Eating on the Wild Side

  We all know that a big part of a yoga lifestyle is to eat well and follow the latest research in nutrition so we can live more vibrantly while respecting the earth.

And when it comes to food and nutrition ideas, we've heard it all!

We try to eat more plant based organic. We've tried raw, cooked, BPA and Gluten Free. We eat more greens to keep the doctor away. The list goes on.

But this time my world got rocked by Jo Robinson, author of “Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health".

Jo spent ten years researching the nutrient value in the most common and popular produce found in our super markets, even the organic markets. I always knew that wild foods and even weeds were extremely good for you, but it turns out we started breeding the nutrition out of food when we became farmers 10,000 years ago...Ack!

History geeks will love Jo's research, and foodies - you will get a kick out of revolutionizing your produce selection methods, learning best practices for storing your produce, and the various new creations you can make in your kitchen!

Here is just a little bit of what I learned:

Greens Dandelion greens, Purple kale, Raddichio, Arugula and Red Leaf lettuces are total phytonutrient superstars compared to standard green lettuce like Romaine or Butter leaf - seems obvious when you think about it, but I'd never given it that much thought.

Eat Your Brussel Sprouts! Everyone knows that Brussel sprouts are ridiculously healthy but according to Jo, they are superfood ninjas:  “Brussels sprouts kill more human cancer cells than all other crucifers. In a 2009 test-tube study, extracts of the vegetable destroyed 100 percent of human cancer cells of the breast, pancreas, stomach, prostate, and lung.”

How You Prep and Store Your Produce Makes All the Difference In the pictures below I am doing the produce ritual I learned. Soak the greens for an hour in cold water, rinse well, and then spin the leafy greens.

Once spinned well, place the greens into zip lock bags that have been perforated with a needle 10-20 times to allow for gas exchange. The Dandelion greens in the picture actually have red stems, so I'm sure they are even more incredibly healthy. (Dandelions also help feed our dwindling population of honey bees, so never spray them with weed killer!)

Push all the air out before sealing the bag so it looks vacuum packed and store in your crisper drawer. According to Jo, “If you tear up the lettuce before you store it, you can double its antioxidant value. The living plant responds to the insult as if it were being gnawed by an insect or eaten by an animal: it produces a burst of phytonutrients to fend off the intruders.”

Purple Carrots, Artichokes and Asparagus It turns out that purple carrots are higher in anthocyanins than regular carrots. And if you steam them whole and then slice them afterwards they taste sweeter and their ability to fight cancer increases. Who knew?

The information on Artichokes (one of my favorites) shocked me.  Jo throws it down: “Artichokes have a higher ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value than all the other fruits and vegetables in the supermarket. You would have to eat eighteen servings of corn or thirty servings of carrots to get the same benefits.” Needless to say, I've been obsessed:

Asparagus is very high in antioxidants, but I learned that purple asparagus has three times more antioxidants than the green varieties. I always assumed the purple ones did not taste as good. I was totally wrong! Asparagus, like Broccoli is best eaten no more than 2 days after harvest in order to actually get the incredible nutrients inside the plant, so it's almost impossible to shop for them in standard super markets where the produce typically arrives ten days after harvest. Getting Broccoli, Asparagus, Artichoke and Brussel sprouts at farmer's markets or growing them on your own is the best bet.

Here is what my salads look like since reading the book:

It has been so much fun applying Jo's wisdom to our kitchen!

I must thank the awesome yogini who told me about the book (I can't remember who you are, but please come forward so we can all give you a virtual hug!).

Please leave a comment with your experiences of "eating on the wild side", recipes, or comments on the book!

Ego Bashing and Yoga, Is it Helping?

Yogis want to eradicate the Ego. A select few, but prominent, schools of yoga will tell you that one of the goals of yoga is to extinguish the ego and instead be as modest and unassuming as possible. I beg to differ. I call this view of the ego "ego bashing".

In spite of all this work trying to quell the ego, modern yogis are often accused of being the most egotistic, self-obsessed, selfie-taking, navel gazers alive. So how’s that ego bashing working out? Here's a theory.

If anything, I believe that the pressure on yogis not to have an ego is creating an opposite, reactionary effect. Yogis are so tired of subduing their egos that they're actually craving the need to celebrate themselves a little with a selfie or two. (Not to mention, yogis are also subject to the same self-absorbed culture of social media as everyone else on the planet, but I digress...)

Ego bashing is not going to solve any problems. Here's why embracing your ego might even be a good thing:

If you believe that the Divine lives in everything, then the Divine must also be present in the ego!  It’s not a question of whether the ego is bad or good. It’s how you relate to the ego that matters.

Can having an ego be healthy?

Yes, when you use it to honor your assets and offer them to the world around you!  In fact, it would be a shame if your ego were so suppressed that you shied away from sharing your gifts with your community. If you've got something to share that will benefit others - please do so!

Conversely, your ego is also healthy when you are aware of when to be humble, when to take the back seat, when to let others have the spotlight, or when to defer if someone else is more capable of doing the job than you.

To me, good yoga is never about suppressing something natural that exists within us. Good yoga instead happens when we participate, seek to understand, and engage with the natural foibles and shortcomings we have as humans.

Keep sharing your gifts with the people around you. Do it with awareness and thoughtfulness. Keep others in mind and never forget that the life force moving through you is the source of your greatness.

Get Your ZEAL Back and Keep it This Time!

Happy New Year, dear friends! Like many of you, I took full advantage of the quiet solstice time to take a thorough look at my life.

I've been investigating how I want to feel in the coming years, what truly matters and how to make the most of the precious time I have on this planet - especially when life has become so busy and techno-centric.

What I've come to realize is that nothing I do has as much pizazz or passion if it's not connected to a higher personal purpose or reason why. There's got to be a higher reward.

Seems obvious, right?

But that is easier said than done.

How often have you found yourself just plodding along, doing your work, following your routine but with little zeal?

The fresh start of the New Year gives you the opportunity to reconnect to what you want and get your enthusiasm back!

To rediscover your zeal:

1. Get out of your house and go somewhere fabulous to sit with your grand purpose. Close your eyes and wait for an image, a symbol or even a clear sentence that articulates why you are here and what you're meant to do.
2. Write about what you want to feel, do, be and have in your life in the next 1-5 years. Go big!Go forth into everything you do with purpose, passion and ZEAL by always keeping your purpose and what you want in your mind. It can help to have it written out where you meditate each morning so you see it daily.
3. Let's not allow the passion to fade until New Year's resolutions come around again next year!

My promise to you this year is to teach with more gusto and to devote every practice to reconnecting with our personal purpose so we can reach the stars with our dreams and visions.

All the love, Amy

On the Bright Side of Disaster: Lessons from the Colorado Flood

The rain has finally ceased, the sun is out and there has never been more love and caring energy in Boulder. Being a mecca for spirituality and consciousness Boulderites understand non-attachment and yet trauma and loss does not magically go away because one lives in the "Boulder bubble". Many lost everything. It will take time to move through the range of emotions our community is experiencing. It was scary - men and women went out in the storm in shoulder height water to take down fences to help divert water away from homes. Flash floods were raging in the pitch black of night while sirens sounded. Many yogis and neighbors worked around the clock digging trenches and putting up barricades to direct the relentless water out of harms way. Countless streets and roads are destroyed, totally washed out and the asphalt cracked in pieces.

