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Yoga Break 4 Writers: Give Your Neck a Break

Leaning towards the computer screen, consistently looking down as we type on a laptop, and tensing up as we type can all cause neck pain. Here are some poses we can do right at our desk, frequently during the hour to keep our necks limber and reduce neck strain.

Deep, Calming Breathing

Still your mind and think only about your breathing. You want to stretch, awaken, and alleviate stress and the pain. Breathe in and out through your nose (not your mouth). Take a deep breath in: slowly fill the chest with air, imagining that you are pulling in joy, love, peace, and light. Deeply and completely exhale the breath: you will actually use your abdominal muscles to push the breath out, imagining that you are expelling all toxins, stress, and tension. Keep taking those breaths until you feel yourself relax.

Neck Rolls

After about three to five minutes, add head movements to your breathing:

When you inhale, lift your face to the ceiling, and when you are ready to exhale, slowly put your chin to chest. Do this movement 3 times each way for a total of 6. Don’t rush.

On your last exhale, with your chin to your chest, roll your head around until your right ear is above your red shoulders (make sure your shoulders are down and not hunched up near your ear). You will feel a stretch in your neck and as your neck is stretching, extend your left hand out to your side with your fingers tinted on the mat. Take a couple of deep breaths, and then roll your head to the left side, so that your left ear is over your left shoulder. Note: As you roll your head from side to side, roll it in the front of your body with your chin to your chest. This movement is an exhale. You can alternate back and forth from each side.

When you are ready, do an entire slow neck roll, matching your breathing to your movement. Inhale when your face and head are up and exhale when your face and head are down.

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Yoga Break 4 Writers: Get Energized Right at Your Computer

I’ve been here writing for a while now. The last time I got up and moved around was three hours ago. I know…not good. I need to wake my body up and get some energy. Here are some exercises that I do to awaken the muscles in my spine and get blood flowing through my body.

Position #1 is a simple, seated Twist: Plant your feet on the floor. Sit up straight, lengthening your spine and opening your chest. 100_2801 Put your left hand on your right knee. Inhale, lifting your chest and rib cage, while your right hand holds on to the back of your chair, exhale as you turn to the right as far as you can and attempt to look over your right shoulder. Keep your shoulders down and back. You want to remain erect. Remember to breath. Do the same thing on the other side. Not only does this move help your shoulders, but it also massages your internal organs, helping digestion, and it massages and stretches your spine. With each exhale, deepen the twist.

Position #2: Put your hands in prayer position at heart level. Inhale through your nose and raise your arms above your head, lifting your face to the ceiling. Open your arms wide to the ceiling, effectively pressing your chest and rib cage out. Press your palms back into prayer position, exhale through your nose, and bring your palms back down to heart level with your chin to your chest. This is an energizing move. The speed is dictated by your breath. When your face is up towards the ceiling or in motion towards the ceiling, Inhale. When your face is in a down motion or your chin is to your chest, Exhale. Repeat this motion up to ten times, inhaling through your nose when your face is to the ceiling and exhaling through your nose when your chin is to your chest.

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Position #3 is a Sun Salutation series: You can do Sun Salutations on your knees or standing. The important thing is to match your breathing to each position. A previous post has specific instructions for each pose.

Turn Your Faith Cup Up

ChristianCartoon07 Everyday we meet or talk to people who are experiencing immeasurable trials and tribulations during this leveled economy. We encourage each other, but if we don’t have faith, the words disappear in the air.

Faith is believing in what you cannot see. I am a big advocate of positive thinking, speaking, and actions, but even to me things occasionally look bleak. My husband has been unemployed for a year now. My biggest client had me take a pay cut in lieu of severing our contract. Our income is less than half, which means that we are barely making it.

Our faith has increased though. We know that obstacles come before blessings. God is preparing us for something big and beautiful. We let God know that we have faith in Him, His plan, and His promises. Christians are not impermeable to problems; instead, we are equipped to deal with problems because we believe in Him, and we know how to use the tools He’s given us. The worse things get, the more we praise God and remind Him that we have faith that He is our provider, our leader, our comforter, our alpha, and our omega.

It’s not easy. Sometimes we do see with our eyes instead of with our Spirit, but the more we pray, the less we use our eyes. But as our faith rises, we can see the abundance of grace and favor that God overtly and surreptitiously bestows on us each day. We’ve learned to appreciate the little things, and look for God’s grace and blessings in everything. We know now how we took a lot of things, including God, for granted. We don’t think that our tribulations are punishment; instead, we know that trials grow us and make us more aware. Through these trials, we’ve become more creative in solving problems, making money, and dealing with issues. We’ve had to adopt a different frame of mind and levy the resources that are available to us. In this, we’ve discovered new interests and abilities that we had no idea were inside of us. We like to think of this time as a Renaissance.

The cartoon above from Mark at www.joyfultoons.com inspired this post because we realized that especially during this time, we must turn our cup up and fill it up with faith. We take it one day at a time.

Many blessings,

Vince & Trina

Natural Remedies for Colds, Flu, & Congestion

Sneezing Cold and flu season is upon us. I believe in being proactive and not reactive, and their are herbs that you can take daily to boost your immune system. I’m only going to list the remedies that I’ve personally taken that worked for me. I am always willing to try a natural method for healing ailments.

The Dynamic Duo
I can personally attest to the power of the dynamic duo, Echinacea & Goldenseal. I take the extract, and when I feel congestion, sore throat, or any symptoms of illness or allergy, I take the combined Echinacea and Goldenseal, and I usually feel relief from ailments within 24 hours. I continue to take it for another week. For preventive maintenance, I take a couple of doses for two weeks in each month.

Echinacea and Goldenseal combined have powerful immune enhancing, congestion reducing, and anti-inflammatory action. They are both great to take for colds, flu, fever, infections, congestion, and respiratory problems.

Echniacea’s anti-inflammatory elements help to boost your immune system, increasing your bodies defenses against bad agents that cause illness by increasing the amount of white blood cells in your body. The white blood cells (phagocytes) protect us from disease and illness by devouring harmful bacteria. Echinacea comes in liquid extract, pill or capsule, and from the ground root. A dose is 30 to 50 drops of the liquid extract, two capsules, or four to eight ounces of strong tea.

Goldenseal is very effective for infections. It soothes your mucous membranes in the respiratory, digestive, and urinary tract. So Goldenseal helps congestion, and it also has antibiotic and immune stimulating activities.

To be proactive, and keep illnesses away, take the Dynamic Duo two to three times daily for one to two weeks each month, especially during cold, flu, and allergy months. When you feel illness rooting, take Echinacea every two hours until you feel relief from some of your symptoms. Then reduce the dose to three times daily for a week to ensure that you fully recover. Take Goldenseal every two hours, and then after 72 hours, take it three times daily for two weeks.

The Holy Basil
Tulsi, also called Holy Basil is a sacred healing tea from India lauded for it’s three-fold ability to heal. It is both stimulating and restorative. It bolsters immunity, stamina, and metabolism while relieving stress. It helps to dispel toxins, improve digestion, and regulate blood pressure and blood suger. It reduces stress with an adaptogen, which is an agent that aids the body in adapting to stress. Tulsi has an immuno-modulator that balances and enhances your body’s immune response to antigen. It also has antioxidants that stall the process of excess oxidation.

I drink Tulsi tea every morning. The benefits are subtle, but they are there. I’m not as tired as I used to be and my digestion has improved fantasticly.

I am not suggesting that you abandon your prescription medications. I’m just sharing with you some natural remedies that help me. The Dynamic Duo and the Holy Basil work!

*Disclamer: Consult your doctor or physician before taking unprescribed substances. Conduct your own research. The Leisure Living Blog is not responsible for adverse reactions to the natural remedies listed in this article.

Yoga Break For Writers: Awaken Stiff, Numb Legs

Like me, my fellow NaNoWriMo comrades are busy typing away, ideas and characters walking out of our imagination and onto the computer screen. Our fingers are whisking across the keyboard, begrudgingly trying to keep up with the thoughts radiating in our minds. I’ve been sitting for at least an hour straight. I can’t feel my legs. Can you? In a previous posts, we did 6 easy stretches to relieve overworked arms and an article to help relieve shoulder, back, and neck discomfort. In this post, we are going to stretch out those stiff legs. You can do these stretches in your office, right at your chair.

Stretch Underworked Legs

Position #1: Sit in your chair with both feet on the floor, lengthen the spine, and sit straight up. Press your shoulders down and back. Deeply inhale and exhale. Cross your right leg over your bent left leg. Elongate your spine. Put your left hand on your right ankle and your right hand on your right knee, slightly pushing the knee. Hinge at the hips and bend forward. Don’t round or hunch your shoulders. Inhale and exhale deeply and slowly. As you exhale, you’ll be able to bend over more. Now do the other leg.

Position #2: Sit towards the edge of your chair. Lengthen the spine by sitting up straight and tall. Keep your shoulders down and 100_2810 back. Lift your right leg, and wrap a towel or belt around the arch of your foot. Flex the foot towards you. Breath deeply. Put your foot back down on the floor, hands on your knees, and breath deeply. Now do the other side.

Position #3: Lunges open your hips and stretch your leg. You can do this position with your leg in a chair, or if you have room, do this stretch on the floor. These instructions assume that you are on the floor. Remember to breath deeply. Lunge your right foot forward. You can drop your right knee to the floor if keeping it extended is too much. Make sure that the lunged knee doesn’t go past your 100_2812 toes. If it does, widen the stance. Place both hands on the floor, lift your chest and your head. Keep your hips even and squared towards the floor. Take a couple of deep breaths and do the other side. You can place an arm on either side of the bent leg or you can put both hands inside the bent leg. Do the other side.

