22nd March 2024
Fox and a Cat
Yoga practice is never a straight line. That's part of what makes it interesting, the surprises and challenges bring discovery and transformation. But, at other times, when we push our limits, we feel confused, scared, overwhelmed, or even angry. These can be the unseen reasons why people give up yoga and find something that is more user friendly, something that asks less of us, in mind and body.
15th March 2024
Coming Home
Sometimes I marvel at how things change and other times how they stay the same. A long-term yoga student has been having a crisis at home because her beloved has cancer. Due to her job and struggles at home, she hasn't been as present in class as she was in the past. A few weeks ago, she gave herself the gift of participating in a weekend workshop we offered at our yoga center.
8th March 2024
Safe Spaces
This week the issue of safety came up in yoga class and it got me thinking about yoga spaces virtual and in-person.
In Iyengar yoga, we strive to practice in a way that is safe and suitable for each person, regardless of their age, background, or ability. The use of yoga props and variations of classic asanas “democratizes” practice, making it accessible to everyone.
1st March 2024
The Stiff Stuff
A stiff body affects all of us at some point whether we practice yoga or not. It can be from age, weather, hormones, or post injury or illness, stiffness can effect our lives, making it hard to do the things we want and need to do.
23rd February 2024
Avoidance
Last week, yoga student said to me, “it's hard to be weak, Elizabeth.” He has been dealing with tremendous and varied pain in his body, some understandable (back pain from sitting at a desk too long) and some not so understandable (soreness around his ribs, shooting pain in arms and legs). He is consulting doctors to find out what could be the source of his problems and, in the meantime, searching for relief from the pain and to improvement in his energy.
16th February 2024
Unexpected Storms
Sometimes I'm struck by how life rarely turns out how we think it will. At the end of last year, I was sick with a virus that sat in my throat, causing constant coughing and the near loss of my voice. It was an anomaly because I've never been sick with flu in the winter, instead in the spring when the weather fluctuates. When I finally recovered in the new year, I got back to life and building up my yoga practice. Then, like an unexpected storm, a new virus hit again.
5th February 2024
Off the Wagon
I've been hearing the same thing from different people. They're having a hard time practicing yoga for themselves – yet again! They had a home practice, 10-20 minutes daily, they did a few asanas which helped them feel stronger, flexible, and calm and then either they got an injury, illness, or a life event happened that threw them off their routine. The longer the break from their yoga practice lasted, the harder it was to get back into it and even to make it to yoga class.
18th January 2024
Broken Record
It's only the middle of January and the push/pull has begun. The push of the outer world, calling us to be engaged in meaningful work and the pull of the inner world, calling us to pursue activities that nourish our peace of mind.
12th January 2024
Shedding Skin
I've had a slow start to the new year, which is something new for me. In the past, I taught on and around the holidays. Being a self-employed yoga teacher since age 25, it's ingrained in me to work whenever I can. So, when other people are off from work, it's normal to offer yoga classes and workshops. Teaching on quiet days brings a special energy and focus for yoga.