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Archives of Practice

The mind of Posture- Gateway to Meditation- Spotlight on Yin Yoga

One bit of positive feedback I hear about my classes is that they unify the physical with the meditative experience– both during and after the practice.  So, in this issue I’d like to shed some light on an aspect of practice that helped me unify  these two seemingly opposing parts of the self.

Roam if you want to. Inner Wilderness awaiting you.

As we know, meditation practice involves training in methodology and deepens with practice. Ultimately, though, meditation is a state of freedom.  We always have permission to explore, to let it run loose.

Ways of Getting Centered

Even my most active movement classes always begin with a centering practice. Sitting or lying down, resting into the body.

Savasana: “Don’t just lie there. Wake up like a corpse!”

Other cultures (and not only eastern ones) actually meditate in graveyards and charnel grounds where bodies are buried and/or cremated.  These places are full of significance for practitioners. They symbolize the self integration that sustains a meaningful life, connected with the change that guides the universe, encourages the suspension of ego, the end of fear-based […]

You’d make a beautiful corpse.

When we make a special meal, we use the best tools we have- the best pot for cooking, the best dishes for enjoying the meal.  When we eat good food, we do it for the nourishment. The same is true in yoga. We use our bodies as the containers for the poses- “cooking” internally as […]

What is Yin Yoga?

WHAT IS YIN YOGA? The yin tissues of the body are the deeper, more hidden fascia, connective tissues and their joints.  These delicate tissues require a safe form of conditioning such as stretching/ stillness. The so-called “Yang” tissues, a more common focus in Western exercise, are the larger, more external and visible muscles and ligaments […]

A Note about Summertime Practice-

The season of sound and color is upon us in SF!! It begins with Carnivale, graduations, builds up to Gay Pride Day, then July 4th, and onward through Labor Day!   The flowers are out, radiant, all animals including the humans are in full swing active mode!  Physical, sporty, expressive doing.  Fun but fatiguing. Increased chance […]

45 Sun Salute!

I’m sharing some of the deeper aspects of Sun Salutations known in Sanskrit as Surya Namaskar. I owe much of my deeper knowledge of this practice to Richard Rosen, so let’s start with a few quotes from him. “It might seem strange to us that the yogis place the seat of wisdom in the heart, […]