Archive for the 'Health & Wellness' Category
Yogi Seasonal Food Cleanse – Fall Oct 11 – 24th
YOGI SEASONAL FOOD CLEANSE – Fall Dates Announced!
Tuesday, October 11th – Monday, October 24 (14 days). Just in time for Halloween ;)
It’s time to cleanse before the crazy holidays! Join our professional team of yogis for a 14 Day Fall Cleanse designed to align your physical and energetic bodies as the weather and season changes. You will learn how to detoxify and heal the body through the use of local, organic, sustainable food and use our yoga practice to further eliminate toxins and boost your immune system in preparation for the holiday and flu season. This is the ultimate “foodie” cleanse! No starving here, just wholesome clean foods that will make you feel better than ever! We hope that after participating in the 14 Day Fall Cleanse, you will attain the knowledge that will guide you toward long term healthier practices and an enhanced life!
14 Day Cleanse Includes:
- One in-person group q & a meeting (optional)
- Daily outdoor yoga classes at “Bronson Canyon Yoga” geared specifically toward the cleansing process. ** if you are out of town email us about discounts or book Skype privates for yoga sessions
- Email forum/Facebook
- PDF workbook including a detailed description of the cleanse, expert advice on how to succeed and get the most out of the cleanse, journal templates, 2 week sample menu, shopping lists, list of local farmers markets and organic markets, vegan restaurant guide, delicious seasonal vegan recipes and more.
Save the Date: (optional class)
Sunday, October 9th
9:30am morning Yoga class + in-person group meeting
Price:
Early Bird Special!!! Pay by October 1st and pay only $150!!!
$190 (under $14 a day including yoga!!!)
Email us if you are not located in LA or can’t attend yoga for discounted cleanse options.
nic@nicolepresents.com
The Gold I Gleaned from Wanderlust!
The Gold I Gleaned from Wanderlust
The Wanderlust Festival this year was nothing short of incredible. Not only was this festival an opportunity to practice yoga and hear great music, but also it was a chance to collect valuable information from top-notch Yoga teachers around the world and get exposed to yoga modalities I had never tried before.
I think the most important thing that I took away from my Wanderlust experience this year was the importance of being Authentic. Yoga becomes an expression of who we are as students, teachers and human beings. The practice is beautiful, ancient and revered. Also, it is a highly creative and expressive art, science and philosophy. It draws people out of their shell, breaks them down into little pieces and builds them back up into the most powerful expression of Divine love they can be.
We are all unique and it is that uniqueness that develops the Yoga that we teach or practice. Students will follow whatever expressions they resonate with on a vibrational level and all forms of Yoga are awesome for this reason.
After 12 classes in just four days, I extracted a ton of great ideas and information from the workshops that will improve my practice and my teaching. Below are some nuggets of information that I wish to pass along from some of my classes.
Rod Stryker
I was fortunate to be able to take three wonderful classes with Rod Stryker of ParaYoga. I could write a few blogs about what I learned through Rod, but will just highlight a few.
Class One – Hatha Yoga Pradipika
He made a point that resonated strongly with me - a reminder - that Yoga is not just about the muscles, asanas and breath, but also its about the Endocrine System, our organs. It’s our organs that give us longevity and we use the breath and the bandhas to change the health of our organs.
Class Two – Treta Bandhas
Udiyana Bandha is the master key to Yoga. This is where the fire (agni) burns up what Rod Stryker calls our “landfill”, the emotional stuff that resides in our second chakra that we need to burn up to get our spiritual Kundalini energy rising from the base of the spine. He says Mula Bandha gets all the press, but it’s the Udiyana Bandha that we need to stoke.
Class Three – Prana Viyus
He was masterful in explaining the Prana Vayus. We watched our breath as it relates to the five Vayus. As teachers, we could watch our students’ breath through the five subsets and as it got shaky or stuck somewhere, we could relate that directly back to the physical and psychological blocks they were encountering in their lives. This exercise was poignant for those participating and a real learning experience on the connection between breath and subtle energies.
