Category Archives: Yoga Teacher Training

Random Things I Love Right Now!

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I don’t know about you, but I go through wild bursts of affection for food, objects, ideas, hobbies, music, etc. There is a certain wax and wane to my desires and enjoyments. Things I really like don’t go completely away, but they calm for a period, and then they catch my attention again and I’m caught up. Recently, these have been firing my synapses:

Canon Rebel T3i – I’m so excited to have gotten my first full DSLR camera. Of course, this means that I need to figure out what I’m doing with it more than I have had to in the past and try to do that without spending a small fortune on supplies. I’m working on it 😉

Lynda.com – Learning rocks my socks, and I’m a nerd. So, this website, with all its training on digital technologies and similar is right up my mental alley.


Morrissey – I’ve always been a fan of the Morose One. I got a chance to see him last weekend and was reminded of how much his songs resonate for me, particularly on wet rainy winter days. Many Morrissey/Smiths songs actually make me smile. Go figure.


Ezekiel bread – This is such good stuff that I’ve almost completely given up the more processed breads. Toast a couple of slices of this, add some vegan butter or cream cheese, and slap on some sliced tomatoes. Yum! An easy breakfast with a lot of protein and good carbs. Do not buy it from this link – it’s insanely priced. You should be able to get it at a grocery near you.


Photoshop CS6 – Yeah, it costs about a zillion and twelve dollars, but holy wow, what it can do! My resistance was futile. While it’s still not cheap, the student/teacher version is much less if you qualify.

Yoga flows – I’ve been feeling a little congested in my body (and I don’t just mean the nose) and a good yoga flow seems to open that up. It doesn’t much matter whether it’s a step-back flow or a sun salutation or something different, but a flow that keeps moving and can ease along with the breath feels good in my body and mind.

Sleep – Yeah, well, I like it. Nothing much to say about that. I like it. I particularly like it in the winter when it’s chilly and my bed is warm and I’m snuggled in it with a cat nearby.

Nutritional yeast flakes – I didn’t really like “nooch” when I first encountered it, but I’ve since figured out how to use it and developed a taste for it. Last night it was featured in an eggplant non-parmesan dish that was good enough that my family ate every single scrap.

Doctor Who – I’ve liked it since I was a teenager and I still do. I’m a little meh-meh over how the more recent seasons have had to promote the love interest angle so much, but there it is. I’ll get over it for the humor and fun that is Doctor Who. And yes, that image is of commemorative Doctor Who stamps. If you live in the UK, you could actually send mail with these, but why would you? Click on the picture to learn more from Nerdist.

Fleece-lined tights – Come on! I know! Warm tights to wear under skirts that don’t look thick or saggy? Yep! You might need a pair. Prices on these vary wildly, but Sears has them for just $7 (click the link).

And those are 10 random things I’m loving right now! How about you?

Furless Brushes: The Soft Vegan Wonder.

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I like makeup. It’s like coloring, but on your face. And, I like makeup brushes even more. Back when I used to paint more often, I spent as much money on brushes as I did on paints, and that carried over into makeup brushes. But, being vegan presents some issues in the makeup brush world. Most high quality brushes use either animal hair (squirrel, horse, mink, etc.) or a blend of animal and synthetic. Synthetic brushes are available at the lower price points, but they are often scratch or fall apart quickly.

To add to the complexity, anyone you ask will tell you that I have a little bit of an obsessive tendency about things matching. Having bright orange brushes sitting out in my teal/aqua/blue bathroom was just not going to happen. And, I don’t like having a bunch of different colors (yeah, I know).

So, a friend mentioned an Australian company that makes vegan makeup and brushes – Furless Cosmetics – and I knew I had to check them out. Their brushes looked really interesting, so after a few days of mulling it over constantly, I decided to buy their “must have pro” brush set.

I got them last week and have been using them every day and I’m happy to report that they are all I hoped.

