Unconventional Learning

Have Mat, Will Travel

Hey there gypsy yogis! Welcome to the Travel Mat. It’s part travel blog, part yoga blog. In total, it’s going to be totally awesome. I suppose you’re just dying to know a little bit more about the person who came up with this completely amazing blog idea. It’s me! My name is Corinne and I’m a yogi, traveler and outdoor enthusiast. I wake up every morning, pat myself on the back for following my dreams and then I hit my mat. Where does this morning ritual take place? Well, right now it’s Denver. This summer, it will be mainly at an organic farm on the Western slope. And then? Well, who knows?

I love to travel and I love doing yoga in all of the new environments I find myself in. I find that it keeps my awareness up while I travel and that it makes every practice that much more meaningful. I also love finding new teachers and meeting new yogis along the way. So let’s do a brief overview of the past six months:

In December, I randomly ended up here…

Panama

I did yoga and meditated on that beach by myself for a week. From that trip, I learned that you just have to take the leap and the net will be there to catch you. It was the first time I’d ever traveled abroad alone and I really began to find my independence and strength there in both my practice and in my travels. After that, I knew I could teach myself and that I could travel on my own. That realization was a great gift that has shaped my life.

After that, I landed here…

Chicago

I got the call to house sit for a couple of Aussies while they were away for a month. In Chicago, I discovered a type of yoga called Forrest Yoga. It completely changed my life. It’s an incredible style of hatha yoga that’s challenging, healing and invigorating. While in Chicago, I set the intention to become a yoga teacher and to complete my first novel by the end of the year.

And now, I’m here…

Denver!

I’ve done more yoga in this city than in any other. That roof saw more yoga action than most studios. I came to Denver to get my RYT 200 and a few weeks ago, I did just that. And I did it with the amazing and inspiring Ana Forrest. Now that it’s over, those mountains are calling to be crossed. Time to pack up the mat and move along.

Where has your mat been lately?

Respect Yourself

“Don’t rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can’t love and respect yourself – no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad – and make changes as YOU see fit – not because you think someone else wants you to be different.” Stacey Charter

“Don’t go for second best, baby, put your lover to the test.” Madonna

Let me preface this week’s post by saying, been there – done that – got the t-shirt. I’ve noticed among some of my daughter’s friends a trend that is very disturbing to me. Young women think they have to have sex with a young man in order to keep him or capture his attention. On the flip side some young men think they prove their self worth by how many women they can sleep with. They go through women faster than a drunk goes through six packs. This is pitiful.

Young women, stop putting out thinking it is the only way to get or keep a man. You need to make him prove he is worthy to be with you. And yes, oral sex is still sex. If a man threatens to leave you unless you put out, let him go. He’s not worth your time. I think sometimes this happens because of a fear of being alone. I see young women getting pregnant, contracting an STD, and suffer from broken hearts because of the mindset of casual sex. No sex is casual. There is always some form of emotional attachment no matter how much you want to deny it.

Recently I told one young man to consider this. What if you had a daughter and some guy “hit it and quit it”? How would that make you feel? You’d want to go tear his head off right? Well…what do you think happens when you get what you want and them dump a woman? Same thing with a woman getting sex and then dumping a guy. Sex is not a game. It is not a weapon to be used for power. It is supposed to be a pure and genuine way to express your love for your mate.

Ideally sex should not happen before marriage, but I know we’re living in times when living together is considered normal. So if you’re not planning on getting married before you engage in sexual activity, please at least be in a committed relationship. One where you know and trust the other person and you’re not just “doing it” because you want to hang on to them or because you’re bored.

You don’t have to have a degree in psychology to see the devastation and heartbreak caused by not respecting yourself. I believe having sex because you want to hang onto a partner or pressuring someone to have sex with you is a clear case of not respecting yourself or the other person. If you respect yourself and demand respect from others, you will come to realize you are worth more than your private parts. You are a beautiful person on the inside and out. You deserve a partner who loves you, has your best interest at heart, and treats you like a queen or king.

I realize some of the readers of this blog will think I’m just old fashioned, but I’ve lived this. I have seen and experienced how empty this type of behavior leaves you. You may think you’re cool and having a great time, but at night when you lie your head on your pillow and think about your life in the dark night you will know the truth. Respect starts within you. Don’t be like little children trying to collect all the toys they can, or get as much attention as they can. Grow up, take responsibility for your actions and learn to love and respect yourself.

Playing It Safe

Walk with confidence.

The world is a dangerous place, there’s not doubt about it. It seems as if it is getting more dangerous each day, but you don’t want to stay at home all of the time. You need to go out and about, and you can do so safely if you use common sense and know your terrain. Any police officer will tell you self confidence and knowing your surroundings are two of the best self defense tools you have. As women we have to be able to go about our business without worrying every second if we’re going to fall into danger. Here are some tips to help you play it safe.

