Month: July 2015

Links I Love: July 31st 2015

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

On Fridays I post a list of links that caught my attention over the past week. Some are related to the monthly theme – in July we’re focusing on gratitude. Others I just think are helpful. Enjoy!

  • Why giving yourself a break is key to your well-being + 3 tips for how to do it | well+GOOD – So often we’re our own harshest critic. It’s important to remember to extend the same compassion to ourselves that we do to others. Helpful advice on why and how to make it happen.
  • How to Prep for (and Master) Shoulderstand | Yoga Journal – Inversions (upside-down poses) are some of the most beneficial asanas. My teachers in India referred to headstand as the “king of asana”. Shoulderstand is a more accessible inversion for yogis of all levels. Check out this step-by-step guide to the pose.
  • 10 Ways to Cook with Coconut Oil | Huffington Post – Coconut oil has so many uses for skincare, cleansing, cooking and more. Incorporate this healthy fat into your diet using one of these delicious recipes.
  • 4 Poses, 4 Minutes, and Your Hips and Back Will Thank You | PopSugar – Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking”? Sitting at a desk all day can have detrimental effects on our health and posture. Use these simple poses to help undo some of the damage.
  • Loving Kindness “Metta” Meditation | Yoganonymous – This is one of my favorite (and in my opinion most practical) meditation practices. Use this technique to help spread love and positivity and let go of negative emotions.

Winding down the 21 Days of Gratitude

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

stef-40

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” -Melody Beattie.

In the month of July we’re focusing on gratitude. Learning to practice gratitude can change our life for the better instantly without changing a single circumstance. Join us for 21 Days of Gratitude July 11-31. We’re combining mindfulness, journaling and other appreciation exercises to help us unlock the power of gratitude in our lives.

21 Days of Gratitude Daily Practices

  • Keep a Gratitude Journal. Every morning write down 3 things you’re grateful for. It could be anything. Nothing is too small.
  • Express appreciation. Every morning spend 2-minutes expressing your appreciation to someone in a note or email.
  • Focus on the positive. Each night spend 2-minutes writing in your Gratitude Journal about something positive that happened during your day.
  • Meditate on a mantra. Spend 2-5 minutes daily meditating on the mantra “I already have everything I need.” Sit quietly with eyes closed and breathe through the nose.

In just 10 minutes a day you can start on the path to living a more appreciative and fulfilled life. Look for tips, yoga poses and practices to enhance gratitude throughout July.

Midweek Mindfulness: Focus on abundance

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

Stop living from a viewpoint of scarcity. You already have everything you need. And everything you’ve ever wanted is available to you. The amount of love, success, fulfillment, etc., in the world is unlimited. But only if you recognize that.

So often we get caught up in jealously and competition when we see others being happy and successful. We think that resources are scarce or that someone else’s ability to succeed somehow hinders our own. That’s simply not true. And the sooner we realize this fundamental falsehood, the happier we become.

We attract more of whatever we focus on. If we focus on perceived shortcomings we’ll always be lacking. But if we focus on the abundant nature of the universe then we’ll always live abundantly. Like Rumi said, “What you seek is seeing you.”

Whatever it is you most desire is available in abundance as long as you’re willing to see it that way. Always remember, there’s enough for you, too.

It’s all in your head

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

Haves & Have Nots Mantra

It’s possible to live richly without having much money. It’s also possible to live poorly when you have lots of money and possessions. It’s not how much we have that makes us happy or unhappy. It’s how we think about what we have that creates a fulfilling life.

When we focus on appreciating the things and people that surround us we instantly feel happier and more fulfilled. To the contrary, if we only focus on what we feel is lacking in our lives of course we’re going to be miserable. Concentrating on the good will attract more good into our lives. Just like concentrating on the bad will attract more misery into our lives.

Make it a habit to start practicing gratitude and you’ll move from Have to Have Not without having to change or acquire anything else in your life. Remember, it’s all in your head.

Weekend Warrior: Standing Forward Bend with Shoulder Opening

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

On weekends I share a yoga pose related to the monthly theme. In July we’re focusing on gratitude so all of our yoga poses are heart opening.

Standing Forward Bend with Shoulder Opening is a calming asana that opens the chest and shoulders while stretching the hamstrings, calves and hips.

Start standing with feet hip distance or a little less apart. Interlace hands behind you near the small of your back. Roll your shoulder blades together and lift through your heart center. Turn your gaze upwards as you continue to lift through your collarbone and pull your hands down towards the floor.

Soften your knees and exhale as you hinge at your hips folding forward. Keep hands interlaced as you raise them towards the ceiling. Feel grounded as you keep both feet firmly planted. Bend knees more deeply if needed to protect your hamstrings. Breathe deeply in and out of your nose. Exhale through the mouth for a deeper release. Hold the stretch for 10 breaths.

