Avon Walk Chicago 2015 / Reebok

I was so extremely grateful to be asked to teach yoga again this year at the Reebok wellness tent for the Avon Walk Chicago.

There is something truly magical about the day, the intense energy of love abound. I have walked for many years, for friends and family and it has been a goal of mine to always stay involved. To continue to help raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer prevention is a passion it is a cause that is dear to my heart.

I taught 4 classes this year for Reebok, and although it was chilly out, each class was full . I met women walking for women in their family, women walking for themselves, first time walkers, volunteers and even had some of the youth crew (who i fell in love with ) stop by. Yoga unites the body and mind, and that is exactly what these ladies needed after walking 26.2 miles . We talked, laughed and even shed some tears as the ladies unwound with me and allowed their hearts to be exposed.

I AM grateful beyond measure to both Avon and Reebok, for allowing me to be a part of this amazing program.  Here are a few photos from the day.

In Love and Wellness,
-A

NFL Draft 2015 Chicago

There were NFL Draft signs around Chicago for weeks on end yet it quite never clicked with me that the draft was actually IN Chicago .  I didn't put 1+1 together until the city started setting up staging and the NFL zone which was visible out my window . My first thoughts were 1. To take my kids to explore a little and 2. To leave town .

I've exposed my kids to college football and we always watch the Super Bowl together so I knew that my kids would enjoy exploring a little. Leaving town, that was a natural reflex for many reasons , one being to avoid the huge crowds and traffic in my back yard.

Being a yogi, we did what we do best and found a couple of our favorite teams and did a little yoga . The little guy especially loved climbing inside of the helmets and running through them while my girls tried to name all of the teams represented . No crowds, no hassle and something new and exciting in the city.

And then I left town .. And enjoyed 3 days alone : thinking ,healing and allowing myself to Just Be.

Avoiding love.

..Avoidance doesn't give you resolution. 

For a couple of months I've been avoiding a situation in order to shut it out of my mind , to numb my heart from feeling pain. I knew it wouldn't work l but I pushed through with trying my best to not think about the situation , to allow my heart to go on hiatus . 

 What happened instead is that I felt disconnected , lost , unsure and cold. This is not me, yet it's what happened when I avoided my feelings , when I avoided dealing with matters of the heart. 

 

The universe is funny in a way.. Showing you everything that you want and need , allowing every cell in your body to feel alive again, then in one instant taking it from you. A cruel trick ? Or simply a lesson on patience , faith and trust ? Or maybe it's all something that happened in my mind but didn't happen in reality ? The questions, the thoughts are all overwhelming and make me scream and cry and question it all .. And go numb. My heart goes numb yet again. Because when it's numb I don't have to wonder about anything, and when it's numb I can't hurt... Yet when it's numb, I can't love . I can't love . 

And more than anything in this world , I want love . I want to love with every ounce of my being, so hard that I can't breathe, nor sleep.. Because then I know I'm alive and thriving, not merely surviving . I want to love out loud and quietly , I want to love hard and in the gentlest of ways. I want to love with compassion, trust and faith. I want to love with complete vulnerability . I want to love you, simply and without a doubt, just you. But today and everyday until then,  I protect my heart from the unknown .