7th Annual DC Yoga Week (just in time!)

Let the District yogis rejoice! Free and $5 classes at studios all across town this week.  No excuses. Dive in.

–Aimee

Finding balance amid the mess: Mind-Body Week in DC

Hey DC–does all this talk about upcoming elections, campaign promises, economies and enemies, corporate anonymity, hippy protests, political unrest, wall street to main street discourse have you feeling… tense? A bit out of sorts?  Like you can’t seem to keep your head on straight?

Well, here’s a chance to feel balanced and reconnect with what makes you happy and whole.  Its Mind-Body week! Experts from the science, medicine and healing fields are gathering together to provide scientific evidence on the connection between mind and body through panels, presentations, yoga and guided meditation.I’m a strong believer in the mind body connection and that you are internalizing your every thought and emotion and transforming it into a tangible reality–even without knowing it.  There’s a great lineup of speakers and this conference looks like a fantastic opportunity to bring together a community reflecting principles that are often ignoroed by Western medicine. Take a deep breath and cruise on over to one of the many scheduled events.  Visit the website to learn more.If you can’t make it to the conference but want to explore more about the mind and body and business connection and how it can lead you to success, watch this amazing talk by one of my favorites: Deepak Chopra (he even talks about wall street, too.)

Deepak Chopra in conversation with Lisa Napoli from Ted Habte-Gabr on Vimeo.

Remember to breathe and be good to yourself and those around you!  Bust out those divine attributes kittens 🙂

–Aimee

I saw the sign and it opened up a can of worms: NIMBY in Hollyweird

Today residents of Hollyweird will get to stand up and debate how best to deal with the thousands of tourists who flock to the neighborhood surrounding the infamous Hollywood sign, in search of the best vantage point.  A community hearing will be held at 4pm PDT in a municipal community room at 6501 Fountain Ave.Anyone who has ever done this before knows exactly where to find the best spot to take pictures in front of the Hollywood sign: the dog park at 3000 Canyon Lake Drive.  The dog park is a really cool spot to snap a few pictures and see some super cute dogs.  In fact, its the closest you can get by car.But, residents of the 87-year-old neighborhood surrounding the sign have been increasingly complaining about tourists, as the roads through the hills are narrow, winding and easily jammed.  And, with the advent of Google Maps and GPS, more and more people are finding their way into these small neighborhoods to take awesome yoga pictures in front of the sign (among other types of photos.)Some residents have even gone rogue and started posting their own signs which read, “Tourist Free Zone” or directing sight-seers out of the narrow neighborhoods with arrows.  There has been a dispute over designating this park as an official viewpoint for the sign, with city council member Tom Labonge leading the charge.  According to the LA Times, local residents are fearful that this project “will act as a huge magnet for even more tourists.”But what Hollywood tale would be complete without a little drama?  The home-owners associations are going at it.  While some condemn the use of the park as an official sight-seeing spot, others love the idea!  The Hollywoodland Home Owners Assn. cautions against the increased risk of wild fires and accidents due to increased tourism.  The Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Assn. released the following statement:

“Thanks to the office of Councilmember Tom LaBonge… the area is getting nicer and more open, which means that those who have found their own way into Hollywoodland and want to take a photo of the Hollywood sign don’t have to stand in the street.”

What do YOU think about the predicament?  Have you ever trekked up into the hills to see the sign?  Can residents really complain about tourism when they’re living underneath one of the most iconic images in America?  Let me know your thoughts and stay tuned!  The meeting is set to begin in approximately 2 hours.

That’s all for now cats and kittens,

–Aimee

Wet Weekend Warrior: Not your watered down round up!

Last week I trekked the 2,600 miles back to the homeland of LA.  After a year and a half of living on the East Coast, I found it rather quaint that people on the West Coast were complaining about the “heat.”  To me, 90 degrees with no humidity and a cool ocean breeze that settles in around 6pm, is hardly the tough life! Back on the East Coast, having just nearly missed the dreaded Hurricane Irene, we’ve been facing a week-long, non-stop downpour here.  Which brings me to the weekend plans:  You may remember that I miraculously beat the crowds and scored tickets to Virgin Mobile Freefest back in July.  And now here we are, a day before the long-awaited event, and I can’t seem to find anyone still willing to go!  Granted, its supposed to be raining all weekend and, well, its been raining so much that the Merriweather grounds may be more akin to a slip n’ slide fail.  Still, Cee Lo Green, Black Keys, Ghostland Observatory, Deadmaus5… does anyone want to go to tomorrow’s festival?  Let me know! I could swing either way. Speaking of…Lest you think its all rainy Jane around here, let’s remember some of the things we do when the sun is out!  The acroyoga friends we made at Meridian Hill Park last month have put together a really cool video. Go to the Facebook Acroyoga page, scroll down and ‘like’ the video posted by Elizabeth Tomber here: http://www.facebook.com/acroyoga Help send them to California in a contest for Divine Play Acroyoga.

And also… on to the serious stuff. Reality. No really. There really is a cool event coming up. Seriously. For realz. For really. For real-ity.  NYC friends, Boulder, CO friends, China, Indonesia, Paris friends, from DC to the Dominican Republic. Thailand to Tunisia, anyone with an internet connection anywhere in the world can be apart of something together.  Acknowledgment of science.  A dose of reality.

We’re one week away. Yeay!

CH-ch-ch-check it.

-Aimee

AcroYoga and the funky Sunday bunch

Over the weekend I took my first Synergy workshop at Bikram Yoga in Bethesda, MD.  Think: yoga meets partner stretching meets Cirque du Soleil meets your favorite gymnastics class when you were 8 years old.  Its playful, silly, beautiful and fun!

Flora flies in bow pose

After the workshop, we went to the drum circle at Malcolm X Park on Sunday to practice our new craft.  If you haven’t been to the drum circle on Sundays yet, you’re going.  This Sunday.  Just do it.  Don’t ask questions. You’re going.

The drum circle is loud and from the moment you ascend the steps along the park’s famous art deco fountain, you hear it.  Rhythmic rumbling that grows louder until you reach the top and see the swirling hive of drummers unfold before you.  Drummers, dancers, kids on the lawn throwing frisbees, hula hooping, practicing yoga, chatting over picnic treats on blankets.  A wonderland of DC residents.  Gathered together in sheer, brief magic.Flora and Corey started practicing their moves right away.  Basically one person is a flyer and the other is the base.  Once the flyer is boosted into the air on the extended legs of the base, the flyer can twist, stretch, flip and fold in the air.Then we made new friends and got to practice with a guy who has been doing AcroYoga for about 7 years.  It was a blast and really inspiring to keep honing our new skills.  Watch Flora fly:I got in the game and had some fun too:
If you’re interested in learning more, there’s a class on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm at Yoga Chai. Let me just tell you, its fun. VERY fun.  Enough to make a girl want to run away and join the circus.

That’s all for now cats and kittens!

Namaste, Aimee

4th of July weekend in the Outer Banks

What better way to celebrate our nation’s independence than heading to the shore and starring smugly across the pond at merry ol’ England?
It was this California girl’s first time to the Outer Banks, NC and I must say, it was wonderful to escape the chaos of DC on the 4th of July and lock in some seriously solid beach time.

Namaste!