Life without TV

About 6 months ago, Scott & I finally decided to remove the television from our home.  We had been tossing around the idea for quite some time, but kept coming up with excuses.  "But what about FOOTBALL?" was probably the most compelling one.  But July 4th, we declared our independence from "the tube".  We'd had enough.  We actually took the set to the studio, and rearranged furniture to cover the gaping hole it seemed to leave.
At first, it was SO QUIET all the time, and even seemed a little lonely.  But now, I see that silence as such a blessing.  My life is so calm and peaceful.
Some of the other amazing blessings from our tv-free life:
-We communicate so much better.  There are few distractions, so we talk more often.  We're also more present when we communicate.  We're actually THERE for the conversation, not wandering off to whatever's on.
-We spend more time with family.  This is a solution to the football question earlier.  All of our parents live in town, and they are happy to see us when football is on.  We also watch with friends.  Someone always has the game on.
-We read all the time.  Scott has read more books than I think I've ever seen him read.  And I seem to be devouring books.  I always have one fiction and one non-fiction book going.  I'm getting around to all those yoga teacher training books I wanted to read, but never seemed to have time.
-Only good things come to our home.  As someone once said, tv is inviting people into your home, who you would never invite if they were actually standing there.  We have no foul language, no obnoxiousness, and no commercialism.
I could go on and on about how wonderful my life is.  And getting rid of TV has only helped.  I'm not saying this is for everyone, but see what happens if you get rid of it for a week.  Open up your time and your life, and see what else is waiting for you.

Bags of Blessings for the Homeless

Many of you know that Dave Ramsey is one of my heroes.  Here, he shares the story of an awesome family that is teaching their children to GIVE.  Check it out.  I'm making some for my car TODAY!

http://www.daveramsey.com/specials/christmas-articles/article/blessing-bags-for-the-homeless/ictid/text1.c11/

Cleaning Your Mat

About once a week, someone asks me how to wash their yoga mat, so here's a quick run-down.

Before we begin, please note that this is just for a regular yoga mat.  Specialty mats, such as Manduka, Lululemon, etc have specific instructions from the manufacturer that should be followed.
But if you have a regular mat, you can pretty much follow this procedure:

1-Washing the mat
If your washing machine is large enough to accomodate your mat without folding & squishing, this is the easiest way.  Just use a gentle cycle with a VERY little bit of soap.  Otherwise, it will be hard to get all the soap out.
If your washing machine, like mine, is too small, you'll need to wash your mat in the bathtub.  Just run 3-4 inches of warm water.  Place your mat in and add a small amount of your favorite cleanser.  I use Young Living's Thieves Household Cleaner, which you can order online, or buy here at the studio.  Then scrub your mat gently with a brush.  Finally, rinse your mat well.  I usually take mine outside & spray it well with the garden hose.

2-Drying the mat
On a warm, dry, sunny day, the best thing to do is hang your mat up outside somewhere.  If that won't work, you can actually dry your mat on the air-only cycle a couple of times.  Then, hang it over a shower curtain rod overnight.

This should help restore some of the stickiness to your mat, and get rid of all those foot germs!

New daily meditation practice

So, lately, I've really made an effort to focus & meditate more.  And all this work, while sometimes annoying has only led me to a deeper appreciation of yoga.  I'm here to tell you:  It really DOES work.  So, each day, I've done two solid practices:  1-I meditate for 10 minutes (I know, for some of you, this is child's play, but I'm a secret type-A personality and for me, this is a big deal!), 2-I chant mantra.  Yes.  108, with mala beads & everything.  It's been amazing!  The mantra is my favorite.  At the beginning, I look at all of those beads & think, "oh, boy, 108 is a lot!".  But by about halfway through, I don't want it to end.  Sure, I get some strange looks from my husband & animals, when I happen to be chanting around them.  But it's worth it.  And the meditation is getting easier.  I'm actually thinking of moving up to 15 minutes....big time!

So, what's your practice?  Do you meditate?  Use mala?  Do a walking meditation?  What brings you to calm?

Forage & Feast

Over the Memorial day weekend, Scott & I attended a great program, just outside of Asheville, called Forage & Feast.  It was put on by Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism, and occurred at SoulFlower Botanical Sanctuary.  For most of our time together, we walked through the gardens and the woods, learning about plant species, and which are safe to eat, and which are poisonous.  BTW, don't eat buttercups!  As we walked, we collected bags of herbs.  When we collected enough, the group went inside and made dinner, using what we had collected.  These wild things became a delicious salad, a bright pesto, a dip, and even a dessert.
For more info about herbs, check out http://www.herbsheal.com/
Have you eaten anything wild lately?

Joe Taft at Mountain Yoga

This past Sunday, we hosted a workshop starring Joe Taft.  Joe is an instructor at Asheville Yoga Center and helps with the teacher training program there.  We had 20 students, and everyone worked up a great sweat.  His theme for the class was "Let Love Rule", and he challenged us with some great heart-opening techniques.  To see more about Joe, check out his website at http://www.joetaftyoga.com/.  Awesome workshop, Joe!  We hope to have him back again soon.  And keep an eye out for other workshops, coming soon!

One Year already??



Mountcastle Center

Wow.  May 1st is sneaking up on me.  That's the one-year anniversary of Mountain Yoga's move to the Mountcastle Center.  What a ride!  It seems like yesterday.
In case you don't know, Mountain Yoga was founded in November, 2008.  For several months, we had just a few classes a week and met at Mullins Shaolin-Kung Fu.  That was a different atmosphere for yoga classes, as it is a HUGE space, with weapons on the wall.  :-)  But we were so thankful to Garry Mullins for allowing us to get our start there.  In April of 2009, we found the studio at the King Center in downtown Johnson City, and Mountain Yoga Studio was born.  This small, beautiful space was a leap of faith for us.  Could we make rent each month?  But we did.  And quickly, we outgrew the space and were looking for a new place.  Which brings us to May, 2010.  With butterflies in my stomach, I signed a lease for the old Cat's music space, behind Target.  Rent was much higher, but so was the visibility.  Could this new studio survive?  What was I getting into?
But, here we are, one year later.  And Mountain Yoga is more than I dreamed.  Our students are amazing, happy, dedicated & loving.  I wake up each morning, grateful for what God has given me.  And we're looking forward to more years of sharing yoga & loving each other.
So, Monday, May 2nd, we're celebrating!  Join us for a class, and get snacks & coffee from The Coffee & Tea Haven.
Most of all, THANK YOU to all our wonderful students and dear friends.  You're the greatest!