Pincha Mayurasana With Leg Variation And Yoga Toe Inspiration
Same pose, different toes!
Yogatoes infuse your asana with consciousness and liveliness. Just try to do any pose with relaxed feet, especially a forearm-stand like this, and FEEL the difference.
Here I am playing with 3 different expressions on my feet. Honestly, the one that feels best to me here is pointed toes. But in every variation my feet are awake.
Therapeutically there are reasons why we would choose to floint our foot or flex our foot and spread our toes. Our knees benefit greatly by optimally aligning our ankles and toes.
Letting Go With Legs Up The Wall Yoga Pose
“In a society preoccupied with how best to raise a child, I’m finding I need to mesh what’s best for my child with what is necessary for a balanced mother. I am recognizing that ceaseless giving translates into giving yourself away. And, when you give yourself away, you are not a healthy mother, and you are not a healthy self.
So, now I’m learning to be a woman first and a mother second. I am learning to just experience my emotions without robbing my children of their individual dignity by feeling their emotions too. I am learning that a healthy child will have his own set of emotions and characteristics that are his alone. And, very different from mine.
I am learning the importance of honest exchanges and feelings because pretenses don’t fool children. They know their mother better than she knows herself.
I am learning that no one overcame her past unless she confronts it. Otherwise, her children will absorb exactly what she’s attempting to over come.
I am learning that words of wisdom fall on deaf ears if my actions contradict my deeds. Children tend to be better impersonators than listeners. (more…)
Anusara Yoga Session On Kauai
Back by request: Anusara yoga on Sunday mornings in February!
This all-levels yoga class is sure to refine your practice and realign you to your highest intentions!
In this heart centered yoga series we will explore a wide variety of asana, open with a centering chant, utilizing the Universal Principles of Alignment to access our body’s greatest potential, theme our series around SELF LOVE, and bathe in the gifts these practices offer us.
Space is limited to 6 students, so register today to secure your spot! (more…)
Fundraising Yoga Practice This Sunday
If you recall in July of 2011 we did a yoga class fundraising money for little Carmen, whom at the time was battling Leukemia at the young age of 4 years young.
Carmen has recently left her body and passed on to the spirit world. I can not imagine the pain in her parent’s hearts, and at the same time I am in awe as I see their hearts remain open to serve the world and find a everlasting cure for blood cancers!
Heather and Chris, Carmen’s parents, are now on a mission. They are 2 powerful people, living in love and faith, and it is my honor and pleasure to help support them as they follow this heart calling to bring healing to their hearts and to the hearts of countless. (more…)
Joe Longo Photography Rocked My World
When people are really gifted at what they do it is so delightful to let others know about them! So today I wanted to share with you… Joe Longo!
I had the pleasure of working with yoga photographer Joe Longo a few weeks ago, and “WOW.”
The experience alone of working with him was light-hearted, really fun and full of being in creative flow.
The end result leaves me with some of the most beautiful yoga images I have of myself! Every time I look at them I am in awe. The clouds, the ocean, the colors of the fronds, the detail in the grass.
You know those photos where the people’s energy has been captured and the elements that surround them pop with astonishing beauty too? Well that is exactly what my photo shoot with Joe gifted me with.
The images are so fun to share and I will have these memories now for a lifetime and beyond. (more…)
A Natural Deodorant Recipe THAT WORKS
Did you know that conventional deodorants tend to be loaded with ingredients that are not healthy for your body? And I haven’t found one particular natural one I really, really love. But this recipe produces the most mind-blowingly effective deodorant ever!
At first I was hesitant to make one because I am so busy, why would I wanna add one more thing to my list. But it was so easy to put together and now I will never leave home without it!
There was lots of commenting and interaction going on over on my Facebook page when I inquired the interest if anyone else wanted to know about this stuff. Response was way bigger than I expected. So I made a video and it shares a funny story about why I started looking for other natural deodorant possibilities in the first place. (Ummmm, yeah, gotta love those keiki.) (more…)
A Baptism In Sweat
Oh my goodness! We had such an amazingly energized, soul-quencing, prayers flying and sweat dripping practice here on Tuesday!
The practice was inspired from a quote from Gabrielle Roth. A quote that I love so much!
