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Finding My True North: Wanderlust Vermont
With World Exercise Champion Bill Kathan
Last Wednesday I left DC early with yogi friends and a giant duffel bag full to the brim with vegan snacks to-go for the 2013 edition of Wanderlust Vermont at Stratton Mountain. I had no idea exactly what to expect, but came prepared to sweat a lot, meditate, and go with the flow. It ended up being a truly a soul shifting experience full of aha! moments, dancing, laughter, silence, chanting, and almost too many downward dogs for me to handle. Healthy food was also in abundance and I seriously thought I had landed in healthy living heaven because raw live coconut water, juices, superfoods, kombucha, and gluten-free vegan pizzas were in abundance. On the way to Wanderlust we stopped at a food co-op in Brattelboro Vermont and found Kombucha on tap! While in Brattelboro, I also met a world exercise champion name Bill Kathan who holds the record for the most jumping jacks in an hour and also did over 2 million jumping jacks in one year! Some of my favorite healthy living goodies available at the festival included the cacao lip balm from Navitas Naturals, Coco Libre coconut water, and the kombucha bar from Kombucha Brooklyn. The kombucha saved my life not only because it was amazing, but also because there was no time to eat between classes and it kept me full until dinner time.
Climbed Stratton Mountain!
Although I have been practicing regularly for a couple years now, I’m not one of those bendy, I can do-it-all yogis. Parts of my body are still very tight, but with time I’m sure things will continue to loosen up. So part of me had imagined all of these super intense yogis doing headstands, scorpions, and everything in between while I opted to lay in shavasana or take child’s pose. When I got there it was so refreshing to see such a wide range of yogis from beginner to masters each getting on the mat wherever they were and doing the best they could. The real mission of practice was driven home for me on the first day, in my final class called “Unleashing Your Potential” which was taught by Dave Romanelli, who goes by yeahdave. Early on in his class he mentioned that yoga these days can seem to be about who has the best outfit, the latest gear, or who can bend the farthest, but at the end of the day if you cannot apply your practice in real life, it means nothing. In short, some of the bendiest people can still be some of the biggest a&$holes in real life. It was important for me to remember and hear that and acknowledge myself. Even if I can’t bend the farthest, I do know that yoga has helped to dramatically change how I am in crisis situations or under any kind of pressure, especially over the last five years.
I can’t exactly say one particular class was my favorite, but there were a few standouts. Ayurveda 101 was completely intriguing to me. I am of the mind that every person is unique and that one diet cannot suit everyone, including being raw vegan. Ayurveda is the old school science that really helps to break down the different energy types and also how we can each fall off balance due to environmental, emotional, or dietary stresses. On my second day, the morning began super early with a very challenging class led by Seane Corn which led to a serious emotional breakthrough. After that every class I took on Day 2 was related to kundalini yoga, which was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan. Although I was not expecting this immersion, I was thoroughly inspired and pleasantly surprised by the day and learned some of the basic chants and meditations involved in Kundalini. By Day 3, I couldn’t move my arms. I decided to go all out in Gabrielle Berstein’s kundalini class in the AM and then skip any additional challenging asana classes. When I cut class I opted for hiking with friends and climbed up to the top of Stratton Mountain. In the evening we got to dance the night away to one of my favorite musicians, Femi Kuti.
