Last week I attended a five day training in Austin, Texas called, Off The Mat Into The World.

Seane Corn- yoga teacher, Hala Khouri- psychotherapist and Suzanne Sterling- song writer, taught this course.

Off The Mat Into The World asks us to take the strength, compassion, focus and flexibility that we talk about in yoga and extend it out as our service and work in the world.

However there’s a catch.

Are we using service and our work as a way to “fix” and change others? Or, are we using it because we want others to celebrate and love us?

These shadow sides of ourselves show up all the time. Our unresolved emotional pain will make us reactive to various people and situations. The shadow sabotages and ultimately burns us out.

Off The Mat helps us understand our own shadow and then empowers us to take action in our inner and outer worlds.

Here are three examples of non-profits, businesses and services people created after completing an Off The Mat Into The World training.

Embody Love Movement - Works with disordered eating and body image issues.

With My Own Hands- Builds orphanages in Africa and provides food and running water for kids who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS.

The Art of Yoga Project- Works with girls in the California juvenile justice system.

Off The Mat has raised over 2 million dollars in the last five years. They’ve used those monies to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti, Cambodia and Uganda. They’ve supported AIDS outreach in South Africa and they’re working to stop sex trafficking in India this year.

Whether you are a parent who wants to give the best of yourself to your kids, someone who wants to start a non-profit or an activist who wants to travel the globe. Off The Mat teaches us how to get out of our own way and lead with grace. Next to Rachel Ramen’s, The Healing Art workshop, this is the best training I have ever participated in.

I felt compelled to structure this post a little differently so I wrote OFF THE MAT INTO THE WORLD vertically down the page. I then used the first letter of each word as a spring board to recap my experience.

O-pen. To changing ourselves first so we can create positive change around us.

F-eeling. Avoiding our feelings causes suffering, not the emotion itself.

F-inding our voice. Suzanne coached us as we physically opened our vocal cords. Singing awakens our “voice” and allows us to express our gifts (however they may take shape) in the world.

T-rauma. Anything that overwhelms our capacity to cope and respond.

H-ope. Think back to that horrific moment where you witnessed or experienced trauma. Was there a shred of hope in that moment? The hope is always there, take a breath, you’ll remember.

E-mbody. We danced and made organic shapes with our bodies that represented our contracted, constricted states. Then we danced our way into that expansive, expressive state that is always available to us.

M-ind/Body.  The body holds our emotions. As we practiced yoga we focused on certain areas of our body and learned which emotions are held where.

A-ttention.On the first day of training 40+ people introduced themselves. It took almost 2 hours. When we finished Seane repeated everyone’s name back in the order that we spoke. It was incredible. If that’s not demonstrating how to be attentive and present to other people, I don’t know what is.

T- ranscend. There is no right, wrong, good or bad, instead we have an opportunity to transcend and empower our experiences every day.

I-nclusive. In this training there were men, women, Afraican Americans, Latinos, gay, lesbian, Christians, Jews, non-religious, social workers, therapists, lawyers, business people, healthcare practitioners, moms, dads, divorcees, single people. There were people from abusive and addictive backgrounds, different states, countries, socio-economic, political backgrounds. Some people had disabilities or had been incarcerated. We came from different styles of yoga, training and had different dietary beliefs, needs. Our stories and backgrounds are different but our shame, grief, rage, and fear is the same.

N-on Authoritative.  Seane, Hala and Suzanne co-taught. No one dominated. There were no power struggles or “guru” hierarchy. I’ve rarely seen that take place in any group. These three woman demonstrated that it’s not only possible to lead and collaborate together but it’s necessary in today’s world.

T-elling the truth. It doesn’t stop just because the workshop ended.

O-n the mat off the mat. As we practiced yoga Seane and Hala reminded us what our minds do. Are we pushing, holding, exerting when we really need a break? Are we backing away and quitting when we really need to push? How we deal with things on the mat is how we deal with things off the mat.

T- ools. Daily routines and practices, meditate, journal, therapy, play, study, art, prayer, healthy eating, sleeping, gratitude.

H- eart break. We each had a chance to speak about one thing that breaks our heart. No feedback or advice was given. We sat in silence and listened as many of our collective tears fell.

E- mpowered. How I felt throughout the entire 5 days.

W- itness. We paired up with different partners and voiced our vision, intention and purpose. We were heard.

O-pportunity. How has everything happened for you and not against you?

R- esource. Notice if your anger or sadness is bubbling up. Take a look around the room, orient yourself with present time. Focus on any object in front of you. Feel your feet solid on the ground. Breathe.

L-ongevity. Self care, personal accountability and collaboration with others and something greater than ourselves sustains us.

D-ance. We danced (celebrated) every day.

Seane Corn speaking about service

Video about Off The Mat

Off The Mat Into The World Website

Seane Corn and me at Wanderlust Yoga Festival in Squaw Valley last summer.

Suzanne Sterling, Hala Khouri and Seane Corn.

Healthy Discoveries is 11 years old this year. Can you believe it? 11 YEARS OLD.

Over the years I’ve been known to do a happy dance or two, cry tears of frustration, threaten to throw in the towel and walk away from it all; yet in the end I’ve been able to do what I love most: speak and write about health and nutrition.

I nursed Healthy Discoveries from inception to birth through its toddler, early years. We made it through the seven year itch and now we’re moving into the rebellious teens.