Appearance: These brushes are gorgeous. The blue handles are a deep color, nicely shiny and sturdy looking, but not too big. The ferules are gold (I thought they were silver from the site – a minor disappointment). The bristles look luxurious. They came in a brush roll. It’s not the most gorgeous brush role I’ve seen, but it’s very spacious. You can fit this whole set in and still have room left over.

Feel: Soft. Super soft. In fact, they are so soft that I was worried about performance (see below). The handles are very smooth and have a good weight to them. They are also long (just longer than a standard bottle of water), which may make them inappropriate for some users, but works fine for me.

Performance: One issue with synthetic brushes is that they sometimes don’t pick up enough pigment. They are so soft that the powder just slides right off. That is not an issue at all with the eye brushes in this set. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by their ability to pick up and apply color. The one brush that I have had a bit of an issue with is the slanted contour/blush brush. With harder brushes (i.e. Chanel JC), I sometimes have to pass the brush over several times to get enough pigment.

Specific brush notes:

  • The fan brush is entirely too thick. I only use fan brushes to gently add a little highlighter and this brush (over half inch thick) just doesn’t really make sense for that. It’s adorable and way soft, but too thick for me.
  • The blending brush has completely taken over for my MAC 217 (which I got pre-vegan). It blends well without removing the color.
  • The pencil crease brush is the shiz.
  • The precision brush is quite a bit like the MAC 231 that I often use for lining and works well for tightlining too.
  • The lip brush in this set makes a great eyeliner brush.

In all, I’m really  happy with these brushes. My daughters each got one of the lip glosses, and they are pleased with theirs as well (one did leak somewhat in transit).

Furless is having a 10% off sale right now, and if you have a blog that a review of their products would be pertinent on, you can apply for a blogger discount, which gives you a significant savings on your first purchase.

Happy shopping, vegans!

Time to Reset

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Photo: Max Barners

Sometimes, life seems to wind up, or wind down, or wind around, in odd ways. I’m going along, minding my own business, with a schedule that I stick to and that works for me, and then there is a little bump in the road. Normally, I would hit the bump and then get back in the grove, but on these occasions, another bump happens quickly after, and then another, and another. And pretty soon, my schedule is so off-kilter that I can’t figure out how to get it back.

This has happened in the last two months. It seems like there have been many little bumps getting in the way of my “normal” patterns. April brought banquet season at work, with all of the commitments there that prevent as much time for family, yoga, and blogging. Then we started some home renovations that will be stretching into July. Then we had a couple of graduations going on, and the associated life changes there. My yoga teaching schedule shifted, creating an odd void in my life. I got some sort of virus that had me feeling gross for about a week and threw off my eating completely. Infusion time came around again, which always messes with stuff. And now we are ramping up for a trip to Indiana to see family.

The net result of this is that I’ve pretty much completely stopped meditating, my yoga classes have been down to 2-3 a week instead of 5, my home yoga practice is nil, Mr. VeganAsana and I have had no time together, I haven’t blogged in weeks, and my diet is a mess (veganism isn’t a problem, but I’m eating almost entirely carbs). On the up side, I’ve gotten a lot of little projects done around the house: bathroom painted, kitchen painted, stairwell painted, assorted caulking and grouting, large “crack in time” fixed and painted, all the bathroom stuff purchased, mirror basically installed in basement powder room – just waiting on one part, and new plants watered daily.

It’s good that some things have gotten done, but I’m not happy with what I’ve lost here. This suggests to me that it’s time for a reset. But, how to go about it? I know that it can’t happen until I get back from my trip, and then I have one more treatment and the July 4th holiday right after. So… after that… I’m hoping to:

  • Get back to a regular yoga asana practice – Classes on Monday night, Wednesday night, Thursday evening, Friday morning, and Saturday morning. Home practice on Sunday.
  • Get back to a regular meditation practice – 15 minutes each day.
  • Get my diet in order – reduce refined carb intake and increase fresh fruits and veggies.
  • Blog regularly – goal of minimum one per week for this site and one for elephantjournal.

Now, I just have to make it happen, right?

Do you ever just need a reset? What do you do to get yourself in the right place for one?