Why Practice Yoga? Really, What's The Point?

Take These Next Few Moments , Look Away From Your Computer, And Think About Why You Practice Yoga....

 

Now Look At All Those Amazing Reason You Practice Yoga:

~ Decrease Stress

~Improve Balance

~Become Flexible

~To Find Peace

~Find Stronger Self Confidence

~Fun

 

So Now Ask Yourself,

 

Why Don't I Practice Regularly?

 

Really? Why Don't You? Wouldn't You Want To Feel Those Benefits Everyday?

 

The Key Is To Be Consistent In Your Yoga Practice...NO...MATTER...WHAT.

Even If It Is Raining, Sunny, Snowy, or You Are On Vacation.

When You Were In School, You Did Not Just Attend The 5th Grade Once A Week Or Once Every Few Months. You Went 5 Days A Week.

A Solid Yoga Practice Consists Of Practicing 3-5 Times A Week.

So Dust off The Mat, Toss Out The Excuses And Get Back To Your Yoga Practice!

 

What Would You Do For Love?

Would you quit your job? Would you move out of state, maybe out of the country? Could you leave your friends and family behind? Would you be willing to leave all that is familar and step into the unknown?

You can ask all of these questions to Lindsey Parry, and she will answer you yes!

While teaching a yoga class that I wasn't even supposed to teach, God had placed Lindsey in my class. It was a friday night class that she does not normally atend. We knew we were supposed to meet. Lindsey and I quickly became friends and bonded over our love for God and our departure from all things familar to pursue our dream.

Spending time with Lindsey, I learn that she is in fashion. Her clothing line, 4Love, is centered around traditional Nagua made by  the indegiounes women of Panama. This Nagua is then embellished on  dresses. These dresses are truly unique, hand made, one of a kind works of love. Each dress takes 17 hours to create.  I have seen first hand the intricate work of the Ngobe Bugle women and it is like none other!

 

Being behind the scenes of 4Love, I see how hard Lindsey works. What she does is not an easy task. All you see is the finish product, but what you don't get to see is the love and dedication she puts towards  4Love. All this self-less work Lindsey does day in and day out is empowering the women. Lindsey puts the needs of the Ngobe Bugle women ahead of her own. 4Love is a fair trade company and is helping the women provide for their family. Giving them a sense of purpose and pride in their culture.

 

They say that the true definition of love can be defined by 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

 

If you replace the word "Love" with "Lindsey" you will truly see what love is.

 

To Find Out More About 4Love Please Visit:

http://www.4loveclothing.com/

http://sowingseedsoflove.org/

http://designgood.com/4-love-clothing/

 

4Love on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/4loveclothing

 

 

The Women Of 4Love

Boquete, Panama

 

4Love

 

Lindsey and I on an Island Off Of Panama

 

My One Of A Kind 4Love Dress Made By Juana

 

 

                                                                           

 

 

 

Pay Attention To Your Thoughts

You know the old saying "You are what you think" or "You are what you eat" Did you ever stop to think that those statements are true? Think about it...If you think negative thoughts, you are negative. If you eat bad food, you are in a bad mood. It's time to "Be kind to your mind" (I know, it's a rip of of be kind rewind, but now you won't forget it! unless you did not rewind your tapes..)

 

After my morning practice, I read my 365 Daily Meditations. I came across Ahimsa Nonviolence. "One of the yamas and a guiding core principle of yoga, ahimsa is as vital to our practice as the standing poses or downward-facing dog. This attitude of non-violence that we strive to cultivate in all of life brings us face-to-face with desire, anger and memory. Practice non-violence in all aspects of life: in thought, speech, and action. From the food you eat to the thoughts you consume cultivate ahimsa"-JR

 



Why Am I So Fat?



I have been living out of the country for over 9 months at this point. I have been living on a private island off of Panama, The Highlands of Panama, and now Nicaragua. I have flown 20 times, several bus rides, water taxis, and stayed in 20 hotels and hostels. It’s safe to say, I have been on the move.

When I first moved to the island, I lost 6 pounds the first month!! Wow, talk about 6 pack city!! It was glorious. As time went on the stress began to build. I was away from the comforts of home. It wasn’t like I could hop in my car and go to the one of many trader joes or whole foods. I ended up making unhealthy nutritional decisions. Marry that with stress of a new environment, and you have the marriage of a new unhealthy habit.

  So I did what any women does to lose weight….Everything but what I actually needed to do! I couldn’t figure out why I still had extra weight.

