YogaBabes

yogababes holiday gift guide by jessicamulvey on polyvore.com

yogababes by jessicamulvey featuring peace sign jewelry

There has been lots of fun stuff happening on www.yogababes.me/blog! I hope you check it out- add me to your bookmarks, rss feed, bloglovin, etc! I am also on twitter @yoga_babes and on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SDyogababes

I have posted TONS of new recipes for the holidays, new yoga videos, and lots of fun pictures. :-) I have also been guest posting all over the place! 

Happy Tuesday,

I have very exciting news! I am thrilled to announce that I am the newest official yoga and wellness blogger for Daphne’s Greek Cafe. Every month I will share my favorite yoga poses, their benefits, my latest nutritional advice, and much more. Click here to see my September post: http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/guest-blog-from-yogababes.html

You may also notice that my blog has been moved from http://yogababes.tumblr.com/ to here, http://yogababes.me/blog/. Go ahead and please bookmark it so you can keep up with all my latest posts. This new site is not only a wonderful facelift for my blog, but now you can comment, share, and connect more easily with everything YogaBabes has to offer.

Wouldn't you love a yoga pose that strengths your legs, core, and arms all the same time? It's your lucky day, because Vasisthasana, or side plank, does just that! This gratifying pose not only strengthens and tones, but will improve your balance as well. 

Starting in high plank, place your right hand in the center of your mat. Gracefully shift your weight onto the outside edge of your right foot and stack your left foot on top of the right. Slowly find enough balance to float your left arm up to the sky. Feel yourself push against the floor while reaching up out of your left fingertips. Engage your core and quadriceps for added stability. Lift your hips slightly so there is one long line from the top of your head, down to your heels. Hold this pose for 5-10 breathes and then repeat on the other side.

If this is too much, come down onto a bent right knee. This modification will take some of the weight out of the wrists, as well as provide extra stability.

YogaBabes' Guilt-Free Mojitos!

In a shaker, place 12 organic mint leaves, 4 shots of papagayo organic rum, juice of 1 large organic lime, and 2 tablespoons of agave. Shake vigorously until chilled. Distribute among 4 glasses and top off with club soda and garnish with mint leaves. 

YogaBabes' Mojitos taste refreshing and delicious because of the natural, pesticide-free ingredients. We use agave instead of sugar to ward off feeling nasty the next morning. Papagayo organic rum is created with organically harvested sugarcane by farmers who are treated fairly. If you are feeling bold, throw in some crushed strawberries, blueberries, or pomegranates. 

YogaBabes Yoga Mat Cleaner:

You will need:

1 Spray bottle

Fill it half up with water

Fill it half up with witch hazel 

Use 15-25 drops total of any or all of the following essential oils: lemongrass, lemon, tea tree oil, or eucalyptus oil.

The reason I use witch hazel is because it is an astringent, so it cleans like an alcohol-based product would but without any of the drying, damaging effects. It is safe on our expensive mats and safe for our skin. I recommend using the aforementioned oil since they are known for their natural antimicrobial qualities. Mind you, this cleaner is so safe- it can be used for diaper changing tables, steering wheels, massage table, etc. I love this formula because it leaves my mat smelling wonderful and I never have to worry about resting my forehead on the mat during child's pose!

If you are not interested in creating your own cleaner, I would highly recommend purchasing Thieves by YoungLiving. It is just as safe and still a very effective disinfectant. You can purchase it here: http://www.secretofthieves.com/thieves-cleaner.cfm

www.yogababes.me

Happy Tuesday! 

Today you will notice I guest blogged on http://puremamas.squarespace.com/ - such a cute blog, huh? Although I am the worlds worst storyteller, I am going to attempt to explain how I randomly discovered how much Juli Novotny, from PUREmamas, and I have in common. I made a linkedin account about two weeks ago and linkedin said I would want to know her (haha linkedin is such a genius). I clicked on her linkedin profile and saw that she had a masters in holistic nutrition, which is something that I happen to be very interested in. So, I emailed her and ask about which program she studied, if she liked it, etc. From there we decided to guest blog on one another's websites and began emailing a few times a week. It turns out that she and I both love Bergamont Spa and she seriously only lives a few blocks from my house! Small small world people. 

Anyways, please go take a peeksie at her blog, she posted two of my favorite recipes!! You will find my vegan granola (it is sooo yummy) and my zucchini as pasta dish (very tasty and very healthy). Enjoy!

http://puremamas.squarespace.com/

These are a few of my favorite things...

