Don’t Fall Back

Today in my opinion (other than December 22) is one of the worst days of the year. I hate falling back, let’s just do away with Daylight Savings Time, okay? Darkness and I do not go hand in hand. The shorter the day, the shorter my temper Ooops.

Good news is I’m going to fight that Seasonal Affect Disorder by starting to offer Yoga Flow classes in Everett, PA at Rock Body Gym 🙂

I wasn’t sure I’d every truly feel ready, but the vote of confidence from my friends and family has given me the boost to at least give it a shot.

I’m going to flow and then have my BUTI kicked by Tracey with Sculpt right after ❤ I’m hoping for sweaty bliss to build those endorphins up to fight off the winter blues. I’m more of a sunshine and 80 degree girl myself.

Want to try a yoga class with me? Come join me! It’s only $5 a class at Rock Body Gym in Everett, PA. We can overcome the cold together ❤

Junk Food Addict

I don’t think a yogi is supposed to admit she is a junk food addict, but I definitely am. For over a year I’ve been grain free & dairy free, but lately I’ve been in a slump. I may have remained gf & df but that doesn’t mean I’ve been making the best nutritional choices. It happens right? We’re all human. Organic potato chips are STILL potato chips, organic chocolate is still chocolate…wake up Jen! It would be one thing to indulge in these snacks every once in awhile, but when you get in the habit of eating these every day…yeah, you need a wake up call.

Wake up calls take a while for me. I’m naturally thin, so the weight isn’t really an issue, its the health…but until I seriously start seeing a difference I brush off the way I feel. I mean I feel like crap after I binge eat a bag of chips and a jar of Justin’s Hazelnut Butter, but I do it anyways.

I kept finding excuses to eat this way. “Oh, I’m stressed from trying to move.” “I’m stressed from selling our house” “I’m stressed from going back to work” All of these may be true, but when they allow you to eat shit every day…well they are nothing more than excuses to keep feeling like crap.

This weekend I finally gave myself the wake up call I needed. Have I indulged? Yes, but has it been in moderation and it has been healthier. I did eat ice cream, but it was made from pure bananas, coconut milk and pumpkin puree (amazing). I also have eaten too many dates…but I’m getting back on track. I’m eating whole foods instead of the junk food I had been stuck on. I’d like to say I feel better but I can’t even tell I have this awful sinus cold I can’t seem to shake. Blah.

So anyways, I’m calling you out! Yes, you. If you need a wake up call I’m talking to you. Don’t eat crap! Join me on feeling better and don’t feel bad about checking in on me. I need to be held accountable too. If you need help, I’ll help you by holding you accountable too. We can do this together. ❤

Is it really Fall?

I’ve spent all summer trying to sell my house. I dreamed of moving somewhere warm, and living by the beach. It’s funny how life just keeps chugging along and can ignore all those things you think you want. I struggled a lot with the idea of leaving all our family behind, but really wanted warm weather and salt water. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I don’t have to worry about the decision any more…we’re staying in PA for now. This PA yogi will just have to deal with the cooler weather approaching and diffuse some major sunshine as the snow begins to fall.

At the end of the summer we also had an offer on our house, and I will say that home selling is nothing short of a nightmare. If we move, I do not plan to ever move again. Nothing has seemed to go right, and at this point I’m ready to throw the towel in and just stay. We love this house, we just wanted more ground and a different location. I’m beginning to think now just isn’t the time for change for us. That’s quite funny to me too because I usually stick with the familiar and for once I’m willing to change.

The only change I have going on right now is practicing some Acro Yoga with my dear friend Shawna. I’m loving learning the practice and playing around. 🙂

Barefoot Yoga Pose Anywhere Challenge

This feels like a throwback Thursday on a Saturday. Today has been rainy and yucky. I’ve spent the day dancing in the kitchen, practicing yoga, drinking coffee and entering yoga contests. This particular challenge is a photo contest and the winner gets a $150 gift card to Barefoot Yoga. ❤

If you’re feeling generous, the contest doesn’t end until July 12, head on over and vote for me! Please & Thank you! Oh, I’m the one with the Washington Monument. Woohoo!

https://www.snapyeti.com/contests/343/snaps/29543

Strength for every battle

God will give you strength for every battle, wisdom for every decision, peace that surpasses understanding. – Joel Osteen

We all have our own battles. Some may seem trivial to outsiders, yet bring such pain,  despair or anxiety to the person fighting their battle. It is not our place to belittle anyone for we do not fully understand the battles they are fighting. ❤

My recent battle is one that may seem trivial, yet to me it’s pretty rough. Is it something that I’ll be concerned with in 6 months or a year? Probably not, and I even though I know this, I’m still struggling with anxiety over it.

