The Business of Yoga Conference is always an amazing experience.  I taught a group of 70 people Online Marketing strategies and techniques.  Online marketing is one of the best guerrilla marketing strategies you can employ to help spread health and wellness to the world, to get your message out there efficiently and effectively.  That is my favorite thing about marketing and sales:  you’re not trying to push something people don’t want on them, you’re trying to share something that you believe in and encourage others to experience the joy and benefits that you experience.  Coming from a math & software background this was something I didn’t really understand until now.  It feels good to  share your passion, thoughts, and true self with others, and more likely than not there are always a few people who resonate with what you have to say, if you come from a place of truth.

We discussed e-newsletters and e-blasts, online advertising, online analytics, using blogs as websites, website design, social networking, and more.  Many of the students were enthusiastic and had great questions, it was a great forum for yogis of all technical abilities to connect and share.

Last night I took a hip opening class with Natasha Rizopoulos of YogaWorks.  I really enjoyed her description of the actions of the hips: external rotation, internal thigh stretching, pelvis neutral so your bowl isn’t spilling, front hips coming towards bottom ribs, tailbone descending, bring the floor to your hip in pigeon so the weight isn’t in your knee, your knees are expensive.  She adjusted me in Warrior II and I’m really not sure what happened, but it felt totally different than my usual stance.  I was on my right leg doing a lunge, back foot flat, back leg straight, and she pushed into my left hip crease forward toward the front of my mat and immediately my front knee caved in towards the center of my mat to alleviate the stretch in my tight ass hips.  What’s funny is that I really love Warrior II and the stretch it gives and it was interesting to learn that I have been totally taking it easy in the pose.  Now the hard part will be to figure out if I can do it again.  Two actions for me to remember: back hip crease moves forward, tuck the tailbone down towards the floor, pray to god your hips don’t detach from your legs and that you don’t fall over or grunt from the force of Your Tight Ass Hips.  I also really enjoyed doing Crescent Lunge with my back knee bent and exaggerating the same actions of the tailbone descending, front pelvis towards bottom ribs. Ahhhh, try it now while you’re sitting.  Feel your core engage?  Feel your shoulders come back? (not you Kristen

Today I took an Anusara Vinyasa Yoga class with Desiree Rumbagh.  Anusara means “flowing with grace”, “flowing with nature”, “following your heart.”   Anusara yoga teaches a few basic principals of alignment that you bring to all of your yoga practice which were kind of difficult, but felt really good the few times I got it.  In general you are always: “hugging your shin bones in, take your hips back and apart (kind of like you’re sticking your butt out in reality), tucking your tailbone under.”  Does that make any sense at all?  It sort of does when you see her incredibly strong body exaggerate the movements.  I have to say that all of my poses felt better and my body and mind felt great after class and I probably only “got it” half of the time.  I really liked her personality, she was having fun and it was just the right amount of yoga babble and asana to connect with.  Anusara is a style I’ll definitely try again.

Then I came back to my hotel room to enjoy lunch to ponder my practices. While I was in savasana or relaxation I noticed how my mind was alternating between pointless chitter chatter about past memories and this desire to create drama in my life.  I have been trying to create drama while traveling!  I noticed it twice this weekend, once when work got a little stressful.  The next time was when I still couldn’t connect with my loved ones over the phone.   I noticed both of these negative and frustrated reactions where I was angry and upset and thought, “what is this? what am i really feeling? how do i want this to change? what can i do to change this?”  In both situations I was quickly able to take a breathe and realize that the stress of travel has me reacting in ways that maybe aren’t my usual or most loving self. I wanted to take the stress of travel out on my loved ones for not being there when I wanted them to be, during the few moments I had to myself.  I wanted to force my work habits and expectations on others.  I wanted to take others stress and internalize it and make it my own.  The density of yogis in this hotel must have helped to clear my mind.  Yogi-ness must be permeating through these walls, I can feel the ooooommmmms resonating, or maybe that is the elevator making noise again.

I had a lot to say!  If you made it to the end of this you get a Gold Star!  May you find a little breathe in the drama and stress of life this weekend. Xoxoooooo.  Oh, and I encourage you to open your hips in thread the needle. Do it. Right now. Hold each side for 2-5 minutes and use a pillow under your neck if you need it.  It will make you feel better, I swear.

Here is a good mini practice that I did this morning. I did exactly what my body asked for once I hit the mat after flying across the US yesterday. I held the poses for 5-8 breathes.

