Are you interested in wanting to help support my journey as I trek the entire Pacific Crest Trail again in 2019? Here are a few ways you can do so:
1 –My 2019 PCT Thru-Hiking Trip Registry
Similar to a honeymoon gift fund, except I’m not getting married. I’m thru-hiking the PCT! It’s a fun way for generous folks who find joy and inspiration in what I do and want to be an active part of my hike without having to take a single step to be a part of my PCT thru-hiking experience.
The trip registry gives you an opportunity to gift me trail necessities like root beers, showers, loads of laundry, meals, hotel stays, campground stays, town resupplies, specific stops along my way to Canada, one of the four resupply boxes I’ll send to myself on trail, a specific Nero or Zero Day and even part or all of the side trip we plan on taking this year to Vegas/the Grand Canyon while waiting out the late season storms in the Sierra.
Anyone who sponsors any part of my registry (no matter how big or small) will receive a handwritten postcard sent from me, from the trail so be sure to leave me your address when you send your gift.
2 – Become A Patron
Patreon is an online platform where my biggest fans can support what I do, either on or off the trail. Fans, otherwise known as “Patrons” can pledge as little as $1/month and earn rewards based on the level of support they choose. Some rewards include access to LIVE monthly Q&As and exclusive videos of my hikes I don’t post anywhere else online.
3 – Shop through my Amazon Affiliate links
When you click on my Amazon Affiliate link and place an order, a small portion from your order will go towards my blog at no additional cost to you.
My challenge isn’t with practicing yoga. It’s with getting myself to the studio to practice. If you find yourself struggling to get to the studio like I do, here are 6 tips to help get your butt out of bed and into an early morning yoga class. Read more…
Yoga FAQs
People ask me all the time if they can eat or drink anything before taking a Hot Yoga or a Bikram Yoga class. The short answer is yes, but it depends on what you eat/drink and when you plan on taking class. Drink Before I take a Hot Yoga or Bikram Yoga class, I always […] Read more…
Yoga FAQs
My motto has always been, “Early is on time and on time is late. If you’re late, don’t even bother coming unless you have a really good excuse.” I apply this motto to all aspects of my life, especially my yoga practice. Bikram Yoga is my ultimate way to release stress from daily life. The […] Read more…
Yoga FAQs
You don’t need to bring a whole lot with you to a Bikram Yoga class, but there are a few essentials I always like to bring with me to make class more enjoyable. Here are eight things you should bring to a Bikram Yoga class: 1 – Yoga Mat Everyone needs his or her own […] Read more…
Yoga FAQs
Absolutely! Sure! Why not? I mean really, you can do anything you put your mind to. Before you try this for yourself, please allow me to give you a few words of advice. This is all from my own personal experience so feel free to take it or leave it as you see fit. First […] Read more…
You don’t need to bring a whole lot with you to a Bikram Yoga class, but there are a few essentials I always like to bring with me to make class more enjoyable. Here are eight things you should bring to a Bikram Yoga class:
1 – Yoga Mat
Everyone needs his or her own mat in any yoga class. The type of mat you use will depend on the type of flooring your yoga studio has. If the studio has carpet, you can get away with a mat made of terry cloth material, similar to a towel. Just make sure it’s long enough to lie on comfortably. If the studio has rubber or vinyl flooring, you’ll want a mat that prevents you from sliding around during class and keep you in one place. When shopping for a mat, not only consider the flooring of the studio you plan to practice at, but also the mat’s grip, thickness and durability.
2 – Large Towel
If you have a rubber yoga mat, you’ll want a large towel to lie over your mat. The large towel will help catch your sweat from getting all over the studio floor and it will feel a whole lot more comfortable than sweating on top of a rubber mat. I love Breathe Mats because it’s a yoga mat and large towel all in one. These types of mats are designed specifically for Bikram and hot yoga. Breathe Mats are waterproof, sweat-proof, machine washable, dryer safe and can be used on both carpeted and rubber floors. There’s even a built-in Rabbit Flap that’s designed to give you a solid, dry grip on your feet during the Rabbit posture.
Some yoga studios rent towels and mats and may sell water. If you don’t already own your own mat and/or towel or forgot them at home along with your water bottle, call the studio ahead of time and ask if they have these items available for rent or purchase.
