We just celebrated 10 years of holding this space of yoga in our community and I am reflecting back on the journey it took to get here. You know, I didn’t set out to run a studio.

In 2012 when we opened our original doors, I was simply an inspired student who wanted to contribute to providing a local space to share the transformational practice I believed (still believe!) in. As things often do, it didn’t all go as planned and after several years, in 2016, I found myself as the sole owner. I looked at the books of a studio that was now mine alone-and it was a sad state. Certainly not enough to support a staff, rent and all the other expenses that came with running a studio. I was SCARED. I had two young children and a husband who traveled each week. HOW WAS I GOING TO DO THIS?

The only way you can-one step at a time. I knew that my staff and our students were depending on me so there really wasn’t any way but forward. I soul-searched for a new name that would mark the evolution of the studio, what I wanted it to be-what would represent what I wanted everyone to receive from it going forward. THRIVE. That was it. Website redesign, membership redesign, space redesign, ATTITUDE REDESIGN. Our staff worked tirelessly together to triple the membership in 6 months. Things were looking up! I even was able to hire a manager- my yoga soul sister, Katie Falconer, so I could breathe a bit. Then in 2018 our new landlord raised our rent to a level that we couldn’t afford and gave us little time to find a new space. What now?

More soul searching, meditating on Clarity. That led me to ponder- Could I call the studio down the street? Our “competition?” Would they help? Help they did! I found an ally in Karen Burnett, who trusted me to take the reins of ownership of both of our communities and bring my students to her space. Another evolution of the studio. Thrive Power Yoga Palm Beach. I felt like things were divinely aligning…

Until… in 2020 the pandemic hit and shut everything down. I’m proud to say, not one day passed that Thrive didn’t provide yoga to our community via Livestream. Sixty days later we opened our physical doors once again to welcome our community back. Rehired our staff and slowly began rebuilding as students felt more comfortable returning to yoga classes.

Our membership now numbers in the hundreds-we are busier than we were before the pandemic- and I’ve learned enough to know the universe will continue to have our back. We just have to be open to the ways our evolution can unfold without being attached to only how we think it should. If you’re still reading (hey, thanks!), I’m sharing this not because I want to brag-though I’m damn proud of what we’re doing. I’m sharing because I want to inspire you to keep going! To stay to true to your intention and do the work not just to dream but to DO.

Know that it might not look like what you originally imagined. I never saw myself running a yoga studio, but my INTENTION was to provide the space for this practice. That evolved into me running it. To stay true to that intention, I had to do what was necessary. And I’m so happy I did. I can’t imagine doing anything else!

I’m so grateful to this staff of teachers and karmas who are elevating the lives of our local community through their teachings and their own example. I’m grateful to our students, who supported us though the pandemic, so many of them continuing to pay their membership dues just to help us. We would not be here without you. All of you-teachers, karmas and students. This is a collaborative effort of all-we walk this path of elevation together, in support of one another. I’m so grateful for this life and these opportunities that have empowered me to lead, when I never knew I even had it in me.

Thanks for reading friends, keep going, and as ever-NAMASTE.

Jill Romano

 

In the process of preparing to teach my Thanksgiving morning class with a focus on Gratitude, I did what any person would would do…I Googled it.

Google defines gratitude as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

I find it’s easy to be grateful for things that make us happy. When we are happy, we are typically practicing a lot of presence because we don’t want whatever is happening to end-we want to “soak it all in.”

It’s harder to find gratitude in the every day. In the little things. Sure there are lots of coffee mugs, yoga teachers and Instagram quotes that tell us to do this, but the actuality of practicing it is much more difficult.

Why is this?

The practice of continual gratitude starts with continual presence. When we are present, open and willing to receive, we can show up with an appreciation and willingness to give thanks in each moment.

How do we become more present? As yoga practitioners, we get on our mats and take time to connect our body, mind, and spirit beyond the distractions of our  lives outside the yoga room. We did that today. But what if you couldn’t make class?

Take a quiet moment and read what I said to the class this morning:

Visualize the support of the earth beneath you working in harmony with the sky above you and the world around you-all conspiring to bring you right here, right now. As you feel this cooperation of the universe working always in your favor, know there is purpose to this moment

and this one.

and this one.

Acknowledge this is you practicing awareness of your connection to all things.

As you inhale, visualize the prana, the life force, that you are taking in from the universe. Feel it’s support, it’s fullness.  And as you exhale know that you are giving something back, contributing something-maybe in this moment you are giving back that energy of presence. This practice of peace. This simple act of mindful breathing contributing to the world in a small, but meaningful way.

Remind yourself that you are grateful to simply be alive to experience this cosmic balance.

With all this in mind set an intention for this day.

—

Later today, observe your thoughts practicing the art of presence. Remind yourself this is the gift you are giving yourself an effort to be aware to appreciate more and experience gratitude.

Remember that the practice of gratitude begins with the practice of presence, the ability to see the beauty and unmistakable magic in each and every moment. This ability to see life through the lense of gratitude builds as we become more present through the discipline of our yoga practice and our commitment to bring it beyond the mat to our every day lives. Before we know it, we are seeing the abundance that has always been there for us. And we are more alive for our ability to recognize, experience and appreciate it.

Peace,

Jill

Did you know not all HEAT is created Equal? Why I only practice and sweat with INFRARED HEAT. 

Guess what? Sweating is good for you. Sweating is one of the body’s safest and most natural ways to heal and maintain good health. And that’s why our classes use infrared heat + yoga poses specifically designed to promote a deep, healthy and natural detoxifying sweat every time you practice.

