Allot about 20 minutes for this sequence. No props needed!

Hold each pose for 3-5 minutes. (Insight Timer is a wonderful app with tibetan bowl sounds for the alarm instead of the harsher alarm sounds that come with our phones.)

1. CHILDS POSE: knees as wide as feels comfortable, big toes together, arms extended but remember to allow the muscles to be passive! If too much weight is in your knees when you bring your forehead to the floor bring something under your forehead so the weight goes back towards your heels.
2. SPHINX: if you have tight neck and shoulders this pose can be uncomfortable at first but stick with it! See what it’s like to just be supported by your bones and let the muscles “melt”.

3. HALF FROG: take just 1 minute on each side to give your lower back a break after all that compression from Sphinx pose!
4. STIRRUP: for those of you who have done Happy Baby in a yoga class you might be surprised at how holding Stirrup for a few minutes can be a bit uncomfortable. What is it like to breathe into the discomfort? (note: do not breathe into pain! If it’s pain just let the pose go/back off. Discomfort is different than pain!) Between the poses take a minute to just breathe and feel the echo of the pose in your body. 

I heard someone say once that Yin yoga is a bitter practice with a sweet result (was it Bernie Clarke who said this?). Some of the poses can be very pleasurable when holding them, but more often than not the real pleasure comes from the release. 

PRANAYAMA FOR LETTING GO:

To deepen the experience of letting go of the old to make room for the new add some breath and a visualization to your Yin practice! This breath works especially well in Childs Pose and Sphinx. 
1. as you inhale imagine drawing the breath in through the crown of your head and visualize the breath/energy moving down your back all the way to the base of the spine. 
2. as you exhale visualize the breath/energy moving back up your spine and pouring out of your heart (or you might visualize it pouring out of your chest)
3. Continue like this or add the visual of drawing into your body on the inhale what you would like to draw into your life and on the exhale releasing what you would like to get rid of. 

note: illustrations are a collaboration between me and my mom but most of the credit goes to her

letting go

Instead of writing new years resolutions take a moment to choose one habitual thought you have about yourself that you’re ready to let go of. 
Researchers have found that as many as 98% of the thoughts we have each day are the same thoughts we thought the day before…and the day before…and the day before…
It can be extremely challenging to implement a new years resolution when you’re thinking the same way you were thinking the year before! 

Take a moment to meditate and ask yourself “what is distracting me from who I truly am?” Or “what thought is distracting me from who I want to be?” Thoughts like “I’m not good at…xyz” “My problem is…xyz” are distracting you from the reality of who you are. 
Once you have chosen the thought you feel prepared to let go of you can begin to question it, challenge it, consider its opposite might be true, and then let it go. 
Now notice what you feel in your body and notice your breath. Is there a physical shift when you let go of the grip a thought has on your mind? 
Later this week I’ll be sharing a yin sequence and a mudra to help with the process of letting go. Stay tuned! 

My Roots Run Deep Into the Center of the Living Earth

Post holiday rest  *part 2*

Did you do the yin poses from part 1 but still feel a bit disconnected, scattered and ungrounded ? Calm and center the mind and body even more by adding the very grounding “bhu mudra” either in seated meditation before and/or after the yin poses, or even incorporate it into the yin poses. 

To do the Bhu mudra simply place the tips of your peace fingers on the ground as shown in the image. 

Option to add the mantra: 

“my roots run deep into the center of the living earth.” 

(not sure if the credit for this mantra goes to Jennifer Reis or Joseph LePage?)

Close your meditation practice or yin practice with the intention of offering some of the peace and joy you experienced in the last 20 minutes to those who made it possible for you to have these 20 undisturbed minutes to yourself 🙏

A post holiday rest

Part 1

Whether you’ve gone to your parents home, someone else’s home, are hosting, or have even fully escaped social activities over the holidays take 20 minutes to drop all thoughts of a to-do list, to-bake list, conversation topics to avoid list, haunting memories of holidays past list, naughty or nice list, and take a respite that’s just for you. 

If all your holiday celebrations are over this could be a particularly nice time to rest, reflect, and let everything settle.

