Yoga Bliss Akron

Elevate YOGAkron // outdoor yoga festival!

May 20, 2015 by Rachel 5 Comments

There are many things that I’m passionate about. When two of those things come together (like drinking wine and painting, for instance – LOL!), I am in heaven!

Two other things that I am passionate about: Northeast Ohio and Yoga. A few years ago when the first Believe In CLE event took place, I was beyond excited to practice yoga with hundreds and hundreds of other yogis at the Rock Hall.

Recently some of my fellow Akron-area yogis put together an outdoor community practice at Hardesty Park, located in the heart of Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood!

In partnership with the City of Akron & local yoga studios, the lululemon athletica Akron Showroom and YOGAkron have teamed up to present the inaugural Elevate YOGAkron event, which is being held on Friday, May 29th from 6:00 – 9:30PM, rain or shine!

This free-, outdoor-yoga festival will celebrate the heart and soul of the beautiful city of Akron! Live music, courtesy of Akron-native DJ Nino, will last through the all-levels Vinyasa practice, led by lululemon Ambassador and YOGAkron Founder Tracy Rhinehart (ERYT-500HR). During the all-levels practice, yoga teachers from various studios throughout Akron will be offering hands-on assists to the practicing yogis!

The Cleveland-based, Akron-loving, company, NOOMA, will support the event with free samples of their delicious electrolyte hydration drink throughout the practice! After the practice, DJ Naeno will continue to spin until 9:30PM and local food vendors, such as Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, will be at the event to provide nourishment and just plain ol’ tasty eats for the yogis!

Registration to the event is completely free, but you will need to fill out an online registration here. You do have an option at the point of registration to purchase a commemorative tee or tank for just $10. (I did! Look how cute it is!?!)

Registered participants can check-in, complete their waiver, and pick up their Elevate YOGAkron shirts at lululemon athletica Akron Showroom (21 Furnace Street in Downtown Akron) or at Yoga Bliss in Fairlawn (3045 Smith Rd, Fairlawn, OH 44333) during normal business hours on both Thursday, May 28th and Friday, May 29th. Check-in is also available at the event beginning at 6pm for those unable to do so ahead of time.

Will I see you there?? Let’s lift Akron up with love and light! 🙂 If you have never been to an event like this and want someone to go with, hit me up and let me know! 🙂 I’d be happy to go with ya!

Just before this post was set to go live, the folks over at lululemon let me know that they’d like to give an Elevate YOGAkron t-shirt to one of my readers! Enter using the rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST! 🙂 Ha! I just really love Ohio, I really love Akron, and I really and truly love the yoga community here. 🙂 And the giveaway? That just seemed to fall into place the way that the community of Akron likes to do! I just hope to see some of you there! And hey? why not try and score a tee while you’re at it! (Thanks, Lemons!)

an open letter to life in general //

January 6, 2014 by Rachel 3 Comments

Dear Tracy at Yoga Bliss —

Thank you for the ass-kicking and mind-strengtening yoga practice this weekend. I love a mentally & physically challenging practice.

Dear Gretchen —

Thank you for the girl time coffee date. You continue to ground me and your friendship means everything to me.

Dear Akron Zoo —

Thank you for being open this weekend. It was the perfect opportunity for Ari to check out the big cats while no one else was there!

Dear Husband —

Thank you for love and partnership, this weekend and always.

Dear Weather —

You’re joking…. And just in case you’re not, thanks for preventing anyone from doing anything at all this week. Grr.

Dear Work Week —

Normally I’m all “bring it!” But this week? This week I just can’t. So please be kind to me.

Rachel @ It’s A Hero //

operation: mama gets her groove back

October 24, 2013 by Rachel 3 Comments

Having a baby is life changing. I mean went from focusing on myself and Chad, to having to refocus on this new little person non-stop. So I pretty much did a one-eighty overnight. I stopped focusing on Chad; and I pretty much stopped focusing on me.

It took a significant amount of time to realize that the best thing for Ari and the best thing for my relationship with Chad was to take care of myself. Seriously, you know that saying about putting your own oxygen mask on before assisting others?? SO true! This goes for motherhood, too!

I try to keep my wits by attending a regular power yoga class on the weekends — baby in tow (Oh the beauty of childcare at a yoga studio!), running on the towpath after work once a week, and getting pampered once in a while. I’ve had more massages in the last 12 months than I’ve had in all of my life! Ha!

And then I committed to a new kind of pampering… a haircut. Like, a serious haircut.

