Say CHEESE!

Eat this not that, my journey of eating less cheese…

Okay folks, here’s the deal. I have always loved my cheese. Too rich? Nahhhh…cheese is tasty and delightful! So go on, give me that tasty saganaki, pizza, plus cannoli for dessert. You only live once, right?

Well. Needless to say the cheese started to catch up with me. While I eat fairly heathy overall, I definitely have my guilty pleasures. Cheese is one of them. So I set out to find replacements for my beloved cheese. First I tried mustard. I put mustard on everything in an effort to use less cheese. While this was by default a pretty good plan, mustard can get kinda old sorta quick. After a few spins around on various replacements, I found basil.

Basil and I have a nutritional love affair, to be sure. Basil on margarita pizza, what could be better? You can put basil on almost anything and perk that flavor right up. Slowly I started holding back on how much cheese I would use and add more basil. Not that dried crap you get at the grocery store, either. I’m talking real basil leaves harvested from my trusty basil plant. It is the only plant I’ve managed not to kill as I don’t exactly have a green thumb. I found mine at a local farm and it provides an endless supply of basil.

Over time, I started to find that cheese became more of a background flavor than the entree. Over the months, I found myself using less and less cheese until one day, I simply skipped it. Nowadays I rarely have cheese.

These kinds of habits, as illustrated by one of my favorite go to books “Eat This, Not That” is one way you can escort fattening foods out of your diet. This trusty book authored by by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding is a dietary must have. If you like what you like, but seek replacements, give this book a try. Soon you’ll see you dietary habits, and your body begin to change. Meanwhile, hold the cheese!

Just Say No to Yoga Porn?

Ok folks, let’s talk shop. Like most of you, I begin my day with my inbox full of newsletters, articles and other interesting news. This morning, I woke up to what I consider to be an exceptional article about…YOGA PORN! Wow. That got a second look. I receive many articles, but this one definitely got my attention.

Let me be clear, in the article it addresses yoga as a sacred spiritual path. While it most certainly can be, yoga can be many things. I feel it is up to the practitioner to decide the purpose of their yoga practice.

That being said…weigh in! What do you think about those sexy pictures of women doing yoga on a tropical island? We want to know!!! Be a friend and refrain from charged comments and let’s keep this at a “chatting with a friend over tea” kind of tone. So tell me, Yoga Porn or NO? Take the two second survey now!

Take the survey!!

Want to read the original article sent by Elephant Journal, Via Melinda Lane…Read it now!

Ohhh, My Achy Back!

Do you have an achy back? Have you already done the do-see-do with your medical team and got the all clear? Maybe the culprit is tight hips!

Many peeps come to the studio with stories of how their backs are stiff and tight, but their doctor hasn’t found anything wrong. To this, I ask them one question….What do you do for a living?

The most common reply…Sit at a desk all day.

Okay, folks. I’m not a doctor, nor am I authorized to give out any medical advice. That being said, let me share some of the stories from students I have.

Sally came to the studio with complaints of a stiff lower back. She also said she sits at a desk all day and has a two-hour daily commute to and from work. Here’s what she did. Sally came to Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Flow for three months, faithfully twice a week. After three months, I reconnected with her and learned that her back was feeling great and she didn’t suffer from back tension anymore. So what changed? Her Psoas muscles!

Hip Flexors are a hidden source of low back tension. They are located at the front of the hips and are meant to shorten and lengthen to accommodate the movements of the spine. When these muscles are shortened by sitting too often, it makes it difficult for them to lengthen, which allows for full mobility of the spine. The solution? Lengthen them!

Now here’s the skinny. They didn’t shorten overnight, and they are not going to lengthen overnight. Like all great things, it takes time. By implementing a regular practice, Sally was able to stretch her psoas muscles through isotonic and isometric exercises. Isotonic movements are dynamic movements found in Vinyasa Flow and isometric are movements held longer in Hatha Yoga. By giving her body a chance to extend and flex through her practice, her body started working for her, instead of against her. You see, with shortened hip flexors, a game of tug of war ensues with the back. This can be witnessed by sitting for a long time and upon standing, reaching for the low back for that familiar tightness most of us know all too well.

So if you have the all clear from your Doc and are ready to help your body feel better…take the Pepsi challenge! Implement a yoga practice into your routine and see how you feel after a few months. What do you have to lose?

As with any exercise routine, please get clearance from your physician.

Michelle Rae Sobi is certified by the American Council on Exercise and offers teacher training for Pilates I, Pilates II and Yoga I. Want to get to know your body more? Join us and learn about the body from the inside out. She is also an RYT 500, RYS 200, PRYS and RYS 500.

Lean In to Learn

Ok…I’ll admit it. I’m a master at calling the ending of a movie. It’s become a sport, of sorts. Since there is nothing better than a good puzzle, I would approach watching a movie pretty much the same way I approach everything else, with curiosity. Over the years, I’ve successfully called the endings of many movies, much to my satisfaction.

