Blog

Yoga for Mind and Mood

Yoga postures have many physical benefits. Students report these benefits regularly (I never tire of hearing it, btw). Yoga is also a wonderful antidote to the forward leaning posture so many adopt from working or playing at their computers, driving, reading, using their phones. It counters the effects of repetitive motion activities, strengthens intrinsic musculature, cultivates flexibility and teaches you to...

My take on the 5 Main Types of Yoga

Ever been asked what style of yoga you practice and found yourself at a loss for words?  I get it.  It IS complicated. There are so many styles, many to which teachers attach their names and ways Sanskrit terms have been co-opted in our modern world to mean something different from their original intent. There is also overlap in the styles.  In IOY...

Traumatized by . . . a SQUIRREL!

It’s 4am. I’m awakened by a scritch, scritch, scritch sound on my bedroom window screen. I look up to see the silhouette of a squirrel against the window shade. I say this little silent prayer, “Please God, let that squirrel be on the outside of my window and not the inside”. I decide, in my petrified state, that the best...

Weathering the Summer Heat, Yoga Style

We've been relatively lucky here in the Pacific Northwest, compared to the rest of the United States, with respect to scorching heat. The fact remains though, that those of us who are in the northern hemisphere are in Pitta season. Ayurveda asserts that just as the doshas(Kapha, Pitta, Vata) of our bodies align with the 5 elements(earth, water, fire, air, ether)...

Reflections on Resilience and Reopening

Finding the resilience to resume regular life When Governor Inslee announced King County's entry into Phase 2 of the Safe Start Plan, which included yoga studios opening at 30% capacity, I felt immediate pressure to open the studio for classes asap! After all, I had spent weeks preparing for this day . . . cleaning props and the studio environment, and developing protocols for a safe class experience. Yet...

What comes in the aftermath of stay home stay safe

What comes next. Well, it is clear, we are making forays toward normalcy.  Maybe that makes you feel like pronking . . . Or The Washington Post offered this article about three families that chose to quarantine together for the more cautious among us. No matter how you look at it, we have some ground to cover before things approach anything close to pre-Covid lifestyle. According to a recent Kaiser...