And suddenly, it's the middle of April...

Hi everyone!

It has been a minute since I have written to you all on the blog. Libby does a great job posting and we hope you all continue to enjoy.

Since some of you do not have FB, I am going to update our blog with our schedule.

You can always look for our schedule online, but know that this blog is also a Maitri resource. 

We are currently looking at changing our schedule for the rest of the spring/summer months. We are looking at classes to let go of and maybe some new class times. If you have any requests, please let us know! You can email me directly at sarahnicolerumsey@gmail.com

For your reference, our Friday class this week is cancelled as is our Saturday vinyasa class.

Libby's last time to teach gentle yoga on Sundays is also this weekend, so if you haven't tried out gentle, go check it out. 

After this week, we are looking to close Maitri Saturday-Sunday, which means that there will be no weekend classes. We haven't made a definite decision yet, but Fayetteville is full of really incredible studios and teachers. We know that many of you just enjoy weekend classes so if you know of any teachers who might want to join Maitri and teach the Saturday class, please send them our way. Otherwise, check out Danielle at Trailside's am vinyasa class on Saturday or Krista's Sunday class. You can also find a numerous listing of classes and class times at Yoga Deza. If you live in Springdale, Yoga Gypsy is awesome and will definitely serve up a healthy dose of wonderful yoga. Other great studios around town are Arkansas Yoga Center, Be One Yoga Studio and the 8-Limbed Path. Not to mention, an all-time favorite teacher, person and yogi, Kristen Albertson at Ashtanga Yoga Fayetteville. 

Change is hard, but necessary. I've kinda poured myself into Maitri and as I'm about to head back to school, I feel a little scared about the future. I think I would probably give an organ to keep Maitri running smoothly for you all and maybe in a way I have because it takes up so much of my heart. But, I also have to be realistic. My love for Maitri could not be greater, but we want to make sure that Maitri is serving the community in the best way possible. As we make this transition in our schedule, please let us know what classes you would like to attend to maximize the schedule. 

On another note, we are adding a room for integrative health coaching and wellness sessions. As a certified health coach, we specifically look at the way nutrition impacts your vitality and how to help others make the most out of nourishment in all forms (food, relationships, jobs, etc.). 

If you would like a session or know of anyone who would, the first session is absolutely free and from there we will develop a plan to best suit the needs of the individual. 

I am willing to work with people's budget.

We send you all lots of love and hope to continue seeing you on the mat.

All of our love and lots of blessings,

Sarah and the Maitri Family 

Turn and Face the Change

                                                             

                                                               By: Libby Young

Well Maitrians, it’s springtime once again!  I know this because the grass is turning 

green, the dogwoods are blooming, and I’m being accosted by spring advertisements 

everywhere. Spring is the symbol for rebirth, for things growing anew. But with 

rebirth and growth comes change. And that’s what I want to talk about in this post. 

Oh sweet change, how wonderful and horrific you can be. I’m very lucky that I have 

the personality type that not only does well with change, but actually craves it. But 

even with this trait, change can still be really difficult. We as people love the idea of 

turning over a new leaf, starting a new path, but with the excitement of change it’s 

easy to lose focus of what we might have to sacrifice. 

My parents have lived here for the past 29 years. But change finds us all. They are 

currently in the process of packing up and selling my childhood home and moving to 

the Big Easy. My sister from the conception of this idea was dead set against it. I, on 

the other hand, was genuinely excited. I still am. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t 

run into conflicting and emotional feelings of loss as the date draws closer. Change is 

healthy and it’s good, but that never means it’s easy.

So here’s my advice to you this springtime. Make changes. Start something new in 

your life. But do so with both eagerness and mindfulness. Remembering what came 

before and letting that acceptance of the change be both gracious and loving. No 

matter what you are working towards, no matter what you are giving up, honor the 

path behind you as you embrace the new one set before you.

Peanut Butter Goals

By: Libby Young

It is now well into February of 2016. The one-month test of kept or un-kept New 

Years resolutions is over. And to that I say, who the hell cares? Temporal markers 

can be such a great way to gather new energy and resolve for a positive change. But 

we don’t need them to try and be better. It’s only eight days into this new month and 

it’s showing me more than January ever did. 

We’ve all made promises to ourselves to do this, change that, to be different. But 

what happens to ourselves when we break those promises? We beat ourselves up, 

thinking destructive thoughts about who we are as a person. We regard ourselves as 

failures. Unable to be or do better because we just simply suck as a human being. 

Every day is an opportunity to be the best we can be. Every day is also an 

opportunity to “fall short”. The problem with resolutions is we like to think of them 

as these unrealistic yet completely attainable goals. Much like if I said I needed 

peanut butter at the store. So I get in my car, I drive to the store, I walk in, pick up 

the jar of peanut butter, purchase it, drive back to my home and put the peanut 

butter on my shelf. Presto change-o, I achieved my goal. But this doesn’t work for 

Our focus shouldn’t be in the achievement but in the trying. 

If I want to lose weight, be more patient, or be more self-confident, these aren’t 

things that I can ever achieve. EVER. Weight will always change, patience will 

always fluctuate, and loving yourself will always be tested.  Even that jar of peanut 

butter will run out and you will need more from the store. So instead of focusing on 

any goal as something we can check off of our lists, focus on the day-to-day pursuit. 

