Share the fun of this newsletter with others
 |
Testimonials
"I have
practiced with Kim for 3 years, she introduced me to yoga and I am not sure
that I would have continued with the practice if it wasn't for her excellent
teaching and positive energy. I enjoy her instruction and appreciate the
emphasis she places on slowing-down and breathing. She helps me to reach a
sense of relaxation and I always feel better after a session with
her." Stefanie, 29, public relations, beaming smile
"Kim has been my yoga
teacher for 5 years and she has been an incredible help to me. She works me hard, explains things
very well and adapts each practice to my needs for that session.
Meditation has lowered my cholesterol
and blood pressure and I have come to incorporate her teachings in my
everyday life. Thanks for
improving the quality of my life."
Peter, 60, lawyer, full of vigor
"I have been
practicing yoga with Kim for over 5 years now. It began with vinyasa yoga
which was a wonderful break from going to the gym. Kim helped me recover
from ACL surgery and my husband recover from back surgery with
strengthening and stretching sessions that were more therapy than yoga and
demonstrated her extensive knowledge of the body. Over the past few years we
did pre and post natal yoga through two pregnancies. Over the course of
the past 5 years Kim has become a great friend who is always there to listen,
offer a new perspective, and give advice on how to better take care of
yourself."
Elizabeth, 31,
interior design, world class mom
|
|
Raspberry Creamsicle Smoothie
1 cup almond milk unsweetened
½ cup frozen raspberries
½ frozen banana or room temp
3 TBL young coconut meat
1 TSP grounded flax seed
splash of pure vanilla extract
Add Cacao powder or nibs super food if you want more antioxidants
|
|
Food For Thought: Fruit
A healthy lifestyle is the key to longevity,
optimum weight, abundant energy and balance. By using fruit to satisfy our
taste for sweetness, we can leave behind the use of chemical, processed and
refined sweeteners. Fruits are easy to digest, are cleansing and cooling and
are great for those who are overstressed and overheated from excessive mental
strain or hot climates. Fruits are filled with fiber and liver stimulants,
which act as natural, gentle laxatives. Whenever possible, buy fresh, locally
grown fruit as opposed to imported fruits shipped from far-off places. This
keeps you eating in season, and more in harmony with your environment and
climate. Eating raw fruit in summer months is highly
cooling, while baking it in the winter months neutralizes the cooling effect.
Fruit in the form of juice is a great choice for cleansing the body, but be
aware that juice rapidly raises blood sugar levels, leading to an energy crash
soon after. Frozen, whole, puréed or juiced fruit can make great summertime
cool-down treats. Try frozen grapes, banana-coconut smoothie popsicles or lime
juice ice-cubes in iced tea! Whether you are having fresh fruit for a light
early morning breakfast, a midday snack or evening treat, enjoy nature's
sweetness and whenever possible buy organic. Here are a few summer fruits and
their health benefits: Apricots: Great for lung
conditions and asthma; used to help treat anemia due to their high copper and
cobalt content. Bananas: Help to lubricate the
intestines, treat ulcers, detoxify the body and manage sugar cravings; are rich
in potassium (which helps hypertension). Cherries: Slightly warming in
nature; increase overall body energy, remedy arthritis and rheumatism and are
rich in iron, which improves the blood. Grapefruits: Treat poor digestion,
increase appetite during pregnancy, alleviate intestinal gas and reduce mucus
conditions of the lungs. Papayas: Tone the stomach, act
as digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing; contain carpaine,
an anti-tumor compound. Raspberries: Benefit the liver and
kidneys, cleanse blood of toxins, regulate menstrual cycles, treat anemia and
can promote labor at childbirth. |
About Snacking ...