Our house lucked out but others in our neighborhood, even next door to us did not fare so well.  Other than houses directly in the flood path (old seasonal creeks and drainages) it seemed entirely random which properties took in water and which did not.

Our friend who was house sitting for us was a champion because our neighborhood had rapids rushing through it and she evacuated with our cat yet still found a way to keep her watchful eye on the house. Even her dad came over and helped her open the hatch door to our cellar which was miraculously dry.

We live on 6^th St in Boulder and yet one block over (exactly parallel to our house) the street was destroyed. That's me in the picture above surveying the damage.

Many families are displaced.  Towns just adjacent to us like Jamestown and Lyons are all but destroyed. This video sums up how frightening it was in the mountain towns of Boulder:

Long after the rains our streets continue to be filled with the sounds of shovels, pumps, helicopters, saws, and mostly rushing water that never was audible before. There are piles and piles of debris and mounds of now bone dry river silt which gets stirred into the air we breathe the minute a car drives by.

On the bright side of disaster, human beings always seem to show up at their best with compassion, love and generosity to help others. We were out of town during the worst of the storms and were touched by the support we received not only from friends all over the world, but our friends at home who wrote us in Indonesia offering to check on our home despite being in the middle of their own mess and the danger of getting around town.

Everyone you talk to knows at least one person who is housing a flood refugee or two whether human or animal. Our 90 Monkeys team has been showering in our guest bathroom since their water is still contaminated up the canyon. Almost all the conversations I've heard in passing have been what I call "Flood talk" - ie. people checking in, comparing stories, offering to help, or giving advice on what to do about mold or debris.  Relief is desperately needed for those who are still homeless, who have no clean water to drink, and lost their possessions and homes.

In true Hanuman spirit, the Hanuman Festival has organized a huge benefit event for November 16th that I will be teaching at along with local Boulder teachers Richard Freeman and Gina Caputo. Also joining us will be Janet Stone and musicians DJ Drez and MC Yogi. 100% of the proceeds will go towards the Colorado Flood Relief Fund.  I feel grateful to the Hanuman Festival, these teachers and musicians - as well as Yoga Journal, Give Back Yoga Foundation and prAna for lending their support to this event! Hanuman Festival is also donating $20 from every Gratitude Pass for the 2014 festival sold until Oct 31st.

Visit www.HanumanFestival.com for more information.

Our community was so disappointed about the cancellation of the annual Estes Park Yoga Journal LIVE conference due to the roads to Estes Park being destroyed. Our community truly looks forward to that gathering and in some ways needed the yoga love more than ever. Though the flood was clearly out of our direct control, we still feel so sorry that so much destruction in our state created this problem for YJ LIVE.  :( We hope the Hanuman Festival benefit on the 16th will make up for it in some small way while raising much needed funds for our state.

If you can not be at the benefit, consider making a donation to the Colorado Relief Fund.

Tumeric Citrus Juice: Dr. Taro's Spring Wellness Boost

Taro came back from photographing sailfish and bait balls in Mexico with a bit of a Spring cold. If anyone does the juicing in the family, it’s me, but I was filming for YogaGlo. So off he went to the store and low and behold, he concocted quite the elixir to soothe his bug! It's sweet, delicious and kicks inflammatory butt! The Recipe

4 inches of fresh crisp organic turmeric root 1 inch of organic ginger 1 organic Mikan (satsuma tangerine) 2 organic ruby grapefruits 1 organic granny smith apple 1 small organic lemon (optional)

Plunge all the ingredients through a juicer being mindful to keep the turmeric in the middle rather than last to go through. This will ensure you get every last drop of the healthy goodness and less stain on your juicer parts.

Turmeric is known for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. While it is spicy and bitter, with a little sweetness from the grapefruit, tangerine and apple makes the turmeric flavor come alive! Be well, enjoy and let us know what you think of the juice in the comment section below!

Exotic Citrus Green Juice

With winter's citrus season booming, our organic produce delivery has been bursting with two of my favorites exotic citrus varieties: pomelos and meyer lemons. Pomelos, in case you have never heard of them, are pretty much my favorite fruit. They are similar to a grapefruit with a much thicker skin. What they lack in thin skins, they make up for in taste and texture. Pomelos are slightly sweeter and less bitter than their grapefruit friends. The texture is actually delicious. Pomelos come apart nice and dry, but are loaded with juice once you bite in.

To peel the pomelo, use a knife to score a line along the equator of the fruit. Dig your fingers into each side and peel the whole half off each side - usually you can do this in one piece each side. Then cut the fruit in quarters so it will fit in your juicer.  To read about the benefits of juicing and tips on what kind of juicer to get, read this article.

Meyer lemons are like regular lemons except they have a thinner more orange-yellow color, and their flavor is like a lemon perfume, which lends a signature taste to any food you prepare with this fruit.

Of course I had to try some juicing combinations in the kitchen with this kind of citrus on hand.  Here was the winner:

Exotic Citrus Green Juice

1 Small Meyer lemon

1 Pomelo, peeled

1 Anjou pear

2 Small cucumbers or one large

1 Head of Romaine lettuce

1 Large handful of baby spinach (optional)

Make sure all produce is organically grown. Wash carefully and push through your juicer.  The lemon can go in un-peeled. To make sure you maximize the juice in the spinach, put the cucumbers into the shute, then pack the spinach in around the cucumber before plunging.  Enjoy this refreshing, good for you libation!

Teaming Up With Boardworks for Some Stand Up Paddle Boarding Fun

You may not know this about me, but growing up as a girl during summers in Vermont, I was an avid canoeing enthusiast. Through the guidance of my canoeing mentor, Elizabeth Smith (one of my first true teachers in life), I learned to paddle a canoe in a perfectly straight line in storm force winds, land the the boat - stopping on a dime with no movement, reverse a swamped canoe and get it back to shore with no paddle, and how to solo a canoe down white water rapids. After leading groups on wilderness lake trips, portaging canoes for miles, building a shelter out of an overturned canoe to sleep in, and countless other sailing & mountaineering skills acquired along the way, I achieved the highest rank in canoeing in my final year at the camp. It was a huge moment for me to have worked toward something so rigorous and succeed. In fact, it was that accomplishment that helped me get myself through intense yoga teacher certifications later in life.

It had been a long time since I had paddled, but three years ago I was introduced to Stand Up Paddling and instantly fell in love.

In August of 2012 I teamed up with Boardworks, a leading Surfboard/ Stand Up Paddle Board company to help define the relationship Yoga has with Stand Up Paddle boarding.

These are two of the fastest growing activities in the world, and have become a way of life for the those who practice or paddle. One child's pose floating on the water was all I needed to know that yoga on the board, while it would never replace what I do on the mat, is certainly heaven!

The combined benefits of the cardiovascular exercises, core stability and yoga on the water provide for an all body workout as well as access to nature in a watery environment.

Yoga on stand-up paddle boards, also known as Yoga SUP is an interesting niche, and there are a rapidly growing number of Yoga SUP classes being offered around the world in lakes, open water, waterways, reservoirs and more.

Boardworks believes there is a bigger connection between these sports, and that it is more of a mindset of the demographic that they share; health, wellness, nature, fresh air, and play.

I am very excited to partner with Boardworks to help connect two of my favorite passions…this is another way to expand on yoga and while taking my yoga practice outside.  We are seeing more and more Yoga SUP happening at yoga events around the world!

