20 Characteristics Of Self-Love
Adapted from Howard Falco at MindBodyGreen
Falling in love with yourself is the TRUEST type of love. It is not selfish, egocentric or unjust - it is the most important relationship you can foster. This love transcends borders, liberates you and connects you to your surroundings. Today we're celebrating 20 aspects of self-love and the positivity it brings back into you.
1. Self-love is appreciative of your journey, struggles, and determination to move forward and overcome.
2. Self-love respects your physical body and its absolute perfection.
3. Self-love understands, forgives, and honors your past for the lessons it has provided you.
4. Self-love understands that you cannot change the past, and can only make new, more empowered choices right now.
5. Self-love is grateful for the gift of life with all its ups and downs.
6. Self-love accepts the current circumstances and is appreciative of the knowledge every situation offers on how to begin powerful change.
7. Self-love results in a divine respect for who you are, which leads to respectful choices
8. Self-love understands that your existence is the self-evident proof that you matter in every moment.
9. Self-love trusts the process of life.
10. Self-love accepts the truth that all life presents is for you in some divine way.
11. Self-love provides a love that allows you to trust that life will bring you what you desire when the conditions are right.
12. Self-love provides you the patience and faith to wait for the conditions to be right.
13. Self-love allows you to be limitless in your dreams, hopes, and desires, and limitless in the actions you take to achieve them.
14. Self-love gives you a healing and comforting presence around others.
15. Self-love gives you the peace that is stronger than anyone’s negative comments.
16. Self-love gives you a knowledge that surpasses all fear.
17. Self-love is kind, gentle, forgiving, hopeful, optimistic, and energizing to the soul.
18. Self-love is kind, gentle, forgiving, hopeful, optimistic, and energizing to others.
19. Self-love is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your world each and every day.
20. Self-love is the greatest love of all.
<3
Foundation Friday: Uttanasana
Our Foundation Friday series delves into the basics of yoga—looking at its postures (asana), breath (pranayama), philosophy, and all the other essentials—giving you the foundations upon which to build a solid practice. Today we are highlighting Uttanasana, or standing forward fold.
Foundation Friday: Uttanasana
Uttanasana || Standing Forward Fold OOH-tah-NAH-sah-nah
Ud (उद्; ud) = prefix for verbs or nouns, indicating superiority in location, rank, power, intensity Tana (तान; tāna) = "stretched" Uttana (उत्तान; uttāna) = "intense stretch" or "straight" or "stretched" Asana (आसन; āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat"
Uttanasana is an active time-out; your legs release, your feet root and ground you, your head is below your heart, and your spine releases. Taking time here allows your other postures to integrate and connects you to the present moment. With a variety of ways to execute uttanasana, you can tailor your experience in this asana to suit your intention. You may choose to dangle and sway, releasing tension from your entire back body, or you may choose a variation including a grip on the toes or hands under the feet with a more active core, spine and legs. Regardless, uttanasana allows you to hang your heart close to your body, a shape that offers inner reflection and the opportunity to create self-love. As our postures are medicine, this one bows you into your Self, creating a reverent pause to fall deeper in love.
Benefits of Uttanasana
- stretches your hips, hamstrings and calves
- strengthens your knees and thighs
- keeps your spine strong and flexible
- calms your mind, soothes your nerves
- reduces stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression
- releases neck, spine and back tension
- activates your core
- stimulates your kidneys, liver and spleen
- addresses symptoms of menopause, asthma, headaches and insomnia
- improves digestion
- can lower high blood pressure
The Wealth Inside
This month we're sharing insights and highlights of self-love - the most important thing you can learn in your practice. Understand your wealth and use it to love everything you can to the fullest extent. The following is a post from Yogalifer Caitlin, who shares some insight on how self-love and her yoga practice helped her with anxiety.
The Wealth Inside
8 or so years ago, after getting a new job at lululemon, I went to my first yoga class. I knew right away I had found something special. I don’t want to say I “suffer from anxiety” but I have anxiety and that is a fact. Since starting my practice, it no longer has ME. At that time in my life it was almost unmanageable.
I was experiencing a total loss of control, daily panic attacks, and a deterioration in my personal relationships.
I was able to remain somewhat peachy on the outside, but the internal core of my soul was crumbling. I learned quickly that the peachier you are externally, the more you compromise yourself internally. Looking back it seems so logical, but isn’t that always the case.
It was interesting, I took the job at lululemon on a complete whim. This was a serendipitous sign in my life that things really do unfold the way you need them to. I had never even been in the store before, nor had I practiced yoga. I am so thankful my boyfriend took extra long at Foosh that day, driving me to wander into this new stretchy-pant place.
Cut to a few months into practicing… the thing that kept me coming back was the knowledge that there was a quiet place within me that offered me a source of control and patience with myself I had never quite been able to harness. I guess you could simply say it offered me SOURCE. I absolutely felt the desire to transcend my human condition, which spawned later to my dharma of transcending the collective human condition.
I found that even when I was off my mat I could slip into this place and enjoy my inner sanctuary.
I knew that this was too important to me to not share. I set the goal that I would be a certified yoga instructor by the time I was 25 and on May 22, 2011, I completed my first 200-hour teacher training (I turned 26 on May 23 of that year! Goal crushed with one day to spare!).
As yoga has become a huge part of my life, it is most certainly a deeply-rooted impulse to honour why i'm here. I absolutely fall off course, have the occasional panic attack and most certainly have bad days, but I know deep down that the place I first fell in love with – that sanctuary in my heart – exists. As a teacher, I go on, perhaps endlessly, about the value and importance of self-love. For me, my inner space guides me through anxiety; it’s my crux and I own it and accept it. I don’t expect everyone in my class to resonate with the story behind my words, but there is a sense of connection that comes when words truly come from the experience of the human condition. Teaching people to find ways to love themselves is at the core of my existence because I was taught also.
And really, love is the most healing medicine one can be offered.
Foundation Friday: Dry Skin Brushing
This post is yet another instalment in our Foundation Friday series - tidbits of information to deepen your practice. This month we are focusing on falling deeper; exploring the practices that allow you to shine from the inside out. We will focus on a variety of self-love and self-care practices to get you falling!
Foundation Friday: Dry Skin Brushing
Earlier this week we shared yoga poses to get you glowing, focusing on postures that stimulated the lungs and digestive systems to make your skin radiate. Today we're sharing something even more simple and incredibly effective: dry skin brushing. This simple wellness technique is quick, inexpensive, and helps to cleanse your body inside and out.
Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing
- exfoliates dead skin
- stimulates the lymphatic system
- helps reduce cellulite
- unclogs pores
- improves circulation
- allows skin to absorb more nutrients
- make sure to purchase a natural bristle brush (not synthetic!) that has a long handle to reach your entire body
- strip down and stand in the tub or a surface you can sweep up (it may get a little "dusty")
- brush from your extremities in towards your heart; start at your feet and work up your legs to your torso then move to your arms and follow the same path
- use long, sweeping motions and be mindful of sensitive areas (skin will become less sensitive the more your brush)
- you may choose to shower first and then apply an organic oil like sesame or coconut
- you may warm up your oil and apply it after you brush; let the oil sink in for 10 minutes and then shower off and pat dry
- this technique is recommended twice a day
- don't forget to clean your brush with soap once a week
Happy Brushing!
Ayurveda with Ian Hayward
Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge
Ayurveda is the traditional system of Hindu medicine that is rooted in the idea of balancing the body, mind and spirit to maintain health. The wisdom in this science of life is drawn from an understanding of the laws and rhythms of nature rhythms and laws, based around the five elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth.
The following article comes to us from Ian Hayward. Ian was first introduced to Vedic knowledge in 1984 as he searched for alternatives to Western medicine to aid his health. He was initially instructed in the practice of Vedic mantra meditation. The profound effects of this effortless technique propelled him to learn more about this ancient health system. Over the next ten years Ian attended countless Meditation Retreats and Vedic Science Courses at home and abroad. He learned and regularly practiced Advanced Meditation Techniques including the Siddhi Yoga Sutras and eventually, in the summer of 1993, emerged from the Maharishi Vedic University in Valkenburg, Holland (Deepak Chopra’s training was in the same lineage) fully trained as a Panchakarma therapist offering an extensive range of bodyworks and elimination therapies and as an Ayurvedic Wellness Consultant offering pulse diagnosis and lifestyle solutions.
http://elementallifesolutions.com/pages/ian-hayward
Fall season is now well under way and this can be an excellent time to do a cleansing program. However any cleanse must be approached with a realistic attitude or the results could lead to a destabilization not just to the physical but to the mental & emotional levels as well. When you remove a physical toxin you also disturb the mental and emotional pattern that was involved in the forming of that toxin. This is why the experience of detoxification can be a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions.
Before you contemplate the level of detox you want to achieve take a realistic look at your present toxin level. If you are new to cleansing or have not been living a particularly pure lifestyle then you need to start gently. If you release too many toxins at once you can feel like you are being poisoned, this is disheartening, destabilizing and can set up a negative pattern towards purification. It is much more effective and positive experience to cleanse at a rate that leaves you feeling fresh and clean rather than sick and unstable.
It is also important to do a cleansing program that is right for your Elemental body type and dosha. Click here for more information and specific cleansing guidelines for different doshas.
Ian Hayward, Elemental Life Solutions Inc.
Join Ian at Yogalife Studios North on Saturday, October 18 from 11am to 6:30pm for 'Elemental Intro to Ayurveda', the first instalment of workshops geared towards building the key concepts of the Ayurvedic approach to health and wellness.
Register here and contact us (info@yogalifestudios.ca) with any questions!
Foundation Friday: Fall Deeper
October: Bold, earthen colours float amongst the the fall foliage. Leaves whiz atop the earth in a dizzying haze. Us Edmontonians savour the all-too-short time to run about in our fall scarves and jackets, sipping warming teas, and feasting on the foods of the fall harvest (like pumpkin-spiced everything) before the heavy winter sets in. Routines that fell away during summer return to their regular rate, and maybe you're finding yourself craving some time in the hot room again. This month, we're focusing on falling deeper into practice—we will be sharing our favourite self-healing practices and ways to glow from the inside out. Come along with us on the blog and in our studios as we move through a journey of self-love and healing!
Foundation Friday: Love-Yourself Affirmations
Affirmation the action or process of affirming something or being affirmed emotional support or encouragement
A huge part of self-love is physically telling yourself how and why you love you. Affirmations are these personal statements; they encompass anything you need to plant within you at that moment. The result is an increased positive self-perception that can condition your subconscious mind to get on board with your needs and goals. Just as you can create a damaging inner effect by constantly negative self-talking and keeping ourselves down, you can reverse the pattern and get on your own team through dedication to your positive affirmations. Shifting your thoughts from negative to positive can truly shift your life.
How do I get there?
1. Choose your affirmations for YOU Allowing your script to come from a place of what YOU need is important. Think about your goals, needs, desires, and let that guide the words.
2. Write down what you love about yourself It can be a daunting task to compliment yourself, but it is a huge part of letting the self-love pour in. Sit with a pen and paper and record everything you love about you. This will help you gain the confidence you need to let your affirmations land and work. Use present tense for this writing: I am beautiful. I am strong. I am worthy.
3. Replace the negative Think about all the negative scripts you rattle off in your head - this may be a written physical list too. For each one, find its positive counterpart. Use this positive list to counteract the negative. Be vigilant in changing your language to yourself.
4. Prioritize As you go through this process and start creating your lists and really looking at your language, you may find there is a lot to sift through. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, prioritize what your most immediate goals and needs are and then focus on those. The other things may just fall into place! Once you see improvements in one area you can move onto the next.
5. Write it down You've had lots of practice writing things out by now! Continue that with your chosen affirmations. Choose to create these as "I can" and "I will" statements. See yourself achieving your goals!
6. Repetition is key Find yourself coming to your affirmations multiple times a day through different mediums. Writing them in your journal, on your bathroom mirror, the fridge, the front door, on your yoga mat, in your car... keep letting the positive energy of your words take you into a deeper self-love.
We'd love to hear your experience with self-love, goal-setting and affirmations. Connect with us on our Facebook page or get the conversation going around the studio next time you're in. We love this stuff and we love YOU!
Beautiful Words from Dean Tumibay
The following is a beautiful message from long-time Yogalifer, Dean Tumibay. For me personally, Dean made my transition into the media team so easy; he was always there to field my millions of questions and frustrations over technology... there to lend a hand wherever he could. Dean will ALWAYS be a Yogalifer and we are ecstatic to see him grow into his career. Best of luck, thank you for all your hard work, support and silliness!
You are a true gem Dean.
I came to Yogalife a week after it opened, April 2010, in the hopes of finding a yoga studio nearby that I could complete a self-induced 30-day yoga challenge with my cousin, Michelle. I had done hot yoga before, and heard about these 30-day challenges at other studios, but never committed to one. I decided to give Yogalife a shot.
