6 ways to de-stress your home

Your home is your sanctuary and must be treated as such. A place of safety to decompress, escape and recharge. No matter the size, the condition, the location, or the style, your home can easily be utilized to reduce both your physical and emotional stress.

1. Bring the Outdoors In

Nature has a natural calming effect on the body. Sounds, scents, colors and textures has a healing impact simply by being in your presence. House plants, fresh flower or running fountains can easily sooth. Or even selecting natural fibers for furniture, flooring, and textiles can change the environment of any space.

2. Paint Rooms to Suggest Desired Mood

Choosing paint colors to express the intention of a room can immediately change the mood of any space. Joyful yellows in the kitchen for uplifting spirits and sparking conversation. Cool blues in the bedroom to inspire relaxation. Energetic reds in the dining room for excitement and entertaining.

3. Surround your Senses with Beauty
Inspiring your senses with beautiful things can immediately enhance your feelings of calm. Fill your spaces with things your love and/or enjoy such as art, books, pillows, music, sounds and scents.

4. Set Aside a Room for Peace & Calm
Setting aside a space in your home for reflection, meditation, or just a little peace and quiet, can be one of the greatest influences in reducing stress. By eliminating distractions you are allowing a peaceful internal connection to dissolve any heavy baggage of daily stress.

5. Clear Out Clutter
Keeping your home clear of any additional stresses is a must. Clutter, disorganization and mess only add to the hectic environment of the outside world. Keeping your home clean and refreshing ensures a welcomed and calm arrival to your sanctuary.

6. Display Meaningful Treasures
The sense of a comfortable space is created by adding personal touches throughout your home. Family treasures, heirlooms, meaningful gifts, photos of family or friends, handmade crafts or art, anything that add a personal sense of connection to the ones you cherish.

Health Benefits: YOGA vs GYM

The most common question I am repeatedly asked is, “Why should I do yoga?”

On the surface this simple questions seems as though it would generate a clear response that would only take a moment of your time, however; yoga is so personalized that the answer, just like people, can be very complex. My most direct response has always been, “Because there is no equal”, but that is only the beginning.

The benefits of yoga are so vast, so diverse, so compound, that there simply is no easy answer to ‘why’. Are you trying to be more healthy, are you an athlete, a beginner, are you nursing an injury, are you trying to lose weight, relieve stress, find community? Yoga satisfies all those and more, dare I say almost everything.

To be more specific I’ll ask what their current means of exercise is. 9 times out of 10 the answer is “the gym”. I have plenty of personal opinions about what I call ‘McFitness’ offerings from your local health club but I’ll save those for another day.

For this purpose I’ll throw up a quick and fun little comparison:

YOGA                                                                           GYM

*Parasympathetic Nervous System dominates                 *Sympathetic Nervous System dominates
*Subcortical regions of the brain dominates                     *Cortical regions of the brain dominates
*Controled dynamic movements                                     *Rapid forceful movements
*Increased muscle tone                                                  *Increased muscle tension
*Low risk of injuring, prevents future injury                     *Higher risk of injury, causes future injury
*Energizing (breathing is controlled)                                *Fatiguing (breathing is taxed)
*Balanced activity of opposing muscle groups                 *Imbalanced activity of opposing groups
*Noncompetitive, process-oriented                                *Competitive, goal-oriented
*Awareness is internal                                                    *Awareness is external
*Limitless possibilities for growth                                    *Plateau with high boredom factor

bottom line, yoga is science that has been practiced for thousands of years. The medical community has gathered substantial supporting evidence on the health benefits of yoga. ( 77 Health Benefits of Yoga ) Most importantly, remember to keep your preferred form of exercise well balanced and the results will never disappoint! See ya in class!

AZ SUMMER and the POWER of REST

For many athletes -such as runners, cyclists, and triathletes- one of the most important, and most neglected, principles of training is allowing time for recovery. Summer temperatures in Phoenix provide a natural break from any outdoor training, it's simply too damn hot! This time of year offers a much needed down time that, in the long run, may well prevent injury, overtraining and burnout. Tapering your training during the scorching summer months allows the body to naturally adapt between training seasons and results in making the body stronger and more fit, to reflect the true bad-ass you know you are.

Yoga is considered one of the best forms of off-season exercise for any seasonal athletes. Such recovery periods do not generally involve complete rest but rather consist of active rest to allow the body the time to recover. SuTRA's classes provide the perfect space and workout for you to get reacquainted with your body, nurse any nagging injuries, and work on any imbalances in strength and flexibility.

Come Fall, when you exit your air conditioned cave of hibernation, you will feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and excited to start training again. A prepared athlete will return from a break feeling physically and mentally ready for the next challenges. "Thank you SuTRA", you will proclaim. "It was our pleasure", we'll reply, with a wink and a smile.

Earth Day Promo?

Earth Day is one day set aside each year to refocus our priorities and re-center our ambitions to aid our planet and create a better environment for the next generation.

Rather than offer a promotional discount that is oddly disconnected from the day's objective - we encourage everyone to use the day as intended and be reminded of the continual care our planet needs.  

Don't be a consumer - Give Mother Earth a hug!