Live a Hopeful, Zesty, Grateful, Loving, Curious Life

For Thanksgiving, I wrote an article over at Inner Fire about the health benefits of gratitude. While sifting through research on gratitude interventions, I came across quote that felt surprisingly inspiring and uplifting for a matter-of-fact academic article. It didn’t fit into the Inner Fire Article, so I wanted to share it here:

Consistently and robustly associated with life satisfaction were hope, zest, gratitude, love, and curiosity. [1]

A hopeful, zesty, grateful, loving, curious life—yes please! Here are some tips on cultivating some of these qualities:

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. -Claude T Bissell

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. -Claude T Bissell

For more on gratitude, please read 8 Health Benefits Of Practicing Gratitude Every Day over at Inner Fire.

[1] Nansook Park, Christopher Peterson, Martin E. P. Seligman (2004). Strengths of Character and Well-Being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology: Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 603-619.

How to Inspire a Change of Heart

I recently wrote an article over at Inner Fire about inspiring changes of heart in people you disagree with. There is a lot going on globally, and are there ever opportunities to use these strategies on social media right now. This is my method of choice:

1. Be a living example: The simplest way to inspire others to consider the merit of your opinions is to live out your ideals happily, healthily, and unapologetically—no deep conversation required. If how you’re living is making your existence markedly more joyful, purposeful, or abundant than average then others will take notice.

Social media gives us an opportunity to live out loud at a higher volume than we ever have before. If you believe strongly in something, put yourself out there, get vulnerable, be authentic, start a movement. Like Marianne Williamson wrote:

[A]s we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

For the rest of the tips, please read the full article over at Inner Fire.

14 Signs That Social Media is Making You Sacrifice Yoga for #yoga: Confessional

I recently wrote an article for Inner Fire about how the pressures of social media may profoundly affect our yoga practice (read the full article over at Inner Fire for all fourteen points with discussion). At the bottom of the post, I wrote the following:

I poke fun with love. I’ve been guilty of many of these things at one time or another over the last ten years.

In the spirit of owning up to inauthenticity on social media, I’d like to share some of my own photos that inspiredpoints in the article.

1. You spent longer taking photos of yourself in [one pose] on your more photogenic side than you did moving through a complete, balanced asana practice.

Compass pose

This is backstory behind nearly every “yoga” photo I have of myself. I now like to say my picturesque photos are of me pretending to do yoga. Cameras are distracting for me and I keep them as far away from my real practice as possible. (Bonus: this is also an example of #2 and #6)

2. To you, the true purpose of pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) is to make sure you look contented and serene as you press your bare hands and feet into sharp gravel…

Wild Thing on Gravel

The year I was a Wayfarer, Wanderlust featured this photo of me drilling gravel into the palm of my hand. This selfie photoshoot lasted about 10 frames before the heels of my hands were too raw to continue.

4. You have injured yourself taking advantage of an irresistible photo op.

I learned early on never to do yoga poses while buzzed. The photo a friend snapped of me dropping from standing to full splits at a lifeguard-themed pub night is now lost, but my hamstring remembered it for months thereafter.

I learned early on never to do yoga poses while buzzed. The photo a friend snapped of me dropping from standing into full splits at a lifeguard-themed pub night is now lost, but my hamstring remembered it for months thereafter.

6. Your significant other rolls their eyes when you ask them to take yet another photo of you doing a balancing pose on a rock while on vacation together.

This is from my honeymoon in Hawaii. As if there's room to do an actual yoga practice on this rock.

I took time out of my honeymoon in Hawaii for some #yoga… as if there’s room to do an actual practice on this rock.

8. You’ve perfected the blissful gaze and Mona Lisa smile that every yoga magazine ever loves to feature on its cover.

Striking a #pose in #CentalPark. #doyogaanywhere #yogaeverydamnday #yoga #umbrella #rain #nyc #barefootintherain #lace

A photo posted by Barbie Levasseur (@barbieyoga) on

Practicing on a slippery wet park bench while holding an umbrella always makes me feel blissful and serene.

12. There are no photos of your journeys, only your destinations.

Want to take a guess at how many photos it takes to capture a perfect moment like this with a baby? At least she got a good, long tummy time session.

Want to take a guess at how many fussy, gawky, pukey photos it takes to capture a perfect moment like this with a baby?

 

13. Once the camera is off your practice is over.

Pregnant Skeleton

I stopped practicing traditional asana the day I found out I was pregnant to retain as much stability as possible in my already hypermobile joints. I didn’t practice traditional poses again until the end of my third trimester in preparation for childbirth… Well, except to take this irresistible photo of my Halloween costume.

Read more about hypermobility during pregnancy here.

14. You take selfies while meditating.

 

#meditation #nyc #manhatten #zen #fountain #batterypark #sucasana #jnanamudra A photo posted by Barbie Levasseur (@barbieyoga) on

Not a selfie, but still a totally posed meditation shot (and another example of #6). I don’t think I sat in stillness for much longer than it took to get the photo.

Please read the original full article over at Inner Fire: 14 Signs That Social Media is Making You Sacrifice Yoga for #yoga

5 Excuses That Sabotage Your Yoga Practice and How To Overcome Them

I’ve noticed that people’s excuses for playing hookie on yoga class tend to reflect the very benefits a regular yoga practice would give them if they gave it a chance. For example, I frequently hear people say they’re not flexible enough to do yoga; however, in most cases if they stuck with the practice their flexibility would gradually improve. For more on this and other excuses for skipping yoga that don’t hold up, please read my recent article over at Inner Fire: 5 Excuses That Sabotage Your Yoga Practice and How To Overcome Them

 

How To Overcome The Five Most Common Barriers In Savasana

This week I wrote a post for Inner Fire about How To Overcome The Five Most Common Barriers In Savasana. In the last year, I’ve needed these techniques less in yoga class and more to fall asleep at night. During pregnancy I had insomnia due to physical tension and an insatiable urge to fidget. I was lucky enough to give birth to a good sleeper, but that didn’t mean I started getting restful nights: at first she was an incredibly loud sleeper, which distracted me from relaxing, and then she matured into an incredibly quiet sleeper, which had me periodically checking her breathing. The technique that has helped me the most with relaxing enough to fall asleep over the last year is this:

Technique #2: Kumbhaka

Kumbhaka, or breath retention, is thought to bring calm and focus to the mind. To begin: Inhale to four fifths of your lung capacity. Then, seal the throat (jalandara bandha), tighten your abdominals, and engage your pelvic floor (mula bandha). It should feel like you’re using your muscles to hug your lungs and abdomen from the top, bottom, and around all the sides. Retain your breath for a few seconds (but not to the point of feeling panicky), then release all contraction and sigh out your breath. Reset with a couple ujjayi breaths, then repeat twice more. Over time, you may work up to practicing kumbhaka at the end of every inhale for two or three minutes.

To read about other soporifically effective relaxation techniques that you can use for  either savasana or sleep read the full article over at Inner Fire>>