All things human. Reflections and research on everything that contributes to our well-being and human experience beyond the yoga mat.
I’ve worked in the yoga “business” for about fifteen years. In addition to being a teacher, I’ve managed teachers, administrated studios, and run teacher trainings. So I’ve seen a lot of personalities. And some yogis are assholes. Sweet as pie at the front of the classroom, dark as an eastern storm behind the scenes. And […]
His name is Chad. He’s a lanky black cat with bright green eyes and he came into my parents’ lives about three years ago. My parents have a farm in Boerne, Texas, and after my mom got her chickens, well, it seemed natural enough that a farm cat should complete the scene. It was a […]
In the man-made world of stuff, breaking something doesn’t make it stronger. It just, well, breaks. You drop a plate, it shatters, and no matter how well you glue it, you can see the crack. It’s damaged goods. We think love is the same way. Betrayal, hurt, infidelity, conflict…. these are the bulls in our […]
If you have decided to create and host a teacher training, where you host the training is vitally important. Not only will you have to take into account logistical considerations (ie: do they have bathrooms? do they have enough props?), but it’s also important to ensure that the feeling of the space aligns with your greater vision […]
At the yoga center where I sometimes teach in New York City, a woman called wanting to register for a four-week introduction to yoga course. She asked to speak to the manager. She wanted to know if it would be okay for her to come to the course because she was blind, and she had […]
Sperm donors aren’t dads. “They’re donors,” says my counsellor. “They’re not Dads. Now, your kid may have a dad, someone whom you meet, and who becomes a parent. That may happen. But the donor is the donor.” My counsellor is emphatic. And yet, how many of my friends have said, “why not go to a […]
Have you ever wondered what will improve your sport performance or prevent sport-related injuries? Doing more of our desired activity may seem like the obvious answer. For example, if we want to improve performance in swimming or running, then to do more swimming or running would improve our performance in both respectively. However, while that […]
Many people have heard that yoga reduces stress, but there’s real science behind it. Of course, any time you increase the heart rate (like with a few chaturangas), your body releases endorphins, which is the driving force behind that famed “runner’s high and a natural stress reducer. However, yoga taps into stress relief on a […]
This is a blog in a series called, “Doing It Alone,” to share some of the trials and tribulations of my attempts in 2017 to get pregnant as a single woman. I’ve been peeing on sticks. Although I have a vague sense of my own fertility cycles, I’m now tasked with being more diligent about […]
This is the first installation in a series called, “Doing It Alone,” to share some of the trials and tribulations of my attempts in 2017 to get pregnant as a single woman. I look at the list of sperm donors and start crying. I don’t mean to cry, it just comes upon me, unexpectedly. I […]
You’ve probably attended a yoga class. Practiced prenatal yoga while pregnant. Maybe you even took your baby to a “mommy & me” yoga session or two after your little one arrived. But then they got older and your yoga practice once again became a solo activity – if you even managed to squeeze it back into your […]
Last month we took a look at the effects that sitting for long periods of time can have on the body. I shared a simple yoga sequence to help alleviate some of the pain points many people experience from repeatedly sitting at a desk all day. I’ve taken this a step further and have put […]
Does it have to be so hard to find love? Last week I started working with Laurie, a new client, who came to me with a complaint that I hear very often: “Why is it so hard to find love? I’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into dating and not getting anywhere. […]
From my friends at Half Moon.
You feel heavy, dull, tired. Maybe it’s gray outside (or, if you live in the pacific northwest, maybe it’s been gray and dark for weeks). Perhaps a life event (sickness, heartbreak, lethargy, indecision) has you feeling the terrible weight of emotional gravity. I get it. Having struggled with bouts of depression since my early twenties, I […]
I honestly don’t know where I’d be if the practice of yoga hadn’t entered into my life when it did. I was unknowingly walking around in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight for years. Unaware of what was at play within me, I believed it was perfectly normal, and necessary…to be afraid of everything, and everyone, […]
My client Julia called me yesterday in despair. “I promised to make big changes in my life this year. I was so excited and motivated on January 1 ! Now only 2 weeks later I’ve basically thrown them all out the window.” In the past year, Julia had been under a lot of stress and […]
The journey to work starts the moment you step out of bed. I’m not going to tell you to do a 5-10 min “wake up” workout. I know that is a not a sustainable practice for most people who work full time. It is a far better idea to begin with small activities that will […]
Overcoming addiction is singlehandedly the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Through addiction and recovery, I learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I learned that my mind was highly susceptible to outside influence, and that’s something I desperately needed to change. My painful road to addiction In the prime of […]
This is for all the desk jockeys out there. You know who you are. Your days are spent in front of a computer – you’ve likely got tight hips, a sore low back, rounded shoulders, neck pain, wrist pain, overall poor posture, and soreness – and you know that your posture is taking a hit. […]
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