on the train
I am on Amtrak heading to the Anusara teachers’ gathering in Morrisville, NC. The train is surprisingly crowded and not surprisingly a whole different vibe than the train to NY. By day we will be practing and gathering in a… (READ MORE)
Twisting, Opening to a New Perspective (and radical affirmation)
This week I have been working on twists both in my own practice and in my classes. In so doing, I have been thinking about the difference between turning around or doing an about-face and staying steady and true to… (READ MORE)
I hate [insert name of pose or class of poses] (and the kleshas)
One of the aims of yoga, according to Patanjali’s classic eight-limbed path of yoga, is to be free from being torn between the pairs of opposites — pleasure and pain. We cannot be free if we are always grasping at… (READ MORE)
Forgetting to Take a Break (and a reminder of the importance of practice)
I got caught up in something in the middle of the day today. By the time I could reasonably take a break (I did eat my lunch from home), it was too late to be able to get a real… (READ MORE)
Stand Steady in the Light (Workshop at Willow Street this Saturday)
One of the most wonderful ways we can find our own steadiness using asana practice is the joy of standing balancing poses. Even when our feet are not steady, a gentle turning of our mind to a focused, steady place… (READ MORE)
Great Swan
I found a used copy of Lex Hixon’s Great Swan–Meetings with Ramakrishna, last week that I am reading with delight. Lex Hixon has rendered the teachings from the seminal and extraordinary voice of Ramakrishna very accessible. It also provides in… (READ MORE)
Happy May Day (and radical affirmation)
It feels wonderfully auspicious to me that my Spring classes at Willow Street are starting on May Day. It is Beltane–the true end of winter and the beginning of the effulgence of the time of growth and light. It is… (READ MORE)
The Nyaya of the Cat and the Bunny
A nyaya is literally a recursion, something which leads back to an essential principle. In my recent studies of meditation, we have been taught various nyayas that help to explicate the experience of meditation and the whys and benefits of… (READ MORE)
May News (Web Version of E-Newsletter)
Dear Friends, What a glorious Spring we’re having! I’ve just returned from an expanding, nurturing, and deepening time of study in Sedona with meditation teacher Paul Muller-Ortega. Later in May, I will join fellow certified Anusara yoga teachers in North… (READ MORE)
Coming Home from Retreat (and Savasana)
How do you plan your return home from a retreat or vacation? Do you come home at the very last minute, so that the travel is exhausting and the first day back at work is a struggle? Or do you… (READ MORE)