3 of My Favorite Things in March

Let’s talk about three of my recent favorite things with more specificity than when I have previously mentioned them.

YogaQuest Teacher Training

Words cannot describe the joy that the existence of YogaQuest gives me, and I haven’t even visited the studio yet! What really strikes a chord with me is their approach to yoga that is more or less striped of the Asian spirituality of the practice, and instead sings of acceptance, and happiness. I will admit that sometimes I like learning about the historic roots of yoga, and how it uses Hindu religious texts/stories as teaching myths for describing the spirit of the pose. But, once I learned where the roots of yoga really came from, my approach to what yoga means for me and what it can mean for me as a teacher has me drawn to a bunch of different teaching styles.

Today’s yoga started in the 20’s & 30’s when T Krishnamacharya took ritualistic practices all around Asia that resembled a simplified  surya namaskar (“Sun Salutation”) and worked with the King of Mysore India to create a new kind of moving meditation, and spiritual practice that combined the religious prostration sequences with the then popular british gymnastics. Magic happened and yoga was born. Don’t believe me? Check out his book Yoga Makaranda.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I think yoga can continuously evolve to resonate with new populations, just like how the King of Mysore thought T Krishnamacharya’s yoga mission would be more widely practiced if it incorporated British gymnastics. And, long story short, I would love to a similar thing when I am a yoga teacher, even in a small way. My first step of inspiration was YogaQuest’s Teacher Training description:

What sets YogaQuest apart is our philosophy. We believe that yoga is an amazing tool for social change. YogaQuest operates from the perspective that all people are deserving of self-care, regardless of size, shape, ability, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Our goal is not to teach you to do exactly what we do, but rather, to help you figure out what it is you want to do. We believe that all people deserve yoga. We would love the opportunity to help you find your voice to share the power of yoga with your chosen population.

What speaks to me is using yoga as a way to build confidence, patience, and bravery in people. And I want to do this by being absolutely mindful of even the small things like subtle but specific language and word choices. Somewhere else that gets this idea is Curvy Yoga, which is all about creating supportive and inclusive studio environments for curvy bodies. I’d also like to sprinkle in some inspiration from Bad Yogi too, who is all about removing snobbery, pretention, and prerequisites about who”is and is not” a yogi. I feel a theme. I feel a teaching practice growing. Stay tuned.

Chelsea Wears // Shop Anomie

I have been recently spotted sitting and patiently awaiting the arrival of the 2x weekly episodes of my new favorite “reality tv show”: Chelsea Wears’ A Week in the Life vlogs on Youtube. She’s funny, she’s real, she’s relatable. Add in the bonus of the occasional Ryan (her boyfriend) and Dexter (her dog) clip, and I haven’t been happier since the day she open her Anomie shop. My favorite “segment” is when she sits and eats saltines while discussing whatever is on her mind at that moment. This is my favorite so much so that my fandom of these videos resulted in this interaction:

@GirlGotGlitter just sayin, not a bad idea lol

— Chelsea (@ChelseaWears) February 11, 2016

I am still laughing about it. And, I am still contemplating sending the whole box to her, haha! Does that make me too fanatical? If it does, I don’t want to be normal. Because the woman just gets me! Like, “she has a Clare V. fanny pack in stock” gets me.

Minimalism // Downsizing

This month I completed my first capsule wardrobe, and planned out my next capsule for spring. It has been exciting to know that I was able to stop myself from shopping for 2.5-3 months, and stick with this stream lined wardrobe. I finally sense some progress within myself about stemming my desire to shop because I have had the time to reflect on the different “why’s” of my desire to shop, and the health ways to adjust those lines of thinking. I think I may write a more detailed response to my capsuling experience once I have done a few more of them, but so far I am loving it and will stick with it for at least another 3 months.

In a related way, I have been overall into minimalism and downsizing my possessions in general. While this is something I was interested in before capsule wardrobes, I have been much more conscious of how my everyday decisions can change when I think of my downsizing goals first. Questions like: “Do I need to buy this extra snack when I have one with me at work already?” and “Do I need this fun mug when I already have 4 or 5?”  can stop me from adding to what I already own, or help me make a conscious decision about how adding a new item to my life can have an impact on my living space, long term plans for moving to a new state, and my financial goals. Debt getting crushed, and dreams of lots of travel in 2016, you shall both be achieved by the end of 2016 if me and my minimalism have anything to say about it.