A beautiful woman from our Tuesday practice said this after class, “I feel like I just got baptized in sweat!”
So I made this really short video to invite you into the yurt, into our practice, to hear the quote that inspired our practice and to gift you with a new perspective. Welcome and Enjoy!
Why I Love Tabata & Plyomentric Training
I use Tabata Intervals in almost all of my fitness fusion practices. They offer so much bang for your buck. Did you know that if done optimally, can be your FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, in just 4 minutes! Keep reading, I share some more of those glowing benefits below.
Why do I do tabata at least 3x a week? I love the intensity, I love the challenging pulse of high intensity and low! The intervals are fun and exciting, invigorating and effective, and you can get as creative as you like in designing your sets.
I love that for 20 seconds I am encouraged to bring my full-out self to the exercise. Just 20 seconds! I can do that, and you can do that too. Then there is a 10 second rest to recover. Do a total of 8 rounds of this, and you have just completed a Tabata Protocol.
You must get into high intensity mode in each of those 8 sets to really reap the immense benefits of this short, 4 minute circuit. This means you should be out of breath, big time, buy the time you are through, and even better if your muscles are burning. If you accomplish this my friend, you have to put your body into anaerobic training and this assists our body in releasing the “fountain of youth” hormone, the human growth hormone. (more…)
What If Slowing Down Was Your Treasure Map, Leading You To A More Orgasmic Version Of You?
What would it look like if you gave yourself the permission to experience PLEASURE in each moment? What if something as close to us as our very own breath could feel orgasmic and blissful?
Tune into your body lovingly, enjoying each precious moment, in this sensual and slow yoga practice.
Really, when was the last time you slowed down and gave yourself the space to smell the roses or feel the warmth of the sunshine on your skin?
Nourishing Restorative Yoga Poses
The changing of the seasons is an invitation to align with our nature too. Looking at the rhythm of Fall, we see how mother nature is moving into a calm, sweet stillness. Leaves falling from the trees, the days cooler, and nights longer. She is slowing down.
By deliberately slowing down ourselves, we too can ease-fully rejuvenate, replenish and restore our every cell into a harmonized place of balance and well being.
So would you be willing to put down that to-do-list (it will still be there waiting for you when you are return) and nourish every thread of your being with a delicious restorative yoga practice?
Movement & Meditation, Beginner/Therapeutic Yoga On Kauai
Come and experience how gooooood it can feel to have a body!
Does your body say YES to more nourishment and LOVE?
Does your mind say YES to more beautifying thoughts and spaciousness?
Is your soul ready to be deeply quenched?
Are you ready to get intimate with your breath?
If every cell in your body is resonating with a YES, then welcome my friend….this happy hour class is especially designed for YOU.
A blend of beginner level yoga stretches, therapeutic alignment principles, and yummy guided meditations is infused into each hour to bring you a new class taught by Samantha titled MOVEMENT AND MEDITATION. (more…)
Moving With The Breath: Insights From My Kids Class
Today’s Kids Yoga And Creative Movement lesson was so much fun! Actually, each and every class with them is. One of the many ways that these children are so amazing is that they LOVE being in their bodies. Playing is routine to them, and at the same time exciting and full of possibilities. How cool is that?
We opened our class with energizing exercises, all constructed within Tabata intervals. Yes! The keiki are even partaking in Tabata. Yahoo!!
We played with chasses, gallops, leaps of all sorts and more. It was energizing and the energy was buzzing with joyful delight. We checked into the feeling of our bodies after such activity and took the time be with those sensations.
We filled the middle of class with exercises that involved coordination and left and right side of the brain activity too.
Within this play we chatted about what it meant to have a body, about why we love having a body, and about the gift that our body truly is in our lives. (more…)
Meditations on Oneness In A Yoga & Fitness Class On Kauai
What if we saw and greeted one other from the place of our divinity? What if we first saw what was similar about one another, before seeing what was different about each another? What if we could end the suffering on the planet over night with just this practice?!
Take a seat and come into the awareness of your breath. Feel the breath moving in and out. Feel how good it feels to be completely aware of your breath. Consciously enjoy this pleasure for a few silent moments.
