road trip yoga!

Nothing like a few solid hours in the car to make your back ache, your hamstrings cramp and your hips seize. As the driver, there's not much maneuvering and stretching you can really do during the car ride, but there are definitely a few adjustments you can make for alignment and everyone can participate in some rest stop yoga! 

SEATING POSITION: When you're in the car for hours at a time, it's important to think about proper seating position. Though some car seats are naturally more comfortable than others, you can make adjustments for better alignment. 

1) Ideally, the hips should be higher than the knees to allow length in the front hip flexors. Use a folded blanket to sit on if you can't adjust the seat accordingly.

2) Sit about arms-length away from the steering column, (for safety and comfort) with shoulders down away from the ears. Most people sit FAR to close. 

3) Though many people think good posture means 90º, the back of the seat should not be at a right angle but just slightly reclined, so as not to strain the angle in the lower back.

4) If you have cruise control, use it! You probably already do, but know that the more you can utilize cruise control, the less one leg is left extending for the gas and brake. Setting a speed will help you be more symmetrical, give you better gas mileage and allow you to move around a bit. 

5) Make tiny adjustments to your overall position as you drive to keep from cramping up. 

FOR YOUR ACHING BACK: 
When I'm driving, one of the first places I feel discomfort is my lower back. A tight lower back can contribute to sore hips and hamstrings, so this is a good place to start.

Ragdoll Pose: Fold forward with the chin tucked to the chest, lengthening and stretching from the tailbone. REALLY let the knees bend here to get the back stretch. Otherwise, you'll be stretching your hamstrings.

Child's Pose: Knees wide or close, tops of toes touching. Rounding out the whole spine in this way feels great after being seated.



FOR THE HAMSTRINGS:
As a runner, my hammys are already challenged, so sitting for long periods of time is a surefire way to shorten them even further.

Downward Facing Dog: Hit up a Down Dog to open the backs of the legs. Focus on getting the tailbone up high, bending the knees if you need to. You can also try a supported version by just propping your hands on your car.  

Bonus spinal and shoulder stretch, too! Ahh...

Pyramid Pose: Keep both hip bones pointing forward to assure proper pelvic alignment. For less stretch, scoot the feet closer together, for more, widen them front to back. Breathe!

FOR THOSE HIPS:
Nothing will make you cranky like tight hips. 

Stacked Log Pose: Knees bend at a right angle (or less, if tight) stacking one leg on top of the other. This will probably feel intense, but amazing after a long trip.

Bonus: If you're a passenger, you can practice this one right in the car!

Pigeon Pose: Aaaaaw yeeeeah! Be sure the foot stayed flexing in toward your shin.

I would save this one for when you arrive at your destination because I can assure you, you will NOT want to get back in the car.



When in doubt, just shake it out as best you can. Squirming around and doing whatever feels good is usually quite effective. Just remember that breathing is STILL the most important part so that all these sore muscles can get the oxygen and blood they need to relax. Hope you all can get away sometime and relax, too! Namaste!

Click to be taken to Wholehearter Yoga Website.

mini yoga road trip

Since my sister has moved back home (where she belongs) from Philadelphia, my husband and I were feeling much overdue for a nice autumnal road-trip. Conveniently, we were invited to visit some awesome relatives and their amazing city, Annapolis, Maryland.

Though I might not be much of a world-traveler, I would venture to say that Annapolis will always be one of my favorite cities. It's history, water and cozy small-town feel make it an ideal area to visit and explore. And in the spirit of exploration, I'm always on the look-out to try a new yoga studio, especially one with a view like this!

View from the back of the studio - 411 Ferry Point Drive

Beautiful Annapolis sunset over the South River - Credit Annapolis Yoga Facebook Page

Annapolis Yoga Facebook page is always posting waterfront photos like this that make me swoon. Through their page, I came across a private studio that is run in a similar fashion to my own. With "12 students maximum to allow for personal attention," this home run studio at 411 Ferry Point Road boasted sweeping views of the South River. 

Here is the current schedule:
Saturdays
9:30AM Yoga on the South River with Lara Bontempo (This was the class I attended, subbed by Barry Brooks)

Mondays
9:30AM Weekly Yoga Miniretreat with Barry Brooks
6:00PM Sunset Yoga with Aimee Seal

Wednesdays
6:30PM Sunset Yoga with Lara Bontempo

Ferry Point Drive private yoga studio - tucked amongst trees in a cul-de-sac

I probably only recently missed the cut-off point to enjoy an outdoor class, but the indoor atmosphere certainly wasn't lacking! Just look at it!

View of the indoor studio, facing out to the South River

Instructor: Barry Brooks guided a beautiful class. Barry is in the process of receiving his 200 hour RYT, but you would never know it if judging by his knowledge and comfortable guidance. I always love a class that provides physical adjustment, so it was nice to receive some personal attention and soothing adjustments for my asanas.

Class: This 75 minute vinyasa class was very gentle and calming. We warmed up slowly and mindfully before moving into a relaxing flow. I enjoyed a few interesting variations on the usual Sun Salutations as well as some new foot massage techniques. Barry used Indu Lotion for savasana that put me into a total blissful stupor. I might have to get some for my little studio! :) It's always great to feel inspired or learn something new.

