great article! Props to my soul battery Katie Ablan for passing along!

http://www.onbeing.org/blog/the-disease-of-being-busy/7023 

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

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Visions

My time invested in training to be an AYA RYT200 certified yoga instructor at the Vinyasa Yoga School in Rishikesh, India, the yoga capitol of the world, evolved into one of the most transformational journeys of my life.  For the entire month of April, I immersed myself physically and mentally in ev-rah-thang "yoga".

Meditating next to Mother Ganga! Rishikesh, India

From Vedic wisdom, to mantra, tantra, yantra, to meditation, to ayurvedic diet, to the subtle body, chakras, and nadis, to AAAAUUUUMMMMMMing; from shatkarmas (purification/cleansing techniques) to non purification of y-oreo-cookie binging in the middle of the night; from the history of "yoga" to yoga science, yoga therapy, yoga yoga, yoga fashion, yoga lifestyle, yoga religion, yoga diet, yoga poses, yoga breathing, yoga styles…it’s overwhelming and fascinating at the same time, and. the. list. goes. on….

Vinyasa Yoga School Studio & Classroom

Thus, my takeaways are twofold:

#1 I have just begun to grasp the surface of what "yoga" has evolved from over 10,000 years ago, the thousands of interpretations of what yoga is today, and what yoga will be for future generations…. we are ALWAYS LEARNING and EVER  EVOLVING. This brings me to…

#2 BE OPEN TO WHAT YOGA IS TO YOU and have the patience and acceptance that even your discipline will change over time.

Learn & Be You

Urdhva Dhanurasana

The depth of my practice immediately came into play less than 24 hours after graduating, coincidently surviving the earthquake in Nepal alongside Lauren Tyner (another VYS graduate and founder of Grounded8). We crouched in the doorway and breathed together, praying the house would not collapse on top of us. Yoga got us through those first terrifying seconds of the quake and gave us the inspiration to keep moving- Because if you are not moving you are slowly dying (<3 U Samed)! You can read our Earthquake stories here and donate to Rebuild Dil’s Village. 

Nepal: Me, Manisha, and Lauren 1 week post 7.9 earthquake

Yoga is a lifestyle to me now. Just like Swami G shared with our class  after an hour long meditation  in his broken silence- "Set a time everyday to check in with your breath"- I am doing that!

Paired with a cup of black coffee, I am surya-namaskaring nearly every morning when I wake up because it feels good, and awakens almost every joint in my body, and gives me an energized mindset to share with life the remainder of the day.

I enjoy sharing my practice with friends and my puppies and always ask for feedback to improve how I lead others through asanas and meditation. The pups are great at sharing their feedback!

Puppy Advice

I am lucky enough to have an extremely supportive studio, Strive, in my hometown of Mequon, WI, where I am already subbing. And I am very thankful to have inspiring yoga instructors like Wade Gotwals, Susan Wichman, and Allison English who I continue to learn from.

Teaching at STRIVE

Here are a couple quick steps to take after you graduate:

1) Register with AYA

Harsh (founder of Vinyasa Yoga School) will give you steps to register with AYA. Do it! It costs $100 but you are officially certified and they have tons of resources to catapult your yogic future.

2) Reflect

Reflect on your experiences in and out of the studio. What does Yoga mean to you? Why and how will you share this with others? Write it down. Create a website. Just start being, then sharing, and doing… (Scott Dinsmore provides excellent resources for pinpointing your passions and creating a life around that! Live Your Legend )

3)Yoga Resume

Create a YOGA RESUME… just google it and get it on paper. Here is an example of mine which you can work off of.

4)Connect

Connect with everyone you know who has taught you something about yoga and thank them. Talk to them about your journey. Ask them for advice. Ask them to help you. YogaTrail is a great resource for this as well as your AYA profile. But be personal. I am extremely grateful to be connected with incredibly inspiring souls through our VYS training class! Tekla, Ruth, Desiree, Meredith, Lauren W, Lauren T, Jenine, Natasha, Zane, Yanni, Kat, Susan, Emily, Brian, Cedric, Shannon, Cecelia, Lee, Karoliina, Pamela, Vikas, Kusshal, Sarita, Corey, Arvind, Maria and even Yoga Guru Omo!

5) Sub

Start subbing! It’s summer. Instructors have exciting lives they want to lead outside the studio. Give them a break and sub their class. Subbing gives you practice leading and exposure. Head to a studio you used to go to, or walk in to a new one and introduce yourself. Just put yourself out there!

6) Be YOU!

My first sub class, I was trying to emulate the instructor I was subbing for. This is an unrealistic expectation to uphold for me and everyone in the class noticing how hard I was trying to be the other instructor and failing miserably. Now I’m taking into consideration the pace/level/style of the class which the instructor usually leads, but putting my own spin on it. Cedric Abdeck, founder of Colife Wellness Coaching in Geneva, Switzerland and a fellow student at  VYS, shared great wisdom that you should not change your style for anyone. Share the practice that is in you, and people will abide to your authenticity. This will result in an honest following.

