Find your dosha, find your bliss

Do you like quizzes? I LOVE them. It's so enlightening finding out what kind of shopper I am or what kind of household pet I would be or what Friends character I am most like. Sometimes I even take quizzes that have real bearing on my life, my health and my future, like when my doctor asks me pesky questions and I answer {mostly} truthfully or a family friend grills me on what I want to be when I grow up {I'll never grow up, so this is a moot issue at best}. Those are generally less fun.

A few months ago, however, I took a quiz that was both informative and fun: "What's Your Dosha, Baby?" is a quick quiz from yogi Lissa Coffey that determines which ayurvedic body type you are. Also, it's my new pick-up line.

Okay, so let's back up about ten steps. In order to determine why you should take this quiz or even care, allow me to elaborate on the basic principles of ayurvedic yoga and describe the three doshas (or body types). My overview on pick-up lines, however, will have to come at a later time and date.

Ayurveda describes a holistic healing method developed in ancient India that seeks to both treat and prevent diseases through balancing the five major elements that compose the universe: earth, water, fire, air and sky.  Emphasis is placed upon meditation, diet, hygiene, and of course, yoga.

The three doshas are: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata types are generally slender, Pitta types are generally athletic, and Kapha types are generally more heavy-set.

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While I think that breaking the entire human population down into only three groups is certainly constricting, the body type definitions do give us some decent basic guidelines. I can only speak to the guidelines given to my particular body type, which I felt gave me an accurate reading of how I can sleep better and maintain my energy levels.

I can also speak to the ayurvedic approaches to the changes in seasons. Regardless of your particular dosha, ayurveda can prepare you for a better winter with a few simple changes to your daily life. I scored these tips in this great article from Yoganonymous, which I will quickly summarize in bullet points below:

• Winter brings about imbalance in Kapha in the body
• Kapha's main attributes are: cold, sticky, sweet, oily
• "like increases like," so we should avoid substances with those attributes
• Eliminate or avoid heavy foods, particularly wheat & dairy
• Eliminate or avoid sweets
• Integrate warm spices such as cinnamon, cumin & cayenne into your diet
• Maintain a regular routine (I already knew this one!)
• Exercise daily & try to incorporate a few sun salutations into your daily routine
• Begin a meditation practice
• Get a massage (I can definitely get on board with that one!)
• Wear BRIGHT colors 

What do you think of the ayurvedic guidelines for winter? Do you think you could implement them in your own life?

Don't believe me? Want to learn more? Here are some resources to learn all you wanted and more about ayurveda!

Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine

Yoganonymous' overview of Ayurveda

The Ayurveda portal of Yoga Journal

And of course, Wikipedia

Thanksgiving: You Just Can't Escape It

This week, Wednesday is the new Friday. It's hard to miss the fact that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I hope you are all looking forward to one of my favorite days of the year, with plans to eat too much food and hopefully balance it out with some healthy activity! I'll be running a local 10K before divebombing into stuffing and pie with abandon and while I won't be sporting a costume myself, I hope to spot other, more festive folk in the crowd!

Some fun links to get you into weekend-mode:

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YogaDork's suggestions for post-feast and mid-party season recovery poses, including a lovely meditation tactic: focus on sending love, gratitude and forgiveness for someone close to you.

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There are just no words for how cute this poster is, from the lovely Cup of Jo. How can you possibly choose?

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This may look like a sweet picture, but just wait until what you hear what these animals are actually saying to each other...IN ALL CAPS. Animals Talking In All Caps: It's Just What It Sounds Like.

This workout taught me how to do "side-by-side burpees," and how to cry.

Am I the last person to discover "drunk kitchen"? And in case you were wondering, yes this is exactly what I look like when I'm baking.

Enjoy your holiday and I'll see you Monday, bloated and fighting a pie hangover.

Welcome to my pretend studio!

Yesterday I completed my first confirmed double digit run since my spontaneous Summer Streets 13 miler with Luna Chix Sara and Jacqui. The weather was perfect, the time constraints non-existent, and I enjoyed every moment of it in spite of my ravenous hunger (hey, it happens).

