watch me on tv

watch me on tv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yYGFt_rbSo&feature=youtu.be

<3 Tara

WINE, BEER & CLEANING PARTY

Retreat!!! Check it out!

GET RID of your muffin tops - hey look they say power yoga!!

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How to... lose your muffin top

STRIP THE FAT

Muffin tops are made up of excess fat around the abdominal area all the way round your body. Stripping excess fat from your body with cardio exercise is one of the best ways to get rid of it.

Jogging, power walking, cycling, aerobics, swimming - anything that gets your heart rate up and your body moving - will burn fat. Women tap into fat stores for energy much more slowly than men, usually after 40 minutes of exercising, so aim for at least this, but ideally building up to an hour, three times a week. 

WORK OUT LATERALLY

Women often exercise the muscles of the front of the body, backs of the legs and abs by jogging, squats, lunges and crunches, but neglect the sides and the back. Having conditioned muscles all the way round will greatly decrease the muffin appearance. Try raising your legs to the side and galloping side-to-side on your usual walk or jog.

For the less fit, you can get a fantastic workout in water by holding on to the side of the pool and kicking out behind you. Add twists or scissor kicks to tone hips. For best results do a few lengths, then a couple of minutes of exercises and repeat as much as you can. 

TAKE UP POWER YOGA

This is arguably the best way to get rid of excess bulge around the middle, with its yoga warrior and chaturanga combinations, punch work across the body and movements that involve twisting and moving side-to-side. The fact that it is high intensity, and includes balancing and core work with pretty much every sort of movement, means you really can't beat this as a muffin-top-blasting workout. 

CONSUME FEWER TOXINS

As a survival mechanism, our bodies try to protect us and keep toxins away from our vital organs by wrapping water, fat and cholesterol around them. This is then stored, particularly around our middle and hips. Toxins include processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, too many animal products or acidic foods, pollution, sugar and smoking.

Eat a low-sugar diet rich in vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains and drink two litres of water a day to help flush out toxins. Regular baths with Epsom salts will also help expel them and reduce excess water retention (£2.15 per 1kg pack at www.justasoap.co.uk). This is popular with celebs who want to keep their waists and hips as streamlined as possible. 

EAT MORE ESSENTIAL FATS

Our bodies need fat for energy, to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, to give us shiny hair and nails, and to transport nutrients around the body. Perversely, not eating enough fat can stop our fat cells functioning properly.

Debra Waterhouse, author of Outsmarting Female Fat Cells, believes that including around 70g of 'good fat' in our diets each day makes our cells work more efficiently, releasing stored fats to burn as energy. 

EAT LESS SUGAR

Excess calories are converted and stored as fat and this includes low-fat

foods, sugary foods and alcohol. Even though there is no fat in wine, there are the same amount of calories in a bottle of white wine as four fishfingers. A latte or glass of orange juice (containing around 200 calories each) a day adds up to around 1,000 calories over a working week. 

To lose 1lb of fat, you need to burn off 2,500 calories, so cutting out excess calories will decrease the flab. By eating slow-releasing (low GI) carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, oats and basmati rice with low-sugar foods such as nuts, fish and green vegetables, you will also help stabilise blood sugar levels.

AVOID STRESS

Cortisol, the hormone released in response to stress, encourages the body to release blood sugar into the bloodstream to give us energy for the 'fight or flight' response. If we use this energy to get away from a physical danger, there is little chance for this sugar to be stored as fat, but if it is released repeatedly through stress, the increased blood sugar will be ultimately stored as fat.

The female hormone oestrogen causes fat to be stored around the pelvic region anyway, so getting stressed makes matters worse. Try to stay calm - a few drops of lavender oil in your bath or a cup of camomile tea should help. 

IMPROVE POSTURE

Having strong core muscles (which include the abdominal, back and hip area) will not only help the muffin-top area look better because the muscles will be more defined, but by having stronger, well used muscles, the circulation will improve in this area, too. This, in turn, improves blood and oxygen supply to the cells, which will improve rejuvenation and help expel toxins.

Yoga and Pilates will help, but basic correct posture is even more important. This means sitting or standing tall, and pulling inwards and upwards by tensing your core muscles (stomach, lower back and hips) throughout the day. Over time, using these 'core muscles' regularly will work wonders. 

BRUSHING AND SCRUBBING 

Brushing and scrubbing your muffin top with a good exfoliator and gentle massage (as you would around celluliteladen bums and legs) will also help stimulate cells and improve circulation, getting nutrients in and toxins out. Next time you are in the shower, scrub as vigorously as you can for at least five minutes.