If you have a yoga bolster + blocks- awesome! If not- grab a few pillows and a blanket, find a cozy corner, light some candles, and let’s get to relaxing! 

For a little info on yin yoga check out my last post. 

—Hold each pose between 3-5 minutes. You can set a timer. I’d recommend the app Insight Timer for having pleasant sounding tibetan bells as your alarm. 

—make sure you are comfortable enough to hold the pose for a few minutes, but that you still have just enough sensation to keep it interesting. Only move if there is pain or your body invites you to go deeper. 

—As you hold the pose focus on breathing, softening the body, softening the mind, and surrendering the body to gravity as you allow yourself to rest on the earth and on the props. 

—Scan the body for your habitual holding patterns (where you normally hold your tension)—the usual culprits are the jaw, the space between the brows, neck, shoulders, and hips. In yin yoga we don’t contract the muscles. See how much you can let go and just be supported by your bones. 

YIN POSES

Pause in a seated kneeling position for about a minute between each pose to bring your spine back to neutral and feel the echo of the pose in your body. 

1. Dragonfly 

2. Saddle 

3. Supported fish (knees bent and knocked together or legs straight. Bolster length wise under spine, or blocks, or pillows/folded blanket)

4. Twisted Roots (reclined twist).

What is Yin Yoga?

In the future I will go even more in depth into Yin yoga but for now here is what you need to know:

• Yin yoga has its roots not only in the yogic practices from India but also in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Taoist yoga. Just like TCM uses acupuncture to help unblock Qi/energy by inserting needles along meridian lines (channels in the body through which energy flows)  the practice of yin yoga unblocks energy by applying pressure to those same meridian lines. (If you’re familiar with yogic “nadis”, meridians are essentially the same thing). 

• Yin yoga accesses the fascia, connective tissues, tendons, and ligaments instead of the muscles (which we access in yang yoga styles like vinyasa). We do this by entering the poses without warming up and holding the pose for 3-5 minutes which is the amount of time it takes to rehydrate the connective tissues and restore flexibility. 

• In the 3-5 minutes we hold the pose we only move if we are in pain and need to modify or if the body begins to open up and allows us to sink more deeply into the pose. Otherwise we find stillness and surrender. In Yin yoga we have the opportunity to allow, accept, and be (as opposed to do). 

• Sometimes when we come out of a yin pose we feel a bit stiff and achey- this is normal. Exit the pose slowly and take a minute to just sit and feel the effects of the pose. 

 A COUPLE OF MY THOUGHTS ON YIN YOGA…

1. People who practice yoga often talk about having an experience of a “yoga high” after practicing and I have to say that the particular yoga high I experience after a yin yoga class is what really got me hooked on this approach to yoga. 

2. After ten years of trying different meditation techniques I finally figured out how to approach meditation after diving deep into yin yoga. Yin yoga taught me how to be with discomfort and observe my experience without needing to change it. This profoundly shifted my meditation practice, and my whole life. 

Have you tried yin yoga? what did you think? 

Stay tuned for the first in my 20 minute self care series!!

Introducing: The 20 minute Self Care Series

Over the coming months I will begin to share motions and potions for all seasons and reasons! 

Yin yoga and essential oils for PMS, yoga+mudra+mantra to amplify joy, meditation+movement+breath for creative inspiration, and lots more.

All do-able in twenty minutes. 

When it comes to helping others find ways to bring these practices into their lives I am most interested in how to gently ease them in instead of suggesting they suddenly start doing an hour of yoga every morning (though there’s nothing wrong with that!)

First up: yin yoga, mudra, and mantra for a holiday respite!

📸: thanks to @katherine.sadhana and @allyoganyc for the photo!

Home Is: Breath

Stressed? Anxious ? Overwhelmed?

Stop what you’re doing. Drop in to your body. Now breathe. 

There are many things you don’t have control over but you do have control over your breath. Knowing how to use your breath to calm your nerves and shift your state of mind can feel like a superpower. Take it from my 13 year old client who says it used to take him one hour to fall asleep but now he does his breathing and he falls asleep in two minutes 🧡

In the face of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm many of us turn to substances, and/or TV, and other external distractions. Next time these feelings arise see what it’s like to turn inwards and discover the power of this tool that is available to you at all times. Check out my previous posts/videos to learn more about how to take a slow, deep, satisfying breath and turn it into a daily practice!

