Variations on Vinyasa

In my class this week (join me for a repeat Thursday night at 5:45), there are a lot of opportunities for the vinyasa from plank through chaturanga to cobra or upward-facing dog to downward-facing dog. This opportunity happens about forty times in the sequence, which...

Samskaras and Safari 4

In my classes this week, we’ve been discussing the concept of samskaras, our habitual actions, and experimenting first with becoming aware of them and second with the idea of moving out of them, to live more mindfully. (If you’d like to read more about...

Wall Folds and Twists

I’ve just put up a new episode of Sage Yoga Training—my podcast of short yoga routines for athletes and everyone—this one with some very relaxing, gentle folds and twists using a wall for support. You can download it in iTunes, watch it on YouTube, or simply...

Hip Openers

Today I was asked why we call hip stretches “hip openers.” I don’t have a good answer! Are we opening something that’s locked? Is “openness” of the hips even desirable, given the stiffness that’s required for good running? I...

Packing Up

All summer, I’ve been avoiding the work of cleaning up my office. It’s not a horrible mess, but the shelves have books wedged in sideways, and it’s growing harder to find what I’m looking for. It got bad enough that I was more interested in...

Donation-Based Yoga

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending class at cambio., a donation-based studio in Colorado Springs. The class was billed as “Crosstraining Yoga,” appropriate for runners and cyclists, so I brought a copy of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga, although...