Writings
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.
Pure Awareness
Listening to the Whole
While I was living in an ashram in Southern India, I spent much of my time sitting cross-legged: practicing pranayama, inmeditation, listening to lectures on Indian Philosophy and to Swamiji’s talks, and eating meals.When I wasn’t sitting I was practicing asana, hiking the mountains of upper Kodaikanal, or foraging for fruit, though the monkeys always seemed to get there before I did.One day while coming down the mountain, I lowered my left foot to meet the earth and with no apparent misstep, twist, or torque, I felt an excruciating pain in my left knee.I couldn’t bend it and was forced to hobble down the rest of the way with what felt like a pegleg. I had to walk like that for days afterward. Eventually the severity of the pain began to dissolve, but it never completely went away.
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.
You Are Enough
Each year, it’s not uncommon for me to write about my challenges with New Year’s resolutions. I used to make resolutions every morning, week, and month, and certainly every New Year. This was when I was in the throws of disordered eating, in my pre-teen and teen years. It was a painful cycle of feeling awful in my own skin… I didn’t like myself. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror or how I felt, and I was years away from loving myself. Now, decades after those painful experiences, I still cringe at our cultural obsession with resolving to be a “new you”. Yoga teaches us that, at our core, we are perfectly imperfect. We are born into this world with an innate understanding of love, compassion, and equanimity.
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.
What Fuels Your Motivation?
Happy New Year!'Tis the season for new year's resolutions… yoga classes are packed, the gym is bumpin’, and people are swearing off sugar and refined flour across the nation. While all this inspiration for self-care and growth is great, if you’ve ever made a plan to change a habit, you know how hard it can be to stick with it.Before I go any further, I want to be clear about my opinion of new year's resolutions–I approach them with caution. Here's why: when I was a teenager and young adult, I would make grand resolutions way more often than once a year (sometimes every day).
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.
The Body Dashboard
It’s summer! If you’re like me, sometimes “summering” eats-up most of your time and leaves less for your yoga practice.Yes, even I experience this (yoga teachers aren't superhuman). This is why, in my personal practice and public classes, I’ve been focusing on a kind of self-discipline, called tapas. To clarify, I'm speaking of the Sanskrit word for nurturing, mental and/or physical practice, and not the Spanish word for snacks/appetizers, though the latter form of tapas necessitates self-discipline too!