For me, Om is about the sound itself. Chanting Om creates a vibration and a resonance. It allows our body to align with our mind and spirit. Om is relaxing and grounding, it calms the nervous system, and focuses the mind to prepare us for meditation or asana. Chanting Om together allows us to unite our voices, to unite our breath - aligning with each other. It's about the silence after the sound, and how it makes you feel.
Read MoreBalance is not a place.
Balance is fleeting.
Balance is dynamic.
Balance is elusive.
Balance is fluid.
Balance is learning to fall.
Balance is learning to let go.
Balance is always changing.
I'm always down for a paschimottanasana or any forward fold. It's a place where I feel open, safe, and relaxed. And while I'll always incorporate a few folds into my practice, I also try to bring in a few poses that are more challenging for me. Hip and shoulder opening, backbends, anything strength building, inversions... to name a few.
Part of yoga is to practice noticing your preferences. Not only in postures but in transitions, the way in which you enter and exit the pose, and the movements in between. Maybe you always interlace and clasp the hands one way, or put one leg in front in sukhasana, maybe you prefer to start with one side vs the other, or favor the right side over the left...
One way isn't necessarily right or wrong, but it's important to notice, ask yourself why you do things the things you do. Sometimes we gravitate towards spaces that are more comfortable, poses that are easier to soften and open into. And sometimes we choose a pose that's more difficult for our individual body, a place that is stiff or tight, but an area we've actively chosen to work on. What do you notice? What are your tendencies and what are you looking to get out of the pose and your practice?
In my first Teacher Training, we read an article that talked about playing the edge, and the difference between pushing, control, and progress vs. softening, surrender, and relaxation. When I started practicing it was all GO GO GO. Now, I mostly want to roll around on the floor. Maybe this is what yoga practice is really about. Finding the balance between the two.
Read MoreConsistency is a good thing. Showing up. How many times have you done Warrior II in class? As long as you're being present and feeling the pose, does it matter? Progress and growth are born from practice.
Read MoreMy dear friend Nat Kendall just released 'Dancing with the Dark One,' four beautiful tracks dedicated to Krishna. I’m incredibly humbled to be one of the many who contributed to this project and am so, so excited to share it with you all!
Go have a listen! 'Dancing With The Dark One' is available now on Bandcamp, Spotify and iTunes.
More details below…
Read MoreYour practice is your practice.
It doesn’t need to look like anyone else's. It won't feel like anyone else's. Our physical and emotional bodies are completely different from one another. We're human. We have different skeletal structures, different muscle narratives, different experiences, and different stories.
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