The Magic of Sun Salutations, or what I learned on my summer vacation
I had three months off teaching this summer, mostly because I spent June in India, studying at the Iyengar yoga institute in Pune. Anyone who has studied at RIMYI knows that a month there doesn’t really qualify as a holiday. Not with a two-hour class and a three-hour practice six days a week, along with […]
Lean Into a Brick in Baddha Konasana: Five-Minute Yoga Challenge
Lately I’ve come to have a whole new appreciation for my shoulder blades, and in particular, for the thick part at the very top rim. In the past, I always imagined my shoulder blades to be light and fragile, part of a gossamer shoulder girdle meant to float on top of my ribcage. Now I […]
Shoulder stand preparation on a little plastic stool: Five-minute Yoga Challenge
caption= “So lovely. All it needs is an ‘I heart little plastic stools’ bumper sticker. It is unlikely that little plastic stools will ever take on the iconic status that’s afforded to chairs in Iyengar yoga. You need only look at Eyal Shifroni’s amazing new book, A Complete Guide to Iyengar Yoga Practice with a […]
Supta Virasana: sometimes even super heroes need to lie down
A yoga practice is a friend for life, and like any lifelong friend, it’s bound to change. In some ways, that can look like doing less. I’d like to argue that there are powerful poses, reclining hero for one, that can deepen as we age. Perhaps, in your 90s, or possibly your 60s, you will […]
Looking back on a year of yoga
A heap of jewel-bright Iyengar bracelets.It was cookie night last night, by which I know that it’s officially Christmas time, and year’s end. We made Cappuccino Shortbreads, Peppermint Patties, Gingerbreads, Clove Snaps (a clove-and-citrus take on Ginger Snaps), Lemon-Lime Butter Wafers, Kris Kringle chocolate cookies that you roll in either cocoa or icing sugar before […]
Every breath you take
If you are a fan of heavy-metal clothing brand Affliction – admittedly not really likely if you’ve found yourself on this page – then you might believe that affliction is “the passion that drives us to reach for greatness,” or something that “makes you build when others buy.” Well no. Since at least Roman times, […]