What is an Intention?

My friend Tami came down to Pavones Yoga Center for the Words To Live By poetry and mindfulness retreat. We were discussing… Read more What is an Intention?

Jungle Wisdom Cards: The Origin Story

When I studied group dynamics and interpersonal relationships, I discovered that a certain percentage of people will feel anxious when… Read more Jungle Wisdom Cards: The Origin Story

Remember Your First?

What do you remember about your first time? I asked Jeff, a recent graduate of the 200-hour yoga teacher training at PYC, to share this insanely funny story he told us about his first time. He had us all rolling on the floor laughing. It began something like this…His name was Nigel. My first impression of Nigel was that he was strange! A tall man with the long yogic beard, a turban on top his head and a penchant for not wearing much clothing. …

Pre-Transformation Yoga Nerves Q & A

I recently received a delicious email. I loved the questions it posed so very much, and found it so insightful, that… Read more Pre-Transformation Yoga Nerves Q & A

Victory: A Standing Rock Interview

Today is a day of celebration, a day to lean into joy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it would not be granting an easement under Lake Oahe for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross the Missouri River, just a half mile upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation.

Last week I checked in with Rachel Irwin, who was at the front lines of the Standing Rock protest. I asked her a few questions for a peek into what the experience was like.

Friendliness Meditation

In last month’s newsletter I talked about a mindfulness practice I’ve taken up as a result of a photograph that caught… Read more Friendliness Meditation

A Bone of Contention: A Phrase In The Running For Worst Yoga Cue Ever

Bone isn’t going to give.

This anatomical truth, unlike Donald Trump’s stance on pretty much everything, is not going to change. So my heart breaks a little bit when students who have been practicing for years, decades even, some of them past dancers and gymnasts with thousands of hours of flexibility and strength training, approach me after class to ask what they can do to get their shins parallel in pigeon pose….

Stop That Cue! Three Verbal Cues In Yoga That Drive Me Bananas

This cue was all the rage in the late 90s, and I fear it is coming back into fashion, as I’ve heard it a lot recently. Admittedly, I did a lot of micro-bending in my 20s. So much so that, by 30, my knees ached regularly; they hurt just standing in line at the grocery store, in tadasana, mountain pose. It took a great deal of conscious effort and a strong yoga practice to unwind unhealthy muscle memory and create …

Self Portrait by David Whyte

Although I came across “The Invitation” prior to discovering this gem by David Whyte, I believe David Whyte’s precedes Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s. Jane and I have had long and delicious conversations about the way authors and poets draw inspiration from….

What is itching to emerge?

Does anyone love the mosquito?
Probably not. But nonetheless, mosquito offers jungle insight.