Yoga
Will Do Yoga for Grilled Cheese: In Pursuit of Joy
I have two obsessions – yoga and grilled cheese. Maybe the two seem worlds apart, but for me, they serve the same purpose – JOY. At the beginning of each Tranquil Space yoga class, we are invited to set an intention. My intention is “to create JOY.” No matter how I feel, this…
Read MoreWhen Your Body Becomes A Bumper Car
Yoga was the last thing on my mind when I returned to DC this week after my father’s death. Yet, gravity pulled me back to yoga quickly. “Here goes nothing,” I thought, dragging my feet into the studio. My spirit was as heavy and shapeless as wet laundry. My narcolepsy was worse…
Read MoreCrow Pose: To Risk Falling On Your Nose
A crow is a large garbage-eating bird with a loud cry. It is also inverted balancing yoga pose in which you prop your thighs against armpits, squeeze abs tight, hinge forward and pray not to nose-dive! Over the past 6 months of practicing yoga, my reaction to crow pose has been consistent: “Oh…
Read MoreSummer of Love
Julie Flygare Photography This summer, I spent about 88 hours doing yoga. 24 hours in downward dog. And 8 glorious hours in pigeon pose. We fell in love by accident. As a life-long runner, yoga was never my thing. It wasn’t even a “legitimate” workout. Flirtations:In late May, I heard about a “21 Day Yoga…
Read MoreKarate Chop Yoga-Style
My eyes were closed. I didn’t see karate chops coming. Since completing the 21 Day Yoga Challenge, I’ve been hooked on yoga. It’s gentler on my knees than running. And by now, I’m an expert, knowing all the poses by heart. Or so I thought… The other day, we were seated when our instructor told…
Read MoreAdventures of the Sleepy Yogi: A Mid-Summer Day’s Challenge
Today’s 12 noon class marked #21 of my 21 Day Yoga Challenge! It also rung in the Summer Solstice at 12:16pm EST (the moment that the Earth’s axis points closest to the sun). Yet, my midsummer day’s practice was far from a Shakespearian dream or Buddha’s enlightenment. Instead, I hung upside down in down-dog, battling nausea. To…
Read MoreIt’s a bird! It’s a flower! It’s YOGA!
When I heard that “Bird of Paradise” was the Pose-of-the-Month at Tranquil Spacethis June, I was skeptical. Another bird? I love yoga’s Pigeon and Swan poses – but Bird of Paradise sounded exotic… and challenging. The Bird of Paradise is a very colorful bird. It’s also an orange flower. In yoga, it’s an advanced…
Read MoreAll Roads Lead to Downward Dog
Do NOT wear short shorts to yoga class. You will end up in compromising positions. You will expose your upper-thighs to your neighbor yogis. I should know this. I’m not a yoga novice. Yet with all my yoga pants in the dirty laundry bin this morning, I quickly threw on jogging shorts and left for…
Read MoreAdventures of the Sleepy Yogi: Starting Summer with 21 Days of Yoga
If YOGA came in a pill, I’d definitely take it. Who wouldn’t want the benefits of improved sleep, better mood and overall well-being? Side effects include: better flexibility, strength, weight-management and general physical fitness. But yoga doesn’t come in a pill. It comes on a mat. And for me, it’s hard work. When…
Read MoreAdventures of the Sleepy Yogi Part III: Traveling the World in Search of Peace
Just call me World-Traveler-Extraordinaire. Two days ago, I took a boat-ride alongside the highest dune in Europe – the Dune du Pyla in the south of France. Yesterday, I strolled the banks of the Charles River in Boston. Today – I walked barefoot on a beach in Jamaica. Well, all that’s not entirely true. Although I…
Read More