With yoga, we are all looking for this balance of mind body and spirit as well as a balance of movement and stillness, surrender and control, and inward and outward expression.

Expression comes from within and displays itself physically.  The face is the canvas for emotions to paint their colors on.  We are not always aware of our face in any given moment.  An even deeper look at the face reveals the skin and the health of it.

The skin is a reflection of the diet, the stress, and the very thoughts we have.  Being the largest organ on our body, we must be aware of the products we use.  Eminence is a brand that I recently found at the spa inside the Ritz Carleton in  San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Wow! amazing products.  Going online to their website, www.eminenceorganics.com, is, in the least, educational.  You will learn what herbs do what for your skin.  This helps determine the perfect product for YOU!

You are the wearer of your skin, and the products you use should be specifically designed for you, and they should ALWAYS BE ORGANIC!

There are many reflections we see in the face.  Eat healthy to get your nutrients, practice yoga to calm and process stresses, and satisfy your skins appetite for youthfulness by using Eminence Organic skin care products.

I received a gift for a month unlimited to Yoga Country from a girlfriend of mine, and I decided I would do an experiment.  Of course, scientists always want variables and results.  I embarked on my challenge, 31 classes in 31 days.  I knew that I would not be able to do a class everyday, but I figured that I could do 2 in one day to make up for missed days.

My first class was Hot Yoga with Brett.  Whew! I was out of the flow of things.  The class was difficult for me, and I felt pretty tired, but I did a class the next day.  Eventually I was in the groove, and I actually began to love yoga as part of my everyday schedule.  Days came and went, and I found myself evolving physically and mentally.  It was as though I was not complete if I had not done yoga one day.  This was good.  I felt great, I looked great, and I was being great.

What is so different about an occasional practice and an everyday practice?

Well, I would say everything.

Deep breathing and practicing yoga requires you to be in the moment, and only in the moment.  All of the sudden you think about what you will cook for dinner in the middle of side angle, and you wake back up to the reality of the wobble and perhaps a completely disrupted pose.

Also,  you realize that sometimes you get sore with yoga.  You actually get sore from stretching.  This may cause a discomfort the next day while practicing.  One of the realizations that comes through this involves the body’s trick of tensing up other parts of the body to take away the stress and pain in another part of the body.  All of this to say that squinching up your face will not make the pose any easier.  This is detachment.  Only the breath can help you, and this does not just apply to the practice of yoga

As I continued on my 31 day challenge, I noticed that I was less reactive in my everyday life.  I was learning to remain emotionally detached in situations.  I was not ‘squinching up my face’ when I locked my keys in the car.  I just took the steps necessary to resolve the situation, and I went on positively with my life.  This is the detachment.  This is good.

By: Kaylee Hamar

There are some things you can do to cut down on the heat.

1. Keep your house a few degrees warmer.  Not only will this save a little bit of cash, but also, your body will not be so acclimated to cold temperatures.  This will make it easier to stand the heat when you are outside.

2. Do Hot Yoga.  This will also acclimate your body to handle higher temperatures more efficiently.

3. Drink More Water.  Getting the proper amount of water daily is important for fluid and temperature control.

4. Eat Cooling Foods.  Foods like watermelon and cucumbers are great to cool you down on a hot summer day.  You can also substitute a breakfast of warm eggs or oatmeal for a smoothie like this one:

Green Coconut Berry Smoothie

¼ cup Coconut Milk

1 ½ Cups Almond Milk

1 ½ Cups Strawberries

¾ Cup Blueberries

1 Banana

2 Handfuls Raw Spinach

1 Cup ice

Add all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.  Adjust ingredients to get the consistency you like.

By: Kaylee Hamar

Aloe is related to the lily family which includes turnips, onions, garlic, etc. The minerals and nutrients in aloe that are beneficial to human health are damaged and become inactive below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is why aloe plants love the hot and arid climates that they grow in, like Southern California, Mexico, Australia, Africa, etc. Here they grow thousands of plants at once on aloe farms.

Most people know aloe for it’s abilities to help heal cuts and burns. Lignins in aloe help it penetrate the skin. Properties that influence aloe’s healing properties include:

Anti-Viral

Anti-bacterial

Anti-Cancer

Anti-inflammatory

Analgesic

There are so many useful components of aloe that these properties are attributed to.

The vasoactive substances that are in aloe help it to dilate the blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow to the area.

The Lectins help in cell communication which influences processes on a cellular level, encouraging healing.

The enzymes in aloe are very beneficial to digestion and restoration of normal flora. This normal flora, or bacteria, in the gut is responsible in part for the absorption of nutrients.

Vitamins and minerals are very abundant in aloe, encouraging antioxidant activity.

Although aloe is great for external use, it is also great for internal use! The enzymes that promote digestion can be used for detoxifying the intestinal track when taken as the whole leaf juice. Also, research has shown that the anti-inflammatory properties of aloe are great for reducing gastric ulcers and healing those that may already exist.

Also, Emodin, one biologically active component of aloe, was shown in research to induce the death of gastric carcinoma cells. This is one example of the anti-cancer effects of aloe.

Overall, aloe can be used internally and externally for healing.

When taking it internally, it can have laxative effects, and pregnant females are advised to avoid internal use of aloe during pregnancy.

