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Accessible, puppy-assisted side bends for #yogawithspoonies2. 💙 The questions of the day are 'Why are you a spoonie (someone living with chronic illness and/or pain)?' and 'What is your diagnosis?' My big health issue is that I've had a headache every minute of every day since December 2004 despite countless doctors and treatments. It's disabled me since fall 2008. The doctors call it New Daily Persistent Headache which, to me, isn't a helpful diagnosis as it pretty much says that you have intractable, probably medicine-resistant head pain for 15+ days a month and they have no idea why it started or why it's happening. There isn't much information about us unfortunately since we're such a small percentage of the headache and migraine patient community. It's also common for doctors to become overwhelmed when you mention more than one symptom so many never addressed my other chronic issues. By playing the system in a very strategic way in hopes I'd get proper care, I received diagnoses of Complex PTSD (mostly from my treatment from doctors), Adrenal Fatigue, at least one MTHFR gene mutation, Generalized Hypermobility (possible Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Sydrome or Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder), and some other smaller things. . But I don't have a diagnosis as to why I'm in so much pain all the time. No one knows why the pain started and most doctors have given up on me or say I'm making it up. I've tried to get them to treat me properly but I'm not sure if they're trained to do so. Thus I am the head of my medical team. Since I finally can use my brain again (thank you CBD), I research my symptoms, talk to other spoonies in person and on the internet, read doctor and patient articles, create and run experiments, and practice mindfulness. I also work to make the invisible visible by sharing my story, which is an act of activism in itself. #painawarenessmonth . Sending a big thank you to everyone who practiced spoonie-friendly yoga at @pranaboulder and to those who donated to @circleofhealth to help provide care to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. . #representationmatters tank from @ybicoalition . #yogawithmaggie #butyoudontlooksick #spoonie

✨Special Announcement✨ During my all levels Mindful Yoga class tomorrow (Friday) from 12-1:15pm at @pranaboulder, we will be collecting donations for those affected by Hurricane Harvey through the @circleofhealth, an organization that provides reproductive, maternal, and newborn care in times of crisis. They are on the ground in Houston helping people as you read this. . Remember no donation is too small. $1, $.25, whatever you can give is appreciated. Once I compile the amount, I'll add in my donation and send everything directly to the Circle of Health. Thank you for your help in supporting those affected by the hurricane. Every little bit counts. . Sending a big thank you to the @coloradoschoolofyoga for this idea and to @thefirsthusband and @pranaboulder for allowing us to collect donations. 🙏✨ . #yogawithmaggie #hurricaneharvey #circleofhealth #hurricanerelief #donatetoday #doyourpart

Water water everywhere...Please join me in donating to the victims of #hurricaineharvey either through monetary or physical gifts. Consider donating to the Circle of Health International like I did and will do again this week. Circle of Health International provides quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn care in times of crisis. They do not discriminate based on people's citizenship, economic status, health, gender, or race. Circle of Heath has been helping this underserved population for years. Go to @circleofhealth to see the incredible work they are and have been doing. They've already saved so many mothers and children and are on the ground in Houston. Please help them help the victims of the Hurricane. . Also consider how you can work to stop natural disasters like this from happening or at least lessen their blow. Was Hurricane Harvey worsened by global warming? Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Atmospheric Research Center, says yes. From The Atlantic: "The human contribution can be up to 30 percent or so of the total rainfall coming out of the storm,” [Trenberth] said. “It may have been a strong storm, and it may have caused a lot of problems anyway—but [human-caused climate change] amplifies the damage considerably.” . What can you do besides donate? Use your vote. Vote for people who believe in global warming and take it seriously. (Many politicians say they believe in global warming but their policies and campaign donations say otherwise. Be discerning.) Our selfishness as a society is hurting and even killing people in our own country. Take a stand. Choose the earth over yourself. Take responsibility for how your lifestyle is contributing to global warming. Start recycling and composting. Leave your car at home. Research your politicians. Use your voice. Use your vote. Because these mega hurricanes aren't going to stop unless we do something about it. #globalwarmingisreal #bethechange

I'm so grateful to be able to share my mindfulness practice with you all tomorrow (Monday) at Yin Yoga, 1:30-2:30pm, @littleyogastudio, $10 or less. ALL humans and everyBODY welcome. . #realtalk Being in pain every minute of every day is exhausting and frustrating. I read yoga posts that say something along the lines of 'You cannot be unhappy living in the present.' I'm going to call bullshit on that one, or more specifically privilege. Or perhaps I can add onto this sentence with 'unless you are unhealthy.' . If you have the privilege of health, I honestly don't know or understand what your life is like so I'm not going to try. If you do not have the privilege of health, please know it's ok to be unhappy in the present moment. Vomiting uncontrollably, being in so much pain you literally cannot move let alone eat or go to the bathroom, curling into a ball sobbing and convulsing because you keep shaking and everything seems like a threat and you (and your doctors) don't know why. . These situations are unhappy to many/most/all of us and it's ok to have the gumption to recognize that rather than sinking into the depths of 'love and light' denial. . Chronic illness is messy. It's unhappy. It's suffering. It can be a lot of other things too. But most importantly it's ok. It's ok not to be ok. It's ok to be unhappy. It's ok to create a home in past memories because they make you feel happy and safe. It's ok to lie on your belly (pictured) or in child's pose until the feelings of anger or self-harm pass. It's ok to embrace the full spectrum of the human experience, one that those with able body and mind privilege cannot even begin to understand. It's ok to cry. It's ok to shake. It's ok to be you. Your experience is different than the masses. Let's honor that. . Please know this is my practice too. I will not judge you if you bring the full scope of your humanity into my class. I will accept you in the same ways I learned to accept myself. I will sit in the darkness with you. You are welcome here. . #roughnight #spoonie #butyoudontlooksick #sufferingthesilence #yogawithmaggie #thisismyyoga

