He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future. George Orwell My free three-week pass at the mega studio elapsed on Monday. I took 25 classes in 20 days. A limited-time offer is a great motivator, isn’t it? Perhaps resolutions serve the same purpose. Here, the impetus is not a…… Continue reading All-or-nothing resolutions
Category: Yoga Asana
When do yoga teachers practice?
I love practicing yoga first thing in the morning. It wakes my body, smoothes the kinks, clears my mind. I feel energized. Energy begets energy, as they say. Now that I teach three mornings a week now, my practice is cut short (especially if I accidentally oversleep) on those days. Still, I’ve got it made. I…… Continue reading When do yoga teachers practice?
Reawakening the body
“It’s not over,” he said. “There’s always a chance to change. You should not — you dare not — give up.” Gregg Mozgala, actor and dancer with cerebral palsy In yoga classes, I’ve notice some students’ difficulty moving their ankles and toes. Point, flex. Easy enough. Rotate them in synchronized circles. Okay. Now flex only…… Continue reading Reawakening the body
Extreme breath control
I first read about the sport of freediving two summers ago, in an August/September 2008 Hana Hou! magazine article, “On One Breath” by Michael Shapiro. Researching the sport with gusto, Shapiro himself trains to do a four-minute breath hold and a 100-foot dive. Insanity! My interest was further piqued in “The Deepest Dive,” The New…… Continue reading Extreme breath control
Further thoughts on home practice
We talk about “home practice” as if it has one definition. But, of course, our home practices are wildly different. I’m not talking only about asanas, sequences, methods, or levels. I’m talking about the logistics and the logic of one’s home practice. LOGISTICS I currently do my home practice at a community center in my neighborhood.…… Continue reading Further thoughts on home practice
On home practice and eating salad
After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little. It is not like going out in a shower in which you know when you get wet. In a fog,…… Continue reading On home practice and eating salad
Can you touch your toes?
Last week, I happened to observe a bunch of Chinese kids hanging out after school. A little girl, perhaps six, was doing homework with two boys, possibly 12 or 13. First she memorized songs and then she read aloud a few questions on PE. “Can you touch your toes?” she asked the boys. They were…… Continue reading Can you touch your toes?
Yoga Spy 