A deeper connection...

It’s been several months since I have last posted. Life’s adventures has brought many trips and lots of commitments. Nonetheless, yoga remains an internal constant for me. Since my last post we have traveled back to the U.S., Fiji and Australia.

Living in a small, remote town in the jungle has provided a unique lifestyle. Part of that lifestyle is a constant quietness and calmness. Don’t get me wrong I am very busy, at my own doing, and there are some pretty loud, large heavy machinery at times but here there isn’t the chaos of traffic, angry drivers, drive-throughs, street lights, shopping malls etc. so when I returned to Denver the chaos and bustle of Western life was truly overwhelming. A funny moment was when we got our rental car and my hubby was driving on the highway after a year of driving on the opposite side of the car and street at max speed of 25 mph. He was freaking out a little trying to keep up with the determined drivers at 65 mph, it was cute and funny. That panicky feeling never completely resolved especially for me as I had to re-attain my driving abilities after a year of not driving at all!! And man there are a lot of cars and everyday run-ins with people who don’t have any patience – always in a hurry.

My visit back to the Western world made me realize how important my yoga practice is. Our two month visit was so overscheduled and exhausting that I didn’t get to practice my physical yoga as much as I would’ve preferred but my mental/internal yoga became very important. My practice of breathing and reflection was immensely heightened. I just felt blissfully happy, all of the time!! A very fulfilling experience. My sound mind and body connected like never before. (However, I must admit, I do appreciate the calmness of the little jungle town a little bit more now.)

We so totally enjoyed our trip back to the States, overindulged on food and spirits, played hard, and the kiddos had an amazing time with their cousins and Grandparents. There really is no place like home.

After returning back to Indonesia, just 8 weeks or so later we were out again. This time headed to Fiji. I have experienced some amazing countries and cultures but Fiji has the most beautiful people and culture (despite a history of cannibalism). This trip I was able to practice some physical yoga. I mostly tried yoga underwater while snorkeling in the bright, clear, gorgeous ocean. With fish and coral as my surroundings the poses we fun, easy and hard all at the same time as my buoyancy brought me to the surface. It was comical as my husband watched and joined in while our kiddos played on the white sandy beach. A great experience – it was a refreshing twist to my yoga practice. My yoga practice on the beach was unique as well as the wind whirled around me as my toes sank into the sand in Dancer pose. Fiji was a refreshing experience for me with my yoga.   

My commitments in our little town massively collided upon returning and I had a few moments of feeling like I was going to lose it but my new found level of connecting my mind and body with breath and reflection have helped calm and re-center me.

As I am typing this I am thousands of feet in the air headed to Australia for a long weekend. Mike and I have a few agenda items to achieve 1) attaining our scuba certification and 2) buying Christmas presents and groceries that are not available where we live. I hope to try some yoga again underwater this time with controllable buoyancy. To be continued….    

And now I am back in our quiet home in the jungle already two weeks after writing the first part of this post and, again, I am so thankful for yoga in my life. My breathing has become even more important as I was faced with a respirator in my mouth surrounded by water I cannot breathe in and drown from. It was a moment where I was forced but easily calmed down, something I learned from yoga. A moment that reinforced my mind and body connection.

Yoga isn’t just about physical practice, it’s more than that. I am so thankful to have deepened my practice and look forward to continuing that connection!   

Not on my head!!...

So my last blog was about how yoga can be challenging (as it supposed to be). It beautifully pushes our limits and makes us better for it! I have been thinking lately how I can continue to push my limits in life and my yoga practice and the obvious for my practice is headstands and inversions. Both of which I am not very good at but if we aren't learning we cease to exist, right?

I have decided to start with headstands. I have taken a few classes on headstands and inversions but it's been awhile. My little Hannah is a gymnast and handstands and headstands are her forte along with anything that involves jumping and flailing around -- she is constantly flipping over the couch. She has offered to help teach me. I have also asked my dear friend who teaches yoga as well and loves inversions.

I am excited to venture into this new challenge with an open mind and open heart. Additionally excited about deepening my friendship and family time! (Mason is even getting in on the headstands).

 

 Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!

I have got to be honest with you...

     I have to be honest, yoga can be intimidating (no surprise, I am sure to most of you!)! It's impossible to walk into a yoga class and not size up the other students; comparing oneself to other students and/or the teacher (just as we do in everyday life events). It can be very deflating and there is usually one student that modifies a pose by doing something really super hard and I can feel the mood change with the rest of the class including from me when I am taking a class. It's these moments that I admit to my students that I am not perfect at yoga and I am honest with them about the poses that are hard for me or took me forever to get. We're all human and nobody is perfect. For example, Crane pose...

