Social Media Hiatus, 4.22.21

 The social media hiatus has been interesting. I honestly think there have been some withdrawal symptoms! Feelings of boredom, feelings of being "left behind", even some feelings of disorientation (habitually and continually reaching for my phone and quickly realizing there is no need, then wondering what to do with that extra moment of time on my hands).  But, there have been many positives, as well. I have been sleeping better. I have time to do some things that I would never had time to do before. I have had many moments of just being here, with no agenda, no photo ops, no "writing" in my head of potential posts. And, the biggest benefit- CLARITY. Without the constant intake of information from social media in my brain, I no longer feel overwhelmed. I normally have so many ideas in my head that I feel paralyzed by them rather than motivated.   

It has been almost a month now with nothing but Pinterest and Messenger and I feel like I can look at the big picture a little more objectively at this point.  My conclusion is that the only thing I really miss about social media is the fact that it is much harder to advertise my yoga classes and gain inspiration from other yoga teachers that I followed. (Of course, I miss seeing familiar faces with their kids and grandkids, etc., but there seems to be less of that lately.) A recent discussion with my husband gave me another perspective.  He pointed out that if I can be disciplined enough to step away long enough to break that useless habit of always reaching for my phone, I can be disciplined enough to use it in a more controlled and focused way to promote this business. 

But, I am determined to give it more time, in order to truly break the habit. This article  was helpful to read and another example of why I need to give it more time and then re-evaluate. Hopefully this sense of clarity will lead to what is best for me.

For now, I will continue to focus on this little space, which I am learning to love all over again!

I'll leave you with some images of things happening around here, thanks to the extra time on my hands.

One of my first moments of clarity- cleaning out the RV for a family who just lost their home in a fire. I had been thinking that I didn't use it enough to justify keeping it, and although I love the idea of using it as a mobile studio and shop, in reality, it just wouldn't work. I still love the idea and am really looking forward to coming back to it with a smaller vehicle when I'm retired. For now, this will serve another family very well. 

I have been having a few students at the house, in the new studio space, for the last several weeks. It feels good and is the closest version of the eventual permanent space that I've had so far. 

Since the studio is now permanently in the basement, my grandkids have their room back! A tree painted in that corner is in the near future.

No social media in the morning has given me the extra time to plan ahead for my day.  Since I started intermittent fasting, having water on hand that I will actually drink has become a priority. Drinking cucumber and fruit infused water makes it easy to stay hydrated and make it at least 12 hours from breakfast before I eat again. I've been freezing the cut fruit and cucumber in ice cube trays and drop a few of them in my glass before filling it with water. SO good!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! 

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy.  ~ Juli

Ditch the Routine, 4. 8.21

I woke up feeling stressed, with lots of worry over things that I have no way of controlling. In fact, this is how I've been feeling for weeks now. "Did I say the right thing to so-and-so? Did I divide my time equally between all of my family members at a recent gathering? Did everyone have a good time at that gathering? Will my son find a job that is a good fit for his good heart and love of community and communication? Will my daughter feel better soon? Will my grandsons grow up to be happy, healthy men? Did my yoga community enjoy that class I just taught?" And so on and so on. You get the idea, right?! Oh, my. 

But, I know my brain does this sometimes. When it does, it is a signal to me that I need to take care of myself. This morning, taking care of myself meant skipping my physical yoga practice in order to spend that time at my altar, with some candles and incense, listening to Ram Dass and just sitting in silence. My mind did wander, but I imagined myself just watching my thoughts drift by, instead of attaching to them and getting tangled up in them. I just watched. 

Another interesting thing happened. I was suddenly drawn to the Ho'oponopono prayer, which I have taken to for the past several years, directing it at one person in particular. Today, though, without agenda, I knew that I needed to direct that prayer to one other person, in particular, and surprisingly, direct it to myself. I knew it was what I needed by the way I felt as I repeated the words over and over again. I felt it as a complete understanding, a complete comfort. 

I am one that depends on my morning routine. If I don't get it, I will feel "off" for the rest of the day. But sometimes, you just have to be still, listen to that voice inside of you, sit with it, and feel confident that it (YOU!) knows exactly what YOU need. So, be willing to ditch the routine, no matter how attached you are. It is a great lesson in letting go. 

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli

Intermittent Fasting, 4.7.21

 Here we go! I've tried intermittent fasting several times before, but this time I want to give myself enough time to recognize all of the benefits, other than weight loss. Yeah, I always think I could lose a few pounds, but that is not my motivation. My motivation is feeling good and aging gracefully. I turned 55 in December and suddenly, I feel vulnerable. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, for the most part - I am always aware of my choices regarding food, moving my body every day, exercising my brain and allowing enough down time for my mental health. But, lately, I'm feeling kinda "older". Yikes! I'm entering a new phase of my life, right?! But, that's okay. Again, aging gracefully is what I'm aiming for. And feeling good in my body is the key. 

