1. How did you get started with aromatherapy?

I was always into healing arts. I started to practice Yoga very young, then started to explore other practices for natural health and wellbeing. And discovered Aromatherapy - the art of using essential oils delivered from plants for physical and emotional health. The other factor that contributed into my passion is the fact that I am from Russia. alternative medicine and natural remedies are widely used and known there. So When i was growing up I knew which herb to take to get better, to heal. This custom just developed with time and knowledge.

2. Why is it important to incorporate aromatherapy with you travel + what are some tips?

Aromatherapy is all about your senses, emotions and mood. Simply by inhaling a particular scent you may feel relaxed, energized or focused. When you travel you put yourself into new situations, you visit unknown places and sometimes might feel out of balance. Certain scents can bring the comfort back, release the stress, fatigue, restore the Balance and wholeness.

Grab a bottle of your favorite oil with you, inhale it at the airport, on the plane, in the car, spray in the hotel room, whenever you want to bring peace into your new surroundings.

3. We noticed that in your class you spritzed some custom scents in your class, what is the blend and why is it good in a yoga class/practice?

I use a blend that I created specifically for Life Yoga studio and it’s called Life. It’s one of the scents that I make called YogiMood. The whole point of using Aromatherapy in class is to deepen your practice, your Yoga experience by breathing deeper and allow essential oils to treat your senses.

We interviewed Life Yoga instructor and Thai Yoga Massage Therapist Abigail Brown about her love of travel and how it influences her yoga practice…we found it absolutely inspiring and hope you do too!

1. Of all the places you’ve traveled, where were you most inspired?

“I have been inspired by culture everywhere I’ve traveled.  I absolutely love Asia, and Thailand in particular.  I traveled to Thailand to teach English as a second language.  While living there, I became part of the culture; studying the language, the religion, the Thai way of life.  It’s a colorful country with many smiles and positive energy.”

2. What inspired you about Thailand?
”Thai culture centers it’s energy around healing and maintaining well-being. Traditional Thai Yoga Massage is a daily practice in Thai culture. I was inspired by the practice of Thai Yoga Massage as a way of life, not as a treatment or luxury.  I began receiving Thai Yoga Massage on a regular basis because it made me feel so good.  It was as if I were having an assisted yoga practice and massage all in one.  In Thailand, Thai Yoga Massage is also known as, ‘Lazy Man’s Yoga.’ After each session, I felt centered and at peace. It slowly began to become a way of life for me as well. After a year of teaching English, I decided to focus my attention on this healing aspect of life I had been living. I decided to study Thai Yoga Massage and deepen my understanding of healing the mind and body. I studied traditional Nuad Bo-Rarn (northern style) Thai Massage at ITM (international training massage) school in Chiang Mai.”

3. How did Thailand inspire your yoga practice?
“As a traveler, I had a sparatic yoga practice. After moving to Thailand, my yoga practice grew as I was introduced to various styles of yoga, practicing with teachers traveling from all over the world.  I was living in Chaing Mai, where there were workshops in abundance and classes all day, everyday.  Having the opportunity to take a yoga class then walk next door for a Thai Yoga Massage or to meditate at the temple near by, opened me to my spiritual side.”

4. When you travel do you still practice your yoga and massage?
“Absolutely. I will always maintain a devoted yoga practice. I love to find a local class as I enjoy learning from other teachers. Also, I seek out massage everywhere I go; learning different forms of healing. I often barter Thai Massage with other massage therapists while I’m traveling.” 

“My yoga practice in Thailand took me to India to further my practice and deepen my knowledge of Yoga. I continued my education in Baja where I completed my RYT-200 teacher training in Hatha Flow Yoga. I brought my knowledge and training of Thai Yoga Massage back to the states where I furthered my education in massage. I have been practicing since!”