     Crane (or Crow, as I call it) is considered to be an "entry-level" pose and it looks easy but it takes A LOT of time to master and, I admit, took me years and still struggle at times. When I am teaching and get to Crane in the flow my students either laugh, get nervous or excited. As my classes are pretty consistent the growth I have seen in my students is remarkable. I had a student (and friend) finally achieve Crane and she was on cloud nine! That is the beauty of yoga, it's always an experience of self-growth. If you are honest and patient with yourself you can build up to any pose by setting aside fear, doubt or comparing yourself to others because they had to start somewhere as well, right? They too walked into a studio for the first and I am sure they have had or felt those moments of unrest. But the best and most exciting moment is when you finally get that pose! The hard work and time pays off as well as your dedication and confidence. I like the old saying "practice makes perfect" and with yoga you not only get to do something fun but something good for the inner and outer you!


 Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!


    

Healthier, happier, more resiliant children (Flynn, 2013)...

A beautiful friend of mine asked me to help his child build the child's core strength as per recommendations from an Occupational Therapist. I was more than happy to say "absolutely" and very honored. I can't share yoga enough!! It's my love and passion and to be able to help people is a true blessing.

I purchased a book about a month ago titled Yoga for Children by Lisa Flynn, E-RYT, RCYT. The book is beautifully written and has a wealth of knowledge. The thing I like best is the constant reminder that parents can do yoga with their children and they don't have to be yoga teachers and that doing yoga together as parent and child or as a family strengthens the power of the family unit (p. 27).

I wanted to share some key things from the book that illustrate the importance yoga and how it plays a role in our child's health, happiness and resilience in this crazy busy world:

1. Research on the neuroscience of child development from the National Scientific Council of the Developing Child highlights how excessive stress damages children's developing brain architecture. It leaves them vulnerable to lifelong problems in learning, behavior, and overall health. Evidence is accumulating that yoga and mindfulness practice is one effective way to promote healthy brain development and function, and to foster stress resilience (visit www.yoga4classrooms.com to learn more) (p. 23).
2. Yoga facilitates all kinds of movement, including cross-lateral movement, which is crucial for learning. Cross-lateral movements are those in which arms and legs cross over the midline of the body. The left side of the brain controls the right side and the right side controls the left side. When arms and legs cross the body's midline, both sides are forced to communicate. This integration of both sides of the brain enhances learning. (p. 25).
3. Modern Children -- and adults -- face daily stresses on the mind and body. Problems include an inability to regulate emotions, overeating or mindless eating, decreased ability to use one's imagination, negative body image, lack of compassion, empathy, and respect for the self and others. If you and your child feel overwhelmed, engaging in a yoga routine is a great way to combat the detrimental effects of overscheduling and disconnection (p. 21).

The book provides many breathing exercises and yoga poses that are easy and fun (a must read).

It's wonderful to see (in words) how yoga can be so beneficial. I feel it everyday and see it's affect on my students (especially right after a practice -- one of my favorite moments in teaching). I am blessed and honored to share such an amazing tool and looking forward to sharing it with one more child (and hopefully you can to)!

Below a pic of Hannah when we were doing yoga together in Indonesia  

Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!

Thailand: Cleansing, the man and his mat and Big Buddha...

After a missed chopper, long bus ride, three uneventful flights and a one hour van ride later we arrived in Phuket, Thailand. What an amazing and beautiful place!! Of all the countries, cities and towns that we have experienced, Phuket, Thailand has the sweetest and most welcoming people. When we landed I immediately felt its positive and lively essence. I knew right away this was going to be an amazing adventure.

The religion of Thailand brings out much of its character -- Buddhism. Buddhism is the prevailing religion of Thailand.  Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a religion that helps us to find the happiness and contentment we seek. Buddhists develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom through their daily practice; and then share their experience with others bringing real benefit to this world. They try not to harm others and to live peacefully and gently, working towards the ultimate goal of pure and lasting happiness for all living beings (http://www.aboutbuddhism.org/). About 95 percent of all Thais are Buddhist, and the country has approximately 18,000 Buddhist temples and 140,000 Buddhist priests. Nearly all Buddhist men in Thailand enter a Wat (monastery) for at least a few days or months. Muslims, the majority of whom live in the area just north of Malaysia, constitute approximately 4 percent of the population, and the country also has some small Christian and Hindu communities (http://www.phuket.com/island/populat.htm). With all that being said I was in a place of peace, love, beauty and acceptance!

