stolz wie bolle.

und dankbar wie sau.

]]> https://happyplaceyoga.co/log/ Mon, 30 Dec 2019 13:06:11 +0000 http://happyplaceyoga.co/?p=1676

editor’s note: I had to edit this post and exclude all of the instagram posts because it slowed the website down incredibly much. go check out our instagram to find all posts and insights! xo,  jo & grimm

day 30!

day 27 + 28 + 29

I just don’t want to post anymore right now

yeez if you have been following this blog you realized that my enthusiasm for posting daily quickly evaporated. at times I felt like it was 30 days of posting instead of 30 days of yoga. therefore, I let it go. I stopped trying to film everything and take pictures, as I not only felt really uninspired, but also wanted to focus on being more present. sorry (not sorry) guys! I hope you still found this blog entertaining! talk to you tomorrow on the final day!

day 20

two thirds done

private class day! | pranayama today: bhastrika! | silent meditation: 5min.

day 19

monday hit me hard…

classes scheduled today: 1. | feeling very: bleh (=emotional, fearful, unenlightened).

day 18

sundaze.

classes today: 2. | first morning of doing nothing in foreverrrrr.

day 17

uh oh! a cold is coming.

sneeze. | cough. | ugh.

day 16

emotional cleanse?

classes scheduled today: 2. | thoughts: 1 876 924 934/second.

day 15

happy halftime!

no classes today! | home practice: self practice! | thinking about:…

flow states

what are flow states: have you ever completely forgotten time during an activity? like you were just in your flow – not stressing, simply moving on your instincts? that is a flow state.

why they are important: they show us where our natural inclinations lie – where we have to flow to in order to be happy.

just a quick not on my self (yin) yoga practice: It’s funny how I always think „well I may just do 15min of nice movement and breathing“ and it ALWAYS ends up being 30min or more. i seriously just arrive in this flow state with myself – sometimes with a lot of thoughts on my busy mind, sometimes (if i am lucky) just barely aware of any thoughts at all.

day 14

V.i.t.a.l.s

yoga classes I teach today: 2. | stress-o-meter: elevated. | level of tiredness: sleeping beauty before the 100-year long nap…

who are you? do you know your true self?

as I have explained before, we are aiming to use these 30 days of yoga to discover previously unknown parts of ourselves. to find our true self in order to become our higher selves. How?

But what does that even mean? Continue reading

every part of today’s entry that’s written below here comes from an amazing article I found on psychologytoday.com  written by Meg Selig.

V = Values

“Values“—such as “helping others,” “being creative,” “health,” “financial security,” and so on—are guides to decision-making and motivators for goals. Research shows that just thinking or writing about your values can make it more likely that you take healthy actions. The motivation provided by worthwhile values can also keep you going even when you are tired, as shown in many psychology experiments. If you want to self-motivate, know your values!

I = Interests

“Interests” include your passions, hobbies, and anything that draws your attention over a sustained period of time. To figure out your interests, ask yourself these questions: What do you pay attention to? What are you curious about? What concerns you? The focused mental state of being interested in something makes life vivid and may give you clues to your deepest passions.

T = Temperament

“Temperament” describes your inborn preferences. Do you restore your energy from being alone (introvert) or from being with people (extrovert)? Are you a planner or go-with-the-flow type of person? Do you make decisions more on the basis of feelings or thoughts and facts? Do you prefer details or big Ideas? Knowing the answers to temperament questions like these could help you gravitate toward situations in which you could flourish and avoid situations in which you could wilt.

A = Around-the-Clock Activities

The “around-the-clock” category refers to when you like to do things—your biorhythms. Are you a morning person or a night person, for example? At what time of day does your energy peak? If you schedule activities when you are at your best, you are respecting your innate biology.

L = Life Mission and Meaningful Goals

“What have been the most meaningful events of your life?” This was a question I liked to ask when students would see me for career counseling at the community college where I worked. One woman of about 40 years old got teary-eyed as she tried to answer. “Recently,” she told me, “I found it incredibly meaningful to care for my aging father as he declined and went into hospice. I was able to be there and hold his hand when he died.” As we talked about the difficulties and rewards of her father’s last days, she had an “aha” moment and realized she wanted to become a hospice nurse. (She accomplished her goal and was one of the leaders of her class.) Ask yourself the same question: “What have been the most meaningful events of your life?” You may discover clues to your hidden identity, to your career, and to life satisfaction.

