“Breathe then, as if breathing for the first time, 
as if remembering with what difficulty you came into the world, what strength it took to make that first impossible in-breath, into a cry to be heard by the world”. … Author, David Whyte

I’ve been to many trainings for alignment, anatomy, sequencing, joint mobility, spirituality, breathing, business management, meditation, writing, philosophy, and more. This weekend, it was poetry. The Courage in Poetry and Promises with David Whyte. But everything I do is ultimately about yoga. Even Poetry. (side note: I wrote my first poem in the 5th grade… it was about Halloween). More on that another time.

So, I spent the weekend listening to David talk about courage and connection as he reminded us of that beautiful ‘first impossible in-breath that is a cry to be heard by the world’. It’s the very first thing you ever do, how could it not be the most important. #breathingmatters

Poetry and Physiology are intricately connected in that words affect everything about us from the way we talk to ourselves to the way we hear others speak. Powerful phrases ignite a chemical/emotional reaction within ourselves and others. (when you hear things like, ‘You’re overreacting, or I Love You’.) Feel the difference? We use words that matter in yoga also. (when you hear things like, ‘You got this, or Be kind to yourself, or Thank you for being here).  #wordsmatter

(Which by the way, I’m thinking of replacing ‘Namaste’ with ‘I love you’ at the end of classes… don’t make it awkward ; )

A Poet draws words out of the stillness and into the heart. A Yogi draws stillness out of the heart and into the mind. One word at a time. One exhale at a time.
#WordsMatter. #BreathingMatters.

It matters HOW we breathe and WHAT we say to ourselves and others. Because together, words and breathing can change us.

Start with these three concepts:

1. Mostly Breathe through your nose (google nasal breathing, or The Oxygen Advantage)
2. Breathe deeply and Exhale fully…. when it occurs to you. (The relaxation response)
3. Write and Speak mostly to create optimism, your words have power. (Optimism is soothing for your nervous system)

  “We are all a sun-lit moment come from a long darkness, what moves us always comes from what is hidden, what seems to be said so suddenly has lived in the body for a long, long time.”

So we move and breathe to release what’s hidden. 

As moving as it was… I’m also now a bit of a Groupie. David spoke to me twice and signed my book. First, when he signed it, he said I must be a friend of Leonard Cohen. (He has a song called Suzanne). The second time, it was to tell me I was heading through the wrong door… into breakfast with the homeless instead of his talk. So it’s official. I’m a fan. 

Here’s what we’re doing this week at Love: 

This Wednesday, 12/18, Power Yoga Flow and Trivia for Tee Shirts! 6pm. 
This Saturday, 12/21, LoveStrong hike to Fitton Green.
Leaving Love at 10:15. As always, we’ll caravan, carpool or meet you there!
This Sunday 12/22, Solar Express Solstice Celebration. 10 seats left on this trip. We’ll have a gentle flow, a guided meditation, a new year intention, truffles, treats and drinks. It’s a celebration of the coming season, longer days and brighter light.
RSVP here to get your ticket!

See you on the mats!

I really do Love everything about this place and all of you. 

Thank you for being here with all of us. 

Here’s a quick update on the UnGrinching, my sabbatical and what’s coming next!

If you’re new here… Welcome to Love!

We usually send out emails more often with lots of useful and entertaining info around how not to torture yourself . . . and to practice taking really good care of yourself instead. But as some of you know, I’ve been on a sabbatical this month. Trying to do just that! (Which means less emails).

And it looks as if it’s been all unicorns and rainbows, right? Well at least all forest bathing and wave watching.  It hasn’t.  But it’s been eye opening to say the least. But before I get in to any of that…. here’s a quick update on the UnGrinching and what happens next!

SO, WHO’S BEEN THE UNGRINCHIEST WHILE I’VE BEEN AWAY? 

It’s almost time to tally up the hearts on your Grinch Cards and find out! And in case you missed out… there’s still time!  You might not get the MOST stamps, but you still might win one of the LOVESTRONG swag bags! (I’ve been shopping ; )

So GET YOUR GRINCH ON and get in here!  You can create that amazing deep sense of calm and clarity that your mind and body are craving! Winners announced on Oct. 31st! 

After that, we’ll be introducing more fun Holiday Shenanigans that help us all to connect, practice and feel amazing all year long… not just after the kids are back in school and the holidays are over! Lol… this year… I intend to enjoy every single day of the holiday season.  And for those of you that know me… or experience that struggle yourself… you’ll get it.

