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10 Lies Every Yoga Teacher Tells Themselves

1. I know it’s not personal when my students disappear for long periods of time without explanation. And it doesn’t hurt my feelings at all when they ghost and I never see them again. Nope! Not. One. Bit. In fact, I’m happy they found what they were looking for somewhere else. Thrilled, in fact. Good for them.

2. Is it LIE down? or LAY down? Are there any English teachers in my class? Editors? Either way it’s totally OK. This is a NO JUDGEMENT ZONE. It says so on the sign—right there underneath the Om mural.

3. No one will notice if I check my phone during Savasana. I mean, their eyes are closed, so…  It’s cool.

4. If I post enough photos of myself to social media, I’m going to be a famous yoga teacher one day.

5. If I say it with enough confidence, no one will know that I called that muscle by the wrong name or completely butchered the pronunciation. Are there any doctors in the house? Never mind. (See #2.) I’ll just make up for it by reading an inspirational quote.

6. It’s OK that I skipped my practice today. I was mindful as I drove to class. That’s the same thing as practicing asana. Yoga OFF the mat.  (Editor’s Note: I’m not saying it isn’t valuable to be mindful as you go about your day, I’m just saying it’s not the SAME as an intense asana practice—and that it doesn’t prepare you to teach your class in the same way.)

7. I can make a decent living teaching group yoga classes.

8. I’m going to start a blog pronto! I’ll post everyday. Every yogi in a 100-mile radius will flock to my classes. I’ll make lots of money, be a famous yoga teacher, AND a famous writer.

9. Wow. I was SO inspirational just then. I am inspired by my OWN words. I must actually BE a writer! I’m totally adding that to the biography.

10. I look really great in these crazy, colorful, patterned yoga leggings! I’m saying to the world: I am bold, confident, creative, unique, and I do my own thing—nevermind that nearly everyone who walks through the studio door has the same pair. I stand out from the crowd!

BONUS:
That was good for a laugh. But I couldn’t put this list out into the world without balancing it out with another, more serious one because I yoga teachers and they deserve a lot more respect than they get.

REAL Lies Every Yoga Teacher Tells Themselves

1. I have no unique or original teachings to offer my students. (Truth: You will reach people in a way that only YOU possibly could. They might have heard it all before, but they haven’t heard it from YOU.)

2. I am not experienced enough to help anyone. (Truth: A yoga teacher’s most important job is showing up and holding space for people to explore their own bodies and mind. In truth, it doesn’t take much training or experience to do that—just a willingness to go along for the journey.)

3. I need more training. (Truth: Maybe you do. But don’t let that stop you from helping people in the way that only YOU can. See #1-2.)

4. I don’t have a big following of students because I’m not a good teacher. (Truth: Being able to draw a crowd is a different skill than teaching yoga. Don’t let your shortcomings in one affect how you approach the other.)

5. I don’t know why I even bother.  (Truth: It’s for the money. Bahahahahahahaha! Seriously, though, of course you know why you bother teaching yoga. You do it because you love it. You do it because you have a big heart and you like helping people. You do it because the practice healed you in some way, and you know you can help other people heal themselves through yoga, too. You do it because it’s a part of your dharma; it’s who you are. You were chosen. Embrace it. Own it. Enjoy it.)

Now it’s your turn. What lies have you told yourself about teaching yoga?

Self-Care When Your Child is Sick

I’m still getting over the worst stomach bug I’ve experienced in my whole life.

I’ll spare you the disgusting details, but OW and EW seem to sum it up pretty nicely. There were a few hours there where I could barely muster the energy to pick myself up off the floor, something that’s quite necessary when you’re at home alone with a 3-year-old who is recovering from a horrendous stomach bug ailment herself.

Photo by Eva Blue

“Mommy!! I need you to CARRY me!” 

“Mommy can’t carry herself right now, Sweet Girl. Maybe you could walk, or just stay there. Yeah. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Nooo! I need you RIGHT NOW! I need to go to the potty.”

