Beauty Juice and My Balanced Life

Here's My last installation for my guest post on Chalkboard...It's My SHort List! 

 WRAPPING UP a cozy, yet exciting September, a month that’s been filled with yoga-centric juice cleansing to prepare us for a new season full of vitality (and void of any of the colds and flus that often catch up to us in early October!) Juice cleansing is the perfect way to keep balanced through the year, especially through a change in season: mild detoxification gets your system strong and clear before those holiday seasons that loom right around the corner.

We’re giving away one  Yogalosophy 3-Day Cleanse by Pressed Juicery to a lucky Chalkboard reader! The limited edition cleanse is available for only five more days and features a copy of my new book Yogalosophy, full of the kind of healthy secrets that keep so many celeb bodies in tip-top shape. Win our giveaway or order the cleanse for yourself and a friend, then read my notes about life in the the studio. All the details are below…

• FAVORITE MORNIng OF THE WEEK:
  Thursday! At 10 a.m. I am usually getting a cup of tea, or finishing a post-workout shower, getting ready to meet my first client.
• TO GET CENTERED I:
  read Jan Spiller's Astrology For the Soul, Angel Cards and apply my Sidda Flower Essences: Heart. 
• MOST COMMON VISITORS:
  I’m always on the move. Usual suspects include Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Aniston and Stan Deland, my boyfriend. 
• MY FAVORITE CURRENT PROJECT IS:
  My Book! Yogalosophy®: 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover and the Pressed Juicery cleanse offered with it this month! They are making an app to accompany the book! So excited. I have been touring and teaching classes on the road. So fun.
• THE SNACKS I ALWAYS KEEP ON HAND:
  Kind Bar. Coconut water. Avocado with pink salt. Cashews. Cherries. Dates. Green juice!
• DAILY SOUNDTRACK:
  Thievery Corporation, Robyn Thicke, The Verve, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix , Jay Z and Zero 7.
• FAVORITE PAPER GOODS:
  My Moleskin journal.
• EASIEST WAY TO BRIGHTEN UP THE SPACE IS:
  Flowers! 
• ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:
  MacBook Air, QuickBooks, my Moleskin datebook, white board, and my assistant Jenni (she’s not an item, right?).
• BOOKS ON HAND:
  Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz, Astrology of the Soul by Jan Spiller, The Life You Were Born To Live by Dan Millman. I also love any book by Henry Miller. My boyfriend is always bringing a new spiritual book, so I await my assignments.
• MY TOP DISTRACTION IS:
  Social media.
• FAVORITE WAY TO TAKE A BREAK:
  On a walk by the beach. Outdoors! I live in Santa Monica, after all.
• MY NECESSARY EXTRAVAGANCE IS:
  Five-star hotels when I travel! I always order an expensive pot of coffee or tea while wearing the cushy bathrobe.
• Here's how to win our 3-day Juice Cleanse with Mandy: comment below, then hashtag#yogalosophy and #pressedjuicery in a social media post of your choice between now and September 30th. We'll be announcing the winner in the comments of Mandy's last Chalkboard post this Monday! 

Balance Is Beautiful

Beauty is a state of being and living from a balanced heart. The natural balance of giving and receiving is the dance of relationship that I strive for in my daily life. Too much giving and I become depleted. Too much receptivity and complacency sets in. When we enter the Fall Equinox and find the balance of light and dark/ masculine and feminine, we find time to weed out the excess and nourish ourselves. The relationship to our body is as important as any relationship. This is why I am offering a limited
Yogalosophy Cleanse with Chalkboard. This short cleanse comes with three days of beautifying and detoxifying juiciness and a FREE book. 

Yogalosophy/Pressed Juicery-Chalkboard Cleanse shoot.

While trying to find balance in our daily lives, we make time for self care, relationships, work and service. In yoga, the balance poses physicalize the dynamic energy of stillness. The illusion is that there is no movement, but the tinier stabilizing muscles are in constant flux. With steady, one pointed focus, breathing and correct attitude, we can empty ourselves enough to appear still. Equanimity comes from non reactivity. This is what is required. Try, this month to balance yourself by taking the contrary action. Open up and dare to stand in what is less comfortable. But never let them see you sweat! See below for One Arm Balance directions, and a playlist of duets.
 

