by Flow, January 5th, 2013

At Flow, we’re always searching for new ways to stay healthy, eat better foods and expand our practice. This week, we welcome guest blogger and fellow Flowgi Lauri Bosseman to help on this journey. Lauri is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Holistic Health Coach. What’s more, she can explain the benefits of sea vegetables and whip up a mean Miso Soup. So without further adieu, take it away, Lauri!

January

A lot of people begin the New Year by making resolutions. We’ve all been there. We take a vow to lose weight, exercise more or spend more time with our family. We start the year with great intentions, but then we quickly relapse into old habits. Why is it so hard to stick to those New Year’s resolutions?

Here are some ways you can make your intentions a reality this year:

  1. Write down your intentions and keep them in a visible place, like taped to your bedroom mirror or the dashboard of your car.
  2. Get to the source of whatever is keeping you in a rut. Are you in a stressful relationship that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night? Are you stressed at your job and feel too tired to exercise after work?  If you don’t tackle the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal.
  3. Be clear about what your life would look like once you achieve your goal. If you resolve to go to the yoga studio more, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the result of your action, and you will be more likely to stick with your plan.
  4. Share your resolutions with friends and family. Hold each other accountable for achieving your goals. If you want to commit to your yoga practice, have a friend call you two or three times a week to check on you or invite them to join you.
  5. Reward yourself with every little accomplishment. If your intention is to lose weight and you lose 1 pound a week, pamper yourself with a massage.

Big changes do not require big leaps. Permanent change is more likely to happen gradually than through one big restrictive plan. Allow yourself to climb the ladder one rung at a time.

Make 2013 your healthiest year yet!

Food Focus: Sea Vegetables

In traditional Chinese healing, sea vegetables correspond to the winter season and to the kidneys, adrenal glands, bladder and reproductive organs. The strengthening, balancing and cleansing properties of sea vegetables are known to help these organs as well as the hair, skin and nails. Sea vegetables (or seaweeds) provide a variety of minerals and vitamins, including calcium, iron and iodine, and can help balance hormone and thyroid levels in the body. Eating too many processed foods or foods grown in mineral-depleted soil can result in a lack of minerals in the body, leading to cravings for salty or sugary foods. Adding sea vegetables to your diet can help balance your energy levels and alleviate cravings.

 Recipe of the Month: Mighty Miso Soup

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

4-5 cups spring water

1-2 inch strip of wakame, rinsed and soaked 5 minutes

in 1 cup of water until softened

1-2 cups thinly sliced vegetables of your choice (see notes)

2-3 teaspoons barley miso

2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:

1.       Chop soaked wakame.

2.       Discard soaking water or use on houseplants for a boost of minerals.

3.       Place water and wakame in a soup pot and bring to a boil.

4.      Add root vegetables first and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until tender.

5.      Add leafy vegetables and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

6.      Remove about 1/2 cup of liquid from pot and dissolve miso into it. Return it to the pot.

7.      Reduce heat to very low; do not boil or simmer miso broth.

8.      Allow soup to cook 2-3 minutes.

9.      Garnish with scallions and serve.

 Note:

Any combination of vegetables can be used in miso soup. Here are some classic combinations:

  • onion-daikon: cleansing
  • onion-carrot-shiitake mushroom-kale: mildly sweet
  • onion-winter squash-cabbage: great in wintertime
  • leek-corn-broccoli: great in summertime

Variations:

  • Add cooked grains at the start of making the soup. They will become nice and soft.
  • Add a tablespoon of uncooked quinoa or millet at the beginning and let it cook with vegetables for 20 minutes.
  • Add cubed tofu toward the end.
  • Add bean sprouts toward the end.
  • Season with 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice for an interesting twist.
  • If using dry shiitake mushrooms, let them soak for 20 minutes, slice and add at the beginning.

Cheers!

Lauri

For more information about Lauri’s or to set up a consultation, visit her at www.lauribosserman.com or shoot her an email at lauri.bosserman@gmail.com.

 

 

Categories Uncategorized
by Flow, December 22nd, 2012

Tori Lundock has been an instructor at Flow Yoga since 2009 and is adored by both her students and fellow teachers. Like most Flowgis, she is always striving to enrich her practice, and bring new experiences to our community. At the moment, she is attending an intensive teacher training session at The Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, MA, and last year, she practiced and trekked through India with Flow teacher Kelli Audibert. Where does she get her drive, passion and energy? Read on to find out.

