A Student Finally Found Me Out
I teach meditation classes. I don’t call it meditation, because we are moving around, standing up, standing on our heads, and breathing a ton. But we are meditating. I thought […]
My First Mindful Decade
I think I just lived my first mindful decade ever. In reflecting on my last ten years, I’ve experienced more life than ever before. My memories are vivid and numerous. […]
You Can’t Teach Both Alignment and Accessible Yoga
Every yoga class I teach is an accessible one. My students will never be subjected to my preconceived notions about what is correct. Tias Little calls his practice a ‘styleless-style,’ […]
Yom Kippur Yoga (when you’re standing all day)
“Yes, one time my daughter passed out.” I was talking with a client about Yom Kippur and asked her if her family has ever had physical challenges during the service. […]
Summer of Left
I am right-hand dominant. I catch myself thinking down the right side of my body. My right is more sensate, stronger, and more skilled with fine-tuned movements. As yogis and […]
Can you be too blissed? In a car, yes.
I started practicing yoga in 2003, with my heart set on figuring out what bliss felt like. Bliss is one translation of samadhi, the last limb listed in the Yoga […]
In Praise of Yawning
(Based on the lecture portion of my sleep workshop “Snoozefest: How to Practice Yoga for a Good Night’s Sleep”) Yawns are the best. Virtually all vertebrates do it, with humans […]
Straight (and Curved) Lines to Trust and Beginner’s Mind
I am learning how to draw because I want to become a better visual communicator when I teach workshops. I’ve been drawing for about seven weeks now, and I’ve noticed […]
Sparks light, but coals heat: Cultivating Resolve
(Originally published in 2015: Check out the app here) The first thing I’ll admit to in this article: It’s about me, working on an app called Onward Facing Yoga. The […]
Yoga on Lockdown: Teaching Students During an Active Shooter Emergency
I’m not sure how long I’ll teach yoga—it could be two months or 30 years—but I’m sure the class I taught in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, on Saturday, October 27 will be […]
Do You Have a “Triage Yoga” Routine?
In catastrophes and medical emergencies, caregivers rely on a process called triage. Stemming from the early 1800’s, triage is a method of prioritizing the care of many people based on […]
“People aren’t broken. It’s our society:” An interview with Felicia Savage Friedman
I rolled out my mat and gathered yoga props for Felicia Savage Friedman’s class at the Kingsley Association Center, a community organization in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. The class operates with […]
Being a Big Baby
Why is it a good idea to let babies play with blocks? It’s a mostly neurological one. Stacking blocks, creating new shapes, seeing how gravity works; this all adds variety […]
“Acknowledgements” from the Frameworks 300 manual
Too often I had assumed that others knew the intensity of my appreciation for them, only to discover otherwise. —Marshall Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication My journey as a yoga teacher was […]
Life Half-Dead: A Valentine’s Day Post
I turned 40 last year. Even if I’m lucky and try to keep myself in good health, I’m halfway done. This Valentine’s Day post begins with the Pali Canon, the […]
Teach Yoga Effectively; Avoid these Seven Phrases in Class
As yoga teachers, we want to make the practice as clear as we can. But there are several common ways of speaking in a yoga class that make the instructions […]
