Day 7: Yoga is for Everyone

There are so many benefits to doing yoga that it's hard to know where to start. Personally, I enjoy and practice hatha yoga, which I consider to be one of the more gentle and relaxing forms. I've tried other types, such as Vinyasa and Yin (Restorative), but I always go back to where I started. Hatha is definitely my type. There are so many variations, one is bound to find a match that is ideal for their lifestyle and level of desired physical rigor. Below is a beautiful (borrowed) infographic that outlines the various types of yoga and specific benefits.

Yoga is ideal for anyone looking to become more internally aware of their body by focusing on their breathing and how different postures make them feel. Personally, I find that yoga improves my fitness performance in other exercise regimens, dramatically improves my posture, flexibility and mental awareness. That's why I think exploring a yoga practice is the perfect lead into the development of a solid meditation practice. 

We are constantly bombarded with noise and information all day. Therefore, lots of people have issues quieting their mind. Yoga can definitely help with both of these things. It sharpens one's focus and opens the mind to the blissful mental stillness that meditation offers. Yoga and meditation go good together. Together they provide the mental agility and peace of mind one needs to lead a happier, stress free life.

Image via Free Fitness Tips 

Now that you've had a crash course on the popular types of yoga that's out there, now it's time to put that info into practice. Below is a link to a couple of free yoga resources that are available on YT that I often rely on. When I first began practicing years ago, my goal was to cultivate a regular home practice. I spent years going to weekly classes. However, now I'm completely comfortable with just practicing at home. I suggest trying both, home sessions and studio classes. Most places allow you to take drop-in classes before committing to a monthly fee or bundled class pack. Check your local city paper, Scoutmob, Living Social or other online or print resource for a class near you. It's not unheard of to find community groups that practice together for free, so be on the lookout.

Congrats on making it to day seven! Starting tomorrow we will be switching gear to focus primarily on our spiritual wellness using different forms of meditation, affirmations and mantras. We hope you'll stay close, things are about to get really good!

Beginners try this! 

Intermediate level practice here!

Be sure to watch the daily wellness chat on Facebook. Also, please officially join the 31 Day Sassy Wellness Reset and Masterclass and get access to additional tips, downloadable tools, recipes and resources only available to subscribers. Click the button below to sign up now.

FREE 7-Day MIND, BODY & {CREATIVE} SPIRIT WELLNESS RESET

The year is coming to a close and for the past couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about the things that I want to do better or more of in the New Year. Not really one for resolutions, I prefer to think of the start of the year as an opportunity to reset my life--mind, body and {creative} spirit and set some attainable goals.

Transformation doesn’t just happen. It takes a plan and a support system. That's why I created this program. If you're like me and want to live life more fully-- with better health, feeling spiritually aligned with your purpose, have a sharpened mental focus, and brewing with creativity, renewing your commitment to yourself during this reset can help make every year the best ever!

Let's hit reset together, click HERE now!

I truly believe that in order to successfully accomplish our goals it's important to have a good foundation. And for me, that means moving forward with balance and purpose, hence the reason for this reset. Too much change at once-- as with say, lofty resolutions, can be overwhelming. Instead, approach the New Year as an opportunity to reflect on what is working in your life, and the habits or practices that have served you well in the past. Look for opportunities to add more of the rich things that you enjoy to your life rather than detoxing and completely cutting things out forever. When we start out building on a foundation of things that we already do, our chances for successfully implementing improvements increases exponentially.

By filling your life with more of the good stuff, the less desired habits and such won't have space to co-exist. Many of the tips and resources that you will learn are things that reflect The Sassy Nation's core values, and are resources you can use to power your personal transformation and create lasting lifestyle changes.

---

I really hope that you'll join me on this total wellness journey. If you do, here's what you'll have to look forward to: 

1. I'll be doing a daily Facebook and IG Live (which you can access in the archives). Plus, be sure to check your email after signing up for your link to our private FB group. That's where we'll be broadcasting from daily so we can chat and share our wins face to face while I share daily actionable tips; plus, identify resources that will help you reset and super-charge your 2018. 