We spent the first day acclimating from or long travels and relaxed but the next day was the Thai New Year, where the Thai people celebrate the Songkran Festival (aka the water festival). The Songkran Festival is about cleaning, purification, and fresh starts. Houses are cleaned, Buddha statues are gently washed with scented water, and elders are honored by pouring water respectfully over their hands. Although the origins of Songkran are far more religious, splashing complete strangers with water has become the main attraction of the festival. Dousing or sprinkling people with water signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions, and brings them good luck in the new year (http://goasia.about.com/od/Events-and-Holidays/a/Thailand-Water-Festival.htm). We were armed with water guns, buckets, friends and new acquaintances. I have never had so much fun in my entire life. Witnessing the smiles on my hubby's, kiddos' and friend's faces was fabulous! They were having a blast. The energy was remarkable! Never have I felt so free, accepted and unrestrained. The water festival is known to be the largest water fight in the world and yes, we were right in the thick of it!!

Over the days we got to experience more sights and sounds of Phuket -- the ocean, the beautiful sunsets, beaches, people, nightclubs, elephants and boat rides but there were three experiences that resonated loudly with me as a yogini: getting back on the mat as a student, the man and his mat and Big Buddha.

Getting back on the mat as a student is very, very important. One cannot grow without learning! So back on the mat I was, learning in Thailand. The best part was that the class was small, simple and comprised of the Sun Salutation with additional basic deepening poses (some of which I have never done before) and it was just what I needed to get back to being grounded, aligned, educated and rejuvenated.

On our way to town one day we walked along the beach and there I spied a man on his mat (see below). He was quietly meditating amongst the busyness of the locals, tourists and the crashing ocean. He sat there settled in his breath and was uninterrupted by the happenings around him. He was there; just him and his mat. It was such a moment of revelation for me! This man, just like many of us, was surrounded by noise, chaos, strangers and crashing waves but yet he was calm. It was a humbling moment. He represented so much with such a little gesture. I yearn to represent such collectiveness in a world of such disarray.

The last experience was getting to see Big Buddha (see below). About 10 years ago a group of friends were walking through the forest in the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata when they stumbled upon a place with stunning vistas of both sides of the island – Chalong Bay lay in one direction while on the other they looked down over Kata and the Andaman Sea. It would, they thought, make a perfect place for a viewpoint – something that could become as well known as Phuket’s favourite sunset viewpoint, at Laem Phromthep. As time went on, and as the friends discussed it again and again, the idea evolved. The place in the hills, they soon agreed, would be perfect not just as a viewpoint, but as the site for something much more ambitious and, to Buddhists at least, much more significant: a giant image of the Lord Buddha (http://www.phuket.com/magazine/big-buddha.htm). The Big Budda is built from white tiles that are hand inscribed with prayers, beliefs and hopes from donors. It is massive. However, it is the prayer bells (see below) that chime all throughout the walk up and around Big Buddha that were most memorable and powerful. They too are hand inscribed and were everywhere! Their life and aspirations spoke with each chime bringing me to tears! So we inscribed our own and there it chimes in the winds of Phuket! Such a blessing and a trip of a lifetime for this yogini!

Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!

 

  

To be a child again...

In this crazy, fast-paced world it's hard to catch up or even catch your breath. Oh to be a child again without stress, worry or pressure! That's why I am a huge fan of Child's Pose (Balasana).

(picture taken during my evening class- Indonesia)

 

It's my go-to pose! It brings me close to the earth away from the busy, away from stress and allows me to realign and center myself. I really use and express this pose with my young students from the international school. I think teaching them to have a go-to pose or place that is safe and calming is an important tool to have. I also stress that it can be done pretty much anytime or place and is a handy tool to utilize throughout all of life. It's not complicated and very easy to accomplish. (Some people with knee injuries can tuck a towel between their knees and thighs or kneel on a towel for added cushion.)

 

It is also a restorative pose:

 

re·stor·a·tive

riˈstôrətiv/

adjective

adjective: restorative

1.

having the ability to restore health, strength, or a feeling of well-being.

"the restorative power of long walks" (google.com)

 

A tool that restores health, strength or a feeling of well-being, heck ya, I am totally in!! It's a great go-to! I also use this pose to aid tummy aches, backaches and stress (obviously) but the biggest one for me is inner-reflection. While in this pose I imagine myself giving into me -- acknowledging and appreciating my own power, uniqueness, strength and humility! Sometimes we don't get enough appreciation and/or forgiveness. With eyes closed, arms up cuddling my ears all I can hear is my own breath. It is very powerful!

 

From Yoga Journal (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475), here is a step-by-step on how to execute this fabulous restorative pose:

 

(bah-LAHS-anna)

bala = child

Step by Step

Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.

Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.

Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back. (In the beginning of my yoga flow class we start with our arms reaching forward, palms down on the mat and shoulders reaching back)

Balasana is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Beginners can also use Balasana to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.

I hope you find this amazing tool useful and enjoy the power in its restoration of health, strength and well-being!

 

 

Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!

 

To India...

I received an email from a lovely lady in India about living in Tembagapura. The email however didn't allow her email address to be shown so I am going to respond here:

Well hello to you in India! Happy to see your email. I do still live in Tembagapura. The culture is very dynamic. There is a very small group of expatriates compared to the overall number of residents but we never see the majority as most of them live in a place called Ridge Camp, where they have everything they need. There is plenty to do as an Ibu (Ibu means wife, mother in Bahasa Indonesia). For example, volunteering at the local schools and/or village, there is a quilting group, a group gets together to play cards, you can take yoga, workout or go to Zumba/aerobics and the social life is very busy. It is what you make it and can get very busy.

The majority of the residents are Muslim and we have two beautiful mosques here, if that serves your needs? Everyone here is super friendly! It’s so nice to have people wave as they drive by etc. The housing is decent and the housing comes furnished. Not sure if you have kids but the school is pretty decent and the children are awesome and from all over, which is neat. There is also a play group for the moms with little ones.

The shopping can get a bit tricky and frustrating at times. It is very expensive (compared to where we used to live) and things like clothing, shoes etc need to be purchased online or picked up while traveling.

I really do like it here and happy we made the decision to move here. Like I said it can be frustrating at times but that happens every where.

 

Let me know if you have more questions!

   

Thank you!

Kristen 

 

The balancing act...

Life is a giant balancing act and that is why I love balancing poses! Just as in life some days we balance better than others and we can always learn from that. Balancing poses not only increase our balance but also push limits. While in a balancing pose we are totally focused; focused on keeping the balance! Which I try to implement into the balancing act of my life.

Take Natarajasana (Dancer or Lord of the Dance Pose -- shown below). It is not an easy pose for a beginner to master and even a master can struggle with it. Dancer (as I commonly refer to it) is an awesome pose. It can be executed differently with arm placement, gaze and chest placement but just like life it's different for all of us. However, the execution of balancing poses that is a must, a constant is rooting the foot of your standing leg into the ground (or your mat) -- keeping your feet on the ground is a must in life! Another is keeping your standing leg straight and strong, again, in life we have to be strong to tackle the things that try to throw us off balance.

The last aspect of balancing poses that I love is the confidence. Those days that we master a balancing pose we instantly feel amazing! Our confidence soars! We are pushed to our limits and we conquer them! It's those moments in my classes when everyone is harmoniously balancing together I get all giddy and get goose bumps at such success. Oh I love that!!

Our balance will not always be symphonic and the days that our balance isn't perfect know there is always tomorrow -- a new, fresh day with love, light and potential!

Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!

Oh meditation! Anytime, any place...

Having a bad day? Stressed out? Frustrated? Tired? Obsessing about an event or what someone said? Digging up bones (not literally! (as I hum Randy Travis' song Diggin' Up Bones)? Well my friends welcome to being human! We have this amazing, powerful, overactive, super-organ called the brain!! And at times it can drive us crazy!!

Anymore these days we deal with so many stressers from so many angles it's downright exhausting! So I am going to talk to you about meditation. I know! I know! You are saying to yourself "meditation? Ha! I don't have time or a quiet space to meditate!". I know where you are coming from because I used to feel the same way. But I am going to share some stories/tools with you on how you can successfully meditate anytime and place!

Meditation: Visualization

Story/tool #1: I dislike flying (and that is putting it nicely). So to quiet my overactive, freaked out super-organ, I plug in some earphones and mentally power up my "memory slide show". As my music of choice is playing and my eyes are softly closed, I imagine pressing play. As my happy memories pop up I enjoy the feelings they gave me and mentally swipe to the next happy moment in my life. I do this over and over and voilà, I have quieted the super-organ and now I am calm and my hyped-up brain activity has cooled down.

(Note: I like to apply #1 to situations like prior to taking a test, before going into a big meeting and while flying etc.)