So today when my alarm went off I thought, time to run! Oh wait. You probably shouldn't go for another substantial run the day following a 2.5 hour run. See, I'm trying to be a wee bit friendlier to my poor, long suffering bank account after my stint in Manhattan and am holding off on joining a gym. Therefore, I run. I run a lot. I run all the time. These joints need a break.

yes even that one...I have a very tense upper body.

In order to continue saving my precious pennies and not completely abuse my body, I've been incorporating simple yoga and pilates moves into my routine, which is conducted in my bedroom. Hey, my closet doors are mirrors so it's similar to being in a studio....?

not a picture of my room - a picture of my room through the MIRROR

I get inspiration from my favorite Steve Carrell look-a-like, from Cassey and from the Fitnessista. All of these provide great ideas for working out sans equipment. Full disclosure: I don't even have a yoga mat anymore. I practice on carpet. I hope we're in the trust tree right now.

Some moves that are currently saving my bank account and joints right now:

Chaturanga - I have learned to appreciate this pose on its own, and not just as a transitional pose to move from high plank to upward facing dog.

Urdhva Dhanurasana - or for you plebeians, "wheel pose." Do you ever look around the room when your instructor calls out poses by their sanskrit name to see what everyone else is doing before transitioning into the pose? Even if you regularly attend that class and the instructor introduces that pose by its sanskrit name every time? Oh, yea, no, me neither.

The Hundred - so easy, and so hard.

Burpees - ew. Now riddle me this, how does she talk like a normal person while doing this move?

Squats and lunges and pretend-push-ups. All sorts. Jumping, pulsing, on my knees, not on my knees (why is this starting to sound wildly inappropriate...)

At any rate. I bought a Groupon for a 3-month gym membership in midtown St. Louis for $59, which I'm pretty psyched out of my mind about, but until then (and possibly after that time period elapses) I'm fairly confident that I have enough body resistance moves to preserve my knee ligaments through long runs.

Seeing the single digits

In college, it was a well known fact among my friends that I did not see "the single digits." Meaning - my pupils did not show themselves to the world prior to 10 am, so help me.

I was recently reminiscing about a college class that was, ahem, not my favorite (it was math...okay, fine, it was a liberal arts logic class that fulfilled my math requirement) and how difficult it was to wake up for class, particularly on Fridays after senior bar nights on Thursdays. I remember it being nearly impossible to feel alive in a class that began at 10 am...in the middle of stating this, my friend reminded me that the class actually started at 11. Oh my.

Oddly enough in the spring semester of my senior year, I  began waking up in time for breakfast. Even more impressive was that I did so although I only had class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (yes, my schedule was that good). Call it growing up, call it a love of eating as much "free" food as possible, call it what you will, I began my journey towards morning-person-dom.

Now I'm renowned for not seeing the double digits - as in, my roommates can confirm that I prefer to go to bed at 9:30. I'm 24. I'm cool, I promise.

For some reason, sleeping from 9:30 to 5 is so much more restful than sleeping from midnight to 7:30 am. I get my workouts in before work leaving me plenty of time for playtime in the evenings and an overall feeling of productivity at the end of the day.

I am now in the last week of my membership at my beloved Equinox (another thing those close to me can attest to is my abnormal appreciation for my gym - a friend called me and before even asking how I was, asked how Equinox was, as though we were in a relationship...which we might be) and am soaking up every precious second of the amazing yoga and pilates classes they offer.

One of my favorite classes is Tuesday morning pilates with the cutest, chirpiest Bonnie. Awesome because of her 90s playlists, her sweetness in spite of the fact she is lighting our abs on fire, and the fact that she shares the name of my precious childhood pup....you guessed it, Bonnie.

BONNIE!!!! circa 2000.

I have already been picking the brain of this savvy St. Louisan for gyms back home, but I have my serious concerns that anywhere will have the mescla of challenging classes, Kiehl's shower products (how else can I justify the exorbitant price of membership) and the amazing, spa-like smell? Yes, the smell. Sometimes I can smell Equinox on me...and it's intoxicating.

What do you love about your gym?
Have you ever had to break up with a gym?
Are you an early bird or night owl?