According to Boardworks National Sales Manager Ryan Guay, “We’ve seen organic growth of the Yoga SUP lifestyle and it's a natural extension of our brand. We have specific models that work perfectly for yoga applications and believe our products to be ideal for this purpose. Amy hosts retreats in beautiful places around the world. I am excited to get involved with these events and help expose people to SUP.”

To learn more about Stand Up Paddle Boarding and get a board of your own, visit Boardwork's Website.

Join me and a bunch of great yogis in Costa Rica to practice therapeutic yoga and get in the water on SUP boards every day! Visit the retreat page.

Holiday Raw Food Salad Platter (Warning: Kale Food Porn!)

This raw massaged kale and pomegranate salad platter on butter leaf lettuce cups has been a huge hit at my holiday parties.  The vibrant green mixed with the bright red of the pomegranate seeds make this totally festive. For those friends who shutter when thinking of eating raw kale, the shredded texture of the kale chiffonade, the creamy avocado and the sweetness of the pomegranate make this salad much more palatable!

I get very artistic arranging all the ingredients and always enjoy putting it together, so if you have children in the house, be sure to ask them to help out - they'll have a blast.

Ingredients (Makes 3 large servings)

Salad:

1 bunch red butter leaf lettuce

1 bunch curly kale

Seeds from ½ pomegranate

½ large avocado or 1 small avocado

A handful of chopped raw almonds

Dressing:

3 tablespoons Olive oil

Juice from a lemon

Himalayan sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Whisk dressing ingredients in small bowl and set aside. On a serving dish, place 3 large butter lettuce leaves in a circular formation face up.  Then place 3 smaller leaves inside the large ones.  These will be “lettuce cups”.

Remove stems from the kale and chiffonade the leaves. (Google how to chiffonade and watch a how-to video - it's worth it!)

Place chiffonaded (is that a word?) kale in a medium sized bowl and pour dressing on top.  Wash your hands well and massage dressing into kale until the leaves are tender. The dressing will "cook" the kale much like ceviche.

Spoon the kale mixture into each of the butter lettuce “cups”.  Spoon pomegranate seeds and almonds on top of the kale mixture (or you could also mix them into the kale after massaging and then spoon into the cups). Drizzle the whole platter with balsamic vinegar (optional).

You should be able to lift each large leaf cup (with its contents) right off the platter to serve on a someone's lucky plate.  Enjoy!

Yoga Students Making a Difference During Hard Times

Yoga teaches us to take whatever circumstances or challenges we face in life, and create something beautiful.  With the recovery process from “Superstorm Sandy” here in the USA well upon us, I was inspired to share my experience of how yoga students in the Tsunami areas have been coping with loss and making a difference in their communities, so torn apart by what occurred not so long ago. While teaching yoga in Iwate prefecture in Japan, I had the chance to connect with yoga students who lived in areas like Sendai which were utterly devasted by the 2011 Tsunami.

So many people were affected by the tragedy last year.  An attendee from the workshop came up to us at the end of class with a picture book on the tsunami. She showed us a picture of her town in the book before the tsunami and pointed out her house in the picture. She turned the page and there was a picture the same land, utterly in rubble.  She showed us the empty hole and debris that was once her home.

She explained how she was safe inland, but when the tsunami came her mother and grandmother were at the house and got separated in the maelstrom. Rescuers found her grandmother barely breathing and she died outside of a hospital that was too full to accept her. They have yet to find her mother.  She is using yoga to help make sense of what has occurred.

Since the tsunami, countless people who have lost their homes have been living in sterile, pre-fab housing that resembles storage units set in concrete parking lots, without trees, grass, flowers, devoid of nature or aesthetics.  These people not only lost property, but they lost family members, friends, and any sense of normalcy.  Needless to say, incidence of clinical depression in these housing units is high.

A small percentage of the homes lost were traditional Japanese structures that were loved and passed through generations for over 400 years.  These were more than just houses; they were treasured landmarks that represented the history and tradition of an entire culture.

What made these homes even more distinct were the thatched roofs that grew wild grasses and flowers.  Not only were they beautiful, these roofs held the significance of architecture that co-existed with nature through hundreds of years (its origin could trace back even thousands of years), and were deeply revered by their owners, as well as all of Japan.

During the workshop we met a yoga student named Ayako Shida who, inspired by her archival research on these 400 year old “living” homes, had started purchasing potted flowers from disaster area nurseries to help stimulate the local economy. Since the Tsunami she has been organizing volunteer crews to plant these flowers easonally at the temporary housing units for people who lost their homes.  She calls it the Hanasaki Project, literally meaning “the Flower Blooming Project”.

She wanted to do something to improve the living conditions, to brighten the mood, and to help the residents with emotional healing by letting them know that people cared.  A few of the yoga teachers we work with in Tokyo have organized fundraiser classes as well to keep this work alive, as there is no telling when they will be able to settle into to real homes again. We were so moved by her cause that we pledged the workshop proceeds to the project.

Sometimes all it takes to rekindle hope is to know that someone out there cares and to spread a little beauty.

If you are looking for a way to help the recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy here are just a few of the organizations and businesses who my New Jersey and New York friends have recommended as making the most out of donations and volunteer efforts.  Please donate!

Occupy Sandy

Help the Cinnamon Snail Food Truck Serve Vegan Meals For Sandy Relief

HONY & Tumblr Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser

Whale Sharks and Fashion Join Forces To Help Put An End to Shark Finning

My partner, Taro just returned from an adventure filming and assisting artist Kristian Schmidt and photographer/marine conservationist, Shawn Heinrichs on an innovative photo shoot in the Philippines combining art, fashion and conservation awareness.  The subjects? Professional model and mermaid Hannah Fraser, extreme athlete and the world's top female proximity-flying base jumper, Roberta Mancino, and of course the majestic, gentle Whale Sharks that have the night sky imprinted on their bodies. The hope is that if more people understand that sharks are more valuable alive than dead, the better chance we have of preserving our oceans and the oxygen we breathe.

Imagine only one year ago the Whale Sharks in this area were getting finned.  Thanks to photography and awareness exposing the harms of shark finning, the village now runs eco-tours to view the sharks.  As if that wasn't heart-warming enough, now these sharks are part of art!

Above: Roberta Mancino an Italian skydiver, BASE jumper, wingsuit flyer and international model. She has participated in more than 7,000 skydives.

Shark Finning is Bad Business

88 million to 100 million sharks die every year for finning  - all for a Chinese delicacy called Shark Fin Soup. 1/3 of open-ocean sharks are threatened with extinction. Shark finning is not only cruel it is totally unnecessary. Shark fins add no flavor, nutritional, nor medicinal value to the soup yet the soup is considered a symbol of prestige in China. The stronger the Chinese economy becomes, the more demand for the soup increases.

Besides how ruthless finning is (fishermen typically haul sharks out of the water, cut off their fins and toss them back to make more room on their boats where they then suffer up to 3 weeks before suffocating to death), there are much broader issues at stake.

Hannah Fraser, professional Mermaid, ocean environmentalist, performance artist and model, posing with the sharks. She is an underwater pro!

If Sharks Die, It Won't Be Pretty

Because sharks are at the top of the food chain and have few predators, their numbers are slow to replenish when a population is overfished. At the rate things are going, we're set to extinguish sharks entirely in only 10-20 years.  Being apex predators, sharks keep the populations of everything else in the food chain in balance. Sharks are critical to the ocean because they keep the numbers of other fish and mammal species in check and weed out the sick, injured and dying so that populations of fish stay strong and healthy. Without sharks the balance of the ocean's food chain is severely threatened. With an excess of fish eating all the algae, oxygen production on the water's surface decreases.  Climate change anyone?