3 – Small Hand Towel
Are you the type of person who sweats a lot? If you sweat like I do, you might want to bring a small hand towel with you to class. A lot of instructors encourage you not to fidget or move in-between postures, but sometimes I find it completely necessary to wipe the excessive sweat from my face. Especially when it’s dripping off of my face like a faucet in postures like Triangle and Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee, making it hard for me to see or feel like I’m drowning. Its times like these that make having a small hand towel super convenient for me. I also like using a small hand towel to rest my face on while laying face first on my mat during the Spine Strengthening Series.
4 – Water
Always bring a water bottle filled with water to a Bikram Yoga class. I recommend bringing at least a 32oz water bottle. I personally like using a 48oz water bottle and always polish off the entire thing by the end of class. If you like taking the first class in the morning like I do, fill your water bottle and store it in the fridge the night before. The cold water will feel and taste extra refreshing during the hot class.
5 – Yoga Costume
A yoga costume is whatever you plan on wearing during class. For ladies, this generally means shorts, capris or leggings with a sports bra or tank top. For guys, this generally means any type of shorts with a liner. Shirts and tank tops are optional for guys. For more details and suggestions on what to wear to a Bikram Yoga class, click HERE.
6 – Extra Bag For Wet Clothes
By the end of a Bikram Yoga class, your yoga costume will be completely soaked. Be sure to bring an extra bag to put your wet clothes in. Some studios may have extra plastic bags on hand for this very reason. Just incase your studio doesn’t, always be prepared to bring your own bag.
7 – Change of Clean, Dry Clothes
I can’t think of anything more uncomfortable than driving home or going to work in cold, sweaty clothes after a Bikram Yoga class. Bring a change of clean, dry clothes to change into after class. If you’re going to work after class, check to see if your studio has showers. Most studios have showers, making it super convenient to get ready for work at the studio.
8 – A Great Attitude
Even though every Bikram Yoga class is the same postures done in the same sequence in the same amount of time, every class is going to be different. Your body will feel different in every class. Always be prepared to have a great class, but don’t get discouraged if you feel your body or mind struggle through some of the postures. Remember it’s the practice room, not the perfect room.
Sometimes shit just happens. There’s construction going on in the alley behind the studio so class isn’t as peaceful as it normally is. Class is incredibly busy and causes everyone to put their mat closer to each other than they normally do. Or only a couple people show up for the class and the instructor decides to lead a silent class. Despite what happens in class, know that you’re going to walk out of class feeling a whole lot better than when you first walked in so just smile and roll with it.
Heat is a key element when it comes to Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga. It’s also the thing people either love or dislike the most about this type of yoga. Whenever I talk to friends about Bikram Yoga, the first thing they mention is the heat. In fact, the number one excuse I hear from friends […] Read more…
There’s never been a better time to start a yoga home practice than right now. Just like you, I’ve been spending a majority of my time at home lately thanks to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. I get out in my neighborhood for a walk each day with the dog and make the occasional dash to […] Read more…
Countless hours of preparation – attending training classes after work, memorizing cues, practice teaching, studying postures and learning and practicing giving hands-on adjustments during postures – all came to a head for me on Monday night. I auditioned to teach Hot Power Fusion at CorePower Yoga. I feel like so much was built up into this one hour, which was referred to as a “skill-a-bration,” defined as a celebration of our skills, by the two managers who observed us. To me, it was one of the most intense hours of my life.
Back in February of this year, I enrolled myself into the 200-hour yoga teacher training, Hot Power Fusion program. This consisted of three classes a week – 3 hours after work on Wednesday and Thursday nights until 10:30PM and three hours on Sunday for a whole nine weeks. This was of course, in addition to working full-time at my day job. I was BUSY! By the end of the nine weeks, we were told if we wanted to teach at CorePower, we’d have to enroll in the Extensions Program, which meant five weeks of practice teaching. Of course I enrolled and dived right into practice teaching. Why wouldn’t I? I wanted to teach yoga.
By the time I finished the Extensions Program, I was invited to audition and try out for a Hot Power Fusion teaching internship with CorePower Yoga. The day our Extensions Program ended, I was in the car driving down to California for a two-week vacation. During my vacation, I would be volunteering my time to lead a yoga warm-up two days in a row for the annual Girls Ride The Wake event in Lodi. Not only would I not be in town for the audition, I mentally didn’t feel like I was ready to audition. I was scared. I didn’t feel very confident. I kept in touch with CorePower and told them I’d reach back out to them when I was ready to move forward.
