Shop - Opal Moon Henna

When I saw people walking around the first annual South Bay Yoga conference with the most beautiful designs on their skin, I had to get one for myself. I visited the Opal Moon Henna booth and they were the most friendly and talented henna team I have met! The booth was packed all day.

Tamara is the perfect henna artist for yoga retreats or festivals. When you choose a design from their collection, you get to take the photo with you so that you can meditate on it while you wait for your turn in the artist's chair. Once the art is finished and has dried, Tamara will even spend extra time to cover it with medical tape if you want to get more life out of your henna.

virus racerback tank, artists choice henna design

Opal Moon Henna uses only natural red-brown henna that is safe for skin even for kids. They hand mix the paste using just lemon juice, sugar and essential oils. They suggest avoiding black henna, a chemical dye that can cause blistering and scarring.

Henna or glitter body art could be the hit of your next birthday, baby shower or event!

My favorite design was the henna on my left foot. It is beautiful and lasts for a few weeks, one of the longest life I actually wish it was permanent.

sam edelman 'ginnie' sandals as seen on julia roberts in eat pray love, urban outfitters skirt

Bachelorette Party - Mula Bandha and Mimosas

A pre-wedding wedding celebration kicked off Labor Day weekend with some yoga on the beach. I taught a class specifically for bachelorettes that I call "Mula Bandha and Mimosas."

beautiful bride to be

setu bhanda sarvangasana - bridge pose

When you are preparing to walk down the wedding aisle, heart opening poses are key. In bridge pose, you push down through the feet and the hands and lift through the hips using the shoulders for support. The more you wiggle your shoulders underneath you, the more you are able to stretch through the neck and lift up through the chest which opens the heart chakra.

demo on engaging mula bandha

Mula Bandha is one of three energy locks in the body known in yoga as the root lock. It incorporates the kaegle muscle and the lifting of the pelvic floor. It is key in finding buoyancy within all poses as well as arm balances such as crow pose and inversions such as handstand. I focused on engaging it in this particular practice because it can also be a great way to prepare for the wedding night...

engage mula bandha to reach up for anjaneyasana - crescent pose

ashtanga namaskara - crocodile pose

Building heat on an already hot day with classical sun salutations. In crocodile pose we keep the hips lifted as we lower our knees, chin and chest to the mat.

bhekasana - frog pose

Frog pose is a deep hip opener fabulous for helping to let go of anything in your life that you might not want to bring into your marriage. This pose was the maid of honors favorite moment of the yoga practice because the surfers decided to walk by as soon as we settled in.

savasana - corpse pose 

Visualize the wedding day. You are about to walk down the aisle. Take a deep breath and lead with your heart before you take the first step. Picture all of your friends and family and enjoy the perfection of every moment. Feel the love surrounding you, the bride and the groom. We are gathered together because of love, the most powerful energy of all. When you wake up from savasana or corpse pose, it symbolizes the death of the old and is like a new beginning.

The Bachelorettes

Get ready to jump in with both feet!