I find profound beauty in plopping down, sweeping limbs in and out, and admiring the resulting shape our body makes on the snow-covered earth. There is power in proclaiming with our whole selves, I am here! I made my mark!
Read moreThe beautiful doldrums
In our exhaustion, we hope we never have to live through a winter like this one again. But what if we never do get to live through a winter of imposed quiet like this one again? Will there be anything in retrospect that we long for?
Read moreFinding clarity
We don't need fancy pants, flexible body parts, or showy moves. We simply need our breath, a consistency of awareness and attention, and the loving (virtual) presence of each other for support and encouragement along the way.
Read moreEyes wide open
Now, in the tyranny of blue lit devices, we watch ourselves watching current events unraveling with shocking disturbance and visceral torment. Perhaps these times call for a two-way mirror, the kind that uses one side to show you how you appear in the moment, and functions on the other side like a clear window to the world.
Read moreIt's 2021, are we better yet?
If you woke up each morning this week thinking it was supposed to feel different, we're sympathetic. And if you feel the heaviness this morning that our world is still profoundly unpredictable, unprecedented, and unstable, we're with you.
Read moreThe breath comes in, the breath goes out
The demarcation of one day compared to another, or one year compared to the next, simply allows us to pause and take note. Each breath offers an invitation to consider what we can release as past, what we can observe as present, and what our aspirations hold for the future.
Read moreSoft Determination
The humble snowdrop, our region's earliest flowering bulb, may offer inspiration to anyone who spies it rise up against the frozen earth's surface later this winter.
Read moreRadiance for the Holidays
It's a holiday season we'll all remember, and not for the usual reasons that memory serves. We may be keenly aware of all that's been hollowed out by the storm of 2020 – the gatherings that didn't happen, the meals we couldn't share, the embraces we were warned not to make.
Read moreBright Beauties: Jupiter, Saturn, and the Great Conjunction
It's not my practice to follow astronomy news, so I didn't know anything other than what the moment's observations told me: these were not airplanes, nor the moon, nor any typical arrangement of stars. I was spellbound. Well known for talking to my dog, I surprised myself by talking to the sky. "Who are you?" I asked, and "thank you for sharing your bright beauty."
Read moreRemember to keep air in your tires. This is a metaphor.
Just like car tires, we fare better with the unexpected when we've done steady maintenance – such as regularly checking our own inner resources, noticing when we need to top off with self-care, and employing our tools skillfully to cushion the inevitable bumps in the road.
Read moreEmbodied Gratitude
We know what gratitude feels like in the "body" of Sun & Moon. It feels like the promise of a fresh, warm breeze in spite of so much uncharted chilly territory. It feels like knowing that we still stand in humble service, with hands joined, ready to guide your next breaths.
Read moreIt's getting wobbly again out there
The only thing we're really ever required to do is pay attention. Notice the fullness of every moment – pleasurable and painful alike – and allow that awareness to feed steadiness, and steadiness to breed support. It may indeed be a windy winter, but together we can reinforce our shock absorbers, cushion ourselves in the presence of the buffeting winds of change.
Read moreIn Kind
Small or big, one-time or on-going, opportunities for kindness are everywhere. Smile when you walk by others, call a family member or friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, hold the door open for someone, pick up trash or litter when you see it, plant a tree, donate to a social justice organization, practice gratitude or volunteer.
Read moreThe Stretch of Dreams
If we consider wakeful dreams to be stretches of the imagination, or nighttime dreams as a chance for the sleep-state mind to stretch out into far reaches of fancy or aspiration, we can practice the "stretchy" aspect of yoga in the same way.
Read moreAre things hard or do they just seem hard?
Learning to be fully present with what's rising up in the tide of right now, we can allow the receding tide to carry away the stuff that seems hard but isn't really. And then when we're left with the truly difficult stuff, we're ready for it.
Read moreBreathing Through the Jitters
We are days away from the culmination of a presidential election that is likely the most historic of the century. Much like the uncertainty of our lives for the last seven months, we face the real possibility of going to sleep the evening of Nov. 3 with more questions than answers. It’s unsettling at best, and the emotional litany goes on from there.
Read moreBehind the Mask by Chrissy Boylan
Are masks inconsequential in my mind’s eye? Maybe. Or maybe my human ability to connect via eye contact and body language rises above. Someway, somehow the reality of wearing a mask fades into the background of my felt experience as soon as I begin moving, breathing and focusing.
Read moreMindfulness in the Mayhem
Craving a crowd? Or indulging your peak introverted self? The same events provoke as many responses as there are souls in the world...we hope you're finding what you need.
Read moreThe Saving Grace of Yoga for Healthy Aging with Rixie
I had just thrown my back out, but Rixie’s class was my saving grace. I allowed her wise asana choices to test my body and its movement again in a safe and purposeful way. I allowed Rixie’s kind and knowing manner to heal my broken spirit by showing me I can still move and be present in a community of others who might be injured, healing, or on a challenging body journey.
Read moreVocalized Deliciousness: Yoga with Jennifer Eubank
Somehow she seems to know exactly my problem areas and missing links, offering solutions with soothing calmness. “Mmm hmmm”: like the bite of a chocolate chip cookie just out of the oven.
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