By: Kaylee Hamar

When we really look at the human existence, we realize that under each and every outward expression, there is an underlying past experience and condition that is causing it.  This is our small self.  This outward embodiment of our inward existence is subjected to the forces of our past that we must dissect and understand, so that we can release and receive the consciousness from our higher self.  The smaller self, which has been shaped and formed by our experience, oftentimes contains the insecurities that control us by creating an environment where they thrive.  Insecurities can be seen like viruses in that, they need specific conditions in order to survive.  These conditions are the ones where we find our small self.

The self does have layers and without deliberate effort to reveal the inner layers, the insecurities and the small self are at the forefront of our existence.  When this is the case, our world reflects back to us the chaos and negative energy that we distribute.

How do we strip away these layers to reveal the inner self, which is the true conscious human being?

Breath, movement, and surrender are three tools that can be used to strip away the layers to achieve consciousness.  This is yoga. The breath creates space in the body and in the mind.  The space created allows movement of the body and the mind into a place where it could not go previously due to tightening and collapsing of existence and expression. Once the movement begins, there are walls that will be hit. This is where the hardest step becomes necessary, surrender.

Surrendering, by some, is seen as a negative action, signifying weakness and failure.  All things are relative, and this applies here.  Surrendering to the higher self will feel as though you are weak or failing, but these feelings are merely the insecurities of the small self trying to protect themselves.  Surrendering to the higher self is winning because it brings awareness.

Yoga is a multi-dimensional therapy that aligns the physical and mental existence through breath, movement, and surrendering.  With all three of these tools, the higher conscious being within is revealed.  Yoga is a choice. Yoga brings power. Yoga breeds consciousness.

Kaylee Hamar

What’s one of the greatest responsibilities of a leader?

It’s not something that’s in your job description at work. It’s not something that you think about as a husband, wife or parent. But it’s critical in any position of leadership. It’s establishing the climate… the right kind of climate. A mother or father establishes the climate when they walk through the door at night. A worker sets the temperature for co-workers at the office. A coach sets the climate out on the turf. So, have you thought about how things feel when you’re around? Is everyone comfortable around you or uptight? Do others see you as caring and serving or aloof and self-serving? Maybe it’s time for you to change the climate.

It’s taken me many years to understand that a great leader sets the climate in their home. They are a thermostat that sets the temperature, not a thermometer that just reflects the temperature in the home. All too often, I’ve been a thermometer. At times when Susan has gotten sick and is not feeling well, instead of empathizing, I’ve gotten cranky. When one of our children has disobeyed, instead of calmly disciplining, I’ve gotten angry.

Too many parents, and especially fathers, are thermometers; they reflect their wife or child’s mood. If she is a sweet and attentive wife, all is good; but if she’s not, his anger starts to swell. If their child is behaving, then he is fine; but if the child is rebellious…well, you get the picture.

Effective fathers should be thermostats, however, setting the climate of the household by how they react, or don’t react, to others’ behaviors. They choose to be joyful when their spouse is hurtful. They choose to be calm when their child is out of control. And they choose to love, when their spouse is unlovable. I’ll keep working on being a thermostat that sets just the right temperature in our home. What about you?

Remember, your Family First.

Mark Merrill

I subscribe to this email called “Family Minute”. I will probably start posting some of their stuff here as it is one of the few mass emails that I read daily and actually find useful! I love this article as it tends to really hit home for me personally. It’s not necessarily about yoga but will help lead you down the same path…to find peace and happiness.  Stop worrying and enjoy!

-Amy

10 Ways to Master Worry
By: by Gary Oliver, PH.D. and H. Norman Wright

Is worry your particular problem? Here are ten things you can do to conquer the worry habit.

1. Face your worries and admit them when they occur. Don’t run from them for they will return to haunt you. Don’t worry about worrying. That just reinforces and perpetuates the problem.

2. Itemize your worries and anxieties on a sheet of paper. Be specific and complete as you describe them. Keep track of when each one occurs during the day.

3. Write down the reasons or causes for your worry. Investigate the sources. Is there any possibility that you can eliminate the source or cause of your worry? Have you tried? What have you tried specifically?

4. Write down the amount of time you spend each day worrying.

5. Make another list. Note:

*the way you’re worrying has prevented a feared situation from occurring
*the way worrying has increased the problem.

6. Try to eliminate any sources of irritation if you are nervous or jumpy. Stay away from them until you learn how to react differently. For example, if troubling world events worry you, don’t watch so many newscasts. Use that time to relax by reading, working in the garden, or riding a bike for several miles. Avoid rushing yourself. If you worry about being late, plan to arrive at a destination early. Give yourself more time.

7. Avoid any type of fatigue—physical, emotional or intellectual. When you are fatigued, worrisome difficulties can loom out of proportion.

8. When you start to feel anxious, ask yourself: “Is this something for me to worry over?” In other words, is this something that really pertains to you and your life, or does it properly belong to someone else? Remember that your fears or worries often may be disguised fears of what others think of you.

9. When a problem arises, face it and decide what you can do about it. Make a list of all the possible solutions and decide which you think is the best one. If these are minor decisions, make them fairly quickly. Take more time for major decisions.

10. A worrier usually says, “I go over and over these problems and can’t decide which approach is best.” Look at the facts, and then make yourself decide. After you have made your decision, don’t question or worry about your choice. Otherwise the worrying pattern erupts all over again. Practice this new pattern of making decisions.