Buti Glo Yoga

What is buti glo yoga? “Buti” is a Marathi Indian term meaning the cure for something that’s been hidden or kept secret. Buti yoga is a blend of tribal dance, primal movements, plyometrics, and vinyasa style yoga. The glo is included for versions of the class include painting the body or wearing glow in the dark gear.

Buti will sculpt your abs due to the “spiral structure technique” . This is a strengthening approach activating all part of the abdominal muscle groups: inner and outer, top to bottom, front to back , and side to side. Common yoga poses are held for about at least 8 breaths while dancing or pulsing.

We arrived and filled our small paint palettes with neon pink, green , yellow , blue and orange paint. In long thin strokes, we painted shapes and designs over our bodies. Our instructor Lauren told us that if we put the paint on too thick it would not dry by the time class started and our mats would be a mess. Soon the overhead lights turned off and the backlight was turned on. I snapped my glow bracelet and necklace till they glowed then put them on.

We placed our legs out the side of the mat and became dancing. We leaned over and started pulsing. We were- twerking?? In the dark room covered and in paint, I was no longer me. I was someone who didn’t worry what I looked like; someone who moved with grace and fire . I looked around. These other women were doing the same. I wish I could trap all the good energy in this room and take it with me when I left. Or maybe I could.

Our arms swayed side to side as we quickly dropped our heads and popped them back up. Then we stepped back into downward dog . Right leg went up and pulsed. Then left. Then big circles with each leg. Then booty time- we shook and shook and shook! After child’s pose and upward facing dog,  we rolled up slowly to standing then squatted down. We circled our stomachs in every direction, with our hands folded in front of our chest . We moved for almost an hour as the music pulsed. I could barely see myself in the dark but in the mirror but I could see where I had painted myself glowing back at me.  I was experiencing stepping outside of my usual self into this free –moving woman's body. My heart was open. It was pure joy.

We ended with a good stretch and a peaceful savasana . If you feel like you could benefit from letting lose I would recommend a Buti class. You might just discover a part of you that you never knew was there. Open your heart and mind.  Find your glo.

When Picking up Poop Pays the Bills : How I Made $1K in a month on Rover.com

Are you interested in becoming a pet sitter? It has helped me earn extra money, forces me to walk a lot , and lets me enjoy time with awesome pets. Many of my clients have become "regulars". Once you establish a client base , all you need to do is keep your calendar up to date, confirm booking details ,show up, and provide great service.  I cater to folks wanting me to stay in their home to watch their pets. I include bringing in mail and watering plants in my rate. Clients will really appreciate you doing small things to go above and beyond, as simple taking out the trash  before you leave so they don't come back to their apartment smelling like kitty litter .

My top tips if you want to have a successful pet-sitting business:

1. Sign up for Rover.com
You can submit your background check, take the Rover 101 training, and create your profile so locals can find you and view your credentials.
Sign up to become a Rover sitter Here.  (Disclosure:  I will receive a small credit if people sign up to become sitters through my link and book their first client .)  You can set different rates based on how many dogs, holiday rates, etc.

2.  Share your Rover link on Nextdoor.com 
This site allows those in your community to see your profile and the services you offer, such as dog walking or pet sitting. I got a message from a neighbor who became a client as soon as I joined and posted about my business .

3.  Learn as much as you can about your furry clients
People often know details of the dogs they have owned but as a dog sitter you must know about many types of dogs. I recommend watching Dogs 101 on Animal Planet, Lucky Dog on CBS , and The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. I also highly recommend the course " Dog CPR , First Aid + Safety " taught by Dog Safety Expert  Melanie Monteiro ,  available on  Udemy.com . I was able to take the class for about $10.00 when the website was having a promotion.

4. Market yourself!
The only thing I think is necessary to spend money on for marketing is business cards. Use the current discount code at Vistaprint and you can usually get 500 cards for $10 plus a couple dollars shipping.  Put these at high traffic areas such as break rooms at work, your gym, and give out to friends that may hand them out for you. Bring a stack of cards to the dog park and talk to dog owners!  It's important if you are doing this as a side gig to remember you want to keep the clients local , otherwise you will be spending time and gas driving around. You may also want to get a matching car magnet decal from the site.


5. Check in !
Send a photo to your clients to let them know you are arrived and show them their dog is having fun. You will learn which clients prefer more frequent feedback .


6. Reviews are King!
I leave each client a note when I leave with my business cards ( one for them to keep and a few for their contacts) , and let them know I would really appreciate a review on the site.


