a yoga practice must evolve as life reveals its impermanent nature; a practice must remain fluid to reflect the bends, twists, and turns of life; and a practice – and practitioner – must embrace change with compassion, empathy, and equanimity if a practice is to endure.

Before becoming a father, my yoga practice was a solitary journey to the innermost Self, nourished by silence, stillness, and surrender. Now, with a baby girl

at home, my practice has become a joyful, family road trip with silly talk, smiles, tickles, and giggles.

The following sequence is a combination of poses that I practice with my six-month-old daughter, Lilia. For a video demonstration of these poses and more, please view “DADDY AND BABY YOGA WITH BRIAN HYMAN” at www.yoga30.com. (Note: Yoga30 offers visitors a FREE 7-day trial membership.) I hope this sequence brings you and your baby as much joy and peace as it brings to me and my family. Namaste.

ONE

Begin in SUKHASANA, or easy posture (sitting cross-legged).

Place baby in front of you. Place your hand on baby’s heart. Place your other hand on your heart. Set your intention. Imagine exploring the practice and the parent-child relationship. Take a deep inhale.

On the exhale, let out the sound of OM, or any sound baby enjoys.

TWO

Come to all fours (hands and knees) for CAT/COW. Place baby between your hands or below your chest. Connect with your breath.

On the inhale, reach your heart forward and look up (cow). On the exhale, round the back and look down at baby (cat). Repeat five to seven times.

THREE

Tuck your toes, shift your hips up and back for DOWNWARD FACING DOG. Place your palms on both sides of baby. If you can kiss baby from this position, give it a try; if not, talk, smile, and interact lovingly with baby while hovering above. Hold for five breaths.

FOUR

Shift forward to PLANK. Keep shoulders over wrists. Hold for five breaths. Smile and maintain eye contact with baby.

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EDUCATE Daddy and Baby Yoga

FIVE

Shift weight into the right hand and roll to the outer edge of the right foot for VASISTHASANA (side plank). Keep eye contact with baby. Hold for five breaths, return to plank. Do the same pose on the left side. Hold for five breaths, return to plank.

SIX

Lower your knees for CHILD’S POSE. Sink your hips toward your heels. Bring your big toes together. Stretch your arms toward the top of the mat, on both sides of baby. Set your forehead on the mat, or rest your head lightly on baby’s legs or belly.

Bring yourself to sit comfortably. Place baby to the side. Stretch your legs in front of you. Place baby on your lap, elevate your legs, and float your feet off the mat. Lean back to balance on the sitting bones, coming into NAVASANA (boat pose). Keep your hands with baby’s hands for safety. Hold for five breaths.

EIGHT

Finish the sequence in SAVASANA (final resting pose). Come onto your back. Place and hold baby on your chest. Stay for five to seven minutes. Then come to sit. Place baby in your lap. Place your hands at your heart. Give thanks for the practice. End with the sound of OM, or any sound baby enjoys.

Brian Hyman writes about yoga, recovery, and spirituality for Mantra

Yoga + Health, Manduka, and Yoga Digest. He will be featured in the forthcoming book Inside the Warrior by Amy Goalen. He has been interviewed by Life by Me, Sivana, Alignyo, and Recovery 2.0. Brian and his fiancée, Sandra Salemi, recently wrote a children’s book, The Adventures of Updog and Lotus: Stealing Hurts Feelings. Brian’s classes (Vinyasa Flow, Restorative Yoga, Daddy and Baby Yoga, 12-Step Yoga, Yoga for Lower Back Pain, and more) can be viewed at www.yoga30.com. More info: www.brianhymanyoga.com

NAVASAN (Boat Pose)

VASISTHASANA (Side Plank Po

se)

SEVEN

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Thai

Benefits of

Yoga Massage

Photo by Maksim Shmeljov/Shutterstock

BY SHERYL BRAUN

Anyone who’s ever gotten a massage — even a quickie at a mall kiosk — knows that it helps you unwind. That’s not just a mental sensation. Getting a massage causes muscles to unclench, a racing heart rate to slow, heightened blood pressure to fall, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol to drop. In that relaxed state, Thai yoga massage enables your body to regroup and recharge.

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T

hai yoga massage is a combination of acupressure, asanas, stretching, palming, thumbing and gentle twisting. Practitioners incorporate their palms, thumbs, forearms, knees and feet during sessions for muscle compression, joint mobilization, and acupressure. People often describe Thai yoga massage as both relaxing and energizing. Thai yoga massage usually begins with work on the feet as they are the lowest part of the body (gravity wise) and ends with the face and head. By working the feet first, a person’s energy can be moved upward thus helping the circulation of energy.

Thai yoga massage is an Eastern form of therapy that has a deeply holistic approach and believes that in the human body, energies flow along a network of channels or lines similar to nadis in India or ‘meridians’ in China.

1 3 5 7 9

2 4 6 8 10

Reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol Lowers blood pressure

Decrease pain and improve body function Improves sleep, specifically deep sleep Boosts immunity by increasing white blood cells and reducing stress Revitalizes skin through increased blood flow Elevates level of alertness

Lessens digestive disorders

Increases seratonin, enhancing mood Touch makes you happier

Touch is a necessary part of our lives and is a key element in both our physical and mental health. In today’s fast paced life, we often tend to lose touch with our mind and body. Thai yoga massage can be one way to connect with others and improve health through touch. Anyone can learn the basics and begin reaping the benefits today!

Sheryl is 500RYT certified and “dabbled” in yoga for many years before falling in love with power vinyasa, becoming a

yoga junkie overnight. She has been practicing yoga for 17 years, and teaching for the last eight. Sheryl has always loved working with people, has a mischievous sense of humor and feels incredibly blessed to be a yoga teacher. Off the mat she enjoys spending time with her beautiful family and friends, taking pictures & doing anything outdoors.

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Ten Yoga Myths...

BUSTED

BY VICTOR M. PARACHIN

As more and more research is published indicating that yoga delivers a wide range of health benefits – lower blood pressure, reduces stress, increases energy, improves flexibility, eases pain, heals injuries, relieves insomnia, etc – more and more people are turning to yoga. However, there are many who would like to do yoga but hesitate because of yoga stereotypes. Here are ten of the most common yoga myths . . . busted.

Myth #1

You have to be flexible to do yoga.

Reality: Actually, yoga is most beneficial to those who are not flexible. Consider the experience of David Borenstein, a medical doctor and professor of medicine at George Washington University: “As a doctor, I’ve recommended yoga to patients many times, but I had resisted doing it myself. I thought a stiff old guy like me wouldn’t have enough flexibility. In 2014, my wife finally shamed me into trying it - and I was surprised to find that I liked it. I’ll never be as flexible as some people in my yoga class, but I’m a lot more flexible than I was, which has helped me avoid injuries. Before I started doing yoga, I thought I would have to give up playing squash soon because of the risk for joint and muscle injuries. Now I can play without getting hurt.

Myth #2

Men don’t do yoga.

Reality: Yoga is indeed dominated by women. However, more and more men are doing yoga and every year the number of men in yoga classes appears to be growing.

Many professional athletes in football, baseball, hockey, and basketball regularly include yoga as an integral part of their training.

One of them is tennis pro Justin Gimelstob. While in his early twenties, a promising tennis career was in jeopardy. “I had back problems, two herniated disks.

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Everything was locked up and the pain was so bad I could barely move around on the court. I had nine cortisone shots, and I was taking tremendous amounts of Vicodin.” His doctors recommended surgery indicating that the results were not guaranteed, that the surgery could limit his range of motion and that recovery would take time. As he weighed the decision about surgery a friend suggested that he try yoga. He did and the results were astonishing: “It just took a couple of weeks for me to see a difference. I haven’t taken a pill since. I haven’t had back pain since. It’s been unbelievable.”

I work out at a gym so I don’t need yoga.

Reality: Every physical exercise delivers benefits.

However, yoga differs from traditional gym exercises which usually focus primarily on aerobics and muscle development. Yoga is more holistic in that it benefits not only the body but also mind and spirit. In her book, Yoga For Americans, Indra Devi explains the difference between yoga and gym exercises this way: “Yoga poses are an art applied to the anatomy of the living body, whereas gymnastics are a form of engineering applied to the muscles of the body. In yoga, relaxation is taught as an art, breathing as a science and mental control of the body as a means of harmonizing the body, mind and spirit.”

Myth #4

Yoga is slow and boring.

Reality: There are an amazing variety of yoga classes and teaching styles. When starting in yoga it’s important to find a class that meets your needs and goals. This will mean trying more than one or two classes and choosing from the many yoga opportunities available – hot yoga, power yoga, deep stretch, alignment based, partner yoga, gentle yoga, chair yoga, restorative yoga, and more.

What’s important is finding a teacher and a style that’s right for you. After taking a class, make an assessment of how you felt afterwards: Did you feel a link to the teacher and his/her style? Was the pace of the class comfortable but still challenging? Was there a welcoming and affirming energy in the class? Once you find a teacher and a class that meets your needs, stay with it.

Myth #5

Yoga is religious.

Reality: “Yoga is not a religion,” notes Timothy McCall, MD., and author of Yoga As Medicine.

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Woman stretching photo by MJTH/Shutterstock, Women in child’s pose photo by wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock,

Myth #3

EDUCATE Ten Yoga Myths . . . BUSTED He says that yoga is “happily practiced by Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, atheists, and agnostics alike.”

