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Leave me feedback! eyogaclass@gmail.com or leave me a message on SpeakPipe Come see me at the New Media Expo in January!  Tenacious Gratitude Thoughts? I can tell you mine. Tenacious didn’t quite feel “right” with me. I felt that being tenacious was not something I aspired to be. It’s too rough. Too hard. Too pushy. Too manly. I imagined the quintessential football player, the one that just stampedes over the competition regardless of anything else, bulldozing through pain, through obstacles, through physical harm - Raaaaaaaaaaah!!!! I’m not that. In fact, it kinda repulsed me. I didn’t want to be known as tenacious. And then I was introduced to Adeline Arjad from Chocbite by my awesome-sauce business powerhouse Erika Lyremark. Arlene said: “Tenaciousness + Gratitude = Success” And then it made sense. This larger than life word that I had chosen not to align with at all, became more than my subjective cultural upbringing and life experience. I let the word be. Tenacious: not easily stopped or pulled apart. Fi

It’s episode 100 of Elsie’s Yoga Class! This is not a yoga asana class today, but my goodness what we have is serious yoga study and conversation. This is super special because it’s the 100th episode and also my 6th year podcasting!!! In order to celebrate I gathered two of my most influential teachers and we have incredible conversations about yoga and life. The kinds of things that are shared are the best kind of yoga you can learn and be exposed to. Listening will undoubtedly take your asana practice to an unbelievable level. I ask my teachers the questions that you guys most often write to me about which are: Dealing with an at home yoga practice Deepening your practice Applying your practice Transformative daily practice Becoming a yoga teacher and the best way to go about it Prenatal yoga and post natal/postpartum practices In addition to all of that you will hear YOUR voices. I share your voices so you know that you are part of something so much bigger than this yoga podcast, so much more amazing. Ou

I just wrote a post called When The World Doesn’t See You As You See Yourself, which was the basis for this episode. The execution of embodiment, which to me = action is what I feel in my humble opinion is a giant factor in creating lasting embedded change in our lives and something that most of us lack. We think a ton and don’t actually do anything. I know that I stay a lot in my head. I have the knowledge. I know what needs to be done. I am fired up and completely in, and yet for a huge percentage of the times, I stay in my head. In that last post I spoke of your yoga practice being 1/2 deep focus and 1/2 pure enjoyment. This is a teaching that was so succinctly encapsulated and driven home by Dr. Claudia Welch in one of the amazing calls in Cate Stillman’s and Dr. Welch’s Healthy Hormone’s Course. (If you guys are interested, I cannot even begin to explain how life changing this course is) Dr. Welch described this focus and enjoyment concept regarding meditation and as she explained it, I realized that thi

Oh what a story do I have to tell in this episode! At least you know what’s it’s going to be all about looking at the artwork for this post. That image was taken very soon after I walked through my door after I got held up. I found both of my girls immersed in watching My Neighbor Totoro one of our family’s favorites. Such dichotomy. You can of course listen to me tell the story of the whole event in the class. There is a 5 minute intro and then the class begins with me telling the story of how I got held by a young man with a gun a block away from my house. Crazy! This is a great class to practice when you are feeling ungrounded, defeated and/or a little scared. It’ll help you get your moxie on and help you reconnect to your strength! I mention two links in the intro: Yogidetox My free newsletter which is The Divine Moxie League HQ Also, do to the tragic events this week in Boston and in Texas I wrote this deeply personal piece that I’d love for you to check out: Surviving Terror- A Personal Story Let me kno

When was the last time you invested in yourself? I’m not talking about buying something, whether it be a yoga class, a workshop or even a nice new outfit. I’m talking about taking some REAL time to be with yourself, to feel your body, to listen to what’s going on in your heart and in your head. When was the last time you did this right smack in the midst of holiday season? Particularly when you weren’t feeling your best….? Then this class is for you! Practice along and…. Reconnect with yourself. Ground you energy so you don’t end up saying or doing something you totally don’t want to do. Empower yourself to take care of yourself in the best way possible Feel Good! Get your yoga high on right when you need it the most! So get going and practice yoga at your own time and yet be part of something much greater  Goodies and Inspiration Mentioned in the Intro Wanna support the podcast? Buy the Elsie’s Yoga Class App! Get if for your iPhone/iPad orAndroid. Love Floracopeia as much as I do, get 25% of your first p

