The last couple days, I’ve returned to Sun Salutations. They are a perfect practice in and of themselves. I used to hate them. Always forced myself through them, knowing I needed the warm up. Finally I realized: if you hate a pose in yoga, you’re doing it wrong. There is some other alignment, variation, or [...]

Last night I tried to practice yoga with Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah. It was a rainy day and I needed some energy. Instead it pushed me into listening mode, I just lay on the floor enjoying the album for a while, until I finally got up and practiced in silence. So, today I [...]

This morning I went to a free class at Om Factory, schlepping over to the Garment District at 10am. (Still better than the 7am call time when I used to teach there.) I was puffy-eyed and groggy from some gluttony the day before, but knew that three hours before breakfast wouldn’t work for me, so [...]

Two-score days ago I started a little New Year’s Resolution, and guess what? Today is day 40! I did it! “It” was a simple daily practice of Navel Lock with breath retention for 10–40 seconds. In most cases it was about twenty or twenty-five seconds; I’ve always had trouble with retentions on exhales more than [...]

New Year’s is probably my favorite holiday (in spirit, not in typically exorbitant and excessively drunken practice). It’s about starting fresh with what you have, doing things you’ve been wanting to do, declaring your intentions for the next year. I’m not usually a resolution-maker; I’m kind of a self-improvement junkie so I’m always tweaking my [...]

In these chilly winter months, it’s good to remember that the root of flexible is FLEX. When you’re tugging away in a yoga pose, remember to support whatever you’re stretching by FLEXING the opposing muscles. This creates heat, which is essential for safe stretching. For example, in a Forward Bend, the more you flex the [...]

I’ve recently noticed an upswing of “How to Become an Early Riser” articles (although I think it’s a topic that’s recycled more often than the magazines themselves), and I’m wondering if I should adjust my schedule. Getting up early satisfies the competitive achiever in us all — I remember one Saturday in college where I’d [...]

Dharma Mittra, the inimitable (or eminently imitable) senior teacher, just emailed these tips for the new year: Spend time Meditating. Meditation is unbroken concentration and the most effective type is self-reflection. Spend at least 15 minutes meditating every morning. Get serious about your practice! One must get serious and simply attending class is not enough. [...]

I’m staying with my older brother and his darling wife this week for the family Xmas get-together. They have more video games than God, and one of those systems is the Wii Fit! I’ve only played a Wii once, and that was the cooking game where you have to turn and shake the controller to [...]

It’s sometimes hard to have a happy holiday. You’re so sleep-deprived you could kill/cry, your brain is a gray mush of to-do lists, and the prospect (or lack) of family time is cuing thunderclouds of emotion. Plus, it’s so cold/windy/sunless that your shoulders are frozen somewhere near your ears and you haven’t really exhaled in [...]