8 Favorite Restorative Yoga Poses

Hello Darlings!

This summer has been insanely busy for me. From blogging to my IT job, teaching yoga, and working at summer markets for my business, The Spiral Collective, I have had my hand in lots of cookie jars. Sometimes I need to totally just crash, curl up in bed, snuggle my pups and escape with a ridiculously cheesy romance novel. Other times I head to a restorative yoga class. One of my specialties I teach is ‘restorative’ yoga, which I lovingly describe as a yoga nap. I am also leading a Restore with the Niyamas yoga retreat in Guatemala this September. Check it out!

The following poses are some of my favorites; most can be practiced with or without props, or by using makeshift props: couch cushions, organizing baskets, and rolled up blankets work just fine. I LOVE the Barefoot Yoga lavender and flax eye pillows for an extra added luxury when in a restorative practice! When it comes to teaching restorative yoga poses I tend to instruct from the ‘do what feels most comfortable to you’ viewpoint.

What I Ate Wednesday: Fresh and Local

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This year is my first year in Denver that I have a DUG (Denver Urban Garden) plot with a good friend of mine I met through teaching yoga! I have missed gardening SO very much, so sticking my hands in the soil and being able to bring home fresh greenery makes me so happy! I realized this week that so much of my food was fresh or came from local businesses and it is always fun to celebrate and support your local economy!

Weekly Snack Attack

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If you you’ve been following my WIAWs for a while, you might have noticed that 1. I am really bad about them getting posted on Wednesdays and 2. I am pretty bad at capturing a single day’s worth of food. However, I am a big fan of photographing my snacks! Which, quite frankly, are often a bit more fun anyway!

So, without further ado: Snacktime!

Garlic Scape Pesto Shrimp with Rainbow Stir-Fry

Hello Darlings!

Farmers’ markets make me SO happy. Fun people, pups in tow, great food, and live music- can’t get better than that. This last weekend I popped over to the Cherry Creek Farmers’ Market here in Denver with a one-track mind. I wanted garlic scapes, badly. Ever since I discovered them from a farmer down the road when I lived in rural Connecticut, I’ve been in love. But they have a very fleeting season, twice a year for a few weeks apiece. However, the season is now! So pop over to your local market pick some up and have SO much fun creating garlic-y wonderfulness.

Recipe Makeover: Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip (No Mayo!)

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I love comfort food- rich, creamy, delicious, not necessarily great for you comfort food. And, when it comes down to it, spinach-artichoke dip is one of my favorites. I have been subbing Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise in recipes for quite a while now. The creaminess without all of the saturated fat? Yes, Please! (Healthy Chicken Salad anyone?)  So I set out to finagle my family’s go-to artichoke dip recipe into a healthier, but still delectable version of itself. I have to say, I succeeded with flying colors. Yep, totally tooting my own horn. It is that good.

What I Ate Wednesday: SunBasket Review (and Giveaway!)

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When it comes to food I want things to taste good, look great, (usually) be healthy, and be fun to eat! With being super busy with my new business on top of my regular schedule of activities :: said like an event announcer :: I have been trying to save time in any way possible. One timesaving idea was to check out one of the cook-your-own-meals subscription boxes, however I had always been a bit wary because of the incredible amount of waste that their packaging produced.

Photo Courtesy of SunBasket Facebook

Sierra Trading Post Warm Weather Wish List

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I recently compiled all of my to-do lists into one long list and it ended up being six pages long. Seriously, SIX pages of lined notebook paper. Le sigh. And, because I am a wonderfully productive person, I had a minor freak out and decided to totally ignore everything I should be doing and go online shopping instead- like I said, super productive.

Restore with the Niyamas: A Guatemalan Yoga Retreat

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I have some SUPER exciting news! ::Drumroll please:: I am cohosting a cant-miss-it restorative yoga retreat in Guatemala this September with an incredible yogi, who happens to be one of my close friends, April the owner and founder of Sacred Prana Yoga!

The seven-night retreat -that takes place September 12th through 19th - will focus on the Niyamas, the second branch of the 8 limbs in yoga. Each day our asana practice will focus on one of the five Niyamas, like detoxing for Saucha (cleanliness) or meditation for Santosha (contentment). With two (optional) yoga classes daily, an active flow practice and a restorative or Yoga Nidra practice, plus workshops and meditations, you’re sure to feel relaxed and rejuvenated!

Meatless Monday: Pepper-Stuffed Artichokes

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Artichokes are EVERYWHERE right now, (yes, I know the reason why is because they’re in season!) but the look so deliciously deadly I thought I needed to bring a couple home. Deliciously deadly you say? Yes. Those little pokey leaves are a pain- literally- they draw blood! So be careful, but the pain is totally worth it!