Surya namaskar a x 2
Surya B x 1
Warrior 1
Warrior 2
Big toe hold forward fold
Standing thread the needle
Bridge
Headstand
Supine twist

Last Friday I attended a yoga class with Sean Corn and Michael Franti with 400 yogis at the Yoga Journal SF Conference. The energy was incredible and the message they shared was profound. They reminded us to take action in whatever ways we can, right here, right now. No one else is going to be the change we want to see. We have to be that change. It reminded me how truly blessed I am. She started a challenge last year for anyone who could raise $20,000 in their communities (not just giving their own money) and if you met the goal you were able to join her in a 3rd world country to help build and create infrastructure to help those in need. She raised half a million dollars last year for Cambodia and is going to South Africa next year. Wow. They built a school, a birthing center, and more. It actually brought me to tears. They encouraged us to sit down and make a plan. I have a sort of plan, but I wonder what else I can do to to be the change I want to see. What really bothers you in this world, what do you want to change? Part of my plan is to take better care of myself so I can bring my best self to the world. One of Michael’s goals is to write a top 40 song this year and he told us a pretty funny story about it coming to him in the shower and the toilet. Isn’t that how it works, the best ideas come out of random places, and random times, as if magic, pixie, dust just appeared out of nowhere. Voila!

I returned from Yoga Journal SF a week ago and have been pedaling my hardest to keep up with this epic climb known as life. How did I maintain my yogi ways while away from home, you ask? I cooked kitcheree for breakfast the first day and it was awesome and I had leftovers the next morning. Even though it’s not considered “breakfast food”, it was really nice to have the mornings to myself, cook a nourishing breakfast, meditate, and do yoga, if only for a little bit. Sleep is imperative when traveling. I never sleep as well when I travel, so getting 8 hours is the only way to feel remotely normal. I usually am not a walker, but I really enjoyed walking every morning before my long days began. It was very meditative, relaxing, and the fresh air was like medicine for the body. I ended up sharing my hotel room with a friend unexpectedly. Although it disrupted my routine a bit, it was fun and good to help share yoga, even if it wasn’t directly through teaching. I didn’t eat all my snacks and food, but it was better to be over prepared. Kitcheree, trail mix, apples, tea, and vitamin c are the travel companions of champions.

I am on my way to Las Vegas and Seattle this week so I hope to bring my yoga and life practices with me for another week away from my nurturing routines. This is when it gets challenging, when the intensity and busy feeling stay for more than a week. I feel like this is it. If I can’t take care of myself under the stress of travel, how is a single mom going to do it, or a lonely grandma, or an executive, or student? We have to bring our yoga with us everywhere. And your yoga may be something very different than mine. I am thankful for and enjoy how much my yoga practice brings to me in day to day life, but I really want to find a way to bring it with me everywhere.

I’ve arrived in San Francisco yesterday for the 7th Annual Yoga Journal Conference. The drive from San Luis Obispo was so beautiful, the hills of California were dotted with happy cows and luscious green grass. It was so lovely that even my phone camera was able to capture a tiny bit of the bliss. I highly recommend a road trip to enjoy the beauty that the winter weather has brought your way. It reminds me of how winter forces us all to slow down and how it’s definitely nourishing, even if our productive lives don’t allow us to slow down and renew as much as the earth does during winter. I am reminded to give myself the rest I need. We arrived last night and immediately went to dinner at Greens, quite possibly my favorite restaurant ever. We enjoyed fresh spring rolls, artisan cheeses, butternut squash crepes, mushroom pot pie, dessert, wine, and catching up with friends. We are all on “Bev Time” which is when our co-worker Bev is on East Coast Time and wants to go to bed at 9pm West Coast Time so we were all in our rooms by 9pm. It was wonderful to me as I had to work a long day today and woke up to yoga, meditation, and kitcheree for breakfast. That is the way to start a long day if you ask me.

Today at the Business of Yoga Conference we shared some great advice for people in the “yoga business”, but in reality a lot of the advice is relevant for many. As much as many people would like to just do yoga and meditate all day, sharing yoga is still a business in many respects, albeit one that should come from the heart. We enjoyed a video of Snoop Dog doing yoga. Take care of yourself as you would your own children, you don’t let them get too hungry or too sleepy, right? We were reminded to set goals rather than make more vague resolutions. To cover our bases regarding the more difficult parts of owning a business (and possibly our lives?), rather than burying our heads in the sand. Finally, we were reminded to just say no to free yoga classes, don’t do it, just don’t.

