Painful Insights

Hi Friends, I got to speak with an artist I much admire yesterday, and I learned of a system they adopted in their painting process a while ago - to paint every day, but only for 1 hour. They do this so as not to have the time to overthink & also, in the long run,...

Hi Friends, Of course, I’m a little biased here, but I really do believe that movement makes just about every aspect of life better. Maybe the most magical part is that physical movement not only positively affects the physical body, but tends to free up the mind just...

Hi Friends, With Q3 & 4th of July already next week, we find ourselves halfway through 2025! I have always wanted to be a bit more goal-oriented. My creative mind can always paint big, beautiful, detailed dreams, but then the path to get there seems unclear. So I...

Hi Friends, As we were out on the boat the other day, we saw the above image coming in the distance. Being several channels away from our launch, we needed to decide to fight, flee, freeze or just chill. Those of you who know me well know I love a good thunderstorm...

Hi Friends, Do you stay for savasana? I bet if you had a really cute dog weighing down your ankles, you would! But, dog or no dog, really, be honest! Especially in our home practice, it can be so tempting to skip the “lying around” & get back to our to-do list....

Hi Friends, Letting the wrap-up of tax season teach me rather than stress me. Here are a couple of thoughts it’s inspired: No. 1: Don’t procrastinate! It's always easier to keep on top of your checks & balances as they come & go, rather than to wrack your...

Hi Friends, The last heavy spring snow dump reminded me of some valuable life tools. 8ish inches of concrete-like snow needed to get off my car & down my 30ish foot driveway. Though I personally love shoveling, it’s no doubt hard on the body & hard on creaky...

Hi Friends, Grit has been a quality I've always deeply appreciated. I believe my own personal grit keeps me going in my life of chronic pain; and when I see grit in others, I admire their resiliency and commitment against the odds. I had a recent test of just how...

Hi Friends I’ve gotten so many comments on people loving my little dog, Valor, joining our weekly yoga classes! If any of you remember her first class appearance, it was a day she was feeling quite sick, and I had her with me to keep an eye on her - well, I think I...

So many yogis (myself included) put pressure on themselves to practice a full hour-plus long class, or they feel like it doesn’t “count.” They might also feel some sort of guilt if they cant fit this in multiple times per week. Not only from a time perspective, but...

Hi Friends, We breathe automatically all day & night without having to think about it. The autonomic nervous system has our back… or does it? When we are in a stress state, we take shorter, more constricted breaths- only utilizing part of the capacity of the...

Hi Friends, November (I don't remember the exact date) marks 12 years of teaching yoga “full time.” It's been a wonderful and wild ride since pretty much day one - if you’d like to hear the tale of how it all started, read on: I took my first yoga class as a college...

Hi Friends, We all know that momentum is great, but it’s not always reliable. In this rollercoaster of life, we will go through the ups & downs & corkscrews with varying levels of willingness to get back on the ride. And esp in times where the ride gets more...

Hi Friends, If I had a nickel for every student who’s apologized to me for falling asleep in savasana in one of my classes, I’d be rich! There’s no need to apologize - I think most yoga teachers would agree that someone falling asleep in class is actually quite the...

Hi Friends, I remember seeing the first "yoga people" in my life & thinking that they just looked so relaxed, like the weight of the world wasn't on their shoulders - and they all looked so tall! Then, once I started practicing, I realized how much emphasis was...