by Caroline | Sep 22, 2020 | Self Care, Yoga
My daily meditations fell off a cliff when the pandemic happened. In a time where meditaiton was most needed I was looking for comfort and grounding in other things like food and Netflix binges, but now that a new season is upon us it’s a perfect time to start a new daily meditation routine.
Autumn carries two equal but opposing energies that we can learn to cultivate in multiple areas of our lives. On one hand Autumn is all about letting go of what we no longer need. Trees shed their leaves, and we too can release old beliefs, habits, and choices that no longer serve us. While on the other hand it‘s also a time to gather and harvest what is essential. The fall harvest brings with it some of the most delicious food that will help our bodies tune–in to a more grounded state. One theme predominates this season, and that is slowing down. We turn down the tempo from summer‘s endless forward moving energy and high spirited fun, to ease up on the gas, and find routine and “groundedness.”
I’ve found some great guided meditaitons to help you transition into fall. They are all taken from my favorite app Insight timer, but I’m hoping to create some Fall Meditations of my very own soon. Until then, these are worth checking out.
Guided Meditations for Fall
by Caroline | Nov 23, 2018 | Wellness, Yoga
Happy Holiday Season! Even though Thanksgiving just happened and it still feels a lot like fall (we still have some beautiful foliage here right now in North Carolina) I am all into the holiday spirit right now.
I am also a firm believer in protecting your energy when it comes to the malls and hectic shopping situation during the holidays. It can leave you feeling angry, depleted, and completely out of the holiday spirit. You can either find me at the mom and pop shops in my hometown supporting local businesses, or ordering gifts online, in my pj’s with a cup of tea.
Let’s simplify the task of your holiday shopping, so you can retain some joy and remember what this time of year is really about. The gifts I have included in this guide are all affordable, and curated for you!
As I’ve started to grow my blog, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with some great small businesses and I’m so happy to share these companies in this year’s guides. I have noted in the descriptions below which ones are from small businesses, if you’re tying to support the little guis this year. Additionally, I’ve also shared Amazon links here as well, so make your shopping much easier. I’m a big fan of Amazon just for the convenience. I want to note that some of these links are affiliate links which means I may earn a small (like jokingly small) commission if you purchase through my link. Just gotta throw that out there to be all legal and stuff.
So for all the wellness enthusiasts out there…you know who you are… drinking green juices, going to soul cycle, sage-ing the F out of your house after you have a fight with your boyfriend, and reading the latest personal development book, I’ve got you! Check out my pics for 2018!
1. Confused Girl In The City- Grace Leggings. I love this brand! Not only was it started by a young female entrepreneur (I totally want to support all my ladies out there) but what makes them different is all the patterns are taken from images of actual crystals. The pattern on the Grace leggings are images taken directly from a ROSE ONYX Crystal. Onyx is associated with the root chakra. It assists with challenges in life, especially those caused by a drain of energy. It prevents the draining away of personal energy and can be used for protection from such. It also helps with grounding or eliminating unwanted energies. These pants are on sale at the moment AND you get to use my discount code bloomspark. *You’re supporting a small business by purchasing from this company*
2. Sex, Drugs, & (mostly) Yoga by Kara-Leah Grant. I haven’t read this but I’m super in to Kundalini right now and it looks awesome!.
3. Satya Jewelry. I am sooooooo jazzed that Satya jewelry is now on AMAZON! I first learned about Satya through my teacher Gabby Bernstein who is friends with Satya the jewelry designer. She was selling mala beads at the Spirit Junkie Masterclass I attended and her stuff is beyond gorgeous! Any piece from her is a winner. For those who know me well, i wear my gold Satya Spirit Junkie necklace pretty much every day! *You’re supporting a small business by purchasing from this company*
4. The Singing Bowl is my jam right now. I’ve recently partnered with a small business out of Canada called Shanti Bowls that sources high quality yet affordable singing bowls. I use my singing bowl for helping to unwind from a stressful day and clear my mind from work thoughts and daily stress. *You’re supporting a small business by purchasing from this company*
5. Herbivore Coco Rose Body Polish, this stuff feels amazing after a sweaty vinyasa class, or really anytime you need to feel clean and sparkly. Also, the Herbivore brand is on Amazon now and all their products have an emphasis on organic, high quality, and food-grade ingredients.
6. Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane. If you haven’t gotten on the mushroom bandwagon what are you waiting for? The health benefits of mushrooms are innumerable! All of Four Sigmatic’s products are derived from high quality mushrooms are are incredible for your health and vitality. But sorry, they won’t get you high!
7. The Inner Tradition of Yoga by Michael Stone. I’m interested in reading this book because so much of yoga in our culture is so focused on outward things like your outfits and what fancy poses can you post to instagram. This will help you get back to the real meaning of yoga, which is truly an inward journey.
8. Confused Girl In The City Mystery Leggings. I know, I have them on here twice, I just find the patterns so pretty I couldn’t choose just one! The pattern on the Mystery leggings are images taken from a beautiful MARBLE Stone. This stone is beneficial for the blood, skin, and cleansing systems. It is used to provide both clarity and states of suspension in meditation. Provides for strength of self control and mastery of thought. It enhances the powers of serenity. These are also on sale at the moment AND you get to use my discount code bloomspark. *You’re supporting a small business by purchasing from this company*
by Caroline | Nov 20, 2018 | Wellness, Yoga
Yoga is great for improving your sleep because gets you in touch with the breath, which is something we don’t really think about during the day. But I’m not talking about your average yoga class where you do a lot of moving.
Tonight I’m going to show you some poses that you will hold for a longer amount of time. Yep, you heard that right, no flowing from one pose to another. Basically you’re just gonna sit there for a while to allow your body to fully relax.
When you slow down the breath, and stay in a pose for a longer amount of time you can feel different areas of the body that are tense and holding on from your day and gradually let that go as you sit and breathe through the pose. And stretching in general has a calming effect. Restorative yoga is great for calming the mind and body after a long day and helping you prepare for sleep
Here are some of my favorite yoga poses to do to help me fall asleep, and you can do all of them from the comfort of your own bed.
Ideally you want to do each pose for one to five minutes, holding each position gently without strain or pain for as long as feels comfortable to you. Can’t manage the full sequence? Pick your favorites and build them into your routine as you can.
- Stack two pillows on top of each other this will (mimic the support of a bolster typically found in a yoga class)
- Position yourself sitting with the end of the pillows touching your tailbone.
- Bring the souls of your feet together, letting your knees splay out to the sides If that is not comfortable you can place two pillows under each knee for a little more support.
- Slowly lower yourself down on the pillows making sure that your head is supported your neck is comfortable.
- Close your eyes and place your hands anywhere you feel comfortable, either on your lower abdomen, tops of thighs, or arms out at your sides palms facing up.
Bound Angle Forward Bend
- Come to a comfortable seat with the soles of your feet touching, letting your knees splay out to the sides. This is the same set up for reclining bound angle pose but without the pillows
- Reaching your arms out in front of you slowly bend forward to whatever level is comfortable to you.
- You may want to keep your arms straight, or if your hips are flexible bend your elbows and place your forearms on the bed.
- Slowly let your head release feeling the stretch in the back of your neck and upper back. If your back is tight you may not want to bend too deeply, but this is where you listen to your body and do what feels best.
- Once you have found a comfortable posture hold for 1-3 minutes, allowing yourself to release more and more tension in the neck as your body becomes more and more relaxed.
*Good to know!* Forward bend postures in general are great for bed time because they promote turning inward, away from the world, and into yourself, a great practice when letting go of the day.
Seated Forward Bend
- Begin in a seated position with your legs extended out in front of you.
- Stretch your arms up to elongate your spine and slowly bend forward hinging from the hips.
- Make sure you try to keep your back flat instead of rounding your spine and bending from your mid back.
- If this is too much for a stretch you can slightly bend your knees.
- With each inhale, slightly lift and lengthen the torso, and with each exhale, release and fold a little more.
- Hold this for 1-3 minutes
Reclined Twist
- Lay flat on your back and hug your right knee into your chest
- Slowly bring it across your body to rest on your left side using your left hand to guide it and letting your right hip lift up so your hips face the left side if the room.
- You can keep the left leg straight or bend it along with the right leg as well.
- Keeping your shoulders flat on the bed, turn your head to look over your outstretched right arm.
- You will feel a gently twisting of your spine and torso as your hips face left and your head points right.
- Hold this pose for 1-2 minutes, or however long feels good for you, and repeat on the other side.