Now, with your eyes closed and your breath moving effortlessly, begin to consider all the ways that you are similar to the ocean. Sit in this meditation/contemplation for a minute or two. Then, begin to consider all the ways in which you are similar to plants. Breathe.
Now, begin to consider all the ways you are similar to (more…)
This Yoga And Fitness Intensive Inspires Self Love, Big Time
A new Devotion In Motion Series is beginning in August, every Tuesday and Friday morning! Please register today to secure your spot, space is very limited.
A better description for these classes could be an “intensive” because we power pack a wealth of not only yoga and fitness time into each sweaty hour and a half gathering, but we also activate our personal growth in “expotential” (hee hee, this is Samantha vocabulary) ways!
This happens within the synergy of each potent class as amazing women come together with an intention of meeting their edges and stretching beyond. How awesome is that support?! Woven into this sweet intensity, Samantha lovingly weaves simple yet profound tools, meditations and breathing exercises into the mix. The result = positive transformation for our mind, body, and spiritual physiques! (more…)
Cultivating The Confidence To Enjoy A Handstand, Tutorial From The Wellness Wahine
Handstands can be empowering and absolutely invigorating! Nothing like flipping your whole world upside down and having every single cell in your body nourished by the offering of it. Wow, how much better can it get?
I L-O-V-E handstands! Let me say it again, I LOOOOVE handstands!
Being a competitive gymnast in my earlier life, I have practiced countless ways of balancing on my hands. Years and years of practice. But the truth be told, back in those days I never was one of those girls that could hold a handstand for days (believe me, some of my gymnast friends could). I was one of those girls that, in handstand competitions that often took place as we waiting for our award ceremonies to begin, would be one of the first girls to find myself back on my feet.
However, fast forward to the present and my handstands are steady. Finding my “sweet spot,” that place where I am weightless in space with my feet over my head, is very familiar to me. Yay!!! What changed was my awareness within my handstand, my mind-body connection, and my enthusiasm for BEing in them. (more…)
Yoga Workshops On Kauai With Samantha, June 10th & 16th
For me personally, yoga was just ‘movement’ before I found my first Anusara® yoga class. In those beginning classes I learned of the “focal points, and loops and spirals”, and how to align my body optimally. This made so much sense to me!
I fell in love with the way those alignment principles helped connect my mind and body on the mat. Not only that, but blended with it’s playful and heart-felt approach, this practice radically transformed my connection to myself, and my LIFE.
This June I am offering yoga workshops in Kilauea, Kauai that will refine your understanding and connection to YOU, on and off the mat. (more…)
Fundraising, Donation Yoga Practice For Monk Seal Awareness
The other day I had the sweet privileged of witnessing a mama monk seal and her baby swimming together right near the sea shore. So playful and free. Then they scooted, wattled, crawled (wow, how is it to describe the wild way in which these creatures move their huge bodies upon the earth?!) up onto the beach to have a rest. After they found themselves a comfortable placement, the baby seal nursed and it was all just so amazing! I truly felt like what I was witnessing was a once in a lifetime scene from “How Amazing and Beautiful Our Wild World Is.”
Sunday, May 20th I will be leading a guided yoga practice in Kilauea. This is a DONATION yoga practice and ALL moneys will be going to Tara Golden for her documentary and work that is bringing awareness to the world about monk seals!
You can see the trailer of her documentary here: (more…)
Kauai Yoga Retreat April 30th, With Guest Instructor Kimberly Daniels
Introducing…. April 30th, 2012 Kauai Yoga Retreat Co-Instructor, Kimberly Daniels!
I first met Kimberly Daniels in Maui a year and a half ago at an Anusara yoga therapeutics training where we also shared a Ram Dass Satsang and beach time. From the time we met she delighted me with her friendliness, and her enthusiastic love for life and yoga.
Today I am super geeked to tell you more about my friend who will be co-teaching our April 30th Yoga and Nature Retreat On Kauai with moi. (more…)
Donation Yoga Class And Massage On Kauai For Shakti The Movie: The Power Of Women
A friend recently reached out to see if I could help raise money for something she is passionate about supporting herself. Her friend and teacher, Psalm Isadora, is featured in a documentary titled Shakti The Movie: The Power Of Women. As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew I wanted to help too.
