Find + Abundance in your Day with these Free Services

One of the most re-occurring contemplations that occupy my mind is that of ABUNDANCE… I spent a whole summer trying to find abundance through butter; please ask me about it when you see me next. As we come to celebrate the harvest time, it could seem that we don’t have enough, and yet if we take the time to stop and become a receptacle of the always abundant power of the universe we can see how many amazing thing are always available to us.  On that spirit, I decided to share some of my favorite sites that are available to all of us that have access to the Internet.

Mint.com - The best free way to manage your money.

Mint brings all your financial accounts together online or on your mobile device, automatically categorizes your transactions, lets you set budgets and helps you achieve your savings goals.  This may be a scary thing to do, but it really pays off to have a personal secretary keeping track of your expenses and your INCOME!

elsiesyogakula.com - Amazing free way to practice Anusara yoga on the go

Elsie is this fabulous Anusara yoga teacher that has been my cyber teacher for years.  I absolutely love her Free Online Yoga Classes.  She also has a very cool App available for your mobile devices.

There are over 80 audio yoga classes on the site. They range from basic yoga/beginner yoga classes to more advanced yoga practices. The length of the classes also varies. Classes can be from 45 min to 90 minutes. The average class runs about 75 minutes.

You can find those classes easily via the categories on the side bar, as they’ve been split up for greater accessibility. Each class has it’s own post, that begins with a small intro article, a link to the mp3 file, which you can download or stream directly from your computer or mobile device and the corresponding sequence of classes highlighted by pictures.

Dropbox - Best free way to store and share electronic files online

My friend Xavier introduced me to this service.  For those of us that are not willing dedicate time to technology this is the perfect "cloud computing" site.  It is the easiest way to share documents of all kind among all your computers and with other people.

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, two MIT students tired of emailing files to themselves to work from more than one computer.

Today, more than 25 million people across every continent use Dropbox to always have their stuff at hand, share with family and friends, and work on team projects.

Re-energize your workday - yoga at your desk

Sitting at your desk, working hours at a time and  creating repetitive movements can stop the flow of Shakti (a.k.a. it can suck the living energy out of you).  The tension of meeting deadlines, plus the constriction of typing and looking at a screen for sure creates tightness in my shoulders and thigh muscles.   A good way to counteract this effects is going regularly to a yoga class.  I also find that taking several yoga-breaks during the day is a fabulous way to stay in the flow all day long---lets face it, cigarette breaks aren't coming back, so if you are choosing a healthy lifestyle, don't get punish by it, take a yoga-break today! These are my favorite desk-asanas; please ask your yoga teacher for variations for your specific needs or contact me.

Seated Mountain Pose

Sit with a straight back, making sure your feet are grounded on the floor-about hip distance distance apart.  Clasp your hands, and extend your arms forward. Turn the palms away from you and raise your arms until the palms face the ceiling.  As you inhale fill the torso with air from the bottom of the spine to the top of your lungs.  Expand the ribcage concentrically as you do so. Pay attention to to your back, we tend to forget to breath in this region.  Make sure the shoulders and sides of your neck are moving back.  Stretch and feel yourself growing taller as you reduce the stress in your head, neck, and shoulders. This posture lengthens your sides, and it just plain feels good.

Eagle Arms

Sit tall and place your arms in front of you at a 90 degree angle. Cross your arms so that the right arm is above the left. Interlock your arms and press your palms together with the tips of your fingers pointed upward. Feel yourself contracting.  Surrender to this feeling and begin to breath deeply while relaxing your shoulder blades.  This pose strengthens triceps, shoulders, and back muscles. It’s a good preventative measure against carpal tunnel syndrome.   If you know the full pose, add your legs by simply cross your legs and interlock them with one foot behind the other. Do the left arm above the right next.

Thread the Needle

Sit in your chair and cross your right leg over your left knee. Flex both feet- press through the mount of the big toe.   If chair allows it, lift the feet off the floor.    "Thread the needle" by clasping your hands around your left leg, just under your knee.   Stay connected by pressing the ankle against the knee, even if you cannot lift your feet of the floor, this posture stretches hip rotators, outer thighs, and relieves tension in the lower back. Be sure to reverse sides.

