The 'Why' Behind My Practice

If you look at our BINGO cards hanging up in the studio, you’ll notice that you get a sticker for sharing your Yoga ‘WHY’ with Sam via email (or text or social media!). It’s only fair that I share mine with you. 

I have been practicing with our little community for nearly 7 years, but I originally found yoga in high school. I practiced in my room without a mat as a way to stretch and get some exercise in by myself. I needed nothing for the practice and there was no judgement. A time/space for me to accept myself and my body. A rarity for a teenager to be honest — especially in the early 2000s. 

Yoga loosely followed me through my 4 years at Purdue, but it wasn’t until my mid-to-late-20s that I got serious about it and really began to see a difference in myself. 

The big WHY behind my yoga is multi-tiered and has some other stories behind it, but to put it simply: I want to keep moving — and maintain a healthy mind — as I age. I don’t want to lose the flexibility, strength, and stability (mentally and physically) that a consistent practice has given me. 

Share your ‘WHY’ with me — and others! Sharing with others why we practice and what the practice has brought to our lives can help encourage others to take that step towards a healthier, more positive life AND is a nice reminder to ourselves about why we started practicing in the first place. 

With love and light, always —

Sam

Yoga and Kids

I got my girls, Kate and Isla, started with yoga as babies. My little Isla used to practice with me as an infant — getting her tummy time in and copying my seal pose. Kate started around 18 months old or so when we would tap into her ‘yoga breath’ to help tamp down the tantrums.

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Habits for Seasonal Health

Being an average human on an average day is not an easy feat — ripe with its own set of challenges — but it can become especially difficult to take care of ourselves this time of year when we factor in the weather, sickness being passed around, lack of daylight, and the holiday season.

For me, it’s extra important to adjust and maintain healthy habits to keep me on track and feeling as well as I possibly can, all things considered. Below are the daily habits that help me get by and stay healthy — mentally and physically.

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Beyond a Workout: Resetting the Digestive + Autonomic Nervous Systems Through Yoga

In the last 30 years, yoga has become a popular workout for those looking to lose weight, tone up muscle, and increase flexibility. With emphasis on one or more of these three end-goals, yoga has become less about whole body-mind health and more about a sweat-inducing workout for today’s average practitioner. In the following pages, I’ll explore the effects that yoga has on the body outside of a muscle-building workout; specifically, the positive results that a consistent yoga practice can bring to one’s digestive health.

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