Moon Salutations Workshop this Saturday

In honor of the full moon this Saturday, I am teaching my workshop Moon Salutations: A Call to the Goddess Within from 2-4:30pm on Saturday June 22nd at Yoga Yoga Westgate.  This is especially exciting because we will have a moon centered practice on a full moon, just as the ancient yogis did!  Click on the link above to learn more about the workshop and register for the class. In addition to the Moon Salutations sequence, we will also practice pranayama (breath work) and Yoga Nidra. 

It is going to be moontastic! 

Let me know if you have any questions and hope to see you there!

Love and thanks,

SR

Week Two of the Detox

Hi Fellow Detoxers!

How was your second week on the detox? This week I felt that my healthy eating habits were more integrated into my daily routine. Choosing what to eat was more natural and less of a check-list challenge. 

The biggest challenge of my week was eating healthy while staying busy. Usually, I eat on the go during my work day and this week I had more difficulty finding things to eat on the go. This leads me to...

The biggest revelation of the week:  there are a lot of detox friendly food havens in Austin.  To name a few places that I have dropped in on during the detox: 

Juicebox/Soup Peddler - Their veggie juices are great, I ordered the Veggie Salad this week.

Lulu B's - This is a trailer on S. Lamar and Oltorf, their vermicelli (rice noodle) bowls are delicious!

Beets Cafe - Everything on the menu is raw and tasty and most of it is detox friendly.

The biggest reward of the week is that I have lost weight, about 8 pounds since I started the detox.  Although my intention was not specifically to lose weight, this is a really nice reward:)

 How was your week? Feel free to share part of your experience with us. We would love to hear from you!

I will leave you with a recipe for Chickpea Salad:

Chickpea Salad  

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 bell pepper, diced

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 -1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, garlic, scallions, bell pepper, parsley, and feta. Toss to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk olive oil and lemon juice. Pour olive oil/lemon juice mixture over chickpeas and mix. Add freshly ground peppercorns to taste. Enjoy!

Hope yall have a great weekend!

Thanks and love,

Sandi

Week one of the Detox

As we head into the weekend, I am wrapping up week one of the detox and I wanted to share some of my experience with y'all. Every week I will share my greatest challenge, revelation, and reward for the week during the 21 day detox. Even if you are not currently detoxing, you can gather some helpful hints about creating healthy habits in this blog.

The biggest challenge of my week was eliminating sugar from my diet. I was surprised at this because I do not particularly like sweets, but I found myself craving fruit treats and chocolate on the SECOND day! I withheld from fulfilling the craving and it went away by day four. So, this leads me to...

The biggest revelation of the week:  all cravings will pass with time.  If you are noticing a craving that is brought on by an addiction or an emotional attachment to a certain food, then have a cup of tea instead, drink it slowly, and once you finish the tea, the craving will likely be gone.

The biggest reward of the week is that I have so much more energy. I have been able to be more productive and my mind has felt sharper. Although you may not feel this way this week, higher energy and a sharper mind are common side effects the detox.

I will leave you with a recipe for brussels sprouts that I have used and enjoyed many times:

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lbs. brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed

4 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

Cook the pecans over low heat in the olive oil until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Steam the brussels sprouts until tender and add to the pecans.  Heat through, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.

Enjoy the weekend!

Love and thanks always,

Sandi

New Year Detox and Yoga Series

With the beginning of a new year, comes a natural tendency towards renewal and resolution. For this very reason, I am offering my community of students a Detox Yoga Series on Saturday mornings at Pure Light Chiropractic for a discounted rate of $70. The classes will begin this Saturday, January 19th at 10:30am and continue every Saturday through February 9th.  

As I am teaching this series, I will be participating in a community wide detox based on Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox. On Wednesday, January 16th at 6pm, Dr. Laine Morales and I are hosting a free New Year's Detox Class at Pure Light for anyone who wants information on this safe and accessible detox plan. If you would like to join in on the community wide detox or the yoga series (or both!)  please let me know.  This way I can save a spot for you in the yoga class and add you to the email list.  I will be sending out an email each week of the detox to stay connected with everyone and encourage commitment and self love.

Love always,

Sandi

Fundraiser, gift bags, and good eats, Oh My!

My close friend and chiropractor Laine Morales, D.C. of Pure Light Chiropractic is holding an Open House Fundraiser for the Austin Children's Shelter this Thursday, October 25th from 6-9pm.  The event is sponsored by Go Local and anyone who donates to the cause will be able to schedule a complimentary chiropractic adjustment, which is mighty generous of Laine! I will be in attendance as a representative of the yoga community along side other healing and health practitioners from Austin. There will also be delicious eats from local businesses and gift bags for the first 25 people who arrive.  The gift bags are no joke, I am a little jealous that I do not qualify to receive one.  For more information and directions, visit Pure Light Chiropractic.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday! Come support our community!

Love always,

Sandi

Yoga Nidra for Veterans with PTSD

Most of you know that I am a huge fan of the practice of Yoga Nidra and that I teach it in my Hatha classes often. Here is a link to a sight that gives information on the use of Yoga Nidra as a healing modality for veterans with PTSD.

http://www.irest.us/projects/veterans

There are many links on the website to give examples of how this form of Yoga Nidra, called iRest, is used specifically for veterans. Anytime western research finds a way to prove a meditative practice is effective and why it is effective, I geek out a little. So, I hope you find something of interest in this as well.

Have a wonderful day and I hope to see you soon.

SR

Moon Salutations Sequence

Here is the closest fit Moon Salutation sequence to match the sequence that I taught in the Moon Salutations workshop on April 1st. I apologize for taking so long to post this but I hope that you find this sequence helpful in your home practice. Remember, Moon Salutations are most effective when practiced in the latter part of the day and during full and new moons.

Also, the Moon Mantra that we chanted during the workshop was:

Om Chandraya Namaha

It is pronounced just as spelled. Hope to see you soon!-SR

Central Texas Women's Retreat, Feb 17-19

In February, I will teaching at the the Central Texas Women's retreat that is held at the Margaret Austin Center in Chapell Hill, TX. The Margaret Austin Center is a beautiful get away that hosts yoga, meditation, and other life balancing retreats through out the year. I have personally been a student at this facility and love going back each time. This time however, I will be teaching!

The retreat is February 17-19th and I teach two evening classes, one on Friday and one on Saturday. Please visit the website and email me if you are interested in attending and I may be able to wing a discount for you:)

Central Texas Women's Retreat

SR

Balance and Focus: Accessing the 6th Chakra

Hey all!
I am teaching a workshop on the 6th Chakra at Yoga Yoga South on October 30th, 2-4:30pm. This is a great opportunity to dive into a deeper understanding the 6th Chakra, mental focus, and balancing postures. The practice of balancing is a tool in opening and aligning the 6th Chakra. The 6th Chakra houses the Third Eye, the eye that sees within, which guides us through intuition. When the 6th is balanced, our intuition guides us effortlessly through life and gives us the sensation of being harmonious with the world. In this workshop we will concentrate on building the mental focus and physical strength to hold balancing postures, such as Vrksanana (Tree Pose) and Bakasana (Crow Pose). Using the focus created through practicing these balancing postures, we will calm the mind in Pranayama (breath work) and finish with a relaxation meditation.
You can sign up for the workshop online at www.yogayoga.com/workshops or call Yoga Yoga at 512-326-3900. Feel free to email me with any questions and I look forward to seeing you there!

SR

PS I am still working on a list of free yoga classes around town, it is coming soon...

Free Day of Yoga!!!!

It's that time of year again, when the yoga is free and many students I see! Austin will celebrate a city-wide Free Day of Yoga on Monday September 5th. This is a great opportunity to check out a new studio, teacher, or class and bring a friend, because it's free! I will be teaching a Hatha class at Yoga Yoga 360 at 1pm. The Yoga Yoga 360 studio has a beautiful, big room where the class will be held, so it will not be as crowded as some FDOY classes tend to be. I expect to see lots of you there!

Here are is a link to the offical Austin FDOY Website where you will find schedules for local studios and other events to celebrate the practice of yoga! Also, in the right margin of my blog, you will find links to studios all over the city.

I know I have been absent lately in the blog world:( However, I seem to have finally found a good balance of school and work and commit to blogging once a month. So, you will be hearing more from me soon about free yoga in Austin. I am currently forming a list of weekly free yoga classes in Austin for the financially frugile...so, stay tuned! And let me know if you know of a free class in town so I can share it with others.

Thanks and love!

SR

New Year, New Horizons

Hi there Yogis and Yoginis, Happy New Year! I hope that the holiday season was a joy and that you enjoyed time with your loved ones. It is a bit shocking, to me at least, that we have crossed into another year seamlessly and as I try to adjust to writing 11 instead of 10, I cannot help but reflect on the year that passed. Perhaps it is a strong presence of the moon or just my own nostalgia, but I have found myself very reflective lately. This past year was a sort of "soul searching" year for me. I have been exploring for years the idea of returning to school for a graduate degree but never ventured further than the thought until last summer when I took a psychology course. Once I was back in the classroom, a path began to form towards Physical Therapy School. Very honestly, I hardly had to make a choice, the choice made me. This is one benefit of knowing how to surrender, it can make decisions effortless. However, to begin anew something must end, and in order to return to school I had to stop teaching many of my yoga classes. This was a heartbreaking realization. I love teaching yoga and I think you all know that! Currently, I am completing pre-requisite course work and will officially start the DPT program in 2012. Until then I plan on continuing to teach on Sundays at 12:00 at Yoga Yoga Westgate. This is the only public class I am teaching but it is a beginner friendly class, so every one is welcome to attend! I hope to see you all soon and please drop me an email and let me know how you are settling into the new year. Love and thanks always!

--SR

Workshop at Yoga Yoga SOUTH!

My Detox and Cleanse Workshop is at Yoga Yoga South on Sunday October 24th. There was some confusion about the location, so I want to clarify that the workshop will start at 2pm at Yoga Yoga South. It is also filling up fast, so register soon!! You can call Yoga Yoga at 512-326-3900 to sign up over the phone. Email me with any questions.

Thanks and Love!

