I’ve always wanted to make this shirt. For years now, actually.
You may have read that I’m planning on climbing Mt. Rainier this summer. Yup, signed up, forked over some dough (eeks), and so the only thing that’s stopping me is, well…myself. Barring inclement weather, that is.
As my August climb date approaches, my focus on preparation and training increases. When I asked around my apparently-large circle of crunchy outdoorsy friends who have actually summited this peak, the first question nearly everyone asked was, “So, how many times have you done thosestairs?”
You know, those stairs. I knew exactly the ones to which they were referring.
Howe Street Stairs. Perfect place to train to climb a mountain.
So as I was huffing and puffing up my first round of scaling the steps, I thought, “I’m gonna count these suckers. That’ll keep my mind busy. Yeah. Like a mantra.” Guess what? Thanks to my monkey mind, it took me several times to actually remember to count, and a heck of a lot of effort to stay focused enough to make it through the whole set of counting without mentally straying.
At any rate, I counted and double-counted, and so now I have a number. Two, actually.
But more importantly, an idea for a contest!
One of my earliest blog posts pays tribute to my geeky nature and penchant for portable audio, especially since not every office around town here has the luxury of an ipod speaker dock. I have two mini “hamburger” speakers to give away to two lucky peeps. Here’s what they look like:
Image shout out to Chubby Hubby http://chubbyhubby.net/blog/?p=504
So what are you waiting for? Comment away! Yay for our first contest!
Yogis at Office Nomads practice once per week. We call them "ONOYOgis".
Many people who are considering taking up yoga have asked: “How often do I need to practice yoga to see results?”
We decided to take this question to the streets. Well, to the streets of our clients’ brains, that is. After a bit of research, we have come upon the answer. And that is…[drumroll please]
It depends!
In the same way that no asana pose or pranayama breath exercise can be done “perfectly”, we submit that there is not one perfect recipe for determining the results you’ll see from practicing yoga. This is simply because success is defined differently for each person, and each body responds differently to yoga.
Ask around and you’ll hear a wide variety of answers, representing thousands of voices recommending what they find to be the best solution. Even Googling the question comes up with a myriad of results: “10 times a month!” “at least three times per week!” “twice per day should do it!”
So why all the different answers? Well, as Justin, one of our clients over at Seattle coworking space Office Nomads recently told us, “It depends on what you mean by results.” For Justin, a new dad and intense athlete, he saw results beginning with the first time he practiced. When describing what it takes for him to see results, he said “To see physical changes in your body? 3 – 4 times a week. To be more comfortable, confident with the movements? 1 – 2 times a week. Just to be more mentally adjusted/focused/present? It helps any time you can do it.” This is what Justin’s scale sounds like. Yours might be quite different.
The great news here is that there are results, benefits, and improvements to be had at any level of yoga practice, at any level of frequency. Ideally, practicing yoga becomes a regular part of your routine. But even if you can only settle into your practice once per month, you are sure to see effects in your mindset, your mood, and your body.
So what is the right answer for you? How often do you need to practice to see results that you enjoy? Let us know in the comments!
I have this photo hanging in my home office, taken on a trip to India in 2007. What do you think of the message?
Delhi, India 2007 Photo Copyright Phyzz Yoga
Which got me to reminiscing about that trip. Literally hundreds of photos were taken, but here are a few that still give me pause. If you’re interested in seeing the whole album, holler, and I’ll get you a linky.
Ganges, Rishikesh, Photo Copyright Phyzz Yoga
Street Scene, Rishikesh, Photo Copyright Phyzz Yoga
The Himalayas as your Backyard, Dharamsala, Photo Copyright Phyzz Yoga
Women in Varanasi, Photo Copyright Phyzz Yoga
The Ganges in Varanasi, Photo Copyright Phyzz Yoga
We’re going to Mexico! In March!
Check out the full event invite on our Facebook Page for more information and contact details.
We’ve also included some relevant info below the images (each of which you can click for enlarged PDF versions).
Conservation and Seclusion: Our host venue, La Duna is a quiet, secluded place that is about 30 minutes from the city of La Paz, along a dirt road. It is a nature reserve that runs on solar energy, although the kitchen, dining room and bathrooms all have electricity. The rooms do not have electricity, just candlelight at night. La Duna asks that we save water, but provides regular (hot) showers and sinks. Also, because of its secluded location, driving at night will not be recommended due to the preponderance of free-roaming cattle on the roads after dark!
