What did you learn about your bones in last week's post? A whole bunch? Not so much? Or maybe it wasn't your bones that caught your attention, but your response to palpating them (or just the idea of it)... We need touch Touch is right up there with shelter and community in the roster of […]
Want to know a little something about yourself? You. have. 208 bones! Well... maybe. It's a possibility. It's even a probability. But without some full body x-rays, I can't say for sure. Because even though we human beings are pretty similar person to person, we're never exactly the same. And this is true to […]
Rituals ground us. Once something is routine, it takes less mental effort. The ritual gets completed more or less through its own momentum. Routines and rituals are awesome! Unless, of course, you've got a crappy routine. One that gets in the way of how you want to feel, what you want to do, how you […]
For many of us, the morning routine has the least variability of all our daily habits. Because of this, you may have found it tough to stop and notice how you feel; it's just so darn "every day"! I hope you did notice a thing or two, because now we're gonna talk about what to do […]
When I teach a yoga class, I try to let a little food for thought filter in through the steps and breaths. Some days, the most magical phrases tumble out. The eloquence of what I've just said astonishes me. Did I really just say something that I'm willing to pretend sounded smart and useful? How did that happen? I'm especially […]
You're practicing observing your thoughts. Maybe you're recognizing the power of thinking. But how exactly do thoughts lead to action? Remember Newton and the roughly equal force (F) of sudden (high a) vs. daily (high m) thoughts? Well, if fundamental physics got us to the idea of the thoughts having power (F), it was the algebra that helped us understand the different ways thoughts […]
There's a powerful force in your life. Your thoughts. (Missed my email on how to start observing your thoughts? View it here and then sign up below to catch the next one!) If your thoughts create palpable force, then perhaps we can draw in a little help from our old pal Newton to understand how thinking works... I […]
Have you ever started to observe your gait and got lost in the rhythm of your stride? I love that a simple walk can lead to meditative focus in the mind. Mind you, it's not my entry point for meditation, because rather than being lulled into focus, I spend every second analyzing the myriad details of […]
Last week, I guided my email subscribers to spend the week observing their breath. (Want in? Sign up below!) Why would you want to spend time observing your breath? Because there's strong evidence linking breath quality to physical, mental, and emotional health. And then there's my own experience. Being "in charge" of my breath has changed. my. life. If you're new to observing […]
Asana means "seat" and in contemporary yoga we use the term to refer to the posture, carriage, or shape of the body. So, for example, "trikonasana" is a form in which the leg stance create a triangle shape. The objective of asana has varied over time. In the Classical period, during which we believe the […]
There's a premise in ISHTA Yoga (and I think all yoga) that the objective of daily practice of yoga is to experience undifferentiated or universal consciousness. But what does that even mean? I don't know. I'm investigating. Yoga is also defined as the "stilling of the fluctuations of the mind." Quieting the chatter of thoughts. […]
What is yoga? Is it an experience? Is it a mystical explanation for (the origin of) existence? Is it a collection of practices that help individuals make sense --cognitively or physiologically-- of their humanity (as it is inextricably intertwined with the universe)? Every six months or so, I realize that I'm not really sure I […]