2. Also, each week I'll send out an email that'll outline the plan for the week, including your downloadable tools, and other goodies that I'll be sharing exclusively with my masterclass attendees: Including the 31 Days of Wellness Journal with daily to-dos and affirmations to support your journey.

If you want access to these extra assets, and I think that you will, you can enroll in the masterclass. OR, for a limited time, grab the 31 Days of Wellness Digital Journal for just $1.00 and follow along at your own pace!  

3. A whole new world of opportunity to get right for 2K18... with the whole squad of #Sassy supporters behind you. Together, we're gonna to ROCK this thang! 

Week 1:

Since health is a hot topic come Jan. 1, we'll be talking about ways that we can treat our BODY better, starting with the foods that we eat and our physical fitness habits.

Week 2: 

“Meditation: Because some questions can’t be answered by Google.”

— Someone Smart & Sassy, Obvi.

Getting down to business with Masterclass attendees... 

Get ready to get lifted-- in SPIRIT, that is. This week we'll be talking about various forms of meditation, plus using mantras, affirmations and manifestation journals to help you get balanced from the inside out. Good stuff.

Week 3:

Looking for some mental stimulation? This week is all about places you can go to get your MIND right. We'll be sharing resources to help you find FREE books, podcasts, documentaries, music, dope magazines, newsletters and all things #Smart&Sassy.

Week 4:

Work is such and integral part of all of our lives. This week we'll discuss how to not only bring more balance into your workspace, but also how to tap into the CREATIVE side of life so you can spark up connections and ignite your passions outside of work.

Bonus: Days 29-31

We'll be reviewing what we learned, taking inventory of the things we enjoyed exploring and what new tools we loved and plan to keep. It's time to get real about our goals, what we really hope to accomplish, and re-defining our life map to reflect a solid plan to create lasting change a reality. Learn and cultivate the power of morning and nightly rituals that will set you up for long-term success. So, if you're ready to seal the deal on your new life, just say YES and join the squad!

2K18, we're coming for you-- get ready!

Live mindfully...

Tap into a balanced, healthier and happier you.

Sign-up to stream daily tips + get exclusive access to our private FB group and weekly resource emails to help you bring more MIND, BODY & SPIRIT balance into your life.

Day 8: Calm Your Spirit Using Everyday Mindfulness

Namaste, beautiful people! Welcome to Week 2, day 8 of the 31 Day Mind, Body, Spirit Re-set. If you've been jamming with us since day one, congrats! If you're just joining... we're glad to have you! Please make sure you're signed up to receive the extra goodies that we have exclusively for subscribers here. This week we have a meditation calendar to help guide you through the exercises and concepts, so be sure to get yours! It's absolutely FREE! 

Here's a quick overview of a few things that you can do to create an atmosphere that's conducive creating a flow of good energy day to day. ALSO, keep in mind that with a regular meditation practice, you will find that the generation of light, positive energy will come quite naturally as a result of your inner work. In fact, don't be surprised if perfect strangers start to tell you that you seem to have a glow about you. Meditation tends to have that effect. And who doesn't want a shine that is evident from the inside out? Your natural spirit self is radiant. Let it show!

Set daily intentions

Setting a daily intention can be as easy as when you open your eyes in the morning have a positive conversation with yourself: by saying things like, "I'm going to have a good day," or "I am going to be productive today." Whatever it is that you need, create the intention before you even get out of the bed.
 

