new playlist

Hey guys! Here's the playlist I used in my classes today. It's also the playlist I'll be using in my tomorrow, Friday and Saturday.

• Nightmares On Wax: Passion
• Adele: Lovesong
• Nightmares On Wax: Flip Ya Lid
• Nightmares On Wax: African Pirates
• Feist: Mushaboom
• Girish: Jaya Hanuman
• Eddie Vedder: Society
• Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova: All The Way Down
• Lykke Li: I Know Places
• Mofro: The Sun Is Shining Down
• Mumford & Sons: After The Storm
• Eleni Mandell: Moonglow, Lamp Low

Here's my schedule through September:
15: Tualatin 8:30am / Adidas 5:30pm / Pearl 24
16: Downtown 5:30pm
17: Hollywood 7:00am
18: Clogs N More Westmoreland 9:00am (employees only)
19: Clackamas 11:00am
20: Tualatin 8:30am / Adidas 5:30pm / Sunset Community Yoga 7:30pm
21: Clackamas 11:00am / McLoughlin 7:00pm
22: Tualatin 8:30am / Adidas 5:30pm / Pearl 7:30pm
23: NONE
24: Hollywood 7:00am
25: Clogs N More Westmoreland 9:00am (employees only)
26: Clackamas 11:00am
27: Tualatin 8:30am / Adidas 5:30pm
28: Clackamas 11:00am
I'm going to be in Pendleton, OR for The Yoga Roundup from the evening of Wednesday, the 28th through Sunday, October 2. There will be no Clogs N More Yoga class on Sunday, October 2.

smoothie

Today I skipped my morning smoothie in favor of a bagel. I know, I know- but I'm human and I enjoy bagels! I always feel much better when I start my day with loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, but today I'm almost kind of glad I waited until later in the day. I just took Kathryn Budig's Fallen Angel class on Yogaglo, and now I am listening to Mofro and enjoying a dee-vine smoothie. Here's what I used:

• handful of raw pumpkin seeds
• 3 raw beets (so excited I have a blender that can handle this now!)
• 1/2 small avocado
• splash of coconut milk
• chard
• banana
• apple
• a few grapes, maybe 6 or 8
• even fewer raspberries
• large handful of fresh, locally grown organic blueberries

Normally I would add more vegetables, and maybe a little less fruit (you know, the sugar and all...), but I used what I had. So delightful!

TRY IT!

Salutation Nation 2011

Greetings and Happy Saturday! It is HOT here in Portland today! I went to Salutation Nation this morning in Lake Oswego and it was a lot of fun. I tossed my mat down on a slight hill so I felt like I was leaning to the right the whole time, but Tiffany made an excellent point. Something along the lines of this: Yes, it's nice when you can come to your mat and have a beautiful, almost effortless practice, but reality isn't like that. The instant you re-enter the real world, people are honking at you, asking you to do twenty things in five minutes, etc. Whatever the obstacle may be, we all have them. So we should enjoy those moments on our mats when we're on a slant, or the sun is in our eyes, or we ran a few miles the day before and feel stiff, etc (again, insert obstacle of your choice here) because that's life. And that's yoga. One thing I love about Tiffany Cruikshank is her ability to salt and pepper in advanced poses in a non-threatening way. One of the poses she threw in today was eka pada koundinyasana from a revolved lunge. Either you did it or you didn't, and afterward Tiffany said, "It's already over! Nobody is going to care whether or not you did that pose. And when you leave here, nobody is even going to know." Tiffany is so eloquent. She's also deeply devoted to her own practice and passionate about what she does- that's what makes her a great teacher. 

I killed a few hours after S.N. breakfasting with a friend and wandering around before heading to another (free) yoga class. As hot as it is outside, it was a heated class and I actually felt pretty great about it. For a moment, it made it seem like it wasn't really so hot outside. 

In other news, many of you saw on my Facebook page that I recently purchased a new Kitchenaid blender! I am so excited about this because it can do so many great things! Just today I tossed some raw beets in there and it blended them up like a champ. Beets aren't my favorite addition to a smoothie, but they sure are good for you! I don't hate them, so I toss them in every so often. Have you been making smoothies this summer? Share your recipes with me! I'm always looking to try new things.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Namaste,
Tami

class schedule

Thursday, 8/11
-8:30am Tualatin 24
-11:00am Pearl 24
-5:30pm Adidas
-7:30pm Pearl 24

NO CLASSES FRIDAY, 8/12

Saturday, 8/13
-7:00am Hollywood 24
-10:30am Murray Scholls 24

Sunday, 8/14
-9:00am Clogs-N-More (employees only)
-12:00pm Beaverton 24

Monday, 8/15
-11:00am Clackamas 24
-4:15pm Murray Scholls 24
-7:30pm COMMUNITY YOGA (1644 SE 52nd in Mt Tabor neighborhood) class is $5-$10 (sliding scale) and open to everyone. Please bring a mat or towel and water.

