In the journey of life, turning 50 is a milestone that brings with it reflection, wisdom, and often, a new set of health considerations. As we age, maintaining an active lifestyle becomes increasingly important, and yoga emerges as a gentle yet powerful ally. It's not just about staying fit; it's about transforming your health, embracing a holistic approach to wellness, and unlocking a level of vitality that supports a vibrant, fulfilling life beyond 50.

Why Yoga After 50?

Yoga, with its ancient roots and adaptable nature, offers a comprehensive solution to many age-related challenges. It's a practice that not only strengthens the body but also calms the mind and nourishes the spirit. Here’s why yoga stands out:

• Flexibility and Mobility: As we age, our joints and muscles tend to become stiffer and less flexible. Yoga gently stretches and strengthens these areas, enhancing mobility and reducing the risk of injury.
• Bone Health: Weight-bearing yoga poses help combat...

I don't know about you but I need a detox from wine and sugar! 

Let me explain...

My husband has been home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, due to COVID. 

He works in the restaurant industry and before this pandemic, he worked 5 nights a week.

Now that he's home, every night is a night off and when he's off, he cooks, and when he cooks, we drink chardonnay.

Oh but that's not all that has me eager to detox, cleanse, and nourish my body.

We've been house-sitting and I found a box of the most amazing salted milk chocolate caramel squares ever!  

I ate them all!

Have you ever experienced something like this?

Sheltering in place and dealing with this incredibly stressful time can make reaching for something that soothes even more appealing.  It can feel like the one thing left for you to enjoy is your cookie and your cocktail.

But the truth is, your body, and mine isn't meant to drink alcohol, eat sugar, or have as many carbs as we consume.

Your body is meant to...

7 Secrets to Healthy Habits that Last

Are you beating yourself up about your unhealthy food/drink habits?

Do you find yourself brewing a cup for an afternoon pick-me-up and feel a little guilty for having coffee late in the day?

Do you enjoy a glass of wine, or two, in the evening, only to turn around and make yourself wrong for such indulgence?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone. I love my Pete’s coffee and my Chardonnay!

And I’m a yoga teacher.

I’m supposed to swear off meat, alcohol, sugar, and caffeine, right?

Wrong…

But when I’m drinking a glass of wine every night, or dare I say…two glasses, I’m out of balance. I don’t feel good about myself. I don’t sleep well, I’m dehydrated, I wake up in a fog. And my vibrant energy is drained.

Sound familiar?

Whether you lean toward coffee and a muffin for breakfast, a sugary snack in the afternoon, or sipping your favorite glass of wine while cooking dinner, if...

Yoga is a vast health care system that originated in India and is practiced all over the world.  

It's so effective that millions of people turn to this system to relieve stress, improve their mood, enhance focus, and take care of their body.  

The practice encompasses mind, body, heart, and Soul.  When you think of yoga today, your mind naturally pictures the physical aspect of yoga. 

You see someone doing yoga, moving their body through different poses known as asanas and you probably think of it as a way of getting into shape and exercising.

And, you're right.  But, yoga, unlike other types of exercise, is about calming your mind, deepening your breath, and connecting with your Self.  It's about being in the here and now and taking good care of your health.

Right now, we're in the midst of a pandemic. We've been sheltered in place and working from home for over 2 months. It's a stressful and uncertain time.  Yoga can help.

Yoga can...

I'm not a weight loss coach and I believe in loving yourself and your body, right now, exactly as you are.

So why am I writing a blog post about weight loss?

Because, when I truly started loving my body with nourishing food, yoga, and exercise, I came into balance; losing 12 pounds was a big part of my journey.

My students began asking me how I dropped the extra weight and got such nice sculpted arms! 

I'm not gonna lie, I love those compliments but even more than that, I have so much more energy and I feel great.

I found myself telling my students the exact steps I took to get my body back and those conversations led to the creation of my upcoming free training,  3 Steps to Your Strong, Flexible, Vibrant Body

This is the yoga we don't have time to teach in a yoga class.

Yoga is the study of balance, it's the union of body, mind, heart, and Soul.  Eating a balanced diet and getting exercise is yoga.  Meditation is yoga.  

So, yep, I'm writing about...

