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Savasana in our Schools by HYL Yogi: Liz

Oh, I remember my middle school days. Awkward, although studious, just trying to find my social circle. I also remember physical education class. We were forced to climb the ropes, launch over a vault box on gymnastics day and everyone’s favorite, pop the balloon pinned to the bullseye on archery day. If you popped it, you won a piece of sugarless candy.

And then on we went to high school…

1002874_580241875352005_1055277434_nThinking back, there was one thing definitely missing from the middle school fitness days – yoga! I was an avid dancer and cheerleader for a majority of my life, which included practices four to five times a week. I can only imagine the flexibility I would’ve had if I practiced yoga twice a week like I do now.

Physical fitness aside, there are so many amazing mental benefits that yoga offers. According to a recent Boston Magazine article, more schools across the nation are embracing yoga and incorporating it into the curriculum.

A recent study by Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and Sat Bir Khalsa, an associate neuroscientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital here in Boston, examined the impact of yoga on high-risk students in local schools. Participants completed 32 yoga sessions in 2014 and were then asked to complete a questionnaire based off of their yogic experiences. One result that clearly stood out was a reduction in cigarette smoking.

So maybe it’s time to pack your yoga mat with your notebooks and lunchbox.

Will adding yoga to the classroom reduce anxiety, depression and substance abuse? Only time will tell, but we’re certainly on the right track.

And I can honestly say that yoga would have been more useful than hitting the balloon bullseye!

Fall into Yoga! – By Liz Swenton

Finally! My favorite season has arrived. Pumpkin spice everything, mums, cooler air and of course, hot yoga! There really is nothing better than leaving work at 5:30 on a crisp, autumn evening, just in time for a 5:45 power class at Health Yoga Life.

sunrise1Call me crazy but I really look forward to those evenings. There are even some nights where you can see the sunset from the studio windows.

There’s just something about “starting fresh” when the air turns fresh. Yoga is the perfect outlet to achieve these new beginnings.

And here are my three favorite poses/parts of class that I look forward to most in the fall:

  • Child’s Pose – The perfect adjective for me to describe summer is rushed. We’re constantly trying to find time to go on vacation, go to the beach, have a BBQ, etc. that I often feel we lose our breath and our way. Child’s pose is one of my favorite ways to catch a breath and get back on track.
  • Warrior One – I am the biggest HYL offender of having my shoulders creep up to my ears in various poses. As a computer warrior, I spend my day typing away and can feel the stress build up hour by hour. Warrior One is my favorite pose to help me practice bringing my shoulders down my back. This is especially important as the weather gets colder…the shoulders go higher!
  • Pyramid – The flip flops have officially made their way into storage and the boots are about to make their debut. One of my favorite looks is jeans with knee-length boots, which can wreak havoc on your calves and shins. Pyramid is an amazing stretch for your entire leg!

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for a class at HYL today and fall into yoga.

Yoga Connects You to the Perfection You Seek – by Vyda Bielkus

Many of us know someone who struggles or struggled with body image issues.  From February 23 to March 1, Health Yoga Life will be honoring National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, because we believe that those who struggle should not struggle alone.

“I Had No Idea,” is the 2014 theme selected by The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). This theme was selected so that we could all bring more awareness to the symptoms, struggles  and signs of eating disorders.  As yoga studio owners and Health Yoga Life Coaches, my sisters and I see and know intimately individuals who have greatly benefited through self-care techniques like yoga and coaching to begin to change their relationship to their bodies.   In today’s world of Kim Kardashian being called fat while being pregnant, it’s no wonder women and men of all ages are afflicted by eating disorders and body image issues.

You can’t open a magazine or watch TV or walk down the street without “perfection” (as decided by someone else and photo-shopped by yet another) being projected as a uniform norm.   It’s like we are stuffing down any interest in individuality, true beauty, and the light that makes us each shine.  Eating disorders and body image issues are complex.   From criticizing our thighs to starving ourselves to death, each of us finds ourselves on a different spot on the very wide spectrum of self-love and self-worth.

