SHADES OF GREEN:

Our yoga students are enjoying three days of fresh green juice feasting to detoxify, lighten up and support our yoga practice.  It’s day one and the fun is just beginning!

We hear it all the time “eat your greens” and most of us have no doubt in our minds that this has its benefits.  Here are a few good reasons to integrate green foods, particularly leafy green vegetables into your diet.

O   Greens are a rich source of chlorophyll, which acts as a detoxifier in the body.  Chlorophyll also helps the blood to deliver oxygen to all the cells of the body as well as helping to neutralize free radicals that cause damage to cells. If you suffer from bad breath or body odors, chlorophyll to the rescue – it is a natural deodorizer.  The darker the greens the higher the chlorophyll content. To get the full benefit of the chlorophyll in greens, it’s best to eat them raw or very lightly cooked.

O   Greens are alkalizing.  The modern diet tends to lean more toward acid forming foods like meat and carbohydrates.  In order to maintain health and balance it’s important to keep your PH at a healthy level and vegetables, particularly greens help to do this.

O   Greens are mineral rich and supply the body with many vital nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vitamins, including vitamin C, K, E and B vitamins.

O   Greens contain a variety of phytonutrients which extensive research has shown, protect the body against free radical damage, stimulate detoxifying enzymes, support the immune system and act as antiviral and antibacterial agents.

O   Dark leafy greens contain essential omega 3 fatty acids, which are vital for all body functions and protect against heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol.

O   Greens are powerful antioxidants which are known to protect the body from damage from toxins in the environment and the foods we eat.  Antioxidants neutralize these toxins and clear them from the body.

DRINK YOUR GREENS

Another way to get your daily dose of nutrients is juicing.  My Shades of Green drink is a delicious way to keep your body alkaline and get your daily dose of phytonutrients and antioxidants.
If you want to get the benefit of the fiber in the vegetables, you can blend up a delicious and nutritious green smoothie made from a mixture of chopped leafy greens, with a little avocado, some ground flax, sunflower or hemp seeds, a little almond or other grain or nut milk or water.  Season with some umebohsi plum vinegar or a pinch of sea salt.  You can also add fruits such as apple or banana to give more flavor and creaminess.  Other healthful ingredients could be added such as maca powder, soaked chia seeds, protein powder, soaked goji berries.

When I’m traveling and not in a position to eat my daily servings of greens, I’ll always take a green powder like Green Magma, which is powdered young barley grass or spirulina.  In this way I can still get the health benefits of my greens to keep me clean and healthy while on the go.

Wheatgrass is a powerful detoxifier and is high in chlorophyll, minerals and other nutrients vital to good  health.  It’s an excellent way to cleanse the blood and support the liver.  Many health food stores have a juice section where you can get fresh wheatgrass – start with a 1 oz shot followed by some vegetable or fruit juice and when your body is more used to the detoxifying effect you can take 2 ozs.  Word of caution, don’t take wheatgrass and follow with vigorous exercise – I did once and regretted it as I felt nauseous throughout my workout session.

One of the best decisions of my life was to take the Shades of yoga 200 hour YTT.  I’ve been doing yoga for many years and have had many wonderful teachers in my time and I will admit it has never been an aspiration of mine to flaunt the label “yoga teacher”.  However, I have experienced profound benefits from having a somewhat erratic yoga practice – I confess to not being the disciplined type!   I travel a lot and even though I don’t practice every day, I find that having a yoga mat close at hand and doing a few poses a day is incredibly beneficial for keeping me fit and flexible.

I happened to meet Tracey and she suggested that I come to South Africa with her to include a “yoga of food” element on her course.  It was a wonderful experience interacting with the students like this, but the best part of it was getting to take the yoga classes.  Within a week, I experienced changes in my body that I never thought possible – and I thought I really knew my yoga.  Tracey has such an extensive background in many different forms of yoga,  combined with her amazing knowledge of the body  and she uses her own experience in the world of yoga – both positive and negative, to guide her students in developing a “safe practice” – as Tracey says, yoga can be your poison or your medicine.

After my experience in South Africa, I was hooked – and when Tracey decided to move her Shades of Yoga school to beautiful Bali, I put my life on the back burner and basically became a groupie.  Six yoga courses down, I have by default earned myself the label of yoga teacher – one that I’m actually very proud to wear.  Through working with Tracey, I’ve let go of a lot of my pre-conceived notions of yoga – as she makes it very accessible to all body types and levels of fitness.  It’s been so inspiring watching students enter on day one of the course and observe the amazing transformations that occur on every level as well as the friendships that are built as a result of being in such an intensive environment and supporting each other on our journey towards becoming yoga teachers.  I look forward to going out in the world and sharing the wonderful gift of supporting people in finding balance in their lives through yoga – it will compliment all the work I’ve done with healing foods and other healing modalities.  I would highly recommend spending a month in beautiful Bali and taking Shades of Yoga teacher training.