So did I find my true north at wanderlust? I would say, yes, emphatically. The entire experience allowed me to focus and dig deep inwardly, introduced me to new disciplines that I am now yearning to study, and also gave me time to ruminate on whether or not my personal dreams and goals are aligned with my inner compass. “Finding Your True North,” to me is about reassessing your values, and being willing to get on a new path or readjust your angle if you’ve gone off course. The best thing about the process is that whatever happens you can trust you are being led in every moment to the people and experiences that will take you further along your life path. -XoXo Raw Girl
To see more photos from my trip find me on Instagram @ TheRawGirl ! 🙂
Core Power Yoga: The One Stop Yoga Shop
Since late March, I’ve been getting a weekly dose of yoga at Core Power Yoga Georgetown. Core Power Yoga has studios all of the country and offers power yoga classes in a variety of styles from beginner to more advanced levels. What makes the classes so special? I love that besides the fact that there are a range of styles to choose from including: Hot Power Fusion, Yoga Sculpt, C1, and C2 classes, all of the classes include core work so you won’t have to worry about neglecting your six-pack in favor of yoga arms. Hot Power Fusion has more standing sequences, is reminiscent of Bikram (with slightly less heat), and incorporates more flow into the practice. Yoga Sculpt is an awesome challenging class that mixes yoga with free weights and cardio and can save strength training junkies from having to leave the yoga studio to get their fix. C1 and C2 are the vinyasa flow style classes that are for beginners and intermediate yogis. All Core Power classes are in a heated room, and are also set to music, with the playlists varying depending on the instructor. Unlike many yoga studios where you can get stuck in a rut, the variety of classes at Core Power allow you to challenge yourself each week, break a sweat, and change up your routine.
Yesterday I got an insanely awesome and intense workout with back to back Hot Power Fusion and Yoga Sculpt taught by Sihnuu, one of my favorite teachers at Core Power Yoga Georgetown. Her classes are simply a revelation. If you need a challenge and have already practiced yoga for some time, her C2 and Yoga Sculpt classes will push you to your limits to a really great soundtrack. Also look on the Georgetown schedule for another favorite teacher of mine, Adeoye, he teaches a really wonderful and energizing Hot Power Fusion and a Yoga Sculpt class that’ll whip you into shape.
For more info on Core Power, or to check if there is a studio near you visit www.corepoweryoga.com. If you are in the DC area Core Power Yoga has the studio in Georgetown and also one in Bethesda. Check them out for free for the first week and when you do tell them Esosa E. A.K.A. Raw Girl sent you! You can also email me at rawgirltoxicworld@gmail.com if you would like to take class together. Come prepared to sweat. Namaste. -XoXo Raw Girl
Read this past post for more on The Benefits of Hot Yoga.
7 Reasons to Meditate: The Benefits of Mindfulness
Meditation is sometimes seen as a woo-wooey practice reserved for new age hippies, actors who are “spritual”, self-help gurus, and hardcore yogis, but the truth is meditation is for everyone. Just like yoga, which brings the body in alignment with the mind and helps to quite that incessant babbling of thoughts we have going daily that frequently get in the way of our true happiness, meditation cleans house. It’s like setting the reset button for a few minutes daily, that allows you to truly go with the flow, promotes inner peace, feelings of oneness with others, empathy, service, and even boosts creativity. I have experienced firsthand regular daily meditation can be a catalyst for amazing things happening in your life. As you practice and get deeper in the flow of life, synchronicity or seeming miracles became normal every day occurrences.
Going back to daily practice has re-awakened my love and appreciation for meditation as a scientific tool. Every single time you to sit to practice, you are literally rewiring your brain, and tapping further into THE SOURCE of all. As a result of this you may find yourself extremely calm in usually stressful situations, generally happier, optimistic, and attracting people and things that help you achieve your dreams, effortlessly. There are a bunch of meditation naysayers out there who feel like it’s quackery, or object to meditation because they are afraid it contradicts with their religion. This is not the case. Meditation and mindfulness practices have been practiced and incorporated by every major religion. In the Bible it says, “Be still and know that I am God.” My favorite Deepak Chopra quote is: “Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is listening.” Indeed the silence speaks volumes. Creativity can increase and intuition begins to guide daily decisions more strongly. It sounds like a gimmick until you try it. The only way for you to feel the shift in yourself is to sit down and meditate and stick with it consistently. It does not take weeks to start to feel a shift. Each day, you will begin to notice little things. Oh meditation, mediation, how I love thee! Let me count the ways. Below are seven of many reasons (backed by scientific research) why sitting down in silence daily is good for you. Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself. Namaste. -XoXo Raw Girl
- Stay in the Stress-Free Zone. The journal of health psychology published research that not only does meditation make you feel less stressed, it actually reduces the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
- Rewire Bad Habits. One of the first thing I noticed was that when I kept up with regular meditation it started to shift my emotional responses to situations that were previously aggravating. Going within helps us require bad habits as well as observe our actions and reactions in a way we may have never done before and make conscious adjustments.
