5 Reasons to Begin an At Home Yoga Practice

When I was growing up, things like yoga and meditation were thought to be foreign and possibly even dangerous.  I grew up in a Christian home and because the origins of this form of exercise were from an unfamiliar part of the world, it was something we never even considered trying.  I was surprised when my mom started attending yoga classes in 2012, because it was so uncharacteristic of her to try something so different.  She had good things to say about it and I was curious, but not enough to try it myself.  I was focused on cardio work outs and saw yoga as boring because it wasn't fast paced.  Then, in 2014 my sister introduced my mom to a YouTube channel called Yoga With Adriene.  My mom started doing the videos at home instead of going to classes because of the convenience and ability to save money.  Once I saw what it was all about, I decided to give it a try last year in 2015, and I'm so glad I did.  Once I stopped being skeptical and let go of my unwarranted preconceptions of this practice, I began to feel the benefits myself.  Below are the results I have felt in my own body, as well as things my mom and my husband have said about their experiences with yoga.

#1: Yoga is Healing to Everyday Aches and Pains

I'm very thankful I found yoga at a young age.  I was 25 when I started my practice.  My mom started because she was experiencing miscellaneous soreness and yoga was suggested to help alleviate the pain.  Now she says if she does yoga everyday, her body doesn't ache, but if she's unable to practice, the aches come back.  She specifically used the word therapeutic to describe her experience with yoga.  Since I've experienced such positive results, I encouraged my husband to try it with me, and now we practice together.  He does a lot of manual labor for his job so he enjoys doing yoga to relieve soreness.

#2: Yoga Builds Strength Without Strain

One of my favorite benefits of yoga is how it builds strength by using your own body weight.  It's also vastly different from the straining I felt when doing other activities, such as running.  Before my mom started doing yoga, she was unable to lift a pack of water bottles.  Since starting her practice, she says she has no problem lifting them into her trunk.  This is a small example of the big things that can happen in your body when you start doing yoga.  It's also a great way to improve flexibility, as there are many stretches involved that feel amazing.

#3: Yoga on Your Terms

One of the main things I love about my at home yoga practice is the privacy.  I'm able to learn the poses at my own pace and focus on improving without distractions.  I've even surprised myself with how much I'm able to do already and there are easy modifications you can apply if you're not quite ready for the full pose yet.  It's so convenient for me to go to YouTube and pull up any video I want for how I feel that day.  There are videos for beginners, morning routines, bedtime routines, long videos, short videos, and practices for certain health issues or goals.  I recently completed a 30 day series called Yoga Camp, which I highly recommend. 

#4: Yoga Helps You Start Your Day Right

I can always tell a difference between how my day goes depending on whether I started with yoga or not.  The days I get up early and start with a yoga practice I feel energized, motivated, and focused.  I'm able to make healthier decisions because I've set a healthy tone for my whole day.  I feel balanced and my mind feels clearer.  There is definitely a correlation between a calm mind and strong body when practicing yoga.

#5 Yoga Is Unique

I believe yoga is unique compared to other forms of exercise because of the focus on breathing.  When I'm in the middle of a tough flow, my mind starts to wander and I feel like giving up.  But then I'm instantly reminded to focus on inhaling and exhaling.  The simple act of focusing on the breath allows me to get through the pose, therefore building strength.  Breathing is key and distracts me from the discomfort I might be feeling in my muscles.  I believe yoga is one of the most healthy forms of exercise because it focuses on the mind and the body at the same time.

I would recommend that everyone try yoga at least once.  You may fall in love with it like I have.  In this world, we are always on the go and yoga gives us the opportunity to slow down and take care of ourselves.

If you've been hesitant to try it because you're worried it's dangerous, I can assure you there is nothing to fear.  You can customize the mantras and thoughts for your own beliefs.  During the moments when I'm going inward and focusing on something positive, I always give thanks to God.  

Here is a link to the Yoga With Adriene YouTube Channel.  Check it out and find what feels good!

Concert Adventures

For someone who rarely stays up past 10 PM, I've been to quite a few concerts.  Even though I have very sensitive ears and sometimes the flashing lights make me feel like I might pass out, the music is worth it.  I don't want to forget all the awesome, often crazy times I've had in the past 16 years going to shows, so I thought I'd share them here.

My first show was pretty tame since I attended with my parents and little sister when I was about 11.  I don't remember much about it except we saw the Newsboys and my ears really hurt.  That's when I learned to always wear earplugs to shows in order to protect my hearing.  It was a lot of fun since this was the first time I'd ever seen a live band.

