PEACE.

Peace is making new friends.

Peace is keeping the water blue for all the fish.

Peace is listening to different kinds of music.

Peace is saying you're sorry when you hurt someone.

Peace is helping your neighbor.

Peace is reading all different kinds of books.

Peace is thinking about someone you love.

Peace is giving shoes to someone who needs them.

Peace is planting a tree.

Peace is sharing a meal.

Peace is wearing different clothing.

Peace is watching it snow.

Peace is keeping the streets clean.

Peace is offering a friend a hug.

Peace is everyone having a home.

Peace is growing a garden.

Peace is taking a nap.

Peace is learning another language.

Peace is having enough pizza in the world for everyone.

Peace is keeping someone warm.

Peace is new babies being born.

Peace is being free.

Peace is traveling to different places.

Peace is wishing on a star.

Peace is being who you are.

Written by Todd Parr

yoga+snowboarding

I love snowboarding! Even when it's as cold as it was in the above photo (taken last Tuesday, the 11th), I still love it. I consider snowboarding to be a lot like my yoga practice, actually. Both yoga and snowboarding are very breath-based activities. I find that when I am cruising down the mountain, it's a lot easier (not to mention more enjoyable) if my mind, body (& board!) can become one. In fact, unless I am focused and completely honed in on what I'm doing, I am really likely to fall. Sounds a lot like my yoga practice! How will I be able to balance in warrior three if my mind is racing a gazillion miles a minute?!

Some of my favorite moments in life involve yoga and snowboarding. Perhaps you'll think I'm weird (and maybe I am, but I'm fine with it), but I love the smell of my yoga mat. I love to start my practice in child's pose because the smell of my mat instantly calms me. It's familiar. I also love the sound of the instructor's feet as they walk across the hard wood floor. I love the first down dog of the day, creating space in my back as my heels sink toward the Earth. I love to ride the chair lift at night by myself and catch a glimpse of my shadow cast across the majestic snow-covered trees. I love riding from the Lower Bowl over to Multorpor at SkiBowl because it's silent. I can hear my breath and the board gliding across the snow beneath me, and that's it. I love when balancing in ardha chandrasana feels effortless, when I'm having a really "on" moment in my practice. I love the sound of yoga mats unrolling, even when they mistakenly smack the floor. I love to sit in the snow when there's nobody else around me and marvel at my surroundings.

I love that when I think of yoga, or think of snowboarding, I smile.
 
Namaste, friends!

Tami

new playlist

This is one of my favorite playlists I've ever comprised! And I made it just for you :)

• Jai Uttal: Dina Dayal
• Cat Power: Maybe Not
• FC Kahuna: Hayling
• Fleet Foxes: Mykonos
• Frou Frou: Let Go
• The xx: Crystalised
• Mumford & Sons: Awake My Soul
• Augustana: Sweet & Low (acoustic)
• Iron & Wine: Jezebel
• Sufjan Stevens: Amazing Grace
• Subway Bhaktis: Tibetan Tantra Tara
• Thomas Newman: Any Other Name

See you in class this week!!

breathe

I love this photo. Really, I do. My friend Shannon took a trip to California last year and woke up to this every morning (photo credit is all hers). We could all use a (not-so)-subtle reminder to breathe from time to time, don't you think? The next time you find yourself in a tough situation, watch your breath. And then lengthen it. Deepen it. I find that when I am really tuned in to my breath, I have a hard time being focused on anything else. Deep, expansive breaths have a calming effect. Nature's therapy :)

new class

Greetings, beautiful beings! Effective immediately, I will be teaching the Monday morning class (in addition to the Wednesday morning class) at 11:00 at the Clackamas 24 Hour Fitness. So excited!

Nicole will be teaching my 7:00pm class on Wednesday, January 26. I will be celebrating my husband's birthday that evening!

Hope you're having a lovely yoga-filled week so far. Stay warm!

schedule

For the next two weeks, my schedule at 24 Hour Fitness will be as follows:

• Monday: 11:00am Clackamas
• Tuesday: 8:30am Tualatin
• Wednesday: 5:45am Murray Scholls / 11:00am Clackamas / 7:00pm McLoughlin
• Thursday: 8:30am Tualatin
• Friday: 5:45am Murray Scholls
• Saturday: 7:00am Hollywood

This week, I will really be focusing on building core strength and opening the hips. Be prepared to leave class feeling strong and amazing.

home for the holidays

Greetings, yogis. It's been a while since I've updated and I've got lots of news to share. Starting in 2011, I will be teaching three additional classes at 24 Hour Fitness (in addition to my classes with Adidas and PPS). My schedule will now be as follows:

• Tuesday: 8:30am Tualatin Super Sport
• Wednesday: 5:45am Murray Scholls, 11:00am Clackamas, 7:00pm McLoughlin Super Sport
• Thursday: 8:30am Tualatin Super Sport 
• Friday: 5:45am Murray Scholls
• Saturday: 7:00am Hollywood

Please note that the time for my Wednesday evening class has changed from 7:30 to 7:00. I am really looking forward to connecting with some new groups of people at the Tualatin and Clackamas clubs!

My husband and I are in Virginia celebrating the holidays with our families and friends. We've been having a wonderful and stress-free time and will be flying back to Portland Thursday morning. We spent the first couple of days in Richmond, where we were able to check out my dear friend and fellow yoga teacher's headquarters for her new non-profit, Project Yoga Richmond! The space is amazing and we had a blast playing around with inversions, arm balances and practicing new flows. Christmas morning we headed up to Arlington to be with Keith's family and today I took a wonderful 90 minute class at Dancing Mind Yoga, which is a Baron Baptiste power vinyasa affiliate yoga studio. It was so much fun to practice with Keith's aunt and mother! I had never practiced at a Baptiste studio before and I liked it. The room was heated (somewhere in the 90s) and the flow was fast and fun! I never knew I could do so many back to back bakasanas, and ten back to back wheel poses! I felt strong and empowered during class, and completely mellow afterward. That's the best combination!

And since we're talking about Christmas and yoga, Keith's aunt gave me two yogitoes skidless towels and I used one today! What a great gift! In the past I've always just used a bath towel during hot yoga, so it was and will continue to be a real treat using these yogitoes towels!

I'm curious- did you travel anywhere for the holidays? And if so, did you keep up with your yoga practice? I found myself craving yoga, and it felt so good to take a such a powerful class today! I'm really looking forward to getting back to Portland and teaching again! Not only my regular classes but my new ones as well! Can't wait to see you all!

Namaste-
Tami