Now, I like artichokes in every way, dips, steamed then dipped in butter, so I thought I’d try something different- stuff them. Stuffed artichokes are a bit more filling than just the leaves and the peppers give them a fresh, zesty pop!

What I Ate Wednesday: Instagram Edition

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If you’re anything like me when life starts to get a bit busy, stressful, and messy healthy food is the first thing to go. (You mean I have 12 hours of work today and you want me to COOK?) Which I know that this isn’t a particularly great habit of mine, but something sh*t happens. These past couple of months have been a whirlwind for me, so I’ve been making a point to eat as healthily as I can while running around for meetings and tea.

One of the great things about being in the wellness industry is that the places we pick for meetings to take place tend to be on the healthy side! So, in true blogger fashion, I thought I’d share some of my favorite Instagram snaps (shameless plug to go follow me there!) of the healthy food I’ve been eating lately for WIAW!

Daily Handbag Essentials: Stress Less, Smile More with Bach Rescue!

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What do you bring when you know you’re going to have a stressful day? I have a few staples that I don’t leave home without! I love carrying around my Michael Kors suitcase of a handbag because I have easy access to everything I need, which is incredibly helpful when I feel my chronic anxiety start to become overwhelming.  From homeopathic remedies to tasty chocolate I carry around a bit of everything to help calm myself down!

Meatless Monday: Tropical Chia Seed Pudding (Vegan)

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Winter in Colorado is strange. It will be 70 degrees and sunny one week and the next it will be 16 and snowing. Maybe the crazy weather is just a Denver phenomenon, but when I had the chance to jet off to Florida to visit a friend I jumped at the chance. Salt water, sand, and warm sun? Yes please!

Yoga Poses to Beat the Winter Blues & Kharma Khare Yoga Mat Review

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My yoga practice is a bit unorthodox. And because of that my mats take a beating. From puppy paws to Red Rocks’ dirt to mountain snow, they have to bear a little bit of everything. So when Kharma Khare reached out to see if I might want to take their Hybrid Bliss Non Slip Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat for a test drive I knew I had to put it through the ringer before sharing it with you lovelies. And, boy, did it pass with flying colors!

Meatless Monday: Sautéed Mushrooms and Shallots with Brussels Sprouts

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I feel like I have been ridiculously busy for months on end. And with that I know that my healthy eating has been slipping. So I decided that this weekend I was going to take a bit of time to ready myself for another packed-to-the-gills week and meal prep just a bit.

What I Ate Wednesday: Getting Back on Track

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This past holiday season I was on the See-Food diet. If I saw it, I ate it- which led to a body that didn’t feel so great. I am all about the occasional splurge; I’ve been known to pack a beautiful salad for lunch, followed by baked chicken and veggies for dinner and then the next night house half a pizza, and for me that’s okay. However after all of my holiday splurging my body felt run down and heavy. Not in the ‘I gained weight’ way but the ‘I constantly put crap into my body and can feel it way’. So, this WIAW is all about getting back on track, and feeling healthy and whole in my body once again.

Four Weeks to Body Freedom

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When it comes to body image I am all about empowerment. Be you, love you, embrace your flaws- we are all incredible creatures. However, for lots of us we can tell ourselves that all we want but often we don’t believe it. That’s where my good friend Madelyn Moon comes in.

Yoga Poses for Tight Hip Flexors

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One of the most requested anatomical yoga posts here on Chickadee Says is all about hip flexors! From runners to climbers and every athlete in between, hip flexors help athletes move in many ways- picking up your knees to bending at the waist. Opening the hip creases allows for more fluid movement as well as greater hip mobility.

Some of the poses below are advanced, so make sure you warm up before adding them into your practice. And, there's no better way to warm up than practicing in some awesome Fabletics gear! I am loving these pants and EVERYTHING (not joking) from the November collection!

5 Favorite Olive Oil Alternatives

For a long time my go-to oil was olive oil. I used it for cooking, moisturizing, for my hair- pretty much everything. However, long gone are those days! 5 amazing olive oil alternatives are constantly stocked in my pantry (and bathroom cabinet!) and, no offense to olive oil, but they rock its socks off!

What I Ate Wednesday: Healthy While Eating Out

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I’ve been a bit bad (good?) lately about eating out. Spending time with friends while enjoying Colorado’s gorgeous autumn weather has been wonderful. I’ve been up to Boulder and out in my own neighborhood, but I noticed while going though my over-full phone (#bloggerproblems) that while I’ve been eating out I’ve been keeping it healthy- yay!

Forever Faster: PUMA Gear Review

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of PUMA.

Hello Darlings!

As a yoga instructor I am incredibly picky about my workout clothes. They need to fit well (no slippage in asana, thank you), be versatile, and be super comfortable. I was asked to try out two outfits from PUMA, one from their performance line, and one from their fashion comfort line and sneakers to complement both. I took both outfits for test runs- it turns out I need more PUMA in my life!