As long as you are trying, you are succeeding! And when we falter, not if but when, it 

won’t be a failure, because we pick ourselves up and keep going. We ate a half a tray 

of brownies one night; eat something healthy for lunch the next day. We got upset 

and yelled at a friend; apologize when you’ve cooled off and try to respectfully 

convey your feelings. We feel low about ourselves, our looks or lack or 

achievements; remind yourself about all the things you do love or are proud of 

about yourself. To keep trying should always be the goal! 

We don’t need January to be better. Just reassurance that when we make mistakes 

as a human that it doesn’t make us imperfect. Our perfection comes from our 

beautiful introspectiveness and constant efforts to be the best versions of us. This is 

our success. This should be our only resolution.

The Savasana Dilemma: Part Two

The Savasana Dilemma: Part Two

by: Libby Young

Let’s begin with starting steps. The first and most important step you can make 

when tackling the ever so difficult Savasana is to identify what type of relaxation 

helps you the most. We all have a dominant sense. It’s not necessarily the sense we 

rely on most on a day-to-day basis, but the sense that we connect with emotionally 

the most. Usually it’s one, though it can be multiple senses. Find which one helps you 

unwind and let go of that constant barrage of mind chatter for a longer period of 

time. There’s sight, smell, sound and touch.

Sight:

I start with sight because this is the sense that people connect with the most. We are 

visual creatures. So it is natural for us to need that visualization when relaxing. For 

most of us, when we close our eyes, we still see images. It’s easy to get overloaded 

When practicing visual meditation, try to imagine a place. Really see the detail. It 

doesn’t have to be a waterfall or a valley; it could be the red dusty landscape of Mars 

or a busy office. Just as long as it is somewhere. This is where a lot of people 

practicing visual relaxation stop. My advice to you is keep going. Start on a path in 

this mental setting. If you are picturing a waterfall, maybe you walk along the edge 

of the moss-covered rocks, behind the falls only to find a secret cave entrance. You 

step in the cave and feel the cool air on your face and explore deeper. Maybe in the 

busy office you walk around the cubicles and like a fly on the wall you are able to 

listen to people’s telephone conversations or watch them sneaking office supplies 

into their bag without them seeing or hearing you. When visualizing, make it a 

journey. Make it something that is not just calming to you but interesting. This will 

keep your mind from engaging in those pesky interrupting thoughts. If you are 

focusing on wandering around your mental destination, you won’t be thinking about 

with these pictures or video style clips. 

the toothpaste you forgot to pick up at the store. 

Smell:

Feel free to light candles and slather on those oh so delicious essential oils. Finding a 

scent like this, one that calms you, releases that tension, is important. But smell isn’t 

just for these products. Next time you are in a coffee shop, close your eyes (I 

promise no one will look up from their laptops and phones to see you doing this). 

What do you smell? You can do this exercise anywhere. The woods, a pond, Maitri. 

Put your sniffer into bloodhound mode. Good or bad, try to figure out what you 

smell and what affect that smell has on you. Using your nose to free up the mind is 

easier than it sounds; you’ve just got to think outside of that oiled box. I still feel 

comforted every time I smell clean laundry or the way my dad’s house smells. Scents 

like these can trigger emotional releases otherwise unable to by the eyes or ears. 

The nose really does know.

Sound:

Ah music for the soul. We all have that one song that we’ve played on repeat about 

22 times. Or that one specific playlist for each and every mood. A playlist for 

cooking, for breaking up, just for dancing, or for that night when you just want to 

punch someone. Maybe you even have an inspirational playlist for making new 

playlists. It’s not hard to feel connected to music. Find those songs that help you 

unwind. But just like the nose, the ears can play a bigger part too. Listen to sounds of 

life. Try to isolate sounds and identify them and, of course, recognize how they make 

you feel. Birds chirping, the crackle of a fire, even white noise like rain or radio 

static. Even listening to the person breathing next to you in Savasana during a lead 

class. As creepy as that sounds, that noise alone can help you tie your own breath to 

it, helping you focus and relax. Once again freeing your mind from those loud 

thoughts.

Touch:

In my opinion touch is one of the most underrated senses when it comes to 

meditation. Of course, when we think of touch and relaxing, the first two things that 

come to our minds are either sexual or massage therapy oriented. While both of 

these are indeed relaxing and wonderful for tension release, they are not exactly 

accessible or appropriate during Savasana (especially in a group class). 

When I did my teacher training, I was led through a touch meditation class. The first 

thing that I emphasize is no one, including myself, actually touched me. Instead, the 

teacher simply talked me through contact points to bring my focus to. I was to feel 

the different points on my body where I could feel my clothes touching. They talked 

me through focusing on the way the air felt around my nostrils as I inhaled and 

exhaled. It was incredible and it’s now one of my favorite ways to meditate. 

Everything that had a contact point held a sensation: the ground, the air, vibrations 

from a voice. After about twenty minutes of intense touch meditation I felt like a 

superhuman. Every little sensation was heightened. And more importantly, I was 

relaxed. My mind was empty. Which is always the goal of Savasana, to clear that 

Next time you are in Corpse Pose, focus on that touch. The way your mat feels 

against your back, the way your clothes feel as they shift around as you breath, try 

to pinpoint everything on your body that has a physical feeling. You might be 

busy, busy mind. 

surprised at how quickly your mind lets go.