I didn't go to another concert until I was 16.  It was a Christian festival in 2006 with Hawk Nelson, Toby Mac, and Krystal Meyers.  My mom and aunt took me, my little sister, and our two friends to this show at Wild Adventures.  It was my first outdoor festival.

I also went to Murray Hill Theater, a Christian venue in downtown Jacksonville several times.  I saw Hawk Nelson and Showbread there.  My sister got some killer shots of Josh Dies and Showbread.

In 2007, when I was 17, I had the privilege of attending Cornerstone Florida in Orlando with my sister and our best friend.  It was dusty and blazing hot but it blew my mind.  We spent two days watching sets, meeting bands, buying merch, and taking pictures.

The most memorable bands we saw were The Almost, As Cities Burn, Chasing Victory, Family Force 5, Showbread, Stellar Kart, and Underoath.

 While browsing around, we met a guy from a band called Woodale.  We hung out with him and even went to a backstage area where all the bands sat to eat.

Cornerstone was set up really nice for being outdoors in the summer.  Each band had their own merch booth and huge tents blocked the harsh sun.  We walked around in between sets and got to meet a lot of bands and get their autographs including Showbread, Family Force 5, and Chasing Victory.

The best part of the festival came at the end of the second night.  We stood at the main stage waiting for Underoath to play.  We were in the middle front as more kids started to crowd around us.  I'll never forget how hot and humid it was.  There was a large guy directly in front of me with sweat dripping from his neck and hair.  Finally, the band started walking out and the crowd went crazy.  Everybody pressed against each other screaming as fog filled the air.  Lights flashed, the music started, and that's when we realized we were right in the middle of the mosh pit.  Looking back it's hilarious how ignorant we were.  I learned right then I'm way too fragile to be in the pit, but at that point it was too late.  I remember panicking as my sister was pulled up even closer to the stage.  She said someone grabbed her and tried to make her crown surf.  I got separated from our friend too as I shoved my way to the back of the crowd.

Once I broke free, I took a deep breath.  Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long before I found our friend.  We grabbed each other and started nervously laughing about making it out alive.  It was then we noticed her flip flops were missing and she gave up trying to find them pretty quickly.  We walked to the side of the crowd searching for my sister and finally found her.  We ended up sitting on a side fence at a safe distance from the insanity of the crowd.  It was actually a great view and I remember thinking my life was complete after seeing them live.

The next show I went to was in 2009 with my sister to see Drop Dead Gorgeous and blessthefall at a small bar downtown.  I wasn't great with directions and this was before I had GPS so we ended up getting lost.  Finding the venue was an adventure on it's own, but we finally made it.  I was thrilled to see blessthefall for the first time.  This was when they were promoting Witness and Mike Frisby was still in the band.

In 2010 I went to Stetson University to see We the Kings with a friend from college.  This show was nice because it was outside and the weather was pleasant because it was in the fall.

I saw We Are The In Crowd, You Me At Six, and Mayday Parade next with my husband at Freebird Live in 2011.  This was our first show together so it was pretty special.  The venue was awesome because there was a second story where you could have a higher view, but we ended up downstairs for most of the show.  And yes, we got matching shirts...

We went back to Freebird Live in 2014 to see Silverstein and blessthefall.  I think this was probably my favorite show ever.  Blessthefall was touring for Hollow Bodies which was my favorite album of theirs at the time.  We got really close to the stage without being in the pit and they sounded amazing live.  I saw a huge improvement in their stage presence compared to when I saw them in 2009.

Click here to watch a playlist I made from this show!

In 2015, I was able to attend two shows with my husband.  We saw A Skylit Drive, Wolves at the Gate, and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at Aqua/Beach Blvd Concert Hall.  This was another instance where we got lost on the way to the show.  The GPS kept telling us we had arrived, but we were at a Goodwill.  We realized the address on the tickets was wrong and thankfully didn't miss anything.

We ended up meeting Wolves at the Gate after the show and they were really nice.  The first vinyl we ever bought was VxV and we got them to sign it.  It was super nostalgic seeing Red Jumpsuit because I had listened to them since I was 16 when Don't You Fake It came out.

Click here for another playlist I made for this concert!

My husband surprised me and got us tickets to Emery's The Question 10 year anniversary show at 1904 Music Hall.  The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hearts Like Lions, and Forevermore were some of the best supporting bands I've seen.  Emery played most of the songs from The Question and a few from their other albums.  This was another moment of nostalgia for me because I've been an Emery fan since 2006, so I grew up with these songs.  The crowd knew all the words so it was like we were reliving a part of our past together, even without knowing each other, and that was really special.  We got one of the last The Question vinyls they had.  We also were able to speak to Matt Carter for a minute right after the show and tell him how much we love his band and The BadChristian Podcast.

