Nature as Your Sacred Yoga Studio – Happy Earth Day
What do I do when I’m homesick for the call of the wild? When my South African roots have me longing for the serenity of the savanna, instead of driving south to the airport, I head west to the Everglades. Within minutes of getting into a kayak, there’s this mushy thing that happens in my belly as my stomach muscles soften...
Yoga Myth Buster: “Yogis Are Always in a State of Bliss”
There’s this perception that yogis are in a perpetual place of peace. Constantly floating on a chakra-colored cloud of consciousness. For the true definition of "yogi", that is true. For the rest of us ...
Yoga Myth Busters : “Real Men Don’t Do Yoga”
If you’re a guy who won’t go near a yoga studio because you think it’s full of flexible, fit, slim, young women, that’s completely understandable. (Although I have male friends who would see that sentence as immediate motivation to rush to yoga quicker than you could say Om). For thousands of years, yoga was taught and practiced mostly by men, in...
Yoga Myth Busters : “I’m Not Flexible Enough To Do Yoga”
If I had received a secret yoga power for every time I’ve heard that statement, I’d be enlightened by now. As yoga teachers, we shake our heads in frustration when we hear it, because that’s as illogical as saying I’m too dirty to take a shower. It’s precisely because you’re inflexible that you need yoga. Can’t touch your toes? Perfect!...
Yoga Nidra and the Power of Intention
You’re in a Yoga Nidra class and you’re asked to set an intention . . . is your mind immediately paralyzed into a blank screen of zero inspiration? If you’re unable to conjure up, at the drop of an Om, a statement any more profound than, “I will remember my shoes when I leave yoga tonight”, all that’s needed is some...
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the new buzzword for an old tradition. It's been revamped, repackaged, rebranded and given an extra swipe of lipstick (or dash of aftershave) as we read about how celebrities, successful business execs, and most recently, Olympic athletes, are using the magic of mindfulness, as part of their daily routine. So, what is mindfulness, exactly? Mindfulness is the state we are in...
A Revolt Against The Revoltingness
"Philando Castile, I’m so sorry we all know your name today." I read this today, in an Elephant Journal post. I am sorry, too, and tremendously saddened. We can post memes and # tags and change our Facebook profile picture in some sort of statement of support, sympathy, hope. And that’s okay, but it leaves me feeling mostly hollow. The world has been a fairly...
Muy Bien — My Top Ten (Costa Rica) continued …
(Here's the first part of the Top Ten list in the previous post). 6. Pipa Fria Who needs Whole Foods, when you can pick up fresh coconut water at the numerous roadside fruit stands? Pull over immediately (smiling and pura vida-ing) and don’t be alarmed by the machete the fruit guy is holding. Watch, as within seconds, he hacks open an unripened,...
Muy Bien — My Top Ten (Costa Rica)
I tried to keep it to just Five Fab Reasons, I really did, but it was impossible. I couldn’t condense a week of immersing ourselves in the splendor of our Costa Rica yoga retreat, to just five little cameos. So, I opted for a Top Ten (out of a shortlist longlist of over thirty), and here they are, in no...
Be My Yoga Valentine
Valentine’s Day can conjure up feelings or thoughts that are far removed from the original intention of this day. Depending on your perspective, February 14 might create the same forced expectations of New Year’s Eve, where the pressure is on to have the most romantic, love-filled time with your sweetheart, and a non-stop flow of red emoji hearts and roses leaping...