Conscious Existence

Hip opening Video from Yoga Today

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:48:00 +0000

Authentic Happiness: 3 Simple Steps to Find the Courage to Be Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:19:00 +0000

We all have flashes of inspiration. Sometimes they appear as quiet whispers in the night, as fleeting thoughts in the morning shower or as huge "a-ha!" moments. The question is: Are you giving enough attention to the clues that your inner voice is sending? How can you get more attuned to the inner directives? Here are three ways to get started.

1) Knowledge Is Power

Socrates said it best: "Know Thyself." This includes understanding what makes you feel alive, what captures your imagination, and also what comes naturally to you. Knowing your strengths is a huge advantage. If you have a great sense of humor, creativity or an ability to communicate easily with people, then you can build on those qualities to create your best life. By focusing on enhancing your strengths rather than trying to make up for your weaknesses, you can move more quickly in your desired direction and have fun in the process. Ask a few friends what they see as your strengths, and do the same for them. You may be surprised! For more clues, check out "The Authentic Happiness Brief Strength Test."

2) Get Into The Flow

Have you ever been so caught up in an activity that the hours fly by in what seemed like minutes? This is called being in a flow state. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow can happen when you're totally immersed in what you are doing and feeling both serene and connected. This buoyant state can happen many ways, including when deeply focusing on a sport, writing a paper or even playing music. Yoga and mindfulness are reported to increase flow, but it can occur anywhere your skill level is equal to your challenge and you get totally absorbed in the activity. When athletes say they were "in the zone," they are talking about flow. When artists refer to the music, art or inspiration flowing through them, it is the same state. Think of times when you were engrossed in something: your attention was heightened and you felt that everything was aligned. What if you made the choice to make more time for that in your day to day? For me, yoga is where I experience flow. Although I never set my sights on being a yoga teacher, I noticed (and happened to pay attention to) an ad in the paper about a yoga teacher-training course. After checking into it, I decided to go for it. The course was one of the most fulfilling experiences I have ever taken on - every class was like immersing myself in flow. What are some ways that you can incorporate more flow into your daily life?

3) Embody What You Believe In

Once you know your strengths and where you experience flow, you can consciously tweak your life to include more of that. By stepping into your authenticity, you automatically come into greater alignment and a peace that serves not only yourself but others, as well. Gandhi stated that "[h]appiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." Don't underestimate the importance of your own fulfillment and happiness; it ripples out farther than you may know. Rather than rocking the boat by being who you are, you actually give other people permission to do the same. Listen to the clues. By being on the lookout for directives, you will start to see them everywhere. Steve Jobs has an interesting quote:

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life... Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

If you can tap into your intuition and inner wisdom to direct your passions, you can use that in your own life, as well as to serve others. Then, you will easily embody what you believe, and your authentic happiness will shine the way for others, too.

What are you passionate about in your life?

I'm Completely Humiliated By Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:16:00 +0000

Please read this, it a hysterical account of a new "yogi" and his first encounters with Yoga in Mysore, India.

Moments

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:42:00 +0000

Moments: "Yoga has been described as the art of living in the moment. Essentially, through the practice we learn to be mindful and alive to every mome..."

Free Yoga Fit Training DVD

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:48:00 +0000

Has anyone heard of Yoga Teacher Training ? LOL -- Beth Shaw of YogaFit is giving away a few FREE Yoga Training DVD Downloads. These are full DVD's and nobody even asked me to buy anything. I think someone forgot... LOL

P.S. The free downloads are kinda hidden look on the left for "Free Yoga Training"

Summer Solstice in Times Square

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Thousands flocked to Times Square Monday to commemorate the first day of summer. Their way of celebrating? Downward dog.

"Yoga in Times Square" was first organized eight years ago, with a mere two participants. It's grown significantly since, with 5,000 people pre-registering from 31 countries this year.

WATCH:

The Girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:27:00 +0000

They're Back

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

The five Shiba Inu pups (3 boys and 2 girls) were born on Saturday, January 16th, 2010. This is the second litter by their mom, Kika.

