The Power of Yoga

Arthur Boorman's story is truly inspirational. He was a disabled veteran told by his doctors that he would never walk on his own again. He had given up on life, and gained a lot of weight. It's pretty much gone viral, but if you haven't seen his transformation, watch below:

So what's holding you back? Disease? Disability? Overweight? All these things can be overcome. If Arthur can do it, so can you! As long as you have the will, determination, and desire to achieve, you will. Even slow progress is progress. Results will not be overnight, they take time, and discipline. Remember, "Just because [you] can't do it TOday, doesn't mean [you're] not going to be able to do it SOMEday." 

Stop making excuses! Start today on the path to the self you want to be!

5 Natural Remedies for Stretch Marks

Summer seems to be coming and going here in LA, but for you beach bums out there, here are some tips on looking great and eliminating stretch marks and cellulite!

Sorry to burst your proverbial bubble, but magic creams don't work. Aw, don't frown. A lot of what's in those things are natural moisturizers, like cocoa and shea butter and oatmeal. Don't waste a ton of money on a product that promises to "eliminate stretch marks in 30 days" or some such claim; because that's all it is: a claim. While moisturizing helps a little, it's only a surface treatment, and it won't get to the root of the problem, which are your subcutaneous fasciae, under your skin. There is no quick fix. If you really want to treat the problem and not just cover it up, try these simple methods:


#5. Exfoliate & Moisturize
Lowest on the list are the surface treatments because, while they don't treat the root of the problem, they do help the surface of your skin maintain its elasticity, which is going to allow it to stretch naturally and avoid the creation of stretch marks. Use a bodywash or soap with a natural exfoliant, or an exfoliating body sponge. Exfoliating helps you shed flaking skin cells and rebuild surface skin from the bottom up. This will help repair embedded lines over time.

Use a shea or cocoa butter or oatmeal moisturizer. Something natural, but you don't have to spend top dollar for a moisturizer that will do the job either way. I use a shea butter and oatmeal moisturizing body wash, since because I do aerial acrobatics, I rarely use rub-on moisturizers. Keeping the skin moist will help it not to dry out; when the skin gets too dry, it cracks, and then when it stretches, the surface will tear, leaving stretch marks. Maintaining elasticity will help to prevent that. Taking care of your skin is the best thing you can do for it.


#4. Avoid Harmful Sun Exposure
Ultraviolet rays not only cause sunburns, cancer, and premature aging of the skin, but also - you guessed it! - stretch marks. The phrase "a healthy tan" is such a contradiction! Tans are essentially minor sunburns, and you know what? They have the same effects on the skin: they contract it and dry it out, so that the new skin grows in less elastic than before. Each time you tan, you're decreasing your skin's elasticity and are more prone to wrinkles and stretch marks. Avoid unnecessary sun exposure, and wear sunscreen when out for long periods in the sun.



#3. Exercise
I know, I know, we all hate to be told to do it - "I don't have the time." "I can't afford a gym membership." "I hate to exercise."

First of all, people who hate to exercise are just being lazy - no offense. Exercise makes you feel good, releasing endorphins and adrenaline into your bloodstream, causing a chemical reaction that forces you to feel energized and good all around! So if you're doing it properly, there's no way you could hate it! If you do, then you're not doing the right exercise for you. Find an activity you love to do, and do it. For myself, I do acrobatics and yoga. Yours can be swimming, hiking, jogging on the beach, surfing, spin or dance classes, or anything else active that you enjoy. Find something and put yourself on a regular schedule.

While exercise will help you get in shape, it also releases oxygen into your bloodstream and endorphins into your system and burns calories, which speeds up cell reproduction, including in your skin and fasciae. Cell reproduction is the key to elasticity. And being physically fit doesn't hurt for hiding and reducing stretch marks and fat or cellulite, either.


