I like to feel good. Stress, typically, does not feel good. Sure, sometimes it’s exhilarating—the thrill of rushing toward a deadline, the zing of taking a risk. But I don’t need a lot to get my fill, and lately I’ve had too much. The other night I did yoga at home, and that helped, for […]
Archive | yoga
A healing state of mind
I have a hard time doing nothing. Just in the time it took to type that sentence, my body created (and killed) millions of cells, and that’s only a fraction of the action occurring inside me all the time. No wonder I struggle to sit still. But stillness is what I need, and since I’m […]
Restful release
I took a yoga class today that should have been easy. Or if not easy, easily within my asana abilities. And yet, I had to sit out about half of it. It’s one thing to stay still because you don’t feel like moving, and another entirely to feel forced into immobility. I love my Saturday […]
Solstice savasana
For years now I’ve enjoyed doing yoga in Times Square on the night of the summer solstice. It’s become a deeply personal ritual, performed in a very public place. This year the solstice was on Wednesday, June 20. I pre-registered for class back in April and the date took top priority; I shuffled several events […]
Acceptably uncertain
The first-ever Yoga Service Conference starts tomorrow, and I’m not sure why I’m going. It’s not that I’ve lost interest in the cause–I’m as emphatic as ever that yoga can be both profoundly healing and accessible to everyone, and I remain deeply committed to the practice of seva (yoga-speak for “selfless service”). It’s just that […]
Resting in unrest
I don’t always get what I want, but I always, always get what I need. The first time I heard the Rolling Stones sing something similar, I instantly related, though it’s taken me years to realize I can try more than sometimes, and there is no “just might” about it: I get what I need. […]
Time is telling
I’ve been struggling to compose a blog post. It’s been three months; an entire season has passed without my pressing the publish button. I don’t feel good about this, yet I also refuse to feel bad. I am being very honest with myself about what’s going on in my life, but it is harder to […]
In the meantime
As you may or may not have noticed, I have been taking full advantage of last month’s decision not to pressure myself into writing anything. However, inspiration is returning slowly but surely, and I do plan to post here again soon. In the meantime, I’ve just contributed to the Om Schooled blog, so if you’re […]
Asana raincheck
I was looking forward to yoga when I woke up this morning. I got back from traveling last night and am leaving for another trip tomorrow, so today was the golden day of asana opportunity. Knowing I’d be practicing after work, I dressed conveniently and came to the office prepared, toting my mat, water bottle, […]
Ahimsa toward self
I did the funnest thing last week—I recognized that I didn’t feel like writing a post for this blog…and so I didn’t! Such a simple solution to the pressure I was feeling, such a wonderful rush of relief when I set myself free. One of ancient yoga’s basic tenets, the first yama (which I’ve mentioned […]
Om Schooled Teachers’ Lounge
Ever since I took my kids’ teacher training back in May, the Om Schooled sangha (community) has been growing, and with it, the desire for communication and outreach. Enter: the Om Schooled Teachers’ Lounge, a forum for kids’ yoga teachers of all stripes to collaborate and share. I’m honored to be a contributor, and thrilled […]
Bad-guy Bikram
There was a time when I put Bikram Choudhury on a pedestal. I felt like he saved my life–and maybe he did. All I know for sure is that the sweaty hell he propagates forced me to confront my emotions in a way I’d never experienced, and the feelings I discovered were alarming enough to […]
Too busy to breathe?
Life has been busybusy lately, mostly good, but somewhat stressful. And because there’s so much on my plate right now, I fought with myself all day about whether to force a blog post. Today is my imaginary deadline—it’s a personal goal of mine to publish something once a week—and I hate hate hate breaking commitments. […]
Sometimes yoga is a poem
I went to my home studio on Monday, the place that officially trained me to share yoga. I was almost nervous on the way; I am certified to teach power vinyasa, and yet it’d been months since I’d had a vigorous practice. I felt sure that after class I’d be glad I’d taken, but during […]
Slow down and grow up
My increased awareness of “shoulds” in my life has made for an interesting week. I’ve caught on to a lot of judgment just by keeping an eye out for that one particular word, and it’s been a challenge to allow for what IS, as opposed to what I think SHOULD be. I was expressing some […]
Could = compassion
I’ve been thinking lately about discipline. More specifically, my lack of it. For about a week now my life has been indulgence central, and I haven’t cared. I haven’t made any seriously bad choices, but nor have I been acting in my highest good. Take, for example, the decision to attend a party on Saturday […]
Live love
Life is so great. So abundant and good and gracious. I know the tides turn, so this euphoria I’ve been floating in for days is bound to dissipate, but until it does I want to soak in the sensations and share them. I spent ten days in Texas and it was so, so, so good […]
Occupy within
I am not on Wall Street. I am on vacation in Texas, and right now I’m sitting on a breezy back porch, looking out at trees and sunshine in their infinite beauty. Everything is okay and I know this completely. There is nothing to hate, only fear to overcome. Yet fear can be fierce. I believe […]
High-tech homage
I felt so sad when I read the tweets about Steve Jobs. I wasn’t expecting them. I knew he was sick; he stepped down, after all. But just the other day I watched an entertaining video that at least implied Steve Jobs was okay, and it was fiction, but it felt good to believe it, […]
A path of permanence
This past weekend I treated myself to a retreat at Kripalu, which is a center out in the Berkshires of Massachusetts that promotes health and well-being through the lens of yoga. One of my favorite yoga teachers trained at Kripalu, and I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the place, so when a particularly appealing […]