Month: August 2016

Remember to Support Others: Surfing Yogi Edition

Sometimes, it can be really intimidating walking into a new yoga studio. Personally, this has never been an issue for me, but I try to remember the new yogis, and help them to feel welcome by supporting their practice. Funny thing is, I have never received support from others in my adventures, until today, and it happened when surfing.

I decided to go out surfing late in the afternoon. There was a small swell that came in this weekend, and I knew I needed to be out in the water. For those readers who don’t know, waves come in sets of three (ideally), and today, there happened to be some pretty nice sets. My strategy was to take the second wave, just in case I missed the first one.

Being a beginner surfer, just like going to a new yoga studio, can be intimidating. Today, was a little intimidating. The waves were bigger than I was used to, and the ocean was full of surfers. I stuck to my strategy, and saw a set of waves starting to form. I went through the first wave, confusing some surfers around me as to why I didn’t take it. Then, I was in perfect position for a bigger second wave.

As I started to paddle to catch the wave, our of the corner of my eye I saw an older man on a very elaborate wooden board. He looked at me and shouted,”Go go go! Paddle paddle paddle!”. I started to paddle with precision, caught the wave, and was able to ride it into the shore.

Turning around my board and paddling back out, I saw the older man. He turned around and asked with excitement,” Did you catch it? You were in perfect position!”. I replied that I had caught it, and then I thanked him for his encouragement.

It’s always important to remember to support others. Readers, would love to know your stories of supporting someone else or someone supporting you in your athletic adventures.

~Namaste

Scrappy Yogi

Life Coaching, Coffee, and Yoga

Just recently, I had coffee with a dear friend and mentor. We started chatting about our lives naturally, but then the conversation shifted to how we have both decided to not surround ourselves with people that we don’t think are good. This conversation, like most conversations I have with friends, usually reminds me of lessons I learn from my yoga practices, and this particular conversation reminded me of a class not long ago.

Early last week, I decided to take a yoga class with an instructor I wasn’t too familiar with, so I set my intention to be open to what the instructor was teaching. Through our Vinyasa Flow, she was talking to us about how all people we interact with our Teachers. Some of these Teachers are good, positive people, while others are called Reverse Teachers. Reverse Teachers are people we see as negative and we choose to not practice what they teach. It is only by embracing the Teacher and the Reverse Teacher that yogis can grow in practice.

This lesson really resonated with me, as we are always going to run into people that we don’t necessary want to be like. And, I have to be honest Readers: this wasn’t the first time I heard this advice. I had heard it from my dear friend and mentor I had coffee with later that same week, but she gave me the same teaching a few years back.

Readers, I would like to introduce you to my dear friend and mentor Kimberly Fulcher. She is a professional trained life coach who focuses on women empowerment, and now you can hear her advice too! Click here to view her YouTube Channel and get your groove back!

~Namaste

Scrappy Yogi

Yogi Does Paddleboarding

So in 49 days, I will be getting married. Everyone I know who has gone through the wedding planning process warned me that the last two months are the most stressful. To be honest, I brushed that advice off, didn’t think it would be stressful. Oh, but I was wrong.

For me, the most stressful part of the wedding planning process is just getting the little things done now. It’s the dress alterations, hair appointments, suit fittings, clothes shopping ( rehearsal dinner), and any other little detail you couldn’t get done previously. I have an amazing mother and wedding planner that have worked on the logistics and final details, now it’s just my turn to show up to each appointment, which makes life a little bit more busy than usual.

This past week was a little overwhelming, so naturally, I threw myself into as many yoga classes as I could. I took a way a lot of wise words from my instructors this week, and I was taught the integrity of Triangle Pose. The one thing I was missing was the ocean. Surfing has a very calming effect on me, comparable to a yoga practice. I find beauty in surfing, and it allows me to clear my head, not to mention the endorphin high is incredible.

Unfortunately, this past weekend, there were no real surfing waves in the Pacific, and that’s when my fiance Steven, suggested we go paddleboarding instead. So we suited up, and went to the ocean with our paddleboard. We even took our Action Cameras. You can check out our video here.

We had an incredible weekend in the ocean, together. Sometimes you just need a weekend to reset and recharge. Readers, what helps you reset and recharge?

~Namaste

Scrappy Yogi

 

 

 

Practicing Yoga with an Injury

Practicing yoga with an injury can be an art form in itself. I didn’t sustain a serious injury from surfing, but rather an injury that was more annoying and painful. See picture above for the photographic evidence.

I decided to keep practicing yoga anyway, not letting this huge bruise stop my progress. I did make some yoga practicing rules for myself though, ensuring that I didn’t hurt my ankle even more. Some of my rules were no brainers, but I felt it was good to remind myself that my ankle had a huge bruise on it. Here were my rules:

  • If at any time any pose hurt, you must stop the pose
    • This should be everyone’s mantra, but sometimes I do push myself into poses, so I felt that I should reiterate this mantra.
  • Do not put ankles together in Sun Salutations, rather keep ankles shoulder width apart
    • This was a hard adjustment to me, since I like to keep my feet together in Sun Salutations. I welcomed the new experience into my practice.
  • No bow pose or any pose where the ankle is held
    • This was my no brainer rule to myself.
  • Tell the instructor
    • I always tell the instructors when I am injured so they don’t assist me in a way that will hurt me more.

Readers, how do you workout with an injury, I would love to know!

~Namaste

Scrappy Yogi

It’s Okay to Take a Lesson

If you read my blog, you know that I have taken up surfing. Last weekend, I went out on the water, and just started to get frustrated. I was getting up on the board but my timing was off, and I just generally wanted someone’s help. I remembered throughout my yoga learning taking a private lesson when I start to get frustrated with my practice. So, I decided to take a private surf lesson last Monday night.

Before the surf lesson started, I knew it was going to be intense. First, it was a two hour lesson, and I only last about an hour in the water before my arms are so tired. Second, I was going out on the water where someone could “push me” into the wave, even if it wasn’t surf worthy, meaning I always needed to try to get up on the board. No slacking off.

When we got into the water, the fog started to roll in, so luckily there wasn’t many people in the waves. The instructor started to push me into the waves, and I started to get up on the board. Then, I was catching my own waves and still practicing. Of course, he corrected some technique issues I was having and offered great advice. Then, he told me something that stayed with me. He said, ” You aren’t a surfer yet. It takes time. And you need to practice.”

I had the same thing told to me by a former yoga instructor. I thought about this statement, and then I remembered when I truly felt like a “yogi”. I truly felt like a yogi when I tried out different styles of yoga and landed on Vinyasa yoga as the style I wanted to pursue.

My former yoga instructor was right, though. I didn’t feel like a “yogi” for a long time, probably about two years into my yoga journey. I couldn’t push the process of becoming a yogi, it just naturally happened. Readers, when did you feel like an expert in your exercise field?

~Namaste

Scrappy Yogi