 To alleviate snack attack guilt, try to understand why you are snacking
and what snacks work best for your body. Perhaps you snack because your daily
diet is missing nutrition, or because you are eating too little at meals. You
might be snacking to soothe jangled nerves when you are emotional, or to
entertain yourself when you are bored. Whatever your reason, acknowledge it and
start thinking about how to create a life that is nourishing and truly
satisfying. |
The Kula Corner (kula = community of the heart)
 With Goddess yoga teacher Jennifer Pettit, thriving in NYC
KS: What style yoga do you teach?
JP: I teach Anusara (a-nu-sar-a) yoga. Anusara yoga is a
school of hatha yoga
which unifies a life affirming Shiva-Shakti tantric philosophy of
intrinsic goodness with Universal principles of alignment. Anusara means
"flowing with grace."KS: What asana are you into lately?
JP: I'm into recognizing and listening to my own body and what asana serves
the body to align the body with the heart and mind. So, every day is
different. Yesterday was twists all day long.
KS: Favorite retreat place?
JP: Favorite retreat places are Prana del Mar in Baja Mexico ( I will
co-teach a retreat there March 2--26th 2011) and Esalen in Big Sur,
California.
KS: What did you eat for lunch today?
JP: Lunch on the go, Lifethyme's brilliant juice
bar led by master
mixer Melvin, try the all greeens with apple lemon ginger or the sweet
christine. Raw salads are excellent!
KS: When did you go to bed last night and what did you wear?
JP: I make it a personal policy to not look at the time when i go bed, early
or late, i focus on making the sleep time deep and recharging no matter
what time it is, and i meditate before going to sleep. I wore a light
blue silk negligee. TMI?
KS: Not TMI! Thanks, Jen! To find out more information on Jennifer's teaching schedule please click the following link to her website: Chandrakalayoga
|
Inside Student Teacher Relations
Meditation Practice
photo credit: Lucy Johnston click photo for link
I primarily teach yoga privately. The relationship between student and teacher is intimate. The connection that is made is for a lifetime regardless of how long the relationship lasts. As a yoga teacher, I guide my students into unknown territory gently and with permission. My only intention session by session is to serve my student and what will serve them for that given day. There is no slacking as a teacher. On the contrary, the more you get to know the person that you are working with whether it's at 7:00 Am or 8:00 PM, you understand that they have chosen to spend this part of their day with you. This is an honor and I am grateful.
The following are instructions for a client who requested integrating meditation into our sessions. We had been working together for three years when he wanted to add in meditation on a regular basis. We started out with ten minute sessions, and now two years later, we sit for thirty and he usually says that it wasn't long enough. This was a take home guide I wrote for him.
If you want to do forward bend or a side stretch before go
right ahead. You are entering your meditation time and "space". 1) Set
timer for 3 minutes more than the intended "meditation" time. If you want to
sit for 10 minutes set timer for 13 2) Take
a comfortable seat so that spine is tall and you feel comfortable. Feet flat on the floor. Hands resting on thighs. 3) Close
eyes 4) Make
a connection/intention for your practice.
These "connections" are usually not palpable. We can't see grace, love, compassion but we can feel them
and it's this connection that leads to clearing out the cobwebs and opens the
mind and frees space. Reboots the
mind if you will. So say to
yourself, "I am now opening to grace," or "I am now opening to love", etc. It
has been proven that heart disease decreases with this type of meditation. 5) Scan
the face to relax expression, make space in the jaw so that it is slack, relax
hands if they have gripped 6) Ease
into focusing on the breath and this will be the "start" of the meditation and
why you gave yourself an extra 3 minutes to settle into it. 7) Train
the mind to watch the inhale and the exhale. One option so that the posture stays in line, use the words
"lift my heart" when you inhale and then just follow the exhale and you can say
"exhale" if you want. 8) Label
thoughts as "thinking" when you catch the mind wandering and go back to the
basics of inhale and exhale. 9) Be
patient and have compassion for yourself.
Try to just be in the moment with your experience without attachment to
the outcome. 10)See if you can
carve out a little bit of time every day for your practice. If you don't that's OK and if you do,
don't pat yourself on the back. It
is what it is. I like the idea of new experiences for you rather than
trying to recreate what you already know.
