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Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind Over Madness Yoga

There are those moments when I am still in disbelief that I live in New York City and have the opportunity to experience, it in all it’s wonder on a daily basis.

Last night was one of those moments.

 

Thanks to Nature’s Made vitamins, I was able to experience an hour and a half yoga class, led by the hilarious and inspiring Dana Flynn, in a group of thousands of other New Yorkers hoping to find their center in Times Square.

IMG_3050 Much to my surprise, the media pass which they procured for us included second row mats which meant we were able to be front and center for the action during last night’s Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind over Madness Yoga event.

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Maybe it was the heat, or the fact that I was practicing yoga in Times Square with thousands of other people, but I really got into the event last night. When she asked us to dance with happiness and find our center, I was right there. Even though this often meant that my swaying hips were being broadcast to the entire group via the Toshiba Vision Screens in Times Square!

IMG_3060 While I’m sure there are some people out there who wish this class had been more challenging or more like a typical studio 1.5 hour class, I loved every single minute of the experience. Dana Flynn, the co-founder of the event and co-founder of Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in NYC, did a wonderful job inspiring us as we moved through twists, wheels, and sun salutation series. She introduced me to some new moves I’ve never tried and there was even an awesome moment when the whole group did tree pose, while pushing against the hands of the people next to us. I can’t wait to see some of the photographs captured by the professionals as I can only imagine!

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Who would have thought I could find some balance and calm in the middle of Times Square, an area of the city I normally avoid like the plague. But last night, surrounded by my sister-in-law and my best friend, I did.

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Through chants, breaths, singing, dancing, and a little bit of booty shaking I smiled my way towards a happy and utter calm that I haven’t felt in ages.

IMG_3061 Thank you again to Athleta and all the sponsors for helping make this event possible!

Question: What is your favorite yoga pose that helps you find your calm?

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Sometimes Life Gets in the Way

…and that’s okay.

This post could have many titles,

  • long run fail
  • reunion weekend
  • long walks through the city

But instead of focusing on what I didn’t do we’ll focus on what I have done the last 24 hours. A year ago I would stressed out today, trying to figure out how I’ll make up the miles. But these days, I’ve learned that embracing life is more important than any training plans.

This weekend, two of my sorority sisters, Robin and Alison, ventured up to New York City for a good old fashioned girls weekend. In fact, I was humored and also quite relieved when they said they had nothing on their weekend wish list other than to catch up, enjoy manicures and pedicures, and a few long walks.

It’s hard to believe that this picture was taken almost six years ago as it feels like yesterday that we were enjoying $2 tall boys and belting out the words to Vidalia.

Since they arrived last night, we’ve enjoyed dinner lots of wine, a delicious dinner at Barbounia, slept off the wine, walked through the city for three hours, and enjoyed blissful manicures and pedicures.

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002001 003 006 009 011 015Our six mile walked allowed me to show them Gramercy, Union Square, Greenwich Village, East Village, South Street Seaport, Financial District, and Tribeca. While it wasn’t the 8 mile run that I had planned today, it was far better because I was able to spend hours catching up with these ladies.

Hope you’re embracing life today too!

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Travel Guide #1: Two Days in NYC

Many people have asked for me to share a more detailed outline of suggestions for a New York City weekend. I am going to do this over a few posts, with tonight’s being the first. Each will address a different type of guest, the first being parents who are experienced New York City travelers. This agenda can work with anyone who has been to the city over the past couple of years and wants to see some fresh sites.

006 012 015Day 1

  • Morning walk through your favorite part of the city
  • A New York City breakfast at Murray’s Bagels
  • Check out the new American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Walk a few blocks over to Luke’s Lobsters for a delicious and inexpensive lunch, where each roll is filled with a full 1/4 pound of lobster meat.
  • Walk north Two Little Red Hens for a delicious, off the radar, bakery visit
  • Head south a few blocks and burn some calories shopping in the neighborhood, heading down to your choice of Saks, Bloomingdales, or one of the Park Avenue boutiques.
  • If shopping isn’t your thing, reserve tickets in advance for the World Trade Center memorial which has now opened down at Ground Zero. It takes each family and person a different amount of time,  but an hour should be plenty.
  • Hydrate with an evening cocktail at Tipsy Parsons before enjoying one of their Southern blue plate specials for dinner

006 019038Day 2

  • Venture outside of Manhattan to Williamsburg where you can explore the quaint streets before a delicious brunch at Egg
  • Hail a cab over to downtown Brooklyn’s TKTS booth where the lines are always shorter than either Manhattan locations even though they offer the same tickets.
  • Head back over the bridge to the Lower East Side for 1-2 hours of history at the Tennement Museum
  • Subdue your hunger at either the Essex Market’s taco stand or deli sandwich stand
  • With full bellies, walk North to SoHo and explore some of their recent additions including a 3 store REI and multiple shops and boutiques. If shopping isn’t your thing, head up to the Highline and check out the newest extension.
  • If you were able to plan your trip in advance, hopefully you booked pre-theatre table at either ABC Kitchen or Gramercy Tavern, two amazing restaurants in the city which serve seasonal, farm to table meals with wonderful service.
  • Finish your evening with your Broadway show for which you bought tickets earlier in Brooklyn. Our favorites right now are Anything Goes, Wicked, Jersey Boys, or Phantom.

I’ll be doing more installments over the next few weeks and adding them to the travel section of this blog. As always, feel free to email with any New York City questions if you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple!

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