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Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind Over Madness Yoga

There are those moments when I am still in disbelief that I live in New York City and have the opportunity to experience, it in all it’s wonder on a daily basis.

Last night was one of those moments.

 

Thanks to Nature’s Made vitamins, I was able to experience an hour and a half yoga class, led by the hilarious and inspiring Dana Flynn, in a group of thousands of other New Yorkers hoping to find their center in Times Square.

IMG_3050 Much to my surprise, the media pass which they procured for us included second row mats which meant we were able to be front and center for the action during last night’s Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind over Madness Yoga event.

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Maybe it was the heat, or the fact that I was practicing yoga in Times Square with thousands of other people, but I really got into the event last night. When she asked us to dance with happiness and find our center, I was right there. Even though this often meant that my swaying hips were being broadcast to the entire group via the Toshiba Vision Screens in Times Square!

IMG_3060 While I’m sure there are some people out there who wish this class had been more challenging or more like a typical studio 1.5 hour class, I loved every single minute of the experience. Dana Flynn, the co-founder of the event and co-founder of Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in NYC, did a wonderful job inspiring us as we moved through twists, wheels, and sun salutation series. She introduced me to some new moves I’ve never tried and there was even an awesome moment when the whole group did tree pose, while pushing against the hands of the people next to us. I can’t wait to see some of the photographs captured by the professionals as I can only imagine!

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Who would have thought I could find some balance and calm in the middle of Times Square, an area of the city I normally avoid like the plague. But last night, surrounded by my sister-in-law and my best friend, I did.

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Through chants, breaths, singing, dancing, and a little bit of booty shaking I smiled my way towards a happy and utter calm that I haven’t felt in ages.

IMG_3061 Thank you again to Athleta and all the sponsors for helping make this event possible!

Question: What is your favorite yoga pose that helps you find your calm?

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FROM OBSESSION TO MODERATION

Hi! I’m Andrea from theMFdre.

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If you aren’t familiar with me or my blog, I’m a Wild Child Creator, Obsessive Runner & Fitness Freak.

Movement Fuels Me, Life Inspires Me and Passion Defines Me.

So I use the “Dre” to chronicle the milestones, the miles {and the journeys in between}, the zany, the inspired, the funny and the colorful.

***

When you’re an obsessive runner and fitness freak training for marathons, the word Moderation somehow has still always meant do something every day in my head. And somehow I am able to justify a rest day as only running the homies 2 miles. Makes sense, right???

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Two failed sub-4 marathon attempts and I’m finally wising up to my no-rest bad habit.

I trained for Los Angeles and Boston marathons by running all.the.time – like 6-7 days a week – and I LOVED it.  I loved the thrill of getting out there and training to be stronger, run longer, and was pretty much obsessed with the idea of being — a hard-core runner. During my training I had a few speedy days, but for the most part, my pace didn’t improve much — if at all, over the course of 18 weeks. Yet I built up a solid — but not totally bonk-proof — 26.2 mile endurance level.

In LA I bonked at Mile 18 –over trained and tired legs, fueling and digestion issues, adrenaline crash. That.Kind.Of.Awesome.

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{Pretend you’re not bonking as friend takes millions of photos, then tell her you are dying and hope that a hug will miraculously make you feel better, all the while make sure you keep smiling – pictures tell better stories than reality}

In Boston – I won’t call it a true bonk – the weather bonked my sub-4 goal, no biggie, I finished smiling.

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{semi-bonking and smiling up heartbreak – blame it on the heat and OK, very tired legs too}

As I’ve re-evaluated what worked and what didn’t in those training plans, I recognize that I still have a lot to learn about Marathons and that for me, running more does not equal running stronger, or better or faster. It actually leads me to mediocrity {which I totally hate} and not meeting my goals {which I hate even more}.

Insert need for MODERATION.

I’m currently running the lowest weekly mileage I’ve run in months based on my new Less is More training plan [my Google doc here] as I get ready for Chicago Marathon this October.

