WINTER SCHEDULE OFFICIAL 2017

We have made it out of the holiday haze! It was joyful, playful and I wouldn't trade snuggling with my little boys in there Santa jammies for the world. 

All those events made it harder and more necessary then ever to squeeze in a practice. Short meditations became my go to. Did you practice at home in your living room too? 

I really wanted to savor the sweetness of family and reliving the joys of the seasons through the little boys eyes. But, if you are anything like me, you are more then ready to get back to regular classes! 

My aim is to please: Here is the Winter schedule. Note, I have added a venue. I'm thrilled and grateful to be part of the Red Lotus community now too! Namaste

Tuesday: 
Basic
7-8pm
$5 drop in 
Washington Life Center
Marine City, MI

Wednesday:
Gentle Yin
12-1pm
prices vary 
UpDog Yoga
Rochester, MI

Thursday:
Basic
7-8pm
$5 drop in
Washington Life Center
Marine City, MI

Friday
Basic
12-1pm
UpDog Yoga 
Rochester, MI

*Sunday:
Yin
5-6:15pm
prices vary 
Red Lotus 
Rochester Hills, MI

On top of this all I am still doing Thai Yoga Massage
If you have any Questions or would like to schedule some body work let me know. Recently I bought my own massage mat. Its the Cadillac of floor mats! This means, upon request, I can come to your place!

Cant Wait to Meet You!

Fall Schedule

Officially, beautiful diamonds,

Come breath and make shapes with me

Fall Schedule:

Tuesday 7-8pm1111

Washington Life Center

Marine City, MI

Wednesday 12-1pm

Updog Yoga Studio

Rochester, MI

Thursday 7-8pm

Washington Life Center

Marine City, MI

Friday 12-1pm

Updog Yoga Studio

Rochester, MI

Let's do this!

It's time again for the changing of the season which ultimately means doors closing and new ones opening. I'm never board. Working with other healers, body workers, yogis and creative types insures me a steady stream of interesting conversation and idea exchange. It also means that change is always inevitable. Seriously, change is the only constant in life. Amiright?! I'm not the best at change. Sometimes it feels easier to keep plodding down the same path. Change means peeling back a few more layers, being vulnerable, expanding the dark part of the map, scary, unknown. In order to keep fresh, to stay wild as I like to say, we must not be afraid. We must lean in to the wet, earthy, vulnerable, and dark parts of our existence. We are diamonds after all, covered in layers of grime and time. It is our job to unearth the parts of ourself that sine! That are pure! And be as generous and contagious with our joy as possible!

Welcome back September old friend.

Welcome back tartan plaids and orchard hikes.

Welcome back change,

Join me making shapes and igniting passion

Tentatively:

Basic 1

Friday at noon

Updog yoga studio

Rochester, MI

Yin

Wednesday

7-8ish

The Yoga Room

Port Huron, MI

Certainly:

Basic yoga

Tuesday & Thursday

7-8pm

Washington Life Center

Marine City, MI

I'm back! 

It's been a while, a pregnancy and, two state residencies

 later. 

Life goes on always. Some good and bad but mostly calm contentness. 

I am currently teaching out of two very different studios. It's a blessing because they are polar 

opposites. Who knew the same sort of business could operate in as many ways as there are people running them? I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise. 

Come September I will be striking out on my own in a different way. I have landed a dream gig working out of the Washington Life Center for the Ageing in Marine City. Teaching my Mom and her peers is pretty exciting. My comfort level in a gym setting is solid but I have not specifically taught our aging baby boomer population. Fun shall be had! Beatles will be played! Lives changed! I expect to get way more out of this then I can anticipate. 

Here is my summer schedule:

Gentle Slow Flow

Mixed Levels

Monday

7:15

@The Yoga Room a healing space

808 Lapeer Ave.

Port Huron, MI

Thera-Yin 

All Levels

Wednesday 

12:00pm

@UpDog Yoga Studio

210 W. University Ave.

Rochester

Coming soon:

Basic I

All ages welcome

Tuesday and Thursday

7-8pm

@Washington Life Center

403 N. Mary St.

Marine City, MI

Looking forward to meeting you all!

