Tiffiny's Travels: Seminyak, Bali & #POSEWHENEVER

Hello, from Indonesia! 

I am wrapping up the first leg of my trip here in Bali, Indonesia. I have been at the W Hotel & Spa in Seminyak the last 4 days for a yoga retreat with Tara Stiles. 

This country is amazing. The people here are so incredibly kind and welcoming!

Oh yeah; - and the food. I've been taking snaps of my food because I just love the presentation that is put into it! (We do plan to go to The Suckling Pig in Ubud, an Anthony Bourdain favorite!)

Of course we have been doing yoga here. I won this trip from W Hotels via the #POSEWHENEVER Instagram contest! It has been the trip of a lifetime & my first trip south of the equator and to Asia. We have an 8-hour layover in Tokyo on our trip home, and I cannot wait to explore that amazing city. 

Yoga with Tara has been a wonderful experience. Tara is an amazing human, and super down-to-earth. The energy that vibrates from here is also contagious. Lots of thinking and movement occurred within me on this trip and I'm excited about the future. Movement is happening. 

Stay tuned for another update soon! We are heading to Ubud later today and will be there the next four nights! (I will also have a HUGE photo post after I sort through everything!)

<3 Tiffiny

Reflection: Guiding My First Yoga Class

Photo: Jenn Calaway

Saturday morning, I woke up at 6am, sat up in my bed and just stared.

I do not want to do this; but here goes nothing. 

Rolling out of bed, I decided not to make coffee. I wanted to be calm, not wired.

The books I was poring over the night before were still open on my bed and so I went back to them, double-checking what I had written down. The queues I needed to call out. The muscles and nerves that would begin to feel better.

Time to teach my first yoga class.

I'm big on inspirational quotes. There are some overused ones, and so I always look for hidden gems to make somebody stop and think, even for just a second in their busy day.

The theme of my class was self-love. I needed a good opening and closing thought/quote. 

"Do your thing and don't care if they like it," - Tina Fey. 

Too cute and short, but I like it. It's just not right fro today. maybe for another day.

"Self-care is never a selfish act. It is simply good stewardship of the only gift I was put on Earth to offer to others." - Parker Palmer

Also good, but maybe not exactly what I'm looking for.

"What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

That's a good one. 

Let today be the day you love yourself enough to no longer just dream of a better life; let today be the day you act upon it." - Steve Maraboli 

Perfect. 

 I think words are important, and so finding the right one to share with yoga classes is going to be a new activity I enjoy. 

I packed up, hopped in my car, and headed out to yoga. Riding my bike wasn't going to happen this time, because I'm still too wimpy for the hills out here in Boulder. 

Arriving at Chautauqua Park, I suddenly felt calmness melting over me, and I found myself not worried about who, when, where, why -- not worried about anything. I realized I was truly being present. My mind was here with me, and that was it. Ego wasn't whispering anything to get a rise out of me, Ego was also with me. I was being fully supported and led by myself, in union with The Universe. 

Photo: Jenn Calaway

A couple people with yoga mats walked up, and since the park we were at is popular for trail-running, and not early morning yoga class, I knew they were looking for me. 

Seven people and a photographer showed up to my class. My new roommate, my old roommate, and people from Instagram and Facebook. 

Photo: Jenn Calaway

At 7:35, we hiked up a little ways to a grassy area in Chautauqua Park, with the perfect view of The Flatirons. 

I instructed everyone to get into a circle. I feel like I might always want to guide my yoga classes in a circle, if the space allows, because I feel like the experience has equal input and output from everyone involved. 

We opened with introductions: names, how long you've lived in Boulder, and why you do yoga. I loved hearing what everyone had to say about their reason for allowing yoga to be in their lives. 

"The union of my mind, body and spirit." 

"The calmness it gives me." 

"Stretching feels so good." 