One Arm Balance by Michael Larsen

Begin in Plank Pose. Bring your feet together, and place your right palm directly below your face. Press your palm into the mat and rock your weight onto the right arm and outside of the right foot. Lift the underside of the waist as you rebound off of the mat. Align your body in a straight line, heels, hips and shoulders. Gaze upwards and breath. Modifications: Place right knee on the mat to make it easier. Raise your left leg up for more of a challenge. Repeat on side two.

Beauty Detox: Juice plus Twists.

Enjoy this selection of duets!  Two of Us by Aimee Mann & Michael Penn Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkle I've Got You, Babe by Sonny & Cher Give It to Me by Timbaland (featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John & George Michael Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrel Sara by Daryl Hall & John Oates

The Healing Power of Work

Have you ever heard the saying :"when I got busy, I got better"? I don't mean to be a buzz kill; I am a big advocate of work being fun. Unlike many,  I have never had a 9-5 desk job, nor do I believe I would be able to rise to that task, should it present itself. My life has handed me a series of chapters. There have been multiple times in my life where all would shift and change, and I would be forced reinvent myself. My journey  has offered me both projects that require 15 hour days for months on end that finally complete and 15 years of daily consistent classes that required my daily presence. Today I have found a balance and live a combination of these two extremes. I have learned through experience that having a free floating, open ended schedule does not leave me feeling free, but lost and unanchored. Daily commitments and tasks that I once shunned as dull and boring, have become the foundational cornerstones for my exciting life and for my enduring passions.

With the ups and downs of a highly emotional heart, I find that I need consistency to keep me grounded. I now find great joy and satisfaction in committing myself to a daily work schedule. Once my book was published and I hit the home runs of great promotion and  my satisfying book tour, I allowed myself some emptiness. Today, as I reconnect with my purpose and get my footing, work is where I find containment. It keeps me on the track.

Back to my daily schedule of clients. Back to my own yoga practice and mindful diet. Back to setting  aside time to self care with meditation, writing, cooking, grocery shopping, errands, tasks and time to create. Recommit to my responsibility towards others with daily connection to social media, weekly blogging and monthly news. These commitments are as much for me as they are for those I feel responsible toward. At some point, in my late 20's, I realized that for me to truly have freedom and flourish, I need to feel connected and be responsible to others on a daily basis. This is why yoga teaches us to show up for a daily practice. It is through this daily commitment that we hold the space for new levels of evolution to emerge. I do not wake up daily and feel compelled to practice, but I have set aside the resistant thoughts that keep me unbalanced and simply do the routine as I would shower or brush my teeth. It is no longer a question of what I prefer. I show up, as is and do my daily work.

As I show up to my daily work, I find that there is a subtle and deep healing that rises up from within me. "Chop wood, carry water" eventually elevates me to the highest freedom which is an experience of responsibility for my own life. Enjoy your work today.

Yogalosophy Cleanse Diary

 I teamed up with Pressed Juiceryhttps://www.pressedjuicery.com/promotion/cleanse to give you an opportunity to join me on a 3 day reboot. I always reset my diet in the Fall and Spring, so here are some guidelines. Click the above link for my book and cleanse! See the below from my guest editing gig on The Chalkboard Maghttps://www.facebook.com/thechalkboardmag. Have a great week!  

CLEAN SLATE – MY CLEANSING MOTIVATION:It’s great to give your system a break and to recalibrate by simplifying your diet. I reboot my diet twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the Fall. With the season change during the milder weather, it’s very natural to shift gears with a short cleanse. With a short juice fast, or simply by eliminating sugar with more of a focus on fruits and vegetables, I help my body rejuvenate and bring more consciousness to my diet. I love a Fall cleanse, because after all of the celebration and enjoyment and expansiveness of Summer, it allows me to move forward into the end of the year with more clarity and intention towards my goals.

FINDING TIME – MAKING DETOXIFICATION A PRIORITY: I like to set a start date to get myself motivated. I give myself a clear intention, set aside some time and space. Once I’ve set my dates, I try not to over-schedule myself and leave plenty of “me” time in the mix. Since my groceries and meal planning are basically taken care of for that time period, I am able to just let go and focus inward. For each cleanse, I keep a daily journal which includes a gratitude list and make plans to move my body for an hour daily. How I plan to start my cleanse is key, but how I come off of the cleanse is just as important.