OK. I can figure this out… I crawl on all fours from the bathroom to the bedroom and somehow manage to get a Pull-Up on my fully potty-trained child. I turn on the iPad—Play Doh videos are a family favorite—and crawl back to the bathroom where I can continue to vomit every 30 minutes in peace. Luckily my still somewhat sick (but no longer vomiting, thank GOD) child has fallen asleep on my bed, YouTube blaring. It’s 3:30pm. Maybe she’ll sleep until my husband gets home at 6pm?

I’ll just have to vomit silently. I can totally do that. 

Shit. I have to have a substitute teacher for the yoga class I’m supposed to teach at 6:30. I crawl to my computer. 

Being a mom is always a challenge. Being sick is always a challenge, too. But when you put them together after several days of caring for a really sick little one—waking every couple of hours to hold her hair, trips back and forth from the pediatrician, drug store, and grocery store trying to find something, anything, that will help, holding her while she sleeps during the day, and spending every other second worrying yourself sick—the result is catastrophic. I write from experience.

In my case, my immune system was completely worn down from trying tirelessly to care for my girl so when the virus made its way into my system, it had to have been at least 100 times worse. Not to mention, in all my efforts to be Super Mom I let everything else go. I didn’t shower. There were few groceries in the house. I didn’t take time to prepare healthy food for myself. My laundry was piled up everywhere. I got several days behind on my work. Then, I got sick. Really sick. And, unfortunately, there was no one around to hold my hair back, fetch me popsicles, or rock me to sleep. I was on my own. And I still had to take care of this little person who needs me so much.

Not to self: Never try to be Super Mom. You are not Super Mom. Nobody is.

Here’s the thing. Now that I look back on the insanity that was the last week of my life, I know I should have done thing differently. I could tell you I learned my lesson—that I should have taken better care of myself. I could say that next time I’ll ask for help, you know, some time BEFORE I find myself so sick that I can’t stand upright to walk from one room into another. I could say I’ll definitely make sure to eat healthy foods and somehow make time to keep up my yoga practice. But I doubt any of those things would happen.

I know myself well enough to know that I would do it all over again, probably just exactly the same way. I would do it, not because I want to be Super Mom, but because in those moment when your child is sick there’s absolutely nothing else in the whole world that matters, other than making sure she’s OK.

What I WILL say is this: I will continue to work harder than ever to organize my life in such a way that I know if something suddenly comes up (like an illness or a writing job I can’t refuse) I will be far enough ahead that I can slack on things like grocery store runs for a few days without sliding down a slippery slope of take out and convenience food hell. I will clean my dishes and laundry promptly and put them away (most of the time) so my living and work space feels spacious and light because I know that mind will feel just a little bit less cluttered, too, since I won’t have to constantly look through piles to finish simple tasks. I will stay committed to my yoga and meditation practice when things are going well so that when things aren’t going so well, I will still have the imprint of that calm focus at the top of my mind so I can better handle the challenges without completely freaking out. I will continue to do the best that I can and love myself and forgive myself when I fall short, just as much as I will always love my daughter when she falls short.

I will continue to remind myself that I, too, am somebody’s baby, worthy of all the love and care and attention I shower on my little one.

And so are you.

Read more:
5 Poses that Should Induce Labor (But Don’t)
The Reality of Morning Exercise with a Toddler
6 Reasons Every Mama to Be Needs a Yoga Ball
5 Yoga Tips to Help Get Your Child To Sleep

5 Mistakes (Almost) Every Yoga Teacher Makes

Photo by The Yoga People, used with Creative Commons license

Yoga teachers are human, and that means they make mistakes—and lots of them! I would know, because after nearly 10 years of teaching yoga off and on (more off than on), I’ve allowed myself to get rusty and made rookie teacher mistakes, erm, more times than I’d really like to admit. There’s the run-of-the-mill “right” vs. “left” mishaps that we all make (and I still make). These aren’t even worth mentioning because they just make us more human and relatable to our students. I happen to believe that’s a good thing. And, then there’s the bigger mistakes that make our students question our knowledge and/or why they’re coming to our classes in the first place. These mistakes make us look unprofessional, take away from your students experience of being present on their mats, and should be avoided at all costs.