Happy 101st birthday @nationalparkservice!! 🎉🌿🌸🌲#throwback to our college days exploring the @greatsanddunesnps. #blockbreak #blooddiamond #verysandy #parks101

Oh but if I had the stars from the darkest night And the diamonds from the deepest ocean I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin.' -Bob Dylan, 'Boots of Spanish Leather' . I've finally found a more intelligent, non-painful way to come to stand from a forward fold. Thanks for the flow tunes Bobby, as always. #beginagain #utkatasana #spoonie #yogawithmaggie

"Yoga that shows people they are experts on their own experience can help them reestablish a body/mind connection." -Anna Guest-Jelly @curyyoga . These words resonate with me so much. Coming to this revelation that I am a whole person with agency, not a body and mind fighting against each other, created a massive shift in my yoga practice, my life, and my self-esteem. I am thrilled to read this book! Thank you sending me a copy @melmelklein! ❤️ . #spoonies, if reading is challenging for you, this book is separated into 25 short essays and has a good font size, proper margins, and spaces between lines. It'll probably take me a year to read, and I'm ok with that! A few years ago, I wouldn't be able to read more than a page and almost a decade ago, I wouldn't be able to read or even look at the title because my brain trying to process the words would spike my already disabling headache. Take your time. The book isn't going anywhere.✨✨ . #repost @ybicoalition: Are you feelin it? Want more? Then join Anna, Melanie & others in the Yoga and Body Image Online Book Club. It is coming soooooonnnnn and you won't want to miss this opportunity to dive deep, receive support & inspiration as well as become part of an engaged community world wide. . Are you interested in exploring the topics & themes more deeply in YBI while bolstering your own body image to one that is more positive, kind and loving? . Details + a juicy DISCOUNT will be sent in the coming weeks to those who SIGN UP HERE -> http://bit.ly/2t1KBXb . And don't forget to catch Yoga & Body Image co-editor & YBIC co-founder, Melanie Klein, for a Filter Free Friday on Gaiam's Facebook page at 1:30pm Pacific.

Hump day feels 💕💕 #snuggles #bestfriends #adoptdontshop

Happy eclipse! Next up: yoga at 1:30pm at the @littleyogastudio. See you soon! ✨🌚🌞

Inhale belly - ribs - chest Exhale chest - ribs - belly This is yoga. . Join me for a special extra-relaxing yin yoga and mindfulness class tomorrow (Monday) from 1:30-2:30pm at the @littleyogastudio for just $10. All levels and bodies welcome. Feel free to wear any kind of comfy clothes that are easy to stretch and move in. No need for specific 'yoga' clothes. You are welcome here as you are. ✨✨ #yogawithmaggie

"Body positivity is not just about making people feel good about their bodies. It's also about making marginalised people feel SAFE and VALUED in their bodies." @bodyposipanda . These words speak so much truth! Thank you Megan! This is why I teach and why I'm a Yoga and Body Image Coalition Community Partner. When I teach anything, my number one goal is keeping my students physically, mentally, and emotionally safe. In order to do this, I need to be aware of my students and establish a strong container in which to teach. . While it might not be very 'love and light and yoga' of me to say, when I teach anything, I am the boss. I am not an aggressive, vindictive leader by any means but rather one who doesn't put up with hate or bigotry of any kind. I strive to do no harm but take no shit. I am the authority figure regardless of my age, gender, disability, or size. I have the authority of the space and a responsibility to my students to keep them safe. . For years, I've run through different, challenging, and potentially dangerous teaching scenarios from body shaming to homophobic comments to violence to displays of Nazism to a rogue shooter. This is the time I choose to love my students by recognizing and facing the fear of the situation. I know how I'd like to act and I have no issue in being the authority figure even to people who are angry and violent. If I get hurt in the process, then so be it. I've been hit while trying to help before. I can handle it. Better me than you. I see this as being a part of the job as a teacher and I take my job very seriously. . Ever since I started teaching around age 10, I get this mama bear energy with regard to my students. I care about you too much to let someone hurt or scare you. I'm here for you. I'll speak up for you. Always. . This is body positivity. #iambodypositive @ybicoalition #whatayogilookslike #nonazis #peacefulwarrior #yogawithmaggie

