My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 28 (Tightrope, Eyes Closed)

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 28

(Tightrope, Eyes Closed)

[ New heights ]

The other day I was in Yoga Basics and our teacher had us do a pose that took me to new heights.

We were asked to stand with feet in line with each other, heel to toe, and balance.  First with eyes open, then with eyes slightly open.

Finally, we were doing a tightrope, eyes closed.

[ The Experience ]

Today, I did my yoga practice at home, integrating the tightrope into my experience.  Though it was nothing like this,

allowing myself to find balance with my eyes closed felt as liberating as this:

[ The Takeaway ]

I feel strong, clear and I trust myself and my body more than ever.  This 30 Day Yoga Challenge has really awakened me to my SELF, my essence and the power I have within me.

I enjoy yoga. I love it.  15-minutes lifts me up just as much as 75-minutes. Yoga brings me to appreciate life.  I feel energized. I feel alive.

All good things.

[ Question For You ]

You balanced?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

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THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

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[ ‪#‎GentleNudge‬ ] 17Dec2014 ~ The Best Gentle Nudge List of 2014

[ ‪#‎GentleNudge‬ ] 17Dec2014 ~ The Best Gentle Nudge List 2014

Here’s Your Weekly Wednesday #GentleNudge To Get You Over The Hump…
and into the weekend!

Happy Holidays!

It’s been a great year and I’m so thankful you have joined me in the journey.  Your health, happiness and success means a lot to me, so I’ve decided to give you the Best Gentle Nudge List of 2014.

Please note The Gentle Nudge can be easily found by clicking here. It was originally a series that I posted at my website, DJNovaJade.Com. Click here to view The Gentle Nudge in its original format. Some of the Best Gentle Nudge List winners are from each!

The Gentle Nudge comes back to inspire and motive you on January 7, 2015!

Happy New Year!

[ The Top 10 ]

• #GentleNudge: 3Sept2014 ~ 3 Smart Strategies to Create More Time In Your Day
• The Top 3 Wrong Ways To Create The Life You Want: A Story in Images
• [ ‪#‎GentleNudge‬ ] 26Nov2014: 12 Habits of Abundant-Minded Entrepreneurs
• [ ‪#‎GentleNudge‬ ] 19Nov2014: Faith vs Fear
• [ ‪#‎GentleNudge‬ ] 10Dec2014 ~ 5 Super Tips to Create a Stress-Free Holiday
• [ #GentleNudge ] 29Oct2014: Create Momentum by Adding The P.O.P! #success
• #GentleNudge: 23July2014 ~ Follow Your Heart
• [ #GentleNudge ] 5Nov2014: Trust and Keep Going! #inspiration #motivation
• #GentleNudge 12Nov2014: Keep Your Edge! #inspiration #motivation
• [ #GentleNudge ] 15Oct2014: The Secret To Making Your Life Easier

[ The Top 5 Runner-ups ]

• 24Sept2014 ~ 12 Questions for Clarity and #Success (Part 1 of 3) [ #gentlenudge ]
• #GentleNudge: 21May2014 ~ BoundariesPt1 (3 part series)
• #GentleNudge: 9April2014 ~ REFRAME (This was my first Gentle Nudge Post!)
• 17Sept2014 ~ #Change Vs. Transformation [ #gentlenudge ]
• #GentleNudge: 13Aug2014 ~ Hugs For Survival

[ Question For You ]

What was your favorite Gentle Nudge?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

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Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

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My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 27 (Use The Wall)

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 27

(Use The Wall)

[ I needed that ]

The teacher that I take Yoga Basics class with, which is in the style of Hatha Yoga, also teaches a Yin class ( aka: “more relaxed and zen” yoga).  I was feeling a lil’ tight in the side of my back earlier today and I almost stayed home.

But, alas, the studio is only 2 minutes from my front door, and Yin is zen, so I went.

I’ll just start with the end by saying, “I needed that.”

[ The Experience ]

I took my partner along and we were both curious to note that we used the wall as support the entire class. It was a way of doing Yoga that neither of us had done before.

In using the wall as support (and gravity as our helper), we were able to go deeper into the poses we held, which meant we were able to target the fascia more intentionally.  Through this, we were able to open up more meaningfully.

