Focus Wrap Up: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

“If I wasn’t making some people uncomfortable, I wouldn’t be doing anything important.” – Justine Siegel, 1st woman to throw batting practice for Major League Baseball and founder of “Baseball for All” I didn’t plan to write this today.  I have cleaning to do, laundry to fold, breakfast to cook.  But I feel compelled.  Plus,…

Focus: The Yoga Sutras – Love & Murder

Each morning when I rise, I try to spend about 30 minutes praying, meditating and doing some Pranayama.  When I do, my soul feels infinitely more peaceful throughout whatever the day tosses my way. For me, this is the point of yoga. From what I’ve learned, this was also the point of yoga for the…

Focus Wrap Up: Back to Basics

Over the weekend I taught the final classes in our January Back to Basics focus. To complement our fine-tuning of alignment, review of three-part breathing and return to proper resting, these last sessions invited students to deepen their commitment to setting an intention. Personally, I can’t imagine getting on the mat without exploring some kind…

Focus: Yoga In Action – Acceptance

This brought me to the good healthy realization that there were plenty of situations left in the world over which I had no personal power… – Bill Wilson, “As Bill Sees It” I’ve just returned from an intentionally slow walk down the hill, to the creek, and back.  I paused to lean against a bridge…

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: May/June – The Eight Limbs

On July 13th, Past Tense Studio in Mt. Pleasant will celebrate its 1st year of operation! For me, this year at Past Tense was a wondrous opportunity to practice weekly with groups of adults (vs. periodically with private clients, or, daily with young children).  Adults who are devoted to their yoga practice. I have felt…

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…

God Rest Ye

…Merry Yogis and Yoginis! So, we’re winding down our November and December class focus of “Rest.”  We’ve spent two months exploring yoga’s balance of effort and ease.  We fine-tuned our Asanam to the “nth” degree, soothed our nervous systems with Pranayama and rested flat on our backs to some pretty Yoga Nidra songs. In addition,…