Friday, March 9, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Yoga Playlist, Colorado-style
In honor of 303 Day, I put together the following yoga playlist of some of my favorite local artists. I play a lot of local music in my classes anyway, but choosing which artists and songs to include during a one-hour 303 Day class wasn't easy. There are many terrific local artists not represented below.
I've included links to each artist's website as well as the info I could find regarding their next live show. I'm sure I've gotten something wrong; please feel free to let me know if so.
If you're wondering where some of the usual suspects are, I chose to put some of our more widely known local artists on my pre-class playlist.
I've put together a playlist on Spotify of some of my favorite songs by Colorado artists, including the above songs (when I could find them on Spotify). It's an ever-evolving list, as I'm always looking for bands to check out. Click here for that playlist. Also, you can listen to music on nearly every artist's webpage that I've linked to above.
Lastly, I must say a word about my beloved Railbenders. I tried really hard to include them on my yoga playlist, but it just wasn't working for the yoga class. My first priority has to be keeping my students in their yoga practice. (I did include Angie Stevens' version of "Whiskey Rain," which is excellent, though much sadder-sounding than the original.) Anyway, if you haven't seen these guys live, you should check them out. They are a BLAST. They are playing at the Soiled Dove on 3/31/12, and they're also on the line-up for the Denver Day of Rock.
I've included links to each artist's website as well as the info I could find regarding their next live show. I'm sure I've gotten something wrong; please feel free to let me know if so.
- "Virginia May," by Gregory Alan Isakov - looks like he's opening for Brandi Carlile at Red Rocks this summer
- "Barefoot Friend," by Elephant Revival - find their tour info here
- "Customs," by Braddigan - no shows scheduled at this time, but you can sign up for his mailing list
- "Everything Is Alright," by Fierce Bad Rabbit - they've got several local shows coming up
- "Happy Ending" (feat. Angie Stevens ), by The Flash Mob - their next show is 3/23/12 at Casselman's
- "Ho Hey," by The Lumineers - I am in love with this band! - they're traveling now, back in Colorado in April, and then playing the Bluebird Theater on 5/11/12
- "Make a Noise," by Katie Herzig - she's on tour now, back in Denver in May
- "Airplane Mode," by the Flobots - I couldn't find any upcoming tour dates
- "Hunting Season," by The Epilogues - they're playing Denver's Gothic Theatre on 3/23/12
- "Runner," by The Yawpers - The Yawpers are one of my new favorites, and they've got several local shows planned
- "Early Spring Till," by Nathaniel Rateliff - also check out the band Born in the Flood (I especially love the song "Anthem") - looks like he's touring now and back in Denver in April
- "Bar Talk," by Take To The Oars - I so love their band name - they are also playing the Gothic on 3/23/12
- "City of Lights," by Air Dubai - they're traveling now, but playing the Denver Day of Rock on 5/26/12
- "Whiskey Rain (High Lonesome Mix)," by Angie Stevens - she's playing The Soiled Dove on 3/9/12 as part of her new collaboration, I'm With Her
- "Further to Fall," by Dan Craig - his FB page says he's playing every Thursday during March at Lost Lake
If you're wondering where some of the usual suspects are, I chose to put some of our more widely known local artists on my pre-class playlist.
I've put together a playlist on Spotify of some of my favorite songs by Colorado artists, including the above songs (when I could find them on Spotify). It's an ever-evolving list, as I'm always looking for bands to check out. Click here for that playlist. Also, you can listen to music on nearly every artist's webpage that I've linked to above.
Lastly, I must say a word about my beloved Railbenders. I tried really hard to include them on my yoga playlist, but it just wasn't working for the yoga class. My first priority has to be keeping my students in their yoga practice. (I did include Angie Stevens' version of "Whiskey Rain," which is excellent, though much sadder-sounding than the original.) Anyway, if you haven't seen these guys live, you should check them out. They are a BLAST. They are playing at the Soiled Dove on 3/31/12, and they're also on the line-up for the Denver Day of Rock.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Week of February 24th: What You Feed Will Grow Stronger
This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to take a master class with power yoga teacher Bryan Kest. (The class was at Qi Downtown, which, by the way, is AWESOME. I will definitely be going back there.)