- Boosts Your Mental Performance. Research conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that college students trained in mindfulness performed better on verbal reasoning sections on the GRE and also had improvements in retention of material. The outcome of the study suggested that mindfulness improves overall cognitive function.
- Can Keep You From Going Cray-Cray. Mental illness and emotional wellness are two issues that are usually highly medicated when you visit a doctor to address them. Well, according to researchers from the University of Oregon, mediation techniques in the form of integrative body and mind training can result in brain changes which protect against mental illness. Due to meditation practice protective tissue increases as well as signaling connections in the brain.
- Sleep Like a Baby. A University of Utah study found that mindfulness training helps people sleep better at night. You know how sometimes you can’t sleep because of the “monkey mind” that can’t stop making to-do lists and generally stressing about whatever happened that day? Well meditation shuts the monkey up long enough for you to get adequate rest and wake up feeling refreshed.
- Gives You a Major Dose of Happy. In general meditation helps to balance out emotions and moods, and has been shown in numerous studies to reduce the risk of depression. It’s great for pregnant women struggling with post-pardom, teens, and really anyone of any age.
- Boosts Your Immunity. By now you should know that optimal health has to do with emotional, physical, and mental wellness. Just paying attention to your diet alone may still leave you at risk for major terminal diseases if you do not manage your emotions and stress in a healthy way. Meditation and mindfulness practices calm you the heck down, so that you can avoid toxic emotions that may cause disease later on.
The Benefits of Hot Yoga
In this technological maelstrom of fast food and even quicker fixes, the growing practice of yoga continues to offer shelter from the constant barrage of hustle and bustle. Even those who don’t practice yoga, have at least heard that it may be good for them; whether or not they have the energy or believe enough to commit to laying on a mat once a week is a whole seperate matter. Our Western medicine, has yet to fully incorporate yoga and other alternative therapies for that matter including pilates, acupuncture, aromatherapy etc. and the beliefs in treating the symptom rather than the human being and popping pills as a cure-all continues to prevail. Despite this there have been studies conducted that have affirmed the viability of yoga as a healing mechanism that can assist with terminal diseases, psychological issues, depression, anxiety, reducing blood pressure, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, fatigue, cholesterol, maintaining blood sugar levels, insomnia, increasing muscle strength and respiratory endurance, and the list goes on.
Some of these studies were chronicled in a Time Magazine article I stumbled upon “The Power of Yoga”:
- 2009 a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health studied a group of adolescent girls, some with bulimia and others with anorexia; one group had regular treatment, and the other treatment and regular yoga. The findings showed that the girls not in the yoga group were more likely to have symptoms return at the end of the treatment period.
- 1998 Dr. Ralph Schumacher at UPENN School of Medicine along with yoga instructor Marian Garfield published their findings on the study of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome in the Journal of American Medical Association basically summing up that ” a yoga regimen is more effective than wrist splinting or no treatment in relieving signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.”
- 1990 patients with heart disease were prescribed a vegetarian low fat diet and yoga regimen. At the completion of the study it was found that their cholesterol levels were about the same as if they had taken cholesterol lowering drugs. A follow up report was published in 1998 in the American Journal of Cardiology showing that 80% of the patients were able to avoid bypass by maintaining their prescribed lifestyle changes.
As much as the Western medical world tends to avoid prescription of yoga, for now the testimonies of regular practitioners continue to point to yoga as a viable option. Tonya Zavasta, one of my Anti-aging Sheroes has two titanium hips and through the regular practice of hot yoga and consumption of raw foods, she not only healed herself, she’s also more flexible than the average person with hip bones in tact.
