BLAH BLAH BLAH...
someone call guinness!!!
well, i did it. i just finished teaching the world’s smallest yoga teacher training in history. three students (and me) in my little home yoga studio. and. it. ROCKED! while other trainings have 20, 30, 50…or more students, i had just three. and everyone kept asking me how it was financially worthwhile…and why didn’t i…
Read Morethe urban yoga soundtrack
home practice. what could be more ideal? nothing but you and the silence of your surroundings. no being subjected to the endless chatter of some talky teacher. no being distracted by the sweaty, smelly masses around you. just you, your mat, and your practice. or, if you’re me…jackhammers. just me, my mat, my practice and…
Read Morehow losing control brings control
i have this one student who gives me what she calls “bonus animal noises” when she feels like she is losing control of a pose. as in, she thinks she’s about to fall out of a handstand and then monkey-like sounds emit from her mouth. that’s the first sign of impending doom. then there is…
Read Morethe greedy giver
aparigraha. non-greed. one of the basic precepts (yamas) of yoga. part of the moral code for living. on the surface, this is an easy one. don’t take what you don’t need, and give what you can. right? well, right-ish. nothing in yoga (or life) is quite that simple. any basically good human being knows that…
Read Moreyou don't need a yin practice.
so, i was working with a student–coincidentally named yin–and she was pontificating the value of a yin practice. her exact words (to the best of my recollection): “i really should start a yin practice, huh?” honestly, my response: no. let me preface this by saying these are my thoughts while i am still (relatively) young…
Read Moreyou don’t need a yin practice.
so, i was working with a student–coincidentally named yin–and she was pontificating the value of a yin practice. her exact words (to the best of my recollection): “i really should start a yin practice, huh?” honestly, my response: no. let me preface this by saying these are my thoughts while i am still (relatively) young…
Read Moreget smart
’tis the season. christmas. the time of year where i have to explain over and over again why i–a jew–do not celebrate christmas. the conversation usually goes something like this: them: merry christmas. me: thanks, but i’m jewish. i don’t celebrate christmas. 🙂 them: really? why not? me: because i’m jewish. them: but why don’t…
Read Moreom sweet om
so it took me a little while to foster a consistent home practice. a few years really…well, let’s be honest, a decade… for the first few years, i would hunker down for a home practice, do a few sun salutations, a couple of poses, and ten minutes later, i was done. that was the end…
Read Morea simple test to find out if you are ready for level 2/3 yoga classes…
So, some people think they are ready for a 2/3 yoga class…until they actually take one and the truth becomes readily apparent. Here’s an easy test to determine whether you are 2/3 caliber: Go to a Level 2/3 yoga class. If you can’t wait for the next one, you’re ready. If you can’t bear the…
Read Morehow to go to an awesome yoga workshop and get absolutely nothing out of it
one lovely day many years ago, i was lucky enough to attend an amazing, exclusive, private workshop with a world famous yogi who offered to teach a handful of people how to press into handstand. for a few hours, the group of us pushed and pressed our way through the material. everyone in the room…
Read Morebecause i said you can…that’s why….
it’s funny. i mean not ha-ha funny, but funny nonetheless. i work with a lot of special needs yoga students (that’s not the funny part), of every age and every challenge, be it mental, physical, or emotional. most of the time, i make tremendous strides. i’ve had a student come to me in a wheelchair…
Read Moreabout last night…
so…about last night. it wasn’t a great night. as some of you know, i am pretty active in pro-israel politics (“pretty active” as in: it’s the single most important thing in my life) and the recent events in israel have been quite unsettling, to say the least. it’s been a few days of conference call…
Read Morethe spiritual handstand
So, here I am minding my own business, taking advantage of the awesome summer sun, practicing on the cliffs in Santa Monica. Runners run by, bikers bike, strollers stroll…and then there’s this one random guy who feels it is very important to take it upon himself, come over to me, yell that “That’s not yoga,…
Read Moremy million dollar baby moment
okay…i’ll admit it’s not the easiest transition in yoga, but honestly, it’s not the hardest one either. in fact, it’s pretty manageable…albeit perhaps a tad bit scary. i’m talking about vrschikasana in adho mukha vrksasana to gandha behrundasana, silly! but of course! oh…sound like sanskrit to you? basically, it’s going from scorpion in a handstand…
Read Morethere’s no business like yoga business…and i mean that literally…
i’ll admit, i’ve been called a lot of things in my day–mostly behind my back–but the one thing that kills me every time is when people (let’s call them yoga instructors) accuse me of being (brace yourself) a businesswoman. usually in the form of “you think this is a business! it’s not! it’s yoga!” oh,…
Read Morenow, that's the yoga spirit!
so…here’s a challenge…find the spirituality in a yoga class…in los angeles. i’ll wait… waiting… still waiting… sort of hard to find, huh? lodged somewhere deep between the guy with the turban who molests women and the naked girl who does a really nice split…it’s there…i promise you. and it’s there in every class. preposterous, i…
Read Morethe one yoga pose you never suspected would revolutionize your handstands forever!
okay, i’m about to share a deep, dark secret with you about handstands. so, brace yourself. when i ask people what part of their body they think affects their ability to handstand the most, the #1 response i get is arms–or shoulders. and, yes, without arms and shoulders, handstands would be a bitch. pardonnez mon…
Read Morehow to go vegan in three easy steps
there are some very hard things about being a vegan. for one, you can’t be a party to hurting, killing, or maiming any animals. (sorry!) like, you can’t trade the pain of an animal for the satisfaction of your sweet tooth, for example. it took me 21 years of being a strict vegetarian to finally…
Read Moresagging upwards: the yoga inversion secret you need to know!
ever see one of those REALLY OLD yogis or yoginis and wondered how on earth they stay so young? if the answer is no, it’s probably because you did see one but didn’t even realize it because s/he seemed so strong and vibrant. there is a secret, you know. the yoga fountain of youth, if…
Read Morethe party’s over
so, i was leading this fabulous handstand workshop. everyone was having a great time. it was like the best party you’ve ever been to, minus the sex, drugs, and alcohol. rock stars everywhere, legs flying hither and nigh. fun! fun! smile! smile! fun! yay! and then, out of nowhere, the whole world came crashing down.…
Read Morepump up the volume! somewhere else…
let me preface this post by saying that i love music. from classical to classic rock, and even country, i love it all. you would be hard-pressed to find any genre on earth missing from my ipod, and music keeps me company pretty much every moment that i’m awake…except while i’m practicing yoga. kill me…
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