Just like many of you, I was first blown away by the sheer beauty of the space.
Polished white floors, warm tones, large windows, complimentary tea – what more could one want in a space? With bright smiles, the two owners greeted me at the front desk. They warmed up to me even more when I explained that I was doing a personal 30-day-challenge before they even had established an official one for their studio.
My cousin and I became familiar faces in this space, chatting constantly about what we loved and in some cases, hated strongly disliked about classes. Near the end of my challenge, I found myself sitting in the lounge, alone, quietly reading a magazine when one of the owners approached me. With a bright smile on his face, he asked if I’d be interested in a position at the studio. I was elated and within a week of submitting my resume, I was behind the front desk of Yogalife Studios South.
At the time, I didn’t realize how accepting this offer would define 4 years of my life.
Yogalife became a second home to me. In this space, I laughed until my stomach hurt, held warrior 2 until my legs burned, cursed under my breath during a tough core sequence, danced to the greatest hits of the 90s while the rest of you were in class, played a didgeridoo, unclogged a toilet and folded a million towels. It was perfect.
Yogalife provided me an opportunity to let my creative juices flow, after being stagnant for a number of years, getting caught in the regimented schedule of being a University student. I became a part of the media team, shot many of the videos on the Yogalife blog, and made a point to expose our amazing crew on a deeper level to our beloved clients.
Though it was my home, Yogalife exposed me to a world in Edmonton that I had no idea existed despite having been here all my life. The wonderful individuals I met in different communities outside our own enriched my life and opened my mind to so many alternative practices.
As my employment here came to a close, I began to observe all the beautiful things that I’d miss when that faithful day came, where I’d walk through the doors as an employee for the last time and hand over my key to Caren, the studio owner. I embraced the bright sunshine in the empty lounge, softened by the frosted windows, the smell of my favorite tea brewing, the warm air of the Sun studio, the bright hallway lights, the cat pictures on our computer desktops, and most importantly the anticipation when clients and instructors would walk through the front doors.
Many of you came in, often stressed from work or school, but walked out with a smile on your face, responding to my question, “How was your class?” with an exasperated “A-ma-zing…”
Beautiful.
I always dreamt of a job like those you see on T.V. The places where everyone knows your name (go ahead, sing the Cheers theme song), where those same people are genuinely interested in the on-goings of your life, and just happy to share space with you, even if just for a brief moment.
Yogalife was exactly that.
It was my goal to get to know as many of your names as possible, and if I ever fumbled with a pronunciation, please accept this as my apology. I am grateful for every interaction I’ve had with each and every one of you. I loved knowing your stories, celebrating your successes, and being present as your yoga practice grew. I loved that because of you, Yogalife became a place I could go when I needed to escape any stresses I ever experienced.
To the amazing instructors and GSRs I’ve met, you have become such an important part of my life, inspiring me in ways that I could never fully express in words. I’m grateful to call many of you friends, and look forward to where this next step in this journey takes us.
I walk away from this studio, holding dear to me the sweet memories of serving this community, and wish all of you nothing but love.
The absolute highest in me honours the highest in you and bows to it.
Namaste.
Foundation Friday: Balasana
This post is yet another instalment in a series that delves into the basics of yoga—looking at its postures (asana), breath (pranayama), philosophy, and all the other essentials—giving you the foundations upon which to build a solid practice. Today's posture is another great addition to our Grounding Series.
Foundation Friday: Balasana
Pose, or Asana Child's Pose bah-lah-sah-nah
Mmm. Child's Pose.
Don't you just love it when your teacher says those words, offering you the chance to retreat inside, to turn inwards, to shut off all external noise and simply breathe? Child's pose, or Balasana, is frequently offered as a break within sequences, a time to re-establish steady breath, calm the heart rate, or return to intention if we've gravitated away from what we've set out to do.
Why is child's pose so grounding and calming?
- First of all, the shape of the spine in a child's pose mimics the shape of the spine in a fetal position—and our time in utero was, for most of us, the most stress-free, comforting, and grounded environment we've ever known. It's a gentle reminder to our bodies, and then our minds, to return to that calm, quiet state.
- Secondly, all forward folds are—in their physical nature—calming and quieting as our bodies are literally turning in towards themselves. The anatomical action of folding our bellies, chests, and faces into our legs—or in this case, the floor—seals us away from whatever is going on externally so we can only look at ourselves.
- Further, the action of resting the forehead down on something (the earth, stacked fists, a block) gently stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve helps to regulate the parasympathetic nervous system (the part that allows us to rest and relax), and in doing so it naturally lowers our heart rate, blood pressure, lessens tension and the stress hormone cortisol. That's why child's pose is also an excellent bed-time posture!
Balasana may help…
- Opens through your hips, thighs, and ankles
- Open the shoulders (especially in the traditional variation)
- Calm anxiety, soothe stress, and relieve fatigue
- Help move your nervous system into a more relaxed state
So, how do I get there?
- From Downward Facing Dog, lower your knees down, about mat-distance apart.
- Touch your toes together, and rest your seat back on your heels.
- Fold your torso forward. Let your belly rest in between your thighs.
- Extend your arms forward, palms facing down.
- Find someplace for your forehead to rest—if the ground is not available, you can use a block, a folded blanket, or even stack your palms or your fists.
- Breathe.
We hope this helps you better understand balasana, or child's pose. Please feel free to comment on our Facebook with any further questions. And let us know if you have something you would like to see featured in Foundation Friday!
From Roots We Rise
This month we're focusing on grounding - growing and stabilizing our roots; connecting to the earth and ourselves. We're thrilled to have YEG yogi Michele Theoret contributing her piece 'From Roots We Rise' on the blog today. She's even included a 75 minute video to put her words to work. Michele is the woman behind Empowered Yoga, a local company offering teacher trainings and workshops, not to mention a wicked blog an other online resources. Get empowered! www.empoweredyoga.ca
FROM ROOTS WE RISE
The root chakra (muladahara) is the first chakra and is located at the base of the spine (lowest point in the pelvis). Muladhara is associated with earth element, instinctual desires, stability, safety and infancy; it is your survival center. Our very existence depends on our ability to relay on external and material support, therefore the sympathetic fight-or-flight response is initiated from the root chakra.
Our roots are our connection to the earth and therefore serve to ground us. Grounding orients us in space and time. It allows us to SHOW UP in the moment, detaching from future based expectations and fears as well as past retreats and defeats. To be strongly grounded allows us to stand on our own two feet and face what is in front of us without flinching, to remain anchored to our truth in the face of opposition. From security we can then safely explore the idea of movement and creativity; only when we feel safe and grounded can we learn to let go and flow. As we lift the energy from the roots up into the pelvis (much like a plant draws water up its trunk) we create inertia, momentum and desire, allowing us to become un-stuck as opposed to uprooted, propelling us forward in the direction of our goals. We cannot simply create things with our minds, the downward flowing “rooting” energy is required for manifestation.
Mulabandha is a technique for arousing the powerful grounding/manifesting energy. It is located at the root of our spine, in the perineum. Hui Yin, the first point on the Conception Vessel from Traditional Chinese Medicine is also located here. Mulabandha or “root lock” is for the most part over engaged and over-emphasized. Often language like “do a Kegal” or “contract and lift your anus” is used. In a society that is plagued with, control, material possessions, digestive issue and sexual dysfunction, this practice is not necessarily helpful. The effective usage of mulabandha comes from the SUBTLE lifting inside the pelvis, combined with subtle contractions of the muscles surrounding the outside of the pelvis and the gentle cinching effect of the transverse abdominals. When mulabandha is engaged in this way it becomes the internal “safety net” that calms the fight or flight response through stability while drawing the energy upwards into the second chakra to further energize the pelvis.
Growing Roots
The proper functioning of the roots requires a “dynamic balance” of both sthira/strength and sukha/flexibility. Range of motion, suppleness and joint health requires the community of muscles surrounding the pelvis and legs to turn on when we need them and off when we don’t need them. When specific muscles get lazy, other muscles get cranky and overworked. Stretching may only aggravate the problem. It is important to incorporate both strength/yang-based exercises as well as well as stretching/yin based exercises. The following roots sequence begins with some effective awakening exercises for the legs and hips followed by sequences to strengthen and invigorate and postures to release and unwind.
It's Time To BLOOM 2.014!
Yogis gather at BLOOM 2013, held at the AGA. This year they've got a new venue and even more to BLOOM you!
THE BLOOM 2.014 EXPERIENCE: Yoga, Beats, Bliss
Yoga Music Meditation & Inspirational Speakers
Bloom is BACK! This years' festivities are a collection of events all central to conscious expansion... yoga, beats and bliss to get you blooming! The line-up is stellar and includes two of our own Yogalifers, Sarah Zandbeek and Myrah Penaloza. There's a lot going on leading up to big day on October 5th - check out the line-up below to schedule your BLOOM!
Together We Bloom: Flower Crown Workshops, Oct. 2 & 3
Together We Bloom is an opportunity to build your own floral crown or headpiece to accessorize, and express your style for this event.
Rock your newest flowered-creation to It’s Time to Bloom! The only other accessory required is a smile and an open-heart. And then literally, Together We Bloom!
ANTHROPOLOGIE @ WEST ED
Thursday: 5-7pm
Friday: 7-9pm
Open to ALL ticket holders, register your spot here!
BLOOM Opening Gala, Oct. 3, Muttart Conservatory
Come celebrate the BLOOM festival weekend with our opening ceremony led by native elder Sequoia Truebloom, followed by talks and meditations and pranayama with Rameen Peyrow, Myrah Penaloza, Jacki Carr, Robindra Mohar and Taylor Eyewalker. Once you have had a chance to go through the 4 pyramids to experience a series of musicians, meditations and breathing in the tropical forest, you will arrive in the center foyer where we have converted it into a space to celebrate and dance with music by the one and only Dj Drez.
Appetizers, drinks and desert by Inner Glow Nutrition
Please purchase a separate ticket for this event or include it in your weekend pass! Ticket info here!
Saturday BLOOM Sessions, Oct. 4
Be sure to check out the whole line-up here to plan out your weekend. There are yoga and workshop passes that get you into different events, so pre-plan your path to ensure you're all set to BLOOM!
Highlights from Saturday's line-up include 'Jumping Timelines' with Taylor Eyewalker (kundalini yoga) and 'Maha Sadhana' with Reno Muenz and special musical guest Sheela Bringi - a deep immersion of purification practices, asana, and a deep guided meditative relaxation practice with live harp, bamboo flute and sacred Indian singing.
BLOOM 2.014: Sunday, Oct. 5
Sunday is the main event! The day is packed with speakers, classes, music and more. Again, plan out your sessions to get the most of your experience and save some energy for the live concert that wraps up the weekend featuring DJ Drez and MC YOGI. MC YOGI’s music is inspired from India’s great epic myths, poems, and sacred texts such as the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita. He’s inspired by the life of Mahatma Ghandi and his message of peace. Perfect. We couldn't be more excited to experience BLOOM 2.014. See you there!
Foundation Friday: Tadasana
This post is an instalment in a series that delves into the basics of yoga—looking at its postures (asana), breath (pranayama), philosophy, and all the other essentials—giving you the foundations upon which to build a solid practice. Today’s focus will be on Tadasana, or Mountain Pose.
Foundation Friday: Tadasana
Pose, or Asana Tadasana, or “Mountain Pose”
Tada - Mountain, Asana - Pose tah-dah-sah-nah
This month we're sharing our favourite grounding poses and, as the name suggests, Mountain Pose creates stable roots from which to rise. Depending on the style of yoga you are practicing, you may also hear this pose referred to as Samasthitiḥ. Essentially, this is your center. Tadasana creates a feeling of union in your body; a sense of connection to the earth and the sky. Just as the majestic mountains boast height and width to secure their stature to the planet, tadasana is your foundation to feel grounded.
Although tadasana is a basic pose, it is the blueprint for many other poses (you could almost say all!). You can find this anatomical position of the body in many other poses and relate how that center stability is present in other asanas. It is an important pose to allow your body to receive and integrate the information and benefits from your practice. Tadasana allows you to recalibrate and prepare for the next posture; stability and grounding are the foundations of this pose.
Benefits of Tadasana...
- corrects posture
- strengthens feet, ankles, knees and thighs
- steadies the breath
- increases awareness
- tightens the core
- relieves sciatica
- helps flat foot
- helps to strengthen and lengthen the spine
- increases energy
- beings harmony to the mind and body
How Do I Get There?
1. Start standing with your feet hip distance or wider - make sure this is a comfortable, stable stance.
2. Check in for foot/ankle alignment - the base of the second toe lines up with the center of your ankle. You may choose to sway gently here, finding the balance in the souls of your feet to ground down with.
3. Engage pada bandha, drawing energy up the inner line of your leg to stabilize your knees and charge your thighs all the way up to your pelvic floor, finding a subtle connection to your core.
