The meaning of the word Yoga is often loosely translated as union. Union of body, mind and spirit, or union of our self with our true nature, among other meanings. But the word Yoga also means to concentrate. So perhaps being in the practice of Yoga means to concentrate on the union that is created when
Read MoreWhen I posted a few days ago on Facebook that we had a big announcement to share, it wasn't to be dramatic, but rather, to prepare some of you for what might be felt as unexpected.
This entire past year has been dramatic and yet, not altogether unexpected.
Read MoreI'm no stranger to stress. In fact, we are intimately connected. I've experienced many of the life events listed on the Holmes-Rahe stress inventory list, quite a few in the past 8 months.
With today’s modern lifestyle, we are all constantly on high alert, keeping the ‘fight or flight’ response in a constant state of discharge, while the ‘rest and digest’ response, rarely operates at its ideal level, leaving us with a constant state of tension in the physical, mental and emotional body. With the increase of the sympathetic dominance in the body, we have lost our ability to know how to relax. There's no time!
Read MoreWhen I started on this yoga journey, I had no intention of teaching, nevermind running a yoga studio for over 12 years or facilitating and training over 500 other people to become yoga teachers.
I went to Kripalu Center in 1998 to learn more about myself, to improve my life and to hopefully get a glimpse of the happiness that seemed to elude me in my first 20-something years of life.
Read MoreI’m an empath. I’ve always been one. But I haven’t always known it. I grew up thinking the walls I built around me meant there was something wrong with me. That and growing up shy, I kept myself secluded, unavailable. And practicing yoga for the past 20 years has made me even more sensitive...
Read MoreThis passage was shared this morning during service at First Lutheran Church as the visiting Pastor ended his sermon. It resonated very powerfully for me, so I wrote it down in order to contemplate it later. As I often do when I attend Church services, I internally translate from Christian to Yoga in order to gain an understanding. This ability to interpret these profound teachings has evolved over the years. Growing up Catholic, I struggled with certain words like 'sin' and 'devil,' and longed for the deeper meaning behind them. This is what drew me first to Buddhism and then to Yoga, for their ability to open my mind and my heart, and what now allows me to embrace the brilliance and simplicity of Christ's teachings.
Read More