Rod’s funny response to our discussion on the Apana Vayu and the importance of elimination on a physical and psychological level….“Spirituality goes out the door if you haven’t crapped in four days!”
I would highly suggest checking out Rod Stryker. His new book the “Four Bodies” was just released and I would bet that it’s nothing short of amazing!
This is his website: http://parayoga.com/
CorePower Yoga
CorePower Yoga was an expression of Yoga rooted in physical training and fitness. It was a high-energy class filled with lunges and Utkatasanas. We used weights to sculpt and sweat a bunch. I could see this form of Yoga doing really well for the gym devotee and was very happy that I got to experience it. I could see myself hitting one of these classes once a week to really get the heart rate up and challenge myself on a physical level. CorePower Yoga teacher Becky reminded me that, “there are seeds of transformation at every turn.”
Seane Corn
Seane is epic all the time! I don’t even know where to start other than to say that I find her to be one of the most empowering individuals on the planet. She always has a huge message and it calls you to do great things. When I leave her classes I want to be her – a badass – ready to save the world, raise money and do something great!
I could write a book of favorite quotes from Seane, but this one was particularly funny and it stuck out in my mind…(it’s paraphrased)… “Wow, I just whiffed the alcohol some of you are sweating out. I’m getting high off your sweat. Luckily, Yoga is a practice of detoxification!”
Shiva Rea
I walked out of Shiva’s class with Random Rab and Steve Gold and found myself walking around completely stoned off her energy. It’s Shakti - its sensual and mystifying. I don’t even know if we did much asana, but we sure shifted our consciousness quick. What I love about Shiva is her willingness to be spontaneous, her ability to hold space and allow people to dive into their sensuality. I get high off her love of music and dance. It’s a breed of Yoga that’s just plain … Shiva.
Off the Mat and Into the World – “Finding Your Voice” with Suzanne Sterling, Kerri Kelly and Hala Khouri
A revealing and empowering experience! We worked with our fifth chakra, Vishuddha, to enhance our ability to communicate. In our society, many of us are told at a young age that we can’t sing or that we shouldn’t say something when maybe we want to. From these mini traumas we close down in this center. We are dying to express ourselves! We learned the power of singing as a tool to heal, express and release the tension we’ve accumulated at the throat. Together, we practiced opening this chakra through asana, moaning, groaning, shouting and above all singing as a large community. I realized that we are all amazing singers and have tremendous voices when we can sync up as a community and feel safe and supported! Beautiful.
John Friend, “Creating Potent Themes”
All heart, all the time. John Friend is a devotee to Bhakti – devotional being and practice. He embodies Yoga as a prayer. In his workshop, Creating Potent Themes, we discussed the importance of language in creating an experience for students of Yoga. He taught us how we can call upon themes as they relate to the Universal Divine and how themes draw upon heart characteristics. As an example, we analyzed the ‘Five Elements’ and how they relate to actions in our bodies, characteristics of the heart and ultimately express the Divine. I love Anusara and its intention to open to grace and love!
Kathyrn Budig
I knew Kathryn was beautiful as I see her in Yoga Journal all the time, but I had no idea how down to earth and absolutely adorable and funny she was until Wanderlust. She’s hilarious and promotes fun and joy! She also has a sick practice and is really great with analogies, simple instruction and making really hard poses achievable. I look forward to taking many more classes with her in the future.
Michael Franti
I captured part of a story he was telling and thought I’d share it. It’s a little cut off at the end but you can just see his sweetness! He is astounding. Michael is a family man, a musician, a Yogi, a businessman and a spiritual guy. His energy is profound and intoxicating. He’s got a heart of gold and a real purpose on this planet to help transform it.
Overall, Wanderlust Festival was amazing and I look forward to next year and all the related events they are hosting around the U.S.
