Monday 29 April 2013

Free Mad 90 Minute Public Holiday Yoga Session!


Just because I feel like it... Join me for this FREE Wednesday 1st May 2013 for a totally free 90 minute Mad Yoga Session! You're totally invited!
The theme is: Mad Body R-evol-ution.
Stepping up the quality of your movement to evolve your body reaching it's highest potential for your well-being... and to just have a ton of fun!

This might turn into a movement workshop sometime in the near future. I'm just scoping it out as a first time free event..But in the meantime be sure to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS.





What we'll be doing:
* "Prep & Wake Up Stretch"
* " Mad Twilight Salutations" to welcome the day
* "Squat & Give Me Slow Flow" sequence
* "Turn it All Upside Down" Sequence (exploring foundational and practical applications tips & techniques)
* "All Twisted Up Sequence"
* "It's All Downhill from Here Baby" Relaxation sequence

Free Give- Aways:
**Walk away with the Mad "Feel More Gratitude" coherence meditation method & the "Squat & Give Me Slow Flow" sequence chart... RSVP by calling 0827623350 to avoid dissapointment so I can print enough of these hand outs!

Details:
BOOKINGS BY TELEPHONE ESSENTIAL!
Place: Samurai Karate Dojo, Stadium on Main Centre, Ground Floor, Main Raod, Claremont, Cape Town.
Date: 1 May 2013
Map Link: http://goo.gl/maps/5VX4W
Time: 06:30 -08:00 am
Cost: FREE (so rope a friend in)
RSVP Contact: Madelain 0827623350
e-mail: m@delain.co.za

What to bring:
* Yoga Mat
* Sweat Towel
* Water Bottle
* You're enthusiasm & Playfullness

Come and play!

Madelain

Thursday 25 April 2013

Fun Stuff we do with Mad About Yoga!


So this is the video I mad last year (the first one I ever made) demonstrating most of the things I get up to, from rehab yoga, some free yoga that I used to teach, to private one-on-one yoga, semi-private yoga to the very intense Mad Interval Yoga etc. The video is pretty self explanatory. 

Initially, I made it to run as a loop video for the 101 Things to Do in Cape Town Expo in November last year, but it defiantly has a place here for you to get a look into how I like to play.

If this looks like fun to you ('cause it really is) check out the schedule for class option  or the private yoga coaching options I have here on the site.

I love being creative and playful with the yoga I teach. I hope you enjoy the video.


Mad About Yoga ~ Yoga Coaching in Cape Town:
* One-on-one private yoga coaching
* Semi private yoga coaching
* Early morning Group classes
* Free Group Yoga in the Urban Biodiversity Gardens (postponed till further notice)
* Mad Strength Vinyasa Yoga Flow
* Mad Interval Yoga
* Yoga for athletes
* Yoga for post pregnancy recovery or just alone time
* Yoga for rehabilitation & maintainence 
* Meditation
* Yogic sleep & Deep relaxation
* Yoga with friends and much more

WARNING:  This Yoga is very addictive!

Monday 15 April 2013

Thoughts on Quantifying the Quality of Day-to-Day-Life

I write about the things I need to learn most. It’s my way of putting it out there so that you, as my audience can hold me accountable for the things I want to achieve. In a way you can say I'm using you as my accountability partner, because I know you’re watching. I learn this trick a while ago because sometimes “will” or discipline can be a weak motivator to step into action. When I discovered that I was a talker and not the walker (or at least I perceived myself to be so); it freaked me out! More than anything I want to be the person who does what I say and this is a technique (among many that I know) that I use to keep myself in check or on target.

When it comes to seeing change, you need a clear overview. You need a way to measure you actions so you can see if whatever you are doing is bringing you the desired results. This is what this post is all about. MASUREMENT… A necessary way of tracking to build clear insight to the results you receive by action or inaction.

