I’ve been wearing black this week, grieving the death of summer. And my practice; I’ve now got wrist pain to match my tricky hips. Le sigh. I’d had a couple weeks to rest it; I’d been running and biking to build up some strength. I finally realized I needed to ask a yoga teacher for [...]

From Elias Lopez, at Abhaya Yoga: Elias, demonstrating Bakasana: You can stay here, with the toes on the ground. That’s the pink variation. Or you can lift one foot, that’s the blue variation. Or the other foot, that’s still blue. Or lift both feet, that’s the purple variation. Any color you wish; all colors are [...]

From Tara Glazier, at Abhaya Yoga: Student: Why do I feel like I’m pulling my shoulder out if its socket? [in Visvamitrasana] Tara: You might be! This wake-up call drew a big round of laughter from the class. It’s easy to forget that the asanas are serious challenges for the body. (She went on to [...]

A yoga practice should complement your physical health, emotional temperament, and intellectual interests. Yoga can be practiced by reading books, or volunteering, or meditating, but the physical exercises are a popular place to start. Here are a few aspects to consider.

I’m still chewing on an idea from yoga this morning, a delicious treat. Even better than weekend pastries. Tara Glazier, the owner of Abhaya Yoga in Dumbo, was teaching us the concept of arm spirals. (It’s an alignment refinement she said she just figured out last week, after 10 years of practice.) We would internally [...]

From yesterday: 1) Julie Dohman’s Anusara class at YogaWorks Soho: Standing on one foot, we held the other foot in one hand and stretched it out to the side… for our neighbor to take hold of! “Like a chain of elephants.” I could write a whole post just about the sweetness of this moment…

On Friday I stopped through Dumbo on my way home. A friend was having a party in her workspace there, and my can’t-make-it excuse (“I’m supposed to go to yoga”) held no water once she informed me that her office had a yoga studio ON THE SAME FLOOR. So, 6:30 yoga; 8:00 party it was. [...]