Free Yoga!

The concept of the “Jivan Mhukta” describes a state of no-otherness. The Jivan Mhukta is a liberated being who lives soulfully on earth, engaged in the realm of human realities. They are here, now. There is no need to escape from life, because life becomes an experience of presence, curiosity, and harmony.
For the Jivan Mhukta, yoga is freedom.

Haters Gonna Hate

“Our world is wounded, fractured, broken and burning. We are products of this place and it is our job to heal the world through the healing of our selves.” ~ Chani Nicholas The difficulty of maintaining peace of mind during this world’s current upsets is obvious. On the eve of the U.S. Presidential Election, I…

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 Focus: Taking Stock

8 November, 2015 This week marks the Indian holiday of Diwali, which is generally known as the Indian Festival Of Lights. Yet, it signifies so much more. Most markedly, the 5-day festival celebrates the triumph of Light over Darkness by recalling the many battles won by virtuous warriors over evil demons. On a social level,…

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…