“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…
Tag: Meditation
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…
Be My Valentine
It’s amazing how far from my own heart I can wander. And not even know. Until a massage therapist hunts me down and kindly reunites us. “Come back to your heart, Holly.” The heart does not go anywhere! It’s right there, in my chest; it’s right there, with my head; it’s there, around and within…
Kids These Days
It seems that Trayvon Martin is on everyone’s mind today. Who is on my mind? Children much closer to me. And Trayvon. But mostly, the kids directly around me. * * * The 1st session of summer music/yoga camp wrapped up last week. As you may have guessed, when teaching, I tend to gravitate toward…
Not Love: Anger, Pt. 2
LOVE: Brief (and maybe not so brief) explorations for our February class focus. (Or maybe not.) * * * First I just want to wish everyone a beautiful Valentine’s Day. Truly, from my heart. I’m sorry that I am posting something difficult today. But this is where I process and come to solutions. * * …
Full of Shift: 30 Days of New Energy – Week Three
“Happiness may arise from fortunate events but true joy comes from growth and goodness. Self-involvement alone is fleeting and ultimately sad; deepening ourselves and touching others triggers spiritual endorphins. Joy is the gift of being of use.” – Rabbi Wolpe Indeed, the magic combination for true joy is deepening myself and touching others. This combination…
Peace Tools: Morning Routine
I thank you, ever-living sovereign, for restoring my soul to me in mercy. How great is your trust! – Traditional Jewish Prayer for the Morning * * * Like all of my days, as soon as I opened my eyes this morning, I said the above prayer. Then, in the period of time between splashing…
My Mother is My Guru
Mom’s been on my mind a lot lately. And y’know, it makes sense. I’ve been singing a lot (my mother taught me to sing). It’s Autumn (October 2nd would have been her 81st birthday). Thanksgiving is approaching (my family celebrated our last holiday season with Mom 10 years ago). And I recently celebrated my 9th…
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 Urban Yoga Den 