Deep Breathing Art

Hi Friends,

My children do a beautiful mindfulness exercise at preschool called ‘deep breathing art’. The teacher places 3 circles of different colored paint on a piece of paper. Then the children are instructed to take a deep breath in and then exhale into a straw pointed at the page of paint. The visual produced is one of vibrant splatter paint or tie die. It’s a fun way to teach kids a breathing technique. We then hang these paintings up on our refrigerator. It’s the hope that they can be a reminder to take a deep breath when feeling overwhelmed by big feelings.

I chatted about the boys’ breathing art with them the other day over ice cream. I asked them if they thought we could use those same deep breaths the next time they are feeling frustrated or having trouble sharing. The response was a resounding, ‘Yes, Mama! Of course!” (They were in splendid moods because of said ice cream). 

Fast forward to a tricky moment that is bound to happen with young children. The boys started to fight over a toy (maybe also in part due to a sugar crash from said ice cream). In the moment of the heated emotions, I reminded them of our intention to take deep breaths. Let’s just say this suggestion was not well received. 

We rode out the storm of discomfort. When moods had improved I brought up the goal of leaning into our breathing art breaths when we feel upset. They said, “I’m sorry, we forgot mama.” And “we will try again tomorrow.”

I think we can all relate to that moment when we forget our mindfulness toolkit. We often practice these mindfulness exercises in a contained space, whether in a yoga studio or at home. These spaces are by design meant to isolate us from the trickier moments of life. We use our time on our mat to sharpen our mindfulness skills. It is then the hope that we can carry those tools with us as we encounter the more challenging aspects of life. 

But sometimes we forget. A stressful moment arises and perhaps we forget to take a deep breath. The good news is, it’s not the end of the world, but rather it is an opportunity to try again next time. 

On that note, I brought up our deep breathing exercise with my son last night as he was getting frustrated with a bath toy. He took a deep breath in and exhaled into the water. He delighted in the bubbles he had created and his mood instantly transformed. 

It is a reminder that we can return to the practices that nourish us at any time. We only just need to reclaim the moment and remember them. 

Happy Spring!
xoJenny

Ever Tried Yoga at Work? Boost Productivity with these 7 Chair Yoga Poses

Did you know you can boost your productivity and incorporate movement into your workday with Chair Yoga? Taking the time to tune into your breath and stretch your body can benefit your mind, body, health, and work!

Chair Yoga – in addition to being the perfect type of yoga to do while you’re at work – is a wonderful way to practice if you are new to yoga, have limited mobility, or if you are dealing with an injury.

The only equipment you need is a chair, which makes this practice ideal for office and corporate settings. Chair Yoga is especially great for sneaking in some physical activity into your workday.

Taking a break from work to improve your productivity seems counterintuitive. Most employees operate by the principle that “the more hours we put in, the better.” Yet quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality.
 

Chair Yoga is especially great for sneaking in some physical activity into your workday.

 
In fact, a University of Illinois study found that participants who took short breaks better retained information than those not offered breaks.

Take a mindfulness break with 5 Ways to Weave Mindful Moments Into Your Workday

In addition to boosting productivity, Chair Yoga offers an important window of physical activity. According to the CDC, getting an adequate amount of physical activity lowers your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

Consider yoga at work a win-win: You get a break, a nice dose of health benefits, AND you can increase productivity.
 

Ready to Try Chair Yoga? Here Are 7 Poses You Can Practice at Work:

Be sure to sit at the edge of your seat for each Chair Yoga pose. This encourages optimal posture.

If you’re short on time, you can always practice any of these yoga poses individually. A super quick yoga break is better than none!
 

1. Cat and Cow Pose

This exercise is a wonderful way to mobilize the spine and ease back tension. Cat and Cow Pose calms the mind by linking breath with movement.

Let’s try it:

• Sit up tall with your hands in your lap

• Inhale: arch your spine, open your chest and lift your chin

• Exhale: round your back and look down to your thighs

• Repeat 4-6 rounds

2. Neck Stretch

Staring at your computer for hours can be, well, a pain in the neck! Free up neck tension with this feel-good stretch.

Let’s try it:

• Tilt your head to the right by slowly moving your right ear towards your right shoulder

• Place your right hand onto your left ear

• Allow the weight of the arm to gently encourage the stretch to deepen

• Take care to not pull forcefully on the head

• Take 5-10 breaths and repeat on your other side

Check out the full article and 5 more chair yoga poses on YogiApproved!

Flow with me! Check out my 20-minute chair yoga video.

Your Instant Chill-Out Practice: Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing, Nadhi Shodhana Pranayama, is a calming and grounding breathing exercise.

This simple yet powerful practice is a wonderful way to chill out the nervous system. Alternate Nostril Breathing is a holistic way to wind down after a stressful day or event.