Legs up the wall
- The easiest way to get your butt as close to the wall (or your headboard) as possible is to start by sitting with one of your hips touching the wall, then slowly bringing your legs up the wall, almost like the hands of the clock. (watch the video if this seems confusing)
- Laying flat on your bed or the floor extend your legs straight up the wall, taking a slight bend in the knee if that’s comfortable.
- If your hamstrings are too tight you can try this pose with a pillow or bolster underneath your hips to give them some lift.
- If you have props at home you can use a strap around the thighs for extra support or place a sand bag on the soles of the feet for a wonderful grounding sensation.
- Hold this pose for up to 5 minutes or longer, going with what feels best for you.
*This is an all time favorite pose for relaxation after a busy day*
Watch the the whole sequence here!
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by Caroline | Jan 7, 2018 | Wellness, Yoga
You don’t have to go on a juice cleanse or crazy fast to detoxify your body. Wanna know a secret? Your body is detoxifying itself all the time. The liver, kidneys, skin, and other major organs already do that. If you feel like you need to cleanse after the holidays from too many Christmas cookies or glasses of wine, then the best thing you can do is to take actions to support your body so that it can perform its jobs at optimal levels. You are the supporting role in this detox movie, your body and organs play the staring role. Your job is to help your body so that it can carry out the detoxification process.
The best way naturally detoxify are to…
- Feed yourself foods that will strengthen and nourish your body.
- Drink enough water.
- Sweat and move on a regular basis.
- Make relaxation and rest a regular part of your routine.
- Yoga!!!!
So I want to share with you some of my favorite yoga poses to aid your body in detoxification. You will notice that most of these poses involve a twist. That is intentional! Twists are known to stimulate the digestive system and bring a fresh blood supply to the internal organs so that it can detoxify naturally. No pills or fasting bullshit here.
Wide Leg Forward Bend with a Twist
This pose stimulates the abdominal organs, improves digestion and helps to detoxify the body because of the forward bending and twisting action. It also lengthens the spine, helping decompress the vertebrae, opens the shoulders, strengthens the core and stretches the hamstrings, calves, hips and lower back.
Step your feet wide along your mat (a good judge of how far your feet should be is to stretch out arms out to the side and try to get your feet directly under your hands). Place your hands on your hips and hinge forward from your waist and place your hands on the floor or blocks. Let your head and neck hang loose. You may stay here or take a twist. You can do this two ways: one way is to keep your hand directly under your face and take the other hand directly up toward the sky, letting your torso turn to the side, OR (a slightly more advanced modification) is to take one hand to the opposite ankle (left hand to right ankle) and then extend the other arm up to the sky, turning your torso open. Stay here for 5-10 breaths.
Revolved Chair Pose
A powerful way to detoxify from food, alcohol, toxic thoughts…toxic men even? It also stretches the lower back and increases the flexibility of the spine and back. To come in to chair stand tall with your feet together. As you sweep your arms up along side your ears, sit your hips back and down. Make sure that your knees don’t come too far out over the toes. Once you are in chair take hands to heart center in prayer and hook one elbow over the opposite knee (right elbow hooks ofer left knee) and turn your torso open to the side. Press your palms together and use that as leverage to twist deeper. Keep pressing that elbow into the knee. With each exhale twist a little deeper and with each inhale elongate your spine, creating space between the vertebrae.
Triangle with Revolved Triangle
Because of the emphasis on the bend at the waist, triangle pose helps stimulate the abdominal organs and can aid in digestion, as well as strengthening your feet, ankles, and legs. Beginning at the top of your mat, step your left foot back and turn it out to the side of your mat (right foot stays pointed to the front of your mat). Turning your body to face the left side of the mat making sure your hips are facing that way too. Extend your arms out in opposing directions, one toward the front of your mat, and one toward the back. Slowly slide your torso toward the front of your mat and hinge from the waist bend over that front leg, keeping the arms straight. This is a more gentle twist, but if you want to take it a step further you take take revolved triangle by keeping your feet the same but turning your torso to the opposite side.
