You have to check this out!

Larry Sherman went from 538 lbs to 185 through his yoga practice. Wow!


Take a deep breath and read the remarkable story here:


http://www.yogafixes.com/weight-loss-before-and-after.html


Namaste,

Dean

Eat Your Vegetables!

Okay---I'm still at it. Vegan for about three weeks now. I feel good with lots of energy. Here is a list of books I've been reading for you to take a look at.

THE ENGINE 2 DIET by Rip Esseltyne--- The faux meat loaf recipe was incredible!
EAT TO LIVE by Joel Fuhrman--- Eat a pound of raw veggies and a pound cooked a day.
SKINNY BASTARD by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin---eat your veggies and laugh.
THE CHINA STUDY by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell---all the research you'll need or want to change your diet

Grab a bag of spinach, pick a nice restorative asana, and do some reading.


Namaste,

Dean

Baggage

Just thinking about letting go and the idea of Vairagya, non-attachment.

I had a dream where I'm at the airport. My car is loaded full with people and baggage yet I'm at the carousel pulling more suitcases off as fast as I can. Finally, I look down at the huge pile of baggage around me and notice that the tags identify them as not belonging to me.

Seems my unconscious thinks I should be noticing when I'm taking on other people's stuff and not dealing with my own.

Whose baggage are you carrying? Take a breath and set it down.

Namaste,

Dean

Clinton goes Vegan

Check it out! Bill Clinton has gone vegan and dropped 20 pounds! I'm vegetarian but getting closer to vegan everyday---I'm now working at cutting out dairy products.

If you haven't read the book BLUE ZONES by Dan Buettner you should give it a look.

The new skinny Bill might think about doing a few Surya Namaskaras and chaturangas!

You can read the story about Bill at http://www.ecorazzi.com/2010/09/17/president-bill-clinton-confirms-hes-experimenting-with-vegan-diet/.

Namaste,

Dean

Stuff you already know

A Boston University School of Medicine professor of psychiatry and neurology scanned the brains of yoga practitioners and found that compared with the age-old stress reliever, walking, yoga appears to be accompanied by greater improvement in mood, decreases in anxiety and boosts in GABA levels associated with these benefits.

Yoga is good for your brain! Check the article out here: http://www.bu.edu/today/node/11443

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 1.2 "yoga chitta vritti nirodha"---Yoga is for the calming of the fluctuations of the mind.

OM.

17 people showed up for outside class last night. It was a beautiful night with incredible, beautiful people.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Namaste,


Dean

Rolling

Okay, I'm hooked on my foam roller. It is an amazing tool to work through muscle tension and get overnight relief. I bought mine at Target for about $20. Give it a try. It comes with instructions but if you're having trouble figuring it out, let me know.

The other thing I'm becoming more and more aware of is my water intake. I notice an immediate difference in my joint and muscle stiffness when I'm adequately hydrated. I know everyone's water needs are different but I think we are universally not getting enough. Experiment! Aim for 8 glasses a day and see if it makes a difference in how you feel.

It is the end of August! Wow!

The WRAC is in maintenance week, so tomorrow's class will be held outside. Dress warmer than usual.

Registration is open for Fall Quarter at the Wenatchee Valley College. I'll see you on September 21, 2010!

Namaste,

Dean

End of Summer Quarter at WVC

August 24 is the last class for the Summer Quarter at WVC. You can go to their website and sign up for Fall Quarter now!

Last week both classes were held outside. It was incredible. Balance takes on a whole new meaning standing on uneven ground. What a great lesson! It is easy to work on balance when things are stable and the same. When they are uneven and fluctuating it gets a little harder. Hopefully your breath and the intention to practice are constant.

I take a weight-lifting class from Tammi Flynn, who, after having three kids, took third in bodybuilding nationals and one of many things I've learned from her is that if you do the same thing you get the same results. You need to challenge yourself to grow!

I was out-of-town and took a Bikram class. Oddly you do the same poses in every class but the heat is so overwhelming. Let's just say, I was challenged by the change in temperature.

What could you do today to change things up and increase your growth?

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Namaste,


Dean