Links I Love: July 24th 2015

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

On Fridays I post a list of links that caught my attention over the past week. Some are related to the monthly theme – in July we’re focusing on gratitude. Others I just think are helpful. Enjoy!

  • 4 Yoga Moves to Prep for a Run – POPSUGAR – Try these dynamic stretches to warm up before your run and help prevent injuries later. As a former long distance runner, I can attest to how well yoga and running compliment one another.
  • A Buddhist Monk Shows Unheard Of Brain Activity During Meditation | The Mind Unleashed – Research proves that it’s possible to actually change our brains with meditation. Noticeable differences can start to appear in just a few weeks.
  • 37 cauliflower recipes to revolutionize any meal – well+GOOD – While living in India cauliflower became one of my favorite foods. It’s so versatile and delicious. Check out these great recipes.
  • The surprising science of happiness | TED.com – So often we think of happiness as something that comes from external factors. But scientists and meditators agree it’s possible to feel happy regardless of what’s happening around you because, in fact, happiness is an inside job. An interesting and amusing TED talk on happiness.
  • Watch What Happens When Cats and Dogs Interrupt Yoga Routines | TIME – A fun video compilation that anyone who practices yoga at home and has pets can relate to. It’ll make you smile.

21 Days of Gratitude is still going strong

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

stef-12

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” -Melody Beattie.

In the month of July we’re focusing on gratitude. Learning to practice gratitude can change our life for the better instantly without changing a single circumstance. Join us for 21 Days of Gratitude July 11-31. We’re combining mindfulness, journaling and other appreciation exercises to help us unlock the power of gratitude in our lives.

21 Days of Gratitude Daily Practices

  • Keep a Gratitude Journal. Every morning write down 3 things you’re grateful for. It could be anything. Nothing is too small.
  • Express appreciation. Every morning spend 2-minutes expressing your appreciation to someone in a note or email.
  • Focus on the positive. Each night spend 2-minutes writing in your Gratitude Journal about something positive that happened during your day.
  • Meditate on a mantra. Spend 2-5 minutes daily meditating on the mantra “I already have everything I need.” Sit quietly with eyes closed and breathe through the nose.

In just 10 minutes a day you can start on the path to living a more appreciative and fulfilled life. Look for tips, yoga poses and practices to enhance gratitude throughout July.

2-Minute Tip: Just say “No”

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in wanting to make other people happy or wanting them to like us that we do things we don’t really want to do. We do things that aren’t in our best interest because we don’t want to upset or disappoint someone.

I get it. I used to live for the approval of others. I also used to be really unhappy and stressed. I felt like I never had time for myself or to pursue the things I wanted to. I was too busy trying to be everything to everyone. It wasn’t until much later when I started to set and enforce boundaries in my relationships that I realized how much people had been taking advantage of me. All those “friends” seemed to disappear when I started to be more mindful of how I spent my time and energy.

At first I was pretty sad. But with time I began to replace those old relationships with new relationships that were mutually fulfilling. And not just dependent on me doing favors or giving of myself with no return. If you’re feeling drained by your relationships, remember:

  • Don’t do something that isn’t in your best interest to try to please someone else.
  • Set boundaries and don’t feel bad for sticking to them.
  • If you don’t consider your best interest, no one else will either.
  • You’re the only one who can determine what balance looks like in your life.

Good luck! You’re worth it.

Make gratitude your attitude

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

Gratitude Monday Mantra-01

A grateful heart is a happy one. Every day we make choices about how we focus our time and attention. When we make a conscious choice to appreciate everything in our lives – the good and the bad – we empower ourselves to live a more fulfilled, happier life.

When things don’t go our way, there’s still an opportunity to learn from the situation. Even if it’s just learning about resilience and how to manage disappointment. The more we focus on gratitude, the more we can shift our negative feelings about what’s happening around us. And the more we’re able to recognize the good.

Weekend Warrior: Standing Supported Camel

Posted on by Stefanie Monge

On weekends I share a yoga pose related to the monthly theme. In July we’re focusing on gratitude, so our poses are heart opening.

Standing Supported Camel (Ustrasana) is an intense heart opening asana. This standing variation makes the pose more available to people of all levels.

Start standing with feet about hip distance or a little less apart. Make fists and place them on the low back on either side of your spine. Lengthen through your torso and lift your collarbone towards the ceiling as you look up. Continue to lift through your heart center and slowly lean back with eyes up. Feel your shoulder blades moving together in the middle of your back. Maintain a slight bend in the knees.

Find a place where you feel steady and supported. It’s important not to overdo it in this camel variation because it could cause dizziness. Be aware that you may feel pretty vulnerable after this pose, so counter by standing in mountain pose with palms together and thumbs pressing into your heart center.

File Jul 20, 1 02 38 PM