Galantys Game Plan

I am constantly hearing people say how they want to try yoga, but they are too intimidated to walk into a class for fear of looking or feeling stupid.  I totally get that.  It is intimidating for someone who can barely touch their toes to be seated next to a human gumbi who can effortlessly twist themselves into a pretzel.  If this newcomer only realized that the gumbi next to them was in their exact same state just a few months prior, maybe it would help them to overcome their angst and feelings of inadequacy, but more often then not, it just sends them bolting for the door. Read the rest of this entry →

Hurry!  It’s giveaway week at Galanty’s Game Plan.  You don’t want to miss out on a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Prana. All you need to do to be eligible to win is to sign up with your email address.  There is a big red arrow on the right hand column pointing to the place to sign up just in case you missed it.  (My web designer insisted on that).  A winner will be chosen this Friday, so don’t delay.  If you’re not familiar with Prana, their Read the rest of this entry →

A friend of mine recently stated to me that she hopes she dies by the time she is 75…living any longer than that would just be too depressing for her to even consider.  Shocked, I asked her why.  In my opinion, 75 is way too young to die.  I see people on the tennis courts older than that and I fully expect to be running laps around people 30 years younger than me when I reach that age!  Her answer really struck a chord with me.  Her perception of aging revolves around deterioration of the physical body and mind.  A gradual breaking down of the life she now enjoys.  Her attitude made sense to me when I understood how she was viewing aging.  Who in their right mind would look forward to a slow descent into loneliness as friends and family drop off one by one and the end result is living in isolation and sickness in a nursing home?  I certainly don’t want that. Read the rest of this entry →

Despite its popularity in recent years in the US, yoga still remains a mystery to many people. “Yoga is too boring for me” or “I’m not flexible enough” are common comments I hear.  Boring?  Obviously they’ve never been to an Ashtanga class.  Not flexible enough?  Hello…you just stated a very obvious reason as to why you need to start a yoga practice.

It’s understandable that people are confused.  There are as many styles of yoga as Read the rest of this entry →

Would you dedicate ten minutes of your day if that was all it took to discover the Fountain of Youth? Or would you laugh and scoff at this seemingly absurd idea tossing it aside as some new age, book-idea-selling-mumbo-jumbo-nonsense?

The Five Tibetans are five rites or rituals, which if performed on a daily basis over time are thought to reverse the aging process and restore one to a state of youth and vitality. When I initially heard this claim, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard…five exercises a day are going to change my life that dramatically? No way. Nonetheless, I was intrigued enough to research the practice a bit further.

The body has seven energy centers, called chakras that although invisible to the human eye, are quite powerful energy fields. These chakras or vortexes start at the Read the rest of this entry →

Vinyasa means connecting breath with movement. In a vinyasa flow class students move from one pose to the next on an inhale or an exhale.  It becomes a moving meditation of sorts. Vinyasa classes can be quite diverse and will vary from instructor to instructor, but in general Read the rest of this entry →

I never knew I had sweat glands in my shins.  I kept wondering where the water pouring down my legs was coming from…my shins and knees couldn’t possibly be producing sweat.  Perhaps my vision was just blurred from the sweat pouring off of the tip of my nose and I was starting to hallucinate.  I’m not typically a sweater, so all of this liquid pouring from my body was a bit disturbing to me.  The source of all the sweating…I was in the midst of my first hot yoga class.

Hot yoga, for the uninitiated, is officially known as Bikram Yoga. It involves going through a series of 26 poses—the exact same poses in the exact same order Read the rest of this entry →

Each week I will challenge you to do something healthy for the entire week and take note of the effect it has on you.

Ever notice how the spin class you used to walk out of completely drenched with sweat, exhausted yet exhilarated no longer has quite the same effect on you after spinning religiously three times a week for several years? Same thing with running, lifting weights or doing the same yoga poses over and over. Your body adapts to the repetitious exercise so you are no longer challenged and won’t see any real results. If Read the rest of this entry →

Each week I will challenge you to do something healthy for the entire week and take note of the effect it has on you. I love to hear your comments…keep them coming!

Imagine a bucket filled with water. Now add some sand into it and stir it around. The water looks all cloudy and agitated. Allow the bucket to sit and be still for awhile and the sand settles to the bottom leaving you with clear water. Clarity. Read the rest of this entry →

I don’t know about you, but I usually practice yoga alone. Not totally alone mind you…in a class with other people, but alone on my mat. This is just the way I have always done it.

I recently decided to stop in at a studio I don’t usually go to because I had appointments near there. Everything started out just fine…it was a challenging class and I was enjoying the series of asanas. The teacher then stopped and asked all of us to find a partner. Red flag. I had heard the term partner yoga before, but had never really embraced the idea of getting that close and personal with a total stranger. I thought it was something only married couples did together and quite honestly thought it was just a bit freakish. Read the rest of this entry →