A little strength training never hurt a yoga practice

That's me in my best Rosie the Riveter pose. Why? Because it's the perfect way for me to admit that I've started taking a few strength training classes on the side. I wouldn't call it cheating. I would call it polyamory. That means "many loves."

I can't imagine ever not doing yoga. But mixing up a routine, keeps things spicy. And the best side effect is that all this extra exercise has actually helped my yoga practice. Because my legs are stronger, I have more stability in the same poses I've always done. Because my cardio is more efficient, I don't want to retreat to child's pose halfway through practice. And because my abs are stronger, I can actually do side plank! It's awesome!

And the best part is that the misery of a spin class makes me enjoy yoga all the more.

Birthday Yoga

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I've been dreading it for a month. Let's be brutally honest, we live in a society where after 22, every birthday makes a gal a little bit less valuable. And in Las Vegas—the land of sugar daddies and sequins—the situation is worse.

But if yoga has taught me anything, it's that I don't have to buy into any of this baloney. Sure, I have a few more gray hairs than I did a few years ago, but who cares? (And really, if you actually do care about my gray hair, then you're either my mom or you have too much time on your hands.)

Here's what really matters: That light that shines in me that also shines in you burns no less brightly every year that passes. In fact, I may venture to guess that it shines ever brighter as we gain more wisdom and experiences.

And in fact, if you look at my birthday cake from last year (see above), my friends who made it seemed to love me just as much as ever a year older.

Okay, even after writing this post, I still have a little birthday anxiety. So I'm just going to calm myself by repeating the Serenity prayer and making my gift wish list.

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 31 and Beyond

What next?

There's a little catch to completing any type of physical challenge: life goes on. That means that you gotta keep yoga-ing even when the challenge is over...that is if you want to keep enjoying all those wonderful zen and health benefits. And you do. I do, at least.

So what I do next is keep on keeping on, with the distinct advantage of having silenced all the naysayers who teased me for having the longest 30-day yoga challenge in existence. Booo-ya to them, I say. Boo-ya.

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 30

Completed!

Victory is mine! There were so many times I thought I'd never finish. But I just kept doing it. And little by little, the day got closer, until it finally came. It's a wonderful metaphor for a person (me) who's using the same basic strategy to write my novel. If I can do yoga, then I can finish my novel! And if I can do it, then you can, too!

That last day of yoga felt a little like running a victory lap at the end of a marathon (or should I say a victory down d0g?). Truly, the feeling of making a huge goal and then tackling it is the best feeling in the world, and combined with an hour of yoga, it's heaven.

I highly recommend tackling a yoga challenge—whatever the type—to all you readers!!!! Go forth and yoga!

video: Lagoon Yoga

Yoga retreats always appeal to us. The opportunity to refuel and refresh without the stresses of everyday life is enormously inviting. Since we live in the desert, we have a special yearning for any retreat where we can splash in some water. So we took a blissful "mental getaway" when we discovered this video about yoga in a lagoon at a retreat in Spain.

Art of the Asana

Orlando Dominguez is from Brooklyn, N.Y. and creates some of the coolest yoga sculptures. He works in steel and acrylic and says that "the power of Being Human is what inspires him to sculpt." See more of Orlando's incredible designs at his website.

video: Yoga for L.A. Traffic

Supposedly Los Angeles has the worst traffic congestion in the U.S. This must make a gazillion drivers nuts! To lower the misery index and help everyone keep their cool, yoga teacher Rich Tola devised these yoga and breathing moves.

Yoga Meets Airstream Trailer

Sometimes you stumble upon a picture, story or event that really intrigues you. For us, for today, it's this video. We know nothing about Airstream Trailers except we think they're pretty cool looking. While we enjoyed watching the yoga in this video, we could not take our eyes off the trailer.

Inhale, Exhale, Twitter?

With all the stress coming at us these days, we know it's more important than ever to pause and take a few breaths. But even though we're yogis, we sometimes forget to focus on our breath. So we couldn't be happier when we discovered the website Breathetext.com. Through Twitter posts and soon ringtones, you get daily texts like "Breathe Deep" or "Take a moment to Breathe." What a lovely reminder for all of us.

Surviving the Yoga Studio

Yoga is all about being mindful and casting off petty annoyances, but what if irritation and little embarrassments follow you onto the mat at the yoga studio. What do you do if YOUR cell phone rings during class? How do you maneuver if you arrive to class late or have to leave early? What do you do if you want to impress someone in class but you can't do the pose? These and other touchy subjects are addressed hilariously in a recent article in Elephant Journal titled "The Yoga Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" by Scott Moore. Very, very funny.

video: Cowboy Yoga

There are instructional yoga videos for every imaginable group. Men, women, kids, athletes, office workers, pets, yadda, yadda, yadda. So why should cowboys be left out? Make sure to bring along a sense of humor when you watch this video.

Cowboy Yoga: A New Brand of Stretchin' from Jason Houston on Vimeo.

video: We Hear You

Have you noticed lately all the TV commercials that use yoga in their storylines? Madison Avenue has devised a way to weave in yoga to sell everything from banks and search engines to diapers and air fresheners. Here's one you probably haven't seen because it was created for a client in Canada. Clever, huh?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 29

A Treat for Myself as I Near the Finish Line

ONE DAY LEFT!!!! I can't believe it! There are so many times throughout this challenge that I thought I wouldn't make it. And so, at the end of class on my 29th day, I bought myself a new yoga mat.

My old yoga mat is so worn-down and pock-marked that it looks like a chicken pox survivor. Not to mention the fact that it stretches and then sticks to my hands and then gets wrinkled during poses. It offers no padding and I never liked the color anyway.

So, I splurged and bought myself a beautiful, new yoga mat. It is two tones of purple (my favorite color) and I absolutely cannot wait to use it to celebrate my final day of my yoga challenge! Hooray!

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 28

Thong's Not Wrong ... Or is it?

So in my final sprint to the finish line of my "30-Day" yoga challenge, I will overcome over (almost) any obstacle. But do I have the courage to write about it?

This has gotta be something that millions of other yogis have dealt with. But I've heard nobody talk about it.

Ok, I'm embarrassed. But here goes nothing. One Day 28 of my yoga challenge, I had no other option than to wear a thong to yoga. At first it was no problem. But as class "wore" on, every subsequent pose gave me a bigger and bigger wedgie. And I didn't know what to do. So I just stuck it out.

The big question is this: Am I alone? What do other yogis do in this situation? Any other stories of wardrobe malfunction?

TWO DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 27

Yoga, Not a Luxury After All

One thing I've learned in my on-again, off-again relationship with yoga is that I'm happier, healthier, more smiley, less worried, more of everything that is good and less of everything that is bad when I do yoga. And when I skip out on yoga, I am everything in reverse.

You think this wouldn't be a surprise, what with all the studies that say physical activity is the bare minimum to human health. So after all these years of thinking that yoga was a luxury, a splurge, a guilty pleasure. It turns out that yoga is just a pleasure and a necessity. Now the only question is how to turn that knowledge into action.

Only THREE days left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!