Practice feeling good

You know the saying, "Follow your bliss?" That's exactly what you should do from day to day by choosing to follow thoughts, actions and feelings that feel good. This concept can take some practice, but it's exceptionally helpful whenever you find yourself in a tight spot or just dealing with a difficult or stressful situation to breathe and ask yourself, 'What's the path of least resistance in this moment'? and go that direction. Decide what's the easiest thing for you to do with your words and actions in whatever situation that you find yourself in that is positive, productive and anti-dramatic. You may not be the source of drama or able to control it, but you can control how you react. Choose what feels good, true and right for you. Even if that means walking away (even temporarily) from situations (and crazy-making people) that don't align with your bliss (more on this in a later broadcast).

Tune in to positivity

Try to limit your time watching regular TV as much as possible this week. Maybe allow yourself the luxury of 1 hour per day.

Fill your extra time with content that feeds your spirit instead. Consume whatever inspirational talks, sermons, music, guided meditations, inspirational audio books, or feel good comedies (it's good to laugh) that you can get your hands on to cultivate an abundance of good energy from day to day. 

Close the day mindfully and with gratitude

Each night before you drift off to sleep think about all of the good things that happened during the day: Did the sun come out? Be thankful. Was a stranger kind to you? Send them appreciative thoughts in your mind. Notice when you felt good during the day, what was the cause, and reflect on it.

Soon you'll find that with a little dose of mindfulness everyday, you'll better be able to notice how you feel, choose your thoughts, and move through your day more joyfully. This is the foundation of what I like to call daily mindful, meditative (thoughtful) behavior in action. You will find that answers that you seek in life will come to you easily when you are in a good head and heart space to receive them. Go forth, be and spread light!

Tweetable Tip of The Day: 

Be sure to join the wellness chat on Periscope at our NEW time 9 PM, EST for more wellness. Also, please officially join the 31 Day Sassy Wellness Reset and get access to additional tips, downloadable tools, recipes and resources only available to subscribers. Click the button below to sign up now.

Sassy Wellness: 31 Day Mind, Body & Spirit Reset

The year is coming to a close and for the past couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about the things that I want to do better or more of in the New Year. Not really one for resolutions, I prefer to think of the start of the year as an opportunity to reset my life--mind, body and {creative} spirit and set some attainable goals.

Let's hit re-set together, click HERE now!

I truly believe that in order to successfully accomplish our goals it's important to have a good foundation. And for me, that means moving forward with balance and purpose, hence the reason for this 31 Day Re-set. Because I think that too much change at once-- as with say, lofty resolutions, can be overwhelming. Instead, I approach the New Year as an opportunity to reflect on what is working in my life, and the habits or practices that have served me well the past year. I look for opportunities to add more of the rich things that I enjoy to my life rather than detoxing and completely cutting things out. I think that when we start out building on a foundation of things that we already do, our chances for successfully implementing improvements increases exponentially.

By filling my life with more of the good stuff, the less desired habits and such won't have space to co-exist. Many of the tips and resources that I plan to share are things that reflect The Sassy Nation's core values, and are things I already do or use (some more consistently than others, of course). However, these practices are ones that I definitely want to experience more of in the New Year to have the sassiest year ever!

---

I really hope that you'll join me. If you do, here's what you'll have to look forward to: 

1. I'll be doing a daily vlog that will stream live on Periscope: @TheSassyNation, so I hope that you will connect with me there. We can chat and share our wins face to face while I share the tip of the day, plus the resources that will help you reset and recharge your 2016. 

2. Also, each week I'll send out an email that'll outline the plan for the week, including some downloadable tools and To-dos that I'll be sharing exclusively with my email subscriber boos to help along the journey. If you want these extra goodies, and I think that you will,  you can sign up for FREE below. 

3. A whole new world of opportunity to get right for 2K16... with the whole squad of #Sassy supporters behind you. Together, we're going to ROCK this thang! 

Week 1:

Since health is a hot topic come Jan. 1, we'll be talking about ways that we can treat our BODY better, starting with the foods that we eat and our physical fitness habits.

Week 2:

“Meditation: Because some questions can’t be answered by Google.”

— Someone Smart & Sassy, Obvi.