Surya Namaskar Rise

Best of luck to your on your Yoga Journey!

Enjoy the photos below of mine

Please let me know if you ever have any questions.

Namaste,

Hallie LOULOU Jaeger

Lauren and I in Pokhara, Nepal.

Me and Samed in Dubai

Me & Pamela, our Yoga Therapy and Meditation Instructor. A kind, fun-loving soul!

Kusshal our Yoga Anatomy & Physiology teacher

Yoga Guru Omo LAUGHTER YOGA

Vikas may have pushed me to places beyond where I thought my body could go, but we had fun too!

Arvind and I at the Beatles Ashram

Sarita, our Hatha Yoga Instructor, one of the most youthful, loving souls on earth. Henna time!

The gang eating at the best café in town- The Seeds of Life Cafe!

Get the band together!

Tekla

Meeting new people in Rishikesh

Kat’s Spirit

Reflections

Yog. Yog. Yog. VYS Studio

Feeling energized after leading our first class! LaurLouRen Studios

We did it! LaurLouRen Studios!

Enraptured in Surya’s Setting Presence: Zane and Sarita

Zane- an ancient, invigorating soul!

BIrd of Paradise in Paradise. Koh Phi Phi Thailand

Black Bird Fly: Beatles Ashram

Travel Fun

NAMASTE Rishikesh

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

This slideshow includes photos from  Jyamrunz, about 1 month after the initial 7.8 earthquake April 25th. Dil’s wife and son, Madhu and Diwash, walked 2 hours on foot to visit with family, old friends, and neighbors and assess the damage.

Now, nearly two months post quake, thanks to your support and Dil’s diligence, tremendous progress to rebuild Jyamrunz has been made.

For me, a slight twinge of accomplishment pulls at my heartstrings when I look at these pictures, but I’m somewhat familiar with these faces (Dil’s family) and these places (in Nepal).

What is it like for you?

My wish is for you to feel that you have helped. With everyone’s generosity, we have raised over $8,000 USD in credit card donations on giving forward and received nearly $750 USD in cash or checks. All the money (less 7.3% for processing) has not only been wired directly to Dil’s bank account, but it has already been spent!

Diligence is an appropriate term to refer to Dil’s name and Dil’s character. Words cannot explain how altruistic this man is. (Hopefully, the gesture of naming my puppy in honor of him portrays my extreme level of admiration for this hero, Dil Sapkota!)

The money has already been spent because Dil worked diligently to provide shelter for his village before Monsoon season.  (Which has arrived this week, creating landslides which prevents all transportation to Jyamrunz To get to the village is now a 5-6 hour trek on foot). Dil went out of his way to rent a truck, buy zinc roofs  directly from a factory.These roofs protect from the fierce rains.

Here is Dil’s direct account of the trip:

"The Zink  roof (Tin) is the most important support for the families as monsoon is ahead of them  that they are building their simple houses. The Zink roof demand is very high at the moment and we do not have enough production. So, I had to go to the factory  as  could not find zink in the shops and  would have  taken  so long till I get zink sheets but  Saturday I took the bus to low land of Nepal (Narayanghat) and able to buy 405 sheets of Rajesh zink and went to the village  with truck. As you see on pictures that was so fantastic to see families  getting  the  roofs now.

So far few  houses completed and  started living, some are half  way to finish  as they were  waiting for roofs and about 17 families are  on the process to build. They now need  bamboo  and  woods  to  complete the building. So, I am giving some cash for that. The next project is to help women who lost their husbands (Windows)  who need  more then others.

I also collecting  few  hundred  dollars from other people too,  so  we are supporting for 32 families and some widows."

In all, Dil and his family’s dedication on foot, and your support emotionally and financially, has resulted in the following progress to rebuild the village:

• 9 houses re-constructed (17 building)
• Tent, tripling, foods & cash distribution on the first stage    
• Zink Roofs for 32 families
• 23 widows Cash distribution 
• School building construction   
• $300 fund for continued emergency support of village

Thank you! Thank you! Dhanyabad! Dil let me know in our last correspondence that the people of Jymarunz are asking how to honor all our donors: YOU.

For me, the experience of surviving this natural disaster has been transformative to say the least. I feel so soo far away and personally struggle with feeling like I am not doing enough to help. If my mother had not brought me Dil (the pup) a week after returning home, I would have flown right back. Perhaps its the martyrdom in me and I am dealing with that in my own way. Now this precious ball of fur has been dubbed "Statesider" and his unconditional love, and adorable face is therapeutic.

Not an hour passes without me thinking of Nepal. The spellbinding peaks. The smiling people. The tragedy and the resilience. My mind flashes back to grandpa shuddering, crying in the cold dirt moments after the first quake; Eshish, the most brilliant young man (seriously MIT keep your eye on this 16yo) and I discussing politics between aftershocks; Trying to calm the terrified stranger grasping my shoulder and screaming as we huddled in the street downtown Kathmandu during the 6.7. There are magical memories too: Paragliding over Pokhara and feeling safe above the trembling earth for the first time in a week; Manisha’s smile as she opened her birthday cards and presents from Lauren, Samed, & me; Indulging in the first protein in 40 days- the excess smoked trout that the german woman downstairs could not sell at the closed market;  In the tented sea of 100 nepali neighbors, the man softly sharing jokes making parents chuckle as they swaddle their sleeping babies. Oh the humanness in us all is inspirational!

