Courage CouerAge Heart Strength

I think my wish for each and every one of us for 2011 is Courage.

Courage to be who you are
Courage to speak with your voice
Courage to be kind
Courage to share love
Courage to be brave
Courage to embrace your vulnerability
Courage to show your strengths with grace
Courage to heal
Courage to release pain and put a better dream in its place
Courage to take time for yourself
Courage to find new music, new places, new friends, new foods, new books, new art
Courage to have fun!

Do some heart exercises - I can show you how

Heart Harp: lastor

Lura Quotes Los Angeles Times 15 March 2005

Rene Lynch quotes Lura Astor
At the time, I was teaching at Equinox Fitness Center, Caltech and other workshop sites, out of Pasadena, CA

... adopting a more laid-back approach to fitness may get you closer to your goal by encouraging consistency. Some people can't face the thought of a long, hard aerobics class after a long, hard day at work, so they skip their workout entirely. A kinder, gentler class can be an attractive lure.


That's a philosophy embraced by Lura Astor, who teaches a twice-weekly class at Equinox Fitness club in Pasadena called "Simply Stretch." It draws on a mix of Tai Chi, yoga, core body work and what she calls "body re-education movements" designed to counteract hours spent hunched over a keyboard or gripping a steering wheel.

"People think, 'If I'm going to go to the gym I need to be running, running, running; lifting, lifting; and burning calories,' " said Astor, who believes that attitude is misguided. Taking time out to gently tend to a body that has been over- or under-worked or is just plain tired is time well spent, she said. "I tell students that you have to create a balance."

Students say they walk out of her class standing taller and feeling relaxed. "I feel really great afterward," said student Tania Nasir, who has been taking Astor's class for about two months to help nurse a back injury. "I sense a difference in my posture, and my abs really feel it too. So you are working out."

High-end clubs like Crunch and Equinox aren't the only ones catering to this growing demand for alternative exercise options.

slideshow: Moon Dreams lastor