While yoga does have a spiritual component, the basic philosophy of yoga is to use what is helpful and pass on what isn’t resonating with you. Dr. McCall advises: “If meditation seems too foreign to you, don’t do it. If chanting OM strikes you as weird, chant something else, a prayer to Jesus or Allah or for world peace, or don’t chant at all. In the thousands of classes I’ve attended, I’ve never once seen a teacher object to a student skipping it.”

Myth #6

You can’t get a good workout doing yoga.

Reality: Yoga provides the same heart health benefits as do other exercises including biking and brisk walking. In fact, a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, stated that “that the popular mind-body practice of yoga is beneficial in managing and improving the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.”

The study which included 2,768 subjects reported that yoga could provide the same benefits in risk factor for the heart as “traditional physical activities such as biking or brisk walking.” Furthermore, yoga is not only good for the heart but it tones the entire body and is one of the safest exercises because it is non impact. Every yoga class is a total body workout.

Myth #7

Yoga is just another form of exercise.

Reality: Yoga isn’t merely another form of exercise.

While yoga delivers the similar physical benefits of regular exercise it seeks to go deeper impacting not only the body but also the mind and spirit. A foundational principle in yoga is that we carry within us three ‘healers’ – an inner physician to heal the body; an inner psychiatrist to heal the mind; and an inner priest to heal the spirit. Through poses, meditation, and breathing, yoga can help and heal body, mind and spirit.

Myth #8

Yoga is expensive.

Reality: Most yoga studios offer packages which reduce the cost considerably. Also, many studios offer free classes in exchange for work around the studio, usually staffing the front desk or answering the telephone for a few hours per week. Another option lies in joining a gym where the monthly membership

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fee covers all classes offered including yoga. Yet another opportunity is to search out free or low cost yoga classes online.

Myth #9

Yoga is for young, thin people.

Reality: This may be the most common misperception about yoga. Of course, thin people and fit people do yoga but yoga is not only for those in prime shape or in good health. Dr. McCall says that while he was in India researching yoga benefits he visited centers “that treated people with all kinds of physical mental and emotional problems: old people, stiff people people with years of chronic disease, people in pain, people who were too depressed to get out of bed. Those who are bound to bed or wheelchairs can do yoga modified for their needs and abilities. There are people in their eighties, nineties and beyond doing yoga. ” Yoga is for every body, regardless of one’s condition.

I can’t do yoga because of illness, injury or chronic pain.

Reality: An increasing number of scientific and medical studies demonstrate that yoga helps heal injuries, reduces or eliminates pain, eases symptoms of disease and releases stress. While the benefits of yoga can be gained in almost any yoga class, anyone with an injury or illness will benefit more by working one on one in a private session with a yoga teacher. Individual sessions versus a group class is safer and more beneficial because the poses are designed specifically for you and your needs.

Now that you’ve read the myths and realities, the next step is to act on this wisdom from master yogi B.K.S. Iyengar: “Words fail to convey the total value of yoga. It has to be experienced.”

Victor M. Parachin, director of the Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center, is a certified yoga and author of a dozen books including Sit A Bit: 365 Great Reasons To Do Yoga. Along with writing and teaching yoga, he leads Buddhist meditation retreats.

Victor M. Parachin, director of the Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center, is a certified yoga and author of a dozen books including Sit A Bit: 365 Great Reasons To Do Yoga. Along with writing and teaching yoga, he leads Buddhist meditation retreats. www.dharmaroundup.blogspot.com www.tulsayogameditationcenter.com

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Photo by Sokolova23/Shutterstock

Myth #10

Sup Yoga

Photos by GaudiLab/Shutterstock

reasons to do

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Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, and I’m not judging, then you have heard at least a little bit about the latest outdoor enthusiast trend called Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP). Since the arrival of SUP to the United States circa 2005, its popularity has exploded in the last decade! It didn’t take long for yogis to discover this was a great new place to take their practice. Now you can find SUP yoga classes in almost every city and every vacation spot! If you have been living under that rock, it’s time to get out and get on board the SUP Yoga craze.

Here are three great reasons to give SUP Yoga a try.

Your yoga practice will improve

SUP Yoga takes your practice to a whole new level.

Obviously, you might be saying. But hear me out.

How many times has your yoga teacher asked you to ‘engage your mula bhanda,’ ‘draw your navel up and in,’ ‘wrap your muscles around your bones,’ ‘breathe like it’s your job,’ and other unknown requests that leave you feeling tense and confused about what you’re supposed to be doing and feeling? When you step on your paddle board your body automatically does all of the above! Getting on a paddle board completely changes the way you carry your weight. You are literally gripping the board with your entire body. This is the same kind of energy, solidarity and grounding you would want to feel on your yoga mat. But let’s face it, standing on the ground is not that hard. Well at least not until you start standing on one leg or standing on your hands. The point is, regardless of what you’re doing on the board, you have to pay a little more attention, be a little more present in your body and trust your ability to stay upright. Even going through a warmup of sun salutations, the first and often most basic yoga flow sequence we learn, can become a very rich, intense and powerful experience on the open water.

This will build your confidence on your yoga mat to extend more, go deeper into your postures, try new things and breathe . . . like it’s your job.

good we linger a little longer. It’s the same thing when working on the water. You notice an imbalance right away and adjust. When everything is flowing, you keep going! The best part is that falling in the water is much more fun than falling on land which eliminates a lot of fear. Provided water conditions are mild and free of high boating traffic, you can swim freely. If you have a good guide, preferably a certified yoga instructor, it’s a very safe activity. I took my three boys for the first time when they were 13, 10 and 8 years old.

All three were pros by the end of our session and there were no tears! My stepmom even did it. Remember, it was Woody Allen who said, ‘Ninety percent of success is just showing up.’ Attitude is everything and you never know until you try.

You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. SUP Yoga is good for you Plato said ‘you can learn more about a person in an hour of play - Plato than a year of conversation.’ Laughter

SUP yoga is not as hard as it looks

The boards average anywhere from 9-12 feet long and more than 2 feet wide. It’s not like it’s a 4 inch wide balance beam. You have ample room to move and explore. Plus, the body is incredibly responsive.

When something is hot, or coming at us, we move.

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is the best medicine. There are many health benefits to simply being outdoors, as well. According to a study from the University of Michigan, exploring nature, getting away from technology and just being outside has been linked to improved feelings of positivity and to significantly reducing feelings of stress.

Put play and laughter together outside and you are a walking talking poster child for happiness and vitality.

We all know a healthy dose of vitamin D has numerous benefits from aiding depression to preventing osteoporosis. In addition to stronger immunity and better health, getting out for some serious SUP yoga playtime will make you feel youthful, strong and super hip because all the cool kids are doing it!

So there you have some inspiration, encouragement and motivation to try SUP yoga. It’s great to do with friends, family, team building or a fun date! Most of all, you leave feeling both energized and peaceful.

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BY NATALIE CUMMINGS

H

iking Yoga is a unique practice that combines the cardio of a hike with the benefits of yoga practiced in nature. There are many locations from San Francisco to Dallas to New York and across the globe in Alaska and Mexico.

Embark on a journey to discover the best views from your favorite city, and find pockets of nature uncovered by the most novice of urbanites. On the approximate three mile hike, there will be four yoga stops along the way focusing on opening, extending and balancing all aspects of familiar yoga postures. A seated savasana in closing is like no other, with the sounds of nature and

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the wind gently guiding your meditative breath. Hiking yoga is accessible to every “body� especially those who are new to yoga or to hiking. The teachers encourage participants to not push past their boundaries, but if they are drawn to place your hands in the grass and revel in their favorite inversion, there is always room for individual expression.

Many articles have covered the benefit of our beloved yoga practice, but here we look into the fusion of hiking and yoga to uncover the health benefits that transcend the already bountiful healing elements of studio yoga: WWW.YOGADIG E ST.C O M

1

Increases Vitamin D

Our connection to nature is literally felt once the rays of the sun kiss with the skin. Like rooted trees longing for spring, our posture improves as we start to feel the heightened sense of wellbeing through the absorption of Vitamin D. The science on the cellular level suggests that Vitamin D supplies a protective effect against multiple diseases and conditions such as cancer, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

As we absorb these healing benefits, it is no wonder why our stress dissipates and our bodies naturally relax.

Unites Family and Friends

When we were kids socializing was called “play” and it was something fun we enjoyed with friends, often times in nature. This “play” is still within us as adults, but often neglected in our current society.

Hiking Yoga reunites us with our playfulness and keeps us motivated through community accountability. One of the joys of the experience is the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals. Many relationships have been built through the foundation of a Hiking Yoga. Practicing yoga with another person can not only help motivate you, it can make your experience more interesting. As you venture into the hiking portion of the practice, you have the chance to catch up with friends, laughter is common and conversations come with ease. One of the most praised yoga stops is one that incorporates partner yoga.

This adds another layer of fun and “play” into the social aspect of the practice. Unlike running, hiking allows for a continual talking state, so delving into the chatty side is not only welcome, it is encouraged.

3

Improves Cardio Respiratory Fitness

Hiking improves cardio-respiratory fitness, strengthening the heart, lungs and blood vessels. A hike improves your concentration and mood, reducing tension and releasing endorphins, your brain’s “bliss” hormones. An added benefit to a cardiovascular practice of hiking is the weight baring element. This helps reverse the negative effects of osteoporosis by increasing bone density and slowing the rate of calcium loss, thus strengthening the joints and bones. The cardio aspect of hiking also enhances your heart health by decreasing blood pressure and strengthening your heart. These effects lead to a reduced risk of heart issues in the future. Cardiovascular health is essential with such a high level of cortisol or “stress” hormones pumping through our systems. The immediate release WW W.YOGAD I GEST. CO M

of tightness in the muscles and the audible sighs of relief start to balance out the common mind, body disconnect.

