Yoga Ritual with Adriene

This previous week I had the joy of going through a yoga program in Yoga with Adriene's member website.  The experience is a great one and I am planning on returning to it often.

It is a 7 day program called Yoga Ritual, a morning practice that starts with 15 minutes of movement and a 5 minute meditation.  During each of these she has a focus, here are the themes as well as the centering thought that I had with each practice.

     ◈ Day 1: Ground - My intention for the 7 days was to be patient with my thoughts, body and journey.  I can't expect all my goals to be met "now".  They joy is in the journey.
     ◈ Day 2: Stretch - I find that I am stretched too thin, always pushing to get the next thing done. A broken mind or body can't perform well. I need to take the time to rest both to be at my best.
     ◈ Day 3: Core - Our lives take a lot of strength, taking the time to build a strong core makes each aspect a little easier. A strong centered mind, body & soul brings about a strong journey.
     ◈ Day 4: Oxygen - This is one of the best days!!  Oh, to breathe is to be alive.
     ◈ Day 5: Detox - I like to think of detoxing as rinsing.  We can rinse the body of tension, rinse the mind of negative thoughts and rinse the soul of unhappiness.
     ◈ Day 6: Power - Powerful practices are some of my favorites, they leave me feeling like I truly can do anything.  Anything is possible.
     ◈ Day 7: Ease - I began today feeling very sore and tired.  This was a lovely reminder to be gentle with my mind, body and soul.

Along with the program she encourages you to have your own ritual, her suggestion is starting the morning off with a glass of lemon water and a walk each day, any length.  Here is a calendar that she provided to be able to keep track of the journey through the ritual.

For my ritual, I did an extra meditation and journaling each morning.  Each evening I did some movement to improve my strength or endurance.

At the end of the 7th day she also invites you to continue the ritual for 30 days.  I can definitely see the benefit for continuing the ritual as the 7 days certainly helped me feel more centered and relaxed.

Overall the program is great for beginners as well as intermediate and a ritual is definitely something to incorporate in your day to day.  As Adriene always says, find what feels good.  If her suggestions don't work for you...then find what does!!

Featured Image Credit: yogawithadriene.com

Book Feature: The Miracle Morning

To begin our featured books on the blog I thought one of the best to start with is The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.  This book has certainly changed my life!!

Hal begins by telling what inspired the book to come to be.  The events in his life have not been the easiest and it is amazing that he was able to take all those experiences and create something so special that has helped thousands of people.  Not just to become a morning person but to better every aspect of their lives as well.

The basis of the book is to start each day with what he calls the SAVERS.  Just taking time to do these, even for just a minute each, and start your day with good energy and a positive mindset can make the difference between staying still in life and making those positive life changes.

He has tailored the miracle morning to many different types of people, from families to entrepreneurs, and from what I can find a few different languages as well.  There is something for everyone to learn from this book.  I personally have done so much growing since finding this book.

I went from telling everyone that I was not a morning person and never would be.  I would roll out of bed every morning about 15 minutes before I had to leave the house, throw on whatever clothes were the closest and did my makeup quickly in the car when I got to work.  I spent all day, everyday in a frenzied panic because I would start my day that way.

Now I still do my makeup in the car when I get to work...but the change is how I wake up every morning.  I don't quite yet do everything the book suggests in the morning...but I wake up 2 hours prior to having to leave the house.  I do prayer, meditation, journaling, yoga and sometimes I read while I drink my coffee.  All before I leave the house!!

I have come to learn to LOVE my mornings and my days go so much smoother and I am certainly a happier person!!  All it took was learning to change a few things in my mind and giving it a try.  I still love my evenings as much as I used to so I feel like my life is complete and well rounded.  I feel like I have time to improve myself body, mind and soul!

If you only had enough money to purchase one book today, I would recommend this over any out there. Take the time to start making small changes to your day to be able to find the best you that you can be.  Let me know in the comments how things went for you!

