Blog
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Mindful Self-Care: Drops in a Bucket
When you get really busy and stressed, what is the first thing you drop from your schedule? I’m guessing that for most of us the answer is self-care. We can’t...
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Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated Twist): Lengthen Your Spine
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes) is one of yoga’s ancient poses. Named for the sage, Matsyendra, it is one of the relatively few yoga asanas in the Hatha...
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Simplified Supta Baddhakonasana for the Bendy
Supta Baddhakonasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) is most often practiced as a Restorative pose. In the ultimate restorative version, we use all the good stuff—Yoga Blocks, a Standard Yoga Bolster...
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Sphinx Pose: An Antidote to Shoulder Slump
As a culture, we desperately need backbends. I’ve been teaching yoga since 1986. As such, I’m in the habit of noticing human posture. I can’t help but notice how many...
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Virasana: Hero’s Pose
Hanuman, the monkey god, is one of yoga mythology’s most celebrated characters. His story is prominent in the Ramanayana, and he also plays a brief role in the Bhagavad Gita....
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Find Peace in Less-than-Perfect Conditions
I have the good fortune to teach a mindfulness class each summer at Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden. The area where we practice is situated next to a pond...
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Slowing Down: The Power of Pausing
Slowing the pace of our lives transforms the mundane into the transcendent. It teaches us how much there is to appreciate in simplicity. Years ago I took a vacation to...
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Hone Your Yoga Teaching Language
A few years ago, a yoga student from 30 years ago returned to class. He told me he was finally ready to practice again after a very long hiatus. His...
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Yoga 101: Defining Yoga
What is yoga? Good question. And you’re not likely to get a concrete answer. When a philosophy has been around as long as yoga has, perhaps 5,000 to 6,000 years...
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Beginner’s Mind: Humility in Yoga Practice
If I had to pick just one quality that separates a good yoga teacher from a great one, it would be humility. Of course there are other important qualities too:...
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Parvrtta Ustrasana: Revolved Camel Pose
Revolved Camel Pose shares many of the same benefits as traditional Camel Pose, and then some. The backbend mobilizes your lumbar spine, and the twisting aspect mobilizes your thoracic spine....
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Peak Pose: Hasta Padangusthasana
Decades ago, a student came to my class wanting to learn how to practice Padmasana (Lotus Pose). At the time, I had long since ditched my class plans, realizing that...