My two favorite poses of the evening were the frog pose:

Click image to learn about the Yin Frog Pose

And King Arthur pose, which apparently is a good pose for runners:

Click image to learn more yoga poses for runners

Mind you, I am not a runner. My partner is. But, nope, I am not a fan of running.  Though, ironically before class yesterday, a gentleman asked me if I was.  We ended our short chat with me saying, “I guess sometimes people see things in us that we don’t.”

Any rate, the King Arthur’s pose is intense.  I actually kept my leg that wasn’t on the wall bent and lowered to the ground, using a yoga block to gently lift that leg a bit so as to still feel the stretch in my wall-supported leg.

Did you get all that? lol

[ The Takeaway ]

Now that I know I can use walls to do yoga, I really feel like there’s no excuse.

“I can do anything.”

[ Question For You ]

What can you do when you use your immediate resources?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

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Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

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My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 10 (Onward!)

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 10

(Onward!)

  [ The Experience ]

104 days ago, I challenged myself to meditate and chant for 40 consecutive days.  

I did it!

Another 10 days of intentional mindfulness for my well-being through meditation. I am so happy and I feel like I am truly at a place of understanding how to flow with life more efficiently, simply because every day I have devoted time to become a better Observer.

[ My thoughts about Headspace ]

Headspace is quite easy-to-use and interactive. The use of videos to present value alongside the meditations are great tools to help you understand the practice of meditation:

I definitely enjoy the premise of using the Headspace App to Meditate; however, at the end of the day, I’m fine keeping my meditation a free service, personally. Plus, I do have a lovely guided meditation that I enjoy using when I need to get some teaching to recenter my practice.

I encourage you to do the 10-days of Headspace, though.  Try it out and see for yourself!

[ The Takeaway ]

10-minutes a day goes a long way. 

Before Headspace, I would do 30 minutes a day of meditation, even an hour a day sometimes, thinking those were the “right” units of time to see results.  But, that often left me feeling stressed. As I wracked my brain trying to find the time to fit in my meditation, it would often feel like a chore, rather than a relaxing point in my day.

After Headspace, however, I see that there is value in taking 10-minutes a day.

The key is the intention, and taking the time to do it for yourself.  10-minutes is also more doable and accessible, and therefore makes it more fun.  Plus, there is science behind 10-minutes a day being beneficial unit of time to see results

Click to learn more about the science behind meditation!

Though I believe I will continue my meditation sans-Headspace, at least I know that I will at least be continuing with my daily practice. ONWARD!

[ Question For You ]

How has being flexible allowed you to achieve your goals?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

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THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

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Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 26 (Speak. Add Fire.)

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 26

(Speak. Add Fire.)

[ Yes! ]

I went to my weekly Yoga Basics class today. I really enjoy the teacher and I appreciate the way she explains everything.  Even though my 30 Day Unlimited Pass expires in 5 days, I’m thinking I’ll still head to her class next week to finish off the year in a big way.

Through her class, I’ve been able to say YES to opening up myself to the experience of yoga; I am more full and relaxed in my practice than I was before I started attending her sessions.

[ The Experience ]

At the top of the hour in today’s class as she requested me to do so, I reminded my teacher to repeat the answer to my question I asked privately in last week’s session about why we breathe the way we do in Ocean Breathing.  Click here to learn about it and you can also view a video below:

I was always told to breath through my nose, and it is also the natural way we breathe as infants. So when our teacher encouraged us to breathe through our mouths last week, I had to question the philosophy behind it.

Though shy to speak up last week, I am glad I did.

Last week, she answered me, saying that (in a nutshell), open-mouth Ocean Breathing allows you to get the mechanics down until you are comfortable and able to do it with closed mouth. Then she said, “that’s a real good question. In fact, the whole class should hear the answer. Remind me next week.”

So, I did.

[ The Takeaway ]

This week, we began the class and she asked me to repeat my question to the entire class before she got into her explanation.  She then said, that just because a teacher is a teacher, doesn’t mean you have to just trust everything without asking questions, or making it work for your body.  It felt as though she was giving me a nod for speaking up and questioning, so that I could make my practice more personal and meaningful for myself.