4

Metabolic Conditioning

By hiking on inclines and then taking it slow down steeper hills, the body is naturally finding an increase in the metabolism. Hiking Yoga takes the metabolic rate to the next level by stopping four times throughout the practice. Each one of the stops is thoughtfully geared toward improving the capacity of certain energy systems and is likened to interval training—sessions of intensified movement followed by important restful intervals. The added practice of yoga during the hike allows for the breath to stretch and for yoga flows with longer holds that again are a form of interval training. Hiking Yoga is the healthy gift that keeps on giving! By incorporating intervals, the benefits of the practice are happening physiologically, mentally and emotionally for hours after the yoga hike has come to its calming meditative end.

Try Hiking Yoga for yourself and you too will see that it is the all in one practice that will leave you in a cleansed and totally relaxed state of mind/body bliss! Enjoy the benefits of the sun, your friends, a metabolism boost and cardiovascular health by signing up for Hiking Yoga today at www.hikingyoga.com!

Natalie Cummings is a certified yoga teacher, business

owner and social media marketing expert. Blending the busy life as a mother & entrepreneur, Natalie founded Cardio Yoga Fusion that features Hiking Yoga, fusing all busy individuals wellness needs into one experience! Yoga entrepreneurs around the globe enlist her social media teachings and her charitable web designs to to organically boost their reach. She coaches individuals and nonprofits encouraging positivity and inspiring through her Yoga Business Connection offerings.

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Background photo by M. Pellinni/Shutterstock

2

1. Try Exercise

Proven

Ways

Happier to be

BY CHRIS FREYTAG

If you want a successful life … achieving goals and having fulfilling relationships (however you define success) there’s one ingredient that can give you super powers to get there faster—your happiness. Yep, recent research shows happiness comes before success. Happier people are more likely to see possibilities, try new things, believe in themselves, and develop new skills.

(Think of your happiness as your personal rocket fuel.) If you want to experience more joy and less stress, science shows there are nine proven ways to be happier.

Work on doing all nine and your bright smile may never leave your face...

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exercise-happiness Happy people have discovered the exercisers. This isn’t link. Lots of happy people are regular Research published a coincidence. Exercise boosts mood. on indicates that exin the American Psychological Associati be more mentally ercise can help ward off depression and one cortisol, gives resilient. Exercise curbs the stress horm and a great sense you happy endorphins, mental clarity, Once you find an of personal pride and accomplishment. k about skipping. exercise you love, you don’t even thin

2. Try Meditation

eam than mystic.

Today meditation is more mainstr up self-compasMeditation quiets the mind and stirs o Clinic, reduces sion. Meditation, according to the May s aging, increases stress, improves concentration, slow helps you relax. self-awareness, boosts immunity and cing anxiety too.

Many people credit meditation for redu

3. Be Present

e you really thought Be present sounds so simple, but hav present moment? about whether or not you are in the you or is your head Are you enjoying all that’s around n we focus on the down and lost in your iPhone? Whe y all the amazing here and now, time slows. We can enjo g present means things that are happening in our life. Bein t or feeling anxious we aren’t worrying about the pas and fully enjoy the about the future. Be where you are smile from one of moment—whether that’s a meal, a intense workout. your kids, a great conversation or an

ings 4. Savor Even the Littlseof Th your favorite

Say you are indulging a little in a glas ly to fully enjoy the red wine. Maybe you drink it slow That’s what savoring taste and smell and to make it last. r happy moments. is … and you can do it with all of you all of your experiSavoring is getting the most out of miss it and go on ences by not being so busy that you inate in all of your to the next thing. Celebrate and mar ils, use your senses, joy—little and big. Notice the deta e about a favorite look through photo albums, reminisc . memory, and dwell on the good stuff

de 5. Practice Gratitu piness. We all have

Gratitude is really the secret to hap have the choice to different life experiences, but we all about gratitude all the notice our blessings. I know you hear tice? Jot down one time, but do you have a gratitude prac e a long list before thing a day you are grateful for, or mak to practice gratitude you go to bed at night. A fun way the day around the is to share your happiest moment of d in a positive place dinner table. Gratitude puts your min g right in your life. by pausing to appreciate all that is goin

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6. Establish Habits

Habits are a tool to set you up for success. “What we do every day matters more than wha t we do once in a while,” writes happiness expert and author Gretchen Rubin. If you want to have an idea l day, set yourself up for success with the right habits. Wha t does an ideal day look like for you? Unplug time? Read?

Exercise? Organize?

If you want it to happen, make it auto matic with a habit.

7. Find Your Flow

When do you feel completely in a groove? You found the magical mix of challenge and skill and you lose track of time? You are in a zone. While that feeling may not happen as often as you’d like, it’s an example of flow, a coin termed by Mihaly Csikszentm ihalyi, a professor of psychology. Positive psychology experts believe experiencing flow is tied closely to personal happiness.

Flow activities make us happier bec ause we use our strengths but we also feel challenged . Notice next time you are doing something without distraction and you lose all sense of time. You have foun d your flow.

9. Give back to Others

The quickest way out of a bad day or a bad mood is to do something nice for someone else. And it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Call som eone you haven’t talked to in a while. Write a sweet note to your spouse. Send someone an encouraging book along to a friend email. Meet up for a cup of coffee. Give someone a sincere compliment.

Giving takes you out of your head and puts the focus on someone else—sometimes just whe n you need it. What you give ends up giving back to you in the end.

Your happiness may take a little plan ning, but your investment will pay off. A happier you mea ns a more positive, energetic, motivated, productive and healthier you.

8. Spend Time Socializin

Group photo by Syda Productions/Shutterstock, Beach photo by MoonBloom/Shutterstock

g People who feel connected to othe rs tend to be happier and live longer, according to Dan Bue ttner, author of The Blue Zones. Make sure you aren’t so busy that you are always pushing off social interactions to another time.

Even if you have to schedule it, get plenty of time with family and friends. Meet up for coff ee. Take a walk with a friend. Plan a girls’ night out. Connec ting with others is the opposite of social isolation and it boosts our outlook and enhances our well-being.

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Heal Negative Energy

Affirmations with Positive

Affirmations enable you to learn how to be confident, and love and approve of yourself with statements that redirect your current situation to respresent what you wish to become.

BY FARNOOSH BROCK

I

f you want to be happy and successful in your own life - a positive, fierce, proud and happy person without shame - positive affirmations are a great way to achieve what you envision in your life. In the article, Farnoosh Brock shares powerful affirmations that, when used daily, can shift the internal dialogue and the way you feel and act in your world. And

when you feel good, you are a force of positive power; little can get in your way of realizing your dreams and desires then. May you find and harness this energy by using these affirmations and experience your best life through them. Use them daily and you’ll see results in your moods and happiness levels in very little time!

When you want to do more with your life but feel stuck: The answer is right before me, even if I am not seeing it yet.

I believe in my ability to unlock the way and set myself free.

When you can’t stop comparing yourself to others:

I have no right to compare myself to anyone for I do not know their whole story.

I compare myself only to my highest self.

I am happy in my own skin and in my own circumstances.

When you feel insignificant:

I have as much brightness to offer the world as the next person.

I matter and what I have to offer this world also matters.

When you feel you are not good enough no matter how hard you try: I am more than good enough and I get better every day.

I see the perfection in all my flaws and all my genius.

I fully approve of who I am, even as I get better.

When you feel conflicted about a decision:

I know my wisdom guides me to the right decision.

I trust myself to make the best decision for me.

I show my family how much I love them in all the verbal and non-verbal ways I can.

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When you are among friends:

I choose friends who approve of me and love me.

I surround myself with people who treat me well.

I take the time to show my friends that I care about them.

My friends do not judge me, nor do they influence what I do with my life.

When you recognize how powerful, gifted, talented and brilliant you really are: The past has no power over me anymore.

I embrace the rhythm and the flowing of my own heart.

All that I need comes to me at the right time and place in this life.

I am deeply fulfilled with who I am.

When you feel hopeless and at the end of your rope: I may not understand the good in this situation but it is there.

I choose to find hopeful and optimistic ways to look at this.

I refuse to give up because I haven’t tried all possible ways.

When you are nervous or afraid:

Photo by KieferPix/Shutterstock

I trust my inner wisdom and intuition.

This situation works out for my highest good.

Wonderful things unfold before me.

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EDUCATE Heal Negative Energy with Positive Affirmations When you come face to face with a problem:

There is a great reason which I do no know that this is unfolding before me now.

I have the smarts and the ability to get through this.

All my problems have a solution.

When you want to give up:

Giving up is easy and always an option so let’s delay it for another day.

I press on because I believe in my path.

It is always too early to give up on my goals.

I must know what awaits me at the end of this rope so I do not give up.

When you worry about your future:

I let go of worries that drain my energy.

I make smart, calculated plans for my future.

I am in complete charge of planning for my future.

I trust in my own ability to provide well for my family.

When you can’t get your loved ones to support your dreams: I follow my dreams no matter what.

I show compassion in helping my loved ones understand my dreams.

I answer questions about my dreams without getting defensive.

My loved ones love me even without fully grappling with my dreams.

I accept everyone as they are and continue on with pursuing my dream.