Aine McAteer

Ireland/U.S.A.

The Shades of Yoga TTC was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. On a practical level, it took my yoga practice to a  whole new level in terms of fitness and strength, and taught me how to teach yoga in a safe and relevant way. On an emotional and spiritual level, it opened up my heart to evolving through life’s challenges, unplugging from things that no longer serve me and letting the universe guide me along my path. The group discussions taught me as much, if not more, than the textbook content and all materials were taught, presented or opened up for discussion in an accessible and down-to-earth way. I was always a little intimidated to do a TTC but the spirit in which the Shades course is facilitated allowed me to relax, to be fully present and get the most out of the learnings. I have subsequently started teaching yoga classes and I feel confident in my knowledge to introduce beginners to postures and make corrections due to the amount of prac teaching you do in the course. I also feel I have a wealth of material to draw from when formulating my lesson plans. The Yoga of Food gave me a great ‘taste’  of eating for wellbeing and its something I’d like to learn more about. Although I am still at the beginning of my yoga teaching journey, I am really grateful for the kickstart Shades of Yoga gave me, I can’t believe how much we learnt, discussed, laughed about, cried about and grappled with in 200 hours…thanks Trace, Aine and Kat and everyone at Taksu spa for an amazing month

Tammy Lewis,

South Africa

Dear Tracey and amazing team of Shades of Yoga. Thank you for teaching me about the ‘shades of yoga’ and making the past four weeks one of the most elevating experiences of my life. When the time is right, I can’t wait to come back for my RYT 500

I would highly recommend this to any one interested in learning about yoga and more about themselves’.

Sara Mohammadi

Dubai

I have just completed a 200 hours YTC at Shades of Yoga in Bali and not only has the course given me clear knowledge of the physical aspect of yoga through a deep understanding of the asanas, but it has also given me insight on aspects of life that I had lost or forgotten. The course touches on simple spiritual life skills that have put me back on the road of living with determination and direction.  The group was great and as always the people on the course were meant to be, I guess that the rigorous practice Tracey teaches has change the way I do, breathe and practice Yoga.  I want to thank the facilitators who have in their own ways and different styles made this month lonf training in Bali memorable and has definitely given me a tool I can use for my personal life and the opportunity for a new career, if I decide to take it this way.  I would definitely recommend the course to anybody who wants to take their Yoga practice to a different level or to anybody that wants to make Yoga their next career step.

Colette Dumas,

South Africa

My journey to find a yoga teacher training course started primarily with a strong desire to deepen my personal practice before even beginning to embark on sharing with anyone else. Having lived in Bali for the past three years, one does not have to struggle to find a Yoga Teacher Training course however I will say that to find the one that’s right for you is not so easy.  I happened (or was guided) to Shades of Yoga because it was the right course for me for a number of reasons. Taksu, where the courses are held is a charming location with great staff and wonderful energy.  When you are going to be away from the familiar it’s good to have these elements – top this off with great and healthy food options and it’s a no brainer. It was right for me because the course outline is comprehensive and provides an introduction to all the elements required for a healthy personal and teaching practice. It was right for me because of the passion with which Tracey and the team deliver the course material. It was right for me because of the balance that exists, not only in the course outline but in the delivery. The Shades of Yoga Team of Tracey, Kat and Aine delivered the right amount of intensity, commitment, love, laughter,correction,discipline,motivation and information. This wholesome and energetic combination took me on a journey that I remain grateful for. I challenged myself physically and watched myself grow from day one to the last day where my toes were floozed (make sure you ask what that is), legs engaged and pelvic bone was tucked all with ease, flow and a wonderful feeling spiritually and physically by graduation .The RYT 200 hrs brought more mindfulness to my practice.  The class discussions broadened my mind and nurtured my compassion while reminding me that knowledge is indeed power. The teacher training, while intense, fostered growth and challenged me to always do my best with every practice session. The self practices and homework prompted the discipline and commitment required for a healthy personal practice and a healthy teaching practice.  Shades of Yoga will guide you to the path to becoming the best you can be and if you are already on  it then it takes you further. The course not only improved my breathing and my knowledge of yoga ,theory and practice,  it challenged me to be a better me. For this I am thankful.

I am grateful to have been a part of a truly dynamic and balanced class, which also made my RYT 200 hr Teacher Training an experience I am thankful to have had. Thank you Tracey and the Shades of Yoga team for choosing to do what you do.

Nickie

Jamaica/ Bali