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Looking for Balance? Choose It!

These days we have so many things to distract us, it’s easy to forget what is truly important to us!  It can feel like we are being pulled in thousands of directions.  This way and that.

So how can we find that elusive quality- BALANCE so many of us are searching for?

YOU CHOOSE! That’s how.  I distinctly remember when I started practicing yoga I started making more true choices and sometimes those felt scary at first.

For example one of the scariest choices for this recovering Type-A personality to make, was choosing to leave work early to make a yoga class I loved.  I had to leave 15 minutes before the customary end of day, otherwise I would miss the class.  This was a tough one. Every time I got up to leave I feared I would get yelled at by my boss or at least get criticized. I could feel the sneers from my colleagues as I walked by them and out the door.

But you know what I came to find out. No one really cared! Besides a few sarcastic remarks, there really was no issue. I was a great employee and a great co-worker. And the ones that smirked, what they actually felt, I think, was disappointment in themselves.  And as we know it’s much easier to be mad at someone else than be upset with yourself.

Start practicing the right choices for yourself and see, you just might find what you have been looking for!

EmpowerUP :  “I align my choices with my desires and take action”. 

Join us for our Boston  fall yoga teacher training   It’s not too late! Choose Now!  Read all about our training including weekend dates CLICK HERE.  Don’t worry if you have to miss a day or a weekend.  We work with you to make up the missed time.

CLICK HERE to register! Add to cart for automatic $200 savings.

Questions?  Email yogatt@healthyogalife.com!

#WellthyWednesday #QuickEnergyShift – Marma Point Self Massage for Stress Relief

#WellthyWednesday #QuickEnergyShift: Marma Point Self Massage for Stress Relief

You literally hold your heart in your hands.  It is called the Tala hridaya marma point. Marma points are Ayurvedic acupressure points.  They are where matter meets consciousness.  It’s true. When you reach out to shake someone’s hand there is a moment of heart connection. Here is a great way to take care of the “HEART” in your hands!

The Tala hridaya marma point is l
ocated in the palm of both hands. It is underneath the middle fingers’ bottom knuckles.  It is responsible for circulation and controls the lungs and heart. Massaging this point on the right and left hand will reduce stress and anxious feelings.

Press into this point with the thumb of the opposite hand. When you feel a knot or tenderness, you have found the right spot. Gently massage, counterclockwise in small circles. This will break up blocked energy.  Finish by closing with clockwise circles. This stimulates and energizes the point. This only takes 3-5 minutes on each hand. One side might feel like it needs more massage than the other.  Go for what you feel you need. Let your intuition guide you. Massage oil and essential oils may be used to enhance this experience.

Feel your body as a whole. Feel the link between the hands and the heart, and the heart that links the whole body. Breath in what you need, exhale what no longer serves you.  The free Prana (life-force) circulating through your whole body feels flowing and balanced. This balance reduces stress and creates an overall sense of wellbeing.

Check Out HYL’s Ongoing Offerings

200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Available HERE

Virtual Coach Training Available HERE

Mind, Mood & Muscle™ Online Yoga & Wellness plan.  Includes 12 months of Quick Energy Shift Videos, Motivational Coaching Tips, Yoga Class Videos, and Audio Meditations sent directly to your inbox! Available HERE

#MondayMantra – #LoveIsLove

Sky above. Earth below. Peace within. #MondayMantra #LoveIsLove #Orlando

Today, we rise with heavy hearts in the aftermath of the events in Orlando this weekend. Our thoughts & prayers continue to be with those affected by this senseless tragedy.

Today, we also take the opportunity to recommit to finding peace within ourselves so that we may radiate peace, love & light out into the world. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 

Love is truth. Love is light. Love is the way. And, as President Obama reminded us yesterday, “no act of hate or terror will ever change who we are or the values that make us Americans.”

Manifest love & light on your mat using a Lotus Mudra. By sealing in specific energy forces in the body, Hand Mudras (seals) cultivate a certain state of mind. Rising out of muddy water toward the sun, the lotus flower is a symbol of light rising out of darkness. It cultivates grounding and the opening of one’s own heart.

You can practice Lotus Mudra in seated meditation, in asana (yoga postures) such as Vrksasana (Tree Pose), or in conjunction with Pranayama (control of breath or breathing exercises).