Triangle and Downward Facing Dog are good poses for awakening and stretching the legs, while simultaneously energizing you. Both poses exercise all of the leg muscles, the butt muscles. and also stretch your arms.

Also, check out our tips for reducing tension, strain, and pain from working at the computer for long periods of time.

Namaste and Happy Writing,
Trina

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

What’s On Your Mind?

bloomingideascartoon Everything, good or bad, begins as a thought. A tiny seed in your mind that gets fertilized and grows as a result of what you continually think about, look at, consume, and hear. Monitor what you allow to infiltrate your senses. Feed the beauty. Intentionally think good thoughts. Be specific in what you think. Your thoughts dictate your words, and your words dictate your actions. Train your thoughts to feed the beauty of you, your life, your surroundings, and the world, and your words and actions will follow suit. Pump positivity, power, life, light, and beauty into your mind, your eyes, and your ears.

You have the Mind of Christ! You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. And because you were made in the likeness of God, you are a creator. Create beauty! Banish the beast.

Many Blessings,
Trina

Yoga Pose Series: Tree Pose

tree 01 Tree Pose is a standing balancing pose that enhances your focus, self-awareness, and concentration. It simultaneously harnesses your mental ability to concentrate while calming your mind. When we write/work, we are sometimes easily distracted or our mind starts to wander, which impedes focus. Just stand up and do Tree Pose, and bring your thoughts back into proper focus and order.

Tree Pose helps your balance, flat feet, and it strengthens your calves and ankles, among other things, which do not get as much work as the other parts of your body.

Preventing Injuries

Do not put your foot on your knee. Do not stick your tailbone out. Do not lean forward. Do not be impatient with yourself. Do not tense up. If you have high blood pressure, you do not have to raise your hands above your head.

Forming Your Tree

Make sure that your tailbone is tucked in, your shoulders are down & back, your abdominal muscles are engaged, and your gaze is focused on a non-moving object.

Stand up straight in proper posture, which means that all parts of your body are engaged. You are the trunk of the tree, strong and powerful. Shift your weight to your left foot.
Tuck your tailbone in, tighten your buttocks, and press your shoulders down and back.
Using your hand to assist, if necessary, put the sole of your foot at your ankle, below your knee on your shin, or above your knee on your thigh. Your toes are pointing down. Do not place your foot on your knee.
After you get your foot positioned, turn your knee outward, which means that your inner thigh is turned straight ahead and your knee is pointing to the side. Lift your neck and head.
Concentrate, inhale and exhale through your nose, and bring your palms together in prayer position at heart level. Balance.
When you feel balanced, inhale and raise your palms above your head. You can stop here or you can keep going to the next step.
Widen your arms above your head. Now, you are the tree branches and leaves, soaring, steady, and strong. Inhale and Exhale through your nose.
When you are ready to exit Tree Pose, bring your hands into prayer position, exhale, and bring your hands down to prayer position at heart level. Place your foot back on the floor, and raise the other leg.

What You Will Feel

You will feel strong, powerful, focused, and undeterred. Your trunk is doing most of the work. You will feel your ankles, calves, and thighs working to keep you steady.

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Yoga Break for Writers: 6 Easy Stretches to Relieve Overworked Arms

November is National Novel Writing Month. Those of us who aspire to author novels are feverishly writing to make our daily quota of 1,667 words to reach our 50,00 word goal at the end of the month. This month’s posts are for my fellow writers so that we can write comfortably and effectively without wrist, neck, arm, or leg ailments.

Writers produce by sitting at a desk all day, writing, reading, squinting, and leaning our neck towards the screen. Sitting all day like this can give us tight hips, tense shoulders, and neck irritation. Here are some Yoga poses that I do at my desk to loosen and stretch myself. If you do these poses about once an hour or once every two-to-three hours, you’ll find that your body is not so tense and stiff, which enables you to sit longer and write more.

Anyone who sits at a desk all day performing repetitive motions with their arms can do these easy exercises.

Relieve Overworked Arms

Position #1: Sit at the edge of your chair, lift your arms over your head, effectively stretching the inside of the shoulder. Clasp your fingers together, lift your arms straight up. Keep your shoulders down and back. Lift up out of your waist. Engage your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button in towards your spine. Extend through the palms, and deepen your breath. Remain in this pose breathing deeply for at least five slow, deep breaths. Slowly release and put hands back on knees.

Position #2: Sit at the edge of your chair, stretch your arms out in front 100_2794 of you parallel to the floor. They should be at shoulder level. Put your right hand on your left shoulder. Using your left hand, press the right elbow. This movement stretches the top of the shoulders. Don’t push the arm into your face. Keep arms level with shoulder. Keep back straight and sit erect, but not stiff. Release slowly.

Position #3: Push back from the desk, but remain seated near the edge of your chair. Open legs wide with your feet planted on the 100_2795 floor. Take a deep breath and exhale, hinge at the hips, placing your palms or fingertips on the floor. Keep your head a long extension of your spine. Breathe deeply.

Sit straight up, shoulders down and back, chest out & open, with hands on each knee, and breathe deeply.

Position #4: Turn towards your desk. Straighten your arms and lay your palms on the top of the desk. 100_2798 Push your chair out, but stay seated in it. Legs are wide apart, feet on the floor. Your head will be slightly lower than your shoulders. Shoulders are extended. Back is not arched or curved, keep it straight, long, and lean. This movement stretches out your stiff spine. You are also opening the hips and shoulders.

Position #5: Move your chair out of the way. Put your hands on top of the desk. Stand back and do the same 100_2799 movement as Position 4, but this time you are standing. Hinge at the hips, stick your tailbone out, and your stance is the width of your hips. Spread your fingers out wide. Deepen your breathing. You’ll feel a stretch in your armpits and shoulders, similar to when you are in downward facing dog.

Position #6: Sitting in your chair, bend your arms so that your hands are in front of you. Close your arms with the elbows and 100_2800 palms toward each other. Cross your right arm over your left arm, and put your left hand in your right hand. Take a couple of deep breaths and relax into the pose. Don’t force it. You should feel a good stretch in your shoulders. Take deep, slow breaths. You will feel a good stretch between the shoulder blades. Breathe. Pull the elbows down. Now start over, but this time cross your left arm over your right arm. This move is called seated Eagle.

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Say What You Mean

ChristianCartoon04

Our thoughts and words help to pioneer the direction of our life. God created the Earth and everything in it with words. All He said was…”Let there be…” and there was light. We are made in the image of God. Our words are powerful too. So we must think and speak words that bring life and not words and thoughts that kill. When our will is aligned with God’s will, then our desires are His. We can then speak with confidence and power, and wait expectantly and patiently. You are what you think you are and what you say you are. If your life, situation isn’t how you want, you have the power to change it.

“…it is paramount that you become the master of your thoughts. Shift your thought life. Filter out anything that you do not want to show up in your future, and focus on what you truly desire. God wired your thoughts to have power so you would be equipped to overcome every obstacle. He fashioned you to create, innovate, strategize, and succeed–and just to be sure, He put His own divine thoughts and nature within you.” ~Cindy Trimm

References:

Charles Caps’ The Tongue: A Creative Force
Pastor Creflo Dollars’ What You Say Is What You Get
Pastor Creflo Dollars’ The Power of Speaking God’s Word
Joyce Meyer’s Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind
Joyce Meyer’s Me and My Big Mouth!
Cindy Trimm’s Commanding Your Morning

Many blessings,

Trina

Yoga Pose Series: Triangle Pose

100_2755 by Trina Love Abram

My favorite Yoga pose is Triangle or Trikonasana. The root word trikona, means “three angle or triangle” and asana means posture in Sanskrit.

Benefits of Triangle Pose

Triangle Pose simultaneously energizes and relaxes you, alleviating stress. It is an elegantly powerful pose that works the abdominal external oblique muscles, effectively lengthening and shaving them. Triangle also strengthens your back, opens your chest and your hip joints, strengthens and lengthens your inner thigh muscles, strengthens your calves, helps to reduce love handles, and engages the abdominal muscles to aid in digestion. The twisting and extending that is involved also massages the spinal nerves. In Triangle, you feel balanced, energized, and focused. You are stable, secure, and powerful.

Prevent Injuries

For Triangle Pose to be effective, you MUST do the pose correctly. You must concern yourself with proper alignment and placement of your limbs. The line of the torso from the side of your waist to the armpit must be flat, and not rounded, toward the ceiling. It is the contraction of the abdominal external oblique muscles that work to strengthen and tone your sides.

Do not stand with your legs too close or too far apart:

The foundation of this pose is your stance. Your legs are the base and must be properly positioned and far enough apart to support you. Stand in the middle of your mat, and extend your arms to the side. Step your legs apart so that your stance is as wide as or wider than the length of your arms from your shoulders to the tips of your fingers. If one or both of your knees want to bend, then your stance is too wide.

Do not lean forward:

Do not lean forward. The objective of the pose is not that you reach the mat with your hand or fingers. Open your chest towards the ceiling. The arm that is extended towards the ceiling should be in line with your ear. Stick your pelvis and hips forward. I repeat, do not lean forward in this pose.