4. Supinate (rotate outwards) your arms to create "anatomical position". Allow your thumbs to open up outward, rolling your arms open and creating space in your collarbones and shoulders as your scapulae gently draw onto your back. Watch that your ribs don't jut forward here - use core stability to keep the spine growing tall right through your crown.
5. Relax your shoulders and draw attention to your back body - feel the base of your skull stack over the back of your heart and sacrum. This back body awareness allows you to feel genuinely stacked and supported: rooted from your feet, all the way into your lower back, shoulders, and head.
6. Balance the crown of your head directly over the center of your pelvis, with the underside of your chin parallel to the floor, throat soft. Soften your eyes.
7. Tadasana is generally the starting point of all standing postures, although it is an important posture in itself. Stay in the pose for at least 30 seconds to a minute, scanning the alignment through your entire body and focusing on your breath.
We hope this helps you better understand this essential posture, tadasana. Please feel free to comment on our Facebook with any further questions. And let us know if you have something you would like to see featured in Foundation Friday!
Getting Grounded in California
Enjoying malasana at the beach in Ferndale, California. Check out the rest of my #happyhips photos at www.instagram.com/ceeevs
Yogalifer in the Field: Caitlin Varrin
Hi Friends!
Caitlin here, sharing some love from the road. I'm on my second annual gallivant through California and loving every minute. It's nice to feel home somewhere when you're far away from your own. Last year I spent 3 months traversing this vast state and this year is shaping up to be a similar adventure. What I love most about California is the opportunity here for me to reconnect and ground. After an action-packed summer including 4 music festivals and the Gaiatri 200 hour teacher training, it's been really important for me to let my knowledge land and be still-ish. Although my little travelling family does opt for many hikes and day trips, I have my personal time every day to go inward and get quiet with the trees. Heaven.
My home base is just outside of Eureka in the northern part of the state. I am in the redwood forest; the trees in my backyard are 200-300 years old and I've hugged ones as old as 2400! Sitting under these giants is a truly humbling experience; I revel in their majesty. I've really been enjoying incorporating them in my photos for the Instagram challenge that Yogalife Studios is hosting right now with the lovely Sara Cueva! This place is oh so photogenic and inspiring! We arrived here in the first week of September after having the best time imaginable at Burning Man in Nevada (that's a whole other article of photogenic and inspiring) and just returned 'home' from some California exploration.
One of our day trips included the most westerly point of the USA, a tiny community called Ferndale. California has a few little jut-outs along the coast and Ferndale exists on one. You could say I'm truly west coast right now! I fell in love with this town immediately; we originally went to check out the beach but got distracted by the most charming Victorian homes of all colours and extravagances... also the hyperbole of yard sales that graced their lawns! Literally 32 sales in 4 blocks! If you know me personally you know this is another indicator of heaven. Some of my stellar finds include a $1 copy of Carolyn Myss' 'Anatomy of the Spirit', a wicked $2 denim jacket and a FREE meditation cushion. After our tromp around town we did finally hit the beach with our new treasures in tow. Nothing beats a good read and stretch on the beach!
I've been to California a bunch of times now and each time I like to cover new ground. The next leg of our jaunt took us through Sierra County, back into desert-like heat, beautiful lakes and forests. This was a nice switch-up from Eureka which is almost chilly (hold your YEG comments)! This area was home to the California Gold Rush and you can still find tiny flecks of gold in the Yuba River (we're rich!). This is one of the least-populated places in California and we truly enjoyed the pace they were working with. We spoke with the locals to find the best camping spot and headed through Plumas National Forest to arrive at Goose Lake. We were the only people there. Again, heaven. Camping with a fire-ban means lots of rock-tossing into the lake and really early bedtimes. Extra chill.
There is something so special about experiencing different communities and chatting with the humans that live there. When I first started teaching yoga at a variety of studios, this was one of my favourite things - dipping into communities, seeing how it's done, getting to know people from all over the city... connecting. You can learn a lot by watching, asking a few questions and listening. Best part? You don't even have to leave home to do it.
So after exploring this new-to-us part of California we finally we looped back to the coast to my favourite place ever: San Francisco. I know that my travels will take me to some amazing places in life but for now, 100%, this is my place. We only stayed for one day and went and saw some epic music. We'll be back for more at Halloween as it's only 4 hours south of Eureka and again, THE BEST. The drive up the California coastline is as stunning as you can imagine! We stopped at this place called Area 101, a sort-of spiritual clubhouse-looking place. The main building donned amazing murals and beautiful statues of various deities. There was grassy space with a tipi and a huge statue of Buddha. So beautiful. I've done this drive a few times now and have never stopped here. Now I know to always stop.
My travels are scooping me home for a few weeks and then back to meet up with my family here and chase summer a little longer. I plan to teach a workshop at a festival in Southern California that is dear to my heart and continue getting upside down and backwards in the trees. I have a stack of books to read, an even bigger stack of magazines to collage with, and a bunch of uncharted forest waiting. Not to mention 38772 more treks to San Fran to really get my heart bursting.
I'll see you in the hot room for a few weeks starting September 30th. Sending ALL THE LOVE!
xo
Caitlin
Embrace the Spirit from Within: Yogalife's Fall Retreat 2014
***We have had ONE LAST SPOT open up for a Teepee on this upcoming retreat! Please let us know if you'd like to fill it—who knows, it could completely alter the course of your life... ;) Next week, Sean Forchuk, Keia Dreger, and an eager group of Yogalifers will be making their way west to Golden, B.C. for this year's fall retreat. As we've been referencing on the blog this month, fall is such an awesome time to slow down, stay still, and re-connect with your roots—and what better opportunity to do so than amongst the great tall trees and majestic mountains on our own soil?! The five glorious days of this retreat will be spent immersed in yogic philosophy, asana practice, hiking, raw-chocolate-making... even fire walking! Plus Sean and Keia promise to entertain with their antics—if you haven't gotten to know these two already in their classes, this video has everything you need to know...
Embrace the Spirit from Within will run this September 24th-28th. Retreat-goers, we wish you safe travels, and a balanced mix of craziness and calm!
Foundation Friday: Malasana
This post is an instalment in a series that delves into the basics of yoga—looking at its postures (asana), breath (pranayama), philosophy, and all the other essentials—giving you the foundations upon which to build a solid practice. Today's focus will be on Malasana, or Garland Pose.
