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I am not a fan of running. My theory has always been that there is a reason people run, and it’s not good. You would only find me running if it involved some sport – like basketball or soccer – or chasing after my niece as she defiantly ran toward a busy parking lot, trying to reach her before a vehicle did. Then late December in 2010 while at dinner with one of my closest friends, we began talking about some things we’d still like to accomplish in our lifetimes. I can clearly remember her saying “I want to run a 5K… And you’re running it with me.” Well, considering my feelings toward running, I made her commit publicly: we both posted that we were running a 5K together in 2011.

It just so happened that my workplace provided us the opportunity to sign up for a state-wide fitness challenge for free. This challenge focused primarily on daily steps and minutes of exercise, and each department created their own teams to compete with each other. It was so much fun seeing co-workers jogging in place at the copy machine just to log more steps. Well, lucky for me the organization running this challenge provided a Couch-to-5K (C25K) program. With a 5K in 2011 looming in my future, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to, well, run.

I’m so glad I did this program. Not that I couldn’t have figured it out on my own, but there were others in this group progressing in their ability, their endurance, their motivation. If I didn’t keep up with my program, I would let the group down. We were a group of strangers who were best friends and teammates once per week.We encouraged and challenged each other. And I started to like running. Started.

So my friend and I ran several races those first couple years. We chose races that were raising funds for various causes: assisting homeless, pet rescue, mental health, breast cancer awareness & research. And all causes we supported. In particular, we ran the Gloria Gemma 5K. This race is the largest fundraiser for a local community support agency, the Gloria Gemma Foundation. In fact I had been involved with breast cancer awareness walks for many years, beginning around 2007 if my memory serves me right. I walked for many years for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides walk as the captain for “Millie’s Team.” I walked every year, rain or shine, with the exception of two. The first that i missed was the year my mother-in-law, Millie, passed away from metastasized breast cancer, though we continued to fundraise. The second was last year, when I really did not feel the connection to these causes that i used to have.

I also became more involved in fundraising for Gloria Gemma Foundation. The yoga studio I teach at formed “Shelly’s Harmony Bees” after our friend and college passed from metastasized breast cancer as well.

So why am I sharing all this, you may ask? I want to start running again. I had to put my running on hold due to a couple of injuries (completely non-running related). And yes, I want to run again. I still dislike everything about running, with the exception of how I feel at the end. I feel that my body is strong. I feel confident. I feel growth in my abilities. I feel healthy.

Because of this, I feel drawn to start my own C25K group. We aren’t going all hard-core crazy. Just committing ourselves to support each other, and in doing so we are committing to supporting ourselves. I am not a personal trainer, but I will use proven tools to facilitate our meetings so that we may progress in our fitness goals together.

A friend, and the organizer of the first 5K I participated in, told me: as long as your run across the start line and run across the finish line, you are a runner. What happens in between doesn’t matter.

Information and planning sessions will be held in March. C25K meetings will begin at the end of March/first week of April. We will be looking to participate in the Gloria Gemma 5K as the runners of “Shelly’s Harmony Bees.” Participation in this group is free, though donations will be accepted to support the fundraising efforts of “Shelly’s Harmony Bees” Info session dates are listed below. I hope to see you there.

Jai Bhagwan and Namaste!

 

Information and Planning Sessions to be held at Santosha Yoga Studio, 275 Reservoir Ave, Providence, RI.

Sunday March 4 10:30-11:15am

Wednesday March 7 6:30-7:15pm, 8:45-9:15pm

Saturday March 10 10:00-10:45am

Happy belated New Year! I am a little behind in my wishes as I have spent much time recently, as many do this time of year, reflecting on 2017 and what I wish for in 2018. However, unlike the traditional making of resolutions, I am choosing to focus on an intention.  What’s the difference? For me, resolutions are about fixing something. Resolving to loose weight or diet is fixing that I think I’m fat. Resolving to find a better job implies that my work is either not providing adequate income or not meeting my expectations, or both, and implies a need to make more money or find a more rewarding career. Resolutions have become a way for us to address and fix something that we or society thinks is “broken” about ourselves. Is it any wonder why so many people start these resolutions super committed only to stop most (if not all) effort in just a few short weeks?

Setting an intention, however, is like setting your GPS for a destination. Instead of a goal of losing weight, for example, I intend to be healthier and happier in my body – a part of which may or may not include losing weight. Just as with driving your car with the GPS you may be redirected along your route – construction detours, needing to go off the highway to find a rest stop or food, etc – your intention allows for detours but is still a beacon on your final destination.

