Stepping out of the comfort zone

Right now, I'm very much a risk taker. Due to then circumstances of my life right now, I am venturing into unknown territory and everything feels like a risk. I have left my comfort zone entirely and it is definitely scary. Avoiding risk right now would mean living a very boring, meaningless life. It would mean doing very little, taking no chances on getting to know people or do new things.

But that's not how I want to live my life. I take small risks every day, and challenge myself in small ways. Whether it is pushing myself do do more physical activity than I think I can handle or being vulnerable to making new friends, I try to do one thing a day that scares me and pushes me out of that comfort zone.



Are you more likely to take or avoid a risk?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog improvements: help!

Today's #NaBloPoMo topic: Talk about a website or blog you wish you had started.

Roni's Weigh. She is a true pioneer in the weight loss, wellness blogging community and she is such an inspiration. I wish I had the courage years ago when I first started reading her blog to share my own story and to begin my own journey earlier.

She has given thousands of people hope and inspiration and she continues to grow her brand and help others. She pretty much rocks.

I've been thinking of redesigning my blog. I actually want separate pages for reviews of products, a blog roll, an Ask Me form, space to talk about ambassador stuff and a few other things. If anyone is interested in helping me out, please email me at AMoreConsciousE@gmail.com.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday Blahs

Today's #NaBloPoMo left me stumped: Talk about a tangible item you wish you had invented.

I'm definitely creative and have spent my career and personal life creating projects to help people, but I've never thought of inventing anything. So I started thinking about things I use that I can't do without...and came up blank.

Then I started to think of things that are cool but not widely known. I remembered the yoga mat cleaner at my old yoga studio. For a small price, you roll your yoga mat onto a bar and feed it into a machine that disinfects it so all the nasty sweat, tears and general secretions are cleaned off of your mat.

Now that I've addressed the prompt, I can get to real talk. Life has been good lately. We're still trying to work out some kinks in my medicine so I can deal with the crushing fatigue, but for now things are stable. I've started going back to yoga, and it's been great. I am not as rusty as I thought, and it feels good to be back in the studio environment. I've also spent some time with friends lately, something I haven't been able to do much in a while.

Recovery is bumping along, and I can't complain.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

And on Sunday, She Rests

Literally. I had a pretty full weekend with friends, fun, yoga, and walking more than I have in a long time. Today, my body decided that it was back to recovery mode, so I slept most of the day.

It was glorious.

Hope you had a relaxing Sunday!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Good Weekend

My version of a good weekend is one that is well balanced - time for rest, exercise, time with the husband, time for friends, and time to take care of responsibilities and chores.  This weekend is the first weekend in a while where I felt I had time, energy and enthusiasm for all of these things. 

I am content :)

It Takes a Village

Happy Friday! This week has felt like one of the longest ever. I have been dealing with some major fatigue and lupus-y symptoms and it feels like I've been treading water for days. I've slept more in the last few days than I have in months, and I realize that all of the annoying lupus things that went away with my old treatment are starting to come back. I've gotten to the point where I can't drive long distances for fear of falling asleep at the wheel. Blah.



With me, there is always a bright side. The good news is that I've accomplished a lot of my goals, and will hopefully have some new insights from my medical team today. I'm also getting in some extra reading/rest time by taking the commuter bus which leaves me right across the street from OT, so I can get where I need to go without sacrificing my safety.

Shifting gears entirely: Today's #NaBloPoMo prompt is an interesting one for me: Would you rather start something on your own or as a member of a team?

I've spent the last decade professionally singing the virtues of building communities and the value of teamwork in just about every aspect of life. I feel strongly that a group of people committed to a cause is a force to be reckoned with and generally tends to have better and more long lasting results.

However, at the same time the older I get the more I see how one would want/need to start something on their own. I get that for some people it is more rewarding to be able to say "I did this on my own."

I've been thinking about this post all week and going back and forth in my answer, and I think I end up where my gut has been for years. There is so much to learn from being part of a team - cooperation, communication, compromise, patience, how to explain your point of view to others, the collective power of shared ideas, etc. Trust me, I could talk for hours about the idea of teams.

When it comes to health and fitness, I believe while it can seem like ultimately a solo sport it still takes a village. In Yoga, no one on your team can do an asana for you, nor can they walk you through the other limbs of the yogic path. No one can lift a new PR for you, nor can they finish the marathon in your shoes. However, I believe it takes a village to get to your "final product." Whether it's your coaches, instructors , family and friends cheering you on - everyone needs their village. During a marathon, thousands of volunteers come out to hand out water, to set up porta-potties, to cheer people on. Even if you as an individual runner don't know them, they are part of your village for the day and they contribute to your success.

It's all a process, and I think that even as we engage in our solo activities, we should take the time to figure out who is part of the team that makes the magic happen and thank them for being there :)



Who is part of your village?






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Seeking a Mentor/Guru (or several)

I have to say, I'm really loving the #NaBloPoMo prompts this month.

