Hello lovelies!

It’s Friday, the sun is shining, the spring weather is finally here (me thinks) and it’s opening day for the Red Sox at Fenway Park! How can it get any better than that?!

Actually, it can get better.  I have a yoga-filled weekend (more so than normal) that has me clicking up my heels and jumping into bakasana!

This Sunday, I’m participating in The Sassy Yogini’s 1st fundraiser!  All proceeds will go to a fellow yogi’s marathon run for Children’s Hospital Boston.  Not only will I get to participate in a 90 minute vinyasa yoga class led by the amazing Pat Donaher, but there will also be a super cool raffle of yoga-related items all donated by local yogis, yoginis, artisans, musicians and business owners.

(And a little birdie (of paradise) told me that a certain yoga mat bag will be one of the prizes…wink, wink!)

So, not only will I get to sweat my asana off, but I’ll be contributing to a good cause!

Can you say ‘win-win’?!  Thank you, Sassy!

(Nicole Burrill, aka The Sassy Yogini, is the gal to know (or follow) if you want the 411 on anything and everything yoga-related in the Boston area.  She rocks!)

(I think this yoga mat bag will make one lucky yogi/yogini very happy!)

What are you doing this weekend?  I hope it’s something fun.  BTW, got any yummy spring recipes?  I’m on the hunt…!

Namasté,
Nicole

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(A hug.  It might just be the thing that turns around someone’s day…maybe that someone is you?)

Namasté,
Nicole

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“Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we’re so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act.” -Ram Dass

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Are you superstitious?  Do you have any rituals that you must do every day? I like eating things in even numbers (i.e, four pretzels or six pretzels, but never five…weird, huh?)

Namasté,
Nicole

Source – www.yumsugar.com

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, the NCAA basketball tournament is in full effect and if you’re in Boston, it’s hovering at around 60 degrees outside today (but it feels like mid-August!)…

…today is a triple threat…or as I would like to say, ‘thrice as nice’!

So whether you’re sitting at your desk ‘pretending to be productive’, with one eye on your bracket and one eye on your iPhone as it streams live all the madness that is March, proudly wearing your green (or carrying your green), eating something green or beer-laden, or you’re outside enjoying the spring-like greenery, make today a great one!

Perhaps you’ll have the luck of the Irish on your side as you’re rooting for your favorite teams?  Maybe you’ll take your mat outside today and salute the sun in your own way?  Or, you’ll slowly sip your Guinness and take today in as a reminder that life should be thoroughly enjoyed much like your beverage of choice?

But if you’re like me, instead of getting your a$$ kicked in the bracket (which has happened way too often), you’ll get it kicked in a sweaty yoga studio.  I’ll be rooting for myself and slowly sipping in my deep breaths as I take in today as a wonderful day and another one which I have thoroughly lived and enjoyed.

Oh, and I’ll be sporting my green yoga top, too! (and having something green for dinner…with a side of beer )!

Erin yo-GA! (oh gawd, I can be such a dork!)

Do you wear flip flops outside in the winter (or when it’s still cold out)?  Or are you like me and wait until it’s actually hot?

Namasté,
Nicole

Source – reblogged from coffeeandyoga.tumblr.com, originally by atphoto.tumblr.com

Namasté,
Nicole

OK, I just blinked my eyes and now March Madness is in full swing, Daylight Savings Time has started and St. Patrick’s Day is this Thursday.

How did that all happen?!  And where was I?!

To get in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to give you some inspiration via the way of yoga bags.  Maybe they’ll help you get in the mood for Thursday, remind you that you’re in the market for a new bag or inspire you to get your yoga on?

But if you’re already practicing yoga (lucky you!), you know that you already have all that you need and the luck of the Irish will just be the icing on the cake (organic, vegan, low-sugar, gluten-free, raw or full-fat)

Bandha Chakra Yoga Mat Bag in Avocado

Molina Eclectic Patchwork Yoga Mat Bag in Green

oGorgeous Sweetheart Yoga Mat Bag in Papyrus Green

Flipped Bird Reversible Yoga Mat Bag in White, Green and Black

RoZCoo Ahimsa Yoga Mat Bag in Sage

Plank Messenger Yoga Mat Bag in Sage

J&P Yoga Abigail Yoga Mat Bag in Mint Green

Ruth Abela Green Range Yoga Mat Bag in Large

Are you going to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?  If so, what will you be doing?  Do you have a favorite team playing in the NCAA basketball tournament?

Namasté,
Nicole

If you don’t practice yoga or have never tried it, it’s hard to understand why yogis and yoginis have such a deep passion for their practice.  People are constantly asking me why I enjoy yoga so much and why it’s become such an important part of my life.  I do my best to explain it, but unfortunately, I don’t think I am giving it the justice it deserves.

After a less than stellar explanation, I often times just tell these interested people to simply give yoga a try.   It doesn’t have to be Power or Vinyasa yoga; just give any kind of yoga a chance.  The reason as to why I love yoga (as well as so many others) will start to become apparent.  They often nod and smile and then the next time they see me, they ask about yoga again still without taking their first step onto their mat.