Sometimes, I hear students say they don’t like to sweat. I get it…but I’m going to agree to disagree. Let me tell you why. I like to be efficient. It comes back to mindfulness. I am mindful of how I spend my time and I like to be efficient when I can because being efficient with some things creates more time for other things. So, if I can maximize my time spent on the yoga mat through receiving the benefits of infrared heat while also gaining strength and flexibility, I’m going to do it. 

Let’s dig in: Researchers have long told us how the body sweats out toxic substances, including heavy metals. As long as you maintain proper hydration, the more you safely sweat, the more you’ll expel from your skin and body. A hot yoga practice can be one of the safest and most effective methods for inducing a detoxifying sweat. In hot yoga, your body sweats out numerous toxins, including dead skin cells, oils, dirt, bacteria, and other toxic substances through pores. But not all sweats are the same; and neither are all heaters.

Infrared Heat is arguably more effective for detoxification  – the only technology proven to safely raise core body temperature! Rather than simply heating the air to draw out toxins, our technology will heat your core to expel them!

Infrared is the invisible part of the sun’s spectrum, which has the ability to gently and comfortably penetrate and heat objects, like human tissue, to produce a host of health benefits. It’s so safe, they even use it in the NICU to keep premature babies warm.  It’s also the same spectrum that stimulates plant growth due to cell generation. Naturally occurring from the sun, technology has harnessed this spectrum in infrared heaters for you to receive a holistic approach to a healthier mind and body.

In contrast, a conventional heat, like gas or electric, simply warms the air around you, which just induces sweating. Infrared heats your body from the inside out, penetrating up to 1.5 inches below the skin, which increases your heart rate as blood vessels expand and allows more blood to pump through. This cardiovascular benefit results in more calories burned in a shorter period of time, which can equate to real weight loss, not just water weight loss like you might receive from conventional heat. Think about it: you manage your diet, your fitness/activity levels, your water intake and your mental health- regular hot yoga with infrared heat, supports all of these goals with benefits for circulation, weight loss, sleep, inflammation, immunity, stress relief, and general pain relief. Check out this link if you want more info on the benefits.

Beyond the physical benefits of Infrared, the mental benefit is what I notice in the moment when I’m sweating. Years ago, I regularly practiced in a conventionally heated studio that didn’t have infrared technology. I always wondered why I was so exhausted afterward. I did some research and learned conventional heat must run at higher combustible temperatures in order to provide adequate heat. This depletes the oxygen levels in the air making you feel tired and drowsy…ugh. I also came upon the conclusion that breathing in hot air was subconsciously activating my fight or flight response as I fought against the suffocating feeling of breathing in hot, humid air for 60+ minutes. Infrared doesn’t heat the air, so you’re breathing comfortably, while your body heats up internally. Essentially, your body was gets warm, but your mind isn’t distracted by inhaling suffocatingly hot air.

Oh, and a few other things: With infrared, only objects in the room retain heat, keeping them nice and dry, meaning mold growth is inhibited, without dehumidifying and drying out the air. Traditional heaters can dry out your sinuses and skin by dehumidifying the air and blowing around allergens, bacteria and viruses. As an allergy sufferer and someone who’s concerned about safety doing the pandemic, that’s a big no thanks from me.  

Plus, infrared heaters won’t add any pollutants to our environment. They operate without any carbon combustion, no toxic-by-products, no open flames and no fuel lines. Essentially, infrared heaters don’t add anything to the air, and they don’t take anything from the air. Love that.

So, who’s ready to sweat?

Peace,

Jill

You look in cubbies in our yoga room and there is array of props for you to use…blocks, straps, bolsters etc. How the heck are you supposed to know how to use them? Well, you could look around at other students and how they’re using them for starters. This is what most people do. You could also ask your teacher, which we highly recommend at Thrive. We notice however, as students continue to practice, they seem to buy into this stigma that props are for “beginners” and stop using them in favor of taking more options. This is a natural occurrence with the ego (we’ll dive into ego in another post). BUT, the stigma that props are only for new students couldn’t be further from the truth. Props are for all!

Want to access deeper heart opening? Place a block in between your shoulder blades during Savasana.

Want to  “flip the grip” in Dancer? Grab a strap and hook it on your foot.

I could go on and on about various way to use props.

But let’s take a step back to my comment about beginners. Can we drop that label? The practice of yoga is called so because it IS a practice. And while someone who is newer to the physical practice of yoga may need a prop to correctly align, you probably need one too…even if you’ve been a regular yogi for a awhile.

In this age where we aren’t assisting as much, it’s even more important for you to understand where you body is in space and how to feel whether your alignment and engagement is helping or hurting you.

I challenge, err… encourage you to get a block and try to use it in poses you think you don’t need it, like Triangle, Extended Side Angle and Half Moon. I especially want you to use it to bring the floor closer to you. Then, rather than focusing on progressing within the pose by taking different variations, work from the floor up, starting with your feet and traveling up through your body assessing the alignment and the engagement. Are you compensating somewhere, compressing something? Are you not sure? Ask your teacher. And listen to their cues. They will tell you generally how to engage and open your body. If you need more personalized attention, take a workshop. You’ll experience more growth in your practice receiving specific guidance we just can’t give individually in a regular class.

Our next Basics Workshop is Sunday May 16th from 2-4p with Katie. You’ll learn about your body, how to access correct alignment and how to use props to support your practice..

So, are you ready to be on Team Props? I can’t wait to hear what your learn about yourself from them! Be sure to tell me and your teachers this month.

Peace,

Jill

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