Just a few minutes of this practice will leave you feeling balanced and restored.

See below for the step-by-step video guide, list of benefits, and written instructions. Give this balancing practice a try to replenish energy and find instant stress-relief.

Alternate Nostril Breathing offers a variety of benefits. Give this calming pranayama a try to relieve stress and anxiety.

Benefits of Nadi Shodhana:

• Reduces stress & anxiety

• Balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain

• Rejuvenates the nervous system

• Improves respiratory function

• Replenishes energy

Let’s Try it:

1. Find a comfortable seat

2. We will use the right hand to guide the breath: Curl your index and middle finger into the palm of your hand.

3. Lightly place your ring and middle finger on your left nostril and you thumb on your right nostril.

4. Close off the right nostril. Breathe in through the left nostril.

5. Close off the left nostril. Breathe out through the right nostril, then breathe in through the right nostril.

6. Close off the right nostril. Breath out through the left nostril.

7. Repeat Steps 4-6 for 5-10 reps. *

8. Sit in meditation and bring your breath back to a natural cadence. Take note of how you feel post-pranayama practice.

• Discontinue the exercise if you become dizzy or light headed. Avoid this practice if your nasal passages are congested.

Alternate Nostril Breathing offers a variety of benefits. Take a few minutes to connect your mind, body, and breath with this powerful pranayama.

Oh Hey Self-Care! This Simple DIY Lavender Sugar Scrub Recipe Will Melt Away Your Woes

Self-care is a wonderful way to honor your body and tap into your reserves of inner calm.

A mindful time-out (such as the DIY lavender sugar scrub practice described below) nurtures your mind, body, and spirit, and offers a sense of renewal.

A homemade sugar scrub can transform your day by brightening your mood and relieving tension. This quick and easy-to-make DIY scrub is an excellent self-care practice to incorporate into your weekly routine.

Self-massage is a wonderful way to tune into your body and show yourself some love. And a homemade sugar scrub is perfect for just that.

This DIY lavender sugar scrub is a gentle exfoliator that can be used on your face and body. The calming scrub leaves your skin soft and smooth and the lavender scent will leave you feeling blissfully relaxed.

A simple practice like this proves that self-care does not need to be complicated, time-consuming, or expensive.

Check out the recipe and the full article on YogiApproved

Use These 4 Restorative Yoga Poses for Immediate Stress Relief

When we are at ease in body and mind, we feel open, expansive, and grounded. We are able to show up for ourselves, others, and our work fully, and we are our best selves.

However, when we experience stress, we tend to feel scattered, uncomfortable, and unsettled. The physical manifestation of stress might express as inconsistent and short breaths, tightness in the body, and tension in the face.

Stress is a mindset that we adopt (either consciously or unconsciously) in response to a given situation. More often than not, stress is an unsupportive addition to our daily lives.

Restorative Yoga is an antidote to the harm caused by stress, offering an opportunity to step back and reset the mind and body. A restorative practice offers a reprieve from stress that allows us to reframe our approach toward external stressors.

 
It can feel counterintuitive to take a time-out from our day when we feel pressed for time or burdened by an approaching event or deadline. Perhaps the very reason we feel stressed is because we feel short on time.

However, there can be value in taking a few minutes to change the channel in our minds and slow the pace of our inner dialogue. By taking the time to reassess, we might recognize the stress we carry to be unnecessary, and we can address the role of stress as an obstacle to our end goals.
 

Use These 4 Restorative Yoga Poses as Your Go-To Yoga for Stress Relief:

The Restorative Yoga poses below offer a holistic approach to stress relief. Restorative Yoga can imbue our lives with a fresh perspective, introspection, and a broader understanding of our response – a stark contrast to the narrow-minded thought pattern imprinted by stress.

Taking a moment to pause and break the cycle of tension can do wonders for your day, offering ease in the body, mind, and breath. The next time you need to recenter, give one or all of the poses below a try.
 
Props You Will Need: 4 blocks, 2 blankets, 1 bolster, optional eye pillow.
 
If you do not have the yoga props listed, please feel free to supplement with items found around your home. Firm pillows and/or a couch cushion can be a great substitute for the yoga props used in the poses listed below.

1. Restorative Twist

This Restorative Twist is a wonderful way to quiet the mind and gather grounding energy. Support under your belly offers a soothing effect, which alleviates feelings of worry and strain.

Let’s try it:

• Place two blocks on your mat, the first block on its lowest height and the second block on the second height

• Lay your bolster over the two blocks so you create a slope with the bottom edge of the bolster touching the floor

• Snuggle your right hip at the base of the bolster with your knees bent to the left and your hands framing your props

• Keep your navel as close to center as possible and lie down so the front of your body is supported by the bolster

• Tuck your arms underneath the bolster and between the blocks

• Your head can turn toward or away from your knees. Choose whichever option feels best for you neck

• Enjoy each side for up to five minutes

Check out the other poses and the full article on YogiApproved

Stop the Negative Self Talk! Thank Your Body With This Gratitude Meditation

full article published on YogiApproved

A body scan meditation mixed with a gratitude meditation is an excellent way to promote a harmonious mind-body connection. In this simple meditation, you have the unique opportunity to thank your body for all it does for you on a daily basis to radically improve your body image in a new way.