Yoga is a conscious practice that is raising the vibration of this planet one breath at a time on a massive scale. I feel so blessed, honored and grateful that I am able to get on my mat every day and experience this gift of breath and transformation.
Great thanks to the Wanderlust Festival founders for having this vision and manifesting it into our reality!
4 commentsWanderlust: Yoga Aid Challenge (July 28 – 31st)!
Wanderlust Festival Yoga Aid California Is One Week Out!
Join the California Wanderlust Yoga Aid Challenge! Who doesn’t want to get front row access to Michael Franti and Seane Corn or win a free 4-day Wanderlust 2012 pass? It Should Be You.
The top fundraisers are up for some pretty awesome prizes. And your efforts make a huge (we’re talking seriously big) impact on charity partner Off the Mat, Into the World’s work in leadership development, local youth projects, and global humanitarian initiatives.
Not signed up over at Yoga Aid yet? It’s not too late. It’s easy. And you still could win those prizes. Vermont’s top challenger signed on just days before the deadline. Her secret: emailing her friends and family. It’s that simple. Don’t wait. Get Started: Register here for Yoga Aid. Send a personalized email to your friends and family. Acknowledge how awesome you are for making an impact. Check out how much fun you’re going to have in Tahoe. For more info on Off the Mat’s efforts around the world, check out their site.
For tickets to the Wanderlust Festival click here.
No commentsResults are in! Empower Yourself to Transform Workshops are Complete.
Results are in! Empowering Yourself to Transform Workshops are Complete.
We just completed my post-South American spiritual journey inspired workshop series called Empower Yourself to Transform™. I must say the jungle did us good! We experienced two weeks of Yoga every morning and 3.5 hour Sunday Workshops that included one hour of motivational speaking and two hours of meditation, chanting, pranayama and Yoga. The Sundays were just outstanding!
Getting up every morning at 6:15a to get over to The Dance Loft in San Francisco was no small feat. I was used to doing this when working with the Amazonian Shamans since they rise with the sun, but in the city, when it’s cold and windy, it’s a different feeling. But every morning like clockwork, I entered that beautiful studio and found myself remarkably at home, on my mat breathing. I was so inspired that by the 7th day I started a food cleanse so I could boost my energy naturally instead of using those morning lattes!
We worked through the Chakra system for the first 7 days visualizing each energy body, beginning to understand where it is and how it affects the whole body temple. We observed each chakra as a container and asked to release emotional tension, resistance or fear. We went within to understand where blocks might reside. We accepted the emotions as they bubbled up and addressed them with compassion and love.
Sunday, May 8th was Mother’s Day and our Releasing Negative Thoughts and Patterns workshop. What a perfect day! For the moms in the room we gave eternal gratitude for their courage to bring energy into form, into matter, the root word for mother.
We discussed the human condition of the mind and its role in our experience here on this plane of existence. We explored how we use tools like Yoga, Meditation, and Inspirational Teachings to guide us out of the subconscious negative thinking to a more conscious awareness of who we really are.
We learned to not think of “negative” as being bad, but as a gift and a signpost along our journey that we can acknowledge to help guide us to decisions that feel good. Negative is not to be judged as bad, but simply the opposite of positive. We addressed the concepts of negative thoughts being fear and resistance. Once we could see our fears and resistance we could acknowledge those fears, identify the resistance and challenge our thoughts. In challenging our thoughts we became creative and could see other perspectives. We also played with tools from Yoga and the Law of Attraction. In Yoga when we are addressed with negative thoughts we replace them with positive ones, called Pratipaksha Bhavana. In the Law of Attraction, we call this Pivoting.