I went out to dinner with a bunch of beautiful yogini friends. All of these ladies could have been on the cover of Yoga Journal. This ofcourse made me feel self-conscious of the extra baggage I was carrying. We all had our dinner. After dinner I stated out loud “I don’t get it!! Why am I So Fat??!” I kid you not, the moment I said that, the waiter placed the brownie a la mode infront of me that I had previously ordered. Oh, did we have a big laugh! Talk about question asked, question answered!

Now, Im not saying that Im not “allowed” to have brownies anymore. I noticed it was not what I was eating and not eating and how my body metabolized the food. Its how I was metabolizing my EMOTIONS. I have stored up feelings and emotions that have not been metabolized yet. So that is where I am starting. Im looking at my life in a whole new way. I can not keep blaming my surroundings for why I look a certain way or feel a certain way. Because guess what, all of these places have one thing in common….ME.

This is not a blog on how to lose weight. But more so a piece of how the answer is right infront of us (cough cough, brownine being placed infront of me) if we are aware and willing  to see it. If you think about it, you ALWAYS know what the right answer is. It really comes down to if you are brave enough to accept the answer. It may not always be easy, but the answers we need, are always there. Weather you are debating about quitting your job, moving out of state, thinking of breaking up with your significant other, you know the right answer.  And if we can release all of the doubts, worries, and fears that uncertainty carries, we will live in a brilliant world. You will begin to see and feel things in a whole new light. That my friend, is worth being honest with your self.

The Importance Of Your Like Minded

Growing up, I would always hear the term “Like Minded”. I never really put any focus on it. Maybe that’s because I never really knew what it meant.

I would consider myself to be a black sheep. With friends, family, and coworkers. I have always been different. I like to put it now a day “I live my life backwards”. Being this black sheep, I tend to run with a smaller heard. As I am getting older, I find it harder to connect with some people. I spent the last 5 years of my life dreaming about living outside of Chicago. I had talked about it and dreamed about it with several friends and family. In 2008 I lived in Vermont for a while. I met a really great friend while living out there. She has the same feelings about living in Colorado. She went to school there and that is where she feels connected. We had a phone conversation in February 2012. I explained to her how I was looking to move. She gave me this piece of advice that I will never forget , “Brianne, when you are connected to your environment, you are connected to the people”. Bing! That was it. Sam is right. I was not feeling connected to my surroundings and I was not feeling connected to the people. I had a similar conversation with another wise friend about relationships. This is what she had to say on August 22^nd 2012; “When you follow your path, you will find your soulmate.” Taylor hit the nail on the head with that one! As I am still looking for that partner, I believe that living my life fully, we will meet on this path.

With these gems in my backpack, I left the country and moved to an island off of Panama. And that is where it all began. This snowball effect was being created in my life. The more the snowball rolled, the more people I met that shared the same thoughts and interests as I do. Fuel for my fire! I decided to go back to school to pursue my 500 hour yoga certification (with the help of some like minded friends Olimpia and Brad).

By far, this has been the biggest snowball yet. In fact, a whole snowman! For 3 weeks I found myself in the jungles of Costa Rica with some of the most amazing like minded people! Not only are we all like minded, but so genuine, caring, supportive, and loving. It was like breathing in a new kind of air. A kind of Like Minded air.

 

I now know the importance of being surrounded by Like Minded people. I believe that it is very important to our development. In general, relationships are needed by human beings. It helps us to survive. I have seen how people begin to flourish when they are surrounded by their Like Minded. They give us the extra support we need to achieve our goals and the love and care for what we all do.

Are you surrounded by Like Minded People? If not, I would highly recommend you to spread your wings out just a little further. Reach out to those who share your same interest and connect with them on a regular basis. You will begin to breath a new air and smile a new smile. And the simple fact that you just read this article, you just took your step into a journey of the Like Minded.

 

Namaste.

 

Nosara Yoga Institute Costa Rica

 

The Making of cOMe To Express Your Love

By Korace and The Girls

 

Distraction Leads To Destruction..

I Feel So Amazing!!

Im on a weekly workout routine. I get up everyday at 7am and do 30 minutes of cardio, followed by 30 minutes of strength training, and ending with a 45 minute Yoga practice.

After my meditation, I enjoy a green smoothie to help nourish my body. I feel so happy and complete. I am less stressed and I hardly ever worry anymore.

But, I can't work out tomorrow because I know I will be up late tonight. Thursday and Friday are out of the question because I know I will be to busy. And forget about the weekend, my friends are coming by and I don't want to stop what Im doing just to go workout.

Sound Familar?