Well it has been a while since I wrote on this blog. I just usually use facebook and twitter for all my news but after a great day of yoga with new new little yogi's I wanted to share more with you today.  I really liked this article by Sonya Klepper as to why yoga is so great for your kids too!

5 Reasons Kids Should Do Yoga

By Sonya Klepper

Everyone seems to be doing yoga these days – from celebrities to professional athletes and everyone in between. Kids are even getting in on the yoga bandwagon and yoga is so very GOOD for them. Here are five reasons (believe me, there are many more) that kiddos should do yoga.

1. A Mental Break – Kids need opportunities for mental breaks! They need time away from what is expected of them in school, from after-school activities, from television, from video games…they need time just to BE. When I ask the kids I teach (k-5) what their favorite poses are they invariably shout out Savasana, Meditation Pose and Shoulder Stand as the top three. All of which require a high degree of quiet and stillness of body and mind. It’s shocking but true. They need time to enjoy the “white pace” and the “down time” that seems to be lacking in our culture just like grownups. In fact, they crave it. I always hear at least once if not numerous times during yoga this little snippet, “Miss Sonya…is it time for Savasana yet?” 

2. Feelings of Accomplishment – There is no way to “fail” at yoga. Yoga instills a sense of accomplishment that translates into other activities in life. We work on poses and break them down and go over them in a way that is fun and challenging but the idea of failure is never introduced. Every movement, big or small, is a success. Each and every child is a “winner” at yoga. It doesn’t matter the size or ability. The ability to sit in easy mediation pose is just as important as the ability to move into a more challenging pose. Each child learns that they naturally have a pose they are really good at and they are encouraged to be the “master” of that natural ability and then share it with others but also to move into areas (asana or meditation) where they don’t have mastery and give it a go.

3. Fearlessness – Kids don’t carry around fear the same way adults do but getting into yoga early gives children a distinct advantage in the fear department as they grow up. Flipping upside down as in handstand or doing an arm balance like Bakasana (crow pose) are activities that lead them into the idea that they are strong and capable. Tackling these types of poses teaches them that they can overcome fear by meeting it head on and then move into the area where they can fly (literally and figuratively).

4. Focus – Yoga helps kids focus. Taking time to focus on one thing at a time is a powerful skill. In yoga, kids learn to focus on their breath in meditation. They learn to focus on a singular movement in a yoga pose. They learn to tune into what’s happening on the inside rather than what’s happening on the outside. This helps them tremendously in taking tests, reading, completing homework and sets them up for completing tasks that are required in school and at home.

5. Fun – Yoga is FUN! It’s play time and not all seriousness. They learn that everyone falls and everyone gets up and tries again. There is no competition. Everyone is encouraged to move forward at their own pace. Each child is honored. There are lots of hugs. There is a ton of laughter and the environment is one of support and respect.

Children don’t often come to yoga with the hang-ups, hurts and injuries that adults have to contend with. Generally speaking, a child’s body is more open and receptive as is the heart, mind and spirit. But kids who can start a yoga practice at an early age have access to some distinct advantages as they grow up and move through life. So get your kids into yoga! Go and take a class with them. Get them in a class after school or in a yoga camp during the summer. Ask for a yoga program in your school.

"Holy shit, mosquitoes" Yoga Poses - The Mosquito

I am type A- blood. This means that no mater what the biting bugs anywhere in this world LOVE me. Literally, my husband and I will fall asleep and while he will wake up without a bite on him, I will awake to find out I was a taste feast, covered with bug bite.

Blood-type markers are chemicals released by people of a specific blood type – so if someone with AB blood emitted a marker, it would be different than that released by A. One study found persons with Type A blood suffered more mosquito landings because of the odorant markers they emit than any other blood type.  Scientists have identified several proteins found in mosquitoes’ antennae and heads that latch on to chemical markers, or odorants, emitted from our skin. These markers are produced by the natural processes of our bodies and, like neon signs, they let the mosquitoes’ smell center know you’re around (though the process that then guides them to you is not well understood).
Flies and mosquitoes share a number of the same genes that dictate production of these odorant-binding proteins, which have specific sites that will catch or bind with certain chemicals in the air. Some scientists suggest that certain characteristics attract mosquitoes, thereby leading us to have more bites than others.

