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Kicking off the new year

Now that we’ve officially entered the new year, it’s the perfect time to reset the areas of your life you’d like to improve. Studio 108 shares some tips that can help you confidently conquer the parts of your life you’re ready to give a boost to.

Get Your Finances in Order

Financial concerns are the top source of stress among Americans. If you’re among them, starting with your finances is a smart way to recapture your self-confidence. By getting your financial house in order, your stress levels can decline, which can help you feel more confident.

If you want to get your finances in order, start by cutting back. Don’t eat out and use coupons or sales to determine what’s on your grocery list. Cancel unnecessary services and memberships, including streaming platforms, gyms, or anything else you don’t legitimately need. You may also want to check out alternative insurers and ask for quotes, as you might get a better rate with a different provider.

Another option worth considering is refinancing your home. Refinancing might allow you to access some equity, freeing up cash for critical needs or bill consolidation. Plus, you might be able to reduce your monthly payment.

Create a Healthy Foundation

Eating right and exercising can boost your confidence. Not only are you making sure your body has the fuel it needs to thrive, but you’re also creating opportunities to bust stress and improve your appearance, both of which can enhance your mood.

When it comes to nutrition, focus on creating a balanced diet that relies on vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Additionally, make sure to limit your sugar intake.

For workouts, couple 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week with two days of strength training. That way, you’re working your cardiovascular system and muscles, creating a solid starting point for health improvements. Balance out your physical activity with yoga a few days a week with in-person or Zoom classes through Studio 108.

Focus on Work-Life Balance

Maintaining work-life balance can actually improve your confidence. When you aren’t stretched too thin and don’t feel like your professional responsibilities are taking over your life, your stress levels usually go down.

Additionally, you’ll have more time for self-care activities, allowing you to take time for yourself when needed. Whether you spend that time meditating, stretching, reading, painting, or anything else isn’t as important as capturing the moments, ensuring your life doesn’t become all about work.

Consider a Career Change

If work-life balance isn’t possible in your current job or you’re experiencing signs of burnout, a career change might be your best bet for recapturing your confidence. While it may seem daunting, heading in a new direction doesn’t have to be difficult.

Begin by examining your skillset and identifying transferable skills. Next, consider what sort of role may ignite your passion. Are you ready to move toward a freelance career? Or are you ready to try something completely different? Take stock of where you are and where you want to be.

If it’s a new career, determine what capabilities you need to acquire to get that position. For example, if the world of business is calling, maybe it’s time to go for that accounting or business degree you’ve been considering. If it’s freelancing, familiarize yourself with the aspects of being your own boss. This will require diligence, time management skills and the ability to market yourself.

To set your new year off on the right foot, reclaim the parts of your life you want to improve. By cleaning up your finances, establishing a healthy diet and exercise routine, evaluating your work-life balance, and going after a career you’re passionate about, this is sure to be your best year yet.

Jennifer Miranda

Jenn took her very first yoga class in 2012 while searching for a fitness
routine that would improve her strength and flexibility. After that first class,
she got hooked. Yoga changed her life not only because of the physical
benefits of doing yoga but she also discovered that yoga has greatly improved
her mental focus and self-awareness. Because of this, she decided to share
her practice with others. Jenn completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training
in April 2017 and is a registered yoga instructor (RYT-200) with the Yoga
Alliance.

Jenn’s ultimate goal as a yoga teacher is to lead students towards a deeper
level of physical fitness and healthy lifestyle along with mental peace. She
loves to help beginners feel comfortable in their practice and learn essential
postures while motivating and challenging the more experienced yogis and
ensuring a safe practice for everyone. Maintaining her own personal practice
while learning and gaining inspiration from other yogis enables her to design
innovative, energetic, and fun sequences that are fit for all levels.

Jenn is also a professional portrait photographer and her love of both yoga
and photography paved the way for Yoga Photography. The skills she has
acquired over the years allow her to best capture yogis demonstrating beauty,
strength, and grace through movement.

Carrie Del Purgatorio

Carrie has had a consistent, daily, at-home yoga and meditation practice for many years and was finally inspired to take her love of yoga to the next level and embark on teacher training in 2022. She enjoys teaching a more powerful yoga flow with a strong focus on breathing. Carrie firmly believes that a little self-love goes a long way, and she feels extremely grateful to be able to share her practice with people.

Camille Alonso

Camille is a Holistic Health Coach, 235RYT (235 hour Registered Yoga Teacher),
Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, and former Pastry Chef. She received her 200RYT at Indigo Yoga in 2018 and studied meditation at Kripalu in 2019. She then earned her Integrate Nutrition Health Coach Certification at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

She is also a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America with a Bachelors in Baking Pastry Arts and Business Administration. Camille began her yoga and meditation practice in 2009 when she was dealing with chronic panic attacks. She found that through mindfulness practices she could feel like herself again. She is now inspired to guide clients through a relaxing and peaceful practice and leave them with tools to help manage stress and anxiety.

Theresa Conlon

Theresa is a Yoga Alliance certified instructor (200-hour RYT) who has been teaching since 2013. She is skilled in various yoga styles including Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow, Restorative, and Meditation. Theresa also brings an extensive dance background to her yoga practice, which includes teaching both modern dance and ballet. She has over 40 years of dance/theater performing experience and currently showcases her choreography as part of Bergen Dance Makers, a dance collective in northern New Jersey. Theresa’s yoga classes offer a calming mix of traditional asana postures and creative movement flows, supported by energy-moving breath. Students of all skill levels are invited to find ease and peace in their bodies/minds/spirits through the joyful bliss of yoga movement.

Carrie Parker Gastelu

Carrie Parker Gastelu, E-500 RYT, has been teaching yoga since 1993. Carrie began her journey when Yogi Raj Mani Finger initiated Carrie into the ISHTA Yoga lineage after training with Mani’s son, Yogi Raj Alan Finger. In addition, she has studied many other yoga traditions as well as anatomy, physiology, movement, and awareness practices to create an eclectic style all her own. She is known for her honest, non-dogmatic yet passionate approach.

Carrie is a regular speaker and contributor at conferences, websites, and print publications and has been featured in Fit Magazine, the Yoga Zone Book, and in the Yoga Zone Video, “Flexibility and Stress Release.”

Lisa Podesta-Coombs

When Lisa found yoga in 2008, she started to find herself again and it set her on a path of health and healing. She received her 200HR RYT certification from Raji Thron of Yoga Synthesis, and her 30HR Chakra Yoga Teacher Training certificate with Anodea Judith and holds a Y12SR (Yoga of 12 Step Recovery) certification. She is also a Holistic Health Coach (certified through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition). Lisa believes we’re all on a journey of learning how to trust ourselves; she helps her clients build that trust by supporting them in creating better habits for a better life through various functional movement modalities like yoga, barre, Pilates & strength training, mindset, and whole food nutrition.

Forever a student with a passion for people, holistic health, and self-actualization, Lisa is always embracing opportunities to advance her education to better serve; Ayurveda workshops & immersions have been of particular interest as she continues to deepen her knowledge of and experience with food as medicine and she recently completed Unleash Her Power Within, a transformational program of rediscovering our truest selves, powered by Tony Robbins.  

As she continues to give herself space and grace to nourish her natural self and actualize her potential, Lisa continues to share the gift of movement as medicine to inspire authenticity & health in body, mind, and spirit. You can expect mindful, accessible, dynamic, playful, and uplifting classes from Lisa.

Tanisha Sutton

Tanisha’s yoga journey began when she was an undergraduate student studying at university. Changes in her health coupled with anxiety over grades, relationships, and life in general, forced her to search for healthy lifestyle choices she could implement to help manage the stress that she was experiencing as a new adult. A friend of hers suggested that she attend some community yoga classes to help with the anxiety and increase her daily physical activity. Initially, she was reluctant and filled with all these false ideas about yoga and the people who practiced yoga. Like many others, she was concerned that her body type and lack of flexibility automatically excluded her from being a student. Curiously yet hesitantly, she journeyed on to her first class and began laying the foundation for a home and public practice that has supported her over the years.

On this journey, she has discovered that yoga has nothing to do with appearances nor is there anything, but an open mind needed to begin. She intends to provide you with a gentle yoga session that is safe, inclusive, and accessible. Her classes are an expression of self-love and are a deliberate choice to tend to ALL the parts of our being that are neglected, ignored, or disregarded during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Through meditation, deep breathing, and gentle movement we will collectively share space to observe, rest and re-set. Tanisha is honored to share her practice with you and looks forward to seeing you on the mat!