a farewell to social media--for the time being

After much contemplation I have officially decided it's time to say good-bye to social media for awhile.

There was a twinge of sadness Sunday night after I clicked "yes" to "Are you sure you want to permanently delete your instagram account"? I opened that account (my original handle was Jennanney82 but it had been hippieofhealthcare since the Fall of 2013) in 2010--right before anyone knew what instagram was. In fact, the only reason I downloaded the app was because of my obsession with various photo apps. I had no idea that instagram was a social media site nor anything about following people or that people could follow me. I thought my feed was private until someone asked me why I posted the same picture (of myself) several times with different filters. I was slightly mortified when I realized others could see my posts.

However, after having nearly 1900 photos linked to that account, I decided it's time for a new chapter in my life. I did, however, save all of those delightful photos with the help of instaport so if you are dying to have an old picture of us together then just email me and I'll pull it out of the archives.

I could tell you that the reasons I'm doing this are because social media has a tendency to be a time-waster and a way of sucking you into caring about things you didn't even know existed until you saw it on facebook or instagram. 

 I could tell you that in an attempt to be more mindful, I'm getting rid of unnecessary distractions. 

I could tell you that I've grown tired of knowing what you're doing and where you're going and what you think about the president, religion, and clean-eating. 

I could tell you that I want more for my mind and my brain than to be constantly bombarded with seemingly needless information that typically resides on a very surface level and that it's altered my I.Q to a sub-standard-par that I am no longer okay with. 

And those are factors in my reasoning to get off social media, but the real reason I'm saying good-bye can be said in one simple statement: I need to pass my board exam. 

I'm also getting rid of cable (gasp!).

Given that I'm highly distractible and would much rather study your behavior (especially as it relates to facebook) than study for my boards, I think this a wise move on my behalf. 

I know you will miss my random posts and articles about love & relationships from Elephant Journal and sex, drugs, and rock n' roll from Brain Pickings and culture pieces from The Atlantic--along with pictures of me doing yoga poses in dresses--oh, and let's not forget my affinity for posting deep, meaningful, and usually morbid quotes (like the one below).

"I had a dream you stopped by the shop and helped us get more followers for Facebook and twitter. And then you showed up tomorrow and were like "here!" and you threw 5000 likes on me and it felt like slugs. And smelled like fried chicken. I was so confused. I vomited a rainbow." 

 ~Duane Schor, We Had A #Dream About You 

My facebook profile should be gone by the end of the week. 

I trust that you all will carry on as usual and if anything truly exciting or legendary happens, I insist you let me know. Also, don't forget to remind me of your birthday because without facebook, I have absolutely no idea when your special day of birth is--or any other major event for that matter.

I can't wait to see how many of you are engaged, have had babies, gotten divorced, and started your own non-profit when I decide to rejoin the social media world again. 

Until then, 

I remain,

As always,

Jennifer

31 days of yoga: why i practice

Here's the skinny on the yoga challenge I participated in and common questions I've received....

(And this is the first time I've resurrected this infamous blog in a long time....so this is pretty damn special)

As most of you are well aware, I participated in a 31 day yoga challenge on instagram. It was a challenge presented by a yoga girl who lives in West Palm Beach, FL and her username is BeachYogaGirl. I decided to participate in the challenge because I thought it would be fun and amusing and would also promote the ancient art and practice of yoga.

During the 31 days, I posted a photo a day of whatever the "pose of the day" was. BeachYogaGirl would post a picture/video on instagram of the next day's challenge. The rules I used for myself were that I would not change my environment or outfit in order to post a pose of the day pic. I wanted it to be as authentic as possible which would also allow you to see a little glimpse into my everyday life--where I go, what I do, who I'm with, etc. This means that I did not plan out my pose of the day nor my outfits nor where the picture would be taken. The only pose I did change my clothes for was the day we did splits (hanumasana). I had on jeans and I changed into black yoga pants--no explanation needed there, I think. Other than that, I was pretty true to my personal rules for this challenge.

I received a lot of feedback from all of you. Way more than I expected. I received lots of sweet comments and personal messages from people telling me how much they were enjoying this challenge of mine and asking a lot of questions regarding my yoga practice. Some of you weren't even aware that I practiced yoga--and some of you mistook the pose of the day to mean that I was practicing every single day.

So here is a little history of my yoga story. You can also read a very informative and long blog I wrote about my yoga practice in 2011 here.

When:

I started practicing yoga when I was 19 years old. I originally started taking classes at our local gym in Meridian, MS. I then went to college in Jackson, MS and studied with Scotta Brady at Butterfly Yoga. I moved back to Meridian after college and started practicing and teaching for Theresa Luke who owns Thrive MS (which used to be Laughing Llama and then Maitri Wellness). I practiced at various studios around the country and when I moved back to Jackson in 2009, I started practicing regularly at Butterfly Yoga--which is where I currently practice today.

