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Lunch break shenanigans: Since today's training is just minutes from home, I think I'll open things up a little. Who cares if I'm dressed for work. 😊 #doterrayogachallenge (at My Yoga Mat)

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With all the sickness out there, I thought I’d share a recent story. In the months of November and December Tristan was sick 3 times with the same sinus infection. Three times in just weeks! I was really frustrated. Then, while on break, I came across this blend from doTERRA and started putting it on the bottoms of his feet at night. He has not been sick since we started using it. Not even a sniffle! It’s been three weeks since we started using it and 5 weeks since the last round of infection. You better believe we’re all using it now…well, at least the 3/4 of us I have control over :-) What to do: 1) Get a clean, sterile rollerball. 2) Add the drops of essential oils pictured. It’s really important that you use therapeutic grade oils. 3) Fill with your carrier oil of choice. I use vegetable glycerine for its neutrality. 4) Shake and roll onto the bottoms of the feet 1-2 times per day to fight off sicknesses floating around. 5) Enjoy your health!

I also use On Guard and Lemon in my household cleaner. With a little baking soda, vinegar, and water, it keeps the germs off our countertops, door knobs, etc. #doterra #oilymama #onguard

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"Don't worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?" ~Rumi #invertyourselfforyourhealth #hangoutupsidesown #iloveyoga

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"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you." ~Jeremiah 29:11-12 #changeyourselfie #freedomchurch

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Yummy! Spaghetti Squash Fiesta! This is definitely something I'm fixing again. First, I cut the spaghetti squash in half and discarded the seeds/inside. Then, I brushed it with olive oil and baked it on 375 for 45 minutes. When I took it out, I removed a large part of the flesh with a fork. I put the majority of the flesh aside for another recipe. I used 1.5 cups of flesh with a mixture of black beans, roasted corn, peppers, & onions, salsa, avacado, and seasonings. I added the mixture into each of the halves, topped it with a shredded cheese blend, and baked it for another 10 minutes. Yield: 2 Spaghetti Squash Fiesta Boats

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This question has been at the forefront of my practice of late. I was first introduced to yoga through a Sivinanda practice my sophomore year at WKU (18 years ago...wow). Sivinanda focuses on five principles: Asana (12 primary poses), Pranayama (focused/intentional breathing), Savasana (relaxation), diet (vegetarian for true practice), and Vedanta/Dhyana (positive thinking/loss of ego/meditation). While my practice has developed beyond the original 12 poses, I still try to hold true to these five principles in my practice. I have not been practicing for 18 years, though. In college, I was very diligent with my practice. When I quit school to help out with my sister after her stroke I lost much of the desire to continue to practice while I was in survival mode. Thankfully, that desire returned to me when my children were young, and I have been practicing consistently for the past several years. Practicing yoga is much different in 2014 than it was in 1996. In '96 if I wanted to learn more about how to truly deepen my practice I would go to my teacher or check something out from the library. It was all about bringing my physical, emotional, and spiritual selves together as one. Today, if I want to learn about yoga, I can just type it in Google and all kinds of stuff pops up. Some good...some not so good. Some is yoga...some is just the idea of yoga mixed in with today's popular culture. Today's versions of yoga tend to be commingled with practices and ideas that are very nontraditional and make one question if it's even yoga at all. So, as I practice this question keeps coming to mind: Am I really practicing yoga, or have I joined the pop culture bandwagon. The answer isn't simple or definitive. In my heart, I believe that I have worked to maintain a balanced practice that focuses primarily on knowing/learning/growing who I am in this moment. However, some of the choices I've made while practicing are very ego-centered, and I am not proud of that. One thing in particular is that I have participated in online yoga challenges. For this, I have posted regular, sometimes daily, pics of myself doing poses that are not dictated by my practice but rather by someone else's idea of what I should be practicing. These challenges changed the way I practiced, changed my sense of self, and allowed my ego to have control. This is not yoga. These challenges also gave me a skewed practice in that I thought I needed to develop certain poses to maintain a certain image (image of self, how others see me, etc.). All of this has infected my practice and I now find myself with a great need to get back to truly practicing yoga without all of the junk. Thankfully, yoga isn't prejudiced. I'll be able to find myself once again. I'll begin truly practicing the yoga that I know daily. I'm already on my way. The thing about truly doing yoga is that it requires discipline on a daily basis, and while I've continued the daily Asana practice I have not stayed true to Dhyana. Over the past few months I've basically just been stretching and calling it yoga...or only doing partial yoga. For that misconception, I am sorry. I'd like to apologize to anyone who has followed me and joined along on this ride. I pray that you will find your way to a true practice that is fulfilling and enlightening. Don't let the world dictate your practice, your prayers, and your life. Always remain aware and practice with humble intent.

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C͙h͙e͙e͙s͙y͙ V͙e͙g͙e͙t͙a͙b͙l͙e͙ S͙o͙u͙p͙ Today I decided that I was tired of our typical boring potato soup, so I modified the recipe a bit. It turned out great! 6-7 large baking potatoes, peeled & cut 2 heads of broccoli, cut into pieces 1 package of baby carrots, cut 6 green onions, diced 1 can chicken broth 3 cups milk 16 oz Velveeta cheese 2 tsp each: onion powder, garlic salt Salt & pepper to taste Garnish: shredded cheddar, bacon bits Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 4-6 hours.

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Day 27 of #balancebasics with @kinoyoga @laurasykora @beachyogagirl Salamba Sirsasana Joining this month: @christinalee31 @korvetpys

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#livehealthy

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Follow me if you’re addicted to yoga!

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Occasionally, I wonder if my neighbors look through my windows and think I'm weird. Them I remember...They probably already know, and I don't really care anyway. #itsgoodtobeweird #beyourself #iloveyoga 💙🙏

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I received confirmation this morning that it really is time to slow down and enjoy being Mama. Even though I miss teaching yoga (especially the people who came to practice with me), this time with my family cannot be replaced. I woke this morning without the need to rush or leave my kids home alone or barely spend time with my husband. Instead, I had the opportunity to hang our with Brian while the kids slept in, work on some core strengthening exercises with Tuesday, and love on Tristan. It felt really good to just be here.

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The good fat #avocados

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You can’t change your body just by exercising. As a matter of fact, I’d say you are wasting your time in the gym until you clean up your diet and implement a sound fitness nutrition protocol. It would be nice if we could work off last night’s junk meal with some extra cardio. Despite what some trainers would have you believe, it just doesn’t work that way. When you are about to cheat and eat that slice of pizza or bowl of ice cream, remember the Fitness Nutrition 80:20 rule. What goes into your mouth accounts for 80% of how you look. -Source

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