I’m still not going to participate in offering candy to strange and creepy children that knock at the darkness in my neighborhood. I’m still not going to shop frantically  shoving knick knacks into sacks for savings on Black Friday. And I’m not going to freak out over every piece of holiday gourmet that crosses my path over the coming season. Because the wreath cookies my mom makes are the best things to ever happen to December. E V E R. (Plus, there will be more of Yats’s Truffles).

What I WILL be doing . . . . is Walking more. Sleeping better. And Practicing. Practicing  all the smart and soulful things I’ve learned through yoga and meditation and creating new and wonderful LOVESTRONG experiences for all of us to enjoy together.

Be back soon!

: )

Much Love,
Suzanne

p.s. Oh! I almost forgot. The new list of LOVESTRONG Hikes is coming up this week.  We’re thinking Koosah, Horserock, Alsea and more!  Remember… these are not endurance challenges. They are our way of getting outside without torturing ourselves! If I can do it. You can do it. Seriously. Talk to me about these if you’re at all curious. And watch your email in the next two days for the list so you can save the dates!

1st stop. Cross fit is no joke! (Pics below).  Last weekend I went to a BREATHING clinic… at a crossfit gym in Los Angeles. I didn’t realize we’d be doing all the cross fit things throughout the day.

(*Before I get into that… remember the UnGrinching starts today and in order to win the $100 REI Gift card and other cool swag on Halloween … you gotta get your Grinch Card. Scroll down!)

As this was the first time I’d ever been in a crossfit gym… my body feels like it was there for a week!  Rowing machines, kettlebells, jump ropes? Pull up bars, boxes and burpees, oh my!  Oh and yea, we did a little breathing in between reps.  (FYI: The birth of competitive kettleball lifting is dated to 1885, with the founding of the Russian “Circle for Amateur Athletics”. I’m definitely an amateur, but also proud to say I held my own!).

So the breathing clinic was absolutely scientific validation for everything we’ve been teaching at Love about the importance of breathing.

•     Exhaling matters. 
•     Relaxation Heals.
•     Consistent Practice Delivers Results

What Results?  
Less stress, less tension, more balance, more clarity, better circulation, better recovery, lower bp and the list goes on.

These are significantly powerful, noticeable and scientifically measurable results in your entire system.

All from Breathing!

I’ll be back soon with an all new LoveStrong Breathing Clinic just for you.  (No Crossfit needed).  Because I want everyone to feel the incredible difference between autonomic breathing for every day survival… and conscious intentional breathing for thriving in every moment. 

2nd Stop. Relaxation
I headed to a Restorative yoga class with Phoebe at Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica. As expected… it was complete and total relaxation to the sounds of some traditional kirtan and the Beatles LOVE Revolution. Perfect.

3rd Stop. The Crystals
Then I wrapped it all up with a 9pm New Moon Meditation at Unplug Meditation Studio with Heather. I left with crystals, candles and mind blowing clarity that sparked the sweetest, conversations around the meaning of meditation. Which reminded me of the Soul Compass meditation we started with at the beginning of this year.  I’ll be back with more on that too!

So back to: UNGRINCHING WITH LOVE. It starts today! (10/1 – 10/31)
To UnGrinch the holidays a bit… lessen the stress and jazz up the joy… we’re adding classes and contests to connect, encourage and uplift each other as much as possible! All ya gotta do is get your Grinch card stamped each time you come to class and you’ll be entered to win that many times. More if you catch a teacher in your class!  We hope you enjoy this as much as we plan to!

Much Love,
: )
Suzanne

p.s. I didn’t get any pics of me with the kettleballs but trust me… 45 burpees with kettleball runs while holding your breath is not attractive! But here’s a few to prove I was there. (And yes, that’s me laying on the crossfit floor… ew. The things I do for you).

I use to avoid cliches like the plague (see what I did there?) but lately – because there seems to be SO many in the wellness world, I’ve been curious to see where they came from and why they’re still around. I’m finding all kinds of reasons why their ‘actions speak louder than words’. lol. So if you’re interested to know what I’ve found, there’s no time like the present….

Don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm. This is probably my ALL Time favorite one ever and I just learned about it last year. SO many of us are doing this! Right now! Putting yourself last. Letting everyone else decide. Going out of your way to help. Wearing yourself thin (lol) while taking care of others. It’s exhausting, overwhelming and NOT sustainable. What will you do about this? Read on . . . .

