Show of hands: how many of us think of the ego as a "bad thing"-- something we should be trying to get rid of? 🙋🏼‍♀️ It's not uncommon...

In my last post, we took a look at what we’re actually trying to accomplish when we sit down to meditate. TLDR (too long, didn’t read?):...

Have you ever met a new person and felt an immediate sense of unease or distrust– something about them just doesn’t feel “right”? They...

One thing that we don’t speak about in the movement/wellness/healing arts world is resentment. It feels a little weird to even type that...

A few weeks ago, I was on my way to get a massage and reflecting on the fifteen years I have had with my massage therapist (if you’re in Martin County, Florida, Beverly is where it’s at). Not only is she experienced, professional, and intuitive, but I also feel such an incredible amount of trust and love in our relationship– it’s a rare and wonderful thing. Throughout my career as a coach, yoga student, teacher, and studio owner, I’ve known a lot of wellness professionals. Ma

Last week, one of my clients was telling me about her past experience with a yoga teacher. “She was young, thin, her body could do everything, and she was just trying to push my body into different positions, like, ‘can’t you just do this,’ and it wasn’t working at all…” In that moment, not only was my client unable to do what her teacher was asking, she was also being treated as though she should easily be able to do it– leaving her feeling as though there was something wron

It’s Not Exercise, It’s Not a Workout, It’s Training (here’s why) When I talk about the kind of work that I do, or how I move my body, you might notice that I never refer to my “workouts” or “exercise.” This is a deliberate choice that speaks to the kind of work that I do and the ways in which we can disrupt what Decolonizing Fitness calls “toxic fitness culture.” Let’s take a look. Etymology of “Workout:” First, it might be helpful to look at the origin of these terms. The t

body neutrality picks up where positivity falls short. When I was a freshly-minted new yoga teacher, I had one goal with my students: to...

let's talk about yoga alignment Have you been told that there is a right way and a wrong way to do a pose? Maybe you were taught one “proper alignment” or principles that should apply to all bodies. Like so many yoga folks, I used to think that there were rules about how yoga should look– but I couldn’t make my body conform to them. Learning to let go of yoga alignment rules set me free to really enjoy my yoga practice, and to help others to do the same. Okay, journey back wi

As I’m writing this, my dogs are barking fiercely: the lawn maintenance company is trimming some hedges around the house, and as the workers move past each window, it is FULL RED ALERT CRISIS TIME. You couldn’t have a conversation in here if you tried. This ability to perceive danger or threat is called neuroception. When something feels dangerous or wrong, my dogs react. Their senses heighten, their posture stiffens, and they’re ready for fight or flight. The hair on their b

In my last post, I mentioned that trauma was a particularly tricky word to define. According to the US Veteran’s Administration, 7-8% of...

as practitioners, we can empower folks to experience their own strength (rather than fear their fragility) If you've taken a yoga class over the past decade, you've probably heard some of the following cues: a"Never let your knee travel further than your ankle-- you want to protect your knee." "Brace your abdominals to protect your back." "Never roll up to stand from a forward fold, or you'll cause damage to your spine." "Don't place your foot on your knee in Tree Pose or you

This week’s blog is inspired by an Instagram post by one of my favorite gyms-that-I’ve-never-been-to, 13th Flow in Chicago. I’m not sure how I had the luck to find and start following them a few years ago, but their consistent messages of positive empowerment are a bright spot of inspiration in my feed. Let me give you an example of their verbiage: their “About” page on their website says, ” Success isn’t built on shame and guilt, but on self-worth and pride in what you’re do

Imagine you are a prospective yoga student. Looking at class schedules online, you see a lot of “vinyasa” yoga, and you wonder what it is....

One of the most challenging things about being a yoga teacher is teaching the dreaded “mixed-level class.” It might look like this– In...