Tag: yoga

Instagram Quick Tip: AfterFocus App

One of my yoga students recently asked me if I had an app that would clean her house. I laughed, but then I realized that for Instagram purposes, I had an app that virtually accomplished the same thing. Do you find that many of your Instagram yoga poses are plagued by cluttered backgrounds or distracting details? If so, look no further. I have the perfect app for you: AfterFocus.

With a few swipes of your finger, you can keep the subject of your photo in perfect focus while blurring the background. This is a great app for removing the focus from other people or objects that happen to make it into the frame of your photo and detract from your fabulous yoga pose.

Take a look at my two photos. In the top picture, the white fence in the background isn’t an eyesore, but it is receiving the same amount of attention as the yoga pose. By running the photo through the AfterFocus app, I can blur the fence into the background. This app will automatically recognize your focus object and blur the background, just by drawing a few lines with your finger inside the object of focus.

Give this app a try, and allow some of the visual clutter and distractions to blend away into a soft haze. Enjoy this Instagram quick tip, and please let us know if there are specific topics that you would like to see addressed in this series!

March 20, 2014
Instagram Quick Tip: Accentuate Muscle Tone

Navigating the world of photo-editing apps is tedious, especially if you are new to photography and new to Instagram. Rather than wasting money on apps that you may not like or use, let me introduce you to my favorite tips and programs for creating visually appealing photos.

“Simply HDR” is one of my favorite apps for adjusting shadow, light, grain and contrast. The result of using such an app? Greater detail and more dramatic photos. Do you want to accentuate your existing muscle tone? If so, this is the app for you.

Take a look at the two images of me lifting my leg over my shoulder. The top photo is straight out of the camera with no editing at all. The bottom photo is the same image with about 10 seconds of editing in “Simply HDR.” As you can see, the app doesn’t create muscles where there are none, but it certainly accentuates what currently exists!

Photo editing is a fun and creative way to express yourself. Create beautiful and dramatic images by adding depth and shadow. Please keep in mind that I just focused on one aspect of this app. Obviously it can be used in many ways, not just to define one’s physique. Accentuating bodies is clearly not the purpose of this program, but it’s one application of it. Take a look at this app, and research some others on your own. Have fun!

March 3, 2014
Instagram Quick Tip: Use Your Glassware!

Over the past year and a half, we have received numerous questions about our Instagram photos. These questions have ranged from, “Who takes your photos?” to “What app did you use to create that effect?”

In order to help you navigate the fun world of Instagram, we will be writing short posts to bring you Instagram quick tips! We will share our ideas for creating fun and interesting content for your own Instagram pages, and we will share our favorite apps for editing photos and videos.

Today’s Quick Tip
Stop putting your phone at risk each time you take an Instagram photo! Many of you who use a self-timer to take your own yoga portraits are leaning your phones on precarious ledges around the house in order to find the perfect photo angle. If you haven’t cracked your phone screen as a result of it tipping over onto a hard surface, consider yourself lucky.

Here’s our solution to taking photos and videos with your phone safely. Place your phone into a heavy, short glass.

Carry the glass around the house with you and place the glass, rather than the phone itself, onto ledges, bookshelves, counters, etc. If necessary, stuff a washcloth in front of (or behind) the phone to get the desired photo angle. Get the perfect shot every time using this method without the fear of cracking your phone screen!

February 28, 2014
How to Create a Yoga Playlist

I am a big believer that ANY kind of music can effectively be used in a full-spectrum vinyasa yoga class. Does it make sense to play heart-pumping booty music in a candle-lit, restorative yoga class that introduces five poses within an hour? Probably not. But for the high-energy, sweat-inducing type of yoga that I practice and teach, it makes sense, and it can be done. If you are ready to raise your home practice to another level, make your own yoga playlist. I’ll show you how.

First off, there is a method to the madness.
You will not enjoy your yoga experience if you simply string 60-minutes of your favorite songs together. A yoga practice has ebb and flow—like a wave that builds, reaches a peak, and then falls off into peacefulness. The music must follow this wave-like trajectory to mirror the movement of the practice.

