Losing Weight - Check in #1

So last Wednesday, I put on my white camo pants and they were not only tight in the thigh, but I had a hard time buttoning them. Needless to say, I had a bit of a freakout.

These pants have been snug from time to time, but I've never had a hard time zipping them up. I remember very clearly in grad school, Amy, one of my classmates noticing that I'd lost weight. I was wearing my white camos and she pointed out how loose they were on me. I really didn't know since I don't weight myself regularly. However I was showing my bare ass in my thesis performance and wearing a unitard in John Jasperse concert, so I was going to the gym at least 4 times a week. I was also very active. Walking and biking most places, and rarely driving my car.

Before I left CA last year, I sold my car. And now in NY I walk a ton. However, it's not really exercise. Therefore I decided yesterday that I need to change some of my habits. I am not a big fan of the term 'diet' when referring to losing weight, but I will be eating smarter and exercising in some way EVERY day.

Each Monday I will post my food and exercise journal for the previous week, with a photo of me in my white camo pants.

Off we go!

Thursday 1/31
Breakfast: half English muffin, 1 egg white, 1 tsp. black bean spread, 1 cup fruit, black tea w/ a drop of soy milk
Lunch: bowtie pasta w/ chunky tomato sauce with pesto tofu all atop romaine, carrots & cauliflower. No extra dressing.
Dinner: Broiled salmon with roasted parsnips, brussels sprouts & greens
Extras: 1 glass red wine with clients
Water: 16 oz.
Exercise: brisk walk in the windy cold - ~1.5 miles

Friday 2/1
Breakfast: two small corn tortillas, 2 egg whites, 1 T black bean spread, 1 cup fruit, black tea w/ soy milk

Lunch: Open faced roasted veggie sandwich, apple

Dinner: Broiled black sea bass, roasted carrots & greens, small veal cheek agnolotti, arugula salad with vinaigrette, 2 pieces beef dim sum, 1 piece veggie summer roll, small beef tartar crostini
Water: 30 oz.

Exercise: brisk walk in the cold - ~ 1 mile

Saturday 2/2

Breakfast: Steelcut oats with nonfat plain yogurt and a 2 tsp of maple syrup, coffee with soy milk

Lunch: Broiled salmon with roasted parsnips, brussels sprouts & greens

Dinner: Root veggie wellington, 4 large shrimp with pasta
Water: 24 oz. water, 1 glass Prosecco

Exercise: 1 hour yoga, 1/2 mile walk in the snow

Sunday 2/3

Breakfast: Steelcut oats with nonfat plain yogurt and a 2 tsp of maple syrup

Lunch: bowtie pasta w/ chunky tomato sauce with pesto tofu all atop romaine. No extra dressing.
Dinner: 3 small carrots with black bean spread, apple, cup of homemade beef & barley soup

Water: 16 oz

Exercise: stretch, 10 full push ups, 25 full sit ups

Thursday is GRATITUDE day!

If you have not noticed, this is my THIRD blog post this week! Enough of the procrastination and it's time to get stuff done. As I drink my tea, I'm reflecting on the week and all of the things that I am hugely grateful for. Here's just a few:

1. lowfat foods and cooking skillz. As I truly start watching what I eat today in order to lose weight, I'm glad I can make smart choices when it comes to my diet.
2. potential business. I currently have 3 potential wedding couples and a little more excitement around The Zen Bride workshop
3. a group of fine ladies joining me on my No New Plastics challenge starting tomorrow. As of now, there are 5 of us - me in NY and 4 in Atlanta that will bring no new plastic products or containers into our homes for the month of February. Wanna join? Let me know. Either way, we will be using the blog to share our successes and challenges.
4. Warmer temperatures. Yeah, it's only a day or two, but the sun is shining and I have my windows open. I even didn't mind getting wet in the middle of the night when the wind changed course and blew the rain on to my bed!
5. Working with strong people. While I see the light at the end of the tunnel for my catering days, this week I worked with some of the best of the best. And gosh, it really makes a difference.

Any gratitudes you care to share this week? Please do so in the comment section below.

The Chakras Explained - THROAT

As we travel up the spine, we head out of the more physical chakras and into the more spiritual ones. Number 5 and I have a love/hate relationship. One of my grad school professors once told me that as a Taurus, I would have troubles with my throat. And I always have. I lost my voice often during rehearsals when I was still performing and lacked vocal power singing, but sometimes speaking as well. And don't get me started on sore throats. However doing the research on the correlation between the zodiac signs and the chakras I see that no source gives the same information. According to one Taurus is in Svadisthana, another Anahata. And in another the Throat is not associated with ANY astrological sign. Wait, what??!! What does this mean?