Modified Child at the Desk Pose

Before returning to work, give yourself a few minutes to relax.   This relaxing pose is so simple but very effective in reducing stress in your facial muscles and helping to prevent fatigue.  Simply cross your arms and place them on the surface in front of you.   Make sure your feet are planted on the floor about hip distance apart.  Then rest your head on your crossed arms; just breath and enjoy the yoga-break.

Chronicles of a Closet Cleanse

My smart, beautiful and ever pragmatic friend Jennifer Rose did what most of us are afraid of doing; she plunged into the arduous yet rewarding task of excavating, cataloging and yes, organizing her closet.  Jenifer hosts a style blog.  I recently caught up with her and we talked about the scary mission of organizing one's closet.  Please read her anecdotal accounts below, at the end you can also read the unedited Q&A session we held; I enjoyed so much exploring the very spiritual and practical ways in which organizing can elevate the status of the spaces we have, I hope you enjoy it too.

What I Did Over The Long Weekend - J. Rose Style

So my first post is about what I did this weekend.  The weekend started simply enough, I went to the library to pick up some movies and while perusing the non-fiction books section I found this, "The Shopping Diet: Spend Less to Get More", by Phillip Bloch.  Reading the bio on the back one can ascertained that Bloch is a jack of all trades, stylist, writer, commentator, the list goes on.  The book is aimed at people with shopping compulsions or addictions, the promise is that by considering what you actually wear in your wardrobe you will become more aware of what you need, what your style is and what looks good on your body, therefore less likely to make those unnecessary purchases that lead to a budget crisis.  I was intrigued. I am not a compulsive shopper, but I always felt like a terribly uninformed or unaware shopper.  Constantly buying something I like without considering what I have at home to go with it or even if it was really flattering to my figure.  As a result my closet was a mish mash, without enough solid pieces to build an outfit with and a bunch of clothes that didn't fit right.  My closet was in desperate need of editing.  Following the steps in Part Two of the book (Part One is about assessing your style, what you wear frequently, etc...) I emptied my entire closet, in season, out of season, accessories, jewelry, socks and underwear.  My bedroom looked like my closet threw up everywhere.  Ahh!! However my closet was completely empty.

Using the tips Bloch outlined, I separated my clothes into categories and then I began to edit.  Trying on everything in front of a full length mirror and deciding if it stayed in the closet, was fixed, was sold on eBay or donated.

My very well edited closet.  Not sparse, minimalist darling.

It took an entire afternoon, but the process was very cathartic and eye opening.  I don't have a lot left in my closet, but what is left are clothes and accessories I truly love and wear constantly.  The pieces that I feel are missing from my, now very well edited closet are written on a list that will go with me whenever I go shopping.  I don't feel like I need a lot of clothes, in fact the more clothes I had the more stifled I felt.  Yes, I thought that all those clothes gave me more outfit choices, but they didn't.  Having too many choices made getting dressed too complicated and overwrought.  I think that the key to style is knowing what works for you, on you, having great accessories to spice up any outfit and carrying yourself with confidence wherever you go.

Q & A - A Yogic Perspective in Organizing Your Closet

Q- So Jenifer, what motivated you to look into the closet?

A- Mornings are always crazy,the most challenging part of my mornings were when I went to get dressed, I would open the closet, see it stuffed with clothes and feel completely overwhelmed. In February, I was reading Philip Bloch's book "The Shopping Diet" and it had a statistic like women do not wear 80% of the clothing they own, instead they wear the same key pieces that are comfortable and fit.  Major aha! moment, choices in terms of my closet are bad, instead of feeling empowered by the choice of clothes, I felt overwhelmed.  I knew the closet needed to be purged and resolved to do it immediately.

Q- What was your vision or intention when you finally decided to get your closet re-organized?

A- When I started I knew I wanted to cut that "80%", the extra stuff, the fat.  I wanted my closet to be well edited to suit my current taste, only containing pieces that fit well and make me feel great when I wear them.  Every woman wants that, I just didn't realize how much I didn't need till I dug in.

Q- Did you use any organization technique in particular?  What tips or advice was most useful for your closet cleansing?

