Monday, August 30, 2010

A New Perspective

Inspiration:To remain true to what soothes my soul.

It's amazing how when we leave the day to day mundane, we can become "instantly" restored. Last week, I had the pleasure of being invited to a client's place out on the East End. It was a truly "beautiful" space with many bedrooms, a lap pool and bicycles galore.

Since the majority of my time (and most who reside in NYC) is spent indoors,it was incredible to have the freedom to roam. So this past week, I decided to take advantage of the natural elements and what was around me.

It must have been nearly two years since I have been swimming in a pool. For real. From the moment I immersed myself in the heated water (87degrees), my spirit was soaring. :) I began to swim laps while embracing the beauty around me. At this time, I was the only one there, and I felt my "deepest" self come alive.

As there was only one car available, I decided to venture out by bike. It had been over a decade (actually more), since I had been on the open rode. At first I was a bit intimidated, but soon enough I found my groove and my joy. I proceeded to do this many times during my stay.

In the evenings, we cooked "AMAZING" meals and embraced the sweetness of our surroundings. For the first time, I surrendered my rigidity around food and ate some of my favorite things; including bagels and haagen daaz, vanilla swiss almond.

As I am now back in NYC, I will continue to hold a space for this feeling of expansion, aliveness and ease, while expanding my world in all directions.

May you all have a very "peaceful" day.

With Love,
Denise

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Hot "Caponyasa" Yoga

Inspiration: To continue to explore new teachers and styles of yoga.

This past week, I took my first-ever "HOT" Yoga class. This was a Pure Yoga West in NYC. The teacher was Carlos Rodriguez, a young- spirited yogi. He has created a new style of yoga called "Caponyasa". This class is a fusion of yoga, martial arts and capoeira. An eclectic mix.

Class started with a brief meditation asking us to honor our solar plexis, our third chakra, our place of power and self-esteem. We began to flow right away into a series of high lunges, warrior two and core plank variations. Then after a few minutes the fun began.:) Balancing with martial art movement, cartwheels into back bends, a place for letting go. This all moved in a 360 degree fashion; facing all four corners of the room. It is not for the faint at heart. It is "high" energy, fluid and creative. There is really not a moment to drift off or you will find your in a class of your own creation.

Normally, I do not have sweat dripping off of every corner of my body. Since the room was heated to 90 + degrees I can say I did. Now I understand why practitioners enjoy the heat. Your body is warmed up and usual tight places are much looser, allowing for more fluidity of movement. Toxins and more toxins are cleared due to the increased heat and sweat pouring out from your body.

For those interested in weight loss, this is a given if you take hot yoga. Unless it is, you eat way more than you should. Which is okay too. Now, I can add another type of discipline into the mix when I feel the need for more creativity, heat and more heat.

Have a very "peaceful" day.

With Love,
Denise

Monday, August 16, 2010

An Evening with KISS- An Important Lesson

Inspiration: To continue to be clear, not judge, and wait for events to unfold before reacting.

When was the last time you heard, loud pulsating music, accompanied with a pyrotechnic show of great proportion? For me, I cannot remember. In the day, I have gone to many a rock concert. This past Saturday night was my first experience with a stage show, larger than life. The rock bank KISS.

After an extremely long day, I was at Jones beach Theater. A friend of mine, was kind enough to get me two tickets. Since he has connections in the music world he asked for VIP Access passes (backstage, meet and great). I had a vision of having awesome seats and going backstage with my date, my mom. It would be a first (maybe second), to have a picture of Gene Simmons with my 71 year old mom.:)

Upon arriving at the venue, I was told to go to Will call to pick up MY envelope. As it was not there, I was then led through a gate to a back entrance; for people "with the band". I was getting excited !!!! So here I am, my mom waiting in the car a good distance away and myself in unchartered territory. After receiving this envelope, I looked inside and could not recognize where the seats were located. Upon closer look and help from the guy assisting, I came to realize these tickets were not quite what I had EXPECTED. The were pretty "crappy". I rarely become bummed out, but I was...."bummed out"! This vision of creating a divine evening was ruined; or was it.

