Tag: Philosophy
Giveaway: Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses
If you’ve been teaching online or if you’re considering getting started, you might have looked at the hundreds of professionally produced videos already available and asked yourself, “Who would want to watch ME over this?” The answer: the people who will connect with you for who you are: you, uniquely you.
Wrong-seeing and Two Seconds of Buzzfeed Fame
When I woke up Sunday and glanced at the iPad, I saw that my colleague Sara sent me a link to the Buzzfeed article “27 Things That Are Too Real for People with Terrible Posture,” telling me to check out number 20 on the list. I scrolled down to see a picture of myself in cat pose, labeled…
“How Do I Make Myself Relax?”
The youngest participant in my recent weekend on yoga for athletes at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health was a twelve-year-old swimmer. Toward the end of the first session’s savasana—the quiet relaxation period at the end of practice—he raised his hand. The question: “How do I make myself relax?” This question sits at the heart of the…
Mopping the Floors
in YogaTuesdays and Thursdays, I arrive at Carrboro Yoga midday to sign in and enjoy Ruth’s noon Power Flow class. One of my first chores, and my most favorite, is cleaning the floor. I slowly push the wide dust mop back and forth over the century-old wood. When nails are lifted out, they snag a piece of…
It’s Always Been Here
in YogaOne of my regular private yoga lessons is to a couple in their home. I see the wife more often; the husband travels a lot for his busy job, and when he’s in town, he joins. This morning during practice, he remarked on the sounds of the house: an imbalanced washing machine clacking through the…
Creatures of Habit
My dog, Manta Ray, accompanies me on my twice-daily walk taking the girls to and from the elementary school down the street. Morning departure is hectic and broadly telegraphed, with increasingly insistent instructions about the packing of snacks and donning of coats and hats and backpacks and “Lord, child, why am I just getting this…
Samskaras and Safari 4
in YogaIn 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 samskaras, check out this lovely Yoga Journal piece by Bo Forbes.)…