So...knowing all of that in the section of life that is called "too dam bad 'cas you were just born that way and there is nothing you can do about it"...I am desperate to find some sort of holistic way to free myself of this love energy I send out to these little biting blood suckers. I am also a compulsive with scratching. Apart from biting my nails right down to nothing, there hasn't been any great cures no matter how many vitamin b patches I stick all over myself.  Bug spray is SO toxic...it's so not fun to be covered in scars and bloody scabs, the remnants of these bites. 

So today, reading about this yoga pose made me laugh as I scratch my mosquito bites all over my poor scared legs...

Yoga Poses - The Mosquito

Pose - Bend you knees while keeping your back straight with you arms out straight in front of you. Try to relax into this. At the teachers shout of "Holy shit, mosquitoes", start slapping your feet and legs, face and hands and any other body part you can reach while vigorously stamping your feet. Repeat mantra "Damn mosquitoes" at the top of your lungs. The advance version of this pose can be added by doing a sort of Jig as you run around the studio. Don't forget to breath.

Benefits - Besides being aerobically beneficial, practitioners of this pose report an increased kill ratio of mosquitoes, nats and no-see-ums when off the mat.

Killing mosquitoes isn't very Ahimsa yoga suggesting of me though now is it...hmmm

Namaste

love Tara

Cleaning house and getting balanced

It feels like a long time since my last blog...living without Internet for the past five days probably didn't help either. Yep - half of Nevis and St Kitts  was out of Internet power for some time. One of my expat yoga students (had a similar thought to me)  said in dismay "I didn't even know this could happen" :P

It is  so funny how when the Internet is down we wonder how we ever lived in life without it :P I, for one, feel completely imbalances without the world at my finger tips :)

On that note, (and with yoga in mind) lets discuss our Chakras today. 

Recently, a friend of mine gave me a Chakras bracket for my birthday - I chose out of all of them the crown Chakras for my one to wear.  At a dinner I went to earlier in the week, a new friend asked the purpose of wearing a Chakras.  Her main question was how and why do we want to balance and align our Chakras?

First off lets define what are Chakras are / do :) 

The Seven Primary Chakras in the human body are:



(7) Crown (Third Eye?) chakra
(6) Third Eye?
(5) Throat chakras
(4) Heat chakras

(3) Solar Plexus
(2) Sacral or Spleen chakras
(1) Root chakras

 The 1st chakra is called the Root chakra. It is located between the anus and the genitals and is connected with the coccyx. The Root chakra opens downward. When active with vigor, it is fiery red-orange in color.

The 2nd chakra is called the Sacral or Spleen chakra. Located over the spleen, it is sun-like in color and opens towards the front. Sanskrit books always substitute the 2nd sacral chakra with that of the spleen, locating it below the navel instead of at the spleen. My research suggests that there is a danger associated with tampering with the spleen, so perhaps this is why they locate it below the navel. I don't know.

The 3rd chakra is called the Solar Plexus chakra. It is located about two finger-breaths above the navel and is directly connected to our astral or emotional body. Through the solar plexus chakra we absorb the solar energy which nurtures our body, which energizes and maintains our physical body. This is where our emotional (feeling) energy radiates, particularly our "gut feelings." It glows a golden color.

The 4th chakra is called the Heart chakra. It is the center of our entire chakra system. It is located in the center of the breast at the level and vicinity of the heart cavity and connects the three LOWER physical and emotional centers to the three HIGHER mental and spiritual centers. Its color is chiefly green.


The 5th chakra is called the Throat chakra. It is located between the depression in the neck and the larynx, beginning at the cervical vertebra behind the Adam's apple. It starts at the cervical vertebra and opens towards the front. It is also connected to a small secondary chakra, which has its seat in the neck and opens to the back, but since the two chakras are so closely related, they have been integrated into one. Although it has a lot of blue about it, it is also silvery, like moonlight upon rippling water. Blue and green predominate.

The 6th chakra is called the Third Eye? chakra. It is associated with the pituitary gland, which is a very small, shapeless organ about 1/8 inch in diameter located in the forehead about one finger-breath above the bridge of the nose between the eyebrows. Here conscious perception of being takes place. It is the seat of our higher mental powers. On the physical plane, it is the highest center of command for the central nervous system. One half is chiefly rose-colored with a lot of yellow, and the other half is predominantly purplish-blue.

The 7th chakra is called the Crown (Third Eye?) chakra. It is seated in the pineal gland, which is a small organ of fleshy consistency not much larger than the pituitary. The pineal gland is located near and behind the pituitary body almost in the exact center of your head at the level of your ears. The Crown chakra opens upward, at the top of your head. Interestingly enough, medical science has yet to conclusively determine the physical influence this gland has on the human body (probably because metaphysics is beyond their rational thinking mind.) Although it contains all sorts of prismatic hues, it is predominantly violet.

