Countdown to 2012: Sequins Encouraged

I cannot believe the year is ending in a matter of hours. Can you ?
This year has been full of many things... good and bad.
I am ready to leave it behind and leap into 2012 head first, but not without forgetting what I have learned.
I invite you to enjoy these last remaining hours of 2011.
What will you take with you, what will you leave behind ?


I will take with me....
...the love and continuous words of encouragement from my friends and family.
...great memories of my father and uncle who I lost this year. 
...all of the joys brought into this world - all of the friends who have added to their beautiful families this year.
...new found yoga awareness and knowledge, friendships, gratitude, confidence... There will always be so much to learn; and so much to teach. 
...the culture, the memories, the history, the friendships made from my experiences in Israel, Greece, and Turkey.
...gymnastics body awareness... I am loving this practice since I began in the summer. Yoga isn't the only thing or the only way; this new knowledge helps keep my mind open and my body surprised!
...a continuous love of photography... capturing memories and beautiful moments.
...a greater understanding to never judge anyone as we never truly understand what any person is going through.


Whether you are attending a New Year's Eve party full of glitter or staying home with loved ones, enjoying the last hours of 2011 by a glowing fire, allow yourself to sit back and take in all that you have learned, all that you have become in 2011...


Happy New Year with
Light, Love & Gratitude !!
Robyn


**above photo taken at Busch Gardens, December 2011 by me**

Yoga Laughs

So, I was in great need of some giggles today, and this YouTube video has me cracking up... If you practice or teach yoga, hopefully you find it funny, too! It is not meant to poke fun or make fun of anybody...it is a merely here for general giggles :)




Namaste,
Robyn

Happy Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice reminds me that we are entering days filled with increasing light. How beautiful is that ? Celebrating Hanukkah during the Solstice reminds me how important it is to have light our hearts no matter how we are feeling...The light will always be there for us to hold on to, even in these dark days of wintertime.


Celebrate the light, celebrate the dark :) For the light would go unnoticed if there wasn't darkness after all.


Happy Solstice / Happy Chanukkah!
Robyn

Weekend Recap

Friday Night
Secret Yogi party at mi casa with 9 fellow yoga friends / teachers. I made my brownie pops, we exchanged gifts over yummy food, fine, and lovely conversation... We partied till midnight :) Fun times with really wonderful people.


Saturday Morning
Gymnastics at Qi with the husband and friends... I am becoming more and more comfortable in this class. Still sore, but I love it!!


Saturday Lunch
Pho with Justin and Rokha at our favorite pho place in Denver. It's a Saturday tradition pho sho...


Saturday Afternoon
Free for all... Chilled out after a crazy week!!


Saturday Night
We went to Ashley's (yogi friend) birthday party... Rock Theme... I was channelling my inner Blondie, sans blonde hair! We danced, I drank a total of one half of beer, and we practiced yoga... Good times :)


Sunday
Worked a bit. Blah... It's nice to be back home now hanging out with my boys before the short work week begins!! 


Hope you had an Amazing weekend,
R

How Wonderful It Is...

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank

What do you want for the holidays ?

It's a simple question.
But ... Is there a simple answer?


Just weeks ago many people were frantic to get in line to be the first to buy discounted flat screens... the newest gadgets, clothing on sale... In fact now we have two "holidays" when this occurs: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 


Our society is filled with the idea that we need things and more things to fill us up. I am convinced this certainly cannot be true, and we do not need to believe this silly notion. It is OK to want to want something for Christmas - nothing wrong with it. But remembering the reason behind WHY we are happy, I don't want this to be forgotten :)


To me, it is the relationships, the people, our families, unique experiences, goals achieved, dreams come true ... this is the stuff, the untouchable "things" that make a happy life.


So, I invite you to ask yourself one more time ... What do you want for Chanukkah or Christmas this year?
Make this your intention for December.. Pray for it, breathe it in... 

I wish for...
1. ...my family and friends to be healthy, happy, and safe.
2. ...my husband to be guided in making the right decision.
3. ...Baci my pup to have a new friend... maybe in 2012, we'll see ?
4. ...my yoga friends to continue to follow their dreams.
5. ...my youngest sister to enjoy her last year and one half of college. 
6. ...my "middle" sister to continue making leaps and bounds in her career.
7. ...my yoga students to be guided in the best way possible.
8. ...more people to practice yoga ... both on and off their mats!


In Gratitude,
Robyn

Asana Sunday: Anjaneyasana

English: Low Lunge / Crescent Moon

Sanskrit: Anjaneyasana

The name of this posed is derived from Hanuman, mother of Anajane, so at first he was called "Anjaneya". The pose is called "Cresent Moom" because of the shape of the body when in the asana. There are different expressions of this pose.