#2. Healthy Diet
Eating right with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in sugar and salt has so many benefits I can't stress it enough. Fruits and vegetables are high in water content, as well as vitamins and minerals, all of which will help maintain weight and regulate body fat. Fluctuations of body size will pull the skin and contribute to stretch marks. Fatty deposits underneath the skin is what causes cellulite. Some cellulite is unavoidable, but it is possible to keep the visible stuff under control with healthy eating habits.


Annnnd the most effective way to combat unwanted stretch marks and cottage cheese thighs is.......


#1. Drink Plenty of Water
That's it! Staying hydrated is the absolute best way to avoid dry skin and tightening fasciae. Water oxygenates your cells and keeps them healthy and elastic. You should be drinking a gallon a day, if not more. What's more, avoid dehydrating sugary drinks like soda and alcohol, they have the reverse effect and are counter-productive. And that's it!

Keep in mind that these are lifestyle choices and will not produce overnight results, but if it's the results you're after and you stick with it, although they won't completely disappear, it is possible to dramatically reduce the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite using these methods.

*Sources: Nutrition education and personal experience.

A Yoga Hiatus

While I haven't been very diligent about my yoga practice, nor about finding a teaching spot, what I have been doing is training very hard for over a year to become an aerial acrobat!

I started in early March, 2011. I saw some aerialists performing on set and it looked like so much fun that I wanted to learn to do it, or at least give it a try. After doing some research on the web, I decided upon The Aerial Classroom, and after one class I was hooked! I caught on pretty quickly; it's as though I was meant to do it all along, and haven't stopped since. Although my ultimate goal was to eventually become a performer, I was content just learning and practicing because it's the most fun I've ever had! I love it more than anything! More than yoga, more than sleep, more than food or air! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little, but I do love it and wish I could do it every day.

After tireless silks training, my teacher invited me to begin performing almost exactly a year after beginning. My first live performance was a showcase for The Aerial Classroom at the Calabasas Community Center on St. Patrick's Day, 2012. And I love performing! There's nothing like hearing the crowd's appreciation for your hard work. Plus, I love dressing up in costume!

 Now, I'm also training in hoop/lyra, static trapeze, and hammock. I love it all, and I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't do this.

I've also stopped running. I happen to think that aerial and hot yoga are better cardio than running; running is terrible for your inner organs, your joints, and most of all, your flexibility. Flexibility is a key factor in being an acrobat, and I've stretched my muscles out so well, that I don't want to lose it. When you run, every time you take a step, your muscles contract. This is due to the firing of your myotatic stretch reflex, the one that causes your knee to straighten when the doctor taps your kneecap with a rubber hammer. Without elongation, the constant contraction becomes permanent. This is why seasoned runners are so inflexible. And, because of the constant impacts on the joints (knees and ankles especially) and inner organs, why they often have health problems later in life, or have to quit running or even exercise in general after many years.

To demonstrate the negative impact of running on flexibility, see my photos from the Atma Yoga intensive in Germany, 2010. Look at the difference between my Downward Dog on the first day of training, versus the last. Head to the floor aside (that's shoulders, not legs), after all that running, I could not straighten my legs. The backs of my legs have always been annoyingly tight, but never so much as when I was running 2-3 miles/day, 3-4 days/week. Now, I can actually do the splits, because I've quit running and loosened them up so much. It is possible, you can do it, too! When I first began practicing yoga 5 years ago, I could not even bend over and touch my toes!

I still love yoga, and plan on going for my 500-hours RYT, but for now, aerial is my hobby, my release, and my exercise. I'm so glad I found it, and so grateful I've had the privilege to study it, and I will continue to train hard and become an expert on all the apparatuses.

Love, Light and Namaste!

Another New Year...

...And I intend to make it a great one! 2012 is going to be awesome, I can feel it.

The reason I stopped posting was because I fell out of practice a year ago (for many reasons), and was ashamed.
My resolution: resume regular practice, and start teaching, finally!

Let's do this!