Hot yoga has a long list of benefits, many of which perfectly compliment a raw or vegan lifestyle, because of course all true “yogis” are vegetarians and observe nonviolence and incorporate all five principles of yoga into their lifestyle including proper diet. Some of these benefits include:
- Release of built up bodily toxins. Yoga practice stimulates and promotes the drainage of our lymphatic system which carries the waste from cellular activities.
- Improvement of flexibility and range of motion.
- Increased weight loss and muscle toning. (One of the only workouts that makes me believe attaining Michelle Obama arms is possible.)
- Builds up the immune system and reduces the symptoms of chronic illness.
- Improves blood circulation.
- Promotes healing through relaxing and centering of the mind or mental chatter. As our heart beat slows, and we breathe at a slower rate, our blood pressure also drops, and the body literally goes into healing mode. Not to mention it’s also easier to be warriors in our daily lives when our minds aren’t going helter-skelter.
So why isn’t the use of yoga as a healing modality studied more or prescribed for that matter? There’s no money in it. At least not for the insurance companies or the pharmaceutical industry that usually profits from studies that confirm viable use of a range of medications. These days, it is up to us, the consumers, to take ownership of our health before we become a part of the machine that continues to feed the greed of capitalists who have no concern for America’s well being.
Last year I took on the regular practice of hot yoga in a big way, and then unfortunately I was in a car accident that led me to go through physical therapy pretty much the last half of the year. To my dismay, part of my prescription was absolutely no yoga, because it could aggravate the healing of my neck and back. With the help of ongoing pilates classes and physical therapy sessions, raindrop therapy sessions, and advice from holistic practitioners for natural alternatives to taking my prescribed blood thinning medications (ew), I am ecstatic to say that my back is finally healed! During that time I did visit my doctor, but when I mentioned some of the alternative therapies to him, I remember him actually chuckling to himself and saying some version of “Yea, whatever…” and then handing me a prescription for a high dose of pain killers. Thank heavens, I stuck to my guns and followed my instincts.
To celebrate, on New Years Day, I got down and got sweaty with two hours of Hot Yoga, and seriously felt like new money afterwards. For all of you that cringe at the thought of stretching in a sauna-like room, I feel you. I tried Bikram at one point and I used to want to run out of the room screaming. Bikram is however, an entirely different practice. It was founded in 1974 by Bikram Choudhury and classes incorporate specialized breath exercises. Hot yoga is practiced in a heated room, with the temperature set anywhere from 80-105 degrees. Some versions of hot yoga are practiced in the hatha style of yoga, my studio teaches the vinyasa flow style of yoga (my favorite) in a heated room. When I started to practice Hot Yoga, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the room was a little cooler and more manageable for me than Bikram. The temperature was hot enough to get a deeper stretch, but not so hot that you might hurl. Whether you choose to get down with the down dog in a hot room, in your bedroom, or in a quiet studio, the time is now. Everyone can benefit from a little asana in their lives and I hope you will find what works with you and get moving. Namaste. -XoXo Raw Girl
For more on the 5 Principles of Yoga, check out this previous post:
http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2010/05/19/5-principles-of-yoga-living-the-life-of-a-yoga-warrior/
5 Principles of Yoga: Living the Life of a Yoga Warrior
Beginning in February, to show myself some love, I started my 30 day Yoga Challenge, and practiced 1.5 hours of hot yoga three times a week for the month. Check out the post via the link below.
It was definitely a challenge, I was VERY sore for most of the month, but of course inspired, and to make a long story short by the time the challenge was over I was already hooked. I still go at least two times a week and LOVE how it makes me feel. My mind is clearer, moods are even more even kilter, and also I am more productive in general! So, no more challenges, now I am just living la vida yoga. I always thought of yoga as a way of life, and was committed to being a “yogi” in my own way, following a spiritual path. I started doing yoga almost everyday but fell of the wagon, got into raw foods to further purify my diet, and began regularly meditating. Not until recently has it all come together again that my diet, exercise, and meditation have aligned in regular practice. I’ve been falling off the meditation wagon lately, because things are getting busy, but it shows… it’s usually when we are the busiest that contacting stillness does a whole lot of good for us in our daily lives. So, I’m working on carving out time!