SR

Upcoming Detox and Cleanse Workshop

Mark your calenders for my Detox Workshop at Yoga Yoga South on October 24th! The workshops runs from 2-4:30pm, but do not worry, we will not spend the entire two and half hours sweating and working. The workshop begins with a breif explanantion of why cleansing and detoxing are important practices during this time of year. Following this introduction, we will have a vinyasa practice to build heat and sweat out toxins for about an hour and then cool down for pranayama and meditation. If you have any questions, please let me know. Otherwise, I plan to see you there!

You can sign up for the workshop online http://www.yogayoga.com/workshops/Oct10 or call 512-326-3900.

SR-

Yoga for the Brain

It has been a couple of months since my last post. I have started taking classes to prepare for Physical Therapy school and my schedule gives me very little time for blogging. I promise to blog soon about Yoga for the Brain, which is the focus of my classes over the next few weeks. I hope to see you all in class!

SR

Almost there!!!

Just 4 more days of Yoga yoga's 40 Day Challenge and I am feeling good. I did have slight set back with an injury, but I am feeling much better. Here is my journal entry for the week:

This past, week my practice took a turn after an injury on Tuesday evening. Usually, I have a challenging asana practice and a short pranayama session for my daily practice. However, Tuesday evening, after a great practice, I was getting up off of the floor and heard a distinct pop. My pubic symphysis had moved out of alignment. I have had problems in the past with this area of my body and after my chiropractor corrected the misalignment, I felt much better but my hips were very sore. The next morning, I began my practice again with gentle hip and leg stretches and continued to slowly open my hips by modifying postures: Downward Dog with bent knees, short stance Warrior I with hands on hips. I found that by softening my asana practice over the next few days, ease came back into my hips and the joint re-stabilized. I am gradually working more challenging postures back into my practice, using my breath and intuition as a guide to safely return to my usual asana practice.

SR

Weekly update...this week's challenge

Day 27 of the 40 Day Yoga Challenge, and I have realized how self-critical I can be. I have always held myself to high standards and this motivation has served me well. However, lately I have noticed that my tendency toward perfection can cause unnecessary stress and self-judgment. I have even scorned myself for this self-judgment; clearly the habit runs deep. The origin of yoga is love for the self. Finding yourself and then loving all the components. My current challenge is trying to love even the over-critical part of myself, knowing that this love will soften it.

SR

The Halfway Point

Here is my weekly update for the 40 Day Challenge at Yoga Yoga. I am 20 days into the challenge and my daily yoga practice is becoming more of a routine. I am using this challenge to re-establish my daily yoga practice and plan to continue even after the 40 days are over.

Weekly Entry:

My favorite part of the 40 Day Challenge, and really the best part of my day, is just after I finish my daily yoga practice and step back into the current of everyday living. For the first hour I feel like I am floating, and my work, chores, and errands seem effortless. I am reborn, everything seems new and fresh. As the day progresses, the newness starts to wear off but there remains an undertone of clarity and calm. My least favorite part of this challenge is simply trying to find the time everyday to quietly practice for 30 minutes. On some days, it can almost be stressful trying to fit it in. Sometimes the day will just fly by and I will remember just before sleep that I need to practice. On these nights, restorative yoga carries me into sleep.

SR

Two weeks in and still afloat...

I am participating in the 40 Day Challenge at Yoga Yoga and have committed to practing yoga everyday for 40 days! I will be posting my journal blogs that I am writing for Yoga Yoga here on my blog as well. This is my journal blog for this past week:

This was a rough week at sea...or so it felt. I began to make excuses for why I could not practice on certain days and found it almost impossible to practice at home with all of the distractions. So, first, I made myself go to classes in studio where I could rely on a teacher to help guide my practice. It really helps to have someone holding you accountable for the commitment you make when you step on your mat. I would advise everyone participating in this 40 day challenge to find someone that you trust to hold you accountable for your personal commitment. And then just do it!

SR

World Theatre Day!!!

This post is not exactly yoga-related, but it is a head's up to a fun and free activity for the weekend. Saturday is World Theatre Day and my friend Rachel is organizing the events in Austin! There will be live theatre all over town, including the prepared food section at Whole Foods. To see a schedule of the day's events visit The Exchange Artists website, and click on SPECT-ACTOR Details and Schedule. I will be managing a performance at Auditorium Shores at 4pm and your presence would be a blessing. Hope to see you there!

SR

40 Day Challenge

Yoga Yoga is encouarging their students to commit to a 40 day yoga challenge, starting April 1. I have committed to resume my daily practice, practicing yoga for at least 30 miniutes a day. Whether in a public class or privatly at home, I will meet myself on my mat everyday and practice. Yoga Yoga has asked to follow the progress of my commitment with weekly updates. I will be posting the same weekly updates

here on my blog, so you can learn more about the benefits and challenges of a daily practice.

I hope you all had a great SXSW. There was not an active yoga scene during SXSW, which is why I never posted more classes. Now that it is over, it's time to settle back into the weekly routine. So, I hope to see you guys this week in class. Maybe even at the donation based Moon Salutations class I am teaching at Sacred Streams on Sunday 2:30-4pm:)

SR