I'm back teaching at @pranaboulder this Friday (tomorrow, 8/18) from 12:00-1:15pm for free with 25% off the store! 🎉 This Mindful Yoga class uses the lens of mindfulness (vipassana) to explore seated, prone, and supine shapes (asana) in addition to breath work (pranayama) and an accessible, guided meditation. It is open to all levels and bodies although students must be able to go up and down stairs in order to get to the room. We even have chairs if you'd prefer to sit during class. . If you're feeling ungrounded or nervous about what's happening in the world or your life right now, I'd highly recommend taking some time to slow down and recharge. I will hold space for whatever arises. You are safe here. . For the record, everyone is welcome in my classes. Everyone. I don't care about your religion, race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, body size, political affiliation, health, bank account, self harm scars, old gym clothes, etc. I care about you. However if one decides to show their racism or bigotry of any kind, they will be reprimanded and forced to leave. I do not and will not tolerate that kind of behavior. I have no issue with this as it comes with the territory of being a teacher, in my opinion. You are safe here. I'll make sure of it. . #yogawithmaggie

My favorite place to be 💕💕 . 📷: @juliekrugerart

Sophie would like to let you know that we will be exploring lots of prop-supported hip openers in Yin Yoga + Mindfulness tomorrow (Monday) from 1:30-2:30pm at the @littleyogastudio for just $10. This is a wonderful class for all levels and bodies, from total beginners to decade-long practitioners, from the healthy to the chronically ill. You are welcome here. ✨✨ #yogawithmaggie

The @ybicoalition is committed to representing everyBODY in the yoga world. While yoga in the US is taught primarily through group instruction, the practice itself is actually quite personal and unique. . We all live in different bodies and have had different experiences. I've never lived in your body and you've never lived in mine. So let's choose to honor those differences. Let's even honor our own personal differences from day to day, moment to moment. . Creating an authentic practice to me means exploring many shapes on my back which means there is less force (gravity, bodyweight) on my joints. Since I'm hypermobile, I tend to hyperflex and hyperextend multiple joints including my knees if I'm not very mindful. This makes shapes like traditional malasana / frog squat / garland pose possible to practice but injurious to my knees and ultimately unsustainable and unproductive at this point in time. . What to do? . Get creative. Poses are just shapes. Shapes can look differently depending on your vantage point. For example, this variation of happy baby is also a variation of malasana. . But how? Turn your head 90 degrees to the left or turn your device 90 degrees to the right. What do you see? It kind of looks like malasana, doesn't it? To make this shape more active and closer to an upright malasana, flex your ankles and spread your toes. . If your low back, hips, knees, or ankles hurt during a traditional malasana, try adding this shape into your practice for a few weeks and then see how malasana feels. . #yogawithmaggie #ybicoalition #whatayogilookslike #yogaforall #accessibleyoga #butyoudontlooksick #spoonie #thisismyyoga

What if instead of asking ourselves 'what is my purpose?' we asked 'how can I be of service?' Imagine how different this world would be. ✨✨ #humpdayhearts #learnteachserve #yogaoffthemat #yogawithmaggie

🌱In my teens and my early twenties, I saw zero representation of people who were sick like I was. Young and in pain but seemingly healthy on the outside. Society taught me that you can see pain, sickness, and disability. It taught me that if I exercise, eat well, and take care of myself, I won't get sick (at least nothing more than a little cold). 🌱In my mid twenties, I learned about ableism and ableist privilege. I had an 'ah-ha' moment. That's why society treats me differently and why the stuff people say about my health and body is so offensive, ignorant, and ultimately wrong. That's why people believe that they have significant control over their health through positive actions and thoughts. That's what society taught them. 🌱Why does representation matter? Because there are infinite manifestations of chronic illness, chronic pain, and disability. Many of which are invisible to the naked, untrained eye. However the media and society tend to portray sick people as elderly and in a wheelchair. This representation communicates the opposite image as well: If this is what sick looks like, then you can't be sick if you're young, fit, and smiling! Society couldn't be more wrong. 🌱Before I saw people like me represented online at places like @themightysite, @accessibleyoga, and @ybicoalition, I honestly didn't know if they existed. I never saw them and my doctors (for the most part) didn't either. Many people living with chronic illness(es), chronic pain, and/or disability(ies) are confined to their houses and/or go out very sparingly due to pain, fatigue, and other symptoms. We're hidden, sometimes in our homes and other times in plain sight. 🌱Honestly, my health is none of your business. However, I know what it's like to feel completely and utterly alone in the experience of chronic pain and undiagnosed illnesses. If I can change that reality for just one person, then my sharing is worth it. . #representationmatters tank from @ybicoalition . #spoonie #butyoudontlooksick #whatayogilookslike #iambodypositive #yogawithmaggie

Special delivery from my dear friend @piesandskies! Check out her Etsy shop RedRocksArt for more beautiful cards and prints. Thank you Leah for sharing your art! 💛

Tuesday Twists at All Levels Vinyasa Flow tonight from 5:30-6:30pm at GrassRoots Yoga Boulder (CU-3100 Marine St) for $8 cash or check. We'll learn how twist sustainably from our center. All levels welcome. We only have 3 more classes left so I hope to see you tonight! 🌲 #yogawithmaggie