Some of the most rewarding things in life are the things you have to work the hardest for…

I’ve been practicing yoga since January of 2010 and my biggest challenge has been making it to class regularly. It’s not that I don’t plan to go - it’s always on my calendar at least three times a week, but I tend to make excuses not to go. Excuses like having too much work to finish, having a long day and being too tired, wanting to go have a drink with my friends instead, etc. 

Which leads me to the question: why am I making excuses to NOT do the one thing that has proven to make me happier, healthier and more centered - not to mention looking GREAT in my favorite jeans when I practice regularly. 

Yoga has helped me overcome a slew of both medical and emotional issues, including a severe anxiety disorder. It’s not magic, but if you dedicate time to quieting your mind, really stretching out your body and just letting go of all of those unwanted emotions you’ve accumulated throughout the day - you will feel better. 

So what’s my point here? I need to get to practice more often and maybe you do too. So here are some ideas for making this happen:

1. Schedule yoga just as you would any other event or appointment. Aim for three times per week and schedule a “back up day” at the end of the week for if you weren’t able to make one of those. Bonus points if you just go anyway. 

2. Participate in an upcoming 30-day challenge. There’s one starting in June - stop by or call LIFE to get the details. Practicing for 30 days straight creates a habit and will make it soooo much easier for you to stick to your three classes per week. 

3. Find a mentor. Do you have a favorite yoga instructor? Someone who’s style you like the best and who you feel you connect to? Ask them questions. LIFE instructors are some of the kindest and most knowledgeable in the city and I’ve found they are more than happy to spend time after class helping with postures you are having trouble with, suggesting modifications or additional postures for specific injuries or illnesses, talking about yoga on a more spiritual level or suggesting books to help guide you. 

-Megan Hargroder, LIFE Yoga Student

SMOOTHIE:
I just love smoothies so much and this is the time of year to start drinking lots of them. Like salads and soups, but even easier, you can put just about anything into the blender, press a button and voila - smoothie. Experimenting with flavor combinations is lots of fun.

Load up your freezer with your favorite (preferably organic) frozen fruits. Buy some bananas and when they get a bit brown, peel them and put them in ziploc bags in the freezer. Have on hand some delicious, all fruit juices, unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk and coconut water (if you like coconut). I like my smoothies fairly sweet, so I’ll add a bit of locally harvested honey or agave or maple syrup.  I also love chocolate, so I keep some cacao powder and cacao nibs on hand.

Smoothies are a great place to add nutrients like spirulina or maca powder or bee pollen or any other vegan, gluten-free and soy-free supplements you like.

Add some ice cubes if you like extra frothiness.  Today I’m making a mango and banana and coconut water smoothie with some raw meal replacement powder. Yesterday I had one with coconut and almond milk with carob and cacao powder and maple syrup and frozen banana. It was all that. You can also add a spoon or two of nut butter for a creamy delight.

COLD DRINK:
Maple Lemonade:

Half gallon clean water
1/4 cup Lemon and/or lime juice
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
dash cayenne pepper (if desired)

You can juice fresh lemons and limes or you can buy the pre-squeezed glass bottles of 100% organic juice. Blend all together and serve over ice or blend with ice in the blender.  Or you can have it warm or at room temperature. Play around with the proportions to find a balance you like best.

Excellent work everyone! We completed this challenge.  No doubt we are feeling and looking great.  I’ve seen many of you literally blossom before my own eyes.  You’ve grown stronger and more flexible, your skin is glowing and your eyes are shining.

So now what? What does one do after an experience like this? We made a boundary in our lives and inside that circle we made some deep and exciting changes.  But now that it’s over how do we integrate ourselves back into our “regular” lives and maintain these great results and good feelings?

First, make it official. Do something to acknowledge that you just accomplished something extraordinary. Take a few moments in meditation or take a long walk, have a lovely cup of green tea or treat yourself to a massage, something just for you. Refer to your Detox Journal and note what you’ve learned and accomplished this past month. Then break out the champagne!