The entire body is utilized in this pose - especially the front of the spine. This is a great pose for students to practice prior to building a sequence into crescent lunge - because you learn/teach the alignment first while your back leg "rests" on the floor. I have also practiced this pose with the back toes tucked under in order to stretch the foot and further engage the back leg.


Benefits of Anjaneyasana
1. ...opens the heart, stretches the front line of the body, and possibly increases circulation.
2. ...increases flexibility in the front body.

Friday Loves

Stretch your dollars far with this from Yoga with John's post. Food should be more reasonable, don't you think?

Tree decorating inspiration with paper, brown paper bags: origami stars and brown paper flowers.

Why you shouldn't be the yoga "cookie"...

Continue to give thanks each and every day... Here are some lovely quotes to help inspire.

Happy December!

Happy December!! November flew by, but let's be present shall we ?! 31 days left to go in 2011. So, what are your plans for month 12?

I wish to...

1. Have more Early Morning Dance Parties. This is when we blast 80s music throughout our house when we are getting ready for work and we dance around... It definitely takes the "Manic" out of my Mondays!!

2. Find our Christmas Tree and decorate it with biodegradable, DIY craft projects!! Stay tuned :)

3. Take Anusara yoga classes in Denver... I have only scratched the surface, just barely, but I would like to learn more :)

4. Go snowshoeing before year's end. 

5. Journal not just before but also AFTER all yoga classes I teach.

6. Enjoy every moment that is left of 2011. Live the life I love.

XX

Robyn

It's Never to Late for a Wedding Gift!

My sister-in-law sent us our wedding gift in the mail (we married about 18 months ago) and we received it today in a monstrous box. Now that she is out of school, I think it was easier for her to purchase something now versus at that time... We are so thankful she gave us such a cool, functional gift!!!


I had no idea what had arrived in the massive Amazon.com box .. All I could think was, what did Justin order ? I thought it was some sort of piece of technology!


When I returned home from teaching, I saw J had opened the box and there sat a wrapping-paper wrapped box with a pretty bow!! And that's when I learned this was a gift from his sister... So, we opened box after box after box and in the final box, we found something Justin (and I think me ;) have "wanted" for a while... A Viking Professional Series Mixer.. Hooray!! :)

Time to make pizza dough, bake, and go nuts in the kitchen!!! 

Asana Sunday: Adho Mukha Svanasana

I taught my eighth internship class this evening - 17 students in attendance!! It was a lot of fun, and I received great feedback from fellow teachers. I have never had teachers attend my class, but was lucky enough to have three this evening :)
Some of the feedback I received to saying what the pose is as opposed to just describing it to students. Saying the asana will give them a better idea of where to go if they are not watching me or cannot see me.  Because of this feedback, I have chosen to write about a different pose every Sunday in order to better learn the names of the asanas - I would like to ingrain them into my brain!
My husband gave me this idea, but I will also be speaking to a single pose and also describing the background or story behind the pose - why the pose is called what it is called.
Hopefully this weekly post will aid in enriching my teaching as well as my students' understanding of the postures.
The first pose I have chosen to speak about is in my mind the most widely known, the most fundamental yoga asana.

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English: Downward-Facing Dog

Sanskrit: Adho Mukha Svanasana

Adho = Downward

Mukha = Face

Svana = Dog

Primary Muscles used: Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi, Triceps, Gluts, Hamstrings

Secondary Muscles used: Rhomboids, Rotator Cuff, Anterior and Medial Deltoids, Posterior Deltoids, Extensors, Serratus Anterior, Soleus, Gastrocnemius

From Yoga Journal, here are the Benefits of Adho Mukha Svanasana...

1. Calms the brain & helps relieve stress & mild depression.

2. Energizes the body

3. Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands

4. Strengthens the arms and the legs

5. Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause.

6. Relieves menstrual discomfort when done with head supported.

7. Helps prevent osteoporosis

8. Improves digestion

9. Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, & fatigue

10. Therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, sinusitis.

There are more reasons than ever to practice this pose; thankfully it is a part of most if not all yoga practices!!

I am still searching for the story or the reason behind this pose... Some sites discuss the body becoming a ray of light - when in Down Dog drawing the focus from the pelvis to the throat. I'll see what else I can find.

Gratitude

What are you grateful for ? Gratitude leads you away from judging and puts life into perspective. Thank somebody you are grateful for today.