I'm into challenging the status quo; the concept behind my brand (and what I have planned for the future of my business) is to introduce a new status quo, questioning how we quantify the overall quality of our day-to-day lives. As the word "yoga" means "union"; how do we really feel about the lives we lead... since we are just that resonant energy that all our systems exist upon?"

Definition of quantify:
verb (quantifiesquantifyingquantified)
[with object]
·              1 Express or measure the quantity of: it is impossible to quantify the extent of the black economy
·              2 Logic define the application of (a term or proposition) by the use of allsome, etc., e.g. ‘for all x if x is A then x is B’.

Synonyms: appraiseassess, calibrate, check, compute, countdetermineestimateevaluate,figuregauge, look over, rankratesizespecifyvalue, weigh, measurement, milestones, markers, observable feedback, inventory.

The thing that will serve us so well… is if we were consistent at quantifying our actions or inactions.
If we were reflective over the things we quantify, we’d be able to shift a perspective in order to gain the result we desired.
You've done it before… gains a desired result from consistent action… I bet it involved some sort of method of recording!

Once upon a time I used to write in my journal everyday… yep, every day. It’s actually pretty addictive one you get into the flow of it.
The one thing that I suck at the most is being consistent at recording things that are important… like how many grams of carbs I ate in a day or keeping record of where I spend my money. Let’s face it… most of us are sloppy when it comes to keeping record of things that are important…
… Or are they important? Here’s an idea: if I claimed that I wanted to be wealthier financially, wouldn't it make sense to keep a record of how much money I have, how I spend it and how I earn it? I used this example in an earlier post.
If I wanted to lose weight and get into a state of ketosis, the sweet spot for train my body to be a fat burning machine, wouldn't it make sense to keep a food log (carb log haha) to see what’s going through my system when I feed my face?

I claim I want to be abundant… but perhaps I haven’t learnt how to value money consciousness enough… and deep down it stems from a place of feeling the value or the worth of the work I do (or lack thereof). Perhaps if I valued and trusted what I have to give more, and felt abundant inwardly, then perhaps I would value the green.
But “perhaps” suggests a concept to be toyed with. When does the “action” happen?

You make it happen...  right now you can choose to it, be it, even if you weren't it 10 minutes ago…but you have to choose it. There is never a comfortable moment to stretch OUTSIDE of your comfort zone… It’s not meant to be comfortable. Committing comes at the cost of letting go of that "pay-off" you get from not committing... are you with me here?

You know what I am pretty consistent at? Heading towards the uncomfortable… It’s my saving grace quality. Facing the discomfort got me to a level of capability in my yoga practice that even I’m proud of.
What scares me more than risk or heading towards discomfort is stagnation and an unfulfilled and meaningless life that offered no value in this world. We all have those things we want to see realised…
So what’s yours?


This is why measuring your life or your actions are so important. Life slips by way to easily…

I love Robin Sharma’s big idea:

“Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your hours, so you create your years. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what you stand for. Small choices lead to giant consequences – over time. There’s no such thing as an unimportant day.”

Without anything to quantify your life by, how will you reach your markers, small targets towards your bigger picture? Without a record how will you be able to see that your current actions won’t deliver you the desired results… How will you re-work a new action plan without the “perception” to see the change that is necessary or working? More importantly... how are you going to be able to see ALL YOU HAVE accomplished? We can come down hard on ourselves at times... but acknowledging your own efforts puts to ease the need for acknowledgement from outside ourselves as well; and that's an added bonus... don't you think?

This is why I keep recommending Susan Alexander’s app4 mind map. The 4 M-word principles that help you to succeed at your endeavours: Mindfulness, Motion, Mastery, MEASUREMENT. Head on over there to her website and imprint the concepts into your brain! YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO DO WHAT YOU DREAM OF DOING!         app4mind.com

The days slip into weeks, the weeks slip into months and months into years… what’s it going to look like in 1 years’ time, 2 years, 3 years… 5 years?