DETOX DIARY – DAY 1:

Set an intention for yourself. Setting intentions are key for a great yoga session and the same is true for a cleanse day. Focus on a specific meditation; “align my heart, mind, body and spirit” or “be easy on myself”. Set an intention that will heighten your experience and encourage you to be extra good to yourself.

Take a nature walk. Nothing is more nurturing than getting out in nature. Since you won’t be going out for dinner or going grocery shopping, you’ll have a little extra time on your hands. Get outside and appreciate the elements of nature.

DETOX DIARY – DAY 2:
Take a morning meditation. 20 minutes of sitting with mindful breathing will cleanse your mind of all the thoughts that may be whirring. If you need help, I love the song “Storm of Prayers “ by Shaman’s Dream. It is 11 minutes long so you can play it on a loop in the background.

Schedule a massage. Being touched is another way we can experience our physical bodies. I love to have someone move the energy through my body. It’s a wonderful supportive action. You deserve it. If you dislike massage, schedule a beauty treatment you enjoy.

DETOX DIARY – DAY 3:
Hit the sauna. 20 minutes in a sauna will help you sweat it out without having to exert yourself. A traditional sauna is great, but I highly recommend an infrared sauna, which is designed to heat you up internally rather than externally. The benefits and calorie burn during an infrared session are similar to that of a cardio class. And all you have to do is sit and sweat!

Write about your experience. Make a short list of what you did well, and what you are grateful for. It’s amazing what writing down a list of things you’re grateful for – no matter how simple – will do to expand your attitude.

A CLEAN BREAK – WINDING DOWN:
Remember that transitioning out of a cleanse is most important. In preparation, I avoid processed and animal foods for 3-5 days prior to my start date, and when I’m post-cleanse, I begin with fresh fruits and then add vegetable soups and vegetables gradually over the next 2-3 days. Who knows, your palate may be more sensitive – sometimes the simplest foods taste like heaven after a few days of detoxifying.

Enjoy your cleanse experience! You owe it to yourself.

Yoga Month: Fall Reset Cleanse

September is Yoga Month. I am excited to participate several yoga related events! The virtual online conference: Yoga Is. The Yoga Gives Back exclusive charity event. Please click here to come. My partnership with @Inspirato as we travel to Los Cabos together for an exclusive event! Fall is the  perfect time to recommit to our practice and diet. Join me all September as I guest host the  Chalkboard newsletter, and be a part of my limited partnership with Pressed Juicery to sign up

rest. All you need to do is to get out of your own way. The main thing we want to "detox" is self-critical thinking, which can be very damaging and cultivates a perfectionism that doesn't allow us to reach for our dreams. Your view colors your thoughts, which create your world.

for a Yogalosophy juice cleanse. After the Summer months, it's a good idea to reset the system with cleansing self-care. Your body is working 24/7 to eliminate what it is not using and to process the Tree Pose MENTAL DETOX: Reframe your thinking. If you feel that your hips are wide, begin to say, "I am curvy and feminine." Commit to an action plan for self-care. Create a short-term goal. Replace one old habit with a healthier new one. Eliminate soda and add a green juice. Simple. PHYSICAL DETOX: Break a sweat. Your skin is your body's primary detoxification organ. So sweat it out! Move! Hot yoga, or cardio will help you to hit that heat threshold. Go Green. Greens purify your blood and reduce inflammation. The darker the green, the better. A green cold-pressed juice will go down easy when it's refrigerated. A salad a day will fill you the right way. EMOTIONAL DETOX: SAD? Breathe and allow yourself to cry. Breath is the bridge from the mind to the body through the heart and is the key to your emotions. Breathe into your heart and know you are safe. DEPRESSED? Laugh out loud. On purpose. Fake laughter will become real once you begin. ANGRY? Go ahead and hit a pillow. We'll wait for you. Let go of the tendency to hold it together and be perfect. Show up, as is, and trust that whatever needs releasing is falling away. Love, Mandy