That said, if you’re like me and you fall into making these mistakes every now and then (even when you know better) don’t beat yourself up. Remember that this teaching gig is a practice, just like your time on your mat, and it takes time (and lots of trial and error) for things to really click. We don’t expect to be able to touch the soles of our feet to the back of our heads the first time we do a backbend, so why should we expect ourselves to be perfect the first time (or first 3 years) we teach yoga?
Here are 5 big boo boos almost every new yoga teacher makes.
1. Giving too many options. It’s like this. You want your students to know they can make the practice their own, but when you spout out every modification you can think of for a pose (especially those that aren’t relevant to who you’re teaching) your students will get overwhelmed and/or confused. That is, if they’re still listening to you at all. Keep it simple, look around the room, and address the needs of the students in front of you.

See also: A Lesson for Teachers
2. Sticking to the plan no matter what. New teachers often stick to their class plan because they’re not sure what else to do (and they’re afraid of making a mistake) even if it’s not appropriate for the people who show up to class. Don’t be afraid to deviate from your plan when it serves your students better. If you were planning to teach one-armed Handstands, but mostly ladies in their 70s who are just starting yoga show up, it’s your job to change your plan. Most people will forgive you if you misspeak or need to bring them into an extra Child’s Pose to come up with your next sequence of poses.
3. Questioning (or apologizing for) your instructions in front of your class. “Sorry, I’m off today. I guess I should’ve had that extra cup of coffee this morning.” It’s one thing to laugh off a mistake in class, it’s another thing entirely to call attention to something most people wouldn’t even notice by issuing a public apology. It makes everyone uncomfortable. Don’t do it.

See also: How to Choose a Yoga Teacher
4. Molding your classes to what you think will attract more students instead of teaching what resonates most with you, and trusting others will resonate with it, too. (Or taking it personally when your classes aren’t full.) Do your thing. Teach what you know. It’s not going to work for everyone, and it’s not supposed to.
5. Treating teaching as a hobby. Even if teaching IS a side job for you, being a yoga teacher is a big responsibility and you shouldn’t take it lightly. It takes planning, creativity, a big heart, and lots of time on your own mat and in trainings to continue your education, and, yes, marketing. You can’t just show up once a week, teach that one sequence you learned in your teacher training, and expect your classes to grow organically. I’m not saying that most teachers do this regularly, but it’s tough out there. It’s easy to get discouraged, fall into a pattern of teaching the same old, uninspired stuff, or sit back and wait for the magic to come to you. Approach every class with the same thoughtful care and professionalism you’d give your day job. Your students deserve your best—never forget that it is EXACTLY what someone needs and it has the power to change lives.

This post was originally posted on Gather; A Yoga Collective.

Read More:
How to Write a Yoga Teacher Bio
Are You Ready for Yoga Teacher Training?
Steal from Your Yoga Teacher: And Other Advice that Sounds Bad

5 Things I Learned Practicing Yoga for Two: Personal Insights on Pregnancy Yoga

I just wrapped up an amazing 6-week Prenatal Yoga series with so many amazing yoga mamas at different stages of their pregnancies. My heart is bursting at the seams with inspiration and new ideas about how I can better serve these women as they have one of the most amazing, most anxiety-filled, happiest, and biggest transitions of their lifetimes—the transition into motherhood (or, in some cases, into motherhood again). I keep thinking back to my own pregnancy way back in 2011-2012. I try to remember the discomfort I felt as well as the excitement, the overwhelming joy and gratitude as well as the frustrations, and how I tried to be a voice of calm and mindfulness when I wasn’t always feeling very calm or grounded myself. I struggled with many things, but throughout it all, my yoga practice (and lessons I’d learned from yoga philosophy) really was a saving grace. I’ve been doing some digging into the archives of blog posts I wrote during that time in my life. I’ll be sharing them with you over the next few weeks and months. Below is one of my favorites. I hope you like it, too—and, if you are pregnant right now, I hope you can relate.