On Sunday, May 15th it was Bay to Breakers in San Francisco. A big day of celebration in the city, so it was vibrating with some seriously fun energy! This was our Tools for Transformation workshop day. This workshop was designed to be the follow up to the prior week. Once we release emotion and identify our resistance what do we do with this new information? I have spent the last several years in deep study of the Laws of the Universe and I wanted to share some fun games that I’ve encountered along the way. We laughed, we shared, we cried. It was a beautiful day. We watched videos about the power of language and words. We shared some of our patterns of thought. We explored partner work using affirmations and journaling. We powerfully affirmed each other’s gifts. We used engaging tools from the Law of Attraction work and other great inspirational teachers. In the end, we started to feel how we really could EMPOWER OURSELVES TO TRANSFORM™!
After each inspirational discussion, we got on our mats and explored the various gifts that we were granted 5000 plus years ago. I’m sure these gifts are a lot older than the recording of them. We practiced meditation and pranayama techniques to clear our mind and extend our prana through the breath. We chanted beautiful mantras and then opened our bodies with Yoga asanas.
Just writing this I get goose bumps (or as my friend calls them, truth bumps!). This work really resonates with my heart. I know that my path, my dharma, is to help inspire people to reach their highest potential. I am here for Joy and Love. That’s it. I want to bring you more Joy and Love!
Below are testimonials from some of the workshop attendees. If you wish to bring these workshops to your city, I would be honored and I love to travel!
“You are pure BRILLIANT Nicole-your words of wisdom, your knowledge, your teachings all truly Inspiring and Uplifting!” ~Val C
“Thank you for such a great workshop. Even though it was just an afternoon it shed light on what has been happening for me this entire year. Such a gift you are! ” ~ Michelle M.
“Add “motivational speaker” to the already impressive array of hats that miss Doherty wears. I just attended her Sunday class on “How to get rid of negative thoughts and patterns” and have instantly noticed a boost in my energy, outlook and general satisfaction with life. I only wish the sessions were longer and had more interaction between classmates. Next up: Tools for Transformation. If I am a better yoga practitioner and person at the end of this year, Nicole will surely be a huge part of it.” ~ Michi V.
“I have been taking private yoga as well as group yoga from Nicole for a couple of years and she is a truly gifted teacher. Her warm approach and extensive knowledge of anatomy make taking class with Nicole not only relaxing but beneficial for our tired, tight bodies. Most recently I attended a workshop called Empower Yourself to Transform with Nicole. The information she gave us was very helpful and pertinent to anyone’s yoga practice. The fun style in which the workshop was held makes it accessible for any level yoga student from the beginner to the seasoned yogi.” ~ Roxanne G
“Thanks sssooooooo much for the workshop. I truly enjoyed it. I’ve already had 3 opportunities to apply what we learned about the power of words! It is amazing how sharing that with 3 different friends was so inspiring. I didn’t really intend that to happen. I was just going to start applying it for myself. But, Sunday evening a friend called and said something like, “Wouldn’t it be nice if all I had to do is (blah blah blah?)” And, I just said, “OMG, I have to share what I just learned in this workshop today!” And, we just had a great laugh. Then, early this morning, a friend started texting me from NYC about how horrible her life was going to be as soon as she moved and how she wasn’t looking forward to it. And, of course, I immediately sent her the video via email and started explaining the power of words and what I’d learned. Then, this afternoon, I was talking to a friend about her career….same thing! So, I just wanted to share with you the impact you made on my life this week and thank you again for an amazing yoga class. I look forward to another one soon.” ~ Lisa H
To bring these workshops to your city email Nicole Doherty at nic@nicolepresents.com
Website: http://wellness.nicolepresents.com
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Corporate Wellness Programs: Tips for Yogis and HR Directors
I launched a discussion last year on Linked In with various Corporate Wellness and Yoga related groups asking people how to tap into the Corporate Wellness space in Los Angeles. Until recently my questions went unanswered. Interestingly enough my discussion is now generating eyeballs and things are getting juicy! I wanted to share some of the insights coming through.
First of all, I see a few things happening in the marketplace resulting in this shift of interest.
