Good Morning, Family

Photo via Our Labor of Love.

Photo via Jaquilyn Shumate Photography.

I'm up early today. Whispers of spring are here, just outside the window.

The sun breaks through, the sparrows flit and emit their fleeting chirps. I've got the radio on with the kinds of songs I only listen to when I'm alone. 

I've been thinking about family lately. The progression of love. The meaning of the relationships we build, and how we sometimes tell ourselves we don't really need them, and then realize how much we do.

I think of my girls. My bridal party. Grandmothers. Cousins and friends. Mom. Stepmom. The women I've spent my life looking up to, the women who have looked up to me over the years, the women I couldn't be me without. 

All subsequent photos via Jaquilyn Shumate Photography. 

I think of siblings. How precious the bond between a brother and a sister, a sister and her twin, a bond that would be suffering to lose. Stretched so distantly from each other; needed so much. I think about the joy of a phone call with my brother or sister, how hearing about their lives always cheers me up.

Who wants to come visit once spring hits Chicago, eh?

I think too of my husband, my Only, my everything.

I think of friends who are about to get married, to start their own little families. I think of my nephew and how every time I see a new picture, it feels like I've missed years.

Families are precious these days, it seems. Sometimes in the early morning, the house quiet, I think of the family I have and the ones I hope to one day grow in a world of love.

How have you loved your family lately? Any of you out there starting your own little families?

Losing the Ego

Photo via Bikram Yoga Chaswick in London.

I came across an awesome article on Yoga Journal today about important lessons that will transform your yoga practice. It's inspired me to reflect on some of the same topics, especially what the place is for ego in the yoga room -- which is nowhere.


There is no place for the ego in the yoga room. The effort of yoga is to lose the ego, to experience motionless, to embody effortlessness... while exerting maximum effort.

Can you try harder? If you can, you must. Photo via the Bikram Women's Retreat on Facebook.

Once you learn to give up your own ego in the room, on your mat, and at your studio, then your heart opens to what yoga truly is.


Yoga is not about judging. It is about forgiving. And not just others around you, but forgiving yourself. For being imperfect. For sometimes judging yourself based on your ability to execute a posture rather than on your own personal character and true worth.


Yoga is about meeting your edge in class, not comparing yourself to others and risking injury.


Yoga is about taking care of yourself in the room, while also listening to your instructor's words to push, push, push you to do your best.


Yoga is about not being scared to fail and try again. Like if you fall out of a posture, you get right back in. Or if you fall on your face because you tried a ridiculously hard arm balance, you laugh it off and are proud of yourself for giving your best effort.

Photo via Yoga Dudes on Tumblr.

Yoga requires effort. Yes, we relax in savasana and in child's pose or half-tortoise pose, but a majority of our class is spent focusing our energies toward specific muscle groups. Flexing those muscles. Learning what power we have. Finding a perfect marriage of the heart and lungs. Or maybe even having a mini heart attack now, so we won't suffer one later!


If you're not sweating, concentrating hard, and challenging yourself, you're not making the most of your yoga experience. And this goes for both heated and non-heated classes :)

Now that's yoga that requires effort: Balancing Stick pose! Photo via Bikram Yoga Richmond.

In yoga, you learn to let go. Even if you're annoyed by the yogis around you, or the teacher at the podium, or the stuff that happened at work before you came to class.


Unless you allow yourself to clear your mind by engaging your body, your yoga gets you nowhere.

Photo via the Bikram Women's Retreat on Facebook.

Hug Your Love

All images by the lovely and talented Sarah Rhoads.

On Valentine's, give your love a hug.

It might be your spouse or partner that needs a squeeze.

Or someone in your family. A sibling, daughter or son, cousin, grandparent.

Maybe you need to wrap yourself up in a hug today, too? Love yourself. You're beautiful.

Yoga Tonight

Photo via Coffee and Yoga.

Sometimes I get what I like to call the 4 o'clock waver. I'm sitting at work, less than an hour left 'til I get to peace out. I'm planning to hit up the Hot Room for a sweaty Bikram yoga session, but then... I waver.

What about a lazy night at home?

A date with the Hubs?

What about baking cookies in my PJs?

All of a sudden my mind's bouncing around about how hard the Standing Balancing series is going to be, about how I'm under-hydrated or hungry. Surely there's something more relaxing I can do tonight than yoga. 

It's sad, really. Frustrating. These silly thoughts!

Yoga is my relaxation. Yoga is my meditation. Yoga kicks my ass so I can let go -- fully, finally. Especially on the days when I waver, yoga is what I really need.

And let's be honest: if you can, YOU MUST!