This is the birth order -

Girls (both red):
- Bella
- Beni-Bara (Bara for short)

Boys (1 red and 2 cream):
- Bonsai (the red boy)
- Bento (the biggest cream boy)
- Byakko

Streaming live video by Ustream

For Sara (no H)

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:18:00 +0000

My journey into Ashtanga Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:50:00 +0000

I started an Ashtanga Yoga series this week at Sahmadhi Yoga in CT and now I'm already getting obsessed with this practice. First of all the class is at 6AM, which has been a challenge in itself, it would be so much easier to pull those covers over my head and go back into dreamland. My other challenge is the body, which after having not done much yoga this summer and a hip injury, seems to be resisting the flexibility needed to move into many of the Ashtanga poses. I have always been strong and flexible, but this year has brought many struggles, both physical and mental, so my normal jumping in with both feet, so to speak, is not available, my only choice is to begin this practice from a place of humbleness and acceptance. A dilemma in itself.

My goal is to be able to do the jump back below - the arm strength that this takes is completely beyond me. But, I will keep plugging away. I'll let you know how it goes, wish me luck!

Have the time of your life...

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Who didn't have a major crush on Patrick Swayze. What a fantasy to dance with him or have his romantic ghost hanging around. Farewell...

the girl effect

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:50:00 +0000

Take a look at The Girl Effect at http://www.thegirleffect.org. It is a foundation sponsored by the Nike Foundation that is striving to change the lives of young women beginning at age 12, all over the world.

In Nike's own words:

Why girls
Improve a girl’s life and many more lives benefit: her brothers, sisters, parents and beyond. As an
educated mother, an active citizen and an ambitious entrepreneur, or prepared employee, she can break the cycle of poverty.

Yet, despite her proven potential, in today’s developing countries she is more likely to be uneducated, a child bride, exposed to HIV/AIDS. And about half a cent of every international development dollar is directed to her; 99.4 percent of funding goes elsewhere. The world is missing out on a tremendous opportunity for change.

AllGirlFitness is working on partnering with The Girl Effect to support the efforts of the Nike Foundation. Stay tuned for more info.

Yoga Teacher Training

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:31:00 +0000

Hi everyone, it has been forever! My good friend Paula and I have decided to take the plunge and become certified to teach yoga. We both have taken different approaches to Yoga so far, and probably will continue to do so in the future. One thing though, is that we both love what Yoga brings to our life and feel that we will practice forever.

So, if you are feeling the same and want to join us on our journey, we welcome you! Follow this link to get started, Yoga teacher training online course.

We are getting started soon, let's encourage each other!

Namaste

We're back!

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:45:00 +0000

Well, it has been a long haul and I aplogize for being MIA for the last month or so - but great news - Teddy is doing wonderful. After a long recovery period that took a ton of dedication from my family, friends and of course Tolland Veterinary Hospital - Teddy is going to be fine with a full working leg so he can go on his trail runs every day and chase the cat to his heart's content.

I want to thank you all for your donations and well wishes - this was a very time consuming and expensive effort, but the bulk of it being behind us now - we made the right decisions along the way, learned a lot and made some great new friends.

Teddy's doctors went to school at Ohio State - Throughout Teddy's recovery they sent pictures to their Professors for treatment suggestions and also to track, so Teddy has been part of the teachings for surgical students. I will put the pictures online soon, and, if your stomach is up to the early shots you should take a look it has truly been a miracle.

Again, I thank you all for your support and encouragement - but now we need to get back in shape!

Help Save Teddy!

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Sat, 26 May 2007 20:49:00 +0000

As many of you know my running partner and best friend, Teddy, was hit by a mail truck and severely injured almost three weeks ago. He went immediately to Tolland Veterinary Hospital where he underwent over 5 hours of surgery to piece together his back left leg. Since he was dragged by the mail truck, everything on his back leg was worn down - skin, muscles, bone... Miraculously, nothing was broken and he had no internal organ damage.