Shoulder Stand Into Plow
Shoulder stand is great for this time of the year because it aids in digestion. If you’ve been hard on the digestive system over the holidays then this is for you. It also helps relieve swollen legs by allowing gravity to pull excess fluids out of your legs and feet. I find that it helps with headaches too because reversing the effects of gravity on the body can alter blood pressure (just be careful if you have blood pressure issues before going this pose). Any posture that has your head moving toward your chest will help you cultivate an inward-focused energy, and will help soothe a racing mind, which is helpful if you are overwhelmed and stressed. Lastly, it helps improve circulation to the upper body and brain which will deliver more oxygen and nutrients to those parts via the bloodstream.
This one is best left to be done with an instructor if you are totally new, but the things to remember if you are familiar with this pose are to lift your chin so your cervical spine is not flat against the floor. It’s important to put your weight in your shoulders and the back of your arms so that the pressure is not on your spine. Place your hands on your lower back and keep lifting your hips.
If you want to take plow you may want to use a block if your feet don’t reach the floor. This one is a deep back stretch so move into it slowly. It is great for calming your mind, stimulating the abdominal organs and the thyroid gland, stretching the shoulders and spine, and relieving stress and fatigue.
Reclined Spinal Twist
A soothing restorative pose, reclined spinal twist can be held for longer periods of time. This twist encourages the flow of fresh blood to your digestive organs, increasing the health and function of your entire digestive system. It also stretches out the back and gluteus muscles and lengthens and realigns the spine.
Lay down on your mat with your legs extended out in front of you. Bring your knees into your chest to a tabletop position and gently let your knees fall to one side. The hip on the opposite side will come up and stack on top of the other hip. Your shoulders remain on the mat. There are many variations to take in this one such as only bending the top leg and straightening the bottom leg if the stretch is too deep. You can also turn your head to look to the opposite side so you get a full twist of the spine from bottom to top.
Lunge Twist
This pose improves digestion, and detoxifies the internal organs. This an be done two ways, in a high lunge or a low lunge. The only difference is in a ow lunge the back knee is resting on the mat. Come to either your high or low lunge with the front leg bent, and the back leg straight with the heel off the ground. Bring your hands into prayer pose. Hook your opposite elbow over the front leg (meaning if your right leg is in front then hook the left elbow over it and vice versa) and turn your torso open to the side. Use the press of your palms and your elbow pressing into the knee to help you twist deeper. *If you want to go further open up the arms extending one up to the ceiling, and placing the other on the ground on the inside of the front foot.
Breath of Fire
Breath of fire is a simple breathing exercise known to purify the energetic pathways in the body. It helps release toxins from the lungs, balance your nervous system, and revitalize you during an energy slump. It’s also great for sinus congestion…you may want a few tissues handy. Begin in a comfortable seated position with your hands in your lap, sitting up tall. With your mouth closed begin to make strong and short exhales out the nose. Don’t worry about the inhales here, they will happen automatically. Keep your attention to strong sharp exhales. They should be quick, about one every second or so. The driving force behind this action is in the diaphragm. Feel your abdominal muscles tighten on each exhale, like a pumping action. Keep this breath going for 30 seconds for beginners up to 3 minutes for advanced yogis.
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Disclaimer: If you have never done and yoga before the best place to start is with a private instructor or in a live class. There are many anatomical intricacies and you don’t want to injure yourself. Only take my suggestions if you have a yoga practice and know your body’s abilities. Seriously, I’d really rather not have you sue me if you try these and throw out your back!
by Caroline | May 1, 2017 | Yoga
The yoga mats in my house seem to be reproducing. I don’t have an out-of-control yoga mat buying habit or anything, but being in the yoga community, I’ve started to acquire them from various events or receive them as gifts.
This is great news for me because not only do I feel super official and legit having a ton of rolled up yoga mats in the corner of my living room, but I also get to pick and choose which mat to use based on the type of practice I want to have that day.
I realize this is not a convenience had by most, and I did spend a good number of years with a mat that was too thin for my bony joints. So I was constantly seeking out different types of mats to see what would be best for me. I needed one that wasn’t slippery in case I was sweating (yes we ladies do sweat!), I also needed it to have enough padding and thickness but not too much.
So I decided to find out once and for all from people in the yoga industry what the best mats were. I don’t believe there’s only one because obviously there are different needs and different types of practices. That would be like asking people what their favorite food is (…just kidding the answer is always pizza).
I asked yoga teachers across all practices and almost everyone names these four brands.
