We would benefit from getting down with some silly to balance out these extremes. But first we need to reconnect with our grander sense of playfulness and wonder. I’m sure many of us can relate to losing touch with fun and silliness in response to “trying to hold it all together.” Because silly feels a little useless in those situations. Except it’s not.

People often come into a conversation about yoga with me with common assumptions of what yoga classes are like or what being a yogi is about. Many of these things are untrue for me. Being open about what I’m not as a yoga teacher and differentiating what I specifically offer has helped me be seen just as I am, and outside the yoga realm, clear communication has become a way that I feel loved and seen.

We’re seeing firsthand how this affects our society on a very large scale: political and social divisiveness, lack of social navigation skills, inability to have challenging and constructive conversations, algorithmic echo chambers, etc. etc. etc. It’s hurting us at the macro and micro levels, and it’s something we can affect directly with personal action.

It can be challenging to sit with yourself in your own home, doused in chores-to-be-done and essence-of-busy-life. If, despite your efforts, you are finding yourself mid-hullabaloo, a little frantic, and/or struggling to connect with yourself, it might be time to observe where your attention is going, particularly when you’re actively engaged in a mindfulness practice.

This month I invite you to support your local LGBT+ communities in ways you can. Show us you care and you stand with us. Not only is this a powerful heart opener off the mat, it’s also a magnificent way to connect with your own personal power — you can do something.

For those of us that live in a near (or actual) state of constant tension and activation, softening our bodies can be so far beyond our realm of familiarity that we don’t recognize it as safe for our bodies. It brings a lot of sensations that aren’t the hard, locked muscles we’ve grown accustomed to moving with. Instead it brings things like twitching, shifting, lengthening,  and loosening, and sometimes those things are uncomfortable or even hurt.

When we don’t take the time to show ourselves we’re safe, we’re likely to (a) rush and/or force our bodies into shapes, or (b) resist at the same time we’re trying to allow. Either of those things is a recipe for discomfort and pain, which is going to make you feel less safe. Which is going to turn up the tension and guarding in your body and mind. Which is not an environment that supports embodiment.

I’d like to say something out loud: you’ve been taught to not like your body.

Various systems and companies and institutions and people in your life benefit from you not liking your body. That’s just fact.

Not liking your body is a huge obstacle to getting on a yoga mat or sitting still with only yourself. In those moments, you’re being asked to turn inward to the very places you’ve been taught are bad or not worthy or unacceptable.

Building a strong relationship with your body is something that only you can do, and a good start is acknowledging what you’ve been taught about how you “should” treat it and separating those things from what you believe to be true for you. Take a good look at what you’ve learned from your family, media, pop culture, religion, and community. What might be in there that doesn’t ring true for you? 

A good bit of this comes with affirming a trusting relationship with our bodies — not just mind→body, but also body→mind. This relationship is a two-way street. Our minds need to be receptive to listening to our bodies, and then make decisions that support what’s being heard.

what's your relationship with your body like?

Our relationships with our bodies can feel intimate and vulnerable and scary; there’s no other relationship like it.

can't seem to quiet your mind during yoga or meditation? me either.

wtf is a quiet mind anyway?

Today I’m coming in hot with a yogi confession: I don’t practice chaturanga.

calling in those spring vibes ✨

re-vision vibes ✨

I release the effort of control ✨

connect with your inner trickster ✨✨

community, anyone? 💜

let’s reap some freedom ✨

the yamas and niyamas: tenets for living in harmony with yourself and the world

a teeny tiny overview