Thanks for following along! Here's a look at what's in the hopper...
Here’s a look at our upcoming retreats- some new and exciting options for 2020!
Luxurious Lake Life Retreat- A new retreat opportunity!
Information on a new retreat with Boreal Bliss. For the first time ever, we’re heading to a luxury resort! Private rooms overlooking Gull Lake, an incredible yoga room, catered meals served on a deck near the lake, sandy beaches, four pools, a full spa, paddleboarding, tennis, basketball, lawn bowling, a pontoon party, specialty workshops, and more! If you’re looking for a way to get away with a partner, this retreat will be a great option!
Improving Financial Wellness- What's it got to do with yoga?
The root chakra, located at the base of the spine, is responsible for our well-being. The root chakra is the base chakra- the foundation of balance and the chakra we need to ground and balance before working into higher chakras. When our root chakra is balanced we feel secure, grounded, embodied, present, confident, and safe.
As we ring in a new decade, taking control of your personal finances is a great way to gain confidence and feel more secure, grounded, and in control of your own future.
An Unconventional Baby Shower
In America, many of our rituals and ceremonies revolve in some way around capitalism. Wedding showers, weddings, bachelorette parties, birthday parties, holidays, graduations, and baby showers all come with the expectation of gifts, cards, wrapping paper, and a plentiful meal. During my yoga teacher training, our lead teachers challenged the American values around family gatherings and rites of passage. For example, becoming a mother is a serious transformation for a woman. So why do our baby showers revolve around party games and chit chat? Why not allow for more gravity and depth in the situation? We tend to anesthetize things here- to avoid diving into vulnerability.
So, when it came to having a shower for me, I felt confused. How could I honor this rite of passage with my family?
Wisdom from the Yamas & Niyamas Heading into the Holidays
Stress, busy-ness, expectations, family conflict, and chaos during the holidays can make for an unpleasant time during what is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” It’s not hard to search our personal memory bank and find unpleasant memories of last-minute gift wrapping or shopping getting in the way of presence with family, or instances where someone didn’t have the reaction to a gift you were hoping for.
I keep turning to themes from the yamas and niyamas. These jewels of wisdom provide me comfort as I try to find peace and contentment amidst sadness and hurt. I thought I’d share with you some of the reminders the yamas and niyamas have brought to me over the past month. I believe these principles help us shed the materialism and chaos of the holidays and return to what is truly important- presence and time with loved ones.
**Journal prompts and questions for reflection in this post.
Lean Into Gratitude- Retreat Recap
This retreat was themed around Gratitude and offered a variety of ways we can weave gratitude into our everyday life.
I Can't Do Yoga
During our last class of the weekend, at our November Lean Into Gratitude Yoga Retreat, I cried. A lot. Joella taught a beautifully empowering yin yoga class, as always. I cried throughout the last half of her class; for the things I am able to do and the things I am not able to do. They were grateful tears.
Embracing Change: Yoga Retreat Recap
Read here for a recap of our recent Embracing Change retreat. Journal prompts for your consideration can be found at the end. Our class themes included: Being Open to Change, Purposeful Aging, Embracing Unexpected Change, and Initiating Change.
Quiet Your Mind During Savasana
When we are in savasana our bodies are feeling the benefits from our practice while resting in stillness. We stay deeply connected to our breath and the present moment and can begin to fully experience the full effects of our yoga practice.
Yoga to Ease Insomnia and Improve Sleep
Insomnia, difficulty sleeping, and sleep deprivation are common problems. Our lives are extremely fast-paced and our senses are subject to constant stimulus. Trouble sleeping is something I hear on a weekly basis from friends, students, and family. This blog provides a simple yoga practice (10 min or less) to implement before bed to improve sleep. Sweet dreams yogis!
2020 Retreats and Exciting News
Exciting news from Bryana and Amanda! This blog includes dates, prices, and details for 2020 retreats.
Yoga and Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
The pelvis is the center of our body: It connects our upper and lower halves. It is such a vital focus in yoga, and in life! Taking care of our pelvic floor is so much more than kegels. In this blog, I myth-bust some commonly held beliefs on the pelvic floor muscles, yoga, mula bandha, kegels, frequency of urination, pregnancy, and more.
Chandra Namaskar: An Introduction to Moon Salutations
Whether new to moon salutations, or a seasoned yoga teacher, we hope this blog will provide some inspiration for your at-home and/or teaching practice. Moon Salutations can be a beautiful and special practice during times of high heat or high energy when soothing is required. Like a sun salutation, each movement is coordinated with your breath. Inhale to extend, exhale to bend. Unlike vigorous sun salutations which are heating and stimulating, moon salutations are cooling and quieting.
We practice moon salutations to calm the mind and draw awareness inward.
You Are Exactly Where You Need To Be
A guest blog: Inside the mind of a first time Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreater.
Tales of a Pregnant Yoga Teacher
Pregnancy typically brings about a lot of interest, and questions. I’ve also found that teaching yoga while pregnant is fascinating to people. Here I share my experiences with pregnancy so far, and some of my most frequently asked questions.
Healing at Red Rocks
It’s amazing how powerful music is and how connected we all feel towards it. A song, an album, a timeline of our past life filled with love, heartache, and joy. A tool to help cope with big life changes and a way to bring a smile to our faces.
Who Should Attend a Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreat?
We get a lot of great questions about retreats. Some of the most common questions are about who attends, why, and if someone should/shouldn’t go for “x,y,z ..” reason. We will share our most commonly asked questions about attendance, and some more information for you on what a Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreat is all about!
North Shore Adventures: 8 Stops between Duluth and Tettegouche State Park
A helpful guide for hikes, paddles, picnic locations, and places to eat between Duluth and Tettegouche State Park.
Part 2 of 10: Satya (truthfulness)
This blog is the second of a ten-part series exploring the Yamas and Niyamas. In this series, we hope to provide some ways to begin thinking about yoga off the mat, a yoga lifestyle. In this piece, we explore five ways to consider ways to incorporate satya (truthfulness) into our life.
