Planning out my classes was always my favorite part of teaching yoga. Over the weekend, I’d write out what my goals were for the class and how to get them there. The experience was a lot like planning a choreography. Which movements will bring us closer to our goal and how can we get there gracefully? Continue reading How I Plan a Yoga Flow
I am on my final sips of a lukewarm mug of tea that I started almost an hour ago. During an interview once, the woman I was meeting with looked down at her takeaway cup of coffee and announced “Ah, these are just props anyway.” Each time I reach for my mug, I remember I’m just using a stand-in for what I really want: strong, hot, caffeine-laden coffee. Continue reading Morning Tea
I arrived in Panama at seven in the morning, right in the middle of a soccer match. Walking through the terminal, everyone was glued to their cellphones, watching the team’s progress against England – not so different from Brazil, except if you consider the fact that the stores were even open to begin with. Game day is a holiday with which I was completely unfamiliar until this past month. Continue reading PTY
In the mornings, I meditate, usually with an affirmation. For the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling a little bit off, a little bit down. As a result, the following came to mind as I decided what affirmation best suited me in this moment:
Because I create my own reality, I choose to focus on the positive.
In about six weeks, I’ll be competing in WODSunset. This time, I’m going alone.
It’s not super common to see an individual event for scaled athletes, so when I saw the option for WODSunset, I was all over it. While my teammate last time was pretty okay and all (just kidding!), I really prefer sports where the competition is you against yourself. I can never get very motivated to beat someone else, but no one is as hard on me as I am. Continue reading Before WODSunset
Spring is my favorite time of year in New Jersey. The air loses its crispness. The ground defrosts and softens. Flowers blossom. Birds chirp. Everyone is in their t-shirts looking for a reason to be outside, feeling the sun on their arms. Continue reading Comfort vs. Belonging
I signed up for another Crossfit competition. In July, I’ll be competing in the Individual – Scaled category at WODSunset in Niterói. I’m perpetually looking for competitions with either mixed-gender teams or individual events since, if I’m on a team, I have a built-in English speaker to help me translate when my brain is too fried and, alone, I have the capacity to only compete with myself.
I’m excited. Continue reading A Good Coach
For the past three years, I’ve somehow found myself in the Vancouver area. Vancouver was never on my list of places to visit and while I stand by my opinion that these Northwestern cities are just freakily quiet, there is something special about Vancouver. It’s cool (in both senses of the word), relaxing, and scenic. I love the mountains and there’s so many beautiful places to walk around. Not to mention, I have an obsession with the Museum of Anthropology there. Continue reading Re-visiting Vancouver
When I was in elementary school, I remember one particularly cruel recess period when almost all of the girls in my class decided to form a not-so-secret club, but they wouldn’t let me join. It was pure, adolescent meanness for the sake of soothing the aching uncertainty of puberty. Nevertheless, I remember sobbing next to the sink in our classroom and one of my classmates, who had barely spoken to me prior, feeding me paper towels to wipe the tears off my face. Continue reading Seen Through
Form is everything. As much as I film myself or try to develop the proprioception to implement minute cues to keep my body aligned and safe, it’s nearly impossible to have perfect form without external feedback. How you think your body is moving isn’t always the same as how it’s actually moving. Continue reading I Don’t Know Squat
I always love to read articles and books about balance and rest, about how we focus so much on going going going that we need to find time to stop and pause. Whether it’s a social media cleanse or a meditation retreat, I often find myself thinking, “I should try that!” Yet on a day-to-day basis, I always find an excuse as to why I can’t, especially when it comes to training.
I love having a routine. While I truly admire people who seem to thrive in the midst of chaos, I am just not one of them. Without taking the time to create a sense of order for myself, I become forgetful, I lose things, and I stumble over my thoughts. Continue reading Morning Rituals
