Yoga Baby; Maternity Photos

Earlier this week, I met up with a friend of mine at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks for a little sunset maternity shoot.

I'm not gonna say much else other than that. I am so happy with these photos. Have a look!

Summer Fun Checklist

My cousin shared this on facebook last week. I just fell in love with this list and want to (or probably will) do so much of what's on it that I had to save it on my blog so I could keep tabs on what I can check off.

It's pretty unlikely that I'll get into a silly string fight, but I will definitely go swimming, go on a hike, ride my bike, go to a museum...and many others.

My goal is just going to be to take a picture and instagram each item I do as I complete it, and maybe I'll post them up there so I have a place to refer to for everything.

Want to get in on this with me? If you're on instagram, use the hashtag #2014summerfunchecklist so we can all check in on each other's fun summer activities!

Let me know if you think you'll join in! :)

Yoga Photo Challenge; Week 4 Recap!

As we neared the end of the photo challenge, we lost a couple of people. Don't worry though, I still love you dearly. ;)
I had some fun this week. I even posted a video for my hip opener on instagram.

Yoga Photo Challenge; Week 2 Recap!

These look so amazing! I am so proud and so happy. You'll probably recognize most of these faces, but I am loving the creativity happening here.

Yoga Photo Challenge; Week 1 Recap!

I am so so thrilled with the response I am getting for my photo challenge! I wanted to take a few minutes as we completed each week and share the incredible photos people are posting. Mine are in here too! It's a challenge for me, as well, after all!

Yoga Photo Challenge! Official Fancy Pants Announcement!

Oh, hey, guys...

The day has come. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Tomorrow is the first day of my first ever photo challenge. I hope so much that you'll get your cameraphones out, get on your mats and participate in my photo challenge. I am so so excited. 

And now, in a very official and fancy pants capacity, I bring you, the PROMPTS for my December Yoga Photo Challenge!

Look it over. Ponder your options. Use my prep posts as inspiration. That's what they're there for, and if you find yourself stuck, Google! Google all the googling you can handle!

Warriors
Inversions
Back bends & One Legged Balance
Babies, Arm Balances, & Hip Openers

I do realize there are some poses in the prompt that I did not cover in my photo challenge. For example, Eagle, Right Angle, and Lotus.
For these, you can ASK ME ANYTHING or use the magic of the Internets. I believe in you. ;)

If I haven't said it enough, I am so excited for this photo challenge. I hope you will participate. Get on instagram and tag me @calyssajean, use the hashtag #agyogachallenge. You can also post your photos right onto my facebook page! and use the hashtag! because they work on facebook now too!

Happy yoga-ing!

Photo Challenge Inspiration 4

Today we're talking about babies and arm balances... and baby arm balances (also some hip openers, because why not?)
This is also my last photo challenge inspiration post. There are so many (feels like zillions) of yoga poses that you can do. If you find yourself stumped on any prompt next month, I HIGHLY encourage you to Google.

Did I just tell you without telling you that one of my chosen photo prompts is baby? Yes I did. All of these next poses totally fall into that category.

Photo Challenge Inspiration 3

Happy Wednesday, friends! Today we are talking about backbends and one legged balance poses!

We have A TON of poses to cover this week, so I'm gonna cut down the descriptions a little bit in favor of key words.

Shall we get started back bends!?

Photo Challenge Inspiration 2

 It's time for our second inspiration post! Have I told you how excited I am for this photo challenge? I'm getting you ready. I'm going to have so much fun taking the pictures for these prompts and I want to make sure you have fun too!

This week we are talking about inversions... *cough cough* maybe a prompt *cough cough*

Just so we are all on the same page though, I want you to know that there are SO MANY ways to get upside down without being in a headstand or handstand. An inversion is any pose where you are even a little bit upside down. So... forward fold? Inversion. Downward dog? Totally inverted.

So, let's talk about these poses, shall we?

Yoga Photo Challenge

Alright my beautiful readers, of which I know there are at least a handful and I am so grateful to and for you every day I log on to my blog, I have a question for you.

Kind of.

I post a lot of pictures of yoga and yoga related things on my instagram. (It's private, but all you have to do is request to follow me and you're gold) I know a good amount of you see my pictures, sometimes like them, sometimes just pass by, but don't really post your own yoga pictures - and that's cool. I'm learning that most of you have an appreciation for yoga, but don't really do much of it yourselves or are trying to do more.

One of my core beliefs in yoga is that

yoga is for everyone,

no matter your size, shape or abilities. Yoga should and will conform to you, you do not have to change yourself to be able to do yoga. No legs behind heads, no split doing ability. You don't need to be able to stand on one leg. Heck, you don't even need to be able to stand!

My goal in this is to inspire you. I want you to stop thinking about doing yoga and get up and do it! Your body will thank you!

That's why I've decided to do a photo challenge. Throughout the month of November, I'll be getting ready for it - coming up with my photo prompts, giving you some inspiration posts to refer back to, and a TON of modifications so that you can take yoga to your level.

I'll have the official prompt up and ready for you by the end of the month.

I hope you'll follow along here, as well as Alyssa Gohn Yoga, and post your pictures on instagram, twitter, and facebook!

... and maybe I'll have a special prize for participants at the end... maybe.

Recap Summer 2013

I don't know if you caught it, but I totally didn't do a Spring recap. Spring kind of melted into winter and summer and wasn't really it's own thing. I've decided to include some March and April in here for that reason. Just a little bit.

Above: I ran my second 10K. It was harder than the first.

I also did some fun arm balance stuff while I was at work.

A friend and I took the dogs out to Malibu and hike/walked. Then we went to the Country Mart and got them whipped cream.