Sankalpa – The Joyful Art of Manifestation
The New Year is a time when we dream about changes we want for ourselves. New Years resolutions are framed in terms of what we want to do in the coming year… or perhaps what we don’t want to do!…
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Vairocana & the Spine in Yoga Practice – Buddha Posture
I’m in Japan this month! Maybe because I’ve been sitting so much traveling by plane/train/automobile, I’ve been contemplating spinal posture a lot! Patanjali’s Sutras and Buddhism on Seated Posture Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras barely discuss asana (the pose aspect of yogic…
Inversions in Yoga – Giving Ourselves an Amazing New Perspective
Because of the way images are refracted by lenses in our eyes, the world is literally turned upside down when projected onto the image sensors in the back of eyeballs. Our brains learn early on to understand how to process…
Exploring the Spaces Between in Yoga
Eknath Easwaran recommended learning to slow down the pace of thoughts enough that we could see there was space between them. This ability to perceive the moments of non-thought between our thoughts is important for understanding our true nature…. we…
Pratyahara & Boundary Awareness
Pratyahara translates to “withdrawal” in Sanskrit. In Yoga, it is the 5th limb of the Ashtanga (8 limbs) practice. It is the redirection of senses (which we normally use for perceiving the outside world) inward. Part of the Yogic practice…
Role of Pada Bandha to Root to Rise in Yoga
What does it mean to “root to rise” to you? I was talking to a friend today and the first thing she associated with the phrase is that ubiquitous cue we hear when teachers bring students back up to standing…
Yoga Pose of the Month: Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise, or Svarga Dvidasana (Sanskrit for paradise, twice-born pose), is a yoga pose that is so rich in yoga concepts that I’ve dedicated the entire month of February to exploring it in my studio classes. Individual classes will…
Going Beyond Cameras On or Off: A Nuance to Consider with Zoom Instruction
A common tension between instructor and student in the world of synchronous online learning is whether or not student cameras will be on or off during class. Students may want to hide themselves for many potential reasons, such as: embarrassment…
Minimizing Threats: Trauma Aware Yoga Instruction & Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is an educational framework that, among other things, makes powerful learning outcomes available to all students. I try to apply UDL principles to the teaching of yoga and discovered an intersection between UDL and…
Equity in Yoga: Accessibility & Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design is an architectural concept with the goal of equitable access to spaces for all. Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, extends this goal to education. This past year in quarantine, I tried applying UDL principles to the teaching…