When you are angry:

I forgive myself for all the mistakes I have made.

I let go of my anger so I can see clearly.

I replace my anger with understanding and compassion.

When you don’t want to face the day This day brings me nothing but joy.

Today will be a gorgeous day to remember.

I choose to fully participate in my day.

When you feel lonely and sad

I feel the love of those who are not physically around me.

I love and approve of myself.

Photo by ESOlex/Shutterstock

When you are around strangers:

I am beautiful and smart and that’s how everyone sees me.

I take comfort in the fact that I can always leave this situation.

I never know what amazing incredible person I will meet next.

The company of strangers teaches me more about my own likes and dislikes.

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When you can’t sleep

I let go of all the false stories I make up in my head.

I embrace the peace and quiet of the night.

When you feel terrified (without your safety being in danger): Following my intuition and my heart keeps me safe and sound.

I make the right choices every time.

I draw from my inner strength and light.

I trust myself.

When you are at work:

I engage in work that impacts this world positively.

I believe in my ability to change the world with the work that I do.

Farnoosh Brock is a published author, speaker and coach. After a long corporate career, she started Prolific Living which she now runs with her fabulous hubby, Andy. She is an avid Ashtanga yoga practitioner, travel junkie, green juice addict and book worm. Learn more about her affirmations at prolificliving.com/affirmations.

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Self

Exploration Self Discovery The 21st Century Age of Enlightenment

BY CARY CASTER

M

an has contemplated his place on this miraculous planet since the beginning of time.

We seek deeper meaning to our daily existence through various religious practices and philosophical expressions.

When Rene’ Descartes, the French philosopher, mathematician and writer of the 16th century, coined the phrase “I think, therefore I am”, he was amongst a group of philosophers of that time that initiated the reasoning and concepts behind The Age of Enlightenment. These new ideas of self-discovery and exploration challenged organized institutions of that era.

Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher of the 18th Century, helped us realize that what we experience is subject to everyone’s own unique sensory lenses, which has been affected by one’s own personal experience of reason and how the mind interprets these experiences.

While these concepts seem obvious to us today, these philosophers were ridiculed and criticized for their innate wisdom. Today, especially in the United States, we are a melting pot of cultures and belief systems from all corners of the globe. It is no wonder that we find ourselves confused and bombarded with numerous philosophies and conflicting ideologies. Technological advances map the body and mind, but they

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still cannot explain the soul that drives us inward to that piece of ourselves that is connected to all things by our mere existence.

The one constant that goes beyond culture and time is Mother Nature.

It is coevolution with plants and animals that is the source of our sustenance and support. We are interdependent from our core. When we review spiritual practices throughout time, there is always reference to using plants as spiritual tools to open our minds and hearts. It’s not surprising that our limbic system, the seat of our emotional state, is tied directly to the olfactory sense. When we smell flowers like rose, jasmine and neroli, they lift our spirits! When we walk through forests of pine, spruce and fir, the earthly smells ground us to our truest roots. The ability to enhance our life’s experiences through our sense of smell has reached new heights with the creation of easily accessible essential oils from all over the globe. This merging of historical references and modern science has heightened the discovery that inhaling certain essential oils can affect parts of our brain, which in turn affect our emotional state. This enhancement allows us to take control of how we want to feel, bringing us deeper into ourselves for an enlightened disposition and perspective.

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BALANCING THE EMOTIONS GROUNDING THE BODY Vetiver and Spikenard essential oils help with feeling rooted and secure.

BUILDING INNER STRENGTH

Cedarwood, Spruce and Laurel essential oils contribute to inner strength by instilling confidence and boosting inner support.

Helichrysum, Palmarosa and Lavender essential oils have wonderful balancing qualities due to their ability to settle the nerves and bring harmony to many systems of the body.

OPENING THE MIND

Sandalwood, Frankincense and Myrrh essential oils affect our mental state by quieting our analytical minds to contemplate universal truths.

In the end, it’s about striving to be our best self! This new Age of Enlightenment reveals that our individual choices can impact the entire planet. The notion that everything in our world is connected has never been more obvious than it is today. This awareness of creating meaningful choices in our life and how they can impact our collective world is self-discovery of a huge magnitude. Our positive thoughts and actions can make a difference; this is a huge statement.

By using essential oils, we can reach even deeper into our souls to find our own unique purpose in this amazing scheme of reality. It all begins with each and every one of us!

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OPENING THE HEART

Rose and Jasmine essential oils are floral scents that open our hearts to self-love.

LIFTING THE SPIRIT

Sweet Orange, Bergamot and Neroli essential oils have uplifting and refreshing qualities that help to lift the spirit.

Cary Caster, B.S., LMT, CCA is a Botanist, Licensed

Massage Therapist and Certified Clinical Aromatherapist who is on a mission to help people be their best self every day. She believes that people can take their health into their own hands.

Cary is not only the founder and expert behind 21 Drops, an essential oil therapy company, but she is also a devoted healer who sits on the board of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists and has been featured as an essential oil expert in the Huffington Post, Vanity Fair and Martha Stewart Living, among others. Cary offers continuing education classes in Aromatherapy at the University of Miami’s iCAMP program, and throughout the country. To learn more about Cary and how to work with her, please visit www.21drops.com

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BY RANDI SCHIFFMAN

Ayurveda is known as the sister science of Yoga. The main difference between this style of medicine versus western medicine is that Ayurveda is a prescription of lifestyle change opposed to pharmaceuticals and surgery we see so often in the West. The practice of Ayurveda helps you get to the root of a problem rather then fixing the surface layer of it. Ayurveda is an understanding that all of the elements outside of us, also exist inside of us. We are made up of earth, water, fire, air, and space. Our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual qualities along with our characteristics will determine which elements are more dominant in your nature.

The 3 doshas or categories are Vata, Pita, and Kapha. 60

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consists of mostly air and space. Pita is fire and water. Kapha consists of earth and water. You have your nature, which doesn’t change.

If you look at your life span in smaller cycles, your constitution changes depending on time of day, cycle of life, season of year, what foods your eating, where you are in the world, and what type of yoga you are drawn to practice.

As summer draws closer, thinking in Ayurvedic terms, there is quite a bit to know. If Pita exudes the element of fire, we can understand why summer time is the time for Pita. The sun comes out and stays out for longer periods of time. This time of year, you start to see more smiling faces and people start to come out to play. New ideas have been created and are starting to be put into action. Because it’s hotter, the foods being eaten are lighter such as salads and juices. This time is really beneficial for those with the Vata dosha, who typically have dry, cold skin and need warmth and fluid to lubricate the body and mind. For Kapha dosha, summer is beneficial for those who need a fire lit underneath them to get them moving. For people who are already dominant in Pita qualities, they need to be careful not to overdue it by increasing their pita which could take them out of balance. For example, they should stay away from spicy foods during this time, find shade, discover ways to cool the fire by getting into a cool body of water and practice a slower style of yoga like restorative or yin.

If you’re hanging out at the beach or cooling off with a shower, try using coconut oil during this time.

Coconut oil has a cooler effect than other oils like sesame or almond and acts as a natural sunscreen.

Most times we crave what actually takes us out of balance so be careful and look out for any cravings. This could be a hint from your body to try things that you usually avoid. Embracing the discomfort and trying something different will inevitably put you more into balance. If you love being at home

Vata

Pitta

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and sitting on the couch hanging out with friends and family (Kaphas), try getting out and going for a walk in nature!

For yogis, summer is a good time to practice other breathing techniques like alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana), or cooling breath (sitali, and sitkari), instead of fire breath (kaphalabati). Try to avoid practicing in the middle of the day, when the sun is the strongest. As for all the yogis who love vinyasa flowing, pick a slower flow such as restorative, yin or Iyengar to incorporate into your weekly practice. This is a great way to balance all the yang.

To help cool off, mint, cucumber, and aloe are good examples of things to add to your regimen to provide a cooling effect during fieriest time of year. Adding these delicious ingredients to your smoothies and juices will leave your digestive system feeling fresh. Try and eat your biggest meal between 10am - 2pm as this is the time where your digestive fire is the most active, enabling you to metabolize your food more efficiently.

Most importantly, create space in your life.

With some practice, awareness and a conscious lifestyle, we start to understand what is taking us in and out of balance. We eventually stop doing the things that aren’t serving us, and continue to do the things that make us feel good. Ultimately, we create this space to find balance in our lives, making a lifestyle change, which directly has an effect on your health.

Kapha

Randi E-RYT 500 level, has been facilitating

trainings with SchoolYoga Institute and has helped to establish the Mystical Yoga Farm, an experiential permaculture and yoga retreat center on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Randi continues to teach and practice wherever she is in the world. She facilitates 200hr and 500hr yoga teacher training courses and retreats in Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Thailand and is expanding to more locations worldwide. She is also a certified Thai Masseuse. Her expertise and passions are in adjustments and sequencing and is known as a teachers teacher. She is the founder of SuryaFlow: The Art of Sacred Movement.

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Stones pyramid photo by PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek/Shutterstock, Doshas photo by GL Sonts/Shutterstock

Vata

BY ANGELA AMBROSE

When Mike Lee first started training as a professional fighter, he had no interest in doing yoga. In a sport like boxing – known for its brute force, speed and explosive power – yoga didn’t seem to fit.

“I

never thought that yoga would be a part of my training. I knew my little sister was into it and it seemed like something that was just for girls,” says Lee, describing his initial reaction to yoga. “I had this idea that yoga was just sitting there cross-legged, Indian style, humming and just saying Namaste and leaving.”