Need a sitter?
The promo code slow  gives pet owners new to Rover $20 off their first booking—whether you book with me or another Rover sitter . 

Your Profile Link: https://www.rover.com/sit/jessicac74

Your Promo Code: 2SISTERSPETSITTING20

Flying Free : My Aerial Yoga Experience

Sometimes you need to let life turn you upside down so that you can learn how to live right side up.
-Proverb

I walk into Palm Beach Yoga and see beautiful wooden floors and colorful cloth hammocks hanging from the ceiling. A large mirror covers the wall at the front of the room. The instructor ,Kristen , pulls down a hammock to my hips and then gets on a ladder to adjust it from the ceiling. She gets down, pulls the hammock to my hips again and says “ perfect”.

Kristen has us sit back against the hammock and  swing back and forth . Soon our bodies become elastic, folding forward, backward, and sideways. For the “bat pose” we wrap the hammock snugly around our hips  with our hands gripping overhead and slide our legs up straight towards the ceiling. She tells us to and let go  “Trust that your body can go upside down and that the hammock will hold you.”    I surrendered and flipped upside down. I lose orientation and all sense of time and space. I felt as if I was walking on the ceiling. Kristine said to look at the front of the room to regain orientation. The weight of the world had left me.  I was flying.

We come down from the pose and sit in the hammock then drop our head forward. Floating child’s pose helps center and calm the body after an inversion.

Kristen instructs us to  step into the hammock with the silk supporting under our knee cap. We bend our front leg as the back leg stretches back , as we grip each side of the hammock overhead.

We use the hammock to stretch deeper , supporting our body  while performing back bends and splits.  When we perform inversions, we can help cleanse the lymphatic system , take pressure off the joints ,and help circulation return to the body .

When we are sitting with the hammock wrapped around our thighs the silk feels tight and a little painful against the skin. Kristen explains that as we move and the silk slides across the back of our thighs, we are giving ourself a massage.

We end  the session in a cocoon pose. I sit  in the hammock then lay  back , letting my head fall back and my body relax. The hammock is  holding me tight and safe. Kristine came and gave me a small push so the hammock swayed gently. After several minutes she had us slowly open our eyes and step out. She looked at each of us as we stood in front of our hammocks. “May you bring this sense of peace and tranquility with you into your day." Hands folded, we bow and lean slightly forward.  "Namaste.”

On the Sidelines

I look around me at the dragon boat teams warming up for the race. My boyfriend gets up from the lawn chair besides me and joins the team huddle.

I take photos of the team doing their chant . Then everyone poses for a group photo.  “One on my camera now”, I get handed the camera  . The team walks to the launching point to get into the boat as I walk with the other significant others to the dock.  They paddle slowly around the corner past the dock then out to the race starting point. We watch the boats line up. “Two strokes forward Boat 2.. and hold!  “  . The horn sounds and the boats propel forward. We squint and look for the brightly colored shirts to ensure we are cheering for the correct team. "Let’s go Blazing Paddles!" I scream. I start recording on my phone to catch the finish of the race.

 I’m sure I just looked like a girlfriend who didn’t paddle watching the race,  but I felt like a fraud. I was someone who should be on the water but wasn’t.

The paddlers climb of of the boat slowly , drained of their energy. After they return I kiss Jody . I am proud of him and the smile on his face makes me happy.

Over the course of the day the team members who didn’t know me asked if I had ever paddled. I had to explain that I was on the team previously but injured myself. They would smile and nod. They meant well but it was like the wound was opened a little every time they asked.

At lunch I order light. I feel like I  haven’t earned the heavy meal the paddlers are ordering. They excitedly talk about the race. I flash back to that feeling into the boat during a race; paddles cutting through the water,  feeling the boat propel forward with each stroke, water splashing against your aching arms, and the drummer at the front of the boat screaming out the count.  I had never experienced a high like it with any other sport.

Before we left the race location the team captain, Will , asks when I will be back. I tell him I have a few more months of PT then will work my way back. He says “ It will be great to have you back.”  I smile . It was exactly the words I needed to hear. He adds, “and we will deal with Jody if that means having you back.” And everyone laughs.

Will asks if I can run and I tell him no. He asks if I can bike and I say yes. He says “ Great, start getting your cardio back up.” I feel a sudden relief from the despair. It is  replaced with a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a while, a feeling of hope . Looks like it’s time to get back into the saddle.

Chill Out : My Cyrotherapy Experience

You may have seen pictures of athletes inside cyrotherapy chambers , recovering from their strenuous workouts . When I saw a cyrotherapy session advertised on Groupon, I decided to give it a try. I was searching from relief from my migraine headaches and this was on the list of conditions treated.


