July Offerings

Welcome to July!  I hope you had a safe and wonderful 4th of July, and the fireworks didn’t keep you up too late or make your animals too crazy! 
We have finally made it to (hopefully) regular sunshine for the next couple of months.  I’m sure you have lots of planned, hiking, camping, family outings and vacations!  With all the special activities in the summer it is easy for us (me included) to get out of our rhythm and routine of self-care.  We may exercise less often and indulge more, stay up later and get up earlier due to our longer days, which may leave you feeling a little blah even though there are all these wonderful things going on around you.  I don’t know about you but I want to *sparkle* all summer and not burn out like an old firecracker!  So this is what I have found helps me stay connected to myself which helps me feel good all summer long.  Here’s my 5 step program:
1. I stay focused on getting to bed and getting up at the same time.
2. I do my regular schedule even if it’s not the full schedule. So if I normally would do a 60 minute yoga class and a 20 minute meditation, I’ll do, 10 min of yoga and 5 minutes of meditation.  Science has found that keeping the routine is more important than the length of effort. We want to keep those brain neurons firing in the same direction over time.
3. During the Summer, I do enjoy lots of special foods and drinks that are not usual indulgences, like an ice cold beer.  To compensate, I really try to stick to my normal healthy diet the other days of the week. 
4. When I plan activities with family and friends I like to include 1 physical activity (like Frisbee, hiking, tag) and 1 healthy food option (like sautéed greens, a healthy salad, or fruit for dessert). This allows me to feel good about my choices while also having fun.
5.  I plan time to be still.  It doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t have to be meditation. But it does have to be quiet, no tv, no music, no talking and no phone.  With all the wonderful activity, our brains need a little extra down time. This is gives us time to just savor the extraordinary gift of our lives.  Here are 2 ways to get that time in…1) schedule it in your calendar.  10 minutes is good, especially if you can be outside and listen to the birds and other creatures that abound.  2) 2 minutes between activities…like after you park your car, before you get out.  Just 2 minutes.  Or just 10 breaths.    
I hope these suggestions help you *sparkle* all summer!  Of course, I’d love to see you in class and below are my offerings for the month.  I understand though, if you are too busy enjoying the summer. 
 
Tuesdays and Thursdays – Intermediate yoga 6-7:15pm
Wednesdays – Beginner and special needs yoga 9:30-10:45am
Full Moon Workshop – July 9, 2017 6-8:00pm
New Moon Workshop – July 23, 2017 6-8:00pm
 
Enjoy your life!
Andrea
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