“I can’t stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking the coffee, I stop doing the standing, and the walking, and the words-putting-into-sentences doing.” -Lorelai Gilmore

Good morning!

Short version: I am three weeks without coffee and I am beginning to dream about coffee and I just want a coffee so bad!

And, if you're like me and are (stupidly) refraining from drinking coffee, I have a coffee cup style class that will get you energized just the same, but without the delicious flavor (and aroma).

Long version: Is there one?

I remember when I didn't like coffee.

I tried a sip of my nana's once when I was younger and was not about it.

But then I got into High School, took all the IB and AP classes (not all. Some) and couldn't get through a day without my cuppa in the morning.

-It's funny, if you look at any book I owned in high school, you will see a coffee stain on it, without fail.

So now, here I am, 30 years old, and doing a 30 day program designed to get rid of inflammatory foods, AND THEY MADE ME GET RID OF COFFEE!

Ok, it was my choice. I decided to go all in.

For the first couple of days, it was mentally tough.

Then it was easy peasy. I don't like coffee when it's hot. I prefer tea lattes. It was hot. I drank a lot of tea. Noooo problemo.

Now it's grey and cold. AND THE THINGS I WOULD DO FOR A CUP OF COFFEE RIGHT NOW!!!

But, alas, one more week. And what's the first thing I'm going to consume that I haven't consumed during this program?

You better believe it. Coffee. Gluten and soy can wait. Dairy was meh anyway. I can live without american cheese. I don't want to live without coffee.

So there you have it, my friend.

No coffee for me, so instead we get a coffee cup style class.

A class designed to energize, to help you focus, to boost your energy so you can take on the day, guns a'blazin.

Or, like, not guns. Water guns. Coffee guns.

Guns that shoot coffee straight into my mouth.

I digress.

This class is also one of the new classes from the Yoga Infusion Studio, and focuses strongly on core and cardio.

I suspect it will be included in our next program, Core-Vember.

So if you like this class, and you're looking to build your core strength, I got you babe!

Check out the Yoga Infusion Studio by clicking HERE!

​And carve out 43 minutes of your day for some fabulous Yoga Infusion style Coffee!

xoxo
Dylan

“Yoga means addition - addition of energy, strength and beauty to body, mind and soul.” ― Amit Ray

What do you think of when you think of energy?

Is it how you feel when you wake up in the morning?

Is it the amount of spunk you've got as you go about your day?

Maybe it's the way you feel around certain people.

Maybe you only think of it when it's gotten away from you and you can barely keep your eyes open or think straight.

Energy is, yes, the amount of vibrancy we feel throughout our day.

It is what flags as we get overworked or overwhelmed, or when bedtime is nearing.

But it is also the food we put in our bodies. That, too, is energy. Because our body uses that food as fuel to support all of the necessary functions of living.

Energy is also the exchange made between people.

The words, the intentions, the love, or the aggression.

You can project your energy onto others, and you can have your energy stolen by others.

You can have other's energy projected on you and invade your peace.

But you can also project love, which is energy, onto others, and give them peace.

Holding space is an energy exchange.

Laughter. Embraces. Arguments. Words not said.

Energy is everywhere and it is everything.

I bring this up for two reasons.

1. I have just had my energetic peace disturbed by the words of another. And the work I must do lies in creating and defending my boundaries with said person.
2. This class focuses on lifting the energy in the body to more efficiently assimilate the things we consume.

So now I ask you to observe. In what ways do you use your energy? Are you efficient, kind, pushy, overbearing.

Do you give more than you receive, or do you take more than you give?

Do you hold space? Or do you feel more often that you've got your hackles raised?

What about the energy you take in from those around you?

Does it feel good? Supportive? Or invasive? Tense?

Simply observe where you are these days.

Without judgement. Without expectation. Leave those words at the door.

Because we all have work to do.

The power is in knowing that, and taking the steps, no matter how small, to do that work.

And then when you're done observing and working you need to shake it off, this class has got your back.

It's a full body burner, focusing on twists and detoxifying poses to support digestion and assimilation of energy.

It's also a high energy class, so any stagnation in the body will be on its way out the door.

Hope you enjoy!

Side note, this class is one of the classes from our Yoga AS Fitness Kickstarter plan inside the Yoga Infusion Studio. This plan includes four weeks (5 classes/week) designed to kickstart your fitness journey and create that structure around hitting the mat daily.

So if you love it, there's more where that came from! Check out the Yoga Infusion Studio by clicking HERE!

xoxo
Dylan

“Morning is wonderful. Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day.” ― Glen Cook

What are your thoughts on mornings?

Are you someone that leaps out of bed or someone who snoozes for an hour?

Can you guess which one I am? (I'll give you a hint. It's not the first one).

​So it's been a bit of a theme this year to come up with classes that I would want to get out of bed for.

Because I never want to get out of bed.

This class is short, at just over 20 minutes, so you can totally squeeze it into your precious time before work! (busy busy bees we are!)

And we progress slowly, from the grogginess of sleep to the energy of the day!

A full body awakening.

A class to start the day.

The best way to start the day.

We start in child's pose.

So, shall we wake up together?

xoxo,
Dylan

”It’s also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that’s sitting right here right now…with its aches and its pleasures…is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.”
Pema Chodron

When was the last time you were overwhelmed with gratitude for your body?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but we are often more likely to look in the mirror and focus on the rolls, the spots, the saggy bits.

We are more prone to concentrating on the gas, the weakness, the uncomfortable bits.

But what if we switched that around?

What if we spent more time focusing our attention on the parts of us that do incredible things each and every day?

​Like the heart.

Your wee little heart pumps about 100,000 times each day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, and moves oxygen and nutrient rich blood around the body to sustain life.

LIFE!

What else sustains life?

Your breath.

Without breath there would be no life, and your lungs do all the work for you.

They're just there, supplying the body with oxygen and ridding the body of carbon dioxide without you even having to think about it.

And then there are your legs.

Have you ever hurt one leg and then had to go up or down stairs?

Believe me, I have.

Those stairs, once easy peasy, manage to become insurmountable in a matter of seconds.

So, this is my invitation to you to find gratitude for your body.

​Your powerful, all-knowing, body that has evolved to be exactly as it needs to be right now.

This is your invitation to take care of your body, with nourishing foods and habits.

Show your body that you're grateful by giving it a little extra love today.

And this is my invitation to you to listen to your body.

Listen to you when it tells your it's unwell, or weak or hurt.

And listen to it when it tells you it needs to move, to expand, to explore.

So today's free yoga class exists because I was listening to my body.

My knee has been wonky since two dogs pummelled into it at the dog park, and for some reason it was out of sorts the week I filmed.

So instead of using it as an excuse, or worse, pushing through the pain, we now have this class designed to keep the pressure off the knees!

Please don't ever ignore your pain.

If it hurts, don't do it.

In life as on the yoga mat.

So are you ready to build up that upper body strength with me today?

​That's what I like to hear!!