How Are You…Really? How many times has someone asked you “how are you?” and you mindlessly say “I’m fine, thanks.” When you are not. When I say, you are not, I don’t mean that you just had someone you love die, or you just lost your home, or your job, or you just found our your beloved was cheating on you…I mean “you are not,” because you don’t actually know anymore. “I’m fine, thanks” is something we say countless times and most of those times, we don’t even think about it. Our mouths answer before we even truly think about what we are saying. It really isn’t that your life sucks. In fact it’s probably a nice life. There are ‘things’ that aren’t perhaps what you wish they were…but hey, you have tons of things that other people don’t…a place to live, friends, a decent partner…blah blah blah. At least that’s what you tell yourself. BUT there is something in your belly, a slight little feeling, that your life isn’t where it’s meant to be. It’s that feeling that you only feel when everything around you gets quie

This yoga class is simple Nothing fancy. No crazy poses. In fact, there are very little poses. This is more of a practice of just doing THIS. One. Thing. It's more about dharana- one pointed concentration. It's about stopping doing all things at once (including quickly getting a yoga class in as part of your continued multitasking.) ;) Let me know what you think! This is a new format as the class was recorded at home, with no students, just you guys and me! Look below for the yoga class sequence. Episode 94 Links! The awesomely fantastic tunic colca, which I ADORE. This is one of my favorite pieces of clothing from [Prancing Leopard[pl], the Tunic Colca. It's sort of like a super sophisticated and styly racerback ribbed tank top. It's got this KILLER asymmetrical neckline that totally rocks, and it's crazy long. It totally covers by bum. It's so comfy. It looks great, it's awesomely fashionable AND I can very easily breast feed in it. Seriously, you gotta get it! Remember to use coupon code eyk at checkout to

Discover The Eve Of Your Breath FINALLY!!! The more I live my life, the more I recognize that the most important aspect of the practice of yoga is the breath. Every key insight either about me, a specific pose, the way my body functions or even my relationships has come through a growth in the breath. I remember two distinct times while practicing backbends that they unfolded themselves to me when I FINALLY breathed optimally while working deeper into the postures. I also remember my first feeling of wholeness as I let go into savasana for the first time, I believe because I released into my breath for the first time. The breath has particularly played a ginormous part in staying sane after the birth of Mae and becoming a Mama of two, through three pretty powerful experiences with pain and discomfort (during labor, when my sacrum went out 2 weeks after birth and when my impacted wisdom tooth got infected.) The breath just came to my aid recently, not regarding to pain this time, but anxiety You can hear how t

I've been at home A LOT lately. My body has gone through a pretty massive transformation since giving birth, as it should, since it facilitaded an entire new human being to come out! My goodness does that still keep me in awe. It floors me when I think of what this body is capable of. If something is magical, it's our bodies :) I'm also keenly aware that as magical and intuitive as it is it MUST be nurtured. I had my sacrum/si completely go out on me about 4 weeks postpartum. Thank God my parents were here visiting at that time. I could barely get out of bed, let alone pick up my infant daughter! It was rough. No amount of yoga therapy instantanously 'healed' me. In fact, the simple act of sitting and standing was excruciating. It was then that I learned, um...RE-learned that yoga is not about the poses. The gifts that yoga has given me have nothing to do with the poses, but with the simple and all powerful discovery of being, breathing and feeling. This discovery comes from the un-abiding choice recognize an

I know there are some of you still in the midst of Winter. Maybe your winter has been going on for so long you're not sure how to deal with it or if you can deal with it. Winter, or at least the qualities of winter, the darkness in particular, that darkness that forces you to remain inward, to cover yourself, and to slow down is great in little bits but when it's prolonged it can get challenging. Some of you may be physically going through Winter, the season, while some of you may be going through an emotional or spiritual winter, even though the sun is brightly shining all around. In this level 2 yoga class we go use our bodies and our hearts to fully step into the darkness, see it as an opportunity to root and ground into all that we are capable of so that we may welcome springtime and blossom through light. I am 8 months pregnant. When I recorded this class I was 4 months along, barely out of my first trimester having gone through a rough and long winter time. My beautiful new little life needed me to rema

