Keri featured on Nutrition Podcast with Jimmy Moore

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why eggs are good for your heart!

A few weeks back, Keri was asked to be a guest on the podcast, "Low Carb Conversations with Jimmy Moore and Friends."  The podcast of episode 55 is available for free on iTunes and on this website.  This episode discusses research studies on egg consumption and cholesterol, obesity statistics, and emerging food products and trends.  

Jimmy Moore is a SC resident and low-carb blog/podcast expert.  He is hosts forums for the experts in the low-carb and nutrition community to discuss research, life experiences, and the headlines of our time.  Find out more about Jimmy's free podcasts and blogs, visit this website.  

The other voices on the show include: Mindy Noxon Ianotti and Jolene Park.  

And a dream becomes reality....

Several months ago I came to a decision to pursue life as a Yoga teacher and free agent nutritionist. After years of study and self-inquiry I realized that this is the only thing I could see myself doing. I will eternally be a Yoga teacher because I feel that God has granted me this gift and blessing. I feel led to share the teachings of Yoga as this practice has benefited me in every single way. I love the study and constant change that Nutrition offers me with the perpetual opportunity to learn. I hold a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from a CADE accredited program. I enjoy learning about both natural and science based nutrition.

My approach to nutrition is based on mindfulness...call me non-traditional :-) I don't believe that there is one perfect diet for anyone. Just like the way nutrition is constantly changing so are people. I believe in making changes from a place of self-acceptance not from judgement. I believe people need practical health advice, someone to answer their questions, and help them understand how to live in way that truly reflects their unique nature.

So I dreamed up a business concept... A nutrition, wellness coaching, and Yoga company that offers practical client centered nutrition advice, support, Yoga, and other wellness inspirations to make healthy changes that can last a lifetime. I believe in making a healthy lifestyle accessible to any and all people! I dreamed of a Yoga business that delivers Yoga into homes, workplaces, and non-traditional environments making Yoga more approachable and convenient. I dreamed of a new way of a approaching health.

Out of these dreams, lots of hard work and planning BAYA Wellness, LLC was formed.

BAYA is an acronym standing for "Be As You Are." We offer a wide array of Yoga, nutrition, food, and Wellness coaching for the individuals, families, and community members in and around the Greenville area.

To find out more please visit my website: www.BAYAWellness.com

Thanks to everyone who has supported this vision!

Who are you living for?

Somedays I am reminded of how much my life, thoughts, and actions are completed in order to please the people I value in my life. When you really sit back and reflect on your day... how many activities did you do for the sake of doing them versus for receiving a benefit?

I listen to my friends going over the ups and downs of life and when they are finished letting their heart speak I keep feeling a resounding need for their actions to be justified. It all comes down to a feeling that all of our actions need to be rational and vindicated.

Think about how much stress we experience in life just by trying to feel approved of. At the end of the day when all the choices are made, the sun has gone down, we lay in bed with thoughts wandering, and we attempt to establish a sense of peace before drifting off to sleep. We're left alone with our own thoughts and opinions. We are left in that place of self- love and acceptance... or placing judgements and negativity.

I've done a lot of reflecting lately on my life and the big choices I've made independently. I struggled in making most of those decisions. Often times the stress, anxiety, and fear I experienced has been directly related to wanting other people to be "okay" with my actions. I wanted to make sure that no matter what I chose I would still be loved and respected.

On the flip side, some of the most liberating and pleasing decisions that I've made in life have been grounded in a deep sense of peace within myself. I reached a decision - and no matter what hardships may come my way I would stand by those choices indefinitely. No matter what judgements were passed I could lay in bed at night in a place of self-love and acceptance.

So who are you living for?

"I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being." - Confucious

Allow yourself the space to simply be you, imperfect... living in pursuit of happiness. Love and respect others peoples right to be their own unique individual. Be as you are!

By living in a place of self-love and acceptance I am a better version of myself for everyone else. By knowing what I want out of life I am able to follow my dreams, live fully, spread the wisdom I've received, and let go of limiting beliefs.

Acknowledging the Choice

Yoga, an ancient Indian science and philosophy has roots in major texts like the Vedas that were created over 5000 years ago. The practice of Yoga encompasses a wide variety of tools to aid individuals in their pursuit of happiness and union with God. Yoga is such a large and complex entity that is practiced very differently in the east than in the west. Within the USA the diversity of hatha Yoga is incredible! Truly there is a type of Yoga for every person on the planet.

