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<channel><title><![CDATA[Private Yoga Studio in Downtown Vancouver! - Blog]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/blog.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Blog]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 08:21:05 -0800</pubDate><generator>Weebly</generator><item><title><![CDATA[It is only resistance that scorches... ]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2012/03/it-is-only-resistance-that-scorches.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2012/03/it-is-only-resistance-that-scorches.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:34:10 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2012/03/it-is-only-resistance-that-scorches.html</guid><description><![CDATA[The bulldog, too big for the tiny child&rsquo;s shoulders. Her giggling, wiggling wonder of life too perfect to pass by unnoticed. They squirm one another into experience, unable to contain the joy and yet can barely handle the sensation of life in this moment. Electric experience, needing to move; joy uninhibited by anything but the size of life. We cannot contain the charge, but it finds us, moves us, powers itself, and we are t [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">The bulldog, too big for the tiny child&rsquo;s shoulders. Her giggling, wiggling wonder of life too perfect to pass by unnoticed. They squirm one another into experience, unable to contain the joy and yet can barely handle the sensation of life in this moment. Electric experience, needing to move; joy uninhibited by anything but the size of life. We cannot contain the charge, but it finds us, moves us, powers itself, and we are the fortunate porous receptacles that for a brief moment contain the world in wonder.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Holding, circuit stops, but moving into energy, the experience flows... flows... flows until it is our circuitry that wears out, worn out from joy. Is that what we&rsquo;re so afraid of? One last pass; a few pats as both know the experience will soon be past; a tone of sadness and longing. Even before logic is fully formed we resist the loss, and in so doing miss out on precious moments of experience. The early patterns aimed to protect.&nbsp;Why die before the energy expires? Move into loss and a new circuit is born. &nbsp;<br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[1 minute to a joyful day!]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/10/1-minute-to-a-joyful-day.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/10/1-minute-to-a-joyful-day.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:05:08 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/10/1-minute-to-a-joyful-day.html</guid><description><![CDATA[   [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  style=" margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; "><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="400" height="330"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-XXhEZtCRvQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allownetworking" value="internal"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-XXhEZtCRvQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allownetworking="internal" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="330"></embed></object></div></div>  <div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">Ever wake up feeling cra(pp)y and suffer-y? Yeah, you know the days!&nbsp;<br /><br />What if in 1 minute you could set up your WHOLE DAY to rock!?&nbsp;<br /><br />I used to wake up tired and crabby, and continue that way until at least 11- that's a lot of life spent groggy! The second you start using this tool, that'll change FOREVER!&nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>GUARANTEED to bring a smile to your face and joy to your day!&nbsp;<br /></strong><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />The best part!? The more you use it, the better the effects- you can even do it in your head!<br /><br />It takes LESS THAN 1MINUTE to change your day!!<br /><br /><br /><strong>Check it out... You'll LOVE&nbsp;IT!<br /></strong><br /><br />EXCITING!: New Pricing starts next week!<br /><br /><br />Stay tuned for great "Grandfather" deals for YOU since I'm uber-mega grateful for your support!&nbsp;<br /><br />So excited to make sustainable changes, AND to offer YOU a big THANK YOU offer!<br /><br />Stay tuned...<br /><br />Sending sooooo much of my love to you!<br /><br /><em style="">&nbsp;(yeah, you feel it!)</em><br /><br /><em style="">&nbsp;</em><br /><br />xo<strong style=""><em style="">-Sarah</em></strong><br /><br /><em style=""><strong style="">&nbsp;</strong></em><br /><br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[OH MY GOSH I LOVE THE WORLD! (and how you can too EVERY DAY!)]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/09/oh-my-gosh-i-love-the-world-and-how-you-can-too-every-day.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/09/oh-my-gosh-i-love-the-world-and-how-you-can-too-every-day.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:17:31 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/09/oh-my-gosh-i-love-the-world-and-how-you-can-too-every-day.html</guid><description><![CDATA[DON'T MISS OUT!&nbsp;HOW 5vMINUTES CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE...In my NY Amazement I have one FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH and one ROCKIN TREAT to share that when you understand will ROCK YOUR WORLD, DEEPEN YOUR SLEEP, AND UP YOUR JOY!&nbsp;The truth: Every SINGLE choice we make reinforces a habit or belief. If we walk around scared, we reinforce that the world is a scary place. If we walk around seeing all of the challenges [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">DON'T MISS OUT!