Savasana is the hardest pose to master. But identifying the easiest way your body 

and mind relaxes can be an immense help. Experiment with different ways to relax; 

experiment with combinations of the senses. So get comfortable! Grab a bolster, a 

pillow, a blanket and allow yourself the elusive rest you deserve.

The Savasana Dilemma

The Savasana Dilemma

Part One

By Libby Young

As a teacher, hands down the absolute hardest pose I teach is Savasana. No matter 

how soothing I try to speak or relaxing I create the environment to be, I always see 

my students struggling to be still. They fidget, they look at other students, they even 

sit up. As I was teaching the other day, I noticed one student had their eyes open the 

entire Savasana period. I felt like I had failed somehow to help this person let go, to 

relax. But then I remembered, all those years ago when I first started yoga, how hard 

it was for me to lay still for even two minutes, much less ten. This got me 

wondering…why is Savasana so difficult? 

The human mind is a beautiful machine. It’s also a complete asshole. We are capable 

of imagining and creating things in this world that no other species can 

comprehend, much less do. But yet our minds can be terribly destructive. They 

impede progress, harm intention, distract from focus, and deceive the truth. The key 

to a successful Savasana is the mind; the problem with achieving a successful 

Savasana is the mind. See the paradox?

The very first step we can take as practitioners is to recognize Savasana as an actual 

pose. Because it is! Let’s first look at the etymology of the word. Savasana comes 

from the Sanskrit words Shava meaning “corpse” and Asana meaning “posture”. It’s 

is often referred to as the most important part of a yoga practice. Without Savasana, 

a yoga practice would be incomplete. Like playing soccer without a ball, or 

swimming without water. You can go through the motions, but the true benefits are 

lost.  

So why is “just laying there” that important to yoga? Relaxation to start with. After 

completing muscularly and skeletally challenging poses, Corpse Pose let’s the body 

rest. Allowing it time to recover from the physical demands just placed upon it. And 

the same goes for the mind. When we practice, we are focused on a thousand 

different things. ‘My arm goes here, right hand under, leg goes there, wait my toes 

need to point, shit I forgot to breathe!’ During Savasana, it’s a time to let go of the 

mind as well. Allowing the brain much needed rest. When we begin using that time 

to think about the groceries we need to pick up after class or the fight we just had 

with our significant other, we are removing the soccer ball from the game. Our 

minds tell our bodies to relax.  Here’s an example: scary movies. If you’ve ever seen 

a scary movie, you know that during that creepy-music-playing, someone-is-about-

to-jump-out-at-me scene, your entire body actually physically tenses up. We aren’t 

actively thinking about shrinking down in our seat or shrugging our shoulders up to 

our ears, but we do. That’s because the mind is engaged in fear and therefore 

subconsciously telling the body to react appropriately. The same exact thing 

happens when we engage the mind with stress. Whether it’s a huge life problem or a 

mild afterthought. It takes a physical toll on our bodies. This is why Savasana is so 

incredibly important.  For those few moments, we are releasing everything. And 

when we do, the benefits can be numerous. Decreases in heart rate, rate or 

respiration, blood pressure, muscle tension, metabolic rate, oxygen consumption, 

anxiety, stress and fatigue. Increases in energy levels, productivity, concentration, 

memory, focus, self-confidence, improved neural responses and achieving deeper, 

sounder sleep. 

Finally, Savasana is a mark of completion. If we look at the practice of yoga, it has a 

beginning, a middle, and an end. The end is Corpse Pose. It is the phase in which the 

effects of the practice are allowed to sink in and rejuvenate the body, mind, and soul. 

Without taking the necessary time, again, those effects are greatly diminished if not 

lost. And we aren’t fully participation in a complete yoga practice.

This is why Savasana is important to us yogis. Once we understand why, we can 

begin the process of learning how to implement it. Look for next week’s post, Part 

Two, where I will talk about how to start practicing Savasana.

Hi there, yogis!