Then I realized that this tendency to anticipate what’s next was causing me to miss the experience of simply watching the movie. It was time to take a closer look at this. Here is what I found…

Declaring “I KNEW IT” feels good! But why? What about jumping to the conclusion of the storyline feels so good? One word comes to mind. Ego. Yes, ego. There is just about nothin’ better than looking over at your movie mate with that suggestive nod to imply…I told you so.

Hmmm….

That observation prompted me to take a deeper look at this behavior. Do I do this with other things? Do I jump to conclusions when someone is telling me a story? Am I present while someone is talking or am I waiting my turn to jump to conclude their ending?

Needless to say, I suspect it’s that latter. Sure, my heart is in the right place as I follow along with someone’s story, waiting for that moment where I can say “I get it” and instantly establish that connection. At face value, this seems to be okay, but I can’t help but wonder how many conversations I have had that I wasn’t really present for. Countless, I would guess.

Making a connection with another person is at the root of our human desires. We all want to find our people. What better way than to declare “I know exactly what you mean”. But here’s the trouble, the idea is to be present while somebody is talking. Really lean in. Often times, people are introducing an idea through a story and the point can only be revealed by listening to what they have to say. No jumping to conclusions, no finishing someone’s sentence, but truly lean in to learn. We can only truly learn about other’s ideas when we are fully present through listening.

Many studies have been conducted about the brain’s ability to multitask. Turns out, we can’t. So here is the fundamental problem. Every moment we reel about what the person is about to say, we miss the words they are saying. I believe this is the reason two people can recant two completely stories that shared an identical experience. Each views it through their own filters. These filters cast the lighting on our experience and we all have them. This can be tough to swallow, I know. But ask yourself this, do I want to connect with others on a deeper, more authentic level or am I content having it appear that way? In order to really connect, we must allow others to finish their sentence before assessing it. Once we realize we have been experiencing life through filters, the easier it is to shed them. A deeper connection awaits with others through really hearing them out.

So I offer you this challenge. Next time you’re at a movie and you’re just dying to lean over to your movie mate and say…I’ll tell you the ending, don’t. Recline back, watch the movie and let the screenwriter finish their sentence. You might be surprised what you learn.

Why I Started a Book Club

Ask yourself this. How many times have you wondered if you were having deja vu? You find yourself thinking the same thoughts. Doing the same things. Having the same results. Over and over again.

At some point, it’s time to gaze inward and ask yourself….do I want to change? I know, it’s scary. That’s okay. Scary can be good. In many ways, I feel scary is better than negative certainty. Negative certainly is when we move into the same behaviors as we always have, even though we know negative outcomes await us.

How do we stop the cycle? Make a shift. One small but easy to attain shift and stick with it. Success feels good and through change, we can overcome the hurdles that have held us back, year after year.

Here’s the good news, there’s an abundance of people just like you who also want things to be different, but aren’t excited about change. Understand this, you must travel the rainbow to arrive at the gold. Nobody can bring it to you. You must set time aside to pay attention to your desires. Create a space for it. These are the action steps of manifestation. In order to manifest a better life, we need to bring ourselves there. We talked quite a bit about this in our last book, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Our next book, Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown begins to reveal how we go from creating a space to digging into what we really want. What does your truest self really want? To fit in? To be unique? To lose the weight? To have happier relationships?

How long has it been since you’ve thought about it? The good news is, most people need to take some steps to figure out what they really want. To paraphrase Brene in her book, my summation is that you have to know who you really are. If you’re willing to walk through that door of discovery, what you really want can be relieved.

Now I’m not going to lie. It’s a process. That which takes years to develop cannot be changed overnight. The trick is to find a process that you enjoy and slowly allow your truth to unfold.

Is this for you? I can’t be sure. You’d have to put one foot in front of the other and move through it to know. If it’s not for you, or now is not the time, no worries. But if you’re like most people, there are some issues that yearn for reconciliation. A feeling within us that drives us to repeat the same behaviors over and over again. And by extension, the same ole results. That is why I started a book club. I aim to hold a space for growth. I hope you’ll join me.

So if you’re ready, I’ll be there to walk alongside you in your journey. If you’re not, that’s okay too. I’ll be here when you are.

Our next meeting is October 13th, 6-8pm. Join us. The club is free, but registration is required. Questions? Email Michelle@PowerEdgeYoga.com

Wanna Get Away? Retreat with Us!

Are you ready to get away from all the stress? Join us for this weekend retreat at The Abbey Resorts! We will offer yoga all weekend long, vision board, Ayurveda and meditation workshops! You won’t want to miss this. Lodging not included. You may choose to stay at the Abbey or at the many lodges in the area. All levels are welcome to attend.
Tuition: $289
Dates: May 5 & 6th
Where: Abbey Resorts, Lake Geneva

10 Classes for $99

Did you know Power Edge Yoga offers Yoga, Barre, Pilates, Prenatal and Kids Yoga? Come check out the many classes we offer to fit your schedule and your budget! Ten classes are only $99, good for six month and can be shared with a friend. Join us!