My photo
Newnan, Georgia, United States
I am a yoga student continuously studying, taking workshops and practice, practice, practice.
Currently enrolled in a 230hr Yoga Teacher Training. I hope to share that with you here.
Born & raised in the south along the banks of the Mississippi in Louisiana. Married in 2003 and transplanted to Georgia.
A southern Yogini at heart.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Back in action...

Wow!
I've been away for a while. Between a trip home (To Louisiana to visit my family) work picking up with so much to do and my laptop needing to be reformatted...I've been away!
But with no help from Dell I did wipe my laptop clean and reinstall all the Operating Systems and Drivers and we are back up and working. I am kind of impressed with that. I have done it with Dell on the phone a few times before. But they make it very complicated.
Regardless...I am working.
My trip home was short and sweet. It was filled with different emotions. Love, happiness, sadness, and disappointment.
I really don't fell like I fit in there too much anymore. But going home is always cleansing.
It was amazing to see my sister and her boys and my oldest Niece & nephew. That alone was worth the little to no sleep we got!

Work has been changing, rearranging and lots of training. But I am hopeful.

I can't believe it is September (this week) a little over one month from Yoga Teacher Training. I have come across some doubts and second guessing and rethinking and worries. But it is all part of it.
I am reading the material required. I am practicing at least 5 days a week (might not be a long hour practice but I am getting on my mat)
This month I have a plan and hope to stick with it. It should help me gear up for the training. I am also going to take some mysore classes. I know...I go back and forth. I like the balance between a structured Ashtanga practice and mixing in a few times a week with some fun flow sequences. I think that is what makes me the happiest (for the moment)

Here are some photos from Louisiana:
Me & The sister. This is my baby sister. She is a baby to me...Only 16 months younger and seriously we've been through ups and downs; but overall she is pretty awesome and a great mommy!


Momma


Daddy & Brady


Me & Brady (and his robots)


Me & William


Getting beat by the HULK


Brady built Chai a "Clubhouse" Chai loved the attention:


Finishing Touches on Bailey's birthday cake


My oldest Nephew (Bailey) breakdancing...Future Yogi?


My oldest Niece Kelsey...she is so funny and really refreshing to be around.


Kelsey & I doing backbends. We also helped each other with dropbacks :)


Too Much sugar and no sleep...then DANCE PARTY. Bringing back the runningman!


I love my family and very lucky to have some amazing children around to remind me of what truly matters.
Miss everyone already!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Finding the Flow

Read this today on Rusty Wells website. It really makes sense to me and my personal practice:


Q: How has your own practice evolved?
A: The systems that I've practiced in the past have had me working in a very linear, flat way. This has been great for strength and flexibility, but I find that my body enjoys rippling a little bit more. So I'm letting my whole form become more fluid, letting it really become a flow as I find the undulation and awakening of the spine. I like the dynamic flows of a Sun Salutation or the Primary Series, but if it's all about strength and predictability, we might miss out on being fully present. When you know what's going to happen, it's easy to switch to automatic. Finding the flow also helps find areas that we are neglecting-usually there is something beautiful waiting to happen.


Saturday, August 15, 2009

Lover of the Weekends

Weekends are so relaxing most of the time.
Today I slept in (Denver had to work this morning)
When I did get up I ate breakfast, cleaned the house and the made a version of these Cashew Balls I have a different recipe. I used dates, Cashews, Raisins and a little agave to keep it all together and then rolled them in Coconut. The remind me a of Arden Garden's Fuzzy Kisses Which I love but are pricy.
Here is a photo:

So I made a batch of these to stick in my lunch this week. We have a training all day on Monday and they are catering lunch. I doubt there will be many vegan options; maybe fruit. So some snacks will help!
I also found this lunch box at the grocery. It is not the laptop lunch kit that I want. But this was not expensive (under $10) and will work just fine. I just need something to bring several items and keep the seperate.

Anyway, today after I cleaned and cooked I practiced yoga. I made it a point to not have expectations and just flow. I did about 45 min. of some vinyasas and whatever my body felt it needed. It was nice. I tried to sit and meditate...my mind was non-stop.
So...I did laundry and the dishes. Now just relaxing.
Tonight for dinner I am making Taco Lasagna and hanging out with my husband and pup. We have a few movies we want to watch.
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Just a random photo Denver took of me earlier this week practicing. Trying to work on Side Crow. I just wish I could get Crow as well. I always slip. When I see photos of Asana it makes me aware. For instance in this photo I need to work on lifting my chest more.


Oh yes...2 months to the day I will be at the first weekend of Yoga Teacher Training! I am really going to focus the next 2 months in preperation. :)

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

7 Tidbits...

So I received a meme award from Eco Yogini
Thank you much for your kind words!