SESSION SCHEDULE

Come meet for a warm and lively 45 min of 
yoga 

catch a session with me 

@
Jensen Gym 
on Joint Base Lewis McChord main 

I lead class on:

Monday afternoon at 4:30 or 1630

&

Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 or 1630

all fitness levels welcome 

See you there!

yoga fix

I loved leading practice today for a Army Wives appreciation event on Fort Lewis. Some were so brave to try yoga for the first time with me today. Shout out to whoever provided the Bose travel speaker and so grateful to have had that toasty fire place to face while practicing our asana. Grateful for a loving and encouraging Army community today! Here is a 30 flow just in case any of my new friends are really liking yoga and are looking for another fix, with Shiva Rea! 
Love&Light
Laraine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-9LlKQnxG9M

Ways to Release Holiday Stress

If you have ever practiced with me, you know I'm all about the hips! I have read that our hips hold our "survival stress".  This leads me to believe it's not just me struggling here and losing my relaxed swagger over tight hips. This lady explains stress and the subtle body better then I can. These suggestions are great if you are looking for a quick practice over the holiday break. Namaste!
click here to read the article

and this one too!
9 poses to release hips

BY POPULAR DEMAND

I spent all this morning moving around the order of the playlist so that it would be just right. I've had this group of music on my computer as a playlist called Yoga (generic I know) for some time now. Really, I was born to do this. If only making the perfect playlist for any occasion was a profession... Here is my play list for you to enjoy as you practice yoga or calmly drive to the Atlanta airport:

Brighter then the Sun by Aqualung

Angelica by Lamb

Breathe extended version mix by Telepopmusik

Wonder When by Bonabo & Andreya Triana

Again with the Subtitles by Yppah (thats happy backwards)

Island Groove by Mickey Heart

Life in Technicolor (Instrumental) by Coldplay

The Subtitles that Count by Yppah

May All Beings by Earthrise Soundsystem

Never Mess With Sunday by Yppah

Ashes by Karsh Kale (not on the mix in class as my computer and iPod were in cahoots)

Any Day Now by Jon and Roy

Anything You Synthesize by The American Dollar

Buddha's Lullaby by Manose (the perfect Savasana)

Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers (for packing your mat and leaving)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZdC_WxvDRs

The Karsh Kale song is the bomb! I can't believe it didn't make it to class! During Savasana I replayed part of Buddha's Lullaby to make up for the lack of content. Now I see where I went wrong. I hope you enjoy this beautiful music as much as I think my brave yoga participants did:)

Namaste friends.

the Henna hair dye experiment

Top 5 New Years Resolutions (according to about.com)

1. Spend more time with friends and family

2. Fit in fitness

3. Tame the bulge

4. Quite smoking

5. Enjoy life more

I guess mine fell under number 5. What my resolution was really about was being a more genuine person, a better version of Laraine, a larger expression so to say. I'm not an ego maniac I just think, hey, I'm trying my best to be me, isn't that enough? Mantra for this year: I am enough.

Okay, so this might seem counter intelligent but, I dyed my hair. I hear you saying, "if you are enough, then why cover it up with chemical processes?"

That is valid but, since I have been stripping my natural hair color for years now in favor of sunny blonde highlights (insert head bobble), it's time to get back to my roots so to say.

Yes, this post really is just about hair dye, and girly-ness, sorry

So, here is what happened. My loving cousin, who is a total glamazon, was using henna hair dye. She bought it in blocks and loved it until it really started to get a little too vibrant. She offered it to me for my eyebrows (but that is another blog all together). So I took it. I signed my husband to help (bad idea).

Henna hair dye, at least the kind I used, came from a store that sells beauty products so fresh they have expiration dates. I'm not sure I can say but since I have nothing to complain: I used Caca Rouge Mama from LUSH. Big fan of their massage bars too;) prrrrrrrrr

SO, what happens is the dye comes in a bar. A chunk if you will. Sorta looks like some tasty chocolate, only not! We boiled some water and put the brick in to dissolve into a muddy paste. This is a super messy product. My hair is course and thick so unlike conventional dyes I really could have never done it myself just too much mess for one person. My sweet Army Ranger of a husband played stylist for the afternoon (he may have found his next vocation). The process is like putting mud on your head to dry and leaving it there for quite a long time. I left mine on for about 3 hours. My glamazon cousin left hers on overnight!

