Mid-Week Motivation: "Be Your Own Gatekeeper"

Whew! When did it become Wednesday? This week is flying by and deadlines just keep piling up - and the weather is absolutely gorgeous here in San Diego, which is make it even harder to focus! I spent this past weekend in Mexico with my husband and 7 of our closest friends doing what one does in Mexico - eat lobster, drink tequila, surf and just chill. It was awesome to get away and reconnect with them and it reminded me how grateful I am to have supportive, loving friends in my life. But, this is no accident. I have had to "weed out" toxic friends and distance myself from ones who didn't always have my best interest in mind. I actually now find myself constantly re-evaluating the people I allow into my life. As my beautiful friend Shabnam puts it - Be your own gatekeeper.  

If this is what you need more of in your life, take a moment to re-set mid-week with this powerful intention: I surround myself with only positive, supportive people who want to see me SOAR ♥

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that but the really great make you feel that you too can become great. When you are seeking to bring big plans to fruition it is important with whom you regularly associate. Hang out with friends who are like-minded and who are also designing purpose-filled lives. Similarly be that kind of a friend for your friends.” - Mark Twain

Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga Tutorial: Camel Pose

Bored with seeing the same walls and mirror during yoga? Take advantage of the beautiful weather and get outside to try some yoga on a paddleboard. You will LOVE it! After every SUP Yoga class I teach, students walk away feeling excited, strong, relaxed and proud of themselves for trying something new.

In this video, I teach you how to get in to Camel Pose (Ustrasana) on a stand-up paddleboard - remember to keep those toes tucked if you are trying this for the first time!

More tips, tutorials and our class schedule here:

 http://www.paddleintofitness.com/

Full Moon Yoga at the Beach!

Join me this Monday, July 2 for another magical Full Moon Yoga at Law Street Beach in PB. For all you San Diego locals, this is an incredible way to experience your city from another angle. If you are just passing through, practicing yoga under the bright full moon while watching the waves crash in front of you is not to be missed!

Bring a friend, a mat & a smile ~ see you there!

$10 suggested donation, benefitting Yoga for Hope.

More details: http://www.birdrockyoga.com/

Recipe: Raw Energy Balls - Koh Chang, Thailand

Last winter, my husband and I went on our honeymoon to Thailand. We spent New Year's Eve in Bangkok (wild!) and on the first day of the new year, we headed down south to amazing island called Koh Chang. There was only one yoga studio on the island and it was a 90 minute drive by motorbike each way. The studio is located at The Spa Resort Koh Chang - a super secluded Health and Wellness Sanctuary, where people from all over the world go to participate in their famous 7 day cleanses.

We took a lovely and much-needed (after the 18 hour flight!) Hatha yoga class and then went to lunch at the The Spa Restaurant, which is mostly raw and voted one of the "50 Best Restaurants in the World" by UK Magazine.

Their raw energy balls are not only delicious and full of protein, but also adorable, which makes them a fun dessert to bring to a dinner party. This recipe is a must-try! Take some time this weekend to whip these babies up - you will have a new favorite healthy snack :)

Raw Energy Balls Recipe

Ingredients:

Ten dates
One cup of raw pecans
Heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder
Dried coconut shreds (optional)
Raw cashews (optional)
Goji berries (optional)

Directions:

1. Soak the dates in water. If you think to do this an hour or more in advance, it's fine to use room temperature water. If you're pressed for time and only have a few minutes for soaking, use hot water. The idea is to soften the dates so that they are easily blended into a soft paste.

2. Measure out a cup of raw pecans and put them in a food processor. A strong blender might also work, but for this recipe, a food processor works best.
3. Process pecans on low or using a pulse setting until they're nicely ground. You don't want to make pecan butter here - you're looking for nicely ground pecans.

4. Add a heaping teaspoon of quality cocoa powder. If you don't enjoy chocolate, it's fine to skip this step.

5. Blend or pulse for another few seconds to bring ground nuts and cocoa powder together.

6. Add six soaked and mildly crushed dates to the mix. It's best to add a little water to this recipe to create proper texture. A good way to add just enough, but not too much water is to lightly shake the dates as you get them out of their bowl of water, give them a gentle mush with your fingers, and add them slightly wet to the ground pecans.

7. Process on low or use the pulse setting until the dates and pecans become together into one mass.

You want the texture to be such that you can pinch off teaspoon-size chunks and roll them up with your palms into bite-size balls. If need be, add another mushed up date or two, but always be conservative in adding extra dates, as once the mixture gets too moist, it's very difficult to fix by adding more nuts.
* For some variety, roll balls in dried coconut, cocoa powder, and consider adding raw nuts and dried berries on top before serving.

Koh Chang (Elephant Island) will always have a special place in our hearts.

Here we are enjoying a magical Thai sunset on the island - January 2012.