Schedule: In general, our days will look like this:
Accommodations: There are 8 huts and several campsites in the property for camping. All stays include the use of hot showers, table and beach games. The huts are made as the local ranchers used to make them, built with local renewable wood “palo de arco” and palapa roofs. Each room has two single comfortable beds with linens, and candle night light to make these personal spaces unique and cozy.
Food: La Duna’s kitchen focuses on foods good for the soul besides being nutritious and delicious. They feature regional food and vegetarian delights. We will need to know of any dietary restrictions ahead of time.
Trips: There will be 3 trips covered in the retreat price:
Transport: We can coordinate rental cars, but if you do not wish to pay for a rental car, La Duna can provide round-trip airport transfers from La Paz airport for USD50.
Surfing: La Duna is located on the Sea of Cortez, which is tranquil sea with no surf. We will most likely organize a surf daytrip to Todos Santos, which is about 1.5 hours away. We will have at least one rental car at our disposal. This trip would be at added cost to everyone, (although lunch will be provided).
Jessica Vaughan of Get Lifestyled looks like she's moving through my wardrobe at warp speed!
I’m starting this decade off holding myself a little more upright. And no, it’s not because I stretch my spine for a living.
Not in this instance, anyway.
It’s because I received a style consultation from Jessica Vaughan of Get Lifestyled. What’s a style consultation, you ask?It’s a process that involves reviewing every single piece of clothing in your closet, literally holding up each piece, figuring out if you like it, love it, or need to let it go.
Please indulge me, gentle readers who might be thinking to themselves, “Great Phyzz, why am I reading about a style consultation on your blog,” as I outline a few reasons why I felt this experience warranted some online real estate:
Just as you can utilize exactly what you have in your closet to feel good, you can feel good in your body with exactly what you have right now.
A great man once said,
Whether it’s increasing your proclivity towards your meditation or yoga practice, eating healthier, getting more organized or cleaning up after yourself, even the most dedicated of us need a little boost once in a while.
There are lots of recommended ways to start a habit, and everyone has their own system. Today I just happened upon habitforge.com and am excited to try it for a few things I want to maintain in the new year (heck, decade!). Like blogging regularly 
Sorry for a long absence!
What habits are you going to start for yourself in 2010? Share some with me in the comments!
Image from Creative Commons Search / Wikimedia Commons
On the ferry to Friday Harbor
A big shout-out of LUUHHHHHV goes out to the beautiful yogis and yoginis that joined me for Phyzz 1: SVĀHĀ this past weekend.
If you hadn’t read here, this past weekend we stole away to beautiful Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington. After walking the block and a half up the hill from the harbor, the 9 of us nestled into our rooms for the weekend at the beautiful Harrison House Suites, perched on a hill overlooking the harbor. If you are thinking of heading up to Friday Harbor and you wanted to spare both the earth and your wallet by not driving onto the ferry, really, Harrison House was the perfect place to stay due to its extremely walker-friendly distance from the harbor. It’s quite obvious that the Inn’s proprietors truly love what they do, and they also happen to own beautiful Coho Restaurant in town, where we enjoyed some amazing group dinners.
I had several favorite moments over the weekend — aside from watching an amazing group of people that included dear friends, strangers (otherwise known as new friends), and long-time students gel so beautifully. Here they are:
Beginning our meditation sits in the near-darkness by firelight, and opening eyes to the flood of sunrise
Banging out Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on the piano and other music merry-making in our living room while topping off another fantastic dinner with homemade apple crisp and freshly-whipped cream
The moment our group literally practiced SVĀHĀ by releasing into fire pre-written notes to ourselves indicating what we wished to release/overcome/move past. The hearth that I had originally intended for this little ritual was under repair for the weekend, but we improved quite nicely with a candle and a saucepan as you can see below.
You can check out photos on Phyzz’s Facebook Page. More will be coming soon as peeps upload them.
SWA-HA! Mexico in March, here we come! Dates TBD, but if you already know you want to come, drop us a line.
Woke up this morning with a sore throat, and while lying in bed came across this little gem. It’s a sure-fire way to feel good when you’re not feeling your best. Enjoy!