A few weeks ago I went to Charles Scott Salon in Rocky River and decided to cut it all of. That’s right — I decided that I wanted to go through with something that I always wanted to do — cut it allllllllll off!

So I went and saw Allie at Charles Scott Salon. I showed her a picture of Ginnifer Goodwin and said, “Yes, that short.” “No I don’t want bangs.”

Reason? As much as I love my long hair, I never EVER do it. I always wear it in a ponytail. Always. Sleep is so hard to come by these days. And to the people who said “are you sure??” I replied that the worst thing that could happen is that I could hate it. And it will eventually grow back, amIright?? RIGHT.

Enter Allie. Ohhhh, Allie. My new BFF.

She was down to do it. Thank GOD! I was terrified that she was going to be all “ya sure??” and then I would panic. But she wasn’t.

Before I could change my mind she put my hair in a pony and said “Ready?” “Ready!” I said.

Aaaand CHOP! Have fun with that hair, Locks Of Love! Mama got her groove back with a new do!

I LOVE it! And yeah I have to go back for regular trims/cuts to maintain the length.

This week I went back for my first trim. I drove up to Rocky River right after work and stopped by Rocky River Wine Bar for some dinner, first! Yep, no shame in this mamas game! A solo dinner alone was just what I needed.

The fact that I ate dinner sitting down was enough for me! But the glass of red wine, the delicious salad, and yummy fries before a haircut was just what this mama needed!

I love Allie and the group at Charles Scott Salon! And I love the idea of regular “mama” nights out (which, as it turns out, still means I’m asleep by 9!). See ya in another couple weeks, wine and haircut mama date!

Disclaimer: I am a brand ambassador for Charles Scott Salon and as such, receive a discount for services provided. All opinions are my own.

get fit! // fitness update

October 11, 2013 by Rachel 2 Comments

Weight Watchers //

Holler at a weight loss!!

That’s right — two weeks in a row — one of which I splurged a LOT during (thanks, birthday excuses 😉 ), I lost weight. Like 2.5 pounds. Which I’d say is a major win.

Workouts //

I’ve been mostly slacking. I mean, I’ve ran a few times over the last couple of weeks. And I went to a yoga class at Yoga Bliss, but other than that I’ve just been taking it easy. Since the Akron Marathon Relay, I’ve been super sore and feeling overly exhausted. So I’ve been trying to recover and relax.

Food //

I have not been making the healthiest of food decisions. I splurged over my birthday weekend with mini donuts (not a ton — just a couple), red wine, a margarita, and Mexican food. I recognized that this wasn’t the best decision, but also that it isn’t something I’m doing on a regular basis. I’m getting back to healthy(er) habits! Remembering the 80-20 rule is my main focus!

Looking ahead //

I’m going to keep on keeping on! I have a 5k I joined (rather last minute) for tomorrow. So I’ll wake up and run it before our big day of celebrating Ari’s first birthday as a teeny family. Well, at least I hope I wake up for it. I’ve had a bad habit of sleeping through my alarm lately. I’m thinking that maybe it’s a sign that I’m truly just in need of rest! 🙂

Next week I’m starting a big 30-day cleanse. I’m hoping that it’s a way to reset my body and kick my metabolism into high gear! 🙂

birthday weekend round up //

October 9, 2013 by Rachel 2 Comments

Guys – I had THE best birthday weekend! I rang in my 29th year in a fantastic way. The weekend started with going to see Sweeney Todd at the Hanna Theater in Cleveland. I’m a fanatic for musical theater of all kinds. I hadn’t seen Sweeney Todd live before (only the movie) and it did not disappoint!

We even took full advantage of the “featured drink”, which was actually suuuuper strong (gee, thanks, Buckeye Vodka!). But the Barber’s Revenge was yummy, nonetheless.

// Sidenote: If you’re interested in seeing Sweeney Todd at the Hannah Theater, purchase tickets online using the discount code PR6 for $10 off each A Level ticket you purchase!! //

After the performance, we decided to take full advantage of our sitter situation and grab a late bite to eat at Momocho! We’ve been dying to try it but never had the chance. Crab guacamole, tamales, and a blood orange marg?? Sign. Me. UP.

After a few drinks and arriving back home at 1:30, my 9 am massage I’d had scheduled for 2 months seemed like a huuuuge mistake. Especially considering I had to get my new drivers license before my freakin’ massage. Oy! So yeah, I crawled my butt out of bed, got my new license, grabbed a free birthday Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, and went to get my massage.