Tuesday, 8/16
-8:30am Tualatin 24
-5:30pm Adidas
-7:30pm Clogs-N-More (employees only)

Wednesday, 8/17
-11:00am Clackamas 24
-7:00pm McLoughlin 24

Thursday, 8/18
-8:30am Tualatin 24
-5:30pm Adidas
-7:30pm Pearl 24

NO CLASSES FRIDAY, 8/19

Saturday, 8/20
-7:00am Hollywood 24

NO CLASSES SUNDAY 8/21 OR MONDAY 8/22

Tuesday, 8/23
-8:30am Tualatin 24
-5:30pm Adidas
-7:30pm COMMUNITY YOGA (1644 SE 52nd in Mt Tabor neighborhood) class is $5-$10 (sliding scale) and open to everyone. Please bring a mat or towel and water.

Wednesday, 8/24
-11:00am Clackamas 24
-7:00pm McLoughlin 24

Thursday, 8/25
-8:30am Tualatin 24
-5:30pm Adidas
-7:30pm Pearl 24

NO CLASSES FRIDAY, 8/26 OR SATURDAY, 8/27

I want to know...

What feeds your soul? What are you passionate about? What makes you feel ALIVE? Here are some of mine:

• Yoga. (Shocking, right?!) My yoga mat is such a comforting space for me. My practice has seen me through many ups and downs over the years. I sometimes wonder what my life would be like today if I'd never discovered yoga. I don't think I want to know!
• The mountains. Especially Mt. Hood. I am so obsessed with its beauty and I can never get enough. Anytime I see it from Portland, I smile. If someone is with me I have to point it out, regardless of how many other times we've seen it that day. While driving home from a swimming hole in Washington last weekend, I said "Look at the mountain!" at least a dozen times. I just can't help but be overwhelmed every time I see it. Which takes me to my next great love...
• Snowboarding. I don't care if I fall a million times or seamlessly shred black diamonds all day- I LOVE IT! I feel so connected to nature when I'm on my board. I don't dream of having a big fancy house or a yard full of kids, I dream about teaching yoga at a resort and snowboarding every single day. 
• A really good cup of coffee. My last cup of "oh my gosh this is amazing" coffee was last week at Cloud Seven Cafe. There's something about coffee on a bright and sunny morning that just makes my soul sing. I can't help but be happy! There's also something very comforting about a cup of coffee on a dark and dreary morning. Do you get the point yet? I like coffee.

There's my Top Four. I try to find beauty and love in everything, all over the place. I could actually make a list so long it would take you all day to read, but I will spare you. Now you! What's on YOUR list?!

more smoothie excitement

 I've been extra experimental with my smoothies over the past couple of days, and I'm finding that you really can just toss anything in there and create something delicious. I have yet to make one that tasted bad. Although I must admit, beet smoothies are not my favorite. Drinkable, but not my favorite. Here's what I put in my smoothie this morning (everything organic):

• 1/4 avocado
• 5 grape tomatoes (halved)
• 1/3 zucchini (sliced & halved)
• 1/2 large apple
• banana
• 5 strawberries
• big handful of spinach
• splash of rice milk
• 3 big scoops of plain nonfat yogurt

Start playing around with this and you'll find that exact measurements are not necessary. I bought some baby bok choy at the store today and I'm excited to try it in the morning! If you've never tried making your own smoothies, I'll give you a few pointers.

For one, I buy everything organic. Ever heard of the 'Dirty Dozen' and the 'Clean 15'? The dirty dozen is a list of foods with high pesticide residue, and the clean fifteen is a list of things that are safer to buy non-organic. You can find that list here.

I also avoid buying my leafy greens in a bag. I go to the produce section or my local farmers market and buy them in bunches. Cheaper! I live within walking distance of just about everything, so I don't mind going to the store often. I buy enough fresh fruits and veggies to last only a couple of days so I can ensure that everything is super fresh and that nothing goes to waste.

Surely you can tell that I'm really excited about these delicious and healthy smoothies, and I hope that you can get excited about them too! If you come up with your own unique creation, please share it with me! And if you have any questions, ask me!

Happy blending! :)

new playlist

Some of these songs are also on my most recent playlist, but they're so good I just can't get enough!

• FC Kahuna: Hayling
• Thievery Corporation: Free
• Lykke Li: I'm Good, I'm Gone
• Madonna: Get Together
• Foster The People: Pumped Up Kicks
• Mumford & Sons: Awake My Soul
• The Head & The Heart: Lost In My Mind
• Beach House: Take Care
• Lykke Li: Love Out Of Lust
• Mumford & Sons: After The Storm
• Death Cab For Cutie: The Ice Is Getting Thinner
• Bon Iver & St. Vincent: Roslyn

Can't wait for a fun and energetic flow with this playlist tonight at 6:30. Downtown 24, be there!