Here’s the basic structure of my own 60-minute practice and how I pick the music to fit.

0:00 – 5:00 minutes
Type of Music: Peaceful instrumental
I like to use the first five minutes of my practice to sit in peace. I close my eyes, I breathe deeply, I do some very light stretching (like reaching my arms overhead), and I set an intention for my practice. I find it necessary to remind myself why I step onto my mat. I set my purpose. I find it difficult to do this however, if the music playing in the background is distracting. I need purely instrumental music to tune into my own inner voice. The perfect song for my first five minutes of practice is “Beyond this Moment” by Patrick O’Hearn. Go listen to it. I bet you’ll want to add it to your own playlist.

5:00 – 10:00 minutes
Type of Music: Slow tempo
In the next five minutes, I usually do a number of warm-up poses. Seated twists, light hamstring stretches, a few cat-cows to warm up the chest and back, and maybe a nice long downward facing dog. In these five minutes, I am beginning to move. I am no longer sitting with my eyes closed as I was in the first five minutes, but I am also not moving through a flow. It makes sense for the music to remain low key. I do not usually pick an instrumental song, but I do pick something with a slow tempo that will match my slow movements.

10:00 – 15:00 minutes
Type of Music: Faster tempo; upbeat
At this point, I’m ready to start moving and raise the heart rate. In these five minutes, I am doing multiple rounds of sun salutations. I find this to be a great way to build heat and to fire up all of the muscles. The music should reflect the increased pace of movement. I love doing the sun salutation portion of my practice to “Sadeness, Pt. 1” (Extended Trance Mix) by Enigma.

15:00-30:00
Type of Music: Upbeat, good energy, makes you want to move
Between minutes 15 and 30, I’m seriously flowing through my practice. I love having music in the background that makes me want to move. I don’t find it distracting to play hip hop, R&B, rap music or top 40 hits. I actually enjoy it! I like fast-paced fitness yoga, and I choose music that matches that level of energy. I love Tupac, Jay Z, Gyptian, MC Yogi and many, many others.

30:00-40:00 min
Type of Music: Upbeat, but a little slower for balance series
Between the 30 and 40-minute mark, I slow the music down just a bit. I am still standing, but moving through a slower flow, as I practice my standing balance poses (dancer, tree, single-leg balance poses, etc.). To me, it makes sense to lower the energy of the music just a bit as my heart rate decelerates slightly. My song choices for this segment of my practice include “One Day” by Matisyahu, “Alone” by Heart, and “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts.

40:00-50:00 min
Type of Music: Slower for backbends and inversions
Slow it down even more! Remember that you are building a playlist that rises, peaks and then gently falls. We are in the falling stage here, and you want to pick music that is not distracting. Backbends and inversions require slow focus, and the music should reflect that mood. Some of my favorite choices for this part of my practice are “Down to the River to Pray” by Alison Krauss and “Higher Love” by James Vincent McMorrow.

50:00-55:00 min
Type of Music: Peaceful music for seated/reclined stretches
In the final segment of my practice before savasana, I choose a song that is so peaceful that it could be used during savasana, too. This is the part of my practice where I might take a gentle supine spinal twist or spend a few breaths in a seated forward fold. Right now, my playlist includes Sarah McLachlan’s “Possession (Piano Version)”.

55:00-60:00 min
Type of Music: Restful music (possibly instrumental) for savasana
What we’ve all been waiting for…savasana! We’ve all been to yoga classes with savasana music that is distracting and actually detracts from the experience. Fortunately, with your own playlist, you can choose the music that works best for YOU! Personally, I do not mind music with lyrics. I am still able to release tension and fall away into my own little world. If it doesn’t work for you, then find a slow peaceful song that does not distract you. Try an instrumental piece or even music with lyrics in another language so it is less distracting. One of my absolute favorite savasana songs is “Fields of Gold” by Eva Cassidy. This woman’s haunting, beautiful voice guides me right where I need to be. I have structured this hypothetical class to be 60-minutes, but if you have time, enjoy a longer savasana.

