When I found out that Thich Nhat Hahn was leading a mindfulness retreat in Batesville, Mississippi, I decided that I had to attend no matter what. The fact that he would be just a six-hour drive from New Orleans in Mississippi (of all places) was just an opportunity I couldn't miss. And, in addition, they were encouraging families (i.e. children) to attend. I was there! So, my son and I headed up to Magnolia Grove Monastery, the most recent addition to the Plum Village sites in the United States. Thich Nhat Hahn is a well-known peace activist who, as a Buddhist monk, spoke out against the Vietnam War. He was exiled to France and founded the Plum Village Monastery. Thay, "teacher," is a prolific writer, speaker, and advocate for mindfulness and compassion...

Transform's mission is to help you transform "your body. your mind. your life." In Part 2 of this series, I explain how my yoga and personal training studio can help you with your mind. In doing so, I will also reference the body since they are interconnected... Mind in this context is thoughts and mind-attitude. Our society has become a mind dominated one in which we live in our bodies from the neck up. Our mind is our reality and leads us down paths based on false perceptions and illusions. Studies on our thought processes have concluded that our thoughts are wrong 83% of the time! Therefore we base our decisions on incorrect data the majority of the time. Mind is also the source of the majority of our stress...

At Transform, it’s all about “your body. your mind. your life.” I’m going to address these areas in the next few blogs that I write. So let’s start with -- your body. We all have specific things that we dislike about our body and I’m going to preface this blog with “You gotta love your body ‘cause you can’t leave it.” Please don’t hate your body because it doesn’t fit the image of The Perfect Body. Embrace the sheer magic that your body accomplishes every second by just being... trillions of actions are happening at the cellular level just so you can breathe and sit and read this. So let’s approach our work with our bodies as something we do so that we can lead healthier and more fulfilling lives...

Do you make resolutions every New Year? Do they come to fruition or do they fall by the wayside? Are you tired of wanting more and expecting less? Turn your resolutions into powerful intentions and create the outcomes you desire. This workshop will help you establish and envision your intentions with writing exercises and yoga. It will also give you tools to help you work through your inner roadblocks, realizing your full potential. Saturday, January 22, 2011 from 1 to 4 pm Transform: a yoga & personal training studio 8422 Oak St., New Orleans Only $30! To register, please email mia@transformnola.com and include your contact information. Payment can be by check or a PayPal invoice will be emailed to you...

Is your workout really working? Do you even have a workout? Humans are simple creatures -- we crave good things and try to avoid the bad. And we really, really dislike change. We order the same thing at the restaurant because “it’s a sure thing.” We buy the same products, watch the same kinds of movies, frequent the same stores because it is what we know. We apply the same approach to working out -- we generally stick with the same exercises and routines because it’s what we know and, most of all, like. We probably like it because it’s easy and we feel successful. You’ll know if your workout is working for you if you look forward to it and feel as you are accomplishing your goals...

I attended a workshop called "Nutrition for Everyday People" presented by Farah Gokturk of Sweetpeace Wellness. Farah is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (http://www.integrativenutrition.com) and she is a Holistic Health Counselor and Wellness Coach. At the Institute, she learned over 100 different nutritional programs that tailor eating to the individual. I love this approach -- people's dietary needs change based on their lifestage, what their bodies truly need.  She is excited about sharing some of the workshop's information with you: There are four key building blocks to establish an eating program that is appropriate for you: Consistent meals that suit your body's constitution...