&nbsp;<br>HOW 5vMINUTES CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE...<br><br>In my NY Amazement I have one FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH and one ROCKIN TREAT to share that when you understand will ROCK YOUR WORLD, DEEPEN YOUR SLEEP, AND UP YOUR JOY!&nbsp;<br><br>The truth: Every SINGLE choice we make reinforces a habit or belief. If we walk around scared, we reinforce that the world is a scary place. If we walk around seeing all of the challenges we're successfully overcoming, we see ourselves as strong and capable. If we choose joy and love- we feel joyful and loving every day!&nbsp;<br><br>Ok, so here's the question...<br>Do YOU ever wake up in the morning saying, &ldquo;Today I think I&rsquo;m going to sabotage my happiness&rdquo;? Probably not... and yet we do, through all the little choices...&nbsp;<br><br>By choosing to eat the pizza to cover up the feeling that something&rsquo;s not right, by getting angry at traffic, carrying stress all the way home, by obligating yourself vs loving yourself. We all know what&rsquo;s &lsquo;best&rsquo; for us- so why don&rsquo;t we do it?<br><br>Want the solution? The first part is really REALLY simple, and even more FUN! :<br><br>Get a DAILY JOY INFUSION! (no, a prescription is not required)&nbsp;<br><br>Joy infusion=&nbsp;<br><br>Every time you belly laugh<br><br>Every time you act like a kid<br><br>Every time you really feel passionate<br><br>Every time you consider the options and choose the one you WANT<br><br>Every time you choose YOU over the IMAGE OF YOU<br><br>Every time you stop to feel love<br><br>Every time you stop to consider your blessings and truly CELEBRATE<br><br>Every time the goofy bliss of being alive strikes you and you have to dance...&nbsp;<br><br>You&rsquo;ve just experienced a JOY INFUSION<br><br><br>It&rsquo;s the idea of &lsquo;what fires together wires together&rsquo; as seen in such wicked classics as &ldquo;What the Bleep Do We Know!?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Molecules of Emotion&rdquo;... By adding the emotion of joy into everyday things you&rsquo;ll start to experience joy in those things more and more!<br><br>So, here&rsquo;s my challenge to you:<br><ol style=""><li style="">Identify one area of your life that&rsquo;s just not sparkling yet...</li><li style="">Take 5-minutes EVERY day and create a JOY INFUSION</li></ol><br>It doesn't matter what it is: TAKE 5 MINUTES TODAY AND PURPOSEFULLY CREATE JOY IN YOUR LIFE!<br><br><em style="">"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people</em><em style="">permission to do the same"</em>&nbsp;-Marianne Williamson&nbsp;&nbsp;(Via my dear friend, the up and coming super star and rockin' humanitarian Aliyah O'Brien)&nbsp;<br>Want ideas?<br><br><br>Dance up the steps on your way to work<br><br>Put on a favorite song on the drive home<br>Puddle jump and embrace the rain&nbsp;<br>Bake vegan chocolate-chip cookies<br>Snuggle up with someone you really really love<br>Paint your toenails lime-green while listening to 80s music (head-band optional but encouraged)!&nbsp;<br>It doesn&rsquo;t matter what it is...&nbsp;<br><br><br>ROCK IT!!!<br><br><br><br>If you want to make your 5-minutes a little more indulgent, totally take the time to schedule a restorative class FOR YOU!&nbsp;I'll be back for Oct 1st so GO FOR IT!&nbsp;<br><br>Pre-register your Joy Infusion on the biomat with massage and deep deep relaxation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><a href="https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11554" _mce_href="https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11554" style="" title="">(Click Here to Reserve Your Space!)</a><br><br><br><br>I'll be back on Oct 1st and can't wait to share what I've been up to!<br><br>xoxoxoxoxo from NYC<br><br>-Sarah&nbsp;</div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The beauty of experience]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/08/the-beauty-of-experience.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/08/the-beauty-of-experience.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:21:56 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/08/the-beauty-of-experience.html</guid><description><![CDATA[Hello wonderfuls!&nbsp;I just came back from an amazing yoga experience. It wasn't a kundalini awakening or involving sage brush. In fact, it was one of the less overtly spiritual classes I've taken in a long time, but it was a full and beautiful expression of the teacher in her own, and as a result I found myself going there too.&nbsp;There are some mornings that, despite our best intentions, w [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">Hello wonderfuls!&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />I just came back from an amazing yoga experience. It wasn't a kundalini awakening or involving sage brush. In fact, it was one of the less overtly spiritual classes I've taken in a long time, but it was a full and beautiful expression of the teacher in her own, and as a result I found myself going there too.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />There are some mornings that, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves (ahem, I find myself) 'on the wrong side of the bed'. I know what my brain wants, but my emotional state just won't agree. I state change and it goes back. Hurumph.&nbsp;<br />However, in today's class with Liv Bevan I found myself moving INTO that crotchetyness- exploring, embracing, without condescension compassionately honoring that truth, and low and behold RELEASE.&nbsp;<br /><br />Time and again, this is the truth...