plow (with kitty) pose.

{ photo: gosia janik }


halasana (plow pose) with your kitty (or dog)!

i stumbled across this photo on austin eavesdropper that was taken by gosia janik (thank you Grace!) and fell in love with it....when i attempt a home practice, i'm always joined by my furry friend, miss izzy, who interestingly enough looks just like this cat...

a special holiday greeting.

a yoga girl holiday greeting card (made my yours truly) just for you!

may you all have a joyous day where ever your travels may take you and a very happy new year! 

link love :: st. augustine

a little link love on this friday from three of my favorite places/stores in st. augustine, florida.

:: outre oeuvre

{image: outre oeuvre}

outre oeuvre is all about upcycling. have a stack of old t-shirts? send them down to st. augustine and the women at outre oeuvre will turn them into a fabulous skirt, tank, or hoodie. it's your choice and made with your materials! and the best part, it's one of a kind! 

when asked what the name of their store means the owner told me it's latin - outre, meaning out of the ordinary and oeuvre, meaning a work of art. 

you can follow them here on facebook. pics of my one of kind skirt will be posted soon. i've been wearing it to the beach every day so it needs a washing.  

:: blue planet co-op

{image: blue planet co-op}

i stumbled upon this place at the st. augustine farmer's market. they sell the most delicious organic foods. i was sold on the "garlic sunnies," which are dehydrated and seasoned sunflower seeds with a big kick of garlic. just my kind of snack. i also bought a pack of their kale chips, which i attempted to make on my own a few months back. theirs were way better. and to add a little something to thanksgiving dinner, i bought some of their organic cranberry orange relish. d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!!! 

if you're skeptical about buying organic or just want to learn more about why you should be buying organic, check out their website: blueplanetco-op.com

:: 8 limbs yoga

{image: 8 limbs yoga}

located on anastastia island in st. augustine, florida, 8 limbs yoga is a gem of a yoga studio. i try to make a stop there each time i'm down visiting my parents. they offer an ashtanga style of yoga, which is a different than what i normally practice, but i love it! it's challenging, sweaty, and the people at 8 limbs are all so welcoming and nice. check out their website: 8limbsyogastaug.com 

my happy place.

my yoga instructor often tells us in class when we're in a difficult pose to go to "our happy place." and every time she says that, i always seem to have a difficult time imagining where that "happy place" is exactly. maybe it's because at that very moment the intensity of the pose, the stretching of my muscles, etc. is completely taking over every thought in my head.

so i decided to do a little post-yoga-class-homework to figure out where "my happy place" is (aside from my my yoga mat) and what it looks like. and interestingly enough, i discovered that i have many "happy places." in fact, so many that i am only sharing a few with you here...

my pad (especially at christmas time when i have a tree to admire!)

on my bike (street name "electra")

in the arms of loved ones

in the kitchen (baking up some kind of sweet treat!)

watching a new england sunset by the water (with my sister!)

and discovering *new* places!

where is your happy place (or places)?  share in the comments below!

my yoga story project.

holy cow! it's september already! where did the summer go?

well, actually i know where it went...at least for me, my time this summer was spent here: http://myyogastory.com

i'm so very proud to share with you the fruits of my labor from the last several months of my master's program...My Yoga Story Project.

i could go on and on about the details of the project here, and i might just do that one day soon because the process that i went through, from conception to implementation, is worth a post in and of itself. but i won't do that now. for now, i want you to hop on over to the site http://myyogastory.com and spend some time reading the yoga stories. and, yes, these are REAL stories of people whose lives have changed from practicing yoga.

my hope is that through this project people who may be reluctant, afraid, or even skeptical about trying yoga, will see the amazing benefits yoga can have on the mind, body, and spirit.

and for those of you who already practice yoga, share your story and inspire others to try yoga!

yoga girl update.

almost there! in just two weeks i will be finished with my master's program, which means i'll be back here full-time blogging and sharing my thoughts and creations with you. i have to admit, i've missed this part of my life for the past two months. but something had to give in order to manage the other demands.

