At least in the United States, it appears the humans have really been struggling this year. The pandemic has shined a light on the worst problems in our societies. From systemic racism, to health disparities, financial inequities–we can see it all with better clarity now. Seeing that the problem exists is certainly a step in […]
At the beginning of April I wrote I missed seeing the students in person. Today I write and I am still missing them. The classes are still online and I don’t know when we will be back together at College Hill Yoga. Believe me when I say: I would rather we all be together, in […]
To say that our current pandemic shutdown / shut-in situation is strange is an understatement. At my house some days are okay and other days everything seems hard. I imagine it’s the same for you. Some level of acceptance for the current state of our lives is important. But I don’t think we should try […]
I miss seeing the students walking through the door to College Hill Yoga. Like many other yoga teachers I am conducting classes online for now, until it’s safe to meet in-person again. The coronavirus pandemic has changed life for everyone. Most of the changes are completely unwanted, and we should work hard to undo them. […]
Is the purpose of yoga to help improve your health? Yes it is. WAIT! I mean… no it’s not. Well, it kind of does. Let’s sort this out: “Classical yoga” (which is yoga as outlined in ancient philosophical texts) is defined as the “cessation of the movements in the consciousness.” This means that yoga is […]
Last December I traveled to India to attend classes at the Iyengar Yoga institute in Pune. The yoga institute started by B.K.S. Iyengar and now run by his son and granddaughter. The practice hall at the institute. It’s been less than a month since returning from India. The experience is still very fresh in my […]
In such-n-such pose, “is my knee supposed to be straight, like this?”, said every new student. Students always have lots of questions about the logistics of poses. Class is a great venue for answering your questions. The Iyengar Yoga method is known for a few things, one is the instructions we give students on how […]
Yesterday we had a great group discussion on the topic of self study. Self study (Svadhyaya) is one part of Kryia Yoga or yoga of action. In the yoga sutras instructs the eager student to take action in three ways: cultivate excitement for yoga (Tapas)self study (Svadhyaya) surrender to God (Ishvara Pranidhana) Practicing these three […]
1.13 tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasah Practice is the steadfast effort to still these fluctuations. In this yoga sutra “these fluctuations” are the movements of consciousness. We experience the movements in our consciousness when our thoughts are bouncing around. We have a thought which sparks another thought which turns into another thought, and so on and […]
As some of you have heard, a couple of weeks ago, I passed the Intermediate Junior 1 teacher assessment. I was already a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher before I took the exam but passing the test means that I have another certificate beyond the basic certification. There are three levels of certification; Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced. […]