Cristina, Nancy, Erin and I arrived yesterday (Saturday) in Estes Park for the Colorado Yoga Journal Conference.

Saturday consisted of a delirious (fueled by lack of sleep) bus ride into the YMCA of the rockies and a trip to the town of Estes Park - pictured below.

While in town we found a cute local winery (they import the grapes from around Colorado and make it right there in the basement) and stopped in for a $3 tasting of 5 wines- the perfect prelude to a light italian dinner at Sweet Basilica.

Today we ventured off for a ‘hike’ in the Rocky Mountain National Park which really turned into spontaneous yoga posing on a slab of concrete for approximately 2 hours. Go figure.

We did about 1,000 handstands, made a few new friends and then paused for a little R&R:

At the Baptiste Immersion introduction we were introduced to the teachers who will be leading the breakout sessions throughout the week: badasses! The night ended with an awesome surprise- our friend and my fellow Yoga Ananda trainee Emilie Joseph is here!!

Tomorrow begins with a 4 hour practice, can’t wait!!

This post is not about weight-loss. Yes, I am currently experimenting with some more clean, healthy eating habits (inspired by the crazy, paleo-loving, crossfit-obsessed people I surround myself with). But additionally, and more relevant to this yoga-themed blog, I am working this week on taking actions on some small but heavy to-do list items that have been weighing on my mind lately. While I don’t consider myself a huge procrastinator by nature, I have been able to pinpoint the types of things that I tend to put off. These things are the simple things that need to be taken care of in life to be a functioning adult. I.e. paying bills, declaring non-responsibility on a speeding ticket that was mistakenly assigned to me, cleaning my room, reading my fancy hybrid car manual… you get the point :) The severity of my procrastinating has significantly increased since my change of careers. I find that it is because I am so excited to get work-related things done, and there is no limit to the amount of fun work I can take on, especially when it comes to planning yoga classes, etc. that I can somehow do 100,000 things in one day and still not do the 2 things that will, if left undone, stress me out the most. I have recently come to the conclusion that this way of being is counterproductive. Every job I currently have requires that I be fully present, and having little things in the back of my mind weighing me down is a serious distraction. So, to use a combination of yoga and lululemon language, and to hold myself accountable for continuing to address this issue, my new way of being when it comes to administrative, responsible-adult tasks, is ‘DO IT NOW’. Period.

Long time no post! Fear not- I am now committed to blogging 3 times a week. Here we go!

Yoga, in its most simplistic (or upon further thought- complicated) form is a path toward self discovery. Self discovery is a huge part of my life right now. I mean HUGE. I have obviously done some discovering this year, going from accountant to yoga teacher / lululemon employee. It is both exciting and scary to realize how much more discovery I have ahead of me. What am I going to be when I grow up? Where will I live? What kind of guy do I really want to fall in love with? A lot to find out.

I am blessed to have a job that is very much in line with my yoga path- the two go hand in hand quite nicely. So for work I was assigned a task of taking a deeper look at what my core values are. Sweet. Well upon investigating/answering some questions about my life, I came up with some new core values I am very excited about. One in particular has me SUPER stoked- and that is creativity. YES I am a certified professional accountant with a core value of creativity. The career change all makes sense now :)

Finding this core value has helped me realize the reason for the disconnect and lack of fulfillment in my previous job, and has opened up A LOT of possibilities for my future. A year ago, I would have been afraid to pin myself as a creative type, because I felt the subconscious need to conform and identify with my role as a numbers person. Now I feel like I have come closer to my true self, and am excited to use my creative talents every single day. This discovery is what yoga is all about.

Need some guidance finding your core values? My best recommendation is some time on your yoga mat!

I have TWO GOALS with by-whens of TOMORROW, APRIL 1st! I want to publish them here so that I can hold myself accountable.

1) I meditate 3 times a week. I am starting this one tonight, beginning with 5 minute meditations (since I’ve been out of the game for a while). I can almost already feel the benefits to my brain already :)

2) I eat whole, unprocessed foods 6 times a week. You might be wondering what this means, exactly. In my mind (which is all that matters, since it is my goal), this does not mean everything must come straight from the farm. Have I mentioned I don’t like strict diets? It does however, mean that I won’t be munching on crackers from a bag, wrapped up candies, soy bacon, etc. 6 days a week.

Feel free to check in with me on these.

April is going to be a great month!