Photo: Jenn Calaway

Photo: Jenn Calaway

As a yoga teacher, it's going to be important for me to remember that everyone has different reasons for choosing to do yoga, and so I cannot force any one way or structure on them. I am here to create the community and safely and calmly guide them through their asana practice. 

The practice lasted about an hour, and then it was time for savasana. I did not participate because I walked around giving a forehead massage, but the  in the tall, cool grass looked amazing! 

Photo: Jenn Calaway

Photo: Jenn Calaway

Photo: Jenn Calaway

I am so incredibly grateful for the people who allowed me to guide them during my first class. Now that I have lead my first class, I feel so much more calm and ready to lead endless classes! 

**If you want me to come guide a free/donation yoga class, please email me at tiffinycostello@me.com.  Currently, I live in Boulder, CO, but I will be traveling and teaching yoga in the future, and need to find out where there is a demand.  

Milestones: Yoga Teacher Training Graduation!

This past week and weekend, I traveled to Texas to finish up my Hatha Yoga teacher training at Namah Shivaya Yoga in Dallas. 

As of May 18, 2014, I finally became a certified Yoga Adhyapak: Teacher of Yoga.

My teachers, myself and another graduate: Scott, Me, Kasey, Tej, Melissa and Thom were all a huge part of my graduation day and my yoga journey. Many thanks and love to everyone who I met along the way. I cannot wait to cross paths again with these incredible humans.

I started the training in August of 2013, and have been attending classes for 8 hours a day on the weekends every month. Each time I return, I learn something new about myself and about the world. I never leave with anything but love and peace. I feel like many of the answers I have come to over the last few months have happened in the two rooms where I trained at Namah Shivaya.

I experienced my first true meditation experience in the subtle body, and have learned to take the practice home with me. I could go on and on about how much I have learned and how badly I thirst for the knowledge and enlightenment that the philosophy and metaphysics of Hatha & Kundalini Yoga has already given me.

My graduation buddy, Kasey. I love this girl so much and am so happy to have shared our day together! <3

Two of the greatest things I learned during this training was:
1. Not everyone is on my path. Even though this training changed my life for the better and realigned me with the Divine Light of the Universe, other people have different paths they are on that will also lead them to themselves. This also gracefully casts down my plan to "only teach the traditional 8-limbed path of yoga." Some people of other cultures or spiritual backgrounds may not respond to this path, and so what harm is it for me to form to what they will respond well to? If you help lead them to the light and truth within themselves, you have done good. 

“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” - Dalai Lama XIV

2. Intention is everything. I recently read an article where the writer was blasting white women in America jumping on the Yoga bandwagon. There was another article that slammed the trend of people becoming yoga teachers and then knowing nothing. The people writing these articles were yoga teachers or people who had practiced yoga many, many years. It was discouraging, but I gave the fear of what other think away and found that my intention for becoming a yoga teacher is what matters. I do not have to explain myself to anyone and when someone challenges my intention, it is ok. Responding with compassion and love will be key to remaining fearless from others' opinions.

So, now that I am back in Boulder I am settling back into my, "routine." Being able to take yoga off the mat and into my routine is where I put my practice into practice. The calmness I feel about what will happen next is peaceful. 

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?” - Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras. 

After a post-yoga-graduation outing with my boyfriend last night in Fort Worth. So happy here. :)

Scare the Crap Out of Yourself..and LIVE.

Lately, my days feel longer. Time still flies, but I can look back on a day and feel good about how much I accomplished. A year ago, time was flying and I would look back on the day, feeling like all I did was work, and I might as well just go to sleep because it was already so late. I am so glad this is not the case as of late.

(The pictures in this post are from a one-night camping trip I took this weekend with my friend and her family. I got to try out my new Kammok that I won and I LOVE IT! All photos here are shot with GoPro Hero2).

I think part of it is that I have this buzzing energy, constantly reminding me that life should be lived, and lived well. "It" has been dormant for the last few years in my brain; I'm sure poorly managed stress, alcohol, and the normal things that deter people from their purpose caused "it" to hibernate.

