My first intenSati class!

Yesss, I taught my first intenSati class :) it felt sooo good! I am still on this vibe teaching this class gave me! Sure, I was very nervous at the beginning, but the fact that I had one student, who is my dear friend too, took off a lot of pressure about getting the music and cueing right... I still need practice but, IF IT DOESN'T CHALLENGE YOU IT DOESN'T CHANGE YOU ;)

I was so psyched about teaching yesterday and I want to share my intro with you (almost as if you were there too ;D):

Hi dear warriors,

My name is Alexandra, i am from Austria and I am so grateful to be here today with you :)

How are you feeling? Energy level???

This is intenSati - it is made up of the words intention and Sati, which is the Sanskrit word for mindfulness.

IntenSati is the practice of combines powerful affirmations with intense exercise that make you feel and embody those affirmations.

My Personal connection - First read about the practice in German fitness magazine & first day in NYC 25th of July: where it all started @ the Workin' it out event! I knew I had to become an intenSati leader!

I am so happy to be standing here today... This is my first class and I'm nervous ;) 

Today's series is called the Warrior series and I love this series... There are so many powerful affirmations in there! And for today I picked the very first one, which is YES I AM COMMITTED TO LIVE A LIFE I LOVE (repeat) And for me this is such a powerful and strong affirmation, especially because I became clear about something in my life the other day, which caused me to shift my mindset towards many aspects of my life immediately... and that was that I tend to settle with OK states - that might be having an having an OK job, OK love life, following an OK diet, earning OK money, etc. 
How will I ever be able to truthfully life the life I love if I settle with OK!?!?!?! 

We all have visions of our dream job, home, love etc in mind, which we will block by settling with OK! Can you relate to that a little bit?! 
We have to be true to ourselves and others and allow ourselves to be unapologetic about what we really want! Honesty, clarity and having the right attitude are the key ingredients! Having faith in your miracle to come true is also essential - it might not come at your desired schedule but it will come!!! Have faith!

So tonight I want to call your unapologetic dreams and desires *MIRACLES* into your life!

Sit up nice and tall (close your eyes) and think of one area in your life where you settle with ok and now imagine that this area becomes uplifted, gets a little push (whatever that might be) into the direction of the desired state! 
And when you are ready come up into standing in ready pose and keep that image of your dream in the forefront of your mind!!

WarmUp...

Yay, that was the prepped intro for the class :) It was AWESOME! 

I am looking forward to have more Warriors join me on my weekly journey of teaching, having fun, being happy and training to be the change!

Warrior power :)

Next class, tba ;)

Love love love, xoxo

p.s. Today is the Spirit Junkie Sati event with Patricia Moreno and Gabrielle Bernstein - two powerful women, who inspire me a lot! Stay tuned for that in my next post...

We are the powerful co-creators of our lives!

Every intenSati class begins with the same words and movements:

"Every day in a very true way I co-create my reality! As above, so is below - this is what I know!"

intenSati Warmup @ Leader training

This is a powerful declaration, to become aware that we have the power to choose our thoughts, our attitude and our actions. The second part is the reminder that what we think in our mind ("as above"), we will become in our body and life ("so is below"). Our thoughts are the cause - either for what happens to our physical body or in our life!

Wow, what does that really mean?? And how can I apply that to my life?? Will I really really become aware and conscious about my thoughts only by saying those words and making those moves?? Thoughts come and go; they are influenced by my actions and the things happening around me... So how will I ever achieve to first of all become aware of my thoughts and how they influence my being and second how can I consciously choose them and choose happiness over fear and doubt?! It is said that human beings have 50,000 thoughts a day, Wow wow wow! That will become an interesting journey... - Those were my thoughts when I started the practice 3 months ago!

I am and have always been trying to identify negative thoughts or habits that I have during the day and once identified, I try my best to transform them into positive thoughts and actions. This starts with the words you choose to say - as you can read it on my Facebook page: Your word is your wand to create!

Words that we say to ourselves and others are affirmations too and they carry a lot of energy! If you choose positive and energizing words and language, your spirit (meaning your happiness and joy) will be uplifted and you will become the co-creator of your life! Words become reality - now, think about the effect negative words can have on your attitude, happiness, perception of  your situation and life...