Get excited to be alive, soak the marrow out of life, so that your days (your journey) will leave a wild legacy. Journal and start small so you don’t get journal-burn-out! And journalling counts as quantifying your sh*t lol…

“Journaling builds self-awareness. I also use my journal to write daily goals, plan and record what  I'm grateful for, and capture and process new ideas along with lessons learned…”

“As you live your days, so you craft your life.”  ~ Robin Sharma

So I know what it is I need to do to step into action… I'm going to get real clear with what I'm trying to create more of in my life rather than what I don’t want… that starts with “Mindset” like any successful person will tell you throughout the ages… and they are spot on.

So what’s your big picture, how can you quantify the overall quality of your day to day life so that it counts and so that you are more Mad-Crazy-In-Love with your life?

You are a co-creator of life... Just take record as you go about doing your thing

ox
Mads

"app4Mind" & Embodiment

Hey all

Thanks to those of you who got up at sparrows to come out to class this am. Monday flow classes can be very challenging. Remember, if you have any questions around any aspect of your yoga practice, give me a shout out, I'll give you tips and any info I know to help you out.

I promised to share the app4Mind principles with you, so attached is the PDF sheet with the summary on the four M principles... This is simply just too good not to share with everyone.

App4Mind by Susan Alexander:
 "Everything we do is behaviour.  Our behaviour  in large part, makes us who we are. The problem is that we don’t know how to change our behaviour when we need to, or want to. So we’re stuck doing behaviour that doesn't serve us, and in some instances, hurts us. It doesn't have to be that way. Because now there’s an app for that.
Brilliant and helpful. – Edward Hallowell, M.D.
app4Mind distils into 4 principles what actually happens when people make sustainable change, fused with the world’s wealth of research and insight on behaviour modification."
You can read the rest of the article here: http://app4mind.com/about-app4mind/

Reminder:
This Thursday the 18th is the talk on conventional confusion; common nutritional myths and mistakes and how to correct them. Be sure that you have booked your seat. If you have replied to the Facebook event, they have already booked your seat for you. If you have not replied on Facebook, I would just give them a call to book your seat. (Details are on the attached flyer).
This is going to be a really great talk, Dr. Greg is as big on stepping up the quality of day to day life as I am... Check out his post to get a taste on what he'll be addressing: Conventional Confusion

Interesting Food For Thought around "Embodiment":

I've Been on a very interesting journey over the years when it comes to my own body. We all have our personal journeys when it comes to our tangible selves. I'm starting to fuse the idea that I am not separate from my body. An obvious thing right?  Why is it then, that we choose to treat it so poorly and expect it to perform for us?
For example; If you are not currently happy with the performance output your body is giving you, & if I were to challenge you to record all the food that passes through your mouth in a day for a week, what do you think that would look like at the end of that week? Do the same for your emotional and mental health... and you'll eventually put the puzzle together on why performance is mismatched to one's expectations.
OR
If you've been living with some sort of pain, annoyance, discomfort etc. in your body for a while, Why aren't you doing anything about it... Are you ignoring it until it gets bad enough so that you cannot ignore it any more? Are you waiting for it to go away or self correct?

I'm sure you can come up with your own personal example.

Now I'm a big believer in self rehab, because the body has an innate ability to reach a state of homoeostasis (balance), but if you have whiplash, you'll need help. Yet again.. we tend to think that drinking that magic pill will make it go away... Yet again, another way to drown out the body's intrinsic wisdom for correcting the source of the problem.

Pain is there for a reason. Its a protective mechanism, a warning system if you will... It's not meant to be ignored. this is why I love yoga. Apart from the stretching, Yoga holds will illuminate the things that are weakest in the body. It also MAKES you sit through a tough hamstring stretch where one would usually give up before any benefits form doing it in the first place will start manifesting. It makes you OWN your body... Cause no one else is going to take responsibility for it while your breathing there on the floor.

