Every morning when I wake up, my mind does not start with thoughts of gratitude. If you’re anything like me, your mind starts thinking about what went wrong yesterday, what could go wrong today, and what might go wrong tomorrow. This is not a great way to start the day. What I have learned from
NOTE TO START: This will be the beginning of a new era of writing which will focus on my two current areas of interest — Yoga and Energy Medicine. I have been teaching yoga in the Kripalu tradition for 25 years and, for the past three years, I have been teaching an Energy Medicine Yoga
June 21 is the Summer Solstice, which reminds us to turn inward and find the nourishment needed to grow and evolve. It is a time to pause and wait for the energy planted in the Spring to reach full bloom. After the Solstice, the northern hemisphere begins tilting away from the sun and the days start
Be still; quietly remember the presence of and within yourself, and you will know, without thinking, that while all around you everything changes, within you lives something unchanging. ~Guy Finley This is really the message of yoga, and it is what we cultivate when we come to the mat or the cushion. Within each of
My story with alleyCat Yoga begins before it had a name. I was living in California for a year (2001-2002) doing my internship in psychology when my Buddhist teacher, Ginny Morgan, called me from Columbia and said that she had a couple of yogis living in her basement—namely, Ken McRae and Kathleen Knipp. They had
As you may have noticed, I have not been blogging as much this year. The reasons are multi-faceted, and I wanted to share the most important ones with you. The biggest reason is that I have been in transition. While I’ve been in transition, it has been more difficult for me to focus my attention,
“Throw away your preconceived notions of a yoga retreat! You will not subsist on tofu or chant om all day and night. Instead, you will be challenged, loved, and laugh a lot in a peaceful and verdant setting with kind and caring people, joined together in a journey for self-awareness.” (D. Checkett, past participant) Join
Almost our entire biology is geared toward protection and defense and our culture teaches us to grab what we want, even if it means taking from others. To work against this conditioning takes great courage and practice. The ethical and philosophical practices of yoga and meditation give us guideposts for leading a life in alignment with our values. When I practice them, they never fail. The key is remembering to wake up to our conditioning and make a different choice.
