All posts filed under: yoga

How Yoga Saved My Life

When I first started practicing yoga it was purely for the physical benefits. I had just come off of a knee injury (a torn MCL due to the dangerous combination of high heels and my 21st birthday) and I was looking to get myself back into shape – I really missed surfing and riding a bicycle – and I was hoping to gain a little extra flexibility throughout my body as well. I was hesitant to begin because I had tried other yoga classes before. In high school I dabbled with the practice, but found most of the classes to be too slow or too boring or not challenging enough. I had kind of written yoga off completely – that is, until a girlfriend urged me to join her for a Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga class. And I can truly say that that one single class was life changing (thanks, Callie!). My first Baptiste Power Vinyasa class was nothing like what I expected. It was the most physically challenging yoga practice I had ever experienced. …

Some Advice on Building a Brand (When You are the Brand)

Published by sunburntandsalty

I’m fast approaching my two year anniversary as a registered yoga teacher. And although I am young in my practice, both as teacher and as student, these past two years have taught me more than I could have imagined – probably more than I can actually recall. I’ve definitely learned a lot more about myself, more about my practice, and more about working with other people. At 25 I feel as if I’m beginning to find my place in the world, I’m creating a life I’m excited to live, figuring out who I really am, finding out what’s really important to me, and building a brand – all while trying to have as much fun as humanly possible. Almost a year ago I made the leap from part-time to full-time yoga instructor, giving up my nights waiting tables so I could put all of my focus and all of my energy into this decision. Sunburnt & Salty Yoga Company had been a dream of mine for a while and I felt in my bones that …

how yoga teacher training brought me closer to God

Published by chelsea

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a believer in Christ. I grew up going to a Lutheran day care, attending Lutheran worship on Sundays, youth groups during the week, and went to Catholic school for my entire education before college. My hometown is located in the Bible Belt, and is governed by leaders and members of the southern Baptist churches. In college, I still attended Sunday worship at a Lutheran church, and occasionally went to Bible studies. But it wasn’t until I moved to Puerto Rico that I really discovered the depth of my faith. At first, I found it difficult to assimilate to the Christian community here in Rincon, as all that I was accustomed to was traditional Lutheran services. So I used that as my reason for not attending any worship – the Catholic services were all in Spanish, and there wasn’t a Lutheran service at all. But something was missing, and it was obvious to me. My Sunday mornings felt empty, and my weeks only included casual prayers and …

the conundrum of the yoga selfie

Published by chelsea

I have debated writing this post for a few weeks now. I’ve thought about how to put this into words, how to express what I really feel about this subject.. and it turns out, I’m not entirely sure how I do feel about it. Maybe it’s because I’m still new to the yoga teacher community, or maybe I struggle with balancing my personal practice and personal growth with my passion for teaching and inspiring others to try yoga. I started out strong, sharing photos of myself trying new poses on Instagram right after finishing my teacher training. I was confident, I was self assured and I had learned to love my body no matter its shape, tone or flexibility. I was on a yoga high, just thrilled with my new outlook on life and enthusiastic about sharing it with others. I was constantly scouring Pinterest and my fellow yogi Instagramers for inspiration, never feeling turned off that they were able to do something beautifully that I was still working on. I know this is a …

menagerie: yoga pose inspiration

Published by chelsea

How will you challenge yourself today? I love the beauty that yoga brings to life. Such seemingly simple movements of the body, working in coordination with the mind, and slowing down the thoughts to relieve the soul. Here are some of my favorite poses as a bit of inspiration for your morning! Flying Pigeon Variation | Back Bend | Bow Variation | Peacock Pose | Two Footed Staff Pose Variation | Yoga Mudrasana | (Fallen Angel Pose) Side Crow Variation | Camel | Eight Angle Prep | Crow | Crescent Lunge

pose guide: downward dog

Published by chelsea

The basics. A restorative pose, but a powerful pose. Downward dog is a building block for your practice, and getting into this asana with proper alignment will help carry you through the whole vinyasa. 1 | Start by pushing the body into an inverted V shape, either from table top or child’s pose. Then you can prepare to align and sink into it. 2 | Start by looking up at your fingertips and making sure they are firmly planted into the mat. You shouldn’t be able to lift them from the ground, and there can be a small space underneath your fingers. Grip the mat with the hands to protect the wrists. 3 | Now release the head and tap your ears against your arms. Do this each time you come into downward dog and you’ll be sure that you’re keeping your torso and upper body in the proper position. Your gaze should be back between the legs. 4 | The feet can be hip distance apart or closer. Take the sit bones (your bottom) …

how my yoga mat became my friend

Published by chelsea

I had a love/hate relationship with my first yoga mat. She came with me to all the short 30 minute gym classes at my university, proudly displaying her bright sky blue plastic synthetic self for all to see. I adored her at first. After all, she was a steal from Marshalls – $12? Yes please! Then, after a brief forgetful moment left out in my car on a hot day, she took on the smell of old crinkled leather and car interior that saw one too many hurricanes with a leaky sunroof. Yuck. And then there came the black tattoo from getting caught under my car seat – metal doesn’t seem to appreciate her synthetic beauty. Or at least I thought it was beauty. But I guess I was superficial too. After that, she seemed less attractive. Her smell that never went away, her plastic outer shell started to break down and wear off from use. Her real true nature appeared. Then I moved to Rincon. I started taking a power yoga class. I was …

all about this journey

Published by chelsea

Well hello again! I’m back from an amazing journey and an exceptionally long hiatus from the blog. There have been a lot of changes recently – lots of research conducted, wedding plans blooming, yoga learning, more research conducted and the list just goes on. I appreciate your patience and I do hope you enjoy reading a little about life lately… As I posted about a month back, I attended a two week intensive power yoga teacher training program. This was something I had been considering for a bit, and the opportunity to pursue this course landed at my feet at the right time and place. So I joined three other strong, dedicated women and we took an unforgettable journey into life, ourselves and the philosophy of yoga. I emerged rejuvenated and ready to tackle the world with a new, positive outlook. The experience was wonderful and has changed the way I approach both obstacles and blessings. The days were 12-14 hours long. Sometimes, we would power through hour long yoga classes several times a day …

life changes and new directions

Published by chelsea

I’ve been practicing yoga for several years now. I began when I moved to Florida, and classes were offered for free to students at our gym. I was able to try out the art in form of exercise, but never gained anything from it spiritually. From there, I began practicing at home, and in smaller studios on the beach. I learned a small bit about meditation, and very little about the morals behind yoga. But I was able to strengthen my body and gain a wider range of poses. Now that I’m living in Puerto Rico, I’ve been practicing several times a week at a couple studios in Rincon. I’ve discovered a lot about myself over the years from this practice – my body can do so much more if I just let my mind relax and stop believing that I cannot. I’ve also discovered that I want to learn this practice beyond simply engaging in classes a couple times a week – I want to understand the rich history of yoga, its morals and …