New Years Resolutions

Happy New Years Eve!
With the rebel princess napping, I thought I would take a minute to post my resolutions, goals, hopes, etc for the upcoming year! They are simple, and probably are the same as the majority of people, but it's still important for me to write them out and send those thoughts out into the Universe!

• Create a daily home yoga practice. I struggle with filling up my "free time" with things other then scrolling through my Facebook feed or pinning wonderful things on Pinterest. This year, I want to dedicate at least 30 minutes every day to a home yoga practice. Whether it's physical or only meditation.
• Have more patience. This in particular as we are approaching our first year with a budding toddler :)
• Be a better yoga teacher. You are always the student in yoga (and in life). There is always much more to learn, more to discover. My goal is to trust myself as a yoga teacher, and trust in my ability to lead my students into a wonderful place the hour + that they are with me.
• Budget better. Growing up, any free money we had was usually spent right away on fun things. I still have the mentality and I know it stresses my husband out. I got our food budget finally under control, now with me working and earning extra money, I need to get my personal budget under control.
• Pay more on my student loans. Speaking of money, in February of this year I will start paying the loan for my YTT program. It is only S96/month, but my goal will always be to pay more on it. Whether it is only a few dollars more, or a hundred more.
• Be less attached. Including (but not limited to): electronics, expectations, material, and monetary.
• Become a doula. This is so important to me and I am not sure if it will be feasible this year,but I sure will try!
• Finally, and perhaps the most important one, start planning our conscious conception. The hubby and I have talked a lot about when we want another baby. We don't want there to be too big of an age gap between our children, but we understand the importance of letting our bodies and our budget get to a healthier point where we will be ready for another child. The earliest we will start trying to get pregnant will be at the end of 2015, but I want this to be my healthiest year yet, and Joe's too. Conscious conception is a process in where you get rid of the toxins in your body and life, and replace them with only good, healthy, wonderful things (think food, relationships, etc) as you prepare to have another child. It's like a 9 month+ journey, just to prepare to be your best self and give your baby the best while it's in your womb.

Those are my goals, wishes, dreams for the upcoming year. What are yours?

Looking Forward To 2015

Hi friends!
So today I met with Stephanie, the owner of a new store called Modern Milk opening up in Scottsdale. Here is her bio, as posted on the website:
"Stephanie, Founder of Modern Milk, has a long history in Women's Health. She began her career as a Postpartum Nurse and later moved on to work in Labor & Delivery and High-Risk Antepartum. She then received her degree as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and left the hospital setting for the office setting, where she cared for a wide variety of patients at Camelback Women's Health.  After having her own children and meeting other moms, she noticed there was a strong need for breastfeeding support in the community, which is why she started Modern Milk. Stephanie loves being able to combine her passion for women's health with her passion for helping other moms. She believes that all moms need support and the more moms she can help, the better!"

I am very excited to announce that I will be part of this amazing facility, as a prenatal and mommy and me yoga teacher! My tentative schedule will be Sunday mornings, 10am-11:15am Prenatal and 11:30am-12:30pm Mommy and Me (6weeks up to crawling). There isn't a for sure set date of opening, but she is hoping to get the store opened by January 19th, with my classes being taught the 21st!

Also starting in 2015, I will begin teaching Prenatal Yoga at Ha Yoga in Tempe on Wednesday evenings! Class with go from 6:30-7:30pm! I met with Nikki, the owner who is one rad chick! She is also a doula, so I look forward to chatting all about that once I figure out where I will get my training from. You can check out all the info on her studio here!

I am no longer teaching Prenatal Yoga at Aloha Yoga in Chandler. In the new year, I will have the same time slot, Saturday mornings 10:45-11:45am but I will be teaching Restorative Yoga! I am nervous because I don't have a lot of experience teaching restorative, but I know that it will work out and hopefully bring more students into the studio! It is one of the most beautiful spaces!

