ride the wave

After my yoga teaching training, I started to realize yoga is a part of so many activities and every day movements.

Beginning with the way you walk.

Engaging your core.

Being aware of your movement.

Conscious of your breath.

Mindful of your posture.

Alert of each step you take.

If you bring the yoga mindset into something as simple as walking, the mundane activity of walking to your car can become a divine saunter to your vehicle instead.

Yoga and surfing are more interwoven then you think.

Not only can our bodies make the sounds of the ocean with our Ujjayi breath

But surfing itself is comprised of yoga poses

Your core strength and mind set is very yoga related as well.

I was told by a wise surfer that when you are out in the water, feel the energy of the ocean beneath you.

And I did just that.

Yoga and surf go hand in hand.

With the power of your yoga practice, your strength in surfing will be enhanced.

Focusing on your breathing and energy from your body interconnecting with the energy of the ocean and mother nature.

Realizing that if you are too much in your head you waste time catching the wave.

Laying there on my board and feeling the power of the water speaking to me with each movement beneath my body.

I paused to take in the view.

Looking at my beautiful surrounding.

The water with all its surfer inhabitants.

The land with all its foliage.

And me on my board.

Ready to catch the next wave.

The high you feel from riding it,

is a high that is unexplainable.

Every surfer feels it.

And that is why every one goes back time & time again.

That is why after each fall, each wave, we paddle back out.

The intensity of mother earth carrying you,

you become almost addicted to that connection.

I’ve surfed a few times. Or shall I saw I have attempted a few times.

But it wasn’t until this time I understood.

I understood why every surfer loves it so much,

I felt it,

I understand now.

& trust me, I want to feel it time and time again

So lets take surfing into our lives

If you over stress or over think, you will miss the waves of life

Be present

& ride the wave

"You must be the change you want to see in the world"

As Mahatma Gandhi said "you must be the change you want to see in the world". How do we take yoga from the mat into our daily lives... Yoga. A word we all think we know but don't realize the magnitude of what it actually is. Yoga to many is a class at their local gym that they ended up in for a deep stretch or to become more flexible. Yoga is so much more than just an hour class you end up dragging yourself into because you heard its the latest fad to try out.  Yoga is a path. A path we are all on to find our highest selves. We are given the tools through yoga to move from a lower mind set to our highest self. The key is to want it. Want to change to your best version of yourself. And when you are the best version of yourself, you spread your light to those around you. Thus changing the world slowly. When you are at your highest self you are thus shining your light, and everyone will want to join in on the sunshine. Yoga is far more than the moves (asanas). It is a magnitude of so much more. It includes an individual code or blueprint of behavior with the universe, a commitment to ourselves to understand and approach life, the practice of physical postures, the awareness of the world around us as well as ourselves, and the breath. When you are a yogi, you not only embody the practice of the physical but fully embrace the yoga ethics that come with us off our mat into our daily lives. Yogis base their lives off of two pillars, the Yamas and the Niyamas. The Yamas are the unwritten contract with the universe, and the Niyamas are the commitment to ourselves. And when we develop both, they help us in our interactions in the world. All obstacles and moments in life allow us to live and practice the Yamas and Niyamas. Yoga is more than handstands, it is your interactions with the universe and yourself making it the essence of daily life.  With yoga we are more aware, and can be aware of our thoughts that do not align with our beliefs. With that awareness we can better see when the ego has taken reigns and projected a false story for you to believe, and you can surrender once knowing the false projections are exactly that false. Yoga is where all those crazy stories come to rest. When we surrender the ego's projections we also surrender the outcomes we are trying to control. With that surrender we are more aware of the present moment and then allowing us to make the most of the now. When we are physically and mentally in the moment, we are aware of everything. Aware of our thoughts, our senses, our feelings, our actions, our breath; aware of the moment entirely. We act based upon being aware instead of acting on ego's projections. By being in the moment we cherish each moment that we are in, we obtain a higher sense of gratitude. With a higher sense of gratitude we also allow expectations to melt away. We surrender that control and have trust in the universe. You begin to do things from the heart and share with others your gains.  You as a yogi are a healer. With yoga you can heal others with your words, your asanas and your energy. Yoga doesn't take place on just the mat, you have the beliefs follow you in your everyday. You are more aware, more present and more compassionate. With that compassion you can understand those around you and help them.  By being a positive light, you will shine and that light is contagious. A yogi is constantly changing, constantly learning and constantly evolving. We are all trying to work towards our greatest and highest self. So by changing within ourselves, we remove those blocks that are disabling us to our highest power. The highest power of love. We live based on love and not fear. When we continue to see our lives with loving and accepting eyes, we inspire those around us.  To be the change, we must change. Continue shining, because being in the light is contagious. The world will want to know the secrets of the yogi.

