Yoga for a Healthy Body Image -- *free* workshop!

Yoga for a Healthy Body Image
Find Your Sweet Spot with this *Free* Love Your Body Month Workshop
at the Atlanta Ballet – Cobb Centre

How: Love yourself, move your body, live free. Through movement, breath work and body awareness meditations, learn when to push and when to surrender. Striking a balance between effort and ease can help you find your edge, your middle, your sweet spot. Let your intuition and breath lead your movement for your body and your life – Breathe and let the rest follow. Then, practice writing with the body to help connect your body, breath and spirit. Caroline Gebhardt, a registered yoga teacher and owner of FLOW Training, will lead the workshop creating a non-harming, non-competitive atmosphere.

When: Sunday, February 20, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Where: Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, the Cobb Centre:
2000 Powers Ferry Road SE, Suite G4, Marietta, GA 30067 – (678-213-5000)

Why: Each February, the Eating Disorders Information Network (EDIN) launches LOVE YOUR BODY MONTH which provides educational workshops, seminars and other events to help promote positive body images and to help prevent disordered eating. For more information about EDIN, visit www.myedin.org .

Who: No yoga experience necessary. Just bring an open mind.

Cost: Free – Donations are welcome and will benefit EDIN 100%.

What to bring: Please bring a mat, a cushion if desired, water, and a journal.

Questions/RSVP: An RSVP is appreciated but not required. Contact Caroline Gebhardt at 404.210.6752 or caroline@mybodyflow.com


Love Yourself, Move Your Body, Live Free
www.mybodyflow.com

Southeast Snowbunnies - FLOW in the Snow!

Southeast Snowbunnies, do you have cabin fever yet? I do. Well, almost. But, instead of succumbing to a poor, woe-is-me, I'm-snowed-in-and-sick-of-it attitude, here are a few things I've done or am doing to take care of my body - and my sanity! Check 'em out, they might help you too.

1) Bundle up, and take a walk. Crunch, crunch, crunch down your street (if you're like me, you thank God for hiking boots and anything that resembles something waterproof, even if it's an Anne Klein "raincoat"), and check out the pretty icicles lining the gutters on the houses you pass. Take your dog if you have one, and let him color the snow yellow. Hey, everyone's gotta go. And, take it from me, in order for you to actually enjoy your walk, make sure you potty before you take the long hike around your neighborhood (it takes longer than you think to walk in three pairs of pants), or you'll be waddling home like a sad little duck unable to enjoy the icicles and cute snowmen.

2) Stretch. And breathe. I know you've probably enjoyed episode after episode of whatever Bravo tv show you like, or perhaps you're a Lifetime Movie Network marathoner like moi. But, have you checked into your body lately? Have you stretched your legs or reached your arms way up in the air? Have you taken a deep breath and let it all out in the past 48 hours? Matter of fact, take that deep breath outside - just stick your head out your door just to breathe in the moisture and freshness.

3) Be grateful. I'm not going to tell you to write a gratitude list, but just wherever you are, simply think of the comforts surrounding you. A heated home (okay, hopefully, if your power is in check). Blankets. A space heater (can you tell I'm all about the heat?). The luxury of staying home unless you have a job that requires you to be on the road (to those who are forced to battle the ice, I am grateful for you). Food in the fridge (if you don't, where were you burrowed when the milk-and-bread rush happened on Saturday and Sunday?). Books to read. Animals to pet. Cell phones. Bejeweled and whatever other mindless-yet-fun computer game you love. And the list goes on...just give thanks.

4) Recite this mantra. On a more serious note, I do know that this can be a challenging time for people for a variety of reasons. Maybe you can't get to a support meeting or take your favorite class that lifts the world's worries from your shoulders. Maybe you feel lonely and are sick of being sick of being snowed in. Maybe you simply want to scream. Maybe you're a Southerner who's simply in a snowy pickle and wants her way out. I learned the following mantra at Kashi Atlanta and have used it when I've been physically ill or just when I needed gentle affirmations of wellness. Get comfortable, breathe, and repeat for as long as you can:

May I be filled with loving kindness.

May I be well.

May I be peaceful and at ease.

May I be happy.

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