To create a Lotus Mudra, bring the heels of your palms together at your heart center. Spread your fingers, bringing your thumb tips and pinky fingers to touch. Keeping your knuckles separate, let your fingers blossom like the petals of a flower.

Closing the eyes or gazing gently at your hands, breath in deeply. Feel strong and grounded like the deep roots of the lotus. Pause and hold in the breath. Exhale slowly, feeling your heart open like the lotus blossom, radiating love and peace.

#TransformYourself. #TransformYourWorld.

#MondayMantra – Try something new!

Don’t let fear stand in your way, try something new! Everyone has a list of “I’d like to, but haven’t” – whether it’s paddle-boarding on the Charles, joining an ultimate Frisbee league, taking a music lesson or cooking class, or hosting a dinner party.

When it comes to leaving our comfort zone, we often let fear stand in our way. But how often do we actually regret trying something new?

Commit to checking one thing off your list this summer! We promise, you won’t regret it.  We’re stronger together! Share your progress with us on social media #HYLSummer

HYL AT THE STRATTON MOUNTAIN RESORT, VERMONT!

Our Summer 2016 two-week Intensive Yoga Teacher Training starts June 25th!

Join us for an amazing time in the mountain of Vermont. Great hikes, terrific food, awesome friends, a great learning environment, and someone to make your bed every morning!

Get certified in 2 weeks! Find your voice. Improve your practice. Or take one week now and the second week later!

Email us at yogatt@healthyogalife.com for more information!

Love our studio?! Vote for HYL for Best Yoga Studio on the 2016 Boston A-ListVOTE HERE! Share your vote on social media with the #bostonsbestyoga & be entered to win a $25-$50 HYL Gift Certificate!

Questions about our upcoming events?! Contact us at info@healthyogalife.com or 857.350.4124.

Namaste!

#MondayMantra -Yoga Off The Mat

Yoga is synonymous with flexibility. But yoga isn’t just about flexibility of the body. Yoga is about flexibility of the body and the mind. And we need both to live life energetically, with ease and vitality!

People with flexible minds are resilient and adaptable. They bounce back more easily from hardship and, more often than not, perceive challenges as opportunities.

Like flexibility in the body, a flexible mind is an attitude that can be cultivated with practice. The physical practice of yoga allows us to practice adaptability and increases our metal flexibility.

As you flow through postures, notice your thoughts – How do they change from one breath to the next? What are you saying to yourself? How do you react when you fall out of posture? Where are you able to change ingrained patterns of thinking? Seeing how you can adapt to evolving situations on your mat with positivity and resilience, and let go pre-set responses that no longer serve you, allows you to be more adaptable and resilient off your mat!

DON’T MISS OUT!

 Saturday, 5/28, 1:30-3:00 p.m., Stretch for the Jimmy Fund Charity Class to Support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Join HYL instructor Courtney Mussina for a gently-heated Power Vinyasa class to support 2016 Pan-Mass Challenge rider (and yogi), Jessica Lack, and Dana-Farber. $20 Registration. SIGN UP HERE!

 Memorial Day, Monday, 5/30. HYL will have a REGULAR Class Schedule! (6:30 a.m. Groove ‘n Flow, 12:30 p.m. Power ‘n Flow, 4:00 p.m. Power ‘n Flow, 5:45 p.m. Power ‘n Flow, and 7:30 p.m. Groove ‘n Flow).

 Tuesday, 5/31, 7:00 p.m. @ The Tip Tap Room! Join us to celebrate the end of the 30 Day Yoga Challenge! Appetizers will be provided. Winner’s Raffle at 7:30 p.m. Raffle winners will be announced!

Love our studio?! Vote for HYL for Best Yoga Studio on the 2016 Boston A-ListVOTE HERE! Share your vote on social media with the #bostonsbestyoga & be entered to win a $25-$50 HYL Gift Certificate!

Questions about our upcoming events?! Contact us at info@healthyogalife.com or 857.350.4124.

Namaste!

Health Yoga Life

#WellthyWednesday: 5 Fab Ways to Use Cacao

It’s HYL #WellthyWednesday!