Story/tool #2: One day before leaving for a trip to Australia (where we were going to be on a cruise for eight days) we were sitting at the dinner table and my son says "let's pray". Praying is something we don't normally do at the dinner table but hey, I can't say no to that. So we prayed and then each of us took turns thanking God for the things he has given us. My daughter stated her thanks and then says "and God please don't let the plane crash and the boat sink! Amen". And there it was, her fears laid out on the table! Poor thing! Well fast forward and we're on the plane and she is freaked! So I proceeded with guided visualization meditation. I asked her to randomly pick something or someone and she picked a princess. So a princess was our theme. I had her close her eyes and breathe slowly and calmly then we took the princess on an adventure as I described:

The beautiful princess walked outside her castle to an amazing glowing sun rising over the lush green mountain hillside. She stepped out onto the rocky road and it crunched beneath her feet. She continued walking and the sun was right in her eyes so she covered her eyes as she walked until she stumbled into something, a tall white horse. "Oops" she says "I am sorry". The horse looked down and said "come on let's go". The princess was stunned a talking horse? But she climbed onto the leather saddle, she grabbed the reigns and off they went...

 

Plane? What plane? My daughter and I were enthralled with the adventure that the princess took with her valiant steed! We have carried this mediation from the plane and now apply it to whenever she is upset about something and, I must say, we've had some pretty great journeys!

 

I recently had a friend express that her son has a fear of flying as well. I shared with her the guided meditation of visualization and a week or so later she told me how on their flight he began to get nervous and she had him imagine playing in the pool at the hotel that they were going to and it worked!! AWESOME!   

Meditation: Actualization

Story/tool #3: There were days when I got into my car from a long day of work and I'd recount each conversation and event over and over why did I say that?, why did she say that? why can't it be easier or different? the meeting was a disaster.... on and on. Thank you, super-organ! Now please, please be quiet! As I am driving, I just want to curl my legs up, relax my hands, close my eyes and breathe. Ya, that's so not happening in the car! UGH! What to do? For some reason cranking the music never works for me in these situations as it just adds more chaos to the cluster in my head. So a wonderful lady taught me the beauty of actualization. Actualization = to make actual, realize (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actualize). This meditation is very, very simple. All you need to do is observe and realize your surroundings and state them. For example, if there was a car in front of me I would state in my head or out loud "car" or "red car". Sounds silly but as I continually make observations "green sign", "overpass", "lake"... I have diverted my super-organ to a less destructive process. Now the trick to this is to not associate a feeling to the statements. Make them as neutral as possible.

Mediation: Just Breathe!

Story/tool #4: So the easiest thing we can do to calm ourselves and our brain is to breathe. A great article states:

controlling breathing in this way triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to come online and counter our sympathetic nervous system’s fight or flight response to daily stresses. In effect, the relaxation response is the anti-fight or flight response. Subsequent research has backed up and expanded Benson’s argument (http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2013/05/14/breathing-and-your-brain-five-reasons-to-grab-the-controls/)



So in a pinch, in a loud chaotic room, in a meeting, on a plane, in a car, or when you can't sleep just breathe and your nervous system will respond! Ah thank you, super-organ!

Meditation doesn't have to be done sitting in a quiet room with no noise and legs folded perfectly with an empty mind -- that is not an achievable reality for many and those who can have practiced and practiced (good for them!) but you can enjoy your memory slide shows, fun adventures, actualizations and beautiful breaths!

Good luck!!

Travel . Fitness . Yoga -- enjoy yours!

The beginning...

Movement has always been a part of my life. When I say movement I mean dance and expression through movement of the body. I was a trained dancer and loved how I could express and release myself through dance. Over time my life calling turned from dancer to mother -- a full-time working mom of two little ones. My direction and focus changed and there was little to no "expression" until yoga. Yoga became this amazing drug that fed my inner desire for breath and life through a new found movement of the body. I no longer needed the stage, the lights and music, I found myself in my own light and music and my mat was my stage! It has been a amazing! Over the years yoga has become a constant through practice and meditation for me and my family. The moments of my little kiddos meditating through breath before bed and my hubby rolling around in Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose) make me smile.

Our little suburban life turned from ordinary to extraordinary in June of 2013 when we moved from Colorado to a little town in Indonesia. Upon leaving for Indonesia I quit my job and took the time to be officially certified as a yoga instructor. The intensive was true to it's name -- intense! It was a beautiful week of self-growth and discovery. A week I will never forget. Not very long after we all boarded a plane and headed to Indonesia.

It has almost been a year and it has been a momentous adventure. I have taught close to 100 yoga classes that have involved students from places like Chile, South Africa, Australia, Mongolia, Canada and Indonesia. I have been able to experience yoga in magical places touched by ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples and been in earshot of the famous Sydney Opera House while Vinyasa-flowing on my "stage".

Throughout this yoga adventure I have learned so much. The need to share has prompted this blog. From travel to food to poses to purpose I hope to share this blessing in hopes that someone might benefit from this magic I call yoga!


My kiddos, Hannah and Mason, meditating before bed (2010)...