Only a week later, my inner yoga teacher shows up again; she too, has gone on retreat. She reminds me of the definition of the word mindful, as used by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the originator of MBSR in the West. Mindfulness is about paying attention in a non-judgmental way. I can pay attention mindfully, I like to think. I have a much harder time paying attention without judgment. So my inner yoga teacher says: What if your discomfort isn’t something for you to analyze away? What if you don’t need to do anything about your discomfort? What if you just noticed it?
AUGUST 2024 WINGS OF MINDFULNESS: A DAY OF INSIGHT AND COMPASSION Next Sunday, August 11st with Erin Joosse with live...
The longer I teach and practice yoga, the gentler my teaching and practice become. I tell my yoga friends, “pretty soon we will just be doing Savasana for 90 minutes!” That might be an exaggeration, but for me (and for many teachers I know), there is a broader movement towards...
“When we truly rest in awareness, our experience is spacious and intimate, without defenses. With it arises compassion; we feel...
I stood at the front of the room, my breath a bit shallow, a little nervous to look at the...
Photo courtesy of Liz Gill Where can you pause? For me, it started in the fall. I had just dropped my kids off at school. I was walking out of the playground, and I had to stop. The clouds were spectacular that chilly fall morning – streaking across the sky...
I completed my first yoga teacher training in September, 2000, at Ghost Rach, New Mexico. This was an intensive training,...
When we first begin to meditate, we might notice that there is very little space inside our minds. It might...
April 2023 “This is one way of speaking about mindfulness, or being present: coming home to ourselves. When we bring our mind back to our body, we come home. We could consider this state as our true home. This home inside of us is a home no one can take...
November 2024 CARING FOR OURSELVES AND FOR EACH OTHER Well, it’s been quite a week. How are you caring for...
Normally, I’d be all about the homework. I am one of those people who’s ridiculously happy to be a lifelong student. I have 2 grad school degrees, for goodness’ sake. I miss taking classes besides yoga. But I have to admit that the MBSR homework is a struggle.
FINDING BALANCE AND STEADINESS Join our Fall Retreat with Erin Joosse October 19th-22nd (2 rooms remaining!)Whether you are a beginning yoga and meditation student or a long-time practitioner, there are things that can get in the way of a sense of steadiness and ease in our practice. In the Buddhist...