During our last Yoga retreat in Mexico we could not resist bringing home some of the elixir of the Gods, the Mayan ceremonial drink, cacao powder. This exotic super-food is actually available everywhere now, the trip just reminded us of some its great uses. It is an antioxidant, is anti-inflammatory and mineral rich.  The words cacao and cocoa are used interchangeably. You may be more familiar with cocoa. The word “cocoa” is simply the English word for “cacao”.

The cacao referred to here has been roasted and ground to a fine powder.

5 Fab ways to use Cacao!

  • Drink it. Put about a table spoon in the bottom of a mug and add a little hot water at a time. It forms a paste, slowly add more water to fill a mug. Because it is a fine powder adding to much water too quickly leaves powder floating.
  • Smoothie it. Put some in your favorite morning smoothies with fruit and yogurt.
  • Snack it. Mix it up with some peanut butter and a touch of honey. It makes a delicious spread on top of sliced apples or crackers.
  • Mask it. Make a homemade face mask with cacao powder, olive oil, and brown sugar. Apply a light layer to your face and meditate for 20 minutes. Rinse clean.
  • Spice it. Add it to a hot sauce, bean chili, or any great Mexican dish you may be making. It brings out an amazing depth of flavor.

Tips for buying cacao powder

  1. Look for certified fair trade & certified organic.
  2. Make sure it is unsweetened.
  3. Most of the cacao you buy will be roasted. If you buy raw it is cold pressed and there is no consensus as to what constitutes raw. The raw is less palatable and you have to make sure the company is reputable and removing harmful bacteria in raw processing. The raw however may have more health benefits than roasted, the jury is still out on that one.

*For more #HYLMMM tips like this sign up for our on-line Mind, Mood &  and Muscle™plan.  Includes 12 months of healthy eating and motivational coaching tips, yoga classes and meditations sent directly to your inbox!  Available HERE

#MondayMantra – Calm is a super power!

We can’t always control what goes on outside, but we can always control what goes on inside. Yoga gives us the tools to tap into this super power!

“Yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word “Yuj” meaning to yoke, join, or unite. Through yoga, we learn to align our body, mind, and spirit. By turning our perceptions inward, we can feel the sense of calm & well-being associated with a quiet mind. This “calm” is always with us, whether or not we are on our mat!

Tap into your super-yogi power! Live yoga off the mat to cultivate balance in your every-day life!

JOIN US at these UPCOMING EVENTS!

 Sunday, 5/22, HYL Yoga @ Athleta on Newbury! Take part in this fun & informative community event! Join us for a free vinyasa flow led by HYL Sister Vyda Bielkus! Then stay and chat with Vyda about the benefits of yoga teacher training (even if you don’t want to teach). Refreshments will be provided. Free gift with any Athleta purchase! Doors open at 9:30 a.m. CLICK HERE to RSVP!

 Saturday, 5/28, 1:30-3:00 p.m., Stretch for the Jimmy Fund Charity Class to Support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Join HYL instructor Courtney Mussina for a gently-heated Power Vinyasa class to support 2016 Pan-Mass Challenge rider (and yogi), Jessica Lack, and Dana-Farber. $20 Registration. SIGN UP HERE!

Love our studio?! Vote for HYL for Best Yoga Studio on the 2016 Boston A-ListVOTE HERE! Share your vote on social media with the #bostonsbestyoga & win a $25-$50 HYL Gift Certificate! 1 vote = 1 raffle entry! Vote everyday until June 12th to maximize your chances to win!

Questions about our upcoming events?! Contact us at info@healthyogalife.com or 857.350.4124.

Namaste!

#MondayMantra – Challenge yourself to let your inner light shine!

The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness but its true value is the light that shines through it.” #MondayMantra #ShineBright

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything. This rainy Monday, challenge yourself to let your inner light shine out brightly to the world!

Polish your diamond with these simple tips!

  1. Gratitude: Write down three things you are grateful for right now. Try this every day and, over time, you can re-wire your brain to focus on the positive things in your life.
  2. Meditation: Taking time everyday to quiet the mind allows you to step back, re-group, and free yourself from reactive thinking that no longer serves you and dampens your light.
  3. Kindness: Do something for someone else – send an unexpected email complimenting your coworker on the fantastic job they did on their latest project,  reach out to a loved one and let them know how much you appreciate them, or sign up to volunteer for a charitable cause you believe in. Its scientifically proven that doing things for others boosts happiness and personal satisfaction.