Below are the Five Principles of Yoga. They are so simply summed up, but at the end of the day it takes a long-term commitment and consistent effort in all of these areas to attain the goal of true self-realization. Good news is, living La Vida Raw definitely puts you in the game. – XoXo Raw Girl
Proper Breathing
Most of us go through life not really breathing. In fact a lot of people look like they are holding their breath. Breathing in yoga is deep abdominal breathing which supplies the body with a flood of oxygen, and brings air to the deepest part of the lungs. Yogic breathing or pranyama is a lesson to us on how to recharge our life force using just our breath, and also helps us to calm and control our minds.
Proper Relaxation
Our crazy, toxic, and hurried world, definitely lends itself to being stressed out. The sad thing is the majorities of people are stressed out ALL THE TIME, and have to be taught how to relax. When we try, sometimes we find our minds are racing and we cannot truly be at peace. All of the tension created from bad moods, worry, anger etc. can lead to lethargy, headaches, and even terminal illnesses. In yoga, when your body becomes completely relaxed, no energy is being dissipated. This state of relaxation revitalizes the nervous system and brings an overall feeling of “inner peace” which carries over into your daily activities and helps you easily relinquish worries and fears.
Proper Exercise
If you’ve ever practiced yoga, you should be able to attest to the fact that it differs from other physical exercises which focus on developing the body through mechanical movements. During yoga, because the body is completely relaxed, there is practically no energy consumed or expended. This means that the body has a chance to recharge on the spiritual, mental and physical level, which in turn leads to more vitality in our daily lives.
Proper Diet
The proper diet according to yogic principles is a vegetarian diet consisting of pure, simple, and natural foods which can be digested easily. This diet aligns one with the true purpose of eating, which is to supply the body with the cosmic energy “Prana” or life-force. Eating this highly alkaline diet and avoiding over stimulating and acidic foods like: meat, eggs, fish, coffee, refined sugar and carbohydrates, and free of alcohol and drugs, also assists the yogi in maintaining stellar health. An acidic environment in the body is the root of all disease, so adopting this alkaline diet, minimizes or virtually eliminates toxicity in the body and keeps one dis-ease and ailment-free.
Meditation
The gift of meditation allows us to easily see through the fog of problems and mental chatter that creates agitation and reactivity. The act of stilling the mind, which in this state has no thoughts or desires, we contact the true Source which is us, and where all answers lie. When the surface of a lake (the mind) is agitated by waves (thoughts) we can’t see the bottom clearly. But when the surface of a lake is still, we can see the bottom easily and all things become clear. Meditation shows us that we all have the inherent ability to contact this stillness, shut out thoughts, and control our minds.
Check out the previous post on my 30 Day Challenge:http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2010/02/14/raw-girls-30-day-warrior-challenge/
Need inspiration to get started? I was inspired by Tonya Zavasta, one of my anti-aging she-roes (who has fake titatium hips!) and healed herself with raw foods and hot yoga:
http://rawgirltoxicworld.com/2010/02/09/anti-aging-she-ro-5/
Update: Raw Girl’s 30 Day Challenge
7 Days left of my warrior challenge! The goal was to practice hot yoga for an hour and a half three times a week for a month. It really hasn’t been easy people. This past Friday the class was so hard, towards the middle, I wanted to get up like a drama queen and politely explain to the yoga teacher that I didn’t sign up for this level of intensity and slip out the door before she could protest. But I stayed in the room, and emerged sore as heck but triumphant. Last week was the first week that I felt my body was starting to adjust to the challenge of four and a half hours of hot yoga in a week, so I was able to stay active in other ways I am used to and go to my belly dance class and run.
