GRAY AWAY

today's post is a little personal. 

the morning i turned 25 (a few years ago) i woke up the morning of my birthday to my first gray hair. crazy! for a while there was just one or two, but then they started multiplying... no i was not plucking them. just hard to hide when there are more than just a few. 

getting hooked on having someone color/highlight my hair was something i was addicted to for too many years and didn't want to turn back to. so i decided to try it on my own. 

i went with something not as intense, no as hard to mess up and something that would washout (over 3 months) if i really messed up that bad. 

wella is the brand i use. i chose a demi-permanent haircolor (non lasting) that needs to be mixed with the color charm activation lotion: 1 part color, 2 parts lotion. 

it looks a little dark in this picture but my color of choice is 6G 6/35 dark golden brown (this is almost exactly my natural color)!

helpful hints:

-wear a shirt you don't mind getting stains on 

-wear gloves!! 

-i like to use a slant tipped applicator 

-lay a towel out around your work area- its a little messy 

-be sure to catch the drips on your forehead 

-try to section off your hair, cover all of your scalp first, then go back for the rest

(rub it in to your scalp to get full coverage!)

-let sit for 20  minutes (you can use a shower cap, but i don't)

-when its time to rinse, just get in the shower and let it all run down the drain

YOGA: WHAT YOU NEED

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 

if you plan on making a commitment to your mat (and yourself) this year it might require a little investing in some good yoga basics. and by commitment i mean you get on your mat a few times a week and really sweat it out!

first things first: GET YOUR OWN MAT. most studios will provide you with a loaner mat, but lets be real, how many people have dripped their body content of sweat on it before you did? just get your own! if your new to yoga and a manduka mat is a little over your budget, target sells great mats too (my first mat was from target!)

second: what you wear to the studio is total up to you. there's a lot of lululemon out there, but don't feel like you have to wear lulu to do yoga! 

personally two of my go-to items at the moment are from MPGsport.com: the Trek Jacket and the Pegasus Leggings are the most comfortable yoga items i currently own. 

lastly: two accessories that go with me everywhere are the take me with you tote and the vinyasa scarf -->even outside of yoga the bag has become a travel staple and the scarf an everyday go to when i leave the house. 

food for thought when you are on your mat:

-listen to your body. just because the yogi next to you is in some crazy inversion doesn't mean you need to hurt yourself to get into the same pose. 

-every day is different on the mat. one day you might have the best balance, the next day standing in tree post might seem like the most difficult pose ever. 

-if you've been going to yoga for a while, try to tune into the verbal cues the teacher is giving the class. alignment is very important! 

-relax and enjoy your time on the mat. remember that time if for you!!

oh and always remember to breath!!

CERTIFIED

a few days ago, i posted that i was only a short few days away from being a certified yoga instructor... well as of yesterday evening it's official! I AM A CERTIFIED YOGA TEACHER! the past six months have been amazing. i went through training with some amazing ladies, even made friends for life. i enjoyed learning something i was truly interested in, oh and a little sanskrit on the side! my personal practice grew so much, i have enjoyed pushing myself and finding my new edge and passion in my personal practice. 

thank you to our amazing instructor, yoga guru and friend, the inspirational and beautiful susie caicedo! you helped each of us grown into our personal practice and find a voice for teaching what we truly love! (and you kicked my yoga butt five times a week for the past six months and it was worth every inch of pain and drop of sweat!)

toasting to the occasion with laughter, smiles and of course a little champagne and mala-beads!

he's to each and every one of you- it's been a life changing experience! 

see you on the mat soon. 

Namaste. 

SHARING A SUNSET

on the daily SP and i share pictures from our day with each other... a few days ago he sent me this one and i said: i know how much you like sunset pictures, so i took this one for you!

he's right, i do love me a good sunset. its a few moments of the day where God gets to paint a masterpiece and share it with us all!

happy weekend to you- hope you get to enjoy a masterpiece this weekend!

NATIONALLY CELEBRATED

if you didn't know, and i didn't until i saw a friends tweet, today is 'national peanut butter day'!

in the link, you will see it states that most american's consume an average of six pounds of peanut butter every year// i'm pretty sure i consume six pounds of the yummy goodness every two months:) 
apples and peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite snacks- i would say i have it at least every-other day...i am actually eating this very snack while i type this post! 
its a true addiction, i know!