Have that cup of coffee, eat that piece of cheesecake. Explore a day of lying around absolutely not doing even one sun salutation. And the next day, when you feel bloated, stressed out and stiff, drink a big glass of lemon water, make a pot of green tea and go to yoga.

This detox was pretty mild - no fasting or anything extreme - so your body won’t be too shocked by a cocktail or a fried shrimp. You may be surprised, however, by how powerfully some substances might effect you - physically, mentally and emotionally.  Take note of it. Generally, it’s best to ease back into things, if possible. First have a glass of wine, then have a piece of cheese, then try some bread, then some soymilk, etc., but, realistically, you may be craving a soyburger, french fries and a beer.  Just go with it, and know that when you feel out of balance, you can always take a day or two and have a mini-detox full of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and lots of pure water.

Congratulations to all of us!

Namaste.

SNACK:
Hummus and raw vegetables and/or rice crackers.

Hummus:
Can chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
2 lemons
clove garlic
seasalt

Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid.  (Of course you can prepare the chickpeas from scratch or even use sprouted chickpeas). Juice the lemons, making sure no seeds get into the juice. Peel and chop the garlic. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Voila - Hummus! Add some of the reserved chickpea liquid the mixture is too thick. You may want to add more tahini if it’s too thin.  Hummus is also great as a salad dressing. Serve with cut up raw veggies like carrots, peppers and jicama and/or some rice crackers.

By: Lela Cloud

By now, we are neck-deep into the Life Yoga 30 Day Challenge and for many of us, the accompanying nutritional detox. 

I think that “challenge” is a good word to describe this process. We’re challenged to make the time for class, even when we’re sore or tired. We’re challenged to come up with new, clean, light menu ideas and to resist some of perhaps the best substances on Earth, like alcohol and coffee.  We’re even challenged to deal lovingly with partners and children who do not want a spirulina smoothie for breakfast or friends who are used to having that weekly cocktail and girltalk with us.

March was a challenging month as well. It’s always quite long, but this year we had Mardi Gras too, which left us depleted and lifeless is many ways. The first few weeks of the Challenge might’ve been truly challenging. But now it’s April, and everything is green.

Green is the color of Spring - the trees, grass, etc. In Feng Shui, green is the color of the East - new beginnings.  In yoga, the fourth chakra, the heart chakra, which expresses joy and compassion, is green.  Green is money and abundance. In our kitchens, green is kale, spinach, cilantro, seaweed, parsley.  Greens are some of the most powerfully cleansing and nourishing foods we can eat.

These last several days of this Challenge, let’s be green. Extra green. In yoga class, imagine the green of the heart washing the whole body in compassion and joy. Make a huge salad with everything green you can think of - even olives, lettuces of course, seaweed (I’m telling you, it’s delicious) broccoli, whatever. The greener the better. Put a greens blend powder into your smoothies.  Drink a pot of green tea everyday. Plant something green in the eastern part of your home. When you’re outside, know that the green is in you, too.  Just like Spring, we’re brand new again, clean and fresh and full of possibility.

Looking forward to seeing you all in class!

It’s always good to have a few healthy, light things ready to go for when you get hungry and don’t have the time and/or energy to do anything elaborate.

Thus, always have the fixins’ for a satisfying, nourishing, soup, salad, smoothie, snack and cold drink in your kitchen.

SALAD:

Salad is a lot like soup in that you can put just about anything over a bed of greens and voila - salad!

Keep a mix of pre-cut, pre-washed greens like kale (chop very fine for salad), spinach, arugula, romaine, etc. in a container in the fridge. Have some sprouts on the side and also whatever else strikes your fancy (carrots, peppers, jicama, olives). Pre-cut as much of it as possible and store in a tupperware in the fridge. Add things from your pantry like wakame seaweed, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, dried cranberries or other fruit,  Add beans or some fish or organic, free-range chicken. Then top with a non-creamy, gluten-free dressing. I like a simple splash of olive oil, vinegar and lemon and some seasalt.  You can take some nori seaweed and use it to wrap the salad into little burritos.