Who out there in the world would be the best mentor for your ideas and goals?

I have started to throw out to the universe my wish to find a guru to follow. I do have people I hold in high esteem and look towards (even though I don't know them) to mentor me for my ideas and goals. In my previous profession, I definitely had mentors and they provided tremendous support and assistance. As I'm working to build a healthier, more conscious life, I feel like I could use a few to keep me on track.

I find Marianne Williamson to be most aligned with the principles and values that I want to live. For those who don't know Marianne, she is a metaphysical teacher and speaks on A Course In Miracles. You can follow her on Twitter at @marwilliamson, faceboook.com/WilliamsonMarianne or her website: www.marianne.com. I tend to feel better and more grounded when I listen to her recorded lessons and read her books.

When it comes to eating healthy, there are a few people I look up to: Melissa and Dallas Hartwig of the Whole9Life, Mark Sisson, and Sean Croxton from the paleo community. They speak in such a no-nonsense way and can bring the scientific talk to the average person in such a great way that I can't help but follow them. I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa and Dallas briefly at a Whole30 workshop in January, and love love love getting their emails and following them on social media.

For yoga and my freelance writing goals, I'm not sure who would be the best mentor would be. I hope the universe will send me an answer soon :).







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Dream Job

Today's #NaBloPoMo prompt is such a great question. It really gets at your deep down dreams, the stuff you don't ever admit out loud. I've been pretty open in my posts this month, so my response shouldn't be a huge surprise.

If money or expertise were no concern, I would love to be primarily a yoga/meditation instructor and a freelance writer. These are activities I enjoy and would love to share with the world. My core values include peace of mind, spiritual awareness, dedication to a social cause and serving others. I feel these ideal jobs would help me live those values in my day-to-day life best.


I do have plans to eventually teach yoga, and I'm excited because last night I started taking classes again at YogaWorks at their Valencia branch. I have been going to classes at their Larchmont branch for the last year, but with the move, the Valencia branch is just way closer.

It felt so good to be back in the studio and moving my body in gentle, but purposeful ways. I hadn't realized how much I missed yoga class until I was there. My plan is to go as often as possible and build my yoga practice and start off with my 200 hr certification towards the end of next year. After that, I will work towards my 500 hour certification, and I would like to focus primarily on teaching yoga to those with chronic illnesses such as lupus. I've found it to be so helpful in my disease management, and I've really felt the difference not going to classes the last few months.


My other dream is to be a writer. I feel like I have a novel in me, but it just hasn't risen to the surface. Every so often, paragraphs float in my head, but they haven't become cohesive yet. I would REALLY love to be a freelance writer for magazines focusing on wellness for people with chronic illnesses. I feel I bring a unique perspective, not only being someone with a chronic disease, but also as someone who has the professional experience creating programs for people with chronic illnesses for several years.

What are your deep hidden dream jobs??





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Getting in My Own Way

Today's prompt digs deeper at issues that are hard to look at - what are the things getting in the way of reaching my dreams.

My first answer was my health, but when I really stopped to reflect, I realize it is my own fear of success.

Yes, my health is a factor in all that I do. Because of my unpredictable conditions, I'm never quite sure whether or not I'll make it to the studio, no matter despite my best intentions. However, even more paralyzing than my health is the fear that I've developed - a fear of getting injured, my fear of this becoming an unhealthy obsession, and my fear of not being good enough. While I seem to brim with self-confidence, the truth is my self-esteem for various reasons is low, and I often talk myself out of doing things out of fear of being rejected or looking silly/dumb. It can be a paralyzing fear in many aspects of my life, but when it comes to yoga, I find that I can break through with enough self talk.



Because yoga is not a competition. Yoga is the one thing I truly do that is just for me. Yoga is more than about nailing that perfect asana - yoga for me is finding peace every time I step on the mat.
I've been mainly practicing at home the last few months, but at my doctor's recommendation, I'm going to restart my studio practice this week. I'm super excited, because nothing gives me the same quite thrill as stepping into a studio and knowing that I'm going to spend the next hour or so dedicating myself to this wonderful practice.



What is the biggest obstacle getting in the way of achieving your goals? Is it an external issue? Or, like me, are you plagued with self-doubt that stops you from doing what you want?

If so, let's keep each other in check and make sure that we don't let ourselves miss out on the opportunities to better ourselves.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

One of My Big Goals and a Risk

Next week kicks off BlogHer Entrepreneurs conference, a meeting of minds for women who "want to start something." Tell us what you'd love to start.

I want to start teaching yoga to the chronically ill. This is a long term plan, as I have to get healthy enough to endure a solid home and studio practice and then get my teaching certification, but this is my baby aspiration/dream. I nurture it daily with readings about yoga philosophy and different styles of yoga, as well as establishing a home practice that meets the needs of my current health status.


As I referenced yesterday, I'm on a slow journey back to being able to do as much as I used to, but I am using this opportunity to explore the other aspects of yoga and myself :)

What is something you would like to start?





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad