Good Bye Jack...

Below is a blog I posted in April 2010 on Jack LaLanne. He passed away earlier this month at the age of 96. What an awesome life and inspiration. He brought so much insight (so long ago) to the exercise and fitness community. Here's some wonderful advice from Jack.

FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010

Old Ideas are Good Ideas

Are any of you old enough to remember Jack LaLanne? My mother watched him and exercised with him in the morning when I was growing up. That was many, many decades ago.

He is the "Godfather of Fitness". He really helped to empower women (see the video in the link) and is still impacting people's lives today with his juicers, etc.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Jack-LaLanne-The-Godfather-of-Fitness

Mr. LaLanne had a list of "10 Things To Do To Have a Happier and Healthier Life". Guess what? These 10 things are being "discovered" by people today! He's been telling people about this list for decades and people are just now discovering the power of these 10 things.... crazy.

Well - here is what Jack recommends.....

1) Exercise

2) Good Nutrition

3) Positive Thinking

4) Good Habits

5) Good Grooming

6) Smile (to everyone)

7) Watch your posture

8) Help Others

9) Relax (as in meditate....)

10) Have Faith

So, if you're looking to have a happier, healthier life, you may want to look at some of these "old ideas" that people are just now discovering!

Namaste and be well....

New Year... New Yoga

I love practicing yoga. Each practice I have - I try to treat it as though it is the first practice I have ever had. I close my eyes as much as possible and visualize my body in the asanas while I focus on my breath. Each Downward Facing Dog is my first. Each Warrior I or Warrior II is my first. Each Sun Salutation is my first. By doing this, I allow myself to come into each practice without any expectations. If I start my day feeling like I am ready to kick butt, then get to practice and feel my knee isn't quite right or my arms are tired, or I am just more out-of-it than I thought, I like that I had no expectations on myself and I can just surrender to my practice and let it be the way it is.

I think this is a very important way for us to approach not only our yoga practice, but also our meditation practice. I teach this to all my students of both that when we just surrender ourselves to whatever our practice is, without expectations, we will have a much calmer and more peaceful practice, which is why we are taking the time to do this in the first place.

Keep the momentum of the New Year, but honor your body and treat each practice as New!

never give up...

never give up on a loved one.

now matter how hard it seems,

no matter how bad it gets.

don't give up.

this is someone you love

and maybe all you have left is their shell...

but you must honor that loved one

and treasure that shell.

have no guilt

i too have acted poorly.

all the anger and meanness comes on so fast.

of course you react poorly.

now i know none of this is directed to me personally,

but on the onset, the beginning, with no preparation...

it's gut wrenching. it's terrible.

do not feel guilty for acting poorly,

just stop.

don't take it personally...

don't take anything personally.

this has become my new mantra.

having a loved one with dementia makes me realize,

this is my new mantra for life.

peace at night

late at night, all curled up in a little ball
so peaceful, so vulnerable.
hard to imagine earlier that day

so much anger, hate, volatile behavior

could come out of such a peaceful, vulnerable woman.

Relaxing in the Summertime

Having worked a 9 - 5 job for my entire adult life, this is the first time I have not worked and get to enjoy the summer. My son is out of school for the summer (his first week off) and he's just "chill-axing" (that's what he calls it) upstairs while I am downstairs in the office with the windows open listening to the sounds of nature outside. Our dog, Sasha is next to me waiting to see what we're going to do next. Everyone in the house is in this relaxation mode. This is a mode that I have dreamed about for a long time and have never really experienced. Usually I would be running around like a crazy woman getting everyone off to where ever they have to be with the sustenance they would need for the day in their lunch bag and stainless steel water bottle. Today, I get to hang out with my son and my dog. We worked on the punching bag and tried some push-ups. We've discovered that I am not that great with push-ups unless it's the modified version, but I have all summer to work on that! I think we're going to take Sasha outside so she can chase her favorite green ball. Maybe she'll get to show off for her friend Buddy and bark at some squirrels. This would be a great day to read a book and just sit on the back deck. I know everyday this summer won't be like this so I am really going to savor this day and enjoy every moment of it!

Enjoy every moment yourself and be well...