Manduka: Manduka mats are sturdy, thick, and durable. People are raving about how they last forever and get better with age. They also come with a lifetime warranty and are eco friendly! Some teachers have expressed that they are a bit slippery when wet. So maybe not the best choice if you prefer a hot yoga practice. Someone expressed that they love Manduka mats because it helpes them “glide through vinyasas better.” They are heavy and dense, so depending on your practice that might be a good thing, or a bad thing. I find that Manduka mats are one of the higher quality mats out there. You’ll feel like a serious yogi when practicing on Manduka.
Jade: Jade was another name that kept popping up over and over again when polling teachers about their favorite yoga mats. People love the grip! You know that moment in downward facing dog when your hands and feet start to slide away from eachother? Well, this mat helps keep everything in place. The material can be somewhat rough if you do a practice with a lot of movements. One person told me it chafed their feet because the texture is so “grippy.” Overall the grip is everyone’s favorite feature. So this is the mat to use during your sweaty practices. Other bonuses, they are eco friendly, and come in varying thickness to suit your needs.
Liforme: I had actually not heard about Liforme before doing this research, but I’m glad I found it. Liforme does things a little differently. On every Liforme mat you will see markings designed to guide you into your best alignment. How brilliant! I think this is great for at home practices when you don’t have a teacher giving you alignment cues. It’s also got a great grip and is “impossible to slip on” one teacher told me. Another teacher said that it “literally absorbs sweat.” One downside someone else expressed to me is that they are not that thick, so if you have bony knees and ankles you may need some extra padding. One thing that turned me off is the price, they can go for a lot, but it may be a worthwhile investment.
PrAna: What people love about PrAna yoga mats are their size and stickiness. I’ve also found that PrAna has a lot of choices for thickness and design, so you can really pick out works best for your practice. The biggest downside for me is that PrAna mats are very think and don’t have enough padding for my joints, but I love the grip!
So now I want to hear from you! What is your favorite yoga mat? Share in the comments below.
*This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. I make a small commission on the items you purchase through the links I have provided, in order to sustain Bloom & Spark.
by Caroline | Feb 18, 2017 | Yoga |
I know how it feels to get stagnant in your practice. I’m a yoga instructor for goodness sake and I still only find that I get my best practice in when I go take a class with someone else. There’s just something about someone else telling you what to do that makes me push myself harder. When I take my practice home with me, I’m so gentle with myself and do mostly stretching and slow asana flows.
A regular yoga practice can easily feel stagnant.
I was teaching a client today and I started to realize that if we do the same practice day after day our muscles get bored and we stop growing. We also start to lose connection with our body because it becomes second nature and we can go through the motions without giving it much thought. So, I started to give cues for more fine tuned alignment, and all of a sudden the same poses felt so different.
There are small tweaks you can make in your regular poses to get more out of your practice.
So I wanted to share some really easy ways to kick up your yoga practice a notch, without adding any more challenging poses. Maybe you’re not ready for headstands, or inversions freak you out. Well this is for you! Do these three things next time you take a yoga class or do your home practice, and you’ll be amazed how different a familiar practice becomes.
Here are 3 simple ways to spice up your yoga practice
- Hug Midline– This means that when you are in a standing pose you squeeze your legs in toward one another. Now this won’t mean that they touch. Keep your feet firmly planted directly below your hips, but engage in the muscles of the inner thighs by pulling the legs toward the midline. This simple action will transform seemingly simple or passive poses like mountain pose, forward fold, warrior 1/2, and downward dog. Hold these poses even longer while hugging midline, and you’ll feel so sore the next day! This can also be done in poses where you have weight on your arms such as table top, downward dog, and forearm stand.
- Lift Your Toes- This will challenge your balance. First start small my trying it in non balance poses like mountain pose, lunge, or warrior. Not only will it improve your balance, but it will also require you to use more muscles to stabilize, eating you get more bang for your buck in a simple practice. You’re feet and ankles don’t always get strengthened so this is a great way to give some attention to your foundation. Once you are more comfortable try it in balance poses like tree pose!
- Close your eyes– Not only will this bring your awareness inside and limit the external distractions, but it will also force you to rely on your own body awareness for balance and movement. We often know how we are moving only because we can see ourselves, but try moving from a place of feeling. This will challenge your balance and also force you to use more muscles and really explore your body in a new way.
I challenge you! The next time you do your practice try out these three actions. Suddenly forward fold and downward dog feel like a whole new experience.
Namaste,
