Tag: Yoga

Gut Check: Benefits of Using Yoga Tools in Your Practice

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Photo by Unsplash

I “met” Jennifer McGregor, a pre-med student, when she reached out to me via email in July and asked if she could be a guest writer for Gal on the Go! As part of her pitch, she explained that she and a friend co-created PublicHealthLibrary.org as a way to share reputable material on health topics and bring them to the forefront, making the information easier and quicker to find. I said YES, your project aligns with Gal on the Go’s mission! Her article below focuses on gut health and references a variety of resources. Enjoy!

Exploring New Options Can Maximize the Benefits of Yoga

All it takes is a single yoga practice to start experiencing the benefits, but we all want to get the best possible results from our efforts like anything in life. Trying new tools and ideas for deepening your practice can help you get even more out of yoga and benefit your health.

The Link Between Yoga and IBD

Yoga is one of the best exercises for someone with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) because it addresses many of your body’s needs. Yoga focuses on breathing and meditation, which lowers stress and anxiety. Researchers found a link between stress and IBD symptoms. Practicing yoga consistently gives you an ongoing mental health benefit that may also help manage IBD symptoms. The physical effects of yoga are pretty powerful, too. Yoga is a gentle way to increase your strength and energy, plus the movements can ease your symptoms by helping release trapped gas and bloating.

Give Your Practice a Tech Upgrade

One of the best ways to maximize these positive effects is to use yoga apps on your phone. Yoga apps are especially beneficial for your home practice because they can guide and help you focus on your specific needs. For example, the iGeeksBlog highlights the app Universal Breathing that’s all about breathing techniques, and the app Yogatailor offers the ultimate in customization.

Expand Your Use of Props

Some people mistakenly view using props as a shortcut, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Using props is really about support, which can allow you to work into more advanced poses gradually. 

Yoga Block

Your yoga block supports you, helping make any asana you’re practicing work for your body. Examples include using a block in a pose like pigeon to get a deeper stretch or using it in seated poses to ease your joints’ pressure. 

Yoga Strap

Using a yoga strap is a way of lengthening your body to work into more challenging poses and get a deeper stretch from the poses you’ve been practicing. In addition to helping you achieve more advanced poses, using a strap can also help you achieve correct alignment. This is especially important when you’re practicing at home and don’t have a mirror or instructor to rely on for guidance.

Yoga Bolster

Some of the most popular uses of a yoga bolster are getting into a really good restorative stretch. Along with these common uses, your bolster can also be a highly effective way to expand your practice in other ways. For example, the Yoga Journal guides us through multiple ways to use a bolster to access a gentle backbend.

Beyond the Basics

Besides props, you know the basics that every yogi needs, like a good mat and comfortable clothes. But another way to reach the next level in your practice is to give your basics an upgrade. An example of one we love is yoga pants that have a built-in pocket for your phone. Or if you travel frequently, a travel yoga mat simplifies keeping your practice mobile.

Set Up a Home Practice

You can still make yoga a part of your everyday routine with at-home practice. Find a quiet space in your home away from high-traffic areas. Create a positive vibe by removing clutter, letting in natural light, and lighting some sage. 

When you think of these tools in terms of support, you can see how taking advantage of that support can transform your practice. And really, doesn’t that get to the heart of yoga, and the spirit of namaste? Your practice is personal, but you’ll get more out of it with other people’s support and the right tools!

NOTE: If you would like to be a guest writer for Gal on the Go, submit your story pitch to galotgo@gmail.com.

My Mat Is…

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When I read my friend Laura’s candid post about her yoga mat, it moved me. I asked her if I could share her story, and she said, “yes”. Gratitude for #Manduka and our mats, a valued tool of the trade!

Laura Hitchman practicing self-care on her Manduka mat.

#mymatis my home. I feel safe, secure, and able to be myself when I’m on my mat. It’s not the integral yet supportive nature of the quarter-inch rubber mandukayoga under my body, but rather what it has come to represent over the past eight years. A gift from an ex, I could’ve allowed my mat to represent that relationship. I chose to let go instead. While I rid my life of a lot of physical things that reminded me of that time, I knew in my heart that my mat wasn’t one of those things I needed to purge to cleanse. I’ve taken time to build a strong practice, and my mat has seen a lot of sweat. I’d venture to say pounds upon pounds of toxins have been absorbed into that rubber along with many tears and lots of laughter. It’s been through endless hours of training. It’s traveled with me. It’s provided me with a place to take a nap. It’s witnessed countless yoga injuries because if you aren’t falling, you aren’t trying. It’s gone camping (never again). It’s seen the likes of lovemaking (maybe more than once and yes, you should give it a try; I know you’re thinking about it now). I’ve shared it with friends. It now holds their sweat. Maybe some of their tears, and I know it holds their love. It’s provided me with a safe space to feel love, to allow my heart to be open. I’ve danced on it. Farted on it. Taken my time to heal on it from chronic illness and heartache. It even melted once in my trunk, into a shoebox. Somehow it got its shape back. No harm, no foul. It’s hosted the likes of small children doing Down Dog. It’s held up to my drool. It’s carried me through to the present moment. It’s been to the beach. I’ve squatted on it with friends to watch the full moon and listen to drums beat in my chest. I’ve eaten on it (bad yogi, I know, pizza and subway (Ewww). I’ve shared wine on it with friends. It’s witnessed so much of who I am. I’ve gotten funky on it, created flow upon flow on it. Gotten naked by myself on it. Flowed in that way on it. A judgment-free zone, a cathartic warm hug from my main squeeze. So there you have it, #mymatis home!

