Quest Bars Are So Delicious. But Are They Healthy?
So after seeing QuestBars all over the fitness world on Instagram I was really curious. “What is all this hype about? Are these bars healthy?” Were just a couple of my instinctual questions. And of course, “What do they taste like?”
I recently sampled a variety pack of flavors and one of their Peanut Butter Cup treats too.
I had a good handful of questions for the people over there at Quest to find out more about what really is inside of these protein packed, low carb bars that taste really really good. (more…)
What Is The Significance Of Spreading Your Yoga Toes?
Now those are some yoga toes! 
Did you know that by spreading your toes you activate your outer shin muscles, enlivening your legs with more strength and and awareness?
Here my foot is “flointed”. Ankle joint pointed, toes flexed and fanned. So, I have refined articulation in my ankle joint and my toes! Oh yeah baby.
But, I am not just doing this to show off my sandy feet. There is a much bigger purpose to working our feet in all yoga poses and exercises too.
Let me break-it-down a wee bit… (more…)
Past, Present Or Future. Where Are You?
What’s the favorite hang out place for your mind? Past, Present or Future?
I believe it’s a great question to be aware of.
Take note:
When you are sad, depressed or down in the dumps, you more than likely are dwelling somewhere in the past.
When you are feeling stressed, anxious or nervous, more than likely your thoughts are in the future making up something that hasn’t even happened yet.
Silly right? But you know you go there. At least I know I do.
But in the moment, the simple act of breathing can feel like ecstasy and water or the caresses of touch on your skin so pleasurable. (more…)
Let Go And Let God
Do you know the feeling of taking a huge leap of faith? Do you ever jump off the edge of your comfort zone? Do you go after those things that really excite you, even though at the same time frightens the crap out of you? When was the last time you really LET GO?
I have recently jumped off an energetic “comfort zone” and WOW was there immense freedom on the other side of that leap for me. Profound, energizing and exciting.
When was the last time you truly sat with the energy of your frustrations, blame or even that feeling of having to figure it out or fix something? (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…)
July 2013 Yoga & Fitness Retreat On Kauai, Hawaii
Mark your calendars: July 20, 2013! You are invited to rock with me on Kauai! Retreat Stylie!
I will be hosting this yoga retreat that will infuse fitness, nature, meditation and nourishment into one grand, soul quenching experience. I am already super excited about the unique offerings that will be added to this special week full of yoga and a connection to nature and our hearts. The possibilities are endless. The blessings of Kauai and our deep practices will be flowing in abundance. Come play, connect and enjoy.
Included in this magical week long yoga retreat is: (more…)
2013: A Year For Magnificent Possibilities In Our Bodies
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am so excited for all that 2013 has to offer!
I dream of a planet where each and every one of us are lit up, living in our fullest potentials with our miraculous bodies. Take a moment and just image that! Wow! So fun, so powerful, beautiful and exciting!
I usually don’t make “New Year’s Resolutions.” Why? Because from past experience and from witnessing others, I had a belief that they were made to be BROKEN. So, I decided not to make them and simply live each day to the best of my ability. Sometimes I rock it, sometimes I don’t.
But the end of 2012 has been full of insights and growth for me. I have really been looking at the ways that I think about things, and have been unrooting the beliefs that are not true and that are holding me back from reaching my fullest potential in all areas of my life.
This has been so huge for me that I must share it with each of you. In the hopes to keep this post from getting too long, I will share just a little bit about all this right now, and I will be expanding on all of this in 2013. Yay!!! (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?
Spiced Vegan Chai Recipe
I love me a good chai! Love, love, love it!
And my dear friend Jana Kilgore, who has magical super powers in the kitchen, is sharing her secret chai tea recipe with us today!
I have said it before and I will say it again, Jana brings passion to the palate! Her love for food goes into the way she prepares each meal and into how she creates each recipe. She lovingly prepared meals for us during our January, 2012 yoga retreat on Kauai, and what a sweet blessing it was!
The following is her deliciously, soul soothing chai tea creation:
Photos Of Amazing Trails, Waterfalls & Beaches On Kauai
I just went through an archive of about 7 years of photos I have taken while living on Kauai. Some of them were taken while hiking on Kauai, swimming at waterfalls here, and even riding in a helicopter (the way I met my husband!)
I was going through my photos to find a few beautiful ones for my website that I will be launching within a couple of months. Yahoo!!!
And as I go through these photos I am saturated even more in my sincere love and deep respect for this amazing island I call home. I love you Kauai!
I wanted to share with you some of the beauty of this place.
I wonder what magical gifts you may receive from Kauai, just by sitting with these images of her in her splendor?
A Live Lemon-Banana Pie That Will Rock Your World
One of the deserts we drooled over during my May Yoga Retreat here on Kauai was a live Lemon-Banana filled pie. Not only is this pie mind-blowingly delicious, it also baffles the mind to know that there is ZERO sugar or additional sweeteners added to this amazing treat.
