Namas Day Philly

Have you heard of Namas Day? How does a day full of yoga workshops, master classes and networking sound? Philly Area Yoga is organizing this festival for 400 yogis from the area October 19th at West Chester University's Sykes Student Union.

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Come be inspired by local teachers from the city and suburbs as they bring new and educational experiences. There is a wide variety of classes and styles. They are ranging from athletes in mind with a class by sports coaches Ed Harrold and Cara Bradley to an Acrobatic yoga class by Christine Hebestadt and Lex Peters. I'm also really excited to check out Fire & Water: Rigor & Release with Shannon Audet. I've taken Shannon's classes before and love her!

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Registration is now open here. Stay up to date with Namas Day details on Philly Area Yoga facebook and Namas Day facebook.

See you there!

love mini me yoga

Elinor and I just finished a week of Love mini me yoga challenge on instagram. She loves climbing all over me when I start to practice. It's so amazing to see her actually do the poses. She can do so much more than I think. I really would like to put together a little class for her to do at least once a week.

I love looking through the hashtags and seeing all the parents with babies to adults doing these poses. Do you practice yoga? Does your child love to climb all over you too?

after we finished one of our poses, she got back on the mat and tried it by herself. I love it!

GURU

So many things going on lately! We are finally home for awhile and I started a new job. Right now I am subbing but very soon I will be taking on my own classes at GURU Fitness is Skippack, PA. My first class last Sunday at GURU was awesome.

GURU not only specializes in power vinyasa yoga and group fitness classes but there is also a full service gym and personal training programs. It is a really cool new place. I'm excited to be working for them.

I'm teaching Wednesday night at 6:30pm. Come out!

Follow GURU Fitness on Facebook

where's my list

I don't know where the days keep going. We have been enjoying our backyard, the neighborhood, yoga classes/practice and no nap times. Which makes it hard to find a time to write. I have a ton of half written posts that I'm not sure if I can finish because I'm not sure where I was going with them. Drafting late at night on my phone will do that to you.

I'm loving teaching my class and assisting at the studio. I'm working on adding some more classes to teach in my schedule. Elinor and I started a mama and mini yoga challenge on instagram. I show her the picture of the day from the host mamas and their minis and she is ready to try it. She even did her first Warrior I pose the other day and Warrior II yesterday. I'm a proud mama! I keep looking for tiny yoga clothes but I can't find any for size 2T. Anyone have any ideas??

Our family picture day was cancelled last week. We rescheduled for next week though! I honestly don't even know where our real camera is. We should probably find that guy and start using him again. 

I think I need to get back to my word of the year, list. Life has been extremely busy and packed. Making more lists of our current, upcoming and maybe activities would be a huge help but why is it so hard to do it?! 

new york x 2

We had such a busy week last week! We went to NY twice and (Dave) spent a lot of time in our backyard prepping our garden. The first trip was to the Woodbury outlets in NY. Those outlets are insane! Dave loves to go and Elinor and I usually come to just check out the Disney store and play on the playground. What a great idea for a playground to be there?? Dave was able to run around and check out everything he wanted while Elinor and I played. As soon as we got home that night, we realized the Fred Perry sample sale was going on in NYC. So a day later we headed back. We also got to check out the Ghostbusters 30th anniversary art gallery. Dave might have bought a couple of prints. Elinor was nervous of Slimer but loved any ghost she saw.

I've said it before but we love the fact that there is a playground on just about every block in NYC. I always feel bad dragging Elinor around and not letting her have run around crazy play time. Especially after taking two long car rides in one week. She was such a trooper. She was even so well behaved while we went out to eat at Red Bamboo. Sometimes there can be people in there that do not appreciate kids. It probably helped that she was also promised pink ice cream if she ate her meal and didn't run around.

The Ghostbusters gallery was right down the street from the actual firehouse from the movie. Neither of us had ever seen it so we walked over. There weren't many people around so I did a baby grasshopper pose.

The gallery is traveling and still had stops in LA, Chicago and San Diego. Check it out if you are near by. We will be in Chicago when it is there and are planning to go again.

backbend challenge

Are you on instagram? It's my favorite and easiest of social medias (for me at least). I have found so many amazing yogis on there that are so inspiring. In finding them, I have caught on to all of the monthly challenges. I half tried an inversion challenge but since I wasn't posting pictures, I didn't keep up with it. I have loved the backbend challenge and just started "yoga to the core" for April. I practice every day anyway and it is nice to throw some of these poses into my practice. A lot of them I didn't think I could do. It was so amazing to push myself and see results. 

Here are my pictures from the backbend challenge

I love that the last day was a resting pose.

This was also the first time I dropped back into wheel from standing. It wasn't pretty but I did it!

Have you ever tried a challenge on instagram?