As far as the benefits I have noticed thus far: my productivity has pretty much doubled, my moods are on an even more even kilter, and I can definitely say that practicing has helped in a huge way with detox. Then of course, there’s the added benefit of building strength. I may have Michelle Obama arms by the end of next week! This challenge has me feeling like a warrior in my daily activities, perhaps because anything seems possible after you twisted and stretched your body to the point of exhaustion. I may have to extend the challenge for another month. That is…if I can make it through this next week, one glorious asana at a time. Keeping hope alive. Will keep you posted when it’s all said and done.
– XoXo Raw Girl
Raw Girl’s 30 Day Warrior Challenge
So today was day one of my 30 Day Warrior Challenge. I have committed to practicing hot yoga, vinyasa flow style three times a week for the next month. About two years ago I practiced bikram yoga while living in Brooklyn and completed a thirty day challenge where I practiced every single day no breaks, no excuses. It was life transforming. Following that, I started to practice vinyasa at home in the mornings almost every day. Somewhere along the line a year later, I fell off the yoga wagon. This challenge is a way to get back on in a serious way. As I walked to class today the lazy voice in my head almost convinced me to take back my commitment but I left the class feeling energized, sweating bullets, and determined to keep going. I had forgotten how amazing yoga is for your mind and spirit, and how incredible it is that no matter how challenging the class, the practice never leaves you feeling tired or lethargic afterwards like regular workouts—you actually feel like a warrior. Really like you could take on the world. Your mind is clearer, your limbs are freer, and your mood is on an even kilter. How could you snap at someone over something insignificant if you just spent two hours aligning your body, mind, and spirit?
This challenge was inspired by Tonya Zavasta, who I highlighted in a recent post as one of my anti-aging she-roes. Tonya has two fake hips made of titanium and could have been disabled for life, but the combination of a raw food diet and hot yoga revitalized her. My sentiments were, if someone with two fake hips can practice like a warrior, can’t I? There are countless others who stress that these two practices are a perfect combination to facilitate overall well-being, while increasing youthfulness and of course toning the body. When you adopt a raw food diet, you begin eating very fresh pure foods, but your body still has a backlog of toxin accumulations. The inversions, stretching, and twisting in yoga help to purify the blood and flush toxins out. Thus, the two incorporated in your lifestyle together greatly enhance one another for long-term detoxification. I really enjoyed hot yoga a lot more than bikram. It was hot enough to allow the body to stretch deeper and to get a great sweat, but not so hot that you wanted to vomit, faint, or run out of the room—which sometimes happens with bikram.
I feel like somebody great somewhere said that on the other end of a challenge is a miracle waiting to happen. If no one said it, I’m taking credit for it! Over and over again, I have experienced that embracing challenges, and cultivating discipline always leads to some unforeseen success. One of my favorite artists, actress/playwright Anna Deveare Smith said in her book , Letters to a Young Artist, (an adapation of the Rilke version: Letters to a Young Poet) that discipline is a form of love. I loved the way she put it. You can think of having to show up everyday as a hassle or a blessing, but by committing to improve your health in any capacity whether through diet or exercise is making the choice to show yourself a little love. Well it’s Valentine’s Day, so I am loving the heck out of my fly self. Starting today.
Anybody out there up for the challenge? If so find a studio, make the commitment, and email berawnow@gmail.com, lets track our classes, and see what happens on the other end of these thirty days! I’m taking a Raw Girl vacay tomorrow Sunday and Monday, but will reemerge Tuesday with more fuel for your raw fire. – XoXo Raw Girl
Anti-Aging SHE-RO #2
They say “black don’t crack,” so Christy Turlington has a lot of explaining to do. Of course she is a supermodel, but she is still managing to age with grace and still make the hottest new models look like amateurs. It must be all that yoga. Whatever it is, I am definitely taking notes.
In a TIME Magazine article in 2001, Turlington said that she practices at home three mornings a week, and tries to take at least two classes a week. As far as the benefits of yoga, she says: “I was interested in cleaning my body on a deeper level. Yoga really purifies your organs and blood. You feel that. You feel that circulation of energy. But the real lesson yoga gives you is learning how to be present.