So…this award entitles me to share 7 tidbits about myself :


7 Tidbits about me….
1. I am an Identical Twin- my sister & I were born 2 months early (I believe that is right) my mother was in a car accident and they thought everything was okay. My sister was only 2.5 pounds and I was 3 pounds. We were tiny. My sister didn’t make it and I was in a incubator for a month or so. My lungs were not fully developed. My sister is buried next to my Grandpa and Grandma in Louisiana.
2. I am named after both of my grandmothers: Flo Caroline
3. I went to 3 highschools in a matter of 3.5 years (which lead to me graduating early and going to Junior College because I hated the idea of starting over again in my Senior year in a whole new state—We moved from Louisiana to Joliet, Illinois)
4. My husband and I met on Halloween in 2000 and were married on Halloween in 2003.
5. I have 3 fully functioning Kidneys but have had several Kidney Stones (before I changed my diet and lifestyle)
6. I am fully devoted to the path of yoga as a way to live my life. Yoga brought me out of a very sad, dark time and into a place of growth. I continue to grow (as we all do) some days I take 2 steps back and others I feel as if I’ve Leaped forward. But in the end yoga makes this life almost blissful. This path helps me connect with the divine and live my life more fully than I ever thougth was possible.
7. I am very drawn to Buddhism- Learning more about Zen and Theravada

I need to pick 7 bloggers to tag for this meme...but I hate to put pressure on anyone. So the meme is for the takin'

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Lots-o-Stuff

Chai is home.
She did great with her surgery and was very drugged up when I picked her up on Saturday morning. She slept most of the day and only perked up when Nicole called last night.
Anyone who has ever met my dog knows she is food driven. She is very nice and not agressive with her food habits. But she will do anything for a treat!
Last night when I fixed her dinner...she would eat a few bites then come curl up next to me, then go back about 15 min. later and eat a little more. It took her close to 2.5 hours to finish her dinner. That is not much Chai. that dog cleans her bowl in something like 3 min. flat!
Today she has more energy, was happy to walk outside on the leash and I gave her a treat today to eat on her pillow. She is getting back to normal.
Yesterday was pretty lazy. We didnt' do much. Denver did pick up my battery and he has to put it in the Jetta today.

He is being very supportive of me switching back to Vegan. He is eating up all the non-vegan items like the cheese and eggs this morning. There wasn't much left. But we keeps eggs for our Lizard too; she eats boiled eggs.
Anyway, he even brought me home some vegan choclate yesterday. He said he will eat Vegan at home and when we go out probably treat himself. It is all his choice; I am just glad he isn't giving me a hard time. He is good at that when he wants to be.
He has asked me why I decided to go back and it was cool that he even cared enough to ask. So I expained it to him and he said it made sense.

Anyway! We attempted to make Vegan Ribs last night.
Denver said it was a good first attempt and he ate almost all of them. I wasn't too happy with them. But I am not a HUGE Seitan fan. I am trying to get used to making it and use it more vs. tofu. So I am reading online how to work on my Seitan creation.
But today I am making Buffalo Tofu. :)
Anyway...

Not much else going on. I am reading for training...which is in 2 months!!!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Lots and Lots of...Stuff

So this week has been…interesting.
Monday- not very eventful
Tuesday- had a meeting in Atlanta. Paid a $400 ticket. Then I headed to teach yoga. When I went to crank my car to head to the gym…the battery was dead. My boss jump-started my car. Off to yoga I went. The class was smaller (about 6 people) with 2 newbies!
After class…the jetta didn’t start. So I had to get help again. After driving an hour home I tried to re-crank it in the driveway. Dead as dead can be.
So I am driving Denver’s truck this week. I am lucky we have a 2nd vehicle (he has a work truck he uses day to day) But his truck doesn’t get good gas mileage. My car rocks at that (diesel) I drive 48 miles one way to work…so it adds up.
Since I didn’t want to drive it into Atlanta last night for yoga I went to a Spin class at the gym instead (free membership)
The class got me sweating for sure. I am not sore today, I thought my thighs would be. The only thing that is sore is my butt and my right knee and shoulder…not sure what that is about.

I was trying to add a bit more cardio into my activities. I hear Nicole now “add more vinyasas”
So tonight I teach again at the gym. I plan to get in 20 min early to get in some asana. After yoga I might get on the treadmill…or just do some vinyasas.

There are a few personal goals I am working on:
Giving up Alcohol—completely. I never drink a lot. Just lately I come home to find that Denver has opened a bottle of wine for us to have with dinner. Or sometimes I come in the door to find a drink already poured for me. It is a sweet gesture. He is trying to make our evening relaxing (or he is trying to get lucky) but regardless…I just don’t want to drink. So I need to talk with him and work on that.

Vegan- I am trying to go back to Vegan. I’ve been Vegetarian for 4 years. One of those 4 years I was vegan. But…I fell of the wagon. Cheese is evil. But I read an article in Vegtimes about “Confessions of a Chesse-aholic” which I know I am. I also really love the idea of vegan cooking. Granted it requires more time in the kitchen…but I know what I am eating if I cook it.

Strength Building- Just wanting to build more core strength and over all body strength. Not sure where this is coming from and why I am having the urge to do more vigiours activities lately. Maybe just pent up energy? But I just want to be active and that isn’t normally like me. I mean I love yoga and it is VERY active. But I find myself loving power yoga classes. I sweat unbeleiveably but feel amazing after. It is a challenge because I am no picture of healthy and not a power house. I just like the feeling of clean healthy body.

Okay..enough rambling and ranting!

OHHHH Chai has a vet appointment tomorrow. She is getting fixed!