Lots of love,
Erica

5 Things I Learned Practicing Yoga for Two: Insights on Pregnancy Yoga

Photo by Tatiana Vdb, used with Creative Commons license



I’m 16 weeks pregnant–far enough along that I want to share my news with the world! Can you believe I’m growing a PERSON!? This is by far the coolest thing I’ve ever done with my body–and I can get into some pretty rad looking yoga poses (well, I could a few months ago, anyway). Being pregnant has changed my outlook on a lot of things, but it’s also dramatically changed the way I practice yoga. It’s also revealed a lot to me about how I practice. Here are five things I’ve learned from practicing during pregnancy so far.

1. It’s not just about self-care anymore. I call it practicing for two because that’s how I see it. Yoga isn’t just “me” time for me any more. It’s not just about my own health and my own sanity. It’s something that will help me calm my nerves and get some exercise, both things I believe will make my body a better environment for a growing life. It will make labor and delivery easier (still keeping my fingers crossed on this one). In the earliest weeks it made my pregnancy more real as I got used to the idea that there was a little person growing in there, and now it feels like a way for us to bond.

 2. Repeat after me: There’s no shame in modifying. There’s no shame in modifying. There’s no shame in modifying … At first, I felt really uncomfortable with modifying my practice–partially because I didn’t want my classmates to know my secret yet, but mostly because my ego is bigger than my belly will be at 8 1/2 months. I didn’t really know that this would be such a struggle for me, but there are many things I didn’t know about myself that I’ve discovered in the last few months. I just keep reminding myself that I have the rest of my life to practice yoga my way–right now, I’m practicing taking care of my baby.

 3. Let go of the need to control. As someone who’s practiced yoga for the better part of 10 years, I have pretty awesome control over my body. When my teachers tell me to lift my chest or engage mula bandha, I understand it in my head and in my body. But no matter how much I will this little person growing in my belly to kick (I still haven’t felt any “flutters”) he or she just won’t budge. This unborn baby now controls when I eat (all the time), how much (a lot), what kinds of foods (lots of citrus, apparently), when to sleep (as much as possible), and when to pee (about every 5 minutes). And I thought becoming a parent meant I got to make the rules. How silly of me!

 4. It’s OK to be a beginner. In poses where my toes were once touching, now it’s better to keep them apart. In standing poses where my feet were once supposed to be 3-4 feet apart, now are a bit closer together. When everyone else twists to the left, I twist to the right–or maybe not at at all. It’s kind of a lot to remember, and I still mess up more than I get it right. This has thrown me off my game in ways that I’ve never imagined. But I’m trying not to sweat it. I do what I can, go as far as my body will let me, and enjoy the opportunity to be a complete beginner again. Beginner’s mind is supposed to be a good thing after all, right?

 5. Everyone has advice–ignore it and do what you know is best for yourself and your family. It’s still early in my pregnancy, but I admit to already becoming upset on several occasions when people offered me advice (with a little judgment mixed in) about what I should or shouldn’t eat, how I should sleep, whether or not to find out the gender of the baby, daycare, and so on. But if I’ve learned anything from my yoga practice, it’s how to practice compassion for others while trusting my own instincts and intuition. I’m working on accepting and being grateful for the good intentions of others, and letting all the rest go.

This post originally appeared at YogaJournal.com in 2011.

What Does Advanced Mean, Anyway?