Of course, you can still find me Sundays at 1pm at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale! Next Sunday is Mommy and Me, at 1pm! The class is for babies 6 weeks up to crawling! We sing, move, and just have fun laughing and playing with the babies! Hope to see you there!

I hope the new year brings in everything you are wanting and a few dashes of things you are needing! Make it your best year yet!

Namaste :)

WYCFMTW December 20-21st & Some Thoughts On The PYTT This Past Weekend

Hello friends!
Here is where you can take a class from me this week :)

Prenatal Yoga at the gorgeous Aloha Yoga in Chandler! Click here for some great holiday pricing on yoga classes! Your first class is free!

This week is Mommy & Me Yoga at Spa Lamar! I love this class! Seeing the littles grow every week and enjoying movement with their mommas :) This class is open to ALL caregivers! For babies 6 weeks up to crawling! 1pm-2pm!

After completing the prenatal yoga teacher training at swiha this past weekend (for the 2nd time) I have this renewed passion about natural births (true natural births) and helping women own their power as a mother. As soon as I am able to, I want to do my doula training, preferably through Sacred Pregnancy. I just have this passion about the whole birthing process, and want my life to really be about building women up as they prepare to give birth and raise babies! I could go on and on about my love for everything related to this topic, but the babes are waking up from their nap! Until next time my friends,
Namaste!

Things To Look Forward To In 2015

Hello! I just wanted to let you guys know of some exciting changes happening to my schedule for the New Year!
First, Saturdays at 10:45am with now be Restorative/Yin Yoga at Aloha Yoga and Hula. The class will still be a safe and soothing practice for expecting mommas. A restorative class is a great way to start the weekend feeling renewed and recharged! Yoga gurus say if yoga were a buffet, restorative would be the dessert bar :) But this class won't make you gain weight, just love!

I will also start teaching Wednesday evenings at the newly expanded Ha Yoga in Tempe! Classes will be Wednesday from 6:30-7:30pm. I will have more information on both of these classes in the upcoming weeks!

There are no classes scheduled this weekend as I am assisting the wonderful Gila Shire in the Prenatal Yoga Course at SWIHA. I think there is still time to register (the first portion of the class starts tonight, at 6pm). This class was life changing for me and my career. I highly recommend it, whether your a yoga teacher looking to add a new teaching skill, someone passionate about women's birth rights and natural births, or just a momma wanting to have more information about safe yoga practices while pregnant! It is a beautiful, informative, powerful class that I highly recommend!

That is all for now, hope your week has been a great one! Write soon,
Namaste

Where you can find me this week Saturday Nov. 29th-Sunday Nov. 30th.

Hi all!  Here are the places you can find me this week:

Prenatal Yoga at Aloha Yoga and Hula in Chandler

Also, Prenatal Yoga at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale

Both have groupons and holiday packages available, so make sure to stop by and check out the discounts and deals!

I have another exciting announcement! I was asked to assist in the 20 hour prenatal yoga course at SWIHA! This is just so awesome because I was in love with the class and it really solidified my want to teach prenatal yoga. The instructor, Gila, is an excellent mentor and one that I look up to deeply. She is also a doula, which I hope to be one day. You don't have to be a YTT student to sign up for the class, in fact most aren't! If you want to learn about natural birthing, breastfeeding, natural parenting, safe yoga poses for pregnant women, and so much more, consider signing up! You will not be disappointed! You can register HERE. I will be teaching a 30 minute prenatal sequence as well during the course.

Classes taught this week: November 16th to the 23rd.

 This week, I teach tomorrow, November 16th Prenatal Yoga at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale, 1pm-2:15pm.

Then Saturday, November 22nd I teach Prenatal Yoga at Aloha Yoga & Hula in Chandler, 10:45am-11:45am. Please share with anyone you know who is expecting! There are no previous yoga requirements, and as long as you are cleared for exercise by your doctor, you are welcome to come! Poses are always modified for the individual! Hope to see you there my friends!
Namaste!