It means some things need to be taken with a a grain of salt. Sometimes those horoscopes in the newspaper come out in our favor and sometimes they are a bunch of hooey. However, if it works for you, then by all means follow it. I know that the chakra that is the most closed to me is my throat. I don't need an "expert" on the internet to confirm it. I can FEEL it in my body. But let's take a step back.

THE CHAKRAS EXPLAINED - THROAT

The fifth chakra is located in the center of the neck and is called Vishuddha in Sanskrit which translates back as "purity." I think of this energy center as the gateway to the higher planes. We need to purify or remove our sense of judgment as it comes from our power and compassion centers in order to better connect with the universe.

Take a moment to find to find your fifth energy center. I usually say to close your eyes and breathe into the chakra, but this time, I'd like you to hum. A soft, easy sound emanating from vishuddha. As this center is associated with sound, notice how the hum feels. As you play with tone and range, does it become easier? And here's the hard part...what do you hear? Pay attention to any emotions or images that pop up.

The throat chakra is our Will center – both personal and divine will. It is here that we make choices, each decision leading us on our spiritual journey. When the fifth chakra is balanced and centered, we are able to speak with confidence and truth because we are grounded in ourselves. We no longer need to enforce our opinions on others. We can speak gently and lovingly, with compassion and truth of conviction, so that others will hear us from their hearts and not feel threatened by our beliefs. Most importantly, with vishuddha in balance, we can communicate without fear of being judged by others and we also can speak without a voice of judgment to others AND ourselves.

I tend to simplify the throat chakra and call it the communication center. The area of both speaking AND listening. Do you hear that? Speaking and LISTENING. Now that I am back in my native NY, I am amazed at the disconnect here. More so than any other place I've lived. It may be where we are in history, but those that should be speaking are largely silent and those that truly do not hear need to listen. Or perhaps shut the heck up. New Yorkers have no problem expressing their feelings. There are usually more expletives than needed, but it certainly gives our city its local color. What I find more disturbing are those just not paying attention. Eyes deep in their smart phones while crossing the street. The younger generation listening to music, watching a movie, playing a video game and texting all at the same time. Now exactly what do you hear?

If you are like me and have constant soar throats or even get choked up while speaking (um, lump), you may need to do a bit of work to clear vishuddha. Other troubles may include: mouth ulcers, scoliosis, swollen glands, thyroid dysfunctions, laryngitis, voice problems, gum or tooth problems, and TMJ.

If you have a hard time communicating, speaking your personal truth or making decisions, here are things you can do to balance this energy center.

1. Find your personal TRUTH. This is a biggie and was said to me often by an energy healer I went to in Atlanta. At the time I didn’t understand it. People can tell you what to think and how to feel, but you only know for sure when it’s in your heart. And when you’re in there, you might find something different altogether. Caution: LISTENING required. Once you have your truth, then you can SPEAK your truth.

2. SING!  In the shower, in the car, at a karaoke bar. Who cares! Sing it loud and proud or if you don’t know the words, just hum!

3. MEDITATE! Sitting in stillness is great for your 5th chakra. It allows you to both listen to your breath and quiet your mind.

4. Play with ESSENTIAL OILS. Some oils that reduce inflammation and soothe sore throats are tea tree, eucalyptus, cajuput, sandalwood, frankincense, clary sage, and lavender. These oils can be gargled, inhaled, or rubbed (in a carrier oil) on the affected area.

5. Do YOGA! When I teach a throat centered practice, I add Matsyasana (Fish pose), Shoulder stand, Halasana (Plow) and any movement that allows both stretching and releasing of the neck.

What do you hear in your THROAT center? Anything you care to share?

Getting Back In

I sent out a request for blog post suggestions over two weeks ago and I got FOUR great ones - from ONE person. An old friend and colleague from Atlanta, Tommy Housworth. He sent them in 2 separate tweets and I pondered each for at least 10 minutes. And then nothing. I may be a huge motivator (in fact I got Tommy and our friend Widdi Turner to take a plank break in the middle of the day via Facebook posts) however, I can be the QUEEN of Procrastination.

It's been very cold here in NY, so have only left the house when I HAD to. Which this week, was not that much. I've enjoyed the quiet and the reading, catching up on Girls and The Daily Show, but since I had a pass at Laughing Lotus that was about to expire I hauled my booty out into the windchill to take a yoga class. Was it exactly what I needed? You betcha. Did I feel it in my hips and shoulder the next day? Yup.

So, today I sit at my desk and I will tackle each of the 4 blog post ideas in turn - in the order they were given to me. It's a more than a little apropos to start with this one.