&nbsp;<br />THE MORE WE RESIST OUR TRUTH (REALITY), THE STRONGER IT PUSHES INTO OUR AWARENESS. &nbsp;<br /><br />So often we feel the first signs of weakness, of not knowing what to do next, uncertainty around the future, or a desire in your heart that your brain tells you is crazy so we suppress. We push all that amazing experience of self down, hoping it'll go away because we want it to be different.&nbsp;<br /><br />Most of my life I've wanted to present myself as strong and truly put together. Sometimes that's just not the case. Some days I have been scared, my house a mess with a pimple on my chin- if I pretend it's otherwise I create a crack within myself, and my truth, my perfect imperfection will keep yelling at me, louder and louder until I listen. In my experience, this is where anxiety, stress, even depression come from- growing from the unwillingness to ACKNOWLEDGE THE PERFECTION OF YOURSELF, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE.<br /><br />You may experience sadness, fear, uneasiness, and yet underneath it all is joy. Pure, blissful, unabashed joy. The more you experience yourself from the heart, the clearer your knowledge of self, and the more your plans become guides not rules. RELEASE THE RIDGID PLANNING AND STEP INTO THE REALITY OF LIFE IN THIS MOMENT- IN THAT RELEASE IS JOY.<br /><br />Thank you Liv for reminding me of this so experientially today. In my crotchety perfection I came to feel the love that lies underneath when we open to our truth.<br /><br />BY MOVING INTO FEELING WE MOVE THROUGH RESISTANCE... So the next time you're feeling stressed, or for those of you who don't sleep soundly- try moving INTO the feeling. Open up, and notice the RELEASE. &nbsp;<br /><br />That release is the key to deep sleep, profound joy, and living a full and meaningful life of love.&nbsp;<br /><br />May you feel your life and the love within it!<br />xo<br />-Sarah&nbsp;<br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What does Heaven look like?]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/what-does-heaven-look-like.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/what-does-heaven-look-like.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:37:30 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/what-does-heaven-look-like.html</guid><description><![CDATA[What does Heaven look like? Passion swirling in the wind. A driving force of beaty knowing nothing but her dreams. An angel finds a master only to see it's in herself. She lies awake knowing nothing more than her truth, all she needs, all she&rsquo;ll ever know. It is enough. I find myself in this heaven doubting if it&rsquo;s true, seeing it as Hell, but knowing in my heart of hearts that there could be no [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">What does Heaven look like?<br /><br /> Passion swirling in the wind. A driving force of beaty knowing nothing but her dreams. An angel finds a master only to see it's in herself. She lies awake knowing nothing more than her truth, all she needs, all she&rsquo;ll ever know. It is enough.<br /><br /> I find myself in this heaven doubting if it&rsquo;s true, seeing it as Hell, but knowing in my heart of hearts that there could be no other. It is all as it should be. I lie down and dive into the depths of my H...., no not Hell but a welcome mat to the world beyond the waking, the world within my heart. Too cheesy? Too bland. Take a canape and dive into bliss. It&rsquo;s here in everything.&nbsp;<br /><br />-SEH<br /><br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Never need coffee at work again! Think it’s impossible? Think again! ]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/never-need-coffee-at-work-again-think-its-impossible-think-again.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/never-need-coffee-at-work-again-think-its-impossible-think-again.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:28:10 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/never-need-coffee-at-work-again-think-its-impossible-think-again.html</guid><description><![CDATA[What gives you sustainable energy, an uplifted mood, fewer sick days, better lungs for singing (or breathing!), and a calmer more focused and joyful life? Well my friend, let me tell you...  Yoga!  Rather than taking the 2pm energy nose-dive, pulling yourself by the boostraps to refill your coffee to be able to cram out another 3 hours before you can collapse at home, unable to sleep becau [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">What gives you sustainable energy, an uplifted mood, fewer sick days, better lungs for singing (or breathing!), and a calmer more focused and joyful life? Well my friend, let me tell you...<br /><br /> <br /> Yoga!<br /> <br /><br /><br /> Rather than taking the 2pm energy nose-dive, pulling yourself by the boostraps to refill your coffee to be able to cram out another 3 hours before you can collapse at home, unable to sleep because of your caffeinated roller-coaster you now have the option of taking 30-75min of conscious, purposeful creativity time with yoga.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Coffee puts your body into fight or flight and literally deprives your brain of oxygen as it triggers cortisol (the stress hormone) to pump through your veins. While stress brings you into sharp &ldquo;a tiger&rsquo;s chasing me&rdquo; focus, it&rsquo;s not ideal for creativity, health, or happiness.<br /> <br /> While the two aren&rsquo;t set in stone, your right &lsquo;creative&rsquo; brain is much more active when your body&rsquo;s relaxed, allowing you to have more lightning-bolts of brilliance, earning you more of the good stuff!