A- The first thing I did was to remove the extra hangers, this freed up a lot of space in the closet and made it easier to work.  I put the hangers in a box to the side in case I needed them.  Next I took everything out of the closet, in-season, out of season everything.  When everything is hanging up in a dark closet it's hard to evaluate, bring it into the broad light of day so you get a clear picture of what's been lurking in there.  As I was taking things out of the closet I sorted them by type, skirts, shirts, pants, etc... I made piles of like items so I could evaluate what I had, example why do I have three pairs of black pants.

I know a lot of people are probably grimacing at the prospect of this kind of deep cleansing, but you need to "make a mess" to get things in order.  Also do not, I repeat do not go out and buy things to organize the closet before you clean it out.  Clean it out first then see what you need.

Q- How did you decide what garments or accessories had to go?  What were you looking for when you looked in the mirror?  and What did you do with items that you weren't sure if they had to go?

A- In order to decide what stayed and what went I brought in a full length mirror.  I tried everything on and was brutally honest with myself about, what worked, what didn't and what was just so-so.  If you aren't able to be that honest, invite over some friends that will be.

For sorting the things to get rid of I pulled out four bags, I labeled them all, one for donations, one for things that I like but need to be fixed, another for things I thought I could sell on eBay (new or almost items) and the last one was for sentimental clothes (things I won't wear, but have a special meaning and maybe one day I will part with).  I also brought out a garbage bag for things I couldn't salvage (happy to note, that the clothes in the garbage were recycled into cleaning rags).

If there was a case where I couldn't decide I took a picture of myself wearing the item.  Usually the picture didn't lie, if it didn't flatter my figure out it went.  Clothes that don't suit your shape are like backstabbing friends, they'll tell you that you look great to your face and then turn around and reveal your flaws to the world, who needs that.

Accessories are only as good as the clothes they go with, if I had any scarves, belts and shoes, that never matched the clothes I have, I got rid of them.  It's probably because they were colors I never wear.  Also I got rid of any belts or shoes that didn't fit, they were just taking up space.

When I put everything back in the closet I knew it was only things that fit, that flattered and that matched what I owned.  I sorted the clothes by type when hanging them up (making it easy to sort through) and the color.

More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more.

Como Una Ola - breathing meditation

"Like a wave, your love arrived in my life," the song goes, "like a wave of limitless force..."  Como Una Ola, in case you were not living in Spanish speaking country in the 1980's,  was a great hit by Rocio Jurado.  The song describes the stages of a love affair, from its surprising arrival, its monumental growth and to its recoiling end.  In recent weeks I was inspired by the song (blame youtube for this) to practice a breathing meditation with focus on the limitless healing power of breathing. You can practice this meditation whenever you feel that you need to connect to the grace of the universe, or a mini vacation from a tough day.  Just set a timer and surf the wave;

Lie flat on your back on a mat or blanket, with knees bend.  Let the inhalation come down into your back body like the trough of a wave.  Feel how it flattens the back against the floor.  Let the wave fill your body, let it grow in your front body from the belly to the top of your longs.  With the exhalation let your body follow the wave's crest as it withdraws into the back of your pelvis and out of your tailbone...let the whole wave dissolve back to the ocean of grace, knowing that there will be a new wave.  When you mind wants to move to a different task, just bring it back to the breath, like a wave, "como una ola," and repeat the wave cycle as many times as you like.

Namaste.

Bound me up, bound me down

I'm fascinated by words that follow.    Last week I encountered the word boundary in many forms: while teaching,  while designing, during my yoga practice, while talking to my friends and ultimately listening to my teacher.  My yoga practice (Anusara) deeply involves the concept of freedom and its love relationship with boundaries.  Sometimes I feel the 1990's  film ¡Átame! is about yoga.  We are constantly asked to recognize the freedom in which we dwell, AND the best way to show that recognition is by creating boundaries that work for us.   So here is one of those examples of boundaries that I saw this week, probably not the most prevalent, but it is the easiest one for me to explain.   I decided to stop carrying every artifact I thought could help my day go smoother (it isn't very smooth when eight pounds of stuff follows you around, unless you are pregnant).   I started using the GRID-IT from COCOON.  This is a very open version of a zippered pouch.  In limiting the items that I can bring with me, I have expanded time and space, cultivating a fresh way to move with the belonging that make my day better (and knowing that I can choose what comes with me everyday, allows me to recognize my freedom everyday).  Bound away!