The answer is inside of you.  Uh huh. Great. Super helpful. So is road rage, insecurity, fear and doubt. Those are probably getting in the way of us finding the answers… which is why we meditate.  When we meditate, once we get the hang of it and stop dreaming about pizza… a lot of the noise falls away and then some ideas pop up out of seemingly … nowhere? (For some of you this might happen when you’re driving, showering, vacuuming, running…. external noise falls away and we can hear ourselves think). We might get a glimpse of brilliance, a momentary burst of excitement, a huge epiphany. Something in there leads us to the… answers.

Love is the answer.  Okay, I whole heartedly believe this one right? Duh. But even at a deeper level there is scientific proof that loving thoughts, feelings and actions lead to a release of all the natural feel good chemicals in our bodies and brains. Plus, even the effort of searching for something to feel appreciation for, also releases the same. So even if you’re not feeling super loving right this minute… if you try to think of something you CAN feel that way about… you’ll still get the reward. E for Effort! Find love everywhere.

Do what you Love, Love what you do. See above ; )
This also ties in with the research around flow states. (I’m sure some of you are tired of hearing me talk about flow… #notsorry). Because when you find something you simply love to do… and it mesmerizes you to the point that you lose track of time, forget to eat and it never gets old…. you’re in flow and your brain release even MORE feel good chemicals.  The Flow Genome guys call this the Flow Cocktail. When you get a blast of this flow cocktail… you’re unstoppable! Kind of like how I feel when writing these emails! ; )

Better safe than sorry. I actually could go on all day with these… there’s a ton! But I don’t want to risk losing you completely and I have places to go on this beautiful Sunday. But don’t worry, I’ll be back with more of these another time because so many of them really do find their way into our practices… and some of them are kind of helpful.

Only time will tell
Nerves of steel
Laughter is the best medicine
Every cloud has a silver lining

From the bottom of my heart . . . (I can’t stop….)
Much Love,

; )
Suzanne

p.s.  August is Bring a Friend for FREE… all month long! No obligations, just hanging out with friends who like flow. Thank you so much for being part of LOVE!

I shared some embarrassing things in class yesterday… BECAUSE my embarrassing stories became empowering when I realized that I survived them. Think of an embarrassing moment… or an awful experience you’ve had. Could be something traumatic or something trivial, it doesn’t matter. Remember how it felt like it was a life changer? Well, it was – if you realize that you survived it. (savor that for a moment). The trick now is to not continually ‘re-live’ it.

And KNOWING you survived something does two things:

1. It gives you a story you can share to help others see that it’s survivable.

2. It empowers you to know that if you survived that, you can survive this. Or whatever comes next.
Because the reality is … you will survive everything that comes your way until the one time you don’t, right? (I warned you not to take my advice today, I’m in deep water here).

My advice yesterday was on fire: Learn about your nervous system. Use your breath to retrain it. Create more flow. Do more things you love so you’ll feel more loving more of the time, then there will be less room in your life for fear and worry. That’s great f#@%ing advice and it’s helped me a ton!

My advice today is still simmering: Run as far from everything as you can and only listen to yourself. Solitude matters! Nobody else’s advice will suffice because we are designed to save ourselves first. (it’s not selfish, it’s human nature). So when someone offers you their advice, recognize that it’s most likely something that works great for them. Swell. They can share it with you and you can try it but first run away and feel it for yourself. Then decide for yourself.

Ask yourself…what works for ME?
WHAT does MY heart want?
(Thanks, Sabrina ; )
(Soul Compass Workshop v.2 coming in August)

The moral of this message is… I’ve been completely embarrassed and humiliated at times and completely on fire at times. I’ve consulted everyone I know and I’ve run away to consult myself. And I get the very best advice from ME every single time. Try it. Especially while practicing yoga. (Crow pose for example, see below)

Take our instruction, take suggestions, take the opportunity to explore. But please, please, please, decide for yourself. Once you learn the ins and outs of the yoga practice… you’ll start to feel what’s for you and what’s not. This is where the magic happens! Where you start deciding more often what’s best for you, on and off the mat.

Much Love,
: )
Suzanne

p.p.s. Crow Pose is a perfect example of embarrassing vs. empowering. I can’t tell you how many people have beamed for days after they hold their first crow pose. I also can’t count the number of times we’ve watched you all fall out of crow and feel a little embarrassed. But when you fall out, it inspires someone else to try. (isn’t that strange human behavior also? Your ‘failure’ inspires someone else) LOL.  Crow Workshop. This Saturday. 10:30am. Sign up here now! Come check it out. It might be your greatest embarrassment, your greatest inspiration or just an all around great time.