 

Yes it does! Because We All Do It. We get on a great routine that is benefiting us. We would be stressed and angry if we did not do it. 

If something is so good, then why do we stop doing it?

*Distraction*

 

Distraction Leads To Our Destruction.

When we get side tracked, we lose sight of what is important. What makes us keep going everyday. We also tend to make exceptions. 

"I eat healthy, except on the weekends"

"I work out, except when Im on vacation"

"I practice Yoga, except when I get really angry"

When you start making these exceptions, it leads to our destruction. And you never know it happens until 5 years down the line you noticed you don't practice yoga anymore or volunteer at that shelter for the holidays.

It is time for us to use our Wisdom. And I don't mean the kind you learned at school or on google.

It is a kind of wisdom that will give us the ability to make life producing decisions.

You always have a choice to go left or right. Go left, you lose everything you worked for. Go right, you begin to enjoy what you worked for.

My Biggest Distraction Is_______.

I Will______To Avoid This Distraction.

 

 

Feel Free To Contact Me:

yogawithbrianne@gmail.com 

So, It's Been Awhile Since You Have Practiced...

It's Been Awhile Since Your Rolled Me Out
Is There Something You Were Worrying About?
I Am Always Here For You
You and I Are Together Like Glue
There You Go,
Rest In Childs Pose
Always Remember How Much I Care
And That I Will Always Be There
Love,
Your Yoga Mat
-Author: Yoga With Brianne

So it's been awhile since you have practiced yoga.
Why is that?
You know how it makes you feel and how your stress level is lower. But why did you stop?

Sometimes we get away from our yoga practice. The most common reason for this is that "Life Gets In The Way". We let the stressers of everyday life pull us away from our mat.
But your mat misses you!
Yoga is so much more than doing fancy yoga magazine poses. You know, you can practice yoga right here at your desk if you close your eyes for 5 minutes and just focus on the breath. Yeh, you make look funny to your co-workers, but you will feel so much more relaxed if you take that time out for yourself.
Or even at home....
Brushing your teeth your can stand in tree pose
Comercial breaks you can do a down dog
When you go to bed, take a few minutes to do a guided meditation.

The thing is life is going to get "in the way" of our daily routine. We must stick to our yoga practice so we are more apt to handle the daily stress balls that life will always throw at us.

So now that you are done reading this article, Get Up and
Down Dog!

Namaste
Brianne

 

What It Takes To Reach Your Dreams

This is something I wrote on a plane leaving Chicago to go live on an Island off of Panama:

Being a go getter and dreamer can be a lonely journey. But, you have something placed in your heart. An undeniable desire that can not be ignored. The longer you ignore it, the longer and harder it will continue to knock at your door.

Open the door and feed your heart.

Now, achieving goals is not for the the weak and it is not for the strong. It is for those who have passion and drive. This passion and drive will force out the weakness and create strength.  This strength will continue to fuel the passion and drive. There will be moments of “What if I can’t"
" What if I’m not good enough" “What if I fail" “What if I am afraid". The  "what ifs" are the minds way of instilling the fear of the unknown. It is human nature to protect ourselves against that which we do not know. Of course, if these fears are reasonable, then do listen to them. Like I said, they are your bodies protective mechanism.

"Well how do I know which fear I should listen to and which fear I should ignore?"

The fear that you should listen to, is the one that becomes overshadowed by you true love, passion, and desire.

I am on a plane taking a HUGE step into the unknown. I have never been to Panama. There are many barriers and fears I am facing along the way.
"I’m leaving everything I know behind"
"What about my family/friends/students?"
"What if my life partner, the person I am meant to be with, is in the states?"
"Is this the path God has planned for me?"
"I don’t speak Spanish"
I can keep going, but I think you get the point. The week leading up to departure, the what ifs got louder and louder. 

So how was I able  to get on the plane?

Remember in Indiana Jones, when he had to take a step of faith? Where he saw where he needed to go, but had no idea how to get there. All Indiana could do was place one foot in front of him and believe. This is what I am doing. One foot in front of the other. Believe, Hope, Pray, Trust. I am blessed to have people back home who believe in me and see me as an inspiration. All of that support fuels me forward.

I encourage you to take that step into the unknown. Weather it be quieting your job, going back to school, adopting a child, going on a mission trip, or telling someone how you really feel. You must take that step my friend. Take the step into the unknown. Be strong and Believe that you can do it!

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”Anais Nin

 

 

"As You Work Toward Your Dreams, Remember To Remain In Balance"

- Yoga With Brianne