So back in high school I messed up my feet. Every time I run, the nerve gets pinched at the metatarsals as my foot rolls onto the ball of the foot. To describe the pain: it feels like blood fills  the toe and wants to shoot out through the end of my toe... (sorry for the visual LOL) now I have that in both feet, but its prominent in the one foot... Guess how long I chose to ignore that for???

10 YEARS!!! Now I have a range of different injuries and have been saved and rehabilitated from a few by doing yoga. I've also been injured by doing yoga (because I was a stubborn-dumb-ass) and I have rehabilitated my right shoulder rotator cuff doing yoga. You can injure yourself doing anything... But what's worse is being sedentary and ignoring the relationship you have with your body.

After having my son, I hit an all time low with my fitness & mental health. The two are inter-related. Ignore the one aspect, it will flair up in the other. They are not separate.

The visual I have that keeps me reaching for my goal is this: I picture a strong capable body, that is absolutely powerful, agile, free in all its own unique ways. I imagine feeling vibrant, energetic, strong and charged. I keep asking myself... what's it going to take to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy? What do I need to get in touch with to show myself that, that potential can be my reality? What habits are keeping me stuck instead of moving me forward? How much much do I actually value this body of mine and what can I do better to serve it instead of just taking/demanding from it?

I.O.W. How can I make sure I'm nurturing myself well enough in working my way to my envisioned potential?

I'll leave you with a similar thoughts from someone I look up to:

"Most people have a strange relationship with their bodies.
They live separately from their bodies. They ARE and their body IS but not together.
Modern lifestyle has brought us to this point, technology, society, comfort, modern food & jobs, etc.
It is funny to hear the phrase 'my body betrays me' - it is YOU who betrayed your body FIRST.
But the disconnect is so strong - we feel as if the body lets us down. We take no responsibility.

For all of you who have such a relationship with your body, I suggest you treat your physical
and Movement practice as EMBODIMENT. Its a word I learned from my good friend Aaron Cantor.

What I mean is that Movement can be used to reconnect with your body. To take responsibility. To become whole again.
And you know me - I don't think some 'fitnessy' 45 min X 4 times a week training session is going to do it - it will have to be a comprehensive Movement solution. A paradigm shift. It has to be in your mind all the time.
You have to incorporate it into your life. In your job, with your children, with your loved ones, when eating, when waiting, when answering the phone, etc... Movement is all the time there - its just a question of which type, its effects on you and where you want it to take you.
You design your new body and mind - with every moment's decision. It is happening NOW.
Good Movement practice should be helping you with Embodiment, but many Movement practices (mostly coming from the Fitness world) work exactly the opposite - they further distance you from your body. You may be sweating and burning calories but you are mindlessly working into oblivion. BE WARNED."
 ~ 
Ido Portal, Movement Culture


Do some homework:
We all have something to improve... that's just how we were made... we want improvement, but being stuck is way too easy.

Sooo, check out the app4Mind chart I've got a picture of it in one of my earlier posts, check it out here! Then head on over to the website and  read up some more about it. There is a detailed explanation behind it, and Susan (the creator of app4Mind) has tons of useful posts to get you started on tackling your goals, whatever they are, see how you can apply these principles with your goals.Mindset 101: Why The Biggest Change Is Also The Easiest

The ball is in your court...

Head on over to the Mad About Yoga Facebook page here, or post a comment below, letting me know how are you deciding to step up the quality in your life or share with us what actions you've recently taken that's helped you to do just that!

Here's to your ultimate health and well-being...

Love Madelain

Friday 5 April 2013

Free Well-being Workshop on Conventional Confusion with Dr. Greg Venning


Free Well-being Workshop on Conventional Confusion: Common Nutritional Myths and Mistakes and How to Correct Them.

I met Greg in February... I attended his talks and free workshops and they deliver. What do the deliver exactly? the hard to hear truth on how we've become a self inflicted sedentary human zoo, eating all the wrong kinds of food, and suffering with a lower than usual EQ. Well at least that's my take...

