I am so happy you are here! The list of benefits from a regular yoga practice is indeed long, and a few of these benefits are particularly important for runners, including: • Increased flexibility • Increased muscle strength • Improved respiration, energy and vitality • Greater protection from injury • Improved mental acuity and concentration …
The case for pain
As humans, we instinctively turn away from pain. Yet, great thinkers guide us to move toward pain as the shortest route for curing what ails us. Pain is the messenger that directs us towards a pain-free life. Yet, we are hard-wired to turn away from pain. Physically, we take pills and see docs who give …
Checking in
For the past month or so, I've been hosting a weekly yoga class. My intention was to gain teaching experience while helping my friends better cope with the challenges of the difficult times that we're living in. I've realized that the real value of the weekly sessions are to connect and check-in. While I usually …
The eye of the hurricane
I've heard times of great difficulty expressed this way - to find stillness in the eye of the hurricane - and it has never been more challenging in my lifetime. CBS This Morning interviewed Bishop T.D. Jakes and he described it as a trifecta of crises that the country is dealing with - economic, physiological, …
Starting with OM
OM. That's right, OM. I started with OM. Despite the fact that I have a blog called Start with OM, it is very rare that I actually start with OM. A centering technique to remind me to be here now. Irony. I am starting with OM. This time. This is my practice, and this is …
Progress may be a stretch
I am a firm believer in habits, good or bad... they work. So, if we get to choose good habits and choose bad habits, we should do so carefully. This was the theme of my January. I kicked the month of strong - Aiming to meditate just 10 minutes each day. Up to this point, …
12 Habits
The focus of the closing session at most retreats that I've attended is how to bring what we have learned and discussed into everyday life. This is often the challenge - not the lack of brilliance or discovery in these sessions but rather the discipline to put the lessons into practice. Each year, I try …
adventures with headstand
Full disclosure right upfront - I am terrible at headstand. Yet I love it. It's an issue for me as a yoga teacher but there it is. The issue is I can't really teach it since I nearly always use a wall as a prop and flail my legs because I can get some serious …
messengers
In yoga class, we often talk about "messengers." Aches and pains in the body that provide information and call to us - or even scream at us - to pay attention to alleviate the suffering or address a small issue before it becomes a bigger issue. It's also called "tuning in." But it extends beyond …
race report: Yeti 100
Not only did I (finally!) finish a 100-miler, I fell in love with a race. Falling in love can't be entered into lightly, which is why it took me more than 300k steps to decide that this was really it - the real thing. Is there such a thing as a "perfect race"?? Especially one …
September: Uptight
If I had to pick one word for the city that I live in, it would be uptight. Yet this isn't my word, I met an elderly man from India (guru/wise sage?) outside of a coffee shop a few weeks ago and this was his assessment. He had only been living in my city for …