I am glad it is awake again.

I am glad I am awake again.

This is not the first time I have been awake.

When I first started college, I felt it. It kept me up late at night, creating, writing, and thinking. It's back again - "it" being something I think everyone is capable of. It is YOU. Your purpose is also you. When you start to uncover your purpose and true calling, you feel it. Every part of your being is buzzing and humming with the energy of being awake.

How do you find "it?" You allow yourself to change. I had to quit drinking, leave people behind, and leave a perception of unhappiness I had created for myself and for others. I simplified my life by simplifying my mind. Nature helps. Travel helps. Adding yoga and meditation to my daily routine have helped me the most.  Getting yourself out of your day-to-day routine also helps. This allows you to look at your life from a distance, and not necessarily a safe distance. You also might not like what you see. 

But you can change it. You are the only one who can. Fill your mind with positive thinking by changing your reactions. Change your scenery. If your job really is awful and there is no way to find any shred of positivity about it, leave it. What do you have to lose? If continuing college is like pullling teeth and you're skipping class more than you're going, quit college. (See previous blog post about quitting college). You do not have to stay in any situation you're in if you don't want to. Free yourself. FREE YOURSELF. You deserve it - this life is yours and you get to live it. 

I'll leave you with this great quote & a link to watch the video on Vimeo. Have a wonderful week, and if you have a blog, link it to me in the comment section; I'd love to read! :)

"If you're living your life where you scare yourself a lot, that's really living. None of us are getting out of here alive so you might as well scare the crap out of yourself and do things that are important to you." -Todd Sanders, Roadhouse Relics in Austin, TX.

Todd Sanders STORYTLD from LUXURY MINDZ on Vimeo.

Wanderlust Colorado in Photos!

I had the wonderful chance of attending Wanderlust Festival, Colorado, at Copper Mountain Ski Resort last week! 

Climbing up Copper Mountain - BEAUTIFUL fields of wildflowers!

My friend Megan and I drove from Texas to Colorado. We took the route through New Mexico on the way there, and the route through Kansas on the way home. 

Cities we visited: 

- Capulin, NM (We hiked into the volcano!!)

- Frisco, CO

- Pueblo, CO

- Copper, CO

- Buena Vista, CO (We whitewater rafted through Brown's Canyon and rode horses!)

- Vail, CO

- Cakwer City, KS

- Oklahoma City, OK 

Rather than talk about it, I'll let the pictures speak the story! 

Cameras used:  GoPro Hero2, iPhone 5, iPhone 4 w/ Olloclip 

Leaving Dallas at sunrise

9 hours later... 

Capulin, NM did not have a gas station or restaurant; but they  had a working pay phone.  

Inner rim of the Capulin Volcano!

 

 

 Our site in Pueblo, CO

Time for a mountain pass....or four. 

White River National Forest 

Up Copper Mountain we go!

Crow posing on the side of Copper.

 Beautiful Megan and beautiful scenery.

 Half awake.

 

 Phrase most often said by Tiffiny, "We need to find coffee." 

 Best face, Megan!

Breakfast with a mountain. 

Blueberry popsicle! 

 Working my way through the field of boulders. Reminded me of this quote:

“Jumping from boulder to boulder and never falling, with a heavy pack, is easier than it sounds; you just can't fall when you get into the rhythm of the dance.” - Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

 This is the mountain I climbed. It looks smaller from the highway..

 

 Our site in Frisco, CO

 First horse ride!

Largest Ball of Twine can be found in the middle of nowhere, Kansas. 

  

  

 Channeling Georgia O'Keefe.

*********

I was able to attend Wanderlust because I received two free Sage passes from So Delicious, simply for replying to a Tweet of theirs. They also gave me these coupons (I used them FAST). Thanks again, guys! 

