I Don’t Do Yoga Because I’m Good At It…and You Shouldn’t Avoid It Because You Aren’t Good At It.

A few years ago, back up in Alaska, I was in a yoga class when the instructor admitted, “I teach yoga because I need it, not because I’m the best at it.” This resonated for me SO deeply and it came back into my mind again when I discovered an opportunity to get my yoga

Why I Do NOT Call Myself a Yogi or Yogini…and Why I Won’t Call You One, Either

Words often have their meaning watered down in translation. I can remember when I lived in France realizing that somethings I really could only fully express in French and others only in English. Every time I lived abroad and came home, I always came home speaking a mix of English and whatever language I’d been

Don’t be Fooled By “Instagram Yoga”

If you look for examples of yoga poses online, you’ll often find tall, lanky people contorting themselves into all kinds of artistic positions. It can be discouraging if you’re just starting out in yoga or consider starting it due to some physical issues. It can look like yoga is only for the very flexible, very

Embracing Rejection and Failure is Essential to Success

I’ve sent out resumes and applied to teaching positions, but I haven’t even heard back on volunteer positions. At this point…I can’t give yoga away. It’s very tempting to give up, but I’m not going to. Instead, I am reaching out and starting my own free class for friends and continuing to learn and grow.

What Stops Me?

I’m half-watching a yoga therapy anatomy conference presentation as I write up tickets for work…as one does, when a slide catches my attention and pokes at my brain in a certain way…there’s something here beyond just yoga anatomy. “What Stops Me?” In this context, the speaker is talking about normal variation in anatomy and how

Interconnectedness

This idea has been front and center in my mind these past few days. I’m in the midst of preparing for my final exam in my Yoga Teacher Training and also preparing for holidays as well as watching weather crises wind down in the south and the slow roll of Covid vaccine rollout in my

Why Yoga *Probably* Isn’t What You Think It Is…or Yoga the Physical Practice vs. Yoga the Religious/Spiritual Practice

If you ask the average American to describe what Yoga is, they’ll probably talk about people bending themselves into contortions, thin white women in yoga pants, chanting, and breathing. Until recently, most Yoga studios had a very particular aesthetic, with lotus blossoms, mood lighting, and even elements of Buddhism or Hinduism mixed in with art

Book Review – Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning

This is a book that is near and dear to my heart after reading it. I learned the power of lifelong learning first from my parents. My father was always learning something about history, one of his favorite subjects or else meticulously reading through a manual for a piece of farm equipment, carefully scrutinizing detailed

A New Year a New Challenge

I’ve been quiet lately, a bit overwhelmed by a few things in my life. One has been my son being away at a residential program for kids with Autism and other issues. I’ve been missing him and his program has also required us to do a lot of work, too, so we can be ready

Joy and Movement

It’s starting to get good, ya’all. This morning I went for a run with some of my favorite people and creatures in the world…both of my kids and both of our dogs. The air was cool and clear and the sun was slowly rising and it was one of those runs where it feels like