Your body is an incredible system, one which offers you the ability to live and enjoy your life. However, it can be all too easy to forget this and take your body for granted.

By switching up the dialogue and offering your body this gratitude meditation, a different perspective emerges. This newfound perspective focuses on the amazing capacity of the human body rather than on shape or size.

Here’s How to Practice Your Body Scan Meditation:

Find a quiet place. Either sit in a comfortable cross-legged posture or lie down on your back. Begin by taking a few deep breaths.

As you go through the body scan meditation, start at the top of your head and move down through your body. First, create awareness in the body part you are focusing on. Tune into how it feels and all sensations that arise there.

Then, offer it thanks as you bring in the gratitude meditation . . .
 
 Continue reading this article on YogiApproved

30 Minute Vinyasa Practice

Hi yogis!

Join me for this 30 minute Vinyasa Yoga Flow. This practice is catered towards yogis with a regular practice. However, those working on building strength can enjoy this video by taking breaks when needed. Enjoy and please reach out if you have any questions!

xoJenny

Have you Subscribed to the Urban Om Yoga YouTube channel yet? Stay up to date with free yoga and meditation videos when you subscribe. Check it out 

Photo: Kristin Wolford

Yoga Corner

The best part of yoga practice is when you are truly tuned into your time on the mat. Having the best yoga mat and props makes it all that much easier to drop into that place where typical distractions disappear.

For this reason I have created a list of my favorite yoga props on Amazon.com. I have been using these products for years and I highly recommend all the products on my list.

You will also find a reading list for your yoga library with some of my favorite books, should you be interested in deepening your yoga practice off the mat.

Check out the link below and please let me know if you have any questions!

xoJenny

Feeling the heat? Keep it Cool with this Pranayama

Sitali Pranayama is a breathing exercise, perfect for finding balance during summer. This cooling breath is a quick and easy to way to both beat the heat and calm the mind.

This pranayama is said to not only remove excess heat from the body, but it also keeps the mind and emotions cool, calm and in check during fiery Pitta season. 

Sitali Pranayama is practiced with a rolled tongue. If you are not able to roll your tongue, instead gently place the tip of your tongue to the top two teeth.

Let’s try it:

1. Find a comfortable seat. A great option is to sit cross legged on a pillow, blanket or bolster. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

2. Start with a body scan, checking in from the top of the head and moving down the body. Notice how you are feeling physically, mentally, & emotionally. Take note of any areas which show signs of excess heat.

3. Once you feel ready to begin the breathing technique, roll your tongue. Breath in through the mouth with your tongue rolled. When you are ready to exhale, close the mouth and breath out through the nose.

4. Continue this for about 8-10 rounds, doing your best to keep the in and out breaths equal in length.

5. Allow the breath to resume a natural rhythm, breathing in and out through the nose. Take a few minutes to sit in meditation and take note of any cooling sensations.

*As with all pranayamas, if at any point you feel lightheaded, come back to a normal breath rhythm and continue again as you feel ready.

Sitali Pranayama is a wonderful way to stay balanced and cool all summer long. Give this breathing exercise a try the next time you need to keep your cool.

Beat the Heat with this Easy Smoothie Pop Recipe

Berry Good Smoothie & Smoothie Pops

It has been hot, hot, hot in NYC making it officially smoothie season. I'm a big fan of my morning smoothie and I am always trying new combinations. Smoothies are a great, quick breakfast, packed with nutrients and protein. Sometimes I make more than I can drink and have found the perfect way to make good use of the extras- Smoothie Pops!

Super easy, healthy, and refreshing these popsicles are a wonderful all natural, cooling treat. 

Below are two of my go-to recipes. Give one or both a try but feel free to try your own combinations and get creative!

If you have a smoothie recipe you love, please share in the comments below :)

Berry Good Smoothie:

1 1/2 cup frozen berries

2 frozen bananas

2 scoops vegan vanilla protein powder

2 cups almond milk

Oh My Greenness

Oh My Greenness Smoothie Pops

1 cup frozen mango

1 frozen banana

2 cups almond milk

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

2 tsp. spirulina (this gives the smoothie it's beautiful green color. I promise you can't taste it!)

Combine ingredients of the smoothie of your choice. Blend until smooth. Fill a glass with your smoothie. 

Pour the remainder into popsicle molds and freeze. Freeze for 2-3 hours.

Bon appetit and stay cool, yogis! 

xoJenny