Due to the great diversity in the practices it is a very challenging to task to define the word in a timely manner. Astanga or Raja Yoga is the most popular of the Yoga's here in the West that is an eight-fold path with many options for practice. Astanga Yogas' eight paths or limbs includes the practice of hatha Yoga (physical practice of Yoga on mats). There is a lot of variation between the many paths of Yoga however they are all pointing toward the same common goal.

We all find ourselves practicing Yoga of many forms for a wide array of reasons, with unique bodies, and life experiences. When a group of students join together to share a hatha Yoga practice they are choosing to unite in the present and inspire one another to breathe deep and let the mind calm. No matter what brings you to your Yoga mat in class or what brought the person next to you there today - you have all chosen to join together.

In order to walk the strong, healthy, body you are blessed with into the Yoga room you had to make a choice to be active and engaged, to go out and avoid those urges to be lazy at home, and let go of all the pressures of daily life. That choice is powerful. The options for one moment are absolutely limitless and you chose to put everything else aside for a bit of time to share Yoga with others, calm your mind, promote your health, and enliven your spirit!

Life is truly perpetually presenting us with the opportunities to make choices. Every choice we make will undoubtedly have a consequence and even a lack of choices has consequences. This, choice, or growing awareness of choice is to me one of the more subtle lessons of Yoga.

In hatha Yoga classes we take charge of the parts of our being and spend time listening in. The simple yet daunting task of quieting the mind and tuning in is a devotional practice and with time leads an individual to a greater understanding of themselves, their relationships, and the nature of life itself. Knowing more about themselves, one is greater able to evaluate choices, and to do more feeling when it comes to decision making. The dual nature of emotions, all of which stem from a place of self-love or self-hate will become gradually more apparent. Normal scenarios that would set you off into a panic or rage begin to feel more surreal and one day you find yourself mentally debating whether or not you are going to cry or smile.

The more you practice Yoga the more in tune you become. The more in tune you become the more aware you are of an underlying choice in every situation. When you become aware of the choice you are empowered to direct your life in the pursuit of your own happiness and connection to God. We are all individuals and define God in a variety of terms, like: life force, breath, love, universe, Allah, Jesus, Krishna, or energy. No matter how you define God sending gratitude and love to a higher cause of any sort is good for the soul :-)

The practice of Yoga is what you make it... the choices are limitless!

Big Picture of Yoga

Life is a moment to moment practice of mindfulness. With each second you have limitless choices in your brain to make. At the biochemical level when you decide something a neuron in your brain is fired along a pathway. As the neuron fires it clears the path, therefore, making it easier for a neuron to travel down the same path in the future. If you make decisions based on fear, it becomes easier to be afraid and make decisions based on fear. By making mindful choices that honor your true self you can cultivate the life the you want to live. Yoga is a huge philosophy and science that applies to every aspect of living offering tools to cultivate balance of the body, mind and spirit. According to my experience yoga can help to reinforce healthy decision making and feelings of well-being. 

Yoga is a path that leads towards a state where there are more calm nurturing moments than those where I feel stress. Yoga as a practice is about creating union of body, mind and spirit so that we are health and whole.

There are eight aspects of practice that are under the root term Ashtanga or Raja Yoga put into words by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. This is the big picture of what yoga practice really is. 

1. Yamas: ethical observances

- Practice: Non-violence, truthfulness, control of the senses, non-stealing, and do not receive of others kindness more than needed.

2. Niyamas: personal observances

- Practice: cleanliness, contentment, warrior-like dedication, perpetual self-study, and surrender to the notion that there is a higher power, life force, God, energy, breath, whatever you want to call it exists.

3. Asana: practice of mindful postures that uncover the tight, tense, and weak areas of the body where the energy is blocked. Through the postures build strength, balance, and flexibility.

4. Pranayama: the art of manipulating the breath for a desired benefit.

5. Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses (moments when you are touching enlightenment - your mind is calm and you think of nothing without realizing it).

6. Dharana: practicing one-pointed concentration

7. Dhyana: practicing meditation and inward focus

8. Samadhi: experiencing a state of divine bliss or super-conciousness

Through practicing Raja Yoga rather than the strictly physical path one is able to live in a way that cultivates health for the mental, physical and spiritual body. 

Article by:

Keri Marino is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist. She's owns and operates Yoga Unique offering therapy, classes, workshops and yoga products. Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area. Check out more here: YogaUnique