Getting Into Triangle

*I advise you to first practice Triangle up against the wall. Leave your top hand on your hip, your lower hand on your shin. Bend at the hips instead of at the waist. This gives you the proper alignment of your hips pressed forward, your shoulder rotated up, and your chest open and lifted to the ceiling along with your head and your gaze. The wall acts as a buffer.

Lift your arms to shoulder height into a T position.
Lift your chest and torso up, keeping your shoulders down and back.
Step your feet straight out to each side so that your toes are parallel with the tips of your fingers. It is essential that your stance is far enough apart to support you. This is your base.
Turn both of your feet forward, so that they are parallel to one another and pointed directly to the front, as your torso should be.
Lift and spread your toes wide, and then place them back on the mat.
Leaving the left foot pointed straight ahead, turn your your right foot out to the right 90 degrees.
Extend your torso to the right, and then continue to bend to the right from your hip until your right arm is comfortable either above your knee, on your shin, on your ankle, or on the mat. Simultaneously, lift your left arm straight to the ceiling. Imagine that your arms are making a vertical T (in line with the tops of your shoulders). Listen to your body. If as far as your body says it can do down is you placing your hand on your thigh, then don’t go further than that. As you practice the pose, your hamstrings will loosen up, and you will be able to go down farther.
Press your hips forward, tuck your tailbone under, and rotate your left shoulder towards the ceiling. Do not stick your butt or tailbone out to achieve the position. You are defeating the purpose.
Turn your chest up towards the ceiling, effectively opening the chest and providing more flexibility in the oblique muscles.
Keep your gaze straight ahead or gaze softly towards your left thumb.
Inhale and exhale, and feel your rib cage expand and contract. As the weight of the rib cage shifts during breathing, you are challenged to maintain the pose in its proper form. Triangle also benefits your posture because the dynamics of the position challenge your balance and your coordination.
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up, strongly pressing the back (left) heel into the floor and pulling the right arm downward. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time on the left side.

Counter Poses

wide legged forward bend I emphasize balance in your Yoga practice, which means that when you bend in one direction, you must wlfb02 follow with a pose that bends in the opposite direction. If you work your right side, you must balance by also working your left side. In Triangle pose, you are bending from side to side. I suggest Wide Leg Forward Bend followed by a Wide Legged Backbend.

What You Will Feel

You will feel:

Your oblique (side) muscles lengthen as you extend
Your thighs and calf muscles working to keep you steady
Your hamstring muscles stretch, if your stance is wide enough
The shoulder of your arm that is extended rotate in the socket allowing you to open your chest towards the ceiling
Your glute muscles working as you press your hips forward

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. Make sure that you have adequate instructions about how to accurately perform these poses before you try them. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Namaste,
Trina

www.leisurelivingblog.com

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Yoga Basics Part 4: Alignment

AlignmentisKey There are Yoga poses that seduce, challenge, and humiliate you. Some poses will make you smile with satisfaction, while others illicit a grunt of frustration. What ever the pose, and regardless of how it makes you feel, the most important aspect of a Yoga pose is alignment.

Alignment is the combination of technical intricacies of the pose that enable you to properly position yourself into the pose without causing injury. While it might take some time for your pose to echo your teacher’s example, a picture you see a lot, or the fitness lady on the DVD, if your alignment is correct, then with practice, your body will eventually ease into the pose. Of course unless you have injuries that prevent it.

You want to make sure that every part of your body is correctly positioned. Let’s talk about some actual poses as examples.

When you get into position, mentally start at your toes and move up to the top of your head to ensure that you are properly aligned.

Alignment Checklist for Downward Facing Dog

When you get into the Downward Facing Dog position, mentally check that you are:

Pressing the heels of your feet towards the ground. It is the act of pressing that is important, and not that your heels actually make it to the mat.
Pressing your tailbone up towards the ceiling
Pressing your chest towards your thighs.

Also ensure that your:

Arms are straight
Head is hanging down
Neck is loose and not lifted
Gazing between your knees
Palms are pressed into the mat with your weight on your palm, thumb and first finger to prevent injury to your wrist
Fingers are spread wide

These are the technical intricacies of Downward Facing Dog that put you into proper alignment. These alignment principles prevent you from straining your neck, arching your back, and injuring your wrist. They help to lengthen and stretch your hamstring and calf muscles, strengthen your arm muscles, and loosen and strengthen your shoulder muscles.

Take your mind through that mental checklist every time you do Downward Facing Dog. Your pose might not look the way you want it to just yet, but 95% of the battle is getting the alignment correct; the rest is just practice.

Alignment Checklist for Camel Pose

When you get into Camel position, mentally check tha you are:

On your knees
Pressing your hips forward
Pressing your shoulders down and back
Lifting your face towards the ceiling
Not recklessly hanging your head back
Contracting your buttock muscles
Opening your chest
Putting your hands either on the heels of your feet or in the small of your back

When most people see Camel , they immediately try to reach their arms to their heels, even if it means that they are not up on their knees as they should be. Touching your feet is not the most important thing of the pose. The most important thing about Camel pose is that you are pressing your hips forward while you are on your knees. This stretches and opens your hips, rib cage, ab muscles, shoulders, and chest.

Yoga is a life long investment into your physical, mental, and emotional prosperity and wellness. Take your time to learn the basics, so that you maximize the results. Don’t rush through the Yoga moves. Take your time to breath, listen to your body, and focus on how you feel in each pose. Pay careful attention to the technical instructions of the pose, and do a mental check as you ease into the pose. Alignment is more important than the aesthetics of the position.

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Speak Power Into Your Day

ChristianCartoon13 Every morning I speak empowering affirmations. In these affirmations, I am repeating God’s Words and reiterating to myself who I am. I am indicating to God that I have faith in Him and the Him that resides inside of me. These are powerful, positive statements that unleash affable actions and great expectations all day, for example: “I am a victor, not a victim. God inspires me. I attract peace, love, and joy. This is going to be a great day!”

If you tell yourself when you first wake up that today is going to be a great day, you are setting in motion your actions for the day, painting your environment for the day, and taking control of your life. You must have faith and believe that it is going to be a good day, no matter what. If you tell yourself first thing in the morning that “something good will happen to you today”, you will look for the good in everything. Positive, empowered, joyful living starts in your mind, takes action through your words, and burrows into your heart. It is a practiced state.

Bring your faith out of your heart and into the air. Send your words of faith out into the air, and experience peace and calm. Practice a positive outlook each morning, and watch it make a difference in your daily demeanor.

Cartoon Photo Credit: Mike Waters at www.joyfultoon.com

Yoga Pose Series:Legs up the Wall Pose

Legs up the wall pose is a restorative, submissive, passive pose that enables you to surrender your thoughts to peace. It is an inversion pose that helps you to rest and center and improves blood flow to your eyes, ears, and brain. It also eases anxiety, headaches, and depression. I usually do this pose after a vigorous Yoga Flow class to warm down, before I go to sleep at night to calm my mind, or anytime during the day when I need a mental break. It is a great pose for centering and calming.

Preventing Injuries

Use caution if you have neck or back problems. If your toes, feet, or legs begin to tingle, bend your knees, and slide your feet down the wall. Because this is an inversion, it is not recommended to practice during your menstrual cycle; however, some maintain that the poes eases menstrual cramps.

Getting Your Lets Up the Wall

*You want to be as close to the wall as possible. The wall is your support. If you are not close enough, bend your knees, and scoot your bottom towards the wall.

Lie on your side on the floor with your knees bent. The side of your thigh, the bottom of your feet, and the side of your bottom are touching the wall.
Turn on your back with your knees still bent, your bottom touching the wall, and the bottom of your feet touching the wall.
Slide your feet up the wall until your legs are fully extended. The back of your thighs and your bottom are touching the wall. Your back, shoulder, and head are lying on the floor.
Gaze at your feet, which are not pointed or flexed, but they are parallel to your head.
Extend both arms out to the side on the floor or place them on your abdomen with your palms facing down.
Breathe deeply and easily.

What You Will Feel

You will feel a stretch in your hamstrings, lengthening of your torso, opening of your chest, and stretching in your neck.

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Yoga Basics Part 3: Focus, Intent, Attitude

FocusAttitudeIntentYoga In this Yoga Basics series, we discussed how important it is to breath and listen to your body when you practice Yoga. In this article, we discuss the third most important aspect of Yoga: Focus, Intentions, & Attitude.

If you are concerned with what other people in your class are doing, you lack Focus. If you are unhappy with your current Yoga practice, then you must assess your intentions. If you are not getting the mental benefits of Yoga, check your attitude.

Focus

For most people, the Yoga Balancing Poses are their least favorite. Why? Because balancing poses require total Focus, as well as balance, control, and concentration. You must be totally in the moment, in the current pose, and Focused, to be successful. Yoga teaches us to Focus and concentrate, which is the only way that you can remember all of the correct placements of each part of your body in a specific Pose. You must Focus on you. Forget that there are other people in the class. Exorcise the images on DVDs of perfect bodies in perfect poses. To totally be who you are, where you are, in each specific pose, you must Focus. Concentrate on the instructions that your teacher gives you, how your body feels in each Pose, and on the specifics of the Pose that you’ve learned.