Fast forward five months, I was coming up on my graduation of my fourth and final yoga teacher training of the year, a 200-hour Bikram Yoga teacher training at my beloved Sealevel Hot Yoga studio in Seattle. I had been giving teaching at CorePower Yoga some thought. I was still working my full-time day gig, but now more than ever, especially after finishing all of my training for the year, I was ready to teach some yoga. I reached out to CorePower and they invited me to come audition in mid-December.
For a month and a half, I focused on getting reacquainted with my Hot Power Fusion cues. I set aside a couple hours each night after work to re-memorize the dialogue. I sat in on a couple of hands-on adjustment workshops with the current round of Hot Power Fusion teacher trainees. I even showed up for their Bring A Beginner To Class day to show my love and support and to also help get my mind back into the Hot Power Fusion realm. On weekends, I would lock myself in my room for hours going over each posture, line by line, making sure I had every cue memorized.
Then finally before I knew it, Monday night was here and it was my turn to get up in front of the whole room to teach yoga. Since I had graduated earlier in the year, no one from my training class was at the audition. In fact, all seven of the people auditioning with me were already teaching yoga at CorePower. Talk about intimidating! As soon as my name was called, I took a deep breath, smiled, reminded myself that it was only yoga and was suppose to be fun and then hit the ground running with delivering my cues. On point, I might add. I was super proud of myself on how well I did. The hard work paid off. I felt really confident.
I think the thing I’m most proud of wasn’t how well I thought I did in the audition. It was that I faced a really big fear of mine, square in the face. I put in the time, did the work and completed the task. I don’t know how many times I tried talking myself out of memorizing the cues again or doing the actual audition. Whenever I’m scared to do something, I always try talking myself out of doing it. For once, I set those feelings of fear aside and powered through. I’m most proud of myself for following through on such a daunting task and I did it with a room full of yoga teachers. So there’s that.
Now comes the waiting game. I’m waiting to hear back on what my next steps will be with CorePower, which may include details of a teaching internship, a schedule discussion of days and times of the classes I’d be teaching each week or it could be a “Thank you, but no thank you” conversation. Whatever that highly anticipated discussion might be, I know that I gave it my all, did my best and I’m really proud about it.
The nice thing about yoga is you don’t need a bunch of expensive gear to have an effective practice. Some of us (myself included) spend way too much money on the cute yoga pants though. Why are they so EXPENSIVE? Good news is you don’t need the overpriced pants to practice yoga, no matter how cute they are. I do recommend bringing three specific things with you each time you practice yoga, and two of them may not even cost you a dime.
Water
Water is usually free at the studio when you bring your own water bottle. In a yoga class, especially a hot yoga class, you’ll want to have water with you to keep yourself hydrated. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and headache. Trust me, being tired and/or having a headache while doing yoga is no fun. It can also be dangerous, especially if you’re doing yoga for an hour or more in a heated room. Get into the habit of drinking water throughout the day and bring some with you to class. You’ll be more alert, feel better and your practice will be stronger because of it.
The amount of water you bring with you to class is totally up to you. Some people only need a small bottle. I’ve seen people come into class with gallon jugs of water. I’ve also seen some bring fancy, expensive thermos-like bottles that keep their water as cold as ice throughout class. Personally, I like to drink water…a lot of it and I’m not all that particular on its temperature. I usually bring a 48 oz. water bottle with me and I’ll polish off the entire thing by the end of class. Once you start taking yoga on a regular basis, you’ll have a better idea of how much water you drink during class and know how much water you’ll want to bring with you.
Mat
Most studios will have mats available for rent if you don’t have one or forgot yours at home. This is one item I’d highly recommend purchasing though. It’s one thing to sweat all over your own mat, but when you rent or borrow a mat from a friend or studio, know that there have been many others whom have sweated all over that mat before you. When you use your own mat, you’re the only one who sweats on it and cleans it.
If you’re looking to invest in a mat, know you don’t have to break the bank when buying one. Yoga mats come in all sorts of materials, lengths and price ranges. Find one that works for you with the style of yoga you plan on practicing the most.