Right now I was supposed to be setting up the MINDBODY booth in the Yoga Marketplace but somehow our freight did not arrive on time and we’ll have to wake up early to set everything up. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my yoga in first. That’s one of the lessons of traveling, you just have to roll with it some of the time. Setting up the booth is quite the job though, setting up heavy kiosks with huge computers and this crazy backdrop that requires super strength zipper skills. I teach Online Marketing Strategies tomorrow, but tonight, I am off to enjoy some of the bounty San Francisco has to offer, Osha Thai it is! I hope you find some winter beauty to enjoy as soon as possible and don’t forget to roll with it when life demands it.

I’m getting ready to head to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon for the 7th Annual SF  Yoga Journal Conference. I will be presenting Online Marketing at the Business of Yoga part of the conference on behalf of MINDBODY, taking a few yoga classes, and manning the MINDBODY tradeshow booth.  I updated my presentation with the lots of options for creating an online presence these days, from Facebook to Twitter to E-Mail Marketing to Online Advertising, the options are getting endless.  There are lots of options for the yogis of the world to get themselves out there, create community, and share the wonderful practice of yoga.  I crossed my t’s, dotted my i’s, and even figured out how to get my powerpoint presentation to work on my new, sexy macbook pro.  I’m so proud of my technical prowess.

I spent a fair amount of the last few days plotting my travels. How much of our yoga practice can we bring with us while traveling, especially when it’s for work or not for leisure exactly. This trip is not a long nor far one, but I’ll be working long days and I have learned lately that a little planning helps make me a little healthier and more sane when outside of my routine. There are many things I love about traveling for work: exploring new cities, great food, reading, bonding with travel friends, a break from the routine, new yoga teachers. Yet, I am becoming more and more of a home body these days and stepping outside of my home base often leaves me exhausted and sick. Things that suck about traveling for work: too little sleep, not enough down time, less than ideal food and not-so-regular meal times, exhausting amounts of work, travel lonliness. I have made an effort to be prepared for this trip and have packed quite the epic bag of snacks and supplies. I know for a fact that I won’t eat it all, but I’d rather be over prepared rather than under prepared. The last time I was in New York City I remember multiple moments of “oh my god if I don’t eat right now I might kill someone” so here I am. It is my goal to practice yoga and meditate daily, if only for 5-10 minutes each, and eat one meal on my own each day. It would also be nice if I could get 7 hours of sleep per night and limit alcohol intake, it’s oh so difficult when having fun with friends in a new place. You’d think yoga conferences would be pretty chill, but it’s not always the case. I got some of my plotting and planning ideas from Good to Go, an article from Yoga Journal on eating well when on the road. I now bring a hot plate so I can even cook some kitcheree for at least one meal. I’ve also packed trail mix, larabars, fruit, kitcheree ingredients, tea, and vitamin c. I have a lot of travel supplies I travel with in fact, I suggest bringing any and all of the following: pain killers, ear plugs, eye mask, ipod player, laptop, camera, technology plugs/cords, business cards, good book, plenty of good food supplies, a good toiletry bag, netty pot, journal.

I will report on the conference and my healthy travel mission here.  I am looking forward to taking classes and getting a little yoga infusion from my favorite teachers. I am still battling my man friend for weight loss as a percentage of body weight in the new year.  I’m still not sure how much weight loss will be practical or achievable for me, I haven’t checked my body weight in a few weeks, but I’m making an effort still and feeling pretty good, so we shall see. Last weekend I rebelled quite a bit and it felt freaking good! Sometimes a little down time is just what the doctor ordered. When it comes to health, I sure as hell don’t believe in absolutes and I’ve been giving myself one free day a week while trying to moderate every other day. Easy enough so far. Lets see how things go in SF.

Prideful. When I looked up the definition of the word I got the following definition: Having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy; “some economists are disdainful of their colleagues in other social disciplines”; “haughty aristocrats”; “his lordly manners were offensive”; “walked with a prideful swagger”; “very sniffy about breaches of etiquette”; “his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air”; “a more swaggering mood than usual.”

