Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Yoga Expo - My Three Takeaways

Last month while we were visiting Mike's family, I was able to attend the Yoga Expo in Ft. Lauderdale.  Thanks to my hubby and mother-in-law, I was able to step away for a half day of some much needed "me time" and enjoy the expo.  One of the principles my yoga teachers focused on during our 200hr teacher training was that you should never stop being a student of the practice, there will always be new things to learn, and having your own practice is just as important as teaching and sharing it with others.  Thinking back on the experience, there were three key things that I took away from the day.  

1.  Importance of Meditation
Having a daily meditation practice can do so many things for you.  Some of them being lowering stress, supporting your immune system, helping you sleep better and improving the function of your brain!  As I sat in a convention center conference room filled with over 100 people, and we discussed the importance of meditation and spent time in a meditation exercise, I was reminded about how many benefits meditation has.  


I have to admit, at first I was a little claustrophobic, and had thoughts running through my mind,"how are we going to let our minds rest with this many people, this close?"  The instructor shared her background and how meditation saved her from addiction.  She talked us through using a four-part breath breathing exercise to start and then led us through a guided meditation.  It was a great way to start the day, and something that I have promised myself to do more of.  

2.  Healthy Living  
What you eat is as important to your healthy lifestyle as your physical activity.  One of our old co-workers from Office Depot is the owner of Atlas Meat-Free Delicatessen in Hollywood, FL.  I saw that they would be participating in the expo, and I was excited to try their food.  The food was great, you could not tell that it had no meat. I would highly recommend it to anyone living near the area - great job Ryan!!



After participating in some of the yoga classes, I treated myself to a juice from RawBar.  It was so good!  Pineapple, Green Apple, Cucumber, Mint, Lime and Purified Water - a yummy treat for my ride home.  


3.  Be Inspired  
I took two great hour-long classes at the expo.  They were challenging and included new sequencing that I had not done before.  The class was the largest yoga class I've ever been a part of.  Being surrounded by 200+ yogis moving through their asanas left me nothing short of inspired.  All levels were participating, and the way that the teachers I took the classes from spoke and guided the room certainly left me inspired to be a better teacher myself.  Taking time to invest in my personal practice will help keep me inspired by this practice that I love.  






I left the expo feeling renewed and happy.  I am hoping to make my attendance to the Yoga Expo an annual event.  Hopefully, if they have one in Tampa, I may even teach at it in the future.  As I was walking out, I was asked to take a picture with someone who had the same Target style as me :) Sure...why not?!


XO

Shari



2 comments:

  1. It's so important to continue to be a student once you start teaching! Great tips!

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  2. I've never been to Yoga Expo before sounds like it was fun and well worth your time!

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