At the beginning of this week I had my AHA moment: During my lunch break, I was sitting on the sunny terrace in Midtown Manhattan, enjoying my delish salad ;) and had the thoughts passing through my mind and for some reason I didn't feel joy and happiness and noticed that something was bothering me... First I was blaming it on the weather (it was actually too cold to sit outside), then I blamed it on the fact that it was only Tuesday, the weekend is so far away, blablabla... and then I "took a closer look" and discovered that I found myself in an old thinking pattern:  the old impatience paired with the old fear of the future, as I was future tripping with certain situations, surfaced again!!! As soon as I became aware of it, I started laughing and thought "Yes, gotcha - not with me!" - not only internally, no wonder people were looking at me *haha* but that certainly was my eye-opener and the moment I realized that you actually can be the witness of your thoughts and choose better ones whenever necessary!You are the co-creator of your reality!

I have been intensively engaging in daily spiritual practice since my first day in NYC - when I got all into it at the intenSati Work-out event! In the face of my sweat, tears and energy, I knew that this will be something great and it became something greater than imagined!

Daily meditation - never underestimate the power 5-10 silent minutes with yourself can have on the experience of your day, attitude, thoughts, sleep, actions, etc. It is truly ah-mazing!!! We all have jobs, university, relationships, deadlines, family and friends who need our attention and devotion - and we all do certain things with real passion and other things just have to done, but be honest where is the time for yourself (the most important person in your life, btw!!!) Where is it??? And that is why a spiritual practice is essential for our well being, our happiness and to make sure that our attention and dedication to the outside world is guided by our happy self and not our angry or fearful self!

For me it is meditation and reading spiritual literature (Yeah, you are right, I go to the self-help section at the bookstore and I happily admit to that!) - What is true for me does not have to be true for everyone... You might find your 5(min) A DAY in listening or dancing to your favorite song, or sitting still without doing anything else (OMG - imagine that, right ;)) or you go for a walk, do some morning yoga or go for a run! Try to find your something that nurtures your body and mind and brings a smile on your face every time you do it! GO FOR IT!!!

You will eventually find your way to meditation and fall in love with it, just like I have :) 

To put it in a nutshell... Meditating helps you to become aware of yourself and the thoughts and beliefs that you CHOOSE to hold. Daily meditation also guides you to living a happy and joyful life - and now be honest WHO DOESN'T WANT TO BE HAPPY!?!? ;)

Thank you! 

Love, xoxo

I AM in it to win it!!!

I workout whenever I can (approx. 4-5 times a week), I try to eat healthy (despite very small indulges in the gourmet temple called NYC^^) and yet I haven't regognized any major body transformation. I have lost some weight since I arrived (that for sure), but given my regular workout and rather healthy diet, I would expect a liiittle more, less actually ;) 

Well, I haven't been exercising according to a specific schedule, which makes tracking change and improving performance rather difficult. 

As I said, I workout whenever I can - as a fitness enthusiast I'm making a lot of time for regular physical exercise. But the usual loop goes like this - I go to the gym almost every day during the week and would only take a break when my body tells me to - by then energy levels are low and I feel my muscles being very tired. 

Pushing your body to its limits, excessive exercise and waiting for it to shout "STOP" - that is not how you become stronger and train your body in a healthy manner! 

Another thing, I said I try to eat healthy - well, set aside late evening dinners, cocktail happy hours and going out (mostly) on weekends, I'm following a grrreat diet ;) When I have the feeling that I consumed too many calories the day before, guess what... more intense exercise is on next day's schedule!

SO, juuust when I had the feeling I need to change something in my daily habits to get where I want to be, I received a message on Facebook from one of the intenSati leaders, Tiffany proposing a big challenge to all members of the Satilife community: A 90 DAYS EXERCISE AND HEALTH PROGRAM!!! What is in it for me to win it:

1. I will commit to 90 days of exercising according to a planned schedule! (which I will change every 2 weeks in order to ensure the diversity in my training)
2. I will commit to eating clean and healthy foods, like more veggies and fruits than other foods, whole grain, lean protein! 
3. I will commit to drinking at least 2 liters of water a day!
4. Amazing Tiffany as a coach and advisor!

And guess what, I am not the only one who takes the challenge - we are 30 people who are in this together! It all runs through a facebook group, where we post and encourage each other to stay in the game :)

A quote from Tiffany: "Accountability is KEY! Studies have shown (and in my own experience I have seen) that support from a peer group and family plays a significant role in reaching any of our personal and professional goals."

I couldn't agree more!

Official start is tomorrow - I AM excited!!!

My exercise plan for the next two weeks is all set - I go for a 4 split (Mo, Wed, Fri, Sun, ...)

Regarding healthy dieting: I will go veggie for the next 2 weeks! I will have one fruit/veg day each week for cleansing purposes! I will avoid alcohol, sweets and white flour!

In the intenSati practice the topic of the month is "keeping your word" or "making a promise and keeping it" - in one of the greatly inspiring community calls this week Laurie Gerber, life-coach, said that you will be more accountable for your promises if you add consequences for not keeping them to it...

Sooo my consequence iiis: If I will not stick to one of the promises I made, I must not be wearing ANY make up the next day ;) I was about to take the usual thing - No Email for one day!!! but then I will have someone at home worring "why didn't I read from her today - something might have happened!" ;)

My blog will be the reporting tool for my progress, the transformation and the change that is happening within me.

Perfectly fitting to my new promises, the topic of yesterday's ahhh-mazing Workin'it Out event with gorgeous Patricia Moreno was how a change, replacement or avoidance of one or more habits will bring you closer to your desired goal. I AM ready for this change and I AM prepared for this challenge!

Let's do this!!! Keep you posted :)

xoxo

p.s. I have been missing my smoothie blender sooo much that I bought one today :))) some delish and healthy recipes for smoothies and dips to be expected!

NY Fashion Week

The KickOff to the NY fashion week was last Thursday, the so called Fashion Night Out - shops stayed open until 9 or 10pm *happy-late-night-shopping* For the record: I did NOT buy anything that night (except for... well ;D) It was just amazing to watch what was happening on the streets and how the crowds were fighting to get the best and last deal of the special sample sales! In some small boutiques designers were presenting their brand new collections - wealthy looking visitors were welcomed with cupcakes, music and champagne! Watching and judging the goings was great entertainment ;)

Since last week one thing is defintely observable: People try to dress super fashionable, like crazy! I love free entertainment^^

And finally on Monday my friend Sarah and I went to watch a show of three NY designers (LAUNCH by Susan Young, Leota Collection and Kimberley Goldson) @ the fabulous rooftopbar at the empire hotel! Enjoy the impressions ;)

behind the scenes *glamouricious*

the location ;)

We had the perfect spot to watch the shooting for a reality TV show - hilarious, entertaining and very interesting to watch too :D

The winner - the most beautiful dress of the show!!! And the model knows German - so cute!

Proof, we were there ;)

My new accessory <3

Indulgence & Summer shape!

The long awaited summer holiday season has finally arrived :) 

Vacations on the beach, lake or elsewhere in the world have been (most of the time) booked well in advance and everyone is looking forward to get some time off from work, school, uni etc.

Best time to share special moments with your loved ones!

Many have been training and keeping a healthy diet to be in good shape for the hottest time of the year ... But what happens once you are on holiday? Think of the huge breakfast buffets, the nice 4-courses dinner, the delish cocktails, wine, beer a.s.o!!! - Will you forget about all resolutions and good intentions you deliberately followed for months, and for which your body was so grateful for?!??

Staying healthy and fit on the go can be a challenge, but with a little bit of planning it is completely doable and fun :)

1. The by far easiest way to remain in the shape of arrival, is by using the in-house gym of the hotel (if they have one) Just 30-45 minutes a day are more than sufficient to keep yourself fit!
2. Try to not change eating manners drastically to what you are used to at home - sure you want to enjoy yourself during the holiday, but everything with measure and goal ;)
3. A holiday on the beach is best suited for getting your cardio through a long swim in the ocean or a run on the beach (best in the early morning, due to the heat & the crowds arriving forenoon^^)
4. Think of the great feeling and the endorphines a workout, a run or a nice swim provided to your body and mind when you were training at home - why should it be any different in another place on the globe?!?!

It is important that you can also indulge in something - give yourself a treat! And ENJOY it to the fullest :))) like this delish frozen yoghurt here^^

Have a happy & healthy vacation and summer :)
xoxo

My June GlossyBox :)

Essie Connection!

Wohooo - my growing Essie nail polish collection got a visit from the brand new Summer Collection (http://www.essie.com/latest-collection/). Thanks to my dear friend, who was so kind to bring them to our lunch-gossip-study session yesterday, I have a new favorite "Bikini so teeny" (psst, its the blue one on the right^^)! Before it was "Tart deco"

The Luxeffects line is a little more daring, but as a nailpolish lover, I will have to get those as well & this is "set in stones" :)

Which one is your fav?