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5 Reasons To Take a Walk Right Now!

10/5/2022

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Turn off the step counter for a moment.

Let's take a moment to celebrate walking for the amazing benefits that have absolutely NOTHING to do with the scale. If changing your body is something you desire - that's groovy - but let's explore another areas to celebrate!

5 BOOST YOUR CREATIVITY
Stanford researchers have found that walking in fact makes you more creative! Accessing your ability to natural problem-solve and discover creative solutions rarely happens when your body is stagnant. So if you're in a creative rut or stuggling to find a positive solution - talk a walk!

4 REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
Walking can be a great supplement to your mental health regimen, and research proves it! Some therapists even do walk-and-talk sessions (oh hell yes!) Moving your body really is medicine, and moderate intensity walking on a regular basis can be an amazing mood boost.
3 IMPROVE YOUR BRAIN FUNCTION
Walking doesn't just make you more creative, it actually improves cognitive function overall. This means walking is good for your noggin in general. In fact regular walking regimens may reduce the risk of dementia. 

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2 COMBAT LONELINESS
Maybe you're like me and have a hard time meeting new people. I'll be honest. I have a really hard time making new friends. I'm very introverted. I have had a primarily self-directed job for a decade. My entire family lives elsewhere. And, I have moved to a new town several times in the last 7 years. The pandemic certainly did not help. It can be excruciatingly lonely at times (...  BTW do you want to grab lunch with me).  But one way I bust out of my loneliness bubble in the middle of the day is to go for a walk. I get to say hello to my neighbors, meet people's dogs, and generally remind myself that the world is much bigger than the thoughts in my head.  

1 IMPROVE YOUR HEART HEALTH
Walking is considered steady-state cardio. There are many ways to improve heart-health and steady-state cardio is just one of them. The benefit here is not about calorie burn or improving your recovery times. Steady-state cardio is about building endurance. Essentially you are introducing the concept, to your heart which is a muscle, that it can sustain elevated work for longer and longer periods of time. Because your heart is a muscle it adapts like other muscles of your body by getting stronger by adapting when encountering repeated stimulus over time.

Let's take a walk in my recent walking mediation on my podcast Personal Practice. 
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The Practice of Optimism

10/3/2022

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"Whenever we're in a creative pursuit... we have to be so connected to our core value and our reasons why. It can be so easy to listen to the noise...That is the practice. The stay connected even when there's noise all around."
Want to test your faith? 
Launch a business!

Then throw in R&D that takes 3x as long as you planned, a global pandemic, and converting your spare bedroom into a lab while still trying to function as a family of five. That will do a little more than shake your faith. It might convince you to throw in the towel. But when your why is strong and you've decided that failure is not an option, you find a way!

I loved this down-to-earth and inspiring conversation with Brad Lepcyzk. He and his wife Erika are the founders of Memore (like memory!) a brain health nutrition brand that makes delicious powdered supplements that keep your noggin healthy. He shares the ups and downs he faced getting the product ready for market, and how he is navigates big emotions of the sales cycle.

Join us as we talk about the emotional ride of business success and failure, why optimism truly takes practice, and how routine can be a God send! 

In this episode Brad also talks about the Maria Shriver Women's Alzheimers Movement. You can visit their website to learn more about the studies that Brad mentions, and how to get involved in supporting a cure. As we discuss in the pod some Alzheimers diagnoses are directly tied to genetic factors, but those genetic factors are not necessarily the deciding factor on developing the disease. In fact the Women's Alzheimers Movement in cooperation with the Cleveland Clinic has prevention guides, which include nutritional and exercise considerations, to equip your brain with its best line of defense. 

Big thanks to Erika, Brad, and Brit at the Memore team. They extended to Personal Practice listeners a huge discount on their first order of the product.  I told you this wasn't an ad... but wowee I take it back. How can I say no to such an offer? So it's official.  I'm legit telling you to go buy this stuff you like to boost your smoothies and morning routines with high quality, whole food supplements.

XOXO.
Julia

Use my code to get 20% off your entire order! Yourmemore.com/juliamarie
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You can also learn more about Memore and follow along with recipe tips and positive brain health conversations by following the brand on Instagram. Instagram.com/yourmemore
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Everyday Practices for More Flexible Hips

10/1/2022

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What is Flexibility?
Flexibility is typically the way we think about the relative ability for a joint to move through its range pain free.

However often we make a mistake and think of flexibility and simply the ability to touch our toes, or the sensation we feel in a more passive stance like a forward fold. 

A great practice is to reframe flexibility and consider instead controlled range of motion. That way we can formulate practices that help us practice our range of motion and optimize our practices to support joint health.
What is Controlled Range of Motion?
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Range of motion refers to how far you can control movement within your joint's different actions. For example, how far can you lift your knee to your chest un assisted? How deep can you lunge without giving in to gravity? How controlled can you squat down to the ground and then rise back up?