Photo by The Yoga People
I wish I could come up with a better way to describe the yoga poses that seem to be turning a certain kind of yogi into Insta-celebrities overnight. You know what I’m talking about—the slow, controlled press up to Handstand, the effortless balanced Scorpion Pose with the feet resting on the top of the head, the backbends so deep that the person performing them looks like he is literally bent in half, and all the other poses that are just plain out of reach for the vast majority of us who practice yoga day in and day out. Most people call these poses, “advanced asana”, which is a term I really dislike. Allow me to explain.
Here’s a definition of “advanced” from Dictionary.com: “Ahead or far or further along in progress, complexity, knowledge, skill, etc.”
Is Scorpion Pose really more complex than an impeccably-aligned Warrior I? Does it really take more skill? More knowledge? That’s debatable. Think about all that’s going on in even the most “basic” standing poses: The care it takes to find correct alignment, the precision, the control, the balance, the way the poses ask us to use our muscles in ways we don’t in the course of a normal day. Triangle and Warrior Poses are quite complex when you break down all the actions you have to incorporate to practice them well. I’m a yoga teacher who has been practicing and studying these poses for more than a decade, and when I study with a new teacher, I often STILL uncover new subtle actions and complexities in these poses that I never even knew were there.
Then, there’s the idea that “advanced” poses are somehow “further along in progress.” Is it really progress? There has been a lot of discussion in the yoga community recently about whether these fancy-pants poses (that’s what I call them—think it will catch on?) are really something we should aspire to anyway. Could pushing your body to these far extremes be doing more harm than good? Is it misguided to assert that these poses are therapeutic when they might actually be harmful? Why are we so obsessed with being able to put our bodies into any particular shape when we’re all different shapes, sizes, and come from such varied backgrounds? And why do we idolize yogis on social media who can create the most extreme shapes with their bodies, when there are likely hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of talented, local teachers who can relate to us and what we’re experiencing in our own bodies in a more helpful, personalized way?
Isn’t the point of the practice to tap into our body’s wisdom to discern what’s healthy and safe for us in any given moment—and to create more peace in our MINDS?
In that case, an advanced posture would be one that helps us to be completely mindful of what’s happening in our bodies. It is a posture that helps us to experience freedom and expansiveness, but not at the expense at our health and integrity. An advanced posture will also teaches us control, self-restraint, to balance ease and effort, and develops a calm confidence in ourselves and our abilities without strengthening our ego. It COULD be a fancy pants Scorpion Pose on the beach, but it could also be a sweaty, awkward Warrior 2 under the harsh fluorescent lights at a local gym. It could get 2.4 million likes on Instagram, or it could be something that only you and your cat sees (and we all know your cat isn’t impressed). And advanced pose may or may not make you look better in a bikini (whatever that means), but it will fill your heart with gratitude for every breath, compassion for others, and a deeper understanding of yourself. It isn’t always pretty, but it IS practical. THAT is what I aspire to. If I learn how to press up to Handstand along the way, it will be an unexpected (but very happy) perk of my dedicated practice, but definitely not the goal.
This post originally appeared on Gather: A Yoga Collective.

Why a Every Yoga Mama Needs a Secret Savasana

Now that I’m teaching prenatal yoga and mom & baby yoga classes on a regular basis, I’ve been thinking a lot about ways that yoga mamas can take time for themselves when life is so crazy busy. When I had a baby at home, it was a REAL struggle to even take time for basic necessities like healthy meals, time for rest, and, yes, even my yoga practice. I wrote the following piece for my old blog on Yoga Journal when my daughter was not quite a year old. Sometimes I had to be really sneaky to take care of myself—I’m currently scheming my next secret Savasana.
—Erica

How a Secret Savasana, or Final Resting Pose, Can Save the Day


Image by flickr user Amy

There were 17 minutes left on my oven timer. Dinner would be ready soon. It was another busy weekend, and there were a thousand more things I wanted to do before I finally went to bed. I handed the baby to my husband and asked for just 17 minutes—to get some writing done. He obliged. So I walked upstairs, closed the door, and opened my laptop. I stared at a blank Word document. My mind was fuzzy. My legs ached.
I glanced down and noticed my yoga mat was still unrolled in the middle of the floor. I didn’t put it away after my practice the day before. It looked so inviting.
“I couldn’t!” I thought to myself. “That would be wrong! What if they come upstairs and catch me in the act?!”