If you would like to share your personal story about your mat on Laura’s Insta page, go to: https://www.instagram.com/ovpoweryoga/ 

Instructions for posting under her #mymatis Insta story:
1. Post a photo of yourself in your natural habitat! Something that depicts who you are!
2. Share what your mat means to you.
3. Use the hashtag #mymatis with your post.
4. Tag and mention the studio @ovpoweryoga in your post. (they can’t track it if you don’t do it)
5. Tag a friend or 2 to play along. *Post deadline is November 30. They will select a post to win an unlimited annual membership; all are eligible!

You may recognize Laura from my Yogi Insight section. She is the owner of OVPY in Wheeling, WV. I encourage you to get your flow on there if you are in the area!

A Sure Sign: Creative Branding

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at GALOTGO

hashtag GALOTGO

Four and a half years ago, I was brainstorming creative ways to market my Gal on the Go brand when I had an actual aha moment. It was right in front of my face!!!! I thought, why not take my personalized license plate, GALOTGO, and place a hashtag in front of it?! A unique way of marketing to a captive audience of fellow drivers. During my initial search for the symbol, I couldn’t find a hashtag sticker anywhere, so I bought four number 1 stickers from a Home Depot store and made a hashtag. About a year later, I sold my Prius and had to remove my homemade hashtag. I researched the symbol again online, and this time found a 4″ vinyl version on Amazon. Score! The reaction to the sticker has been a lot of fun over the years… people tell me frequently how creative it is, they take photos of the back of my car, and ask me if I mind if they copy my idea. If you follow my blog, you know that I recently did an overhaul on the look of my brand, which got me thinking… how can I update the use of my hashtag? I know, replace the # with an @ sign!!!! All of my marketing materials — business cards, flyers, etc. use @gal0tgo and @rocknflowyoga, so it made sense. I’m happy to share that the at sign has received a lot of positive feedback. If you see my car on the road, give me a honk or a shout!

Gal on the Go Gets a Makeover

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Gal on the Go

I launched my Gal on the Go blog 14 years ago as part of a grad school project. I cannot believe how fast time has passed!!!! My writer’s voice has evolved and it was time for my look to progress too with some fresh branding. I hope that you enjoy the blog and continue to follow along. Like a fine wine, my goal is for it to keep getting better.

This year I created a sub brand of Gal on the Go called Rock N Flow Yoga, combining my past experience as a DJ with my passion for yoga, by offering private yoga instruction to musicians and bands and leading fun power flows at public festivals and events.

It takes a village of amazing friends and strangers with heart to help make your dreams a reality. You can try to do it alone, but it is much more achievable (especially on rough days) when you have people who are behind you rooting for you!

That said, I would like to give a shout-out to the following people for their unwavering support with this venture…

  • Angela Tarantula, my friend who is a talented graphics designer created the new Gal on the Go logo down to the detail of the arrows giving a sense of action and looking like a pair of legs running. (She also created my Rock N Flow Yoga logo.) Insta: @angtarantula
  • Lauren, my friend who is a skilled photographer and owner of Elle Three Photography took the photo used as the base of the new Gal on the Go logo.
  • Danielle Daily, my friend, and business mentor who is a TED Talk savvy businesswoman and host of the Suddenly Single Show podcast who came up with the concept of rebranding Gal on the Go.
  • Yorke B., a new friend and my Custom Ink rep who has been beyond helpful with all my merch needs for Rock N Flow Yoga.
  • Christina, my friend who placed the first order for some Rock N Flow Yoga merch and gifted it to me as a gesture of her belief in me and my dream.
  • Amanda, my original omie who attended my first studio yoga class ever and every one of my public yoga events.
  • YOU (my blog readers) and the people who grant me interviews — all of whom are a constant inspiration.