Inside my head is screaming whaaaaaat? what is wrong with you? I realize by sharing my training plan I’ve just become completely and totally accountable to all of you who now will follow me. So each day I will talk myself off the running obsession ledge and re-focus on maximizing each minute of every mile to accomplish more. I’m committed to 4 runs a week, max, and I’ll be filling in my obsession gaps with yoga, stretching and some light strength work. 

I’m finally wising up to the idea that MODERATION i.e. rest, is just as important a part of my marathon training as running — and with the proper rest, I can run faster.

How’s it working??? I’m two weeks in – last Tuesday I ran 3 miles in 22:27 – a 7:29 pace.  Wednesday I ran 5 hilly miles with an average 8:16 pace and Sunday I ran 9 LSD miles at an easy pace of 8:51 (I’ll admit I had a pretty crappy run Friday morning, but I can also blame that on the cocktails the night before).  Yet, ALL of those times are 10s of seconds faster than the majority of the times I was putting up while training for LA and Boston.

Surprise…by resting and running on fresh legs, I’m able to push my pace, running stronger and faster.

I think I’m digging this MODERATION thing.

I hope you’ll stay in touch and join my adventures over at theMFDre

Let me know if you’ll be in Chicago for the marathon – I’m planning a blogger meet up!

{MF Dre}

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Cocktails and Connections

Tonight I had the great opportunity to enjoy CEW Network’s Cocktails and Connections Career Coaching event. The event featured three career coaches who presented their insights and suggestions for effective communication, emotional intelligence and succeeding in the work place. In addition to the sponsor, Marie Claire, who just launched their new Marie Claire@Work issue, these three women were the main attraction. photo (9)

Kira Copperman

Julie Jansen

Claire Steichen

Even though I am currently very happy in my role and position at Procter&Gamble, it was a great opportunity to brush up on skills and refresh my memory, especially in the area of working with others. It also helped that the crowd of 200 or so were primarily women in their 20’s and 30’s so the topic was very relevant and everyone was engaged. photo (8)Each woman brought a very different, but helpful, vantage point to the evening and I can’t thank them enough for donating their time and passion to the group this evening.  Here are a few of the key takeaways which I believe are helpful for all of us, regardless your career.

Success is being somewhere you’re doing what you’re good at and enjoying what you do.

  • Throughout life there are three types of people in the work place:

Eager beaver: working hard, waiting for the big break

Rumpelstiltskin: unhappy, confused, annoyed

Fish in Water: Dory in Nemo, in the right place but doesn’t realize it yet

  • Many people are an eager beaver when they are in their 20’s, doing as they are told in order to reach the next level,  but by the time people reach their 30’s they start thinking more about purpose and whether they are on the right path. When you reach this point in your career, look inside yourself. Understanding and being able to articulate what you enjoy and are good at will help you land the role that will bring you happiness.
  • Hiring managers respond best to people who know what they want and the impact they can have.
  • Everything begins with looking inside yourself.

Managing and Working with Others

  • People are generally bad at managing as they are scared to give feedback.
  • Employees crave feedback and have a need to understand expectations.
  • Without effective feedback, people can’t change or improve their performance issues.
  • Deliver the message by sharing a positive followed by the areas of improvements. Do your best to provide behavioral feedback and remember that people can’t change their personality.
  • Delegating is a very important skill.
  • When delegating, don’t give them pieces. Instead, delegate an entire project so they can develop more ownership.
  • If you delegate a project that takes 15 minutes per day, you well get back 11 full 8 hours days per year.

Emotional Intelligence

  • 75% of managers are more likely to promote high emotional intelligence employees. A high IQ gets the job, but high emotional intelligence gets the promotion.
  • Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, assess, and control your emotions.
    • Self Awareness
    • Self Management
    • Social Awareness
    • Organizational Awareness
    • Relationship Management

They also recommended the book, Expect to Win, an inspirational book from one of the most well respected women in business.

Do you agree with these tips? What is your best tip for the workplace?

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