Intentions

What are your intentions with your Yoga practice? Is it to lose weight, to become more flexible, to exercise, to become more aware of yourself, to gain peace and calm, to eradicate depression, to treat an injury, or to become stronger? There is no wrong intention; however, you must identify your intentions. When you know what your intentions are, then you can choose the type of Yoga practice that aligns with your intentions. If you want to lose weight, then Gentle Yoga is probably not what you need to take. Bikram (Hot) and Ashtanga Yoga are faster moving, more intense Yoga practices, which are better for weight loss. If you want to stretch and relieve stress, you probably want more Gentle Yoga. Checking different Yoga Studios and classes and talking to the teachers and discussing your intentions and goals will help you to get the most out of your Yoga practice and to get started in the Yoga practice that is more beneficial to you. Visit the Studios. Research the different types of Yoga, so that your practice mirrors your intentions.

Attitude

A positive Attitude is imperative. A negative Attitude works against you and obstructs the healing principles of Yoga. Yoga connects your mind and body, soothing your conscious, and increasing the positive functions of your body. Your mind is one of the most important organs of your body. There is a process for everything…Yoga is no different. Stay positive that you will reach your goals and reap the benefits of your Yoga practice. Every time you practice Yoga, notice the strides that you make. And you do make positive, productive, forward strides every time you practice Yoga. Your Attitude affects the mental benefits of your Yoga practice. A positive Attitude helps you to Focus and Concentrate better. It also helps you to stay mindful of the intricacies of each Pose that you are tasked with remembering and putting to practice. During every warm up session, establish your intentions and have a positive attitude.

Conclusion

Maximize the benefits of your Yoga practice by focusing inward, establishing your intentions, and having a positive attitude. Yoga is what you make it. You cannot approach Yoga with a competitive mindset, skewed intentions, and a negative attitude. If you do, you are counteracting the positive benefits of your Yoga practice. Your Yoga practice is about you. Focus on you!

Yoga Basics: Part 1
Yoga Basics: Part 2

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Think Like a Giant, not a grasshopper

Giant “Every battle is won or lost in the arena of your mind.”

In the book of Numbers, the Israelites refused to take possession of the land that God prepared for them because they saw themselves as grasshoppers, small and weak. “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are….The land we explored devours those living it. All the people we saw there are of great size.” Numbers 13:31-32. As a man think, so he is, and the Israelites thought of themselves as grasshoppers, even though they repeatedly witnessed the power and might of God. Because the Israelites thought of themselves as weak, like grasshoppers, their opponents shared the same opinion, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:33

What are you waiting on? You are not a grasshopper. If you are a child of God, then you are a Giant, and you have power, anointing, and the mind of Christ. You have what you need to succeed already planted inside of you.

What are you afraid of? The only people who fail are those who don’t do anything. If you try things, and they don’t work out, at least you tried. You will have no regrets. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

There is no reason that you cannot be physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially wealthy and prosperous. Regardless of circumstance. God promised in Jeremiah 29:11, Deuteronomy 28, and many other scriptures that we, His children…those believing that Jesus died on the cross to save us…, would be successful, peaceful, and joyful. All He asks us to do is to obey His commands, forgive, give, tithe, trust in Him, have faith in Him, live in the Spirit and not in the flesh, and love others.

Know who you are! God is backing you. There are no limitations. Know and believe that your endeavors are successful. Open your mind to what success is. It is not just monetary. Don’t be like the Israelites who never made it to the promised land; instead, their children, bold and ready, took possession of the land. The original Israelites did not have faith (except for Caleb and Joshua). Be a Giant…have giant thoughts. Don’t be a grasshopper, always afraid of Giants, looking for meager handouts, taking the lowest, always waiting on something to happen. Be a Giant and make things happen. If you do your part, God will add His super to your natural.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Additional Resources:

Commanding Your Morning by Cindy Trimm
Never Give Up!: Relentless Determination to Overcome Life’s Challenges by Joyce Meyer
Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day by Joel Osteen
God Has a Plan for Your Life: The Discovery that Makes All the Difference by Charles Stanley

Many blessings,

Trina

Yoga Basics Part 2: Listen to Your Body

Listen2URBody When I have a conversation with someone who has yet to experience Yoga, their first words are about the Yoga poses. They explain that they are not flexible enough to do Yoga. Then I have to explain that (1) you practice Yoga in order to develop flexibility and (2) there is more to Yoga than just the poses. That last statement garners a puzzled look from the person. “What could be more important than the poses?” they ask.

In Part 1, we learned that Pranayama (Breathing) is the most important aspect of Yoga, and the first thing you should learn. In this post, we discuss the second most important aspect of Yoga.

The Second Most Important Aspect of Yoga

In Yoga classes, the teachers are there to lead and teach you; however, it is up to you how far, deep, and long you go. The second most important thing to remember about Yoga is that you LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Yoga is not a competitive sport. There are so many different body types that everything doesn’t work for everyone. That is why, Yoga is solitary and you are not competing with anyone else. You cannot base what you can and cannot do on the other participants of the class, your teacher, or who you see on television.

Your body tells you what you can and cannot do. Your duty is to listen to your body, and stop when your body says STOP. Yoga teaches you to be patient with yourself and your body, to be aware of where you and your body, and to accept you and your body at this moment. Consistent Yoga practice makes your more flexible, more aware, and it soon gets easier to get into poses that were harder for you.

Respect Your Body

Don’t be rude and crude with your body. Be patient and listen. Your limbs should not be shaking. You should not be in excruciating pain. You must develop a healthy balance between knowing when to stop and knowing when you can delicately push yourself further. Your body needs more than just to mimic the poses that you see. The benefits of Yoga are working internally even when your external doesn’t look how you want it to look or do what you want it to do. What you see on the outside is the end result. Inside your organs are getting massaged, your immune system is getting stronger, your respiratory system is more robust, your heart is heartier, your spine is more durable, and you are gaining more energy.

Conclusion

Listen to, be in tune to, and respect your body. Know your limitations. Be patient with your body. Give yourself time to become comfortable. Celebrate every change, internal and external. Don’t focus on what you cannot do; instead, encourage yourself. Be consistent in your practice and keep learning. Always let your teacher know before class if you have any injuries or ailments. Adhere to your body…it’s the only one that you have.

Yoga Basics: Part 1
Yoga Basics: Part 3

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

BloomingIdeasCartoonStrip

Intentionally nurturing the ideas that bloom in your mind can open an entire new world of possibilities.

For over 12 years I’ve been a technical writer, so it is very natural and easy for me to enhance that existing talent. It’s safe; however, to step out and try something new and be willing to admit that I don’t do it well and be willing to fail is courage. 2009 has been a year of new beginnings for me. I’ve done so many things this year that I either thought were impossible for me to do or that I thought were not relevant to the goals in my life, but turns out that they were, for example blogging, writing articles, teaching Yoga, and drawing.

It’s all about blossoming ideas. When ideas bloom in our heads we can either ignore those blooms or nurture them. In prior years, in a different economy, and a different mind set, I ignored blooming ideas…especially ideas about any other type of writing that wasn’t technical. I had become comfortable in the usual, typical, and the stable. This year, God took me out of that comfort zone and grew my spirit and my mind.

I want to encourage you that when ideas bloom in your mind, nurture them, listen to them, research them, try them, and practice them. The Internet brings a myriad of resources to us without us needing to leave our homes or spend money. Don’t do like I did and get complacent, lazy, and content. I’m glad that God finally knocked me upside of my head, so that I could pay attention to the blooms in my mind.

Don’t panic when you get the vision, but not the specific ideas. It’ll come. Sometimes the visions are just seeds to bloom the idea. Keep praying, believing, and moving. Now is the time to entertain new ideas, extend your bed of knowledge, and enhance existing ideas. The only bad idea is one that doesn’t get tried.

Many blessings,
Trina

Downward Facing Dog

NewYogaPose

Downward Facing Dog is one of the most popular Yoga inversion poses. An inversion is a reversal of the usual or natural order of things. Total body strength, improved circulation and digestion, and stimulated memory are just a few of the benefits of Yoga inversion poses.

The frequency in which Downward Facing Dog is used in most Yoga classes might annoy you in the beginning, but after you reach your level of comfort, you will love this pose. And it gets easier and more satisfying the more you practice it. This pose stimulates you and warms your body, while simultaneously lengthening and stretching it. Downward Facing Dog requires your total thoughts and concentration as you find a comfortable weight distribution between your legs, arms, and torso. You develop balance and strength as you stretch, lengthen, and align your spine.

When used in Ashtanga Sun Salutations or Yoga Flow classes, Downward Facing Dog is a pose that you continually repeat and return to. It is also a resting pose, rejuvenating, and realigning pose that slows down the asana flow, allowing you to catch your breath.

Getting into the Downward Facing Dog Pose

Be patient with yourself and your body as you practice this pose. Don’t be tense, aggravated, or pushy. Listen to your body and stop when your body tells you to stop. Remember to breath conciously and deeply.

Prevent Injuries

Don’t:

Round your back
Hunch your shoulders
Look up because this can cause neck strain
Bend your elbows
Put all of your weight on your wrists

Talk to your doctor before attempting this pose if you have spinal or wrist injuries. If you are on your monthly menstrual cycle, do not remain in this position for more than two breaths.

Getting Down

Distribute most of your weight towards your heels and away from your wrists. down dog Make sure that you lengthen as much as you can. Use all of the mat.

Start on your hands and knees. Your arms should be as far apart as your shoulders and your knees should be hip distance apart. Situate your hands slightly above your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips.
Spread your fingers out wide, pressing firmly into the mat. Your weight should be more towards your palms, thumbs, and your first fingers.
Inhale, and lift your hips toward the ceiling and push back as you straighten your legs, lengthening and elongating your spine.
Press your chest towards your thighs, which should make you push back on your heels.
Push your heels toward the floor, stretching your calf and hamstring muscles.
Push your tailbone towards the ceiling. Keep your knees straight, but don’t lock them.
Let your head hang between two straight, strong arms, and gaze between your knees.

