Sponsored Yogis Coming Soon!

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga on Tumblr.

Happy Friday, yogis! I hope you're celebrating the weekend already.

Anyone have any fun Super Bowl plans? Amazing appetizers you're planning to make for friends and family when they come over to watch the game?

The Hubs and I aren't sure of our plans yet, but there very well could be some tasty hot wings involved. And definitely guac. :)

Just wanted to share a little update with you on the Alive in the Fire Yogi Sponsorship 2011 program. I've been receiving all sorts of amazing applications and I can't wait to share the results very soon!

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga on Tumblr.

I hope to have an announcement for you on Monday. It's going to be a tough decision to say the least!

A big thank you to all of the applicants and to upcoming sponsors. You guys are the best! And I hope that regardless of the results, you've been learning more about your practice and what yoga means to you. That's the whole point of the process, and I hope it's been rewarding.

Photo via FYeahYoga on Tumblr.

In the days and weeks to come, you can expect to see a lot of awesome stuff going on around here at Alive in the Fire. I will be incorporating a ton of new ideas from applicants, including guest posts, some re-design, and the start of a new series or two. (And don't worry, Real Men Do Yoga and Beyond Childhood certainly aren't over! Neither is the Everyday photographer series either.)

The best part? You're going to be getting a lot of quality info about yoga and hearing from some new voices. These sponsored yogis are passionate about their practice. They've got inspiration to share.

They are fiery, fun, and super creative and insightful. I can't wait for you to meet them!

Keep an eye out and get excited. More to come very soon.

PS. In other news, I've written over 300 posts! Eeps, how exciting :) Oh, and keep those followers coming... we're almost to our 100 party!

Photo via FYeahYoga on Tumblr.

Run, Yoga, Run: The Bikram Athlete

Photo illustration via Blow Up Studios and their ad campaign for Pure Yoga. 

Hey yogis. How is your week going? Are you busy shoveling snow?


Perhaps you've had to mix up your workout this week because of inclement weather. Just this morning the Hubs and I helped push a neighbor's car over a pile of snow, and it got me thinking about those muscles we don't usually use in the Bikram room. By engaging in other core-building or stamina-enhancing exercise, we can improve our yoga practice. 


Sometimes we need to mix it up in order to improve not only our physical health, but our mental health, too. The repetitive nature of Bikram yoga (as a result of the dialogue and our familiarity with the 26-posture sequence) makes it tempting to zone out during class -- to disengage, stop listening, and go with what we know.


At those moments, we risk injury.


Often it can be great to mix up your work out routine by adding different styles of yoga or different cardio activities to your schedule.


Do any of you readers do Bikram on the side? Maybe you are into cross training, running, swimming, or biking -- but you find yoga to be a great complement to your other athletic endeavors.


No matter what your first fitness love is, Bikram can help you build the strength and flexibility you need to perform at your best, and live your healthiest life.

Photo illustration via Blow Up Studios.

One reader of the blog recently contacted me about her work as a personal trainer. Jeozette of MVP Personal Fitness Consulting recommends that athletes balance their cardio with Bikram, as the two can inform each other and provide awesome balance. The rest of this post is adapted from Joezette's article here.

You Gotta Have: Total-Body Conditioning 
(not simply strong quads) 

Consistent running can lead to a lot of tightness and strain in the spine, shoulders, hamstrings, and hips. This is why it is so important to condition and stretch those areas to develop more strength and movement to your body.


Try the following cross-training exercise to build arm strength and flexibility.


EXERCISE: Push-up; one of the best exercise for muscles of the chest (pectorals), arms (bicep and triceps) and core development.


Start face down on the floor with your feet together curled slightly so you rise on the ball of your feet. Place you hands close together so your thumbs and index fingers form a triangle on the floor. Keep your stomach contracted.
Inhale as you raise your body up till your arms are straight. Keep your head and neck level with your body and back straight. Exhale out as you lower your body back to the ground.

Photo via mewall82 on Flickr.

You Gotta Be: Pain Free!

Bikram Yoga will put an end to the tightness that leads to pain by opening up your joints and stretching all your ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Remember that running doesn't use ALL your muscles. You need a pose that will utilize your whole body.


Try the following Bikram Yoga pose to help straighten rounded spines and relieve backaches. This pose will also increase circulation to the spine and strengthen the abs, arms, thighs, and hips.It will improve the flexibility of the scapula, deltoids, and traps.


POSE: Bow Pose; Start lying on your stomach, bend your knees and bring your feet down towards your glutes. Reach back with your arms, take hold of each foot from the outside, grasping about two inches below the toes. Keep your feet and knees six inches apart throughout the pose. Take a deep breathe, look up towards the ceiling and lift thighs and upper body off the floor. Kick back lifting legs higher off the floor. The main goal is to balance on your abdomen. Hold pose for 20 seconds while breathing in and out through the nose.