Finally, let me introduce you to my favorite hour-long playlist. If you are looking to start your own playlist, feel free to use my songs as a starting point. Good luck, and happy flowing!

MY FAVORITE PLAYLIST

February 11, 2014
Headstands 101…Continued

Last week, I posted a tutorial for a basic tripod egg headstand. If you missed it and would like to join in on the inversion fun, please click HERE to get started.

If you’re still reading, I will assume that you’ve managed to get through the first Headstand 101 article and perform your first inversion. Congratulations! Getting yourself to this point is significant—I know many of you had to overcome fears and put aside a mountain of self-doubt, but here you are, experiencing success.

In this tutorial, I will guide you through the remaining steps to get yourself into a full, tripod headstand with extended legs. Let’s get started.

From your tripod egg pose (step 4 in the collage above), engage your abs and begin to shift your weight into your left knee. As you push your left knee firmly into your left tricep, your right knee should feel light on your right tricep.

Your first goal is to lift your right knee just 1 or 2 inches off of your tricep. If you can manage to do that, lower your right knee, and repeat the exercise on the other side (shifting weight onto the right knee and lifting the left knee a few inches instead). Most people will find this task to feel more natural on one side. Although we traditionally practice both sides in yoga, in these beginning stages of learning a new inversion, I advise you to just work on getting comfortable by practicing on the side that feels more natural.

Once you’ve determined which side feels more comfortable, practice lifting that one knee a few inches at a time into the air. Move slowly, and please resist the urge to throw both knees into the air simultaneously. Lifting both legs simultaneously adds much more core instability to the pose. For beginners, our strategy is to maintain as much stability as possible by keeping one knee planted on one tricep until the other leg is fully extended.

If you are unable to lift your knee at all, continue practicing the exercise of shifting your weight back and forth between triceps. You will build the strength and stability in due time. Please do not rush the process by deciding to kick up into a headstand. NEVER kick up into a headstand. Your head and neck are bearing your body weight, and the last thing you need to do is to add the instability and sharp movement of a kick-up.

If you DO manage to extend one leg into the air, notice whether your body is swaying. If so, make an effort to engage all of your muscles. Keep your core tight and energize your extended leg by pointing, flexing or “flointing” your foot. Flointing is essentially pointing with the ball of your foot—think of Barbie feet that look like they are perpetually in high-heeled shoes.

Keep practicing your headstand with one-leg extended until it feels stable. Do not move on to the next step until you are comfortable and stable with one leg fully extended.

Before you extend your second leg into the air, run through this checklist in your mind:

-Is your core engaged?

-Are you remembering to breathe?

-Are you flointing/flexing/pointing the foot of your extended leg?

-Are you making an effort to keep your elbows squeezing in rather than splaying out to the sides?

-Is your neck nice and long?

If you’ve answered yes to these questions, slowly begin lifting your second knee into the air. Again, you will feel most stable if you lift in small 2-inch increments.

Lift slowly and maintain an engaged, energized feeling through out your entire body to find stability. Once you find full extension of both legs, see if you can hold the pose for 5 full breaths. Congratulations. You did it!

February 2, 2014
My Yoga Bag Essentials

When I roll into class to teach yoga, I look like a pack mule. I’m not even kidding— I have my yoga mat slung over one shoulder, my portable sound dock hanging over the other shoulder, and my bag is splitting at the seams with all sorts of items that I’ve deemed necessary to carry into the studio: a notebook with yoga sequences and dharma talk themes, a stopwatch so that I can keep track of the time while I’m teaching, extra hair ties, headbands, chapstick, tissues, a hand towel, and a bottle of mat spray. And that’s not even half of it! While there are many things keeping my bag heavy, there are seven items in particular that keep my soul light and happy. Let me introduce you to my yoga bag essentials:

China Gel

The first necessary item in my bag is China Gel, which Laura and I affectionately call “Yoga Crack”. Yes, it’s really that addictive, and you need your own jar. We massage our students with it at the end of class, and we rub it onto our own sore, tired muscles. It feels hot. It feels cold. It’s many soothing sensations all at once, and we can’t get enough of it. You must give it a try yourself.