I missed you all last night! I couldn't be more thankful to Sunshine for subbing for me yesterday. I needed a chance to rest a little and catch up on the sleep I missed last week while I was fretting over the GRE. There's nothing like a little Sunshine on these rainy days. :) Speaking of the GRE, I will say that it went really well; but unfortunately, I was one point away from the score I needed. One point! Ah!! This is frustrating, but at the same time, I was pretty shocked over my scores to begin with. After I finished the test, I actually sat there and debated whether or not to look at my scores, because I am optimistic in that way. Alas, my curiosity got the best of me and as I sat there tallying it up, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. At the time of taking it, I only had a vague idea of what I was aiming for. It wasn't until yesterday when I spoke with my advisor that I had the somewhat disheartening realization of missing the mark by one point. I had dreaded this very moment, but in an odd way it just confirmed my dedication to the program, the school and the knowing deep inside that I am meant to be a counselor. It's funny, I never thought I would be applying to go back to school. I also didn't expect to care so much about this specific program. I had intended on applying to a safety school, I thought to myself that maybe I need a backup school; but, at the end of the day, even with my one-point away test score, I want to stay the course. Somehow the score just affirmed that I would rather keep trying for the program that I really want, rather than apply somewhere else. I am, in this moment, really thankful for everything this application process is teaching me. I feel beyond blessed to even have the opportunity to be considered for graduate school. I am taking the GRE again on Wednesday, December 9th. I have taken a little break from studying the past few days, but I am planning on jumping right back in. I just wanted to let you all know how much your support has meant to me throughout this process. I received so many messages of love and support the day of the test and I can not thank you guys enough. I am beyond grateful to know you guys, to be a part of Maitri and for the opportunity to share life with you all; to me that is what yoga is about.  In Libby's last post, she mentioned this idea that there are different types of yoga. Although, yes, it is true there are different types of yoga, there is this one underlying thread: yoga is a connection. I used to live in a lot of separation. For a long time, I think I had to. It was something I learned to do to protect myself at a very young age. When I started practicing, there was a moment on my mat when the teacher said, "don't judge yourself." I could feel the weight of the entire world being lifted off of what felt like, my very heavy shoulders and something in my heart softened. As a recovering perfectionist, I have spent a good portion of my life thinking I needed to be perfect in order to be loved. Yoga teaches us that this isn't true. Perfection is something that separates us, limits us and keeps us from living from our hearts. There have been so many things happening in the world recently because of separation. It's heartbreaking and the day I went in to take my test, I felt that in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty trivial to be so worried about one score. I guess, through this process I have had the overwhelming feeling that in order to do anything, we have to be for ourselves rather than against ourselves and that means, having the courage to remain connected to ourselves no matter what. It's easy to separate. It's easy to step into our fear, but through remaining connected we remain standing in truth and in love, anything else is just no good.

So today yogis, on this rainy Tuesday, I am sharing with you the commitment to staying connected. I am going to keep going. I am determined to keep trying and if Maitri is any indication of what lies in putting your whole heart into something, I know this: there is no failure.

My teacher says, our success is guaranteed. As long as we stay connected and live from our hearts, it doesn't matter whether you practice vinyasa or bikram, what matters is how fully we can say yes to our own humanness.

Sending you all so much love!

P.S. There is no advanced vinyasa with Nicole this evening; she is Spain!
P.P.S. I will be teaching on Wednesday, we will have both classes on Thursday. I will also be teaching Friday and maybe we should celebrate Maitri's bday at some point this month?


We will have light holiday classes next week and don't forget we have Nicole's Beginners Workshop. Tell yo' friends!

Love you guys!
-Sarah

Yoga: Only you can define it

                                                               

It’s All Yoga

by: Libby Young

When I first started yoga that’s what I thought it was: yoga. But whenever I talked 

about it with other people I began getting the question, “What kind of yoga do you 

practice?” I would blankly stare back and they would begin to ramble off names of 

countries? Desserts? Pig Latin? I had no idea what they were saying. 

Now that I’ve dove into the yoga pool, I know my way around from Ashtanga to Yin. 

But I still get that same question, “What kind of yoga do you practice?” Heck, I’m 

guilty of it too. I’m now of the philosophy that all those years ago, in my ignorant 

state, I had it right. I practice yoga. Not Kundalini, not Iyengar, not even Vinyasa, but 

Here at Maitri, we are a Vinyasa studio. But honestly, it’s just a name. If you attend 

classes with any of our instructors, you will experience snippets of many styles; you 

may not even be aware of it. It’s one of the reasons I love it here. So many 

practitioners get stuck in the philosophy of “my style is better than your style”. I’m 

here to say, that’s simply not true. Whether you regularly practice Hatha or Bikram 

or Restorative, it’s all yoga. And more importantly, it’s all worth experiencing. All of 

our instructors take what we love of every style, of our own experiences, and pour it 

into our classes, into our students. Because we all love yoga. Not just Vinyasa, not 

just Kripalu, or Jivamukti, or Power, or Yin, but yoga.

I always challenge my students to learn about the different styles and experience 

them. But more importantly, to realize that one way isn’t the end-all-be-all of yoga. 

It’s all yoga, folks. And practicing under that umbrella of knowledge will lead you to 

places in your practice you didn’t even know were there.

You vs. Yourself: Yoga Practice

By Libby Young

Self-competitiveness is an innate characteristic in all of us. Some more than others; 

but all of us try to push ourselves to be better. Self-competition is when we try to 

outdo our own selves. To take what we’ve accomplished and say “I can do better”. 

When we step onto our yoga mats, we all feel it; that drive to push our bodies 

further and deeper than we ever have before. Every pose is a new challenge. Every 

posture, a goal to beat. 

Is this a good thing? Is it a bad thing? Well, yes and no. Life is the great yin and yang, 

the big balancing act. And it’s no different on your mat. Pushing yourself in your 

yoga practice is important. If I didn’t push myself then my practice would consist of 

savasana for an hour and I most definitely would not be a teacher. Self-competition 

when focused can be a powerful tool to help you achieve things once thought 

impossible. However if I pushed myself too much, I would have very serious injuries 

not limited to: torn muscles, torn ligaments, herniated discs, even broken bones. The 

physical practice of yoga is an exercise and needs to be treated like one. Warm ups 

and cool downs, moving carefully and holding poses with the correct alignment. 