These are really simple explanations, but I believe that most readers will have experienced them (personally or watched a friend) at some point in their lives. Intentions, for me, are trail markers – some markers indicate the short and easy route, some markers the longer or harder trail, but all trails lead toward the same end point. Some of us will just take longer to get there is all; and I know that I have wandered off the trail many, many times…

For me, the end of 2017 had presented many things to me. I have re-evaluated my work, what I place value on both personally and professionally. I have watched as unresolved blocks have literally released and moved through my body. I have watched agitation and anger come up and release. Work and holiday stresses taking its toll in terms of rest, exercise, and diet. As the practitioner I am, I have watched all of this with interest, curiosity, and the excitement of the opportunity to experiment with different ways of approaching what is the result of all this. As I entered 2018, not only was it the mark of a new calendar year but I also celebrated my 45th year on this planet. And I truly mean celebrated. I feel a sense of liberation, freedom, excitement, and drive that I have not felt before. And I am so looking forward to all that 2018 has to show me.

So, what are my intentions for 2018? The simple one that I continue to work with is to live my satya, my truth. I intend to live as healthy as I can be. For me, that includes more yoga, running, much more time meditating, more tea less coffee, time outdoors, time with those I love. I intend to write a book. There are more, but these are the ones I chose to share publicly. And they are rough destinations, not hard-set goals. And honestly, I’m looking forward to the detours and winding trails more than I am looking forward to reaching the endpoint. Because, honestly, the journey is where the juicy bits live, and its the juicy bits that make it all worthwhile.

Do you have some intentions that you have set for 2018? Share them on our Facebook page. Look for the Intentions post.

I am offering a special on Therapeutic Yoga sessions at Santosha Yoga Studio in Providence, RI.

BOGO Therapeutic Yoga: Buy 1-hour session, get another 1-hour session for 1/2 off!

One session = $65; second session ½ off =$32.50; total for 2 sessions = $97.50

Sale starts on Saturday 12/23 and runs through January 6th.

Therapeutic Yoga uses supported yoga postures in combination with bodywork to release physical and emotional blockages held within the body tissues. After discussing your needs, Parvati will select, and guide you through, a sequence of postures that will best address those needs. Clients report feeling relaxed, with less physical stress after sessions with Parvati.

This special is only available at Santosha. You may book your appointments here:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=219033&stype=-9&sTG=15&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=18&date=12/23/17

I was looking to share some great thoughts about gratitude and being thankful, planning to publish it prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Obviously that did not happen. So instead I find myself contemplating what that all really means – for me.

As for many I know, this past year has not been an easy one. Granted some of my loved ones have had it much harder by my definition, but that is my interpretation and has no bearing on how they define their experience. In my own life, I have taken some big steps business-wise as I continue to build the dream of Satya Wellness. I have taken trainings that have helped to shift the way I perceive things. I am allowing, more than ever, to let those things that no longer serve me to make their journey out of my body/mind/life. I have lost amazing people this year, and I have gained amazing people in my life. And as I reflect over the past year or so, I am grateful for all of it. Good and bad, it served me well.

“Life life with an attitude of gratitude” I have heard said many times. My interpretation is really to just live in the present. Each moment, to moment, to moment… The more in the with each moment, the more rich and meaningful that moment (and all those before and after) becomes. The more often that we can live without ruminating about the past (mistakes or triumphs) or obsessing about the future, the more joyous our life can become. I’m not saying to not have memories or to learn from pst mistakes, I’m saying to stop letting them control your present life. The past is done. And I’m not saying not to plan for the future, or not to have dreams and goals; I’m saying don’t let that consume your every thought and desire so that you miss the opportunity of life right in front of you. I still plan, I still reminisce. But I am so much more diligent in practicing staying present while I do those very things.

As I take a quick moment to pause I realize my hot tea has become much cooler, my feet are cold, and I am completely enthralled by the purring of my cat as she is sleeping in my lap. And in this moment there is nothing else – no past, no future, no memories, no plans, no blog-in-progress. Nothing. Just me, my sleeping cat, and my cold tea. And in this moment, there is nothing else that I want or need; it’s all right here. Until the next moment, and everything I need at that time will be here too.

“Life is a Journey, not a Destination.”

Enjoy the ride, find gratitude for the little things, seek joy everywhere.

Thank you for being a part of my ride through this life. In gratitude, Jai Bhagwan.

I used to think that meditation was just sitting on the floor cross legged with your eyes closed pretending to be all super zen, whatever that means. It used to be torturous. I’d sit on the floor, eyes closed, waiting for my mind to quiet and to feel relaxed. I’m mean, wasn’t that the point? Then I thought, maybe it’s not about quiet but supposed to be some ecstatic life altering, mind shattering experience. So I sat, closed my eyes… nothing. Well, there actually was a lot going on: my thoughts jumped around endlessly like squirrels who lost their nuts, my feet and legs became numb, and I felt really frustrated that I couldn’t meditate “properly.” So I stopped “meditating” until I underwent yoga teacher training.

I learned that meditation isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. There are SO MANY techniques and tips to make it more accessible for everyone. The biggest barrier to an effective practice? It’s what our minds tell us is “wrong” with what we are doing – and us actually listening to those stories. I learned that even the great yogic sages struggled with learning to quiet their minds to they could reach those ecstatic epiphanies. Even the sages struggled?!? Perhaps had had been doing it “right” all along? The various techniques I learned all, in their own unique way, help to quiet the mind just a little more so that you can begin to move toward a meditative state. It’s not instant, and sometimes it doesn’t last long, sometimes it doesn’t happen at all. But part of the practice of meditation is learning to be okay with all of that.