What you can do:

• Do not patronize a restaurant if you see Shark Fin Soup on their menu. Tell friends and family to do the same. Organizations like WildAid are doing great work to advocate for sharks. Make a donation!
• Join me next summer along with Taro and Shawn Heinrichs on the Seva Trip of a lifetime!  We'll be swimming with Whale Sharks in Isla Mujeres, Mexico and raising money for WildAid.  Subscribe to get the latest updates on the trip.

Above:  Taro is the one the left in the scuba suit pictured with Hannah Fraser. Hannah made her childhood dream of swimming like a mermaid into a career. She can hold her breath forever!

Above: Roberta Mancino with Kristian Schmidt. When she is not modeling underwater or on land, she does it while jumping out of airplanes!

Above: Great one of Hannah Fraser with Kristian Schmidt in the background catching the shot.

This video captures the undercover investigation conducted by our friend Shawn Heinrichs who has been a champion for marine conservation. He and Taro have schlepped all over Asia documenting shark finning.

Self-Promotion as Yoga Teachers: Is it Tasteless or Simply a Method to Share Your Gifts?

Do you love teaching yoga but sense a disdainful undertone toward yoga teachers who promote themselves?  In recent weeks I've been asked about this frequently and thought I'd post a reply on my blog.

Yoga Teacher: If I put myself on Facebook in beautiful yoga poses, create a brand, and a website, doesn't that go against yoga's values?

Amy:  This question is a hot one right now.

If you teach yoga it is likely you have:

• Put hundreds of hours of teacher training under your belt
• Done copious amounts of continuing education
• Traveled long distances to learn
• Invested greatly in your education
• Live and breathe teaching
• Served students to the fullest

Despite this many yoga teachers are poo poo’ed as unprofessional, flakey, scattered and/or held in contempt for promoting themselves.

This can be infuriating when you've invested so much time building your skill set and creating something of value to offer.  You’ve worked hard on making your offering authentic, proficient and meaningful.

Unlike other professionals, the yoga teacher finds themselves in a conundrum between what is considered “yogic” and what many in the media have been calling “the commercialization of yoga”.

Yoga teachers may get "push back" from the media and others who feel that self-promotion and spiritual practice is like mixing oil and water, and that marketing is at best, tacky and inappropriate.

Yoga teachers, much like any other professional (such as healers, doctors, massage therapists, computer consultants etc), want to get the word out about their services.

Unfortunately the result of this push back toward yoga teachers is that they are petrified to get the word out or to use social media for their cause.

We could debate the philosophical arguments on whether spirituality and self-promotion are in fact so diametrically opposed. Historically there are some traditions that argue for asceticism and renunciation, but there are also those traditions (way less prominent voices in the conversation) which invite us into the physical world where engaging in money and transaction are actually considered part of living a skillful life as a yogi.  The teacher has a responsibility to provide meaningful teachings and the student is also responsible for choosing which teacher suits them best.

We’ll leave that topic for the scholars to more fully flush out.

That said, if we look at what yoga does for people, the benefits and virtues are notable:

• Improves health & wellness
• Cuts back on stress (the cause of most disease)
• Connects people to spirit
• Saves lives
• Decreases health care costs
• And on and on…

It’s a shame that this conundrum around marketing and spirituality has made yoga teachers gun-shy about promoting themselves when they are skilled at offering the very things that help people gain access to these benefits.

If yoga teachers don’t inform people about the merits of yoga and what they can offer as a competent teacher, then how do people find the path to those benefits?

Of course, not all yoga teachers have escaped cheesy marketing strategies and their promotions can come across as a bit tawdry.  Given the sensitivity and "push back" in the yoga world, how can a yoga teacher get the word out with sophistication and finesse?

3 Steps to Healthy Self-Promotion as a Yoga Teacher

1. Define your gifts & goals as a yoga teacher. Do you excel teaching one-on-one? Or do you prefer to teach groups of 10 or less students? Do you work best with children? Women? Men? Or can you more effectively work with a larger reach? Make it clear who you work with in your promotional materials and reach out to that kind of student.

2. Craft Your Distinct Message with Sensitivity Once you are clear on your assets and goals find a way to craft your message that is authentic, totally you, and make it classy.  You can't go wrong if your message shares who you are and what you have to offer with sincerity.

Part of tasteful yoga promotion is recognizing that there is indeed touchiness in the yoga world around promotion; therefore, cheesy marketing that overly glamorizes or emphasizes you is not going to cut it.  Instead focus on what the student will receive by working with you.

Show your promotional material to close friends and students who know you well to get feedback before making it public.

3. Confidently Send Out Your Offering! Be confident and enthusiastic in sharing what you have to provide with others, knowing that you are in service and that what you do makes a difference in the lives of your students.

Be unapologetic about your offering.  Spread your gifts on a website, professional Facebook page and by email. Some will like it, some will not.  You never know, there may be a student out there that has a tremendous shift in their world, because of you!

Learn more about our professional education programs for yoga teachers here.

Is Your Yoga Teacher Burned Out? Learn These Warning Signs

Yoga Teacher Burnout is serious. In fact I stopped studying with one of my early yoga teachers when he snapped at a student next to me. That was before I learned from experience that Yoga Teacher Burnout can be just a phase if handled right away.  If a teacher can learn to recognize the early warning signs, they can nip Yoga Teacher Burnout in the bud by taking action on some key areas of their life and teaching.

People become yoga teachers because they fall in love with the practice.  Yoga helps us feel complete, able to share meaningful experiences with others and can save our lives. Teaching yoga, for many, becomes an extension of that love affair.

Despite all that yoga goodness, most yoga teachers will not argue that their teaching can become stale and even boring sometimes.

Yoga teachers often are barely making ends meet, or working so many jobs that they don’t have time for their own practice.

Many are on autopilot, running ragged, and wondering if they need to change professions.

They have lost their love of prepping classes, teaching from their heart, and connecting with their students — these are just a few of the signs that they are going through a “Yoga Teacher Burnout” phase.

Warning signs of Yoga Teacher Burnout:

• Gives little or no hands-on adjustments in class.
• Snaps at students when they don’t understand instructions.
• Presentation has become uncharacteristically stern, austere and unsympathetic.
• Seems to be the unhealthiest and most stressed out one in the room, um…even though they are the yoga teacher.
• They don’t practice yoga any more, they just teach it.
• Overly uses sound bites and cosmic flowery language that seems like they pulled it out of thin air (or their butt).
• Gives an adjustment and throws out their back or gets hurt way too easily (because they don’t practice anymore).
• Mis-directs anger and frustration onto innocent bystanders like their kids and/or significant other.
• “Forgets” to get a sub for their classes or subs all of their classes out.
• Grouchy. Snappy. Cranky. Irritable. Crabby. Cantankerous. Prickly. Huffy.

I've been there, and I've seen it in my colleagues. No yoga teacher is perfect.

To be clear, I'm not talking about those difficult days when we must teach through tough times (loss, divorce, illness, etc...) - everyone must go through that at one time or another.  I'm talking about holding up our end of the bargain to model a balanced lifestyle, and use the tools we have at our disposal to get the TLC we need.