in the midst of all those demands, i was able to bust out another yoga girl design. check her out below and over at the store. she looks quite beautiful in her warrior II (virabhadrasana) pose. she would have been posted to the store sooner except that my artist boyfriend strongly recommended that i adjust the proportions of her head and body (thank you AJD!).

since i posted this new design, several of you out there are already wearing it! in fact, many of you from across the globe are sporting yoga girl apparel - from greece to spain to brazil and, of course, right here in the U.S. i'm tickled to know that so many of you are fond of the yoga girl designs.

and as you know, 100% of the proceeds of all yoga girl apparel is donated to an organization that i firmly believe in and support, off the mat into the world. i encourage you all to check out their website as well as make your own donation, if possible.

it's important to keep the idea of doing for others in mind as we go through life. giving back to your community or an organization in any way that you can, whether that be through donations of your time or your monies, is something everyone should incorporate into their lives.

i recently stumbled upon this quote by albert pike that speaks very much to this way of living:

"what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

peace my friends!

saluting the sun.

:: ashley h., ryt at south end studio, vt ::

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

with hands in prayer i face the sun, feeling love and joy in my heart.

i reach out and let the sun fill me with warmth.

i bow before the sun's radiance and place my face to the ground in humble respect.

i lift my face to the sun and then remember, to achieve such heights,
i must be as the dust of the earth.

i stretch up toward its light trying to reach the greatest heights, and again surrender.

i stand tall as i remember the true sun is within me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i see this poem hanging on the wall every day i walk into yogabody studio, where i practice yoga several times a week. most days i don't stop to read it line by line, but the other day i gave a copy of this poem to my sister, which is from the himalayan institute, for her to hang on her wall, and i found myself reading it, and appreciating it all over again.

the photo above is of my sister's good friend, ashley, who teaches ashtanga yoga up in vermont. when i came across this picture of her, it seemed so fitting to post along with the poem, and she so graciously accepted my request to post it here to share with you. enjoy and namaste my friends!

inspiration.

wow! i'm literally at a loss for words here. this woman is amazing...inspiring! 91-years old and not only practicing yoga, but teaching it. now this is something to aspire to...

feet.

"breathe through your feet!"

this is what my yoga instructor (and dear friend!) said during the vinyasa class she was leading at her studio the other day. and it got me thinking differently about my own breath.

if you actually take the time to visualize inhaling new oxygen or renewed energy through the crown of your head all the way to the soles of your feet as you practice yoga or if you don't practice yoga you can visualize this while you are standing in the shower or even walking around, you just might discover (the way i did the other day) an opening of sorts in your body...and a whole new way to manage the flow of your own breath.

on this same note, i realized after taking this picture on my way to work this morning...

...that, for some odd reason, i take a lot of pictures of feet!

so i thought i would share a few favorites from my photo archives.


(it's important to note that not everyone or every culture has the same playful approach to feet as i do. in fact, in thailand, feet are considered not only the lowest part of the body physically, but also symbolically. they are dirty with the earth and dust. on the other hand, they perceive the head to be the most sacred and highest part of the body. and therefore do not touch the head of another. so with that said, i respect all of the different meanings and interpretations of feet.)

:: on a bench ::

 

 :: by candlelight ::

 

 :: in the caribbean ::

  

 :: on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower ::

  

:: in my apartment :: 

:: at a football game ::

:: at the beach ::

and the winners are...

thank you all again for sending in your very creative and thoughtful sayings and quotes for the yoga girl giveway. it really was a tough choice. and i wish i could have chosen them all! and interestingly enough, i had a male reader request that i create a yoga dude! stay tuned for more on that...

so...here are the winning yoga girl sayings for the cobra and headstand poses.....