It is really hard hear these things and if you are the health concious type; you know what I mean when I say that it's hard to see your loved one's suffer from lifestyle choices.
But more than ever people are standing up and proclaiming enough is enough. Her'e your chance to be more proactive in creating more "Vitality" in your life... you can start by booking your seat to this free workshop.

Now if you are really a fitness freak, come hear some very interesting concepts that might not have been brought to your attention yet.

I've been waiting two month for this one... I hope to spot you there! Bring your friends & family!

Event Details:



By: Dr. Greg Venning from Vitality Chiropractic Cape Town.
Date: 18 April 2013
Time: 18:30
Address: 5 Colinton Road, 7700 Cape Town, Western Cape
Map Link: Click here
Cost: Free
contact to book Your Seat; Call: 021 671 3303
E-mail: frontdesk@thevitalityconcept.com
Check out the flyer I have attached to this e-mail and book your seat?
Still need more convincing? Check out Greg's latest blog post about this topic here: 



BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!
Confused about what to eat,how to lose weight or why you are not losing weight?
Learn what your mind/body requires for well-being and how conventional advice is doing more harm than good.
Find out the truth behind how to lose weight without going hungry, increase your energy levels, balance hormones and balance moods.

BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment!

Interactive Action-Steps to Help You Step Up the Awesome Setting!

I love this topic... It's the theme behind my brand: questioning how we quantify the overall quality of our day-to-day lives and how to step it up until we're Mad-Crazy-In-Love with life as opposed to mad about life.

Have you reflected on the quality of life you envisions v.s the standard your living in? Do they match up? Challenging your current Status quo is a concept that's been spinning in my head for a long time (think years) and it's one we all unknowingly feel at time when there's a disconnect. It's funny, because I keep meeting people who have reached similar conclusions around questioning the quality of their lives. There's this realisation that they are actually free and can do whatever they want.

Wherever you've arrived in life, there is always something we are wishing for, working towards and there will always be that expansion. I mention this because we mostly live according to what the norm is v.s creating the actual thing we want more of or to be part of.
There are two types of expansion I can comprehend presently:
1) the kind where you do (work towards a meansto an end) and never seem to arrive or in the hopes of arriving; never receive enough (the lacking state); and
2) the kind where growth and exploration (doing and learning) lead to more of this flow and sassy fire that drive you (abundance).What questions start turning in your brain as you read that?
The first thing that comes to mind is: attitude or perspective.



 When it comes to the actual things we fill our day to day life with; it's easy just to accept what we are told about how to go about it all or to fend off any sort of necessary change.


Where to start?

What are some of the rationalisations we feed ourselves when it comes to doing something that will rub against the grain... even to one's benefit?

Bare with me for a moment as I run through some thoughts on how we tend to do this; perhaps this will bring to mind some of the ones that are common for you:
  • How about these two all time favourites? "I can't afford to eat better." or how about "I wish I had more time to think, let alone exercise". Don't beat yourself up about it... just notice when these rationalisations appear.  they usually appears when something inside tells you you "should" be doing something... Mindfulness is a great place to start.

    Follow these leads and uncover the resistance to the change you're yearning for. You'll see that some of these rationalisations are really just safe scripts we use  to resist the unknown change. Evolution requires a bit of discomfort sometimes.
  • "I just can't take that holiday... The world will fall apart, I'm just to busy right now".

    Well, what do you think will happen when you push yourself against the same brick wall? Yep, you guessed it.. the same ol' unwanted results... I'm just saying! I aint even the first one to say it!
    My hubby owns a software development company... he works himself silly... and it has almost pushed him over the edge to the point of shut-down. It's time for a holiday. do something different.
  • "I can't start a business with my real interests, I'm too old", or wait, how about: "I'm too under-qualified, too young, too dumb, too thin, fat, short, skinny, shy, brash..." blah blah blah.
    Even if you only had 30 years of life left in you, wouldn't you want to see what happens when you reach into the curiosity/dream pocket?