Sometimes a pairing is just not meant to be

Unfortunately, there are relationships that just cannot work out no matter how badly each person wants them to. Signs from the universe collide and repeatedly remind you: it is just not meant to be.

bummer.

(source)

I am currently dealing with one of those relationships. Before you think I'm getting all serious and melo-dramatic, I should probably clarify that I am referring to my relationship with my yoga mat.{that's normal, right?}

Story goes like this: Girl meets yoga mat. Yoga mat is pink, so girl likes yoga mat. Yoga mat is cheap, so girl commits to yoga mat without much soul-searching or product comparison. Girl and yoga mat go home together and enjoy yoga podcasts, sweaty, post-run sweat sessions, and maybe one or two instances of abs exercises.

When girl moves to New York, yoga mat joins her - you could say things got more serious at this point. Shortly thereafter, however, girl starts a side relationship with her gym and starts using their yoga mats, discovering that...she likes them much more. While yoga mat excels in bright pink-ness, it falls short in categories of: traction, cushioning and not-getting-dirty-constantly.

Fast forward to this past week, when I (girl) began my free week at YogaWorks, which is a byo-mat establishment. Day two, I leave my yoga mat at the studio. Doh! Two days later, I return to retrieve it. I don't have time to attend a class and attend a J Crew instead. Our reunion was brief as I left yoga mat in the dressing room. Twenty minutes later, on my way to dinner with an old friend from high school, I shyly return to J Crew and once again am reunited with yoga mat.

I meet my friend at the midway point between our homes: Columbia University (yes, she lives very far away from me) and go out to dinner at a restaurant near the undergraduate campus. As I get on the subway at 9:30 pm at 110th street, it hits me - something is missing. Yes, that's right - Thai Market received a donation of one hot pink yoga mat last night.

I debate going back to the restaurant straight away, but I know I would have to reload my metro card and tack on another 15-20 minutes to an already long ride home. I debate going back to the restaurant in the coming days, but given my schedule and the restaurant's severe lack of proximity to my apartment, forego that possibility.

In all honesty, yoga mat and I just are not destined to be together. It will take time to get over this break-up, but I already feel stronger and more free acknowledging that it is time to move on.

Tomorrow, I will cough up the $2 to rent a yoga mat for class, and I will begin the search for a new mat that really serves all of my needs.

...any recommendations?

Practicing yoga like a kid

Last night, following getting caught in the rain (a much needed break in NYC's loco heat wave), I headed on over to YogaWorks for free yoga, day two.

I awkwardly wrangled myself out of my Hunter boots and fleece (!!) amid a group of calm, cool and collected yogis, dropped my things off in the "women's retreat" and started towards Studio 1.

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously stepped my toes into the room as though I were dipping my toes into a lake, testing its temperature. Noting with surprise that the room was comfortably cool, I released my breath with relief and walked with confidence into the studio to establish my space. No hot yoga surprise tonight!

I took the YogaWorks Flow level 2/3 with the hilarious Denise, an older blonde decked out in bright pink who carried absolutely none of the hippie-dippie pretense many instructors seem to be saturated with. Whew! I have a hard time keeping a straight face when many instructors go into overly spiritual mumbo-jumbo, or encourage the class to join in group Sanskrit chants. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but, especially in regards to the group chanting - I have absolutely no idea what I'm saying. I like to entertain myself by imagining the possibilities of what the words mean and what I might be agreeing to. Signing up for a life-time membership at the gym? Pledging that mint chocolate chip is the best flavor of ice cream and I will forever forego all others? Sure!

The class was challenging, but again, the 90 minute format allowed for plenty of relaxation between difficult poses, during which Denise helped us relax further with the ultimate relief - laughter.

I have one brief bragging moment, which is also slightly embarrassing because I am about to brag about a total non-event: for the first time, I did a forearm headstand up against a wall! Yes, with my heels balancing against the wall. So really, I accomplished nothing on the physical level. However, performing this pose was still a huge moment for me as I leapt over a mental hurdle that had been blocking me for quite some time.

