My Five Favorite FREE Yoga Classes Online

Why not try to do some yoga at home?  I would love to be able to go to a studio class every day, but I don't always have time. That's when I do a home practice. Sometimes I want some guidance, and use these videos.  If you have never done yoga, I suggest numbers 1, 3, and 4.  Enjoy!

1. Prepare for Meditation - 25 minutes
2. Vinyasa - 45 minutes - My go to practice!
3. Relaxation - 20 minutes
4. Yin Yoga / Restorative - 50 minutes - great Sunday/rest day practice
5. Flow - 50 minutes

Simple Food

Photo by Melody Augustin

I'm not much of a cook, which is OK.  Sometimes the simplest foods are the best.  The other night I ate some fresh blackberries with a piece of Godiva dark chocolate.  Yum.  The flavors complimented each other.

Photo by Melody Augustin

Another simple staple for me is red peppers on the grill.  I slice the peppers into similar size pieces and put in tinfoil with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  My husband throws them on the grill for twenty minutes.  Delish!

A Charming Weekend in Savannah

Picture by Melody Augustin

My husband and I just spent an extended weekend in Savannah, and loved it! The square system, on which Savannah's historical district was designed, lends itself to cute neighborhoods and great walking.  If you haven't read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, or even if you have, I recommend reading it before you go.  It really highlights Savannah's feel.  I also recommend taking the trolley tour when you arrive.  It gives you some history and helps to get yourself oriented to the city.  You can get on and off all day.  

Picture by Melody Augustin

Picture by Melody Augustin

Picture by Melody Augustin

Picture by Melody Augustin

There were some great restaurants and stores.  Some I would recommend:

A.lure

Green Truck Pub

The Paris Market

Lowcountry Produce - in Beaufort

Picture by Melody Augustin

Picture by Melody Augustin

Picture by Melody Augustin

It is worth it to take a few side trips outside of Savannah.  We went to Tybee Island to walk on the beach and climb the lighthouse.  We also went to Hunting Island State Park and walked on the beach and boardwalk. 

Picture by Melody Augustin

Restorative Yoga - Child's Pose with Pillows

Sometimes we just don't have time for all the things we need to do, especially when it comes to health and wellness.  It could be a full time job just to keep up with the recommendations - weight training, cardio, yoga, meditation, etc. I do not do a full yoga class every day, but I do try to get ten minutes of "something" in everyday. I think we can all find ten minutes in our day for some yoga, stress relief, or meditation.  Many times I will add something to the end of a more traditional workout.  Today's suggestion is child's pose with a bolster or pillows.

I purposely chose a link that shows the pose with pillows as I realize most people don't own a bolster.  There are some other great postures with pillows here as well.  You can also use blankets.  Use as many pillows and/or blankets as needed to feel comfortable.

No fancy meditation technique is needed.  Just put on some soothing music.  I recommend spending 5-10 minutes in this poses, switching the position of your head half way through.   I highly recommend resting for the full ten minutes.  At a restorative yoga retreat I attended, they stated that it didn't matter which restorative pose you did, the key was the ten minutes.  It takes our bodies that long to really relax.

Take ten minutes this week to try it.  Let me know how you feel after trying this!