Pushing yourself too hard and too fast won’t help you be better, it will help you get 

hurt. 

So harness that drive into realistic goals for every practice. Take time at the 

beginning (even during Pranayama or breathing) to focus on one specific goal. 

Maybe it’s to hold a balancing posture longer or moving deeper into your forward 

fold; whatever it is, it should be singular. When we bog our minds down with 

becoming the best at everything, we usually accomplish very little. Progress is 

almost always made in the baby steps.  Most importantly, make it realistic. Don’t 

expect to back bend your body into a wheel when you are recovering from a slipped 

disc or put your legs behind your head when you can’t even touch your toes. We 

hear this phrase so much in yoga, but that is because it is an important one: LISTEN 

TO YOUR BODY. Know yourself; know your strengths and your weaknesses. So set 

your goals accordingly and keep that drive in check. And most importantly, be at 

peace with your current state. Often times when we set goals for ourselves, we think 

we should achieve them in a blink of an eye. Be realistic about the timeline as well. 

And forgive yourself even if you surpass it. Be okay with where your practice and 

your body is at on a day-to-day basis. It’s good to look towards a goal and to hold 

ourselves accountable and be disappointed when we don’t reach it. It’s bad to think 

that we can instantly achieve said goal and punish ourselves when we don’t reach it. 

Whether your goal is big or small. Break it down and assess it every day. Let that 

self-competitiveness drive you forward, not crash you into a ditch. We all want to be 

better and to achieve new things. Be aware, be present, and be conscious every time 

you practice and you will succeed.

Time To Breathe

By: Libby Young

Our brains on average make up only 2 percent of our total body weight. But did you 

know that it uses 25 percent of our body’s total oxygen? The kidneys use only 12 

percent and the heart, a meager 7 percent. 

Coined phrases like “Remember to breathe” or “Just breathe” have become more 

emotional placaters than they have biological reminders. Breathing is mental and 

emotionally soothing. It’s been proven to lower stress and reduces anxiety 

drastically and immediately. Breathing to get through pain, breathing to ease a 

crisis, breathing to calm the soul, and so on, is very important. But let’s also not 

forget to breathe for our bodies. 

“Of all the essential nutrients needed by the human, oxygen is the one we must have 

on a moment to moment basis. We can’t live without it even for a few minutes, yet, 

this is the one nutrient most people don’t associate with deficiency problems. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.”    -Raymond Francis

Think about the function of your brain. A little bit of play on words, but thinking is 

not our brains only function. Our brain is the operation system of our body. Of 

course it’s responsible for things like language, creativity, imagination, memory, and 

processing; but its more important role is the complete functionality of our bodies. 

Without our brains our bodies wouldn’t work. Our hearts won’t beat, our stomachs 

won’t digest, our blood won’t flow, much less the millions of other inner workings of 

our wonderful bodies are capable of. So what fuels our brains? Well we know at 

lease 25 percent oxygen does. 

Breathing has become so subconscious for us, that we don’t even realize how 

shallow or fast we breathe on any given day. We have become oxygen deficient. So 

while we might not remember every minute or even every hour to stop and breathe 

fully and slowly, breathe when you can. Establish a pattern of every morning taking 

5 minutes to take deep, slow breaths. Repeat it at night before sleeping. You might 

be surprised how quickly this can become a habit. Breathe when you remember to, 

in the middle of a meeting, on your lunch break, when listening to a friend. The great 

part about it is that no one will even notice! 

Let’s help our bodies by helping our brains. Keep using breath for emotional 

support, but take time in the day to breathe for our physical health as well. Enrich 

yourself with much needed oxygen; your brains will thank you for it!

Information Overload

Vegetarian, pescetarian, flexitarian, fruitarian, even breatharian, what does

any of it really mean? And the real question being: what are we actually supposed to

eat? With so much information out there, we suffer from a lack of it. There’s science

that shows harmful evidence against drinking coffee one week and the next week a

study has been done showing that drinking coffee can decrease your cancer risk. It’s

this same story across the board of food and nutrition. Eat this, don’t eat that, drink

this, but don’t drink too much of that, I’m beginning to think the breatharians have it

I’m not writing this to tell you what to eat or even how much. I want to talk

about information in the nutritional world. When I first began my journey into

nutrition, I felt lost. But if there were scores of books, articles, research papers,

documentaries, movies, and entire websites dedicated to nutritional information,

why did I feel this way? Most people, including myself, often surround themselves in

a fog when presented with an overabundance of information they don’t understand.

It’s not that we are too dumb to make sense of the facts; it’s more about the inability

to process all of said facts instantaneously. With the overabundance of facts about

nutrition, it’s no wonder that most people don’t process it all. So what can we do?

How do we understand what we are supposed to eat?


1. Start small.

Don’t expect to understand nutrition in a day. Food is a science. Just as you

would not be able to master the Theory of Relativity on your lunch break, neither

will you understand all theories of nutritional science. So begin with the basics. Start

to study the science; what is food made of, what are its components? Learn your

macros from your micros. Learn what enzymes are! Food is so much more than

what we pop in the microwave or pick up from the drive-thru. Study the origins.


