Tag Archive for: Living Yoga

Summer Solstice Sadhana

The summer solstice marks the high point of the solar cycle of the year and offers us our longest day. Traditionally this day has been celebrated as a time of joyfulness and a recognition of the fertility and abundance of the earth. Though the solstice is not a recognized holiday for most of us, I have always found that the practice of sacred timekeeping, or of honouring the passage of time with simple ritual, deepens my connection to the natural world and offers me insight into my own changing experience.....

Smoke and Fire: The Wisdom of Thresholds And Liminal Spaces

The term liminal comes from the Latin root limen, meaning threshold or sill, and represents a time/space where we stand between two worlds or ways of seeing. To be in liminal space is to be in a time where often one way of being is breaking down and yet a new way has not yet taken form....

Turning Tides: The Wisdom of the Autumn Equinox

The word equinox comes from the Latin aequinoctium which essentially means equal night, referencing the fact that day and night are more equal in length at the times of autumn and vernal (spring) equinox, and that the days afterwards take us deeper in the waxing (spring) or waning (autumn) season of the year. There are a number of practices I tend to favour at this time of year and you may choose to do all or some of them to help bring a reverence for sacred timekeeping into your own life....

Blood Moon: Menses Wisdom for Yoginis

This post is for every woman but I wrote it with my women friends who practice and teach yoga in mind. It represents some of my observations and practices in supporting my own menstrual health and honouring the sacred wisdom of my cycles....

The Tyranny of Style, The Freedom of Inquiry

There is one question that has always challenged me as a teacher of yoga, and that question is “what style do you teach?” It is an innocent enough question for people to ask, I get that, but I have always found it a challenge to answer and it always seems like a test I am bound to fail....

The Value of Studentship

I feel very fortunate that when I began my journey as a yoga student my teachers were quite traditional and laid out clear guidelines for me on how I was expected to act in a class, in the shared space of the studio, and in relationship to my personal practice. These teachings were given to me in order to maximize my ability to learn, as well as to support the learning environment for others, and if hadn’t receive them early on I may not be the student and teacher I am today....

The Value of Study for Yoga Students & Teachers

The practices of hatha yoga are so captivating with their emphasis on physical movement, deep breathing, meditation, sound and imagery. They also take a fair bit of time and energy to practice so that they become part of our body of experience. So it’s no wonder that many students of yoga find there is little time left at the end of the day for study. But without study the physical practices can lose context....

Lakshmi and The Harvest Feast

Thanksgiving is a true Lakshmi holiday. Lakshmi is the Indian goddess of beauty, order, material pleasure, abundance, and sensual delight. We invoke her when we take time to savor the simple pleasures of our physical existence such as a warm sweaters on a cold day, the comfort of a fresh cup of tea, or the smell of burning leaves in the air. And we honor her when we express our gratitude for all the blessings that we receive each day...

Coming Home: Creating Healthy Rhythms For Autumn and Winter

I have often said that autumn is my favorite season and I think it is because it is the season where I come back to myself. I love the sensual delights of this season. The particular quality of sunlight that we get on these crisp cool days, the brilliant colors of the trees as they turn, the smells of woodsmoke and leaves burning in the air , and the tastes of autumn spices on my tongue. But what I truly love is the way that this season invites me back into rhythm with myself and reminds me of what I value most.....

Moon Wisdom: Full Moon

Tonight the moon waxes to its most brilliant expression in the summer night sky, giving silvery adornment to the abundant beauty of this season. This is a time of purna or fullness, and represents a quality of perfection that is worthy of celebration. Just as the New Moon has a certain energetic pull on us, the Full Moon has a power that can support us in the most wonderful ways if we allow ourselves to attune to it....