Fear gets lodged in the heart center, smack dab in the middle of our lungs. It tightens and constricts. It makes our breath shallow and rolls our shoulders forward. Prolonged fear literally stops us in our tracks. I am usually not a fearful person and I definitely try to steer clear of fear-mongering, but I honestly haven’t been able to completely avoid it in 2020. It’s at the grocery store, on the cover of Time...
Every week, I teach yoga to a group teenagers. I adore them and class is never boring. After over five years, I’ve learned to expect the energy of this group to be one of two things: hyper and unfocused OR lethargic and low-energy. You’d think different energies would require different teaching strategies, but actually I ‘treat” these energies the same. I simply bring their attention to their breath. Sounds unremarkable, right? Yet, I’m finding breathing...
The last big video shoot we had for Ellen Barrett Mindful Movement was February 24, 2020. Who knew that craziness would ensue so soon after that day? By Mid-March 2020, life as we knew it was turned upside down. All summer long, I plotted my next video shoot and prayed everyone involved stayed healthy and prayed our government wouldn’t close down production. I prayed the weather (and the power!) would cooperate too. Well, my prayers...
People have noticed that I am often doing yoga in a yurt. Yes, it’s true. It’s not my own personal yurt (sadly), but I do get to teach in it several times a week. I’ve been in love with yurts since the very first time I stepped foot in one as a 20something. I remember that particular yurt very vividly – it did not have a heater or a/c unit but it did have a...
When you’d like to workout but you’re feeling a bit “unambitious” about it, here’s what you need to do – just get to the mat. Just get to it. Maybe sit or lie down on it. Maybe stand on it. Just get to that mat with bare feet and comfy clothes and stay there. Something wonderful happens when you get to the mat – you nurture your self with movement. It might be seated in...