Who:

I have had the privilege of practicing with a lot of amazing teachers over the years. However, the ones who have had the most influence over me have been Scotta Brady (my current teacher) and Theresa Luke.  I have also studied under and with: Tara Blumenthal, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sean Johnson, Jordan Bloom, Noah Maze, John Friend, Michelle Baker, Jennifer Richard, Andrea Boyd, Alicia Willemet--and I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting. I am truly thankful for each one of these teachers and what they have taught me.

Where:

I currently practice at Butterfly Yoga in Jackson, MS. You can find me in class almost every Monday night at 5:30pm and Thursday night at 6pm. I highly encourage you to attend a class if you haven't yet. There are also a few other yoga studios in the Jackson area who have wonderful teachers and I encourage you to check those out as well.

Why:

This could be a really long answer but I'll try and make it short. I started practicing at 19 years old because I was curious and wanted to do something other than long-distance running. I took ballet lessons from the time I was 5-16 years old and I wanted to incorporate some type of movement-based form of exercise back into my life. I also have always been drawn to eastern philosophy and have always felt a deep connection with Buddhism and Hinduism. To read a full in-depth reason of why I study yoga, please click here. 

How:

Yes, yoga classes can be expensive. But if you aren't members of a gym or do any other type of paid-exercise, it's totally worth it. If you know you can get to more than 2 classes a week, then I would recommend buying a monthly pass to a studio. It's worth it and it will (usually) encourage you to go more regularly. Drop-in classes are usually $15-20 depending on the studio with class packages ranging from $35-100. Again, don't use money as an excuse not to take yoga classes. Everything is based on your perception so if you perceive money as a barrier to studying yoga, then change your perspective;)

What type of yoga:

There are so many different styles of yoga today that it's difficult to know what type you might like (unless you live in a town that has limited studios and types). The most common around these parts is Vinyasa (meaning "Flow" which is also synonymous with Power Yoga) or Hatha (which is a generic term that has come to mean a more gentle type of yoga that focuses on holding each posture for a longer period of time).

I started off practicing Ashtanga, fell in love with Jivamukti, and then primarily practiced Anusara until about 2 years ago when the whole John Friend yoga scandal emerged. Today I would say that I practice an alignment based vinyasa style.

Common Misconceptions about Yoga:

1) You DON'T have to be flexible to practice yoga. If I had a penny for every time someone said to me, "I would love to practice yoga but I'm not flexible" I would be rich (well, not really but rich in pennies). One of the many benefits of yoga is to become more flexible--but it is NOT the point of yoga. 

2) You DON'T have to be into Buddhism or Hinduism to practice. You can totally incorporate yoga into whatever religion or spiritual practice you currently have--or if you don't have one at all, even better! 

3) You DON'T have to wear Lululemon clothing or have an expensive mat. You can wear whatever you feel most comfortable in-- whether it's sweat pants, shorts, or your pjs. No one cares what you're wearing--except you;) 

4) Everyone has experienced their first class. It's okay that you don't know what you're doing. It's okay that you haven't done it before. It's okay that you feel awkward and weird and are constantly wondering if you're doing down-dog correctly. The most important thing about yoga is just to show up and get on your mat--to get out of your head and into your body. I promise you it's okay to feel like you don't know what you're doing. 

5) People fart in yoga. It's OKAY. I do it fairly regularly. No one really cares except YOU and possibly the person sitting in front of behind you;)

6) Just do it. I have so many people tell me, "I've always wanted to practice yoga but never really gotten around to it" so much that I now just nod my head and smile. If you really want to practice then do it, if not, quit telling me you want to practice because subconsciously you know I practice and you feel like it's the right thing to say. It's okay if you don't like yoga. It's okay if you don't ever want to take the first class. It needs to be a personal conviction and yearning--not something that you feel obligated to do because the rest of America is doing it.

And lastly...

the poses aren't the point of yoga. Yes, you do get the added benefit of watching your body change and as you become more aware of yourself and make that connection between your mind and your body things become different but I don't practice yoga in order to contort my body into various shapes. Everyone has different reasons for practicing yoga--and I'm not saying yours can't be to transform your body into a "yoga body" but that isn't the reason I personally practice.  And anyone who stays with anything longer than a few months knows what I'm talking about. Yoga is a wonderful pathway on an adventure with yourself that is sometimes difficult to achieve with other forms of "exercise". My reasons for practicing and continuing to practice have changed a lot over the years. Yours may too. And that's A-Ok! 

I enjoyed my little 31 day challenge and from the looks and sounds of what I've read, you have too. And that makes my little heart very happy. 

Thank you for your kind, encouraging, and thoughtful words and comments. It truly made the days and month much more meaningful and special. 

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me! 

Thanks for playing along with me and HAPPY JUNE!!!!!

As Always,
Jennifer