So, Laura Mata and I will be co-creating a NOURISHING 1-2 hour offering for the community here on Kauai, and all the proceeds will go to supporting this film.
I will be guiding participants through an hour all-levels yoga flow. At the beginning of our practice, we will draw one name (from all yogis present in class) from a basket and this fortunate person will receive a free, one-hour, therapeutic massage immediately following yoga flow! (more…)
On Staying Motivated and Committed To Your Fitness and Well-being
Are you staying committed to your practices? You know, the ones that bring value and richness to your life in many ways. Do you feel motivated to get better, stronger, more flexible and confident in your body each day?
Did you know that within the first week into a New Year, over 50% of people’s Resolutions fail. For the other 50%, most of these dedicated and disciplined troopers will eventually also fail in enduring to make an everlasting change. Within the first 6 months 80-90% of people will already give up on their New Year’s Resolution.
Here’s a little recipe that will help you stay committed to your fitness path this year:
A Mind, Body, Heart Fitness Challenge On Kauai In February
Lately I have been feeling so much gratitude for the ways in which my body supports me in living my life to the fullest. I have just recently been jumping courageously off waterfalls, hiking miles in the jungle, and dancing spontaneously with Kaili (and she loves to be held and swung all around when we dance). All of this with a freedom that I truly cherish.
I know that I know that I know, that my CONSISTENT commitment to my yoga and fitness practices have gifted me this freedom I appreciate in my body daily. Thank you practices!
So, this February I am offering a new challenge, a new opportunity to recommit to your devotional offering of love to your body, mind and heart. (more…)
Backing Off The Perifery So The Core Can Be It’s Best
My life is blessed and I give thanks every day, and I feel this gratitude in the resonance of my being. These are the top on my list when I think of all I am grateful for and blessed with: My ohana (all of my relatives), my connection to God, my daughter’s laughter and health, my health and the freedom I have in my body to move, my husband’s personal integrity and they ways in which he supports our family unwaveringly, my personal yoga and fitness practice which supports everything I do, my garden, our property and home, our animals, the unconditional love from my parents, my friendship with my mom, the connections I have with my students and dear friends, the yoga yurt, healthy food, …
Of course the list goes on and on….
I guess this story really starts back when I was in high school, when I started exploring my practice of yoga. Once I started I immediately began teaching yoga to my friends. I loved it, it was in my soul to share this practice. I mean, it was (and still is) REALLY in me to share this practice. (more…)
Yoga And Adventure Retreat Home On Kauai: January, 2012
To really describe the accommodations for this January Yoga Retreat On Kauai is not easy to do. Why? Because there is a magical essence to this space that must be felt, heard, seen and touched. It has it’s own pulse, a unique resonance and a divine beauty that speaks to the hearts of those that will stay with us for the week.
Here is what one couple from my last retreat wrote in the guest book,
“This home served as a perfect setting for our honeymoon and yoga retreat with Samantha. We sincerely appreciate the beauty of this property and feel truly blessed to have spent time here connecting to the island, each other, and ourselves. Our time here has been heart opening, it has brought to us joy and happiness, it has givin us a true sense of connection and a feeling of being aligned with grace.”
With deepest gratitude, Jeff and Beth
I am looking for people who’s hearts leap when they envision themselves spending a week on Kauai partaking in: (more…)
One Handed Handstand Tutorial
There is so much, infinite really, potential in our practices of yoga and fitness. Isn’t it so exciting and inspiring?!
Yesterday in my practice I fused together the disciplines of upper body strength building exercises, cardio blasts, and yoga. I love this fusion and I have been creating an entire unique and addictive curriculum around this fusion. Here on Kauai I call the class Booty Camp.
I made a short tutorial for you out of one of the exercises I played with in my own personal practice yesterday, a one-handed handstand. This courageous and strength building posture is available for you to practice IF you already have a confident handstand on your own in the middle of the room. Wow, what else is possible? (more…)
Samantha Fox is a yoga and fitness instructor on the Garden Island of Kauai in Hawaii. She is a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor and holds a Diploma in Ayurveda Sciences. Samantha has been practicing yoga for over 17 years and began teaching in 2002. » Find out more about Samantha Fox.
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