The Perfect Person

When you look at yourself, who do you see?

"I used to get my hips way up in Rabbit; now I barely get my forehead to my knees."

"I went on vacation for two weeks and now I can't even fold over in Forward Bend."

"Ugh, I am so out of shape."

When my dear yoga students make these self-deprecating comments, drop these hints about their self loathing or voice their internal self-sabotauge,  I feel sad. 

I always want to ask, who are you comparing yourself to?

When you are thinking about the flexibility you wish for, the job you think you should have, the relationship you thought you'd be in by now, you are measuring yourself againt The Perfect Person.

But have you ever asked yourself, "Perfect...compared to what?'

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"I suggest you write about something really important..."

An article in The Wall Street Journal on the health benefits of deep breathing was not surprising news to yogis who have advocated this for 1000 years

What shocked me were the responses.

The article begins simply enough:

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You've got to work on your warrior, girl

CEOs run marathons. We do hot yoga.

There’s a reason why people run marathons, hike the Pacific Crest trail, or do 30 day hot yoga challenges: endurance training.

The life you want takes endurance. Not struggle; but perseverance. To keep showing up, getting out there and putting in the best of yourself, even on your worst days.

Physical endurance training teaches you about maintaining your momentum no matter what.

Hot yoga is endurance training, for living your life.

Because the same road-blocks keep showing up:

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Line up and Get Happy

Are happy people different from you and me?

Maybe not, but things certainly line up differently for them.

A recent study highlights the connection between mood and body movement, stating that specific types of movements can create moods from joy to depression.

These studies have found that exercise is a powerful way to lift your mood - in particular, short bursts of exercise. "Short bursts" describes the hot yoga sequence. 26 challenging asanas held for anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds, increasing in intensity, with correct attention to alignment,  supported by proper breathing.

What else aligns you with Happiness?

If you deliberately stand up straight, swing your arms, "walk the walk" before you feel the feeling, can you feel your way to an uplift no matter which way the wind blows?

 

New science says you may be able to forget your troubles, come on get happy, just by doing The Happy Dance.

Or the Silly Walk.

Or hot yoga.

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Can Money Buy Happiness? Let's add that up

'Tis the season to ask: can money buy happiness?

And if so, how much does it cost?

Recent research exploring the link between income, purchases and happiness has economists and psychologists weighing in on what adds up when cash is king. The conclusions may seem obvious at first. But dig under the surface and there's real gold: the link between money and happiness is richer than you think.

What impacts your happiness with money - more than the size of your income - is how your spend it. And your attitude towards money when you spend it, save it, or fret about it, counts even more.

And while "I can't afford it," comes up most often when you think about vacations, concert tickets or other higher-cost experiences, you might want to rethink that.

Here's why...

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