See you at the 5:30pm class, yogis :) Here's to kicking yourself in the bum so you can get your yoga in today.

Photo via A Yoga Journey. 

Marriage on the Mind

Noah + Courtney Love Story//Same Day Premiere from AQUA VIVUS on Vimeo.

So yesterday I posted about this lovely ranch wedding, and then today I went back to the post on Sloan Photography and realized there was this amazing video to watch!

The interview is fantastic. Noah and Courtney tell their adorable and sometimes whimsical love story for about the first eight minutes, and then the rest is footage from their wedding day. I was totally moved, and couldn't stop smiling as I watched them together. He reminds me of Ryan Gosling and she has a natural beauty and effortlessness that is captivating. And you can tell from the video that they are made for each other.

It's great to see real couples who have a strong sense of why they are meant to be together, and how fully they want to spend their lives together. I love their thoughts on trust, caring for each other, and growing old together :)

I've also been reading Simple Marriage lately, a blog on ways to survive the ups and downs of marriage, how to keep things happy and healthy, and just fun ideas for dates with your spouse, or ways to get a break from the humdrum of everyday life.

I especially love their post on planned spontaneity, which you will totally appreciate if you are married! Sounds silly, but sometimes we have to schedule time with our spouse (and it rewards us greatly!).

There's also some great reading on setting reasonable goals together as a couple, what to do if things aren't great and you're just coexisting, and how to give a genuine apology.

Have you considered your relationships lately? Maybe you're doing your yoga and you've set personal health goals for the year, but haven't had the courage to look at where you are in relationship to others.

What can you give?

What can you let go of?

What haven't you addressed because it's hard, or holding you back?

Go ahead: decide to be together and to love each other better than you have been. You deserve it, and your partner does too. Sometimes change isn't easy, and sometimes love hurts. But with time and patience, we can change the way we relate to each other and treat each other.

You are in control of your relationships. Decide to love.

Be together; love each other. Photo via Yoganomics, an awesome online yoga community.

Everywhere Yoga

Bring your yoga anywhere. Photo via FYeahYoga.

I love that you can bring your yoga anywhere. What we learn on the mat can be used at any moment: at a friend's birthday party, when you're upset with someone you love, when you've stubbed your toe or missed the bus and need to deal.


Especially in Bikram, you learn this sort of 'everywhere yoga.'


Standing face-to-face in that heat, you've got to decide not to suffer, or chances are, you will. You must ignore the rest of the room -- the day, the thoughts, the world -- and enter your meditation.


Lately I've been so grateful that since I returned from the holidays, it feels like my yoga is back. Not only while I'm practicing (and I have had two of the most electric, ecstatic classes I've ever experienced this week), but also during the small moments of my day, I am calm, at peace, in the moment.


I am patient, even during the annoying moments or when I encounter frustrations or sadness.


I am my yogi self again, finally! Body, mind, and spirit have aligned, and it feels beyond wonderful. Have you experienced this sort of interconnected joy? Once you have, losing it can be really hard. And during our travels and my hiatus from the home studio, I felt as though I had lost that self-loving, flexible, upbeat yogi me.


Well, welcome back, yogi me!

You are your meditation, not the world around you. Photo via FYeahYoga.

Today at the studio I practiced in a class of 60 people. 60 yogis! We were sardines, piled in the room. I was in the first row, on the hot side. I was a puddle before pranayama even got going! At one point, I literally felt as though I had melted. I was a wet noodle.


It was awesome.


I was definitely the flower petal blooming! I loved the warm up series, and the way my body just moved to the words, bending and opening and relaxing into each posture. There was no resistance; I could not resist any posture because I had no energy to overcome the intense heat. (Before class, I checked the little thermometer up on the teacher's podium. It read 107! And that's before everyone was in the room, working up a sweat.) Incredible. It's amazing to me what a difference those two to three degrees make!


It was a beautiful class. Such an intense mixture of concentration from the new students, as they strained their ears to listen to the words and do the postures correctly, and joy and strength from the advanced students, as though their energy and expertise were pulling the rest of the bodies through when they thought it was time to give up.


We had a fair amount of drama in class, too. During the warm up, a new guy decided he had to leave the room. He was muttering "I'll be fine, I'll be fine" as he marched out of class, our teacher desperately asking "Where are you going?!" in between sets. He did come back, which was impressive. And the yogi by the door who didn't have enough room for Triangle finally figured out that it would help to scoot up toward the mirror.


We got through. We made it. And I was actually laughing the whole way through, marveling at what an interesting psychology experiment a yoga room really can be sometimes.


