Happy Valentine’s Day from Sundance Studios!

Take some time to love yourself and those around you today.

People around the holidays amaze me with their generosity and good will. My students were very good to me this year, and some of my presents included gift certificates to Amazon. Being the obsessed dancer/yogi that I am, I used my Christmas money to order a couple prenatal yoga books, a cleanse system, and a pair of yoga pants. When I got the pants in the mail, I was shocked and disappointed in society. I ordered a size medium and they were too big for me. Now, for some people this is a major win, but it just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I’m 5’4″, about 130 pounds with some decent muscle. I don’t consider myself tiny. I work with a girl who is tiny, and if I’m not a medium, I have no idea what size she would fit in. I had a similar experience with some clothes my sisters bought me from Old Navy for Christmas. A couple shirts, size medium, too big for me. What makes this worse is that I have another shirt, size medium, from Old Navy that I got maybe 2 years ago. When I compared my old shirt with my new ones I discovered that the new mediums were 4 INCHES LARGER! 4 inches is a huge difference when it comes to women’s clothing. Are we really that uncomfortable with ourselves that we need to have vanity sizing that is that drastic? I’m not advocating obesity or anorexia, but is it possible to love the size that you actually are? Look deep into your soul and think about whether or not a number on a tag is really impacting your life.

Happy New Year from Sundance Studios!

I am back at it with more classes (check my teaching schedule) and more motivation to become the best version of me! My latest adventure/new year’s resolution is to cut sugar from my diet. I’m starting with the obvious – no added sugar in my drinks, no sweets (which is super difficult right after the holidays – we have so many kinds of candy, cookies, and baked goods around the house), and check labels for the words sugar, corn syrup, aspartame, dextrose, etc. Two day after coming out of December’s sugar high I’m already feeling the affects of this diet change. I woke up a little headachy and feeling a bit off, but a good stretch in this morning’s class quickly got rid of those detox symptoms. My skin is looking awesome, which I’ll contribute to the lack of sugar, the extra water I’ve been drinking (aiming for 8-9 cups a day!), and the amazing night cream I’m testing for Coty. Sometimes letting yourself be a guinea pig is quite beneficial! I have a long journey ahead of me – 21 days to create a habit, a lifetime to keep it. I would love to kick the sugar completely out of my life but it hides so easily, sneaky addiction. After I get used to only eating natural sugars (fruits, honey, etc) I might try a deep restorative detox cleanse. I started reading Clean (…again) and I feel like the principles in it really resonate with this healthy lifestyle I aim to live. Check it out and join me if you’re up for it!

I’m heading to my sister’s house today to share Thanksgiving dinner with my family and her husband’s family. I’m so grateful to have such fun people to share the holiday with, and even more grateful for the delicious food we are going to share. Potluck is amazing. I am in charge of the stuffing this year and I found this awesome, yummy, homemade,  vegan stuffing recipe that I just had to share with all of you. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

No, I’m not talking about the movie Frozen. But I am talking about yoga and everyday things that are holding you back in your life.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a few conversations with students and teachers alike, and they all seem to be going through some kind of personal change. They are finding themselves, realizing just how amazing they really are, taking on new challenges to help them grow, but most of all deepening their practice. I have a new student in one of my classes, wonderful woman who decided to take up yoga to supplement her running program during the colder months. She enjoyed her first class and noticed an immediate change in her running workout, which enticed her to come back for more. By the time she got to her third class, she was crying during savasana and allowing herself an emotional release that she didn’t realize she desperately needed.

I encountered a similar situation with another relatively new student in another class. I got to talk to her during class for a bit and she said that in previous classes she had started to cry towards the end too.

I’ve felt this way myself during my own practice. You have these emotions running deep inside you that you need to get out, but you don’t know where they are coming from and why you feel that way, or maybe even how you feel. It just happens. Yoga has this amazing way of ripping you open, leaving you completely exposed and empty so that you can heal yourself, rebuild all the good parts of you, and leave you fuller and stronger than you ever thought possible. It has been such a blessing finding my place in the world and helping others find their path.

Today, take some time for yourself and just let everything go, even if its just for a few minutes. No distractions, no plans, no needs or desires, just you. Sit and soak in the silence, relish the peace and quiet, open up your heart to anything that is trying to make its way in that will benefit you, and let go of anything that is no longer serving you. You will be amazed at the results.

I had an absolutely amazing weekend and I just needed to share it with you because I am so grateful for my life right now.