Photo via creativENERGYoga on Flickr.

You Gotta Have: Agility, Coordination, and Balance

Agility, coordination, and balance are also important factors in day-to-day activities, such as standing and walking or (running). Try the following Cross-training exercise to improve these basic functions.


EXERCISE: Jump Rope; Holding the jump rope handles, one in each hand, the rope should be resting on the ground directly behind your feet. Your head should be up, eyes looking forward, not down at your feet. Your elbows should be positioned in close to your body. During the jump, your body should be erect. A basic jump is straight up and down and about 1 inch high. The rope gets its momentum with a basic swing of the wrist and forearms. The knees should flex and extend slightly with each jump. As you jump, try to develop a rhythm (the speed at which the rope turns).

Photo via kait.rich on Flickr.

Bottom line? Mix up your work out and balance it out with some hot yoga! You'll be happy you did when the winter storm hits and you don't have to pull any muscles while shoveling snow. 

Have any other advice on how to adapt to Bikram as an athlete? I'd love to hear from you, runners, swimmers, bikers, and tri-athletes! Leave a comment below.

Photo illustration via Blow Up Studios.

Real Men Do Yoga: Joseph Barilla

Photo by my talented friend Emily.

Remember a long, long time ago when I mentioned an upcoming series about guys who rock their yoga practice? The time has come for our first post! I'm excited to introduce our first yogi in the Real Men Do Yoga series: Joseph Barilla.

Joe is a Bikram yogi who started his practice at the studio in Carle Place, NY and who now attends classes at Rockville Centre, NY. You can find him on Facebook here. This is his story.

Quite a tall Triangle Pose!

I have been practicing Bikram yoga on and off for four years. It is the first yoga I tried and I was immediately hooked on the heat, the challenge, and the unique perspective on life that the yoga provides. My favorite postures are Standing Bow Pose and Camel Pose.

I never felt it was an issue to do yoga as a man. I just did it. Liked it. Did it more. Hated it for making me feel stupid or terrible sometimes. Did it more. Liked it more for making me feel terrible, realizing I had stuff to clean up inside my body and in my life as well. 

I don't feel any more or less manly practicing yoga. To all the guys who mock the yoga dudes, I say, "I will out-dance and out-live you!"

I do some of the poses at home, but its not the same thing. Besides, I get a kick out of watching people that are about to pass out.  I will admit, though, I usually have that look on my face. Working on it. Have been for four years. I feel as if I just started yesterday.

I will attend the training soon. It's been on my mind for a couple of years now. I'm not sure how I feel about Bikram's rule about not wearing green at the training because it's his least favorite color. (It happens to be my favorite color.) But...I can deal, I suppose. Nine weeks of doing Bikram yoga twice a day will most likely make me focus on other things, like trying to stay alive. ;)

I'm at a transition phase of my life. I wish, I pray, I yell, I dream about attending the training in California. I'm not really sure of anything right now and it's a little scary not knowing what my future will look like. But the training is something I would like to attend within the next year. 

Namaste,

Joseph

Be a man. Do yoga. And then submit to Alive in the Fire about it. Photo by Steven Brahms.

Guys, submit your yoga story to be part of the series! Whether you do Bikram or any other style, I'd love to hear from you. Email aliveinthefire @ gmail [dot] com today!

Exciting note: I'm not positive yet, but I'm hoping to do special giveaways for the guys who submit, so get yours in early. :)

From the Island: Silk Scarves

Next up in the Winter Extravaganza are three lovely Etsy sellers from the island of Puerto Rico. 

First up is SilkMari, a shop where you can find gorgeous handmade and hand-dyed silk scarves by Marina. She's offering this dreamy blue scarf to one lucky reader.

Here's her description of the scarf :

The blues, greens, teals, sea-foam and aqua in this hand dyed silk scarf are the ocean color as seen from above our coastal waters. It is 8" x 54" chiffon silk and could be worn as a headband or around the neck tied in a bow for a sexy sultry look. Each scarf is signed on the lower left-hand corner.

About the shop:

Each of my silk scarves is individually hand-dyed and/or hand painted. Batik, tie-dye and silk painting are some of the techniques that I love to explore and use. Each scarf is unique by the process used, making it a one-of-a-kind work of art. I took a basic course in Batik and the rest is self-taught with experimenting.