The theme for this class was inspired by one of my friends Hillary Rubin. She has this amazing post plus video, asking questions that needed to be asked at that moment....hmmmmm. Or at least I needed to ask these questions ;) It was all about RUNNING OUT OF GAS! Well, at least for me it was about running out of gas. It made me think about the various ways that we deal with running out of gas: We make sure to make time to consistently fill up the gas tank at a specific time of the week/month to make sure we always have a full gas tank. We play it by ear. We know relatively when we are 'really' gonna run out of gas and choose to milk it for all it's worth and PRAY we don't run out of gas before we barely make it to the gas station. We recognize we are running out of gas but circumstances around us at the time (we got lost and are now in a looooong stretch or road without a gas station in site) don't let us fill up the gas tank. We are going to run out of gas. I fit into number 3. Before becoming a Mama, I flu

This week show is brought to you by Ice.com, please visit ice.com/yogaclass to get 25% off sitewide. I'm getting soooo fancy! This class was inspired by one of you lovely people. The mighty Jennessa posted on my Facebook wall asking if I would consider doing a prenatal class in the next couple of weeks and voila! Here it is. Here is the disclaimer: This class is aimed at pregnant women that already have a working knowledge of yoga and have done yoga prior to attempting doing this audio yoga class OR that recently have decided to practice yoga because they heard that yoga was good when you are pregnant. Always be mindful of your own body and consult your doctor or midwife before attempting any physical activity such as this class. This yoga class is not medical advice. Sorry to be so serious but it comes from my deep desire for you to choose what's best for you and to be mindful of the choices that you make especially when you have a beautiful little life growing inside of you. Given that, this prenatal yoga

This whole podcasting thing has taken a life of it's own. You guys are my inspiration. You are what keeps me going. Yet again, I was inspired by another one of you. This podcast episode is dedicated with love to the virtual kula, specifically to Michelle and Alfie ♥ If you'd like to support the show's sponsors, please feel free to purchase the Elsie's Yoga Kula Podcast App for the iPhone or Android for $3.99 OR go on over to Prancing Leopard and get yourself some lovely duds using the coupon code eyk for 15% off your purchase! If you've got some time, check out my 20 minute interview on Build A Sexy BodyEpisode 20 :) I taught/practiced this class on February 12th at The Pittsburgh Athletic Association in Oakland. I teach one class there a week: Saturdays from 11-12:15. If you are not a member but would like to drop by as a guest, please email me eyogaclass (at) gmail (dot) com. It will be $19

Hunter got sick and it totally made me think about immunity. I'm sure that those of you that read this blog and perhaps other content that is similar are aware that immunity is not just about bacteria and viruses being present in your body and all of a sudden you get sick. It's not just about the physical. It's all about the beautiful trifecta of mind, body and spirit. All of this affects the how your body reacts and doesn't react to pathogens that decide they want to wreck havok inside of your body. The optimized circulation (inter-relationship) of our thoughts, our deep desires and the clarity of our body is the magic formula to sustain supreme health in all parts of our lives. I want to work more on that circulation. While Hunter was sick I found myself getting harder, more fearful and less willing to soften, trust and be grateful. She has a cold for goodness sake! I felt a deep tightness in my belly. I let my mind go to places that it should not have been going to, and in the process I was feeling pretty

This episode was absolutely inspired by one of you. I was asked basically how to practice yoga daily. This is something that I think about every day, that I meditate on, and continue to refine. I'm not going to describe my own process but tell you what it boils down to, at least for me: Meaning and Truth. If you don’t first and foremost ask yourself who you want to be in the world, what has meaning, what has value to you, and continue to refine the answer and deepen the questions again and again, whatever you decide to do (be it a daily asana practice) will be unsustainable. If you do refine your questions and lack integrity in the way that you live your life, by telling yourself little lies and convincing yourself that they ‘don’t really matter’, no matter what you do, you will not be able to sustain your practice. Particularly your practice of being the best human being that you can be, with a full and clear heart. I'm only sharing ‘cause I've been there. I tried really hard. Doesn’t work. The more that y

