Every yoga practice must have purpose, order and meaning
Of all the traditional yogic texts, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is my all-time favorite. It gets often mentioned in the yoga world in connection with yamas, niyamas, and the eight limbs[…]
Many years ago, a student of mine shared his jury duty experience in a complicated court case. After taking part in a jury discussion of the evidence presented, he was[…]
Do you like to control your environment and organize your life just so? Or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants and dive into new things[…]
Happy New Year! Have you made any New Year’s resolutions this year? Time and time again, I see students start a new year on an optimistic note with a clear[…]
Happy New Year! Last year has come and gone, and we are off on a new journey! Thank you for reading our posts and for sharing your feedback; it helps us[…]
When I was first introduced to the polyvagal theory, my self-image was that I spent a lot of time in the ventral vagal (safe, connected, responsive) state. Yet I judged[…]
Shame protects vulnerability, a small voice of despair and hopelessness. Thirty years ago, I witnessed my loved one’s suffering and death. As a medical power of attorney, I was responsible.[…]
Clients come to us seeking a regulating presence. We need to be regulated to support our clients in returning to balance. Yet all of us get dysregulated. The tone of[…]
As a yoga therapist, learning to listen to my nervous system’s signals for regulation, safety and cues of danger has been invaluable in being present with a client. This post[…]
Your body consists of about 37 trillion cells; each of those cells knows exactly what to do to keep you alive and healthy. Together they perform an unquantifiable number of[…]
Robert M. Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University, has been escaping to the Serengeti in Africa to study baboons in their natural habitat for over two[…]
Did you know that a horse’s heart is 17 times larger than an average human heart? If you stand next to a horse, your hearts would be on the same[…]
“Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.”– wrote William Shakespeare. We expect a lot from our metaphorical hearts. We want them to know[…]
Working with people who have experienced trauma is some of the most difficult and humbling work that we might take on as yoga therapists or yoga teachers trained in yoga[…]
The ability to hold the space for clients who have experienced trauma requires the ability to take care of yourself and continue to refine your understanding of suffering and how[…]
Our connection with other human beings is essential to our health and happiness. Traumatic experiences can disrupt that interconnectedness, creating grief and isolation. Often clients are sitting with their story[…]
The doorway into yoga for so many westerners is asana. In my last blog, I talked about the role of asana in working with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Asana[…]
A painting is often a complex combination of the totality of it and the independent parts of it that come together to form the work of art. So, too, is[…]
Human suffering is universal, but everyone’s experience of suffering is unique, even for those who have been through the same traumatic event. Our role as Yoga Therapists and yoga teachers[…]
Time and time again, I find that Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras offer invaluable insight into every subject I’m exploring at any given moment. Last time we talked about the nervous system[…]