&nbsp;<br /> <br /> A morning, lunchtime, or after-work yoga class allows your brain time to relax, process, create, and create &lsquo;headspace&rsquo; so that when you return to your desk you&rsquo;re in your prime creative state. You&rsquo;re happy (literally! You&rsquo;re full of endorphins from yoga). Your boss is happy (who wouldn&rsquo;t want a joyful, uber-creative employee?!) and you get all the health-benefits for the rest of your life too!&nbsp;<br /> <br /><br /><br /> Ever thought of bringing Yoga to your office?? Your boss will LOVE you for it!&nbsp;<br /><br /><br /><br /> Now, while I&rsquo;m busy educating individuals and offices on caffeine (and why it may not be your best friend) Alli Warnyca of OmWorks (<a href="http://www.omworks.ca" style="">www.omworks.ca</a>) is bringing high-quality yoga to your office! Great rates that are way less than even a single sick day!<br />  <br /> Want to replace the &ldquo;java-jitters&rdquo; with &ldquo;yes! to yoga?&rdquo; Smart move. I thought you would... If you&rsquo;re in Vancouver Contact Alli directly <a href="http://www.omworks.ca" style="">www.omworks.ca</a><br /> <br /> PS- you may wish to invest in some Crest Whitestrips as you&rsquo;ll be showing off those pearly-whites way more after yoga! (hehe- you know I&rsquo;m kidding, your smile is perfect as it is! I just want to see it shine!)<br /><br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Caffeine Crazy? ]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/caffeine-crazy.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/caffeine-crazy.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:37:35 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/06/caffeine-crazy.html</guid><description><![CDATA[Caffeine is EVERYWHERE in our society... a delicious, legalized way of sucking our bones of calcium, our skin of water, our cells of anti-oxidents, and our mind of it's creative juices.&nbsp;Oh, wait... maybe that doesn't sound quite so delicious.If we drink too much it messes with our metabolism as our body tries to slow EVERYTHING down to combat the crazy-rev we've just injected  [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; "><br>Caffeine is EVERYWHERE in our society... a delicious, legalized way of sucking our bones of calcium, our skin of water, our cells of anti-oxidents, and our mind of it's creative juices.<div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Oh, wait... maybe that doesn't sound quite so delicious.</div><div><br></div><div>If we drink too much it messes with our metabolism as our body tries to slow EVERYTHING down to combat the crazy-rev we've just injected ourselves with.<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>And yet, Vancouver is coffee-heaven and more and more people spend $7+/day on it's roasty-ness to keep themselves alert and functioning.&nbsp;</div><div>What if it's the coffee that's keeping you from functioning in the first place?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Do you experience:</div><div>Energy swings?</div><div>Tiredness during the day?</div><div>Mood swings (or depression)?</div><div>Headaches?</div><div>GI troubles?</div><div>Tension in neck, shoulders, jaw, hands, legs, tummy?</div><div>PMS or irregular cycles?</div><div>Sensitive breasts or lumps?</div><div>Insomnia?Jaw clenching/ grinding/ TMJ?</div><div>Anxiety?</div><div>Irritability/ bursts of anger?</div><div>Restless leg syndrome?</div><div>Irregular/ Rapid heartbeat?</div><div>Light-headedness?</div><div>Waking up feeling tired?</div><div>Generalized pain?</div><div>High Blood Pressure?</div><div>Ulcers?</div><div>Anemia?</div><div>Shortness of Breath?</div><div>Difficulty concentrating/ memory loss?</div><div>Ear-ringing?</div><div>Cold hands/ feet/ fingers?</div><div>Shaky hands?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>If you drink more than 1 small cup of caffeine/ day and nodded your head to more than 6 of these... caffeine is unfortunately very likely a PROBLEM for your body, and can lead to major health concerns!&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Since it's viciously addictive and can lead to withdrawal symptoms, never go cold-turkey off of caffeine, but start to decrease the amount gradually substituting decaf or tea.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;If you want to learn more about how caffeine in any amount impacts sleep, weight, and skin and how to gently get yourself off of the caffeine- coaster send me an email and come to a <a href="http://www.innertruthyoga.org/sleep-coaching.html">Tuesday workshop</a>!&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>It's about creating VITALITY in your life so you can do all the things that are really important to you. Thanks for letting me help bring more natural joy into life!Warmly (but not scaldingly. Caffeine has burnt your adrenals enough- oooh poor adrenals!)-Sarah<br></div></div></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is the key to a great dating life self- love? ]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/is-the-key-to-a-great-dating-life-self-love.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/is-the-key-to-a-great-dating-life-self-love.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:59:33 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/is-the-key-to-a-great-dating-life-self-love.html</guid><description><![CDATA[What's the difference between feeling totally comfortable in your own skin, and feeling slightly out of place at a party? My theory: self love!&nbsp;Coaching at ESP is always profound, but today seemed to click on another level- it was like feeling months worth of small recognitions/puzzle pieces connect, producing a breath-taking p [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">What's the difference between feeling totally comfortable in your own skin, and feeling slightly out of place at a party? My theory: <strong>self love</strong>!