Author: Shelley Lowther

One of my first yoga teachers told me a long time ago that somewhere along my yoga journey, I would stop eating meat.  I thought that was funny.  As a good Southern girl, chicken was a regular staple in my diet, and nothing made me happier than a thick, juicy steak, rare.  I thought that hell would freeze over before I even considered becoming a vegetarian. The devil must be cold.  On January 1, 2012, I cut out meat and all other animal products from my diet. 

Yogis are always seeking equanimity. We find ourselves looking for peace and inner calm that can only found by becoming our true, authentic selves. But how do we find ourselves?

As 2011 draws to a close, we are looking ahead to 2012, setting goals and resolutions for the new year. For many of us, those resolutions will be discarded with the wrapping paper, forgotten before the kids are back in school. Consider that one reason resolutions are so hard to keep is that we are trying to add something new into our already very full lives.

The holidays are fast approaching, and with them the familiar feelings of stress, hustle and bustle. This holiday season, take the time to de-stress for holiday success with these yoga poses and tips:

If you are like most people, you notice what goes wrong more than what goes right. I tend to blame myself a great deal more than I praise myself. I find all of the things that I have done wrong, or not well enough, and gloss over the things that I have completed successfully. It is easier for me to beat myself up than to congratulate myself for a job well done.

In his book 40 Days to Personal Revolution, my teacher Baron Baptiste suggests that to achieve positive change in our lives on the path to happiness, we need to remove the rocks.

Meditation has helped me open my eyes to truly see myself. When I take the time to journey within, I let go of the old trappings and the voice that says, “You are not enough,” the old patterns that encourage me to react instead of respond. Meditation dusts off my brighter inner self and allows me to shine. Meditation does not have to be difficult or complicated.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?   What would you change in your life? Would you try something new? Would you start your own business? A non-profit to serve others? Would you change your career?

If you don’t believe that one person with a vision can change the world, you have not met Paige Elenson. A senior Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga teacher, Paige is the founder of Africa Yoga Project. She embodies the concept of selfless service in action. Paige is the proof that one young woman with an idea can change the planet.

What happens when you take 21 women of different ages (from their 20s to their 50s), shapes and sizes, from different careers and backgrounds, and put them through 14 hot and sweaty power vinyasa yoga classes, a three day fruit cleanse (no food but fruit for three days— really), intense self-inquiry and twice-daily meditation all in eight days? Transformation happens, that’s what.