So why do we want to be sure our Chakras are in balance?

According to the "the-energy-healing-site". Keeping our physical body alive, healthy and functioning well is a complex exercise in balancing. It's called homeostasis, and it keeps all the chemicals, hormones, and processes of our body in harmony with each other. If our body deviates from a state of homeostasis, we're in trouble. 

In the same way, our chakras must be in balance and aligned with each other. 

When our chakras (or any aspect of our energy system) are out of balance, it can have a profound impact on our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. When they are out of balance/alignment, both our bodies and our lives are likely to be out of balance as well. We may find that we are illness- or accident-prone, or that our lives are unhappy, unsatisfying, or chaotic.
Sound healing expert Jonathan Goldman compares the body to a musical orchestra, where the individual players represent physical or energetic organs. If one "instrument" (like a chakra) gets off tune or out of balance, the sound of the entire orchestra (the health of your entire body) is off, and pretty soon the other players (other part of your physical or energetic system) start to veer off-tune, too.

Energetically, what characterizes a chakra system that is in balance?
Energy flows through the chakra system in two ways. First, it flows up and down along your central channel, base of spine to top of head, connecting the chakras. Second, it flows horizontally, in an exchange of energy with the cosmos.
In a balanced chakra system:

• Energy flows freely vertically, reaching all the chakras: none of the chakrasare blocked.
• Energy flows freely horizontally: each chakra exchanges energy freely with the cosmos.
• None of the chakras is substantially more open or spinning faster/slower than the others: none is significantly overactive or under-active in comparison to the rest.
• Each of the chakras is opened to the degree needed to support your health and spiritual development: none of the seven chakras  is open too wide, or closed down too tight.
• Neither the upper chakras  nor the lower chakras is over-emphasized.

Many energy healers will be able to perceive your chakras and whether they are balanced, open, and healthy. But it's not really necessary to be able to perceive them in order to evaluate them and their state of balance, because when there is an imbalance in your chakra system, it will eventually manifest in your body, emotions, thoughts, or your life. In other words, it will show up clearly in the physical world at some point. 

How would a person with a healthy, balanced chakra system most likely look?

• body is healthy enough to support individual spiritual journey/fulfillment of life purpose
• well grounded, secure, confident, in touch with own body
• in touch with their emotions, but not overwhelmed by them
• comfortable with their own sexuality
• self-confident, able to manifest their desires without dominating others
• compassionate, loving, healthy relationships; in touch with nature
• able to express own truth, to listen as well as speak, to create
• intellect balanced with wisdom, in touch with intuition  

 It's not necessary, however, for our chakras to be perfectly, completely balanced, all at the same level of openess and activation. For most people, one or more  chakras stand out as being stronger than the others. This is normal and not at all undesirable. 

It's only necessary that the chakras not be wildly out of alignment, such as one chakra that is nearly shut down, or one that is blown wide open in comparison to the others. Your body and your life will give you the information you need to know if your chakras need balancing.Sometimes people on a path of spiritual development will over-emphasize the top chakras, believing that this is the way to become enlightened. In my personal view, this is a mistake. The body is not less holy than the spirit. They are both aspects of energy, and need to be balanced in order for us to make the most of our physical incarnation. 

Indeed, someone with a top-heavy chakra system--the top three or four chakras overactive in relation to the three bottom chakras--might be spacy and ungrounded, have difficulty finishing things, have difficulty concentrating, lack "common sense," be "out of touch," and just generally have difficulty living in the world. 

On the other hand, sometimes people are out of balance with the lower three chakras overactive in comparison to the entire system. Such individuals might lack imagination and creativity, lack vision, lack higher dreams, feel unconnected to themselves,  be overbearing and unsubtle, be "plodding," get trapped in the minutiae or the drama of life, and generally have a hard time rising above the basic physicality of life. 

It's very common for one or more chakras to become blocked or imbalanced. 

To be healthy and happy and continuing to develop spiritually, it's important to keep all the chakras fairly balanced, smoothly exchanging energy with the cosmic energy and with each other. 

Please let me know if you are interested in learning more ways to gain chakra system alignment :)

Keep being amazing!

Namaste


Tara

ps: if you want a Chakras bracket and you are here in Nevis, they can be bought from the Four Seasons Nevis Spa :)