Why Prenatal Is So Beneficial

Hi friends!
So you may have figured out that I teach prenatal yoga...and you may have even noticed that I am pretty passionate about it. You also may be wondering why I think it is so beneficial. Sure it's good to move your body and "exercise" right? Yes, but when you are pregnant, the specific movements that you will find in a prenatal class can not only impact your new body, but the life growing inside it as well.

Say whaaaat.

I know. So, here is a little (by all means NOT inclusive) list of why you should consider doing Prenatal Yoga when you are pregnant:

Breath Awareness
This is something you should find in any good yoga class. There are three parts to yoga: asana (poses), meditation, and breath. Bringing attention to the breath has a calming effect on the mind and thus the body. When you are asked to focus on your breath in class (you will usually be taught a breath such as Ujjayi or 3 Part Breath)your drawing your attention inward. Your breaths are deeper, more penetrating. You bring awareness into filling the belly, expanding the rib cage, and lifting the chest. Your oxygen levels literally power up! Amazing. For pregnant women, this can mean bringing the breath back into tight spaces that have been replaced by a growing babe. Having awareness and control of the breath also comes handy when it comes to labor and delivery, regardless of your birth plan. Taking yoga class early in your pregnancy will help you to learn about breathing techniques sooner and help you to use them when it is time to deliver your baby.

Strengthening of the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles that form a bowl attached to the pelvis. This muscle supports the vital reproductive and digestion organs, as well as the baby during pregnancy. Why is knowing this important? Well the weight that accumulates on the pelvic floor while pregnant weakens it, which can cause a multitude of problems down the road including prolapse or sagging of the uterus, bladder, and rectum and urinary/stool incontinence. Yikes right? In prenatal yoga classes, you are taught how to strengthen your pelvic floor with the asana and breath. After you go through the process of delivering and stretching all those muscles, you can use these techniques to strengthen them back up. Even if you are having a cesarean section, there is still weight put on the pelvic floor during pregnancy, so these exercises are still very beneficial to you.


Aches, Pains, & Circulation
It's no secret that your body will change while pregnant. Your center of gravity will shift as you get bigger, your blood circulation will be directed towards the baby causing swelling in the extremities, and your shoulders and backs will ache as the number on scale goes up. Fun stuff. So how does yoga help? Well for starters, we work on poses that will ease tension in the typically painful areas of the body during pregnancy. Hint, there are a lot of hip openers! Which are juicy poses for everyone, not just expecting mommas. Hip opening poses such as pigeon, goddess, and bound ankle pose release the lower back, stretch the adductor muscle, and relieve tension. Balancing postures such as tree pose, warrior 3 at the wall, and warrior 2 increase blood circulation throughout the legs, decreasing the chance of blood clots forming and swelling. These postures, modified and done safely, will provide the ultimate relief for any aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Restorative yoga, again modified for a pregnant woman, can also provide deep relaxation and releasing of the muscles.

Prenatal classes are also fun! They are a chance to meet other moms and they provide a moment to bond with your growing baby. They pull together movement with breath and meditation to form a truly unique experience. Check out your local prenatal classes!

You can find myself teaching at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale and Aloha Yoga in Chandler.
Tempe moms, stay tuned for Prenatal coming to you very soon :)
Namaste!

Mommy and Me Yoga at Spa Lamar

Just a reminder I teach Mommy and Me Yoga for babies 6 weeks up to crawling every other Sunday at Spa Lamar in Scottsdale, Arizona! 1pm to 2pm!
Hope to see you new mommies there!

Prenatal Yoga At Aloha Yoga and Hula

Hi there!! I hope everyone is having a lovely day!
I wanted to share that I am teaching the first Prenatal Yoga class this Saturday, November 8th at Aloha Yoga and Hula in Chandler, Az!!

I hope to see my expecting mommas there!

Slow Flow Yoga

Hi Friends! Tonight I am teaching a Slow Flow/Yin Yoga class at Aloha Yoga and Hula in Chandler! Please come by to relax, renew, and unwind! Something we ALL could use a little more of!