S = Strengths

„Strengths“ can include not only abilities, skills, and talents, but also character strengths such as loyalty, respect for others, love of learning, emotional intelligence, fairness, and more. (See here for a list of character strengths). Knowing your strengths is one of the foundations of self-confidence; not being able to acknowledge your own superpowers could put you on the path to low self-esteem. Become a person who “takes in the good,” listening for compliments and noticing skills that could be clues to your strengths. Here’s an example: An acquaintance tells you that she loves the soothing sound of your voice. What could you do with that knowledge? Likewise, knowing your weaknesses can help you be honest with yourself and others about what you are not good at. You might decide either to work on those weaknesses or try to make them a smaller part of your personal or professional life.

Again, for more, see this cool article  on psychologytoday.com  written by Meg Selig.

amazing right? have fun writing down your thoughts on your v.i.t.a.l.s.! As for our yoga practice today:

what we did: #yogalab class! handstand kickups.

What it felt like: definitely had to slow down as I feel a head cold coming on!

day 13

twisting it out / from another perspective

 osteopath: 1; josefine: 0 | stress-o-meter: unsustainably throwing energy out of the window. | today: special class on the „revolved series“ with the challenge participants!

what we did: kapalabhati + 50min of technical yoga practice for twists, revolved triangle etc + kapalabhati round 2 + 4min of silent mediation.

What it felt like: after having my cervical spine reset by my osteopath I felt oddly immobile and sore in the vertebrae – I needed this check-up badly it seems! It felt ridiculously good to tuck in and release my belly during the „fire breathing“. probably because this finally shook out my still-a-little-sore abs.

day 12

energy flows where attention goes.

 woke up at: 5:53 am (?) | sore-o-meter: 4 out of 5. | yoga classes I teach today: 1 wonderful slow flow. 

day 11

rest & relax

 yoga classes to teach later today: 2 (asking myself „how“ every time I move because…. |  sore? yup. SORE SORe (6 out of 5). | to-do today: walkies, walkies & walkies, and snuggle the puppy, and daydream.

day 10

yoga festival time!

From 11am until 6pm: at YEZ yoga festival in stuttgart! | YEZ yoga classes I took today: 3! what a treat! | yoga classes taught: 1 | sore-o–meter: 6 out of 5 (feeling it creep in already before going to bed… 

for the rest of my day’s resumé: check this post. #lazy. and #sore. #eventypinghurts

day 9

all hail the weekend!

yoga classes taught: 2 | sore-o–meter: 0.3 out of 5 (feeling surprisingly good!) | that’s all.

day 8

simplify!

no classes today – wohooo | time for personal yoga practice! | much happy. | very gratitude. | wow.

the question „what can I do to simplify my life“ has been a very fruitful one to ask myself from time to time. when I am practically drowning in responsibilities, to-dos and stress I oftentimes forget that, me being a central european middle class white woman (she, her), I have the (white hetero cis) privilege to choose what I burden myself with in most of the cases. too little sleep? boho! what’s stopping me, a healthy 28yo, from going to bed earlier? don’t like to have too many appointments after work? well then maybe just choose to not set any?

what is troubeling you? is there an easy way to relieve the weight, to simplify? do you have to let go of unattainable goals, of friendships that are simply too much work, of a hobby that feels like a chore? take today to take action!

day 7

another year, another meh (?)

yoga lessons today: 1. | sore-o-meter: 1.5 out of 5. | grinch-o-meter: 3.5 out of 5.

ok officially back at the old office life – and already it’s draining my energy. Thus, no wonder I felt a little insecure and grumpy today, with lots of positve energy seeping from me the moment I leave my puppy at home to go to work. anyways.

a source of energy today: handstand playtime with my yogis at the studio *face lights up*. That and planning  3 yoga retreats for 2020. stay tuned!

day 6

Tuesdays are for going beyond

yoga lessons today: 1. | a bad thing that happened today: first day back at work. | two good things that happened today: I saw my work colleagues again after xmas break(1)! I had pancakes for breakfast (2). | videos now successfully uploaded: 3 out of 4.

what we did: a private class of sorts for the powerwomen who joined the challenge at the studio. see the following instagram post for more insights!

What it felt like: peaceful.

day 5

slow flowinnnnn

yoga lessons today: 1. | videos I re-filmed after I hated the quality of the first draft: 2. |  best thing that happened to me today: my beautiful goofball of a dog.

what we did: long yogic walks (i.e. very mindful and aware of the beauty of our frozen surroundings). than a 60min slow flow with pranayama (nadi shodhana) and 10min of meditation. our topic today: intuition.

What it felt like: yum.

day 4

the holidays are almost over

yoga lessons today: 2. | wanted to get up at: 8:30 am |  got up at: 10:00 am (now #grumpy) | Harry Potter movies watched: 1 (childlike happy state). | Sunday strolls: 70min (unsatisfying).

23:59 – sluggish day, powerful classes; sore
felt really sluggish today and definitely feeling the anxiety of having to get back to work on Tuesday rising. my answer: yoga. smiles. snuggles. attainable goals that energize me.
*scribbles on vision board hugging the dog.*

what we did: 45min of core work and arm balances + 60min of yummy yin yang flow – the latter with a definite restorative component as many of the challengers as well as myself are a little bit sore.

What it felt like: very joy-filling and happiness inducing. also: extra long shavasana.
*heart pounding with delight.*

day 3

hip openers

yoga lessons taught today:2. | hangriness moments: 1. |  journaling? yes. | walkies? yes! | doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day? YES!!!!

15:00 – checking in after a beautiful yoga morning at the studio.
all of the challengers showed up for themselves today, participating in one of the two classes – WELL DONE!!!!

what we did: a 60min class of gentle vinyasa flowing + 60min of active stretching, mainly hip openers. note: lot’s of strength and mobility excercises for the hips! I hate doing only hip stretching. this was definitely me today:

What it felt like: my hips felt really truly relieved for the first time after the holidays. my hip flexor allowed me to bend deeply today, though I sense tight hamstrings. brace yourself for a hamstring activation class, ladies and gentlemen…

today, I have a little task for you. check this instagram post (in German, sorry!) to start diving deeper into your higher self.

day 2

january 3rd: easing into it… or not.

yoga lessons today: 2. #teacherlife | personal yoga practice minutes – plan: 30. | slept: 7.5 hours on & off (=meh). | hours spent uploading/video rendering: roughly 5 (and still going… whyyyyy).  

9:00  – good morning from the yoga side of life!

haha just kidding – I just woke up and I feel as if a truck ran me over. I am pretty sure that is not the way the yogic life is supposed to feel…? I stayed up way too late last night, finishing up the first of three yoga-flow videos I am providing for the challenge, for home practice.  sigh. for me, a big part of this challenge is establishing a healthy routine that I can keep up through the busy days of life. let’s see how we go. look what arrived in the mail today!

View this post on Instagram

OK Y‘ALL • I usually do not share my „other work“ on here unless it‘s about my yoga school marketing. But I simply am in love with the little booklet I made for the yoga challenge #hpy30 – I HAD TO. See in class my sweets! #motivated #lookwhatImade #yogachallenge

A post shared by Josefine & Yogadoggo Grimm (@josiesyoga) on Jan 3, 2020 at 6:57am PST

22:00 – wonderful yoga classes today!

what we did: a 60min prenatal yoga class + 60min vinyasa flow for core stability. both had lots of twist using only your muscle strength, so no pulling yourself deeper if your abdominal muscles won’t support this.

What it felt like: flowy! I felt like they were fun, round classes to teach. sadly there was no time for my personal savanna. will do that now. but at least I got to snuggle the pup.

here are some more musings and a little video of me teaching for today:

day 1

january 2nd: let’s go!

 walkie count: 2. | hours spent in front of laptop to (over-)plan 30-day-challenge: 2… or 4. | yoga lessons today: 1. | personal yoga practice minutes: 0 (as of 18:00). | woke up at: 13:00 #restforthewicked

dear readers,

today is the day! we are embarking on a 30 day journey to the self, through the self –  … ok I definitely borrowed this saying. because – surprise – 30 days of yoga is about more than just 30 days of getting rid of winter rolls and Christmas fluff. This January, we will look into establishing a yogic routine on the pillars of…

• asana practice
• breathwork
• meditation
• letting go/detachment
• the Yamas -a code of conduct (non-violence, non stealing, non-excess, non-possessiveness, truthfulness)
• the niyamas – looking inside yourself and your actions (see picture below)
• bonus: an Ayurvedic daily routine consisting f. e. of a vegetarian Ayurvedic diet, a daily schedule aligned with the elements.

at 6pm we had our Official kick-off yogaclass at the studio.

what we did: a 75min yin yang flow focussed on looking at our foundation – feet, pada bhanda, knees, thigh rotation.

What it felt like: a good thorough start. deliberately easing into it. 

xo for today, Josie 

previously…

 Check out the „rules“ in German  

Release. Relax. Reflect. Recharge.