Coming Home with Dirgha

Dirgha Pranayama is useful in and of itself, but you can have fun taking it a step further by adding a visualization and seeing where that takes you. 

As I’ve mentioned before, one of my goals when practicing yoga and meditation is to feel at home within myself: comfortable, at ease, totally, and vibrantly…”myself”. I love layering a visualization on to Dirgha to help me get to that place.  One visual I use is imagining myself growing large enough to contain ALL that I am on the inhale, and letting go of everything cluttering my mind, body, and spirit on the exhale.

You might have to put this into your own words to make it work for you, so, experiment !

You might imagine it is your body that is growing large, or perhaps your sprit, or your mind. Whatever helps you to feel that you are big enough to contain all that you are. Your quiet self, your loud self, your daughter self, your sister self, your lover self, your angry self, your musician self, your wild self, your student self, your spirit self... all of it. Or perhaps you want to focus on being big enough to contain all that a moment is, all that another person is, all that a place is, etc.. alter it to fit what it is you feel you most need.

And for the exhale? You likely know what it is you need to let go of. Thoughts, feelings, concepts, c l u t t e r of the mind, body, spirit. 

This is just a suggestion. Your experience of Dirgha doesn’t have to lead to a certain place. Experiment and find what feels good for you. Perhaps you love Dirgha without anything else added!

p l a y ! Have FUN on this journey. And when in doubt? Just breathe.

Let me know your thoughts ! Do you find it helpful to use visualization, or do you prefer the simple and straightforward act of intentional breath work? Feel free to comment here or contact me directly with any questions or for further guidance!

Happy Breathing! 

Why bother breathing?

Have you tried Dirgha yet? (pronounced DEER-GAH)

You already breathe all day…and all night…so why take the time to breathe a little differently?

Breathing slowly and deeply can take your autonomic nervous system from fight or flight (sympathetic nervous system) to rest and digest (parasympathetic nervous system).

In other words: it’s  r e l a x i n g. 

Have you already tried out Dirgha but didn’t find it particularly relaxing? Try making your exhales longer than your inhales. This has been proven to help activate the parasympathetic nervous system. 

B E N E F I T S I’ve experienced from Dirgha Pranayama:

• Helps my mind to  s l o w  down, let go of unnecessary thoughts (which is…most of them), and press a mental reset button! 
• Breathing slowly and deeply into the three parts of my torso has helped me develop body awareness- i.e. awakening sensitivity to what my body needs.
• Breathing with intention helps me return to the present moment. (studies have proven that people are FAR happier when they are focused on the present moment).
• I feel as if I’m creating space in my body on the inhale and releasing tension on the exhale- both physically and mentally!
• I’m able to let go of external influences and return back to my home within- my homebase- a sense of returning back to a place that feels more authentically "me". 
• In a world where there are so many things to draw my attention outwards it is vitally important to my mental health that I have a practice that can help draw me back inwards.

So, have you tried Dirgha yet? If so, let us know in the comments what benefits you’ve experienced! If not- check out my last post for a little instruction, and feel free to reach out with any questions! Happy breathing! 

Dirgha Pranayama

My first offering is s i m p l e,  e a s y, and  f u n d a m e n t a l. 

 It is  D I R G H A  pranayama

(Otherwise known as the complete yogic breath, or the 3 part breath.)

In Sanskrit Dirgha= stretched or long, and Pranayama=the extension or restraint of Life Force/the breath. 

If you are new to meditation or yoga this is a great place to start. I’d even say it’s THE place to start! If you’re not interested in meditation or yoga and you just want a way to chill out + feel more grounded—this is also for you!

This week try carving out 5 minutes a day to practice this breath. You could even do just a total of 2 minutes! 1 minute of breathing and 1 minute just to notice the after effects. Try it when you wake up, before going to sleep, or when you need to press the reset button during the day.

STEP 1: Sit in a comfortable seated position (or try lying on the ground if you feel any discomfort or difficulty doing this while seated).

