The Forest When I was a kid my parents would occasionally take my sister and I camping or for hikes in the woods. I remember making up stories in my head about the various places we’d see; a clearing, many dead or dying trees, an overlook or valley. The stories would include fairies or elves or thieves. Creatures who made …
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Is Yoga really for everyone?
“Yoga is for everyone!” Certainly you’ve heard this phrase uttered before; I’ve said it, and meant it. But 6 years of teaching yoga full-time, now owning a yoga studio and directing a teacher training has been informative, and a little disappointing in this regard. The fact is, this phrase which seems to be so inclusive is misleading and misguided despite …
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Living Yoga…
In a culture that is obsessed with transformation I worry that living one’s yoga has become synonymous with some sort of necessary life fix. I for one will continue to practice yoga in this New Year, and in subsequent New Years not because yoga teaches us that we need to be fixed, but because it teaches us that we are …
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The Dark Side of Yoga
This post is a response to an article published in the NY Times Magazine, Jan 5,2012, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. I’ve been reading an important text about yoga called “Light on Yoga” by B.K.S. Iyengar. This is one of those books that as a teacher of yoga you really feel like you “should” read. It’s called the “Bible” …
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Practice
Do you ever feel unworthy? Do you ever describe yourself as a poser or a fake? Well if you have then you and I have something in common. At this point the feeling of stepping into a new situation with a “fake it till you make it” attitude is kind of like a warm cozy blanket for me. Perhaps it’s my …
What’s in a Craving?
Food. That giver of life and nourishment, object of desire, source of endless inspiration and cause of massive regret and agony. It seems so simple really. We eat to live. We humans need only a few things to survive; oxygen, water, food. And quite a few more to thrive including; companionship, love, a purpose. These things seem so separate don’t …
What is Vinyasa?
With so many styles of yoga emerging it can be difficult to keep them all straight. It doesn’t really help either that styles can vary drastically regionally, studio to studio and teacher to teacher. I practice and teach Vinyasa style yoga and one would be hard pressed to convince me to switch my allegiance. I can see the benefits of …
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Fear of Crowds
I just started reading “Poser, My life in 23 yoga poses” by Claire Dederer and so far I highly recommend it. People tell me all the time that they are afraid to take a class as a beginner because they don’t want to be the only one struggling or worse, looking foolish. Only in the most bizarre recesses of our …