The good news is that these warning signs in no way suggest that a teacher is doomed.  Being burned out can be wake up call and an opportunity.

These action steps can quickly make Yoga Teacher Burnout disappear:

• Going to local classes taught by other teachers Looking at the calendar and finding at least 2 classes a week to attend, taught by peers or a favorite teacher, can be just the ticket to feeling nurtured and inspired again.
• Social Gatherings Teachers who hang out with their students every now and then are naturally more connected to their student's lives and will not surprisingly get more stoked to teach.
• Scheduling in down time as though it is a paying gig Teachers should not wait to see if they have any extra time to do a home practice, get a massage or hike in nature. Scheduling in down time as if it were a gig is the only way to make it happen.
• Optimizing teaching schedule If a teacher has given a class a good 6 months to fill and nothing seems to help, it may be time to find a better time slot. Consider other factors that can cause burn out such as commute, parking, inconvenience to family, etc…
• Revisiting basic texts and being studious again Improving an understanding of yoga philosophy, anatomy or hatha yoga keeps a teacher fresh. Spending 10 minutes day reading up on the subjects that need strengthening is an instant shot in the arm for weary teachers.

With a little focused care, any teacher can re-kindle the enthusiasm of sharing yoga with others and be the best they can be for their students.

Have you noticed any of these warning signs of Yoga Teacher Burnout in your yoga teacher? Got any additional remedies to add that have worked for you? Or do you teach yoga and relate?  Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear.

A Milk Shake You Can Be Proud Of — My Alkalizing Green Coconut Libation

Green Drinks RULE! While playing around in the kitchen this summer I discovered what might be the yummiest (and healthiest) green drink I have made yet!

It’s a heavenly alkalizing green coconut milk shake.  Full of protein, good fats, minerals and delicious, rich, creamy, icy flavor  — this is a filling yet cleansing breakfast treat in the summer!

And best yet, for those not ready for pure green juice without the fruit (which can be sugary), this is a great way to get your greens while still satisfying the craving for a sweet and creamy indulgence.  I would have this for dessert it’s so delicious!

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Pure Fresh Green Juice with no fruit.  Check out the first part of this blog entry to get ideas.

1 1/2 Cup Raw Nut Milk (can be almond, brazil nut, pine nut, macadamia or a combo!) Check out the second part of this blog to learn how to make nut milk. Until you get a nut milk bag for straining, a panty hose knee sock will do the trick!

2 Tbsp organic hemp seeds (Nutiva is a great brand)

1 handful of organic spinach

1 heaping Tbsp Coconut Manna/coconut butter

1 tsp cinnamon to taste and for garnish

½ tsp himalayan sea salt (Real Salt is a great brand)

6-8 ice cubes (or freeze coconut water or coconut milk into ice cube trays for an even creamier/sweeter taste and tecture)

Dash of raw green stevia powder

Blend everything in a Vitamix or Blendtec for best results, however a regular blender may work fine too.  I promise, you’ll sigh a satisfied, “ahh” after every succulent slushy slurp!

9 Reasons Why Competition is Good For Yoga Teachers

“Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is.” ~ Vince Lombardi

Have you ever thought that filling your yoga classes would be so much easier if you had the whole market to yourself with no competition from other yoga teachers?  Do you ever get riled up when other instructors teach at the same time of day?

Come on, admit it, you know you’ve gone there.

As natural as this feeling is, let’s take a good look at “turfi-ness”(which ultimately makes you feel unworthy and like crap) vs. good old-fashioned healthy competition(which is meant to be light-hearted and promote personal excellence).

When a teacher is "turfy," she’s focused on herself rather than the students. While it is important to look out for yourself, it is also important to do so tactfully and in ways that everyone wins.

Here’s the thing: students don’t want to see their yoga teachers getting petty.  They deserve to choose whichever teacher they like and to have teachers who are self-confident enough to handle multiple colleagues in the marketplace.

The way I see it, a little competition is not only a good thing, it is a GREAT thing for yoga teachers and students alike.

Here are 9 reasons why:

Reason #1: It helps grow the yoga market and generate increased demand A key purpose in my life and work as a yoga teacher is to get more people on the mat. More people on the mat is a good thing, since yoga is such a powerful tool for happiness.

When there are more yoga class choices available in a given location, market awareness of yoga increases in greater proportion than the number of available options.

A variety of class offerings shows potential students that yoga is a health option worth their consideration. Also, variety shows that a community is serious about yoga and, therefore,the potential student should be too.

With increased market awareness, would-be yoga students are more likely to take a class.  Think about it: would a town be considered a foodie haven if it only had one restaurant?

Therefore worrying about whether your yoga class at 6pm on Monday is going to conflict with your colleague’s class at the same time is not a good use of your time.

Staggering yoga classes so as not to “compete” with each other keeps market awareness of yoga very low and does not give students options.

Reason #2: It’s natural

Animals do it; children do it; it’s the way the world works. Yogis try so hard not to be competitive, and cringe when they are.

Instead, why not acknowledge that we have inherited this healthy drive over millions of years and be OK with it?  Once you accept competition as a natural instinct, it is a lot easier to embrace the opportunity competition gives us.

Reason #3: It helps all ships rise on the same tide Rather than feeling threatened by your peers, collaborate! Co-teach a workshop, brag about each other on Facebook, attend each other’s classes, and honor the other’s presence in your class by announcing it.

Be friendly and trust that there are enough opportunities for you and your colleagues. A number of teachers rising up and practicing with each other will bring out the best yogi within each of them.

Reason #4: Being OK with competition makes you look like a hero Turfi-ness often slips out in the form of possessiveness (of students or timing of events) with an unappealing sprinkle of entitlement on top. And guess what, this kind of behavior only makes you look bad.

And besides, it’s SO unflattering, believe me.

Examples:

Sometimes yoga teachers can get overly controlling of their students and even ‘dis’ newer, up-and-coming teachers.  Unattractive!

A yoga director at a big studio recently told me that she purposely did not invite a particular instructor to teach a training there because she was so turned off by her possessive behavior. Yikes!

Another colleague told me she was asked to give up her classes at a studio when the owner decided she had had enough of the “combative politics” in my colleague’s style of yoga and did not want that energy in her studio.  Ouch.

Yoga teachers, listen up: if this sounds like you, it is time to let go of being protective of your turf. Otherwise you end up alienating yourself from strategic opportunities and looking like a jerk.

If instead you “roll with it” and trust that there is enough for everyone, you’ll be offered the best gigs, touted for your willingness to share, and praised for thinking about the student first. You’ll become a role model, and not only will your following grow, but other teachers will rally to support you, too!

Reason #5: We live in a big free world.

I’m going to get a little feisty now: Yoga teachers can teach when/where they want and sometimes it will conflict with another teacher’s classes! This is OK!

Yoga teachers that get upset at the overlap need a little dose of reality.  If all professions applied the same tenet that they can’t do the same job at the same time as another, the whole planet would be unemployed.

The premise that another yoga teacher can control the time or place that you teach is kind of silly.  Does that mean that dentist A can’t fill a cavity at the same time as dentist B on the other side of town or even a block away from each other?

I used to get seriously uppity about conflicting events diluting each other. When I lightened up and let go, everything worked out for the best long term, and the market actually grew (See Reason #1).