Before making a purchase, think about the type of flooring your yoga studio has. If there’s carpet, you can get away with a towel mat made of terry cloth. These types of mats are typically designed for Bikram Yoga and are made to absorb an incredible amount of sweat, great for heavy sweaters like myself. If the studio has rubber, vinyl or wood flooring, you’ll want a mat that wont slide around during class. Make sure there’s some sort of grip, thickness and durability. Remember, the only thing between you and the hard floor will be your mat so make it as comfy as you can afford.
A Good Attitude
Had a rough day at work? Super stressed out? Tired? Experienced a little bit of road rage on your way into class? These are all good reasons to show up for class, but be sure to leave the bad juju outside of the studio. For some of us, this might be the only time we have to ourselves today. Get the most you can out of each class by leaving the outside world outside. When you come into the studio, prepare to unwind, unplug and be present for your practice. And leave your cellphone in the locker room. Cellphones have no purpose in the studio, unless the teacher is using it to play their playlist.
Not every class will be perfect and full of yoga bliss. You might have to make extra room for a late yogi joining class. A full class may cause other yogis to practice a lot closer to you than you’re normally used to. You weren’t able to show up to class early enough and someone snagged your favorite spot. Maybe there’s a new teacher who’s throwing you off that day? Despite whatever happened before or during class, know you’re going to leave class feeling much better than when you walked in. Just smile and roll with it.
One of my all-time favorite Bikram Yoga teachers said years ago during a class, “It’s the practice room, not the perfect room.” At the time, I thought it was a clever thing to say. I had no idea this one little statement would resonate with me as much as it has, years after taking his class.
As a Bikram Yoga practitioner for many years, I’d always find myself in competition with myself and other yogis around me, trying to push my body into the next level or final expression of any given posture. It didn’t matter if my knees hurt in Fixed Firm, I’d push myself to recline all the way onto my back anyways. It didn’t matter if I struggled to balance on one leg or was hunched over my bent knee during Standing Forehead to Knee, I’d muscle my way through the posture anyways.
In yoga teacher training, I learned about crazy ideas how yoga wasn’t a competition and that it was okay to back out of postures if they didn’t feel good. It could have been these new ideas that changed my perspective on yoga. Or maybe it was all of the yoga classes I was taking on a daily basis that forced me to take a step back and listen to my body finally. Whatever it was gave me permission to explore all of the different options of any given posture. For the first time, I stopped caring about what other people were doing around me in class and started caring about how my own body felt instead.
As a yoga teacher, I have the ability to share my special “ah-ha” yoga and life moments with my students through setting an intention for my classes and including a personal share at the end of each class. The Prize Is In The Process is my intention for class this week, an idea borrowed from Baron Baptiste’s Journey Into Power book, one of my required book readings in my CorePower Yoga Hot Power Fusion yoga teacher training.
Often when I’m teaching yoga, I see people, just like I used to, muscle their way through each posture and get frustrated whenever they fall out of a posture early. Whenever I see this in class, I want tell these students that there are no prizes for perfect yoga poses. A yoga practice is a journey with no end. You grow and transform along the way. This means it’s perfectly okay to yourself permission to enjoy wherever your body is at today. It could mean working hard and going to your edge. Other days it might mean taking an extra breath or two or hanging out in a resting posture while you allow yourself to catch your breath. It could also mean exploring variations and options of any given posture. Sometimes it could even be taking an extra water break or two in-between postures. The point is to honor your body by giving it whatever it needs.
Let your body be your guide. Do what feels good in your body today. Yoga isn’t about achieving a posture perfectly. It’s about showing up on your mat and honoring your body on how it feels that day and give it whatever it needs – a gentle push, a sip of water, an option or a break. This is the practice room, not the perfect room.
This idea of the prize is in the process has followed me off of my mat and into my recent hiking and backpacking adventures. I’ve been doing a fair amount of hiking and am pretty new to backpacking. I’ve been spending quite a bit more time outdoors lately, training my body to move up and down the mountains and carry a considerable amount of weight on my back in anticipation for my big PCT adventure next April. While I’m out there sweating profusely and struggling to climb my way up the trail, I have to remind myself that this too (just like my yoga practice) is a journey. It will never be perfect.
With each hike and backpacking trip I go on, I learn and grow along the way. My body gets stronger. I get more efficient in how I carry my weight and pack my pack. I get to know how to use my gear better. I feel more comfortable spending time outside, with friends and by myself. While I’m busy learning all of these important lessons on each of my outdoor adventures, I’m doing the most important thing of all – having fun with it!