2. Know your sources

As you begin to look deeper into the science of food, make sure that you are

reading the right material. This is not a subjective thing. If I’m looking at a website

called rippedmuscles.com and reading about plant protein versus animal protein

they may have some skewed facts versus Harvard.edu, which will have information

based on unbiased science.


3. Do the research yourself

Don’t be afraid to read research papers yourself. A wise man once told me,

“Data doesn’t lie, it’s the interpretation of that data that can lie.” Be broad in your

research as well. If you read an article or watch a documentary supporting

something, read or watch its counterpoint, and listen to the dissuading arguments.

Read and watch everything, then make an informed decision. You can’t intake too

much, I promise.


4. Get your hands dirty

As you discover more about nutrition, experiment with it for yourself. When

you begin making informational leaps and bounds, translate it to your life. Cook,

blend, chop, bake, plant, breathe, see what works for you. Give it a little time too. But

if it’s not working, then keep expanding. Don’t get stuck in a nutritional box.


5. Share and connect

Talk about your dietary discoveries and changes with friends and family or

even groups on social media. Having that support can make a huge difference. And

by reaching out, you never know who might share the same ideas as you do! Swap

facts, share recipes, have an experimental cooking night. Food is life, so it makes

sense to incorporate it into other areas of life.

Food is an amazing thing, not something to be misunderstood. Don’t let fad

diets and propaganda from industry fool you into thinking inside the box. Break

free, learn, grow, and make your own nutritional choices for yourself. Life can be

more than delicious; it can also be nutritious.

Information Overload by Libby Young check out her classes at maitriyogaarkansas.com

Have you Heard?

We have a new class on Tuesday evening!

Nicole Calhoun, someone I dearly love and a teacher I respect is teaching an Advanced or Level 3 class on Tuesday evenings at 7:15pm.

Often times, we think of advanced practice as doing all of these arm balances and handstands. However, an advanced practice is what you make it. As we begin practicing more and more we realize it's the subtleties in the practice, as well as being able to take care of and honor yourselves while practicing that makes it potent. Nicole might be able to teach you some fun and awesome ways to get in and out of poses, but the real advanced practice is in your own willingness to step out of your comfort zone and explore the depth of your own Self.

Take it from someone who used to be hesitant about walking into Level 3 classes, but takes master trainings... in those trainings we're not doing handstands, we're looking at the depth of our own humanness, because that's what the asana is trying to get us to do. It's not the pose that matters, it's where the pose takes you inside yourself. The deeper you go, the more we might find it challenging. Advanced is in the way you look at it.

Practice is what you make it.

Our teachers, just help to take us there. Your practice is your own. Your ability to do a handstand doesn't make you an advanced practitioner, the loving-kindness and compassion you bring to your body while trying, does.

Practice, practice, practice.

Love,
Sarah

Go-To List

Hi guys!

I hope you all are having a great week. One thing I get asked a lot about is what to eat in between meals, how I feel about gluten and what do I eat on a regular basis. Well, I will just say that wellness, diet, exercise, etc. is all an experiment. What works for your friend, might not work for you and vice versa. I don't believe in one diet fits all. We have a different chemical make up and we need to honor our bodies and its needs, without being in our heads or egos about what is "yogic," "healthy" or "unhealthy," because it's different for everyone.

Here are some of my go-to tips:

1. Eat fat. Yep. Think good fats: omegas, fatty acids. Your body needs fat, it's good for your skin and essential to a healthy brain and nervous system. I love walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, avocados and Udo's oil introduced to me by Betina Henschell. :)

2. Water. Water. Water. At least two liters

3. Let's talk about bread for a minute. Currently, I would love a bread maker to make my own, but since I can't have one right now, I stick to pretty much gluten-free options. My FAVORITE is Canyon Bakehouse Bread that offer a variety. Check it out here: http://canyonglutenfree.com/. I also like Rudi's. The main thing with bread is to look at the ingredients. As they say, you want to be able to pronounce them.

4. Almond Butter

5. Cook a warm meal

6. Sip warm water with lemon. It's great for digestion.

7. Fresh fruit

8. Fresh veggies. I like to eat a lot of baby carrots, radishes, broccoli with hummus.

9. Dark Chocolate. I eat it every day.

10. Enjoy everything you eat, if you don't enjoy it, don't eat it.

Through the years, I have gone in many stages and phases of trying to figure out what I think "healthy" means. I found that a lot of these years were spent using my head instead of really being "in" and connected to my body. The thing I've learned is to listen to my body and nourish it. I think as a society our relationship with food has become very distorted. We love it. We hate it. We restrict it. We eat too much of it. We don't know what to do with it. I listened to a lecture through the Integrative Institute for Nutrition about how our relationship with food reflects our relationship to life. There is a really good book for any of you ladies out there interested written by Geneen Roth. Here is a link: https://geneenroth.com/books/
For you guys out there, it's imperative for you too to take care of yourselves. Another great video is from Brene Brown, Listening to Shame.

As a collective, we are here to support each other and the practice of yoga is to nourish you. Don't skimp on nourishing yourselves. You deserve your love and support.

Nourish yourselves. 

Wellness Week

The most vital thing that we have in our life is our wellness. Our wellness presides over everything including relationship, career, health, vitality, energy, etc. This week at Maitri we are focusing on wellness specifically in the areas of self-care. It is easy to get busy, to get swept up in stress and activity,  this week is about balance, finding and creating balance within your life to benefit you.