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Inspired Design Tuesday

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AU Interior Design Program is #1

DesignIntelligence has announced that the Interior Design program at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama is ranked #1 - tied with SCAD!!!


Hooray for all of the students, teachers, and staff who have made the program such a huge success!! Here is the article.


Note, in order to view the listing, you have to purchase DesignIntelligence in print or digital format.

Early Riser

Woke up... 3AM
Drove Justin to the Airport...4AM
Grocery Shopped for a family's Thanksgiving in an empty grocery store... 5:30AM
Yoga Practice ... 6:30AM


Now the sun is rising and it is time to continue on with the day ... May it be a great one for all.


XO
Robyn

Legwarmer Loves

LEGWARMERS ... I can't seem to leave to the house without them... I don't wear them to work, but to and from the gym, yoga or even out in the evening... They are sooo cozy and will always be cute to me :) I'll still be wearing them when I am 80!

Ride On

Today is Justin's Birthday!! Hooray!! I took him out for dinner last night and tonight he is playing dodgeball with his team and then we may grab a drink afterwards :) Gotta love Birthdays!!

On October 22nd, Justin attended VeloSwap, the largest consumer cycle expo!! He returned with some goodies  for his bike. He also came home with a pretty cool surprise!! He bought me a bike!! This isn't just any bike... 

We believe it to be a 1970s-ish bike...'76, maybe ? It's a Schwinn Collegiate 3-speed... Just riding it around makes me feel as though I am back in time.... back into the 70s or something :) And I have the cutest little bell!! LOVE IT!!

We ordered new tires for it as when Justin purchased it, the originals were still on the bike. I cannot wait to take it out for some longer rides to the Highlands!!!

 Schwinn with Existing Tires

My First Ride

On My Bookshelf

Have you ever come across a few quotations from books and knew you just had to read THAT book ?


I have come across a book such as this...


A Natural History of the Senses - by Diane Ackerman


Cannot wait to start this one :)


photo via

Spirograph Inspiration

Don't you remember that super cool art "toy" from the 80s and 90s that would allow you to draw the coolest shapes perfectly - circles, parabolas, curves, they went on forever!! Oh, the spirograph. I literally had to google "80s toys drawings" to remember the name of the thing!! 


Here are new pieces of art - upholsteries, etc. that are a lovely "spin" off the spirograph... Enjoy, and don't get too dizzy :)

Momentum Textile's Veer in White.

Arc|Com's Echo in Flamingo.

Folded NoteCards on Etsy.

A larger scale spirograph, called "Drawing Machine" has been created by artist Eske Rex out of Copenhagen to create larger than life geometric designs utilizing pendulums:

Food For Thought

I came across this publication containing fabulous recipes paired with heart-felt stories... What a great idea, I may just have to ask for this for the holidays :) Remedy Quarterly will leave you inspired, with real stories from real people...and great recipes ... The magazine is centered on the fact that food brings people together. Now, who wouldn't agree with that?!

Friday Loves

How to Worry Less... Read this and picture your life like this.
Neon Pink Masking Tape... Perfect for a creative's home office!
Choose Happiness this Weekend.
Check out a restaurant centered on repurposed design like Saraghina in Brooklyn. 

Life Advice from Hocus Pocus!

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Halloweekend

The past week leading up to Halloween has been an interesting one!! Denver got about 12 inches of snow on Wednesday...It was kind of strange because all of the trees still had their leaves. Driving all over town, I saw many tree limbs down and some neighborhoods were without power for 24 hours plus!! Everyone was hypothesizing so many limbs were down because the trees were heavier than normal, still holding their leaves... Oh, Denver.


But as the week progressed, it became increasingly warmer - just in time for Halloweekend!!


We went out Friday night to Justin's friend's party in Wash Park and didn't stay out too late, knowing that we had another party to attend the following evening. Saturday morning, we grabbed our usual Pho and chit chatted about the upcoming evening and the night before. I made it to the gym for some cardio and arm balances... The gym is OK but I would really rather just go to Qi! ;)


Saturday night was an absolute blast. We all got ready at our house .. curling hair, applying makeup - including freckles and stars on our cheeks!! Sparkle hairspray and blue hairspray (Justin only) were also part of the picture... We dressed up as Rainbow Bright and the Color Kids (all of her friends). I was dressed as Patty O'Green who is the character who is responsible for all things green on the planet. My "homemade" costume was cute, though next year I will probably go as a character that is more recognizable!! Group costumes are the best, though!!


It was quite fabulous seeing friends I hadn't seen since the summertime... Especially in costume!! Halloween has to be one of my favorite holidays.. dressing up is the best!