:: bliss begins with breath ::

:: your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens. ~ carl jung ::

i will be in touch with the winners via email. thank you all for participating! and keep checking back for more giveaways in the near future...

namaste!

a new year's giveaway.

happy new year! to start off 2010 right, i thought i would offer a yoga girl giveaway!

over the past few weeks, i've been busy drawing new yoga girls poses (to be posted in the store soon!). and my intention is to include on the back of each yoga girl t-shirt, a quote that represents that particular yoga pose in some way. for example, the quotes on the back of the dancer yoga girl or the namaste yoga girl t-shirts.

so i am asking you to put your creative caps on and submit what YOU think would be the best sayings or quotes for these two poses:

headstand (adho mukha vrksasana)

cobra (bhujangasana)

submit your ideas by posting in the comment box below or via email at yogagirl@cafetaber.com

two winners will be chosen (one for each pose above) and will receive a free yoga girl t-shirt from the store!

:: the deadline is sunday, january 10 at midnight ::

namaste!

yoga girl.

it all started back in early september... i was working on a project for my information animation class for my master's program trying to learn all of the ins and outs of adobe flash and quickly discovered how powerful a tool it really is.

the assignment :: illustrate my name using animations of...really anything. so, naturally, i turned to yoga. as many of you know, i am very devoted to my yoga practice. in fact, more recently, i have found it to be somewhat of a religion for me. it's not just the physical practice that i have come to love so much. it's also the spiritual practice, which i am able to take with me off my mat.

so when i sat down to start drawing for this assignment, these very simple stick figures were born.

after sharing my drawings with friends and family, and receiving a lot of positive feedback on them, i was encouraged to branch out a bit and sell the design on apparel and other items.

so, with that said, i introduce you to my "Yoga Girl" shop on Zazzle. http://www.zazzle.com/taberlightfoot 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Off the Mat, Into the World, an initiative started by seane corne (one of my favorite yoginis) that i wholeheartedly support.

so if you're looking for something special to give to that yogini (or yogi) in your life, take a look at the Yoga Girl line. the quality of the apparel and products is excellent! and more Yoga Girls will be added to the shop over the next few weeks.

if there is a specific pose you're looking for that's not listed in the store, leave a comment, or email me. i'm happy to customize a design for you!

endurance.

i recently purchased the book, 1,001 pearls of yoga wisdom, from one of my favorite stores in new haven. i carry it with me everywhere, reading a page or two when i can for inspiration. #691 resonated with me today, so i had to share here.

"yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured." ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

yoga girl.

a little creation of mine...

i'm learning adobe flash this semester in my master's program. it's a lot harder than i had imagined. here's a sneak preview of one of my yoga girl stick figures. i'm thinking this might become a series for something...notecards? t-shirts? we shall see...

yoga with izzy.

i've been on a yoga hiatus simply due to my knee diagnosis, which i will not bore you with here. but that didn't stop me from working on my home practice a little. i'm trying to keep as active as possible. however, i had a slight interruption...or two from my "roommate," izzy, who was very interested in taking part in the festivities...




...i got a little yoga in that evening and needless to say so did izzy!

my home away from home.

i've been spending quite a lot of time over the past several months doing yoga. it has brought some much needed peace into my life as well as some much needed flexibility!

i have never been more in touch with my own body than ever before thanks to the excellent instructors there!

i'm looking forward to participating in the global mala project that yoga on whitney is participating in come this september. you can learn more about the effort at globalmala.org.

namaste!

inspiration.

this is the lululemon manifesto. so inspirational...it's now on my fridge.

thankful :: three

a dear friend of mine who is a yoga instructor graciously agreed to help me with a final project i'm working on for graduate school. i have to build an interactive narrative on the benefits of practicing yoga. so, naturally, i turned to her from the get go for her expertise and direction with this project.

yesterday she was the subject of my photo and video shoot. here is one of my favorite photos.


it was a very fun and very successful shoot! so, in the spirit of "Thanksgiving," i am very thankful for her and the contributions she has made not only to my yoga project, but also to my life. she's a fabulous woman and friend!!