I thought I would share with those of you who follow my blog some of the blogs, websites, facebook pages, books, etc. that inspire me! Here goes…

• The Daily Love- This is a daily email with inspiration quotes and commentary by a dude named Mastin Kipp. The quotes are phenomenal and I share a lot of them in my yoga classes. Plus you get the email pretty early in the morning.. the perfect time to be inspired. www.thedailylove.com
• Tiny Buddha- A blog, website, facebook page, etc. with the mission of “simple wisdom for complex lives”. This one not only shares quotes but also posts great articles. www.tinybuddha.com
• TED talks- I’m sure you have all heard of this one. Great, innovative ideas/concepts in video form. If only I could stop being too ADD to get through the longer ones. www.ted.com
• A New Earth by Ekhart Tolle- I’m in the middle of this book and am loving the wisdom it contains. It’s teaching me all about awakening to a life that is not ruled by the ego. Cool Stuff.
• Happy Yoga by Steve Ross- I read this book before my teacher training and it expanded on a lot of yoga concepts that I was just beginning to become familiar with. I was especially influenced by its wisdom on relationships. I’ll be circling back to this one again soon.
• The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff- If you find yourself getting caught up in the craziness of your life, turn to this short, fun read for some taoist wisdom simplified through use of the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood. I will admit that this one also inspires me to be lazy! Something I am not always very proficient at but something that we all need.
• PS I Made This- A website/blog that inspires you to create, rather than buy, the latest in fashion and decorating. I’ve only ever made one thing off the site, but just seeing what others are out there doing is enough to inspire my own creativity.
• lululemon culture- I am surrounded on a daily basis by some of the most inspiring people around. We set goals, elevate the world to greatness, and do it all while having fun. Want to know what the company is all about? Check out www.lululemon.com.

What’s on your list of favorite inspirations? Send ‘em my way!

I am really happy and excited to have a pretty full work schedule lined up after a few weeks of feeling a little lost. Still, there is a large lack of consistency in my schedule now compared to the schedule I’ve been used to the last year and a half. And as much as I like to see myself as a free-spirit, go-with-the-flow yogi, I am realizing I still have a strong, inherent need for order in my life (thank you, accounting). So it is problem solving time, and I am in the process of coming up with some ways to keep myself grounded, focused, and happy with my new crazy/variable schedule. Here is what I am thinking:

1) Goal setting: Having specific, measurable, and most importantly EXCITING goals is going to be a huge necessity so that I can continuously create the life and career that I want (not to mention it is also a requirement for the new job).

2) Diet: My new life requires a LOT of working out and a LOT of energy. I am in the process of finding the right diet to suit those needs and motivating myself to be organized enough to eat this way. I am implementing some meat into my diet (flexitarian, perhaps?) and hoping to apply a lot of paleo guidelines as well. The goal is to feel great, not be ravenous when I’m working out 3 times a day, and of course to look good will be a bonus.

3) Cleanliness and organization: I’ve decided I need to step it up a little bit in this area. I won’t be spending a whole lot of time at home, but when I do I want my room, kitchen, etc. to be a relaxing, orderly, and clean space to relax and get my yoga class planning done.

4) Yoga: The ultimate tool for grounding down amidst chaos will be my yoga practice. I’ve been regularly hitting the mat and am excited to continue a disciplined practice, and also work on my yoga goals!

Any other suggestions??

A lot has happened since my last post! I am currently without internet at my apartment so will be catching up with my blogging in the next few days. Check back soon…

What did yoga have to do with running a half marathon Saturday (or running a half marathon have to do with yoga, however you want to look at it)? Quite a lot actually. I successfully completed the 13.1 miles on the sand and I think I owe most of my performance to my yoga for the following reasons:

1. I ran ‘barefoot style’ in Vibram Bikila’s, which in my opinion is not only a more yogic way to run (forefoot strike = more healthy and natural) but was also much more doable because of the ankle, calf, and foot strength yoga has helped me develop. The one legged balancing poses we practice definitely helped with stabilization on the sand and on any surface I’ve taken my Vibram’s on for that matter.

2. Meditation. This race was different than other marathons I’ve been too in that there were not many people running and not many fans. I did not run in a pack or with any of my friends who were there, so making it a more meditative, relaxed experience was a must due to the lack of hyped up surroundings. Luckily there was the beach and the ocean to gaze at, and some great faced-paced music on my ipod (who knew Girl Talk could be meditative?). I practiced moving at a steady pace and keeping my thoughts relaxed (no panic mode allowed!) and was able to be fully present to the awesome experience going on.

3. BREATH. Breathing in yoga class is one thing; taking breathing techniques learned through yoga into real-life challenging times is a whole other level. I was really hurting the last few miles and did not want to be running anymore. My ego got me amped up to push through and not slow down at all, but it was my breathing that made it all possible. Deep breaths were used at the most difficult moments (like when I thought mile 12 was never going to end) and I think I may have even pulled some ujjayi breathing out of my a$$ at times.

Of course, the most motivating part of the race was seeing my awesome friends running strong and getting to watch them finish as well. Everyone did an amazing job!