The lady next to me and I were chuckling at a few points along the way, too. Right before Full Locust she put her whole arm on my arm, locking us together as if we were one strong yogini, a force to be reckoned with.


We both smiled, dripping sweat in each other's space. And then we rocked the posture.


This was truly the bliss of Bikram: to be so close to your fellow yogis, so overwhelmingly given in to the situation, so intensely and intently present in the room. Unable to resist, and not wanting to.


To be able to smile through the second set of an exhausting posture while most other yogis are cringing and letting themselves to suffer instead of relax.


To, quite simply, be there.


To be.


I felt exhilarated. I'm going back as soon as I can.

Enjoy your yoga in the everyday. Photo via FYeahYoga.

Change Your Life

Photo by the one and only Cassi Saari.

Anyone know this famous Rilke poem? I was reading it over again today, trying to inspire up some poetry, and I fell in love with the last line all over again.

Plus, it's an all-around fantastic poem to be reading as the year draws to a close.
Archaic Torso of Apollo

by Ranier Maria Rilke
We cannot know his legendary head
with eyes like ripening fruit. And yet his torso
is still suffused with brilliance from inside
like a lamp, in which his gaze, now turned to low,

gleams in all its power. Otherwise
the curved breast could not dazzle you so, nor could
a smile run through the placid hips and thighs
to that dark center where procreation flared.

Otherwise this stone would seem defaced 
beneath the translucent cascade of the shoulders
and would not glisten like a wild beast's fur:

would not, from all the borders of itself,
burst like a star: for here there is no place
that does not see you. You must change your life.

These beautiful words are based on an unfinished statue, and the way it took the breath away of a poet as he viewed another artist's work. Have you ever been blown away by art so fully that you feel you must change your life?

Now is the time of year that I think about the transformations we go through, the way our art changes, our circle of friends shifts, our time spent moves toward new activity. 

This is definitely the time of year when I look back, and there's a lot from 2010 to remember.

A year ago my sister had a newborn; now she smiles at a little boy and prays with him and teaches him how to speak.

A year ago the Hubs and I were stressed-out students, dating and longing for marriage, trying to plan the details of our Big Day. Here we are now, enjoying the holidays together and getting ready to return to our urban apartment life and full-time jobs.

A year ago today I was about to experience a panic attack, a tough bout of depression, and a long haul climbing back to my usual energetic, well-slept self. Today I feel amazing, so much more in tune with my personal needs and capabilities, and now I know that I have the power to avoid ever slipping into such a dark place again. I'm well-armed with family and friends that mean the world to me, with my yoga practice, and with a life spent doing the things I love. (And a blog where I can write about them and share them with you, dear readers!)

I couldn't be happier to be here, guys. Thanks for reading!

A year ago I didn't know the joys of Bikram or whether I'd have a steady job that I liked after graduating from Northwestern. Today I work full-time at a company I love, and I have plans to complete Bikram Yoga Teacher Training and fulfill my dreams of sharing this yoga with others.

A year ago none of us were who we are today.

It's been a crazy year, yogis! It's been an awesome one, too. Hope you are having fun taking a glance back at where you've been, and getting pumped for what's to come. Here's wishing you a wonderful close to 2010, and please share your stories past, present and future!

As for the Winter Extravaganza... a big congrats to Emily. You win the NYE giveaway! Please contact me with your mailing address so we can get those goodies shipped.

And speaking of shipping, if there are any winners out there who are still waiting to receive loot (and who have been waiting a while), please contact me ASAP. I want to make sure you all get your gifts in a reasonable amount of time. 

A big thanks to all our wonderful Alive in the Fire partners, too. You guys are some of the most generous people I've ever encountered (honestly!) and I hope you've enjoyed the exposure to the lovely Bikram community here at the blog. 

Namaste to all, and happy impending 2011!

Photo by the tall and talented Cassi Saari.

A quick and final note on partners: I will be posting more in-depth in the next week on what it means to partner with Alive in the Fire, how you can get involved, and the benefits of getting exposure to this Bikram yoga and blogging community. If you've got a small business -- yoga related or not -- and want to promote your goods through a lively, green, and growing outlet, please contact me today @ aliveinthefire at gmail dot com. I am looking forward to collaborating with you!

Jump for Joy

Photo by Shelby Tanner via The Cozyhunter.

I know, I know, lots of photos posted on the blog today. But look how lovely these are! I couldn't resist. (And PS, there will be new giveaway excitement soon!)

Photo of the beautiful Lucy by my dear friend Cassi.

Rawr! Photo by Cassi.

The greatest.  I really wonder what happened in the next second :) Photo by Cassi.

