The King of the Asanas – Headstand

Moving with our fear. Headstand is an elegant inversion, insisting on patience, presence, and control to be done properly. For many of us, headstand is an opportunity to brush against our fear. Fear of the unknown, of falling, of not being in control. As such, the practice of headstand become an opportunity to practice intimacy […]

Clearing the Windshield

Our ego is like a sheet of glass that exists between the world and our mind.  As information from the world filters through our senses, it passes through our ego on its way to our conscious thought.  We screen though everything we perceive: “I like this because I did something like it before and that […]

Aum Shanti Meditation – from Alan Finger

Shanti, of course, is the Sanksrit word for peace. (The tradition of reciting “shanti, shanti, shanti” 3 times reflects the trinary nature of existence – – the relationship of peace within yourself, peace between you and others, and peace throughout the universe. Buddhists also refer to the Threefold peace of the body, mind and speech). […]

Hum-Sa Kriya – Alan Finger

This meditation was one of the first that I learned from my teacher Alan Finger. It is a beautiful way to calm and still the mind and connect to the energy of your body. The Hum-Sa Kriya is part of the “Ishta Diksha.” Diksha, meaning “initiation,” is the physical transference of divine energy directly into […]

Integrating the Shadow (or lovin’ Halloween)

“The truth will set you free. ” We’re all adept at seeing certain truths.  For some of us, it’s easy to accept that we’re pretty, attractive, talented, loved, or successful.  (And sadly, for some of us, it’s easier to accept a truth that we’re unattractive, unsuccessful, unloved, or untalented!)  But these are simply ideas that […]

Natarajasana

Natarajasana, Pose of the Lord of the Dance, is a complex pose that is deep backbend with the added fun of balance.  As with any backbend, is it essential to fully warm up the thoracic spine and hip flexors as well as integrate core stability for the safety of the lower back.  A myriad of […]

Giving Gratitude Legs – Ustrasana

Frequently when we leave yoga class, we’re feeling pretty good. We’re stretched, we’re stronger, our minds are a bit more settled. After all, feeling good in our own bodies is a crucial first step on our hatha yoga path. And if that’s what gets us to the mat, so much the better. But at some […]

Mark Whitwell – What is yoga?

What is yoga? In this ten-minute segment, Mark – with his typical directness and humor – clarifies the purpose of yoga and exhorts us to participate with authenticity and intimacy in our own lives. I have studied with Mark on several occasions in New York and in Vancouver and always find his clarity and inclusiveness […]

Stroke of Insight – Jill Bolte Taylor

This astounding video recounts neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor’s experience of having a stroke. Not only is she able to contextualize the experience from a medical perspective, but she discovers that bliss may be a simple matter of “stepping to the right.” I also highly recommend her book, where she candidly offers her experience of recovery. […]

YogaFLIGHT – an unexpected journey

My session at the Vancouver Yoga Conference had taken a pause.   An hour-break, then we’d all come back for four more hours of chakra realization.  So far, I’d been banging my hips and sacrum on the ground, trying to tune into my pelvis and the first three chakras.  Now I was fantasizing about tuna […]

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Urdhva Dhanurasana, aka Upward Bow  – don’t call it Wheel, that’s a different pose ;).  One of the ultimate yoga stretches for the front of the body, Urdhva Dhanurasana challenges us to maintain our strength though the core as we radiate through our upper chest and heart and stretch our hip flexors and shoulders.  Any […]

My friend Chanda Rule’s smokin’ voice

My friend and Circle of Soul sister Chanda Rule sent me this outstanding chant as a little reminder to keep opening to grace.  Keep on, keepin’ on, even when you feel like closing off.  Another sister of mine once said that we were always in either a state of expansion or of contraction.  Listen to […]

The devil is in the details

So for that past few years I’ve been practicing ashtanga. Flow, flow, breath, breath. There is a cycle and rhythm to the practice. You move. You keep going. You jump around. You breath some more. But here I am visiting my old Yoga Works crew. And they study Iyengar. See, in the yoga world, there […]

Wherever you go, there you are…

New York City has chilled out. People on the street are less hurried, the traffic flows sedately, the line at Zabar’s is leisurely. There is time to nod and smile at fellow customers without feeling that everyone is clawing for the front of the line. Even on the subway, a civilized distance is observed between […]

Learning to Ride a Bike

A couple weeks ago, I put my car into storage and started riding my bike.  Now, I am not what you’d call a good bike rider.  My ass hurts, my thighs ache, and grease somehow gets smeared all over my calves.    Small children on tricycles pass me on the street. While my body may be […]

In the face of anxiety…

Last week, I took a roadtrip with my boyfriend. He struggles with anxiety and is working towards flying on planes. In the meantime, we drive. He hasn’t been to Los Angeles for several years, so this was a pretty significant adventure.  The prospect of leaving terra firma and adventuring into the wilds of the United […]

Calling The Elements

Circle of Soul taught me this song back in New York City. We would improvise the harmony lines together so the song was different every time. I recorded this in a fantastically resonate shower. Calling The Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water

Levitating, inverting, abs. By request.

I arrived early to my Tuesday class, so asked some of the students if they had any inspirations for the practice.  “Levitation,” replied one particularly cheeky monkey.  “Inversions!” another cried.  “I may get in trouble for this,” said a third, “but I’d like to do abs.” Alright, I thought.  Levitating, inverted abs it is. Challenge […]

Ajna Chakra: Light

Ajna Chakra, located at the third eye center, opens us to element of light.  In addition to literally seeing, this chakra draws us into the power of visualization, imagination, and abstraction.  We literally connect to a higher frequency (Vishuddha was the frequency of sound, Ajna of light) and our experience moves further beyond the tangible […]