purify on the cheap

nowadays, cleansing & detoxing tend to come with a rather hefty price tag, which is why i am so elated with the amazing trader joe's bath product i just discovered!

[enter]purify, grapefruit chamomile sea salt scrub.

it really is all-natural, so there is no worry what you are actually are rubbing all over your skin that will soon be absorbed into the rest of your body.

here are the small list of ingredients (no scary ones): sea salt, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, apricot kernel oil, blend of natural & essential oils, vitamin e, vitamin c.

the oils in the scrub are super moisturizing & eliminate that extra step of lotion after the shower (god, knows i can need all the help i can get when getting ready quickly). the fragrance is sublte, invigorating & delicious. only a few days & it truly is working wonders on my dry spots (ankles, elbows,knees)... now only if it came in a tube - the jar like most scrubs is a two hand process - unscrew, scoop, put lid back, & scrub - but for the $6.49 pricetag for 22oz, i'm willing to look past that (for now)!

if you're feeling crafty, you can always try making your own - look for my upcoming adventures in homemade scrubs to come (after i finish my purify jar of course).

what are your fave scrubs?

if you love it, tag it

it has become the new chain letter of 2009 - tagging. my friend stylepill just tagged me & now i am passing it forward.

here are the rules:

1-go to the 4th folder where you keep your pics.
check!

2-choose the 4th pic.
(look to your left) check!

3-explain it.
my little cousin gave me my pocket 'love' buddha about 2 christmases ago. and so i began bringing him along to new places, helping me stay in the present moment & spread the love, plus he's a great conversation starter & makes for memorable pics (case in point). this pic is from our trip out west to san fran visiting one of my bestest friends, when we went to a cozy little wine bar in the marina... check!

4-tag 4 blogs you are following.
beauty blogging junkie
elephant beans
vegan bits
yogadork
check!

when it's too cold to be outside - enlighten up!

because i have spent the past two weekends hibernating as much as i can, enjoying some cozy a.p.t. time & finding unique ways to escape without doing any physical activity (yes i have been lazy), i stumbled up enlighten up, a documentary about trying to convert a non-yogi to an ujjayi-breathing, pretzel-twisting practitioner. i was stoked to find out that it's premiere will be at the ifc in nyc on april 1st!

deal: in each city, they are offering complimentary preview screenings for yoga teachers! send an email to info@enlightenupthefilm.com if you are a teacher & want to be on the invite list, include your contact information & a link to the studio where you teach.

who's in?

GIANORMOUS (as in giant) lululemon warehouse sale

if you have an urge to travel north to even colder climates, there is a reward waiting for you in niagra falls (ontario) at lululemon!

here are the sale deets:

• jan 29 - feb 1
• 5175 victoria avenue (victoria plaza), niagara falls, on
• questions? twitter lululemon
  

i will be sticking out the single digits in nyc, but if you make it to the sale, please share your finds!

madame cleanse

in hopes of a fresh start i have been doing the master (or madame, as i like to call it) cleanse for the past few days. i am just finishing up day 4 & feel really energetic & alive!!

for some support i have been posting daily reminders on twitter to keep me going & share my cleanse with others tweeting out there. kimberly dm'ed me asking about some deets on my cleanse, so i took that as a sign for this post (thanks kimberly!).

i have found that it's really more about willpower & your mental focus than the lemonade.

i'll admit, going to my friends' post-holiday, white elephant party on saturday was definitely tough with all of the yummy treats. however i was really proud of myself when i got home that i didn't give in, even though that baked brie with a pastry crust & apricots still looks amazing in my head....

since i eat relatively healthy, i haven't encountered headaches or some of the other side effects, but i know others who have.

although the original m.c. calls for 10 days, i do a moderate 5 day cleanse. since this is my second time doing the cleanse, perhaps next time i will consider the full 10 days next time, but right now i am only mentally prepped for 5. here's the rundown:

• the day before my m.c.: ate only veggies & fruit (no meat, dairy, or grains/carbs).
• day #1: 6 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 herbal laxative tea (night)
• day #2: salt water flush(morning) + 6 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 herbal laxative tea (night)
• day #3: 6 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 chamomile tea (my treat!) + 1 herbal laxative tea (night) - i woke up too late to do the salt water flush
• day #4: 8 glasses of m.c. juice + 4 glasses of water + 1 tangerine ginger (my treat!) - no herbal laxative tea
  