Ohhhhh, my mouth waters just thinking about how good this is!
The participants at my retreats have encouraged me to make a Recipe Book that includes all of our meals we enjoy together throughout the week. Ummm, how yummy is that encouragement? (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…)
Eating Breakfast From My Garden Inspires My Day And My Spring Cleanse
A friend of mine, Micah Skye, recently posted a recipe for his morning soup and it intrigued me. He mentioned that he had lost 10 pounds from eating this soup each morning for a month. With springtime bursting here on Kauai, I had been mentally preparing for my Spring cleanse, and this soup felt to me to be the perfect way to go into it.
I was inspired to give it a try and super stoked that I had most of the ingredients right out in my garden.
What I love about this green soup is that I can harvest most of it myself, it is easy to make, digests easily, is incredibly healthy, and is a little bit warm (which I love in the morning).
Micah has a passion for food and prepares some of the most amazing cuisine on the planet. He will be, by the way, preparing a great portion of our food for my April 30th yoga retreat here on Kauai! He will be using local, seasonal, and biodynamic foods to create our nourishing and tasty meals. Find out more about this soul quenching, yoga and nature retreat here. There is still time to register and come join us in the fun.
But for today I wanted to share his RAW SOUP RECIPE and my short Q&A with him about the synergy of foods and sacred geometry.
Connecting With Nature, A Breathing Meditation
A Breathing Mediation
Find a place in nature and sit quietly. With your eyes closed or softly open begin to breath in deep and out long. Keeping your awareness on the wave of your breath, begin to guide your presence more intently to the exhale. As you exhale do so with appreciation and in offering, remembering that the mountains, our gardens and all that is green on our ‘aina is thriving from the exchange of your breath.
And as your inhale, receive the exhale of the radiant nature all around you. Receiving the mana, the life force through this exchange, feel yourself connected to something bigger.
(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 Simple Morning Routine To Help Start Your Day Sweetly
By bringing your breath, thoughts and physical well-being into your morning routine, you can lay a foundation of loving awareness for your entire day!
Try these simple steps:
1. Awaken with a few conscious breaths and transition into your morning mindfully: As soon as your eyes open and you are aware that you are no longer sleeping, begin your day with a few deep breaths before you even roll out of bed. Enjoying the gift of being alive, feel your belly swell as you inhale, feel the sweet contraction in your core as you exhale.
2. Decide what kind of day you are going to have, right now! Yep, before the feet hit the floor silently decide what kind of attitude you choose to infuse your day with. Even reminding yourself that “Today is a gift!” can shift your gears into a more positive day.
Here are a few other ideas: (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…)
Miss Shri Cuisine’s Jana Kilgore And Our January 2012 Yoga Retreat On Kauai
I am super excited to introduce to you my friend, and co-instructor for our January 2012 Yoga Retreat On Kauai, Jana Kilgore!
Jana and I go way back. We both played in the same yoga studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan with our yoga instructor Behnje Masson, at the amazing From The Heart Yoga Studio. That was (wow), 10 years ago. She now resides in the Bay Area, CA. She enjoys a shakti filled yoga and meditation lifestyle where she also passionately prepares the most amazing meals with the co-creator of their catering company, Shri Cuisine.
Jana has a big, big heart and a contagious spirit for living life fully. She flourishes in her community as a leader and as a great student. I look forward to sharing her gifts with you in January. Our week together is sure to be a treat! (more…)
May 2012 Anusara Yoga And Nature Retreat On Kauai
Mark your calendars because this coming April 30-May 6 you are invited to rock with me on Kauai!
Come enjoy the expansive moon grow into it’s fullness with us this May, 2012. I will be hosting this yoga retreat with Kimberly Daniels and I am already super excited about the unique offerings that will be added to this special week full of yoga and a connection to nature and our hearts. The possibilities are countless. The blessings of Kauai and our deep practices will be flowing in abundance. Come play, connect and enjoy.
Included in this magical week long yoga retreat is:
*6 nights in a spacious, getaway home with an ocean view and a hot tub in Princeville, Kauai.
*3 daily meals / desserts / fresh juices / coco water
*2 daily practices of yoga, fitness, and/or mediation with two Anusara yoga instructors.
*Daily excursions which will include: waterfall hike, beach days, one Stand Up Paddle board lesson on river, endless possibilities (let us know what you would love to experience here).
*All travel, car expenses to and from airport and during the week.
*All taxes (more…)
Yoga Retreat On Kauai, January 2012
You will be nourished, delighted and empowered in this magical Paradise Play-Treat.
Explore, dream and discover on one of the most magical islands on the planet! Join Samantha Fox Olson (certified Anusara yoga instructor and local Kauai resident!) and Jana Kilgore (Anusara Inspired Teacher, Ayurvedic Chef & Gifted Healer) on the majestic island of Kauai for a week long yoga retreat that will inspire you, awaken your senses and connect you deeply with nature. (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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