• Know what is going on around you. Don’t walk around with your head in your mobile device or with your eyes on the ground. Know who is in your path, what is happening around you, and if you will need to run to safety.
• Walk with confidence. Attackers and thieves look for people who are timid. If you give off an air of confidence, they will not be as ready to victimize you.
• Don’t walk alone at night, ever. You may think a quick trip to the corner store is safe, but don’t take chances. Either drive or wait until someone can go with you. Is that gallon of mild really that important to risk you safety over?
• When you’re going to out walking don’t wear large pieces of jewelry. It’s nice to wear your jewelry to special occasions, but the larger the piece and the more you wear is almost an invitation to be mugged or robbed.
• My dad always told me to know an escape route. When you go out to dinner, shop, or are out in public know where you would escape. This means knowing the exits, not sit with your back to the door, and keep your eyes open for trouble.
• On the bus or train always sit in the aisle seat so you can escape quickly. The best seat is right behind the driver since you won’t be bothered and you’ll be right next to the door.
• Always check the back seat of your vehicle before you get in. Attackers can hide in the backseat and come up from behind. Do this each and every time you get into your car no matter how quick the trip into the store may have been. It only takes a second or two to hop into the backseat.
• In that vein always lock your car doors. In traffic this will keep someone from opening the passenger seat and getting in or grabbing your purse. It will also prevent anyone from opening the driver side and snatching you out of your car to steal it. When you get out of your car make it a habit to lock your door no matter how long you expect to be away from it.

These are just a few tips to try and keep you safe as you go about your day to day routine. You shouldn’t live in fear, but you need to play it safe no matter what time of day or night it is.

Fun Things Around The House

You don’t have to be a tax accountant to know that there are times when you can’t go out with the kids. You also know that there is no way that you can afford pizza every Friday night, or getting that specialty coffee.

But kids are important. Without the attention they need to grow and develop, children tend to have issues with the outside world. They fail to learn how to socialize. They act out in class, start fights, and worse. This act of aggression is a desperate seek of attention, and even if it’s bad, they are going to get it.

Moms and dads alike know that the working world takes up a lot of our time just to make the bills. There are times when all we want to do is curl up in a ball and avoid the frustrations of the outside world. It’s true, though frustrating, kids are not a convenience. If they were, you can just imagine how many parents would not have them.

How do we make it fun for them, while keeping our sanity? Revert. Reversion and digression to their levels makes it fun for them, and if you video it, makes it fun for you to relive. Become the dragon that they are so frightened of and chase their fears away. Monsters under the bed? Find a cheap, and good smelling, cologne. Tell them it’s the monster spray, and as long as they can smell it, monsters will not come near them. The cheaper the better works, as we all know that cheap perfume lasts a really, really long time.

Frustrated with having to IM your teen for dinner? I totally understand. I found that if I make their plates and set them off to the side, they’ll eventually come out of hiding. Ironically, they look like sewer monsters when they do, and a digital camera is great. When the breach their hulls of the bedroom where “No one is allowed,” snap that picture with them unaware. Eventually, they’ll come down for dinner earlier, avoiding the mishap of the camera, and worse, you posting it to their Facebook page.

Make a picnic out of an afternoon snack with your toddler. Pretend their are ants, and your little one is the only one in the world who can make them go away and not steal the snacks. They become the hero, and the praise does wonders for their social incline.

More and more parents are finding it difficult to spend time with their kids. Pencil “Jimmy”, or whatever your child’s name is, into your schedule. Don’t specify, just write the name. When you look at your schedule, you will know it’s Sara’s turn, or Gregory has a play, or Janie has a recital. However you do it, just make the time. 24 hours in a day can have it’s benefits.

Food For Thought

Saving money and time can be a hassle for the average stay at home mom or dad. Unless you are a financial analyst who is amazing with crunching numbers on the spot, you can find that even your grocery bill can be an amazing defeat in the world of saving cash.

This world is full of debt, and unfortunately, so is anyone who has ever lived. Finding out how to get the best in groceries and still save money is a life saver for many families today. There are simple things that you can do before even leaving the house to go shopping.

Make a list. One of the biggest ways to lose money is by not knowing what you absolutely need in the house. Once you make the list, take it with you. For anyone who shops regularly every week, memorize the layout of the store in your mind. This will help you in organizing your buggy later on, and can save you a bundle in the end too.

Coupons. I would love to see a raise of hands of those who watched mom sit for hours on a Sunday at the kitchen table clipping coupons. This age old trend is still a massive way to save that hard earned cash in the end. But there is a trick to it. A coupon for $1 off a brand of toothpaste should be used on the smallest size available to the coupon’s instructions. Find stores that still double coupons, and you can save hundreds of dollars every year. Though a rare find, those stores that still double the coupons are usually also the most expensive, so watch out for price hikes in some of the products you buy.

Stick to the same store every time you shop. If they don’t have it, don’t get it. It really is as simple as that, and there is nothing more to it. Not only will you save on your groceries on sites like CouponSuzy.com, but you will save in the gas you use to run all over looking for that one certain item.

Leftovers are healthy. After all, you made them right? Heated up leftovers for dinner cleans out your refrigerator, feeds the family, and saves on a meal once a week. Granted, there are some things that just taste horrible reheated, such as eggs. But as the old saying goes, eggs really are cheaper by the dozen.

So there you have it. Make a list. Cut or pint out coupons. Stay loyal to one store. Eat and be merry while saving a bundle at the same time.