I always find head- and handstand poses in yoga utterly daunting as I don't believe I have the balance, coordination or upper body strength to pull them off. Taking a moment to really reflect on that, though, I remember bouncing into handstands as a child when I was even weaker and more uncoordinated than I am today. I've learned that the only thing preventing me from more difficult poses in yoga isn't my own physical limitations, but a lack of a childlike fearlessness. I can't remember when I lost that fearlessness - in physical activity and in my personal life - but by taking a baby step in my headstand practice yesterday, I also took a baby step in regaining it and I am so excited to push myself further and discover where it can take me - in yoga, in running, in my career, in my life. As Denise reminded us during triangle pose, anything we do with intention is "yoga".

YogaWorks win.

Oh, and then I left my yoga mat at the studio, only to realize that as I was getting ready for bed. So YogaWorks wins twice...you're welcome, YW.

Hot yoga surprise

I feel like the title of this post might bring in an unintended audience from some etrange google searches, but nevertheless, I shall proceed.

Today I had the pleasure of embarking on day one of my free week at YogaWorks. At the recommendation of their Yoga Advisor (whom I have never met but sends the most enthusiastic emails - I already have a friend crush on her) I headed to an 11 am Power Yoga Level 2/3 class.

The first thing about the studio I noticed was that, like the Javamukti studio in Union Square, the ambiance of a strictly-yoga facility is so much more tranquil than a full-services gym, even the spa-like Equinox. YogaWorks win.

The second thing about the studio I noticed was that, unlike Equinox, the practice spaces themselves have not joined the air conditioning party.

Hence, this post's title.

Oh, you thought you were coming in for a power yoga class which would challenge your muscle strength and stamina? Oh, SURPRISE! It's also going to be 100 degrees.

The amount of sweat pouring out of my body within minutes of the class' start was totally beyond excessive. I could not wait for brief seconds to grab my towel and swiftly wipe away sweat from quite unexpected places  - my kneecaps, really?!? My beautiful fleur-de-lis necklace rather impolitely kept flicking sweat onto my face. The whole situation really began to stress me out.

Thankfully, we completed the flow series and moved onto to a series of hip openers. As Tamar, our instructor, noted, one added benefit of the heat was that our muscles were warmer and therefore we could open our tight hips further. Of course she said this as she was instructing us to put our feet fully behind our head but....point taken, Tamar. The heat was not all bad.

Elements of the class that I truly enjoyed:

1. Not being able to see a clock. In my classes at Equinox, although I enjoy them immensely, I am also acutely aware of the clock and how much time remains in my practice.

2. The hour and a half time period. I generally attend yoga classes in the mornings, which are only one hour. Having a full hour and a half allows us to....

3. Have a good, long shivasana. I have not a clue in this world how to spell that word. But what I do know is this: having two minutes of relaxation after a challenging yoga class is simply not sufficient for my body to fully reap the rewards of my practice. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to cut an hour-long class even shorter, so I understand the choice that is made by instructors there.

4. The aforementioned tranquility of the studio. Before entering the hall that lead to the locker rooms (named "retreats") and practice rooms, we were required to remove our shoes. In the waiting area stood a water cooler and selection of teas, as well as a small library of books and DVDs on yoga and pilates and a shop of yoga clothing. And it smelled nice. The towels, in particular. I got to know my towel very, very well, so you can really trust me on this one.

I am going to try to attend as many classes as possible over the next week. I can already see from looking at the calendar of classes that they do not cater to the pre-work crew so I'm going to have to arrange class attendance around my apres-work schedule.

What I really want to take from this experience is whether or not I should downgrade from a full-services gym membership to a yoga/pilates only gym membership because let's be serious group exercise and spinning classes mean nothing to me.

Has anyone made this change? Or gone in the opposite direction? Thoughts comments questions?

Productivity city, and more of me than you wanted

This weekend is off to an amazing start as I have time to tackle my to-do list, and I am diving in head first!

I actually intentionally took a bit of a break this weekend to squeeze in a few one-on-one friend dates, have some time to dedicate to reading (!),  and get. my. life. together.

As I'm sure everyone is aware, it is crazy hot, like, everywhere. Here too. I feel ya.

