Abby Lentz Of Heartfelt Yoga

For the last eleven years or so, I have had an on-again-off-again affair with yoga.  I truly love yoga, I’ve taken a variety of classes, I have books on it, I think it’s great for so many things, etc. etc. etc.  But I’ve also had numerous struggles with it that go beyond being the fattest person in every class I’ve ever taken.  I have joint issues (diagnosed with fibromyalgia and arthritis which I’ve healed from pretty well with a few residual issues) which make a mat on a hardwood floor a really uncomfortable place to be.  I also have that really short torso/long legged body type that makes forward bends and sustained leg-in-the-air stuff kind of uncomfortable.

So when Abby Lentz of Heartfelt Yoga asked me to review her DVD’s, HeavyWeight Yoga: Yoga For The Body You Have Today (” HWY 1″) and HeavyWeight Yoga 2: Change The Image of Yoga (“HWY 2″) I was happy to do it but certainly took my sweet time.  (Sorry, Abby!)

Over the last two days, I finally took the time to try them out.  They are both truly wonderful.  After doing the first customized workout on HWY 1 and the main workout on HWY 2, my bodied felt stretched out and more relaxed.  The warm ups and main classes are made up of mainly traditional Hatha poses and breathwork (with a sprinkling of pilates-like moves during the warmup) with a savasana (relaxation) at the end.  This is really the kind of yoga I like — slow-moving and relaxing, with no really challenging moves like shoulderstands. There’s also no chanting (which I really dig but I know not everyone does).

Although HWY 1 is more customizable in terms of creating a variety of routines, I really enjoyed HWY 2 the most.  HWY 2  is set in a class and features a variety of folks of various (fat) shapes and sizes, and I really enjoyed seeing how each person modified the poses based on their body shapes.  HWY 2 also includes some additional features, like the choice of listening to it in Spanish or English and interviews with the class participants.

Since this a review, I will note just a few things I didn’t like, but certainly got over very easily.  One is that Lentz uses the terms “overweight and obese” in the introduction to each DVD, which are two words I don’t really love, for a variety of reasons.  However, that’s only in the introductions, which are easily skipped.  On a more technical, yoga-related note, during the very beginning of the warm-up part of each workout (but more during HWY 1 than 2), her tone felt sort of rushed, which had a rather non-relaxing effect.

Anyway, I hope you’ll try the DVD’s and let me know what you think.  And if you’re in Austin, Texas, I’d definitely check out a live class!

by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com

Listen to the podcast of this post here:

I’ve been noticing my own imperfections a lot lately.  Right now, I’m working with a really wonderful business coach, who recently asked me to take a look at the way I spend my time during my workday.

As I started to look at my life in half-hour blocks, I had two reactions. One — it reminded me, in a really negative way, of the way I used to bill my time as a lawyer.  I used to bill in tenths of an hour (6 minute increments), often working on 15-25 matters at a time.  All of that timekeeping and noting every bit of work that I did made it difficult to just relax during my off hours.  I used to be aware of time in a constant and terrible way.

My other reaction was one of self-judgment.  I looked at my day, which was a mixture of  hard work and fun, and judged myself for not being the perfect machine that I thought I was being asked to be.

I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to build pleasure into my workday.  I take dance breaks, walking breaks and meeting-friends-for-coffee breaks.  I know from experience that when I don’t take this time for myself throughout the day, I feel grumpy, unhappy, and really unproductive.

When I finally took a break from this self-judgment, I was able to remember all of that.  I remembered that taking time for pleasure during my day actually improves my mood, my productivity, and my interactions with clients. It’s the way that I work best, and it’s perfect for me.

Perfectionism is a really common problem, especially among those of us who have trouble accepting ourselves.  When we can’t accept ourselves, we look to others for approval, and we determined at some point in our lives that being perfect would help us get that approval.

But the problem with perfection is that we can’t really achieve it.  We’re human, and we’re imperfect.  So when we strive for perfection, we just end up with a bunch of guilt and shame about our (very human) imperfection.

As part of my Body Love Breakthrough Session, I always ask prospective clients, “If I could wave a magic wand, how would you like your relationship with food and your body to be?”  The amazing thing is, 99% of the time, I’m not hearing about a desire to be perfect.  Even the clients who tell me initially that they want to eat more perfectly or look perfect, don’t say that when I ask them head on about their desires.  When I ask them what they truly want, they tell me things like, “I want to eat without feeling guilty,” and “I want to look at myself in the mirror and feel attractive.”

In other words, their deepest desires are not about perfection.  Their deepest desires are about peace.  Peace in knowing that they know how to eat and how much to eat.  Peace in knowing that they are attractive.  Peace in feeling worthy enough to make choices that might not seem so perfect to others.

For this week’s tip, be more mindful of any perfectionist tendencies you may have.  Where might more acceptance of who you are provide you with more peace?
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Want to get your own Free Body Love Breakthrough Session?  Just click here: http://www.bodylovewellness.com/bodylovebreakthrough/.

Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. is a certified holistic health counselor who specializes in transforming your relationship with food and your body. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/stay-in-touch/ to sign up for her newsletter and get your free download — Golda’s Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!

© 2010 Golda Poretsky All rights reserved.

I’m pleased to announce that my book, Stop Dieting Now: 25 Reasons To Stop, 25 Ways To Heal is now available at online retailers in the US, Canada, and the UK!

From an early age, our culture tells us that losing weight and dieting is the key to having it all.  Whether it’s better health, a better body, or a better lover, we all learn that dieting will get us what we want faster than anything else.

Though we all want this to be true, if you’re like most dieters, then you know that dieting does not equal happiness.  Not only that, dieting can result in lots of unintended effects, like weight gain, disordered eating, and low self esteem, just to name a few.

But there is a way out.  In this breakthrough book, I show you why diets don’t work and how you can break free from dieting patterns that are holding you back from happiness.

When you read Stop Dieting Now!, you will come away with breakthrough insights and practical actions that you can take immediately to change your relationship with food and your body.  Here are just a few things that you will learn from this book:

• Why you can’t stick to diets (hint: it’s not about willpower).
• Simple techniques for letting go of food-related guilt and shame.
• Why you always seem to gain back the weight you lose from dieting.
• How old diet rules and habits can negatively interfere with your food choices, long after you stop dieting.
• How to avoid passing on dieting behaviors to your kids.
• The dangers behind “weighting” to be thinner before you make changes in your life.
• Real tools that support you in making peace with your body.
• And so much more . . .

Where to buy:

• Goodreads (If you’re a member, please mark it as to-read!)
• Amazon US
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon UK
• Barnes & Noble
• AbeBooks
• IndieBound

Let me know when you get it!

And stay tuned for info on my upcoming book signing at Re/Dress NYC!

One of my favorite plus sized gals, Oscar-winner Mo’nique, reminding us to have fun and not diet!

Right on!

So much fun! Martha Wash and RuPaul bring us “It’s Raining Men, The Sequel!”