What’s your background as a teacher and how did you first get introduced to yoga?

I did my first 200-RYT teacher training in Gainsville Florida with Tzahi Moskovitz while I was in my mid 20’s. After college, I was looking for different ways to stay in shape and yoga was a perfect fit for me.  

Was there a particular moment when you first realized you wanted to start teaching?

For as long as I can remember, whenever I’ve learned something, some new skill… I’ve wanted to teach it. That’s the best way to explain it. I taught my little brother math, for example, when we were both kids. Yoga was like that for me. Once I started practicing, I instantly wanted to start teaching.

You recently studied in India, what was that like?

That trip was one of the hardest, but most rewarding things I’ve ever done. We hired trainers to get us in shape for the hiking and prepare us for the altitude challenges of the Himalayas, but still (laughs) I’ve never cried on a hike before and that’s exactly what happened. In terms of yoga, we practiced throughout the journey in the country where it all started. That was so exciting. We meditated, witnessed different ceremonies and practiced on top of a mountain. That felt like we were on top of the world! Our guides were amazing. Their goal was to help us work on the purpose behind the shapes on our mats. It was always about the body, slowing it down, going deeper. They would constantly be saying: “Slowly, slowly, you move too fast.” It was an immersive experience that inspired all of us.   

Who are some of the teachers that have inspired you most and why?

Love this question. I’ve learned from some great ones. Really, there are so many excellent people I’ve trained with. Andrea Lappa comes to mind because he is so linear. His way of organizing the material is great. His way of thinking about the practice is three-dimensional, like life, and he offers a very complete teaching experience. The instructors at Flow are also incredibly inspirational. Marcia, Billy, Kelli, everyone: they are the ones I probably learn from the most because I’m with them all the time and it’s such a nurturing community.

Your Power Of Intention class has developed quite a following, how did the idea evolve and what do you attribute its success to?

It started with Marcia sending out an email, asking if anyone was interested in a 3-hour, New Year’s Day class about intention setting, and I immediately signed on. A lot of the thinking is inspired by Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book The Power Of Intention. Frequently, when we set goals and make resolutions for the New Year, we’re coming from a negative place. We’re looking to change things about ourselves. For instance, we want to make more money. This class is about coming from a place of abundance – starting with a positive mindset. It’s less about change, and more about observing where we’re at right now. We’re working on intentions, not so much resolutions. We imagine how we want to feel and tap into that wellspring. We write a lot in class and come to realize the seeds are there in all of us as we concentrate on positive word associations to bring out the love, bliss and joy in life.

This year, I’m introducing a new concept to the class and it’s really exciting. In addition to meditating and taking the time for clear intention setting, we’ll use the 12 months of the year as our basic structure. They will guide us through 108 sun salutations to build up that fire, determination and zeal. We’ll take pauses throughout to write down thoughts, prayers, anything that comes to mind. We’re going to be asking questions. Where do you see your life growing and shifting in 2013? What are we hoping to create and achieve? And finally, as we move through the poses, we’ll remember to connect our thoughts with action by focusing on our bodies. It’s going to be so great!

Why is New Year’s Day such an opportune time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with this class?

Well, oftentimes, we get through Christmas and the holidays, and there’s a little of that, “Okay, now what?” This class prepares us for the sort of hollowness that can sometimes follow the holidays. We’re envisioning and imagining the possibilities that can be created in 2013 and beyond. Also, we’ve just ended the winter solstice, and there is such a dark, introspective energy to this time of year. All of us are sort of incubating our ideas right now. There’s this power to start the process of creating things that will grow throughout the year as we begin returning to the light of spring.

Any big personal intentions for you this Year?

The biggest one is to share everything I’ve been learning throughout my time at Kripalu.

Thanks again for the amazing playlist that we posted here last fall. Where do you find such incredible music for your classes?

It’s funny, I used to stress so much about playlists and even once got some pretty tough criticism. Since then, I’m constantly on the lookout for what other teachers are playing in their classes. Also, I use the I-Tunes Genius bar, methodically. It’s such a cool program and I delve into it, constantly exploring, to discover all those amazing hidden gems that aren’t as well known. They can transform a class in the best, most unexpected way.