A place where nature is preserved & appreciated

I have been back home about two weeks but I left a part of me in Costa Rica, and pieces of my heart with my goddesses.

A location where my surroundings fed my soul and a group of women that loved me with all their being, a place of comfort, a place of natural beauty and a place of pure love.

Every shade of green

All different shapes of leaves

All sizes of trees

Flowers canopy the walkways

All different shades of pink, orange, yellow, purple and blue in a magnitude of shapes

Running water crushing the rocks

Where the mere sight just cools you

The cool moist air making everything constantly damp and calm

Butterflies roaming free

Humming birds prancing through the sky from flower to flower

Was I in a scene of a fairytale?

No it was all real!

A place where nature is preserved and appreciated

Where the sounds of nature can harmoniously create a symphony.

They begin every morning with their song

Each bird singing their song

Each chicken rising up from their sleep, rustling their feathers and letting out their morning call

The cows and horses awakening and chiming in with their deep noises

The trees waking up, swaying with the wind to greet you good morning

And the sound of the rushing spring added a consistent soothing noise to the serenade of the rainforest

I lived in heaven for 3 weeks

I am in a bit of a shock sitting here at home after my month long trip to Costa Rica. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say magical. But no need for one word, let me tell you ALL about it.

My true purpose for this trip was to expand my yoga practice; I felt that I had to go. All the plans flowed so smoothly to plan it that I felt that this was the path I was supposed to take. It wasn’t until I was actually there and met all the women, that I knew that I was always meant to come to the ranch.

Rancho Margot is located in El Castillo in close proximity to Volcano Arenal and the city of La Fortuna. It is secluded from the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is a self-sufficient organic ranch that nourishes the stomach as well as your mind and soul. Words and pictures cannot fully grasp the essence of this magical ranch. I tried my best to capture photos that will do it justice but being there, embracing the rainforest is the only true way to absorb its magnificence.

Our first day was overwhelming. I met all the women and instantly knew they were all incredible. Never in my life had I met an entire group of women that I could just instantly fall in love with. I learned more about them throughout the journey and realized this was the goddess tribe I was meant to be apart of. 

Each goddess was brought for a reason, each goddess had a beautiful story, each had pain inside, each had something so astonishing about them, and together we were mightier then any group of women I have ever met. Each of us was brought together for a reason. To say yoga training is an easy walk in the park is incredibly false. Yoga is far more than just the yoga poses; yoga is about opening up completely and releasing you from whatever is holding you back from growing or going further in your path. My amazement of these women, my admiration of them all, my love for each one of them is so outstanding that every time I looked at any of them all I could do was smile so large that my eyes had to shut from the magnitude of my grin. 

We held hands, we hugged, we sang, we danced, we hula hooped, we cried, we loved, we laughed, we had the happiest time of our lives.

Our teachers were perfect. Their styles and strategies combined to make them the best teaching duo.  With focuses on poses (asanas), meditation, anatomy, chakras and living the yoga philosophy, our days couldn’t be more information packed with all the ingredients for a well-established yoga training. We received all the components for our yoga practice and how to bring the essence of yoga into our daily lives.