Sometimes I break down and cry when I am alone- humbled by life itself. Sometimes ebullience explodes in my gut- feeling as though I have been blessed with a second chance in life.

Every breath of my existence is now a breath towards purpose, progress, peace.

My point in writing this is to thank you. Please look at these pictures and know you have helped. Your support has evidently rebuilt a village, but is also helping to rebuild me.

I love you and I appreciate you.

Dhanyabad,

<3 Hallie LouLou

EEEEEE

You can also continue to support Dil’s Village here: Re-build  Dil’s Village

Update from DIL: my wife Madhu and I went to the village to distributing cash.

Here are some pictures of our last cash distribution to Widow women and school. Its great that they have this support. Support to school means every ones get benefited in the village and widow women are the most needy ones as they have very difficult life, due to our bad though in the society, people think their husband died because the wives have bad sprite so they are counted as second hand women and no one can get married again. For example Nire on picture 0087 with light yellow dress with shawl around her was married when she was 16 years old and her husband died when she was 24 that was 5 years ago, she has 4 kids and have to live her whole life alone taking care of her kids. on Picture 0089 with short white hair women is oldest here 93 years old and she lived her 63 years without husband as her husband died when she was 30. With these stories, people can have ears on their eyes about how difficult life can be for some people.

But its good that we could help them.

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

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Great article about ze French, their mindfulness surrounding food!! Trés important! 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21434/17-food-rules-from-france-to-maintain-your-ideal-weight-live-right.html?utm_source=mbg&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=150903-17-food-rules-from-france-to-maintain-your-ideal-weight-live-right 

 Some pics of my meals lately:  

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

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"Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet."– Vietnamese Proverb

If church is time to be with your family, then my family’s church is our family text chain- most active on Sunday’s during the packer game

Mom & Dad (Mike & Cath) hold down the fort in the Quon & at The Lake.

Bug (Katie) is a nurse in the Windy City.

Sexy Sistahs – Hoosier Visits

Buddy (Mikie) is an entrepreneur in LA.

Me and Mikie 23rd Birthday Dinner Celebration

I’m in CO, as you know.

And even though we are miles apart, I am so thankful, to not feel that way. I feel connected to my family. Sometimes more than others. But I sure am grateful to have a brother and a sister I also consider my best friends, who are supportive in a way that they can tell you how it really is, and still laugh and love them dearly.

In a flash, we are all suddenly adults, but our souls house our inner child.

The days of dressing up Mikie while playing "Donna & Jane" (Me- Donna, Katie- Jane, our imaginary dress up world as adults- this requires an entire post, ha!) are distant.

I am proud of who my brother and sister have become as adults.

I am grateful to have Mikie and Katie in my life.

KT Mikie’s 8th grade graduation

I pray as we mature, find husbands & wives, and have our own children who have their own brothers and sisters, that they will have a similar, happy connection like we had growing up and have now. And of course that we will continually love each other, despite the trials and tribulations that life holds.

I love you Mikie & Katie.

Yours TrulEEE,

Your big Sister

Mikie Katie and Me 2013

I have a wonderful shelter, which is my family. I have a wonderful relationship with my brother and sister; this makes me feel that I know always where I belong.

Until blacks and whites see each other as brother and sister, we will not have parity. It’s very clear.

When you go somewhere like Kenya and you see how the children don’t have pencils and pens, and all of these things are considered luxuries, and what a privilege they see education as and how hungry they are to learn, I wanted to give my brother and sister long lectures. That definitely stayed with me.

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/brother_and_sister.html#AgKBaw9qyywywrpP.99

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

I will do a Ted talk someday and it will focus on connectedness.

Connectedness to food and nature: The movement towards regional food socio-ecology and implementing this new system throughout the US.

Connectedness to love, sex and relationships: How to facilitate authentic connectedness in our technological world…

Super excited. Paper coming soon In two weeks!

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

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I woke up this morning, early at seven,

for sun salutations to start my day in heaven.

Then perked up the coffee and right on the shelf

Was a perfectly ripe persimmon, I could eat myself.

Spicy and fragrant, vibrant orange and sweet

This seasonal persimmon will make a perfect breakfast treat!

So I grabbed some cinnamon, honey and butter,

And my black iron skillet- cook with nothing other.

I sauteed the fruit for ten minutes time,

they crisped up deliciously- so good almost a crime.

The oatmeal was easy- just a minute in the mike

a smidgen of salt and add cream if you like.

After the persimmons were finished I placed them on top

then dove into this winter day starter, which I loved a lot!

HallieLou

Eating, Educating, and Exploring my way through this world! View all posts by HallieLou

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