Fall always feels transformational to me; this Fall especially so. I took the past two weeks to literally go into the woods….by myself. I unwittingly went into my “closed for renovation” mode.

I planned to spend 2 weeks with my daughter and take a Yin Yoga teacher certification in upper Michigan. Family issues prevented me from staying with my daughter, so I made the bold move to ask a friends Father to stay with them. This was a good exercise for me.  I like many, find it easier to give help than to ask for help.

I preceded this with a weekend with a dear friend and fellow nutritionists and was labeled the “one most stressed and challenged”. By the time I drove the 14 hours, and after a brief visit with my son, daughters and grandchildren, I had 4 hours to sleep before class began.

Here’s why I made the journey:

In this beautiful little beach town in upper Michigan lays a remarkable yoga studio. This haven, Yoga4, is owned by a wonderful, creative and talented woman, Christen Landry. Our instructor, Sandra Carden, is a remarkable woman with 50 years of experience, mentoring and mentored with other top teachers around the world.

What was Sandra’s transformational message?

Think about everyone you know who sits at a computer all day and has neck and back pain and/or hunched back and shoulders. Think of the athletes who have sculpted muscles but cannot sit on the floor, nor have the flexibility to easily bend over to pick up a fallen object. Our bodies are constantly remodeling from our minute-by-minute choices. It’s up to us whether we are conscious or not in our movements.

Since “sitting is the new smoking,” it is important to get up and move every hour or two. Opposite movements heal.

It’s easy to push ourselves and overdo, especially with a full practice when preparing to leave town. So it was with me. Two and a half to four hours of yoga a day allowed me to unwind. I planned to work the first week but found myself detoxifying with a resultant headache and congestion. The gift of dis-ease is that it forces you to stop. Instead of work, I slept, I meditated, I cried. The fact that it was damp and cold with rain and thunderstorms just added to my mood. In the end, it felt cleansing.

Through yoga, I’ve learned to weather and even honor these low periods. Through acceptance of our imperfections, allows self-discovery and growth that leads to transformation.

Often we fail to recognize how we store our “issues in our tissues”. Yin Yoga is a way to gently unwind and remodel the body from the inside out. It is the opposite of the yang Vinyasa style of yoga. It’s the necessary balance to the type A workaholic or the competitive athlete. It is complementary medicine at it’s best. I plan to teach a combination class in my studio one night a week this fall. Email me if you are interested in joining us, ljackson@carpediemwellness.org 

I also took my own 7-day Intermittent Fasting KickStart program and found it quite natural and an easy plan to do. I also felt great on it. My friend Margo came over yesterday and thought I looked like I had lost weight. I definitely remodeled myself from the inside out.

If you’d like to learn more about our new 7 day Intermittent Fasting Kickstart, join us for a free online webinar this Thursday evening at 5pm. Click HERE to Register for the Webinar  We are partnering with Tasty6 to offer amazing fresh raw juices and more, to support your optimal health. 

Here’s to your personal transformation! Carpe Diem.

Lisa