Teddy is healing quite well except for his back leg, where part of the skin eventually fell off due to the damage endured during the accident. At present there is a huge gaping hole with the bone exposed which is a perfect venue for infection, so far we are very lucky and there is no visible infection. Our home has turned into a pseudo clinic where we are attempting to build new skin by 'sugar wrapping' his leg twice a day. There has been tremendous improvement on one side of his leg, however, the other side still will not adhere which leaves his leg open and exposed.

Our dilemma at this point seems to be completely monetary - Teddy needs additional surgery to save his back leg and we are at the end of our financial ropes. Today I was put in touch with an incredible organization - Out to Pasture - outtopasture.org. I emailed Carrie on a holiday weekend and she responded within an hour! Her comments to me were, if money is your issue at this point, Out to Pasture works with many foundations and individuals that sponsor pets that are either suffering of a terminal illness, abuse or injury and is 'putting the word out' about Teddy.

Thank you for visiting, please keep Teddy in your thoughts and I will keep you up to date.

All Girl Fitness-Your online home for the best of health and fitness!

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:53:00 +0000

All Girl Fitness - great workout, motivation and inspiration site to keep you moving.

read more | digg story

Teddy Joins the AllGirl Fitness Group

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:28:00 +0000

Technorati ProfileTeddy Joins the All Girl Fitness Training Team

Ok, so Teddy, the infamous trail running Sheep Dog, is now doing road runs. Unbelievable, the not so behaved, never on a leash freebird is now pace jogging on a leash - miracles never cease to happen! Join Teddy and the All Girl Fitness team while we slowly inch our way towards a 1/2 marathon this summer. Do me a favor though, don't tell Teddy it's a girl's team, he hasn't caught on quite yet and might be offended. He thinks he's a tough guy! shhhh....

All Girl Fitness and Traineo

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:53:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Check out the All Girl Fitness Group on Traineo -

Come join the All Girl Fitness team on Traineo. Traineo is the hot, new workout logging and tracking website that will surely give you the motivation that you need to get exactly where you want to be. All Girl Fitness has created a group to build a community for women at any level of fitness that want to be all they can be. With our a holistic approach to fitness, it is the perfect spot for women at all levels to communicate and inspire or get inspiration right at your fingertips. Lets see how healthy and fit we can become by motivating each other!

Stay tuned for the kick off of the All Girl Fitness Spring Challenge. You won't want to miss this challenge, so stay tuned as more details will be available by the end of March. If you have ideas for a challenge that you would like AGF to sponsor, leave a note on the message board - we will create challenges based on interest and level - something for everyone.

http://allgirlfitness.groups.traineo.com/

Let's have fun and get fit!

Where am I?

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:20:00 +0000

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2007, I hope it is a good year for all.

Since I have been on the road so much, and it looks like it is going to continue for a while, I've added this really fun program so all of my family, friends, co-workers, etc. - can find me. For those of you that know me, you will probably figure, and rightly so, that I will be checking this every morning to figure out exactly where I am every day - or at least where I am supposed to be!

Check it out here

Let me know if it something you want to add to your site and I will give you the link - then maybe you can really find yourself!

Peace for us all!

Leave the mad rush behind and enjoy

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:58:00 +0000

Here are some great finds for the Holidays, you can still get free shipping and geat deals! Let me know what you think - I know this is how I'm doing all my shopping this year.

Sometimes it's OK to Assume

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:26:00 +0000

Ok, well normally making assumptions is considered a no, no. However, take a look at the quote I ran across today. Not that these assumptions will completely change your world, but maybe just spending a minute with each of these thoughts may make you look at your day a little differently.

"I have also found that by making four simple assumptions in our lives we can immediately begin leading a more balanced, integrated, powerful life. They are simple–one for each part of our nature–but I promise you that if you do them consistently, you will find a new wellspring of strength and integrity to draw on when you need it most.

