Remember When I Quit Teaching Yoga?

Forgive me WordPress readers, it’s been…10 months since my last confession. I mean, since my last blog. “Fearless” was a rather brief, mid-winter explosion that came just one month after – in the previous blog and all over social media – I announced that I’d quit teaching yoga. “Fearless” disclosed how unsafe I’d been feeling in…

Fearless

With today’s overcast skies, the shortest day of the year is, indeed, ending early. It’s 4pm and nearly dark. Even tonight’s waxing moon will be obscured by clouds. Call it a dark night – and day – of the soul, if you wish. Winter Solstice hath arrived. (And peaks at 11:49pm EST.) Call me crazy,…

Yoga Class Focus: Gratitude Trumps Adversity

Sometimes, gratitude does not come overnight. Sometimes days, weeks and months can pass before thankfulness finds its way into a broken heart. But from experience (and lots of it), I know there will be a silver lining to every story of challenge, hardship and adversity. If you’ve read my blog before, you are familiar with…

Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off (from the uyd archives)

November 2014: When I am struggling, friends sometimes say: “Go read your own blog!” Well, this past week has been a doozy of curve balls and losses. I recalled the blog below, from December 2010. I’m a bit embarrassed to share it, because it feels like I’ve been mostly depressed since then! Truth be told, the…

ATONEMENT

“We cast into the depths of the sea Our sins, and failures, and regrets. Reflections of our imperfect selves Flow away. What can we bear, With what can we part? We upturn the darkness, Bring what is buried to light. What hurts still lodge, What wounds have yet to heal? We empty our hands, Release…

Turning, Churning & Balance

“Life is to challenge you with its ups and downs. Ride over them without losing your balance.” – Sri Swami Satchidananda What a beautiful week of teaching at my fave neighborhood studios, Embrace (Adams Morgan, DC) and Past Tense (Mt. Pleasant, DC), beginning last Saturday and wrapping up this morning. Students are so darn devoted…

Yoga Class Focus: The Freedom to Heal

Make space. Clear the way. Widen the paths. And in this liberation…heal. The theme of my July classes was FREEDOM; and we kicked off our month of focused practices with a special “Declaration of Independence” workshop.  I teach this July 4th workshop annually; and each year, I’ve approached the session with a hint of motivational speaker…

How May I Serve You?

“For as long as space endures and the world exists, may my own existence bring about the end of suffering in the world.” – Shantideva (8th Century Indian Buddhist Scholar) *  *  * I’ve written countless blogs, posts, comments and remarks about suicide, addiction, depression and trauma. I’ve described how the power-trio of recovery programs,…

Jumping Off Of Bridges (From The UYD Archives)

19 JUNE, 2014 A couple of months ago, I heard about a California yoga teacher trainee who committed suicide. Everyone in her yoga circle was completely shocked. They said there were no signs… Last week, I received a gutsy, honest message on my Urban Yoga Den Facebook page about my “Jumping Off Of Bridges” post from March…

My Father Is My Super Hero

My mother is my Guru.  And my father is my Super Hero. You may have read my blog about Mom being my greatest teacher.  I’ve re-posted it on her birthday, her death anniversary and Mother’s Day… Why have I not celebrated Dad in a blog?  The man has supported me – carried me, really –…