Our guest this week is a mother of two boys, a wife and an athlete. She has a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience in the fitness industry, please welcome Rachel of Fitness for Mommies. She shares a chapter in her journey with us, yoga…..
My first trip to Italy, I experienced more new things than I ever had in my entire life put together. I drank red Italian table wine every night, I attempted to speak in Italian by asking for a cookie and the old Italian ladies kept saying” uovo” and I kept saying “cookie”. They said “biscotti” and I said no “cookie”…crazy. Didn’t understand a word they said but it was a fabulous trip. Our time in Italy consisted of 6-8 hours of bike riding daily plus a siesta and mounds of home cooked Italian food. Amazing.
On this trip I met Linda Hampsten, married to Andy Hampsten (Professional Cyclist who won the Tour of Italy in the 80’s), whose passion it was to cook and teach others how to cook. She showed up for our cooking lesson with BUNDLES of basil, sage, walnuts, and Parmesean cheese. She described basil and herbs as “LIFE”. “These are like life!”, she said so passionately! My husband at the time said, “well, I have a spice jar at home.” She said you might want to throw those out. That day, we made fried sage leaves, pesto, walnut sauce, and a Castagneto Carducci cake made from chestnut flour. My cooking has never been the same since.So, how does yoga and basil go together? Yoga is LIFE! You can experience more of your true self in a yoga class than any where else. You can find yourself on a yoga mat. Yoga has internal and external challenges all together in each and every pose. When connected to the breath, and your body is listening only to the breath, you could have a” ZEN- like” experience. If you’ve ever heard of an athlete being in the “zone” in a race, then you know what I’m talking about. A place where only your body knows where it can go. Being grateful of the time you have to go to a yoga class, whether their is a good teacher or not, can be a totally amazing experience.
Already active? Yoga will balance your body. Not active? Yoga will engage your mind and body and you will get fit doing yoga. I’ve found that when I am really breathing correctly, I am improving my cardiovascular strength as well as my strength and flexibility. As a runner and cyclist my whole adult life, yoga has been the GLUE that holds my body together. As far as I am concerned (and as time allows) I would rather be on the mat, than running. It’s more of a mental challenge, yet, I can achieve the same results in my body that I want by doing yoga rather than running.
RESOURCES TO ADD YOGA TO YOUR LIFE:
I have been recently including yoga into my routine and have been very impressed! Go ahead and give yoga a try!
Visit Fitness for Mommies for a good read along with fitness tips and more!
30 users commented in " Yoga and Basil: A Common Thread "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackTo this day, I still try to incorporate those Yoga stretches I learned from Rachel over at her blog some time ago!
It’s tough.. but feels great when complete.
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Thanks for the link! I wanted to do some yoga today.
I really enjoyed this post. We eat quite a bit of basil, and it is always a bit sad when the season in which our herb garden thrives is coming to an end. I hadn’t thought about the equating of herbs with life – and in turn Yoga – Great connection. Thank you!
Thanks for the linkys. I’ll have to check em out!
Basil is probably my favorite herb! It comes in many varieties and colors. Legend has it that the name comes from “Basilica,” and it was found growing at the base of THE cross at the crucification.
Wow. Maybe I should give yoga another try.
Basil is so good, but I find it hard to incoporate into my cooking. But, I need to cook fresh stuff more often all together.
Yoga…does anyone know of a really good yoga video to use? I don’t have money for classes but still would like to get back into it.
I would LOVE to start getting into YOGA.
Just by reading Rachel’s write up, I just felt relieve and peace. I used to join Yoga classes, but then stopped. Now just do some yoga stretching at home.
I’m Greek Orthodox and Basil has special meaning for us — life indeed ๐ They give everyone basil every Sep 14th (or the closest Sunday before). It’s sitting on my home altar right now, smelling sweet (albeit dry now!) I’ll use it in a special meal.
How interesting these comments are!
I love basil in chicken, on salads, in pesto- in everything.
Also, for Diana the best yoga videos are hard to find. I really prefer Sage Rountree’s free podcasts because they are short!
Nice article Rachel! See, I’ve been putting off yoga – it doesn’t seem like it’s “manly” enough. But, really – that’s poor thinking on my part. I’ve been hearing much recently about the benefits of yoga, and here’s another shout out for it. I’ve got to get out there and try it. Thanks for writing this (as you can see, it’s something I needed to hear) – and for the links!
I started back to yoga last Monday. I just do 10 minutes as soon as I get up, but I didn’t realize how much I missed starting my day that way. I ease into the morning, while giving my body a good overall stretch. Love it!
Herbs are fantastic- they MAKE the dish!
I had slacked off on stretching but the other day I did just a few basic pilates/yoga movements and WOW did it feel great. It’s so calming and energizing at the same time.
Thats the way to do Italy biking to burn off all that wonderful food.
I tried yoga before by renting a home video. It was kind of wierd for me, I don’t know if it was the video or the actual yoga that wasn’t my style. Could it have been the video? After reading your article I’ll have to try it again!
Yes, Munchkins and Music- it could be the video. Not all videos are that great. Try the short podcasts first.
I love yoga. It can really be a benefit to any program you follow.
Lance, even my husband does yoga! It will help your cycling!!
I tried yoga in the past and wasn’t too impressed. Maybe I should give it another try.
Thank you! Don’t think I’m ready to add it to my program yet, but it is worth looking into.
I have a yoga VCR I put on once in awhile. The poses are very simple but I always feel great afterward. I lived in Italy for a year and planted a herb garden on the balcony of my boyfriend’s apartment. I agree that fresh herbs are fantastic ๐
I love basil and I love yoga, but I never considered the parallel. Very cool perspective to consider.
@Lance if you are worried about being “manly” you might consider power yoga it’s more athletic and around my area (Boston) there are lots of guys in the classes.
@Lance – I think more and more men are trying yoga. And it seems to be gaining popularity for runners. My brother, who is training for a half marathon, just started yoga with a male co-worker and they both love it.
I have been doing yoga for the past 4 weeks and have been extremely happy and surprised with the results. Give it a try Lance…find the style that works for you! Thanks again Rachel for sharing such a wonderful part of your journey!
What a great post! I am one of the ones that took forever to get into yoga and mind/body classes. I felt really uncomfortable and couldn’t be quiet for quite that long.
Now the switch has flipped and I am in love with it. Currently I take a class that combines yoga, pilates and tai chi. It is the perfect balance for me. I leave feeling like I’ve worked my body more than in most of my cardio workouts.
Also, a cooking class in Italy is on my to-do list. Great story!
Great post! Yoga is a wonderful mind and body experience. BTW, I love to cook with fresh herbs! ๐
mmm…fresh basil smells wonderful when it is being cooked up!
I really enjoy Yoga for the core strength, stability and strong flexibility you gain from it, though I know many people get bored with doing it alone or via doing the classic positions.
I’ve had many Fitness clients tell me they really love the Yoga Booty Ballet DVD workout from Beachbody that we have. They enjoy the variety, the music, they say they end up feeling invigorated, refreshed, stronger, supple. Not classic yoga, but incorporating the moves for the 21st century lifestyle.
I recommend it if you’re looking for a DVD to workout to.
@Timothy Carter, Great! Thank you for the suggestion!
I like basil and I like yoga. Thanks for putting them together in this delightful post.
Just stopped by, nice blog!
Nothing seems to be easier than seeing someone whom you can help but not helping.
I suggest we start giving it a try. Give love to the ones that need it.
God will appreciate it.