Foundation Friday: Malasana
Pose, or Asana Garland Pose, or "Yogi Squat" mah-lah-sah-nah
In conjunction with our monthly theme, Malasana is one of the ultimate grounding yoga postures. The rooting through the feet, the closeness of the pelvis to the earth, and the general feeling of heaviness and surrendering to the weight of gravity in this posture all encourage a downward flow of energy. Malasana's energetic qualities are calming, soothing, and quieting for the busy mind, as this asana activates a flow of prana down through the body, towards the ultimate source of grounding—the earth.
Many Eastern cultures are accustomed to sitting on the floor for meals and meetings, or squatting comfortably as they go about their daily activities— whereas In our Western world, we spend so much of our lives seated in chairs, car seats, or on couches. We lose the softness and suppleness of our hips, calves, and ankles, and the strength of our low back, thighs, and core. Physically and energetically, malasana helps to counteract these losses.
Malasana may help…
- Tone your thighs, glutes, and calves
- Strengthen your low back and abdominal muscles
- Open through your hips and inner thighs
- Aid in digestion and elimination
- Soothe anxiety and promote calm
So, how do I get there?
- Start standing with your feet about mat-distance apart. Turn your toes slightly outwards.
- Lower your hips in between your legs. Keep your heels on the floor if you can, or support them with a folded mat or towel. You might even try this posture with a prop—like a block, or bolster under your seat.
- Draw your hands into anjali mudra (prayer position) and slide your shoulders back. Press your outer elbows into your inner thighs, and vice versa. If this is too much, keep both of your hands on the floor in front of you for support.
- Lengthen your tailbone down towards the earth—like gravity is pulling it lower—but lengthen the crown of your head higher to elongate your spine.
- Broaden the front of your chest.
We hope this helps you better malasana, or garland pose. Please feel free to comment on our Facebook with any further questions. And let us know if you have something you would like to see featured in Foundation Friday!
Meditation 101 (Guided Meditation Audio Included!)
Starting a meditation practice can be daunting - where do you start? How do you sit? What exactly does it mean to be "in meditation" anyhow? How can you navigate through your inner landscapes with more depth and authenticity? Who am I, beneath all these layers of body and mind? This workshop with experienced yoga & meditation practitioner and instructor, Amanda Ings, provides a space for you to explore each of these questions, and much more. A simple, easily approachable 4-step meditation will be shared and broken down, both in practice and in discussion, step by step. Exactly what we are doing in each step and why, how it works in the body-mind-energy-consciousness field, and how each step can be integrated into your daily life to bring more presence, power, and stillness, in yourself and your relationships with others. This workshop is appropriate for everyone; those wishing to deepen their current practices (in yoga or meditation), and those completely new to meditation and/or yoga. Everyone always takes away exactly what they need.
Amanda will be leading the first workshop of a 2-part series, Meditation 101 this coming Sunday at our North location. Find out more here!
Bonus—for a sample of what you'll learn this weekend, try out one of Amanda's guided meditations here: Guided Meditation with Amanda Ings
Foundation Friday: The Spine
A reclined twist is a wonderful, gentle way to nourish, massage and lengthen by inviting rotation to the thoracic and cervical spine.
Foundation Friday: The Spine
Fitting with foundation, today we're taking a look at the spine: the literal backbone of life! Spine alignment comes into play with each and every asana and yoga is an amazing practice for spine health and rehabilitation. At the most basic level, the spine is comprised (normally) of 33 vertebrae - 24 articulated and separated from each other by intervertebral discs, the 9 lower vertebrae fused together (5 in the sacrum and 4 in the coccyx or tailbone). A healthy spine has 4 curves to it - a lordodic curve in the cervical and lumbar spine and a kyphotic curve in the thoracic and sacral spine - which creates a balance to support two main functions of the skeletal system: stability and mobility.
Spinal Rotation
In yoga we refer to the rotation of the spine as a twist, often used throughout a sequence at varying levels of intensity. Twists may be active or passive, supported or strengthening. In general, they are all meant to lengthen and nourish the spine. It is important to remember to twist from your thoracic spine and allow the twist to finish in your cervical spine for full rotation. As always, it is also important to listen to your body and especially not overdo these poses. Let your breath guide you into depth. Cherish this masterpiece within your body!
Other Ways To Move Your Spine
Action: Spinal Flexion Asana: Cat
As you press into the earth, hollow your tummy and round your spine, flexion is created by deepening the thoracic spine's natural kyphosis. The natural curve of the cervical and lumbar regions allow the flexion to continue in the neck and lower back.
Action: Spinal Extension Asana: Cow
Spinal extension is created by tilting your sit bones and heart upwards, rolling your shoulders back and lifting through your collarbones. This hammock shape provides the opposite curve that the thoracic spine is normally resting in and range of motion may be limited here. It is important to concentrate on lengthening your energy and breath through the entire spine to free up tension from the lumbar region.
Action: Lateral Flexion Asana: Crescent Moon
As the legs and pelvis root into the earth, the spine lengthens up and over to the side in a C-curve to create lateral flexion. Be mindful of space in this pose, especially around the shoulders. By keeping soft and your upper back and neck and connected in your core, the spine will be supported to move in this manner. The most freedom will be felt in the cervical and lumbar spinal curves.
"The yogi will tell you that you feel and look as young as your spine is elastic."
Richard Hittleman
Learn to Fly: This Saturday with Sara Cueva
This weekend, Yogalife Instructor and Karma Coordinator (and co-host of our current Instagram challenge!) Sara Cueva is leading her popular Arm Balances and Inversions workshop at Yogalife South. Check out the video we shot with Sara last year to learn a little more about why she's so passionate about taking flight within yoga practice—and gain some insight into the goodies you'll learn in Saturday's class!
Arm balances and inversions with Sara from Yogalife Studios on Vimeo.
Learn to Fly with Sara Cueva runs this Saturday, September 6th at Yogalife South from 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Sign up here.
Yogalife in September: Grounding
Happy Labour Day, friends and fellow yogis!
We hope you've enjoyed the last days of the warmer rays here in Edmonton—what a spectacular summer it has been! As the sunshine slows and school begins, it's a great time to reflect on and give thanks for all of the good things warmer weather has brought—opportunities to break from routine, to take time away, to share extra laughs and love. And as we progress towards fall, for many of us it's back to school, or back to a more steady pace of life. That's why our Media Team this month is focusing on grounding—re-connecting with our roots, finding our calmly abiding centre within. We'll focus our Foundation Fridays on some poses that will help you find your steady seat, and share some tips and techniques to help if you feel like you're stuck with your head in the clouds and nothing on the ground beneath you.
