Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Heart Bursting: Kicking Cancer's Asana

Meet Mary Beth LaRue and Jacki Carr of
It was a battle. The alarm just went off and my body knew that the time it needed to reset was cut short. I opened my eyes, slowly climbed out of bed, and slipped on my favorite pair of yoga pants. My body protested until it figured out that we were driving to the ocean and then the spirits began to lift. As soon as I parked my car and found my way down Main St., stopping in for a chai at the hole-in-the-wall Groundworks, and devouring a dreamy slice of banana nut bread, I felt lighter, freer, and sure that the time I missed under my covers would soon be forgotten.

Some mornings we just need to get up early, fight against out tired eyes, and do some yoga with some inspiring souls. And trust me, these ladies, are INSPIRING to the core. Mary Beth and Jacki are the women of Rock Your Bliss, a movement to put goals into your mind and connect them in your body.

"the moment you set a goal it's already in action in your body and in the universe" (Mary Beth)

This particular gorgeous morning, the sun was shining, the air felt crisp, and I could feel the universe buzzing.

The Rock Your Bliss event was held at the incredible yogitoes rExperience Lab. The space, with it's beautiful hardwood floors and open skylight which poured warm yellow light into the room, instantly felt like home. The event was sponsoring Kick Cancer's Asana, a non-profit that raises awareness for Renal Cell Carcinoma. We were all jazzed to be there for an amazing cause and even more excited about lifting the energy of the room to help send those we love healing yogi vibes. The event started with Jacki "dropping some knowledge" and seriously I LOVE WHEN JACKI DROPS SOME KNOWLEDGE! She talked a lot about living our lives ON PURPOSE (not the same thing as WITH PURPOSE). This subtle semantic choice made me stop in my tracks. Yes, living life on purpose, puts me in the now, it holds me accountable to myself and those around me. It means that every action, choice, and decision that I participate in shapes who I am in this moment. That is profound, and we hadn't even gotten to the yoga yet.
Mary Beth was up next. She calmly set the space and got us mentally prepared to absorb Jacki's intention and bring it into our bodies through our practice on the mat. Her flow was playful, challenging, and fun. The most profound moment of the practice was when she said, "My teacher always says that balance is found being resting and playing", and so is the practice. It's about knowing when to take a leap, jump into the unknown, set sail, and then also aligning with the fact that we need to slow down and find a time to rest our bones every now and then. When we live in this place of balance, we are free. Most practices I struggle to find my breath. It's always there, I just don't always connect to it. As I slowed down my movements and focused on practicing "on purpose", MB said, "create a space and fill it with your breath". I let my body talk to me in a way I hadn't been able to access before. I made space for what I needed in my day, in my body, in the moment, and I sent breath there! Rock Your Bliss's mantra "making shift happen" perfectly sums up the mind and body connection that these two women create.

And these two are up to some seriously cool stuff! Follow them and stay tuned in for more amazing experiences to radically alter the way you show up for life.

I know it's blurry. We're yogis, blurry is fine. 
Rad Raffles from Tiny Time Machines and Lalita Designs. They haven't left my wrist for weeks. 
rExperience Lab

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