Click here to watch another playlist I made from this show!

The most recent show we went to was in April 2016.  We went to Orlando to see Underoath on their Rebirth 10 year anniversary tour for Define the Great Line at Hard Rock Live.  We had to buy the tickets months in advance because they sold out so quickly.  This could have been a once in a lifetime event since they reunited  for this tour so I wanted to make sure we got seats.  We decided to make a weekend out of it and stayed at a hotel near Universal for two nights.  I was so happy when we decided to go because Underoath is another band I grew up with.  The nostalgia for this show was off the charts.  This was by far the nicest concert venue I had ever been to.  We waited in line for quite a while and there was even security outside checking everyone before we got in.

The first thing we did was hit the merch table in search of the double vinyl, but unfortunately, they were sold out.  We did get a couple shirts and a hat that were pretty expensive, but I'm okay with paying good money for something that valuable.  We had seats on the balcony, pretty close to the front.  They played every song from They're Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line, and sounded amazing live.  The only downside to this venue for me was the fancy lights.  Don't get me wrong, the show looked amazing and all the visual parts were great.  But part of the time I had to keep my eyes closed because the lights were so bright and flashy.

Nevertheless, the show was awesome.  I had seen them 9 years ago at Cornerstone when I was 17 and there I was at 26, hearing the same songs, and still getting chills.  Underoath was almost like a friend to me growing up because I went through a depression in my teens and they helped me get through it.  That place was electric with nostalgia and it was amazing to be among all those fans remembering together.  The show got out pretty early and we were starving so we ate at Bubba Gump's on the boardwalk.

So that wraps it up.  Leave me a comment of your concert adventures if you have any crazy stories.  I can't wait to see what shows I'll be going to in the future.  My dream would be to make it to Warped Tour, so hopefully that will be next on my list!

How I Cured High Cholesterol Without Medication

In 2009, I was a 19 year old community college student.  One day, I was sitting in a nutrition class and the teacher was talking about the fat in our organs.  I hadn't eaten anything substantial that morning, so between that and the discussion topic, I began to feel light headed.  I thought if I could just splash some cold water on my face I would be fine.  I walked out of the class and headed toward the restroom.  My breathing was heavy and my mind was foggy as I walked slowly down the hallway.  The next thing I remember is waking up on the ground surrounded by strangers kneeling over me.  I slowly sat up and they told me I blacked out.  This was the first time I had ever passed out before.  My teacher came out of the classroom and insisted on calling an ambulance.  All she seemed to care about was following protocol.

While waiting for the paramedics, the women, who I found out were in the nursing program, began telling me what happened from their perspective.  They said when they first saw me I was walking strangely close to the wall.  They ran and guided me to the ground as I fell.  I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't been there and I'm so thankful God sent them to help me.  The paramedics came and after a short checkup they determined I was fine.  I called my parents to pick me up and on the way home my mom said I had to go to the doctor, just to be sure everything was okay, and I reluctantly agreed.

My doctor didn't find anything abnormal during the checkup and said it was probably a psychological issue combined with not eating enough.  She wanted me to take a blood test as an extra precaution.  Everything came back normal except my cholesterol.  My doctor was surprised by this because of my age and since I've always been underweight.  She said sometimes genetics can contribute to this condition and there was nothing I could do to change that.  Her advice was to exercise daily and change my diet.  I'll admit I was very sedentary at this point in my life because my main activity was sitting at a desk doing school work.  My diet was also a mess at this time.  The only guidance she gave me was in the form of a vague pamphlet about high cholesterol.

Over the next two years I was given a certain time period to work out and clean up my diet before the next blood test.  I would do well for a while, but then I'd get lazy again.  At the age of 22, I went to a gynecologist who told me about red yeast rice supplements.  Those were a great option for me because I didn't want to be on prescription medication.  I took Red Yeast Rice for about two years.

When I started researching nutrition on my own and discovered The Beauty Detox Program, I stopped taking them.  By eating a whole foods, plant based diet 98% of the time, I got my cholesterol levels healthy in an all natural way.  I also discovered yoga, which gets my heart rate up while building strength and I believe that has helped as well.  I still get checked at least once a year and ever since I've been eating this way my levels have been healthy.  I'm not qualified to give medical advice, I've just been through a lot with my body over the past few years and this is what has worked for me.  You can read my other story, My Journey to Clear Skin, for more specifications on how I changed my diet.  If you or someone you know is on medication for high cholesterol, I suggest you look into this lifestyle.  You don't have to live on prescriptions the rest of your life to be healthy.  All you need is self discipline and guidance from well researched nutritionists.