What does that even mean?!

A guide to the modern yogi’s Rs.

Prologue: happy place yoga retreat
At the end of July, I hosted my first yoga retreat in Kühtai, Tirol (Austria) – and it was incredible. You just read our motto up there – the four Rs, which are thrown around a lot in the yoga (Instagram & Pinterest) world. and while the participants of our alpine yoga by now know the answer, I thought I’d help with a brief definition & action plan on how to tackle these concepts.

#retreat

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.“

― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

sometimes life just gets too much. when you feel overwhelmed with tasks, social appointments and don’t seem to get your sh*t together – maybe it’s time to retreat. to take yourself out of the noisy surroundings of everyday life and into stillness, solitude and silence. and you do not necessarily have to go on a yoga retreat to accomplish that…

action plan: choose a quiet spot to spend time by yourself
– a bench in the woods? a hike in the mountains? an afternoon under your favorite apple tree? ideally without electronically devices, connect to the noise within yourself and try to quiet your thoughts by focussing on one of the tasks at a time. if possible, even disconnect from your everyday life and spend a few hours in idleness! to quiet your senses and prepare yourself to get back out there. that’s what a great retreat is all about.

asana to retreat: diamond shape.
start seated in butterfly pose with the soles of your feed touching, your knees wide apart. while keeping your feed together, push them further away from you to create a diamond shape (duh) before you. bow your head, release any tension you may hold in your body, enjoy a back body and outer hip stretch and retreat into the soothing space you have just created for yourself.

#release

“To cry was to release all sorts of ugly little pressures and tensions. Like waking out of a long, dark dream to a sun-filled day.”

― Anne McCaffrey, Nerilka’s Story

we bottle up a lot of tension in our bodies – both physically and mentally. however, we weren’t made to hold so much stress. we were meant to escape the predator (picture a saber tooth chasing your ancestor) and then release all of the fight and flight responses from our body to relax again. in today’s society, our predators are oftentimes our own thoughts and worries. the stress to deliver and perform at work. the stress to balance our work and social life. the stress to stay on deadline, hydrated, physically fit, eat healthy and maintain a social life at the same time as making sure to sleep 7+ hours per night and establish a moisturizing skin care routine – phew I got exhausted just from typing this list. it’s time to let go! time to release! but how?

action plan 1.1: find your exit valve!
for some – actually many – the ideal way to release tension is to excersise. To actually give our body the physical flight and fight response it craves. Have you not before felt like a good run (i.e. „running away from your problems“) cleared your head? We can let go of stress a lot better if we release through a good workout every once in a while. that’s also why savasana feels so f**king amazing after a dynamic yoga lesson. #yogasm

action plan 1.2: purging!
some of our stress, however, won’t even leave us by sweating it out. these are the more mental components of our tension – anxiety, sadness, worry. from experience, I suggest doing what I call an emotional clease. yup it’s what it sounds like: open that valve of tears and/or anger and open the floodgates. for women this works especially well right before our periods. use that hormonal emotionality to channel all of the negatives, really diving into your feelings and letting it all go. the best way to do that is to write it all down. whatever bothers you. whatever annoys you. to whoever hurt you. to whoever you can’t forgive.

asana to release: half pigeon pose.
there is a thing to be said about the connection of a deep and comforting stretch having an impact on our ability to let go of negative emotions. in addition, as this pose to many is a challenging stretch, it symbolises how sometimes we have to breathe and think into the sore spots in order to make them better – and release.

#relax

„Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.“

— Ray Bradbury

relaxation is about being in the now. unclenching your muscles, unclenching your mind. forget about the climb, forget about the way down and just enjoy the view on top. it is about letting go of yesterday and letting go of tomorrow. about accepting and appreciating this very moment. so…

action plan: right now – relax your shoulders, relax your eyebrows, take a big deep breath.
what does it feel like to be alive right now?

asana to relax: savasana
(ok I think everybody saw this one coming) or reclined butterfly pose supported by a bolster. work on learning to actively relax your shoulders, legs and the space in between your eyebrows. focus your breath on your lower belly to imitate your sleep breathing pattern and indicate to your body that it’s time to unwind. in savasana we allow ourselves 1-10 min of letting the world keep turning while we keep still and relax. take that time! even if it’s just for a minute – ignore what comes next and enjoy.