Reason #6: Provides an alternative for students who are not a good fit for your classes Students are free to experience multiple styles and having more than one teacher helps them index their yoga preferences.  For example, one yoga teacher might not want to teach the 20-something uber-bendy yogis but can better serve the 50+ crowd.

If her colleague prefers the 20-something demographic, then it is a win-win for both teachers. Now they can help cross-refer clients to each other. And the students will be happy to find the right teacher for their needs as well.

Reason #7: It forces you to be creative

Many yoga teachers fall into the dogma that they must set strict standards or hold onto ancient teachings to the point of becoming rigid and even elitist.

Rather than trying to be the best at the same-old, same-old, be creative, innovative and experimental with your offering, and then be the best at your own special version of your yoga.

You’ll stand out from the crowd not by being better, but by simply offering something different that does not necessarily take away from any other yoga teachers.

Reason #8: Variety is the spice of life. Some teachers are so protective of ‘their’ students that they inadvertently hold these students back from developing as yogis.  Getting exposure to a variety of teachers helps students gain insights and tidbits to help their practice move forward.  Insular groups tend to stunt their own growth, lose motivation, and plateau.

I encourage my students to try other methods, try on different teachers, and study. Ultimately their gratitude for my openness makes them quite loyal.

A community of yoga teachers can better serve a yoga student than one territorial-“dissing-other-teachers”-yoga teacher!

Reason #9: Ultimately, it helps you get better. Throughout history, the fiercest competitors have spurred each other on to greatness. If you have no competition, you can become complacent and at best be mediocre.  Someone’s got to raise the bar! So welcome the challenge and be excellent.

Now before you leave that comment…of course not all competition is good — and at some point too much competition just clutters the marketplace and confuses clients. That being said, instead of immediately getting protective and jealous, see how things change for your teaching when you start welcoming and encouraging competition in the yoga world.

You down?

In the comments below, I’d love to hear if you’ve ever had some of these territorial feelings and how you handled competition between yourself and your peers.

Why I Can't Go a Day With Out Juicing

It was a honor to pose as “Miss December” for Jade Yoga’s 2012 wall calendar and print ad in the picture here.  They asked me to do something in the picture that reflected my interests.  The bike thing had already been done, so since I’m totally a green juice fiend, we shot the ad in my kitchen! Spring is right around the corner and the urge to cleanse tends to arise as soon as the weather gets warmer and the light lasts longer in the day, but as the title of this blog suggests, any time is a good time to be juicing!

Actually I can go a day with out juicing, but I'm definitely not as happy, I won't be as energized, and my digestion pales in comparison.  (Insert a finger wagging: "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!")

Juicing has recently become a popular trend, and for good reason.  I’ve been juicing my whole life since my mom whipped one out in the 70’s.  The juicer was collecting dust for the longest time, but in the last five years, juicing has become one of my daily rituals. It is so energizing and cleansing, that I find it hard to live with out.

Apparently 98% of the nutrients in veggies and fruits are trapped inside the fiber capsules of the plant, and our teeth barely access those nutrients when we try to masticate the fiber, giving us access to only 1% of the nutrients or something silly low.

So when you juice, the fiber capsule is blown wide open giving you access to a much larger mega hit of nutrition.  And if you saw the huge bowl of produce I slam through my juicer every morning – it would take you several hours to chew, yet you're getting the nutrition on a much bigger volume of food, thus the mondo blast.

And yes, I still recommend that you eat other veggies during the day to get your daily fiber intake.  Juicing is not a meal substitute – it is like taking your supplements, only so much more fun, appealing and delicious.

People ask me often how to get started and what to juice, so here is the first of many posts with tips, tricks and recipes to help you get on the road to mega nutrition and vibrancy.

What Kind of Juicer To Use

Hands down, the Breville Elite 800 gives the silkiest, most quality juice and is a long lasting easy to clean machine!

Don't skimp and get the model down from the 800! (It is totally not worth the price difference  - the motor is not as hardy and the juice does not come out as smooth).

What kind of Produce to Use

Buy (or preferably grow) produce as fresh and crisp as possible (no soft spots or sogginess!). And definitely buy organic produce since the juicer concentrates everything including pesticides!

Useful Tips

• Always drink the juice with in minutes of making.  The juice begins to lose nutritional value quite soon.  If you have to take it with you, fill up a jar all the way to the top so that the lid touches the juice when you close it – sealing it in with as little oxygen above the juice as possible.
• Worried about your teeth turning a little green? Sip your juice with a straw.
• The Breville 800 is easy to clean.  The only part that can take a wee more time is the mesh filter. I found that a dish brush (the Good Grips kind) actually works better and faster than the one the juicer comes with.
• If you use lemon, put it in last - it works as an astringent to pre-clean the juicer!
• Avoid juicing carrots, beets or other sweet fruit since anything juiced becomes concentrated and these foods are high in sugar to begin with.  Generally I like to drink only green, but in the beginning if you need fruit to make the juice palatable, the following fruits are considered low-sugar:  Granny Smith apples, grapefruit and pear.

Green Turmeric Lemonade

This is a refreshingly tart, liver-cleansing cocktail – great anytime of day, and is especially wonderful first thing in the morning.  The turmeric, if you can get it fresh from Hawaii, is a natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-microbial root that looks like ginger only orange! Turmeric is also amazing for smooth glowing skin.

2 small cucumbers or 1 large 3 handfuls of baby spinach 3 stalks of celery 1 head of Romaine Lettuce (optional) 1 small lemon or half a large lemon 1 green apple or pear 1 inch of fresh turmeric (optional if you can’t find it – best when it looks plump and orange.  Looks like ginger, only a bit smaller. From Hawaii is best.)

Put the celery in first and plunge.  Put a cucumber in with out plunging and fill the space around it with the baby spinach, then plunge.  This way the spinach gets juiced rather than spun through the juicer. Do the same thing with the turmeric to help maximize it. Then juice the Romaine and apple.  Voila!

Top 5 Tips for Marketing A Beginner Yoga Series

As you may know, I recently launched a new online course: Build Your Following: How to Launch a Beginner's Yoga Series. And the success stories have been pouring in! Teachers are rocking it out with SOLD OUT Beginner's Yoga Series and waitlists. This means that even more people are getting on the mat and we are spreading the yoga love! Freaking awesome. Building a successful Beginner's Yoga Series from scratch isn't always easy which is why I created the course as a turn-key solution.

Whether you took the course or not, you still need to prepare and apply ninja marketing skills to spread the word, since new students could be anywhere and are not always easy to find if you are new to an area or live in a rural part of the world.

If you're planning a Beginner's Yoga Series and are struggling to find people out of thin air, here are my top 5 tips for marketing your series with success:

1.  Let your people know! Word of Mouth.

Announce the new series in classes (your own and other teachers). Email your current students, friends, family and everyone you know. Ask everyone to spread the word to their friends and family who are new to yoga - tell them all about the benefits of yoga and why your series will help them. Your current students are your best advocates for your teaching, but if you are new to an area, you'll have to start from scratch and do good old fashioned "networking".  Even if it means starting random conversations with the mail man!

2. Rock your social media skills!

Post regularly on your Facebook and Twitter accounts about your Beginner's Series. Don't be shy about posting every day! Remember: you might be seeing every one of your posts, but chances are, most people are only seeing a fraction of your posts. Also - be sure to reach out to other online communities in your area. Make a CTA (call to action) that specifically asks people to share, retweet and post about your series.