Counter poses

To come out, inhale and return to your hands and knees, and either release into Cow pose or Childs pose into Child’s pose.

Variations for Beginners

Your hamstrings might be too tight, which will prevent you from fully unfurling. If this is the case, you can bend your knees.

What you will feel

You will feel your hamstrings and calves lengthening, your upper back and shoulders extend, and your arms stretch. Your chest and armpits open. Your lower back arching.

*Disclaimer: As with any exercise regimen, consult your doctor or physician before you start. The Leisure Living Blog, its contributors, or listed resources are not responsible for any injuries.

Yoga Basics: Part 1

The Most Important Aspect of Yoga

My first Yoga practice was the most beneficial practice that I’ve had. My instructor gave us a lesson on the most important things to know about Yoga. And it wasn’t the poses or the history of this ancient practice. “The most important thing about Yoga”, she said in a calm, soothing voice, “is breath, or pranayama. You must remember to breath.” My eyes flew open, searching my instructors face to see if she was joking. She wasn’t.

Its Importance

Yoga unites your mind with your body through breath. In Yoga, you inhale (pulling in energy and nourishment) and exhale (dispensing toxins and tension) through your nose, deep and slow, which distributes circulation through out your body without excess strain on the heart. This deep breathing enhances your Cardiovascular System. Each Yoga movement is accompanied by an inhale or an exhale. When you open or unfold your body, expand your chest, raise your arms or bend backwards, you inhale, for example Cow Pose. When you fold forward, hold your head down, move downward or lower your arms, you exhale, for example Cat Pose. Yoga without participating breath defeats the purpose of your Yoga practice and is useless. You link each movement to a breath. Prana is the Sanskrit word for breath. Frequent, short breaths make the heart work harder and prevents the lungs from fully expanding. You want to breath not just in your chest but also in your stomach. Your breathing should be smooth and flowing, not forced or jagged.

Types of Yoga Breathing

Deep abdominal breathing
Ujjayi breathing
Quiet breathing

Deep Abdominal Breathing

Deep abdominal breathing occurs purposefully and is when you inhale, through your nose, deep from within your diaphragm and exhale completely, through your nose, using your abdominal muscles to extract all of the breath from your body, to completion. Your breaths are prolonged and deliberate.

Ujjayi Breathing

With Ujjayi breathing, you can hear a whispering noise as you exhale. A sound comes from the back of your throat. This type of breathing warms the body quickly.

Quiet or Easy Breathing

Quiet or easy breathing is normal breathing in and out through the nose. It is effortless breathing. You don’t have to control this type of breathing.

Conclusion

It is important that you do not hold your breath during your Yoga practice. Holding your breath creates tension and blocks the flow of energy from your mind to the rest of your body. You must strive to have steady, mindful breathing and to link each inhale and exhale with movement. Pay attention to your breathing while you practice. Your teacher should tell you which movements you inhale and exhale on. More than attempting to mimic the pose, you must consciously breath. Proper breathing propels your practice to the next level and helps you to more easily get into each pose.

In the next post, we discuss the next important aspect about Yoga.

Discipline and Self Control in Diet and Exercise

by Pastor Creflo Dollar

One of the greatest sins in this country is idolatry—idolatry regarding food. From gluttony to anorexia, food has become the god of millions. Many sicknesses plaguing people today stem from unhealthy eating habits and a lack of exercise. Having the right attitude about food, eating properly and getting the right amount of physical exercise are essential to being a healthy and whole person. To serve the Lord to the best of our ability, we need bodies that function in the way that God designed for them to function.

If you are overweight as a result of overeating, or if you have been starving yourself or purging in an attempt to meet some unrealistic physical image—seek the Lord for help; He will not fail you. He will give you the strength to overcome gluttony, anorexia, bulimia or poor overall eating habits. In addition, research what the Word has to say about nutrition and temple maintenance to create a positive inner image of yourself.

To develop discipline and self-control in the areas of diet and exercise, make the following confessions:

In the name of Jesus, I declare that I cultivate temperance by subjecting my mind and body to God’s Word. I cast down every negative thought about my appearance that attempts to exalt itself against the knowledge of God and His will for my life. I exhibit self-control, diligence, wisdom and patience regarding my exercise regimen and what I eat. I walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. I put to death the unhealthy desires of my body. Jesus is Lord over my eating habits. I am more than a conqueror, and I can do all things through Christ Who empowers me. I release most holy faith to bring these things to pass in my life and charge my angels to carry out each assignment. My words have creative ability, and in the name of Jesus, I have what I say. Amen!

Scripture References:

1 Corinthians 9:27
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Galatians 6:7
Romans 8:1, 13, 37
Philippians 4:13, AMP
Proverbs 18:21

Yoga to Relieve Shoulder, Neck, and Upper Back Stress and Pain

HELP My girlfriend sent me an urgent SOS message this weekend: HELP, my neck and shoulders are killing me. Weather you are stressed, overworked, tense, intense, or just uptight, you can get relief from neck pain & stiffness, aching, sore shoulders, arms, and upper back. Yoga is a great way to relax, center, focus, and prepare. Yoga is a great morning routine wo warm you up and throughout the day, you can also do simple poses that loosen and stretch your muscles and limbs.

I am a writer and editor, so all day long I sit at a computer typing and reading. If I sit tense, with my shoulders hunched, intensely concentrating, and deeply thinking, I get shoulder pain. When I type a lot, my arms get fatigued. Several times during the day, I do Yoga poses and breathing to eradicate the pain associated with stress and overuse. I encourage you to do these poses during the day to loosen up your muscles and reduce pain and strain.

Calming Yoga breathing and some specific poses can help to reduce the stress that you’ve accumulated in your body. Most of us carry our stress in our shoulders and neck. I’m going to give you a series of exercises to help you alleviate shoulder and neck stress. Some of these poses you can do while sitting at your desk and in other convenient locations.

Warming Up

EasySeatedPose My warm up routine includes stretching and soothing my neck muscles, shoulders, and spine. To start, get into a comfortable seated position. I sit cross-legged, but if that is not comfortable for you, arrange your sitting position for your comfort. Just make sure, that your base remains strong and steady on the mat. Sit up straight, lifting your rib cage out of your waist, straighten your spine, lift your head so that your nose is pointed straight ahead. It is important that your posture is lifted. Make sure that your shoulders are down and slightly back. During all of these poses, remember to inhale and exhale, matching your breath to each movement, keep your shoulders down, and tune in to what you are feeling in your body.

Calm, focused breathing

Still your mind and think only about your intentions in this session. You want to calm, soothe, and alleviate stress and the pain it brings. Breathe in and out through your nose (not your mouth). Take a deep breath in: slowly fill the chest with air, imagining that you are pulling in joy, love, peace, and light. Deeply and completely exhale the breath: you will actually use your abdominal muscles to push the breath out, imagining that you are expelling all toxins, stress, and tension. Keep taking those breaths until you feel yourself relax.

Neck Rolls

After about three to five minutes, add head movements to your breathing:

When you inhale, lift your face to the ceiling, and when you are ready to exhale, slowly put your chin to chest. Do this movement 3 times each way for a total of 6. Don’t rush.

100_2693 100_2694

On your last exhale, with your chin to your chest, roll your head around until your right ear is 100_2692 above your red shoulders (make sure your shoulders are down and not hunched up near your ear). You will feel a stretch in your neck and as your neck is stretching, extend your left hand out to your side with your fingers tinted on the mat. Take a couple of deep breaths, and then roll your head to the left side, so that your left ear is over your left shoulder. Note: As you roll your head from side to side, roll it in the front of your body with your chin to your chest. This movement is an exhale. You can alternate back and forth from each side.

When you are ready, do an entire slow neck roll, matching your breathing to your movement. Inhale when your face and head are up and exhale when your face and head are down.

Seated stretches (back & forward)

YogaBackkStretch With your legs folded, put your right hand on your right knee and your left hand on your left knee. Pull your shoulders forward, round your back, pull your navel into your spine, as you sit back on your tail bone. You should feel a deep stretch in your back and shoulders. OpenChest Counter this pose by putting your hands palms to the floor behind you, push your chest and rib cage out, and lift your face to the ceiling. Continue back and forth between the two poses 3 to 6 times.

100_2697 In your seated position, bend forward with your chin to chest, heading towards the floor. Reach out of 100_2698 your shoulders with your arms out in front of you and stretch. To get a stretch in your shoulders, clasp your hands behind you and lift them up as much as you can. If it is too painful for you to get your arms up, alternately, sit up, bend your arms clasping your fingers together behind your head. Stick your chest and rib cage out while you simultaneously press your shoulders back. Your scalpulas are contracted towards each other.

Seated Side Stretch

Sit cross-legged. Lift your left arm up to the ceiling, reaching out of your waist, and then bend your torso sidestretchleft towards the right, bringing your arm over parallel to your ear. Your right arm should be on the floor supporting you. Gaze toward the ceiling. When you sit up, inhale, and when you bend to each side, exhale.

You can also do a side stretch with your fingers linked and your arms above your head. This move is going to help your shoulders and your oblique muscles of the side.

