Recently, I received a Yoga Teacher Scholarship in Support of Black Wellness  from My Vinyasa Practice  in support of my completion of a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training. Yes, you read that right: 200 hours. (Also, yes, a totally free yoga teacher training!) While I haven't hit my 200-hour mark just yet (I'm at about the 100-hour mark), these hours have been filled with philosophy, anatomy, theology, and a hefty dose of self-reflection. I had been thinking about signing up for yoga teacher training for some time, but the scholarship really opened up a new opportunity for me, and the virtual nature of it was really just the icing on the cake. (Listen to some of the ways I talked myself out of yoga teacher training in my podcast mini-episode about it.)  I am absolutely in love with my yoga training, in addition to yoga itself. It is a very intensive yoga training, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to go through this training without the high cost normally associated with yo...

This post contains affiliate links. What does that mean? If you make a purchase using a link marked as an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission. Whether we're social distancing or back to our pre-pandemic routine, incorporating a private, at-home yoga practice is a great way to practice self-care and compassion, and is also a great way to enhance your regular yoga practice. You don't need to go out and buy a ton of expensive yoga props if you're just getting started, but there are some pretty basic items that I think everyone should have on hand for their at-home yoga practice.  Yoga Mat Do I Really Need It? Some people might argue that you don't need a yoga mat to practice yoga, and I would generally agree; however, I find that using a yoga mat helps with avoiding slipping, maintaining alignment in certain poses, providing some cushioning, and avoiding getting dirty from the surface below your mat (which can be a major distraction, taking you out of your pra...

I received a free case of Health-Ade Kombucha 's Paradise Variety Pack; nonetheless, all thoughts contained in this post are honest and come straight from the old noggin. This post does contain affiliate links, so if you make a purchase using the affiliate links, I may receive a small commission. Recently, I came to the conclusion that I may, in fact, appreciate watermelon (at least in kombucha).  This might sound weird because the assumption every summer seems to be that everyone loves watermelon. Watermelon is basically the pumpkin spice of the summer. It. Is. EVERYWHERE. Watermelon lemon. Watermelon lattes. Watermelon dish soap. Water(melon), water(melon), everywhere. For a person like me, who has never in their life enjoyed the company of watermelon, this is almost as annoying as the mosquitoes that seem to coincide with watermelon season (is this a coincidence? I think not.). Frankly, I'm more of a throw-mango-in-everything kinda girl, but nobody asked me. Okay, so now tha...

It's been a while since I shared a post about my monthly goals, so I thought that now would be a great time to hop back on that train! Here are my goals for the upcoming month: Stay Positive Teach My First Yoga Class EVER!  Set It (Boundaries) and Forget It! Find More Time for Myself Reinstate My Live Workouts Stay Positive I'm not going to lie: I have been crankier than usual lately. I'm stressed out, I'm not sleeping well, and I'm finding myself complaining more than usual. When I allow too much stress to build up and don't take the time to take care of myself (in a moment, I'll talk about how setting boundaries plays into this stress buildup), I can become cranky and unpleasant. Honestly, the person I think I annoy the most when I get like that is myself, because whining and complaining aren't my bffs.  Regardless of my stress levels - and I can't even predict what's going to happen with stress throughout the month of August. 2020 has been a r...