Meet Zen Girl of the Month: Rachel Brathen

Periodically on The Zen Girl Chronicles, I feature a woman that lives an inspired life, following her bliss every single day. For June 2012, I chose the lovely Rachel Brathen as our "Zen Girl of the Month" because of her courage to live out her dreams. As a teen, Rachel left her native Sweden in search of a better life, and found yoga - which helped her find herself.

Rachel is now living in Aruba as a yoga teacher, SUP Yoga pioneer, Yoga Director of Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa and professional beach bum. Rachel's outlook on life is beautiful and simple: 

"Go where the happiness is, and screw everything else."

Read my full interview for MindBodyGreen with Rachel here -- 

At only 23-years-old, Rachel Brathen has created quite the beautiful life for herself. Leaving her native Sweden in search of escape and adventure, she found herself on a tiny island, sharing her love of yoga and life with anyone who would listen. Now, four years later, she has developed a loyal following of fans online who can’t get enough of her genuine nature and famous “handstand posts.” But life wasn’t always so magical. She traveled a hard road to get to where she is today. In this interview, Rachel takes a break from paradise to share her journey and what it took for this Zen Girl to follow her bliss.

Name, Occupation, Location?

Rachel Brathen, Yoga teacher, SUP Yoga pioneer, Yoga Director of Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa in Aruba. And beach bum. 

What does a typical day look like for you? 

Wake up around 6am, drink tea, eat a mango from our mango tree (it's mango season here!), then drive to the resort where I work. I teach yoga almost every morning (15-20 classes a week), and usually do my own practice before class. I teach a one hour class in the morning, with a mix of locals and tourists. I usually have breakfast at the hotel. After that I go home, change into my bikini and take the dogs to the north shore for a long walk or a run. We live very close to the north shore of the island, and it's absolutely magical - cliffs and desert and cacti and ocean and little deserted beaches. I am in the water at some point every day. After I’ve dropped the dogs off back home, I either go do some work at home, at the hotel, or in my boyfriend’s skate shop. As the Yoga Director of a wellness resort, I have some administrative work that needs to be taken care of, but I can do that pretty much from anywhere. Depending on the day, I usually have a SUP Yoga class in the afternoon, in which case I go to the beach again, but on the south side of the island. SUP Yoga (Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga) classes are 90 minutes, including teaching paddle techniques, paddling to our yoga spot, and the actual practice. These are my favorite classes; ocean, beach, yoga, surf... All in one! After SUP class, I try to stick around on the beach, maybe do a long distance paddle or just swim. I'm a beach bum at heart. Evenings, I spend with my boyfriend and our pups. If I don't have late night class (three nights a week), then I'm cooking, reading and watching a movie. We are big foodies and like to go out for dinners whenever we can - Aruba has so much to offer. Also, sunset walks with the dogs daily. Pretty much - yoga, beach, work... That's my day! 

What is the first big (or little) step you took to follow your bliss and create this beautiful life that you have?

The first step I took - I decided, I did not want to live my life being miserable. I spent so many years half-assing my life, worrying about the future, the past, even the present. "Was I good enough, pretty enough, thin enough, smart enough?" I was so insecure in my own skin. There was a lot of pressure where I grew up (Sweden) to be "perfect" - most of that pressure coming from myself, I know now - and I spent so much time worrying what others cared of me. I wasn't happy at all. I had some pretty serious traumas growing up, sadness, deaths, just life, pretty much... but it all lived inside me, and I didn't realize I was living my life half-asleep. 

There was always that thought in my head; after I do this or reach that, I'll be happy. But that place never came, and after some really difficult years, one day, I had enough. I realized that tomorrow is not real; it's something I'm creating in my head to make my day more bearable. If I can't be happy now, then when? When is the time? For me, this realization changed my life. I finally got it - I need to live my life, not think about living it. This brought a huge need of experiencing something new, to get away, and I ended up leaving my home country to travel the world. 

Taking that first step was crucial, and I now know that I needed all that suffering to get here. Those hard years in my teens were so, so important - you need to fully see your darkness to desire the light. Yes, I had a lot of sad things happen when I was younger (who doesn't?), but I no longer think of them as things that happened "to" me. Things happen for you, not to you - and you need every experience that comes your way. Embrace! As soon as I opened up to a new way of living...happiness came. Little by little, I started to let go of the things from my past that were weighing me down. Yoga came into my life around that same time, and for the first time in my life, I got a tool to see my body as what it really is: Limitless! The body does so much for us, and it's the first thing to go when we're not feeling OK. Take care of it. Love it. Every inch! 