Once I was there, I realized how freaking worth it it was to wake up early. Cause y’all? Massages are totally WORTH it! Post-massage I headed to Peace Love & Little Donuts in Westpark to try a maple bacon donut (totally worth the weight watchers points!) before heading to Charles Scott Salon for my big haircut!

That’s right, I chopped (well technically Allie at Charles Scott Salon chopped) over 12 inches of my crazy long hair off! I’ve had dreams of getting a pixie cut for ages. About a week ago I completely committed to the idea of getting a pixie cut. I figured the worst thing that could happen was that I would hate it. Right??

Well, I freaking LOVE it. So far I’ve washed my hair every single day and not had to dry it or flat iron it or, really, do anything with it! Plus there will be headbands GALORE! Ha!

I spent the rest of my birthday in pajamas on the couch, scratching my (nearly hairless) head, sipping red wine and eating fun cheeses. That was seriously my request for dinner. Chad said “What do you want?” and I replied with “red wine and cheese please!” And so I did.

Sunday I took Ari to a yoga class at Yoga Bliss Akron, where he played with a couple of other tots while mama got her vinyasa on. Then Ari and I headed home for some naps, snuggling and all around Sunday laziness.

Perfection!

life lately.

October 2, 2013 by Rachel 1 Comment

Life has been crazy lately — but in a good way. I realize I’ve been awful about updating our fun day-to-day workings, but I’m not at all sorry for that. 🙂 So here’s what we’ve been up to:

Ari & I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Columbus for a couple days. We wandered around downtown and shopped, ate, and drank yummy beer.
I’m not gonna lie, it totally sucks not having my mom and sister nearby. And to make matters worse? All 3 of my sis-in-laws are out of town too. So I majorly lack girl time. But these impromptu trips to Columbus (TWO of them!!) were totally worth the drive.
Oh, and we shopped. I love, love, love buying handmade and local!! Seriously, if there’s an addiction I have, it’s that. More than Etsy, more than Pinterest, there’s buying from local vendors. OBSESSED.
I’ve been going to bed either drastically early or way later than I should. Try like 8PM or midnight. Oy. My struggle to find balance in my life is evident EVERYWHERE.
I had a weekday morning off so I went up to Cleveland Yoga for a 6:30 am class with some of my favorites. As much as I adore Yoga Bliss here in Akron, I so easily find myself in a comfortable routine and feel the urge to change it up and challenge myself. Hence returning to CY for a class.
I ran the Akron Marathon Relay and loved all 42 minutes of the 4.8 miles! I not only exceeded my goal of running under 9 minutes per mile (woot, woot 8:45!) but I had my parents, amazing husband, and #BabyAri there to cheer me on! They watched me take the hand-off from the relay and then walked over to watch me finish and hand-off to the third leg of the relay!
Too bad as soon as I handed off I threw up.

This is a post-throw up pic. I’m just happy. Happy to be done throwing up and happy to be done running my ass off.
I went to another Wine & Canvas event. This time we painted the Cleveland city skyline, as seen from out on Lake Erie. It was totally fun, yet again. I mean, I don’t consider myself to be a very crafty person, but something about a glass of wine and painting during a stressful week is so therapeutic!
I’ve been busy planning Ari’s party. Well, that’s kind of a lie. Because I start thinking about Ari’s party and then I panic, shut down and stop thinking about it just as quickly as I started. Pretty much the furthest I’ve gotten is sending invites out and buying this variation of his smash cake:
Luckily I ordered his smash cake from Pure Delite, which is a gluten-free and vegan bake shop, well ahead of his allergic reaction to eggs simply because it’s a healthier option to a traditional cake. Well, good thing I did!
We visited the local apple orchard and the farmers market. I know it sounds strange, but going to the farmers market totally feeds my soul!
The three of us had the chance to go to an Indians game in an incredible suite. It was Ari’s second Indians game, and his first in a suite (the last time we had tickets just behind 3rd base). I swear this child will be spoiled by awesome locally sourced organic food and only going to sporting events where he has awesome seats. Ha!
Ari learned to climb stairs on his own. So… yeah. There’s that.

(ugh)

Life has been nothing short of amazing lately. And I’ve been out enjoying it rather than blogging (regularly) about it. I am trying to post more often, but if you want to catch me daily, be sure to follow my Facebook page, my tweets, and follow on Instagram!

But, yeah, I’m not sorry about being busy. And I’m not sorry about living life and ignoring my blog. See that little guy? He’s about to be ONE. And things are finally fun. So I’ll be busy for a while 😉