1) HOW TO GET BACK INTO YOGA AFTER TOO MANY MONTHS AWAY

When I lived in Oakland, there was a yoga studio only a 10 minute walk away. They charged $50 a month for unlimited classes. In January 2012, I took 14 classes, taught 1 and took 1 Urban Contemporary dance class. Yeah, I was active. In NY I certainly walk lots, but I have not found a studio that I love. Therefore I don't practice as often as I'd like. As I experienced earlier this week, if you want to get back into yoga (or rather anything for that matter) take a deep breath and just go. Mind over matter. Remember how you feel at the end of a class? Yeah, that feeling. You can have it again. So just GO.

I could end this post here, but let's be a little more specific about yoga. When I do go to class or practice at home after a considerable hiatus here are things I do:

a. Start with RULE #1: AHIMSA
The first "rule" or limb of yoga is called Ahimsa. From the sanskrit it literally translates into 'avoidance of injury.' So of course, you're thinking, well, duh, of course I plan to avoid injury. But it's greater than that. In my teacher training we learned Ahimsa as 'do no harm.' It speaks to the yogic lifestyle of not harming anyone, including yourself. However while doing asana (the physical poses we refer to as yoga) it's important to be mindful of where you are RIGHT NOW and perhaps taking breaks throughout your first (and second) practice back.

b. Come to love BALASANA- Child's pose
When I teach I always encourage my students to come to child's pose at any time. I get excited when I see a few actually take me up on it. While many of us push through and try to keep up, it takes a lot of mastery to know when your body and mind need a rest. If we have not been practicing regularly, we may have lost some flexibility and strength. We may have a harder time connecting our movements to our breath. We don't get prizes for doing every pose and each vinyasa, people. If you need a break, take one.

c. Play with 70% Effort
My teacher in California, Shy Sayar gave a very powerful and energetic class. It wasn't quite a "power" class, but it was very athletic and challenging. One class he asked us to dial back our effort level. As we went through each and every pose, he suggested we do it with 70% of our full effort. Everything became easier. There was breath and buoyancy in the poses and less tension in my body. Did I have full extension of each pose? No. But it was pretty darn close. And it felt easy.

d. Schedule your NEXT class
Once you're back in class or have started a home practice, add your next session to your calendar. Look at the classes your studio offers and see what works with your schedule or perhaps a new class that you want to try. If you have a home practice, put it on your calendar and do not allow yourself to reschedule or cancel. We are creatures of habit. Once something is in our daily or weekly routine, we tend to stick with it. If you like yoga, make it a priority. If you don't, find something else that may challenges your body and mind.

How do you get over the procrastination hurdle? Anything you do to ease back into your practice?

Oh my gosh, GRATITUDES!

Why hey, it's Thursday. It's been crazy the last few days that I literally just said out loud, Is it Thursday? And yes, it is. I do have a few blog posts in the hopper and I hope to start them tomorrow. But as I have been applying for jobs, send proposals to wedding couples, and building my new workshop, The Zen Bride, I have not been able to focus on the blog. Apologies.

Here's what I'm thankful for this week:

1. interest from an event space to potentially sponsor The Zen Bride
2. starting counseling with a couple tonight and consulting with another tomorrow
3. catering leftovers
4. warm clothes - gosh, it's cold out there
5. a new group of gals to play hookie and see movies

If you feel like adding your list, please do so below in the COMMENT section. Even if it's just one thing. In the heart of winter, we tend to forget the good things. Go.

Another week and MORE gratitudes!

I'm not gonna lie, things are slow. Work in catering has come to a halt and my business is not quite up the speed I'd like yet. With the decreased income, there has been some decreased spending. Luckily nothing is too far away in NY so it's easy to walk and do errands. And public transportation is $4.50 round trip and that certainly will not break the bank.

As I hermitize in my apartment, here's what makes me grateful this week.

1. lovely connections with old and new friends
2. the sunshine
3. Game of Thrones on my Kindle
4. TV shows on the interweb
5. super cuddly kitties.

Where do you find gratitude this week? Please share it below.

A Little Gratitude for Your Thursday?

The sun is shining in the Big Apple and I'm excited to have the window open to let in some fresh, cool air. The kitties are extra snuggly which makes for a nice contrast.

Many things to be thankful for. Let's start with these...

1. fresh bread and fresh cheese
2. booking a wedding for May, and having 4 pending wedding couples
3. an almost clutter-free home
4. online shopping
5. living close to the Hudson River.

Now you. What makes you grateful this week? Add your thoughts in the COMMENT section below.