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With Movement, It’s Matter Over Mind
If exercise is so good for us, why haven’t we evolved to want it? Study after study confirms the benefits of all types of exercise. Until a couple hundred years ago, humans walked, hunted and gathered. These tasks, while essential to survival, have also kept our bodies healthy. However, evolution has favored the efficient use […]
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Enjoy the Nonsense
The first memory I have of a mystery has to do with traffic lights. I was in the car a fair amount, usually buckled up in the front seat (Gen-Xers didn’t need car seats apparently). Whenever we were stopped at an intersection, I stared at the light because, to my mind, it didn’t always act […]
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Be Special to Just Somebody
The need to be special is ruining people. A 2016 study found a disturbing correlation: The more people wish to be perceived as unique, the more likely they are to believe conspiracy theories. This mindset is not based on where they are on political or ideological spectrums. More importantly, it has nothing to do with […]
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The Beauty of Limits
A 2012 study on muscle loss concluded that we lose 3-8% of our muscle mass every decade after 30. So when I turned 40 I added HIIT routines and working with weights into my life. As far as a potential midlife crisis goes, working out to maintain muscle mass is pretty sensible and cost-effective. But […]
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You Can Overdo Literally Anything (How to not Burn Out)
It’s January, the time of year when many people throw themselves full force into a new routine, only to burn out on it by Valentine’s Day. This doesn’t just happen over the new year; we’ve all been so excited with something that we overdo it. Two weeks later we’re over it. Why is this? We […]
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On Soles and Souls: A Running Parable
To figure out if a running shoe works for me, I have one criterion: When my foot lands, I should be able to feel the ground, not the shoe. This feels better, as my feet can react to the slope and traction of the terrain. I’m in communion with the path I’m on. Severely padded […]
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Sympathy for the Unembodied
When I first encountered yoga in 2003, I took as many classes as I could. The movement, the people and the challenge got me hooked. I distinctly remember being confused by any cue that referenced my thighs or hips. The reason is shocking to me now: I didn’t understand the difference between the two. ‘Thigh’ […]
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I Don’t Even Want a Yoga Body
Several years ago, a violinist reached out to me for sessions. They were having headaches and chronic pain in their neck and left shoulder, which threatened to affect their symphony performances. We worked through several myofascial release practices and upper body stretches. A supine breathing practice further relaxed their left shoulder. They felt much better, […]
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2020 Wrecked My Attention Span. Here’s How I Got it Back.
The last public class I taught in 2020 was on March 13, and I spent the remainder of the year producing a yoga video series in my home. The three videos I produced each week were released the following Friday. I knew something was off with my memory when I received questions and feedback from […]
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Vaccination Yoga: What I Practiced Before and After my Covid Shot
It was 4:30pm, and my wife and I were wrapping up our volunteer work with Allegheny County’s vaccine program. We had helped about 330 people receive their first Moderna shot, and we were anxious to hear if there were any leftover doses, since volunteers would be eligible for them. There were; we gratefully received them. […]
Richard Gartner | Frameworks Yoga 