In tune with our theme of grounding, today is also Day 1 of our #HappyHips Challenge on Instagram! Hips are an area of your body that are totally connected with your legs and feeling of being stable and connected to earth. By practicing each pose that we post daily on our Instagram, you'll not only explore new spaces within your asana practice, but you might notice you also feel a little more steady within yourself. Check it out, and don't forget to tag us @yogalifestudios when you participate!
Foundation Friday: Yoga for Better Sleep
This post is an instalment in a series that delves into the basics of yoga—looking at its postures (asana), breath (pranayama), philosophy, and all the other essentials—giving you the foundations upon which to build a solid practice. Today's focus is a little bit different—we're looking at how yoga can be beneficial in sleep. Because what could be more foundational for your yoga practice, your day—your life!—than a good night's rest?!
Foundation Friday: Yoga for Better Sleep
We all know the symptoms—dark half-moons under the eyes, lion-sized yawns, a lowered level level of alertness. If you've ever spent a night—or a string of them—tossing and turning, clock-checking, and worrying yourself awake, you're certainly not alone. According to the CHFA, one in seven Canadians have insomnia, or trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. And sleep deprivation is one of the leading causes of stress among American adults. As anyone who's spent a night sleepless in bed knows, counting sheep may be a somewhat entertaining attempt to lull yourself into a sweet slumber—but it's not always the most effective.
Bed-time yoga has been proven as an effective method of lessening the time it takes to fall asleep, and lengthening the time it takes to stay asleep—so much so, that even the U.S. Department of Defense has been using a yoga nidra derivative to help treat its soldiers sufferrering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—an ailment that shares similar symptoms with insomnia, like anxiety, or the inability to sleep at night. While sun salutations and vinyasa are not particularly recommended, some gentle, calming yoga postures—done next to, or even right in your bed may help to soothe your mind and body into a sleep-state. Check out our top five yoga postures to help with sleep, below.
You'll notice that this list includes plenty of forward folds—forward folds, or extension promote a turning inwards, helping to rest and soothe the brain. Forward folds stimulate a cooling sensation in the body, and also help the digestive system to assimilate whatever hasn't yet been digested, whether physically or metaphorically.
1.Downward Facing Dog, or Adho Mukha Svanasana
Start from all fours, or a Tabletop position with your wrists outer-shoulder distance apart and your knees under your hips. Tuck your toes under, and press your hips skyward. You might need to bend one knee, and then the other to find some space in your back body to make this posture more comfortable. Bend both knees, and send your belly back towards your thighs. Lengthen your ears away from your shoulders.
2. Seated Forward Fold, or Paschimottanasana
Sit up with your legs extended in front of you. Remove the flesh from underneath your sit bones by manually sliding it out from underneath your seat. Extend your heart forward towards your legs, and then fold forward. Relax your arms beside your feet or legs and let your head be heavy. Use the physical feeling of turning inward to help guide your mind inward as well—turning your thoughts off from the day behind or ahead of you, and instead focusing on calm breath and the physical sensations you feel inside your body.
3. Supine Twist, or Supta Matsyendrasana
Bend your knees, scoot your hips slightly over to one side, and then lower your legs to the opposite side of your hips. This should help your hips to stack over top of each other. Turn your head opposite your legs if it's okay for your neck. If your knees are lifted uncomfortably away from the floor or your bed, you might support them with a blanket or pillow (bonus since they're so close!). Again, breathe deeply into your belly to invite a gentle compression into your internal organs, facilitating digestion both physically and metaphorically—helping yourself to integrate the happenings of your day so that you can rest and prepare yourself for the next. This posture may also help to alleviate any back and neck discomfort that prevents you from falling asleep.
4. Child's Pose, or Balasana
Fold your torso forward between your legs and allow your forehead to rest, on either your bed, or stacked palms or fists. Take slow, deep belly breaths. If you like, you can massage your brow by gently rocking your head from side to side.
5. Corpse Pose, or Savasana
Set yourself up into a final resting posture—you might try lying down with your arms right alongside your body and feet hip-distance, or maybe you feel more comfortable extending your limbs further away from your torso. Once you're completely comfortable and at ease, try a yoga nidra technique:
Work through your body slowly, one piece at a time—draw all of your awareness to that part, starting at your feet. Notice the way your feet feel, and if there is any tension or muscular engagement in your toes, the balls of your feet, your arches, your heels, your ankles. Consciously relax that part of your body, using your long, drawn-out exhales to soften. Work your way up through your legs, your arms, your torso, and your head. Once you've covered all of the areas of your body—if you've made it through all of them without dozing off!—notice the way you feel now, and see if you can tell your mind to relax in the same way you have your body.
Use these postures alongside a deepened, calm breath. If thoughts are giving you anxiety, or preventing you from falling into a sleepy state, you can try writing them down in a bed-side journal, or try to let them pass by you without getting attached. If these postures aren't enough, you might try making some small lifestyle changes—like avoiding caffeine after lunch, turning all your screens off at least an hour before bed, or settling into a nighttime ritual to help tell your body it's time to rest.
Let us know what's helped, and what hasn't in your journey to easy rest. Sweet dreams, yogis!
Taylor Nystad: On Completing the Ironman
Before completing her shifts at the studio, we just had to get one last story from Taylor regarding a major accomplishment in her life, completing the Ironman Triathlon. Taylor gives us a detailed account of what it's like to be in one of the most esteemed triathlons in the world. Congratulations Taylor!
4am:
My alarm goes off, but it wasn’t necessary as I had maybe slept for 30 minutes total since 9pm the night prior. Cue the anxiety attack. Everyone is now awake and getting ready. Me, on the other hand, am crying and considering handing in my timing chip. At this point I’m too afraid to race, I don’t feel ready. I force myself to eat something but I think I might vomit.
6am:
We’ve finally reached Alta Lake via the shuttle busses. There are athletes everywhere in the transition area. I feel a little better but still want to bawl my eyes out every few minutes. We get our bikes ready and put our wetsuits on. It’s time to say goodbye to our friends and family as we head to the lake to warm up.
6:55am:
It is 5 minutes to the swim start. Everyone is floating in the water. I then realize I have misunderstood the swim course and am at the front of the line. In reality I wanted to be near the middle as I am an average swimmer.
There are people everywhere, so there’s no chance for me to move farther back.
The swim:
The cannon goes off and instinctively I start swimming. I am literally in a human washing machine; there are people everywhere. I’m getting kicked, pulled, grabbed, and shoved. I know I have to stand my ground or else people will swim over me. The course is a two-lap rectangle, so I know I just have to endure this until the first turn. Once there, I decide to swim on the outside of the course. I know it might slow me down, but it’s a better alternative to swimming in the flurry of people. I end up swimming 4.5km, and am 10 minutes slower than what I originally wanted.