The women in the tribe, the teachers, the location, and the food, combined all together for three weeks of the most enlivening, nourishing and largest growth I have had thus far. All were needed for necessary components in this transformation from student to teacher.

let out your inner child

When was the last time you played outside, 

twirled around, 

did cartwheels 

& just collapsed from laughter?

Where did our inner child go?

Why is it that the older we get, the less we appreciate the small delights of life?

As a child we would relish our time outside and every little excitement life offered us.

My friends and I are all Florida babies, so we can't imagine a childhood that didn't involve being outside all the time during every season.

The days were you swam for hours on end in the pool. Your mom would come out to tell you that dinner was ready, and you always insisted on 5 more minutes. 

One of the key things we lose as we grow older is that as children we were in the moment.

We weren't occupied with thoughts of tomorrow, or worries about yesterday.

We were concerned with how large my cannonball could be into the pool. Or when your next play date would be.

I am seriously blessed to have friends that in our mid 20's all we want to do is laugh in each others company and let our inner child shine.

So put down your phone this weekend.

Go outside.

Do a cartwheel.

I promise you, it will put a smile on your face. 

yogis in training

Yoga is the poetry of movement.

& we are about to become poets.

Original Artwork Used

Abigail and I are off next month to Costa Rica to become yoga certified !!!
We will be staying for about a month on a 400 acre ranch.
Our experience will include deepening our knowledge of yoga, exploring the anatomy of the poses and absorbing the beauty that Costa Rica has to offer.
To say we are excited would be an understatement.

Pura Vida & Namaste 

girls GIRLS girls why can't we all just be friends?

WOMEN

This is a public announcement to US ALL !

We waste so much time hating each other.

When we can just all be friends.

We all experience it.

I think it is time we wake up.

Why is it that the second we meet another female we feel the need to dislike her the second we meet her?

Let me give you a visual of what happens.

When a female walks into a party. Alone or with a small posse of her girlfriends.

We judge.

We all do it.

We look each other up and down.

From head to toe.

How trashy her heels are.

How her hair could use a little more toning and maybe a hair cut.

How her top makes her look a little slutty because her boobs are falling out.

How her skirt is too short and the possibility of her butt cheeks popping out are high.

WHY DO WE DO THIS?!

Not only are we standing here glaring and thinking all these terrible things of each other.

We are sizing each other up. Comparing each body part, each make up technique and outfit to ourselves.

We are competing.

It was a competition in our heads from the moment we walked in.

Society has made us compete against each other instead of teaming together.

We won't smile at each other, because we don't trust each other.

Instead of coming together as a girl power group, we decide that not introducing each other and judging seems more natural.

I am not saying I am not guilty of this.

I am but I am trying to change this habit.

Years ago one of my best friends brought his girlfriend around.

I judged her and decided I was not going to like her.

She did nothing wrong to me. 

But I judged her and never gave her a chance.

Then one day, we both realized we HATED each other for NO REASON at all.

This girl is now one of my best friends and has been so incredible to me.

We joke about how we wasted so much time hating each other when we could have just loved each other.

We found we were incredibly similar and just complimented each other's energies. She is one of the most incredible souls in my life and she could have been sooner if I had given her a chance.

This past weekend I went on this fancy boat with all these gorgeous women.

Before getting on the boat I was anxious because of the Victoria Secret models I was about to place myself around. I felt myself judging my body, my bathing suit I chose, & how the sunblock made my face look all oily. Thinking how I am not going to look good enough around all of these babes.

Then it hit me.

I am a babe.

We all are babes!

EMPOWERED WOMEN EMPOWER WOMEN

I introduced myself to all the ladies.

& I smiled and realized we all are incredible.

We all kill it in the gym with our squat workouts.

We all try to find the smallest bathing suit bottom to show off our beautiful asses.

We are all the same. And we need to be there for each other.

I stopped judging them and myself. 

I think its time we stop.

We are all beautiful and we need to stop putting up this wall to the rest of the female population.

We all want to be friends.

As hippy as that sounds, why not?

Why can't we just empower each other?

The time is now. I am going to start. 

& I think we all should.