I don't like wearing makeup! It's hard to wash off, and I often forget I'm wearing it and rub my eyes so end up walking around looking like a raccoon! I also don't want to wear anything that's been tested on animals, and so many cosmetics are. I discovered this really lovely lip and cheek stain by Ere Perez. You only need a drop it's so powerful! And it looks so beautiful, just a healthy glow to your cheeks and lips that looks totally natural. I like to first use a serum to moisturize and prep my skin, and then put a tiny bit of the stain on. It's a quick way to look refreshed for the day! I bought mine on Amazon HERE. 

Let that question marinate for a moment. Most likely your answer wasn’t ‘to get more flexible’ or ‘to learn how to get my feet behind my head’. Yet so often in our image based culture we see a beautiful advanced posture as a sign of success, of a well practiced yogi.

I bet all of us know at least one or two yogis out there that kill it on the mat. They make each pose look easy and graceful, and who wouldn’t want to be able to do these incredible things with their bodies?! I’ve had dreams of being able to pull my foot past my head in dancer pose, and it genuinely felt open and invigorating... I also didn’t have a spine in those dreams, but who cares! 

My best friend and I took our first yoga class freshmen year of college. We didn’t even have mats, and down dog felt impossible! My very first yoga teacher was really “good” at all the challenging postures. I was too young and inexperienced to understand at the time that that was all she was good at in terms of yoga. She didn’t talk to any of us after class, and I never got that connection and warmth from her that I’ve had in so many teachers since then. I emailed her a few years ago to say thank you for introducing me to yoga, with hopes that maybe I’d misunderstood her all those years ago. Nope! Her reply was ‘I’m glad you like yoga so much.’ That was it. 

Haha anyways! The point of that story is, a master of asana does not mean a master of yoga. We know this. But sometimes I need to remind myself when all I have time for in my day is meditation and gentle stretching. 

To answer my original question, I practice yoga to be flexible... in my mind. To understand there are other ways of being, thinking, and feeling. The physical poses feel nice and nurture your body, but I believe, at least for my practice, that the mind must lead.

I’ve been working on watching a scenario play out in my head before opening my mouth or taking an action. It’s not easy, but the little success I’ve had has saved me from arguments with my partner and from hurting someone’s feelings. Often my first response isn’t the best response, but for some reason I see my lips moving and those words flowing out. 

Could there be a better response? It only takes a moment to play it out in your head, but those seconds of time escape easily, and before you know it your habitual reaction has taken control of the situation. This is where your flexible mind yoga practice is so important! If you’ve been conditioning your mind to be aware of the thoughts and the words that follow, you might be quick enough to catch yourself! If you’re leaving that part of your yoga practice out in favor of the postures, you won’t get all the benefits yoga has to offer.

I’ve spent many years of my life trapped in yoga asana. I’m not saying everyone is like me (thank god haha!), but I neglected my mind in favor of my body. And I’m not saying that you can’t have both body and mind awareness, of course they wouldn’t be without the other, and a healthy body is crucial for a healthy mind. I’ve found in my own experience that when I practice yoga for a flexible mind I get the most out of it and my body follows suit.

May your yoga practice in 2018 bring you much peace and the space to see how limitless our lives' possibliities are!

Above is a funny way I've been doing pigeon when I wake up. I pretend I'm a cat and drag my leg back into pigeon, rather than pulling my bent leg in front of me. It's a real juicy way to move when your body is stiff early in the day.

A real simple flow I like to do to get into my head is this one. Basically it's just praying, sitting in hero pose, raising your arms as you would for a sun salutation, pulling yourself up onto your knees and allowing a slight backbend, and then returning to sit. I do this a few times to get my blood flowing when I'm too tired or just not ready to do sun salutations. It's fun to explore simple flows, letting your body and breath lead the way to settle the mind into meditation. 

My favorite thing about my job has gotta be the next collection! I try my best to be present with my work, but I LOVE creating the next thing! Here's the palette that's inspiring me for spring, and a little peek at my palm print I'm working on. Thank you so much for supporting us!

Well, that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this little magazine. I didn't have anyone on board with me (I didn't ask anyone yet LOL), so it's very Hayley-centric at the moment. If you'd like to contribute to our next zine I would love to work with you! Please email me at hayleylove@gmail.com with any ideas! Thank you with all my heart for taking the time to read (and hopefully enjoy!) this winter edition of Purusha People Magazine!

Much love,
Hayley