What a stressful year this has been! When life gets challenging I try to look to the teachings of yoga for wisdom. Lately, I have been reflecting on Shiva Nataraja, The Cosmic Dancer. This icon is a symbol of our yoga practice and has a lot to offer us in terms of how to engage in the world. Nataraja represents Shiva dancing the universe into existence. And the Nataraja represents you, dancing your life into existence. Within the dance, the cosmic dancer performs five acts, called Pancha Kritya. The first three of these acts are creation, maintenance, and dissolution. Let’s start with the easy one first. I often say that your day-to-day yoga mostly consists of maintenance – going to work, cooking, eating, chores, relationship, all the things that sustain the status quo in your life. We call this being a householder. And at the same time, there is always creation. Beautiful things are being born, […]
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Achieve Your Goals with Yoga
What are you working on, or towards in your life? What are your goals and dreams? In our society, to achieve what you want in life it often means you move and strive in one direction. Unfortunately, if you approach your yoga this way you end up getting stuck, or even worse, injured. If you come to my class you’ll often hear me say, “yoga is two directions.” My definition of yoga is; “the harmonious integration of two opposite actions or energies.” In the physical practice, this means to first connect to what is steady and stable. Once you are established in your own center and connected to the earth via the foundation of the pose, you move toward your edge of the shape. Then the pose becomes your pose, a pose you own, not a shape you saw on social media or what the person on the mat next to you is doing. Practicing […]
Continue ReadingProgress on the Path
A question often asked by yoga students and non-yogis alike is, “What makes yoga different than other forms of movement and exercise?” In its original context, yoga is a practice of spiritual development. Intrinsic to the practices and techniques of yoga are an element of self-inquiry. This inquiry brings discovery and realization. At their very core, these practices hold an intention of becoming your best self; more aware, more discerning, and less prone to dis-ease, just to name a few. The ‘apex pose’ of your yoga is how you posture yourself in life. My most influential teachers have encouraged me to measure my progress on the path by asking myself these questions. Am I a nicer person? Am I better in my relationships? Am I more connected to the world around me? In other words, progress is not about the poses you can do on the sticky mat, it’s about […]
Continue ReadingSquat Like Your Ancestors
Long before chairs were invented humans took a load off in a natural seat. Our ancestors and many people all over the world today use the resting squat as a position to rest, eat, wait, and well you know, relieve themselves. Squatting is a fundamental human position. It’s hard wired into your DNA. I love watching kids squat without even a thought or a struggle. Unfortunately many people loose the ability to squat as they grow older. Have you ever thought about why? If you guessed that one sitting in chairs is one of the reasons you were right! When you sit in a chair your body stays flexed 90 degrees at the hips and knees. Some of your muscles turn off because they don’t have to work to hold you up, the chair supports you. Other muscles end up over-stressed. Over time your hips and legs become weak and tight and you […]
Continue ReadingGentle Restorative Inversions
It’s Summer Solstice! As I reflect on the first half of the year these are my go to restorative poses. You can use these beneficial poses any time of the year but I have been enjoying them this last week. Both poses are comfortable enough to stay in for long periods of time. Whether you hold them for 5 or 20 minutes they are deeply restful and rejuvenating. They have helped to recharge my batteries, balance my system, and harness the extra energy the summer sun has brought to support me through the second half of the year. Give them a try! Straight Leg Bridge Pose: This pose is enough of a backbend in the upper back to open your chest and lungs. But because the legs are straight it should not pinching your lower back. And it’s an inversion because your head is lower than your heart so you get the benefits […]
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