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The Choice To Thrive
The Choice to Thrive “Do you teach at a yoga studio?” “I really loved it when you taught at XYZ Yoga Studio.” “Are you planning on teaching again at XYZ yoga studio?” Dear Yoga Student, I know these questions come from a well intentioned place. I know that the studio was convenient for you. I know that you don’t understand that sometimes, I taught 2 hours of Mysore style Ashtanga for under $10. I know that you don’t understand that most of your monthly membership went to pay for the overhead of the yoga studio and not to me. I know you don’t understand that the average yoga teacher in…
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Treat Me Like Your Headliner
I have a message for you. Love, promise yourself that in 2021, you won’t let people treat you as their second string, fall back, c list celebrity. Don’t treat people like a forethought when they treat you like an afterthought. If they are not giddy with excitement when they talk about you, don’t deal with them! Your name on their lips should be like a child talking about Christmas; wonderous, joyful and full of anticipation. Don’t let them treat you like an old discarded thing shoved into an attic or the back of a cabinet. Are they hiding you, Love? You should be on display like the diamond on the…
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Deconstructing Ashtanga, Reconstructing Me
Here are the words from that post: Asana is a trap. All yogic techniques are a trap. The Yoga Sutras constantly talks about this idea of our soul, and the objects of this world, shining alone without the need to draw meaning from the outside world. Yogic techniques help you to build new positive patterns that override the negative. The next step is to get rid of the positive patterns too!!!! Why? What is even seen as positive in this world is a result of conditioning and our environment. “Positive” can even be another form of bondage. For the yogi, “positive” is not just another set of rules and personality…
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Performative Love
On FB, someone posted a beautiful statement celebrating the life of an activist and a cry of justice for their death. All these beautiful condolences from strangers started pouring in. Someone, who knew the person, thanked everyone for their beautiful heartfelt messages and said that the pronouns for the deceased were “they/them”. All hell broke loose. It was as if a light switch was turned off. People went from love to hate in an instant. Sweet condolences switched to raving critiques, mean comments and inappropriate questions. Because of their pronouns, their death no longer mattered. The grief of the friends and family members no longer mattered. The post was no…
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Taking Away Attention, Taking Away Power
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Why I Am Not Interested in Your Virtual Ashtanga Course
During this Shelter in Place, I signed up for 4 virtual courses…none of them Ashtanga. I am so tired of the same interviews with the same hand full of people who have the same perspective. I am tired of the same workshops by the same few super flexy people on the same subjects. I am tired of the same tutorials by the same genetically gifted people on the same techniques that no one but genetically gifted people can even do. I am tired of this homogenous picture that the Ashtanga world insists on painting. When Ashtanga comes under fire for being a shallow elitist practice for skinny genetically gifted circus…
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True Community on Social Media
Social media can be used for connection but you have to be very purposeful about who you follow. There are many on social media that are just looking to sell something or get you to engage simply to build their own profiles. If your social media feeds are full of these types of people, but you want to move more towards a true community feel on Instagram and FaceBook, keep reading. There are three different types of accounts that I tend to follow: Educational Entertainment Community I will break these down in a moment. But first, if you want to build community, the bulk of the people you follow should…
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Yoga Is Essential
This morning, my husband, read off the list of essential businesses that should stay open during the Shelter in Place order. Liquor stores was one of them and so was places of worship. Why? These places keep people from going crazy. So does Yoga. I have practiced Yoga for 20 years and can say that it has been the rock that got me through all my major setbacks, let downs, break downs, injuries and illnesses. I am not the only one. I know many people who, without hesitation, will say that Yoga is the reason they are alive. It is the reason they beat addiction and eating disorders. It is…
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Taking Away Attention, Taking Away Power
“If you don’t like something, take away its only power, your attention.” -Anon Sounds nice huh? Yes, on one level this is true, but most people who say it, are not on that level. For most, it is simply spiritual bypassing and highly problematic. And often, a seemingly polite way of saying, “not my circus, not my monkeys”. Let me demonstrate. Picture yourself going to a loved one with an issue, if they looked at you and said, “I am not giving this my attention or power”, how would you feel? Would that be cool? You: “Are you cheating on me? Your partner: “I don’t like this conversation and I…
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Why You Should Memorize the Ashtanga Sequence
The number one reason people give me, for why they do not want to start Ashtanga, is they do not want to memorize the sequence. Memorization has never been an issue for me. In fact, it is the only reason I made it through school because, God knows, I didn’t actually learn anything. For many, I suspect it goes way further then not wanting to memorize and has more to do with being vulnerable in front of strangers. However, for this post, I will focus on memory. Fun fact. Memory is actually one of the mental fluctuations that Yoga is supposed to suspend. Why? Because when used negatively, memory locks…
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Forgiveness + Responsibility
You can forgive someone and hold them responsible. You can love someone and seek justice for that person’s abhorrent actions. People often use Jesus as an example of forgiveness. Well, there is the “turn the other cheek” Jesus and there is also the revolutionary Jesus. The Jesus that spoke up against a corrupt system and was hated and eventually killed for it. The Jesus that went into a temple with a whip, made by his own hands, turning over tables and kicking out charlatans. This Jesus spent his time with people that normal society had cast aside. If you agreed to change your actions, he would heal you. If you…