Zach and I recently made the decision we wanted to move south. North Carolina to be exact. The problem with that is that our entire families are pretty local to us (right now) and the thought of leaving them is pretty devastating. We want warmer temperatures and truth be told, I want the beach. I want water and sunsets. We have put ourselves out there by applying for jobs, and put our house up for sale.  Anybody want a house?  We’ve had some interest in our home, but nothing set for jobs yet which terrifies me. I love our house and want nothing more than to sell it if we’re moving, but if we’re staying in PA, I kind of like my sunroom and fenced backyard.

I keep trying to convince myself that it will all work out the way it’s supposed to, but even now I sit here fighting  back tears of the unknown. The unknown is some scary stuff!

Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated I’m going to go diffuse some Serenity right now and try to relax. ❤

Love & Light

#exPoseYourself IG challenge

Where to begin? I seem to be a really sh*tty blogger! Let’s be real, I want to keep up, but the time it takes me to think things through is exhausting. 🙂 I’d rather just do the yoga. Ha!

I injured a rib/intercostal muscle a few weeks ago and had to drop out of all my yoga challenges. I’m finally feeling better and getting back to it. I’ve been celebrating the sunrises and participating in the #exPoseYourself challenge over on instagram. The group of instagram yogis never fails to inspire me. ❤

Silence is Golden

Remember as children when we were told “Silence is Golden?”  Maybe our parents weren’t so far off. Now we think of “silence” as mindfulness and meditation and it’s way more important than we could have every expected.

Sometimes you just get lucky

Sometimes you just get lucky in life. You find that one, your one true love who will do anything for you. I can tell you this guy is not sure about this yoga thing, but he loves me enough to do anything for me. He’s the greatest, my best friend through thick & thin. My shoulder to laugh and cry on. This past week has thrown some things my way that have been hard to swallow, but he’s still been there for me. Life is never certain, and it definitely isn’t always easy. Thanks for being my everything. ❤

Acro Yoga

 

Sunday Funday & a Funky Pincha

This week (well actually this whole month) I have been participating in the #InversionMadness Instagram challenge. It has been amazing and has brought many breakthroughs for me.

I have been working toward forearm stands (pinchamayurasana) for months to no avail and something just clicked this week. I still can’t get it and hold it every single time, but I’m having many more successes than usual. ❤

All week we have been challenged to post a forearm stand variation, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Don’t forget if you want to see more head on over to Instagram and find me @YogaKicksMyAsana

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

 

And just as a little comparison, nine weeks ago I tried funky pincha with the wall and had no clue!

 

Stocking Your Grain Free & Dairy Free Kitchen

Stocking Your Grain Free & Dairy Free Kitchen

Flour Replacements:

• Blanched Almond Flour
• Coconut Flour
• Tapioca Starch and/or Arrowroot Starch
• Flaxseed Meal

Milk & Dairy Replacements:

• Almond Milk or Cashew Milk
• Canned Coconut Milk (without guar gum)
• Ghee and/or Grass Fed Butter (such as KerryGold)
• Daiya (not all agree with this as it’s still processed, but I choose to eat it as a cheese replacement)

Pantry  & Refrigerator Staples:

• Almond Butter
• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Sugar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Raw Honey
• Baking Powder (without corn starch)
• Pure Maple Syrup (Grade B)
• Coconut Aminos (soy free seasoning)
• Eggs
• Chia Seeds

Fruits & Veggies: (minus legumes) are good! And yes sadly, that means peanuts are a “no-go” 😦

For a much larger definitive list you can look here. Their list is fabulous and in depth, but mine will get you well under way. It’s truly all you need to get started.

Where can I find all these things? Sometimes I’m lucky and can find them at a local grocery store, but when I can’t pick them up locally I order from Vitacost. They are a fabulous company and have the best customer service. I really can’t say enough about them! If you use my referral code you can get a $10 coupon off your first order. 

Grain Free Dairy Free checklist (click the link for a printable version!)