Allison Lael

You are probably wondering where the rest of my Thailand trip went... Yoga training got real my second week there. It was intense and although I did write about my second week, I couldn't find the courage to post it.. I am afraid to be vulnerable. To be seen from the eyes of others, to be judged and criticized. It is a terrifying thing to feel this way and  I'm ready to face my fears and be courageous.  So this is me. Taking a courageous step into a world unknown. To be brave and put my opinion out there. Because as Elizabeth Gilbert said in her book "Big Magic".. "No one is paying attention anyways."  So here is my blog from my second week of training. And like I stated in the blog.. I'm not looking for comments or to make you believe this information I've gathered.  This is for me and the hope I have to make a difference.  This week has been beyond difficult physically, mentally and emotionally.  We have learned so much.. so much more

Since being back home from our adventures in Thailand, I have been trying to take what we learned at the ashram into my daily life here in Washington.  At first it was way too easy to fall back into old habits. Like sleeping in and staying up late to catch up on movies or TV's shows that I missed while I was gone. Also my eating habits were all over the place because we spent almost a month traveling and you don't always get the foods you want.   I didn't expect it to be a simple change and I knew it would take months, maybe even years to fully get my life in the order that I would like.  But I am starting small. I wanted to share with you what fuels me every day to live yoga to the fullest and have a productive, fulfilling day.  This is called a yogic lifestyle. And I may not live up to it every day but this is what I strive for.   - Waking up with the sun: Ancient Ayurveda techniques tell us that we should wake up before the sun because it is what will give us

Chiang Mai, Thailand  Yoga Teacher Training 200 hr July 8-16th. We landed in to Chiang Mai on Saturday around 1:30pm and went straight to get an hour massage. After almost 40 hrs of travel, you would this too for only 200bht (about $6 U.S.). No way can you get that good of a deal back home (Washington, you usually pay around 100/hr)!  I've had my fare share of massages, especially these last 3 months with my sciatica and let me tell you that the Thai massage I got here in Chiang Mai has been my favorite . They completely work through your entire body pulling and stretching out your muscles and working out all the kinks so wonderfully!  Then off to get some vegetarian thai food! YUMM!! We found this cute little restaurant down a smaller street, decorated with lively lush plants all around the outside.  I ordered a ginger fried tofu dish and it was absolutely  scrumptious. This only cost 60bht which comes out to about $2 U.S.  The next thing we were going to do was to ex

Sciatica is TOUGH! No joke about it. If you have been there, you know but if you haven't, you really don't know. But don't let yourself ever get there! Seriously, take precautions and take care of your spine!! WATCH YOUR POSTURE! Every day. While you are walking, while you are standing in line, while you are jumping! Tighten that core and take care of your spine! I was talking to a friend just last week about his sciatica and it hit me, a lot of people are dealing with this problem right now! WHY!? First off, let's take a look at how we live our daily lives.  Sitting in our car that has no back support for hours at a time, sitting in a desk chair with no back support ALL DAY and then coming home and sitting on our couch with NO BACK SUPPORT EITHER.. this is becoming a problem and we need to face it, now! We need to help each other to change our life styles around to live a long and healthy life. With this all being said I want to get it out there HOW I DEFE

Loving yourself. Why would we love ourselves? Sounds a little conceited, doesn't it?  So why do we need to love ourselves?   Let me tell you a little about my life and how learning to love myself has changed me entirely.  It started as a small thought that somehow crept into my head that I wasn't good enough . I wasn't the best student and I wasn't the best athlete and I didn't know what I wanted to become after high school but I tried and that's all that should have mattered, right?!    Well, that's not how society works. And society was telling me that I should know and should be the best.  But that is what is so wrong with our society. And we need to change that. But that's for another blog, on another day.  So I graduated high school with a C.N.A (Certified Nursing Assistant), mostly because a lot of my friends where doing the program and I thought being a nurse was something I could learn to love.  It didn't happen for me. I got a

I am on my 4th week of recovery and I couldn't feel more like a new woman !  The treatment plan the chiropractor gave me has been doing wonders for my health and well being ! It's really been incredible to see the progress as each week passes.  I'm starting to see that my posture is much easier to keep straight up without much effort. My yoga practice has improved immensely , I can finally go into downward dog without pain in my hips or lower back. I no longer need to keep reminding myself to stretch because it's become such a habit that I do throughout my day now.  I am in HEAVEN . Or almost there. I still have 3 weeks left until I finish my treatment plan and get to see the changes of my spine through x-rays that will hopefully look like a 27 year old's spine.  The exercises that I have learned for my posture have been incredibly helpful along with all the knowledge I am gaining from this experience. I AM A NEW WOMAN!   Truly though, if you could have

I know it sounds so cliche but it makes me want to scream, " THIS IS ME "!! I'm finally at a place in my life where I am beyond happy , incredibly happy , so happy I never thought I could live this happy of a life. Not only am I in the most incredible relationship I've ever been in and have a partner in life who gives me everything I need and more, I've also found something that gets me excited to wake up every morning and be my best self . Something that uplifts me everyday and tells me I AM WORTHY . Something that keeps me in check to stay healthy and fit, to stay conscious and careful, to listen and be patient. THIS IS YOGA. I have been a yogini for over 8 years, I would say. But something was holding me back to live yoga to the fullest . My life style . My life was a bit chaotic and I liked it that way, at the time. It was fun going out with friends to bars and clubs and dancing our asses off, it was fun to be lazy and watch endless amounts of televisio

I am 27 years old . I've had to keep telling myself that so I don't forget. I really have never been good at keeping track of age. Why does it matter so much anyways? Someone recently told me that it doesn't matter how old you are but how old your spine is and I guess my spine is twice my age.  Life has been pretty tough on me these past couple months. I had no idea what was wrong with me but I knew I was in a bad place. My spine . My spine has been slowly degenerating for the past 7 years and I had absolutely no clue, until this last month that is. But let's not get ahead of the story. About 3 months ago I started experiencing extreme back pain with a tingling feeling down my legs and then my toes would go numb . Scary, right? That's when I decided it was time to do something about it. When your nerves start getting affected by your pain, you know it's not good. This was hard for me. I've always been a fighter, someone who can bare pain a