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Peaceful, Present, and Prepared Birth

108 Sun Salutions!

On Saturday, I put down my mat in the park with at least 150 other dedicated yogis and I saluted the sun… 108 times! Thanks to all of YOUR generous donations, I was able to raise $300 for two organizations that are doing great things for kids in the community.

My body is STILL a little sore (and it’s been 3 days!), but my spirit is soaring.

Here are a few pictures from the day.

Before
Sun Salute 1

Yogis Everywhere!

Have you ever done 108 Sun Salutations for a cause? I want to hear about it!

Leaps and Bounds

Image: AshtangaNews.com

There’s a fine line between a leap of faith and a stupidly blind jump. I’ve been doing a lot of leaping and jumping lately, and I’m not sure whether I’m doing it out of faith or stupidity. I know Hanuman, the Monkey God, is known for his giant leap of faith. So I decided to do a little reading about Hanuman to find out if I’m in his good company… or just taking stupid risks.

Hanuman took his great leap to save Rama’s brother, Laksmana, who was wounded in battle. Hanuman took on the impossible task of leaping to another continent (the Himalayas) to get an herb to save him. When he got there, he didn’t know which herb to collect so he picked up the whole damn mountain and brought it back with him. It might have been a little clumsy, but it worked! It was a selfless expression of his devotion and love for Rama.

We each take little leaps every day–making little sacrifices for the ones we love the most and for a whole host of other reasons. We do the best we can. Sometimes we’re so strong we can carry a whole mountain across the ocean … other times we fall flat on our faces and the mountain clobbers us before we even really get going. The real act of faith is getting up and trying again.

Spoiled Yogi Gives Back (And You Can Help!)

It can be difficult to find a way to make a positive difference in the world. For years, I’ve looked at my yoga practice as something that I can use to make the world a better place. I’ve always believed that just doing the work and putting positive energy out there could have a ripple effect (see The Pig of Happiness). But, now I want to do more.

I have SO many blessings in my life. And now, I’m looking to spread the love by raising a little money and doing a yogathon event (108 Sun Salutations!).

It’s always been hard for me to see children who don’t have the support (financial and/or emotional) that they need. Knowing that it what they learn now can set the tone for their entire lives, it seems like such an obvious way to make a lasting impact on a community to help the children who need it. Healthy habits that are developed early follow kids into adulthood. (Unhealthy habits developed early tend to stick around, too.) That’s why I feel so strongly about the charities this event supports, Louie’s Kids and Yoga Benefits Kids.

Will you help me?

Donate! Give what you can.. No donation is too small! And I’ll randomly select one donor to win a special Spoiled Yogi prize pack. Let’s help “spoil” some little yogis who need our help! 🙂

Even if you can’t donate, help me spread the word! Share this link (http://bit.ly/9lryTZ) with your online community: Facebook friends, Twitter followers, and blog community.

There’s not much time, so the sooner you act the better!

Thanks to all of you, my faithful readers, for reading my thoughts, supporting my practice, and making your own positive impact in the world.

10 Ways to Trick Your Husband into Doing Yoga

1. Tell him it will make him sleep like a baby — a happy, relaxed, content baby.

2. Try this line: “Yoga is about being, not about doing. You’re actually doing it right now, Honey. You just don’t know it.”

3. Embody the bliss . . . and wait for him to come to you. I think it was Alanna Kaivalya who, in a workshop I took with her at a conference, said you can’t get someone to come to your way of thinking by forcing them. It’s much more effective if you attract them by being nonchalant and mysterious about it. “Wow, you look really relaxed and great lately! What are you doing?” “Oh, nothing really. It’s just the yoga. You can come with me next time if you want.”

4. Start simple, with one pose. I suggest Savasana (Corpse Pose) or Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose).

5. Let him think it’s a massage. Spy your dearest hunched over his keyboard. Take the opportunity to give him a sweet shoulder adjustment. Over time, you’ll see him sit up a little straighter in the chair.

6. Sneak a little yoga philosophy into your everyday conversations. “I’m sorry you had a bad day at work. But we can enjoy the evening together, right? Just be here in the present moment?”

7. Take advantage of holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Anwser the question “What do you want for your birthday/Christmas/Valentine’s Day/our anniversary?” with a simple. “If you don’t know what to get you could always just go to a yoga class with me . . .” Just make sure it’s a jovial suggestion, and not a guilt trip or a nag.

