your natural state of joy

July 16, 2015 in Blog

Your natural state of joy

When was the last time you reveled in a big belly laugh? When something was tears-running-down-your-face can’t-breathe funny? It always feels so good! And it truly is wonderful medicine.

For some of us, it just doesn’t happen often enough. We live in a culture that values hard work and seriousness, and that’s a familiar place for me. Yes, I’ve reaped many benefits from that place. I also envy people who have what seems to be more balance — you know, the fun people! Maybe they know a secret I’m just now catching onto — The Natural State of a Human Being is Joy!… Read the rest

life-affirming choices

July 6, 2015 in Blog

Life-affirming Choices

by Jill Sockman

Choices. We are confronted with them constantly, from the minutiae of day-to-day existence to the overwhelming life and death decisions which become pivotal moments in our lives. It’s a privilege to have so much freedom — so many choices. What time to wake up, how to spend the morning hours before work begins, what to eat, how/if to exercise the body, brain, spirit. Pressing choices about health — our own or a loved one, significant professional changes, relationship decisions and everything in between. Who is doing all this deciding?

As adults, the obvious answer is “I am!”… Read the rest

meditate on loving-kindness

June 18, 2015 in Blog

Meditate on Loving-Kindness

by Sandy Scherer

Old patterns and habitual ways are not going to go down without a fight. They may no longer serve us or feed us, but man, do they ever feel familiar and easy.

Striking a new path takes intention, determination, work and community. The part of you that creates intention to change is the knowing part of you. The voice that lives within and truly knows what you need. It may often be drowned out by the busyness of your lives, and old, comfortable ways, but when you are quiet and still, you can hear it.… Read the rest

what sets your heart right?

June 1, 2015 in Blog

What Sets Your Heart Right?

by Jill Sockman

I’ve been busy. Way too busy for way too long. It’s an issue, and I know it, and I’ve slowly been working to change that over the course of the past two years. It’s not an easy shift to make when your schedule is created 18+ months in advance, so slow and steady it’s been, accepting with patience (-ish) that there are wheels set in motion and the best I can do is to continue to look for opportunities to create space.

So, it’s Monday morning, the first of the month. That means there’s a newsletter to finish, payroll to do, accounting to get caught up on…private sessions, meetings… it’s a busy day.… Read the rest

observe, witness, watch

May 4, 2015 in Blog

Observe, Witness, Watch

by Jill Sockman

Time Out, Part II

For those of you who have been following my latest drama/comedy, you know already about last month’s Time Out From The Universe. I missed a class, spent the better part of a day locked out on the second-story balcony, and worried a few folks (not least Padma) in the process. Well, apparently I had lessons of solitude still to learn. Shocking.

I had the pleasure and privilege of spending last week in Colorado. My teacher lives in the Roaring Fork River valley, and it’s one of the most spectacular, heart-expanding, mind-bending, pranified places I’ve ever been.… Read the rest

Time Out

April 3, 2015 in Blog

Time Out

by Jill Sockman

Even if, like me, you weren’t put into “Time Out” as a kid, we are all aware of the philosophy behind the discipline: you’re not behaving right, so now you’re going to take a little time by yourself to think about what you’ve done, get clear, and come back with a better attitude.

I have no idea if it works with children, but I can now tell you definitively that it works well for adults. Last Sunday, The Universe put me into a Time Out.

It was early afternoon, and I actually had a couple of hours just to play before heading to the blue for L2.… Read the rest

Is suffering optional?

March 24, 2015 in Blog

Is suffering optional?

by Leilani Walker

Is suffering optional? Most of us are conditioned to believe we must suffer as part of the human experience, but, thankfully, as yogis, our practice gives us a glimpse of another possibility.

The key to a life free of suffering is the willingness to practice surrender. Courageously surrendering everything – all that we think we are, all that we love, all that we despise, all of our treasures, our pleasures and our pain, with an unwavering faith that divine grace holds us. That is the key to moving from suffering toward divine perspective, from darkness to light.… Read the rest

The thin line between discipline and self-aggression

March 11, 2015 in Blog

The thin line between discipline and self-aggression

by Kathleen Yount

Discipline is an essential component in a yoga practice, and life in general; as much as I enjoy a day of unstructured time, if left to my own undisciplined devices I would quickly devolve into a life of sleep, snacks, and slow walks leading nowhere. That isn’t the life I want to have. (Well, maybe on Sundays….)

So, we can’t do this thing without discipline. But there is an important quality we need to apply alongside our discipline, and that is gentleness. I suspect many of us have a hard time discerning the line where discipline becomes self-aggression—and I’d put myself at the top of that heap.… Read the rest

Aiming for balance

March 2, 2015 in Blog

Aiming for balance

by Jill Sockman

I’m writing to you on Sunday afternoon, looking out to another grey and drizzly, icy day. There’s the part of me that loves this weather as an opportunity and excuse to lay low, nest, and generally ponder the State of Things. There’s another side, however, that’s just kind of tired of the wet, cold and grey days of winter. I’ve found that this extended southern hibernation is feeding the indecisive characters who take up residence inside of me from time to time: The Procrastinator, The Rationalizer, and The Malcontent. In this unscheduled time out from the usual grind, I’ve planned a dozen times (at least) to tackle undone projects, clear items from the long term to-do list and give a good solid effort to make this “extra” time productive.… Read the rest

Listen to your soul

February 2, 2015 in Blog

Listen to your soul

by Jill Sockman

I’m not sure who coined the phrase “you teach what you need to learn,” but I know that even while words are spilling out of my mouth, I am often aware the message coming forth applies to me at least as much as it applies to anyone else in the room. So it shouldn’t be a big surprise to me that I’ve been talking a lot lately about how necessary it is to cultivate an awareness — a relationship — with the part inside of us that Knows. It’s a gentle nudge for me to take a closer look: am I practicing what I preach?… Read the rest

Blog