1. Garden of Eden is the company I receive my CSA box from. Everyone should try subscribing to a CSA box... by the way, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Every week I get a box full of veggies, fruit, and herbs from all over the area. You always get what is in season now and you never know what is going to be in the box, but that is part of the fun! 

2. Car Aromatherphy Diffuser! I'm obsessed, you use 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil and it leaves you feeling amazing and your car smelling wonderful!

3. Rolling garlic mincer. My Nana gave me this for Christmas last year and I had no idea what it was or how to use it. Once I figured out how easy it was, I fell in love. I use this every day, all you do is put a clove of peeled garlic in and roll it around- ta dah! 

4. Dr. Bronners is magical, organic, and local (for San Diegans, at least). I have used the tea tree and lavender soap as body wash and dog wash primarily but it has TONS of other uses. It can be used as shampoo, laundry soap, and shaving gel! 

 As I write this, I am one hour into a four hour lay over in Colorado- so lame. I am heading home from a wonderful weekend spent exploring Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. My husband, Logan, and I had an amazing time- we took a boat tour of Chicago with Shayla (his cousin), we went to the epic Notre Dame versus USF game (his cousin Matt is on the ND football team), and we swam in Lake Michigan! Logan and I love traveling, but we sometimes feel it's hard to stick to our healthy lifestyles while on a trip. Being away from home, we don't always get a good workout in or eat as healthfully as we would like, but on this trip we were determined to make a valiant effort to stick to our normal healthy routine.

1. Get moving! Logan and I wanted to see Notre Dame, so his cousin, Shayla, gave us a running tour! It was a super efficient way to see everything and slip in a great workout. Also, when we got to Chicago we decided to not use a taxi unless we absolutely had to. It was so fun to travel by foot everywhere because we burned calories and were able to see so much more of the city.

2. Wellness fizz. If you were ever into the Airborne craze, try Wellness Fizz. These water soluble tablets are all natural and full of herbs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. We love them and use them whenever we travel. You can find them at Wholefoods, Henry's, or online.

3. Strike a pose. On one of our walks through the park we needed to mix it up and stretch, so we did a little impromptu yoga. Not only did it feel great but it made for some really unique photos.

4. Share a meal. Logan and I normally eat a small breakfast when at home, so when we saw how huge the portions were at this breakfast joint we were at, we decided to split our meal. Of course we didn't do this for every meal but when we were not starving, we did! It cuts the calories, and bill, in half!

5. Pack a snack. We also try to bring our own snacks to the airport. My favorite snack to bring is trail mix. Let's be honest, airport food is always expensive, unhealthy, and underwhelming. Next time you travel, try this trail mix recipe: combine raw almonds, dried unsalted edamame, your favorite dried fruit (I completely salivate over Wholefoods dried strawberries), dark bittersweet chocolate chips, and some of your favorite granola cereal. I like this recipe because it is sweet, crunchy, and filling.

Today I was a guest on Simply Sweet Wedding's blog! Holly, the owner of the company recently asked me if I had any advice for her beautiful brides-to-be and so I decided to share how I used yoga to stay sane during my wedding planning process. Take a peek, and try out my Simply Sweet and Stress-free yoga series! 

Namaste,

Jessica 

I just got home from work... yes, I know it is Sunday! Logan is up in Orange County, so it is just me and Bodhi (our puppy). As soon as I walk in the door I see a note from my husband on the counter. It reads "Love you so much! Have a great day, go shopping"! How cute is that? It made me smile for so many reasons. It made me smile because it was such a surprise, it made me smile that he thought to even leave me a note, and it made me smile because I now have the green light to go visit Anthropologie (hahahah).

Then, I go pull up my email and notice an email from my dad. His email is a photo of the blackberry bushes that I tended to EVERY August of my whole life. Recently, my dad put my childhood home on the market, which even though it makes a ton of sense for my dad, it has been really hard for me. If you scroll down and look at the bottom photo, you will see that my dad wrote me a note saying these blackberry bushes were waiting for me to pick them when I come visit in September. How precious is that?

Then...I kid you not, no more than 10 minutes later, my best friend Joni walks in the house with a bouquet for me! I started tearing up immediately because the timing of it was just too beautiful. Again, just a small act but it meant so much to me. All I can say is God is so good... :-)  

These three small acts of thoughtfulness completely made my day! Part of the reason I blog is simply to try to inspire... and so today I encourage you to do something spontaneously considerate! You will make someone's day with your little act of unexpected kindness and I believe that the kindness you exemplify will become contagious. In the words of Mother Teresa "kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless".

Thanks Log. Thanks Dad. Thanks Joni. I love you. What a beautiful day.