8. Play Krishna Das in the background while you’re doing chores around the house.

9. Don’t try to be his teacher. Imagine how you’d feel if he were correcting your poses. Unless you’re doing a restorative practice together, leave your house and go to a class for heavens sake! You want this to be a pleasant experience not something that starts an argument.

10. Make sure your intentions are for his happiness and well-being, not your own.

Giveaway! Win Lucy’s Organic Cotton Hatha Pants!

Last week, I blogged about how to find the perfect pair of yoga pants. This week, I want to give you a chance to win one of my favorites!

Lucy Activewear has long been one of my favorite brands because they make great clothes for all shapes and sizes! For me, that means I can buy a pair of yoga pants and wear them home–WITHOUT having them hemmed! (And I love the Hatha Pant because of the elongating hems down the back.) And now they come in organic cotton, too, so they’re fashion forward AND sustainable!

Did I mention we’re giving a pair away to one lucky reader? There are four ways to enter!

1. Comment below. Tell us what’s most important to you when you pick out yoga clothes: fashion, function, fit, price, environmental impact, or fair labor?  
2. Tweet it up! “Enter to win fabulous yoga pants from @LucyActivewear and @SpoiledYogi! http://bit.ly/bHJa8s“
3. Like me on Facebook!
4. Join the Spoiled Yogi mailing list by entering your email address (in the right hand margin of this page).

I’ll announce the winner on October 3!

P.S. While we’re all in the spirit of giving… If you feel as passionate as I do about encouraging happy, healthy, aware kids, please consider sponsoring my Yogathon to benefit Louie’s Kids and Benefit Kids in Charleston! Click here for more info! My goal is to raise $1,000. Every little bit helps! And even if you can’t give, please help me spread the word by sharing it on your Facebook page and tweeting about it on Twitter!

Nancy Grace Gets a Yoga Lesson!

My sister told me she had seen this on TV and I had to look it up… I think it might be the dumbest argument I’ve ever seen.. Seriously, as long as she doesn’t hurt herself going from Warrior I to Warrior II, who cares? There are no absolutes in yoga.. so what works for one person might not work for another. No big. AND that student needs to learn that embarrassing moments are just part of yoga class (see yesterday’s post).

I think they should both get over themselves. AND I think I should have been the judge on this one because clearly Nancy Grace had no idea what they were talking about. Thoughts?

My Mat Stinks (and Other Embarassing Yoga Faux Pas)

Before yoga class started tonight, I decided to rest in Child’s Pose. But when I let myself melt into the floor, third eye resting blissfully upon my mat for a few moments of silence, something unpleasant happened. I took a deep breath in, ready to take in the moment, when I suddenly realized… My mat smelled like old, sweaty gym socks. I sat up. I looked to my left… and to my right. Can they smell it, too? I made eye contact with an older gentleman. He smiled politely.

A yoga studio may be a place where people gather to find balance and bliss, but, let’s face it, there are opportunities for embarrassment everywhere you look. Have you ever slipped on a puddle of sweat in Tree Pose? I have. Here are a few other ways I’ve embarrassed myself in a yoga class.

1. Stinky, Sweaty, Disgusting Yoga Mat. By the time I noticed my mat spelled like stinky gym socks, it was too late. I just had to play it off like it wasn’t a problem.

2. Getting Kicked in the Head. You know those studios where they cram the mats so close to each other you stick your feet in each other’s faces in Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose)? Well, it’s particularly dangerous during jump backs. Once, I got kicked right smack between the eyes. It hurt… but I think the girl who kicked me was more embarrassed than I was.

3. No Partner for Partner Poses. In yoga class, we’re usually all adults, so when your teacher suggests you “grab a partner” it shouldn’t feel like you were the last poor kid picked for the kick ball team… and yet, it always stings a little.

4. Body, Um, Noises. It happens to everyone. In yoga, you use your body in new ways. You create tension in your muscles so you can let it go… but sometimes you might let more than tension go.

5. Holey Pants. I once noticed there was a hole in my yoga pants during Happy Baby Pose. I quickly aborted the mission and chose a more conservative modification.

OK… now it’s your turn. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you during a yoga class?

Pig of Happiness

Today, I would like to be the person of happiness. (For the record, I think you have a beautiful bottom.)

What’s your intention for the day?

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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