Taste Nirvana Coconut Water

The second necessary item is Taste Nirvana Coconut Water. I remember the first time my yoga teacher offered me a bottle. I just finished two back-to-back yoga classes, and I was hot and depleted. I was not a fan of coconut water, but my teacher assured me that it was not like any other coconut water that I had tasted. She was right. I took my first sip, and that was the beginning of my love affair with Taste Nirvana. It was refreshing and delicious, and surpassed all of my expectations. I wish I could adequately describe how much I love this stuff. If you’ve convinced yourself that you don’t like coconut water, try Taste Nirvana, and you will change your mind. If you love coconut water, you are in for an amazing treat.

Bobble BPA-Free Water Bottle with Built-In Filter

The Bobble is a reusable water bottle that filters contaminants from the water as you drink. The filter, which comes in lots of cool colors, is good to go for 40 gallons (or about two months of use). Forget about buying individual bottles of spring water at the supermarket and try a Bobble. I have multiple Bobbles that I keep in various bags and locations so that I always can drink tap water without stressing.

Yogitoes Skidless Mat Size Towel

I thought my yoga mat had a great non-slip grippy surface until I took my first hot yoga class. I was sweating like a beast, and my hands and feet were slipping in basic poses like downward facing dog. My teacher recommended that I use a non-slip yoga towel on top of my mat, and that suggestion made all the difference. Once you start sweating, this towel with rubberized grips on the underside makes all the difference. I stopped slipping! It was like a mini miracle.

Brown Rice Crackers

When I go to the gym, I lose my appetite. When I go to yoga class, I somehow end up ravenous. It’s a strange situation, and I don’t understand it, but I embrace it and stock my yoga bag with this particular flavor and brand of brown rice crackers. These little crackers are so good, and they are the perfect single-bite size to fit right into your mouth. No crumby mess in your car! I will warn you that you need to exercise a bit of self-control. It’s hard to eat just a few. In fact, I eat about half the package in one sitting. I love the very simple ingredient list, and the product is “Non-GMO project verified”. It’s also gluten-free, for all of you out there with sensitivities or allergies.

Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga

Does anybody else carry books in their yoga bag? Maybe it’s just me, but I carry books everywhere. This particular book is wonderful for beginners because EVERY page is covered with glossy photographs of poses, instructions and sequences. Use it as a reference guide, and use it for daily inspiration. I LOVE this book.

Havaianas Flip Flops

Ok, I will admit it—I am a germaphobe. Walking around barefoot in the yoga studio makes me cringe. I can’t handle thinking about the random hair, crumbs, dust and germs all over the floor. Of course, in order to preserve the sanctity of the room and to keep the floor relatively clean, I do not wear shoes in the studio. I just try very hard to keep my mind off of my feet. However, I DO keep a pair of Havaianas flip flops in my bag to slip on to go to the bathroom or to walk in the outer hallways of the studio. I love these flip flops because they are so thin and light in my yoga bag but sturdy and fashionable. I have them in all sorts of prints and colors. Check them out and add a pair to your yoga bag, too.

January 30, 2014
Taking the Leap, Having Faith: How a Bad Day Set Me on the Path to Change

Today was a crappy day. It was a bad work day. It was one of those days where you just want to throw in the towel. It made me realize that being happy is important and that the path to happiness lies within me. Today, I made the decision to make a change. Today, I’ve committed within myself to make yoga my full time job. Maybe this isn’t happening today, or tomorrow, or even a month from now, but I know it’s coming, and the right time for that change will be here soon.

I’m excited . . . I’m scared! Why did it take me so long to make this decision? Fear is really what has been holding me back. The fear of instability, the fear of failure – all very real concerns for anyone but especially for a mother and wife who has responsibilities beyond taking care of herself. That being said, the straw broke the camel’s back today, and it made me realize that I’m ready. I CAN do it.

I have to tell you though, I never would have guessed that yoga would make such a comeback in my life and that Instagram would transform the experience and help lead me to where I am today.

