I just read this article over at Elephant – which is what is inspiring this post.

People fear yoga.

People fear yoga for a few big, common reasons. One is – they fear yoga because they start doing yoga, realize it’s changing them… opening them to new ideas – connecting them to who they really are – and that scares the shit out of them. Nothing like threatening your ego to inspire fear – and then make excuses to stop doing something and stay stuck where you are. This, I will address in a future post – stay tuned.

Another reason people fear yoga is they feel it’s a threat to their religion. 

Well, honestly, it might be.

However – it’s only a threat to your religious beliefs, if you are already, somehow questioning them… or you aren’t actually deep down in your core aligned with them.

If you’re not already standing solidly in what you believe spiritually – then it can be changed. And yoga just might be the vehicle to change it. 

And if that notion scares you – then maybe you should take a long hard look at what you say you believe spiritually.

Yoga – at it’s pure core – means union. As in unifying you to who you are – deep down – in your soul.

And, if you’re not already deeply connected to that person, guess what? Chances are good, your soul is trying to tell you something and you’re not listening. Yoga is going to reconnect you to your soul, and you’re going to start listening. And that is going to mean change will happen. And yes – maybe even a change in “religion.”

Honestly, I’m so tired of bumping up against religious leaders, and overzealous followers who tell people to stay away from yoga because it’s somehow going to be a threat to their spiritual beliefs…

Christians do yoga and remain Christian. Muslims do yoga and remain muslim. I could go on and on…

I did yoga and went from calling myself a Christian to becoming a Buddhist… but hey – that’s just me. I already had issues with what the Christian Church calls spirituality – and really – ask anyone in my inner circle and they’ll tell you that I always had issues with that… it just took yoga for me to get reconnected with myself, and stand up for what I really believe in.

You don’t have to force things.

Get clear. Set your intention. Know what you’re going for and why.

When you feel rushed, forced, anxious… that’s a sign that something isn’t right.

A flower never has to force it’s way into the world. It just knows that it wants to show up, and it lets itself unfold naturally.

Get quiet, create space, allow.

Ever have one of those cravings…

Like, GottaHaveSomethingRightNowOrYouMightImplode sorts of things??

Yeah, that was me like 2 hours ago… I NEEDED CHIPS. NOW.

However, I don’t keep them in the house – thank God or a whole bag would have been consumed. Lucky for me, I remembered this great recipe from Jan’s Sushi Bar for Sweet Potato Chips – and – lucky for me, I happen to have a sweet potato. And lucky for me they are a much healthier alternative to the things in the bags…

These couldn’t be easier… or yummier… or craving satisfy-ier (er…).

Now, I took some liberties and deviated from Jan’s recipe just a little… and mine don’t look as pretty… see?

Next time, I would definitely break out the Mandolin and slice them much thinner. Mine weren’t as crispy as chips this time – but definitely tasty.

My Ingredients List:

1 Sweet potato – thinly sliced
a little salt
About 1 1/2 cups of good olive oil

(Jan gives much more precise measurements, but I didn’t want to use that much oil, and I was trying to make this as simple as possible – my craving was ridiculous… the faster I could get chips in my mouth, the better… I had no time for perfection…).

The Easy Chips-in-5-Minutes Instructions:

Put oil in a trusted frying pan, heat til you can throw a little water in it and it sizzles. Put sweet potato slices in 4 at a time, let cook about 2 minutes or so. When done to your liking, remove from oil, put on a plate with some paper towels – salt while still hot.

WAIT FOR THEM TO COOL A LITTLE BEFORE YOU TRY THEM… this coming from someone who’s craving impatience sense of smell got the best of her and now has a burnt tongue *sigh*

Ever have one of THOSE days – where the tension is so high it feels like your shoulders are permanently stuck to your ears and the tension in your upper back feels like two rubber bands about to snap? Yeah… we’ve all had those days…

Hopefully these shoulder stretches you can do right at your desk will help ease a little of that tension… and – taking the time to focus on you just might be what you need to get some much needed mind-space to power through the rest of your day.

Enjoy!

When I ask in classes if anyone wants to work anything particular, the answer I get most often is “core” or “abs.” The video below is a little routine that I’ve done in class in the past… it’s a killer, I’ll be honest – but it’s a great workout, not a crunch to be had, and it actually works the entire body – not JUST the abs… enjoy!