On the Yoga side of things…
1) Yoga is a huge business and growing rapidly
2) Teachers are graduating teacher trainings at a rapid rate and can’t find work in studios anymore
3) Studios aren’t paying well so Yogis are turning to Corporations with larger budgets
4) Yoga instructors are getting more business savvy and joining Linked In and other social media platforms to help them grow their business
On the corporate side of things…
1) Employees are generating more demand for wellness since they spend so much time at work
2) In general people are becoming more aware of their health and wellness
3) Health care and sick days are expensive for the employer so it benefits corporations to keep their employees healthy
4) Yoga is now an accepted, respectable and understood practice, which helps the HR department to sell it
According to leading wellness industry consultant and prolific writer John Bates, “most people spend more hours at work than anywhere else in addition to the time they spend commuting each day. In fact, the typical American works approximately 47 hours a week which is at least 164 hours more than the average 20 years ago.”
If we are spending so much time at work, don’t we want to feel good? I ask my friends every so often if their companies would support a wellness program. Usually, I get these answers:
1) I don’t know
2) It’s not my job, maybe…
3) They are too cheap
4) They don’t know what Yoga is
5) I don’t think anyone has much time
Maybe my friends don’t care much about Yoga or maybe they don’t care much about their bodies. Or, if they do care about their bodies and Yoga perhaps they prefer to get the hell out of work and go to the studio for some peace and quiet! But, my friends may not have kids, play dates, partners, and countless other things to rush home to that keep them from exercising.
I’ve decided now when I go to a party I am going to ask my friends for the name and number of their HR Director. You ask, “Why should an HR person care about all this?” and I respond with more of John Bates’ great information!
“Given these statistics (referencing 47 hours a week average time spent at work), it is easy to see why maintaining a healthy work / life balance is becoming increasingly important. Corporate wellness programs are important tools to establish this balance. Programs that emphasize the benefits of corporate wellness can be implemented in a variety of ways.
However, they all share a common goal – to promote the well-being of their employees, employers and organization in general. Many companies are starting to realize the tremendous benefits of corporate wellness.
One of the primary benefits of corporate wellness involves a reduction in the rates of illness and injuries among employees. Unhealthy employees experience a wide range of work-related injuries such as muscle strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, stress fractures or back pain. These individuals are also susceptible to developing complications such as diabetes, heart disease or a stroke. Employees without the opportunity to participate in corporate wellness programs may develop serious illnesses. Consequently, they could find themselves on long-term disability for an extended period of time or be forced to discontinue working entirely.
In addition, …corporate wellness programs also lead to a reduction in employee absenteeism. Employees who are stressed, unhealthy or overworked tend to become sick much more often than healthy employees.
When programs that focus on the benefits of corporate wellness are implemented, this rate can be drastically reduced. For example, Coors Brewing Company experienced a remarkable 18% decrease in employee absenteeism after implementing a corporate wellness program within their workplace.
Another benefit of corporate wellness programming is a reduction in the cost of healthcare. When employees are healthy and less stressed they tend to rely less on costly programs such as disability insurance and sick leave.
Companies will notice a significant decrease in healthcare costs once they incorporate wellness programs into their workplace. For example, after implementing a fitness program in which only 60% of the employees participated, Coca-Cola was able to save $500 per employee every year.
Increased productivity is another benefit of corporate wellness. Employees who are happy and healthy tend to produce a greater volume of work at a higher quality than unhealthy employees. Employers need to realize that implementing programs that lower fitness and stress levels will increase the overall output of their employees.
Corporate wellness programs also contribute to the enhanced retention of key employees. Companies that implement wellness programs normally experience a much lower rate of employee turnover. Recruiting, marketing and advertising for vacant positions are very costly, not to mention time-consuming. If your employees are happy and healthy and enjoy working at your company, you will be able to focus more time and energy on actually getting the job done.