Last weekend after teaching my Saturday morning yoga class, I went to an ecstatic dance class.  I hadn't been to dance in a long time.  

It was great!  I was swirling around the dance floor connecting with friends and strangers through our shared love of movement.

I had moments of pausing, resting, and catching my breath.  At one point, I wrapped my arms around my friend, felt my utter exhaustion, and said, "I am so-o-o tired!"

I felt rung out and I felt sad about it because I could dance for hours and not be as tired as I was in that moment.  Is this life after 50? 

Is this the peri-menopausal crap I'd been hearing about and now it was happening to me?

I didn't know, but I needed to eat and I needed to rest.  I got home, made a nice breakfast of eggs, avocado, and spinach and refueled. I had the entire day ahead of me.  I had things to do, places to go, people to see.  Or so I thought...

My body had another agenda. She wanted to lie...

Changing habits is no easy task, especially when it comes to diet and exercise.

It can be so challenging, that many people stop before they even get started, missing out on the great pleasure that comes from being fit and healthy.

I've found, for myself and my clients, that with these 3 C's change is not only more likely, it's likely to last.

The first C is COMMITMENT, which brings to mind my favorite quote on the subject, 

"Commitment is doing what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you."  ~Anonymous

Commitment is the glue that bonds you to your goals.  It's a pledge to yourself, it's a vow. Commitment ignites your fire!  In yoga, fire is the element of the 3rd chakra, located at the solar plexus, the power center. 

If you want to change your lifestyle and be healthy, vibrant, and fit, you've got to light the fire of your power chakra!

 So, how do you get committed?

Paint a vivid picture, in your mind's eye,...

Have you ever noticed that when it comes to changing your diet saying "NO" is like a workout? 

Saying "No", when you're craving chocolaty cookies, crispy chips, or a smooth glass of wine, is an exercise.

Saying "NO" is like lifting weights.

Think about it, when you first get start lifting weights, the weights are awkward and unfamiliar. 

You've got to figure out the correct weight, learn the proper technique, and do several repetitions, a few times a week, a few weeks in a row, before weight lifting feels natural to you.  

The same is true of flexing your "No!"

This week, I challenge you to build your "NO" muscles and get stronger! With consistent reps, making healthy choices will become the norm for you. It will feel natural.

There might be times when you just don't feel strong enough to lift the "NO," and you go off the rails, give in, and eat a cinnamon roll! So be it! 

Let it go and move on.

I'm right in the middle of leading, and participating in, my Vibrant...

Today, on the New Moon in Pisces, I went outside, as suggested by my Moon Goddess, Dana Gerhardt.

She said to go outside and take in everything, the sky, the weather, the sounds, the temperature, the animals, all of it and just notice where your energy is drawn.

I noticed the bare trees, how they look dead yet they're simply in their winter season.  My eyes take in the half-alive half-dead lemon tree that grows right outside of our front window. 

When we first moved here, this lemon tree was lush and bountiful producing hundreds of lemons nearly throughout the entire year.

Then came the year when the children, with their sticks and imagined worlds, unknowing of the harm they would cause Miss Lemon, struck her branches and broke her bark, soon stripping it from her body.

I remember telling the kids not to do that to Miss Lemon. That it would hurt her an she would struggle to live.

Those children have long since moved away.  And the little lemon tree struggles to live...

The Health Benefits of Yoga and Cardio: Do We Really Need Both?

If you want to reap the hundreds of health benefits of cardiovascular exercise and yoga, then YES!

You might be thinking, “I get to my yoga mat 3 times a week, why do I need cardio?”

What does cardio offer that yoga doesn’t?

I’m going to share the top 5 benefits that come from pumping up the cardio but first let me tell you about my personal experience.

I’ve been practicing yoga for over 22 years and teaching for 18 years. In my younger days, I worked out at the gym, went running, hiking, and walking.

I got so into yoga that it became my main physical activity.  As a teacher, I practiced a lot but it wasn’t the same as my cardio workouts.  In fact, unless the room was warm, I wouldn’t break a sweat.

And even if the room was warm, the sweat was triggered more from the external heat then my practice.

I felt good but I wasn’t as fit as I was when I was doing...