Super cozy. Photo via Andrew and Carissa.

Are you bundled? Jumping for joy? Enjoying your pup? 


Hope it's all of the above. (That'll be me in 24 hours!)

How to Make a Happy Yogi: Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Awkward Friends & Downward Dogs

Time to glow. Photo via Scout and Catalogue.

 

All tangled? Simple gift ideas here. Photo via Wikstenmade.

Still shopping?

Here are some quick ideas for what to get your yogi friends, and your not-yet-yogi friends who need converting.


And a holiday reminder to all: it's about the love, not the cash you spend!

• A Pranayama breathing app. Ever wished you could take a moment to breathe and not freak out? Well, here you are. Yoga breathing techniques on-the-go. Recently reviewed over at Daily Cup of Yoga.

• Cozy things from Wiksten like this chunky scarf, or these boot socks.

• Red Leaf bar soap for guys. This Etsy shop has the best masculine suds around. Packaging comes in holiday colors, too!

• For those first-row kind of sexy Bikram girls you know: a ruffle bra from Need Supply Co! This looks super comfy, too.

Photo via Couture Boudoir.

•  A sexy boudoir session from a local Chicago photographer like Couture Boudoir, Laura Meyer or Kara Schultz. Give your man some sexy photos as a surprise!
• Grey bootie shoes from Osborn that make a comfortable and cozy alternative to winter boots.

• A beautiful Le Creuset french oven pan for the foodies you love (and love to invite over for potlucks!) via Cookware.

• A yoga music CD.
• A yoga shirt for your puppy, and a visit to this dog-friendly studio / cafe. I wasn't kidding about the gift ideas for your downward dogs thing! :)

• A gift certificate to your favorite studio so you and your friends can yoga together.
• Some VitaCoco, Ultima Replenisher and Kashi bars for a pre- or post-workout snack that replenishes and rehydrates.

What yogi gifts are on your wish list this year?

Snuggle up out there! Photo via Scout and Catalogue.

Saturday Giveaway: Sexy Yoga Wear & Sudsy Soap

 

High-performance, stylish yoga wear from Iluka Activewear. Win it!

It's the Saturday before Christmas. Crazy! That means: time to win more stuff for the Winter Extravaganza here on Alive in the Fire, of course!


Strapped for cash but don't want to ask for fancy yoga outfits (again) from your man? Craving  something stylish and practical in the Hot Room?


Hello, Iluka Activewear! Iluka was born out of the desire to create a line of products for yogis who want functional and flattering outfits while working out whether they are doing Bikram, spinning, running, or hitting up the gym.


For today's Winter Extravaganza giveaway, Alive in the Fire is offering a lucky reader the above Bellissima Tie Side Shorts (in Bettie Wild print) and the Phat Buddha Lace Back Bra in black (more than a $100 deal!). I know, I know: you're beaming. :)


Go ahead, check out what size you'd need here and leave a comment below! Be sure to check out PS Products from Etsy too.

Stylish soap to rinse off with after class! Mmm, and it's peppermint.

So of course after you've taken class in your stylish Iluka wear, you'll want to rinse off with something equally as awesome. Hello, PS Products soap! Parish Studio Products carries a bunch of delicious holiday flavors including this peppermint creme (with dish) which you can win.

Each soap is about 2.5 oz and they make great stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and guest soaps. Plus, you can keep these lovely little ones dry by using one of these well draining soap dishes! Each soap dish is 3.5" x 4.5" and is made out of reclaimed cedar and finished with linseed oil and is cut to allow water to drain through the dish and away from your soap so it will last longer. 

More from Tara, the owner of PS Products, about her soaps: 

I started making soap about a year ago when my Mom told me she would like to start making them, but didn't have the time with all of her other crafty hobbies.  At the same time my husband and I had been using a very expensive soap that we both loved but could no longer afford and couldn't find a cheaper alternative that lived up to our standards.  So, that's when I decided that even if I started making soap and it wasn't a hit, I would be filling a need for me and my husband as well as some family members who thought homemade soap was a great idea! I made and sold soap for a while to family and friends and then put the project on the back burner to welcome our son Asher in May of this year.  

Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom I really saw the benefit to opening an Etsy shop to help supplement our income as well as having a creative outlet and fulfilling a need that everybody has! I love to create, and I hope to add some things to my Etsy shop in the near future that show some of my other creative outlets.  

To win the super sexy outfit and sudsy peppermint soap, please check out Iluka Activewear and PS Products on Etsy and leave a comment below about how you'd enjoy each.

Sexy yoga. Photos via Brandy Lyn Winfield who teaches at Bikram Yoga Summerlin.