&nbsp;<br /><br />Coaching at <a href="http://www.Executivesuccessprograms.com/" target="_blank">ESP</a> is always profound, but today seemed to click on another level- it was like feeling months worth of small recognitions/puzzle pieces connect, producing a breath-taking picture of who I am- a recognition that produces immense joy.&nbsp;<br /><br />Now in my life joy used to find me when I:&nbsp;<br />a)accomplished something&nbsp;<br />b)learned something profound or&nbsp;<br />c)someone loved me<br />but tonight at a friend's birthday party I had the amazing experience of being more connected to myself than I have been, perhaps ever before. &nbsp;This was purely me connected to me; self love, focus, and joy radiating from the inside.&nbsp;<br /><br />While I don&rsquo;t have a long-term study on this, &nbsp;tonight I ended up with two separate offers for dates and two more great exchanges with guys I adore. Self love = external love? We always talk about having the internal create the external effects is this that equation in action? Does loving yourself make you more attractive, even when you're not trying? Especially when you're not trying?&nbsp;<br /><br />While I&rsquo;m not about to date all four of these lovely people, the recognition that by being myself I become more attractive to the people around me is a profound one- and fun too! By creating self- love we create love all around us- we see it in the trees, the lights, the air. We see it in the world, and perhaps, just perhaps the world will see it in us too.&nbsp;<br /><br />My suggestion- be the person you would fall in love with. It seems to be a path worth loving!<br /><br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Yoga at work is worth it!]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/yoga-at-work-is-worth-it.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/yoga-at-work-is-worth-it.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:02:44 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/yoga-at-work-is-worth-it.html</guid><description><![CDATA[Excerpt from the Yoga Journal Article:Fortune 500 companies like Apple, HBO, IBM use yoga to increase productivity.&nbsp;Small &amp; Mid-size companies too!By&nbsp; [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; "><strong style=""><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Excerpt from the <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/" target="_blank" title="">Yoga Journal</a> Article:</span><br />Fortune 500 companies like Apple, HBO, IBM use yoga to increase productivity.&nbsp;Small &amp; Mid-size companies too!</strong><br /><strong style=""><strong style=""><strong style="">By&nbsp;</strong></strong></strong><a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/294?page=2" style="" title=""><strong style="">Nancy Wolfson</strong></a>&nbsp;<strong style=""><strong style=""><strong style="">| &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></strong></strong><br /><br /><strong style="">Decrease workplace stress</strong><br />At HBO in New York, employee health and fitness director Bill Boyle can't keep pace with the demand for&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;classes. He recently added a third class to the weekly schedule and would add more if he had room. Boyle attributes the boom in&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;at HBO to rising levels of workplace stress. "Everybody is under more stress now, and has to perform better, and work more hours per day.&nbsp;<strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;gives them a chance to take it all in stride." Boyle is convinced that the investment HBO is making to subsidize&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;classes for employees is well worth it. "The deep breathing and relaxation employees get from&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;help them to be more focused and less anxious. When they go back to work, they're in a position to make better decisions. You don't want people making business decisions when they're stressed."&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;It's not just large&nbsp;<strong style="">corporations</strong>&nbsp;with deep pockets like HBO that are bringing&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;into the workplace.&nbsp;<br /><br />Students who do&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;at the workplace often move swiftly in and out of a class scheduled between meetings and work commitments. But&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;helps them go back to work with a clearer head. It provides an opportunity to let everything go for one hour during the workday, to find quiet and stillness, focus on breathing, and allow for relaxation. "A freer body gives you a more open mind," says Theresa McCullough, who teaches at HBO. "How you feel physically is going to affect how you function mentally," she reasons.<br /><br /></div>  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Incorporating Yoga: A great article on Corporate Yoga by Yoga Journal]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/incorporating-yoga-a-great-article-on-corporate-yoga-by-yoga-journal.html]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/incorporating-yoga-a-great-article-on-corporate-yoga-by-yoga-journal.html#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:35:56 -0800</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.innertruthyoga.org/3/post/2011/04/incorporating-yoga-a-great-article-on-corporate-yoga-by-yoga-journal.html</guid><description><![CDATA[In boardrooms from Manhattan to Silicon Valley, the mantra "let's do lunch" is being replaced by "let's do&nbsp;yoga."By Nancy Wolfson (Yoga Journal [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; ">In boardrooms from Manhattan to Silicon Valley, the mantra "let's do lunch" is being replaced by "let's do&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>."