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“…and that is how I feel about suffering.  When something bad happens, I will not let go of that bad thing until I have discovered the blessing that lies within it.  When my late father died (now I’m in mourning for my late mother), that sense of grief and bereavement suddenly taught me that so many things that I thought were important, external success, all of that, is irrelevant.  You loose a parent, you suddenly realize what a slender thing life is.  How easily you can loose those you love.  And then out of that comes a new simplicity.  And that is why sometimes all the pain and the tears lift you to a much higher and deeper joy, when you say to the bad times, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me.'”

Jonathan Sacks via On Being with Krista Tippett

 

We hope you all had a nice weekend. Here are this week’s pics:

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Lauren – New York, NY

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Cloudy Saturday, back on my favorite rooftop

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Seasonal sidewalk flower box

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Taking care of business on Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn

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Farrell – Los Angeles, CA

Cooked up some of these guys for the first time in a while.

Cooked up some of these guys for the first time in a while.

Made these cute little pie cupcakes.

Made these cute little pie cupcakes.

Celebrated Caits-giving with all her friends in Downtown LA (Birthday girl on the far right).

Celebrated Caits-giving with all her friends in Downtown LA. (Birthday girl on the far right).

We are super excited to announce the grand opening of our new online store, The Disco Emporium.  Incorporating a shop component to Sister Disco has been a longtime desire of ours and we hope you will like what you see!  As a starting point, the shop will be primarily stocked with hand selected items offered through affiliate programs.  In the coming months, we’ll be expanding to include more unique items from independent retailers.  If you are interested in partnering with us to sell your products through our storefront, drop us a line!

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THE DISCO EMPORIUM

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Monster Rally ~ Return to Paradise – $19

APOTHIA Los Angeles – IF – $40

Cleveland Magnet – $5

Clean Eats by Alejandro Junger, M.D.

White Sage Smudge Stick – $8

Deodorant Cream by Soapwalla – $14

Jade Harmony Yoga Mat – $50-75

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask – $55

Lucas Papaw Ointment – $10

Valley Cruise Press Zines

 

A friend of mine recently emailed me saying he was interested in starting to practice yoga but wasn’t sure which style he should pursue.  As you probably already know, there are many different styles of yoga.  It can be overwhelming as a beginner to figure which type will best meet your needs.  Luckily, I don’t really think you need to stress this decision.

Style Seeker

All styles of yoga have the same end goal of focusing & quieting the mind, as well as promoting body and breath awareness.  I primarily practice Vinyasa yoga (sometimes also called Power yoga); it is a style of Hatha yoga.  Bikrim yoga (or hot yoga) is quite popular these days though personally I’m not much of a fan.  Most people I know who get into Bikrim yoga like more of a hardcore workout and are motivated by the challenge and intensity of the heat. Iyengar is a practice that focuses strongly on body alignment.  Ashtanga is a set sequence of poses that you work on at various levels every time you practice.  Kundalini focuses on incorporating breath work and chanting.  Restorative yoga is very passive and super slow moving – fabulous for relaxation and stress reduction.  (This site goes into more detail on some of the different styles.)

Teacher Seeker

My main piece of advice to people just starting yoga is to find a teacher that you like.  And once you do, you will be hooked!  Instructors often incorporate a few different styles into their classes.  But even when a class remains solely one style, the class experience can vary significantly based on the instructor.  Try out a few different teachers and you’ll quickly learn what elements you most appreciate in an instructor and in a practice.

My second piece of advice for people looking to start a yoga practice (which you could somewhat infer from the first piece of advice) is to start by going to an actual class.  I personally love putting on a podcast and practicing at home, but I really don’t recommend that until you’ve spent some time practicing with a good teacher who can make sure you are in safe and proper alignment.  This is so important as you’re learning and will help you develop good habits and avoid injury.

First-timer

When you get to a new class, let the teacher know it’s your first time.  Usually they’ll ask if there’s anything going on with your body that they should know about (injury, etc.).  Don’t hesitate to talk to them about why you’re there and see what individual info or resources they can provide.

Most importantly, don’t worry about doing the poses right!  The whole reason that yoga is referred to as a practice is because it is just that, a continual practice to connect with yourself and your body.  It’s always going to be a little different every day.

Related posts: Eight Limbs | Home Practice Essentials | My Favorite Yoga Podcasts

[posted by Lauren]

We hope that everyone had a lovely October weekend. As fall is starting in in the East Coast, there is another heat wave in the West.

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Lauren – New York, NY

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Day trip to the Roosevelt Estate in Hyde Park, NY

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FDR’s office in his Presidential Library. This is the only Presidential Library to ever be used by a sitting President.

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Monarch on the grounds

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Friends and flowers

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Farrell – Los Angeles, CA

Set up our record player and listened to so Hawaiian Paradise.

Set up our record player and listened to some Hawaiian Paradise.

Put some tender, love and care into our two tomato plants. They have been grown for months and no sign of a tomato on them.

Put some tender, love and care into our two tomato plants. They have been grown for months and no sign of a tomato on them.

Went to the Santa Monica College pool to beat the heat.

Went to the Santa Monica College pool to beat the heat.

Hit up Sweet Rose Creamery after.

Hit up Sweet Rose Creamery after.

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We are starting a new weekly round-up of articles, videos, websites and other know-how that has recently captured our attention.  We hope you find something you like and pass it on!

1) Lena Dunham gives great advice (via Cup of Jo)  We both watched ALL 12 of these videos and could have watched more.

2) Matthew O’Reilly “Am I dying? The honest answer. (via TED)  Short, sweet and to the point. We all want to be remembered, forgiven and have a life of meaning.

3) Shots of Awe – “The Urge to Merge: Why We Crave Intimacy”   Is there anything more to say? Our urge to become one. Do you feel it too?

4) Lingered Upon   My friend at work sent me this blog and I just love the photography. I love anything that reminds me to take more photographs.

5) 11 Steps to Prepare Yourself for Really Awesome Love (via Huffington Post) ‘Cause who doesn’t want that?!

6) Fall Plant Care (via The Sill) Dust the leaves and other solid tips to sustain your green friends through the changing season.

7) Bourdain Goes Bronx (via WNYC) “Parts Unknown” goes local and Bourdain has mixed feelings about it.

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F:  What is your favorite element and why?

L:  The element of surprise!  It gets you every time.

F:  What does your horoscope say for today and does it resonate with you?

L:  Thursday, Oct 2, 2014 — Scorpio It’s wise to think twice before sharing our feelings as the Moon visits emotionally conservative Capricorn. However, we may grow agitated enough to express ourselves anyhow when the Moon squares radical Uranus early this morning. Later, the Moon’s alignment with joyful Jupiter encourages optimism, but it’s not healthy to take our new-found confidence too far. Ultimately, a lunar connection to calculating Saturn supports logic over emotion.

Eh, I guess I’ll pass on sharing whether or not it resonates with me.  😉

F:  Would you like to pull an Osho Zen Tarot card and share it with us?

L:  Sure!  Let’s hope it out-balances that horoscope.

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This is what happens when we forget that the mind is meant to be a servant, and start to allow it to run our lives. The head is filled with mechanisms, the mouth is ranting and raving, and the whole surrounding atmosphere is being polluted by this factory of arguments and opinions.

‘But wait,’ you say. ‘The mind is what makes us human, it’s the source of all progress, all great truths.’ If you believe that, try an experiment: go into your room, shut the door, turn on a tape recorder, and give yourself total permission to say whatever is ‘on your mind.’ If you really allow it to all come out, without any censorship or editing, you’ll be amazed at the amount of rubbish that comes spewing forth.

The Page of Clouds is telling you that somebody, somewhere, is stuck in a ‘head trip.’ Take a look and make sure it isn’t you.

I pull this card all the time!  I’ve never done the tape recorder thing but I believe it would be true.

F:  If you could live in any international city, where would it be?

L:  I really love Amsterdam, though it gets so cold in the winter.  I think the answer to this question may be somewhere I’ve never been.

F:  What moisturizer will you use for the fall/winter season?

L: Can you see my dry skin all the way from California?!  I’m actually needing to restock on face moisturizer.  I ran out a bit ago but I’ve been using some free samples that the salesperson gave me the last time I bought mascara.  I’ve also been putting Jojoba oil on my face but I don’t think it’s moisturizing enough.  I’m planning to go back to my old standby, this First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer.  Tried and true.

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It was incredibly gorgeous when I woke up on Saturday morning so decided to get a cup of coffee and go and spend time in one of my favorite neighborhood spots: the Liz Christy Garden.  This long and narrow community garden runs the length of the avenue on Houston Street between Second Ave. and Bowery St.  Living in Manhattan, it can be easy to feel removed from nature and green space; but this well-loved and beautifully gardened land reminds me that it doesn’t take much to reconnect.  Life lately, along with season, has been in constant duality.  The garden this weekend was a mixture of summer and fall and though we’re not quite fully in either, the days of late have been spectacular.  It’s bonus season and I hope you’re enjoying its spelndor!

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[posted by Lauren]

This weekend felt like summer again in NYC.  It was glorious!  Take a look.

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Lauren – New York, NY

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A day at Fort Tilden beach

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Saturday morning coffee hang at my favorite city park (more pics to come!)

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Stunning Sunday sunset dinner picnic in DUMBO with friends and Luke’s Lobster rolls!

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Farrell – Los Angeles, CA

I saw Monster Rally play his best sounding show yet

I saw Monster Rally play his best sounding show yet

Sat in a furniture store with friends til 1am

Sat in a furniture store with friends til 1am

Taught Albert how to bake his first pie. It was so much fun!

Taught Albert how to bake his first pie. It was so much fun!

Spent my Sunday night with friends and henna.

Spent my Sunday night with friends and henna.