3.  Feature the series on your website.

Put your Beginner's Yoga Series info in a prominent place on your website, the studio's website, your Facebook Page and any other online outlet available.  And link to it, link to it, link to it!

4.  Link to your series in your email signature.

Even if you aren't emailing a prospective yogi, include a link in your email signature that promotes the course. You never know who might be your next student!

5.  Start marketing early and don't get discouraged!

Keeping a positive attitude and visualizing a yoga room filled to capacity with new beginners can make a huge impact on your outcome. Get creative, stay inspired and don't give up!

Get advice from someone who's been there!

The teachers who've taken Build Your Following: How to Launch a Beginner's Yoga Series have some great marketing tips to share, too.  Read on to hear their advice.

I hope that these ideas help you build an amazing beginner yoga series, and, ultimately, introduce more people to the benefits of yoga. The world needs you!

Here's more advice from fellow teachers like you!

KM:  Add a question to your the feedback form, what would it take to keep you coming back? Or a discount or freebie for their first punch card? Do the beginners return for another beginner series? Inquiring minds want to know!

YS:  Tried discounts but will try again (i.e. 10% if you sign up during the week following end of intro) and yes... quite a few take the intro again. This year offering 2 kinds of intros, one 4 week (4 classes), another 4 week (12+ classes :-)... hope one leads to the other.

Taro Smith:  Social interaction is the number one reason for coming back to classes yet it is the most underrated. Remembering names, having forums so students can chat with each other, asking questions of students, having them add value in some way to the class. You can also take it off the mat by having students connect with a FB professional page where you can keep dialog running.

KO:  Guerrilla marketing all the way -- I get 75% of my students by personally inviting them. Put a bunch of postcards/flyers in your purse and hand them out to everyone -- I invited the beer stock-er at my local co-op and he's now a devoted student -- loves it for remedying his back pain. Invite people to come --anyone (friend/acquaintance) who has ever expressed an interest in yoga -- send them a postcard with a handwritten note like -- I hope you will join me! Really, I grow my classes by appealing to everyone I know and it works. And, they love the personal invite. And keep inviting people -- I just perceive myself as a yoga class hostess and it is really working. My 4 classes are solidly at 10-12 people enrolled for 12 week sessions -- and growing. I am all about personal attention and people love it! I live in rural Wisconsin -- so its challenging yoga terrain. This approach is working great and 90 Minutes has helped me a lot.

KH:  How about leaving some flyers with your hairdresser? They see and speak to lots of people every day and can help spread the word....

NR:  Thanks! Hairdressers, chiropractors, acupuncturist, flower shops, colonics place, health food shops, ups store what have I missed? :-))

JI:  How about gyms (that don't offer yoga)? Dry cleaners? Local health-conscious restaurants?

LS:  Have you seen the bulletin boards in almost every STARBUCKS? There's a spot for us on those boards!

PS:  One simple way I market to teens is I list my age requirement for my adult classes as 14+ years old. I also teach Teen and Tween Yoga classes, which I market in their PTA newsletters and participate in any school-sponsored fitness event (for free with flyers in hand) to get the word out, like Family Fitness Night and I even did yoga for school volunteers before they had a planting day. I have sent constant contact emails to the athletic coaches and PE teachers at the middle and high schools in my area, and I hang flyers on any community bulletin board I can find. The most effective marketing though is through my best ambassadors... my own teenage daughters!

... And here are a few more ideas I found online:

Try a referral program, like “refer a friend” or “bring a friend to yoga class” with your current students – for Beginner Series, you could offer existing students a free class if they refer someone to your beginner series, and their friend could get a discount.

Some great ideas from http://www.ivillage.com/how-can-i-market-my-new-yoga-business/7-n-221241  include: - Volunteer to write a community newspaper column or do a local radio show - offer free workshops or talks at schools, college athletic centers, libraries, health fairs, sports expos, health food stores - Visit the athletic departments of schools and universities and let coaches know about your services.

A few more good ideas here: http://www.wikihow.com/Advertise-a-Yoga-Class such as: -Write a press release about the benefits of yoga, then send it to local television and print reporters. Follow up by calling to invite reporters to attend your class at no charge.

Have other tips to share?  Leave a comment below!

Build Your Following: How to Launch a Beginner's Yoga Series

Get Started NOW!

Plus, read about the breakthrough results yoga teachers and studio owners have been getting by applying what they learned in this mini-course!

“Fantastic webinar! I would encourage everyone to use Amy's tools as a core model and expand the application as your practice grows. Love this community! Namaste.” - Anna Watson

“I set up my series for Jan. 21st for four weeks! Thank you, Amy for the tools to actually make it happen! I am so excited and inspired! I seriously cannot thank you enough! xo” - Amanda Meehan

“Our Beginner Series enrollment number was up to 17 and our original cap was 15, we thought ‘oh, whats 2 more’. Now the studio owner just sent a text to see if 20 would be OK!” - Nan Hartsell Vuncannon

“Amy, Thanks for the webinar! I am really excited to get into the studio on Monday and schedule my first beginner's series.” - Darcy Elman

“Awesome Webinar Amy! Thank you for presenting from both the perspectives of the studio and the individual teacher. Great balance!” - Vicki Tarrant

“I'm so JAZZED to be a part of this launch with all of you!!! Beginning my 6 week series mid-Jan.!! Studio space secured, website up and running, postcards are out, potential students are getting excited, one student registered already, and still 4 weeks before start date! (I did all of this in two weeks!???) THANK YOU Amy for the motivation and INSPIRATION! Your webinar has ROCKED my world - I'm actually doing the work that I LOVE! xo” - Vila Maya King

“Awesome webinar - learned so much! I feel much better prepared for opening day...” - Maria Delgado Richardson

“So helpful... thank you so much. All of the courses have been extremely helpful and inspiring (and stress relieving ;)” - Janelle Fleur Kroon

“Thursday evening session is now FULL!!!! I have started a wait list...YAY!” -Kimberly Bragg Werner

“I am on a yoga high! I just had my first class of my six-week beginner series and the place was packed! We ran out of mats! Only four people had officially registered, so I wasn't expecting very many, but they just kept coming! I was so nervous because I am a relatively new teacher and have never done a beginner series. And I'm new to the area and don't know the community yet. But it went really well and people seemed excited about next week. I couldn't have been able to do this without Amy and this program. Thank you everyone for being an inspiration!”  - Randi Kay Martin

“It's happening! My series starts next Wednesday. Class is full and I have started a waiting list for the next 6 week series! I asked my students to fill out questionnaires online so that I can review them before classes begin... good thing because it's giving me time to research health issues I am not familiar with. It's not only allowing me to connect with my students before I meet them, it's reinforcing my belief that our responsibility as yoga teachers is to share this gift with EVERYONE we can get our hands on! There are people in serious NEED of yoga out there. Again - thanks Amy, you're brilliant for recognizing this need, creating an easy to follow format to inspire teachers and beginners, and for the huge support of the Facebook group to help all of us make it happen!” - Vila Maya King

“Thank you so, so much, Amy. My first Beginner Course is starting on the 18th and it booked out completely, so I put on a second course to accommodate a few people who didn't get into the first one. It turns out that the second course booked out as well. I cannot believe it, 30 new students who want to give yoga a shot, it's so exciting. Couldn't have done it without you Amy and all the great ideas and tips from everyone in this group.” - Sibylle Dallmann