While training at his gym, Lee started to notice that all the top athletes were doing yoga, so he decided to give it a try. At first, he tried a slowpaced beginner class that left him unchallenged and bored. “I wanted to feel like I was getting a workout, and if I was going to be in a class for at least an hour, I wanted to sweat.”

Lee tried a heated power yoga class next and loved the physical challenge and sensation of being drenched in sweat. “I sparred and trained the day after doing my first hot yoga class and I felt so loose and fast and athletic,” says the 27-year-old professional boxer. “What sold me is I noticed my hand speed was faster, and I think that was a function of having longer, looser muscles.”

Today Lee practices yoga a couple times a week as part of his training. The light heavyweight boxer is undefeated in his weight class and credits yoga with helping him stay fit and injury-free.

Photo courtesy of Gaiam

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Physical Challenge Hooks Athletes into Yoga

Kent Katich also started practicing yoga to get in better shape and to improve his performance on the basketball court. “My movements became much more fluid, graceful and controlled,” says Katich, owner of All Sport Yoga, who has taught yoga to professional athletes for nearly two decades.

When introducing yoga to new students, Katich always starts with the physical practice and leaves the spiritual aspect for later. “With athletes, in particular, you have to go through the physical part of it first because that’s where they live. I say to them, ‘Hey, check out these stretches, these poses, and this breathing.’ We take a very physical approach in the very beginning.”

What sets apart yoga from other physical exercise is the body awareness and focus on the breath. “Unlike other exercises, you’re not constantly moving. And you’re not forcing and pushing and straining,” says Katich. “It allows you to be in the moment, breathe deeply and feel your body.”

According to a 2013 University of Connecticut study, the single biggest reason both men and women start doing yoga is for exercise. Other popular reasons include flexibility, stress relief and getting into shape.

“I think the initial hook is people see it as a physical practice and it draws a lot of people in,” says Crystal Park, Ph.D., University of Connecticut professor of psychology and lead researcher. “It’s practiced at the gym, along with weight lifting, boot camp class, or spinning class, and people think of it as a fitness modality.”

Men often turn to yoga as a way to balance out their workouts and cross-train, so they can continue playing sports with fewer injuries, explains Heather Peterson, senior vice president of programming for CorePower Yoga. “Yoga works to keep and get you back to your full range of motion with strength. That’s the key difference for men. Having a full range of motion and keeping their strength allows them to stay with sports for longer in their lives.”

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Spirituality Emerges As Practice Continues

Although most people start yoga for the physical benefits, the longer they stick with it, the more likely they are to become interested in the spiritual side of the practice, according to the University of Connecticut study. Sixty-two percent of survey participants say their reason for practicing yoga changed over time, and they cited spirituality as their primary reason for continuing to do yoga. Other common reasons included stress relief, relaxation and reducing depression or anxiety.

“People start to get less interested in the physical aspects. It doesn’t go away, but it sort of recedes in importance,” says Park. And spiritual aspects, which most people, when they start practicing, really aren’t even aware of, start to become a really important part of the practice for many people.”

Those that stick with yoga often find unexpected benefits that go far beyond the physical poses. Although Lee began practicing yoga to become a better boxer, he found that it also helped him quiet his mind and relax.

“I always have to be thinking and doing a million things at the same time. And what I do like about yoga is when I get in that room, it takes me a few minutes, but then I forget about everything that’s been going on,” says Lee. “It’s the hour of the day where I can sit in there and just be present in the room, which for me, without yoga, is nearly impossible.”

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EDUCATE As Stereotypes Fall, More Men Are Falling for Yoga

oga Why Dudes DigdBr in popularity, a lot of

Although yoga has explode yoga class. They men are still wary of walking into a exible women worry about competing with super-fl ing for a circus who contort their bodies as if audition ign language. act or having to chant in a strange fore s going into a “I’ve heard so many stories of guy of the postures. yoga class and they can’t do half they don’t go They struggle and get frustrated, so co-creator of back,” says Robert Sidoti, founder and very beginning, Broga®. “Our whole goal, from the is to make it accessible.” warrior, here If you’re looking to find your inner try: are seven reasons to give Broga a ds “bro” and wor the s bine com 1. Broga – which igned specif“yoga” – is a branded program des e appealing ically for men. To make classes mor miliar Santo guys, teachers leave out the unfa kra energy skrit language and references to cha ace them with channels and Hindu gods and repl vey power. simple, straightforward words that con e, a safe place 2. Broga is like a yoga man cav y, let go of to strengthen and stretch the bod workout set stress and get an intense all-body to upbeat music. ple goal in mind 3. Broga was created with one sim they can ex– to draw more men into yoga, so benefits and perience all the physical and mental live more balanced, healthier lives.

Broga includes 4. Unlike traditional yoga classes, ing that gets Tabata-style high-intensity interval train with burpees, the heart pumping and sweat dripping pushups. mountain climbers, deep squats and r practice, Bro5. For men looking to deepen thei ed classes ga offers retreats and more advanc meditative that explore the more spiritual and aspects of yoga. her is a lot eas6. Becoming a Broga-certified teac ier and cheaper than with most branded exercise programs. It requires only two days of paid training and no licensing fees. Today Broga boasts 200 instructors in four countries and more than 10,000 students.

7. Women are welcome to teach and take classes, but for a refreshing change, men are usually the majority in Broga classes.

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Like Lee, Katich continues to stretch and strengthen his body through yoga, but he has also integrated meditation and breath awareness into his daily life to keep him more fully present and less reactive in tense situations. “I do my best to take that one deep breath before I respond and give space between a thought and impulse as opposed to flying off the handle.”

As they continue their yoga practice, many of his students start to look for more than just a simple stretch and a sweat. Before a recent basketball game at Madison Square Garden, Katich was thrilled when one of his students pulled him aside and asked if they could find a quiet place to meditate, so he could calm his mind and get centered before the game.

“In the last five to 10 years, athletes are coming to me a lot more asking for the meditation side of it, I think because there’s so much more information now, and some of the stereotype has been stripped away, so they’re not afraid of it anymore. It’s not some weird cult that’s in a closet,” says Katich, who has worked with a large number of pro athletes including baseball player Giancarlo Stanton and NBA superstars Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki. “Yoga gives them a sense of confidence and empowerment.”

During the last few years, Peterson has seen an increase in the number of men attending CorePower yoga classes at over 100 studio locations around the country. “Our studies have shown that students come in for the workout and stay for the inner peace that they experience as a result of our classes,” she says. “Inner connection and peace allow you to be more present under all conditions. You are more present when your children are crying, more present and patient when the checkout line is long, more present and patient when there is a backup on the freeway…If you show up more in the relationships, every relationship is improved.”

And the more you show up on your mat, the more likely you are to show up for the important people in your life.

Angela Ambrose is an award-winning writer with more than 28 years in corporate, magazine and video scriptwriting. As an ACE-certified group fitness instructor and yoga teacher, she combines her health and fitness expertise with her passion for writing. She teaches indoor cycle, aqua, SilverSneakers® and yoga classes at Lifetime Athletic and the YMCA in Scottsdale, Ariz. A mother of two spirited teens, she also enjoys writing for parenting publications. Visit her at AngelaAmbrose.com and Twitter @AAhealthfitness

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YOGA

Fashion & Function A Male

Perspective

BY GLENNA MUSANTE

Y

oga is commonly considered a practice that appeals mostly to women. But more and more men are signing up for yoga and this includes professional athletes, including NBA and NFL stars that have begun turning to yoga to improve their game.

According to data from Sports Marketing Surveys USA, there are 87.5 million so-called” aspirational yogis” in the United States. This includes people who have taken yoga in the past and would like to try it again, as well as people who are interested in yoga, but have never taken a class. An estimated half, or over 40 million, is men according to the organization’s “2012 Yoga in America Study.”

Interest in yoga among men is highest on either the west of east coasts, but is beginning to grow in the heartland, too.

Meanwhile, companies like Lululemon, Gaiam and Prana--major brands supplying yoga equipment and clothing in the US-- have decided to tap that huge, potential market, by developing a new series of yoga products designed specifically for men.

Recently, Luluemon opened its first men’s only apparel store, located in the Soho section of Manhattan. Men’s wear is also taking up additional real estate in the brands stores in Miami, Florida, and Santa Monica, California. To date, their men’s apparel, which includes yoga, accounts for 17% of their business. The company has also expanded their men’s apparel line to include performance fabrics infused with silver-based antimicrobials to reduce sweat-related fabric odors.

According to a statement from Lululemon, the company is “always looking for areas to innovate

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Training Sleeveless - $58 This sleeveless top is made with super-soft Intersec fabric that’s engineered to perform yet feel like your favorite broken-in tee. Flat seams minimize chafing, and stinkfree Silverescent® technology permanently inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria so it stays smelling fresh post-sweat.

For The People Short - $68 Lululemon designed these shorts with a tapered fit and longer length to keep you covered in class, whether you’re right-side up or upside down.

The cottony-soft Luon® fabric is sweat-wicking, four-way stretch and breathable, and the wide inner-leg panel gives the boys room to breathe.

Warrior Short - $64 These low-biulk shorts are made with four-way stretch Light Luon® fabric for peaceloving warriors. The no-gape Luxtreme® fabric waistband is sweat-wicking and pockets are made of Mesh fabric to help with air circulation.

Photos courtesy of lululemon

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and bring functional, technical apparel to our guests.