<br /><br />By Nancy Wolfson (<a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pIqJR8e3o8UJ:www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/294+corporations+that+offer+yoga&amp;cd=1&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=ca&amp;client=safari&amp;source=www.google.ca" target="_blank" title="">Yoga Journal</a>)<br /><br />Just after sunrise, I am lying on the floor of Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. Next to me are 14 other students from the Market Development department at MTV Networks, here on a two-day corporate team-building retreat. The program includes sports, hikes, a croquet tournament, and this&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;class for "active relaxation."<br /><br />"Your hands are like cosmic conductor cables," intones our instructor Sara Harris. "The hands bring energy into the body and they send healing energy out. Focus on your hands and the energy; then listen to your breathing and feel the echo of your heartbeat."<br /><br />Harris, who has taught classes for NYNEX, IBM, and AT&amp;T, uses business buzzwords like "systems" and "mind screen" to tap into the language of her students.<br /><br />At the end of class, Harris has us lie on the floor and leads us in relaxation. She tiptoes around the room, placing an acorn at everyone's side. "In this little acorn there's a huge oak tree," she says softly. "Let this acorn be a reminder of how powerful your energy is. All you have to do is channel and focus it." Harris's metaphor resonates with everyone in the room. Afterward, I talk to one of the MTV staffers who tells me, "Life at work is full of distractions.&nbsp;<strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;gives me an opportunity to focus, since it's rare that everything is so serene."<br /><br /><font color="#FF6666">This attitude may explain why&nbsp;</font><strong><font color="#FF6666">yoga</font></strong><font color="#FF6666">&nbsp;is catching on at&nbsp;</font><strong><font color="#FF6666">corporations</font></strong><font color="#FF6666">. Nike, HBO, Forbes, and Apple all&nbsp;</font><strong><font color="#FF6666">offer</font></strong><font color="#FF6666">&nbsp;on-site&nbsp;</font><strong><font color="#FF6666">yoga</font></strong><font color="#FF6666">&nbsp;classes for their employees. These and scores more Fortune 500 companies consider&nbsp;</font><strong><font color="#FF6666">yoga</font></strong><font color="#FF6666">&nbsp;important enough to&nbsp;</font><strong><font color="#FF6666">offer</font></strong><font color="#FF6666">&nbsp;classes as a regular employee benefit.</font><br /></div>  <div >  <!--BLOG_SUMMARY_END--></div>  <div  class="paragraph editable-text" style=" text-align: left; "><br />"<strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;is very hot&#35617;e wouldn't open a fitness center without it," says Holly Byrne of Frontline Fitness, a Manhattan-based consulting company that manages corporate fitness centers for Wall Street brokerage houses, law firms, and publishing companies. It is the calming effect of&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;that appeals to many employees, says Byrne, who recognizes that the name of a class can have an impact on its popularity with members. "We've found that in Wall Street firms, a class in stress reduction doesn't fly because people think, 'I don't want other people to think I can't deal with the stress level of my job; and if I can't, I shouldn't be working here.' If you call it&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;or meditation, it's more positive and people come."<br /><br />Now they do, but 15 or 20 years ago they might have run the other way. "Today,&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;is pretty much standard equipment in corporate fitness centers," says Beryl Bender Birch, author of&nbsp;<em style="">Power<strong style="">Yoga</strong></em>&nbsp;(Simon and Schuster, 1995). Director of wellness at the New York Road Runners Club for the past 18 years, Birch has taught at Pepsico, General Electric, AT&amp;T, and Chase Manhattan Bank, among other companies. When Birch first began teaching&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<strong style="">corporations</strong>, she kept it physical, not spiritual. She even avoided using Sanskrit terminology so her students wouldn't be turned off. "Now it's totally changing, and I'm doing things I wouldn't have dreamed of doing 10 years ago," Birch exclaims. "Last week we were chanting in our uptown Road Runners Club class!"<br /><br /><strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;and the Bottom LineThe current boom in corporate&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;can be traced back 25 years to when companies began adopting wellness programs to lower health care costs, explains Edie Weiner, president of Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc., a New York-based trend analysis firm. At about that time, the Surgeon General issued a warning saying inactivity was as big a health risk as smoking cigarettes. Many companies jumped at the opportunity to establish fitness programs as part of a wellness initiative and began subsidizing gyms, which offered&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;as a "lite" exercise option.<br /><br />"Whether or not studies have actually proven that productivity is up and health care costs are down, anecdotally, the evidence that it works is overwhelming," says Weiner. "Companies understand you have to address employees' health and well-being. Employees need time to relax, and a lot of people are gravitating towards&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;as a way to manage stress."