lung qi and the voice
every sound you make is a vibration. every vibration has the capacity to shake something loose, to move something through, to reveal something that was previously locked away. making noise is a form of release. a way to take out the trash and energetically get out something that no longer needs to be inside of you. no longer needs to be a part of you. keeping your emotions tidily tucked inside will, overtime, make you sick. causing literal or emotional constipation and discomfort. expression is form of self care. letting your emotions flow is like cleaning your house. your tears mop the floor. your scream knocks the dust off the fan. your sigh opens the window. your temper tantrum wipes the baseboards. your groan cleans the toilet.
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Shapeshifting
I invited a friend to come to my class the other day. She hesitated, saying she’d like to, but was out of “yoga shape, not feeling too flexible.” A few days later, someone else asked me: “How do teachers feel about students being good at yoga?”
I am reevaluating the way I think about “levels” of a practice with no end. What is a beginner? Who is advanced? I can say with absolute certainty that I am a beginner every time I try to get real, be present with Change, that other name of Life.
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The Magic of Sound Healing
“What happens in a sound bath?
As a sound healer I get this question all the time. Let me explain:)
If you’re new to sound baths you might be wondering, “is this like a massage?” or “will I be moving like I’m in a yoga class?” Although a sound bath might feel like a massage for your soul, you keep all your clothes on. And although you might feel energy moving like you’re in a yoga class, all you have to do is sit comfortably or lie down.
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Welcoming Shiva
I received a message about a month ago from Jessica Knott- a fellow yoga teacher and veteran of a community most of the teachers at Soulage (including myself) hail from. She explained that upon the closing of our beloved yoga home, she had received the honor of giving a new home to the Shiva statue which had remained on the altar of the “Fire studio” for many many years.
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An Experiment in Presence OR A Call to a Whole Lotta Nothing
Summertime. When you were young. What do you remember?
I remember riding in the bed of a pickup, two hours to a lake, and my hair was so tangled I had to use peanut butter to get the knots out. And as soon as we got to the lake I jumped right in, watermelon slice in hand and juice all down my neck. I remember the smell of old, moldy grass under the plastic baby pool because we left it in the same spot a few days too many. I remember yelling into a box fan in our living room. I remember a lot of idle time, just doing a whole lot of nothing.
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Shell Season
snails, seeds, hermit crabs, nuts, mollusks, bivalves, clams, crustaceans, turtles, armadillos, husks, and hulls. nature is full of shells. these organisms are our teachers for how to live well in winter. and while the signs of spring are already punching, popping and tweeting around us, it’s still cold outside. we are still in the season of preparing for spring, rather than being spring - the winter of winter.
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Grow Towards the Light
Have you ever watched one of those time-lapse videos of plants filmed over the course of a day? It's so incredibly beautiful- almost like watching a dance. Their leaves rise and fall, pulse and sway. And as the sun travels its way across the sky they subtly seek its nourishment.
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there is no rush
there is no rush to finish, no rush to figure it all out. self-imposed, or even societally-imposed, timelines often cause unnecessary suffering. suffering because we did not meet an expectation or life did not meet our expectations. an expectation we ultimately placed upon our own shoulders. often leading to frustration, disappointment, dissatisfaction, sadness, temporary insanity, you name it.
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We are all Flowers
I am an artist. When I create new work it’s only after trial and error, discovery and challenge that I can say I’ve created artwork. Teaching and practicing yoga asana have always been an anchor in the cyclone of the creative process. I often return to the idea that inspiration is another word for inhalation.
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The Importance of Connection
I was listening to Armchair Expert a few days ago (Thank you Sarah Cook for recommending this podcast). The guest on the show was Gabor Mate'- a physician and author with a lifelong interest in how trauma affects our physical health. In the course of this interview, he relayed a joke which I will do my best not to butcher:
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A Plea for Embracing Failure
As a recovering perfectionist, I know all too well the plight of "Get it Right". I yearned for A's in school as if my life depended upon it. To ensure that sweet peaked shape on my report cards, I would spend more of my semester trying to figure out what the teacher wanted to see in a paper than I did actually learning. Perhaps that got me through school with a relatively high GPA but it robbed me of the curiosity and exploration that lead to real learning.
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Calling all Creative Spirits!
We are looking for images that speak to the essence of this space and the classes that are offered here. We plan to use the images for some fresh swag (bumper stickers, tanks, and tees).
The winner will receive a year of free yoga with members of the “Collective at Soulage” and will receive credit on socials, newsletter and website for their amazing creation.
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The Collective
If you've been to a yoga studio before, you may be familiar with the way business is done there. It's a lot like a gym. You sign up for a membership and get access to classes. And while it’s a lucrative model for the gym itself and a convenient model for students, it’s not always great for teachers. We grew up under the studio model of yoga and there was a time it served. We met thousands of students, were able to offer so many styles of classes and workshops and tapped into a strong community of students and fellow teachers.
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It's a Practice
In yoga, is it just that much harder to share the inner workings of the mind than it is to stumble in half moon?
All I know is that it’s a practice. I hear that a lot, and I say that a lot, and Patanjali tells us in the Yoga Sutras that we must practice, but it’s not always so simple to internalize. That’s okay, I remind myself. It doesn’t have to be simple. It’s a practice.
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April!
My parents were firm believers in trying new things. If the meal entailed something outside of our young pallets, we, at least, had to partake in a bite of the new offering before concluding that it was not for us. I had pretty adventurous tastebuds but asparagus was amongst the few foods that I could not find a place on my plate to enjoy.
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What happens during (and after) conscious-connected breathing?
Conscious connected breathing (CCB) is a breathwork technique that involves taking deep, rhythmic breaths through the mouth without pausing between inhalation and exhalation. During CCB, we typically lie down comfortably and breathe in a circular, continuous pattern.
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On Meditation
What enhances my life that I can share with you?
I meditate.
I know a lot of you will opt out at this point. Not interested, tried, doesn’t work for you, I've heard it over and over . . . all the reasons people can’t meditate, sit still etc.
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the seeds of winter
a curtain is being lifted, the curtain of winter. the curtain of closed eyelids. slowly spring awakens. within us and around us. more daylight, more warmth. slowly, and then more quickly. the buzzing underneath the surface is intensifying. potential is potentiating.within us and around us. of all the seeds scattered, some are taking root in the soil of your being. some of your dreams are demanding to become reality. when the time is right, they will push up and out of you. they will find a way. they will sprout.
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