I taught 3 classes in a row where someone cried at the end. What a gift and inspiration!!! You see yoga is a practice of becoming more human and alive, and tears are a sacred and important part of what it means to be fully human. FAR from the cultural conditioning that says waterworks are weakness and … Continue reading Crying Our Way to Life
Parts of me are scared, nervous, and frustrated ... and it's fantastic! You see, partially by choice, and partially not, my occupational energies are shifting to destinations unknown along paths previously untraveled. Honestly, it's scary, thrilling, and paralyzing. Satya, the yogic practice of truthfulness, invites us to lovingly be honest with and about ourselves, and … Continue reading Don’t Fake It Until You Make It, Face It Until You Embrace It!
The other day, while Lisa was sharing with me her frustration over the baked bean dish she'd made not being ready in time for the party with friends she made it for, I kept reassuring her everything was okay, she'd done the best she could, and she didn't need to be upset. Maybe the third … Continue reading Feeling Freedom, A Gift of Living Yoga
Do you ever have a thought or impulse that's inappropriate, uncomfortable, or "bad"? I know I do! The other day, one thought bubble led to another, and before I knew it, I was shocked and dismayed by the notion my mind had centered on. Before my inner shame police got too far into reading me … Continue reading Meditation on the Importance of Loving Our Messy Emotions
Our stories contain endless depths to explore and lessons to learn. For instance, I just realized a powerful new life lesson from two of the worst moments in my life. I distinctly remember sitting on a plane 13 years ago and experiencing by far the worst turbulence I’ve ever felt (and I’ve flown several hundred … Continue reading The Gift of Grief (aka “Good Grief”): Let’s Talk About Death Part 3
Changes, departures, leavings, and endings can be hard. For years, I was not only a faithful attender at a local church, I was on the leadership team, aspired to be a paid pastor there, and became close with the other team members. Then, after a good deal of inner wrestling and tender conversations, I knew … Continue reading Fierce Softness
In yoga we generally end our practice with Namaste, meaning "the Divine in me sees and honors the Divine in you." This sweet, yet radical reminder mirrors my Christian tradition in that Namaste declares EACH of us has divine beauty, eliminates the borders between and within us, proclaims everyone essentially and fundamentally precious and good, and eliminates any … Continue reading Meditation on Breathe and Be to Connect to Big Bliss
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. … Continue reading Christmas Reveals Beauty/Heaven/Divinity Shine IN the Messy Realness and Complexity of Life: Grace Comes IN Our Darkest Hours
To be perfectly honest, I don’t know for sure if my toe is truly broken … though it probably is. 🙂 You see, nearly two weeks ago I came home from teaching yoga and set my backpack on a barstool to unload a few things, like I always do. Per the norm, I then grabbed … Continue reading Giving Thanks for My Broken Toe: Being Swept Up in the Ocean of Good
I’m a dyed in the wool optimist (BTW, where exactly does that saying come from?). While I’ve generally loved this character trait about myself, it’s irritated some people, often rightly so. What I mean by that is I prefer my positivity to be undiluted by pain, sorrow, hurt, grief, and the like. In short, I … Continue reading Knowing and Embracing Your Deadly Sin is a Key for Becoming Fully Alive
Grace and Peace Yoga 