music

You know who you are based on all of your past experiences and choices. If you choose to remain who and what you are now, and not look ahead, then you will forever be at the mercy of your own future life experiences. Instead of taking this passive approach, allow yourself to understand that you have a choice in all of your future experiences and make those choices.

Here are three ways to to take an active role in shaping your life:

I was reminded this weekend, whilst walking through town, about the magic of staying open. Two strangers openly greeted me with big smiles, and I am ashamed to say I was consciously taken aback. But once I acknowledged it was me they were smiling at, I responded by grinning with appreciation at them (possibly scaring them, apols about that!).

See, after I moved here, I often found myself talking (or rather, trying to talk) to strangers in the street, or at bus stops, or as I queued to pay for groceries. Despite my best efforts, the funny looks I often received in return took their toll, as I assumed they were a negative reaction towards my behavior. This eventually led to me becoming more shy and reserved, and less likely to try to connect with those I met.

By The FIRM Master Instructor Nancy Butts

I love music and have a TON of it from all genres. I adore every song listed below and hope that you do, too. If you haven’t heard them, look them up on You Tube! I stumbled upon N.E.R.D. out of a freebie bin from an auction we had at the office. You just never know when, where or how you will find a new band you love!

The playlist below is a great mix, in my opinion, of newer and older tunes. Each song puts me in a super great mood, builds up my energy and helps me push my muscles to the absolute max. That’s what a great sculpting playlist is for, right? I’ve also included a few sample exercises for each tune for fit-spiration. Enjoy!

This June, dust off your travel yoga mat and head to beautiful Boulder, Colo., for the second annual Hanuman Festival! More than your typical yoga retreat, Hanuman combines yoga, music and community, all for some great causes.

When: June 8-10, 2012

Where: Boulder, Colorado, near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains

The yoga: The all-star instructor lineup includes classes with Kathryn Budig, Tommy Rosen, Kia Miller, Amy Ippoliti and many more.

The music: Enjoy concerts featuring Desert Dwellers, Jim Beckwith, Ashlee K Thomas, David Newman (Durga Das), Vamadeva Jaya, DJ Drez, The Pushpams,  David “Duke Mushroom” Schommer and many more. Artists will perform during select yoga classes as well as at scheduled concerts.

The causes:

• Off the Mat and Into the World, a program that “uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism and ignite grassroots social change.”
• The Wellness Initiative, which seeks to “improve the physical health, social and emotional development, and academic performance of low-income youth through yoga-based wellness programs.”
• Give Back Yoga Foundation supports and fund certified yoga teachers in all traditions to offer the teachings of yoga to under-served and under-resourced socio-economic segments of the community.

Gaiam is especially excited for this event because it’s one of the only yoga festivals to take place right in our own backyard — less than eight miles from our Louisville, Colorado headquarters! Gaiam and Gaiam TV will each have booths at the festival, where participants will be able to check out our newest yoga mats, DVDs and other gear, as well as meet some of your favorite yoga instructors who will be stopping by to say hello or help you perfect your poses.

We chatted with Cara Fogel Ferrick, Hanuman’s sales and marketing director, who gave us the scoop on what sets Hanuman apart (and where that name came from!).

Contrary to the deluge of advertisements, magazine articles and greeting cards floating around right now, not everyone looks forward to Valentine’s Day. Lots of people can’t stand it. Hate it, even. (I know; I used to be one of them until I got engaged on Feb. 14th five years ago.) It can seem like just another excuse to spend money and an opportunity to wish your love life were somehow different.

If you detest this time of year or just aren’t looking forward to this particular V-Day, try these simple ways to shortcut through the schmaltz and societal pressure and go straight to what this high-pressure holiday is really all about. Not flowers, chocolates or over-priced dinner reservations, but love. May one or some or all of these activities help you transform Valentine’s Day into an opportunity to recharge your love batteries.

The main thing that really fires me up for fitness is a superior song playlist. If I’m planning a long run or a hard workout at the gym, great songs make the time fly by and make workouts much more enjoyable. And music tempo is perfect for pacing yourself — slower songs to warm up and cool down, and pumping rhythms to keep the intensity up in between.

Here are my top 10 workout tunes right now — share yours in the comments section below!

Last month I spent a week in Stockholm, Sweden, teaching my Yoga Tune Up® Integrated Embodied Anatomy module to a group of future yoga teachers at Yogayama studio. I arrived in icy-cold Stockholm late at night after a 22-hour journey. When I awoke jet-lagged the next morning, I was hoarse — very hoarse. With 20+ hours of teaching ahead of me over the next four days, I was concerned. There was no way to call in a “sub.”

A “routine” is a sequence of actions that are regularly followed — in other words, a fixed program. I love a good routine. In my head, I call them rituals, because it makes it seem more special. For example, every morning I have my coffee-making ritual. I’ve got my special glass where I heat the milk (via microwave), and I use this really cool milk frother immediately after. It adds an extra “wow!” to my morning drink. Right off the bat, it puts me in a great mood and is an awesome start to my day.

The holidays are a festive — and often frantic — time of year, with family and friends gathering together. The setting for all these celebrations takes place in our homes, where creating comfort for our guests is the primary focus.

This July, a new kind of festival will bring together the world’s leading yoga teachers and best rock ‘n’ roll performers in a breathtaking setting of natural beauty. The Wanderlust Festival, dedicated to both “spiritual and physical exploration,” will take place July 24-26 in Squaw Valley USA, Lake Tahoe, Calif. Gaiam is a sponsor of the festival, and our Yogamates.com editor Kasey Luber will conclude her 50 Days 50 Yoga Studios road trip at Wanderlust.