Pranayama

Grounding breath practice for hectic times

Photo credit: Chris Wojdak As part of my yoga therapy certification program, I’ve been privileged to be able to learn about yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, from Mona Warner of Janati Yoga School. Ayurveda is an ancient system of holistic medicine that’s been practiced for thousands of years in India and elsewhere. One of the key… Continue reading Grounding breath practice for hectic times

Asana, Yoga Therapy

Three Things to Consider When Your Shoulder Hurts

Shoulder pain can make it hard to do the things you love to do. Can yoga help? Because I'm a yoga therapist and teacher, people tend to ask me for certain kinds of advice. It usually goes a little something like this. My shoulder is killing me! It's keeping me up all night and I'm… Continue reading Three Things to Consider When Your Shoulder Hurts

Asana, Yoga off the mat

Practice tip: What support is needed?

When I started learning about therapeutic yoga from Susi Hately, I noticed this question was coming up a lot. What support is needed? What is the support that would create enough safety to move with ease, to have less pain, to relax, and to reveal what’s possible? I often find that I don’t know. But… Continue reading Practice tip: What support is needed?

Philosophy, Yoga off the mat

Santosha: The antidote to self-improvement

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com We’re entering New Year's Resolution time, the season of self-improvement. All around us, folks are plunging into their efforts to better themselves by losing weight, getting in shape, reading more, cleaning their house, being more organized, and many similar projects. Just around the corner is the season of failure, falling… Continue reading Santosha: The antidote to self-improvement

Other

Fresh Take Friday: Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2 Pose)

It's Friday, and today we're taking a fresh look at Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2 Pose). I've already written about the hip rotation involved in coming into this pose, and also about the alignment of the front knee. Today I want to give some love to the straight leg. When the right knee is bent in… Continue reading Fresh Take Friday: Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2 Pose)

Asana

Fresh Take Friday: Sit on the earth

Happy Friday! For today's post, let's take a fresh look at your basic seated posture. In Sanskrit, the word asana, which we often translate as "pose", actually means "seat" - so a simple seated pose might very well be the original asana. In Western cultures where we've transitioned away from sitting directly on the floor,… Continue reading Fresh Take Friday: Sit on the earth