<br /><br />According to researchers from the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester,&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;in conjunction with meditation can indeed relieve stress and improve work performance. The Stress Reduction Clinic is the oldest and largest hospital-based mind/body center of its kind in the United States, treating more than 10,000 patients since opening in 1979.<br /><br />The clinic delivers meditation and&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>-based classes to clients ranging from judges and correctional staff to the Chicago Bulls, and offers a five-day retreat for CEOs in the Arizona desert. A majority of the clinic's patients report lasting decreases in both physical and psychological symptoms of stress. They also experience an increased ability to relax, greater energy and enthusiasm for life, improved self-esteem, and increased ability to cope more effectively with stressful situations. Recently, the clinic's parent institute, The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, launched an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program for&nbsp;<strong style="">corporations</strong>. Its goal is to teach<br /><br />participants how to manage stress, enhance clarity and creative thinking, improve communication skills, cultivate leadership and teamwork, and increase overall effectiveness in the workplace. This is just what any human resource department with a conscience would order.<br /><br />When Bill Moyers interviewed the Stress Reduction Clinic's founder, Jon Kabat-Zinn, for the 1993 PBS series, "Healing and the Mind," Moyers raised the possibility that a placebo effect may result from a person's belief that the stress-reduction program will work for them. He asked whether they might feel better even though they're not sure what's happening. Kabat-Zinn replied, "Why not? I'll take transformational change any way it comes."<br /><br />This attitude seems more and more common among human resources executives, who previously doubted the power of&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;and other mind-body exercise forms.<br /><br />At HBO in New York, employee health and fitness director Bill Boyle can't keep pace with the demand for&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;classes. He recently added a third class to the weekly schedule and would add more if he had room. Boyle attributes the boom in&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;at HBO to rising levels of workplace stress. "Everybody is under more stress now, and has to perform better, and work more hours per day.&nbsp;<strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;gives them a chance to take it all in stride." Boyle is convinced that the investment HBO is making to subsidize&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;classes for employees is well worth it. "The deep breathing and relaxation employees get from&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;help them to be more focused and less anxious. When they go back to work, they're in a position to make better decisions. You don't want people making business decisions when they're stressed."<br /><br />It's not just large&nbsp;<strong style="">corporations</strong>&nbsp;with deep pockets like HBO that are bringing&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;into the workplace. Gelula &amp; Co., a 55-employee Beverly Hills firm that creates subtitles in 28 languages for about 200 films per year, is introducing a 7 a.m. free&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;class for employees. Elio Zarmati, the company's 53-year-old president, wanted to share&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;with his employees after going to Stewart Richlin's class at&nbsp;<strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;On Melrose four mornings a week on his way to work. "I go to the office feeling a lot better on days when I go to&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;class, compared with days when I don't," says Zarmati.<br /><br />Zarmati plans to hire Richlin to teach at Gelula. "I feel good doing&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>, and I'd like to give my staff that option. We're in a high-stress business making deadlines, and I think anything people can do to help them cope is a benefit to them and to the company. I'd like to see more of that in the workplace, and I want to put my money where my mouth is."<br /><br />But in Birch's experience, it's the employees, those who experience the benefits of&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;directly, who are responsible for the corporate&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;boom. "What I've noticed since I started teaching<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<strong style="">corporations</strong>&nbsp;is that the demand for&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;classes is employee driven," says Birch. "The management of&nbsp;<strong style="">corporations</strong>&nbsp;has been dragged kicking and screaming into the mind-body discipline."<br /><br />Christine Owens, a 45-year-old visual effects coordinator at George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) in San Rafael, California, is responsible for initiating and organizing a lunch-hour&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>class that meets three times a week. While ILM offers aerobics classes at no cost to employees, there is a five-dollar charge for the&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;class, despite high interest and attendance. "It's a place I can go and check out of work for a while and come back really renewed," says Owens, an upbeat, energetic woman. "It switches systems in me: I totally lose a sense of myself, and afterwards I feel so much more able to cope."