It was liberating. Freeing, even.  

This set the tone for me to add a lil’ more fire into my poses tonight. I did things that I had not attempted in this 30 Day Yoga Challenge, simply because my mind told me I wouldn’t be able to do it.

But, I did them anyway.

As I allowed myself to speak, I added more fire to my practice.

I breathed more expansively tonight, and the tiredness I felt when I arrived to class, after an hour of kickboxing, had turned into a peacefulness of

“I can do anything.”

[ Question For You ]

How do you feel when you stretch your comfort zone?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

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Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

Click the image to Listen and Subscribe to The DJ Health Coach Podcast

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 25 (Enjoy Simplicity)

My 30 Day Yoga Challenge, Day 25

(Enjoy Simplicity)

[ Do What Feels Good ]

Yoga is a feeling sport.  Do what feels good, and you’ll do just fine.

[ The Experience ]

On this 25th day of my 30 Day Yoga Challenge, I am grateful that I get as much out of doing my practice at home as I do going to the studio.

Today I have a lot of clients that I am working with, so getting to the yoga studio for a 75-minute practice would just add stress because I would feel rushed.  So, as I intentionally did poses that felt good, that were simple and that fit my schedule, I came out as rejuvenated as if I’d gone for 75-minutes at the studio vs the 20-minutes I did at home.

[ The Takeaway ]

I will continue to do yoga after this challenge. I trust myself to feel my way into doing what feels good for my mind, body and soul, which gives me the confidence that I will always know what I need in the moment as I integrate yoga into my day.

Busy or not, there’s always room for yoga.  

And the more I enjoy the simplicity in allowing myself to embrace the moments I can fit it in, the more I enjoy yoga as something that is accessible and doable.

[ Question For You ]

Have you tried yoga yet?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

****

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Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

Click the image to Listen and Subscribe to The DJ Health Coach Podcast

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 8 (My, time flies!)

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 8

(My, time flies!)

  [ The Experience ]

102 days ago, I challenged myself to meditate and chant for 40 consecutive days.  

To be able to “observe the mind with a little more space”, as founder of Headpace, Andi Puddicombe says, it to be able to experience the moods and feelings underneath.

Today, 10-minutes seemed fast, yet meaningful.  As I observed the mind, with the proper space to do it (i.e. my own time and space in which to sit with myself intentionally), I realized that the mood underneath it all was excitement, joy and happiness.

One of the things that flashed through my mind, for example, is my website and an exclusive Experience I am offering through the end of 2014. (Click here to check it out!)  Observing the mind, I see that I am excited because of what I’ll get to do: help more people succeed and reach their dreams.

[ My thoughts about Headspace ]

Headspace is quite easy-to-use and interactive. The use of videos to present value alongside the meditations are great tools to help you understand the practice of meditation:

I love how I can track my progress and be a part of a larger community of simultaneous meditators. I also love that you can invite others to participate with you…

If you are reading this and want to join the challenge, add me to your Headspace App: “coachterag@gmail.com”. 

[ The Takeaway ]

10-minutes is worth it when it comes to meditation.  Sure, you can do it for longer, and I have done meditation for 30 minutes at a time. However, this challenge is helping me appreciate the benefits of allowing 10-minutes for meditation, no more, no less.

Ten minutes is just enough time to fully observe the mind, and just the right amount of time to fit into a busy schedule (no excuses!) 🙂 Meditation is freedom!

[ Question For You ]

Do you use meditation daily? If so, how has it helped you?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

****

Make sure you listen and subscribe to my weekly podcast!
Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 7 (Blue Skies)

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 7

(Blue Skies)

  [ The Experience ]

101 days ago, I challenged myself to meditate and chant for 40 consecutive days.  

Often times, we forget that what we need is already here and that the blue skies we are so desperately searching for, are here, too.  They are simply just above the grey clouds we are focused on.

Today work day was thrown off a bit due to needing to rest through my first day of my Lady Time.  I started to say screw it to the meditation, but as I sat for the 10 minutes, I found that my tension ease, my belly felt better and I became less focused on the grey of my day.

[ My thoughts about Headspace ]

Headspace is quite easy-to-use and interactive. The use of videos to present value alongside the meditations are great tools to help you understand the practice of meditation:

I love how I can track my progress and be a part of a larger community of simultaneous meditators. I also love that you can invite others to participate with you…

If you are reading this and want to join the challenge, add me to your Headspace App: “coachterag@gmail.com”. 

[ The Takeaway ]

Every day will be different.  Every challenge within the day will be different. But with meditation, I am able to recenter and get focused on what is, which allows me to release into the now.  Just ten minutes a day can go a long way if we just give it a chance!

[ Question For You ]

Do you use meditation daily? If so, how has it helped you?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

****

Make sure you listen and subscribe to my weekly podcast!
Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 6 (Release Tension)

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 6

(Release Tension)

  [ The Experience ]

100 days ago, I challenged myself to meditate and chant for 40 consecutive days.  

I did it! Today is my 100th consecutive day of meditating and chanting daily.  Earlier, I attended a Yoga of Sound workshop at my yoga studio, and between that and coming home to meditate, I found that my body released more of the tension I have built up the last few days working through some deadlines I have for work.  (Luckily, I got through one of them!)

Sitting to meditate today, I was so surprised when the 10 minutes was up… it flew by! Regardless, I know it was beneficial.

[ My thoughts about Headspace ]

Headspace is quite easy-to-use and interactive. The use of videos to present value alongside the meditations are great tools to help you understand the practice of meditation:

I love how I can track my progress and be a part of a larger community of simultaneous meditators. I also love that you can invite others to participate with you…

If you are reading this and want to join the challenge, add me to your Headspace App: “coachterag@gmail.com”. 

[ The Takeaway ]

After the 10th day, I am thinking I may not continue with Headspace app, simply because I am used to just doing it without an app, and I have a guided meditation that I enjoy. But, that’s in the future, still.  For now, I see that no matter how I choose to meditate, the key is to carve some time to do it because in the silence I am able to hear my body speak by way of aches and pains. As I listen, I can breath into those spaces, as needed, and my tension is released.

In a nutshell, meditation is good stuff! It truly is great for the body, mind and soul.

[ Question For You ]

Do you use meditation daily? If so, how has it helped you?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

****

Make sure you listen and subscribe to my weekly podcast!
Music. Wellness. Inspiration.

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 4 (Mind… Wander)

My 10 Day Meditation Challenge, Day 4

(Mind… Wander)

  [ The Experience ]

98 days ago, I challenged myself to meditate and chant for 40 consecutive days.  

Well, my mind was just a-wanderin’ today.

I would be focusing on my breath and start thinking about the exciting things I’m working on in my business. Or, I would be counting my breath to 10, and somehow “wake up” to the number 12. Days like this, I just laugh.

A lot can happen in a 10 Day Meditation Challenge, and today I observed that my body was a tad tighter and my mind wandered more than yesterday, or even the day before.

I equate it to deadlines and exciting times!

[ My thoughts about Headspace ]

Headspace is quite easy-to-use and interactive. The use of videos to present value alongside the meditations are great tools to help you understand the practice of meditation:

I love how I can track my progress and be a part of a larger community of simultaneous meditators. I also love that you can invite others to participate with you…

If you are reading this and want to join the challenge, add me to your Headspace App: “coachterag@gmail.com”. 

[ The Takeaway ]

Truly, you gotta just be an observer of thoughts, allowing the thoughts to rise as they will.  It’s nothing good or bad, just a glimpse of what is.

The more I meditate, the more I am able to observe my thoughts, as well as be less thrown off by life.  I enjoy having meditation as part of my daily practice, just as much as I enjoy having yoga part of it, too.

[ Question For You ]

Do you use meditation daily? If so, how has it helped you?

Please comment below!

Here’s to your health, happiness and WHOLENESS!

ABOUT TERA

~

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG! If this is your first time, make sure to Follow me! Oh, and Please share! You never know who you will inspire and motivate by simply passing the info along as I have for you! 🙂

****

Make sure you listen and subscribe to my weekly podcast!
Music. Wellness. Inspiration.