Yoga Class Focus: Foundations for Freedom

During June, my class focus was “Foundations.” I told students that I felt like I was starting over as a teacher, after a 7-month absence from the Washington, DC yoga community. So together, we started from scratch. Each practice, we arrived together. With the Eight Limbs as our guide, we observed and then shaped our…

Be A Yogi

When I graduated from my Yoga Teacher Training at the Integral Yoga Academy, I heard a lot of advice. Make a list of all the potential places you could teach – not just studios, but other spaces. Market your classes in this way or that way. Remember that not all yoga instructors can make a…

Falling Off The Yoga Wagon

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…

The Yoga of Being Mugged

Last weekend I was mugged. Sorry to alarm you.  Rest assured, I am fine – with the exception of some anxiety around the ‘hood, a maxed-out adrenal system from the stress, a sore shoulder from wrestling with the mugger, a cut and bruised finger (see photo of fingers) from my purse being yanked out of my…

February Focus: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

From the title of this blog, one might think: “Wow, Holly’s really going for it this time.” “She’s taking on the ancient text of Yoga (with a capital “Y”)!” “How in the world will we cover four books of aphorisms in one month?” “Who does Holly think she is, teaching the Sutras?” Hahahahaha!  Believe me,…

Focus: Abundance – Love & Light

I have long believed that people are beautiful beings, inside and out. Our humanness, our perfect imperfection, our state of constant growth gives me faith in the beauty of life as a whole. Tonight a street drunk and I watched a meteor fireball together. I was walking to yoga class when a huge white comet-looking…

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: 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,…

Focus Wrap Up: March/April – Transition & Balance

Yikes!  It’s May 19th and I’m just now writing the wrap up for our March/April Bi-Monthly Focus of Transition & Balance.  However, our 2nd month concentration on the Yoga Sutras will segue beautifully into our May/June class focus on yoga’s Eight Limbs (intro coming soon!). At the end of April we rounded out our Transition…

100(+1)%

Back on April 8th, I attended a Krishna Das Kirtan concert, where he told an inspiring story about learning to apply himself 100%.  At the time, I was stuck in discernment-process limbo, trying to decide between two career paths.   Should I continue applying for full-time communications jobs, or expand my yoga teaching, music performance/teaching…