  

On Living in Puerto Rico:
Although I was born in Puerto Rico, we moved to NYC when I was about five years old and did all my schooling there. I returned to Puerto Rico and have been involved with the Artisans Market for some time. I love the weather in Puerto Rico and all the wonderful natural wonders it has. The beaches are breathtaking, the rain forest a must see, we have warm water baths and outrageous caves. 

Recommendations for Travelers:
Definitely visiting the Old San Juan is number one on the list. It's referred to as the Fortress City because it is surrounded by huge imposing walls which were built to protect the city from invaders and pirates. From there you must go visit at least one beach. I recommend Luquillo Beach which is in the skirt of the rain forest.

To win the aqua scarf, please leave a comment below telling about your favorite time at the beach. Also please visit the shop at SilkMari and include in your comment which other scarf you like best.


Good luck and namaste!

The Secret Garden

This is Cassi, my beautiful botanist friend.

When winter temperatures hit, I sometimes dream about visiting tropical faraway lands and tromping around in beautiful, lush gardens like this.

My lovely friend Cassi, recently posted on her blog about her adventure to the Garfield Park Conservatory with her Plant Evolution & Diversity class. Looks like a pretty rockin' time to me. Thanks for sharing, Cassi!

Carboniferous creations.

Snail friend!

These flowers are alight with fire.

Zebra cacti, whoa!

A beautiful patchwork of leaves.

Feels Like Summer: A Guest Post from a Friend who Attended The Renegade Craft Fair

All photos and review below by the talented Sarah Klein, a friend of mine who's livin' it up in Chi-town. And about to start Bikram too!

So a few weeks back I hoped to make it down to the lovely Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, but I missed out. My hubs and I were super busy all weekend...but fortunately a talented and gracious friend of mine, Sarah, checked it out and took some beautiful photos to prove it!

Here's her stellar review.

The Renegade Craft Fair Chicago

A Review by Sarah Klein

Division street was packed. I've honestly never seen so many indie-artistic-looking 20-somethings in one place. Walking around, I was greeted by colorful pottery and screen prints, the smell of funnel cake and lemonade, multi-colored sunglasses, and a girl creating giant bubbles with a bubble wand. It felt like summer.

What struck me was how many of the products were recycled and re-purposed material... jewelry made from old maps and typewriter keys, bags and clothing made from reused plastic and wool, and stand upon stand of recycled paper goods. The first stand i went into was full of hand-made cards and journals with quirky prints on the covers. I bought myself a journal with two purple upside down octopuses on the cover.

There is something very satisfying about buying a craft straight from an artist, even if it's only a silly journal. I spent a few hours wandering around, taking pictures, and people watching. I ended the day with a funnel cake and a sleepy bus ride home. Yay local crafts!

A Guest Post from MissFitBliss: Bikram Stew!

As the weather shifts toward cooler temperatures, it's time to break out the fuzzy slippers and make a yummy pot of stew. Now you have the chance!

Joslyn over at Miss Fit Bliss was kind enough to share a delicious recipe here at Alive in the Fire. She's a fantastic blogger, talented and active lady, and passionate about her Bikram. And about keeping her body well-fueled before and after workouts!

Thanks, Joslyn, for your awesome post. I'll be making some soon!

You stew in the heat. Why not stew on this?

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From Joslyn, star blogger at Miss Fit Bliss

Rachel and I both share a love of Bikram yoga, so it makes sense that we would begin to contribute to each others’ blogs. Like me and other hot yoga addicts, Rachel understands the complexities involved in nourishing the body while keeping up a frequent yoga practice.

It may seem counter-intuitive at first, but there’s nothing more satisfying than a nourishing bowl of protein-laden soup after hot yoga to keep hydrated and energized. Soups are one of my favorite dishes to make once the temperature begins to drop, and this one is on my list of classics.

Start with about 15-20 baby carrots and chop them up. Or just use 2 large carrots and chop them up.

Take about 3 to 4 stalks of celery and chop them up.

Take a large potato and chop it up.

Toss all the chopped goods in a pot.

And add 2 cups of presoaked lentils. Green or brown, whichever kind is cheapest. By presoaked I mean just immerse 2 cups of dry lentils in water while you chop all your carrots, celery, and potato.

Now pour water over the top of the pre-soaked lentils and chopped vegetables.

Place the pot on the stove.

Cover the pot with a lid. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer on medium or low for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, stir the soup.

Now take the black pepper and season to taste. Do the same with the salt.

Chop the 4 cloves of garlic very finely and sauté in a pan with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

Pour the garlic and olive oil over the entire pot of lentil soup. Stir and serve in bowls. It looks simple but it is delicious. And leftovers are even better. I suggest making a big pot of this over the weekend and enjoying the leftovers throughout the week.

Stew it up, yogis! And read more here at Joslyn's rockin' blog.