My Why #2: Journaling I started writing in a journal around age 10 after I read the Diary of Anne Frank for the first time. You can read more about that here: The Magic of Journaling to Understand Yourself Although it has evolved over the years, pouring out my thoughts onto the page has been
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Using Meditation for Svadhyaya/Self-Inquiry Just one more game. Just one more page. Just one more cookie. Just one more drink. These are some of the lies we tell ourselves when we numb. When you are numb, you are disconnected, unaware, and don’t have power over yourself. It’s only through awareness that you gain control. Without
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“My Why” series, #1 This is the first installment in a series that I’m calling “My Why,” reflecting on why I do the practices that I do in my life. I find it’s through reflection that I learn the most about myself. I hope this sheds some light on why you do what you do
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Stretching is not just for dancers and gymnasts. Stretching is important for everyone. I have always been naturally flexible, but it can easily leave me if I don’t keep working on it. Like most kids, I was a rubbery kid. I remember being 6 and lying down on my stomach to touch my feet to
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Let’s break down twisting yoga poses The spine moves in four ways: forward bending (flexion), backward bending (extension), side bending (lateral flexion) and twisting (rotation). All movements are important for spinal health, but need to be done mindfully and intentionally. Twisting yoga poses strengthen the obliques (2 of our 4 abdominal muscles) and the spinal
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Appreciating what you have In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday in the (not so) United States, I wanted to share the power of Gratitude (Kritajna), not only as a practice, but as a general mindset. As a practice, naming things that for which you are grateful helps you orient your mind toward the positive. Our
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Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Triangle, Side Angle, and Half Moon are all connected Yoga is a wonderful way to cross train and strength train as you age. You can build and maintain muscle mass, bone density, and work on stabilizing your balance. Standing yoga poses strengthen your legs, core, glutes, back, and shoulders, while increasing
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It means you have low body fat When I was a young dancer, I would see other women in my ballet and modern classes with sculpted muscles and a “ballet body.” This was never me. I was (and am) short, and always had a stockier build. I wanted to be sculpted like them, and would
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Baddha Konasana, Bound Angle pose Through my almost 30 years of practicing and teaching yoga, there have been many poses that I’ve “hated.” You know those poses. The teacher mentions it in class and you let out a groan, either internally or externally. We all have poses that we dread and that we try to
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When I was 39, I started having some weird lower back pain. I was very active with yoga and swimming and didn’t want my back to hold me back. I wasn’t even 40! Why was this happening?! I went to see one of the physical therapists in my office (I am also an acupuncturist), and
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