Upcoming Events

September is National Yoga month, and there's all kinds of yoga events happening in the Tulsa area.

The I AM Festival is a FREE event with tons of fun activities including yoga classes, live music, art, rock climbing and more. I'll be teaching a Beginners Yoga class at 6pm on Friday, September 14. Check out the full schedule here : www.iammindbodyspirit.com

 

Kick off your day every Tuesday morning with YOGA ON THE DECK at Blue Rose Cafe, continuing through October.  You don't want to miss this opportunity to practice in a peaceful outdoor atmosphere, breathing in fresh air and enjoying great views. Classes are suitable for all levels. 8AM, $10/class

 

 
Jennifer Skaggs hosts VINO AND VINYASA once a month on the rooftop of Ascent. An hour of socializing and drinking wine with fellow yogis followed by an hour yoga practice under the stars. Cost is normally $15 however, September will be free! You can also join Jennifer every Saturday morning for a ROOFTOP YOGA class at 9AM. Cost for that class, $15. I'm excited to have the opportunity to sub for her on September 8th, so join me if you're able!













Downtown Tulsa has been exploding with new developments including a new yoga studio that recently opened their doors. EQUILIBRIUM is located in the Blue Dome District and offers daily yoga classes led by qualified and certified instructors. Join me Friday mornings at 9AM for an energizing Yoga Strength class. 

Meghan Donnelly will be leading a Celestial Salutation to celebrate the fall equinox on September 22.  Join us on the lawn at Inner Peace Yoga for 108 Sun Salutations as we say goodbye to summer and welcome the new season. Donations will be accepted which will benefit the Tulsa Food Bank and SPCA.

If anyone has any other yoga happenings around Tulsa, shoot me an email and I'll be sure and include them on the list! Happy Yoga Month and Namaste :)

Yoga on the Deck

Join me for the second season of Yoga On The Deck at the Blue Rose Cafe! At this beautiful location, you'll enjoy scenic views of the Arkansas River while breathing in fresh air as you move through a yoga practice that will energize your body and mind. Class is designed for all levels, focusing on poses that build strength, flexibility, and balance while experiencing the sights and sounds of nature.

First class will be held TUESDAY, MAY 1ST from 8-9AM, continuing every Tuesday morning through fall. We'll meet on the lower deck which provides shade as well as privacy. To enter, walk around the south side of the building to the deck. Cost is $10/drop in or 6 classes for $50.

If you're looking for peace and serenity to begin your day, this is the place. Hope to see you on the river.

Namaste!

COMING SOON!

40 Days Later

The last time I wrote a blog I talked about the 40 Day Personal Revolution that I was preparing to participate in. Today is day 40 of that program. Have I transformed my life? I can confidently say, sorta.

During these past few weeks, I've definitely learned a lot from this experience. Like how to cut a pineapple, for example. Thanks, YouTube. But I've also learned more profound things, particularly about myself. I learned that I have more discipline, willpower, and strength than I've been utilizing, and more than I've given myself credit for.

The criteria for the 40 Days included yoga, meditation, self-inquiry, journaling, reading Baptiste's book, and participation in weekly meetings. I wasn't able to follow every guideline to the tee, and I'm pretty confident the other 40-ish participants in our program had to make adjustments as well. One of the (many) great pieces of advice our facilitator Chelsea shared was "Take what works for you, leave what doesn't." No reason to beat yourself up or quit because you missed one practice or evening meditation. Just jump back on the wagon and keep on keeping on.

And so I did. My overall consistency and dedication has been worth the effort. I feel more confident than I did at the beginning of the program. I've deliberately been stepping outside of my comfort zone to grow and expand those boundaries. I've gotten closer to others in my yoga community as well as other people outside the yoga studio. I've had some breakthroughs in my yoga practice, progressing in more advanced poses and feeling myself physically becoming stronger. I've developed a new relationship with food and I've lost weight. I've made changes job-wise to enhance the quality of my life. I feel like everything makes a lot more sense.  Overall, I just feel really good and I'm really grateful for the experience.

In life we're always expanding or we're contracting, and these past 40 days have definitely been a period of expansion. While I haven't transformed into a completely different person, I've definitely cultivated some better habits which I intend to continue from this point on. I will miss our weekly group meetings, but I can continue exploring other lessons I've learned in the program. Just keep taking what works, and leaving what doesn't.

Got Resolutions?

If you're anything like me, it's about this time of year you vow to do a whole list of things for the upcoming year. And also if you're anything like me, what inevitably ends up on your list are the same things that were on your list last year.  And the year before. And before. Eat healthier. Get out of debt. Stop drinking (as much). Save money. Lose weight. Spend time more wisely. Volunteer. Essentially, become a better person. You tell yourself that you can do it. This year is going to be different.