Who Is The Bully? I've been doing a lot of meditation on worthlessness or the feeling of being unworthy. Often times this feeling arises from the way the world speaks to us, perhaps in the form of bullies around us, family members, peers, bosses, etc. but what has really become clear is that it's not the world that is the root of this feeling, but ourselves. The biggest bullies that we have in our world are not outside of ourselves but within ourselves. In this class I went back to one of my favorite books, Christina Sell's Yoga from the inside out, as she speaks of this bullying within the book so very clearly. She inspired me to teach this class to get you to look at yourself honestly and recognize the bully within. See it and transform it. Recognize how worthy and beautiful you are. Stop the bullying. I know that I have been a bully to myself. I also know how that personal bully can break the heart much faster the outside ones. Are you a bully to yourself? Practice along with us. Give yourself the time to

An Advanced Yoga Class for your consumption! Tons of sun salutes, strong hip openers, handstand, plus arm balances, be ready to rock and roll! Those of you with the app, check out the extra features: class sequence and also the mini tutorial for Vishvamatrasana I wrote a more in depth blog post over at in the Shownotes for Ep. 84 at Elsie's Yoga Kula, regarding listening and how it has and continues to affect my life and relationships.  If you want to win Shannon Gannon's new Album Sharanam please go ahead and leave a comment over at the blog, OR at the Elsie's Yoga Kula FB Page :) Sign up for Newsletter Magic and be in the know of what's going to be going down for EYK very soon! Look forward to hearing from you!

25 minute meditation. These past few months I nearly got overwhelmed by anxiety. This hasn't happened to me in a LONG time. I lost control of my rational thought process and simply dove into a feeling that was suffocating and terrifying. I can't say that I was in any way comfortable. The only thing that pulled me out of it was my toddler Hunter. She forced me to get out of myself and engage her. The moment that I disconnected from her off I went into a very uncomfortable sense of overwhelm. I refused this. Take Control of Your Anxiety and Fear Instead of allowing myself to be pulled by this avalanche of anxiety and fear I chose to meet it, with softness and full consciousness. I looked at it straight in the eye. I used a technique that I heard in a podcast, and I sooooo wish that I remembered what episode and what this guy's name was because I would share it, believe me, but at this moment, finding the episode would take me YEARS, so that will wait. I may update this post to add the info . Anyway, the techniq

An iPhone 4 Yoga Class For Your Enjoyment! And here I thought that I was going to get some time to be able to publish more episodes to you guys...in JULY. Not so much, but alas! Here’s a yoga class to start the month off right! This one is close to my heart. It’s focus is all about the way we are swayed and often times misguided by what we see and hear all around us, especially the media. It is a call to take responsibility for our choice making and the way we go about making choices. The inspiration for this class came straight from all the hoopla around the iPhone 4 and its antenna issues. If you happen to follow me on Twitter or are part of the Facebook Elsie’s Yoga Kula Community, you would know that I have an iPhone 4! Yipeeee! So I speak from my own experience with the device, and I’m totally loving it! Given that I’m sure you have heard at least something about the whole antenna thing, so I sorta offer my 2 cents about it and wrap it around a yoga class. What’s interesting about this theme is that it m

Welcome to EYK episode #6! Just in case you are a new listener, the Elsie’s Yoga Kula Episodes are all about community. There are times when I want share with you guys more than the few minute intro that my Yoga Class Episodes allow me ;) This is where I share some of the feedback that I’ve gotten from you guys, plus answer some questions I get, or anything else that I desire to put out Today’s episode has some inspiring feedback from you guys, PLUS and interview with my twitter buddy Scott from Boston who shares all about his experience going to yoga for the first time ever! Some pretty cool insights from his perspective. This episode is brought to you by Elsie’s Yoga Class Podcast App for the iPhone and iPod touch, you can find it in the iTunes App Store for $3.99. The extra features for this episode of EYK is a snippet of one of my therapy workshops talking about What is Optimal Blueprint! So check it out you guys :) What's in the Podcast?   Where have I been? Problems with the podcast feed and my desir