and can we breathe well in that shape? Many of us learned how to hold our bodies from family or authority figures at a young age. "Pull your shoulders back!" "Don't slouch!," we were told. And so, we learned to stand, and sit, with our ribcage forward, and our shoulders "back." In the gym, we might sometimes hear "proud chest" as a cue not to slouch forward. We tend to think of this as "standing up straight," or having "good posture." But if we take a look at this image of a

Why do we meditate? Or, if we don’t, why do we think we should meditate? For many folks, the goal is to be more mindful. We want to enjoy...

A few weeks ago, over the holidays, I was in line at a Starbucks when the mother of one of the employees came into the store to surprise...

If you’re someone who works with anxiety, you already know how overwhelming it can be. This is especially true for folks with a history...

In 1987, Dr. Francine Shapiro went for a walk. As she walked, she noticed that her eyes were moving from side to side, and that some...

to your movement/wellness professional (yoga teacher, personal trainer, coach, etc.) I wrote this post the other day after a few sessions...

here’s what to do. Isometric contractions are a popular (and powerful) choice for mobility & strength work. They’re incredibly useful as...

and how can we work with it in the body? Have you ever found yourself feeling really jumpy, or on edge– for days, or weeks at a time? For...

(There are definitely more, but 6 is a nice number to start with!) Endorphins. Movement releases “feel-good” hormones like seratonin,...

Mindfulness gained popularity in the past few decades as a secular way to experience the benefits of meditation. It’s become so common as...

One of the things that brings me joy, that makes me feel alive, powerful, and free, is physical training. I love to sweat, to move, to...

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...

It seems like trauma is trending lately– we hear more about it in mainstream news, and it feels as though there’s much less stigma around...

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

For some of us, learning that it’s okay to fail is a life skill that pays off big. In a recent Fighting Monkey workshop with the...

When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will exercise his mind with suffering, subject his sinews and bones...

Have you ever finished a long day of work sitting at a desk, and felt like you were too tired to move- even though you barely moved your...