Who are you and what have you done with Lori?

"You only know how a snake crawls when you become a snake."

As a teacher in yoga, if you have not examined yourself thoroughly, completely and continually, then you can not help your students.

As human beings, it's part of our nature to seek balance and understanding.

Like most of the western population, I've been running 90 miles an hour with my hair on fire, basically living life in a controlled fall. When I began to slow down, I realized just how much I depended on momentum to keep going. Not only did I discover that I was grotesquely out of balance, I learned that if I did nothing to correct the imbalances, they would certainly continue to manifest themselves in my life in exponential proportions and ways that were completely unmanageable.

Yoga provides us the tools to find balance in our lives. From self-awareness to form and asana practice to the bones of yoga: breath. Your breath is the bridge between your body and your mind. When your mind is agitated the fluctuations are reflected in your breathing patterns. Breath not only reflects your state of mind, it also can be recruited to calm your mind. Indeed, there is a neurological sensory and motor response between your breath and your mind. Prana or life force energy is brought into the body primarily through your breath. So, if you aren't getting enough, you are cheating yourself of oxygen AND PRANA. If you are running 90 miles an hour, if you have injuries, disease, stress, a poor environment, unresolved grief (who doesn't?)... all of these things contribute to our inability to breathe fully. The result? Your body becomes stressed and this creates even more anxiety further tipping you out of balance.

When you begin to MANAGE your breath, you can begin to "take the tooth out of the tiger," you can relax your mind and FINALLY come into to balance, the gap, the stillness within.

Is your yoga practice ALL physical? (yes Bikram yogis, I'm talking to you!) Well, then you can rest assured that you are indeed out of whack. If you are out of whack in your yoga practice, guess where else you are screwed up? Do you want to live your life just getting by, dulling the pain with more pain? Pain doesn't cure pain, stillness cures pain - understanding cures pain - freedom cures pain and the recipe for success all begins with balance.

The sugar conundrum continues...

Sugar. That beastly little grain from a cain. It is so enticing, so so... addictive? YES. The truth is slowly coming to light - that little white powdery stuff we all love is in fact ADDICTIVE. I know, you don't want to hear it. You don't drink, you don't do "drugs", you just have a little dessert from time to time, only eat a roll or two or three before dinner, only one potato chip - really, just one. Heck, you might even be vegan so maybe you only eat chips and guac for dinner. You don't even drink coffee that often and you only put just a little cream in it, right? Why am I talking about chips and guac or coffee and cream when the subject is obviously sugar? Sugar is sneaky. It's either in these things (that Venti Chai Soy Latte is loaded with it) or when something is heavily processed like chips, white bread and other things like plain old pasta and pretty much everything that is "shelf stable", it is no longer food, it's actually pure refined carbohydrate and your body can't use it. Good ole plain white refined sugar is even worse - it drains our bodies of vitamins and minerals. And it's also acidic - when eaten every day (and who doesn't eat it every day? you? Ha!) causes the body to become overly acidic and then the body searches down deep for vitamins and minerals, leaching the body of any remnants that might be left. Then... the liver becomes taxed. The frustrating part is - you may not even know you are eating it. Sugar is sneaky, it's hiding around every corner, lurking in all of your food. Cereal, instant oatmeal, juice, mayonaise, mustards, ham, even turkey and other meats, milk products, yogurt, soy/rice milk products, Asian takeout foods, Pizza sauce, sausages, sweet potato fries, corn chips, baked beans, ketchup, bar-be-que and so much more... Pretty much everything you put in your mouth on Thanksgiving? Yep - Grandma has loaded it with sugar. Even the stuff with "no sugar added" has sugar in it. You know when you take a bite of Pad Thai and you are in heaven? Do you know why? Sugar. You know when you are craving salty chips or fries - why? Sugar. Pizza? Sugar. Sandwich? Sugar. Salad dressing? You guessed it. SUGAR.

Even Dr. Oz has been talking about the effects of too much sugar. Fatty liver ain't just for alcoholics any more y'all - it's for sugar-holics too. It used to be thought that only alcoholism caused fatty liver, but then, it also used to be thought that the world was flat. It's time to open your mind to the truth about sugar. Too much sugar means too much acid. Too much acid means too much inflammation. Inflammation is an immune system response - it's the body's attempt to protect itself from "injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process." When there is chronic inflammation, there is chronic disease.