Today, I loaded up with liquids before heading to Qi for a Qi Kettle-Barre Master Class - {2} hours of booty-kicking with Kettle Bells and Barre work!! Holy Moly! I am so psyched for this new program!! The program was super cardiovascular, just the ingredient I have been missing in my workouts!! Whoo-hoo! :) And it is such perfect timing to launch before the holidays... Let's shock our bodies more than ever as it gets colder and we eat sweeter things!!


Speaking of food, I made a silly goal today (and I only say "silly" because of my cheese obsession)... But I have decided to stick with it. I resolved that I would eat no more pizza for the remainder of the 2011 calendar year. Pizza is such an easy thing to look to when we don't feel like cooking... But Pizza no more... I need to eat more greens, more fruit, and less greasy, fatty foods. Homemade cooking is where it's at!

Night 1 - Patty O'Green + Rainbow Bright

Night 2 - Patty + Cleopatra

Buddy Blue, Hamburglar, + Rainbow

Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, + Patty

Black & White Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies... They are creeping up everywhere and with the holiday upon us, I knew I had my chance to bake something fun! I originally was going to bake Pumpkin WPs, but I decided to go a bit a simpler... Black & White...


They turned out great ... If you decide to try the recipe, check out Delish :) Some things to keep in mind....


1. My recipe yielded (8) not (12) pies. I might have made the cookies to small, but they seemed pretty large to me!
2. The recipe instructs 3 tsb of filling/icing per sandwich, but this amount tended to be too much and dripped off some of the pies. I recommended 2 tbs.
3. Make sure to have some milk nearby to wash these babies down as they are uber rich!
4. ENJOY!

Squares and Ovals

Today was a successful day.. Even though it feels like a lazy Saturday when it is all said and done; I still feel somewhat productive. I needed THIS day to catch up on sleep! The last day I have slept in past 6AM had definitely been forgotten until today. Gotta love Saturdays!!
I pulled together my Halloween costume and ate pho with a friend our favorite pho place... They definitely know us as typical customers these days.. I just seem to crave it every Saturday morning... Thankfully, it is a healthy thing to crave!!


After pho, we went to the Spirit Halloween store to check for costume accessories... I found green and white-striped tights and green hair spray... Later, we headed to Target where I found the perfect green skirt...Well, Catrina found it... (kid's section, but it works and it was cheap!) I also found 15 glow stick bracelets for $1 in the dollar section. Love it!! 


I ended up stopping in Hobby Lobby, shocker, I know! I needed 6-square frames for photos I had ordered for our living room. I have a clear obsession with square photos... They are so unique and really capture photos differently from your everyday, typical 5x7 print. Most of the photos I take these days are square .... They are just more fun! Below is some inspiration for the Square... Be sure to check out Ritz Pix - they offer a few size options in square prints... I am so very excited for my 12x12 prints!!

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HL was a good stop as I also needed to make a new wreath for our front door to celebrate the fall season - the spring/summer wreath just wasn't doing it anymore. So, I bought a few items to make a quick "Fall" wreath and walala. It is now "Fall" at the May household!!

I am off to continue reading Carlos Ruiz Safon's The Shadow of the Wind...Thus far, this is quite a thrilling book selected for our Book Club this month... Halloween-related of course :)


Tomorrow, we are off to start workout "55"... 1 squat, 54 push-ups. 2 squats 53 pushups. 3 squats 54 pushups........ 54 squats, 1 -push-up. After that, if I am still able to walk, we are completing some running drills... Should be interesting ;)


In the afternoon we are finding the perfect pumpkin at the pumpkin patch and running through corn mazes :)


EnJOY your weekend!

Your Purpose

Connecting back to our hearts allows us to see the path in front of us more clearly... Dive deep into your heart and ask yourself... What is my purpose and am I fulfilling it ? Am I breathing it, my purpose ? If not, what can I do to be closer to my purpose ?


Am I taking the easy road or am I taking the more adventurous road ? So many questions, but the answers lie in our hearts.


We are the deciding factor as to "What is next ?" "What happens tomorrow?" Swim in your purpose, dig deep, and open your eyes... because we are all going somewhere and we are our own guides on this journey.

We Have No Idea

Sometimes it happens in an instance. We step up, we see a path forward. We see a path and we take it. Even when we have no idea where we’re going.

 - Meredith Grey

How

“In the end
these things matter most: 

How well did you love? 

How fully did you live? 

How deeply did you let go?” 


-Siddhartha Guatama

Istanbul, Türkiye in 12 Hours