"oh no! He's stuck"

Yep, another snow picture. Another snow day. We made pancakes this morning and played/read books/facetimed with my parents until nap time. I think Elinor might be a little sick lately. She isn't quite acting like herself. There is no fever or symptoms I see. She will pop out of it every once in awhile though.

 This is her door to Elsa. She complete decided this on her own. She sings and acts out the whole video to Do you want to build a snowman? Including singing through the key hole and slumping herself in front of the door with a pout. Every time we try to get it on video she runs away.

Whatever we are watching, reading or even talking about, she has to wear the costume that goes with it. Before nap she wanted to read Ladybug Girl Before starting it she jumped down and came back with her Ladybug Wings.

Between flashcards, books, toys, etc, I've been working really hard on remembering the flow we were taught in class. I've been writing and rewriting each pose with cues next to them. I hope that helps sticking them in my head. I force teach Dave every night to practice. It seems like a lot of my friends have been posting pictures and updates about practicing yoga. I wish some of you lived closer so I could practice teaching on you guys! Any local friends want to volunteer?

How is your snowy or just normal day going?

ALSO! Happy Anniversary to my parents today!

training

I have been trying to find a nanny job since moving here. It turns out that in Philly a lot of people don't have nannies. Or if they do, they don't like you bringing your child to work with you. Maybe it's just because we are new to the area and I don't really know where to look but I am finally giving up. It has been so nice spending so much one on one time with Elinor though.

I've been racking my brain on what I really like. I loved being a nanny and really saw myself doing it for as long as I could. I knew working at a daycare just isn't for me. I started doing a lot of yoga to keep myself busy, happy and healthy. There have been days were I just want to break down. Then I get my mat out and within a few breaths and poses, I'm feeling 100% better with a clear mind.

I get a million emails from groupon and usually ignore them unless something catches my eye. A few months ago a yoga teacher training deal popped up. I got really excited telling Dave about it and then I realized it was in NYC. Bummer. I kept it in the back of my mind though. After Dave bringing it up and pushing me to look into another one, I found a few training classes in Philly. I went with one that sounded like it fit me perfect and after some more pushing from Dave and my friend Ryan, I finally signed up and started teacher training classes yesterday!

The class is fun but hard. Day one we were already pairing off and instructing each other. I'm hoping with becoming confident with my practice I will be able to easily teach. I will update a little on here how classes are going. I'm so excited to take this journey. 

cold days

Elinor making yoga a challenge.

I was desperate for her to get out all her energy the other night so we made a "popsicle" course. Line of tape as a balance beam, yoga mat#1 for a tumble, tunnel and yoga mat#2 for a bridge. After a few times she just ran in circles. 

 trips to target turn into Elinor trying everything on and inspecting every toy down the pink aisle.

 She picked this outfit out. It was in the negatives this day so anything goes to get through it.

Our days always consist of her lining these guys up and quizzing me on each ones name. "mama, who's this? awesome, very good!"

We have done some baking and cooking (chocolate chip scones and the best vegan pancakes I've ever made, plus soups and stews) and watching the Frozen videos over and over. Elinor mimics Elsa in the Let It Go video and tries to sing it. Dave and I cry from laughing. I need to get a video. We are super Frozen obsessed over here and were excited to find these printables. Elinor has been coloring the same page for days now. 

How is everyone else getting through these cold days? 

working out at home

Elinor practicing some poses at the beach in Beverly before we moved.

I would love to go to yoga classes even once a week or really any kind of workout class. We had joined the Y before we moved but Elinor hated the daycare and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her there. I'm sure I have wrote about it before but they were awful and she just screamed the entire time I was gone. Besides that I just don't have time or money to go.

I've downloaded apps in the past that were ok but I always get bored with them. Our old neighbor also wasn't happy with me working out after Elinor would go to bed. After that happened we started looking for yoga videos on youtube. Yoga is a lot quieter than jump squats and jumping jacks. We found one we really like and a few that are ok. After moving we just couldn't get back into a routine.

About a month ago I found a 30 day yoga challenge. Every video is super short, between 11-20 min. It was perfect to get familiar with certain poses and back into a routine. Since we have finished the challenge, we started back with Bryan Jones yoga and we are feeling great.

I have a hard time finding a good video with a person I like, that you can clearly hear and it isn't too long.
Do you have any favorite yoga videos on youtube?

what I wore yesterday

 dress-C/O MODCLOTH

cardigan-h&m

tights-target/urban oufitters

shoes-DSW

track jacket-fred perry

jeans-levis LVC 1947 501 (I think)

pizza-daiya cheese, olives, tomatoes and onions

It was a good St Patrick's Day!

Today Dorie and I went to animal yoga again. She is super into it and takes it so serious. 

What are your plans for the weekend? I'm hopefully getting my owl finished and going back to the mall without a 3 year old. When I walked by H&M earlier in the week I saw a bunch of things I wanted and I still have a gift card from Christmas. But we were in a rush to get to the disney store to "check out their guys".

Happy Friday!