Overall successful experiment until I parted my hair the following day to discover we missed a spot! WHAT! this probably had to do with the thickness of the henna mud and that I let my husband do it (what was I thinking?) So, I just mixed up the little bit I had left and slapped it on the spot. 2 hours later, you'd never know. This dye is really forgiving, sheer, transparent and gentle on the locks. I've had it on for over a month and yes, it has faded but, looks better. The red was seriously vibrant in the beginning.

You can look at the Lush site for directions if you are interested: http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/hair/henna-hair-dyes/caca-rouge-mama

Living imperfectly with great delight

The impending move of the pod is drifting into our consciousness. Holy moly, this is really going to happen, like soon! I am certainly not the first Army wife to have this feeling, probably not the last. Phelan has no idea what this all means, luckily. For me it means a push to organize the home goods into their respectful rooms, closets, places they belong(shakes head). Ya right! I live with 16 month old devastator who leaves no rock unturned, no beauty product unopened. On top of being confused as to how our second car will make it to port to be barged to the west coast, I decided to add yoga teaching training on the fire. Sometimes I have to just embrace the imperfection.

I'm actually so SO excited about yoga training this coming weekend I could burst. I have a million questions. My asanas have been practiced with a greater commitment, which is a quality I like to see in myself. Prodded, nudged, pushed (a little) and actually having the time and funds to do this is a blessing. My friends are amazing people and without them I wouldn't be doing this. I'm not sure where this is leading but it feels good. The people I will meet and sunshine I have to share is the reason. I'll make sure to let you know how it all goes. My intention is for this to be a meaningful experience, to set a wind in the sail.

Christmas in a nut shell

Shout out to my family for all coming together this year in Michigan. It doesn't happen too often any more. I feel like it was fateful with my pods impending move to the west coast. Visits with my brother feel so far between anymore. We both have our own families and busyness or business in his case.

2,000+ miles of road was totally worth it on Christmas day to see the boys eyes light up. My son Phelan is 14 months and my brothers boy Brayden is 2 years older to the month (Brayen is 3 y'all). Our collective Christmas was gorgeous. The tree was decked out and so were the boys in the adorable hats my sister in law made

Our family dog managed to ruin Brayden's new toy before he even had a chance to. Pieces of Phelan's sandwich making toy are lost under furniture till spring cleaning. No one tipped backwards in a lazy boy. I ruined the pajama party. Michael, my husband received Skyrim from his secret Santa, luckily I won't have to listen to him whine about how expensive it is, unluckily he is glued to it. Smokin' hot was found! Blaise and I were gifted pieces of the past. Everyone was merry and bright.

.

OH MY WORD

Visiting with Baba in New York. The sad part about Christmas is that you can't be in two places at once. Being a military family we are challenged by this often. It felt wrong leaving my husbands families house 3 days before the Holiday. It sure was nice to have a good visit with them. Seattle and Corning are pretty much on the opposite side of the continental US:( This was a bitter sweet visit.

"Life was meant to be lived, not filled with fearful navel-gazing"

Those are the words of my pal Allie. I'm sure she will come up again. She used to feed me meat and potatoes, now she gives me hearty bits like this to chew on. So 2012, why did I have to wait for you to get back on the cosmic carnival ride? What it all boils down to is that 2012 has promised me many things. A move out west, a road trip or two, a new home town, new babies (friends, not mine), new jobs, interest, pursuits, the list goes on and on. I am a hopeful positive thinker. It gets me through the night no mater how creative the stretch:) I believe my own bull shit! So, the goal now is to write to you out there in space and tell you all about my trip. I vow not only to write about the joys but the messes so you can see that I too have been there wiped that. I want to show you what it all looks like from my center of reality:) Also this may be a better venue for my family who want to know everything but can't be bothered by facebook. Namaste

This is a first for me I am planning on posting funny little anecdotes and stories about my experiences as a teacher and as an Army wife. I am a 25 year old college grad planning on going to graduate school, sooner then later. I am into yoga, art and having adventures outdoors with my husband. Enjoy and feel free to comment.