What really makes us happy?
A former student of mine emailed this week to share an amazing Ted Talk by Robert Waldinger, a Harvard professor who studies what keeps us healthy and happy. Waldinger is a researcher, yet a unique one, in that he is looking at data that has followed the same men for 75 years. It is the […]
Be More Awake for Your Life
The cold, gray days of January in Iowa are always challenging for me. It sometimes feels impossible to practice contentment, keep my heart open, and my attitude positive. Yet the hum of dissatisfaction certainly distracts me from accepting the reality of my life and creates distance from the present moment, which right now happens to […]
Recipe for Making Desires a Reality
At the start of a new year there is always a chance for a fresh start. We all, as humans, have a desire to feel better and to be better. There is an innate desire and a natural drive to rise from our circumstances and actualize our highest self. One of the ways we’ve been taught to reach […]
Being the Light During These Dark Days
My daughter Gretta, who has been gifted with joie de vivre, has been singing Jingle Bells at the top of her lungs all week. During one of her renditions, I heard the lyric “making spirits bright” in a new way, making me think about how we can keep our our spirits bright this holiday season. We […]
Season To Complete, Let Go, and Release the Old
We are on the home stretch of the year. This period between Halloween and the Winter Solstice on December 22 is a time for massive letting go. Starting anything new is going against the energy of the season, so our time is best spent in completing things, and releasing the old. I’ve always been drawn […]
Yoga is Good Medicine
I had the opportunity this week to lecture to 180 first year medical students about research on the health benefits of yoga. They stayed awake, and were interested! Following my talk, the doctor who invited me said…”Wow, that data really makes me want to start yoga!” Here are some of the stats I shared with […]
My Meditation Journey (thus far…)
It was 20 years ago I was first introduced to meditation while on internship at the University of Miami cancer center. I was required to attend daily meditation over the noon hour. At first, all I noticed was my racing mind, impatience, and annoyance that I wasn’t spending my lunch break in the warm sun. […]
Downshift as Fall Approaches
How is your life balance? I spent years trying to find that elusive place of equilibrium with the perfect mix of work, family life, relaxation, and a clean house. There were moments that felt balanced, but the operative word is “moments”…it never lasted. The yoga sutras teach that we can achieve balance, or a “sattvic” […]
Summer Solstice 2015
The sun is at the height of its power on Sunday when we experience the longest day and shortest night of the year. Solstice means “standing of the sun”, and is a major turning point in the earth’s cycle, providing a great time for self-reflection. Take a moment to honor all that has unfolded in […]
Inside Job
On some level we do yoga because we desire transformation. We might want change in our bodies, our flexibility, our balance. Or, we want to transform our relationship to our emotions…we want to suffer less and have more joy. Some want to experience less stress. Even though it may be possible to point to things […]