The weekend started off with cleaning the dance studio Friday afternoon before work. My bosses came in halfway through my removal of dust bunnies and asked me if I was teaching the ballet class early Saturday morning (early by dancer standards is 9:15am). I told them yes and their response was that I could leave an hour earlier than the rest of the staff that day, 1pm instead of 2pm. As if getting out early wasn’t good enough, it meant that I would be able to make a luncheon for more than just coffee at the end of the meal. Gavin’s sister is recently engaged with the wedding coming up next August. Weddings are always exciting and the love that is outpoured for the couple is awesome. I definitely didn’t want to miss anything I was invited to by the family.

Sunday was a competition at the Renaissance Hotel in Woodbridge with three other Arthur Murray studios. The students had a great time and danced really well. I was so proud of their dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm. Then came the professional show dance competition. I dance two routines, a swing with Luis and a quickstep/samba with my regular partner Kennedy. Luis and I won!!! Our routine was flawless and we got a standing ovation from everyone there. Such a great feeling!

Monday was back to work at the studio, with a little bit of a schedule change for me. My entire afternoon was taken up by a teaching exam. Yes, 3 hours of dancing, technique and theoretical discussions to be officially certified to teach 12 dances at the full bronze level (our school uses the medalist system: associate bronze, full bronze, associate silver, full silver, gold. bronze, silver and gold are broken down into 4 sub levels to help track student progress, give them goals, and teach skills appropriate to their level of movement.)  I passed and got some really good feedback and comments from the adjudicator. Kennedy’s birthday was also Monday, so we had a ton of cake brought in from his students and parents.

And to cap off a long weekend, Tuesday two of my students brought me little presents because they had been thinking about me – a couple bumper stickers which will be going into my footlocker with my others (kind of a functional traveling scrapbook of my life) and a pack of apple cider donuts from a local farm that I love.

Life is good and I can’t wait to see what else the week has in store for me. <3

Have you ever had a truly emotional response to something? Not just “that’s so funny!” or “how awful!”, but having a feeling welling up from deep within you that you can’t control and just need to share with anyone around you. Brides stereotypically have these moments as they plan for their wedding day, particularly when they find the right dress and put it on for the first time. Overwhelming tears of joy along with the realization that your entire life is about to change. I’ve had a few of these moments recently as I realize how far I’ve come on my path and appreciate what I have going on in my life.  I am planning a new studio, an amazing new studio for yoga, Pilates, dance, Zumba, nutrition, overall wellness and community. Its a huge undertaking and like any small business a huge risk, but I feel like my entire life has been pointing towards this without me knowing it. I registered my name, Sundance Studios, officially with the county and started casually looking at spaces for rent. I found an amazing space in a good location that could be perfect, and me being me, I started dreaming about how the studio would run, where I would put things and how I would decorate. For whatever reason, I thought about my logo, which is being created by awesome local artist Angela Fernot, and realized a component of it is almost identical to a painting I was given as a child by my 4th grade art teacher. I nearly cried and immediately told Gavin. I often emote to him, but I’m loving that more and more of my emotional responses are directly related to experiences I have because of him and with him. Things are finally starting to come together…. <3

Today, we celebrate the life of Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja (BKS) Iyengar, one of the great modern yoga gurus who helped to bring yoga to the west. Mr. Iyengar, known fondly as Guruji, wrote several books on yoga, one of which, “Light on Yoga,” has been translated into 18 languages, according to his website. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2014. In 2004, Time magazine called him one of  the world’s 100 most influential people. He was introduced to yoga at the age of 16 and continued to practice and teach well into his 90s. Mr. Iyengar died today at the age of 95 in Pune, India.

Coming soon!!!

*New Logo!

*New Studio Space!

*New Classes!

*New Yoga Mat!

<3

I had this discussion with some of my yoga students today about hidden talents. Mine is obvious being a ballroom dancer and they are forever impressed with what I’m able to do (I love sharing pictures and videos with them!). One of the women in class told me a story she had heard about someone locally who saved her house and pretty much her entire life because of her hidden talent. This woman’s house was on the verge of foreclosure and she was trying desperately to figure out a way to find some money so she could pay her mortgage. A friend of her’s told her she should bake her amazing apple cake and sell it. Because she didn’t have many options, she did. She baked a whole bunch of her cakes and sold them to everyone she knew. Her cake became such a hit, she was requested to make and sell more. It became her job and her life. Never had she imagined that something as simple as taking a hobby like baking apple cake could change her entire life. This story touched me deeply and I encouraged all of my students that day to look deep inside themselves to find the little things they enjoyed and were good at. Just by recognizing your talents, you can be on the path to a better life and can give yourself the opportunity to achieve your goals. Never underestimate the little things in life, they might just become your life.