I have recently been thrown into a situation where I am obligated to stay home, sit quietly, sleep a lot, and let go of the need to do it all, fix everything, and be superwoman. Needless to say, it has been hard for me to see this as a blessing… BUT IT IS. It is […]
You are in a warm room, your body is warming up, you decide to go a bit deeper into (insert hamstring-stretching pose here) and pop! all of a sudden you hear the dreaded noise, the sound of one of your hamstrings giving way. If this scenario sounds all too familiar, you are not alone!
It is our past experiences that gave us our current world view; but we always have the choice to believe something different. Our power as humans comes in our ability to make choices and to own our decisions and the ensuing consequences. We each chose the life that we are living.
How do you energize your home practice after (or before) a busy day of work? Try walking outside to the nearest patch of grass, trail or beach. Or how about inviting a friend over for a weekend practice session and tea time? 8 ideas for the home practice blues.
As I settle in to teach for a week in Kuala Terangganu, Malaysia, I ask my hostess several questions about the religious and ethnic make-up of the area. Although the yoga studio here is predominantly comprised of the Chinese minority population, there are a few Malay and Indian students a well. Religious beliefs range from […]
Many of us acquire our sense of groundedness, at least in part, from our physical surroundings in our home environments. If we don’t feel centered, we may find it more challenging to handle difficult situations as they arise. Yoga teaches us to hug in to our center when we are in a state of flux.
When we believe certain ideas to be true about ourselves, we create relationships and situations in our lives that perpetuate these ideas, thus maintaining the cycle. This pattern happens over and over until we recognize it, and therefore choose to create a new path.
Nothing about us is permanent. Nothing about our lives is permanent. And nothing about our bodies. Situations not only can change, they absolutely will change over time, in one way or another. So why not influence them to change in a positive way as much as we can?
The Sanskrit word kula means a community of the heart, or a group of people who have a shared intention. In some ways it is like a yoga family; we choose to get together and practice yoga. Being a part of the kula is like being connected to an intricate web; each of us supports the others and in return is supported.
We are all walking together down this path: learners, guides, students, friends. Each of us in our own time shares with others, and all of us receive. When I first entered an Anusara yoga class, I had already been practicing yoga for several years. Yoga, and my beautiful and inspiring teachers, had already helped me to shift the tide of my emotional, spiritual and physical life.