In March 2012, at the request of my niece, I joined Instagram. I had no idea what Instagram or Twitter was, or any of the other social media apps for that matter. What the hell was a hashtag? Why would someone follow me? It all sounded a bit creepy. My account remained dormant for a good four months. I honestly just didn’t know what to take pictures of, what to post or what to say.

Then one day, I had an epiphany… Why not take pictures of some of the yoga poses I’ve been working on? That’s when this journey for me all started.

I began practicing yoga 17 years ago, when I was 19, so that makes me… 29 today? LOL. Okay, okay… I am 36 now. I started doing yoga from a Baron Baptiste VHS tape of my sister’s. It was very basic, but it’s what I used to learn a Sun Salutation, Warrior I and Navasana. Up until that point, I had no experience with yoga. I practiced from this tape until I knew it inside out, and then I purchased a few more of his tapes. Eventually, I started taking classes at the local gym. This is where my knowledge of yoga started to grow and manifest. It was also the place where I did my first Bakasana (Crow Pose), and where I attempted my first headstand as an adult. I was hooked.

In 2005, I had my son and in 2009, I had my daughter. During these four years, yoga took a backseat to my other cardio/weight workouts. Although my pregnancies were quite uneventful and “easy,” I did not enjoy being pregnant. To be honest, gaining weight was the hardest for me. I was winded walking up a flight of stairs, I felt like a stuffed sausage in everything I wore, and, generally, I felt downright unattractive. Of course, I’d do it all again for my two lovebugs… but it was HARD.

I worked out like a crazed lunatic for most of my pregnancies so I could stay as fit as possible and lose the baby weight as soon as possible. Back then my mindset was still…cardio and weights… burn those calories… a workout isn’t great unless you SWEAT LIKE A PIG! Boy oh boy… I wish I had known then, what I know now.

After my mini was born in 2009, I went into a fitness craze and ordered every home workout system known to man… Insanity, P90X, Insanity Asylum, TurboJam, TurboFire and P90X2. I spent a good two years focusing on these workouts. Yoga for the most part, took a further backseat. I was only doing it once a week in the form of the yoga from P90X.

It wasn’t until early 2012 that I discovered online sites that streamed yoga classes. This, coupled with my start on Instagram, put yoga back into my fitness plan. Previously, I was drawn to yoga for its physical aspects, but more advanced classes opened up a whole new world for me. I instantly became addicted to learning more.

By October 2012, I made the decision to stop doing my other workouts in favor of yoga, which I practiced every day for a month. A month turned into two months… which then turned into a year, and the rest is history. I’ve never once regretted that decision. My asana practice has grown more in these past 16 months than it did in those first 17 years.

At some point, my Instagram started to inspire people. It inspired my partner-in-crime, Masumi, to start her yoga journey. My world was starting to shift.

“Are you a yoga teacher? Can you teach me?” Those questions started popping up like crazy. It was time to get certified and take that first leap of faith.

Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) was scary as shit for me. I had severe TMJ growing up which resulted in my slight lisp – something that I am extremely self-conscious of. It took every ounce of courage to go through with YTT. I sucked so badly in the beginning that I almost gave up in finishing. Thank goodness for Masumi and my teachers, Victoria and Anayra. They believed in me, and I will always be grateful for their support.

In August of 2013, I officially became a yoga teacher!

So, to bring it back full circle, the reason I wrote this post was because today sucked. It sucked enough to make me make a change. It made me realize that I need to have faith in myself, faith in my abilities, faith that I am meant to do something more than my “day job.” It also made me realize that I have the whole-hearted support of my family, which is most important to me.

“Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears.” – Arthur Koestler

Change is not easy. It won’t happen overnight, but I’m on a clear path. Thanks for joining me on this path. I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

XOXO

January 28, 2014
SNOWGA! 10 Reasons Why You Can and Should Take your Snow Day to Another Level

If you have an Instagram account, you’ve probably seen plenty of “snowga” photos posted by yogis living in cold weather climates. What is “snowga”, you may ask? Well, it’s simply the act of getting into a yoga pose in the snow. It is NOT, by any means, a full practice in the snow. It’s usually just a beautiful moment captured in time, and it consists of running out into the snow for about a minute for the purpose of taking a photo, and then racing back into the house to warm up.