So I make my way back to the car, we park and I share the information. A bit discouraged, I tell her not to complain, and I did the best I could. She obliged. Then we make our way inside, I get my $ 5 dollar cup of seltzer and proceed to the seats. Not the best. Totally upset. But wait, in the distance looking down at the water surrounding the stage, I notice two "beautiful" white swans and some grey colored ones too. A peace comes over me. A softness into the moment, without projecting onto the evening.......

Shortly afterwards, Kiss take the stage with a BOOM. Loud as can be, and I like me some music. It is said they are one of the greatest rock bands of all time live. I beg to differ. Believe it or not, the word BORING was how we felt. Personally, I do not find it exciting to see Gene Simmons ( he is very talented by the way), eat fire and have blood spill out of his mouth. A fan favorite.:)

Aside from the large pyrotechnics, noise and energy, I was unimpressed. After almost an hour and half, we proceeded to leave. Turns out all the good songs were played in the encore. Oh Well. So the message here is never to assume the worst. There are always blessings to be found in every situation. You just may have to look a bit deeper....

Be conscious, be clear be present. Have a very "peaceful" day.

With Love,
Denise

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Can't Believe it's Almost Mid-August

Inspiration: To continue to embrace summer. It is not over yet.:)

I cannot believe it is nearly the middle of August. Where did the summer go? Oh Yeah, it is still here.:) Already stores are adorning their windows with jackets, sweaters and BOOTS. Although, I love my boots, I still am not ready to surrender my birkenstocks.

So here we are, August. How have you spent your time? Did anyone manage to get away, especially those who live in NYC? Getting away can be something as simple as taking a train out of NYC to the beach or Upstate. It changes your perspective, even for a day. When we adhere to the same schedule, life can become stagnant. It is important to shift in some small way.

How about a matinee movie?......For those of you who may be reading this with a flexible schedule, this is an instantaneous way of taking yourself out of the daily and mundane. Even if you have to go back to work, you will feel as if you "escaped" for lack of a better word, for a couple of hours.

For me personally, giving myself the PERMISSION to eat something different changes my mood. Especially something I have not had in a very long time. Truth be told, I have not had pizza in years...My favorite...Growing up my mom took me (as a little girl in Queens) daily for lunch. She said I loved it !!! Recently, I had my first pizza (again) at Jones Beach Theater while waiting to see Sting. It was RED Baron, frozen, and heated up in a cardboard box. Regardless, it still tasted good to me.....Think it is time to go to a real NYC Pizzeria.....:)

So I lovingly invite you to all experience the joy and expansion that is around.To explore new places and possibilities, that may even be in your own backyard (metaphorically) speaking.....Enjoy the present, intend the future, and remain grateful.

Have a very "peaceful" day.

With Love, Denise

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Marathon Runners and Yoga

Inspiration: To continue to share with others what I have learned.

Running. A fantastic way to connect with the nature elements (if you go outside). An opportunity to let your soul be free....All it takes is a pair of decent sneakers and appropriate clothing.

Most recently, I have began to jog again after many years on hiatus. The reason being, I did not know how to do this in a balanced way. After numerous injuries and imbalances, I felt it best to take a break and focus on this. While some do still exist, I am listening to the best of my ability how often, how long and how much to partake in.

This morning, I taught yoga class for a friend of mine. It was a small group which really gives me the opportunity to focus on each individual. After class, I found out that two of the students were preparing for a marathon. They both said how much better they felt after class ( a challenging one), since they had done a fourteen mile run the day before.

As a fitness expert, I shared with them the importance of integrating this practice as much as they could to "SAVE" them from potential injury and more imbalance. While I did not know know they were runners in class, I did notice how tight their hamstrings and hips were. Typical of most people and especially those who continually perform sagittal plane movements in excess.

Repetitive movement and stress over time, especially as a distance runner, can cause the physical body severe damage. It is essential to integrate some structured form of a stretching protocol. Just as one needs to clock in their weekly miles, one also needs to "clock" in a sufficient amount of time to bring the body back to equilibrium.

So for those runners out there, surrender your ego and allow some ease into your world. I wish I had know this in my days of running half-marathons. Thought it was NORMAL to run with tight hamstrings. Now, I know better.

Have a very "peaceful" day.

With Love,
Denise