Why does it take a sick day for me to realize I have totally abandoned my yoga practice? For the past two days, I’ve been battling a sinus infection. This morning, after sleeping 11 hours, I woke up, chanted mantras, said prayers, wrote in my journal, practiced breathing exercises and sat to meditate. All of…
Tag: Breathing
January Focus: Back to Basics
Luscious. That’s how I would describe, in one word, the yoga class I just took with veteran Asana teacher Sandy Kavalier up the street from my apartment at Yoga Chai (http://www.yogachai.com/). Breathing emphasis and mechanical cues. Nothing more, nothing less. My hips feel heavenly, my arms stronger, my shoulders intact, my lungs larger. My entire…
Focus: Yoga In Action – Surrender
I like the peace in the backseat, I don’t have to drive, I don’t have to speak, I can watch the country side, I can fall asleep. I’ve been learning to drive my whole life. – Arcade Fire, “In the Backseat” A few weeks ago, I completely unplugged for five days – no phone, no…
Focus: Why Yoga? – Resilience
Today a friend is having a lumpectomy to remove cancer in her breast. This friend is a strong, solution-oriented, resilient woman. After reading my news about the betrayal, breakup and decompression process, she wrote to encourage me to join her in a ritual of surrender. Instead of asking friends to pray for her well-being, she…
Focus: The Eight Limbs, Pt. 2 – Asana & Pranayama
In our yoga classes, the May/June Focus is The Eight Limbs. Each week, we practice a pretty pure Level 1 Integral Yoga (IY) Hatha set accompanied by background on the Limbs from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. To review Weeks 3 & 4, Asana & Pranayama: Continuing our process of growth through the Eight Limbs,…
Wine & Kirtan
I just got home from “The Chant Super Tour” concert with Kirtan musician Krishna Das and spiritual singer Deva Premal. Although I like her lullaby-like versions of Santeria chants for Yemaya and Oshun, and I don’t mind hearing her music in yoga classes, Deva’s work is a little too soft for me. Tonight I enjoyed…
Chakra Chant
As part of our Bi-Monthly Focus of TRANSITION & BALANCE, we’ve been closing classes with a chakra balancing meditation I learned from Corrine Champigny who teaches the blissful Svaroopa Yoga sessions at Nashville’s Yoga Source studio. http://www.yogasource.info/index.php We have seven energy centers, aka chakras, along our spine, from the tail bone to the crown of the head. …
Swine Flu Can’t Touch This
“HEYAM DUHKHAM ANAGATAM: Misery yet to come can be avoided.” Sutra 2.16 In book two of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, aphorism #16 makes a promise. Referring to karmic suffering, the sutra recommends that we direct all our energy toward conquering potential misery. Through the practice of yoga’s Eight Limbs, future pain can be prevented. For the…
The Urban Yoga Den 