12
Nov
2018
Yogi Assignment: A Mindful Response to Trauma
I travel nearly every weekend and I’m often staying in new places. Sometimes I stay in hotels, but sometimes I also stay in private apartments and airbnbs. Last weekend I was staying in an airbnb and, when I was just finishing my evening meditation, I heard a rattling at the door. Whereas normally I would…
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5
Nov
2018
Yogi Assignment: Applying Ahimsa Post-Election
You might not know this about me, but I have a strong interest in politics. Before I was passionate about yoga, I was passionate about politics. I used to get into heated arguments with people about government policy. I was on the high school debate team (and even won awards for public speaking). Graduating fifth…
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30
Oct
2018
Yogi Assignment: Tapas and the Benefits of Discipline
This morning I woke up at 5 AM, over two hours before sunrise. Before 6 AM I was meditating and before the sun peaked over the clouds I was already in Downward Facing Dog. It may surprise you to hear that I’m not a morning person. Over twenty years of yoga practice and I still…
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21
Oct
2018
Yogi Assignment: Prana Vayu, the Breath
It took me years before I understood just how important the breath is to the depth of yoga practice. There are people who can perform quite exciting asanas but they are unable to breathe deeply. Similarly, there are other students whose asanas may not appear so deep but their breath demonstrates a penetrating inner focus….
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15
Oct
2018
Yogi Assignment: The Lesson of the Bug
Last weekend I joined a three day silent meditation retreat. It was just the thing I needed to reset my mind after what has been a difficult year. The fatigue that had felt chronic and unsolvable lifted during my time in silence. So much came up for healing and I feel like I learned and…
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4
Oct
2018
Yogi Assignment: Mudita, Joy
Do you ever look at someone else’s success and think, why not me? I do. All the time. Maybe you’ve even looked at me and felt something similar. People often describe me as successful and having accomplished a lot. But I see myself as a kind of perpetual underdog who often gets glossed over for…
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1
Oct
2018
Yogi Assignment: Recovering from Burn Out
You might think that I wake up each day bubbling with energy. And, truthfully, some days I do indeed wake up with a heart full of joy. But there are other days, weeks, and even months where I struggle to find motivation. Sometimes those periods of low-energy are the result of burn-out, and sometimes they…
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24
Sep
2018
Yogi Assignment: Keep Practicing until You Love your Body
I woke up this morning to a message in my in-box that I receive quite often. It was a student who said that she was only 5 feet tall and asked for a series of yoga poses that would make her grow taller. On any given day I get a message from someone somewhere in…
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17
Sep
2018
Yogi Assignment: Depth
Myth buster—Yoga is not easy and yoga should not always feel good. I realize that this might not be the best news you’ve heard about yoga or the most positive promotional words about yoga, but I want to keep it real. There is often a discrepancy between the curated imagery of yoga in mainstream advertising…
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10
Sep
2018
Yogi Assignment: Birthday Beauty
It’s my birthday week and I can tell you, I’m not getting any younger. Maybe wiser, but definitely not younger. Lately I have had people tell me that I’m now too old to wear shorts. I’ve had one younger yogi dismiss me and my teaching as just the ramblings of a random 40-year old woman….
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