Great interview Tori, thanks for catching up with us.

My pleasure, thank you!   

Categories Interviews
by Flow, April 1st, 2012

The Science Of Yoga is the controversial new book by noted NY Times writer William Broad. In it, he examines some of yoga’s health claims as a wellness and fitness activity. The book has polarized the yoga community, and because of that I wanted to check it out. It debates, among other topics: should doctors prescribe yoga as a therapeutic solution? What is yoga’s exact relationship to diet and exercise? How does it affect our creativity, sex lives, healing and physiology? These are just a few of the interesting questions Broad raises in his efforts to illuminate, and provoke, his audience on the subject of yoga.

Broad begins his story by looking at yoga’s origins in India. Historically speaking, some of the first yogi’s were actually charlatans who would use their ability to slow their breathing and metabolism to trick the wealthy Maharajas into thinking they were dead for money! These tall tales, and negative perceptions of yogis, are, according to Broad, crucial to the beginnings of the scientific study of yoga around the turn of the 20th century. Broad profiles a handful of seminal figures, most notably a researcher named Gune, who first put yoga under a serious microscope in the 1920’s. Their work was what helped shift the concept of yoga away from these early stereotypes. In the 1930’s and 40’s, the scientific benefits of yoga evolved and eventually were used to promote a stronger sense of nationalism. Yoga helped India to gain a cultural foothold in its struggle to win its independence from Britain. Yoga studies have grown with technology, and the work continues today, evolving to help create our modern perceptions of yoga. Over the course of the last four decades, a new generation of experts are leading this research, and Broad breaks down their findings into six chapters: health, mood, risk to injury, healing, divine sex and muse. First, the bad news.

According to several recent studies, yoga did little in the lab to promote weight loss and aerobic fitness. Duke University and Texas State, among others, observed a handful of yogi’s moving through different poses, like the sun salutations, and found that yoga could not equal the exertions of a more conventional activity like jogging. Another of the more negative findings was that excessive yoga practice can lead to injury. Broad’s analysis pays particularly close attention to the neck, spine and back, and cautions his audience to be vigilant of these areas during practice. Headstand and wheel were found to be the most dangerous poses. There is also some evidence that yoga can contribute to strokes. His third most relevant finding is yoga’s lack of regulation in medicine. Clearly, yoga has grown exponentially over the last few years, but its infrastructure is still too broadly diffuse to have constituted any type of central governing body. Without an official credentialing entity, yoga therapy should be looked upon as an unsubstantiated healing practice.

For all these negatives, Broad is still a huge proponent of yoga. His final chapter lays out an ambitious vision that calls for increased scientific research, the growth of yoga as an overall institution and greater mindfulness among its many practitioners. Several of the same studies that discount its benefits in fitness and aerobic exercise, scored it off the charts in terms of its ability to promote overall wellness in the yogis  studied. These people came away from yoga feeling exceptional in their mood and outlook. There is proof, according to Broad, that some yogic breathing patterns slow the metabolism, and lead to a calmness and peace, which few other activities were able to match. In terms of hormonal activity, certain poses were found to increase the amount of testosterone released by the body. Although these findings are not conclusive, there is some evidence to suggest that yoga can lead to a healthier sex life.

On balance, Broad probably raises more issues than he solves. It’s interesting to note that he himself suffered a serious back injury while practicing and perhaps this contributes to his messages of caution. Within the last two decades, yoga has received an incredible amount of amazing press and positive word of mouth: so much so that it’s developed something of a miraculous aura around it. Broad argues that our perceptions of yoga need to be properly examined. That it can’t be broadly adopted without considering the science that’s being conducted around it. It’s a good point to make, but one that often feels like basic common sense; the same responsible approach that any exercise regime demands. While The Science Of Yoga offers an interesting perspective, it doesn’t possess enough depth to merit the controversy it’s caused. Too many of its findings are narrow in scope and inconclusive. It represents a start to the discussion, not the final word. Broad, for instance, spends nearly two entire chapters out of six analyzing kundilini, yet nothing on hot yoga or ashtanga, two of the more aggressive forms of yoga. In many ways, yoga has simply become too big, and its scientific study needs to be conducted with a focus on all of its different styles. There are so many forms, and it’s such a personal experience, right now, Broad’s new book only proves the idea that it’s immeasurable.