Yoga Mat Cleanse (a.k.a. how to clean your mat)

This is a love story.  If you’ve practice yoga for any amount of time, by now you’ve develop a trusting relationship with your yoga mat.  Yes, you’ve blamed it for your short comings, you’ve stepped all over it, you’ve tried parting with it, you’ve even cheated on it, but your heart and your practice always come back to it.  So as any good relationship counselor will tell you, today is the best time to strengthen this relationship and I suggest you start with a bath.

Now lets face it, after the bliss of Savasana, picking up a spray bottle may be the last thing in your mind, but, alas, as with any cleanse strategy, maintenance is everything.  If you keep your feet clean and your practice isn’t a sweat fest, a quick spray and wipe once a week if you are an active practitioner (or every other week if you are a passive one) should be enough to keep your mat fairly clean and free from smell-inducing-bacteria.

I’ve tried various methods to clean my mat; from good 'ol soap (bad, bad, bad idea), to fancy prepackage wipes, I didn't find them very effective. After 20+ years of yoga practice I’m sharing my yoga mat cleansing routine. These methods I’ve used for years on my robber-like mats and fabric-like mats, not with the leather like kind…If you own an upscale yoga mat, chances are that the manufacturer has instructions for cleaning it, you’re gonna have to make a judgement if my methods will work.

Spot cleaning and after class:

So this is my formula for a yoga mat cleaning solution, which I created after trying various versions.  There’re products out there in the market to clean yoga mats, by all means try them out,  I am sure some are fantastic.  Whatever you use, make sure there isn't any surfactant in it (i.e., a fancy way of saying soap) or you will be sliding on your mat like a lizard on marble floors - not pretty.

Ingredients for the yoga mat cleansing solution:

spray bottle (glass preferred)

white vinegar (a natural bleach, disinfectant)

water (Universal solvent, ask any Alchemist!)

alcohol such as vodka (natural drying agent, ask anyone who drinks martinis)

Tea Tree Essential oil and/or Lemongrass (any other antibacterial Essential Oil will work, I order my with Young Living)

In a spray bottle add 1 part white vinegar, 2 parts water, 1 part alcohol and 1/1000 parts tea tree essential oil.  [For example, 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water, 1 cup alcohol, ~15 drops of essential oil]  This is a very inexpensive way to create a disinfectant and cleaning agent that does not contains any type of surfactant and it is also great to clean windows/mirrors!  This solution works great, just spray it on your mat and use a cleaning cloth to wipe out the mat.  Let it dry and store away.

Deep Cleanse

Now, if your mat is dirty, you may need more than a spray and wipe to get it clean.  Here is when a “romantic bath” comes in. 

a bath tub (or a washing machine)

two towels

drying rack (or two chairs, though you should really consider having a drying rack at home)

1/2 cup of backing soda

scrubbing brush

To give your yoga mat a bath, you will need about twenty minutes for the bath portion (or the wash cycle, cold temp water) and a space to hang to dry your mat for at least 48 hrs.  Set the drying rack onto a towel.  Take you mat and roll it out into your bath tub, the fitting may depend on the size of your tub and mat, so do the best you can.  Spray the yoga mat cleansing solution as described above, if the mat is really dirty, add baking soda .  Fill the tub with about 1 to 2 inches of water and begin to use the good 'ol elbow grease with the scrubbing brush.  If you are using a washing machine, spray mat with cleaning solution and then add backing soda instead of detergent.

You can repeat the spray, baking soda, water and scrubbing as many times as your mat needs it.  When you are satisfied, rinse the mat. 

Here is where your muscles come in place.  You must wring out as much water as you can, ask for help if mat is too heavy.  When you can’t squeeze more water out of the mat, roll your mat and one of the towels together as shown in the picture.  You can step on this roll to get as much water out of the mat as possible.  You can hang your mat on the drying rack for 48 hrs or so, make sure the mat is dry before you start using it again. You will feel so good and proud of your mat.  Keep cleaning it with the spray/wipe method and you probably won't need to do the bath more than once or twice a year.

