June Favorites: Books, Movies, & TV

We're halfway through June and you know what time it is....okay, well maybe you don't. But I am going to tell you so never fear! It's time for Emilie's June Favorites: otherwise known as a list of random things that I've really liked during this month. Cheers.

1. Movie...

Wonder Woman: let's just get this obvious favorite over with. OBSESSED. I have always been a sucker for a good Girl Power storyline (Spice Girls represent) and this movie was one, big, epic, MFing girl power moment. I thought Gal Gadot did a wonderful job (pun intended) and that her portrayal of Diana was amazing. She made Diana relatable, real, and still an ass-kicking warrior princess. Wonder Woman is goals for all of us; she does what she wants, stands up for those who can't fight for themselves, doesn't let anyone tell her what to do, and is unapologetic about her femininity.

2. Book(s)...

I am not capable of reading only one book at a time. I get bored and end up taking forever to finish it, unless of course it's Harry Potter. Right now I am really enjoying:

*White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America (Nancy Isenberg)
*The Secret History of Wonder Woman (Jill Lepore)
*A Breath of Snow and Ashes: Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
*Outliers: The Story of Success (Malcolm Gladwell)

I highly recommend all of these books especially if you like history or historical fiction.

3. Television...

When I say 'television' I mean Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon because I am cheap and we don't do cable unless its basketball season. But! Here are my favorite shows currently...

*American Gods - This show has incredible camera shots and the storyline is insane, I can't wait to read the book! Unfortunately I messed up my longtime pact of reading books before seeing the show on this one but if the book is anything like the show, it's going to be great. Neil Gaiman is an artist.

*The Handmaid's Tale - This show makes me angry & upset but it is relevant and I love it. I'm a little confused about why they decided to drag it out into more than one season, but excited to see where they go with it. Elizabeth Moss is insanely great as June and I love that she is also a producer on the show.

What are you reading, listening to, and watching right now??

Happy Monday...

Em

living your yoga

Happy June Everyone!

Summer is almost upon us here in NC and you can feel it in the air. Literally, it's muggy AF. I just wrapped week five of yoga teacher training and am more than halfway through this journey to get my RYT200. It's been such a wonderful experience and I can honestly say that I don't even recognize my practice from before. It sounds cheesy, but I am changed. Learning just the tiny little bit that I have so far has been so incredibly expansive for my heart, mind, and soul. Not to mention my physical body!

Each month I have continued progressing through our pranayama (breath-work) and dharana/dhyana (concentration/meditation) plans which are building up our experience level and teaching us the different methods for these ancient practices. It has been so interesting to learn about the history and purpose of these techniques. I never really appreciated or understood the pranayama or meditation aspects of yoga until now. I am impatient and the thought of sitting still and 'wasting' time breathing used to horrify me! But now, I feel like I have opened a whole new part of myself and its all because of these yogic practices that I used to think were silly.

What so many people don't know, myself (until this year) included, is that the asanas (poses) are only a tiny part of yoga. In fact, according to the Eight Limb Path it is only, well, one eighth of the full Raja practice! In order to truly live ones yoga there are many other aspects that are equally, if not more important. Below you can see a chart of the Eight Limbed Path...

The idea is to build upon the Yamas and Niyamas with your posture practice, breathwork, and meditation to eventually reach a place of enlightenment or divine connection. Of course this doesn't happen over night, but we have to have goals in this life right? 

This month our focus is on the first niyama, saucha, or purity. Purity in this sense means taking care of your body, mind, and soul in a way that keeps them clean and pure. So this can range from taking a shower, to eating healthy, to going to yoga or the gym, all the way to cleansing your mind, intellect, and spirit through study, the search for knowledge, and truthfulness. Needless to say, these are lofty goals that can seem SUPER overwhelming, but if I have learned one thing through my practice it is that trying your best is always good enough. 

Yoga is about trying to be your best self! Nobody is perfect and that's totally fine. Maybe you can't do a handstand, or meditate for longer than ten minutes without falling asleep, but that's not what it is all about. Being a true and good person, aspiring and striving to better yourself, and treating others kindly is yoga too. 

There are as many paths as there people when it comes to yoga, and no single journey is perfect. All I want to do is strive every day to live my yoga. Whether that means I make it to class or not, I want to truly know in my heart that I tried my best to live my yoga. One of my favorite modern yoginis, Rachel Brathen, has a great quote...

 

I don't know what these next few months have in store but I am so excited to continue growing and learning as a yoga teacher and student because I think a true yogi never stops learning. Being a forever student of ones self and the world sounds like a pretty great adventure! 

How do you live your yoga every day? 

Em