Whole body cyrotherapy was originally developed in Japan in 1978 to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
Cyrotherapy claims to decrease muscle soreness, pain , swelling and inflammation  , improve joint function, boost lymph draining and blood circulation,  and even burn calories. Some sources even claim it can burn between 500-800 calories a session.


How does it work? While the body is at between -150 to -300 degrees farenheight, blood vessels in your skin’s surface and muscle tissue constrict, forcing blood away from the peripheral tissues and toward your core, where the body’s natural filtration system works to remove toxins and inflammatory properties of the blood. When you exit the cyrochamber, filtered blood flows back to the peripheral tissues, enriched with oxygen , nutrients , and enzymes. (Source: newyouspas.com)

After I check in at Palm Beach Cyrotherapy I am given a robe, gloves, socks, slippers and two pairs of gloves to change into as the attendant begins “cooling down” the chamber.  She  tells me to leave my bra and underwear on. I step into the tall silver chamber. Just before the door is shut I hand her my robe .

The pedestal I am standing on begins to move, lifting me straight up. Soon my head is peeking out over the top. The steam is already swirling around me. She explains that this is liquid nitrogen vapor.  She starts dropping the temperature as she tells me the benefits of cyrotherapy . The biggest benefit she has seen is a decrease in turnaround time from her cross fit activities. Soon we are halfway done. I move my feet in a little dance to keep warm. I look in the mirror posted on the door. The gases are swirling around my head. She tells me that after motivational speaker Tony Robbins explained his love of   cyrotherapy , there was a huge influx of people to the spa.

Soon my session is complete and I am lowered down. I open the door and step out, the steam billowing onto the ground as I stepped out of the chamber.  My body feels refreshed and I feel like I have a little boost of energy .  A few hours later I am at dinner and begin to feel a warmness over my body. It was as if someone had turned the air conditioning off suddenly  and I was sweating lightly. I notice that the headache I had a few hours before was gone. My upper body feels looser even after lots of hours at my computer all week. My body soon returns to normal temperature by the time I go to bed that night. I usually wake up during the night but for once I sleep soundly .

 I have a few sessions left on my groupon and decide I will give cyrotherapy a few more sessions. I could use a little more “chilling out” in my life.

If you want to try Palm Beach Cyro for yourself here are some Special offers.

Interview with Tony Robbins

The Hardest Climb

We began the bus ride to Cerro Negro Volcano in Nicaragua. Our guide Julio points to our left at Lake Managua . The city of Managua was destroyed by an earthquake in 1972.  Managua  and nearby towns suffer 3,000 tremors a year. We pass houses made of adobe ( clay and grass) , the tallest of which is 17 floors. Fresh fruit stands are on most corners. Jorge explains that because of the fertile soil many fruits and vegetables grow year round . 

We reach the base of Cerro Negro and our given our sledding boards ,  wooden boards curved up with a  small string to hold at the front.  We begin the steep hike over the rocky path with our new guide Jorge.  We reach a landing and stop to rest . We are out of breath and sweat is dripping off our foreheads . The clouds start looking darker and seem to be drifting directly towards us. We continue on . A few sprinkles fall on us. 

We are close to the top when the rain turns to a small hail and the winds pick up . Soon we can barely see in front of us and the winds make it hard to walk straight. I alternate between taking my sunglasses off and putting them on because I have to choose between seeing clearly and getting pelted in the face .

 We stop and crouch down, huddling together. Even though they have a metal bar on them, we  put our sleds behind us to help block the hail.   Lighting strikes on the volcano next to us twice. The lighting hits the same time we hear the boom. We quickly discuss options on the quickest way to get back down to the bottom.  It is too far back to turn around. Jorge goes to the edge of the path we are on and looks down then around. He comes back and says the best option is to continue on.  We finish walking to the top and the rain and winds begin to lighten up.

 We are given our gear ; bright green jumpsuits , gloves, and safety glasses. Then we are instructed how to ride the boards; sit on the back of the board, legs out in front and to the side and lightly hovering over the ground, hands on the strings in front of us and leaning back slightly.

I get on the board at the top of the path. Jorge is halfway down the hill and waves for me to hold I take the moment to look out in front of me . My friends that have already gone down the hill look like tiny specks at the bottom. Green mountains surround us on all sides.

The guide waves for me to come. I push myself a  forward  slowly and begin moving. Soon I am picking up pace . I fall off the board at one point and hit the ash, which feels like a rough sand. I get back my board and look at Jorge. He is making the motion of leaning back. I grab the rope in front of me and lean slightly back. He nods and I push off to finish down the hill. The rain has stopped to almost nothing now and the sun is starting to come back out.

 When we all reach the bottom we take off our gear and drag our sleds back to the bus. We are cold and wet . Our hands, shoes , and socks are full of black ash . I see others beginning their trek up the side of the mountain. They will soon get to the top and have the same feeling as we did;  seeing the breath- taking view and realizing how tiny we are in this great big world. The hardest climb makes the best view. 

Five Dominican Minutes

“Buenas dias!”  The tour guides welcomed my friends and I  onto the bus . Still sleepy from the night downtown that ended only a few hours ago, we mumbled back “Buenas dias..” . We drove through the town, rolling green hills surrounding us on both sides. Our guide points out that at the top of the Isabel de Torres mountain there is a giant statue of Christ the Redeemer, with outstretched hands looking down on the city. He explains that this was recently named the sister statue of Brazil's famous Rio De Janeiro statue.

We arrive at stop one: cliff jumping at Damajaqua Cascades /  “27 waterfalls”. First we get life jackets and helmets. Next we are told to get sized for “water shoes” which turn out to be Ked-style shoes and socks . (Note: bring own water shoes next vacation.)  There are no time for questions as the 25 minute hike  to the falls is beginning. We first wade through the water and then start working our way up. The rocks poke through my water shoes but I try to walk quickly to keep up. After about 20 minutes we stop for water and a quick break. We ask if the falls are around the corner. “ 5 Dominican minutes more” , our guides all smile as if they have a secret. We continue to hike and what seems like every couple minutes we are “ 5 Dominican minutes away”.

Finally, we can hear the water crashing around the corner . We walk single-file to the top of the first cliff. They show us to jump like a pencil. As I approach the edge  the sound of crashing water grows louder and the hair on my arms stands up. I realize I am holding my breath so I inhale and exhale deeply. I step forward . “ Go!” I jump and crash into the water . I break through the water and swim toward the outstretched hand to be  pulled onto the nearby rock. Adrenaline is humming through my body. We walk  through a narrow passageway and walk under small waterfalls. We soon approach the next jump, followed by 10 more after that. Several of the spots also have the option for sliding down a natural water slide .  When we reach the end of the  falls , we go change , then head back onto the bus.

Next stop is a visit to a local craftsman who explains to us the art of making figures with the local Guayacan wood . He explains that this wood is used because of its unique combination of strength and density. It is the hardest wood in the world but will sink .We have the opportunity to make a purchase before we get back on the bus.

Soon we arrive at the ranch and are greeted by lunch.  We walk through the line and pile chicken, plantains, beans and rice, and salad on our plates. When we are done with lunch we make our way to the horse stables. The horses look thin and tired. We get paired with our horses and away we go. I hold gently on the reins . The horses trot along the grass till we reach our first hill. The guides tell them “ Mas rapido " and smack the slower horses on their butts. They pick up the pace and gallop up the rocky hill. After about 20 minutes we turn around and descend down the hills and head back to the stables. I hope that my horse can rest. I look at his big brown eyes and give him one last stroke on his neck before I head back to the bus.

We are soon on our way to our last stop of the day: zip lining. We are fitted for our gear and after a thorough safety demonstration we are off to the first zip line. We climb up the many stairs to the top . When I am standing on the wooden platform my  legs and arms are visibly shaking. Again, I slow inhale and exhale to calm myself. I remember the triple- safety guards they showed us a few minutes ago. I get hooked on to the line, raise my gloved hand overhead to grip the hold on the line,  and lift my legs. I am given a push and off I go! I look down at the river below and at the trees around me as the line overhead makes a fast buzzing sound. I look ahead and see hands telling me to keep coming . As I get close he makes the signal for me to press down on the wire and he stops me when I get to the platform. I am unhooked. I again feel the feeling of adrenaline buzzing through my body. “ How was it? "  “ Awesome!” “ Excelente, now  just 11 more!” I realized by this point that they don’t do anything small in the Dominican .

On our way back to the hotel we drive past small towns where families are living in tiny shacks. Our tour guide tells us that he is so proud to be from the Dominican and thanks us for understanding that just because their way of life is different from ours , it  doesn’t mean it is wrong. As he turns off the microphone and turns around I look at the slogan on the back of his shirt. “ Don’t dream your life, live your dream. Puerto Plata, R.D.” . I can say without a shadow of a doubt that we lived our dream today. And also that we will sleep well tonight.