Get ready to get lifted-- in SPIRIT, that is. This week we'll be talking about various forms of meditation, plus using mantras, affirmations and manifestation journals to help you get balanced from the inside out. Good stuff.

Week 3:

Looking for some mental stimulation? This week is all about places you can go to get your MIND right. We'll be sharing books, Youtube channels, magazines, journals, podcasts, documentaries, music and all things #Smart&Sassy.

Week 4:

Work is such and integral part of all of our lives. This week we'll discuss tips on how to not only bring more balance into your workspace, but also how to tap into the CREATIVE side of life.

Bonus: Days 29-31

We'll be reviewing what we learned, the things that we enjoyed exploring and what new tidbits we loved and plan to keep. It's time to get real about our goals, what we really hope to accomplish, and outlining how we plan to make them a reality. For some of us that will mean defining new routines for ourselves. So, if you're ready, just say YES and join the squad!

2K16, we're coming for you-- get ready!

10 Awesome Benefits of Meditation

Why #meditation? While I’ve always enjoyed yoga, probably for many of the same reasons why I love meditation, I only recently started practicing regularly. It never occurred to me that I should until after a particularly tumultuous 2014, I made the a decision that this year was going to be the year that I proactively do something and take an active role to make sh!t happen for myself. I thought, well yoga has always served me well, why not toss in some meditation for good measure. I decided to create an environment that was conducive to tuning out the noise of the exterior world and to spend all of my spare time aligning myself with my internal guide. I ate more nutritiously, I read, I listened, I breathed, I got quiet.

After the first 30 days of doing all of my new things every day I was pretty impressed. The second month into the year I decreased my yoga and meditation practice significantly and I could really tell the difference in what I felt internally and how I moved through the day, externally. By the third month, I’d resumed my daily habit and ritual of meditating (at the very least) and doing yoga every day that I could. And now I’m totally convinced that the benefits of dedicating time to my practice and rituals are no fluke. 

What’s funny is that before I even had a loose meditation practice, I started to look around at my life and the evidence that something was off was clear to me. But for the longest time I couldn’t quite put my finger on what to do about it. At the end of last year I’d been reading about the power of gratitude and the laws of attraction, just feeling like I needed to learn and absorb more if I was going to get out of what felt like a rut. A couple of days before New Years Eve, I had an epiphany that I needed to look within myself to figure out why it seemed things in my life— relationships, finances, progress towards my goals— were in a disarray. Note that I say that it only SEEMED that way. The confusion was purely an illusion that I’d projected into the universe. So, I also knew that if I was going to “fix” what was going on, the answers were also within. 

While I don’t think meditation  benefits are one size fits all in terms of “results,” I do believe that whatever it is that you personally need to connect with in your #spirit is what you will find. There’s a saying, “What you seek is seeking you.” Based on the effect that meditation has had on my life within a short, short span of time, I have definitely found that to be true. Everytime I get still and tune in to the quiet, which is always there, I feel renewed from the inside out. It’s like mentally hitting reset everyday— it cuts through the BS of life and helps me focus on what’s important in the moment. 

Here’s my top 10 benefits describing what meditation has done for me: 

 1. Increased focus & clarity of thought 

 2. Increased productivity 

 3. Increased sense of connectivity with others 

 4. Increased compassion for others 

 5. Increased self-awareness 

 6. Better sleep 

 7. Heightened intuition and discernment 

 8. Better ability to balance emotions and re-center self as needed 

 9. Increased capacity to use my will and direct the current of the law of attraction favorably 

10. Increased sense of positivity from day to day 

This is a non exhaustive list, by far. I’m sure if you hook up my brain or body to some fancy medical devices there’s sure to be something amazing going on in there. But I think you kinda get the point, right? Meditation is awesome in more ways than one.

Talk back, what has meditation done for you? Or do you find yourself having problems with the process? Let’s talk about it. Leave a comment.