I understand the under the influence feeling that drugs can create - that's
why people do them, to feel euphoric or out of themselves, or totally into
themselves. We have the chemicals
in our brains to produce these effects but it's not as direct as taking
something. The process of sitting,
coming into your quiet space and developing the calmness, increasing the good
vibe hormones and decreasing the stress hormones is how the body naturally
creates the good vibes on a regular or more recurring basis and the body reaps
the benefits as does the mind. You just never know when it will happen, but it will and when it does
you know it.
|
 What's steeping? French Lemon Ginger - Caffeine Free - "A breath of fresh air, organic ambrosia is the answer to a clean fresh cup. Combining lemon verbena, lemongrass, botanicals, and ginger complimented with the sweetness of South African honey bush."
MMMMMM. Teas have many healing properties. The traditional use of
honeybush for treating cough may be explained, in
part, by its content of pinitol, an expectorant. The flavones and
isoflavones of honeybush are similar to those in soy,
another leguminous plant, also used in treatment of menopausal symptoms.
I discovered Art of Tea three years ago while in Los Angeles. "Velvet", an original blend of rooibos, chocolate and mint with a hint of vanilla simply put, was a symphony in my mouth. I have been a fan and ordering ever since. Click here for Art of Tea website.
|
|
 KAYA BODY
"AUDREY PANT" IN PLUM
Named after Ms. Hepburn for her classic style, these pants are made from
a 65% cotton/35% nylon/5% lycra blend. The fabric twists, bends and is
super light weight so you won't stay sweaty or wet for long. Perfect for
warm studios and warm days. You'll feel like you're wearing almost
nothing. The cargo style is fully functioning with front pockets which
are great for stashing the basics, like keys and cash.
Made in
NYC in a sweatshop free environment, Kaya Body is a company with a
conscience, style and smiles.
Sizes:
XS (0-2) waist 30"
inseam 23.5" hip 34"
S (2-4) waist 32" inseam 24" hip 36"
M (6-8)
waist 34" inseam 24.5" hip 38"
L (8-10) waist 36" inseam 25" hip 40"
Colors:
Black, Olive and Plum
$55.00 + shipping
Purchase directly through designer (me) 917-545-0938
alternate views EverythingYoga.com
|
|
Celebrating Me (and it's not my birthday)
Kim Stetz is a Holistic Health Counselor and
Experienced-Registered Yoga Teacher. Her
dedication to health and wellness comes from her passion for yoga and
nutritious food. From the very
first time she stepped on a yoga mat in 1992, she knew her life was about to
take the path less traveled. Kim received her
nutrition training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Kim has yoga certifications from OM Yoga, Yoga For Two The Barnes Method (pre/postnatal), Relax and Renew Judith Hansen Lasater, and Anatomy Studies For Yoga
Teachers with Jason R. Brown. Gravitating towards the healing aspects of yoga from
the inside out, Kim's teachings are a mixture of creative and challenging vinyasas, practiced with flow and grace while bringing mindfulness to alignment
and the breath. She has guided many women
through their pregnancies in classes, privately and in couples yoga. Her strong background and training in
therapeutics lends diversity to clients who are recovering from injuries or in
need of healing. She has been
blessed with students for ten years since moving to NYC from LA in 2000. Her personal practice developed
under the guidance of Anthony Benenati City Yoga, LA. Kim is thankful for his guidance and the many other gifted
yoga and meditation teachers that have shared their knowledge and courage. Kim believes that yoga is a way of life that can be embraced by getting
into the nooks and crannies of your heart, body, and mind. Sit, breathe, and smile on the inside. Namaste
|
With light and love,
Healthy Spicy Life with Kim Stetz
Could one conversation change your life? Find
out by scheduling a consultation with me. We will discuss your
unique situation in depth and determine how I can help you reach your health and life goals through nutrition, meditation, yoga and love.
www.kimstetz.com
|
|
|