Give yourself permission to let go of the competition and have fun. Be okay with the fact that it will never be perfect. Enjoy the journey.
This week marks the one year anniversary of when I auditioned to teach Hot Power Fusion at Corepower Yoga. I remember the night of my audition like it was yesterday. Every time I think about this experience, the nervous jitters come back immediately. I was already so scared, but what I didn’t know ahead of […] Read more…
Hi Everyone! It’s been awhile since I’ve been here and I have some important and exciting things to update you on. First of all, I’ve moved! I have a brand-new website over at The Hungry Hiker and you should totally check it out. The-Hungry-Hiker.com is where I’ll be providing tips and tricks on how to […] Read more…
Yoga
There’s never been a better time to start a yoga home practice than right now. Just like you, I’ve been spending a majority of my time at home lately thanks to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. I get out in my neighborhood for a walk each day with the dog and make the occasional dash to […] Read more…
Yoga FAQs
My challenge isn’t with practicing yoga. It’s with getting myself to the studio to practice. If you find yourself struggling to get to the studio like I do, here are 6 tips to help get your butt out of bed and into an early morning yoga class. Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Last week, I went to a high school and talked to three different classes about my upcoming PCT thru-hike.I had spent a few weeks putting together my PowerPoint presentation covering the who, what, when, where and why the hell would I hike all the way from Mexico to Canada all by myself details to share […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Confession Time: I’m a creature of habit, by choice. I love my routines. I enjoy following a schedule and feel very accomplished when I get to check daily tasks off of my To-Do List. It makes me feel efficient and organized. And when I’m organized, I feel like I’ve got everything under control. I’m on […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
“If we cannot be honest with ourselves first, we cannot be honest in any other part of our life.” I’ve been spending the last year of my life training, preparing, saving for my upcoming PCT thru-hike in April. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I’d been excited and looking forward to my trip. […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Self-care is so underrated in our society. I hear people bragging all the time about how they’re working a double at work, putting in 12, 14 or 16 hours days. I hear people boasting themselves for not being able to remember the last time they took a day off from work. We’re constantly in a […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Yesterday was another big milestone in my yoga teaching journey. I celebrated the one-year anniversary of teaching my first yoga class, a candlelight Hot Power Fusion class at Corepower Yoga. The whole day was one big celebration. In the morning, I taught my biggest class yet, a Yoga Sculpt class with 36 yogis! We rocked […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
This week marks the one year anniversary of when I auditioned to teach Hot Power Fusion at Corepower Yoga. I remember the night of my audition like it was yesterday. Every time I think about this experience, the nervous jitters come back immediately. I was already so scared, but what I didn’t know ahead of […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Out of all the yoga teacher trainings I’ve done over the last couple of years, Yoga Sculpt teacher training at Corepower Yoga has been my favorite teacher training so far. This is quite a statement for me because when I started my first yoga teacher training, I was obsessed with Bikram Yoga. After my initial […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
On November 1st, I applied for my PCT Long-distance Permit. My target start date for the hike is Wednesday, April 25th. I’ll find out sometime over the next couple of weeks if I get my target start date on the first try. If not, I have a second chance of applying for a thru-hiking permit […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
As I made my way through yoga teacher training last year, I’d have these grand daydreams of what life would be like if I were a full-time yoga teacher. I imagined my life being more fun and less stressful if only I could ditch my day job and teach yoga instead. Yoga has always been […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
I’ve been so incredibly busy lately. I’ve been subbing a bunch of classes in addition to teaching my regular classes over the last few weeks. Just in the last two days, I’ve worked two, back-to-back double shifts at the restaurant I work at outside of teaching yoga. Without yoga or investing the time into my […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Ever wonder what goes through the mind of a yoga teacher while they’re teaching class? Some think about the next posture they’re going to cue, the next meal they’re going to eat or whatever plans they may after class. I often secretly imagine I’m leading my students through an elaborate game of Simon Says. I […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
Not every day is magical and amazing in the life of a yoga teacher. Yes, yoga teachers have their “off” days too. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been feeling a little “off” and haven’t been able to figure out why. Maybe it’s because I’ve been busy. I’ve been on the go all summer […] Read more…
Teaching Yoga
“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I used to roll my eyes whenever I read this quote. Really? How could I ever love a job? I’ve worked in a number of different service jobs, as both a bartender and a server. I’ve worked in skincare. I’ve worked in […] Read more…
