Medford Farmer's Market

It's that season again where fresh produce can be purchased directly from the grower's themselves. The City of Medford now has a Farmer's Market which not only provides us locals with fresh veggies and fruits, but also helps supports local farmers. This year's Farmer's Market takes place every Thursday starting June 21st through October.

When: Every Thursday (June 21st through Oct. 18th) 2-7P
Where: River Street & adjacent cemetery space in Medford Square
Who: Farmers, Local Merchants, Craftspeople, and Performers

Additional information is on their blog: http://medfordsquaremarket.blogspot.com/

If you do make it out, let me know what you think. Also, if you have information about other farmer's markets nearby, let me know as well! I can post them on here to share with others.

So Do YOU Think You Can Dance?

I am so inspired by the dancers on "So You Think You Can Dance" and really want to pick up dancing for fun.

So believe it or not, there is actually an evening, weekly dance program in Medford at SpringStep! They offer several different types of dance that meets once a week for a small fee. Upcoming courses for the summer are reaching its deadline on July 5th, so if you are interesting in taking dance classes in the summer, you should register soon.

I think I will be signing up for Monday's hip-hop class which meets 630P-730P from July 9th - Aug 13. If you are interested in joining me, I could definitely use the company and laughs, do let me know.

Check out their website for further details and registration. If you plan on registering for the hip-hop course, let me know. If you aren't sure, then I encourage you to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" on Wed. nights. Okay, it's cheesy reality show, but I love it!

SpringStep's official website for more details

Boston Health & Fitness Expo

This weekend, at the Hynes Convention in Boston, the Health & Fitness Expo will take place. As you can tell, the event is free for all and I'm sure there will be tons of valuable info, free food, and fun activities.

If you are interested in joining me this weekend, perhaps Saturday afternoon, let me know. I am interested in going to see what it's all about. There better be something about yoga there!!! :)

For more details, check out their official website at: http://www1.whdh.com/healthexpo/

If you're interested in joining me, send me an e-mail!
Cheers and be well!

"Spiritual Bling" that's for sure!

The music I generally play during yoga practice is often times what I listen to most. I love ambient, funk, world music that's not only uplifting, but gets you rocking to it.

One of my fave groups currently is The Dum Dum Project - an Indian hip-hop/ambient/underground group from Brooklyn, NY. You may have heard some of their upbeat tracks during yoga. Some of my fave tracks from their latest album "Export Quality" are Hey Diwani, Hey Diwana and Nataraja.

If you're interested in chill-out music for the long ride to wherever then I would highly suggest this album - of course, that's if we have similar tastes in music.

Sometimes, I do tune out during yoga practice and not even realize the music is on, but when it is off, I certainly notice the distractions more, so I hope that although you may disagree with the music during class, that at least it filters the noises going on outside of the class. Besides, I can tell you are so focused during practice that you may not even realize the music in the background.

If you have suggestions for music, please share!

Yoga - "a tonic for the body and the mind"

There was a brief article in the LA times recently about yoga's benefits not only to the body, but to the mind as well:

The notion that yoga is a tonic for the mind, as well as the body, isn't such a stretch anymore.

Practicing yoga may boost a neurotransmitter associated with regulating depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new report in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., used magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging to measure levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, levels in the brains of eight regular yoga practitioners. They found that the yoga group experienced a 27% increase in GABA levels after an hour of yoga, while 11 control subjects, who read for an hour, received no such benefits.

"The study shows that there's a neurochemical response to the practice of yoga that's similar to neurochemical responses we see when people are treated with antidepressants," says lead author Dr. Chris Streeter, an assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

Although yoga has been associated with a reduction in depression and anxiety, the study is one of the first to provide hard evidence. "This is a behavioral intervention that you can use to augment treatment," says Streeter. "I would recommend it."

Like you needed an article to confirm that! :)

Ahh.... It's the smell of relaxation

I am a huge fan of lavender scent, especially within the home space. Lavender is considered by many to be a natural, alternative remedy for a variety of common ailments ranging from anxiety, headaches, to insomnia, which is why it's seen in so many products from perfume, to hand wash, to lotions, and even laundry detergents. Studies have shown that lavender can ease stress, induce relaxation, and even invigorate the senses.

Recently, I purchased a home plug scent diffuser from Henri Bendel collection at Bath & Body Works in lavender (of course). A bit skeptical, because these diffusers never last more than a day, but surely enough, I was wrong. The scent is absolutely amazing -- clean, fresh, and cool.

So I wanted to mimic this in our yoga classes, because breathing is difficult as is in Ardha Chandrasana (Balancing Half Moon Pose), but to be able to breathe in a lovely, relaxing scent makes it all the easier and better... so I am going to try Method's lavendar lemongrass aroma pill during class this week.

For those in attendance, let me know what you think!