The investment being made in men’s currently is one example of how we are evolving as a business.”

Last fall, Gaiam introduced a new line of men’s yoga equipment and in March launched a collection of instructional yoga videos featuring well known professional athletes, as well as Kent Katich, a yoga coach who helps NBA players like Kevin Love and Blake Griffin use yoga to improve performance, build strength, increase flexibility, and prevent injuries. The yoga equipment includes mats, strap, and blocks, all sized and designed for use by men.

Christopher Salt, Director of Product Development at Gaiam, said his department was asked last March to begin planning a new men’s line for quick introduction to US markets.

That decision, he said, “was due to the uptrend [with] more and more men getting into yoga, and the fact that men need products designed for heavier, longer bodies. For example, a typical yoga mat is 24 inches wide, 68 inches long, and three millimeters (mm) thick. The new mats are 26 by 78 and 5 mm thick. Meanwhile, the block is made from an EVA foam that is nearly twice as dense as the foams used in a typical yoga block. That density is a key factor, said Salt. A normal block will hold up when used by someone who weighs, say, 160 pounds. “But if I weigh 200 pounds or more that block may bend or compress,” he said, adding the new, denser block is better suited for use by an average sized male.

“It’s kind of hard to find a mat that is cool for a guy,” Salt said. “The only options were [feminine colors] or black. The new mats are two-colored, for example gray and lime green or purple and gray.

Meanwhile the strap and block are black.

Lindsey Maynes, the brand marketing manager for Gaiam working on this line, says they see these products, and others yet to come, as a way to fill what they have felt is a significant gap in the yoga market.

“Male participation has increased year after year,” she said. “The number [of aspirational male yogis] is staggering,” she said, adding that the male-focused products launched this fall are just the beginning.

Kate Saunders, Vice President of Merchandising at Gaiam, said the company’s men’s yoga clothing line is expected to expand as well over the next year, with items that incorporate performance capabilities such as wicking and compression being added to the company’s traditional cotton-based men’s yoga attire.

Christian Castellini, a senior merchandising manager at Prana said they have recently seen what he described as a strong uptick in demand for men’s

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Photo courtesy of Prana On The Mat Pant - $98 To help you stay focused on your practice, lululemon designed these pants with a tapered leg and no-gape waistband with hidden pocket so things stay put during inversions. The four-way stretch Light Luon® fabric is sweat-wicking, making them ideal for warm studios and sweaty bodies.

yoga products. “It’s great to see the increase in participation from men in yoga studios,” he said, adding the Prana is adding products that support that trend.

Other smaller brands, such as Yoga Addict, are already stepping up to the plate with men’s yoga apparel lines offering clothing designed specifically to be comfortable, but compressive enough to not be too loose. They are selecting fabrics that move, extend, expand and contract to allow for flexibility during yoga practice. At the same time, their pants don’t fall up or down doing a handstand, downward dog or other inversion.

Meanwhile, said Katich, don’t be surprised if classes at your local yoga studio start filling up with men, especially at studios or gyms that also offer traditional athletic training or have both yoga and cross training facilities. For the past 15 years he’s been implementing yoga training into athletic programs for major college and professional athletes, but sees yoga as a practice that could soon become mainstream, and widespread, with men. “There are a number of young [males] who want to do yoga,” he said, “and we just need to give them an inroad.”

Glenna Musante is an award-winning

journalist who covers fashion and the inner workings of the textile industry. She is known for writing about sportswear trends and the new performance fibers and fabrics that are reinventing yoga wear and sportswear. In her spare time, Glenna is a soprano with North Carolina Master Chorale, the resident chorus of The North Carolina Symphony, and strives to get in a yoga workout before every performance.

She can be reached at GlennaMusante@yahoo.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennamusante

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Favorites of

Chris

Freytag from GetHealthyU.com Green Energy Smoothie

Prep time: 2 min Cook Time: 1 min Servings: 1 Calories: 182 Carbs: 44 g Fat: 2 g Protein: 24 g This green energy smoothie is one of my favorites! The combination of nutrient-packed kale, mango, and almond milk is energizing and delicious. Filled with protein and nutrients this smoothie will give you a kickstart. You will be surprised on how sweet and creamy this is. Don’t be afraid of going green!

Ingredients

1 cup frozen kale (I prefer frozen to fresh in smoothies) 1 cup frozen mango 1 cup almond milk 1 scoop protein powder ( I always use BiPro unflavored whey protein powder in this recipe)

I always recommend frozen kale over fresh in smoothies because it’s already chopped and gives the drink a thicker consistency.

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Photo by JeniFoto/Shutterstock

Instructions

Add ingredients in the order listed above to smoothie cup.

Blend on low speed until large pieces are broken up. Finish on high speed until well blended.

Fresh Fruit Pizza

minutes Serves: 24 Prep time: 20 min Cook Time: 10 Carbs: 12.5g Fiber: 2g Calories: 85 Fat: 3.5g Protein: 1.5g a group. It’s refreshing This is a great dessert to serve to are pretty! ries and light and not messy - the ber ese is a beautiful che m This fresh fruit pizza with crea fresh fruits filled with of nce dessert! Topped with an abunda flavor, and vitamins, r, colo of vitamin C and antioxidants! Full picnic or barbecue or it’s the perfect sweet treat for any Plus, it’s super easy to t. whenever you want a lighter trea whip together in a hurry!

Non-stick cooking spray 1 can thin pizza crust e your own) (you can buy store-bought or mak m cheese crea rry wbe stra 1 (8oz) tub whipped d slice ly thin 2 kiwis, peeled and 1 pint raspberries 1 pint blackberries 1 pint blueberries r choice add any other fruit toppings of you

Instructions

sheet pan with non-stick 1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spray cooking spray. a greased pan and bake 2. Spread the pizza dough onto 8-10 minutes, until golden brown cool to room temperature 3. Remove crust from oven and let before continuing. over the entire surface 4. Spread strawberry cream cheese top evenly with all fruit. of the cooled pizza crust and then room temperature.

5. Slice into 24 pieces and serve

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I serve this with the crust at room temperature, but I do like to chill the berries before topping.

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Photo by Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

Ingredients

Favorites of Chris Freytag from GetHealthyU.com

Muffin in a Minute e: 1-2 min Servings: 1

Prep time: 2 min Cook Tim : 21.0 g (healthy fat) Calories: 268. (before add-ins) Fat Fiber 9.0 g) tary (Die Total Carbohydrate: 11.1 g g Sugars: 0.6 g Protein: 11.5 t are loaded with sugar I’ve always loved muffins but mos y, healthy, very low carb and flour. This muffin is quick eas akfast, snack or even and high fiber. It’s delicious for bre fruit and nuts. Or you dessert. You can make it “as is” with ds and soups. Substitute can make it savory to go with sala dded cheese, chopped out the sweetener and add in shre veggies, and spices!

Ingredients

1/4 cup ground flax seed meal 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 egg 1 teaspoon olive oil , or other nuts/seeds Optional add in’s: berries, walnuts

Instructions

.

1. Mix all ingredients in a coffee mug . high on 2. Microwave for 1 minute ave for 1:30 on high.)

(If using fresh or frozen fruit, microw r plate.

3. Dump out of coffee cup onto you 4. Let it cool and enjoy!

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My favorite go-to breakfast (I love muffins and this so healthy and easy) WWW.YOGADIG E ST.C O M

Rice Cauliflower Cilantro e: 10 min Servings: 4 Prep time: 10 min Cook Tim g Calories: 84 Carbs: 8.24 g Fat: 5.5 Protein: 2.75 g Fiber: 3.5 g

! The cauliflower This is my ultimate new staple food , while staying mimics the look and feel of real rice of my favorite low carb and low cal. Cilantro is one antioxand s herbs, and it’s loaded with vitamin of any e bas idants. This “rice” is perfect for the side dish, a as ply mexican style burrito bowl, or sim t, and nigh last it e or even a afternoon snack. I mad e! mor my whole family was begging for

You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week. Plus it’s vegan and gluten free. I love everything about it!

Ingredients

One medium head cauliflower 1.5 tbsp coconut oil Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup chopped cilantro Juice from 1 lime 1/8 tsp) Sprinkle of garlic powder (approx.

Instructions

Photo by Peredniankina/Shutterstock

ts and place it in a 1. Chop the cauliflower into flore over-process the not food processor. The trick is to maintain a “rice” to it t cauliflower because you wan a few batches do to e like consistency. You may hav too much with sor ces as to not overwhelm your pro cauliflower at once. large pan with salt 2. Sautee 1.5 tbsp coconut oil in a cauliflower and sed and pepper. Add in the proces ut 5 minutes). (abo tly sauté until it starts to brown sligh , lime, and ntro cila the 3. Remove from heat and stir in to taste. per pep and garlic powder. Add more salt

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Amy Ippoliti

Activism through Yoga

BY KIM BAUMAN, PHOTOS BY TARO SMITH “‘Go! Now, now, now!’ said Taro Smith, our photographer. And so I did! I dove in to align myself about 14 feet away from a whale shark, the biggest fish in the sea, whose body is roughly 35 feet long”, said Amy Ippoliti.

Does this image look familiar? A couple years ago, there’s no way you could have missed seeing this beautiful capture as the world took it viral. This was an experience in the wide-open sea, where Ippoliti took her expression of yoga and turned it into activism for marine life. Amy says, “Practicing yoga with these animals was a statement illustrating that yoga can helps us learn to understand our own interconnectedness with life on earth. I was underwater in their world, and because I didn’t have a mask, snorkel, or fins, I had this one moment to be with them. I was with them as one, in their world, naked in the sense that I had no gear.”