Intermittent fasting has many proven benefits, including reducing inflammation, regulating hormones, improving memory, improving blood pressure, and more that you can read about HERE. The few times I've tried it in the past I was immediately aware of, and surprised by, how much more energy I had. This time, I'm wanting to give it more time to see if it has any effect on the arthritis pain in my hands and my always-present digestive issues.  I'm not gonna lie, though, if it has a positive effect on my mental clarity and my hot flashes, that will be icing on the cake! 

I'll be following the 16:8 version, which means I'll be fasting for 16 hours and will have an 8 hour window for eating. I'll be checking in each month to give a little update on any changes I notice along the way. 

Day One Pic: Weight- 138, Hot Flashes- at least five a day 😩 (they suck!), Arthritis Pain and Swelling in my hands- moderate, but depends on the day, digestive distress-limited as long as I don't eat much. (I am also currently (and obviously!) obsessed with baby bangs and can't seem to stop "trimming" them! 😂 Maybe intermittent fasting will help this, as well?!)

Until next time! Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli

The Making of a "For Now" Yoga Studio, 4.2.21

 Well, it has been almost a full week off of Facebook and Instagram and it has been a week of getting a lot more done! This drab basement turned cozy yoga studio would probably still not be finished if I had been hanging out on my phone for several hours a day. (The social media "breakup" has been interesting, so I've been taking notes and will give it it's own post very soon.) If you have been wanting a space to practice or teach yoga, but you don't have the budget or don't have the space in your main living area, consider a temporary set-up in your unfinished basement. This space was completed for about $650.00 and took about four days to finish. Yes, one day I want this space to be more "finished", but for now, it is perfectly fine and, honestly, really cozy, pleasant and comfortable for practicing and teaching yoga. It is actually the largest space in our house next to our open living room and kitchen and it is much more quiet. So here is a little walk-through!

BEFORE: A drab, cold basement. But... a blank slate, which is good!

AFTER: The finished altar space. The text will soon be replaced by a hand-painted mandala.

A wider shot that shows the dropcloth "walls", lights, flooring, and a better view of the open space.

The seating area, where you can come in, drop your shoes, grab a block and a blanket for practice, or sit and visit after practice. 

A wider shot of the seating area. The stairs are off to the right. Still looking for a better alternative for lighting- for now white twinkle lights, leftover from Christmas. 

Pretty stark contrast, right?! Here is a breakdown of supplies and cost:

* The flooring, found HERE, is interlocking foam gym flooring. This was the bulk of our modest budget. The space is 504 square feet and we needed 21 boxes @ 18.97 a box, which came to, roughly, $400. This stuff is worth every penny! It is soft enough to be really easy on the knees (no knee cushion needed!) yet firm enough to feel stable while practicing. It was easy to install (I think it took all of an hour) and helped create a cozy, warm space. 

* The "walls" are canvas drop cloths, found HERE I washed them to soften them up a bit and get rid of the weird odor, then, since our basement walls are 8' tall, I folded the extra foot over to the backside and stapled them to the rafters, gathering them a bit at each one to make it look a little more "drapey". I also invested in an electric staple gun, which made this part of the job much faster and easier on my hands. I used 5 drop cloths , which covered the length of the space (36 feet) and the small section on the other side, to hide a water softener and allowed the extra for gathering. Total cost $125.

* I painted the end walls with Valspar paint in the color Night View, found HERE. Cost per gallon was $35 and I used one gallon. The abstract mural on the long, concrete wall was painted using the leftover Night View paint, an off-white I found in the clearance section at Lowes ($9) and a metallic gold Martha Stewart craft paint on clearance at Michael's. Total cost for paint: $49. 

* I found a few decorative pieces from Home Goods- the dream catcher, candle holders, salt lamp, etc. and everything else (lighted tree, rugs, screen, plants, display shelf, etc.) was found in other areas of our house or in storage on the other side of the basement. The altar space was the most fun to put together and is my favorite part of the space. The coffee table came from my grandparents house, the rug underneath was a gift from my parents' trip to Mexico many years ago, and all of the little tchotchkes were gifts from my kids, students or teachers at my yoga "home". (I'll be dedicating an entire post on how to set up an altar sometime soon.) Cost for a few of the small items I bought at Home Goods- $65

Grand total: $639 !!

I hope this inspires you to create your own yoga space, as it really was inexpensive and easy. In fact, it could be even more inexpensive if you used more items that you already have on hand- leftover paint from another project, old sheets instead of the drop cloths, painting the concrete, etc. I would say, though, if you can splurge on one thing, make it the flooring. 

And that's it! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or want to share your own space. Happy decorating and Happy Easter/Spring! 

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli