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The Liebster Award – Hot Off the Mat!

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I was recently nominated for a Liebster Award by both The Healthy Secret Identity and Yoga and Doughnuts! What an exciting week! Please check out their great blogs where they each share interesting ideas related to food, fun and their yoga practice, among other things. I really enjoy reading both blogs.

The Liebster award is a nomination given to bloggers by bloggers. The idea behind this award is to recognize new bloggers and help promote them! Thank you so much for the encouragement! My blog is only five months old, but it has become such an important part of my life. I appreciate the attention and support it is getting!

The Liebster Award Rules

  • Acknowledge and link back to the person who nominated you
  • Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you
  • Share 11 random facts about yourself
  • Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers.
  • Give your nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post about the Liebster Award.

The Healthy Secret Identity’s 11 questions:

  1. Coffee or Tea?  Hazelnut decaf black.  Can’t get enough.
  2. Cat or Dog?  Cat
  3. What is your favourite quote?  Don’t yuck my yum. Everyone should get to enjoy what they like without criticism.
  4. What is your go-to comfort food?  Kind of a cliché, but chicken noodle soup.
  5. What did you have for breakfast today?  Scrambled eggs with zucchini.
  6. What book are you currently reading?  We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.  It is a fun read.
  7. Do you take your car to go to work or use public transport?  NYC subway.
  8. What was the last blog that you followed? Hot Room Confessions
  9. What is your favourite flower?  Pansies – they signal spring.
  10. What is your favourite season?  No question, summer.
  11. When is your birthday?  January 30 – the day Andrea nominated me for this award!  Happy Birthday to me!

Yoga and Doughnuts’ 11 questions:

  1. What made you want to start blogging? I loved my Bikram yoga practice so much and felt that I wanted to share it with others. It has been so much fun meeting fellow yogis through the blog.
  2. What to do you love about blogging? Anything you hate? I really enjoy the writing part of it — I find it relaxing and rewarding. I also very much enjoy reading people’s comments on my blog — I learn so much from them.
  3. What is your favorite thing about yourself? I am very honest.
  4. What do most people not know about you?  I have hearing loss and write a second blog on this topic at Living With Hearing Loss.
  5. What is the last book you read? The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  Couldn’t put it down.
  6. Where is your favorite vacation spot? St. John in the US Virgin Islands — beautiful beaches, lots of great hiking and fabulous restaurants. We go every year in December.
  7. What is your favorite food? There are so many, but I guess I will go with cheese as a category. I love all kinds.
  8. If you could do anything (occupation) what would you do? I would be a professional writer.
  9. What was your most proud moment? The births of my two children (technically two moments). I couldn’t believe that something so beautiful had entered our lives.
  10. What did you learn from your biggest regret? That I should continue to be honest with people, but that being honest doesn’t give me permission to say things in a mean way.
  11. What is your favorite post that you have written to date and why? (Please include link so we can read it). My favorite post is Mom, Please Go to Bikram So We Can All Have a Better Day, because it is just so true! The day is always better if I have been to class.

11 random facts:

  1. I love Bikram yoga. (duh!)
  2. I have hearing loss in both ears.
  3. I like when people speak with proper grammar. (my poor kids…)
  4. I love relaxing in a hot tub for hours – the heat doesn’t bother me.
  5. I love hiking, especially in new terrain.
  6. I hate being cold more than anything.
  7. I recently learned to meditate and am trying to keep it up.
  8. I love watching Shark Tank and have ordered many products from the show!  Some are great, and some are not.
  9. I am extremely organized — I even have packing lists saved on my computer for when I travel.
  10. I worked on Wall Street for 20 years before switching my focus to non-profit work and blogging. I don’t miss it.
  11. I love to travel and hope to practice Bikram yoga wherever I go in the world.

11 nominees:  I cheated here a little bit and included some of my favorite well-established blogs as well as some newer blogs. 

  1. Hot Room Confessions
  2. Travels With Slippers
  3. My Bikram Yoga Life
  4. CultFit
  5. Do The Posture
  6. Sia’s Place
  7. Confessions of a Yoga Princess
  8. Half Mooning
  9. Views From the Podium
  10. From the Ocean to the Mat
  11. Hearing Health Foundation

My questions for them:

  1. What is your secret desire?
  2. Where did you live when you were the happiest?
  3. What do you find most rewarding about blogging?
  4. What is your favorite color?
  5. What cause or causes are you passionate about?
  6. What did you want to be when you grew up when you were in grade school?
  7. What is your favorite TV show?
  8. What is your favorite vacation spot?
  9. When are you the happiest?
  10. What is your New Year’s Resolution for 2015 (if you have one)?
  11. What is your favorite post that you have written so far and why?  Please share it here so we can enjoy it.

Thank you to all my readers at Hot Off the Mat!

One Lovely Blog Award – Hot Off The Mat

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On Monday I was nominated for the “One Lovely Blog” Award by The Souzapalooza Blog.  As a newly minted blogger, this encouragement is very rewarding, especially from such a seasoned blogger.  Souzapalooza lives in Westchester, and among her many other interests, loves Bikram Yoga. I have enjoyed her comments on my blog and hearing her thoughts on her practice.  It is always a comfort to know that you are not alone in your struggles.  Thank you Souzapalooza for your interest in my blog and for the “One Lovely Blog” award!

The One Lovely Blog Award nominations are chosen by fellow bloggers for those newer and up-and-coming bloggers. The goal is to help give recognition and also to help the new blogger to reach more viewers. It also recognizes blogs that are considered to be “lovely” by the fellow bloggers who choose them. This award recognizes bloggers who share their story or thoughts in a beautiful manner to connect with viewers and followers. In order to “accept” the award the nominated blogger must follow several guidelines:

  • Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
  • Add the One Lovely Blog logo to your post.
  • Share 7 facts/or things about yourself
  • Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform the nominees by commenting on their blog

Thank you, Souzapalooza for the shout out!

One Lovely Blog Award from Erin at The Cupcake Mile

Seven Facts About Me:

1.  I live in NYC with my husband and two children, aged 11 and 9.

2.  I have a 40-50% hearing loss in both ears.  It is genetic and started in my 20s.  My father and grandmother had the same issue.  I hope everyday that my children will be spared.

3. I love Bikram Yoga — I guess that is not that much of a surprise given my blog!

4. I am very organized!  I love making lists and checking things off the list when they are done.

5. I spent 20 years working on Wall Street but am now involved in non-profit work related to finding a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).  Check out Hearing Health Foundation for more information on this important work.

6.  I just learned how to add a link to my blog and recently learned to tweet.  I really need to improve my tech skills…

7.  I love walking and hiking!  I wear my Fitbit everyday and get very excited when I hit my 10,000 step goal for the day. I also track my sleep on the Fitbit, which is really fun.

I will nominate the following blogs — I am very new to this so can’t get anywhere close to 15!

Views From the Podium –  This is a blog written by a Bikram Yoga Instructor.  I really enjoy her insights into the Bikram Yoga practice and her unique perspective as a teacher on the yoga that gives me so much.  This is coupled with stories of fellow practitioners who are doing great things outside of the hot room that are always inspiring to read.

Hearing Health Foundation Blog –  This is a blog written by Hearing Health Foundation.  It is a great blog that shares tips and information for the almost 50 million Americans living with hearing loss and tinnitus.  It is also a comfort to those who have family members or friends with hearing loss.

Grand Piano Passion – This is a blog written by a fellow Hearing Health Foundation volunteer and board member that discusses her return to piano playing as an adult.  Check it out for interesting insights into reclaiming your passion as well as being a musician with hearing loss.