All posts by Andra LeBauer

How to mindfully survive the holiday BUSY

Mindfulness, Self-Inquiry

andra yoga holiday mindfulnessThis time of year always feels like a tug-of-war to me. SO MUCH to do, BUSY here, BUSY there,  BUSY BUSY everywhere, but it is cold and grey, and all i want to do is settle down in front of the fire, read, drink tea, and make forts with my kids. With all this busyness and running about, self care often flies out the window. We eat crappy food, forget to exercise, skip yoga, and scratch meditation, so that we can get all the busy done. And…get it done we do, but often times the result is our unraveling. This time of year we are all prone to sickness, stress, and exhaustion which is a perfect storm brewing within, just at a time when we are gearing up for quality time with friends and family.

The holidays are a time of selflessness, a time to be-for other people, but if the well has runneth dry there is no you to be-for anyone. So what can we do to care for and nurture ourselves during this time of year, so that we can be peaceful and present for the ones that we love, and remain healthy and grounded at the same time? I find that the most effective tool that i have is to continue to listen to, and check in with my big-picture voice.

Have you noticed that you have two voices in your head, or  felt like you have two selves, often at battle within?  Lets call these two voices the big-picture voice, and the little-picture voice. The big-picture voice knows what would be best for you in the long run, and often suggests positive activities and coping mechanisms that support your big-picture goals, such as, Continue reading How to mindfully survive the holiday BUSY →

What we give up to dig in

Uncategorized

Andra here, As some of you know over 2 years ago i decided to give up processed food. Though the path has been a slow one, with some bumps along the way, i can now say that i eat 98% unprocessed food. Amazingly i do not crave pizza or brownies any more, and if i ever forget my resolve i quickly reminded  after a splurge that my body feels SO MUCH better eating clean unprocessed food. I felt so good after making this change i began to wonder what else i was putting into my body that was weighing me down physically and emotionally. I did not need to look much further for the next obvious suspect…Alcohol.

I decided to cut out alcohol in september of last year, and i have now been over a year alcohol free. I wish i could say that this transition was as easy as cutting out the processed foods, but it was not. Continue reading What we give up to dig in →

Get moving with daily chair Yoga!

Chair Yoga, , ,

Andra's Daily Yoga: Seated Prayer Twist

Yoga has been getting a lot of attention in the media, and as it becomes more main stream people from all walks of life are giving it a try, hoping to gain some of the benefits it offers, such as: increased flexibility, increased strength, reduced stress, and reduced pain.

But for many of us the practice of Yoga can seem completely unattainable. How exactly do you get your foot behind your head, like the girl in the advertisement?Well, rest assured, there are forms of Yoga that make it accessible to everyone. This is a quick,easy and fun chair yoga sequence  that you can do at home or in the office. All you will need is a chair (if it has wheels please lock them), and two yoga blocks (if you do not have blocks be creative and use books or anything else you think will work).

Let us know how you like the chair yoga sequence in the comment section below, and visit us often for your daily yoga inspiration at home and in the work place.

Click here-> chair yoga sequence