MYOLYogis March Challenge

If you recall, I was freaking out a little bit because I was chosen to help host the MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK (or #MYOLYogis) Challenge on Instagram Sponsored by Hugger Mugger and MonkeyG yoga: two local and awesome Utah Yoga companies. 

I've been cataloging my pics daily on Instagram as part of the challenge. There are seven "hosts" and we each take a day of the week explaining a pose and then posting a picture. We are also responsible for posting pictures of the other hosts challenge poses. So here's a little taste of what the challenge has included for me: 

Headstand... if this were a video you'd see Zoe crawling around me,...

Upward Facing Dog Poolside. I have this ritual after I swim 800yards to a mile to do a little yoga poolside because my shoulders get SOOOOO tight and I don't want to lose range of motion in them. This is what yoga and triathlons do to a person -- little crazy.

Chin Stand, with a Little Help from some old Magazines:
I actually held this pose for the first time in my life without props
(aka - minus the mags) last night! #practiceandalliscoming

Someday I will post a picture of me in this pose and it will be my hands grabbing my foot.
It may be a year, or more... but it will happen. It just takes time, and practice, and patience.

Namaste Friends. If you'd like to join us on Instagram it's not too late to be eligible for prizes. Find me @shaktisuite on IG and Twitter.

Making Home Upgrades a Little Cozier

Tadah! New Yoga Studio!

Here's my confession: I don't have this big amazing gift for design (I know, big shocker right). But I know what I like when I see it -- sometimes it's hard for me to just come up with a concept out of nowhere -- especially when I lack the funding to style my house straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog. That's why I was thankful the sweet ladies over at CozyWallArt.com asked me if I'd like to check out their designs. They've got some fun new patters.... some inspired by everyone's favorite 15-minutes-of-fame Pop Art Prince, the late Andy Warhol, and plenty of other goodies (because soup cans and Mariyln Monroe are not for everyone, though they should be). Just kidding, it's not like that. But I'm pretty sure in my email correspondence with them I replied: "You had me at Warhol."

I took some time on their website, imagining how this or that would look here or there in my house, and ultimately decided my mantle could make a big splash with some CozyWallArt.com quick (link is to their Etsy store). Oh but before you see the odd picture with the shelving to the left of the mantle, let me say that odd furniture locale was the result of me tearing out the carpet in the sunroom whilst my better-half was on a business trip in DC.  (I had to get the furniture out of there). The before pic is in the top left hand corner... 

Anyway, so we've been in home improvement mode here. Getting ready to put the house back on the market later this month. (Any of my cousins reading this, seriously, I would love to keep this place in the family. Any potential buyers?) But back to the mantle....

#whahwhah

Heres the before (again, do not pay attention to the furniture on the left. Just notice how boring I am... 

And then BAM! Splash it up with a little CozyWallArt.com, and suddenly I'm in a whimsical blue spring dream. This is from their Tree Wall Decal section.

I know a lot of people (especially in Utah) embraced vinyl in their house 10 years ago... for us, outside of an Avengers peel-set my mom gave Holden for his playroom, I just hadn't figured out exactly what would work for me. 

But thanks for taking a chance on me CozyWallArt.com. I'm digging my upgraded "digs." 

Make Your Own Luck with Yoga

I am honored to be one of seven hosts for this month's #MakeYourOwnLuck :: #MYOLYogis Challenge on Instagram (my handle is @shaktisuite in case you want to follow along).

The challenge is sponsored by MonkeyG Yoga Clothing and Hugger Mugger (a yoga mat & supply company). Both Local!!! The challenge features a daily pose meant to build up to handstand / inversions: with range of motion and flexibility poses alternating with strength poses.

 Check out my feed on Instagram for details and instructions on how to do the poses if you're new to the groove. So what say you, care to play along?

Day 1: Downward Facing Dog: August 2013

Day 2: Bow Pose w/ Zoe : August 2013

Photos from last summer's photoshoot at We Are Yoga SLC. Photo creed to my sweet friend, fellow Yoga Mama and Cicely's sister-in-Law Aly Sharette.