I love feeling strong. I love having good balance. It feels good to stand up straight. Cardiovascular endurance is such a great asset. My mobility is on fleek! These are affirmations that just rise to the surface – and become facts – when you move a little bit every day. The daily habit of moving is an open secret. When we see fit and vibrant people, we always want to know, are they kickboxing, bootcamp-ing, or do...
Last week was a chaotic one. I was pulled in so many directions and a few unexpected events occurred from my dogs getting fleas to breaking the tail light on my car to my son’s sport’s practices getting rescheduled, added to and extended. It was pretty much plan B everyday. By the time Saturday night rolled in, I was in “what just happened?” mode. I managed to make it just fine, but the constant adjustments...
I’m a fan of hanging out on a yoga mat. Whether I’m teaching or taking, I get to class early and simply hang out. It’s a habit, but it’s also a craving. On the mat is one of my favorite places! I contemplated this lately, asking myself, why am I so lured to on the mat? It really is so ingrained. If, by chance, I don’t get to class early and miss my mat hangout, I do notice the...
I’m not a Fitbit person. I’m not an Applewatch person. I’m not a heart rate monitor person. I’m a check in with yourself person. Some people love the data these devices ofter, and you may be one of them. That’s all good. Different strokes for different folks! High tech and au naturale can co-exist. What I want to emphasize however – no matter what “outside” info you gather during your workout – you already possess a built-in...
Seasons change. Right now, wherever you are on Earth, there is a shift. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re leaving summer and entering autumn. When we think season change, our minds go to weather change, wardrobe change, schedule change. Lots of change outside of us. There’s energetic change within us too. Personally, as I approach autumn in New England, USA, I feel a little more ambitious. Like the squirrels, I feel an urgency to get things...
Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, teaches the art of folding, for folding well keeps your belongings safely, cleanly, and beautifully stored. You and I fold things every single day. We fold laundry, linens, and yoga blankets, and we probably do most of this folding intuitively. Well, the body folds too, and the benefits are vast. From a standing and seated position, we can fold forward. From a supine position, we...
If you’ve ever experienced knee pain, you know we use our knees a lot! If the simple act of standing up from a seated position hurts, how are we supposed to workout? Well, knees always need TLC, not just when you feel pain, and painful workouts are always a big no in my book, but we can still keep moving even when our knees limit us. The key is to feel out what you can do without pain. This will be...
People have been asking if I am going to be offering weekend retreats again, and after deeply contemplating it, the answer is no. My 10year run at Kripalu with Yogini Workshop was a blast – I met so many extraordinary women. However, my passion is in creating workouts and bringing movement into daily life, and retreats are a very different wheelhouse. Also, a huge part of the retreat experience has nothing to do with me...
Struggling to get to your at-home workout space as often as you’d like? Make it feel more sacred. The space we workout in should be a sacred space. First, because we spend a solid amount of time in it. Second, because we work hard on ourselves in it. And third, because we shut out the noise of the world and connect to ourselves in it. Often, we think a space is sacred because it’s connected to religion, like...
Let me start by saying, the following 10 items are not quirky to me. They are normal to me! However, I realize they are not mainstream and might seem a bit curious. Here are my quirky health habits: 1. I take my shoes off as often as I can. In fact, if I hike with shoes, I change out of them when I get back to my car. I’ll put on a sandal or go barefoot or switch to an Ugg boot that...