Here are a few places that you can hear from and get in touch with Hal:
Website
Blog
Podcast
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter

Here are the support sites for The Miracle Morning as well.
Website
Facebook

Full Moon Flow

For the full moon this last week I decided to participate in a full moon flow and I had never done one previously.  Most of us have heard of and have done many sun salutations but I have never done the moon salutations before.  Let me tell you they are exactly as they say, complete opposites.  The sun salutations are forward facing and pretty much stay in that plane, the moon flow is full of twists and works the body in a different way.

Before you begin the flow Allie reads an excerpt from the book Moonology about forgiveness.  I am sure that we can all show some forgiveness, especially with yourself.  To let go of anything not serving you, so you can start the next 30 days with a clear mind and heart able to open yourself to new experiences.

Here are a few ideas of other things you can do during the full moon.

• Meditation to quiet the body and mind.
• Write down all the things you want to let go. What is currently not serving you? Feel free to burn the page if that helps you with releasing these things.
• Set your intentions for the next month.
• Get outside, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy time under the moon.
• Burn some incense, sage is best, to help clear out any negative energy.

Really the best thing to do is to get out there and find what resonates with you!!  Comment below your rituals on the full moon, I would love to hear from others about what they do!!

I do say I need to do them more often and are going to make this a monthly thing on the night of the full moon.  It was amazing the energy that was around me and created through the flow  I loved how the movements were completely different and helped to open my side body, as this is something that I do struggle with during my normal practice.


Here is the link for Allie's video below, give it a shot during the next full moon!
Moon Salutations: Full Moon Yoga Practice for Forgiveness & Clarity

Spotlight: Allie - The Journey Junkie

My first spotlight has to be dedicated to Allie!  Not only has she changed my life but she has brought about a movement that has changed the lives of thousands of others as well!  Helping everyone find their inner truth to learn to become the best versions of themselves.  She does that by connecting the mind, the body and the soul, to live with them in harmony.

Through Allie, I have learned to release the toxic thoughts that have held me back in life.  I have cultivated so much strength in all body, mind and soul.  I have been inspired to live a life of unapologetic confidence.  I now know that my purpose is not to remain still, to just be.  We can and should continue to grow no matter our situations in life.

Allie's Yoga programs are the highlight of her work.  On YouTube she has so many that are free as well as some paid programs...that are worth every cent and more. 

She has a beginners course as well as her 30 Pose Journey that will help get you started on the yoga journey.  Or take you back to basics if you are an experienced yogi just needing to check in with your alignment and tap into why you started on your yoga to begin with. Whether beginner to advanced these are always good programs to tune in to.

She has the programs that target the body, the wonderful Yoga Body Bootcamp and then the extension of it the Ignite Your Power course.  Both of these will take your strength and endurance to a new level.  If you are looking to challenge your body and gain much strength these are the programs for you.

The Chakra Challenge is a great next step to tapping into the soul part of your being.  She starts you with the Chakra Flow which takes your through each Chakra to get things started for the journey.  Then you tap into each chakra from Root to Crown and then finish with a beautiful flow to take you back from Crown to Root.  If you are doing some soul searching or just simply wanting to learn more about Chakras this is the program for you.

Now I have saved the best for last, her Body, Mind, Soul Detox.  This program only opens twice a year and is a paid program and is more than worth the price.  Allie has put so much into this program and it is a 21 day experience going through all 3 areas of the body, mind and soul.  This is the program that has had the biggest impact on my life and if anyone is struggling with identifying the right path for your journey then this is definitely the program for you.

Though her main passion is yoga she is quite gifted at guided meditation and the woman can put together worksheets that make you think hard and go deeper than you would believe you could. She inspires us to dive deep, to pull out all the stops and live our lives to the fullest.  I can't think of a more inspirational spotlight to start with than her.

Read Allie's story here.

Here are the ways that you can find and connect with our beautiful Allie!
Website & Blog
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram

Also a link to her Facebook community, Live Your Journey!
Live Your Journey - Facebook

Take time today to decide how your body, mind and soul need to grow, there is no time to be stagnant.  Explore and start to carve your own path to your true and authentic self.  You are WORTH it. 💗

Featured Images Credit: Allie's Website