I can’t remember ever feeling this much warmth and fuzziness in my life. I’m generally a prickly person – just ask anyone who has ever lived with me. It’s coming as a shock. I’m the proverbial Grinch whose heart was too small and has suddenly grown ten sizes. I’m so unused to this feeling I’m nearly lost […]
Category: Yoga
Do I Have to Sit to Meditate?
You know all those guided meditations that are so popular these days? I think they’re lying to you. I don’t think those lies are harmful; most people tell me those recorded meditations are helpful. But, to me, they are lies in that they aren’t really meditations. They’re listening exercises. In my (never claim to be humble) opinion, there’s […]
What are you devoted to?
At the end of my teacher training, I sat in the center of a circle while the people around me “bombed” me with love. One friend said, “You are a very dedicated person, and I respect that.” She was right. Since childhood, I’ve been good at dedicating myself to whatever holds my attention. You could […]
How I Found Faith in the Season
In December of 2015, I’d bought a book called, Let Me Be Weak: What People in Pain Wish They Could Tell You. I didn’t know it was a Christian book, or I’m certain I’d have disregarded it before the prologue. I didn’t need anyone else telling me about “God’s timing,” “God’s plan,” or that “everything […]
Does Yoga Tell Us to be Non Judgmental?
Shiva Rea is not new to dealing with haters. In 2011, she received a huge amount of critique for her “trance dance” at an Indian yoga festival, partly for the way she was moving and partly for the way she was dressed. In a deeply conservative culture, Shiva seemed to flaunt Western sexuality. In searching for […]
Why I Meditate
“I am thoroughly convinced the reason you married me is because I’m one person you think is right as often as you think you are.” That’s what my husband said to me yesterday after one of our sparring matches; we get into it, not necessarily fighting, but certainly arguing, at times to the point where […]
The Right Way to Goal Set
People often ask, “What did you do before teaching yoga?” The honest answer? Not much. At least not much successfully. With a writing, history, and interdisciplinary humanities degree, I wasn’t exactly on an employment path when I left college. I took administrative, marketing, and sales jobs, never fully satisfied in my work and certainly not […]
Are you burnt out or just overwhelmed?
Why don’t you make it to your yoga mat? I know the answer before you say it: you’re busy. You’re tired. You have a (job, child, aging parent, house to manage). Oddly, it seems like we truly believe no one can understand our level of busy. I hear it a lot, “When you have a […]
Preaching to the choir is boring
I spent last weekend catching up with old friends, one who lives in Arkansas and one who lives in San Francisco. At one point, my friend from San Francisco shared that she couldn’t live in Arkansas because the people there were too closed-minded and likely all voted for Trump. My other friend noted that this […]
Is yoga enough to keep me “fit?”
One of our students recently replaced her gym membership with a yoga membership. She naturally asked the question, “Is it enough?” From a sales perspective, I should of course say, “Yes! Spend all your money and time here!” But, there is a lot more to the story. A big part of the answer depends on […]