"Chronic inflammation may be the root of all degenerative disease." - Dr. Andrew Weil, www.drweil.com

What's worse is the list of chronic diseases that are linked to chronic inflammation: allergies, Alzheimer's, anemia, arthritis, cancer, congestive heart failure, fibromyalgia, fibrosis, heart attack, kidney failure, lupus, psoriasis, stroke... Are you paying attention now?

"To heal anything, you must know it's cause. As stated at the beginning, chronic inflammation begins at the end of your fork... Sodas, French fries, chips and burgers are the real weapons of mass destruction."

OUCH.

It hurts, I know. But sometimes the truth hurts.

Don't look so sad... It's 100% possible to enjoy food and it's so much more enjoyable when you eat REAL food and know exactly what is in the food you are eating. Moderation, moderation, moderation. First of all, make it a habit to steer clear of High Fructose Corn Syrup, avoid refined carbs like white sugar and corn syrup. Instead, seek out real sugar - sugar that is natural or only very slightly refined. Have you ever actually used REAL maple syrup? It tastes TOTALLY different than the maple syrup flavored corn syrup we all grew up on. Try baking with Agave Nectar instead of refined white sugar, re-train your palate to like the way foods taste without adding sugar to them. Avoid cooking dinner recipes that call for added sugar. If you know something has added sugar, eat something else. Know what's in ketchup? Yep. Added sugar. Juice, you wonder? Why drink the juice when you can eat the fruit? It's better for you. It's that simple. There really are other options. You just have to wrap your mind around the idea that your body is your temple and that food is fuel. The more processed the food, the less nutritional value and the higher it is on the glycemic index... which means, it becomes highly addictive and has the same effect on your body as that sneaky, five-letter-word: SUGAR.

I realize this is a lot to think about. It may even turn your world upside down. In the words of a very wise-with-words man, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." Yes, you can still have your sugar and eat it to. But THINK about it before you eat it.

Step...away...from...the...cupcake!

Kombucha!

Every morning I have my breakfast and a Kombucha. What is a Kombucha you say? Well, I shall tell you. Firstly it is pronounced kom-BOO-cha. It's a tasty drink, but it's so much more than that. It's an organic and raw elixir... of life!

G.T.'s Synergy Kombucha says, "Kombucha is alternately known as a Chinese tea, a plant, or a mushroom. But it's not really any of these. It's a living culture of beneficial microorganisms.... it is delicately cultured - some liken it to fermentation - for 30 days. During this period, essential nutrients form like active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. All of these combine to create an elixir that immediately works with the body to restore balance and vitality."

I came across it after an advanced yoga training in Hawaii. At least 30 or more folks were driking it between classes. I'm not in to overpriced juice drinks. I don't waste my money on bottled juice period. Eat the fruit for goodness sake. So what is this expensive bottled drink that tells me it will rejuvenate, restore, revitalize, repelenish and regenerate me? I was determined to find out for myself.

I picked up a bottle at the local Whole Foods for a hefty price tag, there were plenty of flavors so I went for the one that sounded the most tasty, mmmmm mango. So I open it and have a little taste and then immediately dumped the whole thing out. Bleh! What a waste of money! Those people who drink this stuff are crazy! Gross! A week later, I've sworn off Kombucha and I mentioned this to a fellow yogi. He told me he felt the same way until he tried the grape. He always recommends "first time Kombucha-ers" try grape. So I gave it another shot... hmmm... not bad... if you like wine or beer, there is a similar fermented flavor and aroma of grape must... kinda tasty in fact... and immediately I noticed my head feeling clearer, my shoulders relaxing and my energy lift. My stomach, though not upset, actually felt settled and my entire body felt great!

How on earth can a simple "tea" do all that?

Kombucha isn't so simple, it's packed organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols. It helps with elimination y'all, and who here in the south doesn't need help with that! Kombucha also helps with: digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, healthy skin and hair. (from G.T. Dave, Synergy Kombucha). Now it's no miracle pill, it's just a drink guys - so don't get up in arms if you try it and you aren't "fixed." You have to fix you, but this drink can certainly help.

The controversy you may have heard about in regards to this amazing drink is some folks who made it themselves at home in unsanitary conditions. The "tea" must ferment so that will take time - if you do it at home, be very careful and follow instructions completely. Or just quit Starbucks and join the Kombucha revolution like me. Yes, it's pricy but man is it worth it!

So - go to your natural health food store and pick up the Grape flavor. Look for one with a few bubbles on the top, it should be lightly effervescent. DON'T shake it, could very well explode all over you! (I speak from personal experience whilst driving - bad idea.). Then venture out and try all the flavors - my long time favorite is gingerberry.

Mmmmm... just finished my last sip. Love this stuff.