Just the other day, I stumbled upon this video clip from Seane Corn.  Seane Corn is an amazingly gifted yoga teacher and her words about yoga and the journey it takes the body (and mind) through is exquisite.  If you have a few minutes, give it a listen.  I know I’m going to be sending the link to this video to all of my ‘yet-to-be-a-yoga-convert’ family and friends.

Me thinks they might like Seane’s explanation better than mine But if the world can gain yet another yogi, we are one step closer to living in a more peaceful place.

Do you have a YouTube addiction?  If so, do you use it more to post your own videos or to watch others’?  What is the funniest video you’ve seen so far (this laughing baby video has been all the rage!)

Namasté,
Nicole

*You can buy them here.

(Look closely.  No, they’re not just your average yoga mats and yoga mat bags.  They’re dollhouse miniatures!  I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw these.  So freakin’ cute!  Just when I thought I’d seen it all, etsy proves me wrong.  Hey, your dollhouse people need to destress and find their center, too!)

Namasté,
Nicole

Just a little over a week ago on Friday, it was close to 60 degrees here in Boston.  Then it poured and there was thunder and lightning, causing much chaos and fallen trees in the area.  The next day, we were back down to the low 30’s, with crazy, strong, gusty, ‘if-you-don’t-watch-out-your-car-door-will-fly-open-into-another-car-when-you-open-it’ type winds.  And by the middle of this past week, the temperature was back to normal (low to mid 30’s).  However, by Friday afternoon, it reached the low 40’s and about an inch and a half of rain fell starting from early morning until late afternoon.  By 7pm, the temperature dropped and we got about an inch or so of snow.  We got a break on Saturday, with clear skies and normal temps, but yesterday morning greeted us with about 2-3 inches of fluffy, white snow.  And this morning, we have sleet and freezing rain…

Sound sorta nuts to you?

Well, it does to me.  You’d think that being born and raised in Massachusetts, I’d be fine with the unpredictable and inconsistent (or consistently changing) weather, but not this gal.  In fact, it actually makes me kinda bonkers.

Just as the weather was getting warmer and the sun was shining brighter, I felt as if spring was right around the corner.  I started daydreaming about driving with the windows down, taking long and leisurely walks around my neighborhood and I even put my winter boots away (yes, that was sorta jumping the gun a bit).  And then it snowed, and the winter that seemed to vanish overnight came back as fast as it had left.

To say the least, I was bummed.

However, as I sat stewing in my disgust for the weather, I began thinking about all the things in my life that are constantly changing and evolving: technology, my preference in food, my yoga practice, the way I go about in making decisions, the latest in fashion, relationships with my family and friends, my appearance (hello fine lines and dark circles under my eyes), my views and opinions, health trends and even astrology (I don’t care what anyone says, I’ll always be a Leo).

To try to even keep up with all the change that occurs would be next to impossible, not to mention exhausting.  But to get upset or disappointed would be futile.  The world will constantly be in a state of flux; it is just a fact of life.  I realize that growing attached to things may be natural and for some (like me), it’s even comforting.  However, when you can embrace the fact things are going to always to change and you can understand that change brings forth possibility, then it won’t be so hard to let things go.  If you can be happy and at peace with who you are and with where you are (physically, mentally and spiritually), adapting to life’s changes won’t be such a daunting task.

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” -Pema Chodron

Of course, saying is much easier than doing, and for me, this has been a lifelong process.  Just when I think I’ve mastered something or I’ve become complacent, the Universe has a way of suddenly shifting things.  But I’ve found that the more grounded I become, the more aligned I am with my core and the more grateful I am for all that is in my life (and all the good that is to come), the harder it is for me to get knocked down – even in the toughest of storms.

When was the last time you had to adapt?  How did you do it? Do you think it gets easier with time? Or, is it always difficult?

Namasté,
Nicole

This sign hangs in my yoga studio.  I see it practically every day, but I don’t truly read and absorb its message every day.

Whether it be our significant other’s non-stop support, the warm sun shining through our bedroom window, the happy face on our pet that greets us at the door or having a hot and nutritious meal whenever and wherever we want,  I think we sometimes tend to overlook the little things in our lives that carry so much significance (in this case, it was a ‘big’ thing since this sign is almost as big as me).

Last night, as I was getting ready for practice, I looked up and remembered to read these profound words.  The words are simple, but the message has great meaning.

So, I decided to snap a picture of the sign and share it with you (yeah I know, I’m good like that).

I hope it inspires you like it did me last night.

(On a funny side note, this sign hangs right next to the ‘changing’ rooms at my studio…hahahaha!)

What’s your favorite condiment?  I love ketchup, gobs of it.  But, I’m a dipper, I don’t like drowning my food in it.  Hello?  Soggy fries?  No, thanks!

Namasté,
Nicole