Relax your jaw. Soften your shoulders away from your ears. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Exhale out through your mouth. Set your intention. Fix your gaze. Be here now, I tell myself.
Noise escapes through the baby monitor and I look to see my toddler pull himself to a standing position in his crib. Turning off the device, I glance at the clock on our kitchen stove.
“7 minutes”, I whisper. Good enough for today.
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To say that we’re fall enthusiasts might be an understatement. We are all about this season’s colors, tastes, looks, and feels. We’ll happily pour ourselves PSLs and stroll through crisp leaves any day. So, rounding up our current favorites is a task we’re happy to take on today.
Here’s a look at the things we’re loving lately! Continue reading
I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training 3 years ago this month. And yet, it feels like the journey, inquiry, and knowledge I gained through that experience, and through my practice and teaching is still its infancy. Like I have so much left to unveil and discover, so many more books to read, and so much more anatomy and alignment to learn. What I once viewed as my ending point of having attained the certificate declaring my status as a registered instructor often feels like it was more of a launching pad.
The work is truly never done. In high school and college, that thought would have frustrated and intimidated me. I loved the idea of starting points and completion, and I relished crossing off the tasks I needed to accomplish in order to bridge the gap between the two. Yet now, my view has shifted. I’m excited by the thought that in many ways, I’m still a novice in my field. The prospect of the perspective and wisdom I have left to gain fuels my passion daily and contributes to my desire for growth. Continue reading
You’re probably thinking one of two things. First, gentle yoga is boring. I only do Bikram. Or second, yoga? I don’t know about that. Okay, maybe you’re not thinking either, but for a long time I was a member of the first camp.
What you need to know about me is that I am not a gentle yoga kind of gal. In my past life, before developing CRPS, I was a wannabe gym rat, P90X fanatic, Spin instructor and finisher of a 30-day Bikram Yoga challenge. I liked my workouts fast, hot, and competitive and, prior to all of that, I was substantially overweight (which is a totally different story, but the plot line consists of a torn meniscus, two knee surgeries and a serious Panera Bread problem). Continue reading
“Close your eyes. Now notice, where in your body are you holding tension that you can release?”
That was the cue my yoga instructor called, prompting me to get curious about what was happening physically as I transitioned into Warrior 2. I softened the space between my eyes and unclenched my jaw. I relaxed my shoulders away from my ears and made the conscious effort to deepen my breath. And then, with that freed up energy, I sank further into the pose. Continue reading
My yoga practice continues to be one of the greatest teachers in my life. It has a way of shining a light on the feelings and experiences I’ve managed to successfully look past, bury within me, or chosen not to prioritize. As I’m going about the rest of my day, I can typically multitask enough to escape discomfort and avoid depth. But once I’ve rolled out my mat, silenced my phone, and stripped away my usual accomplices to distraction, I’m left to face whatever I’ve stowed away. I begin to move from a place of feeling intuitively rather than thinking analytically. Continue reading
I am the opposite of a procrastinator. In college, I’d spend the first day of a new term filled with anxiety as I flipped through the pages of each course syllabus, already stressing out over assignments due week 6. I’d stake my seat in the library on Friday afternoons (as if others were actually vying for that spot) so I could get a head start on papers that didn’t need to be turned in until Monday morning.
I file my taxes in January, have tried to pay my credit card balance before the statement is available to view, occasionally get up in the 4 o’clock hour to unload the dishwasher, and begin worrying that we’ll run out of toilet paper while we still have a couple rolls left. Continue reading
Feelings of intimidation often seem to accompany stepping into a yoga studio for the first time. Regardless of how many classes I teach or take, I can still remember how out of place I felt during that first practice. As the instructor tossed out words like ujjayi and supta baddha konasana, I anxiously looked around the room and wondered if anyone else was experiencing the same feelings of culture shock that I was. Half my sweat was a byproduct of the 90-degree room, but I’m fairly certain the other 50% was due to pure feels of ‘wth is happening right now?’ Continue reading