STEP 2: While breathing in and out of your nose begin to notice the natural pace and depth of your breath. (If it feels comfortable close your eyes to help turn your attention inwards and become aware of the subtleties of your breath.)

STEP 3: Place a hand on your belly and softly begin to expand your belly on your inhale, and draw your belly towards your spine on the exhale. Continue 2-3 more times.

STEP 4: Fill the belly on the inhale and draw in a little more air as you allow your ribs to flare out to the sides (this is intercostal breathing). Exhale and release the ribs and the belly. (You might practice flaring the ribs on the inhale without expanding the belly if it feels easier to isolate this step at first)

STEP 5: Once you feel comfortable with filling the belly and flaring the ribs, take in your biggest breath of the day so you feel your belly fill, your ribs flare, and your collarbone lift. Exhale and let it all go. (It is not necessary to release the belly, ribs, and collarbone in any particular order.)

STEP 6: Set your timer for one minute and practice filling belly, ribs, and chest on the inhale, and fully emptying your lungs on the exhale. Alternating between a sense of fullness on the inhale and emptiness on the exhale.

STEP 7: For another minute just sit and notice the effects of Dirgha Pranayama on your body, mind, and spirit. (Noticing the after effects is just important as actually doing the pranayama!)

Stay tuned throughout the week for more tips and info on Dirgha Pranayama! 

Happy practicing, and feel free to reach out with any questions!

On Finding My Way to Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health

Since childhood I have sensed the possibility of connecting with a reality beyond what was presented to me in society or at school. As a child it was something I felt in nature, or even just daydreaming in my bedroom. With Yoga I found another path deeper into myself and beyond the surface of my external world.  I’m grateful to my mother who, when I was just 13, encouraged me to take yoga classes with a local teacher. I remember one of my first times leaving a yoga class and simultaneously feeling a sense of deep connection to myself and the earth beneath me while also feeling a sense of lightness and internal spaciousness. These were some of my first experiences scratching the surface of what some say is the ultimate goal of yoga and meditation: oneness, union, bliss.
    Having played piano and performed in theatre since childhood I had experienced what it was to be “in the flow” and surrender to the moment; yoga, however, offered me a different energetic experience and gave me a new understanding of the potential for the union of body and mind.
    In college, yoga became hugely helpful to me in the midst of a heavy course load when I needed the shift in perspective and sense of equanimity that one hour of practice offered me.  
    The year I graduated college I stumbled upon Stephen Cope’s book “Yoga and the Quest for the True Self”. In Cope’s book I found words, thoughts, and stories that resonated with me more deeply than any other text I had ever read. The author and the people he wrote about were seekers like myself. Seekers of truth, reality, freedom.
    Soon after graduating college I moved to New York City and for five years lived the fun and stimulating life of a young actor in the big city. Although a part of me was satisfied there was a large part of myself I was not tending to. Theatre was fun but I also yearned to have a deep spiritual life and to help others receive the benefits I had received from yoga and other contemplative practices. Knowing it was time for a change I applied for a Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. I grew up receiving Kripalu’s enticing catalogs and grew further intrigued by the center through Stephen Cope’s book which focused on his time living there.
    The 200 hour training was fantastic but at the end of it I felt that I had only explored the tip of the proverbial yoga iceberg. I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity less than a year after finishing my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training to be the intern for the Kripalu School of Yoga. In my internship I had the honor of spending time in the presence of people like Yoganand Michael Carroll who continue to inspire me on my ever deepening path of Spiritual inquiry and exploration.
    The reasons I practice yoga are many, and so it follows that my reasons for being a yoga teacher are just as varied. I do know however that I feel a particular tug in my heart at the thought of bringing peace and joy to the minds and bodies of those who never thought taking an hour for themselves was a possibility, who would never think to enter a yoga studio, who can’t even imagine the bliss of even just momentary internal silence. I am forever grateful to Kripalu for giving me the tools to facilitate experiences where people leave with more hope in their hearts, freedom in their minds, softness in their actions, and courage in their bodies. In a world full of uncertainty, fear, and struggle there is not much else I could be happier to do.