Atmosphere: If you've read much of this blog, you'll know that I'm a total sucker for old houses and I wasn't prepared for this delightful bungalow. Nestled at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, this charming old cottage had character to spare. With original hardwood floors, antiques and a spiral staircase leading to a loft, the interior designer in me swooned. 

Awesome spiral staircase heading up to a small loft

Great Room/Studio looking toward the kitchen area...check out the awesome old piano!

The Great Room where class was held opened up to nothing but the sky and the water. The location was amazing and really allowed me to connect with nature.

View from inside, looking down the hill to the water...wow.

View from the kitchen area looking out to the dock.

If you get a chance, take a weekend trip to Annapolis before December and take a waterfront class. (It's only about 4 hours from Pittsburgh, so it's a nice weekend getaway.)

What an amazing and welcoming class for my first Annapolis yoga experience. I only wish we had more time to linger in the area and enjoy more studios. Please let me know if you run across any charming studios in your travels...I always welcome guest-posts! Namaste!

the art of staycationing

After years worth of regularly vacationing, many people consider vacation to be an annual necessity rather than a special treat. But let's define "vacation."

va·ca·tion [/vāˈkāSHən/] noun 1. an extended period of recreation

Maybe it's not in the official definition, but I think that when most people think of being away or on vacation, a big part of it is simply being away from work. (Not that work isn't awesome...hey Downs Creative, love you guys!) Heading to the beach for a week is certainly nice if you live close or have a large chunk of change laying around that you just don't know what to do with, but have you ever thought about enjoying a vacation...at home? [insert shocked gasps here]  Denying yourself from the traditional vacation doesn't mean you need to deny yourself the enjoyment of taking time off. And guess what? The beach will still probably be there next year.

Vacation destination 2012 - Home Sweet Home!

Obviously, a huge motivation behind opting for a staycation can be saving a buttload of money. Dave and I have always been very dedicated to eliminating debt and we're serious about our financial planning. After totally botching our budget when we bought our house (and lots of expensive things to go with it), we had a whole new appreciation for our usual diligence.

So after 9 months of paying, we're once again "debt-free" (other than the mortgage and Dave's school loans) ;)  This summer, we're going to celebrate by taking a staycation and enjoying our new home. 

In addition to celebrating my week-long birthday extravaganza, 4th of July and our 3-year wedding anniversary, here are a few other staycation ideas we (or you) might enjoy:

• Mini Golf/Go-carting - As something we always enjoy doing on vacation, it will be fun to check out a family fun center that we've never been to. Nothing says vacation like mini golf and go-carting.

• Amusement Park(s) - This is a no-brainer for a successful staycation. Check out parks you've never been to, as well as some of your local favorites. Sometimes, especially with bigger parks, it might be fun to go a few times and enjoy different areas, rides and trashy food. Be sure to check around for local ticket sales and deals.

• Gardening - Maybe this isn't everyone's idea of fun, but I think there are few things as satisfying as toiling and working hard in the dirt, getting absolutely drenched, filthy and exhausted, but then spending a cool evening basking in the glory of a lovely garden.

• Fishing - This is aimed more at Dave, but as long as I don't have to touch the naked worm, kill or injure a fish or see any killed or injured fish, I really enjoy it too. Basically, I like to sit by a lake with a hookless rod and eat snacks.
• Rock Climbing -  This is something cool I've been wanting to check out and there's a great indoor place nearby to practice! Whether it's rock climbing or anything else, make a point to try something new!

• Hit up the aviary, zoo, science center...etc. - Living near a fun city is always helpful when you're staycationing. Take advantage of nearby museums, parks and exhibits you might not otherwise make time for, or see what's new at places you have visited in the past.

• Canoeing - This is a relaxing and fun activity, even for lazy people. If you find the right river and head down stream, you can just relax and enjoy the view, sans rowing.

• Yoga - With how much I work and teach my own yoga each week, I feel guilty about not making time to visit other studios locally and downtown. I definitely plan to attend a class or two, but even if you've never tried yoga, vacation is a perfect time to start!

• Picnicking - (with Fluffernutter sandwiches) Oh yea. Picnicking (and Fluffernutter) scream 'vacation.' We plan to make a day trip to visit a park we've never been to.

• Dog Park - Although this is something we do regularly, it always makes us feel like we're on vacation. At this beautiful park, we love playing with all the different dogs and meeting new, friendly people every time we go. And after all, Zero goes to work too, so he deserves a vacation!

• Paddle-boating - There is just something I love about paddle boats and at $7 per glorious hour, this will be something calm to do at a local park.

All these activities will be supplemented with relaxing, movie-watching, ice-cream eating, picture-taking and sleeping-in. Yes, these are all things we could technically do on any weekend, but we rarely seem to make time for. We also think this staycation is the perfect plan for really breaking-in our first summer in our new house.

Whether you vacation or not, I think it's important to set aside time to enjoy what's already around you. Everyone loves traveling and getting away sometimes, but true contentment starts at home.

Update - The staycation weather severely limited our outdoor activities (over 95º all week!) but we still thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Maybe our next staycation will be enjoyed in the fall, though. :)