See also Science Backed Proof that Self-Care Isn’t Selfish
I stared at my screen for another moment, and I remembered the words I’ve so frequently told students, friends, and anyone else who looked like they desperately needed a break: “If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t have the energy to take care of anyone or anything else.”

I am SO very wise!
So I gave myself permission to let go. I shut my laptop—my work would have to wait. I stood up, walked over to my mat, and laid down on my back, palms facing up. I let my feet flop open like a book. I breathed. I led myself through a guided relaxation where I start with my toes and work my way up to the top of my head, relaxing everything in between. I melted into the floor.

See also 4 Surprising Things That Help Me Manage Anxiety
In no time at all, I heard the kitchen timer buzz. I wiggled my fingers and my toes before slowly rolling onto my right side. I had fed my spirit, and now it was time to feed my body. I slowly walked downstairs where my husband was busily putting dishes out onto the table. “Did you get anything done?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” I said with a smile. “It was the most productive 17 minutes I’ve had all day.” And I didn’t feel guilty at all, because it was true.

Read more …
10 Things I LOVE about Restorative Yoga
5 Things I LOVE about Iyengar Yoga
5 Things I LOVE about Ashtanga Yoga

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Short and Sweet Side Bend Practice

You know all those pretty, serene, perfect photos you see of people practicing yoga? My practice is SO not like that. And, truth be told, I don’t know anyone who really does have a practice like that. I know plenty of people who put a lot of time and effort into staging beautiful, inspiring photos of what yoga might look like in a dream world—and I’m not knocking it—but I know it’s not real.

In fact, most of the most gratifying and beneficial yoga practices I’ve had in my 10+ years as a yoga student have been the ugliest. They’ve been the practices where my hair was crazy, there’s dog fur all over my floor, my dishes are piled high in the next room, my daughter was jumping all over me, and I had a window of just 10 minutes to practice… but I did it anyway.

Sometimes I have to fight (yes, literally) to get just a few minutes on my mat. And most of the time it’s worth it.

The next time you decide to fight the good fight, here’s one of my most favorite pose sequences to do (messy hair, distractions, and all!)

1. Calf Stretch. Start on all fours and extend your right leg behind you. Keep your toes on the floor and press your heel toward the wall behind you. Laugh when your toddler, pet, or significant other interrupts you in the most annoying way they can think of.


(NOTE: Those lumps are my 3-year-olds knees, not my boobs. Motherhood does tend to make things a little saggy, but not THAT saggy, thank you very much.)

2. Side Plank Variation. Spin your back heel to the floor and lift your right arm up and over. Turn your right palm to face the floor as you lift the right side of your ribcage toward the ceiling. Feel a big long stretch. Laugh when your toddler, pet, or significant other interrupts you in the most annoying way they can think of.

3. Preparation for Gate Pose. Engage your core as you lift your torso upright and reach your arms out. Laugh when your toddler, pet, or significant other interrupts you in the most annoying way they can think of.

4. Gate Pose. Reach your right hand down your right leg and move your left arm toward the wall behind you. Breath. Try not to laugh when your toddler, pet, or significant other interrupts you in the most annoying way they can think of.

Repeat the sequence to the other side. Good luck.

Q&A with Jessi Andricks, Author of Detox 101

I admit I’m not a huge fan of the words “detoxing” or “cleansing” in general. My personal experiences with restrictive detox diets have left me feeling hungry, deprived, exhausted, and just plain grumpy. In fact, I have pretty much sworn off detox diets because I think that for some who already have some disordered eating issues (guilty!) it can make things worse. However, when I heard local yoga teacher and health coach Jessi Andricks (who I kind of have an online girl crush on even through I’ve never met her in person), had authored a book called Detox 101, I knew I’d have to give it a chance. I love love LOVE Jessi’s recipes! And there were lots of really good ones in this book. And her detox plan is really a lot more doable, gentle, and, frankly, more sane, than many of the other detox diets I’ve heard about lately. My favorite part was the self-care tips she includes, many which come from Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science.