​Controlled range of motion is a way to think about not only your flexibility, but also your ability to direct the motion amidst resistance. The resistance could be equipment, but this also and primarily includes bodyweight and gravity. 
Why is Controlled ROM Important?
Developing good body mechanics in our controlled ROM means that when more pressure or stimulus is applied in the future we have a better chance of staying safe in the motion! For example if you want to do loaded back squats in a weight rack, it's going to be important that you can perform the motion with your own body weight in good form. 
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The body adapts to repeated pressures, and it also is inherently efficient. This means the body is not going to change or conform without pressure to do so. The principle of adaptability relates this truth: move it or lose it.  But the good news about adaptability is that change is possible. So my introducing controlled ROM we can introduce and reinforce movement pathways between brain and body. Overtime these pathways become second nature. 

For muscles, bones, and joints movement is crucial. Muscles won't adapt unless introduced repeatedly to a stimulus. Bones won't increase in density unless they must. And when it comes to joints, they don't receive the same amount of blood flow that more vascular tissues like skeletal muscles do. This means movement is essential for clearing away debris and maintaining lubrication. Motion is lotion!

To sum it up, if you want to keep your joints happy and as pain-free as possible, they need to move! Movement through controlled range of motion reinforces healthy brain-body pathways, stimulates muscles and bone, and keeps joints healthy.
Yoga Practices for Healthy Hip ROM
One great way to think about improve the controlled ROM in a joint is to first consider all of the ways the joint moves. Hips are ball and socket joints. This means there are MANY movements of the hip. They include flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal rotation, external rotation, and circumduction. 

From there we organizes movement practices that drill these actions.

For yoga teachers reading this, consider plugging all of the drills below for a well rounded hip-focused class!

Half Sun As
In the weight room we might throw our hands behind our head and call these 'Good Mornings'. 
  • Stand in Mountain
  • Reach up, 
  • Bow forward with a relatively long spine and soft knees
  • Lift Halfway up,
  • Fold Forward
  • Rise up, option to reach forward as you do.
  • Return to standing at Mountain pose
Repeat 5 - 10 Times
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Dancing Warrior Goddess 
This is a great practice and it feels like a flow or a dance! 
  • Start in Warrior 2
  • Tip to Extended Side Angle
  • Reverse Warrior
  • Return to Warrior 2
  • Rise to Star
  • Dip to Goddess
  • Rise to Star
  • Switch Directions & Repeat
​Move through the full cycle several times
Hip Windmills from Standing
  • Start in Mountain Pose
  • Lift to Single Leg Mountain Pose
  • Make a Circular motion and Tap Your Toe Down Behind you 
  • Circle Back Up and Tap Toe in Front of You
Repeat several times each side 

Full Squat to Standing
For some knees and ankles might not love the full range of motion. Try playing with stance, and also elevating the heels on a cushion or rolled up mat for more comfort.
  • Start standing slightly turned out
  • Lower Down Towards Yogi Squat Slowly
  • At the Bottom Shift Body Weight from Foot to Foot a couple times
  • Rise back up to Standing Just as Slowly
Repeat Several Times
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Yoga or a Cup of Coffee?

9/26/2022

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First of all. I really love coffee.

But I also know that a coffee after noon keeps me up all night, and too much caffeine really kicks my anxiety into hyperdrive. 

So when I'm feeling low and I've already had two cups of coffee in the morning, I opt for movement instead of sugar or caffeine.  And research shows that movement is not only going to do a better job than coffee, it also offers additional benefits that coffee just can't touch.

A 30 Minute Midday Flow on my Mat or a quick walk around the block are my go-to mood boosters.

Here are some reasons why...


Read More
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Self-Intimacy = Intuitional Trust

9/22/2022

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When you hear the term self-intimacy, what comes up?

In this chat with Licensed Therapist, Kat Smailis, we discuss the connection between trust, intuition, and intimacy.

We explore a lot! From childhood connections to our future dating lives, and the connection between poptarts and a great sex life ... sort of ;)

A key takeaway from this convo was the importance of everyday personal practice of simple decision making and our ability to fortify our intuitive power. 
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I hope you enjoy this conversation!
XO,
Julia

P.S. if you want to connect and tune in with Kat follow her on Instagram for incredibly supportive, insightful, and compassionate content. ​
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    Body. Mind. Spirit.

    Author

    Hi there! You found me. My name is Julia Marie Lopez. For 22 years I have studied meditation and mindful movement as my primary tools for healing. For the past 13 years I have worked as an instructor, a wellness business owner, the Founder of Practice Everywhere, and now I am embarking on a new adventure to expand how we define our Personal and Public Practices.

    My favorite experience is the feeling I receive when someone else feels supported by something I've created. 

    So this site is more than a lifestyle or healthy living blog, My approach to writing it is to offer my perspective and input that inspires happier, and healthier living on your own terms - because that's what I want too! We get to define our own parameters for what a happy and healthy live means to us.

    XO,
    Julia

    ​Since I offer you my experience and perspective, share my writing about life, love and wellness, and offer a bit of unsolicited advice, I think you should also know that I do include affiliate links and promotions in some of blogs. If you make an action (such as sign ups, memberships, or purchases) I might earn a commission. I promise to use this income to support my love of coffee, dogs, yoga, and my family (in no particular order).💜 

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Photo used under Creative Commons from Cea.
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