One of the easiest techniques is called Yoga Nidra. It literally means yogic sleep, and it is a guided meditation that you listen to while laying down. My favorite method is japa mala. It is the recitation of a mantra (silent or out loud), using a mala/rosary necklace as your method of counting.

I still struggle occasionally. I mean, I’m human after all. But I have found even just sitting on my meditation cushion brings me a little bit more peace in my heart, even if I think the meditation session was not successful in some way.

Have you wanted to begin a personal meditation practice? I will be leading a 3-week mini series on meditation. Over the three sessions we will discuss what meditation is, and what it is not. We will explore the benefits of a regular meditation practice, as well as the perceived barriers to an effective meditation practice. We will learn a sample of different techniques and have the opportunity to practice them. Each class will have a discussion component followed by a meditation experience. Spoiler alert: because it’s my favorite, we will be visiting the japa mala technique. If you are interested, see the link for more information and to register here.

In love and light,

Parvati

Dhanteras is the first day of the Hindu celebration of Diwali. It is a day that celebrants and devotees pray and give offerings to Lakshmi, the goddess of all types of wealth. It is believed to be an ideal time to invest or make large purchases, as Lakshmi will bless your investments and make them profitable.

Those who practice Ayurveda celebrate Dhanvantari on this day. Dhanvantari is the god of medicine, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is the father, or creator, of Ayurveda and personally instructed the ancient sages in these arts. These medical arts have been passed down through the centuries. Today, there is a resurgence of interest in Ayurveda, as well as in other “traditional” healing arts. Even in India, the birthplace of Ayurveda, they are celebrating National Ayurveda Day today.

For me, I find this a perfect time to evaluate my health. Looking at areas that serve me, and those that don’t. This year my challenge has been maintaining consistent sleep/wake times. I don’t work the traditional 9-5 and my work schedule often changes, so consistency can be a challenge. The more consistent one’s sleep/wake cycle is, the more it is able to attune to the natural circadian rhythms around us. We are able to fit in all our daily needs – washing, eating, exercise, meditation – with less and less struggle. For me, a consistent daily routine is all about honoring my body.

Want to find out more about the Ayurvedic recommendations for the “ideal” daily routine? Check out my workshop “Creating Dinacharya, the Ayurvedic Daily Routine” this coming Saturday, October 21, 2017. You can follow this Link to register.

In love and health,

Jai Bhagwan.

There is a concept in Ayurveda called “Dinacharya,” which often translates as “daily routine.” As simple a concept as it seems, Dinacharya is considered the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

Having a regular routine is important in many aspects of our lives. Having a regular bed time ensures adequate rest through the night. Waking at the same time each morning ensures we are able to attend to our daily activities – like work – in a timely manner. Our daily routines ensuer we are bathed and fed. Our routine affects others as well. As an example, my husband wakes, starts the coffee then takes his shower. While he is showering I take a cup of coffee while tending to my morning stuff (laundry, making lunch, etc), then I shower when he is done. If my husband is late getting up, I am late getting in the shower and on with my own day as well.

Having a regular routine helps in other ways. Consistency in your daily routine creates stability, where constant change can create undue stress or anxiety. With an existing constitent reoutine, it is easier to insert changes. For example, you want to start runing every day. With a regular routine you can look at a typical day and find the perfect time for you to start a running program. With an irregular schedule it is difficult to schedule your runs each day, and you may become discouraged that you “don’t have the time” and you may quit running all together.

But Dinacharya is so much more than just a routine; it literally translates as “daily ritual.” And Ayurvedic recommendations for our daily rituals are desoigned to align ourselves with the natural rhythm of the world around us. Finding the best routine for ourselves involves alighning our social needs (jobs, family, etc) with the rhythm of nature in a manner in which we can thrive. Thrive physically, emoutionally, economically. And with a firm routine in place, we are not as easily thrown off when life throws an unexpected curve, as it is sometimes known to do.

Want to learn more? I will be holding a workshop – Creating Dinacharya – where we will look at the nature/human life connections and how to begin to arrange our daily rituals to align with the natural forces around us Click the link below to find out more and to register.

In Love & Light,

Parvati

Creating Dinacharya

Saturday October 21, 12-3pm

at Santosha Yoga Studio, Providence, RI

I love autumn. The air becomes cool, clean, crisp. You can smell the change of the season. Here in Rhode Island the leaves begin to change color, the beaches empty, and folks are out enjoying the last bit of comfortable outdoor weather before winter hits. Fall brings lots of change, as well – and Satya Wellness is not exempt. I am really excited to launch our new website, www.satya-wellness.com, which is still a work in progress. I will be launching an email newsletter, bringing back my Creating Dinacharya workshop, and I’m planning a meditation series as well.  So stay tuned, visit often. Enjoy the changes of fall. Jai Bhagwan!