I’m so excited that this week’s Fresh Living Survey is from my yoga teacher, Liz Owen.  You might recognize her from the 4 fabulous yoga galleries she’s published on Beliefnet:

• Restorative Yoga for Body & Mind
• Yoga Poses to Relieve Chronic Pain
• Yoga for Emotional Balance
• Yoga Poses You Can Do at Work

Read on to learn more about Liz and how she “lives in yoga” every day. 

And don’t forget to email us (freshlivingblog@gmail.com) with your own Fresh Living Survey answers!
 

Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog if you have one)?
Liz Owen, born quite a while ago…I live in Arlington, MA. My website is www.lizowenyoga.com.

Do you have a general life philosophy that helps you balance your life and spirit? What is it?
I believe that my life is completely taken care of by spiritual energy. The universe holds me in its compassionate hands. This belief not only helps me balance life and spirit; it unifies all the different aspects of my everyday life and spiritual life. It helps me to meet life experiences with a sense that there is ground under my feet and wind beneath my wings.

What kinds of activities do you do to stay in that balance?
I practice yoga every day and I teach yoga. I try to live in yoga.

What are some of your favorite “power foods” for health and vitality?
I love vegetables, fruit and fish! Cooked root and sweet green vegetables in the cooler months either by themselves or in soups, and every imaginable type of salad in the warmer seasons. I was macrobiotic for a number of years but I gradually found I needed more “instant” protein sources – fish and poultry, to power my body.

What’s the one vice or habit you’d like to change to Live Fresher?
Hmm…okay, I admit that I like cheeses and dishes made with cream a lot! Organic cheese spreads are heavenly, and the only desserts I ever crave have whipped cream as a major ingredient, but I need to watch my intake of fat and cholesterol.
 
What’s the best piece of advice or wisdom you’ve ever gotten regarding living a balanced, juicy life? Who gave it to you?
“Listen to my body and don’t fight the cravings. Listen to my mind and don’t fight myself. Enjoy life!” A co-worker once said that, so many years ago its ancient history, but she was so gracious and easy to be with. It has stayed with me all these years.

What’s your favorite kind of tea?
Authentic Masala Chai. It’s so aromatic and sophisticated. The thought of it takes me right back to India…
 
Tell us about a thing you do/eat/buy to stay healthier and feeling more alive that people question you the most about.
Yoga and swimming. It’s a complementary duo! I find many yoga practitioners are very interested in how the coordination of body movements and breath bring them into a quiet, meditative mind in both practices.

Do you get massages and/or other bodywork? How often?
I do acupuncture once a month – it’s a tune-up for my immune system. I like chiropractic as well but I don’t do it regularly.
 
What’s the kookiest thing you’ve ever done for your health?
Kooky in an important sense of risk taking – quitting my architectural career to teach yoga full time.

What’s a piece of advice you find yourself giving people again and again?
Let go and let the universe do its work.

Which books, poems, or quotes most inspire you?
5 AM in the Pinewoods, by Mary Oliver, which takes me deeply into the essential question of the dharma of life. And her ‘sequel’ poem, The Place I Want to Get Back To, which reminds me to let go of that which I can’t control and to thank the universe for each experience on the earth.

Want more Fresh Living surveys?  Read mental health blogger Therese Borchard’s funny, thoughtful survey, Victoria Moran’s uplifting, holistic one, or email us at freshlivingblog@gmail.com with your own answers!