“My Elements of Yoga series began tonight. Our small space can hold ten tight but I opted to only allow six. I had three beautiful new yoginis show up to the mat. I almost cried with joy. It was my very first class in my new space. What a treat! Thank you so much, Amy, for your workshop. I was a nervous wreck until 6pm and now I'm floating on a yoga cloud. And celebrating with a glass of red. Being a part of this group also gave me ideas that made planning much easier. Namaste y'all!” - Amanda Powell-Wooten

"Oh. My. Goddess! So....I sold out my class! It starts on February 4th so I thought 'Hey Sandi, why not offer a second session on those same days in February and see what happens?' So, I opened the next class up on my site this morning...and people are already booking it! This tells me people are hungry for yoga, but we have obviously sent out a message that not every one is 'yoga material.' Amy's script for marketing this class is pure inspiration...and maybe a little genius mixed in thar too...Smooch! - Sandi Burden

New Year's Love Letter

I'm writing this from 9800 feet during a gusty blizzard, contemplating the numerological significance of the year 2012. (I'm a nerd!) When you add 2 + 0 + 1 + 2 you get 5, known as the "wild card" number. This means anything can happen!

It turns out the number 12 itself represents tribes, and the need for people to come together to look after and help one another.

Twelve divides down to 3, and the number 3 symbolizes nurturing, creativity, and solution-oriented thinking.

Lord knows we need a "can do" spirit to respond consciously to the intense circumstances in the world, and these numbers suggest that we must do this through our collective intelligence. Truly we can solve any issue if we band together!

Part of this revolution involves including our youth in this conversation. As we enter the Aquarian Age, listening to their words and insights will be a vital. This year I learned so much from teachers younger than me!

2011 was the year to pump up our own volume. 2012? We take on the WORLD. It is more than time to give a damn. In 2012, we will come together, through the wild uncertainty before us, and...be the light that gives others permission to shine.

And that's the new name of my 2012 Tour: Be the Light

There is so much to look forward to, so much good we can do together. More than ever I can't wait to do these things with you.

THANK YOU, my amazing readers. You have made 2011 beyond tremendous and you have made such leaps and bounds on your journey. Here's to more!

As always, please leave a comment below and tell me what you plan to do in 2012 to shine your light with others.

Big love and gratitude,

Amy

(Picture above taken in Gubbio, Italy with Taro!)

Learn These 4 Steps To Leading Like a Bad-Ass

I recently watched the movie "Bobby" and was sobered to be reminded of how the same issues we are dealing with today were alive and well in 1968. (Think deteriorating ozone layer, climate change, violence, and species extinction to name just a few.) While we have made a ton of progress, in some ways we still have barely made a dent, 40 years later.  And of course many of these issues have quadrupled in impact.

What gives? It is so time to step up the progress on this badly needed revolution of consciousness, and it starts with our selves and how we relate to each other.

Those who are stepping up to become who they know they can be will be the ones to bring about transformation on the planet.

This is the difference between ordinary leadership and "transformational leadership".

4 Evolutionary Relationship Strategies To Bring On the Revolution

Step 1. Take Responsibility For How You Are Showing Up (Physically, Mentally and Emotionally) I heard someone say that they had a sign up in their office that reads: “Please take ownership for the energy you bring to this space.” and how about this Oprah quote:

"Nobody is responsible for your life but you. You are responsible for the energy you bring to yourself and to others."

Owning your state of being is critical because you actually participate in how you show up, versus allowing un-examined energy to run-a-muck.

For example, if you get enough sleep, eat nourishing organic meals through out the day, and exercise regularly, chances are you’ll feel and perform at your highest physically.  On the other hand, when you get out of physical balance, you show up sub-par.

If you regularly examine the way you talk to yourself and you are a disciplined “gatekeeper” of your own mind and speech, chances are your mental state will be more positive and focused.

Are you letting yourself drown in one negative thought after the next or do you consciously choose your thoughts and speech?

More importantly, do you examine the beliefs that you have behind those thoughts, such as, “I’ve always had an issue with my shoulder”, “The problem is that my XYZ keeps me from being able to do this or that,” or “No one wants to date me since I am divorced with two kids”?

Or do you reframe your speech and say instead, “Up until now I’ve had shoulder issues,” “I am confident that I’ll be able to do this or that”, or “There are plenty of people who want to share life with me and my kids.”

When you feel things, do you tend to overly identify with the feeling saying something like “I am angry” instead of “I feel angry”?

Can you articulate how emotions feel in your body so it is easier to verbalize and then let those feelings move on?  Or do you suppress, stifle or ignore them?  After all, emotions should move (thus the word “motion” in emotion!).

Step 2: Bring More of Your Self to Others

Everyone rocks at something, yourself included.  Are you truly offering your best to the people around you?  Are your God-given gifts getting the full expression they deserve so that you can benefit others?

When you are in relationship do you focus on what you could get vs. what you could give?

Ask anyone in a relationship how it’s going, and they will tend to talk all about what their partner does or does not do for them.  How many would answer that question with an account of everything they do or don’t do for their partner?  Of course we want both give and take, but where is the emphasis?

We live in community. There is value in looking at the big picture first - that what is best for the whole can also be best for the individual.

When you think of how your choices or actions might benefit the community versus thinking of just your own needs, you are often rewarded 10 fold in the long run.

Step 3. Be Reliable, Accountable and Consistent

Consistency creates grooves.  Grooves create focus.  Focus creates transformation.  When you are reliable, people can count on you to keep your promises, and when you are steadfast, you build trust and belief.

And I’ve learned that when people believe…wow, anything is possible.

Moreover, when you are reliable, accountable and consistent for YOU, you’ll believe in yourself more, your self-esteem will skyrocket, and you will move mountains.

I’ve found that the best way to stay accountable for the promises I make to myself is to keep track of the times I do, and to celebrate them.

There’s nothing like positive reinforcement to shake up samsaric (repetitive, habitual) behavior.

Step 4. Design and Craft your Relationships Consciously

It is vital to design the kind of relationships you want to be in.

One summer, I made a vow that I would say yes to hanging out with a certain group of people that I admired.

I admired them for their positive attitudes, their creativity, their evolution thus far in life, and their successes.  When I was with them, I felt inspired; I felt on track with my goals, and supported in being as badass as I could be, in all areas of my life.

I consciously sought their good company and then made choices to be around them, even taking more time off of my teaching schedule. As a result, I think I have helped more people this year than any other, thanks in large part to the great company I’ve kept.

Make a list of new connections you can invite into your circle and raise the bar on the quality of your life and your own evolution!

You Can Do This

Show up as the powerful being that you know you are.  Keep on shifting and waking up, because every single one of you is here to love people, lift them up and serve the planet.

Love and Lessons from Umbria, Italy

Every time I'm on our retreat in Italy, I receive continuous reminders about how gorgeous nature and the world can be. Astonishing really. We've had a perfect recipe for inspiration and greatness this year with Douglas Brooks sharing on the "ferocity of love" and the wonderful company we've shared.

Someone at the retreat turned to me the other day and said, "Thank you for reminding me why I am here."

Douglas said it best when he shared:

"Because life is such a strange, wonderful gift, there is really nothing wrong with us. Treasure that Gift."

Gratitude is pouring.

Here I am pondering beauty and abundance after picking pomegranates, pears, figs and more from the gardens in the Umbrian countryside. Treasuring every moment...