I’m sure you can easily rattle off many reasons why you shouldn’t and don’t want to do such a thing. My mind fills with these thoughts, too: It’s too cold; I might get sick; I might slip; My neighbors will think I’m crazy; “Real” yogis will claim that I am not a “real” yogi if I do this; My toes will freeze; My fingers will freeze; My mat will get all wet, etc.

Yesterday, I put all of these doubts aside and decided to take a snowga photo. I couldn’t withstand the cold for more than the time it took to take the one picture shown above, but now that I am looking at it, I am happy. It was worth it. Here are a few bullet points to inspire you to rile up your own spirit to be spontaneous and have your own fun snowga experience…And here is a gorgeous photo of Laura doing her own snowga at home.

1. You are stronger than you think. You CAN withstand 30-seconds of freezing temperatures.

2. You will seize the day.

3. You will feel a strange sense of accomplishment once it’s all over.

4. You will create your own absurd memories in the snow and laugh about it later.

5. You will have a recorded image of that absurd memory.

6. You will do something recreational in the snow for the first time in a very long time.

7. You will feel like you are a figurine in a magical snow globe.

8. You will feel exhilarated.

9. You can wear the brightest clothes you own and look stunning (rather than tacky) against a white backdrop.

10. You will be left with a photo of yourself that you will NOT pick apart. You will actually see the beauty within yourself, and smile—a priceless gift that makes the discomfort and cold all worthwhile.

January 22, 2014
Headstands 101: Your First Inversion

If you want to invert but don’t know where to begin, you’ve come to the right place. You CAN do a headstand safely and without fear—even if you have no prior experience in gymnastics, dance or yoga. When I began my headstand practice about 14 months ago, I had absolutely NO background in any of these areas. I only started practicing inversions at the age of 36! It is never too late to learn a new hobby or skill. Just be patient, and remember to practice. It may not happen for you today, and that’s ok! There is no timetable for success. I will equip you with the tools and knowledge, and you will work at your own pace until you feel comfortable in the pose.

The inversion I want to introduce today is the tripod egg headstand. The “tripod” refers to the triangle shape produced by the placement of your hands and the top of your head. The “egg” refers to the tight oval tuck shape of your body in the final pose. Please approach this pose with a can-do attitude. You CAN, and you WILL.

Before attempting this pose, warm up your body with a bit of movement and stretching. Hamstring flexibility is very important in this pose.

Let’s get started:

Step 1: Find a book (or yoga block), and place it on top of your head to find the balance point. Press the book firmly onto your head so that you can remember the feeling of that balance point. The balance point of the book will not necessarily be your balance point in a headstand, but it is a starting point, and you can adjust accordingly once you test that spot for comfort.

Step 2: Come onto your hands and knees into tabletop position. Check your form, and make sure that your shoulders are stacked directly above your wrists, and your hips are stacked above your knees.

Step 3: Bend your elbows to form 90-degree angles, and place the top of your head onto the floor in front of your hands. Make sure that you can see your fingertips at all times! Your hands should NOT be along side your ears. Your hands and head form a triangle rather than a straight line.

Step 4: Tuck your toes, and lift your knees from the floor. Walk your feet in towards your hands/head so that your hips are lifted high into the air. Assess how you feel. If your hamstrings are straining, stop and re-visit this pose after you feel more limber. If your neck feels strained, focus on lengthening your neck so that your shoulders are drawn away from your ears. If the top of your head hurts, adjust your balance point a few inches. Personally, my own balance point in a headstand is not the same as the balance point with the book on my head. I usually balance a few inches closer to my forehead. This is an exploration. Find the right spot for your own body.

Step 5: Make sure that your elbows do not splay to the sides. Your elbows should continue to point in the SAME direction that you are facing! If you feel comfortable, lift one knee onto one tricep.

Step 6: If you still feel comfortable, slowly lift your other foot from the floor and place it on the back of your other tricep. Remember to keep your neck long, and breathe! Congratulations on your very first headstand.