Seated Twist

YogaTwist Sitting with your legs folded put your left hand on your right knee. Inhale, lifting your chest and rib cage, while you put your right hand behind you, and exhale as you turn to the right as far as you can and attempt to look over your right shoulder. Keep your shoulders down and back and your right arm straight. Don’t lean on the right arm, use it to push you up. You want to remain erect. Remember to breath. Do the same thing on the other side. Not only does this move help your shoulders, but it also massages your internal organs, helping digestion, and it massages and stretches your spine.

Poses that open and increase strength and flexibility in your shoulders

Poses that open, release, and stretch your shoulder and arm area:

Seated Eagle Pose

100_2688 Eagle Pose is a balancing pose; however, we are modifying the pose. Sit 100_2689 down cross-legged. Bend your arms so that your hands are in front of you. Close your arms with the elbows and palms toward each other. Cross your right arm over your left arm, and put your left hand in your right hand. Take a couple of deep breaths and relax into the pose. Don’t force it. Eagle Arms You should feel a good stretch in your shoulders.

Cow Face Arms

CowArm The positioning of the arms in the Cow Face position opens, stretches, cowposefront and relieves the shoulders. Only go as far as your body tells you to go, and be mindful of how your body feels in the pose. You can use a towel or band to help if you cannot get your fingers interlocked. Don’t push it. If you practice often, the pose will get easier to get into because your body will become more flexible.

Thread the Needle

ThreadNeedle Threading the Needle stretches and opens your shoulders. Get on your ThreadNeedle01 hands and knees. Take your right arm and curve it through the opening made by your straightened left arm and your body.

Take the right arm through until you are laying on the side of your face.

Cat/Cow

cow On your hands and knees, arc your back up and tuck your tail bone cat under. Push your back up as much as possible. This is Cat. You should feel a stretch across the top of your back and shoulders and the middle of your back. For Cow, drop your stomach, stick your tail bone up, and lift your face. When you are in Cat, exhale. When you are in Cow, inhale.

Camel Pose

Camel Pose is a backbend that stretches the chest, abdomen, and quadriceps. It also improves spinal flexibility. Click here for detailed instructions about Camel Pose.

Monday Motivation: Stop Looking Back with Regret

Regret001 Isaiah 43:18
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past

Our failures and mistakes are part of our growth. Those situations help to mature us and shape our character. I’ve learned to use those mistakes as learning tools and not as crutches for inactivity or conduits for fear.

We cannot become paralyzed by past failures, mistakes, or bad judgements. Stop looking backwards. There is nothing to be done about the past. We cannot go back and rectify mistakes or heal mis-issued pain; instead, we must use wisdom and what we learned from the mishaps to give us a brighter, more informed day now.

Our best days are ahead of us…not behind us.

Many blessings,
Trina

Applying Yoga to Daily Living

by Trina Love Abram

Tree Pose

As a professional writer, my goal is to write compelling, pertinent content, that inspires, informs, and captures the interest and emotions of my readers, but when I am stressed or distracted, I fail to pen the prose that helps my readers, which stresses me out more. The worst thing for a writer is to be unable to write or to be able to write, yet be unable to focus and pull enough concentration to write useful, effective content. The result is decreased confidence and productivity. Lately, when I sit down to write there are often so many ideas, words, situations, and problems assaulting my mind that I cannot concentrate or focus. The problems and responsibilities of the day descend upon me at the very moment that I sit down, still my mind, and conjure my creativity and innovation to write. All of that chatter, noise, and chaos shows up in my writing, and I end up being unable to use it.

In Yoga, when we perform balancing poses there is so much to think about as we attempt the pose: are our feet straight ahead, toes spread, weight evenly distributed on the foot, are our hips squared, shoulders down, tail bone tucked in, chest lifted, arms, legs, and neck in proper position, if I straighten will I lose the balance. But Yoga teaches us to harness those thoughts into one fluid motion so that our only concern is where we are in the moment, thoughts on nothing but the pose and breathing. That is the main purpose of the balancing poses, to make us focus, be present in the moment, and to control our thoughts.

One day after a very successful practice with balancing poses, I thought, what if I could bottle up this focus & concentration that I get from Yoga and let it loose while I write. And then I realized later on, as I sat in front of my computer rewriting, that I can apply that discipline to writing and other projects too. If I grab one idea, word, thought, or a single character, I can streamline my thoughts and channel them to one pertinent space.

It helped! Now, I can concentrate on one character at a time and make each scene applicable to one character, even if there are multiple characters involved. For my creative non-fiction, I take one phrase, word, or scripture, and I narrow my thoughts to one entity. If thoughts of other items arrive, I invoke the discipline that Yoga teaches me. I simply bring my focus back to my breathing and that one item I am nurturing, which helps me to avoid distraction and continue to completion with my original thought.

There are so many things that I learn in Yoga that I can apply to a multitude of areas in my life. I’m more disciplined, in tune, and aware. I’m learning to integrate the principles of my Yoga practice into my everyday life. And it is helping tremendously.

Namaste & Happy Writing
Trina

Monday Motivation

Calm Down and Cheer Up!

by Joyce Meyer

Today it seems as if everyone is under stress. It’s become a normal part of our everyday lives. As long as we keep that stress at a reasonable limit, there’s no problem. But when we allow it to exceed that limit, trouble begins, for example, a chair is built to sit on. It’s designed and constructed to bear a certain amount of weight. If used properly, it should last a very long time. But if overloaded beyond its capacity, it begins to wear out prematurely and eventually break down completely under the strain.

In the same way, you and I were designed and created to bear a certain amount of physical, mental, and emotional strain day after day. However, problems arise when we allow ourselves to come under more weight than we’re capable of supporting.

A word we don’t hear much about today is prudence. It means “careful management: economy.” In the Bible, prudence or prudent means “being good stewards or managers of the gifts God has given us to use.” Those gifts include time, energy, strength, and health—even material possessions. They include our bodies, as well as our minds and spirits.

Just as each one of us are given a different set of gifts, each of us are given different levels of ability to manage those gifts. Some of us are better able to manage our gifts than others.

Each of us needs to know our limits—we need to know how much we can handle. We need to be able to recognize when we’re reaching “full capacity” or “overload.” Instead of pushing ourselves into overload to please others or satisfy our own desires of reaching personal goals, we need to listen to and obey what God’s telling us to do. We must follow His wisdom if we really want to enjoy blessed lives.

Did you know that anything can cause stress? Stressors can be big or little things. In addition, what causes you stress may not bother someone else. And what bothers you today may not bother you tomorrow, for example, going to the grocery store and becoming upset by high prices may be a stressor for you. Then the process of paying for your groceries (especially if money is tight) may become a stressor. The checker in your lane runs out of change and has to shut down temporarily. You switch to a new lane and learn five of your items don’t have a price on them. The checker has to call for a price check on each one while you wait, and the line behind you grows. These small, seemingly innocent circumstances pile up until you feel you’re going to explode from the pressure.

Nobody can remove all the big and little things that cause stress in our lives. That’s why we must be prudent in identifying the stressors that affect us most and learn how to respond to them correctly. We must recognize our limits and learn to say no to ourselves and others.

Stressors not managed properly can mount up one by one, bringing us to our breaking point. We may not be able to eliminate or reduce many of the stressors in our lives, yet we must concentrate on reducing their effects on us. We can’t control all of our circumstances, so we must adapt our attitude and not let them pressure us.

It seems the very atmosphere of the world today is charged with stress and pressure. But the good news is, we don’t have to operate in the world’s system—reacting like people in the world who have no hope for peace in their lives. The world responds to difficulties by becoming upset and stressed, but our attitude and approach should be entirely different.

We need to have a change of attitude. The right attitude and approach can completely turn a situation around. Instead of stressing out and tensing up, calm down, take a deep breath and try to get some perspective on the situation.

When we approach a circumstance already stressed out, we’re setting ourselves up for misery before we begin. Instead, refuse to allow your circumstances to dictate how you’re going to feel. You may not be able to control the situation, but you can control how you respond to it. Take an offensive approach and decide beforehand what your attitude will be. Then the door is opened for God to supernaturally help you through your choice to calm down and cheer up.

Monday, September 21, 2009

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Beat the Competition

by Trina Love Abram

GroupYoga In Yoga, there is no competitor but you. It may take you a while to realize it, but eventually you will. It took me about six months to realize that I wasn’t competing with my fellow yogis. Many of us have competitive spirits, and there is nothing wrong with that. That spirit has its place. It accomplishes its goal. But in Yoga, your only competitor is yourself.

Yoga is a mental exercise with physical and health benefits. Yoga teaches us to focus, to look within, to balance, and to listen. What are we listening for? Who are we listening to? We are listening to our bodies. We are listening for clues within that lead us to self-awareness and self-acceptance. When you first start Yoga, you won’t be able to bend as far as you want or to echo the poses perfectly. It takes practice, patience, and determination to listen to your body, stop when it tells you to stop, and accept your present limitations.

Every person that I speak to in Yoga class is annoyed with themselves for not being able to do something…whether it is balancing GroupYoga01 properly, properly aligning in Triangle, lunging deep enough in warrior, properly lifting in Bridge, having the stamina to get through Sun Salutations, or having strength to properly Plow. We see with our eyes, mimic with our minds, but our body needs patience.

I am a competitive person. I want everything perfect. I want to ace what ever I attempt. I hit a brick wall when I started my Yoga practice. My biggest problem is my legs. My hamstrings are tight…always, and my inner thigh muscles don’t lengthen enough. My legs shake when I stretch them too much, and that pisses me off because I see what the pose is, desire to properly get into the pose, and study the pose for perfection; however, my body has the ultimate say so in the end.