• day #5 - tomorow i am stopping my cleanse: i plan to have 1 final glass of m.c. juice in the morning + 3 glasses of o.j. + veggie soup
• day #6: veggies & fruit (similar to the day before starting my cleanse)

here's my bulk m.c. recipe:
(1 cup = 4 servings)
the concentrate:

• 1 cup lemon/lime juice (8 oz)
• 1 cup maple grade b organic syrup (8 oz)
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper

water:

• 40 oz of water (5 cups) - preferably spring or purified water

the salt water flush:

• 1 qt of luke warm water (32 oz)
• 2 tsp of uniodized sea salt
  

what to do: drink the entire quart of salt & water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. the salt & water will not separate, but will stay intact & quickly (& i do mean QUICK) & thoroughly wash the entire digestive tract in about one hour. i literally set my alarm to wake up early to do this because the effects usually last about 2-3 hours for me, where i make several urgent trips to the bathroom. since the salt water has the same specific gravity as the blood, hence the kidneys cannot pick up the water & the blood cannot pick up the salt, so it runs right through you!

in addition to the day-by-day breakdown, here are some very important tips/recommendations to remember:

• the salt water flush goes right through you. you need to dedicate a few hours in the morning where you will be near a bathroom (preferably at home).
• instead of juicing my own lemons (which is highly recommended) i actually buy santa cruz organic lemon & lime juice at whole foods - it ultimately comes out cheaper than juicing my own organic lemons & it's so much more convenient! some say it reduces the effectiveness of the cleanse, but i haven't noticed.
  
• i make a bulk concentrate in the morning so that i can bring a bottle of the concentrate to work & then i just add water the single servings (4 oz of the concentrate) to a glass of water.
• the herbal laxative tea that i prefer is yogi tea get regular.
• other tea i sip sometimes during the day is yogi tea fasting.

do you cleanse? share your experiences with me!

be your own life coach

each new year, i like to take a little bit of time to reflect on the past year, but also to set my intentions for the year ahead. while i am energized to set them, after the first few days, actually sticking to them is another story.

here are some ideas that i have found helpful for staying on track:

1. create an intention calendar - for the tech-savvy, you can set up a separate calendar through google calendar (it's free!) or your outlook, etc. if you enjoy planners, here's a great excuse to get one! set an intention each dayl
   
2. send yourself daily reminders - set your intentions & inspirations using dontforgetthemilk.com to get reminders automatically sent to your inbox, or you can set reminders on your google calendar or outlook at different times of the day so that you can keep coming back to your intention,
3. wake up calls - a new reason to use post-its again. be your own cheerleader & write yourself a note before you go to bed, so you get a little self-boost when you rise & shine.
4. sharing is caring - create a community intentions calendar to help collective, positive energy motivate you, your friends, family, students, etc!

what are your 2009 intentions?

in with the new, recycle the old

the new year- (& the movie wall-e) has inspired me to cleanse on many levels in hopes of freeing up new space in my life for new experiences & (let's face it) new stuff. i will admit, despite my one body, i have quite a collection of yoga mats & have always felt guilty even considering trashing one.

in the past, i have donated one to a friend as she embarked on her own yogic journey, while helping me justify my new purchase. but it got me thinking, there are places to donate clothes you no longer wear & ways to recycle all of your papers & plastics - but what happens to the yoga mat? is it really yogic to add my mat to the landfills that are consuming this overcrowded planet?

then, like an answer to my prayers, i stumbled upon www.recycleyourmat.com! stephanie stano has a simply fantastic website and business plan. rym's goal is to collect as many mats as possible, continue conversations with manufacturers & businesses interested in using the mats, as well as partner with them to help make yoga mat sustainability common practice.

rym offers 3 ways to recycle your mat:

1. send rym your mat: recycle your mat, 4777 larkwood street, eugene, or 97405

2. drop off your mat at a collection box; can’t find a box? see #3!

3. set up a collection box; contact rym to set up your own mat collection location

december poll of the month results

thanks everyone for participating in the 'when do you make it to yoga class' poll! you are truly readers after my own heart - i make it class like 63% of you who get your yoga on between 5pm&8pm!

in hopes for some moral support for my upcoming cleanse, check out january's poll of the month: when do you cleanse?

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