<br /><br />Nearly 3,000 miles away in New York City, these feelings are echoed by Doreen Sinski, a 37-year-old working mother. "<strong style="">Yoga</strong>&nbsp;has helped me look at things in a totally different way," says Sinski, who's been taking&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;classes at HBO for a year. "It has helped me tremendously in my personal life with my relationships; it's calmed me down and taught me not to let little things bother me. I can clear my mind of things that are not important, and I think I'm a better person for that." While people can be very demanding at work, she doesn't let it upset her. Due to her busy schedule, Sinski is convinced that had&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;not been offered in the office at lunch hour, she never would have found it.<br /><br /><strong style="">Yoga</strong>, Corporate StyleEmployee demands for more balanced lives have been the focus of&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;teacher Jean Marie Hays's work for the last four years. Before becoming a&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area, she worked as an occupational health and safety engineer, helping private companies set themselves up as government-approved healthy workplaces. In scrutinizing work environments, she became aware of "a sort of draining of the spirit in the business world." She noticed an imbalance between people's business and personal lives.<br /><br />It took her about 13 years to realize what the missing piece was, and when she did, she left her work and started a company that brings&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;into the workplace. Since 1995, she and her partner, Debra McKnight Higgins, have worked with more than 50 California companies, teaching&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;and stress management. This includes classes in breathing, effective communication, and Kripalu-style<strong style="">yoga</strong>.<br /><br />Higgins and Hays teach Kripalu-style&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;because it's gentle and internally based&#38928; nice counter to the externally based values of the corporate world. "Since there's less focus on exact alignment, it's easier to get out of your head and focus on what's happening inside your body, on what kind of posture you're holding inside that might be creating the tension in the first place," says Hays, whose only class requirement is that students turn off their cell phones.<br /><br />Students who do&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;at the workplace often move swiftly in and out of a class scheduled between meetings and work commitments. But&nbsp;<strong style="">yoga</strong>&nbsp;helps them go back to work with a clearer head. It provides an opportunity to let everything go for one hour during the workday, to find quiet and stillness, focus on breathing, and allow for relaxation. "A freer body gives you a more open mind," says Theresa McCullough, who teaches at HBO. "How you feel physically is going to affect how you function mentally," she reasons.<br /><br />Though "how you feel" has not conventionally been a corporate concern, yoga emphasizes the importance of emotional well-being in the workplace. L.A.-based Larry Payne, Ph.D., director of Samata International Yoga Center and coauthor of&nbsp;<em style="">Yoga for Dummies</em>&nbsp;(IDG Books, 1999), calls his method "User Friendly Yoga." He is careful to develop a nurturing, noncompetitive environment in the classes he teaches at the Viking Corporation, Candle Corporation, and the J.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/images/yj/0/11063.tiff?lc=int_mb_1001" style="">Paul Getty Museum</a>. He also sets up&nbsp;<a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/1937?lc=int_mb_1001" style="">yoga programs</a>&nbsp;for executives at Ritz-Carlton and Loews Hotels, and teaches yoga to doctors at the UCLA Medical School. "It always takes the edge off. Students tell me they feel more peaceful after my class, and their coworkers confirm it," says Payne. "After I'd been teaching at the Getty for a year, a security captain told me there was a noticeable difference in the way the museum staff treated him: They were nicer."<br /><br />In her corporate classes, Jill Edwards Minye, cofounder of the Yoga Circle in Sebastopol, California, helps students realize where they are holding tension&mdash;physical, mental, or emotional. Her intention is to guide people out of their heads and into their hearts. "Traditionally, corporations have valued aspects that are considered masculine&mdash;being focused and goal-oriented, and valuing the intellect over the heart. I'm trying to help people wake up to their feminine aspects: feelings, intuition, and softness," Minye says. "The most successful business people have a balance of the two." Perhaps the business community's growing awareness of this might account, at least in part, for the corporate yoga boom. Companies are finding that yoga not only helps employees be more productive, it also creates a kinder, gentler workplace.<br /><br />Nancy Wolfson, who writes frequently on fitness, health, and style, has studied hatha yoga for 19 years. A former beauty editor at&nbsp;<em style="">Glamour, Redbook, Parents</em>, and<em style="">&nbsp;Seventeen</em>, she has written for&nbsp;<em style="">Good Housekeeping, Shape</em>, and&nbsp;<em style="">New Age Journal</em>.</div>  ]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>