Inhale…Exhale.

Sometimes when I think back to my first big corporate workshop in 2004 I wish that day were captured on video.

Or maybe I don’t.

I remember returning to that same location 5 years later and thinking, “Wow, I have changed so much from those early days (in a good way).” I presented my first workshop using overheads on a projector screen for goodness sake.

But it all worked out, my audience was incredibly receptive and I continued to hone my skills over the years.

In 2007 I added a blog to this website and joined Facebook and Twitter. My first blog post was short and sweet and doesn’t even sound like me; my writing voice has certainly developed over the years as well.

In 2009 I made the switch from Blogger to WordPress and in 2010 I gave Healthy Discoveries.com a major face-lift and had a new logo and design created.

Now, in 2012, Healthy Discoveries.com underwent it’s fifth revision. I like it. A nip here, a tuck there, some dust bunnies swept away.

Who knew my early beginnings of a tri-fold brochure and overhead projector lecture notes would evolve into a home page with daily Healthy Discovery Tips, a media page, links to some of the healthiest resources, books and inspiration (thank you Pinterest) on the web. An evolved speaking, coaching, keynote career and my new monthly newsletter. When you sign up for my newsletter you’ll receive a cool “How To Read An Ingredient Paragraph” PDF that I wrote. My gift to you.

This Certified Nutritionist, Speech Communication major has come a long way.

So come on in, pull up a chair, and take a look around the new and improved www.healthydiscoveries.com. I’m proud of my 11-year old business and how we have grown together.

Thanks for being part of the journey!

Note: I want give a big shout out to Jennette Fulda, my web master and designer. She worked long hours to create the new changes for Healthy Discoveries.com. She handles all my tech, design issues, but more importantly she deals with my perfectionistic side that frequently changes its mind and obsesses about the small details. So thank you Jennette, for all your patience and hard work. If you’re in the market for a great web designer I can not recommend Jennette highly enough. She is the best of the best.

In case you don’t follow me on Twitter this is what I was Tweeting about on Tuesday night.

The next time you are on Pearl Street I highly recommend Shine Restaurant which is owned and operated by the Emich triplets: Jessica, Jennifer and Jill.

Jessica is in charge of the kitchen and their entire kitchen is gluten-free. She has a masters degree in holistic nutrition. Jessica takes into consideration digestion, protein content and flavor when making a dish. She has created a menu that offers inexpensive, local and organic options such as:

• Grass-fed beef burgers with caramelized onions, avocado aioli and sweet potato fries

• Probiotic slaw sampler

• Buffalo chili with sour cream and house fermented salsa verde (shown in my Tweet picture above)

• Cauliflower mashers

• Coconut creamed kale

• Lasagna layered with spinach and local squash, hazel dell mushrooms and brown rice pilaf

• Tempura coconut shrimp with tamari and ginger remoulade (shown in my Tweet picture above)

• Mediterranean salad with mixed greens, beet hummus, sprouted quinoa tabouli, marinated cucumbers, goat’s milk feta and lemon vinaigrette

They make their own beer and have a couple gluten-free beer options too. They also offer their own unique elixirs and potions.

And these are  their dessert options.

 

 

Yup, I ate that!

Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie with Coconut Ice Cream. It was fantastic.

In the back of the restaurant you will find “the gathering place” which is a large room for yoga classes and workshops, private events and live music.

I was there a couple weeks ago when Waylon Lewis recorded his Walk The Talk Internet Show. Waylon is the editor of Elephant Journal, a popular on-line yoga magazine. The night I was there he interviewed John Douillard, an Ayurvedic Doctor, regarding the importance of  of eating animal protein. He also interviewed Richard Freeman, an Ashtanga yoga teacher and his wife Mary. Here are the videos from that show.

In the end, this is what the Emich triplets have this to say about their restaurant and gathering place:

It is a place for us all to nourish ourselves through food, community, dance, education and celebration. It is hub for us all to share our gifts, to explore, and to have fun doing it. It truly is a place where we can all Shine.

For more info go to the Shine website and definitely stop by next time you are in Boulder. Shine is my new favorite Healthy Discovery!

My boyfriend and I cleaned out his refrigerator last night. I know, it’s not exactly an exciting date night but it makes for good blog fodder.

I actually started this process last week and he promptly stopped me. The shock of seeing half the contents of his refrigerator headed toward the trash was a little overwhelming.

For the record, my boyfriend keeps a very neat and tidy house, but his refrigerator was over-run with half used salad dressing, jelly, mayonnaise and pickle jars. When I looked at expiration dates most products expired in 2010 and one even expired in 2008.

My boyfriend’s rationale was, if there is still something in the bottle there is no reason to throw it away…

He came around. Read more »

Studies show that sleeping less than seven hours each night could significantly hinder your ability to lose weight.

Artificial light from computers, TVs, bright city lights and indoor fluorescent lights wreck havoc on your circadian rhythm and melatonin production – two important components needed for quality sleep.

Powering down your computer and TV when the sun goes down would be ideal, but for most American households that is not realistic. Unfortunately continuous light exposure in the evening can hamper your ability to process carbohydrates thus promoting weight gain. We also know from studies with shift workers that nighttime light exposure makes them more likely to get cancer, heart disease, have compromised immune systems and become obese. Read more »