Blog

Earth Day Actions

Caring for the planet we live on is something that is near and dear to my heart. Since my teenage years I have been conscious that we only have one planet and it is our responsibility to take care of it. My passion on this topic has only increased with the years as I learn more and as we find ourselves in a more dire place. I have written before about living more sustainably and I try to be an example of it in my life. One of my core missions as a yoga instructor is to help people be more aware of how they are living in their own body and with the hopes that the awareness will ripple into the choices they make everyday about the footprint they are making on the planet. Plastic is everywhere! We are at the point of no return. We need to change […]

Musings on Movement

Movement is central to human life. I think I can safely say that we all want to be good movers. In order to move well, you have have to move! Not only that, you have to move in a variety of ways. Motion is lotion, movement affords more movement. Healthy movement happens when the tissues of your body can slide and glide over one another. Movement also requires strength and stability. Muscles move bones because they have contractile tissue. This tissue shortens the fibers to move a part. And when one part moves, other parts have to stabilize. Stability and control are the way the brain knows the movement is safe. When you don’t move you don’t notice your limitations. If you try to move and can’t, or you experience pain, you become aware of your lack of range. I think sometimes when people to go a Yoga class or […]

Learning to Listen

Are you a good listener? By that I mean do you listen to the messages your body is sending? Feelings and sensations are your body’s thoughts. They alert you to what is happening and what you might need. Generally speaking, most people are too busy to notice what their body is saying. Your body can alert you of its needs the same way it alerts you of hunger and pain. The question is, do you pay attention? In Western culture, the body and the mind are regarded as separate parts. Yet in the East, they are considered an integrated unit. Yoga practice, which includes physical posture, breath work, and meditation, is an opportunity to build a relationship with your body. Time on your Yoga mat or meditation cushion provides a space to get quiet enough to really listen. It takes a dedicated practice to expand your awareness and feel all […]

Mobility and Enlivenment

I took my first yoga class about 23 years ago and it didn’t take long before I was hooked. For the better part of these years my focus was on getting more flexible. In some places I succeeded, but unfortunately it only brought me instability, pain, and injury. My problem was that I was weak. For several years now I have been working on getting stronger and more integrated. Not only does it feel good to be strong, but I move better and don’t have pain. In terms of yoga, this strengthening has made me loose the ability to do some of the super flexi things I used to do easily. Does it really matter? Do those things make my life better? Do they help me move better in all the ways I want to and need to everyday? The answer is NO. And I didn’t “own” those poses in the first place. A common theme in my classes is that, […]

The Wisdom of the Dancer

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, […]