I also no longer judge myself the way I used to. I literally have not stepped on a scale since I was 17. I look the way I look, and I am the way I am. What's important is that I like myself, not what other people think. For me that was a huge thing, and yoga has helped me realize that. Moving my body with the breath, residing in the here and now, allowing the mind to rest - so important. Plus, yoga is so empowering! I'm strong, spacious, and present on the mat. There is no end to what we can create when we open up to what’s already here. Letting go of past hurts and fear, it's something we can actually do right now. Give it a go on the mat - we carry so much in our bodies. In my first year of yoga practice, I cried pretty much every time I stepped onto the mat. So wonderful... just thinking about it makes me smile. Crying is good! Letting go is good! Let everything go. How else can you fully immerse yourself in the present moment? Beauty is here and now. Life is now. And life is pretty damn amazing, I'll tell you that. 

What is your advice to people in overcoming fear and following their bliss? 

The most important advice I could ever give - we need to let go of our past to embrace what's ahead. It's so true - most of us live with a lot of skeletons in our closets, and we need to face them. Don’t let your past decide your present. Be here, now. If you're faced with an opportunity - take it! If you have a dream, go for it! What do you really have to lose? My dream is living in paradise, sharing my knowledge of yoga, in love. I get to live all of that and I am grateful every single day of my life. Go where the happiness is, and screw everything else.

You can follow Rachel's journey on facebook and instagram @yoga_girl

Buddhaful in Heather Gray!

The Buddhaful is now available in a beautiful tri-blend athletic Heather Gray! I've got it in sizes  small, medium, large and XL. It hangs slightly off the shoulder and look best when it's a little loose, so order a size up. Use it as a daily reminder that you are Buddha-ful! :)  xoxo
http://www.etsy.com/listing/102170500/buddhaful-flowy-offshoulder-long-sleeve

Back to Nature

Last Sunday morning, I woke up with a burst of energy, ready to do something "active". I immediately called my bff Kristy to see if she wanted to tackle the Mt. Woodson hike, something we've been talking about for months. Last spring, we hiked Cedar Creek which ends at a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the country and it is still one of our favorite San Diego memories. Armed with four PB&Js, four Tiger Milk bars, about 800 liters of water, and one excited pitbull, we grabbed our guys (who were NOT happy to leave the beach on a big surf day) and headed East.

It turned out to be a....memorable day, that's for sure! Long story short, it ended up being an almost 9 mile hike (a little over 4 miles each way), and Devin and I never made it up to the famous Potato Chip Rock. Our dog Sammy kept overheating and he collapsed 5 minutes from the top :( Our friends made it top and took this awesome pic.....

If you live in the San Diego area and haven't made it out to Mt. Woodson in Poway yet, I highly recommend it! We found this cool flat rock to take some partner yoga pics on to make up for not making it to the top :) 

While we love to take our pup absolutely everywhere, this is definitely not a dog-friendly hike. Poor Sammy had to get carried down :( Well, more like poor Devin....

It turned out to be an amazing day in the sunshine, basking in the beauty of San Diego's countryside. You gotta try it!

this week's intention: SELF LOVE

This week is all about LOVING YOURSELF!

intention: When I look in the mirror, I will see nothing but Beauty and Strength.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe,

deserve your love and affection.” - Buddha

We can do this, friends! Who's with me?

Dream. Come. True.

Just got official word that I will be teaching at the first annual Yoga Journal Conference here in San Diego. Part of me can't believe what I am typing. Me. Little ole me. Teaching. At Yoga Journal Conference. Alongside my yoga super heroes: Kathryn Budig, Bhava Ram, Aadil Palkhivala, Cyndi Lee, Seane Corn.....sigh....thanking the yoga gods for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

If you are coming to YJ Conference, reserve a spot in my 2-hour Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga clinic. Paddle Into Fitness will be teaching our signature Nautical Flow class at Session 2 on Saturday 10:30am and Sunday 10:30am. live ~ laugh ~ paddle

this week's intention: BECOME SPONTANEOUS

Every Monday morning, I try to set an intention for what I need out of these next 7 days in my life. Ways that I can push myself to grow, encouraging things to remember and/or motivation I need to stay focused. I will always try to share them with you in the hopes that we can journey together. So here goes: First week of June, I intend to.....

Push myself to be SPONTANEOUS and try 3 new things

 to enhance my mind, my body and my soul.

"Don't be afraid to expand yourself, to step out of your comfort zone.

That's where the joy and the adventure lie.” - Herbie Hancock

Are you with me? : )

Full Moon Yoga at the Beach

Join me Monday night for a magical flow!

...with Bird Rock Yoga in PB.

Come watch the sunset, then experience Full Moon Yoga as we flow through moon salutations, heart openers and an extended savasana under the stars. This lunar flow will leave you feeling restored and ready for the high energy surrounding the full moon each month.

Meet at the park above Law Street Beach in PB. Bring your mat and make sure to wear layers! We look forward to seeing you on Monday. $10 suggested donation - proceeds benefitting Mama's Kitchen.