For the body–assume you've had a heart attack; now live accordingly.
For the mind–assume the half-life of your profession is two years; now prepare accordingly.
For the heart–assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; now speak accordingly.
For the spirit–assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; now live accordingly. "

Stephen Covey

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:24:00 +0000

‘Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.’ — Mohammad Ali

You may have already seen this video, it seems that Thanksgiving is a perfect time to take another look, be grateful for all that you have and to remember always that the everything you need to be happy lives inside of you. You will be inspired thanks to a YouTube video clip with a cheesy soundtrack. The video is below, and the story behind it is amazing.

Dick Hoyt (now 65) and his son Rick have competed together in more than 900 endurance events, including six Ironman triathlons and 64 marathons (with a best time of 2:40:47). In itself, that’s pretty remarkable, but there’s more: Rick is a quadraplegic with cerebral palsy. He can’t talk or walk, and he’s confined to a wheelchair. For every race, he has been pushed (in a wheelchair), pulled (in an inflatable boat) or carried (on a specially-built bike) by his dad. When they started racing together, Dick was in his forties and he’d never run before. “Then it was me who was handicapped,'’ he said. “I was sore for two weeks.'’ Dick went on to run the Boston marathon in a time that was just 35 minutes off world record pace. Pushing a wheelchair. I’ve never felt more humbled, or more inspired. You can read more at the Team Hoyt website.

noreply@blogger.com (All Girl Fitness) — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 02:55:00 +0000

10 Ways To Manage Stress
Removing Stress From Your Life
1. We seldom concretely identify those situation and people we find stressful. To understand what brings on stress in your life, try to maintain a heightened awareness of your physical and mental feelings for a week. When you feel your heart racing, your muscles tightening, or your stomach contracting, ask yourself why. Keep a list of those things that trigger stressful feelings.

2. Make relaxation part of your daily routine. Deep breathing and simple stretches can be performed both at home and in the office. Taking a few minutes to sooth your soul by savoring a cup of tea or grounding yourself can center you, giving you the ability to deal with stress more effectively.

3. It can be difficult to let go of worries or thoughts that provoke anxiety. One technique involves dissipating stressful thoughts before they get out of control. Concentrate on the thought and firmly say "Stop" to prevent the thought from recycling itself in your mind. In doing so, you will be free of the thought's power to influence your mood.

4. Get back to nature. Enjoying a relaxing day out of doors can help you feel more calm and balanced during your normal routine. A mountain hike or day at the beach can be a wonderful stress reducer. If you simply can't get away, try listening to a CD of nature sounds or spending a few minutes in front of a sunny window.

5. Each day, give yourself the gift of doing one thing you truly enjoy. It may be writing, gardening, dancing, walking, or watching a good film. Doing something you like every day will improve your quality of life and frame of mind, making you better able to handle stress as it arises.

6. Assess your priorities and learn to say no. Determine what activities you don't want to or can't do at home or at work, and, if you can, stop doing them. Don't overload your schedule by committing to new responsibilities because you are afraid to say no. Instead, dedicate yourself only to the activities that bring you joy.

7. Guided imagery can help you stay relaxed during periods of stress. Take a moment to imagine yourself in a peaceful setting that feels safe and nurturing, perhaps somewhere you have felt lighthearted and calm in the past. Concentrate on your setting until you feel your muscles and mind relax.

8. Exercise affects both the body's energy level and the brain's chemistry by encouraging the release of beneficial hormones. It can also help you let go some of the tension and pent-up energy associated with stress by giving you a healthy outlet for your feelings. The mood-elevating benefits of exercise last for days, but regular exercise is the most uplifting.

9. Take a break. When you're faced with any type of stress, stop for a moment to collect your thoughts. Breathe slowly and deeply for ten seconds and try to clear your mind of unpleasant thoughts. You'll still be facing the same situation, but your outlook will be clearer.

10. When you have compiled a list of stressful triggers, compile a second list outlining your personal methods for dealing with stress. Though unexpected or frustrating situations can seem overwhelming, you have the power to cope. Recognizing your strengths can make dealing with stress seem easier.