Detox 101 is both a great guide and a great resource, whether you use this book to do a full-fledged 21-day detox or just read through it for some great yoga sequences, recipes, and self-care tips (which is what I did!).

I sent Jessi a few questions about her inspiration for the book and, of course, to get more insight on her detoxing philosophy. Check it out!

—Erica

Spoiled Yogi: Detoxing and cleansing are such trendy words lately—but some of the detox “diets” out there seem like they could be dangerous! How is your program different?

Jessi Andricks: They really are! Personally, I love it, because it means more and more people are familiar with it, whether they choose to do one or not. Detox can seem like a super restrictive word, and many believe that our bodies don’t need to, or that a cleanse doesn’t “clean” our bodies any more than they do on their own. To me, a detox or cleanse is simply a way to recharge your body, replenish your personal health (including movement, personal work and stress relief), as well as clear toxins form our body. 
This is how Detox 101 is different than other cleanses. There are some scary ones out there, or super restrictive cleanses, and those might make you drop a few pounds quickly, but they don’t teach you how to live healthier – because most of the restrictive practices aren’t made for day to day life. In Detox 101, you learn how your digestive tract works and how it affects your energy levels and overall health. You get shopping lists and recipes, as well as a 21-day meal plan. You get three different types of movement with a 21-day plan, and you get 21 daily meditation practices, mantras, and self-care rituals to help you deepen your detox on a more personal level. The idea is to not only clean up your diet, but refresh your life as well.
Black Bean Buddha Bowl from Detox 101


SY: Who is detoxing good for? Is there anyone who shouldn’t detox?

JA: That all depends on the type of detox. Some are very restrictive, such as the Master Cleanse which consists of only lemon water mixed with specific ingredients for the duration of the cleanse, or completely cut off nutrient categories, like a carb-free or fat-free diet. With Detox 101, the idea is to cleanse and recharge your body, without depriving yourself. It is designed to be safe for generally anyone, because you are eating food and probably getting more nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits than you normally would. If you have any health conditions, history of eating disorders, or are pregnant, you should definitely talk with your doctor about the safety of a cleanse, as you would with any other diet change, but you may find that the kind that focus on eating better and getting well are good for any stage of life.

SY: I don’t have a juicer! Do I really need one in order to detox?

JA: Yes and no! Most of the recipes in the book are juices, rather than smoothies. Juice gives your digestive system a bigger break and you absorb the nutrients in it faster than food or a smoothie, because it doesn’t contain insoluble fiber. But if you have a blender, you can either make a smoothie and strain it with a mesh bag, or add water to blend it more thoroughly. While it still contains fiber, it is broken down, so you still get to absorb nutrients quickly and your digestive tract doesn’t have to work quite as hard.
SY: I’ve read a lot of things that say our bodies naturally move things out on their own without a special detox diet. What’s your response to this?
JA: It’s huge topic and a bit of controversy in the field. Many people don’t believe in detoxing, because they think it is either unsafe or unnecessary. The truth is, our bodies are amazing machines and are incredibly intelligent. Our systems are built to help us absorb the maximum amount from everything we consume and to remove the things that are not beneficial, such as toxins and waste. However, our bodies were created a long time ago and although we have evolved, it is hard to keep up with the amount of toxins that are in our food, air, and water. We absorb toxins through our skin, our breath, and by what we put into our bodies. Our systems work efficiently, but only in ideal circumstances. After time, they get weighed down, sluggish, and overworked. This is when a detox can help. It can be used to remedy your body or as a preventative measure to help keep burn out away.
SY: In your book, you talk about dealing with digestive issues. How did a detox program help you to overcome this?
JA: I think I’ll always have some digestive issues, mainly because I am so aware of how sensitive I am to foods. When I was 20, I started getting terrible stomach aches and pains every day. I would wake up fine, but as soon as I ate anything, I would start to feel sick. I discovered I had a dairy intolerance. Once I made a few changes in my diet, I felt much better. Seven years later, it started up again, despite my limited dairy. I had been in a stressful job, was changing careers, and had just finished training for a half marathon, I knew any and all of those could be the culprit, so I did a cleanse to help support my transition. By eliminating a few food groups for three weeks, I was able to see which ones were affecting me when I added them back in.

