Berries are some of my all time favorite fruits to eat. Mix in a little shaved dark chocolate, and you have one heavenly bowl of goodness. Try this dessert out tonight! http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/recipe-for-health-cherry-berry-fruit-salad-with-shaved-dark-chocolate?utm_source=FitnessConnect%20February%202016&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February%20Client%20Newsletter%202016%20(8)
Author: Claudia Fountain
Yoga teacher, personal fitness trainer, and student of Life.
Claudia’s fascination with movement and body potential began with her slipping in to the ballet studio across the street from her house when she was seven, where she sat in a corner and watched in wonder. Later, she boogied her way through aerobics classes, ultimately becoming a certified instructor. Finally deciding to make the leap from a traditional office career to a movement based career in personal fitness training, Claudia went back to school to complete her Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology.
In 2003, following a health scare, she began to explore yoga as a way to manage her stress and reconnect with her body in a new way. “I practice yoga to wake up from the inside out. Every time I step on my mat, or sit on my meditation cushion, I am there for the inward journey of discovery. Yoga is the process of peeling away layers, always moving toward my true, authentic self. The process is fun, exciting, joyful, sometimes terrifying, but always feels like I am traveling home. This is also why I teach. I love to share knowledge, and offer tools to my clients so that they may become empowered to have their own breakthroughs.” Claudia completed her 200 and 500 hour RYT through Jennifer Prugh’s "Joy of Yoga" teacher training. Her vinyasa flow classes are anchored by a strong background in exercise physiology, and are deeply centered in a mindful dance with the breath and the body.
Breath Science
We do it every day, every moment of every hour in a day, and usually with very little thought devoted to it. Breathing. Inhaling and exhaling. Simple and autonomous, and yet so much more. B. K. S. Iyengar wrote that prāna is “breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy, or strength.” Prānāyāma is essentially the science of breathing. Body and mind, breath and mind, are inextricably linked together. When we work with our breath, we directly affect and influence the physiology of the body. Steady, even inhalations and exhalations help balance and regulate the nervous system. Longer exhalations shift the body in to the parasympathetic nervous system, which is calming and soothing to the body (think slowing down of the heartbeat).
As the body calms, desire diminishes and the mind settles. This is why in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, prānāyāma is described as a precursor to concentration. Concentration is one of the core precepts of meditation. With a calm mind, meditation becomes effortless instead of a struggle. Then we can begin the work of sifting through the layers of “stuff”–thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions, boredom, the endless play of life–until we reach Source.
Beginning this week and continuing through the year, we will be learning and practicing a series of prānāyāma techniques as an integral part of our meditation practice. Join me every Friday, 1:30-2:00pm, Breath & Meditation, Breathe Los Gatos. http://breathelosgatos.com
How to Exit “Auto-pilot” Mode
Remember back to the last time you got angry, or upset, about a situation or a comment. How was the next hour or the rest of your day affected? Emotional reactions often feel like overwhelming surges that keep us caught in their momentum, making it difficult to respond with thoughtfulness or any kind of awareness.
This article gives a very simple and accessible way to handle the release of difficult emotions. The next time you find yourself caught in a web of reactionary emotional responses to a situation, take a moment to simply pause. Slow down and BREATH. Then RELAX. FEEL, WATCH, and ALLOW the felt physiological sensations to wash through before making a response.
Deepen Your Yoga Practice
I am working on the final touches of my workshop, and I am pretty excited about sharing it with you! In this workshop you will explore the Koshas, using them as a roadmap for deepening your connection to your energy bodies. We will be discussing, practicing, breathing, meditating, and journaling. I hope to see you there!
For more information, and to register:
5+ Chest Stretch Variations
Stretching the chest is essential for most of us! These five are great variations. I also would add a sixth restorative variation: Supine over a yoga bolster or a rolled blanket. Place the bolster behind you on the floor, with your hips on the floor and touching the end of the bolster. Lay back along the length of the bolster. Your head should be supported on the bolster, or with an additional pillow or folded blanket. Your legs can be straight on the floor, or bent with the bottoms of your feet together and knees apart on the floor. Rest your arms on the floor at about shoulder high, or slightly lower, palms up. Stay for 2-3 minutes, breathing comfortably.
You Are Here! Mapping the Energy Body
I am excited and thrilled to be presenting my very first workshop next month! Have you ever wondered if there was more to yoga than laying down a sticky mat and moving through a series of poses? In this workshop we will learn about and explore the Koshas–an ancient system for mapping the energy body. And, how we can use the Koshas to deepen and transform our yoga practice.
When & Where: October 11, 2015, 1:30-4:30 pm, $55, Breathe Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
For more information: Kosha Workshop, http://breathelosgatos.com
POSE4APURPOSE.COM
An outdoor yoga festival that benefits cancer patients and their families–it doesn’t get much better than that! This coming Saturday, September 12th, in Vasona Park, Los Gatos, CA. You will find collaborative (multiple teachers) yoga, acro yoga, SUP yoga, meditation, walking yoga, sound healing, and much more! For tickets: http://www.pose4apurpose.com/registration-tips #yoga #cancercarepoint
Buddhism & Paradigm Shifts
I am deeply immersed in Buddhism at the moment, working on a writing project. I find the concepts and philosophy of Buddhism to be both very calming, and frustrating, at times. One moment I am gratified with some understanding, and at another moment completely frustrated by my seeming inability to understand. At times, it feels as if there is an ebb and a flow to “getting it” or not. This will then amuse me as I ponder it all.
Enlightenment, in any form whether tiny or mind-blowing, is either as close as flipping a switch, or as far away as trying to fill a sieve with water. It is said you cannot think your way to enlightenment, you have to experience it. One moment it will simply happen. But, only after you have let go of every concept you have ever had of your self, or your perception of the way things are.
What I am thinking or feeling about most things is always changing in some way or another, particularly as I learn more. What I know about anything is simply a pattern, a paradigm. And, patterns can always be shifted. The Four Noble Truths are considered the central concepts of Buddhism, and teach us that shifting from suffering to peace is possible. Every day, every experience, every moment is an opportunity for us to “flip the switch” and experience peace.
I have found the following description of the Four Noble Truths by Sylvia Boorstein to be useful:
- Life is continually challenging because circumstances keep changing.
- Suffering is the inability of the mind to accommodate these changing circumstances.
- Peace is possible.
- It is possible to systematically cultivate, through lifestyle practices and mental training exercises, a mind that accommodates changing circumstances wisely, avoids confusion, and does not suffer.
CrossFit Games: Just Say NO
As a fitness professional, I have always had deep reservations regarding extreme fitness programs–CrossFit definitely being one of them–and their potential for injury. This travels well beyond that. #crossfit #games #shameonthem
https://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/open-letter-to-crossfit-hq
Healthy Eating
Eating healthy is sometimes challenging! These quick recipes are fun (breakfast banana splits!) and easy to prepare.
Follow the link: http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/PDF/healthycooking/ACE_HealthyCooking_2_ONTRACK.pdf
Claudia Fountain Fitness + Yoga 
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