We at MINDBODY have been coming up with our Company’s Core Values and one aspect that we included in version 1.1 was that we aim to be a humble and helpful company. Rick, the CEO says, “Proud of MINDBODY’s culture and success, but not prideful, as pride alone prevents future growth”. I am going through some changes at work, namely my title is changing from “Director” to “Manager”. I have to admit when I first discussed the change with my supervisor I felt mildly attacked, hurt, and most of all like it was a reflection that I hadn’t done a good job over the last year or so. At the time, I had some residual stress brewing around in my body and heart leftover from other difficult situations at work over the last few weeks and looking back I see how easily our reactions are colored by so much more than the situation at hand. It’s amazing how sometimes you know how you want to react to situations, but sometimes the emotional side of yourself just goes where it wants. I often waiver during these situations between doing a pretty good job being present and honest with my feelings and yet burying them a little bit in an effort to be more cool and yogi than I really am able to be. I am happy to report that my emotional reaction was pretty short and mild considering what it might have been like for me in the past. I was very quickly able to think. “I love MINDBODY. I’m thankful for MINDBODY. I love myself. I want what’s best for us both. Sometimes changes need to happen that are no fault of mine.” I am reminded today to not get too prideful of my work, roles, or life situations and not to take it all so personally.

Overall, I am really enjoying my present moments being part of a company that provides technology solutions to the yoga community. I am able to combine my great passions: technology, teaching, and yoga.

In the February 2010 edition of Yoga Journal they have a great article (Aim High by Hillari Dowdle) on studying the purusharthas, or four aims of life, to create balance and happiness this year. Ah the word balance immediately brings peace to my mind. The aims are dharma (duty, ethics), artha (prosperity, wealth), kama (pleasure, sensual gratification), and moksha (the pursuit of liberation). I enjoyed this quote on kama: “Focusing on the right kinds of pleasure can lead you toward your dharma (your life’s purpose) – and help you fulfill it with passion. Passion is never the problem. It’s the solution.” There is more in the on them from Rod Stryker.  If that beautiful photo of a little artha in action made you hungry, it’s from the cafe at the Smiling Dog cafe recently. PS. I am going to ride my bike out of my way right now to try to get a leg up on the 2010 healthy roxtar challenge at 8:20pm. Man-friend is going down!

This morning I took a class with Wade Imre Morissette called Dynamic Sweat Vinyasa.  The class was described as “a vigorous flow based on intelligent sequencing principles.”  It was a small class, only 20 people, and I definitely sweated and enjoyed myself.  He based his class on the Arch Progression Model as taught by Desikachar, Krishnamacharya, and Mount Madonna Yoga Center.

My intention for the class was to stay connected to my breath, to remember the goal of vinyasa yoga is connecting each breath with movement and not just moving and challenging the body. One of the biggest challenges for me is to keep breathing during a challenging class.  I get out of breath like I’m jogging and power through like I’m at the gym with a personal trainer.  At the end of a class where I lose my breath I feel exhausted rather than energized.  The goal is to feel grounded and alert, not to need a nap!  I really enjoyed his class and the Arch Progression Model of teaching a vinyasa class and it was very similar to the Wave Shiva teaches.  Both models go through warming up the body, connecting to the breath, practicing warm up poses to get you ready for the apex pose, doing the apex pose, and gradually taking the class down to the floor for Savasana.

There was a yogi next to me who was breathing like they were in labor!  It was distracting at some moments, but it actually made me better focus on my own practice and breath.  As I said, I have been there before: huffing and puffing and not even noticing what I’m doing to my body or breath.  I hope that I shared the space well for my fellow yogi.  Many of us come to the yoga mat for different reasons, often it’s the physical benefits we seek.  And we usually feel better physically after a class, no matter how we breathe or how deep we can stretch, and we feel even better the more yoga we do.  Eventually we start to feel mental benefits though and maybe even later this leads us to be interested in the spiritual aspect.  I can’t forget the small beginnings because that’s what makes the end so sweet.  It almost made me appreciate my practice and yoga more to be reminded what it’s like at the beginning and to feel the rewards I’ve been able to reap.

Funny Story!  The first day of the conference we were finishing setting up the booth, doing the final touches, putting containers away, and chatting with our neighbors. While chatting with my neighbor I noticed her eyes get big as she was looking at something behind me.  She couldn’t speak exactly, but her and two others who were facing us were making this “ahhhhh” face.  All of the sudden the booth crashed on my back and I look to my left to see our enormous, expensive MAC falling face first to the floor!  It was very slow motion as my colleague happened to be right there and barely caught the beast before it very scarily smacked into the floor. Apparently this crash was caused by our neighbors from behind, Lululemon.  A rogue box escaped their grasp and must have hit our booth from behind in the perfect spot to cause an avalanche.  I can’t believe they fit the amount of retail in their tiny booth, it’s no wonder the box jumped for it’s life.