The best moments in life are the ones that take your breath away and warm your heart. This is how I felt getting to chat live with international yoga teacher & earth conservation activist, Amy Ippoliti. It was more than just her mesmerizing voice that could literally calm a riot in Los Angeles, it was her life message that touched me.

When I asked her why sea animals? Ippoliti says, “My desire to protect sea animals doesn’t come from anywhere except from within. I’ve struggled over the years with the fact that animals are being harmed, I’ve been an activist ever since I can remember so to get in the water with these creatures and use my yoga to bring awareness to them, that is a dream. You can show pictures of slaughter or abuse, but that’s not what gets people to respond. What gets people to respond is beauty and awe.”

Hearing Amy speak was sending goose bumps so brightly up my body that I felt as though my hair was standing on end. This is what it’s all about. Life! This is why we are here. What if we all did our part? What if we all chipped in and took action in some way, shape or form? Nothing grandiose, but what if the whole world saw that the earth’s creatures mattered, saw that they counted, and committed to make a difference? What

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would you do?

Who would you help if you knew it counted?

Would you care more? Would you soften more in your heart if you saw the picture bigger?

Amy’s passion to serve took her on an eightmonth journey to train for her dream of doing yoga with marine animals. This required a lot of pranayama (breathing techniques), visualization, education to respectfully be in their environment, time in the pool and ocean excursions. Ippoliti says, “When you’re below 10 feet in the salt water you’re body is less buoyant so you have to depressurize your ears to stay down longer, otherwise you pop right back up. When I trained in the pool, I would visualize that I was in the ocean with the animals and that was what helped me to hold my breath longer. I practiced opening my eyes without fear, as the tender tissues around your eyes and sinuses are so different in salt water than fresh. The power of visualization was my one of my biggest allies. I would imagine a whale shark in the pool, holding my breath as long as possible to be able to stay under water to keep up with it.”

When you are in your true element, when your actions are in the direction of your calling, then your internal being shifts because you are no longer impacted by ex-

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The best moments in life are the ones that take your breath away and warm your heart.

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CONNECT Amy Ippoliti - Activism through Yoga ternal factors governed by the ego. You are in a complete state of authenticity, so connected to your truth that your experiences in these moments are those of bliss. Ippoliti states, “Being so close to the animals helped inspire me to hold my breath longer than I could in practice. The desire to be down there with them shifted my state. The urge to inhale was barely there until I absolutely had to breathe.”

The more and more we practice the physical asana, the physical yoga poses, the more we innately realize that our body is the container of our emotions, our heartbreak, our secrets, our fears, and our loves. For some of us this takes courage to see and confidence to then go out and take action to truly “be” our yoga in the world. Ippoliti says, “Some people may ask is this yoga or not? To me it is. Yoga is about spreading awareness of our interconnectedness. To bring a land animal like me together with a water animal like a whale shark is a beautiful connection. I can’t measure exactly how our images are helping, but I know they are making a difference. For example, when our image of me meditating with a 1500 pound manta ray hit the front page of yahoo.com, there were conversations in the comment section about whether mantas were harmful or not. Many thought the manta was a sting ray, the

lved Make a Wave, Get Invovation Do you want get involved with animal conser and make a difference? Check out these organizations that are committed to creating change in our oceans and beyond.

WildAid is an animal activist organization whose

mission is to end illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and comprehensive marine protection. Did you know the illegal wildlife trade industry is an estimated $10 billion dollar industry?! Read on: www.wildaid.org

Manta Trust takes a multidisciplinary approach to the worldwide conservation of manta rays and their habitat through robust science and research, while raising awareness and providing education to the general public and community stakeholders alike.

Learn more about these beautiful creatures: www. mantatrust.org

Oceanic Preservation Society creates film,

photography and media, inspiring people to want to save the oceans. You may know their work from Academy Award Winning documentary, The Cove. Check out their projects here: www.opsociety.org

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“When you are in your true element, when your actions are in the direction of your calling, then your internal being shifts because you are no longer impacted by external factors governed by the ego.“ same species that killed Steve Irwin and they were being corrected by others who explained that Mantas were harmless. It’s these types of conversations that matter and can bring about change!” Amy went on to tell me that recently the entire country of Indonesia banned the harvest of manta rays largely due to the positive photographic imagery and awareness raised by activist photographers. We are all intertwined and when you can understand this whole-heartedly then you know that this act of service did lead to changing the world, and will continue to create change through the ripple effect.

Remember there is no such thing as a small act.

Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~ Scott Adams Ippoliti goes on to say, “The intensely sad part of this is that although we’re documenting these animals now, there’s a good chance that our children will never see some of these creatures in their lifetime, except in photos.

Hopefully our images will help change that because people will see them and then want to take action. I am very aware when I’m with marine animals that the camera will take this message much further than my own physical presence.”

As Amy and I continue to talk, I become more and more present to the magic of yoga and to how it’s our duty as human beings to give and to play our part to make the world go around. I am touched by Amy’s life

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message and so honored that I got to write this article that we may not get to know first-hand the impact, but faith tells me it will change someone, it will inspire someone to take action.

Thank you so much Amy for your grace and your heart to be the stand for activism through yoga. Amy Ippoliti’s mission is always seeking underwriters and partners, for more information about Amy and her work: www.AmyIppoliti.com Photograper Taro Smith can be contacted at this website TaroSmith.com

Kim Bauman

Founder, The One Love Movement www.jointheonelovemovement.org Facebook: The One Love Movement Instagram: @theonelovemovement

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“I want to get people who don’t care, to care.

I want to get people who are not aware, to be aware.

My main goal is just to inspire people” —Patrick Rynne, Founder of Waterlust

Connecting the World Through Water

BY KIM BAUMAN, PHOTOS COURTESY OF WATERLUST

A

fter getting to interview Patrick Rynne, I hung up the phone and all I could think about was, “he’s that guy who tips the barista when nobody is watching”. I am in awe of how great people are. The more I live and be present in life, the more life continues to show me beautiful people that are humble do-gooders, like Patrick Rynne.

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Patrick pretty much grew up as a human fish in the water. His parents loved to sail, so since the age of two he has been on a boat and around water. Patrick grew up surfing and sailing which led him to his latest passion, the sport of kitesurfing. As a kid and all through college, he sailed competitively, ultimately earning him a spot on the

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U.S. sailing while training to compete in the Olympics.

He founded Waterlust upon starting graduate school at the University of Miami after deciding to step away from competitive sailing. The project quickly grew into a collaboration with two other graduate students, all passionate about finding a way to educate and inspire others about the science of the ocean.

Rynne says, “Science needed a voice. We take what’s technical and bottle it up into something beautiful without losing the educational integrity of the science of something. We tell water’s story through photography and film. We see water as this unifying concept that and films are talking to people that wouldn’t otherwise despite your culture, your background or where you be standing in the room with us. If you want kids and live, as humans water is a common thread that can bring adults to be engaged on an academic concept, how do us all together, and that’s what Waterlust is all about.” you draw them in? We get people’s attention through At the top of Waterlust’s list is impacting kids. “Kids the capturing of water sports, adventure, exploration, turn away from science because they may not get the and by artistic and expressive content. That’s how we right opportunity to show them that they can foster all pull in people that otherwise wouldn’t look this way and ways of thinking. We want to campaign for kids, showthen they discover a connectedness, they see more once ing them that there’s a place for you in the science world they’re in. Perhaps they see the story of the sharks, the even if you don’t think quantitatively”, states Rynne. manatees, or the B.P. oil spill. Or maybe they learn how Waterlust recently was awarded 1st place for the Ocean to save their own life if they were to ever get caught in 180 Video Challenge where educational science videos a rip current http://www.waterlust.org/rip were played to almost 38,000 middle school stuAs I am listening to Patrick share about his pasdents all around the world. Kids were to criwater, education, and community, it’s n ni g n , ki sionsoforinspiring -w i tique and vote for most creative, fun, with a to think that you are just one d d -a ar clear educational message, and Waterlust person in this huge, grandiose universe came out #1! Rynne comments, “our but the moment that you make even intention is to take the complicated a small movement towards intention, and complex of science and boil it it ripples. Every action we take as an down to something everybody can individual contributes to the greater appreciate and understand.” whole. Patrick goes on to say, “A Waterlust has future plans to intelot of environmental issues we face grate a science program into schools, are extremely broad in scope so you further impacting how kids learn. This have to have change happening on a program will use their videos as an interglobal scale in order to make headway active lesson plan with hands-on learning on them. One thing we always stay true to about science, mapping out environmental is this idea of the power of the individual…. issues in a fun, easily digestible way. This program You may feel like you’re just one speck in this big will also include art and painting for kids to express world, but a single voice can connect to more voices themselves and their relationship to water, including which can really create meaningful change. Everything writing an essay, and inspiration on how to continue to we do is centered around this.” get involved with science and environmental issues. The To learn more about Waterlust, go to: artwork produced by the classrooms will be created into www.waterlust.org an art installation for the school.

With me being a full-fledged right-brained individuKim Bauman al, what’s sitting on my mind is that I wish I had been Founder, The One Love Movement exposed to this kind of learning when I was in middle www.jointheonelovemovement.org school and maybe my outlook on science would be difFacebook: The One Love Movement ferent. Maybe I wouldn’t cringe when I hear the words biology or chemistry, maybe I wouldn’t think that science is too far over my head. Patrick says, “Our photography

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Balance inTravel Do the stresses of travel sometimes deter you from seeing some of the amazing places on this planet? I have several friends that love to travel, but their fears and anxieties get the better of them and they decide to stay home rather than deal with the hassles of travel.

