This darling new tee was requested by the lovely Amy C. and 

will be arriving to the boutique in organic cotton shortly. J'adore!

 photo courtesy of darren hester via flickr 

Here is the lovely Ann, Amy, and Linda donning their Tranquil Space tees during

a recent journey to India with Kimberly Wilson and Darren Main.

Say what? Is it possible? Starting from Halloween, then onto Thanksgiving, and finally closing out the year with the usual celebrations, we are given many reasons to overindulge and add a few pounds to the scale.

Beyond the extra weight, it’s also a time to overspend, exercise less, drink more and get sick. Do we really need to have that experience? Thankfully, the answer is no. The thoughtful decisions we make now can help our New Year’s resolutions next year. The idea is to think in terms of moderation.

In preparing your upcoming Thanksgiving meal, why not make a few adjustments to exchange the food coma for quality time with friends and family. “Healthy” doesn’t have to mean bland, boring, or basic. Though the word does suggest a step away from heavy cream and salt, and deep-fried foods.

Some things to think about:
* Remember your veggies - your meal is not complete without those important side dishes. Think roasted veggies, bright and light green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, and sautéed swiss chard or kale with garlic and onions. Your vegetables (when not overcooked) are packed full of phytonutrients and fiber, and also happen to be low in calories.

* Savory seasonings – Spruce up your dishes with herb-infused oils, gourmet sea salts and spice blends. A touch of truffle sea salt to mashed potatoes or vegetables helps to infuse a lot of flavor without having to add cream or butter. Also, there are many variety of herb seasoning blends that do wonders to waken up your palate.

* Heart healthy fats – In most of your recipes for both savory dishes and baked treats, you can substitute the butter or margarine for olive oil. Try looking for a more smooth and buttery olive oil (vs. grassy or peppery) for baking. Avoiding those extra saturated and trans fats will help keep your cholesterol levels in check.

* Eating just the right amount – Bring some awareness into your food experience and enjoy every bite, not just the first and last bites. The awareness helps you also to sense the feeling of fullness. If you feel full, it’s ok to stop and enjoy the conversations at the table. You’ll find that the pause in eating will help the satiety signals from your stomach to reach your brain so you don’t have to ask for seconds (or thirds). The best part is, you get leftovers the next day without all the cooking and cleaning.

* Don’t go hungry – Remember that Thankgiving dinner is just one meal in your day. Keep your metabolism strong by eating your breakfast, snack, and lunch on that same day as well. Skipping those meals will just make you more hungry by dinnertime, therefore more prone to overeating and craving sugar and fats.

These simple suggestions go a long way in helping you to stay balanced through the holiday with all the fun and less regret. Your body and mind will be happy.

Many who practice yoga, are also simultaneously exposed to prescriptions of “mindfulness” and “compassion” as the antidote for anything that runs the gamut of standard suffering. From dealing with a life altering event, being stuck in an unfulfilling career, or drawn to dysfunctional relationships, the response to stress has departed significantly from the socially accepted copings of eating, drinking, and denying. Now, we have prescription-phrases such as “Be Present”, “Make peace with yourself” and “Live authentically”.

Emotions used to be bottled-up, away from consciousness, in a place that heals them serendipitously as they are repressed. Today, it’s considered a sign of emotional prowess to be able to embrace your feelings. We are eager to experience the variety of ways that one emotion such as ‘anger’ could be unpacked and processed into a multitude of different colors, memories, experiences, thoughts, and images. But what if embracing the feelings/experience doesn’t work for everyone? Although there is a plethora of evidence that freedom comes from being able to be with discomforting feelings and experiences, there may also be an alternative:

Sue tells her story in Yoga Journal about overcoming anxiety by encouraging the warrior/fighter instead of the nurturer to embrace and cope with the anxiety. http://community.yogajournal.com/_Embracing-the-Anxiety/BLOG/2749742/25925.html

“Every time the anxiety comes up, and because I have generalized anxiety and it comes up thirty times a day in relation to nothing in particular, I call it out and embrace it with total abandon. This is an instance where my soft side is not as effective as the strong part of me. And that is where I am now. Instead of trying to hide, or comfort myself, I am challenging the anxiety to bring it hard. :-) It's a fun way to look at it and it is working for me so far.”

So possibly the next time you are finding yourself too consumed by thoughts in a restorative pose/class, it may be your inner warrior that takes your struggle to task. Possibly add retention to Ujayii Breathing or try using Breath of Fire. Benefits could be gained through Kriyas, inversions and heart openers, while incorporating plenty of twists to ring-out anger. Yoga offers many paths towards healing. May this help along the way.

Michell Stanley, LICSWPsychotherapy in the Spa at Tranquil Space

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."

Happy November. It's a magical time of the year and the start of the holiday season. As I sat down to write this month's muse, I was reflecting on what an interesting year of changes and growth 2010 has been for me. Getting through two surgeries (torn rotator cuff + bone spur and arthritis in thumb), making major shifts in my yoga practice, and adjusting to a new part-time position at N Street Village for graduate studies, it's been a whirlwind of change and transition. When your rock is pulled out from under you, life shifts . . . and you search for new rocks or new ways of doing things.

Yoga has been my rock for 15ish years and my inability to practice as I know it has had intense effects on my mind, body, and spirit. When I was given the green light to return to yoga after my first surgery this spring, I was overwhelmed with emotion during the practice - truly filled with such gratitude for the ability to move in a way that my body has come to adore . . . and need! Then it was time for my second surgery complete with a pink cast. That's been off for a few weeks and my doctor said we'd chat about my return to weight bearing exercise on November 8. Yep, I've been counting down the days and it happens to be two days before I head to India to co-lead my first retreat there. Perfect timing! However, after a challenging day last Thursday, I knew I had to hit the mat. Sure it was a bit early, but I know to modify, my body was begging for it, and it was an *amazing* experience. Yoga truly is like coming home.

As a practitioner for almost 15 years and teacher for 11 years, yoga has become a way of life. I've tried to stay mindful of the foundation of yoga - yamas and niyamas - during my inability to practice physically as I know it and have developed a greater love for the practice of meditation and mindfulness. My practice has been more yin, restorative, very slow flow - all variations I adore, but I also miss my beloved chaturangas! That one is a long time coming, but I have hope mingled with a dash of patience.

The beauty of yoga is that we can practice it on the bus, in line at the bank, over Thanksgiving meal with family, AND on the yoga mat. As you move through this beautiful month, I encourage you to take time to sit still, watch the leaves turn, and reflect on your practice of yoga. What does it bring you? Do you notice shifts when you miss a practice? Does the mantra lokah samasta sukino bhavantu (Translation: May all beings everywhere be happy and free. May the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.) resonate with you and cause reflection during your everyday?

May November fill you with a sense of gratitude for the ability to move your body through the practice of yoga. It is truly a gift and we are grateful to have you sharing it with us at Tranquil Space.

Namaste,
Kimberly Wilson