Swim to Bike transition:
Everyone is running out of the water to his or her transition bags but I decide to walk. In the swim I didn’t use my legs so I’m still feeling a little shaky. I grab my bag and make it to the change tent.
Let me just say now that the volunteers for this event are absolutely amazing.
A volunteer finds me and helps me with whatever I need. Trying to put on compression socks out of the swim was probably a bad idea. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much difficulty putting socks on. I get the rest of my gear on and run out to find my bike. Volunteers lather my arms with sunscreen.
Now it’s off to bike 180km.
Bike Km 1, Alta Lake to Callaghan:
There are cyclists everywhere. This was my first triathlon and cycling event so I was for the most part, unaware of what was in store. I pass people, and people pass me. The first portion of the course was mostly downhill which gave me enough time to settle into the new demands that my body was putting on me. I started off easy on my nutrition, waiting for my body to adjust.
Km 25 Callaghan- Whistler:
This was the first real climb of the race. 12km uphill to the top of Olympic village where the ski jumping venue is. But what goes up must come down. I had biked this portion once before in May so I knew what to expect.
What I didn’t know was how my body would fare going 180km. The farthest I had biked before in training was 100km, once.
I went with the philosophy of taking it one hill at a time, and to not push myself too hard.
I made it up Callaghan at a good pace. Going downhill Callaghan was a nice break for the legs. Once at the bottom of Callaghan was the climb back up to Whistler. This wasn’t too hard as you had some downhill moments to rest. I made sure to maintain my nutrition plan: 2 gels, 1 bottle of electrolytes every hour. If I had any inkling of a muscle cramp or GI issues, I took a sodium capsule right away.
Whistler to Pemberton:
Biking through Whistler was the first time I saw my friends and family since leaving Alta lake. You only see them for a few seconds, but it gives you a boost of energy. At this point I was three hours into the bike and was on track for my goal time. Whistler to Pemberton was essentially all downhill with the exception of a few small climbs. 1500ft drop in elevation to be exact. This was once again an opportunity to rest the legs to prepare for the 80km you had left once you reached Pemberton.
Pemberton Out and Back:
I finally received my special needs bag. Mine had an endurance drink, dried mangos, ibuprofen, sodium capsules, gels and skittles. You’re probably questioning the skittle part, but if I was in serious risk of bonking, I needed a rapid sugar dose. Skittles do the trick. I took everything from my special needs bag and put it wherever I could on my bike.
Once you leave Pemberton there is a 25km out and back of dead flat road in the valley.
This was the most boring part of the course. That turn around point could not come soon enough. I knew I had to fuel and pace properly on this portion because the last 30km of the bike was the most difficult. I wanted to bike at my original goal pace, but I knew if I pushed too hard, the rest of the bike would be a suffer-grind fest. It felt as though a hundred people passed me. I just had to remind myself that I was doing my own race and I was on pace to make the cut-off.
Pemberton to Whistler:
I have been dreading this all day. I had done this portion of the course back in May, and let’s just say it went less than ideal, as in I had to walk up a few hills. There was one last aid station before the climb so I stocked up on everything that I could. I had saved a few espresso gels from the special needs bag. These gels would be my saving grace: just enough of a caffeine boost to keep you going when there’s no fuel in the tank. I went into the climb saying I would take it one hill at a time, just as I had done earlier. Everyone who passed me in Pemberton, I caught up to.
It was 32 degrees and there was no shade. People were dropping like flies.
There were people on the side of the road, walking, vomiting, and a select few receiving medical help. My legs felt good and I knew to just take it easy. I ended up staying with a few other cyclists. We all talked to help distract us from the constant stream of hills that never seemed to end. I kept drinking as much fluid as I could. At one point even my water was so hot that drinking it made me feel uncomfortable. I just knew I had to keep going.
Reaching the final aid station was like finding water in the middle of the desert.
I knew I only had 10km to go and that the end was near. I just kept biking but by this point I felt like I was going to bonk. I ate whatever fuel I had left and popped sodium pills like they were candy. I finally saw my family back into Whistler. I had made the bike course before the cut off; I was ecstatic.
Bike to run transition:
I don’t think I have ever been so excited to get off of a bike in my entire life. If you ever want a free bike you should wait by the athletes at the end of the bike course on an Ironman.
After being on that bike for 180km you don’t want to see it ever again.
The volunteer who relieves you of that bike is an absolute savior. I get into the women’s change tent to switch to my run gear. Once again the volunteers are incredible and help you with whatever you need. I change my gear and head out onto the course.
Run Km 1-21:
I get out onto the run course and am surprisingly jogging. Well, more like shuffling. My jog pace was a fast speed walk at best.
I had 7 hours to do the run, but I forgot to put ibuprofen and sodium in my bike to run bag and I needed it badly.
I wouldn’t get any of those items until the halfway point, in my special needs bag. I just knew I couldn’t stop moving. At every aid station I drank pepsi or chicken broth for sodium and ate a gel. There were people everywhere on the course cheering you on which helped.
Km 22-41:
I finally have my sodium and ibuprofen, which helped immensely. Every step I took pounded into my knees. I knew I had done some damage but I wasn’t exactly sure to what extent. I had done the first half in just over 3 hours so I knew the odds were in my favor to finish. I had just less than four hours to do a half marathon.
They were going to have to pull me off the course before I would willingly quit.
By KM 30 my dad had caught up to me (he was also racing). We sped walk the last 10ish km and ran on every downhill. We were close to the finish line and could hear the music and crowds going wild. We were so close but it all felt so far away.
The finish line:
We had finally made it into the village area. I tried to jog but I could barely sustain it, even with everyone cheering me on. I made the last turn and there it was, the finish line. Suddenly any pain in my body had disappeared. After over 16 hours I had finally made it to the runway of the finish line.
Everyone was cheering for me.
One person stuck out their hand to high five me, and the next thing I knew everyone was doing the same. Running down that finish shoot was Euphoric, a culmination of raw emotion and exhaustion. Cameras are flashing everywhere to capture your golden moment and the announcer tells everyone your name. I crossed that finish line, and for the first time in over 16.5 hours, I could finally stop moving.
Crossing that finish line is an experience that I will never forget. It makes all the hardships endured completely worth it. I believe that it will be a source of inspiration for the rest of my life; if I can make it through an Ironman, what can’t I do?
-Taylor Nystad
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