#reflect

“When our mind is in shambles and we dare to reflect on the story of our life, we may discover, in the stream of our thoughts, the fault line between what we have underfelt and what we have overthought on our way.“

― Erik Pevernagie

now that you are calm and free of tension (see previous steps) it’s time to discover yourself: reflect on your values, your ideals, your plans! where can you put boundaries in place so that no unnecessary stress enters your system? where have you been out of your integrity, i.e. acted in a different way than your values suggest?

action plan:  journaling, list-making, finding your values.
now comes the hard part –  pinpointing the essence of who you are. at least once in your life, you should actively think about an answer for the following questions

• what are your 3 most important values? what do you stand for?
• what are your top 5 qualities?
• how would you describe yourself as a whole?
• what are you grateful for?
• can you find negative behavioral patterns that you have repeated?
• if you could improve anything about you, what would it be? and what are the steps to improve it?
• what are your dreams? what do you live for?

(asana) to reflect: meditation.
to some, this might seem like a contradiction („Am I not supposed to not think during meditation?“) but: during meditation we can truly reflect on one aspect of ourselves. pick a question or topic close to your heart and close your eyes. first, observe your breath. then observe your feelings. examine your thoughts on the issue.  draw your mind back to this one answer you are trying to find and watch „your brain storm“ for the solution (see what I did there).

#recharge

“Self-care is how you take your power back.”

― Lalah Delia

we have eradicated everything that is draining energy from us – now let’s refill! But what does it even mean to recharge yourself? It means applying enough self-care so that you may walk into whatever task is at hand energized, optimistic and in your power.

action plan: what gives you energy? do that!
yup, let’s do another list! we all have people in our lives, that make us feel refreshed as if we have just come back from a spa weekend; places that let us forget about everything that seemed so important before; we all have favorite things to do that make us realize how good life can truly be. write your’s down. put at least 10 items on the list. then try making space for these rechargers in your weekly schedule, strategically and mandatorily.

asana to recharge: (supported) bridge pose
backbends such as the bridge pose are said to be extra awakening and thus recharging.  I chose this super comfy pose as it allows our blood to flow back towards our centre with ease and while we can turn this pose into a challenging workout-backbend, the supported version is accessible to all energy levels and also helps us recharge post-workout.

#refocus

„your attitude determines your direction.“

― pinterest

none of the steps above will yield longtime success if with all the energy you have regained and all the insights into yourself you have gathered you do not adapt your life to fit your needs. this is what refocussing means: to redirect your attention to those things that matter to you.

action plan: prioritize!
check your values! deriving from what you expect from life, what you stand for – is what you are busying yourself with truly helping you create the life you want to live? Or are there other things you should be doing instead? start saying no to distractions and yes to tending to yourself and making your dreams come true. sometimes this takes baby steps – but in this way you will still move forward.

asana to refocus: dancer’s pose
focus on your breath, gaze over the palm of your hand, determinedly pointing ahead. you got this! if you just focus on what’s truly important.

Epilogue: Sources & Thank You’s
I am a product of the people who taught me. So a lot of my ideas aren’t new (are there any new ideas on this planet?). A huge thanks goes out to my teacher Rachel Hanberry who aquainted me with Journaling, to one of the best teachers I ever had, Dr. Ron Steiner, for his insights into yoga movement and stress management. Also I would like to express my gratitude to my friend Lara, a fellow yoga teacher and blogger, who introduced me to the idea of an action plan in my blog posts! I love that Idea.

the beautiful pictures were taken by my dearest friend Anna Kopp. Go visit her instagram!!!

2. februar 2019: erster yogaversary bei happy place yoga

liebe hpy-yogis,

am 2. Februar ist hpy schon 1 Jahr alt geworden! und IHR wart der wichtigste Teil dabei.

wir haben viele Pläne bis februar 2020! ab dem 2. halbjahr 2019 werden wir beginnen prä- und postnatalyoga anzubieten. ausserdem wollen wir ein kombi-angebot laufen+yogastretches für den stadtlauf in angriff nehmen. hier erfahrt ihr es natürlich zuerst…

DANKE an euch alle, die teil dieses fabulösen ersten jahres waren. ich könnte mir keine tolleren menschen vorstellen, mit denen ich mein hobby teile

Tausend Dank, dass ihr mich und dieses #yogaventure so unterstützt habt. Ich kann es gar nicht mit Worten ausdrücken, was mir das bedeutet. Ich freue mich auf jeden von Euch im zweiten hpy-Jahr (und im dritten und im vierten und im fünften und und und).

und ein ganz besonderes dankeschön an das café walden und judith meinert.

eure josefine