Sit back and enjoy this wild ride as we keep it moving onward and upward together!!!!

Don’t Stop Believing: The Debut of rockNflow Yoga

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rockNflow logo

rockNflow yoga design by: Angela Tarantula

I heard the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey at an impressionable age. Jonathan Cain’s first stroke of the piano key immediately hooked me and then the distinct vocals of Steve Perry. The lyrics of that song have resonated with me in different ways over the years in my love life and personal life, but the one constant takeaway has always been not giving up on a dream.

Parallel to that time, I watched a lot of PBS programming, drawn to a yoga show called Lilias, Yoga and You. I didn’t understand the depth of yoga back then; I just knew that I enjoyed watching Lilias Folan and mimicking what she did.

Yoga faded out of my life for a while, but music from all genres remained an integral aspect — entertaining me and teaching me life lessons through the lyrics. In college, my music spark thrived as I worked as a DJ at an alt-rock radio station.

Over 10 years ago, I started a blog called Gal on the Go and regularly hear from readers and followers how my actions have positively influenced them to get healthier, change their eating habits, and be more adventurous. I always wanted to start a business that was an offshoot of Gal on the Go, but I was unclear about my destiny and what direction to go. One day, I had an aha moment leading to a surge of business ideas for the merging of my passions of music and yoga organically to form Rock N Flow Yoga (Insta: rocknflowyoga)!

Through rockNflow I offer private yoga sessions to bands, artists, and their crews on tour. I also teach at outdoor festivals and lead workshops on protein nutrition and positive mindfulness in your life. Stay tuned because I have some exciting projects in the works that I cannot wait to share with you in the next month or so!!!! Also, I will be opening up a merch shop soon via Threadless.

The reactions from my friends have been overwhelming, rallying in support of me and my new venture. They have lent their unique skills to see my business succeed, which fills me with gratitude. I hope I can help their pursuits thrive along the way as we uplift each other. My creative friend Angela designed the custom font and logo for rockNflow (credit: Insta @angtarantula), my talented friend Lauren took photos of me (credit: Elle Three Photography), my omie Amanda has shown up to every one of my events, and others have generously given me their feedback and shared wisdom.

My soul is filled with optimism with the launch of Rock N Flow Yoga, a business that is truly authentic to me. I hope to use this new platform to bring mindful and physical health into people’s lives in a fun way one musician and festival attendee at a time!!!!

To book a session, DM me through Instagram @rocknflowyoga or email me at rocknflowyoga@gmail.com.

#yearofyou

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#yearofyou

Before the official start of 2019, I created the hashtag yearofyou and challenged you to invest in yourself this year through healthy activities and events. Trying to lead by example, I’ll share my life experience and the progress on my goals along the way.

Life Experience Share: A friend recently asked me, how do you stay committed to exercise and motivated? My response, set time aside for yourself every day whether it’s 5 minutes, 60 minutes, or whatever and schedule it on your calendar like an appointment. You are more likely to commit to a workout if you treat it like an appointment that you cannot cancel without penalty. If you have a doctor appointment, you take it seriously and don’t skip it. Same goes for self-care time. If you need a mental health recharge, take some quiet time and meditate or listen to music that fills your soul. If you need a physical release, take a yoga class, go for a run, whatever activity challenges you while you are doing it, but then afterward makes you feel fulfilled. My friend shared that she does well for a few days or weeks, goes out and eats/drinks too much, and then feels like all her efforts were for nothing, so she throws in the towel altogether. My advice to her, DON’T GIVE UP! YOU ARE NOT ALONE! This is one of the most common reactions people have when they go off track. If this happens, you need to switch your mindset from self-sabotage that all your workouts were for nothing to it’s alright, I had some indulgences that everyone is entitled to, and I will get back on track! If you do or think in extremes you set yourself up for failure. Nothing is unrecoverable. Will you have to work backward a little to return to the point you were? Yes, BUT your efforts are never a total loss.  

A relevant quote I posted on Facebook that a friend told me … Life is like a camera, focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if something doesn’t turn out, take another shot (try again)!

I strive to present everything I do in life in a meaningful and inspiring way. The yellow color of the hashtag is on purpose. I selected it to empower the words yearofyou because yellow is the color of the Solar Plexus Chakra, the Third Chakra of the body known as the Manipura. It is the center point in which all energy from the power of life and vitality flow throughout your entire body. It governs self-esteem, warrior energy/anger, and transformation and it controls digestion and metabolism.

Mental Core Exercise: Get some fresh air and meditate outside on a sunny day focusing on your breathing.

Physical Core Exercises: Anything that works your core or involves twisting — crunches, plank, twisted lunges, Boat Pose or Child’s Pose.