A master yogi, BKS Iyengar said “It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.”  The self-care practice of yoga can help us to heal and begin to understand what being a spark of the divine truly means.  Through observation of our thoughts we begin to understand that we are more than our thoughts, that we are more than the records that play in our minds of what others define us to be or what our inner critic shouts.  What yoga, meditation and coaching can help us see is that the perfection will never be found outside ourselves and can only be found within ourselves.

Let your mat be the judgment-free zone each of us so desperately needs!  By practicing yoga and connecting your body and your breath, you can delve deep into the exploration of the divine and begin to honor and respect that.  This will then translate to the actions and choices you make off your mat to do the same.

Stylish Bag Lady / Review by HYL Yogi: Liz

I’ve been called the “bag lady” once or twice in my life, which has a negative connotation to me. The Urban Dictionary refers to a bag lady as “a poor woman who uses bags to transport her possessions and collect things that might be of use or traded for money.” My bags are simply used to tote my lunch, workout clothes, gym sneakers, Tupperware from yesterday’s lunch, a cosmetic bag and yoga mat.

My mother and infamous problem-solver, Gina, wanted to help and surprised me with a JoBird Yoga Caryall to help ease my transitional move from Beacon Hill to Everett. She knew that I would be commuting into work every day and would need the perfect bag to tote all of my essentials.

She heard about JoBird in The Hartford Courant, a local newspaper near my hometown, because these bags were designed and created in Connecticut. Co-founder, Pam, started doing yoga in 2011 and wanted to solve the yogic problem – a bag that holds everything (including mat) with style.

I can’t imagine life before my JoBird. Currently rocking the emerald tweet bag (sorry, this color is sold out!), it holds everything I need for my workout session and day at the office. And the sleeve underneath is durable enough to strap in your yoga mat. The bag is even the perfect size to fit in Health Yoga Life’s cubbies for storage during class.

The bag is made from Outdura which cannot be faded by the sun or chlorine, which also makes it the perfect beach bag too. And my favorite part is that it is mildew-resistant and has a little pouch on the side for sweaty clothes.

So where can you find JoBird? There are a few cute boutiques in the Litchfield Hills of CT that carry them and also a few yoga studios in NYC. So the easiest place for you Boston yogis is online.

Ten years ago, I was very grateful to discover yoga. Two years ago, I was very grateful to discover Health Yoga Life. And last year, I was very grateful to discover JoBird.

Celebrate Sisters – August 4th is National Sister Day!

Growing up as one of four sisters, we were often referred to as one unit-the girls.  My aunt would ask my mom, “oh how are the girls?” or the waiter at the restaurant would say “what would the girls like tonight?”  The truth is I could not imagine my life without being part of this very special group of women.  They are my best friends, and now even my partners in business.  Our business Health Yoga Life started precisely because we are sisters.  It was on our sister power that we took a risk and started our business.   If faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, sisters together can move the universe!

It was not until this year that I learned that there was an actual National Sister Day; a whole day to celebrate the women in our lives that help make us better people.  What fun!  For me celebrating my sisters is celebrating the very essence of the best thing we get to experience on this planet and that is love. When I have faced fear in my life, it is because of my sisters that I overcame.  When I have felt broken hearted, it is because of my sisters that I have dared love again.  When I have questioned my own strength, it is because of my sisters that I remember that “I stand on the shoulders of giants.” When I have lost my own will, it is because of my sisters that I connect back to my power.   Love heals all.  And if you have a sister, or sisters, or a friend who epitomizes the essence of sister in your life, you know just how blessed you are that you are able to have this kind of love, support and surround you.

Our studio and our life coaching work that we do with others has grown out of this love we share for each other.  We want all our clients to feel that they are welcomed like a sister would welcome someone with care, integrity, and without condition.

This Sunday, August 4th, the four sisters behind Health Yoga Life want to celebrate with you.   All day Sunday bring a sister, loved one or friend who is the epitome of sister in your life and her class is on us, free of charge!

We hope you’ll join us on Sunday for one of these great classes:

  • 10 am – Power ‘n Flow
  • 4 pm – Groove ‘n Flow
  • 5:45 pm – Restore ‘n Restart

Simply come to the studio, conveniently located at the corner of Cambridge and Temple Street in Beacon Hill, together and you get to go “two for the price of one!”

As part of giving back to our amazing community of students and the community at large, we are always offering specials and promotions so just ‘like’ us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay informed.