WOOF.

I was able to get out for a {cautious} 6-mile run on Saturday morning in Riverside park, enjoying a bit of a Hudson River breeze. On the way there, I picked up a tip for any gentlemen looking for ladies. Please don't try to pick people up when they're going running in a heat wave at 9 am, or, for that matter, in any climate at any time.

really? now, really?

But if you happen to see a girl lugging large boxes from her apartment to the (seems nearby until you're actually transporting all of your sweaters there) UPS store, that would be a good time to step in. I was hot. And tired.

I was also offered an exclusive free week at YogaWorks! I managed to get on the list by visiting their website and printing out the "free week" coupon. It's really a very selective process, you probably won't be able to make the cut.

I love self-portraits.

I am going to try their Level 2/3 class and will give a full report. I am still obsessed with Equinox, have no fear this tiger has not totally changed her stripes, however I really enjoyed the opportunity to sample different studios as they all have such different styles and atmospheres. Thus far I have taken classes at Equinox, free classes at my college gym, free podcasts (highly recommend, the instructor reminds me of Steve Carrell, what's not to love?), Equinox, a class fundraising for Japan relief efforts at Jivamukti, of course Equinox, a few free outdoor classes in Hudson Park and Bryant Park, and Sports Club LA during a week trial I had there when I first moved to the city. Oh and also Equinox. And tomorrow, Yoga Works!

my teeth are huge so sometimes I hide them.

So I found this function on my computer "photo booth," hence the four pictures I took in as many minutes that I am now forcing upon your eyeballs. It's a self-timed photo, on your computer! You don't even have to have friends, and you can still have pictures of yourself. Amazing.

Lastly, kindly read this high-larious interpretation of LFO's song "Summer Girls." Who doesn't love that song? Lots of people, but that's besides the point.

Off to do some work and {possibly, depends} take another box over to the UPS store, then off to a pinkberry date! Incidentally, they also have a muy exclusivo coupon for a 2-for-1 special - can't afford not to!

see you soon, friend.

Hope you're all coping with the heat, drinking lots of agua and takin' it easy!

It's Sunday. Are you hungover?

If so, I personally can think about having a glass of wine and experience a hangover the next day, so I can certainly sympathize.

And despite your inclination to crawl into bed, close the blinds and pray for death, exercise can actually do a tremendous amount of good in bringing your poor, abused body back to life.

In the final weeks of my senior year of college, I made a rule for myself: if I was too hungover from the night before to run a three mile loop off-campus, then I was too hungover to go out again that night. And since, of course, I wanted to squeeze every drop out of my last weeks of college (because apparently, you can never see your friends or drink adult beverages after you graduate), I always dragged myself through those three miles.

oh, hello college.

Without fail, after a good sweat and a good shower, I felt human enough to put some clothes on and drink more lukewarm beer. Hooray!

Fact: I will always run for beer.

I also enjoyed a Sunday evening yoga class offered at my college gym. Held at 6 pm, I had been able to rest enough that a trip to the gym did not feel too intimidating and the Level 1 vinyasa (I think?) class was relaxing enough that even a tired body could handle it.

As I've grown in my yoga practice and come to understand more of the restorative properties the practice provides, I've learned that it was more than just leaving my dorm room and getting some moderate exercise that would bring me out of my Sunday-funk.

Many poses, particularly twisting poses, serve to "wring out" your organs, releasing toxins and refreshing your body from the inside, out.

So today, try a twisted pose rather than a greasy omelette as your mode of recovery. So, so many parts of your body will thank you. Some ideas:

Twisted seated pose - so easy! - just sit down, cross your right leg over your bent left leg, and twist the upper half of your body all the way to the right, looking behind you. Repeat on the other side.

Twisted chair pose - not quite as easy! but you can do it - from a standing position, slowly bend your legs and lower yourself as if you're sitting in a chair. Bring your hands into a prayer position before your heart, and keeping this arm position, twist to the right with your left elbow outside of your right knee. Return to center, and repeat on the other side.

Happy bending!

Any other sneaky hangover cure tactics out there? I need them.