One important point to mention—if you lose your balance, tuck your chin to your chest, round your back, and somersault out of the pose. You might even want to practice your forward rolling skills PRIOR to starting this tutorial. It’s no fun to fall, but if you somersault out of the pose, you technically aren’t falling. It is a controlled and safe way to exit the tripod egg headstand.

Wherever you may be in your yoga practice today, I assure you that it is perfect. Honor yourself and your body. Namaste.

January 20, 2014
Train Yourself to be an Early Riser

You can train yourself to be an early riser! Will you love the process? Probably not. Do I love it? Not really. Dragging my sleepy body out of bed is not my idea of a good time…but what I DO love is putting my best foot forward from the moment that I step out of bed. By waking up early, I control the direction and tone for my entire day. Waking early removes the rush and chaos of the morning, and it makes me feel centered and disciplined. I love knowing that I can use the extra time without guilt because there just isn’t anywhere else I need to be at the crack of dawn. I may not put myself first at any other time during the day, but my early mornings are for me. I want you to experience that same feeling—the feeling of doing something healthy, just for you.

So, how do you become an early riser without it being a painful experience? Training. You need to train your body to wake up early. It’s a process. Discipline must be cultivated. I do NOT suggest that you start out by shifting your wake-up time from 7 am to 5 am. That is beyond painful. Just as you wouldn’t train for a marathon by stepping outside and running 26 miles on your first day of exercise, you also shouldn’t expect yourself to wake up two hours earlier than usual on day 1.

Baby steps. That’s the answer to almost any new endeavor—and this is an endeavor that you definitely want to undertake. According to recent studies, early risers are more productive, optimistic, and they even experience better quality restorative sleep. You know you want a piece of that.

Take a baby step by waking up just 15 minutes earlier than usual. Taking this small step will not overwhelm you, and you will establish a new healthy habit. Nobody ever said that waking up early to improve your health must include an hour-long cardio session followed by weight training and a homemade breakfast.

Start off slow. If you have an extra 15-minutes in the morning, use this time to do something to improve your health—something that you normally could not fit into your morning routine. Once you feel comfortable waking up 15 minutes earlier, move on to the next baby step by adding another 15 minutes. If you feel like crap, don’t move on just yet. Fifteen minutes is still a positive change, and you should be proud of yourself for doing it daily.

Wake Up 15 Minutes Earlier

Obviously, you can do whatever you want with your extra 15 minutes in the morning, but here are a few options that I like:

-Prep for dinner.

If the thought of cooking at the end of a long day is exhausting, give yourself a head start in the morning. Wash and chop raw vegetables so you can quickly steam, oven-roast or stir fry after work. Store your vegetables in a bowl in the fridge so they are readily accessible later in the day.

-Steam your greens.

You know you should eat your greens, but who the heck can manage to get them in at every meal? YOU can. The easiest way is to wash, chop and steam your greens in the morning, and to cook enough for the entire day. It’s such a quick and easy way to improve the quality of every meal you eat. Have a side of steamed kale, collards, bok choy, cabbage, mustard greens or broccoli. I always have a serving with my breakfast, and I prepare enough for lunch and dinner, too. Even if you buy your lunch at work, you can always carry a little container from home. Throw your steamed greens into a cup of lentil soup if you like your vegetables warm. This is such an easy, quick solution to improve your eating habits at every meal…and it only requires 15 minutes.

-Prepare your own healthy beverages for the day.

Instead of buying a cup of coffee on the way to the office, a bottle of sweet tea to drink with lunch, and a post-workout sports drink later in the day, brew a quart of your own herbal tea in the morning and take it to work with you. If you don’t drink tea, make a quart of flavored water instead. Add slices of cucumbers and mint to your water or add slices of lemon and lime. The possibilities are endless. Treat yourself to a nice new thermos or jug to carry your drink, or just buy a large bottle of water from the supermarket and re-use that bottle daily.

-Do some stretching, and bang out a few sets of push-ups and crunches.

Even 10 or 15 minutes of movement makes a difference. You will build some heat in your body and feel great.

