All posts by yogaswole

lululemon is more than just clothes…

lulu6lululemon athletica shares more than just high quality active wear. The brand as a whole embodies a healthy, strong, passionate lifestyle with a love for active living.  The company is made up of remarkable individuals who support each other and their customers so they can be inspired to live an active, healthy, and happy life.  lululemon offers many types of support to their costumers/clients,  including information shared in their stores, information shared through social media, their outreach and partnership with people and local business in their communities, and through their free classes at the stores. I believe that lululemon is a wonderful support system and great resource to the community. I am so grateful to be one of their store ambassadors and a part of the lululemon family!

Continue reading lululemon is more than just clothes…

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Traveling this Holiday Season?

Whether by car, train, or plane, be prepared to travel this holiday season with a few yoga poses that will help you feeling good and prepare your mind and body to deal with long periods of sitting. 

Yoga techniques are a great avenue to remind yourself to move and bring attention to your breath and body. Completing a few poses can help calm the mind and reduce stress and anxiety that we may get from traveling.

Below are a few yoga poses that you can easily neck stretch do anywhere and can help you feel remarkably better during your travels.

  1. Neck Rolls Exhale, drop your right ear to your right shoulder, look down toward your chest. Inhale, drop left ear to left shoulder, look up.  Repeat
  2. Shoulder Lift Inhale, raise your shoulders toward your ears. Exhale, completely let go, drawing your shoulders down your back.
  3. Seated Side Bend Interlace your fingers and press your palms towards the ceiling. Inhale, reach up. Exhale, draw your hands to the right.  Inhale, come back to center.  Exhale, draw your hands to the left. cow
  4. Seated Cacat2t-Cow Place your hands on your thighs.  As you inhale, draw your chest forward and your shoulders back; think about spreading your collarbone. Exhale, round your spine and draw your shoulders forward, pull your belly in. Look down toward your navel. Repeattwist
  5. Seated Twist Place your left hand on your right knee or left armrest (if you’re in a plane) . Inhale, lengthen your spine. Exhale, twist to your right, drawing your right shoulder back.   Switch sides.
  6. Seated Figure 4– Bend your right knee and place your right ankle on top of your left thigh. Interlace your fingers under your right thigh.  Sit up straight and draw your left knee down towards the ground and gently pull your right knee up. Switch sides.fig 4
  7. Ankle Rolls Get your blood flowing by rolling your ankles in a circular motion, both to the right and the left several times while stretching the leg out in front of you. You can also point and flex your feet.leg stretch
  8. Forward Fold Separate your feet to hip-width distance, bend your knees, and bring your chest to your thighs. Fold forward, grab opposite elbows or maybe interlace your fingers and drop them overhead.  
  9. Lunges– Begin standing. Step your left foot forward and bend your left knee 90 degrees.  Keep your right leg straight and right heel lifted. Arms can rise overhead or keep your hands at your heart center. CLThen step back with the legs together. Switch sides. Maybe  add a twist, placing your palm down on the inside of your forward foot.         
  10. Seated Savasana– Close your eyes and let go of the noise and other distractions. When thoughts come, just listen to your breathe and let them go.
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The Element

the elementRecently, I attended a workshop that focused on the book The Element written by Sir Ken Robinson. In his book, Sir Ken Robinson talks about self fulfillment and creativity. He helps his readers understand that “The Element” is when natural talent meets personal passion and that when people finally arrive at “The Element” they feel most themselves, most inspired, and achieve at their highest levels.

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The 2015 TCS NYC Marathon is in the books!

The NyayYC Marathon (or NYC’s biggest block party) is made famous first by its people (the crowds of support) and next by its hills, bridges, and long straightaways. Standing at the starting line on the Verrazano Bridge can be quite exciting but also overwhelming.  So before you go, check out some important pieces of info, that may help you along the way. Continue reading The 2015 TCS NYC Marathon is in the books!

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Yoga for Teens

TeenYoga-Logo

I believe that all teens can benefit from yoga.  When I look at teenagers today, I often see individuals who appear unbalanced, have difficulty focusing, are often in a rush,  and some who are depressed, anxious, or nervous and I feel for them. The pressure on youth today is tremendous (i.e. getting good grades, getting into a good school, staying current, fitting in) and as kids begin to hit adolescence, puberty, transition to high school or college, and begin to explore relationships with one another; they need an outlet that can help them stay focused, allow them to gain confidence, and feel good about themselves. I believe yoga can provide just that.

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The Power of Positive Thinking

positive 2When we think about thinking positively we at times assume that it implies seeing the world through rose-colored glasses and ignoring the negative parts of life; but it’s more than that.  While it is good to focus on and appreciate the good things in our lives; positive thinking is also about approaching life’s challenges with a positive outlook. It’s about turning challenges into something positive, i.e. making the most out of a potentially bad situation, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive way.

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I Love Hills

Only thrdont walkee weeks left until my marathon!! I have been so pleased at how well my training has been going.  I have been feeling great, strong and overall very happy with the progress I’ve made.  In fact, I have shaved about 30 seconds off my average mile time.  I am so excited to see how  well I can run the NYC marathon course, my goal is to run it in 4 hours or to get as close to 4 as I can. Continue reading I Love Hills

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Fun Fall Food!

 

FullSizeRender (51)Written By: Dan Mandell

I am very excited that Keri asked me to share my love for food with all the readers of Yoga Swole.  Those  of you that know me, know that food is a very important part of my life.  When Keri and I moved to New Jersey from Massachusetts, I did some soul searching  and knew that I needed to make my obsession with food more healthy; that is how I got into cooking.

Continue reading Fun Fall Food!

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