I implore you to change your thinking. Drop the competitive spirit while you are practicing Yoga. Embrace where you are at every moment in your practice. Accept your body’s limitations at the moment, and practice to get better. Invoke patience with your body. Our minds are bountiful. Our bodies are flesh. Yoga connects the mind and the body through breathing. When you reach that point where you are fine with what your body can currently do, you will accept that you can achieve what your mind sees. You will focus on what is important, which IS NOT how the person next to you is progressing.

Be in the moment. Accept where you are now, and keep at it, so that you can get to where you want to be. Also, remember that we all have different body types. Your body in the proper pose, may not look like the next persons’. Healthily compete with yourself, but first, realize where you are now, and be at peace with it.

Meditate I practice Yoga every day, and the positive changes in my body and mind elate me. It wasn’t until I bound my mind with my body through my breath and accepted and appreciated my body that I progressed into the poses and into the peace and benefits that each pose possesses.

Namaste,
Trina

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What is your definition of success?
by Trina Love Abram

Joshua 1:6-9
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law Bible03 depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where ever you go.”

In Joshua 1:6-9, God gives Joshua a recipe for success and prosperity. He tells Joshua to:

Be strong and courageous because of the tasks ahead and the journey he must take. God gave all of us our own journey, our destiny, which is full of tasks, obstacles, and trials that require strength and courage.
Obey God’s commands…the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:2-21:

No other gods before God.
Make no idols of heavenly or Earthly things.
Don’t misuse God’s name (speak it in praise or worship).
Do not work on Sunday (rest, reflect, and restore our spirit for the days ahead)
Honor your father and mother (speak well of and politely to them; courteous; respect).
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not lie by leaving something out, telling a half-truth, twisting the facts, or deception.
Do not covet; intensely desire another person’s things. No envy or jealousy.
Read the Bible daily and meditate on it. Reading and studying the bible builds our spiritual strength, courage, trust, and faith, and meditating on the scriptures invokes the Holy Spirit to teach us, counsel us, lead us into truth and convict us of wrong (John 14:26).

weightloss Joshua 1:6-9 publishes God’s idea of success, not the world’s success. The success that God promotes is the only one that matters though. We tend to transpose things to suit our viewpoint, often tainting the intentions. People erroneously think that success is a result of pedigree, education, power, workaholism (Proverbs 23:4), wealth and abundant material blessings (Proverbs 8:17-21); however, according to Joshua 1:6-9, this conjecture is flawed.

What is God’s definition of Success?

A proverb is a short, concise sentence that conveys moral truth, which is what King Solomon, the wisest man ever, uses to define God’s vision of success in the book of Proverbs. According to the book of Proverbs, you are successful if you :

Work hard (Proverbs 12:24, 14:23, 19:15, 28:19)
Know and fear God (Proverbs 8:32-36, 9:10, 10:27, 14:2)
Respect your spouse (Proverbs 5:15-19, 18:22, 21:19)
Encourage, love, and give to others (Proverbs 14:31, 21:13, 28:27)
Wise and nurture spiritual strength (Proverbs 1:10-15, 3:13, 24:10, 24:14)
Self-controlled and disciplined (Proverbs 2:16-19, 10:17, 15:32, 16:17)
Good, moral character (Proverbs 20:27, 21:3, 21, 22:4)
Resist temptation (Proverbs 5:3-20, 27:8)
Tame the tongue (Proverbs 10:19, 12:14, 12:18-19 , 13:3, 15:4, 15:7, 17:28, 18:4-8, 18:20-21)
Truthful (Proverbs 3:9-10, 12:19-22, 14:25)
Have a good reputation (Proverbs 3:3-4, 4:24-27, 22:1)
Peace keeper (Proverbs 10:6, 20:3, 15:1, 16:14)
Forgive others (Proverbs 6:30)
Obedient (Proverbs 3, 4:1-24)

All of the other Books of the Bible and verses in some way build upon one or more of the characteristics in Proverbs. ManNLimo
Proverbs 16:1-7 sums it all up for me:

“To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
The Lord works out everything for his own ends—even the wicked for a day of disaster.
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.”

In our lives, we individually define our own successes as meeting goals and milestones that we or someone else set. Our desires become sinful if they supersede our desire to know and grow in the Lord. Being obsessive about anything makes the object of your obsession your god. When we ask God for things that we want, we must make sure that our motives are pure. Being strong and courageous, obedient, cultivating and maintaining a strong spirit and moral character, and reading the bible for wisdom and direction, is what God wants us to pursue to be successful. And as Matthew 6:33 says, seek God first and everything else will fall into place.

Also check out A Life of Success by Toi Jones at Streaming Faith

Many blessings,
Trina

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What Now?

WhatNow091109 I love David’s dedication and confidence in the Lord. He was a great, humble man, and I love reading the book of Psalms because he was so strident in his belief and trust in God. He had that child-like faith that gives you peace and is necessary to please the Lord. I wish that I had half of the courage that he had.

“I will praise the Lord who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:7-8

You may wonder how I come up with the Daily Inspirations. Well, when I am doing my personal Bible Study each morning, I ask the Holy Spirit to give me revelations as I read. I ask God to speak to and through me. So certain scriptures jump out at me, and I meditate on them, and write what comes to my heart. From reading Psalm 16:7-8, this is what came to my heart:

In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this world. Christians, non-Christians, Believers, and non-believers a like experience trials, heartache, pain disappointment, failure, and loss. But as Christians and Believers we have an advantage…God. And we are not supposed to succumb to Satan’s deception of hopelessness, anger, fear, and anxiety because we trust the Lord. Just like David trusted God and exhibited and expressed his trust, devotion, and love in the book of Psalms.

God uses our trials to prepare us for greater things, bigger blessings. And if we lack the dexterity and faith to properly get through those trials (by leaning on and trusting in God), God deduces that we are not ready for the next blessing. If we choose to worry instead of pray, then we are not ready. God is not going to set us up for failure. So even though He enjoys blessing us (Isaiah 30:18), He is not going to give us more than we can handle. We are constantly growing. God is patient. When we grow to the next level, we are blessed accordingly. I like God’s system. I don’t want anything that I’m not ready for because I don’t want to mess it up.

God promises to lead and guide us, to order our steps, and show us the way to go (Isaiah 30:21). He cannot lead us if we are leading ourselves, following the world, or doubting. Jesus stands behind us only to carry us. He is not a follower; Jesus is the leader. When we spend quality time with God reading His word, praying to Him, and listening to Him, we can hear His counsel. In 2004, I was unemployed. It took two months for me to get quiet enough to hear God tell me to apply for unemployment. I’d been fretting and stressing and filling my mind with my problem, so my focus was not on God; therefore, I couldn’t hear Him. But when I hunkered down, quieted myself, stilled my mind, and focused on God, I was able to hear Him. Mind you, I could have had unemployment months before, but I never thought of it myself, and I wasn’t calm and focused enough to hear God’s counsel. When we are fatigued, stressed, and looking elsewhere, we cannot hear God. We must be focused on Him to hear Him. Focus on God by spending time with Him. Don’t just talk to Him. You don’t want to have one-way conversations with God. Listen for Him. Be at peace. Be still. Read the Bible, and before you begin reading, pray first for revelations and guidance. Praising God before you read is also good because it brings God’s presence.

When we meditate on God’s promises, which are outlined in the Bible, and believe and trust in Him, we will not be shaken because we will begin to see things with our spiritual eyes and not our flesh.

During this time of economic upheaval, it is easy for Satan to induce fear, trepidation, and anxiety. And we inturn allow it to seep into our consciousness, which counteracts faith and trust. But if we listen for God’s instructions and feed our spirit with His presence (Bible, prayer, praise), then fear is beaten away by the knowledge of and our trust in Him.

Many Blessings,
Trina
09/11/09

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Yoga: Some Triangles A Day Help Send Love Handles Away

by Trina Love Abram

At some point in our lives we experience the horror of realizing that the middle of our body grew appendages that we loathingly call Love Handles. It’s actually a layer of fat that accumulates around our midsection, specifically residing on our sides over the abdominal external oblique muscle. WhenI noticed that I could pinch more than an inch, I was mortified. I didn’t know what to do about them, so I ignored them…that is until I started Yoga. You cannot spot reduce, and plan to loose weight strictly or mainly on your sides. So how did I reduce these pesky handles?

Triangle Pose

My favorite Yoga pose is called Triangle Pose, or Trikonasana. It is an elegantly powerful pose that works the abdominal external oblique muscles, effectively lengthening and shaving them. Triangle Pose also strengthens your back, opens your chest and your hip joints, strengthens and lengthens your inner thigh muscles, strengthens your calves, and engages the abdominal muscles to aid in digestion. The twisting and extending that is involved also massages the spinal nerves. In Triangle, you feel balanced, energized, and focused. You are stable, secure, and powerful.

The root word trikona, means “three angle or triangle” and asana means posture in Sanskrit. Triangle Pose simultaneously energizes and relaxes you, alleviating stress. The Yoga poses all have their specialties as far as sculpting your body, encouraging you to focus and concentrate internally instead of externally, massaging and supporting certain internal organs, and reducing pain. For the Triangle Pose to be effective, you MUST do the pose correctly. You must concern yourself with proper alignment and placement of your limbs. The line of the torso from the side of your waist to the armpit must be flat, and not rounded, toward the ceiling. It is the contraction of the abdominal external oblique muscles that work to strengthen and tone your sides.