About Jessi Andricks 
Jessi Andricks, author of Detox 101, is an emerging leader in the field of healthy, holistic living. Through her training in Health Coaching, Yoga, and mind-body fitness, she’s able to blend together the best of all worlds to create innovative online wellness and detox programs, such as her Flourish Series. 

Jessi fuses together clean eating basics, empowering fitness, and coaching techniques to help clients can live the happy, healthy lives they deserve. Jessi is a contributor to The Huffington Post,  MindBodyGreen.com and has been published in Mantra Yoga+Health Magazine and Yoga Magazine. 

Her mission is to help people live the happy, healthy life they deserve. Get in touch with Jessi at jessiandricks.com and look for her book, Detox 101, now available in stores and online.

4 Good Reasons to Practice Yoga Outside

Photo by tiarescott
In the middle of warm, sun-shiney, gorgeous summer weather, it can be especially challenging to drive dimly-lit yoga studio or to a gym with harsh fluorescent lights when there’s so much beauty and fun to be had outside. I get it. The beach calls, with it’s soothing ocean sounds and squishy sand and.. why are sitting in front of your computer right now staring at a screen, anyway? That’s right. You’re probably working, which means you’re daydreaming about those few precious hours of free time you get every week. Of course you want to make the most of them and get outside while you can!
Luckily, there are so many ways to practice yoga outside, you don’t have to skip out on your practice to enjoy nature. (Here’s the truth: I don’t care if you skip my class. I’ll miss you, but your practice is YOURS and you should do it in the way that makes your heart sing.) 

There are lots of good reasons to take your practice outside. Here are a few of my favorites: 

1. Enhanced stress relief. It has been well documented that taking a walk outside in nature can improve mood and reduce stress levels [Source]. If there’s a bit of water close by (beach yoga, anyone?) it enhances that effect even more. In one study, cancer patients who were shown a video of nature scenes including sounds of ocean waves, waterfalls, and creeks, experienced a 20-30 percent reduction in stress hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol [Source]. Add this to the practically magical incredible stress relieving benefits and you’ve got a powerful antidote to stress and all ways it negatively impacts your life.

Photo by Andrey

2. Enhanced brain function. Other studies have shown that there is a real cognitive advantage to spending time in nature. For example, in one study, students who took a test near a window with a view of trees and a lake performed better on tests than those who couldn’t see the view [Source]. function improve enough to make a huge, noticeable difference, but every little bit helps, right?

3. Increased focus on the present moment. It’s true that there’s a lot going on around you when you practice outdoors—there’s the scenery, there’s usually noise, sometimes there are people walking around. One might think it would be a distraction to your yoga practice. But being outside in a natural setting can also help you to be present in your own body. Feel the breeze, the warm sun on your skin, the earth under your feet. This is what it feels like to be in the present moment.

Photo by Benjamin J. Delong

 4. It reminds you to have fun! As a yoga teacher, I try pretty hard to make sure my students are having a little bit of fun and laughing whenever they do yoga with me. But no matter how funny I think I am and how many polite chuckles I get from my students (thanks for throwing me a bone every now and then!), we all sometimes take our yoga practice too seriously. Sometimes all we need is a change of venue to remind us that we do yoga because we really enjoy it, not because we should or because we need something it has to offer us. It feels good to move our bodies, stretch, strengthen, and breathe. It can be as simple as that. What a better way to remind ourselves that yoga (and life in general) can be fun and light-hearted, than heading to the park or the beach.

About Spoiled Yogi

Erica Rodefer Winters is a yoga teacher who loves helping pregnant and new moms find more balance in life through yoga, meditation, self-care, and humor.

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