Despite good intentions, things often don't work out as expected. Maybe you stick to your goals for a couple days, even weeks, but they soon fizzle out. Before you know it, the year has passed and you (I) haven't crossed one damned thing off the list.

Well, for me, this year is going to be different. No, really. I swear. Not only do I have good intentions, I have something that I've never had before: a plan. Say whaaaaaaat??

Yes, a plan. Not that I haven't had a plan in the past; or at least I thought I did. My 'plan' was to do all the things I said I was going to do. Plain and simple. I was going to turn my life around once and for all. But my 'plan' just consisted of my intentions to do so, and while intentions mean well, I can't recall ever accomplishing one of my resolutions according to my so-called plan.   

This year my plan comes equipped with a program, a book, instructions, and a support group. And there's only one thing on my new years resolution list. What am I talking about? Don't you know, I'm talkin' bout a revolution.

Beginning January 8th, I will participate in 40 Days to Personal Revolution, a program designed by world renowned yogi extraordinaire Baron Baptiste. The program includes the advice, wisdom and tools to inspire a transformation of body, mind and spirit in a relevant and practical format. The outline entails practicing yoga 6 days a week, twice daily meditation, logical dietary changes, attendance at weekly meetings, and learning to find and listen to the authentic self. Each week builds on the previous one, beginning with small changes working towards more substantial ones as the program gets closer to the 40 days.
  
I do not claim or believe that this will be an easy undertaking by any means. It's a significant commitment and I definitely had/have my reservations about participating. My initial concern was the time commitment. By week 6, the yoga practices extend to 90 minutes, and the meditation lasts 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 in the evening. And there's still the weekly meeting. WHERE WILL I FIND THE TIME?!?  I'm also concerned about the dietary changes. Although I know giving up certain things would do me good, old habits die hard and I haven't had much luck in previous 'attempts'. My final concern was the cost. I'm already struggling to make ends meet as is; should I really be taking on another financial obligation?

After some questioning, I learned that the yoga practices don't have to be done at a certain time or place; I can do them anywhere, even at home.  The dietary changes are chosen by me, not according to a master one-size-fits-all formula. And even though money is tight, the cost of the program is less than I anticipated; a very reasonable price with some extra incentives* thrown in.

Even though my concerns are still very relevant to me, I signed up for the program anyway. There's no doubt I will experience moments of weakness, faltering motivation, sacrifice, even suffering. There's a chance I could even fail. I could quit, give up, drop out, realize I was in over my head (which is a legitimate concern). But I'm not letting that stop me from trying, and I'm convinced that I can make it through the 40 days. This is my new years resolution.

Why do I want to do this? What do I expect to get? Essentially, to become a better person. As cheesy as it sounds and no matter the stigma attached, I've always been a fan of self-help. I'm an avid believer that our minds hold the power to heal ourselves with enough determination, mindfulness, and perseverance. I remember listening to Tony Robbins years ago talking about his philosophy of CANI : Constant And Never-ending Improvement.  The theory is to improve one tiny aspect of your life every single day, and over time....voila!!   I love that philosophy; it has stuck with me over the years, creeping into my mind at times when I've needed it most. Besides, if we don't help ourselves, who will? Better yet, who would we allow, even if someone tried? It's been said that we're our own worst critics, but what about being our own biggest proponents? That's where YOU come in. You have the power to change yourself.  Here's to 2012.

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." - John Ruskin 

 *For more information or to enroll, contact Inner Peace Yoga. 40 day personal transformation will be facilitated by local Tulsa instructor, Chelsea Paxton.

Morning's Here

I've never been an early riser. Not on purpose anyway. There have been a couple periods in my life that I've been required to get up early, but I've never done it on my own accord. Most of my adult life I've been a night owl, partially due to years spent bartending. I've seen the clock strike 2am, 3am, 4am more times that I can count. While I've spent the better part of the last two decades drooling on my pillow snoozing my days away, tons of other people have been up and at'em at the crack of dawn doing god-knows-what.

I guess I wanted to know what. 

I figured I've been a 'night' person for so many years, why not give being a 'morning' person a shot? So when an opportunity to teach early morning yoga classes arose, I volunteered.  For 5:30AM. Talk about shock and awe.

In order to welcome the morning, I like to think of this song/clip from an old Friends episode:

It makes me smile every time, without fail.

With this song in my head (and coffee in my bloodstream), I've found the mornings to be quite enjoyable.

The quiet and peaceful atmosphere of dawn provides the perfect ambiance for practicing yoga, which makes getting up early worth it.

If you're an early riser or aspiring to be, get into gear and join me every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at Inner Peace Yoga, 5:30AM.  I'll see you tomorrow morning.