Unplug to Connect

October 31, 2014 in Blog

Unplug to Connect

As I’m writing this, I’m in the process of getting ready to leave for Pinehurst for a weekend of teaching some of my favorite material. I love Pinehurst, our host, the deep-diving nature of the work I’ll share there, getting away, great food, intimate community… But one of the things I am looking forward to the most is getting unplugged.

We live in a world where we can “stay connected” not only in bustling urban centers, but in tiny villages, beaches and jungles in most distant places. Our “staying connected” to news, to home, to work and to all the many distractions of a smartphone or computer often gets very much in the way of being connected to what is in the here and now, of every moment, wherever we are.… Read the rest

Ahimsa on the Inside

October 2, 2014 in Blog

Ahimsa on the Inside

by Jill Sockman

If you’ve hung around a yoga studio with any regularity, you’ve probably heard the word ahimsa before — usually translated as non-violence or non-harming. Seems pretty simple, as the “thou shalt not kill” of the yoga world. And that’s not incorrect, of course. Killing is pretty much off the menu for any spiritual tradition that I know of, and the notion of doing the least amount of harm seems to fall right in line with a kindly “love thy neighbor” approach to life.

Unlike the Niyamas (observances), which are more personal and address how you treat yourself and till the inner soil, ahimsa is one of the Yamas (social restraints) in the Yoga Sutras. … Read the rest

Create your reality

September 2, 2014 in Blog

Create your reality

by Jill Sockman

I change my mind about as much as the next person. At least as far as I know. Sometimes my opinion or viewpoint shifts from experience or new information, but other times it is a random change of perspective that feels as unmanaged as the weather.

A number of years ago, I wrote about this idea in regard to a student in class. She was a long-time student of mine, and one evening I watched her struggling with her body (mind) in a pose, and I offered the question, “What would happen if you decided that you liked it?”… Read the rest

Operating in the Present, Committing to Change

August 1, 2014 in Blog

Operating in the Present, Committing to Change

by Jill Sockman

I’ve heard over and over again from students, teachers, strangers, and the voices in my own head: it’s been a rough year. Whether it’s in the stars, in our karma, or in our minds, I believe there is something in the collective human experience driving us to make changes. Big changes.

We are out of alignment with the rhythms of nature, with the communities around us, and with the deepest callings of our own souls. If in fact the world outside is a reflection of what is inside of us, it’s no real surprise we’re in quite a mess.… Read the rest

Deadlines, Timelines & Processes

July 7, 2014 in Blog

Deadlines, Timelines & Processes

by Jill Sockman

I got some good advice a while back about timelines. And I am not talking about work deadlines where others are relying on you to complete one part of a whole, but rather the self-imposed “I should be X by Y date/time/age.”

The advice was this: if YOU are the one making the timeline, then be sure you aren’t using it as a measuring stick to determine your worth as a human being. Whether it’s sending out a newsletter, getting out of an unhealthy job situation, breaking or creating a habit — really anything that elicits the “I should be xxxxx by now” followed by feelings of remorse, regret, abject failure, whatever.… Read the rest

Refine your practice: understanding sthira and sukha

June 27, 2014 in Blog

Refine your practice: understanding sthira and sukha

by Kathleen Yount

Explore yoga’s “yin and yang” concept the next time you’re on the mat

One of the fundamental concepts behind good yoga practice comes from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a source text for many of today’s popular styles of yoga. In the Yoga Sutras, the sage Patanjali defines the physical postures of yoga (called yoga asana) this way: Sthira sukham asanam (2.46), which is commonly translated from Sanskrit to read “Asana is a steady, comfortable posture.

”In other words, every yoga pose should be done with the qualities of both steadiness (sthira) and comfort (sukha), effort and ease.… Read the rest

Get clear on why you are here

June 3, 2014 in Blog

Get clear on why you are here

by Jill Sockman

Looking at a photo of Padma recently, I was reminded about how much time has passed so very quickly. (And I am wildly grateful that it isn’t a picture of me as I enjoy the compare-contrast.) The Boo’s coat is lighter now, her face is mostly white, and the goofy puppy expression is something I only see from time to time instead of every day. Where has the time gone?

I’m doing some new work these days around better understanding samskara (our patterns), recognizing where I am on the blueprint my soul arrived with, and making one active step closer to being in alignment with who I was meant to be.… Read the rest

When Yoga Works

May 12, 2014 in Blog

When Yoga Works

by Jill Sockman

How content are you with things as they are? If you’re at all like me, it depends very much on the day (and how connected I am to my practice). Generally speaking, I think I can say with confidence that the closer the external circumstances align with the internal “how things should be” compass, the happier we are, right? Hmmm. So, what about the other 360 days of the year?

I have been both the recipient and sharer of this teaching on many occasions. The Yoga is working when we are content and at peace with life (on the inside and the outside) regardless of circumstance. … Read the rest

Our one true constant – the breath

April 2, 2014 in Blog

Our one true constant – the breath

by Jill Sockman

I had a new experience this week as I tried my hand as human voodoo doll. I’m kidding (I think) but that’s a little bit what I felt like after my first session of a technique (torture) called dry needling.

For the uninitiated, after the session, I described it this way: if you’ve ever had an acupuncturist hit an especially zing-y spot, multiply that sensation by 27 and then imagine her jabbing the spot over and over then carefully selecting a dozen more locations to do the same thing. Mid-treatment, I turned to my physical therapist and asked, rhetorically, how anyone could possibly tolerate this who didn’t know how to breathe.… Read the rest

Waiting is the hardest part

March 2, 2014 in Blog

Waiting is the hardest part

by Jill Sockman

The waiting is the hardest part. Or so the lyrics go. And oddly enough, even though I have more song lyrics than just about anything else stored in this brain of mine, those are the only words I know.

waiting

I’m in a hallway of sorts. It’s not a hall full of doors where I need to pick one and walk through it. It’s more like a transition area of some kind.Â It’s not unpleasant, and not terribly uncomfortable.

I feel clear on where I am.

But understanding this waiting time theoretically is not at all the same as abiding peacefully with the open space on a daily basis.… Read the rest

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