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A Winter Corpse

The winter months seem to move slower than the rest of the year, which I am always willing to emulate.  The darkness, I thought, was an invitation to contemplate in the solitude of my home.  And there is a lot of true in that.  My thoughts about winter shifted recently, when my friend Lafy invited me to a walk in the park with her (look at her, how can you resist?)  This new experience showed me that there is so much more active energy in winter than what I thought.  There in the woods, walking with friends, there was a clam, peaceful, almost inanimate scene, but the energy around us was inquisitive, playful, and inviting. This shift in perspectives is similar to what we may experience during Savasana (a yoga pose meaning corpse pose).  In the traditional pose, the body lays face up on the floor motionless, very much like a corpse or your drunk roommate in college.  By staying still for some time and keeping the mind quiet, one relaxes in a very conscious way.  According to B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the world’s foremost yoga teachers, this is a very difficult pose to master.  You can see why; even when we ask the body to stay still, the mind will move in all directions.  Sometimes, when I want to practice Savasana for a longer period of time (10-15 minutes), I try a more grounding version as the one I describe below.  This isn’t a replacement for the classical pose; one must think of this version as hiking in a winter wonderland with a great friend; something you may not want to do everyday, but you sure enjoy it every time.

Things you’ll need

comfortable clothing

~15 to 20 minutes total

a wall, everyone needs a good yoga wall at home and any wall would do!

a mat or rug to lie down

3 to 4  blankets (such as Mexican blankets or large bath towels)

a bolster (if you don’t have one read Create Your Bolster Substitute)

What to do

Roll up a blanket, burrito-style, and place it alongside a wall.  Lie down with the soles of your feet against the blanket.  Place an additional rolled blanket or bolster under your knees.  These actions will passively engage you calve muscles and allow the thighbones to move deeper into the hip socket (i.e., for Anusara folks: Loops activate!).  This helps release tension in the iliopsoas and allows the pelvis to rest more heavily on the ground.  Place a folded blanket or sofa pillow over your belly to release tension and weigh the hips down even more.  Rest your arms by your side, palm facing up; keep the arm closer to your torso for this variation.  Place a folded blanket under the head for extra support.  Your chin should be perpendicular to the floor and your throat should feel open and tension free - think CPR!  With each inhalation summon a feeling of gratitude and wonder, and with each exhalation allow the earth to fully hold each part of your body.  After some time you will feel grounded, this may take longer for some of us, and a bit uncomfortable at the beginning, so keep bringing awareness to the breath.  Be patient and you will feel the hand of Mother Nature holding you in space, while you relax.

Create your bolster substitute

I heard that there used to be a tradition, not sure where, in which a wife would construct a long cushy pillow out of bamboo and offer it to her husband  before he'd go on a trip.  They idea, was that he wouldn't feel so lonely at night.  This, I heard, is the story behind the name "Dutch Pillow," a cousin of the bolster.   I don't know if a bolster can truly replace a spouse, but it can sure make you feel supported when it matter the most: while relaxing in a restorative yoga pose. Chances are that if you practice any type of restorative yoga, your practice will be enhanced with a bolster, which is a great investment.  I really recommend having one at home.   However, if you don't have the space for one or if you don't have the inclination of adding a bolster to your collection of "let me try this," here is my way of faking one at home - I mean, if a wife can fake a bed companion for her husband, it is only fair...

I tried various versions of this bolsters substitute, this is the version that resembles the supported feeling of the bolsters you may encounter at a yoga studio.

Things you will need

2 bath towels

2 blocks or equal size hardcover books, such as Harry Potter (if traveling, hotels usually have handy books available)

1  heavy blanket - I used a Mexican style blanket

Here is what you do

Fold each towel in thirds lengthwise, then fold it into a rectangle over a block/book.  Fold the blanket into a quarter of its size, make sure that if the blanket has fringes, they stay to the same side.   Place one of the (block/book + towel) rolls lengthwise close to one of the short ends of the blanket, then place the second roll next to it.  Fold the blanket over the rolls as many times needed till there is no more blanket left to fold.

Listo, you got yourself a spouse substitute or a pet for your existing bolster!  Take it for a spin...there are many restorative yoga poses you can try now.