Writings
Root and Nourish: Practices to Calm and Soothe Vata
Here we are… there are no shortage of challenging circumstances to navigate and process right now. Vata season has arrived (for my northern hemisphere friends), and even in a non-pandemic, election, crazy-town year, this seasonal shift can result in feelings of anxiety, anger, insomnia and overwhelm.
Vata is one of the three Ayurvedic constitutional types/doshas, with pitta and kapha making up the other two. We all have a unique mix of these three doshas.
Vayu Yoga and Elemental Yoga
You have already experienced what I've outlined in this article. You know what it feels like to root down into the ground, or to lift up toward the sky. You know how it feels to get really big and expansive, and how it feels to get really small and contracted. Your body knows what it feels like to receive and take in, and what it feels like to release and let go.
My intention here is to offer some guidance on ways to attune to that which is already occurring within you. When we build awareness of how our bodies and minds move, we have a greater capacity to utilize our yoga tools therapeutically. With a heightened sensitivity of these movements and actions, we're able to refine our practices to best support our needs, and our needs as they change.
Transforming Anxiety
I just finished leading the Nourishing Relationships Yoga Retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs. I had the pleasure of hosting 17 delightful humans, for two days, exploring the Buddhist and Yogic teachings of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity (the Brahma Viharas). It was magical. Also, it was challenging. And, at times, I found myself overwhelmed by my inner critic.
Look Within to See Beyond
When I first came to yoga, I’d already spent well over a decade practicing self-criticism. I remember feeling ashamed of who I was as early as age five. These thoughts flooded my mind and controlled my actions. It felt like this inner critic was as much a part of me as my beating heart. I didn’t ever consider that I might learn to see and feel beyond that monster in my mind… until yoga entered my life.
Svadhyaya (the Sanskrit word for self-study) is the practice of looking within ourselves to observe our habits and patterns. It can help us learn the ways in which our mind colors our perception of life. Additionally, it can help us recognize that our true Self (atman) is different than how we think of ourselves… atman is so much more.
Brahmana and Langhana
As you hear me say quite a lot in class, "What's happening outside in nature/prakriti, is happening on the inside too."
Spring is in full force here in the Pacific NW. The days are longer, the warm air is flush with potential, and our plant allies are deepening their roots as they grow tall reaching for sun. Mother Earth is growing her lush and colorful coat, and the smell of summer is beckoning. When we open our senses to truly experience nature, we become familiar with the qualities of the seasons (hot, bright and active, or cool, dark and quiet), the actions of the plants and animals (growing, reproducing, harvesting, storing or hibernating), the influence of the moon and the qualities associated with various parts of the day.
Energize in Kapha Season
Kapha season is upon us. The fertile mud gives rise to the buds, flowers and foliage of Mother Nature. Similarly, the earth and water elements in us provide a stable and rich foundation from which we can spring forth. Kapha is the season of growth and upward movement. We emerge from our cold weather introversion, stillness and hibernation, toward manifesting that which we've dreamt of over the dark months.In all of my classes this month, I'll be explaining the Kapha dosha and how to practice in a way that aligns with the current season: late winter through spring. We'll focus on postures, breathing exercises, mindfulness tools, and inner teachings which compliment, celebrate and balance what's happening outside in nature, because what's happening outside is happening inside as well.Join me and learn how to engage with your practice skillfully and intentionally for the Kapha season.
Got Anger?
Friends, we are in the midst of so much tragedy in our country and in the world. Extreme fires and hurricanes, neo-Nazis, DACA, North Korea, and so many more examples of natural and human destroyers. I don’t need to dive into the details here… you know them already, and there’s a lot of fuel to feed the fire of anger and to exacerbate anxiety. My intention in writing to you is to give you some tools to navigate these tumultuous emotional waters.
Why We Sit
Can you believe it's May ?!As I sat down to write you the newsletter this morning, I plugged in all of my upcoming announcements and events… the easy stuff, and then my fingers fell still on my keyboard… I wasn't sure what to share in the opening article. I usually like to give you a little slice of my practice… a teaching I'm working with, or what I'm inspired by lately. But today I found myself with… not a whole lot to say. So I decided to take a break and sit instead.
Embody the Mind - A Tool for Orlando
As I sit to write this month’s newsletter, all I can hear is my heart crying “Orlando”.How can I write about anything else? This colossal tragedy, loaded with misunderstanding, hate, violence, and murder, creates ripples that unsettle and affect all of us. When I first read the news my body was flooded with hot anger, then frozen with fear, followed by a core-deep feeling of grief. Each emotion occupied and saturated different parts of my body.