BY JOHN AYO It’s no surprise that traveling today can be quite stressful in a variety of ways: getting through the airport, dehydration, keeping up with exercise, what to eat, etc. And, as security has increased at airports, it becomes just a little more challenging. As a traditional Naturopath and longtime international traveler, I get questions all the time from people that travel about how they can stay healthy, and even more, thrive on the road. I have been practicing yoga since 2003, and do my best to apply the balanced principles of yoga to my everyday life, especially when traveling.

A big part of staying healthy begins with the preparation of what to bring with you balanced with not taking too much stuff. It’s great to be a minimalist when traveling, and many people are very successful at it, but I would rather have my “just in case” items, as they have served me very well over my many years of travel. Here are 3 major items that I think are really important, and they appear many times throughout my book:

WATER

If you are getting on an airplane and flying at high altitudes, water is your best friend! The high altitude, proximity to others, compressed air in the cabin, and extra stress on the body cause you to need more water. The tricky part can be getting the right type at the right time. You’ll want to make sure that you are drinking filtered water wherever possible, which requires some planning. When you begin your journey, you can purchase a bottle of filtered (Reverse Osmosis or Spring) water after you get through security. I recommend that you bring this bottle on the plane and ask the flight attendant to refill it with filtered water.

Sometimes they can’t or won’t do this, so just ask for two glasses of water with no ice and you can keep it

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filled yourself. Just make sure that the flight attendant is pouring the water from a plastic bottle, and not a metal pitcher (which is most likely not filtered).

Once you arrive at your hotel, you’ll want to find a good source of water (and the tap is usually not your best idea). I recommend that you ask the front desk if there is a store nearby and purchase some water there.

You can also bring the bottle that you purchased to the workout room in most hotels and use the large filtered water that is available to refill your bottle.

EXERCISE ExErcisE

This is one area people find most challenging because we usually don’t have a lot of time to go to the exercise room in the hotel (if they have one). Opportunities abound for exercise when traveling, you just have to look for them.

For example, I typically only use the elevator to get to my hotel room on check-in and check-out, and take the stairs at all other times. You can walk to dinner instead of taking a cab. And, many hotels now offer yoga mats and videos so that you can do yoga in your hotel room if you’d like. Look for opportunities to walk as much as you can. I make an agreement with myself to exercise a little more the week or so before and after my trip to make up for not being able to get in my routine while on the road.

Pokeweed © 2015 Drew Pocza pokeweedcomics.com

HEALTH HEaltH

I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced the challenge of getting sick while traveling, but there’s little worse than feeling the beginning of the flu on day three of your two week trip to China! Here are a couple of tips to remember if you start to feel sick: 1. You 1.

You must absolutely avoid eating sugar, dairy and wheat. These three things really hamper the immune system’s ability to fight off infection.

2.

2. Drink Drink as much purified water as you can. The lymphatic system needs this to help clear any pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi….) from the body.

3. Get rest if you can. This is not the time to exercise, as your 3. body needs that extra energy to fight off the infection.

We are so blessed to be able to travel half way around the world in a day, but it comes with challenges. I hope that you’ll take on these challenges and enjoy this amazing planet where we get to live. Enjoy your journey.

John Ayo is a Naturopath, Speaker and Author and has been researching mind/body/spirit topics since 1976. His book Travel Balance, gives you some great tips to help you make natural/healthy choices while traveling. He worked in sales for IBM for 27 years, but began having health issues that could not be addressed by the traditional Western medical model. This led him on an amazing journey back to health…and to his true passion. www.johnayo.com

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Skydive. And marry the man of my dreams. I’m a romantic.

Lauren Rudick, Montreal, Canada.

While I’ve lived within an hour or less of an ocean my entire life, I’ve always wanted to learn to scuba dive but have somehow never had the opportunity. I love the ocean, and so many yogi friends describe diving as underwater meditation. It’s time to hit that bucket list!

Ryon Lane, Marin, California.

I have always wanted to travel to Africa and go on a safari. I have never had the privilege of seeing animals in their true, natural habitat.

Danni Johnson, Delray Beach, Florida.

I have been able to do a lot of the things that call to me. Live in another country, be involved and raise money for rescue animals, start my own business, say my goodbyes to loved ones who’s time it was to leave, to forgive, to purchase fancy shoes. I have always wanted to visit Bali and Nepal. For some reason I have always been drawn to visit those countries, for years. Lately I have been thinking about it more and more. That an additional yoga teacher training in SUP and Iyengar.

Maxine Chapman, San Diego, California.

One of my goals for 2015/2016 is to travel Europe. I would love to take the time to thoroughly immerse myself in the culture of each country I visit. From the buzzing major metropolises to the small serene locales, I feel each experience would inspire creativity and enhance the quality of my life.

Maggie Niemiec, Dallas, Texas.

It has been my dream to be able to travel and volunteer to help save the sea turtles in Costa Rica. Sea turtles are such beautiful creatures who have lived on this planet for far too long to become extinct! I want to help make a change for Sea Turtles!

Sonya Barker, Plano, TX

Visit yogadigest.com/inspired-voices to respond to next issue’s question

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Photo by Artush/Shutterstock

The most endearing experience I wish to have the opportunity to tantalize my senses with is to practice yoga in all 1007 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A blessing of a lifetime it would be to travel the world and witness the most precious natural wonders along with the worlds most profound culturally significant sites in history.

Andrew Sealy, San Luis Obispo, California.

Comfort Zone Out of

With

Your

Kurt Johnson

Stop Arguing with Reality Imagine getting upset every time the sun goes down.

Can you see yourself screaming and shaking your fist in rage at the sun? “There you go doing it again, just like yesterday! How dare you!” You would look crazy if you did so. The sun is just doing its thing. (Actually, the earth is the one doing the moving, but you get what I mean.) The truth, every time you complain or have a negative reaction to a situation over which you have no control, you are arguing with reality, which is just as pointless and crazy as yelling at the sun.

You might be thinking you are an eternal optimist and rarely complain, but revisit the last few hours and think of any negative thoughts that entered your head, whether you said them out loud or not. The sun was too bright, the temperature was too hot or cold, that sweater cost too much, that person didn’t do what I asked, the waitress was rude, there were no convenient parking spots.

There are so many things in our lives over which we have no control. Things happen objectively, but it is all too easy to take these things personally and let them have control over us. This is arguing with reality. Take traffic as an example. You might be running late and frustrated at having your progress impeded by all of the other drivers on the road.

The reality is you are stuck in traffic and you are not going to be on time. Fuming in your car is not going to get you to your destination any faster, but it will alter the chemistry in your brain and change your ability to find peace and enjoyment in that moment. Nothing about the situation has changed except your appreciation of the present moment.

The present is happening and we can choose to embrace it or complain about it. Complaining only hurts us and doesn’t change a thing except our mood.

Now that we have established the pointlessness of arguing with reality, my challenge to you is to go 21 consecutive days without arguing with reality or com-

plaining. For some of you this may seem like an easy challenge, but if you are really honest with yourself, it will be harder than you think. It took me four months on my first try, but like most things, it gets easier with practice. Just to clarify, asking for something to be corrected isn’t complaining. Let’s say you order a meal at a restaurant and it is cold when the server brings it to you. If you simply request to have a warm meal, you are not complaining because you are speaking to a person who can directly adjust the situation. If you turn to the person with whom you are dining and say, “I can’t believe they would serve me a cold dinner,” then you are complaining.

Completing the challenge successfully requires a high level of awareness. To assist in keeping you mindful of the challenge, simply put a rubber band or hair tie around your wrist and, every time you catch yourself complaining, move the band to your other wrist. Try it. It is a life changer. Those around you are likely to be happy to remind you when you complain so let them know what you are trying to do.

Good luck and have fun! Kurt

Kurt Johnsen is the founder of the nationally recog-

nized yoga system, American Power Yoga, and host of Yoga for Life. He is the CEO of Simplified Genetics, a health and lifestyle company offering proprietary genetic tests which generate actionable results for maintaining optimal fitness and assessing the genetic risks of traumatic head injuries.

Interact with Kurt at YogaDigest.com/Kurt-Johnsen 82

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first pose.

THE ONE LOVE MOVEMENT “SERVE YOUR HEART”

THE ONE LOVE MOVEMENT “SERVE YOUR HEART”

Be a part of something big, something that matters, something that is sure to create change in the world. Please join us for our 4th annual charity yoga event. You plus 100’s of yogis coming together in one space to serve and give back to homeless and under-privileged kids.

Tickets & event info:

Yoga Teachers:

www.jointheonelovemovement.org Taylor Harkness Discover the world’s first yoga mat to utilize a raw cork surface.

Mackenzie Miller Date: Our uniquely crafted mats August feature 8th, an unmatched grip that Saturday, 2015 Kim Bauman increases the more you sweat and a self cleaning surface Location: Jaysea DeVoe eliminating smells, germs andDiego, bacteria.

Don’t just take our word Waterfront Park, San California for it. Visit www.yolohayoga.com to see what our customers are Live music: Time: saying about the mat that has transformed their yoga 10am-1pm DJpractice.

Drez & Marti Nikko

LIFETIME GUARANTEE - MADE IN THE USA - ECO-FRIENDLY

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