I didn't take notes during the yoga class, so what I'm about to share is merely paraphrased from what Bryan Kest said, or, rather, what I think I heard. I'll do my best to convey his message as accurately as I can.
Bryan started the class with a lecture, and I thought what he shared was very valuable. His main point was that yoga should be more about the mental than the physical (he told us this before working us hard with a challenging physical practice, but I think his point is still valid). The vast majority of diseases are caused by mental stress (the negative, not-helpful stuff we think about throughout much of our day, every day), so our mental health has far greater impact on our physical health than our exercise regimen does. If we practice yoga only for the physical aspects, we are missing a huge benefit of the practice.
He also talked about what a waste it is if we just bring all the crap from our off-the-mat lives in with us to the yoga room and then change nothing while we're practicing yoga. For instance, if we're competitive in our daily lives, and we bring that competitiveness onto the mat, what's the point of all the yoga? Where's the transformation? How can transformation occur if we're just doing the same old things on the yoga mat that we do everywhere else?
I talk a lot in my classes about how we can cultivate new behaviors and thoughts during yoga practice and then begin to take those behaviors and thoughts with us into the rest of our lives. Bryan talked about how pointless it is to do the yoga practice if we're not willing to change anything about ourselves, and I agree, especially when you consider how important mental health is to physical health.
Bryan also talked about how what you feed will become stronger. For instance, if you don't feed your angry thoughts, then any anger in your life will weaken. Conversely, if you feed thoughts of insecurity, then your insecurity will grow stronger. Whatever you feed will grow stronger.
So this week I'm asking the folks in my yoga classes to bring awareness to all the stuff they don't want in their lives (feelings of lack, anger, jealousy, fear, insecurity, judgment, whatever it may be), and then to make an effort to stop feeding it. Your thoughts have an enormous impact on your health and happiness. Choose how you think. Choose what you think. Change your story.
What you feed will grow stronger. What do you want in your life? Feed THAT. Feed nonjudgment of yourself and others. Feed gratitude. Feed forgiveness. Feed feelings of abundance. Feed optimism. Feed love. Feed generosity. Feed kindness.
Namaste :)
Tiffany
I didn't take notes during the yoga class, so what I'm about to share is merely paraphrased from what Bryan Kest said, or, rather, what I think I heard. I'll do my best to convey his message as accurately as I can.
Bryan started the class with a lecture, and I thought what he shared was very valuable. His main point was that yoga should be more about the mental than the physical (he told us this before working us hard with a challenging physical practice, but I think his point is still valid). The vast majority of diseases are caused by mental stress (the negative, not-helpful stuff we think about throughout much of our day, every day), so our mental health has far greater impact on our physical health than our exercise regimen does. If we practice yoga only for the physical aspects, we are missing a huge benefit of the practice.
He also talked about what a waste it is if we just bring all the crap from our off-the-mat lives in with us to the yoga room and then change nothing while we're practicing yoga. For instance, if we're competitive in our daily lives, and we bring that competitiveness onto the mat, what's the point of all the yoga? Where's the transformation? How can transformation occur if we're just doing the same old things on the yoga mat that we do everywhere else?
I talk a lot in my classes about how we can cultivate new behaviors and thoughts during yoga practice and then begin to take those behaviors and thoughts with us into the rest of our lives. Bryan talked about how pointless it is to do the yoga practice if we're not willing to change anything about ourselves, and I agree, especially when you consider how important mental health is to physical health.
Bryan also talked about how what you feed will become stronger. For instance, if you don't feed your angry thoughts, then any anger in your life will weaken. Conversely, if you feed thoughts of insecurity, then your insecurity will grow stronger. Whatever you feed will grow stronger.
So this week I'm asking the folks in my yoga classes to bring awareness to all the stuff they don't want in their lives (feelings of lack, anger, jealousy, fear, insecurity, judgment, whatever it may be), and then to make an effort to stop feeding it. Your thoughts have an enormous impact on your health and happiness. Choose how you think. Choose what you think. Change your story.
What you feed will grow stronger. What do you want in your life? Feed THAT. Feed nonjudgment of yourself and others. Feed gratitude. Feed forgiveness. Feed feelings of abundance. Feed optimism. Feed love. Feed generosity. Feed kindness.
Namaste :)
Tiffany
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