Starting with these simple things:
1. Eat More Veggies
2. Drink Plenty of Water
3. Sleep
4. Move/Exercise
5. Connect (this can be taking time to do yoga, be with friends/family, church group, social group, running group, book club, volunteer, etc.)

The way we nourish ourselves, ultimately reflects how we value ourselves. This week take time to value you; your time, energy, gifts are all a part of you. Living well is a balance, to find balance we have to take time to notice what we need and what we don't need.

Use this week to reenergize, recharge and get grounded. 

Oatmeal Cake Recipe

At Maitri we love to get together while sharing food, drink, and conversation and every time we do Sunshine brings this one oatmeal cake and let’s just say that it’s everything that an oatmeal cake should be. Moist, with plenty of cinnamon flavor, and a delicious coconut and nut topping. We’ve begged for the recipe but she hasn’t been willing to share. That changes today! So here you go Sunshine’s Oatmeal Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup 1 minute oatmeal

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of shortening

2 eggs, beaten

1 & 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Combine the boiling water and the oatmeal in a bowl and then set aside to cool. While the oatmeal mixture is cooling combine brown sugar, sugar, shortening and eggs in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Then add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt beating until combined. Finally add the cooled oatmeal stirring or beating to combine. Pour into a 9X13 inch pan and prepare the topping. 

Dreamy Brown Sugar Coconut Pecan Topping

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of shredded, sweetened coconut

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Place the butter in a skillet to melt over low heat on the stovetop. When the butter is melted (or just about melted) stir in the remaining ingredients. It can be helpful to prep the topping ingredients before starting to melt the butter (just put everything in a bowl next to your stove so it’s easy to throw in). 

Then spoon the topping evenly over the cake leaving a bit of space around the edges (because the topping is heavy it can’t be spread over the top of the unbaked cake so just get it as even as you can). Bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

A Practice for Greater Compassion

A Practice for Greater Compassion

From the wonderful, Sunshine Steelman

So we are all not just living on our mats and then retreating to our homes to meditate and prepare meals of the freshest most organic ingredients we are actually living in the real world. And sometimes in the real world you may find yourself coming into contact with people who might frustrate or anger you. Imagine that instead of going home to lovingly prepare a fresh pressed juice to drink, you’re in a hurry and running through the nearest fast food drive thru (I know you would never do this ;-) and the person in front of you is taking a really long time to order and then can’t seem to find his or her wallet to pay and in the meantime you are getting more and more annoyed. Huffing and thinking to yourself how inconsiderate the person in front of you is,  how self-involved, and what a generally terrible person they are. Stop. Think about yourself and the times when you haven’t been sure what you wanted to eat, the time that your wallet slid down between your seats and you both panicked because you thought you lost it and the relief you felt when you finally found it. Now apply those thoughts to the person in front of you:  Oh he must not be certain what he’s hungry for just like me. She must have misplaced her wallet. I’ve done that and it feels awful. 

This can apply to any situation where you start to feel frustrated because when that happens our tendency is to make the other person (the object of our anger and our frustration) into something fundamentally different from ourselves but if we can stop, and think, we can dwell on our similarities rather than our separateness. 

Steps for greater compassion:

1. Stop
2. Breathe
3. Find places of commonality with the other person. (He does X just like I sometimes do X) 

Blog Updates

Hi yogis! It's been a long time since we've utilized this blog, and I figured now would be a good time to start back up since there have been changes with the schedule. While we have been shifting the schedule around we realize it can be confusing. Since we do not have real time access to our website, we are going to begin keeping this blog updated so you know exactly what's happening as much as possible. Thank you for bearing with us during this transition. We want Maitri to serve you best. We are committed to offering a variety of teachers, classes and hopefully times that fit your schedule. We have some very exciting things happening and we are so grateful to you for your dedication, loyalty, light and love. As you all grow, Maitri grows. :)

Sunshine recently took her prenatal training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. She is now a certified Pranakriya Prenatal teacher. Lucky to have her, we are offering a 5-week series of prenatal on Sundays at 9am! There are three Sundays left: July 26th, August 2nd and August 9th.

After the 9am Prenatal class we are now offering a 10:30am Vinyasa Flow on Sundays.

In addition to the change on Sundays, we have switched Thursday evenings around slightly. The 6pm is now geared towards building the basics. This is for anyone looking to refine their practice and is suitable for beginners.

We have also added a 6:15am Sunrise Flow with Sunshine on Mondays and Wednesdays, plus a 9am with Sarah on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If you all ever have any time requests or opinions, please let us know!

Monday: 6:15am-7:15am Sunrise Vinyasa Flow with Sunshine  

4:30pm to 5:30pm Vinyasa with Sarah

6:30pm to 8:00pm Power Vinyasa with Sarah 

Tuesday: 9am to 10am Vinyasa with Sarah

6pm to 7:15pm Vinyasa with Cheryl

Wednesday: 6:15am-7:15am Sunrise Vinyasa Flow with Sunshine 

4:30pm to 5:30pm Vinyasa with Sarah

6:30pm to 8:00pm Power Vinyasa with Sarah

Thursday: 9am to 10am Vinyasa with Sarah

4:30pm to 5:30pm Vinyasa with Sunshine

6:00pm to 7pm Foundation of Flow with Sunshine 

7:10pm to 8pm Yin Yoga with Sunshine 

Friday: 4:30pm to 5:45pm with Sarah

Saturday: 9am to 10:15am Power Vinyasa Flow with Sara L.

