On getting it moving. Your practice is a speed train. That train has come to a stop. This is good. You don’t want to jump on a barreling train – i.e., do a practice of the same duration and intensity as before. You built your mind, musculature and nerves up to that. Before. Your system […]
Lisa Kaufman died this week, peacefully in her sleep. She had turned 53 on August 9th. The medical report found no cause. She was in extraordinarily good health. Her heart stopped. She leaves so many of us who have been connected with her, most notably her husband, and sons ages 13 and 16. But a […]
My first job as a teacher is to establish, and hold, safe space. I am practiced in fostering the boundaries, rapport and accountability that enable a sense of bodily safety to emerge. However, I have not realized until today that a safety skillset is needed in our community now in a different way. We as […]
Some thoughts here about freedom. Freedom from inner hangups, and freedom to do what we really mean to do in the world. For me, this has to do with asking hard questions of myself. Questions that put me in vulnerable positions. Here are two of my questions for the first two limbs of yoga. Am […]
Taking home retreat is a very good thing. It’s also pretty radical. I do a lot of 4-6 hour home retreats, and see this practice as the foundation of my equanimity in the teaching practice. If this is your first home retreat, start with a half day. If that goes well, you might get in to […]
You taught yourself to wake up for yoga. And how to wake up for yoga again. Maybe the nervous system needed a month or so to repattern. And maybe, by now, your body has forgotten what it felt like when that was really hard. Now that you can be wired in the morning, is it […]
Greetings from the ayurveda ashram in Tamil Nadu. It’s a jungle out there, as expected, but I haven’t seen it. What is visible is the rise of a massive half-dome formation in the haze – a rock-mountain of captivating severity – and the outbuildings of the Happy Valley Business School beyond the ashram’s gardens. Feline […]
What is honest practice? What is the relationship of strong method and insight that goes beyond technique? Is it even possible to stay devoted to a practice for many years without a break? These questions have been floating around. We will take the mental conditions they create (like curiosity, and doubt, and faith) and […]
When you do your pilgrimage it’s not easy. Nothing will disturb you. Your aim is to see God. If it becomes easy it is not a pilgrimage. -Sharath Jois, January 2014 There are structures of experience so deep that it’s sort of wrong to talk about them. Wrong or ridiculous. Taboo either way. Let’s see […]
This post is a response to questions from AY:A2 practitioners who are leaving Ann Arbor for the holidays in 2013. Anyone else is welcome to make use of it, with the caveat that the content is inspired by students I work with directly in this particular place and time. 1. Boundaries help. Create a tight […]