The bottom line is you should take advantage of the benefits of corporate wellness. Make it a goal to implement a program as soon as possible – don’t wait until most of your employees are stressed, sick or applying to other jobs. You will experience a reduction in employee injuries, illness, absenteeism and healthcare costs, as well as an increase in employee retention and productivity. Assuming responsibility for establishing a healthy, harmonious working environment will allow everyone to enjoy the benefits of corporate wellness.“
There are great websites out there like John’s that provide HR leaders with presentations, information and proposals for download that will help sell these programs to their company! Can it get any easier than that? If the HR Director doesn’t have time to put a presentation together then as Yoga Instructors we can be proactive and create one for them.
For the HR leaders out there, Yoga instructors can be flexible with any working arrangement. Not only are we flexible on the mat, we are in the mind!
Now, I want to share some of the great feedback that I have received on this discussion just to get the wheels turning for both Yogis and HR Directors!
From a member of the Linked In Group who is an ex HR Director:
1. Be very clear about what you can offer and what it can do for individuals and therefore, the company. Find and sell benefits – not just features! Don’t take on more than you can effectively deliver, so find companies with a head count that you can properly manage, evaluate and report back on.
2. Determine what kinds of problems companies need to resolve; some will just want to comply with regulations: some will be running employee engagement programs – some may have issues with absenteeism, sick days, low morale – find the problems that you confidently feel your offering addresses and align with those.
3. Create ways of delivering your work that will be acceptable to the client at an operational level, (e.g. flexible timings, a mix of delivery options) and also find ways of showing results. This is usually very important to organisations – not always of course – some will invest for pure altruism – but most will find your services easier to justify when they can easily justify what they have spent on you.
4. Align yourself with professional bodies in your specialist field to increase your credibility.
5. Budget – well, you’re the one who has to determine how much money you want to make. Once you’re clear about this, you need to calculate how much your programs will cost and then you can more easily identify who can afford your services. The best thing is always to ask – “How much have you in your budget for this” – once you get face-to-face with a potential client. Ideally, you are probably looking at organisations who have a legal duty of care to their staff, and there is no doubt a minimum headcount for that in the U.S. as there is in the U.K. which would at least give you a criteria to search on, when you start to identify your potential clients.
Another great participant in the discussion:
“It really helps having a business background as you can relate to the needs of the business and deliver something that fits in with a busy, buzzy office world.”
A Linked In member offered this:
“I teach regular weekly classes at a health club and a community center. From time to time I mention to my students that I am available to come to their companies or organization for a private class. Even without mentioning it often, I have had students approach me asking for it. Once you develop loyal students who appreciate your teaching style, they will want to share you with others.
I have found teaching in the corporate environment very rewarding. As a former corporate person myself, I can relate to the stress levels. You can see a visible difference in the energy they bring into the room, versus how they leave the practice. Yoga is for everyone, but especially needed in this environment. And, it is a nice way to be well compensated as a teacher. Win-win.”
I love this idea too:
“What I think would be great is some sharing of real-world “case studies” and examples of how the disciplines of yoga have been successfully integrated into a corporate environment, with evidence of the benefits [ideally in terms of increased productivity, improved relationships and collaboration, improved organizational performance, etc.].”
Thank you to everyone for participating in the Linked In group forums. I really find the discussions to be so rewarding, purposeful and enlightening.
On a final personal note, I have an interest in this topic because I started my Yoga practice as a result of being overworked, stressed and in lots of physical pain while in a corporate environment. So, I get it! I really want to help people find the peace, happiness and joy that I did. That is why I got my teaching certifications. I want to give back what I so humbly have received from this amazing Universe!
Thank you to John Bates for your wonderful information! John is a leading wellness industry consultant and prolific writer about all aspects of health and wellness programs. His work can be found on numerous wellness websites including his own: Wellness Proposals, Infinite Wellness Solution’s and Infinite Health Coach.
Blessings!
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