-Create a schedule.

Time management is your friend. Get the most out of your day by making to-do lists and filling out your daily calendar. Schedule your errands and appointments, make a grocery list, and create a meal plan for the day. Determine when you plan on exercising, and make sure that you actually schedule it. If you fail to schedule your exercise into your day, it can easily get pushed onto the back burner in favor of an interesting television show or an extra half hour of surfing the web. Use the extra 15 minutes in the morning to organize your day and to de-clutter your mind. Just a few minutes of planning can set you on the right path for success.

-Pray, meditate, give thanks.

This is such an obvious suggestion, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it. Sometimes, all we need is a little gratitude, silence and perspective to change the course of our days. There is no better time than the early morning hours to find stillness and peace. Use this time to pray, meditate or write in a gratitude journal. Taking stock of your blessings is transformative and will naturally lead towards greater joy and contentment. Giving thanks brings awareness to your current state of being. I know that my own gratitude practice compels me to take even better care of my body, as I have become more grateful for the miraculous life that I am living. Over the years, I’ve come to really understand that good health is not guaranteed. You can take as many vitamins as you want, eat as healthy as humanly possible, get lots of sleep, maintain low stress levels, breathe unpolluted air, drink the cleanest water in the world, and you can still get sick. Some of this is just luck of the draw. Do the best you can, give thanks for all you have, and fiercely protect whatever good health you DO have.

Wake Up 30 Minutes Earlier

So you’re ready to move on? Go ahead and re-set your alarm clock to wake you a full half hour earlier than usual. Here are a few meaningful changes that you can make in your life with just an extra thirty minutes in the morning.

-Make breakfast.

I’m not talking about pouring yourself a bowl of cereal. I’m talking about a real, nutritious meal. Personally, I like to chop and steam a bunch of vegetables, heat up some miso soup that I cooked the day before, and cook some grains (like oats or brown rice). I know it’s unconventional, but it is healing food, and leaves me feeling nourished and healthy. You can make vegetable-filled omelettes instead, or blend a good smoothie—and if you’re already chopping up fruit for the smoothie, chop a little extra to take to work.

-Yoga.

Take a 20-minute yoga class online. I love the 20-minute yoga classes that I’ve taken. They are surprisingly effective at waking the body up and relieving morning stiffness. Yes, there are 30-minute classes available too, but if you’re waking up 30 minutes earlier than normal, you might want a 20-minute class so that you can have 10 minutes to freshen up afterward. If you don’t want to pay for online classes, do 15-minutes of sun salutations and spend another 10 or 15 minutes working on challenging poses. Take a photo or two of yourself to track progress, and post your photos to Instagram!

-Clean Your House, Pay Your Bills, Sort Your Mail. Basically, go ahead and get some of your chores out of the way. If you have no desire to exercise in the morning, use your extra thirty minutes in the morning to pave the way for a healthy evening.
One evening about a month ago, I found myself addressing 75 holiday cards instead of exercising. In hindsight, I see that this makes no sense. I could have addressed the holiday cards early in the morning, leaving me with no excuse to skip the gym at night. Today, try to think of every excuse that you’ve ever used to avoid exercising in the evening and if possible, tackle those items early in the morning.

-Wake up even earlier

Once you get the hang of waking up 30 minutes earlier, you can continue to add another 15 minutes to your early morning routine. The earlier you rise, the more options you have. Personally, I like having an extra 75-minutes in the morning. I know that once the clock strikes 7 am, I need to get in mom mode and start preparing lunch boxes, brushing knotty hair, cooking kids’ breakfasts, washing crusty faces, etc. If I set my alarm for 5:45 am, I have just the right amount of time to do everything that I need to do to start my day feeling healthy, happy and bright. I used to set my alarm for 5:30 am, but I came to the conclusion that I actually preferred the extra 15 minutes of sleep. I didn’t accomplish more in the morning by waking up at 5:30. Somehow, 5:45 am is just right. You might need to play around with your wake-up time a bit, too. Good luck finding that sweet spot. You won’t regret it.

January 8, 2014