I also got some free camp coffee for my trip from Nature Coffee Kettle! Their concept and quality is fantastic and I LOVE COFFEE so I can take all I can get! 

Stay tuned for more adventures! I'll be at Wanderlust Austin, the All-Girls Slackline Festival in Oregon, & whatever else I can! 

You can also find me here:

twitter.com/tiffinyepiphany

instagram.com/tiffinycostello

facebook.com/turbotiffiny

<3 Tiffiny

**Clothing/gear/companies that kept me warm, cute, nourished, footed etc:

Nikita Coleman Tents Mountain Hardware Columbia Teva Mountainsmith Sleeping Bags So Delicious

The Other Side of the Mountain

Before I start with happy posts about my long & lovely weekend at Wanderlust, I do have a somewhat serious thing to talk about.

Earlier this year, I set a goal of climbing a mountain. July 7th, I accomplished that goal. I climbed Copper Mountain. The summit is 12,313 feet, and I climbed from the base, which is 9,712 feet. That made my ascent around 3,300 feet or so. No, it was not a huge mountain, but nonetheless a mountain. With a field of boulders...and bumble bees..and slopes..and thinning air...

The feeling of making it to the top after having to stop & rest, quite often, sometimes every 3 minutes or so, was exhilarating. I felt like Jaffe Ryder, a character from Jack Kerouacs' travel narrative, "The Dharma Bums," who yelled at the top of the mountain he climbs in the book. I even danced across a field of boulders like he did! It was incredible.

Being on top of that mountain gave me some time to take in & look at what was around me, and most of all, below me. There were peaks higher than I was and lower than I was. 

Looking at my life, I am in the same spot. There are peaks all around me. Some of them are higher than where I'm at now and some are lower. The slopes are all different and the terrain changes throughout the climb. When I was on all fours, crawling up one section of the mountain, I was discouraged because the summit did not seem to get any closer, even though I was exhausted. I thought about giving up and "trying again next time." When is next time? I am here NOW and if I stop to rest, regain strength, and try again, I could reach the summit; and I did. 

July 7th is also the day, four years ago, when I was arrested for a DWI in Arlington, TX. Yes, I can blame the over-staffed-police-force in the city, or the fact that they followed me out of the bar parking lot, or the fact that my red car was statistically targeted, etc....

The real issue here was not any of those; the real issue was my love for drinking. I'm Irish and my family is riddled with alcoholics, so I did not have much hope in being a moderate drinker.

Since my DWI, I have struggled with "learning to moderate my drinking." This April, I finally decided I have NO ability to "learn" any kind of moderation for alcohol in my being. Maybe in my next life. After deciding this, I also had to accept it. Accepting my inability to moderate has been the game-changer for my quitting drinking this round. It feels real this time. When I have quit in the past, I have craved to drink and always succumbed to it. What's changed? Support. Hobbies. Friendships.

I am about to hit 16-weeks of no alcohol, and I am still finding out things about myself that I have ignored in the haze of the last four years. I have had to cut off a couple toxic friendships. I've changed my hobbies. The most important thing for me has been the support of my boyfriend, my friends and my family.

Quitting drinking is one thing, but figuring out what you're going to have to displace and balance that energy into is a new task. It's the field of boulders on your way up a mountain.

I know alcohol is not abused by everyone. We all have our vices. I hope people know that the most important way to grow from the ashes of destructive living is to know that you CAN create a new life for yourself. You do NOT have to accept your mistakes as who you were meant to be. Find out what your desires are and go for them. Chase them. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family and make space for new experiences to propel your new life forward. CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN.

Creating Space.

The last couple of weeks, I have been on my own a lot. My boyfriend is on tour with his band, War Party, so I do not have him to hang out with, all the time, like I normally do when he is around. I've outgrown some habits, which means I've outgrown some friends. I guess you could say I'm somewhat in-between places right now, socially. I'm pretty good at being alone, considering I used to be a professional hermit (haha). 

