The irony of Yoga? While we practice to focus and quiet the body & chaos of the thinking mind, we are essentially choosing a distraction to distract us. We are learning (the art of) DISTRACTION. We are reigning in the vṛttis (vrittis), the whirling thoughts, so that we may find a less invasive distraction to... …
Who’s to say what is the right and the wrong way to parent a child? We do what we think is best … until we discover something that may be better. Then we do better. After reading a fascinating article written by a school teacher introducing in increasingly prevalent style of parenting called “lawnmower parenting,” …
Strength and grace - words that describe Aṣṭāṅga (Ashtanga) Yoga. I smile as I write these words! I was a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner for many years and never felt stronger or more comfortable in my own body. Ashtanga asana moves your body towards flexibility, grace, and strength. We learn how to link the breath to movements …
Many of you know that I use my Facebook account as a blog, a cathartic outlet for healing, acknowledging, and sharing. The following story is one of my most shared pieces and we wanted our whole Underground family to experience it, too. Enjoy. It was a hot New York summer day many, many years …
Peter Gabriel's classic song Solsbury Hill is my recent obsession. I listen to it over and over. Love the words and lyrics. My entire life I cannot understand lyrics to songs. Ridiculous! But true. I know the Star Spangled Banner, Silent Night, and most of You are my Sunshine. (pause for a chuckle) Solsbury Hill …
In our most recent Tea with Community, our philosophical discussions digging deeper into topics of interest, we discussed Grace in Social Activism. How can we have productive discourse with those who may not share our world view? Does Yoga have any useful tools? (ummm, YES! Don’t worry if you missed it, we will circle back …
Shinrin-Yoku, “forest bathing” or “taking in the forest,” combines leisurely walks on gentle paths in the woods with guided activities to help open the senses, hone intuition, and experience the forest in a deeply restorative way. Mindfulness in action. We pause to share experiences and learn from each other. Intuitively we know spending time in …
Continue reading "Shinrin-Yoku: Meditative Guidance among the Trees"
Yoga texts teach us that a peaceful world begins with a peaceful Self. We MUST know ourselves, inside and out. What drives us? What do we value? How do we utilize our resources? What underlying beliefs influence our behavior? There are many ways to learn about ourselves, svadhyaya (self-study). We have different life experiences. We …