»» MAY PREVIEW «« 

Turn your world upside-down! INVERSION WORKSHOP with Allison Jones. Saturday, May 14, 2016, 1:00-3:00p.m. $40 Registration. Space is limited! CLICK HERE to register!

MAMA’STE! Mom’s practice FREE on Sunday, May 8th! If you’re a mom or bring a mom, take any of Health Yoga Life’s Sunday yoga classes on us! Just check-in at reception to redeem your free Mama’ste class!

Yoga @ Athleta on Newbury! The Benefits of Yoga Teacher Training (even if you don’t want to teach): VINYASA, BAGELS & CHAT with Vyda Bilekus! Sunday, May 22, 2016, 9:30 a.m. at Athleta 92 Newbury Street, Boston, MA. Have you thought about taking a Yoga Teacher Training but have yet to take the leap? Are you looking to improve your yoga practice? Increase your enjoyment of life? Gain more confidence? Find your voice? Live yoga off your mat? If you answered YES to any of these questions, Yoga Teacher Training might just be your answer! Find out how, at this fun & informative community event. Then, stay to shop & receive a free gift with purchase! CLICK HERE to RSVP!

Give back! STRETCH FOR JIMMY FUND – Charity Class to Support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Join HYL instructor Courtney Mussina for a gently-heated Power Vinyasa class to support 2016 Pan-Mass Challenge rider (and yogi), Jessica Lack, and Dana-Farber. Saturday, May 28, 2016, 1:30-3:00p.m. $20 Registration. SIGN UP HERE!

Questions about our upcoming events?! Contact us at info@healthyogalife.com or 857.350.4124.

Are you asking for the life you want?- by Vyda Bielkus

There is a little image that goes around social media every once in a while. (See below)  It shows one small circle and an arrow pointing to it saying “Your Comfort Zone” and then another large circle saying “Where the Magic Happens”.  There is an awful lot of truth to the idea.  So much of what we want to create cannot, by any means, get created in the space where things are no longer challenging us.

comfort-zone

When I was young girl, I remember a conversation I had with my mother.  I looked up to my mom (I still do).  There were many reasons to look up to her. Not only did she have four kids she also had her own business.  And on top of that she had a vibrant social/family life.  And still on top of that she exercised and took care of herself and meditated!  Did she make it look easy and effortless?  In a way yes, because she made it look like a hell of a lot of fun!  On one of those days when she was beaming from ear to ear, I asked her, “how did you get this full and fun life?”.  I was curious.  What was it that created all this joy that she had for living?  And she answered me, “When I was little, just like you, I prayed to God not to give me a boring life.”

Boy, were her prayers answered.  This simple message stayed with me long after she first said it to me.  No I didn’t become an adrenaline junkie (no jumping out of airplanes required), but I did understand that if I wanted to live into my potential I had to move away from inertia and toward that which at first maybe perceived as unsettling.  Often to this day when things seem a bit overwhelming or seem like the things happening at a given time couldn’t possibly be happening all at once, we often joke to each other “at least it’s not a boring life”.

It takes courage to be in a state of change and transformation.  It takes more courage to ask for it, to sign up for it, to seek it.  But it is precisely in those moments of being prodded, pushed, challenged that the truth of who you are rises to the occasion and the soul grows.  It’s precisely the experience and feeling of being “where the magic happens.”

Ready for a little more magic in your life, consider our teaching training!  Yoga asana (posture practice) is an amazing body transformer.  The other areas of yoga philosophy are potent life transformers!

If you have questions if our program is suitable for you, don’t hesitate to reach out.  We want to help you get to the right choice for you!  Email yogatt@healthyogalife.com or call 857-350-4124. Chat with a lead faculty today!

Still time to join our Spring yoga teacher training in Boston! 

Learn More CLICK HERE

Sign Up CLICK HERE

Or take training this Summer in Vermont with our 2 week yoga teacher training intensive!

Learn More CLICK HERE

Sign Up CLICK HERE

NamastYEAH!