I've been thinking a lot about creating space for myself. What I mean is, identify what is weighing me down or what might be having a negative or neutral influence on me and what I want to accomplish, and step away from it - for good or for a little while. This can be anything; friends, food, activities, etc. I have a friend who has been going through a breakup, and I'm encouraging her to create space for herself, which also encourages me to practice what I'm preaching. 

Not drinking for the last 3 months has been such a HUGE change for me and it's such a good one. It has created so much space in my life and in my bank account!  

Yoga has been an incredible life-changer for me. It has helped me de-stress my life and consider the little things as much as the big things.  

Doing things for the sake of doing them, and no other reason, has proved to be an elevating experience. So many people have to let the world know that they're amazing - people who have to prove that they're experienced are probably missing the point entirely. Humble yourself and just enjoy a nice day and the people with you. You know your intentions if you are honest with yourself. Remember to experience life for life, not for a neat Facebook post. I'm preaching to myself too - I am getting better at putting my phone down and LIVING. Make space for life. 

Taking a break from travel - what?! - has actually been nice. When I'm not traveling, I'm planning my next trip. I have been enjoying home and the people here these last couple of weeks, instead of planning my next trip. It's important to stop and enjoy what is always there but rarely noticed. 

Creating space for ourselves is so important. We grow into the people we will become by hanging out in the present moment and realizing how small we really are, and that we DO have space in our busy lives - for ourself. 

How do you create space in your life? 

Thoughts On Finding Something To Love & Loving Yourself

Before New Years, I decided to start doing yoga every day. I did not wait until New Years to start, because I know how much of a procrastinator I am, so my motto has to be, "OK GO."

Over the last three months, I have done yoga ALMOST everyday. I stopped keeping track, because, like anything you keep score on, you're going to be disappointed. You will be. I have learned to go with the flow, and if I feel like doing something, do it. Do not wait or plan. Just do it. If I do not feel like doing something; ok fine. Don't do it. It's all a part of living in the moment.

Anyways, yoga has become a huge part of my living routine. While I have attended a couple classes at Karmany Yoga in Fort Worth, I still prefer doing yoga at home, with Tara Stiles as my yogi. Her videos are so simple and encouraging. Since I have been doing yoga for three months now, I have also been able to stray from the videos and create my own flow and learn to practice true meditation.

While I still enjoy doing yoga at home, I plan to find a studio to call home, so I can refine my technique and positions. It is also easier to meditate because I am learning to squeeze out all distractions like a sponge. 

One of the greatest things yoga has taught me is patience - with myself. When I started yoga, I had NO patience with myself, which also translated into no patience with other people. I expected to do a dancer's pose, and hold it, the first try. Nope. Couldn't even do a Warrior 3 without wobbling. Patience and practice has taught me how important it is to not get frustrated when I cannot do something the first try..or second, third, fourth, etc. 

 

Yoga has also taught me to shed my carefulness. By carefulness, I mean, I have learned to be carefree about things that do not really matter. Appreciate and relish in the little things, and stretch yourself to try something new EVERYDAY. 

Lastly, yoga has taught me to have fun. I bought a slackline in January, and pair that with yoga...you get slackline yoga! At least, that's what I am aiming for. Slacklining has required me to used and refine the same mental and physical capacities as yoga, so the two go hand-in-hand for me. The first time I was able to walk across the line was so exhilarating, I know that when I can hold a handstand I am going to have the same rewarding feeling! My brother introduced me to slacklining and it has been my favorite hobby ever since. (I have a goal to high lining this summer in Utah...I cannot wait to try it).

I guess my reason for this post is not to glorify yoga and get you to start practicing. My point is to find something that you love and makes you love yourself back. Do what you love, and love what you do, and love WHO YOU ARE. Try something that scares you, because you may just end up finding ultimate joy in it. 

<3

Tiffiny