What most people don’t realize is that the back, stomach, and butt muscles work together, assisting one another. As I emphasized in Balance in Your Yoga Practice, you cannot spot reduce and just target your abdominal muscles. You must also strengthen your back and glut muscles to achieve balance.

Foundation of the Pose

Triangle Pose

The foundation of this pose is your stance. Your legs are the base and must be properly positioned and far enough apart to support you. To figure out the proper distance that you legs should be a part: Stand lengthwise on your mat with your feet parallel and about four feet apart. “Turn your right foot out so it faces the top of your mat and align your front heel with your back heel. Then turn your back foot in about 15 to 20 degrees. Next, bend your front knee until it is directly over your heel and glance down at your front thigh; it should be nearly parallel to the floor. “

“Most beginners start with a stride that is too short, so you may need to separate your feet farther. Keeping your front knee directly over your heel, slowly inch your left foot backward. Then re-straighten your front leg and look at the distance between your feet. This is it: your unique stride for Trikonasana. If your legs and pelvis are less flexible and you can’t bring your front thigh parallel to the floor without distorting your feet or straining your legs, knees, or lower back, take a shorter stride.”

I advise you to first practice Triangle up against the wall. Leave your top hand on your hip, your lower hand on your shin. Bend at the hips instead of at the waist. This gives you the proper alignment of your hips pressed forward, your shoulder rotated up, and your chest open and lifted to the ceiling along with your head and your gaze. The wall acts as a buffer.

*To perform Triangle Pose:

Lift your arms to shoulder height into a T position.
Lift your chest and torso up, keeping your shoulders down and back.
Step your feet straight out to each side so that your toes are parallel with the tips of your fingers. It is essential that your stance is far enough apart to support you. This is your base.
Turn both of your feet forward, so that they are parallel to one another and pointed directly to the front, as your torso should be.
Lift and spread your toes wide, and then place them back on the mat.
Leaving the left foot pointed straight ahead, turn your your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle.
Extend your torso to the right, and then continue bend to the right from your hip until your right arm is comfortable either above your knee, on your shin, on your ankle, or on the mat. Simultaneously, lift your left arm straight to the ceiling. Imagine that your arms are making a vertical T (in line with the tops of your shoulders).
Press your hips forward, tuck your tailbone under, and rotate your left shoulder towards the ceiling. Do not stick your butt or tail bone out to achieve the position. You are defeating the purpose.
Keep both sides of your waist as even as possible.
Twist your chest up, effectively opening the chest and providing more flexibility in the oblique muscles.
Keep your gaze straight ahead or gaze softly towards your left thumb.
Inhale and exhale to cause your rib cage to move. As the weight of the rib cage shifts during breathing, you are challenged to maintain the pose in its proper form. Triangle also benefits your posture because the dynamics of the position challenge your balance and your coordination.
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up, strongly pressing the back (left) heel into the floor and pulling the right arm downward. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left.

Namaste,
Trina

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Writing and Yoga

It takes courage, discipline, and perseverence to write. As I write, there is a duplicitous, imaginary critic peering over my shoulder chastising me for using the wrong grammar, not rewriting immediately, and any number of other things. We are encouraged to block out that inner critic, but to no avail. That inner critic hates that I stifle it and summon it whimsically.

Yesterday, I read an article by Jen Grisanti entitled Writing and Yoga. When I first read this article I was floored because I am a Yoga fanatic. After I thought about it, since I’ve been practicing and teaching Yoga, I haven’t fought with my inner critic. I don’t beat the critic away with a stick to concentrate. That critic is tucked away until I summon it. And I cannot pinpoint the day that I took control over my inner critic instead of my inner critic controlling me, but I know that Yoga was an accomplice.

Warrior III

Yoga helps me in so many ways that I cannot list them all. Yoga and writing go hand-in-hand. When I practice Yoga, I focus, concentrate, and center. Yoga is a mental exercise in self and body awareness and balance. Through breathing (prayana), the body and mind connect, and this state-of-mind does not go away after my practice is complete. Sun Salutations stimulate and warm the body (among other things) and balancing poses, such as Eagle, Warrior III, and Tree Poses, help you to balance, focus, and be in the moment. Balance is very important in Yoga. For every pose (asana) there is a counter pose. If you do something on the right, you must do it on the left too. Focusing and balancing help me to grab one thought at a time, deal with it, and move on to the next thought. I reach inside of myself and literally pull my creativity out, mentally, as I am meditating after Yoga.

So when I sit down to write, my creativity is stimulated, alive, and vibrant, coaxing confidence. I can focus on one thought at a time, I’m peaceful and calm, and my mind is lucid. I accept where I am at the moment and embrace my limitations. I am patient with myself. This focusing, balance, acceptance, and patience blankets me as I sit at my keyboard and escape into my plot, allowing my characters to live and breath through my fingers.

If you are a writer, embracing Yoga can enhance your creativity and writing as well as your mental, physical, and emotional dexterity. I would love a Yoga/Writer retreat.

Namaste & Happy Writing,
Trina

15 Comments

15 responses so far ↓

somethingtosayaboutthat // November 13, 2009 at 8:58 pm | Reply

The natural remedies are better than putting the chemicals in our bodies to heal our bodies. GOD knows what he is doing. HE gave all us the stuff we need to heal our physical bodies with the stuff that is growing on earth.
Dera // November 9, 2009 at 9:52 pm | Reply

Affirmations. I need affirmations like this to remind me to stay positive.

leisureliving // November 10, 2009 at 7:05 am | Reply

Glad you liked it Dera. It keeps me positive too.

somethingtosayaboutthat // November 3, 2009 at 12:04 pm | Reply

The in the office moves to release stress and tension are very effective. I like to get up and walk around and do them. I understand though when you are in the groove or that deadline I knocking you have to stay in he cockpit and do them. Good Work.
somethingtosayaboutthat // October 6, 2009 at 5:40 am | Reply

The Yoga techniques have come in handy, it’s a nice way to relax your body and mind. Thanks for the advise, Namaste.
MilesPerHour // August 25, 2009 at 9:29 am | Reply

Don’t forget to bring your mat when you visit next week. Maybe we can get you to do some yoga with the people at the church I volunteer at on Friday nights!

leisureliving // August 25, 2009 at 9:49 am | Reply

No problem! I’ll make sure that I bring it. I would love too do Yoga with your folks at church. I’ve also gotta get pictures of Yoga poses out back near the water…for the blog!

Dera // August 4, 2009 at 9:04 pm | Reply

Katrina, this is absolutely a wonderful site. I feel peaceful reading the various topics. I love it. Such a beautiful website, professional, but of course. Wow, I need to figure out how to subcribe or follow so I don’t miss out.
Ruth Bridges // August 4, 2009 at 1:47 am | Reply

This is a wonderful idea and website. I try hard only to be in a peaceful state as o ften as possible. Life will always have its challenges. But my life will also have joy and peace.

I am blessed and I know that every day and this knowledge sustains me.

Thank you for sharing.
MasterWorks // August 4, 2009 at 12:03 am | Reply

I’ll be a daily reader. This is right up my alley. Just what I’ve been looking for. Just reading today’s blog has me in a tranquil, calm and balanced place. Thanks for inviting me in to live through your eyes. We’ll work on the map for my own adventures later. Not feeling too adventurous these days. LOL!
tbigby // August 3, 2009 at 11:52 pm | Reply

this is GREAT!!!! I love it…
Desert Dave // August 3, 2009 at 5:58 pm | Reply

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Desert Dave // August 3, 2009 at 1:48 pm | Reply

It’s better to have lived than not to have lived at all
leisureliving // August 2, 2009 at 10:04 pm | Reply

Thanks! Life is too short to take for granted, to wait later for what you can do now, or to just sit. We never know when God will call us home, so we must live life to the full….
Ciao,
Trina
somethingtosayaboutthat // August 2, 2009 at 9:56 pm | Reply

This is a very nice Blog Leisureliving. You are putting it as you see, your expression of Life is wonderful. Write on.

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The Leisure Living Blog

Leisure Living

Yoga Break 4 Writers: Give Your Neck a Break

Deep, Calming Breathing

Neck Rolls

Yoga Break 4 Writers: Get Energized Right at Your Computer

Turn Your Faith Cup Up

Natural Remedies for Colds, Flu, & Congestion

Yoga Break For Writers: Awaken Stiff, Numb Legs

What’s On Your Mind?

Yoga Pose Series: Tree Pose

Yoga Break for Writers: 6 Easy Stretches to Relieve Overworked Arms

Say What You Mean

Yoga Pose Series: Triangle Pose

Yoga Basics Part 4: Alignment

Speak Power Into Your Day

Yoga Pose Series:Legs up the Wall Pose

Yoga Basics Part 3: Focus, Intent, Attitude

Think Like a Giant, not a grasshopper

Yoga Basics Part 2: Listen to Your Body

Downward Facing Dog

Yoga Basics: Part 1

Its Importance

Types of Yoga Breathing

Discipline and Self Control in Diet and Exercise

Yoga to Relieve Shoulder, Neck, and Upper Back Stress and Pain

Warming Up

Poses that open and increase strength and flexibility in your shoulders

Applying Yoga to Daily Living

Monday Motivation

Calm Down and Cheer Up!

by Joyce Meyer

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Beat the Competition

by Trina Love Abram

What is your definition of success? by Trina Love Abram

What Now?

Yoga: Some Triangles A Day Help Send Love Handles Away

Writing and Yoga

15 Comments

15 responses so far ↓

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What is your definition of success?
by Trina Love Abram