Blog

Plastic free july poster with people and a world
Once again I accepted the challenge this month and so far it is going well. This time around feels easier because it mostly has involved re-committing in some areas where I had started to allow some single-use plastic into our house. For instance, I'm back to more consistently peeling carrots and making my own hummus rather than buying bags of baby carrots and plastic containers of hummus.
Artistic rendering of the word create by Tim Mossholder
When people go to a yoga class, they typically expect the instructor to teach them yoga. While this may seem utterly obvious, this is, in some respects, an unreasonable expectation. Yoga teachers can't really teach people yoga. We can offer postures, breathwork, meditation, relaxation, and advice about how to practice, but each yoga student must find their own way. Each of us must, in a sense, teach ourselves yoga.
Woman in brown shirt covering her face
The death of a spouse or life partner can be one of the most distressing events that a person can experience. Of the people who experience spousal loss, just 5-7% of them are 49 or younger. Next month, starting July 10, will be the first meeting of a Yoga + Support Group for Young Widows that I am facilitating with Talia Singer, MSW, LICSW, a clinical therapist.
A picture of magzine with an article titled reclaim your attention by matthew tift
I have been thinking a lot about attention recently. "Reclaim Your Attention" is the title of my article in the current issue of MN Yoga + Life Magazine and the workshop I will be offering at the MN Yoga Conference next month. With both of those, I focus on using techniques such as yoga, meditation, breathwork, and chanting to improve attention. Here I'd like to mention one way I have been using software to help pay attention.
A Person Meditating on Snow from pexels.com/photo/a-person-meditating-on-snow-8722676
Yoga is not therapy or a cure for depression. However, scientific studies continue to show that contemplative practices, such as yoga and meditation, can be as effective as medication for treating anxiety. Yoga, in its many forms, can help us redefine our experiences during difficult times. That certainly has been the case for me, which is the single biggest reason why I come back to these practices again and again. Practicing yoga, meditation, and chanting continue to leave a wake of positive benefits in my life and I love to share the practices that I find most helpful.