    Leave the fearful lizard brain (as Seth Godin calls it) behind and play on the risky side a little... even if it's alongside something else your doing as a safety net. What you value always breads more energy and time... you just have to stoke the fire a little.
If you find yourself constantly swimming against the stream in your endeavours  create your own culture/ movement/ tribe, your own rules, your own adventures exploring the things that fuel your soul and values. Sure, you'll attract nay-sayers, even from those you value most, but what's better than that is, you'll also attract others who share the same interest and what's better than creating a community/friends that supports, shares and gives value in return?

Nothing worthwhile is really ever accomplished alone!... find an accountability partner.

Doing otherwise (doing something else that's not aligned with a little or more of what you want to create) will create more of a mismatch and disconnection... and that's no way to build autonomy and confidence.
The truth is that you are capable of doing whatever you want. How dirty are you willing to let your hands get? ... And I mean that in a hard-work way.

Drop the concept that instant "right" actions breads instant "desired"results or that one little action in the wrong direction won't bare any consequence or set you back from progress. Funny; how paradoxical and Ironic is that? Yet these are two concepts that we couple together all the time and they wreak havoc!

We only complain when we aren't getting what we want... So what do you want and what are you going to do about it?

Step into some inter-action 


Interactive Spoiler: The Vitality Concept.
If you're looking for something a little more interactive and you happen to live in Cape Town, I would encourage you to come to a free workshop on the 18th April that talks to the concept of settling v.s reaching your potential.
The Vitality Concept. Dr. Greg Venning will be dispelling any conventional wisdom (more like conventional lies) around nutrition. This workshop is FREE.
I've been to two of Greg's other free workshops and it's worth the hour of information that will just blow your mind. Greg talks to building more Vitality, reaching a potential that exceeds the norm of just settling ... And I'm down with that! Are you?

More about this workshop in the next post! (yeah, it deserves a post all for itself)!
Check out Dr. Venning's most recent post about this here to get a taste on what he'll be going a little more in-depth with: "Why Conventional Wisdom on nutrition is crap and is actually Conventional Confusion" (lol, got to love this title)!

Tools to help you shift into action and success


So to end this post, I stumbled upon... no wait I lie... I followed the leads and found it actually. This is a great tool to utilise when it comes to trying to follow through with anything you're trying out. It can be applied to anything. The woman who created it is SUSAN ALEXANDER and it's called app4Mind, check it out:



Here is the link for more about the steps: http://app4mind.com/about-app4mind/
I suggest that you head on over to her website, sign up for the newsletter and receive your copy of this chart.
I really loved how she speaks about "tracking" or keeping stock of the actions we preform.
Many have included this as one of the keys to following through and success. If you don't track it; how will you gain perspective and quantify it?
Perhaps a simplified analogy I can use is running a business. You can't not have an accounting system of some sort in place. You'll be able to account for the fact that money is coming in, yet won't be able to account for how it was spent.... leaving you wondering 1) where the profits were spent and 2) how will you know which investment generates the most return for your buck (effort)?
Comprehendo?

You might be well on your journey in creating more of what you want... It's a good practice to check in once and a while to see if what you're presently doing is still aligned for what you're creating. As anything that moves forwards, adjustments are definitely inevitable. When you follow the right clues and leads... It will open up into a level that surpasses what you thought you were ever capable of. 


I always share my findings on my Facebook Group page: Mad About My Life: step up the Awesome Setting here. You're welcome to join and subscribe... I share my findings there too.

To help you back into movement you're Mad about, click through the rest of the blog site and come try out some Early morning Yoga group classes at the dojo, Private Yoga Coaching or Semi Private Coaching with some friends.

Here's to being unstoppable in reaching what you want to create more of!

Madelain