10:45am to 11:45am Alignment Based Flow with Ashleigh 

Sunday: 9am to 10am 5-week Prenatal Series with Sunshine

10:30am to 11:30am Vinyasa with Sunshine 

**Schedule is subject to change 

Please check here for updates! 

While you all are experiencing summer...

I have experienced all four seasons while I have been here in Colorado. Unfortunately, it decided to be winter in a big way, and I am stuck here in CO for another day. They closed the roads getting to Denver, so while I sit here writing this to you all missing Maitri and Addie, I can't tell you all what a week it has been. I am in my pajamas at 8pm. I feel just about done in. Because I won't be there tomorrow, Sunshine will be teaching at 6:30pm. It will be a one hour class. The 4pm class will be taught by Kenslee. It is very exciting to have Kenslee teach a class at Maitri, since she has been busy teaching here, there and everywhere. There will also be no 5:45am class on Tuesday but Sunshine will be teaching the 6pm. Hoping all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Sending lots of love! 

From Carbondale

Hi Maitri Family!

I am sitting here in my hotel room in Carbondale, CO missing you all! The training I am doing here is put on by Rod Stryker. I did my first training with him in September and now I am on my third module. Today, so far, I have cried... a lot. Starting about 2 hours in with little sniffles here and there, which lasted just about all day. This training is based on Rod's book called The Four Desires. It basically talks about the 4 desires of our soul, which are named in the Upanishads. They are: Dharma: Your service while you are here on this earth. Artha: Your means of living, money, food, water, shelter, the ability to take care of yourself. Kama: Joy, pleasure, happiness, love, relationships, fun, all of that good stuff. And last but certainly not least, Moksha: Moksha means freedom but it is described in many different ways. My interpretation is broad but I believe it has to do with the willingness to embrace all of life. It is freedom to live in a way that doesn't keep us from anything. It's living from a place that allows us to enjoy it all, feel it all, experience it all, without attachment. Rod brought up the point today, that for instance, people who fast all the time think about food more than people who eat three meals a day. Sometimes by rejecting things we actually attach ourselves to them. Interesting, eh? I think so! We also did a lot of writing, meditating and all the other good stuff that helps us in many ways to see ourselves more clearly. In so many ways, this training is just about life... all of life and how we live it. It asks the questions, how much are we willing to embrace and where do we at times break our own hearts, or do things that might not be the best for us? This is a training in looking at how we directly connect with ourselves and how much are we willing for forgive, let go and let God.

Anyway, I just wanted to take some time to write to you all. I am exhausted.

There is no 5:45am class tomorrow. Class with Caitlin tomorrow at noon, then Sunshine will be teaching at 5:45pm and then yin at 7pm!

Thank you all for all of your love and support, always. The more I dig deep within myself, the deeper I can share with all of you!

Love and light, yogis.

Warmly,
Sarah

P.S. this is my view. That is Mt. Sopris, and we train every day at Flying Dog Ranch. If you are curious, look it up! It is beautiful!! Very blessed to be able to receive so much here. 

New day, New week, New Year, New Classes

Hi Dearest yogis,


If you are ever confused on class times or anything please refer to here. Since our website designer lives in CA and is often a busy, busy bee, I will do the blog to keep you guys up to date and informed!

Here is our schedule for the week of January 6th-12th.

Also, we are running a Living Social deal right now that we will honor in both locations, (FSM and Fayetteville).

The classes are all level. :) Newbies are more than welcome and we feel very honored to share this practice with you. It doesn't matter if you've ever done it before, all it takes is the willingness... to let go...

Please feel free to text me, call me... if you ever have any questions.

A quick way to also get to us, is to email me at sarahnicolerumsey@gmail.com

The Maitri Family

Hi everyone! I hope all of you are having a great week. This summer has been busy! I can't believe it is the middle of July! Crazy! Summer is so sweet, but short and I have found myself relishing every moment of it. I feel so blessed to be able to walk into the space every day, and even more blessed that people want to share it. We now have a list of teachers, which is so exciting sometimes I can barely believe it is real. I really can not express my gratitude enough to these wonderful people, teachers, souls for sharing themselves through this practice. They all have awesome gifts to give and Maitri is so thankful to get to be a part of their sharing.

Going from the left, Cheryl teaches Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Jud teaches Mondays at 4:00, Thursdays at 4:00, Fridays at 6:00pm and Saturdays at 10:30am. Lauren is TBD. She starts law school back up in August so we are waiting to define her schedule! Sarah Terry teaches Thursdays at 6:30pm, Sunshine will teach a Saturday 8am class and Cheryl will also teach that every other week. Kenslee is working towards a little more training, but will be teaching some classes soon!

Come by and take a class from one of the new teachers if you haven't yet. They are all so awesome and Maitri is blessed and grateful to have them!

I just wanted to share that little bit of news with all of you!

Have a great day!

::namaste:: :)