Welcome officially to autumn! My favorite time of year begins in October, as the weather gets cooler, the leaves change color, cozy sweaters are worn, and warm blankets make their way to my living room. I often say that I tend to “come alive” this time of year. I know that’s not the case for everyone, so I hope however this weather change greets you, that it’s at least with a sense of peace.

I’m making some changes to my classes starting this month. Preparing, planning, and teaching several classes each week was simply too much for me, since I also have a full time job outside of my business. I’m excited to announce the following:

• I’ll be teaching one to two live classes per month, on Saturday mornings from 9-10am. These will follow my theme for the month and will include asana, meditation, and pranayama.
• I’ll be adding multiple on-demand classes to my website. Asana classes, pranayama, and guided meditations of varying lengths will become available, so you can find something that fits your need and your schedule on your own time!

I also am changing up a bit how I do my social media pages (Instagram and Facebook). I’ll be offering more education on yoga and Intuitive Eating, including videos of yoga, meditation, and hands-on ways to work toward becoming an Intuitive Eater. If you’re not already there, check me out at @ametrinecounselingandyoga on Instagram and Ametrine Counseling and Yoga on Facebook.

Intuitive Eating Tip

Does the thought of having Halloween candy in your house make your nervous? Do you feel out of control around all that candy? Do you wait until the last minute to purchase it because you know you’ll eat all of it before Halloween comes?

Let me challenge you: what if you bought yourself some extra Halloween candy and you DID eat all of it before Halloween gets here? What would happen? Think about it for a second…

You’d eat the bag you bought for yourself. Sure, if you ate it quickly you might have a stomachache. You might feel guilty for eating it, thanks to diet culture. But nothing actually bad would happen, right? If you’re thinking, “but I might gain weight,” let me challenge you again – so what?

Weight gain is not the monster diet culture has created. There is an incredible amount of misinformation in the media about the “dangers” of weight gain. Weight gain is not an indicator of health nor is it a weakness or failure.

One way to reduce feeling out of control around food is to give yourself full access to that food. It’s true. The more you hide it, the more out of control you’ll feel when that food is around. If you give yourself full permission to eat the food, you will eventually habituate to it as your body learns that it’s accessible.

Try it out. If you’re afraid of buying candy for yourself, go buy a bag (or two or whatever you want) and keep it in the house. At the end of the month, let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear from you!

Headstands. Or Not.

Headstand (sirsasana) is a very challenging yoga posture. It’s one you’ll also never see me practice or teach. Between my age, migraine headaches, and a history of bulging discs from a car accident, the last thing I’m going to try is putting all my weight on my head. And I certainly don’t want to have a student get an injury from it!

But inversions like headstands feel really good to the body. They require focus, breathing, strength, and balance. And it just feels good to flip upside down from time to time. So what can you do instead?

• Bridge Pose – Because your head is below your heart, this is considered an inversion!

• Downward Facing Dog – Don’t forget about this popular pose. You get the inversion benefits, as well as a wonderful stretch in the legs, arms, and back.

• An inversion chair – I love my inversion chair. I can flip myself upside down without putting any pressure on my head. I keep it near the wall for safety.

Remember, yoga isn’t about “achieving” a posture. Honor your body and practice asana in a way that works for it, not against it.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to me at ametrinecounselingandyoga@outlook.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Be well!

Renee