Tom Cartier

 

Categories Book Reviews
by Flow, February 18th, 2012

        Poser is a yoga memoir written by noted journalist Claire Dederer. Her clever conceit is to use the different poses to help recount her tumultuous 70’s upbringing, and then parallel her practice with her life all the way up to the raising of her own children. Crow, Downward Dog, Pigeon – all your favorites are here and written about in a whole new context. As a newcomer at the start of the book, she offers a basic primer on the origins of yoga. What are the sutras and asanas? What is the Bhagavad Gita? Who was Rama? And her introduction is physical as well as mental. In hilarious detail, she describes her own adventures as a newbie on the mat. Barely athletic, and a new mom to boot, in the beginning the poses strike abject fear into her unwilling frame. Pose by pose, however, her practice evolves in some of the most unexpected ways. Luckily, she is guided through her yoga experiences by a series of great teachers, each one sharing a new piece of wisdom and instruction along the way. These gifted, hard-working, but often unheralded teachers are rare, and it’s nice to see them get some recognition. Dederer expertly depicts those gem-like sayings they are capable of: the ones that can make an average day of posing memorable.

 

What makes the book especially interesting is the fact that it is as funny, smart and literate about life as it is illuminating about yoga. Her reflections on her parents’ separation, for instance, and how it shaped her own marriage is particularly poignant. Her unique snapshots of Seattle over the last four decades are equally compelling. The details of her adventures growing up on some of the most remote islands of Seattle while working as a tugboat first mate make up some of the best passages in the book. All of these fun glimpses into her life make for a satisfying read that’s textured, fresh and genuine, and yoga is the ultimate thread that binds it all together. For every big moment in her life there is a corresponding pose. Her five chapters on Child’s Pose alone perhaps indicate just how much rest is needed to deal with our everyday challenges. For those, like Dederer, who see parallels between how our own individual practices help to enhance and shape our everyday lives, it’s a must read.

 

Categories Book Reviews
by Flow, November 17th, 2011

Sharing the Lessons Learned Along the Way – A Journey Through Yoga, Books and Community by Chris Newcomb

Being a lifelong student of literature, it was a natural transition for me to create a Book Club at Flow Yoga to share the incredible lessons that are available to enhance the practice of yoga through reading the philosophy, foundations and history that has come before us.

As a child I recall having a difficult time learning to read. With an impatient, young and frustrated mother as a first reading teacher, my early experiences with reading were not the most pleasant. My personal drive and discipline made this childhood experience a catalyst for what has become a complete escape, joy and therapy through the various stages of my life.

As a grade school student, I thrived in the humanities, with English being my favorite subject. I loved to write and was a complete Catholic school grammar freak!  When I entered college, I started out as a Business Major and quickly found through my economics class that the English Department is where I belonged. After changing my major to English, everything began to flow and feel natural for me.

My love for reading spread as I created Book Clubs in two of the Loudoun County neighborhoods that I have lived: Stratford and Lansdowne. As a student of life in this area and as a Book Club leader I found myself lost in a sea of shallow and meaningless “Book Club” discussions which revolved more around the food, wine and gossip than the literature. The intellectual stimulation I missed was found again as I began a new journey in my life becoming a yoga teacher.

Many of you know through my bio, that I began practicing yoga to deal with a difficult time in my life at the recommendation of my ex-husband’s aunt. Little did I know that when I walked into the Flow Yoga Community that I would discover so much about this beautiful practice, myself and others through breathing, poses and meditation. After one year of practicing at Flow, I signed up for teacher training.

As a student of yoga for over four years and as a yoga teacher for over 2 years, I have loved the process of self-discovery, the relationships and the beauty of the practice of yoga and how I see it transform lives every day. I am honored to be a part of the “Flowgi” community and I hope to continue my journey with you as a student, teacher and friend on this journey together.

Please join us for the next Book Club at Flow on December 11th from 1:30-3:30 where we will discuss: The Laws of Spirit by Dan Millman and The Diamond Cutter by Geshe Michael Roach. We will be having a Potluck Lunch at the December Book Club and collecting donations for a local charity. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the studio.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to discussing some of the following books in the 2012 New Year: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz  and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Namaste,

Chris 

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