Eliminate Swollen Legs & Feet!

If you are a server, work at a kiosk

or are just on your feet all day,

this is a pose your body is crying for!!!

This weekend I worked 13 hour days for 4 straight days in 4 inch pumps.

All that standing and walking led to swollen legs and feet.

To reverse the blood flow, we put our legs up the wall.

Benefits of Legs Up the Wall Pose:

• Regulates blood flow
• Alleviates menstrual cramps
• Relieves swollen ankles and varicose veins
• Helps testicular, semen, and ovarian problems in men and women respectively
• Improves digestion
• Restores tired feet or legs
• Stretches the back of the neck, front torso, and back of the legs
• Improves problems of the eyes and ears
• Relieves mild backache
• Provides migraine and headache relief, especially when done with a bandage wrapped tightly around the forehead and back of the skull
• Helps keep you young and vital
• Calms anxiety
• Relieves symptoms of mild depression and insomnia

Gratitude Journal

As we are nearing the end of January, I feel truly honored to do what I do.  It all started 5 years ago.  After hiking the beautiful forests of Anchorage, Alaska, my uncle Johnny suggested I try a yoga DVD with him.  From that point on, my life has changed for the better in so many ways.  My obliques, entire core and arms strengthened, my mental focus grew razor sharp and my heart filled with magical, floating endorphins.

My connection to nature changed in a way that can only be described by "feeling every part of my foot as it touched the ground."  The relationship with my parents grew safer and more open and I became more confident in speaking my mind.  I became aware of my ability to inspire myself and others and didn't shy away from being honest.  My doubts of believing I wasn't enough have slowly diminished and I've found a self love that can only be created and formed through self study, meditation and a continuous yoga practice.

Being able to use what I've learned and apply that to teaching has been extremely enriching and personally rewarding.  Having a student leave class with a smile and whispering a sincere, thank you changes the future of my entire day/night.

So thank you yoga, for bringing me peace, happiness and hope.  Thank you yoga community for embracing me with open arms and hearts.  Thank you for those who have supported me through this journey.  Thank you to those who doubted my journey, you held the match to my fire.  Lastly, but certainly not least, thank you inspiring teachers for guiding me into a practice that continues to evolve into a beautiful, blossoming flower.

A special thank you to my yoga influencers in more ways than one:

Ginger Saunders

Leah Zaccaria

JL Chiemingo

Silvia Mordini

Casey Peterson

Alysha Greig

Jessika Goldstein

Erin Mcdougall

Jacob Young

5 Tips to Clear Skin!

1. DRINK WATER!!!!
2. GET REST 6-8 HOURS PER NIGHT!
3. WASH FACE WITH HOT WASHCLOTH AND USE A MOISTURIZER!
4. CUT OUT DAIRY!
5. CUT OUT REFINED SUGAR!

& there you have it.

G'Morning Yoga Playlist!

• Green Grass of Tunnel, mum
• Pretty Wings, Maxwell
• Terrapin, Bonobo
• Intention, The Yoga Sessions
• Loveeeee Song, Rihanna
• Passing Me By, Pharcyde
• Till Dawn, The Weeknd
• Don't Judge Me, Chris Brown
• Ah Yea feat. Musiq Soulchild, Robert Glasper
• Turning Tables, Adele
• Yo La Tengo, Green Arrow
• Last Orders, Richard Hawley

Why Am I a Health Coach?

It is very personal and true.

Plain and simple, I just want to help.

Please follow this link:

http://j-mauss.healthcoach1.integrativenutrition.com/about-j-mauss

Bipolar Disorder: Foods to Consider

Someone I'm very close with suffers from Bipolar disorder, which is a serious mental disorder characterized by dramatic mood swings.  These mood swings range from depression to mania.  One person may experience gradual mood swings, others experience immediate mood swings within minutes.  Bipolar mood swings sometimes aren't the only mental problems.  A person could experience distortion in perception and disturbed thinking, to name a few.

FOODS TO ELIMINATE:

• CAFFEINE
• ALCOHOL

Caffeine. Someone with Bipolar disorder may be tempted to use caffeine to boost low moods, it often causes negative effects. It can disrupt sleep patterns and reduce the sedative effects of medications.  Caffeine can also worsen anxiety, which tends to go hand in hand with bipolar disorder and, if you’re taking antipsychotic medications, might also affect how those drugs work. 
Alcohol. Bottom line, alcohol and bipolar disorder make a bad combination. Alcohol can negatively affect bipolar mood swings and also may interact negatively with medications. People with bipolar disorder are also more likely to become addicted to alcohol and other substances

FOODS TO AVOID:

• RED MEATS
• SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES
• FOODS HIGH IN SATURATED AND TRANS FATS: high-fat foods may delay the time it takes for medications to take effect.
• SUGAR: People with bipolar disorder are at risk for metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetes condition that may make it hard to manage blood sugar levels. Furthermore, the highs and lows that come with the sugar roller coaster could just add to bipolar mood swings, particularly mania.  Reach for fruit instead.

FOODS TO INCLUDE:

• FOODS RICH IN NUTRIENTS AND VITAMINS: three to four servings of fresh fruits and vegetables provide helpful antioxidants
  
• LEAN MEATS
• FISH fatty fish at least two times per week; choose a fish such as albacore tuna, salmon, trout, herring or mackerel.
  
• EGGS
• SNACKS: legumes (lentils, hummus), nuts and seeds. (HIGH IN NUTRIENTS)
• LOW-FAT DAIRY

*If the bipolar patient is taking MAO inhibitors, a type of antidepressant, it is extremely important to avoid certain foods containing tyramine. Eating these foods may result in diarrhea, headache, high or low blood pressure and severe hypertension. Foods high in tyramine include: sour cream, yogurt, fermented cheeses, caviar, fermented sausage, liver, pickled herring, salted fish, eggplant, lima beans, sauerkraut, soy products, snow peas, avocado, raisins, figs, raspberries, red plums and bananas.

REFERENCES:

• Read more: What Foods Help in Treating Bipolar Disorder | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5488704_foods-treating-bipolar-disorder.html#ixzz2H7zoStMp
• http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-disorder/the-five-worst-foods-for-bipolar-disorder.aspx
• http://www.bphope.com/Item.aspx/126/cutting-cholesterol-and-loving-your-diet

Free Gift

Find a way to incorporate some sort of exercise into your daily life and think of it as a highlight or something you look forward to,

rather than a chore.

You will be amazed.

It is a gift to move your body.

Why not accept it?