12 Days of a Yogi Christmas

Happy Holidays!!

Lots of things have been happening since my swim lessons and my Hairspray performances.

1. I am now FINALLY a Pre/Post-natal Certified Yoga Instructor! Hooray!! I have been trying to get my certification for years now, and my schedule finally allowed for it! I had a wonderful training and it was so informative and fulfilling. If anyone in the NYC area is interested be sure to check out Maha Mama.
2. My little sister graduated from college with her BS in Chemistry! Go Rachel Go!!!
3. My husband has all of his applications in for his graduate school prospects and will start auditioning in January to hopefully pursue his MFA in Acting! Go Baby Go!!!
4. And I auditioned and was cast as Judy in The Rockaway Theatre Company's production of A Chorus Line! Go Me Go!!!
5. Also, my husband got a new phone and we had to test out the camera features by having a photo shoot with my pug, Phoebe. She is one classy pug!

   

   Hopefully she gets a modeling contract soon!

So yes, I have been a little busy. And on top of that I have been teaching my regular yoga classes. Which brings me to my fun little post today!

Sometimes, I get in a rut when I am creating lesson plans for my yoga classes and I need some inspiration to make it more fun for me and for my students. During the summer Olympics this year, I had a lot of fun throwing in poses or exercises that related to what was going on:

"Beat your legs like the Synchronize Swim team! Now swim the arms!"

"Wheel Pose, just like Laurie Hernandez!"

"Superman Locust Pose! Now swim like Michael Phelps!"

And for the Holiday season I took an idea that my friend Claire had: The 12 Days of Christmas! She said she wanted to post on our studio's social media The 12 Days of Christmas but in yoga poses, but she was a little stuck. Occasionally, I have some down time at my day job, so I brainstormed and came up with the following and boy did we have fun creating this video!!

The 12 Days of a Yogi Christmas

On the 1st day of Christmas my True Love gave to me...(continue counting days all the way up to 12)

A Partridge in a Pear Tree (Tree Pose)

You MUST add the bird hands, otherwise you are just a tree with no Partridge.

Two Turtle Doves (Tortoise Pose)

Look! I'm a Turtle!

Three French Hens (Crow Pose)

This looks more hen-like than a crow right??

Four Calling Birds (Bird of Paradise Pose)

I pretty much make this face every time I do this pose, because I am always surprised that I make it!

Five Golden Rings (Bow Pose)

Five Roast Beef Sandwiches!.....I mean Five Golden Rings!!!
(anyone remember that Arby's commercial? it starts at 4:06)

Six Geese A-Laying (Child's Pose)

Do I look like a Goose that is A-Laying?

Seven Swans A-Swimming (Half Pigeon Pose)

So majestic....so graceful!

Eight Maids A-Milking (Cow Pose)

Moo! I'm a cow

Nine Ladies Dancing (Dancer's Pose)

Just a side note, being a dancer, I rarely ever do this when dancing.
But I think it is the closest thing to a ballerina that yogis could compare it to.

Ten Lords A-Leaping (Handstand L-Kicks)

This is truly how I imagine lords a-leaping...also I imagine them British...

Eleven Pipers Piping (Revolved Tree/Hand to Foot Variation)

You must do the piper hands otherwise no one will understand what you are doing

Twelve Drummers Drumming (Goddess Pose - with Drumming arms...duh!)

Hard core drummer face is optional, but you will get extra credit if you make one!

And finally to sum it all up we filmed these poses to the last verse of the song, counting down The 12 Days of a Yogi Christmas. And here is the final result! Prepare to be blow away!

There you have it! The 12 Days of a Yogi Christmas! Just a little fun video that made my day a little more creative and fun! I hope you enjoy it and that you all have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Boxing Day! Happy New Year! 

Happy Holidays to All and to All a Goodnight! 

First Blog Ever!

I have never made a blog before and decided that now I am 29 and nearing my midlife crisis (what am I doing with my life???), I thought should maybe start one. I am not sure how "good" at it I will be since I was never very good at keeping an actual diary. My diary was mainly used to complain about my siblings, parents, or bullies at school. On the brighter side, I would also use my diary to gush about my crushes, or boyfriends and write pop songs for my girl band in the 7th grade. Unfortunately and very fortunately, those songs never got out...

But here it is! Welcome to my blog! 

I plan on posting random musing and observations about my life and my surroundings. I live in New York City so there is always something going on to talk about! Also, I am 29, a performer and yoga instructor. By day, I am a receptionist at a financial advisory firm and during the evenings and weekends I teach yoga, rehearse for community theater productions and dance in independent dance companies. I am also happily married for 6 years now to a wonderful man, who is also an actor and we have an adorable pug who is basically our child!

Phoebe the Pug crashing on our romantic hand-holding

One thing about me is that I cannot sit still for too long. I HAVE to have a project of some sort, be it a play, film, dance show or even something unrelated to the arts. In May of 2016, I ran my first half marathon in the AirBnB Brooklyn Half Marathon. It was a solid half year of scheduled training and a goal to work towards. I like to work this way because it gives me short term goals and great feelings once I have accomplished them! I also find, that my mood improves when I have something to focus on. Physical activity, crafts, reading, writing, etc. are very meditative for me helps ease stress. Over the years, I have taught myself to knit socks, write and produce a short play, choreograph a contemporary ballet piece, and became a certified Yoga Instructor. And today, I have started a blog.

So that is basically me in a nutshell...now onto my first topic!

Swimming Like an Olympian! (sort of)

The Rio 2016 Olympics came to a close this past weekend and I am truly sad that it is over! I was so inspired by the Final Five women's Gymnastics Team, Team USA Swim Teams (especially the women's team), Track and Field teams, and the Beach Volleyball teams. I am in no way down playing any of the other sports, these were just a few of my favorites. So naturally, I caught the Olympic bug and I for some reason I think I can swim just as good as Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Manuel...or rather, I WANT to learn how to swim like them.

Pretty much sums up my preconceived notions about my swimming abilities

Luckily, I live close to a college that offers recreational swim lessons by the American Red Cross Association. I know how to swim, but I never really learned the techniques of proper swimming styles. Do I stroke, stroke and then breathe? Or just hold my breath until I need to breathe? And how the heck does the butterfly stroke work? 

I am currently in the process of registering for an Advanced Beginners Swim class at Medgar Evers College. I have already bought my swim cap, goggles, and professional one piece TYR Swimsuit from SwimOutlet.com. I bought a $25 grab bag swimsuit and am waiting for it to arrive! For those of you who don't know, a Grab Bag is a discounted option that most retailers offer to help them clear out last season's styles. I gave them the size and brand of swimsuit that I wanted and they pick a suit at random and send it to me! I am really excited to see what arrives! And since I already bought the gear there is no backing out now!

Classes start on September 3rd and they are an hour once a week until November 5th. I am just finishing up the final process and seeing if I need to take a swim test prior to registration. I am looking forward to this new project! It is a great form of exercise and will help me reduce stress! I plan on blogging about my progress in the class every week and comment on my experiences. I can't wait! It is always fun to learn something new!