Mindfulness and compassion are not just tools for our own self-evolution.

They may just be the very tools we need to heal the myriad troubles of our times.

Mindfulness is a practice of becoming aware of our thoughts and actions and noticing when our behaviors are causing harm to self or others. Compassion is a practice of offering kindness towards self and others.

Being present and attentive, as Eknath describes above, is the primary principle of yoga practice.

As you move your body with awareness, you discover where you have tight places and where you have open spaces. You begin to notice very simple and basic things that make a big difference in the way you show up in the world

Photo by Mathew Henry, via Unsplash

I have learned that not over-thinking about all that needs to be done is the way to feel more at ease at any moment. I really am not any busier than usual, so I have to stop feeling and thinking about being so busy. It's the thinking about it that is the source of the stress.

When my daughters were much smaller, they believed in magic and in fairies. 🧚‍♀️

Now, my children stress over money, jobs, and college. My oldest worries about her senior thesis not being original enough and all the criticism she will get in her final review. I get texts from my youngest…

Photo on Unsplash

I have a certificate in Herbalism (from the legendary herbal teacher,  Rosemary Gladstar ) and an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor certificate from the teacher  David Frawley. 

It's my herbal home apothecary!

My younger brother Dennis and I were lucky enough to live in a very rural location and to grow up in the 1980s. Mom did not want us inside watching TV all day on long summer vacations (now I know she also just wanted a little peace and quiet!), and there were no iPhones or social media to distract us. So, she sent us to play outside and make up our own fun

Breathing is a process of taking air into the lungs and sending it back out into the world. The ancient yogis of India understood that breathing techniques were essential to one's physical and spiritual health and wellbeing.

photo by @spemble, via Unsplash

Typically, my least favorite months are January, February, and March. But this year feels a little different. Now, I wouldn't call myself a winter person…

Seventeen years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life.

I decided to become a yoga teacher.

I had been practising yoga for six years. Yoga had become a life-line for me

I believe that winter is a time for self-inquiry and reflection. The darker days and colder temperatures make me want to turn within, to make large pots of tea, and to stay by the fire…(photo by Zane Lee, Unsplash)

The holidays can be a season of great joy and time lovingly spent with those we love. Maybe we take a little extra time off from work to spend with family and friends, and maybe we over-indulge in our very favorite vegan desserts! But it is important to remember…

I have been sharing the following quote in my yoga classes this week.

Recently I read Topher Payne's alternate ending of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. Josh and I used to read this story to our girls when they were little, and we would all get so angry over the ending.

If you have spent any time with me at all, you know that I am both a yoga teacher and an artist. In all of the work I do, my mission is to awaken a sense of spirit by exploring the connections between artful-living, nature, and

Josh and I brought Ellessia to college last weekend.

It was a week of tears and uncertainty as she was recovering

I feel that I am moving at a much slower pace since returning from Sicily. I just don't feel the need to push, to force, to respond to requests, to emails, to run a to-do list and get anything done. It seems completely ok to sit on my deck and just let my body breath

Images from our spectacular Spirit of Sicily retreat 2022!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to the Myriad Yoga 200 Hour Class of 2022!

I have been leading yoga teacher training programs for almost ten years, and each time we close out a training year I feel the bittersweet emotions of pride, joy, and sadness to see it all come to a close. It is like releasing my little birdies out of my yoga nest and into the world!

As you know, I have completely shifted my relationship with the breath because of this book: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor.

There are so many lessons to learn inside those pages, that I thought I would share a few quotes to inspire you to think more deeply about Prana (our theme for May) and your breath.

This is your greatest asset–your most immediate connection to energy and life-force in your body.