2019: Year of Transformation

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Every December I set core fitness goals for the upcoming year to give me something to focus on and to plan my training. I also try to calculate expected financial costs because as fellow racers know, a year’s worth of race expenses adds up quickly. In addition to my main goals, I sprinkle in smaller events throughout the year as people tell me about them.

This year there’s an additional component to my plans. Yoga. In 2018, I completed a year of dedicated training to become a certified yoga teacher in both sculpt and power styles, and in December I proudly started teaching sculpt and flow at a yoga studio called Fierce Om. Jenny, the owner/manager, has been amazingly supportive as I strive to build up my client base and become the best teacher I can be.

Bev, my life coach, told me that she foresaw 2019 as being a transitive year for me. Typically, change makes me uneasy, but for some reason, I am very excited by this prospect of life transformation, and I’m going to carry it with me and trust in the journey ahead! 

The reason why I started Gal on the Go was to inspire girls and other women through my life examples, to take reasonable risks trying things outside of their comfort zones that would help them to lead healthy lives and discover what they are capable of in areas they never imagined!

Since 2014, when I entered my first race, the Virginia Spartan Super, I have learned a lot through trial and error and advice given to me by other racers. One thing you should never underestimate is the power of your mindset. Sure, physical training is essential, but your mindset can have a significant influence on your outcomes in life situations. Keeping your mindset in check when moments of uncertainty start to creep in is crucial. IF you find your head leading you down a path of doubt or negativity, I offer you these two things to help you push through …

  • A mantra … Mirror, mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall. And whether I run, walk, or have to crawl, I’ll set my goals and achieve them all!
  • A song (music is a great mind booster) … download and crank up DREAMER by Black Violin.

I promise that you can truly achieve anything you set your mind to combined with honest prep work. Every time during a race, defeating thoughts enter my mind at a grueling point and I have to focus hard to push them aside. I refuse to let those negative thoughts get the best of me. During those moments I tell myself STOP WITH THE SELF-SABOTAGE! I CANNOT FAIL, I WILL NOT FAIL! I may not finish exactly how I hope, BUT make no mistake, I will finish. I am naming 2019 the #yearofyou; get out there and do things that fulfill both your mind and your body!

So what’s coming up in 2019? Some cool stuff!!! Here’s a sneak peek.

YOGA EVENTS I’M LEADING

(NOTE: If you are seeking an enthusiastic yoga instructor for your event, email me at galotgo@gmail.com.)

DATE EVENT LOCATION
January 27 (Sun.)

 

 

 Doggy Noses + Puppy Poses: Yoga Flow Class @10:30 a.m.
NOTE: Tickets SOLD OUT in two days!!! Thank you!		 Mustang Sally Brewery, Chantilly, VA

 
February 9 (Sat.)

 

 

 Athleta In-Store Sculpt Class @9:00 a.m.
Free and open to the public.*bring your own weights		 ATHLETA, Reston, VA

 

 
February 17 (Sun.)

 

 New Year Transformative OmWorkshop: Nutrition + Restorative Yoga; Time: TBD Fierce Om, Chantilly, VA

 
??? ??? ???

RACES I’M PARTICIPATING IN

(NOTE: If you there is a race you think I should do or you are looking for a team member email me at galotgo@gmail.com with the details.)

DATE EVENT LOCATION
May 5 TD Five Boro Bike Tour (40 miles) NYC
August 17 SeaWheeze Half Marathon + Yoga Festival Vancouver, BC
??? ??? ???

I don’t have any financial sponsors yet for 2019, but I hope to have some soon. I was fortunate last year to have the support of Westfields Dental, Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute, Essence of Om, and Downs and Associates Insurance. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Gal on the Go, please email me at galotgo@gmail.com.

“Here’s to the dreamers! Yes, I’m a dreamer!”

– black violin

Together We Rise

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Julie & Madeline
Morgan & Jen

My fearless yoga sculpt teachers Madeline and Kim led an empowering theme class in honor of International Women’s Day! Forty-three women and men joined together at CorePower Yoga Fairfax to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, political, and (health and fitness) achievement of women. The music and sequence were motivating and the whole class had a blast! During the midpoint of class, Kim yelled “I see you,” words of encouragement she uses to acknowledge that she knows we are working hard and giving it all we have to push through to the end! Two mother-daughter duos in attendance I thought were particularly inspiring, Madeline and her mom Julie, and devoted sculptor Jen who brought her daughter Morgan.

Today, I offer all of my #galOTgo followers this intention … “Don’t run away from what looks like a challenge. It may be an important part of your path. You have to be persistent and follow what you believe.”
– Tao Porchon-Lynch, 99-Years-Young Yoga Master